2736: Boost Your Energy with These 3 Diet Tips AND Why Rest & Sleep Affect Recovery by Chalene Johnson

[00:00:00] Ortomol Immun ist dein Partner fürs Immunsystem. Und damit das einwandfrei funktionieren kann, ist eine ausreichende Versorgung mit Mikronährstoffen wichtig. Ortomol Immun ist ein Nahrungsergänzungsmittel zur gezielten Unterstützung des Immunsystems. Mit wichtigen Nährstoffen wie Vitamin C, D und Zink als Beitrag zu einer normalen Funktion des Immunsystems. Such jetzt online nach Ortomol Immun, informiere dich und sicher dir deine kostenlose Produktprobe.

[00:00:27] Das ist Optimal Health Daily. Boost Your Energy mit These 3 Diet Tips und Why Rest und Sleep Affect Recovery.

[00:00:35] Both von Chalene Johnson von ChaleneJohnson.com. Und ich bin Dr. Neal Malik.

[00:00:40] Welcome to another edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:00:43] This is one of just a few podcasts in the world where blogs are read to you.

[00:00:48] And on this show, you get the added bonus of hearing my commentary at the end.

[00:00:52] Oh, and another bonus, on Fridays I answer your questions.

[00:00:56] Remember, you can send in a question by emailing it directly to health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:01:04] Alright, but for now, let's get to today's two shorter posts as we optimize your life.

[00:01:14] Boost Your Energy with These 3 Diet Tips by Chalene Johnson of ChaleneJohnson.com

[00:01:21] There's no question that what you put in your body has a direct effect on how you feel and how much energy you have.

[00:01:28] If you put not-so-nutritious foods in your body, you'll probably not feel your best.

[00:01:33] But if you fuel your body with healthy food, your body and brain will feel light, energized, and full of life.

[00:01:40] Your diet can also influence how you look.

[00:01:43] So instead of trying to find beauty at the drugstore, try to find it in the kitchen.

[00:01:48] Nutrition is a great place to start to not only create a healthy body, but also a healthy glow.

[00:01:54] Eating the right foods can take years off of your look, and will give you not only a younger appearance, but also a smaller waistline.

[00:02:01] These 3 tips will help you get your energy and beauty back, no matter where you feel you've been lacking.

[00:02:08] 1. Chomp down on some raw veggies

[00:02:12] A great way to restore your energy and beauty is to add more raw veggies to your diet.

[00:02:17] They make for a great snack, but also are great before or during every meal you eat.

[00:02:23] Cooking vegetables above 118 degrees Fahrenheit can destroy some of those vegetables' powerful enzymes.

[00:02:29] These enzymes can help with your well-being because they provide a surplus to help digest foods instead of depleting your reserve of enzymes.

[00:02:38] The less stress on your body, the more it can focus on keeping you energized.

[00:02:43] To include more vegetables in your diet, try eating one serving before each meal, especially lunch and dinner.

[00:02:50] Options include cucumber slices, celery sticks, or red bell pepper slices.

[00:02:55] A favorite way of mind to add more veggies in my house is a side salad or a green smoothie.

[00:03:01] All it takes is a couple of handfuls a day to start seeing the benefits.

[00:03:05] Make sure you progress into this.

[00:03:07] Don't add a ton of raw veggies right from the get-go.

[00:03:11] Raw veggies are great for you, but they also have a ton of fiber, and that can put some stress on your digestive system.

[00:03:17] So, progress into this by adding half a cup to start.

[00:03:20] Then, eventually, progress to a cup.

[00:03:23] 2. Boost it with more greens

[00:03:27] Green leafy vegetables are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.

[00:03:31] These nutrients are great for your whole body, as well as areas like your hair, skin, and nails.

[00:03:36] Not only are greens nutrient-packed, but they're also filled with fiber, which will help with digestion and help keep you fuller longer.

[00:03:45] Helping with digestion means you'll be more regular and you'll avoid things like bloat.

[00:03:50] Not to mention that most greens, like kale or spinach, are very low in calories per cup.

[00:03:56] 3. Don't be shy with healthy fats

[00:04:00] More recently, we're learning that some fats are good for us, but this can be a tricky subject, because other fats may be inflammatory and can be easy to overdo.

[00:04:10] The key is to keep an essential fatty acid ratio of 3 to 1.

[00:04:15] More specifically, that's your ratio of omega-3 fats to omega-6 fats.

[00:04:21] It can be difficult to know which fats are best.

[00:04:24] Good options include chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, avocados, and walnuts.

[00:04:29] If you work out, you probably crave fat, and that's because it's a necessary component to repair tissue, like those muscles you work hard in the gym.

[00:04:38] Many of these seeds can be added to oatmeal, buckwheat, a bowl of fruit, a smoothie, or even a salad.

[00:04:44] You may already have some added to your daily breakfast and not even know it.

[00:04:52] Why rest and sleep affect recovery, by Chalene Johnson of ChaleneJohnson.com

[00:04:59] There are mountains of research suggesting that Americans are overweight in large part because we are chronically sleep-deprived, among other factors.

[00:05:07] Somewhere along the line, we've been brainwashed into thinking that rest or sleep is something lazy people do.

[00:05:14] That carries over into fitness, where many people say they are too tired to exercise.

[00:05:18] Those who work hard but miss rest never allow their bodies to heal or to achieve adequate recovery.

[00:05:25] Here's why rest and sleep affect recovery.

[00:05:28] Science teaches us that adequate hours and quality of sleep will help to

[00:05:33] metabolize carbohydrates properly, maintain leptin and growth hormone levels, increase energy levels, increase cognitive abilities, maintain proper blood pressure, and reduce insulin resistance, decrease anxiety and perceived stress, and repair muscle.

[00:05:51] Most fall off the exercise wagon after just a few weeks of effort.

[00:05:55] They fail to make adjustments in their sleeping patterns, and the result is a tired body and defeated resolve.

[00:06:01] Without enough sleep, it's difficult to do just about anything, let alone exercise and eat right.

[00:06:08] It generally takes about 7 hours of quality sleep for most of us to gain the benefits of sleep.

[00:06:14] People often lose sleep when they add exercise to the equation.

[00:06:18] This happens only when exercise is simply added to the existing busy schedule, and no accommodations are made to scrape other activities off your plate.

[00:06:27] Make an effort to measure and record your sleep hours and quality as carefully as you track your progress in any other area.

[00:06:35] Devices like a Fitbit or Apple Watch, worn while you sleep, help you track and improve your sleep patterns.

[00:06:41] Muscle rest

[00:06:42] Your body needs adequate time to recuperate after exercise.

[00:06:47] The quicker the recovery, the quicker you'll see gains in strength and physical transformation.

[00:06:52] Strength and muscle gains, which translates into fat loss, increase during periods of rest.

[00:06:58] The amount of rest needed varies from person to person based on your goals, your intensity, and your unique makeup.

[00:07:05] Here are a few general guidelines to consider when planning rest.

[00:07:09] Moderate muscle soreness is normal.

[00:07:12] Intense muscle soreness means those muscles should not be loaded for a period of 24 hours.

[00:07:18] That's not to say, however, that you can't work the soreness out by doing something of moderate intensity.

[00:07:23] When weight training for strength, allow 24 hours of rest between muscle groups targeted in that day's workout.

[00:07:30] And, a day of rest after physically loading your body is strongly encouraged.

[00:07:34] However, a brisk walk can be considered rest.

[00:07:37] There's a difference between elevating your heart rate and enjoying the mental benefits of moderate activity versus pushing yourself and taxing or loading your system.

[00:07:48] Final thoughts

[00:07:50] Listen to your body, but don't be an excuse maker.

[00:07:53] Everyone needs rest.

[00:07:54] Your best progress will be made during periods of sleep and when you allow your body to repair itself.

[00:08:01] Here's my honest-to-goodness rule for rest.

[00:08:03] I don't schedule a day of rest for myself.

[00:08:06] I let life do that for me.

[00:08:08] In other words, I set out to get 7 days of exercise per week or 2 days out of 10, something more important than my workout comes up.

[00:08:17] No problem.

[00:08:19] Instead of rigidly denying life's little surprises, I chalk them up to rest days.

[00:08:24] Granted, I will still find a way to get my heart rate up for a minimum of 30 minutes on those days, but it's not life and death.

[00:08:34] You just listened to the posts titled, Boost Your Energy with These 3 Diet Tips and Why Rest and Sleep Affect Recovery.

[00:08:43] Both by Shaleen Johnson of ShaleenJohnson.com

[00:08:46] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:08:49] Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:08:51] I want to go back to Shaleen's second post, the effects of rest and sleep on recovery.

[00:08:56] You may have noticed that whenever I talk about recovering after a workout, my recommendations are, let's just say, vague.

[00:09:03] I'll say something like,

[00:09:04] If your muscles are sore, do some sort of active recovery.

[00:09:08] For example, if your legs are sore, perform some light leg stretches or go for a gentle walk.

[00:09:14] The thinking is that by doing this, it's going to bring more nutrient-rich blood to those sore muscles and speed up recovery.

[00:09:21] But I usually don't talk about how many days we should wait before completing another full workout.

[00:09:27] My advice usually is, listen to your body.

[00:09:30] There was a very well-written article published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,

[00:09:35] and the author talked about why we still don't have very specific rest recommendations.

[00:09:40] The author said that while yes, recovery from training is one of the most important aspects of improving athletic performance and allowing muscle growth,

[00:09:49] how we should spend our rest and recovery days is still a mystery.

[00:09:53] The author goes on to say that the best approach is to experiment with different techniques and see which one seems to help the most.

[00:10:02] So, it goes back to what I've been saying.

[00:10:05] Listen to your body.

[00:10:07] But hopefully, someday soon, we will have more specific advice.

[00:10:12] Alright, that'll do it for another edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:10:15] Thank you so much for being here.

[00:10:17] I hope you have a great rest of your day, and I'll be back here tomorrow with another post,

[00:10:21] and where your optimal life awaits.