I have been geeking out this week listening to talks given by leaders in the field of functional medicine and nutrition in Mark Hyman’s “Fat Summit.” It’s been fun. Everyday four or five new free talks are offered and you have 24 hours to listen to them. So there’s pressure to get that listen in before the free versions evaporate!
On Monday I listened to the great Deepak Chopra share his insights based on his new book called “Super Genes” (I ordered it immediately). Okay, I confess, I listened to it four times. Ya, it was that good.
As a health coach I offer people support to meet their health goals, whatever those might be. Often people who find me are initially looking to loose weight, but I employ other methods of up-leveling their overall health, such as introducing the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal, daily meditation, breath work, tapping, and generally helping people find balance. I’ve spent hours of my time learning–not just training as a health coach and a yoga instructor–but on things like the value of meditation, breathwork, the power of positivity, and more. Turns out, all these “stress reducers” are where it’s at.
According to Deepak Chopra, the body takes stressed out messages in through the microbiome (the bacteria in our gut) and these messages direct gene expression. Yup, these messages determine whether or not you’re going to get sick! I’m not talking about the sniffles. The scientific link has been made. This is a big deal.
Your state of mind, or equanimity, matters. A lot.
If you are all stressed out you can eat the best, most wholesome food, but guess what? The body takes it in as toxic. And the opposite is also true–when you’re in a “good place” or experiencing equanimity you are likely to be able to absorb your nutrients better.
WOW.
So all the worry, stress, and agitation is definitely making us sick and sicker. AND we have the tools to fix that. This is the future of good health.