I’m pretty shocked by what people are willing to trade to be thin. Limbs? Eyesight? Marriage? Lifespan? Children?
I’m shocked, because avoiding obesity really doesn’t have to be so dramatic.
Yes, the statistics are dramatic – two-thirds of Americans are lugging around way too much weight.
The effects are dramatic – heart disease, diabetes, cancer, reduced quality of living.
The purported cures are dramatic, too – billions on drugs, herbs, gimmicks, and gadgets.
Yet avoiding obesity is not a dramatic undertaking at all. It’s very easy – truly. And that’s a relief, isn’t it? You simply decide not to harm yourself.
Avoiding exercise is harming yourself.
Eating fast food, junk food and huge portions? Harming yourself.
Smoking, drinking, getting into stressful situations? Harming yourself.
Eating sugar is harming yourself.
Not enjoying and using your body is harming yourself.
So don’t harm yourself.
Because harming yourself is really just death – warmed up.
Posted By: Mark Sisson
Are you ruthlessly committed to enjoying yourself?
At first glance, this can sound selfish and counter-intuitive – even shallow. But I believe that total commitment to enjoyment is the best way to love yourself and others. What does this mean?
It’s not about possessing material goods, and certainly not about instant gratification (in fact, instant gratification is often the exact opposite of true enjoyment and self-love).
Committing to enjoyment means having gratitude – even (or especially) for your flaws and shortcomings, your mistakes, and the things you feel are missing from your life. True gratitude for life – your life – frees you from needing things, from needing approval, from needing control. True gratitude is pure, simple, and joyous.
Committing to enjoyment means steadfast obedience to your inner voice – your heart or instinct. We all know the satisfaction and peace that comes from the times you do listen to your intuition – why not commit to this 100% of the time? How many painful mistakes and personal tangles could have been avoided if you’d simply been true to yourself? Commit to what philosopher Marcus Aurelius referred to as “fidelity to self”. This can seem selfish at times, but by being faithful to your own heart, your actions will be a blessing to others, rather than a cause of misunderstanding or pain.
Ruthless commitment to enjoying yourself – what an idea. If you can commit to pure and genuine participation in your life – because you know it in your heart to be the right thing for you – you can turn your world upside down. Commitment to yourself means commitment to your purpose. The beautiful side effect is that those in your life actually benefit when you commit. When you sacrifice things you know you shouldn’t, and do things your heart isn’t really into, not only do you harm yourself – ultimately, you harm others, too.
Be gentle with your soul by being tough with it – commit to true enjoyment.
Posted By: Mark Sisson
Most of us eat out for at least one-third of our meals. It’s a necessary convenience these days. Unfortunately, that means a lot of extra calories and unhealthy choices. It’s no wonder Americans have gotten wider as restaurant dining has become the norm.
This week, resolve to eat right when you dine out. That means no junk or fast food. No sea of bacon grease or pasta swimming in alfredo sauce. It means no basket of bread with butter before your meal, and no dessert after your dish (the food we eat after we’ve already…eaten?). Stick to salads, grilled fish or chicken, simple vegetable or fruit sides – and hold the grease, sauces, and spreads! You’ll feel really great choosing the healthiest thing on the menu. (And you’ll probably lose a few pounds).
And here’s the second part of the challenge:
Help others make healthy choices, too. Click on Forum above, and take a moment to share how you stay healthy while dining on-the-go. If you aren’t already an Apple, registering takes just a few moments, and of course, joining is completely spam-free. Tell us your tips!
Posted By: Mark Sisson
Worker Bees’ Daily Bites:
Regulation and health care dominate the news today. Today’s bites are more fun – and by the time they figure everything out, you’ll be healthy anyway.
1) You’ve got to be kidding!
Here’s an example of inane spin from mainstream medical reporting. It’s also a handy lesson in debunking ridiculous studies. It’s worth scrolling to the last 4 paragraphs of this article to see why drug-pushing doctors shouldn’t be quite so quick to pat themselves on the back. (Also: blood pressure problems go away entirely with daily exercise, avoidance of processed foods, and stress management. And we still have the highest rate of heart disease anywhere. So let’s work on that!)
2) Fiber Beats Breast Cancer
Common sense, but now more studies are proving this. We’re laughing at the dietary recommendations of this article, however. Who is going to eat four slices of bread and four other grain servings in a single day? Someone who will get diabetes, that’s who. Notice the broccoli serving suggestion – are they joking? Eating 5 servings of vegetables in a day will eliminate the need for all that sugar. Fiber is king, but grains aren’t the best source – especially bread and cereals. Beans are better, since they’re less processed. The recommendations are just wacky – two tablespoons of broccoli is not even an ounce! 4 ounces of broccoli (the equivalent of your fist) yields more fiber than ten slices of bread. Honestly, people!
3) Bust a bad mood now!
Here’s how. We love the idea of an emergency bad mood kit! Kick that bad mood to the curb where it belongs.
Posted By: Worker Bee
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT: DMAE, or dimethylaminoethanol (die-meth-ell-amino-eth-an-ell)
WHAT IT IS: DMAE is a precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. DMAE is found naturally in fish, and you’ll find it in high-quality multivitamins as well.
WHAT IT DOES: Scientists believe that DMAE becomes methylated to choline inside the brain (this basically means it’s converted). Choline, a nutrient considered by the U.S. Government to be essential for human health, serves many important functions, most notably in the brain. In fact, it’s believed that a deficiency in choline is associated with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other types of mental debility. Drugs that help acetylcholine uptake are already widely used in Alzheimer’s studies. Hence, many scientists believe DMAE may support healthy brain function.
STUDIES SHOW: Studies show that DMAE can become methylated into choline. Scientists have already proven that DMAE converts to choline in the liver, making DMAE an important nutrient for liver health. Studies also have shown that DMAE may undergo a similar process in the brain, and it is believed that supplementing with DMAE serves a potentially vital role in brain health. DMAE has been shown to have what are known as “nootropic” effects. Nootropics are a class of drugs that have brain-boosting properties. (From the Greek noos, mind, and tropos, bend: mind-bending.) Studies of nootropics, including DMAE, show increased alertness, mental function, calm, and relaxation.
WHY WE LIKE IT: DMAE is a safe, gentle, non-drug nootropic. The potential benefits of DMAE include improved cognition, memory, mood, circulation, and alertness.
Posted By: Elliott
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