Anti Aging / Staying Healthy
For all my fellow IBers who are wondering the same … I know there have been separate threads on this topic but nothing centralized. What are some ways people remain looking young while working in this job? I work 80+ a week (staring at a computer the entire time) and so do my colleagues near me, but I have bags/dark circles under my eyes and they don’t (not genetics). What are some secrets people have that they wouldn’t mind sharing? How are there MDs who have done this job for years but remain looking young? Does anyone ever get 8 hours of sleep in this industry (including MD)?
Getting a good nights sleep is a partly a skill/discipline that takes time to develop. I find that doing these 3 things helps me get quality sleep straight through the night, even if it’s 6-7 hours instead of an optimal 8.
I heard these tips a while back and practiced them during my mba and now have a good rhythm and am able to feel decent on 6-7 hours. Anything less than 4 rem cycles, sub 6 hours, I usually fade in the afternoon and evenings like you would expect.
Just some tips that worked for me. Obviously sometimes this isn’t possible but I find the rhythm helpful.
One of the most important things you can do other than get enough sleep is wear sunscreen everyday. Completely srs look it up
Hey, not in IB, but still wanted to give some input here as I think these are universal suggestions to longevity:
1. Drink Water - it's super easy to forget when you are heads-down for hours at a time and chugging coffee. Drinking water and staying hydrated will do wonders making you feel good internally and look good externally (keeping skin hydrated)
2. Skincare Routine - to other's points in the comments, a simple routine is all you need and will do you wonders. I started a routine when I turned 21 and have aged fairly better than others my age. First thing would be retinol - remember though that retinol makes your skin more sensitive to the sun so you may want to apply it in the PM or can apply in the morning, but need to use a moisturizer with SPF. This brings me to the second suggestion - use a moisturizer 2x a day (morning and night) and ideally this has SPF protection in it - people think you only need an SPF on a sunny day, but that's not entirely true.
3. Exercise - it really doesn't take a lot on this. Try to walk 15-20 mins and get in a couple sets up push ups, sit-ups, squats to just keep your body moving. Even getting up and doing laps around the office is great compared to sitting all day.
4. Eating - it's really easy to eat shitty, quick, convenient food but this will not work long term. Again I am not in IB, but you get your dinner comped...try to not just think about what would taste great in the moment, but also will make you feel good. Going back to basics, you want less processed food (oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, meat, etc.), not snacks that have excess sugar and ingredients you cannot pronounce. I know this is probably the hardest part, but believe me doing this will help you long term.
5. Drinking Alcohol - Personally not a huge drinker so may be easier said than done, but try to reduce this to social drinking and even then not overdo it. To the point on hydration, drinking will dehydrate you and does contribute to the aging process. I know a lot of people probably have a lot of anecdotal stories on people they know who drink heavy and still look fine, but those are not the majority of cases. If you are going to drink, try to at least drink water intermittently.
6. Mental Health - You need to take care of yourself mentally before you can improve physically. Stress weighs on your body and will exhibit itself in some form or another. Please do not be afraid to acknowledge you are over-stressed or seek help. It's not a great attitude from others I have seen here who think it's fine to hold onto stress or think it's some badge of honor that they are stressed and don't talk to someone. Mental and physical health are linked and in IB, your mental health is likely to decline meaning your physical health is not far behind.
Hope this helps!
All the following with the caveat it depends on your current age, family history (genetics),etc. And obviously ask a doctor and DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH - don't blindly follow advice from a 26 year old anon on WSO.
Although imperfect, as a baseline, recommend you:
With that out of the way...
Level I Proficiency Anti Aging - Bronze Tier (packs 90%+ of the punch though)
(in addition to all the above)
Level II Proficiency - Silver Tier
Level III Proficiency - Gold Tier
Level IV Proficiency - GOD Tier
Best of luck and I will end with a Clint Eastwood quote:
“I get up every day and don't let the old man in.”