Hi! I am Jehu Graham, and I must say, I find it an immense pleasure to have you here. Before I go on to share with you a little about myself, I would like to commend you for finding interest, and for taking the time out to read the material on this blog. After experiencing the undervalued power of good health, I was determined to break the news to the world. That, in itself, has rewarded me with great self-actualization. However, just to know that I have regular readers from my own country, Jamaica, as well as readers from as far as Russia, France, and the United States, I feel much more empowered to keep sharing.
I got the privilege of taking full control of my health just a few months ago, in July 2015, when I was still 18. And, for the record, you are never too young or too old to start taking control of your health. I had just completed the first year of my Economics degree, as well as my first senior-level Track & Field season. Neither went as well as I wanted to, and I just could not understand why. I went to my classes [...well, most of them], and I was coached by one of the most prominent and experienced coaches in Jamaica. What really was the problem?
The toughest part to digest was the fact that I actually learned why things went that way AFTER the school year finished. By that time, I had already resolved that I should at least find a comparative [and an absolute] advantage between academics and sports. Of course I chose academics, and dropped the sport. After all, that's why I went to school in the first place. But the problem I had was that I had health constraints. My health was not up to par with the level of work that I was demanding from my body. I have several reasons to support this.
The biggest reason [which is usually the case for most persons] was my diet. And, you're going to realise how silly this mistake was. This was my typical schedule for the working week:
- 6 hours of rest
- gets up at 4 am to attend a class at 8 am
- breakfast part one [4 am]: one spoon of glucose [...]
- breakfast part two [6 am]: one bottle of Ensure [that is complete garbage, by the way]
- breakfast part three [8 am]: two doughnut twists [more garbage]
- lunch [2 pm]: one cheese patty, one large fries [...]
- training from 6 to 8 pm
- post training snack at 10 pm
- goes to bed at 10 pm
I also worked on weekends, as well as attended church on Sundays.
Any further explanation needed? It's not that I couldn't afford good [enough] food; it just wasn't readily accessible or convenient. The closest places on the campus that sold cooked food were terrible. The food quality was really awful, and the price for the food certainly did not match the value I had placed on it. If I wanted to get very good food, I would have to go well out of my way to get it, and it would've been much heavier on my pocket.
I found fast food well justified, but I was gravely blinded at the spillover effects. As you may note, there are several problems here. One is the actual diet. If you know that the food pyramid looks like, then maybe you'll have the full idea of what I'm talking about. All I would have for the entire day is glucose [simplest form of sugar (quick energy) for the body], an Ensure [water + sugar + synthetic nutrients], doughnuts [(refined/nutrient-stripped flour + sugar) x 2], a patty [processed meat + fats], a large fries [fats], a snack [fats + sugar]. That looks like a diet only consisting of Fats & Sugars, and a bit of Animal-based Protein. The next problem is the timing of meals. Think about my glucose levels: a spike at 6 am, a sharp fall, as well, until two hours after. Another spike! And it falls again, not for two hours this time, but for four hours. Spike again, but not so great, and a corresponding fall, all the way until 10 pm. From noon to 10 pm...? That's automatic S-U-I-C-I-D-E!
Do you think I could concentrate in class? Do you think I felt vibrant throughout the day? Do you think I had the energy to dedicate 2 hours for rigorous training 5 days each week, while having the necessary nutrients to build or even repair my body? I also developed something called Gastritis, as well as year-long injuries from the sport. Thank God I didn't get sick frequently [I didn't catch the Chikungunya Virus], because I'm almost sure that my immune system was at an all-time low.
When the summer came, and I started taking whole food supplements [which I neglected during school], many things had changed. Mind you, my diet still wasn't complete. I was only having about a third of the total servings of each food group, but that improvement had significantly boosted my energy levels. I began getting more resistant to colds, and I finally started feeling and seeing my body getting into the shape and form [that it should have had when I was training].
Sounds like common sense to you doesn't it? I literally had no idea at the time! Would it amaze you that you might actually have a problem similar to mine? It might not be as dramatic and foolish as my experience, but if you are not giving your body exactly what it needs, then you might be losing out on a lot, without you even knowing!
This was really the point of me telling my long, boring story: your body is supposed to be your best friend. Not only are you supposed to know what it needs, but you should also supply those needs. And it, in turn, will supply yours, by allowing you to live and do whatever it is that you want to do, with energy and vitality.
I have had a first-hand experience with my health, and I try my best to share it with as many as possible. But, more importantly, I never stop learning. I would really like to know how good health has impacted your life. I would really like to get suggestions, and to know what this blog has done for you, and for those you know. So please feel free to share whether via comments, email, or even via direct messages.
It is my sincerest wish to see individuals like you and me, take control of their health, and live a life filled with energy and vitality, just as God had intended. I wish you all the best, and may God bless you richly!
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