Clean diet, Clean mind

Man, life has been great lately! I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I am 3 weeks through completing a Whole 30 program, and so far, it has been nothing but exceptional.  Essentially, the rules outline a strict Paleo diet... which, for myself, meant cutting out the oils and added ingredients that had somehow sneaked their way into my diet over the last several months.  Thus far, I've seen an increase in energy and mood, improvement in sleep, and a decrease in brain fog.  Mental clarity is at an all time high, and it's awesome.

Additionally, I can honestly say that this new clarity has spilled over into the rest of my life.  I feel a bit more... "awake".  Removing all of the excess from my diet has unintentionally inspired me to search for reconnection with my mind and body through the most raw, organic, true, unfiltered, and yes, definitely gluten-free means available.

And, as this blog is about that very evolution, I thought today I would share some of these ideas and the accompanying resources I will use to explore them.  In the hopes you might benefit from this list, I've made things simple by categorizing everything into Food, Body, and Mind.  Enjoy.


Reconnecting with Food:
-Completing Whole 30, and doing it a second time after a 3 day break. (Disclaimer: Possible KFC binge on the horizon...)
-Making the transisition from the grocery store to local farmer's markets for 80% of my food
-Improving cooking skills

Reconnecting with Body:
-Attaining true strength with my own body, no added weight, through the Gymnastics Bodies program.
-Running tests through 23andMe and Ubiome
-Finally getting a Septoplasty done so that I can actually breathe during my workouts (this has been a problem for years) - The surgery is scheduled for 3/5.
-Getting outdoors more through various channels.  Through Groupon I've scheduled a day of horse-back riding, and a day of archery range lessons.  I've joined a flag football team at work.  A friend is introducing me to Disc Golf over the weekend.  And so on.

Reconnecting with Mind:
-Pursuing mental improvement through the independent study of a classical liberal education, to include such topics as the Trivium.
-Getting off a Facebook (seriously, it's a time-killer).  I've limited my use to 1xweek on Wednesdays.
-Attempting to complete the increasing pile of books on my nightstand
-Finally taking the time to clean and re-string my acoustic guitar, while learning some new skills in the process.

Cheers!

Currently reading: The Well-Educated Mind
Currently listening to: Cynic

Moving in Nature: A personal account

I decided to do something a little different today.  I have a million ideas for blog posts laying around on my laptop, but after a 2 hour session of exercise at a local park, I felt too good and was too inspired to not write about it.  So, perhaps it was not I that decided to put this post up... but nature itself! Regardless, what you will read below is the end result - A first hand account out of my personal journal, with virtually no editing done, only an hour after returning.

I hope you enjoy.

- Jay

"What an incredible experience.  2 Hours of running around in the woods at the local park with some fellow paleo pals proved to be the most refreshing activity I have done in a long time.  It's exactly what I needed.  My body feels good and grounded.  My head feels clear.  I feel reconnected and rejuvenated.  All thanks to Mother Earth.

I could also not help but to notice some things happening within myself while I was out there.  It all just felt so natural and right.  And there was this sense of longing I seemed to, at some point throughout the years, have masked within my consciousness that was quenched by the woods.  Running, crawling, climbing.  Carrying, jumping.  Working and maneuvering through whatever the landscape had to offer.  It reminded me somewhat of my childhood... playing make-believe Army with my brother and friends in the trees behind our house.  

As we shuttled through the canvas of branches and brush, a long-lost sense of imagination seemed to reignite within my mind.  It renewed a desire within me to explore, to seek adventure at every turn.  And, to be quite honest, it was a little weird.  Not weird enough to outweigh how much fun I had, however.

Needless to say, I cannot wait to get back in the woods."

"Hey man, are you like, flowing?"

Flow.  What does that mean? Does it make you think of surfers in Hawaii, dreaming of tackling monster waves, but only after their ancient master and mentor of the beach ensures the young pupil is ready?

All cheesiness aside, it certainly does for me, and apparently, it does for the team behind the Flow Genome Project as well (http://www.flowgenomeproject.co/).

The premise behind this concept, is that drastic, dangerous activities produce a chemical response in the brain that produces a, "flow state", within human beings.  Or put another way, activities such as surfing, rock climbing, sky-diving, and other similar adrenaline sports, require such immediate and absolute focus, that heightened senses of time and creativity are produced.  These experiences seem to collectively cultivate better health over the long run. 
    
Stop and think about the last time you encountered something in your life that did this.  Anything come to mind? Unless you're a regular at one of the extreme sports I mentioned above, the answer is probably, "...Hold on, give me an extra minute, I'm sure I can think of something."  And for the record, my response is no different.  Sad, really, and it leads me to my next thought.

If we step back in time to the Paleolithic era, and visit our ancestors and observe their way of life, I would think (and I'm not the first to say this), that explaining the concept of the Flow Genome Project to them would be entirely unnecessary.  Think about it.  Hiking up steep mountains, fending off huge cats with fangs then quickly butchering them before some other predator comes lurking around.  All in the name of simply LIVING.  Just to survive, these people most likely encountered extreme, flow-state, chemical-producing instances whether they liked it or not!

Needless to say, this is no longer a requirement for the modern day human (unless you count fending off the hoards of vegans at your local Whole Foods).  And to be honest, this is truly an eye-opener for me that provides yet another aspect to the Paleo lifestyle that just makes sense.  A further evolution of thought in my mind... another piece of the puzzle.

So, I implore you to think about this post.  Whatever activity seems appealing to you, encourage yourself to get out of your comfort zone and get a dose of the good stuff, the stuff that scares you and yes, could possibly kill you.  For me, this entails planning my first sky-diving session in a few months, and I couldn't be more excited about it!

As always, feedback is appreciated - And I would love to hear what activities you will plan to attempt this year in pursuit of optimum health and in the name of finding more "flow".

- Jay

Currently reading: Seat of the Soul, Ender's Game
Currently listening to: Leprous