Dr. Lipman kicks off Week 5 by reminding us that, until now, we have focused on making changes to improve our diet, exercise and posture, and sleep. `Balance’ focuses on our core, including our spirit.
This week includes probably the fewest recommendations around food and supplements. In Daily Beat 29, we learn about the hazards of mercury in fish and learn an astonishing fact – when we eat fish we absorb more than 95% of the mercury in that fish. The book provides a thorough list of the fish we should and should not eat, and how frequently. The “good” fish include anchovies, black cod, wild salmon (not farm raised) and canned sardines (see pages 172 and 173 for the full list). Nutritionist Rebecca Mohning will be doing a nutritional review of salmon in tomorrow’s blog.
Much of the focus in this week is on exercises for the mind and spirit. Daily Beat 31 provides an interesting perspective on how our perceptions can affect our level of Spent. Since we can’t change the external environment, the author supports us viewing things through different lenses – this is an exercise he refers to as “thinking again.” By doing this, we can feel more positive and happy, as well as less stressed.
Daily Beat 34 further supports the idea of changing our feelings, by using touch to feel happier and make others feel happier. For example, he recommends we hug a friend, snuggle with our children or even pat people on the back. The final Daily Beat which supports the whole mental well-being part of Spent is 35 – Forgive. The reason forgiveness is mentioned is that, while we can do exercises (both physical and breathing) to relieve tension, we need to choose to get rid of resentment. Most importantly, we need to forgive ourselves for our mistakes.
Finally, I wanted to draw attention to Dr. Lipman’s favorite yoga pose, the Supta Baddha Konasana on pages 196 and 197. It’s difficult to explain in a blog, so I recommend checking it out in his book or online. But essentially, it is a lying down post that is an excellent way to relax and is supposed to be very good for stress and exhaustion.
On Thursday, Dr. Tony will talk even further about Balance. And next Tuesday, we’ll start the last week in the program, Week 6 (Sustain).
Finally, it’s my pleasure to announce that starting this Friday, July 3, Dr. Lipman will post three weekly Friday guest blogs on Ignite. If you have any questions for him, please feel free to post a comment to his blog for him to answer.