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How to get the most out of everything you do

By Tim Irvine

The rest is as important as the work! I remember my strength coach in university talking with us about this very fact. In retrospect, it was probably the best program I have ever been on. Lots of variety in programming as well as intensity, and room for some fun too. What I didn’t know at the time was how universally the message applies. I’ve now seen it in action for two decades (plus) with a wide variety of clients, but also with research and real-world experiences.

Let’s start with the obvious, the highest levels of sport. Twenty-five years ago, it was rare to hear about an elite athlete competing at the highest level beyond 30 years old. In 2022, it is commonplace with more and more of them still competing at 40+. The biggest change by far is how much recovery the athletes receive. The old methods applied high intensities in practice along with the same in individual workouts. Fatigue was a natural result and that lead to a greater incidence of injury, performance lag, and in most cases, retiring before 30.

The emphasis on recovery has been incredible, particularly in the last five years. If you heard the term ‘load management’ ten years ago, you would think it related to a forklift in a warehouse. Now it’s common to manage an athlete’s overall workload to ensure proper levels of recovery so they can perform at their best at the most important times.

Moving into the real world, the same theme can apply to non-athletes who are incredibly busy. Imagine a person who works 60 hours weekly. That means long days, as well as weekend time, focused on work. (As I write the number 60, it doesn’t seem dramatically high, but when you think about it, that is a big, big number). Sixty hours a week for 50 weeks will create fatigue that you may not even be aware of. It will compromise your work performance and not allow you to achieve the quality you would like. It will also dull your experiences outside of work. That fatigue is real and if you carry it into your close personal relationships, they will not be as positive as they otherwise would be. Events that should be fun feel like work. This can create a vicious cycle by increasing stress which, in turn, makes it more difficult to recover.

Circling back to the title of this article, the way to get the most out of everything you do is to make sure you have the energy to make it successful, but also enjoyable. Constantly ‘powering through’ life is not a positive strategy. If that is more your norm, then focusing on one or more of the following is a good idea.

  1. Sleep hours each week – >50
  2. Work hours each week – <45
  3. Hours focused on your personal enjoyment each week – >= 7
  4. Social time each week – >=7

As one of my peers recently said to me after going through a tough patch in his life, “You need to persevere, but you also need to live life”. He couldn’t be more right about that and everything you do will get better as a result. The rest is just as important as the work!

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Avoid Loneliness: How to Build Friendships from Scratch!

By Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

Loneliness is almost as prevalent as obesity, with up to 60% of adults reporting they feel this way. In my clinical practice, I often ask patients whether they feel lonely, and the majority respond with a “Yes.”

Feeling lonely, as research has uncovered, is as detrimental to our health as smoking and can it take 8 years off our life. The physical impact of this is real. New studies are showing that feeling lonely triggers chronic inflammation in our bodies. In our previous articles, we’ve written about how chronic inflammation can damage our systems and lead to preventable diseases and conditions. 

In her recent book, “Your Better Instincts”, Dr. Stacy Irvine has written about the instinct to form relationships with others. It is instinctual to want to belong, to feel like you have someone there for you, to help you through tough times. Evolutionarily, if we didn’t have that kind of support, our chances of survival greatly diminish. Feeling bonded and having reliable relationships that provide support and interaction, are what helps increase your chances for survival.

One of the things I marvel about kids is how quickly they can make friends. Sure, they can be a little shy in the beginning, but once they figure out, “Hey, do you like ice cream? I do too! Let’s play!” 

As adults we believe we have less opportunities to meet others and collect new friends. There’s been a shift in how we interact with people , and it’s mostly behind screens and in short, often sporadic, blocks of text. What I’m finding is that people are a little nervous about real life/ real time communication these days. The preference is to text over calling, or to meet in the virtual space. As convenient as these methods are, they pale in comparison to full on, real life, deeper connections. We demonstrated in a previous article that it’s the quality of our real-life, positive relationships that matter most to our health and longevity. 

I’d like to challenge this common belief and open the options to build new friendships from scratch just like kids do!

How to build friendships (from scratch):

When you’re in an elevator or at the gym, smile and say hello. A small, simple act with no expectations. Do this time and time again, and you’ll eventually repeat this with the same few people. And this is where the confidence can start to build. A familiar face, maybe a new haircut, or a bike in hand. You can ask them a question… “Where are you biking to today?” and see where the conversation can flow. Being curious about others is a great way to connect. People love to talk about themselves and share with others their experiences and recent adventures. It makes them feel good and lets you focus on learning about someone or something else.

Examples:

  • Invite your neighbour out for a weekly walk
  • Learn the name of your grocers, baristas, or front desk staff at offices/clinics you go to
  • Join a weekly/monthly club (hiking, running, book, gardening clubs), or make your own!
  • Join a gym, rock climbing studio, or a fun fitness class
  • Invite that new workout buddy out for a snack or coffee
  • Have weekly lunch/dinner parties that rotate through various homes

The point is to step slightly outside your comfort zone to cultivate new friends, integrate with the real world, and build your community. Don’t be afraid, because now you know that many people suffer from loneliness, and the impact of building friendships goes both ways. This is one pillar of health we don’t want to forget, and the research is showing us to follow our intuition for meaningful connection and we will reap the rewards.

Are you up for the challenge? 

Reference:

Friends: understanding the power of our most important relationships. Robin Dunbar

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-power-and-prevalence-of-loneliness-2017011310977

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.801746/full

Lomanowska, A. M., & Guitton, M. J. (2016). Online intimacy and well-being in the digital age. Internet interventions, 4, 138–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2016.06.005

Francis, J., Giles-Corti, B., Wood, L., Knuiman, M. 2012. Creating sense of community: The role of public space, Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 32, pp. 401-409.

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Lessons From the Longest Study on Happiness

Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

Taking care of our body is important, but so is tending to your relationships!

The power of our relationships, and how happy we are in those relationships influence our physical and mental health. One of the world’s longest studies on adult life and aging has amassed a huge collection of detailed data on what factors in life correlate to happiness and quality longevity. That last part is important. It’s not just living longer but doing so with a great quality of life.

Many aspects were measured. Money, fame, career status, relationships, mental health, and physical health measures like weight and cholesterol levels. One of the strongest correlations was health and happiness to relationships with family, friends, and community. People who were most satisfied with their relationships were the healthiest in their 80’s. This was a stronger predictor than cholesterol levels!

Satisfying relationships do not just mean when things are smooth and positive. Studies of couples bickering daily still show their mental health remains intact if they feel supported and could really count on others when times get tough. 

The key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships.

-George Valliant, psychiatrist (professor at Harvard)

We often think of health as coming from abstaining from smoking, reducing alcohol, eating well, and being physically active. But this study shows a stark absence in our valuation of relationships and the impact that our community plays on our health as well.

I often ask patients to list the qualities in others they enjoy being around and use this to guide how they allocate time spent with others who contribute to their positive relationships. Traits like passion about something, kindness, loyalty, intelligence, being open-minded, etc. 

The number of friends doesn’t necessarily matter, as many of us can still feel lonely despite having lots of people around. We want to make sure we pay attention to the quality of our relationships, enjoying ones that uplift us, challenge us, and make us feel supported with a little tough love thrown in.

Your list is like your home base to help recenter your priorities when we sometimes get swept up with life. What qualities are on your list? Now go enjoy them.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/

https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org

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Do This One Thing For Overall Health

Tim Irvine

I’m often asked, “If you could make one recommendation for overall health, what would it be?”

Man, that’s a tough one. Sometimes being science and evidence based is restrictive. Each situation is different and my ‘one piece of advice’ would be different for everyone. Individuals require individual approaches.

There are an almost infinite number of possible answers to this, but I’m going to provide two personal favorites to this question: 1a and 1b.

1a is to move in nature. It doesn’t matter to me if you are walking, rolling, running, or biking. Just get out and move in nature. The movement and the greenery have been studied extensively and there is an overabundance of evidence 100% of the population will benefit from both.

1b is to sleep well. As with moving in nature, the benefits of sleep for body and brain are extensively proven scientifically. Recovery, emotional control, cognitive ability, hormonal profiles, etc. Good consistent sleep is incredibly beneficial to your overall health. It’s not up to me to tell you how much that is because everyone is different. If you want a guideline, I’d say 7.5 – 8 hours nightly, uninterrupted. If you are wondering what your natural schedule is, you would need to sleep without an alarm clock for at least a week or two, and on those last two days of the period, you would find out how many hours you sleep naturally. That would then become your nightly goal.

So, there you have it, my one-ish answer to the magical question. You are seriously ‘winning’ when you are doing both above well.

Now I have a question for you? Which one do you think you could improve the most on, and what will you do to take one small step in that direction? Information is power, but information and action is what really counts.

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The spectacular benefits of “Most Of The Time’

Tim Irvine

When it comes to overall health, one particular theme continues to present itself to me. Do the right things ‘most of the time’. We spend so much time trying to ‘get it right’ or be ‘perfect’ and it’s just not realistic. Too many of us end up feeling excess pressure that can lead to giving up or getting disappointed in ourselves because we have not achieved the ideal. I say screw the ideal and give yourself some flexibility to do some things that you know aren’t perfect. 

I first noticed this with physical capabilities. Anyone who is consistent with their training retains their base even when they take a break from it. Yes, they become somewhat deconditioned, but their capacity to ‘get back in shape’ is there and makes the process quite efficient. Taking years or decades away from activity converts their system to an inactive one, and they lose their ability to rebound efficiently. 

I’ve observed the same phenomenon with people and their diets. Those that have consistently poor dietary habits generally have poorer health. Surprise, surprise. Overweight, high blood pressure, joint pain, less happiness, etc. not surprising. Those that have good dietary habits most of the time usually have good, general health. 

In the past several years, I’ve also noticed those that spending an ample amount of time outdoors has more positive health outcomes. Particularly psychologically. The plus is most people tend to be doing something physical when outside so their physical health benefits as well. This also applies to people who work in an office environment. If they get some weekly outdoor enjoyment most of the time, it seems to work as an antidote to their desk time. 

I know I’m simplifying ‘good health’ with this concept, but that’s the point. Let’s make it easier for ourselves instead of harder. The point of ‘most of the time’ is that it’s not rigid. I like sweets, and some beer and wine, but most of the time I eat well and don’t drink to much alcohol. 

Pursuing perfection in any health habit can have its drawbacks psychologically and that is what I see as a roadblock to getting started or continuing with any positive habit. To reiterate my earlier point, allow yourself to be imperfect. You are not a robot, nor should you aspire to be one. Just be yourself and do the right thing most of the time. Better health and happiness are sure to follow.

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Tighten Up Your Immune Defensive Line – Gut Health Series Part 2, Partners in Slime

Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

Humans are essentially a giant, elaborate tube. We have an outside layer (our skin), and an inner layer (our gut lining) that encases all our innards and protects us from the outside world. 

We are incredibly vulnerable organisms and need protection from the harsh external environment, so our skin which is multiple layers thick, and constantly regenerating, contains sweat, and specific pH levels to protect us and kill off any unwanted intruders. 

Our gut starts at our mouth and ends at our bum, and represents the inner part of the tube. Unlike our skin, our gut is only one cell layer thick! One integral layer that separates your blood and internal organs from the external environment.  If there’s so much as a tiny, inflicted wound, there’s no other cell layer there to stop food particles, waste products from bacteria metabolism, or toxins released from dying microbes from entering places they don’t belong. This can light up our immune system, and lead to chronic inflammation!

Common symptoms of a damaged gut barrier are food intolerances, excessive gas, bloating,  persistent or recurring skin rashes, breakouts like acne, eczema, psoriasis or rosacea, and autoimmune conditions (from a confused and inappropriate immune response) like hypothyroidism. 

While avoiding foods by following a LOW FODMAPS diet, or eliminating nightshades (tomatoes, eggplant etc), can provide temporary relief, it’s missing the root cause, resulting in a strategy that effectively “shoots the messenger”. Real food isn’t the problem. The lasting solution is to have a robust and healthy gut barrier that prevents these food proteins, molecules and toxins from getting into our bloodstream in the first place.

One major disruptor of our thin intestinal lining is protein gliadin found in seemingly benign wheat. Hang on! Isn’t wheat a real food? Yes, but modern-day modifications to this food have left us in an evolutionary mismatch, with our body having little to no time to adapt to these new structures of wheat.  As a result, modern wheat can increase the permeability of our gut lining by loosening up the tight bonds that naturally help keep our single-cell layer tightly bound together. 

For this reason, sticking with our real, unprocessed foods (no package, no problem, and your 5-ingredient rule, you know the drill), help us prevent gut damage. To take it one step further, here are specific nutrients we want to include to give our delicate intestines all the support they need.

Game Plan: Building a tight defensive line

  1. Fiber again! All plants contain fiber, and help build up and maintain a strong healthy, tightly packed intestinal cell layer! Growing healthy intestinal cells require short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which are a by-product made when healthy bacteria get enough fiber to eat (best sources are vegetables, lentils, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds).
  2. Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric root, is one such gut healer. It helps repair the tight junctions between our gut cells, so that the single layer remains tight and less penetrable. However, curcumin needs to stay in our gut for it to work its healing touch. That means we are looking for turmeric that is NOT absorbable as curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory and can help reduce inflammation in our body which is helpful for conditions like pain and arthritis. This is more of a band aid solution compared to helping our gut lining stay healthy, strong which will in turn reduce and prevent inflammation from happening in our blood in the first place. When looking for curcumin, or eating turmeric, avoid those that are combined with black pepper (aka. bioperine). Add turmeric to your avocado with some salt, paprika, and cumin for a quick snack or roasting veggies.
  3. Vitamin D is deficient in over 70% of Canadians, and integral not just to bone health and our immune system. But new studies are showing how it positively impacts the growth of healthy gut bacteria, who in return make butyrate (another favourite food for growing healthy intestinal cells), and protective mucosal layers (as described in part I).
  4. Omega 3 is showing similar benefits in terms of optimizing the growth of healthy gut bacteria that give the gift of mucosal protection, and intestinal rejuvenation fuel sources such as butyrate and SCFA. Omega 3 has the additional benefit of reducing inflammation and protecting and increasing the resilience to intestinal damage. 

Begin incorporating more of these defense mechanisms and you will begin to feel the differences. Happy eating!

Reference:

Costantini, L., Molinari, R., Farinon, B., & Merendino, N. (2017). Impact of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on the Gut Microbiota. International journal of molecular sciences, 18(12), 2645. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18122645

Lammers, K.M., et al. (2008). Gliadin induces an increase in intestinal permeability and zonulin release by binding to the chemokine receptor CXCR3. Gastroenterology, 135(1), 194-204. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653457/

Markowiak-Kopeć, P.; Śliżewska, K. The Effect of Probiotics on the Production of Short-Chain Fatty Acids by Human Intestinal Microbiome. Nutrients 2020, 12, 1107. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12041107

Schwalfenberg GK, Genuis SJ, Hiltz MN. Addressing vitamin D deficiency in Canada: a public health innovation whose time has come. Public Health. 2010 Jun;124(6):350-9. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2010.03.003. Epub 2010 Apr 21. PMID: 20413135.

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-624-x/2013001/article/11727-eng.htm

Coates, M. et al., (2019). The skin and intestinal microbiota and their specific innate immune systems. Frontiers in Immunology. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02950/full

Singh, P., Rawat, A., Alwakeel, M. et al. The potential role of vitamin D supplementation as a gut microbiota modifier in healthy individuals. Sci Rep 10, 21641 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77806-4


Wang, J., Ghosh, S. S., & Ghosh, S. (2017). Curcumin improves intestinal barrier function: modulation of intracellular signaling, and organization of tight junctions. American journal of physiology. Cell physiology, 312(4), C438–C445. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpcell.00235.2016

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RunSmart!

Are you or someone you know hitting the pavement or trails this spring? If so, we have two awesome resources for you.

RunSmart Workshop

We are hosting a RunSmart workshop on May 10th, 6pm at our King location. Our running physio, Victoria Lavinskas, and our running nutritionist, Tara Postnikoff, will help you…

  • Run Faster
  • Run farther
  • Stay injury free
  • Nutrition, technique, resistance work, and more

There is no cost to the workshop, but all attendees will receive 15% off a massage. Sign up here. 

RunSmart Immersive

If you are looking for the latest and most comprehensive look at running performance from all angles, we have you covered. Whether you are just getting started with running or you are experienced and looking for an edge, this program is a great match.

  • 20+ videos
  • Nutrition advice
  • Warmups
  • Injury prevention
  • 5k and 10k programs
  • Direct access to our professionals

Find out more or sign up here.

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This little-known way we can help our overall health – Gut Health Series Part 1, Partners in Slime

Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

Did you know that we produce 10 litres of mucus a day?

That gooey, slimy stuff we cough up, is a lubricant for our food as it makes its way through our digestive tract. As icky as it seems, it has a crucial role. Imagine swallowing a bite of an apple in a mucus-free esophagus, food would stay lodged in there for days! We need mucus.

It’s like living in a house with a sturdy roof that keeps you sheltered, warm, and protected. Now imagine life without a roof, leaving you vulnerable and exposed to harsh elements and triggering pain and suffering.

Why is mucus so important?

Mucus is our protective shield from the caustic elements of digestion (think stomach acid and digestive enzymes), and is our front-line barrier, preventing food particles and the trillions of microbes that live in your gut from passing through into your blood. The health and strength of our mucus layer mean the difference between resilient health and conditions like ulcerative colitis. 

How do we produce mucus?

Our intestinal cells secrete some, but a significant amount comes from healthy bacteria (aka your microbiome) as well!  The bacteria that produce our protective mucus layer thrive and feed off prebiotic fibers. But less than 3% of us get enough prebiotic fibers daily, finding it a struggle to pack in such fibrous plant foods like lentils, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Add onto that, when we consider the near-sighted benefits of high fat and low carb diets, paving the way to long-term digestive problems and symptoms related to chronic inflammation.

What destroys mucus?

When there isn’t enough food for our healthy bacteria, they turn to munch on our mucus instead! This leads to the destruction or loss of our mucosal layer inviting digestive dysfunction and body-wide inflammation that can take many forms such as constipation, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome and disease, as well as other autoimmune conditions.


Even worse, processed foods use emulsifying agents. This is how food chemists prevent the separation of ingredients, so things stay creamy and uniform. Think ice cream, salad dressings, and nut butter which are some of the most common culprits for their emulsifying effects. Emulsifiers like polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose disrupt mucus-like dishwashing liquid and disperse oily film. It thins and breaks apart the mucus layer, opening holes for bacteria, and harmful proteins to get direct access to our intestinal lining. The best way to avoid emulsifying our protective and precious mucus is to eat Real Food and avoid foods that have more than 5 ingredients, or ingredients you can’t picture in your mind.

A 3 Course Meal for Mucus Building

  1. Enjoy lentils and beans ¼-½ cup daily, you may need to slowly ramp up the amount as your body regrows bacteria to help you break this down.
  2. There’s a species of mucus-producing bacteria that thrive off olive oil. So, while there is no fiber in this product, some of the anti-inflammatory benefits of olive oil can be due to this mechanism.
  3. Matcha green tea contains compounds that provide extra scaffolding for our mucosal layer. It makes mucus thicker, stronger, and more resilient to damage.

We are just scratching the surface of what our incredible microbiome can offer us, so stay tuned as the science continues to unfold better ways to understand the components of health and longevity!

Reference:

Charlotte, A. et al., (2020). Impact of diet and the bacterial microbiome on the mucous barrier and immune disorders. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 76(3), pg 714-734. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/all.14548

Paone P, Cani PDMucus barrier, mucins and gut microbiota: the expected slimy partners?Gut 2020;69:2232-2243. Retrieved from https://gut.bmj.com/content/69/12/2232

Annika Braun, MD, et al. (2009). Alterations of phospholipid concentration and species composition of the intestinal mucus barrier in ulcerative colitis: A clue to pathogenesis, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Volume 15, Issue 11, 1. Pg 1705–1720. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/ibd.20993

Davis, W. (2022). Super Gut: reprogram your microbiome to restore health, lose weight, and turn back the clock. Harper Collins, Toronto CA.

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Belly Laughs Are Good For You

By Dr. Stacy Irvine

I was reading a fantastic book called “Train Your Brain Like an Olympian” and I came across a very interesting passage.  Did you know that on average children laugh approximately six times per day?  This number drops off dramatically as we get older, and our lives become more serious.  Here is the problem…Laughter provides both our neuromuscular and hormonal system with essential feedback and stimulation that helps keep us healthy and ultimately happy.

Now let’s talk a bit about the last two years.  How much do you think you missed out on great belly laughs?  I am sure, like almost all of us, that joyous sound and feeling has been hard to come by.  Anyone living in Toronto has had a particularly hard time with our extreme levels of lockdown and restrictions.  This is part of living in the largest city in the country.  Hopefully you and your families are working towards a full recovery and are starting to feel like life may be returning to a time where laughter becomes a part of your regular life again.

But how can we make sure of this?

Try these three things:

  1. Social Time – A critical component to mental health, as well as physical health, is social activities. These are situations where you are spending time with friends and family, and they almost always involve laughter.
  2. Sign up for a daily laugh – There are many sites that will send you daily content that will make you laugh. Daily Laugh is a good example.
  3. Turn Up Humor – It is virtually impossible to avoid bad news. The media loves it and for some reason we love consuming it. Instead of trying to avoid it altogether, let’s reduce the amount we take in and replace it with content that makes us laugh. Just searching for the ‘funniest’ anything will be sure to discover many segments that put a smile on your face.

And to help you kick off some laughable time in your day, take a look at any of these three segments. Enjoy the amazing feeling that laughing brings you.

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Secrets To Living Long

Written by: Tim Irvine

The picture you are looking at is that of Arthur Kennedy Sr. He’s one of my heroes and a shining example of how to live life. You can learn from him, so read on to find out how.

Arthur is 90 years old and took this picture a few weeks before writing this article. His trip to the Grand Canyon was part of his 90th birthday celebration. I’ve only known him for the last ten years, but in that time, he’s travelled to many exotic locales in the world, usually multiple times a year. Herein lies the important message.

Arthur isn’t managing his health to the nth degree; he’s just enjoying life doing things he loves to do.

Sure, he pays attention to what he eats, but not religiously. He loves a great meal and a nice bottle of wine.

He exercises regularly but does so to continue to do the things he loves, with travel being at or near the top of the list. It helps to keep him young.

He has family that he spends a lot of meaningful time with, including some of his travel.

Regardless of a person’s age, there are many lessons to be learned from Arthur. There is, however, one thing that he has just nailed:  He fills his life with experiences and people that he loves, and supports it with behaviours that allow him to do it whenever he wants. That’s the secret sauce that brings him happiness. It is also the same sauce that brings the rest of us happiness.

It’s worth thinking about how you might be able to adapt to this simple overarching approach. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, give yourself a score on how well you are doing but exclude 7 altogether. If you are 8 or higher, you are already doing a great job. If your score is 6 or lower, you may want to consider adjusting some things to have a bit more joy in your life. Pick just one thing you would like more of and take any size of steps towards it. You will get there one way or another.

To adapt a slogan from Nike, forget about ‘Be like Mike’, be like Arthur instead!