For the next few weeks, I'd like to peel back the curtain on my own continuing health journey hoping to encourage all of you.
Drift Happens.
What I mean is there's always motion, either trending toward a positive result or back to where we began. Although Newton would disagree, [and anyone who studied physics].
When we are at rest, like not doing anything to improve our outcomes - we drift back rapidly.
What this might look like;
Sitting and scrolling through all the Instagram posts of everybody else nailing it.
Choosing to numb my discouragement with foods that don't love me back.
Feeling a general discontenment with everything around me.
Finding fault in others.
Staying up too late and tossing in bed, instead of getting a restful night's sleep.
Buying something I really don't need.
Isolating myself from others.
I've experienced ALL of these!
When I drift, I loose momentum and everything I've determined to do stops. This then leads to eating to numb my feelings, by finding a dopamine hit with food and then sinking into despair and self-loothing.
UGH - Do you ever feel this way?
We've Got It All Wrong.
Our bodies are amazing and are always working toward balance, in spite of eveything we do. Those messages that continue to ring in our ears that tell us to;
eat less, move more
fat makes you fat
low calorie is your best choice
if it tastes too good, it's probably bad for you, etc...
need to be silenced in order for us to finally break free and begin to actually heal.
How Am I Moving Forward Now.
Focus on protein- especially at breakfast. We need to be eating at least 30 grams of protein at breakfast to be truly nourished and satisfied. This allows us to enjoy a full 5+ window of not eating.
When we give our body enough time between meals, we can actually fully digest what we ate. Also, with a longer time between meals, the more stored fat can be utilized for energy.
If we continually snack, graze or nibble throughout the day, insulin is continually signaled which keeps us in a fat storage mode.
We cannot burn stored fat while insulin remains high.
Wake early- and go outside to watch the sunrise. Circadian is a free app that allows you to set 3 reminders each day to improve your circadian rhythm. I chose;
See the sunrise outside
See the sunset outside
Go to bed at the same time.
This is not perfection because of course I can ignore the alert, but it has really helped me to be mindful of improving my internal body clock.
Benefits.
Mood booster.
Improved sleep.
Better hunger cues.
Improved mental function - attention, memory and problem-solving abilities.
Lower risk of chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Increase my steps - I'm trying to walk more every day. I have a goal of between 10,000 - 12,000 steps which is about 5+ miles. I have found so many positive benefits of getting outside and moving and I always feel better mentally when I return. This sets me up to consider other ways I can support my health. I love walking because it requires only a good pair of shoes. I can listen to a book, music or an encouraging nutrition podcast which makes the time go by so fast.
Lift heavy things- this is a very new part of my health journey. I have noticed in the last few years that I'm definitely loosing muscle, which is NOT good for us older adults. Sarcopenia is the fancy-pants term for muscle loss or muscle atrophy that's caused primarily by the natural aging process.
By our 30's we begin to lose muscle mass and function.
Physically inactive adults can loose as much as 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30 so it's crucial that we pay attention to adding resistance/strength training to our weekly routine. In as little as two weeks of consistant strength training our abulity to convert protein to energy improves along with better hormone conversion. So along with walking daily, I'm adding weight bearing exercises several times a week. I'd strongly suggest finding someone to help you learn the basics so that you can avoid injury.
Avoid blue light after sunset - I've purchased blue light-blocking glasses to wear in the evening. I put them on at sunset until bedtime. Blue light is almost unavoidable due to our use of screens, smart phones, iPads, etc. Blue light is a very short wavelength found at the far end of the light spectrum that produces a much higher amound of energy. This is great during daylight hours, but harmful after the sun sets. It disrupts our sleep paterns by stimulating the brain at night which reduces the amount of melatonin our body produces so we have poorer sleep. Blue light blockers filter out certain waves emitted by both the sun and whatever digital device we use.
Limiting our exposure to blue light by just 20% will improve our sleep, reduce migraines and eye strain.
Avoid added sugars- is this hard for you? As a nutrition coach, I know all the reasons why - yet I struggle. Every day I want something sweet and sometimes I give in and eat too much added sugar. This of course makes the next day harder. What I'm trying to figure out is how to increase my mid-day meal adding more fats and protein to make sure I'm fully satieted. This has been a work in progress and I haven't found the magic amount of fats and protein yet.
What I do know is that we all have an internal drive to find sweet and the more sweet we eat, the more we will want to eat it.
Fruit can be helpful for some, but consuming too much fruit can over load our system requiring a huge delivery of insulin. Try berries, kiwi, slightly ripe bananas or green apples for a lower insulin response.
This is not an exhaustive list nor is it something you should do. I'm hoping my transparency in this journey encourages you to consider what could move your needle?
I'd love to join you in exploring how to make small manageable changes for better health outcomes.
Join me in June for- Move The Needle.
A 4-week online class that digs deep into our Habits, Health and Roadblocks.
Begins Tuesday June 4th, 7-8pm. Cost - $99.
Have you become discouraged with your progress?
Do you feel like you are a failure and nothing will work for you?
Are you weary of loosing the same pounds over and over again?
Would you like to finally find a practical way to move away from the diet model to a permanent health pathway?
June is a great month to begin a life-long change. Stop the diet strategies, calorie deficits, exercise programs and begin to look at your health from a true perspective that we are wonderfully made and designed to thrive.
You can get on the waitlist now.
209.484-5999/ https://www.janlindquistntp.com
Thanks for reading,
Jan
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