BE KIND TO YOURSELF.  ENJOY THE JOURNEY.  IT’S A JOURNEY.  ENJOY THE JOURNEY TO WHOLE HEALTH.  IT’S A GREAT JOURNEY. ~ Dr. Chris Gardner Ph.D. Stanford professor of medicine, since 1993, Director of Nutrition Studies

Somewhere deep within you is a song that plays softly, always……
A song you can hear only if you're very quiet, and very still
A song of life, and dreams, and wisdom
A call to adventure on a path that is uniquely yours.
Take time to listen to the song of your soul
And see where it leads you.
Anon

The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day that you discover why you were born.

Change of lifestyle and diet has meant that each day I just feel stronger, more contented with myself, healthier and more agile. Yes, this has been and is my experience since pursuing this way of personal health exploration. All is good, mentally, physically and spiritually. Don’t need a Porsche! Anon

You can change what you eat, how you eat, how you move, how you sleep, how you love, and get your health back.

The body is a regenerative machine. It is a process rather than a fixed body.

OUR JOURNEY TO YOUR HEALTH:

Notes on things we’ll look at to transform you to a state of WHOLE HEALTH. It will reward you on the first day and then every day thereafter.

NB. We can look at some of these, or non of these. Although I would certainly advise beginning with food and the gut/biome connection.

1/ Food (fiber - carbs - protein):

Food has changed so much since when we, or perhaps our grandparents, consumed food before the 1980’s. Our soils have been depleted through modern farming systems.

Farmers and physicians have been trained by the same chemical companies. So, they’ve  been indoctrinated into the same pharmaceutical co-dependence and world view. And further to this aberration of our soils, these recent, industrially-produced, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are totally new and largely misunderstood by our gut/microbiome. They are also vastly diminished in their natural nutrient values. So, let’s plan to heal with each meal.

2/ Good water sources: No to plastic bottles. A bottle made from food-grade stainless steel is ideal.

3/ Sleep hygiene: Enough sleep at regular times. According to research, Americans get 25 % less sleep than 30 years ago. Sleep: that means having a “good sleep hygiene routine”: “Turn off your phone 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime and avoid caffeine after midday.

4/ Movement: Is sitting the new smoking? Less sitting, and more movement regularly through day. Need resistance training and walking 7 - 12,000 steps a day ideal, or equivalent. 150 minutes a week exercise cuts morbidity by 30%. We evolved to avoid physical activity when it is necessary.

Just watch wild animals judge energy usage to gather food and its energy rewards.

5/ Less stress: A hammock reconnects one to the earth. Especially if anchored between two trees. Rocking chairs rock too. (Not just for old folks).

6/ Positive thoughts: Take charge of your thoughts, redirect your thoughts if necessary. Think Like a Monk. (thinklikeamonkbook.com)

7/ Avoid environmental toxins: They are everywhere. No, not everywhere.

8/ Air quality simplified.

9/ The importance of breathe. (thinklikeamonkbook.com)

10/ 24-36 hour water fast once a fortnight, or week. Rewarding and transformational.

11/ Daily intermittent fasting made easy.

12/ Pooping: should be a conscious act of evacuation, just like eating should be a conscious act of consuming. The pleasure in pooping a good evacuation. You can learn a lot about your health, food and digestive habits by observing one’s poop. It should curl like a snake in the toilet bowl staring back at you. Once a day is okay. Morning and evening is ideal. Develop a habit if need be. Be sure to eat enough fiber. Most Americans do not.

13/ Regular meal timing where possible, and eat at least 3-4 hours before bedtime.

14/ Circadian rhythm - think like a parrot, a crow or any diurnal animal.

15/ Home use products and body care products.

16/ Clothing materials and laundry detergents.

17/ Sunlight (we are made of sunlight, think about it). Greet the day outside when you wake. Salute the light.  Early morning sun produces serotonin in the gut and creates energy and uplifting feelings. Light now has more unnatural hours than ever, due to electric lighting. Give thanks for another beautiful day. Eye health: sun palming, the Bates method, regular breaks from screen time and more.

18/ Fearlessness. For example, fear can cause us to hold back on our love and joy and generosity and warmth and presence. Fear can keep us from giving our best gifts. And the world is poorer when this happens.

19/ Vary temperatures. Cold plunges. Or simply go outside in T-shirt on winter day for two minutes. Jump in the lake in Spring or Fall. Adjust this to your own climate of course!

20/ How to eat in restaurants, and shop in supermarkets and remain sane and healthy.

21/ Biodiversity is the secret code to life. Practice biodiversity in all your life. Firstly recognize that we are each different. Our diversity makes us a community.

22/ Re-align yourself with Nature. After all we are Nature, we come from Nature and we return to Nature.

23/ Hugs. Seven hugs a day for good health. Spread the love and discover old and new friends. Try the “heart hug”.

24/ The amazing treasures of fermented foods.

25/ Toxins: In the house, workplace, vehicle, air, water, and generally avoiding risky substances.

26/ Medications: prescription, over the counter and beyond. What to do with expired medications. We don’t want trans sexual fish in rivers.

27/ Journaling: whether for alcohol or food. Journaling can emphasis things that you may have missed or refused to admit to yourself. Alcohol journaling if one wishes to reduce or quit is good for reflection and understanding of one’s progress, or not.

28/ Gratitude: and the shocking benefits of practicing gratitude and feeling it open your heart. Gratitude is a skill. Practice it and see the results. Gratitude is a game changer for sure. Be grateful for even your breath, clean air, good water, the birds, the trees, the sun and the rain. Good for you and good for the planet. A young woman was suicidal, and then she developed gratitude. It absolutely changed and saved her life.

29/ Strengthening the immune system in case of pandemic, bio-warfare, bites etc., Both the human immune system and the plant immune system are fundamentally interdependent on the quality and fertility of the soil. Eryn Paige

30/ On Becoming: Isn’t the purpose of life about a journey to becoming your best self along the way. Becoming who you really are! An exciting journey of exploration and finding out your joys, your uniqueness, your authentic self, and your best state of health. What is your USP? Are you doing what you came here for? What is it that we are here for to leave behind? It is simply never too late to find your authentic voice.

31/ Purpose: What is your reason for being? Are you doing:  what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for and what the world needs?

32/ Grief: you have to keep breaking your heart till it opens. Rumi, the Afghan/Persian mystic & poet. Grief will often be the cause of poor health.

33/ In therapy we need to be seen, and felt and heard. Hurt people hurt people.

34/ Our gut/microbiome and the universe are one. We are more microbial DNA than biological DNA. Our microbes are inherited from the cosmos and are billions of years old. We are ancient. We are macro as well as micro in representation. There is an entire ecosystem within our body. We are an ecosystem within the greater ecosystem. Our gut is our nexus to our ecosystem and everything beyond it.

35/ Say no to plastic every time you can. And gradually it will be easier and easier to say no most of the time. And then finally all of the time. Industry will hear your message and make change.

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Progress over perfection. Don’t make perfection the enemy of the good. Do winnable steps. Every step gets you closer.

The real truth within you will be remembered, rather than discovered. Zach Bush MD

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi

Sugar is a recreational drug.

Nutrition and exercise are key; unplug from the matrix.

Ancient Chinese saying: Walk 99 steps after eating and you’ll live to 100.

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Your genes load the gun, and your lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Help yourself or hurt yourself. It’s really that simple.

We, as a civilization, are in a chronic disease epidemic. It’s time to pay attention.

What is your superpower? Perhaps it’s something that you hadn’t recognized as your superpower. We EACH have a superpower!

You will not truly heal until you are doing what you came here to do. Hope you’re doing what you came here to do.

Are you ready for your big, exciting, rewarding health adventure? Because that’s what it is!

Yes, health is a journey, with an immensely rewarding destination. Health is contagious.