My Year of Healthy week six
Welcome and Thank You for coming!
As I write this, I am out of town (visiting family and enjoying the views) so I am foregoing my daily bulletproof coffee but I plan to continue drinking it throughout the month when I am at home. I do find it helps energize my workouts and enables me to extend my fasts longer. Intermittent fasting appeals to me because I love how I feel in the fasted state. It takes several weeks to reap the benefits from fasting. In the beginning you are hungry until your body becomes fat adapted and flips the switch to burn your own fat as fuel as opposed to needing your next meal for an energy source.
January was all about establishing healthy habits. I am happy to say I am on track working out regularly, drinking more water, being mindful when eating and reading before bed. Adding just one or two habits weekly made it so easy and doable. (I highly recommend anyone looking to make changes in their own lifestyle do it slowly and keep it simple.) A great article highlighting keeping things simple and being mindful to achieve wellness goals came up on one of my feeds this weekend. Paul Rudd was interviewed for Men’s Health magazine and they addressed how he prepared for his character Ant Man in a Marvel movie. Although the shirtless scene was eventually cut from the film, he spent many months getting in shape and preparing for the role. His advice resonated with me so I am including an excerpt here. “The most important tip? Paul Rudd’s secret to a superhero body? To eternal youth? To happiness? He holds out his hand at eye level. “Sleep.” He progressively lowers it as he goes through the rest. “Then diet. Then weights. Then cardio. People ask me, ‘Can you send me your meal plan? How many times a week do you work out? Do you drink? Do you eat carbs? Do you have a cheat day?’ The most important part of training is sleep. People will set their alarm and then sleep for four hours and they’ll get up so that they can train. They’re doing themselves a disservice. If you can somehow get eight hours of sleep . . .” It’s an investment in tomorrow, the perpetual sequel. Here’s what tomorrow will look like for Rudd: “I get up and I have a cup of coffee, and then I do cardio before I eat anything. I never would’ve done that before [Ant-Man]. I lift weights, hopefully at least three times a week. And I’ve learned so much about how my body reacts to foods, how it reacts to exercise, and where I’m happiest and how much it affects me mentally .” I loved Rudd’s advice, especially regarding sleep. As many sources confirm, inadequate sleep disrupts your hormones and can make you hungrier. He cuts out sugar, works out in a fasted state and is mindful about how different foods affect how he feels. I love how in tune he is to his own body and the way foods affect him. From experience I know that what I eat and drink the day and night before affect how I feel the next day. If I drink alcohol and or have starchy carbs, I am hungrier the next day and usually have shorter fasts. When I don’t drink alcohol, avoid starchy carbs and fill up on fiber, healthy fats and protein I am less hungry the next day. Paying attention to body cues can most definitely help you set yourself up for success when you have goals you want to achieve. As someone who sleeps deeply, dreams nightly but wakes up often I am hoping to figure out how to improve my sleep quality. I take magnesium glycinate, which helps me sleep for longer periods of time than I would without it. (I have tried every prescriptive and over the counter sleep aide over the last few years) Rudd touched on the importance of sleep. Improving sleep with lifestyle changes and food choices is a topic I look forward to learning more about and sharing with you throughout My Year of Healthy.
As always, Fill Up On Healthy and have less room for the other stuff.
Regards,
Paula Gladstone
*DISCLAIMER: While Paula Gladstone is a certified Health Coach from Precision Nutrition, this website does not provide medical or nutritional advice. The blog and related articles have been developed for informational purposes only. The content on this website and blog does not substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, nutritionist, dietitian or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding certain dietary needs or restrictions before proceeding with a new diet or health care regimen.