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THE IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTING MUSCLE LOSS AS WE AGE
Many people over the age of 50, can develop a condition called sarcopenia, which essentially means a decline in muscle mass as we age. Sarcopenia begins as early as age 40 and, without intervention, gets increasingly worse, with as much as half of muscle mass lost by age 70. (If you’re wondering, it’s replaced by fat and fibrous tissue, making muscles resemble a well-marbled steak.) In essence, sarcopenia is to muscle as osteoporosis is to bone. Studies show that up to 13 percent of people in their 60s and as many as half of those in their 80s have sarcopenia. It is one of the biggest causes of functional decline and loss of independence in older adults. The good news is that no matter how old or out of shape you are, you can restore much of the strength you already lost through exercise and nutrition, particularly adequate protein, the main constituent of healthy muscle tissue. Protein needs are based on a person’s ideal body weight, so if you’re overweight or underweight, subtract or add pounds to determine how much protein you should eat each day. To enhance muscle mass, older people, who absorb protein less effectively, require at least 0.54 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight, an amount well above what older people typically consume. Thus, if you are a sedentary aging adult who should weigh 150 pounds, you may need to eat as much as 81 grams (0.54 x 150) of protein daily. To give you an idea of how this translates into food, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has 8 grams of protein; 1 cup of nonfat milk, 8.8 grams; 2 medium eggs, 11.4 grams; one chicken drumstick, 12.2 grams; a half-cup of cottage cheese, 15 grams; and 3 ounces of flounder, 25.5 grams. Or if you prefer turkey to fish, 3 ounces has 26.8 grams of protein. Most people accept the loss of muscle, bone, and all the downsides that follow as a natural part of aging. But studies show you can slow and delay these processes by years or even decades with a muscle strengthening program that works your entire body. Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging found that doing just two resistance-training sessions each week can reverse the age-related cellular damage that contributes to sarcopenia and functional impairment. “Resistance training is the closest thing to the fountain of youth that we have,” said Brad Schoenfeld, an assistant professor of exercise science and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Lehman College in New York. One of the worst parts about losing muscle as we age is that we also get fatter. The average person gains about a pound of fat a year in middle age. That means that our bodies undergo a striking change in composition, with muscle-melting away and fat creeping in to take its place. This reshaping of the body reduces your metabolic rate because muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which causes things to get worse and worse. But a recent landmark study provided some reassuring news. It looked at the effects of diet and exercise programs on 250 people over the age of 60 to compare how the programs affected their fat and muscle composition. The subjects were split into three groups. One was assigned to follow a program that cut about 300 calories a day from their diets. Another group cut calories and did about 45 minutes of aerobic exercise four times a week. And a third group cut calories while embarking on a resistance-training program. The results were striking. The subjects that combined both diet and exercise lost the most amount of weight, about 20 pounds on average. But what’s really interesting is that the group that did aerobic exercise lost 16 pounds of fat and four pounds of muscle – while the group that did resistance training lost more fat (18 pounds) and less muscle (only two pounds). Strength training requires little special equipment—(1) a sturdy chair(that will not slip or rock, (2) light weights of 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 8 pounds so you can increase the weight as you get stronger, and (3) exercise space. In addition, good shoes are essential for any exercise. For strength training, try athletic shoes with good support, such as walking, running, or cross-training sneakers. The sole should be rubber, but not too thick, because fat soles may cause you to trip. Determine when you are best able to fit strength training into your schedule. Stick to it as you would any appointment. There are no rules about the best time to exercise. But keep in mind that you should exercise on three non-consecutive days of the week (say, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). This gives your muscles a proper rest. You can also try doing lower body exercises one day and then upper body exercises the next. This way, you will avoid overworking the same muscle groups. A terrific resource to show you exactly what exercises to do can be found at the following link (jump directly to Chapter 5): https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/growing_stronger.pdf Never start an exercise program without consulting your physician about what is best for you.
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SALT CRAVINGS
We often think about craving sugar. But what about salt? So many of my clients (and I include myself in this) crave salty things. Why? Well, salt cravings can be due to a vitamin/mineral deficiency and/or an addiction to salt because it stimulates the dopamine pleasure receptors in our brains. Generally, both deficiency and addiction come into play, particularly since our food industry creates, targets, and “feeds” our sugar and salt addictions. (Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss is an interesting read!) So, what can we do? 1. FIRST-- let’s look at the vitamins and minerals you need as part of a healthy diet: Calcium and Magnesium: Low levels of these two minerals—which often go hand in hand—prime you for sugar and salt cravings. Low magnesium levels, specifically, are known to trigger chocolate cravings. Both stress and eating too much sugar can deplete your calcium and magnesium stores further, worsening cravings and making you a prime stress-eating candidate. (A) Food: Get your calcium fix from dairy products like yogurt, kefir, and cheese; bone-in sardines; and dark leafy greens. Hit your magnesium quota by downing nuts, seeds, potato skins, dairy, and broccoli. (B) Supplements: Calcium with Vitamin D—I like Citracal plus D slow release: Magnesium 400 mg. B Vitamins: This class of vitamins is important because it helps your body deal with stress. B vitamins like B1 and B5 keep your adrenal glands functioning properly, and B6 and B9 aid in the formation of certain neurotransmitters that help regulate mood and make you feel good. In periods of high stress, your body uses up these vitamins more quickly, making you prone to the effects of stress—like overeating—if your levels aren't sufficient. Other things that deplete our vitamin B include caffeine, alcohol, refined sugars, and medications like NSAIDs (Advil, etc). (A) Food: B vitamins are found in a wide array of meats, seafood, dairy, and produce such as dark leafy greens, bananas, potatoes, avocados, egg yolks, chicken, salmon, and yogurt—so ensure you're getting enough variety in your diet. Big salads are perhaps the best way to get these vitamins. But vegetarians and vegans don’t get any source of Vitamin B from food, so be sure to take a supplement! (B) Supplements: Find a good Vitamin B complex because that will give you the proper balance of the essential vitamins and doses you need. Zinc: This mineral tends to be low in older people and anyone under a lot of stress—hello, that's like everyone. It's not so much that low zinc makes you crave, but it does significantly dull your sense of taste, prompting you to add more salt and sugar to foods while seeking out extra sugary and salty items before you're truly satisfied. (A) Food: This mineral isn't easy to find, but it's most prevalent in some animal sources like oysters, crab, liver, dark chicken meat, and to a lesser extent, eggs, green peas, and nuts. (B) Supplement: We only need a trace amount of zinc for good health, only about 8-10 mg. However, zinc supplements are generally found in 50 mg and 100 mg tablets. The 50 mg tablet is fine because your body only absorbs about 20% of the zinc in the tablet. DO NOT take the 100 mg tablet, it is too much for almost everyone. 2. Second--let’s address the addiction aspect of your cravings and what you can do about it: (A) Clean out your pantry! Get rid of all the processed and refined foods in your house so that they are simply not there for you to eat and MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO GO ONE WEEK WITHOUT ANY SALTY SNACKS. We can all do something for one week, so let’s start there. The longer you go without salty snacks, the less you will crave them and your taste buds will be far more alert to the saltiness. If complete cold turkey is too difficult, LET’S COMMIT TO THIS: Remove 2 salty snacks from your diet every week. This can be a way to start on the path to getting rid of salt cravings by eliminating them each week. (B) Next--keep a food diary and don’t cheat! It’s actually better if you write down or make note of what you are eating before you actually eat it because it may prevent you from eating the salty snack altogether. Be sure to note how you are feeling and WHY you feel the need for the salty snack. Often, we are eating because of emotions (sadness, loneliness, boredom, anger) and we need to address the emotions, otherwise, we will not get rid of the cravings. Willpower is not enough when cravings and bingeing are related to our emotions and those emotional needs go unaddressed. (C) Be sure to eat 3 meals a day! Often we binge in the evenings because we’ve starved ourselves all day and then we grab the craved food to satisfy us. So, plan on eating 3 meals a day. Include protein and lots of vegetables! Breakfast may be more difficult to fit in vegetables—but be sure to have protein and/or real whole grains such as steel-cut oatmeal or a slice of Ezekiel bread with peanut butter or avocado or an egg. 3. This is probably the most important thing you can remember…BE KIND TO YOURSELF!! Don’t beat yourself up if you give in to a craving (because it’s probably going to happen). Instead, remind yourself that you are human, you are a good person, that you are doing your best…and move on. Don’t get caught up in the silly thought of being “bad” or “good” because of what you ate. Just notice why you ate what you did, how you were feeling at the time, how you felt after, and move on to the next thing in your life. Stay confident and believe in yourself. Consider these affirmations when you are feeling bad or feeling as if you “failed”. Use whichever ones work for you to remind yourself of your inherent goodness and power: 1. I love and respect myself; I am worthy of love. 2. My body is a temple. I want to treat it with love and respect. 3. My body is a gift. 4. Food doesn’t have to be the enemy, it can be nurturing and healing. 5. Life is too short and too precious to waste time obsessing about my body. I am going to take care of it to the best of my ability and get out of my head and into the world. 6. Food doesn’t make me feel better, it just temporarily stops me from feeling what I’m feeling. 7. I have everything inside of me that I need to take care of myself without using food. 8. When I look to others to dictate who I should be or how I should look, I reject who I am. 9. The last thing I should be doing is rejecting myself. Accepting myself as I am right now is the first step in changing, growing, and evolving. When I reject myself, I cannot grow. 10. I can only go forward, so although I can learn from it, I refuse to dwell on the past. With love and kindness, Leighanne These are questions I often get from clients: Which is better, cooked vegetables or raw vegetables? Are raw vegetables always healthier? Do all cooking methods destroy vitamins? What is the best way to cook vegetables to maximize their nutritional value?
First of all, why do we even need vegetables in our diet? “Eat more vegetables” is long-standing advice for a healthy diet – and for good reason. A diet high in vegetables has been tied to a lower risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cataracts, macular degeneration, cognitive decline and digestive-tract cancers. Thanks to their protective mix of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals, vegetables are thought to help decrease inflammation, fend off harmful free radicals and boost immunity. Health benefits: To reap their maximum nutritional benefits, though, you need to cook them right. While all cooking methods alter the nutrient composition of vegetables (and fruits), some destroy particular nutrients while others actually enhance nutrient content. Which vitamins are most likely to be destroyed by cooking? Vitamin C and many of the B vitamins are the most unstable nutrients when it comes to cooking. Because they're water-soluble, they leach out of vegetables into the cooking water. If you boil your vegetables or microwave using too much water, you'll end up with less thiamine, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and a lot less vitamin C. According to a review by researchers at the University of California, Davis, as much as 55 per cent of the vitamin C in vegetables is lost during home cooking (compared with raw). Vitamin C is also easily degraded by heat. Polyphenols – phytochemicals plentiful in kale, spinach and broccoli – are also susceptible to degradation during cooking. Fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, E and K are more stable and fare better during cooking. So do carotenoids (e.g., beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, lutein), antioxidants found in leafy greens, carrots, winter squash, sweet potato and, in the case of lycopene, tomatoes. Water is the enemy when it comes to nutrient losses during cooking. That's why steaming is one of the best methods to preserve easily damaged nutrients, such as vitamin C and many B vitamins. Since vegetables don't come in contact with cooking water during steaming, more vitamins are retained. Dry cooking methods such as grilling, roasting and stir-frying also retain a greater amount of nutrients than boiling. If you prefer to boil your vegetables, save the nutrient-rich cooking water to add to soups and sauces. Contrary to popular belief, microwaving does not kill nutrients in vegetables. In fact, it may outrank steaming when it comes to retaining antioxidants. A 2009 report in the Journal of Food Science found that compared with boiling, pressure cooking and baking, microwave cooking helped maintain the highest levels of antioxidants in beans, beets, artichoke, asparagus, garlic, onion and spinach. Microwave cooking increased antioxidant activity in eggplant, corn, peppers and Swiss chard. On the other hand, boiling and pressure cooking led to the greatest antioxidant losses. Cornell researchers found that spinach retained nearly all of its folate when microwaved but lost most of the B vitamin when boiled on the stove. Microwave ovens use less heat than many other cooking methods and involve shorter cooking times. If you use a minimal amount of water and don't overcook your vegetables, microwave cooking is a nutritional win. (A 2003 study concluded that microwaving destroyed most of the antioxidants in broccoli – but the researchers had added far too much water.) Are raw vegetables healthier than cooked? Many people think raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked, but that's not always the case. Cooking vegetables breaks down the plants' cell walls, releasing more of the nutrients bound to those cell walls. Cooked vegetables supply more antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene, than they do when raw. Cooked vegetables also deliver more minerals. Spinach, beet greens and Swiss chard are high in calcium, but a compound called oxalic acid binds with calcium. Heating releases bound calcium, making more of the mineral available for the body to absorb. Cooking vegetables also increases the amount of magnesium and iron that are available to the body. But, in some cases vegetables may be better for you raw than cooked. Cruciferous vegetables – cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts – contain an enzyme called myrosinase, which, when you chop or chew these vegetables, converts glucosinolates (phytochemicals) to anti-cancer compounds called isothiocyanates. The problem: Myrosinase is easily destroyed by heat. Cooking cruciferous vegetables reduces the conversion of glucosinolates to their active isothiocyanates, which may reduce their cancer-fighting potential. According to research published in 2009, steaming led to the lowest loss of glucosinolates in broccoli while stir-frying and boiling (both higher-heat cooking methods) caused the greatest loss. Are frozen vegetables less nutritious? Cooking isn't the only way vegetables can lose nutrients. Before fresh vegetables reach your steamer basket or microwave, some of their nutritional value can be degraded during the time they're transported to a distribution center, displayed in the grocery store and stored in your refrigerator. When possible, buy produce from farmers' markets to reduce the time from harvest to table. When vegetables are out of season, consider frozen. Frozen vegetables closely match the nutrient content of their freshly picked counterparts because they're flash-frozen at peak ripeness, a time when they're most nutrient-packed. (Vegetables that are shipped to the produce section of grocery stores are usually picked before they are ripe, giving them less time to develop their full nutritional potential. The bottom line: No one cooking method will preserve 100 per cent of the nutrients and protective phytochemicals in vegetables. So don’t limit yourself to one cooking method or eating only salad. Eat your vegetables roasted, grilled, steamed, boiled in a soup, microwaved and raw. Enjoy them fresh (locally grown when possible) and frozen. The more variety you have, the more likely you are to eat them. And that's the whole point.
Fiber-Rich Foods to Add to Your Diet
· Lentils = 1 cup has 16 grams of fiber · Black beans = 1 cup has 15 grams of fiber · Pistachios = 1 cup has 13 grams of fiber · Prunes = 1 cup has 12 grams of fiber · Corn = 1 cup has 12 grams of fiber · Chickpeas = 1 cup has 10.6 grams of fiber · Artichokes = 1 artichoke has 10 grams of fiber · Peas = 1 cup has 9 grams of fiber · Oatmeal = 1 cup has 8 grams of fiber · Raspberries = 1 cup has 8 grams of fiber · Avocado = ½ avocado has 7 grams of fiber · Pears = 1 medium unpeeled pear has 6 grams of fiber · Chia seeds = 1 tablespoon has 5 grams of fiber · Brown rice (REAL brown rice, not the brown colored instant rice, I mean the rice that takes a good 20 minutes to make) = 1 cup has 4 grams of fiber · Apples = 1 small, unpeeled apple has 4 grams of fiber · Broccoli = 1 cup has 2.4 grams of fiber · Kale = 1 cup has 2.6 grams of fiber · Spinach = 1 cup has 4.3 grams of fiber · Celery = 1 cup has 1.6 grams of fiber · Dark chocolate = 1 ounce has 3.1 grams of fiber (remind people that one ounce is VERY small amount and it should be good quality) THE MANY BENEFITS OF FIBER, WHY WE NEED IT, AND HOW WE CAN EASILY ADD MORE FIBER TO OUR DIETS3/2/2022 WHAT IS FIBER?
Dietary fiber is an essential component of a healthful diet, with research linking a high fiber diet with reduced risks of many health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Fiber is also important for keeping the gut healthy. Most people in America do not meet their adequate daily requirement of fiber. People can increase this measure by eating more high fiber foods, fruits and vegetables with the skins on, or by taking fiber supplements if this is not possible. But as with any supplement, it is never as beneficial as getting fiber from real food. Fiber is a natural (and healthy) carbohydrate. When you look at nutrition labels, you may see fiber labeled as soluble or insoluble. Soluble fiber (found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, peas and some fruits and vegetables) absorbs water, which transforms it into a gel-like substance that slows digestion. Soluble fiber may reduce blood cholesterol and sugar. It helps your body improve blood glucose control, which can aid in reducing your risk for diabetes. In contrast, insoluble fiber speeds digestion by adding bulk to the stool; it is found in whole grains, wheat bran and some types of vegetables. Insoluble fiber attracts water into your stool, making it softer and easier to pass with less strain on your bowel. Insoluble fiber can help promote bowel health and regularity. It also supports insulin sensitivity, and, like soluble fiber, may help reduce your risk for diabetes. Most plants (which is where fiber comes from) have both types, but usually more of one than the other. Both types of fiber are healthy. A fiber-rich diet makes you feel full faster, so it helps you maintain a healthy weight. It has also been linked with easier weight loss and lower risk of diabetes. The recommended amount of daily fiber is a minimum of 25 grams of for women and 38 grams for men. The average adult only eats 15 grams of fiber per day. TOP TEN BENEFITS OF FIBER Research has shown that a diet rich in fiber is associated with many health benefits, including the following: 1. Better regulates blood sugar levels: Fiber, especially the soluble type, found in psyllium, bran, and legumes slows the absorption of sugar from the intestines. This steadies the blood sugar level and lessens the ups and downs of insulin secretion. When you eat foods high in fiber, such as beans and whole grains, the sugar in those foods is absorbed slower, which keeps your blood glucose levels from rising too fast. This is good for you because spikes in glucose fall rapidly, which can make you feel hungry soon after eating and lead to overeating. Many high-fiber foods are also low on the glycemic index, which is a scale that ranks how much a food will impact blood sugar levels. This results in fewer sugar spikes, which helps to prevent constant cravings and acts as a natural appetite suppressant 2. Constipation: Insoluble fibers, mainly the cellulose in skins of fruits and vegetables and the husks of grains help prevent constipation; their sponge effect absorbs a lot of water into the stools, making them soft and bulky. This type of stool stimulates the intestines to contract in an undulating way, called peristalsis, which sweeps stools along — the broom effect of fiber. In cultures that typically eat higher fiber diets, people tend to produce stools that are softer, larger, and more frequent, unlike the smaller, harder, and less frequent stools associated with the typical Western diet. 3. Fiber helps you breathe more easily – and it also helps lower your risk of developing lung cancer. Fiber promotes lung health in several important ways, including reduction of inflammation and the promotion of healthy levels of gut bacteria. It improves lung health overall and also promotes, respiratory function and reduces COPD risk as well. 4. Fiber helps you sleep more deeply too! A study just published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine compared the effects of different foods on slow-wave sleep (also called deep sleep). They found that when study participants ate the recommended diet, which included high-fiber foods low in saturated fat and sugar, they fell asleep faster and had longer periods of deeply restful sleep. 5. Fiber lowers breast cancer risk – particularly when young women eat a fiber-rich diet. Scientists have long been aware that eating plenty of fiber helps lower a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, in part by binding to estrogen, which is associated with breast cancer developments. Now a new study from Harvard reports that for every additional 10g of dietary fiber eaten daily by women in adolescence and young adulthood, breast cancer risk is lowered 13%. 6. Fiber promotes healthy intestinal bacteria: Fiber promotes overall intestinal health by discouraging the growth of harmful bacteria in the intestines and encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria. This is thought to contribute to the lowered risk of colorectal cancer associated with a high-fiber diet. Fiber also contributes to a friendlier intestinal environment – the friendly bacteria in the colon ferment fiber into short-chain fatty acids, healthy nutrients that can be used by the body. The friendly bacteria in the intestines seem to prefer rice bran and barley bran, balanced sources of soluble and insoluble fiber, to make these nutritious fatty acids. These foods are also rich in vitamin E compounds called “tocotrienols,” which are natural cholesterol-lowering substances. 7. Fiber promotes heart health – and lowers the risk of a second cardiac event in patients who’ve already had one heart attack. The anti-inflammatory benefits of eating fiber are good for the heart too, both in keeping a strong heart healthy and in improving health after heart attack. A recent study found that eating fiber from cereal reduced risk of death in the nine years following a heart attack by 25%, with higher survival linked to higher rates of dietary fiber from cereal. 8. Lowers cholesterol: A diet high in soluble fiber, such as that found in oat bran, whole oats, psyllium, legumes, barley, fruit, and prunes, lowers blood levels of the harmful type of cholesterol (LDL) without lowering the good cholesterol (HDL) levels. This may help reduce the risk of heart disease. 9. May prevent colon cancer: While soluble fiber helps protect against cardiovascular diseases, insoluble fiber protects against colon cancer. Insoluble fiber increases the bulk and speed of food moving through the intestinal tract, which reduces time for harmful substances to build up. Researchers believe that the reduced cancer risk is because fiber moves food more quickly through the digestive system, minimizing cellular exposure to potential carcinogens as it removes waste more efficiently. The health benefits of fiber is clearly seen in cultures where people eat lots of high-fiber food and the incidence of colon cancer is significantly lower. Increasing your consumption of insoluble fiber, such as that found in whole grains, especially wheat bran is one of the most effective dietary changes you can make to decrease your risk of colon cancer. 10. Weight control: A high-fiber diet may help keep you fuller longer, which prevents overeating and hunger between meals. High fiber foods require more chewing, and the prolonged chewing, besides pre-digesting the food, satisfies the appetite so you eat less. Fiber stays in the stomach longer, absorbs water, swells, and helps the eater feel full. Because of this feeling of fullness, people on high fiber diets tend to eat more slowly and eat less, especially less fat. Best fibers for weight control are bran and the pectin from fruits. High-fiber foods are usually less energy-dense, meaning that they have fewer calories for the same volume of food when compared to low fiber foods. SIMPLE WAYS TO INCREASE FIBER IN YOUR DIET · Add fiber to your diet slowly. Too much fiber all at once may cause cramping, bloating, and constipation. · When adding fiber to your diet, be sure to drink adequate fluids (at least 64 ounces or 8 cups per day) to prevent constipation. · Choose products that have a whole grain listed as the first ingredient, not enriched flour. Whole wheat flour is a whole grain--wheat flour is not. · Choose whole grain bread (again, not simply “wheat bread”) with 2-4 grams of dietary fiber per slice. · Choose cereals with at least 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving. · Choose raw fruits and vegetables in place of juice, and eat fruits and vegetables with the skins on, as the skins contain lots of fiber. Aim to eat 4.5 cups of vegetables and 4.5 cups of fruit each day · Try alternative fiber choices such as whole buckwheat, whole wheat couscous, quinoa, bulgur, wheat germ, chia seeds, hemp seeds, lentil pasta, and edamame pasta. · Popcorn is a whole grain. Serve it low-fat without butter for a healthier snack choice. · Sprinkle bran in soups, cereals, baked products, spaghetti sauce, ground meat, and casseroles. · Use dried peas, beans, and legumes in main dishes, salads, or side dishes such as rice or pasta. · Add fruit to yogurt, cereal, rice, and muffins. · Try brown rice and whole grain pastas. For high fiber recipe ideas take a look at these websites: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/782/healthy-recipes/high-fiber/ https://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/high-fiber-recipes Given the plethora of benefits provided by adding more fiber to your diet, I encourage you all to make the effort to do so. Remember, add it slowly into your diet and drink lots of water! Stay well and be healthy! Leighanne THE BENEFITS OF BREATH WORK
Breathing. It is something we do, all day and every day. Every human needs to breathe to live: the process allows oxygen into the body and in turn expels carbon dioxide. Since breathing is automatic, we don’t ordinarily think much about it. So why should we focus on something as simple as our breath? I encourage you all to continue reading so that you can better understand how conscious, controlled breathing can reduce stress, increase alertness and boost our immune system. How often have you been told “just breathe”? Frightened? “Take a deep breath.” Hurt yourself? “Breathe, breathe, breathe.” Giving birth? “Keep breathing.” When you start to think about it, the majority of natural calming rituals focus on your breath and utilizing its power. Deep breathing decreases stress by increasing your calm. When you become stressed or anxious, your brain releases the stress hormone called cortisol and your body kicks into the sympathetic nervous system which induces flight, fight or freeze mode. By taking deep breaths with a long exhale body switches to the parasympathetic nervous system, which communicates with the brain to relax and releases your endorphins…those feel good chemical in your brain. Similarly, deep breathing lowers blood pressure. As muscles relax, your blood vessels dilate, which improves circulation and lowers blood pressure. Deep breathing also slows and regulates the heart rate, which also helps with lowering your blood pressure. So what exactly is breathwork? Don’t feel intimidated if you’ve never had a formal meditation or breathwork practice--many breathing techniques are simple enough to practice at home, during a work break, first thing in the morning, or before bed. Even if it seems like an “up-and-coming” wellness practice in the West, people in the Eastern part of the world have been practicing breathwork for thousands of years and it is quite simple to work you’re your daily routine. Breathwork describes a group of exercises that teach you to manipulate your breathing rate and depth with the goal of bringing awareness to your breath. Although they may go hand in hand, breathwork and meditation are not the same thing. Meditation asks you to focus on your breathing, but rarely involves changing how you breathe. In contrast, breathwork is all about controlling the way we breathe and improves our breathing patterns and oxygen flow. Meditation involves sitting quietly and paying attention to the present moment—our thoughts and sensations, which can be intimidating and stressful to some; breathwork requires more active participation. Generally people feel more comfortable starting with breathwork because they don’t worry that they are doing it “wrong”, which is sometimes the case with meditation. Breathwork can offer a quicker means of achieving a calm and relaxed state, which can then lead more naturally into a meditation practice. What are the different types of breathwork? There are many types of breathwork practices, some ranging from fairly basic and easy to do at home, to others requiring a practitioner to teach you the practice. Here are some breathing exercises you can try safely and easily at home. Once you get started with a regular breathwork practice (even if it is only 2 minutes in the morning and evening) you will develop a means of calming your nervous system when you most need it.
Beginning your breathwork journey presents you with an opportunity to collect “tools” that you can have in your toolbox that are readily available to help you in times of stress. The more you practice, the more accessible the tools will be when you require them because the breath with be automatic. Start small. Develop a practice of two minutes of breathwork in the morning and the evening. Then begin to build upon the practice. I’m certain you will want to do so once you feel the benefits. Remember, you are starting something new, so don’t get discouraged. These are positive exercises, meant to decrease and not increase any anxiety or stress. So always remember that any time you need instruction or further information, I am here to assist and guide you. Sending you all wishes of health and happiness-- Leighanne Brenda I wanted to talk about meal planning services today. So, first of all, what is that? Well, it is basically an online meal planning service. There are many, many different services, which have many different focuses, but the one thing most of them have in common is portion control. In our office we have all shared and tried out several of these services and they all have the same general feel. You create an account and once you are logged in, you can see what available plans they have and choose how many meals per week and how many people. You enter some food preferences and then they send you suggested meals. You choose your meals for the coming week, or weeks, and then on a specific day you receive a box with everything you need to make those meals. Everything is perfectly portioned and, usually, everything you need is in the box, except maybe salt and pepper. I am fascinated by the portions, because when Natalie cooks without the plan we usually have way more. So, I will admit that we usually add a salad to the meal to round it out. One of the things that I like is that we tried doing an all vegetarian 3 days of meals and if we had been doing that on our own it would have been pasta, pasta, and more pasta. But with this we had veggie fajitas (DELICIOUS!), a spicy veggie stuffed cabbage, and gnocchi with sundried tomatoes (yes, that’s pasta, but at least it was only once). The recipes are so simple. On days when we are working late, Jack can jump in and prepare everything for when we get home. Brenda and her significant other, Mike, love being able to pick a meal online and having everything sent to them in the amounts they need for a particular recipe, not buying a whole jar of something that then sits around in the fridge ‘til it goes bad. Brenda and Yvette will be posting a few time on this blog as well, so keep coming back for that. The one we are currently trying out is called HomeChef, and we like it, but I think there are hit or miss recipes. I am sure that is true of all these types of services. We also tried out Blue Apron, HelloFresh, and Martha and Marley Spoon, for a few weeks each. HERE is an article that describes some of the services and there are links available inside the article as well for the others. There is also a service called Plate Joy, which creates menus and grocery shopping lists for you, so you do not have to receive the food in the mail. Plate Joy does something they call onboarding - this means they ask you questions about food preferences and what appliances you have, so that they know what kinds of meals they can recommend. You can actually do the onboarding without signing up just to see what they might suggest for you. All of these services have fees, but Natalie thinks that cost-wise it is similar to what you might spend cooking the meal on your own. Here is a photo of one of the vegetarian meals we made recently ...  |
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