My experience as a speaker at the workshop “Living without medicine\"
When we talk about eating healthy food it is not, only to get into good shape or to reverse disease, as a punishment. It is about using nature’s gift to provide you with all the solutions for healing your body as you go about the job of living your life. As a doctor and a surgeon, people would look at me quizzically when I would suggest to them some food remedies for ailments especially for children and adults coming with symptoms of nutritional deficiencies.
They would only want medicines and supplements, especially if their insurance company would pick up the bill, rather than altering eating habits.
So I would begin to explain that the medicines are just symptomatic relief which is ok for a few days but what after that. Every chronic condition needs to be treated from the root and food and lifestyle is a much better way to achieve it rather than pills, even if they are harmless multivitamins. It is any day better to pop in pomegranate seeds rather than an iron tablet.
Till a few generations back, in India, all ailments were managed in the kitchen of the house, not in the hospitals. I have grown up in an environment where there was faith in traditional medicine and home remedies, as is the case in most households in India.
When I was invited as a speaker in a workshop named “Living without medicine” at a beautiful outdoor location I was very excited. I was speaking alongside a naturopath and a botanist where each one gave their own take on how the right nutrition can heal the human body.
I was honored to be a part of such a workshop as this was my way of showing respect to the ancient sciences of Ayurveda and understanding more of Naturopathy and acknowledging their power to heal which very few doctors would want to give their stamp of approval to. Amongst the speakers was a cancer warrior as well, who spoke about how she fought and won over her cancer by a combination of modern medicine and traditional Naturopathy. It was indeed an inspiring story.
You will be surprised but a big reason for feeling demotivated is lack of adequate rest during the day and the crucial reason for that is having too many late nights at a stretch with very few hours of restful sleep. 6-8 hours of sleep is a must. This is your body’s time to heal and recuperate. Don’t cheat on that!
Having different work shifts every week can also cause non-restful sleep due to the constant change in sleep habits.
Low energy levels can be due to improper diet or improper recovery after your workouts due to improper post-workout meals. This low energy throughout the day keeps you feeling fatigued, lethargic, and thereby demotivated to go on with your routines and workout. Choosing what you eat wisely is the key.
Having some kind of a morning routine, even if it is for ten minutes can be extremely invigorating. You can pick whatever works for you. It could be hearing motivational interviews of successful people or listening to spiritual gurus or it could be meditating or praying. Even if it’s extremely brief, it can really set your mood for the day and thereby motivate you to do everything that’s good for you and your body. Though this is listed lower down, it is the most important thing that you can do to be motivated for any change and to stop fearing it.
This board will be about everything you want to be in the future. You can put pictures of fit people you admire and affirm that this is how you would like to see yourself in the future. You could also put small notes with what is your target in terms of fitness after a year. For instance, you want to be fit enough to run a marathon or you want to trek up a certain mountain. What you affirm day in and day out will motivate you at a different level altogether.
There will be days you feel everything is worthless and nothing is working out for you especially if you are a beginner. But those times are transient and will pass. If you are keeping in mind the above points, then you can be assured that you are creating a strong base and you can’t go wrong. If you need a break, take one; and then jump right back into creating a life of your dreams.
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