Why Breakfast Helps Your Metabolism

I talk to so many people about breakfast and why it's important for your body.  

I know we all lead busy lives, I get that. Society is so demanding. 

But....  Here's the thing.. Your body NEEDS food first thing! 

After all, the last time you ate was more than eight hours ago, so you have effectively been fasting.  When we sleep our body takes time to repair itself with the nutrients from the foods we eat. at sleep time your body  It's like a computer in standby mode, everything is conserved  so the body can do its thing! 

So when you wake up it's like you've come back 'online' and in order to fire up we need food or fuel.  

BREAKing a FAST is what your body does when we eat breakfast in the morning or after a long period of rest. 

So here's why you need to eat after a long period of rest: 

Diabetes: Skipping breakfast may increase a woman's diabetes risk, according to a study published this month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Women who ate breakfast an average of zero to six times per week were at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women who ate breakfast every day.

Heart Disease: Eating breakfast was associated with a lower incidence of heart disease in men between ages 45 and 82, according to a July study in the journal Circulation. The study also found that skipping breakfast was associated with hypertension, insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels. 

Memory: A 2005 Journal of the American Dietetic Association review of 47 breakfast-related studies found that eating breakfast is likely to improve cognitive function related to memory and test grades. Translation: Eating breakfast is a smart move!

Weight Loss: In one recent study, people who ate breakfast as their largest meal lost an average of 17.8 pounds over three months. The other participants consumed the same number of total calories per day, but ate most of their calories at dinner, according to the study published in July in the journal Obesity. The large-dinner group only lost an average of 7.3 pounds each over the same time period.

So What should you eat? 

 You know that eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism. But did you realize that certain food choices can crank up your fat-burning even more?

The key: eating a breakfast that’s high in Resistant Starch (RS). Found in foods like bananas and oats, Resistant Starch actually signals your body to use fat for energy.

High protein breakfasts such as scrambled eggs on spinach or green smoothies with added protein powder to oats and granola are great. 

But I don't like eating first thing? 

No problem, try eating a yoghurt instead or a piece of fruit. Then later on when you feel to eat, choose a healthy option. 

If you liked what you read and it brought some value to you feel free to share and leave a comment below on your thoughts about breakfast. 

If you have a question about specific diets ie diabetes, high blood pressure then leave your comment below. 

Friday's Do You Have A Cheat Day?

So. First up, tell me what you do on your cheek day below It's Friday! Yes the end of the week and the day where we normally cheat on our diets. 

For me Fridays are Takeaway days, restaurant days, eating out with the girls, dining out with your partner.

What I normally do for Friday –
I start off with a healthy breakfast, I make sure I drink lots of water during the day, I eat  a sensible lunch for example jacket potato with the filling, or an omelette, or a salad, you get the picture. 

Then when the evening comes, I don't have any guilt feelings whatsoever because I've been sensible during most of the day and it's just one meal.

So here's the thing, as long as you realise that you can get back on track the next day and calories in equal calories out. As long as you're prepared to exercise, and eat sensibly for the rest of the week then there's no reason why you can't have a cheat day once a week. 

Just go all out, don't worry about what you're eating. Enjoy your food, enjoy the company. 

So fess up, what do you do on your cheat  day?  

Are you Ready For A Change of Diet?

When someone comes to me and say they want me to help them ‘change their diet’ I go over extensively what it is they are trying to achieve by changing their diet.

You see in the past, people have a misconception about change of diet. They see it as something temporary, short term, normally associated with weddings, holidays or special occassions. The thing is, it should be something we see as a ‘lifestyle change’, and something we should plan to do for the rest of our lives.

Changing your diet, is not just for the overweight, it is is for everyone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle. Eating whole foods instead of processed foods. Exercising more, instead of slouching on the couch. Improving their mindset as well as their body because the two go hand in hand.

So if you are tired, have ailments you now you shouldnt have, then maybe it is time to change your diet.

Contact me: www.90days2change.bodybyvi.com  Colette

Colette Morris
Nutritional Therapist, IICT,  SacDipl, (Diet & Nutrition)
Health Coach

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Benefits of Water In Your Diet

Drinking water is a really important aspect to any health and diet. Your body is made up of 80% of water and therefore it makes sense that we need to replace regularly the amount of water we lose through sweat, and detoxification of waste naturally through the body. 

By the time you feel you are thirsty, and grab a glass of water, the reality is you are already dehydrated. Dehydration can affect us in the number of ways, it affects our energy levels, our mental levels, and a general health and well-being.  

So here are some reasons why it is important for you to drink enough water on a daily basis.

Water helps us to eliminate waste effectively from the body. Our body needs water to effectively eliminate the waste products from the food that we eat. If not the toxins will pile up inside the colon and eventually get into the bloodstream.  If we are not drinking enough water this can lead to a host of Health problems including infections. 

 It can also help with constipation. If you do not drink enough water  and eat enough fibre then you may find it difficult to get rid of waste from the body. 

 It also helps to break down fat, in particular drinking warm water after a high-fat meal can help rather than a cold drink. 

Water can help with weight loss, more often than  not really we associate hunger with eating, The reason being is when we are dehydrated the body throws up all sorts of signals to letters know we need to drink however we misplaced this for eating. Where as if you drink a glass of water instead it will help keep the hunger at bay. 

Drinking water can reduce pain in your joints by keeping the cartilage soft and hydrated. This is actually how glucosamine helps reduce joint pain, by aiding in cartilage’s absorption of water.

It has also been shown that water can help to fight infection.

Prevent cancer. Yes, that’s right – various research says staying hydrated can reduce risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50%, and possibly reduce breast cancer risk as well.

Improves the quality and look of your skin. After all your skin is the largest organ on your body. Drinking enough water will help your skin to keep its elasticity and its youthfulness. Therefore drinking enough water also helps you to age well with less wrinkles. Drinking water also helps the skin do it's job of regulating the body's temperature through sweating. 

Sometimes headaches can be caused by dehydration, so drinking water can prevent or alleviate that nasty head pain. Next time your head hurts, try drinking water.

Improves the clarity, productivity and thinking levels of the brain. If your body is fully hydrated then it will help a number of organs function better.

Improves the texture and quality of your hair. If you suffer from dry hair, this could be because of the hydration therefore drink enough water will help to attend the restorer healthy skin but healthy hair nails

Improves your energy levels. When you are fully hydrated you will find you have more energy particularly important for athletes and those in sports. 

And lastly, Without drinking water you can die.  You can live without food for a number of days, however you cannot live very long without any water. 

Quick tips for insuring your drinking enough water.

1. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water. So for instance if you are 140lbs then you will need to drink 70oz 

2. Drink water and other fluids, until you hear and ate a pale yellow colour which means you are fully hydrated

3. Bring a water bottle around with you wherever you go to remind you to drink enough water

4. You can octane the water from fruits and vegetables also so make sure you are eating enough of these. 

How To Get Your Metabolism to Speed Up And Burn Fat

Cereals have been known to contain sugar and fortified vitamins.  Imagine the wheat processed for your cereal has the most important micronutrients and vitamins removed during that process, and the manufacturers then include them back into the cereal at a later stage, that doesn't make sense to me? But it happens, they call it 'extrusion'
Not to mention all the hidden sugars and salt added as well.  Very few cereals have enough fibre to be of real benefit to the body.  

SO what is the secret to a healthy breakfast? 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  After having 7-8hours or more of sleep, and possibly over 10 hours of fasting which has occurred between the time you ate the night before until you wake up in the morning, means your body needs energy to help you get through the first part of the day. 

So it is crucial for you to have a balanced breakfast first thing in the morning, not only does it wake up your digestive system, but it also kickstarts your metabolism, and gets fat burning effectively.  Those that do not have a balanced breakfast filled with fibre and protein, find that they feel tired, sluggish and tend to put on weight later on as their metabolism slows or stops.  Too much sugar in your diet can give you incredible highs and lows in energy, and also affects your mood.  

By reducing sugar in your breakfast first thing and drinking at least 2 glasses of water to replenish the bodies water intake, will give you increased energy. 

What is the ideal breakfast?

This is a tough one as there are many healthy breakfasts that are available, some people are not morning people and don't like eating too early, therefore something like a fruit / and or vegetable 'smoothie' with added protein would be ideal.  

For those that have time and like to eat, there are cereals like rolled oats, yoghurt and muesli, bran flakes, with added fruits or nuts or seeds. 

For those that like cooked breakfasts, then poached eggs, scrambled eggs, spinach, baked beans, wholemeal toast, mushrooms, wholemeal, or high protein pancakes, or other non fried high fibre alternatives. 

SO it's out with the traditional 'fry up' and in with a healthier alternative. 

Having a cup of coffee or green tea also helps to speed up the metabolism in the morning, but again ensure you drink 2 glasses of water upon rising, this will make all the difference to your metabolism and fat burning effectiveness, especially if it includes squeezed lemon, lime and cucumber.  

Ensure that the first glass of water is body temperature so that it can be easily absorbed and assimilated. The second glass of water should be ICE COLD as this will help to speed up your metabolism, as the body needs to use a process called thermogenesis to warm the cold water up in the body a bit like a kettle!  

Diabetics should ensure they include carbs, fats and proteins in their breakfast and generally low GI foods are much more slow releasing and will balance out your hormones better.  You can find out about low GI foods here. 

Hope you found this useful, feel free to share and leave a comment.  


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Join Me Tonight on BLAB to discuss weightloss and mindset..

Hey everyone
I am on BLAB tonight at 8pm GMT discussing weightloss and mindset, and I am so excited as I have 2 amazing guests joining me Kenny Rye who is a Health Coach and Vi Model 2015, and is also a Natural Body Builder. 



I also have Taznino Mughal who is a Coach and Zumba Instructor who has amazing results with her customers, but there is a common theme here and that is sometimes people fall off a diet, and today we are going to look at some of the reasons why. 

So if you are on twitter, then hook up with me there @workfmhomediva or click the link to join me on blab https://blab.im/workfmhomeDiva 

Colette Morris
Nutritional Therapist, IICT,  SacDipl, (Diet & Nutrition)
Health Coach

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Benefits for using Coconut or MCT OIL

What is MCT?

Medium-chain triglycerides (or MCTs for short) are made up of medium-chain fatty acids. The “medium” refers to the length of their chemical structure: all fats are made up of strings of carbon and hydrogen. Short-chain fats (e.g. butyric acid) have fewer than 6 carbons. Long-chain fats (for example, the long-chain polyunsaturated fats EPA and DHA) have 13 to 21. Medium-chain fats are in the middle, with 6 to 12. 

What are the Benefits of MCTs?

MCTs are very easy for the body to break down and use as energy. Think of long-chain fats as being like a whole piece of fruit and MCTs as being like a smoothie. If you eat the whole fruit, you have to put in a lot of effort chewing, but the smoothie you can just slurp right up almost without noticing. In your digestive system, MCTs are a little bit like that smoothie.

Because they’re so easy to absorb, MCTs are used therapeutically for people with malabsorption problems, like Crohn’s Disease. 

They’re also great for anyone missing a gallbladder.

You might think from this that MCTs would promote weight gain (after all, if they’re so easy to absorb, and they’re used as a treatment for malnutrition, they’ve got to be a great weight gainer food, right?) but in fact, this isn’t true. MCTs don’t cause instant weight gain, and in fact they may even be a benefit for weight loss. 

This study, for example, found that, over a 12-week period, subjects who got MCT oil lost about 2 pounds more than those who did not. 
Other studies aren’t quite so optimistic though, and overall the evidence for weight loss is mixed.

This review goes over the potential for MCTs to aid weight loss by increasing satiety and raising the metabolic rate. The studies so far are promising – but here’s the catch: the effect is pretty small. The authors of the paper use kilojoules to measure energy instead of calories, but when you convert the units, you’ll see that few of the studies showed a benefit relevant to the real world. For example, one study found that 5 grams of MCT oil did indeed raise the metabolic rate of healthy men…by 11 calories a day. And that’s just not such an amazing benefit: you could burn more calories than that by walking for 5 minutes, or jumping rope slowly for 2 minutes.

That’s a bit of a let-down, but don’t give up yet: the hormonal and metabolic benefits might be more impressive. 

This review covers the potential uses of MCTs for treating diabetes, hypertension, and the other elements of the metabolic syndrome: in various trials, MCTs have shown a lot of promise compared to other fats.

MCTs are also the ultimate ketogenic fat: in fact, they’re so powerful that adding MCTs to your diet can increase the number of carbs you can eat while staying in ketosis.

The bottom line: MCTs won’t necessarily help you burn a crazy amount of extra calories every day, but they may be beneficial to weight loss because they help in restoring normal metabolic function. And if you’re aiming for ketosis for any reason, MCTs will be your very best friend.

Doses in studies tend to vary from 5 to 50 grams – you could get the lower end of that from coconut oil used as part of regular cooking, but if you want closer to 50 grams, you’re going to need a supplement. You can take the supplement straight from the spoon, or put it into whatever you like; MCT oil has no taste or smell, so you can more easily blend it into smoothies (or yes, into your coffee).

On the other hand, coconut oil (and other food sources of MCTs) also has benefits above and beyond its MCT content. For example, the same grass-fed butter and dairy products that give you MCTs can also provide conjugated linoleic acid for a double whammy of weight-loss fats.

Ultimately, it comes down to whatever works for you. For general good health, cooking with coconut oil (or palm oil, or grass-fed dairy products) is probably completely adequate. But if you’re on the hunt for a weight-loss aid, you might need to get special MCT oil for the full effect.

Conclusion

MCTs aren’t a miracle weight-loss pill (nothing is a miracle weight-loss pill, unfortunately). But there’s some evidence that they’re mildly anti-obesogenic, and may help with weight loss. And if you’re really interested in MCTs specifically, adding MCT oil to your daily routine is one way to try a self-experimentand see whether or not they help you.

On the other hand, whole food sources of MCTs also have extra benefits (like other healthy fats) that pure MCT oil can’t provide. And some people just feel better getting their nutrition from whole foods, rather than relying on a lot of supplements. There’s no one right answer here; it’s all about what works for you – and now you have the information to choose wisely!

You can purchase MCT oil from my Amazon Store  

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20 Unbelievable Reasons To Start Your Day With Water and Lemon

1. Water with lemon provides the body with electrolytes which hydrate your body. As lemons contain good amount of electrolytes such as potassium, calcium and magnesium.
2. Water with lemon is good for the joints, reducing pain in the joints and muscles.
3. Warm water with lemon helps digestion as lemon contains citric acid. It interacts with other enzymes and acids which easily stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and digestion.
4. The liver produces more enzymes from water with lemon than from any other food.
5. Water with lemon cleanses the liver. Lemon juice stimulates the liver to release toxins.
6. Water with Lemon helps fight infections of the respiratory tract, sore throats and inflammation of the tonsils. This is due to the anti-inflammatory properties of lemon.
7. Warm water with lemon helps regulate natural bowel movement.
8. Water with lemon is indispensable for the normal work of metabolism. Since lemon is a powerful antioxidant, it protects the body from free radicals and strengthens the immune system.
9. Water with lemon aids in proper functioning of the nervous system (as lemon  has a high content of potassium). Depression and anxiety are often the result of low levels of potassium in the blood. The nervous system needs a sufficient amount of potassium to ensure sustainable signals to the heart.
10. Water with lemon cleanses blood, blood vessels and arteries.
11. Water with lemon can help lower blood pressure.  A daily intake of one lemon can reduce high blood pressure by 10%.
12. Water with lemon creates an alkalizing effect in the body. Even if you drink it immediately before a meal,  it can help your body maintain a higher level of pH. The higher the pH, the more your body is able to fight diseases.
13. Water with lemon is good for the skin. Vitamin C in lemon, improves our skin by rejuvenating the body.  Drinking water with lemon regularly (every morning) will improve the condition of your skin.
14. Water with lemon  helps to dilute uric acid, the built up of which leads to pain in the joints and gout.
15. Water with lemon is beneficial for pregnant women. Since lemons are loaded with Vitamin C, it acts as an adaptogen helping the body cope with viruses such as colds.  Furthermore, vitamin C helps the formation of bone tissue of the unborn baby. At the same time, due to the high content of potassium, a mixture of water with lemon helps forming cells of the brain and nervous system of the baby.
16. Water with lemon relieves heartburn. For this, mix a teaspoon of lemon juice in half a glass of water.
17. Water with lemon helps dissolve gallstones,  kidney stones, pancreatic stones, and calcium deposits.
18. Water with lemon helps with weight loss.  Lemons contain pectin fiber, which helps suppress hunger cravings. Studies have proven  people with a better alkaline diet have lost weight faster.
19. Water with lemon helps with tooth pain and gingivitis.
20. Water with lemon prevents cancer. This is due to the fact that lemons are a highly alkaline food. Multiple studies have found that cancer cannot thrive in an alkaline environment.

- See more at: http://healthywildandfree.com/drink-warm-lemon-water-in-the-morning-for-a-year-and-these-20-things-happen/?c=rfp#sthash.F07Kyon9.dpuf


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Losing Weight and Stuck On A Plateau?

So you've decided to bite the bullet and change your lifestyle and your diet.
You've lost weight in your first few weeks successfully, however you seem to be on a plateau for the last week or more and your weight is not changing on the scales. 

Here are some tips to help you move past your plateau. 





1. Drink more water
2. Step up your exercise routines
3. come off your diet for a few days, then go back on it again
4. introduce the occasional 'cheat day' once a week
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My Findings on Burning Body Fat

If you're like me and have struggled in the in the past with high body fat, well you may want to read this.   Over the years as we get older find it harder and harder to get rid of body fat, mainly because our metabolism slows down as we get older, our cells start dying and not replacing themselves effectively due to poor nutrition, pollution around us and the weather and stress in our lives, coupled with the fact that as we age and do not engage into physical and active things we lose muscle mass which makes our metabolism slow. 

I recently did a biometric reading for my body fat and was really shocked at the high level of my body fat. I knew I was overweight as I have about a stone and a half to lose, but the most shocking finding was that  my fat content was near 40%. 

This made me want to look into the reason that my body fat content was so high. 

I started by tracking what I was eating in the first instance, I felt I ate pretty healthily. But then you can eat healthy and still put on weight and fat. 

This made me want to look into the reason that my body fat content was so high. So here's what I found

I started by tracking what I was eating in the first instance, I felt I ate pretty healthily. I downloaded an app on my iPhone called MyFitnessPal. 

This is a really cool app, I put in my daily food habits and it told me how much macronutrients I was getting. To you and me that is how many carbs, fat, protein I was taken in. 

I didn't put any restrictions on the amount of carbs fats or proteins at this point as I just wanted to know what my day to day intake was on a regular basis.  I did this for three weeks. The findings were amazing not to say the least I was eating far too much fat and not expending enough energy i.e. exercise   

So even though on some days I ate less than my caloric intake, The content of the fat in what I was eating was really high, and also because I was not exercising the food that I was eating wasn't being used efficiently and therefore my body converted this to additional fat and began to store it.

it wasn't that I was eating the wrong types of food, it was about eating the right combination of food. 
So this showed me that you can eat healthy and still put weight and body fat on

So then I began paying more attention to the percentage of carbohydrates, proteins, fat intake. The recommended percentages are 50% carbohydrates 30% protein 20% fat so I set my goals on the my fitness pal app to those recommended percentages. 

I also looked up what my base metabolic rate (BMR) was.
If you do not know what this is, it is the calculation for how many calories your body needs to function on a daily basis, for instance the calories need it for digestion for breathing, processing waste within the body, moving, for the heart to pump blood around the body et cetera. This is also known as you're resting metabolic rate.  So your BMR dictates how many calories you need on a day-to-day basis to function normally. 

 In order to reduce weight you would then need to reduce your daily intake by about 500 cal to lose about half a pounds a week, if you wish to lose more, say a pound a week, then you would need to reduce your daily calorie intake to by another 500 cal. It is not generally advised to reduce your calorie intake more than 1000 cal as it would make you too weak to function on a day-to-day basis and it is not healthy. 

If you put your height and your weight and your age into my fitness pal app it will calculate all this for you. You then select how many pounds you would like or what your ideal weight is and it will give you the option of losing half a pound a week ora pound to 2 pounds.  Although, 2 pounds is a bit excessive and very hard to do in a week unless you have a lot of weight to lose in the first instance  Normally a pound to half a pound a week is acceptable. 

So I put into a goal, I weighed myself, I measured my hips and my waist and enter the information into the my fitness pal app and I also set a goal to increase my workouts to 4 times a week.

I also devised a specific program of workouts that I was going to do on those four days so I wasn't just going to wing it every day. 

I then use the my fitness pal app to preload in my meals for the day, in other words I plan to head on what I was going to eat. I found this really useful and helped me to keep my carb,  protein, fat content in relation to the goals I had set. I could pre-enter the breakfast lunch and dinner onto the app and look at the nutritional content to see how they met my goal. If I was over on the far side or under on the protein side I would simply remove an item and replace it with something else, until I found the right combination of food that would give me my macro percentages. 

Which I thought had little or no fat where most surprising, such as a slice of bread has a lot of fat and when removed from a meal plan reduce the amount of fat intake. By doing this has helped me to understand more about the level of macronutrients in the food that we eat, and has helped me to understand more about better food choices by being able to plan in advance. 

Of course the hard part is trying to stick to your meal plan for that day and I would say about 80% of the time I have done so, it's also good to plan in cheat meals, by this I mean days where you know you will be going out to a restaurant for a meal or to friends for dinner, or maybe a takeaway.  

My personal results so far,  I have reduced my body fat by 3% over a four week period which is pretty good and I have also lost 6.5 pounds in doing so. 

So here is what I did in summary 

1. Have an end goal in mind (whether it is a weight goal or to get into a dress size goal)
2. Track your eating habits using an app or a food counter or by writing it down
3. Plan your daily meals in advance using the app or writing it down and sticking to it
   Monitor your intake of macronutrients i.e. carbs, protein, fat daily. 
4. Adjust calorie intake as you lose weight (monthly)
5. Preplan a workout routine for the week including rest days
6. Make sure you drink 2 L or more of water on a daily basis. 
7. Plan your cheat days ahead so you know how much calories you will be taking in (If you do this on a heavy exercise day, you won't feel as bad!)
8. Increase your exercise activity to boost your calorie deficit rather than drop foods form your diet. 
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Great Shake Recipe for the Immune System

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The Body by Vi Challenge - Get back into Your Jeans...

So who is up for joining me on my 90 day challenge.... follow my progress here ===>
Colette's CrissCross Jeans Challenge







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Detox Day 3 - Benefits of Detoxing

So, what is great about detoxin?  If you have never detoxed before then here are some benefits why you need to do this more often. 

Detoxification is the process of removing toxins from the body. The process to detoxify your body involves many different elements such as herbal detoxification regimens, change of diet and vitamin supplements. It is one of the best ways to rid your body of toxins, which can slow it down and make it unhealthy. The process of detoxification requires some discipline.

Physical Benefits

The most noticeable benefits from detoxification are the physical ones. Since the toxins store up in major organs, detoxification will help these areas the most. The organs which are affected, such as the liver and stomach, will begin to work more effectively. After the detox is completed, you may feel "lighter" and have more energy. Also, since a detox is used to clear away free radicals, your body's immune system will be stronger and you will have a lower risk of getting illnesses.  Finally, a detoxification regimen will clear your blood, helping it circulate better.

Mental Benefits

Toxins and free radicals that accumulate in the body can also affect brain functions. Before a detox, you may have trouble sleeping, chronic fatigue, and trouble with your concentration. Once you work through this process, many of these issues will gradually disappear. You will be able to sleep better and concentrate more.

Lifestyle Changes

A benefit which most people don't think of can be the change to your lifestyle. As you progress through the body detox, you will begin to feel better physically and mentally. This feeling can be addictive and lead to changing your lifestyle to cut out bad elements which give your body those toxins. Quitting smoking, eating better, and getting more exercise are all actions which help protect the body. After a detox is a perfect time to begin these actions.

 Tomorrow is Day 4 and as we prepare towards the end of our 5 day detox, we are announcing a NEW Challenge which starts Monday 12th January, so stay posted....

To get a headstart watch the video below, and let me know what your goals are, I'll help you select your kit, or if you are ready to get on board and know what you want, go ahead and JOIN US on the challenge....

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Detox Day 1 - Weightloss Challenge

Hey everyone Day One, hope it wasnt too bad for you.... leave a comment and let me know how it went!

  

Detoxing is a way to help the body heal and to cleanse the body of toxins.  Therefore you will feel a bit tired for the first 1-3 days, and you may get all headachy.  This is normal, as your body is getting rid of the toxins you are holding through the foods we eat. 

After the rich eating of the festive season, it is a good thing to prepare the body for weightloss rather than go straight into a full blown diet. Detoxing opens up the digestive system and also puts you in a discipline to restrict certain foods and re-introduce others slowly.

Questions and Answers on Detox:

Some of you had questions so I thought I would answer them here on my blog:

Q: Can I drink Roibos tea?

A: Yes, any herbal tea is fine on this detox. 

Q: I have started to get headaches in the afternoon, is this normal?

A: Yes this is totally normal, please ensure you drink plenty of water.  The reason for the headaches is because you have changed your diet, and your body is getting rid of the toxins, this will take 1-3 days, you should fell energised after that. 

Q: Can I have Carbs?

A: For this detox we are cutting out Rice and Bread and Potatoes as well as anything made with flour. 

Q: Can I have Pasta?

A: Yes you can but limit this to a couple of days in the programme

Q: Can I have Alcohol?

A: No, it is not adviseable to have alcohol while detoxing. 

Q:What about Caffeine?

A: No Coffee and no tea for the next 5 days. 

So we started off by getting you to get your shopping list in: 
Today we will need to do a little shopping if you haven't got any of these things. 
Shopping list 
Green tea or fruit teas Fruits of choice 
Celery 
Cucumber 
Spinach 
Almond, rice or soy milk or coconut water 
Dr Stuart's detox tea (from any health food shop) 
Fish 
Chicken 
Or if vegetarian chickpeas and pulses quinoa or bulgar wheat 
Oats / Greek yoghurt 

Then we had Day One meal plan 

 Breakfast - oats, or a smoothie. 
Recipes can be found here www.recipe.vi.com 
Glass of water 

2. Lunch -quinoa with salad or vegetables and pasta 
Piece of fruit 
Glass of water 

3. Dinner - of choice no potatoes or rice Fruit or yoghurt with defrosted frozen fruit or fresh fruit 
Portion control 

 Let me know how you get on.


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Power of Raw Foods Interview

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4 Exercises To Help Burn Fat

I found this excellent blog post online. I use the 'my fitness pal' app to monitor my food intake and activity.  This has helped me identify my days when I don't do enough activity. These are great exercises you can do anywhere. 

Most dieters today assume they need expensive gym memberships, fancy running shoes, or restrictive eating plans to get in shape. But before that stuff was invented, people had to exercise using only their bodyweight.

Throughout history, bodyweight exercises have been a consistent component in military training regimes. And largely due to its inexpensive and convenient nature, bodyweight training has stuck around because it works. Outside of an armed forces setting, bodyweight exercises are used to train athletes, and have once again becoming a staple of many of the best fat burning and muscle building workouts available, anywhere.

Here are 5 of the best bodyweight exercises to help you burn fat in as little time as possible:

1. Jumping Jacks I know what you’re probably thinking, “Aren’t jumping jacks a little basic?”Well, yes and no. They’re basic in so far as they’re a simple exercise, and you probably did them in pre-school, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t effective.

Jumping jacks can help you burn fat and get fitter, but the real reason I put them at the top of the list is because they’re a great way to warm up. Performing them before your workouts or other bodyweight exercises will help prepare your body for exercise, making your workout more effective and increasing your fat burn.

2. Push-Ups Push-ups are one of the best upper body exercises in existence, hands down (pun intended!). Even with access to a barbell and dumbbells, I often opt for the good, old-fashioned push-up instead. That’s because they’re convenient (no waiting around for a machine to free up), they develop a great deal of strength, and they are arguably safer for the shoulders than many weight-bearing exercises. Plus, there are a ton of variations to make them more difficult.

The problem is, people don’t always do them properly. Here’s how to do them right:

• Keep your head, neck, torso, and hips in a straight line. (It helps to brace your abs.)
• Keep your elbows close to your body—don’t let them flare out.
• Lower yourself down, and then push back up in a controlled movement.
• If a regular push-up is too difficult, do them against a wall to begin with. Using the same form as above, stand facing a wall, place your hands against the wall in front of you and push back and forth. Over time, do this on lower surfaces (such as a sturdy table or chair), until you are eventually ready to do a regular push-up from the floor.
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3. Squats Squats are often hailed as the king of exercise moves.That’s because they involve a lot of muscles, which in turn means they burn a lot of calories. You learned to walk by squatting, but as natural this movement is, you might have forgotten how to do it. Here’s what you need to get started:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Keeping your heels planted, lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Pause, and quickly stand back up again.
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4. Burpees Burpees are an awesome, calorie-torching, strength-building, full-body exercise. They’re also hard work, so it’s important you master your form and ease yourself in. Just follow these simple steps:

• First, get into a squat position (as above).
• At the bottom of the squat, reach your hands out and onto the floor in front of you.
• Kick your feet back into a push up position.
• Return your feet to the squat position as fast as possible.
• Immediately jump up into the air as high as you can.
• Squat back down and repeat!

The great thing about burpees is that they are a high-intensity exercise. This means that not only will you burn calories at the time, but they will ramp up your metabolism so much that you’ll be burning additional calories throughout the rest of the day.

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5. Jumping Rope Jumping rope is one of my all-time favorite exercises.It’s the only exercise on this list that requires some equipment, but a rope is so cheap I think I can get away with it. Similarly to jumping jacks, jumping rope is a great way to warm up, but the great thing about it is that it can easily be made more difficult. If you continually push yourself to get quicker, do it for longer, or learn new techniques, you can ensure that it never becomes too easy.

Keeping the intensity high is a sure-fire way to burn loads of calories and melt fat fast!

These are my go-to exercises when I’m traveling or can’t make it to the gym. What are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

- See more at: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/2014/05/5-bodyweight-moves-that-burn-fat-fast/#sthash.MtU7TWxQ.dpuf

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