#GETFOCUSED
In the South, there’s on old colloquial term that people have used for a couple of hundred years. In short, they say, “fixin’ to.” As in, I’m fixin’ to go down to the creek or I’m fixin’ to cut the grass. My grandad used to use the term often. In most cases, he meant that he was going to start right away, taking care of whatever chore he intended to do. But sometimes it was more nuanced. Sometimes “fixin’ to” do something actually meant that he wasn’t quite ready to start but he wanted others to know his intentions. To really complicate matters, sometimes “fixin’ to” could also mean that he actually had no real intention of ever doing the stated task. It’s a wonder that anyone ever learns to speak English. But I digress. Here is the point . . . Don’t wait for the pandemic to end to get started on living your healthiest life!
#GETSTARTED
I’m not being political when I make the observation that the over-riding themes of the response to the global pandemic have been two-fold;
• Kick the can down the road and hope that it resolves itself and that we can pay back the debts we incur in the process
OR
• Deny the effect/ effectiveness of personal intervention and responsibility.
Neither approach augers well. While none of us is at fault for the pandemic, we all have a responsibility to prepare ourselves for its effects and to respond to the actual circumstances. This means being accountable both financially and physically. I’ll leave the financial stuff to the accountants and stick to the physical…which I know more about.
What is the right approach to personally confronting the pandemic?
I think in this regard, recovering addicts like me have an advantage over the general populace. We know to take not just one DAY at a time, but really one CHOICE at a time and to focus on making the next right decision. In running terms, we can only cover the miles in front of us rather than replaying the miles behind or speculating about the miles that we may need to run tomorrow.
In short, we have to forget yesterday’s success or failure and let tomorrow worry for itself. Right now is what matters.
What is my plan for today?
While there are still plenty of unknowns about the pandemic, we do at least have some pretty good indications on the best approach to dealing with Covid-19
• Don’t catch it (ideal but also not entirely in your control, although risk can clearly be minimized by social behavior, wearing of masks etc.)
• Be in the best shape you can be in the event you do catch the virus. (Entirely within your control)
The virus is, of course, essentially egalitarian…it wants everyone to catch it…and it will meet you where you are and treat you accordingly. If you are predisposed or weakened by prior conditions the virus will be merciless, as I have seen first hand. But if you are prepared, it will deem you a “bad host” and literally won’t “go viral” as a result of your encounter. This is where a public health crisis and personal responsibility meet head on and choose to either wrestle or dance.
This is my personal THREE-STEP PLAN for dealing with Covid-19.
Step 1 - First, Do No Harm.
The famous hippocratic oath is as relevant today as it has ever been. Hippocrates, was known as the “Father of Medicine” and is perhaps even more famous for saying “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. This quote, though thousands of years old, acknowledges the importance of healthy eating and how the nutrients in various foods have healing properties. I am convinced that one of the reasons the US has been hit so hard by the coronavirus is because our eating habits have exposed us to an even greater risk of inflammation and disease. Our nation’s extreme rate of obesity and excess weight literally has made us sitting ducks for the virus.
#GETVEGGIES
(Plant-based eating doesn’t have to be boring. These photos are straight from my dinner table!)
I’ll spare you the polemic on how and why this has become the case (Big Food and Big Pharma). I’ll simply state that I indentify with Michael Pollan’s Haiku: “Eat Food. Not Much. Mostly Plants.” and feel this approach ensures that we, as individuals, have the nutrition our bodies are designed for and that they crave to build, grow, energize and recover from any and all of our activities, including warding off viruses and other threats.
step 2 - Get Active. Outdoors.
#GETACTIVE
I use running and biking for meditation, relaxation, conditioning and to create the kind of intentional stress that my body will respond to positively. My diet fuels my activity and my activity sustains me mentally, emotionally and physically.
The benefits of any exercise are of course well researched, documented and proven…but crucially I think exercising in the outdoors is manifestly superior to exercising indoors. Exercising outdoors invites unpredictability, cold, wet, wind, heat, sounds and smells and the full engagement of every sense. For so much of our lives we have become conditioned to expect and demand comfort. Personally I have always comfort to be highly overrated. I can’t think of a single valuable lesson I’ve learned from being comfortable. Running, biking, hiking, swimming outdoors, all throw out the illusion of comfort and control. It trains us to be alert, engaged and to forget ourselves, our cares and our comforts.
Yes, you’ll get bitten and stung occasionally, you’ll be freezing cold over over heated, but you’ll feel alive and in touch with the earth and its wonders…plus you’ll get all the Vitamin D your immune system needs to be at its best should this or any other virus pay a visit.
#GETOUTSIDE
STEP 3 - Prioritize Sleep. RECOVER.
For so much of my life sleep has had a bad name. I actually used to say out loud that I was an expert at sleep deprivation (and not just as a drug addict). No more. New research shows the benefits of sleep for all areas of our health, including immunity, are irrefutable. The more sleep I get, the better I feel. Sleep is the ultimate anti-inflammatory and recovery prescription. But how much sleep is right for me and when should I get it? Pretty much every big mistake I made in my life, I made after 9pm. In my experience not much good happens after 9pm, unless you are in bed. You know it’s true. So make it your goal to be in bed when the clock has a 9 in it and commit to staying there until dawn wakes you. I guarantee you’ll be getting most of what you need and you’ll arrive at the new day emboldened to make more of the right choices for your health and the health of those around you.
So, there you have it, eat foods without “best before” dates, exercise mindfully daily in the outdoors and get to bed by 9ish.
#GETSLEEP
My final words for today:
Good things will happen, and if bad things visit, you’ll be well armed for the fight.
See you down the trail . . .
~ Charlie
It’s called GO! Condition.
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