Dr Libby Weaver - Dr Libby

Resilience can be life changing. Here’s why and how to cultivate it.

June 6, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

If there was one attribute we could all benefit from cultivating more of, I would have to say it is resilience.

Not to be confused with endurance, resilience is our ability to adapt and respond to everything that happens in our lives—things we perceive at the time to be setbacks, challenges, disagreements, failures. Or it might be illnesses, infections, or other health-related issues. We all have varying levels of resilience and, of course, this will also change depending on how much or the magnitude of what it is we are facing, as well as our inner reserves, which can involve everything from our iron status to our progesterone production, from our sleep quality to our beliefs. We may also be resilient in one way—such as physically—and struggle in other ways—with our emotional or mental fortitude, for example.

Resilience doesn’t mean that we don’t fall apart, that we don’t feel sad or angry or that we don’t get sick every so often. It does mean that we bounce back relatively quickly or have the ability to keep functioning despite what is going on for us. The good news is, we can all work on becoming more resilient so even if, right now, you don’t feel it’s an accurate description of yourself, it is something you can change.

Here are five ways to cultivate more resilience.

1. Improve sleep

It’s harder to be resilient when you’re exhausted. Everything feels more difficult, you tend to be more reactive, more susceptible to colds and flus—plus, a lack of energy sucks all the colour out of life. If sleep is a challenge for you, or if you are waking up feeling unrestored despite getting 7-8 hours in bed, this will be a foundation to strengthening your resilience. Check out this sleep hygiene blog for some insights on what to do to improve your sleep.

2. Speak with someone

Whether seeking an impartial perspective such as a therapist or talking with a loved one who you trust to hold space for you, talking things through with someone can make an amazing difference. Things have a way of getting bigger and bigger the longer they bounce around in our heads. Often, being able to verbalise what is going on for us and what we are struggling with helps to dismantle the power they have over us. Also, you have the benefit of a different perspective which can help you to reframe—if this is something that might be beneficial for you.

3. Journal

Journaling can be a great alternative to speaking to someone else if that doesn’t appeal, and it can also go hand in hand with it. Again, getting things out of your head can make all the difference and it is also a wonderful tool for self-reflection. If staring at a blank page gives you writers block, try stream of consciousness writing where you set yourself a time (say 15min) and commit to writing anything that pops into your mind regardless of whether it makes sense or is grammatically correct. It can help to get you accustomed to writing out your thoughts.

4. Understand your inner landscape

Explore the beliefs and values that are driving your unconscious mind and igniting your reactions to what happens. When we feel stressed or triggered, we tend to point the focus outside of ourselves—it’s what’s happening to us, how much is on our plate, the words that person said to us. Instead, use your stress, thoughts and emotional reactions to learn more about what is going on under the surface. This is something that takes practise and if you feel you are highly reactive/lack resilience, it may be worth working with a health professional to help you work through it.

5. Eat mostly whole real foods

Nothing on this planet can replace a nourishing way of eating. Without sufficient nutrients, your body will become depleted and this can show up in a multitude of different symptoms depending on your unique biochemistry and your current health profile. Your body needs nutrients in order to be resilient and you need your body to be resilient to strengthen your mental and emotional fortitude.

The difference between reacting and responding (and why it matters)

June 5, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

In our fast-paced world, it’s all too common to react impulsively to situations that trigger our emotions. Whether it’s a heated exchange with a colleague, a frustrating traffic jam, or a disappointing outcome, our immediate reactions can often exacerbate the situation rather than resolve it. But what if you could work on regulating your emotions better to lengthen the time between your reaction and your response? This practice not only fosters better relationships but also enhances our overall wellbeing.

What’s the difference?

Reacting is instinctual and immediate. It’s the knee-jerk reply to what you have perceived is an insult, the swift retort to a (perceived) criticism, or the instant flare of anger in a frustrating situation. Reactions are typically driven by our emotions and often occur without much thought.

Responding, on the other hand, involves a pause. It’s a considered, thoughtful reply that takes into account the context and consequences of our actions. Responding allows us to act in a way that aligns with our values and goals, rather than being at the mercy of our immediate emotions.

So how do we learn how to lengthen the space between the stimulus and our reaction to it? The journey of emotional regulation begins early in life, during the toddler years. At this stage, children’s brains are still developing, particularly the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for managing emotions and impulse control. Toddlers often exhibit strong emotional reactions because their ability to regulate these feelings is not yet fully developed.

Toddlers learn emotional regulation primarily through their interactions with caregivers. When parents and caregivers respond to a child’s emotional outbursts with calmness and support, they model how to handle strong emotions. This helps the child begin to understand and manage their feelings over time. However, this understanding of brain development and emotional regulation is relatively recent. Which likely means many of us were raised by parents who punished our outbursts and struggled to manage their own emotions, reacting more often than responding.

As a result, we might find ourselves struggling with emotional regulation as adults, mirroring the patterns we observed during our formative years. The good news is that it’s never too late to learn and cultivate healthier, more authentic emotional responses. By understanding the roots of our reactions and practicing new strategies, we can break the cycle and foster healthier ways of handling our emotions. This not only benefits us but also sets an example for the next generation, helping them develop emotional resilience.

So how do we do this?

A good place to start is with curiosity. When you feel yourself getting triggered (or in the wake of a reaction), get curious about what might be at the heart of it. Consider what you were feeling in your body and the thoughts that were racing through your mind at that moment. Try to recall other times in your life where you felt that way or might have reacted in similar ways. By approaching your reactions with curiosity rather than judgement, you can begin to uncover the root causes of your emotional responses.

This self-awareness is the first step towards developing a more measured and thoughtful approach to managing your emotions. Over time, you’ll find it easier to pause, reflect, and choose a response that aligns with your values and goals, rather than reacting impulsively. You may also find it helpful to keep an emotional journal for a period of time. This can be a useful tool for identifying patterns and triggers while building awareness of your emotions and helping you to understand the origins of them.

Cultivating mindfulness can also help to enhance our ability to observe our thoughts and feelings without getting swept away by them. Meditation can be a useful tool for practising mindfulness although we can also simply bring more mindfulness into our lives by spending more time focused on what’s right in front of us rather than swept away in thoughts of past or future, or scrolling through devices.

Remember too, that long, slow diaphragmatic breathing activates our parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to calm the body and mind. This physiological response can create a pause, giving you time to think before you react/respond. When you feel a strong emotional reaction building, try taking a slow breath in for a count of four, hold for five, and exhale for six. Repeat a few times if needed.

It’s also okay to ask for some space or time if you’re triggered while interacting with someone. Often, we feel like we need to resolve something immediately. Yet if you give yourself some space to calm your body and mind, you may be able to identify what it is that’s truly bothering you. Taking time for yourself also prevents the escalation of conflict and reduces the risk of saying or doing something you might regret. It’s perfectly acceptable to say, “I need a moment to gather my thoughts,” or “Can we take a break and revisit this later?” This approach fosters healthier communication and ensures that your response is thoughtful and aligned with your true intentions, rather than a reaction driven by immediate emotions.

Over time, practising emotional regulation helps strengthen the neural pathways between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, making it easier to pause and choose a more measured response over an impulsive reaction. While it may not feel natural to begin with, this process becomes more intuitive with consistent effort and patience.

How the brain ages

June 5, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

The human brain is a marvel of complexity and capability, orchestrating everything from our physical movements to our innermost thoughts and emotions. As we age, this extraordinary organ undergoes a series of changes, some subtle and others more pronounced. While this may feel like a bad thing, it’s actually not. Our brain is designed to change across our lives and has the incredible capacity to do so. While of course the biggest changes happen in the first years of our life, the good news is that neuroplasticity continues well into late adulthood. While it’s impossible to identify the exact ages associated with brain development and changes, let’s explore the brain across the lifetime.

The infant brain

In infancy, the brain is incredibly dynamic. The cerebral cortex, responsible for perception and language, reaches its peak thickness at around age two. During these early years, the brain forms an immense number of synapses, making it highly receptive to learning from the environment. This rapid synaptic formation explains why infants can learn any language they are exposed to and why they soak up so much simply through observing the world around them. Iron deficiency can have significant consequences to the brain at this time, primarily due to its role in delivering oxygen to brain cells.

The childhood brain

From around ages two to ten, the brain undergoes significant changes. Synaptic pruning, where the brain eliminates excess connections, helps to streamline neural pathways, making them more efficient. This period also sees an increase in myelination, the process of insulating nerve fibres to speed up signal transmission. A range of nutrients and cholesterol are essential to myelination – myelin cannot actually be synthesised without cholesterol. Interactions with caregivers and the surrounding environment are crucial during this time, while distress or neglect can have a lasting impact on mental and emotional resilience. This is not to say that childhood needs to be idyllic, with zero complications or challenges – we cannot control everything that happens to us or our children during these formative years. Yet, providing a supportive and nurturing environment can make a profound difference. Without sounding like a broken record, iron deficiency is again the most common nutritional deficiency at this age and stage of brain development, which can lead to concerning consequences. A decreased attention span and learning problems are common symptoms, in part due to the brain not getting what it needs.

The adolescent brain

The teenage years, from about 10 to 19, are marked by dynamic changes in brain networks involved in emotion and motivation. Adolescents experience another wave of synaptic pruning and myelination, particularly in regions related to emotion and reward processing. This is a time when teens are more inclined to seek new experiences and test boundaries. Sex hormones also come online across this time which foster additional changes. Ovulation, for example, drives progesterone production, which has a calming effect on the nervous system. When menstruation first begins, ovulation is not common though – it takes a while for this to start occurring cyclically (you can have a period without ovulation at any age) so calm might not be on offer for a time after menarche. In boys, when testosterone increases, brain changes can lead to more risk-taking behaviour under the guise that they’ll be fine in any instance. Zinc is a key nutrient for girls and boys at this time for good brain health.

The young adult brain

The mid-to-late 20s are often thought of as a peak period for brain development. White matter volume, indicative of the brain’s processing speed, reaches a high level during these years. While quick, sharp processing may eventually decline, rest assured neuronal networks continue to refine, particularly those involved in rational thought, strategic thinking and future planning.

The midlife brain

In midlife, the years around 40-65, the brain’s plasticity continues to evolve. New research has shown that “silent synapses,” previously thought to be limited to early development, are also present in adult brains. These synapses can be recruited to help form new memories, indicating that the brain retains significant capacity for change. Experiences such as social engagement, lifestyle choices, and exposure to stress or toxins can greatly influence brain health. A socially active, physically fit 54-year-old may have a more youthful brain compared to a sedentary, isolated counterpart.

The later adulthood brain

In the later years, the brain does tend to shrink and some degeneration occurs. However, older adults also possess the potential for greater wisdom, derived from a lifetime of experiences. Emotional processing and moral decision-making capabilities may enhance, contributing to what we often refer to as wisdom. Engaging in memory training, puzzles, and enriching, meaningful activities can help maintain cognitive functions. Two useful questions to ponder that can support brain health at all ages and stages are “what I am learning?” and “what am I creating?” A curiosity for learning has been shown to continuously promote neuroplasticity and life satisfaction. Creating anything from a new dinner meal to a painting, activates a different neural circuit which includes the neural plexus around the heart. Is it possible that contributes to why we can feel a deep sense of satisfaction or even life purpose when we create?

What makes the brain age prematurely?

While ageing is a natural process, certain factors can accelerate the ageing of the brain, leading to cognitive decline earlier than expected. Chronic stress, a lack of nutrients or a diet predominantly comprised of ultra processed foods/high in refined sugars, sedentary lifestyle, sleep deprivation, substance abuse, social isolation, smoking and chronic diseases all contribute to premature ageing throughout the body – including the brain.

This blog was inspired by these two pieces of work:
Brain charts for the human lifespan: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04554-y and How does the brain age across the lifespan? New studies offer clues: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/28/brain-aging-childhood-teens-adults/

Constipated? Why bile is your best friend

May 21, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

Constipation is a common yet often overlooked issue that affects millions of people worldwide. While many focus on fibre intake and hydration to combat this uncomfortable condition, there’s another crucial player in the digestive game that deserves your attention: bile. Understanding the role of bile in digestion can be a game-changer in your quest for regularity and digestive comfort.

What is bile?

Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It plays a vital role in breaking down fats into fatty acids, which can then be absorbed by the digestive tract. Yet bile’s benefits extend beyond fat digestion. This yellow-green fluid is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system and preventing constipation.

What does bile do in the body?

Bile serves several functions in the digestive, detoxification and elimination processes of the body. It emulsifies fats, breaking them down into smaller particles which is essential for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and fatty acids. Bile also helps neutralise the acid from the stomach as it enters the small intestine, creating an optimal environment for enzyme activity and nutrient absorption. Since it stimulates the peristaltic movements of the intestines, which are the wave-like contractions that move food through the digestive tract, bile ensures the contents in the digestive tract are moving efficiently and that waste is expelling regularly. Bile is essential for carrying waste products and toxins from the liver into the intestines for excretion. This detoxification process is vital for maintaining a healthy gut environment, which in turn supports regular bowel movements. It is also known to have antimicrobial properties so an insufficiency may contribute to Small Bowel Overgrowth (SIBO), a condition where concerning bacteria take up residence in the small intestine, where they are not welcome.

Boosting bile production

If you’re struggling with constipation, enhancing your bile production can offer an effective solution. Here are some tips to help boost your bile flow:

1. Incorporate bitter foods and herbs

Bitter foods naturally stimulate bile production. Green leafy vegetables have a bitter taste base so these are a great inclusion. Look for foods like dandelion greens, rocket, broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts in your diet. Medicinal herbs like St Mary’s Thistle, Globe Artichoke and Gentian are also excellent. Drinking lemon juice in warm water before meals can also enhance bile flow.

2. Amino acids

We obtain amino acids from our protein foods and some are crucial for bile production. Taurine and glycine are needed to make the bile salts so ensuring you are obtaining adequate protein across the day is also important for healthy bile.

3. Selenium

Brazil nuts are our best food source of selenium, a trace mineral essential for your liver to be able to produce bile. Ensure you are including a few Brazil nuts each day to meet your needs. Look to supplement selenium if you tend not to include Brazil nuts.

4. Betaine

Betaine is a natural component of beetroot and spinach so let this be some additional encouragement to include these foods regularly in how you eat.

You might choose to supplement some of the above factors to better support your bile: the bitter herbs listed above, for example, can make a significant difference to constipation created by bile insufficiency.

Recognising bile deficiency

It’s important to recognise the signs of bile deficiency, which can include chronic constipation, bloating, indigestion, and pale or clay-coloured stools. If you suspect you have a bile deficiency and the steps you take to increase bile flow don’t help, it’s crucial to consult with a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment. Embrace bile as your digestive ally, and enjoy the benefits of a more comfortable and efficient digestive process.

How stress sabotages your digestive health

May 23, 2024May 21, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

When it comes to poor digestion, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or simply a bloated tummy, stress can be a major contributing factor. Understanding this connection is crucial for managing and alleviating these discomforts. It can help to remember that your body always has your best interests at heart. Even if bloating or digestive discomfort doesn’t feel beneficial, it serves a purpose in the grand scheme of your survival.

The connection between stress and digestion

When you produce the stress hormone adrenaline and your sympathetic nervous system triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response, your body deprioritises digestion. It diverts blood supply away from your digestive system towards your arms and legs, ensuring your muscles have the energy needed for immediate action. Consequently, when food arrives in your digestive system during this state, your body lacks the resources to digest it optimally. This misallocation often leads to symptoms of digestive distress, as many people unknowingly perpetuate stress through their lifestyle, thoughts, beliefs, and dietary choices.

Stress impacts your digestion in profound ways. When you’re stressed, your body’s priority shifts from long-term processes like digestion to immediate survival needs. The adrenaline surge prepares your muscles for a quick escape or confrontation, sidelining your digestive system since digesting food isn’t deemed essential for your survival. This can lead to a range of digestive issues, from bloating and gas to constipation or diarrhoea. For someone with IBS, this stress response can exacerbate symptoms, making life even more uncomfortable.

In a relaxed state, your body can focus on digesting food efficiently. However, chronic stress means your body is frequently in a heightened state of alert, diverting resources away from digestion and leading to persistent discomfort. This cycle can create a frustrating loop where stress exacerbates digestive issues, and digestive discomfort increases stress, compounding the problem.

Identifying stress as a trigger

If you have been diagnosed with IBS (typically determined after ruling out more serious bowel diseases) or experience chronic bloating despite various dietary changes, medicinal herbs, or medications under professional guidance, it might be time to look beyond conventional treatments. Persistent symptoms could indicate that something deeper needs addressing. Unfortunately, no amount of dietary change or supplementation can compensate for the effects of chronic and unrelenting stress.

Your body might be signalling the need for a change in how you treat yourself or how you think. It’s time to stop seeking quick fixes and start exploring how your perception of pressure and urgency impacts your digestion. Addressing daily worries and concerns that cloud your mind and trigger stress responses even when you’re not in physical danger can have a profoundly beneficial effect on your gut health.

Honouring your body’s signals

Your body might be crying out for you to treat yourself differently. Is it time to stop trying to come up with strategies that will “fix” you and instead begin to explore your perceptions of pressure and urgency in everyday life, and how this may be affecting your digestion? Perhaps you consciously or unconsciously worry what others think of you and your digestion would improve if you reassured yourself that you don’t need the consistent approval of others to survive the way you did as a child. When we address the daily worries and concerns that cloud our brain and are driving the body to experience stress even when we’re not in physical danger, it truly can have an incredibly beneficial effect on our gut health. Instead save your stress response for the times when you really need it – in instances of true emergency. It is time to honour the gut feelings you have, trust your inner guidance and employ measures to both counteract and reduce the activity of your stress response.

When did sadness become stress?

May 9, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

In the labyrinth of human emotions, there’s a subtle art to recognising what we truly feel beneath the surface buzz of our daily lives. Our society, with our propensity to put on a brave face and solider on, often miscasts the deep-seated ache of sadness as mere stress, a more socially palatable label that diverts us from confronting what we genuinely feel. People understand stress, they can relate to it and empathise with you when you share that you are feeling this way. Yet sharing sadness and grief tends to make (some) others uncomfortable. They don’t know what to say or do and this in turn makes them feel awkward and so you’d rather not go there with them.

Sadness can also be daunting for us to feel – overwhelming, even – and in response, many find it easier to recast this discomfort as ‘stress’. This rebranding starts innocuously; we shift focus from the sting of loss – be it a departed loved one or a dissolved relationship – to the logistical aftermath and the sudden voids in our day-to-day lives because we know how to handle a ‘to-do’ list and it spares us from facing the full intensity of our grief.

We do this because we’re not usually taught how to handle discomfort. From childhood, we’re subtly taught to sidestep it. A scoop of ice cream to soothe a scraped knee, or the well-meaning friends who insist there are plenty more fish in the sea post-breakup. These moments instil a pattern: uncomfortable emotions are best avoided, suppressed, or replaced.

When we mislabel our sadness as stress, we miss the opportunity to engage with our emotions authentically. The result is a backlog of unaddressed feelings, each adding weight to our emotional burden. This avoidance strategy not only prolongs the pain but may also contribute to a host of psychological and physiological issues. We might numb out with food, alcohol or other drugs, medications, brief sexual encounters or at times create drama or stresses to focus on, to divert our attention and focus away from our grief, or other strong, uncomfortable emotions. Of course, there may be real stress to deal with as well, but quite often we add to our own burden by not allowing ourselves to feel the sadness.

I encourage you to initiate an internal dialogue next time you label something as ‘stressful’. Ask yourself, “What am I really feeling?” Is there sadness, grief, disappointment, anger or another emotion lurking beneath that convenient label? Allow yourself the space to feel these emotions without judgement. Moreover, integrate moments of introspection into your daily routines. Whether it’s while gardening or doing chores, use these opportunities to connect with your inner landscape. Sometimes, a simple acknowledgment of your feelings can lead to profound relief and transformation.

It’s crucial too, to develop a true vernacular for your feelings. By naming your emotions accurately, you empower yourself to address them head-on. This isn’t merely a semantic exercise; it’s about realigning our emotional responses to reflect reality. When we acknowledge sadness, we allow ourselves to experience vulnerability, a necessary state for genuine healing and growth. Jamie Anderson eloquently captured the essence of grief when she described it as “love with no place to go.” This perspective shifts our understanding and invites a softer engagement with our emotions.

As you navigate your complex emotional terrains, strive for authenticity in how you articulate and confront your feelings. It’s not just about reducing stress; it’s about enriching your life with a deeper understanding and compassion for yourself and others. And this is a pathway to a lighter, more authentic existence. Be so kind and gentle with yourself.

6 quick tips for boosting your Heart Rate Variability

May 9, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

Heart rate variability (HRV) is more than just a health metric; it’s a profound indicator of how well your body can adapt to stress and maintain physiological homeostasis (balance). This key measure tells us about the flexibility of our heart’s rhythm, which in turn reflects the overall health of our autonomic nervous system – the part of us that controls everything from our heartbeat to our digestive processes, without being instructed to do so with our conscious thoughts. A higher HRV suggests that your body is adept at managing stress and recovering from it, while a lower HRV might indicate an overload of stress and a potential need for changes to your lifestyle. Whether you’re looking to enhance your mental clarity, improve physical performance, or simply feel more centred and grounded day-to-day, boosting your HRV can be a gateway to achieving these goals. Let’s explore some accessible and effective strategies that can help you enhance your HRV, thereby improving your overall health and wellbeing.

1. Chill out with meditation

Meditation is more than just sitting quietly; it’s an active engagement with your mind to foster calmness and clarity. Incorporating regular meditation or mindfulness practices into your week can significantly enhance your HRV by triggering your body’s relaxation response. If a daily practice feels impossible, aim for three sessions per week, utilising techniques like guided meditation, progressive relaxation, or even restorative yoga. Or you might prefer to simply sit comfortably and with your eyes closed, give the air a colour and imagine it entering and exiting your body. These practices can help reduce stress hormones and elevate your mood.

2. Get moving

Physical exercise does wonders not just for your muscles but also for your heart and mind. Regular activity, such as walking, cycling, swimming, or sports helps strengthen your heart muscles and improves the efficiency of your stress response systems, which in turn boosts your HRV. The key is consistency; even short bursts of exercise can add up to significant benefits for your HRV and overall health. If the idea of ‘exercise’ is not appealing, think about ways you can move more throughout your day and simply embrace the practice of a daily walk.

3. Sleep on it

A good night’s sleep is a cornerstone of great health. Sleep acts as a reset button for your autonomic nervous system, which plays a crucial role in managing your HRV. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Establish a calming bedtime routine, reduce/avoid exposure to screens before two hours before bed, avoid caffeine after midday, and create a comfortable sleep environment to improve your sleep quality. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed and more equipped to handle the day’s stresses.

4. Nourish yourself

What you eat has a profound impact on your body’s stress response and HRV. A way of eating rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fibre can support your nervous system and help mitigate the effects of the constant relentless production of stress hormones. For omega-3 fats, include foods like sheep’s brains, fatty fish (wild-caught salmon, mackerel), grass-fed beef and lamb, flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts. All coloured plant foods contain antioxidants and berries are particularly high, while vegetables are a source of fibre. Aim for seven serves of vegetables a day (or at least ensure you get the minimum five serves recommended). These nutrients not only improve your HRV but also contribute to overall physical and emotional wellbeing.

5. Breathe low and slow

Breathing exercises are a quick and effective way to enhance your HRV. Practices like diaphragmatic breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, or box breathing can increase the activation of your parasympathetic nervous system, leading to immediate relaxation. Spend a few minutes each day focusing on your breath or check in with how you are breathing and slow it down every hour on the hour; this simple act can help elevate your HRV and reduce stress levels.

6. Embrace contrast therapy

Alternating between hot and cold temperatures, known as contrast therapy, can also significantly impact your HRV. This method, which can include activities like sauna sessions followed by brief cold showers or dips between an ice bath and a hot spa, encourages your body to adapt to varying stressors. The exposure to heat and cold can stimulate your autonomic nervous system in beneficial ways, improving your body’s ability to regulate stress and recover from it. Regularly engaging in contrast therapy can boost your HRV, enhancing your overall resilience and vitality. Please note, clinically, I’ve found that for some women, initially avoiding the cold end of this spectrum is better for them. Heat up in a sauna, but then allow yourself to simply adjust to room temperature as the ‘cold’ for a time. After your HRV has improved, even a little, you’ll benefit from the cold exposure. This appears to be particularly true for those who are iron deficient. Correcting the iron deficiency is also crucial of course.

Improving your HRV is about more than just monitoring a metric; it’s about adopting a lifestyle that fosters resilience and vitality. Start with one or two of these practices and gradually build a routine that feels sustainable for your lifestyle. Your body – and your nervous system – will thank you.

Selfish isn’t a dirty word. Here’s why.

May 6, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

Many of us have learned from a young age that selfishness is something negative.

It is important we learn that the needs, wants and desires of others are equally as important as our own – I am certainly not saying otherwise. Transitioning away from an ego-centric view of the world is an important aspect of the maturation process and one of the ways we develop traits such as compassion, empathy and generosity, all of which make the world a better place.

Yet I wonder if, in our plight to eradicate selfishness, we have gone too far?

As humans, we perceive polarities and judgements where they don’t need to exist. When we are taught by well-meaning adults – who want us to grow up and become contributing members of society – that selfishness is “bad” and selflessness is “good”, we equate this with who we are at our very core. Many women in particular, have made selfishness so wrong, that their daily lives demonstrate a damaging abnegation of the self, a fear of being a frustration to others, and as philosopher Alain de Botton so eloquently puts it: “a modesty that borders on self-erasure.”

When we take selflessness too far, it hurts us. Just as it would if we took selfishness too far. Yet, so far down the list do too many women place their own needs that it impacts their health and happiness in small and sometimes significant ways.

Everything else – and I truly do mean everything – comes before their own health and wellbeing. They feel guilty about taking the tiniest amount of time for themselves, struggle to say no, to set boundaries and to ask for help, even as they feel overwhelmed with all the things on their plates. Sometimes they stay in jobs or relationships that dull their shine for many years without examining what the job/other person is asking of them and also their side of it – why they do this to themselves. They might stay for practical reasons (such as money) or reasons related to their beliefs – that they must be self-sacrificing to be a “good” human, for example. Is that really service or is it servitude?

One of the problems with living this way is that we cannot continue to give on an empty tank. There’s a reason why in an airplane we are instructed to fit our own oxygen mask first – we simply cannot be of service to others if we don’t meet even our most basic of needs first. Plus, we are only really hurting ourselves in the long run. Living in a way that does not light us up, bring us joy or contribute to a long and healthful life.

It is time to move away from a black and white view of being either entirely selfish or wholly selfless. I encourage you to maintain a modicum of selfishness in order to protect your health. Not the type of selfishness that exploits others, but a version that allows us to be more forthright with what matters to us and manage our time and resources accordingly. Don’t let it take a health crisis – or perhaps it will be an identity crisis – to wake you up to the fact that your needs matter just as much as anyone else’s.

Living a life where your needs are honoured and valued is your birthright. And we teach other people to make space for our needs by doing so for ourselves.

How sugar can silently impact your metabolic health

May 6, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

Many people link the term ‘metabolic health’ to their weight, yet this is only a small part of it.

Your metabolic health impacts how your body regulates the levels of glucose (sugar) and fats (such as cholesterol and triglycerides) in the blood, as well as how much and where body fat is stored. It is also involved in processes like inflammation and blood pressure management. When your metabolic health is compromised, it increases your risk of a host of health issues, such as metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions including increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and elevated blood fats), type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease.

But metabolic health is not just the absence of these conditions. Chronic disease is not something that occurs overnight, it happens gradually over time. So metabolic health can decline over a long period of time—before you may reach the point where a diagnosis of one of these conditions can be made.

The problem is, this gradual decline is often silent, or at least not with the warning signs you may think it would come with. And because it happens gradually, some of the challenges you experience that indicate your metabolic health isn’t fantastic may start to feel ‘normal’—like lacklustre energy and frequent sugar cravings.

This is why I can’t encourage you enough to take great care of your metabolic health now. Taking excellent care of yourself now will also translate into a whole host of benefits you can enjoy immediately as well as into the future—think better energy and zest for life, vibrant, healthy skin, more comfortable digestion, fewer body aches and prevention of accelerated ageing.

So, what contributes to poor metabolic health and what can you do to protect yours?

Our daily choices make an enormous difference to our metabolic health—let that empower you. The way that we eat, drink, move, breathe and sleep, as well as our perceptions of pressure and urgency (which impacts our experience of stress), can all stack up to either promote better metabolic health—or take away from it.

Too many people these days aren’t nourishing their body with the nutrients it needs to thrive. Instead, excessive intakes of sugar(typically from highly processed foods, sweet foods and drinks) and a reliance on convenience foods are incredibly common.

This way of eating can leave you feeling like you’re on an energy rollercoaster—think peaks and dips in your energy as your blood glucose spikes and drops, with sugar cravings kicking in to take you out of the dip and back to a peak. And when too much sugar becomes part of your everyday life it can also contribute to unfavourable changes in triglyceride levels (blood fats) and chronic inflammation—which can snowball into impacting your metabolic health.

If you need an idea for a change you could make for your health today, try adding in an extra portion of green vegetables each day. Not only does it boost your nutrient intake, incorporating more foods that have a bitter taste (e.g. greens such as rocket, broccoli etc.), can also help to shift your taste preferences away from very sweet tasting foods and drinks. If you struggle to eat green vegetables, making a green smoothie or green drink (using a powder such as Bio Blends Organic Daily Greens and Radiant Reds simply mixed with water) might be helpful as a way to start adding them in.

Remember that small changes and habits can add up over time to have a big impact on your health. What is one tiny change you could make today to start protecting your metabolic health?

Why we get so hooked on sugar

May 6, 2024 by Dr Libby Weaver

We might know the potential health consequences of excessive sugar consumption—from frustrating digestive system symptoms, hormone imbalances, fat stored in the liver that disrupts all sorts of processes, high cholesterol, an appetite that feels like it won’t switch off, brain fog, and body fat that’s hard to shift, to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, mood disorders and heart disease. Despite this, too many of us can’t seem to stop eating more than we know is good for our health.

The average daily intake of sugar for adults is around 37 teaspoons(New Zealand, 2021). To put that in perspective, imagine sitting down with a cup full of table sugar and munching down 37 teaspoons in one hit. Makes you feel a little sick, doesn’t it?

In part we are eating so much sugar because it is regularly added to processed, premade and packaged foods. Unless you’re reading the ingredients list and actively avoiding or minimising your intake of processed foods, you may be eating even more than you realise. Yet, it’s also because we’re hooked on this addictive substance.

Research indicates that sugar activates the same pleasure/reward centres of the brain as some highly addictive substances. And regular consumption can lead to compulsive behaviour. Plus, every time we consume sugar, we are strengthening those neural pathways—hardwiring our brain to crave sugar, while desensitising our taste buds to sweetness, so we end up consuming more without realising it. Sugar is readily available and socially acceptable. This makes it harder to avoid than some other addictive substances which is why you may struggle to walk down the sweets aisle in the supermarket without putting something into your trolley.

Like anything, breaking a sugar addiction takes time—how long depends on numerous factors including your unique biochemistry and how long and how significantly sugar has featured on your menu until now. Your ‘why’ for quitting also has an impact.

One simple way to curb your sugar intake is to start increasing your intake of whole real foods. For many, the focus on including ‘more’ of instead of ‘less of’ something removes the feeling of deprivation that comes from cutting something out. Plus, consuming more bitter foods (which most vegies are) will begin to reset your palette, helping to re-sensitise your taste buds to require less intense sweetness.