5 Ways Weather Can Affect You

Do you feel strong and energetic on some days and tired and achy on other days?  It could be due to several reasons such as diet, sleep time or a cold.  Or it could be caused by the Weather.

If you have days when you don't feel like being physically active or your workout seems extra hard don't get discouraged.

High humidity can affect breathing, cause muscle fatigue and worsen allergies.  Low barometric pressure can cause joint pain and headaches.

Some people are more sensitive to the effects of weather than others.  If high humidity or low barometric pressure affect you, be kind to yourself on those days.  Do an easy workout or wait for another day to exercise.

Barometric pressure (or Atmospheric pressure) is the pressure within the atmosphere of the Earth.  Weather forecasters use changes in the air pressure to predict changes in the weather.  Steadily falling barometer readings indicate an approaching storm. The faster and lower the drop, the quicker the storm will arrive and the greater its intensity.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.  Humidity is influenced by temperature and geographic location.  Warmer air holds more moisture than cooler air.  Areas with a lot of surface water such as coastal areas and the Great Lakes region have high humidity levels due to evaporation. Solencosa I live in the Great Lakes region and the daily average humidity is 73% which is high compared to 53% humidity in Flagstaff, Arizona.   Muskegon Humidity, Flagstaff Humidity   Sunny weather is typically 30.2 - 30.3 inches barometric pressure,
stormy weather is typically less than 29.2 inches of barometric pressure.  LiveScience 

Humidity and barometric pressure are related.  When pressure is dropping due to an upcoming storm humidity increases, because with lower pressure there is more water vapor in the air.

5 Ways Weather Can Affect You 


1.  Shortness of Breath 
As humidity increases, the density of the air increases.  Denser air creates more resistance to airflow in the airway resulting in an increased work of breathing (i.e. more shortness of breath).  RoTech  Humid air activates nerves in your lungs that narrow and tighten your airways.  Healthy people may notice fatigue while exercising.  And people with lung conditions like asthma or COPD may struggle to breathe.  CBSLocal

2.  Muscle Fatigue
During exercise your muscles have to work harder which increases their demand for oxygen.  This is why your breathing and heart rates increase:  to help pull more oxygen into your bloodstream.  OxygenPlus  However, as humidity increases the oxygen level in the air is reduced.  Muscle fatigue occurs when you don't get enough oxygen to your muscles.  NCBI

3.  Worsen allergies
Humidity over 60 percent encourages the growth of mold.  Humidity also makes the air stagnant enough to trap pollutants and allergens like pollen, dust, mold, dust mites, and smoke.   HealthLine

4.  Joint Pain
A scientific study from Tufts-New England Medical Center shows a link between changes in barometric pressure and joint pain.  MigraineAgain  One explanation is that as the pressure decreases bodily fluids move from blood vessels to tissues, causing pressure on the nerves and joints which lead to increased pain, stiffness and reduced mobility.  Bustle  One of the best things you can do to avoid joint pain is to keep moving to loosen stiff joints.  Women'sHealthMag  

5.  Headaches  
Low barometric pressure can cause headaches by creating a pressure difference between the surrounding atmosphere and the sinuses, which are filled with air.  It is worse when the sinuses are congested or blocked.  NY Times

Easy Ways To Increase Metabolism

Metabolism is a term that describes the chemical processes that occur in your body.  The word metabolism is used interchangeably with metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn.  The higher it is, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off.  Having a high metabolism can give you energy and make you feel better.  HealthLine  A high metabolism can also slow the effects of aging, prolong good health and improve mood.*  

There are three types of metabolism in your body:

1.  Body at Rest  - The resting metabolic rate determines the amount of energy your organs use when you're just sitting around.  70% of total energy used each day is while your body is at rest.   

2.  Physical Activity - The active metabolic rate makes up 20% of the calories burned in a day.  It  dictates the energy you use when you're walking, running, exercising and even fidgeting.  You have some control over this rate, the more you move the more calories you burn.

3.  Food Digestion - Your body uses calories to consume and digest food.  10% of calories each day are used for food digestion.* Wikipedia

Increasing your sleep, making changes to your diet and strength training are easy lifestyle changes that can increase your metabolism.  

Sleep

Your metabolism likes sleep.  Getting adequate, high-quality sleep and sleeping at night rather than during the day can help preserve your metabolic rate.    

Lack of sleep can slow metabolism because sleeping is when the body repairs itself, which burns calories.  A single night of sleep deprivation can alter your metabolism and trigger weight gain.*  One study found that healthy adults who slept four hours per night for five nights in a row experienced a 2.6% decrease in resting metabolic rate. HealthLine

Move More And Faster

One pound of muscle burns 7-10 calories a day, while one pound of fat burns just 2-3 calories per day.  

Two to three 20 minute work out sessions (12 to 20 repetitions) each week will increase your metabolism.   In three months your resting metabolism will be about 6% faster.*  See my core strength training routine for an example of resistance training for the arms. 

In addition to strength training and building your muscles, research has also shown that high intensity interval training (where you go all out for 30 to 60 seconds, slowing down for a couple of minutes, and repeating) is an excellent way to improve our cells' ability to burn calories.  DrHyman  If you don't have time for a HIIT class that is okay.  You could jump rope at a high speed, quickly climb stairs, add sprints to your nightly walk, or play a team sport where you have to occasionally move very quickly like pickleball or volleyball. 

Diet

Eat more protein to increase your metabolism.  The amount of energy expended when eating protein is much higher as compared to eating carbohydrates or fat.  Eating protein has been observed to temporarily increase metabolism by about 20–30%, versus 5–10% for carbs and 3% or less for fat.  A lack of protein can slow your metabolism.  If you are not eating enough protein your body is forced to tap your muscles which results in less muscle which reduces your resting metabolism.*  HealthLine

Eliminate sugary drinks.  A high intake of fructose-containing beverages has been found to reduce metabolic rate and promote fat storage in the belly and liver.  HealthLine

Eat spicy food and drink green tea which can increase your metabolism by 1% an hour.  It is a small increase but can add up over time.*

Eat healthy foods.  What you eat influences your metabolism and mood, making you either sluggish or energetic.  Foods high in sugar, saturated fats, artificial sweeteners and low in water and fiber will slow digestion, can cause weight gain and leave you feeling like a couch potato. NBCNews 

*Health Magazine, page 48-49, Jan/Feb 2018

5 Excellent Reasons to Read

Did you know that reading can increase your life by two years?  I think that is incredible, especially because I like to read.


Yale researchers studied 3,635 people older than 50 and found that those who read books for 30 minutes a day lived an average of 23 months longer than nonreaders. National Center for Biotechnology Information


Reading also improves productivity by increasing your memory, problem solving skills and creativity. Reading can also reduce stress and enhance sleep quality. 

1.  Improves memory
Psychologists from Washington University found that every time you read something you build a mental picture in your head of what you have read.  This results in the creation of new neural pathways which strengthens mental capabilities by making us smarter and more capable of remembering things.  Graziadaily  Reading works different parts of the brain as compared to watching a movie or listening to music.  People who read more have more complex brains.  Bustle

2.  Improves problem solving skills
Research has shown that reading improves your vocabulary and knowledge.  This improves your abstract reasoning and problem solving ability.  George Ambler   Reading is a problem-solving task. Comprehending what is read, like problem solving, requires effort, planning, self-monitoring, strategy selection, and reflection.  All Kinds of Minds

3.  Improves creativity
Readers of literary fiction are more creative and exercise better judgment, claim scientists. Reading challenges your thinking and helps you see the world from a different perspective which improves creativity. Daily Mail 

4. Reduces stress
A 2009 study from researchers at the University of Sussex showed that six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68% and is more relaxing than either music or a cup of tea. This suggests, psychologist and study author Dr. David Lewis, is because a book is 'more than merely a distraction, but an active engaging of the imagination', and one that 'causes you to enter an altered state of consciousness'. Graziadaily

5.  Enhances sleep quality
Reading has been shown to put our brains into a pleasurable trance-like state, similar to meditation. The UK Sleep Council found that people who are in the habit of reading before they go to sleep, sleep very well.  It makes perfect sense that an activity that reduces stress is beneficial before bed.  Reading is also a better alternative to watching TV or scrolling through your phone. These emit blue light which tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime.  Dreams

If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K. Rowling