The four pillars of health. I base my life for optimal long-term health on four pillars. I will do a deep dive into each pillar on this blog post.

Mat

Reduce inflammation and increase fat burning

My guideline when it comes to food is to reduce inflammation and increase fat burning. Our bodies have two energy systems; fat and sugar (glucose) and we want to be in the fat burning state most of the time. By eating in a certain way our bodies will need to use fat for fuel instead of sugar. But this can only happen if we reduce our carbohydrate intake. When we eat carbohydrates our blood sugar increases which is dangerous hence our bodies need to attend to the glucose coming in first. This is done by a hormone called insulin. Insulin is a fat storing hormone so as long as insulin is high then the door is locked to tapping into our own fat stores. So what we want to do is to eat a diet with more fat and protein and reduce the carbohydrates. Especially the fast ones (with high glycemic index) which spikes the blood sugar.

The number one rule

The number one rule when it comes to eating this way is to never combine fats and carbohydrates with a glycemic index of 40 or higher. Why? Well when we eat something which spikes our blood sugar then  insulin will increase. And this case, both glucose and fat will be coming into the cells. This increases your fat storage. This is the starting point for many of our western diseases which goes under the name of metabolic syndrome. Examples of diseases are abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. This in turn sets you for a greater risk of getting coronary heart disease, stroke and other conditions that affect the blood vessels.

Timing of your meals

The second thing I want to address is the importance of letting your body tap into its own fat stores in between meals. When we eat something, as much as a peanut, we stop the process of burning fat and instead our digestion takes over and start working on what we just ate. So, try to eat three meals a day and nothing more than that, if you start to wake up in the morning and not feel hungry then it is also OK to skip breakfast and fast till lunch.

If you aim to fast till lunch and chose to not eat anything. It is ok to drink things like coffee (no sweeteners or creamers), black tea, green tea, apple cider vinegar (diluted with water) and pure water of course.

What causes inflammation

I thought I would also share a little bit of what causes inflammation, this can be heaps of stuff and it depends on the individual, but there are some general things that can be good to know about and to modulate.

Refined carbohydrates

Any processed foods are bound to create inflammation in the body. This of course also goes for carbs. It is especially harmful with carbs since they elevate blood sugar and insulin levels with all the negative aspects that this brings.

Sugar

Consuming too much added sugar increases heart disease risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and of course inflammation.

Overcooked meats

Make sure to not char the meats, also fry your meats with tallow, ghee, avocado oil, or coconut oil.

Gluten

Gluten is the general term for a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale. All forms of wheat contain gluten, including durum, spelt, and farro. Many everyday food products have gluten, such as pasta, bread, and beer.

To read more about my thoughts around food please go hit..

Sömn

Many tasks that the body do not have time to attend to during the day, the body addresses during sleep.

Some examples what happens during sleep

I will give you some examples around what happens during sleep.

It allows cells to repair and regrow (muscle repair, protein synthesis, hormone release). A good night’s sleep helps with for example learning, memory, problem-solving, focus and concentration. Making sure you have a good sleep hygiene also assists in weight maintenance. Reason why is because you get a balance between the ghrelin hormone which is the hunger hormone and leptin which is a hormone that make sure that we do not overeat. Good sleep also helps you to remain insulin sensitive, this is a key aspect of health. A good insulin sensitivity minimizes the need for insulin which is a fat storing hormone. So sleep essentially has an impact on three different hormones connected to your metabolism. Sleep also ensures a healthy and strong immune system. This is due to that the body strengthens its abilities to fight infection and inflammation by creating proteins called cytokines.

How to improve sleep

I have found three cornerstones that helps me improve my sleep. First one is to make sure to get exposed to daylight, preferably the morning light but at least to make sure to get out during the day. Second is to make sure that I have finished my dinner in time for my digestion to finish. And the third one is to adhere to my sleeping routines. By sticking to my bedtime and wake up time (for the most part) I have found that my body truly thrives. Also when times are tough and strong winds are blowing, I get leverage from my sleep routines and still manage to get adequate sleep. In the past this would have affected me so much more for the worse and with that also my general well-being of course.

To read about my first year with the sleep monitoring ring Oura you can go hit..

Träning

I aim to do some type of training 5 – 7 days a week. Reason why I exercise is because we are meant to move our bodies. It has so many benefits for our health – and I think we all know that. But depending on my energy levels I will adjust the exercise so it can be everything from taking a walk, doing yoga, to resistance training and high intensity workouts.

To read more about the importance of building muscles go hit..

Stresshantering

I view stress as a bucket and when a new activity or incident happens in my life then I need to remove something that I am currently doing. Otherwise the bucket will overflow. The trick is to be observant about stress though because it tends to sneak up on you. If you find yourself with negative thoughts impairing your sleep for example. This is a stress that will build up in your body. If you are in a situation where the negative thoughts need to have some air space in your mind for a while. Then consider postponing or skipping some other activities in your life. This to make room for the other temporary stressor.

To read more about stress and how I navigate my bucket of stress you can go hit..