Boost Your Metabolism Over The Holidays

this is a picture of a woman and a man doing planks to stay fit and boost their metabolism
Health and Metabolism Boosting 2020

Do you have big plans to boost your health and metabolism in January? Many of our patients say that they would like to take control of their wellness in 2020. These aspirations often include losing some of the extra weight that they’ve picked up over the holidays.

However, we know that it’s important not to get too caught up in the numbers on the scale. Instead, a good alternative goal is to focus on lowering your body fat, if that would help your overall health. Or, aim to raise your energy levels. In other words, your goal should always be to improve your quality of life, not to chase after an elusive number on a scale or a clothing size.

No matter why you want to lose weight, it’s important to approach your New Year’s resolution with a strategy. Having a concrete plan increases your odds of success. Here’s a sobering fact: About 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by February.

The Metabolism Run-Up to the New Year

Think about it. We often coast through December, eating, drinking, and neglecting our usual fitness routine. Then January arrives and we expect our body to adjust to an austere new regimen. It’s no wonder that many people either give up altogether or wind up injured.

Believe it or not, it is possible to prime your body and mind in preparation for January’s resolutions while still enjoying your holidays. That includes revving up your metabolism so that it’s ready to deal with the anticipated holiday dietary indiscretions. It’s even possible to get started on this during the busy month of December. Here are some steps that will help.

7 Ways to Avoid Packing On Extra Pounds This Holiday Season

Watch What You Eat

This is not just about how much or how many calories you eat. The macro and micronutrient choices that you make when selecting your food change how efficiently your body metabolizes fat. In particular, include a source of protein with every meal. One reason for this is that it helps your body to maintain its muscle tone. A second reason for doing so is to stabilize your blood sugar. A stable blood sugar means keeping cravings at bay. If you aren’t taking in enough calories, your body will turn to the protein in your muscle tissue for fuel. This means that you will lose muscle mass when you lose weight. Losing muscle mass slows your metabolism.

Sip on Herbal Teas

While you’re celebrating the holidays, consider switching some of that eggnog and champagne for herbal tea. Not only is it lower in calories, but you will be consuming more water. Staying hydrated is a great catalyst for weight loss. Warm water is soothing to your digestive system which also improves your metabolism. Some appropriate teas for the holiday season are:

  • Peppermint tea is particularly good for digestion. It will help a stomach that is complaining about the extra burden of rich or heavy food
  • Chamomile tea calms your nervous system and sets you up for a good night’s sleep
  • Rooibos tea is full of antioxidants as well as being a natural energy booster without caffeine.

Eat Probiotic-Rich Foods

Before you even start ramping up your healthy eating routine, get your gut in shape from the inside! Healthy gut bacteria help with weight control. In fact, the makeup of the gut bacteria or microbiome of overweight or obese people is typically different than that of people of a healthy weight. Your gut bacteria benefit from all of the same things that you do overall – good sleep, healthy whole foods, plant-based diet, exercise, and reduced stress.

In addition to consuming fermented foods like kimchi or yogurt, taking a high-quality probiotic supplement in December boosts your gut bacteria levels. Not only can probiotics pave the way for better digestion in January, but they also boost your immune system which makes for a healthier social season.

Sleep Well

Since we’re not technically moving during our sleeping hours, it doesn’t seem like that time would impact your base metabolism. However, researchers have found that getting enough sleep, which for most people is around eight hours, is essential to an efficient metabolism.

Get Enough Vitamin D

During the winter, and especially before you make any dietary changes, it’s a good idea to check your Vitamin D levels. In addition to its many other health benefits, new studies have found that vitamin D helps with weight loss. In one study, women with adequate amounts of vitamin D in their bloodstream lost more weight than women who were deficient in vitamin D.

Note that it is difficult, if not impossible, to get enough vitamin D through diet alone. At this time of the year with cloudy days and long nights, we often don’t get enough sun exposure to generate our own vitamin D. Supplementation is key this time of year.

Did you know that if your blood test shows that you are vitamin D deficient, you actually may be magnesium deficient? It’s true. There are many occasions where

Top Up Your Magnesium

Magnesium helps with many processes in your body. There is so much demand for magnesium that a deficiency of this mineral is quite common. Stress depletes your magnesium level. Our soil is also lacking magnesium, so plant foods that should supply you with magnesium, don’t.

Although it may not directly impact weight loss, having adequate levels of magnesium helps you sleep more deeply, regulates your moods, and controls your blood sugar. Those are all important elements to maintaining a healthy metabolism and sticking to healthy habits.

Good sources of magnesium include leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, and dark chocolate. For most people, particularly anyone with high stress, magnesium glycinate supplements are essential.

Keep Active to Boost Your Metabolism

Yes, it’s hard when you’re busy. However, continuing to stay active makes it easier to hit the gym when you’re ready to ramp back up to your usual routine in January. Not only will your muscles stay limber, but you’ll also be taking steps to prevent your mind from slipping into a winter funk. We have a tendency to get derailed in our fitness efforts when the holidays hit. The festivities mess with your usual schedule. Throwing off your routine lowers your self-discipline and motivation. This is unfortunate timing because the lack of exercise in January and February contributes to February blahs.

The good news is that it doesn’t take too much to maintain your base fitness levels. Think mini-workouts. Remember: It’s better to do even a little bit, every day than to be a weekend warrior. So, fit in some 10 to 20-minute workouts. Try a short YouTube cardio video. Meet up with some friends at yoga or even walk around the mall! Your metabolism will be grateful that you did come January.

If you’re focusing on sustaining your metabolism so that you can crush those New Year’s resolutions in 2020, make sure that you include strength training. Simply put, the more muscle you have, the more super-charged your metabolism will be. Even when you’re just sitting still or sleeping, you’ll burn more calories.

If you’re not sure how to begin with all these tips, the best plan is to speak with an expert! We’d be happy to help you create a unique plan that suits you.

Yes, improving your metabolism feels like a daunting task this time of the year. There are so many temptations and the instinct to hibernate kicks in. However, taking a few simple steps now helps you get ready to meet your New Year’s resolutions head-on! Call us at 416-481-0222.

Authored by Naturopath Dr. Pamela Frank


Health Research

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25926512

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25926512

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16840650

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23343670

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19043404/

Conquer Holiday Stress

Reconnect and Relieve Holiday Stress

December brings festivities, family fun, cherished holiday traditions… and stress! How much stress do the holidays entail? Well, according to a Healthline survey, the combination of joy and pressure that makes up the month of December means that more than 60% of us rate the holiday season as “somewhat” to “very stressful”.

What Causes Holiday Stress?

There are many factors that account for stress around the holidays:

  1. You have to navigate tricky family politics or familial dysfunction.
  2. Your busy schedule gets in the way of regular exercise and the stress relief that it provides.
  3. The frustrations of trying to get around in inclement winter weather.
  4. Endless appetizers and indulgent dinners out sabotage your diet or make you feel bloated and uncomfortable.
  5. The financial stress that the extra cash outflow, synonymous with the spending season, entails. One study found that Canadians spend about $1,500 extra in the month of December, and Americans about $1000. That extra expense definitely impacts your budget! For many people, that financial hit just adds insult to injury.

Given all of the above, the real question is how does anyone end up NOT feeling stressed out by the holidays? It’s not surprising that many of us get through December feeling as though we need a holiday from our holidays.

How Stress affects Your Digestion

Have you ever noticed that the gut-brain connection becomes especially evident in December? It makes sense. There is extra stress, and of course, there’s also extra food. To further complicate matters, it’s often the kind of food that wreaks havoc with your gut and your microbiome.

Stress Mode or “Fight or Flight”

Every part of your digestive system gets affected. When cortisone kicks in, your esophagus spasms, and your digestive activity reduces meaning that food sits in your stomach like a brick for a long time after eating.

In stress mode, blood flow to your gut slows down as your body redirects your blood supply to your muscles so that you can fight or run. This is what happens whenever you are in the “fight or flight” mode. This shift leads to an imbalance of bacteria in your gut. The results are cramping, diarrhea, constipation, and a host of other digestive issues. The whole process isn’t exactly fun and festive!

Calm Your Digestive Tract

How can you combat the Great December Stomach Ache? Taking a few minutes to meditate or breathe deeply before your meal triggers your body’s “relaxation response”. This switches on your parasympathetic nervous system which controls your digestion. The blood flow returns to your stomach and intestines. That allows digestion to work normally. As an added bonus, this practice may also lead to more mindful eating. This time of year eating more consciously and thoughtfully is very beneficial. One study even found a correlation between meditation and increased vegetable and lower meat consumption without any prompting of participants to choose certain foods.

It’s a good idea to increase your consumption of fermented foods like kefir, yogurt, and kimchi, or even take a probiotic supplement during times of stress to help maintain your healthy gut bacteria.

Tense Muscles Mean Shallow Breathing

To further complicate this dynamic, your tense, rigid torso muscles restrict your breathing. Again this creates a vicious cycle, shallow breathing exacerbates pain and perpetuates stress. So when you’re in pain, you can’t breathe deeply, and when you can’t breathe deeply, you feel more stress and pain.

How Holiday Stress Gives You Back Pain and Makes it Worse

Anxiety, stress, and back pain often come together in a distressing trifecta. To make matters worse, they also intensify each other. How does that work? When you’re stressed, your muscles tense up. That restricts your freedom of movement and alters the normal function of your joints and spine. In fact, chronic stress and chronic pain eventually rewire the way your brain works.

It’s no wonder many people complain of back pain at this time of the year – especially when you factor in physical stressors like shoveling snow, lugging around gifts, trudging through snow, slipping on ice or putting up seasonal lights.

The Role of Posture in Pain

Paying more attention to your posture is a good first step to getting a handle on back pain. It may sound simple, but working with a chiropractor, osteopath or massage therapist on your everyday movement patterns helps you focus on tips and tricks to bring your body back into alignment. Proper alignment reduces tension, enhances your freedom of movement, relaxes your muscles and improves your breathing. All of these have a positive effect on breaking the cycle of your pain.

Treat Yourself

Also, consider indulging yourself with some pain-relief treats! After all, self-care does not need to take a break during the busy season. Invest in a restorative yoga class, visit a naturopath, chiropractor or osteopath or have a therapeutic massage or relaxing bath. Not only will you relieve some of the emotional pressure that comes with the season, but manual therapies break the vicious cycle of stress and pain.

How Stress Affects Your Sleep

Do visions of sugarplums dance in your head in December? Or would nightmares about bill payments be a more accurate description?

In addition to financial stress, many other factors impact your sleep in December. We’re often eating and drinking more, as well as staying out later. Full stomachs, disrupted sleep schedules, anxiety and alcohol all interfere with getting a good night’s sleep.

Sleep Hygiene

It’s still important to maintain a solid sleep hygiene routine during these busy times.

Holiday sleep tips:

  1. Try to stay as close to your regular schedule as possible. Yes, even on weekends and party nights.
  2. Create a sleep-inducing bedtime routine. That means putting your phone and other devices away a couple of hours before bedtime.
  3. If you are drinking alcohol, try to have it earlier in the evening so that the effects wear off before bed. Alcohol de-stabilizes your blood sugar which then disrupts your sleep.
  4. Keep devices out of your bedroom while you sleep. Notifications, blinking lights, and flashing screens disturb your sleep. Many people say that they need their phone alarm to wake them up, but an old-fashioned alarm clock does the job just as well without the potential for sleep disturbance.
  5. Make sure that your room is cool, dark, and quiet. These are essential elements of a good night’s sleep at any time of year. Fortunately, many products are available that can optimize your environment, including blackout curtains, white noise machines, and fans.

Supplements for Sleep

There are effective supplements to help you through a rough patch and get you back on track with your sleep.

Melatonin

Many people have good sleep experiences with melatonin, for example. An important point about melatonin is that this is a substance that is made naturally by your body every night to get you to sleep. Darkness is the cue to your brain to make melatonin. This is why getting off screens before bed and keeping your bedroom dark are important. It does, however, have side effects and it interacts with some prescription medications. So always talk to your naturopathic doctor before taking melatonin, especially if you already take antidepressant drugs or other sleep aids.

Chamomile

Sipping a relaxing cup of chamomile tea before bed helps some people relax and sleep better.

Valerian

Valerian contains a number of compounds that promote calmness, improve the stress response and maintain adequate levels of mood-stabilizing brain chemicals. It’s been coined nature’s Valium and has been known to work well to aid in sleep issues.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that helps your muscles to physically relax and let go. A magnesium supplement or Epsom Salts bath is a safe and effective part of a relaxing bedtime routine.

‘Tis the Season for Self-Care and Connections

Of course, the best way to treat stress is to tackle it at the source. At this time of the year, we’re all too often the source of our own stress. Maybe we got so caught up in finding the “perfect” presents and hosting the “perfect” party that we forgot the real purpose of the holidays, which is connection. The plain truth is that a memorable holiday does not have to cost a lot of money or create a lot of stress if we stay mindful of what the holiday is really about.

The Best Present of All

In fact, at least one study has found that the best gifts are experiences, not things. And often, the key component of a memorable experience is the company you’re with. So instead of pushing yourself to buy more or do more, consider putting some time aside to just hang out with your friends and family, or attend community events. In the end, human connection is what we all want for the holidays and every day.

Here are some of the Best Experience Gifts in Toronto

  1. Escape Casa Loma – If you think all escape rooms are alike, you will be surprised to learn that this one is different. We have completed several escape rooms in Toronto and this one is definitely unique. For one, there are live actors who are playing out scenes in the castle guiding you through the escape room. Secondly, you are in a castle! Thirdly, because of the atmosphere and the live actors, this is a totally immersive experience.
  2. I-Fly – If you’ve always wanted to try out sky-diving, this is the experience for you. Our sons got this as a Christmas gift last year. Our instructor was fantastic and seeing how accomplished he is was so inspiring. Of course, now they’re wanting to try sky-diving for real.
  3. The CN Tower EdgeWalk – Have a fear of heights? You may want to skip this one, but maybe it would make for good exposure therapy. It’s the world’s highest, full circle hands-free walk. In your harness with your fellow Edge-Walkers, you walk around a 5-foot ledge 116 stories above the ground. You may want your valerian and magnesium for this!

The Best Free Experiences

  1. Winter sports. Hit the rink, grab your sled and tackle the hills, have a snowball fight, or build a snow fort. Make the most of the season, get outdoors, fresh air, exercise and bond with your family all in one!
  2. Get in the spirit. Get a group of friends, family or colleagues together to go caroling, volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter, or attend a tree-lighting ceremony.
  3. Make a meal. Get the whole family involved in making a super special meal. Plan an appetizer, main, side dishes, and dessert. Make a shopping list and tackle it together. Planning, getting the ingredients for and creating a fabulous meal as a family makes the meal that much more special.

Looking for a little extra help to stay healthy in December and tackle 2020 on the right foot? Come into the office and we can review your self-care routine together. If you’re trying to assemble your self-care team, we have all the self-care experts in one place. Call to book an appointment at 416.481.0222 or book online at any time here.


Authored by Dr. Pamela Frank, Naturopath

Research

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556586/

https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p42.shtml

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23983029

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23983029

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-stresses-us-most-at-the-holidays-113015#1

Holiday Health: Top 10 Tips

one of our 10 healthy holiday tips

Are you enjoying the final stretch of 2018? It’s a fantastic and fun time of the year. Unfortunately, it’s also a difficult period for maintaining healthy habits. Check out our wellness professionals’ list of the top 10 ways to stay healthy and happy over the holiday season.

Re-frame your holiday expectations

Do you think of the holidays as an exhausting test of your endurance? Are holiday treats evil temptations to be resisted with all available willpower? Do you strive to find the perfect gift for everyone? This line of thinking transforms the wonder of the season into a giant stressor. Many patients come into the office at this time of the year showing signs of anxiety and tension. In fact, one study found that 90 percent of adults feel stressed over the holidays. Isn’t thissupposed to be a joyous time?

This tension may be at least partly attributed to the fact that many of us simply have more to do at this time of the year. Because we have more tasks to keep track of (even if those tasks are fun -parties, buying gifts, and other enjoyable things), our prefrontal cortex (in our brain) is overtaxed. This can affect our memory and overall ability to cope. Many feel overwhelmed by it all. Add in the extra pressure of maintaining a perfect diet and workout schedule, and you have a recipe for sleep problems, digestive difficulties, and tense muscles. All of which can add to our stress. And when we’re stressed, we tend to overeat. This is why holiday stress can create a vicious cycle of guilt.

Reframing our expectation that we need to have a “perfect” holiday while staying disciplined can end the frustration. So don’t beatyourself up if everything doesn’t go as planned. In the long run,our happiest memories are sometimes the ones when things didn’t goas planned. It certainly makes for the best stories! Letting go ofexpectations of perfection (from ourselves and others) willultimately help our health and relationships.

Play games

If you get together with family or friends in the next weeks, why not introduce a low-tech way to have some old-fashioned fun by playing board games? Board games can also offer cognitive benefits – not that you need an excuse to start rolling the dice.

One of our favourite family traditions i to add some new board games to our stash. While the kids are off school, and work schedules have slowed down, we take advantage of the opportunity to try some new ones. Our most recent favourite is called Forbidden Island.  It’s a cooperative game that requires us to strategize and play together to get us all off of the island with the loot.  If you want to try before you buy, an excellent way to do so is through a board game café. Forces of Nature had our last staff get-together at one and a great time was had by all.

Stay mindful

Mindfulness practice has obvious benefits when we’re extremely busy. Even if you’re not a regular meditator, just five minutes a day of meditation can help you cope with holiday stress.

Try this: once or twice per day, take 5 deep breaths, all the way into your belly and all the way out. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7 and breathe out for a count of 8. And why not share the love? Suggest a short meditation before bed each night with your partner and/or your kids. It can set the tone for a relaxing sleep and a peaceful holiday celebration. Studies show that group meditation can have powerful results. Instilling healthy practices as a family can have lasting health benefits for everyone.

Get moving

Fitting in some exercise can be easier when you include physical activities with loved ones. Snowshoeing, a snowball fight, making snowmen or an igloo, a winter hike, and skating are some fun options. If you’re not a cold-weather person, try bowling or a trip to the pool or indoor waterpark. You may not end up with six-pack abs, but might start a new holiday tradition. Suggesting fun physical activities for social gatherings also helps take the focus off food and drink.

Cook up some love

Looking for a unique gift idea? Want to stay away from the mall and its atmosphere of seemingly relentless consumerism? Try baking some holiday gifts. For example, put some homemade sweet and spicy holiday almonds into a jar with a beautiful bow. You can find a good recipe here: https://mywholefoodlife.com/2012/11/28/sweet-and-spicy-holiday-almonds/). Or wrap up a box of vegan hazelnut cups. (This recipe is amazing! https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-16557/like-nutella-try-these-vegan-hazelnut-cups.html). You can even start making some natural soaps or salves as gifts. It’s easy, natural and fun!

Personally, I cooked up some Calendula salve and Calendula oil to deliver to our office’s neighbours this year. It’s really actually pretty simple and Calendula is one of my favourite healing herbs. Calendula oil has anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties. It’s also used as an antiseptic. You could use this for diaper rash, scrapes, scratches, razor burn, sores, blisters, bruises, mild burns, hot spots, insect bites and dry skin areas.

Here’s my secret Calendula salve recipe: This recipe makes 4 cups of Calendula oil. You can use the oil topically as is or use the oil to make a salve. Take ¼ pound of dried Calendula flowers and put it in your slow cooker. Pour 1.5 litres of grapeseed oil over the Calendula. Turn the slow cooker on low. Let it cook for 1-3 hours. Do not overdo it.  More cooking is not better. Strain the oil through a strainer and cheesecloth.

To make the salve, I took 3 cups of the Calendula oil and put it in the top pot of a double boiler with water underneath. I added 1.5 cups of beeswax pellets and stirred these together just until the beeswax was fully melted. This will solidify quickly, so you want to have tins already prepared to pour the wax/oil combination into. 3 cups of Calendula oil plus 1.5 cups of beeswax made 24 – 50 ml tins of calendula salve. You probably don’t need that much, but hey, maybe you want to make Calendula salve for everyone in the family.

Go green

When you’re thinking about ways to keep your body healthy over the holidays, don’t forget that the planet deserves some love too. It’s easy to have a green holiday season (even if it’s snowing). Use recycled wrapping paper, serve food on real plates (not paper), and consider turning the heat down a degree or two for large gatherings (maybe you’ll encourage guests to bring out their tacky holiday sweaters). To conserve electricity, use LED lights only, and defrost your freezer before you load it up with holiday baking. Think about gifting experiences or donations to worthy causes rather than “stuff” that just ends up in a landfill.

Learn to say no

This is a tough one for many patients who come to our office. However sometimes refusing a social invitation ora request to work extra is the healthiest choice for everyone involved. If you find it hard to turn down an invitation or request, remember that you don’t have to apologize. Decline right away and resist the urge to make up an elaborate excuse. Suggest an alternative activity or a later date – but only if you really want to.

Keep your gut healthy

Sugar-laden holiday treats, cocktails and parties galore can really put a damper on your gut health. Extra sugar lowers your immune system and can lead to an imbalance of healthy bacteria in your gut. As insurance, you can takea high-quality probiotic and some digestive enzymes prior to meals. This gives your gut a healthy boost and some assistance dealing withheavier meals than you may be used to.

Start some healthy food traditions

The internet is bursting with healthy holiday recipes. Some of your seasonal favourites may have been re-worked into a healthier alternative. Think about your loved ones’ food preferences and find some yummy dishes to bring to gatherings. For example, here are some outstanding vegan holiday dishes: https://minimalistbaker.com/christmas-recipe-roundup/. Other guests might thank you for providing an alternative to Aunt Betty’s fruitcake! Try replacing carb-heavy side dishes with healthy ones like rutabaga and carrot mash or creamy butternut squash and thyme! Remember it’s OK to say no or have just a spoon or two of your favourites.

Be grateful

The holidays don’t always go as planned. Sometimes we have to go to work instead of making family dinners. Sometimes we miss people who are no longer in our lives. Family gatherings can make their absence that much more poignant. It’s also quite normal to experience sadness at this time of the year. Acknowledge your feelings and be gentle with yourself. Take some time to think of the good things (even if they’re not always picture-perfect). Grateful people experience better sleep, more optimism, and improved relationships. And we could all use a bit of that at this time of the year.

Happy New Year from all of us! We look forward to working with you to create a fulfilling and healthy start to 2019.  If you need an acupuncturist, psychotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor, massage therapist, dietitian or naturopath, we have them all here for you.   

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