Category: Health & Fitness

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Once upon a time, Yoga was something people did when they went backpacking to India in their summer holidays…or it was something done by actors and models but not something “normal” people did. Today Yoga is so well understood as a beneficial form of exercise and meditation that some GPs are known to recommend it to patients suffering from stress or depression.

It’s not all standing on your head or on one leg either…a lot of what Yoga is based on is mind-related. Deep breathing techniques and lying still encourage participants to slow down, to take a moment to just “be” and to let the stresses of modern living fall away. It works too! Yoga is an outstanding way to feel better about yourself and here are the top 10 ways in which Yoga can make you feel better…no matter what’s bugging you!

 

Yoga can help you connect:

Not only with others but with yourself. The main point of Yoga is to be at one with yourself…to listen to your inner thoughts and to calm down. This will help you when it comes to other people and your relationships in general.

Yoga helps you feel more compassion:

Once you begin to understand yourself, it naturally follows that you understand others more. This helps people to be more sympathetic and more instinctive when dealing with other people daily.

Yoga makes you determined:

Some of the poses are tricky…you won’t want to simply give up trying and being with others who are also struggling will help you to find your inner strength and keep on trying!

Yoga improves core strength:

Yoga practitioners have great bodies because their core strength is optimised. This means that their muscles are toned and honed and it shows.

Yoga helps you to control your temper and manage stressful situations:

Yoga teaches the control of the breath; when we’re faced with a challenge of any kind, many people notice that their breath becomes short…shallow breathing is a sign of panic. Learning to control your breathing can help you to avoid losing your head when all around you are losing theirs!

Yoga helps you to lose weight:

Because Yoga teaches not only core strength and self control, it is the perfect way to learn to control eating and to strengthen the body at the same time.

Yoga teaches serenity:

Practitioners of Yoga often seem calmer and more serene than other people…because they are! Yoga allows people to tap into their “happy place” at will and as a result, they are usually calm and serene

Yoga can make you more popular:

Truly it can! With an inner strength and a calm nature, people will be drawn to you.

Yoga helps your succeed:

Whatever your profession or whatever profession you are pursuing, yoga can help you to make it a reality because it teaches resilience and allows practitioners to tap into untold inner strength.

Yoga can make you happy:

Yoga can help beat depression, loneliness and also help people to make the changes in their lives which will improve their mood in general.

If you are looking for a hobby which can help your life get on a more even keel or if you’re looking to improve your body, then Yoga could be it. While Yoga can help the body to strengthen there are various treatments which will help you to further improve your body’s look in general. If you would like more even, toned skin for instance then you could look into TriActive and Body Contouring which are outstanding treatments for improving and restoring the natural balance to the appearance of the outer layers of your skin.

With laser technology, cellulite is diminished and the general proportions and appearance of the body is vastly improved. If you’re planning on overhauling your body then you won’t go far wrong with a new regime of Yoga and a course of TriActive and Body Contouring…hitting the problems in their weak area, you can have the body and the outlook of your dreams.

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The Pineapple

Found by Christopher Columbus on Guadeloupe Island in 1493, this wonderful fruit has come a long way from the unknown fruit which only produces one pineapple a year from each plant. Now being native to Paraguay, Hawaii, Costa Rica, the Philippines and Brazil, they are available to purchase anywhere and at almost every supermarket. Sweet and slightly tart, they have become extremely popular for mixing with savoury ingredients to make dishes with a tropical twist whether that’s a Caribbean curry or a Hawaiian Pizza. Here are some great reasons why you should try eating more pineapple.

Continue reading “Fruit of the Month – Pineapple.”

There’s nothing worse than heading out to an outdoor get-together in the summer months and finding that a combination of public transport or car travel have caused sweat patches on your outfit or even worse, sweaty feet! Those of us who wear makeup religiously can dread the hotter season as the heat can cause serious makeup mishaps…runny mascara anyone?

Continue reading “Stop Excessive Sweating With These Top Summer Tips!”

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Cooking a meal is a simple act which for many people today is no longer part of their routine. Of course people eat…they must in order to survive but it’s what they’re eating and the quality of it that we’re going to discuss here. When we say “cooking a meal” we don’t mean popping a pre-packaged casserole into the microwave…or even sticking a pizza in the oven and opening a bag of salad; we mean preparing vegetables, protein and carbs or grains and then cooking them.  For many people, the work involved in cooking with fresh, whole foods is just too much; especially when they can buy what appears to be the same items handily pre-prepped for them. But these items are not the same. Purchasing a ready-made pie for example also means purchasing a whole lot of stuff you may not have bargained for.

Continue reading “Why You Should Cook Your Own Food”

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]So you have booked yourself a summer holiday to a sunny destination across the pond and have hit the shops to grab yourself some bargain bikinis / swimming shorts.

As you enter the changing room carrying a basket full of summer clothing you enter a cubical, undress and look at yourself in the mirror. You only go away in couple of months time and in the last few months you have put on a bit of weight – right you think, time to get back in shape. (Alternatively contact us for a free coolsculpting consultation)

Many people who decide to lose weight or tone up do so by regular exercise in the form of running. Running can be an effective way to help drop a few pounds, combined with a healthy clean diet. The only problem is running can get old, really quick and many find it to be boring resulting in many giving it up after a a week or two. So what can be done to stay on track and keep yourself motivated?

Stay Away From Roads

Who needs shin splints right? Stay clear of hard pavements and roads and find dirt roads and trails instead. Plus as an added bonus you will have all that nice clean air to breathe and  some beautiful scenery to look at.

Buy A New Pair Of Running Trainers

The running trainers bit is very important – yes you can go running using an average pair of trainers but they will not provide the support and comfort of that of ones that have been made for running. Most running footwear will have an air pocket in the heel helping to minimize the impact to your heel as you run.

Buying new trainers also helps to keep you motivated!!! Once you have paid for a new pair you are more likely to stay committed to justify the cost of purchasing them…nobody likes to buy something new only to leave it locked away in the cupboard.

Stop Clock Watching

I know it can be very tempting to take out a watch or timing device to keep track of your performance whilst you run however this can become counter productive as you could find yourself trying to go too quick to try and reach a set time which can throw your pace all out of sync.

However this is not to say you cannot track your time. Before you run start a stop watch at the door of your house before you go out and then stop it on your return.

Sign Up To A Organised Run

There is nothing more motivating then knowing that you have to run 10k in the near future. By signing up to a run and letting friends and family know your taking part you will feel obligated to train in order to get your best time possible. You don’t want this to be you now do you:

Friend: “So how did you do in your run? What time did you get?
You: “Ermmm, I did it in 4 hours 16 minutes…
Friend: “Oh I didn’t realise you were running a marathon…well done!”
You: “I didn’t…”

Explore Your Surroundings

Mix it up a little, you don’t have to stick to them same old paths each and every time you go for a run. There is a big world out there…explore it!!!

Think Of The Mileage As Calories

Did you know that every mile you run burns roughly around 100 calories? So next time you do that 6 mile run think of it more as chips and sausage from your local chippy.

Leave The Excuses At The Door 

“I was supposed to go for a run yesterday but I had to put the washing out to dry and today I had to clean the dishes”. The moment you start letting excuses get in the way you are doomed to fail, the washing can wait until later…your fitness can’t.

Set A Routine And Stick To it.

if you decide you are going running on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday then make sure you stick to it.  Once you get into a routine you will feel that it becomes easier as it starts to become the norm.

Grab A Friend

By pairing up with a friend you will find that you are more committed. On days that you feel a little de-motivated the thought of not wanting to let your running partner down can be all the motivation you need to put on your running gear and get some exercise.

Set Your Self Goals

Goals are great to help you track your progress. Your first goal could be to run to the park and back and then your next goal to make it past the park to your old school and back, each time adding a little extra distance to your run. Sometimes without goals it is far to easy to become stale and never push yourself to the next level.

Quotes

I know this can sound a little silly but sometimes reading motivational quotes can help to change your mindset and really fire yourself up for your next run. Below is a quote from Lance Armstrong which I find very inspiring…

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong

Put Together A Motivational Playlist

Running to some high up tempo songs can make all the difference. Try googling ‘running playlists’ for good running songs that others have put together. In the mean time here are a handful to get you started:

Eye Of The Tiger:

Titanium:

Pump it:

Pack Rock Anthem

 

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It is quite common to hear, from health experts as well as those who mean well around us, that fruit juice is a much healthier option than fizzy drinks, and that where possible we should be making the choice to replace our fizzy drinks with said fruit juice.  However, the surprising truth is that there is very little difference between fruit juice and fizzy drinks, especially when it comes to the amount of sugar contained within them.

Its all about the Fructose!

It has long been surmised that fruit juice is the healthier option because it contains ‘natural’ sugars rather than artificial sweeteners.  However, the natural sugar contained within fruit juice is fructose, something which our bodies can only tolerate in small amounts.  To put it into context, our bodies can absorb, at any one time, around 25g of fructose.  A glass of pure orange juice contains 14g of fructose, a can of coke would have around 15g of fructose.  Not much of a difference!

We Are Simply Not Designed To Have Too Much Fructose

An overload of fructose can cause health problems such as bloating, cramps, indigestion and sometimes even diarrhoea.  Our bodies were simply not designed to take in that much fructose.  The thing which catches people out is that fruit juice is made from fruit, and we all know that fruit is good for us.  Don’t we?  Unfortunately this is another area where we may believe we are putting good foods into our body but actually too much can cause us digestive troubles.  If you need further evidence, consider that fruit found in the wild is not sweet in taste; have you ever picked a wild apple?  It will taste nothing like the apples to be found in your fruit bowl.  This is because the fruit of today has been designed and created; it’s the reason why we can obtain so many varieties of fruit which are not native to our home countries.

However Fruit Juice Isn’t All That Bad

Of course, drinking fruit juice does have other health benefits which are not contained within a can of coke.  For example, prune juice can help to alleviate symptoms of constipation, and many juices contain additional vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin C.  Drinking fruit juice in moderation is probably not a bad thing at all, just as eating a certain amount of fruit can also be good for us.  What we really need to watch is that we are not taking in an excess of fructose, simply for the other benefits fruit juice provides, especially when these extra nutrients and vitamins can easily be found in other sources such as vegetables and that we fully understand, and are aware, of what we are putting into our bodies.  Just because something is advertised as being the ‘healthy’ option doesn’t mean that it is actually as good for us as we might believe.

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In our last article we discussed the benefits to getting a great night’s sleep, but with hectic schedules, pressures at work and busy family lives few of us every actually achieve the elusive eight hours that is recommended. Our bodies require a minimum of 5-7 solid hours sleep a night in order to restore and repair ready for the next day, and lack of sleep is widely considered to be the cause for numerous health issues. If the land of nod is proving tricky to find, read on to discover the top tips to achieving a super sleep.

Get Regulated

Everyone has their own natural body clock, some are early risers who like to be up and out, whereas others are night owls who like to stay up late. There is no right or wrong here as your natural sleep-wake cycle known as your circadian rhythm will dictate what works best for you. The important thing is that once you have established your rhythm that you stick to it. If you need 7 hours sleep a day then try to make sure you go to bed and wake up the same time every day rather than switching between late nights and early mornings. An established routine is key to a good nights sleep, so tick to a regular bedtime and set an alarm for the following day so that you wake up the same time each day.

Power Naps

If you have a disturbed nights sleep, try not to sleep too much during the day to compensate for your lost hours as this will massively affect your natural sleeping pattern. Instead take a power nap for no more than thirty minutes to recharge your batteries and keep you going for the rest of the day without adversely affecting your night time sleep. Avoid falling asleep in the post dinner lull, get up and walk about, do some chores or call a friend to keep you alert and prevent any early evening snoozes affecting your night time sleep later on.

Monitor Your Melatonin

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by exposure to natural light exposure that helps the body to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Your brain is designed to secrete more in the evening when it is darker to make you feel sleepy and less during the day when you are awake. The pressures and demands of 21^st century life can massively affect the production of melatonin, which then affects your sleep cycle, so be careful how long you spend away from natural light. Avoid spending a whole day indoors as the darker unnatural light can cause increase melatonin which makes you feel more drowsy, get out in the fresh air for a walk when you can and try to work next to a window to make the most of the sunlight. On the flip side, you want to try and promote melatonin production during the evening so use blackout curtains and dim bulbs to create a relaxing peaceful atmosphere in which to sleep.

Stay Cool

Temperature and noise will affect your sleeping success so try and keep music or talk to a minimum and avoid watching TV in bed. If necessary use ear plugs to block out any noise that is beyond your control and maintain a cool bedroom at around 18 degrees with good ventilation. Don’t work in your bed, reserve your boudoir as a place for sleep and this way, you are less likely to start thinking shop while you lay in bed trying to drift off.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Stress is a fact of life. At some point or another you are more than likely to experience some levels of stress due to pressures at work, deadlines to meet, financial difficulties or personal circumstances.

Stress not only affects our mental and emotional well being, but can also have a detrimental effect on our physical appearance too.

Nail biting is perhaps one of the most common habits linked with stress that can cause noticeable physical differences. Stressed out workers or multitasking mothers may find themselves nibbling away right down to the quick, resulting in unsightly fingernails and cuticles which will not make a great impression.

The stress hormone, cortisol is the reason behind this impact on our outward appearance, causing many individuals to develop grey hair and have difficulties sleeping which can lead to puffiness and unwelcome dark circles under the eyes. Other physical effects include stress-induced acne, where the skins sebum production goes into overdrive resulting in oily skin with increased breakouts. Of course some stress cannot be avoided so we have created a self help guide to help you combat stress.

Eat Your Way To Relaxation

Food has a huge impact on our health, and we typically spend less time preparing and eating balanced diets when we are on the go or feeling stressed. Highly processed foods containing large amounts of sugar are frequently associated with increased cortisol levels and it is no secret then when we are stressed we maybe more inclined to reach for the chocolates. Try and switch to super foods that can counteract the cortisol levels in your body such as dark greens like broccoli, spinach and asparagus and vitamin C rich berries citrus fruits, and you will be sure to notice a vast difference in both your mental well being and your physical complexion.

Caress Your Cares Away

Physical touch is a powerful healer, and regular touch such as stroking, hugging and massage has been proven to reduce cortisol levels and even boost the immune system. Even a short foot rub or gentle head massage from your other half can instantly help you to relax and unwind, and if you are on your own five minutes of self massage can work wonders.

Keep Confident and Carry On

Self belief is vital in a world that is constantly ready to knock you down, however research has shown that too much confidence can be harmful to your health as those with huge egos often have much higher levels of cortisol. Today’s society is more competitive than ever, with celebrities displaying perfect bodies, faces and lives on every magazine and this results in individuals developing an unrealistic desire to strive to be like them. This places unnecessary pressure on us both at home and at work, so take stock of your accomplishments and find peace with your current home, role and appearance.

Sleep Away Stress

Busy lifestyles and hectic schedules can lead to time stretched men and women working late in to the night, and if you are burning the candles at both ends your body will increase it’s production of cortisol to help keep you going. Those who have six hours sleep or less each night can have up to 50% higher levels in comparison to those who sleep for eight hours or more. If the magic eight is difficult for you to achieve, then a midday nap can help to lower your cortisol levels during the day, so sleep deprived people could benefit from a quick snooze in the car during their lunch break.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Lose to gain.

For most of us, dieting isn’t easy, because we’re too good at focusing on the high calorie foods we didn’t avoid or the exercise bike we pretended wasn’t in the house each day; it’s often too easy to get caught up in the feeling that we’re losing at dieting instead of losing weight and gaining our desired shape. It’s good to take a break and think about your monthly goals; are they achievable?

Don’t worry if you don’t have any goals and just one aim.

Making the decision to seek out small opportunities to act and eat healthily can add up to big results.

It can be as easy as taking the stairs every time you see an escalator or filling your bag with fruit so you can always eat and always eat healthily, it’s up to you.

Of course, changing your diet can feel incredibly daunting because it takes discipline, motivation and a positive attitude. It’s estimated that each bite of food constitutes to around 25 calories per day and so in leaving two of these behind on the plate at lunch and dinner, we can cut out 100 calories per day which, if done every day for a year, would mean we’d achieve losing 10lb /4.5kg. Leaving four mouthfuls of food behind can’t require that much discipline, can it?

Pick a fruit!

With so much variety of snacks on offer to get us through the day it’s easy to forget the most colourful of foods– fruit. Maybe you drink fruit juice with a snack of your choice; consider replacing the drink with water and eating a whole fruit. Although fruit juice can act as a source of vitamins and sugars it does not provide the fibre fruits contain.

For example, if you were to swap a 375ml of juice for a big orange, you’d save yourself a whole 100 calories and pick up 5 grams of fibre.

Try to remain hydrated before you can think you need food fast: often when we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty.

It’s important to make sure you maintain a balanced diet each day. Too many carbohydrates found in crisps and bread will fill you up before you have room for foods containing high levels of nutrients. Swap bread for more vegetables; they can go with any meal, even curry can even be made with butternut squash as an alternative to yet another meat-filled meal.

Because you are worth it!

Don’t forget why you’re doing this. With small amendments to our diets we can gain that one thing we all crave – confidence. And it has to start with what we think of ourselves and what we deserve. In the same way that you can think you deserve the occasional treat you also deserve healthy foods that will set you on track towards a healthy and happier you!

If you still need an extra hand to lose stubborn fat why not consider coolsculpting. Visit the page to learn more.

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