This Week's Goal: Go To Bed At A Reasonable Time

This Week's Goal: Go to bed 
at a reasonable time.

Whether it's because of a tv show, a good book, a game on the phone, or something else, most of us are up much later than we should be. Our bodies need sleep, about 7.5-9 hours of sleep in fact, to be well rested. While sleeping, our brain gets de-cluttered and memories are cemented, growth hormone (used for repair) is secreted, and you also decrease the hormones responsible for hunger! If we don't get enough sleep, all of these activities dramatically decrease. 

This week, pick a time that you are going to lay down in bed and stick with it. If you're someone that has trouble falling asleep in the first place, you might have to put a little extra work in during morning hours as well. The next two paragraphs are for you!

Immediately upon waking, spend two minutes working out as hard as you can. The difficulty will change for everybody, but I recommend jumping jacks, high knees, push-ups, or air punches to get the blood flowing. Then, don't eat or drink anything but water for 45 minutes, not even coffee! 

Many people who have trouble waking up in the morning and falling asleep at night have reversed cortisol patterns. Cortisol is our stress hormone, but it is also very important to our sleep cycle. By doing the work-out and not eating, we increase the amount of cortisol we pump out in the morning, and decrease the amount that's available to pump out at night. Effectively, this helps us wake up easier and go to sleep more quickly. After about 1-2 weeks of this, you should notice a difference!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

This week's goal: Be one with nature!

This week's goal: Be one with nature!

There's no doubt about it anymore, being outside is good for your health. Multiple studies have shown that people who do outdoor activities on a regular basis not only feel healthier, they also have more self-esteem, less anxiety, sleep better, and are happier! The good news for the busy worker bee side that many of us have is that we don't have to be out all day. In order to start improving these various aspects of people's live, people only had to spend 20 minutes outside each day. 

Therefore, our goal this week is to spend at least 20 minutes outside everyday. This can be accomplished by taking a walk or bike riding, going stargazing, just sitting outside and enjoying the day, or anything else you can think of! Now go enjoy the fresh air!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt dc

This Week's Goal: Read 15 Minutes A Day!

This week's goal: Read 15 minutes a day!

Most of us probably wish we had a little more time to read. Whether it's a good back, a magazine, a newspaper, or anything else, reading helps keep the mind sharp while also expanding our knowledge. This week's goal will be to set aside 15 minutes every day for reading. Some early birds might have better luck reading first thing in the morning, while night owls will be more successful reading at night. It doesn't matter when you decide to read, just have something put aside for this week so that you're ready to go!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

This week's goal: Prep meals for the week!

This week's goal: Prep meals for the week!

Trying to eat healthy throughout the week can be difficult enough without all of the constant cutting and cooking. It's much easier to make everything all at once! Meal prepping can have a lot of variation between meals or none at all depending on your need for variety. The link below is a great site that shows some easy chicken recipes to make for the week. 

21 Chicken Breast Recipes Made for Meal Prep

Sometimes I will eat the same exact meal a few times in a week, but often I change the recipes up just a little. I'll add in different vegetables, different sauces, or even different spices in each container. This tends to change the taste enough so that nothing gets boring! Experiment and have fun!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt dc

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Today we are looking at Paleo Grub's Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. Click on the link here:Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Recipe to see the full recipe and article in all of its original glory.

1. Ingredients needed:
2. 
   

1. 1 cup almond butter

1. 2 eggs

1. 1/4 cup maple syrup

1. 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pinch of salt

1. 2 tbsp coconut flour

1. 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder

1. 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. 1/2 tsp baking soda

1. 1 cup shredded zucchini

1. 1-2 tbsp paleo approved dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2 (optional): Peel the zucchini. Some recipes I take the skin off the zucchini, sometimes I keep it on. It just depends on your mood!

Step 3: Shred the zucchini and squeeze any extra moisture out. I grabbed the zucchini, held it over the sink, and just squeezed it like a sponge. It worked beautifully. 

Step 4: Mix in the almond butter, eggs, syrup, vanilla, and salt. (It looks a little strange.....if you know what I mean.)

Step 5: It's all right, we fix that with step 5. Add in the coconut flour, cocoa powder, vinegar, and baking soda. Then fold in the zucchini. I had no idea what that meant, so I just very slowly added the zucchini and switched to a spoon to slowly stir it, rather than the whisk. 

Step 6: Line a muffin tray with cups. Add about a 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup. This is where the directions can be interpreted differently. Are they saying to pour the batter in until the muffin cup is a 1/4 full, or are they saying to place a literal 1/4 of a cup of batter into the muffin cup? I went with the latter. I believe that was the correct choice.

Step 7: Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. (I really hope someone comments on why it was necessary to put it at 375 degrees in the first place.) Bake for 20-25 minutes. They are wonderful warm, but just as good cold!

These were absolutely delicious and everybody loved them! Between the almond butter and maple syrup, the sugar count and carb count get a little higher than I would like, so the next time I make them, I might try taking out the maple syrup, adding in a little extra water, and see if they still hold together. Nonetheless, they were very yummy and overall healthier than any chocolate muffin you will find in the store. Good luck!

yours in health

dr samantha boldt

What do the codes on the stickers of fruits and veggies mean?

What do the codes on the stickers

of fruits and veggies mean?

•If there are only four numbers in the PLU, this means that the produce was grown conventionally or “traditionally” with the use of pesticides.

•If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “8”, this tells you that the item is a genetically modified fruit or vegetable. 

•If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “9”, this tells you that the produce was grown organically and is not genetically modified. 

Example

Now you know!

yours in health,

dr Samantha boldt

Tuesday Trivia: Which Food is the Most Inflammatory?

Tuesday Trivia

Which Food Is The Most Pro-inflammatory?

A. Corn

B. 80% Lean Ground Beef

C. Agave Nectar

D. Long Grain White Rice, Cooked

There are numerous factors related to how inflammatory a food is. Certain substances lead a food to be anti-inflammatory, such as antioxidants, methylating agents like B vitamins, Vitamin K, Zinc, EPA/DHA, and phytonutrients. Other substances lead a food to be pro-inflammatory, such as trans fats, arachidonic acid, total glycemic load, and omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. All of these different factors are combined into an elegant formula and out pops a number. The more anti-inflammatory a food is, the more positive the number. The more pro-inflammatory a food is, the more negative the number. For more information, go to inflammationfactor.com.

And the answer is.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

D!

Cooked White Rice is actually quite inflammatory in our bodies. Now this does not mean that you shouldn't eat something just because it is inflammatory. Our bodies need inflammation to fight infections and help bring extra blood and cells to areas of injury. It's only when we have too much inflammation that the problems start. Balance out inflammatory foods by eating fish, lots of vegetables, and using anti-inflammatory herbs.


yours in health,
dr Samantha boldt