What's Most Important to Keep Us Healthy - Ecotrain's Question of t...

Last weekend I felt I was coming down with the cold. A slight soreness in my throat announced the arrival of this benign sickness, which could last a whole week if you don’t take anything for it, or if you do it could pass in only seven days. As it turns out, the whole shebang was gone just two days after it started. It didn’t even reach the stage of congestion. Most importantly, however, this has been the worst illness I have had for almost two years. How is that possible?

The Truth is: This hasn’t Always Been the Case.

This week @ecotrain’s Question of the Week wants to know what we think is what keeps us healthy. It is an excellent question, which I have been debating a lot myself. Especially right now, that I can proudly say my health has never been better.

As a child I was notorious for all kinds of illnesses, from painful middle-ear infections to nasty bacterial stuff that would keep me on extended cures of antibiotics. The fact that my parents were two health care professionals, who had just completed their training in western medicine, didn’t help the situation. They were quite concerned about my health, and eager to try all the wonders that modern medical science would throw at their disposal.

Interestingly, as I grew up I started being less sickly, but still I would consider it normal if I got the cold at least three times a year, and not just for a few days, but an entire week, or maybe longer if it was a serious one. Then there were other things: upset stomachs, cases of the flu, an outbreak of herpes on my lips, … Okay, none of these things is really anything serious, but when they do occur they can be quite bothersome. Fortunately, none of this has happened to me for a long time.

So How Do I Keep Myself Healthy?

Looking around the multi-faceted information around us, there seesm to be a number of roads to good heath. Eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, doing exercise, yoga, meditation, optimism, are all things frequently mentioned, including in the post prompting this QOTW. Additionally you could mention the absence of much stress - especially the wrong kind, no drugs or alcohol, lots of good company around you, intimate love and sharing, regular passionate sex, nature and sunshine around you, a belief in the divine, working for a greater goal or at least some type of purpose to your life, and lots of other things that make you feel good mentally.

But is all of this present in my life? I’m not so sure, actually… Also, I should distinguish (once again) between this year and last year, which are night an day comparatively. But let’s look at them one by one:

A Healthy Diet – Is There Such a Thing?

Now this topic has the potential to make its own post, or even several, because there have been so many theories proposed on what healthy food is like. Low carb, low fat, also preferably without hormones and nasty chemicals, vegetarian or even vegan, possibly raw food, but with a great diversity, making sure to get all the vitamins, minerals, and especially micro nutrients. Oh, but don’t forget about enjoying the taste!

I’ve always looked at food trends as such: interesting, worth looking into, and each one probably with its own merits. But I would never adopt either one completely. There were times in my life when I was surrounded by vegans and vegetarians, and out of respect for them I would never eat animal products in front of them, which in practice meant I was pretty much living the same lifestyle. Still, I would never identify myself as such. Also, my parents these days are all about the paleo diet, so while visiting them last month my diet was also paleo. I didn’t mind, and it was all delicious. Still I would not take this 100% upon myself.

What I’d consider “healthy” about my diet is my regular consumption of probiotics (a glass of kefir in the morning, and a glass of kombucha or water kefir in the afternoon), my regular intake of spirulina (in form of pesto, salad dressing, or a smoothie, probably 3-4 times a week), lots of leafy greens and raw veggies (I enjoy a good salad), and relatively little sugar (okay, what’s relatively little? I don’t drink soft drinks and even as a kid I didn’t like candy. But I do enjoy some good chocolate, I’ve always loved pasta, and sometimes nothing can beat a nice croissant). Oh, and let’s not forget good hydration!

Let's keep in mind though: this is what my diet looks like currently, as I’m living in a Mexico City. Last year I hardly had any probiotics, no spirulina, and at least during the Earthship build we were treated to cake every day(!), though at least on the veggie front I was not lagging behind. When I went on my bike journey, my diet became dominated by peanut-butter, carrots, bananas, apples, jerky, mixed nuts, canned tuna, and canned beans. Not exactly what you’d call ideal, though these are the things my body seemed to want.

Hard Work and Physical Exercise

Let me say one thing right away: I never enjoyed doing workout. Going to the gym seems like a waste of time, and with competitive sports you could chase me out of this world. What I do enjoy, however, is going for long walks, preferably in nature, or better bike rides. And when it comes to building amazing things, I don’t mind the sweat that’s required. If it is outside, even better!

Thus, last year was perfect to get all the physical workout I could possibly want. Pounding tires (then pounding some more) is an excellent way to build up your upper body, plus you’re constructing some awesome structures at the same time. Since the projects I was participating in also included fresh air, plenty of sunshine, good company, and a feeling of progression towards a wonderful goal, my physical activity checked off a number of the factors mentioned above. The same thing can be said about the bike journey. Oh, and in both situations I would get properly thirsty, so drinking lots of water was also a given.

These days my physical activity can be summed up with walking to various places across this polluted city. Not exactly ideal… maybe that is the reason this cold came up in the first place?

What About the Vices?

Next to all of these good practices, I should mention some of the less healthy practices I engage in (though they may be just as debatable). Drugs and alcohol for one, are things that I partake in regularly, though in limited quantities. That means a couple pints of beer or glasses of wine a day is normal, along with a tobacco-cannabis splif. Also, I should mention that I do love my coffee, of which I drink a good liter or so each day. To this I should add the pasta, croissant, chocolate I already mentioned, plus the bad habit of letting stress factors get to me sometimes.

Keeping My Mental Sanity

Finally, the only point I haven’t covered has to do with my mental health. As I mentioned, I can’t help getting upset at times (especially when a car speeds up trying to scare me off the street if other than me their only impediment is a pesky red light), which I tend to carry with me for the next couple of hours at least. I know this is not good, so I have started meditating, for about ten minutes a day. It actually works wonders, and makes me care less about these things. However, as soon as my situation improves, like when I was visiting my parents in New Zealand, or pretty much all the time last year, I would stop the practice.

On the other hand, lots of the things I listed under my vices act as stress relief, and unlike meditation, I don’t give up on them just because there is less stress. Coffee has been a constant phenomenon in my life, wherever I go. Cannabis has been accompanying me last year as well as now, together with tobacco. Only last month in New Zealand did I go completely smoke free, without any problems. Last year I didn’t drink as much alcohol as this year, though I wouldn’t refuse a pint of beer if the situation offered itself. And as for pasta, chocolate, and such sweet treats the case was similar.

Conclusion?

So, given all this information, I’m still not sure how to answer the QOTW. Is it any certain aspect of my lifestyle, or the whole of it that makes me healthy? Or could it be something completely different that I haven’t even mentioned? Could it be that I’m not even healthy at all, just without symptoms at the moment? (Nah, I won’t buy that!) I believe, in either case it is a much more complicated question than what can be answered in a post like this, which has already grown 50% longer than I had wanted.