Archive for the ‘Stress’ Category

5 Quick Money Saving Tips For a Healthy New Year

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

New Year’s resolutions!  Yep, it’s that time of the year, now we don’t know if any money-piggy-bankyou have set out to make a resolution or even what they might be but, we thought we might help get you started with discussing a few easy tips to getting healthy and in turn just might help put some extra cash back into your wallets.  So here you go!

1.     Get to bed early- not only does sleep help to rejuvenate your body but if you get to bed early, you can get up earlier & more easily.  Therefore, having time to make yourself a healthy breakfast and instead not have to spend money on grabbing breakfast on the go.

2.     Stop or cut back on drinking caffeine - caffeine stresses the adrenal glands and in turn can make loosing weight difficult.  Cut back or if you’re brave enough stop caffeine all together.  See how much moola you save from ordering those triple venti latte’s.

3.     Plan your weekly menu- when planning your weekly menu you not only eat healthier during the week you also save an incredible amount of money.  I have found that when I don’t plan my menu I can spend anywhere from $30.00-$180.00 extra a week.

4.     Drink water- if there is only one health change you make for the better, let it be to drink more water.  It’s an easy and cheap way to detoxify the body.  So instead of grabbing that afternoon coke from the vending machine, pocket that change and drink out of that water bottle you brought from home.

5.     Exercise- if exercise is one of those things that is hard for you to fit into your schedule, then do it over your lunch.  The point is that you just need to get your body moving! Rather than spending money on lunch and gas spend that time more wisely and use it to exercise and bring leftovers from last night’s dinner.  Ask a friend to join you and get healthy together.

We hope these quick 5 tips help you start your New Year off right!  If you would like a health plan designed specifically for you please give our offices a call to set up your consultation!

Health & Happiness in 2012

Lori


picture by:  http://www.targetwoman.com/image/money-saving-tips.jpg

Inflammation – redness, swelling and pain

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

inflammation

What is inflammation?  By definition it is …Pathology. Redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, and disturbed function of an area of the body, esp. as a reaction of tissues to injurious agents.

Typically when one thinks of inflammation one thinks of a cut or a sprain that may become red and swell and this is the extent of what one thinks of when it comes to inflammation.  We are here to tell you that inflammation is more than just a cut or a sprain.  Just as the definition above states it is a disturbed function of an area of the body do to injurious agents.  For the purpose of this newsletter we will be discussing areas of the body that are susceptible to inflammation and what exactly are injurious agents.

First of all, any part of the human body can become inflamed.  That means that muscles, nerves, organs and skin are all vulnerable to inflammation.  Becoming inflamed does not just happen from being injured from an accident.  Becoming inflamed as stated above in the definition comes from injurious agents.  What we need all of you to understand is that an injurious agent can come from the food you eat, the beverages you drink, lack of sleep, emotional and physical stress, etc.  Each of these agents can affect your body in different ways but all can end up causing inflammation.

We see so many people that come into our offices not feeling well, feeling tired, knowing that something is wrong with them but yet nothing is found by their healthcare professionals.   More times than not these individuals bodies are trying to fight inflammation and our job is to find the source. We do this by running gut, hormone, liver or food sensitivity testing. Typically what is given to treat inflammation are anti-inflammatory drugs and at times this is necessary but what we want all of you to know and understand is that if the injurious agent is not removed then you are only treating the symptoms and not the problem.

If you would like more information about our in-home test kits or would like more information about injurious agents please feel free to contact us at www.replenishingsoul.com

Staying well this flu season

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

Tis the season, not just for eating Turkey, putting up the Christmas lights but alsosneeze for getting sick. For this weeks blog entry we are taking a break from discussing heavy metals and instead going to discuss a few quick tips for keeping yourself healthy during the flu season.

Illness is going around if you have not noticed and keeping oneself healthy can be a bit of a challenge this time each year. The tips you will read below may seem like common sense but stop for a minute and check in with yourself to see if you are actually doing these “common sense” items:

1. Wash your hands- after coughing, using the bathroom or shaking hands

2. Sneeze into your arm rather than your hand- so many times we think we are being polite by sneezing into our hand but do you always have immediate access to a bathroom to wash your hands before having to possibly shake or touch someone else?

3. Get plenty of sleep: sleep is when your immune system goes to work. Therefore, no sleep, no repair and illness strikes.

4. Cut back or stop all sugar: Sugar suppresses the immune system and can’t fight off illness as easily.

5. Wipe down objects: wipe down your desk, phone & door handles with antibacterial wipes. Help assist in stopping the spread of germs

6. Take your vitamins and immune system boosting herbs

7. Drink plenty of water- this helps your body flush out toxins

8. Eat healthy foods- rather than having your mid-day snack be a snickers bar how about some carrots and hummus or a banana and nuts?

9. Exercise: be careful with this one…even though exercise can help keep us strong and relieve stress is can also lead to illness if one’s body is already tired and run down. Keep exercise moderate this time of year.

10. Slow down & If you feel sick…STAY HOME and not contribute to the illness being spread

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us.

Here’s to your health

Lori Metroka Yu, Clincal Nutritionist, Physical Therapist

Minerals: Phosphorus

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Over the past few weeks we’ve been discussing the fat soluble and water soluble vitamins. This week, we’re going tosalmon shift gears and start discussing minerals.

To recap let’s review the difference between a vitamin and mineral.  A vitamin is any compound that contains carbon and therefore is organic.  There are two classes of vitamins…fat soluble A, D, E and K or water soluble, B and C.

Minerals on the other hand do not contain carbon and are what we call inorganic.  There are macro- minerals and micro-minerals.  Macro-minerals are calcium, chloride, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sodium.  Micro-minerals are:  chromium, iron, copper, zinc, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and iron.

There are many factors that can decrease the absorption of vitamins and minerals which include:  alcohol, caffeine, antibiotics, stress, corticosteroids, aspirin, diuretics, oral contraceptives, sugar and tobacco.  Therefore if your lifestyle includes any of these factors and you are not well there could be a good chance that you are not absorbing your essential nutrients.  You will learn over the next few weeks the critical affect that each of the vitamins and mineral have over the health of your body.

This week we will be discussing Phosphorus

Phosphorus, like calcium is mostly found in the bones and teeth and is the second most common mineral in the body. It is not typical to have a deficiency in phosphorus because it is so plentiful in the diet, assuming you are eating healthy foods.

 What it Does:

  • Gives bones and teeth their structure
  • Helps the body utilize carbohydrates and fats for energy
  • Benefits proper kidney functions
  • Needed for nerve transmission
  • Needed for the contraction of all muscles including the heart

Absorbing and Utilizing Phosphorus:

  • Low vitamin D, high calcium or antacids levels can decrease absorption of phosphorus
  • A high caffeine intake will increase excretion of this mineral

 

Found In:  Crab, Crayfish, Black Walnuts, Cod, Salmon, Cottage Cheese, Pork Tenderloin and Goats Milk just to name a few.

Phosphorus is primarily found in seafood and dairy.

 

Resource:  The Power of Nutrient Dense Food by Patti Weller

Picture by:  http://www.finecooking.com/assets/uploads/posts/5673/ING-salmon-filet-2_sql.jpg

 

Vitamin A- a fat soluble vitamin

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Over the next few weeks we will be discussing Vitamins and Minerals.  We will be discussing one vitamin or mineral atcarrots-vitamin-a1 a time discussing what it is, what it does and factors that affect absorption. We will also be giving you a general list of food items that contain the vitamin or mineral that we will be discussing for that week.

Before we begin lets first discuss the difference between a vitamin and mineral.  A vitamin is any compound that contains carbon and therefore is organic.  There are two classes of vitamins…fat soluble A, D, E and K or water soluble, B and C.

 Minerals on the other hand do not contain carbon and are what we call inorganic.  There are macro- minerals and micro-minerals.  Macro-minerals are calcium, chloride, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sodium.  Micro-minerals are:  chromium, iron, copper, zinc, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and iron.

There are many factors that can decrease the absorption of vitamins and minerals they are:  alcohol, caffeine, antibiotics, stress, corticosteroids, aspirin, diuretics, oral contraceptives, sugar and tobacco.  Therefore if you lifestyle includes any of these factors and you are not well there could be a good chance that you are not absorbing your essential nutrients.  You will learn over the next few weeks the critical affect that each of the vitamins and mineral have over the health of your body.

This week we will be discussing Vitamin A

What it is:  Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin.  So what does this mean?  This means that Vitamin A is found in the fat tissue of plants and animals.  In addition we have the ability to store this vitamin in our own fat tissue.  This can be a bitter sweet situation.  On the good side, we can store Vitamin A in our fat and the body can use it as needed.  However, we can also store too much and risk becoming toxic.  Typically this is not the problem in our society because:  1. we don’t consume enough of healthy fat so that our bodies can store Vitamin A and 2. We have a difficult time absorbing vitamins/minerals because of our poor food choices and poor intestinal health.

What is does:  Vitamin A:

  •  Is an antioxidant, helps with vision, and increases the immune system
  • Is needed for the growth and development in healthy bones, skin, teeth, lungs and intestinal tract. 
  • Is needed for the absorption of Calcium
  • Helps prevent birth defects and has a role in red blood cell production

Factors that decrease Vitamin A absorption are a Vitamin E and or Zinc deficiency, alcohol use and medications like cortisone and Iron.

Foods that contain Vitamin A:

There are many foods (too many to list) that contain Vitamin A.  Vitamin A comes primarily from vegetables.  Here are a few of the more common sources of Vitamin A…are you getting your daily allotment of Vitamin A?

  • Carrots
  • Butternut Squash
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Swiss chard
  • Cantaloupe
  • Red Peppers
  • Bok Choy
  • Romaine Lettuce
  • Apricots
  • Orange tomatoes
  • Broccoli
  • Goat Cheese
  • Red Cherries

 Caution! Vitamin A that has been added to milk.  The Vitamin A that is added to milk is Vitamin “A” palmitate and has been shown to increase bone fractures at high doses.

We hope that this has been helpful.  If you have more specific questions or concerns please feel free to call us and set up a consultation either in person or over the phone.  We are here to help you.

 Lori Metroka Yu

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

Resource:  The power of nutrient dense food by Pattie Weller, C.C.N

Picture by: http://www.wuchi.co.uk/pictures/ind467f086b35a07l.jpg

The history and benefits of yoga

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

Today, many people are taking up yoga techniques for physical exercise, and most don’t know the history of yoga.downward-dog They believe there is nothing wrong with implementing this form of exercise into their daily regiment to promote a more healthy body while not understanding the true purpose of yoga.

The practice of yoga is much more than just a physical workout. Yoga is an ancient path to spiritual growth and self realization. The practice and goal of yoga dates back between 1000-5000 BC and yoga arrived in the United States in the 1800’s.

Yoga has many great health benefits including physical as well as emotional.  Yoga is anti-aging because it helps to detoxify your body, lubricates joints, ligaments and tendons, and massages the organs and tones muscles.  In addition, yoga balances your emotions by becoming more aware of yourself through the synchronization of breath and posture.

 One may ask how does this exactly happen?  When you are attuned to your own breath you can only pay attention and concentrate on yourself.  It is through this concentration on self that you begin to become AWARE of situations that may be disturbing you.  Situations such as chronic nagging low back pain, you may become aware that your body doesn’t move in the way that it should, you begin to notice how calm you are after a yoga class and realize that it’s been awhile since you felt truly relaxed.  You may learn that a negative situation that you thought was resolved still haunts you and is affecting you currently.  It is through this awareness that you begin to see what parts of your life need to be healed and need attention and what parts are working for you and making you feel good and alive. Once you can identify with what is working in your life and what is not and are ready to take responsibility for yourself and work on healing you will notice that your life will begin to change in many positive ways.   Remember these words “you must feel it to heal it”.

Taking a yoga class for the first time can be very overwhelming and at times frustrating.  You don’t know what sun salutations are, you don’t know what Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog pose) is and at times you may feel embarrassed because you can’t do what your neighbor is doing next to you and because you don’t know what the proper alignment of the pose should be you can risk injury to yourself. I encourage all of you who are interested in starting a yoga practice to find a teacher who focuses on form, who is engaged in his/her class and makes hands on adjustment. 

If you live in San Jose/Los Gatos areas and are interested in taking a yoga class and are a bit hesitate to do so then I encourage you to take our Intro to Vinyasa flow.  Our Intro to Vinyasa Flow is designed for the beginner and is taught at a slower pace.  You will be taken through each asana slowly, to help you learn the proper alignment of each pose and the synchronization of breath.  You will build strength and flexibility that will prepare you for higher level flow classes.  In this class we also discuss the philosophy of Yoga that will help you with every day life challenges.  Our Intro to Vinyasa Flow class runs every Sunday morning 10:15am-11:15 am at ABS Fitness, 15690 Los Gatso Blvd. Los Gatos, CA

As once stated by Iyengar, “When the restlessness of the mind, intellect and self is stilled through the practice of yoga, the yogi by the grace of the spirit within himself finds fulfillment

Namaste

 

Tips for managing PMS

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

PMS -Premenstrual Syndrome- a word that through the years has received negative connotation and many times isstomach_cramps1 thought to be in women’s heads.  The truth of the matter is, is that PMS is a real thing with real experiences.  There are many reasons why women could be suffering from PMS…a poor diet, lack of exercise, mineral and/or vitamin deficiencies, day to day stressors as well as emotional stress.  Would you believe me if I told you that pain in any form in the body could be there for a reason, as if it’s trying to tell us something about ourselves…what we need to change, take charge of or heal?  This blog entry is not about the emotional connection to PMS.  However, if you would like to read more about emotional healing please read our blog entry Healing Emotional Pain.  Instead within this blog entry we will be discussing some basic nutritional tips that will help you to start taking control of your PMS and begin reversing the symptoms.

Many times PMS is brought on by inflammation, particularly caused by an increase in prostaglandins and other inflammatory chemicals.  Below is a list of factors that contribute to PMS:

  • High consumption of dairy products
  • Excessive consumption of caffeine products
  • Excessive consumption of foods that raise blood sugar quickly
  • High levels of Estrogen that can come from extra body weight, the livers inability to breakdown estrogens or a deficiency in the B vitamins especially B6 and B12.
  • Low levels of progesterone
  • Poor diet that leads to increase prostaglandin production. This is seen with a diet high in processed foods and trans-fatty acids
  • Low levels of vitamins C and E and selenium and magnesium
  • Lack of exercise

Tips for managing PMS

 A great place to start for reversing the symptoms of PMS is to begin by decreasing inflammation.  Below are some basic tips to get you started:

  • Eliminate C.R.A.P. from your diet: Caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed food.
  • Decrease your consumption of red meat and egg yolks as these are high in arachidonic acid (AA) which can contribute to cellular inflammation.
  • Decrease consumption of dairy products: ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt and milk
  • Start an exercise program: walk at least 20-30 minutes daily
  • Start a multi-vitamin-mineral supplement
  • Make sure you are getting enough essential fatty acids: these are found in raw nuts and seeds, cold water fish such as salmon or sardines and green leafy vegetables
  • Stress reduction: yoga, meditation, going for walks by yourself so there is time for reflection, journaling, taking a hot bath or anything that allows you to take time for yourself.
  • Positive thinking: check in with yourself daily and pay attention to the thoughts you are having. Are they positive or negative and if they are negative why are they negative, what are these thoughts trying to tell you? Do you hate your job that is keeping you from living your true passion, are you in a relationship that does not feed you etc

We hope these basic tips get you started to reversing your PMS symptoms.  If you would like more information about hormones we recommend you attend our hormone lecture entitled: How your Hormones affect your Weight, Energy and Mood. We also recommend reading Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Dr. Christine Northrup.

 

Lori Metroka

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

Resources:  Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Dr. Christine Northrup

Picture by:  www.prevention.com/naturesmedicinechest/image.

 

 

 

 

Spring Cleaning Toxins Out of Your Home

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Toxic chemicals are found everywhere these days.springcleaning1 It’s frightening to know that they are in the air as well as in our food, water, cosmetics, skincare products and cleaning products. Besides contributing to air pollution, these harmful chemicals have been found to cause respiratory and eye infections, asthma attacks, skin irritation, hormonal imbalances, and cancer. Many chemicals mimic the hormone estrogen in our body. This is alarming because this causes many of us to become estrogen dominant, causing a wide range of negative symptoms including low sex drive, infertility, depression, endometriosis, increased body fat, fatigue, thyroid dysfunction and PMS. Estrogen dominance has also been implicated in in the rise of breast cancer in humans.

What to do:

1. Replace toxic household cleaning products with greener alternatives. Go back to the basics and try using natural cleaning products like baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar to clean surfaces in the home. Choose laundry and dish detergents made from plant-based oils (like canola or pal kernel oil) vs. petroleum, and choose detergents that are phosphate and fragrance free.

The Environmental Group has a good checklist you can print and use to go through your home. Go to : http://www.ewg.org/files/ewg-hht-checkilist.pdf

 

2. Choose healthier cosmetic and skin care products that are paraben, phthalate and petroleum free. Go to www.cosmeticdatabase.org to see how toxic your skincare and make-up products are. This is a wonderful resource that rates the level of toxicity in these products and also provides safer alternatives.

3. Join us for our Hormone Health Seminar (see events page for more information) to learn more about how hormone imbalances impact your health.

In Health,

Dorothy Lizak

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

 

Resources:

“How Toxic Are Your Household Cleaning Supplies?” Organic Consumers Association. OrganicConsumers.org. n.d. Web. 5 March 2010.

Photo: thank you to: http://ourkidsnews.com/newssite/images/stories/users/springcleaning.jpg

Constipation & Low Back Pain Connection

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

low-back-painDo you suffer from chronic low back pain?

Have you tried every modality out there with no relief?

Is your chronic low back pain worse some days than others?

Are your bowel movements inconsistent?  (Meaning you should have 2-3 movements daily 6″ or longer)

Are your stools difficult to pass or pebble like?

 

If you answered yes to any of the above questions then there is a very good chance that your chronic low back pain is coming from constipation, not because of something structural.  Let me explain.

When you do not have proper elimination of your bowels the contents within your intestines can build up leading to bad bacterial overgrowth, inflammation and pain.  When the intestines become inflamed/swollen they inhibit (stop) the abdominals from working.  The abdominals are important stabilizing muscles for the back and when they stop working do to inflammation your back has no support and now you are suffering from back pain.    Think of it this way you have a long garden hose that you tie off at one end.  You keep pushing water through it but it has no way out, overtime the hose tries to compensate by expanding, getting bigger and bigger, this is the inflammation in your body.  The majority of you out there that are currently suffering from chronic pain and inflammation are because of what you are putting into your body.   The American diet consists of C.R.A.P.  (Caffeine, refined sugars, alcohol and processed foods).    These foods offer no nutritional value and instead cause constipation.  Constipation overtime will lead chronic inflammation and chronic back pain and that is why many of you out there get no relief no matter what you do. 

There is good news to all of this and that is that you can reverse inflammation.  It will take some hard work on your end by changing your lifestyle but you need to ask yourself what’s more difficult, suffering from back pain or making lifestyle changes that overtime will make  you pain free, have more energy and possibly loose weight along the way.

Below is a list of tips that will help get you started to a healthier GI system:

  • A great place to start is your diet. Take a look at what you are eating day after day, writing it down will help immensely in helping you become aware of what non-foods you are putting into your body on a daily basis.
  • Drink more water: general rule of thumb is taking ½ of your weight and drink that many ounces of water. Dehydration alone will slow the bowels down and cause constipation.
  • Drink water upon rising. This helps to awaken the GI system and get things moving.
  • Replace foods that have a shelf life with real foods like fruits and veggies. These foods offer fiber that shelf-life foods do not.
  • Begin taking a high quality fish oil supplement: Fish oil offers healthy fats that become a lubricant for the intestines.
  • Begin taking a high quality probiotic: probiotics help to replace the bad bacteria with good.  Read our blog article “What are probiotics doing in your digestive tract”? for more information.
  • Exercise: Get yourself moving…when you move around it helps stimulate the intestines.
  • Mange your stress: Stress gets stored differently in all of us. Some of us hold stress in our shoulders, low back or belly region. Take a minute to see how much stress may also be contributing you’re unhealthy GI system.
  • Watch for food intolerances: when we eat foods that our body cannot tolerate this too can lead to bad bacterial overgrowth and inflammation. Signs of food intolerances can be anything from a headache, to gas, bloating diarrhea or constipation.

If you have any specific questions about the health of your GI system feel free to contact us for a consultation.   We can also assist you in food intolerance testing, gut testing or hormone testing.

Here is to a healthier you.

 

Lori Metroka Yu

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

Picture supplied by www.media.rd.com

 

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Break and Breathe: Simple Relaxation Techniques to Reduce Stress FAST

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Many of us are constantly on the go, stress0multi-tasking our way through our day and finding ourselves feeling stressed out. If you are like so many others, your mind may be racing, your heart rate and breathing may quicken and you may have trouble concentrating and getting your work done. This probably starts making you feel badly about yourself and negative thoughts start swirling in your mind which just causes you to be more stressed. As we’ve mentioned in other blogs, stress doesn’t just affect you mind, it also negatively affects the way your body functions. It causes hormone imbalances, disrupts sleep, digestion, your immune system and has a strong correlation with medical conditions such as heart disease and depression. 

 

The next time you are feeling stressed, I want you to remember the two B’s: “Break and Breathe” and do the following.

 

1. Take a Break:

You are given breaks at work for a reason, so take them. So often we get caught up in the mindset of “I don’t have time” and work through our breaks and lunch which only leaves us burnt out, more stressed and less productive. Instead, take a time out, do some of the breathing exercises below, and you’ll probably be more productive when you get back. It’s best to leave your workspace, but if you can’t you can easily do these at your desk.

2. Breathe:

One of the easiest ways to change how your body is physically reacting to stress is through your breath. By focusing on your breathing, you are forcing your heart rate to slow down which will calm your body and mind. Here are a few breathing exercises to choose from.

     1. Close your eyes and inhale as slowly as you can and silently count “1″. Then exhale slowly and silently count “2″. On your next inhale, silently count “3″ and so on. The goal is to reach the number “20″. By this point you should notice that your breathing will be fuller and deeper, and you will be more relaxed.

     2. Close your eyes and inhale as slowly as you can. Try to prolong your inhale to the silent count of 4 seconds. When you finish inhaling, gently hold you breath for 2 seconds and slowly exhale to the silent count of 8 seconds. Repeat for a minute or longer. If you can’t control your breathing for that long, its ok to shorten the duration of inhale and exhale, just make sure your exhale is twice as long as your inhale.

   3. Close your eyes. As you slowly inhale through your nose, visualize pure white cleansing air entering and filling your entire body. As you exhale, picture the gray negative, stressed air exiting your body through your nose. Continue this process as you inhale and exhaling, replacing your stressed out body with clean, fresh air and energy.

It’s also important to remember that mental/emotional stress isn’t the only way to stress out your body. Eating the wrong kinds of foods, going to bed late, not drinking enough water, having unbalanced hormones, can induce stress on your body and cause a multitude of symptoms including low back and neck pain, PMS, irritable bowel syndrome, frequent illness, migraines, and many others. We provide nutrition and lifestyle coaching in Los Gatos and San Francisco as well as over the phone. Give us a call to learn how to get your body back in balance.

If you try these stress techniques, let us know your experience, we’d love to hear from you.

 

 

Dorothy Lizak

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

References:

photo thank you to: http://www.stressrelatedillness.com/stress-management.html