Are You Living an Intentional Lifestyle?

colinchamp September 17, 2018 14 Comments

An unfortunate phenomenon has made its way through our society over the past several decades, fueled in a large part by my colleagues in the medical world, big business’s thirst for profits, and big agriculture’s ploy to dump their excess crops on our front yard, or at least down our throats. Somewhere along the way, food was no longer viewed as food, cooking was no longer viewed as a normal daily activity, and other mundane aspects of daily life became chores. The reasons are plentiful, but I firmly believe those calorie counters and their view of food as a mathematical equation – and not the fuel that we all rely on to work, play, relax, and live – helped to usher in this objectification. This change of views eventually led to the compartmentalization of all those enjoyable activities associated with food, like gardening, fermenting, curing, and of course, cooking. Why do any of these matter if we can simply gain health by limiting what we eat – whatever we eat – regardless of its quality? It is to no surprise that many of those countries that still view food, cooking, and preparation as an integral part of their cultural identity are much healthier and happier than those of us who consider eating packaged food during our drive to work as normal. Yes, Italy and neighbors, I am taking about you.¹

An Intentional Lifestyle

I was writing about this in my monthly newsletter, as I have in the past, to remind my readers (and myself) to focus on food and food preparation and to enjoy the physical and mental benefits that accompany them. It became abundantly clear to me that this issue extends far beyond food, which, like a limb, is only a mere component of the larger body. Just as a virus might spread throughout the body and must be treated systemically, focusing on only one part of our well-being ignores the infection that can quickly spread in the media and throughout society. Eventually, all aspects of our lives are infected. I debated on a fix for this for years, and there is only one prescription: An Intentional Lifestyle.

Packaged foods, desk chairs, elevators and escalators, cars, fast food: we are constantly surrounded by seemingly efficient conveniences that can “aid our lives and improve them greatly,” but also act as sexy seductresses attempting to pull us away from those activities that were once commonplace. These same activities that we engaged in for millions of years work in a backhanded way to help our health and happiness, yet these attractive temptresses that permeate through our neighborhoods, hospitals, and schools (and yes, the latter two are sickening) seem to derail us from both. Constant advertisements would have us think that we need the latest and greatest phone, car, or other [insert amenity here], but at what cost?

Do you want some magic medicines that can reduce your risk of cancer, help you maintain a normal weight, improve anxiety and depression, and help you live longer? Of course you do. We all do…and as a matter of fact, there are plenty, and most are free. For instance, cancel your cable and turn off that TV at night – simply and consistently getting adequate sleep at night can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease,² obesity,³ and diabetes.⁴ In regards to the latter, improper amounts of sleep also inhibits our body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates, increasing our stress hormone cortisol and blood sugar levels. Oh, and sufficient sleep may decrease your chance of dying.⁵ Walking every day may help you to live longer and can help ease symptoms of depression,⁶ but it also provides you valuable time with a loved one where you slow down and take in the surroundings. For added benefits, take a walk in the woods and forest bathe.

Walk every day, eat a reasonable diet, lift some heavy things, work hard at times and relax at others. It is not rocket science, yet most of us find ourselves deviating from these directives. How best to follow this simple advice? Avoid the seduction of many of the modern conveniences that can get in the way of these basic activities. It sounds silly but think back on how often you may go a day without walking more than a mile or cooking a single meal. Then, think back to some of the best moments of your youth – as a young child, some of the most cherished activities are digging around in dirt, spending leisurely afternoons with friends laughing and telling jokes, and embracing creativity. All these things, often forgotten in the demands of our adult lives, need to become routine again. Maybe in our adult lives, digging in dirt can be replaced with gardening, and while we might not want to lose our jobs (though for many of us, it would help our health), we need to have a healthy separation with oppressive corporate culture and put up boundaries with work.

I know, I know, what about biohacking and meditation apps on my phone and my morning gratitude journal? All of these are fine, but for most of us, the activities that are going to improve our overall health and happiness are much simpler but require a daily reminder. This is not sexy, but it works. And that is the interesting part of sitting down and contemplating an Intentional Lifestyle – its components are all part of what was once considered a normal part of daily life. Not walking enough or on your feet enough during the day at work? Easy, park in the furthest spot away. In fact, always park in the furthest spot away unless you are pulling up to the emergency room with a nail in your foot. Why wouldn’t you? Don’t you want to walk more to help reduce your risk of cancer^7,8 and depression⁹ and live longer?¹⁰ This is the goal of an Intentional Lifestyle, to make these activities as common as brushing your teeth so that you no longer even think about them – they become part of your typical routine.

When I was younger, we were tempted by foods like Oatmeal Creme Pies. With their sexy curves and flirtatious deliciousness that was not too sweet and just right, they were a snack that was worth waiting for. Nowadays, Little Debbie pales in comparison to the processed foods inundating us, waiting to derail our health.

Counter to an Intentional Lifestyle, many routine habits of modern society have taken our evolutionary background, isolated it, and them amplified it to the extreme. For instance, sweet taste used to trigger the brain to want more, as it was signaling that fruit, one of the few sweet things we ever encountered, was just ripe and we should eat more. Packaged ultra-sweet candy now ignites that area of the brain, much like illicit drugs, making us act like heroin addicts as we crave more. Driving instead of walking can get just as addictive and watching instead of doing is a common addiction few people contemplate. Watching other people do things instead of doing it yourself now plagues a large portion of society as we are inundated with sports, fishing shows, cooking shows, reality TV – you name it.

So, what do we do when surrounded by addictive succubi whose constant goal is to pull you in and derail your lifelong attempts at health and happiness?

No, you don’t kill them you psychopath, you purposely avoid them. In fact, you set up all aspects of your day to day to avoid them and their temptation. In my daily life, I have compartmentalized my Intentional Lifestyle into several components that have greatly improved my day-to-day, even when things get busy at home and work.

The Major Components of an Intentional Lifestyle Include:

1. Habitual activity: Standing and walking should be maximized.

   • Take a walk 1-2 times every day.
   • Never drive when you can walk.
   • Never park in the closest spot.
   • Rarely sit when you can stand.
   • Garden, wash your car, take care of your yard, and do other things around the house that increase your background activity.
   • If you sit in an office all day, periodically stand and walk around and during lunch, take a walk, do kettlebell swings, and do some activity (preferably outside).
   • Remember: you cannot exercise off a stationary lifestyle by hitting the gym for an hour or going for a run.

2. Exercise: Exercise should be a normal part of the week, like brushing your teeth or showering.

   • Lift heavy things either via resistance or weight training, as our muscles and bones require it to function optimally.
   • If you do not have enough time to do this, make time or put weights or kettle bells in your office. Find partners, workout groups, etc.
   • Do some intense/explosive activity several times per week, ideally sprinting.

3. Recharging: Sleep and relaxation is vital.

   • Frequent socializing with loved ones and friends is necessary.
   • Avoid constant stimulation with computers, phones, and television: just like our muscles, our brains need time shut off, or else.
   • Avoid cable television: not only is it expensive and a time suck, it will directly interfere with nearly every component of this list and is better left avoided.
   • Avoid blue lights and devices at night to ensure good sleep hygiene.
   • Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night to fully recharge the body.

4. Have a purpose: Engage in productive and purposeful work.

   • Compartmentalizing your day to mindless work for a paycheck will eventually wear away at you.
   • Take on fulfilling projects at work and home that leave you with a sense of accomplishment.
   • Learn to say no and be OK with not making everyone happy on the surface.
   • Read books, learn a language, take classes, etc. Like the body, the brain needs exercise as well. Our education and self-improvement should not end after we finish our mandated education.

5. Food is the mortar: Much like breathing, as a basic requirement for life, food incorporates and unites all aspects of an Intentional Lifestyle.

   • Never view food as anything less than the requirement for life.
   • Grow, prepare, cook, and eat only real food.
   • Never eat on the run, i.e. subway, driving, etc.
   • Aim for the most nutrient and vitamin-dense sources.
   • Aim to cook every meal.

Do you think this list is easy and obvious? Are you already implementing all of these? If so, you are one step ahead of the game. It took me years to incorporate all of these aspects to my daily life. However, after years of practice, I cannot go without them. That is the goal of an Intentional Lifestyle.

Give an Intentional Lifestyle a try, and I promise you will find yourself healthier and happier.

References for an Intentional Lifestyle

1. Lim SS, Allen K, Bhutta ZA, et al. Measuring the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: a baseline analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. 2016. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31467-2.
2. Cappuccio FP, Miller MA. Sleep and Cardio-Metabolic Disease. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017;19(11):110. doi:10.1007/s11886-017-0916-0.
3. Beccuti G, Pannain S. Sleep and obesity. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2011;14(4):402-412. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e3283479109.
4. Spiegel K, Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. Lancet. 1999;354(9188):1435-1439. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(99)01376-8.
5. Cappuccio FP, D’Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep. 2010;33(5):585-592. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20469800. Accessed September 7, 2018.
6. Craft LL, Perna FM. The Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2004;6(3):104-111. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15361924. Accessed September 9, 2018.
7. Moore SC, Lee I-M, Weiderpass E, et al. Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity With Risk of 26 Types of Cancer in 1.44 Million Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(6):816. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1548.
8. Liu L, Shi Y, Li T, et al. Leisure time physical activity and cancer risk: evaluation of the WHO’s recommendation based on 126 high-quality epidemiological studies. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(6):372-378. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094728.
9. Mikkelsen SS, Tolstrup JS, Flachs EM, Mortensen EL, Schnohr P, Flensborg-Madsen T. A cohort study of leisure time physical activity and depression. Prev Med (Baltim). 2010;51(6):471-475. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.09.008.
10. Arem H, Moore SC, Patel A, et al. Leisure Time Physical Activity and Mortality. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(6):959. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.0533.

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