Recharge
Eat well, play more, sleep deeply, heal
A healthy body is a body in balance: the balance between eustress and distress, the balance between the sympathetic fight-or-flight and parasympathetic rest-and-recharge systems, and the balance between resource depletion and replenishment. We must maintain that balance to be healthy—to achieve homeostasis.
While stress is a normal part of life, most of us have created lives for ourselves in which we are constantly on the go. We are overstimulated by electronics and work. We multitask. We handle large amounts of emotional stress. We eat poorly. We don’t sleep enough. We deprive our bodies of that balance, and this leads to inflammation and ultimately illness.
Learning how to maintain balance is a true art. Taking time to recharge the body with rest, yoga, meditation, and exercise is essential. Eating nourishing foods, slowing down our pace, and learning the beauty of taking our time are vital steps to counterbalancing all these depletive sources of stress in our lives. We live in a world where stress is worn as a badge of honor. We are proud of how well we perform on little sleep and how little we need to manage. We are proud of our go, go, go and play hard mentalities. Ultimately, however, the balance is shifted and we get sick. It is inevitable. It happened to Dr. A and so many others, and it will happen to you—unless you change. Change is hard. For so many people, taking the time to rest and recharge is looked at as a sign of weakness.
We argue that that mentality has to change. We chose to take back our lives, and we wear our rest-and-recharge time as our badges of honor—because without that balance, the body cannot heal.
The process will be slow, but each day, take one step. Try to find 20 minutes to deep breathe. Try to put your electronics away 15 minutes before bed. Try to go for a walk. Try to eliminate processed foods and meats, to start. Even with small steps, you will start to feel different—better. Small steps will lead to big steps.
With this book, we give you the tools you need to live your life well, with energy and without illness. This is what we want for you. With the best in mind for you, be well. Nourish your body, your microbiome, and your soul. Rest. Take time to play and sleep. Eat abundantly and well.
Best,
Monica and Jyothi