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Tuesday 25 December 2018

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Exercisers

You don’t need to drink a shake before and after every workout, and you don’t need to work out for one hour a day to transform your body. Such advice is only ideal for bodybuilders who spend hours in the gym.

Regular people like you and I need to find ways to make our workouts efficient, otherwise we won’t transform our bodies without making huge sacrifices. The truth is, you can get fit without straining your body or making huge changes in your schedule. You just need to follow these seven habits of highly effective exercisers.

HABIT #1 THEY PLAN THEIR WORKOUTS.

Have you ever noticed that you waste a lot of time when you don’t plan for your day? It’s the same thing with workouts. You’re more likely to skip workouts if you don’t have a good workout plan.

Highly effective exercisers have workout plans that indicate the exercises they’ll perform and the number of reps and sets. Your routine should be very detailed

HABIT #2 THEY FOCUS ON FULL-BODY TRAINING.

Doing full-body exercises is one of the best ways to save time. An exercise like jumping jacks targets all the muscles in your body, and that allows you to burn more calories in less time than someone doing crunches.

To become an effective exerciser, you need to focus mainly on full-body exercises. That way, you can perform rewarding workouts in as little as 10 minutes.

HABIT #3 THEY TRAIN PROGRESSIVELY.

Effective exercisers make their workouts more challenging as they get fitter. This allows them to build muscles in a short period.

Muscles grow when they’re challenged. That’s why it’s important to increase the difficulty of workouts as you get fitter. If you repeat the same routine, your body will get used to it, and you won’t get much out of it.

HABIT #4 THEY FOCUS ON GETTING STRONGER.

Strength is not a motivating factor for most people trying to get in shape, but effective exercisers know that gaining strength can motivate you to keep going.

Frankly, it takes time to see physical changes in your body when you start working out, but you can gain strength in as little as a week. Instead of focusing too much on your waistline, track your strength and celebrate every time you reach a milestone, like your first full burpee or pull-up.

HABIT #5 THEY FOCUS ON THEIR VISION.

It’s so easy to quit or get sidetracked when you don’t have a vision. Effective exercisers have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish and how they will do it.

Every day, visualize how you will look or how strong you’ll be after transforming your body. That will enable you to make healthier choices and exercise consistently.

HABIT #6 THEY DON’T COMPROMISE ON CONSISTENCY.

You and I know that consistency is necessary, if you want to stay in shape for the rest of your life. Yet, so many people are inconsistent with their workouts.

One of the easiest ways to stay consistent is to focus on short workouts. You might not have the time to do a one-hour workout but you can sacrifice 10 to 15 minutes every day.

HABIT #7 THEY DON’T RELY ON MOTIVATION.

Many beginners assume they should only work out when they feel motivated. This huge misconception makes people skip workouts.

Effective exercisers know they won’t always be motivated. Therefore, they push themselves to work out, even when they’re feeling lazy or beat up.

Recipes to Reset Your Gut After the Holidays

While the holiday season is full of reasons to celebrate with family and friends, the sad reality is that your gut probably won’t be celebrating with you. That’s because the rich, fatty food, eaten to excess takes its toll on our gut health. Fortunately, there are easy ways to reset your gut for health during and after the holidays.

There are a few principles you’ll want to consider to reset your gut:

1. Eat more vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. Not only will the fiber help remove harmful bacteria and waste from your intestines, it acts as PREbiotics for any good bacteria residing in your intestines. PREbiotics (as opposed to probiotics) act as food to encourage the growth and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in your intestines.

2. Drink lots of pure water. Your gut, like your entire body, needs water to function properly and for healthy waste elimination.

3. Cut back on sweets. Sweet foods feed harmful bacteria, giving them the opportunity to take hold and increase their numbers, so cutting back on sweets is integral to great gut health.

4. Cut back on meat. Excessive meat consumption (such as most peoples’ diets during the holidays) leads to the overgrowth of inflammation-causing bacteria in the cut. Simply cutting back and making plant-based foods the focal point of your meals can significantly reduce the number of gut-inflaming bacteria.

5. Eat more probiotic-rich foods. Think sauerkraut, live-cultured pickles, kimchi, kefir, yogurt or vegan yogurt, etc. Be sure they contain live cultures and have not been pasteurized. In other words, you’ll find these foods in the refrigerator section of your grocery or natural foods store.

Here are some of my favorite gut-restoration recipes:

Creamy French Onion Dip

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

2 cups raw, unsalted cashews
1-1/2 cups filtered water
2 probiotic capsules or ½ teaspoon probiotic powder
Juice from ½ lemon
2 tablespoons minced green onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
About 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt, or to taste
Chives or spring onions for garnish (optional)

In a small to medium glass bowl, combine the cashews and water. Empty the contents of the probiotic capsules (discarding the empty capsule shells) or probiotic powder into the cashews, and stir to mix. Cover and allow the mixture to culture for 24 to 48 hours.

In a blender, pour the cashew mixture, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the lemon juice, and fold in the green onions and parsley until combined. Add the salt to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days. When ready to serve with vegetable crudité or whole grain crackers or bread, garnish with chives or spring onions, if desired.

Cultured Nonalcoholic Bloody Mary

Makes about 2 cups

4 medium tomatoes
Juice from ½ lime
1/3 cup brine from kimchi, sauerkraut or cultured pickles
Dash unrefined sea salt
Dash pepper
1 stalk celery (optional, for garnish)

In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the celery, and blend until it is smooth. Pour the mixture into a covered glass dish, and allow it to ferment for 2 to 12 hours depending on your preference; longer fermentation results in a tangier drink. It is not necessary to ferment the juice if you’d rather not, since you’re using brine from previously fermented foods. Garnish with celery if desired, and serve immediately. Store any leftovers in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Dairy-Free Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

½ cup almond milk
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
2 fresh Medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 probiotic capsules or ½ teaspoon probiotic powder
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots, cranberries, cherries, or other dried fruit, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, almonds, or nuts, coarsely chopped

In a glass or ceramic bowl with a lid, combine the almond milk, cashews, and date pieces. Add the contents of the probiotic capsule (discard the empty capsule shell) or the probiotic powder, and stir into the cashew mixture.

Cover the bowl, and let sit in a warm, undisturbed setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Blend the ingredients together until they are smooth, adding a small amount of water as necessary to enable blending. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to one week.

When serving: top the yogurt with the fruit and nuts of your choice.

7 Best Essential Oils to Ease Alzheimer’s Symptoms

Reports show that every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease. As you may know, this condition doesn’t affect all people in the same way. Some are able to slow or reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s by making healthy lifestyle choices.

For instance, exercise can slow down cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients, according to research. But for those who are not fond of exercise, essential oils may ease your symptoms, as well.

According to this study, aromatherapy can improve personal orientation in Alzheimer’s patients. Now, this may not be great news for all patients, since some lose their sense of smell. But some studies show that applying essential oils on the skin may be beneficial.

Below are some essential oils that can help ease Alzheimer’s symptoms.

1. ROSEMARY

In the study I mentioned above, dementia patients (many of whom had Alzheimer’s) underwent aromatherapy for 28 days using rosemary, lavender, orange and lemon essential oil. In the end, they showed significant improvement in personal orientation without the side effects often associated with artificial meds.

2. LAVENDER

People with Alzheimer’s disease can become restless and worried as the condition worsens. Luckily, you can ease this symptom using lavender essential oil. For many years, lavender has been used to ease anxiety and depression. You can inhale it, apply it on the skin or use it as a massage oil.

3. LEMON

Other than being proven helpful in the 28-day study, research also confirms that lemon essential oil can reduce stress and boost mood.

4. PEPPERMINT

Inhaling peppermint or diffusing your room with it can improve your focus, memory, mental performance, and concentration. This essential oil can also support patients by calming their nerves. Note that you can enjoy these benefits by mixing the oil with a carrier oil, like apricot kernel or almond oil, and applying it on the chest.

5. FRANKINCENSE

Did you know that frankincense was more valued than gold during biblical times? Even though that’s not the case anymore, inhaling its woody scent regularly can boost moodand improve focus.

6. YLANG YLANG

Research shows that using ylang ylang essential oil in aromatherapy may ease depression and stress. This can be beneficial to Alzheimer’s patients, since most of the struggle with depression.

Patients and caregivers can also use ylang ylang essential oil to fight insomnia. For the best results, combine ylang ylang with lemon balm essential oil.

7. BERGAMOT

Research shows that bergamot essential oil is good for your mental health. In this study, participants reported improved positive feelings after inhaling bergamot for 15 minutes. Patients who struggle with anxiety, depression, and agitation should use it in their aromatherapy sessions.