11 Health and fitness biohacks

There are four main tactics to employ when trying to lose weight: eating well, movement, quality sleep, and managing stress.  But if you're looking to find some incremental advantages, you can add some health and fitness biohacks.  These practices/foods won't move the needle, but they may be something for you to consider as you go on your health and fitness journey.

Health and Fitness Biohacks:

1. Cold – Submerging the body in cold water boosts the metabolism and helps to reduce body fat and inflammation.
2. High-intensity interval training – HIIT builds endurance and enhances your metabolism. Be sure to fully recover during recovery periods and between workouts.
3. Intermittent fasting –This keeps the body in fat burning mode for longer. One method involves eating during an eight-hour period and fasting for the other 16 hours each day.
4. Ketosis – Ketones in the blood can be used to fuel the body’s energy, which leads to fat loss.
5. Hormone management – Aging often leads to a lowering of estrogen or testosterone, which causes the body to store fat in different ways. Maintain good hormone levels through diet, exercise, and possibly supplementation under a physician’s care.
6. Treadmill desk – Do normal work while walking one to two miles per hour. This increases your activity level and improves core strength and balance.
7. Warm lemon water – Consuming this in the morning jumpstarts the metabolism, digestive track, and energy levels.
8. Apple cider vinegar – One tablespoon before bed each night can have a positive effect on lowering blood sugar.
9. Elimination diets – Added weight can be caused by inflammation from certain foods. Elimination diets will help you determine which foods cause you inflammation and should be removed from your diet permanently.
10. Manage your water – Flushing water from the body is one way to drop a few pounds fairly quickly.
11. Long, slow distance – This stress-reducing exercise keeps the metabolism going and allows you to stay in a fat burning mode.

While these health and fitness biohacks should not be used as a primary method of weight loss, they may be able to supplement the main four tactics.

Another episode you may enjoy:

11 Best weight loss lessons

Nobody’s Perfect

As I near my 51^st birthday, I have spent some time thinking about myself and my life. One of the biggest areas I have struggled with is self-inflicted stress and anxiety. I’m a perfectionist, so I’m always striving to be the best I can be.

The trouble with this mindset is that it often leads to comparison. It’s easy to look at colleagues in the industry, compare myself to how they look or what they have accomplished, and feel as though I am falling short.

What I’ve realized is that nobody is perfect. We all deal with this internal struggle. However, I have come to several realizations in determining how to prevent this negative mindset from taking over.

1. Me versus me. We must stop comparing ourselves to others. The only person you should be competing with is yourself. Continue to make small efforts today and you’ll be better off tomorrow.
2. This is a journey, not a destination. Keep working toward your goals each day. You may take a step back here and there, but you’re not out of the race.
3. Seek joy. Don’t be all work and no play. Plan more activities or vacations. Take time to rest and enjoy life.
4. Focus on your why. My why is to be here for my unborn grandchildren and family. It’s not about being the best in the industry or achieving perfection. Don’t let comparison confuse you about why you started in the first place.

We are human. We all have good days and bad days. As members of the 40 Plus Fitness Community, we can support each other throughout the journey.

Another episode you may enjoy

The three monkey experiment

Better food for gut health with Pete Evans

Pete Evans is a renowned chef with a passion for healthy food. His new book, The Complete Gut Health Cookbook, includes information and recipes emphasizing a vegetarian style diet with a side of meat that works to improve one’s gut health.

In the book, Pete emphasizes a six-step approach to improving gut health. One critical step is targeting inflammation that is most often seen in people who are bloated or overweight. This inflammation is the first sign that something is wrong. To remedy this, people need get their bodies into a state where they can self-heal through eating the correct foods.

Another important aspect of enhancing gut health is improving the integrity of the gut wall. This is accomplished through removing inflammatory foods from the diet. The most common foods include grains, dairy, and legumes. Consuming foods such as bone broth and fermented vegetables can be beneficial in improving joint, digestion, and skin issues as well.

The book points out other helpful foods and related recipes. One such food is lemon juice. Lemon juice is helpful in healing the gut, especially when squeezed into a glass of warm water first thing in the morning. This can help to stimulate digestive acids and get the bile flowing. It also will not give you a false sense of energy like coffee and other sources of caffeine.

Other foods to consider in one’s daily routine include kombucha and water kefir, which contain beneficial probiotics. Pete also emphasized the importance of consuming offal, which is nutrient dense.

The Complete Gut Health Cookbook contains a variety of beneficial tips and inexpensive recipes that can improve your health. To connect with Pete Evans directly, visit peteevans.com.

Another episode you may enjoy

The bone broth diet | Dr. KellyAnn Petrucci

Eat wheat with Dr. John Douillard

Dr. John Douillard is a recognized leader in the field of natural health and the author of the new book, Eat Wheat. Though gluten-free diets are popular today, they involve significant risks, including an increased amount of mercury in one’s diet, more bad bacteria in the gut, and less killer T-cells. Dr. Douillard explains that wheat in its whole grain form actually has incredible health benefits.

Today, many try to chase their digestive problems by removing foods like wheat from their diet. Dr. Douillard explains that the issues are indicative of a greater problem; specifically, they do not have the digestive strength that they once did. To fix this, they must detoxify and reboot the lymphatic and digestive systems and avoid processed foods.

The consumption of processed fats can lead to congestion of the liver and gall bladder. Bile becomes thick and viscous. To reboot the lymphatic system, one’s bile function must be improved through becoming a better fat burner again. This can be accomplished by consuming bile-moving foods such as apples, beets, celery, and artichokes. Certain spices such as ginger and cumin can help the stomach produce acid and improve digestion. They can also help the liver produce bile and promote more pancreatic enzymes in the body. Foods containing antioxidants such as cranberries, cherries, and leafy greens are also helpful.

Dr. Douillard also points out the importance of avoiding grazing. Humans are better fat burners when they eat three quality meals per day, as the body burns fat to provide energy between meals. To connect with Dr. Douillard or to learn more about his new book, visit www.lifespa.com.

Eat Wheat – Grain Brain Debate

http://lifespa.com/episode-41-eat-wheat-grain-brain-debate/

Another episode you may enjoy

Is wheat poison?

11 Foods you shouldn’t be eating

Illness is often self-inflicted through foods we shouldn't be eating. When we consume these foods, they can have a negative impact on our overall health. However, we can take incremental steps toward better health by slowly removing these foods from our diet.

1. Sugar – You should know by now that sugar is on the top of the list of foods you shouldn't be eating.  Try not to consume more than 25 grams per day, as sugar is a serious threat to overall health.
2. Fruit juice – Juice has a lot of sugar. Consider eating a whole fruit instead.
3. Tropical fruit – These are also high in sugar. Choose fruits such as berries, apples, or pears.
4. Bread – This includes bagels and waffles. These are simple, processed carbs that will lead to a sugar spike.
5. White rice and potatoes – These also tend to cause insulin spikes. In fact, potatoes can cause a greater insulin spike than sugar.
6. High fructose corn syrup – This is commonly found in processed foods, which is detrimental to your body.
7. Diet soda – Artificial sweeteners and chemicals cause inflammation and weight gain. The sugar and caffeine can also be addictive.
8. MSG – This is a spice that makes food taste good, but it also causes cravings and inflammation in the body.
9. Skim milk – Fat in the milk has been removed, which prevents the body from absorbing the vitamin D.
10. Anything labeled low fat, healthy, gluten-free – These labels are largely marketing tactics and do not necessarily mean the food is healthy. Focus on the ingredients and macros in the food.
11. Processed foods – Chemicals within these foods are intended to preserve the food for months or years, which is not healthy for your body.

Pay attention to the foods that you’re eating and how you feel. As you slowly begin eliminating some of the bad foods you shouldn't be eating, you will be sure to notice a positive difference in your health.

Another episode you may enjoy

How to shop for good food

The heart is more than just a pump with Dr. Thomas Cowan

Dr. Thomas Cowan is the author of a new book entitled Human Heart, Cosmic Heart, which introduces a new perspective on the role of the heart within the human body and how heart disease can be prevented.

Dr. Cowan explains that more than 90% of heart attacks are caused by a decrease in the tone of the parasympathetic nervous system. Too much stress, high blood pressure, and diabetes are just a few factors that can also diminish the parasympathetic nervous system. When this is combined with a buildup of lactic acid in the heart, acidification of tissues or a breakdown of cells occurs, creating a heart attack.

In the book, Dr. Cowan has included the six principles within the Cowan Heart Diet, which will influence the three causes of heart disease: plaque, deterioration of microcirculation, and an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system.

1. Quality matters – Toxins can interfere with mitochondrial function. Eat fresh, local, and organic foods containing the best quality with the most minerals possible.
2. How to eat vegetables – Eat proteins from animals, seeds and nuts for calories and fiber, and as wide a variety of vegetables as possible.
3. Intermittent fasting – An overfed state leads to too much insulin, which can lead to inflammation. Instead, try intermittent fasting, which will put your body in an efficient state of hormonal balance.
4. Macronutrients – Do not eat too much sugar in your diet. Eat a high amount of healthy fats and modest protein.
5. Structured water – The structure of non-moving water starts to degrade. Using simple vortex devices with your drinking water can possibly improve your health.
6. Trust your instincts – No expert can tell you what works the best for you. If you feel good, look good, and are performing well, you are likely on the right track.

To connect with Dr. Cowan, or to learn more about the book or heart disease, visit www.humanheartcosmicheart.com.

Another episode you may enjoy

Baths for health with Paulette Sherman

Your doctor may be a drug dealer with Anna Lembke

Dr. Anna Lembke is the chief of addiction medicine and an assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also the author of the new book, Drug Dealer MD, which examines the layers of issues surrounding the prescription drug epidemic.

Dr. Lembke explains that the number of prescriptions for opioid prescription drugs quadrupled between 1999 and 2010. While attempting to better treat pain, the risk of overprescribing was underestimated, causing an epidemic involving a complex web of both patients and doctors.

Once addicted, the patient’s behavior is driven by a physiologic craving to use, causing them to go to great lengths to obtain the drug. Dr. Lembke describes several techniques that patients can use:

1. Psychfance – Flattering the doctor and abusing the doctor-patient relationship.
2. Senators – A filibuster technique where patients wait until the last 30 seconds of an appointment to ask for a prescription.
3. Exhibitionists – Using dramatic displays of emotion or pain to communicate the need for the medication.
4. Losers – Those who claim they lost their prescription or bottle of pills.
5. Weekenders – Those who call in for an early refill on the weekend when their regular doctor is not around.
6. Doctor shoppers – Patients who visit multiple doctors to get a similar or same prescription.
7. Impersonators – Those who pretend to be different people to get multiple prescriptions.
8. Dynamic Duo – Two against one, typically a patient and his/her mother.
9. Twins – Anyone in the healthcare field with an addiction and who can navigate the system more cleverly.
10. City Mice and Country Mice – Medically savvy patients and those who act unknowledgeable.
11. Bullies – Patients who threaten to sue or call patient relations.
12. Internet Copycats – Those who get advice on the internet about deceiving doctors.
13. Little Engines That Could – Those who want to get off the medication, but continue to have excuses as to why they need to refill.

Another episode you may enjoy

Making the best medical decisions with Dr. Robert McNutt