“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” Emily Bronte
Colourful leaves and distinctive Fall scents offer mood building moments along local walking paths. So, enjoy the crisp air during those brisk walks and take advantage for health’s sake!
The sounds, sights, and scents of Fall
Beyond the emotional well-being and brain health aspects, walking is further touted as one of the best forms of exercise.
The Many Benefits of Walking
Cardiovascular Health – reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke
Weight Management – burning calories means weight loss or maintaining a healthy body weight
Mental Health(main topic of this post) – improves sleep quality, reduces stress, and can boost your mood
Chronic Disease Prevention – helps prevent or manage conditions like type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, arthritis, to name but a few diseases linked with metabolic syndrome
Immune Function – regular walking enhances the immune system helping to stay healthier and recover faster from illnesses
Muscle and Bone Strength – reduces risk of osteoporosis and improves muscle endurance
Breathe and Enjoy
Walking has a Positive Impact on Mitochondrial Function
Regular walking promotes the production of new mitochondria in cells. Which for us means more energy.
Walking helps your mitochondria work efficiently by producing more ATP … that much needed energy.
Daily strolls can help slow down cellular aging.
All of the above is great! Sure! Nonetheless, healthy mitochondria should not be our focus when we lace up our walking shoes. Rather anticipate what a stroll can give us, like peace of mind, which improves overall mental health, in an otherwise stressful world (thinking politics but let’s not go there)…
Hence the reason for an enjoyable and peaceful walk!!
Take Advantage of All Things Autumn
So, get out there. Enjoy the season. Take a few pictures and share photos from your place in the world.
And remember to breathe deep, smile… and… brace yourself for the soon coming winter (which isn’t so bad – it’s all in the attitude).
Suzanne writes children’s fiction stories to bring a little humour and stress-free moments that children need as well.
Awareness of the harms of ultra-processed foods is growing! YAY! People are learning that these products are toxic to human health and the reason for most metabolic problems plaguing literally millions today.
People are getting it!
Thanks to Robert Kennedy Jr, that awareness… hit the Trump stage recently, and a bunch of us got a tremendous boost to our persistently hopeful outlook for the health of men, women, and children throughout the world.
This ultra-processed food nightmare is not a new topic for many of us… but it is an eye-opener for literally thousands worldwide. It is a story that must be told and, if Kennedy has any say… he’ll tell it. Corporate greed exposed.
Wait… There’s more…
Kennedy endorsed Calley and Casey Means and shortly thereafter, Megyn Kelly interviewed Casey on her show. Their primary topic was on… are you ready for this… seed oils.
Yes, they exposed the damage of consuming these horrible oils on Kelly’s platform… a platform that boasts over 2 million followers. (Insert an excited fist bump here!)
But let’s not forget the trailerblazers…
As the awareness grows… and make no mistake it is growing… we should take a moment to acknowledge the many dedicated doctors, scientists, advocates, and lay people from across the globe who worked tirelessly to bring us the facts.
Without their efforts, many of us would still be consuming this sludge. Because of the many books, published papers, podcasts, video clips, shorts, and etc… we have avoided literally dozens of so called ‘food’ aisles for years.
Let’s acknowledge a few modern day heroes…
We learned that saturated fat isn’t the ‘bad guy’ from pioneers like Nina Teicholz. Her 2014 book, The Big Fat Surprise, continues to educate and is considered to be a ‘reference’ source for many.
Dr. Chris Knobbe’s 2023 book, The Ancestral Diet Revolution is another excellent publication detailing… well… everything you need to know about how we got into this mess in the first place.
You can’t hide the truth forever…
“Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”
Matthew 5:15 (AMP)
Note: The above biblical quote seems to be taken a little out of context, but if ‘light’ reflects ‘truth’… then the truth can’t be hidden for long. Eventually, it comes to light, and all who learn of this truth are given the opportunity to gain from it. (In this case… we gain better health!)
Back to our modern day heroes…
Books by Gary Taubes, Dr. Robert Lustig, Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Ben Bikman are among the many who have exposed the effects of ‘added sugar’ upon metabolic health… specifically, insulin resistance.
They have helped us understand diabetes at the cellular level and we now recognize that the conventional ways of treating this pandemic have NOT been the most effective.
Diet, exercise, and intermittent fasting now play key roles in recovery and… most importantly… PREVENTION.
Then there are the podcasters… Dr. Mark Hyman, Mike Mutzel, Max Lugavere, Dhru Purohit, Dr. Peter Attia, Jesse Chappus, Dr. Suneel Dhand, and many, many others. Untold hours of discussion, explanations, data, signs and symptoms, and reasonable conversations have all contributed to the awakening the world is desperate for.
A special thanks to the aforementioned ‘pioneers’ for their years of dedicated service. Without their groundbreaking efforts, many of us would not find ourselves so incredibily hopeful for a major shift in health awareness with, whatever lies ahead, in the hands of Robert Kennedy Jr’s MAHA movement.
Here’s hoping our world’s population can also start their journey to health and wellness.
Whenever possible, please acknowledge the above amazing people by supporting their efforts through word of mouth to friends, family, and co-workers or online with positive comments, likes, and shares.
If you know other great trailblazers, on this quest for health and wellness, please drop a comment below to share their worthy contributions as well.
Suzanne Rightley is a children’s fiction author who presents a health minded hero in the persona of a dedicated 12 year-old girl.
Granola Brea plans on being a consumer advocate when she grows up… but she’s practicing what she preaches… now! No easy feat!
The Granola Brea Series is available on Amazon for parents and teachers who welcome a lively — often humorous — format to educate children and help today’s youth on their own health journeys.
At what age should you seriously consider being the manager of your own health? Your twenties? Thirties? Forties? Your sixties?
The short answer… today. Today is the day you should firm up your commitment to becoming ‘in charge’ of your health and wellness. If you’re alive… as in breathing, regardless of your age… now is the optimum time to add Health Manager to your resume.
Think of your health as you would a job and begin to reap the benefits almost immediately. No kidding.
To Do…
Get Educated
As with any employment, being well educated means being better qualified. When it comes to your health…acquiring the best and most comprehensive education is vital to your overall performance. Thankfully, the resources are plentiful and easily accessible… think Internet. (YouTube videos are very informative)
Focus on the Key Components of Your Education
There are several ‘courses’ to choose from and the sky is the limit when it comes to acquiring an education in all things health. Consider the following key aspects…
A Healthy Diet
The quick and lazy method would have you accepting the basic food guidelines provided by the so called ‘experts’.
However, a more thorough search, which does require your time and enery, would expose the errors, misconceptions, and possibly the deceptiveness of these guidelines.
Do your ‘due diligence’ here and you won’t regret it. Don’t allow the sheer number of diets and diet plans to overwhelm you. Choosing low carb, carnivore, keto, mediterranean, and so forth will come easier once you’ve taken the time to understand the basic food groups, which are: protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
Get familiar with how these food groups help establish your health and wellbeing. Understand how they benefit the body and learn to prioritize according to your body’s basic needs. Hint: carbs shouldn’t dominate the day. So prepare yourself (give yourself a mental headshake)… cut the cookies, donuts, crackers, bagels, and other ‘fun’ stuff that you’ve come to rely upon during coffee breaks. It takes time, but well worth the effort.
Quick tip: If what you want to eat comes wrapped with a lengthy label…odds are that this ‘food’ is not actually ‘food’ but an ultra-processed substitute. So… focus on real food and … wait for it … learn to cook ‘real food’ at home!
Renowned functional medicine expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, has the following to say…
“It is food – we now know that food is information, not just calories, and that it can upgrade your biologic software. The majority of chronic disease is primarily a foodborne illness. We ate ourselves into this problem and we have to eat ourselves out of it.” Mark Hyman
Consistent Exercise and Movement
Contrary to popular opinion, exercise does not need to be a drudgery or a painful process. Well…okay…there can be some pain (sore muscles) but not the torturous pain designed to kill you.
The benefits of exercise are..well.. phenomenal. No joke! Many more doctors have come fully onboard and they’ll tell you that regular exercise is super important towards achieving health and wellness and a leading method to decrease all cause mortality (that word alone makes a person shiver).
Exercise ranks higher than pharmaceuticals when dealing with depression and studies now show that regular activity helps cognitive improvements and greatly lessens the likelihood of developing various forms of dementia in later life.
Prominent physician and longevity expert, Dr. Peter Attia says it well…
“Exercise is by far the most potent longevity ‘drug’. No other intervention does nearly as much to prolong our lifespan and preserve our cognitive function.” Peter Attia
Sleep and Relaxation (aka… meditation)
Getting your Zzzzs can’t be overemphasized. Research has shown that many necessary bodily functions occur when we sleep, including a major cleaning… really! It’s like your brain is so busy during the day that, like a busy office, the garbage collects. During sleep hours, the cleanup crew get their shot at setting the place to rights before the next busy day begins.
Quality sleep helps in many ways: corrects and stabilizes immune function, disease resistance and overall well-being, including mood.
Mindful breathing calms the mind and body and may alleviate depression and anxiety by promoting relaxation and stress reduction.
Deep breathing may enhance focus and cognitive performance; it may positively impact mood and happiness, and… mindful/deep breathing may lower blood pressure, improve overall cardiovascular, better lung function to oxygenate the body.
Quotes from Matthew Walker’s book: “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams…
“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.” Matthew Walker
In conclusion:
Metabolic related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and obesity, to name a few, are steadily increasing. These types of problems are so widespread, we’ve almost come to the point of acceptance, as though it is inevitable to develop some sort of chronic disease.
But this need not be the case.
Those who choose to become managers of their own health – those who make their own fitness and wellness a lifelong job will undoubtedly reap benefits far beyond their expectations.
If you do not have ‘personal health manager’ on your life’s resume, the time couldn’t be better to begin the process of self-improvement.
You won’t regret it.
Suzanne Rightley is an author of childrens’ fiction. Her books are written for independent readers, ages 7-15 and can be found on Amazon. Her Granola Brea Series is an ongoing effort to enlighten today’s youth to make positive health and wellness choices for themselves.
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