Should I Detox
Well the festive season has passed, and here we are in the New Year, contemplating our lives and our navels. The question being is your navel in the same place as it was before the season of over indulgence? If you have emerged from 2005 fighting fit and still fitting snugly into your cycling shorts, then very well done. If however 2006 finds you languishing in your emergency joggers(the huge ones at the bottom of the drawer) and still miserably picking over the last of the novelty-shaped cheese snackos, then YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Help is at hand; at this time of the year the papers and magazines are crammed full of new diets, and the buzz word is DETOX. So should we detox?
There are so many expensive products and plans on offer; 7 Day Detox diets, nutritional supplements, scientific-looking kits containing herbs and exotic ingredients. They claim to eliminate toxins that have built up within our bodies and many contain ‘diuretic’ herbs to encourage urination, and get rid of them. This all seems like a good idea, especially if we feel sluggish or guilty about overindulging. Thank goodness there is a wealth of products to get us back into tip-top condition ASAP.
The problem is that there is little scientific evidence that these things really work, other than making us think that we are doing something healthy. The massive diet and nutrition industries have created yet another myth, the Detox Myth, encouraging us to spend money on pills, treatments, spa breaks, books etc, but the benefits of the products are questionable, and the claims are not supported by science.
Each day, normal bodily processes (even stressful situations) produce ‘toxic’ chemical products which the body then uses, breaks down or excretes. If you eat plenty of whole foods and fruit and vegetables, stay hydrated, and exercise regularly, your body will work efficiently to metabolize and deal with bodily and environmental chemicals, but this needs to be worked at every day of your life; and that is the naked truth of the matter. Most people just don’t want to hear it; it seems like too much hard work and that it why the quick-fix industries exist. They are selling us the belief that we can behave exactly how we wish, and then spend money to make it better quickly and without sustained effort.
So my New Year message is to reject the Detox mentality! How much difference can a 7 day plan really make? Our body has many different rhythms and processes some taking hours, some taking months, and changing your life drastically for a short time will never confer a lasting benefit. Be kinder to yourself, and take some time to consider how you can be more healthy, then set yourself an achievable goal each week, for example; week 1- drink 1.5 liters of water each day, week 2: snack on fruit, week 3: find a walking partner. Healthy living is about making gentle and sustainable changes to our diet and lifestyle, allowing our body to acclimatize, and our tastes to adjust slowly, until eating well and exercising becomes a habitual and normal part of every-day life. This is the true path to a long, productive and quality life, something that you cannot buy in a box, however much money you spend.
Until next time, take care and stay healthy!
Vikki.
Do you have any friends and family who could benefit from getting fitter and feeling better? If you do, then treat them to free copy of this newsletter, forward it to them, and get them to e-mail me with a request. E-mail getfitter@yahoo.co.uk subject: newsletter request. Would you like to bring health into the workplace? Get fitter now offers a corporate package, please visit www.corporatechill.com for details.
Vikki Scovell BA(hons) PG DIP is a fully qualified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach. She is a qualified Nutrition Adviser and runs successful Community Exercise classes. Vikki is a consultant in Healthy Eating and Exercise initiatives to schools in the independent sector and publishes School and General Healthy Living newsletters.
Tags: Detox, exercise, healthy eating, healthy living, new year resolutions, nutrition, weight lossObesity and Children
Obesity often gets its start in childhood. Obesity becomes a problem for children and this problem often continues as the child becomes older.
There are some things you can do to prevent obesity in children. Childhood and adolescence is difficult enough without adding obesity to the mix.
Some parents think it is cute when a young child will eat anything and lots of it. It may be cute for awhile but this
can lead to obesity. Other times parents use food as a reward and this can also be a problem. Find other ways to reward a child.
If parents insist that a child finishes everything on his plate, obesity can become a situation that is difficult to
contend with. Many children get into the habit of eating many meals a week at fast-food restaurants. Look at the fat and calories present in these foods. This can certainly lead to obesity in children.
As children get older they may spend after-school time eating snack foods that are not healthy. If obesity is becoming
a problem for your child or if you want to avoid the situation before it happens keep healthy snacks around the house. Read the labels before you buy the snacks your children will be eating. Have fresh fruit available and keep veggies washed and cut up in the fridge. There are all kinds of snack foods that are lower in fat and calories.
Is your child getting enough exercise? Millions of children come home after school and spend the majority of their
summer vacations in front of the television or video game with a bag of chips and a can of pop. Schedule time outside for riding bikes and playing games.
Obesity does not need to become a problem for children.
I am the source
About the Author
For more information on Obesity visit http://www.healthyweightinfo.com/obesity
Tags: BMI, carbohydrates, Detox, diets, exercise, fitness, nutrition, obesity, weight, weight lossNew Year - New You!
It’s New Year - so you decide its time for a New You!
Do you often feel tired and stressed out?
Has modern day city life encouraged you put on a few pounds?
Do you have trouble sleeping — even though you are exhausted?
You’re not alone. One of the most common complaints today is the feeling of fatigue and weight gain.
Our modern lifestyle, which includes pollution, high stress levels, poor diet, antibiotics, poor quality water, processed fast food, agricultural chemicals and inappropriate rest are just a few of the things that are responsible for a wide range of symptoms and illnesses that can contribute to you experiencing some of the following:
Overweight
Gas, bloating and indigestion
Diarrhoea and / or constipation
Bad breath and body odour
Chronic fatigue
IBS
Skin problems such as Acne, Eczema
High cholesterol levels
Food cravings
Frequent bouts of illness such as colds, flu
Dehydration decreases your ability to digest food properly.
This can lead to Gastric inflammation and if you combine this with stress then Leaky Gut Syndrome can occur. This leads to fatigue after eating your meals.
So what can you do about it?
Here are my tips to help you get you started:
1. Drink the right amount of good quality water for your bodyweight - minimum of 2 litres per day.
2. Pay off your sleep debt. Get to bed on time! We all need a minimum of 8 hours sleep every night to help promote recovery to our body’s muscular system and our hormonal system. Without this the body will not be able to regulate its metabolism correctly, which is vital for those seeking weight loss.
3. Eat right for your Metabolic Type. Eating the wrong ratios of Macronutrients (Fats, Carbohydrates and Protein) for your body type can cause weight gain, fatigue and a decrease in energy levels.
4. Eat only certified organic food - this will help remove toxins and harsh chemicals out of your system.
5. Restrict your alcohol content to less than 4 units per week. Alcohol has empty calories which the body can not use as fuel. It also elevates Insulin and Cortisol production. Both these are important hormones in the body, but if released in excess, they can cause weight gain. Alcohol also irritates the stomach lining, which can lead to digestive problems.
6. If you smoke - now is the chance to give up. Long term smoking damage apart from the risks of cancer and heart disease, have now also been shown to include skin damage. An example of this is the “crow’s feet” skin wrinkling that is so characteristic of people who have smoked for a long time. This is due to oxidative damage induced by the smoking.
7. Exercise right for your body, do some cardiovascular exercise such as walking for 30 minutes and introduce some strength training to help boost your metabolism. A good Personal Trainer can help you with this.
8. Practice energy boosting techniques such as Tai-Chi, Yoga and Qi Gong. These exercises help to cultivage “Chi” the natural energy source that is all around us. This energy often needs harvesting because we are always in “fast mode”.
For you to become truly healthy and get the results you desire, you will need to review and consider your current diet and lifestyle habits from a different viewpoint.
Act now to have a healthy active full life doing the things you want to do and to have the shape that you desire!
If weight gain, fatigue and stress are an issue for you then seek the help of a Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach. They can help you manage these symptoms using structured techniques such as proper eating, corrective exercise, stress management and lifestyle improvements.
Enjoy the New You!
Gregg Marsh is a Chek Practitioner Level I, CHEK Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Level II, Sports Massage Practitioner and a Intermediate Metabolic Typing Advisor. He is a director of Mindbodyfree - a holistic Personal Training Company based in London, England. He can be contacted by email: gregg@mindbodyfree.co.uk - web:http://www.mindbodyfree.co.uk
Tags: Detox, diet, exercise, health, metaolic typing, nutrition, personal trainer, weight loss, wellbeing