Hi All!
Here is your monthly dose of health updates.
The seasons are changing – how will the shorter, colder darker days effect your health and what can you do about it?
Whilst it’s true that vitamin D deficiency is more commonly seen in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a problem that affects people even in sunnier climes during the winter months. As the angle of the sun, and the strength of UV B emitted are lower, even if you’re in a place that experiences sunny winter days, it’s likely that the number of hours of exposure (or likelihood of being warm enough to expose your skin to the sun on a regular basis basis) is quite limited.
Vitamin D plays an important role in our bodies, from immune function to mood regulation and even for maintaining effective metabolic processes, but sun exposure isn’t just about vitamin D.
UV light exposure to the skin and eyes in the mornings impacts our circadian rhythms (including our sleep quality and our digestive efficiency), and the serotonin produced when we view the morning sunlight also affects our frame of mind, productivity, stress levels and overall feelings of well being.
All is not lost though, but requires a little more mindfulness in order to thrive throughout the colder season and avoid the depressive state associated with SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
5 things to consider –
1. Even on darker days, get out in the daylight as soon as you wake. Despite any cloud cover, 10-15 minutes exposure to daylight will help maintain your circadian rhythm, and will increase your serotonin production in the early part of the day leading to a more productive energy and positive mood.
2. Whenever there is a break in the clouds, expose as much of your body as possible to the sun. If you live in an especially cold place then you’ll benefit from the activation of brown fat and the anti-inflammatory, stress reducing and cardio-respiratory benefits from short bursts of exposure to the cold (similar to ice bathing or cryotherapy).
3. Consider using tanning beds to increase the Vitamin D synthesis in the epidermal layer. This should be short, but regular and consistent exposure to UV, being careful to avoid burning of the skin, and under the supervision of a competent operator. Similar benefits can be found with the use of Red Light Therapy.
4. Hone in on your diet. – Yes this is always a recommendation but throughout the winter months your diet should consist of the foods most likely available in the wild. Including a variety of quality fish along with plenty of eggs should also help maintaining healthy levels of Vitamin D during months where your sun exposure is limited, not to mention providing the necessary fats and proteins for maintaining healthy hormone levels. Avoiding high carbohydrate (and sugary) foods will also be evolutionary consistent as summer fruits wouldn’t be available after the season has passed.
5. Decide now how rainy/cold/windy days will affect your movement and exercise regime. That may involve sourcing clothing that’s suitable for wetter conditions, or finding out where your local fitness club is so that you have an option for when being outside isn’t inviting. The key is being prepared so that nothing has the chance to get between you and your self care priorities.
2 simple questions to ask yourself when buying or preparing food
With reference to tip #1, here’s an easy way to approach cleaning up your nutrition. Before worrying about macro nutrients, food weights, calories or anything more nuanced simply ask yourself one 2 questions when organizing something to eat –
1. Was it made in a factory? If yes, avoid it, if no, continue to question 2 . . .
2. Does this food seem like something that would be available and grow in a natural (/wild) environment without human or industrial intervention.
Many people find dietary guidance confusing, often not helped by the abundance of noise, marketing campaigns and conflicting information in the nutritional space. Following the above two rules of thumb should be the starting point for everyone.
If you’ve already applied these rules and are still stuck with weight loss, struggling with muscle gain, having energy or concentration issues, or have a specific medical complaint, then you may need to look further into the nuances of micro nutrients or specific food sources. A competent professional should be able to help.
Check out our free resources for helping you to optimize your nutrition here
Trust no-one with your health. Especially not Netflix – A timely reminder
Whilst a few years have now passed since the release of The Game Changers movie on Netflix, it’s still being discovered today by hundreds of thousands of unwitting browsers, and being cited as a factually accurate documentary in social conversations around the world. The trouble is that it wasn’t a documentary or an expose at all, but rather a propaganda film funded by industry with a very clear agenda and a message that can be dangerous to the health of those that are easily persuaded by it’s clever and compelling production and staging.
This film is just one example of mis-information that spreads quickly, is easy to believe, and takes years (sometimes generations) to correct. We have seen similar examples of such proliferation of inaccuracies or outright falsities in recent times with the constant stream of baseless claims relating to many aspects of the COVID 19 disease, treatment and political management. This phenomena is not new, but in the age of easy access for all to information, today’s tip is simply ‘BUYER BEWARE’ – and especially with regard to your health.
The Tactic Method’s article does a great job of breaking down how it’s easy to be fooled, correcting some of the claims made in The Game Changers, and also demonstrating that not even doctors and scientists always give out the correct information.
Evidence of a “cholesterol paradox?
A review of multiple cohorts including over 110,000 people found that having high cholesterol has little relationship between cardio-vascular disease or deaths, but paradoxically people with higher cholesterol showed a lower death rate.
Read the study here or watch Dr. Shawn Baker explain the details in his quick video.
Once again, it’s a win for low carb diets. Calorie counting not required!
A new randomized controlled trial comparing different fasting methods found pairing time-restricted eating with or without low-carbohydrate diet reduces visceral fat and improves metabolic syndrome.
Maximum benefits were seen when a low carb diet and daily time-restricted feeding, (a form of intermittent fasting) were combined, more than just fasting alone, resulting in the greatest loss of belly fat and improvements in metabolic health.
TOP CARDIOLOGIST CALLS TO SUSPEND MRNA COVID VACCINE ADMINISTRATION IMMEDIATELY AMONG GROWING EVIDENCE OF DANGER TO THE PUBLIC
Writing in the peer-reviewed Journal of Insulin Resistance, one of the UK’s most eminent Consultant Cardiologists Dr. Aseem Malhotra, who was one of the first to take two doses of the vaccine and promote it publicly says that since the rollout of the vaccine the evidence of its effectiveness and true rates of adverse events have changed. Watch Dr Aseem explain his serious concerns about the dangers of the current and extended vaccination campaigns.
At the same time, European MEP’s speak out as Pfizer bosses continue to evade disclosing the truth behind the vaccine trials and known dangers to the public.
Be careful what you ween on! Vegetarian Diets shown to provide inadequate nutrients for key stages of physical and neurocognitive development in babies and children
Despite their ever increasing popularity and the general direction of food marketing, plant based diets are cautioned against as the evidence stacks up against them.
This systematic review highlights the potential developmental deficiencies that are commonly seen, serving as a warning to us all, that meat based ancestral diets are the only option proven to be nutritionally sufficient and safe – regardless of current contradictory political narratives.
Roundup, OUT – Statins, IN 🤦♂️
A new discovery by Curtin University places cholesterol lowering drugs (statins) as a contender to replace glyphosate based fertilisers used in industrial agriculture.
Whilst the dangers of glyphosates have been long known, will the infiltration into our food supply of a drug that is known to cause liver damage, muscle cramps, loss of blood sugar control and increased artery calcification pose a greater threat to public health than current conventionally used poisons.
Check out the study here
Every month we’ll recommend some of our favourite resources for additional learning or inspiration in the fields of Health, Fitness, Lifestyle and Self Development. If you’ve found a book that has made a positive impact on your life, do let us know!
Here’s this months selection! . . .
Estrogeneration: How Estrogenics Are Making You Fat, Sick, and Infertile – by Anthony G Jay
The Primal Cure: Avoid Being a Sick Statistic – by Steve Bennett
The Great Plant-Based Con: Why eating a plants-only diet won’t improve your health or save the planet – by Jayne Buxton
Every month we share tips, motivation and points to consider in order to achieve and maintain optimal health along with a few health related news and science updates that you may have missed.
Often we’ll share the answers to questions frequently asked by our private coaching clients and online course participants.
If there’s a topic you’d like us to explore next month we’d love to hear from you! Simply reply to this email with your idea or request.
