Articles by Stacey Wirtjes

  \  Motivational, Nutrition, Tru Mindset  February 12, 2024

The Secret to a Morning Routine that Sets You Up for Success

We’ve all heard the saying, “The way you start your day sets the tone for the rest of it.” And it’s true. A successful day starts with a successful morning routine. Developing a morning routine that sets you up for success may seem overwhelming, but it’s easier than you think. In this blog, we’ll explore the secret to a morning routine that sets you up for success and how to implement it into your daily life.

  1. Wake Up Early – The key to a successful morning routine is waking up early. Early wake-up time provides extra time to focus on your personal development and goals. It’s easier to start the day when you’re not rushing to get things done. Aim to wake up 30 minutes to an hour earlier to give yourself enough time to focus on yourself before starting your day.
  2. Exercise – Exercise is a great way to start your day. It not only boosts your energy and mood, but it also sets the tone for a healthy day. You don’t have to go to the gym to get a good workout in. Simple body-weight exercises like pushups, squats, and lunges can be done at home and provide great results.
  3. Plan Your Day – Planning your day is an important step in setting yourself up for success. Take a moment to review your daily goals, tasks, and priorities to ensure you’re staying on track and making progress toward your larger objectives. This simple act helps you focus on what needs to be done and prepares you for a productive day.
  4. Practice Mindfulness – Practicing mindfulness is a great way to start your day. Mindfulness can help reduce anxiety and stress, increase focus, and improve overall well-being. Take time each morning to practice mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing. These techniques create a sense of calm and prepare you to tackle your day with a clear mind.
  5. Eat a Nutritious Breakfast – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s essential to eat a nutritious breakfast. A balanced breakfast provides energy and nutrients essential for a productive day. Start your day with foods high in protein and fiber like eggs, oatmeal, or yogurt.
  6. Stay Hydrated – One of the simplest things you can do for your health is to drink plenty of water. Start your day by drinking a large glass of water, preferably before your morning coffee. This helps rehydrate your body after a night’s sleep and can boost your metabolism.
  7. Limit Screen Time – Starting your day by checking your phone or other electronic devices can lead to increased stress and anxiety. Limiting screen time in the morning can have significant benefits for your mental and emotional well-being. By starting your day without the distractions of technology, you can cultivate a more focused, peaceful, and productive mindset to carry throughout the rest of your day.
  8. Create a Positive Environment – Surround yourself with things that inspire and motivate you, like motivational quotes, uplifting music, or pleasant scents. A positive environment can contribute to a productive and happy day.
  9. Personal Hygiene – Maintaining good personal hygiene in the morning plays a crucial role in starting your day feeling refreshed, confident, and ready to tackle whatever challenges come your way. A consistent hygiene routine can also contribute to your overall health and well-being.
  10. Take Time for Personal Growth – Set aside at least 15-30 minutes each morning to focus on activities that contribute to your personal development. This could include reading, journaling, learning a new skill, or working on a passion project.

In conclusion, a successful morning routine is essential for setting yourself up for a productive day. Incorporating these steps into your daily routine may take time, but the results are worth it. Start small and gradually incorporate these steps into your daily routine, and watch as your morning routine sets you up for success. Remember, the way you start your day sets the tone for the rest of it.

  \  Nutrition, Tru Mindset  February 12, 2024

Cracking the code to a healthier lifestyle

It’s that time of year when we begin making our New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you’ve already made a list of them and even broken one or two. While we can agree that no one’s resolution list is the same, there are, two goals that are shared by many: attaining a balanced diet and achieving a healthier weight. Let’s face it. The weight loss struggle is real, and you’ve tried everything. However, the truth is, what works for someone else, won’t necessarily work for you. Everyone is different, and that’s okay. While big lifestyle changes can be difficult and discouraging, you’re not alone. It’s a struggle that many of us face. Your ideal weight is more than just a number. It’s about you feeling comfortable in your skin.

Did you know that it is possible to reach your weight loss goal without reading books focused on the science behind it or spending two hours in the gym at least seven days a week, on top of everything you’ve got going on in your life? It is! With the proper diet, managing stress levels, and a great night’s rest, you can begin to make amazing strides towards a healthier you.

How are diet, sleep, and stress related to weight? The correlation between the four can be complicated, but not to worry; we’ll simplify it for you by breaking down the impacts of each, starting with diet.

You are what you eat. So, eat healthy.

Like anything else, healthy eating is a learned habit and a long-term commitment.1 However, there are ways to nurture a healthy diet that will help boost your overall health.

A hectic schedule can sometimes throw a wrench in keeping a balanced diet. Like most busy people, your “go-to” is likely a stop through the drive-thru on the way home or a quick meal or snack that is most-likely not the healthiest option for you. Maybe there’s a healthy recipe you’ve wanted to make this week, apples you’ve wanted to slice and store, or your eye has been drifting toward some of the pre-prepared meals at your local grocer. Having pre-portioned snacks and meals on hand can reduce the temptation to over-eat and grab not-so-nutritious foods. Although food prep is ideal, during times of stress, appetites tend to be less disciplined and sporadic. It’s then that we eat food that is higher in calories and fat. Studies have shown that our bodies store more fat when stressed than relaxed, which makes it even harder for us to reach our weight goals.

Stress is the worst.

The most frustrating thing about stress is that there are no alarm bells before it strikes. Anything can cause stress; it’s just a matter of how intense it can feel. There’s no “one size fits all” approach to stress. Everyone handles stress differently. There are also varying levels of stress. What does all this mean for you? Knowing your response to stress and triggers can help you identify and manage your stress. By addressing stressors, you’re aiding your overall health, especially when it comes to weight loss. Thanks to the stress hormone cortisol, any stressor can prompt your body to react.

Stress even has its own hormone.

Cortisol is a hormone that your adrenal glands produce and release. It’s so commonly associated with stress that it’s referred to as the “stress hormone.” When cortisol increases, so do factors such as low energy and moodiness.2 The good news is that as stress decreases, so do cortisol levels. To understand weight gain and its connection to stress, we’ve got to delve deep into cortisol’s function. Simply put, cortisol is involved in two factors contributing to weight gain: carbohydrate intake and fat metabolism.

Let’s talk fat metabolism.

Yes. You read right— fat metabolism. Metabolism is the chemical process in which your body converts food and drinks to energy.1 While doctors do not think this is the sole reason for gaining weight,3 in terms of its relation to stress and the factors that cause weight gain, fat metabolism is a big deal. When you are stressed, you tend to make more emotional decisions, eat more of the wrong foods, are less energetic, and eventually gain weight. Additionally, if you are stressed out, more often than not, it will be difficult to get a great night’s sleep.

Cortisol affects sleep too.

Did you think we were done talking about cortisol? Not quite. Did you know that cortisol also can dictate your circadian rhythm, a.k.a, your sleep-wake cycle? It tells you when it is time to wake up and when it is time to go to sleep. Cortisol levels are lower in the evening when you are going to sleep and higher in the morning when you wake up. When the hormone is high at night, it can affect the quality of your sleep and have other short- and long-term effects.4

Feed your metabolism with quality sleep.

Your body is a fine-tuned machine. Quality sleep is important in supporting your cognitive and cardiovascular systems, especially your metabolism. If your circadian rhythm is off, it can affect your metabolic function. Enter the growth hormone, which, in addition to cortisol, is present during glucose regulation. The growth hormone also regulates carbohydrates and fat metabolism through complex interactions with your body.5

There are four stages of sleep. Non-REM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep occurs during the first three stages and accounts for the first half of sleep. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep happens during the second half of sleep in the fourth cycle (lasting about 90 minutes.6 The growth hormone is at its highest level during the second half of sleep and reaches its highest level when cortisol elevates7; however, it only occurs during REM sleep. So, the reactions from hormones being at their highest can slow your fat’s metabolism, which can eventually lead to weight gain.

Piecing the puzzle together.

Now for the final chain link. What you eat and how much you eat matters to your overall health. Healthy eating habits provide the nourishment that your body needs to function effectively. Stress and cortisol go hand in hand. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when you are stressed. High cortisol levels can lead to cravings for food that is higher in calories and fat, increasing your chance of weight gain. This stress hormone can also interrupt your body’s circadian rhythm and throw off your body’s ability to attain quality sleep. A poor night’s sleep can trigger stress, affecting your weight loss efforts, and the cycle continues. By eating healthier, managing stress, and getting a night of great sleep, you’ve got what it takes to connect the pieces of your journey to a healthier lifestyle and ultimately lose weight.

Sources

1 How to reshape healthy eating habits – The Cleveland Clinic
2 Metabolism and weight loss – Mayo Clinic
3 Metabolism and weight loss: how you burn calories – Mayo Clinic
4 Cortisol – The Cleveland Clinic
5 The intricate role of the growth hormone – The National Library of Medicine
6 Brain basics understanding sleep – National Institute of Neurological Disorders
7 Sleep and metabolism – The National Library of Medicine

  \  Fitness, Nutrition, Tru Mindset  February 12, 2024

When it comes to weight loss, listen to your gut.

Below your stomach lies a little-known secret weapon—your gut. When thinking of our guts, we’re more inclined to think of what comes out of it and not necessarily what goes into it. But our intestines are way more complex than that. Many good fungi and bacteria are inside it to absorb the nutrients necessary to help us live our healthiest lives. It can even affect our bodily functions and, ultimately, our health goals. Speaking of goals, what if we told you that the same fungi and bacteria might be the key to maintaining a healthy weight? Sound interesting? Well, it should be! Get ready because, for this piece, we’re going way more than skin deep. We’re getting intestinal.

What the gut?

We’ll start with the gut microbiome. Gastrointestinal tracts are made of a ton of single-celled microorganisms that are either good for you or bad for you. So, the normal structure microbiome (bacteria, fungi, viruses) lives inside our gut naturally. The norm for gut health is when your body can adequately digest and absorb food and nutrients and promote an effective immune system.
This function is important because when the gut microbiome is not at its optimal level, your gut may be affected.

What’s the benefit of a healthy gut? It can help your overall health. Foods containing fiber, probiotics, prebiotics, and fermented foods are the best to help your gut stay healthy and happy. Fiber, fermented foods, and prebiotics can be found inside fruit, vegetables, and grains that help to feed healthy gut bacteria. What doesn’t help is adding fast food, sugar, and other processed foods that can take your gastrointestinal system from gut to what.

Bacteria and weight management, is that really a thing?

Not sure where to start when it comes to weight management? Check your gut. Your gut helps with digestion and metabolism, so you want it functioning at its optimal level. Diets high in fat and sugar have been linked to weight gain and metabolic changes. A recent National Institutes of Health study has identified the ties between weight and gut microbes using mice. During this study, researchers placed a group of mice on a diet high in fat and sugar and another on a low-sugar diet. Yes, mice and humans have very different anatomies, but the findings in the study could help draw a connection between gut health and weight.

Researchers noticed that after only a week, the mice with a high fat and sugar diet had changes in their guts and fewer T helper 17 immune cells (known as Th17), which help maintain a healthy weight and metabolism3. Segmented filamentous bacteria, which are good bacteria typically found in the guts of rodents, fish, and chicken, saw a sharp drop in T helper 17 production. As a result of the study, they found that without the T helper 17 cells, fat absorption and gut irritation increased.

So, what does this mean to you? While there isn’t a definite relationship between gut health and weight, it does provide an association between both, giving some validity to the case of gut health and weight management.

The great thing about gut health, as it relates to weight, is that you don’t have to jump through hoops to see results. Here are a few simple ways to keep your gut and weight in check:

Broaden your fruits and veggies color pallet.

Don’t get us wrong. Leafy greens are amazing, but you benefit more from eating vegetables and fruits of all shades. Adding more color increases your chances of absorbing more than one type of nutrient, which is great for feeding the good bacteria in your gut4. It’s also a safe way and healthy way to lose weight5. Eating yellow bananas, green peppers, and red grapes in addition to your tasty salad is a great example.

More fiber? Yes, please.

Fiber can help keep your bowels “regular” and your gut giddy. But are you consuming enough of it? Men’s and women’s recommended daily fiber intake is 35 grams and 25 grams, respectively. There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, and insoluble fiber doesn’t. For example, oatmeal liquefies when water is added, and nuts tend to do nothing at all. Each food contains a high level of fiber yet behaves very differently. Both types of fiber are essential to gut health4.

Fermented foods are fantastic.

The word ferment may sound gross; yet, if you’re a yogurt or kombucha fan, consider yourself fermented, but don’t worry; it’s a good thing. Fermented foods can produce vitamins like B12 and K (an undervalued participant in gut health), giving your gut some of the good bacteria it needs, lowering the PH levels in your intestines, and reducing the survival rate of bad-acting bacteria4.

Stressing doesn’t help.

Stress can affect your mental and physical health, and your gut is no exception. Tension triggers cortisol, a hormone released during stress. Cortisol can also restructure your gut’s good bacteria, releasing toxins and neurohormones (hormones secreted by the nervous system) and encouraging poor diet choices and eating habits, which can trigger weight gain or loss6. You can reduce stress by doing something that brings you calm, like going for a walk, reading a book, or getting more sleep. If you can’t shake off your stress monster, here are a few more options that may help.

Circadian rhythms don’t just apply to sleep.

Believe it or not, even microbiomes are on a schedule too. Eating late throws them off because they are not used to metabolizing at that time of night4. When your food is slow to metabolize, it may make your weight management journey that much harder. There is a way around it, though, to try and consume well-balanced meals consistently each day4.

Are you team pre or probiotic?

Both are winners in our book. Probiotics and prebiotics are types of fiber that can be found in food and or supplements. Prebiotics supports the growth of good bacteria in your gut4. Apples and artichokes are great examples of natural prebiotics. Probiotics are good live bacteria that balance your gut’s microbe levels and digestion4. Foods such as yogurt with live cultures, kombucha, and miso are categorized as probiotics. Different types of probiotics can help promote naturally healthy gut flora and can impact overall health4. The most important thing, however, is choosing the one that is best for you.

Foods that can hurt or help your gut.

The same good “fuel” (food) you need to maintain a healthy weight is exactly what is required for optimal gut health. Prebiotics such as fruits and vegetables of all colors that are rich in fiber, like asparagus, bananas, beans, berries, oatmeal, onion, garlic, leafy greens, and wheat, are excellent for feeding your gut healthy bacteria. Probiotics such as sourdough, kimchi, kombucha, and yogurt with live cultures are great for aiding your gut microbiome. If the mention of beans and fruits isn’t fascinating enough for you, not to worry. Your gut and weight health journey is what you make of it!

For breakfast, maybe you could try an apple cinnamon baked oatmeal, chocolate chip banana pancakes or an easy one pot red beans and rice that can cleverly and deliciously satisfy your savory cravings as a way to incorporate good bacteria into your diet.7

Making healthy food choices can be more challenging than it sounds. From food inflation to busy schedules, sometimes, you have the best intentions regarding gut and weight health, but it’s an uphill battle. We get it. It happens to all of us. It’s awareness of what we’re putting into our bodies that can change the way we eat. The occasional fast-food trip or chocolate bar isn’t bad. Regular visits to your favorite burger joint, fructose or sugar binges and excessive drinking can set your weight goals back and impact intestinal health. Foods high in fructose are commonly found in processed foods that we eat and drink and can do a number on our intestines. Even healthy foods like apples, pears, and dried fruits can be naturally high in fructose8, so like everything else, moderation is the key. Surprised? Here’s something that may have way less shock value. Fizzy feel-good beverages like soft drinks, seltzer water, and caffeine (not limited to coffee or tea but also chocolate and over-the-counter pain relievers) can be a punch to your gut if consumed often8.

Keep it moving, for gut’s sake.

If you need extra motivation to get moving these days, do it for your gut. That’s right. Studies have shown that regular exercise isn’t just for getting back into shape; it can also change your gut for the better! But how? Exercise enhances the number of good gut microbes, that in turn increases microflora (bacteria and fungi growth living freely in your gut) and improves the growth of good bacteria, essential to maintaining healthy intestines. Let’s revisit the importance of microflora in this process. It not only provides the nutrients and tissue development found in the gut, but it also affects our immune system. It’s like having an organ inside another organ, making it… an organ’s organ, keeping your gut running smoothly9. The verdict? Exercise is critical to maintaining a healthy weight and gut.

Be good to your gut, and it’ll be good to you.

When thinking about health, your gut may not register high on your radar. The fact is, your gut affects more than just your digestion. It can directly affect your immune system, skin, brain, and heart, improving mood and promoting healthy sleep.

If you have ever felt your emotions in your gut, it’s not in your head (no pun intended). Your brain is responsible for it10. Thus, the connection between your brain and your intestines. Consider them confidants. If something happens in your gut, it quickly sends signals to the brain, and vice versa, especially when stressed. Cortisol (stress hormone) can affect your mood, sleep quality, and gut. So, it is not far-fetched that you’re affected by bad mood and lack of sleep.

A few tips for a top gut.

Healthy guts make for better digestion and nutrient absorption. Getting the proper nutrients from your food significantly impacts your physical and mental well-being11. Eating colorful fruits, veggies, fermented foods, prebiotics, and probiotics, managing your stress levels, and getting a great night’s rest are great starts to improving your gut health and launching you toward your weight goals. It’s a dietary win-win!

Sources
1 Microbiome – National Institutes of Health
2 Building a healthy gut microbiome – Mayo Clinic
3 How diet may disrupt gut microbes to promote weight gain – National Institutes of Health
4 How your gut microbiome impacts your health – Cleveland Clinic
5 How to use fruits and vegetables to help manage your weight – Centers for Disease Control
6 Stress, diet, and the gut microbiota: human – bacteria interactions at the core of psychoneuroimmunology and nutrition – National Library of Medicine
7 Recipes – Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
8 5 Foods to avoid – John Hopkins Medicine
9 Exercise modifies the gut microbiota with positive health effects – National Library of Medicine
10 The gut-brain connection – Harvard Health Publishing / Harvard Medical School
11 How to improve your gut health – MD Anderson Center