| Seasonal Issues: |
Fall often is the time we start to slow our pace down. It is getting darker earlier. The sweaters come out and even the coats at times. It causes a mild depression in many people. Either way most of us slow the activity pace of our lives. There are less walks and outdoor activities with the cold and dark weather. That movie sounds like a better idea as does the popcorn or candy. So what do you do? You want to keep the same fitness as the summer months or even improve that. It is simpler than it may seem. This summer was a mixed bag of weather so some of you didn’t even get in shape as much as you would have liked. No worry, you can still get into the shape you want so you can fit into you holiday clothes with ease.\ T The first thing you need to realize is with lower activity levels food intake becomes a crucial component. With less activity our body tends to burn fewer calories and carry more toxins. With toxins and fats, heading back towards winter, what do we do? Well the first thing is once you become aware of “it” is to set up new patterns of behavior. Why? Because it was the patterns of behavior that got you into trouble in the first place and new patterns are what will keep your trouble from growing unchecked. I spoke of this a bit in last month’s article. We looked at choosing the number one thing you avoided this summer. That is the key place to start, as it is probably your Achilles’ heal. Knowing whether diet or exercise is the greater weakness will help you chunk down the facts and the problem. You can start this process by yourself or with a friend. You may find you need some professional help if you are too far off track or if you need new ideas. So let’s look at the eating factor first. Ask yourself what three things do I eat most that cause me to feel down or put on weight. Limit your food count to three. More than this can seem overwhelming. Cut each of those items intake in half. That may mean chewing slower. When the amount gets down to a small amount you can have it only as a once a week treat or cut it out all together. Substituting in items that are healthy for the unhealthy item can make this process easier. For example carrot sticks are hard and chewy and can substitute for candy eating. Celery with peanut butter is a good source of protein if you need a pick me up that isn’t too heavy. Many people find a hard boiled egg in the afternoon not only gives them the protein they need to finish the day but that they eat less at dinner. Eating less needs to be a conscious thing at first. It doesn’t have to be torturous. Things like loading your plate lighter, chewing each bite as extra two or three chews, taking longer between bites by visiting with another person are all ways to increase your satisfaction while eating less food. It will need to be conscious at first but in time will become part of the routine. Creating new habits can be fun if you make them fun by including other people or making it like a game. What about the physical habits that need changing? Well again these need to be done as part of a routine change. You have already begun to change you physical habits by changing the way you eat. So the next step is to change what you do in between eating. With this change we want to not only utilize calories we want to stretch and strengthen muscles. Fortunately all stretching and strengthening utilizes calories so we have that part taken care of. But what do you need to do. Well if you are anything like most of the population you are already pretty darn busy. If you are not, you can do these things anyway. However let’s address where most people are: not a moment to spare in their routine. Depending on how physically active you are depends on where this process starts. For everyone it can be a simple start that is part of your normal daily routine. Think of when and where you are still, like sitting in meetings or the car. What about standing in lines or on the elevator? If you are standing or sitting you can be exercising. Tightening and holding a muscle and then releasing it at different paces can make a flabby muscle more firm. Stretching can be simply bending down to touch your feet or knees if that is how far you can go. We think that exercise needs to create a sweat. It doesn’t. Anytime you use or stretch a muscle you can be strengthening your body and burning calories. No one even needs to know you are exercising your body during their presentation. The activity will give you something that will keep you awake no matter how dull the topic. So tighten up those weak abdominal, buttocks and legs with ease. If you are too shy to start this at work practice as you are cooking or cleaning at home. Or you can turn your TV viewing time into a mini exercise start. Obviously this is a good starting point for muscle and calorie use. The better shape you get in the more you creative you get to be. If you are an athlete already use these times to strengthen that weak ankle by stretching and exercising it. For more information or an appointment call Katherine Branigan, NTP and MSA specialist@ (206) 779-1959 or email for an appointment @ KBranigan@SeattleBalancedBody.com The seasons are changing and so are your needs. It’s more than just changing the clothes you work out in and the places you go. Eating seasonally and locally will go a long way to support your health and performance both emotionally and physically. How is that? Our body responds to the weather of each season. The air temperature, the humidity or lack, the length of the daylight and the intensity of rays all play a role in your bodies’ needs and performance. Yet it is more than just what we wear and where we go that affects our well being. The mother earth in her infinite wisdom naturally grows things that match the needs of the area like a yin/yang balance. It is the proper food choices that really make the difference to our overall well being. The healthier you are and the more reserves you have the less likely you are to put your bodies out of kilter during season changes or when under stress. Being active increases your need to be conscious of the changing seasons. You tend to tax your reserves more and require greater availability of the resources you do have. As I mentioned in a previous article, as little as 1-2% dehydration can create fatigue. As temperature and humidity changes with the coming of summer you are likely to sweat more and loose fluids more quickly than you have done previously. Then unexpectedly you find your performance dropping and your feeling of well being slipping from your grasp. Once dehydration sets in so does weakened digestive and physical performance abilities. It sets off a domino response. Then of course as the days lengthen, so does your list of activities. You are more active and often cut back on sleep. This extra activity requires more nutrients. All those fresh summer fruits provide lots of nutrients, fructose for energy and water for hydration. More fruits with higher water content grow at warmer climates. This is no accident. The warmer the weather, the more liquids the body needs. The earth provides foods that offer the nutrients you need at the times you need them. In spring it offers the bulky leaf or stalk type plants that grow such as rhubarb, spinach and asparagus. These are high in minerals which are necessary for proper muscle contraction, especially as we dance or increase our activity levels. The roughage also helps clean your system of grains or proteins that may have not completely flushed over the winter months of less activity and vegetables. In this simple example it is easy to see how seasonal foods can enhance your well being. I know it seems in our indoor world of continually pushing our bodies that these may be needed year round. Studies show most people lower their respective rate of activity due to cold and darker days. It also seems with the weather changes, the way we utilize our nutrients changes. Even the nutrient content of milk is different in the winter than the summer. So the same foods do not provide the same support, at different times of the year. Seasonally eating can help balance this. Squash, a winter vegetable has more vitamin A that is needed in the winter months, Oranges and other fruits are higher in vitamin C, needed so much in the summer months. Each of these foods has the other nutrients, just in different ratios. Eating seasonally and locally for your area can improve your performance abilities by providing more available nutrients. I mention locally because food raised or grown locally can be picked later and purchased earlier. Vitamin C is known to be particularly unstable. So an orange grown in Florida and picked early has lost the last few days of nutrient gathering and by the time it reaches the diagonal end of the country in 3-5 days it has lost over 60% of the already lowered Vitamin C content. The same is true with all the wonderful fruits we get from other southern hemisphere growing areas. I am assuming you are buying organic because I do not have space here to go over all the health concerns of the different pesticides much less them mixed together in your system. For anyone looking for maximum nutrient value with limited calories, local and seasonal food choices become essential. Food equals energy, eat the best, to be able to perform the best. ( http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php? tname=specialneed&dbid=10 ) Whether you are a runner or an inactive person an increase in the importance of excellent nutrient intake is key. Runners, as well as non-intensely physical people, need antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables to protect the cells and enhance circulation. Vitamin B found in so many dark greens is also essential for carrying oxygen to the blood and healing the body. In the warmer months we sweat more and loose more antioxidants as well as liquids. Fresh nutrient rich fruits and vegetables provide this and so much more. (For more specifics on this topic: http://www.saga.co. uk/health_news/article/9116AD76-AD14-4A54-B281-FE78E4057C20.asp?bhcp=1 ) This site contains a seasonal produce chart for Britain. For your own personal local chart, Google – locally grown produce in “your area”. Many local farmers’ markets will probably pop up, to offer you local resources of quality seasonal and local foods. “Food choices” is also something to keep in mind when you are traveling and working out. The local areas environment may pull more of one type of nutrient from your body. Or you may need more of a certain nutrient before arriving. If staying for more than a few days, consider eating like the locals. In a competition situation this is often referred to as home town advantage, a nice advantage for all of us. For example in sunnier climates low essential fatty acids can cause the skin to burn easier. Burnt skin is not conducive to peak performance. Traveling diet, lifestyle and locality changes affect your needs. I will cover this more in the next article, “How to Handle Summer Traveling and Staying in Shape with Ease.” As always consult with a health care professional before making changes to your lifestyle. Katherine Branigan is a Certified Nutritional Therapist in private practice in N. Seattle, WA. She has been in practice for 4 years and teaches the NTA certification course. As an athlete she understands the importance of eating to support lifestyle. In her practice she also addresses the emotional and energetic components of health and healing. If you want more information, call (206) 779-1959 or Email at: KBranigan@SeattleBalancedBody.com |
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| Seasonal Eating Enhances: By Katherine Branigan, NTP |
| Fall Pick Ups by Katherine Branigan NTP and MSA Specialist |
