Keys to Solo Longevity II

In "Keys to Solo Longevity I", I established a few foundational principles. First of all, there is a clear difference in a Ford and a Honda. I prefer my cleaning machine to operate more like a Honda. They last longer and require less maintenance... and I shared this from my experience having owned 4 Fords and 8 Hondas in 30 years. Secondly, we deconstructed the domination and longevity of all-time sports greats Tom Brady, Cal Ripken, Jr., Serena Williams, and Roger Federer. Each of these greats believed very deeply that we will get out of our machines what we put into them. I shared the sleeping, dietary, and exercise training routines of each. Serena valued strength training through HIIT, while her male counterpart in tennis Roger Federer valued 12 hours of sleep per day. Cal valued exercise and strength training more after each birthday, which helped him to become MLB's Iron Man. Tom does everything. He's a cyborg. Can we emulate what these peak performers have done? We can try! In this episode, I will share my own health journey and winning routines. It's my hope that you can make a small change and stay consistent over time so you can reap the rewards of a long solo cleaning career.

Step aside Tom Brady and Serena Williams. Here comes Ken Carfagno. My professional solo cleaning career started at 28. At this point, my solo cleaning stats are ranked #1 in the industry. I guess that makes me the G.O.A.T., which means I'll be inducted into the Solo Cleaning Hall of Fame. Oh, you didn't know about that... did you?! Maybe I'll start it. Anyway, I'm still in the field cleaning every week, but no where near what I used to do solo. I'm 45-years-old and have dealt with my share of ups and downs. I've torn both meniscus in my knees, a tendon in my right elbow, and sprained my left wrist. Injury has been difficult. I've dealt with major fatigue, nausea, vertigo, and brain fog in my 8 year battle against Chronic Lyme Disease. I know what chronic symptoms are like and have fought through them. I have woken up at 6am to clean all day after no sleep as we raised 5 babies over the years. They tend to keep you from sleep. I share this to relate to you. I have been there, yet I have been consistent for 17 years. What has set me apart? I believe it's several daily habits.

1. Sleep - I agree with Roger Federer that sleep is vital. Outside of my late cleaning nights or sleepless baby nights, I have disciplined myself to follow the advice in Shawn Stevenson's book "Sleep Smarter". I firmly believe that sleep is the foundation of a great day. I believe it is a keystone or cornerstone habit. It's the one ring that controls the others. I don't always hit this goal. I aim to wind down from the day, cut the screens off, take my nighttime vitamins, and get to sleep by 10:30pm and wake up by 6:30am. That's 8 hours on an ideal night.
2. Water & Vitamins - I drink 2 pints of purified water or around 30 ounces first-thing! This gives my internals a morning bath and gets things moving (if you know what I mean). I also take my morning vitamins including a multivitamin, Omega 3, Vitamin D, NAC, and possibly other supplements that were part of a healing protocol of the time.
3. Bible - I love starting my day with my Creator by listening to the bible while I exercise, get ready, shower. I also enjoy reading the bible or a devotional and praying. This sets my day toward others with gratitude.
4. Food - This has changed a lot over the years. I have gone through seasons of intermittent fasting where I wouldn't eat anything until lunch. I have also eaten very poorly in my earlier, invincible days. Today, I do like to eat a protein-rich breakfast. I eat 3 meals most days with a healthy balance of proteins, carbs, fruits, and vegetables. I am also gluten-free. If I exercise first, I'll eat a banana and protein bar, then workout before I eat a larger breakfast or lunch. I do use caffeine, but not every day. I drink coffee, tea, or take a supplement as needed for performance.
5. Exercise - Like Cal Ripken and Tom Brady, I realize that I need to exercise more as I get older. My body will atrophy without exercise. Plus, I used to clean all the time. It was my exercise along with playing with the kids. Now, I belong to the YMCA. I use the rowing machine, do a half-mile to mile run, and hit the weights 2-3 times per week. Teresa and I walk every day together. She gets 10,000 and I get between 5,000 - 10,000 steps. On cleaning days, I'll get 20,000 steps.
6. Down Time  - I crave daily time with my family. Teresa and I go on daily walks. I play with the kids, go into the outdoors, or wrestle on the bed. We will veg out at night when the day was hard. We need time to recenter.

This list isn't comprehensive. I just wanted to give you an idea of what I do to keep healthy. I'm not that far off from the world's best athletes. I don't want you to think you can just wing it and expect to hold longevity as a solo cleaner. As you add weight, get more fatigued, get injured, you will at best slow down and lose profits. At worst, you'll totally miss work and lose your whole income. This is so vital to your business. Let's address a few final keys to longevity. I've already shared routines.

1. Injury / Disease Prevention - The first is injury mitigation. After my various injuries, I worked with a physical therapist to figure out  how I was getting injured. It turned out that I was cleaning with techniques that caused them over time. Here's a few changes I made. I learned to use both hands to eliminate hyper-flexing my wrists. This tears elbow and wrist tendons. I worked on flexibility to minimize squatting while cleaning. I bent over instead to minimize further knee injury. I never did get the meniscus surgery and my knees don't bother me that much now. I work less! I chose to cut back my work week from 5 days to 2 days. This gave me an off-season like the pros. I was on the field for 2 days and had 5 days to rest and recover. I avoid adding weight. The less weight on my knees and joints, the better for me long term. Weight also contributes to so many other diseases and cardiac issues.
2. Avoiding Vices - I don't smoke and I rarely consume alcohol. I certainly do not take any recreational drugs. We all know that these vices shorten our lives and certainly our day-to-day health and stamina. I'm sure there will be those that disagree. Let me ask you this. Study the world's top 100 peak performers. How many of them smoke or drink or do drugs? Case made. You have to make conscious choices. If you're currently doing these kind of things I'm not judging you at all. However you are significantly reducing your ability to be a solo cleaner long term. Plus you're reducing your lifespan which isn't good for those that love you.

As we close, I just want you to know that I relate to you where ever you are. Changes are hard to make. Small changes, done consistently over a long time equals big changes. Do this. Go to your doctor and baseline your health. Set goals and achieve them. My hope is that you convert your machine into long-lasting Honda like I've done.

Are you interested in taking the ISO Model Course and joining the Solo Cleaning Elite Membership like Dave Reeks? Go to smartcleaningschool.com/elite to sign up.