Everyone knows that diets don’t usually work long term and that living a healthy and balanced lifestyle is the key to health and happiness. This is 100% easier said than done. With the plethora of information available online, it is hard to know where to turn to with health-related questions. There is a new fad diet each week and everyone has an opinion on how to lose weight, how to be healthy, and what constitutes a balanced lifestyle. Amanda Zimmerman is a Nutritional Therapist in training with the Nutritional Therapy Association and also a licensed mental health therapist. Her new practice, Whole Life Wellness, based out of the United States helps individuals heal their bodies and achieve their wellness goals. Amanda sat down with Flair Magazine to discuss diets and the five reasons that so many people sabotage their own wellness plans. Here are the five simple things that you might be doing every day to put your health and wellness goals in jeopardy.
1. Being stressed out while you eat
In order for the body to digest food properly, you need to be in a parasympathetic state. This means your nervous system must switch out of fight or flight mode and into rest and digest mode. If you are eating while doing other things and not attending to the task of eating, you will not properly digest your food or utilize its nutrients. A great way to avoid being stressed out while you eat is to be mindful of your mental state before eating and eat meals in a relaxed setting when possible. If you have to eat while working or doing other things, at least take a few deep breaths before beginning the meal.
2. Not chewing your food enough
This is related to tip #1 in the sense that proper digestion is necessary for proper nutrient utilization, and proper nutrient utilization is necessary for proper metabolic function. When you don’t chew your food enough, the rest of your digestive system has to work very hard to just break your food down enough just to move it through the system.
3. Not drinking enough water
Repeat after me, “hydration is crucial to proper bodily function.” The most common nutrient deficiency is water. The best-case scenario is that we drink half our body weight in liters of water per day. So, if you weigh 63 kilos, then you should aim for at least 2 liters of water a day. At the very least, try to get 1.8 liters. This will aid the body in detoxifying and elimination, both key for proper metabolic function.
4. Over-exercising
You heard me right folks! Your excruciating exercise regimen could actually be derailing your weight loss goals. When you chronically stress your adrenal system, your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar utilization is compromised. If you finish your workouts feeling exhausted rather than primed for the day (on a regular basis), that is a key sign that you might be overdoing it. If the thought of giving up your high-intensity workouts strikes fear, try at least in putting other types of movement and alternating days. Taking a yoga class, walking, hiking or anything on the more gentle side are good things to weave into your routine.
5. Waiting too long to eat in the morning
Many people are familiar these days with the idea of intermittent fasting. This can be a great way to increase metabolic flexibility—your body’s ability to utilize all sources of energy equally—if your body is ABLE to utilize all sources of energy. Many people are not in that state, in which case waiting too long in the morning to eat breakfast can actually exacerbate problems with blood sugar regulation, increasing insulin resistance and, therefore, bodyweight. If you have been trying to wait longer in the morning before eating and are not seeing results and are not feeling good, trying eating right away in the morning instead and see how that impacts you.
Amanda Zimmerman is a Nutritional Therapist in training with the Nutritional Therapy Association and also a licensed mental health therapist. For more helpful information and tips visit @wholelifewellnessmke on Instagram.
by Amy N. Pugsley
