Older Bolder Life

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food plan

Critical Health Imperatives After 40: Understand Where Your Treasures Reside

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A change in my personal schedule this morning, and the current paper asset “crisis” (according to some this morning) unfolding before us today as the stock and bond markets react negatively to COVID-19 virus news (and other fundamental issues inherent in the markets), prompted a quick change in today’s post…

I’m all for planning for the future; sagacious pundits, philosophers, spiritual leaders, and politicos of various stripes have encouraged to varying degrees that we all live today with at least a modicum of thought for our futures. The advice you’ll receive about preparing for the future will vary extraordinarily pending who you might query, who you friends are, how and where you were raised, and so on and so forth.

For decades those of us living in first world countries around the world have been told that the very best way to “secure our futures” is to invest wisely, typically directed toward paper assets, held in various retirement plan vehicles and invested in markets around the globe.

I’d argue, as have many before me, that perhaps your most critical investment you can ever make throughout your life, the investment yielding the greatest dividends and payout over time, will be to invest in your personal health and wellness. I personally find it ironic as hell (pardon the emphasis) that with the exception of perhaps buying grass-fed proteins and well-sourced seafoods, these investments in health and wellness don’t have to cost a dime, at least in terms of money exchanged, though you’ll expend some thought, time, and effort to invest well.

The cost of a perfect exercise – simply lacing up your shoes and walking every day, is basically nil, as is the cultivation of a lifestyle that incorporates frequent, intentional movement, lifting heavy stuff around the house or in “play”, climbing stairs or even sprinting now and again, and getting a restful night’s sleep every night.

Even the highbrow academic elites (Yale and Oxford in this case) are beginning to quantify how much happier people are with the results of exercise and fitness versus obsessing over their bank accounts and accumulated riches. By all means, save for your future and that of your family, invest your material riches wisely and well, but invest in yourself and those you love first and foremost.

Git ‘er done.

Beating the February (Winter) Blahs

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It’s gray. It’s cold and windy. There’s snow in the forecast (dammit, there even is here in the DFW metro area today). The flurry of the holiday season has come and gone, as has the shiny gloss on the New Year.

Beginning in particular for our own family roughly two decades ago living in northern Utah and later Montana, we always found the month of February long, cold, and dreary, and often reached the peak of the winter blahs this month.

In Montana especially, while we were running an equestrian operation and show barn (along with my medical practice), starting and ending every day with barn chores in the dark cold dampened enthusiasm of our crew (the entire family comprised “the crew”) mightily.

February in particular was always a challenge for us, if only we’d known then what the past few years have taught to fight back with…

Whole foods, cooked at home. After the flood of indulgent treats tempting you all holiday season (and perhaps the weeks following), now’s the time to dial things back and embrace the better food options that abound – we’re talking nutrient-dense, whole foods, quality proteins, and good fats. Innovate with recipes and reach for a few different ingredients that are novel and interesting.

Sleep, sleep, sleep. Most of us have room to further optimize and improve our sleep habits and hygiene. Short days and lack of true daylight exposure can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle; be intentional and dial this one in.

Move all day. Granted, moving all day during the winter for those in winter climes can be a challenge – some days it’s simply impossible to take that quick walk outside around the office, shop, or school. Intention matters, small burst of movement and activity add up, and incorporating micro-workouts can really help.

Fitness matters (go ahead, change the routine, and grab some new gear). Several clients this year have had particular difficulty keeping their fitness and workout routines in play during Q4.19 and Q1.20. There are a number of ways to address this one – it may be time for a new class, a winter gym membership, or perhaps my favorite – a new home program DVD/subscription or new equipment (heavier kettlebells for us this year).

Update your winter wardrobe. It’s unbelievably easier to be active in winter (and the shoulder seasons too if you live up north) if you update your winter / cold weather gear. Today’s tech fabrics make layering up to meet whatever weather challenge is on the docket today a piece of cake, and you can tailor your updated wardrobe to suit your fashion sense and activity demands with endless options.

Gain strength in numbers. Genuine fellowship is vital for all of us year round, but having a workout buddy, group, club, or even a gym squad can make a world of difference when the winter blahs drain your daily motivation to keep things moving.

Implement a news and social media fast. The world will keep spinning without you updating your social feeds and seeing who said what in the news today. More on this topic to come, and by the way, turn the damned TV off to.

Plan ahead for bumps in the road, and remember how easy it is to recover. Personally I find it most challenging to be compliant with a keto/Primally-focused nutrition plan, the food plan that makes me feel the very best month-in and month-out, during the holiday and immediate-post holiday window.

I’m a HUGE believer in the value of being metabolically flexible, and while that does allow the occasional indulgence without disrupting your health and fitness dramatically, there’s a big difference on what I could and what I really should eat.

Those who thought it was difficult to break your initial carb-dependency need to be particularly cautious of wandering too far off the healthy path (whatever that might be for you). At least getting back on the wagon can always be done, and now you know how to best make that work for you.

Be pro-active when that runny nose and scratchy throat show up. And finally, it’s cold and flu season – even being mindful of exposures there are times when exposure is simply out of your control. Be damned proactive when the first sign of symptoms start or when you’ve had a known, significant exposure.

Hang in there; spring isn’t that far off…

Starting a New Series This Week: Pick the Low Hanging Fruit First

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We’re going to start a new series of posts this week on the blog, using the tried and true analogy of picking the easy to reach, low hanging fruit first.

My goal here is to outline a plan of attack for someone wanting to jump into the “improve my health” game, yet is overwhelmed by the number of self-proclaimed experts promising astounding results if one just follows their magical meal plan (available for three easy payments of $49.99 each), reads their book, attends their seminar, takes this array of supplements, drinks these teas or coffees, follows a complex workout routine, eats only meat – oh wait, or is it eats no meat?

Should I eat paleo? Or primal? What about the Whole 30 Plan? Vegan? Pegan? Carnivore? Vegetarian? The grapefruit diet? I’ve overheard a pitch in a local grocery this week for the gummy bear diet plan…

There’s a genuine risk of newcomers to the game being overwhelmed by all the chatter, and all the choices to be made.

So let’s take a walk on the simple side of things over the next couple of weeks looking at implementing some very attainable changes – picking the low hanging fruit – toward a healthier lifestyle, particularly when it comes to your approach to a rational, practical, and enjoyable food plan.

Fascinating Read of the Week: The Plant Paradox

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I know it’s not a new release, but I’ve spent some of my reading time this week plowing through Dr. Steven Gundry’s The Plant Paradox for the second time in a month.

Quite frankly his central premise, focused about the problematic immunogenicity of lectins (which are much more broadly represented than you might initially think in the foods we commonly consume , and not just those eating a SAD diet either), is a fascinating one, and in fact one that I’m convinced I saw hard evidence of during my practice years.

I’m intrigued enough to start plowing through the book’s scientific references and digging a bit deeper into the immunobiology and gastroenterology discussed, and my lovely wife and I very well may start an 8-week trial of his plan to minimize potentially problematic lectins and run a quick n=2 sample trial.

If anyone has spent some time personally following Gundry’s plan I’d love to chat with you…