Happy New Year!

It’s 2018 and I’m tired from staying up last night to ring in the New Year, but enthused by my reading and the education I’m now getting from some super smart people who’ve, thankfully, taken the time to write a book and talk about their amazing experiences and accomplishments.  I’m currently working through The Wahls Protocol.

So far, the biggest thing that’s stuck with me is that I don’t know very much about how my body functions, other than what I learned many years ago in school.  I need to do much more reading about my own biology and biochemistry to understand what’s going on inside and how I can make a positive impact.  I have a good feeling about this book – it’s speaking to me and I feel like I’m connecting with Terry Wahls.  Here’s an excerpt to ponder:

“Disease begins at the cellular level, when cells are starved of the building blocks they need to conduct the chemistry of life properly, and … the root of optimal health begins with taking away the things that harm and confuse our cells while providing the body with the right environment in which to thrive.”  The Wahls Protocol

She goes on to say that the cells of your body need specific conditions in which to function and then reminds the reader that the only nutrients our cells receive come from the food we eat.  It stands to reason then that if our cells are failing to function we can simply look in the mirror for the majority part of the cause and ergo the potential solution.

As I’m reading I’m reminded of the ‘you are what you eat’ phrase that’s part of everyone’s repertoire.  It’s funny that we all say this and fundamentally know and believe it, and yet we still shovel crap into our bodies at an unbelievable rate: at this very moment I’m eating chocolate covered almonds and telling myself that nuts are healthy (and I’m not far off convincing myself that I’m right ;-)).  I guess, if I’m not an unreasonable benchmark for a typical/normal person, the only reason I don’t fuel my body with just what I need is pure pleasure-seeking combined with laziness.  It’s hard to walk past a chocolate almond or a pizza or a glass of wine and instead choose a carrot stick or a floret of broccoli.  It’s hard…. and despite knowing that my choices could make me a healthier person, without my RP push factor, I probably wouldn’t be bothering with this self-exploration and experimentation plan.