Hit the Breaks at Work & Prepare for Dry January Now

  

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 We've heard of circadian rhythms but there are also important "ultradian rhythms" and they have a big impact on how we feel. As we start our days and get into a flow of activity and mental focus, our bodies and brains start burning through a significant amount of oxygen, glucose, and other fuels. Within about two hours, we reach your best productivity, entering what’s known as an “ultradian performance peak.” Meanwhile, the byproducts of all that mental and physical activity like metabolic waste, snippets of data, and cellular debris are building up in us. After two hours, we begin experiencing the accumulation of all this stress. Productivity and performance start to decline as we enter what’s known as an “ultradian trough”—an energetic low point.  Stay tuned for more on why we need to know more about this and have a marvelous Monday!

 We talked yesterday about ultradian rhythms yesterday - patterns throughout our day where we burn up a lot of energy the first two hours then crash a bit - feeling fatigued, spacey, distracted, hungry, or fidgety and can experience sudden cravings for sugar, carbs, or caffeine. These are signs that our bodies are working exactly as they should be, and we need some downtime - now, or as soon as humanly possible—to regenerate cellular fuel, rebalance your blood sugar and biochemistry, flush its detox systems, and repair damaged tissue.  IMPORTANT STUFF for our health!  Our brains also need a break to sift through all the vast amounts of data we’ve taken in.  The moment we step away and take a few deep breaths, our magical internal ground crews crank into high gear to tackle detoxification, maintenance, refueling, and repairs that comprise what’s known as the “ultradian healing response.”  Why is this critical?  Listen tomorrow to find out and make it a terrific Tuesday everyone!

After our most productive two hours of your day, 20 minutes of a break is critical - fresh stores of fuel are delivered to our cells; blood sugar, hormones, and neurotransmitters are rebalanced; toxins are flushed, and many important fix-it tasks are completed. Our frontline systems ramp back up and return to full capacity for ANOTHER two hours. But if we ignore our body’s signals and skip that break, not only will we not likely get as much done or do it as well, but we also won’t feel anywhere near as good. Most importantly, we see true damage by not taking breaks every two hours: rising markers of inflammation, increased blood pressure, imbalanced blood sugar and insulin response, higher cholesterol, lowered immunity, declining mental capacity, gaps in memory, slowed metabolism, and declining motor skills.  The problem is that in our culture, we repeatedly hit overdrive and we under-maintain our bodies.  Add to that the standard American diet, and it's no wonder we have so many diseases.  So, take those 20-minute breaks every 2 hours to live longer and live stronger!

 For a few weeks on Thursdays, we've been talking about "Dry January" - where those who drink alcohol prepare for a month to eliminate it.  Alcohol causes cancer, is a depressant, costs a lot of money, is high in calories, and much more, so there are lots of reasons to stop consuming it.  Some say that the biggest benefit of Dry January is learning where your body is in relation to alcohol and how helpful it is to see how you're feeling mentally, physically, and socially when you don't drink for a month.  It's an opportunity to hit "reset" and get your systems back on track, see how much better you sleep, and feel more energized.  Start preparing now - have good talks with yourself, your family, and your friends about your desire to improve your health on the shelf by getting rid of alcohol starting January 1!

 It's Fix it Friday and YES, it's soup time!  This Carrot Mushroom Red Lentil Soup is PACKED with nutrient-dense foods that are highest in preventing disease and it's yummy! 

 Ingredients:

1 large, chopped onion

6 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 oz tomato paste

6 cups vegetable broth

1/1/2 cup dried red lentils

4 large, diced carrots

3 cups chopped Swiss chard

16 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup chopped cilantro

 In a large pot, cook the onion in 2 Tbsp of water, add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper, black pepper, tomato paste, vegetable broth, lentils, and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes.  Then add Swiss chard and mushrooms and simmer for another 20 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro then drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve to your family, knowing you are fortifying them to fend off disease, reduce inflammation, and feel their absolute best!  Find this in the "Be a Plant-based Woman Warrior" cookbook and have a fabulous Friday!

 Reference:  NutritionFacts.org

 From the Archives:

 We mentioned last week that New Year's resolutions can be about reclaiming health, losing that extra weight, and tapping into energy reserves you never knew existed - by moving towards a diet based on veggies, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Your payoff starts immediately as inflammation in the body begins to subside. Within weeks, your blood sugars begin to fall, blood pressure drops, and pounds come off. Many positive effects are set in motion, and you'll begin to feel better with more energy! It turns out plant-based foods, rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants, are powerful medicines.  It's Meatless Monday, and there's a great resource that's easy to remember to go to meatlessmonday.com to get recipes and so much more!

 New Year's resolutions can be hugely ambitious, or tiny, but the important thing is sticking to them.  If you gradually move into things and step up your commitment every week, you can make rapid progress! Commit to making one change a week in your lifestyle, whether it's nutrition, exercise, meditation, or strengthening your social systems.  Or, make several changes for one day a week, then move to two days, then three, and gradually let the good practices take over.  90% of eating healthier is simply trying new foods!  Hang out at the produce section more and try a new veggie or fruit every week, try a new recipe every week from that new cookbook you just bought that is plant-based. Enjoy the new experiences, and make it a journey of discovery rather than deprivation.  Plantify your plates and have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

 

  It's a NEW YEAR and many of us are taking this opportunity to live healthier lives through the food choices we make.  One of the most important things you can do is read a book or watch a movie...or many of them!  One of your goals could be to read a book each month on health and nutrition.  "How not to Die" by Michael Greger and "The Blue Zones" by Dan Buettner are excellent, and there are many more.  The Game Changers and Forks over Knives are two movies that are so enlightening.  On this wonderful Wednesday, understand that every forkful we put in our mouths is important - and you can DO this, for yourself, and for your loved ones, who want to have you cognitively and physically strong for many years ahead!

We've mentioned Dr. Greger many times - he wrote the epic "How Not to Die" book and cookbook.  From a medical standpoint, he doesn't like the terms vegetarian and vegan, because they are defined by what we DON'T eat.  And vegans can eat just cookies and almond milk - vegan, but not healthy.  The term "Whole food plant-based nutrition" is the defining line between health-promoting foods and disease-promoting foods, and if you're interested in purchasing foods that are just that, and already prepared, go to Leafside.com.  Enjoy the wealth of health and stay tuned tomorrow for Dr. Greger's daily dozen practices!

 On this fantastic Friday let's review Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen:

 Beans - 3 servings a day (this sounds like a lot, but it's only 1/2 cup for each serving)

Fruits - 4 servings a day, with berries being one of them

Veggies - 5 servings a day, with 2 servings of greens and 1 of cruciferous veggies like broccoli or cauliflower

Flax Seeds - 1 tsp a day, ground THAT day, not before

Nuts and seeds:  1/4 cup a day

Whole Grains:  3 servings a day

Herbs and spices:  1 serving a day, like cinnamon and turmeric

Beverages:  green tea and water, 60 ounces a day

Exercise:  every day