The average person gains 2 to 5 pounds in the month of December.
Most of that is due to dietary choices in food and drink. Being active will help burn those extra calories. Here are some tips to help you this month:
Exercise does not have to be in the gym. Try some winter activities like skating, snowshoeing or even walking at night to look at lights.
A short workout is better than no workout.Trust us, even 20 minutes of exercise will make you
“feel” better and sleep better. Do 20 minutes of cardio in a HIIT format. (high intensity interval training).
Can’t do your usual 5 times a week? Don’t throw your hands up and quit, go twice.
Can’t get to a gym? Try stretching for 15 minutes and 20 sit-ups and 20 push ups.
Enjoy time with family and friends and don’t stress about missing your workouts, we will be
here to help get you back on track in January!
In order to stay healthy during the festive season it is important to maintain a realistic viewpoint on your capabilities. Extra stimulants, additional socializing, an abundance of tempting treats, late nights, and a long list of ‘things to do’ can all add stress to your life. While both the nervous and immune systems are especially vulnerable at this time of year there are some steps you can take to stay on a healthy path.
Here are a few tips and nutrient dense foods that can support your health over the Holiday Season
You can do it, but you can’t do it all. When your calendar is over full, prioritize and say “no thank you” to some of the requests/invitations. Then let go of the guilt.
Healthy gut flora is essential for a strong immune system. Add fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, kefir and full fat plain yoghurt to your meals.
Cook with garlic, onions, ginger and turmeric. These contain antibacterial, antifungal anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
Consume colorful antioxidant foods such as red peppers, berries, purple and red grapes, kale, citrus, and yams.
Eat nervine foods such as almonds, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, kelp, leafy greens, cold water fish, ginger and basil.
Reduce stimulants, especially in the afternoon, by replacing coffee with matcha green tea or an herbal calming tea such as chamomile.
Exercise! Ensure you schedule in your exercise routine. You can always decrease the duration in order to fit it in! Just ensure you fit it in!!!
Sleep is essential for strong immunity and a steadfast nervous system. Sleep is when the body repairs and recovers from the stress of your day. Keep a bedtime ritual as often as possible aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
Rainy dark days, shorter hours of daylight, less sunshine; November can be an emotionally challenging month for many people.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SADs) makes up about 10% of depression cases and woman seem to be more affected than men1 . Eating a whole foods diet, while avoiding refined foods and sugar can help to alleviate symptoms.
Cold and flu season is coming, but that doesn’t mean your family has to get sick! If you’re determined to stay cold and flu free, there are some simple steps you can take that might help you dodge those bugs. Bolster your natural defenses with our practical and tasty suggestions.
Eat lots of brightly colored fruit and vegetables
Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash and beetroot are rich in beta-carotene which our bodies convert to vitamin A. We need vitamin A to keep the mucosal linings in our nose and lungs robust enough to defend against infection. Other foods to include are orange and red fruits such as oranges, mango, apricots and melon.
Add Garlic & Onion to Dishes
This amazing family of vegetables contain potent oils that have an anti-microbial action, so they may help protect against bacterial and viral infections. They also support good gut health as prebiotics by promoting the growth of healthy bacteria.
Eat enough vitamin C
Studies suggest that high doses of vitamin C are most relevant for people exposed to brief periods of intense physical stress such as endurance athletes, or those living in very cold environments.
Eating plenty of fruit and veggies every day should give us enough vitamin C to support the healthy function of the immune system.
Get Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D is thought to protect against respiratory infections by boosting levels of antimicrobial peptides – natural antibiotic-like substances – in the lungs.
While certain foods such as oily fish contain vitamin D, most of it is obtained through sunlight on the skin! Everyone should “consider” taking supplements during the autumn and winter months to protect against upper respiratory infections.
Drink some Tea
Try a cup of green tea with lemon and honey. Drinking tea and breathing in steam stimulates the cilia—the hair follicles in the nose—to move out germs more efficiently. Lemon thins mucus, and honey is antibacterial.”
Drink More Water
The cold and flu season is no fun. The sniffling, sneezing and headaches add up to a big discomfort for many. By drinking adequate amounts of water, water helps to wash germs and viruses out of your immune system and keeps the body hydrated. Drink according to your size, weight, activity level and gender.
Stay Active
When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body.
The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. This includes (but is certainly not limited to) seasonal colds and influenza.
Get a Protein Fix
Diets that are too low in protein can deplete the immune system. So make sure to get protein-rich foods throughout the day, especially fish, eggs and yogurt.“ Beans are another high source of protein to compliment your diet.
Sanitize your office space
Try and keep your office space clean with a good disinfectant at least once a week. It’s just basic hygiene. Rhinoviruses can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours!
Wash Your Hands Frequently
Handwashing is the best way to prevent colds and other respiratory and infectious diseases that are transmitted by hand to mouth or hand to nose and eye contact. Soap acts as a vehicle to trap the germs that are loosened by the act of rubbing your hands together under water. These germs can then be rinsed away by the water.”
Get Some Sleep
Research shows that our bodies need seven to eight hours of sleep in order to stimulate an immune response from our ‘natural killer cells,’ which attack viruses. Sleep is my most reliable defense against infection.”
We often focus on foods to help fuel the body, but what about healthy foods to fuel the brain?
Lack of good nutrition can be detrimental to brain health and mental well-being. There is a strong link between a high sugar, processed foods diet and impaired memory function and depression.
A diet that focuses on brain health should include the following foods.
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids – MUFAs are good fats that increase the levels of acetylcholine – an essential brain chemical required for learning and memory. Olive oils and avocados are a great source of MUFAs.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids – a major component of the cell membrane that forms the nerve cell. Good sources of omega 3 fatty acids are sardines, salmon, and mackerel. Plant based sources are flax seed, hemp seeds, chia seeds, broccoli, brussel sprouts and walnuts.
Anti-inflammatory foods – curcumin the key chemical in turmeric, is a potent anti-inflammatory for the brain. Turmeric can be used in cooking or for making a delicious turmeric latte.Another strong anti-inflammatory food for the brain is cacao, the raw form of chocolate. So, indulge in that piece of dark chocolate. It’s good for the brain!
L-theanine produces the brain chemical GABA which can promote brain clarity. Green tea and matcha tea are good sources of L-theanine.
Antioxidants and flavonoids – Found in colorful fruits and vegetables. They help to combat everyday oxidative stress and free radicals our cells are exposed to on a daily basis. They also decrease damage to nerve cells. Berries, especially blueberries, are a great source of antioxidants.
Prevention is the key to any illness so support your brain health by consuming the above foods on a daily basis.
I always think September feels more like a ‘new year’ than January. The feel of fall in the air, shorter days, cooler evenings, the back to school schedule, new sports teams and activities starting. With all of this comes packing lunches, ensuring healthy snacks are available and often less time to prepare dinners.
Making healthy nutritional choices can be difficult when time and energy are not on your side. Being prepared and recognizing the importance of nutrient dense fuel for the brain and the body can make the tasks a little easier.
Below are some tips for starting September off on the right nutritional foot and feeling the benefits:
Plan ahead. Whether you like to batch cook or simply have the ingredients available in your kitchen, knowing what you are having for meals ahead of time is imperative. Some people work well with meal planning for the whole week, others plan a few days in advance. Whatever your preference, knowing what you are going to eat ahead of time limits the fast food and take out options.
Make more than you need. When preparing dinners, make extra. A few additional chicken breasts or a larger pot of turkey chili means left overs for lunches and possibly tomorrow’s dinner.
Prepare breakfast the night before. Overnight oats, egg muffins, chia pudding, smoothie, to name a few, can all be prepared the night before so breakfast isn’t forgotten or picked up at your local coffee spot. A nutritious protein rich breakfast helps to balance blood sugar levels and will keep you satiated.
Pack lunches the night before. Leftovers from dinner make great lunches. While cleaning up from dinner pack away the leftovers in your lunch containers. Mason jar salads are another easy lunch that can be prepared the night before. Add the leftover protein from your dinner to the salad.
Have the kids help with their lunches. Get creative and let the kids come up with some healthy foods they can take for snacks and lunches. Be open minded and have only healthy choices available for them. It’s their lunch. If they help prepare it they may even eat it! Doing this the night before is much saner then early in the morning when you are pressed for time.
When grocery shopping purchase items that can be used for more than one meal. The tomatoes you purchase can be used in the sauce one night, sliced up for a greek salad the following, and can also be eaten as a snack.
When preparing dinner slice up extra vegetables and store them so that they are an easy go to snack. Opening the fridge and finding the carrots, celery, cucumbers, zucchini, radishes etc already washed and sliced means the kids are more likely to eat them. Of course, you will need to have some hummus for dipping!
Homemade energy bars are a quick pre-activity snack and you control the ingredients your kids (or you) are consuming. Choose recipes that use raw honey or maple syrup instead of sugar and nuts, hemp seeds or nut butters for a protein component. Make extra and keep them in the freezer. Most bars or protein balls keep for weeks in the freezer.
If time is an issue when it comes to grocery shopping there are many options for you. Most grocery stores have a delivery service. Many companies offer online shopping that delivers to your door. You can do your grocery shopping in your pajamas with your cup of chamomile tea!
There are meal preparation companies that can make your life easier. Use them a few days a week. You can choose food that comes fresh and ready to cook, precooked meals or even meals that are prepared for you in your kitchen! HelloFresh, Fresh Prep, CHOMP, Real Meals, Eat Your Cake, Fresh in Your Fridge, are a few to check out.
Eating healthy should not be difficult or stressful. Being prepared and organized and finding a plan that works for you and your family is the key.
You love biking. To and from work; cycling to the grocery store; it’s your go-to weekend activity and at the gym, the exercise bike is the only piece of cardio equipment you will go on. You love biking. And it’s your way of maintaining your fitness level. Recently though, you’ve experienced a plateau in your conditioning. It’s been weeks since you’ve observed an increase in your fitness level. To top it all off, your biking legs are constantly sore and it’s become increasingly difficult to push yourself to your cardiovascular limits. What’s the solution?
While we cannot always avoid stressors in our daily life, we can manage our response to triggers.
By adopting some simple and effective coping mechanisms, our lives can be more harmonious. Practicing yoga is not only effective at managing stress, but is also a way to ease symptoms of anxiety and mental fatigue. By transferring focus and attention to the body and breath, we can access a calmer mind, improved sleep, and many more health benefits.
Easy Sitting Pose
Promotes grounding and awareness
Opens hips, lengthens your spine
Assists with anxiety
Helps to relieve physical and mental fatigue
Spinal Lift (Bridge)
Provides a slight inversion and therefore increases blood flow to brain
Assists with deep breathing
Re-energizes the body
Shoulder Stand
Called the “queen of all yoga poses” for its extensive benefits
Considerable inversion greatly increases blood flow to the brain
Stimulates the lymphatic system, aiding circulation and immunity
Re-energizes the body and mind
Caution if you have neck issues (spinal lift/bridge is a safer alternative)
Downward Facing Dog
Provides a slight inversion and therefore increases blood flow to brain
Releases tension from hamstrings, calves, shoulders, neck and low back.
Re-energizes the body
Child’s Pose
Excellent pose for calming the mind
Releases tension from hips, low back and shoulders
Low effort
Assists with anxiety
Helps to relieve physical and mental fatigue
Legs up the wall
Stimulates the lymphatic system, aiding circulation and immunity
*Adapted from the New York Times article by Gretchen Reynolds
A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology shows that weight training may not just benefit our bodies, it may also have brain health benefits.
The study found that weight training done by rats, using ladders and tiny, taped-on weights, can reduce or even reverse aspects of age-related memory loss.
Many people find that as they approach middle age, things that were easy to remember suddenly begin to elude them; like people’s names or where they left their car keys. Studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise can alleviate these issues. Far less has been studied about resistance training and its effects on the brain.
While researchers know that lifting weights builds muscle, it is not yet clear how, at a molecular level, it would affect the cells and functions of the brain. In this new study, they used rats and ladders to examine it more closely.
The study involved a 100-centimeter-long ladder and bags of weighted pellets gently taped to the rats’ rear ends. The animals received a Fruit Loop when they reached the top of the ladder and soon started climbing willingly, even without rewards. After several weeks, the climbers showed increased muscle mass, indicating that the activity was effective weight training.
Next, to test the training’s brain effects, the scientists injected a separate group of animals with a substance known to induce inflammation in the brain, creating a rodent form of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia.
Half of these rats then began a weekly program of weight training. As the climbing became easier, the mass of the pellets in their bags was increased, just as people progressively add to the weight they lift at gyms.
After five weeks, all of the animals, including an untouched control group, were loosed individually into a brightly lit maze with a single, darkened chamber. Rodents gravitate toward dark places and during repeated visits to the maze, the animals would be expected to learn the location and aim for that chamber.
At first there was no significant change. But in time, the weight-trained animals, despite their induced cognitive impairments, caught up to and in some cases surpassed the speed and accuracy of the controls.
The weight training had “effectively restored” their ability to think, according to the study.
The untrained animals with mild cognitive impairments, meanwhile, continued to lag far behind the others in their ability to find and recall the chamber.
Finally, to better understand how ladder climbing might have changed the rats’ brains and minds, scientists examined brain tissue from each of the groups. As expected, they found signs of inflammation in the brains of the animals that had been injected.
But they also found that the memory centers of the brains in the weight trainers teemed now with enzymes and genetic markers that are known to help kick-start the creation and survival of new neurons, while also increasing plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to remodel itself.
In effect, the brains of the weight-trained rats were remaking themselves to resemble brains that had not been inflamed and impaired.
Obviously this is a study with rats, not humans, so there are variables to consider. The study also doesn’t show whether aerobic exercise has a similar or different effect on the brain, or if healthy people would gain the same benefits as those with impairments. But the study certainly does suggest that resistance training can help.
“I think it’s safe to say that people should look into doing some resistance training,” said the head of the research team. “It’s good for you for all kinds of other reasons, and it appears to be neuroprotective. And who doesn’t want a healthy brain?”
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Curtis Health Is Partnering With Kintec: Footwear + Orthotics
Kintec is offering all Curtis clients (including friends and family) expert shoe fitting to best suit your needs at a 15% discount on regular price footwear.
