Are Seed Oils Sabotaging Your Health?

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Necessity may be the mother of invention, but the story of artificial trans fats is one of unintended consequences. In the early 20th century, trans fats offered a solution: stable, solid fats that extended shelf-life and pleased consumers. However, health experts revealed a darker side, urging us to avoid trans fats. Yet, the rise of vegetable oils as a substitute raises questions about their safety.

A little history…
Warnings about the dangers of artificial trans fats emerged in the 1950s, but the food industry downplayed the risks. (Argh!) Continued research in the 1980s and 1990s confirmed the health hazards, with a pivotal 1993 study in The Lancet fueling action. By the 2000s, health organizations worldwide pushed for regulation. Finally, in 2006, the US FDA mandated trans fat labeling, and by 2020, their use in food products was banned.
Replacing trans fats with vegetable oils may offer a false sense of security. While vegetable oils are widely used and less harmful than trans fats, they still present health concerns. These oils are linked to an unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, excessive linoleic acid, and potentially harmful free radicals from cooking. Research suggests potential links between vegetable oil consumption and various health risks, similar to those that led to the trans fat ban.

Reduce Vegetable Oils and Embrace Good Fats…

The concern is that traces of trans fats linger in common foods, while widely used vegetable oils raise alarming health concerns. (See my prior post about the Dangers of Seed Oils.)

What You Can Do:

  • Limit: Reduce seed oils like soybean, canola, and sunflower oil.
  • Swap: Choose healthier options like olive oil (for low heat), avocado oil (for higher heat), coconut oil (for cooking), butter, or ghee.
  • Read Labels: Look for “vegetable oils,” “hydrogenated” words, and named seed oils on labels.
  • Dine Out Mindfully: Ask restaurants to substitute unhealthy oils with healthier choices. (I try to remember to take my homemade dressing in these little portable dressing containers!)
  • Find Better Options: Use Localfats.com to locate restaurants using healthier oils.

Just do what you can and choose natural fats from avocados, fish, and nuts, and limit processed foods and artificial ingredients.

You got this! One step at a time.

Lisa

How to Get a Great Workout ANYwhere (No Gym Required)

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Gyms are great, but they certainly aren’t necessary to get a great workout. If you don’t have access to a gym or are uncomfortable working out in public, you can still enjoy a quality workout from the comfort of your own home (or anywhere).

Exercises that use body weight are key. You can improve your strength and create resistance with the exercises below just using your body weight. Check out these three simple — yet effective — exercises to help get you started:

• Bodyweight Squats – Place your feet shoulder-width apart and perform bodyweight squats. Slowly bend your knees and point your toes outward. Make sure your back is straight and your core is engaged. Repeat 6X in a row to complete one set.

• Planks – Start in a push-up position, then lay your forearms flat on the floor with your elbows aligned below your shoulders. Make sure your body is straight and your core is engaged. Start by holding the position for at least 10 seconds (or longer if you can). Depending on your comfort level, repeat this exercise 3-5X.

• Dips – Start by sitting on the edge of a chair and doing tricep dips. Slowly walk your feet forward while gripping the chair with both hands at your sides. Make sure your knees do not extend past your toes. Lower your body so that your elbows bend above you at a 90-degree angle. Repeat 6X in a row to complete one set.

Last, finish your strength training session with a quick cardio session (e.g., dancing, jump-roping, or a brisk walk around the block). The goal should be to get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity that includes at least two days of strength training per week.

Now that you know how to do the basics, you can start enjoying the benefits of exercise without spending a fortune on a gym membership or leaving your home!

Cut Sugar in 4 Easy Steps

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Hey boo…I have bad news….our Standard American Diet is not only “S.A.D,” but it’s also packed with sugar (simple carbs) which has a negative impact on our health. But, alas, I also have good news: lowering our sugar intake can reduce these harmful health risks, as well ADD these benefits: 

We have the power to make positive change and we can do so by taking these 4 steps to improve our health today:

Eliminate added sugars. Don’t view this as a loss. It’s not. Instead, focus on what you can eat (protein, fat, fiber, and the right kinds of carbohydrates). Make sure you get enough protein as well. You can eat fiber-rich foods and quality fats like a scrambled egg with avocado, veggies, and sausage; chia pudding with protein powder; Greek yogurt with nuts and berries or protein powder whipped in; or a  chocolate smoothie. (See recipe section for ideas.)

Pay special attention to how you feel in your mornings and don’t wait too long to eat in the morning. While many intermittent fasting (IF) plans may have you holding off on your first meal until noon, that doesn’t work for every body. Pay attention to your body and how you feel. Don’t get me wrong, there are many benefits to IF and I do it several days a week myself, but it’s NOT for everyone.

Prioritize sleep to boost results. You may have an easier time keeping sweet cravings in check and blood sugar balanced if you’re well rested, so aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night

Use sweeteners as desired. Consider using them in your morning coffee or tea, or stevia-sweetened beverages like Zevia (we love the grape and “Dr. Pepper” flavors).

To help with #1 above, reducing sugar in your diet, keep in mind that sneaky sources of added sugars can be found in a variety of foods, including frozen vegetables with sauces, frozen meals, salad mixes, condiments (dressing, marinade, sauces), prepared food from the grocery store hot bar, dried fruits, nut mixes, non-dairy milk, and flavored coffee and tea drinks.

We have to become label savvy! Start with the foods in your pantry along with your next trip to the grocery store. Check ingredient lists closely for added sugars & familiarize yourself with their names to avoid unintentionally raising blood sugar:

  • Glucose
  • Sucrose
  • Fructose
  • Lactose
  • Dextrose
  • Maltose
  • Malt sugar
  • Malt syrup
  • Maltodextrin
  • Corn syrup
  • Cane sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Agave nectar
  • Coconut sugar
  • Honey
  • Maple syrup
  • Brown rice syrup
  • Beet sugar
  • Molasses
  • Fruit juice concentrates
  • chronic diseases.

Once you’ve started checking labels more closely and have started to cut down on sugar intake, it shouldn’t take you more than 4-8 weeks to be feeling pretty darn good, with fewer symptoms and cravings, and greater ease in making healthy food choices. Willpower is like a muscle – it gets stronger the more you use it!

You CAN maintain this way of eating for the long haul, and…it’s also okay if to occasionally consume some of the foods eliminated. Remember, this journey is not about perfection, but consistently committing to your health.

Let’s do this together — one step at a time. I mean, what have you got to GAIN?

Until next time, live well, laugh often, hug a pet (or human) and MOVE!

5 Tips to a Healthier Life

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Don’t we all want a robust, healthy life? I do! To feel and look our best then, it is important to maximize energy production so we feel naturally energetic all day and preserve and maintain lean muscle mass throughout life.

How does inferior energy production occur? It is the result of… (drumroll) … too much stillness.  Inactivity makes you tired. Energy is a renewable resource, so if we don’t get brief explosive intervals and burn calories through other forms of movement and exercise, we have less energy. When we lead an energetic lifestyle, it leads to more energy. Funny how that works. We see this impact with aging and lifespan.

What about muscle? Unfortunately, we (society) have begun to normalize accelerated declines of muscle as a part of aging. It’s NOT normal. The spare tire is a sign of less than stellar metabolic health – not aging. Much of what is considered a result of aging is a byproduct of lifestyle. But, that’s good news because that means we have the power to positively impact our health. We have now learned that lean muscle mass is basically a proxy for good metabolic health.

Bottom line: the more we can focus on improving body composition & increasing energy levels, the better our health AND the more gracefully we will age. (nice side benefit!)

To achieve those two objectives, below are five tips to help:

  1. Reduce or eliminate junk food (processed foods) from the diet.
  2. Emphasize nutrient dense foods.
  3. Move more throughout the day. (Check out my workout tab for Instagram reels offering a variety of 4-minute Tabata style workouts!)
  4. Perform brief, intense workouts.
  5. Practice stress management.

Since many people start the new year with weight loss goals, below is an expansion on the first tip above (#1). 

Pay attention to oils. I’ve talked about industrial seed oils in my reels (along with a quick & easy balsamic dressing recipe), but here’s why paying attention to these oils matters: consuming processed foods WILL lead to sneaky weight gain. Try making use of Extra Virgin First Pressed Domestic olive oil as a priority (or avocado oil, as runner up). Understand “why” & search for the negative impacts of industrial seed oils and READ ingredient labels to see which products contain these nasty oils. BTW, even your favorite restaurant is using the cheap stuff and most (even “healthy”) salad dressings contain damaging oils. Also of interest is that studies show that up to 40% of calories consumed when dining out come from these industrial seed oils – so it’s difficult to avoid!  These poor quality seed oils interfere with your body’s ability to burn stored fat.  Often these ugly oils are paired with processed foods (#1).  When cooking at home, ditch canola oil and try ghee, coconut butter, avocado oil or olive oil. Set aside some time to check out your pantry and fridge and get rid of processed “foods” with these oils. Sadly, our “Standard American Diet” is truly S.A.D.  (Check out the book, “Why We Get Fat” at your local library).

Ditch refined sugars and grains. These are deficient in nutrients and contribute to many health issues by releasing endotoxins from the gut and inhibit energy.  

Watch for foods high in natural plant toxins. These high plant toxin foods often contribute to leaky gut. This concept of avoiding or reducing offensive plants is part of the carnivore movement. I’m not advocating a specific diet, but asking you to be aware of how certain foods make you feel. Since plants cannot run away, they possess their own defense mechanisms for protection.  Pay attention to how you feel after consuming these foods (stems, seeds, roots, etc.) to determine if they bother you, and id so, consider other options to prepare or cook them differently (soak, sprout, ferment, cook) — or if you avoid them all together. (Check out research and information from Paul Saladino, MD & make up your mind.)

Avoid gluten – it’s is a big offender for many people & can increase the risk of leaky gut.

Last, pay attention to how you feel after you eat. You shouldn’t feel anything, really. Not full, not bloated, not tired, nothing. If you do, that food is likely to be one to avoid. At least for a few months before re-introducing it to your diet.

Listen, we are all in this journey of life together. The more we learn, share and apply positive actions to our lives, the better our lives will be.

Friends, live well, laugh often, and be playful.

Lisa

A New Year & 365 Opportunities to Establish New Habits to ROCK 2023

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As we reflect on 2022 and set new goals for2023, improving personal wellness is often at the top of the list.  To kick off your new year with health improvement success, consider the tips below to integrate better health into your life.

  • Set specific goals.  Take goals like “eating healthier” or “losing weight”, for example.  Instead of a general goal, aim for a specific amount of clean protein per meal, eating 3-5 servings of vegetables or fruit a day, or eliminating processed foods. Instead of “losing weight” strive to lift weights (take a yoga or HITT class, etc.) for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week along with walking X times per week for X minutes. Making specific goals can help you stay on track. (See prior post.)  
  • Get good sleep. I have written several blogs about the importance of sleep because it’s SO ESSENTIAL to overall health and well-being. (Check out the most recent post on sleep here.)
  • Establish good stress management routines.  Whether physical or mental, techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing can help you relax.  Or, consider reorganizing your space to help de-clutter.
  • Make recovery a priority. Seriously. Taking time to rest and repair is as important as your physical activity – especially if you are seeking performance improvements. Try to add a little time to your day (or at the end of your workouts) to roll, stretch, or incorporate some kind of compression or massage therapy and do your body good!
  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet. This is an important one for every aspect of performance, training, weight loss, stress management – you name it. You know the drill here: try to reduce or eliminate processed foods & soft drinks (including so called healthy energy drinks) and incorporate a variety of vegetables and clean proteins into your diet.   
  • Hydrate! Did you know being dehydrated negatively impacts mental and physical performance while proper hydration can help reduce fatigue and muscle soreness? Hydration is a super easy place to start. Consider starting your day with a glass of lemon water and counting your glasses of water to ensure proper hydration.
  • Practice gratitude. Rick Warren (A Purpose Driven Life) reminds us that regardless of where we are in life, we always have our feet on two tracks – one of opportunities and blessings… and the other with challenges or problems to solve. Spend time each day purposefully appreciating the positive “track”.

Doing these things will help you start the new year in a positive direction and set yourself up for success. And remember, it’s easier to establish and stick to new habits with a supportive network. Share your goals and surround yourself with like-minded people.

I wish you the BEST of health, happiness & dreams fulfilled.

Cheers & happy 2023!

Lisa

A GOAL Properly Set is a Goal Halfway Achieved

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Goal setting can be a positive, powerful practice that sparks enthusiasm and provides clear direction. But, if adapted poorly, goal setting can have a serious downside that may undermine success. Poor goal setting can waste time and make people cynical fostering confusion about where to concentrate actions and energy. To achieve your goals, make them SMART!

Specific- What is your focus? How will you do that? What does that look like?

Measurable – How often will you do this?  What will you track and how?

Action Oriented – What is the behavior you will change?

Realistic- Don’t set yourself up for failure. Try setting smaller goals that lead to a bigger goal.

Timely – How long will it take? Is this a lifestyle change or a temporary goal?

Say for example, you set a goal of “eating better” in 2022. Great idea – we can all do better nutritionally, can’t we? So, what does that look like? How will you know you’ve achieved it if there isn’t some kind of measurement or tracking, specific tactics identified and with a time period of some sort? Ask yourself these questions as you keep “peeling the onion” and you’ll get to a SMART plan.

Let’s try this again.

I want to eat better in 2022.

What does that look like?

I will make sure to include colorful vegetables and/or fruit each day.

If you currently have days of no vegetables, you might start with a goal of eating a minimum of 2-3 vegetables each day. You can track this goal a number of ways. A simple check in calendar will do. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but if you don’t track progress, your chance of success will be diminished because you won’t know what to adjust or how.

Let’s keep peeling the onion…how else would “eating better” look like?

I will eliminate process foods such as bread, pasta, rice, chips, and crackers most days of the week.

That’s better….but, can we tighten that down? If you are eating these kinds of “foods” daily, try starting with 4 days/week with no processed foods or replacing them with healthier alternatives.

Ask yourself again. How else does “eating better” look like?

I will start each day with 2 glasses of water, or a glass of water with half a lemon and cayenne pepper, or a cup of tea before diving into coffee.

With this goal, there’s a time component (daily) and a specific action: starting the day with 2 glasses of water.

How else will you see results of eating better?

I will reduce bodyfat around my waist.  

That’s a good one that will increase your lifespan. How can you track that? There are several methods you could choose: use a measuring tape, track body fat percentage using a scale or gym tool, take a picture, or keep trying on that belt that got too snug. Each of these tracking measures could be done weekly.

There are many options to “eat better” that can be achieved with these SMART goals:

  1. I will start my day with 1-2 cups of filtered water with either lemon, greens or reds added.
  2. I will start reading ingredient labels on foods to ensure higher quality and avoid chemicals or poor-quality industrial oils.
  3. I will strive to eliminate processed (high glycemic) foods from my diet at least 4 days a week.
  4. I reduce bedtime snacks from daily to 2-3X/week until my waist is 2” smaller and I will commit to no more than 200 calories per snack.
  5. I will measure my waist (or hips or thighs) once a week to track body fat changes.
  6. I will review my goals daily and share them with my closest friends and family to enlist their support.

Maybe you haven’t been cooking meals at home, so reducing the number of times you eat out could be a goal (& save money!).

Once you’ve set some goals, what next? Surround yourself with like-minded people and share your goals for added support. Small daily changes can lead to sustainable progress. Be kind to yourself. While tracking progress may seem intimidating (or a pain in the a**), remember this: what you focus on is what can change or grow.  When you feel like quitting, remember why you started. Each day is a new opportunity to change and grow.

Also, it’s perfectly acceptable to adjust and changes goals along the way–but, if you aren’t tracking goals, you won’t know what to adjust. Maybe you need to eliminate processed foods 6 days a week because progress was too slow. Maybe you need to add a walk time each day.

Just remember to be kind to yourself. Change doesn’t occur overnight. Remind yourself of the benefits of these improvements. What have you got to GAIN? Longevity? Better sleep? Weight loss? Greater energy? Increased performance?

Turn your resolutions into reality. And make FIT happen!

The Best Anti-Aging Secrets Aren’t So Secret

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The proverbial “fountain of youth”…sought by many and assumed to be so elusive. But….is it?

The truth is, much of we have come to believe as “age related decline” is not age related, but rather LIFESTYLE related –AND we can do something about each of these factors.  Boiling multiple studies down to a nutshell, we’ve learned there are six primary lifestyle factors were repeatedly identified:

  • Exercise
  • Sleep
  • Managing stress
  • Building social connections
  • Avoiding toxins, and
  • Diet

In other words, what you put into your body (or don’t), movement, socializing and sleep will impact how long you live and the quality of your life.

I’ve written about sleep before (see prior blogs) – but by now, most of you are aware of the factors that can impact a good night’s sleep. However you may not have bought into what a key role sleep plays in health, mind function, energy, and inflammation…and how it aids the other 5 longevity factors listed above.

If aging well and FEELING GOOD are important to you, prioritize sleep and then focus on the other factors. Here are a few ideas to help improve your sleep habits:

1. Establish a bedtime routine: (warm shower or bath)

  • Journal. (writing down thoughts, worries or to-dos will get them out of your head)
  • Read a book.
  • Meditate. (I have to say I love a guided meditation to fall asleep to or ocean sounds..)

2. Check out your sleep environment:

  • 60-67 degrees is ideal.
  • Are loud sounds blocked out? (a white noise machine may help)
  • Black out shades are great for keeping light from coming in.

3. We can’t omit the blue light conversation. (phone, TV, tablet, computer)

  • Sorry, but it’s true…blue light can be super disruptive. It’s best to shut screens down 2 hours BEFORE bed.

4. Become aware of when you last eat or drink.

  • You know that saying, “Eat with the sun, sleep with the moon”? It’s a good rule to follow. If you go to bed by 10, you’ll want to have dinner by 6 or 7.
  • Watch fluids …you know why.
  • That includes alcohol. Without exception, alcohol negatively impacts sleep. Cut off alcohol about the same time as dinner and limit consumption.

5. A good night’s sleep begins with bright sun light early in the day. This will keep your body’s circadian rhythm in sync and turn off melatonin.

6. Exercise or be active – just not right before bedtime!

So there you go. Feeling your best and aging well are mostly in your hands. Take a couple ideas and start incorporating them into your life because today is “some” day. Carpe diem & sleep well my friends, sleep well.

”Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” –  Thomas Dekker

How to Stay Healthy While Eating Out or Ordering In

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Over time, we’ve moved to a life of convenience with more and more meals eaten out or ordered in…and now since Covid-19, food service deliveries have really ramped up. Generally, eating a home-cooked meal is the healthiest option, however with a few intentional strategies, you can still stick to your health goals even when the meal isn’t prepared at home. 

First, remember “portion distortion”…while calories are not created equal, most restaurants provide meals that, calorie-wise, could feed a small army. Fortunately, most restaurants offer calorie counts for their menu items (and if not, a quick search on the web can get your pretty darn close). Try to aim for 600-700 calories or less. And, keep an eye on “add-ons”. But please, don’t let the restaurant dictate what a true “serving” is or the proper balance of protein and veggies. Instead of eating a “multi-serving” meal, try splitting your meal with a dinner partner – or immediately put half of it in a to-go container and save the other half for the next day.

Choose your restaurant wisely. Spend a few minutes looking over restaurants that have healthier options like assorted vegetables (not fried), lower sodium, avoidance of seed oils, and other healthy protein options like fish, nuts, legumes. For your protein, look for food items that are broiled, baked or grilled vs. fried.

Upgrade! If you are eating rice, opt for brown rice if you can. Reduce the carbs as needed. One of my favorite salads comes with brown rice and I ask the restaurant to cut the amount of rice by 2/3 and increase the kale by the same. Can you ask for more veggies? Is there a gluten free bread option? 

Watch liquid sugar. In other words, sip smarter. Soft drinks/juices are not your friend (even if “sugar free”) – but that’s a topic for another day. Water (carbonated or not) or unsweetened tea are better options. There are plenty of ways to add a little flavor — my favorite is half a squeezed lemon, but any kind of fresh or frozen fruit are nice.

While we are on the subject of liquid sugar, we can throw mixed or frozen drinks (alcohol) into this section, too. Our bodies just don’t need excess energy (calories), so what will they do when we bring in more than we need? Store it! And trust me when I tell you, “You cannot out-train a bad diet”! It’s just better to make balanced choices.

Sides…are they really necessary? Can you swap them out with vegetables – or do you even really need them depending on your entree? Much of the time, sides are just more nutrition deficient calories.

Maybe cook a “little”. This is something we often incorporate at home. I’ve found with meal deliveries, vegetables may not fare well or are limited –or maybe the side has cheese or sauce we didn’t want (like one using canola oil). So, we keep a couple zucchinis, spinach, carrots or broccoli around that we can easily sauté or roast seasoned just to our liking. Or, maybe we’ll mash a bit of avocado with Landry’s seasoning. (If you haven’t experienced this delight, TRY IT!!)

My friends, I am right there with you on needing a break from cooking after a long work day, but eating out doesn’t have to derail your health goals. Just become a little more intentional around where you go and the selections you make. And, ENJOY it!

SLEEP, the Magic Pill

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Question: IF there was a PILL that enhanced nearly every bodily function when taken and NOT taking it would negatively impact your body, would you be interested in that pill?

Most of the diet/health/wellness books offer a list of the most important things to do to put yourself on the path to better health and wellness. What do ALL these books have in common? They emphasize is sleep!

Okay, there may not be a magic pill (if there was, we would all be addicted) but improving your quality of sleep is guaranteed to not only improve your day and your body, but put you on a better path to overall health.

What you need to know:

• A quality good night’s sleep is more important than the quantity of sleep each night.

• Sleep quality declines with age (usually, but doesn’t have to).

• There are steps you can take to increase sleep quality, feel better, improve health, and increase daily energy.

The truth is there is no exact number of hours to recommend because sleep duration need is highly individual, with most people feeling their best with 7-8 hours a night.

Sleep efficiency, on the other hand, is a better measure.

To achieve sleep efficiency, the goal is 90% (or better) of actual sleeping each night. In other words, less than 10% of the time in bed should be tossing/turning or waking up. If that’s not occurring, try exercising more. (Which btw, is my FAVORITE recommendation for most health related issues!) Sleep apps and/or trackers are a great way to get an idea of sleep efficiency using your phone, activity trackers/watches or an oura ring.

If you are tracking sleep, the deep sleep phase is tres importante! While it doesn’t last long, this is when cell and cognitive repair take place. Memory is directly tied to this phase. If you’re in your 20’s, an hour and a half is good. As you age, this phase lessens to a half hour – but there ARE things you can do to lengthen it.

For example, for any fellow “monkey-brain” friends, try meditation or yoga, start a gratitude practice, journal to “dump the day”, try a weighted blanket, educate yourself about adaptogens (to help with stress hormones) or diet/lifestyle improvements you can try (like exercise!), consider magnesium/ melatonin/GABA (Btw, OTC or prescription meds can wreak havoc on your brain/mortality!) Other options might include making your room REALLY dark, eliminate blue screen (or at least wear glasses) but turn off devices several hours before nodding off. Last, work on getting into a sleep routine that occurs the same time each night.

How quickly you fall asleep could be another indicator or sleep inadequacy. A lot of folks think if you fall asleep within 5 minutes, that’s a good thing. It could mean you have an A-1 nightly routine so well-honed that you fall asleep right away.  But, it is likely to indicate you are sleep deprived.  On the other hand, if it’s taking more than half an hour to drift off, that may suggest a form of insomnia.

And then, there’s REM sleep which interestingly involves brain activity that is integral to learning and continual brain development. The recommended time for REM sleep is about 20% of your sleep time for optimal wellness.

If you have more than 5 awakenings, there’s a good chance your REM or deep sleep is getting interrupted. You may want to make sure you don’t have sleep apnea.

So yes, sleep is important. It is, quite simply, one of the easiest and most powerful ways we can improve our health and longevity by helping our brains function better, helping our muscles recover faster, and yes…increase fast loss (covered in an earlier blog post).  Opt for quality over quantity.

Who doesn’t want to live longer and BETTER?

The Impact Stress has on Your Brain (or Save Your Brain, Part II)

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Hey friends, how are you feeling these days…with work, family or the holiday season upon us? If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, maybe it’s time to take a breather and add intentional steps to alleviate stress.

By now you probably know that meditation and other recommended stress reduction techniques previously considered “new age” really work. Many high performers incorporate various forms of meditation into their daily lives because it works (and are a heck of a lot better than drugs & those nasty side effects).  There are many forms meditation from walking in nature, guided meditations (especially good if you have an active monkey brain like me), breathing exercises (try inhaling completely for 4 seconds, hold 7 seconds, exhale completely for 8, repeat 9 more times), or simply enjoying the love & affection of a pet. Try them out and see what suits you best.

Why is it important to work on controlling/limiting or reducing stress? Because with chronic stress, the brain atrophies…which means it gets smaller and less effective. When you are stressed, you release cortisol. With elevated cortisol, your brain begins overload and …then begins to degenerate.  The parts most affected are the areas of the brain associated with dementia/long term memory. 

There are also vascular impacts of stress on our brains due to the flight or fight response. This response releases hormones that decrease blood flow to our brain. Chronic stress has long term effects on our brains. 

What else happens? Well, elevated cortisol can also decrease circulation. That’s why it makes sense then to engage in an activity that causes an increase in circulation. Exercise increases your heart rate and oxygen to the brain. On the opposite side of the spectrum, long term sedentary activity decreases blood circulation all over the body.  Then, if you add a stress response to being sedentary and possibly a thyroid issue, all these factors impact the health of our brains. 

Public service message: The more intense the exercise, the better the benefit because your heart has to pump harder. Try intervals  or short bursts of increased energy/effort for 10-30 seconds, 10-15 times.   

To recap, we have the impact of stress and a sedentary lifestyle impacting our brains.  Now, let’s talk diet.  “Type 3 diabetes” is now used to describe dementia because if we indulge in sugar or processed carbs, we get too much insulin. Seriously, our bodies were not made to consume the sugar we load into them daily. Chronic surges of insulin also cause damage to the brain. I’m saying this with a lot of love….so hear me when I say, “If you are tired after meals, it’s time to review what you are eating.”  A normal response after a meal should be your hunger is vanished – NOT an energy surge – or an energy drop.

Small changes in our diets can make a HUGE difference with our brain health (& overall health & weight)! 

When it comes to gluten…there is a high correlation between neurological symptoms and gluten antibodies – most specifically with wheat gluten.  So if you have an inflammatory diet, you are inflaming your brain. It WILL begin to degenerate.  As these various factors (stress, blood sugar instability and/or surges, sedentary lifestyles, lack of circulation, poor diet) add up, we will begin to feel foggy. That “fog” is brain degeneration. You have a thought but can’t get to it. 

What would a balanced brain focused diet consist of?  The key is to eat a diversity of vegetables/plant fibers along with healthy fats and LIMITED sugar/processed carbs. Proteins can also be inflammatory with most inflammatory proteins being milk protein, egg protein, and soy protein. Experts suggest a diet that is A.) gluten & dairy free, B.) one that includes flax seed & fish oils (healthy fats), and for sure, C.) a diet low in sugar and processed carbs to prevent sugar surges, and D.) a diet FULL of diverse vegetables.

The bottom line is that anything that causes inflammation to the body has an effect on the brain.

That would include stress, diet, sedentary lifestyle, arthritis, food allergies,  auto immunity diseases, etc.  What’s the best way to support our brains?Ultimately, what we should do for a healthy lifestyle and weight is what we should do for our brain: eat properly, exercise with intensity to increase our heart rates, and supplement with dietary flavonoids like turmeric, resveratrol, and polyphenols.   Last, try meditation or breathing techniques to lower stress. Laugh. Help others. Try inversion. Get a pet. And educate yourself because you are worth it.  Some of my favorite recent reads include:

The good news is EVERY little bit helps and most of what helps is in our control.  Isn’t it nice that the things we can do to remain healthy, fit and active will also serve our brains well?

I think today is a great day to take action.  A friend of mine likes to ask, “What have you got to lose?”  Well, my friends, taking no action WILL lead to Alzheimer’s and dementia. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when”.  I think a better question is, “What have you got to gain?”

A long, beautiful, and healthy life.

Today IS some day.

Carpe Diem.