D3 deficiency has been strongly linked to:

• 17 varieties of cancer, including breast and colon,
• heart disease,
• diabetes,
• depression,
• seasonal affective disorder,
• chronic pain,
• migraines,
• arthritis,
• osteoporosis,
• birth defects,
• autoimmune diseases,
• lowered immune function; especially against colds and flu!

Most of us are woefully deficient in Vitamin D3 due to Minnesota’s latitude, and increasing time spent indoors. From about the middle of May through August our skin will produce 10,000 IU’s of D3 from exposing arms, legs and faces for 20-30 minutes to sunlight. (Yet the current government RDA advises that we only need 200 IU per day.) Sunscreen blocks UVB radiation and therefore blocks D3 production as well. In the winter, many folks never even see the sun until the weekend!

The only way to remedy a deficiency is through sunshine or supplements. There is some D3 in fish, eggs and other animal-derived foods, but not close to what’s needed for good health. Several foods, such as milk, are fortified with Vitamin D…. but it is D2, which is not utilized properly by your body. In fact some research indicates that D2 is broken down into potentially harmful substances after ingestion.

It is important to get a simple blood test to determine your level before supplementing. Many doctors are now routinely testing, but some aren’t yet savvy to the importance of this vital hormone. If that is your case, there are reputable private labs that will do the test for you without a doctor’s order.

This past summer I got a lot of sun exposure and also took 5000 IU’s of D3 every other day. Out of curiosity I had my level tested and it was only just in the normal range! Everyone is different and you may need much more, or much less than that.

The important thing is to get your level up to normal before flu and cold season hits. Since I’ve been supplementing with D3 my immune system has been supercharged – 13 months without even a sniffle! Go to Vitamin D Council to learn more – and head into the holidays protected by the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’!

Laurel Regan

© 2010

As with any processed food product there are industry ‘experts’ who refute or deny all such claims. When it comes to your health it is important to take time to read, learn and then make an informed decision about what goes in your, or your child’s mouth. After all, you literally are what you eat. However, if you are like me, at some point you get tired of reading, assessing and deciding about everything that pops up in the food/health media.

When my head starts to spin, I put my computer to sleep and just use my main definition of healthy food as a guideline:  Healthy food is minimally processed, has no artificial or chemical additives, is locally produced (when possible) and organically grown. 

I came up with this guideline somewhere in the middle of  two decades spent reading, assessing and deciding what to feed my family, and what advice to give my clients. To the best of my ability I apply it each time I grocery shop or eat out. So now reading about the punches and counterpunches of the great American food fight is amusing, but no longer confusing. If the substance in question doesn’t fit the guideline, then there’s at least the possibility of harm.

Wellness guidelines can simplify your efforts to become, and remain, healthy. Do you have any for yourself? What are they?

In my next post, I’ll talk about some simple guidelines for exercise and fitness.

I took this occasion to really work on my technique and get the most out of each pole plant, follow-through and hand release. I’ve been a cross-country skier for 30 years, so this classic “European” technique comes naturally. As a NW enthusiast and ANWA certified trainer, I believe it offers the best experience for those who want maximum fitness effect, with maximum avoidance of repetitive motion injury.

I have tried some other techniques being offered in the U.S. that require the walker to plant the pole further forward while firmly gripping the handle throughout a shorter follow-through. This quickly gave me knots of tension extending from my forearms all the way into my neck and shoulders. 

I will continue to check out all the new stuff that comes along, but for now I’m walking and teaching the Euro technique. After all, it has time on it’s side. Over the course of nearly a century, Nordic skiers and coaches have been developing the optimal technique for this great fitness sport. It works and it’s safe. Why reinvent the wheel?

Happy Spring ~ Happy Trails! (Whichever technique you embrace.)

A Nordic walker uses specially designed poles to engage the upper body while enjoying a brisk walk. (photo: Amy, me and Rhea at Eagan Community Center, outside temp – 20!) This great fitness sport began as a training exercise for elite cross-country skiers, and is now enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Learning proper technique is important because, done correctly Nordic walking engages 90% of your muscles and burns up to 40% more calories than just walking. It’s a very time efficient way to achieve cardiovascular fitness while toning the muscles ~ especially the hips, waist and upper arms. The best part is that it can be done almost anywhere ~ on pavement, on trails or even at the mall in winter!

Who can benefit from Nordic walking?

 The answer is simple: Anyone who can walk. This includes heart patients, the elderly, the obese and ELITE ATHLETES. I emphasize the last group because there seems to be a bit of misunderstanding among them concerning this training technique. (I’ve even heard some snickering!) However, done correctly with good effort, Nordic walking provides a superb cardio base for all athletic endeavors. After all it was initially developed to train for one of THE most cardio intensive sports – XC skiing.

My Nordic walking story ~

Many years ago I injured my back resulting in two surgeries. With the help of yoga, I recovered well enough to do all the physical activities I love including hiking in our local county park. I tried running for better cardio benefits, but it never felt good on my back and joints. Six years ago I read about Nordic walking in Experience Life magazine and I loved the idea of boosting the fitness effects of my hikes.

I unknowingly bought the wrong type of poles (trekking poles) and started hiking through beautiful Lebanon Hills Park. I did this for a few years never noticing much fitness improvement, but enjoying my walks in nature. Then, a couple of years ago, I read another article that set me straight about equipment and technique. I immediately went to Midwest Mountaineering to buy real Nordic walking poles and  also signed up for instructor training through ANWA.

After becoming certified in the classic European technique, I decided to try an experiment. I would Nordic walk with the correct equipment and technique 6 days per week and see what happened to my overall level of wellness. Monday through Friday I walked a two-mile route that took about 25 minutes. On the weekend I usually did a longer walk. I did not change my diet at all. After three months I was 10 pounds lighter and two pants sizes smaller. My arm and shoulder muscles became strong and toned, especially the triceps.

Email me for more info on Nordic walking classes in the Twin Cities area.

The other day the temperature was well below zero and there was a slick coating of snow and ice on the road. I called my 78 year-old Mother to see if she and Dad needed anything from the store. She asked for milk, OJ, and a gallon of ice cream from their favorite grocery store – the one with the lowest prices around.

 Inside the store, it was immediately apparent that I’d arrived in the ‘Land of Dead and Poisoned Food’. Row upon row of cheap, processed, chemically preserved non-foods stretched as far as the eye could see. As I headed for the milk cooler I wondered where the fresh produce section was. I eventually spotted a small stand toward the back corner of the store filled with listless wilted veggies.

Mom and Dad grew up in the Great Depression and shopping for the lowest price is ingrained in their cellular structure. As children they ate Good, Real Food because that’s all there was available. However, their adult years have been spent trying out all the fabulous new convenience foods such as Hamburger Helper, frozen pizza, and Campbell’s Soup. They continue to have perfect trust that the food companies will sell only nutritious food.

Sadly, the truth is this: Americans are among the malnourished people of this planet thanks to the unscrupulous greed and marketing tactics of the large agribusiness and food companies. The cheap non-food we eat makes us obese, yet gives us almost nothing our bodies need to thrive. This sets up a vicious cycle. After a meal of non-food, your belly may feel full but your body is screaming, “I DIDN’T GET ANYTHING I CAN USE! KEEP EATING UNTIL I DO!” So you eat more, and more and . . .

We now have two whole generations that know almost nothing about Good, Real Food – the baby boomers and their progeny. We’ve lost the innate understanding that our food should be as close to it’s natural state as possible at the time we cook and eat it. Good, Real Food is minimally processed, has no artificial or chemical additives of any sort, is locally produced (when possible) and organically grown. And yes, you must spend more time and money to buy and cook this food that was dirt cheap when my parents were children.

I highly recommend Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, as a place to start a transformation in your thinking about food. It’s brilliant, disturbing and ultimately hopeful concerning our relationship to food. Another good read is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. It has inspired me to have another try at growing a veggie garden this summer. Both books acknowledge the clear connection between what we eat and the health of the planet we live on. Finally, the magazine Experience Life is the best I’ve read – full of good information about food, exercise and wellness. It is produced by Lifetime Fitness and much of the content can be viewed online.

I’ll close with these questions to ponder:

What is the real price society pays for the cheap non-food we’ve been eating?

How much are we paying for epidemic obesity, chronic illness and a toxic planet?

How much is it worth to you to give your body what it needs to thrive?

My next post will talk about the FABULOUS world of Nordic walking, don’t miss it!

What goes into making someone a happy and healthy Well Being? (Like my nephew leaping off the dock to catch a frisbee at Ma and Pa’s cabin.) Most of us know the basic ingredients, but it’s part of the ongoing ‘cooking process’ to review them and make adjustments in the spicing. In a nutshell, they are:

• Good, real food

• Good, moderate exercise

• Good rest and recreation

• Good mental/emotional, and spiritual practice

 This simple list is not in order of importance because each ingredient is as vitally important as the next, and they are interconnected as well. It may be best to imagine yourself in the middle of a circle with the elements of the list equally spaced around you. As you go about the business of living, with all its joys and challenges, you are constantly bringing these ingredients into your circle – according to the needs of the moment.

That last phrase is important because this process cannot be static. Our lives are not static and being able to adapt and persevere in changing conditions is essential to maintaining health over time. Also notice that I did not give ‘stress reduction’ a bullet point even though it is crucial to good health. We all know by now that excessive chronic stress literally kills its victim by slowly breaking down most life-sustaining systems in the body.

However, reducing stress is not an ingredient in the recipe because as you are mixing and cooking up a Well Being, undue stress and its horrible effects naturally begin to disappear. For example, in order to eat Good, Real Food most of us have to make the time to plan, shop and cook. This means that other (probably more stressful) activities will have to be eliminated, i.e., driving to the store several times a week to buy toxic convenience food because you have no plan, list or energy to cook – or having to make time by turning off the TV with all its stressful depictions of murder and mayhem, fiction or non.

 I close with a question to ponder: Is there anything more important in life than your own health and wellbeing? I welcome your thoughts and answers.

My next post will begin an exploration of this question: What is Good, Real Food? This is what I call an ‘onion question’ because it has many layers to go through before an answer is revealed.

The holidays are just behind us, and I almost made it through it with my wellness intact. How did I blow it? It wasn’t the burger and fries at Matt’s Bar. Don’t get me wrong, the Juicy Lucy burger (two delicious patties filled with cheese, sealed on the edges and grilled to perfection) is NOT good for anyone’s health. But I know that my metabolism, aided by daily aerobic exercise, can easily handle it – once every 3 months or so. 

My fall from grace came with my decision to hop on a floppy piece of plastic and careen down a hill of bumpy cement cleverly disguised as snow. What was once 12 inches of soft powder had been brutally transformed by freezing rain a couple of days earlier.

 I grew up in the frozen northland and I KNOW snow. One look at that hill set off every wise warning bell in my head. Ignoring all the clanging, down I went and within seconds dislocated my pelvis in two places while jamming a couple of vertebrae into new and painful positions. The large purple bruise on my tush adds a dash of color to this sad story.

 You must be wondering why I did this. Well, my sliding partner was a 20-something houseguest who needed to be impressed by the daring spirit of his girlfriend’s mother. He went down first with no obvious injuries, so my ego used this as proof that I could and should throw caution to the cold wind.

 My recovery includes chiropractic adjustments, shiatsu, gentle yoga, hot baths and humble pondering of these thoughts:

How many times do we refuse to listen to our own wise voice when making decisions that affect our wellbeing? Everyone encounters obstacles and setbacks – but how many of them are self-created? Operating from ego is often just an open invite to the Universe – “I need a lesson here, please?”

My next post will talk about some basic ingredients necessary for your unique Well Being Recipe.

 What is a Well Being? This is THE question I wish to explore with you here. The answer will be ongoing, many-faceted and unique to each person. I believe that it is vitally important that each of us engage with this question – then answer it – and then become the answer. I hope you will join me in this inquiry.

 It is important not only for individual health, but also for the health of our communities and of our planet. While there may not be scientific fact to support this direct connection between the wellness micro and macrocosm, my ‘gut’ tells me it’s true. (Yes, Steven Colbert, “truthiness” is alive and well even outside the Bush Whitehouse!) What you do to transform yourself does make a difference in the world.

 How many times have each of us gone through this routine – make a healthy resolution, keep it for a while, then break it? While this scenario can lead to discouragement and cynicism, I invite you to see it differently:

First praise yourself profusely for having the chutzpah to make a commitment for change. Then realize that you are not alone in the struggle with obstacles – it’s part of being human. Finally, understand that the struggle itself is where learning, growth and progress take place. Embrace it!

 I’ll close with this thought: Someone who is a Well Being can patiently begin again, and again, without succumbing to discouragement.