Committing to Wellness in 2022 - and loving its "Side Effects"

It's January and time for New Year's Resolutions and goal setting - and I am certainly not alone in committing to Wellness in 2022; for me, some of the changes I've been making recently have been a long time coming and a long time considered. A big element influencing my commitment to this is that following the death of my father and some health problems for my mom - and I've had a great deal of personal reflection on what this means for me and my family for the future. In addition to the reflection, I've also done a good deal of research about what can be preventatively done to avoid the same health problems - and it turns out, a lot.

However, my journey with this actually started a little over a year ago when I started more closely following a friend from high school, Casey Means, who has had an amazing career and has truly inspired me personally and professionally. The "short" version of her story is that she is a Stanford-educated MD and was training as an ENT surgeon when she realized that most of the diseases she was treating were inflammatory related but she was not treating the root cause inflammation. She then pivoted and co-founded and is the Chief Medical Officer of a start up called Levels which uses a wearable device to help users track their blood sugar throughout the day. 

As a business related side note on the benefits of user centered design, they researched how their target users get health information and learned that the majority of their target customers were active podcast listeners, and so Casey often speaks on podcasts as one of the main sources of the company's marketing. Casey also frequently posts stories on instagram where she highlights what she is eating, which has inspired my fast break that I mention below. A key element of her approach is that she eats majority plant based.

Based on Casey's recommendation, I read the book How Not to Die, which emphasizes the benefits of plant-based eating as a cure for a myriad of chronic and common illnesses. I've subsequently read a number of books and studies and listened to a bunch of podcasts related to this topic, including Blue Zones Kitchen and Doctor's Farmacy with Mark Hyman, many of which focus significantly on plant based or plant heavy eating. 

Here's what I've incorporated into my day to day:

• Practice gratitude. I actually purchased a five minute gratitude journal, which asks you to write three things you are grateful for, three things that would make today great, and a daily affirmation at the beginning of the day, and then at the end of the day - 3 Amazing things that happened today, and how I could have made today better. This has been really good for me - both in focusing on specific things that I can do to make my day better - which also leaves me with a good sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. In many ways this reminds me of the Examen (a form of Catholic prayer) that I often commit myself to doing during lent; but really focusing on the gifts you have vs. focusing on things that worry you has done a world of good.
• Being MORE plant based. I'm not trying to be maniacal about this; I will eat meat & fish, but I am trying to eat meat as a "side dish" or condiment rather than the main event. In particular, I've been loving having a cabbage-based salad to break my fast (more on this next) with whatever other vegetables I have in my fridge. As a totally random side note, I've noticed on days when I do this, my teeth feel extra clean (not sure if this is a scientific fact - haha) 
• Completing a 14-16 hour "fast" - really time restricted easting - each day. We eat dinner around 6, and I am trying not to eat from dinner until around 10:45am the next morning. I'm not crazy about this one either - and this is something I try to do on weekdays, giving myself a little more flexibility on the weekends (particularly if we have something fun to do on a weekend night). I also DO have a coffee with a splash of milk in it in the morning, which is against the rules of fasting. I thought this would be hard for me to do, but it's been surprisingly easy and has given me a lot of energy. I've also found that breaking my fast with a big bowl of vegetables makes me feel really, really good. I incorporated this after listening to some podcasts with Dr. Dale Bredesen and Dr. Mark Hyman on the health benefits of fasting.
• Walk on 1-2 calls per day, targeting at least 30-60 minutes of walking. I LOVE doing this, and it has made me feel GREAT. It has really had great mental health benefits for me as well, more on this below.

In October, while dealing with some of my mom's health issues and knowing that we were close to losing my Dad, I was struggling with a lot of anxiety - more than I've ever felt before. I would wake up with my heart racing in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. For those who know me well, I am a GREAT SLEEPER and always am able to sleep - and this was something I had never really experienced before. My husband encouraged me to start focusing on walking, sleep and diet as a way to help manage my anxiety. 

The effect has been kind of unbelievable for me. One of the first things that made a difference for me was practicing gratitude. I particularly love the question of "What would make today great" - because it makes you focus on one thing that is achievable in the day - and when you do it, there is an instant sense of accomplishment. But, I've also found that the focus on health - and in particular, the focus on walking - has really, really, really affected and helped me - helped me sleep better, helped me feel better.