Hi folks,
This week I have been mostly…
Contemplating:
“I’m going to tell you something: thoughts are never honest. Emotions are.” - Albert Camus
And Decartes' Error - the idea presented by Antonio D’Amasio. Neurological evidence suggests that you cannot separate reason from emotion as has been the belief since Decartes. So those of us that are comforted by the notion that they are predominantly rational creatures are unfortunately naive:
"That new neurological evidence suggests that no emotion at all is an even greater problem. Emotion may well be the support system without which the edifice of reason cannot function properly and may even collapse."
"I even suspect that humanity is not suffering from a defect in logical competence but rather from a defect in the emotions that inform the deployment of logic.”
Rejoicing:
In the fact that finally a large study has been published (in the Lancet) investigating the far too long held believe that fat, especially saturated fat is bad for us. What has always been bad for us is refined carbohydrate intake not fat. This study suggests that low fat diets could raise the risk of an early death by as much as one quarter! Glad I commented on my fat cheese habit in last weeks post.
However, not all fats are created equal. Good fats are for example: Avocados, oily fish (omega 3 : EPA and DHA), Grass Fed Butter (organic or Kerrygold), Nuts like Macadamias, Fat from Organic Meats, use saturated fats to cook with e.g. Ghee. Bad fats are those that have been processed: trans fats, hydrogenated fats, veggie oil cooked (crips) - fats denature under heating so don’t cook with veggie oil (polyunsaturated fats) or olive oil but coconut oil is ok.
Mmmm butter...
Reading:
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
A short book by a Roman emperor. Fantastic philosophical nuggets written as an older man to himself for himself.
“What does not benefit the hive does not benefit the bee either.”
Listening:
Looking forward to seeing BadBadNotGood live in Bristol in November. Can't get this song out of my head this week.
Stretching:
My hamstrings: arms out in front of you thumbs up, bend at the hips only (not the spine) as in a squat until you feel the tension in your hamstrings and hold for at least 30 seconds. Repeat every day.
Have a great weekend,
Simon
Finemore's Five for Friday (17)
Hi folks,
This week I have been mostly…
Listening:
To the new album by Andy Shauf called The Party. If you like The Shins or Grandaddy you might enjoy this.
Contemplating:
The concepts that I am trying to communicate most clearly to my clients with regard to Chiropractic care:
1. There is a natural force within us that constantly heals and repairs us. We call this Innate Intelligence.
2. There are things that can confuse or interfere with this intelligence. We call these things Subluxations.
3. Our purpose is to address your Subluxations and help you return to a natural state of healing and health. We call these Adjustments.
Watching:
The build up to the McGregor vs Mayweather boxing match on Sunday. Whatever your views on combat sports and who will win, I appreciate the stoic philosophy and the positive mindset that Conor McGregor has espoused in his rise from nowhere to superstar in four years vs the legendary technician.
“An injury is not just a process of recovery, it’s a process of discovery.” - Conor McGregor
Eating:
A lot of super squidgy, stinky, raw cheese. August tends to be the month when friends come to stay and this time brought with them my favourite cheeses. The stinkiest was some unpasteurised Reblechon. My fridge may not ever smell the same again. The fact that this cheese is made from raw milk makes it taste better and is possibly better for us as it has more natural, and greater numbers, of bacteria in it which may be good for your ‘microbiome’ (the sum total of helpful symbiotic bacteria that populate your gut and your skin). The idea that full fat cheese is bad for us is highly questionable and in my opinion has been largely de-bunked; fat is essential and good fat is good for you.
Exercising:
Been revisiting the Bear Crawl. A great exercise for all joint mobility, balance and co-ordination. Good for core and spinal stability also. Here is a link for a beginners form of the exercise.
Have a great bank holiday weekend!
Simon
Finemore's Five for Friday (Last Friday that is)
Hi folks,
Welcome to Finemore’s Five for Friday, my weekly roundup of the five things I can’t stop doing this week, I’m enjoying or are simply on my mind.
This week I am mostly listening to...
GRANDADDY - pending the release of their get-back-together album, I can't stop playing their single 'Evermore.' I love the synth sound as it opens, looking forward to seeing them live at the Roundhouse in London on the March 3rd (tickets still available). Dance or nod appropriately. Listen to Evermore by Grandaddy on Spotify.
This week I am mostly eating...
Kale from Cusgarne Organic Farm. Love this stuff. Just throw it in a covered pain with plenty of grass-fed organic butter and some chopped organic garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Eat. Here’s a 5 min omelette with kale, mushrooms and eggs all from Cusgarne and all organic. Yum.
This week I am mostly appreciating...
How we all have power over the course and direction of our lives and the fulfilment of our dreams. The thoughts we have determine our perceptions, our dreams and our actions. If you want your life to take a new direction then you must think a new thought to gain a change in perspective and a change in your actions. We have the power, to change the way we think, be careful how big you dream.
“You are only as young as the last time you changed your mind.” Timothy Leary
This week I am mostly reading...
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It is a personal account of Dr Frankl’s experiences during WW2 in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. This might sound like a heavy read but his description of human resilience and the power of perception in the face of death is uplifting and inspirational.
This week I am mostly exercising...
My Quadratus Lumborum (low back stabilisers) : Sit upright on the floor, legs straight out in front of you and lift one buttock and walk it forward then the other buttock until you have travelled 10ft, then walk back again. Done (you can hold a small kettlebell to your chest as you do this).
I hope you've enjoyed the first instalment of Finemore's Five For Friday, have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Simon
In 2017 a drive to increase HEALTH awareness in the young: a Discount for Students and Children
In 2017 LivingRoom is on a mission to increase awareness of health potential to the young. Health potential as opposed to disease potential. We are often told what we should NOT be doing but we are rarely informed about what we CAN do to improve our health potential, to be as good as we could be.
A few minor tweaks to our lifestyle choices can make a massive impact on our general health and wellbeing in the long term. If only someone could tell us what tweaks to make and how to make them.
For example globally in 2012 (YN Harari):
620,000 people died from human violence (war and crime)
800,000 died from committing suicide
but 1,500,000 died from diabetes which is a largely avoidable complication of modern lifestyle choices
At LivingRoom we want to increase health awareness sooner rather than later. We want to help more Children and Students. We are offering a discount of 50% on the initial consultation fee (one of the most important things is to know what your challenges are and the best course of action to improve). We will also give a 20% discount on any further visits to all Children and Students.
All you have to do to be healthy and happy is to make the right consistent small steps to relieve the stress on your system to allow to heal and improve naturally.
‘There is but one cause of disease. The body’s inability to comprehend itself and or it’s environment.’ Fred Barge DC.
Consistent small steps...
Sharp increases in blood sugar are to be avoided e.g. fructose, sugar, simple carbs such as bread, pasta, wheat products, cereals, cakes, biscuits, flour based products, processed products… the Glycaemic Index of a Snickers Bar is 41, the GI of a round of toast is 72!!! You can almost have 2 Snickers for every round of toast!!!