Hector Garcia

According to researcher Owen Schaffer of DePaul University, the requirements for achieving flow are:
Knowing what to do
Knowing how to do it
Knowing how well you are doing
Knowing where to go (where navigation is involved)
Perceiving significant challenges
Perceiving significant skills
Being free from distractions1

We don’t create the meaning of our life, as Sartre claimed—we discover it.

We all have the capacity to do noble or terrible things. The side of the equation we end up on depends on our decisions, not on the condition in which we find ourselves.

We each have a unique reason for being, which can be adjusted or transformed many times over the years.

Presented with new information, the brain creates new connections and is revitalized. This is why it is so important to expose yourself to change, even if stepping outside your comfort zone means feeling a bit of anxiety.

The American Institute of Stress investigated this degenerative process and concluded that most health problems are caused by stress.

Spending too much time seated at work or at home not only reduces muscular and respiratory fitness but also increases appetite and curbs the desire to participate in activities. Being sedentary can lead to hypertension, imbalanced eating, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and even certain kinds of cancer. Recent studies have shown a connection between a lack of physical activity and the progressive distortion of telomeres in the immune system, which ages those cells and, in turn, the organism as a whole.

For all these reasons, melatonin is a great ally in preserving youth. It should be noted, however, that melatonin production decreases after age thirty. We can compensate for this by:

Eating a balanced diet and getting more calcium.
Soaking up a moderate amount of sun each day.
Getting enough sleep.
Avoiding stress, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, all of which make it harder to get a good night’s rest, depriving us of the melatonin we need.

A powerful antioxidant, melatonin helps us live longer, and also offers the following benefits:

It strengthens the immune system.
It contains an element that protects against cancer.
It promotes the natural production of insulin.
It slows the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
It helps prevent osteoporosis and fight heart disease.

It’s easy to be less sedentary; it just takes a bit of effort and a few changes to your routine. We can access a more active lifestyle that makes us feel better inside and out—we just have to add a few ingredients to our everyday habits:

Walk to work, or just go on a walk for at least twenty minutes each day.
Use your feet instead of an elevator or escalator. This is good for your posture, your muscles, and your respiratory system, among other things.
Participate in social or leisure activities so that you don’t spend too much time in front of the television.
Replace your junk food with fruit and you’ll have less of an urge to snack, and more nutrients in your system.
Get the right amount of sleep. Seven to nine hours is good, but any more than that makes us lethargic.
Play with children or pets, or join a sports team. This not only strengthens the body but also stimulates the mind and boosts self-esteem.
Be conscious of your daily routine in order to detect harmful habits and replace them with more positive ones.