by Dr Alex Jimenez | Functional Medicine, Health, Mind Body and Spirit, Nutrition, Wellness
Do you feel:
- Inflammation in your body?
- Like your energy is spent before the lunch hour?
- Hormone imbalances?
- Agitated, jittery, or have tremors?
- Fatigue
If you are experiencing any of these situations, why not try to fix your resolution for the New Year.
New Year�s Resolution
With the new year coming up, many people make resolutions to better themselves for the upcoming year. Whether it be getting healthier, being more organized, stressing less, or living life to the fullest, resolutions are little reminders for anyone to get back on track on themselves. With the end of the month and during the holiday season, more people are more likely to put aside their health habits aside and indulge in the seasonal sweet and savory foods. The holiday season is filled with frequent gatherings with family and friends, which involves more consumption of food. In many parts of the U.S., sedentary behaviors have become a form of hibernation. Even though these holiday habits tend to make many people feel guilty, they always fuel resolutions so they can create healthier habits for when the new year begins.
Surprisingly, the most natural part is making resolutions; however, keeping them is the hardest part. Sometimes a person can make too many resolutions and can not follow through with them due to so many that they want to achieve. Other times there are people that are more likely to stick to their resolutions in the long run when their goals are more realistic than unattainable. There are a few changes that can make a tremendous impact on the person’s overall wellbeing and can make their lives a bit easier if they have a hectic lifestyle. One of the significant changes is getting healthier, and the majority of any chronic health issues can be rooted through a few practices that can sabotage a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health. So focusing on making good choices and making them habits or lifelong practices can provide a significant influence to not only the body but to the individual as well.
Getting Rid of Sugar
One of the first things that a person should do if they want to keep track of their health resolution is to ditch the overabundance sugar consumption. Many healthcare practitioners have continued to try and stop their patients from unbridled sugar consumption. It has been on the top list of chronic health problems that are plaguing the industrialized world since everyone in the world has consumed refined sugar into their bodies. Studies show that consuming refined sugar is the leading cause of dental cavities and being linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and endocrine dysfunction.
Studies even show that sugar consumption can also lead to hypertension and obesity-related cancers, as well as common mental disorders like depression. Research from the American Heart Association recommends that if both males and females want to limit their sugar consumption, then females must consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day. At the same time, males consume no more than nine teaspoons of sugar a day. The interesting fact is that people can reach that intake by just consuming a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sadly though, according to a 2012 research study, the average American individuals in the U.S. have consumed 19 teaspoons of sugar a day.
The body�s metabolism requires sugar to make sure that the person�s energy is leveled. Research shows that the metabolic mechanisms in which sugar helps contribute to diseases that can be both indirect and direct to the body. When there either a low sugar count or even a high sugar count in a person, it can lead to a dysregulation of the lipids and carbohydrate metabolism. When this happens, the body can have chronic conditions like dyslipidemia, reduce beta-oxidation as well as insulin resistance. Other mechanisms can affect the body when sugar is traveling through the bloodstream, like a positive energy balance. In some cases, when the sugar metabolism is too high, it can lead to hyperuricemia, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation in the body, and it can cause developing problems for the individual. So by making the right choices and eliminating added sugars that are in packaged foods out of the diet can result in a drastic shift towards better health for the person.
Staying Hydrated
It is highly essential that everyone at least drinks about eight glasses of 8 ounces of water every day. Sadly though, not many people drink the recommended amount of water, thus getting dehydrated. Studies show that dehydration is a common, under-recognized condition that many individuals have. Sometimes chronic dehydration starts in childhood and continues throughout their lifespan. Research shows that an estimated 54% of the population lives with chronic dehydration since the human body is nearly 85% of water and why dehydration can be problematic.
Sometimes dehydration can go beyond merely feeling thirsty. Studies show that when a person is mildly dehydrated, it can impair cognitive functions, and when it is prolonged, it can cause urinary and bladder dysfunction in the body. A good rule for anyone who wants to maintain adequate hydration is to drink at least half of their body weight in ounces of water since hydration is directly linked to body mass and making sure that the weight is leveled. By drinking plenty of water, it is a simple yet easy health resolution that people can get for free and can provide a powerful impact.
Eating a Healthy Protein Breakfast
Another health resolution that can have a significant positive impact on a person’s health is by consuming a protein-rich breakfast. Sadly though in North America, people have developed two breakfast habits that can be bad for their health. They are skipping breakfast altogether and consuming a high refined carbohydrate breakfast. Both of these bad habits have been associated with obesity and other related comorbidities.
In contrast, though when a person starts eating a protein-rich breakfast, the results are remarkable. Research shows that eating a protein-rich breakfast can help reduce a person�s appetite, increased their satiety, and provide a healthier energy intake that can get a person over the mid-afternoon slumps. The positive effects show that consuming a protein-rich diet can lower the effects of obesity and being overweight as well as reducing the risk of obesity-related health conditions that can affect the body. By eating a sumptuous protein breakfast, the results show that it can help the body by changing the blood lipids and blood pressure as well as reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome and chronically elevated insulin for individuals that have diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusion
With the new year coming around the corner, making resolutions to not only better oneself, but it can provide a positive change to the person. Many healthcare professionals can encourage their patients to make these simple yet highly effective changes to promote wellness. New Year’s resolutions do not have to be complicated or unattainable; they can be simple and easily attainable with these fundamental changes. By eliminating added sugars, drinking more water, and consuming a protein-rich breakfast can make anyone keep track of their resolution. Some products can help make sure that anyone can keep track of their resolutions by providing support to the body’s metabolism as well as regulating sugar metabolism as well.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
References:
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