Living in Optimal Wellness
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
It is impossible for any individual to boast of achieving a state of total wellness; however, most people strive to achieve it. Today, we are blessed to be joined by not one, but two wellness practitioners and fellow women founders and entrepreneurs, Dr. Elmira Francinelli and Noa Gluzman Kaufman. They met Christiana and Cherrie through the ELLA program, a program funded by the Government of Canada to help bridge the gap between female and male entrepreneurs.
Dr. Elmira and Noa are the co-founders of the Fracinelli Gluzman Integrative Medicine. Noa Gluzman is a registered massage therapist. She has a BA in Humanities from Tel Aviv University and a diploma in Holistic Health for Complementary Medicine. Gluzman has additional training in aromatherapy, reiki, reflexology, and Bach flower remedies. Dr. Elmira has almost 15 years of experience in clinical practice and empowers her patients to overcome their health concerns using natural medicine. Dr. Elmira uses a variety of ways to treat her patients using IV vitamin therapy, and also has training in cosmetic acupuncture, bio-identical hormones, and Bowen therapy.
Francinelli and Gluzman were working under the same roof in a different clinic, running their own practice. In realizing their passion, they decided to create a place where people could come and generally find helpful answers to their health-related problems, whether mental, physical, or emotional. This is the foundation or the fundamentals of holistic health. We know that they are experts in this area, and we are really excited for them to share with us some of the overall health strategies that we can apply to our daily living.
One day Noa realized she was stuffing her son with a never-ending amount of antibiotics because he had ear issues. She then met a lady and she said to her, "You know what, try lavender oil. Take just pure lavender oil, rub it around his nose, make sure that his nose is dry, and there are no fluids that go directly to the ear and it will help get rid of the infections". The day she tried it was the day there were no more antibiotics in her life. Noa realized that natural medicine can be applied to our everyday lives and help make things simple.
A lot of people get overwhelmed because the umbrella of wellness is so vast, right? Dr. Elmira and Noa take us through baby steps that will help us achieve optimal wellness.
Noa and Dr. Elmira agree on one thing and recommend it to their patients: starting with water. The right amount of water for your body will make a big difference in how you feel. One of the main reasons they emphasize this is because, in order to have effective bowel movements and for our detoxification pathways to work properly, we need to be hydrated. Water is important for our skin health, lubricating joints and keeping muscles healthy, and also for kidney function.
Water plays a role in anti-aging as well. As we age, the urge to drink water diminishes. So how do you encourage your patients that are older to remember to drink and drink enough? Francinelli and Gluzman encourage their patients to drink more lemon and berry-infused water to keep things interesting! If you are someone that does not like the tasteless taste of water, this might encourage you to drink more.
To find out how much water you should be drinking a day, take your body weight and divide it by two. On a day when it's 40 degrees outside, you should be drinking a little bit more than that. There is no doubt that most people do not drink enough water, but we need to make an effort to do so in order to feel better and achieve optimal wellness.
Let's talk about digestion. Why is digestion so integral to our health and how can we enhance our digestion? The saying you are what you eat really is true. There is a large percentage of our immune system that's actually in our gut. Studies vary, but between 70 and 80% is what is known. When we are eating well and our gut is working properly, our immune system will be more balanced. We can say that eating well also helps us achieve a balanced immune system, which is very important during these unprecedented times.
Another thing they see all the time is that proper digestion helps moods enhance. People are happier when they're eating better - we know that certain foods, especially refined sugar, suppress the immune system and increase sadness. There is a big connection between the gut and how we feel, so healthy eating is very important. Eating food that is good for your body also reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes!
But what does eating healthy look like?
Diet is very individualized. I'm sure you are all aware that there are a plethora of different dietary recommendations out there. For example, the latest trend is the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting. There is no one shoe that fits all. This is why we recommend visiting your own practitioner or family doctor to figure out what's best for you. One thing that's true across the board is that you ought to increase your green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and include protein in your meals. A lot of people eat very carbohydrate-dense meals, and the wrong carbohydrates, so that's a big problem.
There is no doubt that constipation is a serious condition, and people are unaware of how serious it is. People that suffer from constipation basically hold waste in their bodies. This waste is traveling in the body, they will suffer from joint issues, muscle cramps. As much as it is important to watch what we eat and drink, we have to also be aware of how waste affects us. It is remarkable that we have the capability of putting less waste into our bodies. When we eat nutrious foods we can make less room for the bad stuff in our system. If you're eating 20% “bad” and 80% good food, I think you're on your way. That's a huge step, right?
The ultimate goal is everything in moderation. Don't rush through your meals. How many of us eat our meals in five minutes in between the work day? We really should be eating in a relaxed atmosphere to optimize digestion. The other thing is we should be eating every two to three hours. So, five to six small meals or snacks a day is the best way to go. It's also important to remember to eat until you're 80% full.
Now, if people we have people drinking water and helping their digestion by eating well, the next logical step would be exercise. Research will show that exercise in the morning is the best as it will balance the hormonal levels in the body and people that are trying to lose weight will lose more weight if they exercise in the morning. Like many other things, exercise will be personal to each person. Exercise can help keep you more energized, have a clear mind, focus and over all in a better mood. Exercise affects all levels of mental, emotional and physical force - which is why it is important to living in optimal wellness.
Lastly, let’s talk about sleep. As you may know, optimum sleep for adults is six to eight hours. It would be wonderful for everyone to get eight hours of sleep, but again, believe it or not, adequate sleep is individualized. What is important is that you are falling asleep well, and sleeping through the night and going into a deep sleep - which is not the case for everyone. During sleep, our body repairs itself, our hormones balance, and it is very important for anti-aging or for people who are trying to lose weight. Try setting a goal for yourself, whether it be six, seven or eight hours of sleep and try to stick to it! It is also a great habit to journal, do yoga or stretch prior to bed to unwind and reduce your stress levels.
It might seem impossible to live in optimal wellness, but it is possible. Always speak to your healthcare practitioner for advice to best suit your needs and remember that optimal wellness is individualized. The most important thing is that there are no set rules to living in optimal wellness. Whether it is through your water intake, digestion or sleep schedule, you can incorporate optimal wellness into your life. Be consistent in doing what suits you as it will lead you to optimal wellness!
Listen to the full Forever Young podcast episode with Dr. Elmira Francinelli and Noa Gluzman Kaufman below:
The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
