Introducing: Intelligence For Your Health with Connie Sellecca

Our newest podcast is Intelligence For Your Health. Weekly, actionable, health information to help you live your healthiest life. This is episode 1. You can find more episodes here:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4IhFtf2nZ4HxiylNlV7kV8?si=65fd8aee56724780
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intelligence-for-your-health-with-connie-sellecca/id1792482085

Our premier episode highlights:

The mental health benefits of being in nature. 

Cool your pasta and rice to convert carbs to resistant starch, improving health. 

Fidgeting can add years to life and burn 350 calories daily. 

Sleeping separately may lower relationship satisfaction and increase depression in relationships. 

Exercise is crucial for mental health, especially in children. 

Eat Blackberries to make skin look up to five years younger. 

And more ways you can improve your health today.

For more information, and to sign up for our private coaching, visit tesh.com

Our Hosts:
John Tesh: Instagram: @johntesh_ifyl facebook.com/JohnTesh
Gib Gerard: Instagram: @GibGerard facebook.com/GibGerard X: @GibGerard

Transcript

Unknown: 0:00

What you see outside can change how you feel inside. That's according to a study from Stanford University, and it means that being in a beautiful setting like a park or even seeing a great view out your window can reduce negative thinking and self criticism. In studies, when people walked in green settings with trees and hills, they had reduced activity in the part of the brain associated with negative thoughts and rumination. So the next time you're beating yourself up about something head for the hills, or at least a local park, you'll get some mental perspective and feel more positive. What could be better than eating a comforting bowl of mac and cheese? Well, it may be better to eat that mac and cheese as leftovers after it's been cooled in the fridge overnight, because when you cook and then cool any dish containing pasta or white rice, it turns those carbohydrates into resistant starch, and instead of behaving like carbs and spiking your blood Sugar, they behave like fiber and improve your health. That's according to Dr Mindy Patterson, a professor of Food Science at Texas Women's University. She says the process of cooling hot starchy foods is proven to change their molecular structure, making them much harder for your gut to break down and digest. The result after pasta and rice become resistant starch, they hang out in the gut much longer and attract more beneficial microbes, which have been linked to stabilizing our blood sugar, lowering inflammation and reducing our risk for heart disease, obesity and type two diabetes. There's even some evidence that consuming more resistant starches can help lower our risk for colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Bottom line, if you want to make any pasta or rice dish healthier, let it cool and eat it as leftovers Coming up, we'll talk to sports psychologist and to orthopedic surgeon, Dr Daniel O'Neill. He'll share some facts about running and how much damage it's really doing to your knees, hips and back. But first, are you a fidgeter? Good news, you may live longer. The Mayo Clinic finds that people who drum their fingers, tap their feet or swing their leg while sitting, add years to their lives. It's because small movements counteract the effects of sitting for too long. And there's a bonus, fidgeting can help you burn up to 350 more calories per day. So if you've never been a fidgety type and you start, you can lose almost three pounds in a month without changing anything else. According to the National Sleep Foundation, one in four married couples now sleep in separate beds. But there's a new wrinkle in the debate over whether that's a good idea or not. Growing data suggests sleeping separately may not be great for your relationship. New research from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona finds that sleeping separately is associated with higher depression scores lower social support, and worse life and relationship satisfaction. That's because sharing a bed with your significant other is a source of emotional and physical support. It makes us feel safer and more secure. And this new study found if you take your partner support away by sleeping in a separate bed, that's associated with lower relationship satisfaction and a greater risk for depression, and as long as your partner isn't interfering with your sleep because they don't snore like a buzz saw, for example, sleeping in the same bed does have health benefits. The study found it reduces the severity of insomnia and improves overall sleep quality. It's why researchers recommend having a serious talk with your partner about the pros and cons of sleeping separately to help you decide what's more important or more at risk your physical health or the health of your relationship. Okay, listen to this. You may not be allergic to all dogs, just male dogs. Dr Lakia Wright, an allergist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, says one in three people who are allergic to dogs are actually sensitive to a specific protein found in male dogs. There's even an FDA approved blood test that can identify that allergy, and if you're sensitive to only that specific protein, you'll probably be fine around females or neutered males. That's because allergic reactions aren't caused by an animal's fur. They're caused by proteins in their urine, saliva and dander, which means a visit to an allergist and a confirming blood test could mean you might be able to have a dog after all, today, our guest is Dr Daniel O'Neill. He's a sports psychologist and orthopedic surgeon who has spent more than 30 years encouraging his patients to prioritize fitness in their lives, but there's scientific evidence that exercise has. Mental health benefits too. So I asked Dr O'Neill to tell us what a workout does for our brain. So Connie I wrote an article years ago called something about exercise being the the fountain of youth. And that really is true. Exercise is absolutely important for your physical health, but it's also vital for your mental health. I talk about the body mind connection. We need to have a fit body to stimulate our brain, and that's what it does. So we know the kids that have an exercise period early in the day. So if you have a gym class at second or third period, fourth and fifth period with math and science, you do much better, because pain has been woken up. It's very clear. The data is irrefutable. The same with Alzheimer's disease. For our older folks, what's the one thing that absolutely has been shown to not only guard against Alzheimer's, but help it? It's exercise. It's not sudokus, it's not crossword puzzles, it's exercise. The body stimulates the brain. You know, these are just all these electrical and chemical connections, and that's what happens when you exercise, you start getting all of these, these things moving, and it's absolutely vital for your kids. So there's, there's just the data is there. And I would encourage your parents, if their children are not getting physical education class on any regular basis and regular basis should be absolutely every day in addition to recess, they're getting they're getting a short trip. They're not getting what they should be getting from their educational experience. Today, we're talking to board certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr Daniel O'Neill, and according to the CDC, we should all be getting about 30 minutes of physical activity every day that can be accomplished by jogging just two miles. But there's a lot of conflicting information out there about whether running is safe for our joints or a sure fire way to cause damage to our knees, hips and back. So I asked Dr O'Neill to set the record straight. Connie, that's a great question, because there's so much controversy about it. But let me end the controversy right here. Running is not bad for your knees, it's not bad for your hip, it's not bad for your back, it's not bad for your body and and what I have changed even in my clinical practice in the past years, is my patients with art, you know, with truly arthritic knees and arthritic hips and ankles, is that we talk about, you know, maybe getting up to say 12 miles a week and capping it at that. So for sure, we're not talking about ultra marathons, or even marathons. But if you are a person who loves to run and you have some arthritis, you can you can run if you do something and you have pain and swelling the next day, then maybe you overdid it. And so maybe you might have to change your program a little bit and work up to that or or or put a cap a little bit lower, but, but running is is not bad for your joints, just the opposite, or cartilage needs a little stimulation to keep itself healthy. And again, even with these arthritic knees, most people can tolerate a little bit of running on them again, as long as this is something that you enjoy and and you're not getting those issues on the days after your run for healthier, younger looking skin, eat blackberries. Researchers at Tufts University say that blackberries are the top natural source of plant pigments called anthocyanins, which help repair sun damaged skin, they also stimulate the growth of collagen that keeps skin smooth and firm, and their research shows that people who eat a cup of blackberries a day look up to five years younger than those who never touch blackberries. Today's medical term dysthymia, it's a mild form or persistent depressive disorder or PDD, which is defined as chronic depression that lasts for at least two years. And according to the American Psychological Association, it's a condition that's been on the rise in recent years and now impacts an estimated one in 50 adults. What makes PDD or dysthymia different from traditional forms of depression. Well, according to psychologist Dr Marnie Schoenbach, normally people who are clinically depressed are knocked out most days. They don't want to work, eat or even get out of bed, basically, they don't function. But with PDD, you can continue to be highly functioning as you go about life, even as you experience sadness, hopelessness, numbness or a meh feeling that just won't go away. Dr Schomburg says PDD is often the result of many smaller stresses building up over time, like a breakup, seeing all the bad news. On TV and lingering worries from the pandemic, but the good news is that depressive symptoms can be treated with therapy and medication. That's why mental health experts recommend seeking help if you experience sadness or hopelessness that lasts for more than two months, especially if you find your mood is interfering with your life in some way, including disrupting your appetite, sleep and energy, and that's today's medical term dysthymia coming up. We'll hear more from sports psychologist Dr Daniel O'Neill, author of the book survival of the fit. He'll break down which fitness goals we should be prioritizing and which ones we should skip. But first, have you ever noticed that when you have a cold, your nostrils alternate being stuffed up. It's basically because our nostrils split their workload throughout the day, we have nasal cycles, and our nostrils take turns processing congestion and decongestion, and at any given moment, if you're breathing through your nose, most of the air is going in and out of one nostril every few hours, things switch up and your other nostril takes over. Our nasal cycle is going on all the time, but when we're sick, the extra mucus can make the nostril that's on a break, feel much more stuffed up. The latest video trend is quiet cooking videos. They're being called Xanax for your senses, and they're just what they sound like, people preparing food silently, no verbal instructions are given. Instead, quiet cooking videos stimulate an ASMR response, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, that's a combination of sounds and visuals that give people a pleasant, relaxing, tingly sensation, because all you hear is the chopping, sizzling and stirring. Sometimes they're set outdoors. So you also hear wind, birds or other nature sounds, and you see lakes trees and a crackling camp fire. Dr David klemansky is a psychiatry professor at Yale University, and he says because anxiety can present itself both emotionally and physically, watching or listening to ASMR can help lower your heart rate and reduce agitation and quiet cooking videos can help. If you want to check these out, Google, quiet cooking videos, silent cooking videos, or silent chefs. Okay, listen to this. Most of us think that salty food makes us thirsty. It does for a short time, but in the long run, it makes us less thirsty and more hungry. That's according to Vanderbilt University. In fact, within 24 hours of eating a high salt meal, our thirst drops drastically, because the sodium triggers production of urea, which increases water retention. The result study participants on a high salt diet, drank less water and complained about being hungry more often. That's because the body uses a lot of energy to produce urea, which then makes us crave extra calories to compensate back with more health intelligence from sports psychologist and orthopedic surgeon, Dr Daniel O'Neill, his latest book is called survival of the fit. And I asked Dr O'Neill what he recommends when it comes to setting fitness goals. Connie the biggest thing. And I know everybody's heard this before, but it still applies. You have to have realistic goals. And I talk about actually goal setting in my first book, knee surgery, but that that idea of them being realistic. But the other thing I like to have is somebody is quantifying your goals. So how can I now make exercise or fitness a part of my life? So I like people to sit down on Sunday and say, Okay, what does my week look like? What does my work week look like? What obligations do I have for my family? What What is the weather looking like. And then how can we fit in exercise throughout that week? And then that's on your schedule that's not to be tampered with, that is just as important as a as a business meeting or or a school concert or anything like that. And, and, of course, you're going to start out small and start out with something a doable, you know, time that you can spend, you know, don't block off two hours a day when a you can make two hours a day and be you know, that can be exhausting. Back with more health intelligence from sports psychologist Dr Daniel O'Neill. He was just saying that if you're setting any new fitness goals, the key is to be realistic and set goals that you can make a consistent part of your life every day. And did you notice what Dr O'Neill did not mention in any of his guidelines for setting goals? He did not say anything about trying to lose weight Yeah. Forget about weight loss. Don't worry about weight loss. You can think about. Building muscle, about building flexibility, about, you know, just generally getting fit. The weight loss will come or the fat loss will come in. The muscle building will come and and that's your goal. But your goal is to feel good, to sleep better, to move better. And that's, that's what fitness is all about, and the weight is just not important. But if you do have extra weight, once your body starts consistently exercising, you start to burn those calories. The weight loss is going to come, but that's not your goal. That's not on your list. Forget that. Get that consistent exercise on the schedule. You know, at least five or six days a week, and then every all the other good stuff follows. Here's a way to boost your willpower from the journal Personality and Social Psychology. When you achieve something, tell yourself I did it, or I've got this, or, wow, I am on a roll. Psychologist Dr krishnani says it may feel forced at first, but when we think of willpower as energizing instead of draining, we're better able to keep the momentum going. It reinforces the idea that one act of willpower feeds into the next, and a study found that people who felt motivated by using their willpower had more continuous self control, more intelligence for your health, from sports psychologist Dr Daniel O'Neill, if you'd like to know more about him, or his new book, survival of the fit, check out. Survival of the fit.net. And over the past 30 years, Dr O'Neill has been encouraging his patients to prioritize fitness as a way of being healthier and happier. And he says that's especially true when we exercise with others in a group. If you are lucky enough to have some fun people in your town, getting together with them is brilliant. So and you can, you know, figure out why. Number one, we're social animals. Human beings like to hang out with other human beings in on the in most cases, number two, for sure, there's an element of competition. And that's, that's great. You know, I ride with a bike club on Wednesday nights and in the summertime, and I'm the oldest guy there, and I get frustrated, you know, trying to keep up with these young kids. And it's good for me, though, it really pushes me a bit. And of course, just that, having to show up, you know, hey, where? Where's O'Neill? Is he coming tonight? And so having a group that, you know, is waiting for you, or something that also gives you that stimulation? I'm like, Well, you know, Wednesday night is my bike night in the summer, and that's where I'm going to be. And so it holds you accountable, but in a really good way. And so, yeah, so having other people around is, is brilliant. And and then you can, you know, complain to your buddies at the exercise class of that about your aches and pains, but as you know, it just makes it really fun. One in every three adults has high blood pressure, and nearly 20% don't know they have it. That's according to the American Heart Association, and that's a lot of people. So here's an easy way to lower your blood pressure. Stretch. Do it every day for 30 minutes. The Journal of Physical Activity and Health says a daily 30 minute stretching routine works better at lowering blood pressure than a daily 30 minute walking routine. That's because stretching actually changes the structure of blood vessels, which allows for better blood flow. If you don't know where to start with a stretching routine, try one of these free apps, stretch and flexibility at home for iPhone, or stretch exercise flexibility for Android. If you don't remember those, just email me and I'll send you some links, Connie at intelligence for your health.com. Here's an email I received at Connie at intelligence for your health.com. It comes from Lisa Rhodes, who writes, I've been trying to eat more salads, but by the time I get to the end of the week, my lettuce is slimy and turning colors. Is it still safe to eat? Lisa? If the only change you notice in your lettuce after a few days is some discoloration and a little sliminess in spots is likely still safe. According to food safety expert Katie Sabatini, that reddish pink discoloration is known as rusting, and it's actually part of a defense mechanism some plants use to prevent the growth of mold and fungi and more rusting is often a sign of more polyphenols in your salad, which could provide some extra health benefits, but Sabatini says you should still trim away any parts of the lettuce that are not crisp and firm and toss anything that's excessively soggy or has an odor, because those are signs the leaves have spoiled and excess moist. Gerard raises the risk for attracting harmful bacteria, including E coli, salmonella and listeria, which can cause everything from stomach cramps and nausea to vomiting and diarrhea to fever and worse. Bottom line, if most of your salad is still crisp, it should be safe to eat, but if something smells off or it's all gone slimy. Definitely toss it thank you for your email. Lisa, I hope this helps. Okay, listen to this. If you love going to concerts and seeing live music, you are in luck, because Australia's Deacon University has found that people who regularly attend concerts feel happier about their lives overall. In the study, those who attended any sort of communal musical experience, whether that was a big festival or a John Tesh concert, reported higher levels of satisfaction with their lives. And it wasn't the music on its own that made the difference. The communal aspect played a big part, because it makes you feel like you're part of a like minded group, and that increases feelings of belonging and well being. Do you ever have so many negative thoughts and emotions running through your head that you can't get anything done? That's because trying to suppress negative thoughts can make you dwell on them even more. It's what psychologists call the white bear problem. It's a concept from the Russian novelist Dostoyevsky. He famously suggested that if you try not to think of a white polar bear, all you can think about is that white polar bear, meaning when you try not to think negative thoughts, that's all you can do. So when negative thoughts are running rampant, Justin Baris, an expert on emotional intelligence, has this suggestion, instantly replace whatever white bear thoughts you're having with a positive one, or what he calls a Blue Dolphin. Think of a dolphin popping up above the water over and over. For example, if you're thinking, I'm swamped, there's no way I can do all of this, replace that with let me prioritize and work through this thing one at a time. Also swap thoughts like I'm so nervous with I'm so excited, and switch the I'm a failure to, what can I learn from this emotional intelligence expert barrisso says that by replacing your negative white bear thoughts with positive, Blue Dolphins. You'll break the cycle of negative thinking, by the way, this is right there in the Bible, Romans, 12 to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, more intelligence for your health. From sports psychologist, Dr Daniel O'Neill, his latest book is called survival of the fit, and it's a response to what he calls an inactivity pandemic in North America, where a whopping 90% of kids do not get the recommended amount of exercise needed to stay healthy. Dr O'Neill says that's mainly because today's kids are addicted to smartphones, video games and TV. So I asked him what he recommends to encourage kids to be more active. No two year old is inactive. No two year old is hanging around and playing video games. They want to engage with the world. It's what I call physical identity. We are all born with this physical identity. So the cute answer, perhaps, is say, Don't let your kids become addicted. If your kids do become addicted, and we see the big change around the age of seven. So by seven years old, the big cohort of children are heading for the couch, and then the smaller cohort, you know, the 8020 if you will, the 20% are then staying active. So if you are sitting here right now with your kids that are not active, and they're 14 or 15 years old, this is a real, real problem, and it's going to take a lot of negotiation, but I think that it's, it's a, it's a negotiation worth having, and B, use you as part of it. Say, Okay, you know, what can we do as a family? Well, what can we explore? Can we go to these local historic sites or local parks, or bringing the dogs places? And, you know, saying, Okay, I know I'm part of the problem too. I'm not getting enough exercise. I may be working too hard. You're not getting enough exercise. Let's do something together and see if you can build that kind of teamwork as a family. But it is really, really tough to get your teenagers because they are truly addicted to these devices, and that negotiation is really substantial. Yeah.