What is Stress?

Most of the time, the word stress is not clearly defined. Also, keep in mind that the meaning of a word changes with the context. In medical terms, stress is anything that throws off the equilibrium of the body. This brings endless causative factors into this definition of stress; poor sleep, bad diet, physical trauma, chemical toxicity, biological imbalances, and also psychological stressors.

However, most of the time, people hear the word “stress” and instantly think of or refer to psychological stress. In this case, the next question is, what is stress in the psychological sense?

First, let us breakdown, and define the term psycho-logical. Psych, refers to spirit and logical means reason.  Looking to the Serbian language for help, logic or reason is the mental process of connecting the cause to the effect, that’s what it means to understand the reason, “what caused something to happen?”

So, psychological stress is a stress a spiritual being experiences when they cannot understanding something in life, they don’t know why something happened, how to make something happen or more literally, how an effect (experience) was caused. When you can figure something out, psychological stress usually dissolves.

Putting this together, when handling stress, we have the primary objective of first identifying what sort of stress we are experiencing. While psychological is probably the most dominant source of stress people experience, it is not the only stress people deal with.

The second objective in handling stress is understanding the golden ratio. Not all stress is bad, and to completely get rid of stress wouldn’t make much sense. Keep in mind, stress is simply a conflict, a problem, to be exact it is a force, counter-force. So in this way, to get rid of all our problems in life would be foolish because without any challenges, we wouldn’t grow, and at worst, we would be existentially bored.

Therefore, when it comes to stress and problems, there is an optimum ratio of 80:20. Meaning, 80% of our life should be effortless and pleasurable with 20% (maximum) challenging and painful, just enough to make things interesting. Think of it this way, if life were a game (considering we all feel like we are either winning or losing depending on circumstances), then to have a game, we must be able to win or lose in order to make it interesting. If you were playing a game of basketball, if you had no competition, no challenge and were winning with great ease, you wouldn’t have a game. Also, if you were losing without hope, you don’t have a game.

So, an optimal condition is to have enough challenge to make it interesting without too much struggle. You could in essence apply this to all areas of life; your health, relationships, finances, etc. 

With this being said, let’s look at the many ways stress can manifest…

The Different Types of Stress 

• Physical stress: Starting with the good side of physical stress, some enjoyable exercise or physical work is usually helpful. Regular exercise  builds resilience in your body if you will, making your body more capable of handling physical stress. It is also a great way to eliminate excess stress hormone. However, too much exercise and you experience diminishing effects. Then there is obvious harmful physical stress like intense injury, accident, and physical trauma. All of these can suppresses immune function by elevating cortisol and lead to inflammation. And finally, too little exercise and poor posture, can put a stress on a body that is designed to move. This can cause poor breathing, muscle function, circulation, and organ dysfunction.

• Biological/Chemical stress: Interestingly enough, just being alive can be stressful. Take the metabolic system for example; the process of digesting and metabolizing food can create stress. There is usually always some degree of metabolic waste that occurs after eating. Like money, it takes energy to make energy. So like all other stresses, we are striving for the proper balance. In regards to biological or chemical stress, the release of chemicals like hormones and neurotransmitters are necessary for health. For example, when we consume carbohydrates, the body produces serotonin, a brain chemical. Serotonin nourishes our nervous system to a degree, but too much of it can lead act as “excitotoxin” and cause cell death. Other examples of harmful biological or chemical stress include chronically low or elevated blood sugar, autoimmunity, or any hormone or body chemical that is either in excess or a deficiency.

  Other than keeping a proper balance within our biology, there are more obvious harmful chemicals to avoid, such as most synthetic chemicals. These are commonly found in alcohol,drugs, medications, estrogen-mimicking substances and agricultural chemicals like pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. If body is over-burdened by any chemical, it can stress the metabolic, immune and detoxification system to the point of disease. 

• Electromagnetic stress: There are magnetic forces in nature that can help or harm us. The more nourishing of them include moderate exposure to natural sources such as sunlight and the electromagnetic field in the earth. Sunbathing (without burning), walking barefoot outside and just being outdoors are all generally helpful to the body. In the right amounts, they grow our food, balance our hormones, energize us and influence our circadian rhythm.

  Again, as with all stressors when the scales are tipped, things go wrong. In regards to electromagnetic energy, overexposure to sun (sunburn), radiation, too much technology use such as computers, cell phones, and other electrical devices, can all harm the body. The heat from a computer screen can burn eyes and negatively effect our nervous system. Even using the cell phone puts off radiation, which can be felt if you hold it long enough. Therefore, is best to moderate exposure to all of these.

• Mental stress: The mind is an energy producing phenomena, if you’ve ever thought hard enough, you know what I mean. Not to mention, it is our intentions, thoughts, ideas and considerations that project us through life. Using the mind to the point that it is helpful includes using our imagination, setting worthy goals, communicating, sharing ideas and views of life to create harmony. Others include overcoming obstacles, learning new skills, and seeking fulfillment or excellence in a trade.

  Mental stress becomes a problem when we are mentally reactive (act without first looking at whats actually happening), having suppressive or negative thoughts, worrying, hopelessness, and generally thinking less of ourselves. Basically, anytime you are not using your mind and it is using you, its going to feel stressful. More specifically, stress being a force, counter-force, it is more so when we have an idea that is met with a counter idea. Such as wanting to do something, but not wanting to do it at the same time. Other examples include intentions, counter-intentions like “I am going to get married”  but reactively you think “But I am not ever going to find someone to marry.” This force, counter-force is a mental conflict and creates mental pressure and possibly even a major cause of headaches. In my latest book The Fundamentals of Success, I go into detail about mental conflicts and give exercises for handling them once and for all.

• Emotional stress: Emotional stress is similar to mental stress and is actually a byproduct of mental stress. In short, our thoughts create our emotions. If you have the thought “I am no good” you will certainly feel no good, perhaps you will go into grief, sympathy, undeserving, or shame. Emotional stress is actually quiet simple anatomically speaking; it is feeling an emotion that you don’t want to feel (emotion, counter-emotion). It is wanting to feel an emotion that you are not (i.e I want to feel joy, but I feel numb). Also, repressing or suppressing, any feelings is an emotional stress.

  Again, in my newest book The Fundamentals of Success, I go into great detail about the thoughts behind all emotions, how they are created, and what to do to experience greater emotional wellness. I highly recommend this read for anyone who is mentally or emotionally stressed.

• Nutritional stress: As mentioned, digestive and metabolism is a stress. Expanding on that subject, nutrition can be a place for stress in many peoples lives. The “stress” from nutrition boils down to the digestive process. It takes energy, a lot of energy, to digest our food. The stress comes from metabolizing the food and using its energy as your own, extracting the nutrients and assimilating them into the body are also a healthy stress for the body. We cannot avoid eating, which would really create a biological stress. We simply want to eat foods that are easy to digest, creating the least metabolic waste possible. In my online course Perfect Digestion,

  On the other hand, eating foods that are highly difficult to digest, eating too much or too little, or eating foods that contain little to no nutrition can create a major stress on the body. To refine, nutritional stress comes down to eating something that is taking more energy from you than you are gaining from the food. That is why most fast-foods and junk foods are so stressful on the body – they are usually very hard to digest, not a biocompatible food and therefore put our bodies into a stressed state. 

• Thermal stress: Last but not least, temperature can be a cause of stress on the body. Keeping our body temperature at its desired 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is a major biomarker for good metabolic function. Usually a reading below 97.8 – 98.6 F strongly indicates hypothyroid. When the body temperature fluctuates too much outside of this point, the thermoregulatory part of the metabolic system becomes stressed. The body has to draw its energy stores and release stress hormones to keep us balanced.  Keeping the thyroid healthy with a diet that has an optimal calcium to phosphorus ratio, one rich in organ meats, gelatin/collagen, and low in PUFA is a good place to start. And of course, keeping the temperature in living environment in a good range is key. 

Internal and External Stress

Simplifying stress as a phenomena, you could say that all stress is a conflict; two opposing forces of equal strength. In other words, stress is pressure. Applied to the physical, when the body is injured, upon impact, there is a pressure, two opposing forces and it creates physical stress. This can be applied across the board of stressors, mental stress is the result of two opposing ideas, thoughts. Emotional stress is opposing feelings (wanting to feel good when feeling badly).

From this point of view, all stress usually has two components, two forces and these can be either internal or external. So, sometimes we are creating our own stress by resisting, fighting back. For example, suppressing your own emotions is an emotional stress created by us, internally. Other times, the stress is generated from the outside, by another person or by the environment. For example, wanting to see your girlfriend but she lives across the country. The physical distance opposes your intention.

• External: These are forces that come from the outside such as sunlight, physical impact such as injury, environmental toxins, chemicals, pathogens or another person that either stop or oppose your intention. Relationships can fall into this category, which involve another person who can inhibit, reject or oppose you.

• Internal: These are forces that occur inside of the body, mind or spirit, they are often a reaction to external stress.

Relieving Stress 

As you can see, stress occurs in multiple areas of life. It can occur physically in many ways, but also mentally and emotionally. Most of us have used the phrase “I’m stressed,” and are typically associating it with mental and emotional stress. We have an idea that we’re stressed but not quite sure where it’s really coming from; is it sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, toxic relationships, disease and imbalance in the body, or overexposure to thermal and magnetic stress? Finding out the source of our stress is key to achieving balance in the nervous system. The idea is that the more stress your body is under, the more stress hormones it will produce. When the body is over-burdened by too much stress from external or internal reasons, eventually it has no time to produce adequate levels of repair hormones to keep the body healthy and rebuild it. If we approach stress from a one-sized fits all approach we might overlook how our unique lifestyle is creating our stress load. Below I will share a few tips to balance these stressors from a holistic approach

• • Identify Your Primary Stressor: You can’t solve a problem without knowing what the problem is. If I tell you “the answer is 5”, am I right or am I wrong? Well, that depends on the question. Knowing the right question is more important than the answer. In fact, a problem only persists because there is something not being looked at. In other words, many people spend time trying to solve the wrong problems and therefore do not get the problem solved. For example, I see many clients who are trying to solve a particular health problem with diet. However, their diet is fine, many times their diets are excellent, but they have an unresolved psychological stress they aren’t dealing with.  As another example, if you are having a relationship problem that’s persisting, you can talk about all sorts of things and get nowhere, because you aren’t talking about the right thing. If you are unsure if a person wants to be with you, but you’re talking about everything under the sun except for asking them if they want to be with you or not, you will feel unresolved. This applies to all problems; you have to find the right problem before you get the right answer. Some people are highly nutritionally stressed (they eat poor diets) but are otherwise rather mentally or emotionally stable people. Some people are highly financially stressed but eat amazing diets and exercise properly. Others are rich and have no stress economically but do not exercise enough. So as you can see, finding your unique stress is key to handling stress. You might be able to determine your unique stress just by evaluating your life after reading this blog. Once you determine your primary stress, it is a simple matter of removing opposing forces. In other words, take proactive steps to remove what is countering you. If it is nutritional stress, you remove the junk food. If you’d like to learn more about this, I recommend my online course Perfect Digestion, which expands on this subject matter in more detail. If you know your mostly mentally, emotionally stressed, I go into detail on how to resolve this in my book The Fundamentals of Success.
    
  • Gelatin: If  your stress is biological/chemical or if your psychological stress has prolonged to the point of causing a health problem, you will want to resolve that as well. Biologically speaking, stress is an energy problem that inhibits proper metabolic function that leads to the series of hormonal and metabolic reactions that are associated with biological stress (lipolysis, glycolysis, increased serotonin, cortisol, estrogen, prolactin, leaky capillaries, protein catabolism, etc.) In fact, the capillaries are among the first tissues to be damaged by chronic stress. And one very simple thing you can do to help mitigate the effects of stress in the body is by consuming a generous supply of glycine, the amino acid most abundant in gelatin and collagen. Glycine has a great variety of antistress actions. Glycine is recognized as an “inhibitory” neurotransmitter, and promotes natural sleep (a great agent for remedying stress). Used as a supplement, it apparently has a kind of calming, restorative protective antistress action. It has known abilities to fight fibrosis, free radical damage, inflammation, cell death from ATP depletion or calcium overload, mitochondrial damage, and even diabetes. Glycine has an inhibitory effect that opposes many stress hormones like cortisol and estrogen. It also modulates the cytokines and “chemokines” that are involved in so many inflammatory and degenerative diseases, especially tumor necrosis factor (TNF), nitric oxide (NO), and prostaglandins.  There are a few ways to reap the anti-stress effects of glycine. First, you can take a prepared powdered gelatin doesn’t require any cooking, and dissolve it in hot water, coffee or it can be incorporated into custards, mousses, ice cream, soups, sauces, cheese cake, pies, etc., or mixed with fruit juices to make desserts or gummies.

  • Sleep: There is a strong connection between sleep, stress and metabolism. In short, high quality, deep-sleep is one of the few times our bodies completely regenerate and go into a deep state of homeostasis. Poor sleep, sleep disorders and sleep loss is highly prevalent in the modern world. Underlying mechanisms show that stress is involved in the relationship between sleep and metabolism through hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activation. Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are associated with maladaptive changes in the HPA axis, leading to neuroendocrine dysregulation. Excess of glucocorticoids increase glucose and insulin and decrease adiponectin levels. In other words, when we are sleeping our bodies can secrete stress hormones. In a healthy body, they are off-set by thyroid hormone, HGH and other anti-stress hormones. The trick is, bad sleep can cause poor metabolic function and increased stress, and stress can cause bad sleep, creating a vicious cycle. So, the quality of our sleep can make a huge difference in how stressed our bodies are, not just biologically, but poor sleep can inhibit good cognitive function and emotional stability. However, we have the ability to create an environment that promotes good sleep, and therefore prevent stress and promote regeneration. For tips on getting great sleep, read this blog post.
    
  • Scalp Massage: Another simple, science-backed method for decreasing stress is with a daily scalp massage. In study, a 15-minute daily scalp massage was found to significantly decrease stress hormone levels, namely epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol. 1

Yet, despite all of the benefits excising can have, it is also true that too much can be harmful. It is especially true for women seeking to become pregant that too much exercise is not helpful and may even lead to issues with fertility. 

This Universal Law of Diminishing Returns extends through all areas of life; too much of even a good thing can have negative effects. Therefore, our goal with exercise, which in Chinese Medicine, would be considered a Yang activity, must be balanced with equal Yin.

Before we get into exactly how to do that, that’s talk about how exactly excessive exercise and the relentless pursuit for that fitness model physique may be causing infertility in women today.

THE PROBLEMS OF OVEREXERCISING

I’ll being by saying that the problem of too much exercise is not one for many, simply because a large amount of people are not exercising enough and in particularly, not intensely enough.

I once heard a mystic breakdown health into a very simple phenomena; if you aren’t healthy then consider this, are you moving your body enough or too much? If you move your body a lot and are not healthy then the solution is simply; stop moving so much. On the other hand, if you are unwell and don’t move enough, then move more.

Ayurveda, TCM and other bodies of Eastern Medicine see that health and all of life can be broken down into the simple phenomena of In and Out, Cause and Effect, Yin and Yang, etc.

Today, most people are not simply using their bodies enough. Everything is done for them, they don’t need to cook, clean, hunt or gather food, they don’t need to do much of anything. In result of this failure to use the body, people are often overthinking, using their brains way too much, and stressed mentally to capacity.

This combination of lack of physical movement and an excess of mental and emotional activity leads to disease in the body because the body was designed to move instinctually, not to think so much. While ration, logic and reason can be incredibly helpful, it becomes obsolete in the presence of intuition, pure knowingness, feeling and instinctual movement.

In the words of Alan Watts, it appears the decline of man has come since the development of the neocortex, causing man to become TOO aware of himself, to the point of questioning anxiety, “am I doing this right, too much, not enough???”

Without further philosophical though on the subject, the take away is that everything in our human existence can be fundamentally simplified. The more complex we make things, the more difficult they are to manage and therefore, end up handling us. This is perfectly demonstrated through the subject of physical movement. Once upon a time, the most natural and intuitive experience, is now a dedicated field of science, study and even career. I am here to tell you, it is so much more simple than it has been made to be. In a few words, the secret to healthy exercise is balance.

So, the problems with exercise are really problems of imbalance; when exercise/movement becomes deficiency or excessive, we run into issues.

When your body is under too much stress of any sorts, it begins to shutdown. What many people fail to realize is that exercise is a form of stress. All stress can be defined as force, counter-force. 

When we engage in “working out”, we are welcoming stress, that is the whole goal, to have another force counter our own force and effort. This is the anatomy of resistance, two opposing forces of equal mass. Placing a heavy weight on your shoulders and squatting is an example of a force countering your effort. This resistance or stress, helps the muscle build strength and resilience.

The problem arises due to the fact that the muscular-skeletal system isn’t the thing that experiences stress, the nervous system responds as well. When the body undergoes stress, resistance of pressure, the CNS (central nervous system), goes into a sympathetic state and secretes stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline and others to overcome the stress. This is helpful only to the point that the nervous system isn’t already overly sympathetic.

However, most people’s nervous systems are already overly sympathetic. Going back to a previous statement, a majority of people today have a nervous system that is hyperactive due to a large list of social pressures, along with mental and emotional stressors. Add in the variety of other stressors including dietary stress (wrong diet, or diet laden with toxins), heavy metals in the water, drugs and medications, electromagnetic stress, thermal stressors, and sleep deprivation induced stress, and what we have is a highly stressed out nervous system.

While normally intense physical activity would help build the body’s resilience to stress, in the case that the nervous system is already firing off large amounts of stress hormones, the additional physical activity only adds to the overall stress load.

So, add up the many ways people experience chronic stress today with the additional stress of exercise, which is further worsened if you’re not eating enough or the right foods to compensate for all the energy being used up to manage the stress responses and you have a recipe for fatigue and infertility. Essentially, in the case of chronic stress (non-stop stress compared to a healthy balance of stress) and your brain is going to figure that it is not a good time to have a baby.

When the body is in a chronic sympathetic state, as is the case when one is chronically stressed (excessively Yang) the body secretes only stress/yang hormones. These hormones are helpful when secreted at the appropriate times. For example, stress hormones cortisol are anti-inflammatory, they help promote healing. Norepinephrine is a fat-burning hormone. But when they are being chronically secreted, they have a negative effect on other hormones, especially reproductive hormones.

Remember, hormones are chemical messages, they are chemical expressions of consciousness. When your body is in a constant sympathetic state it is secreting hormones that tell the brain “we’re busy right now, we need a lot of free energy so shut down digestion, reproduction and anything else using energy so we can fight and survive.” And that is exactly what happens.

To summarize, you’ll know if you are pushing the body too far, you’ll be missing periods, a condition known as amenorrhea, you’ll start to demonstrate symptoms of excessive cortisol production and classic signs of hyperthyroidism (Yang excess). Over time, your hypothalamus will stop communicating to the ovaries to produce sufficient amounts of progestrogrone, DHEA and estrogen that’s necessary for menstruation and ovulation. These are tell-tale signs of potential infertility, and can have long-term health consequences, such as PCOS, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, osteoporosis and even cardiovascular disease due to the chronic inflammation one will experience from excessive exercise, adrenal burn out (low cortisol production) and hypothyroidism.

So, it is not exercise itself that causes infertility, healthy exercise (which we will define and discuss later) is one of the best things you can do for your health. Infertility is a symptom of excessive stress of any sort (exercise being just one form), overtraining and under eating, being significantly underweight or overweight, a broken digestive system and metabolism (a symptom of too much stress) and other factors, all of which can be traced back to excessive activity that leads to chronic inflammation in the body.

Fertility & Exercise

Just to be clear, a recent study on fertility and exercise points out the obvious underlying issues of imbalance. They study two things:

• Women who were overweight or obese, found that increased physical activity and exercise improved fertility. 1
• Women or ‘normal’ weight or underweight found that increased vigorous exercise (especially cardiovascular activity) decreased fertility and led to delays in becoming pregnant. 2

This information is really nothing new; it has been known for a while that strenuous exercise causes disruption to a woman’s menstrual cycle, and can even cause women to completely lack ovulation and menses, giving rise to many fertility problems.

This is the most common amongst female athletes who engage in competitive sport, long-distance running, triathletes and marathon runners. The common denominator in all of these; excessive, chronic cardiovascular activity, which leads to chronic inflammation.

Aside from causing hormonal havoc due to chronically elevated stress hormone and HPA burnout, it is suggested that high-intensity exercise disturbs implantation (when a fertilized egg attaches to the uterus).

However, on the other hand, balanced, moderate exercise, executed according to one’s personal stress load can improve menstruation, fertility, and the chances of becoming pregnant.

In conclusion, given the stressful nature of very vigorous exercise, which I define as long-distance running, fast cycling, swimming, and jogging for more than five hours a week, it is best for everyone to avoid these types of exercises that are known to cause elevated cortisol production, chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalance and eventually infertility.

However, in the case that you are a woman who is overweight and greatly lacking in any sort of physical activity, it is imperative to increase your level of physical activity to improve fertility health. Just keep in mind that less is more when it comes to exercise and you do not need to kill yourself exercising trying to lose weight.

WHY LESS IS MORE

Despite the “no pain, no gain” myth, you do not need to spend as much time exercising as you were told. When it comes to exercise, like most other things, it is a matter of quality over quantity.

As we have covered in detail; exercise is  a stress and therefore, we want to keep that window of stress hormone production to a minimum. This will help us increase our adaptability and resilience to stress without overproducing stress hormone and weakening our immunity.

So long as you are willing to in authentic vigorous effort when you do exercise, you will reap more benefits within a shorter time span.

The reason for this is simple; the longer you workout, the most stress hormones your body produces and the more lactic acid your body produces, which your kidneys and liver have to eliminate. Eventually, in the case of too much exercise, you hit a line of diminishing returns. This is a point in which you’ve gone beyond the balance of give and take. Exercise is supposed to give us energy to withstand stress, at the expense of some of our own energy. This is how the universe works, and this is how our metabolic system works; you gotta give some to get some. 

When you over do this; such in the case of overeating, oversleeping or over exercising, you run into obvious negative consequences.

On the other hand, when you exercise to the point of increased energy, such as in the case of high-intensity interval training, super slow eccentric strength training, vigorous dancing, or other exercises were you give your full and complete effort 20 minutes, on and off, you reap reward.

These types of exercises dramatically cut down on your exercise time, reduce the production of stress hormones while maximizing the release of HGH (human growth hormone), testosterone (anabolic, fat-burning, muscle building, sex hormone) and other youth hormones. 3

This is simply the result and reward of using your body as it was designed to be used.

ACHIEVING EXERCISE BALANCE

For those of you who desire to embark on one of the most honorable, respectable and divine abilities of woman and become pregnant, I deeply admire your courage. For those of you who enjoy routine exercise and physical training but wish to avoid the potential negative consequences, here are some smart tips to help you do both:

1. Avoid Over-training & Under-eating: A 135-pound female with 20 to 25 percent body fat who is training with high intensity daily needs to eat a minimum of 1900 to 2000 calories a day to maintain fertility. The thyroid plays a huge role in fertility health and exercising without eating enough can lead to sluggish thyroid production. To avoid this, make sure your diet has adequate levels of healthy fat and protein. Also, be sure to get in more carbohydrates than usual when exercising, you’ll need them for thyroid function. Just make sure you go easy on fiber, which in excessive amounts can interfere with ovulation. Some of the best carb sources include organic sweet potatoes, cassava, burro banana, organic white rice, authentic wild rice, homemade sourdough bread, and organic berries.

2. Get Enough Rest & Sleep: Ultimately, we must balance Yang with Yin. If you are going to train hard or exercise frequently, then you need to make sure you rest and recover equally. Sleep is the single most restorative activity we can engage it; nothing promotes such a deep state of homeostasis and self-repair like quality REM sleep. It is through proper sleep, at the correct times (10-4am especially), that our body secretes HGH hormone, self-repair enzymes and goes through the process of physical and neurological regeneration.

So, if you wish to engage in daily and routine exercise because you love it, then you should know just as much about sleep as you do exercise. A good place to start is by reading this blog post. If you are doing any of these things before bed, you’re ruining your results.

3. Exercise in Intervals: Apply high-intensity interval training and Peak Fitness exercises to all of your intense workouts. When done properly, it will trigger the release of human growth hormone (HGH), also known as “the fitness hormone,” or “youth hormone”, which accounts for graceful aging, healthy recovery and more. 

Overall, be honest and aware of your current fitness level and stress levels. Remember, the take away from this post is don’t overdo it! This is especially true for when you first start out. Also keep in mind that success is measured by the individual, based on your current level of fitness, health and stress load (balance of Yin and Yang activity.) If you are overweight, have adrenal and thyroid issues and are generally overly stress, you might reach their anabolic threshold by walking. Others may need to perform sprints and heavy lifting to get the same effect.

The key indicator of a healthy, effective workout is going to be gauged by how you feel after. Despite myth, never workout until you are exhausted, this will lead to the depletion of your Jing and further stress. End your workouts once you have gained new energy. This will ensure you put in enough effort without overdoing it.

The reason this type of training works and is used amongst Olympic Gymnasts is due to the fact that it mimics how our ancestors lived and how animals live in the wild. Remember, our bodies are ex-wild animals, the body is a biological being, it is made up of bacteria just like wild animals. This is also how children behave; they do not “workout” they move vigorously, intuitively and completely balanced by spontaneous naps and frequent leisure. Exercising in these short bursts of explosive activity, rather than running, jogging or moving at a constant low-level rate, will promote optimum health and avoid the damaging effects of chronic stress. That being said, workout in this fashion about two to three times a week or even better, when you actually have the energy to workout – never working “out” when you do not have the internal, authentic energy to do so. Never force yourself.

For a side note: if you are seeking to get pregnant, keep in mind that you will need slightly higher body fat stores to be in the optimal range of health! Reproductive hormones are comprised of FAT and cholesterol, you need fat to produce healthy hormones.

WHAT TO EAT POST-WORKOUT TO OPTIMIZE FERTILITY

Nutrition is one of the most important factors in good health and can either improve or destroy your fitness results. In fact, in a hierarchy, before fitness and movement, stress levels, sleep, and right nutrition precede movement.

One tip is to avoid consuming fructose after you exercise. Yes, avoid fruit. While most bodybuilders and athletes will tell you to eat carbs post workout to replenish glycogen, it is not smart to eat fruit, which contains fructose. Consuming fructose after a workout will increase production of the hormone somatostatin, a primary purpose of which is to inhibit the production of HGH.

Increasing HGH through high-intensity interval exercise is an important factor for optimizing health, longevity and fertility. Therefore, I suggest you avoid refined sugar and fructose before and especially after workouts.

If you are seeking to optimize your fertility then consuming some carbs, will be wise. However, preferably make those carbs dextrose-based, which are high-starch foods that are quickly broken down into dextrose by the natural functions of the body. These include foods like potatoes and white rice. Ideally, cook and cool your starches to develop prebiotic, resistant starch that will digest more efficiently in the body. To save time, you can add Prebiotic+ to a post workout shake. This is one of my favorite products by Natural Stacks.

OTHER TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING FERTILITY

It is estimated that 1 in 6 American couples struggle to get pregnant, and I will say right now the this is on behalf of both sexes. Sperm quality and quantity has significantly dropped in the last 10 years due to estrogen mimicking substances in the food, air, water and environment, amongst other factors. With that being said, I could not recommend enough that anyone seeking to become pregnant read the book Brighton Baby Method. It is one of the most informative books I have ever read, and I have read over 2,000…

So, with fertility decreasing each year and birth defects rapidly rising, there’s something very obvious and apparent that is wrong. This is key evidence that our lifestyles, diets and environments are becoming highly unnatural. After all, birth is one of the most natural phenomenon of all.

Not only are we exposed thousands of toxins each and every day, but most people consume prescribed drugs, eat foods that shouldn’t be allowed to be called food, 80% of people have digestive systems that don’t work, leading to nutrient deficiencies linked to reduced fertility, most people have endocrine imbalances, hormonal problems, not to mention are mentally and emotionally stressed due to unfurling jobs, relationships and are generally struggling to survive in a world that might very well be designed to be an unhappy place. All these things together equate to a recipe for ill health and infertility. 

Because our health and wellness is built upon the effortless communication throughout the body, with our selves, others and the entire universe, we cannot rely on conventional treatments that do not address these root causes of infertility.

These root causes include the things I just mentioned, which make up the wholeness of a person, they are things like: nutritional deficiencies, toxin exposure, chronic stress, food intolerances, allergies, digestive problems, liver congestion, immune deficiencies, mental and emotional turmoil and more.

These critical factors are the foreground for life and therefore effect the quality of your eggs and sperm, and your overall ability to conceive, reproduce and give life to a new being. It is simple, our off spring are made of us; not just our sperm and eggs. Our reproductive fluids, glands, and organs are just parts of the whole. If we are not healthy overall, how can we expect to give life to a healthy being? Which brings us to a final fact, fertility IS health. However, in the Western World, we have cut everything into specialized fragments to the point that we have someone bought into an idea that we could be healthy and infertile. But the truth is, the level of our fertility health is in direct proportion to the level and quality of our overall health.

To be specific, during the generation and maturation of gamete cells (sperm and ovum) that produce an embryo, everything that you and your partner are form that embryo. That includes everything ingest, inhale, are exposed to and even think and feel will make up and determine the health of your eggs and sperm that will ultimate determine the quality of the raw genetic materials that are passed onto your child.

Therefore, it is of upmost importance that you prepare way ahead of time. Mot people falsely think that the time of healthy changes come once they conceive and are pregnant. however, everything that you are is a result of everything you have been and done for years prior. Hence the importance of following an intelligent preconception plan for a minimum of 1-3 years before conception. Remember, your future baby is a 50-50 product of you and your partner; so the question is, what are you two made of?

While I ultimately recommend reading the book Brighton Baby for a much more in-depth protocol, and for the sake of brevity in this post keep this post. here are some holistic tips to consider for optimizing your fertility health:

• Optimize your vitamin D levels: Thyroid function is a major determining factor in fertility health and a healthy child. One of the key nutrients for thyroid function is vitamin D3. Vitamin D effects fertility in multiple ways, it improves the balance of progesterone and estrogen in women, which helps regulate menstrual cycles and improves your likelihood of conception. In men, vitamin D is essential for the healthy development of sperm cells. It improves semen quality and sperm quantity and motility. Vitamin D also helps raise healthy testosterone levels. I recommend getting this vitamin the safe way with optimal sun exposure. Supplementing without the proper balance of K2 and vitamin. To learn more about the benefits of Sun, read this post. 
• Avoid GMOs: These “non-foods” not only are non-compatible for the human metabolic system, they contain significant concentrations of the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, which is known to cause infertility, androgyny and other issues of the reproductive system. The top GMO foods include wheat, sugar beets, corn, soy, zucchini, papaya, cotton and canola. Buy organic or better yet, befriend or become a farmer.
• Avoid the Toxic Chemicals: Our environment is becoming increasingly toxic, many common household products contain estrogen-mimicking compounds like Bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, fluoride (in drinking water), MSG, and many, many others, all which are known to negative impacts on your reproductive health.
• Consume a Wholesome Diet: In short, you want a diet that is 100% organic and homegrown. Make sure it features mostly low-carb veggies, rich in antioxidants, along with healthy animal protein and fats and generally low in sugar and grains. Avoid all industrial animal products (meat, eggs, dairy, and fish), which are heavily contaminated with endocrine disruptors, PCBs and mercury. Instead, only eat locally raised, organic and pastured meat, dairy and eggs. Choose wild-caught cold-water fish like salmon, sardines and anchovy, which contain little to no mercury.  I recommend supplementing with a high-quality purified fish or krill oil. Make your diet 50% raw, mostly your meat, dairy and eggs being raw. Be sure to cook all cruciferous veggies and generally eat a diet that is warming. Soups and bone broths are fantastic foods, they warm the womb and bring in reproductive fluids. I recommend the dietary principles of Sri Lankan tradition.
• Eliminate Food Intolerances: Celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and other food intolerances have linked to fertility problems in both sexes. In men, consuming foods you are intolerant to can cause abnormal sperm, lower sperm numbers, altered shape, and reduced function. Men with untreated celiac disease usually have lower testosterone levels. In general, consuming foods you are intolerant too will cause chronic inflammation and immune hyperactivity. Take a food allergy test or IGF test to determine food intolerance or try an elimination diet. The foods that cause the most issues are eggs, dairy, nuts/seeds, legumes and nightshades.
• Reduce EMF exposure: Recent research suggests that cell phones and laptop use on the lap can negatively impact sperm quality. EMFs are electromagnetic fields that essentially fry the sperm cells and mutate DNA. Eliminate use of these things, keep use to a minimum of 2 hours a day and spend plenty of time outdoors! Also, switch all lightbulbs to full spectrum and shut off Wifi at night.

Final Considerations

Let us look to the wisdom of ancient Chinese, Indian and Sri Lankan people. In nature, pregnancy and womb man body is nurturing, warming, holding and embracing. All beautiful qualities that can be and often are lost and in today’s Western World.

It seems through social engineering, programming and media women have began to fear a natural, “womanly” shape. I personally blame Instagram, Hollywood and the modeling Industry. In my opinion, the glorification of fitness models, celebrities and “stars” is an invalidation to the “normal” person. If we keep giving praise to these people, how can we ever see and recognize the satisfaction and gratitude for our own lives?

To each their own, we all have the right to be, do or have whatever we please. However, there is an obvious sense of inferiority that many women feel by comparing themselves to photoshopped images of women who spend their entire lives dieting, exercising for the sole purpose of looking good in a photo.

All in all, the relentless pursuit of the fitness model physique may be aesthetically pleasing to some portion of the brain, but it is an unnatural form, which may very well cause physical complications within the abdominal wall and womb.

For women, the womb is the source and end of all Qi (vitality) in the body. This tells me that the womb is an area of delicacy and strength. It needs to be treated with respect, not force.

My wish is that women reading this can at the least see that comparing their bodies to images that are false is a sure way to create suffering. Also, that their bodies as is, are completely beautiful. Both men and women need a value adjustment; away from vanity (rooted in insecurity) and toward the creation of wholesome LIFE to come, rooted in healthy, vitality and nature.

Taking a look into our mouths we find there are 32 teeth with 32 vertebrae in the spine and each are connected to one another. Not just that, but every tooth and vertebrae are connected to specific organ systems within the body.

When we fail to keep our mouths clean our immune system starts to suffer. Likewise, if we do not care for our digestive systems and organs, our teeth can suffer, leading to a vicious cycle of problems. In fact, periodontal disease (bleeding gums) has been linked to a host of health problems, including diabetes, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia, placental infections, infertility even cancers of the blood. 1

Bleeding gums are caused by a species of pathogenic bacteria known as spirochetes in the mouth. They literally eat away at the gum lining causing them to bleed. As this progresses, we find that overtime as we eat, we release a micro-amount of pathogens into the blood stream for the immune system to handle.

Diet & Dental Problems

Many people are voluntarily giving themselves gum disease, tooth decay and the dental problems without knowing. Research has shown time and time again that sugars, including fruit sugar and “healthy sugars” alter the pH of the mouth. A lowered pH in the mouth leads to the overgrowth of harmful pathogens like Streptococcus mutants, which promote dental plaque and is often the cause of street throat. 2

However, how many doctors treat strep throat by addressing dental hygiene and overall immunity? Typically, strep is treated with a round of antibiotics that simply knock out ones immunity, never addressing the root, lifestyle problems like a high-carb, sugary diet, stress and other factors that lower immunity.

Foods That Cause Tooth Decay & Gum Disease

Sometimes a “healthy diet” isn’t enough for keeping the teeth healthy. And if our diet isn’t supporting dental health, then is it really supporting our overall health? I’d say no.

Many people have turned to veganism and vegetarianism for a solution to their health problems. Yet, many people’s motives for being vegan are incorrect. Let’s get the dirt facts…

First, there is no such thing as veganism anywhere else in Nature. Going beyond the animal kingdom, right down to the very soil that plant-life comes from we find an almost cannibalistic relationship occurring between organisms.

Lady Eve Balfour, founder of the British Soil Association discovered in her research that soil organisms liquefy minerals and feed them to the plants they are associated with in trade for the plants sugary sap. In other words, soil organisms actually eat “plants milk”. Not just that, we find that the mycorrhiza fungi actually cast filament nets in loops around their symbiotic partner plants with the explicit intent of capturing, killing and eating predatory parasites that want to eat their partner plants.

Once one of these pathogens are capture by the fungi their organs are eaten first and given to their partner plant in exchange of the sugary sap.

What does this mean? It means that over 85% of the plants eaten by vegans and vegetarians are actually carnivorous. So if a vegan eats a carnivore, does that mean they’re still vegan? Talk about a paradox…

Not to mention, plants are living, feeling creatures too. For all the compassionate vegans, consider that for a moment – plants have feelings too – how do you think those plants feel being ground to death in your Omega Juicer?

Moving on, let us have a look at how farming works on a microscopic level. Due to the nature of soil organisms as we just learned, we find that soil that has natural decay from a variety of animals, including the meat, blood, hair etc. and plant scraps is produces the healthiest soil, right down to the bacterial diversity.

Crops grown in strictly vegetarian soils (farm land that has little to no compost, rotation, crop variety and little to no natural death of animals) suffer significantly compared to crops grown on “composts” comprised of a variety of both plant and animal scraps. The immune systems of the soils of the ladder are much stronger and produce significantly healthier soil and plants. And where do we find soil like this? Well, right out in the wild of Mother Nature of course, where the circle of life once thrived in symbiosis.

It’s also important to mention the obvious self-sabotage that occurs on a vegan or vegetarian diet. Weston A. Price discovered through his 30 years of travel and experimentation that no single indigenous culture on the planet was strictly vegan or vegetarian, all consumed some form of animal product and many praised them. The unhealthiest cultures were gauged by their dental health – a major indicator of health. What he found was that the cultures that swayed more to a vegan and vegetarian diet (not by choice but by circumstance) were nutrient deficient, infertile and physiologically imbalanced. Today we find the same, that vegans and vegetarians show higher amounts of the following health problems:

• Depression
• Nutrient Deficiencies – omega fatty acids, protein, zinc, iron, and b-12
• Tooth decay
• Weight gain
• Hormonal imbalance – adrenal fatigue & thyroid disorders
• Infertility, Low Sex Drive, Etc.

How Plant-based B-12 Causes B-12 Deficiencies

The 1-5 Year Vegan High: The Junkie in Disguise

Sometimes a person can will their way a few years through misguided veganism before their high wears off. There are a few reasons for this. First, b-12 can store in the body for a few years before it is depleted and the negative side effects kick in. These symptoms include anemia, impaired eyesight, panic attacks, schizophrenia, hallucinations and nervous disorders, anxiety, depression, fatigue, loss of balance and poor circulation. One study found that a very high percentage of inmates in psychiatric wards suffers from low serum levels of B12. 1 Another study shows Vitamin B12 deficiencies in breast-fed infants of strict vegetarians. 2

Additionally, as many vegans put their own health at risk for the fractionated perspective and illusion of saving the planet, they are supported for a short time via the process of gluconeogenesis. This is a process in which the stress hormone cortisol increases to catabolize protein to feed to the brain. Part of the process involves the secretion of adrenaline – another stress hormone.

The result, is a euphoric junkie in disguise as a world saving super hero, completely unaware of their self-created adrenaline high. Eventually their adrenals fail and after about a year they start to have significant hormonal problems and eventually begin to display the classic burnt-out junkie appearance.

Calcium Deficiencies – Tooth Decay & Osteoporosis 

So, you can get protein from a vegan diet (ideally well-cooked potatoes, mushrooms and fruit) and you can get your intestines healthy enough to produce their own b-vitamins; however, calcium is more challenging for vegans. Few foods contain dietary calcium, mostly diary foods, some well-cooked leafy greens and nettle leaf. On the other hand, ALL foods contain the competing mineral phosphorus.

This makes it very easy to have chronically higher phosphorus to calcium, which is not good. When the phosphate is chronically higher than the dietary calcium, there is an increased functioning of parathyroid hormone and prolactin and those tend to overload the cells with calcium increasing nitric oxide leading to the loss of energy and inflammation that retards the regeneration of the body. Not to mention, prolactin and parathyroid rob calcium from the hard tissues (bones and teeth), putting vegans or anyone calcium deficient at a greater risk for osteoporosis and tooth decay – something very prevalent in the vegan community.

Cholesterol Deficiencies – Low Sex Drive, Infertility & Hormonal Imbalance

Summarizing so far; vegans can get adequate protein if they avoid grains/legumes and go for potatoes, mushrooms and fruits. They can also get b-vitamins, and if they’re consuming at least 2 cups of well cooked kale a day, they can even avoid low calcium. However, the major and unavoidable problem you will face on a vegan diet is the lack of dietary cholesterol.

First off, yes, the liver does produce some cholesterol, but usually not enough for optimal hormonal production. This is because stress increases the cells need for cholesterol and well, most people today are stressed. Secondly, eating dietary cholesterol is actually inversely related with high cholesterol. You see, high cholesterol is caused by two things that have nothing to do with eating it.

The thyroid hormone is responsible for the cellular utilization of cholesterol, so hypothyroid is going to impair the cells ability to use cholesterol, causing it to become elevated in the blood. Next, the liver has the major job of excreting unused or excess cholesterol. So liver impairments going to cause high cholesterol too, which can be caused by having a protein and carbohydrate deficient diet, amongst other things.

Getting back to the point – only animal foods contain dietary cholesterol, so vegans will forever be deficient in cholesterol. And guess what you need cholesterol for? Producing your hormones.

All hormones start off with cholesterol, which is then synthesized with vitamin A (retinol from animal foods), and turned into DHEA (the mother hormone, that creates all other hormones. So, a diet devoid of cholesterol usually means low androgen hormone production and a consequential increased reliance on stress hormones like cortisol. This explains the low sex drive and fertility issues vegans tend to experience, as well as low energy, thyroid issues and adrenal issues.

Good Meat vs. Bad Meat

Paradoxically, the research of Weston A. Price shows us that the healthiest and longest lived people did not exclude animal products from their diets. They did however consume more plants than animals, they fished and hunted, ate a wide variety of foods that were local, seasonal and from the wild of their own backyards, had community, tribes and family and essentially were a part of a much bigger life game.

Veganism or other dietary isms; you could say, are small life games usually played by an individual. Even the environmentalist vegan is looking at a small percentage of the big picture without much discernment. Levels of intelligence could be measured by the ability to discern and make differences but you really have to look. You cannot be a sane environmentalist and not understand the microbiology of the soil. And yet, many anti-meat activists cannot or do not tell the difference between toxic, commercially farmed meat and wild-game or local, small farm raised animals.

If we compare the differences, we find a simple truth; bad meat is bad and healthy meat is one of the oldest superfoods in town. Saying all animal products are bad is like saying all water is bad without noting the effects that between bottled, fluoridated water has on the body compared to wild structured spring water sipped from Mother Earth.

The problem isn’t animal foods; it is the toxic means in how they’re raised, slaughtered and the gluttonous fashion in which they are consumed. Even the science is skewed; the studies that suggest meat is harmful is highly flawed. Commercial, processed lunch meat and even fast food meat is grouped into the same category as wild-game and pastured animals. Not a single study has been done on the effects that healthy, wild-game meat consumed by indigenous people has on the body. We can only note the dramatically lower levels of disease prior to industrial farming.

Out of the studies that have been conducted, we find that the harmful effects of consuming meat have nothing to do with the meat itself. Rather, is is the toxins, chemicals, carcinogens and anti-biotics that are present in commercial meat that are doing the real harm.

But Being Vegan Made Me Healthier

Now you may be wondering how some vegans or vegetarians stay healthy and the answer is, they don’t. The better question to ask; perhaps, is how you gauging what it means to be healthy? Is it by their weight? Thin does not mean healthy; in fact, the healthiest cultures such as the Inuit and Serbians are what we would consider “over weight”. So if we are gauging wellness solely on appearance, we have missed the mark.

If someone achieves vibrant health on a vegan diet, it was perhaps a short-term solution. From my experience and 10 years of nutritional coaching, I’ve seen veganism and vegetarianism to be a helpful short-term solution that can help one detoxify, lighten their overall food intake and become an overall more balanced consumer. It’s not so much the act of not eating animal products that gets them healthier either. It is usually a result of eliminating chemical laden, processed, refined foods as well as industrial farmed animals and produce that does the trick. Otherwise, let us consider the facts of Nature, there is no spices that are truly vegan or vegetarian if we trace things back far enough. And furthermore, throughout history humans with limited access to animal products have often gone to great lengths to include at least some animal products in their diet.  And they’ve done that for a reason.

Bottom line, there is no permeant solution. Perhaps veganism helped you overcome toxicity or even cancer. However, what is medicine one day may become a problem the next. if your diet is making you unhealthy, you may be saving a few beings, however, at the risk of the human race. This is not an ethical solution – we are harming the most important beings on the planet capable of contributing to the greatest good of the greatest number of dynamics of life.

What Should We Have for Dinner?

So what should we eat then in a world of gastronomic confusions? The answer is and has been simple…eat real food, not too much with a lot of variety.

If you can, hunt, forage food, grown your own or purchase your animal products from small, local, biodynamic farms that keep the integrity of Mother Nature’s biology and ecology in order.

Unfortunately, in today’s society, there are so many people taking life too seriously, and they’ve forgotten it’s all a game. Life was made for fun.

Despite the common belief, seriousness and happiness do not go hand in hand. We can only give what we have, and most of us are giving an attitude of seriousness. How can we expect to attain happiness and success, when most of what we give is seriousness?

The Spirit of Play

A spirit of play has to be rediscovered. Think back to when you were a child, playing for the sheer joy of play itself. Life was a game, and though there may have been a few rules to follow, they were only in place to keep the game alive.

However, one thing was for sure: There wasn’t a goal in mind. There wasn’t anywhere to go, and there was no place better than the present moment.

Play is total creativity. It is more absorbing, engrossing and enlivening than any other kind of activity we can do. It is the first and foremost ingredient that causes us to come into this universe and build worlds of our own.

What is the point of chasing a goal and succeeding at anything, if we cannot experience bliss along the entire path?

Life as a Game

I recall reading a book by Anthony Robbins in which he explains the importance of metaphors. Whether we realize it or not, we all have some sort of metaphor for life. For some, life is a jungle, and for others, life is a gift.

Now, looking at these two perceptions, it’s obvious there are two very different realities here. Each of these individual perceptions is going to cause each one to experience a very different life.

Personally, I have yet to come across a metaphor for life that is as relevant and accurate as life being a game. It really is. Think about it: We set up with a goal in mind, and then in order to achieve the goal, we create a game. The players of the game become everyone and anyone involved, including ourselves. In order to achieve the goal, we make rules and set boundaries to keep us on track.

In this sense, playfulness is really the most valuable thing a person can possesses in the pursuit of any goal. It is not just energy; it’s the sensation of being alive.

Sadly, most people on this planet have almost entirely lost their spirits of play. A huge dogma is seemingly engrained into each of us that we cannot achieve without struggle. It is the “no pain, no gain” mentality. Let me be the one to tell you: It’s a myth.

Do you struggle to do anything good in life? Really, think about it. Do you struggle to breathe? Do you struggle to love? Do you struggle to smile?

If you said yes to any of these, then it’s likely you’re not looking at the full picture. We only struggle to breathe if we hold onto a single breath, or if someone is suffocating us.

We only struggle to love when we get wounded, and we put walls up around our love.

There is no struggle to experience truest joys of life!

So, what happened? How did we become so rigid and unhappy?

The Degrees of Seriousness

There is something I call the degrees of seriousness. It’s really not all that serious, either. It’s actually quite simple, like all good things.

So, imagine you’re playing a game. At first, it’s fun, and you’re just playing for the sake of play. Then, something happens. Maybe you get hurt, someone breaks a rule, or you feel left out. At that moment, you get serious.

If you don’t quickly remember it’s just a game, and no one is playing for keeps, you will become more serious.

Once you start to take things seriously, it’s that much harder to turn back. Seriousness is grave; it’s rigid and heavy.

In its literal definition, it means heaviness. Once you move up the degrees of seriousness, the lightness of play will diminish.

As we all know, once you are in the thick of a mess, it’s that much harder to go out. It’s usually easier to get more serious and upset. When this happens, someone might call us out and let us know we’re being too serious.

However, we are much too serious to take that lightly, so we get damn serious.

To be damn serious is the greatest penalty of any game. We’ve condemned ourselves, we’re upset as hell, and the game is over.

However, the game isn’t really over. We’re still in it, and we’re just wondering why everyone else sucks. It’s like we’ve become a broken piece to the game.

It’s part of the game, but no one likes it. We don’t even like it because we can’t fully play the game.

This makes us that much more pissed, to the point where we’ve had enough. Then, we hit the final stage of seriousness: dead serious. Once dead serious, you can guess what happens next. We quit.

It’s our way or the high way. If we can’t win, no one can. So, we leave the game. Life has officially stopped being fun; life is too serious. But, the thing we don’t realize during all of this is that there are still people having fun. They aren’t playing for keeps, and they’re playing for fun. They realize the amount of fun they’re having isn’t nearly as important as whether they win or lose. They’re blissful, their imagination is rich, and they’re fully tapped into their spirit of play.

Success Through Play

Looking at stress from its most basic function, there are of course many ways stress can come about. Stress can occur physically from stress or trauma. It can occur thermogenically from Sun burn. It can occur nutritionally from poor diet and foods that do not digest or throw hormones out of whack. And as we all know, stress can occur mentally from pure pressure, the pressure to impress ourselves and others, as well as emotionally in the form of resistance to our own emotions.

Whatever the case is though, there is plenty we can do to surrender and stop resisting. Amongst the many tools for dissolving stress are adaptogenic herbs, which are botanical substances that help the body adapt to both physiological and psychological stress.

There are many spiritual practices that help one take the path of least resistance in many cases; however, this can be a life long journey that takes many life times to complete – as my mentor says, “there is no secret potion for enlightenment.” He teases me, as a holistic health coach and someone who works in an industry that is always recommending people to take herbs, food and supplements to fix their life problems.

And while I am about to recommend some herbs, these herbs come with a life time of wisdom. If we look at ancient wholistic forms of medicine such as Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda we find that both of these philosophies go far beyond nutritional and herbal support. Life according to Ayurveda is meant flow effortlessly, and be filled with an abundance of creativity, energy and productivity with the less effort we put in. Now this is a major difference from the Western “no pain, no gain mentality.” Believe it or not, life was not intended to be a struggle!

So in addition to the tools I will provide here, I highly suggest – as always – to begin your walk down a path to “enlightenment” however that looks for you now. If you need a starting point, I offer coaching sessions filled with healing exercises that work at the metaphysical level. There are also plenty of “spiritual healers” out there, endless books in the exoteric database and also hidden gems in the esoteric world if you seek.

I was fortunate enough to find one of the wisest men I’ve ever met and let me say this, one wise man is worth one-thousand good books. I highly suggest seeking a mentor. Bare in mind, the word mentor is short for tormentor…and that is what a true spiritual guide does – they take away all your delusions and illusions until all that is left is…you.

Until you find someone, or yourself, to guide you down a path  let’s talk about some of the tools Mother Nature has provided us with to help us balance and dissolve stress. Here are a few of my favorite and the most powerful adaptogen (stress-busting) herbs on the planet, how they work, and how to take them.

The 10 Best Adaptogen Herbs

1. Gynostemma– Also known as the “immortality herb”, Jiaogulan actually contains 3 to 4 times more saponins than ginseng, making it the strongest adaptogen of all. It has been used traditionally by the Chinese as a longevity tonic extend lives and often referred to as, “like ginseng but better.” It’s abilities extend beyond just soothing the nervous system – it is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and a proven remedy to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It also happens to burns fat, enhances strength and endurance, and even has been used to treat bronchitis. Did I mention that it is a potent antioxidant that dissolves oxidative stress and has proven in lab studies to annihilate cancer cells? As an adaptogen, it helps the body with whatever it needs – if the body needs rest, it will promote relaxation. If the body needs to be energized, then energy it is! Because the immune system is suppressed during stress, it strengthens the immune system by preventing stress from harming the body. It is successful in treating hepatitis and protecting the liver. In one study, 300 athletes were tested with jiaogulan prior to a competition – the results – all had more vigor, quicker reflexes, and less nervousness. It’s high anti-oxidant abilities may very well be what leads to the 100 year life span of many Chinese jiaogulan users. What’s more, is that has natural killer cell activity in those with urogenital cancers. This herb is great for those with blood pressure imbalances, as it tonifies the kidney and heart meridian, which reduces the burden on the heart, by helping it pump the same amount of blood with less stress and effort. I could go on and on about this herb; however, I’m sure by now we have sufficient reason to start experimentation with this incredible super herb. And as a personal testimony, I have consumed Gynostemma for 6 years now and it truly has wonderful effects you can notice. I suggest taking either 1 teaspoon of powdered extract 3x day or Spring Dragon Tea. This tea also has a few other powerful adaptogenic extracts – its super potent and sweet.
2. Licorice root- Here is another amazing plant with many medicinal properties as well as a sweet, delicious taste. It contains natural plant steroids that are anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-tumor, and stimulates the immune system by elevating interferon levels, which stimulates SOD to form hydrogen peroxide, in turn supercharges white blood cells and hormones. It’s a fantastic herb for adrenal function, reducing inflammation and liver problems like cirrhosis and hepatitis. It’s commonly used to reduce prostate inflammation because it contains phytoestrogens, which help reduce the adverse effects of estrogen on the prostate – including impaired zinc absorption and elevated DHT formation – which can lead to pattern baldness, low immunity and facial hair on women. Licorice root blocks the formation of DHT from testosterone, so it’s helpful for these issues. Aside from its adaptogenic and immune properties, it builds nerve tissue, removes arterial plaque, reduces body fat, treats hypoglycemia, ulcers, is an antiseptic, antispasmodic, a subtle laxative and expectorant. It balances intestinal flora, balances blood sugar, protects the liver and stimulates aldosterone, a key adrenal hormone and has been used throughout history to treat hormone imbalances – and just about every known female imbalance. In women, licorice can give a women a sense of well-being and control. Again, take this 3 x daily either as a sweet delicious tea, as a powdered extract in an elixir or even use to make Bulletproof Marshmallows. Avoid taking it past 6 pm.
3. Astragalus– This strong adaptogenic is also a vasodilator, making it great for physical work or anyone with poor circulation. Great for the spleen and lungs, and overall increases in life energy. Stress is a major cause of physical fatigue, hence the idea of adrenal fatigue and Astragalus incredibly useful for improving physical weakness and other drained energy disorders like candida, herpes, hypoglycemia and exhaustion. Sleep problems like night sweats and even fluid retention are symptoms of fatigued kidneys and adrenals, astragalus can help! Probably the most incredible ability this herb has is that as a prime anti-viral, anti-cancer immune enhancement. Like licorice root, it helps the body produce extra interferon in the body. It’s so powerful that it’s used with cancer therapies to counteract the immune suppressing effects of cancer drugs and radiation. The vasodilating properties help to lower blood pressure as well as break up blood clots, preventing heart disease. If you’re overly stressed, it will boost adrenal function for better energy while normalizing the nervous system and balancing hormones. In Chinese Medicine the kidneys and lungs are strongly associated – so it’s great for respiratory illnesses by helping regenerate bronchi cells.
4. Siberian ginseng– Also known as Eluthero, this herb is the most effective of all adaptogen herbs, second to Jiaogulan. With adaptogen herbs, they work better with longevity as opposed to incrementally. They are best taken for several months to a year, as it takes time for the wisdom of these plants to start to rearrange your body chemistry to be in better balance and more immune. As far as benefits goes – it aids cardiovascular disorders, including heart attack and heart disease, lowers high blood pressure, inhibits growth and formation of liver cancer cells, which is one of the most difficult cancers to resolve! Ginseng also stimulates protein synthesis and the polysaccharides in it protect against alcohol induced gastric ulcers, making it excellent for anyone with a past of alcohol consumption or history of stomach ulcers. As the second strongest adaptogen, it is of course hormone balancing for both men and women as well as an aphrodisiac for both men and women! It is the only herb to clinically test as a plant source of testosterone; however, there is also Pine Pollen, which is another source that is just not clinically tested. This herb increases sperm count, seminal vesicle weight, supports key adrenal and prostate functions. If you’re a male and having troubling “getting it up” toss your Viagra, it’s toxic – ginseng enhances nitric oxide synthesis, which regulates muscle tone of blood vessels that control flow to the penis, leading to stronger erection for impotent men. Pair it with some Gelatinized Maca and your lady won’t know what hit her. The antioxidants found in ginseng help cardiovascular performance not only for sexual energy, but for sports workouts so if you’re looking for the extra lift to get outside and get active, look no further than some quality ginseng. Keep in mind that if you have fatigue that you do not want to over work – keep workouts light and energizing – you should feel more energized after any physical activity, not depleted. In woman, ginseng helps normalize hormones, notably those that guard against breast cancer, endometriosis and other hormone-driven problems. It is great for preventing or minimizing the effects of menopause due to the similarity of ginsenocides and female steroidal hormones on the vaginal mucosa, to prevent thinning of vaginal walls after menopause, and menopause discomfort during intercourse. It effects a woman’s mental energy through hypothalamus stimulation, a factor in turning a woman’s attention to love-making. It also has an insulin-like effect on sugar regulation, stimulating the removal of sugar in the blood, great for anyone with diabetes, blood sugar problems or those interested in general anti-aging. Like Gynostemma, ginseng has therapeutic affects against severe recurrent viral infection and syndromes like HIV etc thanks to killer cell activity. It also stimulates RNA synthesis in bone marrow cells, has anti-toxic effects against radiation, heavy metals, and airborne pollutants. If you’re interested in maintaining a youthful appearance, consumption of ginseng protects against aging skin and early wrinkling due to AGEs. It has long-term mental and psychological benefits, with noticeable improvement of mental outlook, depressive thoughts and lifting spirits and other cognitive disorders. Overall, ginseng is the quintessential herb for stress.
5. Ashwagandha– Ginseng and Gynostemma are renowned as the best adaptogenic herbs due to their high saponin content; however, many people refer to Ashwaganda as than ginseng and here is why. Ashwaganda is one of the world’s most renowned herbs over all, not just as an adaptogen but as pure planet medicine. As an adaptogenic herb, it provides an energetic rejuvenating lift while at the same time calming and soothing the nerves. Chemically, it’s very similar to ginseng, yet is far superior in relieving stress. It is great for treating exhaustion caused by both physical and mental stress and strain. If you are trying to get your adrenals up to speed, then you have to nourish the thyroid – Ashwaganda doesn’t just help the adrenals, it also helps boost thyroid hormone, preventing stress via thyroid burnout or under-active thyroid – an unseen problem with many overly stressed people. On a more positive note, Ashwaganda is an aphrodisiac, increasing libido and performance in 70% of men who use it. It has a soothing and cooling effect on the body that stops internal bleeding, inhibits hemorrhoids and also hemorrhagic dysentery (bloody diarrhea). It has effectively been used to treat depression and mood disorders and rejuvenate the tissues, particularly muscle and bone, adrenals and reproductive system. Consumption of ashwaganda also improves nutrient absorption, strengthens the nerves, promotes restful sleep, lessens graying of the hair, and much more. It is one of the best anti-aging herbs on the planet. 3 x daily is ideal! I enjoy this herb especially nightly in a creamy elixir like this Golden Milk Latté.
6. Nettle– This common “weed” is one of the best tonic herbs for kidney and adrenal health. It also happens to be FREE and abundant in the wild. It’s a beauty tonic to boot, as one of the highest sources of silica, an essential nutrient for strong skin, hair and tissues. It boosts thyroid hormone (great for low thyroid), improves metabolism so it helps burn fat and it also helps to clear mucus. Raw nettles are great for cleaning the liver, build blood, flush acidic waste and even help calm the nervous system. The root is a tool for reversing and inhibiting pattern baldness, an anti-inflammatory for the prostate and hormonal balancer for disproportionate testosterone/estrogen levels. As a kidney tonic, it removes uric acid in gout. As a digestive aid, it supports the growth of beneficial intestinal flora (probiotics) and removal of mucus in the colon. It doesn’t just support mood and energy via nourishment to the adrenals, it’s also a source serotonin – the feel good neurotransmitter. It is one of the most excellent foods/medicines for proper prostate function. It’s commonly used as an antidepressant, as a naturally antibiotic and anti-fungal (great for Candida), to dissolve kidney stones, to regulate the thyroid, to increase energy, to treat anemia and ulcers, and to treat constipation. It is considered one of the greatest tonic herbs for the adrenals, kidney, and liver. I take this herb 3 x a day in my tonics and even add this powdered extract to my Bulletproof Coffee – it’s tasteless and as a powdered extract, it dissolves completely without grit.
7. Amla berry– Stress, infection and intense exercise all increase the cellular demand for vitamin C – there are even studies showing how blood levels of vitamin C fall at an increased rate during these times. Adrenal fatigue is just referring to a lack of adrenal output, which places all cells of the body under increased stress. The result is a near automatic increase in sympathetic nervous activity to compensate for the extremely low levels of cortisol (an anti-inflammatory stress hormone) and high levels of systemic inflammation that usually is found next to low levels of this steroid hormone. When this happens, the immune system does not regulate properly, which means infection and in result a driving demand for b-vitamins, minerals and especially vitamin C. In times of stress, a dosage of 2,000-4,000 mg per day of food-grade vitamin C is recommended – in severe cases, up to 20,mg. Where are we supposed to get doses of vitamin C like this that won’t cause vitamin C flush (diarrhea) or a pro-oxidant effect in the case of consumption of large doses of synthetic ascorbic acid? Mother Nature has the remedy and it goes by the name of Amla. Next to Gubinge, Amla is the highest sources of vitamin C on the planet. Not only that, it’s a strong anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory that helps cleanse liver. Healthy adrenals aren’t the only aspect to having a body that is resilience against stress, a healthy liver is also a must. The liver also produces many hormones when under stress. Keep it clean and well-functioning is a must and healthy doses of food-grade vitamin C is one simple way to build a healthier liver and stronger adrenals. For extreme fatigue, take up to 10,000 mg a day, for general prevention roughly 2,000 mg is great.
8. Rhodiola– When it comes to dissolving the excessive cortisol in the blood (which can weaken the immune system) Rhodiola is King. It has a calming effect on the body as cortisol is dissolved. However, it really depends on your unique adrenal output on how you will react – most people actually experience more alertness when taking Rhodiola because it help slightly stimulate under-active adrenal and thyroid. As a side-note, cortisol is not the culprit – it is absolutely necessary to live and a powerful anti-inflammatory and is what wakes us up in the morning. The problem is that most of us live in a reactive, stressful state and the result is excessive cortisol output, which weakens the adrenals and immune system. most of us exist in a state of nearly constant exposure to this compound, resulting in lowered blood sugar response, abdominal weight gain, decreased memory, reduced cellular energy production, and diminished immunity. Rhodiola helps by not only reducing persistent raised cortisol and balancing the HPA-Axis, but also to balance and heal the entire communication system for the long-term, making the body much more resilient to stress. This results in not just lower “stress” but better energy, increased immunity, and significantly more balanced hormones. This will help to counter any emotional eating or other stress related compulsions. Again, 3 x a day with this herb, perhaps avoiding taking it past 6 pm.
9. Holy Basil–  Holy Basil also known as Tulsi can be a super helpful for treating fatigue and energy depletion. It has many anti-stress properties and does not stimulate like Rhodiola or Ginseng. This makes it a safe herb for treating general fatigue. It is great for lowering cortisol during times of stress and it also lowers total cholesterol while stimulating the immune system. If you are experiencing the byproducts of fatigue such as insomnia or anxiety then you may want to try Holy Basil. Note that it also goes under the name Tulsi.However, if you have advanced chronic fatigue, you will want to use Holy Basil with caution. The reason for this is that Holy Basil is very good at lowering cortisol and might be too calming for someone who is very fatigued – better to go with Rhodiola in this case. Other than that, you will find that Holy Basil provides many of the same benefits found in the other adaptogens mentioned.
10. Schisandra berry–  Not many people realized this but schisandra berries are actually a powerful adaptogen. Whether the pressure is mental or physical, the adaptogenic qualities of schisandra will have a stabilizing effect on the entire body. For this reason many athletes love schisandra – it helps them perform at high levels and increases the capacity for both physical and mental endurance, while protecting the body from  harmful environmental and internal oxidative-stress. Schisandra improves cellular energy by increasing nitric oxide levels in the body. In Asia, schisandra is thought to be one of the most protective plants – especially for the skin. It’s ability to cleanse and detoxify the liver make it a great beauty herb, considering that the hair, skin and eyes are all a reflection of the liver. If you want to look good, keep your liver in good shape – it’s that simple! Schisandra berry contains powerful antioxidant properties, such as gomisin A and Wuweizisu C, that help rejuvenate skin by protecting the lipid membrane in skin cells – this means protection against sun damage! The high antioxidant count protects cells from oxidative damage during times of stress – this means less wrinkles, better hair, stronger joints and healthier tissues. Because excessive stress can cause inflammation, schisandra is great because it contains many anti-inflammatory qualities to help counter this effect. Additionally, schisandra berry increases the production of glutathione, the master anti-oxidant, which supports healthy liver detoxification. Lastly, schisandra contains lignans that offer more liver protection by supporting the function of the liver and even the regeneration of it. You can mix schisandra berry extract into water and sip throughout the day, add to raw ice cream recipes or make herbal tonics.

Surprisingly, this is one of the first questions I ask when consulting with my clients. As a holistic health coach, I get a lot of people who come into my life with “issues” from all walks of life. However, whether a person is trying to lose weight, pursue their dreams, or just feel better achieving optimal digestive health is a constant. After all, the gut is a fundamental influencing force of human health.

The Gut-Brain Connection

There is an undeniable relationship between our gut and mental activity. Some have their first experiences with this during moments of intuition, that “I had a funny feeling about this”. We’ve been unconsciously experiencing this connection in multiple forms of expression just like this.

The popular “gut wrenching feeling” or “I feel sick to my stomach” and of course who can forget the popular “butterflies in my stomach”? These are all proven experiences of the bond between what goes on within our intestinal tract and our mind. It seems simple, if our stomachs are aching, it seems likely we wouldn’t be in the best mood.

The Lemon Exercise

If you don’t think that the metaphysical can strongly influence the physical then try this exercise. Witness how the mere thought of food can stimulate digestive juices. This is mostly for fun but will help give you an actual experience of the gut-brain connection – just in case you haven’t experienced a strong reaction yet.

Right now, with out any distraction, concentrate on the image of a lemon in your mind. Pretend you’re holding this lemon in your hand, freshly picked off of a tree somewhere in California. You can smell the fresh, sour citrus as it sits in your palm. You bring it closer and breathe in the lemon zest.

Now imagine taking a huge bite of that lemon, peel and all. Can you feel your mouth watering yet? If your imagination is strong enough, you likely were able to stimulate some digestive juices without even having the lemon present in real life. This shows you how powerful your mind is at controlling your digestive system.

A Holistic Approach

Science has explored this phenomenon further only to discover that our bodies are even more connected than we had ever known (at least here in the West). Though many other ancient cultures have been telling us that our reality starts from within, we in the West are coming to learn this from a more scientific experience.

In short, up to 80% of our brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) are manufactured in the gut. In fact, 95% of our serotonin is produced in the gut. This tells us a lot about how sensitive our intestinal tract is to emotions and mood. We are realizing we can no longer treat symptoms of impaired digestion; such as depression or anxiety, without addressing the gut.

Likewise, if we want to heal a distressed gut, we have to take account for our moods. This means working from both ends by managing our mental-emotional states as well as maintaining our physical bodies by being aware of what we put into our system.

10 Simple Tips for Optimal Digestion

Though the idea of digestion appears deeply complex, maintaing a healthy digestive system is really quite simple. Here are some tips for regaining and maintaining perfect digestive health that anyone can implement:

1. Never watch TV (especially the news) while eating- Most of us grew up with a dinner table and a television not to far away. We even went as far as creating the TV Dinner, to make sure we were able to eat and enjoy our favorite shows at the same time. The news never produces a good feeling and is usually filled with negativity. This creates too much excitement in the body, which can trigger the flight-or-fight response (Stress). When we watch something over stimulating, our bodies cannot tell the difference between real life or a strong imagination. So when you’re watching the news about war or the failing economy, your body is likely to go into stress mode which will shut down the digestive system.
2. Don’t read technical or stressful material while eating- Reading the newspaper is just like watching the news (see no.1). In fact, eating the newspaper somewhere relaxing would probably be better for your digestion than reading it while eating and hoping to digest your food. IF you wish to read, read something uplifting that makes you happy. Self-help books, inspirational stories, or something spiritually enlightening. Avoid your tax report, work papers, or school books. Additionally, using your eyes actually requires a good amount of energy, which takes away from digestion.
3. Play relaxing music- Classical music, music with a one-second beat (Baroque Classical), or new age music with no beat (most meditation music). This is relaxing to the body and will stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, which will turn on your digestion. Research from John Hopkins University and other Institutes actually shows that classical music has a higher energetic vibration which soothes the heart and assists you in relaxation. Where rock music shows very rigid vibrational patterns that cause people to eat in a rushed, tense pace.
4. Drink two glasses of water before each meal- What is important here is the quality and timing. You want to drink chlorine and fluoride-free water always. The best is local spring water. You can get this by searching http://www.findaspring.com or asking local health conscious folks in your neighborhood. The second best option are glass bottled spring waters. Here is my top choice for water as far as mineral content, taste and purity goes. Next, make sure you drink the water 15 minutes before eating. Drinking water before a meal will ensure you properly digest your food by hydrating the stomach lining. This will assist enzyme production. Do not drink water while eating or any sooner than 15 minutes as this will dilute digestive enzymes and acids.
5. Limit and aim to avoid dehydrated foods- This means crackers, chips, dried fruits, un-soaked nuts, seeds and grains and of course common processed foods (donuts, popcorn, cookies, pretzels, crisps, etc).  Most people are eating too many improperly prepared grains and legumes. Beans, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, oats, etc. and even nuts and seeds all need to be soaked in water and rehydrated to be properly digested. They contain enzyme inhibitors that make them very difficult to digest. Not to mention, when not soaked they are very dehydrating foods. It’s a good idea to soak grains, legumes and nuts/seeds for 12-24 hours and rinse well to remove saponins and lectins. Dehydrated foods often get stuck to the gut wall where they draw moisture out of the colon. This causes pain, cramps and can lead to problems like diverticulitis. Instead, make it your goal to consume more water-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, organic meats and properly prepared grains.
6. Avoid foods you are intolerant or allergic to- Many people are intolerant to foods and have no idea. This is a result of being ignorant to the first 5 steps in this post, lack of variety in diet, stress and other reasons. If you know you’re intolerant or allergic, make it a matter to pay extra attention to healing your gut with these steps and of course just avoiding a food that is taking away from your quality of life. If you don’t know if you are intolerant you can get tested, or even cheaper would be to eliminate common problematic foods for 2 weeks and see how you feel on and off. These foods are gluten, corn, soy, eggs, dairy, nuts/seeds, and most forms of sugar (including fruit).
7. Chew your food until it’s liquid- No explanation needed.
8. Eat smaller meals more often- A smaller meal is easier to digest than a bigger meal, that’s common sense. Digestion takes incredible amounts of energy, preserving it by eating smaller meals will keep you younger and more energized. Because we are all different with unique metabolisms, there may be variances in the size of your meals and frequencies. A good rule of thumb is to eat until your 80% full, leaving room for digestion. The goal is metabolic efficiency; you want to be able to take in the most amount of nutrients with minimal food required. Eating to 80% capacity will only be effective if you are eating real food, with healthy proportions of fats, carbs and proteins.
9. Never suppress the urge- If you have to go, GO! Many people put off going to the bathroom until they are home from work, or in the most comfortable setting. Though this makes sense to a degree, you are also destroying your colon. The peristalsis mechanism in your intestinal tract controls your elimination, it’s your poop muscle if you will. Its been shown in little as 7-21 days you can entrain any physiological system. By suppressing your natural need to eliminate you can cause a permanent traffic jam in your intestines; chronic constipation! This is sure to impair digestion in a serious way by inhibiting nutrient absorption and leading to toxicity.
10. Start meals with raw foods (especially fermented)- Raw foods, especially fermented raw foods, are incredibly dense with enzymes and healthy bacteria. These are very beneficial to digestion. They stimulate the digestive process and aid the body in producing it’s own enzymes and stomach acids. Raw sauerkraut, raw apple cider vinegar or coconut kefir both aid the body in producing stomach acid (HCL) which digests proteins. These are great to have with animal proteins. Pineapple and papaya also contain protein digestive enzymes and are great in salads. Raw foods and raw ferments establish a healthy gut flora, which are the base of your digestive system. They play many roles in food digestion and nutrient absorption. Try adding a few tablespoons of these fermented foods to each meal or sipping on a few ounces fermented drinks while eating for incredible digestion.
11. CHILL OUT– If there is one thing you could do for better digestive health, it would be to relax. The digestive system is run by the atomic nervous system. There are two subcategories of our nervous system that mange our digestive health; the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. When we are stressed out or suffering, we are in a sympathetic state. Hence the name sym-pathetic. The word pathetic is derived from the Greek word pathos, meaning to suffer. Whenever we are stressed our bodies suffer and activates this sympathetic nervous system, telling our bodies it is in danger. In this panicked state, the body shuts down all digestive functions and used that energy for primal survival. The sympathetic nervous system activates the muscles and prepares the body for work. While this mechanism can be useful in life or death situations let’s face it, we are hardly in life or death situations anymore. I’m not saying life is anywhere near perfect; however, most people have no real reason to suffer or panic. It’s more likely that our problems today, and digestive problems are totally psychosomatic (created in our minds in the form of worry, anxiety and outdated mental constructs). When we are relaxed and chilled out though, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, which is responsible for rest, repair and regeneration. We do not necessarily need to be in a constant state of relaxation or serenity – there is a time any place for work. However, most people are in a constant sympathetic state. If you have digestive problems then you are likely more stressed out than not. Stress is simply force-counter force, it’s pressure. So what can you do to relax? Stop trying to impress people, stop letting people pure-pressure you, stop letting people depress you (put you down) and get out of your head. Stop thinking so much and look around. There’s a major difference between thinking (consciousness) and looking (awareness). Be less conscious and more aware – get out of your thoughts and look around, life is fucking beautiful. Go for a walk, look into someone’s eyes, or paint a picture if you don’t believe me.

For more knowledge and holistic tips for optimal digestive health, see my online course Perfect Digestion, where I dive deeper into the anatomy of the digestive system, how it works and what we can do daily to support it’s functioning.

What’s worst is that sleep deprivation is at the root of nearly all disease. Sleep deprivation causes incredible stress in the body, inhibiting homeostasis.  More specifically, sleep deprivation can cause dehydration, another major ailment that nearly 70 percent of Americans struggle with.

If you wish to experience an optimal state of health than quality sleep is imperative.

The Nasty Side of Sleep Deprivation

Most of us know that sleep is incredibly important for good health. Sleep is when we repair and enter a deep state of homeostasis. While staying centered and grounded in your true self will surely keep you in a state of balance, nothing quite compares to quality sleep when it comes to deep healing.

Well, I mean unless you’re taking frequent spirit trips to the magic universe, then perhaps you’ve hit new levels. While you’re still human, sleep is going to be a critical part of a healing process and feeling our best.

If we aren’t centered and experiencing a lot of stress, it is likely that our sleep is being greatly affected for the worst. When this happens were might be at risk for numerous health disasters, just to name a few:

•    Anxiety & Depression and other mental & mood imbalances
•    Cancer
•    Impaired cognitive ability
•    Metabolic Syndrome
•    Cardiovascular disease
•    Diabetes
•    Impaired insulin action
•    Impaired glucose control
•    Digestive problems
•    Elevated C-reactive protein (inflammation)
•    Elevated cortisol levels
•    And more

The Causes of Insomnia

Quality sleep actually starts long before bed time. As paradoxical as it sounds, we need energy to sleep. When we are depleted of energy we actually experience adrenal fatigue due to elevated cortisol — a hormone released during a stress response.

That is because in order for us to produce melatonin (the sleep hormone) cortisol needs to be low. As cortisol raises, melatonin decreases. In other words, stress depletes our energy reserves, making it harder to fall asleep. Then, this lack of sleep

The problem compounds when we begin to lose sleep frequently, which further raises cortisol levels and disturbs sleep patterns even more. This is why we need to “kill the monster while it’s small.”

One Simple Trick

While the optimal solution for insomnia is a holistic approach — addressing stress at the core and taking steps to dissolve it — sometimes the best thing we can do is take one step in the right direction. I like simple solutions, especially when it involves food.

I came across some research that demonstrated the sleep improvement power of a good old fashion glass of warm milk before bed. The bioactive peptides in milk, taken before bed, improves sleep remarkable. The studies show that when taken before bed, milk can:

•    Promote deep sleep
•    Support more restorative sleep
•    Relax the body, prepping it for sleep
•    Calms the nerves
•    Improv various stress markers

“In one study, 32 healthy men were given just 150 mg of these milk proteins, and in just two weeks their sleep quality improved by 50 percent.

In another study, over 60 women who were complaining of a host of stress-related problems, such as digestion, cardiovascular, emotional, cognitive and social disorders, were given 150 mg of the milk proteins before bed. The benefits ranged from 50 to 60 percent improvement in all of the disorders listed (8).”

Supplements & Spiritual Solutions

GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the CNS. It is well established that activation of GABA(A) receptors favors sleep. It has been documented that individuals with insomnia have lower levels of GABA than those with normal sleeping patterns. (1)(2)

My personal experience is that I am in complete control of the functioning of my body via my thought creation. Just as the thought of some horrifying situation can trigger a physical sensation in the body (the feeling of adrenaline surging through the body) I know that the thoughts I create can also promote the release of relaxing, calming neurotransmitters. This is the purpose of many different yoga and Ancient medicine practices.

I find this to be the most honest solution to health as it is 100% empowering, there is zero dependency of any substance in this practice; however, it is much more difficult to master.

I will also use this moment to mention that through my personal experience and coaching practice that one of the major causes of insomnia is unfinished business, particularly in the realm of withholds. When we go to bed with any unfinished business, our attention and energy is diverted back and out of the present. This would of course make it difficult to sleep.

In the same way, withheld thoughts can pull our horse power back. I would suggest to anyone with chronic insomnia to address this more metaphysical area of the issue. Consult with your own spirit, what unfinished business do you have? What do you need to ‘get off your chest’. Reach out to anyone and complete the business. The result will likely be peace of mind and a much easier time falling asleep in the long run.

If you do wish to experiment with supplements for a sleep problem, I personally recommend GABAwave. It is used  has tranquilizing effects, can reduce stress and anxiety, and is a nootropic (cognitive enhancing) substance. It can improve sleep quality and does not impede performance or energy levels.

An Ayurvedic Perspective

In Ayurveda, hot milk before bed is a staple sleep tonic. While milk alone will not solve a mental and emotional stress-related sleep problem, it’ll definitely help round the edges. Plus, I find the art of crafting food and recipes to be very creative and therapeutic!

According to Ayurveda, chronic stress depletes what they refer to as ojas. Ojas is said to be the physiological expression of consciousness, which is in charge of immunity, reproduction, beauty, and the overall health and well-being of the individual. That’s right, Ayurveda knows what’s up — WE are in charge of the immune system.

When our ojas is depleted from poor lifestyle — either from stress, lack of sleep, bad food, poor digestion, excessive activity or inactivity then the body begins to break down. The result is exhaustion, sleep problems, low sex drive, skin problems, stiff joints, accelerated aging and are risk of disease.

Practitioners say that Ojas takes 30 days to cultivate in the body, so this is no overnight fix thought it will serve as a tasty remedy. If you are persistent and make health a lifestyle then the result may be numerous and plenty.

Ojas produce enzymatic actions that are responsible for the digesting of food, which is perhaps one of the most important aspects of human health. Without good digestion the lymph, blood, muscle, fat, bone, nerve and reproductive tissues can be come toxic.

However, if we nourish our bodies, keep stress levels low than we can give our bodies the chance to regenerate these tissues and a new state of health can be the result.

Rebuilding Our Ojas

In Ayurveda, certain food and herbs may specifically help ojas. One of the best Ojas building foods? FRICKEN MILK.

Now, I realize milk is controversial topic, but let’s throw that dietary dogma crap out of this blog and recognize that milk is first of a real food and that is a huge deal considering the real problem with food these days is that it’s FAKE.

Additionally, milk has been praised since ancient and biblical times. It is also very well-documented and has been shown to contain properties that reduce numerous stress markers, support sleep, and even build what Ayurveda calls ojas.

The REAL problem with today’s milk: is that it is very difficult to digest. Here’s why:

1. It’s typically from sick animals.
2. It contains added hormones, chemicals and antibiotics.
3. It is unnecessarily homogenized and pasteurized.
4. Because of 1-3, it’s a nightmare to digest and makes people sick.

• 1 cup raw milk (or coconut milk if you can’t get raw dairy)
• 1-2 tbsp grass-fed ghee
• 1 tbsp BrainOctane
• 1 tbsp chopped dates (no worries KETO peeps we aren’t eating these)
• 2 tsp chopped raw almonds
• 1 tbsp stone-ground coconut butter
• 1 tsp Ashwaganda
• 1 tsp Vanillamax
• 1/2 tsp Saffron
• 1/8 tsp Cardamom
• Stevia to taste

Here’s how you make it:

1. Add your dates, almonds and coconut flakes to one cup of milk as you slowly bring it to a high heat (just below a boil).
2. Once the milk has heated turn off the flame and let the spices steep for 5 minutes.
3. Strain off the dates, almonds and coconut into a Blender.
4. Add your fats, ashwaganda and stevia then Blend.
5. Drink each night for 1 months at least (3 months ideally) to rebuild Ojas and support sleep patterns.

For more lifestyle tips for sleep to combine with these check out my other blog post HERE.

The Myths About Sunlight

For a long time there have been false claims made about the Sun. It’s time to set the record straight. If you didn’t already know the truth, No it DOESN’T cause cancer. People who get skin cancer are unhealthy. It’s that simple.

If cancer were the cause of skin cancer then everyone in Africa would get skin cancer but they don’t get skin cancer. It also has little to nothing to do with skin color. Dark skinned people in the United States have the highest rates of skin cancer. Hmm…what’s the difference then?

Could it be due to the fact that most American’s eat toxic fake food, bath in poisoned water, work creative-less jobs for capitalistic consumers, and despite what country slogan, that we are not free at all? I’d imagine it has much less to do with skin color and much more to do with our contaminated America lifestyle.

I know this sounds harsh, the sleepers won’t want to read this, that is for sure. And I’m not here to be a downer, the truth will set us free but at first it’s going to hurt like a bitch. Anyway, enough for my rant, my point is that if we want to be free we need to be able to look past all the BS we are sold on.

So first off, don’t believe anyone who tells you Sunshine causes Melanoma. That’s pure grade-A cat shit. In fact, just the opposite is true. We finally have documented research to prove it. Studies all over the world prove that as sun exposure increases, malignant skin cancer risk goes down.

Not to mention, in the sunniest parts of the world people have lower risks of skin cancer. In Australia, lifeguards have lower skin cancer rates than those who hold office jobs. That’s right. More sun, less cancer.

Then why is it a number of people get melanoma who go in the sun? Because they are TOXIC. They eat food that shouldn’t pass as food, smoke, drink, fill their bodies with chemical lotions, potions, along with their houses and to top it all off usually fill their minds and bodies with toxic emotions.

Their livers become clogged and stop working. Then their kidneys become so toxic that the blood has to push the toxins out through the skin – where it is baked by the sun into the skin cells, causing melanoma. The skin is the last line of defense in eliminating toxins. When the body becomes backed up else where (the colon, liver and kidneys) it’ll eventually have to make it’s way through the skin just for survival sake.

There are many third world cultures who live all day in the sun and they don’t use sun lotion. Again- no, it has nothing to do with skin color because the highest rate of skin cancer in the modern world is dark skinned people. It’s the MODERN diet and lifestyle that’s killing them. SUNSCREEN is one of the most toxic things you can put on your skin ! It causes more skin cancer than anything. Look at the label. You are literally basting and baking those chemicals into your skin cells ! Want cancer ? Slather that crap on.

Who ever said the Sun causes cancer is a fool. How is it that creation messed up? How did Mother Nature make that mistake? God doesn’t make mistakes. We are designed to be in the sun. We get cancer because we screw up and go against nature.

What Happens To People Who Avoid Sunlight

A sort of vicious cycle happens here, people hear the Sun is bad (but are misinformed that its sunscreen, chemicals, fast-food and drugs that are bad) then avoid it. So they end up sitting inside eating chips in a sunscreen bath, wearing layers of toxic clothes and then wonder why their brains stop working.

People that don’t get enough sunlight start having all kinds of physical, mental and emotional problems:

• Bones go soft (a condition called rickets), depression sets in (the highest suicide rates are in places with the least sunlight).
• Hormone levels plummet causing depression and chronic fatigue.
• They age quickly.
• The skin becomes weak.
• They become infertile.
• Their immunity plummets and they become sick.

The Sun is what powers this planet, if you cut yourself off from relations with the Sun you must have a death wish.

The Healing Powers of Sunlight

On the other hand, people who are do get enough Sun experience all types of amazing things:

• They have more energy, feel better, and are happier.
• They have stronger immune systems, and get sick less.
• They have denser, stronger bones.
• They have better eye-sight.
• They have stronger muscles and age more slowly.
• They have 
richer blood, which means healthier hair, skin and everything.
• They have healthier nerves.
• They look better – Sunlight increases the amount of iron in the blood (gives tanned look).
• They heal faster – Sunlight brings more blood to the skin surface which helps heal cuts, bruises and rashes.
• They are less likely to get cancer. USA cancer rates are highest in states with least sunshine. Additionally, sunshine may reduce breast cancer by up to 40% and ovarian cancer by 80%.
• They are live longer. Direct exposure kills most forms of mold, fungus and yeast, all which are opportunistic organisms that decay the body behind every disease.
• They have health hormone levels, which means they feel amazing, have better sex lives, age better and have strong fertility.

Tips For Sunbathing: Nature’s Sunscreens

Hopefully by now you’re ready for your Sunshine. Before you go out into the Sun for hours know that you still want to avoid burning. Yes, Sunlight is amazing for you; however, you can get too much of a good thing. If you bake your skin into a third degree burn that’s not going to be good for anyone.

However, that being said, when you think about the design of Nature it is simply amazing. Wild animals don’t need sunscreen, yet they don’t burn. Their secret? There isn’t one – they just live naturally, they eat the right foods, play outside and don’t get constipation from hoarding resentment for 15 years.

If you want to enjoy the Sun’s benefits to the fullest, know there isn’t a short cut to wellness. If you’re living a fake, processed lifestyle and try to hang in the elements, you’re going likely have a hard time compared to someone who is living an already wholesome and natural life.

To get you back on track with living how you were designed to live and to keep your skin from burning:

• Don’t put anything on your skin you wouldn’t eat. It soaks right into your blood trans-dermally. Stay away from poisonous sunscreen.
• Detoxify your body. If you’re toxic inside, your body will be less resilient to the sun putting you at risk. You need to get clean first! It’s the first step to returning back to a natural existence.
• Use coconut oil or MSM cream or even olive oil.
• Try jojoba oil.
• Eat a lot of seaweed; they are rich in minerals and antioxidants that serve as internal sunblock. They also aid the body in detoxification. If you can’t stomach to eat it, at least take a quality seaweed extract or blend kelp powder into a smoothie.
• Eat plenty of berries and dark colored vegetables. The antioxidant anthocyanin found in dark pigmented berries and veggies helps protect the sun from UV damage.
• Take Krill Oil. It is rich in zeaxanthin, an antioxidant that serves as internal sunblock.
• GREEN leafy stuff. It contains chlorophyll. Why do you think plants with their delicate leaves don’t fry and wither in the sun? Chlorophyll. That green magic stuff that protects plants is the same stuff that protects us once we consume it. Though nothing beats fresh, wild greens, again, at least take a powder. This is my personal favorite greens powder, it’s fermented and gut-healing.
• Aloe Vera. This is edible sunscreen that protects you from the inside when you eat it. It grows in the desert for a reason. Eat it daily and apply to your skin daily for maximum benefits. If you can’t get it fresh or frozen then at least try the powdered stuff.

The Bottom Line

Without sunlight, we become sick, aged and unhappy.

Get at least 30 minutes of sunlight each day – preferably naked. There is no mistake in nature.