7 Pillars of Health

As I mentioned in "New Year's Resolve" I have taken up studying a book by Dr. Don Colbert called "The 7 Pillars of Health". When I purchased the kit I realized that it is meant for a leading a group. It includes the hard cover "textbook", 7 DVD sessions, enough daily workbooks for 6 people and a leaders guide. I didn't intend to lead a group and figured that when I was done with the materials, I would donate them to our church library. I didn't want to be anyone's role model or leader. This study was about me learning and receiving with an open heart. I was interested in gathering once weekly in a casual setting to watch the DVD's with any interested friends or family, but no one was committed enough to set a time. In the end I drafted my family as co-DVD watchers and to some extent, they co-operated.

The 7 Pillars are as follows:

Water

Sleep & Rest

Living Food

Exercise

Detoxificaton

Nutrutional Supplements

Coping with Stress

It wasn't long before I realized that they must have placed coping with stress at the end because all the information and life changes create STRESS! This is anticipated and it is recommended in the book that you don't try to read through the materials at a fast pace. The readings and workbook questions are formatted to be done daily over 50 days and by taking in the instruction at this pace, it is more manageable to assimilate. Even following these recommendations I know that it would be beneficial to repeat the entire series over again because there is more data than one person can learn and practise at one time. I may be holding on to this set longer than anticipated.

My first impressions of the DVD sessions were that they were kind of hokey. Maybe this is why it was on sale in the first place. The series has good content but it needs updating. I bet another new & improved series will be on the way.
 
I also experienced anxiety after each viewing because they introduced information about toxins, micro-organisms and other topics that made me afraid to eat, breath, touch or do anything. I've had this paralysis reaction before when attempting to make changes and find it's counterproductive to dwell on every possibility. I understand that there are many things that hinder us from complete health and sometimes we need a little motivation but for my personality, it can be very overwelming in terms of achieving perfection.
 
I don't want to turn into a health fanatic. I don't even want to follow all the advise that is given. Who wants to be in exemplatory health if it becomes a sterile prison that you live in all by yourself? No, I don't just do things without considering other important factors like: God's will, budget, family, time, and other priorities. I decided that I'm going to sift through the information and pick out what I can change and let the other recommendations go unless I become motivated later to make more adjustments.
 
I'm in the final week now and will be sharing what I have learned from each pillar in upcoming blogs. I really enjoyed the journey and think that this material helped keep me focused on my goals along the way. Remember, it's not about perfection all at once, but slow, permanent changes towards a better life.