EPISODE 1

Welcome (Freak)

Can you live a healthy life in an unhealthy world? Yes, but right now, more than 97 percent of U.S. adults aren’t managing it. So if you’re one of the few brave souls intent on beating the statistics, that makes you a freak of sorts — in a good way. We explore what it means to live outside prevailing norms, and we share our own “freak” stories.

In this first episode of The Living Experiment, we dig into the themes that we’ll be expanding on over the course of our first season, and in seasons to come.

We explore the real challenges of choosing to be healthy in an unhealthy world, and we shed statistical light on just how few people are currently pulling that off.

We acknowledge that healthy choices are often unconventional choices, and that going against the prevailing norms can render you weird by societal standards. That makes you a freak of sorts. But in a good way!

We each share a little of our own origin stories, and describe how we became the convention-busting agitators and experimenters that we are today.

Finally, we wind up with a couple of simple experiments that can empower you to get on a healthier, happier path all your own.

“Welcome (Freak)” Episode Highlights

  • What The Living Experiment is all about, and what we hope you’ll get out of it
  • Facts and figures: Some disturbing statistics about the state of current U.S. health norms
  • Reclaiming the word “freak,” and choosing empowered difference in a context of unhealthy, unhappy sameness
  • Getting to know Dallas and Pilar: Their childhood origin stories, and how they got to where they are now
  • Setting yourself up for success

1) Every time you go to the bathroom, take deep breaths by inhaling for four counts, holding for seven counts, and exhaling for eight counts; repeat two times. Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth while doing the deep breathing.

2) Silence your phone and put it away when you’re interacting in person with other people.

Notice the messages that encourage you to be less healthy — things like “two for one candy bars!”, “ask your doctor about our drug!”, “real food ingredients!”, “super size!” — and consider how it makes you a freak (by our definition) to act outside of those suggestions.

Share the Love!

Each week, we offer you a few life-shifting experiments to try on your own. We’d love to hear how they turn out, and what insights they provoke. Connect with The Living Experiment on Facebook and share your stories there.

Resources

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