Most of us live in a world where food is readily available at every turn. Calorie intake, obesity, and chronic disease rates are at all time highs. A conscious approach to your food intake gives you power to control your health. Let’s break down some top reasons you can’t help yourself reaching for snacks… Habit: We are creatures of habit!…
Our bodies are under a constant fight against gravity. Maintaining strong muscles, bones, and joints requires action. Challenging our structural system with load in the form of bodyweight and strength training exercises has tremendous health benefits. Learn to manipulate how much weight you use and how many reps you do to maximize benefit. Strength training is relative to the individual. …
Most of us are too busy to think about it, or simply don’t care. Yet the more you explore the impact that food has on your health, major questions arise regarding where the food you are putting into your body comes from. A food mile is defined as how far a food item is transported from producer to consumer. The…
Our bodies are hardwired for stimulus, it’s how we learn! Activities, sports, and exercise create hundreds of combinations of input for our muscles and brains to coordinate. Learn how to appreciate changes in speed and time (duration) during your exercise choices to maximize long term benefit. A baseball player waits patiently at the plate for a pitch, makes contact with…
Over the last few decades, counting calories has been a common practice for those looking to lose weight. The concept of consuming only enough of food for your daily needs is fundamentally sound. However calorie counting has become an outdated practice that ignores the fundamental principles of metabolism, hormone balance, and macronutrients. Let’s take a further look. A calorie is…
Fiber helps with digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, balances out gut bacteria, and has been shown to regulate chronic disease markers. Found in plant based foods, make sure you have a basic understanding of fiber’s role in your digestive health. Fiber can be broken down into two categories: soluble and insoluble. Different foods will promote different chemical reactions inside of your…
It’s important to understand that disease and chronic health conditions don’t develop overnight. Although symptoms may suddenly appear, our body has been dealing with an imbalance on a cellular level for a long time. Inflammation describes the body’s immune system response, which is good in some cases but troublesome in others. We need a healthy immune system to help fight…
Identifying internal struggles is paramount to making lasting habit changes. The overwhelming part of our nature is to find immediate gratification, safety, and satisfaction. We also have a voice in our heads that is strategizing for long-term success. Our health depends on a healthy relationship between these two sides. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt outlines the famous analogy of the “Elephant and…
This is not a diet, nor is it starving yourself. It is taking an extended break between the times that you eat, which is typically your last meal of the day and first of the next day. It will help your body burn fat, reduce inflammation, repair your genes, and increase vitality. When you’re eating, your body is digesting and…
Educating ourselves on how the human body is wired to work gives us advantages while enjoying the activities we love. Walking, running, or hitting a ball all require intent and a sequence of actions. Let’s break down the different types of stretching and when they are appropriate. Every time we move we are lengthening and shortening our muscles. In our…