Personal Development;Life Enhancement;Achievement
Posts tagged Health
Can Juice Fasting Eliminate Gout?
Jul 25th
“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.” ~Thomas Jefferson
Today is the 6th day of my juice fast. I committed to fast for at least 60 days – or longer if needed, in order to clear myself of gout symptoms. So how have the first 5 days been? Challenging but do-able!
Since I also stopped all coffee and tea and sodas 5 days ago, I imagine some of the headaches and general feelings of discomfort come from withdrawal from caffeine and other chemicals that I had been habituated to. Anyhow, I have not felt very well since starting the juice fast – but this was expected.
However, discomfort aside, Gout seems to be rapidly decreasing in severity! My left heel has been bothering me on and off for months and my last gout attack, just a few weeks ago, immobilized my right knee – both of these feel much better already! I am encouraged – I think this will do the trick. And as a decent side effect, I have lost 12 pounds of bodyweight in the first 5 days of this juice fast – a very nice side effect!
Till next time…Jack
“The first wealth is health.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Renewed Commitment to Health
Aug 31st
“The part can never be well unless the whole is well.” ~Plato
Thirteen years ago, almost exactly to the day that I am writing this, I quit smoking. I didn’t quit because I got sick. I was a very fit smoker; I would jog four miles at a nice eight minute per mile pace and then light up a cigarette as soon as I finished. I quit for other reasons.
It had been obvious to me for years that I needed to quit. The smell, the expense, the increased risk of cancer – all of these bothered me – but they weren’t enough. I finally stopped because my career as a public speaker, and my beliefs about what it truly meant to live a successful life, and the habit of smoking had become completely incompatible. I just could not continue to talk about success when I was addicted to a substance that I knew was not good for me. So, I quit. It was a horrific process, but I made it thru. Thirteen years later and I have never smoked again.
I did however gain weight after I quit smoking; I gained lots of weight. In the year after I quit smoking I gained nearly ninety pounds of bodyweight and I still carry most of this excess today.
So, I find myself back in a very similar situation to the one that I found myself in thirteen years ago: being overweight and the health consequences of that are no longer compatible with the rest of my life. I have committed to returning to my ideal bodyweight and body-fat percentage within the next twelve months. I don’t know all of how I will accomplish this yet, but I am going to make it happen. Wish me the best and follow along as I travel back in time to a much younger and fitter body. I will be updating my blog weekly with my efforts and my results.
Also, since I am releasing a book about goals and achievement next year, this seemed like a great time and place to use this leverage on myself for myself! More about this process next time.
Till next time faithful reader…Jack
“The greatest wealth is health.” ~Virgil
Ready to Learn the Rules of Life?
Nov 4th
“Life is succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood” ~Helen Keller
I just finished reading “If Life is a Game, These are the Rules” by Cherie Carter-Scott Ph.D and it was a great experience! I am not sure why it took me so long to run across this wonderful little guide-book for life. It was originally published in 1998 and I do read a lot, especially in the fields of self-help and self-development. I am going to assume that I was not ready for the lessons contained in the book until now. (If Cherie should run across this entry, my apology in advance. I just could not figure out how to get that mark over the first “e” in your first name. Sorry about that!)
I am not going to repeat all of the ten lessons from the book; I am going to encourage you to buy a copy to read if you don’t already own one. I do want to share just the first three rules…
Rule One: You Will Receive a Body – You may love it or hate it, but it will be yours for the duration of your life on Earth.
Rule Two: You Will Be Presented With Lessons – You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called “life.” Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Rule Three: There Are No Mistakes, Only Lessons – Growth is a process of experimentation, a series of trials, errors, and occassional victories. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that work.
These three rules really called out to me and in light of my recent illness and my new dedication to the health and vitality of my body, I know that I am ready to learn.
Do yourself a favor – go find this book. Here is a link to Carter-Scott’s website which is also a great education in and of itself.
Till next time faithful readers…Jack
“I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.” ~Eartha Kitt
Fasting, Imagination and Dreams
Jul 13th
“All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams.” ~Elias Canetti
Protein Fasting
I am starting to protein fast again today. It was very effective during the 3 days that I protein fasted 2 weeks ago and I thought I would go for a longer period of time and see how I do. Please understand that I am not recommending that anyone start or go on a fast; this is a huge and challenging commitment and without training and support – likely to be a very unpleasant experience. If you have training and support and a trained medical specialist to work with well – then consider fasting. The health benefits are huge – the psychological challenges are great to overcome, and you will lose weight faster than any other diet.
So, I am going to protein fast for 8 days this time. I will consume only water, protein powder free of carbohydrates and fats, and one essential oil capsule per day. I am going to consume approximately one hundred and eighty five grams of protein each day and at least four liters of water each day. Wish me luck!
A Come As You Will Be Party
My wife and I are having a small “come as you will be party” today. It will be a hoot. We are going to dress and act and talk just as we imagine that we will once we have already achieved our goals for the next five years. I have never participated in this kind of event before and I’m excited. The idea for this comes from chapter twelve of Jack Canfield’s book: The Success Principles. I would put this one on your list of books worth the time to read. I’ll talk more about this event and how it went soon.
There is Power to Change in Dreams
I decided to write down some more reasons to lose fat and get back into optimal health. These are very personal reasons and they excite me. When I think about doing them and achieving them, I feel motivated and motivation is a very good thing indeed while fasting!
Some more things I want to do:
- I want to run with the bulls in Pamplona Spain.
- I want to climb Kilimanjaro in Africa.
- I want to learn to hang-glide.
- I want to learn to parachute jump.
- I want to compete in the Paris to Dakar race.
What do all of these have in common? Well for me, I better be in much better shape to have a decent chance of surviving any of them! How about you? What are your dreams and what do you need to change to make them happen?
Till next time…Jack
“Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions.” ~Edgar Cayce
Health Heroes and Hackers
Jan 19th
“Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.” ~Charles Schulz, Peanuts (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip. Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years without interruption and appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries. Charles M. Schulz’s income during his lifetime is reported in various sources to have totaled more than $1.1 billion and Forbes Magazine has rated Schulz the second “highest paid deceased person” in America (after Elvis Presley), with his estate continuing to garner income totaling more than $32 million since his passing.
Today marks the beginning of my second week of dieting and exercise working towards the goal of returning to my optimal bodyweight and becoming a runner again – both of these goals ideally achieved in 2009. So how did the first week go? I lost 6 pounds and as of this morning weigh 326 pounds. Also, I was introduced to a new free place to walk for exercise in cold weather and I found out that I needed better shoes. Overall I am satisfied with the results of my first week. I will continue to check in with this goal weekly as my year of reclaiming my health continues.
Heroes. I have quite a few, and this entry has quotes from two of them. Charles Schulz, the genius behind the “Peanuts” cartoons, was and remains a favorite of mine. His simple and profound cartoons helped me through a sometimes very lonely and confusing childhood and his works continue to enhance my life today. I was delighted to find a running quote from him. I included just a bit of additional information about this amazing man and his amazing life. I encourage you to learn more.
George Sheehan is a more recent discovery for me and what a gem he was / is! I discovered his book “Running and Being” on one of my frequent used book buying adventures and was captivated. I sprinted through this book, found more, and was saddened to learn of his passing. He gives me hope that at the age of 51, I will recapture my health, as he did at the age of 45. Thanks George – from one of your many fans.
“There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.” ~Dr. George A. Sheehan (November 5, 1918 – November 1, 1993) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his books and writings about the sport of running. His book, “Running & Being: The Total Experience,” became a New York Times best seller. He was a track star at Manhattan College, but did not renew his interest in running until age 45 while living in Rumson, New Jersey. He began running in his back yard (26 loops to a mile) and then started running along the river road during his lunch break wearing long-johns and a ski mask. Five years later, he ran a 4:47 mile, which was the world’s first sub-five-minute time by a 50-year-old. In 1986, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He continued to run until his legs could no longer carry him. During this period he continued to write about his experiences. This time it wasn’t about running, it was about dying. “Going the Distance” was his last book. It was published shortly after his death in 1993.
Finally, I was hacked sometime over the weekend. This is the second time that pitiful hackers, in some demented attempt to prove some level of significance in their lives, have violated my website. Well, you hackers owe me an hour of consulting time – you can send the check to my business address. And remember, karma never sleeps and you are building up some very bad energy indeed! To my readers that also saw the messages of the hackers, my apologies. Technology is getting better at stopping these internet weasels, but is not perfect yet.
“The act of breaking into a computer system has to have the same social stigma as breaking into a neighbor’s house.” ~Ken Thompson
“It is only the inadequacy of the criminal code that saves the hackers from very serious prosecution.” ~Ken Thompson