レシピ
Youtheory® is a California based company and lifestyle brand. Their #1 selling collagen supplement is now available in Japan. Here we introduce Youtheory ambassador DK Sugiyama, a New York native who possesses an uncanny ability to think outside the box and turn his ideas into reality. A corporate executive, global business producer, and father of four, DK starts his busy days with a morning workout.
How you spend your mornings can make or break your day. I wake up at 6 AM every day, and three days a week, I go to the gym and work out for an hour before going for a jog. After breakfast, I make it a point to take my little girl to elementary school. I go to the gym early since I don’t always have time in the evenings if something urgent pops up. Working out in the morning boosts my energy levels and gives me a head start on the day to get things done. Together with my daily routine, it helps me build the confidence I need to succeed as a business athlete.
I try to live by a healthy routine, but that doesn’t mean that I’m constantly holding myself back. I drink regularly and even enjoy the occasional cigar. “Move well, learn well, play well, eat well, and rest well.” This is the wisdom of Master Roshi, a character in the famous Japanese comic Dragon Ball, and it’s also great advice for those who want to enjoy life. Growing up in New York, I saw people working out all the time. Of course, not all Americans are into fitness, and many people don’t work out at all. But when I was little, I decided that I wanted to be healthy and strong when I grew up, and that’s one reason I keep working hard and stick to my routine. No exercise, no life — and no holidays for workouts!
I started surfing six years ago. From Japan and Los Angeles to Bali and Australia — I catch waves all over the world. I’ve even gone on vacation to Hawaii with Japan’s first pro surfer, the legendary Mikio Kawai. Surfing really is one of the best ways to detox, and it feels so good just being there in the ocean. When you’re getting rocked by the waves, it’s almost like putting your whole body and soul in the washing machine for an intense deep clean. The only thing more comforting is getting to watch the sunrise while you surf.
People often talk about “work-life balance,” but I like to call it “life-work balance.” Life comes first. Take care of your life first and then take care of your work because ultimately, your life is the most important thing. So, how will you choose to enjoy your life?
Four years ago, I went to Angel Stadium in Anaheim to see Shohei Ohtani, who had just started pitching for the Los Angeles Angels. Inside the stadium, there was a massive advertisement on the outfield fence that read “Youtheory Collagen.” This billboard was my first glimpse into the world of supplements, which are much more widely available in supermarkets and drugstores in the United States than in Japan. And in a supplement superpower like the US, Youtheory is the number one manufacturer of collagen in the U.S. When you hear the word “collagen,” you might think that it is more for women than it is for men. But it turns out that many men in the United States use collagen on a regular basis.
Collagen is a major structural protein in the human body (found in skin, joints, bones, blood vessels and connective tissues). As we age, collagen naturally breaks down and diminishes over time, leading to the early signs of aging.
I have a personal policy to try anything that interests me, so when I found out that collagen wasn’t just for women, I decided to give it a try. As I was washing my face one morning several months after first taking it, I suddenly felt a difference in the way I looked. I was so surprised I told my wife, who asked if she could take some, too. I now take collagen supplements before my morning workout as a part of my daily fitness routine. My eldest son, who is now in high school, comes with me to the gym and says that he wants to be like me someday. Working out is a great way to communicate between father and son, and I’m so impressed with how big he’s gotten.
Youtheory collagen costs 2,880 yen for 390 tablets. At six tablets a day, the recommended daily dose costs just 45 yen and contains 18 amino acids, 6,000mg of collagen! This collagen is easily soluble in water and rapidly absorbed by the body, and contains no binders or fillers. It’s no wonder this is one of the best-selling collagen supplements in the U.S., where health and safety are a major concern.
Youtheory’s goal is to create pure and innovative supplements. The company travels the world to source the highest quality raw materials and oversees the entire manufacturing process from farm to shelf. They are committed to best-in-class manufacturing processes to guarantee the purity, potency, and traceability of every product. A healthier, beautiful, and better life is at the heart of everything Youtheory does.
I’m a big proponent of backcasting. Backcasting is a way of thinking about the present based on the future that you desire. Instead of thinking about the future from the present, you can use the future as a starting point to find solutions for what you need to do today, based on what you want the future to look like. You can think of life as backcasting.
When I started my first company at 19, I backcasted that I would invest in myself in my 20s, invest in networking in my 30s, and then invest in my business in my 40s. I also had this ideal image of what I wanted to look like when I turned 40. I want to stick to a healthy routine well into my 50s to stay in shape, and Youtheory is bound to help me do just that.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it’s essential to stay focused on the long term. I always think that “life is but a moment,” so I try to maximize my potential and live each day to the fullest.
Profile
DK is a global business producer who takes pride in helping people build businesses and boost their value—and their profit margins. He takes a bold, audacious, and enthusiastic approach to business with an eye for the international.
Born 1979 in Tokyo. Raised in New York, Sugiyama started his first business at the age of 19 and graduated from the Keio University Faculty of Policy Management. He later completed the MBA program at Keio Business School. He is the CEO of strategic knowledge and business collective INTER LITERACY INSTITUTE (ILI) Inc., president of high-grade Nishikigoi breeding and sales company Cyclo Inc., and president of MAGIVE, a service concierge platform company.
He is the author of The Courage to Take Action: The First Step to a Future You Never Imagined Possible (Forest Publishing), Move Your Luck (Discover 21), and DDDD: Do, Do, Do, Do (Jiyukokuminsha). He has a motorcycle driver’s license (oversized) as well as a first-class boating license. A father of four, Sugiyama has three sons and one daughter.
As a runner, he has competed in the Tokyo Marathon, Naha Marathon, Honolulu Marathon, Izu Oshima Marathon, The Color Run, and Spartan Race.
