So what is your plan for the rest of the year?

It can be so discouraging that good habits take focus, effort, sweat and toil to forge. And it seems you can fall out of them with ease. An injury, sickness, vacation or any other disruption can cause you to lose all of the progress you have made and completely fall out of your good habits. 

And so here we are nearing the end of another healthy living competition. You have worked so hard and hopefully you have seen some progress in energy levels, mental health, weight loss and an overall feeling of accomplishment. 

I am hoping that even if you aren’t one of our top point earners you have at least forged some healthy habits that are blessing your life.

There is a saying I like that goes “If you do what you did you will get what you got.” In other words if you continue with these healthy habits you will continue to enjoy increasing benefits to your overall health. But if you consider the competition completed and go back to your old habits you will reap what you did when you fell into those habits before.

So for the last challenge of this 8 weeks of competition I would like you to consider some of the healthy challenges you have experienced during this or previous rounds of competition. You can find all of the past weekly challenges on the blog. Here are 25 healthy habits (most are past bonus challenges)  that you might want to consider continuing:

1. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
2. Exercise daily
3. Use myfitnesspal.com to record your daily food and exercise as you learn portion and weight control. 
4. Limit how many days per week you eat sweets
5. Drink plenty of water daily.
6. Dance daily for mental and physical benefit.
7. Eat local, seasonally fresh produce
8. Use cold showers and saunas to benefit your health
9. Use myfitnesspal to track your fiber, protein or other important nutrients
10. Follow healthy influencers on social media, read their blogs and booksGet sunshine daily 
11. Learn healthy habits to help you sleep deeply each night 
12. Get regular medical and dental check ups as well as the tests designated for your age (mammogram, colonoscopy etc.)
13. Learn meditation techniques and make it part of your daily practice
14. Make sure your work outs include stretching, strength training and aerobics.
15. Learn what the ideal body weight is for your height and frame and work toward getting to that weight and maintaining it,
16. Eat the rainbow
17. Work on your posture
18. Enjoy fermented foods regularly.
19. Make sure you are getting adequate Vitamin D
20. Cultivate some stress relieving habits when you need to self soothe (rather than sugar or overeating)
21. Experiment with time restricted eating
22. Eat mindfully and slowly. Chew your food well.
23. Eat a variety of food and vegetables each week. Try to get in 30 different ones.
24. Do a plank challenge 
25. Give up artificial sweeteners 

There are many others on my blog site. 

So our last weekly challenge is this. Read over these 25 weekly bonus challenges, think about what habits you feel have really benefited you and make a detailed plan of how you want to handle your health for the rest of 2022. Then write me an e-mail (MomSandee@aol.com) and tell me your plan. When I get that e-mail you have earned your final 35 weekly bonus points.

 

16 Creative Ways to Eat More Vegetables

My husband and I enjoyed a 3 week vacation in Croatia this summer. For the first part we were traveling on a small yacht with 20 couples. The boat had a great chef and it was wonderful to enjoy the local, fresh foods. I can admit that the Cuddle Fish (like a squid with creepy suckers) Risotto cooked in it’s own ink (yes, it was black) was an eating adventure but not my new favorite food. But I do love trying new things while traveling. Daily breakfast included fresh made croissants, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, yogurt and fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. I have never eaten cucumbers or tomatoes for breakfast but I enjoyed it every day while traveling. And I realized “WHY DON’T WE ROUTINELY EAT VEGETABLES AT BREAKFAST?” (I realize tomatoes aren’t really vegetables but I count them as veggies). 

This week I was listening to a podcast with Chris Wark (author of Chris Beats Cancer) who is now a 20 year survivor of stage 3 colon cancer. His regimen upon diagnosis was to eat only raw fresh fruits and vegetables-15-20 servings a day. We only “require” 5 servings per day for this competition but many experts say you should be shooting for at least 12 servings. 

Including vegetables in your meals is extremely important. Veggies are rich in nutrients and antioxidants, which boost your health and help fight off disease.

Additionally, they’re beneficial for weight management  due to their low calorie content.

Health authorities around the world recommend that adults consume several servings of vegetables each day, but this can be difficult for some people.

Some find it inconvenient to eat vegetables, while others are simply unsure how to prepare them in an appetizing way and fit them into a daily deal plan. (The national average is 1-2 servings per day)

Let's look at some unique ways you can incorporate vegetables into your eating plan, so that you never get sick of eating them.

Brianna Elliott RD from Healthline shares the following suggestions:

1. Make veggie-based soups

Soups are an excellent way to consume multiple servings of vegetables at once.

You can make veggies the “base” by pureeing them and adding spices.

Furthermore, it’s simple to cook veggies into broth- or cream-based soups.

Adding even a small number of extra veggies, such as broccoli, to soups is a great way to increase your intake of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

2. Experiment with veggie noodles

Veggie noodles are easy to make, and a great way to get more veggies in your eating plan. They’re also an excellent low carb substitute for high carb foods, such as pasta.

They’re made by inserting vegetables into a spiralizer, which processes them into noodle-like shapes. You can also:

• shred them
• slice them with a mandoline
• just cut them up as you please

You can use a spiralizer for almost any type of vegetable. They’re commonly used for zucchini, carrots, spaghetti squash, and sweet potatoes, all of which come packed with extra nutrients.

Once the “noodles” are made, they can be consumed just like pasta and combined with sauces, other vegetables, or meat.

Besides spiralized vegetables I love spaghetti squash itself being used in place of pasta. I just pierce the skin and throw the whole thing in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. 

3. Add veggies to sauces

Adding extra vegetables to your sauces and dressings is a sneaky way to increase your veggie intake, especially if you have picky kids.

While you’re cooking sauces, such as marinara sauce, simply add some veggies and herbs of your choice to the mix, such as chopped onions, carrots, bell peppers, and leafy greens like spinach.

Pureeing roasted root vegetables can make for rich sauces with an Alfredo-like feel. Think carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, turnips, purple yam, beets, and kohlrabi.  

4. Enjoy cauliflowers new faces

Cauliflower is extremely versatile. You can rice it, roast it, stick it in a stew, puree it for silky goodness, and make it into a pizza crust.

I especially enjoy the frozen cauliflower rice from Trader Joe’s with Indian sauces.

5. Blend into smoothies

Smoothies make for a refreshing breakfast or snack. Green smoothies in particular are very popular for hiding loads of leafy greens in fruity packages.

Typically, they’re made by combining fruit with ice, milk, or water in a blender. However, you can also add veggies to smoothies without compromising the flavor.

I love the power greens (spinach, kale, chard) from Costco and I freeze the entire bag as soon as I get it home. 

Just 1 loosely packed cup (25 grams) of spinach contains more than a full day’s recommended amount of vitamin K and half of the recommended amount of vitamin A.

In addition, frozen zucchini, pumpkin, beets, avocado, and sweet potatoes work well blended into smoothies. 

6. Add veggies to casseroles

Including extra veggies in casseroles is an efficient way to increase your veggie intake. They add bulk, texture, and taste all at once.

Casseroles often combine meats with vegetables, cheese, potatoes, and a grain, such as rice or pasta. As you might expect, traditional casseroles are typically very high in refined carbs and calories.

They’re especially common around the holidays when vegetables may be less popular than other dishes.

Luckily, you can reduce calories and carbs in your casseroles by replacing the grains with veggies, such as broccoli, mushrooms, celery, or carrots.

7. Cook a veggie omelet

Omelets are an easy and versatile way to add veggies into your meal plan. The eggs add lots of good nutrients too.

Cook up some beaten eggs with a small amount of butter or oil in a pan, and then fold them around a filling that often includes cheese, meat, vegetables, or a combination of the three.

Any type of veggie tastes great in omelets and you can really load them up for lots of nutrition. Spinach, onions, scallions, bok choy, mushrooms, bell peppers, and tomatoes are common additions. Here are some to try:

8. Prepare savory oatmeal

Oats don’t have to be sweet. Savory oatmeal can add more veggies into your morning.

While it’s great with fresh fruit, raisins, or cinnamon, you can also add in eggs, spices, and lots of veggies.

9. Try a lettuce wrap or veggie bun

Using lettuce as a wrap or certain veggies as buns in place of tortillas and bread is an easy way to eat more veggies.

Lettuce wraps can be a part of several types of dishes and are often used to make low carb sandwiches and bunless burgers.

Additionally, many types of veggies, such as portobello mushroom caps, sliced sweet potatoes, halved red or yellow peppers, tomato halves, and sliced eggplant make excellent buns.

Lettuce wraps and veggie buns are an easy way to reduce your calorie intake, as one lettuce leaf contains only one calorie.

10. Grill veggie kebabs

Veggie kebabs pack lots of flavor onto a party-ready stick.

To make them, place chopped vegetables of your choice on a skewer and cook on a grill or barbecue.

Bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes work well for kebabs.

11. Swap to a veggie burger

Veggie burgers are an easy swap for heavier meat burgers and can be topped with even more vegetables.

Veggie burger patties can be made by combining vegetables with eggs, nuts or nut flours, and seasonings. Sweet potatoes and black beans are also commonly used to make veggie burgers.

Note that not all meat-free burgers are full of veggies. Watch the labels to find some that have veggies as their main ingredients.  

You can take these recipes a step further by wrapping your veggie burger in a lettuce wrap, instead of a bun.

12. Add veggies to tuna salad

In general, tuna (or chicken or salmon) salad is made by blending tuna with mayonnaise (I replace this with plain greek yogurt) but any type of chopped vegetable can be added to increase the flavor and nutrient content.

Onions, carrots, cucumber, spinach, and herbs are common additions. But you can also add cucumbers, grape tomatoes, olives, red peppers, artichokes, shallots, and parsley.

13. Stuff some bell peppers

Stuffed bell peppers are made by stuffing halved bell peppers with cooked meat, beans, rice, and seasonings, and then baking them in the oven.

If you like them raw and crisp, you can add in layers of cream cheese, sliced chicken or turkey, and seasonings for a cold dish.

Bell peppers are a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A and C 

You can increase the nutrition content of stuffed bell peppers by including even more extra veggies. Add in some onions, spinach, or riced cauliflower.

14. Add veggies to guacamole

Guacamole is an avocado-based dip made by mashing ripe avocados and sea salt together with lemon or lime juice, garlic, and additional seasonings. But you don’t have to stop there.

A variety of vegetables taste great when incorporated into guacamole. Bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and onions are good options. Plus, guacamole makes a delicious topper to salads and baked sweet or white potatoes.

15. Blend veggies with meatloaf

Meatloaf can also be a vehicle for more vegetables. It’s usually made with a combination of ground meat and other ingredients, such as eggs, breadcrumbs, and tomato sauce. It’s then molded into the shape of a loaf, which is where it gets its name.

You can add just about any type of chopped vegetable to meatloaf, including onions, bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and greens like spinach.

Additionally, you can make “meatloaf” that’s completely veggie-based, including chickpeas, carrots, onions, and celery. The chickpeas will replace the meat and still feel  hearty.

16. Dinner for Breakfast 

When my youngest son was in high school he had an early morning religious class he attended (began 6 am) . He was happy to eat anything for breakfast so a veggie casserole, leftover vegetable soup etc. began his day right. 

The bottom line

There are so many ways to add vegetables to everyday food items. Some can sneak right into recipes without a lot of drama (like spinach) and some add color and flavor in ways you’d never expect (like beets and sweet potatoes).

Adding to a dish is great, but sometimes veggies can become the star.

Tip: If you don’t like a certain vegetable that you’ve only tried boiled, give another preparation method a try. So many people who hate boiled Brussels sprouts end up loving roasted or sautéed sprouts.  

By making veggies a regular part of your eating habits, you’ll significantly increase your intake of fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants.

I wish I could challenge you all to eat 15-20 servings of vegetables a day but instead lets begin here. FOR EVERY DAY YOU EAT AT LEAST ONE SERVING OF VEGETABLES AT EVERY MEAL YOU CAN CLAIM THE 5 POINTS TOWARD OUR WEEKLY BONUS POINTS. 

Dance, Dance, Dance!

Woah! We just survived 3 delightful days of babysitting little grand kids. Sure leaves you wondering how you ever handled this kind of joy on a daily basis. It was EXHAUSTING. 

Besides bike rides, long walks, trampoline time, and pushing and pushing and pushing swings we had some fun dancing as well. And yes dancing is exercise. 

Here are some research-backed ways dancing can improve your health as shared in Everyday health

1. Dance Boosts Cardiovascular Health

Like other aerobic exercise, dancing is great for improving cardiovascular function. A study published in 2016 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who engaged in moderate-intensity dancing (defined in the study as enough to make you out of breath or sweaty) were 46 percent less likely to develop heart disease or die from it than nondancers over 10 years of follow-up. The study also notes the social aspect of dancing, and the relaxation that comes with it (more on this below), could be partly responsible for its health benefits.

2. Dancing Builds Core Strength

Dance requires balance and helps build core strength, which helps promote good posture and prevent muscle injuries and back pain, according to Mayo Clinic.

Granger adds that this is particularly true for ballet. “In ballet, you train your body to stand still, often on one leg. This helps you train the deep muscles in your body, which you would not work otherwise,” she says. You are also engaging your abs, “which are an essential part to balancing,” she notes.

3. Dance Promotes Flexibility

In addition to building strength, many forms of dance stretch the limbs of the body, which improves flexibility, says Elizabeth C Gardner, MD, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Yale Medicine and associate professor at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. “Both of these (improved strength and flexibility) contribute to improved balance, which can help to avoid falls and reduce the risk of injury in other aspects of life,” she explains.

This is especially true for ballet dancers. “Ballet training involves a great deal of flexibility training. Flexibility means improved mobility, which means that any type of daily activity will be more enjoyable, whether you take yoga or you are trying to reach for the top cabinet in your kitchen,” says Granger.

4. Dance Can Help With Weight Loss

Dancing is also a form of both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, which is a great calorie burner, Dr. Gardner says. “Jumping and twirling movements are great aerobic training, while holding positions of squatting and balance positions can turn on the anaerobic energy system,” she explains.

In general, the more up-tempo the dance style, the more calories and energy will be burned.

Depending on the style of dance and your bodyweight, 30 minutes of dancing can burn between 90 and 252 calories, according to Harvard Medical School. This type of high-intensity calorie burning can help support weight loss if you’re trying to shed pounds. If you want to maximize calorie burn, Granger suggests taking a dance cardio class, designed to blast calories and improve physical fitness. 

5. Dancing Is Good for Bone Health

“As a form of weight-bearing activity, unlike a stationary bike or swimming, dancing can help to maintain bone density,” says Gardner. Per the National Osteoporosis Foundation, high-impact and weight-bearing exercises, including some forms of dance, help you effectively maintain and even build new bone mass.

Some research suggests for older adults with osteoporosis, dancing can help reverse some of the damage of that chronic condition. Other research in children suggests that those who took ballet had better bone mineral content after a three-year period compared with children who didn’t do ballet.

6. Dancing May Help Prevent Memory Loss

Dance often requires learning moves and routines (choreography).

“There’s actually some very good evidence that social dancing can reduce the risk of cognitive decline as we get older,” says Carolyn Fredericks, MD, a neurologist at Yale Medicine, citing a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine involving 469 people over the age of 75. Out of all the physical activities, including walking, bicycling, stair climbing, swimming, and group exercise classes, dancing was the only activity associated with a lower risk of dementia.

“We always recommend that older adults seek out cardiovascular exercise and social engagement, and cognitive challenge — social dancing gets all three of these,” Dr. Fredericks says.

7. Dance Is Good for Mental Health

Research shows that dance can help decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, and improve psychological well-being.

And certain types of dance have even been used as treatment for depression. Research published in 2019 in Frontiers in Psychology found that dance movement therapy promotes emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual, for the purpose of improving health and well-being — was effective in treating depression.

8. Dance Can Help Bust Stress

If you’ve had a tough day, have you ever cranked up your favorite tunes and busted a move to blow off some steam? Any type of movement can help bust stress, according to Mayo Clinic but dance may be particularly good for doing this.

9. Dance Can Help Us Feel More Socially Connected

Social connectedness and interaction is a really important part of mental and physical health. Much research shows that feeling lonely or socially isolated can have myriad negative health effects.  

“Dancing is sharing, and when you take class surrounded by other people, you know you all have something in common. You are not here to compete, you are here to enjoy, and there is an amazing feeling that comes with that,” Granger says. “Go take a class, and feel the energy of the room.”

Ideally I would love it if you would take a dance class at the gym or a studio for our challenge this week. But I realize some of you don’t have gym memberships. So to earn your 5 points a day toward our 35 weekly challenge points you need to dance for at least 3 songs each day this week. You can learn some new moves on YouTube or just make them up as you go along.  And yes you can dance on the Sabbath- find some music that feels worshipful to you and add some appropriate movements. Dance Dance Dance! 

Seasonal and Local is Best

For the last several Sundays in our neighborhood a table has been set up in front of a neighbor’s home, offering dozens of varieties of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers for free! I love that as the weather changes so does the fresh produce that is available. Each season offers a variety of beautiful fresh produce and this is a great time to start experimenting and trying new recipes or reworking those old ones to incorporate more seasonal fruits and vegetables. Here are the many benefits to eating seasonally and locally.

 Seasonal Produce:

• Tastes Better
  In-season produce is fresher and tastes better, sweeter and perfectly ripe. When fruits and vegetables are picked for consumption that have been naturally ripened on the vine or the tree and harvested at the right time, it will have much more flavor and nutrition. Most people have experienced that super juicy perfectly sweet orange in winter or that crispy sweet pineapple in summer. When transporting crops, it must be harvested early and refrigerated so they don’t spoil during transportation; chilling will reduce the flavor. Then when they get to their destination they then may need to be heated in a hot house to artificially ripen the produce before it goes onto the shelves, this greatly reduces the flavor, changes the texture and the taste.Think of those floury apples, flavorless tomatoes and limp tasteless greens.
• Cheaper
  When farmers are harvesting a large abundance of produce due to the crop being in season, the cost of the produce will go down. When the produce is locally sourced because it’s in season in your area, then travelling expenses and storage are not required therefore reducing the production costs that are then passed onto the consumer.When we buy produce that is out of season, it’s normally sourced from out of area locations that have a different climate and it can also be stored for long periods of time to offer people a variety of produce all year round, these factors will push the price up. When produce is in season, cheaper and often on sale it’s a great time to buy in bulk for yourself and preserve, pickle, ferment, freeze and store your own food at home.
• Fresher with a Higher Nutritional Value
  Produce that is purchased in season is more likely to be fresher, consumed closer to harvesting and higher in nutritional value, some anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C, folate and carotenes will rapidly decline when stored for periods of time. Locally in-season sourced fruits and vegetables will also appear brighter and more vibrant rather than limp and dried up.Fruits and vegetables that are stored for long periods of time due to transportation or to be used at a later date have a reduction in phyto-nutrient content. Large markets and grocers may buy out-of -season produce that has been gassed, irradiated (a burst of radiation to kill germs) and preserved in wax to extend the shelf life.
• Avoids Overseas Contaminates
  When fruits and vegetables are sourced overseas you can’t be sure what their regulations for pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are. Many countries across the globe have very relaxed laws about chemicals being sprayed on fruits and vegetables that other countries have banned due to their known harmful effects.Overseas agriculture may not regulate soil contamination tests to ensure land and soil quality. Some agricultural areas have been shown to have very high heavy metal and other toxic contaminates due to industrial sites inhabiting the same area.Health practices in some countries may leave a lot to be desired. Australia recently had a large contamination of Hepatitis A from frozen berries that have come from China. Due to poor hygiene practices overseas this has then infected many Australians.Produce such as garlic is irradiated, bleached and sprayed with methyl bromide to withstand quarantine and long periods of travel as many fruits and vegetables are that make the long haul trip in ships.
• Supports Your Body’s Natural Nutritional Needs
  In winter we are provided by nature all things citrus, these are particularly high in Vitamin C which is very important for preventing infections such as colds and flu’s. Winter vegetables also offer comfort and are perfect for hot meals, healthy stews, soups, casseroles and other warming meals. Summer foods such as stone fruits provide us with extra beta-carotenes and other carotenoids that help protect us against sun damage, they also provide more sweetness for an energetic summer, as well as salad vegetables for those tasty cool summer salads.
• More Environmentally-Friendly
  Eating seasonally reduces the demand for out of season produce which further supports more local produce and supports local farming in your area which means less transportation, less refrigeration, less hot houses, and less irradiation of produce.

So what is the weekly challenge? To make a good effort to buy local seasonal produce this week. Attend a farmer’s market if possible or better yet see if there is anything local that is available for you to pick and go picking. If not look for fresh produce stands in your area. Use this link to check what foods are seasonal and incorporate at least 3 local or seasonal foods in your menus this week. 

https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/national-guide-to-finding-local-food/ 

Yowsa super hot or super cold!

I have wondered if any of you follow my progress on myfitnesspal.com and wonder why it only shows 30 minutes of exercise most days even though I encourage 60 minutes of exercise for each of you. That is because I take advantage of the sauna loophole. If you read the info on our RULES and FAQ’s tabs on the blog site you will see that you can substitute 30 minutes of sauna use as equivalent to 30 minutes of exercise. And so most days I take part in 30 minutes of focused exercise and then 30 minutes of hot hot hot sauna time.

And why would I offer and take advantage of such a loophole? Wouldn’t it be better to exercise for a full hour rather than substituting 30 minutes of laying around being hot for half of my exercise time?Well read on…

Sauna therapy is an ancient method of detoxifying and healing the body, mind, and spirit.

When it comes to sauna benefits, they stem from a sauna’s ability to help your body detox. Yes, a relaxing sauna can help you remove more toxins than almost any other mode of detoxification.

Our bodies are built to detox to a certain extent on their own. However, because we are exposed to so many more toxins today than ever before in human history, and because most of us do not labor full time out in the elements each day resulting in lots of sweat, it’s important for us to practice simple detox measures regularly.

I love saunas because of the amazing benefits! They also activate our greatest detox organ… OUR SKIN!

Saunas are nothing new

Throughout history, humans have used sauna therapy as a safe and powerful means of detoxification. Examples include Native American sweat lodges and Finnish wood-fired saunas, where saunas have been in use for over 2,000 years.

Sauna health benefits are amazing. Here’s are ten of the biggies.

Sauna Benefits #1 –  Extreme stress reduction

Saunas are huge stress fighters. Thanks to sugar, caffeine, lack of sleep, stressed adrenals, and toxic chemical exposure, many of us are stuck in the sympathetic or “fight or flight” state. Saunas encourage our bodies to go into the parasympathetic state, which allows us to de-stress, digest, rest, and heal.

Sauna Benefits #2 – Balance hormones

Stress reduction helps to lower stress hormones (cortisol). When cortisol is kept in balance, thyroid, insulin, DHEA, testosterone, and estrogen are also kept in balance. In fact, progesterone levels can increase if we keep our cortisol in healthy range. Saunas help the adrenals secrete aldosterone, which helps keep electrolytes in balance too.

Sauna Benefits #3 – Get superpowers!

Saunas can make it seem like you’ve acquired super healing strength. A number of studies show that saunas can significantly improve tissue and wound healing.

One study found that mice who were blinded by chemicals had their eyesight damage completely reversed because of NIR therapy. Finnish and German studies show that saunas can reduce the incidence of cold and flu by about 30%.

Sauna Benefits #4 – Fountain of youth

Saunas can help reduce signs of aging and help your skin be healthier and younger looking. The heat stimulates collagen and elastin production. Collagen and elastin help plump and firm the skin which can also help alleviate stretch marks and cellulite. 

Deep sweating can also help improve skin cell turnover. It can remove bacteria from the skin, which helps with acne and improves skin health. Additionally, saunas are shown to reduce inflammation, which can alleviate skin issues such as psoriasis and eczema.

Sauna Benefits #5 – Lose weight effortlessly

Saunas can help with weight loss. Saunas can increase heart rate while lowering blood pressure and increasing oxygenation and metabolic rate. These physiological affects are incredibly similar to cardio exercise!

A study involving a group of women riding stationary bicycles demonstrated a 444% increase in weight loss for the group exposed to sauna when compared to the exercise only group. Sauna heat can burn more than 600 calories in a 30 minute session! (That’s my kind of exercise.)

Saunas can also help with weight loss by stimulating human growth hormone which helps keep us young and fit.

Sauna Benefits #6 – Improve circulation and oxygenation

When you sit in a hot sauna, your body temperature begins to rise. This causes your blood vessels to dilate, which increases blood flow and overall circulation. Blood brings nutrients and oxygen to all body tissues and help them heal. Studies show that infrared therapy recharges mitochondria, so it’s reaching us at a cellular level and is a great practice for increasing energy and stamina.

Sauna Benefits #7 – Avoid heart disease

We already know that saunas reduce blood pressure, increase oxygenation and circulation, all of which support heart health. Studies show saunas are less likely than exercise itself to cause cardiac episodes in men who have underlying heart conditions. However, saunas are just as effective at increasing cardiac output (exercising the heart) as exercise, making them a great alternative for those with some heart conditions that make exercise potentially dangerous.

Sauna Benefits #8 – Helps with medical conditions

Saunas have been shown to be useful in alleviating symptoms associated with depression, autoimmune disease, and chronic pain and fatigue. It helps with chronic tension headaches.  Sauna therapy reduced pain and fatigue associated with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.  

Sauna therapy has even been used to support various cancer treatments. It is known that high temperatures can kill cancer cells, usually without hurting normal cells and body tissue.

Sauna therapy can inhibit the growth of solid tumor cells. One study showed that the use of hyperthermia alone resulted in complete overall response rates of 13%. Using hyperthermia, in addition to other treatment modalities, has shown significant improvement in tumors of the head, neck, breast, brain, bladder, cervix, rectum, lung, esophagus, vulva and vagina, and also for melanoma.

Sauna Benefits #9 – Removes heavy metals & chemicals

Many toxins seem to prefer to dump into sweat versus blood or urine. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury have been shown in studies to be excreted through the skin as well or better than they are excreted in urine.

Furthermore, a Canadian study found that the concentration of phytates (chemicals in toys, fragrances, cosmetics, etc) was twice as high in sweat than in urine or blood.

Another study found BPA in 80% of the subjects’ sweat, while finding no detectable levels in their blood or urine. This seems to point to sweat being the best method for excreting the toxin.

Sauna Benefits #10 – Protect Your Brain

A recent study conducted by researchers in Finland — a country where it’s not unusual for a home have a sauna — found that men who used a sauna four to seven times a week for an average length of 15 minutes had a 66 percent lower risk of developing dementia, and 65 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s, compared to men who used the sauna only once a week. WOWZERS!

Sauna Benefits BONUS – Live to 100

And finally, one huge, landmark study found that the more men used their sauna, the lower the risk for sudden cardiac arrest, fatal cardiovascular disease, fatal coronary heart disease, and ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY. Basically, the more you sauna, the longer you’re gonna live.

“Can’t I just work out hard and reap all the benefits of sweating?”

While exercise is certainly good for you, it has different benefits than sauna sweating. During aerobic exercise, your heart rate is increased but the blood flow to vital organs is lowered. A sauna increases heart rate and blood flow to vital organs, allowing for the excretion of toxins from those organs.

So if I could have my wish it would be that for this week’s challenge you could each partake of 30 minutes of sauna use as part of your daily exercise time. But I realize you don’t all have access to saunas. 

So I apologize for this super long blog but let me share another way you can foster heat shock proteins.

It may sound unpleasant, but along with sauna use a cold shower can also actually benefit both the body and the mind.

For most of human history, people were exposed to very cold temperatures, whether they wanted to be or not. Extreme cold is one form of stress that causes our bodies to briefly go into a “fight or flight response” and then adapt in order to be able to handle the same stressor more effectively in the future.

Today, Wim Hof, nicknamed the “Iceman,” is one of many health influencers who recommends regularly exposing yourself to icy, cold temps. (One of my new favorite shows is Wim Hof's Freeze the Fear on Youtube)

A cold shower is considered showering with water that is roughly about 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit or as cold as you have available when you turn your shower all the way down.

Some swear that taking cold showers gives them an advantage when it comes to handling stress and improving their confidence. The idea is that by willingly allowing yourself to feel uncomfortable for a brief period of time, you might not only give your immune system a boost, but you may also cultivate more willpower and “mental toughness” in the process.

Studies tell us that there are in fact some impressive cold shower benefits — which may include increasing alertness, productivity and recovery from exercise.

Cold Shower Benefits

Exposure to cold causes our bodies to release a rush of “stress hormones,” including cortisol, norepinephrine and adrenaline. This leads to a shutdown of nonessential bodily functions, which include inflammatory responses, among others.

High release of stress hormones may sound bad, but when it happens briefly and then you give yourself time to recover, it’s actually very beneficial — much like with exercise, fasting and other “good stressors.” That’s why there are several cold shower benefits.

Studies have found that health benefits of cold showers can include:

1. Improved Mental Clarity and Alertness

When it comes to mental health, why are cold showers good for you? One of the most compelling reasons to give cold showers a try is due to their ability to immediately wake you up.

Studies have demonstrated that showering in nearly freezing temps causes an increase in perceived energy levels, focus/concentration, productivity and mental/cognitive performance. Some even describe the uplifting effects of cold exposure as being on par with drinking a cup or two of coffee.

2. Reduced Inflammation and Improved Circulation

Exposure to cold is considered a form of hormesis, a phenomenon in which low exposure to “hormetic stressors” actually causes beneficial changes in how your body works.

The same thing happens when you exercise — hormesis causes the body to learn to adapt to stress and to grow back stronger. In the case of being submerged in frigid temperatures, your body reacts by improving cardiovascular, cognitive and musculoskeletal functions.

Researchers believe that cold showers work to improve general health due to a reduction in muscle soreness and inflammation, along with improved muscle recovery, and cardiovascular function following exercise.

The anti-inflammatory effects of cold exposure are due to mechanisms including increased heart rate, blood flow and oxygen uptake.

Research suggests there are also certain cold showers benefits for your immune system, since cold exposure can increase white blood cell production. One study found that adults who regularly showered in the cold for 30 days experienced a 29 percent reduction in sickness and absence from work compared to a control group.

Further research is currently underway to determine if cold showers can help countries potentially decrease costs associated with employees’ illness days and if it can boost subjective well-being.

3. Help With Exercise Recovery

Healthy circulation is essential for helping muscles and other tissues properly repair, which means you may notice you’re able to bounce back better after tough workouts if you engage in cold showers.

One study found that cyclists were better able to recover from high intensity interval training if they took 15-minute showers in in water that was 59 degrees F (or 15 C) following exercise. Researchers believe this is due to the cold’s beneficial cardiovascular and hormonal effects, including lowering cortisol levels.

4. Lifted Mood and Confidence

It takes guts and grit to plunge into cold water, and many find that although it might feel unpleasant, it actually puts them in a better mood afterward.

By overcoming your fear of being uncomfortable and facing acute stress head on (in the form of the freezing cold), you can learn to better handle the physiological symptoms that your body experiences when you’re stressed or scared, such as racing thoughts, fast breathing and shaking.

Some research suggests that cold therapy can improve people’s moods and even benefit those suffering from depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

In addition to releasing endorphins and other chemicals that make you feel more alert and excited, another mechanism by which cold showers work for boosting your mood is by increasing electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings in the brain, which seems to have some antidepressant effects.

5. Enhanced Skin and Hair Health

One study focused on the health benefits for the skin after showing in the cold. Researchers found that this habit can help reduce skin dryness, inflammation and itching.

Resisting the urge to crank the heat up when you shower can prevent skin and hair from losing lots of moisture and appearing irritated or dull. That’s because the cold constricts small blood vessels, causing pores to look tighter and less inflamed (although you may initially turn red after becoming very cold).

6. Can Help Support a Healthy Metabolism

While it’s unlikely to cause substantial weight loss without being combined with other lifestyle changes, exposure to the cold may also help with weight loss.

Studies have found that being cold activates brown adipose tissue (brown fat), which burns more energy in order to warm the body. This uses calories and may help give your metabolism a boost. 

Showering in the cold may be able to help with maintenance of healthy blood sugar levels and reduce the risk for obesity.

7. May Help Improve Sleep Quality

We know that body temperature plays a role in preparing our bodies for sleep and regulating our sleep-wake cycles. Our internal body temperature drops before we go to sleep, so by using the cold temperature to lower your temp at night, you may be able to drift off more easily.

Scientists believe that exposure to cold at night can help promote natural temperature regulation processes, possibly even better than hot showers can. So while hot showers are relaxing and reduce muscle tension, we may start seeing cold ones recommended more for those dealing with insomnia.

Methods/When to Take Cold Showers

A great way to get yourself into the habit of withstanding, and even enjoying, cold showers is to do a “30-day cold shower challenge.” Start with brief exposure times, and keep increasing, eventually working up to a full minute or more.

How long should you take a cold shower?

Aim to start with a very brief cold exposure period, increasing gradually as you get accustomed to the feeling of the freezing cold. Here are some tips for getting started and methods to experiment with:

• Begin with just about 30 seconds. You may want to start by standing in comfortably warm water and then gradually lowering the temp until it’s very cold (this is the method I’m trying)
• As you get used to withstanding the effects of the cold, increase the time you continuously stay in the cold water, up to two to three minutes or even more if you’re capable.
• Another method is the “contrast shower,” which is a technique that involves alternating between cold and hot water. You can do this by going back and forth between one minute of very cold water, followed by one minute of recovery in a warm/hot temp, and so on. Complete the cycle about three to seven times. (Total time will be somewhere around 10 minutes.) This alternation will help open up your blood vessels and get blood pumping throughout your body.
• As far as where to aim the water, you can either stand directly under the shower head or direct the water to specific parts of the body and muscles that are inflamed or tight. You may experience the most benefits and biggest “rush” if you allow the water to hit many different parts of your body, especially your head, neck, shoulders and back.
• While standing in the cold, remember to keep breathing. You might find that you gasp for air in reaction to the cold, but try to purposefully keep taking steady, deep breaths. To further boost the mental benefits of the shower, you can pause between breaths after exhaling, then take a deep breath in as you count to five.
• It’s a good idea to finish with warm water in order to make the experience seem enjoyable, which makes it more likely you’ll stick with it.

That being said, it’s probably best to avoid very cold showers if you’re dealing with certain health problems, such as:

• The flu or a cold
• Having a sensitive heart or respiratory issue that causes trouble breathing/gasping for air (speak with your doctor first)
• Pregnancy

• So finally after this boat load of information what is the challenge? To use heat or cold this week to bless your health. While I partake in 30 minute sauna sessions almost every day you might only be able to handle 10-15 minutes to begin. So if you have sauna access try some sauna time (as part of your hour of daily exercise) OR if you don’t have sauna access or just prefer the cold challenge begin with brief periods of about 30 seconds of cold water as part of your daily showers every day this week, and then try to work your way up to three minutes or more of continuous cold or you can also try alternating between hot and cold for about 10 minutes. So for every day you make a valiant attempt to use hot or cold to bless your health you will earn 5 points toward our weekly challenge of 35 possible points.

Fiber is a cool thing to focus on

 

This week's challenge is a repeat from a previous round. I remember I decided to include it as a challenge because I had just listened to a podcast by Doctor Rhonda Patrick concerning the importance of fiber in our diets. I won’t require you to listen but I do heartily recommend it. It’s a great reminder of the importance of fiber not only for weight loss but also for providing what is needed to maintain a healthy gut microbiota which assists us to have a healthy immune system. The podcast can be found at https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/the-sonnenburgs 

Nutrition Diva (another of my favorite pod casters)  shares four reasons that including lots of fiber in your diet are of great benefit:

Reason #1 Fiber fills you up.

If you're watching your weight, fiber is your best friend. High fiber foods fill you up with fewer calories because they are naturally bulky, which makes your stomach feel full. Fiber also slows down the digestive process so you can go longer without feeling hungry again. It even decreases the amount of fat and calories that are absorbed from the digestive tract! Trying to lose weight on a low-fiber diet is like parallel parking without power steering. Sure, it's possible, but why make things harder than they need to be?

Reason #2. Fiber prevents disease.

Fiber is your body's janitorial staff. It sweeps up digestive and cellular debris, mops up cholesterol, environmental toxins and surplus hormones, and takes out the trash. That's why a high-fiber diet reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many kinds of cancer. If you've ever been in Manhattan during a garbage strike, you know that waste management is one municipal service you don't ever want to live without. Same with your body.

Reason #3. Life is better when you're regular

The only people who find the subject of irregularity funny are those who've never suffered from it. And the two of you can just keep your chuckles to yourself! The reason so many people suffer from occasional or chronic constipation is that most people don't eat anywhere near enough fiber. 'Nuff said.

Reason #4. Fiber hangs out with a cool crowd.

You can get more fiber by taking a fiber supplement every day. But you'll be much better off if you simply eat more foods that are naturally rich in fiber. That's because fiber tends to be found in foods that are also full of antioxidants, phytonutrients, lignans, phenols, and other good stuff. When you eat more high-fiber foods, your entire diet gets a nutritional upgrade.

See how much sexier fiber is then you ever imagined?

The USDA recommends that you get at least 25 grams of fiber a day. Nutrition Diva recommends 35-40 grams. The Sondenbergs would like you to eat 50-100. 

For this next week of our competition you will earn the 5 bonus points every day that you eat at least 35 grams of fiber rich food.

Some of the easiest ways to increase the fiber in your diet are to:

1. Include high fiber cereal in your diet.

2. Be sure to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

3. Eat more beans and legumes and choose whole grains over refined as often as possible.

4. Other foods high in fiber are avocados, sunflower seeds, avocados, tahini (sesame butter), dried figs, green peas, sun-dried tomatoes, raspberries and popcorn.