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Post by donalgdon on Mar 8, 2014 16:17:47 GMT -5
I was thinking about the way I live and on the the health challenges I've faced entering my late 30's (I'm almost 45 now) and I realized that if I had to narrow it down to just fournatural things that I do every day, it would be these:
1. Eating a real Ketogenic diet based on 80% fat, (including lots of organic cold pressed coconut oil,) 15% protein, including organ meats, and grass fed beef, 5% low carb veggies, preferably organic, as many home grown as I can. I also include home made fermented cabbage into this mix.
2. Grounding/Earthing by spending as much time as I can connected to the Earth's surface, including sleeping and working while grounded.
3. Mindfulness meditation/relaxation practice.
4. Daily practice of standing up every fifteen minutes, (because sitting too long kills) and exercise of various types, most of which I do outdoors to get direct sunlight exposure.
I eased into these lifestyle changes after careful examination over time. I consider them to be the biggest "bang for the buck" or give the greatest return on investment of anything one can do, and I'd recommend them to anyone, regardless of what else is going on in life.
I would also include other forms of "spiritual practice" into this mix, but I'm trying to focus on the natural side of life. I don't think of mindfulness as something spiritual, since I consider the practice of meditation a human birthright.
I just thought I'd share these thoughts, and I wonder if any of you have done anything similar.
I attribute these practices to allowing me to overcome high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, lose 40 pounds of fat, gain muscle mass, reduce stress and anxiety, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2014 16:24:39 GMT -5
2. Grounding/Earthing by spending as much time as I can connected to the Earth's surface, including sleeping and working while grounded. Not sure what you mean, tell me more. |
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Post by donalgdon on Mar 8, 2014 16:31:18 GMT -5
2. Grounding/Earthing by spending as much time as I can connected to the Earth's surface, including sleeping and working while grounded. Not sure what you mean, tell me more. It's not too complicated, and the science is pretty clear (there are several peer-reviewed studies on it). Being in direct physical contact with the Earth's surface reduces inflammation (among many other factors, including Heart Rate Variability, blood pressure, cortisol, etc). I put my bare feet on the ground as often as possible and sleep on a grounded bed, turn off my cordless phones, wifi, etc. and do all I can to remove myself from electromagnetic fields. I discovered that I was sensitive to them, and that they directly impacted my health. It's estimated that 6% of the population is sensitive. The reality is that all human bodies are impacted, but many don't notice the effects, or don't realize what the symptoms/causes are, and attribute it to other factors. Here's Dr. Stephen Sinatra talking about it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQBe4xZQndEand a documentary on the subject www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIpym5FJmEg |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2014 16:42:16 GMT -5
Okay and thank you for the information, Don.
Don't quote me, but I think that sleeping without clothing reduces cortisol production and the coolness increases melatonin aiding sleep.
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Post by donalgdon on Mar 11, 2014 11:07:35 GMT -5
I'd actually add one more significant element that has become so much a part of my life that I hadn't thought of it:
Buteyko breathing.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2014 13:49:09 GMT -5
In the early 1990s I changed my eating habits and began to exercise. In the last couple of years I began to drink nothing but water during the day. I drink about 3 water bottles that hold 20 ounces each every day.
I also meditate every day.
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Post by donalgdon on Mar 11, 2014 14:06:19 GMT -5
In the early 1990s I changed my eating habits and began to exercise. In the last couple of years I began to drink nothing but water during the day. I drink about 3 water bottles that hold 20 ounces each every day. I also meditate every day. Interesting that you mention that. I also find that I get dehydrated rather easily, and I do try to drink about 64 ounces of water a day. I read that most people are at some stage of dehydration without realizing it, and I think that's probably true. I know it is for me. I also add some magnesium citrate to the water, because I tend to burn through it rather quickly and be low in magnesium systemically. I have found that the additional magnesium helps me be calmer and reduces my stress response quite a bit. I have a tendency toward anxiety, and I have to really focus on staying in the moment to not be caught in my own thoughts. Buteyko breathing has helped me more than any other form of breath work or meditative practice. What I found (and it is true) is that the history of yogic breathing is based actually in shallow breathing and breath holding, rather than the modern variations of yoga, which tend to focus primarily on deep breathing. Ironically, this blows off more C02 and contributes to anxiety and a host of other issues in the body, including elevated blood pressure, heart rate, reduced heart rate variability, etc. It sounds counterintuitive, but reducing breathing rate actually gives you more oxygen in the body, due to the Bohr effect. We need the C02 to release the O2 from hemoglobin. With low C02, the 02 stays bonded, and it doesn't get released. That's why breathing more and deeper actually gives you less. For years, I didn't know that, and I think most still don't. Even serious meditation and yoga students don't. Dr. Buteyko is someone I consider to be a medical genius of the modern age. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2014 14:34:02 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip on the breathing. I will have to look into that Dr.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2014 6:19:45 GMT -5
Do either of you do physical labor?
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Post by thedude on Mar 12, 2014 6:32:53 GMT -5
Jeez, whatever happened to Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll as a way to live?!
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Post by donalgdon on Mar 12, 2014 7:19:09 GMT -5
Do either of you do physical labor? No, I don't, and I do sort of miss it, as odd as it sounds. I both hated and loved my first job. I worked as a tomato picker alongside Mexican migrants. It was the only job I could get at the time, since I didn't have a car, and I could walk to the field (or catch a ride with a friend who also worked on the farm). It's a toss up. I think there's a sense in which physical labor is easier than mental labor. I don't think I could handle the work at 44 in the way I could at 18, but it had a certain mindfulness to it. Just repeating the patterns of movement from sun up to sun down with a break for lunch. Repeat until the fields were empty. IN reality, it's probably the time that causes me to look back with nostalgia. I'm sure it sucked, because I remember it motivating me to go to university at the time, because I thought, "I gotta' get a car and a different job." |
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Post by donalgdon on Mar 12, 2014 7:20:10 GMT -5
Jeez, whatever happened to Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll as a way to live?! I dunno' man. I am always amazed at the Strolling Bones. They've managed to stay above ground despite it all. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2014 11:00:41 GMT -5
Do either of you do physical labor? No, I don't, and I do sort of miss it, as odd as it sounds. I both hated and loved my first job. I worked as a tomato picker alongside Mexican migrants. It was the only job I could get at the time, since I didn't have a car, and I could walk to the field (or catch a ride with a friend who also worked on the farm). It's a toss up. I think there's a sense in which physical labor is easier than mental labor. I don't think I could handle the work at 44 in the way I could at 18, but it had a certain mindfulness to it. Just repeating the patterns of movement from sun up to sun down with a break for lunch. Repeat until the fields were empty. IN reality, it's probably the time that causes me to look back with nostalgia. I'm sure it sucked, because I remember it motivating me to go to university at the time, because I thought, "I gotta' get a car and a different job." I've had similar experiences, Don. I think physical labor rather than physical exercise can have mental and physical benefits. We have a few acres that I source fire wood and grow vegetables, and maintain with a farm tractor. There is a lot of lifting, pushing, and learning to work smart so as not to hurt yourself. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2014 11:01:25 GMT -5
Jeez, whatever happened to Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll as a way to live?! Those guys seem to die young. |
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Post by donalgdon on Mar 12, 2014 11:37:35 GMT -5
Jeez, whatever happened to Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll as a way to live?! Those guys seem to die young. Some do, but as I mentioned, I joked about The Strolling Bones (Rolling Stones) who look like death, but manage to go on, somehow. Pact with the devil?  |
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