I recently moved back to Port Elizabeth after ten years away. I came back to open a Yoga Studio because yoga had such a profound impact on my life and I was surprised to find that here, yoga is not (yet) as natural a part of life as it has become in places like California and London. Advocating strongly for yoga as a lifestyle I have come across a number of ‘humorous’ beliefs about yoga, preventing people from getting involved in this magical practice. It’s time for these to be exposed…. and … [Read more...] about ‘I’m not flexible enough for yoga’ – and other yoga fears dispelled
Health
Why I permanently skip breakfast
Haven't we always been told to eat breakfast, come rain or shine? In fact, I've been one of the guilty myself – suggesting to clients that if they don't include this daily habit, they may find their metabolisms negatively affected. But rather a lot of very interesting research has suggested that we can gain huge benefits from going without food for brief-to-prolonged periods of time (14-36 hours) – called intermittent fasting. Going without food regularly would have naturally occurred back … [Read more...] about Why I permanently skip breakfast
10 Simple but Profound ways in which Yoga Changed my Life
I started practicing yoga for the first time on my Wii Balance Board with Wii Fit Plus. I was getting over the brutal ending of my five-year relationship and my Wii console offered me some desperately needed escape from endless thinking and analyzing. I soon figured out that the Yoga practices on Wii Fit Plus helped quiet my mind even more than skateboarding or basketball, and soon I wanted more…urgently. Many, many Yoga fuelled travels and thousands of pounds in classes, courses, trainings … [Read more...] about 10 Simple but Profound ways in which Yoga Changed my Life
Why you should eat raw foods
Enzymes are your body's 'language'. In effect, they tell the body what to do, when and how, so it's very important that we have enough of them. When our diets are high in cooked and processed foods, these foods don't provide very many enzymes, which means having to 'steal' them from the body's valuable enzyme reserves. Raw food eaten just before a meal provides these essential digestive-aiding enzymes. The 'before' part is crucial as it was shown in studies that eating raw food towards the … [Read more...] about Why you should eat raw foods
Learn how to breathe
The importance of breathing properly can't be underestimated. It is quite literally vital to sustain life - feeding necessary nutrients and oxygen to your trillions of cells. This means that learning how to breathe properly is of the utmost importance if your goal is to be healthy. Establish your pattern: Stop what you're doing for a second and take a look down at your tummy and chest. Now take a deep breathe in. Does your chest simply move up and down, or does your tummy expand and fill with … [Read more...] about Learn how to breathe
Give thanks to your food
How often do you think about your food while you're eating it? In our modern world, with our tendency to outsource food production, we've lost our connection to almost every aspect of the food chain. My feeling is that this is bound to have consequences down the line... In centuries gone by, we would have had a distinct sense of connection to, and (therefore) gratitude for, the food we ate - after all, we would have grown and harvested it, or raised and slaughtered it, ourselves. These days … [Read more...] about Give thanks to your food
Could avoiding the sun increase your cancer risk?
Although the importance of vitamin D has long been accepted in the older, more traditional areas of health-care, it has recently made headlines in allopathic medical circles and is being touted as one of our most essential health-building hormones. Vitamin D (although called a vitamin it is, in fact, a hormone) cannot be manufactured by the body without exposure to ultraviolet rays, which are supplied by the sun. This makes it vital for you to spend time outdoors on a daily basis. Cancer: … [Read more...] about Could avoiding the sun increase your cancer risk?
The Barefoot Benefit
Our bodies are electrical in nature - the heart, brain, muscles, cells and all body systems function electrically. Throughout our history, and until very recent times, man has walked, slept and sat on the earth - skin to skin, as it were. In this way and without knowing it, we were naturally discharging electrical stress and restoring the body's natural and stable electrical state. Going barefoot is one of the best ways to achieve this. Modern lifestyles: The implications are massive when you … [Read more...] about The Barefoot Benefit
Ways to get rid of ‘brown fat’
Do you know that you have two types of fat stores in your body? You have white fat, which is 'storage' fat and you have brown fat, which burns energy instead of storing it. In a sense, brown fat acts more like muscle than fat. By activating this type of fat, you can apparently increase your fat-burning potential by 300% (so says Tim Ferriss, author of The Four-Hour Body). In order to burn brown fat, you need to cool your body down by applying ice therapy in any of the below-mentioned … [Read more...] about Ways to get rid of ‘brown fat’
How to get rid of that dreaded sugar craving
Almost everyone's had some experience with sugar cravings and so understands just how difficult they can be to overcome. These cravings are your body's way of telling you that your last meal didn't supply the correct mix of carbs, proteins and fats. So, to eliminate sugar cravings, you need to supply the missing ingredient. They're an easy addition to the diet and will leave you feeling satisfied and energised... What causes high blood sugar? Before we get onto the solution remember that, … [Read more...] about How to get rid of that dreaded sugar craving
Are electromagnetic fields dangerous?
When I'm approached by clients looking to improve their overall health, weight and energy, I'm repeatedly reminded of the fact that we humans are subjected to some pretty stressful elements on a regular basis. Some of these can be easily recognised and understood, such as junk food and drinks, food chemicals, environmental pollutants etc. Some, however, have not been quite so well publicised, even though they have far-reaching health consequences. In this article, I want to make you aware of … [Read more...] about Are electromagnetic fields dangerous?
The importance of sleeping well to stay healthy
Sleep is a really important factor to consider in your quest for optimal health, since a lack of sleep can increase your risk of heart disease and raise your blood pressure. In addition it can contribute to premature aging by interfering with your growth hormone production; by halting new cell production; worsen constipation and increase your risk of dying from any cause! It can also aggravate, or make you more susceptible to, stomach ulcers and contributes to a pre-diabetic state. Staying … [Read more...] about The importance of sleeping well to stay healthy
Tim Noakes – What a Man!
What a man! He's come out (at last) in favour of fats and proteins and against heavy carbohydrate use. Now, in case you missed the thrust of what I've been saying since I started writing for MyPE, I agree wholeheartedly... Having attended a talk of his a few weeks before I wrote this article, I was delighted by the science he presented, to underscore his opinion. Ironically - 'though used for decades throughout the world as a 'healthy' food guideline - the food pyramid has its foundation in … [Read more...] about Tim Noakes – What a Man!
I chucked my cellphone away to reduce stress, You could do this, though….
Most of us have the best of intentions to change habits we perceive as negative. Changing a habit however, is harder than it appears. The answer seems to lie in understanding the link between the habit itself and the behaviour, which results in the habit. Adrenal glands Sitting just above your kidneys are 2 walnut-sized glands called the adrenals. They are responsible for producing your stress hormones (for example adrenaline and cortisol) and so are hard at work throughout your … [Read more...] about I chucked my cellphone away to reduce stress, You could do this, though….
What food language does your body speak?
As a species, we seem to have lost our intuitive ability to know what it is we need food-wise. Your body will let you know in pretty certain terms, whether or not the last meal you ate worked well for your unique biochemistry. If you can learn to understand and work with its food-response language, you'll find yourself more satisfied, energised, healthy and alert. What to look for There are, in effect, three areas you'll want to look at within an hour or two after eating a meal - satiety, … [Read more...] about What food language does your body speak?
