I’ll be adding more daily (more or less), so check back often. I’m also posting these on my Facebook page.

#69–Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back.
–Chinese proverb

#68–Several clients have jumped on my suggestion to cut gluten out of their diets. Every one of them has noticed an improvement in health. From one client who avoided exploratory surgery by her gastro-intestinal specialist to a guy whose painfully cracked heels finally cleared up after years of creams and dermatology appointments, the positive change is always noticeable. The ones who have avoid making this commitment to themselves usually say something like “but I like my bread/cereal/pasta/cookies/crackers/etc.” No different than smokers, these people are addicts.

The damage and inflammation done to the intestines (and the rest of the body) of the gluten intolerant person when he/she eats something containing gliadin causes the release of painkillers in the form of opiates in the body. In fact, strong cravings for a food can be because you’re addicted to the “drug” your body produces when damaged by that particular food. But like the former smoker who can’t stand the thought of another cigarette, the person who gives up gluten often loses the desire for these breads and pastas and these other forms of comfort foods.

The problem is, most people don’t know they have a problem with gluten. The symptoms could be literally anything. And since the transit time of food through our digestive system is around 54-58 hours, the symptom may not appear until 3 days after a meal containing the offending agent. So it can be hard to connect the complaint with the cause. The easiest thing for people to do is to remove all grains except rice, buckwheat, millet, and corn for at least 14 days (2 months would be even better) to see if they notice an increased level of vitality and a decrease in chronic symptoms. It’s not hard, especially with all the gluten free products available now, and it gets easier with each passing day. But most people are reluctant to let go of their addiction. Conservative estimates hold that 60% of white skinned people are gluten intolerant. My mentor believes that number to be as high as 95%. So I ask you–do you control your food or is your food controlling you?

#67–the opposite of Love is not hate; it’s indifference.

#66–When you are not balanced in your relationship to one of the Six Foundational Principles (i.e. Thinking, Breathing, Hydration, Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep), you are not balanced in your relationship with yourself. To be in a healthy relationship with another, you must first have a healthy relationship with yourself–you cannot give what you do not have. So if you want to attract a mate or you want to truly honor and nurture a relationship that you are already in, invest in yourself by devoting the time and attention necessary to make yourself vibrant, vital, and true.

#65–Arthur Koestler, in his book The Ghost in the Machine, coined the term “holon” which is something that is simultaneously a whole and a part. A cell, for example, is an entity unto itself. Yet, combined with other cells, the one cell becomes part of an organ, or a system, or a whole body. Humans, too, are holons. We are each individuals. But we are part of something greater. Even though it may not be seen or felt, what we do to one we do to all. We are all connected.

#64–”Disease does not occur unexpectedly. It is the result of constant violation of Nature’s laws. Spreading and accumulation of such violations transpire suddenly in the form of a disease–but it only seems sudden.”
–Hippocrates

#63–Breathe tight muscles away. EMG studies demonstrate that tension in muscles is slightly elevated with every inhalation (not surprising since breathing in is correlated with axial extension) and decreases with every exhalation. So breathe in before you stretch and gently exhale as you ease into the stretch position.

#62–Milk from cows treated with the GENETICALLY ENGINEERED hormone rbGBH contains higher levels of a hormone linked to higher risks of several cancers including breast, colon, and prostate cancer.

#61–the best exercise program in the world cannot compete with a sound nutrition and lifestyle program as you MUST get the biochemistry right! This means being aware of your thoughts and making sure you focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want. This means controlling your breathing rather than your breathing controlling you. This means drinking enough pure, clean water to run the millions of biological processes happening in your body every second rather than dehydrating and polluting your body with chemical or sugary concoctions not meant for human consumption. This means eating REAL food raised humanely, sustainably, and organically rather than typical American C.R.A.P. which literally takes more from the body to assimilate than it gives. This means honoring the circadian rhythms that have been a part of our biology since the dawn of man rather than honoring the television or computer by sacrificing your health watching late night t.v. or checking your Facebook account when you should be asleep. You spend a lot less time exercising than doing all of the above. Thus the impact of these foundational principles have much more affect on how you look, feel, and function than any exercise program ever could–even one designed by me.

#60–you cannot give what you do not have.

#59–Your liver is most active between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. So if you find you consistently awaken during this two hour window, it may be because your liver is overloaded. Things to consider as possible causes:

–alcohol
–OTC or prescription drugs
–pesticides in/on your food
–chemicals leached into your food (through plastic or cans)
–eating non-food filled with ingredients which you cannot pronounce
–not enough water

#58–You can stretch until the cows come home, but until the fascial system is released, your flexibility will be limited. Your fascial system is like an intricate webbing which encompasses your whole body. Working in conjunction with tendons, ligaments, and muscles as well as your nervous and articular systems, fascia works as one part of the kinetic chain to literally connect your pinky toes (5th metatarsals for you docs reading this) to your eye lashes. Trauma in the form of impact, overuse, or even emotional injury can bind the fascia, not allowing it to move freely. With these restrictions come compensations. And with these compensations come injury or pain. Self-myofascial release on a foam roller is like having a massage therapist that you can take anywhere—not as skilled, perhaps, but you also don’t have to tip her.

#57–Med Balls make good medicine. Including them in your workout is a prescription for fun. And results. More versatile than dumb bells, med balls are best used for explosive movements which help train the neuromuscular system. The fallacy that weight training makes you slower was built by body builders who wouldn’t even know how to spell med ball, much less how to implement one into a sound training program. Being stronger doesn’t necessarily translate to being faster. But you can be both. You just have to transfer the strength you’ve built in the gym to the real world. And that takes balls—med balls!

#56–The human intestinal track is home to over 4lbs of bacteria. In fact, humans have approximately 100 TRILLION cells but ten times that amount in bacteria. And when these creatures in your gut are healthy, you’re healthy since as much as 70% of your immune system is in your digestive system. Problem is, most people are in a state of dysbiosis where the number of healthy bacteria vs. harmful bacteria is reversed. You should have 85% good to 15% bad. But many lifestyle factors can cause the unhealthy bacteria to take over. Sugar/grain consumption is one. Antibiotic abuse is another. Even birth control pills can cause the bad bacteria to flourish. The most common offender, however, is the chlorine in our water supply. Used to kill dangerous pathogens in our drinking water, the chlorine does a good job of wiping out our beneficial bacteria any time we drink unfiltered tap water. The problem is, the only bacteria which typically survive this onslaught is the UNHEALTHY bacteria. So every time you think you’re doing your body good by hydrating with tap water that has not been filtered by a quality filter designed to eliminate chlorine, you’re killing the good guys in your gut and having a virtual open house for the bad ones. And you’re not gonna like the house warming gift they get for you….

#54–”When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
–George Bernard Shaw

#53–What color is your food?

Is it the suspected carcinogen RED #40 (Gatorade, M&M’s, Fruit Loops, Flinstone Vitamins, Tylenol Plus Cold Infant Drops, and many others)?

Is it YELLOW #5 or YELLOW #6 which has been banned in Norway and Sweden (Kraft Mac n Cheese, Eggo Waffles, cereals, candies, and even spaghetti)?

An article in The Lancet confirmed a link between artificial coloring and ADHD. For more info, read Dr. Ben Feingold’s Why Your Child is Hyperactive.

#52–Top 5 foods to buy Organic:

–MEATS (fat stores toxins, so conventionally raised meats have chemicals concentrated in their fatty tissues)
–DAIRY (again, fat stores toxins)
–FISH (wild not farmed since organic doesn’t apply to fish)
–BERRIES (heavily sprayed with absorbent skins which we eat)
–LEAFY GREENS/LETTUCES (as berries above)
–APPLES (like berries and greens above, often found with a waxy coating which traps in more of the pesticides)

#51–32,000,000 pounds of toxic household chemicals are poured down the drain every year in the U.S. Switch to natural and green alternatives like the ones from:

*www.bi-o-kleen.com
*www.earth911.org
*www.tkoornage.com
*www.seventhgeneration.com

#50–Stand still and learn to be astonished.
–an idea for all of us from “Messenger” by Mary Oliver

#49–I just had a meeting with some friends to discuss ways to make the Wilson 100 Bike Ride a big benefit event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We met at a great restaurant in the Oakhurst Village in Decatur called Nectar (http://www.nectarfoods.net/HOME.html). I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place, so I’m going to make sure that you do. Check out the website or, better yet, drop in and you’ll understand why I’m giving this joint some mad props. Organic and Raw and damn tasty–I’m looking forward to going again. But the main reason I’m writing this post is to make this point. When you patron a business for environmental or health reasons, let the proprietor know why you’re there. Doing the right thing and selling healthy products is not always easy. And it’s typically more expensive for the business as well. Over 90% of the money spent on food in this country is spent on fast food–crap that does nothing for our vitality–just look at the health of our country. We rate 37th in the world in terms of health yet spend more $ than any other country in the world on health care. So the demand for real, life sustaining food and services is somewhat rare. Only when we make businesses like Nectar the norm rather than the exception will we really be able to make ourselves and thus the world a healthier, happier place.

#48–Some breakfast and lunch ideas that are outside the box…

Breakfasts:
Omelet with veggies
Plain Yogurt with apples and nut butter
Smoothie with frozen fruit, rice milk, nut butter, and maybe protein powder
Egg salad with carrots/tomatoes
Tuna salad (made with Tuna, raisins or apples, and mayo) with raw spinach
Salmon and cream cheese on rice cakes (skip the cream cheese if necessary)
A turkey sandwich on RICE bread.
Guacamole and hamburger with carrots and tomatoes (that’s what I had Tues a.m.)
BLT on Millet Bread
Corn Tortilla with beans and salsa (I add ground bison or lamb for more protein) and roasted veggies.

Lunches:
Ham Sandwich with Spinach and Cucumber on Rice Bread
Spaghetti sauce over broccoli (or Spaghetti Squash)
Salmon with sauteed spinach and a fruit salad.
Chicken Salad (i.e. a salad with rotisserie chicken)–your imagination is your only limitation with a salad like this–use EVERYTHING: carrots, spinach, cucumber, tomato, peppers, raisins, beets, etc).
Pulled BBQ Pork and greens from Whole Foods–love this combo.
Chicken Salad with grilled asparagus
Crab cakes with corn on the cob and coleslaw
Vegetable soup with ground beef.
Crock Pot Chili with a salad and fruit.
Turkey Meatloaf and grilled zucchini

#47–Reducing, reusing, and recycling are essential in curbing our negative impact on the environment. It may be simple, but how many of us automatically reach for paper towels to clean up a spill when we could use a dish towel? Why do we get a fresh sheet of paper to write ourselves a note when we could use the back of some junk mail lying on the table? These seemingly trivial decisions create our habits which, ultimately, have large-scale impacts.

#46–Life is about balance. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t. As part of my initial 3-4 hour assessment, I use two scales to determine how a client loads one side over the other, often to the detriment of either performance or orthopedic health or both. This could be a sign of an Atlas subluxation, an undiagnosed disc bulge, or any number of specific pathologies which contribute to pain and dysfunction. And since one cannot truly separate the physical from the mental from the emotional from the spiritual, being in physical balance will manifest as harmony in these other areas as well.

#45–You don’t know squat! But you should. One of the 7 primal patterns, squatting was essential for survival when we were cavemen and women. And while evolution has developed our Blackberry pattern such that many of us have a thenar eminence the size of our bicep, our squatting skills have suffered in kind. Because of this, over 80% of people will endure an episode of back pain in his or her lifetime. So Squat! It’s good for your back. It’s good for your knees. The only thing it’s not good for is your orthopedic surgeon’s bank account.

#44–spend time with the ones you love. My son and I played out in rare Atlanta snow today, making new tracks with his dump truck and firetruck and throwing snowballs at each other. Later, I spent time with good friends as they shared Declan’s first movie with me and Diana. 3 years have passed in the space between heartbeats. Yet the one constant is always love.

#43–Pathogenic bacteria are more likely to be found on plastic cutting boards compared to wooden cutting boards. Actually, that may be a legitimate use for the microwave–sterilizing your plastic cutting board…

#42–Very little research was done on the effects of eating food cooked in microwave ovens before they were marketed to the public. The small amount which was carried out showed that cooking in the microwave makes fats and proteins more difficult to assimilate. Ever cook an egg in one of these things? It comes out tasting like a hockey puck! More recent studies show changes in vitamin content as well as abnormal blood profiles in those consuming microwaved foods similar to the blood profiles of people in the early stages of cancer. I’d suggest getting rid of it or using it only on the 4th of July to make your own fireworks by putting some metal in it and turning it on.

#41–Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.
–Lao-tzu

#40–Do you need to drink eight 8oz glasses of water a day to stay optimally hydrated? Well, that depends. How much do you weigh? The average person needs to drink approximately half their body weight in pounds in ounces of water each day to maintain an ideal state of hydration. So if you’re 128lbs, then the 8 x 8oz rule is more/less right on–assuming you’re not also drinking coffee, soda, tea, alcohol, or even juices. Doing so necessitates additional levels of hydration to process and assimilate these liquids in the body. If consumption doesn’t meet demand, you have a shortage in the body. This localized thirst often manifests as pain or dysfunctions such as high blood pressure or allergies. 75% of the body (like the earth, interestingly enough) is water. And every physiological process in the body requires adequate levels of water to be performed efficiently. So who came up with the 8 x 8 rule most of us believe is gospel? Someone who weighed 128lbs, or, since the brain is 85% water, someone who was severely dehydrated.

#39–the brain stem or Reptilian Brain is the oldest part of the human brain. It’s main concerns are security, sustenance, and sex. Meet these three requirements, and you can move on to the Mammalian Brain and then the newest version of the mammalian brain called the Neocortex. Found only in primates, especially humans, this part of the brain has evolved beyond the basic needs of survival and has the ability of “higher” level thinking necessary (or at least a necessary evil) of complex social interactions. Empathy and compassion would be hallmarks of this newer brain. Yet, with the state of our food supply, we are eating but are we nourishing? Gorging on new-fangled, man made non-foods, we’re literally starving to death on full stomachs. We are too often unable to meet our Reptilian Brain’s need for sustenance which makes us unable to evolve into the Mammalian and Neocortex brains. We cannot act kindly toward our fellow man or practice brotherly love if this most basic need isn’t being satisfied. We cannot tend our our neighbor’s garden if our own won’t bear fruit. We are eating our way back into the Stone Age, devolving with every bite of fast food or non organic food. Think about it. Oh–you can’t. You just ate a twinkie.

#38–www.georgiaorganics.org.

#37–a father shows he loves his children by how he treats their mother.

#36–No time to exercise? Then do the following workout:

Stand with good posture with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width.
Bend your knees and descend as deeply as you can for your flexibility/orthopedic level as if you were trying to sit in a chair behind you.
Stand back up by pushing through your heels until you’ve returned to your starting position.
Repeat for 10 reps. If your form begins to suffer before you reach 10, that’s the end of your current set.
Rest 10 seconds.
Repeat the work/rest cycle again for a total of 10 sets.

Depending on your fitness level, you will have done as many as 100 squats in as little as 4-5mins. Don’t have 4-5mins? May I suggest you start making time for yourself. Otherwise, time will start taking you.

#35–Harvard’s Department of Nutrition gets the majority of its funding from the food industry. Where has your nutritionist been indoctrinated (and what does he/she look like naked)? You should ask yourself that before you eat another fat free rice cake at her suggestion.

#34–The fatty acids found in artery clogs are mostly UNSATURATED. Only 26% is saturated. The rest, 74%, is unsaturated with 41% coming from what the “experts” say is good for us–polyunsaturated fat. These are oils which remain liquid even in the refrigerator (corn, canola, safflower, and soy). They are highly reactive due to the unpaired electrons at their bonds (where as saturated fats have all available carbon bonds filled with an atom of hydrogen). Thus, they go rancid quite easily and should NEVER be used for cooking. Unfortunately, misinformation as well as a strong lobby has seen consumption of these oils increase by over 400% in the past 90 years while traditional dietary fats from animal sources has declined by more than 20%. And today 40% of Americans die from heart disease….

#33–The average person chews their food 4 times before they swallow. Digestion begins in the mouth (and really it begins, like everything, in the mind, with thought). So if we don’t completely chew our food, we set ourselves up for incomplete digestion. This can manifest in many different ways, but it typically results in digestive disorders, nutritional deficiencies, and other health problems including obesity. So the next time you sit down to eat:

–sit down–don’t stand
–see your food
–think about where it came from (if you don’t know, perhaps you shouldn’t eat it)
–smell your food as much of taste is driven by smell (one reason why food is often unappealing when you get congested with a cold)
–be present with your food and actually taking time for yourself–don’t watch the news or anything dramatic which could trigger the sympathetic nervous system and interfere with digestion
–stop when you’re satisfied and not stuffed

And one more, of course–eat REAL food that your body might actually enjoy and benefit from chewing.

#32 (FEB 1st)–Candace Pert, author of Molecules of Emotion, says that the emotions you’re feeling today will affect how you look next year. Mind is everywhere in the body. So if you’re happy, every cell in your body is happy. And if you’re sad, that sadness is felt by each one of your more than 100 TRILLION cells. While we may not believe we have control over what happens in our lives, we do have control over how we react to what happens in our life. So how are you feeling now? How do you want to look in one year’s time? Think about it–positively.

#31–”My own mind is my own church”
–Thomas Paine

#30–1 teaspoon of sugar can suppress the immune system for approximately 4-6hrs. The avg American consumes over 150lbs of sugar a year. It takes +/- 109 teaspoons to equal 1 pound of sugar. So 150 x 109 = 16350. That’s the amount of sugar in teaspoons Americans consume each year. 16350 x 4 to 6 = 65,400 to 98,100. That’s the number of hours the typical American’s immune system is inhibited. There are only 8760 hours in a year! So is it any wonder that each one of us spends $5600 year on medical expenses or that U.S. doctors wrote more than 4 BILLION prescriptions last year? We literally are the walking dead.

#29–the average life span of doctors is 10 years LESS than for the rest of us!

Let me tell you a quick story about my former G.P. I went into his office one day. He was behind his desk as always–bent over and pale, way over weight and breathing hard just sitting there. He knew what I did for a living, so he goes on to tell me that he started walking for exercise. I tell him “that’s great, but I think you should also do some weight training.” Then this man, who spent umpteen years in medical school so he could teach ME about health, tells me that he doesn’t want to lift weights because he doesn’t want his muscles to turn to fat when he stops.

I immediately came home and told my wife, “Baby, we gotta find a new doc!”

And my new doc’s awesome, so I’m not saying that all doctors are bad. I’m just saying that if your doctor smokes…or is fat…or can’t walk a mile without stopping…or if he doesn’t know the difference between a muscle cell and a fat cell, turn around and get the hell out of his office. At the very least, question what he’s prescribing and why.

Either way, we’ve got to start taking responsibility for ourselves. We’ve got to stop taking health advice from those who study the sick That’s like having a financial advisor who’s broke. And then there’s the millions of people who listen when Oprah Winfrey tell us to re-think Kentucky Fried Chicken. What we should re-think is taking advice from those who aren’t healthy!

#28–It takes as little as one gram of pressure, applied consistently, to move a tooth. So think about this: your head weighs approximately 8% of your body weight. Thus a 150lb person has a head which weighs +/- 12lbs. Ideally, a person should present with between 0-3cm of forward head carriage. Yet, in my postural assessments, I typically find measurements well in excess of twice this acceptable limit.

For every inch the head travels out of ideal alignment, it effectively doubles in weight (as the wt gets farther away from the fulcrum). There are 2.54cm in an inch. So a 150lb person with 5.5cm of FHP has neck muscles which are forced to support a head that effectively weighs 24lbs. An inch more and my poor neck muscles hurt just looking at this guy. Of course, where the head goes, the rest of the kinetic chain will follow. And these compensations are often coupled with pain and dysfunction that can be mirrored as far down as the person’s feet.

How do you fix it? Well, you stretch certain muscles and strengthen others. But you also must address work and home place ergonomics as well as improper or imbalanced training. You may even have to look at nutrition, respiration, and/or hormonal issues. So the solution is more complex than can be written in a short post on a blog. But one place to start for many of you would be simply putting your head on the headrest next time you’re in your car. Try it on your commute tomorrow, and you’ll see how often your noggin isn’t where it’s supposed to be.

#27–If it’s on your body, it’s in your body (and in our water supply sooner or later). Make sure you know what’s in your personal care products:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/wordsearch.php?query=dr.%20bronner%27s

You might be surprised.

#26–Cardio manufacturers have popularized the idea that working out at a specific level will allow the body to burn more fat. And in our fat-phobic society, this belief has led to a gym industry which caters to cardio. Walk into any fitness facility in the U.S. and you’ll see thousands of dollars worth of treadmills, ellipticals, stairmasters, and bikes. Attached to each will be a sign up list to keep the waiting masses in order until they can enter “the fat burning zone”.

And while it may be true that exercising in this zone utilizes a greater percentage of calories from fat, the numbers can be misleading. Let’s take a 150lb male who, when running at 6mph, is comfortably in the famous fat burning zone. Burning approximately 600 calories during the course of his workout, his contribution from fat will be around half or 300 calories. Now take this same guy and have him run 8mph. He burns approximately 800 calories, but only 40% came from fat. Yet, 40% of 800 is 320. The total contribution from his fat stores is actually higher despite working above the so-called fat burning zone.

Additionally, the calories expended after cessation of exercise, referred to as “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” or EPOC will keep his metabolism well above its normal resting rate for minutes or even hours once his run is finished. After all, it requires energy to remove lactate, replenish oxygen stores, resynthesize the ATP-PC system, and to bring the body’s systems back to pre-exercise levels in general. And while all of these factors can be affected not only by the duration and intensity of the exercise but also by gender, training status, and even timing of the exercise session, one truth is without debate: when measured strictly by percentage of contribution, the best fat burning activity is simply going to sleep. And that’s one thing the cardio manufacturers can’t sell you. No, the drug companies have exclusive rights to that…

#25–The average American produces 4.5lbs of trash EACH DAY! What’s worse is 75% of this trash is recyclable! Most people are aware that plastic can be recycled (but, sadly, the majority isn’t). But so can anything from paper and glass and metal to plastic bags, paint cans, CFL light bulbs, t.v.’s, cell phones, and other electronics. To find out what is accepted in your area, check out www.earth911.com.

#24–Zinc is the 2nd most abundant trace element in the body. Found primarily in foods which aren’t politically correct (at least according to the Diet Dictocrats) like red meat and egg yolks, this mineral is often lacking in a person’s diet. Yet, without enough zinc, the body can only register extreme sweetness or saltiness as having any taste. Thus, real food not bastardized by food scientists or found in a can/package/box becomes unappealing. When sufficient amounts of zinc are present in the diet, an individual will typically not have uncontrollable cravings; and sweet desserts and treats are often too sweet for the person to eat.

#23–there’s nothing in nature that is a macronutrient (carbohydrate, fat, protein) in isolation. All naturally occurring foods have a combination of the 3 (and really 4 if you count water–the most important nutrient) macronutrients. Even something like a banana, which most people would think of as pure carbohydrate, has trace amounts of protein and fat in it. The reason is simple: the macronutrients work together as co-factors to make the nutrition in a food available to the body. Without fat, for example, your body cannot effectively assimilate the protein in a food. So skim milk drinkers and egg white eaters, you need to realize that there is no consipiracy among those cunning cows or those tricky chicken to make us fat or give us heart disease–we’re doing a fine job with that ourselves…

#22–Never fall in Love. Rise in Love.
–Osho

#21–Intermittent glucocorticoid production (like exercising appropriately) is good for the immune system. 20mins of activity a day is a good goal for people to shoot for if appropriate for their current level of vitality. But CONTINUOUS glucocorticoid productiion is detrimental to health. So if you’re stressed at work, stressed because you’re not eating right (too much/too little/not right for your metabolic type), stressed because you’re not hydrated properly, stressed because you’re not sleeping enough or obeying your natural circadian rhythms, stressed because you’re in pain or on medical drugs or you’re in a financial or relationship crisis; if this is you, then adding exercise (a stress) to the system can often be the straw that broke the camel’s back. You’d be better served by working IN rather than working out. You need to invest in yourself and build up your chi. Slow walks, tai chi, yoga, any movement that you can do while breathing through your nose would be a good choice. And doing it on a full stomach right after a meal is usually a good way to keep the intensity in check since going to fast/hard will interfere with digestion and make you uncomfortable. Doing the activity at the right pace will actually enhance digestion. That’s one reason why walks after the Thanksgiving meal feel so good. Try it next time you need an energy lift.

#20–In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don’t try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
–words to live by from the tao te ching

#19–I was driving to work this a.m. when I heard an ad on the radio about nail fungus. The commercial was selling some concoction which would get rid of the nail fungus, and I started thinking. Same allopathic, symptom management treatment which does nothing for the underlying problem. Why’s the nail fungus there in the first place? Maybe the person never washed between his toes Maybe he wore the same pair of socks 3 weeks in a row. But more than likely the person was eating too much sugar, probably on several other meds for various ailments, staying up too late, not drinking enough water, guzzling soda and coffee, exercising too little or too much, and stressed from a job he hates in order to pay for a lifestyle he can’t afford. The poor little fungus on his foot gets blamed for just doing his job. All parasites, fungi, and bacteria are doing is the job mother nature gave them: to act as mother nature’s sanitation department. When your personal environment is so filled with trash that your vitality level falls below a certain, individual threshold, these critters come out to give you a warning. First it’s a fungal infection or a cold. But if you don’t pay this ticket by adhering to the Six Foundational Principles of Health, you’ll eventually find yourself with chronic fatigue syndrome or cancer or something. And the decline in vitality won’t stop until you’ve been brought back to the soil–in other words, you’re DEAD! Nature doesn’t want to perpetuate weakness. So if you’re not honoring your temple with good thoughts, deep breathing, sufficient hydration, quality food, proper movement, and appropriate sleep, these critters are going to break you down so that nature can try again.

#18–I was asked by one of my clients to post my shopping list. This is from last week, and I thought it might give people an idea of the variety of foods they can buy. Please know that everything is organic and/or local and grassfed/wild. This also doesn’t include the 75lbs of beef we bought with a few other families–grassfed and incredibly inexpensive for the quality. Also, this list, while typical, will often be supplemented with a CSA as well as one night out (at an organic restaurant). And, yes, my food bill is expensive. I eat a lot and I eat well. It’s where people should spend their money, driving an older car or living in a smaller house if necessary. After all, you are what you eat.

Broccoli
Carrots
Zucchini
Lettuce
Spinach
Cucumbers
Peppers
Spaghetti Squash
Onions
Asparagus
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Kale

Apples
Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Pears
Bananas
Grapes
Blueberries
Blackberries
Avocados
Cabbage

Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
Brazil Nuts
Walnuts
Cashews
Peanut Butter
Sunflower Butter
Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Frozen Fruit (for smoothies!)

Gluten Free Bread (mostly for my son)
Gluten Free Pancake Mix (for my son)
Fruit Roll Up Bars (for my son)
Canned Tomato Sauce and Stewed Tomatoes (for Spaghetti sauce over the spaghetti squash)
I wish WF carried stewed tomatoes in glass since I know the cans leach BPA
Corn Tortillas (for Fish Tacos tonight)
Goat’s Milk Yogurt
Goat’s Milk Kefir

Tuna
Salmon
Talapia
Chicken
Lamb
Bacon
Eggs
Turkey
Ham
Pulled Pork
Sausage
Manchego (sp?) Cheese

Coconut Milk Ice Cream (yeah, boy!)
Organic M and M type candy (for treats for my son)

#17–Some personal/global environment documentaries worth watching (and I’ll come back to this one and add titles as I think of them):

Trashed (about trash and the over 4.5lbs the avg American makes a day)
The Future of Food
Blue Gold (about the upcoming/current water wars)
F.L.O.W. For Love of Water
Supersize Me
Sweet Misery (about aspartame)
Cane Toads: An Unnatural History
Manufactured Landscapes
Who Killed the Electric Car?
11th Hour
What the Bleep Do We Know?
King Corn

#16–”As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.”–Lao Tzu

#15–The physical body is the artwork of the mind and the soul.

#14–the World Health Organization defines starvation as beginning at less than 2100 calories/day. Half of US women eat fewer than 1500 calories a day. Maybe part of the reason 2/3 of America is overweight or obese is because they don’t eat enough. Without enough calories and protein to run the system, the body will catabolize muscle to fuel the body. This loss of metabolically active tissue lowers the “flame” of your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and you burn fewer calories just to live. Levels of T3, the thyroid hormone in charge of your BMR, begin to drop within hours of any calorie deprivation (including skipping a meal) in an effort at self-preservation in what is perceived as a life threatening famine. So even though you’re fully aware that you’ve got some food in your cupboard or the Wendy’s dive thru is still open, your genetic code thinks another ice age is coming. Better pack on the insulation now….

#13–Save some green by going green and Take Back the Tap! Buy a quality filter like the one from Aquasana on my website and vow not to drink bottled water anymore. You should also voice your opinion at restaurants, asking them not to sell bottled water. More and more restaurants are joining this cause including the Iberian Pig in Decatur (www.iberianpigatl.com). Besides the drain on your wallet, the environmental burden of bottled water is staggering.
Supplying Americans with plastic water bottles for one year consumes more than 47 million gallons of oil, enough to take 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, according to the Container Recycling Institute. Additionally, billions of plastic water bottles end up in the trash each year, adding to our landfills and leaching toxins into the groundwater. This injustice continues practically forever since plastic never biodegrades. It’s difficult to live in the Now when we’re harming our future water supply. So go to http://takebackthetap.org/ for more information on what you can do to Take Back the Tap.

#12–The less awareness you have that the body is a temple, the more likely you are to burn the temple down.

#11–Speaking of respiration, we should also breathe primarily through our nose. The mouth cannot effectively clean and moisten the air as it is does not come equipped with turbinates like those which are found in the nose. Additionally, the nose has parasympathetic nerve endings which are stimulated when we breathe the way nature intended. Mouth breathing, on the other hand, triggers a sympathetic response (i.e. fight or flight) which inhibits the parasympathetic nervous system and interferes with ideal digestion and repair. From an orthopedic perspective, breathing though the mouth overworks the sub occipitals which must stabilize the cranium when the mouth opens. This can lead to forward head posture and further exacerbate altered breathing mechanics as well as excessively load fragile musculature that must support the head (8% of the body’s weight) against gravity. Basically, the only time you should be breathing through your mouth is if you’re fighting for your life, or trying to keep up with me on the bike.

#10–Practice makes permanent. The avg person breathes 25,900 times/day. Chest breathing only fills 2/3 of the lungs. Like stagnant water, the last 1/3 of the lungs becomes full of stale air. This lack of movement (i.e. old air for new air) creates a prime breeding ground for bacteria and other pathogens. The diaphragm is the chief pump of the body, aiding the heart and assisting in lymphatic flow to remove dead protein and other toxins out of the body. Breathing diaphragmatically is how we were meant to breath. Watch a young child breathe–you can learn something from him.

#9–The Universe moves a goal towards you in direct relation to the extent you move towards it. Or, as the Quakers put it, pray and move your feet.

#8 might scare the crap out of you. But if you’re drinking sodas (or eating the food) from fast food restaurants, you’ve got enough to spare. Check out http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/07/fecal-bacteria-found-in-n_n_413733.html

#7–Where’s Loganville? If you don’t know where it is, you can’t get there. Now with that thought in mind, tell me this: what makes you happy? If you don’t know the answer to that question, you’re not alone. Many of us have no idea about what makes us truly happy. There’s no googlemaps for happiness. And if you don’t know what makes you happy, it’s kind of hard to feel that way.

Being healthy makes me happy. I’m braving TSA and flying to Houston with my wife to go to M.D. Anderson for my annual bone marrow biopsy next week. I get to leave my son, take time off work, spend lots of money on plane fare and a hotel, and hang out in what could be considered a depressing place full of sick people as I wait to get a needle drilled into my backside sans anesthesia. I say “get to” rather than “have to” because it’s my choice–I’m motivated by health. Being healthy is what makes me happy and the care I receive there helps keep me healthy.

So does eating organically. And going to bed on time. And drinking enough pure, clean water. And exercising. And breathing deeply; And thinking of all the good I’ve yet to do, to share, to teach. Happiness is easy to find. Your life is the compass. Live it.

#6— It takes life to give life. So if you’re eating dead, non-foods which are void of nutrition, your body’s got to metabolize it somehow. It takes vitamins and minerals and protein and other micro nutrients to get your food from mouth to anus (though some of us can’t get it there as evidenced by the $1,000,000/day spend on laxatives in the U.S.). And if the food doesn’t provide that nutrition, your body has to get it from somewhere. So it takes it from your muscles. It takes it from your bones, your ligaments, your hair!

Beating the Food Giants is a book by Paul Stitt. He was a food scientist for a major food manufacturer who writes about an experiment done with rats where they fed a group of rats puffed wheat cereal. Another group they fed nothing. And the last group they fed the box of puffed wheat cereal. Can you guess who died first? The rats which ate the cereal. So if you’re eating out of boxes or cans or consuming food that can sit on the shelf without spoiling; if the only time you eat something green is if you leave some pasteurized cheese in your fridge too long, your body’s being forced to use your own precious tissue just to process the nutritionally void crap you’re putting in your mouth. You are a walking corpse. I pity the micro-organisms charged with the task of putting you back in the earth. They’re not going to be satisfied…

#5—Can we at least agree that Lead is not healthy and shouldn’t be in our water supply? The Environmental Protection Agency has set the MCL (Maximum Content Level) for Lead in drinking water at .015 ppm (.015mg/liter). That’s pretty low. Their goal is 0 ppm. But nobody is perfect, so let’s just assume .015ppm is low enough to be safe. After all, the most recent edition of the Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products only lists Lead as somewhere between moderately toxic and very toxic. There are many other substances which, if consumed, would be far worse. Interestingly enough, one of these is Fluoride; it’s clearly ranked by the CTCP as very toxic. Yet, the artificial fluoridation of our water supply is, on average, 1 ppm. That’s 67 times higher than the acceptable level for lead—in 4 cups! Boy, I need a drink!

But all that Fluoride must somehow be good for my teeth—that’s why it’s in our water in the first place. I mean, cavities are a sure sign we have a fluoride deficiency in our bodies, right? Well, one of the largest studies on the effectiveness of fluoride is one from New Zealand where, examining the teeth of every child in key age groups, it was concluded that the teeth of children in non-fluoridated cities were slightly better than those in the fluoridated cities. (Colquhoun, J. “Child Dental Health Differences in New Zealand”, Community Healthy Services, XI 85-90, 1987). A dentist named H.T. Dean did “research” back in 1939 that set the current level of fluoride in the U.S. water supply saying that this “optimal dose” would give everyone perfect teeth free of dental cavities. Sounds good to me. Only it didn’t sound good to some scientists who investigated Dean’s data and forced him, under oath, to admit his data was invalid. In fact, in 1957, Dean admitted at AMA hearings that as little as .1ppm could cause dental fluorosis—an early sign of fluoride poisoning.

See, fluoride is a cumulative toxin. Its MCL level (4ppm) is set to prevent the third and most severe stage of Crippling Skeletal Fluorisis. But a 1991 report by the U.S. Public Health Service showed that total fluoride intake from water, toothpastes/rinses, air, supplements, and food (non-organic foods carry high levels of fluoride due to the application of pesticides) was in excess of 6.5 ppm. Some estimates set this number as high as 8ppm. One of the worst offenders in the food supply is tea. They drink a lot of that stuff over in England. Wonder what their teeth look like? It’s also in Prozac—but who knows anyone on that med? I do know a lot of people taking Synthroid. It was the top selling drug in 1999. And hasn’t fluoride been used for decades as an effective treatment for hyperthyroidism, and at levels well below the current “optimal” intake?

Look, I know a lot of people may find this information hard to believe. When a person has beliefs or values that are called into question, it’s easy for that person to consider a personal attack. That’s not my intention. I just want people to open their eyes. Don’t just believe something is true because a person with some impressive initials after his name told you it is. I don’t care if it’s your teacher, your doctor, or (god forbid) Oprah Winfrey. Do your own research. See if it makes sense—common sense. Mark Twain once said “don’t your education get in the way of your learning.” That’s harder to do for some than for others. After all, wasn’t it Mark Twain who also said that whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over?

#4—You’re on drugs if you’re drinking tap water.
“Fluoride, the most consumed drug in the USA, is deliberately added to 2/3 of public water supplies theoretically to reduce tooth decay, but with no scientifically-valid evidence proving safety or effectiveness,” says lawyer Paul Beeber, president of the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. Indeed, excess fluoride consumption has been linked to fluorisis as well as altered endocrine function—that’s your thyroid gland we’re talking about. But none of you have weight issues involving your thyroid, do you?
Get the book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price. In it you’ll see pictures of people from isolated, non-industrialized cultures who never brushed their teeth yet suffered no cavities and had perfect smiles (their breath may have been kicking like Bruce Lee, but that’s a different matter). They’re didn’t use fluoride anything—they just ate REAL food.

#3–Skip the snooze button. To get your day jump started, expose yourself to light, to food, and to movement as soon as you wake up. Not only will you normalize circadian rhythms, you’ll optimize your metabolic rate.
Light=Sunshine to your body, resulting in an increase in Cortisol, (an awakening hormone and not the… evil hormone the infomercials would have you believe).
Mom was right: breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should be at least 25% of our daily caloric intake.
Movement could be anything from walking the dog to yoga to a session at the gym. And doing it in the a.m. will ensure that it gets done.
If the above suggestions are a change from your normal morning routine, give it a couple of weeks to become a habit and watch as your mind, body, and spirit evolve to the next level.

#2– Plastics Are Forever
When the plastics we throw away escape from garbage trucks or landfills, they get blown into trees and waterways where they’re eaten by animals that mistake them for food. In the North Pacific, a floating island of plastic waste the size of Texas has accumulated, doubling in size over the past six years. Some estimates place the load of plastic floating in that area, killing both birds and aquatic life, at 3 million tons.
The matter is further complicated by the fact that nothing in nature, not even sunlight and oxygen, can break apart the bonds that hold plastic together, so they linger on our planet indefinitely. Rather than biodegrading, plastic photodegrades into dust, winding up in soil and in the air. In bodies of water, the plastic particles become a kind of toxic sponge, absorbing other harmful chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the pesticide DDT. Those particles then get eaten by fish, which wind up back on our dinner plates.
So filter your water instead of buying bottled water (http://triumphtraining.com/andrew_recommends.html), use reusable bags (www.reusablebags.com), and RECYCLE!

#1–when faced with a decision between multiple courses of action, focusing on the long term consequence rather than the immediate result will a…lways guide you in the right direction. Whether it be waking up early so you can workout (or work IN) before getting to your job vs. sleeping in an extra half hour OR turning the car around to get the reusable bags you forgot at home vs. having your groceries put in plastic bags again, the choice which benefits you and the world in the long term is always the one to make. And if the choice is a bit more ambiguous, just ask yourself “What would Love do now?”