Highway Insights (Part 4)- A Healthy Perspective

When you have it you don’t notice it…when it’s gone, you do everything possible to get it back.  

Health is one of the more tangible values of our RV trip- appreciating it, maintaining it, understanding it.  Many of you know that Nikki battled cancer over 4 years ago and the second she was diagnosed our number one priority became her health. Life-threatening situations have a way of readjusting your ‘to-do’ list. We found ourselves doing everything in our power to improve every aspect of her health and give her the best chance of survival. I had always considered myself fairly healthy, but I soon realized I never actually educated myself on what keeps the human body operating at an optimal level. Naturally, Nikki and I were now open to learning all the “health hacks”, looking for any edge. As we dove more into the arena, we were almost embarrassed at how little we really knew about our bodies. Our nutrition education peaked in grade school with the introduction of the food pyramid and those great commercials from the dairy farmers telling us that “milk does a body good”. But the health industry is filled with obsessive fanatics who talk in detail about enzymes and micronutrients and quite frankly make the wellness standard unobtainable, so we figured the best option for us was to educate ourselves, and slowly start to integrate better practices into our household. Nikki attended the culinary nutrition academy, and I went after a personal training certification. These aren’t degrees, we didn’t get down to the molecular structure of the human body, they were merely micro-steps to better equip us in managing our bodies. 

As we became better educated, we had dreams of conducting seminars along the various stops of our RV trip but that never matriculated. While we could blame COVID for preventing any mass gatherings, the reality is we never became fully settled on what we would present. We couldn’t figure out how to provide advise without sounding judgmental, as though we had arrived— because the truth is, we haven’t. So we were left with one goal in this arena, model it. Maintain healthy habits while traversing the country in a 30ft home and if we could do it while being on the road in a box, it was certainly achievable for everyone else. So, regardless of the location or weather, I set my alarm for a predawn workout followed by PE with the kiddos while Nikki got time to do her thing. Rocks for weights, tree limbs for pull-up bars, and hills for running. (One interesting observation…when we started doing PE first thing with the kids their attentiveness for school was instantly and noticeably higher) Food…Nikki has been an absolute rockstar with keeping our bodies fueled and our taste buds satisfied despite being incredibly constrained with her tools- an Instant pot, no microwave, a micro fridge, 3 propane burners, and an oven the size of two shoeboxes. She has been relentless in the kitchen (which is also the dining room and living room), not settling for takeout or other conveniences, and we have benefited. Healthy living can be done within the confines of an RV. 

Speaking of confinement, many of you have also been captives in your homes over the past year.  The unknowns associated with the pandemic drove the world into defensive mode with masks and isolation the primary weapons. But with health being the primary objective, perhaps, like us on the RV trip,  it’s been a good opportunity to learn more and maybe develop some offensive arrows to put in your health quiver and actually lower your risk factor.  What I realize from our RV journey is that education, awareness and creativity are the simple ingredients for improvement. Learn what you could be doing to improve the functionality of your body, be aware of what you are currently doing to your body,  and find clever ways to incrementally close the gap. Maybe you aren’t as worried about the pandemic, you got your shot and are moving on. But you don’t have to be threatened with death to understand the value of health. morning back pains, the challenge of walking up stairs, countless pills to keep your body in proper equilibrium— these are all daily reminders for us all that we could pay more attention to our bodies.  It’s not about avoiding death (no one is guaranteed tomorrow), it’s about embracing life. Incidentally, please don’t label our family as hippy health nuts. Nuts yes, but our minds aren’t consumed with thoughts about triglyceride levels. I don’t have a FITBIT. I am ok with eating a brownie, especially with peanut butter in it. The “religion of health” is a turnoff because quite frankly it can become overbearing if not annoying. Keep it Simple.  Health shouldn’t become your life, it should be integrated into your life. A healthy lifestyle enables us to experience life, to be the best versions of ourselves. 

One last thing we learned over the past year and perhaps you have as well and that is the value of rest.  Athletes have an off-season, bears hibernate all winter, God rested on the seventh day— although counterintuitive, rest is a critical part of keeping yourself moving. To facilitate the kids bedtime in the RV, we have to turn out all the lights and minimize noise. We don’t have a TV so we just read. What we have found is that we start winding down much sooner than we would in our homes where we could flick on the TV  in the living room. We end up getting close to 7-8 hours of sleep a night (unless of course there is rain, hail, or night owls making noise— #RV-Living). Additionally, on a broader sense, this entire trip has been a rest from the busyness of life. And although there are still stressors, we are much more ready to jump back into life and get r dun (sorry, still have some of that Southern lingo in me). This type of rest doesn’t happen without penciling it into your schedule. While it is impossible to fully measure the impact of this type of rest on our health, Nikki and I would go on record saying that the connection is legitimate. Our minds are clear and we are rejuvenated from a yearlong sabbatical.

  Thanks Mike, great words, but what do I do now? Simple. Get a little more educated, be a little more aware, be a little more creative. Barriers to treatment and health care may exist, but barriers to living a healthy lifestyle are limited to your creativity.…our “social experiment has” proven this. I want to end by encouraging you that you can do this. Tiny improvements not only will give you the best chance to survive (an RV trip, a pandemic, any trial), but really the best chance to thrive. This crazy-beautiful RV trip has shown us the value of health. It has allowed us to realize that a healthy lifestyle is WAY simpler than what health guru’s would have you believe. And remember, this isn’t a sprint, you aren’t ever going to be perfect, but don’t let that be the reason you neglect your most prized possession. By simply prioritizing your health you are putting you in the best position to achieve your God-given purpose on this planet.

Warmest Aloha,

Loco and Nani

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE LOOKOUT…. after this RV trip Loconani will be morphing into a community for people hoping to improve their health thru simple, practical steps. We will be starting a business that teaches people ways to improve the functionality of their bodies thru simple, attainable steps. Many of the programs to be offered have been developed on this RV trip, so I assure you that it will be attainable for any demographic. I’m excited about the possibility of bringing this simple approach to homes across America.