I seem to be on a plateau, and it's comfy right now.
When we make some changes regarding our health, we often reach a plateau. People get disappointed because they are not progressing while still putting in ‘the work’. Getting to a plateau is a great sign you are getting somewhere; your body is taking on what you have been doing. The mountain will be too much of a challenge without a plateau . Don’t look to the peak; search out the first plateau. Life is full of plateaus. In investment circles, you may call it a consolidation in price action. Like a conformation, you're in the right place before the next leg up. The trick is to stay in the trade, or, in our case, not fall off the plateau and stay on course. ‘Keep doing what you're doing.' (As a specialist once said to me with a confused look on his face about my upward trend with my ‘70-year-old knees’ as he had previously referred to them.)
A first baby step: how about having a look at your morning routine.
Just like some people's day doesn’t seem complete without a coffee in the morning, I just don't feel right without a green shot or a green smoothie to alkalise the body first thing. After some hydration .
Now, I was once a 12/15 cups of tea a day man . Little did I know that was one piece in the puzzle of my downfall.
As we know, coffee and tea are a diuretic and have a dehydrating, not hydrating, effect, which has a drying effect on the cartilage. I recall my osteopath holding up the first scans of the knees and saying, ‘Do you drink much coffee or tea?’ I never considered hydration. Why would I at that point? I was never interested. It was my knee, that was the issue not what I drank, for goodness sake! Just fix my knee so I can get back to work.
But he looked at the image of my ragged and torn cartilage and pointed out the marbling and cracking effect. He attributed this to my tea habit. Now, there is not one culprit that causes this issue, but a gang of them, and they are not on your side! But a habit such as my tea issue is an obvious starting point.
I had the same reaction most people have when the thought of giving up something they like and depend on to get through the day is threatened. - ‘No way, I’m not dropping my cup of tea’.
So how to attack this issue if you identify a bad habit causing problems?
How to bring on the sub, at least to improve things.
Making the habit of always having or ordering a glass of warm water with your coffee is a start. Always do it until it becomes second nature. A habit. Hopefully, it will progress to joining the first coffee of the day. Add a squeeze of lemon or start to replace one a day with a herbal tea as part of the team instead of playing as a sub. To progress, have a green shot first thing to alkalise the body.
For me, it was one of my hardest conversions and took me a good while. Rooibos saved me as I used that as a substitute, and I phased out dairy milk and sugar (Oh yes, I had 2 sugars in those 12/15 teas a day). Bright, hey. In fact, here was my breakfast as it was then. Two teas with cow's milk and two sugars in each. 3 shredded wheat and more cow's milk. I was in pain by 10. If you have any knowledge of inflammatory disease, you will know these are all inflammatory, and inflammation is not your friend. Start the day with hydration, non-inflammatory, and not too acidic breeky . If you can get to the point of having a green shot or smoothie, then you're on the way.
Start the day right. You will be repaid.
Five morning habits to start your day.
If you want to hit it, this guy is in the Canadian wilderness. My son and I followed him for years for his self reliance skills.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB_14gkCPPM
As I will keep repeating before everything else you need the three pillars in place .
See posts 1-3 Belief, choices and ownership .
With those in place, you’ll have a better journey to the top. Enjoy the plateaus on the way.
Everything you want stands behind a limiting fear. Trace the fears that are stopping you.
Everyone knows someone with joint pain .Please consider sharing .
I also have another substack The money charts. Here.
If you missed the last post, here it is……