Health Geeks & Data Freaks, Autumn 2024
One for your nervous system
I'm back in your inbox , with another tasty listening sesh! This is the section you will find meaty scientific nourishment for hungry minds, outside the physical nourishment of Taking the Hell out of Healthy.
I care about my body and my mind. The thrill of them both feeling ace when I wake up, is really very special.
In my early 20's, I used to feel like I had woken up underneath a lawnmower. I learned the hard way that I simply cannot be a good human on a diet of convenience foods. It's just not possible. I deserve to feel amazing, and have learned just how easy it is to maintain.
It's not rocket science, and you already know the answer - eat lots more veg, honour your body by cooking from scratch, clock-in some fresh air and nature time, enjoy the exercise you choose, and dance like it's the last time you're allowed to use your limbs.
Our last Health Geek section focused on minding our brain through nutrition. It was revelatory. Just like our bones, what we do to our brain today impacts the wealth our brain economy at a later stage.
This time, I want to focus on how our thoughts make our reality. It's not only nutrition that makes our brain. It is our thoughts.
Our brain's neuroplasticity can absolutely work in our favour - let's hear from some top neuroscientists on how to keep training our brain to fire in a preferred direction. Each explains how we can better look after our central nervous system and our big beautiful brain. Together, they are our very own Central Processing Unit. Our brain informs our central nervous system. But so too the other way around.
You might like to tap into one recommendation per week, and knit any pertinent information into your own daily habits and behaviours. Or you might have the appetite to access them all!
If you only have time for one listen this week, make it the first recommendation. Pivoting negative thoughts is quite literally life-changing.
So let's look after our neural real estate!
Love and peas,
Susan Jane
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P.S. Looking for a Green Friday deal? How about giving the gift of health to loved ones or colleagues? Available until Monday.
If health is our wealth, let’s eat ourselves rich!
(1) The fundamental (and fascinating) molecular harm of stress
Dr Tracey Shors is a neuroscientist specialising on retraining the brain. Her research studies how the mind and body respond to stressful events that we can’t control – from election results, to wars raging across the world, from stressful jobs to adverse childhoods experiences. Some dissipate with time, while other long-term stressors can change the structure of our brains.
This is an important episode, covering the fundamental molecular harm of stress. Once we get to grips with the biological effect that stress poses on our health, we can more readily commit to changing our thought-process, our diet, and our sleep hygiene to better support ourselves. Taking the Hell out of Healthy will help you with diet. And Prof. Matthew Walker (see number 6 below) can help with sleep.
Remember, be good to your brain. You're the one who has to live with it!
(2) The physical consequences of thoughts on our body, our nerves and our lived reality
Building on Dr Shors episode above, here is MIT senior lecturer Dr Tara Swart giving us a fascinating insight into how the brain works, and how we can programme and prime it to help navigate our dreams, ambitions, or even stressful political times.
Dr Swart’s book “The Source” is often associated with the art of manifesting. As a neuroscientist and medical doctor, Swart prefers the phrase “intentionally directing” than manifesting. Here, she explains the tangible, objective, scientific reasons behind neuroplasticity. And the cognitive science behind the laws of attraction.
(3) Stress and inflammation
Stress causes inflammation and leads to a shortening of telomeres. We want to lengthen telomeres to lengthen lifespan (the data supports breath work, meditation, cold exposure, sauna ritual, good nutrition, regular cardiovascular exercise - no surprises here ).
We cannot eliminate stress, but we can manage stress. We can change our relationship with stress.
Ask yourself what you’re doing to manage yours?
Do you need to have that conversation with yourself, or do you already know what works and what doesn’t work for you? How can you do more of the former, and less of the latter?
Can we reframe how we see stress? And positively change our physiological reaction? That’s not invalidating the source of stress, but simply managing it differently.
This is an empowering listen with stress scientist, Dr Elissa Epel.
(4) My favourite meditation spot
English broadcaster, psychotherapist and mediation teacher, Alistair Appleton, offers exceptional content and support for our frayed nerves. I love his voice, his pace, and his love and affection for our brain health. I think you will too.
By now, you’ve learned that the brain and central nervous system are intricately linked. Meditation and breath work slow our central processing unit down. Deee-licious!
I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend signing up for Alistair’s bimonthly newsletter, with special meditation practices to calm the mind and with breathing techniques to quiet our bumbling brain.
Here is Alistair’s website and class schedule.
(5) Yoga and breathwork practice
Taking the hill out of chill! This is a gorgeous 40 minute yoga practice to try when your brain or body feels overwhelmed.
Lucybloom is my yoga teacher here in Dublin, and likes to focus on calming the central nervous system. I love her guidance, and think you will too.
(6) Sleep is food for the central nervous system
Listening to sleep expert and neuroscientist, Dr Matthew Walker, is like taking out an insurance policy for your brain. Except it's totally free!
Sleep feeds and fuels us. Good sleep is just as essential as nutrient-rich food. If your body and brain was an electric vehicle, think of sleep as the charger.
Below is, quite literally, a life-enhancing episode. Please send this podcast to loved ones, as we all have the power to change our sleep patterns and reset our body and brain health.
