When human beings live high stress lifestyles, our immune systems often becomes weaker. This makes it harder for us to function within our daily lives, more difficult to fight through colds, and tougher to fight through other illnesses and diseases.
This article in the New York Times ("The Island Where People Forget to Die") is about a region called Ikaria in Greece. The Ikarian people are not wealthy, but with good diets and low stress lifestyles, the people in Ikaria can live long and happy. This is an example of how much better human health can be when there is low stress.
Jody,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post! I read it last Friday just before a hectic weekend at the grocery store where I work (first of the month falling on a weekend and Super Bowl Sunday = exhausted Melissa). ANYway, it cheered me up! Just reading about the lifestyle they lead and the ways in which their diet and their habits work in tandem to promote health were such a welcome distraction from the fast-paced, cram-packed weekend I was having while watching nachos, hot-dogs, (and every kind of pre-packaged heart-attack you can think of) flying out of our doors this weekend. I get so discouraged by the commercialization and the boxed preservatives and additives that can't be giving us nearly the nutrition that fresh greens and even an indulgent glass of wine (in moderation) can. But we are all so BUSY. If we want to live that way here in the states, it really takes a deliberate and concerted effort. And even though I try, I fall so short time and time again, and it bums me out.
So, this weekend, when I read your article I thought, "hmm. Maybe we really better investigate further.... a hands-on approach is probably best. Perhaps we really ought to just GO to Greece and immerse ourselves in this lifestyle in order to really understand it. I would say one month, but maybe 3-5 is a little more comprehensive. And when it comes to our education, it's really best to be thorough."
So thanks for the article! It's fun to dream. :)... and to hope that in small and simple ways, I can work toward a slower, less-stressed, better nourished life too.