The Art of Health

By Michael Carson

Before taking off in a plane, the flight attendant tells you what to do if the aircraft loses cabin pressure. They remind you that if you’re traveling with a small child or someone needing assistance, you must secure your mask first before assisting others. 
It is essential to treat your health the same way. Your health impacts the quality of your life and those around you. Health must be about you first, then those around you, and then your community.
In The Art of Health, author Michael Carson shares his lifelong love affair with physical fitness and healthy living. Through cleverly crafted stories, he shares how anyone can find the path to optimal health. Learn how to:
enhance physical performance and sexual health;
follow sustainable strategies to live a long and healthy life;
develop good hygiene and supporting habits;
make better food choices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jun 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665723411

Michael Carson

Michael Carson has refined his group exercise and personal training skills and developed ingenious health and wellness programs for numerous clients, including Reebok, Equinox Fitness, spectrum fitness clubs, TRX training systems, and many others. His methods emphasize improving physical ability, increasing performance, mental clarity, and cutting-edge strategies for recovery and longevity. A lifelong student of the foundations of health and a gifted natural athlete, he has a knack for making health accessible to anyone.

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Copyright © 2022 Michael Carson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of

people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Introduction image painted by Michael Carson

Cover Photograph by Gabriel Erwin

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2342-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2340-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-2341-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022908455

Archway Publishing rev. date: 06/27/2022

To my mother, Janice, to the memory of my father,

Richard, and to my amazing sister, Candace.

The content of this book is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. You understand that this book is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a licensed practitioner. Please consult with your own physician or healthcare specialist regarding the suggestions and recommendations made in this book. The use of this book implies your acceptance of this disclaimer. The publisher and the author make no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice and strategies contained in this book, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual. The examples provided in this book show exceptional results, which may not apply to the average reader, and are not intended to represent or guarantee that you will achieve the same or similar results.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1: Health Is in Our Own Hands

1.   Priorities

2.   Nip, tuck, and roll

3.   Warning!

4.   Good health improves all outcomes

5.   Perfection is no goal; consistency gives you control

6.   Take control of your destiny

Chapter 2: Hygiene and Supporting Habits

1.   Your smile

2.   Visit your dentist like clockwork

3.   The eyes

4.   The ears

5.   Nose and sinuses

6.   Shower’s power

7.   Skin exfoliation

8.   The face and neck

9.   Visit the dermatologist

10.   The nails

11.   The feet

12.   Massage for circulation

13.   Footwear

14.   The podiatrist

Chapter 3: Take a Deep Breath

1.   Gassing up

2.   Breath awareness

3.   Breathing in the day

4.   Breathing exercise

5.   Mouth breathing

Chapter 4: Hydrate or Die!

1.   Recovery time

2.   Prep the metabolism for success

3.   Daily hydration after the first hour of being awake

4.   The daily H2O rule

Chapter 5: Food Is Fuel

1.   Health plan

2.   The rule for every meal

3.   Protein needs a supply chain

4.   Carnivore, vegetarian, and vegan… oh my!

5.   Food combinations that provide complete protein

6.   Size is everything

7.   The first bite

8.   Fat will protect you

9.   Fat gets one thumbs up

10.   Carbohydrates pack a punch

11.   Rule to follow

12.   What to include in meals

13.   Health from fruits and vegetables

Chapter 6: A Little Help from My Friends

1.   When to take them

2.   Vitamin D3

3.   Omega-3

4.   B-complex

5.   Gentle iron

6.   Vitamin C

7.   Selenium

8.   Magnesium

9.   Quercetin

10.   Virus-beating combination

Chapter 7: No Comfort in Dairy or Its Seductive Cycle

Chapter 8: The Smoothie Chew

Chapter 9: Make Your Metabolism Work for You

1.   The hunter-gatherer metabolism

2.   Two simple primal metabolic techniques

3.   How to properly perform a HAC routine

4.   Curbing hunger with a HAC routine

5.   Chronic inflammation

Chapter 10: Intermittent Fasting

1.   How to correctly intermittent fast

Chapter 11: I Do Not Have Enough Time!

Chapter 12: The Workout

1.   There is no place like home

2.   Weight resistance training

3.   The equation

4.   Sample 30–45-minute weight resistance workout

Chapter 13: Rest and Recovery

1.   Hit the sack

2.   Oversleeping

Chapter 14: Which Momentum Do You Create?

1.   Momentum

2.   Break the seal

Chapter 15: The Gerbil Mill

1.   Bikes

2.   Treadmills versus the ground

Chapter 16: We Always Crawl before We Talk or Walk

1.   We crawl before we talk

Chapter 17: Get the Bad Out for Good Things to Happen

1.   Bladder matters

2.   Bowel business

Chapter 18: Brain Health

3.   Neuroplasticity

4.   Simple ways to stimulate neuroplasticity

5.   Proprioception

6.   Proprioception moves

7.   The power of the parietal lobe

Chapter 19: Procreation Is Our Purpose

1.   Primal instincts hard-wired in our DNA

2.   Sexual health and hormones

3.   Climactic results

4.   Prostate and heart health for men

5.   Connect

Chapter 20: Health Technologies That Make a Difference

1.   Red light therapy

2.   Near-infrared therapy

3.   Bemer therapy

4.   Vibration training

Chapter 21: Energy Exchange

Chapter 22: The Relationship between the Conscious and Subconscious

Chapter 23: Gratitude

Quick Healthy Tips

1.   Sitting too long

2.   The power of a smile

3.   Recovery from injuries

4.   Always be prepared to move

5.   Burn extra calories

6.   Alkaline with ease

7.   Hide the scale and remove anxiety

8.   Warm-up first, stretch second

9.   Music elevates your mood

10.   When feeling down, depressed, or lost

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THE

ART

OF

HEALTH

61951.png

MICHAEL CARSON

"To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of

intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the

approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false

friends; to appreciate beauty. "To find the best in others; to

give one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a

healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung

with exaltation; to know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived—this is to have succeeded."

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

INTRODUCTION

Health is my friend and ally, a friend I never take for granted, and one to whom I give my ultimate respect. Maintaining my health has been an ongoing journey, an evolution that has become second nature the more I understand and embrace it.

My journey started earlier than expected. I was born six weeks premature, mostly due to mine and my mother’s Rh blood factors did not match. My mother’s blood was making antibodies attacking my red blood cells, and this needed to be stopped or my life would end at the very beginning. Luckily, Dr. Ounatis, a visiting obstetrician from Africa, diagnosed and solved the emergency quickly.

My blood needed to be removed and replaced with Rh-factor compatible blood. Dramatic indeed, but relatively simple to correct. A heartfelt thank you to the generous person who donated blood that week back in September of 1967 when I truly needed it.

After my