What do you value most?
Put differently; what can you least afford to lose?
For me the answer is pretty simple. It’s my health. This was my overarching philosophy long before mutating viruses and global pandemics.
As a healthcare provider, I’ve observed the consequences of failing health. My experiences have likely contributed towards a passion for helping patients regain and improve their lives, as well as providing readers with the highest quality health information.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve prioritized my health; without it, everything increases in difficulty. Caring and providing for others when you’re struggling isn’t easy. For this very reason, I’ve compiled several strategies that I personally implemented last year, which had a tremendous effect on maintaining my health.
These strategies include intermittent fasting, observing natural light soon after waking, and waiting an hour (or two) before drinking that first cup of coffee.
I’ll provide some detail on all these practices, as well as links to full articles for those who’d like to take a deeper dive into how or why these things work.
Health Benefits of Fasting
If I could list two reasons why the American diet is not conducive to health, it would be this: we eat too much, too often.
Most people eat well past a satisfactory point and have a tendency to eat throughout the day.
Intermittent fasting is an increasingly popular approach to modify eating and give our digestive system a much needed break. Done properly, it can boost metabolism, reduce your risk of diabetes, and quite possibly prolong life.
Two popular intermittent fasting diets include the 16/8 plan as well as the 5:2 diet.
The first consists of an eight-hour time window for eating, say between 10am and 6pm. The second involves eating only 500 calories, two days a week. I prefer the 16/8 plan, with time restricted eating from 11am to 7pm.
While I’ve personally tried the 5:2 diet, it’s not one I would readily recommend for everyone. For those willing to give it a try, please do so gradually.
Begin by trimming a few hundred calories one or two days a week until you become comfortable consuming five to six hundred calorie meals. I’ve done this via a 400 calorie meal midday, with room for a 100 calorie snack — should I feel light headed — while drinking plenty of water, and having a couple cups of coffee, or green tea throughout the day.
As always, before attempting any type of diet, check with your healthcare provider to ensure it’s safe.
Sunlight as Medicine
Without being too technical, the practice of viewing natural light in the morning sets off a timer — your circadian clock — which schedules the release of hormones like cortisol early in the day, as well as melatonin in the evening.
Disruption of this mechanism can affect metabolism, mood, as well as energy.
Since adopting this practice, I’ve noticed improved focus throughout the day, without a — previously typical — late afternoon slump.
When I’m able to get outside for a five-minute walk within a half hour of waking I feel more energized throughout the day, while sleeping consistently through the night.
When to Drink Coffee
You may have heard cortisol referred to as “the stress hormone”. While it is elevated during stressful situations and periods of chronic stress, this hormone plays a vital role in sleep/wake cycles.
Cortisol levels rise and peak naturally upon waking, around 7am for most. After this morning spike, cortisol levels slowly decline, peak again around noon, falling sharply in the evening and close to bedtime.
Why does that matter? For morning coffee or tea drinkers — based on worldwide sale of both beverages, includes just about everyone on earth — when you drink that morning cup will make a huge difference.
If you drink a caffeinated beverage immediately upon waking, or close to the 7am peak, the benefits are marginal at best.
Caffeine can interfere with cortisol production and when cortisol levels are already peaking, increasing them any further can begin to cause adrenal fatigue. Waiting an hour or two before drinking that first cup is not only healthier for cortisol levels, but better utilizes that caffeine boost.
The Power of Three
There’s something magical about the number three. When we’re citing examples, two is usually not enough and four is too many. I’ve also found these three to be simple examples just about everyone can incorporate into their lives.
Upon evaluating my recommendations for the previous year, these stood out for cost effectiveness, simplicity, and can be implemented immediately.
