Make Self-Care a Part of your Health Care

Everyone is feeling a little uneasy right now. But I feel like this is a good time to do some self-reflection. And maybe start taking your health a little more seriously. I know I am. There are many ways to promote better health, mentally and physically, and they are not as hard as they may seem. Let's look at ways to take control of your health TODAY, and make self-care a part of your health care.

I'll give you a few tips to get through this tough time and hopefully continue as a lifelong practice. Remember that your health is a vehicle, not a destination. You need to take care of your health now, what you do today will make for a better tomorrow. Don't wait until your body starts to break down. We keep hearing that people with underlying health problems are at increased risk for the coronavirus. But what many of us don't understand is that a lot of metabolic diseases can be greatly reduced through better lifestyle choices.

Simple changes you can choose to make today 

Get outside and go for a walk, this is easier for those of you who live in less crowded areas. If you can't go for a walk do some exercises in your home. You can find a lot of ideas online! The bottom line, your body needs movement and exercise is not negotiable if you want better health.

Increase your vitamin D levels. Sunshine is super important right now. A good rule of thumb for increasing vitamin D levels; expose as much skin as possible for around 20 minutes, or until you see a very slight change in color. Just remember the skin on your face is not a good place to get sun exposure, it's too thin and will damage easily. The sun is very powerful in keeping your body healthy, mostly in terms of maintaining the health of a lot of your hormone and immune function. If you are older or are extremely sensitive to the sun, you can supplement with vitamin D & K, still go outside to get the infrared light, just with a little added protection.

Supplements you can add to support your immune system and help your body fight viruses are;

Top 3 supplements to take

Zinc
Zinc blocks the replication of the virus. Zinc deficiency could also explain why so many younger athletes are dying from the coronavirus: Intense exercise causes loss of zinc through sweating. Older men tend to be deficient in zinc as well.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C strengthens the immune system because white blood cells need it to work. It's extremely effective in protecting your lungs.

Vitamin D (if you can't get sunshine you need to supplement with D and K)

Other supplements that help your body are;

Spirulina
Beta-glucan
Glucosamine
Selenium
Lipoic acid
NAC
NAD booster
Elderberry extract
Quercetin
Pro & Prebiotics

If you need help with what supplements to take, call or email me today!

Get plenty of quality sleep. You should be limiting the amount of blue light you're exposed to after dark. If you are watching tv or looking at other screens you should be wearing blue light blocking glasses. Clean your bedroom, and limit the number of electronics in your bedroom. Turn your WIFI off at night. Try to block as much light coming into your room as possible. You can also try a device that tracks your sleep, in my opinion, the best on the market right now is the aura ring. You can take a melatonin supplement, start with the lowest dose of the highest quality.

Try the 4,7,8 breathing technique. Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Repeat 4 times.

Pray or Meditate

Don't forget to be kind and compassionate to everyone. And remember those who seem the least deserving need compassion the most!

Viruses & Bacteria

Sounds scary right?

Not so fast!

Did you know you have about 100 trillion bacteria that make your body home? And that you also house about one quadrillion viruses. All of these organisms perform a multitude of functions, and you need them to be properly balanced and cared for in order to maintain proper health.

It's not all about digestion. A healthy microbiome helps break down your food, it also reacts to and breaks down the medications you're taking. This could be one of the reasons people can have different results when taking the same medications. Your microbiome protects your body from the "bad bugs", all of the viruses, bacteria, and parasites that will do your body harm.

The vegus nerve.

This nerve does a lot of communication from your intestines to your brain. In fact, there are more messages going from your intestines to the brain than the other way around. When your microbiome is out of balance from taking antibiotics, chronic stress, eating too much sugar, taking any medication, or eating processed food, you can start to experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, brain fog, bloating, IBS, chronic infections, the list goes on. This is one of the reasons it's so important to take care of your gut health, not just for digestion, but your brain relies on it too!

Now, what to do?

Take Probiotics.

Unfortunately, you can't just eat a little yogurt and call it good. Yogurt does have probiotics in it, but it's also LOADED with sugar or artificial sweeteners, both of which are horrible for your microbiome. If you are buying yogurt make sure it's plain. You can supplement with probiotics. I highly recommend doing this, however, not all supplements are worth taking. Make sure that you get a probiotic with multiple strains of bacteria. The science is still out on what strains are best. Just make sure you are taking a supplement with more than five strains of bacteria. Also, make sure that you take them on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, this ensures less competition (no food in the stomach) on their way to your intestines.

Prebiotics

Not the same as probiotics. Prebiotics are what feeds your good bacteria. Consuming prebiotics is just as important, if not more important than taking probiotics. This ensures you keep your good bacteria healthy, multiplying, and thriving. Good ones are bananas, asparagus, and broccoli. Basically, you don't need to worry if you're eating plenty of veggies. Now it's equally important to skip the sugar and processed foods. These foods will shift your microbiome in the wrong direction, and it doesn't take long to do this.

I hope after reading this article you will start to take your microbiome a little more seriously. If you are low on energy, overweight, have poor digestion, chronic infections, brain fog, anxiety, or depression, you may want to consider making some changes.

Do you need help addressing your health concerns? Or do you need help with a weight loss and exercise program that fits you? Contact me today.

Time and health are two precious assets that we don't recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.

Denis Waitley

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” 
 
–Albert Einstein–

Fitness! Just another "F" word for some of us. But the reality is that our bodies were made to move. And fortunately today we live in a world of endless possibilities when it comes to exercise! I'm a true believer in keeping a well rounded routine.

Reasons Why

*Slows Aging, older people who do endurance exercise training end up with metabolically younger hearts, when you exercise you slow the aging process down, and you're never to old to start! (ALWAYS check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine if you have any health concerns!)

*SLEEP! This is one of the most important components to your health, if your not getting enough sleep, or quality sleep, your health is suffering! Exercise will help with this.

*Improves brain power, the increased blood flow helps boost oxygenation, cognitive function, and neurotransmitter production. Exercise stimulates production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that helps preserve existing brain cells and stimulates growth of new neurons.

*You say you're to tired to exercise? Good news! Exercise can increase your energy!

*How's your mood today? If it's not so good, exercise will help! Exercise boosts levels of soothing brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Regular exercise can reduce symptoms of depression about as effectively as antidepressants.

*Look better in a pair of jeans! Hey ladies I know this ones important to you, and should be, looking your best is good for you, never give up on yourself, set the bar high!

*Lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease by helping to normalize glucose, insulin, and leptin levels by optimizing the insulin/leptin receptor sensitivity.

*Build strong bones by stimulating bone growth.

Now...…..….. are you ready to start?

Try This

Interval Training - Interval training improves both cardiovascular health and fat burning capabilities! What is it? High-Low intensity, short bursts of high intensity followed by a few minutes of lower intensity. It is the best all around workout for keeping your body ready for day to day life.
 
Example:

I warm up on the treadmill walking for about 5 to 10 minutes (depends on how cold and slow I feel that morning), then I will sprint for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, next push ups or pull ups, back to sprint for 30 seconds to 1 minute again, next squats or lunges, sprint, abs, sprint, keep alternating body parts for strength with your sprints. You can get a well rounded workout done in 30 minutes or less! No treadmill, and no room? Try mountain climbers, jump squats, burpees, anything that gets you breathing hard for 30 seconds.

*For all of you thinking I'm crazy, push ups, no way! This ones for you. Hopefully you can walk, start there. Then slowly increase the time and pace. You can alternate walking as fast as you can, then slow down for a few minutes. Also incorporate marching in place to strengthen your core, you can try it right now, stand up, raise your knee to about hip level and tap it with your hand, keep alternating sides, its that easy! Also try getting down on your hands and knees, now raise your right arm and left leg, now the opposite, and keep alternating. If you are new to exercise you can always hire a professional to help you get started.

Have questions? Contact me today!

Take Note!
It is incredibly important to have proper posture! If you don't, you will really hurt yourself in the long run, I can't stress this point enough. If you already have a pretty good idea of proper posture, watching yourself in a mirror can be very useful so you can adjust yourself accordingly, if you are new to exercise I highly recommend finding a friend, or a professional who can help you get started. Don't let that stop you from starting today, you can always do walking intervals and progress from there.

Now is the time you take action! Say, I will start my workout today! I refuse to let my excuses define who I am!

 
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

— Thomas A. Edison

Sincerely,

Sarah Pierce