The Journal #13
Hormesis. Motivation. Dragon. Potato.
01. HEALTH - Joe Gaunt
Understanding Hormesis - Intro - Part 1 of 6
I have always found the concept of hormesis an intriguing concept in biology as it reveals the paradoxical nature of stressors and toxins on our bodies.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom that stress is always harmful, hormesis suggests that exposure to low doses of stressors can actually confer health benefits. This phenomenon has significant implications for our understanding of health, aging, and longevity.
At its core, hormesis operates on the principle of biphasic dose-response relationships. In simplistic terms, it means that while high doses of stressors can be harmful, low to moderate doses can trigger adaptive responses that enhance resilience and promote health. This concept challenges the notion that all stressors are inherently detrimental and highlights the importance of moderation and balance in our lifestyles.
Behaviours such as fasting, exercise, hot exposure, cold exposure, and even moderate alcohol consumption exemplify the principles of hormesis. By subjecting the body to controlled stressors, these activities induce adaptive responses that confer numerous health benefits.
I also feel at a time when many seem to want to take the path of least effort or resistance, and resilience in many children seems at an all time low, some of the following introductory behaviours could have a significant impact for readers friends and family members.
Therefore, I will take a deeper dive into various behaviours as a short series over my next 5 segments.
02. MINDSET - Jonny Grayshon
Motivation vs Discipline
Motivation is wanting to do something when you feel good.
For most people, it usually comes from external sources in short bursts.
Discipline is doing something, even if you don’t want to, because you know it will help you in the long run.
People with discipline can stay on task regardless of external sources and have an internal desire to finish the job because it’s the right thing to do.
2 major areas which dictate the above are:
Your circle.
Who you chose to mix with influences your mindset and behaviours.
Is your circle helping or hindering you?
Personal standards.
Do you set the bar high enough or let yourself off easily for a more comfortable life only to be left disappointed?
The good thing is, you have the power to change things when ever you want.
Will you?
03. MINDSET - Mike Bates
Dragon Slayer
On Tuesday this week many celebrated or stopped for a moment to think about St. Georges Day.
A day of national pride for some, not just Englishmen but those from many nations including Spain, Hungary, Portugal and even Syria who share St. George as their patron saint.
Formally, like most days of public celebration, St. Georges day was a religious occasion in the Christian, Catholic and Orthodox calendar.
Around the 15th century it was a day to rival Christmas for most.
In recent years, aside from the championing of Boris Johnson in his time as London Mayor, the day has become less prevalent and in some moments hijacked by nationalists who sympathise and align with the far-right of politics. The flying of the Flag of England, derived from St. Georges cross, has become a symbol less of pride than a mechanism to incite tensions between multicultural societies.
I’m not a religious person but feel personally, perhaps influenced from a 20 year career serving my country, that it should be a day for us all to be proud to be from this amazing melting pot of a country. A chance to bring us closer together with each other, not to drive us apart.
St. George is famed to have slew a dragon who was terrorising a village and extorting its residents for sheep (and later humans) for food.
This conquering of such a powerful adversary such as a dragon is, to me at least, more a powerful interpretation of the odds we battle against in life every day.
I might ask you the following question -
“What dragons need slaying in your life?”
What would be your answer?
If you answer “I don’t have any dragons to slay” then you’re not thinking deeply enough. We all have dragons (big challenges) and not facing into them and admitting they exist is your way of avoiding the confrontation.
One day you will run out of sheep and the dragon will have won.
I want to present a challenge to you personally.
Ask yourself the following question -
“Right now, what is the biggest dragon you could possibly slay in order to make your life better?”
Your weekend addiction to booze?
Walking everyday to improve your overall health?
Telling your partner how grateful you are for making your life a better place to be as a means of investing in your relationship?
It literally could be anything you choose.
And if the dragon you face is just too big and scary for the person you are today then choose a smaller, less fierce fire-breather to take your first shot at. There’s no shame in starting small.
The key is to always keep the blade of your sword sharp (the confidence to face into problems and challenges) and to always be on the lookout for dragons (the problems you’d like to fix in your life).
Be a dragon slayer not a cowering villager.
You’re more capable than you think.
04. QUOTE
"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
G. K. Chesterton
05. TIP
Is there any better taste than a freshly dug potato? Washed, boiled and served within 15 minutes of leaving the earth.
If you, like most, have never had this pleasure and have only tasted bland supermarket, plastic-wrapped spuds then you’ve not lived.
The good news is that it’s not too late to grow your own for this summer so long as you get a move on. Here’s how:
Decide whether you want early, second early or main crop.
What are they?…I’m glad you asked.
Early potatoes (good ones include Duke of York, Rocket and Swift) arrive first and are perfect in salads and as new potatoes. They typically take 10-12 weeks from planting to mature.
Second early varieties (Charlotte, Jazzy, Maris Peer) take around 14 weeks to grow and like early potatoes are great for growing in containers as they aren’t that big (golf ball size and smaller).
Main crop potatoes are your versatile baking, chipping, roasting and mashing varieties (King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree). Some do the job better than others so it’s worth checking to match what you want. Give them 15-20 weeks to grow. They need more space so planting out in rows is better.
Order some seed potatoes from a reputable online source or find them at a good garden centre. Stand them in egg boxes, eyes up, to encourage new shoots to grow - also known as ‘chitting’.
Once you see a number of shoots it’s time to plant them out. Ideally in trenches if you have the space (main crop) but if not a deep container of any sort (you can buy specific bags for potato growing).
Cover the potatoes (bottom and top) with compost and water in.
Check regularly for new growth (green plants forcing up out of the earth) and top up or ‘earth up’ with compost to ensure that the tubers remain underground. If potatoes are exposed to light then they can turn green and become bitter and harmful to eat.
And wait…
Now for the best bit.
Choose a nice dry day and either use a garden fork or my preferred method of using one’s hands to dig under the plants and pull up the spuds. I don’t care how many times you do this, every time is a joyful and exciting experience (perhaps I need to get out more!)
Leave your harvest on top of the soil in the sun for a while to allow their skins to harden and then bring them in to eat or store.
There’s something very special about growing, nurturing and providing great food for the people you love.
It takes time but the reward is so worth it.
You’ll never buy a supermarket potato ever again.
The Journal by NXT45
