I saw a cool blog post by this girl named Swayze today…
I just discovered her site and it looks pretty neat for people who are interested in starting to bring more raw fruits and veggies in their diet. She had posted her article over at Pure Raw …
The article was all about people who get way too intense with their raw food lifestyles…
But that’s not what I thought was the best part about it…
And that’s not what I’m going to talk about here…
The coolest part was something she took from Dr. Graham’s book 80/10/10 Diet:
In The 80/10/10 Diet, Dr. Graham actually lists a total of *32* “Fundamental Elements of Health” that you should be concerned with.
Here’s the first ten on the list:
1.Clean, fresh air
2.Pure water
3.Foods for which we are biologically designed
4.Sufficient sleep
5.Rest and relaxation
6.Vigorous activity
7.Emotional poise and stability
8.Sunshine and natural light
9.Comfortable temperature
10.Peace, harmony, serenity, and tranquility
That’s a rockin’ list isn’t it?
Swayze’s point was that it’s not just about the food that we eat…or just about the exercise we get that makes us healthy.
There are LOTS of things that go into it. And apparently these are only the first 10 of Dr. Graham’s list of 32 Fundamentals of Health. We’d have to get his book to find out the others.
As I looked at the list I realized these are ones I’m focusing on right now:
# 3: Foods Which Were Biologically Designed
This means I’m doing a version of Michael Pollan’s advice from his new book Food Rules: “If it comes from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don’t.” So no processed things that come in packages. And I’m choosing to stick to raw produce and nuts. That’s what works for me.
#4 Sufficient Sleep
The more I get in touch with my body, the more I realize that it doesn’t like it when I withhold sleep from it. And not just sleeping, but sleeping *soundly* and really staying unconscious the whole night so that I can rejuvenate. I’m supporting myself in this by having an 8pm computer cutoff time for myself.
Which leads me to the next one…
#5 Rest and Relaxation
In the evenings when my computer is sleeping (after 8pm) I can rest and relax and do other things than think about the projects I’m working on what needs to be done. I can read a book. Call a friend. Watch a movie. Try a new recipe. Color a mandala. Anything that will help me feel relaxed and rejuvenated and give not only my body a break from sitting in front of the computer, but also my mind.
====> Which of these 10 fundamentals of health are the most up for you to pay attention to right now? Which ones would make a difference in your life and how could you bring some intention to it?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
#5 is the hardest in my life, I think. I would say three, but that’s been a very gradual process as I live in an area where you can’t really get fresh stuff.
I have a terrible time relaxing and just leaving things alone. I always feel like that time is one more thing I could be doing for my business, and that’s a hard instinct to fight.
I’ve gotten better this week, I think, at least consciously. I bought some fabulous vintage clothes that I’ve been looking at forever as a present to myself(good for the environment, to boot!), and I’m going out to dinner with a friend tomorrow. I’m even debating leaving the Blackberry at home, although I’m not sure my brain can handle that.
Holly´s last blog ..On Freelancing and Reality
@Holly Ooo. Dinner without the Blackberry. Yes, please! You and your friend will have such a great time together…and because you’ll be with your friend, it’s a great way to transition into time without your tech. I’m in full support. (Are you going to wear your new vintage outfit?)
I’ve found that for Rest & Relaxation, it helps me to know ahead of times what kinds of things I find restful and relaxing. So I made a list a while back so that I couldn’t use it as excuse that I didn’t know what to do. Also, using a timer was great because then my mind could say, “It’s okay. We’re just going to relax for 10 min. with a cheesy magazine and then we can go back to work if we want.” The mind that wants to go back to work and those thoughts that say “We have to…” they need to be acknowledged, so that’s how I’ve come to work in harmony with them a little bit better. Know that the mind is saying we should work and then empathizing with it and saying, “Yeah, I know. We’ll get back to in just 10 min.”
Huzzah! I couldn’t agree more. Food obviously plays a role, but I think it’s a much deeper issue… as shown by Dr. Graham.
Lately I’ve been working on sleep, exercise, and breathing. I realized that I breathe in… but don’t breathe out nearly as much as I realize I should. That leaves me feeling majorly stressed and high strung. Not so cool.
Nathalie Lussier´s last blog ..Mindful Monday: It’s a New Year Edition
@Nathalie Ahhh. The breathing yes. The breathing out part for me is connected to my shoulders slowly creeping up to my ears while I’m working too. Where are they trying to go? And for what purpose!? If I breathe out more fully, my shoulders go with it which feels oh so much better.
Mona, I’d say #5 (rest and relaxation) and #8 (sunshine and light) are up for me right now. It’s January in Seattle, which makes sunshine hard to come by and with everyone in the family back to “the grind”, rest and relaxation seem fleeting yet so important.
So I am using my Litebook on mornings when I know I won’t be able to get outside and walk that day during daylight hours. This is a big help to me. I also stay off the computer after 8pm and really try to set a “lights out” time, since I tend to get a second wind at 9:30 or so. I get up early with my older daughter to get her to school before I start my workday, so getting to sleep at a reasonable hour really becomes key.
The relaxation piece I’m still working on. I tend not to allow myself to simply relax often enough. There of course can always be something “to do” – the trick is to notice when I can choose to relax now and do later.
Great post – I enjoyed it!
Totally hear you on getting a 2nd wind late a night sometimes. I do that (like right now) and especially when my sleep schedule is off. Which is why I’m putting some attention on my Sleep.
What you bring up about making relaxation just another thing *to do* is a great point. It’s not very relaxing to tell ourselves we have to relax. And yet the interesting part is that relaxing is a conscious choice. It doesn’t happen on its own.
This is cool because it means we’re empowered and can do something about it…
It’s also challenging because it means we’re empowered and can do something about it.
I’m always into starting small when we’re doing new things…
So even while we’re sitting at our computers we can notice if we’re tightening any part of our body and then relax it.
Sometimes my shoulders creep up toward my ears while I’m typing. I don’t even notice it happening. Totally unconscious. Then when I realize it, I consciously relax from the unconscious tightening and it feels so much better.
So any kind of relaxing can be good. Even if it’s just a 2-second realization that our shoulders are about to crawl into our ears.
Keep up the great work with your walking outside and using the lightbook!
i could use more attention in the vigoruous activity department for sure.