One door closes and the other opens, here we are at that time of the year. As the Dutch say Oud en Nieuw, the Old & New. Looking back on 2022 here’s a few nuggets I picked up along the way. Some old, some new but all pieces of the wellness puzzle, exploring aging with zest.
- Morning Sunlight is a HUGE boon for your mental wellbeing
- The importance of grip strength in aging
- Get your protein right for maximum muscle protein synthesis
- When building a new habit make it quick and easy in the beginning, repeat often
- How you start your day sets the tone and energy for the rest
- Plants should NOT get a free ride when it comes to your health
- Build your tribe of like-minded folks when it comes to nutrition and health
Andrew Huberman has a ton of information on his website. The role of sunlight on our sleep patterns but just in general wellbeing is one of the golden nuggets from this past year. Definitely take the time to explore his research and work at Huberman Labs at Stanford, and get morning sunshine.
As someone who has exercised their whole life plus has a master’s degree in Kinesiology, I understand the body and cruciality of exercise. However, the link between grip strength and longevity is an eye opener for me. Granted if you think about it makes complete sense, if you can’t open something and or have full hand strength you are in the aging category of compromised functionality. Check out Peter Attia’s work on grip strength and aging well.
The past year I’ve been closely following Don Layman, PhD, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon and Mike Mutzel on the various social media platforms with their insight on muscle protein synthesis. If you are serious about wanting to maintain or even up your body’s muscle composition investigate their research. Here’s a great podcast with Don Layman, PhD and Peter Attia, MD. Hint on protein, its’ looking like 30 grams of protein per meal is a threshold for optimal muscle protein synthesis. As a side note 1 egg only has 6 grams of protein!
Behavior change is hard, understatement of the year. How to make it simpler. James Clear’s book Atomic Habits as well as the work of BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits both advocate for quick and easy when it comes to trying to implement a new habit. Both Fogg and Clear promote the idea of in the realm of 1 to 2 minutes when trying to start a new habit. Give that a whirl for the New Year, what can you do under 2 minutes and practice like crazy. Hint being quiet or just focused breathing might be a game changer.
Win the morning, win the day, is a definite cliché but hey it just might be true. A couple morning routines I’ve implemented this past year are making a huge difference. First get up everyday rain or shine at the same time. Good for sleep hygiene and just getting stuff done, for our house that is 5:15 am. Second is not looking at my phone till I finish my morning coffee. WHOA, big deal to distance from email, social media etc. I focus on reading a few pages of my current book and or reading an article I saved to my Kindle. What’s your morning routine?
Absolutely one of the best books of 2022 was Jayne Rees Buxton’s The Plant Based Con. A meticulously researched book, right up there with Nina Teicholz and Gary Taubes in dedication to rigorous science and investigation. Plants have for some time (says the recovering vegetarian) been given a free ride. There is WAY more to the story and Jayne Rees Buxton does a most excellent job of walking you through everything from anti-nutrients, soil regeneration, bioavailability of plants vs animal products to the environmental claims. A worthy read that will enlighten.
Community is king or queen when it comes to your health. Just look around and see our “sick-care system” is not really working. If you care about living vibrantly and aging with grace build your own health and wellness team and community. This is not about choosing a political party but about getting people to support the positive changes you believe in. Having a team on your side makes sustainability easy and fun. Find your tribes for 2023!
A Word of Thanks
To all my health coaching clients huge thank you! I appreciate your dedication and willingness to learn! To all those fabulous blog post readers and followers much gratitude. Here’s to a strong year ahead and stay connected.
Special shout out to all the great folks who interviewed me this year! Honored to have been on your shows. Keep up the stellar work!
“Ring out the false, ring in the true.”
Alfred Lord Tennyson
