Advanced Strategies for Healthy Aging

Sometimes our bodies need us to “shake things up” so to speak! The strategies listed below are a great way to try something different or step your health routine up to the next level. As always, I want to hear your feedback. Be sure to read through and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Quality of Sleep is CRITICAL

If you cannot sleep, you cannot lose weight. Ladies, if you are north of 40 years old, sleeping 7-8 hours every night is the BARE MINIMUM. Here’s how to help ensure that you achieve this goal. First, start with a cold, dark room. If you have night sweats, you are already aware of the need to keep your bedroom cool. Get off of all electronics (phone, tablet, computer, TV) at least 90mins before bed. If you must use electronics after 6pm, make sure you wear blue-light blocking glasses. <<SHOP HERE>> If you are waking up in the middle of the night I want you to ask yourself a few questions. Are you consuming enough calories during the day? Did you consume enough good-quality carbohydrates with dinner? Always check in with yourself and make sure you are treating your body well during the day. This will help to ensure you have quality sleep.

Supplements:

I don’t feel comfortable making blanket statements regarding supplementation. That is because I deeply believe that bio-individuality is really key. However, adaptogenic herbs are awesome and generally beneficial for most everyone. I like items like Maca (quality is imperative), Rhodiola Rosea, Eleuthero. Read my blog post on MACA <<here>>.

There are also great blends from Moon Juice. I specifically love their Moon Dusts. I’m a fan of their Beauty, Sex and Brain Dusts! These little packets are easy and portable!SHOP MOON JUICE

Stress Reduction Strategies:

To truly reduce stress you must tap into that parasympathetic state of rest and repose. Please stop the crazy cardio workouts. Get out in nature first thing in the morning to reset your Circadian rhythm, do a yoga class, barre, pilates or tai-chi. It’s a proven fact that when you ground yourself to the earth your cortisol levels lower. Try reading a book, get a massage, soak in a magnesium salt bath. And most importantly, ditch toxic energy-sucking people from your life!

Different Patterns for Fasting:

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that I credit much of my personal success with healthy aging to intermittent fasting. The following are additional strategies to add to your intermittent fasting routine. If you are starting on your intermittent fasting journey, I recommend starting with a 16:8 fasting/fed cycle.

24-hr Fasts

I implement this strategy once a month. To be successful it is important to ensure you consume proper calories the day before. You want to consume protein, healthy fats and carbs. Staying well hydrated is key. I always look forward to these, especially when I feel like my body needs a “reset” after vacation, parties, etc.

5:2

For this strategy you eat normally for five days of the week. Then for two days you reduce your calories to 500-600 calories. This has become popular with clients/patients that are less apt to stick to a daily schedule. You can decide which two days work for you and your schedule

36-42 hr fasts

This type of fasting can be helpful for those just starting out to help them control cravings and provide digestive rest. This is never where I start my own clients, however. If you have diabetes or are insulin resistant and plan to try this strategy, you may want to increase the frequency of checking your blood sugars to ensure you are not running too low or too high.

Doing a Juice Ritual

Let’s be clear, juicing is not truly fasting. You are consuming calories, you are stimulating a glycemic response. However, a juice ritual is fantastic for putting your body on digestive rest. My own juice ritual has become a wonderful tool that I look forward to each month. The digestive rest combined with a very low calorie intake, and the additional hydration make for a fantastic combination. When choosing a juice ritual, quality is critical. Please look for cold-pressed, non-pasteurized, organic vegetable juice, NOT fruit juices. To participate in the same juice ritual that I use click <<HERE>> I’m a big fan of The Weekly Juicery and can’t recommend their products enough.

What to Eat When Breaking Your Fast

Lately, I have been eating a small beef grass-fed burger with kale/cashew “pesto” from Trader Joe’s, but the options are endless: bone broth, jicama/raw veggies with clean hummus, nut butters, salad with protein & healthy fats, or even a “clean’ protein bar like those from the Bulletproof company. Please don’t forget to drink water and stay hydrated. Dehydration is not something you want to derail your hard work at intermittent fasting.

Friends, I urge you not to ascribe to any crazy nutrition plans. (insert face palm here) You want a whole foods diet with as much unprocessed foods as possible. If you are north of 40 years old, you want to be mindful of the big inflammatory foods: sugar, gluten, grains, dairy, soy and alcohol. Many of my female clients have to avoid these to stay healthy.

I want to know! Have you ever tried any of these strategies? Are there any that you’d like to start implementing? Post in the comments, or share this blog post via any of the buttons below!