habits

Get real this year

/ mxospina / 2 Comments

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Hi my dear friends!

Remember when you said “I’ll do it next year”, well, here it is. We have just started a new year of life, a new year of opportunities that have the potential to be the best one ever or on the contrary, be miserable and full of disappointments. If you could choose one of these paths, clearly, you will choose to have a year with the potential to make you happy and fulfilled. Right? Now, as this is kind of an obvious question, I want to ask you another one. What are you doing to help yourself be happier and fulfilled this year? Think about the answer.

Setting resolutions is normally the first step that we do in order to organize the priorities, of course it is a constructive exercise but in my opinion, this exercise works when it’s based on realistic expectations. For example, if your resolution is to lose weight and you start strong and committed for 2 weeks but you stopped because you had a business trip, clearly, you are not setting yourself for success.

One important aspect of making long-lasting changes is to have clarity of the goals you want to achieve and why. If losing weight is a priority, then make sure you organize your environment to make sure that everything around you supports your changes. So instead of buying potato chips and butter popcorn you can go for homemade popcorn and sweet potatoes chips for example. Remove processed foods (dips, milk chocolates, dressings, cakes) and experiment with healthier options like homemade guacamole, humus, almond butter, dark chocolate. Set a day to cook foods and freeze them, in this way you will save time and money during the week and more importantly, you will avoid buying junk food because you cant find anything interesting in your fridge.

Another point is that one needs to realize that we can not pretend to look like someone else, we are unique, we have different body shapes and sizes not to mention different metabolism. I think our society is obsessed with body image. If you know already that a healthy weight for your constitution is between 55-58 kg why do you insist in being 52 kg? Having this expectation is not realistic and will only lead you to frustration and anxiety, which increases emotional imbalances and its likely that you will end up eating wrong foods just to find some comfort.

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Photo by superskinnyme.com

So I guess what I am trying to say here is BE REAL. Of course it is important to set goals but more importantly is to practice self awareness when we set these goals. Why? Because many times we are sabotaging ourselves with our attitude (we don’t believe we can do it, or , on the other hand, we set the bar too high and it becomes an impossible task). At the end, we give up and get back to our old ways.

The only way I know to make changes work for you in the long-term, is to practice self awareness. And yes, this is hard to do because we live fast, we eat fast, we sleep less and we stress too much. We are constantly distracted. We take little time to be with ourselves.To observe without judgement our actions, our thoughts and how these affect our behavior.

So my dear friends, be clear about your goals, write down your plan of action, pace yourself and be patient above all. Work on one change at a time, if you aim to achieve too many at the same time, it is likely you will be overwhelmed and you will stop doing it.

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Photo by Monell.org

There are numerous human behavioral and neuroscience studies that show that food is very close to us because it has to do with our survival. Brain connections start developing when we are babies and food is associated with safety and comfort. When we are calm and collected, we make decisions about making changes, but when we are stressed and tired, all bets are off, so its likely to go back to old ways even knowing they are not good. If you are interested in learning about neuroscience and the relationship of food with brain function, I highly recommend reading Dr. Mario Alonso Puig – Gastroenterologist, Surgeon for 26 years, an expert in brain function and how mental processes affect our wellbeing and total health. Most of his work is in Spanish, (he is Spanish) but I am sharing here a TED talk he did in English about Reinventing Yourself, which is also the name of one of his books, I totally recommend it.  

In previous blogs I have mentioned how important it is to have a spiritual practice. In my case, meditation has been crucial to practice self-awareness. To find the space to observe without judgement, to find my center and to be patient with myself and others. I don’t feel enlightened by any means, ( I keep working at it) I only share my experience with you because it has made a positive difference and I would love for you to experience good health and fulfilment in a sustainable way.

Did you learn something new? Don’t forget to share with your loved ones.

Until next time!

Healthy food for busy men

/ mxospina / Leave a comment

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As you know, many of us eat a lot away from home (unless you work from home). For those who have the discipline to carry lunch to work (meaning they dedicate some time to plan meals, go shopping and prepare them for the week) big kudos to them! But for those who simply don’t seem to have enough time, travel too much and end up eating in restaurants 4 or 5 days a week it’s important to know what options could be healthier than others. My feeling is that it’s easier for women (perhaps because we want to be in shape and traditionally are in charge of running the home) to decide what options could be healthier. But what about men? Do they care to eat something healthy and nutritious or are they only concerned with feeling satisfied? My take is that generally, men don’t really pay much attention to the nutrition side of food. As long as it tastes good and its delivered or cooked in no time, it ticks pretty much all the boxes.

So this blog is actually for you MEN, who eat out a lot, have busy schedules, eat at the office or skip meals. Do you want to be productive? Be the rock star in your meetings? Have mental clarity throughout the day to make decisions at work? Well fellows, let me say it is possible. Don’t wait until your body is collapsing, please. I dare you to prove to women that you are just as strong minded when it comes to making conscious choices around the way you “fuel” your engine.

I know you are dying to hear my tips, so here they go:

  1. Add clean protein to your diet: It is scientifically proven that we don’t need to eat animals to add protein to our diet. However, if you are going to have animal protein, choose lean and quality meats (animals that actually eat real food). Think of this: hormone stimulants, antibiotics and animals fed with GMO foods full of herbicides, and pesticides. Do you really want to eat this? Remember you will eat what that cow ate. (Apart from the obvious cruelty to animals) Try to reduce animal protein to half of what you currently do and replace it with legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. Initially, you will feel its too much fiber in your gut but your stomach will adapt to it (so give it a couple of weeks). Reducing animal protein ( and side products) will help to:
  • Reduce saturated fat that causes inflammation (leading to chronic diseases)
  • Less destructive bacteria in your gut and better absorption of real food
  • If you drink milk, ditching dairy will reduce the effect on your hormones, apart from the fact that it’s proven that it doesn’t add calcium as most advertising led us to believe. Check Dr. Hymann for more information. Milk is for calves not for humans.

Don’t be panicked if you feel gassy or poo many times a day, this is absolutely normal as your gut microbiome is getting used to the change. In a few days, it will go away.

2. Drink more water: Do you feel foggy throughout the day? I am not surprised. Did you know that the brain takes a long time to trigger a response to let us know that we are dehydrated? So, keep a bottle of water in your office and don’t just look at it, drink it, in small sips every hour. Our brain is 75% water so guys, pay attention to this if you want to avoid headaches, fatigue and lack of concentration.

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3. Limit your sugary foods: If you are like my husband who loves sweets, let me say that I understand. I also have a sweet tooth so this is my weakness too. However, please walk the other way when you see a vending machine with M&M’s or snicker bars and get some fruit: dry fruit, dates, blueberries, apples. They are not only sweet, but they add fiber to your diet and that means you will keep your bowels happily working to get rid of that stuff you don’t need. If it’s too much fiber for you, I recommend to do it gradually. Sugar is not only addictive, it has NO nutritional value and it feeds the bad bacteria so seriously, keep away from it.

4. Eat more nuts: Brazilian nuts are especially recommended because of the selenium content (great to fight certain cancers including prostate), almonds are loaded with vitamin E and healthy fats, peanuts are high in folate which is important for brain development and cognitive functions. Of course, you want to eat nuts in moderation as they can also help you gain unnecessary weight.

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These are just a few easy steps to improve your health and nutrition. I know it’s hard to change habits but when we realize that food can be our medicine or our poison, we start changing our relationship with it. It’s fuel for our body, the only body we have in this lifetime, so if you want to remain active, productive, strong and energized, don’t wait another 10 years when you are already diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease and have to spend lots of money in medical treatments, start making small but strong steps to better health now.

I am researching different sources and I found this video online which I think it’s very clear and educational in terms of how the body changes when you decide to go vegan. Even if you are not interested in becoming vegan but want to know how your body starts reacting to the changes you introduce by eating a plant based diet, it’s worth checking it out.

So men, are you ready for it? Show us that you can.

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See you soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 changes that are working for me right now

/ mxospina / Leave a comment

As some of you already know, I am currently getting certified as an integrative health coach and I cannot be happier! I am one of those people who enjoys learning new stuff and specially stuff that can bring benefits to my wellbeing and to others. I have numerous books about cooking, diets, personal development (and other topics) and follow different people on social media but I felt it was time for me to make a more serious commitment. So here I am, studying what I like and applying all of it at the same time. I plan to share all my experiences with you along this process so I am writing this blog for you.

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To start with, I want to share five things I am doing this year (that my studies have reinforced) that work to start on a cleaner path to good health.

1. Drink more water

It sounds pretty simple and we hear it all the time. Well, guess what? I knew it before and I wasn’t really doing it as much. Now I am drinking a full glass of warm water first thing in the morning or herbal infusions depending on the week. The important part is to keep hydrated as much as possible. Throughout the day, I carry a glass bottle with flavour water (basil and lemon, apple slices, ginger and cardamom) and I make sure I drink all of it. I don’t like the taste of water so these natural flavours totally work for me.

2. Set a timer for bedtime

I know I need to sleep 7-8 hours to have the energy to start my day and not be moody or tired next day. Setting up for bedtime (in my cell phone) works great because I am making the effort to create a routine. Scientific studies show that when we create this routine (just like babies and kids have) we tell our body that its time to switch off. The goal is to slow down your brain activity so you can fully rest when you go to bed.

3. Morning meditation

Every morning (except weekends) I jump from my bed to my meditation mat outside my balcony. If its rainy I do it in my bedroom but I do it yes or yes. I use some mantras (if I feel restless) or just practice shine meditation, which is the one taught at the budhist meditation group I am part of. I meditate for 10-15 mins and I finish my session with a prayer thanking the universe for all the goodness I have in my life. This is a precious moment to connect with my spiritual being, to remember what’s important and what’s not that relevant.

4. Mind my thoughts and words

We live so fast that we don’t really pay much attention to the thoughts we have in our minds, but its SO true that our thoughts become words and before we know it, they become actions. (I believe it was Margaret Thatcher who said this) We spend a lot of time thinking about things we have done or said and what we will say or do in the future. Minding the chatty monkey in my brain makes me more conscious of it. I still haven’t mastered this fully but I keep working on it everyday. I feel it makes me a more centered person and I enjoy more the now.

5. Planting at home

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I got a mini greenhouse and I am planting coriander, cherry tomatoes and watermelon. I have no idea if this will work but its making me more conscious about the whole process of creating food, specially food that comes from mother nature. Also, I must say its relaxing to do gardening. I already have an aloe vera plant and I love to be able to eat from it and see it growing.

I hope these tips are something you can relate too. And if you already have some that you think could be beneficial to others, please don’t be shy and share it here. I would love to hear from you!

Hasta pronto!

 

MXO