You can call me old fashioned! In some cases this is very true. I still love reading newspapers. My daily read is The Dominion Post. I particularly like Tuesdays “Life” Supplement, and Thursdays “Well and Good” page. They are always a valuable read.

Last Thursday May 28, Dr Libby had some great advice about stress. That long-term stress can send a message to every cell in your body that your metabolism needs to slow down, in order to store fat, in readiness for flood, famine or war. The body can’t distinguish that the source of our stress in these times is different – coming primarily from work, financial, relationship, health or weight worries.

So for some of us, long-term stress can cause weight gain. But if our strategy is to diet in order to combat the weight gain, we are confirming that food really is short. The body then kicks in to accelerate fat storage.

When you restrict food intake on your diet you slow your metabolism further, making it feel like you only have to look at food to gain weight.

If you are in this position my advice is to eat normally and regularly. Don’t go on a stringent diet.

Dr Libby’s recommended actions to bust the stress are:.

• Long slow breathing so you can feel your diaphragm moving, communicating to your body that you are safe, not under threat.
• If you are using caffeine to amp up and wine to slow down, simply swap caffeine for green tea and wine for sparkling water. This will give your nervous system a break, producing a huge influence on fat burning and appetite.
• Practice gratitude. It is impossible to feel stressed when you feel grateful.

Remember – The less we worry about what people think, the less complicated life becomes. Be You – The world will adjust.

Eat well – Perform well

A number of years ago I attended a weeklong live-in development programme. As a mandatory element of the programme we adhered to a Pritikin eating plan. This focuses on healthy whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fish. It is naturally low in total fat and sodium, and rich in unprocessed carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, beneficial phytochemicals, antioxidants and dietary fiber, and it has adequate amounts of protein and essential fatty acids. In addition we agreed to no alcohol, caffeine and refined sugar.

OMG!!! How did you survive that?

It was easy. After a couple of days we were so alive, so energized, awake and present to fully participate in the days activities. Needing far less sleep than back in our normal home/work environments.

I learned two key things:

• Eating well and taking good care of my health is the foundation for success in my life and career. Healthy me – healthy career.
• If I have important matters to complete at work, or in life, eating sensibly will ensure I have the energy and enthusiasm to get them done. Just manage myself well and the outcomes will be good.

If you’re hooked – keep reading

It was an article about gut bacteria in Mondays DominionPost that reminded me of the course experience. The essence of the article was two-fold.

• A guinea pig dieter killed off one third of his good gut bacteria by living solely on McDonald’s burgers, chicken nuggets, chips and coke for 10 days.
• Changes in our gut microbe community are likely to be responsible for much of our obesity epidemic, and consequences like diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

There is increasing evidence that a healthy gut is linked to a strong immune system, and good health and wellbeing. It’s not rocket science. To optimise your health and wellbeing, optimise your gut bacteria. Put good food into mouth.

I challenge you – Try it for 2 weeks.

Eat well

Cheers Bruce