001 - Mother Nature's Rules For Health

The Burnt Out Podcast is dedicated to simplifying health and wellbeing. The host, Chris Newton, believes that health naturally emerges through simple practices. Each week, he has conversations with Mother Nature about important health topics. Mother Nature shares her five simple rules for wellbeing: live slowly and sleep deeply, eat from nature's plate, exercise as if living in nature, socialize naturally in the physical company of others, and be kind to yourself. Following these rules can lead to a long, healthy life. The complexity comes when people dig into each rule, but Mother Nature emphasizes the importance of simplicity. Mental health also fits into these rules, particularly in living slowly, socializing naturally, and being kind to oneself. Health doesn't have to be complicated if we follow these rules and let go of baggage and beliefs. Hello, and welcome to the Burnt Out Podcast. This is the first of, hopefully, many conversations dedicated to the lessons of simplifying health and wellbeing. I'm your host, Chris Newton. I'm a health and fitness coach at a free online community called burntout.me. I teach people that health emerges quite naturally through the simplest of practices, and I'd like to share those simple practices with you. So in this show, I'd like to return a sense of simplicity to your physical and mental health, the way that nature intended. So rather than sit here and give you some lectures, I'm going to have some conversations with a very famous individual, Mother Nature. Okay, I didn't literally sit down and interview Mother Nature, but if I had, this is, I believe, what she'd have to say about overcoming burnout and getting healthy in the modern world. I want you to notice how simple health is supposed to be. Just effortless wellbeing, the way it was intended, Mother Nature designed it that way. Each week, Mother Nature and I will be discussing important health topics, from how to get fit and stay motivated, to managing stress and finding purpose. So I really hope that you enjoy what we have for you here, and of course, please share the lessons if you do. In this first episode, Mother Nature is going to share her five simple rules for wellbeing. Over the coming weeks, we'll expand on what she says here today, so for now, just sit back with a nice cup of tea and listen to the profound wisdom that she shares. So without further ado, let's welcome the star of our show, Mother Nature herself. Welcome to the show, Mother Nature. I'm really grateful to have you here, so thank you for coming. Thank you for having me on the show, Chris. You're very welcome. I'm so looking forward to having these conversations with you. So before we get started, can I just say a big thank you for trees and mountains and clean water and animals? You're very welcome, Chris. Okay. So as you already know, this podcast is about health and wellbeing, and I feel like we're living through a bit of a paradox in health these days. On one hand, the average person is able to live so much longer than ever before. Old age is achievable for the vast majority of us. Yet the average person has never felt more chronically unhealthy. People complain of being tired and stressed and overweight or unfit. It's normal to live with some kind of pain throughout adulthood these days. I really feel for people, so I'm hoping through this podcast that you can help us live a long life, but more importantly, live more vibrantly right up to the end. Of course, Chris. I have some very simple rules that guarantee a long, healthy life. You do? Doesn't it just seem so complicated? At least that's how it feels when you spend any time researching health on the internet or in books. Is it even possible to express the natural rules of health in a single podcast episode? I could express them in five sentences. Oh, I should have expected you to say that. You did design this after all. Please, would you share them with my listeners? Of course. Number one, try to live slowly and sleep deeply, as if at the pace of nature. Number two, eat from nature's plate. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, animals, and fish, etc. Number three, exercise as if living in nature. Walk lots, run a little, dance, and lift heavy things often. That goes for men and women in equal measure. Number four, socialize naturally in the physical company of others. And lastly, be kind to yourself. You're perfect just the way I made you. Thank you, Mother Nature. I love that last one particularly. It seems so obvious when you list the rules of health out like this. I guess the complexity comes when we start digging into each of them. How so? Well, these topics are complex when you try to do them right, right? Take diet, for example. My clients were always concerned about questions like, how many carbs should I eat? What supplements should I be taking? Should I be fasting or grazing or eat meals at a certain time? Should I be- Let me stop you there, Chris, before you have a panic attack. Yeah, sorry. I was getting a bit worked up there. Please, go on. Just eat from nature's plate and enjoy the food. And follow the other four rules, too. You don't need to overcomplicate things. For example, have you heard of the Hadza Indians, Chris? The hunter-gatherers from Tanzania? That's correct, Chris. Did you know that they get approximately 30% of their calories from honey? It's just sugar mixed with a little water. Yet they don't experience diabetes. Can you tell me why, Chris? Because it's natural organic honey? No, Chris. It's because they adhere to my rules. Honey is from nature's plate. But so, too, are the fibrous plants and animal flesh they eat plenty of, too, which balance out their blood sugar. What's more, I also don't provide honey on tap for them. Nature's plate is spread out across their landscape, so they eat what is available. In addition, they also walk several miles in the pursuit of that honey and bringing it home to the tribe. So they exercise as if living in nature by walking off the sugar hit. Walking will even out blood sugar spikes in you, too. You don't have to be a hunter-gatherer to benefit from my five rules. OK, so you're saying it's not only the food that they eat, but how that food fits within your five rules. In your example, the Hadza are eating from nature's plate because you provide them with honey. But because they have to walk to get that food and then walk again to bring it back to the tribe, they're actually using the blood sugar, therefore they don't spike. That's all because they're adhering to your exercise-as-if-in-nature rule, too, right? So combining these two rules, they don't actually get diabetes, even though they eat a lot of sugar. Yes, it really is as simple as that. Just remember, too, that the other 70% of their diet is very plain and contains lots of fibre and protein. Not every meal is sweetened. OK, I see. So nature's plate is mostly plain, fibrous food, and that makes up the majority of what's naturally available to eat. But if we do have a sugary hit, simply walking soon after eating it can even out that spike, too. Absolutely, Chris. Nothing complicated there. Right. I think maybe sometimes the simplest concepts are the hardest to hear. Us humans do like to think we're above nature. Well, I designed you that way. What? I didn't expect you to say that. I thought you'd be so disappointed in us. We keep destroying your good work. Well, you humans do best when the chips are down. I gave you a unique gift, the ability to gather together and lift each other up. Incredible things can happen when humans want change. So whether we want to change our health or take on grander goals, we have the capacity within ourselves and our communities to make that change happen. Yes, as long as you choose to stick to my five rules. Got it, loud and clear. So what about mental health? Does this kind of well-being fit into your five rules, too? That's what the other three rules are for. Ah, OK. Can you remind me of them, please? Yes. The other three rules are live slowly and sleep deeply, socialise naturally in the physical company of others and be kind to yourself. These are the simple keys to a healthy mind. Wow. So physical and mental health really don't have to be that complicated. In fact, they'll emerge quite simply out of living by your five rules. Absolutely. It sounds to me like these rules are really simple. It's maybe the baggage and belief we bring with us that actually get in the way. Yes, that's where things can get complicated. But if you can remember rule five, then you can move past your baggage. I'm sure we'll get into this discussion in good time. And rule five being be kind to yourself. That's the one. Oh, yes. We're definitely going there in an episode soon. Thank you so much, Mother Nature. I feel inspired by the underlying simplicity of your work. I appreciate you're a busy woman. So for now, do you mind if I just do a quick summary of what I've learnt today? Maybe you can let me know if I've missed anything. Of course, Chris. OK. Health has become a paradox. We've never had so much potential to live to old age, yet most of us will do so whilst carrying decades of chronic ill health along with us. If you want to live long, yet have vibrant health throughout our life, it might be wise to follow nature's five simple rules. Number one, live slowly and sleep deeply, as if living at the pace of nature. Number two, eat from nature's plate. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, animals, seafood, etc. Number three, exercise as if living in nature. Walk lots, run a little, dance and lift heavy things often. That goes for men and women in equal measure. Number four, socialise naturally in the company of other people, not just online. And finally, be kind to yourself. You're perfect just the way Mother Nature made you. I think you've summarised that perfectly, Chris. Thank you. Now, I know you said that we just need to follow these rules, but I get a sneaky feeling that we're going to need to learn how to apply these rules in many different situations. Would you allow me to develop this conversation with you over time, directing it towards various different subjects? I think we could all draw some inspiring conclusions from your expertise. It would be my pleasure, Chris. Thank you, Mother Nature. I look forward to speaking to you next week. Thank you. I look forward to it too. So I hope you've enjoyed this first conversation with Mother Nature. It's been a real blast to create it for you. Now, as you find yourself hovering over the subscribe button, I'm going to make a confession to you. Whilst Mother Nature has an incredible simplicity, nothing she created, including your health, came overnight. If I'm going to do her justice and take you on a journey of learning about your physical and mental wellbeing, then this podcast won't be glamorising anything. You won't find any health hacks that cheat ageing, no six-week abs, no revolutionary diets, no miracle supplements. We're just going to keep it simple and learn how to implement nature's five rules for health and wellbeing in all aspects of your life. Now, I teach all my clients that the first step to developing wellness is to develop a playful curiosity. Just be curious about the lessons you hear Mother Nature delivering and how you might play with them in your own health journey. So if exploring health with playful curiosity sounds like something you'd like to do, then please continue pressing that subscribe button. And whilst you're at it, come over to burnt-out.me. Over there, you'll find a small but growing community of people that have been feeling burnt out by modern living and want to return to health and vibrancy again. I've curated a set of resources there to help you rebalance your physical and mental energy. We also have a Q&A forum where you can post your health questions, which will be answered by a fully trained wellness coach. And finally, we run regular community coaching live events where you can just come along, listen to the coaching advice or share your own wisdom and feel part of a community with amazing people that are trying to live a more vibrant life. burnt-out.me is a completely free and very welcoming online community. It's a philanthropic social initiative aimed at bringing health resources and coaching to everyone. You can learn more about what we're doing over at burnt-out.me forward slash mission. And obviously, all the links can be found in the show notes below. I hope to see you there. Thank you for listening. And remember, health emerges quite naturally when you allow Mother Nature to guide you.