Bye Bye Sleeping Through The Night

Bye Bye Sleeping Through The Night

Have you said “bye bye” to sleeping through the night?

 

Are you feeling exhausted or “running on stress hormones” all day?

 

The science of sleep is fascinating, complicated and growing

 

Sleep is this daily thing that we all do and yet we’re just beginning to understand all of the ways it helps us and all of the factors that can affect it.

 

Lack of sleep affects just about everything in your body and mind. People who get less sleep tend to be at higher risk for so many health issues like diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer; not to mention effects like slower metabolism, weight gain, hormone imbalance, and inflammation. And don’t forget the impact lack of sleep can have on moods, memory and decision-making skills.

 

Do you know that lack of sleep may even negate the health benefits of your exercise program?

 

Knowing this it’s easy to see the three main purposes of sleep:

  • To restore our body and mind. Our bodies repair, grow and even “detoxify” our brains while we sleep.
  • To improve our brain’s ability to learn and remember things, technically known as “synaptic plasticity”.
  • To conserve some energy so we’re not just actively “out and about” 24-hours a day, every day.

 

Do you know how much sleep adults need? It’s less than your growing kids need but you may be surprised that it’s recommended that all adults get 7 – 9 hours a night.

 

Try not to skimp!

 

Tips for better sleep

 

  • The biggest tip is definitely to try to get yourself into a consistent sleep schedule. Make it a priority and you’re more likely to achieve it. This means turning off your lights 8 hours before your alarm goes off. Seven. Days. A. Week. I know weekends can easily throw this off but by making sleep a priority for a few weeks your body and mind will adjust and thank you for it.

 

  • Balance your blood sugar throughout the day. You know, eat less refined and processed foods and more whole foods (full of blood-sugar-balancing fiber). Choose the whole orange instead of the juice (or orange-flavoured snack). Make sure you’re getting some protein every time you eat.

 

  • During the day get some sunshine and exercise. These things tell your body it’s daytime; time for being productive, active and alert. By doing this during the day it will help you wind down more easily in the evening.

 

  • Stop your caffeine and added sugar intake after 12pm. Whole foods like fruits and veggies are fine, it’s the “added” sugar we’re minimizing. Yes, this includes your beloved chai latte. Both caffeine and added sugar can keep your mind a bit more active than you want it to become evening.

 

  • Have a relaxing bedtime routine that starts 1 hour before your “lights out” time (that is 8 – 10 hours before your alarm is set to go off). This would include dimming your artificial lights, turning off the computers and perhaps reading a book or having a bath.

 

Sleep isn’t just important for your mind and body to have energy and be alert. Lack of sleep can contribute to serious health issues which you don’t want. Take the time to relax and regenerate. To heal and repair.

References:

http://www.thepaleomom.com/gotobed/

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/hacking-sleep

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading and keep well,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s All About your Metabolism

It’s All About your Metabolism

What is Metabolism?

Do “calories” really count?

 

Well, yes they do, but they’re not the only thing that matters when it comes to how much you weigh and how much energy you have. In other words it’s all about your metabolism.

 

This word “metabolism” is thrown around a lot these days.

 

You know that if yours is too slow you might gain weight.

But what exactly does this all mean?

 

Well technically “metabolism” is the word to describe all of the biochemical reactions in your body. It’s how you take in nutrients and oxygen and use them to fuel everything you do.

 

Your body has an incredible ability to grow, heal, and generally stay alive. And without this amazing biochemistry you would not be possible.

 

Metabolism includes how the cells in your body:

  • Allow activities you can control (e.g. physical activity etc.).
  • Allow activities you can’t control (e.g. heartbeat, wound healing, processing of nutrients & toxins, etc.).
  • Allow storage of excess energy for later.

 

So when you put all of these processes together into your metabolism you can imagine that these processes can work too quickly, too slowly, or just right.

 

Which brings us to the “metabolic rate”.

 

Metabolic rate

This is how fast your metabolism works and is measured in calories.

 

The calories you eat can go to one of three places:

  • Work (i.e. exercise and other activity).
  • Heat (i.e. from all those biochemical reactions).
  • Storage (i.e. extra leftover “unburned” calories stored as fat).

 

As you can imagine the more calories you burn as work or creating heat the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off because there will be fewer “leftover” calories to store for later.

 

There are a couple of different ways to measure metabolic rate.

One is the “resting metabolic rate” (RMR) which is how much energy your body uses when you’re not being physically active.

The other is the “total daily energy expenditure” (TDEE) which measures both the resting metabolic rate as well as the energy used for “work” (e.g. exercise) throughout a 24-hour period.

 

What affects your metabolic rate?

In a nutshell: a lot!

 

The first thing you may think of is your thyroid. This gland at the front of your throat releases hormones to tell your body to “speed up” your metabolism. Of course, the more thyroid hormone there is the faster things will work and the more calories you’ll burn.

But that’s not the only thing that affects your metabolic rate.

 

How big you are counts too!

Larger people have higher metabolic rates; but your body composition is crucial!

 

As you can imagine muscles that actively move and do work need more energy than fat does. So the more lean muscle mass you have the more energy your body will burn and the higher your metabolic rate will be. Even when you’re not working out.

 

This is exactly why weight training is often recommended as a part of a weight loss program. Because you want muscles to be burning those calories for you.

 

The thing is, when people lose weight their metabolic rate often slows down which you don’t want to happen. So you definitely want to offset that with more muscle mass.

 

Aerobic exercise also temporarily increases your metabolic rate. Your muscles are burning fuel to move so they’re doing “work”.

 

The type of food you eat also affects your metabolic rate!

Your body actually burns calories to absorb, digest, and metabolize your food. This is called the “thermic effect of food” (TEF).

You can use it to your advantage when you understand how your body metabolizes foods differently.

Fats, for example increase your TEF by 0-3%; carbs increase it by 5-10%, and protein increases it by 15-30%. By trading some of your fat or carbs for lean protein you can slightly increase your metabolic rate.

 

Another bonus of protein is that your muscles need it to grow. By working them out and feeding them what they need they will help you to lose weight and keep it off.

 

And don’t forget the mind-body connection. There is plenty of research that shows the influence that things like stress and sleep have on the metabolic rate.

 

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to metabolism and how so many different things can work to increase (or decrease) your metabolic rate.

 

You might have to do some experimenting, but rest assured there are a number of effective strategies for hitting your “metabolic reset” button—it’s just a matter of finding where yours is stuck.

 

Thanks for reading and keep well,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14 Tips to Save Time and Money

14 Tips to Save Time and Money

14 Quick Tips to Save You Time and Money

Keeping a well-stocked, real food kitchen is essential for sticking to a healthy lifestyle. If you’ve got healthy foods at your fingertips all the time without processed foods to fall back on, you won’t be tempted to reach for the cereal on a busy morning, and the beauty of home cooked meals is that we know exactly what goes into the food we eat.

Here are 14 tips by John & Ocean Robbins to help you achieve balance in your kitchen!

  1. Plan Ahead. Create a meal plan. Don’t wait until dinner time to decide what to have for dinner.
  2. ZipList is a great app to help you organize and update your shopping list.
  3. Shop Less Often. If you plan ahead, and make good use of your freezer, you can trim your food shopping to once a week.
  4. Buy in Bulk. You can often save more than 30% of the cost of the food by buying in bulk rather than purchasing prepackaged items. Items such as grains, seeds, legumes, nuts, & dried fruit are ideal items to buy in bulk and always have on hand when you need them.
  5. Consider PreCut Veggies. Buying these may cost a bit more, but can save you valuable time.
  6. Choose Convenience Foods Wisely. There are many ready-to-eat foods that are severely lacking in genuine nutritional value. Others however, are nutritional superstars. Please read labels and be your own detective.
  7. Make a OneCourse Feast. If you’re tight on time, plan simple dinners where everything is in one dish. One of my personal favourites is using a Romertopf clay oven. You can use the protein and veggies of your choice along with garlic and bone broth or stock. This saves you prep time and saves you from lots of pots and pans to wash up!
  8. Get the Right Gear. There is some kitchen equipment that can make an enormous difference to your life. Having the right blender, food processor, pressure cooker, knives, cutting boards, colanders, etc. can make it infinitely easier to prepare healthy fast food.
  9. Chop Vegetables in Advance. Store them in airtight bags or containers in the fridge. Veggies that work well to wash and cut in advance include onions, cabbage, green beans, carrots, kale and broccoli. Softer or easier to spoil veggies and herbs like bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, parsley and cilantro are best left until the time you’re preparing the recipe.
  10. Build Your Base. Once or twice a week, cook a substantial quantity of a legume and/or grain of your choice. Use it in various meals during the week.
  11. Sauce It Up. Once or twice a week, make a sauce, dressing, or condiment that you can use on salads, in combinations of the legume and grain you cooked earlier, or mix with your main meals.
  12. Love Leftovers. Learn to love your leftovers, they can save you so much time. Cook twice as much as you intend to eat in a meal, refrigerate the leftovers, and you have a ready-made breakfast or lunch at your fingertips.
  13. Be Organized. The more organized your kitchen and pantry are the easier it is to prepare a meal. This leads to less waste, and saves you time and money.
  14. Clear the Way. Try and keep your kitchen clean, tidy and decluttered. There’s nothing worse than entering a kitchen that is dirty and disorganized.

 

Cooking healthy foods at home does take some time and planning, but not as much as you might think. Keep some of these tips in mind, and learn to create good habits that can bring health and a happy healthy kitchen.

Thanks for reading and keep well,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is a Lack of Sleep Ruining Your Health?

Is a Lack of Sleep Ruining Your Health?

Most of us sacrifice the one item we need most of all to have a balanced life — sleep.  It has a tremendous impact on our health! I know it’s often easier said than done, especially if you have children, a demanding job, or multiple jobs, but it needs to be a priority, even if you just make baby steps towards getting more sleep.

Studies now show just how important sleep is, and we should be aiming to get 7-8 hours ideally; more if you have an autoimmune disease or adrenal fatigue. I have both, so sleep must be a priority for me. After years of abusing sleep and treating it as an afterthought, it has now become a non-negotiable part of my life.

Here are some great tips from Kirk Parsley, a sleep doctor, about the process of gearing up for bedtime.

Kirk refers to this process as Sleep Hygiene – “Sleep hygiene is anything that you can do to ensure that you have the right environment for your body/brain to do what it needs to do to put you to sleep, and having your environment conducive to staying asleep, and getting quality sleep”.

Something that has helped me improve my sleep is wearing orange glasses two hours before I go to bed. There is a lot of research showing that blue light after sunset can disrupt your circadian rhythm and suppress melatonin production. Computers, TVs, tablets, and phones are especially high in blue light. I wear BluBlockers other options include Swannies & Uvex.

Here’s an article about the science behind orange glasses from Dr. Mercola.

For those who need a little help falling asleep, Dr. Michael Breus, aka The Sleep Doctor, suggests drinking Banana Tea before going to bed. It is high in magnesium, which helps calm our nerves.

Recipe:

Rinse the banana peel, cut off the ends, and cut it in half keeping the banana in its peel. The peel has three times the amount of magnesium as the fruit alone. Add it to 3 cups of water and bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes. Strain and drink.

Wishing you a very good night’s sleep!!

Keep well and thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start a Self-Care Revolution!

Start a Self-Care Revolution!

START A SELF-CARE REVOLUTION

– it’s good to be Queen –

Self-Care Isn’t Just Important, It’s Crucial, You can’t pour from an empty cup!

 

“Self-care is care provided “for you, by you.” It’s about identifying your own needs and taking steps to meet them. It is taking the time to do some of the activities that nurture you. Self-care is about taking proper care of yourself and treating yourself as kindly as you treat others.”

The holiday season is a busy time with a lot of emotional pressure. As women, we are notoriously bad at putting on our own oxygen masks first. There is a reason we are told by air hostesses to put on our own oxygen masks first…. we cannot help our loved ones without helping ourselves first.

We need to keep ourselves replenished, especially during this time.

When we take on too much, we are the one that suffers at the end of the day.

Your body is an amazing machine that gives you signals when the pressure is getting too high. You may experience headaches, disrupted sleep, digestive upsets, anxiety, depression, or irritability.

Learn to hit the pause button when you need to. Running on empty doesn’t serve you, or those you love, and please let go of perfection.

 

Some ways to rebalance:

  • Make a date with yourself. Spend an hour alone doing something that nourishes you, not work or things on your to-do list.
  • Praise yourself when you do something awesome, and never speak badly about yourself.
  • Read books and watch movies you enjoy. Watch a Christmas movie or a family favourite.
  • Paint or write something that lets out your creative energy.
  • Simply unplug, disconnect from all devices….you can do it!!
  • Journal – Write in a gratitude journal, I know the importance of this but couldn’t quite make it a habit until I found The Five-Minute Journal. it’s perfect for me as a beginner. In the morning, I write 3 things I am grateful for, and in the evening, I write 3 amazing things that happened that day. Baby steps…
  • It only takes 10 minutes to calm the nervous system – Headspace is a great place to start.
  • Go for a walk and take time to notice nature.
  • Take a quick nap. Only 10 to 20 minutes can reduce your sleep debt and leave you ready for action.
  • Take an Epsom salt bath (have a glass of wine or cup of tea) add lavender oil and light some candles….my absolute favourite way to relax.
  • Don’t be afraid to say no.
  • Be kind to yourself.
  • Let go of what you can’t control.
  • Breathe – so many of us are shallow breathing, myself included, make time for deep breathing a few times a day. To be honest, I didn’t even know the difference until not too long ago but I must admit I do feel a difference. When I focus on deep breathing versus my shallow, erratic breath, I feel calmer and it is a great way to reset your nervous system.
  • Laughter – laughter boosts your immune system, decreases stress, reduces heart disease, improves breathing, acts as a natural pain reliever, and helps you lose weight, some good reasons to laugh!!

 

I know you’re probably thinking, “Sounds great Tara, easier said than done!” I agree, self-care is often easier said than done, but baby steps, start with one or two that resonate with you and make them a non-negotiable part of your life. Try it for 21 days and see how you feel.

Be gentle and kind, if you miss a day, give yourself the freedom and space to be human; you may not see instant results but your body and mind will thank you.

When we take care of ourselves first, we are in a much stronger place to take care of those we love.

– Kate Hudson.

Try not to get caught up in the latest fad in self-care. Trust me, there are many different varieties, and I have tried most of them, but speaking from experience, do what makes you happy and what resonates with you. The ones I am now consistent with are the things that speak to me and make me feel better about myself.

More sleep, more fun, more laughter, more hugs, more of anything that makes you smile. Self-care is the best form of health care!!

Remember, almost everything will work again if you unplug for a few minutes….including you!

Anne Lamott.

This is a time to celebrate and connect with family and friends to create a healthy, relaxing, and restorative time. My warmest wishes to you and your family this holiday season.

Thanks for reading and keep well,

tarasignature

 

 

 

 

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Health Matters Even During the Holidays!

Health Matters Even During the Holidays!

Today I’m featuring a guest blog post from my friend, the very talented personal chef, Anisha Anand, aka He“art”ful Earth Cuisine Personal Wellness Chef. Anisha’s article “Health Matters Even During the Holidays” offers some great tips to help us maintain our health during these often very tempting and stressful times.

It’s often very challenging to stick to our healthy eating plan over the holidays, after all, ’tis the season of tasty foods. To help combat throwing caution to the wind and forgoing our healthy eating this season, Anisha encourages us to…………

  1. Eat Mindfully
  2. Meet Your Farmer
  3. Plan & Prep
  4. Use Scraps
  5. Think Colour
  6. Think Outside the Box!

Read Anisha’s article to learn more …………

Health Matters….Even During the Holidays

By: Anisha Anand

 

The holidays are a time of giving, a time to be surrounded by loved ones, in person or in spirit, and of course, a time of feasting and sharing food! Food doesn’t just nourish our bodies; it also feeds our soul. The connection we have to the food we eat, the preparation of that food, and even the way we consume it are all part of the nourishment process. We enjoy preparing our food together, and enjoy eating it over a table filled with laughter and love. This helps elevate meal time from a quick body recharge to a feast for the body and spirit. Food and food aromas create new memories and also bring back old memories!

No matter how busy our holidays and lives get, it’s good to find some time to focus on staying well. Here are my top six ideas and tips to help you stay on track during this holiday season:

 

    1. Always eat mindfully. Take the time to sit down, take the time to chew, savor and breathe, be present and enjoy your food. If you are indulging, then eat guilt-free! Feeling guilty ruins the moment and takes away from your satisfaction and digestion.
    2. Meet your farmer. Consider a family shopping trip to the farmer’s market to enjoy some fresh air and pick up fresh, local, in season produce. It is more nourishing and tastes more flavorful when you cook with local, fresh produce.
    3. Plan, Prep! Plan, Prep! Take the time, even if it is only a couple hours every week, to prepare and stock up on some healthy snacking options so that, when you are too hungry to prepare something, you have some nutritious choices. When we are hungry, we grab what is in front us, so why not always have some nourishing food available?
    4. Don’t scrap those scraps. Save all your vegetable scraps and any turkey or other meat bones. Simmer your way to good health with vegetable or bone broths. You can always freeze batches in glass jars for making soups or adding to vegetable and rice dishes later!
    5. Think color. Consider adding different colored vegetables to every dish you cook at home. Plant-based whole foods provide a wide variety of natural chemicals called phytonutrients. Phytonutrients serve various functions in plants, such as protecting the plant’s vitality. For example, some phytonutrients protect the plant from UV radiation while others protect it from insect attack. Not only do phytonutrients award benefits to the plants, but they can also provide benefits to those who enjoy plant food.
    6. Think outside the box! Holiday cooking is all about traditions and family recipes; sometimes we can make our family recipes more nutritious and nourishing. If your recipes can be improved nutritionally by making a few ingredient swaps, then be creative and try something new! An example of this might be substituting regular mashed potatoes for Purple Pumpkin Seed Mashed Potatoes. In my recipe, the purple potatoes add phytonutrients or flavanoids while the pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seeds add an extra rich, nutty flavor layer and it gives a boost of zinc, which helps with immunity. We can all use a boost to our immunity during flu season and the busy holidays.

 

Purple Pumpkin Seed Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1 medium purple potato roasted and peeled (Anthocyanins are flavonoids or phytonutrients that give the potatoes purple color, you may substitute orange sweet potatoes if you can’t find purple ones, orange sweet potatoes will have other flavanoids called Carotenoids!)

4 tablespoons almond milk (or dairy milk)

1 teaspoon pumpkin seed oil

Handful of pumpkin seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Mash potato, add almond milk and pumpkin seed oil and mix well. Top with some pumpkin seeds and serve. Enjoy this nutty flavored, nutrient dense comfort food as a snack or a side dish!

 

 

Remember to enjoy the holidays, plan a time for activity, incorporate healthy recipes into your holiday meals, and don’t restrict yourself from enjoying your favourite holiday foods. Focus on things that make you feel good and make sure some of your needs are being met because you stand less chance of overindulging. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.

As a Personal Wellness Chef, Anisha strives to inspire and empower people to promote their health and wellness with food. She creates and teaches nutritious recipes and meals in the comfort of your own home. She truly believes in the power of food as medicine and bringing wellness back into your hands and kitchens.

Anisha’s services include meal planning and in home chef services, nutritious & healthy recipes, cooking lessons, demos & workshops, and learn to cook parties, special family dinners, romantic dinners, & recipe creation. Congratulations to Anisha, as this article was featured in The Bay Area Health and Wellness Magazine of Houston, and thanks to her for allowing me to share!

P.S. Don’t miss Anisha’s Purple Pumpkin Seed Mashed Potatoes recipe featured in the article. It sounds delicious!

For daily inspiration and services, you can find Anisha at the following places:

Thanks for reading and keep well,

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