Halloween Season Meditation

 This is our last pause before the holiday season rushes in and for some, Halloween marks the end of the year or cycle as a new one begins. Whatever your beliefs are, this meditation helps ground us and prepare for the new year soon approaching.

If you are fortunate enough to have a hearth or outdoor firepit, do this meditation while enjoying the glow of a real fire. Otherwise, use your imagination or YouTube provides countless fireplace videos to use as a background.

First, turn off all distractions and get comfortable in your seat. Close your eyes or lower your gaze and begin to focus on your breath. Don't force the breath, just become aware of its rhythm. Notice if it becomes stuck anywhere, its pace, if it's shallow. If need be, place a hand on your belly and feel it rise and fall with the breath. As we change our breath, we change our emotion. Allow inhale and exhale to slow down and stay present with the breath. Do this for about five minutes until you begin to feel yourself relax a bit more, the mind slowing down its thoughts.

Now, place your hands wherever its comfortable and visualize a roaring, crackling fire warming your skin. Its flames dancing and licking the glowing hot logs. This is a holy fire, the Diving fire of Grace, God or the Universe. Fire not only destroys but also transforms and provides. We will play with all three aspects in this meditation.

Bring to mind three habits, aspects, thoughts or thought patterns, feelings you want to let go. Whether they are negative self talk or aspects of your personality that no longer serve you, hold you back from being happy, or confine you. Mentally write each one down on a piece of paper, thank them for protecting you in the past and then toss each one into the fire. As they burn, feel yourself being freed from these invisible chains to well-being, a burden lifted off your soul. By "destroying" these negative patterns we create space, clear sacred ground for something new. 

What do you want more of? Peace, love, financial security, good health? Conjure up three life changes that will bring you more happiness. Once identified, which one will possibly bring you all of them? Drill down to the original seed that will sprout and grow into contentment for you. This is the seed you will plant and cultivate in this sacred ground you cleared. You are always welcome to add more seeds. But for now let us start with one. 

Now comes the transformation. What concrete steps will you take to achieve this life change? As you cannot just plant a seed and expect it to reach its full potential without nurturing it, so it goes with what we want to create in our lives. Choose three to five concrete actions, big or small, you can take right now or in the immediate future and mentally jot them down on pieces of paper. View these as offerings to make and toss into the Divine Fire. 

Next, how will this life change feel inside you? How will it provide and transform your life? See the change as if it has already happened, feel it in your soul, your mind and body. What we think, we create. By providing our desire with a positive, nurturing environment to flourish we encourage the change to occur.

Take the next few minutes to silently sit with your elevated emotions and lean into it.

Happy Autumn Season to you 

WALK YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS

 

We have a saying in the exercise community " The slower your steps, the closer you are to Death". OK, not uplifting but you get the point. Two relatively new studies highlight the truth in that saying. The conclusion from them was that no matter what your race, sex, comorbidities or diet the following held true. 

To live longer, those who took 7,000+ steps daily were 50% less likely to die early. Take 9,000 steps and that increases to 70%. And no, taking more than 10,000 steps did not make a difference in mortality. So the sweet spot seems to be 7,000-8,000 steps daily including 30-45 minutes of intentional exercise most days of the week. What kind of exercise you ask? They include swimming, tennis, biking, jogging, weightlifting, aerobic exercise, soccer...anything that will get your heart rate up for 30-45 minutes. That can include fast walking or hiking as well. Those who exercised MORE than 10 hours a week lost 1/3 of mortality benefits. This is not the first study to mention how TOO much exercise can be bad for you.

How to get started on an exercise program? If you have been sedentary for a while, start with a visit to your PCP for a general check up and mention your plan on starting an exercise program. Once cleared for exercise, the best gift you can give yourself is to meet with a Certified Personal Trainer to get started. Some Trainers, such as myself, are also Certified Nutritionists and you can add on that service for a weight loss program. 

If you cannot afford a Personal Trainer, no problem. There are plenty of sites online that can help you get started. Start with tracking your steps for 3 days. Strap on a wearable fitness tracker, such as Apple Watch or Fitbit (I love my Fitbit), and wear it from morning till night. Most smart phones have a Health App preinstalled and track your steps, but you would have to carry your phone everywhere and unless you're a Millenial or a Gen Z'er you probably don't. This will give you a good idea of how many steps you are taking already. To increase your steps, add 1,000 steps to what you are already doing regularly for a week and see how you do. Once you have reached that goal consistently ( 6 out of 7 days), add another 1,000. And so on till you reach your goal. 

Small ways to increase your steps include the following: 

1. Park further away, not only will you add steps but your car won't get dinged as much! If parking in a strip center where you will shop at a couple of different stores, park in between both places and walk back and forth from there. 

2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. 

3. Master the art of inefficiency. Instead of gathering a bunch of items and moving them from one room to another in one trip, try taking several trips. As I get older this becomes easier, since I forget what I need in that room half the time now LOL. So my forgetfulness is benefiting my steps.

4. Get a dog! Or walk your dog every day if you do not already. When I first got my Fitbit I was obsessed with making my steps. So if by evening I was going to fall short, I would grab the leash and take my Aussie for a second walk. She loved it and we both lost weight!

5. Find a walking buddy. Exercise is not only more fun but a buddy holds you accountable. You are more likely to stick to your exercise routine if there is another person counting on you. Neighbors make great walking buddies!

These are easy ways to add steps into your daily life. Exercise not only helps us live longer but it increases our quality of life, reduces cardiovascular disease, diabetes and several cancers. Not to mention the mental and emotional benefits it brings. So grab a pair of walking shoes and head out the door!

The studies I mention in this article can be found here, JAMA and Mayo Clinic

Could Testosterone Ward Off Disease?

 There is an article in this month's Scientific American title "Women At Risk". You need a subscription to read but here is a Free article which includes much of what is in the paid one.

It is common knowledge women account for 80% of autoimmune diseases in this country. Let us be grateful there are many more female medical researchers now who actually CARE about this topic. Multiple studies show Testosterone plays a large role in suppressing autoimmune diseases. Men with low T develop these diseases at a higher rate than men with higher T.  It seems Testosterone regulates gut microbes, which influence autoimmunity in the body, but the mechanics as to why are not understood.

It is believed hormonal changes play a large role in autoimmune disease, specifically estrogen levels. However, since women have lower Testosterone than men, lab researchers have been studying the effects of added T to see if it suppresses or protects female mice from these diseases. It does. But it's not just rats who are trying this out. Desperate patients are now seeing dramatic results from bio identical Testosterone in controlling their disease. I am not a doctor but as a woman I believe women deserve to have the power of knowledge to make decisions about their own health. Testosterone therapy in women is NOT new, despite what the American patriarchal medical society might tell you. It has been administered in Europe for Decades! As a side note, European doctors noticed a protective effect in breast cancer for post menopausal women on Testosterone.

Although not much is understood about autoimmune diseases, here are a few things you can do to lower your chances. Stress plays a role as well as smoking and obesity, so those are within our control. Every year, women should have their thyroid checked. This is paramount and many PCP's fail at this. So ask to have your thyroid levels checked and learn to check your own for nodules. Wish I had known this before being diagnosed last year with a thyroid nodule that is 2cm in diameter. My doctor failed me, don't let yours do the same.

The disparities in funding and research on women's health issues is a problem. Until that is corrected, we as women need to be our own best advocates. The internet is a great source of information, just be sure to check sources first. Do not limit yourself to American research. Europe is ahead of us when it comes to medical research in general.

Arthritis and Food: The Missing Link

 That bone you fractured as a teenager healed well but decades later you may notice some inflammation and stiffness there. Those achy knee joints, tendinitis and stiffness in the mornings are probable signs of arthritis but did you know the foods we eat can help or hinder it? 

I can personally attest to the amazing benefits of Fish Oil on my own body. A few weeks after stopping my daily Complete Omega supplement, my knees and elbow joints began aching. Noticeably. Every day. When I restarted it, all of it disappeared. It is a well studied fact that fish oil, especially Omega 3 fatty acids, reduces inflammation in the body reducing pain and joint stiffness. Vitamin D3 has also shown to reduce the effects of arthritis. Did you know Vitamin D is considered a hormone?

A daily supplement is a great idea if approved by your doctor. Some medical conditions contraindicate it so please check with a medical professional first.

Fatty fish, Olive oil, Walnuts, Cruciferous Vegetables, Tart Cherry Juice, Ginger and Berries, among others, all help lower inflammation in the body. Studies are finding a strong correlation between chronic inflammation and many diseases, including cancer.

Foods to avoid and known to increase inflammation? 

Limit these foods: Red and processed Meat, Oils high in Omega 6 such as corn, sunflower, soy. Sugar and refined simple carbs, Fried foods, alcohol. I would add to this list any foods you are personally either allergic to or intolerant to.

An easy way to adhere to an arthritis friendly diet is the Mediterranean Diet. 

BTW, my 9 year old Australian Shepherd takes a daily Complete Omega pill! They are expensive but recommended by my vet. So...after a couple of years of having her on these I thought, why am I not taking them too? Aren't I worth it? My dog lives better than I do LOL

I recently had a Personal Training client mention he was stiff and sore from working out so I had him add Fish Oil to his daily diet. He told me within a couple of weeks he could feel the difference! Much better than taking NSAIDS or prescription anti-inflammatory pills right?

                                                                                            

New Study Expands on Link Between Caffeine & Exercise Benefits

First off, only add caffeine to your routine if your health allows it. I began drinking 2 cups of Joe on the mornings I perform cardio exercise. I usually drink green tea but caffeine increases your metabolism allowing the body to burn more calories during and after exercise. This study expands on that and shows afternoon exercise actually conferred MORE benefits than morning workouts. That said, I cannot tolerate caffeine in the afternoon as it interrupts my sleep. And sleep is paramount for recovery, physical and mental.

I did notice I burn more calories, thanks to my handy Fitbit, when I added coffee on those days. It's something to consider doing if you can.

Here is Link to Study:

Caffeine & Exercise Burn More Calories 

2021 Health Goals Off the Rails? Hit Reset

 

Gyms are starting to reopen around the country but did you know that at least 70% of weight loss comes from a healthy diet NOT exercise? That's right, exercise is awesome for heart and lung conditioning and sure it burns calories but you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet.

As a certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist thru ISSA, I am sharing 5 easy tips to help you reset your 2021 Health goals.

1. Write down your health goals(yes, with a pen). Be specific. For example, I want to lose 20 lbs is not specific. What steps are you going to take to get there? Time frame? Be realistic. It takes a deficit of 500 calories a day to lose one pound a week. 

2. Keep a food journal ( I saw the eye roll). There are free apps like My Fitness Pal that make this super easy to do. MFP will even help you set a weight goal and will log your exercise calories in for you. You can set your macro nutrient percentages of protein, carbohydrates and fat in here as well. A food journal keeps you accountable. We underestimate how many calories we eat. Log every single thing you eat and caloric drinks. 

3. Find out what your BMI (Body Mass Index) and what your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) are. There are plenty of free online calculators to help you with this. Your goal is to get your BMI to a healthy level and your RMR tells you how many calories your body burns daily just to stay alive! If you can, find out what your body fat and lean mass percentages are so you can see your progress as you lose weight.

4. Plan an exercise program if you don't already have one. Most gyms have personal trainers that will give you a monthly exercise routine or you can hire me to make one for you. You will want a mix of resistance/strength training, aerobic activity, stretching and balance exercises. In your aerobic/cardio exercise consider adding one HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It's only 20 minutes long and an important component to fitness. Consider investing in a fitness smart watch like Fitbit or a cellphone health app to help you keep track of your exercise and calories burned.

5. Last but not least, Be Kind to Yourself!! There will be setbacks, focus on the long term. Every action, every step you take towards your goals no matter how small, COUNT. Use positive reinforcement, speak kindly to yourself and surround yourself with a tribe that will help you with your journey.

You are making a lifelong change, after all.  If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live?