aqabaman
10-10-2011, 10:32 AM
I'm hardly new to a "healthy" lifestyle. I've exercised religiously for as long as I can remember. I know everything there is to be known about calorie balance and the like. Ask me how many calories are in the stem of a banana, and I can tell you. I've never cared for fad 30-day and 100-day diet or workout programs. If they work for you, fantastic. I've never seen a friend or family member maintain a healthy lifestyle after beginning one of these programs unless they developed their OWN consitent routine to which they've remained dedicated to.
I've always eaten "healthy." If in the past, for instance, you were to set me in front of a doctor and I were to tell them what my diet consisted of, they would tout me as the model for what daily exercise and healthy eating should be.
Regardless of the fact that I am/was extremely fit on paper, I do not remember a time in my adult, teenage or younger life when I was not remarkably cloudy and tired all day and every day.
Fatigue, in my case, did not indicate depression. Still, it was overwhelming. I exercised and ate "healthy" despite the constant state of "blahness."
Now, onto the remarkable bit...
Since I was young...middle school and earlier, it has ALWAYS taken me 1.5-2 hours EVERY night to fall asleep. ALWAYS. For almost 20 years, now, this is simply the way it's been. I accepted it as part of my body chemistry.
One month ago, and I'm unsure of the reasoning on my part, I opted to try going raw...or let's say 95% raw. Not as a fad, but as a lifestyle change. Years of intense daily exercise and "healthy" eating were taking a mental toll on my motivation to continue my regime, as fatigue was always an accompanying factor.
Within 3 days, I was falling asleep within 10 minutes of hitting the pillow. I was waking up 2 hours early. My body would not allow me to sleep more than 5 hours now. I wake up refreshed. I have energy ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
When bed-time does come, I don't even find myself to be tired. I just go and lay down next to my wife around midnight because I figure some sleep is probably smart. And I'm asleep within minutes.
No longer is there ANY fatigue during the day. No longer is there any cloudiness in my brain.
And, I'm not even 100% raw. It cracks me up to think that instead of eating a "nutritional" power type bar for a snack, I'll now have a carrot. Am eager to see what happens to my mental/physicall well-being when I do go 100% raw, because I think it may make me capable of superman-like flight.
I'm a 28 year old father of twins and a husband. Every minute of my life, as those of you with kiddos know, is devoted to constant care for them. I DO NOT have what would typically be considered free time. I've chosen to sacrifice any free time I may have to exercise. Kiddos and wife go to bed...I exercise. Anyways, I say the last couple sentences not to try and glean sympathy from readers, but to stress that despite all of that, I have no fatigue. EVER. Not any more.
So go and tell all your friends and relatives my little story, one of many here.
There has been nothing I've ever seen or experienced in the world of exercise of nutrition that has made me say, "Man. That's unfreakinbelievable."
RAW has. Period.
I've always eaten "healthy." If in the past, for instance, you were to set me in front of a doctor and I were to tell them what my diet consisted of, they would tout me as the model for what daily exercise and healthy eating should be.
Regardless of the fact that I am/was extremely fit on paper, I do not remember a time in my adult, teenage or younger life when I was not remarkably cloudy and tired all day and every day.
Fatigue, in my case, did not indicate depression. Still, it was overwhelming. I exercised and ate "healthy" despite the constant state of "blahness."
Now, onto the remarkable bit...
Since I was young...middle school and earlier, it has ALWAYS taken me 1.5-2 hours EVERY night to fall asleep. ALWAYS. For almost 20 years, now, this is simply the way it's been. I accepted it as part of my body chemistry.
One month ago, and I'm unsure of the reasoning on my part, I opted to try going raw...or let's say 95% raw. Not as a fad, but as a lifestyle change. Years of intense daily exercise and "healthy" eating were taking a mental toll on my motivation to continue my regime, as fatigue was always an accompanying factor.
Within 3 days, I was falling asleep within 10 minutes of hitting the pillow. I was waking up 2 hours early. My body would not allow me to sleep more than 5 hours now. I wake up refreshed. I have energy ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
When bed-time does come, I don't even find myself to be tired. I just go and lay down next to my wife around midnight because I figure some sleep is probably smart. And I'm asleep within minutes.
No longer is there ANY fatigue during the day. No longer is there any cloudiness in my brain.
And, I'm not even 100% raw. It cracks me up to think that instead of eating a "nutritional" power type bar for a snack, I'll now have a carrot. Am eager to see what happens to my mental/physicall well-being when I do go 100% raw, because I think it may make me capable of superman-like flight.
I'm a 28 year old father of twins and a husband. Every minute of my life, as those of you with kiddos know, is devoted to constant care for them. I DO NOT have what would typically be considered free time. I've chosen to sacrifice any free time I may have to exercise. Kiddos and wife go to bed...I exercise. Anyways, I say the last couple sentences not to try and glean sympathy from readers, but to stress that despite all of that, I have no fatigue. EVER. Not any more.
So go and tell all your friends and relatives my little story, one of many here.
There has been nothing I've ever seen or experienced in the world of exercise of nutrition that has made me say, "Man. That's unfreakinbelievable."
RAW has. Period.