When discussing health, I don’t mean to imply that you’re being overly harsh on your body and need to relax your lifestyle and choices. Instead, I encourage you to challenge yourself. Humans thrive on challenge; our continued strive and progress have made us dominant on Earth. Stagnation and lethargy are detrimental, leading to pain, disease, and overall problems. A passive approach to healing and hoping issues will disappear without active lifestyle changes is ineffective.
This proactive stance starts with our diet, physical activity, mindset, and rewards. Living with an “it won’t happen to me” attitude can lead to recklessness and unforeseen consequences. It’s believed that with a conscientious lifestyle, one can feel youthful well into their 80s. Aging doesn’t necessitate decline; it’s about living well and consciously, even as we heal slower past our prime.
Consider the life of early humans to understand this concept. Imagine being a hunter, male or female, leaving your family to hunt or gather. Men might track and hunt game, utilizing fruits for energy, while women gather, fish, and teach survival skills. This cooperative, active lifestyle provided essential nutrients and fostered community bonds. Cooking meat, for instance, made nutrients more accessible, aiding brain development and health.
This historical perspective illustrates that being hard on your health means embracing life’s challenges positively. Today’s convenience and processed foods contrast sharply with our ancestors’ active, natural diet. We evolved to thrive on proteins, fats, and minimal carbohydrates, not the high sugars and processed foods prevalent now.
The cycle of life, from plant to predator, is a continuous process that nourishes and sustains us. Acknowledging the sacrifice of the animals and plants we consume is part of respecting this cycle. And while some argue that animal agriculture is more harmful than plant-based approaches, this overlooks the benefits of sustainable, ethical farming. Grass-fed, free-range practices have a significantly lower environmental impact than intensive, plant-based agriculture, which often requires extensive land use, soil degradation, and ecosystem disruption.
In essence, challenging our health means engaging with life actively and mindfully, respecting the natural order, and choosing sustainable practices that honor our bodies and the environment.
References: https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/chiropractic-care-for-pain-relief https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/07/18/the-overwhelming-evidence-of-the-healing-power-of-food/ https://www.drperlmutter.com/new-evidence/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/diagnosis-diet/201903/the-brain-needs-animal-fat https://youtu.be/9k5UEFPGpfU https://youtu.be/hGleeVGS8F8