Embracing the 'Alternative' Lifestyle

The advice given is not MD authorized and I am by no means an expert. I am simply a human who is personally trying all this stuff out on herself to see if something takes! In my quest I have overcome many obstacles, because I was forced to by this disease. For others, there may not be some driving factor that compels them to begin on this path. I am not sure I would have had I not been forced. I came up with a more manageable approach to making these changes that I thought might be helpful. Hopefully it makes taking control of your helath seem less scary.

Embracing the 'Alternative' Lifestyle

Fully embracing a new, healthier lifestyle and sticking with it is a lot harder then it looks. There are so many factors that you go up against in everyday life that is can become overwhelming, seemingly impossible. In order to make this transformation you must first have a real solid reason for doing so, a reason you completely endorse with every fiber of your being. It can be illness, obesity, environmental, or any other number of valid reasons. Whatever the reason it has to be something that you believe you have to do. From this foundation, it is important to keep an open mind. Venturing into the ‘alternative’ lifestyle without having a willingness to try new things almost certainly sets you up for failure. Because of the plethora of options available, it is best to begin with what I like to call the Outer ‘Alternative’ Ring. Living within this realm is the more mainstream, popularized lifestyle changes that bring big benefits, fast. Number one on this list is juicing. There is no other rush like the rush you get from drinking pure, fresh plant juice. Incorporate this one thing if nothing else and you are guaranteed to experience an enhancement in your health. Begin with a middle grade juicer to make sure it is something you are willing to stick with. Select vegetables and fruits that you already enjoy, being sure to keep your recipes at a minimum 3:1 vegetable/fruit ratio. I recommend that you begin each morning with at least 8 oz. and enjoy another 8 oz. glass for your mid-afternoon snack. The changes from this can be felt as quickly as 3-4 days.

As you begin to experience enhanced vitality you will then be more willing to move into the next phase of the Outer ‘Alternative’ Ring. This consists of cleaning up your diet on a basic level. You don’t have to rush out and buy crazy new cookbooks with recipes that boast ingredients you need a dictionary for. Doing this will only set you up for failure once more as you have not yet laid the proper foundation necessary to keep you motivated. It is incredibly easy to become discouraged when trying to transform one’s self as we have been programmed to resist change. Begin by cutting back on unhealthy, fatty products like dairy, meat, pasta, and alcohol. Do not eliminate everything all at once. This is a process and just as your body must adjust so must your mind. Almost everything is fine in moderation at this point, but moderation is key. Moderation by definition means to partake in smaller amounts and this can be somewhat misleading when used as a dietary descriptive word. To be clearer, dietary moderation means to eat less unhealthy foods and to eat them way less often. Instead of potentially meaning to eat only one serving of chocolate a day, it actually means to eat one serving of chocolate once or twice a week. That is true moderation.

Once you have eliminated a majority of your unhealthy foods you may find that there is some space left on your plate. Filling this space with a variety of in season, fresh produce moves you into the next phase of the Outer ‘Alternative” Ring. Incorporating more plant life into your diet will naturally begin to help you clean your internal environment and invigorate your system. Your body wants to be healthy and balanced and with minimal effort on your part, you can help it to achieve this.

The final factor in between the old you and the healthier you is exercise. This part is purposefully left as the last step because exercise as an activity requires an immense amount of motivation, confidence and mental stamina in order to become a consistent lifestyle change. Once you have gained some of this from the fantastic benefits of the other changes you will be more willing and able to take this part on. Begin slowly, by picking a close location to walk to everyday. For example, is there a tree near your house that would take you 5 minutes to walk to and from? That’s your location. No matter what, walk to that location and back once a day until you no longer mentally fight yourself about having to do it everyday. On that day, move your location a little further from your house and so on. Note: Fellow Tarlovians, this part can be tricky for us as it can be excruciating to walk. As you change your lifestyle your symptoms should, like mine, start to lessen and you will be more able to walk as time goes on. In the mean time, do small stuff that you can handle. For example, balance on a yoga ball, lift hand weights, do calf lifts, whatever doesn't send shooting pains up or down your body!

There are things that can change your life all at once, like having a baby, a car accident, or losing your job. Changing your lifestyle and health is something that you have total control of and that means it doesn’t have to happen all at once. You don’t have to put your body and mind through chaos, you can take this on one step at a time. These changes can be made so subtly that your body can reap the rewards while your mind slowly adjusts to the changes. This can only set you up for success. There are tons of other small changes that can be accomplished safely within the Outer ‘Alternative’ Ring, such as taking a daily multi-liquid vitamin, increasing your water intake by 10% a week until you reach the ideal half your body weight in ounces, and so forth. All that matters is that you take that first step and nurture yourself as you would a child. Once these diet changes take effect inside you, you will soon begin to instinctively know that you are worth it and the time is now.