How's Your Terrain?

If you've read this blog for any length of time, it should come as no surprise that I'm a total worrier. I'm pretty sure it's genetic or something, because my sisters, mom, grandma, etc. are all psycho worriers too. I worry about random crap most people probably don't even fathom in a day, and then I proceed to worry about the amount of time I spend worrying. No joke.

Mean chickens...

On the tippy top of my worry list though is something very real and close to my heart. So many of the things I stress about are things I have zero control over. However, the biggie on my list allows me a small measure of control over it. The biggest fear I have is dying before my children are adults. It's probably every parent's worst fear, or close to it. I'm well aware that I could leave work today and get hit by a bus. This I would have no control over. I'm also aware, however, that there are many things young people die of that can be prevented, at least somewhat.

Enter this new book I've been reading: Anti-Cancer, A New Way of Life. Cancer scares the CRAP out of me, and has personally touched my life on several occasions. Four out of four of my grandparents have had cancer. One of my very favorite cousins was diagnosed with lymphoma at age thirty. [She is thankfully in remission]. The thought of having cancer next year and not being there for my children is horrifying to me. There is so much new development in the study of cancer that I can barely keep up. I love the research though. I love to hear that we may be able to beat this horrendous disease someday. I'm downright giddy when I hear of diet changes that can help prevent and destroy cancer.

With all of this in mind, I've been thinking a lot about my terrain. What's terrain, you ask? It's a term coined in that new cancer book I just mentioned, and it's a fascinating idea to me. Terrain is your body's overall state of wellness. It's basically the body's soil. You can have really great soil, the kind that is full of vitamins and minerals and will grow you a great harvest. Or, you can have poor soil, leached of nutrients and viability. The better your terrain, the better your body's ability to fight off illness is. This doesn't just apply to cancer. The better you take care of yourself, the more you can fight off any disease that comes your way.

I want lush terrain like this.... but skinny.

I'm taking this information to heart, people. While I'm not normally fond of the serious blog post, I really feel like putting this information out there for those willing to listen. This week, and in the weeks to come, I'm taking care of my terrain. What am I doing? I never thought you'd ask! Here's the list I made myself. I'm trying [not always succeeding] to do the following things, every day.

• Eat 7 servings of fruit and veggies [green smoothies rock people]
• Sleep 8 hours a night [I'm succeeding in getting 7 at this point]
• Try to eat more organic and natural products
• Limit red meat to 1 time /week [only grass-fed and organic]
• No hormones/antibiotics in my meat/dairy
• No artificial sweeteners
• Limit sugar
• Drink 2-3 cups of green tea
• Exercise
• Meditate
• Laugh more
• Worry less

The cover of the book says, "All of us have cancer cells in our bodies. But not all of us will develop cancer." I want to be one of those that don’t. I want my children to be those that don't. It's a way to be proactive in stopping my worry. When it's all said and done [whether I get hit by a bus tomorrow or live to be 110], I want to know that I did everything I could to be on this planet as long as possible. If the scale would note my efforts in this as well, that would be stellar too. It would be a pity to go a whole post without showing my vain side, wouldn't it?