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Are there certain foods you should and shouldn't be eating on your wedding day?
Additional Info
- Segment Number 2
- Audio File health_radio/1523ml4b.mp3
- Featured Speaker Keri Gans, MS, RD
- Guest Website Keri Gans
-
Guest Bio
Keri Gans is a Registered Dietitian, Spokesperson and Media Personality with a private practice in New York City. She is the author of The Small Change Diet (Gallery, March 2011), a Past-Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a Past-President of The New York State Dietetic Association. Keri holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University and Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Ohio University.
Keri spends the majority of her time conducting individual nutrition counseling, public speaking, writing and consulting. She is the official Weight-Loss Coach weekly blogger for Shape.com and also blogs bi-monthly for U.S. News' Eat + Run.
She is frequently quoted as the nutrition expert in local and national publications, such as Glamour, Fitness, Shape, Self, Women's Health, and Health. Keri has made several television appearances including, EXTRA, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC News, WPIX11 Morning Show, Primetime, and Good Morning America and is regularly on radio shows such as Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's Dr. Radio and Martha Stewart Living. -
Transcription
relRadioMD Presents: Melanie Cole's Health Radio | Original Air Date: June 4, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Keri Gans, MS, RD
It’s time for Health Radio with Melanie Cole.
MELANIE: After all that planning, it’s so exciting. June’s coming up. The big day is coming up. Maybe you’ve had a few breakdowns. You’re a little nervous. You’re worried your dress won’t fit. All of these things go into that big exciting wedding day. But do you eat? Are you too sick to your stomach with nerves to eat in the morning? You’ve paid for all this great food at the wedding. Are you busy going from person to person saying hello to everybody that you never even get to try the little tenderloin sandwiches that you paid so much for? What are you supposed to eat the morning and the afternoon of your wedding day? And how do you keep yourself hydrated and getting good nutrition so that you’re at your best because you will look better, too.
My guest is Keri Gans. She’s a registered dietician, spokesperson and media personality with a private practice in New York City. Welcome to the show, Keri.
So, the wedding day. These ladies-- they know their next meal isn’t until maybe the evening. Do you eat in the morning? How do you not make yourself sick to your stomach?
KERI: You have to eat in the morning, because if you don’t – you hear about the bride who hasn’t eaten anything all day and then has a couple of drinks at her wedding, and it’s not always the best plan. You don’t want to approach the big night without food because if you start to drink at your wedding and you haven’t eaten anything, obviously, that liquor is going to go straight to your head.
MELANIE: Absolutely. Besides the fact that you want to be comfortable in your stomach, so you don’t want to get bloated. You want to make sure you poop plenty so that you don’t have to do that once you put that dress on.
KERI: Right, because you want to feel your best. What I tell most of my brides-to-be is that first and foremost: don’t try to have something you’ve never had before. Rule number one. The same way you don’t run a marathon without having something –
MELANIE: I was going to say it’s like running a marathon!
KERI: You know, there are certain rules of thumb. If you haven’t ever had that before or you haven’t eaten it in a long time, now is not the day to do it. But I feel a really safe way and an easy dish to have would be scrambled eggs. You want to get some protein in you. You start it with some scrambled eggs and some whole wheat bread. A lot of brides are thinking, “Wait a second, I haven’t had bread for two months.” Well, that’s another story. They shouldn’t have been avoiding the bread. But get a little whole grain in there for the quick energy. It’s a combination of some protein and some carbs is what you’re really looking for. So, scrambled eggs and some toast could be great. Or, you could even do a Greek yogurt and put a little high fiber cereal in there and maybe a little fresh fruit. You’re looking for that combination of protein and some carbohydrates.
MELANIE: Okay, scrambled eggs, I think, is a brilliant idea with a nice piece of toast. As you pointed out, it’s very similar to marathon day. You don’t want to try anything new, you want to keep foods that are settling on your stomach and good, but you do need those carbohydrates to soak up anything you might start drinking.
KERI: Right. And you need the carbohydrates for the energy! Because, really, it is our fuel, and you’re going to need to be supercharged that day. I mean, you might already be because of nerves, but it’s good to have it naturally coming from your body as well.
MELANIE: That’s right. It is. So, you know, you’re worried about being bloated, and you’ve mentioned these great foods that don’t typically bloat you. Do you have a few small meals? Do you just eat your breakfast and then wait? Do you eat a little bit after?
KERI: I think you need to eat again. You’re going to be up early. It’s going to be a long day. Who knows when your hair and make-up is going to start? So, basically eat your breakfast before you get to wherever or the person’s coming to you to you start the long day of getting prepped and groomed and looking like your best. And that’s even before you start with all the photographs. It’s just a very long day, as we know. I really feel like – I mentioned the yogurt earlier in the day, but that could be even just a quick, little, easy snack--something that you can just take with a spoon. You really don’t want to have to sit down and really take a lot of time to eat a meal, because you’re not going to do it. So, little snacks up until the point of when you’re getting your pictures taken and then the actual event starts could be recommended because most people, once the event starts, as much as I’m going to say, “Eat that amazing meal that you paid for”, you’re most likely not going to.
MELANIE: Yes, you know what? My friends and my bridesmaids and such forced me to. They grabbed me and said, “Mellie, sit down.” And then I sat there and I took some bites of food, and I was glad I did because it kept my energy level up. Even though you’ve got these endorphins, you’ve got this adrenaline going like nothing’s going to make you tired. But the energy--
What about foods to calm your nerves? Is there something you can have for lunch? Or something you recommend besides a mimosa while you’re getting dressed that can help calm those nerves?
KERI: Oh, how did you know I was going to recommend that?!
MELANIE: Well, I mean, that’s my favorite thing! So, something to calm your nerves?
KERI: If you are a tea drinker, there is something about tea that is very calming. An actual food…I mean the whole thing is – what I keep saying is – you want to eat simple meals. I can’t say a particular type of food is going to all of a sudden make you calm. But I think if there’s less fuss and less to do, that is calming in itself. If there’s something like just even grabbing a granola type bar, just nibbling on one of those, taking small bites. Your stomach is going to be…those butterflies are there. You’re not going to feel like eating. So, you don’t necessarily want to push yourself, but you also want to take care of yourself. And taking care of yourself means you need to have something; even some berries that you can just pick with your fingers – finger foods that you can just pop in your mouth, especially once you’re getting your makeup done. You’re not going to want to be biting down into a big sandwich (even though I love sandwiches), you want little foods that you can just pop into your mouth and make it easy to eat. That in itself can be calming.
MELANIE: That’s true, and you’re exactly right. Something easy to eat. As a Jewish girl, we take our pictures before the wedding, so we’re still looking all nice and fresh and our lipstick is all still perfect and maybe people are milling around having food while you’re taking pictures. That way when it’s time, after you’ve gotten married, you don’t have to stand there taking pictures. You get to enjoy your own appetizers, again, that you’re spending so much money for. But then there’s that whole eating, messing up your lipstick. So, you want to make sure to get the morning, to get the afternoon, to drink tea, to eat these calming foods, these ones that are not going to mess around. Are there any foods you would want people – I know you said at the beginning, “No foods you haven’t tried before” – but are there any things you really want people to avoid? Like high fibers that will make you gassy? Yikes.
KERI: I think what I mostly tell them to avoid is very salty food. Because, again we want to be in that dress feeling just great, so we don’t want anything that is going to add to us feeling bloated. Even though you think of something like tomato juice could be very soothing; some tomato juices are high in sodium. So, read labels. The same way cottage cheese could be a great, easy thing to eat with a spoon, but make sure you’re getting a low sodium version because you don’t want to eat anything with a lot of salt. And you definitely don’t want to eat anything fried or greasy, but I think that’s a no brainer. I don’t really think any bride is about to do that.
MELANIE: No, I don’t think so either. I think the fried food is pretty much off the table that day. The tomato juice, as you say, can be salty, but if you add a little vodka and Tabasco then it becomes a Bloody Mary.
KERI: And then it becomes calming!
MELANIE: And then it becomes calming, so it’s all in how you put that food out there. We have about a minute left here. Keri, you are such a great guest and lots of fun. Please give the listeners your very best advice for wedding day jitters, foods to avoid, foods that are good, and keeping that slim figure all through the day but keeping your energy level up so that you don’t start drinking champagne and it goes right to your head.
KERI: The most important thing for the listeners is don’t not eat. Find something that you do enjoy, your typical usual foods, make them easy finger foods, eat small portions, and eat right up until the time where you’re just saying, “I don’t have any time to eat.” And most of all, have fun. It’s your wedding day. You’ve had weeks of stressing over this. Most important is just to enjoy the day.
MELANIE: Absolutely great advice. It really is the most important thing. Enjoy the day, and if there’s a few little snafus, don’t let it freak you out. Because in the long run, you’re going to have a great day and you’re going to be married and that’s what it’s really all about.
You’re listening to Health Radio right here on RadioMD. Scroll around. Learn something with us. Share these shows with your friends because that’s how we all learn together. This is Melanie Cole. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received Yes
- Host Melanie Cole, MS
More than 45 million Americans regularly suffer from headaches. Will the pain last forever?
Additional Info
- Segment Number 1
- Audio File health_radio/1523ml4a.mp3
- Featured Speaker Brian D. Loftus, MD
- Guest Website Bellaire Neurology
-
Guest Bio
Brian D. Loftus, MD, is a neurologist in private practice at Bellaire Neurology in Bellaire, Texas, a small town within the city of Houston, Texas. He is Board Certified in Neurology as well as Headache Medicine. His practice is mainly focused on headaches, but he also treats multiple sclerosis, epilepsy/seizures, neuropathic pain and hyperhidrosis.
Dr. Loftus is the Chief Medical Officer at Better QOL,Inc. (Better Quality of Life) a software company he founded that is dedicated to bringing quality of life metrics to routine clinical care. Their first product, iHeadache, was co-developed by Dr. Loftus. The iHeadache family of apps is the most widely used electronic headache diary available. It is free to all patients and their physicians for routine office use.
Dr. Loftus is a founding member of the Southern Headache Society and currently serves as Vice President. He is slated to become President of the Society in the fall of 2015. He is also a member of the American Headache Society, the National Headache Foundation, the International Headache Society, the Texas Neurologic Society and the American Academy of Neurology.
In addition, he also serves on the Clinical Care Committee of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Clinical Advisory Committee of the South Central Region of the National MS Society. His clinical research has primarily focused on patients with migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, postherpetic neuralgia, and diabetic neuropathic pain.
He has presented research at national medical meetings and international medical meetings in both Europe and the Middle East. -
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Health Radio | Original Air Date: June 4, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Brian D. Loftus, MD
It’s Health Radio. Here’s Melanie Cole.
MELANIE: Frequent or recurrent headaches can come close to ruining your life. If you’ve ever had a headache, they can hurt so much that all you want to do is lie down and close your eyes and even that doesn’t always take care of the situation. Sometimes they can be so pounding that you don’t even know what to do about it. More than 45 million Americans suffer from headaches regularly. My guest today is Dr. Brian Loftus. He’s a neurologist at Bellaire Neurology in Bellaire, Texas.
Welcome to the show, Dr. Loftus.
When you get a headache, we know that headaches can be a sign of impending stroke – and this is just me picking the worst possible outcomes – or God forbid, a brain something. So, when do we know that a headache is just a headache and seek treatment for it and when do we not freak out?
DR. LOFTUS: The time to get scared and head to the ER is a very rapid onset of a new type of headache that’s severe-- headache associated with fever and stiff neck; headache associated with weakness or numbness; and, of course, when you’re thinking about primary headaches – like tension headaches and migraines – they recur over and over again. But the first time you get your migraine, you may very well end up in an ER because you may have a very severe headache that you’ve never had anything like that before. So, getting checked out at an ER for the first time is always a good idea if your headache is really extreme. But usually people have a pattern and they know that they don’t have anything awful that is occurring.
MELANIE: Dr. Loftus, some people get headaches and some people don’t. They don’t get them when they’re sick. They don’t get them when they’re stressed. Some people just don’t get headaches. So is there a prevention? Is there a certain thing that you can pinpoint for the people that don’t typically get headaches and the people that do?
DR. LOFTUS: Presumably, it’s in the genes, so one more thing that you can blame your parents for. A tension headache which is the most common headache that we know much less about because it’s really disabling. Those are sort of the headaches that go away with Tylenol or Advil. The recurrent migraines are the ones that cause the disability for most people. There’s cluster headaches, also. But usually we’re talking about migraines, and there’s a whole host of migraine susceptibility genes that are being discovered. So far, they have not let to any specific treatment, but it’s pretty uncommon to have somebody with migraines with a decent sized family that doesn’t have a family history.
MELANIE: So, is there something you can do to prevent these headaches? Other than hangover headaches and just not overdrinking, what can you do to prevent some of these migraines or tension headaches? Is there anything?
DR. LOFTUS: For migraines in particular, the one thing you have under your control that’s a big trigger is sleep disturbance. Regular sleep habits is important for migraines. Not skipping meals is important for migraines. But, usually, if your headaches are frequent – twice a week or more, for sure, or even once a week--if your headaches have disability associated with them, you should get on a preventative regiment from your doctor, and they are usually pretty effective.
MELANIE: What is that kind of regimen?
DR. LOFTUS: In my practice, I sort of have 7 first-line drugs, and they all work about the same. So in order of my preference or use in practice is zonisamide, duloxetine, candesartan, propranolol, amitriptylene, topiramate, valproic acid. Needless to say, there’s lots of choices and the choice of medication is usually dictated upon patient’s weight because some of these cause weight gain and some cause weight loss; whether or not the patient wants to get pregnant or is pregnant, because that would limit the choices as well; if the patient has depression or anxiety. Some of these are antidepressants; if they have high blood pressure. Some of these are blood pressure agents. Usually, the choice is customized for the patient based upon their particular status in life. And then, for patients who are really miserable when they see me the first time, we also have a series of procedures that we can do to help get your migraines down. Most people have heard about Botox these days, but actually there’s a lot of cheaper options out that we do in the office at the first appointment like nerve blocks. There’s something called SPG blocks, or Sphenopalatine Ganglion blocks. It’s easier to just say SPG blocks. There’s multiple devices on the market for this now. The one I use is called an Allevio device, but there are others and those can be very effective in getting patients better before they even leave your office on the day that you see them.
MELANIE: So, do you right away go to a neurologist? What kind of doctor? Would you see your internist first, and then they will refer you to a neurologist? Or if you start to suffer these headaches, should you just make an appointment with a neurologist right off the bat?
DR. LOFTUS: Well, I think there are three levels of doctors that you should think about. There’s your primary care doctor, there’s the neurologist, and then there’s a headache specialist like me. What I would generally tell patients is to think about how often are your headaches, and if they’re once a week or less, then I’d start with your primary care. If they’re sort of in the one to three times a week, probably start with your general neurologist. If they’re more than half the days, you probably should start with a headache specialist. Then, I generally recommend the rule of three. So, if you go to a doctor three times for your headaches and they have not made you significantly better, then I recommend you consider going to the next level up of specialist.
MELANIE: That’s a great answer. Now, what about keeping a diary? Because with so many of our various ills, you forget. When you don’t have that headache, you forget what it was like to have one. You know, pain is sometimes like that. So, do you keep a diary of how intense the pain is, when you got it, and maybe what you were thinking of or what was going on in your life, what you ate or drank before you got that headache?
DR. LOFTUS: I think keeping a diary is very important, and I have developed something called “iHeadache.” There’s an app on the Apple system. There’s also iHeadache online on a computer for those who don’t have Apple products. The key things that I like my patients to track who have frequent headaches is how often they have it, the medications that they’re taking, and the disability that they’re having with their headaches. It’s hard to look for triggers when your headaches are frequent. When your headaches are infrequent, that’s when you can really try to find the trigger and the trigger that you’re thinking about is sleep disturbance, things you ate. So, when headaches are infrequent, I ask patients for five headaches in a row, write down everything about the 24 hours beforehand that they can think of and don’t do anything about it until they have sort of a series of them. Now, having said that I recommend all my patients to sleep well, not to skip meals, I usually have them stop all caffeine if they’re having more than one or two cups of coffee a day, just because that’s such a frequent trigger that’s out there. But as far as finding which food bothers you, if your headaches are even twice a week then there’s a random chance of 25% or so that that food had nothing to do with that headache that day. So, triggers is what we focus on when the counts are down. Getting the counts down is usually with procedures and with medication.
MELANIE: You’ve mentioned caffeine. Are there other foods that you’d like to warn people about? Sodium, can that contribute? Are there certain foods you want us to stay away from if there’s someone who suffers from these headaches?
DR. LOFTUS: The classic foods are the aged cheeses and wine, and there are certainly a lot of folks who are sensitive to that.
MELANIE: Really?
DR. LOFTUS: Yeah, unfortunately.
MELANIE: Is that the fermenting? So, maybe also sauerkraut, tempeh, miso, kimchi, any of those things too?
DR. LOFTUS: Probably. And then the vasoactive things, like MSG, is sort of a food additive. But to be perfectly honest, again, those are things that I focus on when your headaches are infrequent. And a lot of times people will find that, “Oh, it’s after I go out to this restaurant that we go to every other week or so that I always seem to have a headache the next day.” But, initially, when your headaches are just about every day or half the days, it’s really hard to figure those things out.
MELANIE: So, you have about 30 seconds. Wrap it up with your best advice for those suffering from whether it’s migraines or more infrequent tension and stress headaches.
DR. LOFTUS: I think the key is you don’t have to suffer as much as you used to. We have lots of great medications if your headaches are infrequent – those are called triptans. If your headaches are frequent, then you need to work hard on prevention and find a doctor to work with you.
MELANIE: Thank you so much. That is great information. You’re listening to Health Radio right here on RadioMD, and if you missed any of the great information that we’re giving, you can listen any time on demand. Go to my show page at Health Radio. Check them out. Share them with your friends. Scroll around and learn something with us.
This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening, and stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Host Melanie Cole, MS
Text neck refers to the repetitive stress you're putting on your neck and back from constantly staring down at your phone.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 5
- Audio File health_radio/1523ml3d.mp3
- Featured Speaker Alfred O. Bonati, MD
- Guest Website Bonati Institute
-
Guest Bio
Dr. Alfred Bonati is the Chief Orthopedic Surgeon, founder and CEO of the Bonati Spine Institute, located in Tampa Bay, Florida. His pioneering work in outpatient, minimally-invasive spine surgery made medical history by providing an alternative to the traditional open-surgery to treat most spinal conditions. Dr. Bonati created, perfected and patented the precise tools and methods, known as the Bonati Spine Procedures, to minimize anesthesia, surgical scarring, and recovery time.
Moreover,The Bonati Spine Institute was the first ambulatory surgical center in the United States to receive FDA approval for the use of a laser in spine surgery. Dr. Bonati is a graduate of the University of Seville and the Bowman Gray Medical School, and completed internships and residencies at Cook County Hospital (Chicago), the University of Alabama, and Georgetown University. He is also a Diplomat in the International College of Surgeons, the American Board of Neurological, Orthopedic Medicine and Surgery, and the Arthroscopy Board of North America. -
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Health Radio | Original Air Date: June 3, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Alfred O. Bonati, MD
It’s Health Radio. Here’s Melanie Cole.
MELANIE: So, did you know that people check their cell phones every six minutes with an average of 150 looks on their phone per day? You know, I am somebody that – if you’ve heard me talk before – I have this little piece of crap cell phone. It’s like a flip phone still. So, I don’t really text, and I only use the phone for emergencies only. But, you know, the thing is I can see with my kids: my son, 15, has an iPhone, my husband has some kind of Android, and now my 12-year-old daughter finally convinced us to get her a phone. She’s almost 13. So, we got her one. And all I can say is that when these kids are sitting there staring down at their phones again and again and again, and I am in sports medicine for a living. It’s making me crazy. So, we’re going to see a rise in what they’re calling “text neck.” So, what is “text neck”? I’m going to tell you right now because it’s becoming an epidemic. I’m seeing it right here in my household.
So, your human head weighs about 12 pounds. We learned that in Jerry McGuire, right? I think he said 10 but it’s almost 12. So, as your neck bends forward, kyphosis is this position. It’s what you see in old people when they are looking down at the ground because their posture is so bad because their rhomboid muscles between their shoulder blades get really, really weak. Well, that is what’s going to contribute to “text neck.” Actually, I have a guest today. He’s Dr. Alfred Bonati. He’s the chief orthopedic surgeon, founder, and CEO of The Bonati Spine Institute in Tampa Bay. Oh! Tampa Bay.
Welcome to the show, Dr. Bonati. We’re here in Chicago.
DR. BONATI: We’re raining here.
MELANIE: It is! But you know, the Blackhawks are playing Tampa tonight.
DR. BONATI: Yeah, I know.
MELANIE: There’s a big hockey game going on tonight. Anyways, let’s talk about “text neck.”
DR. BONATI: We’re going to win anyway.
MELANIE: You think so?
DR. BONATI: Yeah.
MELANIE: Okay. This is good. This is good. So, “text neck.” I was saying before, I’m an exercise physiologist, Dr. Bonati, and my children now have their phones, and I see them and my husband with their faces down at their phone. Tell us about “text neck” and what can we do to avoid it. Are we supposed to get our loved ones to hold their phones up in the air so that they’re looking straight ahead at them?
DR. BONATI: Well, usually what happens with these things is they create a bad custom to sustain your neck in the wrong position to try to hold the phone. So, if you continue doing that – I think the new techniques and the new ways to use the phone are probably going to correct the problem. But right now there are a lot of people that are using the phone and are holding the phone with their shoulder and they are using their hands for other things. So, when they do that, they create a lateral rotation of the vertebras on the neck and the ligaments and the muscles, and, initially, it’s not really a major problem. But then if you do that one for a living or if you do that one because you are in some type of a profession that requires that you use your hands free and your phone is being held by your shoulder practically, then you develop two problems. One is problems the problem of elevating your shoulder. When you do that, you create spasms of the muscles.
MELANIE: So, you’re talking about when you’re holding the phone up to your ear?
DR. BONATI: When you’re holding your phone. Exactly.
MELANIE: So, back in the day – now I don’t know how old you are, Dr. Bonati – but back in the day when we had the landline phones--I still have one--and you held the phone up to your ear, people would get that pain on the one side, right? And you would hold it with your shoulder, which is just even worse, and then you start to develop that pain in your neck and your shoulder. But nowadays with this “text neck,” the kids are getting that kyphotic curve. They’re getting that posture – I’m seeing it all over the place – because they’re looking down texting.
DR. BONATI: Yes. Well, what I’m referring to is that one part of the problem is when they hold the phone like that, and that will create spasms in the lateral parts of the muscles and create problems exactly on the facets on that side. Now, if you are going to be sitting in a position and your neck is all the way down, then you are practically creating kyphotic deformity on your neck if you sustain that one for long periods of time. Now, what you are doing is also affecting the facets in both sides, and you are hyperextending those facets. When you hyperextend the facets, you are going to produce some extension of the posterior primary rami, which is a small little nerves that feeds the facets for sensitivity. When you do that, you’re going to have neck pain.
MELANIE: Okay. If you get this neck pain – because we have to get to some information, some tips that you have for people, these are short segments and we only have a few minutes left here – but if you look around, you’re on the bus, the train, the subway, everybody has their heads down. Everybody is hunched over reading their emails and sending texts. Aside from the carpal tunnel their going to get from their thumbs—really. How fast can they text? Oh, my god. That’s going to be something we’re going to see down the line. What would you recommend if somebody came to you and said, “My 15-year-old son has his head down all the dang time because he’s texting constantly or checking email.” They don’t even check email anymore. Now, it’s Instagram and texting. What do you tell them to tell their children? What do you tell them to tell their business partners?
DR. BONATI: Well, unfortunately, because the technology requires that motion, there is very little that you can tell them. You need to educate them. You need to tell them, “Look, if you do this, this is going to create problems in this and these areas, and that is going to create pain. And then you’re going to have problems when you sleep and you’re going to have problems when you are active because your neck is going to hurt. So, at this stage, we don’t have anything that we can go ahead and substitute for that tool. The only solution that I see is that you tell them, “Stand up straight, get your neck up, and try to do the texting in a situation that is almost at the same height as your nose.” This is not going to happen. First, they are kids and they’re not going to pay attention.
MELANIE: They’re not going to pay attention, too. It’s like you know there are standing desks these days and you’re raising up everything so that you can stand and it’s at eye level – your computers. We certainly talk about that on my American College of Sports Medicine show. But with this, you’re forced to look down because who wants to hold their phone up in front of their face? So, I just would like you in the last minute – you know if somebody came to you – just give us your best advice in just this last minute of what you would tell your own son or daughter about “text neck” and getting their face up while they sit there texting.
DR. BONATI: I would teach them a little bit of the anatomy of the neck, and I would tell them, “These nerves are going to be effected, these joints are going to be effected, and you are going to suffer from neck pain.” Now, is that effective? I don’t think so. And right now, we don’t have any tool that can support this instrument at the height that is necessary to maintain the neck strength. So, we can recommend braces and we can recommend something called the “Head Straight.” It’s just education that we can do. Unfortunately, it’s just education. But you are also talking to warriors. These people, at that age, they feel that they are indestructible.
MELANIE: Absolutely, they do.
DR. BONATI: So, how are you going to solve the problem? The only way you are going to solve this is by education and by being alert.
MELANIE: I have to cut you off because we’re out of time, but as parents we have to get on your kids, poke your finger between their shoulder blades, because did you realize that the weight on the cervical spine begins to increase at a 15 degree angle, that weight is 27 pounds. At 30 degrees, it’s 40. As it increases, it could be 60 degrees at 60 pounds. So can you image carrying 60 pounds like an 8-year-old around your neck for several hours per day? Stop texting with your heads down and looking at your email. Hold it up. Teach your kids as Dr. Bonati said. Education: that’s the big key.
This is Melanie Cole. You’re listening to Health Radio right here on Radio MD. Love it. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Host Melanie Cole, MS
Instead of depriving yourself, you may want to consider taking a more nutritional approach to detoxing.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 4
- Audio File health_radio/1523ml1d.mp3
- Featured Speaker Andy Bellatti, MS, RD
- Guest Website Andy Bellatti
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Guest Bio
Andy Bellatti, MS, RD, is a Las Vegas–based dietitian with an interest in food politics, social justice, and food industry deceptive marketing. He is also a co-founder and the strategic director of Dietitians for Professional Integrity, a group that advocates for ethical and socially responsible partnerships within the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Health Radio | Original Air Date: June 1, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Andy Bellatti, MS, RD
It’s time for Health Radio with Melanie Cole.
MELANIE: If you’ve had a long weekend of overeating, drinking, you know, you cheat during the week or on a day and you’re looking for a healthy new start, you think about “I’m going to do a cleanse or I’m going to starve myself. I’m going to detox.” That can sound really appealing. But is that really the right way to go? My guest is Andy Vellati. He’s a Las Vegas based dietician with an interest in food politics, social justice and food industry deception. We are going talk to him on a future segment about that.
Welcome to the show. Andy, tell us a little bit about detoxing. There’s so much in the media – juice cleanse this, do a different kind of cleanse, colonics. There’s all these things. What should we be taking from all of these that we are hearing about?
ANDY: Well, thanks for having me on. You are absolutely right. The media is saturated with these thoughts that we can somehow magically lose weight and get healthy if did it for 3, 5, or 7 days. Basically, all of these juice cleanses are just ways to lower your calories and that’s why some people claim they lose weight. Well, of course, if there’s 5 or 7 days and you’re existing on 1000 calories, you will lose weight. The bigger picture here is that you don’t need to subsist on juice alone for a week to be healthy. That is not the accurate way to pursue health.
MELANIE: When we think about cleaning out our system are there foods that you want us to look to as opposed to a juice cleanse or products out there that we can take? I like having a colonoscopy because I do like that detox cleansing that a colposcopy gives. But that’s only once every 3-5 years so I’m not doing that kind of stuff too quickly.
ANDY: There are two things here. One is that you have to realize just by being alive our bodies are constantly detoxing. We have kidneys; we have the liver and we have the lungs. Breathing is actually a way that the body detoxes. If we truly had toxins sitting around in our bodies for days, weeks or years we would die. When we go to the bathroom, for example, that is the body detoxing. Of course, there are ways that you can eat to feel healthier and feel better and not feel bloated to make sure that your digestive system is on track. How do you do that? One of the main ways, and which most Americans fail to do, is by eating plenty of fiber. We are talking about at least 25 grams for women and at least 38 for men a day. The average American is eating about 14 or 15 grams. Why is that? Well, because the foods that have the most fiber are whole plant-based foods which the average American is not eating enough of. So, we are talking not just fruits and vegetables but also beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains. The other issue, too, is that the average American is also eating way too much sodium. About 3800 mg a day when we should be capping it at around 2300. That’s important because when you eat a high sodium diet, your body does retain more water so you are going to have that heavier more bloated feeling.
MELANIE: So, fiber. As you say, people don’t get those whole plants and vegetables but, you know, there are things like Bran Flakes and oatmeal and such like that. Can we look to those things? Do they sort of help brush out our intestines and kind of detox us a little, too?
ANDY: Anything that has fiber absolutely would. That sort of reminds me. I’m a health coach in corporate wellness and a lot of times when I talk about this with my clients, they immediately go to things like Metamucil or fiber supplements. I like to tell them that there’s plenty of fiber in many different foods and one of the great things about plant foods and a plus from the fiber is that they also have a lot of vitamins and minerals. They have unique compounds called phytonutrients that have different health benefits. So, you really want to get them as much as possible from whole foods. A lot of people, for example, are surprised when I tell them that an avocado is a very high fiber food. So, it’s not necessarily just straight old fruits and vegetables. There’s a whole array of plant foods that can be introduced.
MELANIE: So, give us some that we might not have thought about.
ANDY: A lot of people don’t realize the extreme amount of fiber that is in beans, for example. Chick peas, black beans, lentils in particular are very, very high in fiber and also the pseudo grains which are things like buckwheat, millet, and amaranth. These are nice because when you introduce these newer foods, you kind of get away from the rut, especially when it comes to the grains. It’s not just about whole wheat pasta. There’s a lot of different grains so you could make an amaranth and buckwheat porridge or you can make your own quinoa pilaf or whatever it might be. Undoubtedly, we need to eat more plants and fewer animal products. One way that I tell my clients an easy way to remember is that whole plant foods have fiber and animal products do not.
MELANIE: Really? No animal products have fiber?
ANDY: Absolutely not. No fish, no poultry, no beef, no dairy, none of that.
MELANIE: You don’t tend to think of it like that. So now, foods that we should be staying away from if we want to detox a little bit would be, obviously, some of those lean proteins that can clog up the system. Especially like red meat, right? Those kinds of things can slow down the works little. How do we know if we are detoxing? I’ve heard people tell stories of things that came out of them when they did one of these detoxes. Oh, my god. Things that were in me for a month. But you are saying that our body naturally detoxes and if it didn’t we would die. So, we know that these things are not in our systems for that long but how would we know if we are really doing the right thing? Would our bowel movements tell us? Would our gut tell us? How would we know?
ANDY: That’s a great question. To answer the first part of your question, when a lot of people take either a bentonite clay or they do a gallbladder cleanse where you drink a bunch of olive oil and you drink orange juice and all these things come out. What’s coming out are not things that are sticking around in your gut. What’s coming out is what you consumed. If it’s the bentonite clay you are seeing the clay. There’s nothing that’s been hanging around for months that is suddenly going to come out. The way that you would know is basically how you feel. If you are constantly feeling fatigued or constipated, if you are just feeling not well. A lot of people have gotten so used to feeling tired, fatigued or having digestive issues that once they start cleaning up their eating and by that I mean more fiber, fewer animal products, less sodium and less sugar, after 3-5 weeks of that they suddenly realize that they are sleeping better. That going to the bathroom is not a 10 minute ordeal and it’s when they see the difference that that they realize before they weren’t feeding their bodies properly.
MELANIE: Well, you do feel the difference too. I agree with you there. When I know I’m going to have a blood test and for that week before, two weeks, I eat vegetarian, so many salads and things and I cut down on my wine drinking and I do feel the difference. I do. It’s so easy to jump back into that rut.
ANDY: One thing that I do tell clients is that the more you can cook at home from scratch, the better you will be. When you go out to restaurants you are going to get a lot more sodium, a lot more sugar, a lot more oil than you normally would. Usually, unless you are going to a particular kind of restaurant, you are going to be eating fewer vegetables and less fiber than you might if you cook at home.
MELANIE: Cooking at home can be a pain in the ass but it does certainly make you a healthier eater. Making salads is never that easy but it’s worth it if you cut those vegetables up in advance. You have about 20 seconds, Andy. Give us your best advice.
ANDY: Eat more plants, eat more home-cooked food and go easy on the sugar.
MELANIE: Go easy on the sugar. You can see more about Andy at andyvellati.com. You’re listening to Health Radio right here on RadioMD. We are your on demand go-to health network. Listen anytime at RadioMD.com. Share these shows with your friends because that’s how we are going to get these great words around. Spread them around. This is Melanie Cole. Brand new show here. We are so excited to be here. Thanks for listening. Stay well and stay tuned. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Host Melanie Cole, MS
Why do you want a happy belly?
Additional Info
- Segment Number 3
- Audio File health_radio/1523ml1c.mp3
- Featured Speaker Carissa Bealert, RD
- Guest Website Carissa Bealert
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Guest Bio
Carissa Bealert is an Orlando-based Registered Dietitian with a diverse background in nutrition, fitness, and television hosting.
Carissa excels in integrating her passion for nutrition with her on-camera experience to deliver nutrition messages that are evidenced-based, approachable, and can lead to long-term results. She was recognized as the "2014 Media Dietitian of the Year" by the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Carissa is an internationally recognized nutrition and fitness expert and has appeared nationally on on E! TV, The Daily Buzz, Daytime TV Emotional Mojo, CBS College Sports and the Home Shopping Network both in the U.S. and Australia. Regionally, Carissa has appeared on Fox 35 Orlando, Central Florida 13, and BayNews 9 Tampa as a nutrition expert.
She also speaks to corporations and businesses across Florida, sharing her passion for health and fitness. She is also the race announcer for RunDisney and an avid runner and fitness buff, co-owning Evolution Fitness Orlando with her husband, Kyle. -
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Melanie Cole's Health Radio | Original Air Date: June 1, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Carissa Bealert, RD
It's Health Radio. Here is Melanie Cole.
MELANIE: One of our most important body parts is our bellies. It's the focus in the summertime after you've been hibernating it behind baggy sweaters and it's also a common area men and women want to shed weight from. I certainly do. When I talk about my weight loss, that is where I want to lose it from. However, when your belly doesn't feel good -- you know, bloating, nausea -- there are more health problems down the line. We have heard so much in the media about gut health, belly health and how important it is to our immune system. My guest is Carissa Bealert. She is an Orlando-based Registered Dietitian. She has a diverse background in nutrition and fitness and she just had a baby yesterday. So, welcome to the show Carissa and thanks for being with us today. Tell us first, why we really want to worry about having a happy belly and then in our little bit of time we have, I'd like to talk about as many things as we can do to keep our bellies happy and healthy.
CARISSA: Generally, talking about a happy belly and actually talking about when you are a baby, your intestines are really your first brain. They form before your actual brain does. They have more neurons than your brain so keeping that belly happy is really key to keeping your whole body healthy. And there are a lot of things we can do that most Americans know that they should be doing more of but they're not doing to keep that gut healthy and happy.
MELANIE: So, we hear about our probiotics. Let's just start with probiotics because prebiotics, probiotics people hear about them. There's tablets and oils and all kinds of things, what shall we do with those?
CARISSA: I am a huge fan of taking probiotics and here is the important thing to remember, whether you getting it from the supplement or you getting it from, say, a fermented food or yogurt that has live and active cultures. They really only live in your gut for a day. So, you can't just say, “Oh, I had that yogurt last month. I have got enough probiotics.” You got to keep replenishing them because these good bacteria are the life line, I believe, to a healthy belly. Also, if you have had any kind of antibiotics recently or you just had any kind of sickness, it's so important to replenish those healthy bacteria because, again, that is controlling so much of our body not just the happy belly but a happy immune system.
MELANIE: Well, that's true. You know, we hear a lot about the immune system and the gut and that good flora that's in our intestines, that really maintains and helps our immune system, so maybe we have been over sanitizing, maybe we have been having hormones and antibiotics in our chicken and over sanitizing everything. What else can we do to get that good bacteria in? You mentioned yogurts, you mentioned fermented foods and probiotics like tempeh and sauerkraut, people don't even think about that. What else can we do?
CARISSA: In fact we, I mean it is simple, also it's just taking a probiotic supplement every day. You know they have a lot of them. They are easy to find in grocery stores. There are different strains of them but make sure that they have an active cultures system, it's just as simple as taking that. On the flip side of that, you mentioned that the prebiotics, kind of like, when you’re going to plant a garden, you treat the soil before you put the seeds in, that’s what the prebiotics do, they get your gut ready so they further absorb and utilize those probiotics. So, you can't forget the prebiotics and those come from a lot of the whole foods -- the fruits and veggies -- that we need in our diet anyway.
MELANIE: Okay, so we are looking at these products, do you have any ones that you would recommend specifically because there's a million.
CARISSA: You know there is no specific brand, just find one that works for you and make sure it has the acidophilus lactobacillus. It’s a really good one. I just pick up one. I am not going to name a specific brand. At the grocery store I just find mine there-- one that's good for digestive health that has one and million or so live cultures in it. That's good. Also if you're someone that does eat yogurt every day with vitamins and active cultures then you wouldn't necessarily need the supplements. But if you didn't, if you weren’t an everyday kind of yogurt either, I would just take that probiotic. If you are travelling, I think it's a really great way to keep healthy and the summer is coming up, a lot of people are travelling. Probiotics can help your stomach stay happy when you are going from planes to different foods to different kind of places, too.
MELANIE: So, on some of these lists I have seen, there are things like bananas and oatmeal and, of course, my favorite red wine. How can those help us? You think of things like oatmeal being a gut bomb. You know, “Oh, I’m so full now. I just ate some oatmeal,” but it's really so good for us.
CARISSA: Well, yes, what the oatmeal has, it does have those prebiotics but it also has the third component of a happy belly. So, we've got our prebiotic, our probiotic and our fiber. I like to think of fiber as like a toothbrush for your gut. When you get that good fiber in, what it does it goes through and cleans everything else out. So, when it's clean, when it's not sitting there, you feel better and your tummy is a little flatter, if you know what I mean.
MELANIE: Yeah! Yours will be there really soon, I am sure.
CARISSA: I just had a little girl two days ago. It’s wonderful.
MELANIE: I bet it is. It is so cool. Okay, so what about red wine. I mean you haven't had any for a while probably but how does that help? It doesn’t seem to have fiber or prebiotics or probiotics. What does red wine have in it?
CARISSA: You know, red wine has a lot of compound polyphenols that are overall good for our body and they help promote a good environment for the bacteria to thrive in. So, I am not going to tell you to go drink up a vat of red wine. You’re going to have the happiest of belly ever but if you are going to compare it to other libations that you might you enjoy, having red wine definitely has more supportive benefits than other drinks out there.
MELANIE: You know, we've heard a lot about water. Water, water, water. You have to have eight glasses a day, blah blah. You know they say all the stuff about water. Now, drinking a lot of water sometimes does make people bloated. I live in a bloated world, Carissa, I am always bloated. But how does water and staying hydrated help us to feel less bloated, less nauseous?
CARISSA: Well, I think the key with water is, and that goes back to kind of your kidneys, but to flush out your body and to keep your body from holding on to, say, may be those higher sodium processed foods that you might have over indulged on. It is about drinking more water and flushing it out. That also goes hand in hand with fiber as well. So, when you have more water and you have more fiber things are going to be able to move through your gut, move through your belly at a better speed and if they are moving through on a regular speed, they are not sitting there, you're not getting to that uncomfortable kind of constipation type feeling. Water really helps with that and then you are going to feel better. If you feel better, you'll most likely want to eat better to keep that feeling going. It’s as a cycle. So, I can't say enough good things about water and the fiber and definitely because it’s getting hotter in the summer time, you want to make sure you are hydrating even more. When we’re talking about hydration, it’s just not water. You get hydration from your food as well.
MELANIE: Sure. There are certain foods that are full of water and liquids and so those help us. Now, one of my favorites -- I am an exercise physiologist so physical activity is on this list here—so, how does that help us to keep a healthy gut and a happy belly?
CARISSA: Well, your intestines are essentially a muscle. When removing food through your digestive system it's contracting--it's doing that. So, exercise--doing that--blood going, blood moving, as you know, is an important way to keep all of our muscles in our body healthy and toned. Being sedentary, sitting at a desk all day where you are not really ever engaging that core, so getting a little exercise, getting the blood going also goes a long way in helping to make sure that whole body is working properly and that counts for muscles of your digestive system.
MELANIE: Well, it’s true and that's a great way to put it because really it is a muscle and by getting that blood flow in there, you're going to help that muscle to work better anyway. We only have about a minute or two left. What about stress management because we seem to feel that when you are stressed, you feel more bloated, our bodies feel more ill at ease. How does stress management help us to have that happy belly and kind of wrap it all up for us, Carissa?
CARISSA: Of course! I mean, think about like we just talked about fiber, water, exercise. What do we want things to do in our belly to make it happy? We want them to move through. Stress is like putting a red light on it. It's tensing our muscles, it's causing everything to slow down. You’re probably not eating as well when you are not stressed. The key thing is if someone's listening to this to take a way to a happy belly is add more of the foods you know you should already be having like fruits and vegetables and whole grains into your diet. That's going to go a long way for a healthy belly. Even if you are stressed, don't neglect those foods and do try to use something like an exercise to counter the stress as well as keep a happy belly.
MELANIE: That is absolutely great information. Thank you so much, Carissa, and all the best to you and going forward with your new wonderful little girl. Congratulations from RadioMD here and thanks for so much great advice.
You know this good advice. We do have to manage our stress and we do absolutely have to keep ourselves in the best shape. Try some of these fermented foods, prebiotics, probiotics and fiber-- all of it--to help us out.
You are listening to Health Radio on RadioMD. We are your on demand go to health news network. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned and stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Host Melanie Cole, MS
Can you truly increase your happiness level?
Additional Info
- Segment Number 2
- Audio File health_radio/1523ml1b.mp3
- Featured Speaker Jonah Paquette, PysD
- Book Title Real Happiness: Proven Paths for Contentment, Peace & Well-Being
- Guest Website Jonah Paquette
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Guest Bio
Jonah Paquette is a clinical psychologist, author, and speaker, specializing in happiness and well-being. An alumni of the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium's doctorate in clinical psychology program, he utilizes cutting-edge approaches including positive psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based practices to help individuals and organizations prosper in life, love and work.
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Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Health Radio | Original Air Date: June 1, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Jonah Paquette
This is Health Radio with Melanie Cole.
MELANIE: What is happiness? Is it something we are born with or is it something that we can actually create? Is it something we can actually influence in a meaningful way that will last throughout our lives? You know, it can be lot easier said than done to find happiness. Unfortunately, as a society, we've have always expected that if we had more money, I'd be much happier. If my marriage was better, I'd be much happier. If I wasn't so fat or I didn't like my thighs, I'd be much happier. You know, all of these things tend to come into our minds on a daily basis. As it turns out, we may all have it backwards because science is showing that one of the best ways to make more money is to become happier.
My guest is Dr. Jonah Paquette. He is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and he specializes in happiness and well-being. Welcome to the show, Dr. Paquette. So, tell us a little bit about increasing our happiness level. Will that help us to be better people, more successful at our weight loss or our job? How do we -- maybe we've had it in the reverse all along.
DR. PAQUETTE: You hit the nail in the head there, Melanie. First of all, thank you so much for having me on this morning. It’s a real honor to be on with you. That's the one of the most exciting findings in the research coming out over the last decade or so. You know, as you have mentioned, it's not that if we achieve certain things, we'll become happy. If we marry the person of our dreams, we'll become happy. If we make more money, we'll magically become happy. Actually, it's kind of the reverse that one of the -- happiness not only feels good, it's really good for us as well. It's good for our health. Happy people tend to live longer, have fewer illnesses, they have stronger relationships, they are more likely to get married and stay married, they are more likely to earn more money and get the promotions at work. So, it's really that all those outcomes that we think are associated with happiness, but it’s in the reverse--that if we find ways to become lastingly happier, we are more likely to achieve those things.
MELANIE: So, we hear it even in the movies. In Legally Blonde, she says, "Happy people just don't commit crimes." You know? It’s kind of what you are saying. So, how do we pull ourselves out, Dr. Paquette from this vicious cycle that we are in all the time, of worry and, you know, what are we going to do, how are we going to do this, and be happy? I am generally a happy person most of the time. I worry a lot but I do look at life in a very positive way. I try to anyway. How do we pull ourselves of that rut of everyday things? Give us some exercises, things we can do.
DR. PAQUETTE: Sure. There are a couple of important things there, too. It’s not that happiness -- those things that we mentioned: getting a financial windfall, having our favorite team win. You know, we have got the NBA finals coming up with the Warriors out here. Those things do make us happy but it tends to be very misleading. It tends to be here one minute and gone the next. Lasting happiness is a little different. I think one thing we get kind of confused and hung up on is, we get kind of the Hollywood version of happiness on our mind--feeling good, positive emotion, kind of oblivion. That’s kind of the image that we have in mind when it comes to happiness. But from a research stand point, real happiness has a lot more to do with life satisfaction, feeling like our life is generally where we want be. We are connected to the people that matter, the things that matter, the cause that matter, having a sense of meaning and purpose. Those tend to be lot more stable as opposed to positive emotion. We can be a happy person and still have stress. We can be a happy person and still worry and have anxiety but we are realizing that only about 10% of our happiness is due to the circumstances around us like how much money we make, did we get married or not, did we get a promotion or not. Fifty percent is actually due to our genes.
MELANIE: Really?
DR. PAQUETTE: So, whether our parents, so our first degree relatives -- 50% of our happiness tends to be connected to, or just around that to, our genetics.
MELANIE: So, if we had happier parents, if we had parents that were or grandparents, you know, relatives that were generally -- I am from six children and the youngest of six and my parents were married a long time, 53 years or so. They always seemed happy as much as the yelling with the teenagers and the things that go on in everyday life, they seemed happy and I think maybe my -
DR. PAQUETTE: It makes a difference.
MELANIE: I think it really does. What can we do? What can people do? Right now. Today.
DR. PAQUETTE: It sort of like weight. It’s something--we are naturally predisposed to be thinner or heavier but you can still do a lot. That's where the 40% comes in. So, in my books for example I write about seven principles that are connected to happiness: cultivating gratitude, practicing kindness and altruism, practicing mindfulness, self-compassion, cultivating connection with other people, forgiveness and creating an optimistic mindset. And so, unlike chasing the things that we often do--you know money, fortune, getting that new car down the block--if we devote our energies more to those sorts of principles--to each day that we are around noticing things that we are grateful for; taking ten minutes out of the day to practice mindfulness and meditation; fostering the connections with people that matter, which is so easy to kind of lose track of in this world.
MELANIE: It is so easy to put it off these days or just do it through social media, Facebook, “Hey! How is it going? Haven't seen you in a while? We should get together soon.” But you're saying -
DR. PAQUETTE: Precisely. So, we are more connected to people but real connections have suffered is what of the research shows. There are more people are lonely today than in past generations even though we are connected in way that we never were before. So, taking time to really do things like that with our relationships, to practice acts of kindness--even just small acts of kindness--can make a huge difference in terms of our health, our wellbeing, our mind set, so these changes aren't -- they are not new and they are not -- They are ideas that have been around for a long time but something that the research has done in the last ten years is just to say, “Okay, what works and what doesn't when it comes to lastingly boosting our happiness. And how do we do it in a way that's practical and realistic for peoples’ lives.”
MELANIE: I like that you mentioned self-compassion because there is so much negative self-talk that goes on these days, especially with women. We wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and go, “Oh, god! Where do those bags come from? When did my hands get to look so old?” So, we really need to stop doing that, correct? Because that fosters that negative feeling.
DR. PAQUETTE: That has been one of the real areas I have been in for the last five years that the researchers shed great light on. How crucial it is to learn to talk to ourselves the way we talk to other people. Because many of us tend to be our worst critic and we think that's going to drive ourselves to do better in some ways but it actually demoralizes us. It leads to depression, it leads to anxiety, low self-esteem. So, just kind of learning to put the brakes on that tendency and talk to our -
MELANIE: And also kids hear that. I think our kids hear that. If they hear us looking in the mirror and go, “Geeze, when did my ass get that big,” and then the kids will hear that and maybe grow up to be just like that. So, we don't want our kids to even hear that. So, we just have a minute left, Dr. Paquette, so your best advice in this last minute for achieving that happiness and what we can do. You mentioned some really good things that we can try today. Give us a few more.
DR. PAQUETTE: Well, I would say if people want simple things they can do every day that’s been shown to make a huge change in terms of wellbeing. Writing down three things each and every day that we feel thankful for, that went well today,4 and making them different each and every day. So that over the course of a week you have got 21 good things that helps shift our perspective out of that depressive mindset into a more optimistic one. Second thing would be, choosing one day a week to be your kind of day of kindness. Go out and create 3 to 5 small acts of kindness that you wouldn't normally do. Could be holding a door for somebody, reaching out to friend who is in need, something small but real. Those are the examples of things that if we do, the research shows that if we stick with that, it actually can create some huge boosts in terms of our happiness and wellbeing if we commit to those practices.
MELANIE: Great ideas, great practices and I think I definitely want to try some of those for sure. The book is Real Happiness: Proven Paths for Contentment, Peace & Well-Being and you can see more about Dr. Paquette at jonahpaquette.com.
This is Melanie Cole and you are listening to Health Radio right here on RadioMD. We are your health news network. We are the go to place for on demand, real time health news. It’s great information, spread it around, share it with your friends because that's how we can all maybe be a little happier. Reconnect with some friends. That was great advice. Thanks so much for listening. Stay tuned and stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Host Melanie Cole, MS
Communication and trust plays a huge role in successful relationships.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 1
- Audio File health_radio/1523ml1a.mp3
- Featured Speaker Arianne Traverso, Senior AcroYoga & Yoga Instructor
- Guest Website AcroYoga
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Guest Bio
Arianne Traverso is a senior AcroYoga and yoga instructor based out of Miami, Florida. For over 10 years, she has taught all over the world and is the owner of a successful yoga studio TRIO. Her passion is sharing yoga with everyone, making them feel moved both physically, mentally and spiritually. Arianne also does 200 hour teacher trainings and Acroyoga immersions.
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Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Health Radio | Original Air Date: June 1, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Arianne Traverso
This is Health Radio with Melanie Cole.
MELANIE: If you have been looking for a new activity for you and your partner to experience or a way that you can strengthen your relationship, you may want to consider Acroyoga. It's a form of partner yoga where you both strive for therapeutic release and acrobatic strength. It sounds very interesting to me and my guest today is Arianne Traverso. She is a senior Acroyoga and yoga instructor based out of Miami, Florida.
Welcome to the show, Arianne.
So, tell us a little bit about Acroyoga. What is it and how does it play a role in helping relationships to kind of become more successful and trustworthy and get to know your partner a little bit better?
ARIANNE: Great. Well, thank you for having me on the show. Basically, the essence of relationship is communication, it is trusting your partner. So, when we relate this through this awesome practice called Acroyoga, we create this dynamic communication of physical and verbal as well as fun and trying out new things together. Acroyoga is an amazing practice that blends the wisdom of yoga, which is ancient practice with the fun aspect and the strength aspect of the acrobatics, and the healing arts especially of Thai massage. So, when these three amazing lineages came together about over ten years ago, the practice kind of exploded throughout the world. And because of, like I, said this essence of needing to be able to trust someone when, you know, you are kind of hanging on their feet or whether you are doing a Thai massage move, which is up-close and personal, where you touch and where you're think about healing then you kind of open up new doors for exploration. And it's exploration within ourselves as well as exploration with our partner.
MELANIE: So, give us an example. How does -- first of all, it’s about mostly we women getting our man to even come to something like this. And so, there is a challenge right there. We get the guy to come and he agrees to come and does he have to wear yoga pants? Does he bring a mat, wear bare feet? You know, what do we tell our guys about coming there and what can we expect from the class?
ARIANNE: Well, all of the above. Yes, you should wear comfortable clothing. You might not need a mat because sometimes these Acroyoga classes are outside in the park or it's a studio so sometimes you need to bring a towel or the studio will provide the mat for you to lay on. You are bare foot and then, basically, what we do is we usually start the class in a circle so that everybody is on an even playing field, as you want to say. You know, are we are able to connect to each other through just being in the space where we are getting ready for all embark on this journey. And usually the classes, again, like I said, they could be more on the therapeutic aspect or more on the acrobatic aspect. You know, we’ll start with the fun warm up so that maybe it's not just you and your partner but other people in the class because it’s not just for partners, it's for everybody. So some people come with their friends, I've had some people bring their moms, but a lot of people do come to explore with their husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend. And we start with warm up, get everybody kind of like loosened up a little bit. Usually, there is laughter involved because we tend to be bit of a funny crowd at the young teachers and then we start getting into the practice itself which will be usually in groups of two, if not three, because we want to have a base, a flyer and usually a spotter. That depends on the skill difficulty. So, because the safety is involved and that's the number one thought of instructors and for the participants to not feel like, “Oh, my god! I’m going to fall,” or anything like this. We will begin usually, in a beginner's class, by talking about the importance of bone stacking, of using your muscles, using your bones to make the practice easy. A lot of people see these really cool pictures of Acroyoga and they go, “Well, I can't do that. You know? I am not flexible, I am not strong,” and within 15 minutes of the classes, 99% of the class is doing exactly what they thought they couldn't do. So you are breaking down these mental barriers, you are breaking down physical barriers and you are exploring new ways of movements, new ways of communication, which tend to be verbal as well as nonverbal. Why? Because sometimes just getting a real gentle squeeze on your hand can mean, “Oh, I need to go little deeper,” or “Let’s fix the foot,” and how we can problem solve together instead of coming into a place where like, "Oh. Well, you didn’t put your foot right" instead of "How can we put the feet?"
MELANIE: Yes, see that's what I am thinking would happened in some couples. “You are not doing it right. She said to do it this way,” and I love the laughter factor, Arianne. I do love that because that does relax people. It's something that I know as a trainer. I know that laughter gets people to relax. Even in some of those difficult poses, I can see where the trust thing comes in because may be your tush is near somebody's -- you know what I mean? You are not looking that attractive.
ARIANNE: You get up-close and personal.
MELANIE: You are getting up-close and personal and if you feel, as a woman, maybe I don't like the way my thighs look and here I am in this position that shows them off pretty well then I guess that trust is that the person is not going to be like, “Ew! I didn't notice that,” or you know? So, that's the hard part.
ARIANNE: Now the funny thing is that the minute that you are -- just like in yoga. You know, I’ve been a yoga instructor for over 10 years -- when you are doing difficult things when it takes like, “Oh, I have to put foot there and then I have to put my hand here,” and “Okay. I am going to have to turn my body this way,” the last thing you are thinking about is how your thighs look. The first thing you are thinking about is like, “Wow! I can't believe I am doing this.”
MELANIE: And, I guess, as a couple you do have to try not be critical of each other in this way. We only have about you know a minute and 45 seconds or so left, so give us a little bit more about it. How it can be healthy for the relationship and building that trust and may be some advice on getting our partners or loved ones to go with us.
ARIANNE: Yes, first of all I met my boyfriend in an Acroyoga class, so that's the testimony that they are there. And that practice has helped us in even little, small arguments. It is called positive communication, positive feedback. So, something that we really really like to you know bring forth as Acroyoga teachers is this idea of communication, always starting with the positive and then going into the feedback, right? Into maybe the more critical feedback. So, there’s never -- you're never coming into a relationship -- whether it is an acrobatic relationship or personal relationship -- from a place of blame. It's always coming from a place of “How can we work together to achieve the pose?” or “How can we work together to achieve the goal that we have?” So, it's a lot of team-based building, it's a lot of working in an 'us', instead of a place of 'you and me'. So already those of you, what you learn in classes, will resonate into our day to day lives. You move away from the “Oh, but look how they are doing it. You know, they are so much better at it than us,” we totally want to make people realize that everybody is different, everybody comes from different backgrounds so what we have to harness is our individual strength and see how they can create or work together to create this -- again like whether a specific pose in Acroyoga class or whether it's a problem solving, that's what I am talking about. So, because we are starting to work with touch, the physical manipulation of the body, it moves into a lot of the energetic realms. It moves into a mental realm of breaking down our own barriers, open up our minds, open up the hearts and let the other person connect with you on this subtle level of trust.
MELANIE: You know, it sounds like a wonderful way to do this sort of partner building trust issues and, you know, may be for some couples, maybe it would work for me and my husband that it would be able to -- so that you're not so critical of each other.
Hey, you know, anything that works on relationships and trust is going to be a great thing, so try Acroyoga. You never know it might work for you. You are listening to Health Radio on RadioMD. We are your health news network. This is Melanie Cole, thanks for listening and stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Host Melanie Cole, MS
