health

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Health Must Have’s for Fall

Health Must Haves: Fall

It is fall (yay!)…however along with the change of seasons usually comes a new and interesting strand of virus’s. Here are a few must have’s and must do’s to avoid catching a cold this season!

MUST HAVE’S & MUST DO’S:

1. L-Lysine 500mg tablets…L-Lysine boosts the bodies immune system. So give your army some weapons to fight off colds and infections by taking 500mg on an empty stomach morning and night.

2. Antibacterial hand spray or gel…many times during the day we come into contacts with germs. We can not live in a bubble but we can remember to carry antibacterial hand sanitizer with us. Clean off hands after touching door knobs and commonly touched items like gas pumps, etc. Also make sure to wipe down the handle of all shopping carts.

3. Water, water, water…flush out germs as well as give your body the proper hydration it needs to function properly…this amount is 1/2-1 oz. of water per (your) body weight.

4. 8 hours of sleep per night…if you think you are to busy for 8 hours of sleep you will most likely be WAY to busy to get sick! Invest in your health by getting a full 8 hours a night!

5. Guard your ‘rest’ day…we need a day to rest and decompress. Many ‘rest’ days end up becoming errand days. Guard your weekend by setting aside 1 whole day for rest!!!!

Kombucha Recipe

Directions

In a 1 gallon (or larger) glass container (preferably with a plastic spigot at the bottom, such as an iced tea container), Start with 16oz Raw Kombucha and mature S.C.O.B.Y.
Add 3 quarts sweet tea. Cover with coffee filter or super fine cloth and rubber band over the top. Rest 4-7 days.

Every day from the time your initial Kombucha is ready: (2 X 16oz per day recipe) Make 32 oz (or amount of Kombucha you consume daily) sweet tea in 2 containers (16oz each).

After the tea has cooled to 75 degrees, remove 16oz of the 1st ferment Kombucha. Add 16oz fresh sweetened tea to Kombucha gallon Combine 16oz first ferment Kombucha and the other 16oz fresh sweet tea together. Strain, bottle, and seal for the 2nd fermentation (after 1-4 days, chill and
enjoy).

Kombucha does not like metal. Refrain from using metal utensils and containers (or in containers) when working with your Bouch.

S.C.O.B.Y. (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria & Yeast) Don’t have one? Grow one!:

In a glass 1 gallon (or larger) container, empty 2, 16oz raw Kombucha bottles
(purchased from the store) (This should only be in the bottom 1/4 of the jug), cover with coffee filter or super fine cloth and rubber band over the top. Let rest 7-10 days, until S.C.O.B.Y. Matures (DO NOT STIR).

Sweet Tea Recipe:
16oz (2 cups) boiling water, 1 green tea bag, 1oz (2Tbs) raw sugar.
One gallon (8 X 16oz) boiling water, 8 green tea bags, one cup (8oz) raw sugar.

2nd Ferment and Flavoring:
Sometimes Instead of adding green tea to the 1st ferment, I will substitute flavored, herbal, sweet tea (same recipe substitute tea bag).

Sometimes I will add purée, frozen (raw, organic) berries or fruit to the mixture, and then strain it before bottling.
Sometimes I will add 1-3Tbs raw chia seeds after bottling.
I usually will only 2nd ferment for 1-2 days. I only have 4-6 bottles in circulation. This saves on cupboard space.

Happy bouch growin’

Demystifying “The Master Cleanse”

Is the Master Cleanse Healthy?

The Master Cleanse, like many popular health trends, is actually NOT healthy for you at all. First and foremost, I want to challenge EVERYONE to do your research before trying something new. While researching it, ask yourself ‘is this balanced’? ‘If I were to do this for 30,60, 90 days would I be healthy in the long term? Can it sustain me and give my body what it needs to function’? If the answer is ‘non’, skip it and opt for a more balanced approach!

Here’s why the Master Cleanse is NOT good for your body:

It starves the body of macro and micro nutrients it needs to function. Long-term effects of doing this cleanse over an extended period of time as similar to that of people suffering from malnutrition and anorexia!
It throws your brain function and hormones out of balance. Our brains need nutrients like healthy fats to function and keep our hormones in balance!
It puts the body into starvation mode so your body destroys its own muscle! Ok, let me explain that a bit more, when people report losing a ton of weight on the Master Cleanse what they have actually lost is more muscle than fat. In fact, after doing the Master Cleanse a persons total body fat percentage may actually INCREASE! Why? Because they have lost muscle and so their overall body fat percentage is higher then when they began. Ever heard the term ‘skinny fat’? That’s what that is, a smaller outward appearance but an overall higher body fat percentage…not only is that not balanced, but it is unhealthy!
It is rough on the liver and kidneys…why? Because the Master Cleanse’s calories mostly come from the maple syrup which is sugar. So this diet fad or so called cleanse actually dumps a ton of sugar onto the system and stresses your organs in a similar way as alcohol!
It breeds yeast in your body. Yeast feeds on sugars. Yeast can cause a number of problems when there is an over growth of it in your body. Short term yeast symptoms you may see with the Master Cleanse are bloating and increase of fat around the belly area.
It causes weight gain when you come off the cleanse. The Master Cleanse puts the body into starvation mode (which causes the body to store EVERYTHING…especially fat) and slows the metabolism.

This is one fad we recommend skipping!

Preparing for the Holidays

Invest in your holiday wellness with a good game plan!

The holidays are just around the corner! I will be posting on topics like relationships, emotional wellness, holiday fitness and nutrition and of course on the much dreaded post holiday weight issues…but since I am all about balance, holistic (whole person wellness) and prevention, let’s talk some preventative measures today.

This holiday season, eat small, eat often, and move more!

Let that be your mantra this season along with ‘All things In Balance’! It is important to enjoy the holidays but doing so without causing problems later. So let’s break down this preventative statement, eat small, eat often, and move more into simple action steps:

Eat Small
I’m not saying ‘don’t eat the cookie’, I am just saying ‘don’t eat the whole jar at once’! Try to eat small portions for each meal. This will help you burn off the calories and use them up versus end up storing excess calories as fat!

Eat Often
Instead of falling into the typical holiday meal pattern of gorging ourselves with a few massive meals, eat often, every three or four hours! This will keep your metabolism functioning at a high pace and also facilitate your digestive system to properly digesting and absorbing nutrients.

Move More
I know, I know, aying around all day can be a huge part of your families holiday traditions. Well, it’s time to make some new ones. Move more and often! Get up, get out and move! Drag the family out as well and build a snow man, play a game, take a walk, or even set up an active game in the living room or head to the gym for a family workout or yoga class.

Make Fitness Fun

How can you make fitness fun?

Every exercise routine can become stale after a while. Also if we don’t find ways to ENJOY exercise it seems like a chore and we tend to fall off the exercise wagon!

Here are ten ideas for adding some enjoyment to your exercise routine!

1. Take an exercise class!
Try a new kind of fitness class, teacher or location…try some kind of new class and see what you like and don’t like!

2. Make it a date!
Invite your significant other to a fitness date!

3. Fitness Buddies
Create hang time with your friends that revolves around a fitness activity

4. Get Outside
Get into nature! Hike, walk, run or bike outside! This simply change can bring SO much fulfillment.

5. Try a Sport
You may have liked or disliked sports as a kid but that doesn’t mean it holds true now! Give it a shot…show up for a pick up game of basketball, tennis or racket ball at your gym or local park.

6. Dance It Out!
Take a dance class! There are tons of great dance studios around the country that teach all different forms of dance! Check out your local Groupon or Living Social deals for dance class deals near you…it makes for a fun fit evening…and you do not need a date, you can fly solo!

7. Switch It Up
If you have been doing the same workout routine for more than 8 weeks, try changing it up. It not only brings more enjoyment to your fitness but also is great for balance in the bod!

8. Update Your Playlist
Fresh music that is fun and upbeat always makes my workouts more fun! Maybe it’s time for a simple playlist update so you can rock on!

9. Make It An Adventure
Try a fitness adventure…back packing, camping and hiking, a tough mudder or color run, zip lining, paddle board yoga or hydrobiking. Again, Living Social and Groupon are a great place to discover the fitness adventures your city offers.

10. Retreat
Fitness and wellness retreats are one of the most amazing ways to transform your fitness and wellness life! They provide incredible opportunities to de-stress, recharge and kick start your fitness!

Preventing Infections

3 Tips to Prevent Infections.

This is a quick look at ways you can protect yourself against picking up germs and viruses.

Ever wonder why two people can be around someone who has the flu and one person gets sick while the other does not? We are all exposed to tons of germs and bacteria everyday! We can not make the world a danger free zone and we certainly can’t live in a bubble. So what is the solution?

Here are a few quick tips that will protect you:

1. Don’t Stress, Rest

Stress beats up the body and makes us more susceptible to most illnesses. Rest and healthy self care strengthen you! Be intentional and proactive about your health versus reactive!

2. Strengthen Your Immune System

When our immune systems are strong we are capable of fighting of germs, it is how our bodies are designed. So many things breaks down or weakens the immune system. In this blog I give some tips for strengthening the immune system…check it out!

10 Tips To Boost Your Immune System

3. Be Smart

Avoid touching things like weights, ATM screens, door knobs and elevator buttons and then touching your face. ALWAYS WASH OR DISINFECT IMMEDIATELY!