Habit #1: Fish and Bacteria are Sexy

Habit #1: Fish and Bacteria are Sexy

by Amanda Hepp Jackson, SHOP Blogger

At this point you should know that big, sweeping statements about changes we’ll make in our lives never work (I call it the “New Year’s Resolution Anti-Phenomenon” or “The Most Predictable Way to Fail Ever”) and that the path to success is paved with small, daily behavior changes which make new habits and change how we live over time. If you’re not up to speed, I’ll catch you up:The path to success is paved with small, daily behavior changes that make new habits and change how we live over time.Here’s how this works--for the next 12 months of your life, you are going to adopt a new habit every month. And by the end of 12 months, you’ll be all “Whoa. That sh*t worked.”Got it?Great.Let’s start with your first 30-day habit. It’s so easy you won’t even realize you’re changing your daily routine, and then BAM! You’re one of those people who takes 9 grams of fish oil a day like you’ve been doing it your whole life.HABIT # 1: take 1 TBSP of fish oil per day and have a double dose of probiotics per day.Now I don’t expect you to blindly do whatever I tell you to do, so let me throw some science at ya. (Don’t worry--it’ll be science for the Non-Scientist).Why fish oil?The short answer: Fish oil provides GOOD FATS that promote cardiovascular function, nervous system function, brain development, and immune health.And we start here with our series o’ habits for two reasons:

1. It’s super easy. And if it’s easy, you have no reason to quit.
2. By promoting internal health, we’ll have bigger external gainzzz.

Or, in even simpler terms, internal sexiness = external sexiness. If you think about it, this is actually a really big concept--working from the inside out helps to normalize our moods and our energy which leads to overall happiness and confidence (and better sleep!) which leads to sexiness. That’s real math, folks.Anyway, back to fish. Fish oil is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which I lovingly call O-3 Fatty A’s. These Fatty A’s include DHA and EPA (I’ll spare you the full names--you’d have to sound them out, and no one wants to feel like they’re in 2nd grade when reading a blog post. You’re welcome).Our bodies need these O-3s for all kinds of internal health things related to our brains and nervous systems which obviously impact EVERYTHING ELSE IN OUR LIVES, and we don’t produce these in our bodies--so that means we gotta provide the fuel.Here’s how you get O-3 Fattys in your system. The first and best option is wild fish, aaannndd you’re probably not gonna eat that every day.The second source is supplements. You’ve got two choices for supplements--either the liquid version (which is the best) or the pill version (which isn’t as awesome or pure. It’s like choosing that chili powder meth that was on the streets before Walter White started cooking).

Walter White advises you to choose the purest liquid form.

A super high quality liquid version (Thorne FX Super EPA Complex) is available for your convenience at The SHOP. Another option available through The Magic Wonderland for Stuff (aka “Amazon”) is Carlson Fish Oil.

For more detail and science-y things related to fish oil, check out this article from Precision Nutrition: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-fish-oilAnd why probiotics? Well, because bacteria, bitchesssssss! So freakin’ sexy. Here’s the deal.Good gut bacteria is responsible for the following things (and this is taken out of another Precision Nutrition article found here: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-probiotics):

• “enhancing digestion and nutrient absorption
• enhancing gastrointestinal motility and function
• obstructing the growth of ‘bad bacteria’ and other pathogens”
• lots of other things that promote overall health

How do you get probiotics? I’m so glad you asked. You have two options. Food and supplements.Food sources for probiotics are the kinds of things that go through a fermentation process--like kimchi and sauerkraut (and not the kind just soaked in vinegar). Unfortunately for all of us, pickles don’t count. And neither do most yogurts even though we all really, really, really wish there were actual health benefits to Key Lime Pie Yoplait Whips.It’s doubtful you’re eating fermented cabbage on the reg, so let’s talk supplements.Also available at The SHOP: Thorne FX Probiotic Complex. Take two of those capsules/day (you’ll reduce to one capsule after you’ve built up some bacteria in your gut) and you’re golden.To review your first habit: Take 1 TBSP of fish oil and a double dose of probiotics per day as your first steps on the path to eternal sexiness.Now go catch a salmon with your bare hands and eat that shizzle for breakfast with a side of kimchi--until you get your fish oil and probiotic supplements at least. (You should probably hurry. I bet that breakfast gets old real fast).