Publisher's Synopsis
This book is about how to naturally achieve optimum health, how to live a high quality and long life, and if an athlete, how to achieve peak performance. The book has a focus on athletic performance because the road to athletic excellence and physical, mental and emotional peak performance is very similar to the path of optimal health and longevity. The lifestyle that leads to a longer, better quality life is the same lifestyle athletes need to follow to reach their ambitions. There is an art to living. Plato used the expression techne tou biou which means 'the craft of life' which refers to the art of crafting and shaping life. It's an art that has been somewhat lost by our modern culture. Modern culture's lifestyle is contributing to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, lack of regular good sleep, chronic fatigue, etc. which underlie many of modern life's sickness and diseases. This book, in part, hopes to impart an appreciation of the need to get back to the basics - the need to live a natural life. The book covers the key ingredients to a long quality life, which include natural nutrition, exercise, strong nerve force and brain power all within a simple lifestyle. I also hope to provide athletes with a larger picture of how they can naturally achieve their athletic goals and mesh those goals with the longer term goals of longevity. As maintaining a regular vigorous exercise routine helps us maintain a high and efficient metabolism, to encourage you to engage in the aerobic sports, I provide safety tips and tips on ideal technique for hiking, running, swimming, and cycling. A key premise of this book is living naturally as the best way to achieve optimum health, longevity and peak performance. As such, I provide natural tips on (i) the benefits of natural nutrition and portion control, (ii) the benefits of obtaining sufficient Vitamin D levels from the sun, (iii) how to obtain natural regular good sleep, (iv) how to naturally beat depression, and (v) how to naturally quit smoking cigarettes. As maintaining high testosterone levels is important to men's health and vitality, we recommend natural ways to increase testosterone levels. The book also recommends natural ways to increase the production of the growth hormones essential to growth and healing. Since women have unique health considerations, the book provides insight into the the role of Calcium and Iron in women's health and provides natural food sources of obtaining both nutrients. For athletes I recommend natural ways to maintain kidney health, as the kidneys play a key role in the production of red blood cells, essential to oxygen delivery to our cells for peak athletic performance. Maintaining healthy kidneys is also important to everyone in fighting fatigue. There is a list of natural food sources that provide the key nutrients needed to produce red blood cells. As maintaining strong nerves and efficient management of our metabolism is essential to optimal health and life quality, I provide natural solutions to building strong nerve force through proper breathing rhythm and lowering of our resting heart rate. Recognizing the importance of the mental and emotional aspects of peak performance and the Ideal Performance State necessary for reaching optimum athletic and other potentials, we provide insight into the Ideal Performance State. There is a section on mental toughness and a section on how mental imagery skills can be developed to give each of us an edge in our challenges. Keeping our minds sharp and brains healthy is essential to our life quality and longevity. I provide natural tips and insight into (i) creativity skills, (ii) clear thinking skills, (iii) the importance of heightened sense and expanded awareness, and (iv) self-actualization skills. Lifestyle plays a key role in our life quality and lifespan. The book suggests a more simple lifestyle as a way to care for our soul.
