More mobility

Kelly Starrett, owner of San Francisco CrossFit, a physical therapist or as he is called by Freddy from Crossfit Oneworld, a mobility therapist. Once Kelly gets his hands on you, he can fix your aches and pains up, no problem. Kelly believes that increasing your mobility isn’t something you have to see a specialist to do. You need to take responsibility for fixing yourself and maintaining yourself. Kelly has started a new project, Mobility Wod. What is Mobility Wod?

“Every human being should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves. You know how to eat, how to train, and what to do if you have a cut. You should also know how to fix your tight hips, painful knees, and stiff shoulders, and how to make yourself faster and more powerful. It’s too much to mobilize everything, all the time, everyday. Start somewhere. The Mobility Wod should take you four to ten minutes to complete. Do it everyday. Remember the area that feel like a Shaman’s Blow.”

He posts a different mobility drill everyday, they take 4-5 minutes and can be done before your daily WOD.  Guys and gals, check it out and get more mobile!

http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/2010_08_22_archive.html

Stretch, stretch, and more stretching…

Hey everyone, I am as guilty of this as anyone…I don’t stretch enough!  I even tried the hot yoga, but it was just too damn hot!!  Anyway, here is a link for some stretches you can hit 3-4 times a week, in the gym or at home!

http://www.onefourfourone.com/services/static-mobility-complex/

Print them off and carry them in your training  journal, whatever it takes, we need more mobility! (me especially, getting old and stiff)

Bri

Gum Disease – The Silent Killer

The mouth is the gateway to the body because all cellular function and major systems begin with fuel that is processed in the mouth.  Poor nutrition and body health starts with a poor environment in the mouth – the proverbial “Garbage in, Garbage out”.  Interestingly enough, the mouth is the last place to receive nutrition for its own function – the gums, teeth, etc – even though the process starts in the mouth.  Therefore lack of nutrition becomes a never-ending cycle of poor health leading to more poor health – all from poor health of the mouth. DR W Loesche at the Michigan School Of Dentistry associates poor dental health with “early death from any cause” and DR Jack Caton President of the American Academy of Periodontology states that “avoiding periodontal disease is not just important for keeping teeth for a lifetime, but also in keeping the rest of the body healthy.”

It all begins in the mouth!

According to the American Dental Association approximately 75% of our population has periodontal problems.  This statistics has widespread implications for our general population. Do your gums bleed? Are they red or puffy? Has you dentist ever told you that you need to brush better or see the hygienist more frequently? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then you have some form of periodontal or gum disease. However because symptoms of gum disease are often silent until the later stages, you are likely to have gum disease even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms.

In a normal healthy mouth there is always a slight space between the tooth and the bone called a pocket, which is usually about 1-2mm (about an eighth of an inch). Poor oral hygiene and/or poor nutrition will allow plaque, or hard deposits to form on the teeth. These deposits allow for the growth of bacteria that cause inflammation of the gum tissue. The bacteria also release toxins that help break down the tissue, helping the infection to progress. As the infection progresses, the gum tissue becomes red instead of its normal healthy pink color and will get puffy.

As the infection continues, bleeding will occur, especially when you floss or brush. Aside from these effects the bacteria migrate into the pocket and begin to destroy the periodontal membrane. The toxins produced by the bacteria will also destroy the bone in the immediate area. The process can be seen by a deepening of the normal healthy pocket from 1 to 2mm to 3 to 4mm and in severe cases 7 to l0 mm or more. The effect is that the teeth involved are loosened and will eventually fall out.

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What can you do about Gum Disease?

Hippocrates said “Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine, And Thy Medicine Be Thy Food.” He was one of the great doctors of all time because he believed that a well-nutritioned body can heal itself without the need for the synthetic medication that we use so often today. These poisons are just treating the symptoms, masking the real problems and creating other problems through terrible side effects.

Our bodies consist of trillions of cells working in miraculous symmetry. For these cells within our body to stay healthy, we must supply high quality nutrients. Unfortunately, most modern-day food is processed, bleached, refined, adulterated, irradiated, pasteurized, homogenized and are at least a week old by the time you eat it. This food cannot furnish all the wholesome necessary nutrients you need. It is thus of paramount importance to choose organic, nutrient-rich foods.

by Victor Zeines, DDS and Nutritionist, as seen in Food Matters (www.foodmatters.tv)

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Belly Fat

– And How to Make it Scram

Politicians, gossip columnists, doctors, your best friend — they’re all talking about the same thing: fat. Especially belly fat. The great thing about belly fat is that the better you get to know it, the easier it is to make it vanish (if only spam e-mail worked the same way!). Digest these stomach-flattening facts.

1. All fat is not alike. Eat more calories than you burn and the extras get packed away in one of two places — long-term storage depots beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat) or short-term bins deep in the abdomen (visceral fat). Visceral fat is what we call omental fat — that is, fat in your omentum, a piece of webbing that hangs off your stomach just beneath your ab muscles, sort of like a mesh apron.

2. The fat you don’t see is the most dangerous. The soft, superficial stuff that ripples your thighs and tummy may be a bikini spoiler, but if you can pinch it, it probably won’t kill you. However, if you have a solid “beer belly” . . . well, you’re likely headed for more trouble than a politician hooked up to a polygraph. That’s because too much deep fat churns out supersize amounts of hormones and proteins, which can lead to big hazards. Among them: lousy LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels; high blood sugar and blood pressure; insulin resistance; and widespread inflammation. All are instigators of many diseases — including dementia, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. But often you can get a “do over” and it doesn’t take that long and isn’t that hard, if you know what you’re doing. So don’t stop reading!

First, don’t rely on your scale. As you start to reduce risky belly fat, your weight may temporarily go up. So ditch the scale in favor of the tape measure. If you’re a woman, your waist should be 32.5 inches; if you’re a man, 35 inches. Creep past 37 inches for women or 40 for men, and the health dangers increase.

3. Stress makes you fat. Not only does stress lead you to eat Haagen-Dazs straight from the carton, but it also triggers the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. When stress becomes unrelenting, the omentum attempts to control cortisol flow by sucking it out of the bloodstream. Nice try, but cortisol fights back once it’s in the omentum and turbocharges fat there. That sets off other chemical reactions that leave you feeling hungry . . . and looking for the Haagen-Dazs again. Fortunately, any kind of stress reduction, especially exercise, will help short-circuit this stress/fat cycle. Feeling tense right now? Go for a walk the minute you finish this column.

4. The fat you eat affects the fat you get. When monkeys munched on trans-fat laced diets for 6 years, they developed more deep-belly fat than those who went trans-fat-free, even though both ate the same number of calories. Physiologically, we’re close enough to monkeys to extrapolate that trans fat doesn’t do anything good for your waist or your arteries.

5. Blasting belly fat isn’t hard. If you’re not overweight but still have an oversized waist, the fastest way to shrink your omentum is by walking. Taking a brisk 30-minute walk each day will keep those fat cells from expanding. Pick up the pace some, walk a little longer, and you can give your omentum a makeover, turning a flabby apron of omental fat into sheer mesh again. After 30 days of walking, start doing resistance exercises as well to add muscle and lose inches — otherwise you’ll hit a plateau. No dumbbells? No gym? No problem. You can get an excellent workout in 20 minutes by using your own body as a weight to stretch and strengthen all of your major muscle groups.

6. Whole grains scare away belly fat. If you and a friend go on a diet but you eat whole grains (meaning brown rice, steel-cut oats, and whole-wheat pasta, not whole-grain Pop Tarts) and your friend eats processed grains (anything made with white/enriched grains and flours, cupcakes to noodles), you both might lose the same amount of weight, but you’ll shed more belly fat and lower your levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of damaging inflammation. And your food will taste better, and you’ll feel full longer. AND you’ll have a flat stomach!

Source:  Realage.com

CrossFit – How Should I Eat?

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:

Follow the “Zone” diet, which concentrates on regulating your insulin.  The basic ratio of carbohydrates to protiens to fats is 40-30-30.  Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40 % of your total caloric load. Yes, fruits and veggies are carbs, try to stay away from your highly processed refined flours and grains such as pasta, breads, chips, and any sugars.

http://www.zonediet.com/

Also learn how to get started on the zone diet by checking out CrossFit Journal # 21

Try to eat real food. Foods that aren’t processed. This is the basis of a Paleo diet. Click here for a good introduction to the paleo diet . We basically aren’t much different then our caveman ancestors, but our food has changed drastically. Stick with foods that are grow from the earth, or animals that eat the things that grow from the earth. Think of foods that go bad quickly, these are real whole foods. A granola bar isn’t whole food, it’s processed. Raspberries good – swedish berries bad. With a paleo diet, you are more concerned about the quality of your food.

The essentials of the Paleolithic Diet are:

Eat none of the following:

· Grains- including bread, pasta, noodles

· Beans- including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, snow-peas and peas

· Potatoes

· Dairy products

· Sugar

· Salt

With Paleo you Eat the following:

· Meat, chicken and fish

· Eggs

· Fruit

· Vegetables (especially root vegetables, but definitely not including potatoes or sweet potatoes)

· Nuts, eg. walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, almond. Do not eat peanuts (a bean) or cashews (a family of their own)

· Berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc.

Try to increase your intake of:

· Root vegetables- carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Swedes

· Organ meats- liver and kidneys (I accept that many people find these unpalatable and won’t eat them)

By following these simple rules you will see quicker gains with your fitness and your recovery, and you will also feel much better! Don’t get me wrong I still polish off a tub of ice cream now and then, but all that sugar makes me feel bad, and I don’t do it again for a while. When you are shopping at the grocery store, just try to stay to the outside of the store and you will find most everything you need to eat well.

Eating healthier doesn’t take any longer, it just takes smarter decisions. You body will thank you.

CrossFit Nutritional Lecture Video Library

Nutrition Part I, Robb Wolf …[wmv][mov]
Nutrition Part II, Rob Wolf …[wmv][mov]

Nutrition: Teeter-Totter Pt I, Nicole Carroll .[wmv][mov]

Nutrition: Teeter-Totter Pt II, Nicole Carroll ..[wmv][mov]

Perfume Analogy, CrossFit Nurition Seminar …[wmv][mov]

Zone Multipliers, CrossFit Nutrition Seminar, Robb Wolf…[wmv][mov]

Zone Chronicles, Pat Sherwood …[wmv][mov]
Zone Chronicles: LAX, Pat Sherwood …[wmv][mov]
Zone Chronicles: Normalcy at Home, Pat Sherwood …[wmv][mov]
Zone Chronicles: New Jersey …[wmv][mov]

Insulin Resistance, CrossFit Nutrition Seminar …[wmv][mov]

Refined Carbohydrates, Robb Wolf, CrossFit Nutrition Seminar …[wmv][mov]

Pat Sherwood on the Idiot Suit …[wmv][mov]

I will try to update this with some of the great articles on nutrition from the CrossFit main site or wherever else I can find them. I would suggest that you don’t look at eating this way as a “diet” is is more about making “healthy lifestyle choices”.

What In The World Are You Putting On Your Skin??

Is your bathroom cabinet bulging with toxins?

Is your make-up or toiletries bag a cocktail of chemicals that could do you harm?

Yes is probably the answer to both questions. Check out the ingredients list on your bottles and jars: the higher up the list these 15 come, the greater the concentration.

Formaldehyde – Combined with water, this toxic gas is used as a disinfectant, fixative, germicide and preservative in deodorants, liquid soaps, nail varnish and shampoos. Also known as formalin, formal and methyl aldehyde, it is a suspected human carcinogen and has caused lung cancer in rats. It can damage DNA, irritate the eyes, upper respiratory tract and mucous membrane, and may cause asthma and headaches. It is banned in Japan and Sweden.

Phthalates hit the headlines last year for being “gender benders”. They are a family of industrial plasticisers already banned in the EU from being used in plastic toys, but are still in hairsprays, top-selling perfumes and nail varnishes. They can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled as fumes and ingested from contaminated food or breastfeeding. Animal studies have shown they can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system -especially developing testes.

Parabens are listed as alkyl parahydroxy benzoates -butyll methyl/ethyl/ propyllisobutyl paraben on some toothpastes, moisturisers and deodorants. They are used as a preservative, but are oestrogen mimics. Research suggests that parabens in antiperspirant deodorants can cause breast cancer. Oestrogen-type chemicals have also been linked to testicular cancer and a reduction in sperm count.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) is one of the major ingredients in nearly every shampoo, bubble bath, liquid soap etc. Why, when it is a known skin irritant, stops hair growth, can cause cataracts in adults, damage children’s eye development and cause urinary tract infection?

Toluene is a common solvent found in nail enamels, hair gels, hair spray, and perfumes. It is a neurotoxin and can damage the liver, disrupt the endocrine system and cause asthma.

Propylene Glycol is a cosmetic form of mineral oil (refined crude oil) used in industrial antifreeze. People handling it are warned by the manufacturer to avoid skin contact and wear respirators and rubber gloves etc, and yet this is a major ingredient in most moisturisers, skin creams, baby wipes and sun screens. Why? It’s cheap and gives the “glide” factor in body lotions – but is in fact robbing lower layers of skin of moisture. Lanolin and collagen also clog pores and cause skin to age faster than if nothing was used.

Talc is recognised as carcinogenic and has been linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer and general urinary tract disorders. So don’t dust it on your baby’s, or anyone else’s, bottom!

Parfum/perfume A typical cosmetic can contain up to 100 chemicals in the perfume alone! 95 per cent of these chemicals are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum -26 of which are on an EU hit list. Fragrances have been linked to allergies and breathing difficulties and they penetrate the skin.

Xylene is listed as xytol or dimethylbenzene on nail varnish bottles. It can damage your liver, is narcotic in high concentrations and causes skin and respiratory tract irritation.

Diethanolamine Also Tri and Mono (DEA, TEA and MEA) are absorbed through skin where they accumulate in products also containing nitrates, they react and form nitrosamines which are carcigonemic.

Aluminium is found in most deodorants and has been linked to Alzheimer’s. If you want to stay alert, and still smell fresh and clean switch to a safer one.

Triclosan sometimes listed as 5-chloro-2 (2,4-dichlorophenoxy) phenol, is in deodorants, toothpastes, vaginal washes and mouthwashes. Toxic dioxins are produced during its manufacture or incineration. It is stored in breast milk and in fish, and can break down in water to create a member of the dioxin family.

Source: FoodMatters.tv

Chinese Medicine and Lifestyle Choices

“He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skills of his doctors” a Chinese Proverb

Traditional Chinese Medicine is much different then Western medicine and favors a holistic approach, views the universe and body philosophically and develops inductive tools and methods … to guide restoring the total balance of the body.” In Chinese medicine, they add, “the correct balance between Yin and Yang make up the vital energy, ‘Qi,’ an essential life-sustaining substance of which all things are made.” Traditional remedies include herbal medicines, acupuncture, massage and moxibustion, an herbal heat therapy. Herbal medicines account for about 90% of the Chinese drug market.

I wanted to learn more about Chinese medicine because I was intrigued about the holistic approach, so I asked my cousin Dave, who left his cushy job as a mechanical engineer and  to become both a Homeopathic Physician and a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Chinese medicine has been around a lot longer than western medicine and Dr. Dave uses acupuncture, herbs, and other traditional forms of treatments to heal his patients.  Dave said to me “Our treatment principles are simple:  By correcting any underlying weakness or imbalance and resonating with the body’s own innate healing mechanisms, the body recovers the ability to heal itself.” Dave just recently got back from a residency in China working at one of the major hospitals observing how the Chinese doctors treat ailments with a combination of herbs and traditional western medicine.

I asked Dave, what guidelines he recommends for his clients, and this is what he said:

Lifestyle Choices for Healthy Eating :

•    eat a whole foods diet ( whole grains, fruits, vegetables, unprocessed foods… )

•    eat a primarily plant-based vegetarian diet

•    greatly reduce or eliminate the intake of sugar (all forms of sugar, including juices, pops, sweets, and ingredients such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, corn syrup, etc. )

•    reduce or eliminate refined carbohydrates from the diet (white rice, white flour, white pasta)

•    eat less saturated fat, especially that found in domestic meat (healthier choices of animal protein include the leanest cuts, free range, and in particular skinless poultry, wild game, and fish)

•    strictly avoid hydrogenated fat, trans-fatty acids (margarines, shortenings, etc.) refined oils, and deep-fried foods.  Also, try baking/steaming foods in place of frying.

•    eat more fibre (inherent in a plant based and whole food diet)

•    drink at least 1-1.5 litres / 6-8 glasses of water daily

•    minimize consumption of  salt / sodium

•    ensure diet includes essential fatty acids, such as omega-3’s and EPA (both of which protect against cholesterol and heart disease) examples include flax oil or ground flax seed, hemp seed, as well as cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring

•    limit dairy intake (milk, cheese, butter, etc…)

•    reduce or eliminate alcohol and caffeine consumption

•    avoid overeating

•    slow down and be mindful  – avoid eating while in a rush, or eating too quickly

•    chew food thoroughly (much of digestion starts in the mouth)

•    avoid eating late, or before bed

•    eat organic whenever possible (especially animal products)

•    wash produce with vegetable soap (optional) before use – will limit consumption of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and waxes

•    reduce exposure to food additives, colourings, and preservatives

•    check ingredients of packaged foods carefully – for hidden fats, sugars, colourings, preservatives, and other additives

•    identify and address any food allergies or intolerances

•    approximate ratios for carbohydrate ~ 60-70%  :  fat  ~ 15-25%  :  protein ~ 15-20%

•    eat all foods in moderation (keep some variety in your meals – if you notice eating a certain food or a certain flavour more often, try something different)  The key to healthy nutrition is to maintain a balanced diet.

Additional Recommendations for Weight Reduction :

•    Practice eating less !  (smaller portions, unnecessary snacks, etc.)

•    Eating from a plant-based diet of whole grains, vegetables, and other unrefined foods.

•    Reduce fat intake (saturated, hydrogenated, and trans fats).

•    Commitment to at least 30-60 minutes of daily physical exercise (this may be the only way to lower the body’s set-point for weight and hunger regulation).  Exercise is the essential step for losing weight and keeping it off.

•    Eating smaller meals more frequently (as opposed to bigger meals less frequently) to keep metabolism higher, may be beneficial.  Although eating less in general is the ideal.

•    Use some/all of the following ingredients often in a soup: barley, adzuki beans, mung beans, cabbage, bell peppers, bok choy, celery, chicory, endive, parley, radishes, turnips, watercress, asparagus, corn, garlic, onion, leek, scallions, and possibly small amounts of brown basmati rice, quinoa.

•    Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends emphasizing bitter and pungent flavours, and limit sweet, salty, and sour foods (with the exception of lemon and grapefruit).

 

Other tips for food cravings and hunger:

•    Avoid eating significant amounts of simple or refined carbohydrates, or eating them alone (without protein or fat to balance).  The result is unstable blood sugar, and food cravings due to rebounding into a hypoglycemic state.  Note: whole foods and complex carbohydrates contain beneficial fibre and density, which slows the metabolism of sugars.

•    If craving a snack, try drinking a glass of water first (this is often all that is needed).

•    If cravings occur between or after meals, try brushing teeth (a fresh mouth may deter hunger).

•    If food cravings result from boredom, go for a walk, do some stretching, get active …

•    Watch less TV (studies have shown that both weight and food consumption have a direct relationship to time spent watching TV).

•    Experiment by not eating until you are full, rather eat until you are no longer hungry.

•    Experiment by only eating when you are truly hungry.  You may be surprised to see how less often you actually are !

 

David Arnold  BESc, DSHomMed, RCSHom, RAc, RTCMP, has completed the five year DOCTOR OF CHINESE MEDICINE Program at the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in Victoria, BC.  He is a currently a Registered Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and licensed in the province of BC to use Acupuncture and prescribe Herbal Medicine.  David Arnold is also a CLASSICAL HOMEOPATH and a Registered Member of the Canadian Society of Homeopaths.

Check out more at :

http://www.healthandwellnesshouse.com

www.organicchineseherbs.ca

 

How Does Being Sick Affect Your Nutrition Needs?

Q. I have a cold and am stuffy and sniffly, etc., but don’t have a fever. How does this affect my metabolism, exercise, calorie, and nutrition needs?

A. Having a cold won’t have a significant effect on your metabolic rate, so your calorie needs remain the same as long as your level of activity stays the same. If you are less active because you are under the weather, your calorie needs will decrease accordingly.  If you don’t have a fever and you feel up to it, though, its fine to engage in your regular exercise routine. Exercise can help stimulate the immune system and may also help clear up congestion.  If you’re sharing equipment with others, though, be a peach and wipe down the equipment with disinfectant after you use it to prevent spreading your cold to others.

In terms of your nutritional needs, the immune response that’s causing the stuffy nose and sniffles is also increasing free radical activity in your body. Foods that are high in antioxidants, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, can help to clean up the extra free radicals. It’s also a good idea to avoid excess sugar when you’re fighting something off because sugar tends to depress the immune system. (Actually, it’s really ALWAYS best to avoid eating a lot of sugar.)

For additional antioxidants to help you through your cold and to prevent them, talk to Andrea!

Source: NutritionData.com

High-fat diet? No problem! (Unless you’re stressed.)

Living in stressful or polluted environment?  You are more likely to gain weight and develop metabolic problems than unstressed people that eat the same diet.

A study done at Georgetown University using mice found that a high fat diet did not provoke obesity. However, a high-fat diet combined with chronic stress, did.  Another study, recently published in Circulation, found that mice exposed to air pollution were more likely to develop insulin resistance and abdominal obesity compared with mice who ate the same high-fat diet but enjoyed cleaner air.

We’ve known for a while that stress and heart disease are linked. Although these are rodent studies, I think its becoming clear that stress and environment may play a role in obesity and Type 2 diabetes, as well–and that we’re going to need to think more holistically about tackling these problems.

We spend a lot of time trying to figure out how individual nutrients and dietary factors affect health. But that doesn’t necessarily tell us much about how nutrients work in combination.  For example, saturated fat might promote heart disease in the context of a high-carbohydrate diet but not in a low-carbohydrate diet.

But there are even more variables:  The same diet will affect individuals differently depending on their genetic makeup.  And stress (whether physical, mental, or environmental) also changes how your body responds to diet.

I have a number of clients who are trying to lose weight but also have extremely stressful lives.  Perhaps I need to make reducing and coping with stress a bigger part of their nutritional prescription?

Source: nutritiondata.com, Monica Reinagel | January 28, 2009

Andrea’s Note:  I’m not promoting a high-fat diet!  I’m simply conveying the effects of stress on your body…

Need a New Year’s Detox?

In much the same way you need a holiday from work, your body needs a break from time to time, especially when you are feeling tired, sick, heavy or just plain run down.

Detoxification is a normal process within the body of eliminating and or neutralizing toxins through the major organs of our colon, liver, kidney, lungs, lymph and skin. Our bodies do it naturally every day, in fact it is one of our most basic automatic functions. But what if our self-cleaning system is overwhelmed by our unhealthy lifestyle and exposure to environmental toxins?

According to many healing experts detoxification through special cleansing programs may be the missing link to disease prevention, especially for immune-deficiency diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and candida. Our chemicalized-food diet, with an over-abundance of animal protein, too much saturated fat and too much caffeine and alcohol radically alters our internal ecosystem. But even if your diet is good, a body cleanse can restore your vitality against environmental toxins that pave the way for disease bearing bacteria, viruses and parasites.

In the animal kingdom and in humans in times gone past routine fasting and allowing the body time to clean itself out has been normal practice. Just think how many showers you take in a year to clean the outside of your body and then how many cleanses you do in a year to clean the inside of your body? none? thought so.

Do You Need to Detox?

Here is a little checklist we like to use to see if you’re in need of a detox:

• Do you feel bloated, constipated and congested?
• Have you gained unwanted pounds even though you are not eating more food and are exercising regularly?
• Do you feel tired and low in energy? (signs of an acidic diet)
• Has your digestion worsened? (a sign your body isn’t using its nutrients well)
• Is your hair and skin looking unhealthier than normal?
• Do you frequently get mouth sores, yeast infections, urinary tract infections, unusual allergies?
• Do you feel foggy and out of sorts?
• Do you feel like you need to clear the cobwebs from your brain?

If you have ticked yes to three or more of the above then a detox might be just what your body needs to retain balance.

Benefits of A Detox

Although 7 – 10 days allows the most time for for your body to really begin the detoxification process properly we’ve found that most people can manage only 3 days in today’s busy lifestyle. If you can do 7 days then great, if you can do 10 days even better, if you can only do 1 day than that is better than none however we recommend that if you at least commit to 3 days then you will begin to see the real value in detoxification.

So what are the benefits?

• You eliminate stored wastes and for some that means they will loose weight
• Improved vitality and energy levels right away
• Improved circulation through purifying the liver, kidney and blood
• Enhanced mental clarity
• You’ll turn around bad eating habits and your stomach will have the chance to reduce to normal size for weight control
• People with heart problems notice a more regular heart beat
• A fiber rich cleansing diet with sea vegetables, that eliminates meat and dairy protein, almost invariably reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (the single largest risk of death by a long shot)

There are many different detoxification products and programs on the market however we believe that a program that is not too extreme and one that does not leave you starving is one which is most achievable and easiest to commit to.

Need a recommendation for a detox?  Email Andrea for details.

Source: FoodMatters, 2008