manifesto: a public declaration of intention by an important person or group. OK- we are all rock stars in our own right!
manifest: struck by the hand, apparent to the senses of the mind; obvious.
intention: determination to act in a specific way; anything intended; purpose.
Many of us start this new year with ideas of creating new energy, new habits, new ways of being. It is common for us to join groups, clubs, challenges, and list our goals for the year. At the least I know we all have had a "sit down heart to heart" with ourselves privately at least. Working with people, I hear that they want to get their "act together", lose some weight, exercise more, or just be healthier. A manifesto sounds rebellious, doesn't it? This is our body and our life. I believe that EXCELLENCE in health is something quite possible to work towards. We all deserve to experience excellent health. But for many, how to do this is a mystery!
Some questions we can ask ourselves:
- what are the specific steps we will take to do this?
- do we have a philosophy that we can say we truly own?
- what things may get in our way & what will we do to address this?
- how committed are we?
- are we willing do the work & hold ourselves accountable?
- how honest are be willing to be?
- is this a lifestyle, a fad, someone else's deal, or a means to an end?
One of the major pitfalls that I see is that many people don't have their own philosophy about their life, their body, and their existence. How do we get a philosophy? As a child I questioned everything, if not outwardly, inwardly. I am naturally skeptical. I am also an avid reader. I like to learn and find out about things, yet I am not an easy sell on anything. But life is an amazing teacher itself. I can "try out" what I learn from teachers, health care providers, and books and see for myself it is true for me. hmmm..... I think Buddha said something like this: Don't take my word for it, go and see for yourself.
One size does not fit all. We can all be heading to the same place, but get there many different ways. But common sense tells us that if we want good health, smoking and heavy drinking won't get us there! So some general things seem to work for most all of us.
- Eat more veggies & fruit: Doing so increases our metabolism through thermogenesis, and is a vital source of nutrients. One approach I use is to take in fruit or veggies with every meal, and also ingest at least 50% of my plate being fruit or veggie. Well chewed raw fruit/veggies is even better.
- Be well hydrated: we are 66% water and should be drinking about 1.5 to 2 quarts per day. Most headaches are caused by dehydration, and the body regulates temp better when hydrated. Body size, environmental temperatures, activity levels, and sweat rates will all affect our individual hydration needs. Watery foods and herbal teas count. Note: caffeinated beverages may or may not cause some dehydration- each person is different.
- Limit or reduce animal products: Doing so reduces exposure to chemical agents, and research shows that we lessen our chance in getting, reducing or reversing all major degenerative diseases. Legumes (beans) and whole plant based food can provide plenty of protein. For more information see The China Study.
- Limit or reduce stimulants: Typical suggestion is that if you drink alcohol, limit to 4 x a week and 1-2 glasses. Stop smoking. Limit or reduce caffeine. By exercising, eating whole foods, meditating, and getting a support system where needed will aid reducing or limiting stimulants.
- Multi-Vitamins: In an ideal World we would be able to get in all of our nutritional needs from food. But with the stress levels on our bodies due to lifestyle, environmental toxins and poor agricultural methods, taking a well formulated multi-vitamin daily is supported by most science these days. See my blog on free radicals & the antioxidant network.
- Exercise: We need exercise and are built for an active life. Since we don't have to chop wood or carry water everyday, a regular exercise program is essential for modern life. Load bearing exercise such as strong yoga, weight lifting, or heavy manual labor is necessary for bone density (as well and the right synergistic blend of nutrients). Low level exercise such as walking, swimming, cycling are excellent life long activities. They key is: use it or lose it. For more information see The Optimum Nutrition Bible.
- Less/No Chemicals: Plastic containers, food additives, cleaning products, cosmetics, to name a few can all be switched out to safer options. Take an inventory of all non-natural contact you either put on your body, ingest, eat/drink from, or breathe in on a daily basis. Limiting or replacing these exposures will place less stress on the body. Endocrine disruption has been directly linked to plastics. Choosing organic where possible will lesson our exposure to pesticides/herbicides. One study says we ingest on average of one POUND of this per year. And many studies have shown the nutritional content of organic food is higher than typically produced food. For more information see Health and Nutrition Secrets.
On our journey toward excellence in health, it's good to remember that each of us is unique. Shhh....do you hear that? I think it's your body and it's saying something! Yes, the body does give us all kind of feedback. Achy joints, foggy heads, and poor dispositions (to name a few) are ways that our body says, "hey! I don't care for that!" It is our job to learn to listen closely to what works and what doesn't....and then we can make informed and educated decisions about how we are living....and have the energy for living!
Lori is graduate student of Holistic Nutrition. This content is intended to be educational in nature, not prescriptive nor diagnostic.
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