Lord Jim

In Life there are always smart things that can be done to stay lean and healthy, these may sometimes be nutritional choices or lifestyle choices. Its important to incorporate certain things into everyday life as to make them habit and allow your body to get used to feeling good.

This morning I read this article over at NYT.com about a doctor’s experience with a patient who died suddenly, the final paragraph struck a note:

What can one do? Go home, love your children, try not to bicker, eat well, walk in the rain, feel the sun on your face and laugh loud and often, as much as possible, and especially at yourself. Because the only antidote to death is not poetry, or drama, or miracle drugs, or a roomful of technical expertise and good intentions. The antidote to death is life. – Teresa Brown

It got me thinking and made me realize there is only so much we can do in life to stay fit and healthy and the paragraph above sums it up pretty well so I’m going to run over the main facts….

Compassion

The first part about going home and loving your children or family is key to me. Its to easy to take these people for granted and they are often the people we take out our anger, sadness or frustration on. Its odd that the people closest to us bare the brunt of our insecurities yet those we don’t know and people we deal with in everyday life (shop assistants, colleagues) are greeted with smiles and polite actions. We should always treat people with compassion if you can achieve this you will be well on your way to happiness, but in order to have compassion for others you must have compassion and love for yourself.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. – Dalai Lama

So try and treat everyone with love and compassion especially those closest to you as they are the people you care the most about and offering kindness towards them will give you the deepest satisfaction, allowing your mind to stay happy and worry free…..

For more read this excellent Q&A with the Dalai Lama over @ Zen Habits

Eat Well

Our bodies are beautifully constructed and should be considered a gift. Therefore it is key we nourish them well with fresh food that is preferably cooked with care and a variety of ingredients. A sound nutritional plan is the basis for a healthy mind and body it will allow you to have high levels of energy and stay in good shape.

I am a fan of eating Whole Foods we have evolved to eat throughout the years rather than the mass produced foods generally consumed by society today. Eat real food, things that your grandmother would recognise, and remove all the clutter from your diet – For more information or check the excellent work of Michael Pollan. It makes sense that our bodies have evolved to eat fresh produce and this should be the bulk of our diet. CrossFit’s dietry guidelines are a clear concise picture of what to eat….

In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar.

Exercise and Get Outside

“Walk in the rain and feel the sun on your face” to me this emant get your excerise without excuse it doesnt matter if its cold wet or windy. Its no excuse not to fit some fitness into your day a few times a week. Squeezing in a workout is easy and fun you just have to be creative with things.

Make your Workouts more Exciting

The Tao of Training

Not only will working out keep you as healthy as you can be it will make you feel good. A healthy mind is key to a healthy body!

Make sure you get some sun, if you have an office job go for a walk at lunch, try and do your training outside, go for long walks with friends and family anything to get outside and get some fresh air and sun! Seeing daylight is essential for humans hormonal balance and gene expression. As humans we have evolved to spend vast amounts of time outside and we need the vitamins that sunlight produces in our bodies in order to be healthy. So any chance you get to sit in the sun take it, do it for the Vitamin D!

The Miracle of Vitamin D and Sun

And Finally remember this:

The antidote to death is life

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