The Natural Life

I’m catching some flak here for spending $8 on a book on how to live a disease-free life based on natural and homeopathic therapies. There are some rumors flying about the author being something of a snake-oil salesman. Certainly the guy wants to get rich, as you can plainly see as you read through his book. And this is why my wife is rolling her eyes. Now, I admit that some of the things this dude is trying to sell me are downright nutty. But … there’s a lot in the book I’ve read elsewhere. It’s a massive book and I’m not going to read it cover-to-cover, but I did thumb through it and jotted down any tip or suggestion I thought wasn’t too out there. The tip or suggestion also had to be something I’ve read or heard somewhere else, by someone with at least a little bit o’ credibility.

So, here’s a bunch a habits I’d like to slowly merge into my current lifestyle. There ain’t nothing revolutionary here, but just think: what might the quality of your life be if you did most of these things?

* Drink eight full glasses of pure (filtered or bottled) water daily
* Walk one hour a day
* Stretch several times daily
* Practice deep breathing daily
* Do yoga, chi gung, or tai chi
* Do not eat any processed foods
* Chew each mouthful of food at least fifty times
* Eat as much organic fruits and vegetables as possible
* Avoid fast food restaurants (do not go to them at all!)
* Do not microwave food or water
* Avoid all artificial sweeteners and msg
* Do not drink diet soda (if you must drink soda, drink regular)
* Avoid pasteurized dairy, and limit all dairy foods
* Do not eat pork or shellfish
* Use low aluminum deodorant, three swipes max
* Avoid products containing white sugar or white flour
* Avoid “fat free” or “sugar free” products
* Take short showers and do not take baths
* Buy and use a juicer
* Eat raw organic nuts daily
* Use organic sea salt instead of regular table salt
* Eat organic dark chocolate
* Drink liquids (like beer) from bottles, not cans
* Reduce or eliminate TV time
* Keep sleep times steady between 10 pm and 6 am seven days a week
* Don’t read newspapers, listen to the news, or go on news websites
* Drive less / plan trips and errands / drive calmly
* Use a gentle-sounding alarm clock
* Drink a glass of water immediately upon arising
* Eat a big, nutritious breakfast every morning
* Avoid high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils
* Eat a salad (for lunch) every day

Easy, isn’t it? The first change I’ll work on (and have been working on for a while) is substituting bottled or filtered water for diet soda. Ouch!