I Suggest a New Strategy, R2

Listening: the hum of my work computer. I’m busy reading so I haven’t been listening to any music or audiobooks. I will later but it will probably be a metal/rock mix from 2007 which includes some Taproot and Chevelle. Oh the good ol’ days…

Reading: Chemistry for Dummies. I’m also reading Popular Mechanics (Apr 2013). My reading has stalled the past few days because I’ve been working on my Ultimate Nerdy Bucket List.

Doing: This morning wasn’t good at all. My blood sugar tested at over 33.3 mmol/L and my glucose monitor just gave me a warning. Yesterday I was complaining that I thought 7.2 was high. I think my dinner last night and being dehydrated (seriously; there are no water coolers in the bunkhouses) conspired against me.

My first step was to take a half-dose of Metformin along with 2 glasses of water. I ate a small breakfast and later I’ll test my blood sugar again. Remember I said yesterday that sugar was the cause of my not feeling well recently? I was right. This means I’ll be making even more changes. Sugar is going to become a curse word in my life. It makes me sick and as I get older, I just tolerate less and less.

Update: I checked my blood sugar again at 9:30 A.M., and it’s back down to 7.6 mmol/L. Glad to see that. I will keep working at it though.

Eating: My usual; slice of rye bread with one poached egg, and one poached egg white. Also, half a grapefruit.

Drinking: a cup of coffee (or 2). Also, water; two cups so far and another two cups before lunch.

Wearing: jeans and my “Eternal Exercise” t-shirt from Glennz Tees via Thinkgeek.

Feeling: If you read this far, then I’m sure you know that I’m not feeling very well at all. My blood sugar is all messed up this morning so I’m trying to remedy that while trying not to feel anxious about it. So far so good. Reading helps.

Weather: meh… 4C with a mix of rain and sunshine throughout the day.

Wanting: warmth, sunshine, new running shoes that don’t hurt my feet. I had a great pair of Nike’s that I bought in 2007. They were so comfortable. I’ve never been able to find another pair that fit so well.

Needing: to be healthy and to get my cravings for sugar and carbohydrates under control. I guess now it’s serious.

Thinking: That I should spend some time putting together my Star Wars Lego X-Wing. I’m so immature but whatever… I like Star Wars, a lot.

Enjoying: working on my Ultimate Nerdy Bucket List. It’s slow going but it’s been a lot of fun.

Food Baby

I’m not going to be posting a food diary for my retro diet/health challenge. That’s a lot of work to enter twice. So if you’re curious about what I eat, you can read MyFitnessPal food diary.

I have to warn you though; I haven’t been feeling well lately. I’m still waiting to get my tooth fixed and also, the skin on my wrists is still really itchy. I can’t figure out what I’m allergic to and it’s driving me nuts. Because of that I haven’t been adventurous with my food choices. Nothing exciting.

I also haven’t been able to work out. I tried but even walking gives me a toothache because raising my heart-rate makes my tooth hurt worse. The good news; my tooth will be fixed within the next two weeks.

The other good news; I’ve only spent $9.47 this pay so far (not including bills, of course). My goal isn’t to spend no money; just to really limit the amount I spend and to be picky about what I buy so I can really build up my savings.

There are a few vintage finds I’m looking at and will probably pick up if the price is right. I’m planning another trip to Edmonton soon for some vintage shopping. I will probably do this in early May but I’m in no rush. I’ll be going home to Saskatchewan at the end of April so I would prefer to keep that money in savings for now.

Also; I created a new Pinterest board called The Real 1970’s; check it out!

Come Back to Your Senses

(image and 1972 Herbal Essence Shampoo Commercial via Today’s Inspiration)

More from the 1973 book, An Everyday Guide to Your Health, by David Stuart Sobel and Faith Louise Hornbacher.

In ancient Greece the god of healing was Asclepius, who was also considered the perfect physician. He was master of the use of the knife and the curative virtues of plants. He was said to have two daughters—Hygeia and Panakeia.

Panakeia (meaning “cure all” or “all healing”) represented the treatment of disease and restoration of health. She had a specialized knowledge of the drugs from plants and the earth.

Hygeia, on the other hand, was the goddess and preserver of health. She personified the Greek ideal of mens sana in corpore sano (sound mind in a sound body). Hygeia, one of the manifestations of Athena (goddess of reason), taught that if people lived wisely and moderately, according to the laws of reason, they could remain healthy.

The teachings of Hygeia were thus centered around the prevention of disease and maintenance of health, while treatment remained the domain of her sister, Panakeia.

Hygeia taught that health was a natural way of life, a daily concern, and a personal responsibility. Her techniques included diet, rest, exercise, bathing, massage, dream interpretation, and how to create healthful mental and physical environments.

Today Panakeia’s cult still survives in the medical treatment of individual patients and in the search for the universal panacea, the miracle drug or treatment which would cure all disease.

Unfortunately the teachings of Hygeia have languished. In general, people have found it easier to rely on healing powers of Panakeia than to attempt to live wisely and healthfully. Vague traces of Hygeia’s principles can be seen in the fields of public health and sanitation, but her concern for personal hygiene and natural ways of living is not really part of our education. We learn little about that which is closest to us—our bodies.

Part of the problem is that health is so abstract and intangible. It is most often known by its absence, and much of the usual motivation for health and fitness is based on fear…

We want to emphasize the positive aspects of healthy living—namely, that caring for yourself feels good and carries its own immediate reward. Health is much more than the absence of disease. It is a creative and adaptive way of interacting with the environment, characterized by efficent functioning and a strong sense of wholeness and wellbeing.

By putting attention into your body you can become more aware of the cues and advice your body continually gives you. These signals are the most valuable and personal guide to your health. If you are sensitive to these signals and heed them, they can help you find a way of life that is suited to your own needs. And this way of health consists of the deceptively simple, everyday things you do to care for yourself.

Thirsty

(images from Life magazine article, “The Bare Look” (28-Jul-1972)

I found a book titled, An Everyday Guide to Your Health, while rummaging around the library’s book sale shelves. It was published in 1973 and is full of early 1970’s wisdom regarding personal health. That means it’s influenced by late 1960’s hippie culture. It’s a fun book and I’d like to share a story from it by Idries Shah.

People are always looking for a miracle cure and the easy way out. The health and wellness industries are clever and offer many complicated “solutions”  to sell to people looking for many complicated ways to avoid the hard work of being healthy and well. I appreciate a more simple and relaxed approach to being healthy and that’s why this story appeals to me.

There once was a king who was thirsty. He did not quite know what the difficulty was, but he said: “My throat is dry.”

Lackeys at once ran swiftly to find something suitable to alleviate the condition. They came back with lubricating oil. When the king drank it, his throat did not feel dry any more, but he knew that something was not right.

The oil produced a curious sensation in his mouth. He croaked: “My tongue feels awful, there is a curious taste, it is slippery…”

Soon he had stomach-ache and watering eyes to add to his sorrows. “I think I must be thirsty,” he mumbled, for his suffering had made him do some thinking. “Thirst never made the eyes water,” said the courtiers to one another. But kings are often capricious, and they ran to fetch rosewater, and scented, syrupy wines fit for a king.

The king drank it all, but still he felt no better—and his digestion was ruined.

A wise man who happened along in the middle of this crisis said: “His Majesty needs ordinary water.” “A king could never drink common water,” shouted the court in unison. “Of course not,” said the king, “and, in fact, I feel quite insulted—both as a king being offered plain water and also as a patient. After all, it must be impossible that such a dreadful and daily more complicated ailment as mine could have a simple remedy. Such a concept is contrary to logic, a disgrace to its originator, and an affront to the sick.”

That is how the wise man came to be renamed “The Idiot”