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Unplug Yourself before you Wreck Yourself!!

Last weekend, Chrissy Gower of Growing up Paleo and her family along with my family were lucky enough to escape to a cabin in the woods, not too terribly far from Chico.  We all owe a huge thank you to the wonderful family who allowed us to take over their beautiful sanctuary. The charming cabin perched on a meadow outlined by pines made us all feel very much at peace and at home from the moment we arrived.

The beauty of last weekend reached beyond the meadow, blooming flowers, bubbling creek, and the full moon because the real beauty was found in the quiet and freedom from technology!! There was no cell service, no internet access, and no cable television.  

Having moments of serenity should be mandatory for everyone, especially during this age of constant media bombardment. Over the last few years I have made the decision to not watch the news and to drastically limit my time in front of the television in general.  The amazing thing is that even without trying, I still tend to learn the information that I need to know without constantly filtering out the stuff that I really DON’T need to know.

Ask yourself this, “Do we really need to know what’s happening in the world everywhere all of the time, and in reality how much of the information that we are being fed even accurate or life sustaining or even important?”  Maybe this sounds extreme to some of you, but think back to our ancestors; did they wake up in the morning and immediately flip on the news or the latest reality show even before their morning piece of bison in order to be “filled in”? I don’t think so.  Please understand that I am not preaching ignorance, just suggesting to set some limits or allow yourself a break by knowing that there will not be significant repurcussions for doing so, only benefit.

This past weekend was a gentle reminder that always being plugged in contributes to stress, takes away moments of simple quiet, peace, and beauty, and creates distraction that I believe is associated with our increasingly sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle.  Does this mean that I’m ditching my computer, living cell phone free, or selling our TV to my neighbor?  I would like to, but probably not.  What will happen is my continued effort to live life by simply being me, not a plugged in me, or tuned in me, or an internet savvy me, but just me with my boys, me outside, me slowing down to smell the flowers, and me ignoring the hype and paying attention to the now – at least as often as I can.

By being aware that I am a modern day woman who enjoys technology and uses it I also know that I must keep myself firmly grounded to the earth rather than constantly connected to a device as part of my recipe for abundant health.

Please pass this extremely important part of the paleo lifestyle on to your children and teach them by example.  Turn off the gadgets and take them outside to play, limit their TV time, introduce them to dirt, let them run and sweat while you also run and sweat with them!  Make time for your significant other.  Instead of turning on the TV when the kids are in bed, sit down together and talk about your day, plan for your future, play a game, or go to bed early!!  Overall you will have more energy, you will be happier,  you will finmore motivation, and time will actually slow down when you have less to focus on all at once.

As always, enjoy!

Oh, and here are a few pics of our weekend along with what pictures of some of the meals we ate.

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Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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8 Comments

  1. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. No, not going to a cabin, although that would be wonderful, but at least staying off the internet at least one day a week, and maybe that will turn into two days a week.

    Thanks for the article!

  2. I stopped listening to the news years ago also and somehow I still know more than I want to. 🙂

    I love technology but there does have to be a balance. Too much of it and I hear my bicycle calling me to go for a long ride in a local forest preserve (luckily for me my husband also hears that call too and this is where we have our best conversations) or to take my two teens and border collie out for an all day hike. I love watching my teens as they still love climbing trees and jumping over and into puddles. It is fun and so needed. Great post Sara.

  3. Laura Moncur says:

    I went on a news fast a little over ten years ago. When 9/11 happened, I found out about it before the second tower fell. I promise you. If you avoid the news, people will tell you about the really important stuff.

    I am SO much happier without the daily mayhem that CNN, FOX and the like serve up.

  4. This is very inspirational! I desperately need to do exactly this. It will be a “challenge” but I may shoot for something like this in Hawaii for an entire week. If I published a post on my blog stating that I will be out for a week then, well, I am sure I would get a crazy response!

  5. SarahBT says:

    YES. This is so important. I used to watch the news daily and I would be anxious and worry about how the new “scares” would affect me. Now, I don’t care to know. If it is important, and does affect me, then I will take care of it. There is no precautionary action that can be taken when there are riots in the middle east and famine in countries to choose to sell their land for farming to foreign countries and export and are unable to feed their own peoples. Yes, these world events are awful. But its more awful for me to be in a state of constant worry and anxiety. I can do nothing, so why worry?

  6. katie says:

    Last weekend I also had a technology vacation…(although I had cell reception, I choose to turn off the phone) I thought I would struggle, but I didn’t even think about until I got back home! It was great just being outside playing (sweating) with my kids! Although I think I like the cabin idea better than the tent I slept in!

  7. Randi says:

    This is a great post! I don’t watch the national news hardly any these days. I just watch the local news sometimes. I have also practically given up Facebook. By doing these things, I feel like I am much better off!

  8. We spent all of last week in the Alaskan Interior with no connection to the outside world. Guess what? The world kept turning and we really didn’t miss a thing. It almost sounded strange hearing the cell phones ring when we came back into service. The freedom was wonderful.
    Love your post!

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