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The Health Up Newsletter

Created Weekly by Teri Yunus

Health Up With Teri Health & Wellness Coaching

july 21, 2022 | issue 98

What's Inside This Week:

Laughter is Good Medicine
Meditation Tips For Those Who Don't Think It's For Them
Moderation Is The Worst of Both Worlds
Recipe of the Week
Book of the Week
Resource Tip of the Week
My Favorite Quotes

Laughter is Good Medicine

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Proverbs 17:22

We've all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Reader's Digest even had a regular column back in the day. Maybe it still does… The truth is laughter is GOOD medicine. It not only feels good but it is good for you. When we laugh, our body releases feel good hormones called endorphins. These hormones improve our mood and reduce our pain. Only side effect is feeling better.

Endorphins help with stress reduction, as well. It's really hard to feel stressed when you are laughing… try it! Next time you feel upset, think of something funny and create a good belly laugh. You may notice that the stress becomes less. The same can be true of sadness. When feeling down or sad, fake laugh until you are really laughing. Again, it's hard to feel sad when you are laughing. This obviously should not be done in all situations. Some things happen to us that are truly sad and laughter is not appropriate at all times. But if you are just feeling sad or down for no apparent reason and you want to snap out of it, try watching a funny movie or a comedy video on your smartphone. We can actually trick our brains into believing we are no longer sad and our mood can lift when we are laughing.

When you laugh, you reduce your body’s production of stress hormones, like cortisol. It can also activate infection-fighting cells that boost your immunity.

When we laugh, we tend to breathe more deeply. This sends more oxygen into our lungs and helps our heart pump oxygen-rich blood throughout our body. Increased oxygen promotes healthy cell growth and allows our organs to work more efficiently, helping us feel our best. Laughter is good for our overall health.

Recently I read that children laugh an average of 240 times every day. Adults just 70. Bring out your inner child and turn up the volume on your laughter. Laughing more often may promote better relationships, too. Laughter is contagious! Include your loved ones when learning to laugh more. Everyone benefits!

Here is a link to a website that you may find useful if you are wanting to know how to get started with laughing for better health: https://www.laughteronlineuniversity.com/#intro

Check it out. Let me know how you have incorporated more laughter into your life. Now smile and know the power you have over your health.

Meditation Tips

For Those Who Don't Think It's For Them

Meditation can bring up different thoughts and feelings. Many people I have talked to say they can't do it…it's too hard. What they may be doing that is frustrating them is trying to turn off ALL their thoughts. It IS too hard to do that. Our brains are designed to think…we cannot just turn it off. What we can do is notice our thoughts and let them float on by. Here are 10 tips that have worked for people who did not think meditation was for them:

1. Avoid meditating immediately after a meal.
2. Before early morning meditations, do a few stretches and splash some cold water on your face to fully wake up.
3. To make sitting more comfortable, use a straight back chair, or place a firm cushion or folded blanket or pillow under your buttocks.
4. Wear comfy, warm clothing.
5. You may want to set up an area in your home to use for your regular meditation. It may be a corner of a room with space for where you will sit, maybe a candle or a diffuser for essential oils. Create a space that is relaxing and comfortable that feels peaceful and quiet.
6. Meditating on a regular basis is important. Once you develop the habit of meditating, you will enjoy it more and look forward to your practice.
7. To create the habit of meditating, it's best to meditate in the same place at the same time every day. Developing this routine makes it effortless over time.
8. Two sittings (or two slow walks) daily of 15-20 minutes is a good start for a meditation practice. Sit in the morning when you get up and in the evening before going to bed. Just sit (or slow walk). Just be.
9. Remember, meditation is a process. When your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath. Practice bringing it back. It will become natural to do so over time.
10. Approach your practice with a sense of fun and adventure. Enjoy it!

Adapted from Undo It! For more on meditation, please see the book.

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Moderation - The Worst of Both Worlds

It makes perfect sense that everything is moderation is a good strategy. Let me offer you this perspective, however. If we really follow the everything in moderation mindset, it's the worst of both worlds. We never get healthy and we miss the opportunity of living our best lives. What is moderate amount of alcohol? Trans fat? Salt? Heroin? It may seem factitious, but it's true. Following an everything in moderation leads to poor health, confusion and is an obstacle to having great health.

Moderation means something different to all of us. One may say that one or two alcoholic beverages is a moderate amount. Others say 6-8 drinks is moderation. Same with food…one may say eating at fast food establishments once or twice a week is a moderate amount while others say once a month is moderation. That is where we get into trouble…where the confusion lies. When we follow an everything is moderation mentality and do not improve our health, we feel it's a failure and we go back to our old habit.

For many of us, abstinence from substances that do not lead to better health is a better strategy. Ask anyone recovering from addiction. How much is too much? Most will say it is all too much. A little leads to more… Some of us are not able to regulate some substances. Be it alcohol, chocolate or something else. Sometimes, for some of us, none is okay because one is too many and 20 is not enough.

The question is. “What do you want for your health?”. Do you want to be moderately healthy? Have a moderate amount of heart disease? Cancer?

Moderation is the worst of both worlds because we think it's a great way to go. It makes sense on paper. In real life, though, it just doesn't work. Moderation allows us to continue eating foods that are not aligned with good health, continue to smoke a moderate amount of cigarettes or other substance or use substances that are harming us.

Many health care providers continue to give this advice to their patients. If you receive this advice, I encourage you to think of the result you want to achieve. Moderate results? Or amazing results? Want more? Let go of the moderation mentality and go all in. It may not be the easiest route at first but really good things are often not easy. You won't be disappointed.

Recipe of the Week

Dr. Michael Greger, Author of How Not to Die and the How Not to Die Cookbook always has this seasoning blend on hand to add flavor to dishes in place of salt.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard (mustard powder)
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon celery seeds

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in a spice grinder or blender to mix well and pulverize the dried herbs and spices. Transfer the blend to a shaker bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dry place.

Recipe from The How Not to Die Cookbook

Authors Dr. Michael Greger & Robin Robertson

How Not to Die provides the groundbreaking scientific evidence behind the only diet that can prevent and reverse many of the causes of disease-related death. We all will die AND we can live well every moment until that time.

“I don't mind dying. I just don't want it to be my fault.”

―Kim Williams, MD

Cardiologist and Past President of the American College of Cardiology

Important Disclaimer

The content in this newsletter is intended for educational/informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of your health care professional.

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