As the 2008 archery season neared, my hunting partner and I were determined to take a deer off some public hunting land near our homes. After several scouting trips we realized our best option for entry was by boat. This particular section of public land is along the shores of Percy Priest Lake near Nashville, Tennessee. It can be accessed by car via one parking area or by boat. My partner and I decided to get back away from the majority of the other hunters, coming in by boat, or in our case canoe, was the best option.
The morning started off by having the trolling motor die on us less than half way to our destination. Because of our anxious desire to get to our pre-selected hunting spots before anyone else did, I inadvertently loaded the canoe backwards. I was sitting in the stern seat facing the wrong direction while my buddy running the trolling motor was in the bow seat. We each realized this after shoving off from shore so I just laid back down into the bottom of the canoe to keep us from tipping. Therefore when the trolling motor died, my buddy had to do all the paddling himself. Looking back on it we both now laugh.
Finally reaching my tree and gratefully finding no one else in the area, I attached my climbing stand and up the tree I went. Around me are plenty of hardwoods and lots of browse. The acorns had not started falling yet and we weren’t expecting a good crop that year anyway because of a summer time drought. Out to my right about 60 yards is a big field planted in several different grasses for the game. I am hoping the deer are going to come in from the field and head to the bedding area that is back behind me.
While there wasn’t much wind that day, I am sure my scent is still moving in the air simply because it is the last weekend in September and here in the south, that is still a pretty warm time of the year. Therefore, all the ruckus with the canoe, then carrying in my stand and gear and climbing the tree had caused me to work up a sweat. This became quite evident when a nice 7 pointer came sauntering up behind me.
As I said, I was expecting them to come in from my right and head back to the bedding area. Well, he came out of the bedding area much to my surprise! Sitting stock still, I was contemplating my plan. Where could I stand up and draw? Would my stand creak and give me away? Well, none of that mattered because when he was a mere 20 yards behind me he just turned tail, blew and ran off. I know he didn’t see me because the tree I was in was between he and I. It was my scent. Deer live and die by their sense of smell and the use of wind direction.
In part one of this series, I spoke of maintaining our health through moving well, thinking well and eating well, with a focus on moving well. This post I want to expand on the concept of eating well. We all have heard millions of recommendations on what a good diet entails. One of my themes is to keep things simple. Therefore, I focus on two main concepts; food by God or man and carbs, protein intake.
If you categorize your food based on its origin, the food falls into 2 categories: food by God and food by man. Food by God is food that you can catch, kill, harvest or pick. In other words, food in its natural state. Now, you don’t have to do the catching or harvesting yourself, you can still buy it at the grocery store, the food just needs to be in its natural state. Food by man is a food that has at least one step of processing between the way God made it and the way you consume it.
For example, venison steak is a food by God. Deer jerky is a food by man. Apples are a food by God, apple juice is a food by man. If you make most of your diet food by God, you are naturally going to be healthier. So, when you are shopping or deciding what you are going to eat, ask yourself, “Is this a food by God or a food by man?”
Now, not all food by man is bad for you. A good whole grain cereal is a pretty healthy breakfast option, but you can’t go out and pick a bran flake, can you? Therefore it is still a food by man. What about this… grapes or grape juice? Grapes are going to be healthier, because it is a food by God, but grape juice still has some healthy properties. What about grape juice compared to grape kool-aid? Grape juice of course. Learn to make these distinctions and you will see your health improve.
Now, if you are trying to lose weight, monitoring your carbohydrates and protein intake will help you reach your goals. Our bodies use carbs for energy and proteins for rebuilding and repair of our tissues. We need energy when we are awake and we rebuild and repair tissues when we are asleep. Therefore, our food intake needs to reflect this. Since we need carbs for energy and we need that while we are awake, we should consume carbs for breakfast and lunch. Based on a normal “bedtime” of 10 p.m., you should not eat any carbs, particularly simple carbs, after 3 p.m. That way your body has a chance to burn through those calories before going to sleep. If there are left over carbs in our system while we are sleeping, then our body will convert that carb into fat.
Since rebuilding and repair of tissues is taking place while we sleep, proteins need to be consumed at lunch and dinner. Dinner can also include as many green vegetables as you want; salad, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, etc. By doing this your body is going to have the necessary protein molecules ready for work as we sleep. And since no carbs have been consumed since lunchtime, there is no leftover carbs to convert to fat, your body will need to metabolize some of your stored fat to produce the energy your body needs for basic functions while you are sleeping.
By choosing more food by God you will see a marked improvement in your health. Keeping an eye on the timing of your carb and protein intake, you will see a difference in your body shape and the number on your bathroom scale!