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July 8, 2016

The menopause solution | Dr. Stephanie Faubion

Dr. Stephanie Faubion is the Director of the Women’s Health Clinic in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic. She is one of the country’s leading experts on menopause and is knowledgeable about bone and joint health. She is also the author of The Menopause Solution.

The Menopause Solution, is meant as a guide for women during menopause to help them be healthier for the rest of their lives. Women are living longer than ever before. In 1900, women did not live past age 50 and rarely dealt with menopause. Now, the average lifespan of a woman is approaching age 90, so menopause is something that most women will go through and live many years beyond.

In order to get a head start on menopause, Dr. Faubion explains that women need to be informed about what’s happening to their bodies and what they can do about it. By focusing on fitness, their overall quality of life will be better. Other areas of concern include sleep and stress management. Successfully managing both areas is key in the prevention of long-term diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Joint health is another important topic for post-menopausal women. Around the midpoint in their lives, women will experience more joint pain. Many women will start to develop arthritis after menopause. Dr. Faubion recommends that women recognize when they have pain, examine what triggered it, and stay tuned into their bodies.

Bone health is another area of concern. Many women are seeing bone loss around the age of menopause. This correlates with a loss of estrogen. In fact, women will experience the most bone loss of their lives within the first five years of menopause. To prevent bone loss, women should adopt a proper diet complete while maintaining a sufficient calcium intake. Resistance training and getting enough Vitamin D are also helpful in minimizing bone loss.

Be sure to check out The Menopause Solution to learn more about bone and joint health post-menopause. To connect with Dr. Stephanie Faubion, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/.

The estrogen window | Mache Seibel

July 6, 2016

The gut health diet plan | Dr. Christine Bailey

Dr. Christine Bailey is a qualified nutritionist and health consultant. She is a leading gut health expert and the author of The Diet Gut Health Plan.

Dr. Bailey explains that irritable bowel syndrome affects many people, yet it’s not actually a diagnosis, but more a collection of symptoms. In fact, 10 to 20% of the population will have these symptoms, which can include bloating, abdominal pain, cramping, and alternating diarrhea and constipation. These symptoms express an imbalance in the gut and immune system. To find a solution, you must first find the trigger. For some, these issues can be caused by foods to which the body has an immune reaction. Other times, they may be caused by an overgrowth of bacteria, yeasts, or parasites in the small or large intestine. Other causes can include an imbalance in the gut microbiome, stress, or medications. It’s not always easy to find the triggers.

Dr. Bailey recommends the “R” approach to help repair the gut. The first step involves removing any triggers with the help of gastroenterologist or a process of elimination. The second step includes replacement of vital nutrients such as zinc, which can tend to be low, yet are vital for digestive health. The third step is to repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria and yeast, usually through eating fermented foods. The fourth step is to repair the gut lining, as a leaky gut may be more prone to long-term or autoimmune conditions. The fifth step is a rebalance. This involves resetting our perception, mood, anxiety, and stress levels, which can impact not only our gut health, but our overall health.

The Diet Gut Health Plan also includes unique recipes, which have different flavorings. Those who have bacterial overgrowth may have to eliminate cellular foods, which includes onion and garlic. These new recipes provide an alternative to other bland offerings, yet they also aid in the digestion process.

To connect with Dr. Christine Bailey or learn more about The Diet Gut Health Plan, visit her website at www.christinebailey.co.uk.

 

Get a happy gut | Dr. Vincent Pedre

Warrior | Theresa Larsen

Theresa Larson is a doctor of physical therapy and the founder of Movement Rx. She has been a lieutenant in the Marines and also battled an eating disorder. She is the author of a new book entitled Warrior.

Theresa grew up in a single-parent household after her mother passed away when she was 10 years old. After her mother’s death, Theresa became shy outside of her family environment. To counteract this, she threw herself into sports such as basketball, softball, and cross country. She did well and gained local recognition. Though Theresa was feeding off this sense of accomplishment, she was very lonely. She put constant pressure on herself to be the best. The pressure continued to build as she went to Villanova University on a college scholarship and participated in ROTC. She felt the need to perform, be noticed, and serve as an example.

Theresa joined the Marines and was a new platoon leader at the age of 22. This was intense time filled with great responsibility. Though much was out of her control, she began to exercise control through her abuse of food. Theresa had developed bulimia. After all, Theresa had a mindset of perfection. She defined fitness as how she looked, how fast she ran, and how many pull-ups she could do. Eventually, she could no longer maintain this control and feared she may put one of her Marines in danger, so she reached out for help.

Today, Theresa appreciates what her body can do. She rarely weighs herself and does not compare herself to others. She believes that a true warrior is one who asks for help when he or she needs it. When Theresa took that step, she started to grow and change.

During a struggle, one is often reluctant to reach out for help, yet this is actually the strongest, bravest thing you can do. Theresa conquered her eating disorder and through the process learned that you do not have to go through life alone in your struggles. To connect with Theresa Larson or order her book, Warrior, visit www.drtheresalarson.com.

Why can't I stop? | Dr. Bruce Odlaug

July 1, 2016

On failure

Failure in business is often viewed as an opportunity to learn something. On failure with eating and exercise, however, we need to determine how we can use that experience to help our future journey.

A perceived failure is often due to triggering events. In order to overcome these obstacles, you first must understand what the trigger is and if it is likely to spur an action. One great example of this is tempting foods at a holiday cookout. The atmosphere, people, sights, and smells can all be triggering. After all, in this environment, it feels good to eat these foods. It can affect your emotions by triggering a reward sensation.

So what can you do to break this cycle? The first option is to get rid of the trigger or avoid it entirely. This is the easiest method, though it’s not always doable. If it’s not doable, you can try to change or swap out the action. You must prepare and plan to do something else. In the example of the holiday cookout, perhaps you bring a salad or your own healthy foods to share and eat. Others may threaten to jeopardize your ability to break the cycle. They may question your actions or make comments. Recognize that you don’t need to be apologetic or answer to them. Find anchors, other people who are in a similar situation as you, to help pull you out of the cycle.

On failure, you can overcome threats to your success by getting to know yourself, those around you, and how they will affect the cycle. If you slip, don’t beat yourself up. It’s one day. Remember, you haven’t failed unless you quit entirely. You have the power to change what you do next. Take steps to avoid your triggers or change the action, and you will find yourself back on the right track.

7 training mistakes you may be making

June 29, 2016

Diane – a new way to look at goal setting

Diane has an incredibly inspiring story to share, including a new method of goal setting that can help all of us. Diane was born with an eye condition that caused deterioration of the retina. This condition caused her to be qualified as legally blind by age 10. She eventually lost all of her sight at some point between the ages of 30 and 35. However, that has not slowed her down. Today, Diane competes in triathlons and Iron Man competitions. Diane’s motto has always been that if she could find a way to do something, there was no reason not to do it.

Although she was blind, Diane engaged in activities such as tandem skydiving, driving a racecar, and repelling down the side of a 29-story building. When she was 47, a friend suggested that she try a triathlon. She immediately signed up for an Olympic-distance triathlon and has been participating in races ever since.

In addition to her great physical accomplishments, Diane has a great view on goal setting. In fact, she has always objected to the notion that she has vision loss. Thought she has lost her physical ability to see, she still has vision for who and what she can be and what she can achieve. Diane does not allow herself to set limits on what she can do. She always looks at SMART goals and says that often times, you won’t know if a goal is attainable or realistic until you try it. She recommends setting an initial goal that you want to achieve and making this goal number two. Then set another goal that is higher than what you originally thought possible. This is goal number one. Then, if everything is going against you, set a lower goal which would be goal number three. Diane says to aim for goal one, be happy with goal two, and be OK with goal three.

Diane believes that you have more in you than you think. Goal setting is the way to realize what you can achieve. To learn more or contact Diane, go to https://blindironvision.com/.

 

Robin sets a stretch goal

Goal setting

June 27, 2016

Uncommon exercises

If you’ve been with a fitness routine for a while, you know it’s easy to get bored or possibly even plateau in your progress. To change things up, incorporate these five uncommon exercises into your program.

The first is the bear crawl, which helps to build strength and mobility. You will squat down and lift your butt up slightly so you’re essentially walking like a bear. Walk this way for about 20 yards and then return.

The second is the duck walk, which works on the mobility of your legs and endurance. You will squat down with your butt down, getting as low as possible. Then you will basically duck-walk forward for about 20 yards and then return.

The third is the wall sit. This exercise works on the strength in front of your legs. You will put your back against a wall, with your feet placed about a foot and a half away from the wall. You will then squat as though you are sitting on a chair and hold the position.

The fourth is mountain climbing. This helps to work your endurance. You will get on your hands and knees in a push-up position. You will then move one knee up toward your chest, and then alternate by moving the opposite knee forward. Do 20 to 60 repetitions of this exercise.

The final exercise is the Turkish Get Up. This builds strength in your core area and balance. It involves a five-step movement with a three to five-pound weight. You begin laying flat on the floor with the weight above your head, then move to sitting up, followed by a bridge position, then into a one-knee kneeled position, finally moving into a lunge step up into a standing position. The movement is then reversed. Five to 10 repetitions on each side is appropriate for this exercise.

A more detailed mini-course which will demonstrate these uncommon exercises in greater detail is available at older.fitness/uncommon. Be sure to check this out to get a real view of how to do these exercises.

 

Weak handshake, early grave

How to maximize your functional fitness

June 24, 2016

Life on purpose | Dr. Victor Stretcher

Dr. Victor Strecher is a professor and director for innovation and social entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He has published over 100 articles in scientific journals and is the author of Life on Purpose.

Dr. Strecher explains that purpose is a concept that has existed for thousands of years. The concept was actually refined by Aristotle 2400 years ago, when he conveyed that alignment with one’s true inner self gives deeper happiness. In last 10 years, there has been great research around this. Studies have shown that those with a strong purpose in their lives are less likely to develop a heart attack, stroke, or Alzheimer’s. They are also likely to live longer.

To find one’s purpose, Dr. Strecher explains there are six steps:

  1. Think about your core values. Do they include kindness, expertise, relationships, or security? Find what you value the most and operationalize those values.
  2. Assign a purpose/goal to your values.
  3. Think of the domains where the values can be applied.   Family purpose or community are several examples.
  4. Perform a headstone test. Imagine yourself dead tomorrow. What would you want to appear on the headstone? This provides an interesting contrast to life.
  5. Try on new purposes. If they don’t work, replace them. Keep trying different ones until you find the right fit.
  6. Once you find the purpose that fits, articulate it to the public.

Purpose takes more energy and willpower every day. To allow yourself more of this energy and willpower, Dr. Strecher explains we need more SPACE, or sleep, presence, activity, creativity, and eating. Maintaining a level of glucose will help with this. Love and kindness meditation may also help to give greater purpose and transcend your own ego and defensiveness.

Dr. Strecher’s book, Life on Purpose, is now available for purpose through Amazon or independent bookstores. Dr. Strecher also created a free On Purpose app, where you can get instructions on how to live in alignment with greater purpose. You can find the On Purpose app here.

 

How to be here | Rob Bell

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