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.
6.7
There is great benefit from testing our limits. We are capable of so much more than we think we can do, and all it takes is to be a bit dreamy, and convicted enough to try. Right now I'm training for the NJ Spartan Ultra - a 50k (about 31 miles) obstacle course race on the ski slopes of Mt. Creek Resort in Vernon, NJ.
If you would have asked me 2 or 3 years ago if I would imagine doing something like a Spartan Ultra, I would have said no, I just can't see doing that... yet here I am, about 5 weeks out. Besides the fact that I love Spartan racing (the exertion, the scenic views, and simply enjoying the great outdoors from the trail) I'm realizing that I've developed "obstacle immunity."
If we push a personal limit, and successfully accomplish the goal (or at least finish and don't get injured) all of sudden we've stretched what is personally possible. It may have been completely impossible in our minds just weeks or days prior, but here we are, checking it off our list. The obstacle that previously would have hung us up, is now within our ability - we're immune.
Obstacle immunity is nothing new... I was touring a museum with our family a few weeks ago, and marveled at numerous old suits of armor. One feature that was highlighted on a couple of them was "proofing" marks. When a suit of armor was completed, it was often shot with a live round of ammunition to prove that it would hold up, that it was safe.
Once armor, or our own physical constitution or ability, has been proved, we know that we can proceed and everything should turn out all right. We'll have done what we can to prepare, and figured out the necessary contingencies and then pressed on. The confidence that comes from this process is obstacle immunity. Now you know you can do it, and at least within the bounds of your preparations, you'll be safe.
So today I ran 18 miles, with a bunch of push-ups and monkey bars thrown in. (And that's after a serious driveway workout yesterday, and a 'warehouse' workout at a local Y Friday night.) Needless to say, I'm a bit fried, but I'm feeling more and more prepared for my Spartan Ultra... bring on the ski slopes and obstacles...
How about you? What dreamy goal might you confront today, and then prepare toward and train for? Maybe you'll grow to the point that you've proven you can do it, and you'll benefit from the obstacle immunity that develops in you. Give it a try - you never know where you'll end up.
By the Way
Next weekend is my big training day. I'm shooting for 24 miles with at least 3 obstacle breaks in between. From there I'll 'taper' to the end of April when the big race happens (and run the Garden Spot Village half marathon, and our local Sauder Egg Run during April as well.)
6.6
We live in a time of great information and data-sharing, and the opportunities to self-educate have never been better. As a proponent of healthful living and aligning our diet and physical activity to make our bodies thrive, this access to beneficial information is huge.
If you have tuned in to Power Pantry (or any other healthful living content) in the past few years, you may have seen how-to guidance on cleaning up our pantry, our choices and our eating in general. One of the best content-providers of that guidance is Dr. Josh Axe; his website is the most sought out in the world today, for food and health trends to naturally heal our bodies.
Dr. Axe is a strong proponent that 'food is medicine'. If we will simply get our food choices right, we will set a course to develop health, and reduce inflammation and ill-health, in our bodies and lives.
Check out this great article on improvements we can all make to our pantry and diet to improve our health. Our focus needs to be on natural, whole foods, eliminating processed foods and growing our discernment of what food choices help our bodies thrive.
See the Clean Eating Meal Plan article here.
So make some more strides this week. Find some less-than-healthy foods in your pantry and pitch 'em. Take a few more minutes in the grocery store this week to "shop the perimeter" of the store (where the fresh produce, fresh meats and fresh dairy items are found.) It all starts with making great food choices for our pantry.
Better quality choices lead to a better quality of life. Happy shopping
By the Way
You can sign up for all sorts of beneficial content from Dr. Axe's website, from a Shopping Guide and his e-book to boost healing, to regular content in emails. It's a great opportunity for food and health education.
