This week marks the mid-point of the 6-week Spent program. And Daily Beat 24 acknowledges that our minds might feel very tired at this point. In Dr. Lipman’s experience, he says that once his patients start feeling better through the program, they want to take on even more and more suggestions to feel less Spent. The message I took away from this Daily Beat is two-fold: it’s OK to make mistakes and if you need a day off of the program, take one.
Several of the Daily Beats touch on removing toxins (both food and environmental). In Daily Beat 22, Dr. Lipman makes a strong case for limiting unfermented soy (the Asian cultures we often model our soy eating off of eat 2 teaspoons of soy a day; soy isn’t a total meat replacement). The phytoestrogens in soy can have a hormonal impact, potentially disrupting endocrine and thyroid function. Instead of eating soy in large quantities, he recommends we limit intake to tempeh, miso and wheat-free tamari or soy sauce, which have been fermented.
Similarly, in Daily Beat 26 he recommends limiting our exposure to chemicals – at the end of the section he gives us some hints to think about around our homes, many of which are easy to do right now. For example, he believes everyone should use a water filter, avoid wearing shoes in the house and switch to natural household cleaners. In my own experience, I try never to wear shoes in the house, especially in the spring with all the pollen on the ground. This Daily Beat served as a reminder that even though there may not be visible pollutants, it’s best to leave the outside, outside.
On the flip side of removing toxins from our environment, two of the recommendations focus on what to add back. Daily Beat 27 reminds us how our natural rhythms support us eating seasonally. To this end, Dr. Lipman says, “I do think that eating more complex carbohydrates in the summer and more animal protein, nuts, and root vegetables in the winter is a good idea.” Essentially, our bodies did not evolve to eat the carbohydrates available in the summer year-round. In Daily Beat 23 he talks about probiotics and the benefits for those with digestive problems – these are available in stores and can be added to the smoothie recipes at the end of the book.
Throughout Week 4 there are new and previously discussed restorative exercises recommended. The exercises to fight “chair body” seem easy enough to do in an office setting – I’ve just started incorporating the Piriformis Stretch on page 158 into my routine. In addition, a great way to fight that physical exhaustion and discomfort from sitting all day is with a walk around the building or on the stairs (he recommends 7 minutes of every hour). If there’s nothing else we take away from Week 4, I think this is a hugely helpful recommendation.
On Thursday, Dr. Tony will continue our discussion of Week 4 and next week we move on to learning to have Balance, with Week 5.