Top Tips to Reduce Inflammation

Excess inflammation can cause major issues in our body and may destroy our efforts toward beautiful skin and a fit physique. Our 24-7 workweeks, lack of sleep and high stress levels can dramatically raise inflammation in the body and leave us looking and feeling completely worn out. No matter how many products we use to improve our appearance or what types of workouts we accomplish, we'll never fully look our best if we don't take care of what is going on inside the body. 

Inflammation is part of the body's immune response and it's initially beneficial in the healing process. It helps heal wounds and protects the body from environmental factors. Additionally, an inflammatory response takes place during exercise to help the body adapt. These issues come into play when we are over taxed and acute inflammation (healthy, necessary) leads to chronic inflammation (where all the problems take place).

Chronic inflammation comes about from our lifestyle. If we over exercise, over eat, get lack of sleep and live a stressful life, we most likely have excess inflammation. This alone could be sabotaging our health goals.  Thankfully, there are a number of ways to reduce and manage inflammation at a healthy level. Check out my top tips below!

Consume Ginger and Turmeric

These ancient herbs have been shown to place a significant role in lowering inflammation. I try to incorporate these ingredients into my meals as much as possible. They are great in stirfrys, roasted veggies and soups.

Fish Oil

Load up on Omega 3’s. “Scientists form Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science reported on a study in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity that the daily consumption of fish oil, omega-3 reduced both inflammation and anxiety in a group of young healthy people.” – Medical News Today

Get 8 Hours of Sleep

A good night’s rest has been stressed over and over again, but there is actually a chemical response happening inside the body that is important for reducing inflammation. “A new study in the journal Sleep shows that sleep duration is associated with changes in the levels of specific cytokines that are important in regulating inflammation. The results suggest that inflammation may be the pathway linking extreme sleep durations to an increased risk for disease.” – Science Daily

Don’t Over Exercise

I am 100% guilty of this! I always think it is better to do more than less but definitely not in this case. We have to give our body time to recover in order to see beneficial gains and reduce the inflammation that comes from exercise. Try to switch up the workouts everyday so you are not taxing the same muscles, and be sure to take days off. I know it’s hard but worth it!

Get Cold

Applying ice or sitting in cold water causes inflammation to go down. If you are applying ice, be sure to put a wrap or towel underneath to avoid ice burn. I force myself to sit in cold water for 20-minutes. It is brutal but it works wonders. 

Meditate

This ancient practice has major benefits for reduces cortisol levels. Even if it's just a few minute of deep breathing, you will begin to change your overall state and significantly reduce stress. The practice of becoming present and deepening your breath calms the mind while reducing inflammation in the body. Start with 5-minutes a day and work your way up.

Hold a few yoga poses

Meditation and yoga go hand in hand. The deep breathing combined with yoga postures boosts seratonin, reduces pressure on the joints, improves confidence and lower inflammation. 

Prolongue Focus & Stimulate Creative Thought

I hope you are finding a few quiet moments to yourself in the midst of a very busy time. It can be an extra challenge to recruit creative ideas when we are feeling burnt out. It’s been a long stretch of virtual meetings, and we may not be easily finding the energy required for performance. It is also a challenge to come up with creative approaches to what used to be the norm. The previous sales strategy or client engagement may have been altered in this new landscape, which gives us even more of a reason to come up with unique ideas.

 For this week’s blog I will be sharing easily applicable strategies to lengthen the time in which we can focus, as well as ignite creative thought patterns in the brain. The lack of focus is perfectly normal. A 2015 Microsoft study found that the average human has an attention span of less than eight seconds. Just in the last 20-minutes of working on this newsletter I have done the following…. Read part of a research paper, walked to the kitchen to heat up my coffee, checked my email, read another part of the research, left two voice texts on my phone, checked my email and then wrote these two paragraphs… yikes! 

Fortunately, there are ways to train our brain to drop into longer stages of concentration and lower this surface level activity. Even though we know from a practical standpoint, these distractions do not serve us, we have to actually create the patterns to shift out of the distracted state. It’s very similar to healthy eating habits. The more we put practices in place to choose foods in their whole form over processed sugar, the more our brain wires to keep making that healthy choice. 

Here are a few simple, yet highly effective ways to train the brain to focus:

Binaural Beats

One simple way to avoid distraction and activate alpha brain waves (creative/flow state) is through the process of brainwave entrainment. This process prompts the brain to access a particular state through a variety of different stimulation modes, including auditory and light. The stimulation convinces the brain’s activity to synchronize to the external stimulation. One simple way to activate this technique in your day to day life is by listening to binaural beats. With binaural beats, you use headphones that play two tones with slightly different frequencies in each ear to create an auditory illusion. 

Simply go on Spotify, iTunes or YouTube and type in Binaural Beats. There will be a number of playlists that come up. You can choose the beats for focus, sleep or energy. I like to listen to these while working at my desk or doing five minutes of deep breathing. 

To take it one step further, incorporate the breathing technique below while listening to binaural beats:

Get the Right Working Temperature

A study from Cornell University found that workers are most productive and make fewer errors in an environment that is somewhere between 68 and 77 degrees. Another study from the Helsinki University of Technology in Finland says the magic temperature is 71 degrees

Take Micro Breaks

A study conducted by the University of Illinois examined the impact on vigilance decrement- a drop in one’s attentional resources.  Constant stimulation is registered by our brains as unimportant, to the point that the brain erases it from our awareness. This study is consistent with the idea that the brain is built to detect and respond to change, Lleras said, and suggests that prolonged attention to a single task actually hinders performance.

"We propose that deactivating and reactivating your goals allows you to stay focused," he said. "From a practical standpoint, our research suggests that, when faced with long tasks (such as studying before a final exam or doing your taxes), it is best to impose brief breaks on yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task."

Incorporate any of the following breaks throughout your day:

Yoga Flow to Activate Energy

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jrj30ydbarfizu3/Executive%20Essentials_Yoga%20Flow.mp4?dl=0 

Guided Breathing to Lower Stress

https://www.dropbox.com/s/focyf1nvbu4yca6/Executive%20Essentials_3x5%20Breath.mp4?dl=0

Core Workout to Rev Metabolism

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vg15afjeoi98mcs/Executive%20Essentials_Core%20Workout.mp4?dl=0

Posture Session to Negate Effects of Sitting

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4fxz01jrqlja4zb/Executive%20Essentials_Postures.mp4?dl=0

Ditch Multitasking

A study at the University of London found that participants who multitasked during cognitive tasks experienced IQ score declines that were similar to what they’d expect if they had smoked marijuana or stayed up all night.

One way to stop multitasking is with the Pomodoro Technique. This is a time management method that uses a timer to break down work into intervals of 25 minutes, separated by short breaks. Short breaks (3-5 minutes are taken between each interval), which aids in the information to be processed by the brain. When the interval is interrupted by anything (even a quick email), the timer must be stopped and restarted once back to the task. The goal is to get through each 25 minute interval without having to stop the timer.

Nora’s Naturals

Nutrition is also another area where we can make simple upgrades to improve our focus and sustain energy. Here are a few of my weekly staples. It can be nice to make these on a Sunday and have them for the week. 

Three (No Bake) Superfood Snacks to Improve Brain Power

Avocado Pesto

In a blender or food processor, mix the following ingredients: 

• 2 avocados 

• 1 bunch basil leaves 

• ¼ cup olive oil 

• ¼ cup water 

• 2 cloves of garlic 

• Salt and pepper to taste 

• Enjoy with raw veggies 

Cocoa Bites 

In a bowl or food processor, mix the following ingredients: 

• ½ cups Oats

• ¼ cup cocoa powder 

• ¼ cup chia seeds

• ½ cup almond butter 

• ½ cup coconut flakes 

• ½ cup coconut oil 

• ¼ cup maple syrup 

• Make into small balls. Store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and enjoy.

Blueberry Bites 

In a bowl or food processor, mix the following ingredients:

• 10 Medjool dates pitted

• ½ cup almond butter 

• ½ cup blueberries

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ cup coconut flakes

Thriving Physique

With Valentine’s Day around the corner and many delicious indulgences to be had, I thought it would be beneficial to focus this week’s blog on weight management as a chemical process rather than calories in/calories out. Read below to go through my perspective on weight management to understand how it is meant to align with a busy lifestyle and not feel deprivational.

The Basics of Insulin

When it comes to how our body USES and STORES the food we eat, the first thing you should know is what INSULIN is and how it works in our body. 

What is it?

INSULIN is a hormone, which is a chemical messenger that attaches itself to cells, and tells them how to act. It's produced by our pancreas and injected into our bloodstream. Insulin has two primary roles: 

1. Tells our cells to accept glucose and burn it for fuel.

2. Tells our liver to convert the excess glucose into glycogen or fat for fuel storage.

What it does in our body.

When we eat any food, with the exception of pure fat, our blood sugar (glucose) goes up. Too much or too little blood sugar (glucose) is deadly to our bodies.

To deal with it, our pancreas secretes insulin into our bloodstream, to chemically direct the blood sugar into cells (muscle cells, liver cells, brain cells, etc...) to be used as fuel. When we have excess blood sugar, which we always do, we send the rest to the liver to be turned into glycogen and fat. 

Glycogen and fat are our bodies' way of storing excess fuel for a later date. Glycogen is a short term energy supply that can rapidly be turned back into glucose for energy and is stored in our muscle tissue and liver. Fat is a long term energy storage vehicle that has to have the perfect conditions for your body to turn it back into usable fuel.

When insulin is present we DO NOT have the ability to access glycogen or fat for fuel. We can’t simultaneously use glucose and fat ketones for fuel. It is one or the other.

Therefore, high levels of insulin or a high level of insulin resistance (we'll talk about that specifically soon) are responsible for keeping excess visceral (belly) fat in our body and liver (fatty liver disease), both of which are heavily linked to many horrible end of life diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Summary

• Food raises blood sugar and therefore raises insulin

• Insulin tells the blood sugar where to go to be used as fuel

• If insulin is present in our system we CAN’T burn body fat

• Carrying excess visceral fat and fatty liver disease are heavily linked to early death.

Bottom Line

Insulin is an essential driver in weight loss. In order to obtain the physical results we seek, it is KEY to manage insulin.

The Dreaded Insulin Resistance

What is insulin resistance?

To be as concise as possible, insulin resistance means that it becomes harder and harder for insulin to attach to our cells and tell them to let in glucose to be burned as fuel. 

Why is it massively important?

Insulin resistance is a proven precursor to all of the metabolic diseases, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimers and dementia. YOU DON'T WANT IT! NOT to mention that it keeps us overweight and holding onto body fat.

How do we become insulin resistant?

1) Processed Foods and Sugar

Processed foods and sugar are digested very quickly in our system, turned into blood glucose and subsequently moved into our bloodstream for our cells to use as fuel. From there, insulin is injected into the bloodstream and tells our cells to burn the glucose.

Processed foods and sugar give us the biggest and longest lasting glucose spikes, so they make our body produce the most insulin. The process of digestion to burning the fuel isn't the problem. It is the amount of glucose we're getting and the consistent flow of glucose that's the big issue. The more we have to use insulin to deal with glucose, the more resistant our cells become to its effect. This happens for the exact same reason that we become tolerant of alcohol and it takes more for us to feel a buzz. It is a defense system our body uses so we don't over use any chemical our body produces or ingests. 

Unfortunately with glucose we have no choice but to utilize it somehow. To do that, we have to produce more and more insulin to direct it around the body.

2) Snacking

In the spirit of being thorough, just know there is much more to how we become insulin resistant based on our sleep, stress, exercise levels, gut health, breathing and much more. We'll cover most of these as well, hooray! Processed foods and snacking are just the easiest places to start. 

Summary

• Insulin resistance is a precursor to all of the end of life diseases.

• The more glucose in our blood stream, the more insulin we have to make and the resistant our cells become to its effects.

• Processed food, sugar, and snacking are the prime culprits for insulin resistance.

Bottom Line

Insulin resistance, brought on primarily by snacking, processed foods and sugar, will sabotage our weight loss efforts and can lead to disease. 

How We Control Our Insulin

Although there are many ways that we can control our insulin levels, one of the best places to begin is by eating a whole foods diet. You are probably wondering, what does that entail? Well, continue reading and I will be happy to share with you!

How we control our insulin response - Eating whole foods

Swapping processed foods for whole foods can be a transformative step to managing insulin (weight loss), lowering inflammation (anti-aging) and creating a sustainable source of energy for the body and the brain. 

What is a whole foods diet?

Simply put it's a diet consisting of nothing but non processed fruits, vegetables, and animal products.

What are processed foods?

Processed foods are whole foods that have been refined in an attempt to make food products taste better and have longer shelf lives. In doing so, food manufacturers simplify the chemical structures of food and strip it of fiber, fat and micronutrients. If it comes in a box or a wrapping, it's probably man made and should be avoided.

What are the downsides of processed foods and what does that mean for weight loss? Unfortunately the down sides are immense:

• Insulin Resistance: Processed foods are made from simple carbohydrates. When we eat simple carbs we digest the food faster. This leads to rushes of glucose and bigger spikes of insulin. Over months and years of eating simple processed foods, we become resistant to the effects of insulin and get all the negative outcomes. Remember more insulin means more weight gain.

• Digestion Issues: We lose all the fat and fiber. Fat and fiber are essential for your health in MANY ways, but in the context of this course they are extremely essential for controlling our blood sugar levels. Fat and fiber have both been proven to slow down the digestion process and slow down how fast glucose enters our bloodstream. That happens in two ways, one, it literally takes longer for whole foods to reach the gut bacteria that can digest complex foods and two, it literally takes longer for the gut bacteria to break down the food once it gets there. The slower the breakdown, the less insulin we need and the less fat we'll make.

• Increase Inflammation: Through the physical or chemical alteration process of refined foods we lose the micronutrients that the whole food once had. For example, when we mill wheat products we remove the fibrous husk that contains most of the fiber, b-vitamins and phytochemical.  Micronutrients usually come in combinations that make them more bioavailable to us. That means when we refine the food and lose some of the micronutrients, we may render some of the other nutrients unavailable to us, because they aren't digested in the proper combinations. Less micronutrients means our cells work less efficiently and we create more inflammation, both of which lead to weight gain.

• Poor Gut Health: We are feeding the bad gut bacteria. Processed foods get digested early in the intestines and feed bacteria that can be harmful to us. On top of that the bad gut bacteria produce waste products that inflame our system and poke holes in our gut lining. All of that causes a lot of inflammation in our body and the more inflammation the more trouble we'll have losing weight.

Adding some quick historical context:

Humans have been hunter gatherers for 99.5% of our existence, subsistence level farmers for .5 % and industrialized for .008 % of it. We simply have not had enough time to evolve into eating the processed foods we have access to now. Whole foods are what we have evolved on.

Summary 

• Processed foods digest too quickly and spike our insulin.

• Processed foods are stripped of fat, fiber, and micronutrients.

• Processed foods feed bad gut bacteria.

All of the above increase inflammation and increase visceral fat gain.

Other benefits of a whole foods diet:

• Keeps hunger at bay- we won't need to snack as often when we get the full spectrum of fiber and fat that whole foods offer, which are proven to stop the hunger response.

• Better absorption of nutrients- we obtain the nutrient combinations that we have evolved to use together.

• Less expensive than eating out- when you use whole foods you don't get the high markups that happen when others are preparing foods for you. Yes, it may take a little more time for you but the health benefits are more than worth it.

• Utilizes essential nutrients- fiber from whole foods keeps us regular and is made into essential nutrients by our gut bacteria.

• Lowers systemic inflammation- essential for warding off disease, feeling energized and slowing down the aging process. 

Top Tips: Whole Foods Diet

• Shop the perimeter of the store. Most processed foods are always in the middle of the store. Most whole foods are on the perimeters.

• Learn a few easy recipes. Look up some of your favorite dishes and pick two that have easy recipes to follow. Use these dishes as staples for your weeks and expand on them one recipe at a time. 

• Buy a crock pot. Crock pots are amazing tools for people who just want to throw a few things in a pot and not think about it until dinner time. Try to make more than necessary so you have leftovers for lunch. 

• Plan your lunches. Lunch is the easiest way to stray from a healthy path. Try planning out your lunch for the week on Sunday so you can just take it with you to work. It will save you time and headspace for important things, it will also transform your health.

• Don't be afraid of fat, even saturated fat. Fat is essential to every cell in our body. More importantly in the context of losing weight, fat helps keep us full. Choose quality fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, olive oil, hard cheeses, fish, beef and eggs. 

• Don't get mad at yourself for eating something you know isn't good for you. Everyone makes mistakes on their health journey and nothing is ruined in one sitting. Just acknowledge that wasn't the best choice and do better the next meal.

• Shop only for necessities. When we have snacks around the office and house, we are much more likely to eat them. Choose smart snacks like dark chocolate, berries and nuts.

• One Meal at a Time: Plan one meal a day where you eat all whole foods. For example, instead of having pasta, enjoy roasted veggies or sweet potatoes. Slowly increase the meals where no processed foods are present.