Wellness Wednesday - Magnesium deficiency and epsom salts

I know, I know, I haven't posted for a week! I had every intention of doing it but words cannot describe how busy life has been. I'm not sure what happened in the last couple of weeks but suddenly I don't even have time to sit down and eat, never mind type a blog. I feel like life has been a nonstop whirlwind.

Thursday and Friday was just one meeting after another. Somewhere in between all that we packed, badly I might add, and headed down the hill to Estcourt on Friday night, stayed at GLM's aunt and uncle overnight, and headed to Durban on Saturday morning for a wedding that evening. I was singing at the wedding so things only calmed down after that was over. Then we spent an amazing couple of days relaxing with the family and just getting our breath back.

We drove home last night and dropped straight back into the whirlwind. My day started at 6am and is nowhere near ending yet. Thanks to all of these public holidays, it has made me even busier than usual. I'm happy to be busy but it's not ALL good busy unfortunately. However, I am actually sitting for the first time today and that is a very good thing for my legs and my heart rate I think;)

I'm babbling. None of this has any relation to what I'm going to blog about today! I thought you deserved to know why you had been relegated to the "to do" pile;)

Anyway, onto the post: What is magnesium? It is an essential mineral. Scientists estimate that about 2/3 of the world's population suffers from a magnesium deficiency. Dr. Norman Shealy is one the world's leading experts in pain management. This is what he says about magnesium:

"Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient." 

The thing is, it's something most doctors overlook. They are busy treating patients with expensive medication when sometimes all that's needed is a few doses of magnesium. Most people who suffer from a deficiency are completely unaware that they actually have one but here is what you can look out for:

• Leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle twitches, because most magnesium is stored in the tissues
• Muscle soreness, including back aches, neck pain, tension headaches and jaw joint (or TMJ) dysfunction
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue and weakness
• Chest tightness or a sensation that a person can't take a deep breath (they actually seem to sigh a lot!)
• Constipation
• Urinary spasms
• Difficulty swallowing or a lump in the throat which is made worse by eating sugar
• Photophobia and difficulty adjusting to bright headlights from oncoming cars
• As it worsen you can expect numbness and tingling
• Seizures
• Personality changes as well as insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant movement, panic attacks and agoraphobia, confusion and disorientation
• Abnormal heart rhythms and coronary spasms

You see, any one of those could probably slot quite neatly into another ailment but that's why it's so hard to diagnose. The thing is, you won't find a magnesium deficiency in a blood test because only 1% of the body's magnesium is stored in the blood. The rest is stored elsewhere in the body.

Your body needs around 300-400mg of magnesium a day depending on whether you are male or female and on your age. That's quite a lot. You very likely aren't getting it from food. You'll get some for sure but not your recommended daily allowance. There's about 24mg in a cup of milk so, unless you drink over a litre a day, it'll be tricky and other foods are about the same;) Unless you eat a VERY healthy diet, you aren't getting enough. Let's face it, most of us aren't!

Enter Epsom Salts...

Epsom Salts is an amazing mineral compound made up of magnesium and sulfate. If you were to buy a magnesium supplement, it would be costly and it would likely be synthetic and difficult for your body to assimilate anyway. 

Epsom salt is almost 100% magnesium sulfate. If you ingest it, your body will struggle to use the magnesium BUT if you add it to your bath and soak in it for a while, your body will absorb the magnesium and be able to use it. The good news is, Epsom salts is ridiculously cheap!

Even if you aren't sure whether you have a deficiency or not, its never going to hurt to add some to your bath every night. And with winter well on it's way, what could be better than a long hot soak in a bath?!

Aside from the magnesium benefit, epsom salts has many other uses so here are some good reasons to add it to your shopping list:

• Magnesium-rich bath - Add 2 cups of Epsom salts to a bath and soak for a good 30 minutes or more. Aside from just getting magnesium into your body on a daily basis, it will also help any achy muscles and headaches. Soaking in an Epsom salt bath also helps to get rid of toxins from your body. The sulfates in Epsom salt help to flush toxins and heavy metals from your cells
• Sprains and Bruises - Following on from the previous point about achy muscles, it can be really useful for more serious injuries. Add a handful of epsom salts to a small container of hot water for feet and hands or add 2 cups to a bath full of hot water and soak. Do this for 2 days and it's likely you won't need a doctor at all
• Splinter Removal - Add 1/2 cup of epsom salts to a small container of water and soak the splinter to help remove them
• Facial Cleanser - Mix 1/2 teaspoon of epsom salts into your regular face cleanser and wash your face as usual
• Mosquito Bites - We all know how hard these are to soothe! Add 2 tablespoons of epsom salts to 1 cup of water and soak a clean cloth in it for a while. Press the cloth onto the bite for a few minutes and it will soothe the itch
• Pest Control Spray - Mix 2 tablespoons in a spray bottle with some warm water and shake to dissolve. Spray it around your garden and on plants that may be more susceptible to bugs
• Soil Booster - Mix 2 tablespoons epsom salts with about 3 litres of water and water your plants once a month to boost the magnesium in the soil and help your plants grow. This is especially good for lemon trees with curling leaves
• Constipation - Rather than buying an expensive medication, Mix 1-2 teaspoons of epsom salts in 1 cup of water and drink when needed
• Athlete’s Foot/Toenail Fungus - Soak feet in warm water with a handful of Epsom salts to help fix it up
• Sunburn - Make a cold compress using a clean wash cloth, 1 cup of cold water and 2 tablespoons salt. Place it on the sunburn to help the burn. You can also get in a cool epsom salts bath

There you go! Many good reasons to go out and buy some. You'll find it in the bakery section of all grocery stores and it's really cheap so, no excuses!!

Just so you know...

Been a VERY busy few days and no time to post a blog. Please forgive me? I'm busy following passions and dreams but I won't forget you, I promise;)

Wellness Wednesday - Why everyone should be bulking up (kids included!)

It's so tempting to go to gym and just get on the treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical and do an hour's worth of cardio EVERY time. It's easy. It's familiar and almost comfortable because you know what you're doing. You know how to work the machines and you know your limitations and you don't have to push yourself too hard. The only problem with that is that you are doing your body a disservice by leaving out a very important component of fitness.

Most of us know by now that, by adding some resistance training to your gym routine, you can get huge benefits in terms of weight loss, but, if you follow my blog you'll know my thoughts on that! Exercising ISN'T all about weight loss and I've spoken about that ad nauseum;) It's about getting your body healthy and functioning the way it should be.

There are so many benefits to adding weight training to your gym routine that they completely outweigh any fears you may have about stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that stretches you beyond your limitations.

Here is a benefit I bet you didn't even know about: Resistance training is actually, literally, medicine for your body. Your muscles are a huge secretory organ. When you train them, they secrete hormone-like chemicals called myokines which have POWERFUL healing effects on your body. These myokines reduce the low-level inflammation in your body thought to contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's. Studies also suggest they work as tumour suppressants.

According to Rob Newton, who is the foundation professor of exercise and sports science at Western Australia's Edith Cowan University, "Some studies have found that extracting blood from exercising humans and adding it to cancer cells in test tubes slows the rate of cell reproduction. In a study of mice, the growth of breast cancer cells was halted in mice that exercised, while the cancer continued developing in mice that were inactive.''

Doesn't that just get you all excited about your next gym session?! This study explains why exercise seems to help reduce the risk of some cancers and also improve survival in people who have cancer.

There are plenty of other reasons to add resistance training to your gym routine. Resistance training causes a surge of the hormone testosterone, which helps sharpen thinking and memory. Studies have shown that resistance training can help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's and improve the condition of existing Alzheimer's sufferers.

The cells in your muscles contain little powerhouses of energy called mitochondria. The more mitochondria you have, the more you can do. How do you get more mitochondria? Through resistance training!

The problem is, if you DON'T do any training, you actually LOSE mitochondria and that's why, the less active you are the harder it becomes to do things. As people reach their 60s, they just seem to exercise less. It's almost like they are afraid they are going to break. The problem is, it couldn't be a more crucial time of your life to be doing resistance training. Older people are more susceptible to chronic illness but, if you become ill when you already have fewer mitochondria, it's so much harder for the body to recover and this can lead to a steady, or rapid downward spiral for the person. I've seen it personally and I'm sure most of you have. It's a terrible thing to see a vital, energetic person literally crumble.

Forming a daily exercise habit is the equivalent of taking a pill to boost energy, strength and improve resistance to disease. If we want to reduce the risk of inactivity-driven diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's, we literally need a regular dose of exercise all the way from childhood to old age.

Exercising through the generations

These days inactivity seems to start from the time that a child can walk. How often do you see a toddler walking through a shopping centre? Not often enough. 9 times out of 10 the toddler is in a pram or a trolley or being carried. It's easy to see why. People move at such a fast pace these days that, walking at a toddler's pace is just not fast enough anymore. It's easier to put them in a trolley and get things done faster. Life is too busy to dawdle. The problem is that these are FAR from the recommendations for children from birth to 5 years old. All children (birth to five years) should NOT be sedentary, restrained, or kept inactive for more than one hour at a time. Sleeping is the only exception there, obviously.

Why is exercise so vital from childhood? Because exercise builds bones. The reason that bones become soft and brittle over time, and that a lot of elderly people suffer from osteoporosis is because, unless bones are exercised, they won't generate new cells. They actually start to be re-absorbed by the body and get softer and softer until something very slight could actually break it. Have you noticed how elderly people just seem to shrink? That's because of their soft bones and the increasing pressure that gravity places on their brittle bodies. It breaks my heart to see an elderly person stooped so far over that they can't even lift their heads to see where they are going. It's very hard to fix once it's that far gone. But it's preventable and it needs to start from childhood.

It used to be that, as children reached teenage years, activity would start to slow down. But kids are becoming inactive younger and younger these days and it's promoting an unhealthy lifestyle that seems to stick over the years. This will only set them up for disaster later in life. Let's face it, with playstation, cellphones, tablets and so much TV available at all hours for kids, it's obvious what the main causes of sedentary behaviour in kids are. There's also the fact that parents don't feel safe letting their kids too far out of their sight because it's just not safe, so there's no playing in the streets anymore. Something that's also become an issue is that schools are scared of being sued if a child gets hurt playing on an apparatus on the playground. This has led to things like monkey bars, which used to be a common part of kids playground apparatus, being removed and also, lunch time sports being forbidden. 

Monkey bars help build muscle AND bone strength in kids. Feeding kids calcium-enriched foods is important for them, for sure, but the best way to build their bone strength is through exercise. ie. play time. If you read the physical activity guidelines for kids up to the age of 12, climbing or swinging on monkey bars and climbing frames are recommended. Other suggestions are games like tug of war (great for muscle strength) and hopscotch (because jumping is good for strengthening bone) Dancing, gymnastics and martial arts are also recommended. Kids will love doing these things too. They have boundless energy.

Childhood, adolescence and young adulthood are prime time for bone growth. You literally need to get as much bone in the ''bank'' as possible between birth and the age of 30. This will slow down the gradual bone loss that starts after 40 for most people. How many of you are doing that for you and your kids? Not many people even think of that. We actually HAVE to and the reason it's never been more vital is because our diets are NOT providing the calcium our bodies need. Everything is so processed and refined that all the vitamins and minerals have been processed right out of the picture. There has never been a more crucial time to get kids active.

The peak years for building careers and families is between the 20s and 50s. This is when most of us tend to just stop exercising. Time is limited and life is just so busy. The thing is, being physically active is only going to benefit you in those busy years because it helps your mind and body work better which improves your productivity. It's all very well saying, "Hey, I've got kids. I don't have time to exercise!" But here is a sobering thought: You won't be much good for your kids if you have a stroke or a heart attack.

From 50 to 65 years of age we generally start to have a bit more time on our hands and, if you have been neglecting exercise, this is the time to start "disease-proofing yourself for a healthier retirement. Getting into an exercise routine now can help stave off chronic diseases that seem to hit senior citizens just as they are starting to enjoy their retirement. If you are planning on doing some travelling once you retire, but you have a few issues like being overweight, having arthritis and experiencing muscle loss, it's not going to be much fun. Travelling can be hard work and something as simple as lugging a heavy suitcase through a train station will seem impossible if you suffer from any of the above listed problems. We take it for granted now but I can assure you, it won't always be this easy. Exercising will help conserve muscle and bone strength and prevent frailty further down the line.

Doctors will tell you that any exercise will do, and, yes, anything is certainly better than nothing. Aerobic exercise can prevent heart disease, for sure. However, it does NOTHING for bone and muscle strength. That's why we also need two to three sessions of resistance training a week if we are going to take that disease prevention to a whole other level. The thing is, doing aerobic exercise like walking, running or cycling, but completely ignoring resistance training is like remembering to change the oil in the car regularly but ignoring the brake pads.

Resistance training provides your muscles with a built-in repair kit. It does this by causing satellite cells, which are attached to the outside of muscle cells, to multiply rapidly and donate nuclei to your muscle tissue. This means that new cells can grow and repair. So, even if you're older, your muscles will still be strong and fine-tuned for repair and more growth.

Another advantage to resistance training is that it helps control your blood glucose levels. If you have low muscle mass your body can't control its blood-sugar levels very well and that increases your risk of diabetes, something that elderly people seem to acquire very often these days.

When we talk about resistance training, people automatically picture 20 or 30-somethings doing CrossFit but resistance training is gradually picking up with the over 60s in Australia and America.

Now THAT'S what I like to see:)

That is going to be me in my 60s;) The NUMBER ONE reason people end up needing a full time care giver is frailty.  The 60s are the age group with the most to lose if muscle strength dwindles but so much to gain if they can slow down muscle loss. One the most awful things to happen to an elderly person is losing their independence. Imagine a day when you can no longer do things for yourself? I can't. It terrifies me, the thought of having to move into a home, or hire a full time caregiver. If you look after yourself now, there's far less chance of that happening.

No matter what age you are, it's never too late to start. Lifting heavy weights is such a great feeling. It makes you feel like you can take on the world;) If you can lift a heavy weight, you don't have to rely on anyone to carry that heavy box, or suitcase, for you. It gives you independence on top of everything else. If I look at a weight and I think, "I can't lift that...," it just makes me want to try it! Guess what, I actually CAN lift those heavy weights. You're stronger than you think you are. I tell this to all my clients when they say they can't do it. I say, "Just try ONE. If it's impossible, we'll move on." 100% of the time they CAN do it and they can do more than one;) The mind is a powerful thing and YOU are in control of it.

If gym isn't your thing, there are plenty of other ways to get some resistance training in. If you enjoy gardening, for example, as long as there is some lifting and digging involved, you will be doing resistance training. Enjoy tennis or squash? Hitting a ball involves resistance. Most ball sports do. If you enjoy your cycling, throw in a mountain bike trail now and then. That will challenge ALL of your muscles.

If you absolutely can't get to a gym, next wednesday I will give you a couple of exercise routines that you can do in the comfort of your own home, while you're busy cooking dinner or watching TV. If you have kids, get out into the garden with them. No garden? Hang a small punch bag in your house that your whole family can use. It's a great stress reliever! I bet you and your kids could have loads of fun with it:) Make time 3 nights a week to do a little gym workout with your family. Somehow families find time for TV. Dedicate some of that TV time to exercise time. 

I bet your kids will love it. Kids love to be active and they love it when you spend time with them. Don't use them as an excuse to NOT exercise. They also need to exercise so you can use them as an excuse to exercise;) It will make them more productive as well.

Tune in next week for some ideas on how to keep them, and you, interested!

Monday Mix-up - My top eco-friendly tips - Week 9

The Times posted an article about "water shedding" in Johannesburg. For those who aren't sure what water shedding is, we have been experiencing something similar in the form of "Load shedding". These are basically planned interruptions in power supply and they are implemented when the demand for electricity exceeds the available supply.

Water shedding is the same thing, only it applies, obviously, to water. They are talking about placing restrictions on our water supply. You can read the full article here. I'm definitely a person who takes things the media says, with a pinch of salt. Certain things ARE sensationalised. It's what they do to sell newspapers. But I also can't deny that we can't continue indefinitely, living the way we are living and there are enough facts in the article to concern me.

A lot of people will look at that article and say, "Rubbish, it'll never happen. Water is everywhere." True. 71% of the earth's surface is water. However, 96.5% of that water is ocean water and, therefore, undrinkable. Of the drinkable water, about 2% is trapped in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves us with 1% of drinkable water. That's a sobering thought when you think about just how much we rely on water. In fact, without it, we wouldn't survive.

If you read that article, it would seem the government is at fault for not taking steps to protect this very precious resource, and it's easy to say that. Our government undoubtedly has many faults. But, at the end of the day, we're actually ALL responsible for what happens around us. We may have no control over the water used for agriculture, but we certainly have control over the water used on our own property.

In the very first blog post of this series, one of my tips was a way to save water. I suggested keeping a bucket of water next to your sink and, any time you washed a fruit or vegetable, to place it under the running water to save it for another use. Or if you want a drink of water but it's running warm, to keep the bucket under the stream of water until it got cool. That water that would have been wasted could then be used to water your house plants, fill your vegetable steamer, boil eggs or even for cleaning.

It's easy to make a difference with very little effort. The problem I'm finding is that people actually STILL don't see this as a problem. I know there are people who will simply bypass this blog post because it's boring. It focuses on something that doesn't interest most people. Unless the article contains the name, Oscar Pistorius, it's not worth clicking on.

I probably don't need to say how much the OP trial interests me... Yes, it's a terribly tragic story. But there are so MANY tragic stories out there. The only reason everyone is focusing on this one is because it involves a world famous name. I'm not convinced that's a good enough reason.

How about the fact that our drinking water supply is dwindling? Why is that not making big enough news headlines to cause a stir? Right now, sure, we're ok, and that's what makes people continue to stick their heads in the sand. Most of us can open a tap and there it is. But everything is finite. We seem to think the earth will just keep giving and giving. At some point, everything comes to an end. It may not happen in our lifetime, but, if you have kids, it will probably happen in theirs. I, for one, don't want that for my kids. It almost makes me wonder if it's the right thing to do; bring kids into a world that is clearly living on the edge of disaster. I wonder if it's selfish to want to subject our future kids to that.

My hope, should I have kids, is that I will be able to teach them the kind of lessons and values that will equip them to be able to cope with the challenges that they will undoubtedly face in the future when I'm not around to help them. I want them to grow up respecting the earth and all other living creatures that rely on it. I want them to know how to grow their own food, collect their own water and live in a way that is sustainable.

I have a long way to go yet. I'm only just starting out in terms of living a sustainable life but I don't intend to stop learning. I want to be able to teach my kids what so few parents do: that nothing that our earth gives us can ever be taken for granted and that the world is bigger than just the few square metres our house is situated on and the daily things that happen in our lives.

If I can give you any tips today it would be this: Start teaching your family to respect the earth. Encourage them to save water, grow vegetables, be kind to other living creatures, give back to the earth. Children are like little sponges. They will learn what you teach them. So teach them well and prepare them for what the world is going to throw their way in the next few decades. It's going to be so much harder for them than it is for us, because things ARE just going to get worse as time goes by. Human greed and indifference will always be there, as long as the wrong kind of people are running the show. That isn't going to change any time soon.

But WE can change, and we SHOULD change. Change starts with just one person. I may not have a far reach with my blog but I, personally, know of 6 households who have gone organic and free range as a result of it. I don't know about those that aren't close to me. But that's good enough for me. It's making a small difference and that's more than I could ask for.

You can do it too. I have faith in you:)

Watch this funny, but rather sobering video for a bit more insight into why no-one is actually doing anything that they should be doing!

Real Food Friday Feast - Hot Cross Buns (Gluten and yeast free)

We were at a friend's for lunch last Sunday and she made the most amazing dessert. It was a kind of a bread and butter pudding, but with hot cross buns! Everyone said how tasty it was and I was insanely jealous because, of course, they weren't gluten-free and I couldn't have any:( I decided then and there to find a recipe for gluten-free hot cross buns!

Every recipe I found had yeast in it which is also a problem for me so I had to do a bit of research. Today I experimented and, while I know I will probably make a few changes every now and then, I am very happy with the fundamentals. They came out really tasty!

I thought now was a good time to post them considering it's Easter soon. Our celebration of Easter goes as far as us getting a chocolate for each other! Woolies organic chocolate for me and easter eggs for GLM. She LOVES easter eggs;) I have yet to try and master chocolate but I am determined it will come!

In the meantime, here is something to get you in the Easter mood while helping you stay relatively healthy:)

Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns

Buns:

500grams gluten and wheat-free white flour (you can find a bag of this at Dischem and most health shops. It's about R24 so it's not too bad)
1/3 cup organic brown sugar
350 ml raw milk
3 Tbs butter
1 free range egg - beaten

1 tsp bicarb

1 Tbs plain yogurt
Olive oil
Handful raisins or sultanas
1 orange - zest only
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon (in my recipe I only used half a teaspoon of cinnamon but it wasn't enough for me. If you don't like them as spicy, feel free to lower the amount)

Cross:

75g gluten and wheat-free white flour 

Water

Glaze: (optional)

3 tsp honey or jam

Method

Buns:

• Preheat oven to 220°C 
• Sieve flour into a large bowl
• Add salt and sugar
• Heat the milk and butter together until the butter is melted and milk is warm to the touch
• Make a well in the flour, add the milk mix and the beaten egg and mix everything together with a wooden spoon. You'll eventually need to use your hands because it's hard to mix! Rub olive oil on your hands to prevent the dough sticking to them
• Add 1 tsp olive oil, sultanas, orange zest, mixed spice and cinnamon to the bowl and mix into the dough
• Cover with plastic and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours (this part is actually optional but I prefer sourdough to a normal dough. It's healthier but if you don't have time then feel free to skip this step!)
• Shape into 15 small buns and place on a baking sheet on a tray

Cross:

• Mix the flour with a small amount of water until you have a thick paste
• Scoop paste into a plastic packet and snip off a corner of it
• Squeeze the flour mix onto the buns in the shape of a cross
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown (mine was actually done in about 15mins)

Glaze:

• Remove buns from oven and immediately heat the honey or jam until it melts
• While it's still warm, brush it over the top of the warm buns and then leave to cool

They're not pretty but, for a first attempt, I'm happy! They taste pretty good so that makes up for the fact that they don't look so great;)

Wellness Wednesday - Exercise is medicine

I've talked at great length about the power of food and how REAL food can build your body up and cure and prevent sickness. I've also talked about how things that are "food-like", in other words, anything processed and full of chemicals, has the power to break your body down and promote and cause sickness. I believe that wholeheartedly and it's something that we live by, in our house, on a daily basis.

Something else that I believe in wholeheartedly, is exercise. I've always exercised in one form or another, for most of my life, but it was only in the last 10 years that I really started to focus on it as anything other than a way to lose weight. Saying that exercise is there only to help you lose weight is like saying that the sun is only here to keep us warm.

Exercise is multi-purpose and essential for so many reasons, the LAST of which should be a means of weight loss. If that is all that is important to you then you need to do some serious self-evaluation. As a society, we are far too caught up in the external, and not nearly enough in the internal. You only need to ask Lizzie Velasquez how crazy people can get about external looks. She one of 3 people in the world who suffers from an extremely rare syndrome. She can't gain weight, no matter what she does. She is literally just skin and bone. In high school, she discovered a youtube video labelled "World's Ugliest Woman". It had over 4 million views and almost every comment was absolutely horrific and abusive with people telling her to do the world a favour and shoot herself... She jokes that she has a disease that everyone wants these days, but there's actually some truth to that statement, sadly.

Thin is "in". The problem with that is, people will do ANYTHING to be thin. Ironically, that ANYTHING seldom includes exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Gastric bypasses, stomach stapling, liposuction, mouth wiring, fad diets, diet pills and even starvation are just some of the lengths people will go to in pursuit of a skinny body. Go figure.

The irony is that a lot of those people will never reach their goal of being as thin as they dream of being. The underlying issue is always going to be a sense of insecurity and self-loathing so profound that they will put their bodies through the most unimaginable horrors simply to look the way society demands of them. Until that insecurity goes away, those methods are simply going to be a waste of time, money and effort.

Here is why a person like that should try exercising instead: Exercise has a proven ability to combat depression by enhancing endorphins and promoting neuron growth in the brain. It has the same effect as being on antidepressants. As with the weight loss effort, however, people still prefer to take an easier route. The use of antidepressants increased by 400% between 1988 and 2008. Only 40% of people who visit a doctor for depression, have actually had exercise recommended as part of their treatment.

Why are physicians not recommending it? It seems doctors are still more interested in writing scripts than looking into a holistic approach to any kind of illness. I can speak from experience when I say exercise has made the world of difference to my own mental state. Depression crept up on me gradually and I wasn't even aware of it until I was diagnosed. I simply refused to take pills and my doctor, thankfully, respected that. I did as much research as I could (because that's what I do;) and, as I suspected, one of the best things for depression, was exercise. I began exercising in earnest even though it was the LAST thing I felt like doing. It helped me immensely and the side effects of exercise far outweighed the side effects of pills in terms of benefits!

Depression is actually an inflammatory condition and, conversely inflammation causes depression. Exercise is proven to decrease inflammation. So, if you exercise, you not only improve your depression, but you improve the inflammation in your cells and thereby prevent other diseases from taking hold. If you improve one, you will automatically improve the other and vice versa. There’s also a strong link between depression and insulin resistance. Exercise is known to improve insulin resistance and so the same applies. Fix one and you will automatically start to fix the other. Makes sense to get out and walk then, don't you think?

If we're talking about other, medicinal benefits of exercise, well, here are just a few benefits.

• Lowers your risk of heart disease
• Reduces stroke risk
• Lowers high blood pressure
• Improves oxygen and nutrient supply to your cells
• Reduces your risk of Type 2 Diabetes
• Prevents osteoporosis
• Improves muscle strength, joint function and osteoarthritis
• Plays a role in preventing cancer
• Anti-aging: Research has found that it isn't aging that kills many elderly people, it's inactivity.
• Reduces back pain
• Prevents insomnia
• Promotes faster recovery

I could go on but I think maybe you get the idea? If you don't know what to do with exercise, call up a personal trainer and go for some sessions to learn. There are any number of gyms to join but, if gym isn't your thing, join a tennis club, a squash club, even action cricket. If THAT doesn't appeal, then go for a walk with a friend.

Choose to move instead of sitting still. Your body and your mind WILL thank you for it.

Monday Mix-up - My top eco-friendly tips - Week 8

I read a scary, but interesting article today and I think it's an article that everyone needs to read. Click on this link to see what I'm talking about. Just to give you an idea of what it's about, here is how it starts:

A long-awaited paper on global warming and its effects was published last Monday by the UN´s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and it makes for very grim reading. The message in the latest report gave humanity its starkest warning yet: we are facing a very dark and terrifying future, and the time for fixing it may have already passed."

Tip number 19: Go biodegradable

I'm quite used to being the comic relief when in the company of others. People tend to find it amusing that I recycle, compost, save water, eat organic and free-range and use biodegradable cleaning and beauty products. Some think it's cute and entertaining and quirky. I don't mind it so much because it gives me a chance to spread the awareness.  Some people's eyes glaze over, some just look vaguely confused but some actually go, "No kidding?! I had no idea. Tell me more!"

I love those types of people. The ones that are open to new thoughts and ideas; to the possibility that life isn't as cut and dried as the experts would have us believe. We should all, always, be questioning everything. Just because someone says, "This is how it is, " doesn't mean that's that. The same as, just because I'm saying, "This is what I think, " doesn't mean that it's a fact. Do your research, read the articles, ask the questions and then come to your own conclusions. Just don't take other people's words as the gospel truth.

I personally think that, anyone that says humans are NOT the cause of global warming and climate change, has been living under a rock for the last few decades. I've based that on my own research, including the paper released by the UN, above. Honestly though, it's not rocket science. You only have to look around you to see the effect humans have on the earth.

We were cycling through Northern Farm on Saturday afternoon and ended up right next to the Jukskei River. All I can say is, it really IS Yuk! It would've been such a beautiful cycle aside from the fact that the recent rains had raised the water level and then dropped it and, all the litter from the river had caught in the trees alongside the water. You know how they talk about the plastic shopping bag being our "national flower"?

Not a pretty flower by any means!

THIS is why we have to start being conscientious about what we put back into the environment. It's difficult to get your head around the true disaster that is LITTER until you see where it ends up. It may start with you simply throwing it out of a car window but, eventually, it's going to rain. The litter will be carried into a stormwater drain and end up in a river. If it doesn't get caught in a tree it'll just keep going to the next big stretch of water and, eventually, it'll end up in the ocean where it will probably end up in the stomach of a whale or some kind of sea bird. Nothing ever "just vanishes". Just because it's out of sight, doesn't mean it's gone. It is going to stay in the environment forever, unless it is biodegradable.

How much of what you use in your life is biodegradable? Stop and think about it for a minute. Go through your daily routine, starting from the moment you wake up. I bet, aside from the fruit you may have with your breakfast, nothing in your daily routine is going to biodegrade, is it? People say it's just not possible but I'm telling you it is. We've been living this way for so long now it actually feels like the norm. Let me go through some common things we use in our daily routine.

• Food: All fruit, vegetables and meat products are free-range and organic. Any fruit and veggie cut offs are composted and meat is NEVER wasted. Any leftovers are eaten for lunch by myself and GLM. Any packaging is washed and either given back to the supplier to re-use, or recycled. Incidentally, this includes our cats food. They only eat raw meat which comes from the organic market so we limit the amount of packaging their food comes in. Any plastic packaging is washed and recycled as well.
• Beauty products: ALL of our beauty products are organic, natural and biodegradable. That includes our soap, shampoo, conditioner, body creams, face wash, toothpaste, mouthwash etc etc... Make up is also included under this. All of our make up is also natural, organic and biodegradable.
• Cleaning products: I absolutely refuse to use any harsh chemicals in our house or garden. These days you can buy biodegradable products at just about any store. Even Clicks now has their own range and it's a really nice one. Like beauty products, these all go straight in to our water system so it's really important to keep them biodegradable.
• Garden: All the grass and leaves that are cut and raked up are used in our plant beds as mulch and the excess is placed in the compost heap. We use absolutely no chemicals like weed killers, ant killers, conventional fertilisers or any kinds of pesticides. 

Anything that can be re-used in our house, gets re-used, from glass jars to plastic containers. You never need to buy another tupperware again. Who said they had to be pretty;) If they do the job, why add more plastic to the environment?

Start trying to reduce your carbon footprint by following the tips in the other posts I've done over the last few weeks and finding ways to do your bit. It's no longer a case of "just do what you can." If that article is right, we have run out of time. Let's give our kids and grandkids a fighting chance!

Real Food Friday Feast - Gluten-free chocolate brownies

I felt like something sweet and chocolatey today so I decided to experiment with a gluten-free recipe for chocolate brownies! You can add these to the list of treats you can make for your kids over the holidays:) 

I had about half an hour to spare before my client arrived for her training session so I needed something quick and very easy and these certainly are. What better motivation for my client to exercise then the promise of a chocolate brownie in her very near future;) What's even better is that, compared to conventional brownies, it's nice and low in calories!

Gluten-free chocolate brownies

3 eggs
3 Tbs raw honey
150g butter
1 pinch of salt (if your butter isn't salted)
1 slab organic dark chocolate
4 Tbs cocoa powder
3/4 cup chickpea flour

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 175°C
• Melt the butter and chocolate in a small pan. This is best done in a double boiler but, if you don't have one, just place a small pot inside a bigger pot filled with boiling water.

• Whisk eggs and honey until they are nice and fluffy

• Add chocolate/butter mix to eggs and honey and mix well
• Add salt
• Sift in the flour and cocoa 
• Mix thoroughly and pour into a greased square cake tin or casserole dish (the one I used was about 23×23 cm

• Place in the oven for about 20 minutes. This is going to depend on your oven and also how chewy you like them. Start checking them from about 15 minutes. Mine ended up a little harder than I would have liked but still not too hard and I left them for 20 minutes.

You can see the slightly chewy layer in the middle

The whole thing took me 10 minutes to prepare and only because I was waiting for the water in the big pot to boil! Really quick and easy and oh so yummy! Serve with homemade custard for a VERY happy family:)

Wellness Wednesday - Exercise and pregnancy - Week 4

Exercise is essential during pregnancy for so many reasons. The trick is to know WHAT to do. If you read back through the 3 other posts in this series, starting at the beginning, you will start to get an idea of what you should be aiming for.

Because it's not easy to find pregnant women willing to subject themselves to testing, experts are overly cautious when it comes to what pregnant women can and can't do during pregnancy. However, there has been a fair amount of studies done regarding pregnancy and exercise and the conclusion is that you SHOULD be moving your body throughout your pregnancy. It's good for you, but it's also really good for your baby.

Walking into a gym can be a bit overwhelming if you aren't a regular gymmer, especially if you are suddenly responsible for another little soul. I am going to try and give you a bit of direction in terms of exercises you can do. If you don't want to go to a gym, that's fine. Most of these can be done at home. I'd highly recommend you buying a stability ball and a resistance band. With these two tools you can train every part of your body from anywhere.

Resistance band and stability ball

Walking

Brisk walking is not jarring on your knees and ankles but it gets your heart rate up and it's safe to do throughout your pregnancy. Improving your cardiovascular fitness will do wonders for your baby and it will also help immensely during the actual childbirth. If you aren't a regular exerciser, start with a 10 minute walk and work your way up to 30 minutes a day. Keep the walking brisk to make sure you keep your heart rate up.

Swimming

This one will be tricky to do at home unless you have a nice, big, heated pool (since we're headed for winter soon!) But swimming is an IDEAL form of exercise during pregnancy. It's a great cardio workout but it also works all of your muscles at the same time so it's great resistance training too. An advantage to swimming is that, the bigger your bum gets, the more you'll enjoy the feeling of weightlessness in the pool!

Most gyms offer an aqua aerobics class which is also a great option. It's nice and social for those who enjoy that aspect but it's also a great way to get in some low impact resistance training. It's gentle on your joints and it can actually help to ease back pain and swelling in the legs later in pregnancy.

Weight training

If you are worried about gaining too much body fat during your pregnancy, weight training is a great way to avoid that, and prevent your body holding on to the extra body fat after you give birth. The key to weight training while pregnant is to always keep your body cool and hydrated. Here are some exercises that you can do:

Pelvic tilt: Sit on a stability ball and gently roll yourself down the ball until your shoulders are resting on the ball and your body is parallel to the floor, your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are at a 90 degree angle. The key in this exercise is to keep yourself stable. It will work your core very nicely just trying to keep your balance. Once you are in the starting position, as in the picture to the left, breathe in through your nose and flatten your back towards the floor and tilt your pelvis upwards towards the ceiling. Hold this position for 5 seconds before lowering your pelvis. Make sure you are not using your feet to help your pelvis. It should ALL come from your pelvis. Repeat this movement 10 times, and do 3 sets before gently rolling yourself back up the wall in a controlled movement. As you become stronger you can gradually increase the amount of repetitions you are doing to challenge yourself a bit more.

Plank: Most people have heard of a plank. It's a fantastic exercise for strengthening your core. It will also do wonders for your lower back which tends to take a lot of strain during pregnancy. Lie on the floor, on your stomach and place your hands flat on the floor under your shoulders. Hoist yourself up onto your elbows and toes as in the picture to the left. Make sure to keep your body perfectly straight, like a plank! Keep your bum in, as tempting as it is to arch it towards the ceiling. You won't be helping yourself if you do that! Start off by holding the position for 10 seconds and repeat this 3 times. Test your limitations by adding 5 seconds every few days to make sure you are getting stronger. As your bump gets bigger, the starting position will be a bit  harder. In that case, start on your knees, lean forward and place your hands on the floor under your shoulders and then go into the plank from that position. Towards the latter part of your pregnancy, you can do a straight armed plank. You should be strong enough by this stage.

Standing Ab Crunch

Because you want to avoid lying on your back too much during pregnancy, particularly the latter part, stomach exercises can be tricky. Enter the standing ab crunch!

It's great for helping your work on your balance and it targets those abdominals as well. Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart and placing your hands behind your head as in the picture to the left. Lift your left knee up as high as is possible towards your chest, at the same time bringing your right elbow down towards the raised knee, attempting to touch it. Repeat this move 10 times before swapping to the right knee and left elbow. Do this for 3 sets.

As your bump starts to get in the way, bring your leg up to the side instead. As you start to get stronger, you can start increasing the amount of repetitions to challenge yourself a bit more.

Resistance band torso twist

Tie your resistance band to a sturdy door handle or even a burglar bar. Hold the end in your hands with a tight grip. Bend your elbows at about a 90 degree angle and keep them in that position. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your knees slightly bent, and your weight on your heels. Turn your torso to the side. Be sure to keep your arms bent in the same position as they were when you first started. You don't want your arms to be doing the exercise. You need to be using your abs to turn your body sideways. Do this move 10 times to the right and then repeat 10 times to the left. Do 3 sets.

Squats

Strong legs during pregnancy are essential, especially as you start to get bigger and you struggle to carry around the extra weight. Squats are an easy, effective way to strengthen your upper legs. They also work your core at the same time. Stand with your legs just a little more than shoulder width apart. Make sure all of your weight is on your heels and bend your legs, lowering your body towards the floor.

Make sure to keep your knees just behind your toes. You can do this by pushing your butt as far backwards as you can. It's exactly the same motion you use when you are about to sit on a chair. Keep your weight on your heels at ALL times. I find it helps if I place my arms out in front of me but it's not essential. The main thing is to keep your weight on your heels at all times. You should feel the muscles in your butt and the back of your legs working hard to keep you there. That's how you KNOW you're doing it right;) Repeat this move 10 times and complete 3 sets. As you get stronger, gradually increase the amount.

Lunges

Lunges as equally as good as squats but possibly a little harder because they require more balance.

Stand facing forward with your hands on your hips. Step forward with your right leg and bend it, lowering your body towards the ground. As with a squat, your knee should be just before your toes, at a right angle, and not over your toes. Bend your left leg at the same time that you bend your right leg. Push yourself back off the floor with your front leg and return to a standing position. Repeat this 10 times with your right leg before moving to your left leg. Do 3 sets of these. It's really important to keep your stomach muscles nice and tight during this exercise to help you maintain your balance so focus on that, and your breathing, throughout this exercise.


Resistance band shoulder raises

Strong shoulders are going to be a godsend once you give birth. A sleeping baby in your arms is a beautiful thing but it is also a HEAVY thing;) Stand on the middle part of your resistance band and grab and end in each hand. Keep your elbows SLIGHTLY bent. In other words, just don't lock them. Raise your hands up to shoulder height and then bring them slowly back down to your sides. Repeat this 10 times and do 3 sets. As it gets easier, you can grip the band a bit closer to your feet to challenge yourself more and, of course, increase the amount of repetitions.

Resistance band bicep curls

Again stand in the middle of the resistance band and grab both ends in each hand. Bend your elbows up towards your shoulders, all the way, then slowly lower your hands all the way back towards the floor. Repeat this 10 times and do 3 sets. As it gets easier, you can grip the band a bit closer to your feet to challenge yourself more and, of course, increase the amount of repetitions.




Resistance band rowing

A strong upper back is also going to give you an advantage when you are carrying baby AND the bag AND your shopping too.

Sit on the floor and hook the band around your feet, holding both ends in each hand. The closer your grip is to your feet, the more your muscles will work. Your arms should be straight and your back should be upright. Pull the bands back so that your arms bend and your hands move towards your sides, in a rowing motion. Straighten your arms to get back to the starting position. Repeat this motion 10 times and complete 3 sets. As it gets easier, you can grip the band a bit closer to your feet to challenge yourself more and, of course, increase the amount of repetitions.

Kegels

These are essential exercises for any pregnant women. They strengthen your pelvic floor. As you get larger, you will find the pressure on your bladder to be really uncomfortable. For some women, this can get really embarrassing when, even slight movements, cause incontinence. Strengthening your kegels will help with this. It will also help support the extra weight of your pregnancy and it will help your perineum heal faster after childbirth. Most women know how to do kegels but, just a bit of direction, they are the muscles you use when you really need to wee. When you contract them, the feeling is one of squeezing and lifting, or pulling up and in, around your front and back passages. You can do them standing or sitting and any women should probably do them as often as possible anyway. I'd recommend doing 3 sets of 10 whenever you remember to. No-one can see you doing them so you can even do it in the queue at the bank! Just practice your poker face;)

That should be enough to get you started! These exercises are, of course, possible for women who AREN'T pregnant as well but they are specifically useful for pregnant women. Good luck!