Help for Stomach Disorders
December 21, 2010
Do you suffer from some kind of gastrointestinal (GI) problem, such as stomach upset or diarrhea? It’s not fun to talk about this subject, but it’s even worse to deal with it! Not only can GI disorders wreak havoc on the digestive tract, but they can also get in the way of your exercise programs, meal plans and social interactions. However, by making the right nutritional choices, you can begin to take back your life.
Here is a brief introduction to the most common GI conditions, along with nutritional recommendations for handling them from Natalie Digate Muth, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian, medical student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and master trainer for the American Council on Exercise
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The most prevalent GI disorder is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes abdominal pain, bloating, discomfort and changes in the frequency and consistency of bowel movements. Symptoms often worsen after you have eaten large meals, become emotionally upset or ingested milk products, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, carbonated, drinks or fatty foods.
High-fiber foods like broccoli, apples, and whole-grain breads can actually alleviate some of the symptoms of IBS by softening the stool and relieving constipation. Also, research suggests that probiotics – the live microbial organisms found in certain foodstuffs such as yogurt – may help. Minimizing stress through regular exercise can also help.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (also known as heartburn) causes pain from stomach acids being pushed up into the esophagus owing to relaxation of the sphincter that separates the esophagus from the highly acidic stomach contents. Typically, smoking, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, citrus fruits, and fatty foods exacerbate heartburn. If you have GERD, you should avoid alcohol, coffee, chocolate, citrus fruits, and fatty foods. Engaging in regular exercise is also recommended, especially if you are overweight or obese.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance comes when your body doesn’t properly break down foods that contain lactose, a sugar found mostly in many dairy products. When this sugar is not properly broken down, water is drawn into the intestinal lumen, which leads to water diarrhea.
Lactose intolerant? Don’t avoid dairy products completely if you rely on them for your main source of calcium. Consume small amounts of them up to the point at which symptoms would appear (this is usually equivalent to about 8-12 ounces of milk). A calcium supplement or lactose-reduced milk can help. You can also eat yogurt with live cultures because it contains bacteria-derived lactase, which tends not to cause the usual symptoms of the condition.
Tips for Promoting Good Digestive Health
Follow these simple steps to prevent common digestive ailments:
- Eat More Fiber. Consume 20-35grams (g) per day to prevent constipation, diarrhea and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Good sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.
- Make Good Food Choices. Avoid junk food and snacks that are high in fats, sugars and refined carbohydrates. These types of foods are difficult for your body to digest in large quantities and can cause heartburn, bloating and constipation.
- Drink Lots of Fluids. Fluids aid mineral and vitamin absorption and help foods move comfortably through the digestive tract. Drinking 0-13 cups (75-100 ounces) of fluid a day can also ease constipation.
- Eat Moderate Portions. Pay attention to portion size. Eat more often, but less at each sitting. Smaller meals are digested more easily.
- Control Your Stress Levels. Stress can decrease the release of digestive enzymes and divert blood and oxygen from the digestive system to other parts of the body, leading to heartburn, bloating and constipation.
- Don’t Eat Right Before Going to Sleep. Studies have found that acid reflux sufferers who go to bed within three hours of eating are seven times more likely to experience reflux symptoms than those who eat earlier.
Courtesy of IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry.
Flow to Health and Happiness
December 7, 2010
Have you ever found yourself in a state of complete absorption in a complex and challenging activity that stretches your skills? This wonderful state is called FLOW, and is described in the best-selling book Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD (Basic Books 1997). Csikszentmihalyi believes that being in flow generates the peak experiences in our lives. The more flow we experience, he suggests, the happier we are.
Below, learn why flow is so important and how you can increase flow experiences in your life from Coach Meg (Margaret Moore), MBA, founder and chief Executive officer of Welcoaches Corp. and co-founder of MeLean Hopsital/Harvard Medical School Coaching and Positive Psychology Initiative and annual coaching conference.
How Do You Know When You’re in Flow?
When you’re in flow, you don’t think about yourself and you aren’t distracted or fretting. You’re intently focused. You feel fully alive, awake, energized and present. You take risks. You lose your sense of time, and you notice your bodily functions (hunger, thirst) less than usual. You don’t particularly notice your emotions. You feel uplifted when the flow experience ends. Flow experiences are great, not just good or “business as usual”.
The Benefits of Flow
How does being in flow help you? Csikszentmihalyi’s extensive research has shown that boosting flow in our lives has many benefits:
– more life engagement
– more life satisfaction
– better quality of life
– more positive emotions
– more resources
– more self-esteem
How to Find Flow
Use the following steps to guide yourself toward more and better flow experiences:
Assess and Discover Your Flow Experiences. Stop, think, identify and list the flow experiences in your life today – both at work and in your personal life. When do you lose yourself in an activity that uses your skills beautifully and leaves you energized when it’s done? Also, what are your best skills? The higher the level of your skills, the better the quality of potential flow experience can be. Then think about all the ways you currently use your strengths in your work life and your personal life. When do you use these strengths in ways that are so completely absorbing that you lose yourself and time?
Make Today’s Flow Experiences Better. Set your stresses and strains aside so that you fully enjoy those activities that generate flow in your life. Before starting them, take a few moments to reflect on and connect with their higher purpose. If anxiety arises because an activity is too challenging, set yourself a slightly lower challenge. You can also try to find new flow experiences. Look for new and creative ways to engage your strengths.
A Shortcut to Flow
In 1998, when Martin Seligman, PhD, conceived of the domain of positive psychology (the scientific study of what drives happiness and life satisfaction), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD, was among the founding team, and flow was adopted as a signature area of work. In his seminal book Authentic Happiness (Free Press 2002), Seligman asserts that the highest level of happiness occurs when we are in flow in activities that have a higher purpose – where we are contributing to the world. So knitting a sweater or refinishing a piece of furniture is more pleasurable when we do it for a homeless shelter than when we do it for ourselves. Seligman’s recipe for increasing the frequency of our flow experiences is to recraft our lives to engage our signature character strengths. Along with these strengths typically comes a high level of skill. When we challenge and stretch ourselves to apply those strengths and skills, we get to flow!
Since Authentic Happiness was released, Chris Peterson and Seligman have completed groundbreaking work identifying a set of universal character strengths and virtues. You can discover your own strengths and virtues by completing the VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire a www.AuthenticHappiness.com
Courtesy of IDEA Fitness Journal
Healthy Immunity during the Holidays
December 6, 2010
During the holidays our bodies tend to get run down from over commitments, lack of sleep, holiday parties, poor nutrition choices, or an increase in drink choices. None of which contribute to healthy immune system.
Protect yourself with rest or meditation, green nutrition (including broccoli, asparagus, spinach, etc) and plenty of water.
But if you are feeling like the immune system has been compromised, then here are a few solutions. Three great ways to beat a cold or flu before it beats you!
- Astragalus root in the form of tea is easy to brew and takes about 24 hours to work.
- Zinc Lozenges in the form of a gluconate lozenge works quickly and can be used every 2 hours.
- Yin Chiao is a supplement that comes in a pill form and should be taken at first sign of symptoms and used throughout the day.
Facebook, Fancy Changes, and Fitness
December 6, 2010
Last night I watched a special on the well-known news program, “60 Minutes”. They interviewed Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook. He was not only much more of a polished speaker, but he showed a little personality, strengths in answering questions, as well as he updated us on the newest changes that are happening with Facebook this week.
He presented the latest updates in his interview. There will be more pictures on the front of the page that highlight who you are and what your business does (if you are on there for business), it will show more about the common interests you have with others, and is even including a new category of sports. (I am not sure if the new sports category was from Zuckerberg’s inspiration, but I am happy to see he is looking healthier.) These improvements are exciting because these alternatives will definitely help the masses of people and corporations who use this tool frequently and feverishly.
Facebook is continuing to grow and of course, there is a resistance from people who claim they don’t want the change. They fear it will be too confusing, that privacy will be an issue, and many just like how it is currently functioning.
Life is consistently changing. Change is inevitable. Just like our bodies. Not only are new discoveries happening in business, but we are constantly going through physical changes with food choices and exercise choices. We make seasonal choices based on what foods are available. Plus, we know if we ate the same thing all the time we would not be living a well balanced healthy lifestyle.
Same goes for our fitness routines. It’s important to exercise, but you can’t do the exact same exercise routine all the time. The body will plateau, and you will not see results from your workout. An easy way to have an always changing fitness routine is by using the “Fast and Fierce Fitness Made Fabulously Fun!” system. It’s an easy to use comprehensive 90-day program that includes weekly changes to the daily routines to keep you challenged and reaching your goals.
Whether it is in business or the business of life, change is inevitable and can be used for the betterment of a product or improvement of health. Embracing change should be a healthy part of life, and something to look forward to.
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