Our EverGreen Life

A New Health and Wellness Challenge for my 52nd Birthday

I completed a one-year health challenge in 2017. It was a gift to myself celebrating my fiftieth birthday. Without any reservations, I can honestly say that 2017 was one of the most fulfilling and transformational years of my entire life. Setting, working towards, and achieving personal goals really worked for me. I was in a state of flow and very happy. I miss it and feel it is time to challenge myself again. My original challenge, a 12-step wellness program, was as follows:

1. Eat the recommended number of servings of each selection from Dr. Gregor's daily dozen every day.
2. Develop, refine, and perfect the use of one doesn't go to menus following Dr. Gregor's dietary guidelines that my non-vegan family will eat too.
3. Produce my own vegetables or purchase as needed 12 whole food plant items that can be obtained locally and or organically.
4. Identify, eliminate, and replace processed food items from my diet.
5. Practice mindfulness two times per day through meditation with an emphasis on gratitude, love and kindness.
6. Let go of at least one negative item for 12 months: politics.
7. Plan and carry out 12 significant events to fortify relationship with family, friends, and my community over the course of one year through acts of kindness, service, and wholesome recreation.
8. Simplify life through minimalism.
9. Commit to getting the proper amount of quality rest every day by meditating before bed and keeping a regular schedule.
10. Regularly heal the body through mindful movement, yoga.
11. Train for 12 months of complete multiple endurance athletic events.
12. Schedule a minimum of six health related checkups.

This 12-step wellness challenge, based primarily on hunches I had about health and happiness, gave an obvious nod to the twelve-step addiction recovery program.  Most of the ideas we're not my original thinking and were largely gleaned from what I had studied or heard.  In hindsight, these notions about wellness were somewhat linear and reductionist.  During the year I implemented my wellness plan, I researched, experienced, and learned a lot more about the subject of wellness from an Eastern perspective. These ideas predate Western thinking on the subject by thousands of years.  They connected with me because of their focus on the multi-dimensional, interconnected relationships between body, mind, nature, and our relationships with other beings.

In light of new information, I have revised my "life plan" for health and wellness. These ideas are not uniquely mine but are based on the works of contemporary Zen masters and practitioners of Chinese medicine: Wude, Leo Babota, Colin Hudon, just to name a few.  Dan Buettner's Blue Zone studies and Dr. Valter Longo’s research on longevity and happiness have also heavily influenced my thinking on this subject.  The body of nutritional science by Dr. Michael Gregor as presented in How Not To Die, his Daily Dozen App, and his body of work on Nutritionfacts.org still heavily factors in. Last but not least, Dr. Michael Gervais's work on self-mastery and Kem Cazier's CLASSY formula for character-based education each profoundly impact my thinking.

How is this different from original challenge?  For starters, it's a two-year commitment.  What else?  If I were forced to choose the single most important focus, I would have to say it is the mindfulness component because it emphasizes healthy ways to deal with stress and is so intertwined with the other aspects of the health challenge.  My new "life plan" includes multiple pillars of health, each with multiple dimensions as well as connections with the other pillars.  At this point in my progression, I consider these wellness concepts my essential lifestyle habits. My new two-year wellness challenge and plan is specifically centered around my life philosophy, which I developed from “Know Your Purpose” on page 258 in The Blue Zones of Happiness by Dan Buetner.

This formula for purpose by Richard Leider is as follows:

G (gifts, what you have to offer) + P (passion, what really excites you) + V (values, what you find most important) = C (calling, your purpose in life)

My Gifts

+ I am a gifted educator with a wealth of experience from teaching challenging concepts in middle-level language arts classes to a not so willing or “pro-education” audience. I have served in this capacity for more than two decades.

+ I am curious, introspective, studious, and willing to try new things.

+ Self-disciplined and motivated (I can be very determined and have grit if the cause seems right to me.)

+ I am inherently kind, compassionate, and have deep empathy for those struggling with food addictions, obesity, high stress and maladaptive behaviors, and poor health caused by lifestyle choices. (I deeply suffered from these.)

+ Athletic

+ I have a wealth of self-taught knowledge on the topics of ecology, health and wellness, plant-based nutrition/cooking, ultra-endurance athletics, and outdoor recreation.  I have developed and refined my expertise in these areas through decades of study and practice by running an organic vegetable farm, recovering from nearly fatal health conditions caused by poor lifestyle decisions and a lot of stress, functional fitness and ultra-endurance cylcing competition, and outdoor recreation in Star Valley, Wyoming. (I am now in the process of gaining formal training in few of these areas.)

My Passions

+ MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction through meditation, yoga, minimalism, and mindful living)

+ Health and Wellness (rest and relaxation, nutrition, exercise, detoxification)

+ Family Time

+ Yoga

+ Cycling (x/c mountain biking, gravel biking, fat biking)

+ Plant-based Cooking/Nutrition

+ Outdoor Adventure (Backpacking/Hiking, Powder Skiing, Fly-fishing, Mountaineering)

+ Gardening

My Values

+ Mindfulness

+ Health

+ Family

+ Happiness (with an emphasis stress reduction)

+ Environmentalism

+ Compassion and Peace

+ Right Education

 Calling =

Happiness/Health/Wellness Coach and Teacher emphasizing Health with a capital H (MBSR or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Instructor for meditation, mindful Hatha yoga, minimalism, and mindful living), Plant-based Nutrition Instructor as a Food for Life Teacher, Personal Fitness Trainer (Hatha Yoga teacher), Master Gardener/Instructor, and Star Valley Adventure Guide (Mountain, Fat, and Gravel Biking, Backpacking/Hiking/Nature Walking, Fly-fishing.)

My major qualifications do and will include twenty plus very successful years as middle school language arts teacher, national board teaching certification, a personal journey from sickness to a state of health and wellness, a college degree, current certifications for teaching meditation, plant-based/whole food nutrition, yoga, vegan chef, 15 plus years of experience as a commercial organic vegetable farmer, avid mountain/gravel cyclist/fat bike racer with intimate familiarity with Star Valley rides, experience backpacking, and two decades of experience as a fly-fishing instructor/guide.

I will offer one-on-one health and wellness coaching and teach group classes on meditation, yoga, and nutrition/vegan cooking. I will guide gravel, mountain biking, and fat bike rides, hikes and fly-fishing excursions in Star Valley.

 I will develop a glamping health retreat on my 7-acre property. I will also write a blog, create a subscription Vlog with tutorials and classes, author books, and move towards educating increasingly larger audiences on health and wellness.

Based on this, I have created my own personal vision statement/life plan.

To be present and happy,

To forge enduring family bonds,

To promote health

And explore my physical limits,

To connect with and support nature

And to inspire and teach others through these endeavors

Is my purpose!

My new health challenge, which I am presenting to myself as a gift for my 52^nd birthday in 2019, follows my vision statement. Below is a sequential list for this plan as seven personal resolutions for the next two years.

1. Live Mindfully, Stress Less, and Contemplate my Life Purpose each and every day (two daily formal mediations, impromptu mediation practice, daily mindful Hatha Yoga, mindful living, life purpose journaling, and the regular practice of minimalism)
2. Develop Supportive Relationships (devote time daily to enhance relationships with my wife, children, family, and a few close friends)
3. Live Clean (rest, relax, and detox)
4. Heal my body and Enhance my Health with Exceptional Nutrition (regular hydration, whole food, Plant-based nutrition, and calorie restriction)
5. Optimize physical fitness (functional fitness [strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance through Hatha Yoga], cardiovascular fitness through cycling, continuous daily movement through routine household chores
6. Incorporate Natural Adventure into life on a weekly basis
7. Give back through health coaching

#1 MINDFUL LIVING:  MEDITATION, MINDFUL HATHA YOGA, AND MINIMALISM 

+ Meditate twice each day for a total of one hour. (In the morning, practice mindful breathing and mindful Hatha yoga. Before retiring, practice the body scan/letting go meditation.) Meditate whenever a stressful situation demands it.  Schedule quarterly 1 to 10-day Vipassana every year.  First thing in the morning, practice a sitting breath meditation for at least thirty minutes. Follow up your sitting meditation with an hour of mindful Hatha yoga. Add to that, a daily prayer of gratitude and love and kindness sometime early in the day.  Whenever a stressful situation arises, practice the relaxing breath meditation.  At night, wind down with a brief session of mindful breathing, body scan, a letting go meditation, and some form of visualization.  Every three months, plan and carry out a 1 to 10-day Vipassana. (Most of these you can design and schedule on your own, but at least once per year try to attend a formal Vipassana held by a certified instructor or other credentialed organization.)

+ Practice minimalism at least once per week (a great Sunday activity) by either evaluating and/or getting rid of nonessential possessions, letting go of activities that do not add value to life, and spending more time with those I love.  (Love people and use stuff because the opposite never works – Jonathan Fields Milburn, The Minimalists).  Sift through your possessions regularly.  Take inventory of your clothing, household items, storage, recreational goods, gardening supplies, and food storage.  Immediately sell, donate, or throw away all items that have not been used in several years.  After that, take inventory of and consider all items that have been used infrequently over the past year. Then, sell, donate, or get rid of those items you will most likely not use again. Last but not least, consider and make a list of how many articles of clothing you need, dishes necessary to function, essential household items, recreational goods that you will frequently use, the essential gardening supplies, at a reasonable food storage. Then, make sure to never buy more than these essentials.  Next, do the hard work of making an inventory of the activities you do. Categorize them as those you cannot live without, those that could be useful, and those that detract from your purpose and the things deemed absolutely necessary. The last thing you should do is create plans to spend the extra time and money you have found with those you love.

+ Live your purpose every day. (To be present and happy, to forge enduring family bonds, to promote health and explore your physical limits, to connect with and support nature, and to inspire and teach others through those endeavors is my purpose.) Record this daily in a journal and in weekly blog post on Sundays for accountability.  This means to meditate, count your blessings, spend quality time with family, eat well and exercise, train for endurance cycling events, spend time outdoors, minimalize any personally negative impacts you may have on the environment, and show or tell others about this amazing lifestyle. Document your daily attention to at least one aspect of this goal in a journal. On Sundays compose a blog post with a brief summary of your weekly progress towards this goal and a spotlight on a specific aspect of your challenge that stands out for the week.

# 2 SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS 

+ Make time for family! Prepare breakfast for Tara in the morning, eat dinner as a family each day, schedule a fun family activity each weekend, and call family members that live far away on Sundays. Look for the good in your loved ones, tell them about these things, look for and carry out acts of kindness/service for one person every day.  If you show that you like and support others, they will eventually like and support you.  Above all, be good-natured and have a sense of humor. Document your gratitude for family in a journal following Kem Cazier’s CLASSY program by counting your blessings daily, looking for the good daily, and serving others as it applies in regards to your family.

#3 LIVE CLEAN:  REST, RELAX, DETOXIFY 

+Get Rest:  Routinely Sleep 7.5 hours and take naps.  Sleep should be restful, undisturbed, restorative, and distraction free.  A technology and media free room is best. Light blocking window coverings encourage more sleep. Cut media and technology out one hour before going to bed. Even better is to develop the habit of meditation before retiring to allow the mind to wind down to replace mindless consumption of media.  Retire early or when your very tired, go to be early enough to get the necessary amount of sleep (probably by 8:30). Sleep research and Blue Zone studies confirm the benefits of sleep including longevity, absence of disease, happiness, and productivity.  Proper rest allows your body and mind to cleanse and rejuvenate.

+ Relax:  Meditate twice daily and take four to six weeks of vacation per year.  Relaxation entails more than merely downshifting:  It requires not stressing out about crap over which you have no control. Learning to live stress-free is the most important aspect of relaxation. When I finally realized that people will always say and do stupid stuff and that it's up to me to not get worked up about things over which I have no control, my stress and suffering diminished.  Since coming to that realization, I have become more relaxed.  Taking time to downshift each day is a key aspect of relaxation, and my breathing and letting go mediations are two of the best strategies I know of to accomplish this. Last but not least, taking vacations is also a crucial part of relaxation. Danes, the world's happiest people according to psychologists and researchers, take four to six weeks of vacation per year.  Similar to getting proper rest and down shifting, taking vacations has a rejuvenating effect on the body and mind. Take four to six weeks of vacations each year, preferably schedule at least one week per quarter-year and a multi-week vacation in the summertime. 

+ Detox Your Life:  Do not consume pharmaceuticals unless it’s life or death, eat processed foods sparingly, avoid negative people, and do not listen to or view toxic/sensationalist/fear-based media. Most modern pharmaceuticals are toxic, treat superficial symptoms, do not address the root causes of the disease or illness, and should be avoided unless the situation is life threatening.  Instead, find physicians and treatments that address the underlying problems that are the causes of a given medical condition. (This typically means you will need to do the hard work of making lifestyle changes instead of taking pharmaceuticals to prevent and reverse disease.) Processed foods are as chuck full of toxic chemicals as pharmaceuticals and should be avoided or not consumed at all. Eliminate all processed foods from your diet. Unfortunately, negative people are just as toxic for your health as man-made chemicals. They cause stress, encourage negative thoughts, and should be avoided.  Sometimes we invite toxic people into our lives through news and/or social media.  Politics is especially poisonous. Avoid it at all costs, as it tends to be sensationalist, fear-based, and stressful. Do not look at or listen to news. It’s negative and a waste of your time. (This is how you gain added time to complete your wellness challenge!) Limit your screen time. Do not stream TV programing or movies during the working week and use little or no social media. Limit your screen time on weekends to 2 hours a day. Viewing educational materials related to this health challenge or health coaching certifications is the only exception to this rule.

#4 EXCEPTIONAL NUTRITION:  PROPER HYDRATION AND WHOLE FOOD, PLANT-BASED NUTRITION

+ Hydrate:  Follow the 8 x 8 rule and drink a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. Even better, Drink 16 ounces of water first thing in the morning, 16 ounces of water just before lunch and dinner, and one 16 oz serving of water somewhere in between each meal for a total of 80 ounces per day.  Hydration's role in preventing disease, promoting health, and enhancing performance is too often overlooked. It's one of a dozen recommendations that Dr. Michael Gregor, author of the ground-breaking body of research on how to avoid the 15 leading causes of death, highlights to avoid suffering from one of these preventable forms disease and illness. By drinking water before meals, you are less likely to overeat. If you drink in between them, you will stay hydrated.  Drink more water according to your activity levels as needed.

+ Whole Food, Plant-based Nutrition:  Eat whole foods, mostly plants, and not too much. Track your nutritional intake with the Daily Dozen and Fat Secret Apps and restrict your calorie intake according to the activity level for a given day.  Let's keep it simple, folks. Years before the vegetarian/vegan vs paleo/keto debates erupted, I received the best advice on nutrition I've been given yet:  "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much."  Michael Pollen's wisdom from In Defense of Food transcends the futile arguments made by proponents of the competing nutrition camps because he has taken no side.  (He's not vegetarian or vegan and certainly not advocating any of the trendy diet fads deeply flawed by pseudoscience.)  What's more, his advice is common sense, supported by the longevity research on the world's longest-lived, healthiest and happiest cultures from the Blue Zones.  In addition, it's backed by reputable long-term epidemiological studies and loads of unbiased scientific research.  Eating unrefined whole foods, keeping the diet on a plant slant, and restricting caloric intake is the only way that has both past and present credibility to promote longevity, reduce disease, and promote wellbeing.  Specifically, you should consume daily the foods recommended in Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen program (3 servings of legumes, one serving of berries, three servings of other fruits, one serving of cruciferous vegetables,  two servings of greens, two servings of other vegetables, one serving of flaxseed, one serving of nuts, one serving of turmeric, three servings of whole grains, some B 12 and vitamin D).  Compliment this by restricting your caloric intake to 2000 - 2700 calories per day to lose weight according to your activity level.  Use the Fat Secret App to track your caloric intake.

#5 HEALTHFUL MOVEMENT:  FUNCTIONAL FITNESS,  CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE , AND CONTINUOUS MOTION.

+ Practice Yoga Daily  For me, functional fitness means Hatha Yoga.  It gives me strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, calmness of mind, and presence.  It almost does it all, and yoga strenghtens and stretches the places that are typically overlooked.  My personal observations are that I get injured much less than I did when I was twenty years younger.  Even more, I feel my yoga practice accelerates both my recovery and healing times.  My daily yoga practice is the foundation of my physical fitness.  Ideally, it will be the first exercise I perform each day. In general, I will do it in the morning following my meditation practice for around one hour. I've tried many routines,  Oddly enough, I like the least traditional yoga program most, P90X.  It just feels super good to me.

+  Do some form of cardiovascular exercise five to six times per week for a duration of at least one hour.  Why?  It helps you burn fat and calories for weight loss, it makes your heart strong so that it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood, it increases your lung capacity, AND it helps reduce your risk of heart attack, releives high blood pressure, reduces your risk of contracting diabetes, and lowers your risk for  some forms of cancer.  For me cardio means a bike ride because it's 100% pure fun.  I love riding bikes on gravel, mountain trails, dirt roads, in the snow, and even on pavement when I have to.  It's easy on my joints, I get to see more of the world than I would on a run, and it gives me pure joy.  Use it to add adventure, purpose, and meaning to your life. Compete in bike races quarterly to give purpose and meaning to your cardiovascular training.  Make it an opportunity to downshift/relax.

+ Design your life (home, workplace, and day) so that it encourages continuous motion. Prepare your own meals daily, do your own laundry, get up and continuously move at work, and garden in season. In the Blue Zones, regions in the world where people live the longest, happiest, healthiest lives, estimates are that their lives encourage them to get up and go at least once every twenty minutes.  At home, cook your own meals, do the laundry, mow the lawn. Grow your own food in season.  If you pay someone to do these things for you, then you are essentially paying for their good health while ensuring the decline of your own.  Try to be constantly on the move at work.  Ask for a standing desk and design your tasks and schedules with as much movement in mind as possible.  

# 6 NATURAL ADVENTURE 

+ Incorporate adventure and exercise into your outdoors experiences by participating in adventure-based, ultra-distance bike races or self-planned adventures four times per year.  For me, this means gravel, mountain, and fat bike races and adventures.  I have found that these venues take me to wild places and have incredibly strong elements of exploration involved. They require planning, training, and dedication, which gets me out of doors several times a week. They are fun, and my life seems to effortlessly flow as I prepare for these events.

+ Micro-adventure by planning small outdoor getaways to see and explore new places every two to four weeks.  My family and work responsibilities combined with limited finances equals no adventures to exotic destinations, which is not a big deal.  Local and more affordable opportunities for adventure are in abundance right in my backyard. (For many outdoor enthusiasts, where I live is their dream vacation destination.)  I live a little more than 1.5 hours south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and my extended family lives on the Wasatch Front.  For me, there's no excuse to not plan frequent micro adventures on a regular basis.  All it takes is a little planning.  

#7 HEALTH COACHING 

+Certify as a meditation instructor through The American Institute of Health Care Professionals by the end of the summer in 2019.  I have already completed more than 1/2 of the course work and only need to finish what I started.  My goal is to complete the fourth in the spring and then the remaining two during my summer break.  Immediately after receiving my certification, my plans are to offer meditation classes to the public. This is my service to the world.

+Enroll in Food for Life Instructor program soon after the 2020 new year, complete this course work within one year, and offer Food for Life Programs. This is another gift I can offer to others.

+Investigate, enroll in, and complete a yoga teacher training program in the year 2022.  Afterwards, add this service to your health coaching practice.

How To Be A Minimalist When Surrounded By Maximists

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream and new dream."

C.S. Lewis

From the square footage required to house the countless things advertised to satisfy my comforts and needs to the expensive car with the ultimate safety features and luxuries, society has lied to me about what will make me happy.  It distorts my concept of self through advertisements about the trendy clothes I should wear to make me cool, sexy, and accepted.  It fabricates unhealthy ideals about what to eat and whose company to keep.  These lies have been whispered to me from birth.  I have seen and heard them on television, the radio, in school, and even at church.  Far too long I've enjoyed the drug of more and the false security of acceptance, which has made me exceptionally sick.

What do you do when you're ready to walk away from this fiction and those around you are not?  I want less stuff and more time.  I desire a life with minimal material possessions and a wealth of adventure, experience, and connection.  I yearn to be in nature with natural things.  I want more time to be with those I love.  My dilemma is a desire to live a minimalist lifestyle with the self-inflicted constraints of decades of poor choices compounded by a degree of unwillingness from those I love to embrace simplicity.  Is it possible to be a minimalist and live with others who do not share this value?  Reality is that I live with others and cannot make unilateral mandates to clean house.  My inability to move forward has frustrated me.  Clearly, I need a strategy to simplify my own life, declutter my spaces, and reduce my consumption.  Here's my game plan:

• First, I'll attempt to free up some time.  I need to take inventory and decide what activities truly add value to my life and say no to those that do not.  Politics and Facebook were obvious first choices of things to let go of, which I've been doing for months.  Recent events made me aware of something else that can set me free.  For years I've tried to fit in at work with people who do not see the world as I do.  In fact, oftentimes they're inconsiderate of my views.  I vow to no longer put effort into unproductive relationships.  So far, it's been a waste of my time and an emotional drain.  Instead, I'll put my energy into doing more of the work I've been taking home on weekends.
• Harder yet is letting go of hobbies.  I really want to do it all, and there are so many activities I enjoy. The painful reality that I must give up a few less productive interests and limit my involvement in others has become clear.  For example, I'm limiting myself to just one form of skiing, not three.  Combining other activities (backpacking, fly fishing, and cycling) is another consideration because I don't have time to do all three.  My new angle is to plan a couple of bikepacking adventures following the routes of wild rivers with accents of fishing in the evening and morning hours between stretches of riding.
• Next, I will continue to minimalize my possessions. The easier items to discard are already gone.  (I'm flabbergasted about how much clothing I had.)  Now, it's on to things with more attachments.  My book and DVD collections are challenging to let go of for multiple reasons, but my fishing boat is a very big problem.  In the end, though, I accept that I have too much stuff that's neither being used nor adding value to my life.
• Another project is to simplify one or two spaces in my home.  I am claiming one room for my own personal sanctuary.  It will be a place where I can escape, meditate, and practice yoga.  Since I'm not forcing my ways on others, they should respect my right to have one peaceful place of my own.
• Paramount to becoming a minimalist and freeing up more time for experience is to reduce my consumption and save.  Instead of accepting gifts and useless junk, I'll request gifts of money.  When I've saved enough, I'll buy something that will truly add value to my life or set off on that adventure I've been dreaming of.
• Most important, I feel impressed to be an ambassador for minimalism. By practicing gratitude, being in a peaceful state of mind, and being obnoxiously happy, others are sure to see where the party is at and should want to join.

 

Saving Money at The Grocery Store, Zen, And Learning How To Fall In Love

It's the end of July, and this past week the best deals at my local grocery store were grapes, watermelon, cantalope, and fresh corn.  These fruits and this grain are in season, abundant, and very economical at the moment.  My less than one-hundred percent plant-based son is requesting, devouring, and commenting on how delicious these foods are.  I've had to remind my wife that I should be able to have a little of the cantaloupe and watermelon I've prepared and cooled in the refrigerator for refreshing afternoon snacks.  Some of these foods I grow on my organic farm  but are not ready; others, specifically corn, I don't bother with at 6,500 feet in elevation, only an acre of greenhouse space, and a very short time to grow things.  Also, I am very grateful is that these healthy snacks and sides are quick and easy to prepare.  At the moment, I do not believe it's incorrect to say we have fallen in love with flavor of seasonal produce at the peak of its perfection.

Simplicity.  It applies to everything, especially the habit of healthy eating!  One of my greatest discoveries is that it is more economical, appealing, and arguably better for our health to eat in season.  Purchasing, simply preparing, and eating fresh fruits and veggies this way is wise.  It is the Zen of nutrition.  For starters, these snacks have only one ingredient.  What's more, the steps required to prepare them are minimal (cut, cube, store in a container that seals, and cool in the refrigerator).  Because these plants are being grown, harvested, and eaten naturally, they are delicious.  I find it amazing how much easier it's been to convince my family to eat fresh, raw foods this week.  In fact, I don't have to say a thing.  They simply want to eat this way.

Learn how to select the best fruit, and I can almost guarantee that you and those you feed will fall in love.  Last year Victor, a favorite produce clerk at my local store, taught me how to choose the best watermelon.  Since then, it's become one of my family's favorite summertime treats.  If you don't have personal access to a living expert, look it up on line.  A little research and mindfulness at the store or market will pay big dividends in both your personal health and those you love.  Eating in season is affordable, simple, and out-of-this-world delicious.

Why I Ride Long Distances and What I've learned

 

A Remarkable Day!

This past Friday I completed my sixth 100-mile bike ride since beginning a wellness challenge on March 30th of this year.  With my twenties decades behind me, I share this not to spotlight myself but simply as an attempt to encourage you.  Just six months ago, my cycling goals were born as simple aspirations just for me.  Over time they have evolved into so much more.  Two thoughts, reactions to statements from close family, are frequently present when I ride.  While discussing health and nutrition, someone that means a lot to me declared,  "I want to die fat and happy!"  Asking about my 154-mile, one-day adventure around the Tetons, another family member wanted to know what my secret is to be able to do such a thing.  These two comments have inspired me to go for more and longer distances.

 

I was certainly fat but didn't look too happy

 A Word or Two about "Dying Fat and Happy"

Because of personal experience, I don't believe others when they say this; in fact, I feel we use phrases like these to cover up our pain and suffering.  (I know I certainly did.)  In addition to my original purposes of getting fit and adding a little adventure to my life, I now ride to help alleviate suffering caused by obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and all other diet-related illness.  Just maybe, I can inspire one or two people to do a little more.  Perhaps if I stack up enough accomplishments on my bike, I can motivate family, friends, and others to give the whole food, plant-based diet a whirl.  This is now a major factor for my participation in ultra-endurance cycling.  While getting fit and deeply experiencing life on the bike, I hope I'm also proving that a whole food, plant-based diet will give you with the energy to do whatever it is you desire but lack the vitality to accomplish.  I'm not saying eat plants to be able to knock out multiple centuries or do an Ironman, just do it to accomplish any dream, even one as silly as pedaling a thing on two wheels for 154 miles around a giant rock.  Even if your goal is just to have enough energy to get through another week, eating a lot of plants will help, which is one reason I began my health  journey in the first place.

 

Plant Power

 

My Secret

I'll say it again:  Eat Plants!  Above all else, plant-based nutrition is the foundation of my health.  This action gives my body the nutrients needed to fire on all cylinders.  I know this to be true for me.  (I've experienced times with and without this lifestyle, and the contrast is stark.)  Countless others claim the same, and compelling, unadulterated research proclaims it too.  Please just take a look at one or two of the following studies:  The Epic Trials, The Adventist Studies, The Blue Zone Studies, or The Harvard Nurses Study.

There are other things I do that also help, actions that improve my health by one percent or more.  Minimalism has helped.  By simplifying my life, not necessarily decluttering stuff but more importantly letting go of time consuming habits that added no value to my life, I have found enough time to train.  It amazes me that I wasted ten to fifteen hours a week consuming news and social media.  Yoga is another part of my wellness puzzle.  It provides me with flexibility, coordination, and balance, all of which have helped to prevent injury and aid in recovery.  I have also found meditation to be useful.  When life doesn't go my way, I don't freak out as much.  Through meditation I've discovered how to breathe and let temporary negative thoughts and feelings pass on by.  This has helped during some tense, demanding moments in life when I wanted to quit training.

 

Recovery Smoothie

 

A Final Thought about Recovery

Something occurred to me a few hours after this particular ride:  A whole-food, plant-based diet kicks butt when it comes to recovery after extreme physical exertion.  It was a beautiful ride but a very long day in the saddle, and I felt it for awhile.  It's true that going plant-based has blessed me with loads of energy to do crazy things.  Equally important, it allows me to recover quickly.  100 miles, 6000 feet of climbing, and eight hours on bumpy gravel roads takes it toll and depletes the energy reserves.  Within a few hours after returning home from my ride, I felt fine.  Thirty minutes after drinking a recovery smoothie, I was revived, had the energy to get out and take care of farm chores, visit with my wife, and write this blog.  I'm an ordinary guy, trust me and just ask my wife and son.  Eating plant-based, however, is miraculous, and unlike another unnamed food product  "It does a body good!"

Twelve Steps To Wellness

By Shain Saberon

March 30, 2017

 

Good Vibrations

In reaction to a health crisis, I altered my lifestyle.  Over the past five years, I have adopted a plant-based diet, engaged in routine exercise, and consistently performed meditation.   These practice have profoundly improved the quality of my life, but recently I have found my thoughts and energy focused on higher pursuits:  nutrition that heals and energizes the body, a comprehensive approach to wellness, and ultra-endurance athletics. The idea that I need a momentous challenge tailored to my specific needs has consumed my thoughts.  Yes, I have achieved a lot, but I can’t seem to reach what I imagine to be my full potential.

In spite of solid progress (I’ve lost more than one hundred pounds) some visceral fat still clings to my chest and abdomen. Likewise, my temperament and enthusiasm for life are better but not as good as I would like them to be. Last but not least, I still have a few bad habits I would like to kick.  I feel that a consequential amount of residue from the standard American lifestyle—one of less than optimal health, one of quiet desperation and negativity, of detachment from meaningful relationships to people and things, and a life lacking engagement in the variety of adventure that fully connects one to the natural world—still exists in my life.  I cannot shake all of my old ways, some of which almost killed me.  These behaviors are sold to us by the minute on the radio, social media, and television.  And I struggle with this.  Making change also feels complicated because it seems my coworkers, friends, neighbors, and even some family members view bucking the American way of life with suspicion.

Nope, Not There Yet

One night these thoughts and feelings suddenly erupted.  On March 1, 2017 while preparing food for the coming days, I played two Rich Roll podcasts (MICHAEL GREGER, M.D. ON HOW NOT TO DIE and RRP 254, JULIE PIATT, HOW TO BUILD AN AUTHENTIC BRAND).  At 2 A.M. the following morning, I woke up contemplating a personal 12-step wellness challenge and got out of bed to put my thoughts to paper.  The idea here, if not already clear , is to follow steps similar to those addicts take to become sober and recover.  My drugs have been unhealthy foods, a very negative attachment to the sensationalized coverage of politics in mainstream media, materialism, and anger or dissatisfaction with people and events in my life.  I will give myself the gift of this twelve-step wellness challenge on my fiftieth birthday.  Hopefully, these changes will stick, and I will evolve to a higher state of being.  The details and findings of this experiment will be recorded  on this blog.  I propose to do the following for a full year:

1. Eat the recommended number of servings of each selection from Dr. Greger's “Daily Dozen” every day.  (In the case of illness, I will only eat the items from his list appropriate to my situation.)
2. Develop, refine, and perfect the use of one dozen go-to menus following Dr. Greger's dietary guidelins that my non-vegan family will eat too.
   
3. Produce my own vegetables or purchase as needed 12 whole-food plant items that can be obtained locally and/or organically.
   
4. Identify, eliminate, and replace processed food items from my diet.
   
5. Practice mindfulness two times per day through meditation/prayer with an emphasis on gratitude, love, and kindness.
6. Let go of at least one negative item for 12 months.  (For me it’s politics and news, but I will see if I can identify and eliminate more.)
7. Plan and carry out 12 significant events to fortify relationships with family, strengthen bonds with friends, and build community over the course of one year through acts of kindness, service,  and wholesome recreation.
8. Simplify life through minimalism.
9. Commit to getting the proper amount of quality rest every day by meditating before bed and keeping a regular schedule.
10. Regularly heal the body through mindful movement.  (I will commit to practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga for a minimum of one-half an hour but will usually complete 1 to 1.5 hours six days per week.)
11. Train for 12 months and complete multiple endurance athletic events. (I will finish a minimum of a half dozen cycling events, some organized, others contrived by me, with most events from one to two hundred miles in length.)
12.  Schedule and fulfill a minimum of six health related checkups. (I’m thinking of a combination of both alternative and conventional:  full physicals, traditional blood work, ayurevdic medical consultations, dental checkups, vision screenings, microbiological checkups, etc.)