Cool Running

Medically speaking, a person is in a fever when body temperature rises above 99. Above 100, and we begin to feel poorly. So we do all we can to avoid fever, or so we are told.

The conflict comes, apparently, with the introduction of physical activity. We are told that physical activity should begin with a warm up. What exactly is a warm up, you might wonder? Well, according to sports physiologists, the warm up occurs when one raises core temperature by any amount beyond 1 degree F. Sweating does not indicate having achieved a warmed up state. Sweating is one of the body’s many methods of avoiding getting warmer; it is actually a method of cooling. Only by overcoming the body’s ability to maintain a steady temperature do we achieve a truly warmed up state, which brings us to our problem.

“Normal” body temperature, we are told, is 98.6 F. Warm up just half of one degree and we have reached the beginnings of a fever. Complete a comprehensive warm up, more than 1 degree F, and we are into a full blown fever. As we begin our workout in earnest, we raise temperature even more. The danger of this practice is easily demonstrated by simply counting the number of young athletes who die of overheating every summer on the football fields of the United States.

People who are suffering from high fever are known to have visions, hallucinations, and otherwise impaired mental abilities. Yet this is the exact state we achieve as our athletic endeavors intensify, even though at “crunch time” we are likely to need our mental powers even more than ever. The last two minutes of a basketball game can get so hectic that the play is described as being, “at a feverish pitch.” Not good if we are hoping that our team will demonstrate clear level headedness.

On a low fat raw vegan diet, a typical athlete will have a resting temperature of around 93 degrees. (S)he can warm up as much as desired, play as intensely as possible; the true fever will likely never be reached. Clear thinking becomes the norm, rather than the exception. Efficient functioning is most readily achieved when body temperatures run healthfully, in the lower 90’s.

Environmental Indications of Fever

On a global scale, global warming trends are also indicators that all is not running efficiently, that our Earth is not being properly treated and cared for. Deforestation, construction, development, misuse of public resources, etc., all contribute to the problems, with very few people contributing to the solutions. Merely realizing that 90% of all wood burned world wide is being burned to cook food points out a huge segment of our problem.

Homeostasis, a condition where all things remain relatively the same, is the key to efficient and effective running of the human body. The same can be said for our planet. If we actively work to bring the trees back onto our earth, we will be heading in the right direction. Picture every tree being to the earth as each red blood cell is to you. How many would you want to give up?

The macro and micro worlds are intricately related. Environmental activities are only truly ethical if they represent the best choice. We often look to “better” choices as being our answer. “Best” choices, however, are the only truly sustainable solutions. Low-fat raw vegan diet is the best choice when it comes to human nutrition. It represents the most beneficial impact that humans can have on their environment, foodwise and healthwise. Become part of the solution, and keep running cool.

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About Dr. Doug Graham

Dr. Douglas Graham, a lifetime athlete and raw fooder since 1978, is an advisor to world-class and motivated athletes and trainers from around the globe. He has worked professionally with top performers from almost every sport and every field of entertainment, including such notables as tennis legend Martina Navratilova, NBA pro basketball players Ronnie Grandison and Michael Porter Jr., track Olympic sprinter Doug Dickinson, pro women's soccer player Callie Withers, championship bodybuilder Kenneth G. Williams, Chicken Soup for the Soul coauthor Mark Victor Hansen, and actress Demi Moore. As owner of a fasting retreat in the Florida Keys for ten years, Dr. Graham personally supervised thousands of fasts. He was in private practice as a chiropractor for twenty years, before retiring to focus on his writing and speaking. Dr. Graham is the author of many books on health and raw food including The 80/10/10 Diet, The High Energy Diet Recipe Guide, Nutrition and Athletic Performance, Grain Damage, Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries, and his latest, Perpetual Health 365. He has shared his strategies for success with audiences at more than 4,000 presentations worldwide. Recognized as one of the fathers of the modern raw movement, Dr. Graham is the only lecturer to have attended and given keynote presentations at all of the major raw events in the world for each of the last eight years. Dr. Graham has served on the board of governors of the International Association of Professional Natural Hygienists and the board of directors of the American Natural Hygiene Society. He is on the board of advisors of Voice for a Viable Future, Living Light Films, Vegetarian Union of North America, and EarthSave International and serves as nutrition advisor for the magazine Exercise, For Men Only. Dr. Graham is the raw foods and fitness advisor for The801010Forum.com. He taught the Health Educator program at Hippocrates Institute, served as the "source authority" for Harmonious Living, and authors a column for the magazines Get Fresh! and Vibrance (previously known as Living Nutrition). Dr. Graham is the creator of "Simply Delicious" cuisine and director of Health and Fitness Week, which provides Olympic-class training and nutrition for people of all fitness levels in beautiful settings around the world. He will inspire, motivate, educate, and entertain you like no one else in the health movement can.