C'est L'halloween!!!

I LOVE HALLOWEEEEN!! Getting dressed up and being someone else for a day is always so fun! Carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds - yum!

I remember the days of going out with a pillow case to trick-or-treat! Geez...that was a LOT of candy. I always saved it though, keeping it under my bed for a rainy day I guess?? I just liked to collect it, didn't really care to eat it. Except ketchup chips and mars bars. I miss my Canadian treats!

Be careful how much candy you eat. I promise I'm not one of those people that gives out toothbrushes...but I'm tempted to. I just don't want to be known as the neighborhood witch. I think it's fine to eat an abundance of candy for one day...just be careful not to start buying the big bags of treats weeks in advance, and try to get rid of excess candy after a few days, or just stuff it away to have in moderation. Out of sight out of mind always works for me!

Happy Holidays!

The All American Diet Part 1: Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids

No one should be surprised any more when they hear how much the American Diet has changed over the last couple of decades. Many popular documentaries and books on the subject have brought the topic to the mainstream; Fast Food Nation, Food Inc., and Super Size Me were all very enlightening on what we as Americans are eating and where it is coming from. And the information is not uplifting.

What we eat contributes directly to our health. Imbalances in our diet, overindulgences and certain tendencies can all lead to diseases or states of health that are very undesirable.

This will be the first in a series on the subject of the All American Diet. It concerns a little known topic; the amount of Omega-6 fatty acids in our diet and what it could be doing to our health.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids: A Balancing Act
Omega-3 and Omega-6 are types of essential fatty acids - essential in that we cannot make them on our own and need to obtain them from our diet. We get Omega-3 fa's from only a few sources; coldwater fish such as salmon, and vegetarian sources such as walnuts and flaxseed (which contain precursors that our body can form Omega-3's with). Omega-3's are a major component of many hormones, as well as the building blocks for our cellular membranes - the outer shell of every cell in our body.

Omega-6 fa's in contrast are in many of our food choices today with most of it coming from refined vegetable oils, especially soy oil, used in snack foods and fast food. Soybean oil is so common in processed foods that it has been estimated that 20 percent of the calories an average American eats comes from this source alone!

Omega-6 fa's also produce homones. The hormones produced by each of these fa's differ in function and actually contrast each other. Omega-3 containing hormones tend to decrease inflammation, blood clotting, and cell growth while Omega-6 containing hormones tend to increase these functions. A balance between these two essential parts of our diet is necessary to maintain our health.

(note: a lot of research is currently being done concerning the role of inflammation in diseases related to aging. Inflammartory pathways appear to be responsible for a fair amount of the discomforts we gather as we age. A summary on this will be the topic of a later post.)

Because of our increased consumption of processed foods we are becoming inbalanced in our intake of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids, with a major increase in our intake of Omega-6 and a decrease in our intake of Omega-3.

Many postulates have been made in regards to this imbalance. The rise in diseases related to inflammation, such as;  asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases have all been linked to increased Omega-6 intake. Others have contemplated he imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence.

Another concern and the topic of much debate is the fear that our cellular structure, and the cell membranes that surround each of our cells, may change in composition due to this shift in our diet. A higher concentration of Omega-6 fa's in our cells may actually make our cells more rigid, with outcomes that we do not yet know.

Becoming more aware and educated in what you eat could prolong your life, as well as make your later years much more healthful and comfortable. Try to eat more fatty fish and eat less fast food. Pay attention to what you use to nurish your body, because, like I've said before, you are what you eat!!!

The Swiss Alps!

Speaking earlier of hiking the Swiss Alps brought back a rush of wonderful memories. Three friends and myself went on a little 2 week trip to Europe; starting in Amsterdam, flying to Switzerland and then on to Scottland. Sandwiching Switzerland in the middle of two fun, crazy, party towns was wonderful.

On this part of our trip we stayed in a mountain hostel in Gimmelwald.

The clean fresh air, cold rushing glacial springs and mountains as far as you could see inspired a feeling of wellness like no other.

The highlight of this part of the trip was a hike up to Schilthorn, 3000 feet in the air. It was a difficult hike - and that is an enormous understatement. From the time we left the hostel the hike took us 10 hours. That's a lot of climbing. Imagine a stairmaster for 10 hours. BUT, then imagine your reward from the stairmaster was to sit beside a glacial lake overlooking miles of gorgeous mountain range. Another break in a mountain top farm with the strange swiss cows and some delicious cheese and bread. And tonnes of adventure. Near the top we were climbing on ice and snow, holding on to whatever we could grasp. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea...but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

When I returned from my trip, this one day of altitude climbing had made an incredible impression on my cardiovascular system. I hopped on the treadmill at the gym when I got home and was amazed at my post-vacation health.

Moral of the story? If you have the chance to incorporate adventure and activity into your travel, do it! It's refreshing and fun and you'll come back feeling like a million bucks, not like you just sat around on a beach and ate your way through the week. And Switzerland, not a bad place to start!

Change...What a Pain!

It can be hard to make changes. The very nature of change, or to disturb our homeostasis, makes our body scream at us to fix it. Our body thinks it is starving! or dying of thirst! or falling asleep! or just can't go on anymore! just because we haven't had our morning bacon and eggs or coffee, or we're trying to run up a flight of stairs and maybe it's been awhile. But that is the start of CHANGE. And if we want to see results, we're going to have to go through the changes necessary to produce them.

Sometimes, when I think I can't climb that last hill, or finish that last 10 minutes of spinning or kickboxing, I say to myself

"PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!"

Which usually helps. I heard this from my friend while we were climbing the Swiss Alps and I didn't think I could raise my leg even one more time to climb another foot (if you have ever been to the Alps you know that they are very steep...and tall). She yelled this at me. I cursed her in my head, but kept moving.

The funny thing is, this little piece of motivation is very true. If we want our muscles to grow, we need to challange them. It takes a stress above what we are already capable of to produce change. So it's that extra mile that counts; that extra lap, that extra staircase (and that one less cookie :) ). This extra bit of effort when we want to quit is what will give us the results that we want to see.

Fasting: Because Hippocrates Said So!

 "Everyone has a physician inside him or her; we just have to help it in its work.  The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.  Our food should be our medicine.  Our medicine should be our food.  But to eat when you are sick is to feed your sickness."
                                               - Hippocrates

Many people ask me about fasting, althought mostly as a weight loss method. Although it is a decent way to lose weight - not to starve yourself, but to 'reset' your appetite - there are many other benefits to fasting that are often overlooked.

The energy that we use to break down food, sometimes up to 70% of our daily energy expenditure, can be used for other bodily functions when we limit the constant intake of food that we usually have. In todays world we are constantly exposed to options for food. If we feel hungry, we eat. But this constant intake does not allow our body to metabolise and eliminate excess intake. By abstaining from food we can shift our metabolism to the breakdown of toxins and wastes. Allowing our system to run better.

There are many known benefits to fasting. Research has shown fasting to be a way to increase the healing power of our body. By removing the focus on the breakdown of food, we are able to devote this energy to healing. Many people talk about the clarity they feel when they are fasting. Also, many people experience an increase in energy.

Before engaging in a fast, do your research. Find a method that will work for you. And trust your body, learn to listen to it.

Perhaps the best outcome of my fasting experiences has been the confidence I have gained in the ability to muster the willpower to not eat all of the delicious things I think about when I am hungry. Learning to put aside the impulse to eat, and focusing on the benefits I am trying to obtain has been a practice of discipline that has helped in my daily diet.

Overall, fasting can be a wonderful experience which can help us get in tune with our body while eliminating waste and disease. Definitely worth trying!

A Brand New Day!

Every day is a new day. A fresh start. A chance to move towards the goals we set for ourselves, the people we want to be. Not tomorrow, today.
Today I started this blog to share ideas that are inspirational, advice that is practical, and to try to simplify the vast amount of information that we take in every day concerning our health. No one is going to take care of your health for you, how you live your life is based on the decisions you make. So, equipping yourself with valid information is the first step to making the most healthful decisions. Enjoy and Be Well!