Category: Wellness

Stress is commonly referred to as the body’s fight or flight response. This is handled by a part of our body called the Sympathetic Nervous System. I like to think of it as our gas pedal. When you’re busy during the day with to-do lists, high performance demands, deadlines and multi-tasking, your gas pedal is floored to the ground. Although this is acceptable at certain times, it becomes dangerous and unhealthy when your entire day is “pedal to the metal”.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System is the relaxation response that your body performs to repair from the hectic pace that you’ve set during the day. This would be the brake that you apply when the car needs to slow down. This system is typically activated at rest and during sleep.

The problem is many of us spend 17 hours with the gas pedal floored and expect to achieve balance with maybe 7 hours of sleep. And the sleep we get is not really restful. Many of us are tossing and turning,   thinking and rehashing, planning and anticipating, all throughout the night. We awake still tired and foggy. We reach for the shot of caffeine and sugar filled snacks for a boost. In an attempt to regain sanity, many will succumb to sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and alcohol. Although for some people, these may be necessary, for others these are nothing more than temporary fixes that lead to a whole host of side effects. What happens even to the best luxury car when the gas pedal has been floored and then you slam on the brake? Smoke! This is not a good sign. How do you think our bodies deal with this? Illness.

Science has shown that expressing GRATITUDE during periods of stress and anxiety can activate the relaxation centers of the brain. This is also very helpful before bedtime. Another tool is BREATHING exercises. Breathe from the chest to the belly, stopping momentarily at the heart to give thanks and send love. MEDITATION for only minutes can also reach this place of balance. The key to improving this vicious cycle is to practice MINDFULNESS throughout the day. Respect yourself and be aware that you are needed. Practice a few of these ideas and see if you can learn to coast during the day.

Drinking adequate water is so easy to forget. The recommended amount of water we should intake per day is 50% of our body weight in ounces. If you weigh 180 pounds, you should consume 90 ounces of water per day. If you sweat excessively due to work or exercise, drink even more. This recommendation is for pure water, not any liquid such as juice or tea. Adding electrolytes to your water, in the form of sports drinks, can be beneficial during heavy exercise. When we don’t hydrate enough, we can suffer from dehydration. The symptoms of dehydration include: headaches, brain fog or unclear thinking, fatigue, chills and heart palpitations. Be aware that dehydration can be life threatening if untreated.

What do you do when your car dashboard is showing you a warning light? Do you ignore it and continue driving or do you fix the problem? If the gas tank is empty, do you fill the tank or wait for the inevitable and eventually run out of gas? If your oil light comes on, do you dig deeper to fix the problem or just keep putting more oil in? If the answers seem obvious, then ask yourself this, why are you treating your car better than your body?

I see this happen all the time with my patients. They get many warning signs, or what I call “check engine signs”. Unfortunately, many just don’t do anything about them and consider them to be normal or part of aging. Whether it be back pain, joint stiffness, headaches, indigestion, constipation, weight gain or high blood pressure, these are all warning signs that something is out of balance. These are NOT normal symptoms. Look at these as yellow lights warning you before the red light comes on. These symptoms can be key to making life saving changes. Many of these signs   simply mean eat better, balance your poor choices with nutritional supplements, drink more water or spend a few short moments per day exercising or doing   breathing and relaxation techniques. I’ve witnessed even the smallest changes making huge life improvements.

It’s already back to school time! Here are a few tips to keep kids’ backs safer and brains working.

• Breakfast of Champions: Most kids tend to grab a quick bowl of cereal with milk for breakfast, but even complex grains with low fat milk just break down to sugar. In the morning, our bodies need protein!   Protein is the fuel of our muscles and brain. Eggs, meat and vegetables are truly the best sources of protein. For a quick morning meal, try rolled, sliced meats, hard boiled eggs or sliced tomatoes with cheeses. Nuts, especially walnuts, are also great. My personal favorite is protein smoothies. Use any combination of leafy greens, fruit (berries are best) and liquid such as water, coconut water or milk, cow’s milk or almond milk. I love adding Standard Process Complete protein powder for an extra boost of protein. Standard Process’ vitamins are not synthetic, like most protein powders, but rather come from food sources, making it easier for our bodies to digest and use the benefits. Kids love adding peanut butter, or even a little chocolate to their smoothies. Avoid protein bars. If you look at the nutritional label, many times they are loaded with nothing but sugar, carbohydrates and artificial preservatives.

• Back Packs: Keep as light as possible. Instead of swinging the pack on one shoulder, use both shoulder straps to balance the weight evenly. Use the chest or belly strap to wrap the pack tightly against your spine and avoid it bouncing up and down against your back.