Alignment

for MORE JOY

Alignment: noun alignment \-ln-mnt\ :
the act of aligning or state of being aligned; especially :
the proper positioning

For reflection: On Cancer as Metaphor

A cancer cell is a cell that has gone insane. It has disconnected from its natural
intelligence. It has forgotten that its here to collaborate with other cells, that it exists
to serve the healthy functioning of the system of which it is part. It has separated
from the organ to which nature has assigned it, gathering other cells as sick as it is to
build its own kingdom in a world apart. This false kingdom, this malignant tumor,
seeks to preserve itself by growing more of itself. Thus, it threatens not only its host but
also itself.
This is not simply a description of cells in the body. It is a description of the emotional
malignancy of the human race, which has separated itself from our natural
intelligence. This emotional malignancy threatens the whole of humanity, just as the
disease of cancer threatens one body. Our disease is the false belief that we are
separate from each other, from God, from the rest of life, bearing no sense of
responsibility or love for anyone or anything other than the selected beneficiaries of
our kindness. This distortion of our true sense of self is a cancer that would lead to the
destruction of the species. It tempts us to forget our function as collaborators with
others in promoting the healthy functioning of the whole of which we are a part.
It will be healed, in our bodies and in our world, as we return to our natural selves.
~Marianne Williamson, A Year of Miracles, DAY 125

Some ways we have disconnected from love,

natural and physical laws:
Sleeping
Eating rhythm
Rest/work rhythm
Food options
What we drink
The way we grow, treat and kill our animals
Toxic nutritional beliefs
Lack of movement
Exercise as punishment
Cultural excesses
Moving FAST as the only option
Time in front of screens
Lack of time outside
Driven vs. Calling
Learning from our elders
Connection to other people
Connection to Source

1. Where are you out of alignment with love, natural

and physical laws?

3 Mind Body Nutritional ideas to

help with alignment
1.Stressed vs. Relaxed eating
2. Toxic Nutritional Beliefs
3. Bio-circadian Rhythms

1.Stressed vs. Relaxed eating

The Stress Response

What is real and what is habit?

AND is it possible to shift our thinking to thriving?

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some
passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Maya Angelou

2. Examining thoughts, behaviors and values

SURVIVING

THRIVING

Stressed vs. Relaxed eating

Stressed state nutrition can lead to or contribute to every possible
symptom, dis-ease, and food issue. Stressed eating is common, and yet
its the most powerful place where we can effect a change in our health,
nutritional status, and our relationship with food.

Relaxed eating = Relaxed living

Stress defined for purposes of this conversation:

Stress= any real or imagined threat and the bodys response to that stress.
Stress= any self chosen ideas, thoughts and behaviors that are limiting our metabolic power,
this includes any negative self talk, anxiety, fear, negative tension, judgment,
anger, multi-tasking and hurrying
Stress = Eating Fast

Stress Response while eating

No matter how healthy the meal is, if eating while under stress, the
nutrition cannot be properly assimilated and used by the body

When under stress, digestion SHUTS DOWN.

When in a stress response, blood level to the gut is as much as 4X less

Oxygenation in the gut is dramatically DECREASED when under stress
Enzymatic output in the gut is decreased by as much as 20,000 fold stress kills healthy gut bacteria

Increased excretion of nutrients, minerals, and water soluble vitamins happens

when stressed and fat vitamins will be malabsorbed (they will be excreted)

LESS thyroid AND less human growth hormone are produced when under stress.
THESE HORMONES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR REVING UP THE METABOLISM.
Low thyroid and low growth hormone can seriously slow down metabolic function!!

Inflammation IS INCREASED which eventually leads to body break down and

dis-eases

Increased insulin and cortisol when those two hormones are artificially elevated
day in and day due to excess stress, they signal the body to STORE WEIGHT,
HOLD FAT AND LET GO OF MUSCLE. This is a survival response in the brain which
believes it needs to do this to survive due to the constant stress (muscle takes a
lot of energy so the body lets that go but fat is a great source of fuel for long
term survival so the body HOLDS on to fat)

Eating under stress negates EVERY other positive factor that you are
incorporating into your dietary program

THIS MEANS THAT NUTRITIONAL STATUS CAN BE

CHANGED WITHOUT CHANGING
ANYTHING YOU EAT!!!
Stunning!

Relaxation Response when Eating

When the body is in the relaxation response, non emergency processes
can occur. This state is when digestion, elimination, rest, and other
important functions that are not related to immediate survival but
geared more toward long term survival happen.
Ideally this parasympathetic system is in place the majority of the time.
Digestion, assimilation and calorie burning are all important functions for
long term optimal survival but none of these systems function at full force
when the body is in stress response.
The relaxation Response promotes:
Quality sleep
Optimal digestion, assimilation and elimination
Improved metabolic rate
Ideal learning and growing
Well-being (Joy)

3. Are you a FAST, Medium or SLOW eater?

How does this possibly reflect your lifestyle?

2. Toxic Nutritional Beliefs

Examples:

Ill be happy when I

Food is the enemy

Appetite is the enemy

Fat in food = Fat on my body

Exercise more/Eat less is the best way for sustainable

weight loss

Food = calories

Ill love my body when

Ill take care of myself when...

4. Identify any Toxic beliefs around food, your body,

the amount you do with self care or the amount you do
around work.

3. Bio Circadian Rhythms

Skipping meals can contribute to weight gain as it kicks into the
survival response.
Timing can also affect the weight gain/weight loss
Working with Bio Circadian rhythms can help regulate appetite
Changing the rhythm can increase hunger for a whileSO if what you
are doing isnt working experiment with rhythm BUT be prepared for
some adjustments.
Working with Bio Circadian rhythms will help regulate appetite
Taking a walk after dinnerideal for digestion, energy and weight loss
Optimal metabolism is at its highest between noon and 2 pm
Breakfast is important for many people to eliminate overeating at
dinner, late night snacking or afternoon binges

Sumo-size me
A typical sumo wrestler eats a daily diet of 20,000 calories, which is pretty astounding when you consider that the recommended
daily intake for a healthy, active male is 2,500. They eat 10 times what a normal male eats and all of its done in two massive 10,000calorie meals. The sumos diet is an expression of my favorite Japanese cultural traitnever doing things halfway.
Here is a typical sumo wrestler daily eating schedule:

Skip breakfast
A sumo wrestlers day starts at four or five oclock in the morning with training and exercise. Surprisingly, breakfast is not served.
Skipping breakfast and working out instead slows down the wrestlers metabolism, so they usually dont eat until around 11am. It
also gets them hungry enough for that 10,000-calorie lunch.

Bulk load
The main dish that sumo wrestlers eat is a stew filled with fish, vegetables, meat and tofu. To complement their mighty meal, sumo
wrestlers eat around 510 bowls of rice and copious amounts of beer, required for empty calories. A healthy sumo wrestler) may down
as many as 6 pints during the midday meal.

Take a siesta
After lunch, theres one more essential bit of trainingthe nap. How could you not pass out after a meal like that? Sumo wrestlers
take a siesta for as long as 4 hours after lunch, in order to slow down their metabolism and add everything they just ate to their girth.

Dinner and lights out

At the end of the day, sumo wrestlers eat another massive meal and call it a night. While
they sleep, the days protein and calories work their magic and they wake up in the early
morning ready to smash their bodies against each other.
https://lingualift.com/blog/what-sumo-eat-wrestlers-diet/

5. How does the Rhythm of your hours, days and weeks

feel to you right now?