3.20 My 2016 training season continues. Some months ago I asked the question about your training season. Are you training for a running event? Or are you signed up to walk in a benefit walk? Maybe you get to the gym regularly and you're progressing toward lower weight and better muscle mass to improve base metabolism... Whatever your training may be, you may soon realize, as I have, that the training never ends. I was talking with a coworker this past week about the Spartan Sprint I'm signed up for. I've been training much differently for this race than I would for a marathon or running race. It's been really challenging. Mud runs like a Spartan race may seem like an odd activity. Why would anyone choose to do this? What I've come to realize is that the journey to any one event is really the payoff. That is really why people do these, and that is the passion many of the organizers have for creating them. Crossing the finish line confirms that we paid our dues, and having a better time than last race can indicate growth. But it really is all about the journey. Millions of people worldwide participate in mud runs every year. Think of the hundreds of millions of hours of training, all around the globe, and the life-change that represents. Wow. To me, that's the point. The training and journey are their own reward, and as we are truly committed to a wellness lifestyle, the training never ends. That is a great truth, and happens a step at a time, month after month, and over the years, we get closer to whatever valuable goal we have before us. So if you or those close to you have been flirting with a wellness lifestyle, maybe it's time to commit to a never-ending investment in health and wellness. You'll benefit, they'll benefit, and there's a good chance your journey will inspire someone else on their journey.
By the Way
Joe De Sena, founder of Spartan Races, says it all in this recent promo video for Spartan Races... maybe it's your time, too...
3.19 Modern life brings many conveniences, and I also think we are exposed to a lot of unintended consequences. A while back, a friend of mine suggested I do a post on 'earthing' or 'grounding'. He relayed a story about a friend of his who had significant health issues which were totally overcome by getting barefoot on a beach. That sounded a bit odd to me, but a bit familiar at the same time... So I did some of my own research, and realized I was vaguely familiar with what this friend of mine was describing. There is growing evidence of the benefit of 'grounding' our bodies to the earth (think of electrical grounding just like we do for appliances, and house wiring, except we're doing this with our bodies.) To benefit physically from earthing, or grounding, all we need to do is walk barefoot on a natural surface or get in a body of water. What? That sounds a bit crazy... but stick with me and recognize where we find ourselves. For millennia humans wore foot coverings made of animal hides, etc., or no foot coverings at all. Since about the 1950's shoes have been made more and more of synthetics, especially rubber and plastics. Animal hides are great conductors of electric current, so they are great at grounding; synthetics are great insulators, so they break our connection to the earth's grounding potential. 'So what' you many ask? The free radicals we all have in our bodies, as well as numerous other inflammation-causing imbalanced electrical charges, all lead to poor health. These electrical charges can be neutralized through grounding our bodies; literally getting our shoes off and making a connection to the grass in the yard, walking on a beach, or getting our hands in the soil or swimming in the ocean or a pool. All of these will reduce or eliminate the additional electric charges present in our bodies, while we're grounded. If we would make this grounding connection for 30 minutes a day, I suspect we would see our health improve, maybe by leaps and bounds. Sounds crazy, but I would say give it a try. Think of how it feels to lay in the grass and watch the clouds or star gaze... both of these are good means of grounding. Running on the beach? That's a wonderful way of grounding. A daily swim? Great idea. Earthing and grounding is a worthwhile wellness pursuit. If you're ready to improve your connection with the earth, check out this article from Dr. Joseph Mercola with extensive explanation and resources for next steps. Enjoy your connection.
By the Way
I love that Dr. Mercola gives broader context: he highlights that there are numerous European communities (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland) where their daily routine starts with a barefoot stroll. I would venture to guess that health challenges of those citizens are significantly less than others in our modern, Western society.
3.18 A wellness lifestyle is about choices that help our bodies and minds thrive. Healthful, nutritionally dense foods, gracious interactions with the world around us, beneficial physical activity, plentiful sleep, natural stress reducers ... these are all markers of a wellness lifestyle that will help us thrive. But sometimes these don't sound fun at all, and they can even seem like crazy choices; who needs it? I've recently been re-convicted of all the benefits of healthful choices, and being thoughtfully engaged in our wellness, even if it seems crazy. I have a business friend who decided to get his weight under control through some nutritional coaching and great food choices. He is engaging these new wellness choices with his wife, and both are benefiting: shedding pounds, having more energy, feeling better overall... these are great results. Another friend has been battling cancer for about 7-8 months, and after extensive research, decided to go a naturopathic route instead of surgery, radiation and chemo. He is eating only organic foods, mostly veggies, and nothing processed; getting regular physical exercise; sleeping 8 hours a night; getting out in the sun daily for natural doses of vitamin D. At his latest check up the cancer was 25% reduced in size, and the oncologist said, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it..." Eating healthy all the time? Where's the fun in that? That's crazy... Going an unconventional treatment route for serious cancer? It might not work, and you may literally threaten your life. That's crazy... But as Hippocrates is credited with saying, "let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." There are fundamentally beneficial results to the crazy choices of a wellness lifestyle. Now if you're fortunate enough to not have any physical infirmities, weight challenges or aches and pains, lucky you. But if you're like a majority of people in our western culture, you have some physical issues, if not numerous ones. So think about what crazy thing you're willing to do for your health. Giving up empty calories and processed foods? Forgoing the conventional medical treatments of recent decades? Maybe these are crazy, but you may be convicted to choose your own crazy, with appropriate professional guidance, research and accountability, and walk a wellness journey instead.
By the Way
Naturopathic doctors are fully licensed MD's and add to that, coursework and training in CAM (Complimentary and Alternative Medicine). So if you decide to go that route, you can have confidence that your doctor has both traditional medical training and alternative, naturopathic training... the best of both worlds.
I was talking with a coworker this past week about the Spartan Sprint I'm signed up for. I've been training much differently for this race than I would for a marathon or running race. It's been really challenging. Mud runs like a Spartan race may seem like an odd activity. Why would anyone choose to do this?
