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Increase Your Wellness Knowledge With These Great Resources

By Tim Irvine

One thing is certain:  If you want health information, there are endless options for you to explore. The problem is that it is rare to have good quality information to educate yourself confidently. Well, we are here to help.

The following resources are go-to’s for the pros at Totum Life Science. One of Toronto’s most trusted wellness companies for the last 20 years. Pick the ones that fit you and see your wellness IQ skyrocket.

Lifestyle Wellness

–        Outside Magazine; lots of great articles typically outdoor and endurance related, but man, they do a great job covering fitness and health, and with an emphasis on it happening in the outdoors, which makes it even better.

–        Rich Roll – is a great athlete, author and public speaker. Most of the content is wellness-based, and his years of experience and variety in guests help to cover a wide range of topics.

–        Harvard Health – Not surprisingly, Harvard has a great resource newsletter and a deep library of many topics.

–        Huberman labs – A deep dive podcast and newsletter that sends out once a month content that is well researched and meant to provide deeper insights into the topic of the month.

–        Peter Altia – with his newsletter and podcast, Peter has focused on longevity through various health topics. It is great for short and long games.

–        Found My Fitness – A very thorough scientist who does a great job translating the evidence of fitness & longevity. Also known as the Broccoli Sprout Queen!

Nutrition

–        Examine.com – This is a fantastic resource if you are looking for unbiased, research-backed information on supplements and health information. It has free information and a subscription component if you want to dive into specific topics.

–        Precision Nutrition – This is a well-researched newsletter with creative writing and information that cuts through all the noise to give you the most up-to-date information on nutrition topics.

–        Forks Over Knives – fun recipes and always great suggestions on tips for easily understanding why we should incorporate more Real Foods

Movement

–        Sweat Science; Alex Hutchinson writes for the Globe and Mail and Outside magazine. This Canadian author and athlete exceptionally tackle interesting physical performance topics. If you are active, you should follow this one.

–        Eric Cressey is more for us industry folks focused on physical performance. Current approaches to strength and conditioning as well as managing/preventing injury. Plus, many short videos of great exercises.

–        High Intensity Health – This resource is another well-researched general wellness site. It leans more towards the workout crowd but does provide ample information on other health topics.

–        Reasonably Fit with Jason and Lauren Pak – an exercise-focused podcast with a dash of nutrition information.

Bonus – Great Books To Read

  • Stolen Focus & Lost Connections by Johann Hari – Johann helps people understand the components that create mental health.
  • Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker – so many gems of facts on sleep are explained in a very digestible way.
  • How Not to Die / Diet by Dr. Michael Gregor – all things Real Food, broken down into health categories (Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease etc.).
  • Breath by James Nestor – fascinating insights on an underused organ! Learning what your nose does and how to make it stronger! Great for learning how to improve performance, cognitive ability, and sleep.
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Are you Carb-phobic? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Be

By. Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

In my practice, I see carbs as a reason so many of us struggle with eating, feeling guilt, shame, and fear around food. Nutritional fads and diets that call for low carb, or severe carb restriction has made us weary of carbs. The long-term consequences, unfortunately, are that we are unknowingly limiting a crucial element of our nutrition. 

Blanket statements that come with low carb diets are unsustainable, but also to generalized and can cause more harm (mentally and physically) than good. When we are told to avoid carbs, we think, wow, that’s all my chips, crackers, cakes, cookies, bread, pasta… OK. well fine… I can do that… (when does it end again??) It also means reducing sweet potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, farro, black beans, oats, and delicious fruit. Now that’s just torture!

In our modern diet, the lack of fiber may be the most influential reason for poor gut health, chronic disease, and stubborn weight.  In a previous article, we discussed why insufficient fiber means we are starving all our good bacteria, putting them at risk for extinction, and severely hampering our ability to build a strong, healthy barrier to the outside world. That’s why your gut is so important and intimately tied with our immune system. We’re basically an elaborate tube with an outer and inner layer that faces non-stop external threats.

People are told to focus on cutting out carbs, but they may not realize that carbs can be good for you – if you know the distinction between healthful (real foods like lentils, legumes, vegetables and fruits and whole grains) vs. harmful (processed/ fake foods). 

  • Example 1: a cup of cooked steel cut oats is 10g of fiber, and 1 cup of raspberries give you 7g. A raspberry oatmeal = 17 g of fiber!
  • Example 2: A Hamburger can have 1 gram of fiber, and soda 0g. Total = 1 g of ifber.

We in the West have a fixation with proteins, fat, and carbohydrates. They are the main talking point when it comes to nutrition and are what diet trends fixate on, along with what the marketing on packages focus on. Yet with all this attention, we still have incredible issues with weight, bloating and other symptoms. Why is this? What’s missing?

The science is showing it’s because we are consistently forgetting about fiber. Fiber is a macronutrient too! Did you know that? Because our human cells don’t actually break it down or absorb it, the nutritional realm has passed fiber off as something that just… well you know, makes you poop.

We are all learning that we need fiber just as much as any other macronutrient to thrive. Just because our cells don’t use it doesn’t mean it’s not necessary. 

When you think of how many microbes live within us, you quickly realize how outnumbered our human cells are. There are 39 trillion microbes in and on us – making the ratio of microbes to human cells 10:1. That’s right. We contain more microbes than we do human cells.

Over millions of years, a symbiotic relationship evolved with these amazing microbes that produced anti-inflammatory chemicals for us, neurotransmitters like 90% of our serotonin and 50% of our dopamine, vitamins, and a plethora of other life-dependent functions that we are just starting to uncover and understand. Not to mention the most anti-inflammatory molecule short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which get absorbed into our bloodstream, lowering inflammation throughout our entire body, including our brains!

SCFAs are also the main energy source for the cells that make up your colon. When these cells are flooded with energy, they can then heal, regenerate, and proliferate, leading to a healthy, robust and happy gut. What is called “leaky gut” can be sealed once again when we have a strong defense of healthy cells that protect our inside selves from foreign molecules that are meant to stay out of our blood stream. 

On plant-rich diets, the gut produces more short-chain fatty acids. On animal rich diets, the gut produced more inflammation, carcinogens, and hydrogen sulfide which is a chemical that damages our DNA and produces gas. 

There is no fiber in eggs, dairy, or meat! This is not to say never eat animal products. Most cultures worldwide do consume them, but in much smaller quantities and frequency than we do in North America. Their diets are more balanced.

The Yanomami tribe of the Amazon jungle have the richest microbiome recorded, meaning they have an incredibly diverse ecosystem of gut flora. The key is thought to be from their high fiber intakes, which average 120 grams daily, that’s eight times more than the average North American. 

The average North American gets less than 3% of the daily recommendation of 30g. That is SAD (aka Standard American Diet)  in action. 

The point of learning to eat for your health is to trust in Real Food – avoiding or limiting processed foods with their labels and packages that sound like they are trying to convince you. A simple strawberry does not have to tout anything, it already knows it is the best. Each step of processing causes a food to lose its fiber. Fake Foods have to do a lot more work to do in order to convince us why we should eat these fiber depleted, shades of beige, bags of chemical concoctions. 

Yes, that means eating for good health may require a change in food choices, and what you put in your cart. It can also mean a reset on your thoughts about carbs. They are good for you, and the right ones are incredibly important for overall health, including fat loss. A change in what you choose to put in your mouth may include adding some roasted cauliflower to your taco bowls, trying out a thai chickpea peanut butter burger, putting lentils in with your oatmeal, and all the fresh peaches, berries, and mangoes you desire instead of luncheon meat sandwiches, chips, and cookies. 

If we give ourselves some time, our body has the ability to learn to enjoy food that gives you something positive in return. This is something that continues to surprise me in practice – how quickly patients’ palettes can change. Often finding processed fake foods to be too sweet or salty, and associating their feelings of better energy, skin, digestive health and weight loss when they are eating real foods more often.

Fun fact – our taste buds renew in just 10 days, so give yourself some time, because YOU DO have the ability to evolve!

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The Best Goal Setting Approach For Youth Athletes

By. Coach Danny Carrillo

Setting ambitious goals should be encouraged and we should not be afraid of taking a step back to add elements that might seem small but will ultimately make a big impact on achieving what we set out to do!

The concept of using a process oriented approach is based on my own experience, as well as learning from one of my favorite resources, The Language of Coaching by Nick Winkleman.

Goal setting brings purpose to your daily learning environment and ultimately, helps to define what you pay attention to in your surroundings.

Think about the last time you set a goal. Was it a short-term or long-term one? Was it focused on a single aspect of your life (i.e. health, career, personal development, etc.)? Was it focused on the achievement itself?

Odds are your goal fell under one of the following categories, and more likely the latter:

  1. Process- Oriented Goal
  2. Outcome- Oriented Goal

In our daily lives, we tend to set outcome-oriented goals because they can oftentimes feel like they’re easier to measure. For example, losing a certain amount of weight, or lifting a particular amount at the gym. However, I challenge you to start breaking bigger goals down into smaller process goals, so that you feel like you’re making regular, consistent progress. You may be wondering– why would that make a difference? Let me give you an example:

If the goal is to lose or gain 5 lbs and we only focus on a loss or gain as the measurement, we can get disappointed in not seeing progress regularly. Instead, if our goal is to visit the gym for 4 days throughout the week we have more flexibility. Going to the gym is part of the process. That way, the progress towards your goal can be attributed to the consistency of going to the gym, rather than taking drastic, unsustainable measures to hit your desired outcome.

This doesn’t mean timelines aren’t important when pursuing an ambitious goal, but I believe that taking a process-oriented approach makes the journey a lot more enjoyable since it provides you more flexibility on the journey.

These types of goals are also present in the context of strength and conditioning. A process-oriented goal is one that relates to a specific feature of the motor skill being practiced (ex. squatting). Whereas an outcome-oriented goal, is one that focuses on the results of the motor skill practiced (ex. Squatting with the intention of transferring the skill to learning how to jump to catch a ball).

As a coach, it is my responsibility to ensure that the goal/desired outcome my athletes are working towards is appropriate for their current skill level. It is also important to remember that once I have taught the desired skill, I need to take a step back and let my athletes figure things out for themselves in a safe and encouraging environment.

By taking a step back, I allow my athletes to embrace their own process in learning the skill while making sure to provide them the opportunity of becoming more confident in themselves and their abilities!

Ultimately, I believe that it is important to keep yourself accountable, but life happens, and goals may take a bit longer to achieve sometimes and that’s okay! I believe a process-oriented approach can extend to other areas of our lives because it not only lets us achieve everything we set out to do, but it also allows us greater learning opportunities and makes the journey that much sweeter.

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A Missing Link for Sustainable Fat Loss

By Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

One of the first relationships found between our health and gut microbiome came seventy years ago when low dose antibiotics fed to farm animals increased their body weight. Through further investigation, evidence pointed to the weight gain occurring, in part, because of the antibiotics impact on gut microbiome. Antibiotics are necessary, and have and will continue to save lives, but these findings help illustrate the impact bacteria have on our health.

One study discovered that there are eight species of bacteria (prevotella species) that are protective against weight gain. These species thrive with fiber, which is found only in plants. These healthful bacteria help us break down and utilize sugars more easily and help us burn energy instead of storing it as fat.

Obesity-promoting bacteria (bacteroids), which thrive on processed foods, animal fats, and cholesterol, increase the number of calories we absorb from food by further breaking down the waste in our colon, and releasing more calories than you would have otherwise had access to. 

For those of us who are interested in achieving a sustainable healthy weight, driving up the population of healthy, fiber-loving bacteria can help protect us from weight gain. In fact, the composition of our gut bacteria are better predictors than metrics like cholesterol, on how well we will burn fat.

Which foods help us grow more healthy bacteria in our gut? Fermented foods! This is a staple in many traditional cuisines but is often lacking in the Western diet. Sometimes we get a little freaked out by the idea of bacteria in our foods, but hopefully this article makes the case that good bacteria exist, and they are here to help you thrive. 

Try to incorporate one or more of these fermented foods in your daily routine.

·  ¼ cup sauerkraut OR kimchi <-brands just in case you’re open to trying

·  2 tbsp sugar-free Coconut Kefir here & here (or dairy kefir)

·  ¼ package of tempeh

·  1 bowl of Miso broth

You can use sauerkraut to help jazz up a salad or as salty flavourful side. Kimchi goes great with avocado, cucumber, and seaweed which you can make into a bowl. Kefir can be used in place of regular yogurt (it has three times more healthy bacteria than regular yogurt). Tempeh can be marinated and baked, grilled, or sautéed with stir fries. Miso is a simple soup you can make from paste and enjoy as is or as a base for stews!

So, treat your gut right. It will benefit you in so many ways, and it might just help you shed a bit of fat at the same time.

Crovesy, L. et al. (2017). Effect of Lactobacillus on body weight and body fat in overweight subjects: a systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials. International Journal of Obesity 41, 1607-14. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo2017161

Diener, C. et al. (2021). Baseline Gut Metagenomic Functional Gene Signature Associated with Variable Weight Loss Responses following a Healthy Lifestyle Intervention in Humans. American Society for Microbiology. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00964-21

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Summer Musts Before Labour Day

Tim Irvine

Summer is never long enough, but if we put our minds to it, we can maximize our enjoyment.

Everyone I know has their favourite things to do in the summer. People who do things they love that bring them joy are healthier.

Here are seven things you should try to get in before the end of the labour day weekend.

  1. Swing in a hammock.
    1. Research is sparse on the benefits of swinging in a hammock so let’s just go with the obvious. It feels great! To have all your weight supported and feel that gentle swing motion is just awesome. And since hammocks are almost always between two trees, you benefit from being below a big green canopy.
  2. Have a three-swim day, including one in the moonlight.
    1. The feeling of dipping or jumping into refreshing water is such a mental reset on a hot day. Doing it three times in one day takes it to another level. The feeling of the water on your skin, the temperature difference, the buoyancy. So many unique feelings to enjoy. You are best to find a lake or ocean for this one, but always have a partner for safety.
  3. Walk in the woods.
    1. There is ample research on the benefits of being in a forest. Time spent in and around trees naturally reduces physical and mental stress. We can all benefit from a break from the usual urban stresses.
  4. Go barefoot on the beach or grass.
    1. Many people swear by this practice. Some suggest a positive energy transfer from earth to the body, but the research is inconclusive. Conclusively, going barefoot on uneven surfaces like sand forces the muscles of your feet and ankles to work how they are supposed to. Even better, it feels so, so good on your skin.
  5. Soak up some sun.
    1. Getting direct sunshine has many proven health benefits. The most celebrated is the production of vitamin D. Dermatologists are right; too much sun can damage your skin, so make sure it is an appropriate amount for you. Choose the start or end of the day to avoid those intense mid-day rays.
  6. Play in the rain.
    1. When was the last time you did this? For most adults, we can’t remember the pure joy of playing in the rain. Kids love to do it and always have a blast getting wet and dirty. Let your guard down and go have some fun in the rain. The laughs and smiles will be worth the laundry.
  7. Watch the sunrise.
    1. Peace and quiet. We all crave this. There is no better time to get a dose than at sunrise in the summer. It’s also a great way to be mindful, which we all know is beneficial for our mental health.

You now have your checklist. See how many of them you can get checked off before labour day 2022 is in the background.

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Is Alcohol Good For My Sleep?

By Tim Irvine

The title of this article is a bit of a trick question. Those who consume would like to think it relaxes us and sets us up for better sleep. The former may be true, but from an internal perspective, the latter is false. The graphic below from sleepfoundation.org shows clearly how alcohol can affect sleep quality.

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In short, we sleep worse when we consume alcohol. Here’s why.

Issue number one is that alcohol is inflammatory. Inflammation will cause digestive issues and can lead to stomach pain and/or upset. Have you ever had a great sleep when your stomach is bugging you?

The second issue is this little thing called a diuretic. Alcohol promotes urination, and if you must get up a couple of times each night to pee, that takes away from getting deep, quality sleep. Plus, if you have enough, you become dehydrated and feel that fuzzy, hangover feeling.

Third, alcohol is fundamentally a bunch of easily digestible sugars, and we know sugar initially has stimulating effects. Since a lot of drinking happens in the evening, our sleep suffers.

Most importantly, however, it is the effect of alcohol on your heart’s efficiency. In an Outside Magazine article exploring the effect of alcohol on sleep, it is made clear that Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and resting heart rate (RHR) is negatively affected by alcohol. Both factors are measures of recovery and your readiness for activity. When we are in deep sleep, we see lots of important repair work. Alcohol reduces the amount of deep and REM sleep, negatively impacting your recovery. You may still be in bed for 7 hours, but it is highly likely that your quality of sleep will be reduced. And we know our physical and psychological capabilities decrease when sleep quality goes down. One important distinction that is made in the article is that each person has their own unique responses to alcohol. One person may have a dramatic drop in the quality of HRV due to one drink, and another will have hardly any impact. What is clear, however, is that alcohol will decrease quality for 100% of the population. Sleep trackers like Garmin’s Vivoactive 4, Whoop, or Oura Ring can help you determine how much you are impacted.

Does this make me want to give up drinking? No, of course not. What it does do is help me understand how it affects me so that I have better decision-making around alcohol when I need to be at my best, recover from illness or injury, or just have a restful sleep. Hopefully, this provides you with some of that decision-making power.