The Surgeon General is someone people normally don’t think about. Sure you see the warnings on packages of cigarettes, but who exactly is this person, and why do we give a shit about what they have to say? Well we care because, Vivek Murthy is on a mission to change some things, he’s swimming upstream, he’s the ‘SG under dog’ and we couldn’t agree more with his vision.
His whole deal is focusing on prevention, encouraging people to be more disciplined about their mental & physical health before shit hits the fan. In our prescription-heavy and quick fix society, this a breath of fresh air and we’re down to support Mr. Murthy on his quest. As we blaze a new path in the health & wellness space we’re committed to inspiring our people to live a more balanced life…
In December 2014, one year after he became appointed (It was contested because the NRA got mad because of a tweet). Vivek Murthy was named by President Obama as the Surgeon General of the United States, which means he became the nation’s doctor. Now he’s on a campaign to make America more healthy. Dr. Murthy has highlighted three issues that are facing Americans right now. They are:
Having A Walk-able Neighborhood Is An Issue Of Equality:
Yea we agree with you. We here at YORK walk to work, we know just how good it is to be able to walk to where you need to go. When you can fit in twenty minutes of exercise you release endorphins that make you more happy. Think about it, when you exercise and finish do you feel better, or are your problems still as monstrous as they were before you worked out? Working out for just twenty minutes a day makes you more resilient to stress, and hell, you just feel happier.
Mental Health Stigma Needs To End:
This is one we can really get behind. We know just how important it is to be in a proper state of health and wellness, and being able to talk about it is the first step. If you can’t talk about a problem, you damn sure can’t start to fix it. And the thing is, it all kind of goes together. If you are taking care of your body, and exercising twenty-minutes a day, it will help you take care of your mind.
Sleep Is Non-Negotiable:
Seriously. Just go to bed. Your body needs 7-9 hours of sleep. Just give it what it needs!
At YORK we’re constantly reminding ourselves & encouraging each other to make these small improvements on the regular. (. It helps keep us sane and helps us feel good every single day. It looks more or less like this:
- 1) Sleep ‘ground zero’ – 7 to 9 hours a night, no screen time before bed. We shoot for at least 2 hours, but we know that that’s sometimes just not possible, but at least try for an hour. We also drink a little tart cherry juice before bed…
- 2) Meditation ‘breath’ – Try giving yourself a 10 minute meditation break first thing in the morning when you wake up and then end your day with another 10 minutes before bed.
- 3) Exercise- Like we said above shoot for at least 20 minutes a day. Our founder and CEO swears by the am routine, it sets the tone for your entire day. We suggest something like going for a run, a quick dawn patrol skate session, or pounding on a heavy bag. It’s by far the best stress reliever and battery charger.
All of these are important, and they show Dr. Murthy’s position of not trying to treat a problem, but to educate the public about the benefits of living a life of mindful awareness and happiness , so that we can prevent greater health problems in the future. And that’s something we are definitely down for.
What’s your take on our new badass SG? Leave us your tips on keeping sane & feeling your best in the comments.