It has come to my attention that my physical development over the last 10 years may be of interest to the steemit community. Thanks to @halcyondaze for the idea.
So, let's cut to the chase!
I have gone from this...
to this...
What has been the most important factor?
There are many factors involved which I will list for you in this post, but one factor has unquestionably made the biggest impact... and that is DIET.
I went from living with a sausage maker, eating meat three times a day... to a raw vegan diet.
And in just a few months I experienced a dramatic loss of weight. It was so dramatic that my family freaked out and sent me to see a food specialist who confirmed everything I already knew and told me that it was them who should be seeking the advice.
Drinking more water and eating more foods that are high in water content is also very important and will surprisingly help burn off that fat at a faster rate.
Why did I go raw vegan?
To put it in simple terms I discovered that we are HERBIVORES and not OMNIVORES. Before your programming kicks in, demanding that you respond against this statement, please review the chart below.
Yes, we do have the ability to eat meat, but that does not mean it should be such a prominent part of our diet.
What do herbivores eat?
The best way to establish what humans should be eating is to look at our closest relative the primate.
Gorillas are often used as an example by vegans of how muscle mass can be formed without eating meat, and indeed gorillas are mostly herbivores. But it is worth noting they are not strict about their vegan diet! And they don't go about labelling themselves as we do.
At times they are instinctively drawn towards eating insects. And of course there will be insects on the food they eat, which get swallowed down whole without a thought.
So, meat actually represents between 3-5% of a primate's diet. Here are some examples of their food sources:
- bark
- stems
- roots
- thistles
- young shoots
- fruits
- seeds
- leaves
- raw eggs (sometimes when they get lucky!)
Obsession with taste
We are much more obsessed with taste & flavour than our instinctive relatives the primates. As such, you probably won't find yourself drawn towards munching on a piece of bark or a leaf...
But it is worth noting that having nothing to compare it too, they are not thinking about taste or flavour. They are simply putting fuel in their bodies.
The cooking paradigm
I went raw because when foods are cooked at a temperature above that of the human body, the overall nutritional value is reduced and the enzymes are killed.
We have become obsessed with cooking as a means of enhancing our eating experience, but we appear to have forgotten WHY we eat! To FUEL our bodies.
Smoothies are a great way to get a high nutrition blast, which as a liquid assimilates into the bloodstream quickly and bypasses the need for chewing.
I start every day with a fruit smoothie now. Thank you Sabrina (my wonderful partner) for being the one who makes this for us 🙏🏻
Body Movement
I said that I don't go to the gym. What I mean by this is that I don't do traditional exercise. I have developed my own way of getting essential body movement into my life without having to label it as exercise. Because I absolutely love it and there are no rules involved.
So, I spin a fire staff and I do it in my own way.
I don't watch tutorials or follow the advice of others.
I feel out the movements, always seeking to improve my overall skills with the staff.
I have chosen a particularly heavy staff to travel with knowing that I am pushing my body harder this way. It breaks into three pieces in order to avoid having it confiscated at airports. Having experienced this once, I won't make the same mistake again!
I have turned it into a contact staff by covering it with the grippy material used on the handles of bicycles.
This way I can develop my skills further using my skin to grip the staff as it rolls around my body.
It can also be used as a weapon. Here in Bali it is used to deal with the cheeky monkeys!
I don't wear shoes
That's right...NEVER.
It has been this way for over three years now. We were not born with shoes on, so it is logical to assume that the body will function best in this state.
The plastic soles of shoes not only force the body into unnatural positions, but they also insulate you from the natural voltage of this great playground upon which we stand.
As bioelectric creatures we also have a natural voltage, which no big surprise is the same as the Earth.
When we are barefoot, we are grounded and the perfect voltage for optimum body development is retained.
Sungazing
Every morning when the sun first rises above the horizon line I am there ready and waiting. I stare directly at it for as long as time will permit. I enter a euphoric meditative state after which I feel immensely energised and will usually spin my staff in this moment.
This is a very big subject and I strongly suggest you do further research if it interests you.
To to learn about these things RIGHT NOW, I suggest you watch these two episodes from my Sammy's Simple Solutions Series:
Why do I stare at the sun?
My morning routine
The way I think
After reading the words of Abraham every day for around five years now I have become conscious that there is far less stress in my life.
Stress can be a factor in leading to the build up of fat, so naturally if you are able to look at the world in such a way that no matter what happens you are always at peace, well then... you are onto a winner.
Follow my daily quotes from Abraham if you are interested to learn more about the awesome power behind these words.
Here is the one I posted yesterday: https://steemit.com/dailyquotes/@samstonehill/abraham-of-the-day-wherever-we-re-giving-our-attention-is-our-vibration-and-the-universe-is-matching-it
In Conclusion
I feel blessed to have had the time to research all of these subjects at length and it is my great pleasure to share them with you now.
I will do my best to answer any questions & offer guidance if this is what you seek.
Know that EVERYTHING has changed for me in such a wonderful way since I adopted the above practices in my life.
On a physical level, now that I am 41 years old, it appears to me as if my body just keeps on getting better and better 💪🏼
I was recently challenged to an arm wrestle by @jockey who informed me that he had beaten every single person he had ever challenged. And with his large frame & fiery determination I did not doubt this to be the truth.
And yet... he was unable to beat me ;)
To learn more about where strength actually comes from check my article here:
https://steemit.com/health/@samstonehill/where-does-strength-really-come-from
haha! funny ;)
Loved the post. I notice that I am not alone in my thoughts of food and that I am headed in the right direction. I prefer a mediterranean, pescatarian and raw food diet. I work out at the gym and study about health. I am not where I want to be with it due to lack of discipline to stay the course but I am trying. One day at a time...@cleverbot do you think I can stay the course and get it together?
Great to hear that you are moving in the right direction. There is much less discipline than you might imagine. Change your diet and the rest will naturally fall into place without having to think about it too much :)
I am going to try that. I am headed towards a strict diet. A lot of food that I grew up on and was fed by my mother will be cancelled out.
Wow, this is a very encouraging post to go vegan or at least reduce my meat consumption. Thanks for sharing...
Ive been vegan for 5 years now and its the best thing I have ever done
Excellent! Great to hear that.
Thank you for sharing here ;)
I hope you give it a try. You won't be disappointed.
@samstonehill Thank you for posting, this is encouraging indeed. I recently also saw some articles on "grounding"; it seems to make sense but I was not quite sure whether or not it really made a difference. I have heard of some people who can not get outside actually connecting wire in the wall outlet. It looks like you are lucky to live in a place where you have good vegan food and can go barefoot.
I came across this post from another steemian that talks about how the weight we lose actually comes out of our body and this was actually news to me, so thought it would be worth sharing.
https://steemit.com/health/@wanderingmind/arm-yourself-with-knowledge-where-does-fat-really-goes-when-you-lose-it-you-think-you-know
Thanks for the comment and link here.
I didn't mention but I also have a bed sheet which grounds me through fine metal conductors in the material which all lead into a single cable which plugs into the soil in the garden.
After living this way for so long it is hard to imagine the old way. Airports have forced me to put shoes on in the past and it was such an alien feeling. Very uncomfortable and hot!
Lovely to see someone sharing the work of another here :)
I've been vegan for 2 years now and I've been vegetarian 5 years prior to this. I've also done 6 months of fully raw. I'm looking to go back to raw. I'm currently eating close to 50% of my calories from raw fruit.
Amazing news! So happy to hear this. It seems to me that those of us who walk a particular path in life tend to incline naturally towards this diet. It almost feels like a side effect of the awakening process.
Though it takes a certain amount of courage to break away from the old habits. Not gonna say I don't miss those sausages! But now that I understand the bigger picture better I can make more informed decisions around what I eat.
Thanks for the support :)
Really inspirational post. After reading it and checking out your youtube channel I'll definitely be following. Love that you had the courage to take your life in your hands and walk (barefooted) into the life you wanted.
I'm hoping to do the same in my own way sometime soon. Looking forward to seeing your shares.
Thank you brother. It is an awesome path to walk! And my pleasure to document it as I do.
Very happy to have finally found a medium through which i can be rewarded for doing what I love... whilst still helping others :)
Wow this post is very inspiring thanks for sharing your secrets @samstonehill I wish to do this but with my currant lifestyle its very difficult but I will keep pushing towards these changes.
Thanks for the comment :)
If you are clear about what you want in your mind, step one has been achieved... and you will find that the Universe provides always in unexpected ways.
I wouldn't have left my London life had I not been suddenly put in a position where I had no choice. Something to do with a room full of plants and those men in fancy dress who call themselves police!
The key is in looking beyond the physical and letting go in the knowledge that everything is exactly as it should be :)
hehe, I love this. It must feel nice. Definitely a way I'd love to live & am definitely going to be living more this way. Beautiful, your posts are always inspiring! Looking at these is making me excited to get my health back, it's crazy how humans treat their bodies & what is actually allowed to be sold in supermarkets. The bare foot thing is amazing! Bali looks nice & warm!
Many thanks for your lovely comment.
We are capable of so much more if we have good health. And we become more guided by our intuition I do believe. Eating a natural diet somehow permits us to listen better to the needs of this playground we walk upon :)
All the best to you!
Hey, I will never go vegan, although I like your perspective about the world. I wear shoes as well and I'm totally different to you, but yet I admire your way of living and dedication to achieving things a lot of people wouldn't even start to begin with.
I appreciate your honest words here!
Thank you for that. And I wish you all the best, no matter which path you choose in life :)
great and awesome content and post! yes, you are telling correct! lets known the vegeterians animal elephant is very stronger than non vegeterians...thanks for sharing the post!
I had not thought about the elephants. Yes, they are the strongest vegetarians of all :)
Thanks for the comment!
thanks for reply @samstonnehill
Great article and amazing progress! And you really look much younger now!
haha! Thanks :)
Though if you look closely I have plenty more grey hairs and wrinkles these days!
But for sure I feel younger 🙏🏻
Great transformation. I"d have to question if humans are herbivores more inclined to think we're frugivores.
How right you are! I didn't include this information as it can be a bit daunting for people to imaging this idea.
But certainly, I have plenty of very active healthy friends who eat a frugivore diet. But they were all vegetarians first...then vegans.... then fugivores. And the journey never ends! I know of other people who live on nothing more than water & sunlight now :)
Good for you! I think you are on the right path, I wish I was too :)
It's never too late I guess.
ABSOLUTELY! It's never too late. My mother went vegan after seeing my health improve so much. And she is in her 70s... and now she no longer experiences the 'old age pains' as she once did :)
fantastic @samstonehill - very inspiring. Happy sungazing :)
Thank you my friend. Just waiting for it to pop back out from behind the clouds now!
Happy Life :)
Love this post , I'm coming to visit Bali next year. Cant wait.
You must! It's a very beautiful island full of lovely people. But get here as quick as you can. It is being developed far too quickly. And make sure you get away from the south where this development is rampant.
Great post brother. Many great tips and I utilize most if not all of them. Back to a more natural lifestyle. Wholeness my friend
Wholeness right back at you brother ;)
Nice. Once in a while I do a few days of raw food diet. Feels good.
Great to hear this! That which feels good we tend to do more and more of ;)
Upvoted & resteemd , you are the man @samstonehill
Thanks for the up & resteem. Much appreciated ;)
Thanks am already your fan , learning a lot from your you tube channel! Hard Work pays at the end of the day! Also added you to my auto upvote list!
Lovely! Many thanks for that ;)
You are great man
haha! Perspective is a wonderful thing. I just share what I have learned.
Thanks for the comment ;)
Great man
Haha. Getting there ;)
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Thanks for letting me know this ;)
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Interesting stuff. Thanks!
This post is very good, it's useful for me
Thanks for sharing @samstonehill
Cheers from Aceh, Indonesia
Thanks for the comment! Hope to see you in Bali some time :)
At the age of 41 years you have good physique. Its great to interact the people like. I also do some physical exercises daily but not getting the proper shape that you have gained. Please tell me few exercises. Thanks
The simplest trick with exercise is to do what feels natural to you. Sometimes I swing around the trees like a monkey! Very often the movements we enjoyed as children still resonate with us. So think back to your childhood :)
Oh WOW!!!
Helloooooo :) Thanks for your wow! ;)
For last 2 years I m going to gym. But in these 2 years my weight increases from 56 to 72 kg. Now i think its time for me to try something new. Thanks alot for this knowledge @samstonehill
What do you eat would be my first question?
4 boiled eggs, 1 beaf steak, 1 jug banana shake, it was my daily diet. Breakfast, Lunch and dinner is not included in it.
Ditch the eggs & the steak. And increase quantity of bananas. Mono meals are very effective as a means of delivering nutrition. And breakfast the most important meal ;)
What an amazing post. I absolutely love your lifestyle. This chart you shared is wonderful and really eye-opening. This was so helpful for me because I really want to cut down on meat consumption or totally get rid of meat, so this is very encouraging. I was always wondering why some people walk bare feet, and now I know and it totally makes sense to me and that is another eye-opening strategy. I read bible quotes every morning and spend some time with God, which has been so inspiring and it gives me peace of mind and strength. I love exercising in nature and just being around beautiful nature because again I feel free and peaceful and so appreciative. Thank you again for this amazing video, you look great and I'll be following you, so I can see more of your lifestyle because that is what I'm looking for and I'm getting closer to it.
Wonderful article! It is pretty amazing to see your transformation and to hear about your journey. I really love that you talked about stress as an important factor in overall health and fitness. I think this often gets missed by mainstream fitness advice, but it can be so powerful. Meditating more and pausing throughout the day to show gratitude are currently things I'm trying to work into my daily habits.
I have also researched the whole barefoot vs. shoe topic, but came to a slightly different conclusion. Our ancestors never wore shoes, and their feet were stronger and they were more connected to the earth because of it. Our ancestors never had cement though. In my world, I love to walk barefoot in the dirt, in the woods, or on the sand as much as possible because I feel the energy from the earth and the land feels good against my feet. When walking on cement or other hard, man-made surfaces though, I usually wear pretty supportive footwear. I'm curious, do your feet ever hurt after spending time on cement, or have your feet grown accustomed to it?
This is a great post. I have been on a similar path and I love hearing about others and what they are doing to maximize their mind and body in order to live the best life possible. For me, I have found that quality food and water, consistent sleep, meditation, and great movement are the keys. Around that I am trying to add fun little things that help and I am going to spend more time sun gazing and walking bare foot on the Earth. Thank you!
Interesting ideas.. I how the chart very informative...
Thanks for the comment :)
Nice transformation!👏👏👏
Thank you!
Not that I'm stalking you - but it's interesting to not that you've received about 3 times as much from this post as you have from the post about 'systems and living on Steem for 6 months'.
Without making any value judgement about what people value, it's an interesting observation about what people value!
Hello again! Know that there is always more than meets the eye. I mentioned teamsteem because he & I recently connected. If you click the down arrow to the right of the payout total you will see a list of my voters in order of how much they gave. Had my new friend not recently turned vegan the total for this post would be dramatically different ;)
Ah - TBH I wouldn't have had the time to do such an analysis! And also TBH I don't know what makes me feel more uncomfortable - the thought of relying on the occassional Whale payout on here, or the advertising revenue which I get from my regular blog!
I'd much rather be getting a regular income in small chunks from lots of people!
Abs are made in the kitchen! That's how simple it is.
Well done! I love to read stories like this and would like to try it for at least couple of months but someone would have to close me in the cage! My problem is that I love food more than anything. I've tried juicing but I can not stand vegetable juice so we only juice fruits a few times a week. I envy you and wish you good luck :)
Wonderful article! So inspirational @samstonehill :)
I also start my day with some exercise (kundalini yoga in my case) and meditating - preferably when it's still dark outside and the city is still asleep and I can hear my inner voice. It's also the absolute best time to meditate in my opinion because the mind is still at rest...
Sungazing is wonderful and being in nature - be it the local park or in the woods - makes me feel so well, calms me and reconnects me with what is really imprtant.
I really like the idea of writing a gratitude journal. I will try that :) Thanks for sharing! Greetings from Frankfurt, Corinna
Really really cool to see such an overview summary of your upgrades, in one post! :D