If on December 31, 2013 you were to tell me that this was the best year of your life, what would have had to happen? Instead of starting the year with a laundry list of resolutions, begin looking at what needs to happen in order for this to be your best year ever.
Be specific on what exactly you want by the end of the year and start taking the action steps for it to come to pass.
If you want to improve the relationship with your spouse by the end of 2013 then how many dates do you need to plan ahead? Does technology need to be turned off by a certain time? Do you need to read some books on communication?
If you want to lose weight then how much do you want to lose? How often will you work out? How often will you cook your own meals? How often are you allowed to have cheat meals? Are you reading books on nutrition?
Here are my top 3 tips to help with your health goals and make 2013 your best:
1) Eat like a hunter and gatherer
For 90% of human life on Earth we were known as a hunter-gatherer society and would hunt our wild game and pick our own vegetables. We were not walking into air conditioned supermarkets and picking up pre-packaged foods that can last on the shelf for months or even years. Think about how our ancestors ate and look into a diet based more on what they were doing or what people in the Blue Zones do. There was primarily no grain, sugar, dairy, or legumes. If dairy is something you would like to eat or consume then be sure the source is from grass-fed cows that are humanly raised, otherwise begin to look at almond milk or coconut milk as other sources.
Check out my favorite way of eating known as The Paleo Diet. I have personally gone from 10% to 5.4% body fat and went from 175 to 165 pounds. I would add reading the book “Paleo Solution” to your reading list and understand the science of how the body breaks down certain foods.
2) Burst Train
21st century research all points that high intensity interval training is great for helping people burn fat and get fit. When we workout for quick bursts and take short breaks we put our bodys into sugar burners during the workout but put ourselves into fat burners post workout. I used to go to a Globogym where I would see people working out for hours but never losing weight or even worse they would get bigger. They never knew how to properly workout and once I explained to them about burst training they ended up saving time in the gym and losing more weight. The technique is named after Dr. Tabata who has proven that by working out intensely for 20 seconds then taking 10 seconds to rest, we can increase our VO2 max (maximal oxygen consumption) and get fit.
The way the workout works is you pick 1 movement to do for 4 minutes and perform 20 seconds on then 10 seconds off for a total of 8 sets. Here are some examples of workouts that can be performed: treadmill, bike, jumping jacks, air squats, push-ups, sit-ups, or pull-ups. Here is an example of 1 workout:
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
10 seconds rest
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
10 seconds rest
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
10 seconds rest
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
10 seconds rest
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
10 seconds rest
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
10 seconds rest
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
10 seconds rest
20 seconds @ 100% on the treadmill
3) Get Your Nervous System Working
When many people in our culture think of a chiropractor they think it is only used for car accidents, neck pain, back pain, or headaches. This may be the most common reason people see chiropractors but it is only 10% of what chiropractors do to help their clients be their best. Unfortunately we live in a culture that lives a reactive life, meaning they wait until problems occur before they take action to better their health and life. The nervous system which is comprised of the brain, spine, and nerves controls and coordinates all functions in your body including digestion, reproduction, circulation, and everything else. Since today’s lifestyle has an abundant amount of stress chemically, physically, and emotionally, our body can give us signals that there is an error or malfunction happening. One of the biggest signals or last warning signals it gives us is pain which is only 10% of our nervous system. This means you can have 89% nerve blockage and feel no symptoms which would be true for almost every disease.
We all know people who feel great one day then get diagnosed with cancer the next. Some people are playing tennis one day then the next they drop of a heart attack and get diagnosed with heart disease. We cannot live a life of chasing symptoms and must take care of ourselves before we are in pain or diagnosed with a disease. This is where chiropractic care and your nervous system become very important, making sure our brain is communicating with our organs at 100% which means our body is functioning at an optimal level and we can handle stress much more easily. The best way to know how your nervous system is functioning is by seeing a chiropractor to have them check and detect for vertebral subluxation (misalignments of the spine causing dysfunction in the nervous system). If you need any recommendations for a great chiropractor please follow me on twitter @AtlantaChiro or e-mail ACohenDC@Gmail.Com.
