How to Set Goals

With the new year coming in I wanted to remind you all to make your SMART goals for the upcoming 2025 year! Smart goals are Specific, define what will be accomplished and the actions to be taken to accomplish the goal; Measurable, the numbers used with the goal, something quantifiable and collectable; Achievable, goals need to be realistic, if you have one big goal make sure to break it down into small goals to get to the big one; Relevant, make sure the goal is relevant to you; and Time bound, your goals should have a deadline to ensure you are staying on track. Take the time to write down your goals and post them somewhere that you can see them. Maybe post a note next to your computer screen with the goals. Writing goals down brings them to life and makes them real. It’s also a good reminder of what you are working on. Sharing goals sets the tone of accountability. A shared goal is a goal that comes with a commitment to work hard to achieve the goal. Make sure that you share goals with a supportive person who will encourage you to press on when things get hard. Check in and see how you’re doing toward your goal. If the goal is a monthly goal, you may want to have daily or weekly check-ins to see what progress has been made. This helps you redirect energy and change course if something you are doing isn’t working and you aren’t making progress. It’s better to see this sooner than later while you can still adapt with enough time to succeed. When you succeed, celebrate. But don’t think that you need to wait until the entire goal is achieved before you give yourself a pat on the back. If you find yourself making excellent progress during a check-in, celebrate that too. The little successes help you maintain the energy to work toward the bigger goal.

The Ultimate Guide to S.M.A.R.T. Goals – Forbes Advisor

Your GI Tract and Muscles

The lining of the small intestine is a major barrier tissue whose function is directly supported by the integrity of its structure. The gastrointestinal mucosa forms a barrier between the body and the lumen of the intestines. The role of this barrier is to selectively allow the passage of nutrients and other small molecules across the epithelium of the intestine, while blocking larger, harmful molecules. Disruptions to this barrier can lead to possible autoimmune disease, food allergies, mood disorders, and other conditions. Disruption to the intestinal epithelial barrier, namely increased permeability, leads to overall gut dysfunction and subsequent GI-related diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, and leaky gut syndrome. Factors that affect gut permeability include infection, inflammation, immune dysfunction, environmental toxins, medications, and the composition of the gut microbiota. Lipid and zinc deficiencies have also been shown to disrupt tight junctions, alter membrane permeability, and cause intestinal ulcers. The probiotic species Bifidobacterium longum has been shown to prevent damage to intestinal cells as well as increase the production of tight junction cell proteins, improving intestinal integrity. It has also been shown to successfully treat increased permeability in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Antioxidants have also been shown to help prevent oxidative damage to the intestine. These include vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, grape seed extract, milk thistle, and quercetin. Foods that can damage the gut include gluten, dairy, and sugar. Even in non-celiacs, gluten consumption may damage zonulin production, which is a protein that is crucial in tight junctions, increasing permeability to unwanted molecules (we call this non-celiac gluten sensitivity). Dairy can be inflammatory for a lot of people, so it is best to avoid it when trying to prevent damage to the gut. Too much sugar in the diet feeds the bad bacteria in the gut, causing an overgrowth of bacteria and degradation of gut permeability. Nutrients that can provide some treatment to the intestine once it is compromised include L-glutamine, which is the primary amino acid source for intestinal cells and regulates intercellular junction integrity, and N-acetylglucosamine (NAG), which is a substrate for the glycosaminoglycans that are normally broken down in a leaky gut. A leaky gut diet should consist of bone broth, steamed vegetables, fermented foods, and healthy fats. Bone broth contains NAG, as well as collagen and glutamine, which are both elements that make up the gut, while steamed vegetables and healthy fats help provide essential nutrients, like L-glutamine, that keep the gut working properly. Fermented foods contain necessary probiotics, which keeps the microbiota in the gut healthy. Consuming a balanced diet and maintaining a regular exercise routine can aid in healthy and efficient regeneration of musculoskeletal cells as well as maintain current bone density, joint flexibility, and muscle strength. Resistance training of large muscle groups (biceps, triceps, chest, upper back, thighs, and abdominal wall) to fatigue with sets of 8–12 repetitions should be done two to three times a week. Also, consuming 25–30g of protein containing at least 2.5 g of leucine (a branched chain amino acid) can augment muscle building from resistance training and can slow age-related sarcopenia. It is also important for an individual to consume high quality protein on a daily basis of approximately 1g per kilogram of lean body mass.

Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy by: Diane Noland, Jeanne A. Drisko, Leigh Wagner

Your Brain

 The key to proper function of the brain comes down to the integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), as well as the integrity of axons, neurons, and mitochondrial membranes. The blood–brain barrier has the important function of letting nutrients and certain small molecules into the brain tissue while allowing waste to be eliminated. In addition, the composition of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is important to consider along with its relationship with the glymphatic circulatory system (GCS) function of bathing the brain tissue with CSF four times daily. The glymphatic circulatory system has been more recently understood as separate from the body’s lymphatic system. If damage to the membranes of these neurons occurs to any extent, the entire cell will be absolutely compromised in its ability to complete its purpose in electrical signaling. The vagus nerve is the largest nerve network in the body impacting multiple systems including immune, gastrointestinal function, and others. Increased permeability of the BBB is synergistically worsened by increased small intestinal permeability for a number of reasons. Excessive permeability in the small intestine can be a sign of leakage of bacterial endotoxin, as well as food allergens, into the brain, leading to more damage to brain tissue. The brain is 60% fat, so it makes sense that consuming adequate fat intake in the diet helps nourish the cells of the brain. It is also important to restore the BBB in order to prevent brain autoimmunity, brain damage from free radicals, neuro-inflammatory molecules, neurotoxins, and electromagnetic fields. Nutritional support for the BBB includes optimizing fatty acids and phospholipid dietary and supplemental intake, increasing lipid protectors like fat soluble vitamins and CoQ10, and increasing polyphenols found in blueberries, especially wild blueberries, in order to decrease oxidative damage. Sulforaphane can activate the brain’s own anti-inflammatory and antioxidant systems. Sulforaphane supplements may not be very effective. Glucoraphanin is the stored form of sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables. In order to yield usable sulforaphane, glucoraphanin requires the enzyme myrosinase for it to be converted into sulforaphane. Cooking cruciferous vegetables destroys the myrosinase enzyme, thus very little sulforaphane can be obtained from steamed or fried cruciferous vegetables. It is important when eating raw cruciferous vegetables to have a healthy gut microbiome in order to enable some myrosinase activity. The best sources of glucoraphanin include broccoli sprouts and raw broccoli. When considering maintenance or improvement in neuroplasticity, one must consider increasing the levels of various trophic factors, such as nerve growth factor, neurotrophin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Increasing levels of BDNF may lead to axonal and dendritic sprouting, nerve stem cell differentiation, and may enhance synaptogenesis. Aerobic exercise done in the training heart rate zone (220-age) 70–80% for 30–45 minutes can increase BDNF as well as prevent loss of genetic telomere length. Aerobic exercise can also activate NRF2 gene responses. These gene responses can decrease brain inflammation and oxidative stress, which can improve neuronal and mitochondrial membranes. EGCG green tea extract is also beneficial, either by drinking green tea or by taking 200–400 mg/day. Taurine is an amino acid that can improve brain structure through a number of mechanisms. It can protect the brain against osmotic changes, has a neurotrophic effect, can activate nerve stem cells, and can enhance neurite (axon or dendrite) growth. 

Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy by: Diane Noland, Jeanne A. Drisko, Leigh Wagner