I can't believe we are already in summer. This year is flying by and it is so nice to finally be able to go out again and see other people. Having just spent the last year in my own home, has really allowed me to appreciate the things that I do miss. Since things have started reopening I have definitely shifted my routine to include activities outside my home and it's helped my well-being tremendously. I am still focusing on my health and doing what makes me feel good. I get really excited about this stuff and want to share more of it. This summer routine will give you a little taste of what I've been up to and where I'm going this summer.
Since I've been vaccinated I was dying to get out and see people and try something new. I joined Pure Barre and Pilates House. These workouts feel amazing and I feel so strong, especially my core, my legs, my tush (all the right places). I am doing 3-4 barre workouts a week and 2-3 Pilates reformer classes. This has been so fun. I love getting outside my comfort zone, seeing other people, and I am getting stronger every day. I challenged myself to do 50 workouts before my vacation at the end of June. It has been 8 weeks so far and I am almost at my goal. It is amazing how a rinse and repeat routine really works, just set your goal and show up every day.
Since, I am still sitting at a desk a lot these days, I also try to get in a quick afternoon walk (even just 20-30 minutes of strolling around the neighborhood) or a 15 minute Melissa Wood Health workout. This gets the blood flowing and makes me feel better going into my evening. It's a little mini reset. If nothing else I will at least stretch and do a little yoga. I just find I need to move my body after sitting for so long.
I'm still not drinking, it's been since November. I do have a glass once in a blue moon. Twice so far this year. I honestly feel great and don't really miss it at all. I feel I am able to be even more social and engaged during conversations, I'm less tired and I sleep way better. My skin is looking really great too, that in itself is enough reason for me. I do plan on enjoying a few drinks during my vacation in Mexico, but it will be 2-3 times at dinner and I will sip one drink and enjoy it rather than a full day of drinking and several drinks at dinner. I want to keep my energy high and enjoy it all. I will be sipping iced coffee or nice sparkling water with mint and lime, my favorite drink at the moment.
Let's talk about skincare for summer. When it heats up I tend to scale back what I layer on my face. My current morning is wash with a gel cleanser (I like Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel), then Sunday Riley Vitamin C.E.O. Serum or Tatcha The Dewy Serum, then sunscreen (my current favorites are Dermalogica Prisma Protect, the Biossance Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen, the Farmacy Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen, and the Supergoop Unseen). After sunscreen, I use a tinted moisturizer either Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation or the Saie Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer SPF 35 Sunscreen. These are both on the glowy side so I definitely need some powder (I love the Ilia Soft Focus) to set it and keep it from feeling too sticky, but I love that they are clean and have a little added sunscreen, just in case.
Speaking of sunscreen, I'm not the type of person to be afraid of the sun, but I do like to protect my face. I will wear a hat outdoor in the sun in addition to palways plying sunscreen to my face, even on cloudy days. However, I do think it is important to get as much vitamin D as possible. I only use SPF on my body if I'm in the Caribbean or fierce sun and I try to get outdoor early in the Spring to build up a natural base tan and soak up all the vitamin D I can get. I have naturally olive skin and don't burn easily so this works for me. I also supplement with vitamin D (10,000 U in Winter, 3000U in summer). I will do another post on this because it is important to so many functions in the body and we are not doing ourselves any favors by slathering on the sunscreen 24/7. At least try to grab 20 minutes of sun on your limbs in the early hours of the day.
Let's talk about food. I've been mostly plant-based for 6-months, and I started incorporating a little seafood into my diet. I love seafood, I missed it, and because I wanted to do some low-carb cycling I really needed to find other options to keep me sustained. After getting my 23+me results and learning that I have a slightly higher risk of type II diabetes, combined with my A1c levels being slightly elevated, I decided it would be a good idea to do a low carb cycling. I wanted to incorporate a little intermittent fasting and carb cycling to try to prevent or lower my risk of diabetes as much as possible.
By the way, once I entered my lifestyle factors into the diabetes calculator (how many times I eat fast food, how often I exercise, and my BMI) it basically said my odds go to zero. So is this all necessary to prevent diabetes? Maybe not for me, but there are so many benefits to low carb and fasting and it really isn't so hard to do. I basically eat less than 50 grams (net) carbs on 3-4 days a week and the other days I keep my carb levels under 150 grams. I am using a Lumen to test. It is a breath test that measures whether you are burning fats, carbs, or both. I also test my blood ketone levels occasionally just to check and it seems to be working. Lumen uses a CO2 sensor and flow meter to determine the CO2 concentration in your breath. This indicates the type of fuel your body is using to produce energy. It is pretty cool to watch your body shift into fat-burning mode after exercise or fasting or a few days of low-carb eating.
So what are the other benefits of fasting? For one thing, it puts the body under a beneficial type of stress called hormesis. Other forms of hormesis are HIIT workouts, ice baths, or sauna. They basically challenge the body to become more powerful, to become more resilient in the long term. It also increases autophagy, this is the process by which the body eats up, recycles, or destroys old cells and proteins, cells that might otherwise cause damage or turn cancerous. Think of it as housekeeping for the body. Another benefit is that it reduces inflammation. Chronic inflammation is the underlying cause of almost every major disease. It does this by reducing the release of pro-inflammatory cells, and through regulating adiponectin, a hormone involved in blood sugar control. Ketones, autophagy, and hormesis combine to decrease chronic inflammation by balancing the immune system. Another benefit is fat loss, obviously, if you skip breakfast a few times a week you will most likely consume fewer calories, but reducing inflammation is also going to help with body composition as well. So you will look better, feel better and live longer- sign me up!
Honestly, I tried keto in the past and I knew I didn't want to go back to eating lots of meat and cheese. I wanted to keep it plant-based or pescatarian and still avoid dairy this time around. Last time, I also didn't know about carb cycling and thought more keto is better. This time I have more education about the topic thanks to these books: Ketotarian, Intuitive Fasting, The Inflamation Spectrum, The Betty Body Book, and Fast This Way. I know that as a woman I need to be mindful of how strict keto and hardcore fasting can through off my hormone balance, something I definitely don't want. Therefore, I am adding in the card-up days to reset. This has the added benefit of boosting my metabolic flexibility or my body's ability to shift more easily between burning sugars and burning fat depending on what is available at the time. I'm really just playing around with all of this to see what works best for my body at this stage in life. Someday feel better than others, so I pay attention to my body and if I want carbs I eat some fruit or a sweet potato. Keep it simple and listen to your body, that is what works for me.
I have also been a little obsessed with red light therapy. I started using the Dr. Dennis Gross SpectraLite FaceWare Pro a few years ago. This is an FDA-cleared device that reduces the appearance of wrinkles and acne. It has 162 LED lights (both red and blue) which can destroy acne-causing bacteria (blue light) and boost collagen production (red light). Since I loved the results of this so much I started looking into full body options. There are some in-home units that I am looking at, but I found a tanning salon near me that offers full body red light therapy, so I am now doing that about twice a week.
Red light therapy is thought to work by strengthening the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell — it’s where the cell’s energy is created. The energy-carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things is called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
Red light therapy can increase the function of the mitochondria and in turn a cell can make more ATP. With more energy, cells can function more efficiently, rejuvenate themselves, and repair damage.
Additional clinical research is needed to prove that RLT is effective. At the moment, there is some evidence to suggest that RLT may have the following benefits:
promotes wound healing and tissue repair
improves hair growth in people with androgenic alopecia
reduces psoriasis lesions
aids with short-term relief of pain and morning stiffness in people with rheumatoid arthritis
improves skin complexion and builds collagen to diminish wrinkles
helps to mend sun damage
prevents recurring cold sores from herpes simplex virus infections
improves the health of joints in people with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee
helps diminish scars
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