Mix up your workouts

First and foremost, examine your workouts. Are you doing the same exercises all the time and getting bored? Switch things up. You always want to vary your workouts, both to benefit the different muscle groups in your body, but also to give yourself a break between intense workouts. Ellipticals and exercise bikes offer a lower-impact workout that you can combine with cardio sessions and weight training. Your body is wise and will learn your routine, eventually making it less effective. Keep things fresh and interesting when you hit the gym and retain your inspiration to achieve a healthier body. In addition to spinning on the elliptical, make sure you’re spending time stretching, whether you do yoga, Pilates, or your own set of stretches sometime during the day.

Drink more water

Though it seems simple, this step can make a difference in the way you feel and the way your workout goes. Being dehydrated, even just a little, can make you tired, and when you’re tired, it’s more difficult to get yourself to the gym. A good daily guideline is eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid, meaning you should be drinking water while also supplementing with other beverages. Just be careful about loading up on soda, which can fill you with empty calories and sugar, and dehydrate you because of its caffeine content. If you’re not a fan of water, try cutting up your favorite fruit, such as slices of strawberries or oranges, and letting it sit in your glass. You’ll get a refreshing taste without adding the calories and chemicals that can otherwise be present in flavored water.

Make food substitutions

A change in your diet can lead you to getting a healthier body, but be wise about how you make changes and how quickly. Opt for leaner and healthier choices when it comes to meals, such as eating more vegetarian fare, a vegan meal once a week, or simply cutting down on how often you eat red meat. You can add a variety of spices to foods that make excellent substitutes for less-healthy additives like salt. Cooking with tofu will give you the protein your body needs and can be used in a variety of meals, from breakfast smoothies to dessert.

These steps won’t turn you into a powerlifting bodybuilder overnight, but will point you in the right direction to achieve your goals. Always remember that change takes time. It’s tempting to jump on the scale after a workout and see how much weight you’ve lost but be realistic about how quickly your body is changing. If you’re not very active or embarking on a new fitness regimen, give yourself time to adjust. Your healthier body will emerge before you know it.

Holly is a physical therapy major at UFL (Go Gators!), soccer enthusiast, travel addict, vegan, and music lover. She blogs on behalf of Sears and other quality brands she uses.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Have a Namaste.

The whole idea of detoxing is shrouded in mystery and confusion. Search online, and you’ll find as many arguments against detoxing as for it. Some medical professionals maintain that the idea of detox is unnecessary; that our bodies are well equipped to process and eliminate the toxins that we encounter in our daily lives. But a growing number of holistic and integrative healthcare professionals know that in our increasingly toxic world, our bodies’ natural defenses are often inadequate. Though some of the detox diets and programs that are advertised do exploit peoples’ desires to improve their health, detox plans that are executed safely can be extremely beneficial.

Why detox?

We are exposed to more damaging toxins than ever — they’re in our foods, in the very air we breathe, and even our homes. The Gerson Therapy lists 49 different everyday factors that contribute to chronic disease, including preservatives and other additives in our foods; environmental pollution; prescription drug residue in our water systems, and chemicals found in common household items, cleaning products, and even our personal care products. Though the FDA and other agencies may tell us that these chemicals and additives are safe, the truth is, it’s impossible to know for sure, because nothing exists in a vacuum. Meaning, small doses of a chemical may not seem to cause harm in a short-term laboratory test, but continued exposure to the substance, combined with exposure to other toxins over time, can lead to unforeseen and often severe health consequences.

My favorite analogy for toxic overload comes from Dr. Alejandro Junger’s book Clean. He explains how our natural defense system encapsulates or buffers toxins from our foods and other sources, with the intent of removing them from the body later. However, the body’s detoxification process doesn’t begin until the digestive process is complete. Most of us eat too much, eat too often, and consume foods that are difficult to digest, leaving the body constantly in defense mode, never able to move into detox mode. It’s as if all the garbage handlers in the city are busy bagging up trash, he says, and no one is left to actually carry it to the dump.

Engaging in a periodic detox focus gives our digestive systems a chance to rest and actually “take out the trash” so that we can find relief from some of our nagging health problems and reset our systems … so that our natural detoxification processes can function the way they should.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll shed some light on the often confusion subject of detoxification, explain how to detox safely, and reveal what a detox diet is and what it isn’t. If you have any questions about detoxification, leave them in the comments or contact me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

1. Blender. A blender is absolutely essential for making smoothies — a great way to start your day off with plant compounds and to get more greens into your diet. Blenders start around $20 for a basic model, but if you plan on using yours a lot, you may want to get one with a little more power. For serious performance that can liquefy anything, Vitamix machines are considered the gold gold standard and run upwards of $300.

2. Stick (immersion) blender. My stick blender is my favorite kitchen gadget. It’s great for making pureed vegetable soups right in the pot — no need to transfer to a regular blender and make a mess in the process.  I also use mine to make my chocolate avocado mousse.  Immersion blenders run around $20 – $40.

3. Food processor. These also run the gamut from $20 on up, depending on what kind of features and power you want. I have a basic two-speed model that I use for hummus and almond butter. My husband also grinds up nuts for his various cookie concoctions and homemade oatmeal blend. If you plan on doing some serious food processing, you can get food processors with numerous settings and multiple blade attachments.

4. Vegetable steamer. Steaming is one of the best ways to prepare vegetables to prevent the loss of nutrients. Best of all, it makes it super easy to add a veggie to your meal – just throw some veggies in the top strainer, put a small amount of water in the basin, plug it in, and let it go for 5 to 10 minutes. Just be sure not to let your veggies get too mushy. My new obsession is steamed sweet potatoes.

5. Juicer. Our juicer is my favorite gift that we got for our wedding. If you’ve never had fresh homemade apple-carrot juice, you’re missing out. Homemade juice tastes amazing and it’s free of all the nasty preservatives and added sugar found in store-bought juice. Basic home juicers start around 50 bucks. If you’re on a special diet like the Gerson diet to help treat an advanced illness, it’s recommended you use a two-step juicer with a separate grinder and press to maximize nutrient extraction. Click here to learn more about Gerson-approved juicers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

It seems like consumers are being squeezed on every side these days. People are desperately seeking jobs and, when they find them, are often paid much less than they would have been before the recent recession. Add to that the fact that, between rising fuel prices and attempts by companies to stay in business, goods and services seem to cost more every day and you start noticing how small the balance in your bank account starts looking.

Fortunately, there is a great way to start saving money on everyday purchases: coupons. Some people seem to take it to extremes, either limiting all of their purchases to things they have coupons for or using every coupon they find, regardless of their needs. You can find a happy medium, though, and keep it simple to boot. Planning and organization, in addition to knowing where to look for coupons, are important skills to develop for couponing. Master those and you’ll soon enjoy less hassle and a fuller bank account.

Coupons
The most important part of couponing is finding the coupons. I know of people who only use the coupons in the sheets you pick up at the supermarket, but there are dozens more options that are just as easily accessible. I probably receive 3-4 coupon books in my mail every month that are full of brand and store coupons for a dizzying array of products, from hair coloring to fresh fruit and beyond.

If you receive a daily or weekly newspaper, you probably end up glossing over dozens of coupons that could be saving you money. Lastly, don’t be afraid to seek out online coupon sites. You can often find extra special deals through coupons offered online. Nearly every business, including restaurants, dry cleaners and grocery stores, offer online coupons.

Planning
Make sure you’re not cutting out coupons just because something looks like it may be a good deal. Only seriously consider coupons on items that you would normally buy. Don’t be afraid to branch out, though. If you normally use one brand of paper towel but see a coupon for a competing brand that is a better deal than you normally get, go for it! Further, consider planning your meals in advance to eliminate emergency trips to the store. This will give you time to hunt for bargains and coupons, saving you more money.

Organization
If you’re a regular coupon collector like me you’ve probably ended up with a disorganized mass of coupons at one time or another. This makes it more difficult to use your coupons effectively, leading to stress and less of a desire to continue using coupons. Try out different methods of organizing your coupons so you don’t have to worry about misplacing any during your trip to the store. For groceries, I plan out my trip to the store, then organize my coupons based on the route I will take so I can further separate the coupons I end up using from the ones I had intended to use but didn’t for one reason or another.

Couponing is a rewarding, money-saving practice that can seem daunting at first glance. If you approach it in a structured, logical manner, though, you can turn it into a simple, efficient task that will have you planning out your trips to the store and considering your purchases more, leading to even further savings.

A note from Karen:

What I like here is the message that couponing can be a simple practice that not only helps save money but eliminate stress. “Extreme couponing” — obsessing over finding the best deal, going out of your way to only buy items for which you have coupons, or stocking up on discounted items — ultimately doesn’t work to your advantage. For one thing, your time may be better spent engaging in activities that enrich your mind, body, and spirit rather than saving you a few pennies. For another, stocking up on items simply because they’re discounted sends the wrong message to the universe. Stockpiling indicates a fear of lack — and when you send feelings of lack into the universe, that’s what you’ll get in return. Instead of worrying that you don’t have enough of something or buying something just because it’s on sale, try to simplify your routine and see what you can do without. You may be surprised.

Planning your meals in advance is another great tip that can not only save you money, but help you make healthier choices and avoid the interior grocery store aisles that are packed with chemical-laden processed foods. Also aim to take advantage of lower prices on seasonal produce and experiment with some different foods, like winter squashes.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Have a Namaste.

Although the information here provides a thorough overview of the farming and processing practices behind various food labels (and sometimes the environmental repercussions), it is less concerned with the health implications of these practices. You’ll need to look elsewhere if you are interested in the health benefits of grass-fed beef or raw milk, as issues such as these are beyond the scope of this already information-packed book. My only real criticism is that Stewart peppers the narrative with anecdotes of her own relationship with food and experiences as a farmer’s daughter – presumably in an attempt to make the predominantly scientific information more palatable to the average reader – but these accounts seem unnecessary and often fall flat of the humorous tone she seems to be striving for.

Read more book reviews

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I chose “The Western Diet and Diseases of Civilization” for my subject, as I am fascinated by research that shows an increase in major chronic diseases after traditional cultures adopt a more westernized diet. The cited studies are worth reading if you have the time (the report by Loren Cordain is the longest but also the most informative), as is Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, which is mentioned several times in my report.

Enjoy, and feel free to provide any feedback!

The Western Diet and Diseases of Civilization (pdf)

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Health risks of sugar

So what’s the big deal? Aside from a little tooth decay, is all that sugar really going to hurt us? Actually, yes. While some effects of too much sugar are obvious – obesity and diabetes, for starters – others are far more insidious. For instance, cancer: overconsumption of sugar has been linked to several forms of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, kidney, and pancreas.

Sugar reduces the ability of white blood cells to fight bacteria, making us more susceptible to illness. High sugar intake is also linked to heart disease, premature aging, menstrual irregularities, PMS, mood swings, anxiety, and depression.

Children and sugar

Infants and children are particularly susceptible to the effects of sugar. Sugar consumption in children has been linked to learning problems, hyperactivity, moodiness, and inappropriate behavior. Even a single intake of sugar can trigger a decrease in academic performance and an increase in behavior problems. And a lifelong pattern of eating sweets can lead to a lifetime of battling digestive problems, fatigue, overweight, and more serious health problems.

Reducing sugar intake

To decrease the amount of sugar in your diet, eat foods that are lower on the glycemic index. The sugars in low GI foods are absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly, providing a prolonged source of energy without crashes or mood swings. A glycemic index of 55 or below is considered low. Choose foods like leafy greens, whole fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, and nut butters. A diet of primarily whole foods will also help you avoid the hunger cravings that come with a diet high in sugar. Foods that are white – white bread, pasta, potatoes – tend to have a higher GI.

Learn more about the glycemic index on the World’s Healthiest Foods.

How to reduce sugar in your diet:

• Read labels. Avoid foods with ingredients such as sucrose, dextrose, barley malt, caramel, carob syrup, dextran, fructose, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, maltodextrin, or corn syrup.
• Drink plenty of water and herbal tea every day. Eliminate sodas, fruity drinks, and sports drinks.
• If you have kids, pack their lunches. School lunches often contain high GI foods such as French fries or French toast sticks.
• Disassociate sweets from the idea of treats and rewards. Instead of rewarding good grades with a trip to the ice cream shop, allow your children to plan a fun family activity or have a friend spend the night.
• Learn to respond to stress and other emotions in ways that don’t involve food. Exercise, take a bath, write in a journal, or talk to a friend instead of reaching for the cake.
• Develop birthday and holiday rituals that don’t revolve around cake and ice cream.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

These comments elicited a heated response when I reposted them to my personal Facebook page. Admittedly, I could have stated my position better. I certainly did not mean to appear insensitive on the subject of cancer. But I stand firm in my opposition to drug-based cancer treatments, and here’s why:

Chemotherapy is a poison. It is highly toxic and kills healthy cells along with cancer cells. Chemotherapy results in a remission rate of only 12 percent. Yes, some people do survive, but many others experience cell mutations after chemotherapy that lead to secondary cancers. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified 20 different “anticancer” drugs that are actually carcinogens. Aside from the hair loss and nausea that many of us associate with chemotherapy, it can also cause cognitive impairment that lasts for a decade or more.

The FDA defines an “effective” cancer treatment as one that shrinks the tumor by 50 percent or more for 28 days. Shrinking a tumor for 28 days does not cure the cancer or extend life.

Ninety-three percent of colon or rectal cancer patients die after receiving chemotherapy.  Ninety-seven percent of liver cancer patients die following chemotherapy.  And 99 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die following chemotherapy.

If this isn’t enough to make you question the use of chemotherapy, it simply isn’t necessary. The medical industry presents drug-based cancer therapy as if it is the only option, but it’s not. Nutrition-based cancer treatments offer much higher success rates: Gerson therapy, for example, results in complete remission for 42 percent of patients, including terminal cancer patients, with none of the side effects of chemo or radiation. Nutritional treatment programs use non-toxic methods to remove toxins from the body while building up the immune system instead of tearing it down and leaving you defenseless.

And then there’s the pinkwashing: companies packaging products up in little pink ribbons and telling us that buying them will help fight cancer, even though the organizations or the products in question are often directly implicated in the development of cancer – like cosmetics containing cancer-causing chemicals. Or like in 2010 when the Susan G. Komen foundation teamed up with KFC to sell pink buckets of fried chicken.

So instead of going out and buying pink-ribboned products in the name of breast cancer awareness, I believe we need to focus our efforts on actions that really can make a difference. Quit eating processed, packaged foods. Limit your family’s exposure to toxic chemicals in personal care products and cleaning products. Learn what you are putting into and onto your bodies. Make health-building, cancer-fighting foods the focus of your diet. Think before you buy any products that claim to support finding the cure for cancer.

For more about cancer prevention, read my post on Five Ways to Fight Cancer.

Read more about pinkwashing.

Edited to add: If you’re interested in learning more about nutritional treatment programs for cancer, I recommend The Gerson Therapy: The Proven Nutritional Program for Cancer and Other Illnesses (Amazon affiliate link). 

The focus of the book is the evolution of the concept of nutritionism: the idea that it’s the nutrients in food that matter, more so than the type or source of the food itself. In other words, a food is only the sum of its parts. But as Pollan points out, all carbohydrates (or calories, or vitamins, or antioxidants) are not created equal.

Recently I reviewed a sample of a snack bar I had received. You may have picked up on my irritation in that post. My irritation came not only from the exaggerated health claims of the product, but also from the comments of other product reviewers, who posted things such as “healthy snack,” “guilt-free,” and “only 150 calories!”

Let’s get one thing clear: Being low in calories does not automatically qualify a food as healthy. The prevailing philosophy of nutritionism – backed by popular weight-management programs that teach us to count our calories above all else – has most of the general population believing that a calorie is the ultimate measurement of a food’s quality. That a cookie (which is what the product in question really was) is “healthy” if it contains a limited number of calories. That a 150-calorie snack is therefore a better choice than a 95-calorie apple topped with 130 calories of almond butter.

None of these assumptions is correct.  Whole foods – foods that are closest to their natural form – are always better for you. Live foods with phytochemicals (plant compounds) provide more than just the vitamins and antioxidants they contain. The concept of nutritionism ignores the context and the relationships between these compounds – something nutritional science, by its own admission, still doesn’t fully understand.

Nutritionism would have us believe that blueberries, for example, are no better than a blueberry-flavored bagel that has been fortified with vitamin C, vitamin K, and antioxidants. Think about that for a moment. Common sense tells us a blueberry and a bagel are in no way, shape, or form similar. Chances are, the bagel contains absolutely zero actual blueberries.

Consider for a moment that although scientists have identified beta-carotene as a cancer-fighting compound, beta-carotene supplements have actually been shown to increase the risk of cancer.

When it comes to calories, nutrients, and health claims on products, use your brain. Don’t buy the health claims of processed foods. If you want the benefits of blueberries, eat blueberries. If you want a healthy snack, eat a piece of fruit. And don’t buy into lie that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

In the year 2010, the supplement industry grew by over 9% and generated over $3 billion in reported sales. In 2011, the industry is set to grow even more. While not all of these supplement statistics are from sports supplements, it’s safe to say that sports supplements are doing very well today, despite the global recession.

The Only Supplements That Took a Downturn

The only supplements that took a downturn were diet pills and weight loss pills. These dropped by as much as 15% by some estimates.

These pills include the hoodia pills, Chinese weight loss teas and the most infamous of all, the Acai berry pills. These pills blew up after appearing on Opera and Dr. Oz. But after a few months of massive popularity, it quickly became apparent that these pills just didn’t work as they portrayed. Many of them were being sold fraudulently online.

Steady Performing Supplements

There are several categories of supplements that are rightly still very popular in the sporting market.

Beta-Alanine and L-Arginine are still doing very well. These two supplements give the body the amino acids it needs to build muscles, as well as stimulate protein synthesis. They help the body produce more “building blocks” as well as more energy.

These two supplements are often taken before a workout to give the body pre-workout boost.

Another consistent performer is whey protein. Perhaps the #1 protein in all of the workout community, whey protein has been proven in study after study to absorb better and produce better results than any other form of protein.

Whey protein can be found in isolate form, in shake form, in power bar form and in just about any other ingestible form. There are many different grades, levels of filtration and price grades to choose from.

Creatine is yet another consistent seller. Creatine helps the body produce more adenosine triphosphate, the compound that gives your body energy. While the body produces creatine naturally, many bodybuilders have found that consuming extra creatine helps them get a massive boost of energy to workout harder. Creatine can be taken before a workout to make the workout more intense, or after the workout to help recover energy afterwards.

Multivitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin K are also doing very well. These are necessary for your body to build strong muscles, tendons and bones. Many bodybuilders are in the habit of taking daily multivitamins, which can help with many different kinds of vitamin deficiencies.

What’s Working and What Isn’t

As you can tell, many of the staples in the industry are still going very strong. That’s because these fundamentals are based on sound scientific principles rather than hype.

As the industry grows, it’s almost assured that you’ll continue to see new pill after new pill hit the market. While hundreds of new formulas hit the market every year, only a few end up sticking around.

Rather than jumping on every new product, stay with the proven fundamentals. These have been proven to work for a lot of people already, as their consistent annual sales figures will attest.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Have a Namaste.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”