Life Time Training

What are the health benefits of the sauna? Does it help to reduce pain? Does it boost your immune system? Are there other metabolic benefits?

What's the best way to use a sauna?

Read on and find out. You'll understand why the sauna not only feels good, but it's also good for you.

Article ShortcutsThe Origins of the SaunaWhat is a sauna?7 Sauna Health BenefitsWhat if you don’t sweat?1. Enhanced Hormone and Neurotransmitter Production2. Detoxification3. Improved Recovery4. Pain Reduction5. Heart Health6. Immune Function7. Stress ReductionWhich is better: Sauna or Steam Room?How To Take A SaunaDurationCool DownFrequencySummary

The Origins of the Sauna

I grew up in the small, beautiful city of Ely, Minnesota. During the winter, Ely and the surrounding towns are usually the coldest places in the United States.

Ely has a rich Finnish and Scandinavian heritage. Not surprisingly, you'll find saunas in a large portion of homes in the area.

By the way, I'm a quarter Finnish (which is where Nikkola comes from), Norwegian, Swedish, and Slovenian.

Finland is the home of a number of great inventions: wind turbines, heart rate monitors, reflectors (like those on your bike), Fiskars scissors, ice skates, and the sauna. By the way, it's pronounced SOW-na, not saw-na.

Finland is also the origin of the word sisu, which complements the effects of the sauna as well.

Sisu: Endurance, perseverance, determination, courage, stamina, strength...especially during hard times.

One final fun fact before getting into the sauna. Finns drink more coffee per capita than any other country in the world. Perhaps it helps them get through the long and cold nights of winter.

Read more: Coffee: Is It Good For You?

Unfortunately, in most of America, we see the sauna as a luxury rather than a necessity. In Finland, it's a regular part of bathing.

Before modern healthcare, Finish mothers delivered babies in the sauna.

What is a sauna?

A sauna is a small room or stand-alone space, usually built with or lined with cedar. Eucalyptus, pine, hemlock, or basswood may also be used.

Finnish saunas are hot. They're kept at a temperature between 176° F (80° C) and 212° F (100° C).

In a traditional Finnish sauna, the heat doesn't stop there.

In most American "dry saunas," especially in gyms or hotels, the rocks are there just for looks. In a Finnish sauna, they serve a purpose. Once you start feeling the heat, you douse the rocks with water. The stones instantly turn the water into steam, and a few seconds later, the steam reaches you and feels like a thousand pinpricks on your skin.

As if that's not enough, the hardcore then gently beat their skin with silver birch branches, which relaxes muscles and relieves mosquito bites.

7 Sauna Health Benefits

A sauna is enjoyable, but not necessarily comfortable. In fact, the heat is stressful, which is why sauna therapy is called heat stress therapy. Your body perceives the extreme heat as a threat and reacts accordingly.

You feel surprised by the initial blast of heat when you walk in the door, but it's five to fifteen minutes later, when your core temperature begins to rise, that alarms start going off in your body.

Blood flow is directed away from your core and out to your skin, and blood vessels dilate, making it easier to get blood, and the heat it holds onto,

How can one supplement offer so many potential benefits? Why aren't more people taking this stuff? These are just a few of the questions I couldn't stop asking myself as I revisited the interesting roles N-acetyl cysteine plays in our overall health.

Article ShortcutsWhat Is N-Acetyl Cysteine?What Are the Potential Health Benefits of NAC?Enhances Antioxidant CapacityPromotes Respiratory HealthSupports Immune HealthHelps Cognitive, Neurological, and Behavioral HealthSupports Cardiovascular FunctionImproves Inflammatory ResponsePromotes Liver Health and DetoxificationOther Potential BenefitsHow Much NAC Is Effective?Cautions With NAC SupplementationBottom Line

What Is N-Acetyl Cysteine?

N-acetyl cysteine (or NAC for short) is a precursor to the sulfur-rich amino acid L-cysteine.

L-cysteine is found naturally in many protein- and sulfur-rich foods, such as meat, poultry, egg yolks, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, garlic, oats, onions, and red bell peppers.

L-cysteine is classified as a “conditionally essential” amino acid, which means under certain conditions, we need to consume extra sources because our body cannot make adequate amounts of it from other amino acids.

NAC is not an essential nutrient and it’s not found in nature, so there isn’t an established daily requirement for N-acetyl cysteine.

NAC may be most familiar to physicians since it’s used as a standard treatment for acetaminophen toxicity (overdose of the active ingredient in Tylenol®). NAC is also used medically as an aerosolized mist to break up mucus in the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis.

It’s also a common dietary supplement ingredient that has more functions than simply being a protein building block. Let’s explore.

What Are the Potential Health Benefits of NAC?

Enhances Antioxidant Capacity

N-acetyl cysteine acts on its own as an antioxidant and is also used for the formation of glutathione. The amino acids cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid combine to form glutathione, the body’s primary antioxidant.

Low glutathione levels can lead to premature aging, excessive free radical production, and difficulty with Phase I detoxification.

Cysteine is the rate-limiting amino acid, meaning if you don’t consume enough of it, you can’t produce enough glutathione.

The liver, lungs, and kidneys produce the most glutathione. Glutathione is built inside our cells with the amino acids mentioned above. It cannot get transferred from the outside of the cell to inside of it, so supplementing with glutathione itself doesn’t seem to work well. Instead, you’re better off taking NAC to support glutathione capacity.

Promotes Respiratory Health

Multiple research studies show NAC has a positive impact on respiratory health.

It’s often recommended as a mucolytic agent, meaning it helps break down mucus in our airways for both acute and chronic conditions that affect breathing.

Both a systematic review and a meta-analysis of clinical trials suggest NAC may be particularly helpful for reducing the frequency and duration of bronchitis symptoms in those with chronic, recurring bronchitis.

Evidence also suggests regular use of NAC seems to improve lung function in those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

NAC may also help with other inflammation related breathing conditions, such as asthma and nasal sinus infection, and it’s even been shown to have protective effects in smokers.

Supports Immune Health

Quercetin is one of the plant world's most potent polyphenols. In humans, its health benefits include protection for the brain, improved body composition, enhanced exercise recovery, and so much more.

In this article, we'll outline what quercetin is, what it does, and how to use it.

Article ShortcutsWhat is quercetin?Health Benefits1. Reduction in Allergies and Asthma2. Antioxidant Support3. Supports Normal Inflammation Levels4. Supports Healthy Blood Pressure5. Protects Cognitive Function6. Protects Skin7. Supports Immune Function8. Weight Loss and Improved Body Composition9. May Combat Cancer Development10. Enhances Exercise PerformanceBioavailability, Supplements, and Dosages

What is quercetin?

Quercetin is a flavonoid, which is a sub-group of polyphenols.

More than 6000 flavonoids exist in plants. They protect plants from stressors, radiation, infection, temperature changes, and drought.

Unlike vitamins and minerals, there are no recommended dietary intake levels for polyphenols. You don't develop deficiency symptoms or diseases by not consuming them, but you do derive certain health benefits from consuming them.

Quercetin is one of the polyphenols that have the most significant impact on our health. It is the compound that gives some of the plants a deep, vibrant color.

Though you won't consume therapeutic levels from food alone, you do find quercetin in many plant-based foods, as listed below.

Food Sources of QuercetinApplesBlack and green teaBlueberriesBroccoliBuckwheatCapersCurly kaleCherriesChokeberriesCilantroCitrus fruitsCranberriesDillGrapesLeeksLingonberriesLovageOnionsRed wineStrawberriesTomatoes

Though each of the foods above contains quercetin, the way the plants are grown affects their concentration when harvested. Once the plants are harvested or picked, their levels change as well.

For example, onions lose one-third of their concentration within 12 days of storage. On the other hand, strawberries increase their concentration if stored below -20°C (-4°F) for nine months. I bring this up only to point out that relying on food alone makes it difficult to consume a high dose consistently.

Health Benefits

The health effects of quercetin are impressive. As we always say, though:

No supplement is so good that it offsets the effects of a poor diet. No diet is so good that it can’t benefit from supplementation.

Many of the benefits below relate to conditions brought about by poor nutrition and lifestyle choices.

To get the most out of your efforts:

Eat a higher-protein dietSleep at least seven hours every nightStrength train at least four days per week

And as always, before delving into more targeted supplements like quercetin, we always recommend starting with The Foundational Five.

The following are ten health benefits of quercetin.

1. Reduction in Allergies and Asthma

Quercetin inhibits the release of histamine, which makes it a powerful supplement to support symptoms of asthma and bronchitis. It is also often recommended to lessen symptoms of seasonal allergies.

2. Antioxidant Support

Free radical production is a natural part of life. Intense exercise, environmental toxins, smoking, stress, and poor nutrition accelerate free radical production.

Antioxidants squelch free radicals before they can cause widespread damage to your cells.

"Is dairy good or bad for you?" Post that question to social media and you'll find so much debate about this food group, that you might mistake it for a political campaign.

On the pro-dairy side, you'll see answers such as:

"I've been drinking a gallon of milk a day since I was a little kid.""It's one of the food groups.""My dietitian told me to eat it/drink it.""I need it for strong bones."

On the anti-dairy side, you'll see people respond with answers like:

"It causes digestive problems.""Dairy causes cancer.""Humans aren't cows and therefore shouldn't consume cow's milk.""It's not fair to the cows.""It's an animal product and animal products are bad for you."

Ask them how they came to their conclusions and you'll find most people don't really know why they believe what they believe. Maybe a friend told them something. Perhaps they read an alaramist's blog post. Maybe they saw a biased advertisement.

Like many of the polarizing topics in nutrition, the answers lie in the middle. There are actually few topics where you can generalize across the population...eliminating gluten, limiting alcohol consumption, and avoiding BPA being part of that very short list.

In this article, I'll outline the most common concerns and exaggerations related to dairy consumption. "Dairy" is a broad category of food as well. Where it's appropriate, I've differentiated between milk, cheese, whey protein, and fermented dairy.

If you're looking for a specific topic, click on one of the shortcuts below.

Article Shortcuts4 Reasons Dairy Is Good For You1. Muscle Growth and Improved Body Composition2. Heart Health3. Convenience4. Enhanced Immune Function8 Reasons Dairy Might Not Be Good For You1. Lactose Intolerance2. Biogenic Amines3. A1 Casein4. Hormone Imbalance5. Digestive Problems6. Arthritis7. Sinus Congestion8. Skin3 Myths About Dairy And HealthMyth 1: Dairy Causes CancerMyth 2: Dairy Enhances Bone HealthMyth 3: Dairy Causes Diabetes And ObesitySummary

4 Reasons Dairy Is Good For You

I'll start by explaining why dairy is good for you, provided you can eat or drink it. Then, I'll get into the reasons why it's not for everyone.

1. Muscle Growth and Improved Body Composition

Muscle growth or maintenance is important at any age.

From a toddler developing strength and coordination so he can walk without falling over, to an elderly adult, trying to maintain strength and coordination, so he can walk without falling over, and all of the quality-of-life between those two stages of life, the more muscle you have (naturally), the better you'll function.

That's why I weave this statement into as many articles as I can...

Muscle is your quality-of-life savings account. The more you have as you enter old age, the longer you'll be able to maintain your quality-of-life.

Of course, muscle doesn't grow on its own. You need to follow a great strength training program. But then you also need to eat a high-protein diet, too. And in terms of protein quality, it's hard to beat dairy.

Dairy contains two proteins, casein and whey. Both are high in essential amino acids, though whey tends to be tolerated better than casein.

Whey Protein

Whey protein is rich in essential amino acids, including the branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. It is also made of bioactive fractions like lactalbumin and lactoferrin.

Supplementing with whey protein may

What are the benefits of high-protein diets? Are there risks? Are the risks exaggerations by alarmists, or could you really eat too much protein?

Fat and carbohydrates have shared the nutrition spotlight for decades, while protein is rarely discussed. That’s too bad, because it’s this macronutrient that has the potential to transform your body the most.

Article ShortcutsScience, Observation, and ExperienceWhat Is a High-Protein Diet?Percentage-Based Protein IntakeWeight-Based Protein IntakeOur Definition of "High Protein"9 Benefits of a High-Protein Diet1. Weight Loss2. Satiety3. Muscle Growth and Maintenance4. Thermogenesis5. Bone Health6. Blood Sugar Management7. Stress Resilience8. Immune System Support9. DetoxificationHigh-Quality, Great Tasting Protein SourcesFrequently Asked QuestionsI heard high-protein diets can cause kidney damage. Is that true?Is there a minimum or maximum amount of protein I should eat in a meal?Is there a maximum amount of protein you can use or assimilate in a meal?Do you need more protein or less protein as you age?Can you eat too much protein?What kind of protein is best?Do I need to time my protein with exercise?What if I don't have access to grass-fed, wild-caught, organic protein sources?If I'm vegetarian or vegan, how can I get more protein?What if I have an allergy or sensitivity?What if I don't like to eat protein?Time to Eat!

After almost two decades in health and fitness, I've determined there are just three things you can do that, if you do them consistently, dramatically improve how you look, feel, and perform more than anything else.

It's these three things that I focus my attention on the most when coaching clients:

Eat a high-protein diet.Weight train at least four days per week.Sleep at least seven hours every night.

Today, we’ll tackle the why and how of a high-protein diet.

Science, Observation, and Experience

Whenever I make a health and fitness recommendation, I do so based on what I’ve read, observed, and experienced.

Too many people play the “telephone game,” repeating what they think they heard someone else say. Often, that person heard something from someone else, too.

As the recommendations get passed from one person to the next, they get twisted, distorted, or exaggerated. As a result, there’s an enormous amount of confusion about — and over complication of — good nutrition.

I've read, researched, studied, and experimented with protein for years. As a certified sport nutritionist and certified strength and conditioning coach for more than two decades, I have a lot of experience with and knowledge about this.

More recently, researchers have started to ask the questions, “What would happen if people were just told to eat more protein? Is it possible that, if people ate more protein, they’d naturally eat less fat and carbohydrates?"

If so, a “healthy diet” wouldn’t be so much about eating less fat or carbohydrates, but more protein. Psychologically and physiologically, that's a big difference.

By the way, I'm not suggesting carbs or fat don't matter. They do. But, I've found it's a lot easier to get people to eat healthier amounts of them by eating more protein, versus telling them to eat less of either one.

As you'll see, there are a plethora of health benefits to protein, and little to no risks (contrary to what some bloggers and the media are selling today).

What Is a High-Protein Diet?

What is a "high-protein" diet anyway? The definition depends on who you talk to.

Weight loss journeys tend to be emotional endeavors. Even more than the physical barriers and logistical obstacles we deal with, our emotional patterns or reactions can be the hardest to overcome.

I’ve seen this happen over and over again, whether clients' emotions buoy them in tough times, slow down their journeys, or completely sabotage them.

Whatever the case, when I meet with a client to map out his or her weight loss program, we not only come up with new goals and behavior changes, but also identify what emotional "homework” may need to happen on the backend.

I've identified eight common insights that my clients have experienced in their weight loss and fitness journeys, along with suggestions for steering these realizations toward further success. Whether you’re at the beginning of your journey or somewhere in the middle of it, each can help you reflect on your own emotional experiences and help guide you in times to come. 

Article ShortcutsYou are NOT a math problem. You may have some break-ups. You feel like the odd man out at the gym. Grocery shopping can feel overwhelming.You realize you’ve stopped taking care of yourself. You have the ability to self-sabotage out of guilt.You realize that you’ve taught poor habits to someone else. How you see yourself may take time to catch up with how your body changes. 

You are NOT a math problem. 

There are so many dimensions to this one. First and foremost, you’re not your numbers — and your journey will be so much more than the digits.

Beyond this key emotional realization, you’ll come to see how the insight also plays into the weight loss process itself. The fact is, our society has handed down the idea that we can control the amount of weight we lose each week simply by controlling the calories we eat and burn off.

You may know people who consistently lost 1–2 pounds each week until they met their goal. Once you’re on your weight loss journey, however, you realize how much more complicated our metabolisms can be and how many other factors impact our ability to burn and lose fat.

As much of a necessary reality check this insight offers, it may also be disappointing when you want the ability to control your success.

Prepare yourself by not making an outcome goal each week (e.g. I want to lose 2 pounds this week). Instead, be tolerant and accepting of your body's process.

There may be weeks when two-plus pounds fall off and other weeks when your weight doesn’t budge. The point is, stay consistent with your new healthy behaviors that provide good signals to your metabolism.

When your metabolism is optimally functioning, the weight will come off.

You may have some break-ups. 

When you start your weight loss journey, not everyone around you may be on board with your plan or even like the idea of you becoming healthier.

This creates additional stress on you (which can get in the way of your weight loss), but may also help you become more aware of who your true friends are and who has the best intentions for you.

Perhaps the coworker you usually eat lunch with finds you're no longer fun to be around, or your significant other decides he or she just isn’t ready to embrace the new lifestyle you are embarking on.

Whatever the case, accept that not every relationship will stay the same. Now is the time to seek the right support, whether you enlist a formal support group, find a fitness buddy, use online forums, or work with a personal coach. 

You feel like the odd man out at the gym. 

Worn out. Unmotivated. Achy. So tired. Depressed. These are just some of the words people use to describe adrenal fatigue. Others are wired, anxious, and overstimulated. The most frustrating part is that those with adrenal fatigue are often ambitious, driven, and hard-working. They're also more often women than men.

Everyone experiences such symptoms in certain seasons of life. Those with adrenal fatigue often endure them for so long that they can't help but feel hopeless.

I first learned of adrenal fatigue through Dr. Jim LaValle, author of The Metabolic Code. Dr. LaValle was one of the first healthcare practitioners to point out the connection between stress, cortisol patterns, and the symptoms of adrenal fatigue. My wife, Vanessa, found herself in the late stages of adrenal fatigue, and was fortunate to work with Dr. LaValle on her recovery. It took much prayer, patience, and persistence. Eventually, she worked her way through it.

Had I not seen first-hand how hard it can be, I would have never known the frustration people feel when dealing with adrenal fatigue.

I do need to mention that adrenal fatigue is not a recognized medical condition (yet).

Conventional doctors might raise their eyebrows if you suggest to them you might have adrenal fatigue. They'd be more likely to diagnose depression than consider adrenal fatigue (the symptoms are similar for both).

Adrenal fatigue isn't a black and white condition. Though there are tests to measure certain aspects of adrenal function, the root cause is often a mix of lifestyle, exercise, attitude and nutrition choices.

Article ShortcutsCortisol Rhythm, Stress, and RecoveryStress and RecoveryThree Stages of Adrenal FatigueAre You Sure It’s Adrenal Fatigue?How You Develop Adrenal FatigueHow To Rebuild Your ResiliencePersist One Day At A Time

In this article, I hope to:

Provide a clear explanation of what adrenal fatigue is, as well as explain what else could cause similar symptomsExplain why the cause is not necessarily stress or cortisol, but your resilience to stress and your recovery from shots of cortisolOutline simple steps in your Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, and Nutrition choices to help you overcome the symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue and reclaim your vigor and vitality

I've kept the technical writing to a minimum. It might make me sound smarter to use big words, but I'm more interested in you getting the necessary points, and then taking action on them, than thinking "Wow! That was fascinating but I have no idea what to do."

Cortisol Rhythm, Stress, and Recovery

Let's begin with stress because it's rare to find an article about adrenal fatigue without it being connected to stress and cortisol.

Stress is not bad. Cortisol is not bad. I realize that's counter to what you've probably heard, but it's all about context.

Your adrenal glands release cortisol in a daily rhythm and in response to a real or perceived stress. Your adrenal glands are part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which governs many of your hormones.

In stressful circumstances, cortisol acts with the neurotransmitters adrenaline and noradrenaline to increase heart rate, blood flow, energy and acuity, and enhance your reflexes. Elevated cortisol is only detrimental when your diet, lifestyle, and exercise habits don't allow you to recover from one release of cortisol to the next.

Neurotransmitter: Chemical messenger produced in the nervous system and carried through the nervous system to target tissues. Neurotransmitters are fast-acting,

Exercise is merely a stimulus for change. The purpose of exercise is to induce stress on the body (e.g. mechanical stress, metabolic stress, nervous system stimulation). It’s not just to burn calories or to get our hearts pumping. Exercise is a tool we need in order to force our bodies to change.

Our physiological readiness to withstand the stress of exercise and the way we nourish our bodies between exercise sessions are what truly dictate our response. In other words, our bodies need to be challenged, but also need to recover if we want to see positive changes.

Perhaps this is why many people who exercise but don’t pay much attention to nourishment (or have altered physiology) don’t see jaw-dropping or even noticeable results.

Your pre- and post-exercise nutrition strategies are driven largely by the frequency, intensity, duration, and types of training you choose to do. These choices not only make or break your workout performance, but also your recovery between sessions.

Article ShortcutsHydrate!Nourish for damage control.Top off with high-octane fuel.Replenish nutrients (and fuel).Non-food nourishment is also a must.

One thing that holds true regardless of these variables is whether you choose solid foods or liquids for the best gastrointestinal tolerance. The table below can help you plan those choices. (Keep in mind tolerance will vary among individuals.)

Hydrate!

Before you work out strenuously, be sure you're well-hydrated, since hypo-hydration is enough to significantly elevate cortisol during and after training — which is catabolic, meaning it breaks down muscle tissue. Lack of proper hydration is also shown to reduce the post-resistance training testosterone surge, and also alters carbohydrate and fat metabolism for the worse.

Slight dehydration (~3 percent body mass loss) has also been shown to decrease maximal strength and repetitions, increase heart rate and perceived exertion, and hinders heart-rate recovery.

Being hydrated is more complex than simply

drinking enough water, but that can only be determined through comprehensive

blood testing and urinalysis. While your water tracker in your food journal

will help you tally up the ounces you drink, your physiological markers of

hydration will be the best indicators of cellular hydration.

Nourish for damage control.

Since exercise can be quite catabolic — literally breaking down some healthy tissue to stimulate repair and building of new tissue — it’s smart to anticipate such damage and prepare for it ahead of time.

Resistance training is known to damage muscle

fibers. If done correctly, the microscopic tears created during the session can

take days to be repaired.

Strenuous metabolic training (higher-intensity cardio) uses up available fuels so quickly that our bodies release hormones (called catecholamines and glucocorticoids, such as epinephrine/norepinephrine and cortisol) to break down healthy tissue to make glucose.

To minimize the potential damage, you need to enter strenuous training sessions with plenty of available amino acids. Amino acids are the individual components of all proteins — the proteins we eat and the proteins we build (like muscle tissue).

We need relatively consistent intake of

protein-rich foods to maintain good protein status. 

For protein needs, within two to three hours of starting a tough training session, be sure to eat at least a palm-size portion of meat, fish, poultry, or eggs to supply your body with a rich pool of amino acids.

Indigestion, poor energy, bloating, stubborn weight loss, skin problems, poor immunity, inconsistent bowel patterns, mental fog, low mood…sounds like a typical week, right?

Wrong. Just because many of these ailments are common, does NOT mean they are normal.

Our entire body suffers when our digestive system is not operating as designed, and it can be extremely difficult to optimize gastrointestinal (GI) well-being if you don’t have a comprehensive plan for doing so. A good GI health protocol should help you set a strong foundation for the three main areas of the GI tract: digestion and absorption of nutrients, gut barrier integrity, and bacterial biodiversity. A good protocol should also make use of a smart nutrition strategy, a targeted supplement approach and specific lifestyle adjustments to promote better gut health.

Because we coach so many individuals with signs and symptoms of disrupted gut health, we developed a program and supplement system designed to support your efforts to reset your digestive health. The GUT.FIX℠ program is a month-long program that integrates our top 3 recommended supplements for restoring digestive integrity and gut health.   

Article ShortcutsDigestive EnzymesL-GlutamineProbioticsBonus: GABA & 5-HTPNeed a Gut Fix?

Here are the reasons why these specific supplements made it into our GUT.FIX protocol.

Digestive Enzymes

Enzymes are biological molecules that speed up or facilitate thousands of chemical reactions within the body. There’s an entire class of enzymes our bodies make that are responsible for breaking down our food into the smallest possible components (proteins --> amino acids, carbohydrates --> glucose, fatty acids --> free fatty acids) and freeing up vitamins and minerals for absorption. Without sufficient enzyme activity, the food we eat literally cannot nourish us.

It’s been observed that as we age, our natural production of digestive enzymes declines rather significantly, which can seriously alter how your body breaks down food and absorbs nutrients. What’s causing these declines? Many believe that chronic stress, over-the-counter and prescription medications, and poor eating habits all may contribute to diminished digestive capacity as we age.

I’ve worked with many clients who make excellent quality food choices, but still suffer from digestive distress, whether it’s gas, bloating, indigestion, or belching. Other clients seem to be completely free of these upper GI ailments but suffer from abnormal or inconsistent bowel patterns. Sometimes they suffer from alternating constipation or diarrhea, urgency, or if they dare to admit…undigested food particles in their stools.

As graphic as this sounds, if someone’s poop isn’t a “3” or

“4” on the Bristol Stool Scale,

there’s something about their digestion that could/should/needs to be addressed.

 

The easiest strategy to implement for any of these cases is to introduce supplemental digestive enzymes at any and all meals (since it seems so many people neglect to chew their food well enough to facilitate proper breakdown and absorption of nutrients). Digestive enzyme supplementation for digestive disorders is well-documented and widely accepted by health practitioners and it can offer some surprisingly quick relief for many of the aforementioned instances.

Supplemental digestive enzymes are a relatively low-risk

strategy to help improve the digestive capacity of your gastrointestinal system

because they are literally just exogenous (external) sources of the enzymes your

body should be manufacturing already.

The thing is,

Based on its title, you might expect this article to cover questions like “What is the meaning of life?” or “What is my purpose?” It doesn’t. Those are better left for a college philosophy class or a deep discussion with friends.

These five questions are different. They will challenge your beliefs and motives. By honestly answering them, you will hopefully make better choices about what you do and how you think.

Article ShortcutsQuestion 1: What if I’m wrong?Question 2: Is it impossible?Question 3: What’s the worst that could happen?Question 4: Why not now?Question 5: What if I’m the problem?Meditate On These Questions For A Month

The average person thinks 12,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Most of those them are part of an ongoing, one-way lecture in their head: They judge, complain, excuse, blame, and "should" all over themselves.

I’ve found that asking myself one or more of the following questions gets me out of the one-way lecture, and into a two-way conversation (still in my head) and solution for whatever situation I’m in.

Just a word of warning: You can't answer these questions without a moderate level of discomfort. Reconsidering the beliefs behind the tales we tell ourselves doesn't feel good.

Facing the answers might force you to think and behave differently. Change isn't easy, but it's almost always worth it.

It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.Eugene Ionesco

Question 1: What if I’m wrong?

The perfect question for checking your ego and controlling your emotions.

This question isn’t an easy one to answer. Before you ask this question of someone else, I suggest wrestling with it yourself first. The reality is, more of your beliefs are likely to be wrong than they are to be right. That's the case for me, too.

My Biased Beliefs

I am biased. My beliefs are often biased based on my life experiences, education, media consumption, and the people I listen to. Often, these biases are unconscious.

Those biases create a specific lens through which I view situations. Someone else with different experiences, education, and unconscious beliefs could have a completely different set of biases. Those biases become even more engrained when feeling fear or anger.

You'd think that our experience would be the best source of information to form our beliefs, but experience creates memories — and memories are often wrong.

Positive circumstances are often remembered as better than they were, while negative circumstances are often remembered as worse than they were, especially over time.

Misinformed Memories

Here’s an example of how misinformed our memories may be, as told by Marcia K. Johnson of Yale University.

"When I was a college freshman, during dinner with friends and my parents, I was reminded of an incident from when I was about 5 years old and recounted it:

My family was driving through the central valley in California when we had a flat tire. My father took the tire off the car and hitchhiked up the road to get the tire patched. My mother, brother, sister, and I waited in the hot car. We got very thirsty and finally my sister took a couple of empty pop bottles and walked up the road to a farmhouse. The woman explained there was a drought and she had only a little bottled water left. She set aside a glass of water for her little boy and filled my sister’s pop bottles with the rest. My sister returned to the car, we drank the water, and I remembered feeling guilty that we didn’t save any for my father...