There is a debate in the athletic and academic world about minimalist shoes safety and efficacy.  I tend to fall on the anti-establishment side of most things in life.  Naturally, I have gravitated to the minimalist and ancestral theories of running and foot mechanics. 

So, the Vibram Five Finger shoes appealed to me, granted with a huge amount of skepticism.  Honestly, it took three years of seeing my students wear them and test them in those crazy looking shoes, to believe that they might be okay for normal people.

After three years of fighting the ugly shoes, I finally drank the Kool-aid and purchased a pair.  I have, to be honest, I am thoroughly shocked that Erin is still with my because they are profoundly unattractive.  But they truly are the most comfortable shoes that I have ever put on my feet, by the time the weekend comes around I am craving time in my Vibrams.

Obviously, I have become a fan of the odd looking shoe; I take the health of my feet and the shoes I wear very ...

The afternoon blahs, that tired feeling somewhere around 3 p.m. Most of us have experienced at least mild fatigue in the afternoon. Most people just seem to think it is just part of the modern life. We justify the mid-afternoon run to Starbucks because we just didn’t get enough sleep, or we have had way too many late nights.

But in reality, the answer is to take better care of your diet and adrenals. We have talked about it a lot in the past but one of the most telltale signs of blood sugar imbalance and adrenal fatigue that cause those horrible afternoon blahs. So, how can you quickly get rid of those afternoons where all you want to do is crawl under your desk and take a nap? Here are the top 5 things you can do to help fight the afternoon fatigue:

1. Don’t skip breakfast! You have to eat protein and fat to keep your blood sugar up throughout the day
2. Don’t have a starchy lunch! Bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, candies, rice, potatoes, soda, doughnuts or any other starchy sugary food w
...

Weekly I get asked how long do I have to follow the diet or how long do I have to exercise. Usually, I give them a timeframe that sound doable.  Secretly I am hoping that it will be long enough that it will become a habit and stick for the rest of their lives.  So, my question often of myself is how do we make a lasting change in life? 

One of the overriding believes in my life is that we are the cause of and solution to all of our problems.  The problems can be everything from being overweight to suffering through a job that you hate.  To quote Emmet Fox:

“Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. THERE is no such thing as luck. Nothing ever happens by chance. Everything, good or bad, which comes into your life is there as the result of unvarying, inescapable Law. And the only operator of that law is none other than yourself. No one else has ever done you any harm of any kind, or ever could do so, however much it may seem that he did. Consciously or unconsciously you have yo...

In the first Pillar of Health, we talked about your diet and more importantly keeping your blood sugar balanced. That balance is possibly the most important thing you can do for your health; it keeps you from developing the diseases of modern society and degenerative diseases.

Everything from Osteoporosis to Alzheimer’s have a relationship to your cortisol and blood sugar balance. Moving on to The second Pillar of Health you need to stay hydrated. Staying hydrated is as powerful and infinitely easier to implement into your daily routine. Getting hydrated is simple, drink more high quality water throughout the day. That’s it is that simple.

The benefits are astounding, you have more energy, you’re less hungry throughout the day, you will lose weight, all your organs of elimination (Skin, Kidney, Liver, and Bowel) will work better, you have fewer wrinkles, you are less likely to have back pain, your brain will work better, and so many more things will improve.

The push back that I alm...

Why Does My Child's Asthma Seem Worse This Time of Year?

Every year, the same pattern: cold weather hits, the holidays arrive, and asthma attacks spike.

You've noticed it. Your child's inhaler gets used more frequently between November and January than the rest of the year combined.

This isn't coincidence. Specific seasonal factors converge during the holidays to create the perfect storm for respiratory inflammation.

Here's what's actually triggering winter asthma attacks, and what you can do to prevent them.

The Holiday Asthma Spike

Approximately 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. The condition flares predictably during the holiday season for several compounding reasons:

Cold weather: Cold air constricts airways and irritates bronchial passages. Indoor heating dries out mucous membranes, reducing their protective function.

Increased indoor time: You're spending 16+ hours per day in enclosed spaces with reduced air circulation. Dust, mold, pet dander, and other al...

The pillars of health: What is a healthy diet I can’t believe it is already December!  Like most other people, this month is one of the craziest of the year.  The holidays seem to stress us all out to no end, dealing with the best and the worst of humanity at the same time!  Since last month, I was writing about the ways you can stay healthy and sane through the holiday.  I thought that I would take this month and start preparing you for your new years resolutions.  We will be talking about the pillars of health and the things that can make you have an amazingly healthy new year.

No matter the disease or dis-ease or dysfunction a person may be experiencing there are fundamental things that they can change that will help them recover.  Everything from low back pain to seasonal depression and even cancer have a few things in common.  These things are the basic flaw of modern life and the overall human condition, and it is what is a healthy diet.

So, the first pillar that we will talk ...

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

I've been talking about ways to keep yourself healthy during the holidays. And let's be honest—sometimes it's our family members causing most of the stress.

But here's what I want you to understand: meditation isn't just about feeling zen or being spiritual. It's a physiological intervention that directly affects your stress response system.

When you meditate consistently—even just 20 minutes per day—you're not just relaxing. You're reprogramming your HPA axis and restoring adrenal fun...

Winter Dehydration Could Be Wrecking Your Health

Winter hit hard this week. Arctic air pushed down from Canada, and most of the U.S. is locked in freezing temperatures.

Cold weather brings an unexpected health problem most people miss: dehydration.

You're not sweating. You're not exercising outside. You don't feel thirsty. But your body is losing water faster in winter than it does during summer heat.

Here's why winter dehydration happens, what it's doing to your health, and how to fix it.

Why You Dehydrate in Winter

Summer dehydration is obvious. You sweat. You see it. You feel it. You drink more water instinctively.

Winter dehydration is invisible.

The mechanism:

Cold air holds less moisture than warm air. When temperatures drop, relative humidity plummets. Your body contains more water than the surrounding air, which creates an osmotic gradient.

Water evaporates continuously from your skin and lungs. Every breath you take releases water vapor. Every inch of exposed skin lo...

During the holiday season, our bodies are dealing with a lot. Everything from colder temperatures, shorter days, longer nights and not to mention all the increased emotional stress that most have to deal with between shopping, travel, and family. One of the hardest yet most important things is to maintain you sleep hygiene.

Hygiene is an excellent way to refer to the routine that we all have before bed. When we use the term hygiene, we think of our morning rituals like showering, shaving, brushing teeth. These habits are usually so ingrained in us that it was difficult to start our day without them. While some of us do have our night time routines, like brush your teeth, feed the dogs shut off all the lights, or read a few passages or pages in a book.

We don’t think about them as much as we should; the morning habits are set up to get us ready for our days. The shower makes sure we don’t have offensive body odor, brushing our teeth makes sure people can stand talking to us, getting d...

The holidays bring unavoidable stress. Family gatherings. Shopping. Travel. Financial pressure.

You can't eliminate those stressors. But you can stop amplifying them.

The biggest amplifier? Blood sugar chaos.

Here's what most people miss: your adrenal glands can't tell the difference between a blood sugar crash and an emotional crisis. Both trigger the same cortisol release. Both deplete your stress reserves.

During the holidays, you're already maxed out managing unavoidable stressors. Why add fuel to the fir...