Add Life to Our Years

7.1

I'm now in my 10th year of my wellness journey, and it's encouraging to see how the benefits and return on my investment are compounding. I'll probably run 5 Spartan races this year, and I'll complete my third Spartan trifecta (a combo of a short mid-range and long Spartan race, in the same calendar year.)

As our kids grow up and move on with their own lives, it's interesting to see them choosing sushi as a take-out food of choice, instead of the box of deep-fried stuff from the convenience store, or anything from a fast food place. And our older daughter is trying out being a vegetarian, just to see how it goes.

Around work, I end up having wellness conversations weekly. Some folks are starting their own wellness journey, and I'm honored and grateful that I might be able to speak into that. Others are refining a certain aspect of their physical activity, or following up on doctors orders to overcome a recently revealed health challenge.

I crossed paths with a good friend the other day who happens to be a runner and cyclist. He's turning 60, and looks like he's in his late 40's. To celebrate his big year, he's working through what he can give, what he can get, and where he can go. And his wellness pursuits will include an 'extreme' race or two (think 24 hour trail run, etc.) I appreciate friends like him who give me a vision of what's possible.

Yesterday, while it was snowy and slushy in PA, I did my Saturday morning sandbag run, and then went to our local climbing and obstacle course gym with two of my kids. We're thinking about a Spartan Stadion race for late spring, so now is the time to get training and develop our work outs for the next four months.

That's what a wellness journey looks like... It has some adventure, some friends, many unknowns, and pulls us to what's possible. How about your journey? Are you grasping a vision for your health that will stretch what's possible, grow your capacity and likely add years to your life and life to your years?

By the Way

Wherever you are in your journey, start there. Two business friends are starting a new phase of wellness to lose weight or find some more energy. Those goals send us back to the fundamentals of clean eating, great choices, and finding our own wellness groove. Then,  as we build our own wellness tribe around ourselves, we gain momentum, accomplish goals, and set new ones. At some point, we live into being our best selves, and taking others along with us.

Grow and Thrive

6.22

What I have grown to appreciate about living a wellness lifestyle, is how it keeps me out of trouble. I have a fitness regime that now spans 7 days a week. None of it is too grueling, but it is certainly demanding, and I'm disciplined enough to be consistent.

Investing in wellness grows us in ways we often don't anticipate. In the Spartan Race world they call it obstacle immunity and resiliency. What I would also call it is resistance to vices and illicit habits. Who has time or need for booze and philandering when you're healthy, well-adjusted, and physically beat at the end of the day? And knowing that tomorrow morning brings the next recovery run or endurance workout (not to mention family, work, and community engagement), sleep becomes precious.

Signing up for regular races will also bring you an opportunity to thrive. I eat very cleanly the last 10 days to 2 weeks prior to a race. No inflammatory foods, coffee, chocolate dairy, etc. And what's great about that is how healthy I feel and the energy I have. And no aches or pains beyond simple muscle exertion. That's a great place to be...

What supports a wellness lifestyle like this? Some conviction...Some basic nutritional knowledge...A deep and growing understanding of our own body and how it responds to foods and movement... A tribe to journey with... (including support from spouse and kids, and those close to you...)

Then we simply journey on. We invest in a great wellness day today, and string those together into a healthy wellness week, which becomes a successful wellness month. Pretty soon we have lived a thriving wellness year.

So, if you haven't tuned into your pantry recently, give it a once-over and see what's in it. Make some healthy substitutions. Find your tribe, and get moving. Set a great goal, and better yet, a growing vision for your wellness lifestyle. Then go live and grow and thrive.

By the Way

Yesterday I ran my 9th Spartan race. This one was with a team from work, and it was a blast! This year Spartan reformatted their stadium races into the 'Stadion' format. Different than other Spartan Races, the Stadion mixes in gym exercise movements (box jumps and ball slams, the assault bike and weighted burpees) to keep it interesting. It was a beautiful day at Citizen Bank Park in Philly, and we finished together, and really enjoyed the race.

Vicarious Tribes

6.17

We have incredible volumes of information available to us, and can benefit far beyond what was possible just a few years ago. For years, I have gleaned professional and worthwhile guidance from YouTube, Google searches, and the Internet in general. This part of my wellness journey has afforded me numerous vicarious tribes that I feel really connected to, even though they are virtual.

I've mentioned these in Power Pantry before, but here is a list of some of these tribes, and the guidance I seek from them:
Pantry choices and fitness:
Dr. Josh Axe - Dr. Axe-Food is Medicine
Mark Sission - Mark's Daily Apple & Primal Blueprint
Spartan Race - US Spartan website
Darebee 

Fitness and sustainable health:
Crossfit

You can also find great guidance at the YMCA, a local Rec center and various fitness clubs (like running clubs, biking clubs and hiking clubs.) The point is to tune in, and realize that the information each of these sources presents is always improving. So visit your vicarious tribes often - find their blogs, podcasts and articles, and glean the best of what's new.

Every journey is best lived out with others, and the hope is that our vicarious tribes turn into real-life tribes we can journey with. Take someone along today, and grow and learn together for accountability and improved results.

By the Way

I visited with one of my tribes yesterday, at the Spartan Super in Palmerton, PA. It was a great day to tackle the 8.1 mile course, up and down the ski slopes of the resort. We logged 29 obstacles, and I pretty much crushed it, only doing penalty burpees on 2 obstacles. Lots of grip strength and core obstacles to challenge racer's endurance and resilience throughout the course. It was an awesome day.

Pay Up

6.8

Whatever things we place a high value on become the most influential things in our lives. Do we truly value our wellness? Do we realize the investment it takes to maintain a healthy pantry, and a level of physical wellness in our bodies?

I'm a fan of the Spartan Race and CrossFit, and appreciate the valuable teachings that come from their programs. One elite CrossFit athlete, a former Navy Seal, has a very insightful view on our health: "we rent our wellness, we don't own it... every day we have to 'pay the man'."

The point to regularly paying up, is to realize that we can invest in great wellness approaches and garner the health those lead to, or we can pay the medical community to keep us alive (although not truly living.) Either way, it is our work to pay up.

If we follow a wellness lifestyle the payment is several hours of physical activity a week. It is shopping in a discerning way to eat whole foods instead of processed foods. It is taking others along with us on our wellness journey, and collectively committing "to live until we die."

The payment is up to us. We can start simple and lose weight, or have a five-mile-a-week walking goal, or cut out all the sugary drinks and sodas. Once we see the value of genuine wellness goals, maybe we get the bug to go further and improve more. Do we run a 10k? Do we join a CrossFit box or schedule a Spartan Race? Do we commit to a Mediterranean diet?

Let's go all in to make our investment in wellness every day, paying the rent on genuine health and wellness. We'll have a better chance of living fully throughout our whole life.

By the Way

Last weekend was the peak of my training for my Spartan Ultra (coming up late April). I did a 28 mile workout run, peppering in burpees, rowing, monkeybars and rope climbs for a great 6 hour investment. And the payoff is, having paid the rent, I'm feeling ready for the Ultra and I'm literally healthier than I've ever been.

Someone You Haven't Met

4.33

When we launch into something new, we should expect some things to change. And hopefully we would yield positive change.

About 7 years ago, I took a meaningful leap into a wellness program, and at the time I tried a Mediterranean diet. For the first time, I decided to consistently invest in my health and wellness by learning all I could about the best simple, natural, sustainable wellness changes I could make.

I'm realizing how much has changed in 7 years. Not just the weight that I've lost, or the physical strength and endurance I've developed, but also my attitude toward food, physical activity and wellness.

If my 2010 self could greet and talk with me now, 2010-Steve would be meeting someone he hadn't met before. Not that I have changed beliefs or convictions in a wholesale way, but I like to think I have improved. I now have objective wellness measurements which continue to improve like skin health, my weight, my overall attitude, not to mention exercise endurance, percent body fat and functional muscle strength.

While I didn't have a specific vision for 2017-Steve, I am certainly thankful for how far I have come. I find myself at a good place, and look forward to continued growth, learning and changes, and the improved health that goes with it.

How about you? Who are you becoming? What convictions are you living out in your wellness? Do you have goals for better sleep, more meditation and prayer, eating real food and eliminating faux foods? How about exercising three times a week, expanding functional movement and strength, and observing how foods affect daily health?

Start today. Take a stand for your future-you. In just a few years, you may grow into someone your 2017-self hasn't met yet.

By the Way

It is the end of 2017, and it is the right time to set goals for 2018. What are you stretching to do next year? What great things will you pursue in family relationships, and community interaction, besides the great things you can strive for in your wellness?

Cheat Wisely

4.31

The holiday season is upon us! Thanksgiving is this week, and our kitchens and diets will be bombarded with all the food bounty we can tolerate. And with all that food comes a lot of choices.

Years ago, pastor Andy Stanley wrote a book called, "Choosing to Cheat," with the premise that every day brings us choices that will add value to those around us, or take value away. The point in choosing to cheat, is to cheat work in favor of our spouse and family. Cheat a good opportunity for the best choice. Cheat the thing we want to do for the thing we know we need to do - the choice which will have lasting value in our lives.

The same goes for our wellness lifestyle. This week, and in the weeks ahead, there will be innumerable temptations of delicious sweets and savory dinners. There will be processed favorites (mushroom soup on the green bean casserole, and eggnog (did you ever check the nutritional label on eggnog?)) and homemade standards (the twice-baked sweet potatoes with honey and marshmallows). And the choices will abound.

Is it a problem to enjoy the holiday delicacies? No, not at all, but we need to cheat wisely. Don't throw all caution to the wind, and end up in a carbohydrate coma or artificial-preservative-shock. If your body is accustomed to whole foods, and nutrient dense eating, lean toward those choices whenever possible.

If you're traveling for the holiday, offer to take along a dish which reflects your wellness values. Go simple, like our grandparents used to cook. It doesn't need to be full of tofu and seaweed (my grandparents wouldn't have even known those were edible), just something simple, healthful and delicious.

So enjoy all that this holiday season brings. Savory the down time, the visits with family and friends, the wonderful meals, and the reminders of how blessed we are to live in a nation with all of this abundance.

By the Way

As the years add up in a wellness lifestyle, you'll find recipes which reflect your healthful values, and are just great food. Things like homemade cranberry sauce to go with the turkey. Simple, easy to make biscuits, with only 3 ingredients. I have a shortbread recipe that I'm looking forward to making again. ...And the list grows year by year.

Health Made Easier

4.16

This past week I had a wellness check up. Not only is this a great yearly practice, it also saves us money on our insurance premiums. And it gives me a chance to mentally check in on how my health is really doing. My blood test numbers are still good, and I'm at a great weight, etc, but one thing I had overlooked was getting enough vitamin D. While I had taken a supplement years ago, it had slipped off my radar, because I thought I was getting plenty in my multi-vitamin. Turns out, that wasn't even close.

Health benefits of Vitamin D have been known for decades, but it's only in the last 15-20 years that it has been highlighted as a significant factor in preventing disease and relieving common maladies. The great thing about vitamin D is that our skin naturally makes and metabolizes it through sun exposure. But a common problem is that we don't get enough sun to make a difference...

Vitamin D is fundamental to calcium absorption for healthy bones and teeth, and that's why milk and other beverages have been fortified with vitamin D for a long time. More recent research is showing that appropriate blood levels of vitamin D help with the prevention of certain cancers, correction of some autoimmune diseases like arthritis, diabetes and MS, and offer stronger immune response to the flu. Other benefits are promoting a healthy heart, increasing muscle strength, fighting depression and relieving common aches and pains (all of which can show up in adults who are vitamin D deficient). All this from getting out in the sun! That's health made easy.

Because most adults don't get as much sun as they need for adequate vitamin D, it makes sense to take a vitamin D supplement. Current recommendation for dosages are higher than they used to be. My doctor said that vitamin D levels are so chronically low in Americans that they are just recommending adults take 1,000 to 2,000 IU per day. Check with your own doctor to get a suggested dosage for you.

Sometimes all it takes in a simple reminder of a healthy fundamental. Check in with your doctor about the right level of vitamin D for you, and benefit from this vitamin that makes wellness a bit easier.

By the Way

Check out these articles on vitamin D, it's benefits and some suggestions on dosages:
WebMD review of new vitamin D guidelines
Dr. Joseph Mecola and Dr. Michael Holick review the new approach to vitamin D

Your Best Year Ever

4.1

It's a new year! Welcome to 2017, and all it holds for wellness and our pursuit of health. I've been making some interesting edits to my diet over the last 6-8 weeks, and took the holidays to reset and renew (so I haven't posted in a while.)

Maybe you agree with the power pantry philosophy (that if it's in our pantry we'll eat it...so if we want to improve our health, we should start by improving our pantries and what we eat). If you do, then you'll quickly realize that everything comes down to choices. Choices of what kinds of carbs and proteins we'll eat. Lots of dairy or limited dairy? Plenty of whole grain wheat breads, or gluten-free? Choices, choices, choices...

And the longer we work at our pantry and food choices, the more we realize that what works for some people does not work for all. While friends and workout buddies can be healthy on particular foods, those same foods can genuinely mess us up. What gives?

The truth is that all foods are not created equally, and just as no two people are alike, our nutritional needs and tolerances are just as varied. What might keep me fueled and revved up for a hard workout, might make others limp, headachy and unable to get through the day.

Individual food sensitivities and intolerances are real. Just because something is edible, doesn't mean your body will appreciate it. I've found numerous foods which cause me distress, and can turn on and off the distress simply by indulging in those foods or avoiding them. Simple... but not easy.

As we launch into 2017, if you find yourself with nagging challenges in your health, consider finding a naturopathic or holistic doctor who can speak to issues of food sensitivities and how possible food intolerances might be affecting your health. Taking that journey might make 2017 your best year ever.

By the Way

Pursuing wellness through significant food edits is not wifty mumbo-jumbo. There are whole areas of nutritional science devoted to understanding how nutrition varies between the metabolisms of different people, and how much of that comes down to genetic make up (known as nutrigenomics...). Tests for personal genetics and intestinal health of gut bacteria are also growing as options for optimizing our nutritional choices.

Ready to Get Healthy?

3.34

We all have some level of  ill-health which we would love to be relieved of... or are willing to tolerate. And that has been the truth of pursuing wellness for centuries, and probably millennia. And what if the underlying truth has always been that our bodies will heal naturally when given the right opportunity and nutritional circumstances to do so? It's interesting that concepts credited to Hippocrates thousands of years ago, are also closely held beliefs of other wise influencers in our American history.

I remembered that Thomas Jefferson had strong opinions on the body's natural ability to heal, and in looking up his perspectives, came across the fact that Thomas Edison believed similarly, and doctors should guide the process. Jefferson was convinced that our physical makeup was too complex for broad-brush solutions, and what we needed were natural approaches which responded specifically to our needs and circumstances, to give the body the chance to heal.

Edison said, "The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." Isn't it interesting that brilliant minds like Jefferson and Edison followed the simple logic that as complex as our bodies are, what we really need is guidance in diet, general care, and tools to understand and prevent disease. The fundamental truth: we will heal naturally when given the right circumstances.

Don't get me wrong, there's a place for modern medical solutions. We have eradicated innumerable diseases, ailments and trends of poor health because of brilliant minds in our modern era. And humanity can confidently grow into a future of longevity and thriving because of so many beneficial medical advances.

Any yet, medical wisdom is sometimes not so wise, and it needs to be balanced with a discernment of good nutrition and cause-and-effect review of disease and ill health.

So as we approach a new year, maybe it's a great time to open our perspective to the relationship between nutrition and lifestyle choices, and the health condition we find ourselves in. The more I study and benefit from good nutrition and wellness choices, the more I realize how simple it is to gain energized, clear-thinking, well-rested health... it may not be easy, but it is very simple.

By the Way

Check out these resources for further perspectives from Jefferson and Edision, on simple wellness and natural healing:

• Jefferson's convictions on Medicine as presented by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation here.
• Edison's quote on health, as routed out by Snopes, proving its validity here.

Giving Thanks

3.32

The US has always been a unique nation. And one of our 'firsts' is setting aside a day every year to be grateful. Gratitude is a core competency for living with wholeness and connection and wellness. Without gratitude, we're left with entitlement thinking and inaccurate perspectives on loss and abundance.

Dr. Robert Emmons is the world's leading expert on gratitude. He's devoted his career to seeking out the crucial essentials of thankfulness and appreciation, and has drawn innumerable conclusions on why living with thanksgiving is life-giving.

I appreciate a key distinction that Dr. Emmons makes between feeling grateful and being grateful. We can't will ourselves to feel a certain way... our feelings follow from how circumstances align with our expectations. But being grateful is a choice; it may not be the easiest choice in the moment, but it is simply our choice, nonetheless.

Check out a great article on Gratitude from Dr. Emmons here. And for some quick thoughts on thankfulness, check out this infographic from the John Templeton Foundation. 

So this Thanksgiving holiday, connect more deeply with those in your life, based on an attitude of gratitude. Genuinely count your blessings. Enjoy and appreciate the relationships you have in your life. Realize all you have from the simplest pleasures to the overflowing abundance right in front of you. And as you reflect, commit to taking your gratitude with you into the year to come.

By the Way

For some great perspectives on Thanksgiving, its history and numerous proclamations, check out this page from the Pilgrim Hall Museum (www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org)
Pilgrim Hall Museum on Thanksgiving

Choose Your Crazy

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.

It Makes a Difference

3.17

Since I started living a wellness lifestyle about 6 years ago, I've been surprised by what is possible physically, mentally and emotionally, when we feed our bodies with nutrient-rich foods. This weekend turned out to be a gardening and lawn weekend. I cut two different lawns, did the weeding of flower beds, planted a bunch of flowers and put in a boatload of mulch at both.

My Fitbit told me that I had over 260 'active minutes' yesterday, and another 180+ today. (An active minute is measured as a certain level of physical exertion, and starts counting after you've been active for at least 10 minutes) So that's over 440 active minutes between yesterday and today... whew, no wonder I'm beat.

But years ago, I wouldn't have just felt the expected tiredness or stiffness of hours of gardening, I would have been debilitated. I remember episodes of a day of shoveling snow or mulching, when I still ate a standard American diet, and I was a mess afterward, sometimes for days.

Now, with a pantry of great, nutrient-dense foods I can recover simply with some healthy calories and a good nights' sleep. And that's what I did this weekend. I went hard at it yesterday with yard work at one property, and did ours today. And I'm ready to find something to do tomorrow as well.

There are many benefits to keeping a power pantry. Sometimes it's just getting a lot of yard work done on a holiday weekend, and feeling great afterward. No matter what, our bodies will thank us for pursuing nutritious foods and cutting out the junk.

By the Way

One other thing my Fitbit told me is that I burned over 4500 calories yesterday and over 3000 today (the physical activity tracking, combined with the the heart-rate data, gives a good estimate of calories burned.) So breaks included snacks of walnuts and apples, and a great dinner last night of salmon, steamed veggies and rice. Lots of good, tasty calories. Mmmmm...

A Good Nights' Sleep

3.14

For years I've set modest goals in a number of areas in life, and one of those involves sleep. I'm sort of a night-owl and early-bird combined, so I stay up kind of late and get up kind of early, consistently. I've learned that 6 hours a night isn't enough shut-eye for me, and 7 hours in bed finds me staring at the ceiling. The result is that about 6 1/2 hours a night has been my goal.

Problem is, I rarely achieve it. Regardless of setting and genuinely pursuing the goal of 6 1/2 hours of sleep a night, I would regularly stay up too late, knowing I had to get up at 5am or so. And about 3pm the next day I would crater.

So, when I recently got a new Fitbit device which tracks sleep, I thought this is my chance to take my humble sleep goal more seriously. Long story short is that it's working! I think it's kind of goofy that I couldn't control my late-night behavior enough to get a good nights' sleep before the tracker, but since I have a goal set with little reminders and dashboard popups, I'm getting more sleep.

Now, instead putting a documentary on Netflix (which I fall asleep in the middle of anyway) or grinding through my gmail account to keep things cleaned up, I just go to bed. By 10pm, the kids are mostly in bed (our oldest teens have a tendency to do homework late into the night), I'm not into Facebook, so that's not keeping me up, and anything else can wait.

The result? I log about 6 hours and 20 minutes to 6 hours and 40 minutes of sleep a night, I wake more rested, and I do significantly better the next afternoon - no thick, sleepy feeling after lunch or in the middle of afternoon meetings. I'm also certain I'm thinking more clearly and more creatively with a better nights' sleep. Go figure.

We all know the value of a good nights' sleep. All we have to do is do it. If you tend to short your nightly slumber, maybe it's time to be more proactive about it so your wellness can benefit too.

By the Way

Studies consistently show that young adults through the elderly need about 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Of course, individual needs vary, but to function ideally day after day, that's the right amount. Check out this great article and video from the National Sleep Foundation on their recommendations for a good nights' sleep at any age. 

Simple Wellness - It's Time

3.10
No More Excuses
Tenth and final post in a Simple Wellness series

Since the beginning of 2016 I've been posting about Simple Wellness concepts and approaches. None of this content is new to Power Pantry, and it all bears repeating. We looked at a lot of great lifestyle wellness ideas:

• Having a good mental picture of where we're headed with our wellness
• Detoxing our bodies of standard western foods to lose cravings which derail us
• The real value of nutrient-dense foods, and how it changes our lives
• How goal-setting, accountability and managing temptation are vital to wellness
• Modifying mindless eating habits to manage calorie intact and help us enjoy our food
• Pursuing our wellness vision with others to assure we'll go far
• The high impact of regular exercise and general body movement on our wellness
• And why reducing stress is of such great value in our wellness journey

I can only hope that you connected with some of this content. I know these concepts and actions have become fundamental to how I approach my wellness. Am I living out each one every day? Probably not, but as we come back and come back and come back to what we know will bring us to health, we can truly make these approaches part of our lifestyle.

If you've found any of this series particularly valuable, then please share it with a friend. And for your own journey, I hope you will dig in and engage in intentional healthful improvements - it's time... no more excuses. Take time to look closely at your goal-setting and eating and exercise and stress-management, and hopefully as we all think through the wellness value of these actions, we'll be compelled to pass the knowledge along.

Thanks for being along the Power Pantry journey. Next week we'll look at some fitbit advances and content that are great resources for our wellness.

By the Way

As a preview to some fitbit content, I'll share that through worldwide physical activity research, fitbit has been able to establish the number one physical activity practiced in all the countries they've studied. Are any of us surprised that it's walking? That's it: just walking - simple and doable the world over.

And remember the 10,000 steps-a-day goal for any walking and running you may do. That level of daily exertion was originally proposed and subscribed to in Japan. Now it is accepted the world over as a simple, achievable, daily goal.

Simple Wellness - Not Alone

3.7
Go Far - Together
Seventh post in a Simple Wellness series

A wellness lifestyle is just a lot of small commitments, linked together by time and experience. And one of the most effective commitments we can make in our wellness journey is to travel our wellness paths with others. Jumping on a diet bandwagon is one thing, but resolving to make specific improvements in how we are living, and walking those commitment out with other people, is a lot better.

If you're like me, you've grabbed onto a new initiative at some point in life and chased it with focused abandon, only to have your progress interrupted by life and derailed by circumstances. "The weather's too ______ (hot, cold, wet, dreary...),"  "I'm just not ______ (excited, progressing, focused...) like I thought I would..."
No worries. This happens to all of us, and it in no way makes us a failure to have these episodes of real-life distraction. The key is to have support already there, and keep us, and them, on track by journeying together.

What's the magic in having a travelling buddy? It's the accountability that comes from life-on-life commitments to decisions and goals. And when we find someone who shares our wellness perspectives and will stick with us through thick and thin, the real benefit comes as that accountability keeps us from falling prey to our circumstances. Having a wellness companion keeps us from thinking like a victim and helps us overcome and press on, instead of shrinking back and giving up.

Where do you find a great wellness partner? Wherever they appear. It can be our spouse, a brother or sister, a friend from work, or that cousin who has a gym membership across town. These days we can even have an accountability partner vicariously, like a Tony Horton, through P90X videos and YouTube posts. The question isn't who it is, or where they come from, the question is will you commit to journeying with someone else?

So if you haven't made the decision to find one or more wellness partners to share your journey, make the commitment and ask someone to join you. There's a chance they will be as glad to join you as you are to have them along on your journey.

By the Way

There is an quote I like, often attributed as an African proverb:
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

Find a wellness buddy today, and go far, together.

Simple Wellness - Get Real

3.4

The Power of the Pantry

Fourth post in a Simple Wellness series...

If we're committed to a wellness journey, we've set a vision for our health, and started down the road to resetting our food choices, then we've got to work on our pantries. What lurks in a majority of American pantries is scary. There are not a lot of 'real' foods, even though a lot of what we stock may be edible. Real foods are unprocessed, nutrient-dense, and as fresh as possible.

Have you stood and stared at your pantry or fridge lately? Seen anything edible that just isn't food? We have a few things... some salty snacks, starchy sides and sugary breakfast cereals, but we stock mostly real foods, and reap the benefits of eating them.

Real, nutrient-dense foods afford us the healthiest bang for our calorie buck. We benefit from fiber, minerals, micronutrients and phytochemicals in fresh foods. Think veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. Dr. Joel Fuhrman likes to describe 'GBOMBS' as his quick label to remember 'Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries and Seeds.' If we've reset our food choices, these five categories are absolute winners to give our bodies the healthy nutrition they crave.

A great way to integrate real foods is to purge our pantries of the most processed offenders, and begin including as many real foods as possible. Then we can set simple goals in our meal planning and food preparation to have more and more of our meals feature real foods (and only real foods). Let's say we eat about 20 meals a week (7 days times 3 meals a day...) If we had one real-food meal a day, that would yield about 30% of our meals being health, and 70% being regular choices. 


As weeks and months go, it can be simple to grow that ratio to 50/50, then 60/40 (so now we're closer to 2 meals a day being real food) all the way to 80/20. An 80/20 goal for real-food to standard food is valuable. At that level our cells are being nourished and we even have the opportunity to reverse some disease patterns and symptoms.

Here are some real-food meal suggestions: Breakfast can be a smoothie with greens, chia seeds and fresh fruit, or a hearty oatmeal or muesli with dried fruits and healthy nuts. Lunch could include a big salad with a small portion of fish or beans. Supper can feature a healthier meat like broiled chicken breast or salmon, with steamed veggies and a baked sweet potato.

And here and there, a regular old burger-and-fries, or pancakes-and-bacon meal is okay. Not to binge on comfort food, and blow your wellness accomplishments, but just to scratch that itch of wanting something from your 'old' pantry.

So find a great, healthful cookbook (Dr. Fuhrman publishes the 'Eat to Live Cookbook', and it's a good one) or a great book of smoothie recipes, and launch into your new, real, healthful choices. 

By the Way

A critical step on a journey to a healthful 80/20 diet is the selection of snacks. Here again, ditch the packaged snacks, like crackers and candy bars, and go for the simplest real foods you can find. A piece of fresh fruit is great, or dried fruits and nuts work well too. Take your time nibbling, though, and be careful with portions, because fruit has a lot of natural sugar, and nuts pack a lot of fats that can have you bulked up on calories in no time. 

Simple Wellness - Reset

3.3

Lose the Cravings

Third post in a Simple Wellness series...

When we eat real food it makes our bodies happy. When we eat processed foods, it makes our taste buds and our minds happy for a while, but processed foods of our Western diet make our bodies really frustrated. And once we're in the cycle of eating processed foods, our minds need more and more of it to get the same level of satisfaction.

For all the abundance we have, the standard American diet is killing us slowly and painfully, and the decline to poor health is totally preventable. If we've struck a clear vision of our future, like we talked about in the last post, our next step is to start moving our food choices toward ones our bodies will love. The great news is that as we make healthier food choices, we can get our minds and bodies to reset and overcome the cycle of cravings and toxic hunger which come with processed foods.

The food-industrial complex surrounds us with a lot of food-like products and drinks, but these aren't real food. Real foods are ones which are simply the way God made them. Not processed, not refined, not stripped of vital elements to make them look better or have a better texture. No growth hormones and no genetic engineering and as un-enhanced as possible. 

Michael Pollan, an author, professor and journalist, has a great quote: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." And by food, he's referring to real food. Simple, whole, nutrient-dense food. When we do, it is very possible to reset our taste buds and overcome the distraction of cravings. It will take a week or two to shed the desire for industrialized food, but as the salt and fats and artificial flavors come out of our system, replaced by fresh, whole foods, the cravings will die down... we'll talk more about that in the next post.

To get going, just start. A pantry (and fridge) purge of processed foods is the best way to launch. Ditch the foods with white flour and preservatives and sugar, and MSG and artificial colors and flavors. If it wasn't in our great-grandmother's kitchen, don't eat it.

Last week I suggested watching "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead", and there is a follow-on documentary by Joe Cross as well, "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead 2" (available on DVD, iTunes & Netflix). Both of these films depict a juicing 'reboot', where you can detox and reset by consuming freshly juiced fruits and vegetables as a regularly part of your daily diet. A juice fast isn't necessary to reset our cravings and launch our wellness journey, just a purge of the junk, and introduction of real food. The key is to just do it.

By the Way

If you're not convinced there is anything wrong with our industrialized food, check out the TEDx Talk by Douglas Lisle, author of The Pleasure Trap. It's a great investment of 18 minutes in your wellness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX2btaDOBK8 

Be sure to note Dr. Lisle's three tips at the end of his talk... our foundation of success is a decision away.

Simple Wellness - A Guide

3.1

Time for a Change

I regularly meet with folks who are looking to make a wellness change. It seems all desires to improve our health are borne from a level of discontent, and that's where we'll start Power Pantry for 2016. It's not time for resolutions, it's time for goals that lead us one step closer to real and lasting improvement, even change.


Wellness is a lifestyle and a life-philosophy, that's why we refer to Power Pantry as 'Lifestyle Wellness Resources'. Living a wellness lifestyle is not a diet, it is a healthful and active way of engaging life. We can overcome food cravings and a disconnected, sedentary lifestyle, even if they have plagued us for decades, and go on to live a healthy and active life.


For the next month or so Power Pantry is going to offer simple wellness how-tos, starting with the basics and hopefully giving you a point of entry for your own journey. Everyone starts their wellness journey where they: we bring our past, our expectations, our cravings, our fears of what life will be like 'without' certain foods... The peace of mind we want to find is available, and must be accomplished like any worthy goal - a step at a time.

If you have a nagging discontent about your health, start there. Use that mental churning as your drive to make a positive difference this year, and for many years to come. Live in the tension of where you are, compared to where you really want to be (and know you can be). We'll do our best to support your journey with simple guidance of good steps you can take.

Here are some topics we'll cover in the coming weeks:

• A wellness vision
• How to lose your cravings
• Why nutrient-dense foods are best
• Controlling portion-distortion
• Journeying together
• Wellness beyond food
• Get your body moving
• Sustaining the new you

We may offer other topics as well in this Guide to kick off 2016, so subscribe (on the blog page) or tune in weekly for some inspiration, and definitely share Power Pantry with others. Comment on posts and feel free to contact me directly with questions or thoughts. And prepare to love the journey, your food, and your health! We look forward to joining you, and having you join us.

By the Way

In the coming weeks we also want to offer some incredible media resources and the motivation they provide. Watch, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." If you've seen it before, watch it again (it's being offered for Free for a limited time). It is a tremendous story of commitment to wellness and how a couple of guys started their own wellness revolution. Their story continues today...

Ahhhh.... Holiday Success

2.87
Christmas 2015 has come and gone. Here at Power Pantry we hope you found refreshment and relaxation in the season, and enjoyed the peace and confidence which comes from knowing God sent His Son to save us. For us, we celebrate Christ's birth... Emmanuel: God with us. And we were reminded this Christmas holiday that the story of Christmas is not really the chance for us to pursue God as much as it is that God pursues us. He truly desires to be with us.

Hoping your holiday celebrations so far have been enriching and bountiful, relaxing and fun. Around our house we have been working on a Christmas jigsaw puzzle, playing board games (have you played Wits & Wagers? It's a hoot for all ages!), and two of us got to a football game. We agreed that at times we felt pampered, we were rejuvenated, and we are most definitely blessed. And we're wishing the same for you and yours.

The new year is just around the corner, and it is a prime time to recognize that stocking a power pantry can change everything for our wellness lifestyle. Have you experienced the stress of a poorly-stocked pantry this holiday season? We did a little bit. Here and there we ran out of something we wish we had on hand (avocados just don't keep very long!) but overall, our food choices were healthful and nutritious.

For the new year, Power Pantry is going to offer some simple guidelines to lifestyle wellness, from vision and fundamentals to specific how-tos. So tune in, share with others, and always feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.

Abundant blessings to you and yours. Happy New Year from Power Pantry!!

By the Way

Need something different to ring in the new year? Maybe try a new way to celebrate? We're forgoing our typical round-robin of snacks and dips and goodies, and ordering Chinese... maybe even some quality sushi... we'll see. Maybe this is a good year to forgo the beef sticks and cheese logs and go for the hummus and guacamole.