December 2017

The holiday season is here! December is a great time to get together with friends and family, sample delicious holiday fare and enjoy breaks from work and school. We celebrate the winter solstice (days finally start getting longer!), New Year's Eve and Day, and a host of religious traditions. Unfortunately, many of us spend the holidays feeling tired, sick and depressed. These feelings are due in large part to a trifecta of factors that greatly affect our health and well-being: lack of meaningful sunlight, lower levels of physical activity, and poor nutrition.

How do these factors cause us to feel terrible and what can we do about it?

First, the length of our days are very short, with only about 9 hours of daylight. Most of that daylight is during work or school hours, so the quantity of sun exposure is low. The quality of vitamin D absorption is also very low this time of year since the extreme angle of sunlight entering the atmosphere blocks most UVB rays. This lack of quality sunlight often leads to a gradual drop in our internal vitamin D levels. Once vitamin D levels are too low, you can feel tired, achy, and be prone to frequent infections. Low vitamin D may also play a part in depression, incidence of flu, cognitive impairment and much more.

Second, due to short days and cold weather, most of us significantly curtail our outdoor physical activity. It is too uncomfortable to take a long hike, play tennis, or even walk the dog. When we cut back on day to day physical activity, many of us let our intentional exercise (high intensity weight training) slack off as well. This drop off in physical motion and exercise can lower our metabolism, lower our level of mood improving, stress lowering endorphins, and negatively effect circulation, heart rate, blood pressure and more.

Third, during the holiday season, we are all tempted by holiday food and drink. While this is ok for most of us in moderate amounts, we usually end up over-indulging in sweets, alcohol, and holiday snacks and overconsuming calories in general. We all know about New Years resolutions to exercise and eat well. Well, resolutions exist because we overdo it in December! This humorously reminds me of the quote from the movie Animal House when Dean Wormer is addressing the members of the Delta Tau Chi fraternity and says "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son!"

What can we do to avoid these health and nutrition pitfalls of the holiday season? Below are three simple steps we all can follow so we can feel healthy, strong and energized througuout the rest of the year.

1. Supplement with Vitamin D. I prefer Carlsons 2000 IU softgels, but do some research and find something you like. The Vitamin D council recommends 5000 IU per day, much more than the 600-800 IU the Food and Nutrition board recommend. I typically take 2x2000IU per day for 4000 IU total.

2. Overemphasize physical activity. Yes, you should keep doing your weight training workout through the holidays, but as importantly, you have to get out of that office chair and off that family room couch. Bundle up in multiple layers and get outside every morning and/or evening for a long walk. Take a hike on weekends. Restack your firewood, rake your leaves, help a neighbor with their decorations, throw a football around, or play fetch with your dog.

3. Severely reduce/minimize sugary food and drink. Small samples are fine, but no one is better off eating a huge portion of cake or other sweets, or drinking heavily sugared drinks. Instead, eat plenty of protein at your meals. Protein is very satiating so your appetite will decrease for other food.

Follow these three simple steps over the next few weeks and you will feel (and look) better during the holidays than you have in years. Your energy will be up, your mental focus will be improved, and your mood will be brighter. Good luck and happy holidays!

Prescription medication and insurance costs are skyrocketing, yet the bureaucracy and quality of health care seems to be worse than ever, and the prevalence of diseases of modern civilization (such as diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune conditions) is increasing. What is happening?

Is it possible that the traditional western diet, the current health care climate, and big pharmaceutical companies are actually making us sicker? Dr. William Davis, a board-certified cardiologist and author of the book "Wheat Belly" has written a new book called "Undoctored - Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter than Your Doctor." In this book, he advocates several simple strategies to take back control of your health and to get you out of the health care sinkhole.

One strategy Dr. Davis recommends is to educate yourself. With information freely accessible online, you can learn about the nature of diseases and medical conditions, understand the side effects of certain medications associated with these conditions, and in the process you can become your own best advocate. This will allow you to work most effectively with your doctor.

Another strategy Dr. Davis prescribes is the elimination of grains and corn from the diet. Dr. Davis explains how the genetic modifications made to wheat over the past half century have contributed to a drastic spike in the rate of occurrence of colon cancer, obesity, and even skin rashes. If we return to our more primitive roots of nutrition (such as eating more fat, animal protein, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and nuts) we can reverse many of the common health problems that are affecting us.

Finally, Dr. Davis supports the practice of regular supplementation of a few essential vitamins and minerals to correct deficiencies. Many essential vitamins have been removed from modern processed foods, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies and imbalances. Insufficient levels of iodine can lead to thyroid issues, and most of us living a modern lifestyle don't spend enough time outdoors to meet our daily requirements for Vitamin D intake. He also advocates supplementation of iron, fish oil, zinc, and magnesium for optimum health.

All of the above strategies are very much congruent with our philosophy at Total Results. In the chapter that discusses sleep, exercise, and weight loss, Dr. Davis talks about the importance of regular strength training to increase muscle mass and bone density. He recommends one or two 15 minute sessions per week.

This book is essential reading for anyone that is interested in taking control of their health. Applying the simple and cost-effective strategies advocated in "Undoctored" can and will make a huge difference in how you look and feel.