The Things I Do To Improve My Terrain/Strengthen My Immune System
Context
Due to a plethora of events and tragedies, I’ve grown to question and test almost everything and have chosen to take the path less traveled in several ways.
It’s a rebellion but not just for rebelling’s sake it’s a rebelling against the established order of things because you and many others have found greater benefit in what’s been ignored or criticized.
In addition to this, it’s crucial to determine which worldview/paradigm/lens through which we view things properly accounts for everything that has occurred, is occurring, and will occur. I believe Terrain Theory does this to a high degree.
Story/Analogy
But imagine if you will that you’re sitting in your living room and one of your friends barges in your house saying, “Don’t go outside, there’s a velociraptor on every street corner.”
You think, “Oh snap I better not go outside.” Then your neighbor barges in saying the same thing, then your grandma, then your 1st grade teacher, Big Bird, and the next up-and-coming mumble rapper. They are all saying the same thing about the velociraptors. After a few hours pass you decide, “Hey let me look out the window.” so you move over to the window and open the blinds and what do you see?
At first, you’re thinking if something is wrong with you. You try to start a conversation with those in your apartment about what you see outside and they all keep telling you that you’re crazy and if you open the door you’ll be risking everyone’s lives. You go out anyways and what you saw through the window matches what you are experiencing outside.
That’s what the past few years have felt like for me. People say things are one way but the things you read and experience are telling you something else.
The terrain theory of disease has been one of those things I’ve found extremely beneficial not because it's a rebelling against the way we are told to think but because it yields fruit. But if you don’t like the phrase, “terrain theory” then I believe, “Immune System” to be just as good.
The food we eat, the way we sleep, the way we train, the toxins in our environment, and our stress are more of a determinant of our health than some microscopic organisms. The organism still matters but it takes the back seat to everything else.
Here I will provide you with some principles that I utilize on a daily basis in this battle to live a healthier lifestyle.
1 - Walking
Time
A simple and cheap activity we have been doing since the beginning of time that can improve your health. It's generally recommended that it be a brisk walk which experimenting with this with myself I can say that I would choose 30 total minutes of brisk walking a day over an hour of slow and steady to win the race.
If I’m short on time I’ll just try and get 30 total minutes a day. I’ve seen some recommend doing it in a fasted state as this will burn more fat and if this was my goal I would pursue this approach more diligently.
Routes
I’ll take a lap around my apartment complex/nearby neighborhood. But I highly recommend going to a nature park once in a while as there will most likely be more difficult terrain to walk over and with that increased difficulty comes a leaner body/better internal terrain.
Footwear
I change which shoes I walk in from time to time. I have a history pg wearing Vibram five-finger shoes which will heavily develop the muscles in your leg below the knee.
If it’s warm outside I’ll try to walk in these before a workout. Because I’m so used to these I generally can tell when the footwear I have doesn’t engage my muscles in this area to a greater degree. If you don’t use it you lose it therefore I’ll go for footwear with very little sole to keep the muscles below my knee better engaged as this will burn more calories.
2 - Vitamin D
Clothing
Vitamin D for me is a bit tricky for as I need to stay in the sun a bit longer to absorb higher amounts of it due to my skin tone. Weather permitting I’ll wear shorts, a short sleeve shirt, or a sleeveless shirt to get as much skin exposed for when I do go outside.
Time/Window Of Opportunity
There’s also the question of the time of day I go out. Due to a recommendation, I downloaded an app by the name of, “Dminder” which if you put in your location will tell you what time-window during the day to get the most out of your sun exposure. It’s generally around noon time and based on the time of year can extend an hour or a few hours outside that time. For example today in the beginning of March the app stated that 9:30 - 3:30ish was the best time to get Vitamin D.
3 - Pursuing Quality Food
Good, quality food is one of the easiest paths to health and the improvement of one’s terrain. Have there been any studies on the effects of humans and the quality of food bringing about greater disease? Not that I’m aware of at the moment and if there is one it probably would have been swept under the rug. Because, once the news breaks on the connection between the quality of food and disease someone will be losing a great deal of money…
But what we do have is Hippocrates…
As well as Pottengers Cats which was a study showing how the change in the diets of cats brought about diseased and weak offspring. If a bad diet can screw up animals what can it do to a sedentary human?
Application
How I apply this is that when I shop for groceries I try to get as close to natural as I can get within reason. If you’re in the grocery store stay on the outside of the store to get your food. This comes down to vegetables, fruit, dairy, and meat. If I want to get rice, beans, or some kind of organic bbq sauce I go right ahead.
I also find it important to support my local farmers as things have become increasingly difficult for them over the decades. It’s a way of voting but with your money.
4 - Avoiding Bad Foods
Avoiding the things on our store shelves classified as, “Food” is also an important approach. For me, if something has too much sugar, even a drop of seed oil, or a long list of words in the ingredients I avoid it.
Because I choose to avoid these things that also means I avoid most restaurants as the things they use to cook with are usually seed oils. I’ve noticed on nights when I’m out with friends or family and I eat too much food at a restaurant along with some type of processed dessert I usually start coming down with some symptoms the next day.
Frankenfood is one of the easiest ways we can damage our terrain.
5 - Sleep
Our body repairs itself and in a way recharges when we sleep. So if the quality of our sleep is not adequate our chances of getting and staying sick increase. Not everybody can get 7 hours of sleep a night so the quality is of the utmost importance.
Night Time Routine
I have a routine before I go to bed and the purpose of this is to train me to relax. For me, it’s getting away from the electronics, reading, praying, showering, and then I hit the sheets. Everybody may have their own but this works for me. I also sleep with a blindfold and especially earplugs as everyone around where I live likes to peacock by driving around in loud muscle cars.
6 - Exercise(Not too Much)
One’s fitness level and regimen will determine their ability to fight off disease. However, not all exercises will be advantageous toward this goal. If one trains and drives their body into the ground on a daily basis and they’re not giving their body adequate time to recover, then this will leave their defenses open. Send the proper signals for strength, muscle, or endurance then go on with the rest of your day.
This is one of the many reasons I find static forms of training whether it’s overcoming isometrics or muscle control so valuable. The amount of energy and focus I pour into it does not leave me exhausted but in fact, does the opposite. One book I have from a guy by the name of Steve Justa said that with isometrics one is, “Creating energy as they go.” This is something I have definitely experienced. Instead of being exhausted after a workout leaving my terrain/immune system open to attack, I am ready for the challenges of the day.
Looking Forward
I believe health is more than just hand sanitizer, pills, and insurance. It’s the diligence with which we take of this body by giving it the proper fuel. The better we strike at and solve the root causes the rest will follow.
