DAY EIGHT
As today is just another leftovers day, I want to talk about some topics aside from food. Dr. Junger includes in his book a list of things you must do while on the detox, like getting lots of sleep, and drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly. To each of those items I say, “duh”; all of those things fall under the category of I Know I Should Do, But I Don’t Anyway AND there’s a good excuse, too! Am I right or am I right? I’m not trying to make anybody feel like a lazy ignoramus because they’re guilty of underperforming one (or all three) of those tasks on the “must-do” list. That said, it is good to be mindful of habits we know are less than desirable and take strides to amend those ways.
I, for one, probably do not get enough sleep. Up until my college years, sleep was never an issue. I could sleep for 12 hours without stirring even once! Now that I’m older sleep can be a struggle. I either can’t fall asleep because my mind is wide awake, or I can’t stay asleep if I do fall asleep straight away. And as soon as the sun peeks through my curtains? Fuggedaboutit. I’m awake. Furthermore, I don’t think a single night passes anymore where I don’t get up at least once to go to the bathroom. What used to trouble me about my sleeping patterns was my lack of dreams. That is, I knew I was having dreams, but could never remember them. (A point of bother for me because my dreams were a source of amusement for the rest of my day.) Then someone told me that taking ten deep breaths before you nod off would help you recall your dreams. It sounded kind of silly, but I tried it. The meditative quality of the breaths may not have aided me in my dream quest, but it certainly helped me sleep better.
Let’s say you’ve got the sleep, drink, and exercise thing down. What then? Well, the good doctor also has a list of optional tasks you could undertake while detoxing. As I mentioned before, a weekly massage is one of those tasks. I haven’t had one massage in my lifetime, let alone last week, so I don’t see that happening any time soon. (If you have the means, of course you should try that out and get back to me. Maybe I can glean some vicarious benefit.) He also says you should make an infrared sauna part of your daily experience package. I partook of a friend’s private steam room once, so I think I get the gist. Thanks to the soaring temperatures lately, sweating profusely every day is not something you have to go out of your way to achieve. Simply sit in your car for three minutes with the windows shut and the AC off and you’ll be there! The best thing to do at that point is to take a cold shower. Really. Dr. Junger recommends the hot/cold contrast and I have read elsewhere that keeping the skin cool is good for your immune system.
What are some unhealthy habits you’d like to nix? Are there small treatments that you indulge in to make yourself feel better? Tell me about it in a comment below.