More about the need for vacation…

I got an email that made me think... And I spoke with my mom now in the morning… We came to talk about the pollution of the environment. How it was earlier in farming… Yes, I grew up in this milieu, even though not on an own farm, but on agricultural schools, from I was born till I was 20 years (so I saw the whole from this angle) and my two oldest siblings followed in dads paths becoming agronomists.

People worked with their bodies. And they did in other works too. But many also wearied out (slet ut) their bodies (so you were very privileged, k!! Oh yes, was I?).

I came to think about how it is today. We don’t work with our bodies; sometimes we don’t even use them at all! (some are training very hard and another part of the population doesn't train at all and between those two poles there isn't much?). Earlier people used their bodies more naturally - in their work. On the other hand we are using our brains and heads much more today and sitting at computers the whole days.

When the body gets tired we feel it. When the brain gets tired and overheated we don’t feel or notice it until it has gone too far. When and if we use our bodies that’s very good for the brain too. It functions better. And is a protection for being overworked with your brain too…

We need time for ourselves and for relaxation, doing nice things, relaxing… To get a balance in the whole system.

My ancestors in the north got very old. My grandmother and her 15 siblings average living age was over 83 years I think. When they grew up they weren’t exposed to poison in the environment and the stress people are exposed to today. Even if they probably were fairly neurotic…

We can’t change this, but we can be aware of it (and I don't think we have to be neurotic necessarily either).

Much of the obesity and increasing fatness here too is a result of not only eating wrong but also because of stress that is never reduced, a stress that goes on continually… The metabolic syndrome... The stone age people needed to react in this way; in "stressy" situations when they didn't find food or had to protect themselves, they had to "store" fat in the body... To survive... This was good then, but is a problem now...

And earlier people were much more physically active too... Today people are afraid of going out in the darkness... And how fun is it to take a walk in a big city?

And - when people start doing exercise they are too clever again and think they shall/should run many kilometers at once!!! When they should start with walking slowly for say 15 minutes, stroll out in the nature and enjoy the surrounding and nature, slowly increasing the walking time to not more than 30 minutes and keep this amount for a year at least or even longer, even the rest of the life...

Maybe in the beginning walk 2x15 minutes...

Because exercise can also increase the stress levels and produce even more stress hormones!!?? And what have you then gained with your physical activity?? I really ask.

I think it is so sick we never allow ourselves to rest, that we shall be so clever!!!

And what do exhausted people produce in the end??? I really wonder!!

And why are we working so hard? For what purpose?

And struck me, these stress hormones are like narcotics: when you have got used to a certain level you have got dependent on getting these stimulants, so when you don't get them... You rush on. What are we fleeing from? And do we dare to stop and meet what we are fleeing from?

Instead we keep on running till we are crashing?

How come so many people have problems with this? I have my small silent thoughts about this.

This blog-post was tough to write... See my former blog on this topic.