admin

Staying active is a challenge for many of us as we spend much of the day sitting behind computuers, it’s a daily challenge I face myself trying to stay active.

Why is Exercise Absolutely Essential?
Aside from the obvious benefit of controlling your weight (a reason many people exercise) exercise also plays a key role in:

• increasing your energy levels because strangely enough the more energy you use, the more energy you have
• helping you have better quality sleep
• helps prevent chronic disease it improves your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and helps prevent mental illness i.e. Dementia and Alzheimers
• it boost feel good hormones and improves your mood
• exercise is anti-ageing and can help improve your IQ

What Kind Of Exercise?

Sadly after 30, you will lose up to a 1-3kg muscle mass every 10 years if you don’t have any form of strength or resistance training in your routine.

Aerobic exercise can add many years to your life and the WHO (World Health Organisation) recommends adults aged 18–64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity in a week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity in a week. So this could be 30 minutes walking five times a week.

Aerobic exercise is only one piece of the puzzle and so when it comes to healthy ageing, strength training becomes very important and an essential part of your exercise routine.

 There are differences between strength training and aerobic exercise.

– They both types burn calories and build muscle mass but at different rates.

– Aerobic exercise raises your heart rate for an extended period, burns fat and glucose during exercise.

– Strength (or weight) training will use up fat and glucose for hours (and sometimes days) after exercising, so your metabolism stays slightly elevated for a longer period of time following a strength training session than after an aerobic workout.

So why is strength training and having strong muscles so important to you?
Fewer muscles means your metabolism will slow down and you’ll gain fat instead. The beauty of muscle tissue is that even when your not working out it can burn calories which fat cells don’t do.

Much more importantly than that strength training is essential to keeping you fit, active, self-reliant because every move you make relies on your muscles, it will also maintain bone mass, preventing osteoporosis and gives you strength as you age to prevent injuries.

You’ll be leaner, toned and more importantly your muscles and bones will be stronger, improving your mobility, agility.

Essential Work Out Advice

• Be sure to stretch before and after your workout
• You don’t have to go to a gym or use weights, you can use body weight – these are all options.
• Don’t forget about strengthening your core as part of your work outs
• Keep exercise sessions fun and part of your daily routine so your more likely to do it
• Choose exercises to fit your schedule that match your fitness level and goals
• Be sure to get some good advice or guidance if your new to this type of exercise to avoid injury

Some Simple Strength Exercise To Consider As Part Of Your Training

• 20 body weight squats
• 10 push ups
• 20 walking lunges
• 15 second plank
• 30 Jumping Jacks

Happy Exercising!

If you don’t want to miss any future newsletters or blogs please sign up here  in the sign-up box. 

Traditional Uses:
Tulsi or Holy basil is sacred and used in morning prayers for personal health and family wellbeing in India. It is considered a rasayana a herb that nourishes a person’s growth to perfect health and promotes longevity. I always take rasayana herbs they are part of my day.

In India they keep a tulsi plant in their homes , for it’s purification purposes. Research shows this plant emits ozone that helps breakdown unwanted chemicals into a safer element and it repels viruses, bacteria and small insects. A natural pesticide and air purifier!

The leaves are brewed and drunk as a tea to reduce fevers, flu’s and colds with a lot of mucous. The tea is also used for upset stomach, nauseousness and vomiting. 

Modern Uses:
Studies indicate that Tulsi is well-known to substantially lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), reduce inflammation, protects your body and brain from the harmful effects of stress, and exerts a positive influence on your mood. 

Instead of getting a prescription medication for your stress, consider trying a traditional, natural remedy.

Holy basil may also help support our natural defenses to help counteract the day-to-day strain of modern life. Dr Jim Nicolai, M.D., says that for his patients with stress-related issues, holy basil is at the top of his list of herbal therapies.

10 Good Reasons Why Tulsi Tea is So Good For You?

• It is an adaptogen so it helps the body manage stress.
• Is a natural sleep aid
• Boosts the immune system.

  

• This herb is absolutely packed with free radical fighting anti-oxidants and beneficial phytochemical compounds.
• Helps maintain healthy eye-sight.
• Skin health.
• Offers joint support.
• Has anti-inflammatory properties helping with IBS, Chrohn’s disease and digestive disorders.
• It improves levels of stamina or energy
• Heart health

Of course, one has to make it a regular part of your daily routine to experience these benefits. Tulsi can also be used as a tea, in capsules or as tinctures as a stress buster, especially when used in conjunction with relaxation breathing and exercises. Tulsi is great for bedtime, and for stressful times during the day.

If you don’t want to miss any future newsletters or blogs please sign up here  in the sign-up box. 

When does perimenopause start and are you eligible?
Your perimenopause can begin several years before menopause; it’s when your ovaries gradually begin to produce less oestrogen. It usually starts in your 40’s, but it can start in your 30’s.

Perimenopause can last only a few months or continue for 10 years, it ends the first 12 months after your very last period. Menopause is when you literally run out of eggs, it’s the ultimate decline of your sex hormones – oestrogen and progesterone produced in the ovaries.

What are the signs?
You may get cramps, feel cranky, have cravings OR get hot flashes, night sweats and have weight gain? It varies from women to women.

Or any of these:
•   Bad PMS – Breast tenderness, Irregular periods, Mood swings.
•   Decreased libido
•   Joint pain
•   Ageing skin
•   Fatigue.
•   Weak bladder – leakages when coughing or sneezing
•   Difficulty sleeping.

How can you get back to normal?
Interestingly, the majority of Asian women never experience the enormous amount of discomfort, that western women seem to accept as universally acceptable as you enter menopause.

Traditionally, Asian cultures have always used food and herbs to help manage these changes when they first appear. They don’t use HRT (hormone replacement therapy) as most western women do.

Fortunately, there are simple steps you to can take to minimise the negative symptoms of perimenopause and treat the root cause of your womanly pains (by getting your hormones back in balance).

Part 1 –  Strategies for Managing Perimenopause
If you’ve got this far in the article you’ll want some solutions to the imbalances and things that are going on in your body. The body needs excellent support from unprocessed nutritional foods, and maintaining a fit, healthy body will all make it a lot easier for you to deal with your perimenopausal or PMS symptoms.

There are 3 parts to your action plan to get you going and help your body manage this natural event with ease.

It all starts in the kitchen!
a) Get your phytoestrogens
A phytoestrogen is a naturally-occurring plant nutrient that can exert an estrogen-like action on the body.

Scientists have discovered hundreds of phytoestrogens including soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, bans, whole grains, dark green leafy veg, seeds (especially flaxseed), nuts (especially walnuts) and many herbs.

Choose whole soy foods – tofu, edamame, roasted soy nuts or tempeh. I don’t believe soy milk is in this category as it is a processed soya product.

Soya is thought to be the reason that Japanese women living in Japan rarely experience the unpleasant symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are so rare in Japan that there is not even a word in the Japanese language to describe them.

Flaxseed studies have shown the incidence of hot flushes were reduced as much as 50 percent by consuming flaxseed.

b) Eat a rainbow of fruit & veg – rich in antioxidants which slow down ageing and help prevent the diseases that increase with menopause like cancer and heart disease.

c) Load up on the good oils
Oily fish, nuts & seeds – contain omega-3 essential fatty acids that can counteract dryness, painful joints, cholesterol and sluggish metabolism.

Nuts & Seeds – contain antioxidants, vitamin E and selenium.

d) Cruciferous veg i.e. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc. – contain specific substances that support the balance of good hormones in your body and protects you against cancer. Yes, there are ‘bad’ hormones too.

e) Fibre rich foods
Whole grains and veggies – are essential for the efficient functioning of the bowel to ensure elimination of unwanted hormones and toxins. Fibre also helps to prevent heart disease and cancer.

Avoid: Foods that aggravate many of the hormonal imbalances include the usual suspects – coffee, alcohol and spicy foods (if you get hot flushes).

Part 2 will be covered in the next newsletter with more on which are the best supplements and herbal remedies for managing these changes in your body, be sure to look out for it.

If you don’t want to miss any future newsletters or blogs please sign up here  in the sign-up box. 

It doesn’t matter what age you are, there is no time like the present to ensure you have a healthy mind and brain function.

You may be:-

• Interested in anti-ageing and longevity of your mental faculties
• Wanting to avoid mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s as you age
• Noticing how forgetful you’re are lately
• Having difficulty focusing or feel like your mind/brain is feeling tired?

If you answer yes to any of these questions. The good news is that there are ways to protect your brain from excessive demands so that you can function at your best.

Aside from the healthy diet, superfoods, exercise and brain exercises, there are also the botanical brain boosters.

When taken daily these brain boosting herbs can bring a state of alertness and stimulate creative thinking, improve memory and neurological

function. We do know from some studies that many of these herbs increase the activity of some of the brains neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that transmit messages from one nerve cell to another.
It’s common these days to depend on caffeine to sharpen the mind however caffeine is overstimulating to the adrenal glands, and depletes the body of essential nourishment.

Many of these herbs are stimulating and balancing to the body without the side effects, helping the body overcome excessive amounts of stress and lifestyle challenges to help you function at your best.

6 Top Brain Herbs read more here

1. Ginkgo biloba is one of the most well known herbs in use today and is one of the oldest surviving trees on earth. It has been used traditionally to improve concentration and memory. Ginkgo is one of the most prescribed herbs in Europe and recommended in treating dementia, memory loss, senility and promoting recovery from stroke. It is an antioxidant and cerebral tonic. Don’t take alongside blood thinning medicine.
2. Gotu kola (Hydrocotyle asiatica) is another herb that has high impact on brain functioning and is used in India as a brain tonic, referred to as “food for the brain” and is known to aid intelligence and memory. It balances the brain and helps all aspects of brain function. Gotu kola has been used to treat amnesia, dementia, fatigue and senility. It has a revitalizing effect on the brain cells and nerves.
3. Rosemary was used by ancient Greek scholars, who wore laurels of rosemary when taking examinations to improve memory. Rosemary stimulates the pineal gland and improves energy levels. Rosemary contains more than a dozen antioxidants.
4. Ashwaghandha (Withania somnifera) reduces the effects of overwork and is one of the best for promoting mental clarity and cognitive functioning. Ashwaghandha does wonders for nervous exhaustion and protects the brain against brain cell deterioration.  It is an important protective herb.
5. Tulsi oxygenates the brain and improves circulation which improves feelings of well-being and mental cognition.
6. Brahmi (Bacopa monniera) is a herbal tonic and brain food therefore rejuvenating the brain and nervous system. Brahmi improves all aspects of mental functioning including the ability to learn new information, to retain what we learn and our ability to remember. Brahmi packs a double whammy of benefits because it supports our intelligence while reducing the effects of stress on the brain. In Ayurveda it’s is considered mind-enhancing and therefore used in meditation.

Essential oils are also an excellent way to treat mental fatigue and to boost your mental capacity these include lemon, lemon grass, lime, peppermint and rosemary.

You can invite nature’s subtle intelligence into your routine and you may find that using these herbs will help you overcome the anxiety, lethargy, lack of focus and even the chatter that can surface in the mind during meditation.

As you consider the short list above choose the herb that offers you the benefits with the strongest appeal, and experiment with taking it daily. By taking a combination of these herbs they have a synergistic effect it is highly recommended you consult a qualified herbalist before doing so.

If you don’t want to miss any future newsletters or blogs please sign up here  in the sign-up box. 

Delicious Homemade Ice cream – Seriously tastes like ice cream!

This is the closest thing to real ice cream, it’s seriously tastes amazing. You can have the bananas

plain or add a little chocolate (healthy chocolate) for taste. It’s great if you have a sweet tooth.

Recipe

2-3 frozen ripe bananas
1 teaspoon raw chocolate
Almond/coconut milk to help blending adding in a little at a time

Place all ingredients in the blender.

Don’t throw away your overripe bananas, freeze them and make ice cream

If you don’t want to miss any future newsletters or blogs please sign up here  in the sign-up box.