Karen's Newsletter

Welcome to the winter edition. This month we continue with the theme of building resilience to on-going pressure and stress by examining practices that boost mental, emotional and physical energy. We will take a look at the role of water and the benefits of good hydration. We will also examine how stress contributes to weight gain and insulin resistance.

1. The role of water: liquid energy for your mind and body

Drinking enough water increases and maintains dynamic energy, yet few of us drink enough. When Sir Edmund Hillary set out to conquer Everest he had a shrewd doctor named George Hunt on his ascent team. Hunt knew this precept well. He had studied the records of the recent failed attempt by the Swiss team and discovered that their climbers drank less than two glasses of water per day per person. So he ordered special battery-operated snow-melting equipment for the kit and urged the British climbers to take a minimum of twelve glasses of water each day of the climb to reduce their fatigue as they scaled the peaks.

Since then, research with athletes at Harvard University and Loma Linda University in the United States, has demonstrated that drinking extra water reduces fatigue and stress and increases stamina and energy to a remarkable degree. During one of the Harvard studies, researcher G.C. Pits set athletes walking at five kilometres an hour, allowing them to rest regularly but not allowing them to drink extra water. They reached exhaustion after three and a half hours. Under the same conditions, he allowed them to drink as much water as they wanted. The same athletes lasted 6 hours before reaching exhaustion. On the third occasion the athletes drank more water than thirst dictated – in quantities calculated by researchers to replace what was being lost in perspiration and respiration. They were able to continue indefinitely without fatigue until finally, after running out of time, the researchers were forced to bring the experiment to a close.

Subsequent studies reveal that if you dehydrate a muscle, for example, by as much as 3 percent, it will lose 10 percent of its strength and 8 percent of its speed.

How much is enough?

Few of us drink as much water as we need to remain in top form. Even if you pay attention to your thirst and quench it regularly you are likely to replace only about a half to two-thirds of the water your body needs for optimal health. Our bodies lose 2 or 3 litres of water daily by sweating, breathing and going to the toilet. Coffee, tea and alcohol are diuretics, meaning they increase your urine output. For each glass of alcohol or cup of coffee we drink, we lose the equivalent amount in urine; it takes two cups of tea to produce the same effect. We therefore need to restore those 2 to 3 litres our bodies lose eat day. One way the body replenishes water is from water contained in fruit and vegetables. The other way is to drink at least 1.5 litres daily. Remember to drink extra to counteract the diuretic effect of coffee, tea and alcohol.

Ways to meet your quota

It takes a bit of practice to make sure you get your water quota each day but it will soon become second nature. You could try some of the following:

• Start by drinking two 200ml glasses of water first thing in the morning when you get up, either plain, or with the juice of one fresh lemon or lime. You can heat the water if you like. This helps to stimulate digestion and helps with elimination. Then drink three 200ml glasses (or a 600ml water bottle) between breakfast and lunch and another three 200ml glasses between lunch and dinner.
• When you exercise or when it is hot, remember to drink more.
• For every cup of coffee or tea, or glass of alcohol, try to drink an extra glass of water.
• Frequent trips to the toilet are a consequence of drinking extra water. Don’t worry. Things will soon settle down as your body adjusts to the change.

Getting the water habit will heighten your mental and physical energy levels, increase your concentration and co-ordination, quench your appetite, improve your body’s ability to eliminate wastes, improve the look of your skin and help your metabolic processes function at their peak. You will be amazed to discover just how potent are the benefits of drinking plenty of water.

2. How stress contributes to weight gain

In some people, ongoing stress can be responsible for weight loss. In others, it can not only contribute to weight gain, it can also make losing weight near impossible. How does it do this?

According to Professor Bruce McKewan of the Rockefeller University in New York City, when the body requires increased fuel for fight or flight, adrenaline and cortisol work together to keep the energy supply in balance. Adrenaline supplies energy by prompting the release of glucose from the liver and fatty acids from fat reserves. Cortisol sees to it that these energy stores are replenished. If our levels of cortisol are chronically high, for example, due to ongoing stress or poor sleep, too much energy goes into storage as fat.

Stress increases the rate at which what we eat is turned into body fat. It also determines where the fat goes. Too much fat around the midriff (the spare tyre) is a risk factor for both diabetes and heart disease, as opposed to flab around the hips and thighs which doesn’t seem to pose as much of a health threat. Abdominal fat accumulation is particularly sensitive to cortisol, and chronic stress causes more fat to accumulate in high-risk areas of the body, such as blood vessel walls and the abdomen.

We can make the situation worse by turning to high-fat foods as a coping strategy. When we grab a bag of potato chips or eat a hamburger and chips whilst writing a report, and neglect our daily exercise, we take in more calories than we expend. Excess calories, coupled with high cortisol from feeling under stress, can lead to the build-up of fat in those two very unhealthy places – the abdomen and blood vessel walls.

Practices that bring short short-term relief from stress have dire long-term consequences. So when ongoing stress features strongly in your life, when you would find it much easier and more convenient to find comfort in fast, highly processed, fatty foods, a glass or two or three of wine, and to numb-out in front of the television, try the following recipe instead:

• Make good food choices: Initiate a low GI food plan that limits saturated fats, include Omega 3 in the form of fish, and monounsaturated fats in the form of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (shown to be cardio protective), and include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, and some (not a lot) of whole grains
• Drink a minimum of 1.5 litres of water daily. (8x200ml glasses)
• Avoid fatty, sugary, processed foods. These foods place unnecessary biochemical stress on the body which will exacerbate any pre-existing stress.
• Exercise for 30 minutes five times a week.
• Learn reduced breathing techniques. Reduced breathing calms the body and mind.
• Ensure you get a regular 7 to 8 hours sleep each night.
• Do a daily meditation practice and/or a daily yoga/stretching practice for ten to fifteen minutes. These types of deep relaxation practices release powerful chemicals that bring about positive mental, emotional and physical change.

3. Strawberries have a "berry-good" effect on the brain

In a recent study, researchers investigated the neuro-protective activity of strawberries compared to some of the most commonly consumed fruits, such as bananas and oranges. Strawberries showed the highest cell protective effects among the samples.

Strawberries are known to contain higher concentrations of health promoting plant chemicals and have higher antioxidant capacity than most common fruits. The death to brain cells due to oxidative stress is the underlying factor in many acute and chronic neurological disorders. An adequate intake of antioxidant micronutrients (eg. vitamin C and vitamin E) and other dietary factors protect against brain ageing and may protect against dementia in old age. The humble strawberry and other flavonoid rich fruits such as blueberries and raspberries may be a tasty way to prevent chronic neurodegenerative disease.

• Have a fruit whip for breakfast or as a snack: Throw some blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and a banana into a blender with milk or soy milk, or rice milk and blend. Fresh is best, frozen berries are fine.
• Include blueberries, raspberries and strawberries in your fruit salad. Serve with yoghurt (with acidophilus and bifidus) and LSA (ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds from your health food store or the health food section at the supermarket. Store LSA in the refrigerator).

4. Deep Relaxation CD

This relaxation induction CD will help you to systematically relax every muscle from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. It also includes a rapid relaxation induction. Deep Relaxation runs for 15 minutes

I recommend that you don't listen to it while driving or operating heavy machinery.

Normal retail price $39. Great idea for a gift.

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Upcoming course dates for Towards Health, Performance and Wellbeing

26 July, 24 August, and 6 September 2005.

Coming soon! – Towards Health, Performance and Wellbeing – Putting It Into Practice, a six week program of three hour seminars.

Karen St Clair Is a practicing psychotherapist-nutritional therapist, and the founder of Canberra Stress Management - Canberra's first specialised stress management service, catering to the needs of the public and private sectors. She is an author, a nationally accredited trainer, and has worked with people as a trainer and a therapist in the areas of health and wellbeing since 1987.

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