Juicing v Smoothies – the pros and cons of each

Juicing is one of my absolute favourite ways to get the nutrients in and super charge my immune system and I totally advocate juicing. I love it so much that I have a workshop dedicated to showing and teaching folks what it’s all about including tips and trick to make it easier. One of the common questions I tend to get from people about it is:

What is the difference between blending and juicing?

Blenders retain everything from the food. They take the fibre and pulp and blend it all together.

Juicers separate the pulp from the juice and we drink the juice only. When you first start out, juicing is a lot easier and gentler on your body.  Whether you are juicing to treat a health condition or just to stay healthy, you will experience a lot of detoxification. If you are not used to all that fibre, the juice will still give you loads of energy.

When you advance, and if you enjoy the texture, go ahead and make smoothies. When we juice green vegetables, we liberate the chlorophyll and our bodies immediately absorb it.

Chlorophyll is a detoxifier, deodorant and is an incredible healer of inner and topical inflammation and wounds.  The chlorophyll remakes our blood.  It is centered on magnesium and our blood is centered on iron.

You need to be careful to use simple juices if you are on a lot of medication.  If you are very sick, you will probably release toxins very quickly.  This will happen in the form of bowel movements.  Sometimes your liver dumps a lot of toxins. Chlorophyll is a neutraliser of toxins and can deal with anything you have.  It is good for kidney, heart and liver conditions. Green juice is an amazing detoxifier. Whichever method you decide to go with, you’re getting the nutrients in and rocking your way to a healthier, stronger immune system!

6 ways to boost concentration at work

Work today gets really stressful and we tend not to fully concentrate and be present at the best of times, when it really counts. Quite a few people tend to get that afternoon slump round about 2 or 3 pm when you feel totally tired, lack concentration and want to reach for that blast of caffeine and/or sugary treat like a great, big donuts being passed around the office.

According to our body’s natural Ultradian Rhythm, we are built to concentrate fully for no more than 90 to 120 minutes at a time, after that time we need to take a break from what we’re doing especially if sitting in front of a computer screen.

Here are a few steps to help you get through or avoid loosing concentration:

Eat Right for Your Brain:

Eating the right food for your health and brain is so important and should always be the first change that should be made.

To eat the right food for your brain, keep these simple principles in mind.

Eat a plant-based diet packed with plenty of fruits and vegetables. They are high in vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients your brain needs. Cutting out processed foods and sugar will go a long way to reducing brain fog.

Avoid Multi-tasking:

Trying to do more than one thing at a time, listening to loud noises, and visual stimulation (such as from a T.V.) makes concentration much more difficult, and being around them or doing them too much can put you into a habit of non-attention which can be hard to break. So focus on doing one task at a time, you’ll find you focus better and get things done a lot quicker.

Breathe deeply:

 Your brain and every cell in your body need oxygen. Brain cells can live only a few minutes without it. Yet, counterproductively, many people tend to old their breath while concentrating!

You can increase your oxygen intake by improving your posture and learning to breathe properly. Most people breathe shallowly.

Practice breathing deeply from your diaphragm, when you inhale your diaphragm expands and when you exhale, your diaphragm contracts – that’s the correct way we should be breathing!

Take breaks:

Go outside and breathe deeply or take a brisk walk. This is quite important if you’re cooped up in an office environment with all the bright lights and air-conditioning or heating running constantly. Make yourself do this often and you’ll be able to return to your task recharged and ready to focus more creatively.

Stay Hydrated:

 Drinking water may be the easiest way to improve memory and concentration. Water makes up 75% of the brain but most of us are chronically dehydrated. Even mild dehydration results in headaches, shrinkage of brain tissue and temporary loss of cognitive function, including concentration and memory. Have a bottle of filtered water on your desk at all times and sip slowly through the day.

Learn to meditate:

 Meditation is the most powerful of all concentration enhancement techniques. Yes, you can meditate at your desk or wherever you are for a few minutes at a time. Learn a few simple meditation techniques and practice them at least five minutes daily.

5 reasons why diets dont work

You can’t turn on the TV, drive down the road or go to a party without being confronted with Britain’s hottest obsession especially at this time of the year: weight. Diets are a billion-pound industry; companies spend millions and millions luring you to try the latest diet (low carb, high protein, low fat, no fat, you name it) with promises that this will (finally!) be the solution—your shortcut to a thinner body. Advertising efforts also deeply affect our children, who develop distorted body images and are often on diets as early as nine or 10 years of age.

Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick-fix solutions have backfired. Britain’s populace has reached its highest weight in history.

• Almost half the population are overweight; one-third are obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dig deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results.
• Diets don’t work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone?
• Diets don’t work because they are extreme solutions. As in physics, if a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the other. A diet might work for a short amount of time, but research shows that almost all diets result in a 10-pound gain once off the diet.
• Here’s another reason – they are too restrictive. People who fail on diet plans are not flawed or weak. Diets by nature require discipline and restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body and have an adverse effect on hormones.
• Most people are disconnected from why they gain weight and see diet as the only culprit. For example, ignoring or discounting emotions is often the first thing to cause weight imbalances.

In our fast-paced world, we have lost sight of many aspects of life that truly nourish and balance our bodies, such as slowing down, eating a home-cooked meal and spending quality time with loving people. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from the endless cycle of dieting.

Given half a chance, your body will balance out by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to your heart and inner wisdom.

There is no such thing as a quick fix; you already have everything you need within you. With careful thought and loving reflection, you can feed yourself in a nourishing way. Working with your body rather than against it will bring you increased energy, stabilised weight and sustainable health.