Franc0
Purple Belt
For the past 8 years or so, I've followed a personal regimen that I felt would promote better health. Now I'm no Joe Atlas, but I feel I've kept in decent shape utilizing what's really no "secret" at all. One of the factors that I did not include is diet, because I basically eat anything I want, including fast food and a little junk once in awhile. The main reason I don't get heavily overweight is I do eat in moderation, which is a general rule when it comes to the dietary aspects of staying healthy.
Anyway, I wanted to share my experiences, mainly because of a comment my wife made about the fact that as long as we've been together(10 years), she's never seen me sick. She and my son have gone through cold & flu season numerous times, both catching one bug or another, then giving it to the other, but I always seem to escape unscathed by not even so much as a sneeze.
Some of my students have been following these examples and they report feeling better than ever. One is a father and has been experiencing the same results as I have, seeing everyone else in the household catching colds & bugs, while he doesnt catch a thing. Before anything, it's always smart to first consult your physician. So here goes....
1st - Exercise to the point of heavy sweating at least 2 ot 3 times a week - This is a no brainer. Everyone knows that excercise is good and helps keep your immune system strong. Busting a good sweat helps purge the body of toxins and boosts the circulatory system, but of course be careful not to overexert yourself. My MA training is my way of exercise, while others may employ running, calistenics(sp?), weightlifting or a host of other physical activities.
2nd - Cold Water Dousing - There are several methods to cold water douse. My favorite way is to go outside, stand barefooted on the grass, and pour a bucketload of ice cold water over my head. This helps to supercharge the immune system, and gives a slight boost of energy through the shock effect. Another way I douse is in the shower. After a long hot shower, I'll crank the water on cold for about 3 to 4 seconds before shutting it off. I'm sure there's a few people out there that have gone into a sauna, then jump into a cold pool for the invigorating effects.
Dousing is best done around sunrise or sunset. If you douse just before bed time, you probably have trouble sleeping due to the slight energy boost. I shower douse every day, and do the outside douse with a bucket once a week. Theres a science behind cold water dousing, but I'm too lazy to type it all out. When I saw that there were different martial systems that practiced dousing, I felt I was on the right track with this.
3rd - Fasting - Fasting was the last & toughest aspect of my personal regimen that I implemented, but after awhile I got used to it and is now a regular practice. Like dousing, there's different approaches to fasting. Some fast weekly (1 or more days a week), while others follow different time tables. I have a friend that fasts for 5 days in a row (intaking water only)once a month, but thats something I'd have a hard time following. I fast (zero intake) for one 24 hour period per month. The explanation I was told about how and why this helps made sense to me. It seems that the cells in our bodies feed off the nutrients we intake. There are weak cells and strong cells. Germs & viruses piggyback their way through the body on the weak cells, while the strong cells fight them and kill them off. The cells also compete with each other for the nutrients we intake, so naturally when I fast, the cells battle it out for the nutrients in my system. The weaker cells die off from lack of food, while the stronger cells remain. This leaves more strong cells to fight off the bad stuff floating around. Now I'm no doctor, but a medical student buddy of mine said that although this isn't the exact science of it, it is in the right neighborhood.
Last week I had my annual medical checkup, and the doc told me everything was perfect. So, I just thought I'd share what I felt has kept me surprisingly healthy for almost a decade.
Franco
Anyway, I wanted to share my experiences, mainly because of a comment my wife made about the fact that as long as we've been together(10 years), she's never seen me sick. She and my son have gone through cold & flu season numerous times, both catching one bug or another, then giving it to the other, but I always seem to escape unscathed by not even so much as a sneeze.
Some of my students have been following these examples and they report feeling better than ever. One is a father and has been experiencing the same results as I have, seeing everyone else in the household catching colds & bugs, while he doesnt catch a thing. Before anything, it's always smart to first consult your physician. So here goes....
1st - Exercise to the point of heavy sweating at least 2 ot 3 times a week - This is a no brainer. Everyone knows that excercise is good and helps keep your immune system strong. Busting a good sweat helps purge the body of toxins and boosts the circulatory system, but of course be careful not to overexert yourself. My MA training is my way of exercise, while others may employ running, calistenics(sp?), weightlifting or a host of other physical activities.
2nd - Cold Water Dousing - There are several methods to cold water douse. My favorite way is to go outside, stand barefooted on the grass, and pour a bucketload of ice cold water over my head. This helps to supercharge the immune system, and gives a slight boost of energy through the shock effect. Another way I douse is in the shower. After a long hot shower, I'll crank the water on cold for about 3 to 4 seconds before shutting it off. I'm sure there's a few people out there that have gone into a sauna, then jump into a cold pool for the invigorating effects.
Dousing is best done around sunrise or sunset. If you douse just before bed time, you probably have trouble sleeping due to the slight energy boost. I shower douse every day, and do the outside douse with a bucket once a week. Theres a science behind cold water dousing, but I'm too lazy to type it all out. When I saw that there were different martial systems that practiced dousing, I felt I was on the right track with this.
3rd - Fasting - Fasting was the last & toughest aspect of my personal regimen that I implemented, but after awhile I got used to it and is now a regular practice. Like dousing, there's different approaches to fasting. Some fast weekly (1 or more days a week), while others follow different time tables. I have a friend that fasts for 5 days in a row (intaking water only)once a month, but thats something I'd have a hard time following. I fast (zero intake) for one 24 hour period per month. The explanation I was told about how and why this helps made sense to me. It seems that the cells in our bodies feed off the nutrients we intake. There are weak cells and strong cells. Germs & viruses piggyback their way through the body on the weak cells, while the strong cells fight them and kill them off. The cells also compete with each other for the nutrients we intake, so naturally when I fast, the cells battle it out for the nutrients in my system. The weaker cells die off from lack of food, while the stronger cells remain. This leaves more strong cells to fight off the bad stuff floating around. Now I'm no doctor, but a medical student buddy of mine said that although this isn't the exact science of it, it is in the right neighborhood.
Last week I had my annual medical checkup, and the doc told me everything was perfect. So, I just thought I'd share what I felt has kept me surprisingly healthy for almost a decade.
Franco
