When Dr. Elizabeth Yurth, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Boulder Longevity Institute, says there are therapies she would have never imagined, you know the place is groundbreaking.
Funny enough, these groundbreaking therapies are rooted in a philosophy that is over 100 years old. The VivaMayr medical health resort hosted Dr. Yurth, and her biggest takeaways centered around appropriate eating. To Mayr, appropriate eating meant eating the right food, the right way.
Dr. F.X. Mayr believed that the initial cause of virtually every ailment was poor digestive health. He may have been ahead of his time, as digestive health has just recently become known for its impact on longevity and well-being.
At the VivaMayr resort, eating is about eating. The Mayr principles encourage individuals to chew their food three bites beyond what they think is possible. While this is a tangible direction, it speaks to the overall respect we should have toward eating.
In most cases, eating is a means to an end. I’m hungry, therefore, I eat. Sometimes we eat in the car, at our desk while we take a call, or standing at the counter before we run out to the next errand. At VivaMayr, eating is for eating. Stop. Think. Chew.
Taking the time to eat appropriately with the focus on the mechanics of eating allows food to be satiating. When we mindlessly shovel a meal into our mouths, we give our bodies and minds no chance of keeping up. We continue eating long past the point we should have stopped.
Dr. Yurth describes an environment at VivaMayr that promotes gut health. Focused, healthy diets combined with appropriately timed meals put visitors on a path to healthy digestion. Ending meals well before bedtime meant restful nights and a platform for daily success.
While eating with our digestive health in mind is certainly a primary focus at VivaMayr, finding true rest is a point of emphasis, as well. True rest means setting time aside structured just for recuperation – no work, no social calls, no pressure on your mind.
The principles Dr. Mayr put forth certainly apply today. Simple tweaks to the way we eat could lead to a revitalization of our overall health.
While we may not be able to visit Austria anytime soon to enjoy a freezing plunge in the cold lakes at VivaMayr, we can certainly instill the same practices in our daily lives. Eat with purpose, find space to truly rest, and value the importance of gastrointestinal health.
