Intelligent versus unintelligent exercising.

We actually love to gym on weekends or while we're on holiday! Some would say we're crazy;) But, the nice thing about gymming on a public holiday is that it's so quiet. I actually love it! That's the same reason that gymming in winter is always far easier for me than in summer. Yes, it's cold. But you warm up within about 5 minutes of getting there AND it's so quiet that you can have a proper workout without having to adjust your programme because there is a queue for every cardio machine in the gym and all the free weights are being used. But what do you do if ALL the machines are being used and you are at a loss for something to actually DO; something that will make your gym visit more worthwhile than just getting a few vitality points! (I know all about those of you who do the boomerang move. Swipe your card, go through the turnstile and then straight back out of the other turnstile! The only person you are cheating is yourself there, but you know that;) But I digress... All of your favourite machines are being used and you have NO idea what to do... what then?

To be honest, I'm not a fan of the machines in a health club. They serve their purpose for those who are inexperienced, and, in that regard, they are probably a good starting point. But if you stick with those for the rest of your gymming days, you will start to see fewer results as time goes by. As I said in my previous exercise post, if you don't challenge your body, it will become accustomed to what you are doing and it will respond by plateauing. You won't see or experience any changes in your shape or size after a few weeks. What usually happens then is that you become frustrated because you feel like you are doing all this work and getting no reward. You also get bored! So you start slacking off, finding it easier to just stay home, under a blanket on the couch and you do the boomerang move twice a month to ensure your gym contract stays active.

Of course, as you've probably read in a magazine, ANY activity is better than no activity at all. So why shouldn't you just do the usual thing every time you go to the gym? At least you don't look stupid because you KNOW what you're doing, AND it's easier than having to try and figure out a new workout. You don't really know what you would do if you changed your routine because you don't know what exercise works which muscle, so it's best to just stick with what you know. But, as I said, if you have no choice BUT to change it, because the gym is busy and everything is being used, what then? I've actually figured out some of my best exercises by being forced to try something new. I go to a gym to work out and I get really frustrated if I get there and everything I planned, has gone awry because of all the people! What that makes me do, is try harder! So I find something new, and probably even MORE challenging to do;) I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say?

There is intelligent training, and there is unintelligent training:

Which would you say is which here? Personally, I think the body on the right looks far healthier than the body on the left. Granted, the woman on the right is big, but look how BALANCED everything is as opposed to the woman on the left who has almost NO thighs to speak of. Her shoulders are way bigger than her biceps and triceps and she just looks unhealthy to me. Some of you, I know, think that skinny is better. Firstly, I just think it's unappealing, and secondly, it's not healthy. How is a body supposed to maintain itself? She looks like a strong breeze would snap her! The woman on the right exercises intelligently. She will maintain her sporting career for a lot longer, and with less injury, than the woman on the left. But how does she do it? She cross trains, she does exercises that mimic natural movement, and she does compound exercises that work her whole body.

I'm a real fan of crossfit-training and compound exercises. What does that mean? Well, I don't believe that you should go to a gym and JUST do isolation exercises like bicep curls and leg extensions. I believe in doing exercises that work several muscles groups at the same time, in fact, in most cases, they work your WHOLE body at the same time, WHILE working you aerobically as well. Most of the machines at the gym are designed for isolation exercises. Isolation exercises are used when you focus only on biceps, or triceps, or stomach, or calves etc. Unless you are religious about your gym visits, you are going to end up missing days, and body parts, and it's really difficult to get the balance right and work all your muscles equally. How many times have you seen guys at the gym who have massive upper bodies, and upper legs, and TEENY TINY little calf muscles?

Erm, I don't even know WHAT to say...

This is the problem with working your muscles separately. This is not intelligent exercising! A lot of people get a bit obsessed with working certain muscles. I love to work biceps and triceps.  When I first started doing weights, that's all I did, really, because I didn't know what else to do and because it made me feel good and I thought it would give my arms a nice shape. The downside is that the rest of my body was neglected. Biceps and triceps won't look like anything special unless your shoulders are ALSO developed but I didn't know that at the time. Granted, I was never going to get huge biceps and triceps doing things the way I was doing! But what's the point of exercising only 2 muscle groups?! Don't tell me you don't do the same thing... I know some of you are guilty;)

Another point is that exercise should mimic natural movement. How natural are some of the movements you make when you're working the machines at gym? I'd say little to none of them! They aren't making your body strong, really. They might give it a bit of shape, but you'll only be stronger with THAT particular movement. If you had to defend yourself, those bicep curls you do daily, won't get you very far. You know those big, beefy guys you see at the gym? They look strong, don't they? Well, I'd love to see one of them take on a karate champ with a black belt. Have you seen the body of an elite athlete with a black belt in karate? It's pretty much perfectly formed. Every muscle is defined and everything is in perfect proportion. They may be smaller than the big guys you see at gym, but I guarantee they will be stronger, and faster. They do exercises that work their WHOLE body, they use their own body weight, and they do movements that you would make naturally, if, for example, you needed to defend yourself. Their exercising incorporates movement that takes power and power is FAR more useful in life, combined with strength, than just having strength on its own. Most of you watched Karate Kid;)

Who is going to get there faster? No question really.

So, if you go to gym and it's packed, and you need to make a plan to do a workout, what are your options? Well, there are several actually. If you have some knowledge of a few cross training exercise options, you can have a comprehensive and effective workout. We pretty much do this kind of workout every day, no matter what machines are available, simply because it's better to exercise smart, and get more bang for our buck! GLM often says, "Are we ever going to do a normal gym session again?" and my answer is, this IS a normal gym session. What we were doing before was based on my limited knowledge of exercise. Now that I've studied exercise and anatomy, I am better equipped to design effective exercise programmes and I have a better idea of what we should be doing and I don't see the point in working on certain muscles exclusively, when you can work your entire body at the same time and get better results. Crossfit is the new buzzword in the training industry but, honestly, people have been doing it in different forms for years. It just didn't have a copyrighted name to label it with;)

With the following workout, the most important thing is getting your form right. It's pointless doing an exercise if you are going to do it wrong. For one thing, it won't do what it's meant to do, for another, you will likely end up hurting yourself or pulling a muscle.

In the bicep curl above on the left, she is doing it right. She is only using her biceps to pull the weight up. On the right, she is basically using her back to pull the weight up so she is exercising the wrong muscle and could potentially hurt her back. It would be better to not do the exercise at all then to do it the way she is doing it. Spend some time watching the videos below BEFORE you try this workout. Do the moves in the privacy of your home a few times to get some confidence. Once you are ready, start with VERY light weights until you feel confident that you have got all the moves down.

All-over Cross Training Workout

(A word of advice: If you are a complete novice, I wouldn't recommend trying this just yet. You will need to start with those gym machines and build up a bit of strength and fitness first!)

You will need:

An aerobic step

A rocket bag (weight will be dependent on your abilities. Start light and work your way up as your strength increases) You can also use a barbell for this exercise.

A kettlebell (again weight will be dependent on your abilities. Start light and work your way up as your strength increases)

A heart rate monitor would be preferable but it's not essential. You need to keep track of how you are feeling though. If you are struggling, take a break. The more you do this workout, the better you will become at  it, the lower your heart rate will be.

Because you are a newbie at this workout, you will start with 6 repetitions of each exercise, all in a row. Once you've completed a round of 6 of EACH exercise, you will then do 5 of each exercise, then 4, 3, 2 and finally 1 with as little rest in between as possible.

Kettlebell swings

(This video has really loud music so turn down the volume if you are going to watch it in your office!!)

Watch the video and practice it a few times to get your form right. This exercise is FANTASTIC for an all-over body workout. You can see how it works her muscles in her arms when she removes her pullover. It works your core, it works your legs, it's overall really good for balance and stability and, provided you do it right, it will strengthen your back and probably get rid of any backache you may be experiencing when you run. (It fixed mine up!)

Once you've done 6 of those in a row, immediately go into the next exercise.

Plyometric Jumps

These you'll start with a normal height aerobic step but, over time, you will need to make them higher to keep challenging yourself. 

Once you've done 6 of those in a row, immediately go into the next exercise.

Jump Squats

These you will eventually do with the rocket bag on your shoulders, but for starters, do them without any extra weight added. Be sure to get your form right. When you squat, always focus on keeping your weight on your heels, your butt out, your chest out and your head upright and facing forward. Watch the video carefully to see the proper form for a squat.

If you watch to the end of this video you will see how his form changes as the exercise gets harder to do. At that point he could do himself some damage and that's why form is so important. It's better to use a lighter weight, or stop, if you find yourself not managing to do it right.

Once you have completed all of these exercises, go back and do 5 of each of them, then 4, then 3, all the way down to 1. The whole workout shouldn't take you longer than 20 minutes. If it is, you are resting too long. Allow yourself no more than 30 seconds rest after you complete a round of all the 3 different exercises.

All of these exercises are compound exercises. You are working several muscles at once, even though it seems like it's mostly your legs! Your legs WILL feel wobbly after this;) But you are also working pretty much every muscle in your body AND you are getting a cardio workout at the same time. They are all GREAT for your core. You will achieve a six pack far quicker with a workout like this than you will doing endless stomach crunches! The key to ALL of these exercises is to keep your stomach muscles nice and tight. No wobbling around while doing everything. Focus on keeping your body centred and balanced to make your workout more effective and to prevent injury. As you get better at this workout, increase the amount of repetitions until you can do 10 repetitions all the way down to 1, with very little rest. You must also increase the height of your aerobic step as you get better at it, and increase the kettle bell and rocket bag weight as well.

Always start any workout with a warm up. For this workout I recommend getting on a treadmill and walking at an easy pace for about 2 minutes, then up your incline to about 6 and walk at the same pace for another 2 minutes, then up your incline one more time to about 8 and do another 2 minutes. Go immediately into your workout while your heart rate is still up so you don't rest too long. It's also really important to cool down afterwards as well. I'll go a bit more into why tomorrow! A gentle 10 minute walk on the treadmill, or a cycle, or on the cross trainer will be good for that. Finally, remember to stretch. I will go into more detail tomorrow about why this is all so important.

Good luck and I'd love to hear any feedback about how things went!

Real Food Friday Feast - Slow cooked Whole Chicken

Today's real food feast is a WINNER according to GLM. She told me numerous times while she was carving up the deliciously tender chicken, all the while stealing little pieces from the dish;)

This started because I had a whole chicken in my freezer and I wasn't sure what to do with it aside from the usual, rather boring, roast chicken. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for it and it's yummy, but surely there must be other options for a whole chicken? Then I had an idea to try it in my slow cooker...

It was a big experiment but what a TASTY experiment and we will most definitely be doing it again, and again, and again;)

SLOW COOKED WHOLE CHICKEN

Rub Ingredients:

3 tsp salt (make sure it's either pure sea salt or himalayan rock salt otherwise it's better to skip it but that will definitely affect the taste!)

(Stick to organic spices wherever possible)

1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

(Feel free to add more of your favourite spices here!)

1-1/2kg chicken
1 chopped leek (or onion if you prefer)
4-5 carrots, scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed (or one large one)
1 lemon quartered

• Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl
• Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs if your chicken has them. Rinse chicken and pat dry with carlton roll
• Rub garlic all over the outside of the chicken and then put the garlic inside the chicken. 
• Rub the "rub" all over the outside of the chicken
• Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken
• Place leeks and carrots inside the slow cooker
• Place chicken on top of the vegetables
• Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. (The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken. Mine was about 1.5kgs and took about 8hrs)
• Remove chicken from slow cooker once it's done and place in a glass baking dish. 
• Place baking dish in the oven under the grill for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it. This step is to make the skin nice and crispy.
• Remove chicken from oven and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.
• Serve!

Words cannot describe how delicious the chicken is. It is soft and tender on the inside. It literally falls off the bone, and the crunchy skin on the outside is irresistable! There will be loads of yummy juice left at the bottom of your slow cooker mixed in with the carrots and sweet potatoes. You can use some as gravy but, if you have some left over, put it into a container and freeze it until you make soup or stew and use it as stock. It will add a delicious, healthy flavour to your food.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wait... weights? Really?!

Have you ever taken note of how many females there are in the cardio section of a gym, compared to the males, and, transversely, the amount of males in the free weights section of a gym compared to the females? It's like there is some unspoken rule that says women should rather use the cardio machines, but the men should rather use the weights, with very few exceptions. When I was a newbie gymmer, I used to be terrified of crossing the border into the male-dominated area that was the free weights section, even though I was itching to. When I finally did, I got more than a few sneers, and condescending offers of assistance and "friendly" warnings not to drop a weight on their heads! It's no wonder women keep their distance!

I made a decision to never take any offered help and to prove them all wrong by being able to lift heavy weights right alongside the best of them. Ok, so I was never going to bench press 120kgs! But I did eventually manage to leg press 160kgs and that shut a lot of the naysayers up;)

Hehe...

That's just me! I get rather annoyed with chauvinism and I find it hard to just ignore it. Besides which, if you tell me "I can't" then I WILL, just to prove you wrong. I'm stubborn like that;)

But seriously, I think there are three main reasons why women stick with cardio machines and avoid weights. One: It is a bit intimidating to walk into the weights section when you are not sure what you are supposed to be doing and you don't want people to realise you're actually clueless. It's safer to just stick with what you know. Two: You have been told, and you've read in many magazines, that LOTS of cardio is the best way to burn fat and so you prefer to do what "works". So your gym session consists of 20 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the stair climber and 20 minutes on the bike, ie. lots and lots of cardio. Three: You are a woman and you prefer to look like one. You don't want to turn big and muscular like a man.

There you have it folks!

I can relate to, and acknowledge the first reason, but two and three are complete fallacies and I'll tell you why.

As far as the second reason goes, if you do all of those cardio machines, for an hour, every day of the week, you will burn some fat, there's no question. But if you keep doing the same thing day in and day out, your body is going to get rather accustomed to that kind of movement and you will eventually hit a wall. After that, you can carry on running until the free-range cows come home, but not much is going to change except that, eventually, your joints are going to complain bitterly from all the pounding away on that treadmill. So, if you have been doing the same thing at the gym for a year, and wondered why you still look the same, that's why!

As far as the third reason goes, honey, if body builders could build muscle as easily as YOU think you can, they'd just do what you do and forget about the hectic diets, and the supplements, and the hours, upon days, upon weeks, upon months, upon years that they spend in a gym to get the bodies that they have! It's not going to happen to you, I promise. Women aren't predisposed to building loads of muscle. Believe me, I tried! I was pushing some seriously heavy weights and I still have little peas for biceps;) Unless you are an elite athlete, you can cast that worry aside right now.

Now, as far as the first reason goes, the one that I can relate to, I get it! I do. But, at some point you are going to have to bite the bullet and give it a shot. Get yourself a gym partner who has at least SOME idea of weights so you don't have to go it alone. If necessary, sign up with a personal trainer for a month just to show you the ropes and make you feel like you can survive the free weights jungle alone.

Some of you are saying, "Why should I bother? The experts say the main thing is to keep moving and I'm moving on a treadmill!" True. You are. But exercise is not about focusing on ONE component. You don't only run or walk in life, do you? Think about natural movement.  It involves carrying stuff and picking up things and sometimes there's jumping and dancing and bending over and twisting to the side while picking up stuff. It all depends on what you are doing but I bet you do most of those movements in an average week? I believe that exercise should mimic (as close as possible) the movements we make often in our daily lives and that will make us better equipped to handle things in our daily lives, for a lot longer than it would if all we did was run.

For example, a pregnant woman towards the middle and end of her pregnancy, is going to be carrying a heavy weight in front of her for several months. She should be focusing on strengthening her back, to avoid backache and strengthening her leg muscles to allow for the extra weight they will be carrying as well. And once she has had that child, pretty much the rest of her days will be spent doing everything with one hand while she holds a child in the other. That means strengthening her arms to equip her for that as well. Carrying a baby chair, with a baby in it, and trying to hold your older child's hand while you try to get somewhere, is NOT easy. Most women I know are going to be, or are already, moms. Wouldn't it be good to actually be able to carry all that stuff from the get-go, without feeling like you are going to die of exhaustion? Also, if your job involves you travelling a lot, and carrying heavy luggage, shouldn't you be working on your arm strength? Lifting that bag into the overhead compartment isn't easy and there isn't always a strong man around to help! One of my main motivations for getting stronger was that I had heavy music equipment to lug around and I point blank refused to wait for a strong man to come along and help! Those speakers way a TON. SO That is just a couple of examples, but hopefully you get where I am going with this?

There is another, very important reason, to start doing some weight-bearing exercises. One word: Osteoporosis. There is no GOOD reason why so many women should be getting osteoporosis, except that they don't do weights. Doctors will tell you to take calcium supplements. I personally believe that you should be eating a diet that gives you enough calcium through nutrient-dense food. It IS possible to do. BUT, what doctors should also be telling you is that, if you don't challenge your muscles, and your bones, by making them work hard, and often, your bones will eventually start being reabsorbed by your body until you are pretty much left with shells and that is when they become brittle and break easily. At best, you will have a terribly rounded back, at worst, a broken hip.

It's a well known fact that women suffer from osteoporosis more than men. We have our hormones to thank for that. But I believe a large part of the reason is also that women never do weight bearing exercises. In the past, they had a big strong man to carry and lift and they never had to lift a finger. Muscle, on a woman, wasn't attractive. These days women are more independent, but they are still not doing any carrying and lifting because they believe they don't need muscles, they just need to do cardio because now it's all about being skinny.

Let me explain what happens when you do weights in an easy nutshell. If you challenge your muscles by lifting weights, you actually cause microscopic tears to happen in your muscle. It sounds awful, I know. But by damaging them, you challenge them to, not only repair themselves, but to grow bigger and stronger. The same applies to your bones, because muscles are attached to bones and bones would not be able to move if it wasn't for muscles. When you lift a weight, the bone attached to your muscle, also takes strain. Your body is very intelligent. It acknowledges that more strength is going to be needed in the future to be able to do that again and handle it better. So your bones make themselves stronger to compensate. If your bones are constantly being challenged, they will keep growing strong and you will, more than likely, not end up with osteoporosis.

Here's another good reason to do weights: Have you ever noticed how men just have less body fat than women? That's largely because they have more muscle than women. Muscle is metabolic, fat isn't. If you have more muscle than fat, on your body, your body will literally burn fat while you are sitting down. So men can eat what they want, and look the same, for many years, until the beers start to catch up and the muscle starts to disappear. It doesn't stay forever if you don't maintain it. That's why men will, eventually, start to gain weight no matter how thin they were when they were younger. It just starts a bit later in life for them. For women, it starts in their 20s because, let's face it, they had almost NO muscle to start with. So they will start gaining fat as soon as their metabolism starts to slow down, which usually starts in their late 20s. You need to keep that metabolism burning by building some muscle!

When I say you need to do weights, I don't mean just do a few butt crunches and stomach crunches, also favourites of women! Doing stomach crunches won't give you a flat stomach I promise! You need to do exercises that are going to hurt a bit. Have you ever done walking lunges and then tried to walk normally the next day? Can anyone say John Wayne;) You are going to have to strain yourself a bit to feel the benefits. If you don't challenge your muscles, there isn't much point. Your body will not feel the need to improve itself in any way and will stay the same.

It all sounds complicated but it's not really that complicated. I will spend the next few days giving you some pointers. If you are stuck, you are more than welcome to come to me for some personal training and I will get you started;)

Humans beings were born to move. We weren't meant to be sedentary, and yet, so many of us are. It's all very well to say that you don't like exercise, but really, you don't have too much of a choice if you want to live a long, healthy life.

Need I say more?

I like to move it, move it!

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love to exercise. Ironically, I've never been the sporty type. I was terrible at ALL sports at school. I'm not a team player, I can't run fast, I can't catch a ball and I had have very thin, weak wrists. That pretty much meant my only extracurricular choices were the choir and guitar lessons. (time well spent I think!) But can anyone say, "Nerd?!" Needless to say, I didn't move around much, aside from walking to and from school. I was fortunate enough to be blessed with my father's fast metabolism and so, despite being mostly sedentary, and having a voracious appetite, I never really gained weight.

Can anyone say, "Skinny?!"

That all changed when I hit my late 20s! All of a sudden it was like I couldn't even LOOK at food without it finding its way to my hips. (Read yesterday's post to get a better understanding of what most people incorrectly call, the ageing process.) I had actually been gymming for many years by that stage. When I was about 18, my older sister persuaded my parents to take out a family contract at the new Health and Racquet gym opening in Westville (remember those?!) I wasn't much of a gym fanatic, and I had very little clue as to what I was doing, but I went fairly regularly. Still, it was only when I suddenly had a weight gain issue that I actually started paying close attention to the exercise I was doing and the fact that it WASN'T WORKING.

I signed on with a personal trainer for a couple of months and I paid attention to what he showed me. I learnt a bit, but I found he wasn't really listening to what I actually wanted and so I decided to go my own way. I became an avid reader of fitness magazines and I made friends with fitness instructors at the gym and I watched personal trainers and gradually, I started learning the right form and the best exercises to achieve certain aims.

I became obsessed, often exercising twice a day, doing an hour of cardio and then an hour of weights but STILL the extra body fat refused to disappear. I was getting stronger and stronger, focusing a lot more on weights than cardio (I get so BORED with cardio!!) By the time I shot my music videos for my second album, Unspoken Truth, people were jokingly calling me Madonna, and it wasn't due to my music success so much as it was to the biceps and triceps I was developing;)

My gym partner thought he was pretty funny taking this pic!

It was only when I made a decision, finally, to study exercise science, that things started to change. Studying coincided with our going organic and I am 100% sure that one complimented the other. After several years of exercising, the last, stubborn bits of body fat began to melt away. Hooray! Ironically, I was back down to exercising once a day, sometimes only 3 times a week.

So why, when I was exercising less, did the body fat decide to finally shift? Well, for one thing, I was finally realising the power of food over my body shape and size, and for another, I was exercising smarter, rather than harder. 

Over the years, my fascination with food has taken me down many different roads, but I never quite GOT it until I learnt the true meaning of real, organic food. I bought everything that was labelled "health food" and "low-fat" and I mistakenly thought I was doing everything right. Yet I was still feeling unhealthy (I kept getting sick) and I wasn't losing any body fat despite exercising like a demon.

Studying exercise science finally helped me to learn the proper way to exercise. I wasn't doing too badly in some areas, but in others, I was WAY off track. I found it fascinating to learn how the body actually works, from the tiniest of cells, to the blood vessels, muscles and bones. I realised that it wasn't one thing or another that was going to change my body, it was a COMBINATION of things. 

Going organic made me take an even closer look at my body and its functions and I realised that I was almost putting in TOO much effort when it should've been so simple. I didn't need to go and hunt out the "healthiest" health foods, and I didn't need to count every calorie and weigh everything, I didn't need to avoid fat, it wasn't about my blood type and it wasn't about eating strictly every 3 hours. It was simply about eating real, organic, whole foods and nothing else.

The minute I started giving my body what it needed, the exercise I was doing started paying off. The fat literally melted off and has stayed off. My exercise routine has changed as well. Now I exercise my body as a whole, rather than isolating certain muscles. It will take years of work and MANY exercises to focus on each individual muscle and, frankly, my days of spending 2 hours in a gym are over. I have a life to live! I love to gym, but I don't love it as much as I love to spend time with my GLM. We gym together, granted, but we are usually surrounded by loud, sweaty males... Need I say more?

We have talked a fair amount about food and health in the last few weeks, so, I think it's time we talk exercise! The next couple of blogs will be focused on exercise and why it is so necessary, but also, how to do it so that it doesn't take over your life, but you STILL feel the benefits of it.

Until tomorrow!

Are all the signs of aging, inevitable?

I've lost count of how many times I've heard people around me talk about their aching joints or their gradual weight gain in the last few years or their lack of energy and their loss of muscle and the comments are always followed by a sigh and the phrase, "I'm getting old I guess. It had to happen sometime." Have you noticed how some of those people actually seem to feel almost happy that they can blame all of those afflictions on the fact that they are getting old? They always say it with a smile! I guess it probably makes things easier to have a scapegoat. Honestly, I think, the phrase, "I'm getting old," is a bit of a copout. It moves any possible blame off of your shoulders, and onto Father Time's.

There is no question that we are all getting older. We start out, as little kids, with truckloads of energy. Everything we do as kids, we do at 110%, be it playing, eating, sleeping or learning. Kids have a naturally higher metabolism than adults because they are doing some serious growing. That means they burn energy faster and they recover faster and, unless you are feeding them tons of rubbish, they don't get fat BECAUSE they are on the go, all the time. An overweight child is a child being fed too much of the wrong foods and sitting around too much. Kids should be using whatever they eat, to fuel their ever-moving, ever-growing bodies. It shouldn't be turning to fat at this stage of their lives.

As we get older, things start to change. Most people tend to think that the body shape changes we experience over the years, are inevitable. For a lot of people, it is, these days. We are usually at our thinnest, growing up, and that mostly remains when we are in our early 20s. But, as you hit the late 20s, and then the 30s, things start to change without you really realising. You kind of know something isn't quite right, but you keep saying, "It's just because I haven't been eating right. I'll eat better from Monday and things will go back to normal." That doesn't quite sort the problem out, and, all of a sudden you have gained 8kgs and they just won't shift.

Along with the weight gain comes a sudden decrease in energy and fitness. The stairs you used to be able to run up, two at a time, suddenly seem difficult when you WALK them, one at a time. You can't carry as heavy objects as you used to, your muscle definition seems to have gone down a bit. It's a gradual process, and you hardly notice at first, but, eventually, it creeps into your subconscious and the reality can be quite a blow. Suddenly,one day, you think to yourself, "I'm getting older.  That must be it! It had to happen sometime!" And then you carry on because now you have an EXCUSE and that makes it ok for most folks.

As an exercise specialist, we get given risk factors to look out for when we want to train someone. One of the main risk factors is age. If a person is over a certain age, they need a doctor's approval to train. That applies to ALL older, or elderly, people. Given how the last couple of generations have aged, I can see why age would be a risk factor. Most elderly people these days have hyperkyphosis, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, alzheimer's and diabetes type 2, to name a FEW. We all consider most of these diseases a fairly natural part of ageing.

But why should we? A few generations ago, these things weren't NORMAL. They weren't even heard of. The weight gain, the loss of energy and muscle mass, the aching joints and the diseases are NOT an inevitability of ageing, they are an inevitability of the lifestyle that most South Africans are choosing to live.

Human beings were meant to move, but very few of us do. A by-product of civilisation is that people don't need to move much anymore. We walk a few metres to our car, we sit and drive to our destination, then we walk the few metres to the lift, catch it to the 2nd floor, and walk to a desk, where we sit for 7 or so hours and then we repeat that in reverse, to get home and sit on our couch watching TV until we lie down on a bed and sleep. Not much movement happening there at all! When we are kids, our metabolism is so fast that, even while we are sitting, we are burning fuel. But, as we get older, that metabolism slows down if we don't give it reason to keep its momentum. The problem with our metabolism slowing down is, we are still eating the same stuff, only, now there is too much of it to be used for fuel, and so it goes into storage, on our hips, thighs and stomach mostly!

Can you say, "Couch Potato?"

To make it worse, the food we are eating is all wrong. A few generations back, we not only moved around a lot more, but we also ate proper food. Not the processed, pesticide-ridden, genetically modified rubbish lining the shelves of grocery stores; we ate meat from animals that were allowed to range free and eat their natural diets. We ate fruit and vegetables grown in a garden without pesticides, in nutrient-rich soil that transferred its nutrients to the fruits and vegetables, and to our bodies. Nothing was made in a science lab, everything was wholesome and natural and real.

The POSSIBLE inevitable signs of ageing are graying hair, thinner skin and perhaps hearing and sight loss due to over-exposure to loud noises and too much computer work or television. Gaining weight, lossing fitness, aching joints, muscle loss, kyphosis, arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes type 2, heart disease, alzheimer's and osteoporosis are NOT inevitabilities of ageing. They are inevitabilities of your lifestyle. If you don't exercise, if you don't eat real, organic food, if you live on processed food and chemicals, if you smoke, you WILL experience all of those inevitabilities and the only reason it happens when you're older, is because a body can only take so much abuse before it starts to give in. If you repeatedly beat on a wall with a hammer, the plaster will eventually crack. Our bodies are no different. When you look after your body, you give it the tools to repair itself, when you DON'T, it will start to give in.

Sound harsh? I guess it IS a harsh reality. But I think it's better to know the truth because you can WORK with it.

Before you allow yourself to give in to the "inevitabilities" of aging, try a lifestyle change, preferably sooner rather than later. Prevention IS really better than cure!

Why cholesterol is actually good for you.

I often get asked what causes high cholesterol and high sugar and what can be done about it. Believe it or not, the two of them are actually connected in a way and, if you fix one, chances are good you're going to fix the other. Out of the two of them, the only one you really should be concerned about, is the suger. The reality is that cholesterol itself, is NOT bad for you. In fact, your body needs it in order to function normally.

Cholesterol became a popular buzz-word round about the time that saturated fats became the enemy and low-fat diets became trendy. The best thing, according to everyone and their doctors, was to have as low cholesterol as possible. Well, like the low-fat diet, we have been misinformed! Eggs, butter, red meat, full cream dairy; they've all gotten a bad rap when it comes to our health. According to "experts", they are all just so bad for you, you need to stop eating ALL of them. Instead, you need to eat more grains and carbs. In other words, more sugar?!

Well, people are doing that and, guess what? More people are dying of heart attacks then EVER before. So how's that workin' for ya? Let's take a closer look at what cholesterol is really, and perhaps we'll have a better understanding of it.

When a woman gives birth to a baby, the first milk that her body will produce, is called colostrum.  For those who didn't know, colostrum is essential to your baby's development. It is considered your baby's first vaccine because it contains so many antibodies. It is also extremely high in cholesterol...

What?!?!?!

However, if you know what cholesterol is used for, then that would make all the sense in the world because cholesterol is used to help produce cell membranes, blood vessels, vitamin D and bile acids. You have cholesterol in your body all the time because it is helping to build it up. You can see why a baby would need it, but can you also see why YOU would need it? While a baby may have slightly more specific needs than us, we are not that different. We are still human and our bodies are always regenerating, as long as they have the tools to regenerate WITH. Take away the tools, and you are going to end up with any number of problems.

If you go to a doctor, and they tell you that you have high cholesterol, that doesn't immediately suggest that there is something wrong with you. First of all, high HDL (high density lipoprotein) which is considered the good cholesterol by conventional doctors, is indeed good, and necessary, for everyone. HDL takes excess cholesterol in your body, and transports it back to the liver. LDL (low density lipoprotein) is known as the "bad" cholesterol by conventional doctors. LDL takes cholesterol from your liver and transports it to the rest of the body. So, we can deduce from that, that both HDL and LDL are not actually cholesterol so much as "transporters" of cholesterol, right? Now, there are also TWO types of LDL: the big fluffy kind, which you don't need to worry about, and the small, dense kind, which MAY be more cause for concern and I'll explain why in a bit.

The problem is, most blood tests don't distinguish between HDL and LDL, never mind the two different types of LDL so, more than likely, the reading you are getting, is not telling you the whole story. It is one of my biggest issues with Discovery Vitality's health assessment. A finger prick test gives you the total of ALL your cholesterol levels, not a breakdown of good and bad. Penalising you points-wise, based on that, is simply incorrect and it can cause unnecessary worry as well.

If you have high cholesterol, it is a symptom of some underlying problem in your body. It ISN'T the cause of the problem. Cholesterol gets sent TO the problem areas to try and alleviate said problem. If there is inflammation in the arteries, cholesterol will be sent to the artery to help heal the inflammation. If it's successful, everything will return to normal. But, when the inflammation doesn’t subside, more cholesterol is sent and it eventually starts to accumulate around the artery. This is where the small, dense LDL will pose a problem because that's when plaque starts to form and that, as we know, is going to cause all kinds of trouble.

So you can see that cholesterol is sent to treat a problem, not to cause it. The root of the problem is actually the inflammation. What is that caused by: High levels of insulin, and high levels of insulin are caused by excessive carb (sugar) consumption, as well as excessive transfats and vegetable oil consumption. Can you see the link here between high sugar and high cholesterol? If you fix one, the other will likely balance out.

Getting a pill from your doctor isn't going to fix the problem. You knew I'd say that though;) Pills don't fix problems. They just mask symptoms. While the pill may lower your cholesterol, it won't stop the inflammation around your arteries. Whether you lower your cholesterol or not, you will STILL be sick and in danger of something going horribly wrong. The great irony is that, if you lower your cholesterol by cutting it out of your diet, or by taking pills, your body will simply MAKE its own cholesterol, because it needs it to function. If you eat cholesterol, your body won't need to compensate and so it won't make more.

So how can you fix both of these issues? It's actually so easy and, if you've read all my blog posts (if you haven't, start here and work your way through) you already have the tools! As I've said before, you really ARE what you eat. The only way you are going to lower your sugar levels, is to start eating REAL food. Cut out ALL processed foods. If you aren't sure what that means, read up here. Go through your cupboards and throw out anything that you have bought from the middle shopping aisles in a grocery store. That means all this stuff.

If it has to list ingredients on the packaging, you shouldn't be eating it. It's not real food. It's food made in a science lab and it's loaded with sugar, transfats and vegetable oils; all the things that will raise your sugar levels and cause inflammation throughout your body. The only way you are going to lower your sugar and inflammation is to go back to grass roots. Start eating good, wholesome food. That means anything that was grown in a field, the natural way, without pesticides and chemicals to make it grow faster or out of season. Eat meat or eggs or dairy from an animal that has been allowed to range free and eat its natural food rather than genetically modified grains; animals that haven't been pumped full of hormones to make them grow faster; and animals that haven't been pumped full of antibiotics to try and cure the horrible diseases they get from being held in such cramped, unhealthy quarters.

Real, organic food is not only GOOD for you, it's healing and it will heal you faster than any pill, or anything labelled as "health food", ever could. If none of this is making sense to you then I urge you to read the rest of my blog posts. I have spoken about all of this ad nauseum so it's pointless repeating myself, although I probably am anyway;) There is NOTHING else that is going to lower your sugar levels and regulate your cholesterol permanently. But remember, high cholesterol isn't a bad thing unless it is being sent out to fix a bad problem. Once you fix that problem, you lower your cholesterol to acceptable levels again, and you will be good to go! If your doctor tells you your cholesterol is high, ask them for a breakdown of the types of cholesterol. That will give you the tools you need to fix the problem IF there is a problem at all.

My advice? Fix your sugar by fixing your food intake, and you will fix yourself. Give it a try for a few weeks. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Real Food Friday Feast - Chicken Curry

It's chilly today! I can't complain though. I guess it had to happen at some point. We've been really spoilt this year with lovely warm days to make up for the, only slightly cooler, nights. Usually, by this time of year, winter has firmly dug in its heels. But Autumn seems to be fighting our cause;) Today, though, I can feel the chill and I think the brief respite may be ending.

What better meal to make on a chilly day, then a delicious curry? I LOVE curry. In fact, I have a bit of a reputation in my family for my chicken curry;) My mom has been known to plan meals LONG in advance of a Durban visit and, before I even leave Johannesburg to head down the hill, I will get a call saying, "We all thought it would be a nice idea if you could make your chicken curry for dinner on the Friday..."

I am a big curry fan, there's no question! And, in winter, I make it as often as possible because it is so warming and it's also so nutritious and just plain delicious. But why are curries so good for you? Well, have a look at what goes into them:

Turmeric:

• This amazing spice has been used for over 2 500 years in India. It is an natural antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent. 
• It's an excellent cancer fighter, particularly breast cancer. It literally causes melanoma cells to "commit suicide" and it reduces the bad side effects of chemotherapy while boosting the positive healing effects of the chemotherapy. It also stops the growth of new blood vessels in tumours
• It reduces the risk of childhood leukemia
• Its a natural liver detoxifier
• Preliminary tests have shown that it may prevent and slow down the progression of Alzheimer's Disease
• It is a potent anti-inflammatory that works just as well as any anti-inflammatory medication, but without the side effects and has been used successfully to treat arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• It slows the progression of multiple sclerosis
• It is a natural painkiller
• It may help fat metabolism and weight management
• The chinese use it to treat depression
• Helps treat inflammatory skin conditions

Cumin:

• This strong, but delicious tasting spice adds lovely flavour to any meal and has also been part of Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. 
• Cumin extract was more effective at reducing blood glucose than glibenclamide, an anti-diabetic medication
• It lowers total cholesterol, triglycerides, and pancreatic inflammatory markers.
• It's proven to strengthen the immune system
• It increases bone density, thereby preventing osteoporosis
• It protects the liver
• It is a potent antioxidant which means it cleans out free radicals

Cardamom:

• It is considered the queen of spices second only to black pepper, which is considered the king of spices!
• It improves digestion and helps with stomach cramps and bloatedness
• It has detoxifying properties
• It improves blood circulation to the lungs and can be helpful for the prevention of spasms and convulsions brought on by asthma or bronchitis
• It relieves stomach acidity and heartburn
• Helps halitosis
• Reduces nausea
• Treats mouth ulcers
• Treats urinary tract infections

Ginger:

• Ginger is a root that adds delicious flavour to so many dishes but it is also a medicinal marvel!
• It's antibiotic effects are exceptional. It has proven to be superior to antiobiotics in fighting bacterial infections
• It can kill cancer cells, particularly in aggressive cancers like breast, lung, ovarian and skin cancer
• It is anti-fungal and, where medicine-resistant strains of fungus are evolving, and managing to beat medication, ginger has proven to be more than capable of fighting the superbugs
• It can resolve brain inflammations
• It is very good for digestive issues including ulcers and acid reflux and can actually prevent ulcers from forming
• It treats and prevents diabetes
• It is a POTENT anti-inflammatory even in chronic cases of arthritis, cancer and prostate disease. It has also proven to be successful with gout.
• It is well known that ginger reduces nausea caused by motion sickness and morning sickness and even chemotherapy
• It prevents the toxic effect of all sorts of chemicals ranging from pesticides to MSG to chemotherapy, protecting the liver and kidneys. For this reason it has also proven effective in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which is on the rise due to the increase in corn syrup as a sweetener.
• It's proven effective in treating heartworm in dogs
• It as proven AS effective as ibuprofen in reducing period pains
• It reduces the side effects of radiation poisoning

Garlic:

• We all know, and love, the flavour that garlic adds to dishes, I WISH I could eat it daily because it has a wealth of health benefits but my IBS prevents me!
• It is a powerful antioxidant which cleans up free radicals
• It lowers cholesterol
• It's a natural antiobiotic but it is able to differentiate between the good and the bad bacteria so that you don't lose out on the good ones!
• It is anti-fungal
• It thins the blood which can help reduce blood clotting and clogging of the arteries
• It is a well-known immune system booster and is very effective at treating the common cold
• It lowers blood pressure
• It helps your joints and prevents osteoarthritis
• It is a cancer fighter and also reduces your risk of getting cancer

Capsicum:

• You will probably be more familiar with it's other name, Cayenne pepper.
• It eases digestion, upset stomachs, ulcers, sore throats, spasmodic and irritating coughs, and diarrhea
• It is anti-fungal
• It prevents migraines
• It is an anti-allergen and relieves allergies
• It is anti-inflammatory and is very good for treating joint pain caused by arthritis
• It is very good for blood clots and has been known to reverse the onset of heart attacks if taken in time
• It is a circulatory stimulant which makes it a very good detoxifier
• It's a very good natural preservative and can prevent food contamination from bacteria
• It may help prevent lung cancer and liver tumours
• It supports weight loss by regulating the appetite
• It's good for toothache and gum disease

Cinnamom: 

• You can read all about the benefits of cinnamon in this post!

As an added benefit, studies have found that garlic, cinnamon and cumin can destroy up to 80% of meat-borne bacteria, while ginger can slow bacterial growth by 25%. Knowing all of this, why would you NOT want to eat curry? And in case you are worried about eating hot food, it doesn't have to be hot to have all the health benefits. You can just make it with a lovely spicy flavour and leave out the heat! 

Just be sure to use the REAL spices and NOT Robertsons or the equivalent bought at pick n pay and their ilk. You should always buy non-irradiated spices and unfortunately, all grocery stores only sell irradiated spices. The reason they are irradiated is to increase shelf life and kill any bacteria on them. You may think that's a good thing but the heat also kills ALL the medicinal benefits of the herb or spice and results in the herbs or spices containing carcinogenic chemicals due to the heat treatment. Irradiation exposes them to the equivalent of half a billion chest xrays worth of radiation! That is definitely going into your body and causing all sorts of havoc. Dischem has a nice range of non-irradiated herbs and spices and don't worry about the bacteria! They do clean them, they just do it the RIGHT way.

Chicken Curry Recipe (Serves 6)

500ml bone broth (learn all about bone broth here)

1 kg chicken pieces (preferably on the bone because it adds more flavour and nutritious chicken fat)

2 medium size carrots
1 large sweet potato
1 garlic clove
1 cup coconut milk (Optional if you want a creamy curry)
1-2 teaspoons masala (Any masala will do. The heat will depend on the type. I use "mother-in-law" so it's quite potent;) This is optional if you don't want it too hot and can be increased if you want it hotter)
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (again this is optional if you don't like hot food but try to add SOME as it is very good for you!)
About 10 cardamom pods (these must be broken open and the seeds added to the curry to make the most of the flavour)
Salt to taste (I usually add about 1/2 a teaspoon)

Method (slow cooker):

• Place chicken pieces, carrot and sweet potato in slow cooker
• Fill jug with 1 litre bone broth, add all spices and finely diced garlic clove and stir
• Pour bone broth mix over chicken and veggies
• Replace lid of slow cooker, turn to Auto and leave for at least 12-14hours
• Stir in coconut milk
• Serve with brown rice and a side salad

Method (stove top):

• Place chicken pieces, carrot and sweet potato in pot
• Fill jug with 1 litre bone broth, add all spices and finely diced garlic clove and stir
• Pour bone broth mix over chicken and veggies
• Place lid on pot and bring to high boil
• Turn plate to medium heat and leave to simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally
• Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk
• Serve with brown rice and a side salad

In case you didn't know, curry gets better the longer it's left which is why the slow cooker is such a lovely option. If you don't have it, I'd suggest leaving it overnight to really sink in and then just warm the next day and eat. It's entirely up to you though! It'll still taste good.

This is just MY method. You can mix and match if you find some spices too strong or have a preference for certain spices. It's not carved in stone at all. You can also alter the portion sizes. I tend to make a huge pot and then we eat it for days;) The reason I serve it with a salad is because you should never eat a cooked meal without something raw. It will put unnecessary strain on your digestive system, and your liver. The raw helps your body to digest the cooked food.

Bon appetit!!

Headaches can be a pain...

Headaches are, at best, annoying, at worst, quite debilitating. I know all about them. I used to get headaches on a daily basis. I always put it down to my eyes, or my sinuses, or lack of sleep or muscle tension due to stress. There could've been any number of reasons but I never looked too deeply into it. I did what any normal person would do, I reached for the panado or the nurofen without any further thought. Anything to take the pain away.

Just over a century ago, before Aspirin was invented, in 1897, and finally released in pill form in 1915, popping a pill was the furtherest thing from anyone's mind when they were inflicted with a headache. If it was a man, he was likely to ignore it and probably have a drink to wash away the pain. It wasn't considered very manly to succumb to a headache. If a woman had a headache it was quite normal for her to take to her bed for a day or two. The local physician might even be called in and he would probably make her a herbal blend to ease the pain or help her sleep.

There are so many different types of headaches that it's often difficult to find the actual cause, and that can make it difficult to treat. It is SO easy to simply pop a pill and move on. The concern there is that you haven't actually gotten to the root of the problem. You've only treated the symptom and that guarantees that the headache will be back. I know because it kept happening to me.

I remember, years ago, I had had a splitting headache for about 9 straight days and I was at the point where I was taking 8 painkillers a day! What I didn't realise was that, the headache had STARTED because of something else, but it was sticking around BECAUSE of all the pills I was taking to try and get rid of it.  I think it was my sister who actually mentioned something she'd heard from her doctor about over-the-counter headache pills actually CAUSING headaches. As an experiment, I stopped taking the pills and pushed through the headache for a few days and it eventually went away!

That doesn't mean to say that I learnt much from that experience! I still thought that my only option with a headache was to take pills. I just stopped taking so many and I changed to something I considered less strong. I was the person who ALWAYS had a strip of compral or panado or nurofen in her handbag just in case I had a headache and everyone knew to ask me if they needed a painkiller.

I can hardly believe I am the same person that I am writing about! I've changed A LOT since then. Two years ago, when I decided to cut out chemicals and go organic, I also cut out all medication from my life. THAT was a hard one considering all the headaches I suffered from, not to mention the once-a-month, agonising period pains. The first time I had a headache, I thought, "I MUST be insane! Just take a pill Mel. Give in and take a pill!" I didn't though. Instead I tried to work out WHY I had a headache.

When I first went organic, I got many headaches. I cut out a LOT of chemicals in my life.  The biggest ones were caffeine, and headache pills. It was only natural that I was going to detox and boy, did I?! I had stomach pains and headaches from hell. But I knew that it was because I was detoxing and I needed to try and get through it. If I took a pill, it would ease the withdrawal but the headache would come back the minute I started detoxing again. I drank loads of water and tea and waited it out.

I got through it ok and these days, I don't get many headaches! If I do, it's never the little aches I used to get. It's almost like my body is saying, "Ok, seeing as you don't have lots of little headaches, we are going to give you a whopper to make up for it!" But it's ALWAYS for a reason and that reason usually involves me falling off the organic fruit basket, or if I'm sick;) I can't drink much these days because my body hates chemicals. That means I suffer BADLY with hangovers. One glass of wine is enough to do it. I also get hangovers from eating chemical-laden food BECAUSE my body is so clean. In the old days, I'd simply take a pill and 20 minutes later I'd be good to go. Now that I spend more time thinking about the root of the cause, I treat it for what it is. I drink a LOT of water, I make a pot of herbal tea (the primary ingredients being milkthistle and stinging nettle and you can read why, here!) and I wait it out. I KNOW my discomfort is caused by dehydration, the alcohol and chemicals poisoning my chemical-free system and putting strain on my liver and I know that, as soon as my body manages to correct the balance, I will feel better. Meanwhile I try to make the process as easy for my body as possible by fixing the cause of the problem, rather than the symptom.

Let me guess, THIS picture resonates with some of you;) I find it very telling that a fast-food joint and an over-the-counter headache pill would join forces... At first glance, this picture is amusing. Most of us have been there right? But look at what this advert is encouraging: Do whatever you want, you can always take a pill afterwards. And they even promote it further by saying it's the GP's choice. I find it a bit scary to think that a GP would actually condone simply taking a pill and masking the symptoms of the abuse your body is taking, and yet that's what a lot of them do.

As I said, there are so many different TYPES of headaches. If you can figure out the cause, you can cure it. Finding the cause is often easier said than done and there have been times when the only relief I can find, is sleep. It's always gone by the morning. A good idea is to start trying to identify the triggers. If you smoke or drink a lot, I'm pretty sure you won't have to look too far to find your triggers. But food can be trickier. Common food triggers are dairy and caffeine and sometimes chocolate (which contains both so no guesses as to why!) Triggers can also be a bad night's sleep or no sleep at all. You may be grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw at night and that will definitely cause headaches. I always get a headache if I skip a meal and that's probably low blood sugar. Dehydration can cause a terrible headache. Emotional trauma can bring on a headache as can a stressful experience. If you can understand your headache, you can fix it.

Here are a few options to consider if you DO have a headache and don't want to simply take a pill:

• Drinking a few glasses of water sounds so simple and yet, often, headaches are caused by dehydration. Try that for a start and see how you feel in about half an hour.
• Sometimes just eating a wholesome, nutritious meal can ease a headache.
• Tension headaches can be eased by a gentle shoulder, neck or head massage if you have someone on hand willing to help out!
• Peppermint oil helps to relax the muscles in your head and neck. Just rub some on your hairline gently.
• A cool cloth will also have a similar effect to the peppermint oil without messing up your hair;)
• A bath with epsom salts and lavender oil can also soothe a headache.
• I am a great believer in the power of herbs. Feverfew is really helpful for migraines. Lemon balm can ease less painful headaches as can chamomile. Ginger tea is anti-inflammatory. Buy a fresh ginger root, crush it up and add boiling water. Drink with honey and lemon to make a delicious, healthy drink.
• If it is a sinus headache, steam your sinuses with some mint tea.
• If it is close to bedtime, perhaps skip the pill and simply get into bed. Your headache will likely be gone by the morning and your body will thank you for staying away from the chemicals!

As I said, you will be better equipped to heal your headache if you know the cause. If you suffer frequently, the first step is to cut out headache pills for a few weeks. Your body will need to detox. If the headaches stop, you more than likely were giving yourself headaches by taking the pills! If they don't, start experimenting by cutting out certain foods. As I said, dairy and caffeine are major headache triggers and good ones to start with. Wheat and dairy are commonly associated with sinus problems, which can cause horrible headaches.

It sounds complicated, but if you HAVE started cleaning up your diet, you will have already started cutting out processed and refined foods. I'd bet that they were also contributing to your headaches. Continue to cut out foods, one by one, to try and find the root of the problem. I bet you will find that a clean diet sorts out your headache problem once and for all, like me:) Just always remember to allow your body time to detox. You can help THAT headache along by drinking a lot of water and milkthistle tea. 

Before you reach for the panado, stop and think for a minute about WHY you might be in pain and then try to target THAT cause. Your body will thank you by not giving you another headache the next day!

I'll take a full cream cappucino please!

Question: What is the best way to sell a product that isn't moving off shelves and isn't popular with the public?

Answer: Call it a health food and you will see that product flying off the shelves faster than they can manufacture them.

It's sad, but true. So many of us are being fooled by clever marketing and advertising. We are actually turning our noses up at real, wholesome food, and choosing to buy processed, genetically modified foods instead, because the adverts, and sadly sometimes health professionals, tell us to.

If you can, try and cast your mind back to the time that you FIRST heard that full cream dairy was bad for you, I bet you'd struggle to actually pinpoint it or remember who it was who told you? I know you'll probably say you've read it in many magazines and newspapers, or it's something you've seen on TV, or someone said something. Did you ever question it? Or did you just go along with it because the amount of places you heard it or read it or saw it, meant that it HAD to be right? I was SO brainwashed, I actually convinced myself that cream was just gross and that I hated the taste! (I actually LOVE the taste though...)

THAT is the power of propaganda. Even our health professionals have been duped. As an exercise scientist, I am told to advise my clients to stay away from saturated fat and full cream dairy. Discovery Vitalityfoods actually subtracts points if you buy full cream dairy. It's terrifying the far reaching effects good advertising can have. These days, the amount of people who actually know the truth about full cream dairy, and saturated fats, are few and far between. Tim Noakes (read this very interesting article about him and his diet) is probably the only well-known person to actually say it in recent years. But I am trying my hardest to change that!

Did you know that, before World War 2, no-one even knew what skim milk was? People bought milk based on how creamy it was. The thicker the layer of cream on top of the milk, the better the quality, the faster it sold. Milk wasn't homogenised in those days which meant that it still formed that thick layer of cream on the top (yum!) These days, all milk (unless it's bought raw at a farmer's market) is homogenised.

In case you aren't sure what homogenisation is, it's a process where milk is raised to high temperatures and agitated and filtrated to break down the naturally occurring fat molecules that would otherwise separate and rise to the top of the milk to form cream. The process of homogenisation stops the separation from taking place and gives store bought milk its smooth appearance which most people have come to prefer. It also gives the milk a longer shelf life making it easier for manufacturers to transport it over longer distances, and also for consumers to have longer-lasting milk, once it's opened.

One of the problems with this process is that it kills off all of the many healthy enzymes in milk. But a much bigger problem is that, according to Dr Kurt Oster, the process of breaking the fat globules into such small pieces is now a leading cause of arteriosclerosis and heart disease. It's been listed as one of the top three causes of heart disease, along with transfats and chlorinated water.

You might ask, well why do they do it then? We could also ask why they make things like margarine and genetically modified cereals and other processed foods... Because they CAN,  because it makes them loads of money and because WE continue to buy them thinking we're doing the right, healthy thing.

Back to skim milk though, how exactly DID it become a health food? Well, not long after World War 2, people started moving away from butter and full cream dairy, in fact, ALL saturated fats, because some studies had apparently shown that it was linked to a growing number of heart disease cases. What they didn't pay attention to was the fact that heart disease was virtually unknown before the mid 1920's when people still loaded their food with cream and butter. Logic dictates that saturated fat couldn't possibly be the culprit when it came to heart disease, or people would have been dying from it for centuries before. It had to be something new that had been added into people's diets more recently. It's no coincidence that partially hydrogenated fats were introduced around 1921. These fats are primarily responsible for the heart disease epidemic and yet people decided to blame saturated fats anyway.

People started cutting full cream dairy out of their diets due to its high saturated fat content and skim milk became the order of the day. People the world over, bought into the scam and skim milk became the new favourite health food to buy. The great irony is that heart disease is now the number one killer and people have not gotten thinner and healthier. They've gotten fatter and sicker despite the amount of skim milk being sold each year. What does that tell us?

I don't have kids yet, but BOTH of my sisters told me, at different times, that their kids had to eat full cream dairy until they were at least 2 and that it was a struggle to find full cream yoghurt for them. Apparently full cream was essential to their development. Low fat dairy actually posed a threat to their normal development and could only be consumed after they turned 2... I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, kids were humans too. They aren't some strange breed that magically turns human at the age of 2. What they need, ADULTS also need, and vice versa. And if it's bad for kids, you can bet your bottom dollar it isn't good for adults! Who on earth comes up with this nonsense?! Full cream dairy is as essential to adults as it is to kids and that's the bottom line.

So how DOES drinking skim milk make people fatter? Well, milk, without the fat, is really just milk sugar (lactose). That means, when you drink your "healthy" glass of skim milk, you are actually just drinking a sugary drink and we know what sugar does to us... it ultimately makes us fat. Another reason is that, when you reduce the saturated fat in a person’s diet, they start eating carbs (grains and sugars primarily) to fill the gap. It's these grains and sugars that actually make you fat, not saturated fat. I've mentioned it before on this blog; since I started eating saturated fat, I have LOST body fat. It is much easier to control my eating because I no longer have cravings for sugar. I feel satiated when I eat, thanks to eating saturated fat. I am not unique. The rule applies to all of us. If you drink skim milk, you will be missing out on the satiating, blood sugar and insulin steadying affects of saturated fat. That skim milk will actually make your body automatically crave sugar and carbs (grains) to make up for the lack of them. Why else do you crave sugar and carbs when you don't eat saturated fat? It's because the body is incredibly intelligent. It is able to MAKE saturated fat out of sugars. If it is low on saturated fat, it will make you crave sugar so that it can MAKE saturated fat. Unfortunately, eating more sugar also has the horrible side effect of making you fat, not to mention the threat of diabetes and other illnesses.

Here's another frightening reason to avoid skim powdered milk in this excerpt from “Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry” from the Weston Price Foundation:

"A note on the production of skim milk powder: liquid milk is forced through a tiny hole at high pressure, and then blown out into the air. This causes a lot of nitrates to form and the cholesterol in the milk is oxidised. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that cholesterol is your best friend; you don’t have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food; however, you do not want to eat oxidised cholesterol. Oxidised cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidised cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease."

A last point to make you think: farmers feed skim milk to their pigs TO MAKE THEM FAT. Seems like a paradox, doesn't it? But a farmer actually said that, if she gives her pigs full cream dairy, they eat far less, but, if she gives them low fat dairy, they want to eat all the time! The same rule applies to all grain fed animals. They have so much sugar in their diets that they feel permanently hungry and keep needing to eat. It's not normal, and it's not healthy, not for the pigs, and certainly NOT for you.

Still going to order that skinny cappuccino? I dare you to try full cream for a couple of weeks and see the difference it makes. Lower the amount of starch and grains and increase the saturated fat in your diet. It must be from a healthy, grassfed animal though. Add some raw, full cream milk, and raw butter and some free range animal fat to your diet and see if you can feel the difference. I guarantee you will.

Prevention IS better than cure

I often hear people say things like, "I did oil pulling for years but I still got sick and I never lost any weight," or "I took apple cider vinegar every day and I still gained weight," or "I eat a smoothie every morning and I don't feel any different." The problem with all of these people is that they are living their lives on an 80/20% basis. ie. 80% of their lives include normal food, normal beauty products and normal household cleaning products and about 20% of their lives is organic, healthy and chemical free.

I always say, do things in baby steps. I'm all for that. If you try to do something cold turkey, there is a bigger chance of failure. However, if you are going to take a year or two to make changes, then all the apple cider vinegar in the world won't be enough to make any difference. Apple cider vinegar alone, is not a cure. It makes things better, there is no doubt, but if you are still smoking 20 cigarettes a day and eating mostly "normal" food, you might as well be drinking a mug of water instead.

There are no miracles cures and there are very few second chances. If you are one of those people who believe that taking a diet pill and drinking a protein shake, will burn all the fat off you and save you from future dread disease, then I'm not sure my blog will be enough to get the message across. There is no quick fix. There is a decision to make a lifestyle change. And that is FOR LIFE. It's not something you do for a few months to lose some weight, or do a quick detox, and then go back to the way things were.

Pretending something doesn't exist doesn't make it go away. It just puts off the inevitable. I'm a procrastinator myself, I get why you would do that;) It's easier to pretend the horrible truth doesn't actually exist. That way you don't have to accept it. Each day you compromise your health and your future by convincing yourself that you're just not cut out for the healthy life, or the active life, and you're ok with that. You're doing just fine. You really believe it too...

Until the day your doctor tells you that you have diabetes, or high blood pressure, or you're infertile, or worse, you have cancer. Suddenly you think, "Why me?! I was fine!" But were you really? Part of you knows that some of the things you do, are bad for you. I know it. We all know it. We just somehow think that we are invincible. We take for granted that the body we have will never let us down. And then we are always so shocked when something bad happens to us, or someone close to us. I'm not sure what it is in human beings that allows them to be so destructively fearless regarding themselves. It's almost like we are looking for ways to bring the end on faster. But when the end threatens, we gasp in shock and horror that it could actually happen to us.

I'm a rally driver. Seriously, I've competed and won a few of them! I love to drive and I don't dawdle about it;) I used to ignore speed limits and take all the gaps. How I wasn't killed I'll never know! I was young and stupid. I'm older and wiser now, but I still love to take the gaps. I just do it more carefully these days. My eyes are always on every part of the road that I can see. I don't ignore blind spots. But I see it as a challenge, getting from A to B, legally, as fast as I can! I KNOW it's a stupid thing to do. At any point I could hit a pothole, blow a tyre or just not see something, and yet I do it. I just love driving and the challenge it poses for me. I tend to save my rally driving for the actual rallies now though;)

I think a lot of people play games with their lives in much the same way. We just keep thinking, "It'll never happen to us." In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the thought of something bad happening doesn't actually even enter our heads. We don't even consider it because we feel untouchable. I'm not sure why that is. There is enough death and destruction around us to convince us that life is short and every day that we are here is a privilege. But we continue to play with our lives as if we have many of them left. Unlike our cats, we don't get nine lives though. We only get one (depending on your beliefs you may come back to ANOTHER life!)

Some might argue that it makes sense, then, to live your life to the fullest. What does that mean though? I have a wonderful, happy life, but I do everything I can to preserve our health and wellness. I even slowed down my driving;) We go out and have a few drinks now and then with friends, but it's not often and the rest of our lives are lived cleanly. We never stop doing all we can to be healthy, even if we are out having fun with friends. That's not the case with most people I've noticed. Somewhere along the line, people bought into the propaganda that happiness was found in copious amounts of alcohol, foods, beauty products and cleaning products, and cigarettes and other drugs. (Cigarettes are considered a drug in case you were wondering) The propaganda told us that, if anything went wrong with our bodies, we could just take a few pills, or cut out the offending organ, and carry on having fun! 

My question is, why on earth would you want to play russian roulette with your life that way? Already we increase our odds of things ending, every time we get in a car, or cross a road, or fly in a plane. If I'm perfectly honest, I'd take a quick death over a dread disease any day. I have seen too many people suffer through awful diseases, in such terrible pain, only to die, to EVER want to be in that position. There is nothing I can do about planes, trains and automobiles but I CAN take charge of my health. We all could, if we realised just how easy it actually was, and how essential it was.

It IS a lifestyle change though. And it may take a couple of months to get used to it but, if you can convince yourself that this is actually normal, and everyone else is crazy, it makes it a lot easier;) Honestly, I DO think most people are crazy to eat and drink half of what they do. It doesn't make sense to me, that people could allow themselves to be so ignorant about their own bodies. If we didn't have these bodies, we wouldn't exist. Doesn't that mean we should treat it with respect? 

As I said in the beginning, you can do one or two things to be healthier, and "experts" might say that's fine, as long as you do something. But "experts" are not entirely right, there. If you are a healthy individual, if you go for all your tests regularly and you know everything is perfectly in order, THEN living your life 95% healthy and 5% not, is acceptable. Incidentally, if you are healthy, you are exceptionally lucky. These days it's getting harder and harder to find 100% healthy people! And that is the whole point of maintaining a clean lifestyle. The aim is continuous maintenance so that you DON'T end up getting sick. It's all about prevention. Most people who don't live a clean, healthy life, only decide to become clean and healthy AFTER they find out they are sick. It's a lot harder to fix things ONCE you are sick. The sad thing is, most people don't even realise they are sick, and they do more and more damage without realising. Prevention is BETTER than cure.

If you are NOT healthy, if you already know that you have high blood pressure, or you're grossly overweight, or you have diabetes or cancer, or some other dread disease, there can't be ANY half measures in your life. You need to be in it 100% until you are healed. If it's not the type of disease that CAN be healed, you STILL need to be in it 100% if you want to get as close to better as possible. This is your life you are playing with and NO amount of smoothies or apple cider vinegar will help if you are drinking and smoking every day and filling your body with chemicals. All the nutrients you are taking in are literally being destroyed before they can do any good. It's like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom. If you don't want to do it for you, then do it for those who love you and need you in their lives. There is always a reason to look after yourself. Read back through any of my blogs and start doing your research!

The amount of people in the world, who will actually consider any of this, is minuscule, which is scary to me. If I could, I would make it my mission to change the world, one person at a time. I love the thought of helping people become healthier, of lessening the amount of suffering through disease. That's one of the main reasons I started this blog. I hope that, over time, I can reach more and more people and I can do that with YOUR help. Share it on your pages, become a subscriber and favourite the posts if you like them. I would really appreciate the help, and in return, I will do my best to post things that, I believe, will add value to your life, and to those of your nearest and dearest.

Until tomorrow!

Just a quickie!

Getting a late start to today's post because technology failed me today! My mouse and my keyboard refused to work with my rechargeable batteries for some reason. Eventually, much to my chagrin, I had to go and buy normal batteries just so that I could access my computer. They will end up in the recycling bin eventually but still, I feel so bad buying them! Given my late start, there isn't time to type the blog I intended to type so I thought I'd just send you a little organic info to start your week off.