THE PERFECT PAUSE - Chapter Eight - Making Yourself A Clear Channel

Chapter Intro

Our bodies are like our personal vehicles that propel us through the physical world. Unlike a car, a motorcycle, or a bike if our bodies aren’t in peak physical shape our minds also suffer.

Just within the past few years modern medicine has begun to learn more about the direct connection between our gut health and our mental health.

If we want to live an optimal life we must do all we can to take care of this vehicle we were born in and will be with us until our very last day. If your body and mind are healthy and working in synch there's nothing in this world that can hold you back from becoming your best self.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Thank you so much for the support you’ve shown for this series so far!

Read on...


Chapter Eight

Making Yourself A Clear Channel

We’ve all experienced the frustration of a slow Wi-fi or cellular connection. It can take forever to download what you’re trying to access. It’s the same way with the human mind. Regular meditation will heal us no matter what but if our minds are cloudy and our bodies aren’t as healthy as they can be, it will take longer. If you want to feel the optimum benefits connecting ourselves to that source of deep wisdom and knowledge in our universe through meditation we must first make ourselves a clear channel. To do this you must have proper sleep, nutrition, and fitness levels.

Sleep

Sleep is the best performance enhancer in the world. Without the proper amount of sleep, our bodies and minds can’t operate at peak efficiency and everything suffers, including our health and productivity. If we’re not operating at peak efficiency our enjoyment of life is diminished and it’s more difficult to be in the present moment.


“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” – Irish proverb


Geneticists have discovered that a small percentage of the population has a gene mutation. These people have a “short sleeper” gene that allows them to function perfectly on four to five hours of sleep. These are extremely lucky people and I wish I was one of them but I'm not. The rest of us need somewhere between seven and nine hours per night, the equivalent of one third of your day, of quality sleep to be our most productive and healthy.

Start paying attention to how you feel when you wake up in the morning.

How many hours of sleep does it take you to feel your best?

For most people the ideal number is seven to eight hours of sleep. It’s important that you find your ideal number and make it a goal to get this amount every night. Then you must integrate a sleep ritual into your life that assures you stay healthy and operate at peak efficiency.

Sustenance - You Truly Are What You Eat

Obesity is at epidemic proportions and is now the second leading premature cause of death after heart disease. We all know someone who’s taken a ride on the diet rollercoaster. They seem to jump from one fad diet to another and become obsessed with their weight. Modern science has proven that losing and gaining vast amounts of weight over a lifetime can be even more dangerous than being a little overweight. Believe it or not, your diet affects more than just your waistline. A healthier diet is good for the mind as well as the body. Simply put, what we put into our bodies is what we become. Literally and definitely figuratively!


"Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign that something is eating us.” - Peter De Vries


Listen to the cues your body is giving you. At some time we’ve all experienced that heavy, bloated feeling of indigestion. This is our body telling us that we’re either overindulging or we’re feeding it the wrong foods. Not everyone is ready to become strict vegetarians, though, you don’t have to be. A simple rule regarding food is the less processed the better.

Educate yourself about the food you eat. Learn where your food comes and how it’s processed. Try to buy locally sourced food and eat organic. The same holds true if you eat meat, the less processed the better. Free range, grass-fed, antibiotic/hormone/preservative free meat is best.

Steer clear or reduce your intake of hydrogenated oils or trans fats, saturated fats, artificial sweeteners of any kind, and processed or convenience foods. Find out more about alternative sweeteners such as stevia, honey, or xylitol. Also, explore the benefits of drinking black, green, or white tea.

I’ve found nothing to be as invigorating and detoxifying in the morning as drinking warm lemon water. This is such a simple thing to integrate into your daily routine. Warm lemon water, mixed with fresh juice of organic lemons, wakes you up and keeps you alert without caffeine. It also has a healthy dose of vitamin C and, despite the lemon’s acidity, it actually makes your body more alkaline. Research shows that if your body is alkaline you will be far less susceptible to illness and disease.

Here’s a simple recipe for lemon water:
• 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed (or cold-pressed bottled) organic lemon juice;
• 8-12 oz of lukewarm (not hot) water.

The best time to drink warm lemon water is immediately after waking in the morning, on an empty stomach, and wait thirty minutes before eating anything. Also, use a straw so the acid in the lemon doesn’t affect your tooth enamel. It’s that simple. I drink it just as described above but you can sweeten with a little local, organic honey or even add a dash of cayenne pepper powder for further detoxifying benefits.

Another great addition to any diet are fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi (spicy Korean sauerkraut) and kombucha (fermented tea). Most ancient cultures had this figured out but it’s something we’ve lost. New research suggests the health of your gut and your mental health are more intertwined than previously thought. Fermented foods are rich in probiotics which replenish healthy microbes in your digestive tract. Probiotics improve your immune system, digestion, and possibly even your mental health. I drink grass fed kefir daily, kombucha occasionally (GT’s is my favorite brand - http://synergydrinks.com), and also keep a jar of organic sauerkraut around and have a little as a side dish with dinner every few days.

A healthy diet might seem like it’s a little more expensive but in the long term, it will greatly add to the quality of your life and save you money in the form of fewer unplanned days off work and reduced healthcare costs, plus you’ll feel better. You’ll also have more energy and a clearer head. To reduce food costs, check into becoming a member of a food co-op in your area or buy from local farms or farmers markets.

If more people followed these simple steps, they wouldn’t have to subject themselves to the psychological and physical stresses of the dietary roller coaster. Also, those who perpetuate and get rich off of this unhealthy mindset of gorging ourselves and “purging” would be out of business.

Physical Activity
Our bodies were made to move and the key to our physical well-being is to make sure we do just that. The easiest way to ensure you get the exercise you need every day is to integrate as much movement into your daily routine as you can. Park as far away as possible from your workplace or bike to work if you can. I park about a mile away from the building I work in, so this is a guaranteed two miles of walking per day. I also bike to work when the weather permits.


“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos- the trees, the clouds, everything.” – Thich Nhat Hanh


The key to sticking with an exercise regime is it must be fun. You have to enjoy the exercises enough so that they don’t seem like a chore to you. Low impact exercises like walking, cycling, dancing, roller skating, swimming, yoga, or tai chi can be done by people of most fitness levels and ages.

What activities did you really enjoy as a child?

If they made you happy then, chances are they will now. My favorite activity as a child was always riding my bike. I still love cycling almost forty years later. Rediscover activities that once interested you as a child and they will pay the dividends of greater enjoyment and health to your life.

The truth is not everyone has the genetics required to resemble society’s idea of what a model should look like. But you know what? Not all people who look like models are healthy. Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. The most important thing is that you move every day, feel good, and are happy with how you look and feel. Nothing else matters.


“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.” – Buddha


Putting It Into Practice

Over the next seven days, make a conscious effort to pay attention to your sleep, diet, and activity level.

Sleep. Using the Notes feature of this chapter track the number of hours you sleep for the next seven days and briefly document how you felt throughout each day. The one or two waking hours you will “lose” by allowing yourself proper sleep will more than made up for in increased productivity. Remember, busyness doesn’t not always equal productivity.

Sustenance. Pay attention to the kinds of foods you eat for the next week. Don’t rush during meal time. Focus on the flavors and textures of what you’re eating and chew your food carefully. Make an effort to eat less refined foods (including sugar) and eat more organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and healthy lean meats and fish. Also, make a conscious effort to listen to your body. If you are hungry, eat. If you aren’t that hungry, even if it’s meal time, eat less. Pick one of the fermented foods mentioned in this chapter and make it a part of your daily diet. Using the Notes section, document how you feel once you begin to eat this way.

Physical Activity. Integrate movement into your daily routine. Set a fitness goal for the next week. This doesn’t have to be extreme but try to at least walk a little every day. Remember, walks are a great opportunity to practice your deep, conscious breathing. At least three times per week, try something a little more vigorous like a bike ride, stream a free yoga session on YouTube, or strap on your headphones and dance for fifteen or twenty minutes. Note how much different you feel physically and mentally afterwards. You tend to feel the benefits from exercise almost immediately.

Link to purchase The Perfect Pause

All for now.

With Gratitude,

Eric Vance Walton



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Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.

Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.



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Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.

These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.



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