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More Energy Now in 2022

AHA Publisher — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 08:00:59 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – As you move into a New Year, you may be ready to make health changes. You may be motivated and optimistic. Or, you may feel overwhelmed, fatigued or even discouraged by everything going on in the world today. No matter your current mood, to accomplish any goals this year, start with more energy! Feeling “more energy” is often subjective. In its simplest form, energy is derived from consuming calories, or units of energy. However, there’s more to it than that. There are vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other compounds at work in our bodies that make consumed energy usable to the body. There is the health of cells, tissues, and organs, and whether or not they effectively respond to the compounds. There are also emotional, mental and physical factors that drain our energy and cause feelings of fatigue. Where can you start to get more energy? Let’s start with units of energy and compounds that help our body use them. Then, let’s focus on ways to make your cells healthy enough to effectively and efficiently use the energy. Lastly, let’s conquer a few “energy” drainers with simply healthy habits. Ready? Divine Health® Energizing Smoothie For More Energy Now! Ingredients 1 cup coconut or almond milk (from a carton, not can) 1/2 scoop Divine Health® Fermented Green Supremefood® 1/2 scoop Divine Health® Organic Red Supremefood® 1/2 cup frozen raw berries 1 cup fresh greens 1/2 avocado 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar 1 scoop Keto Zone® Collagen Powder (Unflavored) 1 scoop Keto Zone® Fiber Zone (Unflavored) 1/2-1 cup brewed green tea or black tea ice cubes (optional) Instructions Mix all ingredients in a blender, adding water as needed for desired consistently (I typically use about 1 cup water). Makes 1 large serving. Enjoy! Nutrition info: 415 calories, 13 grams fat, 8 grams net carbs (26 grams carbs, 18 grams fiber), 26 grams protein More Energy Ingredients Teas and Caffeine While there’s not much caffeine in this smoothie, there’s enough to “wake up” the brain and provide a subtle pick-me-up any time of day. How does caffeine affect energy? Caffeine crosses the blood-brain barrier to inhibit adenosine in the brain. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that quiets the central nervous system (1). Then, without adenosine in the way, epinephrine increases. Epinephrine stimulates the body and brain. These effects are enough to increase subjective feelings of energy, physical performance, and brain alertness. What’s more, green and black tea contain antioxidants and phytochemicals to support cellular and whole-body health. In fact, green tea contains a compound called L-theanine. L-theanine promotes steady energy (2). Green tea has also been shown to boost physical performance, increase the breakdown of fat for energy, and stimulate norepinephrine(3, 4, 5). Chlorophyll Chlorophyll, found in Divine Health® Fermented Green Supremefood® and fresh greens, is the lifeblood of plants. When consumed by humans, it’s one of the best energizing foods. Similar to hemoglobin, chlorophyll carries nutrients in the blood. However, it doesn’t carry iron. It carries another energizing mineral, magnesium (6). Magnesium supports the production of energy throughout the body as well as healthy sleep cycles. Furthermore, chlorophyll helps alkalize the body and urine pH. This supports liver function and helps the body remove toxins like metals, pesticides, and more. Look to chlorophyll to energize your body in many of the same ways it energizes and stimulates plants! Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Organic apple cider vinegar is an ingredient in many folk medicine cures. It is known to fight both bacterial and viral infections, yeasts, and more. How does it energize? One great effect of consuming apple cider vinegar is that it causes the sinuses to drain and throat pathways to clear. As they clear and dilate, they allow for better oxygen transport from your head to your lungs to your body. Essentially, it promotes clear breathing! Importantly, you should never drink it straight. Always dilute to just 1-2 tablespoons per 8 ounces liquid to protect your esophagus while supporting immune health, liver health, and alkalization of the body. Beets Beets are vibrant and nutritious. They contain amazingly energizing compounds, called betanins. Betanins are responsible for beet’s many health benefits in the human body, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions (7). What’s more, beets also support the production and work of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant our cells make to fight damaging substances. Beets also promote vasodilation. This makes them one of the great energizing foods! Beets contain natural nitrates that are converted to nitric oxides in the body. Nitric oxides dilate blood vessels, allowing more oxygen to circulate more efficiently. Nitric oxide may also increase muscle tissues’ ability to use oxygen (8). One of the best ways to get the power of beets is through a fruit and vegetable powder like Divine Health® Organic Red Supremefood®. Fiber Believe it or not, your digestive tract health is one key to energizing your body. In fact, specific fibers, called inulin and psyllium husk, directly support digestive health and energy. They both stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, improve digestion, and support immune health (9, 10). When digestion is working right, your body can absorb and use all the energizing foods and nutrients you give it! For a great source of inulin and psyllium husk, try a high-quality fiber powder such as Keto Zone®Fiber Zone (Unflavored). More Energy Habits for the New Year Of course, there are many factors, lifestyle habits, and individual characteristics that contribute to feelings of energy or fatigue in each of us. Here are a few to focus on as you work for more energy this year: Sleep. Obviously, if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re going to feel tired, low, and fatigued. What’s more, lack of sleep actually contributes to many health issues (11). Aim for at least 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep every night for better energy and mood this year. De-Stress. When stress and cortisol build up, we feel a cascade of effects. These effects include fatigue and overwhelm. Chronic high stress can even affect your health (12). Use daily tools, like these, to reduce stress and feel more energy. Exercise. Exercise, especially outdoors, is a great mood lifter and energizer (13)! Hydrate. Did you know that dehydration promotes feelings of being overwhelmed, fatigued, and foggy? Amazingly, dehydrated adults often feel more stress and have more cortisol (14)? Did you also know that most adults function in a state of dehydration each day? There’s an easy fix! Try to drink 32-48 ounces of water by noon, and another 32-48 ounces of water by 6pm each day. If you exercise, drink more! Sunshine. Natural sunlight is one of nature’s best mood lifters and energizers. In fact, sunlight has been shown to decrease depressed moods and increase serotonin levels (15). Cold Shower. Even though it may be frigid outside, an icy blast in the shower is still a good idea! Why? It invigorates and energizes the body and immune system. Nature’s Best Stress Relief. Amazingly, nano-particle hemp oils like those Dr. Colbert’s Nano-Science Hemp Oil, can help you feel more energy by supporting stable moods (16), stress relief and normalized cortisol levels, healthy sleep habits (17), healthy brain and nervous system functions (18), and healthy cardiovascular functions(19). Bottom Line Before working on a list of positive changes for the new year, simply learn how to energize your body better! Start with our Divine Health More Energy Smoothie, add delicious, healthy, energizing foods to your diet, and work on lifestyle habits that support health and energy. It’s a new year. Get more energy now! To read the original article click here.

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Doing This “CHILLING” Activity Can Be Good for Your Health in Many Ways

AHA Publisher — Fri, 07 May 2021 07:00:27 +0000

Sara Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – If you’ve ever wondered why there’s been a recent buzz about cold shower health benefits, consider this your opportunity to discover more about this chillytrend. Don’t worry: taking a cold shower could be a lot easier than you think. And since a growing body of research shows why (and when) it’s good to be cold, this simple at-home health trick might just be your next favorite self-care hack. Support Immune Health and Improve Your Mood One Cold Shower at a Time A cold shower might not be right for everybody, and if you’re currently medically supervised for any reason, you should chat with your doctor before turning the dial down on your shower. That said, there is a growing collection of data suggesting that a simple cold shower could offer a range of impressive health benefits: May alleviate depressive symptoms: a 2008 clinical trial from Medical Hypotheses revealed mood-boosting benefits from taking a cold shower for 5 minutes just 2 to 3 times per week May support the immune system: in 2016, a randomized controlled trial involving more than 3,000 participants from the Netherlands found that a month of daily cold showers reduced the number of sick days by nearly 30% compared to controls; cold water exposure has been shown to stimulate immune cell activity that may help people fight off cold and flu viruses May reduce pain: a 2014 review from the North American Journal of Medical Sciences finds that cold exposure temporarily constricts blood vessels and slow nerve impulses, therefore reducing inflammation and pain sensations May enhance physical recovery: for all you hard-working gym-goers out there, cold showers might help reduce that post-workout fatigue (but maybe not post-workout soreness), according to a 2017 systematic review published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Anecdotally, most people will tell you that taking a cold shower provides a huge rush of energy and alertness. So, for anyone looking to cut back on caffeine dependency, a cold shower first thing in the morning could be a perfect alternative. And yes — cold showers do appear to give a boost to your metabolism since your body has to work harder to stay warm. But realistically, this doesn’t mean a daily cold shower will suffice for a weight loss plan. Ready to Try Taking Cold Showers? Here’s How to Take the (Cold) Plunge You don’t have to jump straight into a stream of ice-cold water in order to use this at-home health remedy yourself. Instead, here’s a step-by-step guideline: Begin your shower at your normal temperature. Toward the end of the shower, start turning down the temperature to as cold as you can tolerate. Stay under this cold water for 1 to 2 minutes. Breathe deeply! Every time you shower, challenge yourself by turning the temperature down a little lower and/or prolonging the amount of time you spend in the cold. Many cold shower practitioners say it gets much easier with time — to the point that people actually start to look forward to the chill. How cold is cold enough? A target temperature commonly cited in the literature is around 68°F (20°C), but if you don’t have a thermometer handy, then just going by feel should suffice. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov BMJ.com Wimhofmethod.com ScienceDirect.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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The Surprising Benefits of Cold Showers

AHA Publisher — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 07:00:53 +0000

Lori Clarkson via NaturalHealth365 – A cold shower is often a first-world annoyance in western societies. Now, many are voluntarily turning their taps as cold as they can in the name of “wellness.” There are a few crazy fads out there, many with no-scientific backing, but cold water immersion isn’t one of them. Cold showers are proven to have a wealth of evidence-backed benefits. The Leading Research That Put Cold Showers on the Map in the Natural Health Community Nutrition, movement, and quality sleep are the pillars of health. How does the discomfort of an ice-cold shower fit into that? Cold water immersion has gained popularity because of the incredible research undertaken on “The Iceman.” Wim Hof (well-known as “The Iceman”) is the king of ice-baths, breathing techniques, climbing up mountains shirtless, and swimming under ice-sheets in the arctic. Now, he teaches other people how to build resiliency in both cold water and life circumstances. He claims that his method will increase immunity, reduce stress, increase your willpower, and lose weight. But how much of this is embedded in science? No doubt, some of the stuff he has done appears “crazy.” Scott Carney, an investigative journalist who debunks “gurus” similar Hof, attended one of Wim’s retreats in Poland. He turned from cynical reporter to raving fan. In fact, he ended up climbing Kilimanjaro with Hof, wearing just a bathing suit, within two days. A feat that would usually kill you from hypoxia. The Benefits of Cold Water Immersion Backed by Science The science behind Hof is quite remarkable. He wanted to prove to the world that you can control your autonomic nervous system through breath and cold water immersion. The researchers injected Hof with endotoxin, dead bacterias designed to invoke a flu-like immune response. Medical experts were expecting Hof to experience fever, chills, and headaches. He experienced none of these flu-like symptoms. Could he be superhuman, or can anyone control their immune system? Conventional methods are not working. So, researchers are now looking at natural health methods for chronic diseases. One of the natural health methods being studied is cold-water immersion. In a clinical trial where participants had 2 to 3 cold showers for 5 minutes each session, there was an increase in endorphin levels. In America, depression affects at least 10% of the population (reported, but there are likely many more). It’s clear that antidepressants aren’t working for everyone, we need to make it clear to more people that these natural remedies will help. Are you feeling sluggish in the morning? It’s no surprise that a cold shower will wake you up quickly. Your stress hormone, cortisol, should start kicking in as the sun rises and wake you up. If you’re a slow-starter, get your hormones working for you faster. A cold shower will increase your alertness, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. It’ll also increase your immunity. In a study of over 3,000 people, cold showers of 30-90 seconds resulted in a 29% reduction in sick days. Athletes have been utilizing the benefits of cold exposure for years. Ice baths reduce pain and recovery time for active people. Wim Hof’s results are inspirational, but you don’t need to take it to the extreme to gain the benefits that the cold will provide. Just five minutes in a cold shower a few times per week will reduce depression, increase focus, and increase your immunity. And it doesn’t take any more time in your busy schedule to get started. How to Get Started for Those Who Like it Hot Most of us aren’t committed to spending hours in the snow barefoot. It can be dangerous and downright crazy for beginners. Luckily most of the research undertaken proves that all you need is a few five minute cold showers per week to reap these benefits. Five minutes is a long time in the cold shower if you’re new to this. Here’s the best way to get started for beginners. Ease into it. Jumping straight into a cold shower is a shock to your system. Start on a lukewarm temperature, then slowly get colder. Don’t put your head under the water for too long. If you’ve sipped on your green smoothie too quickly, you will have experienced brain freeze. Cold showers can be a shock to your brain also. In fact, losing consciousness in the shower can have fatal consequences. Duck your head under the water occasionally at a rate that is achievable for you. And, do not forget to breathe. Most people hold their breath when engaging in a challenging activity. Conscious breathing will give you more oxygen, which your cells need to function. That’s why your personal trainer instructs you to exhale on the concentric phase of your exercises. That same is true for your cold shower. When you breathe into it, you’ll energize your body, and the cold will become easier to manage. The surprising benefits of cold showers are undeniable. We are almost always in our “comfort zones,” which is not always contributing to a healthier and happier community. Enjoy the undeniable benefits of cold water immersion by stepping into the short-term discomfort of a cold shower today. Sources for this article include: Sciencedaily.com, Wimhofmethod.com, Sciencedirect.com, Medicalnewstoday.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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