Dr. T's Blog

“Change 1 Thing” Challenge

Have You Accepted the Challenge?

Take One Year to Develop a Lifetime of Optimal Health!

“Change One Thing” is a 12 step process over one year to help you achieve your health goals.  You simply commit to make one change in your lifestyle every month, so that by the end of the year, you will have completely transformed to a healthy lifestyle. 

Why each month?  It takes about 21 days to establish a new habit.  So each month, you will firmly establish one change before starting another.  Are you willing to take the challenge?

Your June Challenge (should you choose to accept it):

“I Will Sleep for 7 to 8 Hours Every Night

Sleep is a serious problem in this society these days!  Almost a quarter of Americans report having insomnia every night or most nights.  Sleeping aids are prescribed and sold at record numbers, and now they are increasingly used by children and adolescents.  A good night’s sleep is just as essential to optimal health as proper nutrition and exercise.

Studies show a strong link between inadequate sleep and obesity.  That may sound counterintuitive, but the trend has been shown in both kids and adults.  And new studies are now coming out, showing that inadequate sleep increases your risk for type 2 diabetes.

How much sleep is enough?  Depends on your age. 

• Adults should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.  (9 or more hours of sleep has also been tied to increased diabetes risk).  
• Children between the ages of 2 and 6 years should get 10 – 12 hrs
• 7 to 13 year olds should get 9 to 11 hours of sleep. 
• High schoolers should get 9 to 10 hours of sleep per night.

And it’s not just the quantity of sleep that matters to your health, but the quality as well.  An interesting study of young adults showed that slow-wave sleep, which is the most restorative stage of sleep, is important for glucose regulation.  When slow-wave sleep is reduced, there is an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Here’s a tip for getting a good night’s sleep:

Avoid technology in the bedroom.  Artificial light from the various technology screens increases alertness and reduces melatonin levels.  At least an hour before sleep, turn off the technology.  With, kids this is critical.  1 in 10 kids report having their sleep interrupted by text messages during the night.

So focus this month on getting your optimal amount of sleep every night.  One clue that you’re getting enough sleep is that you wake up feeling restored without the need for an alarm clock. Are you up to the challenge?

      Don’t forget to continue your:

January habit of drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day (1/2 your weight in ounces of water per day)

February habit of eating 7 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day

March habit of replacing refined white foods with whole grains

April habit of exercising for at least 30 minutes 3 times per week

May habit of detoxifying your system daily

“Change 1 Thing” Challenge

Have You Accepted the Challenge?

Take One Year to Develop a Lifetime of Optimal Health!

“Change One Thing” is a 12 step process over one year to help you achieve your health goals.  You simply commit to make one change in your lifestyle every month, so that by the end of the year, you will have completely transformed to a healthy lifestyle. 

Why each month?  It takes about 21 days to establish a new habit.  So each month, you will firmly establish one change before starting another.  Are you willing to take the challenge?

Your April Challenge (should you choose to accept it):

“I Will Exercise for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week”

Ways You Will Benefit from This One Change:

Exercise is great for the heart: Exercise has been shown to reduce blood pressure.  And by doing so, it reduces the risk for stroke and coronary artery disease.  Studies have shown as much as a 31% reduction in cardiovascular disease among people who regularly exercise.

Exercise reduces cancer.  One third of the cases of breast, colon and kidney cancer are attributed to obesity and lack of physical activity.  Exercise can therefore, reduce your risk of these diseases.  Also, studies have shown that physical activity can reduce breast cancer risk by as much as 30 to 40%.

Exercise reduces bone disease.  Obesity is a primary risk factor for osteoarthritis.  In women who were overweight, as measured by a body mass index of greater than 25, a loss of just 5.1 kg (about 10 lbs), cut the risk of osteoarthritis by 50%.  Exercise also has a positive effect on bone mineral density and strength, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Exercise strengthens mental health:  Exercise reduces depressive symptoms, and reduces anxiety in both adults and children.  Studies have shown that exercise can be as effective as anti-depressant medication.  It makes sense, because exercise regulates neurotransmitter release in the brain, most notably dopamine and serotonin.  These are the same neurotransmitters targeted by the most common antidepressant medications on the market.  Exercise is also associated with improved self-esteem and improved behavior in children. 

Exercise is great for the brain.  Studies have shown that physical activity enhances memory and learning, reasoning, attention, problem-solving and intelligence testing.   Exercise also promotes neurogenesis, which is the production of new nerve cells, and protects the nervous system from injury and neurodegenerative disease.  Want to decrease your risk of dementia in half?  Exercise does this.  Your risk of Alzheimer’s disease can be reduced by as much as 60% by exercise! Exercise also increases brain volume in areas implicated in executive processing.  By the way, by reducing the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease which all have a negative effect on brain function, exercise further protects the brain.

One way that exercise improves brain function is simply through enhanced blood flow.  Blood removes waste products that accumulate in the brain.  Along with that increased blood flow comes oxygen.  The oxygen acts as a scavenger of free radicals, which damage brain cells.

Exercise slows aging: Studies indicate that the presence or absence of a sedentary lifestyle is among the greatest predictors of aging.

Really, can you afford not to exercise?  If you didn’t accept any of the previous challenges, don’t miss this one! 

Ideas for Making it Happen

• Take a 30 minute walk; make sure your pace is fast enough to get your heart rate up
• Put on some good music and simply dance or step in your living room for 30 minutes
• Record an exercise program from the television and simply follow that routine (it’s like having a free personal trainer!)

       Don’t forget to continue your:

January habit of drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day (1/2 your weight in ounces of water per day)

February habit of eating 7 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day

March habit of replacing refined white foods with whole grains

“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”

– Edward Stanley, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

“Change 1 Thing” Challenge

Have You Accepted the Challenge?

Take One Year to Develop a Lifetime of Optimal Health!

“Change One Thing” is a 12 step process over one year to help you achieve your health goals.  You simply commit to make one change in your lifestyle every month, so that by the end of the year, you will have completely transformed to a healthy lifestyle. 

Why each month?  It takes about 21 days to establish a new habit.  So each month, you will firmly establish one change before starting another.  Are you willing to take the challenge?

Your March Challenge (should you choose to accept it):

“Get the White Out and Go Whole”

“Get the white out” refers to getting the refined foods out of your diet.  Refined foods are generally white: they include white flour, sugar, and white rice.  What’s wrong with these foods?  First of all, they are refined, which means that they have been stripped of the many nutrients that they had in their natural state.  White flour is a stripped form of whole wheat flour, just as white rice is a stripped form of brown rice.  They’ve also been stripped of fiber.  Not only are they devoid of nutrients, but they add inflammation to your body.  That same process that contributes to asthma, arthritis and heart disease!

What can you expect from this one change?

Weight loss: A major contributor to obesity is the excess sugar that we take in, whether it’s from actual sugar, or from foods that are quickly broken down to sugar (like white flour).  When you eat whole foods instead, you eat less, because whole foods are more bulky, and therefore filling.  Also, they slowly and steadily release glucose into your bloodstream keeping your appetite under control.

Regularity:  By replacing refined foods with whole fiber-rich foods, we decrease constipation.  At least 40% of Americans are chronically constipated because our diets are low in fiber. 

Decreased risk of heart disease and stroke:.Refined foods are inflammatory.  And one by-product of inflammation is hardening of the arteries which leads to high blood pressure (making your heart work harder), and poor blood circulation to vital organs (like the heart and brain).

Feeling Better:  When your blood sugar levels are steady, you maintain a steady energy level.  Decreased inflammation will cause an improvement in the aches and pains that you may be chronically dealing with. 

Tips:

• Replace white rice with brown rice. 
• Replace white bread with whole grain bread.
• Stop the sugar.  Learn to sweeten your foods with fresh fruit, fresh fruit juice, and even small amounts of grade B or C maple syrup.

And don’t forget to continue your:

January habit of drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day (1/2 your weight in ounces of water per day)

February habit of eating 7 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day

“Change One Thing” is a 12 step process over one year to help you achieve your health goals.  You simply commit to make one change in your lifestyle every month, so that by the end of the year, you will have completely transformed to a healthy lifestyle.  Why each month?  It takes about 21 days to establish a new habit.  So each month, you will firmly establish one change before starting another.  Are you willing to take the challenge?

February Challenge

Eat 7 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day

Benefits of fruits and vegetables:

Full of fiber: Increased fiber content in your diet which will help keep you regular, and will stabilize your blood sugar.  Increased fiber intake also helps you lose weight. Fiber keeps our digestive systems healthy and prevents constipation, a problem for at least 40% of Americans.

Full of anti-oxidants: What are anti-oxidants?  Chemicals that get rid of damaging free radicals that cause cellular damage.   Examples of antioxidants are vitamin C and beta carotene which are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Full of vitamins and minerals:  The American diet is deficient in numerous vitamins and minerals.  The average American consumes a diet containing low levels of calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamins A, C and E to name a few.  We know that low calcium levels contribute to bone disease.  Potassium is important for regulating blood pressure.  Magnesium deficiency also is associated with insufficient bone mineral density, and also increased levels of inflammation which contributes to many diseases.

High water content: It is estimated that 75% of Americans are dehydrated – chronically!  Dehydration causes aches, pains and fatigue.  Not only do we drink too little water, but we also eat too much dry, dead food.  Fruits and vegetables have high water content.

Tips:

• Eat fruit with breakfast, like a serving of berries in your oatmeal
• Have a hearty salad with lunch
• Make a smoothie of blended up fruits and vegetables
• Eat a serving of raw fruit or vegetables as snacks between breakfast and lunch and dinner

    Continue your January habit of drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day!