Summit Countdown To WELLNESS CHALLENGE

Summit Challenge

We are calling this the Summit Countdown Challenge.  If you stick to the challenge you will be healthier in 30 days!  30 days is not the end, but a very good beginning.  It is not a quick solution, but instead a step toward a lifelong healthier lifestyle.

Before you begin you must be motivated.  Are you ready to try something new and let the results speak for themselves.  Wellness is an active process.  For some the journey will be more difficult than others.  What motivates you?

“If you know the why, you can live any how.”   -Friedrich Nietzsche

Let me explain how this works.  For 30 days commit to eating, thinking and moving better every day.  Here are your goals:

5 – 8 ounce glasses of water

4 – servings of vegetables

3 – servings of protein

2 – servings of fruit

1 – activity

0 – grains

 “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”     -Henry Ford

5 – WATER

Nearly all of the major systems in your body depend on water. Period.  Going through the day dehydrated lowers you ability to function optimally.  Reducing water in the body as little as 5% can result in as much as a 20-30% drop in your energy levels.  Thirst kicks in at about 5%.  If you only drink when you are thirsty you are walking around 5% dehydrated all the time.  Most should be drinking 40-60 oz. per day.  Even more if you exercise or drink tea, coffee or sodas.  Water satisfies your hunger centers and studies have shown greater success with weight loss if the body is well hydrated.  Being dehydrated promotes the holding on of body fat.

A serving of water for this challenge is only 8 ounces.  Pour 8 ounces into a glass.  It is not very much.  The challenge is to have 5 – 8 ounce glasses of water every day.  This gets you to the minimum amount of water you should have each day.  Spread them out throughout the day.  A good strategy to follow is to have one glass with each meal.  Have a water bottle that you sip on throughout the day.

If you have access to our office come in and have a body composition done.  This is part of our Wellness Score evaluation.  We can measure the hydration level of your cells. (called intracellular water)  A hydrated cell is a happy cell.  You want your cells to be more like grapes than raisins.  This is not a day to day hydration measurement, but a measure of consistent hydration over the recent months.

4 – VEGETABLES

Raise your hand if you have not heard that vegetables are good for you!! Why are they good for you?  In the simplest terms they contain, calorie for calorie, more dense nutrients and fiber than any other food group.  The highest nutritionally dense foods are mostly vegetables with a few fruits.  You want to eat as many vegetable as you can.

Vegetables also contain carbohydrates.  Good carbs.  So this is NOT a low carb type of diet if enough vegetables are eaten.

For this challenge 4 servings of vegetables are to be eaten every day.  A serving is equal to 1/2 cup.  Grab some vegetables and put them into a measuring cup to get an idea of the portion size we are talking about.  Its only the size of a baseball.  4 for this category is a minimum.  Feel free to eat as many servings of vegetables you want in a day.

3- PROTEIN

Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body.    They are also the major components of your immune system and hormones.  They are made of amino acids.  8 are essential.  That means your body cannot make them and they need to be eaten every day. Protein does not stimulate insulin or raise your blood sugar.  It satisfies your appetite so you tend to not eat as much.  Strive for more lean sources.  It is the saturated fat content of many meats that contribute to them being less healthy.  Excellent lean sources of protein include fish, seafood, poultry, game meats, eggs and whey or soy powder.  If you can get grass fed or free range meats even better.  Those that get fed grains have more fat.  Grain does to the animals what grain does to us.  (more on that in the 0 grain section)

The challenge is to get 3 separate servings/day. One of them should ALWAYS be breakfast. The portion size is 3 oz. (20-25 grams of protein)  This is the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.

2 – FRUITS

Also a high nutritious food group.  High in antioxidants and other nutrients.  They are however also high in sugar which is why they need to be consumed in moderation.  A good rule to follow is that you eat one piece of fruit for every 2 vegetables.

The challenge is to have 2 servings of fruit per day.  A serving of fruit varies greatly but for our purposes it will be one medium piece or 1/2 cup.

1 – ACTIVITY

For this challenge activity can be anything that you do to make your healthier.  If it reduces stress, gets you thinking better and/or moving better it counts.  Take a walk, get in the yard, meditate, connect with people, paint, do yoga, do housework at a quicker pace.  The choices are endless.  In general the activity should be at least 30 minutes.  Strive for 150 minutes of heart rate raising activity per week.  Studies show that as little as 10 minutes of meditation will reduce the effects of stress.  You may use 10 minutes of meditation as your activity for the day.

 0 – NO GRAINS

WHAT!!  This is the one that seems to spark the most intense responses. But aren’t whole grains good for you? Why no grains?  For further reading here is a great link:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/top-8-most-common-reactions-to-your-grain-free-diet-and-how-to-respond/#axzz1zUizxqwN

Grains have a poor nutrient density.

FACT:  There is not a single nutrient in grain that you cannot get in better sources elsewhere.  Why are grains fortified?  Because they need to be!!  Ever see a fortified fruit or vegetable?  Calorie for calorie grain is a very poor nutritional food.  You can go your entire life and never eat a grain and never be deficient in any vitamin/mineral.

Grains have a high glycemic load.

This means that they contain a lot of sugar.  Carbohydrates are all broken down into sugar.  The glycemic load is a measure of the overall amount of sugar a food contains.  Most of us do not need the amount of carbohydrates we take in.  This does NOT turn this challenge into a low carbohydrate diet!!  You will get adequate carbohydrates when you replace the grains you currently eat with fruits and vegetables.

Grains are inflammatory.

This is where gluten comes in.  Gluten is the most known of many irritating substances in grains.  They are hard to digest, damage your intestine and are inflammatory.  Although gluten free diets used to only be prescribed for those with celiac disease we now know that there are other forms of gluten intolerance.   The symptoms they produce are varied from the obvious gastrointestinal issues to autoimmune diseases, skin problems, mental and mood issues, weight issues and body aches just to name a few.  Most who remove grains from their diet for 30 days experience changes. Many learn a lot about their body and how diet is affecting them.

Grains are everywhere!  The are engrained in our society and food supply. This is the most difficult part of the challenge for most.  This eliminates all cereals, pasta, breads and basically everything that is processed or in a box.  You will have to start reading labels. Gluten/wheat is everywhere.  Gluten free products just use other grains as substitutes and are usually high in carbohydrate.

By cutting out empty grain carbs and consuming more quality foods your body will start to burn fat first.  Your body will not only become more efficient at burning fat and pulling from fat stores, but it will also discourage fat from being stored in the first place.

Here are a few tips to increase your chance of success:

• Prepare. Plan ahead and START.
• Plan for healthy snacks.
• Schedule your activities into your calendar.
• Go shopping so you have lots of healthy food choices available.
• Involve others.  Creates accountability.
• Clear the pantry of poor choices. (ie cookies, candy, boxed food)
• Never skip breakfast.
• Always have a protein at breakfast.
• Always drink a glass of water with each meal.
• Experiment with new herbs, spices and foods you have never tried before.
• Optimize your body’s ability to adapt to changes (Regular adjustment).

DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STACK THE CARDS IN YOUR FAVOR ! !

So now its time to put the plan into action !!

If you have any questions you can go to our facebook page and post them.  I will answer them and everyone else will benefit from seeing the answers.  Remember, there are no stupid questions only those that are not asked.

https://www.facebook.com/SummitChiropractic

5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – 0  GO !!