Is exercise good for your brain?
I have a close friend, actually she is my best friend in the whole wide world, she is sooooooo good to me and I love her more and more each day (I know she's reading this 😉tehe). Her name is Kitty and she's my "mad" nutritionist friend, maybe you've heard of her she goes by the name Healthy Gut Girl.
I have a close friend, actually she is my best friend in the whole wide world, she is sooooooo good to me and I love her more and more each day (I know she's reading this 😉tehe). Her name is Kitty and she's my "mad" nutritionist friend, maybe you've heard of her she goes by the name Healthy Gut Girl.
Well she became a nutritionist because like many in her field she suffered her entire life with a multitude of health issues since childbirth, until finally she gave up on conventional solutions and studied until she could heal herself. Kitty did well, she improved the quality of her life tremendously and is now helping many many other people do the same. However, she still struggled with some lingering pains and recurring issues. These plagued her and drove her actually quite crazy. (Yes I know every detail).
As we both pursued our career paths and watched each other learn and grown, I noticed one thing, she was never consistent with exercise. Kitty was lucky because she always looked so slender it didn't seem to make a difference if she worked out or not.
Well as I became more and more skilled as a Pilates instructor and trainer she reaped the rewards of being my guinea pig. I encouraged her to be more consistent and low and behold the remaining issues she suffered from began to occur less and less until they were no more. Despite all the supplements, dieting, detoxing and meditating she was doing, nothing took the place of good old-fashioned exercise.
Exercise is looked at in our society as something we must to do keep our hearts strong and our bellies trim, IF YOU CAN FIT IT IN YOUR DAY. But we were not designed this way. We were designed with the ability to squat for hours on end, to lift heavy things with efficiency and grace, to store energy in our bodies and have stamina for literally hours on end without eating. Our bodies were designed to be able to fast and go without. We are incredible creatures that can accomplish incredible things. BUT ONLY if you nurture those qualities. If you don't use it, you lose it. That could not be more true when referring to the human body's physical capabilities.
One thing that is greatly overlooked, rarely talked about and crucial for everyone to know and understand. There is incredible research showing that exercise is not only good for the brain but it's actually what powers the health of the brain. Obviously what you eat plays a huge role but exercise releases certain brain chemicals that stimulate and activate neuro transmitters in the brain that keep everything sort of 'lubricated". Like a well oiled machine exercise prevents and reduces depression, it releases certain hormones and brings balance to the entire endocrine system. I work with primarily women and the first thing I notice in my clients, before any other 'side effect' of pilates, is a change of attitude. The outlook on life changes, almost immediately. This should not be taken lightly.
As for a healthy heart and a tighter waistline. Yes, those are a given but what about the lymph system in the body? You never hear about this incredible filter of ours that keeps our immune system strong and healthy. The lymph system is so unique, our entire body is covered with these little glands which by the way they just found out that these glands even cover our brain and are responsible for literally keeping our brain CLEAN!!! Well the lymph is interesting because unlike our other detox organs it doesn't have it's own pump, like the heart and the liver and the lungs. So it relies on our physical exertion to keep it 'pumping' and doing it's job. And a brisk walk down the street is NOT enough. It literally needs to be simulated daily and rigorously in order to do it's job effectively.
I cannot say enough about consistent exercise for the entire body.
So you answer your question, I exercise for the health of my body including my brain, mood, skin, organs, posture and joints and even hormones and the bi-product is a fabulous body.
Tip: in addition to my daily work schedule of teaching Pilates, I also do other forms of exercise.
I hike 1 x per week and/or run 4-8 miles per week (divided into how ever many runs - remembering the 1st mile is often the hardest so toughen up and keep going xx)
Sam Eastwood x
A normal day in life of me.
Besides the training question "what can I do for a better bum", the second most common question I get is, "what is your daily diet like", so here it is.
Besides the training question "what can I do for a better bum", the second most common question I get is, "what is your daily diet like", so here it is.
A day in the life of yours truly;
I learned from some experts a very long time ago that insulin resistance is highest in the morning. Now what does that mean? Well it means that your body has a harder time burning sugar in the first part of the day and it prefers to burn protein and fat. If you give it some sugar, it will store the sugar as fat and struggle to acquire energy elsewhere. This leaves us craving a boost in the morning like a big cup of coffee, add to that some simple carbs like toast and jam and that leaves you a zombie by mid-day.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE toast and tea and croissants and coffee, but once again Mum is always right, moderation moderation!
So for optimum energy and optimum fat burning (because I really don't have time to be tired) I follow the bell curve of the body's energy burning process.
Between 6am and 9am 3 x per week
Upon waking 1 quart of lemon water.
1 cup of coffee w/1 Tablespoon of grass-fed butter plus 1 tablespoon of grass-fed Whey. Commonly known as "The Bullet Proof Coffee.
Deliciously fulfilling and delicious again.
By 10.30am I am craving something sweet, but instead I will have 2 soft scrambled eggs in coconut oil and perhaps half an avocado with pink salt and lemon juice.
By 1.30pm I am ready for my first "sugar" not to be mistaken for a donut or a biscuit kind of sugar (I know, bummer) but something like a sweet potato and a small piece of salmon maybe a small salad with it, my basic salad dressing is freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil and pink salt.
Around 6pm it's time for a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup with brown rice noodles or steamed veggies and rice, roast veggies and quinoa (you see the pattern here).
Snacking is limited during my "good girl" days, but if I must, it'll be a half an avocado with some pink salt and cultured vegetables or a handful of raw nuts like cashews or almonds.
I drink at least 1/2 my weight in ounces in water daily, at least! If I am exerting myself more than usual then you can almost double that.
The other 3 days are quite similar except I hold off on the "Bullet Proof" coffee and the high amounts of fat and go for regular black coffee instead. I take it easy and eat lighter foods, still keeping the carbs and sugars until 1.30pm or so.
I will also skip animal protein and keep my meals to vegetarian and soups.
If I find myself really hungry, there is always time for grass-fed protein shakes with delicious filling additives like raw cacao and raw honey, nuts, nut milks and nut butters.
What is that you say??? That was only 6 days? Very observant of you!
DAY 7!!
Well this is my "bad girl" day, where I feed my soul and enjoy every moment of it, (well all within reason of course) but I do enjoy food and it does feed my soul!
My favorite indulgences; drinks with friends, dessert with my meals, chocolate of course, a good old American Burger, snacking on salty crispy things! And of course that croissant I mentioned earlier. Because after all, Mother is ALWAYS right. ;-)
A tip to leave you with: We are all so programmed to be satiated from eating and to feel comfort and satisfied, this is from the moment we were born, we cry, we are fed, we are happy. Reprogramming ourselves is no easy task, but if we could only treat food and drink as medicine and sustenance, fuel if you will for 6 days and on that 7th day, enjoy the comforts and satiation it brings when you have something indulgent. Not only will you do your body a world of good, but you will enjoy that treat more than you ever could if you were having it everyday.
Happy eating!
Sam x
The skinny on fat
One of the oldest debates and sources of contention throughout the history of nutrition has been the subject of fat. Humans have gone from fat being a scarce part of their diets and difficult to come by to large amounts of fat depending on the season and what was available, to no fat at all.
Here is the skinny on fat.
One of the oldest debates and sources of contention throughout the history of nutrition has been the subject of fat. Humans have gone from fat being a scarce part of their diets and difficult to come by to large amounts of fat depending on the season and what was available, to no fat at all. Now it would seem the goal is to consume as much fat as you can even putting tablespoons of three different types of fat into your coffee on your way to drop the kids off for soccer seems to be all the rage. I have always been one to stay away from extremes and err on the side of moderation (as my mother always said).
As delicious and tempting as it is to add grass fed butter to my daily cup of coffee, a few times a week is enough for me. It turns out there are some great benefits that come from this indulgent habit.
Essential fatty acid or EFA's are comprised of three different types of fat omega-3 6 and 9.
They all have great benefits for the body but the one we need most of is the one hardest to get in our diets. And that is omega 3 or DHA. This is the fat you can get from fish, walnuts, pecans and flax. This fat is anti-inflammatory lubricates the body and helps protect the brain. There is much research out showing that this particular fat also protects from coronary artery disease and Alzheimer's. I was shocked to find out that an extensive ongoing study showed out of 3 groups of people vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters, over the course of their life time the vegans had the highest rate of coronary artery disease!!! How could this be! They determined that the missing component in the vegans diet was good healthy DHA. The vegetarian and the meat eater we're getting more DHA in their diets than the vegan. So even though the vegan was healthier in many ways the most crucial and essential nutrient missing from his diet was this essential and very powerful fat. DHA.
I personally have a diet rich in fish, pecans, walnuts and I highly recommend supplementing with a high quality DHA like cod liver oil at least 1000mg per day.
As for the other fats, they are much easier to get in your diet, high quality coconut oil, grass fed butter and ghee all delicious all have some benefits. As for overdosing on fat being all the rage, it's just a matter of time before studies show the harmful effects of this extreme practice, I'll ride this one out.
Sam x