A magic pill would certainly be the easiest quick-fix around disease.  I could’ve done with a supply when I was working in health food or nowadays at backyard BBQs when I’m hit up for advice on all sorts of ailments. There are regular requests for quick fixes for weight loss, for lowering blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, for clearing problem skin, increasing energy or reducing stress and anxiety.  It’s a magic pill they’re often looking for.  A miracle cure in a capsule or tablet that will take away all their health problems so they can just keep doing as they’ve always done.  As the saying goes, nothing worth having comes easy and if it does, then it won’t last.

Some treatments are simple and resolve health issues faster than others.  For example, herbal medicine for an acute cold. Others take longer, especially when we’re tackling more chronic conditions that have taken years to develop. Hunting down the source of the underlying problem is a priority and when it’s found, it can take motivation and commitment on the patient’s part.  That’s because the underlying cause might be a leaky gut, an insidious bacterial infection or a food intolerance which is contributing to the illness and that might involve a rigid diet for a period of time, taking some horrible tasting but highly effective anti-bacterial treatment or removing dairy from the diet.

Are you willing to give up the things that made you sick?

In the process of leading people towards optimal health, I’ll often ask if they’re willing to give up the things that made them sick in the first place. From the time I graduated, I vowed not to be that broad-brush approach Naturopath who removes gluten, dairy, alcohol, coffee and chocolate from everyone who comes to see me. I for one, am partial to the odd glass of red and some darky chocky so I don’t like to put those around me into a state of denial unless it’s necessary. Besides, we’re all individuals with unique genetics, living and working in varying environments and we all manifest poor health in different ways so there’s no one-size fits all approach.

But when it’s necessary to adopt the changes that can turn health around, most people are willing to dig deep and give it a good crack, even if it seems a little overwhelming at the start.

What if diet or lifestyle changes are required and how can you set yourself up for success? Should you go all out or start small?

Research has shown that you are more likely to achieve your health goals if they’re small and achievable.

Getting started

Sometimes just getting started with a new behaviour is the hardest part. One of the best ways is to break it down into very small goals…..tiny goals. Let’s say your goal is to improve your physical health by becoming more physically active. Setting a goal that you’ll walk every day may be too big to start with. Start by asking yourself can you do five minutes of walking? If the answer is yes then go for it and maybe you do that every day for a week. The next week, increase it to ten minutes and the week after, to 15 minutes. The goal’s not to run a marathon but instead to break down the barriers and create a new habit.

If your big change revolves around eating better, setting a goal that you cut out all sugar, fried foods and coffee might be too big for you. Breaking it down into smaller health goals like drinking coffee only one day this week, swapping the toast and jam at breakfast for a homemade omelette or trying a new vegetable this week could certainly be more achievable.  For more tips on eating for optimal health check out my Naturopath’s Tips for Eating Well.

Consistency is the key

These examples are SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. Goal setting in this way helps you to focus your efforts and increases the chances of achieving your goals. When you set small goals and achieve them, it feels good right? The reason for that is because when you deliver on a promise to yourself, your brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine which is responsible for pleasure, reward and motivation. Each time you achieve your goal, the surge of dopamine rewires your brain for continued success.

Small goals that are achieved and repeated become new habits and something that comes naturally like showering, eating or going to work.  This might just be the magic pill for health.

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What is fibre?

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate. Unlike those you usually think of, fibre cannot be broken down by the human digestive system. Instead, it travels through the gut undigested. This is actually a good thing!

There are two main types of fibre to consider – soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre is fibre that absorbs a lot of water, whereas insoluble fibre does not. Both are essential nutrients within a healthy diet, but each offers unique benefits.

Benefits of fibre

For something we don’t actually digest and absorb, fibre has a lot of linked benefits. In general, good fibre intake has been linked to:

• Improved blood sugar regulation
• Increased satiety
• Reduced risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome
• Improvement in digestive complaints such as constipation
• Enhanced immunity
• Enhanced weight loss for those attempting to lose weight
• Increased diversity of the gut microbiome

When it comes to specific benefits, soluble fibre may be able to reduce blood cholesterol and aid with blood sugar regulation. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to your stools, making bowel movements easier.

Fibre-rich foods to add

Ready to boost your fibre intake? Some of the best fibre sources in your diet might include:

• Fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, avocado, apples and pears
• Vegetables such as sweet potato, Brussel sprouts, artichoke, tomato, beetroot, broccoli, kale and spinach
• Legumes and beans such as lentils, chickpeas, split peas and kidney beans
• Nuts such as almonds, pistachios and walnuts
• Seeds such as chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
• Wholegrains such as oats, brown rice and popped corn

You can also add fibre into your diet with supplements. However, I don’t recommend doing so without the supervision of a qualified naturopath or nutritionist.

Too much fibre can be a problem

If you over-consume any nutrient, problems can arise. This goes for fibre as well. Excessive amounts of fibre can cause digestive complaints such as pain, bloating and gas. Fibre is also able to bind to minerals and could increase the risk of mineral deficiencies.

Try this Nutty Muesli recipe for a fibre-packed, protein dense and healthful fat breakfast alternative.

4 cups rolled oats (use quinoa flakes for a gluten free option
4 cups puffed brown rice
2 cups puffed millet or quinoa
⅔ cup brown linseeds
4 handfuls raw sunflower seeds
¾ cup green pumpkin pepitas
2 cups roughly chopped raw almonds
¾ cup roughly chopped raw hazelnuts
1 cup roughly chopped raw cashews
½ cup raw walnuts, lightly crushed in your hands
1½ cups organic, preservative free shredded coconut
¼ cup raw honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup extra virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil

Preheat fan-forced oven to 150°C.

Melt honey, olive and coconut oils together in a saucepan over a very low heat for about 5 mins or until warm, liquid and well combined.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the grains, nuts, seeds and flaked coconut together by hand. Once the warm honey-oil blend is ready, pour slowly over the dry ingredients, mixing rapidly until well combined.

Split the mixture between two baking dishes or roasting pans, ensuring not to pack the mixture down tight. Place in the oven and bake for 30 mins, making sure you turn over the ingredients with a large spoon and rotate the pans after each 10 mins.

Once the mixture is slightly browned, take out of the oven and allow to cool on bench.

Store in an airtight container until ready to be served. Can be stored this way for several weeks.

Enjoy!

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24180564
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544045
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/85/4/1157/4648880
https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(09)02062-9/fulltext
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article-abstract/67/4/188/1901012/Health-benefits-of-dietary-fiber?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B012227055X009238

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Learn your goal setting type

Before you set a goal, you want to know what kind of goal setter – and goal achiever – you are. Do you tend to overestimate your abilities, and feel crushed when you don’t succeed? Or do big goals inspire you to stretch yourself?

There is no right or wrong answer. I’m the type to stretch myself – like I did when I took on a three year degree in Naturopathy so I could help people reclaim their health.  In the early years of study though, it was daunting looking down the barrel of all the hours of study and there were times I questioned whether I could do it.  So I chunked it out, focussed on attending each lecture, completing each assignment and exam and taking in all the knowledge I could until eventually I’d ticked off around twenty five education units and was handed my bachelor degree. One of the best days of my life!

By understanding how goals motivate or deter you, you can be more clear on the type of goal you want to set.

Get clear on your why

Setting a goal is great. But if you don’t know why you’ve set it, you’re likely to drop it whenever life gets tough. Sometimes, we set goals because of what society thinks, or because our partner makes a comment about our weight or drinking.

We’re more likely to stick to goals that are made based on internal motivators – things like how we feel and what we want from our lives – rather than external motivators, like peer pressure or an ideal appearance. When you set a goal, think about why you want that goal. Will you feel more energetic? More confident? Will you be able to keep up with your kids at the park or achieve more in your day?

Make it flexible, but targeted

It is important to put a timeframe on goals – if you say you’re going to lose weight in 6 months, it is always going to get pushed back. But if you say you’re going to lose 5kg by April, it’s a hard date and you can break it down into incremental fortnightly losses which you’ll either achieve or not.

That being said, life happens. You might set a goal to walk five kilometres three times a week but then after a few weeks, you injure your foot and all of a sudden, that goal is almost impossible to achieve. So make sure you add in a bit of buffer time, especially if you’re likely to come up against any obstacles.

How do you eat an elephant?

The answer is ‘one bite at a time’. Don’t worry, you don’t need to eat an elephant, but you do need to look at big goals the same way. When something seems overwhelming, breaking it down into bite-size goals makes it easier to start taking action.

For example, say your goal is to reduce your stress levels. For you to reduce stress in one month might seem impossible. But if you broke it down into 5-10 minutes of mindfulness or breathing exercises each day, you could achieve your goal by doing that mini goal each day.

If you could do with some personalised support to make your 2019 goals happen, book in a compatibility call here to find out if seeing me is right for you.

For the year ahead, I’m picking up with the mindfulness I gave up on late last year when things got crazy busy.  Check out this link to my previous blog on mindfulness.

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