2688: How to Have a Healthy Kitchen AND How To Get Your Heart Rate Up by Chalene Johnson on Healthier Choices

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep?

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER_00]: That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily,

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[00:00:33] [SPEAKER_00]: app and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. This is Optimal Health Daily,

[00:00:40] [SPEAKER_00]: How to Have a Healthy Kitchen and How to Get Your Heart Rate Up, both by Chalene Johnson of

[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_00]: chalenejohnson.com and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, happy Monday and welcome back to

[00:00:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Optimal Health Daily where I act as your narrator of the best health and fitness blogs

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00]: all for free and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. And don't forget we have

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: a bunch of shows where we cover a bunch of different topics, just search for Optimal Living

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Daily in any podcast app to find them. Alright and with that, let's get right to today's two

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_00]: posts as we optimize your life. How to Have a Healthy Kitchen by Chalene Johnson of chalene

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Johnson.com

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Most foods stored in the pantry are processed. The fresh stuff is in the fridge. So, let's create

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: a healthy kitchen by redirecting traffic back to the refrigerator. Make your pantry boring.

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: When arranging your shelves, continually stock up on the same items and put things where people

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: know to look for them. When my kids open the pantry, they won't expect to see a surprise

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: stash of cookies and chips. It's always the same stuff in the same place. Yes, it's boring

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_00]: and I do it intentionally. If there were sweet surprises in the pantry, my family would go there

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_00]: first. Instead, I use this place to store emergency foods and redirect traffic to the

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_00]: refrigerator where there's fresher healthier food. Arranging a Healthy Kitchen Pantry

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Even though we want to direct traffic to the refrigerator, we still need healthy options

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_00]: in the pantry for those times when we do eat from there. So, arrange the shelves in a way that

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: creates healthier temptations. Here are some guidelines. 1. Healthier foods go at eye level

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_00]: and chest level. While the less healthy options go in the higher hard to reach, need a step stool

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_00]: places. 2. Repackage anything bought in bulk into individual serving sizes. Nothing stays in

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_00]: its original container. This helps you avoid mindless eating. 3. Keep things organized and

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: make the healthy stuff easy to grab. Some healthy pantry staples include packets of raw nuts, protein

[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_00]: rich cereals, oatmeal, high quality protein bars, dried fruit, wassa crackers, protein powders,

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_00]: instant sugar-free cocoa, whole grain cereal, canned soups, canned beans, instant precooked

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_00]: brown rice, and bags of plain microwave popcorn. Refrigerator Rules

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_00]: When looking into the refrigerator for something to eat, we have the same tendencies as we do when

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: checking in the pantry. We automatically choose whatever looks good and takes the least amount

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_00]: of time to prepare. So, think like a food marketer and arrange your fridge in a way that makes

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_00]: healthy choices a no-brainer. 1. Avoid the crisper drawer. You know the drawer where you

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: store the healthy stuff like fresh produce. Often we put our produce in this drawer and it ends up

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00]: rotting before we even remember it's there, out of sight, out of mind. Make sure you're

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: showcasing healthy food. 2. As soon as you unload your groceries, wash and display fruit and veggies

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_00]: in clear plastic containers and bowls and place them at eye level. 3. Keep sources of lean

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: protein readily available as well. Boil eggs, peel them, and store them in a plastic bag so you

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: can easily dice up the egg whites. Pre-packaged tuna packets are a great easy source of lean protein,

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_00]: and 4. Replace regular staples with healthier options. For instance, replace regular jam

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: with sugar-free jam or blocks of cheese with individually packaged, fat-free string cheese.

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_00]: How to Get Your Heart Rate Up by Shalene Johnson of ShaleneJohnson.com

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Your heart rate seems off. Is it up? Down? You're not sure. It might be because you feel depressed,

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_00]: unmotivated, or sorry for yourself. You decide to take a chill day. The day of isolation turns

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: into a week. A couple of months and now a couple of years? It's trickled into your

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: relationships. You've lost your energy to exercise. You don't care about your bills.

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: You've lost sight of your goals. You don't even have any goals. You wake up each day and you're like,

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_00]: I really don't know what I'm working towards. That one chill day has become your life. Well,

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: that ends today. You just have to make a decision to change it. Listen, I'm going to get real

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: with you. You've got to stop wallowing in it. You've got to stop focusing on it.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Guess what? Burnout is normal. It happens. Let's try a little sense memory exercise.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Relax. Get comfortable. Put your shoulders back. Take some deep breaths.

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I want you now to picture that you're in your car with your eyes closed, but after hearing this

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_00]: paragraph first, look in the rear view mirror and see the police. The police are about to

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_00]: pull you over, right? And the sirens are going. You have no idea why, but there they are.

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine this scene. Go. Now I want you to think about any scenario where you would feel that same

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_00]: fight or flight response, that heightened awareness where you feel a bit of fear,

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_00]: a little of the unknown. Maybe even your cheeks have become a little flushed.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_00]: You can really feel your heart racing. There's almost a nervousness.

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Guess what that energy is? Adrenaline, my friends. Adrenaline is the drug you need

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_00]: for motivation. It produces creativity. It makes us take physical action and oftentimes

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: mental action. If you want to improve your life and get things done, you need to learn to call up

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: that motivation and that enthusiasm on demand when you need it. That said, hear me loud and clear.

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Exercise does that more effectively than anything else you can do. Put aside the weight loss.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Forget about your pursuit of having a six pack or fitting into a smaller pair of jeans.

[00:07:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Exercise will give you truly life changing things, like more confidence, the ability to be super

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: productive, getting you focused and alert, having a happier disposition, more patience,

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER_00]: rationality, balance, motivation and on and on. I have to force myself to stop listing more benefits.

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00]: If there was a drug on the market that delivered all of those things

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_00]: and one of the possible side effects could be that you looked really fantastic

[00:08:16] [SPEAKER_00]: and you live longer and you could wear a smaller pair of jeans and you had strong abs,

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_00]: wouldn't you pay whatever it costs to take that drug? The answer is yes. So tell me,

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_00]: why aren't you taking that drug every day? Hmm? I'm not saying you have to run a marathon,

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_00]: jump up and down or do the most intense crawl through a tunnel workout.

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just saying you need to get your heart rate up. I hope it's not you who loves to

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_00]: give me all the reasons why you can't exercise. And oh, these people find me everywhere.

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Facebook inbox, Snapchat chat, Instagram direct message, Whole Foods on the plane, wherever.

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Epiphany, maybe I'm too easily reached. Anyway, these are some of the things I'll hear.

[00:08:57] [SPEAKER_00]: But I've got this elbow thing or I'm thinking about getting knee surgery

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_00]: or I haven't been able to exercise since I did such and such to my hip.

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Are you kidding me? True story. I've met people with no legs who still find a way to exercise.

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Suck it up, Buttercup. Enough with your excuses. How are you going to get your heart rate up today?

[00:09:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Recall something provoking in your mind or move your body?

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the posts titled, How to Have a Healthy Kitchen and

[00:09:29] [SPEAKER_00]: How to Get Your Heart Rate Up, both by Shalene Johnson of ShaleneJohnson.com

[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: A while back on a different episode in my commentary, I talked about how when it comes to weight loss

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_00]: and weight management, watching calories is much more effective than trying to

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_00]: burn those same calories through exercise. I gave the example of how just by swapping

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_00]: a regular soda for say sparkling water could save 150 calories a day. But if we were to try

[00:10:01] [SPEAKER_00]: and burn off 150 calories today by exercising, it would take most of us at least 30 minutes

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_00]: of moderate intensity walking. Now what does this have to do with today's articles?

[00:10:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Well in Shalene's first post she talked about having a healthy kitchen and gave

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_00]: suggestions about how to turn our homes into an environment where the healthy choice

[00:10:20] [SPEAKER_00]: is the easy choice. For example, putting more nutritious items in plain sight and at eye

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_00]: level. So to save ourselves some unnecessary calories and to consume more nutritious foods,

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_00]: we can place something like I don't know sparkling water in plain sight in the fridge,

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_00]: maybe in front of the soda. This will automatically make it more likely we'll

[00:10:45] [SPEAKER_00]: reach for the sparkling water first. And without much effort 100 to 150 calories saved.

[00:10:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And even if we just save 100 to 150 calories every other day, not every day,

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_00]: just every other day, we're still talking about pounds and pounds of weight loss.

[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_00]: All right that'll do it for today I hope you have a great start to your week and I'll see

[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_00]: you back here tomorrow as usual where your optimal life awaits.