How to Cure the "Hangry" - and it's not with extra snacks

Most of us have heard the word "hangry," which describes the irritability we can feel after not eating for a certain amount of time. In my clinical practice, the magic amount of time that patients say it takes is typically 3 hours. I need to eat every three hours, or I get shaky and really grumpy!

And it's not just what I'm hearing from others, but also what I've experienced first hand. We have a word for it in our family too... when someone starts acting irrational and grumpy because they haven't eaten in a couple hours...

But when you think about it, a few hours is practically nothing. Three hours, and our bodies are begging for food again? Seems a little illogical looking at how many calories we're consuming each day. So what's really happening and how can we fix it?

"Hangry" is a sign of blood sugar dysregulation, and it happens more often in those with higher carbohydrate diets. In a nutshell, consuming regular and relatively large amounts of refined carbohydrates and sugars as a main fuel source results in those sugars ending up in the bloodstream. This is what increases blood sugar levels and it requires insulin to pop up to let the sugar into the body's cells; as well, the liver will help store the sugar you're not using as glycogen.

Spikes and drops in blood sugar levels can definitely affect our mood and energy. It can also lead to further complications long-term like insulin resistance - where we continuously bombard our bodies with so much refined carbs/sugars that insulin can't meet the demand.

Apart from hypoglycaemic symptoms, insulin resistance is associated with obesity, PCOS, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. As well, blood sugar dysregulation can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The good news is that blood sugar regulation can be corrected with dietary and lifestyle changes (the rate of which will depend on the individual). Here are some tips to get started:

• Avoid eating at night, or eat only within a 12-hour window, max. Fasting for at least 12 hours will help train the body to not just use sugars/carbohydrates as a fuel source as you're not feeding yourself throughout the night. Therefore, the body tends to use up glycogen stores from the liver, and eventually fat if it needs it.

• Reduce refined sugars and carbohydrates in the diet. This isn't to say that all grains are terrible for you, but you don't need them as much as our old food pyramids have historically told us. 
• Avoid those daily breakfast sandwiches, muffins, scones, cookies, and excessive bread, pasta, and pizza intake. Try having 1-2 meals per day that have no grains in them at all. 
• Avoid sweetened beverages. This also applies to your coffee and tea. Try replacing your sugar with honey, and then slowly wean down the amount that you add daily to your beverage. 
• Avoid sweet alcoholic beverages, including ciders and mixed drinks with sugary sodas and juices; as well as liqueurs and "sweeter" drinks like rum, and wine. 

• Include more healthy fats and protein into the diet. Fats and proteins are extremely filling, whereas after finishing a bowl of pasta, you may still reach for a piece of bread, able to eat another few bites. On the other hand, eating something with a high fat or protein content is more likely to leave you satiated. Aim for 20-30g of protein in your first meal of the day. Examples of helpful foods for fat and protein content include:
• Avocados
• Unsalted nuts/seeds, 
• Eggs,
• Lean cuts of meat, 
• Fish, 
• Protein smoothies (see below for recipe)

• Exercise regularly. Physical activity has been shown to independently induce expression and translocation of the GLUT4 transporter, which helps to transport sugar/glucose into skeletal muscle cells. This is especially helpful for those with insulin resistance. 

• Drink more water. Sometimes when we chronically feel hungry for carbs, it's not hunger at all. Try drinking a glass of (lemon) water first. Check-in with yourself to find out if your hunger is more just boredom, or thirst, before reaching for a snack. 

Fat-filled Protein Smoothie (1 serving)

In a high-powered blender, mix: 

- 1/2-1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk

- 2 tbsp hemp hearts

- handful or 4 strawberries 

- 1/4 cup blueberries OR 1/2 a banana

- 1 scoop whey isolate protein powder

- 1/2 an avocado

Although some people choose to go "cold turkey" with a new dietary plan, jumping in head first, I find changes tend to stick more when they are gradually introduced and practiced.  When we make dietary and lifestyle changes, give the body time to adjust. The key is in being consistent, and not allowing a lot of "cheat days." Even the idea of "everything in moderation" can cause major set backs if it pulls a person back into their old habits. 

Looking for extra resources and meal ideas? I find that blood sugar regulation can be positively influenced with both the Paleo diet and the Mediterranean diet. Both focus on fresh vegetables, and healthy fat sources like olive oil and fish. If paleo sounds too restrictive, then modify it. Allow yourself side dishes of quinoa, or brown rice. Or small portions of potatoes. View food as your body's fuel, and take it one day at a time. 

How do you make a home gym affordable and user-friendly?

The home gym. I have to say it's probably my favourite gym. No line ups for machines, no sweaty men staring at you, no worrying about the A/C not working, or of it working too well.

The issue is that many people will argue that it's too tough to have a "home gym". They don't have enough space, or they can't afford big machines. The truth is that a home gym is what you make of it, and it can be so much more simple!

My own personal home gym is actually my living room. While in my undergrad, it consisted of a 3'x6' space between my bed and the wall where my yoga mat would fit. During my grad studies, it was my basement: a huge open space with a cold, tiled floor, and no furnishings. Just a makeshift table that my laptop sat on and oodles of basement space to do some kickboxing videos or animal flow.

Now, in my very own house, I transform my living room into a home gym. It's more affordable than you think and the only "set up" is moving the coffee table out of the way and rolling out my yoga mat:

The first thing to do is decide what you want to do at home. Maybe you just want to do yoga at home, or maybe you want to be able to do a variety of workouts. My collection consists of:

1) Yoga (P90X yoga, a few Rodney Yee videos, and Wanderlust TV's 21 days of yoga which can be streamed online for about $30 for full access anytime you want)
2) Weight aerobics: I love The Firm and all of their videos but their original ones from the 90's are by far the best workouts I've ever done!
3) Cardio: Cardio-dance-kickboxing fun, I have a collection of Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire DVD's from BeachBody's Chalene Johnson. Totally fun, and I can still manage it in a small space.

Building your home gym
The above workouts are just a small tasting of what's out there. I highly recommend visiting www.collagevideo.com to checkout a variety of workout videos. See what you like - what looks like fun and what you would be interested in doing. Based on what which workouts you want to add to your collection, you can start thinking about the equipment you need.

In general, start with a yoga mat. Something for you to work on, or stretch on. Any mat will do, though I'm in love with "The Mat" from Lululemon as it provides extra grip support and doesn't slip.

If you want to include yoga, invest in yoga blocks. These by far are my favourite accessories. They can help with posture and support, even with just sitting on the ground.

Beyond that, work up slowly with anything. Always start a new workout without any weights at all. Just go through the motions and get used to the new routine. Then work up in weight. Start with 1-3lbs. In the picture above, I have a set of 1 lb hand weights (pink), 3lb dumbbells (black), 5lb dumbbells (green), 7lb dumbbells (silver and pink), and 2lb ankle weights that used to belong to my mom.

The nice thing is that you don't need to buy 3-5 sets of dumbbells all at the start. For most beginners I suggest picking one super light hand weight (1-2 lbs) and one slightly heavier dumbbell (3-5lbs), depending on your physical strength and condition. That's really all you need to start. For a lot of videos and workouts, you might not need any weights at all.

To make things even more affordable, focus solely on body-weight exercises, (or hook up a TRX system). These don't require any hand weights at all, just your own body and your own strength. The goal is to find a routine that you love to do. That way, exercise isn't a chore, it's a part of your daily body maintenance, a fun activity, and part of your everyday life.
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Remember that feeling...?

It's not uncommon for us to have issues with discipline, especially when it comes to food. That instant mouth-pleasure associated with sweet, salty or rich foods sends a signal to our brains, releasing dopamine and serotonin. We feel like we have been rewarded.

Not only do we feel rewarded, but we tend to use food as a reward. If I do (this), then I can have a treat. And we wire our brains to think that "junk" foods are rewards, even as children: "If you're good, you can have a treat." This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. If you eat healthy, your body will reward you with increased energy, good sleep, clear skin and more even moods - but our brains don't receive that signal as instantly as a huge sugar-inducing dopamine or serotonin surge.

We remember that feeling and make a choice. But what about the feeling of being bloated? Heavy and uncomfortable with an upset stomach; Maybe you feel lethargic or get brain-fog and can't work afterwards. You have to loosen the belt another notch or change into your stretchy clothes.

But there is another way to send great happy-inducing signals to the brain and through the body: physical activity. We've all heard of endorphins - that wonderful release of happy-feelings from exercise - also known as the "runner's high." If you're not used to exercise, it can take a bit to get to this point, but it becomes stronger each time you do it. The reason for that is because working your body can feel uncomfortable for a short period of time. When overheated or during sweating, we release dynorphin - a substance that helps to cool us down but that also increases the amount of opioid receptors that endorphins bind to. By increasing these receptor sites, each time you release endorphins, you'll experience an greater euphoric feeling.

Yoga is another fantastic example of activity that will give you that incredible feeling. But even yoga can be tough. Where most of us feel the greatest is at the end of the class during the final Savasana (laying on the floor). You're focused, lungs full of oxygen and the work is done. Exercising is work - it's not supposed to be easy! The point is to put your body through a little bit of stress and then as you recover your body gets stronger. You don't increase your muscle mass during the exercise itself, you "stress" out the muscles a bit and then with the proper protein and carbohydrates (and water!), they repair themselves and are stronger with that repair.

Where people tend to struggle the most with healthy living and weight management is retraining the brain. We need to learn to give up that instant gratification of "junk" foods - sugars, processed foods, processed carbohydrates like bagels, muffins, cookies, cakes, even pizza.

When you only feed your body whole, nutritious foods, you will feel better in the long run, guaranteed. One of the ways to improve your discipline with foods is to remember how you feel after those sugary or gluten-heavy foods, and this can take time. When a certain food makes you feel sick or gross time and time again, you begin to realize that it's just not worth it. Similarly, with exercise, if you make it a regular occurrence in your life (daily or 4x/week), if you stop, you'll notice a difference in how you feel. For example, if I haven't gone for a run or done any type of exercise in over 3 days, I know I get more agitated, irritable, and my body feels sluggish and stiff. So I go back and remember what it feels like to finish an awesome workout and that drives me to go and do it.

We need to reprogram our brains. Remember how good it feels to finish a workout, remember what it feels like when you've eaten clean for a week or longer. Then compare that to how you feel after bingeing on Oreos, or to how you feel after going to yoga once a week to not going at all. Get back to feeling good and don't let deceptive sugar trick your brain. Sugar should not be your reward. Feeling amazing and keeping diseases and illness away is the reward: Living your healthiest life and being able to share that with your friends and loved ones.

How to Start Running

Okay, silly title, but if you're new to cardio or exercise in general it's important to start the right way. The last thing you want is to attempt a workout intensity far beyond your body's capability and end up crashing and burning.

Some of us are inherently runners. Our walking pace is always twice as fast as everyone else around us. We enjoy the outdoors and time with our thoughts, and we always feel the drive to get out there and keep going. I am definitely that girl. If you want to start running, make sure it's because you want to run. Don't run because you think it'll help you lose weight quickly (which it might), or because you think this is the best way to get into shape (which it might not be - everyone is different).

So the first thing you need to start running is the drive to want to run. And once you get going, you must enjoy it. If you're miserable and hating yourself as your forcing your legs to catch you and pounding them on the pavement, you're likely going to cause your body more stress than actual benefit.

Next you'll need your "gear":

1) Running Shoes: a really good pair of running shoes will make all the difference! This is one of those expenses you just have to plan for. Go to a speciality running store and get yourself assessed for your running feet needs, specifically cushioning and stability. Make sure to run around the store and get a feel for the shoe. It must be comfortable and supportive.

Your running shoes should be replaced about every 800 kilometres or 6 months. When they stop feeling comfortable, supportive or when you start noticing more soreness or injuries, it's time to try on a new pair!

2) Sports bra (for the ladies): No matter your chest size, having a properly fitted sports bra is a must. Do your own version of the "bounce test" and make sure you're comfortable.

3) Run wear: This can be anything you're comfortable moving in. Summer's are easy, but I recommend shorts with liners or elastic grips to prevent them from riding up. In the winter and colder days, layer up or wear long socks

4) Road ID bracelet: If you're hitting the trails or running solo, a Road ID bracelet is just a smart move. It's your "in case of emergency" - should something happen to you, you can be identified, have any allergies listed, and you can leave an "in case of emergency" phone number since most of us have password-protected cell phones. Visit www.roadid.com

Important Tips for running:

• Start low (distance) and slow. Pace yourself and/or work in run/walk intervals. Take note of your breathing and your heart rate. If you can't catch your breath, you're going too fast. Slow it down, bring the heart rate down, catch your breath and then try starting again. 
• Focus on landing mid-foot to the balls of the feet. Avoid heel-strikes (when your heel hits the ground first) as it can increase the impact that you're taking and may cause you to be more prone to injuries. 
• Be well hydrated all day long! Imagine your muscles are like meat. If you're dehydrated, your muscles turn into beef jerky - all stiff and more "brittle" so-to-speak. You want to stay well hydrated so your muscles are limber and have full mobility. 
• Have a post run plan: A protein shake or small meal with protein and some carbohydrates will help your muscles to repair themselves after the "stress" of exercise. 
• Always start with a warm up (brisk walk or similar) and always end with a really good stretching routine. A modified Hatha Yoga routine to open the hips and stretch the hamstrings and the quads will be very important to prevent soreness and injury. 
• Examples of poses include: runner's lunge, warrior I and II, right-angle pose, triangle pose, straight leg stretch, and Royal dancer. 
• You can also foam roll after your run, like a post-run deep massage. Roll all surfaces of the legs and the glutes (buttocks). 

Don't forget to set a goal! When you reach your goal it makes running that much more triumphant and fills you with confidence. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!

Weight loss and the hormone connection

It's very common for me to hear from a patient/client "I exercise and eat healthy, but I still can't lose weight!" There are 2 reasons why this happens: 1) the client doesn't understand what's causing them to retain the weight and hasn't changed their approach to fit their needs; 2) The expectations for fast results are too high.

We all want to look good and feel great right away. And it's no wonder! The media and advertisements that surround us enforce the idea that weight loss should be quick and easy so you can be happy fast! Some of the worst culprits are those with their before-and-after pictures and those that guarantee quick results - "lose 10 lbs in a week!"

So how realistic is it? Sure, if you're clinically obese or have a lot of water retention, it's very easy to lose 10 lbs in the first week of any lifestyle change. But that's just your body reacting to such a huge change to your established eating habits and the new demands of using muscles you probably haven't used in a long time. Healthy and sustained weight loss takes time. There's no other way around it.

Weight is just the mass of your body (in lbs or kg) x the force of gravity. Stop thinking about "weight loss" and start thinking about changing the composition of your body. Muscle is heavier than fat. Fat stores energy, muscle "burns" energy. Your goal should be to figure out how to get the best performance out of your body - make it run more efficiently. But there is so much that affects this!

It's combination of:

• Balancing multiple hormonal systems
• Assisting your body's natural detoxification (liver function)
• Giving your body the proper fuel, and in the required amounts
• Strengthening different aspects of functioning 
• muscle use/strength
• endurance/cardiac health
• optimizing oxygen use/breathing

Hormones:
Why do we collect fat on ourselves? It's preservation. We store fat like a backup generator. If your body has been through enough stressful "disasters" it learns that it should keep some resources on hand. Even if your "disaster" is just chronic stress from family or work.

Keeping constant high cortisol levels in the body is enough to tell it to keep the bunker stocked and ready! If you're constantly stressed out, or doing solely long cardio exercise, your cortisol levels are more consistently elevated as opposed to following a normal cortisol curve - which regulates your sleep-wake cycle in addition to so much more. Ever tried to do 30-60 minutes of cardio late at night? Did you notice having a hard time falling asleep?

Excess estrogen can wreak havoc with mood (irritability), cravings, fatigue, and abdominal fat gain. Thyroid hormones affect your metabolism and help regulate mood, heart rate, cholesterol (which makes other hormones!), energy and so much more.

The take-home message is that it's not ever one or the other. All of these hormones are connected and affect each other. For example, a high cortisol level over a sustained period of time can affect your thyroid. It will also eventually deplete your adrenal glands which have been pumping out cortisol for you like crazy for way too long. This is what we call "adrenal exhaustion": morning fatigue, decreased recovery from exercise, low blood sugar and burn out - this also eats up your DHEA levels, important for the production of estrogen and testosterone.

Is it any wonder why people are having such a hard time losing weight?

Working with your naturopathic doctor and healthcare team can help you figure out where the imbalance is, how to correct it and then to develop a proper nutrition and lifestyle plan to make your body run efficiently. This doesn't just mean "eating healthy" but actually ensuring proper caloric intake, optimal protein intake and absorption (ESPECIALLY for vegans and vegetarians), and timing of fuel, in addition to many other lifestyle factors.

hyroid hormones regulate our metabolism and organ function. They directly affect heart rate, cholesterol levels, body weight, energy, muscle contraction and relaxation, skin and hair texture, bowel function, fertility, menstrual regularity, memory, mood and other bodily functions. Without enough thyroid hormone, every system in the body slows down. Those who suffer from hypothyroidism feel tired and tend to sleep a lot. Their digestion is slow and weight gain typically occurs. They can also experience extremely dry skin, hair loss, even slower mental processes. In fact, without enough thyroid hormone, attaining your perfect weight is almost impossible. - See more at: http://drnatashaturner.com/4-week-thyroid-boosting-plan-seen-marilyn-denis/#sthash.GkuXxnVa.dpuf

hyroid hormones regulate our metabolism and organ function. They directly affect heart rate, cholesterol levels, body weight, energy, muscle contraction and relaxation, skin and hair texture, bowel function, fertility, menstrual regularity, memory, mood and other bodily functions. Without enough thyroid hormone, every system in the body slows down. Those who suffer from hypothyroidism feel tired and tend to sleep a lot. Their digestion is slow and weight gain typically occurs. They can also experience extremely dry skin, hair loss, even slower mental processes. In fact, without enough thyroid hormone, attaining your perfect weight is almost impossible. - See more at: http://drnatashaturner.com/4-week-thyroid-boosting-plan-seen-marilyn-denis/#sthash.GkuXxnVa.dpuf