8 Ways to Regroup After a Holiday Overload

January is back. 

Many of us are secretly rejoicing that the holidays are over for another year.

Once again, we have probably over done it. 
Festivities and feasting has left us feeling very weighed down and tired.

But January is traditionally a time of fresh starts and resolutions.  

These quick tips and easy changes can help get you regroup after a holiday overload and have you moving and grooving in time for Spring

 1. Drown Your Sorrows~

While not exactly as it sounds, however, some of the reason you may be feeling sluggish after the  holiday is because you need a good flushing out.

Your body is more than two thirds water.
 Not coffee, not pop, not eggnog… water.
It is easy to forget that during the holiday.

Water is needed for all proper cell and organ function and for elimination of collected waste. 

Start reaching for the glass of water before you reach for anything else.

2. Veg Out~

How often do you binge on salads over the holidays?  Fruits and veggies get pushed off the plate for much more tempting delicacies.

When the veggies get pushed to the side, so do the nutrients and all those intricate ingredients that make your body work properly.
If you body isn’t getting its best fuel, its not going run its best for you.  Simple as that.
 
Making your plate at least 75% veggies can transform the staunchest couch potato

3. Veg Out Naked~  
 
While you are choosing more fruits and vegetables, make sure as many as possible are raw.
Natural enzymes in the veggies can be altered or destroyed with heat and you would like to get the best bang out of every bite.

Speaking of your bites… chew, chew, chew and then chew slooooowly

Raw fruits and veggies need to be broken down very well for you body to utilize them efficiently.

4. Watch the Clock~
 
Yes, you have to eat more greens but don’t graze.
Holiday time tis the season for nibbling non-stop.
More food (and calories) slide down without ever knowing by popping bites here and there.

When we graze we don’t chew properly therefore we don’t digest the food’s nutrient potential properly.
As well, your body doesn’t send “full signals” to your brain when you constantly munch.
 Blood sugar levels can shoot up and down like a roller coaster creating even more food cravings.

Not only does grazing make you feel lazy, your bowels get lazy too. 
With only a little amount of food at any given time in your sewage system, there is not enough bulk to move everything along properly. 
Stuff just sits, like a rock in your belly, weighing you down and creating fatigue. 

Three meals a day with 2 light snacks is more than enough to keep you going. You won’t starve. I promise.

5.  I Really Mean Watch the Clock~

 Stop eating 3 hours before you go to bed.  Not a nibble.
A drink of juice or tea is just fine but nothing solid.

Your body shuts down for repairs and rejuvenation while you sleep, but it can’t do that if its busy trying to pack away the bag of potato chips you just ate an hour earlier.

Your body will store all late night snacks as fat. 
I repeat… Food eaten before bed will go directly to your hips, waist and bottom, or sit fermenting in your gutt making you wake up groggy and unmotivated.

6.Yes, You Have to Get Off the Couch~  

Holidays are over. You need to move.  Be wise about it, however.  
How many of us have invested in gym memberships, expensive exercise equipment and gimmicky programs right after the holidays?

Instead, try starting with walking 15 minutes every day.
Manitoba weather right now is scrumptious and the days are getting longer and brighter.

So get out there and go.

Movement will get a stagnant lymph system pumping and flush debris out of your body.

Movement also causes you to inhale deeply compared to the shallow breathing we do when we are laying around.
Your body needs oxygen to function, the more the better.

Oxygen is the most important element required for human life and the key to vital health.

Every body activities require oxygen. 
It is central to metabolism, circulation, respiration,

digestion, assimilation and elimination.

For those of you who don’t have the energy to move, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.
 (Bad news) If you don’t move you will stay perpetually tired, but (good news) as soon as you start to move you will discover a wellspring of energy.

Something similar to your car battery recharging itself the longer it runs.

7. One Thing at a Time~

New Years brings many good intentions.
But if changing your health is part of those great intentions, do it with some strategy. 
Don’t take on everything at once.

Your health and weight got the way it is one day at a time, one bite at a time. 
Don’t try to reverse everything immediately overnight.

The enthusiasm wears off quickly and your body will protest very loudly.

Pick one or two ‘do-able’ goals and do them well.

Invest time and make a quality commitment. 
Twenty-one days to establish a firm habit, they say.

When your new lifestyle change is well grounded you are ready to step into another new change.

8. Get Some Cheerleaders~

Whether your undertakings are going to be a marathon change or just a short sprint you will need a cheering section.

Surround yourself with people who will speak life and encouragement to you.

It’s easy to find those who are very happy doing nothing except complaining about their weight and health. 

Leave them in the dust.

You will need to find someone who will walk the discouraging parts of this journey with you, keep you focused on your goal and celebrate your victories

How to Shop for Protein Powders

Picking your Powders~ Part I
The Power of Protein

Quick powdered drinks are becoming a more familiar sight on the grocery shelves.

They are formulated powders that you mix with a glass of water or juice
or whatever you fancy, their variety seems endless and the claims they make vary just as much.

These liquid concoctions are being consumed for mental pick-me-ups during a mid afternoon slump or a speedy meal-in-a-glass on the run.

They are drunk to lose weight and drunk to gain weight.

They are manufactured by everyone from health food gurus, to the breakfast cereal companies to the department stores.

But as you look at the punch behind the product, you find they are all a little different.

Here are a few quick tips when shopping for your perfect powder.

Powders , Powders EVERYWHERE!

Which Powder is What?

Firstly, know what you are after.

Generally, there are 3 typical powders for you to sort out while you shop;
the protein powder, the weight loss/ meal replacement drink and the nutritional supplement.

Each will be formulated with a singular purpose with each having different results on your beautiful bod.

Over the next few articles, you will get a crash course on these handy beverages starting, today, with the protein powder.

OK, So What's The Protein All About?

Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are often referred to as the building blocks of life.

They build muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails, and are necessary for many internal functions and important in body repair.

A human body does need protein daily, as it does not store excess protein.

Obviously, as proteins have been the key to bulking up muscle, protein powders have been a staple for weight lifters and athletes.

But protein powders are also a favorite among vegetarians.

As well, they are being taken as a successful weight loss protocol and healing elixir.

Protein powders have also found a market as a brain-fog buster for working folk and students, alike.

What In The World Is In This Stuff?

A big key in picking your protein powders is an understanding of the different sources of proteins, and knowing which ingredients you want for yourself and your body, and making an aware decision.

There are excellent sources of both animal and vegetarian proteins
available.
All can be very potent for what you need and able to do what you wish.

Vegetarian sources that are high in easy to absorb protein are pea protein, brown rice protein, alfalfa, macca root and cranberry protein.

My personal favorites have become hemp and chia seed.
Hemp and chia seeds have the most complete edible and usable protein in
the vegetable kingdom.
Hemp protein contains all known amino acids, including the essential ones
adult bodies cannot produce.
They also have the added benefit of natural essential oils.

All vegetarian sources of protein bring with them additional nutrients found in the plant and a component of fiber.

Soy, which held the consumer market as a vegetarian super protein, has fallen from its perceived healthy glory.

Unfortunately, almost 90% of soy produced is genetically altered and chemically treated and soy has now been shown to cause havoc with your hormones.

In light of other clean and powerful natural proteins rising to the forefront, soy can easily be avoided.

Carnivores Drink Protein Powders Too!

Animal sources of protein have dominated the powders as long as there has been protein powders to blend.

Dairy sources include whey protein and casein proteins, both recognized for their high amino acid level.
Other sources you may find on your powder’s label could be egg and collagen.

Your protein powder label will often find many of these sources blended together to compliment each other.
That way you benefit from full spectrum of proteins, absorbing at varying rates into your cells and tissues.

Read The "Secret Ingredient" List

Now this is what you want to be on the look out for when shopping for your protein powders.

A drink is only as good as the sum of its ingredients and the source of your ingredients will always be as important as the ingredients themselves.

Many protein powder contains an array of questionable ingredients such as aspartame, Splenda, saccharin, fructose and artificial colors

Also avoid products with refined carbohydrates such as sugar, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, corn products or brown rice syrup.

Stay clear of labels with vegetable oils.

Secondly make sure that the powder that you select is mostly protein.

The cheaper powders have a lot of carbohydrates and fillers, and if you are shopping for protein, then its protein you want to get.

For a quick comparison, the favorite powders in my cupboard range from
15-20 grams per serving.

With both animal and vegetable sources make certain your label says organic and non-GMO products, other wise you may be absorbing hidden health stealing chemicals and doing more harm than good.

Protein Powders are Cool. But Do I Need Them?

For anyone considering that protein powders may be your next new thing, take the time to consider your needs and lifestyle.

Ingesting more protein than your body needs is not a small matter.

The average American already consumes about fifty percent more protein than the recommended daily amount.

Too much protein can strain your body’s digestion, age you prematurely and can cause significant harm in the long run.

And for anyone considering protein as a weight loss regime, also remember that the excess protein your body does not use is not stored as protein.

The maximum muscle mass a body can typically build in one week is about one pound; any extra protein is converted to fat.

Yes, athletes and those with a regular strenuous lifestyle require more protein than many of us; the body’s need for protein is proportional to the increased calories burned with exercise.

Along with physical activity, the amount of protein required, does vary on many factors, including body weight, age, health, with growing children and pregnant women requiring more.

As a general guideline, the recommended dietary allowance for protein for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.

Rebounding Back from Cancer

The statistics hit close to our homes and hearts; every 56 seconds some one dies from cancer, and according to the National Cancer Institute, all men in North America (living past the age of 70) have a 1 in 2 chance of
getting cancer before they die and for women, it's 1 in 3.

More than 50% of the population will be diagnosed with cancer during their
lifetime and the percentage is steadily climbing.

So although cancer awareness, research and funding is as aggressive as it
has ever been, it appears that so is cancer, itself.

Could it be because cancer prevention, education and treatment, is still more “grass-roots” than we think?

It still takes more personal responsibility then contributing a few dollars to the cause and leaving it in someone else's hands.

The first steps to the beginning of “the cure” starts with accurate information, brave personal choices and consistent life changes.

The most successful anti-cancer/ after- cancer strategies are aware and pro-active lifestyles.
A lifestyle that consist largely of clean, low-processed, nutrient-dense foods and constant activity.

I’ve written alot about what you should be tweaking in you diet here in this column.

But today I would like to introduce you to the simplest exercise which is, by far, your body’s best bet in the war against cancer .

It is an exercise that is suitable for all ages, even those who are immobile.

It is not just low impact, but NO impact, and only needs mere minutes a day.

Rebounding grew to superstar status in the 70’s, but is becoming
re-noticed by a new generation.

It is the exercise that NASA itself has called, the perfect exercise.

Rebounding consists of gentle bouncing on a special mini-trampoline.

The basic movement of rebounding, called the "health bounce," is so simple your feet don't even leave the mat.

( Buyer beware! There is an important differece between the cheaper, foriegn-made mini-trampolines that are sold in department stores and quality rebounders. The cheaper mini-trampolines risk damaging your ankles, knees and back because they often don’t provide a proper bouncing mat, proper height from the the ground, and necessary 4-inch long
springs. )

The results of rebounding on the entire body is phenominal, but of particular interest is its attack on cancers.
This is because rebounding is the most effective stimulator for your lymphatic system around.

Your lymphatic system is the major dumping ground for toxins and waste
products.
It is a highway that specialized cells travel through countless vessels to flush diseased and damaged cells, destroying the danger and bringing in nutrients.

While the circulatory system and blood is kept in motion by a pumping heart, for example, your lymphatic system has no pump at all.

Instead it completely relies on you moving to keep it flowing.

Without adequate movement, the cells are left stewing in their own waste products and starving for nutrients

Poor lymph flow is common in sedentary people; this is one reason why less active individuals are more susceptible to illness.

Rebounding moves the lymph along as much as 15 to 30 times more efficiently as when the body is at rest.

But even better is that rebounding will cause an increase ,as much as three times, the number of white cells circulating through the body, particularly neutrophils, which are one of the white cells responsible for destroying cancer cells.

And rebounding will do this all within 2 minutes of engaging in the activity.

Not only does rebounding increase the mobility (15 to 30 times more activity) of the disease eating cells but it also triples the number of those cells.

But there is still another defence against cancer!

Rebounding also significantly increases the oxygen level in the body.
While healthy cells die in the absence of oxygen, cancer cells are opposite.

Cancer seems to thrive in an eviroment with low oxygen levels.

Rebounding floods your tissues with oxygen, making it less appealing to cancer cells but inviting to the growth of healthy cells.

With a good quality rebounder, cancer gets a triple whalop in less than a
few minutes with no perscriptions and no side effects.

STRATEGIC SHOPPING~ WHEN TO BUY ORGANIC

One of my favorite secrets I share for instantly boosting health, is
not what you need to remove from your diet as much as what you need to
add.
Lots and lots of fruits and vegetables. (A healing diet should actually be
at least 75% fruits and vegetables)

It is by far, the best way to improve everything that is going on inside
of you, and boost everything your hard working body is doing for you .
Fruits and veggies are fully loaded with vitamins, minerals, macro and
micro nutrients, fibers and living enzymes that give your body the
ammunition it needs to build and thrive.

Unfortunately when we should be increasing our fruits and veggies, the
majority of us are are eating less and less.
Part of the hesitancy which I hear has definitely been the concern of the
cost of a high produce diet.

Economically, it is easier to fill up with quick and nutritionally void
(or damaging) processed food.
Particularly when we are faced with the choice to buy our produce organic
or not organic.

We are told that eating organic fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk
of developing cancer and other diseases for us and our children.
We have been warned that our produce supply is being coated with countless
pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, dyes, waxes and/or are being
irradiated or genetically modified into what has been dubbed as mutated
“Frankenfood”.

New studies, reports and red flags are being posted weekly. We are alarmed.
Our conscience is now wrestling with the reality of observations such as
this one from Dick Irwin, toxicologist at Texas A&M Universities:
“Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as the main threat to
health. The diseases we’re beginning to see as the major causes of death
in the latter part of this century and into the 21st century are diseases
of chemical origin.”

Not fun, Joanne! You say!
On top of dissecting our food labels leery of trans fats, high salt,
artificial sweeteners, hidden sugars, excito-toxins and things we can’t
pronounce, we need to fret over our fruit!

When did grocery shopping become so much work?

My good news is that you may not have to break the bank when you are
loading your cart with fruits and veggies. I am going to give you a grade
A tip on how you can you can lighten the stress, guilt and fear about
picking your produce.

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