If heritage really did determine outcome, I should be obese and diabetic. I am programmed to store weight in an environment of abundant food availability, as demonstrated in the Dutch Hunger Winter Study.
I spent the first decade of my life eating a very limited supply of home made, locally grown food, on an island in the middle of the Atlantic. My body is not programmed to deal with excessive consumption, especially with the minimal physical exertion needed to procure and prepare meals in North America.
Research shows that within 10 to 15 years of exposure to highly palatable, refined flour and sugar products, native cultures that had previously eaten traditional whole foods, become obese and develop Type 2 Diabetes - as do their offspring. Pima Indians and the Inuit exemplify this outcome here in North America. And sadly, this is exactly what I see, for the most part, in my own native community.
So how have I been spared this predicament, when I am “wired” to be fat and sick? What makes me so special? Is it instant “WASP legitimacy”? Having married “a mangia-cake”? Having bailed on my cultural heritage? Living in community with thin people?
Yikes! It would take a book to address these questions. Suffice it to say that it’s the environment and lifestyle, not genetics or heritage, which manifests our reality. Our genes have not changed in the last several decades as obesity rates have escalated.
More than ever, I feel blessed to have been immersed in two very different cultural experiences. And while not always easy, I have had the privilege to embrace the best of what each has to offer. Therefore, I now feel compelled to share - pay it forward if you will.
Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the following tips are sound bites that may challenge your core beliefs. What works for me, may not be optimal for you. Check with your health care provider to rule out any contra indications.
Here are my top 10 tips for achieving ideal
weight in mid life:
(I have limited these tips to weight release, which seems to be a more common need in mid life. Some of these tips may not be appropriate for youth, pregnancy, nursing, those with low body fat and certain medical conditions.)
Start with thought. Even though you may wish to be thin, you may have subconscious programming that favours fat storage. 95% of the time we operate on autopilot – same thoughts, same words, same habits, same outcome. Change your thoughts from the likes of “I have to store fuel to survive the famine” to “I have to be thin to out-run the tiger”. Jon Gabriel’s work helped me, and my loved ones, overcome self-limiting thoughts and beliefs around weight, as did Marc David’s.
Eat food made from whole naturally raised and produced single ingredients.
Increase consumption of healthy fats including extra virgin coconut and olive oils, nuts and seeds, avocado, organic grass-fed butter or ghee and egg yolks, especially at breakfast.
Have 2 glasses of water half an hour before eating anything, and drink very little with the meal.
Eat most of your food earlier in the day. Allow 14-16 hours of fasting between dinner and breakfast. No snacking.
Feast and celebrate special occasions, but consider prolonging the fast to 24 hours thereafter. Give your digestive system a break and allow it to access the stored fat. But drink lots of water and herbal teas.
Have a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar with “mother,” diluted in some water, before a starch heavy meal.
Avoid prolonged sitting. Set a timer and get up every half hour from a sitting position. Consider adding a few squats, push ups or planks and stretches on occasion.
Do short bursts of high intensity exercise like the 7 minute workout, or a few reps of heavy weight lifting for each large muscle group (see a personal trainer for a customized program if need be). I like to skip rope or jump on my mini trampoline. When I do laundry I occasionally do a pull up, given the pull up bar on the door beckons. And I reframe my housekeeping, food preparation, gardening and shovelling efforts as meaningful exercise. Prolonged hikes and bikes in nature on occasion, and yoga are also therapeutic.
Sleep well. Every hour before midnight may really be worth two thereafter. Room temperature at bedtime, is ideally under 20 degrees celsius.
This article was originally published January 13th, 2017
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