My feed lately seems to be a carousel of the same advice. Get sun, drink water, eat clean, sleep 8, meditate. What most influencers don’t understand is the science behind these recommendations and what will actually get results. I want to un-tease some of the false hope floating around the latest “advice.” so your efforts aren’t in vain. Wellness shouldn’t seem like a mountain you can’t climb.
Get more sun. Yes, please do go outside! Soak it up, feel it on your skin, bask in the sunlight, do all the things. Getting your vitamin D… probably not. While it’s true that over 40% of us are deficient in vitamin D, most of us don’t convert enough sunlight into a usable form. Our body’s ability to synthesize UV into D can be impacted by medications, age, obesity, liver or kidney function. We also need an adequate amount of vitamin K to do this, which most of us don’t get either. Other factors like time zone, season, UV index, etc. also impact the effectiveness of sun exposure. There are a million good reasons to get sun exposure; the simple joy of it, keeping your eyes healthy, recharging your cells, maintaining a healthy microbiome, keeping leptin levels at a norm and circadian rhythm, but odds are you aren’t going to get enough vitamin D. That is also part of the chatter. Doctors and scholars don’t exactly agree here. Most agree that 500IU daily is a good target. As stated earlier, most of us are low and toxicity is rare. Your doctor can test for this, always a good starting, middle and ending point to see what optimal supplementation is for you.
Speaking of circadian rhythm, everyone says get more sleep. But if you’ve struggled with sleep, how exactly do you do that? Yes, you can reduce alcohol (or eliminate it), definitely reduce blue light, try to eat your last meal at least 3 hours before bed. Glymphatic cleansing is a thing and your brain needs it, but it will only happen after your stomach has emptied. Also, it’ll jumpstart your fast if you’re into that. But what if you can’t relax? Have you seriously tried magnesium? One of its main jobs is to help your muscles relax, it also has a calming effect on your nervous system. Magnesium Glycinate is the best form here. I personally take a blended form of 7 types of magnesium, at night for this reason. I take more if I’m under a lot of stress. Another missing piece of advice to better sleep is what you did during the day. Did you get a workout in? Go wear that body out, whatever that looks like for you. Try to avoid this in the evenings though, this will do the opposite and release hormones to stimulate you, keeping you awake longer. Try getting up earlier, if you’re not already a 5 AMer. If you wake at the same time every night this can also be telling deeper health problems going on. Please email me if you want more insight on this. The last thing I want to point out is not new advice but often gets overlooked with our hectic lifestyle. Your mental state plays a huge roll in your wellness and definitely your sleep. When something is bothering you, be it emotional or physical, odds are it will keep you up at night. Not everything can be solved in a day but working through whatever is disrupting your peace will put your mind at ease so the body can rest.
If you’re lying down trying to sleep and you can feel your heart pounding, possibly in the back of your head, odds are you ate something your body is having a hard time with. Or possibly you had a very stressful situation earlier. Heart rate variability (HRV) is the time between your heart beats and can be an indicator of food sensitivity or an overstimulated nervous system. Our body has ways of alerting us, though these signals may be subtle, be aware of them. On the same token, don’t overthink every little thing going on either. Being a hypochondriac can be hazardous to your health too! Simply take notice to sensations you feel and through this awareness, let you intuition speak to you. Because this can be a common reaction to food sensitivities reflect on your diet today. How are you doing with a generally low inflammatory diet (nixing processed food, seed oils, low sugar/sugar subs, etc. and eating whole, nutritious foods)? That alone will reduce anxiety, pain and can vastly improve the body’s ability to relax. It is true that you can eat your way out of any workout so be mindful about your food choices. Emerging science points to weightlifting as more beneficial than cardio training. If you do it right, you’ll get cardio in while you’re lifting! Weight training will also improve your sleep. There are many modes of exercise that can elevate your wellness. Find a few that you enjoy and mix and match, change it up. Just make sure whatever it is, you’re feeling challenged while you do it.
What did you put in your mouth? I’m still surprised at how many people think they’re “eating healthy.” There is a lot of bad diet advice out there and I’m sorry to tell you that most medical doctors are not as well versed in nutrition as they should be. Personalized nutrition is very important. Basic vitamins and minerals are non-negotiable. Our food sources just don’t contain the amount of nutrients they did 100 years ago. Without the basics, you’re wasting your time and money. If you need personalized advice about diet, please reach out. You can have testing done other than your standard CBC, like nutrient panels, mineral tests, even methylation testing that will get right down to your DNA. Otherwise, the point that I want to make is food should be a source nourishment, not stress! It can be simplified. If you’re feeling guilt or lack with your diet, even hangry-we need to make some changes! If you don’t feel satisfied at the end of a meal, let’s look closer there. Your body is trying to tell you something, tune in.
The other revolving advice is to meditate or journal. If you’re experienced here and you benefit from either, awesome! Meditation does get easier with practice. Meditation can look like anything you want it to. Here’s a common example, driving. Meditate in the car you say?! Absolutely. Let’s not close our eyes and go into a trance state here but sometimes driving can be really relaxing, even clarifying. Turn the music on, turn it off. Zone out on the act of just driving itself. My point is not to pressure yourself to relax in the perfect way. This looks different for all of us. Take journaling…I see this one more than any other. If you’re into that, it will probably relax you. But what if you’re not? Don’t force things that don’t feel good to your psyche. Don’t pressure yourself with expectations because someone on Instagram told you to do it. Rest and relaxation looks starkly different than it did 100 years ago. We used to engage in active leisurely activities such as swimming or boating, playing physical games with friends and family, not sitting on the couch with a phone in our hands. We did this because it was a recess from the hustle, a break in the monotony. Physical activity paired with a low mental load equals R&R. Good old hobbies, get one. Or two. Do what works for you. You’ll know what works by how you feel, are you more patient after doing a certain thing? Feel relieved and calm after doing that thing you do? Do that. It counts, I promise.
The point in all of this is that we need to stop over thinking wellness. There is no check list, no perfect recipe. Just because it worked for someone, somewhere, doesn’t mean it will serve you too. You don’t have to fit in a certain container! It’s your wellness, tune into the way something tips the scales when you do it. Maybe it’s positive, maybe it’s not. Say no. Say yes. Keep trying different methods, modify until you find what suites you. That inner voice is quiet sometimes, but it will speak to you! Follow your Haute.