Benefits of Looking Under the Hood…

Quick Question 👇

If you heard a rattling noise coming from your car engine, would you crank up the radio to drown it out or take it to the repair shop to fix the cause of the noise? 

I’m guessing you’d want to get it fixed. Am I right? 

Then why is it when it comes to our bodies and our health…so many people choose to cover up their symptoms rather than figure out the cause? 

In functional medicine, we look under the hood 🚙 

And when it comes to correcting the source of the problem, we work to optimize function on a CELLULAR level. 

Or even subcellular—like the mitochondria. 

This is part 2 out of 4 in my series of posts on mitochondrial health, and what I want you to take away is this: 

When we support the mitochondria, we optimize the function of the body from the inside out. That means…

✅ Better Energy

✅ More Stamina

✅ Mental Clarity

✅ Healthier Metabolism

✅ Graceful Aging

Follow me for tips on optimizing mitochondrial function (coming soon!) or message me for help 📩 

Clues Your Mitochondria Could Use Some Love 🧬

🧬 Top clues your mitochondria could you some love 🧬

But first: Mitochondria?

We learn they are the “powerhouses” of the cells in biology class, but when it comes to how good we feel every day, mitochondria actually play a huge role.

Here are some clues I look for in my clients that suggest they could benefit from better mitochondrial function:

▪️ Feeling tired, lethargic, or exhausted

▪️ Trouble mustering the energy to exercise

▪️ Muscle aches or poor exercise recovery

▪️ Brain fog or inability to concentrate

▪️ Insulin resistance or poor glucose control

See, the mitochondria are central to our metabolism at a cellular level. We need them working at peak performance for good energy, metabolism, and everything that falls into place after that.

Want to know more about how to support your mitochondria?

Follow along because I have a series of posts coming your way 👀

Brain Hack to Boost Memory 🧠

Brain Hack to Boost Memory 🧠

If you were to guess—how much of your day is your brain feeling urgent vs. curious?

Most people go through their days in a constant state of urgency.

✖️ The pressure to perform.

✖️ The need to get things done.

✖️ The worry about what might happen next.

But here’s the thing:

That urgency might just be affecting your memory.

A new study out of Duke University that analyzed people’s memory of a video game after setting them up to feel either urgent or curious…

…found that people in a curious state of mind remembered things better the next day than those in an urgent state of mind.

This is amazing because we have the power to shift our mindset!

What if next time you sat down (or showed up) to work, you first took a few minutes to…

💞 Take a deep breath.

💞 Set a positive intention.

💞 Wonder.

Will you try it?

Comment with your thoughts. Share to inspire others. Like if you found this useful!

Reference

Sinclair AH, Wang YC, Adcock RA. Instructed motivational states bias reinforcement learning and memory formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023;120(31). [link]

Good News for Weekend Warriors! 🚴‍♀️

🚴‍♀️ Good news for Weekend Warriors!

A new study in JAMA found that more physical activity—even if concentrated into 1-2 days per week—benefits cardiovascular health ❤️

Researchers looked at data from nearly 90,000 adults (average age 62) in the UK Biobank.

When looking at cardiovascular outcomes, including heart attacks and strokes, physical activity concentrated into 1-2 days per week was equally beneficial as the same amount of exercise spread throughout the week.

The takeaway?

👉 Regardless of your schedule, everyone can find ways to benefit from exercise!

Find what pattern works for you. Trust you’re doing a good thing for your health.

When do you like to exercise? Are you a Weekend Warrior—yes or no?

Reference

Khurshid S, Al-Alusi MA, Churchill TW, Guseh JS, Ellinor PT. Accelerometer-Derived “Weekend Warrior” Physical Activity and Incident Cardiovascular Disease. JAMA. 2023;330(3):247–252. [link]

[New Study] Sleep, Stress, & Anxiety

👋 Raise your hand if you want more resilience to stress!

Less anxiety?

Yes please 🤚

New research shows that one way to achieve these things is simply by getting BETTER SLEEP.

The study looked at data from 1600 healthy adults during 2020 (an anxious time for lots of people!). Most of the participants were women.

They found that both positive coping strategies and higher quality sleep made people more resilient to stress and anxiety—independently, meaning each of these things work on their own.

Need some tips & motivation for better sleep?

✅ Keep the room cool

✅ Turn off screens in the evening

✅ Commit to a calming routine

✅ Cut off caffeine in the afternoon

✅ Get exercise during the day!

We have lots of tools in our functional medicine toolbox to help with stress, anxiety, & sleep.

Like if you found this helpful ❤️

Reference

Sullivan EC, James E, Henderson LM, McCall C, Cairney SA. The influence of emotion regulation strategies and sleep quality on depression and anxiety [published online ahead of print, 2023 Jun 21]. Cortex. 2023;166:286-305. [link]