I recently came across Mark Hyman’s book “The Ultramind Solution”, which led me to Barry Sears older Zone Diet system. Both books cover the same topic, which is how diet and lifestyle impact our bodies, which in turn impacts our cognitive capacity and personal resilience (ability to weather upsets and disappointments). I have been playing at the edges of this for some time (raw foods and juice feasting, polyphasic sleep, lifestyle design) but I see now how directly related all this is to my primary interest in “peak performance”. Peak Performance is simply the ability to function at higher levels of awareness and well-being all the time (or most of the time). It stands to reason that, as physical beings, our mental and emotional state has physical root causes. Mark Hyman even declares that many types of mental and emotional problems, from ADHD to depression and anxiety and even major physical disabilities can be cured through relatively simple lifestyle and diet changes.
This is all quite intuitively obvious. The main question is, why do we so rarely actually do the things that we know would have such a dramatic impact on our well-being, our performance and the quality of our life? My quick response to this question, is that we actually enjoy the upsets and ups and downs of our everyday lives! They create excitement and make us feel that our lives do have some meaning and purpose, which is our daily (and generally losing) battle against negative upset, about which Cheri Huber writes about so eloquently in There is Nothing Wrong with You.
However this is all speculation, and of no importance really to achieving the desired outcome. What I mean is that an intellectual understanding of the origins and causes of the types of behaviors that we engage that are not fully self-serving, is not necessary to changing these behaviors.
I invite you to join me in an exploration of the impact of diet and lifestyle on “peak performance”…
There are several ways you can do this. You can write to me or comment to the blog. If you live in the Philadelphia area, you can come to Trellis for our 4-part Conscious Eating course that begins Monday June 15. It’s probable that we will form a support group around the Conscious Eating class, and you can join us via teleconference. Or, just stay tuned for further posts…
With love,
Marc
Marc –
“However this is all speculation, and of no importance really to achieving the desired outcome. What I mean is that an intellectual understanding of the origins and causes of the types of behaviors that we engage that are not fully self-serving, is not necessary to changing these behaviors.”
I have to disagree. Without understanding why, we make it 10 times harder to follow through with any life style change. It is our unconscious, mindless programed responses that sabotage our efforts at positive lifestyle changes. Can you do it with just will power? Yes, but why run up hill if you have a flat pavement available. I appreciate your exploration of the question and the opportunity you give us to make positive life changes.
Lou,
I do not disagree. Insight and understanding are wonderful things. However, one can spend 20 years in therapy exploring this and still be at the same place (friends of mine have done this). I love Cheri Huber’s analysis. It’s that our “ego mind” is gratified by creating problems, in order to give itself an opportunity to feel great solving them. The problem is that this generates chaos among the other residents of the personality. Understanding the ego-mind’s MO is useful but one still has to change.
I would like to explore the thought: what if it is all good? Sure, there are a myriad of interrelated causes why we do what we do, many, many not conscious. Perhaps just getting conscious is a fun idea. Feeling, acknowledging the rightness of what I am doing now. Sensing resistance to change, feeling and acknowledging that. Peak performance of what the “I” wants me to do perhaps denies the peak performance I am achieving right now of my balancing conscious and unconscious goals, tacit agreements and cross purposes. I keep coming back to getting conscious as being the key. Once I am aware of what is running me, honor me for that goodness, I have lots of room to choose with awareness what I now want.
Dear Lou and Lian,
thank you both for your very insightful comments!
Love,
Marc