Is your Health on Hold?

“I’ll start working out after the project is over.”

“I’ll go back to my healthy eating plan after my vacation.”

Have you ever found yourself delaying healthy eating or exercise?  Unfortunately our health does not go on hold – your arteries do not take a vacation and are working around the clock to bring nourishment to all parts of your body.

Can we push the pause button?

Life does happen, the schedule gets hectic and the best laid plans get pushed aside.  Can we really push a pause bottom during these times and hope the body will not notice?

In reality, all the cells and organs of our body age with time.  What we eat and how we move are lifestyle factors that influence the aging process…and the good news is we can alter aging or at least keep it in check.

Current research shows our body can change within 2 weeks of a starting a healthy eating or exercise regimen…and actually alter the way your DNA responds to your genes.  If you are programmed towards diabetes or heart disease, lifestyle changes can change the programming towards normal blood sugars and a healthy heart.

Your health does not go on hold or take a vacation…

it is either going in one direction or the other.  Why not stop the excuses and realize your life is not a dress rehearsal and you have the power to alter your destiny towards the health and happiness you deserve. 

The project or excuse may always be there…but your health is one thing precious to hold onto and it is waiting for you to release the lifestyle hold button.

Is your Mood Tied to your Diet?

Do you have frequent mood shifts?  Are you often tired, anxious or feel like you are in a fog part of the day?  What is the cause of this funk?  Mood shifts are caused by many factors and one may be a drop in blood sugar.

Low blood sugar can also be the culprit of not only mood shifts but can contribute to anxiety attacks and minor to severe shifts in energy levels.  How does this happen and what transpires in the body?

Your metabolism is more sensitive to carbohydrates than others.  You eat a high carbohydrate meal or snack without thought to protein or fat which triggers a large spike in your insulin level and resulting large drop in blood sugars.  This drop then results in the change in mood, energy or more anxiety.

One client recently told me he had been tired his whole life.  He could fall asleep at any moment in time.  After a shift in his eating of including protein at each meal and moderating his carbohydrates his fatigue lifted and he regained the vitality he desired for years.

If you are having any of the above symptoms it might be worth re-evaluating your diet to see if there is a fix before moving on.  Here are some suggestions and options:

1.  Eat a higher protein breakfast.  If you are consuming the normal cereal or toast breakfast this is a set-up for having symptoms.  A typical bowl of cereal is like eating 3-5 slices worth of bread which will trigger the symptoms within a few hours.  Consider consuming high quality protein such as eggs, cottage cheese or some European style yogurt with nuts. 

2.  Make sure you eat moderate levels of protein at all remaining meals and snacks along with some unprocessed carbohydrate and fat.  For example, if you have an apple at snack time add some nuts or natural nut butter or a slice or two of hard cheese to balance.

3.  Don’t go more than 4 hours without food.  Going too long without food is a setup for low blood sugars, fatigue and moodiness.  Keep small bags of nuts or seeds with you at all times in case you are running late for a meal.  Consider setting a timer if you forget to eat in the afternoon.

4.  Schedule in at least 20-30 minutes of continuous activity most days of the week.  Even a 20 minute walk helps your insulin work more effectively the rest of the day and encourages stable blood sugars.

5.  Avoid processed packaged foods with sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners which encourage fluctuations in blood sugars and resulting symptoms.

If you’ve been tired, moody or anxious for some time it can take 6-8 weeks to create a stable blood sugar and increased energy levels but commitment to the process will bring the results you desire if the problem is tied to your diet.

A disclaimer is sometimes you may feel worse before you feel better.  If your blood sugars were averaging higher within normal limits and now drop down to lower normal limits the shift can temporarily increase fatigue and moodiness. This shift will correct itself within a week.

Changing your diet creates stability in your blood sugar which creates the mood and vitality you desire.  And after all – what do you have to lose - but fatigue or a bad mood?

Begin with the End in Mind

Where do you envision your life in the next year?  Maybe the next 10 years?  What about your health?  Do you wanting to be climbing the mountains of Switzerland or are you just content to live your life in your home town spending time with friends?

Just as planning your financial future takes forethought and energy, so does taking care of your health.

If you want to remain energetic, healthy and vibrant then your diet and exercise regime needs to be managed on a daily basis.  If it does not matter all that much, stop reading this blog and hopefully your genes will carry you to where you want to go.

Daily I hear “I just don’t have time to fit in exercise” or “life is too short not to eat what I want,” or “I just want the brownie or fries or whatever I happen to come across.”

Let’s be real.  Some days are like that.  However, if one day leads to a concession of days your health may suffer the consequences.

Exercise cures a multitude of sins.  I know I sound like a broken record…but not being able to fit in 30 minutes of exercise a few days of the week?  Those 30 minutes exponentially leads to a substantially lowered risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and Alzheimer’s.  A new study just last week showed women exercising just 1 hour per week showed positive results in their blood work and health.

Clean unadulterated food without a label is food the body can readily accept and use for your health.  Processed packaged food was never intended for the body – hence creating metabolic and health issues with long term consumption.

Take home message? 

If you want to be healthy and live out your current and later years with good health you can’t afford the time NOT to exercise and eat well.  We were designed to move and eat real whole foods.

I plan to visit as many countries as I can before my life is done with energy and gusto for culture, life and fun.  Let me know if you want to join me.

Listening to your Body in 2011

No worries.  I am not going to do a blog on New Year’s resolutions.  Personally I like to think through what I would like to accomplish each year.  Putting together a long list of “to do’s” gives me more anxiety than encouragement to move forward and accomplish my goals.

So how do I make changes that are important and support my health?  I listen to my body.  I frequently ask clients:  “if your body could speak, what would it say to you?”  This may sound silly to some but it works.

The Voices in your Head…

The parent voice says “avoid this food” while the child voice may say “but I don’t care and I want it?” Have you ever listened to what does adult or healthy voice is saying?

In general, people ask why I exercise most days of the week.  I jokingly say “because I need to look like my job.” Joking aside, I really go to the gym each morning because I like HOW it makes me feel.  I want to focus on what my clients say to me and how to help them.  If I don’t exercise my brain is foggy and I’m falling asleep.

If I don’t exercise my back hurts, my knee aches and I feel a sluggish metabolism and quickly start to gain weight.  My body feels like it is decompensating.  Yes – I have pretty horrible genes – but….I’m changing how I respond to those genes.  I’m choosing to expert power over the negative predisposition to health.

Those Carb LOVING GENES

How about food?  My Italian genes want bread, cookies, and carbs.  Sometimes I can eat a serving or two here and there but beyond that I feel bloated, sluggish, unfocused and uncomfortable in my clothes.  And…I feel much hungrier and think about food all day.   My temptation control button starts to deteriorate.

So exercising and eating healthfully are really dictated by my body.  I want to feel energy, focused, satisfied with my food and pain free.  I remember the goal.  I want the endpoint to be health and happiness at the end of the day and each year.

If you want to change something about your health in the New Year ask your body how it wants to feel.  It might be a little bit of struggle with the voices in your head but if you’re reading this blog it’s likely your healthy voice wants to win the race.

No matter what the challenges are during the race at the end you want a healthier satisfied body for your next year.

You can’t Out-Train a Bad Diet

Bruce Gilbert, a trainer I share clients with uses the above statement with his clients.

“I’m working out, so I can eat what I want, right?”

NOT.

I often hear:  “I’ve been exercising much more than before so why am I not losing weight?”

Let’s crunch the numbers.

You work out 4-5 days per week at a pretty rigorous clip – maybe burning 300-500 calories per session.  Let’s say the average amount of calories per day utilized is equal to 450 or about 2000 additional calories per week which is a credit in your health account.  Sounds pretty good so far, right?

Your metabolism calls for about 1800 calories per day.  You eat fairly reasonably – after all – you consulted with an R.D.- with 500 calories per meal and a reasonable snack.  However, a few times a week you spurge on the cookies lying around the office and usually have 2 glasses of wine a few times per week.

Although these splurges sound reasonable they can add up to equaling the extra calories you utilized from working out.  In other words, a debit to your health account.

2 medium cookies 3x per week equals 1200 calories and 2 glasses of wine 3x per week equals 720 calories or close to 2000 calories per week.

If you add in anything extra you are now officially over the amount of extra calories you so diligently burned during your exercise sessions.  And, now you’ve overdrawn your account.

What drives weight loss?

Research shows diet drives the weight loss and exercise maintains it.  Exercise keeps your metabolism strong while you cut back on food so your weight will not rebound.  It maintains muscle integrity besides contributing to improved sleep, mood and sense of well-being.

But….it can’t make up for eating more than your metabolism calls for.  Although working out is critical to good health it cannot blanket additional calories or a plethora of food.

So enjoy your holidays and the best gift you can give yourself is to eat mindfully…and maintain credit in your nutritional health account.