Walking 10,000 Steps a Day Is Bad Advice, Finds New Report

Walking 10,000 Steps a Day Is Bad Advice, Finds New Report

Been feeling bad about not hitting those 10,000 steps a day? A new BBC experiment suggests that this fitness goal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, a news report reveals that the health advice to walk 10,000 steps a day has zero science behind it, and was instead a part of a marketing campaign to get people excited about the Olympics.

“10,000 steps” is part of an outdated marketing campaign – not a useful fitness strategy

The origin of the 10,000 steps regimen is actually tied to a 1960s marketing campaign in Japan leading up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Concerned that Japanese people would fall victim to a Westernized lifestyle, Dr. Yoshio Hatano, an academic at Kyushu University of Health and Welfare wanted to get people more active. He believed that if he could increase their daily steps from 4,000 to 10,000, then they would burn approximately 500 extra calories a day and remain slim.

Shorter durations of brisk walking beat out 10,000 steps

Recently, British journalist and author Michael Mosley and Professor of Physical Activity and Health at The Centre for Sport & Exercise Science, Sheffield Hallam University visited a factory in Sheffield with a goal to compare the benefits of 10,000 steps to “Active 10” – a program aimed at approximately three sessions of 10 minutes of brisk walking each day. Their small group of volunteers wore activity monitors to measure what exercise they did, as well as how vigorously they did it. A normal day’s activity constituted a control. Copeland divided the group into two – group one walked 10,000 steps (about 5 miles) each day, while group two completed three sessions of Active 10, which equates to about 3,000 steps or 1.5 miles.

The results revealed that the Active 10 group actually completed 30% more ‘moderate to vigorous physical activity’ than the 10,000 steps group, though they exercised for a shorter duration.”It’s when you are doing moderate-intensity activity that you are starting to get the greatest health benefits. There’s lots of evidence to suggest that by [getting your heart beating faster] you can lower your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers,” explains Copeland.

Bulletproof your exercise routine with these key ingredients

The goal of exercise is to utilize the most efficient techniques that get the job done in the smallest amount of time and effort. Like doctor, weightlifter, and author Doug McGuff states in Body by Science: Exercise should be brief, intense, infrequent, safe, and purposeful. It’s no surprise that 10,000 steps is not winning at this point.

So what is the best kind of exercise to do? A combination of resistance and aerobic training – like HIIT (high-intensity interval training) – is an excellent choice. It alternates between brief, strenuous exercise and active rest. You might sprint for 60 seconds, walk for 30, do push-ups for 60, walk for 30, and so on. Learn more about HIIT’s benefits and how to do it here. Bonus:  HIIT is key for keeping weight off too.

Related: Bulletproof Diet: How To Get A Bulletproof Body

 

Can’t Resist Cravings? Meditation Can Help

Looking for a way to keep cravings in check? You might want to give breathing exercises a try. A new review from City, University of London reports that mindfulness strategies, such as meditation, interrupt food and drug cravings. Specifically, mindfulness techniques engage the portion of the mind that controls short-term memory, which diffuses cravings in the moment.

Try These Deep Breathing Exercises Now

A 30-study review reveals mindfulness meditation reduces cravings

The review of 30 studies confirms what ancient Buddhist texts articulated all along – cravings (which lead to suffering, say Buddhists) are avoidable through mindfulness meditation practice. The compilation of studies reveals that mindfulness strategies are effective because they interrupt cravings by loading “working memory” – a part of short-term memory associated with perception and language skills. Additionally, the review asserts that mindfulness reduces cravings over the medium-term, due to the “extinction process.” This means by meditating, you block cravings and related behaviors at the onset, which translates to reduced cravings overall.

“The research suggests that certain mindfulness-based strategies may help prevent or interrupt cravings by occupying a part of our mind that contributes to the development of cravings. Whether mindfulness strategies are more effective than alternative strategies, such as engaging in visual imagery, has yet to be established. However, there is also some evidence to suggest that engaging in regular mindfulness practice may reduce the extent to which people feel the need to react to their cravings, though further research is needed to confirm such an effect,” says Dr. Katy Tapper, author of the review and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at City, University of London.

Practice mindfulness to strengthen your willpower and avoid cravings

Mindfulness interventions like meditation encompass a variety of goals including cultivating greater awareness of bodily sensations, creating an attitude of acceptance towards discomfort, and even helping you to perceive yourself as distinct from your thoughts and emotions. In other words – you don’t have to act on every urge or impulse. Mindfulness teaches you to observe and accept the present moment – without judgment. This trains your brain to build resilience against discomfort and distractions, like pain or cravings.

Related: The Benefits of Meditation

In Bulletproof speak, reacting mindlessly to external stimuli is letting your  “Labrador brain” get the best of you. Your Labrador brain is the area that controls your survival instincts and urges you to pursue food and sex impulses indiscriminately. This can make you want to devour everything in the fridge. However, there are ways to tame (and train) your Labrador – through willpower, which, just like any other muscle in your body, can get stronger and more resilient with practice. Meditation helps flex your willpower muscles by adding a moderating step between impulse and action, so you don’t act on your impulses as readily. Get specific tips on how to strengthen your willpower muscle here to get a handle on those cravings once and for all.

Read Next: How to Meditate More Effectively

 

Listen To The Force: Upgrade Your Life – John Amaral #462

Plug yourself in! John Amaral  is a chiropractor, speaker and educator who works behind-the-scenes helping celebrities, entrepreneurs, athletes and influencers elevate their energy, helping them feel and perform their best. In this episode you will learn how to tap into your own ability to sense and create energy and how it will help you to reach your full potential.

Plus, Dave is electrically hacking his brain like a Russian Astronaut during the entire episode, see if you you can tell!

Enjoy the show!

Bulletproof Executive Radio at the iTunes, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store

Listen

Follow along with the Transcript

Listen To The Force: Upgrade Your Life – John Amaral #462

Links/Resources for John Amaral

John’s Website

Body Centered Leadership 

Show Notes

  • On how Dave met John and experienced “energy work.”
  • Who John works on and what it does for them.
  • Why John says everything in the body is based on tones and vibrations.
  • John on how energy flows into us and out of us into the environment.
  • Working with the tone of the nervous system.
  • John’s passion of being “one with your body and being in sync with the universe.”
  • Dave’s experience with working with John.
  • If you like today’s episode, check us out on iTunes at Bulletproof.com/iTunes and leave us a 5-star, positive review

8 Natural Ways to Treat PMS and PMDD

  • There’s a pretty good chance you’ve had an uncomfortable period at least once in your life. PMS and PMDD are caused by a number of factors, but there’s a strong link between nutritional deficiencies, and estrogen dominance.
  • PMS includes physical and mood symptoms. PMDD includes any of the symptoms you might experience with PMS, but mood symptoms are much more severe and affect your relationships and life.
  • Nutrition, supplements, and even paying attention to your poop can reduce the severity of your symptoms.

There’s a pretty solid chance you’ve had some type of premenstrual symptom at some point in your life. PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is having one or more symptoms that immediately precede or happen concurrently with your period. A lot of women have similar PMS symptoms, like:

  • Breakouts
  • Mood swings
  • Cramps
  • Breast tenderness
  • Anxiety
  • Bloating
  • Fatigue
  • Food Cravings
  • Constipation

Even though there are symptoms that a lot of women have in common, PMS is an individual thing. If you have a symptom around period time, month after month, it’s probably PMS.

Ways to Conquer PMS and PMDD_estrogen dominance_cramps

PMS vs. PMDD Symptoms

When emotional changes that come around period time start to disrupt your life, you may be dealing with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, comes with the physical symptoms of PMS, but with a more severe emotional component. Symptoms include any of the above PMS symptoms, along with:

  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling of loss of control
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Depression

Researchers are still determining the exact mechanism behind PMDD, but so far it is generally accepted that hormone changes cause a drop in serotonin, which cause moods to shift.[ref url=”https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/gynecological_health/premenstrual_dysphoric_disorder_pmdd_85,P00580″]

If your mood swings get severe enough that they’re affecting your relationships and functioning in your daily life, get to a doctor ASAP.

Your period is a good indicator of how your body is working overall. If you have some discomforts going on around period time, read on to find out what you can try before heading to the doctor treatment.

How estrogen dominance causes PMDD and PMS

Women need just the right amount of estrogen to keep everything going. Too little, and symptoms look a lot like menopause. Too much can cause a range of symptoms that aren’t limited to period time. If you’re experiencing any of these all month long, you may want to get your hormones tested:

  • Severe fatigue
  • Breast changes (larger, smaller, soreness, cysts)
  • Mood swings
  • Bloating
  • Adult acne
  • Swelling
  • Uterine conditions (fibroids, endometriosis)
  • Heavy periods
  • No periods
  • Irregular periods
  • PMS
  • PMDD

This isn’t a complete list. If you suspect estrogen dominance, talk to your doctor. In this case, a functional medicine doctor will have a much more thorough approach to estrogen issues, because medical doctors all too often reach for birth control pills to correct problems, which actually stack on more estrogen.

Estrogen dominance can arise if you have slow or congested elimination systems, if you produce too little progesterone, if you’ve used or are using hormonal birth control, from exposure to xenoestrogens (compounds that mimic estrogen) found in fragrances, solvents, plastics, parabens, pesticides, etc., and simply by approaching menopause.

One big indicator that you have estrogen dominance is PMS, PMDD or otherwise miserable periods. Estrogen balance plays an enormous role in regulating your period, so if estrogen goes wonky, so does Aunt Flo.

Natural ways to treat PMS and PMDD

1. Check your regularity

One of the ways your body eliminates excess estrogen is through the bowels. If your digestive system is sluggish, the estrogen that the liver excretes into the bile has extra opportunity to be reabsorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal tract.

You should have two to three solid (not hard) bowel movements every day. If you’re not, you can help things along by:

  • Piling on the veggies for extra fiber
  • Drinking more water to accommodate the extra fiber
  • Taking a shot of apple cider vinegar before meals
  • Having a functional medicine doctor evaluate your stomach acid production
  • Checking your microbiome with an at-home analysis like Viome
  • Considering adding magnesium to your stack
  • Adding resistant starch for microbiome support

If your elimination is slow, you have estrogen compounding on itself every time your body releases some. You could have excess estrogen for other reasons, but good digestion is key to eliminating estrogen and keeping your hormone levels stable.

how to treat PMS and PMDD

2. Add omega-3 fats to your diet

Research shows that adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet reduces common PMS symptoms. Symptoms that responded to omega-3s include:

  • Depression[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″]
  • Nervousness[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″]
  • Anxiety[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″]
  • Lack of focus[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″]
  • Bloating[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″]
  • Headache[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″]
  • Tender Breasts[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″]
  • Breakouts[ref url=”https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/479384?redirect=true”]

Research shows that the longer people supplemented, the more their symptoms decreased.[ref url=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912001744″] In other words, if you want to see benefits, make it a consistent part of your long-term PMS treatment plan.

The best thing to do is to eat plenty of wild salmon and get a high-quality omega-3 supplement. Krill oil packs an extra punch — it was more effective than omega-3 fish oil at treating PMS symptoms, likely because of its fatty acid profile and antioxidant content.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12777162″]

Ways to Conquer PMS and PMDD_taking supplements vitamins_Magnesium_B Vitamins_Calcium D-glucarate

3. Take magnesium for mood and physical symptoms of PMS and PMDD

Because of large-scale farming and soil depletion, our vegetables don’t take up as much magnesium as they did hundreds of years ago. Most Americans are magnesium-deficient,[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12949381?dopt=Abstract “] which is bad news because magnesium plays a huge role in the way our cells function, head to toe.

Vitamins and minerals can make a big difference. A good supply of magnesium supports our hormones, which affects menstruation and PMS. Researchers found that women who experienced PMS had a lower magnesium concentration in their red blood cells than women who did not experience PMS.[ref url=”http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/000456328602300607 “] This also applied to study participants who experience menstrual migraines — they had a lower blood concentration of magnesium than the general population, and supplementing reduced the frequency and severity of menstrual migraines.[ref url=”http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4610.1991.hed3105298.x/full”]

Magnesium supplements have been tied to reduced PMS symptoms in general, and supplementing relieved mood swings.[ref url=”https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Citation/1991/08000/Oral_Magnesium_Successfully_Relieves_Premenstrual.3.aspx”]

Related: How to Choose the Best Magnesium Supplement for Your Body

4. Add B vitamins for PMS and PMDD treatment

Research shows that certain B vitamins reduce the symptoms of PMS. Researchers demonstrated that vitamin B6, up to 100 mg per day, help reduce PMS and PMDD symptoms.[ref url=”http://www.bmj.com/content/318/7195/1375.short”]

Preventively supplementing thiamine (B1) and riboflavin (B2) both reduced the risk of PMS.[ref url=”http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2011/02/23/ajcn.110.009530.short”]

5. Supplement with calcium D-glucarate to reduce estrogen

A main reason women experience premenstrual symptoms is because of excess estrogen. Because of daily exposure to estrogen-mimicking substances (plastics, chemicals, fragrances, etc.), you’re much more prone to estrogen dominance than your great grandparents were.

Estrogen dominance causes long list of problems including infertility, mood imbalances, PMS, and other health problems in women. Men experience things like mood swings, weight gain and gynecomastia (man boobs) when their estrogen gets out of control.

If you’re diagnosed with high estrogen levels or if you’re high-risk for estrogen-dependent cancers, your doctor may prescribe Tamoxifen. It reduces estrogen, but not without side effects including stroke, blood clots, uterine cancer, and cataracts.

Research shows that a supplement called calcium D-glucarate (CDG) could be just as effective as Tamoxifen in treating estrogen dominance.[ref url=”http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1534735403002002005 “] CDG helps detox the liver by splitting off into glucaric acid, the active form. Glucaric acid binds to toxic substances and ushers them into the urinary tract and out. It helps excess estrogen get ushered out of the body.

In one study, calcium-d-glucarate reduced the number of estrogen receptors by 48 percent.  It’s also been shown to lower serum estrogen levels by 23 percent in rats.[ref url=”http://go.galegroup.com/ps/anonymous?id=GALE%7CA74510831&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=fulltext&issn=10895159&p=AONE&sw=w&authCount=1&isAnonymousEntry=true”]

The most important time to take it would be at ovulation and a few days after, when your estrogen levels are highest.

meditating by water

6. Meditate to treat PMS and PMDD mood changes

People have been meditating since the beginning of time, and it’s clear why. Meditation measurably changes the structure of your brain, and the changes come with perks, like:

  • Overall health benefits
  • Feeling happier
  • Being nicer to others
  • Increased self-awareness which increases control
  • Increasing folds in the outer layer of the brain, which is a marker of intelligence
  • Reduced stress hormones

You can tie all of these benefits to improved moods one way or another. Mood changes are a large and disruptive part of PMS, so it’s worth paying attention to meditation because you can likely affect your monthly mood changes for the better.

There’s evidence that a mindfulness practice reduces PMS symptoms.[ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-011-0041-x “] Evidence from 20 randomized control trials concluded that meditation was effective in reducing the severity of non-psychotic mood disorders such as PMS.[ref url=”http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2006.12.817 “] Meditate all month long, not just when your period hits, to reap the benefits.

Ways to Conquer PMS and PMDD_exercise_stretching

7. Exercise regularly to help treat PMS too

Getting out and getting moving will increase your circulation, elevate your mood, and help you sweat out some of that bloat. If you’re too uncomfortable for high-intensity cardio, just a brisk walk, or even a stroll, around the neighborhood will make a big difference.

8. Avoid these things if you’re prone to PMS and PMDD

Damaged fats, sugar, and trigger foods

Damaged fats, sugar, and foods you don’t tolerate cause inflammation in the body, which can worsen PMS symptoms that are dependent on inflammation like:

  • Mood changes
  • Headaches
  • Anxiety
  • Joint and muscle pain

Conventional table salt

Conventional table salt contains aluminum-based anti-caking agents that can make water retention worse. A high-quality sea salt or Himalayan pink salt doesn’t have the aluminum compounds that tamper with your body’s natural water balance.

Stress

Sometimes, life comes at you and there’s nothing you can do about it. Other times, you know situations have a high stress potential, and you can avoid them.

Better still, have a few stress management tools at the ready so that you can work through things as they come. Here’s a box breathing video that will help you keep your cool when it all hits the fan. Exercise and meditation will help, but they’re not the only stress-reduction techniques you can try. Laughing and connecting with friends and family also helps a lot.

If you suspect your PMS symptoms are more severe for you than others’, your midwife, gynecologist or functional medicine doctor can help. Choose a naturally-minded care provider for this. The medical model dictates that the birth control pill is the one-size-fits-all answer to any hormonal issues, and there might be more to it than that.

 

How a Positive Attitude Leads to Better Performance

IQ isn’t everything. If you’re looking to build skills and boost your performance at work, positive attitude goes a long way.

 

A new Stanford study confirms that success lies in the power of positive thinking[ref url=”http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2018/01/positive-attitude-toward-math-predicts-math-achievement-in-kids.html”]. The study found that a child’s positive attitude is just as relevant as his or her IQ in predicting performance. When elementary school students completed arithmetic problems, a positive attitude towards math was connected to better function of their hippocampus, a vital memory center in the brain.

A positive attitude leads to success in math

The study included 240 children ages 7-10, who performed arithmetic problems testing their knowledge of math facts and math word problems. Researchers assessed the children’s demographics, IQ, reading ability, and working-memory capacity. The children’s guardians answered surveys about the children’s behavioral and emotional characteristics – including their anxiety about math and in general. The children then answered a survey addressing their “math attitude” – their interest in math and self-perceived abilities in the subject. 47 children also took MRI brain scans while performing the tests.

By analyzing the brain-imaging results, researchers found that a child’s positive-attitude scores directly correlated with activation of their hippocampus, the memory and learning center of the brain. These results suggest that the hippocampus is the connection between a can-do attitude and nimble fact-retrieval from memory, which is associated with problem-solving abilities.

Lang Chen, PhD, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral scholar in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, summed up the findings: “Attitude is really important. Based on our data, the unique contribution of positive attitude to math achievement is as large as the contribution from IQ.” In other words, beliefs about a particular subject, as well as self-perceived abilities, bare weight on the success of an outcome.

How to gain more happiness and success

While this study focused specifically on children and math, past research has shown that visualizing success helps you achieve your goals. With that in mind, it’s never too late in life to set yourself up for success by giving your attitude an overhaul. Here’s how:

Visualization: The act of thinking about a goal and seeing yourself achieving it can work wonders. Set aside some time each morning to envision yourself succeeding at something you’ve dreamed of. Be as specific as possible in your visualization. What is important is to tap into the emotions of happiness and joy you experience upon reaching that goal. You want to recreate that – in real time, in real life. Read here for more ways to open up the performance-enhancing intuitive side of your brain.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBD) is also an effective tool to help you change how you think about certain things, so you approach them differently. Negative thinking, for example, keeps people in a depressed state of mind. Learning to undo that thought pattern to allow the positive thoughts to bubble through can help depressed people feel better. In that way, even a daily gratitude practice can help. Self-efficacy – your belief in your ability to succeed – plays a major role in how you think, feel, and behave. Seek out a qualified CBD therapist or practitioner to help you learn the ropes.

 

Thoughts, Beliefs, Emotions, and Your Health – Kelly Noonan Gores #461

You are living in a walking, talking miracle, and you mind is at the helm! Kelly Noonan Gores explores the mind-body connection in her documentary HEAL.  She wants to empower and inspire people dealing with illness by showing them what is actually possible, and how huge of an impact our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have on our health!

This episode is all about how changing your mind can change your body and how shifting your perspective can change your life.

Enjoy the Show!

Bulletproof Executive Radio at the iTunes, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store

Listen

Follow Along With the Transcript

Thoughts, Beliefs, Emotions, and Your Health – Kelly Noonan Gores #461

Links/Resources for Kelly Noonan Gores

Facebook: @HealDocumentary

Twitter: @HealDocumentary

Instagram: @healdocumentary

Website: Heal Documentary

Kelly’s Social:

Twitter: @misskellynoonan

Facebook: @kellynoonangorespage

Instagram: @kellygores

 

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