Practice of Wellness

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November 2024

Practice of Wellness now on Substack

UofL email now blocks Mailchimp, the platform I have used for Practice of Wellness newsletters for years. Going forward, you can find posts on this Substack page. Please email me anytime with feedback at practice.of.wellness@gmail.com.

Here are your monthly wellness ideas:

Diminishers vs Illuminators

• David Brooks’ (The Road to Character, Social Animal, etc) released a new book called How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. The book is full of pearls on how to let go of our own egos and connect with people. I loved the passage on how we can serve as Diminishers vs Illuminators. Read the descriptions and think about how you want to interact with the people in your life. 

Diminishers make people feel small and unseen. They see other people as things to be used, not as persons to be befriended. They stereotype and ignore. They are so involved with themselves that other people are just not on their radar screen. Illuminators, on the other hand, have a persistent curiosity about other people. They have been trained or have trained themselves in the craft of understanding others. They know what to look for and how to ask the right questions at the right time. They shine the brightness of their care on people and make them feel bigger, deeper, respected, lit up.

Embrace Good Stress

• Dr. Rabalais recently interviewed me again on the Faculty Feed podcast, available on Spotify and iTunes. Here is the description: 

Discover the transformative power of stress in this enlightening episode featuring Dr. Martin Huecker from the University of Louisville’s Department of Emergency Medicine. As a full professor, Wellness Director, and board-certified expert in Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Huecker delves into the often-misunderstood concept of stress, highlighting how it can be a force for growth and resilience. Learn how to reframe stress for a healthier life, why rest is crucial for both body and mind, and actionable ways to embrace “good stress” in your daily routine. Tune in for insights that could reshape your approach to wellness!

Walk

• Solvitur ambulando is a Latin phrase which means ‘it is solved by walking,’ referring to an anecdotal, practical solution to a seemingly complex philosophical problem. It is often attributed to Saint Augustine in a refutation of Zeno’s paradoxes of motion.”

• Check out this recent post from Michael Easter on the power of walking, the single best mobility exercise. And see this Instagram post from Ben Yanes. Stand up right now and take a 5 minute walk.

Nuts

• The more days a week you consume nuts, the lower your cardiovascular mortality. Even though most nuts contain large amounts of fat, they always result in health benefits. From Gabe Mirkin’s website: Why Nuts Won’t Make You Fat:
Many studies have shown that the fat in nuts is absorbed very poorly (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan 2015;101(1):25-33). The fat in almonds is located inside the almond cells. Even after prolonged chewing, most of the almond cells remained intact and the fat was still inside the cells. Since fat is absorbed only after it is released from cells, most of the fat in almonds cannot be absorbed in the upper part of your intestinal tract. This explains why the calorie count of nuts is really lower than what you read on the label.

Carry heavy stuff

Check out the GoRuck.com sale on shoes, boots, backpacks, etc. Several items are discounted to 50% off. You can also just load up a regular backpack with some heavy books. 

Quotes

Of all the ways there are to lose a person, death is the kindest.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

The best life is the one in which the creative impulses play the largest part and the possessive impulses the smallest.

– Bertrand Russell

Daily Supplement

• Check out this page on practiceofwellness.com with thoughts on a daily supplement. Taking material for many places, I narrowed the list down to the most important nutrients that are often deficient in even a well-balanced diet, while also being very low risk for toxicity.

• I practice Lifestyle Medicine at Integrative Health Specialists (IHS). We worked with a company to create personalized supplements, and we now have a Practice of Wellness supplement: PW Daily.

• The PW Daily supplement is now split into a Core Formula and an Enhanced Healthspan. Check out the ingredients!

* JWellness is a peer-reviewed, open access journal that publishes original research and review articles in all areas of medical, physical and psychological wellness.  No profits / fees for authors or readers. 

This is the first journal of its kind. Check us out on Twitter @JofWellness

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