As the old adage goes, Life Is Hard. Though many circumstances are beyond our control, and in many ways only people of great privilege get this opportunity, some "gurus" claim that you can choose your hard. For example, choosing to work out with vigor daily or doing meal prep with lots of vegetables feels probably at least medium bad when you're doing it. But the benefits of fitness and a body filled with fiber and antioxidants enable us to achieve our goals, whether they be a healthy homebirth, picking up your kids or grandkids, or being able to hike the Grand Canyon. Meditation also feels annoying and difficult when you're trying to settle down your monkey mind, but the great night's sleep and equanimity it brings can also be worth it.
Science is now showing that putting your body under GREAT stress, also called HORMESIS shows even bigger benefits. My definition of hormesis: choosing to feel like you want to die in order to have a healther and possibly longer life.
Over the next few weeks, we will look at some examples of hormesis and how they have affected the lives of myself, patients, and other people I know. Some examples we will look at include: Fasting, High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT, Powerlifting, Cold exposure, & Infrared sauna. <A caveat: before starting any such activity, it's great to check in with your health care providers. Also, it's great to start slowly and build up to a bigger strain on your body. Whether it's delaying breakfast by an hour to get used to fasting instead of trying a 36-hour fast cold turkey, or taking a 60-second cold shower instead of immersing yourself into a 40 degree F ice bath for 5 minutes, easy does it to start out.>
Do you believe you can choose your hard? Have you tried any hormetic activities? Let us know!