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Nirvana Diet

A Diet For the Mind

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You are what you eat!

June 22, 2017 by Skyler Madison Leave a Comment

So you know how important I think it is to make sure your eating habits are in alignment with your health. There is no doubt that many illnesses today are life-style induced and by changing how you eat, and exercising in the right way, you can have the best health care there is.

Many people don’t realize what you eat also affects the health of your brain.

Research shows that the best foods for your brain are the same ones that protect your heart and blood vessels.

So here is the list in a nutshell:  

Green, leafy vegetables. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. Research suggests these plant-based foods may help slow cognitive decline.

Fatty fish. Fatty fish are abundant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, healthy unsaturated fats that have been linked to lower blood levels of beta-amyloid—the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Try to eat fish at least twice a week, but choose varieties that are low in mercury, such as salmon, cod, canned light tuna, and pollack. If you’re not a fan of fish, ask your doctor about taking an omega-3 supplement, or choose terrestrial omega-3 sources such as flaxseeds, avocados, and walnuts.

Berries. Flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their brilliant hues, also help improve memory, research shows. In a 2012 study published in Annals of Neurology, researchers at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week delayed memory decline by up to two-and-a-half years.

Tea and coffee. The caffeine in your morning cup of coffee or tea might offer more than just a short-term concentration boost. In a 2014 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, participants with higher caffeine consumption scored better on tests of mental function. Caffeine might also help solidify new memories, according to other research. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University asked participants to study a series of images and then take either a placebo or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet. More members of the caffeine group were able to correctly identify the images on the following day.

Walnuts. Nuts are excellent sources of protein and healthy fats, and one type of nut in particular might also improve memory. A 2015 study from UCLA linked higher walnut consumption to improved cognitive test scores. Walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which helps lower blood pressure and protects arteries. That’s good for both the heart and brain.

Changing your lifestyle is one of the most important things you can do. That’s what I have been helping people do for years. To schedule a consultation, click here.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Uncategorized Tagged With: healthy eating

What is high intensity interval training?

March 30, 2017 by Skyler Madison 1 Comment

exercise-croppedThey call it HIIT – high intensity interval training. Here is why this is the best exercise to get and stay in shape.

We all know we should exercise, but what amount and what type of exercise maximizes your return best? That is the question.

A new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism and other research studies have been saying that it’s the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the best way to go in and has the best result in reversing the effects of aging.

HIIT, as it is commonly known, requires short bursts of intense aerobic activity, intermixed with longer stretches of moderate exercise. Participating in this kind of training encourages cells to make more proteins to fuel the energy producing cellular mechanism, which means you don’t get  hungrier and end of up eating more and it continues to burn fat even after you exercise..

The study found that younger people participating in HIIT showed a 49-per-cent increase in mitochondrial capacity and the older group saw 69-per-cent. (Mitochondria are the cells’ powerhouses, responsible for producing the molecule that transports chemical energy within cells.)

So how should you plan for your exercise week? The recommended amount of exercise is 225 minutes a week. If you could break it down daily it would be about 30 minutes a day. I would do 20 minutes at a moderate pace and 10 minutes of intense exercise. I would also do strength training at least two days a week. To find out what is moderate or intense, check out this post.

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: exercise, high intensity, strength training

Best exercise to lose weight

March 30, 2017 by Skyler Madison Leave a Comment

Best exercise to lose weight:

What type and how much exercise you need to do is important to understand.

There is a lot of misinformation around what type and how much exercise you need to do to achieve your lifestyle goals of losing weight (fat) and keeping if off.

A new study says we need to walk way more than 10,000 steps a day to get enough exercise. A new goal is to walk 15,000 steps, but this may still be off the mark in terms of what type of exercise you should do to lose weight and keep it off .

Here’s why:

There is a lot of research that shows how cardio or aerobic exercise helps us not only to lose weight, but to relieve stress, be more creative and healthier. Since one of the biggest reasons people overeat has something to do with unprocessed emotions and lack of satisfaction from life that spills over as stress, it is important to have an outlet in the form of physical exercise.

Before you embark on an exercise program you must of course consult your doctor.  It is important to start where you are and begin to increase it gradually.

Despite the proven benefits, most adults do not meet the basis minimum exercise guidelines which are 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. If you want to lose weight, you double that to 300 minutes of moderate exercise and 150 minutes of vigorous exercise.  The problem with these numbers is that it does not explain what is moderate or vigorous. The term ‘aerobics’ was coined by Dr. Cooper in a book entitled Aerobics in 1968. He put forth the notion that there was a target heart rate to achieve in order to maximize the benefits of exercise that he called aerobic. It is recommended you start with moderate intensity.

For moderate-intensity physical activity, a person’s target heart rate should be 50 to 70% of his or her maximum heart rate. This maximum rate is based on the person’s age. An estimate of a person’s maximum age-related heart rate can be obtained by subtracting the person’s age from 220. For example, for a 50-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 – 50 years = 170 beats per minute (bpm). The 50% and 70% levels would be:

  • 50% level: 170 x 0.50 = 85 bpm, and
  • 70% level: 170 x 0.70 = 119 bpm

Thus, moderate-intensity physical activity for a 50-year-old person will require that the heart rate remains between 85 and 119 bpm during physical activity.

For vigorous-intensity physical activity, a person’s target heart rate should be 70 to 85% of his or her maximum heart rate. To calculate this range, follow the same formula as used above, except change “50 and 70%” to “70 and 85%”. For example, for a 35-year-old person, the estimated maximum age-related heart rate would be calculated as 220 – 35 years = 185 beats per minute (bpm). The 70% and 85% levels would be:

  • 70% level: 185 x 0.70 = 130 bpm, (71-84) and
  • 85% level: 185 x 0.85 = 157 bpm, (85-91)

Thus, vigorous-intensity physical activity for a 35-year-old person will require that the heart rate remains between 130 and 157 bpm during physical activity. You start with moderate and eventually you will do intervals where you do them side by side. If you have not exercised, it is recommended you start with moderate and then build your way up.

To track that you could obviously program this into a treadmill or elliptical at the gym or wear a heart rate monitor when you walk.  I would recommend starting with 10 to 20 minutes and working your way up. The initial goal for weight loss is to achieve the 300 minutes of moderate exercise or 150 minutes of intense exercise. If this seems daunting, just develop a plan that works for you and has you moving to a higher level than you had been doing.

Gradually increase the amount of exercise you do until you reach the target amount for weight loss and start tracking your heart rate to make sure you are exercising efficiently.  You can go to www.wareable.com and choose the heart rate monitor that is best for you.

 Next: Develop your plan to exercise:

Begin with the amount of days a week you can allocate to exercise. Ideally you want to do it daily, but that is not always possible.

Number of days divided by 300 = the amount of time you should exercise. Begin with moderate intensity.

For example, if you plan to exercise daily, you would do 40 minute sessions at the moderate intensity. If this is not possible, just identify a way to fit more exercise into your schedule so that are doing more than you were and perhaps can over time increase to the ideal amount or increase the intensity which would cut down the time. You can also factor your strength training into this which would ideally be three times a week for 25 minutes.

Write down my plan to exercise is:

Days of the week you will do aerobic exercise:

Amount of time:

Target Heart rate:

Days of week you will do strength training:

Amount of time: 25 minutes

It is possible as you begin your exercise that you will be hungrier in the beginning. This will subside as your body gets used to it and you feed your body the right fuel which will be covered in the next chapter. The important thing is to be aware of the real reason to eat and only eat when you are truly hungry. Try to space your meals out three to four hours apart. Eat when you feel hungry and stop eating when you are full. Do not eat if you do not feel it is the right reason to eat. Instead of eating, express yourself by doing the journaling.

Bottom line: You need to make exercise become your habit otherwise you will be having to use willpower and we have a limited amount of willpower to go around.

Filed Under: Blog, Uncategorized Tagged With: exercise, exercise to lose weight, weight loss

The Role of Stress in Weight Gain

December 13, 2016 by Skyler Madison Leave a Comment

The Role of Stress in Weight Gain

 

We must look at the role of stress in weight gain to begin to understand and deal with the problem. Obesity and stress levels are both skyrocketing.  68% of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. Some say a whopping 97% of people who lose weight regain it. It is clear, the way we define diets is wrong. A recent article in the New York Times states “there is no single answer” The article did not mention stress, and we cannot stress enough the role stress plays in weight gain which has clearly risen to epidemic proportions. According to a research source, a study done in 2016 reported that 77% of people report regularly experiencing stress. A survey done by the American Psychological Association, 43% of people polled report using food to deal with stress. Stress can also lead to insomnia another big problem that can cause weight gain. Sleep deprivation interrupts the production of the hormones that stimulate hunger and satiation.

 

That is one of the reasons why The Nirvana Diet is so effective; it is designed to help you deal with the stress you experience in your life. If you have issues with your job, money, relationships, and or health, you are under stress. That is why you cannot just follow a diet; you must learn how to deal with the issues that underlie your eating and weight gain. Chronic stress not only makes you hungrier but also triggers the release of chemicals, adrenaline and cortisol, that increase insulin and cause you to feel wired, crave sugary unhealthy foods dis-enabling your willpower. We tend to call them unfortunately comfort foods, but they are really junk food. In summary, the more stress you have, the more cortisol gets produced, which leads to a bigger appetite for more junk food and more calories stored as fat.

 

Finally, obesity is one of the biggest causes of what is called a lifestyle induced illness. People who get these illnesses including so called psychiatric disorders are often given medications that cause weight gain. These medications are given to treat diabetes, seizure disorders, beta blockers, lower blood pressure and suppress the immune system. Dr. Stephen O’Rahailly, head of the department of clinical biochemistry at Cambridge University blames it on the genes we inherit. If that were the case, why is it that obesity began to skyrocket after the 1960’s?  The latest research suggests that lifestyle changes can overcome much of the risk for which our DNA might be responsible. In other words, lifestyle changes are potentially more powerful, and healthier than relying on drugs. It is time to understand the role stress plays in weight gain and how lifestyle changes that reduce stress are critical.

 

That is why I created Creative Mindfulness. I recommend people address their stress before they even embark on a weight loss program. It is clear the problem has many roots; most importantly I found was the role of stress. That is why many of the proven antidotes to stress are part of this process that includes doing the right exercise, mindfulness, meditation, journaling and listening to guided hypnotic meditations that encourage you to adopt healthier habits.

Please let me know what your greatest challenge is about achieving a lifestyle change?

By Skyler Madison.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: stress, weight gain

How to Boost Your Metabolism

December 9, 2016 by Skyler Madison Leave a Comment

How to Boost Your Metabolism

 

The best way to boost your metabolism is to change your body composition. This means to have more muscle and less fat. As we age, we lose muscle and it is replaced with fat. The average adult loses about 6.6 pounds of muscle a decade.

 

By age 65 the body has doubled its fat mass and lost half its muscle mass. This is a reason why many people gain weight. Since muscle is more metabolically active than fat, you either have eat less and less, excursive more or you gain weight. The best way to boost your metabolism is to engage in a progressive weight training program to prevent the decline in muscle. This should be done at a gym or preferably with a trainer.

 

Most trainers recommend doing three sets of an exercise with 8 to 12 repetitions until you cannot do more than the 12 repetitions but light enough so you can do at least 8. It is important to do the repetitions slowly count to 2 holding at the two of the contraction for 1 second. Lowering should be done to the count of 4.

 

The recommended exercise to boost metabolism is also to do aerobic exercise most days of the week (at least 5) and strength train for three days with a day off in between for recovery. You might also want to alternate between upper and lower body. For example do upper body on Monday and Friday and lower body on Wednesday. The following week you would do the opposite.

You can also boost your metabolism with the right aerobic exercise according to the latest research.

 

Muscle and aerobic exercise is what is what you need to burn fat and that means and boost your metabolism.

 

The best foods to boost your metabolism are: blueberries, turkey, spinach, salmon, and almonds and avocado.

 

Click here to check out The Nirvana Diet Course and  jump start your weight loss goals, boost your metabolism and increase your motivation.

 

Click here to ask Skyler Madison about one on one coaching with a Nirvana Diet Coach.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Weight Loss Tagged With: boost metabolism, exercise to lose weight

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