The Health Benefits of Sweet Potato

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Stuart

Sweet Sweet Potato Time

The humble sweet potato is exactly what its name suggests – sweet.

Full of important nutrients, they play a very important role in our diet.

I have started cooking sweet potato now, instead of brown potatoes, for these reasons.

Nutritional Contributions of the Sweet Potato

The sweet potato contains a vast amount of carotenes including beta-carotene and lutein. Carotenes are converted to Vitamin A in the liver. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and other important micronutrients such as copper, manganese, and biotin. Sweet potatoes contain some protein but a higher amount of carbohydrate and fibre and interestingly are not high in sugar.

Health Benefits of the Sweet Potato

Carotene is the orange pigment found in sweet potatoes. The conversion of carotenes into Vitamin A makes them an excellent food for building the immune system and maintaining healthy skin.

Eating a healthy, well balanced diet is important in maintaining overall health. It is also important for safeguarding the health of your eyes. Research has shown that the risk of developing macular degeneration can be greatly reduced by eating foods high in nutrients important for eye health, in particular lutein, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, all of which are found in sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are those compounds that fight off free radicals in the body preventing oxidization of cells. While we need oxygen to live, too much oxygen in our cells can be bad.

Intensive research has shown that sweet potatoes are a low glycemic index food. The Glycemic Index measures the rate in which carbohydrates from different foods are released into the bloodstream. A high GI will cause a significant surge in blood sugar levels, whilst low GI will have the opposite effect. This is good news for diabetics and people with insulin resistance as they have the potential to stabilize blood sugar levels and improve the response to insulin.

If any of the above conditions are currently of concern, a consultation with a naturopath or nutritionist will provide for further information on food and health.

Select and Store

It is important to choose a sweet potato that is firm. Also, the darker the colour of the sweet potato, the higher it is in carotenes. Avoid softer, wilted potatoes as well as those with a greenish tint. This green colour indicates that the toxic compound called solanine is present. Solanine can cause a host of adverse health effects when consumed. Examples of these are:

  • Diarrohea;
  • Headaches;
  • In severe cases, respiratory and circulatory depression.

Sweet potatoes can keep up to 10 days when stored in dark, well ventilated areas.

Serving Ideas:

  • Mashed;
  • Cubes or sliced, drizzled with olive oil, and baked in a moderate oven for 45mins or until soft;
  • Cubed and added to stir fry;
  • For delicious, healthy crisps, thinly slice and drizzle sweet potatoes with olive oil. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 mins until crispy.

I’m heading out now, to go and grab myself some sweet potatoes for dinner tonight. All is sweet!


Posted in Cooking Ideas, Health and Wellness | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Most Important Question You Can Ask

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Stuart

Life it short. Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse. Great losses, people who went way before their time. And there are others, no doubt. Good people who weren’t famous, but who punched out way too early.

We all have a punch clock. And one day we’ll clock out too. It’s not nice to think about, I
know. But that’s just life. Fair or not.

Life is way too short. Which is why there’s no excuse not to live in the now.

We are our own worst enemies.

We hold ourselves back by telling ourselves irrelevant stories to justify our decision to
do nothing.

Life is AWESOME!

Enjoy what you have. And if you don’t like something, then change it.

Simple.

You can do anything. Anything at all.

Yesterday I read a brilliant article by a hero of mine – Tony Schwartz. In The Harvard Business Review…..I wanted to share it with you.

http://bit.ly/xlJBOu

It really connected with me. Perhaps you’ll get some “value” from it, too.

P.S. I think you’ll probably like this short video. It’s won a lot of awards. It made me smile, and cry…. it will make you smile too.

Validation…….Winner – Best Short Film

It’s a wonderful life. Enjoy it.


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12 Tips To Increase Your Productivity

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Stuart

 

So Not True...

Today I want to focus on ways to boost your productivity so that you get more done in the valuable time that you have available….and improve your business or personal output.

Not only is it important to boost your own productivity, but if you have staff or outsourced workers, then you might find it helpful to get them practicing some of these methods as well.

1: Use time-management software

One good place to start is with  ClockingIt.com – it’s free, simple to use and it does the trick.

Add in your ongoing and one-off tasks and select a due date. When you begin working on a task, click on the “start work” icon and ClockingIt will start the timer. Click on the icon again when you finish working on the task. You can keep stopping and starting until you finish the task — at which point ClockingIt will tell you how long you’ve spent on it.

The software makes it easy to see where you are spending your time and pinpoint potential bottlenecks (it’s quite shocking to realize that you spent five hours of your working week checking your email!). It’s also a great tool to get your staff using too, if/when you employ any.

You may also find it useful to use a countdown timer for when you want to accomplish a lot of work in a short period of time; try setting your timer for two hours and then working solidly for that time, refusing any interruptions. Try to this a couple of times a day, and you’ll see big results! (If you’re nervous, try 30 minutes to begin with. You can still get an amazing amount done in 30 minutes if you avoid distractions! Once you master that, increase the time period.

#2: Keep a notebook of ideas

It’s easy to get distracted by a brainwave while in the middle of a task. If you follow it up, you can inadvertently spend hours of time away from what you really needed to get done. Obviously, this isn’t good for productivity — but at the same time, you don’t want to ignore and potentially forget about these good ideas.

Dave Allen, author of the fantastic book Getting Things Done, recommends that busy people keep a ‘tickler’ file. A ‘tickler’ file can be a Word document, notebook, or a permanent ClockingIt task. The idea is that a tickler file is somewhere to quickly jot ideas when they occur to you, so that you don’t need to interrupt what you are doing and you can easily find the idea again in the future.

#3: Set daily micro goals

All too often we get overwhelmed by big tasks and end up floundering around not really achieving anything at all. The best way to counter this is to make a list of three to five small goals to achieve each day. You can either make your list the night before or first thing in the morning.

Online task lists are handy, but there is something about actually picking up a pen and writing on paper that helps to focus your mind. Micro goal setting ensures that you systematically get where you want to go. And it also helps you to feel like you are achieving something, each and every day.

#4: Get rid of clutter

A tidy office equals a tidy mind. If you find yourself getting distracted by items on your desk, chat windows, the phone, or the view out of the window, then simply remove them (or change the position of your desk). It makes a world of difference to your power of concentration. Read my earlier post on 7 ways to declutter here.

#5: Limit your email checking to twice a day

Did you know that, for most people, email is the single biggest interruption? We recommend checking your email only after midday, as you may discover a lot of fires to put out that are best left until after you’ve done some important work. Don’t keep checking your email throughout the day; close your email program or the window in your browser. Concentrate on your current tasks and limit yourself to two checks a day at the most.

#6: Learn to say ‘no’

Being able to stay on task for an extended period is vital for getting a good result, but that can’t be done if you are constantly getting interrupted throughout the day.

The solution is to get ruthless: only say ‘yes’ to tasks that just can’t wait, or that can be easily completed along with your other goals for the day.

#7: Get the worst job over and done with first thing

Procrastination is very distracting. Get into the habit of tackling the task you dread the most first thing in the morning, so that your mind is free from niggling worry for the rest of the day. The hairiest, ugliest frog……

#8: Pull to-dos out of emails and add them to your task list

Going back and forth from the original email to check up on what you need to do can waste valuable minutes, and increase the likelihood that you’ll overlook something critical. Make sure you immediately add tasks from emails to your time-management software.

#9: Use the 80:20 ratio

Eighty percent of your time should be spent ‘doing’, and no more than twenty percent should be spent ‘learning’. This is an especially important lesson for affiliates! We can be easily suckered into sales pitches from Internet marketing gurus, and we all know how long those sales pitches can be! If you’re going to give time to these sales pitches, or to reading forums and blogs and newsletters, make sure it fits in with your schedule for getting things done – set yourself a timed task and keep track of how much time you spend, then decide whether that time would have been better spent achieving goals on your task list.

#10. Use a smart phone with a calendar or personal organizer

When you’re busy it’s easy to forget important appointments. One way of solving this problem is to add appointments and meetings to your cell/mobile phone calendar and schedule the alarm to go off 15 minutes beforehand.

#11. Keep a separate to-do list for personal matters

If you suddenly realise there is something that you need to do that has nothing to do with work, write it down in a separate personal to-do list and come back to it outside of work time. Keeping your personal life organised ensures it doesn’t overflow into your business day.

#12. Delegate as much as you can

Don’t hoard tasks that your staff or other people are more than capable of carrying out for you. Some people find letting go of pet activities is tough at first, but it’s very necessary in order to free up more time.

Also, make sure that you have set times each day for appointments with staff and/or joint venture partners. This is critical if you want to avoid constant interruptions throughout the day.

So there are 12 tips for doubling productivity! It’s easy to downplay or put off organising your business, but setting up efficient business practices is important, so make sure that you take these seriously!


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This Smart Phone Habit Will Change Your Life!

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Stuart

I bet you are wondering how it is possible to achieve amazing Health and great Success using nothing but your smart phone. You carry them with you everywhere, so  why not turn them into an   incredibly powerful tool for success instead of just a device to text and talk to people.

Let’s start with something simple….Quantum Physics!

Part 1: Best-Selling author and M.D. Dr. Deepak Chopra tells us that our brains make certain chemicals called Neuro Peptides. These are literally the molecules of emotion. (Fear, Joy, Love, etc.) These molecules of emotion are not only contained in your brain,   they actually circulate throughout your entire body. Your immune cells which are protecting you from diseases like infection and cancer and many other illnesses are also contained throughout your body.

Deepak tells us that the amazing part about of these cells of emotion and immune system support is that they are intelligent cells. They are thinking cells! Not only do they have the ability to think, they also talk to each other.And, these immune cells which are protecting you from disease are constantly eavesdropping on the conversation that you are having with yourself. They are listening to what you say about yourself.

They listen in and adjust their behaviour based  on what they hear from you….their master. The billions of thinking cells in your body listen and they obey their master…you!Their mission is to complete the picture of you they see when they hear your self talk.

Part 2: Here is where your smart phone comes in.

Let me ask you a question. How many times in your life have you consciously issued commands to your immune cells and your cells of emotion? I think I know the answer you will give to that question…..NEVER…..was I right?

Deepak also says “As you see it right now your body is the physical picture in 3-D of what you are thinking.” So why not use a simple device like a smart phone to communicate to our cells, the commands that will help make us more healthy and successful.

If you are doubting the mind body connection right now, think of the last time you had to stand up in front of an audience and give a speech? Did you get a queasy stomach and sweaty palms? Your thoughts of fear were instantly converted into a physical response in your body. That is the mind body connection in action.

Part 3: Let’s use our smart phones to program our minds, and bodies for improved  health and greater success. Virtually every smart phone has a voice recorder, so this is what you will do for improved health.

Take a look at the foods you eat and any supplements you take and look for their health benefits. As an example, let’s say you eat broccoli on a regular basis – we all know that broccoli is good for us – so do a quick Google search and find the benefits of broccoli.

“The potassium in broccoli aids those battling high blood pressure, while a large amount of calcium helps combat osteoporosis. The vegetable is also fibre-rich, which enhances the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, as well as aims to reduce blood cholesterol levels. In recent years, broccoli has made the headlines regarding three components found in the vegetable. For instance, indole-3-carbinol has captured the attention of those looking to prevent hormone-related cancers, such as breast- and prostate cancer. I3C promotes “good” hormones, while working against destructive ones. The sulforaphane in broccoli also helps to increase the level of enzymes that block cancer, while the beta-carotene in broccoli transforms into vitamin A within the body, providing an effective antioxidant that destroys free radicals (responsible for weakening the defense of cells).

Additionally, the health benefits of broccoli have been linked to preventing and controlling the following medical concerns: Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, calcium deficiencies,  stomach and colon cancer, malignant tumors, lung cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and even the aging process.”

These are some pretty powerful benefits.

Here is what we want to do with our voice recorder on our smart phone.

1. Record your own voice reminding you of all the benefits you are getting from the   broccoli you eat. You might say something like this ” The broccoli that I eat is helping to   protect me from lung cancer, stomach cancer and colon cancer, I am growing stronger and healthier everyday because I eat broccoli”

The idea here is to find the benefits of all the supplements and foods you eat and   communicate these benefits to your thinking cells via your own voice, the voice of the master.

Here is another example: I take an anti-aging supplement called “Protandim”…. here is the benefit of this   supplement  “Protandim is the only supplement in the world clinically proven (in a peer- reviewed, human clinical study) to reduce aging factors by an average of 40 percent.”

So my voice recording would say “Because I take Protadim I am becoming younger every day - in fact, studies have shown that my body’s aging factors are now being reduced by 40%.”  This is a very powerful statement and my thinking cells will love to hear it and work hard to help the supplement do its job. In a way, I am now turbo charging the power of my supplements with the mind body connection.

I am reminding my cells that Protandim is reversing my aging.

OK, so now what you want to do is make a 20 min or so voice recording of all the benefits you are receiving   from healthy foods and supplements like broccoli, garlic, Coq10, Resveratrol, Vitamin C, etc etc. Next you will be playing back this recording in your headphone while at the gym, or at night before bed. etc.   You can also add positive affirmations like:

” I am getting thinner every day”   “I am getting stronger every day”   “I hereby command my cells to burn fat and calories faster”   ” I am getting younger everyday”   “Today is a fantastic day”

It is really up to your imagination as to what you put in your recording.   If you are tech savvy, add a musical background to your voice with music that makes you feel GREAT.

You will find that no matter how depressed you may feel, this recording   will make you and your thinking cells feel fantastic!

You can use the same concept as above but now program yourself  with positive statements about your abilities and goals.  I highly recommend a book called “The Magic of Thinking Big” - just record some statements from the first 2 chapters, or get the audio   book and listen to it on your phone. Other good books for this would be “Think and Grow Rich,”  (I am reading this right now) and “The Power of Positive Thinking“. All are available by clicking on them.

OK, now you have the information to grow.

Now you have the information to improve your health.

Now you have the information to be more Successful in life.

Now you know how to apply the power of Quantum Physics to your life with a powerful gadget that you never used for this purpose before.

Share this with your friends and they will love you for it!

Have fun programming your cells.  Thanks to Dan Robey for this advice.


Posted in Building Wealth, Daily Comments, Goal Setting, Health and Wellness, Personal Development | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

3 Ways To Get A Move On

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Stuart

Move That Obstacle

I wonder how many of you are finding it hard to get a move on with your New Year Resolutions…

I know I am battling to get back into a regular gym routine…

Well, one of my favourite blogs is Marelisa’s Abundance Blog. She has just written about 3 things you can do quite easily to get a move on.

1. Uncover Your Hidden Commitments

Anyone who has ever tried to make a change knows that the status quo is a potent force. One cause can be your mindset, or your belief system where we’ve each created an inner map of how the world works, and of what we need to do in order to be safe i.e. we have hidden commitments.

You can set a goal, or commitment such as “lose weight”. However, if that visible commitment conflicts with one of your hidden commitments, you won’t be able to make a change. So what you need to do is identify how you keep sabotaging your efforts to achieve a particular goal, and then uncover the hidden commitment that’s behind the sabotage.

For example: A woman who keeps sabotaging her weight loss efforts discovers that she has a hidden commitment to remain overweight because she dislikes the overtly sexual way in which men respond to her when she’s thin.

Here is how to uncover the hidden commitments that are getting in the way of the change that you’re trying to make. Take out a piece of paper and divide it into four columns.

1. In the first column, write down your goal.

2. In the second column, write down how you keep sabotaging yourself (write down what you do, or fail to do, that prevents you from reaching that goal).

3. In the third column, you’re going to identify the commitment that you’re looking to further by taking the action which you identified in the second column. This is your hidden commitment.

4. In the fourth column, identify the big assumption—that is, one of your assumptions of how the world works—which led you to make that hidden commitment. This will help you recognise what your hidden commitments are.

2. Eat That Frog – The Law of Three

Brian Tracy explains in his book “Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time”, that the reason people don’t achieve their goals is because they waste their time on nonessential tasks instead of doing what’s important. In order to put an end to this, Tracy recommends that you follow the “law of three.”

By making a list of everything that you need to do in order to achieve a particular goal, you’ll discover that there are three items on that list that will make the biggest impact toward helping you to achieve that goal. Everything else on the list can probably be dealt with later. The problem is that those three items are big, hairy, ugly frogs and require hard work, lots of focus and concentration, stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks.

So you do everything you can to avoid those tasks. However, you won’t reach your goals unless you start eating those frogs.

Go ahead and make a list of the things that you need to do in order to achieve an important goal. Now ask yourself the following three questions: Which of these tasks would have the biggest impact toward the successful completion of your goal? If you could only do two things on the list, what’s the second thing that you would do in order to ensure the successful completion of your goal? If you could only do three things on the list, what’s the third thing you would do in order to ensure the successful completion of your goal?

Those are the three tasks that you’re going to concentrate on.

3. Overcome Perfectionism

Hillary Rettig explains in her book, “The Seven Secrets of the Prolific”, that there are seven key behaviours which separate productive people from those who get very little done. The first of these is overcoming perfectionism. She explains that, to begin with, perfectionists define success very narrowly, while they define failure broadly. This makes it almost inevitable that they will fail, which leads to a lot of foot dragging.

The usual scenario for a perfectionist is that they get to work and then their inner perfectionist begins to criticise and belittle everything that they do, as follows: That’s awful. You’re not performing up to standard. You should have gotten started on this two days ago.  If you’re not going to do things flawlessly, you might as well not do them at all.

You end up procrastinating in order to escape from this merciless litany.

Conclusion

You may recall Sisyphus from Greek mythology: he was the one who was condemned to eternity with the task of pushing a boulder up a hill each day, only to have it roll back down as soon as he reached the top. Sometimes trying to achieve our goals feels pretty much like that. Fortunately, there are ways to make the boulder lighter, and to make sure that it doesn’t roll back down.

You’re not lazy, and you’re not weak. You just have hidden commitments that need to be addressed, you need to concentrate on the difficult tasks that create the biggest returns, and you need to get over your perfectionism.

Read the full blog post here.

Is 2012 the year your life changes forever? Empower yourself, stop dawdling and get a move on!!


Posted in Daily Comments, Goal Setting, Health and Wellness, Personal Development, Weight Loss | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

It’s Time To Have More Fun

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Stuart

This Is Fun

How often do you wake up on a weekend morning, jump out of bed,  make some coffee and very excitedly say to the person next to you:

“What can we do today to have fun, and lots of it!”

Maybe you should just say “Who wants to have some fun!!”

The best part about this question is that virtually no one  “dislikes” having fun. So the answer is inevitably “I do.” The problem is that we live in a fast paced society where that  question is seldom asked. Everything is high pressure, stress, and  work , work , work. But, guess what the best stress reliever of all is?

You guessed it…..having fun. So grab the dog, a tennis ball and head off to the park and act like a child for half an hour….. have fun.

It is after all the reason why we work so darn hard…or at least  it is supposed to be that way. Think about this for a minute.

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is one of the most  famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence and considered by many as part of one of the most well crafted, influential sentences in the history of the English language!

WOW! …… the pursuit of Happiness, I would say that happiness is directly related to how much fun we have in life. So here is something else to think about.

How many times have you sat down with friends with one goal in mind? How can we have THE MOST fun today? I would say that is one very powerful habit. To make having
fun a PRIORITY.

To strive to be as HAPPY as possible.

Make it a commitment today.

When you are finished reading this post walk away from your computer  and scream at the top of your lungs…”Who wants to have  some fun!!!” I guarantee you that it will put a smile on your face and the face of EVERYONE who hears it.

Make it your motto.

Make it a habit.

Make it the one thing that everybody remembers about you.

You will live longer.

You will love longer.

You will make yourself and everyone around you happier.


Posted in Daily Comments, Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

7 Ways To Declutter Your Life

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Stuart

Declutter de Clutter

In yesterday’s post I wrote about 5 ways to improve your health. The third way I mentioned was all about getting organised, one of which actions included getting rid of clutter. I am not good at this and you only have to look at my study to see how much clutter I live with.

So I decided to look for more on this point, and lo and behold, found an article in the Sunday papers about decluttering. I believe if you have a cluttered environment, then other parts of your life will be cluttered too, such as in your relationship, at work and in your thoughts. So here are 7 ways to get rid of that clutter all around you.

1. First Steps : Start with baby steps – the same can be said for any big project – and if my place is any indication, this IS a big project. But by starting small, you will at least get going and build some momentum. So choose a room, set aside say 15 minutes, on a timer, and work as fast as you can, cleaning, sorting and tidying up as you go. You will be amazed at how much you an achieve in 15 minutes. Then, move to another room and again, set aside just 15 minutes to work on that space. After 45 minutes, take a break, maybe talk a walk outside in the fresh air, and come back and admire the impact you have made.

Did you say Paperwork?

2. Sort Your Paperwork : This can be a big part of your clutter. I know I have papers lying all over my apartment, so this will be a biggie for me. Tax papers need to be kept for up to 7 years, so make sure these are properly filed away. Other bills really only need to be kept for a year or so, so chuck these out when their time has passed. Credit card statements can be chucked as soon as you have checked them off – in fact more and more these are available online now, if you ever need to refer back to them. And to save on filing, choose paperless billing whenever it is offered.

3. Wardrobe Time : This is a fun, but difficult,  declutter job. I have clothes I have not worn in the last 5 years, or longer, so time to be disciplined with myself. Create four piles: one with clothes you want to keep (that you wear regularly, separating winter and summer clothes), one for anything that needs mending, a pile for clothing to be thrown away and one for clothes that are still good enough to give to charity.

4. Empty Your Wallet : This one I am good at. File receipts you may need to keep for your tax return, or maybe returning an item, or for a guarantee – and chuck the rest. Place your bank notes in order and facing the same way. Respecting money is the first step to financial freedom. And do this weekly, and don’t take receipts for small expenditures.

5. Bathroom Time : Clear out cosmetics and other bathroom stuff. Toss anything that has passed its use by date, or is broken, or leaking. And for the ladies, time to clean out your handbag, cosmetics and all, and make sure you only carry with you what you need.

6. Pay It Forward : Time to make room for new things by donating items you don’t need to charity. You could havea  garage sale, or sell them on eBay, but giving them away is good karma.

7. Do it all again : Now that your home is clutter free, keep it up. You will find all aspects of your life improve if you have removed the physical clutter from your environments. Take on board the one-in, one-out rule, so when you buy a new pair of shoes, for example, get rid of one pair that you don’t need. Spend 5 minutes each day sorting mail and paperwork, and every night, do a quick tidy up before going to bed.

If you have any other ways that you keep clutter out of your life, please leave a comment below.


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5 Ways To Improve Your Health In 2012

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Stuart

To keep up the momentum and inspire you to be the best version of yourself in 2012, I’m sharing these five top tips from natural therapies. Though of course there are many more natural therapies that can help boost your health and wellbeing.

1. Set achievable goals

According to some psychologists, when we set vague New Year’s resolutions, we are setting ourselves up to fail. In a 2007 study, psychologist Richard Wiseman and his team at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK found that 78% of people fail to achieve their resolutions. Why? Because we set grand plans that are simply unachievable. We want to overhaul every aspect of our life, right now, and so the ‘to do’ list grows and we end up overwhelmed and over it. On a positive note, the study also found that the respondents who set smaller goals had an average success rate of 35%. So the key to keeping resolutions is to break a bigger goal (like losing 30 kilos) into smaller steps (losing a kilo each week), and rewarding yourself when each milestone is achieved. A life coach can help you set and achieve realistic goals.

2. Focus on fresh foods

Speaking of niggling kilos, if the holiday scoffing spree has left you feeling bloated and tired, it’s time to clear out the cupboards (yes, that includes the novelty Santa chocolates and stocking-filler snacks!) and fill up on fresh foods.

Start simple, advises nutritionist Sarah Burkhart. “Small changes make the biggest difference to long term weight loss and maintenance.” These include switching from full-fat dairy to low-fat options, buying takeaways less often and adding one extra piece of fruit to your daily intake.

Water is also essential to maintaining a healthy body. “Water helps maintain the integrity and health of every cell in our body. It also transports much needed oxygen and nutrients via the blood to our cells,” advises nutritionist Amanda Fraser. She suggests drinking six to eight glasses of water each day. “Herbal teas can be included in this quota.”

It’s always wise to consult a dietician, nutritionist or naturopath before embarking on a weight loss regime.

3. Get organised

If the precarious paper stack on your desk is rivaling the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or your wardrobe is about to burst, it may be time to de-clutter. Getting things in order does more than just save time searching for stuff. You’ll feel more relaxed and in control of your environment.

“A cluttered space reflects a cluttered mind. Devoting time to organising your living and working spaces will lift the energy and enable greater productivity and clearer thinking,” says Feng Shui consultant Jane Langof.

“Clearing clutter releases a great deal of energy and getting rid of things that have no significance will help you to feel lighter and revitalised. “

4. Move more

Taking more steps throughout the day can work wonders for your health and wellbeing. Exercise is key to managing weight, improving cardiovascular health and shaking off stress. Not to mention the euphoric feeling you get when those endorphins kick in! The good news is that you don’t need to commit to mammoth workouts to benefit. The National Physical Activity Guidelines stipulate four easy ways to enhance your health:

  1. Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience.
  2. Be active every day – get off the bus a stop earlier, or walk over to a colleague’s desk, rather than sending an email.
  3. Include a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on most days. This can be broken up into shorter sessions throughout the day.
  4. Add regular, vigorous activity to steps 1 – 3.

A personal trainer can help you get back on track, by creating an individual plan to meet your fitness goals.

5. Make time for yourself

It may seem indulgent, but taking time out each day to enjoy a hobby, read a book or simply sit in solitude can help you find focus and recharge your batteries. Studies have found that meditating regularly, even for just five to 10 minutes a day, can help re-wire the brain, regulate mood, reduce blood pressure and boost your overall health and wellbeing. Want to learn meditation? Read the article How to Meditate.

So here’s to a healthy 2012 for you and yours….


Posted in Fitness, Goal Setting, Health and Wellness, Personal Development | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Top 10 Tips for a Healthy Weight

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Stuart

 I know I have written on this subject ad nauseum…. but it does seem to be on top of many people’s minds at the moment. I know that I personally still need to lose the few kilos I put on over the holiday period.

So I have searched out these top 1o tips to get back to a healthy weight. Hope you find them useful. 

  1. Understand your body’s energy needs: Find out what your energy requirements are and what that means in food terms, so that you know how much food you need. Balance your energy intake and energy expenditure! As long as the kilojoules in are less than the kilojoules out ;-) .
  2. Don’t skip meals! Eating smaller regular meals can help to balance your calorie intake throughout the day and also keeps your blood sugar level balanced. This will help to improve satiety (the full enough feeling), metabolism, energy levels and prevent you getting over-hungry, which will help you achieve a more manageable weight.
  3. Watch out for portion sizes: We tend to be overly generous with the amount of food on our plate both at home and when eating out. You do not need clean off the plate every time. Try simply asking to take home the leftovers. Eating large meals over-stretches your stomach so you can fit more food in there. Stop eating when you are 75% full.
  4. Enjoy food from all 5 food groups in adequate proportion: The 5 food groups were developed to help people ensure they are getting adequate nutrition. By including recommended variety in your diet, you are giving your body the nutrition it needs to do its everyday work and help prevent disease. Try the Paleo way of eating. This is based on no processed foods – and on the way the hunters and gatherers used to live. It will cause any excess weight to fall off you. Have a look at the Paleo Diet here.
  5. Enjoy 5 serves of vegetable and 2 serves of fruit every day: Fruits and vegetables are generally lower in energy but full of good nutrition, such as fibre, vitamins and minerals. You can really complement every meal and maintain a more satisfying way of eating.
  6. Be physically active! Incorporate at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days. You continue to burn energy after exercise allowing your body to tolerate the energy you eat from food. You will see excess weight come off you over time and most importantly you may prevent it from continuing to rise! Have a look at my new health and fitness website here, The Me I Want To Be.
  7. Avoid energy dense high fat/sugar foods e.g. cakes, biscuits, chocolates & chips. These foods are really energy dense. You can still learn to eat these in moderation and include then as part of a healthy diet. Remember such foods tend to have higher amounts of saturated fat and trans-fat which are linked to heart disease! So in moderation please!!
  8. Be realistic, sensible & patient: The media has given us an unrealistic expectation of how fast we can lose weight. However to lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF, this is better achieved with slower, sustainable changes.
  9. Understand food labels & claims: Some claims can be misleading. A product labelled with a fat-free claim does not mean that it is low in calories. Or an oil product that is labelled ‘lite’, does not mean it is low in fat, sugar or calories; it is referring to the flavour of the oil.
  10. Get support from a health professional: It has been scientifically demonstrated that people are more likely to lose weight and keep it off with the regular support and guidance of an experienced Accredited Practising Dietitian. Furthermore, it has been shown that those people who see a Dietitian for regular follow ups over a longer period of time are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off!

So here’s to the loss of those unwanted pounds that have somehow crept up on us all lately.


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How To Eat The Paleo Way To Lose Weight And Get Fit

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Stuart

What is the Paleo Recipe Book? 

 The Paleo Recipe Book

  • Over 370 easy Paleo recipes divided into 18 food categories. Enough options to cover everything you will ever need to eat the healthiest and tastiest food.
  • 100% Paleo approved: No grains, no dairy, no legumes, no sugar, no vegetable oils and no preservatives.
  • Desserts, snacks, organs meats, breakfast, main courses, sides, dips… Nothing has been left out!
  • Easy cooking charts and guidesThe cookbook is an instant access eBook so you can get things started right away and don’t have to wait to start making positive health changes in your life.

What is Paleo?

The modern dietary regimen known as the paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era.

Click here now to find out how this diet will let you eat all the foods you love, but eaten together as the earlier hunters and gatherers learned to do.

 

The Paleo Recipe Book


Posted in Cooking Ideas, Fitness, Health and Wellness, Weight Loss | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments