I read an article in the New York Times recently about sleep and the risk to our health if we just don’t get enough. There is significant research that links the lack of sleep with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, premature aging, and weight gain. A few years ago I had the fortune of spending some time in the Sahara desert and I remember feeling ready to go to bed really early, around 7:30pm or so. The reason was because there was no, I mean absolutely no, light! When our eyes register that there is no light, a cascade of chemical processes begin and we start to ease into sleep. When we have bright lights, computer monitors, and TV’s bombarding us with artificial light that chemical process does not happen as easily. So, to help yourself sleep better try turning down the brightness on your tv and computer as the sun goes down. Most monitors and tvs have a night time setting and they are well worth it to use. Also, make sure your bathroom lights aren’t too bright and shining directly into your eyes when you are brushing your teeth just before bed. ~Think Vitality photo from...
I had the pleasure of attending a qi gong seminar this weekend presented by Dr. Steven Aung. I first met Dr. Aung several years ago when I lived in Edmonton and didn’t know that there were others places in Canada that didn’t have snow 10 months of the year! He was/is a family physician, a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor, an acupuncturist, and a high level qi gong master. He is a source of unique experience and wisdom. One of the most important lessons I learned was one that I have been noticing myself over the last couple of years; if you want to be healthy you must keep it simple. During the question and answer period, Dr. Aung seemed to endlessly welcome questions and he kept his responses centralized around a main theme- kindness and compassion. Bear in mind that Dr. Aung is a respected scientist and geriatric specialist and has spent a large portion of his professional career prescribing pharmaceuticals for disease. After years of careful observation he has seen the need for calming the mind, letting go of anger and fear, and approaching the world with kindness and compassion. Drugs and serious medical intervention have their role to play in our health and healing but so does our mind and the way we see the world and interact with it. Practicing compassion is central to Eastern philosophy and studies show that it can lower blood pressure, decrease respiration rate, reduce cortisol, and decrease inflammation. So, perform a little act of kindness and compassion today and know that it will benefit the world and your health! ~Think...
Last night I heard Brendan Brazier speak about his new book “Thrive Fitness.” Brendan is a professional Ironman athlete that happens to be vegan. He has developed a line of whole food supplements called “Vega” that he credits for helping him reach his fitness goals. I have read both “Thrive Diet” and “Thrive Fitness” so I was interested to hear him speak about his area of expertise. It seems like there is always a new study, or research article that comes out telling us what we can and cannot do to keep ourselves healthy. I think it leaves the majority of people confused, overwhelmed and unable to take any action. Brendan’s approach was largely based on his own experience, real results, and listening to feedback from other athletes. He keeps his message very simple- eat real, whole foods. He spoke about how it takes a lot more energy to digest processed food compared to whole veggies, nuts, seeds, pseudo-grains and fruits. By using less energy to digest our food we have more energy to heal out bodies. I have seen many times how important it is to keep things simple. While I may not subscribe to the idea of veganism (because it is very difficult to stay healthy without becoming obsessive about food) I think we can all benefit from infusing our diets with good, vibrant, whole foods; like this! Blueberry, Spinach, Maca, Coconut Cocoa Breakfast Shake ~Think...
Over the last 40 years the average caloric intake has increase substantially. After the invention of “processed” foods following World War II, North Americans have experienced an increase in heart attack, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other obesity related illnesses. Having access to nutrition-less and high calorie foods is just one aspect to the increase in obesity. The other factor is simply overeating. Contrary to what you might think, you can still gain weight from eating too much of a well balanced, healthy diet too. It is harder to over consume calories when you are eating greens, veggies, lean meat and fish but it is still possible. You may remember hearing about The Okinawa Program that was popular a few years ago. This was a study of the people of Okinawa, an island in Japan, where people commonly lived beyond 100 years of age. Several factors contributed to their longevity and vibrant health. One of them was called “Hara hachi bu.” This means “Eat to 80% fullness.” Stopping before you are 100% full can really help your digestive and metabolic health. It is important to eat until you are nutritionally and emotionally satisfied but then stop. You can always have more later when your stomach is empty. Make it a rule to only eat until you are 80% full. I have seen several people eat exactly what they normally eat and lose weight following this concept. Until next time… ~Think...
I have been carefully watching the work of Jamie Oliver and the Food Revolution over the last few months. If you haven’t heard, Jamie is a chef from Essex who has been around food all his life. He has a cooking show called “The Naked Chef” and has turned his attention toward helping people – through cooking! His most recent project has been “The Food Revolution” where he addresses obesity in North American and poor nutrition. The reason I have found his mission interesting is because he is not saying anything ‘revolutionary’ at all, just simple common sense. We need to eat real foods. If it is something that comes out of a package, has ingredients you don’t recognize, or has been processed, you just don’t eat it. I have looked at some of Jamie’s recipes and they are… okay. They are not always as nutrient-dense as I would like as he uses a little too much pasta, but what I do like is that he is educating and inspiring people. We should be excited about life, our health, our relationships, our careers, our interests, and our foods! If you are feeling blah about your dinner tonight, try something new and easy. Try a new spice, a different flavour, a new vegetable, or a meat or fish that you haven’t had before. You just might be inspired! Just to let you know, I am still following the 30 Day Vitality Challenge and keeping my side of the bargain! My main objective is to hopefully encourage others (maybe even you!) to do the same. Day 10 Went for a 25...
