I promise. Exercise is not a four letter word...

 Salutations,

 

When it comes to health and wellness, ask any holistic health care provider, “How can I be healthier?” and they will probably focus on the following pillars: Healthy mind body connection, Food, Water, Sleep, Nutrients and you guessed it: Exercise.

 

We've spent some time extolling the virtues of eating mostly real foods that reduce the body's inflammation load. We've extensively gone on about water and sleep. And as far as nutrients go, that's a story for another day. So guess what we are chatting about today dear one: Yes indeed, exercise. I feel like you either love it or hate it. My intention in writing this is to encourage you to be on the love it side.

 

I feel you tuning me out but hear me out! Remember this is the easy 7 day launchpad to optimal you, (part of the 30 day kickstart!) I feel as though I have been true to my promise, that everything I will ask of you in this process will be easy to get started, and exercise is no different.

 

Like everything else we've talked about, just be easy about it, and it all starts with how you are thinking about the things you are thinking about.

 

Let me share a story with you. It's a story that truly proves that you just have to take a "be easy," approach to all this. This woman was in her 30's.  As far as she was concerned she'd been trying to lose weight for the longest and nothing seemed to be happening. Her doctor did all the tests: blood sugar, thyroid etc, she tried different diets and she even trained for the upcoming marathon with our run team that we used to have in our office at the time. She had recently had a baby, she was still nursing, not sleeping well because her baby wasn't sleeping through, and she was eating very few calories. At the time in her life that i'm describing, she was about a size 14, up from about a size 6 before her baby. She was FRANTIC. She was a very smart professional lady, the kind of person who actually knows a thing or two about health and wellness and she was also open to trying something new, anything! 

 

Firstly, she had to eat more. Her body had slowed her metabolism way down in response to her practically starving herself. She also needed to actually reduce her exercise. True story y'all. All this marathon training, coupled with her lack of calories and lack of sleep was causing fat storage instead of building lean muscle! Short version of this long story: With eating more, getting better sleep and reducing my exercise, I went from a size 14 back down to somewhere around a size 8. Yes y'all. This is my true story. 

So when I tell you that exercise in the wrong context can be bad for you but in the correct context can do wonders for your body, please please please do believe me. I've not only seen it in the text books and with patients, but I've also seen it with myself.

 

So my question to you is: why would you exercise? Why would you want to include exercise in your daily regimen? What do you feel about exercise? Is it punishment for the extra treats you may have consumed? Is it something you are doing because you look in the mirror and are dissatisfied with the wonderfull goddess that you truly are? 

 

Exercise is amazing! It increases the production of your "happy hormones," improves bone density in many cases, improves energy, reduces inflammation when taken in moderation, improves skin, cardiovascular and brain health. Exercise can help improve sleep, increase energy and also can even reduce pain. A study in the journal of the American Medical Association concluded that exercise was more helpful for patients with arthritic changes than NSAID pain relievers!

 

Is there another way we can be considering this idea of exercise? What if we moved our bodies in celebration of the ability of our bodies to do tremendous things? What if we moved our bodies in anticipation of all the wonderful things exercise gives us. What if we were EASY about this whole idea of including daily exercise in our lives? What would that mean for us? What would that make available? What if we changed the way we think about the way we think about exercise?

 

Nowadays when I lift weights, I luxuriate in the power I feel being able to lift big things up and put them down! When I run or cycle or spin I marvel at my body's ability for speed and I revel in the post exercise endorphin rush. When I do yoga or zumba or dance, it's for the pure pleasure of doing it and not as a punishment for not living up to what society thinks I should look like, it's not because I had the extra servings, it is absolutely not because I dislike my reflection! Who's with me?

 

Oh, BTW: one more thing, when you are tracking your steps make sure you aren't just going for a leisurely stroll. You want to swing your arms and walk briskly to truly get the benefit.

Want to know more about exercise and about why HIIT is a fat burning miracle?

Call us in office: 860-589-1491

*Disclaimer: Please remember that it's impossible for me to diagnose you and treat you just by you reading one of my articles, books or from a challenge! I'm superwoman it's true, but even that is beyond my capabilities. So before you engage in any health and wellness activities, do consult your healthcare provider. Please know that we are happy to address your personal concerns, just call us in office (860-589-1491) to schedule your personal consultation; and thanks ever so much for reading. We appreciate you

Drinking enough can help the weight?

 You have to stay hydrated.

Here are 5 reasons you need to drink more water...or put in other words: 5 ways drinking water can improve your health!

 

1. Why do we need water anyway?

70-80% of the brain is water and ~75% of the body is water. We need water to aid in our metabolism, for digestion, to remove impurities / waste, for circulation / transport and for maintaining temperature! All these tend to work better when we are properly hydrated.

 

2. We are constantly losing water so we have to replace it

We lose water through: breathing, sweating, as urine and bowel movements and some medications can speed up water loss. Alcoholic beverages increase fluid loss and so does hot weather.

 

3. Dehydration can affect your central nervous system causing:

Sleepiness / tiredness, headache, dizziness / lightheadedness, confusion and even coma in severe cases.

 

4. Not getting enough water may also affect the kidneys and can lead to:

Kidney stones (stones can’t form in dilute solution!) Kidney disease and urinary tract infections.

 

5. Other bodily functions are affected by dehydration:

Muscle and joint pain can often be avoided by drinking more water. Healthy beautiful skin thrives on sufficient water intake and constipation can often be avoided if we drink enough water.

 

Please remember that if you are feeling thirsty you are already getting dehydrated! So make sure you are getting enough water. 64 oz per day is enough for most people but look at your urine to make sure your intake is adequate for you. It should look more like lemonade and less like iced tea.

 

Almost all liquids help with hydration, but try to avoid sugary beverages and too many caffeinated beverages. Alcoholic beverages reduce antidiuretic hormone and are dehydrating. Many fruits and vegetables are a good source of water, think watermelon, lettuce, celery and cucumbers just to name a few. And of course, don't forget good old water: try a glass when you wake up, a glass before meals, try taking a bottle of water out with you and in most cases take medication or supplements with a full glass of water.

Increasing water intake is a good idea for most but not for everyone! Talk to your health care provider if you have kidney disease, heart failure, are on certain medications and as always before implementing any new health care strategy.

 

Oh, and one more thing: While we are increasing water intake to help remove toxins, we may be introducing toxins to our bodies via the water we drink. A couple of tips for improving the quality of the water you drink include investing in a quality water filter and avoiding water in plastic bottles as well as choosing stainless steel, glass or other toxin free containers to store and transport your water.

Want more?

Call us in office: 860-589-1491

*Disclaimer: Please remember that it's impossible for me to diagnose you and treat you just by you reading one of my articles, books or from a challenge! I'm superwoman it's true, but even that is beyond my capabilities. So before you engage in any health and wellness activities, do consult your healthcare provider. Please know that we are happy to address your personal concerns, just call us in office (860-589-1491) to schedule your personal consultation; and thanks ever so much for reading. We appreciate you

How can we develop healthy habits?

We all have habits,

Some that aid us to our objectives we classify as good some that have negative consequences we call bad habits. We will go into the neurology of habits in a future exercise but today let's talk about some good habits that can help our bodies function at maximum efficiency.

 

Get in the habit: Good habits

 

Our bodies have rhythms and schedules. We make certain hormones in the mornings, others in the evenings. Our bodies respond to sunlight and even to the seasons. These regulate things like our sleep cycle, appetite, temperature, hormones, alertness, body performance, blood pressure and other things like that.

 

When these are disrupted we can see a number of health concerns including anxiety, depression, lack of energy, increased risk of obesity and even metabolic disorders like diabetes or thyroid issues, even the dreaded autoimmune disorders can show up!

So how can we develop better habits and be happy about it? How can we do what's healthy for us without feeling deprived?

Call us in office! 860-589-1491

Want to know what you should eat?

The question everyone asks me the most is:

What should I eat? I'm going to say categorically:

“It depends.”

There is no one size fits all diet for everyone.

Based on your 3 markers a protocol can be tailored specifically for you.:

• How you’ve lived your life so far,
• Your DNA and
• Your gastrointestinal status including your natural flora,

 That being said I can give you some broad strokes: We know that 80% of chronic illness is caused by chronic and sustained inflammation. We all want to avoid those, right? I mean, is there anyone who actually wants these chronic illnesses? Often patients are a little surprised to find that diet and overall health could be even remotely related! The truth is that some mainstays of the Standard American Diet promote inflammation. In general some of the most inflammatory foods include sugar, gluten and OMG – dairy!

How can you enjoy you life and still reduce inflammatory foods in your diet?

Join us!

You have questions and you will find we have a lot of answers!

860-589-1491