Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts

To the over worked adult... give yourself permission to STOP and read this.

To all the working, exhausted, trying to do 100% of all things people out there, please take this minute and read.

There will likely never be another time when you are so busy as you are right now.  You are potentially juggling a job or a business you own, children, home demands, money challenges and the stress of making it all happen. 


The reality is something has to give and I know many people unknowingly make their nutrition and exercise the sacrificial lamb. By that I mean, these are the areas in our lives we let go by the wayside because other things are deemed more important.  I'm not going to sit here and suggest that our life's work, whether that is raising our children, starting a business or advancing our career is unimportant and shouldn't have a priority. 

The question becomes though:

Can you contribute to your life in all it's forms when you are sick and exhausted?


What stories are you telling yourself that hold you back?
  1. I'm too tired
  2. There isn't enough time in the day
  3. I have way too much to do
  4. My kids come first
  5. I work too much overtime
This list is not exhaustive but it hits on some key areas of challenge, that are not made up, but are very real in all our lives.  How do we include ourselves in this list of challenge to ensure our health and wellness?

When looking at ways to change the story you may have to alter your expectations of yourself. Perhaps rather than thinking working out needs to be at a gym lifting iron, just get out for a 20 minute walk each day.  Or maybe join a Zumba class and enjoy the laughter and music for an hour a week.  You don't need to train like an Olympic athlete.  Find something - anything - you can do at home like exercise band workouts or fun movement based video games to connect and enjoy with your family.


 Give yourself the GIFT of movement to ensure you can manage the obligations of your daily life.  Movement is a stress reliever and can be as good as many antidepressants available on the market today!


Another dropped area is Nutrition.  Put your meal and snack times in your CALENDAR!  If you are like me and get so hyper-focused that you forget to eat, PLAN FOR IT!  Pack snacks daily so you have a constant supply of foods picked for you, by you.  I will tell you right now you can't operate a business or create a life of abundance without making your health and wellness a priority.

Lousy Nutrition = Lousy Performance
Attitude

Osteoporosis: Popping calcium pills won't do it folks!

Osteoporosis, or the the thinning of the bones, is a disease that will affect approximately 14 million people by 2020 if additional efforts are not made to stem this disease. Are you aware that it may be largely prevented with lifestyle considerations and treatment when appropriate? (241). http://www.iofbonehealth.org/facts-statistics

 14 million people by 2020 will have Osteoporosis if we don't change our lifestyle. 


The reality is that women are the populous most at risk here, and for a number of reasons.
  • Many women binge diet, losing weight too fast and lose the body fat required for bone health.
  • Our diets lack the proper nutrients required to build bones; the foods consumed are low in calcium.
  • Strong muscles build strong bones; women are less likely to lift weights and partake in other muscle building activities that create a strong skeletal system.
Bones need more than just calcium.  Many doctors will prescribe a high dose calcium pill and call it a day.  Unfortunately much of that calcium is wasted and excreted out in our urine.  Many of us consume too many of the the calcium depleting foods, giving little focus to the building ones.

So what are we doing now that can contribute to a diagnosis of Osteoporosis?

  • The calcium we consume is not a natural source.  It is shown that minerals, vitamins and other phytonutrients are best used by the body when derived from their natural source, not a pill.
  • We are deficient in supporting minerals: magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper and boron.  When we have an imbalance our bones weaken.  All of these are required for bone building.
  • Vitamin D is low.  Dr. Sears states in his Prime Time Health book that Prime Timers (30+) need 2000 IU daily.  Ensure it is Vitamin D3, not the other forms found.  Also consider an dropper style, oil base versus pill form to ensure absorption.
  • Too much animal protein.  Our body is always trying to keep a balance in terms of pH.  When we are too acidic from having eaten meat our body will draw on the calcium bank (AKA our bones) to balance it out.
  • Too much phosphorus.  Phosphorus is needed to build strong bones, in partnership with calcium.  The Standard American Diet has too much phosphorus present though.  Meat, processed foods and Pop/Soda are high in phosphorus, calcium will be depleted to balance it out.
  • Too much salt.  The salt seeks out calcium and both are excreted in urine.
  • Too much sugar.  This food item compels the body to excrete magnesium and calcium into the urine.
  • Too much medicine. Excess use of antacids can increase calcium loss.
  • Weak digestion.  The absorption of calcium is difficult as we age due to low stomach acid.
As Dr. Sears says, "There is more to Osteoporosis than simply downing more calcium". (Dr. Sears, Prime Time Health, page 145).


Dr. Sears, Prime Time Health, Page 148
Bone Builder Bone Breaker
Vitamin D Phosphorus
Calcium Animal Protein
Magnesium Sodium
Seafood Carbonated Beverages
Omega 3's Sweetened Beverages
Vitamin C Caffeine
Vitamin B Some Medications
Vitamin K Stress (Too much)
Folic Acid Sunlight (Too little)
Zinc Sitting (Too much)
Sun Light
Weight Bearing Exercises

What CAN you do to improve your bone health?

 There are many things you can start TODAY that will better your bone health!

  • Be good to your gut. Follow the Rule of 2's: Eat twice as often, eat half as much, and chew twice as long.  The better you chew and emulsify your food, the better it is for digestion and the easier it is for calcium and other minerals to be absorbed.
  • Feed your bones! The list below has a few options of how you can include calcium rich foods in your diet.  As we learned above we absorb and use calcium better when in it's natural form.  Not to mention many of the other minerals are found in these foods too!



Dr. Sears, Prime Time Health, Page 149
Food Calcium (Milligrams)
Yogurt, nonfat, 1 cup 450

Sardines, 3 ounces		 370
Parmesan Cheese, 1 ounce 336
Orange Juice, calcium-fortified, 1 cup 300
Tofu, 3 ounces 190
Salmon, 3 ounces canned 180
Collard Greens, 1/2 cup 180
Rhubarb, 1/2 cup 174
Spinach, 1/2 cup 136
Cereal, calcium fortified, 1/2 cup 100 - 200

  • Guidelines for Supplements: If your health practitioner is still requesting you take a supplement bear in mind these things:
    • Take in smaller doses more frequently ie: 500mg tablet twice daily
    • Calcium Citrate is usually preferred as it is better absorbed by the intestines, bypassing the stomach acid issue for some Prime Timers.
  • MOVE!!  The weaker muscular system the weaker the skeletal system.  You need to do weight bearing and muscle stretching exercises.  This triggers the body to reinforce bones which makes them stronger.

I will be supplementing this article with exercises that will help keep Osteoporosis off your radar!  Stay tuned!







Sources:
Dr. Sears, Prime Time Health, 2010.

http://www.iofbonehealth.org/facts-statistics
Exercise

A World Full of Stress - Let's Get Moving!

We've read it a million times, 'Stop the Glorification of Busy'.  In our ever connected state of being we see this busy all the time, we feel this busy all the time.

Busy for me feels like a million lists in my head and the stress of trying to figure out how to accomplish it all.  How to juggle children, family, home in the mix of growing a business.  At the end of the day I feel zapped and draggy and just, STRESSED.

Feeling stressed can have many different effects on the body: weight gain due to sugary cravings brought on by stress chemicals circulating around in our delicate and sensitive systems, mood changes (such as irritability, anger and hopelessness), fatigue due to the level of clenching and tightness the body does during stressful times and mental sluggishness, to name just a few.

There are many things that we can do to correct this state of being.  The one I like the most and have used the most is exercise.  There is nothing on the planet that I find to be more of a stress buster and mood enhancer that this.  What is it about exercise that can change our Attitudes (the A in L.E.A.N.)?

From an article by Dr. Sears: "Exercise is not only good for the body, it’s great for the brain. The brain is an oxygen hog, which is why it takes 25 percent of the blood that the heart pumps (more in children). Exercise delivers more oxygen to the brain and helps all tissue, especially brain tissue, use oxygen more efficiently, which translates into better thinking. Pumping more blood to the brain stimulates the release of a group of neurochemicals, collectively called brain growth factors, which increase the production of neurotransmitters and make more receptor sites for these brain messengers to land on. Exercise is not only nature’s smart drug, it’s also nature’s Prozac. By stimulating the release of endorphins, exercise beefs up the body’s own “feel good” hormones. Endorphins are most stimulated by exercise and laughter. And the good-feeling effects of these hormones last about as long as a pill, four to six hours after exercise, and without the unpleasant medical side effects. Therapists have long prescribed exercise to pull people out of the pits of depression. So, exercise not only burns fat, it burns stress, too."

I know the thoughts of exercise during a stressful time in your life seems like the worst possible idea.  You'd likely rather just sit on the couch and watch a show or grab some treats to pick yourself up.  My challenge to you is this, rather than doing the same old habit, get up and go for a speed walk.  Get your heart rate up!  This doesn't need to be complicated and it doesn't need to take hours in a gym.  Just get outside and breathe. When you return your body will feel more relaxed,  your mind less cluttered and your mood calmer.

Photo credit: http://bestwalkingfeet.com/
Attitude
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