8 Habits for a Healthier, Happier Life: Nutrition, Fitness, Sleep, and More
Observe nature and turn the wheel to your advantage. Nature as your ally? Imagine the power...
“One look in the mirror was all it took to know for sure; I wasn’t where I wanted to be.”
Hello everyone!
I’m back on track. After a horrible and too agitated week, I found time and inspiration to serve you some of my thoughts about how Nature can influence our life.
Stay with me, it’s gonna be a long run… :-)
If you look at your cell phone, you get an insight into the collective worldview of today’s society. Only those who are beautiful, successful, and well-dressed deserve a place on the pedestal of recognition.
You have to be mentally strong if all these parameters of society leave you cold. And you want to live your life authentically and free from constraints. But living a life according to your standards isn’t only possible; it is a kind of rebirth. But how do you live authentically?
What are the important guidelines that enable us to live a long and happy life?
As always, it’s worth taking a look at nature.
To function for years, we must care for and maintain our body and brain accordingly. I’ve learned this the hard way. States of exhaustion and finding my way took time.
Food and nutrition
Nutrition plays a much more important role than we think. No animal would think of questioning and changing its diet every three months. Every living creature on this planet has been given an optimal diet plan by nature. Only we humans are constantly on the lookout for new food.
I’m guilty as charged here. Out of desperation, I too have spent half my life searching for the ideal diet. Sometimes to lose weight, sometimes to maintain weight, sometimes to do whatever…
I’ve found my ideal food. A look at the people who live close to nature showed me my way. Books like “The Big Fat Surprise” by Nina Teichholz confirmed what I was feeling. Indigenous peoples, such as the African Maasai or the Inuit, have survived to this day. They eat a simple diet:
- lots of animal protein
- lots of fat
- few carbohydrates
- few plants
- no sugar!
Even if official stories say we should eat insets, I stick to my motto. It has worked for me for years.
Eat meat to get full, and consider plants and vegetables as medicine in small quantities.
Physical activity
It’s no secret that we lead a sedentary life these days. From bed to office chair, then onto the sofa and back to bed. Horror for the spine and muscles of our body.
All too often, the planned balance in the gym has to give way to other commitments, and for most of us, the good New Year’s resolutions come to an end again in mid-January…
Primitive people are much more active than we are. Even our grandparents had much more regular exercise with field or garden work. And they were active well into old age.
Drinking habits
“No beer before four o’clock. But somewhere it’s already four o’clock” is a well-known saying in the German language.
Seen from the outside, our drinking habits are like something from another world. They have little or nothing to do with natural needs.
Drinking alcohol and soft drinks has become a social standard. No family dinner takes place without Coke, Fanta, and co., and cognac after dinner is a tradition.
And the after-work beer, which usually leads to a second and a third, has been part of the culture for a long time.
One might argue that alcohol consumption is on the decline worldwide. This is true overall. But, young people are increasingly replacing alcohol with energy drinks. These drinks only contain two substances: water and hundreds of chemicals…
No animal would voluntarily drink a Red Bull. Even if the company’s logo would have us believe otherwise.
Water, if possible from a safe source, should be our main drink. Sweet drinks cause obesity, diabetes, and dental problems. I have avoided them for many years.
You need rest too
We rush from one meeting to another. We answer countless phone calls. After work, we head for the noisy, crowded pub. The permanent brain overload has consequences. We struggle to concentrate for long periods. Many serious health problems, such as anxiety and burnout, are linked to this by science.
Seeking rest is not a sign of weakness. Our ancestors struggled with daily existential problems. They still had time for a nap after a meal.
The image that best describes rest is the lion. In the brooding midday sun in the African steppe, they lie in groups in the shade of the trees. All activity is reduced to a minimum. They rest and gather strength.
How great would their hunting success be without these rest periods?
No time to sleep
Just like rest, many people also miss out on sleep. Restless, non-restorative sleep has become such a big problem that an entire industry has developed out of it.
Sleep coaches and apps speak for themselves. This health sector alone is worth millions. And the number is growing.
Few people bother to find the real causes of their sleep problems. It’s much easier to follow the doctor’s advice and swallow medication. Many of these drugs are addictive in the long run. Some physically, some mentally. The effect is the same. You think you can no longer sleep without them.
There are only very rare neurological problems that lead to sleep problems. Most of the time, it’s a chain of poor lifestyle choices.
And bad habits take time to fix!
In the animal world, even among primitive peoples, sleep problems are unknown. It wouldn’t surprise me if the few remaining tribes in the Amazon don’t even have a word for sleep problems in their languages… (I don’t know and haven’t found any literature about it either…!)
But one thing is certain and has been researched. Those who align themselves as closely as possible to the rhythm of the sun sleep better. The circadian rhythm is based on this and is crucial for our bodies.
And this leads us to another cause of our problems that primitive people don’t know.
Lack of social contact
We’ve all heard horror stories like this. Someone dies alone in their home and is only found months later. Often only because the stench of decay is unbearable. What a horrible way to die. And to be found!
There are many reasons for the increasing isolation of people. In my opinion, however, it has one main reason: we no longer have a deep connection to our family members. The problem is that the nuclear family is growing apart.
The saying “only family counts”, which we know from mafia movies, may seem old-fashioned. But a deeply rooted family structure is almost impossible to break. A family built on mutual respect over several generations is impossible to destroy.
I’m not a good example of this myself, by the way. My family is a patchwork family. I have siblings, half-siblings, and several parents. And the associated problems and opinions.
I have always admired and gotten to know the large Italian families. Interestingly, I married into similar family structures. My wife is Transylvanian. She has a deep bond with her parents and other family members.
I have learned to deal with that.
Not like in the mafia, but close to it…
Living together is one of the basic principles of nature. We are all familiar with the images of entire families of elephants, packs of wolves, and migrating whales. And even plants join together in groups if this makes survival safer.
The symbiotic relationships between trees and fungi are still little known. We hardly know anything about them.
But one thing is certain: the benefits are greater than going it alone.
Where there is no goal, there is no path
As hackneyed as the saying is, it is true. If you don’t know where you want to end up, you can’t know which path will take you there. A bit of reverse engineering is needed here. Define your goal. Search for a path.
Of course, I know how simple that sounds. And I know all too well how difficult it is to set goals. For a large part of my life, I’ve drifted aimlessly through life. Sometimes overwhelmed by waves and often dangerously close to the abyss.
But at some point, I realized there is more to life than parties, pleasure, and bad habits. You can read about it here:
medium.com
As humans, we consider ourselves as the only living beings who make willful judgments about our lives. Well, I’m not so sure about that.
Not anymore.
Anyone who has to deal with animals every day like I do (living on a mini-farm!) gets a hint or two that animals do have feelings and are able to plan.
The look of a sheep just before it breaks through the fence.
The eyes of the dog that force you to share your food with it:
In my opinion, it’s evidence of goal-directed behavior.
But let’s let science argue about that.
As a human, you only have two options:
- either you pursue your own goals
- or you work for someone else’s goals
Freedom is THE basic principle of nature. For me, there is nothing more important than freedom. Freedom to live how and where I want, and above all to decide about myself and my body.
Freedom is my main motivation.
Before you can do a job over a longer period, you need to have a strong reason to do it.
Or you will soon let it go.
Distraction and instant gratification
Have you ever watched a cat chasing a mouse?
It sits tensely in front of the mouse hole. For hours. It barely breathes. It fixes its eyes on the mouse hole.
And then her cell phone beeps and she checks her Instagram feed.
The unthinkable situation, isn’t it?
Animals can hardly be distracted in their activities. They are attentive, yes.
But they don’t go about one activity only to do something completely different the next moment.
They carry out their tasks to the end.
Immediate gratification is rarely found in nature. Most attention is given to tasks that need patience and greatest concentration.
Concentrating on something, whether in the short or long term, is a skill that can be learned.
Excellent books have been written on the subject of “deep work” or “focus”.
It is worthwhile to take a closer look at this topic.
Conclusion
Most of us don’t even realize how far we’ve strayed from the laws of nature.
We often don’t realize what the real reason for our dissatisfaction is.
Anxiety, burnout, and depression have long since ceased to be buzzwords. They have become a sad reality.
Like heart attacks and diabetes.
Our society even goes so far as to attack the bearers of bad news:
Anyone who talks about the health effects of obesity is quickly accused of “fat-shaming.” Instead of actively tackling this pandemic, some prefer to do the opposite; ignore it, talk down the effects, and attack the science.
How low have we sunk?
But one fact remains. There is no such thing as an overweight tiger.
Or the diabetic eagle.
Death by heart attack probably only occurs among gazelles that are hunted by cheetahs.
You can’t always do everything the right way. Or live like a monk.
But it’s the small decisions that pay off over a long life.
Giving up a Coke here, and doing a bit of sports there.
Both good and bad habits accumulate.
And at some point, the body presents us the bill.
You decide and plan your life. Don’t let anyone tell you how to do it.
We’re part of nature.
Whether we like it or not.
Whether we realize it or not.
If you want to live a healthy, long life, it’s a good idea to make nature your ally!
Thank you so much for staying with me through this long article. I appreciate it more than you can imagine. Please remember: giving the article some claps makes it easier for others to find the article too. Thanks.
I’m curious about your approach to nature. If you like to share what you’ve learned or experienced feel free to write a comment.
All the best to you!
Daniel
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