health improvement

October 9 2018

Healthy Cup of Coffee

Marcelo Oleas Health brain health, brain octane fuel, chaga, coffee, collagen, four sigmatic, grass fed butter, health benefits, health improvement, healthy tips, lion's mane, mushrooms 2

I personally do not need a cup of coffee to get my day started, but on occasion I do enjoy a good cup of joe (maybe 3-4 times per week). However, I do not make a pit stop at my local Starbucks or DD (some of those coffees contain more sugar than a can of soda), instead I make mine in the following way for a nice boost of health benefits…

Ingredients:

Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee – I personally use the one with Lion’s Mane and Chaga to add a nice boost to my brain for increased focus and productivity. No, this coffee does not taste like mushrooms, but you sure do get the benefits!

Grass Fed Collagen Peptides – if you’re a vegetarian, you might not want to add this; but if not, this is great for your skin and hair health. I personally use the Thrive Market brand. It’s tasteless so don’t worry about it adding any unwanted flavor to your coffee.

Grass Fed Butter – real butter is healthier than all butter substitutes. Healthy fat that is excellent for your gut and brain health. Blending it will create a nice a delicious froth without using any creamer or milk (which you shouldn’t be drinking anyway).

Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil – this is designed to amplify ketosis and fuel our brain and body. It is flavorless and does not contain Lauric Acid.

Coffee is an excellent source of polyphenols, helps to improve cognition, and has been associated with reducing risk of dying from heart disease, diabetes, & lung disease. Just make sure to use good quality coffee (to eliminate risk of mold often found in industrial coffee beans) and leave out all the sugary crap and creamers!

October 5 2018

Sugar In Disguise

Marcelo Oleas Health alzheimers, cancer, dementia, depression, diabetes, health improvement, health tips, obesity, refined sugar, sugar, sugar names 0

There are many foods that we expect to see sugar listed as part of the ingredient list, but I bet that even if you are diligently reading labels, you probably are consuming more sugar than you even realize. The food industry has gotten pretty slick when it comes to how they name “sugar” on nutrition labels.

Sweet tooth Here are just a few of the many popular names for sugar to lookout for:

fructose
cane juice
malt
dextrose
honey
molasses
maple syrup
sucrose
coconut sugar
fruit juice
lactose
brown rice syrup
date sugar
agave syrup
glucose solids
barley malt
corn syrup
maltodextrin

The food industry literally adds sugar to just about everything because they know our brains are programmed to love sugar. The more addicted to it we become, the bigger their pockets get. Unfortunately the consumption of these refined sugars is starting at a younger and younger age. From cereals to juices and snacks, many of the things we are feeding our kids are jam packed with sugar and these habits get carried onto adulthood.

The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 25 grams of sugar per day and men no more than 37.5 grams per day. If you enjoy a glass of Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice in the morning, you are already consuming 22 grams of sugar in just a single 8oz serving. And let’s say that you drink a can of Coke for lunch, you can add another 39 grams of sugar to your daily consumption and this is just in TWO beverages! Not counting any food, you have already consumed 51 grams of sugar by lunch time!

Some US government surveys estimate that the average American consumes about 152 pounds of sugar per year (and I’m sure they low-balled it)! No wonder that cases of obesity, dementia, diabetes, heart diseases, depression, and cancer keep growing exponentially every year.

Get into the habit of checking the nutrition labels and be more conscious of your sugar intake.

October 3 2018

Cold Shower Benefits

Marcelo Oleas Health cold showers, health benefits, health improvement, health tips, hot showers, skin health 0

I have enjoyed taking hot showers ever since I was a kid. Maybe it was the cold NY winters, but then again, even in the blazing hot summertime I would still prefer long hot showers. Something about the hot water made me relax and I could stay in the water until my fingers looked like prunes. Even after I moved to sunny Florida in 2009, hot showers were still part of my daily routine. Little did I know that there are actually some amazing benefits to taking cold showers.

Marcelo Oleas - cold shower benefits Just to be clear, I believe that both hot and cold showers have their time and place, but maybe just be a little more conscious of certain factors. For example, did you know that showering with hot water for too long can dry your skin and hair? True story; it happened to me. For years I had dealt with excessive dry skin and redness, especially in the spots where the hot water hit me the most (my head, shoulders, and back). Also be aware that if you suffer from conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis, or eczema, long hot showers are something you definitely want to avoid because they will make your symptoms worse.

So after decades of hot showers I decided to change things up and give cold a try!

At first, just the thought of a cold shower made me shiver. I kept telling myself to just jump in and do it, but lifelong habits are hard to break. So I started out with dropping the water temperature just a bit and then completely killing the hot water towards the end of the shower. It was a bit shocking at first, but surprisingly it wasn’t as bad as I thought. After a few days of doing this half warm half cold shower, I was ready to go full blown cold and I haven’t looked back since.

Benefits of taking cold showers:

1. Mental health improvement

Cold showers activate our nervous system and enhance our neurological performance to help boost our alertness and focus. Studies have also shown that cold showers increase our production of beta-endorphins and noradrenaline which aide in reducing feelings of depression (and with no risk of side effects).

2. Immune system improvement

Studies have shown that cold showers help to increase our disease-fighting white blood cells.

3. Muscle recovery

I’m sure you have seen athletes soak in tubs of ice water after their games or major workouts. There’s a method to their madness. Cold water helps to speed up the recovery time of our sore muscles.

4. Healthier skin and hair

Cold showers help to hydrate our skin and hair. Unlike hot water that washes off our natural oils, cold water keeps our skin and hair oils healthy. Cold water also helps to increase the grip of our hair follicles to our scalp so that more of it remains on our head instead of down the drain.

5. Weight loss

Cold showers activate our brown fat (which our body uses to produce heat). The increase in brown fat results in our bodies burning more calories to try to keep warm.

6. Improved circulation

Cold showers improve our cardiovascular health by rushing blood to our organs to keep them warm. This increase in natural blood circulation helps to make our circulatory system more efficient.

I have now been taking full cold showers for almost a year and the benefits have been incredible. I definitely recommend them. Even if you just do the half warm/ half cold showers, you will be glad you did.

September 27 2018

Smile More – It’s Good For You – Literally

Marcelo Oleas Health dopamine, endorphins, health, health benefits, health improvement, healthy, laugh, seratonin, smile, smiling 0

Marcelo Oleas smiling

With age comes more responsibility, and with more responsibility sometimes comes more stress. We often get soo caught up in our daily hustle that we forget the very simple things in life; such as the power of our smile. Our smile does not only help us look good, but it also has been well documented to have numerous health benefits. If it is something that takes us no time and does not cost us anything, why are we not doing it more often? Maybe after you read some of these amazing benefits, you will be more eager to put that beautiful smile more on your face!

1. Reducing Stress

Smiling releases tiny signaling molecules in our brain called neuropeptides. The specific neurotransmitters that are affected when we smile are endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. Whether it is a real smile or a fake smile, our brain does not know how to differentiate the two. Our brain only knows that when certain muscles in our face move in a specific manner, it has to release these chemicals (known as facial feedback hypothesis). So in those moments of stress, put a smile on your face (even if you have to force it) and let those endorphins do their job of lowering your stress hormone called cortisol.

2. Improve Relationships

No one wants to be around people who are always angry or sad, right? Having a positive attitude and a nice big smile on your face not only makes you more approachable to new people, but also helps to strengthen your existing relationships. A study done by the University of Pittsburgh even found that people with bigger smiles were viewed as being more trustworthy.

3. Pain Relief

Have you noticed that when you have had to stay home from work due to an injury or illness and you happen to watch something funny on TV your pain and discomfort is reduced? There actually is some science behind this. The Mayo Clinic even claims that laughter acts as a natural painkiller. So if you are stuck at home recovering from an injury or illness, throw on a comedy to help speed up your recovery!

4. Healthier Brain

According to author Shawn Achor, we help our brain create happiness loops every time we smile. Let’s make smiling part of our every day life and the more happiness loops our brain creates, the more positive-thinking patterns it generates!