Category: Mindset

3 Stages of Stress

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Ever wondered why stress affects us the way it does? Dive into the intriguing world of the three stages of stress, where we unravel the science of your body’s HPA Axis and sympathetic nervous system activation. Discover these stages, learn how to identify them, and equip yourself with the tools to treat stress effectively.

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How Stress Affects Our Body

Let’s start by discussing how stress affects our body. Stress can be categorized as both good and bad. Good stress, known as eustress, can be related to physical exercise or the excitement of an upcoming event, for example. Eustress plays a vital role in our performance, but today, we will focus on the three stages of stress and how acute stress can transform into chronic stress, impacting our bodies.

The HPA axis, short for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, is the body’s stress pathway. When we encounter a psychological or physical stressor, our limbic system, the brain’s emotional center, detects a potential threat. This sets off a series of events, with signals sent from the limbic system to the pituitary gland in the brain, which, in turn, signals the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus then prompts the pituitary gland to communicate with the adrenal glands.

The adrenal glands respond by releasing cortisol. If this stress continues for an extended period, it can lead to a persistent activation of the HPA axis. It’s crucial to understand that when the HPA axis is activated, it triggers the sympathetic nervous system, putting us in a fight-or-flight mode for survival.

When the sympathetic nervous system is upregulated, or the parasympathetic nervous system is downregulated, it’s like having the gas pedal pressed down continuously. The longer the HPA axis remains activated, the more our sympathetic nervous system stays in overdrive.

In 1963, Hans Selye pioneered understanding physiological responses to stress, a concept known as General Adaptation Syndrome.

Stages of Stress

Stage 1 – Arousal

Let’s examine a typical cortisol rhythm. Around 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., we experience the highest peak of cortisol, which gradually decreases as the day progresses, particularly as bedtime approaches when melatonin takes over.

In a stage one arousal state of stress, both cortisol and DHEA levels are elevated. DHEA is a crucial hormone associated with vitality, often called the “anti-aging hormone.” Initially, this response is entirely normal, resulting in episodic increases in both hormones followed by a return to baseline. Typically, in this state, you may not experience any symptoms, but you are stimulated, and there is a rapid release of catecholamines. This is essentially a natural and expected response.

This scenario applies when we encounter episodic stress throughout our day or life. The HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system become activated temporarily, but we ultimately return to our resilient baseline state. Everything remains well within the normal range.

Stage 2 – Adaptation

Now, this is where we are adapting to a higher cortisol point. This can manifest as elevated cortisol points at various times throughout the day or even persistently high cortisol levels, particularly in the morning. It’s not uncommon to wake up at two or three o’clock in the morning due to cortisol peaking prematurely.

In this situation, cortisol remains chronically elevated while DHEA levels start to decrease. This is when you might experience stress-related symptoms such as panic attacks, anxiety, depression, or feeling both tired and wired simultaneously. Instead of winding down for sleep at night, you find yourself with the energy to keep reading, cleaning, or tackling various tasks despite feeling tired.

Stage 3 – Exhaustion

So, think of it this way: if your adrenals have been pumping out cortisol for so long, then at some point, your body’s natural homeostasis is affected. At this point, cortisol is now low, and DHEA is low.

Various things typically occur in this stage, but you are likely to experience significant chronic fatigue. You’ll also notice more depression than anxiety, although anxiety can still be a significant part of it. Low blood sugar and glucose dysregulation are common patterns here.

When looking at a cortisol graph, there will be at least two to four points that are low on the cortisol rhythm. Normally, it starts up around 6:00 a.m. and gradually decreases throughout the day. However, in this case, multiple points are low. This can lead to symptoms such as fibromyalgia, dizziness, brain fog, inflammation, allergies, and even early menopause, which is another sign of stage three stress.

Other common symptoms are cravings for salty food, dizziness, and easy bruising.

Understanding the Stage of Stress You Are In

So, as you can see, each stage is very unique in its presentation. Some individuals may present with signs of stage two or stage three, which is common. However, I believe the first step I recommend is to try to better understand where you are. Simply identifying your stage is an excellent starting point for healing your body, and knowing that you can do it is important.

Your body is designed to heal itself, so when you start providing it with the things it needs and desires, you can significantly impact your health.

Tips for Overcoming Stress

Here are a few important tips, regardless of your stage. What stage are you in right now? Simply identifying it and understanding stress a little more is a great starting point. 

Tip #1 – Focus on Your Nutrition

Focus on your nutrition! Especially if you are in stage three of stress, where you’re experiencing a lot of blood sugar dysregulation and low blood sugar in general, this is an area that you can really begin to eat every three to four hours. I would not recommend fasting in this situation. Instead, concentrate on balanced meals that include protein, healthy fats, and fiber sources, and consistently consume whole foods throughout the day. 

Even if you find yourself in a slight caloric surplus, it’s important to note that most people I encounter are actually in a caloric deficit, which can contribute to more stress on the body.

So, keep in mind that the focus here is on whole foods and consistently eating high-quality nutrients. This approach aligns with my next suggestion: to ensure you’re replenishing nutrients. If you’re consuming very few calories or fasting, all of these practices can deplete your body with the essential nutrients needed for a healthy nervous system and stress mitigation, making you more resilient.

Therefore, emphasizing the intake of optimal nutrients and whole meals is a crucial step in managing stress.

Tip #2 – Nervous System Regulation

If you’ve read any of my blogs, you can see lots of different examples of this, but this can start with simply moving your body. This can be any type of breath work, movement, authentic movement, somatics, and vagus nerve exercises I have provided you. It could be anything to consistently regulate your nervous system in a healthy way. What are your triggers, and what things really are fulfilling you?

Tip #3 – Optimizing Sleep

I’ve written a few blogs on sleep, but here are some ideas: First, you want to think about down-regulating your nervous system to be able to go to sleep. Have a ritual before you go to bed. Wear blue light blockers if you’re using your phone, TV, or tablet because, in this case, it’s actually signaling to the receptors in your retina that it is morning time. 

When you wake up, your ritual is even more important. You want to ideally try to get morning sunlight within the first 20 minutes of waking up. If that’s not possible, you can use a SAD light. It’s not as good as the sun, but it is a good backup plan so that there’s at least something in place that will help to increase your natural cortisol in the morning, and it will also help with the evening melatonin production. 

So, consider everything you can do to optimize sleep.

Tip #4 – Supplementation

With this, the biggest take-home that I want to give you here is within each stage of stress, there are many different options. This will depend on your medical history, the stage of stress you’re in, and the types of things you are sensitive to—have you tried herbs, botanicals, or adaptogens? Have you had an issue with them in the past? There are so many variables. The first step is nutraceuticals, i.e., getting the nutrients that you are not getting through food.

Beyond that, you can get more specific in looking at different adaptogens that might be appropriate for your level of stress. For example, Ashwagandha is appropriate for all three levels of stress. That may not necessarily be the right thing for you, however. You do want to check with your doctor, functional medicine provider, or dietitian to ensure it is. 

There are so many things you can do to begin to pave the way for a more resilient nervous system, a healthy body, and a healthy mind.

If you found this information helpful, please like, share, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm®, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. If you want to join our app and join our community, please make sure to check out the Movement Paradigm app on Google or Apple.

To learn more about how we can assist you on your journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a discovery session. We look forward to helping you on your path to wellness.

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Recipe for success: 7 ways to improve your gut and mental well being

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Are you ready to embark on a transformative journey towards optimal well-being? If you’re eager to feel your absolute best, you’re in the right place! In this blog post, we’re about to unveil seven incredibly effective strategies to improve your gut and mental well-being.

From dietary advice to physical activities, consider this your comprehensive guide to achieving a healthier, happier you! So, let’s dive right in and explore the recipe for success when it comes to nurturing your gut and your mind.

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The gut-brain connection

Now, many of you have heard me speak about this before, which is how powerful the gut-brain connection really is. What we are fueling our body with, what we’re putting in day in and day out, is directly affecting our brain, thoughts, emotions, and the ability to regulate our nervous system. It is directly affecting our gut. 

This beautiful relationship is something that we can optimize through some of our daily habits, our choices, and recognizing what are the things that are going to help our overall emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

7 ways to improve your gut and mental well being

1. Optimizing digestion

Consider taking three diaphragmatic breaths right before you eat. This is because when we bring blood flow to the autonomic nervous system and the digestive tract during our meals, we optimize our digestive capabilities.

If you’re multitasking, like looking at your computer, checking our phone, or while eating, this increases cortisol levels and diverts blood flow away from the digestive tract, slowing down our digestive process. So, if we can take at least three breaths before we eat, or even more, we bring ourselves to a parasympathetic state, promoting ‘rest and digest.’

In addition to that, chewing your food 20 to 30 times can significantly help with the mechanical breakdown of food. This process begins in our mouth, where our saliva releases enzymes to break down the food. 

Chewing also signals the body to prepare for digestion, optimizing the production of bile, pancreatic enzymes, and hydrochloric acid. This way, we can break down the food into very fine particles before it reaches the small intestine. 

2. Balancing your nervous system

There are so many ways to balance your nervous system, and if you follow any of our videos and our content, you’ll realize that there are endless possibilities. So much of it is about finding what most resonates with you. It could be anything from diaphragmatic breathing, walking, getting out into nature, doing specific vagus nerve exercises, dancing, engaging in authentic movement, or somatic movement where you can freely express your emotions. It could even be as simple as talking to a friend.

There are lots of ways to balance your nervous system, but it starts with recognizing which nervous system state you’re in. Are you in a state of safety and connection, are you in fight or flight, or are you in a freeze state? Once you can identify your current state, you can then choose what you can do to become more resilient and bring yourself back to that state of safety and connection, allowing you to better navigate life’s challenges.

3. Movement and exercise 

This can actually help with the diversity in our microbiome, which can ultimately be very protective against conditions like colon cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. Making movement a priority in your life is crucial. This could mean walking, lifting, or running, but it’s important to think about exercise and movement in a specific way.

In my world, they’re a little different because we want to think about moving all day long. Our bodies crave movement, and that’s what we need for a healthy nervous system and a healthy gut. If we can view movement as a gift that we’re nourishing and appreciating, and exercise as a way to push our bodies outside of their comfort zones, taking them a bit past what they’re used to so they can adapt, change, grow, and evolve.

4. Probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods

The way to think of this is that if you are relatively healthy, without any obvious digestive issues, it’s likely easy for you to incorporate probiotic-rich foods. These include items like kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and foods with active live cultures, and perhaps even a probiotic supplement.

Now, if you have gut issues and you’re not sure what they are, it can be especially beneficial to consider a stool test to identify the specific issues. Many people with gut problems find that probiotics are not well tolerated, especially if there’s something going on in the small intestine like SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). In such cases, probiotics might not be the first step to take.

However, when we think about general health and well-being, including mental health, probiotic-rich foods are great. When considering psychobiotics, which are specific strains related to mental health, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium are the two most common strains you’ll find in a probiotic supplement. These strains can be particularly beneficial for mental health, and there has been a lot of promising research on them.

Additionally, we want to think about prebiotic foods, such as bananas, garlic, and onions. These foods can be thought of as the fiber sources that probiotics feed on.

5. Anti-inflammatory foods

We should also consider factors like Omega-3s, increasing our intake through fatty fish, as well as foods like walnuts and flax seeds. Simultaneously, it might be beneficial to decrease some of our Omega-6s, which can be found in higher-fat foods, such as seed oils that are often present in packaged foods. The goal here is to optimize our intake of anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Anti-inflammatory nutrients can be thought of as Omega-3s, but also include phytonutrient-rich foods. A great way to approach this is to incorporate a variety of colorful foods into your diet. Think of all the different colors – reds, blues, yellows, etc. Each color provides different nutrients that can help support our biochemistry and promote overall health.

6. Fiber-rich environment

Fiber is incredibly important for maintaining a healthy microbiome. We should aim for at least 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day, although the specific amount can depend on your diet and individual needs. What’s crucial is obtaining fiber from various sources. In this context, diversity in fiber sources is more important than simply meeting a daily fiber goal. It’s this diversity that helps beneficial bacteria thrive in your gut.

7. Specific nutrients

To get a bit more specific about certain nutrients, we can aim for foods rich in tryptophan, which is a precursor for serotonin, often referred to as our “happiness hormone.” These foods can include items like turkey and eggs.

Additionally, we can focus on tyrosine, a precursor for dopamine, which can be found in foods like meat or almonds. It’s important to recognize that specific nutrients like these play essential roles in neurotransmitter production, including serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Proteins serve as the building blocks for these neurotransmitters, making a protein-rich diet a crucial aspect of maintaining their balance and functionality.

The Bottom Line

These are just seven of many strategies, but I hope they give you a good sense of the various possibilities we have to optimize the relationship between the gut and the brain.

If you found this information helpful, please like, share, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. If you’d like to learn more about how we can assist you on your journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a discovery session. We look forward to helping you on your path to wellness.

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The Body’s Emotional Landscape: Exploring Fascia, Interoception, and Trauma

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Have you ever wondered how emotions and traumas are stored in your body? Join us as we explore the fascinating connection between fascia, emotions, and healing. Discover the role of fascia in our physical and emotional well-being, the impact of trauma on interoceptive awareness (internal awareness of self), and effective ways to release emotions and facilitate healing.

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The Body’s Emotional Landscape

We know all too well how emotions have such an impact on our thoughts. But we also want to recognize how emotions have such a profound effect on our physical body. You may have heard that emotions and traumas are stored in our bodies. We will talk briefly about the science behind it and exactly what that means.

Our focus will be on the role of fascia in emotions and trauma, as well as interoceptive awareness, which connects to our internal self-awareness. Additionally, we’ll examine how trauma stored in the body can lead to various physical and emotional responses. Most importantly, we’ll learn how to heal and restore our body’s balance.

The Role of Fascia in Emotions

Let’s talk about the role of fascia in emotions. Our fascia is our three-dimensional network that surrounds everything in our body, from our muscles, joints, and bones to our nerves, lymph, and organs; it’s our connective tissue, the glue that holds everything together. Therefore, it is perhaps one of the most powerful systems in our body.

Trauma and stress can lead to a lot of physical changes in our bodies. Think about when we’re stressed; we might hold the tension in our neck and shoulders. If you’ve ever had jaw issues, such as TMJ, you may have noticed clenching and grinding due to ongoing stress.

In our bodies, chronic tension patterns can arise due to various factors. To better understand this, consider the concept of fascia, which should ideally possess both elasticity and the ability to generate tension, known as tensegrity. However, when we experience altered patterns over time, these changes can affect our fascial tissue.

Our tissue is meant to have elasticity, allowing free movement while also providing tension and structure. Imagine a scenario where our tissue undergoes an altered pattern for an extended period. Think of a rubber band with a knot in it. Even if we keep stretching the rubber band, the knot remains. In fascial tissue, we can develop patterns of restrictions, leading to potential issues like pain, dysfunction, and impaired movement.

Lastly, as it relates to fascia, fascia is our force transmission system, so when this system is altered through surgery, some type of adverse event, or injury, it can change how we move through the world. This can change our ability to move efficiently; it can affect our ability to move freely, and ultimately, this can greatly influence our emotions.

Interoceptive Awareness

Interoception is our internal awareness of self. It gives our brain information about things like pain and temperature. Our interoceptors are mechanoreceptors located in the fascial tissue and primarily in the viscera. These interoceptors provide input to the insular cortex of our brain,  where we can process emotional information.

It is estimated that we have up to seven times more interoceptors in our fascia than proprioceptors, which detect joint position and movement. Therefore, we can see the impact this will have on our emotions and our physical being.

Trauma’s Imprints on the Body

When we have experienced trauma in our lives—and that could be unique to each of us and how we perceive what is traumatic—this can interrupt the interoceptive processing between our body and our brain.

We could become more hyper-vigilant. This could lead to becoming hyper-aware of your sensations. For example, in the case of chronic pain, which is associated with trauma, our brain is sensitized. It detects and senses pain, even when there is no tissue damage.  

On the other hand, it can contribute to a hyperarousal state. In this state, we may feel numb, depressed, or stuck. Consequently, we can have a different interpretation of our bodily signals, where we might intentionally tune them out. For example, initiating signaling and repressing emotions can become the norm.

This signaling is influenced and can cause a different reaction for each person because we’re all unique. And so, in essence, this interruption can cause dysregulation in our nervous system, and it can cause us to be disconnected from our body in some way.

Facilitating Healing and Releasing Emotions

How do we release emotions and facilitate healing?

Your body is designed to heal itself, and please remember that you have this innate capacity to heal. When you are able to give your body what it needs and what it deserves, you can work through a very safe, gentle, and healing process.

As it relates to addressing the mind and the body—we often refer to that as mind-body because they are connected. Somatic therapy, which is a mind-body approach, can be very helpful.

What does that mean exactly?

The easiest way to think of it is to think about movement because we, as beings, are mostly non-verbal. Only seven percent of our communication is verbal, and the rest of it is non-verbal. This means that moving our bodies safely and gently is crucial for emotional health.

How we move can look different for every person, such as walking outside mindfully or doing specific vagus nerve exercises. I recommend checking out all of my vagus nerve exercises, as there are many options to choose from. You can also explore various somatic practices like trauma release therapy and pendulation to understand what’s happening in our body with a gentle curiosity.

For instance, if you are experiencing pain during meditation, you can consider being curious about the pain and how it feels. Can you dial the pain down or change it? If your hip feels tight in a position, can you manage it or explore it? It’s essential to address this mind-body approach gently and safely.

By understanding these bodily sensations, we can grasp the significance of our fascia. Our fascia plays a huge role in our emotional being. Therefore, moving our body in an authentic way that suits each individual, like dancing, animal flow, or walking, can be very effective in managing emotions. It’s important to note that somatic therapy is very different from talk therapy, but it’s not a matter of one being better than the other; they’re simply different approaches.

As we think about how our nervous system influences our emotions, movement emerges as a great way to address these influences.

If you found this helpful, please like, share, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

If you need assistance with your movement, barefoot training, or overall health, please reach out to us. We would love to help you.

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How is your gut and brain connected?

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Have you ever experienced “butterflies in your stomach” before an important presentation or felt your appetite disappear during a stressful situation? Well, you’re not alone. Our gut and brain are closely connected, and this communication is referred to as the gut-brain connection.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how this two-way communication occurs and affects our overall well-being. Specifically, we’ll examine the three primary pathways that connect our gut and brain. So, get ready to learn something new and fascinating about the incredible relationship between our gut and brain!

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Why Understanding the Gut-Brain Connection is Important

Whether you have anxiety, depression, headaches, brain fog, or digestive issues like bloating, diarrhea, constipation, reflux, autoimmune disease, skin issues, or neurodegenerative diseases, we must consider our gut-brain access. This amazing bi-directional communication between our gut and brain is connected through three primary pathways.

Three Pathways That Connect The Gut And The Brain

Pathway 1: Nervous System

The first pathway, the nervous system pathway, is connected via the vagus nerve.

As you may have read in my previous posts, the vagus nerve is our wandering nerve. It is a pair of cranial nerves (10th cranial nerve). It wanders down with branches into the throat, ear, esophagus, lung, heart, and entire digestive tract. The vagus nerve is also 80% of our parasympathetic system, which connects our gut and brain. It is one of the best visual representations of this connection.

Therefore, whether we think about specific health conditions or concerns, we want to understand and appreciate this connection and how we can influence it. For example, we can work on diaphragmatic breathing before we eat to bring ourselves to a parasympathetic state and optimize our gut-brain connection.

Pathway 2: Hormonal

The second pathway is the hormonal connection. We want to think of our neurotransmitters, which are our chemical messengers. The gut bacteria help produce these neurotransmitters, so we need proper nutrient intake for that.

For example, approximately 90 percent of our happiness hormone, serotonin, is in our gut, and around 50 percent of our dopamine is also there.

GABA, which inhibits anxiety and fear, is also in our gut. Therefore, to optimize brain health, we can address our gut. Gut dysbiosis, for example, will likely contribute to health conditions that may include but not be limited to anxiety and depression.

Pathway 3: Immune System

The third pathway is the immune connection. Seventy percent of the immune system is in our gut, which is called GALT (gut-associated lymphoid tissue).

We want to consider that if there is inflammation in the gut from food sensitivities and allergies, parasitic infections, pathogenic infections, leaky gut, or IBS/inflammatory bowel disease, this can cause systemic or excessive inflammation.

If we have inflammation in the gut and the lymphoid tissue, which is 70% of our entire immune system, it can ultimately affect everything in our body, especially the gut-brain connection.

The Bottom Line

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve seen others about the gut-brain connection. I hope that this information has been useful and that you find the topic as fascinating as I do.

If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like, share it with your friends, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for more weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

If you’re looking for support on your health journey, we’re here to help! Feel free to reach out to us for a discovery session.

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Mindset hacks: Unleash your potential

Mindset hacks: Unleash your potential

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Do you ever feel like you’re not reaching your full potential? Do you struggle to achieve your goals, despite putting in the effort? Your mindset may be holding you back. But don’t worry; there are simple “mindset hacks” you can use to unleash your potential and achieve your dreams.

In this blog, we’ll explore some of my most effective mindset hacks that can help you overcome limiting beliefs, develop a growth mindset, and increase your motivation and productivity. So, if you’re ready to unlock your full potential, keep reading and discover some of my favorite mindset hacks that can help you transform your life.

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Subconscious vs. Conscious Mind

One of the things I always like to discuss regarding mindset is the difference between our subconscious and conscious minds. Our conscious mind accounts for only one percent of our mind, while our subconscious mind accounts for 99 percent.

When we set goals, such as losing weight, exercising more, or achieving a specific objective, we use our conscious mind, representing that one percent. On the other hand, our subconscious mind includes our past experiences, thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and day-to-day activities.

To avoid constant conflict, we must align these two aspects of our minds. A perfect example of this is our inclination to move away from pain and towards pleasure. For example, after a long week, we may feel more drawn to pizza and beer or wine instead of a salad with chicken, which we might have eaten during our workweek. This tendency towards pleasure will always be a challenge to overcome.

Mindset Hacks

1. Identify what your conscious goal is

First, it’s important to identify your conscious goal and then begin setting yourself up for success. Consider the Triune Brain Theory. First, there’s the early Reptilian Brain, which is like our autopilot, responsible for fight or flight responses. Then there’s the early Mammalian Brain, which can be thought of as our limbic system or emotional brain. Finally, there’s the Neocortex, where we reason, gain insight, and have rationale.

To shift our mindset, we must move away from constantly avoiding pain due to fear. If we want to move out of our comfort zone, we need to shift into the Neocortex. We must think with reason and insight. Unfortunately, our nervous system is designed to protect us, and it can be difficult to leave our comfort zone. We may only peek out before quickly retreating because our nervous system signals that it’s dangerous, and protection mechanisms must be in place.

2. Think about your comfort zone

Now that we have identified both our subconscious and conscious minds, let’s focus on our comfort zone. It’s important to recognize when we are in a state of fear and understand that our nervous system is doing what it should. However, it’s even more reason why we should challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zone safely and gradually.

For example, if we want to exercise more, we shouldn’t go from not walking at all to walking 60 minutes, five days a week. This can trigger an unrealistic nervous response and lead to a crash. Instead, we should start with something small like walking for five minutes a day and gradually increase it.

Doing this builds safety and resilience in our nervous system, body, and emotions. It’s important to move at a slow pace and signal to our nervous system that it’s safe to step out of our comfort zone and into a growth zone.

3. Changing our wiring

From a neuroplasticity perspective, we have something called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). With BDNF, we can rewire our brains in as little as 20 to 30 seconds by creating new patterns.

For example, if you tend to immediately go to the kitchen and overeat when you come home, you can change that behavior by taking just 20 seconds to shift your environment, such as by going for a short walk outside instead. By doing this repeatedly, you can effectively re-pattern and rewire your brain.

This is important because many of the subconscious patterns we have are what hold us back. However, by forming a new habit in 30 days and reinforcing it for 45 days, you can make remarkable progress. So, the next time you want to make a change, remember that even small adjustments, when repeated consistently, can lead to significant improvements.

4. Think about the neurotransmitter mix

The fourth aspect to consider is the mix of neurotransmitters that are released when we attempt to make a change. Initially, norepinephrine is released, which signals a bit of fear, danger, alertness, and focus.

As we continue to make progress, acetylcholine is released, which helps us to focus on the task at hand. Then, dopamine is ultimately released, which feeds the reward cycle, reinforcing our progress and motivating us to continue our efforts.

5. Sense of urgency

Lastly, it’s important to create a sense of urgency by setting a deadline. This can be highly effective when paired with SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, and action-oriented. Setting a deadline helps to ensure that we are working towards achieving our goals in a realistic and focused manner.

The Bottom Line

These are just a few of my favorite mindset hacks. Hopefully, you can adopt at least one and gain a different perspective on making positive changes in your life.

If you found this helpful, please give it a like and share it. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. And if you need help on your journey, we’d love the opportunity to assist you in becoming the best version of yourself. Feel free to reach out for a discovery session.

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Are Eggs Good For You?

10 Best Biohacks for 2023

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Biohacking is all the rage right now. But what’s it really about? Essentially, biohackers are people who are interested in the best ways to live healthier, happier, and more productive and purposeful lives.

Here are ten of my favorite biohacks that you should consider using for the new year 2023 to help you gain greater health, vitality, longevity, and well-being.

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If you’ve watched my videos, you know that these are some of my favorite things, but not only are they my favorites, these are things that are evidence-based and proven over and over again to be effective for your overall mental, emotional, and physical health and longevity.

So yes, you may want to look better and feel better, but ultimately you want to be able to do the things in your life that you want to do, right? You don’t want to be held back, and therefore, we cannot take our health for granted. All of the things that I’m going to mention today are so easy to integrate that there’s really no excuse not to do them.

I’m not asking to spend hours a day, rather, focus on these simple strategies that you can easily integrate into your life and make huge improvements in your health.

10 biohacks you should try this 2023

1. Track your heart rate variability

Track your heart rate variability. Essentially, this you’re tracking your vagal tone. There are many options: Whoop, Oura, Fitbit, or an Apple Watch, just to name a few.

One of my favorites is the app Elite HRV, which I use along with a chest monitor. When you wake up in the morning, you can assess your heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and readiness for the day. This allows you to make very intentional changes in your life. Did I sleep well? Did I eat well? How much stress am I under?  You can track the trends of your overall health and how it is affecting your resiliency day to day. This is one of the best objective measures that we can use to assess vagal tone, track your overall health, and be able to ultimately make changes accordingly.

2. Optimizing your sleep

Sleep should be a non-negotiable, but I’m going to give you my quick tips for optimizing your sleep.

  • Number one, get blue light blockers. You want to wear them after 7 PM because, realistically, you’re going to be using your phone or your TV, so get blue light blockers to eliminate the blue light at night. The blue light is ultimately stimulating the receptors in your eye to signal that it is morning.
  • Number two, when you wake up in the morning, you either want to get 20 minutes of natural sunlight within the first 20 minutes or if you can’t do that and that’s not realistic, get a SAD  light that has at least 10,000 lux and set it up as you’re getting ready in the morning or brushing your teeth. You want to optimize your natural cortisol peak in the morning and, ultimately, your melatonin production that night.

This is really important for sleep optimization, and of course, there are many other sleep tips, but these are critical.

3. Vagus nerve stimulation

When it comes to vagus nerve stimulation, you can look at all of my different videos. I have over 50 different vagus nerve exercises, but I will perhaps come back to my favorite — the one and only diaphragmatic breathing.

When we are breathing diaphragmatically, we are stimulating the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve runs right through the diaphragm, and we release a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, creating a relaxation response.

You can tap into breathing anywhere, anytime, and for most people, it is a very effective tool in regulating your nervous system. However, please check out all my other videos on vagus nerve exercises because there are countless exercises that you can do that are extremely effective. Nonetheless, you want to think about how you can regulate your nervous system in the New Year.

4. Lymphatic drainage

This is one of the easiest things you can do because you can basically do it anywhere, including in the shower. You can do it right before or after you get out of the shower. It’s such a gentle and quick technique.

You can check my other lymph blogs or videos for more specific details on how to do that.

5. Strength training

This is something that I will say repeatedly; strength training is the best aging-gracefully strategy you can do. We want to think about how our muscles are influencing our longevity because as we get older, we lose muscle mass; that’s called sarcopenia.

Strength training and optimal protein intake are what allows us to maintain that muscle mass, optimize bone density, and be able to generate force, and adapt to life’s demands without injury. It is one of the most important things that I suggest and doing so in a safe program that includes mobility, strength, and stability all wrapped up in one so it doesn’t take a lot of extra time.

6. Walking

Walking always gets overlooked. It is one of the best forms of exercise that we can do. It is a low-intensity exercise that is great for fat loss, aerobic capacity, and emotional regulation because of its rhythmical nature. It’s what we’re designed to do from a movement perspective.

Work towards a movement mindset. Figure out how many steps you’re taking a day right now. Get your baseline and try to work towards getting 8,000–10,000 steps a day.

If you’re working out of the gym in between sets, take a few laps. If you are parking at the grocery store, park farther away. There are many ways to increase your steps, movement, and overall activity and stimulate your fascial tissue.

There are so many amazing things about walking. It’s often overlooked, but it is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body.

7. Xlear

This is one of the best things that you can have in your toolbox, especially if you’ve suffered from more immune issues this year. This is such a great preventative and treatment that you could use.

I recommend the Daily Rinse, which you would do twice daily. If you are exposed to someone that’s sick, you’re in larger crowds, or if there’s some for a particular reason why you may need a little bit more of a boost — you’re at an airplane or you get sick, then you want to use the Rescue. Saline alone can actually dry out the nasal cavity so where the xylitol helps to kill bacteria and moisten the nasal passages.

Mutes

I also recommend Mutes. They are fantastic for opening the airway; they can open the airway up to 38 percent to improve nasal breathing, which of course, we know is so important for everything in your body: your core function, nervous system, and your sleep. You can get a trial pack to determine the best size for you.

8. Naboso

Naboso is a specific technology designed to stimulate the small nerves in your hands and feet. It helps to improve balance, gait, and movement efficiency. We need sensory information to create optimal movement.

You can use the ball, the splay, recovery socks, or the mats. I highly recommend this, so please make sure you incorporate this into your life so that you can enjoy improved movement.

9. Protein

I talk about this all the time, but it is so important to have the optimal amount of protein per day, to increase muscle mass, prevent sarcopenia, help with bone density, and help with lean body composition.

We want lean muscle versus increased fat tissue because fat tissue is actually inflammatory. Almost every patient I’ve ever worked with is undereating protein.

We want to think about getting that protein from ethically sourced animal sources that contain all of your essential amino acids. To calculate your protein goal on your own, you would use your ideal body weight.

  • For women, the ideal body weight is a hundred pounds for the first five feet and five pounds per every inch after that. So if you were 5’3”, it would be 115 pounds. (115 g Protein/day)
  • For men, it’s 106 pounds for the first five feet and six pounds per inch after that. So, if you were 5’10” as a male, your ideal body weight would be 166. (166 g Protein/day)

This will vary among people depending on their goals and their activity, but this is a really good start.

10. 1st Phorm Micro Factor

Most often, of course, people need supplementation because we’re not getting the nutrients from our food as we once did. Additionally, most people aren’t consuming all the nutrients they need on a regular basis.

So Micro Factor has been awesome for me and for my patients. Essentially, it has a multivitamin, antioxidant, CoQ10, fruits and vegetables, essential fatty acids, and probiotics, and it comes in a handy little packet. It makes it easy to travel and to be able to grab everything you need without having tons of bottles of supplements.

This can be a great addition to your routine. If this is appropriate, sometimes I have people take the probiotic out if they’re having certain gut issues, and they might have to use a specific probiotic strain, but if you’re just looking for general wellness and health, this is a great pick. You can check it out here.

I hope you found at least one tip that you can apply in the New Year.

Follow us at The Movement Paradigm for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

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What if vagus nerve hacks aren’t working

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Have you been trying all of these different vagus nerve hacks, and they just don’t seem to be doing the trick? You’ve tried breathing, meditation, humming and cold showers, but you still feel like you’re dysregulated?

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How vagus nerve issues present

As many of you know, vagus nerve issues can present very differently for each person.

For one person, it may present as heart rate and blood pressure dysregulation. Another person may experience dizziness, headaches, or digestive issues, even something such as gastroparesis. Some may have increased anxiety or depression.

Even if you’ve tested your vagus nerve, such as the uvula or gag reflex test, and it’s shown that there has been some dysfunction of the vagus nerve, it is important to ask why there is vagus nerve dysfunction.

Why you may be having vagus nerve issues and how to address them

Although vagus nerve dysfunction may cause a whole host of different symptoms for each person, it is really imperative to figure out why that is happening. I know that many of you have heard, “getting to the root of the issue.” Many times, there is more than one underlying cause.

You may have had a predisposition in addition to a triggering event such as an infection, toxin exposure, vaccine, or even a stressful event.

And we also have some kind of, you know, triggering event or perpetuating factors that might be contributing to this ongoing process. So it’s really important to look at all of those.

If, for example, you have a gut issue like Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), leaky gut, candida, or even a parasite, this will largely impact your gut-brain connection. Your gut and brain are connected via the vagus nerve.

Eighty percent of the information from the vagus nerve goes to the brain from the viscera. Conversely, if there is any type of structural pathology, such as airway dysfunction (deviated septums, small nasal valves, enlarged turbinates, jaw issues, tongue tie, etc.), these will influence the vagus nerve, as the vagus nerve passes through the diaphragm.

If we are breathing from our neck and shoulders 25,000 times a day, that will affect how that nerve functions.

The last is a lymphatic issue. Our nerves are bathed in our lymph system. If there’s any congestion from systemic inflammation, perhaps stemming from the gut originally,  or myofascial restrictions, these will impact the vagus nerve. Our vagus nerve passes right through the left supraclavicular region, where we have the majority of our lymph draining here. If it’s congested, it will affect the rest of the system.

I hope you can appreciate that there are many reasons to delve into to be able to understand why you have vagus nerve dysregulation.

We offer integrative vagus nerve therapy to be able to help you, through this journey to be able to identify what these causes are and really help you take the next step forward, It’s important to continue to do all of the suggested vagus nerve hacks, all while determining the underlying causes of why you have it in the first place, emotionally and physically.

If you are ready to take action now, schedule here: https://p.bttr.to/3Qu7wRd

If it was helpful, give it a like, give it a share, and of course, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset nutrition and movement thank you as always.

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Vagus nerve test | Gag reflex

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

You know I love to hack the nervous system, and here is another way to explore your vagus nerve.

The gag reflex is innervated by cranial nerves, cranial nerve IV, the glossopharyngeal nerve, as well as cranial nerve X, the vagus nerve. Here is another way to assess your vagal nerve function, amongst other things.

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What you should expect from physical therapy

1. Thorough evaluation

You deserve a thorough evaluation, no matter what you are reaching out to physical therapists for, whether that’s movement issues, chronic pain, acute pain, vestibular, balance issues, post-surgery, pre-surgery, or any other reason.

That means not only a physical therapist should be looking at your current symptom (s), but they are looking to figure out why they happened in the first place, even during post-surgical cases. A thorough evaluation includes looking at a detailed movement assessment, where your compensation patterns lie, what might be driving some of the issues you’ve had, and all of your modifiable lifestyle factors. How is your sleep? Your nutrition? How are your relationships? How is your stress management? If your therapist is missing these details, they are missing a huge element of helping you heal.

2.  Practicing what they preach

You deserve a physical therapist who practices what they preach, whether that’s movement, balance, or exercise. They should be a health leader, educator, and movement specialist, and because of that, they have an obligation to be able to do the things that they are recommending that you should do.

3. 1-on-1 care

It is hard to find 1-on-1 care in today’s healthcare environment. I worked in the outpatient practice for eight years, so I understand a busy outpatient setting, and unfortunately, the demands of insurance companies are dictating this. However, you deserve to be able to be the only person in the room, to be listened to, and to have your therapist understand your diagnosis, prognosis, underlying causes, current concerns, goals, and plan of care without being pulled in a million directions. One-on-one care is extremely important, whether that’s 30-minute sessions or 60-minute sessions.

4. Someone who will look at you as a whole person

You should expect someone who listens to your story and understands that you are not a “shoulder problem,” you are not a “hip injury,” and that you are a person; you are human with a story and emotions and thoughts and all the things that make you wonderful. So, make sure that someone is looking at you as a human with a beautiful story, not just an injury.

5. Mindful and intentional movement

You should expect a therapist to help you perform mindful, intentional movement to help guide you to move with interoception, internal awareness of self, and to be able to understand movement quality, as opposed to high-volume exercises with poor form.  As movement educators, one of the greatest gifts we can share with you is to help you move your body the way it was intended to so that you can continue to do the things you love.

What you shouldn’t expect from physical therapy

What are some of the things that you should not expect from physical therapy? This is equally as important.

1. You should not be on things that will not help you get well

You should not be on hot packs, cold packs, electrical stimulation, ultrasounds, or other modalities that aren’t helping you get well. They are sometimes time-savers for the therapist, but they are not actually creating better movement in your body. They’re not getting to the root of your issue. They are not moving you forward, and you want to be able to maximize your time spent in physical therapy.

2. You shouldn’t be warming up on machines

You don’t want to get to physical therapy and go on the treadmill or bike to warm up for 10 or 15 minutes—you want to learn how to move your body. Every minute counts!

3. You shouldn’t be on tons of band exercises

You should not be going through tons and tons of band exercises with poor form without guidance. Especially when you feel like you are going through the motions and you could do this at home.

If you feel like you could do that at home, that’s your first sign that this is not a good fit.

I want everyone to believe in physical therapy. We have an amazing opportunity to share with you the gift of movement.

In summary, when you think physical therapy is a waste of time, you’re put on machines and lots of modalities, and you feel like you are competing for your PT’s attention, you deserve better.

Please make sure to find a great physical therapist in your area who does one-on-one care, looks at you as the whole person, that addresses potential root causes of your injury or your pain or any other issue that you might be experiencing.

If you need help, please reach out to us, we do virtual and in-person care, and we perform holistic physical therapy. Schedule your evaluation here: https://p.bttr.to/3qHXz8i

If it was helpful, give it a like, share it, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

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Liver and brain connection | vagus nerve

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Our livers can become deeply affected by stress, inflammation, toxins, alcohol, and other pollutants in the environment. Did you know there’s a deep connection to the brain?

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What you need to know about the liver

In traditional Chinese medicine, the liver is responsible for all other organs and for moving Qi throughout the body (i.e., energy). It also stores blood and other essential bodily fluids, and it helps cleanse the blood, especially while we sleep. Even from a spiritual perspective in Traditional Chinese medicine, it is really the seat of the soul and can help provide our life purpose. So, in essence, the liver is one of our most powerful organs; It’s also one of our most powerful detoxification organs.

Unfortunately, however, in modern society, we are eating inflammatory foods, drinking alcohol, and being exposed to an exorbitant amount of toxins—internal and external toxins—and our livers can become deeply affected. This has a direct connection to the central nervous system, which is also connected via the autonomic nervous system, i.e., a vagus nerve.

The connection between the liver and the brain

The vagus nerve innervates the liver via the hepatic branch, and what’s interesting is that 80% of the information from the vagus nerve is going TO the brain. So that means that what we are doing to our livers, putting in our body, and how hard we’re making our livers work can cause stress on this amazing detoxification organ. In turn, that can influence our brain, especially as it relates to neuroinflammation.

We want to appreciate this deep connection between the liver and the brain because the brain can also affect the liver. The vagus nerve sends 20% of information from the brain to the liver. Because of that, we also want to respect that our thought, beliefs, and emotions can influence our liver health.

Whether we’re looking at this from a Traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine standpoint, we really want to appreciate this deep connection and recognize that what we eat and the stresses that we put on our body will affect the relationship between the liver and the brain.

If you’d like to reach out to us for an appointment, please do that as well. Schedule your appointment here: https://p.bttr.to/3MvopdB.

Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

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Heal Your Migraines

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Did you know that 7 in 10 people globally suffer from migraines and most of them are middle-aged women, and 1 in 6 Americans suffer from severe headaches or migraines? This makes it an issue that we definitely want to address, begin to uncover some of the root causes and provide hope for people that are suffering from this debilitating condition.

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What causes migraines?

There are many things that can potentially contribute to migraines. These can include:

  • Cranial or cervical vascular disorder;
  • Trauma—not just physical trauma, such as, for example, a concussion—but also emotional trauma;
  • Infections or substance abuse;
  • Some disorders of the cranium (jaw or cranial issues that might be contributing structurally to migraines;
  • Psychiatric disorders; and
  • Hormonal changes.

Other key things associated with migraines

Food sensitivities

Food sensitivities can contribute to pro-inflammatory and pro-algesic mediators, perpetuating an inflammatory cycle. This can not only contribute to the cause of the migraines, but it can also make the migraines more frequent, more painful, and more intense.

Nutrient deficiency

Let’s not forget nutrient deficiencies which can be a huge driver for migraines and chronic headaches. Things like vitamin D, B12, B2, CoQ10, magnesium, and zinc are all very common nutrient deficiencies, which when addressed, can make huge shifts in the frequency and intensity of migraines.

Mitochondrial dysfunction

Another thing that’s important to remember about migraines is that it is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of our cells. It has very specific processes to produce energy, and so when we have toxins and infections, poor gut health, inadequate nutrients, and lack of exercise, this can contribute to poor mitochondrial function and neural inflammation. Also, dysregulated blood sugar can affect our mitochondrial health.  

What can you do to manage your migraines?

What are some of the things you can do?

1. Get evaluated by a practitioner

First, make sure you get evaluated by a practitioner that can really look beyond just simply medications—looking at your GI Health, how you are assimilating food and nutrients, and how you are eliminating and detoxifying, immune health, mitochondrial health, and hormones.

For example, looking at a specific nutrient analysis, which could be a combination of lab testing as well as performing a very simple nutrient analysis on your own, can determine possible nutrient deficiencies. Every reaction in the body requires nutrients. If you are deficient, there’s a really good chance that it’s going to be very difficult to resolve your migraines, which absolutely can be resolved when you really try to unpack this.

2. Address gut issues

The other thing that you can consider is determining what is going on in your gut. If you have SIBO, leaky gut, candida, or so on, these need to be treated. As Hippocrates once said, everything starts in the gut.

3. Create a food plan

Moving towards  mitochondrial food plan, essentially a healthy ketogenic plan can also help. This can be an effective plan for the short-term or even long-term depending on the severity of your migraines, to be able to optimize mitochondria health. And it could be life-changing for some people.

4. Exercise

Graded exercise is one of your key things to do to improve your mitochondrial health is exercise. Now that doesn’t mean you should go out and do high-intensity exercise starting tomorrow, but things like walking, integrating more movement into your routine on a daily basis, and moving more frequently throughout the day, are all extremely valuable.

5. Address specific nutrient deficiency

Once you’ve done that, then you want to really address specific nutrient deficiencies. If there are some, begin to target those through food first, of course. Supplementation can also be really valuable. You can also consider things like botanicals, such as butterbur, otherwise known as Petasites, can be very effective for decreasing the frequency of migraines. However, make sure to discuss the safety of that with your health professional.

6. Find the right professional for you

Lastly, make sure you find the right professional for you who’s going to help work through this process. As a reminder to all of you that are suffering from migraines or severe chronic headaches, there is hope, and you can get better.

I know sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, and I’ve worked with many patients over the years that I know feel that way initially. I just want you to know that you can get to the bottom of it by being patient and making sure you find the right practitioner.

We, of course, are happy to help and would love the opportunity. So, if you found this helpful, give it a like, give it a share. If you’d like to reach out to us for an appointment, please do that as well. Schedule your appointment here: https://p.bttr.to/3MvopdB.

Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset nutrition and movement.

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