Sustainable Health

7/31/2019 Sustainable Health

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Sustainable Health

A Lifelong Fitness Guide for All


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SUSTAINABLE

HEALTH

Kim Brown, CPT, CSCSKane Sivesind, CSCS


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Disclaimer

The information in this manual is offered for educational purposesonly; the writers are not medical doctors in any way shape or formand therefore advise you to consult your physician and otherswith questions and before participating in any exercise program.

You the reader are free to disagree with any points. In fact, youare encouraged to wrestle with these thoughts and topics. Wehope that you tryto implement some of these strategies in youreveryday life and see how you feel. We hope that by learning tolisten to your body you will find the truth through your efforts andobservations, thus empowering you to take back control of yourhealth and life!

Remember, only you can feel what is truly best for your own body!

If you are going through present medical challenges pleasefilter your thoughts through your health professional.


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Table of Contents

Section 1 - Introduction .................................................................................................5Section 2 - Understanding Health .................................................................................7! Health vs Fitness .................................................................................................9! Anabolic vs Catabolic ........................................................................................12! ! Exercise....................................................................................................14! ! Eating........................................................................................................18! Your Vehicle........................................................................................................22

! Seasonal Adjustments........................................................................................28Section 3 - Steps to Recovery ....................................................................................30! Step 1: ...............................................................................................................31! Step 2:................................................................................................................32! Step 3:................................................................................................................34! Step 4: ...............................................................................................................36! Step 5: ...............................................................................................................39! Step 6: ...............................................................................................................42! Step 7: ...............................................................................................................44

! Step 8: ...............................................................................................................45! Step 9: ...............................................................................................................46! Step 10: .............................................................................................................47Moving Forward...........................................................................................................50About the Authors........................................................................................................51


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SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION


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ntroduction

! We are living in a country whose current overall health hasgotten way out of control. From every day stress, to the decreasein eating real food, and to the poor advice given by the media, weare becoming more and more unhealthy by the minute. It hastaken many years to get to this point and there is no quick fix!The

solution will be a journey and this is one of the first things thatpeople need to understand.

We are lucky enough to live in a nation that offers greatopportunity, but with this great opportunity comes immensedistractions. The constant marketing of instant gratification basedon emotion and no limits is hurting our chances of becominghealthy. What took twenty years to gradually build up can notbe

undone in 12 weeks!If you can accept this concept, and even better, embrace it, you

will be headed in the right direction and able to start makingsustainablechanges to your health.

Even if you are not at a point in your life where you need thisadvice, we recommend you still read the information; life goes instages and there may be a time in the future where this

information will be very useful.

This manual is not the end point, it is the beginning; the

beginning to a new, healthier you!


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SECTION 2: UNDERSTANDING HEALT


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Understandin Health

In order to fix our health and start feeling our very best, we firsthave to understand exactly what it means to be healthy. This firstsection will go over some of the basics that we all need to knowabout our bodies and how it really functions.

Some of the information that we cover will be review, some new;however, throughout this entire manual we urge you to keep anopen mind and think about some of your own experiences withthis information. We also urge you to re-read it a couple times asnew things might pop out at you each time.

We will start by defining a few terms that we will use throughout

this manual like health, fitness, anabolicand catabolic. Wewill then go through a deeper explanation of how our body givesus energy and how our actions, movements and food impact ourhormones. While some of this can get pretty complex, we willkeep it fairly simple to ensure everyone can understand the basicsof the human body.

Lets Get Started!!


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HEALTH:

Are they the same thing? NO!

FITNESS:

The foundation that gives you the ability tostart and finish

Think INTERNAL

The ability to endure

Think EXTERNAL

Can you be fit and have poor health? YES!

Examples are becoming more common:

A marathon runner that dies of a heart attackA model who is anorexic or bulimic

An obese person who completes a triathlonAn ironman that struggles with depressionAn individual who constantly gains and loses weight

Health vs Fitness


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Even though the opposite is engrained in our culture,remember thisconcept:

THIN = HEALTHY

These are some of the realsigns of health:

Moisture, Oils on the skin

Color in the face

Posture, Strength in thebody

Health vs Fitness

Just because someone is thin does not necessarily meanthey are healthy. While they could be very healthy, oursociety continues to label skinny as healthy no matterwhat. You have to look on the inside to really find out ifsomeone is really healthy!!

Who looks healthier?


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Health vs Fitness

Good Energy = Good Health

This is one of the key concepts of this entire manual!

All systems in nature build and grow with ample energy andbreak down and die without energy

(hypo energy)

However, too much energy can lead to burn-up(hyper energy)

Both of these situations can be very detrimental to your health.Most people understand why too little energy can be damaging

but do not ever realize too much can also hurt our health.

Think of hyper energy like a nuclear power plant that is aboutto burn-up and explode because of the unstable excessenergy. While this might be an extreme example, it will

hopefully show you that good energy means balanced energy.


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Anabolic vs Catabolic

ANABOLISM:

CATABOLISM:

Means to BUILD UP

Means to BREAK DOWN

Very simply put...

In general, our society has become very catabolic in nature. We areconstantly under stress and rushing from one thing to another. We

believe that MORE is always BETTER and love pushing our bodies totheir limits. Many of us are running on anxiety and fear due to packedschedules, over exercising or even over spending and going into debt.

While working hard is not always bad, you also have to work smart. Youhave to realize when you are in a catabolic state and make sure yourbody becomes more anabolic in times of stress. As you will see in themanual, one of the keys to sustainable health is the ability to make sure

we do not stay in a catabolic (stressful) state for a prolonged period oftime.

This all goes back to managing our energy. Anabolism simply meanswe are conserving our energy and using it to build ourselves up,instead of always expending energy.


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HORMONES are the MESSENGERS for thebody that say BUILD UP or BREAK DOWN

ANABOLIC

HORMONES

BUILDS TISSUE

Growth Hormone

Testosterone

IGF 1 Insulin like growth factors

Insulin

Estradiol

CATABOLIC

HORMONES

BREAKS DOWN TISSUE

Cortisol

Adrenaline

Glucagon

Cytokines

Other Catecholamines

FOODand MOVEMENT(Exercise) have an affect on HORMONES


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What exercises BUILD you up andWhat exercises BREAK you down


ANABOLIC

TRAINING

Exercises That BUILD You Up

Squat/Deadlift

Short Sprints

Pressing

Pulling

Slower more controlled tempo orvery quick in duration

Longer rest periods

Exhausts the Nervous System

CATABOLIC

TRAINING

Exercises That BREAK You Dow

Aerobics

Distance Running

Circuit Training

Faster Tempo

Longer Duration

Shorter Rest Period

Exhausts the CardiovascularSystem


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Does this mean that I should neverrun long distances?


NO!Long distance running can be a valuable tool for the right person, at theright time. If you have an abundance of energy it can be a great way to burnsome of it off.

However, you should never be running in FEARor feel like you HAVEto doit. This will only cause your health to deteriorate and send you on a

downward spiral. If you wake up sluggish every morning and use running toget quick energy, you will feel better by taking a break from running andincorporating anabolic movement and eating habits.

There are many other great ways to workout besides running. Tryincorporating anabolic workouts and we think you will be pleasantlysurprised with how you feel (internal) and your achievable results (external).

Speaking of how you feel after a workout...


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Whats our ath?

Anabolic TrainingBUILD UP

Seasonal adjustmentsSlowShort

MeditativeControlled pace

Warm

hat does this feel like after a

orkout?ght increase in mental capacity, energy,

motion and temperature with little to nocrease as long as one eats within a

uple hours.

hat does this feel like during

orkout?Gradual enhancement of energy.Pain freeMoisture in arm pits, groin, and behinde knees not just on the forehead.Pump or swelling in muscles.

What does this feel like after a

workout?Large increase in mental capacity, enemotion, and temperatures for up tohours then large decrease of each q

will occur.

What does this feel like during

workout?1. Increase in energy the first ten minut2.Total body exhaustion fifteen to twentminutes into the workout.3. See white spots with quick movemen4. Light headedness5. Upset stomach

Catabolic TrainingBREAK DOWN

No seasonal adjustmentsFastLong

Little thoughtOut of control pace

Hot or cold

ExercisingANABOLIC CATABOLIC


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Whats our ath?

But I feel much better after working out catabolically!Doesnt that mean I should keep doing it?

While it is true that you will feel better immediately after your workout, you might bedoing damage if you keep it up for an extended period of time. The reason you feelreally good right away is the release of adrenaline into your system. This will give you aburst of energy and warmth but will be followed by a crash a few hours later.

When you work out with a slower and more controlled tempo, your body will feel a slightlift in energy, which is more sustainable than a burst of energy, and will not beaccompanied by an energy crash later in the day.

You might not be great at identifying how you feel during a workout yet, but look forsome physical signs to determine if you are building up or breaking down:

You should have even color throughout your face and not be pale or blotchy.

You should be sweating from your arm pits, groin and behind your knees. If you are

sweating from just your forehead, this is a sign of being in a catabolic state. Your Achilles tendon, hands and back of the neck should all be warm. If these areas

are cold, your energy is not properly circulating and you are at greater risk of injury.

Try to maintain slow and controlled breathing. Quick, short breaths send a message ofpanic to your system, while breathing more controlled sends a more relaxed message

If you can achieve:

A clear and colorful complexionSweat from multiple locations

Warmth throughout your bodyControlled breathing

You will be building happy hormones throughout your body!!


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What foods BUILD you up andWhat foods BREAK you down


ANABOLIC

EATING

Foods That BUILD You Up

Organic foods (fresh)

Moderate calories

Adequate protein

Healing fats (saturated/mono)

Moderate carbohydrates

CATABOLIC

EATING

Foods That BREAK You Down

Processed foods (box, can)

Low calorie

Low protein

Bad fats (polyunsaturated)

High carbohydrates


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Whats our ath?

Anabolic EatingBUILD UP

Seasonal adjustmentsOrganic foods (fresh)

Moderate caloriesAdequate protein

Healing fatsModerate to low carbohydrates

hat does this feel like after eating?No pressure in abdomen (bloating)

Balanced temperatureSlight energy increaseMental sharpnessEmotional controlor up to three to four hours.)

What does this feel like after eating?1. Pressure in abdomen

2. Increase in energy the first hour3. Energy crashes4. Fatigue and poor concentration5. Cravings, light headed, dizzy, nauseous(within one to two hours)

Catabolic EatingBREAK DOWN

No seasonal adjustmentsProcessed foods (box, can)

Low calorieLow protein

Bad fatsHigh processed carbohydrates

Eating

ANABOLIC CATABOLIC


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Whats our ath?

Anabolic eating is something that is probably very new to you and might take some timegetting used to. The whole premise is to stop the release of stress hormones andinflammation from the foods that we eat.

While many people take this as a given, we first have to talk about eating REAL FOOD.Our grocery stores are full of items that we call food but really have no business havingthat label attached to them. Items that come in a box are generally not real food. Pre-made microwave dinners are definitely not food! Real food is something that your greatgrandmother would have considered eating when she was a kid, like fruits, vegetables,eggs, milk, cheese and meats.

Without realizing, many of us are bloated and have negative reactions to food. Onlywhen we clean up our food choices do we come to find what it feels like to feel our truenormal. Your current norm may be a bloated and inflamed lower abdomen, which youcan see but also feel after eating.

Make sure you are getting enough protein and healing fats (coconut oil, butter, etc) andtry to reduce consumption of starchy carbs (grains, beans, root vegetables, etc). This wilhelp heal inflammation, support a healthy immune and energy system (thyroid) and willaid in digestion.

You may also notice that anabolic eating relies on eating moderate calories and not lowcalories. Too many people try to lose weight quickly by going on crash diets. These haveproven over and over to be unsustainable and can set you up for health issues. Lowcalories and low blood sugar is one of the most stressful situations your body can feel.This is NOT something that you want to put your body through if you are dealing with anyhormonal imbalances or just trying to create an ideal situation to regain your health.

Stick with moderate calories, fresh, and local REAL foods and watch for pressure in yourabdomen after eating.


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Understandin Health

In review:

Health and fitness are not the same thing

Thin does not necessarily mean healthy

Manage your energy to maintain your health

Stay out of a prolonged catabolic state


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One easy way to start understanding your body is to compare itto a car. If you pretend your body is a vehicle, it will help youunderstand what is really going on inside.

While you discover what is going on, I challenge you to startlistening to your vehicle as much as you can. It is the only thingthat can truly tell you what works and what does not.

The guidelines and strategies that you will learn in this manualare just that; guidelines. Only you know what works for yourbody and never let any experttell you otherwise.

Your Vehicle


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So we have established that your body is your vehicle, but youprobably did not realize that...

Your Vehicle


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Before we go any further, let's pause to discussthe thyroid and adrenal glands. Both glands areextremely important to your health because theyboth help with energy production. The thyroidgland is located in the throat, while your adrenalglands are located on top of your kidneys.Ideally these two energy systems work togetherto keep your system functioning well and feeling

good.

The thyroid helps the body with energyprocessing, hormone communication, andmetabolism. You may have heard of its commonhormones, shortened as T3 and T4. The thyroiddoes so much for the body, which makes itextremely sensitive. Poor health and lifestylecan cause great damage to your thyroid, which

will then in turn damage your health even further.

The adrenal glands secrete different hormonesthroughout your body, most commonly inresponse to stress. You may have heard ofadrenaline and cortisol before, which arenicknamed as your "stress hormones". Mostpeople are familiar with adrenaline as this is thehormone that allows mothers to pick a car up off

her child or that allows you to outrun a bear inthe woods. These hormones are extremelyimportant and useful in certain situations,however, as we are about to learn, our societyhas started to abuse them.

Your Vehicle


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So lets talk about how exactly you can learnabout how your body should function from ahybrid car...

We just established that your thyroidis yourbattery and your adrenal glandsare your gastank.

Our body, just like our car, will run mostefficiently when relying on the battery for amajority of the energy and will use the gas forthose needed short bursts. This means that ourthyroid should be sustaining us throughout the

day, with only short bursts from our stress hormones. However, what ends uphappening more often than not, is we get caught up in our fight or flight reflexthroughout the day, so we are constantly pressing the accelerator, using our stresshormones to fuel us rather than our thyroid.

In the short term, this works just fine and you actually feel pretty good; however, in thelong term, relying heavily on adrenaline will cause your battery (thyroid) to shut down.Now the only energy source you have is your gas tank and you will eventually run outof gas. This is where we really see a large breakdown of your body.

Your Vehicle


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Thyroid Adrenals

Thyroid Adrenals

Your Vehicle


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Your Vehicle

As you can see, running on our stress hormones can lead toserious breakdown in our bodies. These stressors can comefrom a lot of different sources:

Our job, our marriage, finances, exercise; anything thatcauses our body to lose peace or homeostasis.

Our bodies like slow and steady changes and nothing toodrastic. While we might be able to control some stressors,there are others that are totally out of our control. One tothink about is the change in seasons. These temperaturefluctuations, especially when they are drastic, can causehavoc on our bodies.

For this reason it is very important that we make seasonaladjustments and make sure our bodies go through gradualchanges.


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Seasonal Adjustments

So what exactly are these Seasonal Adjustments we keeptalking about?

Basically, it means that as our external environment changes aroundus, we must adjust our behaviors.

This mainly concerns those of you who live in a part of the country

that has a change in seasons. If you live in a city that is 75 and sunnyall year round, you may not need these adjustments.

We will only go over the very basics to seasonal adjustments inthis manual, as it can be a very in depth subject

This whole concept is based on

The Law of Energy Conservation:Energy may neither be created nor destroyed, it is transferred.

How does this affect you?If your external environment (outside) is 100 degrees, not much will

happen. Energy (heat) in the body will stay in the body becauseinternal and external temperatures are roughly the same. If your

external environment is 10 degrees, energy (heat) will leave the bodyvery quickly. You must layer your clothing and change yourmovements to reflect this seasonal change. People who live inclimates with cold temperatures must conserve energy to avoid

losing heat to the external environment.


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Seasonal AdjustmentsSeasonal Adjustments

What does this mean?

The overall concept you should remember about making seasonal adjustments is tochange your mindset with the changing seasons.

Winter is a very catabolic season, therefore anabolic training is a must in order tostay healthy. This will assist in conserving energy and staying healthy during this

stressful season. Your physical goals for this season are to increase your strengthand build muscle.

Spring is a time that we start to come back to life and slowly get a bounce in oursteps. The key is to start slowly and not try to jump back into intense training tooquickly. If you are going to run, make sure you walk before you run to help prepareyour body.

Summer is the best time of year to go after your weight loss goals. You have the

most energy and are the warmest during this season so take advantage and beoutside in the sun as much as possible. While it is a good season to attack weightloss, if you are still very stressed you might be better off sticking with anabolic trainingto continue to build up.

Fall is the time to year to start switching back to energy conservation mode. Thesooner you start dressing in layers the better adjusted your body will be come winter.Remember, if you dress in layers your body will not create its own layers.

We will have more information on the seasons in Recovery Step #9 on page 46.


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SECTION 3: STEPS TO RECOVERY


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Recovery Step #1

Evaluate yourMotives:

Evaluateyour priorities and boundariesthen start a plan to take control of the right health goals!

Don't get stuck in the daily grind and lose focus of your big picture desires. What do

you want for your health and life? Do you wish to have anabolic (positive) health orcatabolic (negative, degenerative) health?

Have you set good boundaries?

Bad Boundaries = a week foundation leading to poor health and a poor quality oflife!

Good Boundaries = A strong foundation leading to good health and a great qualityof life!

Do you have a balance between the different aspects of life?

Volunteerism & Community OutreachPace of Life & Time Management

Fun, Creativity & PassionFriends & Relationships

Faith/Spiritual LifeHealth & Energy

FinancesFamily

What areas of your life need more boundaries or priority?

Ph sical? Mental? Emotional/Relational? S iritual?


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Recovery Step #2

Assess and Control your Energy through your

Thoughts:

Remember the Law of Conservation of Energy?

Energy is not created or destroyed it is transferred.

Is it possible our brain/mind can be doing damage to our health?

The brain is a tissue, just like muscle and bone.Negative energy in the mind can be transferred throughout

the body and into our overall health.

We must exercise control of the brain just like we do with the bicep. If you allow

constant thoughts to cross your mind throughout the day it could be likened to doingbicep curls non stop all day (which is physicallyexhaustive, whereas constantthoughts can be mentallyexhaustive).

Great Energy = Great Health!

As a man thinketh so he is. Ancient Proverb


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Recovery Step #2

Interesting fact:

The pancreas and its favorite hormone, insulin,werecreated specifically to regulate blood sugarslevels for thevery reason of protecting the brain.

The mind and body areintricatelyconnected!

What are your thoughts (mental energy) telling you?


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Recovery Step #3

Assessthe Present State of your Hormones

and Health:

What is your current state of health?

Is your system anabolic or catabolic?

Check out our questionnaire on the next page to see where your overall healthfalls on the spectrum.

Is your present state of healthANABOLIC?Meaning growing, generating, building and rebuilding.

Or, is your present state of healthCATABOLIC?Meaning breaking down, degenerating, slowing or broken down.

Once you know where you're at on the Anabolic-Catabolic health spectrum, you'llknow where to start your health journey.

The more broken down you find yourself, the more building and healing you'll needto feel better.

With poor health, our physical age can progress much quicker than our biologicalage. Assessing your current health and physical age will give you an idea of how

healed (or unhealed) your system is.

With the knowledge of your physical age, you will know what type of activity

will help you feel and live your very best!

Typically, the younger our biological and physical age, the more energy we have toexpend with catabolic play and exercise. The older our biological and physicalage, the less energy we have to expend, so we must conserve our energy with

anabolic training and lifestyle habits.


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Recovery Step #4

Create a Daily Routine:

Why should we have a daily routine?

Without a routine, the body never knows what is coming next, and willremain unbalanced due to unstable blood sugar.

Why does it matter if our blood sugar is unbalanced?

Unstable blood sugar causes changes to our hormones. Hormones aremessengers that tell the body whether it is stressed or relaxed. When our

body feels stressed long-term, our health will decline.

We need at least 15-20 minutes of personal down time in the morningbefore our day startsin orderto be healthy.

See the examples on the next pages of two daily schedules, one set up forstress and one set up for health! These schedules are based on a 9-5work schedule, tweak as you need to for your own schedule.


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Recovery Step #4

Here is a sample routine that will producehealth problems:

7am:

730am:

8am:

9am:10am:

10am-3pm:

3pm:6-9:30pm

9:30-1130pm:

2-3am:

7am:

Alarm goes off... really tired or exhausted, hitsnooze for 20 minutes.Get up quick, scramble to get dressed andready for work.Not hungry, grab coffee to wake up, decide toeat at work.Start work feeling rushed and frazzled.Eat "breakfast" at your desk.Rush like crazy at work, skip lunch, or eat atyour desk.Energy CRASH!(Body needs glucose-"sugar")Scramble to get dinner made, eaten andprojects done.Exhausted yet mentally supercharged fromadrenaline so need to sit in front of a TV torelax your mind before bed.Toss and turn or stay awake. Maybe have toget up and go to the bathroom.

Same routine... different day.


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Recovery Step #4

Here is a sample routine that will producehealthier results:

5am:

6am:

8am:

9am:930-1130am:130-1230pm:

1230-230pm:230-245pm

245-5pm:5-530pm:

530-6pm:6-9pm:

9pm:5am:

Alarm goes off and you wake excited to havetime to yourself.Eat a large breakfast and get items preparedfor the day.Travel to work slowly and with plenty of time tospare.Start work.Focused work that is in less "crisis mode".Lunch (maybe take a 10-15 minute walk prior toeating)Focused work managing your time well.Take a break, eat a light snack to keep energybalanced.Focused work managing your time well.Travel home, light snack, detox mind fromwork, organize home life.Eat dinnerMiscellaneous chores, prep for tomorrow, relax!

Tired and want to go to sleep.Wake up refreshed and excited to have time to

yourself!


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Recovery Step #5

Keep your Blood SugarBalanced:

Keeping your blood sugar balanced is important because blood sugarlevels will dictate what hormones are released in your body.

Food and movement affect blood sugar

Carbohydrates, like fruits, vegetables and starches, alone will increaseblood sugar and then decrease it shortly after. Proteins alone will

decrease blood sugar. Eating a balanced snack of carbohydrates, proteinAND fat will keep your blood sugar balanced.

Exercise and negative stress can also decrease our blood sugar.When

our blood sugar is balanced, our body feels relaxed and safe. When ourblood sugar is low we can feel tired, irritable, lethargic, have headaches or

feel nauseous. When our blood sugar is high, or spiked, we will feel"hyper" temporarily, but then eventually crash and feel the symptoms of

low blood sugar.


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Recovery Step #5

How can you tell if your blood sugar is unstable?

Learn to FEEL it! Unstable blood sugar will feel like a roller coaster.

With higher blood sugaryou will feel a resurgence of energy.With level blood sugaryou will have calm energy and emotions.As your blood sugar dropsyou will get a sinking feeling in your energy and

emotions, usually in the order of anxiety, apathy, lethargy and finallydepression.

We can use food and movement to CONTROL this roller coaster affectand feel better! The goal is to keep the changes in blood sugar as

minimal as possible.

The HIGHERthe blood sugar rises, the faster and harder it will want to drop.

BALANCE this by slower walking, breathing and eating protein and fat.

The LOWERthe blood sugar drops, the worse you will feel. BALANCE thisfirst by getting your body temperature up (with more clothing and warmerbaths/showers) and eating carbohydrates (from fruits and vegetables andNOT processed grains).


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Recovery Step #5

Balancing Blood Sugar with Food

1. Eat a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate at each squaremeal.

2. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking.

3. Adjust your carbohydrates, proteins and fats based on what youneed during the day. If you need more energy you may need a littlebit more carbohydrates.

4. Timing your food intake with how you feel is key! Learn to usefood as your fuel source!


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Recovery Step #6

Keep your body temperaturebalanced:

Keep your body temperature balanced by dressing in layers-

especially in the winter!

If your body temperature is constantly in flux, so are your hormones andeverything else internally. The body will fight to keep a balanced

temperature by increasing adrenaline and destabilizing your blood sugar.Overtime, this causes a breakdown effect of your tissues and system

overall. Remember, adrenaline is a stress hormone and sends the body astressful message.

Jump start your morning (and metabolism) in a natural way!

After waking, take a warm shower until you feel your core temperature heatup. After stepping out put coconut oil on your skin to conserve heat and

replenish oils lost in the shower. Use base layers under your work clothesto conserve even more heat (energy), and then wear plenty of outer layers

while outside in the cold. Eat a warm breakfast and drink a warm beverage.You just revved up your metabolism in a healthy way!


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Recovery Step #6

How to Regulate your Temperature Safely:"Eat-Pull-Peel-Move"

1. When you are cold try EATing or drinking something warm (if youhaven't eaten in a while). Then, add layers and move slowly.

2. When too warm, PULL back layers of clothing. Pull sleevesback, unzip or unbutton your shirt, pull your socks down, or placeyour hands in cold water. When too cold, try taller socks, a scarfaround your neck, or a hat.

3. Only PEEL off layers when you have to. Remember, the bodyprefers subtle changes in temperature. Extreme changes will

only send "stress" messages to the body.

4. MOVE less or more. If you are hot be more static or move to acool spot. If you are cold walk around or near a heat source.Movement should be your last option.

Remember - heat is energy, and will transfer based on the laws of physics. If your bodtemperature is around 98.6 or 98.7 degrees, and your environment is less than that, youheat (energy) will want to transfer outside of you. Adding external clothing layers to youbody will not only keep you feeling good but also prevent the body from adding its own

layers in the form of adipose tissue (fat around the belly).


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Recovery Step #7

Usewalkingto (re)balance your energy:

Walking and breathing are the best tools to(re)balance hormones ("the message") in your body.

Use 10 minute breaks with controlled walking and breathing to (re)balanceyour energy throughout the day. This is especially important if you work orlive in a stressful environment with little fresh air and sun.

The slower you breath and walk the more of an anabolic (building)message you're sending to your body; thus the faster you breath and walkthe more catabolic (breaking down) message. Use what you need thatgiven day.

Walking is man's best medicine.-Hippocrates

Photo by Ange Ward-Brown


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Recovery Step #8

Try to get an Hour ofSunand

Fresh AirEvery Day:

If you can't, get as much bright light as possible, supplement with bio-identical Vitamin D3and use air filters. Why?

Sun (or bright light) is very important to our well being.Darkness stimulates a catabolic breakdown message to the body. This message is very

stressful to our overall health and energy. When we can't get outside, we must get asmuch bright (artificial) light as possible, to stimulate the same processes that the sun

naturally expresses to our body.

Sun (or bright light) stimulates an anabolic

building message to the body!

Have you ever noticed how you naturally have more energy in the summer? That's nocoincidence. The body feels best in the summer because of the warmer temperatures an

increased daylight hours.

Remember, thesuntransfersheatto us and heat isenergy!

Simple Suggestion for Artificial Lighting

Go to your local building or farm supply store and pick up a chicken brooder lamp withadjustable clamps (clamp light) and 250 watt light bulb. These usually cost less than $10

These chicken lamps are great for tricking the body into feeling the effects of the sun,without actually being outside. Keep one at home, at your work desk, wherever!


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Recovery Step #9

WorkoutandEatAccording to the Season

and Your Health Needs:

Train with the right exercises based on the season:

Just like nature, our bodies cycle with the seasons. In the fall, a tree loses its leaves and begins

bring all energy internally (to the trunk) for the winter. We should follow the trend by conservingenergy in our "trunk" too. In summer months, when nature is thriving (leaves grow back), we toohave more energy to expend naturally.

WINTER: Catabolic SeasonNature goes dormant to conserve energy. As humans, we should also switch our mindset to eneconservation vs. energy expenditure if we want to stay healthy over this stressful (cold and dark)season.

SPRING: Transition from Catabolic to Anabolic Season

Nature slowly comes back to life, as does the body. The increase in daylight and warmth begins activate the hormones differently. It is not coincidental, it is hormonal!

SUMMER: Anabolic SeasonNature thrives and matures. The sun gives nature and the body more energy. We have the mosnatural energy to expend during this season.

AUTUMN: Transition from Anabolic to Catabolic SeasonNature begins to slowly prepare for winter by conserving energy. If we gradually conserve energyby dressing warmer we too will be able to enjoy the beauty of the season.

Note:If your health is compromised (catabolic), you may need anabolic training year round.Once your system is healed, you will have an abundance of energy to play and train

catabolically in the summer months.


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Recovery Step #10

Plantimes of focusedRest, Reflectionand

Celebration!

Work + Rest = Success!

The body builds during rest.

We are designed for celebration.

Again, the more catabolic your health, the more of an anabolic lifestyle you'll need to heaThis includes rest! We are constantly bombarded with the idea to RUN, RUN, RUN but

end up literally running ourselves into the ground. If our systems aren't healed, we needrest. We also need time to relax, celebrate with family and friends and reflect. These ar

just as important as movement and exercise. If your health is extremely compromisedthese may be even more important than exercise.

Our body is made to protect its vital organs. This is why we gain fat around our mid secti(where the majority of organs sit). The body responds to the primitive nature of feast orfamine. Even though we are eating more now than ever, we are still technically in

famine mode because we are eating low nutrient dense, low calorie, and low qualit

(processed) foods!

We only have so much energy in our bodies to get through a day. If we are keeping theweight off using catabolic foods (low calorie, quality and density) with catabolic training (lo

or intensecardiovascular work),we are constantly in breakdown mode. This means

something else is suffering in oursystem because of our weight loss.


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Recovery Step #10

Plantimes of focusedRest, Reflectionand

Celebration!

Ask yourself,

"Do I have any other symptoms?"

Increasedoccurrence of inflammation (sore neck, back, joints, andtendinitis)Fluctuations in temperature, emotions and mindset

Skin rashes, sensitivities, acne

Poor concentration and coordinationChronic Fatigue

Anxiety

Decreased immunityDepression

Decreasing thyroid and/or adrenal gland function

Auto immune disease(s)Cancer(s)


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Steps to Recovery

Get healthy to lose weight,

don't lose weight to get healthy!

When is the BEST time for you to train catabolically?

Anabolic Time of Life + Anabolic Season + Catabolic Training= Positive Weight Loss and Fitness

Typically this is during the summer, when your career and personal life are undercontrol. This puts the body in an optimal hormonal balance to lose weight and or reach

fitness goals.

When is the WORST time to lose weight/train catabolically?

Catabolic Time of Life + Catabolic Season + Catabolic Training/Foods = CATABOLICHEALTH!

Typically this is during the winter, combined with a new job/house/ kids/marriage, orother uncontrollable stress in your life.

You will not feel good with catabolic health.You will be surviving, not thriving! All fitness or weight loss gains will be secondary to

chronicillness and injuries and aren't sustainable.

A sustainable way to lose weight is to prioritize times when you have less to take on inlife, preferably in warmer months, so you have less stress. During these times you canincrease your physical activity and exercise to take off some weight. Aim to cycle your

weight loss workouts every year, so each summer you lose more and more, but don'tlose your positive health/fitness gains during the winter months. It is a slower process,

yes, but it is a LASTING process. You will feel better, move better and look better for therest of your life.

You deserve good health!


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Moving forward...

The human body can be a very strong and sustainable vehicle. Themovements, foods and lifestyle we choose will dictate the performance

(health) of our vehicle. When we are stressed, sick or hurting, the body canadapt and then recover very quickly. When we are chronicallystressed,sick or hurting, we will fatigue our nervous system, hormonal balance and

blood sugar (pushing ourselves "to the limits"). This can only be done for solong before the body breaks down.

Although this is the "norm" in our society today, it doesn't have to be yours!You have the opportunity to take your health into your own hands and give

yourself a more sustainable and positive life. We live with a culture thatpromotes reliance on catabolic exercise and lifestyle, but by taking action to

understand how the body reallyworks, you've already started to improveyour health. We don't have to settle for poor health, fatigue and illness!

You can feel good!

You have these resources to help you, but you may also find it helpful to havea supportive group of people who will be there for you on your journey. Workthrough the 10 Recovery Steps as slowly as you need to, remembering thatholistic health is a lifestyle and these new habits will take time to feel normal.

Enjoy your sustainable and lifelong health!


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Kane Sivesind

Kane is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist(CSCS) through the NSCA, whose passion lies with helpinghis clients achieve a healthy lifestyle that will leave themfeeling and performing their very best. He treats eachindividual separately and addresses their strengths andweaknesses to make sure they reach their potential. He usesa holistic approach to assess the whole body and not just the

muscular system to determine what will help make a positiveimpact on each client.

Kim Brown

Kim is a health and performance specialist who lives inMadison, Wisconsin. She works with adults who want to buildstrength, balance hormones and blood sugar, and work ontheir overall health holistically. Kim also works withdevelopmental youth athletes, focusing on movementpatterns, strength, injury prevention and performance. Kim isextremely passionate about holistic health, movement and

cooking. She enjoys traveling, music, strength training, yoga,and cooking.

About the Authors

Sustainable Health

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