The Fast Three

A snack is sometimes the exact thing we need—something to give us the energy to keep us moving forward throughout the day. Ideas are no different. A short, sharp, concise statement can keep us moving and give us something to meditate on, reflect, and keep life moving forward.

So here are what I call The Fast Three. Three ideas you can “eat” on the run will give you something to think around and can change your life.

1. What health routine should I follow?

One that works and makes you feel better helps you build a life that is in line with your purpose.

Yes, you say “easy to write but hard to do” – perhaps. The two “tricks” in life is one be flexible and the other – be a student, not a follower. These two basic ideas will help you work out what health routine to follow and help you not get trapped in the way of living that does not work for you.

It can be hard to know what health routine to follow. Every week there seems to be a new diet promoted on mainstream media. “Carrots are the miracle cure” – “Drink 500mls of celery juice every morning, The grapefruit diet, the list goes on. Remember the media is just after a story. They have twenty-four hours of each day to fill with “stuff”. “Stuff” hopefully that keeps you watching. Watching so you will see more ads; that’s it pure and simple.

So, look for a health routine that makes you feel better, healthier, younger, and promotes long life.

Seek professional support. Find professionals that look at the whole you, the mind, the body and your spirit. What is right for you may not be suitable for someone else. It will depend on how your overall health is currently placed. Find professionals that look at your individual makeup. Some people are suited to certain food groups over others.

I like a more vegetarian style diet, I’m not a vegetarian, but it will be the predominant food of my week. My parents were vegetarians when I was born. For the first twenty years of my life, that was the predominate food type. I have found that over time this works best for me. When I was extremely ill, I found that a small amount of meat was right for me every day. However, as my health recovered, that need drifted away. Your family history and cultural background will affect you. Take the time to study it. Learn to be aware of how food and your routines affect you and make you feel.

It won’t matter what health routine you follow the following are some good rules of thumb –

1. Eat more vegetables
2. Do not buy packet food.
3. Purchase fresh food and learn to prepare it. It tastes better!
4. Exercise 30 – 40 mins every day. Walking is great
5. Twenty minutes of stretching every day.
6. Drink more freshwater
7. Avoid excess coffee, tea and alcohol.
8. Look to control two meals a day and your snacks, and you will be looking after most of your food intake. Go for the easy wins. You can do that.
9. Your local fruit and veggie shop is a fast-food outlet.
10. Go for progress, not perfection.

Resources

The Blue Zone – Dan Buettner

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life – Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles

Radical Healing – Rudolph M. Ballentine

Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer – Clint G. Rogers.

2. Changing Your Life Takes Time.

I don’t know who you are and where you are at this point in life. What I do know is that it has taken you a certain amount of time to get where you are today. And depending on how happy you are, how healthy you are will impact the time it takes to change. If you have been going down a particular path for a long time, it can take a long time to turn that around. There may be a lot of elements to consider.

What you are looking for is a permanent change, so take one element at a time and introduce something new.  Pick the one where you will get some easy wins at the start – we all need encouragement and success. However, you may be one of those people who like to eat your “spinach” first. If that is who you are, go for it and get the tough win. It’s your life to know who you are and work with what works best for you. However, I have noticed that very few people are really in that category.

Once your new element is introduced and solidified, then take on the next one.

Now, if you really in a challenging space, you may have to tackle a lot at once. Be careful; the shock could be too much for the mind, body and soul. Professional useful guidance is a good idea.

Resources

Five Major Pieces of The Life Puzzle. – E James Rohn.

3. Take Up Gardening

Even if it’s just a few pots on your balcony, gardening can teach you a lot about life if you pay attention.

To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves

– Gandhi

Here’s what it can teach you.

1. The soil determines what sort of plant can grow. Soil nutrients will destroy some plants and heal others, all depending on their makeup. Take a sick plant and put it in the right soil, and very quickly becomes healthy again. But if its too far gone… well. Don’t wait too long.
2. You can, over time, turn bad dirt into great soil.
3. Companion planting builds the health of both plants. – we all need a good friend or two.
4. Given the right conditions, life will be abundant – and wants to be.
5. A plant the loves the sun does not do very well in the shade. Bloom, where you are planted, might be a good idea, but if it’s not working for you – better transplant.
6. A quick burst of quality organic fertilizer is good, but too much will kill the plant.
7. Non-organic fertilizer can create a good-looking crop but does not always taste that good. Do not look for a quick fix; the results can be empty.
8. Imbalance creates diseases.
9. There is time for planting, reaping, and sowing; if you miss it, it is a long wait.
10. There is always something that can be done to improve the current situation.
11. A tomato plant does not try to be a rose – it tries to be a great tomato.
12. Every plant has its own life cycle, and some increase in growth quickly and others slowly. Slow plants do tend to live longer.

Till next time.

Resources

The Seasons of Life – E. James Rohn.