The following are initial steps for dramatically improving your health and vitality through the relationship between diet and exercise. In a nutshell, it is living your life with as little effort, fatigue, apprehension and hesitation as possible.

Just as poor quality or “heavy" food creates effort, fatigue and catabolism biochemically, so does the typical exercise program. Exercising to fatigue creates catabolism within the muscle (e.g., soreness, the need to rest the muscle for a day or two, etc.) as well as physiology as a whole. This is reflected in your diet by an increased desire for heavier foods as a result of pushing your physiology from too strenuous an exercise routine. You may also have some apprehension or hesitation about going to workout as who truly wants to experience fatigue or failure in any aspect of their life...especially, if the alternative could be strength, power and increased energy after working out. By exercising and eating within optimum physiologic limits, you will notice a life with less and less apprehension and a physiology that just keeps getting healthier. The real icing on the cake is an increased presence and clarity. Your life begins to reflect more of “You", and not who you have been conditioned and “learned" to be as the efforts of life are resolved. So notice how you feel as you make your lifestyle choices. You will find at times, for example, that ice cream or beef feels good due to some aspect of stress in your life. You will also at times make choices you know will not feel good and do them anyway. That may not be the best choice, but more often than not, it will be an aware choice and a choice you will make less and less. Enjoy.

Introductory Phase: Increase fruits and vegetables

With the introductory phase you may continue to eat foods that you like or don’t feel you can do without, but in smaller amounts. However, chronic conditions or disease will more than likely require even healthier choices.

Diet

• Add more pigmented vegetables and fruits to your diet. This will naturally decrease the amount of protein, dairy and starch (grains, nuts, potatoes, corn, pasta, etc.).
• Use an off-white sea salt after cooking (e.g., www.celticseasalt.com).
• Add 1-2 TBS. of Nori daily: 1 TBS. 30 minutes to one hour before exercising.
• Add olive oil and coconut oil to your diet and avoid other oils. You should cook with steam, water or refined coconut oil as it will not turn rancid or oxidize due to heat. Choose unrefined coconut oil in place of butter, and olive oil for vegetables, soups and salads. Add olive oil after cooking.
• Use guacamole or avocado instead of cheese when possible.

Exercise

Over-exercising results in tissue breakdown while not exercising can result in poor hormone production, both of which put the body into catabolic states. Your diet will reflect this as you may require greater quantities of food and crave heavier proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Exercise within physiologic limits is the healthiest and most fundamental way to stimulate hormone production and combat aging.

If you are currently exercising, then increase your intensity to what feels emotionally and physically invigorating and DO NOT GO TO EFFORT OR FATIGUE. That is, stop when it no longer feels invigorating or fun. By exercising without going to fatigue or failure you will avoid creating feelings of hesitation or apprehension commonly experienced with the typical exercise programs.