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.
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...
3.16 Until about six years ago our family ate a standard american diet. Corn and wheat products, artificial colors and sweeteners, flavor enhancers, sugar and salt were all normal. We weren't especially unhealthy compared to American expectations, but the truth is, my health was a mess, and Jen's was headed for a train wreck. We've committed recent years to peeling back layers of nutritional revelation, and we're now significantly healthy...maybe even exceptionally healthy. It hasn't been an easy journey, and what we needed along the way were beneficial co-conspirators, especially in the form of great nutrient-dense food providers. One of these I am thankful for is Mary Waldner, founder of Mary's Gone Crackers. She has a great story , and I really resonate with her journey. She turned away from standard american foods toward ancient, gluten-free grains, seeds and vegan recipes, and grew her home-made cracker business into a thriving enterprise. Now we all can benefit from the crackers, pretzels, cookies and treats Mary and her bakers create. I love that Mary has gone to great strides to not only be gluten-free, non-GMO, and vegan, but they use low-glycemic sweeteners like palm sugar, and support local farmers and fair wages. Her crackers and snacks taste great, they're unique, and they are good, nutritional foods. You won't find saltines and Ritz crackers in our pantry anymore, but you definitely find sweet potato chips, rice cakes and Mary's crackers among our snacks. Those are small changes, but they have proven to be much better choices for our health. How about you? Have you purged some poor choices from your pantry lately? Today is a good day to do just that. Your life and health are worth it.
By the Way
Mary's crackers and snacks are distributed nation-wide through a network of distributors, and if you can't find them, either ask the store manager to get some on the shelves, or order online.
3.15 Have you stood and stared at your pantry or fridge lately? If you did, would you see some great, nutrient dense foods and choices? We're well into 2016, and maybe you began the year with aspirations of a healthful diet and chance to finally lose that weight that's been nagging you. If you haven't made enough progress, today is the day to start. I think back to what our family food choices looked like 10 and 15 years ago. In many ways it is frustrating that I followed a typical Western diet for so long, and yet I'm grateful a friend introduced me to Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book, 'Eat to Live'. That book, and some great instruction on a Mediterranean diet, was the start of tremendously beneficial changes for me and our family. Now we find nutrient-dense foods abounding in our fridge and pantry. And if they are there, then the great foods will naturally end up in our cooking and on our plates. That's how a power pantry works. And the benefits of those nutrient-dense foods have been nothing short of incredible:
the elimination of numerous health struggles for me and Jen
the avoidance of who-knows-what in health struggles for our kids; they are healthy and active, and visiting the doctor seems reserved solely for sports physicals
maintaining ideal weight, instead of those 'typical' extra pounds
being blessed with a vitality and energy that I missed for over 20 years of my life; I literally feel physically like I did in my late teens and early 20's (how cool is that?!)
And it all started from the desire, and then commitment, to do something completely different. How about you? Are you ready to try something completely different in your wellness? Do it today. Commit to purging your pantry of the sugary, empty calories, the prepared snacks and cereals and sides full of preservatives, and the artificial sweeteners and sodium so common in typical American foods. Take a step now and another tomorrow, and pretty soon you'll be on your way to better health.
By the Way
Power Pantry has a lot of resources in past posts, so if you're newer, follow some of the food-related Labels to older content about nutrient dense foods. One like these: Whole foods Food Micronutrients
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.
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?
