Motion Health & Fitness

Tag: health

  • Protein Isn’t Just Meat; There Are Lots of Non-Meat Protein Options

    Protein Isn’t Just Meat; There Are Lots of Non-Meat Protein Options

    Americans are pretty protein obsessed. So, as a result, few of us are protein deficient.

    Across the spectrum, for every gender and age group, people are eating about 15-20% of their calories from protein, which is well within the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR).
     
    The AMDR for protein is anywhere from 10-35% of total daily energy intake, according to the Institute of Medicine. On a 2,000 calorie/day diet, this amounts to 50-175 grams per day. That’s a very wide range.
     
    An average-protein diet would include 15% protein. A high-protein diet would include at least 25% protein, and the healthy range for protein extends up to 35% of daily calories, according to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. So, any diet that has an intake of 25-35% protein would be considered a high-protein diet.
     
    If you prefer measurable amounts of protein to percentages, consider the following:
     
    Sedentary, generally healthy adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass, which is considered the recommended daily allowance (RDA). This means 55 grams for a 150-pound person and 72 grams for a 200-pound person. (To convert your weight in pounds to kilos, divide it by 2.2).
     
    That amount should allow protein turnover and prevent protein malnutrition; but that’s the bare minimum. Our protein requirements go up if we’re training hard, have a physical job, are injured, sick or recovering from surgery, and if we are losing protein due to chronic physical stress or poor digestion.
     
    For an athlete, the American College of Sports Medicine and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body mass, whereas the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass. Again, that’s a wide range and it provides some room for athletes to experiment. 
     
    Unfortunately, we can’t store protein like we store fat and carbohydrates, and our bodies are always breaking down and building up new proteins. This means protein is essential to our nutritional intake.
     
    It’s important to get a wide variety of protein sources because our body can’t make 9 of the essential amino acids that we require from food.
     
    I often have to remind my weight-training clients that there’s more to protein than just chicken and eggs; there are lots of excellent plant-based proteins as well. On the other hand, I have to remind vegetarian and vegan clients of these very same plant-based proteins, and to make sure that they meet their daily needs. Vegetarians and vegans just need to work a little harder to do so.
     
    What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan diets?
     
    A vegetarian diet excludes meat, poultry, fish and seafood. A vegan diet excludes all meat and animal products, including dairy and eggs.
     
    Almost all foods actually contain protein and even though they’re not designated under the protein category, they contribute. For example, a fist-sized portion of broccoli has 3 grams of protein, a thumb-sized portion of peanut butter has about 3 grams, and a cupped handful of quinoa has about 5 grams.
     
    So, protein isn’t limited to beef, pork, poultry and fish, although these are all great animal sources.
     
    Excellent vegetarian sources of protein include: eggs; dairy, such as cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt; and whey protein powder. These non-meat options offer a significant amount of protein.
     
    Vegan and vegetarian protein sources include: vegan protein powders, beans and legumes, tempeh, edamame and tofu.
     
    Beans and legumes deserve extra consideration because they are such excellent sources of protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Consequently, both are considered nutritional powerhouses. This makes them great alternatives to meat-based proteins.
     
    Most people are familiar with common varieties of beans, such as Great Northern, kidney, navy, pinto, white beans and black beans, for instance. Examples of legumes include peanuts, lentils, soybeans, green beans, peas, black-eyed peas and chickpeas (aka, garbanzo beans), which are used to make hummus.
     
    In addition to protein and fiber, most types of beans are excellent sources of other vital nutrients too, including potassium, selenium, zinc, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese and magnesium.
     
    Simply put, beans and legumes are nutrient-dense foods that also happen to be low in calories (about 245 calories per cup). Yet, protein and fiber make you feel full longer, so this combination can have a double-whammy effect.
     
    A review of 26 studies found that a diet rich in beans and legumes can significantly lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is an important risk factor for heart disease. Additionally, eating beans has also been linked to higher HDL (good) cholesterol levels, as well as reduced inflammation, due to their high antioxidant levels.
     
    Some people may be concerned about the stomach gas often associated with beans, which is the result of a fiber known as raffinose. However, soaking and boiling beans reduces raffinose levels by up to 75 percent. Of note, canned beans, which most people are more likely to eat, come pre-soaked and boiled. The digestive tracts of those who eat beans regularly are likely well-adapted, eliminating those embarrassing emissions. If you don’t eat beans regularly, your gut flora (microbiome) will quickly adjust in about a week and any gassiness should soon subside.
     
    Though canned beans contain a significant amount of added sodium, thoroughly rinsing and draining them can cut the sodium content by about 40 percent.
     
    Beans are also inexpensive and easy to prepare, usually requiring nothing more than heating and, perhaps, seasoning.
     
    On the whole, beans and legumes are highly nutritious foods, offering numerous health benefits. They are a worthy staple of any good diet.
     
    Yet, there are many more excellent vegetarian protein sources.
     
    The following non-meat foods also contain plenty of protein:
     
    • Nuts and seeds (4-10 grams per 1 ounce serving): walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, almond butter, hemp, chia and flax seeds.
     
    • Grains (5-8 grams per cup): quinoa, brown rice, oats, millet and barley.
     
    • Soy (9-16 grams per ½ cup): tofu, edamame and tempeh.
     
    • Fruits and veggies such as avocado (4 grams per cup), dark leafy greens (about 5 grams per cup) and broccoli (4 grams per cup).
     
    • Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) and eggs provide 6-9 grams of protein per serving.
     
    There are many benefits to eating a well-balanced diet that includes vegetarian protein sources, including loads of fiber (which aids in digestion), and a wider variety of vitamins and minerals proven to reduce diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
     
    Here are some plant-based proteins that are also complete proteins, meaning they contain adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids:
     
    • Tofu, Tempeh and Edamame
     
    Each of these is made from soybeans and all are excellent plant-based protein sources.
     
    A 3-ounce serving of tofu provides approximately 8 grams of protein.
     
    Three ounces of tempeh (made from fermented soybeans) contain 11 grams of protein.
     
    A 1/2 cup (4 oz) of whole edamame provides 8 grams of protein.
     
    These soy products also contain fiber, calcium, potassium and iron.
     
    • Quinoa
     
    One cup (8 ounces) of cooked quinoa provides approximately 8 grams of protein.
     
    In addition to being a complete protein, quinoa provides more magnesium, iron, fiber, and zinc than many common grains.
     
    • Amaranth
     
    This pseudocereal is a complete source of protein and has become a popular gluten-free grain alternative.
     
    One cup (8 oz) of cooked amaranth provides approximately 9 grams of protein.
     
    Amaranth is also an excellent source of manganese, magnesium phosphorus, and iron.
     
    • Buckwheat
     
    Though not as high in protein as quinoa or amaranth, the pseudocereal buckwheat is another plant-based complete protein. Despite its name, buckwheat is not a type of wheat. Therefore, it is gluten-free. Officially, buckwheat is not even a grain but rather a seed.
     
    One cup (8 oz) of cooked buckwheat groats provides approximately 6 grams of protein.
     
    Buckwheat is also a good source of many essential minerals, including phosphorus, manganese, copper, magnesium, and iron.
     
    • Spirulina
     
    A type of blue-green algae, this complete protein source can be easily added to smoothies for a boost of nutrition.
     
    Just 1 tablespoon of dried spirulina provides 4 grams of protein.
     
    Spirulina is rich in antioxidants and is a good source of several B vitamins, copper, and iron.
     
    • Hemp seeds
     
    Technically a nut, the edible whites inside of hemp seeds are referred to as hemp hearts and incredibly nutritious. Hemp hearts have a mild nutty flavor and can be sprinkled over yogurt or salads or added to smoothies.
     
    In addition to being a source of complete protein, hemp hearts are particularly rich in the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3).
     
    Three tablespoons (30 grams) of raw, hulled hemp seeds boast an impressive 10 grams of protein.
     
    • Chia seeds
     
    Two tablespoons of chia seeds provide 4 grams of protein. They’re also a good source of omega-3s, iron, calcium, magnesium, and selenium.
     
    Chia seeds can be used raw as a topping for oatmeal or salads, mixed into baked goods, or added to yogurt and smoothies.
     
    The takeaway is that there are lots of healthful, nutritious, non-meat protein sources. This is important for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike. Omnivores have a lot of options in meeting their protein requirements. Vegetarians and vegans just need to be more focused. 
     
    Having lots of options makes meal planning easier. After all, as the old saying goes, variety is the spice of life.
  • Sugar: The Biggest Dietary Threat to Your Health

    Sugar: The Biggest Dietary Threat to Your Health

    For decades, Americans were warned to reduce their fat and cholesterol intake in order to prevent heart disease, the nation’s No. 1 killer of both men and women. However, it is now known that sugar is the greater threat to our national health.
     
    The link between sugar and heart disease was purposefully obscured for decades. In 1964, after studies began linking sugar with heart disease, the Sugar Association (a sugar industry trade group) began funding research that cast doubt on sugar’s role in heart disease, in part by pointing the finger at fat.
     
    First, we should note the difference between naturally occurring sugar and added sugar, which is the real threat.
     
    Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains and dairy. Consuming whole foods that contain naturally occurring sugar is okay. Plant foods also have high amounts of fiber, essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and dairy foods contain protein and calcium.
     
    Since your body digests these foods slowly, the sugar in them offers a steady supply of energy to your cells. A high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.
     
    However, problems occur when you consume too much added sugar — that is, the sugar food manufacturers add to their products to increase flavor and/or extend shelf life. The added sugar in our food is generally regular table sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup (a mix of fructose and glucose).
     
    Remarkably, sugar is the most popular ingredient added to foods in the US. In fact, about 80% of all sugar found in US foods has been added by the food industry. The top sources of sugar in the American diet are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yogurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, and other processed foods. 
     
    Yet, added sugar is also present in items you may not think of as sweetened, such as soups, cured meats, and ketchup. Yes, sugar isn’t merely found in sweets; it’s also added to many other processed foods, such as crackers, breads, peanut butter, and salad dressings. In fact, most processed foods contain sugar.
     
    While you might not think you’re eating much sugar, chances are you’re eating a lot more than you realize. Added sugar lurks in nearly 70% of packaged foods and is found in many sauces, snacks, most breakfast foods, and even many so-called ‘health foods’.
     
    The result: we consume way too much added sugar.
     
    Today, the average American consumes 66 pounds of added sugar each year, according to government data. That’s more than one pound of sugar each week!
     
    This is of great concern since too much added sugar is among the greatest threats to cardiovascular disease. Eating and drinking too many added sugars can also contribute to other health problems, such as type-2 diabetes and obesity. 
     
    “Sugar is actually more addictive than even cocaine, so it is probably the most consumed addictive substance around the world and it is wreaking havoc on our health,” says cardiovascular researcher James DiNicolantonio.
     
    Sugar’s impact on heart health has long been researched by Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
     
    In a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Hu and his colleagues found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. Over the course of the 15-year study, people who got 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar.
     
    “Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease,” says Dr. Hu.
     
    High amounts of sugar overload the liver, potentially leading to fatty liver disease, a contributor to diabetes, which also raises your risk for heart disease.
     
    Consuming too much added sugar can also raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease.
     
    “The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease — are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke,” says Dr. Hu.
     
    Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the US. It kills more Americans each year than AIDS and breast cancer combined, according to the American Diabetes Association.
     
    More than 100 million US adults are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to a 2017 CDC report. Pre-diabetes is a condition that, if not treated, often leads to type-2 diabetes within five years. Despite the fact that more than a third of US adults have pre-diabetes, the majority don’t know it, says the CDC.
     
    Even a relatively small amount of sugar can do a lot of damage to your health. People who add 150 calories of sugar to their daily diet — from sources such as a 12-ounce can of Coke or an ounce of M&Ms — have 10 times greater risk of developing diabetes.
     
    Additionally, people who consume a diet high in fructose risk damaging their immune systems, a new study suggests. The study shows that fructose, which is commonly found in sugary drinks, sweets and processed foods, causes the immune system to become inflamed.
     
    Furthermore, researchers say that consuming too much added sugar (as well as artificial sweetener, fast foods, fried foods, processed foods, and alcohol) can harm your gut microbiome.
     
    The American Heart Association (AHA) has long suggested that men consume no more than nine teaspoons (36 grams) of added sugar per day. That’s close to the amount in a 12-ounce can of soda. Women are advised to limit added sugars to no more than six teaspoons a day (24 grams).
     
    However, the average American still eats about 17 teaspoons (19 for men, 15 for women) of added sugar a day, according to the CDC. That’s about double the recommended limit for men (nine teaspoons) and two-and-a-half times the limit for women (six teaspoons). This doesn’t include the sugars that occur naturally in foods like fruit or dairy products.
     
    In other words, American adults consume an average of 77 grams of added sugar per day. Again, that’s more than two times the recommended amount for men and two-and-a-half times the recommended amount for women. 
     
    Recognizing the problem, the AHA now recommends that sugar intake be limited to less than 6% of daily calories, and the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee agrees.
     
    Yet, roughly 90% of Americans still get more than 10% of daily calories from sugar, and the top 10% of sugar-consumers ingest a whopping 40% of their calories from sugar!
     
    Beverages are the leading source of added sugars, accounting for 47% of the total. Examples of sugary beverages include regular soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened waters, and coffee and tea beverages with added sugars.
     
    The US ranks third in the world in sales of sugary drinks. In 2013, the average American drank just over 38 gallons of soda a year — or about eight 12-ounce cans a week. 
     
    Reading food labels is one of the best ways to monitor your intake of added sugar. Total sugar, which includes added sugar, is often listed in grams. Note the number of grams of sugar per serving as well as the total number of servings. The package might only say 5 grams of sugar per serving, but if the normal amount is three or four servings, you can easily consume 20 grams of sugar. That’s a lot of added sugar.
     
    By simply being more aware, you can substantially reduce the amount of added sugar in your diet. It would certainly be worth your while.
  • Sean Kennedy: Health & Happiness Coach

    Sean Kennedy: Health & Happiness Coach

    Though my professional titles have long been Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (what a mouthful!), I’ve long thought of myself as a Health & Happiness Coach.
     
    I’m less interested in helping people build a physical monument to themselves (or their egos) than I am in helping them be happier, more confident and more self-fulfilled. I try to get people to focus less on the amount of fat or muscle on their bodies and more on reducing stress, improving self-esteem, sleeping better, lowering blood pressure and resting heart rate, developing better mobility and balance, and building stronger bones, ligaments and tendons, as well as muscles.
     
    A single workout increases neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline, and these mood boosters can also improve your memory and focus for up to three hours afterwards. Research shows that exercise even lowers anxiety levels, and it does it rather quickly — in about 10 minutes. So, exercise helps your mental health, as well as your cognition. Even a brisk walk can help boost your neurotransmitters and mood.
     
    Scientists at Duke University Medical Center tested three groups with depression. One was prescribed exercise; one was prescribed Zoloft; and the third was prescribed a combination of the two. Remarkably, the group that just exercised had the best results. And exercise seemed to do a better job of keeping the depression symptoms from coming back.
     
    Indeed, exercise has a multitude of positive effects; it even helps your brain grow new neurons. During a process called neurogenesis, new neurons (brain cells) develop in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning information, storing long-term memories, and regulating emotions.
     
    Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain.
     
    Yes, exercise even leads to a happier, healthier brain!
     
    The physical, emotional and mental benefits of exercise are numerous. So, there are bountiful reasons make regular exercise part of your weekly or even daily life.
     
    Yet, our wellbeing can be affected by more than just exercise.
     
    For example, there is a vital connection between the brain and the gut, where 90% of our serotonin receptors are located. The truth is, the foods we eat not only affect our physical health, but also our emotional wellbeing.
     
    Ultra-processed foods and foods that contain chemical additives negatively affect our gut health and increases our risk of illness. Ultra-processed foods, such as fast foods, are typically cheap, and they’re scientifically designed to be extra tasty and make you overeat. Even worse, ultra-processed foods are known cause inflammation and disease.
     
    On the other hand, a recent study found that fiber might be linked with a reduced risk of depression, especially in pre-menopausal women. Previous studies had already suggested the benefits of fiber for mental health. The link between dietary fiber and depression may be partially explained by gut-brain interactions, since fiber improves the richness and diversity of gut microbiota. It’s theorized that changes in gut-microbiota composition may affect neurotransmission.
     
    Additionally, according to the Cleveland Clinic, protein consumption (from foods like fish, beef, chicken, turkey, tofu, beans, eggs and unsweetened yogurt) has been linked to higher levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, the brain chemicals that play a role in your mood, motivation and concentration.
     
    So, our diets can indeed affect our mood state and mental wellbeing, as well as our physical wellbeing.
     
    Finding healthy ways to manage our stress is also very important. The stress hormone cortisol is known to interfere with immune functioning and even the workings of the cardiovascular system. In fact, stress is an underrated, yet profound, factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. Stress exacerbates cholesterol levels, raises blood pressure and heart rate, and it often creates the kind of pressure that prevents a person from engaging in enough healthy self-care activities.
     
    So, it’s important to find healthy ways to mitigate and manage stress. Lowering your stress levels with relaxation techniques, such as meditation, can reduce your risk of health problems.
     
    However, people often turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as food, alcohol, drugs and impulsive shopping to cope with life’s stresses. Yet, these things ultimately make our stresses even worse in the long run. Meditation, on the other hand, can be helpful in managing stress and anxiety, as well as a variety of other health conditions. Research studies have shown that regular meditation can actually change the physical structure and cognitive function of the brain.
     
    Ultimately, true wellness requires a comprehensive, holistic approach, where all of these factors are considered and implemented.
     
    It may seem intuitive or self-evident that being unhealthy could make someone unhappy, and there’s evidence to support that notion. A study at George Mason University found that the degree to which a disease disrupts daily functioning is associated with reduced happiness. According to the lead author of the study, “these results support the notion that health status is one of the most important predictors of happiness.”
     
    A study of the “Economic Determinants of Happiness,” based on data gathered by the U.S. Census, revealed that health is a far more powerful determinant of an individual’s happiness than his or her income, marital status, age or any other factor. In fact, self-described “healthy” people are 20 percent happier than average, while “unhealthy” people are 8.25 percent less happy.
     
    Okay, but how about the inverse? Can being happy make you more healthy?
     
    According to researchers at Southern Methodist University, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that people’s overall sense of life satisfaction and typical levels of happiness are linked to physical health.
     
    And, according to Harvard Medical School, scientific evidence suggests that positive emotions can help make life longer and healthier.
     
    Furthermore, according to Northwestern Medicine, happiness lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease, lowers your blood pressure, enables better sleep, improves your diet, allows you to maintain a normal body weight through regular exercise and reduces stress.
     
    Clearly, happiness and health are interrelated. And most research suggests that the connection between happiness and health is bidirectional. This means that greater wellbeing leads to better physical health, and better physical health leads to greater wellbeing. One thing leads to the other.
     
    This is why I have always taken a “whole-being” approach to health and wellness. We can’t simply focus on having a little less body fat, bigger biceps or a better butt and expect to be necessarily healthier and/or happier. Certainly, seeing improvements in your physique can be positive and uplifting. But adequate sleep, good nutrition and stress reduction are also vital to our overall wellbeing.
     
    Seeing verifiable improvements in your biomarkers (i.e., blood pressure, resting heart rate, LDL cholesterol, etc.) is not only a clear indication of improving physical health, it also gives you a big boost emotionally and mentally — even if your biceps don’t get any bigger or your butt doesn’t necessarily look better.
     
    Ultimately, exercise, a nutritious diet, meditation, and other forms of self-care can make us healthier, happier, and mentally sharper, all of which are very worthwhile pursuits.
     
    If you’d like help in forging a healthier lifestyle, please reach out to me. It could very well make you happier, too!
  • Big-Boned, Big Myth

    Big-Boned, Big Myth

     

    You may have heard the term “big-boned” used to describe some overweight or obese people. Sometimes it’s a self-description. How much do our bones really contribute to our weight?
     
    The average human skeleton will account for around 12%-15% of total body weight. So, a 200-pound man would have a skeletal weight of 24-30 pounds. A 150-pound woman has a skeletal weight of 18-22.5 pounds. Bone density refers to the concentration of minerals in your bones, yet dense bones may add only a few pounds to your frame. As an adult continually gains weight throughout life, it’s not because their bones become continually bigger and heavier.
     
    An adult’s skeleton weighs more than a child’s. And a 7-foot person’s skeleton weighs more than a 6-foot person’s, who’s skeleton weighs more than a 5-foot person’s skeleton. Beyond this, people are not “big-boned.” The bones in people of the same height are relatively the same weight. Most people who weigh too much for their height typically do so because of excess body fat, though a more-muscular body does indeed weigh more than a less-muscular body.
     
    Seventy-five percent of Americans are now either overweight or obese. Yet, most people aren’t body builders. Our national weight problem is a fat problem, unrelated to too much muscle or too much bone.
     
    The term “big-boned” is not a medical term. One orthopedic surgeon would tell her patients, “I have seen your bones, and they’re not big.” Being “big-boned” or “small-boned” doesn’t justify a 30-35 pounds differential from a normal-weight person of your height. If you are truly convinced that you are just big-boned and not overweight, buy a body-fat scale to measure your fat percentage. Excess weight is either the result of excess fat or excess muscle, not excess bone or big bones.
     
    So, the notion of being big-boned is a big myth… unless you’re Shaquille O’Neal, who is 7-feet, 2-inches tall.
     
    By the way, in 1992, at the start of O’Neal’s rookie season, he was listed at 325 pounds. According to Shaq, he weighed 395 pounds by 2002. But it wasn’t because his bones got bigger or heavier though.
  • Diet vs Nutrition

    Diet vs Nutrition

    While many people continually “go on a diet” (and then another and another), everyone has a diet. I’ve never gone on a diet, but I’ve always had a diet. As I always say, diet should be viewed as a noun, not a verb. It’s a thing you have, not an action you take. Every action has a reaction (intended or otherwise), so any diet plan you initiate can quickly be halted in favor of something else.
     
    If you instead think of your diet as part of your lifestyle, you’re much more likely to stick to it. 
     
    Everyone has a diet, but not everyone gets good nutrition. In the minds of many people, low-calorie means healthy. Yet, this isn’t necessarily true.
     
    For example, a rice cake has just 35 calories. Yet, it is almost entirely devoid of fiber and protein. Though a rice cake has very few calories, it also has very little nutrition, not to mention that it’s entirely processed.
     
    On the other hand, an avocado, which grows on a tree, is both calorically and nutritionally dense. An avocado can weigh anywhere from 8 ounces to 3 pounds (48 ounces). So, serving size matters.
     
    One cup (8oz) of sliced avocado has 234 calories and 21 grams of fat, most of which is monounsaturated. It is packed with fiber (10g) and potassium (more than a banana), and is also a great source of vitamin-C, folate and B-6. Additionally, it has virtually no sugar (despite being a fruit) and very few carbs (for those who care about such things).
     
    In short, an avocado is loaded with healthy fats, fiber and various important nutrients.
     
    Yet, some people would choose a nutritionally lacking rice cake over an avocado simply because it is lower in calories. Bad move. Caloric content and nutritional content are not necessarily related. 
     
    No one thinks of a Big Mac as health food. Yet, you could eat three Big Macs a day and still lose weight. Don’t believe me? Well, a Big Mac has just 550 calories. Eat three a day and you’d ingest just 1,650 calories. Since the average American now eats a whopping 3,660 calories per day, eating one Big Mac for breakfast, lunch and dinner would cut that average intake by more than half. Do that, and watch the pounds melt away!
     
    However, you’d be missing lots of important nutrition on the Big Mac Diet. McDonald’s signature sandwich has minimal calcium, potassium and fiber, and zero vitamin D. However, it is loaded with sodium (44% of the daily value) and has 11 grams of saturated fat (53% of the daily value). Eat three a day and you’d be ingesting an enormous amount of salt and unhealthy fat.
     
    Oh, and one Big Mac also has nine grams of sugar. Eat three of them and you’d intake 27 grams of sugar, which is above the 24-gram daily limit recommended for women by the American Heart Association.
     
    Yet, on this Big Mac Diet you’d lose weight, and that would ultimately have a positive effect on your health. Scientific evidence shows that losing just 10 pounds can decrease hypertension, improve good cholesterol (HDL), lower triglycerides, decrease insulin resistance, reduce inflammation in blood vessels, improve or reverse sleep apnea, and increase energy and vitality.
     
    That said, there are better, healthier ways to lose weight than the Big Mac Diet. 
     
    The point is that calories and nutrition are not synonymous. You can eat a low-calorie diet that is not healthy. More to the point, you can eat a low-calorie diet and not necessarily be healthy.
     
    On the other hand, you can eat a very healthy diet featuring high-calorie foods that are packed with nutrition (i.e., avocados, nuts, nut-butters, salmon, whole-fat yogurt, etc.). Additionally, high-calorie foods are more filling than most low-calorie foods (like rice cakes), meaning you might ultimately eat less.
     
    Low calorie foods are not necessarily nutritious, beneficial or preferable. And high-calorie foods are not necessarily unhealthy or to be avoided. The goal should be to maximize nutrition at each and every meal, even if you also seek to limit calories.
     
    If you need to lose weight to be more healthy, you can do this by eating healthy, whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, a wide variety of animal- and/or plant-based proteins, plus whole grains (There’s more than just wheat, people! Try spelt, millet, amaranth, quinoa, black or red rice, whole oats, etc.).
     
    And, yes, you can indeed lose weight by including healthy, high-calorie foods in your diet. You just need to limit your total caloric intake. To do that, you need to track your daily caloric input. And you should also know how many calories you need each day.
     
    As the Twinkie Diet proved, you can eat an unhealthy diet and still lose weight. The Big Mac Diet would be no different.
     
    By the same token, you can have a healthy diet and still gain weight, if your caloric intake is higher than your needs.
     
    To lose weight, it comes down to quality and quantity. You should aim for higher quality foods, and a lower quantity of them, each day.
  • What Is Your Heart Rate Monitor Really Telling You?

    What Is Your Heart Rate Monitor Really Telling You?

    Wrist-based heart-rate monitors are all the rage the days; many of my clients wear them to the gym each day. Yet, aside from the fact that these wrist-based heart-rate monitors are less accurate than the chest-strap versions, especially as you work harder (some models can be off by several beats per minute according to new research), they don’t offer users any perspective.
     
    What does it truly mean if your heart rate is 135, 145 or 155 beats per minute? Unless you know your maximum heart rate (MHR) and what percentage of it you’re working at, that info is useless.
     
    The well-known calculation of 220 minus your age to calculate MHR has long been known to be quite inaccurate. Yet, unfortunately, it remains a common standard for maximum heart rate calculations. For example, a 40-year-old person would subtract 40 from 220, indicating a maximum heart rate of 180 beats per minute.
     
    Known as the Fox formula, this classic maximum heart rate calculation was developed for untrained healthy adult males, though it was also considered valid for untrained healthy adult females and children.
     
    The Fox formula originated in the late 1960s, when William Haskell, an exercise physiologist who is now at Stanford University, and Sam Fox, a cardiologist, came up with a formula to determine the maximum heart rates of people who were having treadmill stress tests for heart disease.
     
    However, it was not really a scientific effort. Rather, it was a suggestion, based on a decidedly non-random and small sample of people. When Haskell and Fox proposed the formula, they never intended to give an absolute number for athletes or people who are used to exercising vigorously.
     
    Yet, it’s now recognized that that an individual’s maximum heart rate can vary widely from what that formula predicts — by as many as 30 beats per minute higher or lower.
     
    In essence, the Fox formula is as likely to be wrong as it is to be right. In fact, this formula’s reliability is 0.51. In other words, it’s reliable about half the time.
     
    The Tanaka formula for maximum heart rate is more accurate. It was developed based on studies of thousands of test subjects, can be used for all age and gender groups, and is considered to be more reliable than the Fox formula.
     
    • Fox: Maximum Heart Rate (beats/minute) = 220 minus Age
    • Tanaka: Maximum Heart Rate (beats/minute) = 208 minus (0.7 x Age)
     
    Using the Tanaka formula, a 40-year-old person would multiply 40 by 0.7, which equals 28. Then they would subtract 28 from 208, indicting a maximum heart rate of 180 beats per minute. You may remember that this is the same figure determined by the Fox formula. However, this is a coincidence, not the norm.
     
    For example:
     
    50-year-old
     
    • Fox formula: maximum heart rate = 170 (220 minus 50)
    • Tanaka formula: maximum heart rate = 173 (208 minus 35)
     
    30-year-old
     
    • Fox formula: maximum heart rate = 190 (220 minus 30)
    • Tanaka formula: maximum heart rate = 187 (208 minus 21)
     
    Ok, so now you can calculate your maximum heart rate. What does that mean? How does that help you?
     
    Reaching your MHR doesn’t mean your heart will explode! And it doesn’t guarantee a heart attack either. People train at this level for brief periods during their workouts every day, and they do it again and again and again.
     
    Most well-trained, fit people can maintain their maximum heart rate for just 1-2 minutes. Yet, world-class athletes may sustain their MHR for 3-4 minutes. On the other hand, a person who is quite out of shape may only be able to sustain their maximum heart rate for about 10 seconds or so.
     
    Yet, the ability to sustain MHR is just one measure of your fitness. How quickly your heart is able to recover from high-intensity exercise, during periods of lower heart-rate work or rest, matters a lot. The ability to recover (lower) your heart rate quickly is also an important measure of fitness.
     
    Familiarity and experience with exercise matters. Someone who works out regularly may be very accustomed to briefly pushing their heart rate to 85, 90 or even 100 percent. Yet, someone who is sedentary may find that pushing their heart rate to 70 percent is excruciating and scary. It’s all about perspective.
     
    It’s important to recognize that you can’t improve or increase your maximum heart rate with exercise. MHR is determined by genetics and age; as we get older, our MHR declines. Furthermore, not every 30-year-old will have the exact same maximum heart rate, nor will all 40-year-olds or 50-year-olds, etc. The calculation is an approximation, not a scientific assurance.
     
    What’s important is not what your maximum heart rate is, but what heart rate you can sustain for an extended period. Someone with a MHR of 190 isn’t necessarily more fit than someone with a MHR of 180. Person A, with the 190 MHR, may only be able to sustain 70 percent of that. Meanwhile, Person B, with the 180 MHR, may be able to sustain 85 percent of that. Person B is more fit, which is what matters — not an age-determined MHR.
     
    It’s important to remember that your heart rate has variability when you’re exerting yourself, such as when you’re working out. Most exercisers can’t simply pin their heart rate at 70, 80 or 90 percent of MHR. That’s because heart rate fluctuates throughout exercise. Your heart rate may rise quickly at the onset of a workout, then level out at a lower number. As you continue to workout, it may, over time, begin to climb again. And the harder you work, the more your heart rate may continue to rise throughout the workout.
     
    This is why you should pick a target heart-rate zone for your workouts, so that it doesn’t go to low or too high.
     
    The target heart rate during moderate intensity activities is about 50-70% of maximum heart rate, while during vigorous physical activity it’s about 70-85% of maximum, according to the American Heart Association.
     
    Of course, you can push your heart rate higher for brief periods and then allow it to recover. This is the essence of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is used not only by athletes but also by older folks and those with chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.
     
    Lastly, another important determinant of fitness is resting heart rate. The average resting heart rate is usually between 60 and 80 beats per minute, though it can even be as high as 100 bpm. Yet, some athletes have resting heart rates as low as 30 to 40 bpm. So, exercise can indeed lower resting heart rate, and this is important because every heart has a pre-determined number of beats from birth. The slower we get there, the better!
     
    In 2013, a team of Danish researchers published16 years of work on just under 5,200 men in the journal BMJ Heart. The researchers determined that higher resting heart rates correlated with a greater chance of dying.
     
    Those participants who ranged between 71 to 80 beats per minute had a 51 percent greater chance of dying prematurely than those with a resting rate of under 50 beats. At 81 to 90 beats per minute, that risk was double. And over 90, it tripled.
     
    So, there’s a lot more to the heart-rate story than just the number flashing on your watch.
     
    In conclusion, if you’re using a heart rate monitor while working out, it’s important to calculate your maximum heart rate, and to know your target heart-rate zone, as well as your resting heart rate. Once you know all of these things, then you’ll have some context for that heart rate number popping up on your watch.
  • Good Habits Can Have a Domino Effect

    Good Habits Can Have a Domino Effect

    We all have various reasons that we work out, assuming we do so at all. For some, it’s to relieve stress and anxiety. Some may feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment afterwards. For others, working out may be a vanity project that provides a sense of confidence and the ability to fit into tight jeans or proudly wear a tank top or a backless dress.
     
    Yet, health outcomes, not simply appearance, should be your main motivation. It’s well established that the health benefits of exercise go beyond the physical. Once you make exercise part of your routine, you may notice a host of psychological benefits, such as feeling more energized, less stressed, and sleeping better.
     
    As you begin to notice how much better exercise makes you feel, the more you’ll want to do it regularly. At that point, exercise becomes a habit. What’s most important is to perform the activities you really enjoy, which will help you adhere to your program.
     
    It’s said that old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to form. This is especially true with exercise. If you’re not in the habit of exercising, remaining physically inactive is effortless. To create the habit of exercising, however, takes a lot of resolve, determination and effort.
     
    The more consistent an action is, the more likely it is to become a habit. This means that exercising every day is more likely to result in habit formation. One useful idea is to schedule your exercise for a given time each day, as you would with a personal trainer. Accountability is critical to maintaining your schedule and forming a habit.
     
    As Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit notes, “When people start habitually exercising, even just once per week, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. They often start eating better, becoming more productive, smoking less and feeling less stressed. It’s not completely clear why. But, for many people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread, positive change.”
     
    Researchers asked some study participants to write down what they ate once a week. This keystone habit, food journaling, created a structure that helped other habits to flourish. Six months into the study, these participants had lost twice as much weight as the other study participants.
     
    Unfortunately, 42 percent of Americans are obese, according to the CDC, and another 30 percent or so qualify as overweight. So, roughly three-quarters of our population has an unhealthy bodyweight. Because of this, many people view exercise solely as a means of weight loss. But there’s a whole lot more to it than that. The mental and emotional components of exercise cannot be emphasized enough.
     
    Exercise has been shown to increase grey matter in the brain, according to research published by the Mayo Clinic. Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating the growth of new connections between cells. Consequently, exercise improves cognitive ability and memory. 
     
    Furthermore, exercise releases chemicals, such as endorphins and serotonin, that improve your mood. As noted, exercise not only enhances self-esteem, it also reduces anxiety and depressed mood.
     
    “There’s good epidemiological data to suggest that active people are less depressed than inactive people. And people who were active and stopped tend to be more depressed than those who maintain or initiate an exercise program,” says James Blumenthal, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Duke University.
     
    Yet, there’s no denying the impact that exercise can have on our physical health and our ability to function well, aka, perform our activities of daily living.
     
    Don’t wait until your doctor tells you to exercise! At that point, too much time will have been lost.
     
    More than 1-in-3 adults, about 92.1 million people, have at least one type of cardiovascular disease, which is preventable.
     
    In fact, many forms of chronic illness are preventable. According to the CDC, the health-risk behaviors we can change include: lack of exercise/physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use and excessive alcohol use. These four behaviors cause much of the illness, suffering and early death related to chronic diseases and conditions. In essence, they are bad habits that can be corrected.
     
    It’s important to remember that health is not just about food and exercise. Everyone would benefit from things such as meditation, learning a new skill, developing a new hobby, and/or growing your social network. Each of these things can make you a healthier person in measurable ways. 
     
    If you’re new to exercise or haven’t done it in a long time, start slowly. Don’t take the attitude that you can get fit today or even this week. Allow your body time to adjust to the demands you’re placing on it. Your exercise routine should be progressive, growing in either intensity or duration as your fitness level gradually improves.
     
    The physical effects of exercise — such as weight loss, lower blood pressure or a lower resting heart rate — take time and patience; you may not see your numbers move for weeks to months.
     
    The mood boost from exercise, however, is often immediate, offering near-instant gratification. Alleviating mood disorders, such as anxiety or depression, may take longer, but the mental and emotional effects of exercise are often immediately tangible.
     
    The most important takeaway is that good habits can have a domino effect, with one healthy change leading to another and so on. After committing to a few healthy acts, we’re less likely to back-step and commit unhealthy acts. After all, no one wants to undermine their own progress.
     
    Start with the easiest change you can think of; pick the low hanging fruit first. Once you’ve created a healthy daily habit that lasts a couple of weeks, add another easy-to-achieve step. View these changes as rungs on a ladder; take them one step at a time. Be consistent and be progressive. But don’t take on too much, too soon. 
     
    Small victories lead to a sense of pride, achievement and accomplishment. These are all empowering and rewarding feelings. Ultimately, one good change will lead to another.
  • The Benefits of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

    The Benefits of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

    More and more, doctors and researchers are concluding that inflammation is the root of arterial and heart diseases, as well as cancers. In fact, inflammation seems to be at the heart of all kinds of illnesses and maladies.
     
    Of particular concern is chronic inflammation, the common factor in many chronic diseases. Whereas acute inflammation is a healthy response to injury, chronic inflammation causes problems over time. Aside from heart disease and cancers, other common and well-studied conditions associated with chronic inflammation include diabetes, obesity, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.
     
    Chronic inflammation is also said to be the root cause of leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and insulin resistance. Additionally, inflammation can also be the root of chronic constipation, chronic nausea, fatigue, irregular periods, acne, PMS, weight gain and irregular blood sugar.
     
    Chronic inflammation results when the immune system releases chemicals meant to combat injury and infections (both bacterial and viral), even when there are no foreign invaders to fight off. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to protect itself against harm, but it is meant to be temporary. Chronic inflammation, however, doesn’t simply go away.
     
    Moderate exercise and effective stress management are thought to be central in preventing inflammatory diseases. Yet, dietary interventions are also critical. For many people, chronic inflammation is the result of a poor diet. Inflammatory foods cause our body’s immune response to flare up, creating chronic inflammation.
     
    On the other hand, an anti-inflammatory diet can help prevent or reduce low-grade chronic inflammation, which is notoriously a key risk factor in the host of health problems and major diseases previously noted.
     
    Eating anti-inflammatory foods reduces the inflammation in our body, thus reducing the symptoms caused by inflammation and, ultimately, the risk of chronic disease.
     
    “Many experimental studies have shown that components of foods or beverages may have anti-inflammatory effects,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
     
    This makes sense. After all, food is medicine. Good health starts with good food. Choose the right anti-inflammatory foods and you may be able to reduce your risk of illness. Consistently pick the wrong ones, however, and you could accelerate the inflammatory disease process.
     
    For example, the Mediterranean diet is said to reduce inflammation. This diet emphasizes fish, vegetables, olive oil, fruits, nuts and whole grains.
     
    FOODS THAT FIGHT INFLAMMATION:
     
    • Tomatoes
    • Olive oil
    • Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale and collards
    • Nuts, like almonds and walnuts
    • Fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
    • Fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, apples and oranges
     
    Coffee, which contains polyphenols and other anti-inflammatory compounds, may also protect against inflammation.
     
    FOODS THAT CAUSE INFLAMMATION:
     
    • Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, crackers and pastries
    • French fries and other fried foods
    • Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
    • Red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat (hot dogs, sausage)
    • Margarine, shortening and lard
     
    The anti-inflammatory diet is thought to curb chronic inflammation and help prevent or treat the following conditions: allergies, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, gout, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease (such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stroke.
     
    Research suggests that people with a high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy oils and fish may have a reduced risk for inflammation-related diseases. In addition, substances found in some foods, particularly antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, appear to possess anti-inflammatory effects.
     
    Omega-3 fatty acids (found in salmon, flax seed/oil, soy, tofu and nuts) may have anti-inflammatory effects, protecting against various inflammatory diseases. Omega-3 fatty acids may also reduce the incidence of heart disease and benefit intestinal health.
     
    Additionally, elevated blood levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) are also an important protective factor against sustained inflammation. HDL cholesterol, often referred to as “good” or healthy cholesterol, picks up excess cholesterol in your blood and returns it to your liver, where it’s broken down and removed from your body.
     
    HDL levels for both men and women should be 60 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or above. When HDL levels dip below 40 mg/dL, your risk of heart disease rises.
     
    People with naturally higher levels of HDL cholesterol are at lower risk of heart attack and stroke. It’s less clear whether that same benefit holds true for people who increase their HDL levels with medications, according to the Mayo Clinic.
     
    Some healthful ways to raise your HDL cholesterol include:
     
    • Consume olive oil
    • Eat fatty fish often
    • Exercise regularly
    • Lose weight
    • Stop smoking
     
    Your dietary goal should simply be to eat more real, whole food and less of the unhealthy, processed, refined junk foods. A healthy diet will help you feel better and also reduce health risks.
     
    The best anti-inflammatory foods include:
     
    • organic fruits and veggies
    • fermented foods rich in probiotics
    • bone broth to heal the gut and boost immunity
    • beans and legumes
    • healthy fats (like salmon, avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds)
    • spices and herbs (turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, cayenne, black pepper, clove)
     
    Some additional tips:
     
    Drinking one green smoothie every day is an easy, delicious way to get 2–4 servings of fruits and veggies.
     
    Before or after working out, down a glass of tart cherry juice, or blend it into your smoothie. The antioxidant compounds in the cherries help reduce inflammation.
     
    Magnesium also has anti-inflammatory benefits. Yet, magnesium deficiency is one of the leading nutrient deficiencies in adults, with an estimated 80 percent of us being deficient in this vital mineral. That’s because merely 30% to 40% of dietary magnesium is actually absorbed by the body.
     
    Magnesium is widely found in plant and animal foods. Green leafy vegetables (such as spinach), legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains are all good sources. In general, foods containing dietary fiber provide magnesium.
     
    The science is clear: Adhering to an anti-inflammatory diet can help protect you from a host of chronic inflammatory diseases. Take the first steps by gradually adding more and more of these anti-inflammatory foods into your diet, which will help to crowd out the inflammatory foods that can lead to illness and disease. Take it one step at a time.
  • Exercise to Be Happier and More Fulfilled

    Exercise to Be Happier and More Fulfilled

    There are many reasons that people exercise. In my view — and this is what I try to impart to my clients — it’s not about having the best butt or bigger biceps; it’s about being a happier, more fulfilled, more self-satisfied person.  

    I’ve been in the been in the business of health, wellness and fitness for over 20 years, and I have to admit that my definition of health and wellness has certainly broadened over the years. Once upon a time, if you asked me to define health, I would have listed these parameters: an absence of chronic disease (i.e. coronary artery disease; hypertension; metabolic syndrome; diabetes, etc.), a healthy resting heart rate, low triglycerides, and an absence of obesity. 
     
    However, over the years, I’ve come to recognize that physical wellbeing is only part of the health equation. Mental and emotional wellbeing are vitally important, and our social wellbeing plays a significant role in both.
     
    First, let’s define these terms:
     
    Physical well-being relates to vigor and vitality, feeling very healthy and full of energy.
     
    Mental well-being includes being satisfied with one’s life; balancing positive and negative emotions; accepting one’s self; finding purpose and meaning in one’s life; seeking personal growth, autonomy and competence; believing one’s life and circumstances are under one’s control; and generally experiencing optimism.
     
    Social well-being involves providing and receiving quality support from family, friends and others.
     
    When assessing overall wellbeing, it’s important to assess: the quality of our relationships; our positive emotions and resilience; whether we’re realizing our potential; and our overall satisfaction with life.
     
    Though there are many factors that can contribute to our overall wellness, exercise is critical. There is abundant scientific research showing that exercise improves mood and makes participants happier. 
     
    Exercise promotes chemicals in the brain that improve your mood and make you more relaxed. Specifically, the brain releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins throughout the body. Physical activity also reduces anxiety and depressed mood.
     
    Exercise provides numerous other psychological benefits, such as better sleep, reduced stress, improved self-esteem and greater confidence.
     
    There are so many behaviors that can lead us to feelings of guilt: eating too many sweets or too much junk food; overeating in general; drinking too much; smoking; drug use; sleeping too little; being sedentary; not exercising, etc. With any of the aforementioned, it’s easy to say afterward, “I shouldn’t have done that.” Regrets are not fun. 
     
    But, other than the rare instance of injury, no one ever finishes a workout and says, “Man, I shouldn’t have done that.” Nobody feels guilty after a workout.
     
    There is an undeniable positive-emotion component to exercise. It makes us feel like we did something very worthwhile for ourselves, when so many of our other behaviors can make us feel unworthy. 
     
    Many adults may feel that their lives are in service to others: their kids, their spouse, their aging parents, their boss, etc. When we exercise, we feel that we are in service to ourselves; it’s our time for ourselves.
     
    Regular exercise is a great confidence and morale booster. You don’t necessarily need to aim for a particular weight-loss goal. Just aim for just feeling better about yourself, physically and emotionally.
     
    Exercise even helps your brain grow new neurons. In this process, called neurogenesis, new neurons (brain cells) develop in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning information, storing long-term memories, and regulating emotions.
     
    Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain. 
     
    Yes, exercise leads to a happier, healthier brain!
     
    A regular exercise program may also have a domino effect, leading you to other healthier habits, such as eating more whole foods. Those two behaviors, in tandem, will ultimately change your physique, but they will also make you feel better physically and mentally. Everyone would feel better if they knew they were taking positive steps in their lives and working on self-improvement.
     
    So, don’t set a specific weight-loss target or make sculpted arms or chiseled abs your goal. Simply set a goal to feel happier, more positive and better about yourself. Exercise can serve those agendas.
     
    What better goals could anyone have? After all, there’s so much more to exercise than just how you look.
  • The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

    The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

    A lack of sleep may be a big contributor to America’s considerable weight problem.
     
    The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends 7-9 hours of sleep each night for adults, ages 18-64. Yet, more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, according to a CDC study.
     
    Sleeping less than seven hours per day is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and frequent mental distress, according to the CDC.
     
    The hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin have gotten a lot of attention in recent years. Though you may have heard of them, you may not be familiar with their functions.
     
    Think of the ‘l’ in leptin standing for lose. Leptin suppresses appetite and therefore contributes to weight loss. Think of the ‘g’ in ghrelin standing for gain. Ghrelin is a fast-acting hormone that increases hunger and leads to weight gain.
     
    When you’re sleep deprived, research shows, ghrelin levels surge while leptin plummets. The result is an increase in hunger.
     
    The key to reducing your nighttime cravings is to get more sleep; 7-9 hours.
     
    Another key to successful weight loss technique is intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating.
     
    Recent research shows the benefits of intermittent fasting, and those who have tried it often view it as a sustainable, long-term solution.
     
    In the simplest form, intermittent fasting would amount to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. For example, food can be eaten only between 7am and 7pm or 8am and 8pm.
     
    However, research shows that the sweet spot seems to be 10 hours on and 14 hours off. For example, eating only from 9am to 7pm, and then fasting until 9am the next day.
     
    Some intermittent-fasting proponents use only an eight-hour feeding window, with 16 hours of continual fasting each day. For example, eating meals between 12pm and 8pm each day, and fasting at all other times.
     
    This helps to thwart any late-night snacking habits.
     
    The benefit of time-restricted eating is that it allows you to naturally reduce your food intake without counting calories. That’s preferable to most people.
     
    Ultimately, intermittent fasting is about the “when” of eating, not the “what” or “how much.”
     
    Some researchers believe that the rise of later nighttime eating may have thrown off our evolutionary circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle that governs the physiological processes of humans and most other living beings, which may be contributing significantly to increases in obesity.
     
    Some studies suggest that by honoring the circadian rhythm and restricting feeding primarily to the daylight hours, we can improve our health and prevent disease.
     
    Fasting allows us to eat in harmony with our circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms — which determine the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including humans — can be modulated by external cues, such as sunlight.
     
    However, living in the 21st Century has disrupted our circadian rhythms. There is so much artificial light at night that the mind can confuse it with daytime. We also spend an exceptional amount of time (up to 12 hours a day) in front of screens (TVs, computers, tablets and smart phones) that emit blue light, which stimulates the retinal nerves and brain.
     
    21st Century adults spend, on average, 87%-93% of our 24-hours indoors and less than 5% of hours outdoors during the day. This light-dark rhythm disruption leads to less daytime alertness, and promotes depression (especially in older adults) and ADHD.
     
    This has resulted in circadian misalignment, in which our central and peripheral clocks are out of synch. Examples: too much light at night, sleep during daytime and food intake at night.
     
    Time-restricted feeding (12-16 hours of non-feeding) has proven to be the best match to our circadian clocks. The key is to eliminating nocturnal eating. The health benefits of time-restricted feeding double every extra hour of non-feeding time beyond 12 hours, up to 16 hours.
     
    While it is certainly wise to eat a variety of whole foods with high-quality sources of protein, fat and carbohydrate, timing may be the most crucial element when it comes to our eating habits.
     
    Another key is mindfulness. Being a more conscious (mindful) eater also helps you make healthier decisions during your eating window each day, so that you have adequate protein, fiber and water in your diet.
     
    In one study (by Dr. Satchidananda Panda, PhD), participants who adjusted their feeding time from their typical 14–15 hours down to 10 hours not only shed an average of 4% of their body weight, but also reported significantly improved energy levels and more satisfying sleep. Most remarkably, they ate their normal foods and didn’t change their exercise habits.
     
    Choosing to commit to intermittent fasting is easier if you do it with your partner/spouse or family. Any lifestyle change made in conjuncture with someone you live with can make a big difference. It creates a support system and can help keep you accountable.
     
    At the least, focus on getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night and eliminate nighttime snacking. However, you may want to try intermittent fasting / time-restricted eating for about a month to see how it works for you.
     
    It’s not very challenging. I do it and it’s made a difference for me. In fact, I highly recommend it.