Sun Salutations - on and off the mat

I think this is day 9 of waking up to sunny skies!  Although it did cloud over on Monday here in Surrey, the sunrise was beautiful. Have you noticed how much better you feel when the sun shines? I feel so much more energised, positive and "in the flow" of life and I'm sure that's the same for most people - everyone seems happier and smilier!

Getting some much-needed winter sunshine in Goa, India last month was so healing and relaxing but coming home to grey skies and rain made the transition back to normal life a little harder. The good weather this past week has been very welcome indeed. I've even been out in the garden, making plans for the summer burst of colourful flowers!

The view from my yoga mat in Goa - bliss!

Starting Your Day with Sun Salutations

Doing a few rounds of Sun Salutations each morning gets your day off to a great start.

The Sanskrit name for Sun Salutations is Surya Namaskar. Surya means sun and Namaskar is a greeting of respect, therefore Greeting the Sun. Traditionally done to pay homage to, and give thanks for, the Sun and it's life-giving light and warmth, Sun Salutations have many benefits for your mind, body and spirit.

The benefits for your mind and soul include taking a moment to remember your connection with the natural world, and how everything works in cycles of night and day, season to season, and knowing that you are part of this. You are not just an observer but you are actually participating in this amazing cycle of life. Knowing that you are part of something greater puts things into perspective. The fact that you don't have enough milk for a cup of coffee this morning isn't a disaster. It doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things. The consistent practice of yoga helps to soothe away the perceived difficulties that being a human being presents. The little irritations can become like water rolling off a duck's back. No coffee this morning? No problem - you've got the sky and the sunshine, your amazing body that can move through these poses, your breath as your constant companion and that's what really matters.

The benefits for the physical body are many. Sun Salutations stretch and strengthen all the major muscle groups. They move between stretching the front of the body on the inhale and stretching the back of the body on the exhale. While the front is stretching the muscles on the back of the body will be engaged and vice versa when you move into forward bends. The elements of weight-bearing will help to strengthen the bones and build stamina. The breath and the movements are in sync with each other, promoting full and deep breathing. They get the heart pumping and the blood flowing round your body, delivering fresh oxygen to each and every cell - an instant detox! You can do them really fast if you want more cardiovascular emphasis or slow them down if it suits you to move more gently. Although usually done in the morning, you can do Sun Salutations in the evening too, just don't be too energetic late at night so that your body has time to settle down again before you go to sleep.

How many rounds of Sun Salutations you choose to do is up to you and the time you have available, but do at least 3 rounds to give you the best benefits. You'll feel stiff and creaky for the first one, especially if you've just got out of bed, so do it gently and adapt by bending your knees to take care of your hamstring muscles at the back of your legs. You'll feel your body unfold as you work through the following rounds, and with consistent practice you'll notice that you've become stronger, more flexible and fitter too.

Finish off your morning practice with a glass of water with fresh lemon juice to rehydrate and you're set to get on with your day. You'll feel good knowing that you've already done some exercise and self-care and that you're creating a positive habit in your life.

Here's a pictorial reminder of the sequence of the Sun Salutations or, if you haven't done them before you might like to take a look at my video which will guide you through.

When the sun comes out we want to get outside. It's a natural response after a long, grey winter. But unfortunately our increasingly sedentary lifestyles mean that we override that natural response. We spend most of our time inside our houses and offices, sitting at a desk working or "relaxing" on the sofa watching TV. This means that not only are we not getting enough exercise but we are also missing out one of our essential vitamins - Vitamin D - which we get mostly from the sun. Below is an article with advice for balancing the pros and cons of being in the sun. The research on vitamin D is fairly new so do explore it if you are interested so that you can form an educated opinion. There is a non-profit organisation called The Vitamin D Council which has lots of information - you can view their website here.

Why You Should Get Some Sun This Summer + How To Do It The Safe Way

By Dr. Frank Lipman via Mindbodygreen

Although irresponsible sunbathing is unquestionably harmful, regular, moderate, unprotected sun exposure is essential for good health. It’s free, easy to come by and good for you when handled wisely. It’s also the only reliable way for your body to generate vitamin D, an essential ingredient for optimizing health and preventing disease.

Trouble is, for the last 30 years or so, the medical-dermatological complex has brainwashed us with the mantra that sun exposure is lethal and we should stay away. It’s an oversimplified view that’s had little effect on curbing skin cancer rates — in fact, they’re skyrocketing — and has managed to make millions of people sun-phobic, causing them to miss out on the numerous benefits associated with sun exposure in limited doses.

And the best way to optimize vitamin D levels? It’s with safe, smart and limited sunscreen-free exposure to the sun. Used wisely, strategic bouts of sunshine help the skin produce the Vitamin D it needs to build bones, tamp down inflammation, boost the immune system. Better yet, vitamin D and may actually help prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, skin, prostate and colon.

Now, of course, taking advantage of the benefits of sunshine is by no means a license to burn and tan with abandon, but consider it permission to step into the light every now and then, with considerably less fear about it than you’ve had in the past. Here are a few pointers on how to support your health with sunshine:

Let the Sun Give You Your Vitamin D (And Yes, There’s an App for That!)
Your age, complexion, where you live, season and what time of day it is, they all affect the amount of sun exposure you need. The farther north you live, the more sun exposure you’ll need to generate vitamin D.

For instance, a fair-skinned New Yorker, sitting on a local beach in June at midday for 10-15 minutes without sun block (enough to cause a light pinkness 24 hours after), will produce the equivalent of 15,000-20,000 IU’s of Vitamin D. Put that same person further north in the U.K, or Canada and they’ll need 20 to 30 minutes for the same effect. By contrast, people with darker complexions may need 20 to 30 times more exposure to generate the same amount of vitamin D.

To help determine your needs, have a look at the tables in Dr. Michael Holick’s The Vitamin D Solution or download the particularly useful-for-summer app called D Minder which tracks the amount of Vitamin D you get from the sun based on your age, location, body type, and time of day, etc. and even includes a timer so you’ll know when you’ve topped off the D tank, without burning.

Slowly Ramp Up Your Sun Exposure
Kicking off the summer by searing your skin with multiple sunburns is not only painful but it can potentially roll out the welcome mat for melanoma down the line, so bottom line: never burn. Instead, as the summer brings you outdoors more often, don’t be afraid to expose your skin to the sun, just be sure to build up your tolerance slowly over the course of a few weeks. Just don’t rush out and sunburn yourself outdoors or in a tanning booth in hopes of quickly getting a “base” tan all in single afternoon.

Learn How to Sunbathe Smartly
Brief, regular exposures have been found to be much more effective and safer than the occasional long one. And sorry, but sitting by a sunny window just won’t do it, because the UVB rays necessary for vitamin D production are absorbed by glass. To get your Ds, you’ll need to step outside. Set aside some time for short doses of sun-block-free exposure, but if you’ve had skin cancer, check with your doc first. From there, start with a 5-minute shot of unblocked sun for week 1, every other day; step up to 10 minutes the next week, and 15 to 20 minutes for week 3. To maximize your body’s natural Vitamin D production, build up to 20 to 30 minutes of mid-morning sun without sun block.
After your 30 minute max dose, it’s time to start sun blocking.

Sunburns are the Enemy – Not the Sun!
Some sun exposure is good, but get too much and you’re playing with fire. Remember it’s the repeated sunburns that have been linked — not regular, moderate sun exposure — so the fewer burns the better, particularly when it comes to kids and those with fair complexions.

To keep sunburns at bay this summer make sure you:

• Never fall asleep in the sun without protection.
• Don’t get fooled by cloudy days — they can burn you just as easily as a sunny one.
• Protect your skin, particularly if you’re in and out of the water, on a boat or cycling, when the breezes can make you less aware that you’re getting sun burned.
• Wear a hat, sunglasses and light-colored clothing to block the sun when out for longer periods.
• When it’s time to apply sunscreen, use one with as few chemicals as possible.
• Before you buy a sunscreen, first check out the Environmental Working Group’s list of safer sunscreens.
• Optimize vitamin D levels and its protective effects with a combinations of controlled sun exposure, a healthy whole food diet and supplementation with vita D3.
• And no matter what the season, please stay away from tanning beds!

Greeting the Sun

Sunset Headstand

I hope you get to enjoy the sunshine while it's here. And even when it inevitably disappears behind the clouds again keep practicing your Sun Salutations regardless, in the knowledge that the clouds will move on and the Sun will be revealed again once more. Such is the power of nature, and all we can do is go with the flow.

Rushing Woman's Syndrome - how to recognise whether you are a sufferer

Quickread

I read an article about Rushing Woman's Syndrome in last Saturday's Times newspaper which I found really interesting. Maybe you saw it and it resonated with you too? Unfortunately, the paper found it's way into the recycling bin before I had a chance to write it out, but I found this article by the same author, nutritional biochemist Dr Libby Weaver, instead which has the added benefit of a link to her enlightening Ted Talk video too.

If you have a friend who is suffering from Rushing Woman's Syndrome, please share this blog post with her and tell her about how yoga could help her. A regular yoga practice puts you back in touch with your breath, calms the nervous system, encourages tense muscles to relax and the mind to quieten down. You know all this already, but your friend might not, and she's missing out on a wonderful way to counteract the stresses of daily life and feel better in her body.

Rushing Woman's Syndrome by Dr Libby Weaver via Huffington Post

Rushing Woman's Syndrome has evolved out of my observation of a shift in women's health and behaviour over the past 16 years. Never before in my work have I witnessed so many females in a mad rush to do everything and be all things to all people. Never before have I seen the extent of reproductive system and sex hormone challenges that I now see. Women are wired. Many of them are tired too. Tired yet wired. And this relentless urgency, this perception that there is not enough time, combined with a to-do list that is never all crossed off is having such significant health consequences for women I had to write about it.

Not that long ago women were given the opportunity to do what had traditionally been their father's jobs, while maintaining what were traditionally their mother's responsibilities and what has unfolded for too many women is a frantic double shift, of work day and night, with very little if any rest. The perceived need to rush, whether a woman displays it on the outside or keeps it under wraps, is changing the face of women's health as we know it in such a detrimental way; from PMS to IBS, from losing our tempers to feeling like we can't cope.

The nervous system plays a significant role in the stress response and it has a number of parts. The two branches related to this concept are the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), also known as the amped up "fight or flight" response, and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the calming "rest, digest, repair and reproduce" arm of the nervous system. The challenge for too many women today is that they live in SNS dominance and this can play havoc with weight management, food cravings, sleep quality, patience, moods, self-esteem, and overall quality of life.

One of the hormones driving this is adrenalin, which communicates to every cell in the body that your life is in danger. As I described in my TEDx talk science suggests humans have been on the planet for about 150,000 years and for the entirety of that history, that's what adrenalin has meant to the body. The nervous system doesn't know that the adrenalin amping you up is not from a physical threat to your life but rather your body's response to the coffee you drink and/or your perception of pressure.

When we live on adrenalin we tend not to sleep restoratively, crave (and give in and eat!) sugar despite our best intentions, and find it harder and harder to utilise stored body fat as a fuel, instead burning glucose. Yet when we primarily burn glucose as a fuel (instead of body fat), because it is our "get out of danger" fuel, the body can't risk the glucose fuel tank getting too low so the desire for it gets switched on... hello harsh self-talk when you give in to your sweet cravings even though you said you wouldn't.

So why do we do it? One reason is because we care so much for the people in our lives. On one level this way of living comes from such a beautiful place. It comes because we have beautiful hearts, but even deeper than that it comes because we made up a story a really long time ago that we aren't enough the way we are; that we aren't good enough, tall enough, slim enough, pretty enough, brainy enough, on time enough, that we're just not enough the way that we are, so we spend our lives trying to please everyone in our realm, putting their needs ahead of our own. We rush around and do all we can to make sure that others love and appreciate us so that we never, ever have to feel rejected, ostracised, unlovable, criticised, yelled at, and like we've let others down. It's not just the physical health consequences that concern me for women. It's that they live their lives so out of touch with those beautiful hearts, out of touch with how extraordinary they are and in the cloud of false belief that they aren't enough.

It is important to realise that the way we eat, drink, move, think, believe and perceive impacts our need to rush. I write books, including Rushing Woman's Syndrome to help people to live their lives with more PNS activation because this can have the most profound effect on health. From that place sex hormones are far easier to balance, liver function (detoxification processes) and digestion work closer to optimal so there's far less bloating, the thyroid works better which is also important for metabolic rate and the ability to burn body fat.

Bring awareness to why you do what you do and work out what lead you there. Awareness, rather than judgment of ourselves is the first step in this journey to retire from Rushing Woman's Syndrome. Please remember that life is precious, that you are precious and to treat yourself accordingly.

Visit www.drlibby.com to read more about Rushing Woman's Syndrome.

The Benefits of Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Yoga has so many benefits which collectively will help you become stronger, calmer, more flexible, and healthier in mind, body and spirit. Every posture has its own benefits too, and each week I'm going to choose a pose to focus on and share it's values with you, so you know exactly how it is helpful to your wellbeing.

The first pose we'll look at is Bridge Pose, the Sanskrit name of which is Setu Bandhasana. This backbend strengthens the back of the legs, the buttocks and the spine as you press into the floor to lift your torso up. It helps to keep the spine flexible and stretches the fronts of the thighs, the fronts of the hips and it opens the front of the torso (which gives the digestive organs more room) and the chest (which gives the lungs and the heart more room). It stimulates the thyroid gland as the chin is slightly tucked in and it encourages you breathe slowly and rhythmically through the slightly narrowed airway. 

Here's how to do it:

Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet close to your buttocks, hip width apart. Keep your toes turned very slightly in to avoid the feet and knees splaying wide as you lift up. With your arms close to the sides of your body and your hands palm face down, press down with your feet and upper arms and slowly lift your hips up. Engage the back of the legs and draw your tailbone towards the back of your knees to keep your lower back from over-arching. Lift your breastbone a little more towards your chin to draw the backbend further up towards the top part of your spine. The chin is slightly drawn in but the back of the neck is not pressed flat to the floor - there is a gentle natural curve. The shoulder blades slide down your back away from your ears. If you want to deepen the backbend, interlock the fingers behind your back and stretch the arms towards the heels. Stay here for between 5-15 long, steady breaths before releasing the interlock and lowering the hips slowly back down to the floor. Remember to be kind to yourself and not force the body into the pose - it will evolve with regular practice.

Recipe of the Week : Date and Almond Smoothie

While I was away in India I enjoyed the most fabulous breakfast smoothie served in a beer mug (see photo below!) Described in the menu as an Ayurvedic Breakfast Shake, when I asked what was in it I was told it was just dates and almond milk. I decided to look it up online to see if I could recreate it at home. A number of recipes came up, including one from one of my favourite sources, delicouslyella.com. I've adjusted her recipe slightly, as with 2 bananas and 6 dates it makes it a bit sweet for me, but you can play with it yourself and see how you like it best. You could leave out the almond butter if you don't have any, although you can easily buy it at Holland & Barrett.

It's a quick and very nutritious breakfast - the almonds will give you protein, the dates have lots of fibre and the banana is rich in potassium and magnesium.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:
1 banana
3 pitted dates

1 teaspoon of almond butter
1 cup of almond milk (in the milk section at most supermarkets)
pinch of cinammon

Slice the banana, put in a tupperware and into the freezer the night before. Remove any stones from the dates. If the milk isn't cold, add an ice cube or two. Put all the ingredients into a blender and whizz for a couple of minutes until smooth. Enjoy - it's yummy!

You can look at delicouslyella's recipe here:  http://deliciouslyella.com/recipe/banana-date-and-almond-shake-dairy-free/

Cheers!

Small Things Make A Big Difference

Well, that's January been and gone! I'm hoping that your New Year's Resolutions haven't fallen by the wayside already, but if they have dropped off your radar don't be discouraged, tomorrow's a new day with another chance to bring them back into focus. 

The following article about making little adjustments to the way you eat might be just the encouragement you need to stick with your intentions to eat healthy food in 2015. Taking small steps towards any goal can help it seem more manageable and achievable and you'll feel satisfied with yourself for staying on track.

A Gradual Approach to Healthy Eating
by Leo Babauta via www.zenhabits.net

A lot of us have tried various diets over the years, with little success. I remember trying about half a dozen different diets when I was trying to lose weight, and none of them stuck for more than a few weeks. Why is that? A few reasons:

1. You’re trying to change a lot of things at once — from learning new recipes to strategies for social situations to what to eat when you go out to what you should do when you’re craving a snack and much more. Making that many changes at once is a sure recipe for failure.

2. You’re making huge changes all of a sudden. If you shift from unhealthy eating to healthy eating in one day, it will seem like a drastic change, and you won’t be used to it at all. This is very difficult, and if you’re struggling with something difficult, you’re probably not going to last more than a few weeks.

3. You don’t really like your life with this new diet. You like the idea of being leaner, but you don’t like the diet, and you miss your old food. So it feels like a sacrifice, and you can only sacrifice for so long.

That’s a lot of powerful forces working against you, and that’s just the start. Having a spouse or friends who eat differently is difficult, and so is being surrounded by unhealthy food at home and work. What can we do?

What worked for me is gradual change. Let’s look at the why, then the how.

Why Gradual Change Works

If you understand the reasons that people fail at trying to create a healthy lifestyle, then you can see why gradual is better:

1. It’s not overwhelming to start if you start small and only do one small change at a time.

2. With gradual change, you’re not putting too much on your plate, as you are with a huge change, and so you’re less likely to drop it as the weeks progress because you’re too busy and have other things to focus on.

3. It’s not an abrupt change, so it doesn’t seem so difficult, and it quickly starts to feel normal. You’re pushing out of your comfort zone, but not too much.

4. You never really feel like you’re sacrificing.

Those are some good reasons. Let’s do this.

How to Transition to Amazingly Healthy

Before we start the gradual process, it’s a good idea to know where we’re going, generally. This won’t be the exact place we end up, because things will change along the way — including your taste buds — but let’s take a big picture look at what we’re doing first.

A less helpful approach is to think of the perfectly healthy diet, and say that’s what you need to do. For example, if for some reason we said you should only eat protein and vegetables, all day every day, then any deviation would feel like failure. And you might think that’s not a very fun life, so you wouldn’t be likely to stick to it.

Instead, try to imagine a life that includes healthy food that you’d really enjoy — but allows for other indulgences too. For some, that might mean you want a bagel and fruit for breakfast, then some healthier stuff for lunch and dinner (protein, veggies, quinoa or brown rice), maybe carrots and hummus for a snack, some green tea later in the afternoon, and finally a martini after dinner. That’s not 100 percent healthy, but it’s pretty great, and it’s a picture you’d enjoy perhaps.

For others, you might want a sweet in the afternoon, or your tall latte in the morning, or French fries at dinner with friends a few times a week. Those are all allowable in a healthy lifestyle, if most of the other things you eat are healthy. You want a picture of a healthy life that seems enjoyable to you.

Next, pick one small healthy change and stick with it for a week. Get some accountability, put a reminder on your fridge, plan ahead of time, do whatever it takes to make that small healthy change happen. If you are successful, pick another small change the next week, and repeat that every week you were successful.

What kind of small healthy changes can you pick each week? The list can be endless, but here are some examples:- Eat a vegetable at dinner every day.
- Eat a vegetable at lunch every day.
- Eat a fruit for an afternoon snack.
- Have a fruit with breakfast.
- Cut back one alcoholic drink at night.
- Don’t eat after 8 p.m.
- Cut back on the sugar you add to your coffee to a minimal amount.
- Have a whole grain (quinoa, brown rice, etc.) with dinner instead of a white starch.
- Have hummus or raw nuts instead of those chips you eat for a snack.
- Have berries instead of the sweets you eat for a snack.
- Learn three new recipes this week (cook one night, then eat the leftovers the next, repeat).
- Eat at home most nights this week.
- Have yogurt with fruit or a tofu scramble with veggies for breakfast.

You get the picture. If you don’t like these changes, come up with some of your own. If these seem too hard, make them easier.

One small change at a time means a dozen over a few months. That adds up to some amazing change over time, and it’s change that’s likely to last much longer.

Taking a Closer Look

When I'm out and about at this time of year I like to look for the small things that show me that spring is on its way. When I really pay attention to my surroundings and zoom in on them, the most ordinary things take on a new perspective. 

On one of my dog walks last week with The Furry Guru (another fabulous "small thing") I decided to look at the bark of the different trees I was passing. Close-up, the trees took on a more artistic form and the photos below show the diversity of colour and texture that I could have so easily overlooked. It was a simple thing to do but it had a meditative quality as I shifted my awareness and became more deliberate about what I was doing. You could try this mindfulness practice yourself to quieten your mind and get more focused. If you're not passing any trees today you can do the same exercise with a paperback book, feeling the smoothness of the cover, the folds and creases of the spine, paying attention to the fonts used and really looking at the artwork. It feels good to slow down enough to really notice what's there right in front of you. 

This tree-stump had beautiful lines running through it, was
encircled by moss, and decorated with ivy and fungus -
it was like a piece of artwork!

A Fabulous Simple DIY Facial Treatment That Will Make Your Skin Feel and Look Great

My skin is looking tired and grey! Its not surprising at this time of year though - it's having to deal with centrally heated, artificially dry air inside the house, cold air and drying winds when I'm outside and the lack of sunshine means I've lost my glow!  I've just done this great DIY skincare treatment which I found on mindbodygreen.com and I'm loving the results. It felt good to pause in my busy day and spend a relaxing 10 minutes doing a self-care ritual and I'm convinced my skin looks clearer and brighter for it. The clay mask cost me 89p for 2 sachets from Superdrug and the rest of the ingredients I already had available so it was cheap, simple and pleasingly natural.

Here's the recipe:

Boil a pot of water and carefully pour it into a large, heat-resistant bowl.

Add a few drops of lavender oil or another favorite essential oil.

While the water boils, apply coconut oil to your face to remove makeup and debris, then wipe it all off with a clean cloth.

When your skin is cleared of makeup and oil, carefully place your face about six inches from the top of the water and cover your head with a large towel, making sure to position it so the steam from the bowl gets trapped under the towel tent. Steam your pores for 1-3 minutes, breathing slowly and deeply, taking breaks if you need to.

Pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Slice a fresh lemon in half and gently rub the flesh all over your face like you would a toner, being careful to avoid your eyes. The acid in the lemon acts as gentle microdermabrasion and is the most important part of this ritual.

Apply a natural clay mask and let sit for 15 minutes.

Gently wash the mask off, pat your skin dry and apply coconut oil or another favorite moisturizer.

A little disclaimer: please remember that everyone is different and not every treatment may be suitable for your skin. Even natural products can sometimes cause a reaction. Do consult your doctor before you try new skincare routines if you have any concerns.  

Finally, yoga friends, here is a thought provoking and uplifting video about what other people think of us. Watch it by clicking the link below - you'll be glad you did :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg-O7f_1Ngc

Some Simple Ways to Take Care of Yourself

Our skin is a reflection of our inner ecosystem, so epidermis health ultimately comes from the foods we put in our bodies, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Those three things create the foundation for clear, glowing skin. But sometimes environmental and hormonal factors take a real toll on our skin and we need to give it some special care (especially during these frigid winter months).
As a health coach, I work with clients to heal their brains and bodies so they can step into their full potential, and skin health is a huge part of that. When your skin is healthy, it's a sign that all your organ systems are running smoothly. When you're clear and glowing, you feel confident and amazing things happen in your life.
I rarely follow a schedule unless I have to and consider myself very intuitive, so when I found myself moving through this skin care ritual and saw fantastic results, I knew I had to share it.
The issues:

• Dry, flakey winter skin
• Hormonal breakouts along jaw line
• Cogged pores as a result of living in a major city with exposure to environmental toxins beyond my control

The ritual:
Boil a pot of water and carefully pour it into a large, heat-resistant bowl. Add a few drops of lavender oil or another favorite essential oil. While the water boils, apply coconut oil to your face to remove makeup and debris, then wipe it all off with a clean cloth.
When your skin is cleared of makeup and oil, carefully place your face about six inches from the top of the water and cover your head with a large towel, making sure to position it so the steam from the bowl is somewhat trapped under the towel tent. Steam your pores for 1-3 minutes, breathing slowly and deeply, taking breaks if you need to.
Pat your face dry with a clean towel. Slice a fresh lemon in half and gently rub the flesh all over your face like you would a toner, being careful to avoid your eyes. The acid in the lemon acts as gentle microdermabrasion and is the most important part of this ritual.
Apply a natural clay mask and let sit for 15 minutes. Gently wash the mask off, pat your skin dry and apply coconut oil or another favorite moisturizer.
The results:

• Clear pores
• Visibly glowing, firm skin
• Instant reduction in size and swelling of any blemishes

You don't have to spend a lot of money on products to have the best skin of your life, you just need to take care of it consistently using simple, natural techniques and tools.

This Girl Can!

This week's post focuses on improving fitness and healthy eating. These topics are very relevant at this time of year when many of us are looking towards creating a happy and healthy 2015.  I'm starting with a video which has the intention to motivate women of all ages, shapes and sizes to get moving. I usually put the inspiring videos I come across at the end of the blogpost but this one needs to be up front!

This Girl Can is a new campaign by Sport England to encourage women to take up a sport or physical activity.

Research revealed the reasons why women, in the UK in particular, don't participate in sporting activities as much as men. According to Jeannie Price, CEO of Sport England, "Some of the issues, like time and cost, were familiar but one of the strongest themes was fear of judgement. Worries about being judged for being the wrong size, not fit enough and not skilled enough came up time and again".

The campaign encourages women to get up and get moving, whatever their age, level of fitness or level of experience and to participate and have fun whether they are good at it or not. The only issue I have with it is the line "feeling like a fox" which implies that the aim is to be sexy. I feel that it would have been preferable to leave that out and focus soley on the physical and mental health benefits of doing more exercise. What do you think? I'd be interested to hear your views in the comments below.

Increasing your fitness will help your yoga practice too - you'll get stronger and have more stamina - and your yoga practice will help you in your chosen sport or activity - you'll get a great stretch for those hard-working muscles, and a chance to relax and and become quiet after all that moving about. The two will complement each other 

Take a look at the video here - I hope it inspires you to try something new whatever your level of fitness and, as Nike says, "Just Do It". 

Although your motivation was probably high at New Year, as January draws to a close you might find you need a little boost to help you stay focused on your resolutions. As I mentioned in last week's post, the number one New Year's resolution is to lose weight and the second most popular is to get in shape. Both of these goals are very broad and just too vague. It's helpful to narrow them down and get clearer about the reasons we let our good intentions fall away. This next article might explain one of the reasons why our goals to get fit often fail. It makes interesting reading...


The Real Reason We Don't Exercise...and why you should get your body out of its comfort zone.

by Sherry Pagoto, Ph.d via psychologytoday.com

A friend of mine came back from one of those crazy obstacle races and commented, “I’m finally used to walking around with my shoes, socks, and feet soaking wet and cold.” He said that when he first started exercising outside he had no tolerance for cold, wet shoes and socks but now that he’s had to run through swamps and mud puddles, it’s no big deal: He hardly notices. 

This got me to wondering if the real reason we don't exercise is our desire to avoid any experience of discomfort. People often say they don’t exercise because they have no time, but in the same breath talk about how much they want to get healthy, and how much they believe exercise is the path to better health. It's a puzzling contradiction—or is it?

Theories of human behavior have long shown that immediate experience often outweighs future rewards. What this means is that it is hard to do something uncomfortable even if it earns us something good later.

Exercise is uncomfortable—uncomfortable relative to our typical reality, that is. We live in a society where we keep the indoor temperature adjusted to perfection all year round, wrap ourselves in soft clothing, wear thick-soled shoes to protect our feet from harm, lay on cushy beds draped in poofy covers, and shower and scrub with warm water and soap every single day. Is all of this First-World pampering making us intolerant to even mild physical discomfort? Maybe exercise isn't too uncomfortable—maybe our everyday lives are a little too comfortable.

Here are many of the discomforts I have heard people (myself included!) blame on exercise:

• I hate sweating.
• I hate being too hot.
• I hate being too cold.
• I hate being out of breath.
• I hate when my hair gets messed up.
• I hate sore muscles.
• I hate blisters and calluses.
• I hate getting wet in the rain.
• I hate getting out of bed when it’s dark and cold.
• I hate going out at night when it’s dark and cold.
• I hate getting dirty.
• I hate working out in front of people at the gym.

Yes, all of these things are uncomfortable. But as my friend realized, what is uncomfortable today may hardly be noticeable later, after you've experienced that discomfort over and over again. I challenge you to challenge yourself to confront a discomfort that's prevented you from exercising.

Are you trying to eat more healthily as part of your New Year's resolutions? Here are 10 tips for maximising the nutrients in your meals that will boost your health and help keep your intention to eat healthier food on track.  The emphasis on adding things rather than taking things away is helpful, so that you don't have to think of changes to your diet as a punishment. Number 4 is my favourite way to add extra goodness and flavour to my meals. What's yours?

10 Tips To Boost The Nutrient Density Of Your Meals

By Dr. Shawna Darou via Mindbodygreen

In a world where we are constantly looking for tips and tricks to boost our energy, mood and productivity, we can't ignore nutrition. Rather than focusing on what to avoid in your diet, I like to shift the focus to increasing the nutrient density of your meals. This way you are adding much more healthy proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, and as a result, some of the less-healthy things easily fall away.

Here are my top 10 tips to boost the nutrient density of your diet:

1. Drop the filler foods.
I would consider bread, rice, pasta and crackers as some examples of filler foods that are taking up a significant caloric portion of your meals, but are not giving much back nutritionally. If you replace these servings with more vegetables or starchy vegetables like sweet potato, yam, squash, beets and carrots, you are greatly increasing the nutrients in your meal.

2. Eat more leafy greens.
Leafy greens are a powerhouse of nutrition. Include these in salads, stir-fries, sautéed greens with garlic, or even in green smoothies for convenience.

3. Add a veggie snack every day.
One of the goals with a nutrient dense diet is to increase your vegetable intake to at least 6 servings daily. Adding a vegetable snack every day will help you to reach this. Try vegetables with hummus, celery with almond butter, or simply a small bowl full of colourful raw veggies when you need a crunchy snack.

4. Top your meals with nuts and seeds.
Another easy tip to up the nutrient density of your meal is to top it off with mineral-rich nuts or seeds. Consider preparing your favourite blend of hemp hearts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, slivered almonds or others that can be sprinkled onto your meal.

5. Eat ½ plate of vegetables with each meal.
Change the way you build your plate to incorporate more vegetables. This way of eating is optimal for your weight and metabolism, and will also ensure that you meet all of your vitamin and mineral requirements each day.

6. Add more power foods to your breakfast.
Breakfasts can be far more creative than toast, bagels and cereal! Start your day off right with an energy boost by drinking a green smoothie, topping your porridge with hemp hearts, chia seeds, cinnamon and goji berries, or eating a vegetable packed frittata to start your day off right.

7. Focus on lots of color.
Just as we remind children to eat all the colours of the rainbow, the practice of eating colourful meals keeps us healthy too. Bring in the balance of different coloured vegetables and fruits into each of your meals to reach the full range of plant-based nutrients. Some of the most colourful foods have extremely high levels of antioxidants — turmeric, pomegranate, beets, watercress, spinach and sweet potatoes to name a few.

8. Eat protein with each meal.
Most people struggle with some degree of blood sugar regulation issues, ranging from hypoglycemia to insulin resistance to diabetes. One of the best ways to maintain stable blood sugar levels is to eat protein with each meal. Depending on your dietary preference this can be healthy versions of fish, meat, poultry and eggs, or vegetarian sources such as beans or lentils.

9. Include healthy fats.
Thank goodness we are finally over the low-fat diets! Including healthy fats is essential for your mood, hormone balance, cognitive function, skin health and more. Some of the top fats to add for a balanced meal are olive oil, coconut oil, nuts seeds or avocado.

10. Don't forget the fibre.
Fiber will naturally come with the addition of more vegetable and fruits, so don't be tricked into eating lots of whole grains to meet your daily fiber requirements! You can further top up your fiber with the addition of ground flax or chia seeds, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds. Whole foods naturally contain a good amount of fiber.

In conclusion, as you are making nutritional changes towards a nutrient dense diet, don't forget about the joy and pleasure of eating. I always encourage my patients who are taking on a new diet to look at it as a cooking adventure! Your attitude will make all the difference in changing the way you eat as a long-term lifestyle change, instead of just a new diet.

And finally, a great picture quote to remind you that it's up to you..... :-) 

New Beginnings

I've been writing this blog for a whole year now! I am quite thrilled that I've managed to do it. I'm pleased that I've had the discipline to do it even when it was hard to find the time, the words, or the information I wanted to share.

At the beginning of 2014, it was my intention to use the Thrive Yoga Lifestyle blog to share inspiring ways to live life in a creative, fun and intentional way.  I hope you feel that I've delivered and that you were motivated to visit somewhere new, try a new recipe, create something interesting and beautiful or make some minor adjustments in your life so that it flows a little more smoothly.

I have the intention to continue the blog in 2015 as there's still so much good stuff that I come across that I want to share in the hope that it enhances your life in some way. I'm going to change the format slightly, and remove the "Visiting", "Making" and "Growing" categories to allow me greater freedom to share whatever I feel might be interesting and helpful.

Thank you for reading. Please share this with friends and family so we can all be inspired to grow towards living lives we love that support and understand each other.

So, on to the first article of 2015 ...

The number one New Year's Resolution is, apparently, to lose weight, and January is the time when many people go on a diet. But diets can be unhelpful for long-term weight loss as the following article in this week's "Waitrose Weekend" (Waitrose's free weekly customer newspaper) explains:

For the Body : Ditch the Diet

Quick-fix diets are likely to cause those who follow them to shed the Christmas pounds, then end up heavier than when they started, experts claim.

Fad diets encourage bodies to become more efficient at storing calories, according to Azmina Govindji, of the British Dietetic Association, which means weight is piled back on - and more - once normal eating is resumed. 

The claim, which comes as hundreds of thousands of Brits embark upon New Year diets, is backed by research. A review of 31 different long-term studies by the University of California showed dieters may lose 5-10% of their weight but most put it back on plus more. 

Instead, people wanting to lose weight for good should ditch diets in favour of healthy eating and balanced meals that include fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. 

"When you go on a low-calorie diet for a period of time, your body starts to think, "I'm not going to get much food" so it becomes really efficient at storing fat," Govindhi said. "It goes into what we might call starvation mode. So when you start eating more calories again, because you've become so efficient at storing them as fat, you pile weight on. It's a really false economy to go on a faddy, low-calorie diet." And it's not just reduced calorie consumption leading to rapid weight loss. Some diets cut out entire food groups, such as carbohydrates or dairy, leaving those following them at risk of not getting enough necessary nutrients and minerals. 

In a feature on healthy eating in this issue of Waitrose Weekend, alternative approaches include eating Mediterranean foods and swapping meat for pulses. 

Among the most popular diets for the New Year are the Paleo diet, which emulates the food intake of cavemen, the low-carb Dukan, and the 17-day diet, which restricts food consumption in 17-day phases.

"Short-term diets don't really teach you much. You're not really learning about portion control or mindful eating," added Govindhi. "It's important that we maintain our long-term health rather than simply monitoring calories in and calories out. This means eating a balance of nutrients and avoiding foods which are high in salt and saturated fats."

You can pick up a free copy of Waitrose Weekend, which features recipes, articles and money-off coupons, each week at your local branch. You can also download the Waitrose Weekend app here.

For Your Mind : New Year, New Brain - 11 Exercises To Sharpen Your Mind

by Lisa Wimberger via Mindbody Green

CrossFit might be the latest fitness craze sweeping the nation, but there's one area of your body that historically hasn't received a lot of attention, although that's starting to change. Apps and games that are supposed to help you "train your brain" are becoming increasingly trendy as users try to maintain (or exceed) their capacity to learn and remember.

Well, you don't need a special app, book or program to train your brain. Some basic understanding about how the brain works — and how it functions at its very highest capacity — is enough to help you keep those wits sharp. If you're pressed for time and need a quick pick-me-up, any of these tips should help get you back on track (and the more you can manage, the better!).

1. Eat right, every day.
Sugar might give you a short bump of energy, but it won't help you think any more clearly and you will crash and burn after that bump has passed. Protein and healthy fats are much more to your brain's liking than fueling predominantly on sugars, and there's no more important time to feed your brain than first thing in the morning. So serve up eggs, blueberries, avocado and other "brain foods" for breakfast.

2. Stay out of the stress-response cycle.
Your brain excels at detecting danger — after all, if that weren't the case your ancestors wouldn't have survived very long! But in today's world, our brains are too good at detecting danger that isn't actually there. It's not good for you to live in the stress-response cycle where your brain and body are constantly primed for whatever "danger" is lurking beyond the bend, because that "danger" isn't real. Keep those stress hormones out of your bloodstream by refusing to become engaged when the cycle starts up.

3. Engage in problem-solving puzzles.
These puzzles help engage the prefrontal cortex, the area of your brain involved in empathy, higher learning and, of course, problem-solving. Spending a little time every day on a puzzle that requires you to enter your prefrontal cortex, whether it's a Sudoku or a simple jump-the-peg board game, is great for brain health.

4. Learn a new skill or a hobby.
It's the perfect time of year to start taking on new things, and learning a new skill or a hobby is a brain exercise in and of itself. When you're learning something new, different areas of your brain are activated and those areas will keep you out of the stress-response cycle simply by virtue of being activated! You're never too old to learn to play the piano, practice your keyboarding or take up gardening; in fact, you'll keep your brain young by teaching it new tricks.

5. Listen to new and different music.
You might have music lurking in your library that you've never listened to before and now's the time to dig it out and dig in. The prefrontal cortex adores music, especially new and novel music that it can't easily predict. You'll find you're more alert and focused if you mix up your tunes.

6. Use your non-dominant hand for daily exercises.
Practice answering the phone, brushing your teeth or performing another task you do every day without thinking about it, but with your non-dominant hand. By practicing like this, you're triggering your prefrontal cortex and building neurons that appreciate the new and novel.

7. Move items around in your workspace.
There are things you use every day, whether you're a banker or a stay-at-home parent; you probably just have to think about them and your body begins to remember patterns. If you move some of these items around, each time you reach for them you'll will be forced to pause and re-assess for a brief moment. This brings activity to the front of the brain and is a form of cognitive exercise. A sense of novelty can do wonders for brain performance.

8. Breathe deep in your belly.
There's a reason why this one always shows up on lists: It's effective! Breathe deeply, counting your breaths. By the time you get to ten, any stress response you've triggered will likely be dissipated and you'll be back in the learning and empathetic area of your brain once again.

9. Journal.
Write out one to three pages in a notebook every morning when you wake up. It doesn't matter what the pages say, but there's something about a brain dump first thing in the morning that clears your plate and cleanses your palate for the rest of the day.

10. Speak in the "I can" rather than the "I can't."
When you find yourself thinking about your limitations, reframe them as possibilities. For example, instead of dwelling on how little money is in your bank account, focus on the aspects of the situation you can control: "I can start shopping once a week from a list and make more meals instead of eating out." "I can ask the person from work who lives in my neighborhood if they want to carpool." "I can negotiate a lower monthly student loan payment." If you can't think of anything to focus on, then simply practice on using a statement of possibility: "I wonder what this situation will bring into my life."

11. Shake to bring your central nervous system back to homeostasis.
If you do slip into the stress-response cycle, give yourself a shake after you realize what you're doing and stop yourself. Ever been in a car accident? There's a reason why you literally shake after a high-intensity moment like that — it's your body's way of ridding your muscles and brain cells of the stress hormones that have accumulated from your real (or imagined) brush with death. You can replicate that effect by shaking yourself!

When you take time to do just one or two of these mini brain boosters every day, you'll be surprised by how much sharper and more focused you feel. Add more than one, and your brain just might be in the best shape of its life!

For Your Spirit : The Landscape Photographer of the Year Exhibition

If you're waiting for a train at Waterloo Station and need uplifting to get you through your journey home, check out the Landscape Photographer of the Year Exhibition. For the first time, this wonderful exhibition is being displayed on the recently built mezzanine at the station until 31st January 2015. And it's free! 

And for body, mind and spirit combined, here's a great video for you... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egxmSl6g8Uc&feature=player_detailpage

It features the exploits of 70-something Steven Jepson who keeps himself healthy (and extremely agile) in body, mind and spirit by playing and having fun. It is inspirational! Right.... I'm off to the park!!


Finally, remember that Amaryllis that I planted back at the beginning of December? ...Well it grew. A lot. And flowered. A lot!! Here's a picture: