Are you sleeping well? Insomnia is not only frustrating; it can affect your health. In a therapy program at Stanford University Medical Center, the participants were taught simple mindfulness techniques used in meditation, such as focusing on breathing and bodily sensations. Within six weeks, the participants were sleeping better. John Kabat-Zinn PhD, is responsible for bringing mindfulness practices into mainstream medicine and society. Mindfulness meditation may be something you’d like to try…
How many times have you heard the phrase, “take a deep breath”? Practicing regular, deep breathing can be calming and help decrease your stress level. There are many different techniques, but starting with slow, deep belly breathing is a great start. Breathing is something we can control and regulate in the midst of chaos. The key is practice. In a crisis, it is difficult to effectively deep breathe if you never use this technique, but if you do, you can tap into it at any time. In my March newsletter, I will be discussing a very effective technique. Send me an email if you’d like to receive a copy.
Did you wake up this morning, rush through the morning routine, grab a coffee on the way out the door? Do you know what you are having for lunch? Do you have dinner tonight planned or will you start to think about it as you leave work? The key to successful, healthy eating is preplanning and shopping in advance for the right foods. If left to chance and circumstance, we will grab the easiest, quickest food, not necessarily the best for us. It can be another “to do” until it becomes part of your practice, but you’ll be amazed how easy it actually makes mealtime.
Olive oil is one of the heart protective monounsaturated fats and an antioxidant found in extra-virgin olive oil may help prevent Alzheimer’s. According to a study at Northwestern University, oleocanthal is the antioxidant, but you won’t get much from regular olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil has the higher concentration and is also the least processed. Enjoy on salads, saute veggies in it, put in oil spritzer and use in place of Pam. Enjoy and be healthy…
Eating more whole grains may help you to lose abdominal fat, but only if you cut out the refined grains. According to research from the Framingham Heart Study, people who ate 3 or more servings of whole grains (such as 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal) had significantly less abdominal fat compared to those eating no or few whole grains. Of note, the whole grains had no benefit in people who ate 4 or more servings of refined grains (such as white bread, white rice, white pasta).
After the age of 50, we lose 0.4 pounds of muscle each year- unless we lift weights. We can gain an average of 2.42 pounds of lean mass (mostly muscle) after 20 weeks of strength training. This would compensate for the 0.4 pound annual loss if we were to remain sedentary, according to a report published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. They suggest that we increase the amount of weight we lift or the number of sets to promote and maintain muscle mass.
Were you the recipient of Valentine’s chocolates? If you were lucky enough to get dark chocolate, enjoy without guilt! The polyphenols in the chocolate boost levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol), according to Japanese researchers. We do know that the phenols and flavonoids offer some protection against heart disease. For all the chocoholics, this is good news. Just remember that the recommended amount is 1 ounce per day, dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa for the highest benefit.
Take a moment and tune in to what you are feeling before you eat and whether you are actually hungry. Are you stressed, angry, bored? Or perhaps you are exhausted. On other days, maybe you are excited and surrounded by family and friends. Track how you feel after a meal or snack too- both physically and emotionally. Do this for just a couple of weeks and you may see a pattern.
Cortisol is the stress hormone that is productive if you need to fight or flee, as nature intended, but causes negative consequences if chronically produced. Exercise produces serotonin and norepinephrine which counter the stress response. Are you a high-energy, always-on type? Work out first thing in the morning to restore hormone levels. If you are lower energy, you may benefit from gentle daily exercise. Always, yoga is an excellent way to regain harmony.
Yo-yo dieting is a pattern for many who have struggled with trying to maintain the “perfect” weight. Their wardrobe is evidence of some successful plans, at least in the short-term. If you have clothes in all sizes, give away the large-size clothes. Holding on to them is your unconscious security blanket. You are giving yourself permission to regain the weight back. Once you no longer have the clothes, the new healthier weight is yours to stay. If the clothes begin to get a little snug (a better monitor to weight gain than the scale), you’ll know it’s time to make some minor adjustments
We know that mindful eating- paying attention to what we eat, enjoying each bite, being present and not distracted, increases our likelihood of having a healthier relationship with food. Here is a practice that can help develop that mindfulness: eat at a beautifully set table. Use your best china, nicest glasses, clothnapkins, flowers in the center of the table (inexpensive at the market), soft music playing in the background. Treat yourself as they would at a classy restaurant. The meal becomes the experience of focus and you can set you plate in the kitchen, as they would in a restaurant, not to overdo portions.
Instead of allowing negative things to control you: your demanding boss, your sassy teenager, burned dinner, take time every day to focus on the good things that are in your life: your beautiful grandchildren, a finished project at work, your teenager helping a friend in need, a wonderful dinner with special friends, agood nights sleep. The more you focus on the good, the more you push out the negative, stress-inducing thoughts that can cause an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone. Shifting to positive thoughts and attitude is contagious. Those close to you seem to pick it up too!
We all know drinking enough water is important but did you know that mild dehydration is associated with negative mood, including fatigue and confusion. This was the finding of a Tufts University study on athletes and was compared to what people experience in their daily lives from drinking insufficient water. The athletes were given short-term memory tests and mood scales to evaluate the changes. Losses of 1-2% water, or mild dehydration affected mood. Keep that water nearby and sip throughout the day.
Weight gain seems to change the brain’s response to food. According to Dana Small, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, researchers have found that overweight and obese adults show less activity in the caudate nucleus of the brain than normal weight adults. The study suggests that response decreases as a result of overeating through the lifespan. One of the culprits behind obesity is constant availability to “excessively rewarding food” which alters the brain’s reward system. So.. now, plan B…let’s make a change!
Chronically stressed women are the most likely to eat high-fat, high sugar treats. They use the food as a temporary, feel-good, tension reliever and it works. The problem is, the food becomes one of the stressors and a vicious cycle can begin. Dieting is about deprivation and only adds to the stress. The real cure for stress eating is learning to be in tune with your body (and your brain). Listen to your signals. On a scale of 1-10, rate your hunger pangs; or if you identify that your cravings are not from hunger, what plan do you have in place when you are stressed?
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