Optimum Fitness Is . . .

Fit for What?

Unless we're talking about our bodies, and the amount of exercise they can do, we usually talk about being fit in relation to something. An object is 'fit for use', clothing is 'fit to be worn at work', and food is 'fit to be eaten'. My parents used to have a running joke that they were fit - fit to drop! Everything else is fit 'for something'. So why do we insist on describing ourselves as 'fit' or 'unfit' without relating the concepts to anything else?

GENERAL PRINCIPLES
It's a basic truth that the human body wasn't made to sit still for any length of time. We spent tens of thousands of years evolving in an environment that required us to move - to find shelter, to catch food, and to keep ourselves safe from predators. We've only been living lifestyles that allow us to be sedentary for the lesser part of a hundred years - not nearly enough time for evolution to adapt our bodies to this new environment. We see this constantly reflected in modern rates of heart disease, atherosclerosis, chronic aches and pains, and muscular and bone deterioration in people who have become inactive as they age.

On top of this, activity has a very real effect on both stress and energy levels. Our bodies have a 'use-it-or-lose-it' way with energy - if we don't constantly use and then replace energy (with activity, followed by rest and good nutrition), we start noticing our energy levels gradually draining away. We feel tired, lethargic, and as though any amount of effort is just too much to be worth it. And if we're also under stress - for example, at work, or in a difficult relationship - we feel the energy loss and the stress even more intensely.

These are general principles that seem to be true whoever we are. But different lifestyles require different amounts of energy, and exact different prices in terms of stress. We enjoy doing, and our bodies are suited for, different kinds of activity. It makes sense then, that the amount and type of activity that will help us reach our optimum fitness, will be different.

DIFFERENT STROKES
If that's the case, then getting 'fit' without a frame of reference seems like a meaningless concept. Unless we know what we want to be 'fit for' - what fitness means to us - there's no reason for us to get or stay that way. If my life is basically calm, quiet and easy-flowing, and I'm quite happy to keep it that way, my 'optimum fitness' is going to be very different to someone who's discovered a deep fulfillment in setting themselves a goal and achieving it. Someone who'd just like to go for a walk with friends without getting puffed is going to have a different optimum fitness level to someone who wants to discover how it feels to finish a marathon.

On top of this, what people want often changes over time. Perhaps at one point in your life, you enjoyed spending a couple of hours a day exercising, but now you're finding there are things you'd like to do far more with that time. Alternatively, when you first started creating your optimum life for yourself, it might have been enough for you to just keep your body healthy. As you tried new activities though, you might have discovered you were actually enjoying some of them for their own sake, and wanting to get fitter so you could do more of them. So at different times in your life, you'd have a different optimum fitness level.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE "FIT FOR"?
Which brings us back to our original question - can we talk about being fit, without knowing what exactly we're 'fit for'? The way we see it, your optimum fitness level depends completely on what you want to be able to do in your daily life, how you want to be feeling, how much energy you'd like to have and how exercise fits in with the rest of your life. So your first step in moving closer to optimum fitness needs to be to make that all-important decision "What do I want to be fit for?"

by Tanja Gardner

About the Author:
Optimum Life's Tanja Gardner is a Stress Management Coach and Personal Trainer whose articles on holistic health, relaxation and spirituality have appeared in various media since 1999. Optimum Life is dedicated to providing fitness and stress management services to help clients all over the world achieve their optimum lives. For more information please visit check out http://optimumlife.co.nz, or contact Tanja on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz.

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8 Reasons To Lose Weight

I have been working on a nagging, lagging goal of my own which is losing weight and increasing my energy supply. I got out of the habit late last year after a couple of injuries sidelined my fitness activity.

I never got consistent again, I have been fairly sporadic lately about my eating plans and fitness activities. So, I have been getting chunky with all the hours sitting at the computer, and not enough time spent exercising and/or walking and jogging.

It is time to get consistent in this area and by commiting to it here, I am giving myself one more reason why I must make this a habitual, routine, every day focus until I have developed the habit again. I am a big believer of having enough compelling reasons to keep myself going even when emotions are pulling me in the other direction.

I found this article which gives 8 such reasons and I will post some more when I go through my journal and find others.

8 Reasons To Lose Weight by Mark Kimathi

Obesity is the second leading cause of death after smoking. It is associated with an increased mortality rate of all ages including children. Losing weight though commercialized is still to your benefit if you carry more weight than you should.

Obesity and overweight are term often used interchangeably. However, technically they refer to two different states.

Being overweight technically means excess body mass. This includes all the body tissues. Obesity on the other hand refers explicitly to excess body fat e.g. a professional heavy weight body builder is overweight because of excess muscles but is not obese.

Obesity is what should concern you. Losing weight is no longer an issue you can afford to procrastinate, and probably a good health scare is in order.

Reason #1 to lose weight
Diabetes:- It is well known that 80 -90% of type-two-diabetes patients are overweight. Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., as well as the leading cause of adult blindness in the world. One of the direct causes of obesity is eating wrong foods. Some of these wrong foods include high glycemic foods. High glycemic foods are energy dense foods that quickly increase the level of blood glucose in your body after been eaten. This results to the body reserving the unnecessarily high glucose/energy into fat. This makes losing weight very difficult.

Releasing a hormone called insulin does this. Type-Two-diabetes occurs because the body cannot produce enough insulin to remove the excess blood glucose and store it as body fat. This will occur after straining insulin production for some time. And that’s how you end up being fat and diabetic.

Reason #2 to lose weight
Stroke:- Obesity is associated with arteriosclerosis, the build up of fatty deposits in the arteries through out your body. This makes them narrow slowing blood flow and among other things increases risk of the blood clotting. Arteries at risk include those supplying blood to the brain. If clotting occurs due to narrowed artery, it blocks blood supply to an area of the brain resulting to stroke. Losing weight reduces this risk.

Reason #3 to lose weight
Cancer:- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 25% - 33% of cancer world wide are overweight and physical inactivity related. Body fat evidently promotes higher levels of insulin production and excess estoregens, a hormone. Both insulin and estorogens accelerate cell division.

[Probably to create adipose tissue; new fat cells to store fat, in addition to the regular cell division]

As research has indicated, the faster cells duplicate the more they increase chances of a cancerous cell developing. The situation is further complicated as the rapid cell division caused by the excess hormones lead also to rapid cell reproduction of the one cancerous cell, hence cancer starts to develop actively. In addition fat cells tend to keep carcinogenic i.e. cancer-causing agents, trapped in the body which increases chances of developing cancer.
Types of cancers you will be at high risk to get include:

Breast cancer- affecting the breast possibly in both men and women.
Colorectal cancer- affecting colon and rectum.
Prostrate cancer- affecting the prostrate gland in men.
Endometrial cancer- affecting the uterus.
Esophageal cancer- affecting the esophagus.
Renal cell cancer, the cancer of the kidney, etc.

Reason #4 to lose weight
Respiratory problems:- Obesity causes lungs to “become smaller” in size and chest wall become heavier to lift in the process of breathing in. The most common respiratory problem is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where by an individual stops breathing for some time while asleep. A soft tissue in the throat collapses around the air way probably due to weight, blocking it. For the severely obese sleep apnea may get more complicated with hypoventilation. Hypoventilation is accumulation of toxic levels of carbon dioxide (the gas we breathe out) in the blood, due to inadequate breathing. Losing weight would be the only permanent safe and healthy solution to sleep apnea.

Reason #5 to lose weight
Urinary Incontinence:- This is involuntary release of urine. Being overweight can contribute to urinary incontinence. A heavy abdomen due to body fat deposit may cause valve of urinary bladder to be weakened. The weight also exerts pressure on the urinary bladder, trying to push urine out. This results to leakage of urine when coughing, sneezing or laughing. This is because of a slight relaxation of the bladder valve that normally will not result to leakage. It can even result to bed wetting at night. This particular problem can be a very effective motivator to lose weight.

Reason #6 to lose weight
Varicose veins:- Also known as Venous Stratis Disease. The leg and thigh muscles assist the heart in blood circulation just like most large muscles in the body. They are involved in pumping blood against gravity back to the heart with the help of valves that close to avoid a backward flow. Pressure as a result of a large abdomen may increase the work load on the valves eventually causing damage. Damaged valves then allow for blood to back up, due to gravity, causing high pressure in these veins leading to swelling, thickening of skin and skin ulcers.

Reason #7 to lose weight
High Blood Pressure:- The BMI (Body Mass Index) and age together are the strongest indicator of risk of hypertension or high blood pressure. At least a third of hypertension is related to obesity.

Reason #8 to lose weight
Other Diseases:- Other diseases which MAY occur as a result of being overweight include;

Gout
Coronary heart disease
Lower back pains
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Gall stones
Pregnancy disorders such as
Neural tube defect,
Prenatal mortality,
Maternal hypertension,
Gestational diabetes etc.
Impaired immune response
Liver disease
Pancreatitis
Bad body smell
Depression

Research shows that even modest weight loss of even 10 pound for the overweight significantly reduces the risk of developing these diseases. Weight loss is in fact a challenge taken by many every year.

Unfortunately many fail in this healthy endeavor. And all because of one thing; they lack proper information on effective weight loss. Effective weight loss is permanent, and a permanent weight loss depends fundamentally on four factors. These four are what we at Health-eMark call the ‘Top 4 Reasons for Weight Loss Failure’.

This article was authored at Health-eMark.com. Health-eMark.com is a source of weight loss information and its permanent solutions. It uniquely approaches weight loss from the perspective of the 'Top 4 Reason for Weight Loss Failure'.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Kimathi

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Achieve Your Fitness Goals

Achieve Fitness Goals by Being Easy on Yourself

Sometimes we get down on ourselves.

Maybe we didn’t perform the way we wanted to at a presentation for work, didn’t do all the studying we could for an exam or review, needed more time and put out a product that was only good—not the best.

When this happens, most people—myself included!—tend to get a bit down on ourselves. We feel like we have failed our expectations and didn’t live up to our standards. And maybe this is true, maybe we could have taken some more time to prepare that PowerPoint for a presentation, studied a little bit harder or spent more quality time developing a killer product—all these, we could have done and the end result would have been better.

These are our lessons, the reason we have them is to grow. So let’s look at it that way—as growing experiences—and STOP BEING HARD ON YOURSELF!

Being hard on yourself will only bring you into a dark place where the only thing around is question marks about your potential success. What is going to happen to me? Who noticed that I messed up? Will I ever do what I want to do? Get out of the negative and your life will ease up, I promise.

This is no different with your fitness and health goals. If you become your own worst drill sergeant—screaming and shouting at your last mess up—you will not build the positive support within yourself to sustain an enlightened and lasting fitness and health program. I promise you this as well.

You can see how this affects professional athletes all the time. Watch tennis and take careful notice of how the players react to their own missed shots. If a player hits the ball into the net and reacts poorly, chances are the next three or four rallies will have more errors on his or her part. What is happening is this…

His conscience is being a drill sergeant. He is screaming his head off at the player telling him to stop screwing up! While he’s still screaming, he’s still playing tennis and so now he’s listening to his drill sergeant and trying to hit a first serve that’s over 100 mph! Talk about some serious multitasking! These conversations are negative and counter-productive.

Instead, to avoid this berating, he should acknowledge his mistake and calmly peacefully let it go. How? Take a breath. Concentrate more. Don’t correct his swing or positioning, just concentrate on what his doing—in this case hitting a tennis ball. I guarantee he will not flub his next few shots.

Same with baseball pitchers. You’ve seen the guys who miss a few strikes then start getting into their heads and swearing and cursing on the mound. What happens is the same, the drill sergeant gets talking and the concentration is out the window. This is when they give up homeruns and unintentional walks.

Master pitchers have learned to shrug off bad pitches and concentrate on the task they are there to complete. I’ve seen many games where a great pitcher has missed on one pitch and given up a homerun, then come back and shut the other team out for the remaining innings. Pitchers like these are masters not only at throwing the ball hard—but of concentration.

You cannot do everything perfectly.

If you get off track, take a day to breathe, look over your goals and then refocus your concentration. For many of us, fitness and health require a lifestyle change that creates LASTING habits! You’re bound to slip up once and a while, so don’t kill yourself.

Here’s a great story my coach, Nick, told me when I was struggling with being too hard on myself.

There was a young boy named Michael, about 10 years old, that Nick had been counseling for a short period of time. Michael was overweight and was having a tremendously difficult time in school. He had trouble with his math and was a level or two behind in reading. He just didn’t feel good about himself and the other kids were starting to pick on him because of his reading deficiencies and, of course, his weight.

Nick had met with Michael a few times and now the issue they were discussing was his performance at school. After pulling some teeth to get Michael to talk about his problems in school and with the other kids, Nick was unsure of how to proceed with the session. So he asked Michael a very blunt and straightforward question. “How do you felt about yourself?”

Michael responded with this, “I feel like a big fat failure.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on a second,” Nick said, “What makes you feel like that?”

“I don’t know, I just am.”

“Well Michael, why don’t you tell me about something that you really like.”

Michael looked up to the ceiling. “I like animals!”

“And tell me, what’s your favorite animal?”

“The Cheetah!” Michael nearly jumped out of his seat.

“Great!” Nick matched his enthusiasm, “and tell me about the cheetah.”

In double-time, Michael began to tell Nick all about the cheetah, how it walks, how it eats, how it sleeps, when it sleeps, again what it eats—to the point where a non-caring Nick would have kicked himself for asking this question at all.

When Michael seemed to be winding down, Nick gently interrupted.

“Wow, you certainly know a lot about the cheetah don’t you? You mentioned something that I want to talk about. You said that the cheetah eats zebras, right?”

“Yeah, and antelope, and…”

“Well, Michael, when the cheetah goes out and hunts, so you know how many times he gets the prey and can eat dinner?”

Michael thought for a minute then exclaimed, “All the time!”

Nick’s face became more serious, knowing Michael was wrong and he slowly gave Michael his lesson, “That’s not true, Michael. The cheetah is lucky if he gets to eat once or twice a week. He hunts many times and doesn’t catch a thing. Did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t”

“Michael, the Cheetah is a very special animal because it keeps trying all the time, day after day so it can eat. He may miss his dinner 4 or 5 times in a week. Now would you call the cheetah a big fat failure for not being successful every time?”

Michael got the lesson Nick was trying to teach him and started performing better in school.

We can’t be at our prime all the time, and when we aren’t we absolutely cannot punish ourselves for it. Be more like the Cheetah, go out everyday knowing that you are doing what you need to be successful.

If you fail, breathe, and come back more concentrated the next day. You will be a success, I’m sure of it!

How to be a Cheetah

Here are the tools that will allow you to tell your drill sergeant that he or she’s better off making sure we don’t forget our business appointments that interfering with our fitness and health successes!

Step One: When you start to hear the drill sergeant, listen to his speak for a short time. Listen to what he says. They will probably be similar to things like this “You stupid…” or “I don’t believe you just…” or “Why can’t you ever keep a commitment for…” For this step, just be aware that this is happening so you can recognize it when it happens again.

Step Two: Tell your drill sergeant that you are thankful he is around. Seriously. Thank him for sharing his thoughts because this same drill sergeant is the one who gets you out of bed in the morning (he’s not all negative!).

Step Three: Take a few deep breaths.

Step Four: Ask your conscience to move on to the next thought. If the next thought is just as negative and just as degrading, repeat the four steps!

When you master this, you will be able to deal with your drill sergeant easily and quickly before you begin to start the self-doubt that can destroy your chances of reaching your ultimate fitness goals!

by Kevin Gianni

Kevin Gianni is the holistic fitness expert. He is a certified personal trainer and co-founder of Lifestyle Fitness, a home workout program that gives you the tools to radically change your views on health and fitness for the rest of your life.

Be sure to sign up for our free email newsletter that has the fitness and health tips other "gurus" are charging big bucks for.
www.yourlifestylefitness.com
kevin@yourlifestylefitness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Cleanse For Weight Loss!

Cleansing the Body for a Detox Weight Loss!
By Ross Bridgeford

Cleansing: How to Kickstart your Alkaline Lifestyle

Due to the highly acidic diet that most people in the UK are used to, our bodies urgently need to be cleaned up! It is important to do a cleanse to rid the body of impurities, normalise digestion and metabolism and realign the body to an alkaline pH level of 7.365.

Cleansing eliminates acid wastes and negative microforms throughout the body, detoxifying the blood, tissues and digestive systems.

Due to the removal of so many toxins and waste from the body it is not uncommon for someone on the cleanse to feel worse before they become better. Symptoms such as headaches, nausea, dizziness and excess mucus can occur, however, it is important to remember that this is simply the body trying to flush out the excess toxins.

The levels of ‘detox symptoms’ varies from individual to individual and it is important to ensure that whilst cleansing you must remain totally hydrated with alkaline water and green drinks as this will allow the toxins to flush out more quickly.

How To Cleanse - The Basics: Step by Step

Cleansing is not a complicated process, however there are a number of simple rules that should be adhered to in order to maximise its effectiveness.

Water

It is absolutely essential during the cleanse that you consume at least four litres of high quality, alkalizing water each day. The toxins that the body is trying to expel will attempt to leave the body in a number of different ways, including through producing increase mucus, through the skin (spots) and through the waste we produce.

By remaining fully hydrated and alkalised the body is given the opportunity to rapidly flush out toxins ensuring that ‘detox symptoms’ are minimised while refreshing your body with the fluids it needs on a daily basis.

Liquid Feasting

During the cleanse the most important thing to remember is that this is not a fast! The cleanse is quite the opposite as it is designed to feed your body with all of the nutrients that will aid repair and give the body the energy and replenishment it needs during the cleansing process.

The quickest and most efficient way to alkalise and deliver nutrients to the body is through liquids as this is a form that allows the absorption of nutrients most effectively ensuring minimal waste. Raw soups, vegetable juices, green drinks are all highly alkalizing and vital to the cleanse.

Supplements and Essential Fatty Acids

Although it is not absolutely essential to use supplements during a cleanse, it is highly recommended. The two most beneficial supplements during the cleanse are the Supergreens powder (or capsules) and the Prime pH drops (or alternate brands such as Inner Balance).

These two supplements provide not only high fibre, protein, alkaline salts, and a vast array of vitamins and nutrients but are also anti-yeast, antifungal and anti-mycotoxic, making the water that you drink far more alkalizing.

Essential oils (ensure they are cold pressed oils such as Udo's Choice), including omega 3 and omega 6 are important in mobilising stored fats and toxins within the body, providing a wide range of benefits including: lower blood pressure, cholesterol and risk of stroke or heart disease increased weight loss through an increase of the metabolic rate and fat burn-off, killing of cancer cells, prevention of liver damage, improved hair, nails and skin, creation of a healthy environment for human cells, particularly brain cells, nerve synapses, visual receptors, adrenal glands and sex glands.

A good multi-vitamin is also recommended which contains a good range of minerals and preferably alkaline salts. Do ensure that any supplement you do take is vegan friendly and does not contain yeast.

A Rough Guide...

A cleanse can last anything from 1 to 7 days and beyond depending upon your level of health (although it is recommended to seek advice if undertaking a long-term cleanse). It is not a complicated process and the most important thing to remember is that this is not a fast - eat until you are satisfied!

The cleanse is quite the opposite to a fast as it is designed to feed your body with all of the nutrients that will aid repair and give the body the energy and replenishment it needs during the cleansing process. The cleanse will alkalise and super-hydrate your body setting you on the journey to optimal living health.

Nutrition advice is always readily available at Energise for Life. Experts in alkaline diets and alkalising we also supply a wide range of supplements including supergreens and ultra greens!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
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For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
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Healthful Flax Seeds

Flax Seed Eh? By Karen Butterworth

Flax seed has been popping up out of nowhere lately. Why you might ask? Well because of its many health benefits.

The first time you see flax seeds you were probably, like “ok, they look like sesame seeds, who are you trying to fool?” They may look like sesame seeds, but boy do they pack in a lot of nutrition. Flax seeds may come in different colors, but the colors don’t anything to do with the value of their nutrition. They are all equally beneficial to you.

Flax seeds are basically available everywhere. You can purchase then at a health food store to a place were you buy natural foods sold in bulk. You can either buy the seeds just like that, or you can buy the flax supplements in pill form. Whatever you fell more comfortable with.

But now let’s talk about the nutritional values of flax seed. They are the best source for Omega 3 fatty acids, which is great for the brain and concentration. Adding flax seeds to your diet can increase your ability to concentrate better and think faster.

Some of the nutrients we get from flax seeds are fiber, protein and vitamins and minerals.

The fiber in the flax seeds can help stabilize your blood sugar levels. The seeds are a great source for protein, for every 100 grams of the flax seeds you can get about 25030 grams of protein. Flax seeds contain vitamin E and B. The seeds are also rich in zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, nickel, calcium and many other essential minerals.

There are many benefits to adding flax seeds to your diet. Well for instance they can get rid of your constipation problem. The seeds are like an astringent and kind of have a laxative action. You might be surprised, but flax seeds can also help with your acne problems. The presence of fatty acids in the seeds helps to control the production of androgens, which causes acne.

There are also many ways of consuming the seeds. You can simply just chew them. You can grind the seeds to make a power. You can then mix the powder in juice, cereal or a non-dairy smoothie. If you want you can also sprinkle the powder over a salad.

But you should be drinking a lot of water after consuming the seeds. And be sure to eat just the right amounts. No more then 3 tablespoons twice a day, if you exceed that by large amounts it can cause a toxic effect. So be careful.

About the Author: Karen Butterworth is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for http://www.celebrex-n-vioxx-alternatives.com/ . Her articles have also been featured on related sites such as http://www.alternativediets.info/ and http://www.alternativehealingtips.info/

Source: www.isnare.com

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The Power Of Positive Habits
"Imagine how your life would change if you could put it on AUTOPILOT and reach all of your goals automatically!"

Now you can with "The Power of Positive Habits," the new book that #1 NY Times best-selling authors Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, John Gray Ph.D. are all raving about!

Read this book and discover:
. How you can "Improve Your Health" Automatically!
. How you can "Achieve Greater Success" Automatically!
. How you can "Lose Weight" Automatically!
. How you can "Lower your Cholesterol" Automatically!
. How you can "Reduce your Cancer risks" Automatically
and much, much more!

Order this program now. Start plotting the auto pilot course to your dreams! 100% Money Back, Satisfaction Guaranteed As Usual

The Power Of Positive Habits

---

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Improve Your Eating Habits

Improve Your Eating Habits
By Clare Evans

1. Water. If you’re thirsty you’re already dehydrated. The majority of us don’t tend to drink enough during the day. If you drink a lot of tea and coffee to keep you going then these have a diuretic effect so you should be drinking water to compensate.

Have a glass of water first thing in the morning and last thing at night – your body loses a lot of water while you’re asleep – not only if it’s warm and you sweat a lot but just going 8 hours (if you’re so lucky) without food or drink it’s going to be dehydrated.

Dehydration can also be mistaken for hunger – have a glass of water first before reaching for a snack or eating a meal.

2. Fruit & Veg. Fruit and vegetables provide you with vitamins, minerals and fibre to help keep your body healthy. Eat a piece of fruit or drink fresh juice for breakfast. Fresh berries on muesli or porridge or cereal. Have fruit as a snack during the day and salad and vegetables with your main meals.

If you can, buy organic and wash fruit and vegetables before eating unless your peeling them. Pesticide residues are more likely to remain on the skin and fruits such as apples are often treated in storage.

3. Avoid processed food. With the increased reliance on ready-prepared meals, take-aways and convenience food to save time there is an increase in the amount of processed food that people eat.

Before you buy that convenience meal – check the label. How much sugar, salt, hydrogenated fat, E preservatives, colouring does it contain? Because it’s processed – a lot of the flavour and goodness is lost and has to be added. Because it needs to survive transport, increased shelf-life and cooking fats and preservatives are added. And how much does it really cost. Cooking simple meals such as stir-fries and casseroles are just as convenient and so much better for you.

4. Fresh Juice. One great way to kick-start your day and gently wake up your digestive system is to have a fresh juice every morning. I don’t mean orange juice with your breakfast but fresh vegetable juices. Invest in a good juicer, buy local organic produce and find out how good fresh juice is.

An easy recipe you can have every day is one apple, one carrot (peeled), stick of celery, cube of ginger and thick slice of lemon (remove rind).

5. Fish. Eat fish at least once a week. It contains healthy Omega 3 oils, which are good for your joints, and nerves. Flax and hemp oils offer an alternative for non-fish eaters.

6. Eat regularly. Get into the habit of eating breakfast. Your body has been without food over night – break the fast with a glass of fresh juice (see above) and then a healthy bowl of cereal, muesli or porridge (avoid those loaded with salt and sugar). Try to eat every 2-3 hours – little and often – to avoid your blood sugar levels fluctuating too much. Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the evening. Your body will naturally be slowing down at that time and food eaten late is more likely to be stored as fat.

7. Alcohol. There’s nothing wrong with the odd glass of wine, in fact these days it’s seen to be healthy for the anti-oxidants it contains. Excess alcohol causes your kidneys and liver to work overtime to rid the body of the toxins. Know your limits and drink water to help your body eliminate the toxins.

8. Sugar and Salt. These two ingredients are added to most processed food. They add flavour and act as a preservative but they can be present even in foods you don't expect or are labelled in ways that you don't recognise. Sugar is empty calories, in it's basic form it contains little nutritional value. Natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables are all you need. Avoid adding sugar to food and drinks and avoid synthetic replacements. Watch your salt limits too.

9. Know what you’re eating. Be aware of the food that you’re putting in your body. Read the food labels if you buy tinned, processed produce to be aware of how much salt, sugar and fat is in the food you buy. Buy organic meat whenever possible to avoid the steroids, hormones and anti-biotics that are in factory farmed meat. Know how much sugar, salt and fat you should be eating.

10. Balanced diet. One of the most important ways to improve your eating habits is to have a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole food, fish and meat, nuts and seeds. Everything in moderation. Keep fatty and sugary foods low but if you enjoy chocolate, cakes and curries there’s nothing wrong with having one once in a while.

If you’d like help in putting some structure in place to organise your health – contact me through my website.

Clare Evans – Do more of what you want, less of what you don’t.
www.clareevans.co.uk.

Clare is a Personal and Business Coach who works with individuals and small business owners to help them organise their time more effectively and create a better work life balance - enabling them to spend more time doing what they want and less time doing what they don't.

Contact me today to find out how to create balance in your life.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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