Medically speaking, a person is in a fever when body temperature rises above 99. Above 100, and we begin to feel poorly. So we do all we can to avoid fever, or so we are told.

The conflict comes, apparently, with the introduction of physical activity. We are told that physical activity should begin with a warm up. What exactly is a warm up, you might wonder? Well, according to sports physiologists, the warm up occurs when one raises core temperature by any amount beyond 1 degree F. Sweating does not indicate having achieved a warmed up state. Sweating is one of the body’s many methods of avoiding getting warmer; it is actually a method of cooling. Only by overcoming the body’s ability to maintain a steady temperature do we achieve a truly warmed up state, which brings us to our problem.

“Normal” body temperature, we are told, is 98.6 F. Warm up just half of one degree and we have reached the beginnings of a fever. Complete a comprehensive warm up, more than 1 degree F, and we are into a full blown fever. As we begin our workout in earnest, we raise temperature even more. The danger of this practice is easily demonstrated by simply counting the number of young athletes who die of overheating every summer on the football fields of the United States.

People who are suffering from high fever are known to have visions, hallucinations, and otherwise impaired mental abilities. Yet this is the exact state we achieve as our athletic endeavors intensify, even though at “crunch time” we are likely to need our mental powers even more than ever. The last two minutes of a basketball game can get so hectic that the play is described as being, “at a feverish pitch.” Not good if we are hoping that our team will demonstrate clear level headedness.

On a low fat raw vegan diet, a typical athlete will have a resting temperature of around 93 degrees. (S)he can warm up as much as desired, play as intensely as possible; the true fever will likely never be reached. Clear thinking becomes the norm, rather than the exception. Efficient functioning is most readily achieved when body temperatures run healthfully, in the lower 90’s.

Environmental Indications of Fever

On a global scale, global warming trends are also indicators that all is not running efficiently, that our Earth is not being properly treated and cared for. Deforestation, construction, development, misuse of public resources, etc., all contribute to the problems, with very few people contributing to the solutions. Merely realizing that 90% of all wood burned world wide is being burned to cook food points out a huge segment of our problem.

Homeostasis, a condition where all things remain relatively the same, is the key to efficient and effective running of the human body. The same can be said for our planet. If we actively work to bring the trees back onto our earth, we will be heading in the right direction. Picture every tree being to the earth as each red blood cell is to you. How many would you want to give up?

The macro and micro worlds are intricately related. Environmental activities are only truly ethical if they represent the best choice. We often look to “better” choices as being our answer. “Best” choices, however, are the only truly sustainable solutions. Low-fat raw vegan diet is the best choice when it comes to human nutrition. It represents the most beneficial impact that humans can have on their environment, foodwise and healthwise. Become part of the solution, and keep running cool.