5 MUST-KNOW Lifestyle Tips. Mind Body & Soul

1. Daily multivitamins, minerals & probiotics 

When we don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, we miss essential nutrients, which can lower our risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other health conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), adults should consume 1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables daily. Yet, in a recent CDC study, they found that 76% of adults don't eat enough fruit and 87% of adults don't eat enough veggies.

So how to get your nutrients? A multivitamin. A multivitamin is like an insurance policy, a daily guarantee to ensure your body gets the vitamins and minerals it needs. It can make up for the shortfalls that happen when you don’t get what you need through food.

Here are a few more key reasons to take a multivitamin:

1. Healthy aging: As we age, our nutritional needs increase. At the same time, it gets harder for the body to absorb nutrients. Medications can further deplete our body of nutrients. A multivitamin can offset these deficiencies.
2. Good for your heart: Studies show that taking a high-quality multivitamin may reduce cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the U.S. Vitamins B1, B2, B6, K1, Niacin (B3), CoQ10 and magnesium, all play a role in cardiovascular health.
3. Reduces cancer risk: Vitamin use has been associated with a decreased risk of some cancers. A recent study of 14,000 men aged 50 and older found that daily multivitamin supplementation “significantly reduced the risk of total cancer.”
4. Boosts immunity: Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant known for strengthening the immune system. Vitamins D and E boost immunity, too. These vitamins can also help reduce allergy symptoms.
5. Supports eye health: Vitamins A, C, E, Niacin (B3), and selenium support eye health. Lutein and Zeaxanthin also protect the eyes from harmful light waves. Studies have shown multivitamins containing a combination of vitamins, lutein, and zeaxanthin can reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
6. Water-soluble vitamins: Excess fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins (B and C) are not. Excess water-soluble vitamins simply travel through the body. This means it's necessary to take these essential vitamins on a daily basis.
7. Healthy hair and skin: New research says look for Vitamins B3 (Niacin), biotin, and Vitamin C for fuller hair. For healthy skin, look for Vitamins A, C, E, and CoQ10.
8. Feel better: Thanks in large part to the Vitamin B family, taking a multivitamin is associated with a boost in energy levels, feelings of well being, as well as a decrease in stress and anxiety.

Vitamin	Basic Function
A	Vision, healthy skin and mucous membranes, bone and tooth growth, immune system health
B complex	Important for nerve function, normal vision and skin health, nervous and digestive systems
C	Immune system and protects cells
D	Absorption and use of calcium
E	Powerful antioxidant
K	Bones, teeth and cartilage health
Zinc	Immune System Health

 

Mineral	Basic Function
Boron	Metabolism of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous
Calcium	Strong and healthy normal bones
Chromium	Insulin Production Copper- Strengthen connective tissue
Iodine	Thyroid Hormone Synthesis
Iron	Carries oxygen within protein hemoglobin
Lutein	Eye Health
Lycopene	Heart Health, Supports Healthy Cholesterol
Magnesium	Over 300 biochemical reactions of body
Manganese	Co-factor in energy production, activator of many enzymes
Molybdenum	Supports normal liver and kidney health
Nickel	Healthy skin and bone structure
Potassium	Used by Autonomic Nervous System (heart beat, brain function)
Selenium	Fights against many health problems
Vanadium	Works with Molybdenum

 

Multivitamins: Find them here

Probiotics 

What Are Probiotics, Anyway?

Probiotics are most often associated with digestive health; however, good bacteria actually live everywhere on the human body. Though it’s a bit unpleasant to think about, your body is literally covered in bacteria—for every one human cell in the body, there are 10 microbes. Along with millions of other bacteria, probiotics make up what is often referred to as the “microbiome.”

Instinctively, you may react to that bit of trivia by feeling like you need to wash your hands or take a shower. But the relationship between humans and bacteria is symbiotic and has evolved over thousands of years. They need us in order to survive, and we need them in order to support certain essential metabolic functions.

For example, bacteria in the gut help support the body’s ability to metabolize excess bile acids and hormones, keeping cholesterol and estrogen levels in a healthy range. Bacteria in the large intestine play a key role in making vitamin K, which affects how readily blood clots.

In fact, the influence of beneficial bacteria is so strong that some people have referred to our bacterial colonies as additional organs in the body. Probiotics are usually discussed within the context of healthy digestion because they are densely concentrated along the entire length of the GI tract, and are especially plentiful in the intestines and colon. Their functions and benefits are numerous and include such things as promoting the absorption of nutrients from food and the supporting the overall function of the digestive system.

Why Taking Probiotics Daily Is Essential?

With that background about what probiotics are, it’s essential to support these good bacteria every day—whether that means eating probiotic foods or taking a probiotic supplement.
Remember, the bacteria in your gut are living organisms, and as such, they are affected by everything we put in our mouths: food, drinks, medications, even amalgam tooth fillings have a damaging effect on them. Unknowingly we all, to some degree, consume things that accelerate the rate at which good bacteria die off.

Antibiotics are well known for causing digestive upset, but all medications contain chemicals that are harmful to gut bacteria, even those sold over the counter.

A diet that’s too low in fiber and too high in refined carbohydrates can harm good bacteria. So can drinking chlorinated water and overexposure to heavy metals, pollutants, and radiation.
It only makes sense that if we do things on a daily basis to harm our good bacteria, that we also should take measures to support it as well. That’s why I recommend eating probiotic foods and/or taking a probiotic supplement every day.

Probiotics: Find Probiotics here 

 

 

2. Walk into the gym with a plan.

Having a plan of action before you step foot in the gym can help you avoid wandering aimlessly around while you decide what to do next. This indecisiveness not only adds time to your workout, it also makes it less efficient.

It’s also a good idea to have a plan B, just in case the machine or floor space you were planning on using is taken. Move on to other parts of your workout and come back, or be armed with a backup exercise in mind that utilizes different equipment.

 

3. Strength train at least 3 times a week.

It helps keep your bones strong and sturdy.  Just 5% increase in peak bone mineral mass can significantly decrease the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

One key way to build and maintain bone mass is strength training. You will need to do something, and do it regularly.

“Our bones respond to resistance,” John C. Garner, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., professor and chair of the kinesiology and health promotion department at Troy University. He cites Wolff’s law, or, the “use-it-or-lose-it” principle: “If we place the bones under stress, the body will respond by sending the material that it needs to make those bones stronger,” he explains. On the other hand, if your bones seldom encounter any resistance, they’ll grow weak faster and become more susceptible to breaks later in life.

Strength training can help offset the age-related decline in muscle mass and strength that hits right around ages 30 to 35. 

Research has shown strength training can also help keep your heart healthy.

For example, one small study found that strength training may significantly lower blood pressure, while another found that those who strength train have better-functioning high-density lipoprotein (aka “good cholesterol”) than those who never strength train.

 Moderate-intensity cardio] means anything from taking a walk, riding your bike, or going for a jog.

Focus on complex, multi-joint exercises to hit the most muscles as possible (think: squats, chest presses, and lat pull-downs), and pair those with a couple of single-joint exercises like bicep curls and reverse flys. Find the activity that you enjoy and you’re going to be more likely to stick with it, and the longer you stick with it, the more results you’re going to see.   

Here is an example of how your week should look like in order to achieve overall health

4. Give high-intensity interval training a try.

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, refers to short bursts of very hard work followed by periods of recovery—they don’t call it high intensity for nothing. The work periods are typically 20 to 90 seconds, during which you should be giving it your all, whether that’s a sprint on a treadmill or nonstop burpees.

The main appeal of a HIIT workout is that it's incredibly efficient. Because you're packing in so much work during those hard intervals and keeping your heart rate up during your rest you're doing a whole lot of work in a short period of time. This improves your aerobic fitness and, if you're including strength exercises in your HIIT session, your muscle strength and/or endurance as well.

HIIT can also help with fat loss (if that's a goal of yours) because you'll also be burning calories after your workout. This is known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). 

While the effect isn't huge the length, intensity, and frequency of your workouts and your nutrition habits matter much more for your overall calorie balance—every little bit adds up over time.

You don't even need weights to do a HIIT session

 

Incorporate cardiovascular exercises for maximum benefits. Pairing your strength training routine with 20 to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio daily, which is about the same amount of activity recommended for overall cardiovascular health by the American Heart Association.

 

Here is an example of what a HIIT workout looks like. If you are able to incorporate this type of workout for at least 3 days a week you will be on your way to your ideal body, mind and soul goal.

 

 

 

 

5. Track your progress.

Invest in a fitness tracker. It will help you improve your health by encouraging you to move, keep track of those movements and move more often.​ 

I got an apple watch for Christmas and been obsessing over it.! 

FitBit is great as well. I've used it for over a year and became very depended on it. 

 

Apple Watch

 

FitBit

_______

Let me know of any questions!

Live well Be well

Marsida