Begin wearing glasses and your eyes get lazy. Wear orthopedic inserts in your shoes and the complex system of bones, ligaments and muscle get lazy. (Research now shows that since running shoes became high tech foot injuries have actually increased ( Quoting book Born to Run - Christopher McDougall).) Don't exercise, including aerobics, and the heart gets weak and lung performance decreases. Further, if you don't use your brain as you age, it too, weakens. What is the common factor ? The mind and body need to be exercised to attain / maintain their potential. Failure to stress, reasonably, results in organ, system failure, illness. Increasingly, rehabilitation programs include the careful stressing, building capability, in the weakened body part / system. Exercise / stressing speeds and improves recovery. Failing to continue such a program results in functional collapse. Yet, when it comes to diet, all the so called experts tell us to eat seven meals a day to maintain stability of various measures. Why ? The proverbial cave man and, I suggest, through most of our evolutionary development the struggle to survive was characterized by alternating hunger and satisfaction. As pointed out at the beginning, the body needs to be stressed to have optimal performance. Why should we think that the digestive system and all the other internal organs in the body should be different ? I believe that exposing each of the organs to exercise, according to their function, is fundamentally essential to their health and good performance. It is further proven that we eat too much, leading to obesity and shortening of our lives. Low calorie diets extend life. I therefore recommend reducing food intake, especially carbohydrates, not stabilizing anything; but, letting the body experience and cope with period of hunger and satisfaction. Find your own schedule that works for you. Eating at historic meal times is not based on body need, but life style and work patterns. Personally, I only eat a banana and, perhaps an apple till between two and three o'clock each day. Then I have a main, well balanced meal which, as I've adapted and my stomach shrank, is less than I used to eat. A bowl of light soup or a piece of fruit in the evening finishes the day's food consumption. I have three coffee throughout the day and a glass of red wine with my main course. - Sometimes a second in the evening while relaxing. To be truthful, within this regime, I respond to what the body is telling me; keeping in mind that it is easy to succumb to traditional responses to a feeling of hunger and revert to old, unhealthy patterns. Don't forget that all the other aspects of mind and body need to be continually addressed too. Go for walks, climb stairs and do whatever you can to experience positive stress. I don't expect all the " experts" to agree. After all, it was experts that claimed that stress caused ulcers until two Australian researchers proved prevailing wisdom to be completely false. I would encourage each of you to choose this or other diet with care. If have health concerns, consult the appropriate medical expert; but, ultimately make up your own mind. Traditional doctors tend to decry anything if they haven't heard of it of it is not in their aging text books. Best wishes, and work to keep healthy. CommentsLeave a Reply | Click RSS Icon to automatically follow Andre's Blog.
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