Selenium and Sleep- Paleo Jay's Smoothie Cafe podcast 15

Palo Jay’s Smoothie Cafe podcast 15  click to listen and subscribe on iTunes

Selenium and Sleep

Selenium!

A mineral, Selenium is important for making many bodily processes work correctly. It seems to increase the action of antioxidants.  

We are under assault from all directions in our daily modern life- stress takes many forms!  Job stress, relationships, too MUCH working out, mercury fillings in our teeth leaching mercury poison into our system, estrogens from plastic glasses and bottles, bad diets of grains, soy and wheat in particular, sugars of all sorts...

They all take their toll!  What to do?  

Besides getting all your health house in order via proper Paleo type of diet, restorative rather than overly stressful exercise (think endless cardio and obsessive weight lifting here) and good “tribal” relationships (think family and friends) there are a few other steps we can take-

Eat a brazil nut or two each day.  The selenium in brazil nuts is concentrated, and just one or two per day will ensure that you have enough to detox the mercury that is leaching into your body; also it will increase the potency of the super food nutrition you will get from your daily Paleo Smoothie!  It seems simplistic, but sometimes simple, easy solutions are the best of all, when done regularly and along with a strong, time-tested strategy of good, ancestral health practices.

And then there is:

Sleep!

What could be more natural and important than sleep?

The answer is: almost nothing is! 

Sleep is so important, that it is one of the most potent bio-markers of health itself.  If you sleep well, and long (at least 7 & 1/2 hours per night minimum), this shows that you are a basically healthy and happy animal! 

If you have trouble sleeping... uh oh!  This is a strong indicator, in and of itself, that something is wrong:

Too much stress?  Bad diet?  Not enough, or too much exercise? (Probably too much cardio type)

Soft drinks and other crap in your diet?

All of the above can mess up your sleep, which messes up your attitude, which messes up your health and your life!

Really, in a Paleo concept, how important is sleep?

1. Good, nutrient dense nutrition.  The maximum nutrients in every morsel of food you eat.

2. Sleep! 

3. Sun exposure, clean water, good family and extended family (i.e. "Tribe") relations and life.

4. Minimal toxins in environment and food and air.

5. Exercise  (brief, intense, invigorating, and throughout a complete range of motion, including stretching and all forms of exercise short of going to failure!)

And if you don't have all of the above, exercise will only add more cortisol, the stress hormone to the mix, and spiral you further down the hole!

So there you have it!  Sleep only comes after your nutrition.  Without good nutrition, good sleep is impossible.  And without good, quality sleep, your "tribal" or personal relations in life are hugely compromised, to the point where you are so stressed out that you don't even care about crucial things like good water, sun on your skin, or minimizing the toxins in your environment!

I am now writing an iPad Paleo book, called Paleo Jay's Smoothie Cafe natch; watch for it pretty soon- but not TOO soon!  I am walking my own talk, and though I'd love to get it out NOW, and help a bunch of folks save their health, I will take my measured time, and do it in a less stressful manner... I will only say that it will be really something, with demonstration videos, to-the-point instructions and ideas, and all on the intuitive platform of the iPad!  Stay tuned!

So sleep!  Make it a priority. Sleep is more important than exercise.

Much more important!  (and a heck of a lot easier too!)

Especially this Winter time of year, it is natural for us all in Northern climes to be more sedentary and reflective, to "hunker down" in the "cave" with our "tribe", and just chill out.

Not only natural, but beneficial!

So, just do it- go to bed early- really early!  Enjoy it!  Get up early too!  Enjoy the feeling of getting up early, and feeling fully rested, because you went to bed early enough.  Do your stretches, make your Paleo Quick Start Smoothie, do your perfectly paleo, visualized resistance, self resisted, isometric and body weight exercises (No strain- no pain- just enjoy the feeling!)---

And then, start your day:

Invigorated, happy, loaded with nutrition, and, above all, completely rested!