Author: Lisa M. Douglas

Categories
Nosh

How The Paleo Diet Can Benefit Women of All Ages

When asked about the paleo diet, most people depict scenes of cavemen running through the open plain, feasting on nuts and berries they forage for on their way to hunting down and slaying game animals. As popular as the paleo diet has become with modern day homo sapien men, it’s quickly gaining momentum with women as well. Even though women tend to migrate toward community-oriented programs like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, paleo should be one of their first choices.
Here are 10 reasons why:

1. Paleo eliminates soy and soy products.

Soy is a phytoestrogen, which means that it mimics estrogen in the body. Not a good thing for women. In high doses, soy can cause weight gain, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), headaches, and mood disorders and has been linked to cancer.

2. Paleo balances the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega 6 are the fats found in vegetable oil, corn soil, soybean oil, and all other seed oils. Although you need them for proper health and for your body to function well, if you eat too much of them, they become bad for you. If you don’t eat the proper balance of omega-6 to omega-3 ratio it can cause inflammation and serious maladies like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and depression.

3. Paleo relies on hormone-free meat and dairy.

Readily absorbed from the small intestine into the blood, growth hormone has been shown to increase the risk of breast and colon cancers and can block natural defense mechanisms against early microscopic cancers. In other words, you can’t fight the little cancers as well, and they can turn into big problems (or bigger cancers).

4. Paleo encourages eating berries and veggies.

Eating lots of fresh produce will give you a huge boost in antioxidants and will help you fight diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Check out this recipe for paleo fruit pizza!

5. Paleo discourages grains that can cause leaky gut.

Grains play a role in causing leaky gut syndrome, which has been shown to possibly give rise to autoimmune diseases found in women like rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s. Grains also pull important minerals like calcium and magnesium from your body, which can contribute to the development of osteoporosis.
[related article_ids=20585]

6. Paleo encourages lean meats.

Lean, grass-fed meats not only are lower in fat but also have a better ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fats than grain-fed meats (see No. 2). Studies show that women with diets high in saturated (animal) fat have higher rates of diabetes, cancer and ovarian disorders.

7. Paleo eliminates sugar.

Sugar is highly addictive and can contribute to the onset of type 2 diabetes and weight gain. Weight gain causes fat cells to produce estrogen and too much estrogen is pretty bad for women (see No. 1). Also, excessive sugar has been linked to reduced fertility and acne (yep, can you believe it?), and it can kill your sex drive.

8. Paleo discourages eating processed foods.

Processed foods are filled with high fructose corn syrup, salt, fat and artificial dyes and chemicals and can wreak havoc on a woman’s body in so many ways including contributing to the incidence of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bloating and other gastrointestinal problems.

9. Paleo encourages a rotational-based diet.

A rotational diet is one where you rotate the types of foods that you eat, often eating meals that you would normally not eat. Eating a whole variety of foods ensures that you get a bunch of different vitamins, minerals and micronutrients, making you the healthiest you possible.

10. Paleo eliminates sugar substitutes.

Products like saccharin, sucralose and aspartame are used to help you to control your sugar intake and blood sugar levels, but they end up doing more harm than good. Studies have found that women who consume two or more servings per day have an increased chance of developing high blood pressure, headaches, PMS-related symptoms, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, because these products cause foods to be abnormally “super sweet,” people who consume them regularly get used to a more intense flavor and tend to gain weight from over salting or over sweetening, (and even over eating) other foods.

Categories
Sweat

How Caffeine (And 9 Other Things) Can Ease Your Sore Muscles

You’re lying in bed in the morning, thinking how happy and proud you are of yourself for kicking butt in spin class the day before…until you roll over and try to get up. Your thighs are screaming, your butt is killing you, and every time you twist, your abs go into spasms. Is this the thanks you get for doing your body good?!
Delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS) is caused by microscopic tears in your connective tissue that make your nerves go haywire and cause inflammation and a buildup of chemicals and fluids. Although it feels crappy, muscle soreness is neither good nor bad for you. Studies conflict over whether your body needs to be sore in order to get stronger and fitter. The truth is, you can get healthier without it. But sometimes, when you push hard, it happens. And although it’s not bad for you, it can demotivate you to catapult yourself into your afternoon 10K and make you feel like general crap all day long.
Muscle soreness usually peaks 48 to 72 hours after your workout, depending on your body, and it takes just about as long to go away. There are things that you can do that can speed the process along. Here are 10 easy ones to help you feel better, quicker.

1. Water

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

It’s true. Water does a body good. In the case of muscle soreness, water will help to repair your muscles quickly and flush away excess fluid. Aim for at least eight glasses a day.

2. Massage

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Manual pressure helps flush out waste products and increase circulation which speeds up the healing process. Foam rolling, a new popular way to “self massage,” is really good for you as well. It uses pressure and targeted massage to help prevent scarring of the connective tissue between your muscles (the fascia).

3. Curcumin

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

An extract of the turmeric root, curcumin has long be been used in Chinese and Indian medicine for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Researchers have found that curcumin supplementation causes a decrease in DOMS-related symptoms, muscle damage, and inflammation which lead to improved training and performance along with injury prevention. You can take an oral supplement daily but also get the benefits by sprinkling it on veggies, adding it to eggs, and using it in soups and stews.

4. Sleep

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

While you rest, muscle building chemicals increase and help your body to repair. Sleep is essential to a healthy body and you should aim for at least seven hours per night, but eight to nine hours is the optimal amount.

5. Snack

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Protein helps build muscle and studies have shown that small, frequent meals can help your body build muscle better than one big one. Try to eat your first snack within 30 minutes of finishing your workout and continue for two to four hours after. Five to seven grams of protein per meal is what you should aim to get.

6. Tart Cherry Juice 

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Touted as one of the hottest foods in 2015, cherry juice is high in antioxidants which help inflammation and muscle soreness. Put a splash into your smoothie or drink it straight up!

7. Creatine 

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Creatine is an amino acid that fuels your muscles and gives you the energy to rebuild and refuel. The more energy you have, the better you can repair and recover. Choose oral supplements or add some to your post workout snack.

8. Mushroom Extract

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

The ‘shroom works by activating ATP, the energy powerhouses in your cells, to give you “clean” energy without resorting to stimulants. Add fresh dried mushroom to soups, stews and meals or opt for an oral supplement in capsule or extract form.

9. Magnesium

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Essential for healthy muscles, magnesium also serves as a gentle, natural muscle relaxant. Instead of taking an oral supplement, add it to a warm bath or compress where it can be absorbed by the skin and act more effectively.

10. Caffeine

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Recently, researchers found that drinking caffeine (about two cups worth) helped reduce muscle soreness in women after a hard workout. It works by blocking adenosine, a chemical released by your body in response to injury.

Categories
Food Philosophies Nosh

All You Ever Need To Know About Low-Carb Dieting

You’re out to lunch with your friend and she hastily waves the bread basket away then gulps down the rest of her Sprite, scoffing, “I’m on a low-carb diet…but it doesn’t seem to be working.” There’s so much confusion surrounding low-carb dieting that it often gets a bad rap because people do it improperly and end up suffering with little to no results.
Low-carb diets have been around since the 18th century, when they were used successfully to help treat people with diabetes. They can also help you lose weight and/or lower your blood sugar. The key is understanding the workings of the diet and following the program strictly (or pretty strictly).
Here’s what you need to know:
What exactly is a low-carb diet?
A low-carb diet limits the amount of carbohydrates you eat and guides you to eat more protein and fat.
What kinds of food do you eat on low-carb diets?
You avoid bread, refined sugar, and rice, and eat meat, eggs, fish, cheese, and other proteins. You also restrict fruits, some vegetables, and starches.
How does the low-carb diet work?
What makes it so effective is that it works in many different ways. The primary way is by lowering your blood sugar and reducing insulin in your body. When you eat carbohydrates they are broken down to sugar or glucose. Glucose enters your bloodstream, and insulin is produced by your pancreas in response. Insulin helps cells use glucose for energy, removes extra glucose from your blood, and helps glucose be stored as fat if the cells don’t need it for energy. The lower your blood sugar, the less insulin gets secreted and the less fat is stored. The key to losing weight and fat is keeping your blood sugar stable. Carbohydrates spike blood sugar, especially when eaten alone without protein or fat. When you limit high-carbohydrate (high-sugar) foods, you lose weight.
What results can you expect from a low-carb diet?
Weight loss, increased energy, less bloat, more muscle tone, and lowered blood sugar, to name just a few! Initially, during the first two weeks on the diet you’ll lose some water weight. When your insulin is running crazy from carb overloading, you’ll typically retain water. During the first couple of weeks on the diet your insulin will stabilize and cause you to lose some of the water you’d been holding on to.
Also, because you’ll be eating more protein, you’ll fuel your muscle growth more and tone up some of the trouble spots that have been bothering you for years! Additionally, people with more muscle have a high resting metabolic rate. This means that you burn more calories while doing nothing. Muscle requires more energy to “live” than fat, and you need to feed muscle more to keep it. The more muscle you have, the more you can eat, while enjoying being thinner.
Finally, your blood sugar will stabilize, and you’ll experience fewer highs and lows in energy and spirit. When you eat a lot of carbs, your blood sugar rises quickly then falls just as fast. This yo-yoing in your blood sugar not only sucks you of energy but also can leave you cranky and craving more carbs. With stabilization in blood sugar comes less overeating and less hunger. Not wanting to practically chew their sweater off in a fit of hunger is the most popular part of this diet and why people love being on it!

Categories
Nosh

Why You Should Be More Conscious Of The Sugar In Your Diet

I used to be a sugar addict. Well, that’s not entirely true. Technically, I’m a RECOVERING sugar addict. Which means that I’m a work in progress and still salivate like Pavlov’s dog every time I hear the Mister Softee bell. Sigh. If you struggle like I do with giving it up, know that your pain isn’t in vain. I initially began my journey to ditching “the white death” because of the empty calories that were devoid of any nutrition. Although that’s a pretty good reason in my book, the benefits of being sugar free extend way beyond what I realized. Yea I knew that it was better for my waistline to eat broccoli instead of sugar, and probably also for some part of my blood or body that needed more vitamins and fiber or something. But I had no idea that ditching the sweet stuff would make my liver healthier and my brain better. Check out these 6 maladies sugar can contribute to and learn just how crappy it is for you.
The sooner you give it up…or keep it in major moderation, the better.

Obesity

Sugar is one of the most addictive substances on the planet and because it leads to decreased satiety (you’re not satisfied as you eat more of it), people lose control over how much they eat. Studies show that people who consume more sugar (as opposed to or salt) are more obese. This is especially true for people who drink a lot of sugary beverages.

Heart Disease

For years it was believed that saturated fat caused high cholesterol and thickening of the arteries, but new studies show that it’s really sugar that may be one of the leading causes of heart disease. Studies show that in large amounts, sugar can raise: triglycerides, LDL, blood glucose and insulin levels and increase abdominal obesity (or visceral fat…the bad kind) in just over 2 months.

Cancer

Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled growth and multiplication of cells. Insulin regulates this kind of growth and studies show that having high levels of insulin can contribute to cancer. Additionally, eating a lot of sugar can inflame your body, and inflammation is a known cause of cancer as well.

Diabetes

Insulin is a really important hormone that helps glucose enter the body and tells cells when to start burning fat. Too much insulin however is really bad for you and can lead to a condition known as Insulin Resistance which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. The more sugar you eat, the more insulin your pancreas kicks out. The more it kicks out, the less it will be able to work. The less insulin works the higher your blood sugar rises causing a whole lot of harm. Once your blood sugar elevates to a certain level and stays there, you’ll begin to notice the signs that you have Type II Diabetes and all of the problems that come with it.

Brain Damage

Large amounts of sugar in your diet can reduce the chemical inside your brain that’s responsible for the production of new neurons. Neurons are in charge of your memory and any change in them can affect the way you learn and remember new information, and can hinder your ability to make new memories.

Fatty Liver Disease

The liver is responsible for turning sugar into fat, where it is pushed out as cholesterol. Sometimes, if there’s a lot of it, not all of the fat gets pushed out and some particles can get stuck in the liver. Studies show that people with fatty livers eat up to 2-3 times as much sugar as the average person.

Categories
Nosh

10 Important Reasons To Drink More Water

Drink more water! Hydrate. Blah blah blah. We all know we should drink more water. It’s practically shoved down our throats daily. So much so that there’s even an app for counting how many glasses you’ve downed! But why do we need to drink more water? Because we’re thirsty? Because we’re told we need it, that’s why. After some research, I learned that hydrating is more important than you might realize…and for more reasons. Check out the 10 reasons why you should start your day with one big glass and continue drinking water for the rest of the day.

1. It can make you happy!

Think your hormones are making you cranky? You may not be drinking enough. Research has shown that even mild dehydration can negatively affect moods. The good news is that the cure is almost immediate. Chug two glasses of water and feel yourself switch from crappy to happy!

2. You’ll look younger

Water not only hydrates the inside of your body, it hydrates the outside too. Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and drinking lots of water can improve the color and texture of your skin by keeping it from drying out and helping it to build new cells properly.

3. You’ll have more energy

Water composes 75 percent of your muscles, and dehydration can lead to fatigue, weakness, and dizziness. Water fuels your cells and gives you the energy and strength to kick butt in your workout and power through your daily chore list.

4. You’ll be smarter

Dehydration can actually cause your brain tissue to shrink. When you don’t drink enough water, your brain has to work a lot harder to perform at the same level. Dehydration can also impair your attention span, memory, and motor skills.

5. Your joints will feel better

The cartilage in your joints is made of about 85 percent water, and water cushions it and keeps it soft and hydrated. Drinking lots of water will keep you moving faster, pain free, and longer.

6. You’ll get better quicker

Studies show that people who stay hydrated get sick less often, and when they do they recover faster. Water boosts your immune system, and drinking plenty of it helps fight against ailments like the flu, cancer, and even heart attacks.

7. You’ll be skinnier

Your body can confuse thirst with hunger, and if you’re like me, you dive for something to eat at the first sign of discomfort. The truth is oftentimes you need water instead of food. Drinking plenty of water can save you hundreds of calories a day. Staying hydrated can also serve as an appetite suppressant simply because it makes you feel full. Try drinking a glass of water before each meal and watch yourself get fuller, quicker.

8. You’ll have less belly pain

Water in your stomach and digestive tract helps things move along faster. It attaches to fiber in the colon and helps dissolve it and fats. If you don’t have enough fluid in your body, your colon will take some water out of the stools, leading to constipation and belly pain.

9. Your eyes will feel better

The membranes in your eyes and mouth are composed of and made healthy by water too! The water in your body hydrates your eyes and lubricates them. When you don’t drink enough, your eyes (and mouth) suffer.

10. It’ll cure your headache

Some studies show that up to 75 percent of people walk around dehydrated all day. One of the main signs of dehydration is headache, which could develop further into a migraine. When your brain loses water and shrinks, it triggers pain receptors that give you a headache. Most of us pop Advil and wait for it to go away when we really should be drinking water! Aim to drink a few small sips a minute until your headache goes away.

Categories
Sweat

Go Above And Beyond Your 10,000 Steps a Day

So you’re religiously using your FitBit, Jawbone, or your fitness tracking device of choice and think you’re all set because the fitness gods are looking out for you by doing extensive studies on how 10K steps a day will keep you uber-healthy for life?

Not so fast, My Pretty!

The reality is that the rule of 10K steps a day (equivalent to about 5 miles) wasn’t established because of extensive experiments done on distance walking and health. It was actually adopted because of an invention by a Japanese man. In 1965, Dr. Yoshiro Hatano developed an early version of a pedometer called the “manpo-kei,” which means “10,000 steps meter.” Somehow because of its name and translation, 10,000 steps became the gold standard in health and wellness and was adopted by the most popular of fitness tracking devices. Pretty wild, huh?

It’s important to keep in mind that any amount of fitness is awesome and gets you into better shape. And studies have found that the more you track your activity, the more you’ll work to reach your goal…and continue working. The making and tracking of goals and a system of accountability has been the recipe for success in so many areas of business, wellness, and in life. So it’s great to track yourself and move more. However…you can’t just count on 10,000 steps a day to keep yourself healthy and pardon yourself from any more or other forms of exercise. In other words, don’t think “Oh I did my 10,000 steps, now I’m done and can sit on the couch for the rest of the day/night.”

To be completely healthy, your body needs a mix of the essential components of exercise: Strength, cardiovascular, balance, agility, and flexibility are some of the most important. Your body is at its strongest when you include activities that incorporate all of these things in them daily or weekly. Activities like weight training for strength, hiking for cardiovascular health, core training for balance, functional training for agility, and yoga for flexibility.

A great workout schedule for the week would look something like this

Monday Cardiovascular

Tuesday Strength

Wednesday Balance/Agility

Thursday Cardiovascular

Friday Flexibility

Saturday Strength

Of course there are workouts that can include multiple components of exercise in one session. Boxing, interval training, and rebounding can accomplish that.

You overachievers can also opt to do split sessions, where you do two types of exercise in one day–a hike in the morning and strength training in the afternoon, for instance.

It’s also important to try to mix up the types of activities you do that incorporate these components. For example, choose hiking one week for your cardiovascular workout and try spinning the next week. Or do weight training for your strength training the first week and switch to Pilates the next. Studies show that changing your activity often not only keeps your body the healthiest but also ensures program adherence.

In other words, you won’t get bored off your butt and ditch your workout.

10,000 steps a day is great…but it’s only a start. Look past your personal fitness horizon and trample over it by walking more and doing lots of other things…more.

Categories
Nosh

Don't Be Fooled…These Foods Actually Make You Hungrier

You’re hungry, so you eat. You eat so you won’t be hungry anymore. Or at least you’re not supposed to be hungry anymore (unless you’re eating Chinese food). Have you ever eaten a full meal, only to be perplexed when you find yourself starving an hour later? The problem is that Chinese food isn’t the only problem. Equally problematic is that most of the time you don’t even realize you’re hungry and eating more.

Proper digestion and optimal health is a complex process affected by the ingredients in food. What you eat–or don’t eat–can affect the rate of absorption of food into your bloodstream or the satiety hormone known as leptin, making you hungrier quicker. This sabotages not only your health and your weight, but also your pocketbook, causing you to eat more than you actually want to.

Here is a list of 10 foods you need to avoid to help protect your body, your belly, and your budget.

1. Alcohol

With no fiber, protein, or fat to buffer the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, your favorite cocktail can make your blood sugar soar then quickly plummet, leaving you grabbing the nearest snack, no matter how unhealthy. Not only that, new studies find that three servings of alcohol can lower your body’s levels of leptin, making you forget that you shouldn’t be hungry.

2. White bread

Studies have shown that the effect of white bread on your blood sugar mimics that of white sugar. In other words, when you’re filling up on white bread, you might as well be eating tablespoons of sugar. What’s the problem? White bread has been stripped of all of the fiber, the main ingredient that slows sugar in the blood and makes you feel full. Furthermore, most white bread contains high fructose corn syrup, a cheap sugar substitute that enters your blood system quicker and spikes your insulin, causing you to be hungry pretty quickly afterward.

3. Chinese food

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer commonly found in Chinese food, has been used for years to fatten up laboratory animals. Studies show that people who eat MSG are three times more likely to be obese than those who don’t. Scientists believe that it may dull the effects of leptin, making you eat more.

4. Juice

It’s not just the calories in juice that fatten you up. No pulp and no fiber, combined with high fructose corn syrup, can make your favorite drink a fattening one by sending your blood sugar skyrocketing (and you to the fridge).

5. Artificial sweeteners

They have no calories yet still taste sweet and yummy. Sound too good to be true? Indeed they are. Artificial sweeteners mimic sugar in the body and cause your blood sugar to rise and fall rapidly. The problem gets worse when you drink beverages that contain artificial sweeteners without eating, because there is nothing to combat your falling blood sugar, so you quickly get voracious. Kind of negates the whole reason to drink diet soda, right?

6. Cereal

White flour, no fiber, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup are a seriously problematic combination for your blood sugar that will leave you hungry in the morning and craving sugar all day.

7. Coffee

Caffeine, in moderation, can help you lose weight…but drink too much and you’ll be doing more harm than good. Excessive caffeine raises your blood sugar, and unless you’re pairing your morning java with a snack or meal, your blood sugar (and willpower) will plummet fast.

8. Fast food

The trans fats contained in most fast food can potentially be pretty bad for your appetite by inflaming your stomach and hurting your body’s ability to produce appetite-controlling hormones. Not good. Additionally, most fast food contains ridiculous amounts of sodium, which can dehydrate you. Oftentimes it’s hard to tell the difference between being thirsty and hungry, and many people eat when all they need is water.

9. Sushi rolls

They’re fat free so they should be good for you, right? Not so fast. Each sushi roll is made with a cup of rice, which amounts to three servings of carbs. The typical person eats three sushi rolls at a meal–the equivalent of nine whopping, blood-sugar-soaring servings of carbs. And unless you’re choosing brown rice, it gets worse. White rice is stripped of its fiber, which raises your blood sugar even faster.

10. Flavored potato chips

Flavored potato chips can contain ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and MSG, making these a healthy snack no-no. Make sure to check food labels. You need to watch out because before you know it, you’ll finish the bag and go looking for even more.

Categories
Sweat

Exercise Safely in the Summer Scorch

It’s gorgeous outside. The summer sun is high in the sky and you’re motivated as ever to do a nice, long run outdoors.

But hold up! Before you catapult your fine, fit self into a sunny, sweaty workout there are things you must know and heed. Although studies show that people who exercise outdoors are happier and exercise longer than those who work out indoors, there can be some issues. Take it from me….I know from experience. I’ve been caught a mile from home, crawling toward my house, face purple, mouth pasty, light headed and nauseous, begging for someone to pick me up and give me a ride home. Has this ever happened to you? Let me help you keep from making your workout do more harm than good.

As if a sunburn isn’t bad enough, here is what can happen to you if you work out in the hot, summer sun without taking care. Each preceding condition, can dreadfully cause the next. They start mild then can quickly get worse.

PHASE 1:

Dehydration…Occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in.

Signs: thirst, dry skin, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, rapid heart beat

PHASE 2:

Heat Cramps…Tightening of your muscles resulting from electrolyte imbalance from loss of fluids.

Signs: muscular pain and cramping, hot sweaty skin, exhaustion, vomiting, fainting

PHASE 3:

Heat Exhaustion…Result of your body overheating from high temps usually combined w high humidity.

Signs: fever as high as 104, nausea, vomiting, headache, weakness, headache, muscle cramps, cold clammy skin

PHASE 4:

Heat Stroke…Super serious condition caused by failure of your body’s temperature regulating mechanism when exposed to excessively high heat.

Signs: fever of over 104, confusion, slurred speech, hot and dry skin, vomiting, delirium, rapid breathing, racing heartrate

Basically this is what happens. Exercise and the outside temp increase your core body temperature. To cool itself, your body sends more blood to circulate through your skin and increases sweat production. The increased blood to the skin leaves less blood for your muscles which increases your heart rate. If there isn’t enough water in your body to produce sweat, your internal core temperature starts to rise and your heart rate increases further. Additionally, typically sweat is evaporated of the skin which serves to cool you off further. However, if outside humidity is high then moisture doesn’t readily evaporate off of your skin causing your body temp to get even higher.

How do you avoid overheating and feeling sick?

-Avoid exercising from 10am-3pm during the heat of the day. Early morning is best.

-Wear loose, light colored clothing to reflect heat and cotton to wick moisture away

-Wear sunscreen of minimum 45 spf, even on cloudy days

-Before you go out drink a glass or two of water. Carry water with you and drink 4-8 ounces of water every 15 minutes. When you’re done have more water.

-Get acclimated by running shorter distances the first couple of days of heat, then increasing slowly

-Take a cold shower before your workout or squeeze water on the top of your head while you exercise

-Exercise in cooler places

-Split up your workout by working out for a shorter time earlier in the morning, then again in the evening when it’s cooler

-Go slower

-Run through the sprinklers during your run!! (ok this is for fun too)

If you experience any type of heat illness do the following:

-Lie down in a cool, shady spot

-Remove extra clothing, fan your body or wet it down with cool water

-Place wet towels or ice packs around your neck

-Drink water or a sports drink immediately

Heat illness is quite serious and can be potentially life threatening. If your symptoms don’t get better after 20 minutes of treatment quickly get to the doctor or call 911.

Categories
Nosh Nutrition x Advice

The Delicious Food That Can Actually Decrease Belly Weight

You suddenly get a jittery shaking feeling. You can’t remember what you were thinking about.  Your brain feels all foggy. You start feeling edgy. You’re past hungry. That is the sign of your blood sugar falling.

HealthyWay
Shutterstock

When your body doesn’t have enough fuel to function properly, it sends you warning signs. Unfortunately there’s another crappy consequence of letting your blood sugar fall too far down. You gain weight. Yea that’s right….weird, huh? You would think, that if you don’t eat enough that you would LOSE weight not GAIN it! Not the case and here is the reason why:
Your body wants to keep homeostasis or constant at all times, so it will do whatever it needs in order to maintain a non-change environment. When your blood sugar falls your body goes into panic mode or the fight/flight response. When you go into panic mode, your body releases adrenaline which serves to temporarily raise your blood sugar. Because adrenaline signals a stressful event, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. As soon as cortisol is released it triggers your body to store fat. Studies have shown that fat gained due to high cortisol levels sits in your belly. So not eating enough, or eating improperly, causes you to gain weight in your stomach.
HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Body fat located in your midsection is not only unsightly, it’s also really bad for your health. Visceral fat, the fat located in your stomach, is way worse for you than other fat because it surrounds your most important organs. People with a high amount of visceral fat not only have trouble getting into skinny jeans, but also have higher incidences of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
How do you keep your blood sugar stable and your tummy trim? By fueling your body the right way.  Here are tips to help keep your blood sugar stable:
1. Eat small meals every 3-4 hours
2. Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
3. Workout moderately for 30-60 minutes every day
4. Choose foods that have a low glycemic index, or don’t spike your blood sugar
The last bullet is pretty important as it affects your blood sugar the most. Foods (or food combinations) that have a low glycemic index contain a balanced mix of protein, fat and carbs that slow sugar absorption into your blood. Basically, protein, fat and fiber slow the absorption of sugar (carbs) into your bloodstream and keep your blood sugar stable. They also help you feel fuller, longer. You can choose a meal that has a combination of foods that slow absorption into bloodstream or you can eat a “power food” that contains all of that.
HealthyWay
Shutterstock

Peanut butter is a power food! In 2 TB serving, it has 13g of healthy unsaturated fats, 7g of protein, 2g of fiber and 3 grams of natural sugar. Not only does it keep you full and stable, but with lots of micronutrients like Vitamin B3, tryptophan and magnesium it also gives you immediate energy and helps you build bone and recover your muscles (for energy later).
There are so many peanut butter brands out there…which do you choose?
At first glance it’s best to always go with the one that says natural. Many contain added salt, sugar, hydrogenated oil and artificial ingredients to enhance the taste. With peanut butter, the less the amount of ingredients, the better. It’s important to watch sugar content. Commercial brands can have up to 250 mg per TB more sugar than natural ones. Also look out for excessive sodium.  Natural brands typically have less than commercial ones so be sure to compare labels.

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

The Important Reason Why You May Be Cold…And What To Do About It

I’ve got sweatshirts and hoodies in every room of my house…just in case I get cold. And I always get cold. Doesn’t everyone get cold on a humid, August night? Apparently not. When I took a poll, I was the minority. Like, the only one. Which kind of made me think.
Of course falling asleep at 8:32 on the couch every night, having to snake the bathtub every month from my hair falling out, or creating the tripod pose after a mile of my 5-mile run kind of made me think something was amok as well. A trip to Doctor Tom offered some insight. He thought I had asthma and sent me home with an inhaler.
When the inhaler failed to warm me up on a hot summer’s night I returned to Doc Tom, who proceeded to take some blood tests. He reported that my cholesterol was borderline (thanks Dad), my thyroid was perfect (thanks mom) oh, and what were we going to do about my severe anemia?
Wait … anemia? What anemia? I haven’t had any major surgeries. I’m not a vegetarian. I can practically devour an entire cow in one sitting. I drool at turkeys on the side of the road. I eat my spinach (sometimes—if it was hiding. And chopped up to resemble chives.) Okay, so I know that every month I go through super plus tampons like they’re not even there, and I have not one set of sheets that doesn’t remind me of that. But healthy me…anemic? Well, guess what? It seems as though I’m not the only one.
More than 3 million people in the United States have anemia, and women and people with chronic diseases are at the greatest risk for anemia.
What is anemia? It occurs when you have less than the normal number of red blood cells in your blood or when the red blood cells in your blood don’t have enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin’s job is to carry oxygen from your lungs to all parts of your body. If you have anemia, your blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen to all the parts of your body and your body can’t work as well.
How can you tell (earlier than I did) that you may be anemic? Here are some common symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Breathlessness
  • Fogginess
  • Brittle nails
  • Hair loss
  • Pale skin

If you recognized any or some of the above, you may be anemic. The good news is all it takes is a simple blood test by your doctor to find out.
What do you do if your iron is low? There are a bunch of ways to increase your iron stores. First, you need to figure out why you’re anemic.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Do you have heavy periods, often bleeding through tampons every hour?
  • Do you exercise every day for more than an hour at time?
  • Do you avoid red meat and/or are you a vegetarian?
  • Are you on a low-calorie diet?
  • Do you drink more than two glasses a day of wine or coffee?
  • Do you have thyroid issues or a chronic disease like Crohn’s?
  • Do other people in your family have anemia?

Regardless of your reason for being anemic, if you have low iron stores, it’s important to eat foods that contain iron and will help you to increase your stores.
Be mindful that heme iron (animal based) is more readily absorbed than non-heme iron (plant based). Eating heme iron will increase your stores faster. You can increase both heme and non-heme iron absorption by pairing it with vitamin C. For example, tomato bolognese sauce is a perfect combination of vitamin C from the tomatoes and heme iron from the beef.
If your reason for being anemic is that you bleed a lot during your period, talk to your doctor about ways to curb your bleeding. The pill, IUD, and minor surgical procedures have helped women to slow their periods and increase their stores. Unfortunately, I tried the pill and it left me with such horrible migraines that I swore to never put another hormone in my body again. Which leads me to supplementation.
If you’re iron is low, you need to get it back. Talk to your doctor about the best iron supplement for you. Many people find that iron pills can be hard on their stomachs and cause constipation. After much experimentation, I’ve found that one stopper full of liquid pediatric iron put into prune juice keeps my belly happy and my body healthy. Check with your doctor and see what your best option(s) are and don’t wait to feel better!