Simple Ways for Keeping Your Energy at An Optimal Level All Day Long

By: DR. DEEDRA MASON, DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

Have you ever felt tired or sluggish after a rushed meal? Ever feel you just can’t keep motivated by the middle of the afternoon? Ever feel like if you could just take a break or a breather, it would be all the recharge you need?

These are common reactions to being over-stressed, By: over-worked, and hyper-stimulated without any of the nutritional and environmental support you and your metabolism need to keep going each day.

Glucose is your body’s main energy source, yet your ability to use it properly for energy relies on a balance of select amino acids, micronutrients and healthy and regular physical activity. A healthy diet is a key to maintaining healthy blood glucose levels and therefore energy levels. Unfortunately, our typical Western diets are high in refined, processed foods loaded with simple carbohydrates, or sugars. These simple sugars are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, making what felt like a natural energy surge a slippery slope into afternoon fatigue, poor mental focus and a quest for more sugar and empty calories.

If this sounds like you, you’re hardly alone. With today’s ultra-busy lifestyles it’s not surprising that a person can suffer from sensory and sugar overload. While virtually everyone today accepts that it is normal to live with some form of stress — and the resulting fatigue — do they know how profoundly that stress and fatigue is affecting their health?

HERE ARE SOME STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO OFFSET FATIGUE AND

POTENTIAL RESULTING HEALTH CHALLENGES:

  • Consider adding some stretching to your day and also periodically getting up from your desk to move around. One way to increase productivity and ward off the “ZZZs” includes working in set time blocks and getting up and moving around before starting again on a project.

  • Make sure you are getting good sleep. Consider a scientifically based botanical formula to assist with healthy sleep cycles and healthy neurotransmitter production. A balance between dopamine and serotonin can be helpful to support a regular sleep cycle. Amino acids like L-tyrosine and taurine can benefit you by keeping your energy cycles up when they should be up and sleep cycles regular when you should be winding down.

  • Regular use of supplements can support your body’s physiologic demands for energy. Essential nutrients like niacinamide and vitamins B-12 and B-6 play a role in carbohydrate and protein metabolism for healthy energy and support of healthy blood glucose levels.

GLUCOSE IS YOUR BODY’S MAIN ENERGY SOURCE, YET YOUR ABILITY TO USE IT PROPERLY FOR ENERGY RELIES ON A BALANCE OF SELECT AMINO ACIDS, MICRONUTRIENTS AND HEALTHY AND REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The above steps can offer you the foundation for a better energy throughout the day. If you’re simply looking for that quick afternoon boost, consider the source. Be wary of taking just caffeine in the absence of balancing amino acids and B-vitamins. Without their support, caffeine can dehydrate you and increase stress levels over time.  Amino acids like taurine help keep you alert when coffee and sugary drinks alone cannot. Taurine boosts mental alertness and enhances the ability to concentrate, while also meeting our muscles’ energy needs. Using taurine instead of sugar can mean improved mental and physical reaction time — a life saver during a long project or meeting.

Both stress and long hours can affect our moods. The essential amino acid L-tyrosine has an antidepressant activity that helps the brain to restore proper amounts of the catecholamines dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These are often lost due to stress on the body’s adrenal system from a poor diet, an unhealthy lifestyle or other environmental factors.

Additionally, ingredients like B-vitamins keep you energized throughout the day, providing long-lasting physical and mental energy you demand, and work well with caffeine for thermogenesis and energy metabolism.

Supporting detoxification can keep us feeling energized and eliminate that “sluggish” feeling common after too much sugar or simple carbohydrates. Glucuronolactone is a natural is a substance which works with the liver to boost energy and has been reported to detoxify the body of impurities.

Consider looking for a healthful blend of amino acids and B-vitamins to balance a measured amount of caffeine. Doing so can be just the remedy to avoid a mid-afternoon crash.

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Sugar is the Enemy

Yes people... sugar is the enemy... not fat!  All those fat-free products you are consuming in hopes of losing fat... are making you fat!  

I understand how confusing it seems, however it does not have to be that way.  There are a few simple pieces of knowledge that can pull it all together and make sense of the insanity and help you...

MAKE HEALTHY A HABIT, ONE CHOICE AT A TIME. 

Classes starting in September

Magnesium

By: Robert M. Blair, Ph.D.

Recent research studies continue to demonstrate the multiple health benefits of magnesium.

One recent investigation conducted a meta-analysis on magnesium’s potential anti-inflammatory benefits [1]. For this study, data on magnesium supplementation and plasma levels of C-reactive protein were compiled from 11 different studies and analyzed. The results of this analysis showed that while magnesium supplementation did not affect plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein in the study population as a whole, magnesium supplementation decreased C-reactive protein in subjects with high C-reactive protein at the start of the studies. Since C-reactive protein is a marker of inflammation, the study investigators concluded that magnesium supplements may have a beneficial effect on low-grade chronic systemic inflammation.

Another recent study explored the impact of dietary magnesium intake on fracture risk [2]. In this study the investigators determined the magnesium intake by older men and women (average age of 60 years) with a food frequency questionnaire and evaluated the incidence of osteoporotic fractures over an 8-year period. The results of this study demonstrated that men and women in the highest fifth of magnesium intake (more than 398 mg/d for men and 373 mg/d for women) had a 53% and 62% reduction in fracture risk, respectively. Interestingly, only 27% of the study population consumed the recommended amount of daily magnesium. Women consuming at least the recommended daily amount (320 mg/day) had a significant reduction in fracture risk (27%).

A third study explored the potential benefits of magnesium for symptoms of depression [3]. A randomized clinical trial was carried out in 126 adults diagnosed with mild to moderate symptoms of depression. Half the subjects were asked to take magnesium supplements (248 mg magnesium/day) during the first 6 weeks of the study and no magnesium during the second 6 weeks of the study. The other half of the study volunteers followed the reverse protocol. Supplementation with magnesium for 6 weeks resulted in a significant improvement in depression scores and generalized anxiety scores with beneficial effects observed within 2 weeks.

Lastly, one additional recent study examined the relationship between magnesium intake and hypertension [4]. Analysis of eight studies demonstrated an inverse relationship between magnesium consumption and hypertension such that group with the highest magnesium intake had an 8% lower risk for hypertension compared to the group with the lowest magnesium intake. Additionally, increasing magnesium intake by 100 mg/day was shown to reduce the risk for hypertension by 5%.

Overall, these studies provide further evidence of the multiple health benefits of magnesium.  Nonetheless, most of us do not consume the amount of magnesium we should each day. One of the studies above reported that only 27% of the study participants consumed the recommended daily amount of magnesium. Another study reported that 56% of U.S. women and 53% of U.S. men consume too little magnesium each day [5]. Considering the many potential benefits of magnesium, meeting the daily recommended intake may be more important than ever.

References

  1. Simental-Mendía LE, Sahebkar A, Rodríguez-Morán M, Zambrano-Galván G, Guerrero-Romero F. Effect of magnesium supplementation on plasma C-reactive protein concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Curr Pharm Des. 2017 May 25. doi: 10.2174/1381612823666170525153605. [Epub ahead of print]

  2. Veronese N, Stubbs B, Solmi M, Noale M, Vaona A, Demurtas J, Maggi S. Dietary magnesium intake and fracture risk: data from a large prospective study. Br J Nutr 2017; Jun 20:1-7. doi: 10.1017/S0007114517001350. [Epub ahead of print]

  3. Tarleton EK, Littenberg B, MacLean CD, Kennedy AG, Daley C. Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial. PLoS One 2017; 12(6):e0180067. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180067.

  4. Han H, Fang X, Wei X, Liu Y, Jin Z, Chen Q, Fan Z, Aaseth J, Hiyoshi A, He J, Cao Y. Dose-response relationship between dietary magnesium intake, serum magnesium concentration and risk of hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Nutr J 2017; 16(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s12937-017-0247-4.

  5. Moshfegh A. What we eat in America, NHANES 2005 – 2006: usual nutrient intakes from food and water compared to 1997 dietary references intake for Vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Washington, DC: Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture; 2009.

What is a Health Coach?

I am a Health Coach; my passion is educating people about healthy eating and lifestyle choices, helping them develop and set goals, and taking their good intentions and putting them into practice.  All while keeping it REAL.

Health Coaches work in many settings and, among other services, provide general wellness and nutrition information, options, recommendations, guidance, motivation, and skill-building to establish healthier lifestyle routines and to achieve personal health goals.

Make Healthy a Habit...

just get started with One Choice at Time

...you'll be amazed at how quickly Your Body Be Well

good health.jpg

As a parent ages... I came across this and thought it was worth re-posting

Sometimes the most wonderful moments are those when we are doing for others, not for ourselves... and we have the opportunity to observe the pure joy and wonderment of them experiencing something special. I find this simply heartwarming.  

As many of us watch a parent age and their memories become jumbled and scattered, it is so important to be mindful of where they are and where they have been. We should reflect that as children they did so much just for our benefit.

Now, how grateful I am to have the opportunity to experience some of my most precious moments with my mom these past few years; since the passing of my dad. At Christmas time this past year, she told my husband and I she had NEVER seen Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, and how wonderful that we arranged for her to see it on her TV. This is just one of many many “firsts” my 89-year-old mom is experiencing lately. I could argue with her and demand she acknowledges that she has seen and experienced these things a hundred times, if not more. But instead, I am so blessed to have these firsts with her… like I’m sure as a child she experienced so many firsts with me and witnessed that pure joy and wonderment in my eyes.

Life is truly not measured by the breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away…. Don’t miss them.. take the time and embrace.

Special Offering "Grocery Shopping Tour"

One the most important steps in Making Healthy a Habit, One Choice at a Time is understanding what you are buying at the grocery store.

So, its no wonder that one of the most popular portions of our program; Healthy Choices = Healthy Habits is the Grocery Shopping Tour.  By popular demand this session is being offered independently for a special rate.  
Space is limited, please reserve your spot today.  
Session will begin at 7:15pm sharp
at Wegmans on Niagara Falls Blvd in Amherst
on Wednesday, March 15th .  
  • Reading & Interpreting Labels... Fats, Fiber, Carbs, Sugar, Protein
  • Identifying Organic, Non-GMO vs Conventional produce
  • Understanding Cage-Free vs Range-free

Summer is almost over... How are you Feeling?

 

Did you "Enjoy" all those summertime favorite foods & drinks...?

Are you feeling a little less than "Happy" with the results they left "Behind"...?  

Are you "Weighing" a bit more?  Feeling a bit "Sluggish"?

Looking for a boost to get yourself into a Healthier routine?

Reserve your seat today to attend

this fun, motivational and educational 8 week session

Starting in October

Bonus: Learn about several FREE resources available for you in your quest to maintain and/or continue to improve the quality of your Healthy Choices = Healthy Habits.

You'll be looking and Feeling great before the Holiday season!

#HealthyEating #Comfortfood #Yum Recipes for Soups / Everyday favorites made with Healthy Choice Ingredients

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

My preferred ingredients are.... 2 cans of organic crushed tomatoes, 56 oz, 1 carton organic culinary veggie broth, 32 oz,  at least 36 fresh basil leaves (minced),  1/2 pint of organic light cream, 1 pat of organic butter (size you would get in a restaurant).   Boil tomatoes and broth, reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.   Add basil and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes (the longer and slower the boil the thicker and more flavorful the soup will be). Stir in cream and butter, low heat for another 15 minutes.  Serve with Parmesan cheese crisps.

French Onion Soup

My preferred ingredients are.... 1 purple, 1 Vidalia, 1 sweet onion sliced and saute until translucent in little olive oil.  Add onions to beef broth, boil hard, simmer and add 1 bottle red cooking wine and boil hard again, simmer.  (the longer and slower the boil the thicker and more flavorful the soup will be)   Serve with Parmesan cheese crisps.

The Immune Response

And yes, this is important to understand. If you are putting something in your body that is not a necessary nutrient, your body is going to protect itself at all cost and attack the foreign matter. In simple terms this is called the immune response. Over time your body is under assault when it is simply looking to be nourished. Are you aware of how many of today's health issues are the result of an auto-immune deficiency? Take some time, educate yourself... and don't just read about it; experience it. Try eating cleaning for 1 week... and report your results here.

Chronic Inflammation

Inflammation is an immune response, repeated over and over and it becomes Chronic Inflammation... which then is no longer a response but a full attack on one's body.  It doesn't have to be this way, you can feel better... you just have to REALLY BE SICK & TIRED OF FEELING SICK AND TIRED.... Feeling this way IS NOT a natural part of the aging process.

However, I respect and fully understand that you cannot begin to believe this until you personally experience it. The opportunity to do so is NOW... the last session being offered before the summer begins is Tuesday, May 10th.

Are you willing to trust yourself to feel better? younger? healthier? There is no perfect time... we make the time. Interested in more details..?

I'm waiting to hear from you. 

Spring is finally here...

Yes! Spring is finally here... and with the gorgeous weather last weekend, I imagine many of you dug out the summer clothes and began "TRYING" them on... were you less than "HAPPY" with the fit? You're not alone. I am now accepting registration for an 8 week session that will begin in mid May and conclude before the start of summer. Call, Text, Email or Private Message me today... seating is limited to provide a more personal customized experience. Grab a Friend and lets do this!

 


Thank you... and the Winner is

Body Be Well Solutions would like to thank anyone who stopped by our booth at the Chamber of Commerce of Tonawanda's Woman's Expo this past Saturday. We would love for you to follow us through our Blog page and/or Facebook. We look forward to working with you!

The inspirational stone winning number is #35.
 

Please contact us to arrange stopping by to your gift basket of Health & Happiness.

Buffalo Natural Awakenings... feel good, live simply, laugh more

Have you seen the amazing local FREE publication of Natural Awakenings?  

If you have not, find yourself a copy here at Body Be Well Solutions or at your local wellness practice, health food store, yoga studio, grocery store, etc. This colorful and engaging publication is well laid out, easy to read and knowledge packed full of LOCAL contributors of articles regarding healthy living and sustaining a healthy planet.  

There is an easy to use Community Resource Guide with listings of local businesses and a calendar section of local events.  This is a monthly publication, and is also available on-line.

Publisher, Sally Gower and her team are dedicated to bringing you the best in feeling good, living simply and laughing more... and Who Doesn't Want That?  

Solutions for Wellness At Work and Beyond

Body Be Well Solutions recently had the opportunity to work with the senior managers of the locally owned Anderson's Custard.  "Solutions for Wellness in the Workplace and Beyond" was held as an off-site program at Body Be Well Solutions location in North Tonawanda. 

An engaging team building activity involving the preparation of a healthy meal started the session.  Next, was a very interactive open lecture discussion regarding many of the confusing current health topics we are all overwhelmed with everyday.  As the session began to wind down the team moved into the kitchen area.  Here there was an informal participant led debrief; while everyone enjoyed the meal that was prepared by the group.  The evening concluded with each participant receiving a relaxing and rejuvenating chair massage.

Does this sound like something that your business would be interested in?  
Contact us today to discuss; all offerings are customized to each business.

Looking to learn more about the value of wellness in the work place?  

https://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Articles/pages/wellness-productivity-link-.aspx

Brenda's Bites on ESPN 1520AM ~March 13, 2016

Thank you Brenda Alesii for another great  Healthy Choices = Healthy Habits chat!

Brenda's Bites is a periodic food blog, turned weekly radio show on ESPN 1520.

If you missed this episode, click and listen now.  

Kick off Daylight Savings Time with some tasty food chatter on "Brenda's Bites" when Rebecca Albert joins me to talk about her expanded business that includes health and nutrition coaching.  And would you believe Local Restaurant Week is right around the corner? LRW's Christa Schmidt Hobart and chef Ben Ordal weigh in with news on the spring edition. Jada Blitz is also back with their weekly food and fitness tip.  Bites is coming up at 10:30am on ESPN 1520.

http://media.espn1520.com/hosting/media/wwkb/1637459/114051563/bbs031316-114051563.mp3

What is a Health Coach?

A Health Coach is a wellness authority and supportive mentor who motivates individuals to cultivate positive health choices. Health Coaches educate and support clients to achieve their health goals through lifestyle and behavior adjustments. Proper health coach training programs and health coach certification ensure that Health Coaches know how to work with diverse groups of people and equips them with the tools necessary to best fit the needs of their clients.

“The primary objectives of health coaching are to educate the patient regarding self health management and to encourage patients in taking a more proactive role in staying healthy.”-Medical Economics

As more and more awareness is given to preventative care, health coaching is seen as a vital aspect of creating healthy lifestyle changes.  Health Coaches are becoming recognized as essential and integral parts of people’s health and wellbeing.  Not only is there a shift to live healthier lives, people are finding that helping others become healthier makes their lives better too. 

Chronic diseases are the epidemic of our generation and people desperately need nutrition and lifestyle guidance to find their way back to health.  Not only are doctors hiring more Health Coaches than ever before, but patients are learning that working with a Health Coach is one of the most effective ways to improve their health.  ~Institute for Integrative Nutrition