“Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.”
-Alan Keightley, as quoted from A Brief Guide to World Domination by Chris Guillebeau

Regular readers of Almost Fit know that I have been mentioning the words World Domination for a few weeks now. Have I gone mad? Do I think that eating real food in moderation will create a position as Potentate of some small nation state? Maybe. But if such a seat were ever offered, I would have to pass - The aspirations that are already on my list are more than enough, and do not include the title of Magistrate. But anything is possible.

For me, Almost Fit is much more than just a hobby - it’s part of a much larger life picture. With Almost Fit, I have two distinct purposes:

1. To improve my health before it’s too late. From my perspective today, losing weight and getting fit is a critical first step in accomplishing my greater goals. Writing Almost Fit inspires me to continue down that path. Writers like Walt Whitman and Thoreau have explained with much greater skill and dimension than I the connections of body, mind, spirit, and the world around us. These are ideas to which I subscribe. For me, my physical state has a very direct impact on how I see myself, how that perception is communicated to others, and my sense of place in the world around me. It affects both my physical ability and my emotional momentum to do the bigger things that I want to do, whether it is to run a marathon, invent something revolutionary, or climb El Cap.
2. To improve the lives of others on a grand scale. I’m one of the many who have spent the majority of my life trying to get or keep my weight under control. This has all sorts of implications, as I mentioned. I have tried everything short of drugs and surgery, with varying degrees of success. Now however, I think I am on to the best solution of all - eating real food in moderation. My hope is that I will be able to help get the word out and impact the lives of others who have struggled with this as I have. And I am doing so, thanks to the Internet, on a global scale.

And this is just phase one.

Inspiring minds want to know

We all have our own aspirations of course - and some of us are still trying to figure out what those are. Whether your goal is to set a lifelong, positive example for your children or to lead a mora of Spartans into battle armed to the teeth - The biggest prerequisites for success in any endeavor are that you must be moved, committed, and determined to accomplish the task. And as important, you have to do the work that is required to get there. For me, getting a handle on my physical state is part of that work.

I am a big believer in finding inspiration in others, which always helps me to get started on the task at hand. For bigger life questions, I look to people who expect more out of life than to pass the time, standing still in a job for 8 hours a day for the best years of their life, until the time is up.

Chris Guillebeau is one such inspiration. Chris’s site is called The Art of Non-Conformity: Unconventional strategies for life, work, and travel. He recently wrote a report for which the timing, for me, could not have been better. He is no guru or prophet; he is simply an excellent writer who is striving to change the world by whispering the unheralded death of mediocrity through a global bullhorn.

With this, I identify.

Chris has published his manifesto which is entitled, A Brief Guide to World Domination (and other important goals): How to Live a Remarkable Life in a Conventional World. The report is spreading like wildfire thanks to a virtual army, myself included, who are enthusiastically fanning the smoke signals of change in a digital age.

Think Global, Act…Global?

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The message of World Domination is simple: Each one of us can live a remarkable life - we just need to choose to do so. Changing the world for the better does not have to be a product of circumstance. If you want to change the world, the most important thing to do, is to start.

But there is a catch.

If you aspire to greatness, you have to think on a bigger scale than you might be accustomed to thinking. In fact, you have to think of your impact for good on a global scale. Thanks to nearly instant, worldwide communication technology, stimulating positive change in global terms has never been more possible. The good news is that accomplishing your goals does not have to be at the expense of a greater good. In other words, you can do great things for the world while you accomplish your own goals. They are not mutually exclusive.

The bad news is, there is a whole system of conventional thinking that will tell you otherwise.

What are your dreams?

To determine our own goals and to live a life that our children and our children’s children will call extraordinary, Chris has distilled the process down to asking two basic questions that those of us who want more out of life have to answer:

#1: What do you really want to get out of life?

#2: What can you offer the world that no one else can?

The questions are simple, but for many the answers may not be. If you are one of the fortunate few who already know your life’s answers, my sincere congratulations. If you are one of the rest of us who are striving to figure this out, don’t panic. You’re not alone. But don’t analyze it too closely. The single greatest mistake that most of us make is not failing in the process; the critical error is never starting in the first place.

For me, the journey is underway. At the time, I didn’t even realize it was starting, but looking back, I’m now approaching month 7 of doing the work (with Almost Fit being the cornerstone), even if I don’t know where precisely my path is leading. I don’t have my final answers yet to questions one and two. But what I do know is they both involve work, trade-offs, and a willingness to sacrifice a degree of comfort for a while in favor of accomplishing truly great things.

The choice is yours - no strings attached

If you are interested in living a life that is remarkable, making changes that will ultimately benefit both yourself and others on a grand scale, and living a life that is uniquely your own, consider reading Chris’s manifesto. It is only 29 pages, it is without charge, and is well worth an afternoon of exercising your rods and cones.

I read it camping on the North Umpqua River.

To be clear, Chris is not selling anything; the manifesto, as I said, is free. There are no MLM schemes behind door number three and there is no commitment required, though I do recommend subscribing to his blog (I do). Operators are not standing by, and there is an unlimited digital quantity to go around, so take your time. This is simply the opportunity to read a thoughtful piece of work that may open your eyes to your own potential, and may spur you on to achievements that you did not think were possible for an army of one.

One last thing…

Chris is a busy guy. In addition to reading the posts on his site, I follow his broadcasts on Twitter. I love the sense of global connectedness I get when I read one of his messages about being lost somewhere in a province that I have no idea how to even pronounce. In fact, in a recent message, he was relieved to be in the familiar comfort of a major airport in Asia.

How many people from this country do you know who would say the same?

Ed. Note: This post took me a while to compose because it is important to me. I hope it sparked your interest. The photos, by the way, are all shots we took in Paris. If you enjoy Almost Fit, please consider subscribing or sharing the posts with your friends. Thanks.

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Ed. Note: If you enjoy this post, please consider having Almost Fit delivered to your inbox. Thanks.

As is our habit, we stopped by the Oregon City Farmer’s Market on Saturday to pick up much of our week’s produce. The Oregon City Farmer’s Market is smaller than many other markets, but we are slowly getting to know the vendors and have found that the size of the market makes it a little easier to recognize familiar faces.

We definitely believe that getting to know where your food comes from, how it’s grown, and supporting the local economy by purchasing from local farmers is a critical value for our family. By both word and example, we hope that these concepts are passed along to our kids who go with us week after week and observe our pleasant conversations with local farmers and vendors.

And nothing is more satisfying than freshly picked berries in berry season here, as our kids know well.

Without further adieu, here are a few photos of this weekend’s spread. And believe me, the food tastes as good as it looks. Read the rest of this entry »

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As part of our family experiment with sustainable living, we are putting our money where our mouth is and growing our own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. We supplement our crops with what’s in season at the Farmer’s Markets in our area, namely the Pacific Northwest. I hope this report doesn’t bore you to tears - we are having a blast with it, and wanted to share our progress. Thanks for reading Almost Fit.

The weather in Northwest Oregon has finally turned to hot summer days, with no end in sight. As a result, our garden is going crazy. Rather than a long and boring diatribe of the finite details, here’s a high level list of what’s been happening:

- We had our first harvest of strawberries in the children’s garden - And it was Rima, who harvested and “processed” them. She LOVES strawberries.
- Tomatoes have gone from blossom to the beginnings of fruit just in the last couple of days
- Radishes are reaching a nice edible size, and really pack a punch
- Celery stalks are in full regalia
- Garlic and onions are filling in
- Turnips are moving along nicely
- Corn is growing about an inch a day
- Spinach has gone to seed at 4 feet high or so
- We have our first cucumber on the vine, with squash blossoms soon to come
- Carrots and potatoes are taking off
- Raspberry bushes will not produce this year, but they are growing rapidly
- Blackberries surrounding our yard have berries all over them, waiting to ripen
- Mesclun is at it’s peak, as is the red leaf and romaine
- Swiss chard is nearly ready for the first harvest
- Sweet peas are bearing delicious fruit
- Green beans have sprouted
- Basil, mint, and a variety of herbs are all in full swing
- Roses are in full bloom, as are the lavender bushes

And that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head. With the heat and no rain in sight, we are watering about every other day, and shading some of the more tender plants during the peak sun hours.

Here are a handful of photos. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ed. Note: This is a personal entry on my recent trip to the mountains of Southern Oregon. If you enjoy Almost Fit, please leave a comment or consider having Almost Fit delivered to your inbox. Thanks.

As the title of this post indicates, despite my best efforts to the contrary, my camping trip at Umpqua’s Last Resort was a dietary success.

After 7 days of camping in the mountains of Southern Oregon and then 3 days at an incredible ocean view rental on the Oregon coast, I have returned unscathed by the scale.

In hindsight it would have been interesting to write down what I ate and drank during our excursion, but I was too busy playing and hiding from the sun. However, here is what I remember:

Friday: Beer. Beef. Beef with Beer, and a side of chicken. A slice of squash, chased with a beer. Packaged ice cream bar (be still my beating heart). Lots of almonds and a beer. Oatmeal that included flax seeds. Tortilla chips and beer. Beer with a side of sour cream and onion potato chips. Peanut butter and apricot jam on 12 grain bread, with beer.

Saturday: Beer. A “cheeseburger hotdog” (don’t ask what’s in it - I didn’t). Carne Asada with guacamole, cheese, salsa, and a flour tortilla. Beer. Strawberries, blueberries, and cherries. Several beers. Gran Marnier, and a shot or two of Woodford Reserve whiskey. Followed by beer. And almonds. Ice cream and cake.

Lather, rinse, and repeat for the next 5 days.

You get the idea.

Mix in a random watermelon cracked over the rocks at the swimming hole, multiple green salads, and some eggs and bacon for breakfast, and you have a portrait of a workable vacation diet, including indulgences.

Fortunately for me, it was blazing hot, which meant I spent a fair amount of energy trying to stay cool in any way possible. This typically included swimming, dam building (building a swimming hole) and jumping from rocks into ice-cold rivers, as well as hiking to incredibly beautiful waterfalls and lounging. And while I’m not certain that lounging counts as exercise, when it’s in the 90’s I think just about any motion burns calories, including fanning yourself under a shady tree.

On the fishing side, sad to say there wasn’t much to be had. We drove up a fire trail to a local lake only to be greeted by a shore full of dead fish. Apparently there had been an algae bloom in the local lakes and it was killing the fish. I haven’t confirmed that, but it was what I was told by a friend who had read it on his way up. At any rate, very little fishing took place, but that was alright - even just making the mindspace for it was peaceful. In a sort of Zen substitution for the serenity of fishing, I spent a good amount of time creating natural art pieces, such as the cairn pictured above.

Other random activities of note: I spent a fair amount of time working on my ukulele skills; my wife and her mother are both oil painters, so they worked on paintings for the new cabin (3 generations of painters in that photo); we had a dedication ceremony for one of the cabins to commemorate the passing of April’s great-grandmother last fall; and last but certainly not least, not a single case of poison oak was had, which is a big accomplishment with two active children.

Our next stop was Port Orford, Oregon, for a taste of France. Stay tuned.

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten World Domination…Soon. Very soon.

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Ed. note: I have been off in the mountains in pursuit of fish - but I got a chance to check in. I’ll be sending pictures of the fishing adventures soon - now that the power is back on. If you enjoy this post, please consider receiving Almost Fit in your inbox. Thanks.

As I have mentioned in several places, (IowaAvenue,for one), on Thursday of last week I left my corporate day job in favor of pursuing personal projects, not the least of which is Almost Fit. As crazy as this may be, I have neither a specific plan nor another job lined up, but I do have a little bit of savings and a bunch of ideas.

Sounds like a recipe for World Domination if I ever heard one.

So rather than spending the days and evenings freaking out, I decided to execute the first step in my loosely gathered plan for world dominance: Go Fishing.

Fly fishing on the North Umpqua river in the mountains of Southern Oregon to be exact. My brother-in-law owns a beautiful campground and RV park on the North Umpqua called Umpqua’s Last Resort. The campground has hot showers and power to every camp spot, as well as two new furnished cabins. We have converged with my wife’s family for a week of camping, playing, and familial merriment, which is a fancy way of saying beer by the river with the cousins.

My first order of business (or so I thought) was to get a wireless Internet connection working. After an hour or so of plunking around with settings on their equipment, the wireless router was up and running, and the range was surprisingly far-reaching

This convenience was short-lived.

Later that evening we had a spectacular thunder and lightning storm which included most of us campers outside cheering on the light show as if it were being presented by the park owners. When the storm picked up (and the rain started), we moved under cover, but the display was exhilerating. Unfortunately, lightning strikes brought several trees down over power lines. No power means no Web connection, which meant Almost Fit would have to wait. The power remained out into the following evening, came back on for overnight for a while, but by the next morning the power was out again.

But all things considered, AC power is a minor inconvenience when your long term goals are to rule the world, or other similar grandiose aspirations.

S’more, anyone?

As you might imagine, on the eating track things have been a little looser since we’re camping. At home, I’ve primarily given up drinking beer in my daily routine, but that rule has been enthusiastically suspended here. I am also eating more meat than I typically do, and very few vegetables unfortunately, although the truth is I feel like I’m eating less over all because it is so hot here. Ah, the vagabond life.

On the plus side, exercise has been in full swing - there are numerous rivers and creeks that flow all over the mountains here, and we’ve been busy swimming, skipping rocks (I’m sure there must be a few calories burned there), and jumping from outcroppings into frigid waters below. I’ve also continued to pursue my 100 push-up challenge goals, as well as daily crunches.

In the next few days I’ll be publishing more on my fly fishing experience here, and many points between, so stay tuned.

Oh, and one more thing:

So what’s all this talk of World Domination? Now that the power has returned, I want to share with Almost Fit readers a little something that is impacting my thought processes over the last couple of weeks. But you’ll have to wait until the next post to see what I mean. Don’t worry - it’s not Amway or some cult - it is simply that I have bumped up against a kindred spirit online, and knowing that others exist with a similar goal in life has really thrown me into an entirely new and positive path.

It seems that quitting my job was very clearly a good idea. At least that is what I’m telling myself.

More to come……

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Ed. note: Here’s a little exercise story about a young man named Metroknow. Why his parents chose that name is beyond anyone’s recollection, but that’s not really integral to the story.

When I watch my soon-to-be four year old, like millions of parents before me I marvel at his sheer level of energy. He plays hard, laughs hard, cries hard, and sleeps hard. In my case I seem to have replaced all of those items with “work” hard. But, I’m getting back to playing a little too.

I grew up playing just about every sport I could get into, though rarely in an organized league. While I went through long periods of constant football, soccer, basketball, and some baseball, I really excelled at competitive volleyball into adulthood. As an adult, my somewhat regular exercise was either biking, running, or pickup games of basketball on weekends.

I was also an avid skateboarder from my early teens to my late twenties, and I have the knees to prove it. Throw in some skiing and snowboarding, and you have several years worth of the orthopaedic surgeon’s yacht payment.

At some point I got out of the habit of finding fun ways to exercise, and life times laziness plus a love of food equals about 5-10 lbs a year gained, multiplied by 7 years. Not pretty.

Why I hated running…for a while

In my thirties, realizing what was happening, I started getting back into running, or so I thought. When I was younger, distance running was much easier (to which I hear a collective, “DUH” arising…). But in my thirties, things like my knees started to make odd creaking and popping noises, my lungs seemed to have atrophied, and my ankles were prone to give out from time to time. What was happening to me? Was I being poisoned?

When it came to running, things were particularly frustrating. I was constantly trying to improve my time on my little course around the neighborhood, hoping for weight loss results. While I found it was beneficial mentally to get out, I saw absolutely ZERO results in weight loss. Why?

Looking back, there were obviously two parts of the problem:
1. I hadn’t changed my eating habits
2. I wasn’t doing it enough

I know it sounds simple, but the truth is when it came to exercise I was doing just enough….to hate it. I was running for only about 30 minutes or so, including warm-up and cool-down time. I was getting my heart rate up for what I considered long periods within that 30 minutes - but realistically? That was probably a sustained heart rate of 85% for about 7 minutes or so.

That is not going to yield a climber’s physique any time soon.

When I returned from my “run” (which I say with that ultra-annoying two-fingered “quotes” gesture), I was completely out of breath, convinced that I was exhausted, and ready to sit down and eat something good because I had earned it.

Let me just pause and say this: If you are not seeing a stadium full of little red flags waiving like a television pan shot at the coming Olympic games, then I think you may have a lot in common with me way back when.

So what changed? In short, I decided to participate in a charity training event to run a 1/2 marathon. To be frank, while I really was supportive of the cause (and I did raise my $2000 pledge), what I really wanted was some guidance on what I was doing wrong. And it worked. I was introduced to the walk/run technique, which ultimately allowed me to run 13.1 miles without dying. Though I felt like it was a close call by the end.

Do you have something you’d like to share with the class?

Basically I learned that a) If you don’t exercise enough, you won’t see results for many months, if at all and you will HATE it, and b) Injury is the enemy, so take it slow. That is what I did; even at 75 lbs overweight, I was able to complete the 1/2 marathon. Of course, my knees resented me and reminded me of my lack of consideration to them for many months after, but they seem to be a little more agreeable now.

All of that taught me half of the equation: If I want to see real fitness results, I need to exercise for longer than one half hour three times a week. While there may be some intensive programs out there that advocate abs and hind-quarters like titanium in 5 minutes or less, that is really not what I’m interested in. Wait. That came out wrong. What I mean is, my fitness goals are simply to improve my health, not to be the butt stand-in for Brad Pitt.

In the mean time, I am gaining mastery of the second half of the equation: My diet. Eating real food in moderation really does work. 26 lbs lost so far this year. The problem is, while I do feel better, and the weight is slowly coming off, I do not feel strong. I am not sleeping as well as I would like (a lifelong problem), and things jiggle when I walk that I would like to make stop.

That, and each day that goes by, my son is getting faster. I can’t let him beat me just yet - I have to have a LITTLE dignity, don’t I?

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I’ve had a bit of an accident.

Somehow, I have stumbled into an exercise routine. It’s like a tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and fell into a state-of-the-art elliptical training machine. I would like to say that I’m exercising because my tremendous force of will has caused me to make changes for the better, but the truth is that it has kind of just happened.

There could be worse things.

I’ve also started annoying the muscles in my arms, catching them completely by surprise (you’ll find out how at the end of this post - but in case you didn’t notice, the picture might be a gigantic clue).

As regular readers of Almost Fit know, I spend an awful lot of time talking about how I want to exercise regularly. I have posted numerous questions on sites all over the place asking for methods of finding inspiration to get out the door, and for quite some time I would feel enthused for the evening, but for some reason I wasn’t making it out the door the next morning.

Eating my own Dog Food

In software (and many other industries, actually) we have this concept of “eating your own dog food”, or various politically incorrect flavors (pun intended) of that idea. Essentially it means that you use the things you create. Pretty soon you hate the broken bits so much that you feel absolutely compelled to fix the dang thing (unless you work for the Microsoft Office team - in that case you just assume it is a character flaw of everyone who doesn’t like the way it works, and return to your insular pedantic bubble).

In my recent article on 20 ways to kill the fast food habit (which had 375,000 page views on Fox News BTW!), the first tip was very simple: Start small. So small, in fact, that it is impossible to fail. Well apparently I need to start reading what I’m writing (or eating that dog food), because that little technique had eluded me for the one thing I know I need to do more than anything else right now - Exercise.

That appears to have changed.

My exercise routine, or, “Slowly he turned…step by step…”

While I wasn’t paying attention, it seems that I have started walking regularly - not for the fitness mind you, but with the goal of mental clarity. I am in a big transition right now with moving away from my day job to pursue online projects like Almost Fit, and I know that exercise has to be part of that picture. In the past, exercise has always opened my view of things in unexpected ways, and I need that right now.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been walking every other morning, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. My longest walk was 5 miles on a busy two-lane country road near our house that made me sense that for the love of my wife, kids, and all things sacred I ought to find a different route.

[RANT WARNING: At the risk of offending a few readers…A little sidenote to Oregon drivers? Despite your much publicized pride in your driving ability, everywhere else in the country, it is common courtesy to move over just a tad when you see a 250 lb. father of two walking on the shoulder of the road (with the exception of Texas, where I don’t think it is required to move over for anything, unless you’re actually trying to hit it (D’oh - there goes my Texas readership…)). In my entire walk, not a single Oregon driver even so much as moved a foot over to give me a little breathing room. Think of it this way: you do NOT want to run into a 250 lb. sack of anything, much less a disgruntled unemployed writer (oxymoron?). All you gain is a HUGE horseshoe-shaped dent in your front end, and an earful of whining from an annoyingly witty chatterbox. </RANT>]

Now I know that this is still in the “not quite enough” realm, but it is a start. I think the key is I’m viewing it as just the beginning of reaching for bigger goals. Rather than being in a big hurry to run a marathon, I’m starting small, and hoping to build on those successes.

I must be doing something right

In the midst of writing this post, along came this article in my inbox this morning:

How To Go From Sedentary to Running in 5 easy steps

This is yet another exceptional piece from Leo at ZenHabits.net, who is off this week enjoying a second honeymoon with his wife. The great thing? I am exactly in the middle of step 1, and I didn’t even know it until I read this post. This gives me a roadmap to follow, and that is what I intend to do.

The other thing that has happened with exercise is J.D. at Get Fit Slowly has started a revolution of sorts - the 100 Push-up Challenge, which has folks coming out of the woodwork to give it a shot. I’ve started this week as well, so we’ll see how things turn out. If you want to know more about the challenge, definitely check out the 100 push-ups site.

My arms are already irritated with me, but I’m ignoring them. It’s tough love.

–

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“64 oz. soda? Does it come with a chance to win Boardwalk? Well then hit me Brutha!” - Metroknow, 26 lbs heavier

About 6 months ago, I completely quit eating fast food. For me, this was no minor feat. In the first part of this two-part series, I’ll tell you about my relationship (yes, relationship) with fast food. In part two, I’ll tell you exactly how I’m doing it, and how you can too.

I am definitely a card-carrying member of the fast food generation. I don’t know how many times I have made the decision on the size of a combo at McDonald’s based on which of the larger sizes included the most “extra” Monopoly game pieces, which generally led to winning - you guessed it - MORE fast food. I never won that extra-heavy Hummer with the dual 40 gallon fuel tanks.

Why do did I like Fast Food?

Like it or not, here’s the truth: fast food sells - in a BIG way. For me, here’s why:

1. Availability. In many parts of the country, we are simply overrun with fast food and junk food options. In L.A. suburbs, Portland suburbs, and most small towns, when you drive through the business district it looks like this: McDonalds, dry cleaners, cellular phone store, Jack-in-the-Box, stereo store, Starbucks, Taco Bell, KFC, cheap shoe store, Burger King, Wal-Mart, and then McDonalds again.

Repeat that cycle every 4-6 blocks, throw in an Olive Garden, a gas station, and a few 99-cent stores, and you have a drive across America that repeats itself like a Politician stumping from town to town, from sea to plastic-bag-filled shining sea.

Yes, fast food and dry cleaners are everywhere. And I’m not sure which one is more toxic. Someone oughta’ just get it over with and combine dry cleaners and fast food joints. After all, their prices are comparable, which leads me to… Read the rest of this entry »

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“Look, Dave, I can see you’re really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.” [2001: A Space Odyssey] - Sir Arthur C. Clarke [photo courtesy of FilmReference.com]

When it comes to losing weight, managing stress over the last several months has been my biggest challenge. While I’m still ahead of the game at 26 lbs for the year, my recent progress has really slowed. (You can read more about my progress in my most recent status report, “Forget Lassie - Simple Carbs are Man’s Best Friend“.)

While it is certainly true that daily stress might be more manageable if I were exercising regularly (without question), here’s the problem: So far I haven’t been able to find the motivation that gets me out in the cold and rain of a wet Oregon spring. I am eating well, and I think those habits that I’ve been working on have really paid off in the sense that I’m still losing weight slowly. However, until I get a better handle on the pressures of my current situation and make room for regular exercise, I don’t expect that my weight loss will be accelerated further than it’s current rate. I am certainly not giving up on finding a way out of my front door to go for a run; however, some bigger changes might be in order.

In doing some reading about the effects of stress, it’s clear that beyond inhibiting weight loss, prolonged stress can have real physical consequences. In Dr. Will Clower’s recent book, The French Don’t Diet Plan: 10 Simple Steps to Stay Thin for Life, he addresses some of the characteristics of a body under stress, particularly as they relate to the overproduction of cortisol.

Here’s a summary of some of the common effects:

• Muscles: Blood sugar levels stay at higher than normal levels, which ultimately leads the body to break down muscle tissue in a search for more energy.
• Immune system: Antibody levels decrease, T-cell response to infection is reduced, and white blood cell count is negatively impacted. Common sense says that if you are stressed for longer periods of time, you are more susceptible to illness. Science agrees.
• Bones: Calcium levels in bones drop over prolonged periods, and the ability for the body to absorb additional calcium is reduced.
• Heart: Basic heart performance appears to be reduced by the overproduction of cortisol as a result of prolonged stress; arteries are also negatively impacted in their ability to perform properly. The ratio of sodium to potassium begins to weigh in favor of sodium, which is thought to lead to high blood pressure.
• Central nervous system: Neurological hampering begins, with side effects that often include insomnia and depression. Migraine sufferers can move from an occasional migraine to chronic. Prolonged stress also increases muscle tension (this again is common sense), which increases fatigue, which in turn requires your body to seek out more resources for energy. Of great interest is recent research that links excessive stress to creating eating disorders.
• Weight: Hormones responsible for cravings to eat more are produced (presumably in its search for more energy), but the focus of the expenditure of that energy is typically in your extremities. Your digestive tract is the victim in this case, which may partially explain why ulcers were thought to be stress related. Essentially, you eat more but get less nourishment. What’s more, in recent studies it has been shown that stress hormones contribute to storing fat in your midsection, which is linked to higher risks for certain cancers and heart disease.
• Habits: Eating faster, eating more, making poor food choices, and eating out of necessity rather than pleasure become commonplace. We wind up treating food like gasoline - cheap and convenient, with the stopover to acquire it reduced to a mild inconvenience. Eating should be more than just a mild inconvenience.

Need I say more?

In our culture, we have been trained to look for solutions in the form of a product or a packaged plan. We are told that if we just wait long enough, we’ll soon have a miracle pill that will cure all that ails us. It could happen; certainly we are farther along that road than we were when Sir Arthur C. Clark wrote the words in the opening quote for this article. Sometimes, however, the answer is right in front of us, without a shipping and handling surcharge, or a computer trying to lock us out of the vehicle.

I am taking this week off work, hoping to recharge, catch up on rest, spend time with my wife and children, and reconnect with friends and compadres in the blogosphere. By the end of the week I expect to know what the next week will look like, but beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess, and I’m OK with that.

Stay tuned.

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“When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.” ~Author Un