Game Changers: Summary Review
This is a summary review of Game Changers containing key details about the book.
What is Game Changers About?
"Game Changers" is a book written by Dave Asprey, the founder of the Bulletproof brand. The book is about optimizing physical and mental performance through various techniques and strategies, including diet, exercise, mindfulness, and technology.
Game Changers is the culmination of the author's years-long immersion in these conversations, offering 46 science-backed, high performance “laws” that are a virtual playbook for how to get better at life.With anecdotes from game changers like Dr. Daniel Amen, Gabby Bernstein, Dr. David Perlmutter, Arianna Huffington, Esther Perel, and Tim Ferris as well as examples from the author's own life, Game Changers offers readers practical advice they can put into action to reap immediate rewards.
Summary Points & Takeaways from Game Changers
Some key summary points and takeaways from the book include:
* The importance of the food we eat: Dave emphasizes the importance of a healthy diet and the impact of food on our overall health, including our cognitive function.
* The power of mindfulness and meditation: Dave encourages the reader to embrace mindfulness and meditation as a way to reduce stress, increase focus, and improve overall well-being.
* The role of technology in optimizing health: Dave explores the use of various technologies, such as wearable devices and brain-machine interfaces, to enhance physical and mental performance.
* The impact of sleep on overall health: Dave stresses the importance of sleep and its role in improving cognitive function, enhancing mood, and supporting overall health.
* The benefits of exercise: Dave highlights the importance of regular exercise for overall health and well-being, including increased energy levels, improved mood, and better cognitive function.
* Overall, "Game Changers" is a comprehensive guide to optimizing physical and mental performance through a combination of science-based strategies and techniques.
Who is the author of Game Changers?
Dave Asprey is an American entrepreneur and author. He founded Bulletproof 360, Inc. in 2013, and in 2017, founded Bulletproof Nutrition Inc. He has written five books. Men's Health described Asprey as a "lifestyle guru".
Game Changers Summary Notes
Summary Note: Upgrading Your Operating System: The Power of Biohacking
One of the main themes in the book is the idea of biohacking as a means to update and adjust our mental and physical operating system. The author argues that our bodies and minds are still operating based on the needs of our prehistoric ancestors, and that in order to thrive in the modern world, we need to upgrade our default settings. These default settings are centered around the three fundamental factors of survival: fear, food, and reproduction. Our automatic thoughts and behaviors are often geared towards seeking safety, sustenance, and sex, which can sometimes lead us astray and prevent us from reaching our higher-order goals.
The author emphasizes that the goal of biohacking is not to renounce these basic needs, but rather to take control of our automatic responses to them and put our rational selves in charge. Biohacking is presented as a way to optimize our physical and mental functioning so that we can align our behaviors with our goals and priorities. By understanding and upgrading our operating system, we can break free from bad habits, discouraging patterns of thinking, and impulsive behaviors that may be holding us back.
The book also highlights the importance of setting clear goals and establishing priorities as foundational steps in the biohacking journey. The author argues that knowing what we want to achieve and identifying our true priorities are essential in guiding our efforts towards meaningful and sustainable changes. By gaining awareness of our default settings, understanding our goals, and setting our priorities, we can take control of our lives and leverage the power of biohacking to optimize our physical and mental well-being.
Summary Note: Unlocking Your Potential with Biohacking: Understanding Your Goals
In today's fast-paced world, biohacking has emerged as a popular concept to optimize our physical and mental performance. It involves upgrading our body and mind's operating system to align with our modern goals and aspirations. The main idea behind biohacking is to take control of our automatic thoughts and behaviors, especially those related to the three fundamental factors of survival - fear, food, and reproduction, and direct them towards our higher-order goals.
To truly benefit from biohacking, it is essential to know our goals. This starts with identifying our true passions in life - the things that excite us and motivate us intrinsically. These passions are our end goals, the reasons why we want to achieve other means goals. It requires introspection and reflection to distinguish between means goals and end goals. Means goals are the stepping stones we want to achieve to reach our end goals, while end goals are the ultimate outcomes we desire for their own sake.
Once we have clarity on our end goals, we can align our daily actions and decisions with them. It is easy to get caught up in pursuing means goals, such as making money or achieving societal recognition, and lose sight of our true passions. By keeping our end goals in mind, we can ensure that our actions are purpose-driven and in line with our deeper motivations.
Biohacking can be a powerful tool to optimize our physical and mental capabilities in pursuit of our goals. It involves updating our outdated operating system that is wired for survival and redirecting our thoughts and behaviors towards our higher-order goals. However, to make the most of biohacking, we need to first understand our goals and align our actions accordingly. By clarifying our true passions and keeping our end goals in focus, we can unlock our full potential and lead a purpose-driven life.
Summary Note: Prioritize and Avoid Decision Fatigue for Goal Achievement through Biohacking
The main idea in this Game Changers concept is that in order to effectively use biohacking to achieve your goals, you need to prioritize and avoid decision fatigue. Decision fatigue refers to the mental exhaustion that comes from making multiple decisions throughout the day, which can hinder your ability to focus on your most important tasks. To combat decision fatigue, you can automate as many tasks as possible, especially those that are not directly related to your end goals.
Making decisions requires brain power and willpower, and the more decisions you make, the more exhausted you become. This is why it's important to minimize the number of decisions you have to make each day. One way to do this is by creating a capsule wardrobe, which consists of a few neutrally-colored items for each category of clothing. This eliminates the need to spend mental energy on deciding what to wear each day. Similarly, you can create a capsule diet, which involves rotating through a small collection of healthy meals, to avoid the decision-making involved in meal planning.
By automating everyday tasks, you free up more time, energy, and willpower to focus on your higher goals in life. This allows you to prioritize your most important work and reserve your internal resources for what truly matters to you. This approach is inspired by successful individuals like Steve Jobs, who famously simplified his wardrobe to eliminate clothing choices altogether.
By avoiding decision fatigue and prioritizing your goals, you can optimize your ability to achieve them through biohacking. Biohacking involves using various techniques and technologies to enhance your physical and mental performance, with the ultimate aim of reaching your goals more efficiently and effectively. By being mindful of decision fatigue and automating tasks, you can harness the power of biohacking to optimize your performance and increase your chances of success in achieving your goals.
Summary Note: Overcoming Emotional Eating for Optimal Diet
The main idea in this Game Changers concept is that taking charge of your diet requires addressing emotional eating. While food is essential for providing the energy needed for peak performance, our modern approach to food is often out of sync with our biological needs. Many people turn to food as a substitute for addressing other areas of lack in their lives, such as energy, sleep, love, connection, and security.
Emotional eating is a common phenomenon where we habitually seek out food in response to various emotions, such as sadness, stress, anger, boredom, or even joy. This can lead to mindless eating and overconsumption, negatively impacting our physical health and well-being. For example, eating comfort food when feeling down or indulging in celebratory treats after an achievement are forms of emotional eating.
To overcome emotional eating, it's important to recognize the psychological triggers that lead to it. Often, what we interpret as hunger may actually be a deeper psychological sense of emptiness or lack. Instead of using food as a substitute, it's essential to address the underlying emotional needs directly. This could involve finding healthier ways to cope with emotions, such as through mindfulness, exercise, talking to a friend, or engaging in activities that bring joy and fulfillment.
Developing a mindful and intentional approach to eating can also help overcome emotional eating. This involves paying attention to hunger and fullness cues, eating slowly and savoring each bite, and being present during meals without distractions. It's also important to cultivate a healthy relationship with food, viewing it as nourishment for the body rather than a solution to emotional needs.
By addressing emotional eating and developing a mindful approach to eating, you can take charge of your diet and optimize your physical health and performance. It's crucial to understand that food is not a substitute for addressing emotional needs, and finding healthier ways to cope with emotions is essential for overall well-being. With this awareness, you can make conscious choices about how and why you eat, aligning your diet with your goals and priorities for a healthier, more balanced life.
Summary Note: For a Healthier Approach to Food, Identify Your Emotional Eating Triggers and Eat Like Your Grandma.
One of the main themes discussed in the book is the importance of understanding and addressing emotional eating in order to have a healthier approach to food. The author explains that our modern approach to food is often out of sync with our actual biological needs, and emotional eating is a common phenomenon that disrupts our hunger barometer and leads to overeating. The author encourages readers to recalibrate their hunger barometer by identifying the false signals it may be sending and looking for signs of emotional eating.
The book provides practical tips for identifying emotional eating triggers, such as asking oneself if the hunger is genuine or if it may be driven by emotions such as boredom, stress, loneliness, or other emotional states. The author also suggests looking for patterns of overlap between hunger and emotional states, as well as recognizing signs of emotional eating such as sudden flares of hunger, cravings for specific foods, or persistent feelings of hunger even after eating.
To recalibrate one's diet, the author recommends eating like our grandparents, assuming they lived before the rise of the modern food industry. This means consuming lots of vegetables, protein-rich foods, and healthy fats, such as fish oil, to provide the body with essential nutrients. Additionally, the author emphasizes the importance of eating moderately and infrequently, allowing the body to digest and process food properly.
By understanding emotional eating triggers and adopting a healthier approach to food, readers can take charge of their diet and make choices that align with their actual biological needs. This includes being mindful of emotional cues that may drive unhealthy eating habits and adopting a more balanced and nutritious diet similar to what our grandparents used to eat.
Summary Note: To Get a Good Night's Sleep, Identify Your Chronotype and Adjust Your Sleep Schedule Accordingly
In today's fast-paced world, getting a good night's sleep is essential for optimal performance and productivity. However, not all sleep patterns are the same for everyone. The key to maximizing your sleep quality lies in identifying your chronotype, which is your body's natural sleep pattern, and adjusting your sleep schedule accordingly.
Chronotypes come in four types of patterns: lions, wolves, bears, and dolphins. Lions are early risers who are most productive in the morning, while wolves prefer to wake up later in the day and have peaks of energy in the afternoon and evening. Bears follow a natural sleep pattern that aligns with the rise and fall of the sun, and dolphins tend to struggle with insomnia and peak in mid-morning to early afternoon.
Understanding your chronotype is crucial because it is genetically determined, and trying to resist it can lead to sleep deprivation and reduced performance. For example, the author of The book shares his experience of trying to be a lion when he was actually a wolf, forcing himself to wake up early and conform to societal norms. However, this led to decreased creativity and productivity due to sleep deprivation.
To identify your chronotype, you can conduct a little experiment during your next vacation week. Let yourself go to bed and wake up naturally without external influences, and observe your body's natural sleep pattern. Once you determine your chronotype, you can then adjust your sleep schedule accordingly.
By aligning your sleep schedule with your chronotype, you can optimize your sleep quality, boost alertness, and enhance overall productivity and performance. It's important to prioritize sleep as a crucial aspect of self-care and recognize that one size does not fit all when it comes to sleep patterns. Embracing your natural sleep pattern and making adjustments accordingly can lead to improved sleep and better overall well-being. So, listen to your body, identify your chronotype, and get the restful sleep you need to thrive.
Summary Note: To Benefit from Exercise, You Need to Counteract Its Shortcomings and Drawbacks
In today's sedentary lifestyle, where most of us spend a lot of time sitting, exercise is often seen as the solution to counteract the negative effects of being stationary. However, simply adding exercise to our routine without addressing other lifestyle factors may not yield the desired results. The main theme here is that to truly benefit from exercise, we need to counteract its shortcomings and drawbacks.
One challenge is that even if we exercise regularly, we may still lead mostly sedentary lives, spending long hours sitting at work or at home. Research has shown that a six-hour bout of sitting can offset the benefits of a one-hour workout. To address this, investing in a standing desk or finding ways to reduce prolonged sitting can be beneficial.
Another challenge is that many popular forms of exercise, including running, can put our bodies at risk of injury if not done correctly. Due to our sedentary lifestyles, we may lack the motor control and range of movement needed for safe exercise. This can lead to unnatural movements and excessive stress on our bodies. Seeking guidance from a functional movement coach or incorporating strength training to improve motor control can help mitigate these risks.
Additionally, aerobic exercise can trigger the production of cortisol, a stress hormone that can lead to oxidative substances and inflammation in the body, potentially accelerating the aging process. To counteract this, adding strength training to our workout routine can help produce anabolic hormones that combat oxidation. Supplementing with antioxidants and probiotics can also help mitigate the aging effects of oxidative substances.
The key takeaway here is that exercise alone may not be enough to counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. It's important to be mindful of other lifestyle factors, such as reducing prolonged sitting, improving motor control, and incorporating strength training, to truly reap the benefits of exercise. By taking a holistic approach to physical activity, we can optimize our overall health and well-being.
Summary Note: To Preserve More Energy for Higher Pursuits, Minimize Sexual Activity
In this main idea, the author discusses how expending excessive energy on sex can hinder one's ability to pursue other aspects of life. From an evolutionary standpoint, sex is crucial for the survival of the human species. However, from an individual standpoint, there are two main problems with putting too much energy into sex.
The first problem is that energy is a finite resource. The more energy one allocates to sex, the less energy they will have for other endeavors. Instead, the author suggests re-channeling sexual energy into higher pursuits such as creative projects, which can lead to increased productivity and success. This is why some athletes, like boxers and World Cup teams, abstain from sex prior to competitions to preserve their energy levels. Muhammad Ali, for example, is said to have avoided sex for six weeks before a boxing match.
The second problem, specific to men, is the biochemical effects sex has on the male body. After ejaculation, men's bodies produce the hormone prolactin, which makes them sleepy and can even counteract the feel-good hormone dopamine, leading to tiredness and even depression. In contrast, women experience positive biochemical effects after orgasms, such as lowered production of stress-causing hormone cortisol, increased production of mood-boosting neurotransmitter serotonin, and other hormones that enhance emotions and well-being.
To minimize the negative effects of orgasms on men and maximize their benefits for women, the author suggests that men limit themselves to one orgasm per week, while women should seek out more frequent orgasms, at least two per week. Some listeners of the author's podcast, Bulletproof Radio, who followed this advice, reported great success. For example, one listener was able to launch a company he had been dreaming of for years, and another received a $60,000 raise just 60 days after implementing this approach.
Summary Note: Fear: Overcoming the Obstacle to Success
Fear is one of the biggest obstacles to success. Our subconscious mind, shaped by evolution, is wired to prioritize safety and avoid danger. However, in our modern world, the threats that our ancestors faced, such as saber-toothed tigers, no longer exist. Yet, our subconscious mind still generates fear responses that can hinder our success and happiness.
Fear has several negative effects on our lives. Firstly, fear triggers stress, which drains our energy and can lead to burnout. When we are constantly in a state of fear, our energy levels are depleted, making it difficult for us to focus and perform at our best.
Secondly, fear takes us out of the present moment. Fear is often about something negative that might happen in the future, causing us to lose sight of what we are doing in the present. This can prevent us from taking action to prevent the feared outcome, such as preparing for a presentation or taking risks that could lead to success.
Thirdly, fear discourages us from taking risks. Fear is an emotional signal that tells us to be cautious, and taking risks involves stepping out of our comfort zone and facing the possibility of failure. Our ancestors who failed to find food or adhere to social customs could face dire consequences, including death or banishment. As a result, we are wired to be averse to failure, which can hold us back from taking risks and pursuing opportunities for success.
Overcoming fear requires courage, but courage requires energy. Our limited energy reserves can be depleted quickly when constantly facing fear, leading to exhaustion and a risk-averse mindset. To overcome fear, we need to manage our energy levels, cultivate resilience, and develop coping strategies to deal with fear in a healthy way.
Summary Note: Overcoming Fear with Safety Cues
Fear is a natural response to perceived threats, but our subconscious mind craves confirmation of safety in order to let go of fear. This main idea suggests using safety cues to overcome fear and create a sense of calm. One cue is to listen to a soothing voice, such as a guided meditation or peaceful music, which can send a signal to the subconscious that everything is okay. Visualizing oneself in a happy place, using all senses to make it vivid, can also trick the subconscious into feeling safe. Practicing gratitude is another powerful cue, as it signals to the subconscious that things are going well. Keeping a gratitude journal and writing down three things to be grateful for each morning or night can lead to improved sleep, a sense of closeness to others, and a desire to do kind deeds for others.
The concept of safety cues harks back to our evolutionary past, where our ancestors constantly faced potential threats in their environment. Just like a prehistoric human needed to find confirmation of safety, our subconscious mind still seeks cues that indicate we are safe in order to let go of fear and relax. By deliberately providing ourselves with safety cues, we can overcome fear and create a sense of calm and security.
Using soothing voices, peaceful music, or guided meditations can be effective in sending a signal to the subconscious that everything is okay. The gentle tone of a soothing voice, reminiscent of how parents calm their children, can help to ease anxiety and fear. Engaging in guided meditation not only provides a calming voice but also brings the mind back to the present moment, away from future worries where fears often lurk. This dual approach can help to soothe the subconscious and create a sense of safety.
Visualizing oneself in a happy place is another powerful safety cue. By vividly imagining a safe and peaceful setting, using all senses to make it as real as possible, we can trick the subconscious into feeling safe. This technique can be especially helpful in moments of anxiety or fear, allowing us to create a mental safe haven where we can find comfort and calm.
Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can also serve as a safety cue. By focusing on the things, people, and events in our lives for which we are grateful, we are essentially telling our subconscious that things are going well. Keeping a gratitude journal and regularly writing down three things for which we are grateful can help cultivate this habit and lead to improved sleep, a greater sense of closeness to others, and a desire to do kind deeds for others.
Book details
- Print length: 352 pages
- Genre: Health, Business, Self Help
What is a good quote from Game Changers
Top Quote: “I have learned to prioritize my actions into three buckets: things that drain my energy, things I don’t mind and are important and useful, and things that give me energy and bring me joy. My goal is to break my daily actions down so that I spend none of my time on tasks that fall into the first category, 10 percent of my time on the second category, and 90 percent of my time in the final category" (Meaning) - Game Changers Quotes, Dave Asprey
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: "Asprey (The Bulletproof Diet) mines both conventional and unconventional techniques in this haphazard but sneakily instructive book. Core is his belief in the all-encompassing power of “the three Fs”: “fear (run away, hide from, or fight scary things in case they are threats to your survival); feed (eat everything in sight so you don’t starve to death and can quickly serve the first F), and the third F-word, which propagates the species." - Publishers Weekly
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in furthering your personal growth, you may want to explore my list of favorite self-improvement books. These books, which have had a significant impact on my life, are carefully curated and come with summaries and key lessons.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
