Creating a more mindful wake up routine results in more energy and less stress. If you’re waking up sluggish and tired with low energy and rushed for time, the rest of your day will likely follow the same pattern. Following are nine simple ideas for developing a morning wake up routine that will set an intent for a more healthy, joyful and productive day. Feeling good in the morning takes a bit of self-discipline to incorporate new habits. But you can easily add in one or as many as you feel called. Just begin today - you will feel better and notice results!
0 Comments
Oh, that elusive sleep. Our time to rest, regenerate, heal and repair.
How's yours? If you need that cup of coffee or two (or three!) every morning to get going, you may get some very useful tips in this post. High quality sleep isn't just important for your mind and body to have energy and be alert, it is vital to our healing. While the body appears from the outside to be still and inactive, sleep is a time when the body is quite busy restocking our supply of hormones, processing significant toxins, repairing damaged tissue, generating vital white blood cells for immunity, eliminating the effects of stress, and processing heavy emotions of the day. On the flip side, a lack of sleep can contribute to serious health issues which of course none of us want. So let me have your attention for this “tip-filled” post on the importance of sleep and how you can get your fair share. I'll even throw in an amazing caffeine-free latte recipe for your afternoon “pick me up”. Everything You Think You Know About Healthy Eating is Wrong and it's Making You Fat and Tired5/31/2017 Oh my gosh – nutrition and diet info is everywhere!
And each expert and association tries to lead you in their direction because they know best and their advice is going to help you. Right? Well, maybe… Everyone has heard (and maybe lived through) the intense focus on how much you eat. This has gotten way too much attention because while this does affect your weight and energy level, it's certainly not the “holy grail” of health. Let's focus a bit more on the often overlooked (and proven) benefits of what you eat and drink and how you eat and drink it. What is Metabolism?
This word “metabolism” is thrown around a lot these days. You know that if yours is too slow you might gain weight. But what exactly does this all mean? Well technically “metabolism” is the word to describe all of the biochemical reactions in your body. It's how you take in nutrients and oxygen and use them to fuel everything you do. Your body has an incredible ability to grow, heal, and generally stay alive. And without this amazing biochemistry you would not be possible. Metabolism includes how the cells in your body:
So when you put all of these processes together into your metabolism you can imagine that these processes can work too quickly, too slowly, or just right. Which brings us to the “metabolic rate”. Do you try to eat a rainbow of natural foods every day? If so, you're treating yourself to a diverse group of nutrients that all play vital roles for your health. Greens, for instance, are detoxifiers, while orange colored foods have cancer preventing properties. And it's easy to add green and orange produce to your diet, whether you opt for spinach, broccoli, tangerines or carrots. But as you may have noticed, it's a bit more difficult to find blue and purple foods because there aren't as many. And "blue" foods, such as blue corn and blueberries, are arguably closer to a purple hue.
But even if they aren't as easy to find at your grocery store or farmers market, don’t neglect adding blue and purple fruits and veggies to your diet. Why? They actually contain more antioxidants than any of the other colors of produce. Whole Foods has predicted that eating purple foods - including violet varieties of asparagus, sweet potatoes and cauliflower—will be among the top 10 wellness trends in 2017. Natural blue and purple foods can help prevent a host of health issues, including cancer and high cholesterol.
Written by
MARK HYMAN, MD Today’s house call focuses on a topic very personal to me. “Mark, what would you do if you were diagnosed with cancer?” a friend recently asked. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. I’ve sadly seen a lot of cancer in my life, both with my own family and with patients. The problem is that conventional medicine protocols have a lot wrong when it comes to cancer. We are good at cutting it, burning it, and poisoning it with surgery, radiation, and drugs, but many doctors fail to treat the cause of the cancer. You see, conventional medicine focuses on naming diseases based on geography, body location, and specialty, instead of by the cause, mechanism, or pathway involved. Doctors say you have liver, kidney, brain, or heart disease, but this approach to naming disease tells you nothing about the cause. Instead of asking what disease you have and what drug should be used to treat it, we must ask WHY the disease has occurred. What are the underlying causes that lead to illness? Modern medicine approaches illness like a mechanic trying to diagnose what’s wrong with your car by listening to the noises it makes and never looking inside to see what’s going on. Functional Medicine allows us to look under the hood. It gives us a method for identifying the conditions in which disease thrives and shows us how to begin changing those conditions. Detoxing is hot right now, but it goes beyond doing a juice cleanse to lose a few pounds and get glowing skin. You can renew your body, mind, and home any time of year – you don’t have to wait for the seasons to change or a beach vacation where swimsuits are required.
Here are nine high-leverage ways to refresh your body, mind, and home so you can feel light, clear, and motivated to move forward in your life. First, let’s talk body. Follow these three steps to detox your body without dieting: 1. Eliminate processed foods. They hinder your circulatory and excretory systems, leaving you bloated, tired, and heavy. 2. Sip warm water with lemon throughout the day. This is a natural and highly effective way to gently trigger your body to release excess fluids that lead to bloating and toxicity. 3. Experiment with an elimination diet to easily test for allergies. Start by eliminating dairy, gluten, soy, and eggs for two weeks. Then add in each allergen, one at a time every three days, and notice if you have any reactions or symptoms. Always get approval and guidance from a medical doctor. Sometimes those holiday feasts are just amazing. And it's not just the abundance of delicious food but also the people, the decorations, and the ambiance. It is way too easy (and common) to indulge on those days. But it doesn't always stop there. Sometimes we overeat on regular days. Or at regular meals. Or All. The. Time.
Here are three tips to avoid overeating at meals. (Psst, turn these into habits and ditch the willpower!) Tip #1: Start with some water When your stomach is growling and you smell amazingly delicious food it's too easy to fill a plate (or grab some samples with your bare hands) and dive into the food. But did you know that it's possible to sometimes confuse the feeling of thirst with that of hunger? Your stomach may actually be craving a big glass of water rather than a feast. Some studies have shown that drinking a glass or two of water before a meal can help reduce the amount of food eaten. And this super-simple tip may even help with weight loss (...just sayin'). Not only will the water start to fill up your stomach before you get to the buffet, leaving less room for the feast but drinking enough water has been shown to slightly increase your metabolism. Win-win! Tip #2: Try eating “mindfully” You've heard of mindfulness but have you applied that to your eating habits? This can totally help you avoid overeating as well as having the added bonus of helping your digestion. Just as being mindful when you meditate helps to focus your attention on your breathing and the present moment being mindful when you eat helps to focus your attention on your meal. Do this by taking smaller bites, eating more slowly, chewing more thoroughly, and savouring every mouthful. Notice and appreciate the smell, taste and texture. Breathe. This can help prevent overeating because eating slower often means eating less. When you eat quickly you can easily overeat because it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to know that your stomach is full. So take your time, pay attention to your food and enjoy every bite. Bonus points: Eat at a table (not in front of the screen), off of a small plate, and put your fork down between bites. Tip #3: Start with the salad You may be yearning for that rich, creamy main dish. But don't start there. (Don't worry, you can have some...just after you've eaten your salad). Veggies are a great way to start any meal because they're full of not only vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and health-promoting phytochemicals but they also have some secret satiety weapons: fiber and water. Fiber and water are known to help fill you up and make you feel fuller. They're “satiating”. And these secret weapons are great to have on your side when you're about to indulge in a large meal. Summary: Have your glass of water, eat mindfully, and start with your salad to help avoid overeating at meals. |
Categories
All
Archives
November 2022
|