Back to Basics

Location : Camotes Islands (municipality), Cebu (province), Philippines

Preventive Maintenance
I was surfing Youtube and stumbled upon this title about a cure for various diseases, but instead of outlining the cure, it talked about addressing key areas in health that would prevent the illness in the first place.

It occured to me that very often, people are always in search of the cutting-edge cure for disease, most nutritional food, best tax-deferred investment vehicle, etc. without mindful that they haven't addressed the foundational basics yet. And no one seems to point out that big elephant in the living room.

Health
For instance, many people look for a cure for cancer, aids, kidney disorders, etc. But really, if these bases are covered, more than half the world's illness would NOT even take place.

1. oxygenation - Breathe clean air! Of course, (city) dwellers have little choice. In the big (city) like Manila or Cebu City, I wear the mask. In 3 days, the white surface of the mask is gray from all that gunk. Without it, I start coughing in 4 days. Additionally, cancer cells do not thrive in oxygen-rich environment so clean air decreases your chance of getting cancer! As a traveler, I get the luxury of choosing a place I can stay for longer periods. Now in Camotes Islands, I breathe clean ocean air and practise pranayama as a routine.
2. hydration - in Japanese culture, they drink 4 cups of water first thing when they wake up. This flushes out the toxins in the body in the same way a polluted river is cleansed when torrential water from heavy rain flushes out all the garbage out into the sea. We are 80% water so it's essential to keep hydrated. A doctor was once quoted that if people just drink enough water, half the world's sickness would not happen. I even go as far as sourcing my water from a natural spring as I did at Malumpati and Hurom-Hurom. Bottled water is essentially dead. Spring water packs all of nature's minerals.
3. exercise - this is even cliche-ish already and a no-brainer. It can apply to day-to-day without even going to the gym. How many people would rather medicate than take those few extra steps on the stairs instead of taking the elevator? Or walk a few blocks instead of taking a ride? Or use bicycle as a form of commute?
4. stress - continued stress eats up on our immune system paving the way for opportunistic virus and bacteria to take advantage of the weakened immune system - and we get sick. While stress has become a staple in (city) life, it doesn't have to remain so. Yoga and meditation help in restoring equilibrium back. The act of mindfulness causes the vicious stress loop to come to an end, giving the body a much needed reprieve.

On a personal note, the above remains part of my routine and I haven't seen a doctor in ages. I don't take any vitamin or medication and I very seldom get sick.

a strong foundation or a solid base for anything and everything else

Healthy Food
There is this constant search for the most nutritious food, rich in this vitamin or that mineral, etc. Let's get to basics again when it comes to food.

• chewing - do you chew your food enough to begin with? Without proper chewing, the food may not entirely be metabolized by the body and eventually passed out as poop.
• fiber and ruffage - even if you eat the most nutritious food, if the digestive lining is clogged up by impurities brought about by heavily processed food, nutrient absorption is not optimized. By eating food rich in ruffage and fiber to give the digestive lining a "mild scrub", absorption is enhanced.
• eating when not hungry - nature gave us this system-check to eat when the body needs nutrition and energy from food - it's called hunger. But often, we eat when the clock says it, regardless if we are hungry. This upsets the digestive process. Only eat when you are hungry!
• over eating - there is a tendency to eat more than we should specially if we paid for that buffet meal. Ideally, we should only fill 3/4 of our food capacity. There is no need to overwork our digestive system unnecessarily.

Investment
It's so tempting to subscribe to the get-rich-quick scheme and forget the basics. This was a highlight of an obscure book by an obscure author which resulted in a runaway success - The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton.

• credit card balance - people settle for a 10% interest rate on their GISs or Term Deposits without first paying their credit card balance whose interest rate is 18%! Duh!
• insurance - people save and invest to leave their dependents something if they accidentally pass on. Why not just buy cheap term insurance first and invest the difference? What if you die before your money compounds to a meaningful amount?

Ending Thoughts
The world is full of clever marketing gimics to get you to jump on the bandwagon of what's trending, often overlooking the basics. This article is just a reminder...for me, mostly :)

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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