| As with all advice, always check with your health | | | | blueberries, apples or grapefruit, lots of vegetables, |
| care practitioner before embarking on any regimen, | | | | beans, and olive oil, no sugar whatsoever, no wheat, |
| especially one that you haven't tried before. | | | | dairy products, meat, etc. (small quantities of fish, |
| Everybody's body is different. Having said that, I | | | | eggs or chicken can be added), adequate salt, and |
| would like to introduce you to the secrets I | | | | lots of vitamins, especially vitamin C. I meditate |
| discovered about sleep while living as Buddhist monk | | | | regularly whenever I have time and always before |
| in the backwater jungles of Thailand. | | | | bedtime. Walking, meditation, and a diet close to the |
| I never slept better than when I was practicing the | | | | macrobiotic model seem to work magic. |
| 227 rules of a Buddhist monk. The rules are designed | | | | If you are lacking in either or all of these areas -- |
| to create a harmonious atmosphere for a community | | | | walking, vitamins, meditation, or diet, and you are |
| of monks so that they can live together peacefully | | | | having problems sleeping well, you might consider |
| and practice meditation, but I quickly discovered that | | | | slowly incorporating this regimen into your lifestyle. It |
| these rules not only enabled us to live together in | | | | costs nothing, and actually your food bill will reduce |
| accordance, but they mystically improved every | | | | dramatically, unless you buy designer brown rice. (Is |
| aspect of my life, including my physical and mental | | | | there such a thing)? Another side benefit is that any |
| health. | | | | health problems already active or soon to become |
| The rules included only one meal a day and a lot of | | | | active will probably be reduced or eliminated without |
| walking. We would walk into the surrounding villages | | | | the need of invasive drugs. |
| at daybreak, usually a two to five mile walk, and | | | | Overall, your health and mental outlook will improve |
| collect that day's food from the villagers. We were | | | | dramatically; a good night's sleep is the best insurance |
| not allowed to store food, so we had to make our | | | | policy for health, and since everything mentioned is |
| walk every day. The food consisted of mainly rice, | | | | natural, there are no side effects or long-term |
| miniature Thai bananas, leafy vegetables, and | | | | dangers as one may experience with drugs of any |
| occasionally a little protein, such as dried fish, | | | | kind. The three key ingredients are meditation, diet, |
| grasshoppers, chicken -- all organic. | | | | and exercise. The reason walking works so well is |
| We would eat our one meal a day in the meditation | | | | because it doesn't add to your stress levels. You can |
| hall, which was about a half mile from my hut, so I | | | | do it around home, no need to spend extra money |
| had to walk the half mile quite a few times, night and | | | | to attend classes or involve yourself with stressful, |
| day. This was in addition to the walk into the villages. | | | | competitive workouts. |
| The walking, combined with the type and quality of | | | | Meditation is free as well. A beginning book on |
| fresh food, and the fact that the digestive system | | | | meditation will suffice, or free advice is available on |
| had to work only once a day, all promoted a restful | | | | my Southwest Florida Insight Center website |
| night's sleep. The decisive factor, however, was the | | | | mentioned below. Since none of this should cost you |
| meditation practice, which has a tendency to relax | | | | additional money, your stress levels should reduce, |
| the mind and resolve any outstanding conflicts so | | | | and with meditation practice, your stress levels should |
| that one can really relax peacefully at night and | | | | reduce dramatically. One added bonus is that |
| experience a dreamless, invigorating sleep. | | | | meditation, over time, will reduce any obsessive |
| Now that I am stateside again, I still sleep like a baby. | | | | wants and cravings, and this will help maintain a |
| My regular routine is an hour or two of brisk walking | | | | healthy lifestyle. |
| every day, lots of whole grain brown rice (the bulk | | | | Sleep well! |
| of my calories), very little fruit, maybe some | | | | |