Tag Archives: neurotransmitters

Brain Fog..A Reversible Saboteur to Productivity

Delete Brain Fog …..Optimize Employee Engagement

Brain fog has a powerful hand in employee productivity

Brain fog can best be described as mental confusion – we just can’t focus, harness enough mental energy to push through and accomplish what we need to get done. We make comments of having a senior moment, that very tacky expression a “brain fart”, we’re stressed….yes as common as it is…..it doesn’t make it right. Besides being very frustrating, it can be another symptom of a state of oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

When we dissect our concerns  over employee productivity and employee engagement………..brain fog. 

Brain fog is yet another symptom of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress underlies all of our chronic diseases and major health concerns in our world, including heart disease,neurodegenerative disease,diabetes,  metabolic syndrome, depression, Alzheimer’s, anxiety……..and yes, oxidative stress is a major cause of cancer.

The trouble with many health programs is the emphasis on the superficial, the exterior – what we all immediately see. Yes, this is what many companies ask for in a employee wellness program. However, it is our job as employee health providers to take a look at each unique company, the dynamics, the individual employees, assess the situation, and come up with wellness program that addresses oxidative stressors. So not only are we minimizing brain fog, we are minimizing those components of oxidative stress that cause serious illnesses.

We have an endless list of oxidative stressors, which eventually can lead to chronic inflammation. The frustrating part – many people follow regiments which they believe to be healthy, however, the truth is they are creating more oxidative stress to the body, causing cellular damage. A few examples:

  • Diet: When focusing on a typical weight loss diet, unfortunately for a number of reasons we could be creating more oxidative stress on the body. Sure, we all get excited over weight loss, but there could be much better ways. Choosing the right foods is extremely important to fight brain fog and protect our cellular health
  • Exercise and physical activity: Just as with diet, the wrong exercise, or thinking sporadic exercise is physical activity, can be damaging
  • Chemical exposures: we need to look at the daily bombardment of chemical offenders
  • Poor sleep: I don’t just mean hours of sleep – its quality sleep that is truly restorative
  • Other lifestyle exposures to mutagens, carcinogens, toxins, viruses & bacteria that alter the performance of our DNA

Brain Fog and employee productivity Best In Corporate HealthThe hypothalamus in the center of our brain is the body’s thermostat so to speak for a number of reasons. There are numerous ongoing studies looking at the intricacies of hypothalamic function in the presence of oxidative stress. The mitochondria of our cells need to harmonize with the hypothalamus and this metabolic dynamic duo  is crippled, interfering with hormones and neurotransmitters production and regulation.

Multitasking vs. Time Management: Any new habits, lifestyle modifications, change, are close to useless to introduce if not providing a phase in process. Again, nobody is looking for another miserable task in their life and very few of us have time to burn. Just providing a list of “Do”s and “Don’ts” or “should”s and “should not”s is a job less than half done. Everybody is stressed multitasking work, family and a number of other pressing “To Do”s.

In order to build a cohesive, workplace environment, we need our team members to be physically, mentally and energetically optimized. We need to build their mental muscle.

Our challenge here – there is no test for brain fog, other than questionnaires, its not like we have a definitive blood test to say “You have brain fog!”. However, what we can do is work on the bigger picture, the oxidative stress.

At Best in Corporate Health, measuring for oxidative stress we consider to be a critical focal point of all of our corporate health programs. From lunch n learns, our live interactive webinars right up to speaking and retreats, getting control of oxidative stress is paramount. Oxidative stressors are cumulative, and our exposures are from known, identifiable sources, but there are many we are unaware of. Therefore, our approach must be to faithfully eradicate the ones we can. From brain fog to chronic disease, let’s dig deeper!

The supplement like a flu shot against oxidative stress…..

Why are we not controlling chronic illness? We must control the wildfire of inflammation and lower oxidative stress. We know oxidative stress is at the root of chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, depression, arthritis, stroke, diabetes. Inflammation ages us and leaves us susceptible to disease….We take a flu shot to prevent the flu – one simple supplement to lower your oxidative stress by as much as 40%.    7 patents, 24 peer reviewed studies on pubmed, accolades from American Heart Association, Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging….Washington State: “may well become the most extraordinary therapeutic and most extraordinary preventative breakthrough in the history of medicine.”

Corporate Health Programs – What an Incredible Way to Make the World A Healthier Happier Place…..so we make them affordable to EVERYONE……

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

We look forward to customizing your employee wellness programs!

Shira Litwack, Corporate Program Designer
Shira Litwack, medical fitness professional, Cancer Exercise Specialist , Medical Exercise Specialist, Holistic Nutritionist, Corporate health designer and coach

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

  • Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
  • Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
  • Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
  • Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
  • Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 12 years:

Articles featured in: ezines, ArticlesInk, European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Medical Fitness Network, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), Willow (Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support),

Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer

Shira Litwack, Medical fitness professional |Cancer Exercise Specialist|Personal & Corporate Health Coach | Fitness For Disease Recovery| Industry Expert Cancer Exercise

Director of International Relations Cancer Exercise Training Institute Master Trainer

Radio talk show host/Guest/Producer Health & Fitness Radio

BSc Psychology & Chemistry| Medical Exercise Specialist|Holistic Nutrition| Addiction Recovery|Total of 18 exercise designations

Gut Health – Our Second Brain

Gut Health – Nourishing our Second Brain Our Belly Brain

Gut Health? Really conjures up some not so corporate images.

Gut Instincts? That’s Your Belly Brain Calling You!

The gastrointestinal system is probably the most taken advantage of and under appreciated part of the body.  It merits respect – it is the 2nd brain, and Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”.

The digestive tract is the ultimate mirror of  lifestyle habits – our personal sewage system. Not a very glamorous topic, but the truth is it holds the answer to  many of our undiscovered medical ailments.

Gut Health for optimizing health in all Best In Corporate Health ProgramsOur belly brain – more scientifically respected as the enteric nervous system is the reason why we get emotionally “sick to our stomach” or have a “gut feel” or “gut instinct”. Serotonin, is our “happy hormone” (key to our focus as well), and thanks to the incredible research of Dr. Michael Gershon, we now know 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the stomach, not the brain as assumed. The enteric nervous system can send and receive impulses & secretes neurotransmitters just like our central nervous system. Our belly brain needs care, but more often gets abuse.  It needs great nutrition – especially loads of fiber, micro and macro nutrients to strengthen. -And exercise, to promote peristalsis – the passage of all we have ingested through the digestive tract, keeping proper blood flow and nutrient supply, digestion and absorption. When our GI tract is not optimized, nor are we. It means we are not absorbing the nutrition from our food properly & just passing out the internal sewage to the external sewage system. ….yeah you get it. We can have numerous unexplained symptoms and we just can’t seem to find the cause…..the answer is probably lurking in the stomach, somewhere through to the intricate coils of the colon.

Still skeptical about the belly brain? Gastric bypass surgery, where a large percentage of

Gut Health optimized as prescribed by Hippocrates in all Best In Corporate Health Programs
Gut Health optimized as prescribed by Hippocrates in all Best In Corporate Health Programs

the stomach is removed for weight loss purposes. There, unfortunately, is a very common side effect of these surgeries of psychiatric issues – from depression, alcoholism – because of the loss of production of serotonin. It is commonly accepted people after gastric bypass surgery need careful vitamin supplementation, not just with any vitamins – with those that have a very high bioavailability – the body is now seriously compromised for absorption. Included in this is the amino acid tryptophan – which is key to serotonin production. The stomach is not just the garbage bin at the bottom of the chute – it is a vital organ, to every organ system, not just digestion.

In our world of poor food choices, lack of physical activity, GMOs, toxins and bacteria entering our compromised guts – popping antacids recklessly destroying our precious HCl, constant stress released hormones, no wonder disease is rampant.

Optimizing gut health must be a central part to a corporate health program. Our gut health is our physiological and psychological well-being.

I feel compelled to mention some great sources of fiber – that are also nutritionally gifted: celery, oatmeal, brown rice, avocados, raspberries, beans, onions….. and please be acutely aware of those fiber impostors. Many breakfast cereals claim to be “good sources of fiber” when they are not. If a cereal does not have a minimum of 5g of fiber – Yes, drink water – in between meals is best. Too much water with meals dilutes those precious digestive enzymes, HCl that are critical to digestion & absorption.

Colon cancer is our #2 killer cancer & the most preventable form of cancer. IBS, Leaky Gut are rampant, and unfortunately the majority of medical doctors are lacking in the many lifestyle, naturopathic methods of dealing with these common issues. It is thought that 80% of the population have some form of leaky gut.

Health coaching, corporate coaching, Optimizing digestive health, building our belly brain – goes hand in hand with our cell-being.

Cell-Being   Well-Being   Corporate Being, Employee wellness programs based on your group – Your company is the template!

I had the pleasure of Interviewing Dr. Gershon back in 2011 – please listen, learn enjoy!

Our corporate wellness programs: email Shira@BestinCorporateHealth.com to enrich your people’s lives with health, wellness, happiness, prosperity and Joie de vivre!