In Related News: Why You Can't Lose Those Last 10 Pounds

Why You Can't Lose Those Last 10 Pounds on Shine

Great article that highlights the importance of food quality. I have recently been spending much of my time researching nutrition and optimal health, and what I have come to believe is that food quality is all that matters when it comes to health and longevity. This is born out of a paradigm shift from thinking that it's all about calories to the more appropriate view that it is all about how your body reacts to those calories. This means that calories are NOT all created equal. Depending on the quality of our food, issues surrounding digestion, hormonal balance, sleep, inflammation and stress can all either be made worse or better.

As mentioned in the article, part of food quality is knowing when to buy organic. Part of it is finding meats that have been fed food that they naturally eat i.e. grass-fed beef. Part of it is to stop eating food that is packaged/processed! And part of it is finding a way to drink quality water. These are not all the factors involved, but they are a great place to start if this is all new to you. The good news about this is that may of the foods that we have been told are "bad" do not turn out to have the negative effect we once thought. Red meat is a great example of a food item that has a rather nasty reputation, but we are finding that if you just eat red meat from grass-fed sources, it is actually very healthy for you!

If this is all difficult to take in, or flies in the face of your beliefs, I encourage you to do your own research and discover your own truth. Enjoy the article, and happy living!

Colin

In Related News: The Importance of Sleep

As I have talked about before, and will surely talk about again, sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to all things health related. Getting more (and better quality) sleep can help with weight loss, depression, mood management, immune system functioning, hormonal balance, and can even diminish cravings for sugary foods! Sleep, and recovery in general, is one of the least respected aspects of health even though it could literally be the only difference between perfect health and terminal illness. The following article does a nice job of talking about the importance of sleep, so I hope you enjoy the read, but most importantly, I hope you take to heart the implications are of losing sleep. One of my favorite lectures often says that you should sleep as much as you can without getting fired, and I couldn't agree more! People usually do not even realize they are sleep deprived because they have been deprived for so long. As it says in the article, it could take two nights of 10 hours+ of sleep to help return you to normal, and if you have been deprived for a long time, I think that it could take more! So sleep as much as you can and you will truly see a difference in all aspects of your life.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/18/the-surprising-toll-of-sleep-deprivation.html

Good luck and sweet dreams!

Colin

Treating the Cause

It seems that almost every client I work with comes to me with some sort of medical concern for which they are currently taking medication. It could be for high cholesterol, thyroid dysfunction, high blood pressure, insulin issues, migraines, or any number of other factors. My question is, was medication the last resort or the initial recommendation? 

Unfortunately, more often than not, it is the latter. Why is it that as soon as we tell a doctor that something is wrong, we are given pills to take to take care of the problem? What is missed in this equation is the why. Why is something wrong in the first place? We do not become obese, have high cholesterol, have high blood pressure because we are unlucky…we have them because our lifestyle is unhealthy! These are symptoms, not causes, and 9 times out of 10, the cause of a health problem can be linked to sleep, diet and exercise (in that order of importance).

America is one of the unhealthiest countries in the world in spite of our resources and advances in medical and pharmaceutical technologies. Regardless of the advances we make, if we do not come to terms with what our bodies need to survive, then we will never live up to our full potential. If you want to have energy, give your body the rest it needs (sleep and down time in the day). If you want to be without disease or dysfunction, give your body the nutrients it needs (lots of meat, lots of veggies, and plenty of fat). If you want to be strong and without joint pain, give you body the movement it needs (lift weights, work hard). If your body is not getting what it needs, it will shut down…and no operation, 5 Hour Energy, or medication will keep that from happening.

If you are in need of help, search out someone that is going to look at your body as a whole and prescribe a lifestyle change that will increase longevity, not temporarily change the numbers of some test. The world of health and fitness is taking a turn for the better (I think), and there is more opportunity to find these people than ever before. If you are in need of a doctor, look for someone that really wants to know you and know your body (and someone that knows that diet and lifestyle can solve 90% of the issues most people face). If you need a dietitian, find someone that knows the chemistry behind the foods they are recommending, because calories in/calories out just isn’t going to cut it anymore. If you are looking for a trainer, make sure they are making you lift weight! I cannot tell you how many people I see in the gym (with their “trainer”) holding 2lb dumbbells on a half stability ball doing curls. Your body only responds to working hard, so find someone that can coach you on good technique, help you to move better, and then help you to become stronger.

If nothing else, please start questioning what health professionals tell you. Just because they have letters after their name does not mean they know what they are talking about or have helped people get lasting results. I know it can be hard to figure out what is right or wrong, but there is nothing wrong with doing a little self educating before you talk to the doctor—you might learn something that they missed! So remember, if there is something going on in your body that is not right, look at the pain/illness/dysfunction and ask why? It is the why that will lead you to the cause, and the cause is the only thing that matters.

Thanks for your continued support; sorry for not posting in a while, it has been a crazy couple of months. Good luck and happy healing!

Colin

How to Get the Best Steak

How to Get the Best Steak - WSJ.com

This is a great article discussing the gradual decline in meat quality in the US and how to get back on the right track! It is no questions that corn/grain fed animals are less healthy, but they also just don't taste as good! So let's start getting the bulk of our nutrients from meat sources that are wild/grass-fed and have not been pumped full of hormones, antibiotics and corn. Our bodies, minds and taste buds will thanks us. Happy eating!

Colin

In Related News: How Different Groups Spend Their Day

How Different Groups Spend Their Day - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com

This is a great visualization of how Americans spend their days. From a health standpoint, it is telling to see that while most Americans spend over two and a half hours watching TV, they spend 24 minutes preparing meals and 16 minutes relaxing and thinking (other factors are also interesting to look at). This worries me when so many of us battle stress, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise, and think that we do not have the time to change this. TV is not the only thing that we can get consumed with that has little added value for our lives, and when you only have so much time in a day, it is important to really know why you dedicate time to each of your activities.

Time is the most valuable resource we have, and if we utilize our time, we can truly achieve anything. The quality of any area of our lives is a direct result of the time we spend on it. Health, fitness, relationships, career, family, sleep, inner peace. The more time we spend nurturing these areas, the more success and happiness we will find. Think about what is important to you and see if you are really giving these areas enough attention, or are less important activities getting in the way? If they are, then that's a good thing, because now you know a perfect way to free up more time to help make your life better!

Enjoy the chart and keep up all the good work, health and fitness is a lifelong journey, so enjoy the ride!

Colin