Winter Workouts

4.3

We're well into January, and if you haven't put together some wellness goals for 2017, there's no time like the present. Maybe you're into making resolutions (I'm not) and already have a list you're working on. If so, keep it short and doable, to be sure you actually achieve what you set out to do.

For me, I like to set event goals like specific runs and obstacle course events. Within those larger (attainable) goals are subsets of training, workouts and focus that I'll need to accomplish along the way. Having large goals and subset goals keeps me invested in my wellness and busy at being healthy throughout the year.

And right now, the necessary winter workouts I need will get my cardio and strength and stretching routines growing in frequency and intensity. I have several tools: Spartan Race emails (they call them the Workout of the Day), FitStar from Fitbit (a great app which customizes body-weight training exercises for your fitness level and outlook), and Darebee (one of my favorite workout websites to return to again and again.)

A common theme with these three awesome resources is that they all focus on body-weight workouts (no equipment or dumbbells or exercise machines needed.) I really appreciate body-weight workouts because they totally take away any excuses for our workouts. No gym to travel to, no lines to wait in...

So set your goals, identify your workouts, and get moving this winter. Be realistic and make sure your wellness road map for 2017 is something you can achieve, and maybe we'll all look back 11 months from now with some joy and gratitude for the year we had.

By the Way

You could follow the wisdom of creating SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Sensitive. Make sure goals have details in them which show progress:

• Specific (where, exactly what, quantities,durations)
• Measurable (be sure you can measure the specific things you lay out)
• Attainable (be sure that your goals stretch you, but are still doable, make them something you can definitely work into your daily life)
• Realistic (be sure your goals represent the right next steps for your wellness journey, not something that is so big you won't get there)
• Time-Sensitive (put a date on it, and put dates on progress points along the way.)

A Good Gut Shot

4.2

I'm a strong believer that the foods we consume significantly impact our physical and mental well-being. That's what keeping a power pantry is all about - wellness starts with what we stock in our pantry and what we eat.

As the years go, and I keep reading and learning and researching wellness, I'm realizing how important gut health is to our health. The study of 'good' bacteria in our gut, while it sounds icky, is critically important to our health.

The good bugs in our gut (our small and large intestines) generate numerous byproducts (acids, enzymes, hormones, etc.) which protect and regulate the intestinal wall and assure nutrients get through and toxins don't. When our intestinal wall is not healthy (because the good bacterial microflora is out of balance or missing) then all kinds of poor health consequences can result.

One specialist in the field of gut health is Dr. David Williams (www.drdavidwilliams.com), whose published work on gut health goes back to 1989, long before others were aware of or researching good bacteria in the gut. He has valuable information posted on his website regarding probiotics and gut health, and shares significant evidence for why and how good bacteria benefit our health.

Check out this article from Dr. Williams to learn how good gut microbes can help in these ways:
Improve immune health, mood and mental health, boosts energy levels, improve cholesterol levels, regulates hormone levels, reduce yeast infections, support a healthy weight and more.
9 Ways Good Gut Bacteria Support Your Overall Health

Take some time to review the above article to understand good gut bacteria better. If you suffer from a lot of colds and gloomy moods and sluggish energy, you may benefit from some close attention to your good gut bacteria.

By the Way

There are several key good bacteria that our gut, and overall health, benefit from:
Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus salivarius. These are available in common fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, pickled vegetables (cucumbers, beans, cauliflower, etc.) and in commercially produced supplements. While probiotic supplements give some beneficial recharge of good bacteria, the best way to get these is through fermented foods.

Your Best Year Ever

4.1

It's a new year! Welcome to 2017, and all it holds for wellness and our pursuit of health. I've been making some interesting edits to my diet over the last 6-8 weeks, and took the holidays to reset and renew (so I haven't posted in a while.)

Maybe you agree with the power pantry philosophy (that if it's in our pantry we'll eat it...so if we want to improve our health, we should start by improving our pantries and what we eat). If you do, then you'll quickly realize that everything comes down to choices. Choices of what kinds of carbs and proteins we'll eat. Lots of dairy or limited dairy? Plenty of whole grain wheat breads, or gluten-free? Choices, choices, choices...

And the longer we work at our pantry and food choices, the more we realize that what works for some people does not work for all. While friends and workout buddies can be healthy on particular foods, those same foods can genuinely mess us up. What gives?

The truth is that all foods are not created equally, and just as no two people are alike, our nutritional needs and tolerances are just as varied. What might keep me fueled and revved up for a hard workout, might make others limp, headachy and unable to get through the day.

Individual food sensitivities and intolerances are real. Just because something is edible, doesn't mean your body will appreciate it. I've found numerous foods which cause me distress, and can turn on and off the distress simply by indulging in those foods or avoiding them. Simple... but not easy.

As we launch into 2017, if you find yourself with nagging challenges in your health, consider finding a naturopathic or holistic doctor who can speak to issues of food sensitivities and how possible food intolerances might be affecting your health. Taking that journey might make 2017 your best year ever.

By the Way

Pursuing wellness through significant food edits is not wifty mumbo-jumbo. There are whole areas of nutritional science devoted to understanding how nutrition varies between the metabolisms of different people, and how much of that comes down to genetic make up (known as nutrigenomics...). Tests for personal genetics and intestinal health of gut bacteria are also growing as options for optimizing our nutritional choices.