Well, we're experiencing our first heat wave of the year here in Southern California, and I've been hearing about other parts of the country also- even San Francisco!

Which is ironic.

Sort of makes you wonder with that whole Mark Twain quote "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco..." Apparently it was hotter there last week than it was down here.

Well, this week all of a sudden started being extra brutal. For those of you who don't know- I coach my daughter's local 12U Allstar softball team, and yesterday we had 2 girls cry because of the heat and having to run in it. If the 2 girls weren't coaches' kids, I'd almost feel bad!

Well, that grueling practice we had last night reminded me that it's time to start making sure we are extra diligent about replacing our electrolytes. 

With all this heat, you lose a lot of essential nutrients in your sweat. You especially lose sodium, chloride, potassium, and magnesium, and it's important to replenish these before, after, and even DURING exercise. And even at certain points throughout the day if you're not exercising.

And no- I don't mean taking in one of those crummy sports drinks filled with sugars, artificial sweeteners, and who knows what else.

I've got a very simple recipe that takes about 2 minutes to make. And this will help keep your energy levels up and not feel that sense of exhaustion from the heat.

All you need to do is:

1) grab a mason jar (or any type of empty jar)

2) add 2.5-2 cups cold water

3) take half a lemon, cut it into slices, squeeze it into the jar and then add the lemon slices into it too

4) add 1/4 tsp of real sea salt or Himalayan salt (I really like realsalt.com in case you don't already have any)

5) I'll even add some magnesium from a supplement (email me at drv@healthybackandwellnessinstitute.com and I can recommend a good one for you)

6) add some ice, close up the jar, and shake it.

7) You can add raw honey if you want, but I prefer to leave out the extra sugar. If you're making it for kids, you may want to add this to sweeten it up for them.

That's it! I know there's 7 steps, but really there are like 3 steps. Super simple, and really good for you!

Let me know if you have any questions, or if you have your own electrolyte drink recipe you already make. I'd love to hear it!

Stay healthy,

Dr. V

It's that time of the year, and I know we're dealing with this here in Southern California more than any other year I can remember...

We've had such little sunshine here that the hillsides look like something out of a movie based in Ireland. It's so green, wildflowers are starting to bloom, and it's absolutely gorgeous outside on days where the sun actually peeks out!

We've had so much rain this year, and that's a good thing on certain levels. But I have definitely noticed a difference in my patients and their complaints about being more tired, carbohydrate cravings, weight gain, lack of energy, and just a feeling of increased depression.

Does this sound familiar? You may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs this time of year and then starts to dissipate in the Spring time. About 20% of Americans are affected by it each winter. 

What can you do about it if you think you're being affected by SAD?

One of the biggest things that can help is getting adequate sunlight exposure. While we never want to burn in the sun, this time of year in most clients it isn't as much of a factor, and going outside on sunny days is going to be great for your health. 

Perhaps the biggest benefit of sun exposure is being able to absorb natural Vitamin D. People affected by SAD have been shown to have low levels of Vitamin D. 

Get your Vitamin D levels checked if you think you are suffering from SAD. For optimal mental and physical health, you want your Vitamin D levels to be between 60 and 80 ng/mL. If you are in a climate where the sun simply doesn't come out, you'll really want to look to supplement with Vitamin D.

What else can you do?

You can pick up a special light box and do light therapy. You'll want to start this at the end of the summer and continue through the winter months. These units can be found affordably on Amazon, and you can perform light therapy on yourself during the day.

You'll want to get one that generates at least 10,000 Lux and emits white and blue light, not yellow or infrared. These can be highly effective if used in the morning. You just want to avoid using it later in the day so it doesn't disrupt your sleep schedule.

The other big factors to help combat SAD are getting adequate exercise, getting proper sleep, and making sure your diet is clean.

Physical exercise increases your seratonin levels and helps with your mood, getting 8 or more hours of sleep per night helps decrease depression, and eating more whole foods and getting less refined sugars also helps with your energy levels. 

In particular, you'll want to get extra Omega 3 oils to help with brain function and mental clarity, and try eating more fermented foods to improve your gut health to help with your mind, mood, and behavior.

That may seem like a lot, but this can certainly make a huge difference in your mood- and that will lead to increased energy and increased productivity throughout the day!

Stay healthy and vibrant, and I'll see you next time!

-Dr. V

It's that time of year again! And no, I'm not talking about starting a New Year's Resolution. I'm talking about STOPPING your New Year's Resolution!

You didn't already quit on yourself, did you? 

I really hope that you're still going strong on following through with your commitments to yourself!

So, if you're new here or don't know me all that well just yet, I'll let you know that I LOVE this time of year. I get FULLY rejuvenated over the holidays and get ready to start the year off strong. This year, I got lots of time off over the last couple weeks of the year, and I was really able to focus on my plans for the new year. 

I really feel like this year is going to be one of the best ones yet, and I'm very excited to see where it takes me. I've got some big plans, and hopefully those plans include lots of you joining me in a new life of longevity, vitality, and positivity!

So a couple weeks ago I made SEVERAL commitments to myself, and I'm going to share a couple of them here with you in an attempt to maybe get you to stay strong on your New Year's Resolutions or maybe decide to make a change that you weren't planning on making...

So, what did I resolve to do this year? Let me share with you 3 of those things:

1) I decided that to take care of my health, one of the things I MUST do is start a stretching routine and stick to it. My neck and back have been through a lot over the years, and while I do a good job of exercising on a regular basis, I just feel that I don't have the time to stretch after I work out or do my activities because I'm always rushing off.

So I've decided that I'm ABSOLUTELY going to stretch every day.

2) I am going to do more relaxing activities that calm my mind and help me deal with all the stress that comes with running a business, a career, a family with my wife and 4 kids.

It seems like the list goes on and on!

Perhaps you can relate...

And 3) And perhaps the one I'm most excited about- I've decided that at least once a month, I want to try something new with Deanne (my wife). It doesn't have to be anything super extravagant, not overwhelmingly fancy or time consuming. It just needs to be something new.

I've realized that new activities and spicing things up really is a fantastic recipe for feeling gratitude and accomplished. And it's a great way to get you to experience all the juice that life has to offer. It gets you out of the regular routine and helps you realize why life's worth living!

So, in an effort to actually kill THREE birds with one stone, I came up with an idea for what Deanne and I are going to do together this month...

We're going to take our very first hot yoga class together! I'm really excited. Not even sure what to expect with how hot the room will be, but I love the idea of stretching, relaxing, focused breathing, and spending quality time with Deanne!

And I'm pretty sure this is what I'll look like afterwards:

So, I encourage YOU to step outside your comfort zone, try something new, continue with your new year's resolutions, and if you haven't even made any new changes to improve yourself- it's not too late!

And if you haven't followed through with your commitments, my goodness- get back on track. You owe it to yourself!

Pick up a new hobby, start an exercise routine, be disciplined and come up with an exercise routine, or maybe join in a stretching routine with me! 

If you're looking to get started stretching, check out my past blog post "The 6 DONT'S of Stretching" here, and I'll catch up with you soon.

Stay healthy,

-Dr. V

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