5 Ways to Optimize Your Health in August

It’s a new month, and we’re back with more healthy ideas

August is a transitional season: the craziness of summer starts to wind down, kids are heading back to school, and we start to look ahead to everything new that fall brings.

It’s an excellent time to reset ourselves, return to healthy habits, and prepare for the months ahead. Our care team is here to support you with five new tips on how to live your healthiest life this month, with ideas for every part of your wellbeing.

Tip 1: Body
Add ApoB testing to your physical

When most people think of routine testing for cardiovascular health, they think about their cholesterol numbers. When seeing a low LDL and high HDL, many might think that’s enough. But the most recent science shows that testing for something different—Apolipoprotein B (or ApoB)—could be a better predictor of health.

We recommend that you add an ApoB test to your annual physical to get the full picture. In some cases, it can catch issues that potentially will arise in patients who have good cholesterol numbers. Even if you’re not on a fall physical rotation, it’s a test you can come in and get in this month.

Tip 2: Nutrition
Eat colorfully to improve fiber intake

It can feel overwhelming to try and understand all of the nutritional advice that’s out there—one week something is good, the next it feels like it’s bad. Fortunately our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Jessica Kruzan, believes in keeping it simple. And in this case, fun.

This month, focus on trying to add some new colors to your diet with different fruits and vegetables. By “eating the rainbow”, you’ll naturally get a more complete, diverse set of nutrients and won’t even have to think about it. Aim to fill half your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables and you’ll also automatically boost your fiber intake which is great for gut health. 

Tip 3: Mind
Get a cognitive boost from movement

Feel like your head is fuzzy and you can’t think? Maybe a workout is in order. Our Doctor of Psychology Paul Smiley just shared a new analysis of 400 studies this month that showed that exercise provided a boost to people’s cognition.

Even a one-time workout has the power to moderately improve cognitive functioning with boosts to executive functioning, memory, and information processing. It can be as simple as a walk at a moderate pace. So when tough tasks come up this month and your brain is feeling slow, stand up, take a break, and get your heart rate going. It’ll pay dividends for your brain, and your overall mood too. 

Tip 4: Movement
Add rotation to your training

Did you know that even if you’re active in the gym, you might be missing some important aspects of physical fitness? This month, our physical therapist David Rivera is highlighting one that a lot of people overlook: rotational strength.

The most popular gym movements often have you moving only in one plane: pushing or pulling. But with rotational movements, you help to improve strength and stability around the spine. Twisting motions can both improve your spine health and performance overall, so add in a few exercises this month like open book stretches or wood choppers and see how you feel. Just remember to go slow with any new exercises to avoid injury.

Tip 5: Fitness
Get the benefits of ADL

When we get to back-to-school season and the last days of summer, it can be challenging to find time to exercise. Fortunately, one of our Certified Health Coaches, Cameron Seichter, has an answer: ADL. It stands for Activities of Daily Living—all the opportunities for movement that occur in daily life, but that many of us outsource or skip by habit.

Fortunately, being more conscious of these and choosing them can help you to sneak in exercise even when there’s no time to go to the gym. It can be as simple as parking farther away at the store or office so you get more steps in. Choosing to mow the lawn instead of paying someone else to do it—and the same goes for mulching, gardening. Anything else that gets you moving outside.

Even if you’re just at your desk working, consider taking exercise “snacks” at the top of every hour where you stand up, stretch, and walk around for three minutes. Better yet, invest in a standing desk and get the benefits of being on your feet more throughout the day. All these activities may seem small, but they add up in the long run.

Want to Get More Tips?

We put out this series of five tips every month. Click here to get our tips for July, and June, and subscribe to our newsletter to get them delivered to your inbox. 

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