this little nutrient packs a huge punch

the best workout you can do and how to achieve your goals

Happy Veterans Day Noosers 🇺🇸! Hope everyone is having a great long weekend and you’re enjoying this extra day to travel, rest or get ready for the week. We are getting into some nitty gritty’s in this Noosletter — if you’ve been curious about the nutrient we are almost all deficient in, read closely! Additionally, we are writing about the best workout you can do, as well as a strategy to achieve your goals. These Noosletters are meant provide education in broad strokes. If you’d like professional and personalized guidance on any of our topics, email us at noosworthy@gmail.com to join our client waitlist. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Here at Noos, we are all about elevating our awareness around our health. Learning about the health benefits of specific nutrients can motivate better food choices, naturally leading to improved well-being. So often we focus on all the things we shouldn’t be consuming; instead, let’s put our attention towards all the good stuff we should be eating! One of the nutrients at the top of the list is fiber.

After reading last week’s Noosletter, were you able to reflect on what types of foods generally make up your diet?

If I had to guess, I bet most of us are lacking in fiber. You are not alone if that’s the case. A 2017 analysis in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine concluded that 95% of adults and children don't consume the amount of fiber recommended for good health. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have even labeled fiber a “nutrient of concern” since 2005, due to the substantial gap between typical fiber intake and recommended levels. This lack of adequate fiber consumption is a public health issue, given the well-established health benefits of getting sufficient dietary fiber.

Eeek! Why aren’t we getting enough of fiber and what is so great about it anyway? The recommendations for daily fiber intake are about 14g of fiber per 1,000 calories. Ideally, we should be aiming for around 25-30g of fiber a day. Many of us think we may be getting enough, but in fact, we are averaging around 15g/fiber a day. Fiber is found in plant foods and is a type of carbohydrate that the human body cannot fully digest or absorb. Thus, it passes relatively intact through the digestive system.

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There are two main types of fiber:

Soluble fiber - This type of fiber dissolves in water. When it reaches the large intestine, soluble fiber is fermented by the gut's microbiome. This fermentation process produces short-chain fatty acids that serve as food for the good bacteria living in our gut. It is considered the primary "prebiotic" that nourishes the good bacteria in our gut.

Insoluble fiber - This fiber does not dissolve in water. It helps add bulk to stool and promotes regular bowel movements.

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Increasing your fiber intake has been shown to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer, lower your risk of developing Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (the two main types of IBD), help regulate blood sugar levels, and keep your hunger in check. One landmark review analyzed data from nearly 200 observational studies and dozens of clinical trials, involving over 135 million participants in total. It showed that diets higher in fiber were associated with a lower risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. Wow!

For every 8 gram increase in fiber intake per day, the researchers found:

• 5% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease

• 4% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease

• 4% lower risk of stroke

• 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes

• 5% lower risk of developing cancer

How does fiber work in our bodies? Fiber has several key mechanisms, but one of the most important is its role in gut microbiome support. It is the primary food source for the trillions of microbes that live in our gut (see soluble fiber above). These microbes play a critical role in so many aspects of good health. Having a diverse gut flora is associated with reduced inflammation and improved immune function. Another important role is blood sugar and insulin regulation: soluble fiber slows the absorption of sugars, helping to control blood glucose levels and insulin response. This can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. When soluble fiber binds to cholesterol in the digestive system, it helps eliminate it from the body. This can lead to reductions in LDL ("bad") cholesterol and improvements in overall cholesterol ratios.

Hopefully by the end of reading this you are excited to increase your consumption of fiber! So what does 25-30g of fiber look like in a day? I’ve made a little visual with some meal ideas. I am not talking about consuming just Fiber One cereal and an apple for every meal (although those are great sources!). We want variety within what we consume. If we eat the same sources of fiber it will only feed certain bacteria, and we want a diverse gut. Here is a comprehensive, printable list of food sources of dietary fiber.

this turkey chili is so good!

If a label reads “good” or “great” source of fiber, here are the classifications:

• Good source: 2.5 - 4.9 grams of fiber per serving

• Great source: 5 grams or more of fiber per serving

So let’s use this next week to draw awareness around our fiber intake. Record your intake and see how much you are getting. Go from there, make small additions to your meals. Try adding some beans or lentils to your taco, a tablespoon (5g) of chia seeds to your oatmeal, munch on a pear (5g), make some chili with a variety of pulses (dry peas, lentils, chickpeas and dry beans), or even add some black beans to your next batch of brownies 🤯😮.

Once again, if we can be more mindful of our choices in the present, knowing they will positively impact our future, won’t the payoff be worth it? Most definitely! So take some time to prioritize fiber! Health isn't about finding the one “best” food - it's about creating a varied plate that includes plenty of fiber-rich options. Small additions can add up to big benefits over time.

***If you’re going from a very low consumption of fiber to large amounts you may experience some GI discomfort. Take it slow and consult a Registered Dietitian for your specific needs. There are some cases where increased amounts of fiber are not recommended.

Movement

If you are on instagram or listening to podcasts, then you have probably heard by now all the optimizers and trainers touting “the best” workout for your age or demographic. If you are 35-55, you are likely seeing messages like “weight training is key,” “lift heavy,” “mix in HIIT,” “walk 10k steps,” and “add a weighted vest.” Even we at Noos have suggested certain workouts (we are trying them all, and seeing how they feel!). 

However, the BEST workout you can do is…the one you will do consistently.  Obviously we want to battle sarcopenia (muscle loss with age) and osteoporosis (bone density decline) and the best way to do that, according to current research, is with regular strength training (with weights!). However, if that’s not part of your repertoire right now, and you’re trying to figure out where to start, finding something you enjoy is a great first step.

Moving our bodies regularly is so important, not just for physical health, but for mental health as well.  Many of us, as mothers (or fathers, or any adult or caretaker, you name it!), are exhausted from keeping people alive and managing the day to day.  Laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, working, planning… that’s a lot to do! It can feel like one too many things to exercise, too.

However, at Noos we are trying to encourage our readers to prioritize themselves. Finding a way that you enjoy moving your body is one way to focus on yourself.  IF you enjoy what you are doing, you will be much more likely to continue and be consistent, and as we’ve mentioned before, consistency is the name of the game.

Sometimes it’s not what we are doing, but who you are doing it with. When you are trying to start a new movement goal, it might be helpful to bring a friend along (or sign up for a class together!). I would have ZERO chance running outside in the early morning hours last winter at 18 degrees, if Anne and I weren’t holding each other accountable.  I looked forward to our runs because I enjoyed them and felt great after — it was a double whammy: a great workout and a social outing.  Between the cold and a typically less than perfect night sleep (and a comfy bed tempting me to stay in) — I would have given into one of those excuses. But, knowing that Anne was counting on getting a workout out of the way, too, made me much more consistent.

Take some time now, in the “lull” between holidays (let’s be real, there hasn't been a lull or down week since…I’m not even sure when lol) to prioritize yourself and move your body in a way that feels good — that might take some experimenting!

Set a goal you can reach — don’t set the bar too high (going from zero workouts to 4 a week may lead to burnout or overwhelm and then quitting/feeling disappointed in yourself) — see behavior section for tips on how to set a goal! 

We talk a lot about “not regretting a workout.”  Find something you won’t regret doing, and see if the enjoyment factor leads to consistency. Your body will thank you. 

Behavior

We talked about getting enough fiber and finding consistent ways to exercise today. If now you’re thinking you’d like to add those to your routine, where should you start? Try making a SMART goal. SMART is an acronym that stands for SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, RELEVANT, and TIME-BOUND when referring to setting goals. Pretty clever, right? They transform vague intentions into clear, actionable plans.

If you’re like us (human!), how many times have you decided to make a change, but ended up bagging it because it was just too much, too soon/overwhelming? When you are trying to make a goal for yourself, and it’s too aggressive (“I’m going to start working out every morning before work” for example), or too broad (“I want to eat better”), you are at a higher risk to fail. Setbacks can feel discouraging when trying to make lasting changes. That's why SMART goals are so powerful – they break down big changes into achievable steps, setting you up for success.

When we succeed, we see/feel results. When we see results, we may feel more motivated. However, it takes some time to see results, and we need at least a few weeks/months/consistency to get into a rhythm. So, if you are trying to start a new behavior, consider trying a SMART goal.

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For example, instead of "I want to eat more fiber," a SMART goal would be: "I will increase my fiber intake by adding one serving of beans to my lunch three times per week for the next month, tracking my progress in a food diary.”

This example is:

• Specific: Adding beans to lunch

• Measurable: One serving, three times weekly

• Achievable: A realistic addition to meals

• Relevant: Directly relates to increasing fiber intake

• Time-bound: For the next month

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Our most successful clients and patients make SMART goals that are relevant to them — we can’t come up with goals for them. Just like how it’s hard to listen to someone telling you what to do — it’s hard to get attached to a goal that you didn’t come up with. As we have said in previous Noosletters, your WHY is the most important factor of your goal when determining if it will be successful. If you don’t have a strong enough why, it will be really hard to stick to your goal when you have pushback or friction as you try to change.

If you’re thinking about making a change, consider making a SMART goal. Let us know how it goes! As always, thank you for reading, if you enjoyed today’s Noosletter give us a ❤️ below or leave us a comment, we love hearing from you!

Until next time…