Sexy, Fit and Fabulous for 2014

How many times have you said to yourself, “I have to lose weight”, “I have to go to the gym more often”, “I have to eat healthier”, I want to look sexy, fit and fabulous.

We tend to do the same resolutions every year, but nothing happens because we are simply not ready. We know that at some point we will have to decide what we really want. We want to look sexy, fit and fabulous!

What we think, believe and do is a reflection of our internal balance and harmony with ourselves. When we become conscious of that it becomes easier to make proper food choices.

The approach to healthy eating is a slow transition.

1.            LOVE YOURSELF

Find a quiet, peaceful moment in your busy schedule. Create a personal space using candles, incense, flowers and stones in your favourite room. 

Think about all the good things that happened to you lately – especially when you feel down or caught in negative feelings. Be grateful for everything you have: health, people that you love and that love you, your parents, your spouse, friends etc. Write down your affirmations. Visualize what you would like to create in your life and sense it as if it is happening right now (health, sexy, fit and fabulous slender body, happiness, harmony), and practice love, peace and compassion.

2.            LOVE YOUR FOOD

Listen to your Body. How do you feel emotionally, physically and spiritually after ingesting certain foods?  What are your cravings? Incorporate one food at a time and experiment with it. Prepare your food with love, as it will aid in digestion. Create your own recipes in order to develop a relationship with food.

3.            LET IT GO

Our body needs natural food, rich in nutrients and enzymes without pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and that has not been irradiated, packaged, processed and genetically modified. Eliminate them!  Remember what you put in your body is what you become. If you put junk in your body, your body becomes a junk yard, and if you put superfoods in your body you become healthy, happy,sexy, fit and fabulous in body, mind and spirit. A work of art! 

 

 4.            EAT SUPERFOODS

Superfoods will detoxify your body and nourish and rejuvenate the cells. These life-force foods include fruits, vegetables, and raw or sprouted seeds and nuts. Think about live, organic food taken from the garden and solar-powered with the sun’s energy. When we eat this food, this energy is transferred into our body and gives us energy, youthfulness, and well-being.

SEA VEGETABLES: Eat spirulina, dulse, wakame, arame, kombu, or chlorella on a daily basis. They are packed with trace minerals, and they remove toxic chemicals and metals from the body. Toss them on salads or use in soups.

VEGETABLES: Make your own salad with radicchio, green leafy lettuce, arugula, and dandelion. You can add beans or radishes and sprinkle on some ground flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, or dulse.

WHOLE GRAINS: Eat fibre such as basmati brown rice, amaranth hemp seeds, kamut breads and Quinoa. They are important for digestive health and efficient bowel movements.

GOJI BERRIES: Packed with nutrients and fiber, eat this fruit at least ½ hour before your meal. Have a bowl of fruit in the morning. Mix apples, papayas, mangoes, pineapples, bananas, pears and sprinkle with Goji berries.

SEEDS AND NUTS: Eat almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and brazil nuts. For better digestion soak seeds and nuts over night.

SMOOTHIES: Mix hemp or rice protein with almond milk in a blender.  Add some maca and/or bee pollen, as well as frozen bananas. It is so yummy and filling.

WATER: Drink water that has gone through reverse osmosis.  Make sure that you get at least two litres of water a day to help your body remove toxic waste, especially if you drink coffee and alcohol, which are diuretics and promote fluid loss.

GREEN TEA: Drink this instead of coffee. It is a potent antioxidant, contains flavonoids, helps regulate blood sugar, and is anti-inflammatory.

LEAN PROTEIN:  Fish, eggs, and chicken are very good for non-vegetarians.

 

5.            EXERCISE

There is no weight loss and fit body without exercise. Adding 30 to 45 minutes of gentle physical exercise such as walking, cycling, and dancing will promote cleansing of the blood by stimulating circulation and perspiration. It will increase strength and well-being, and reduce stress. Be around people that exercise regularly and eat healthy!

Treat your body, your temple, the house of your soul with care and respect. You want to make the best choices for your body; you want to eat the best food available on the planet and we want to be sexy, fit and fabulous.

HERB BROCCOLI SALAD

2 cups broccoli, chopped in florets

1 yellow red bell pepper, cubed

2 tbsp capers, sundried

1 lemon, freshly squeezed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic, minced

½ tsp marjoram, dry

½ tsp sage, dry

Celtic salt to taste

Sunflower seeds

 

Combine broccoli, red bell pepper, capers, lemon, olive oil, garlic, marjoram, sage and salt in a salad bowl

Marinate the mixture for ½ hour

Sprinkle with sunflower seeds

 

 

Body Detox Techniques

with

Exercise, Dry skin Brushing and Infra-red sauna

Simona Stepancic BSc, RHN, ROHP, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Orthomolecular practitioner, Raw Food Coach

 

 

EXERCISE

 

Physical exercise speeds up removal of toxins by stimulating circulation and perspiration.

It stimulates the lymphatic system and transports oxygen and nutrients to the cells, and carries toxins and wastes from the cells to the elimination organs.

Exercise increases strength and well-being, energizing both body and mind.

It lowers blood pressure, improves your mood, reduces stress, and raises feel good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.

Rebounding, cycling, swimming, dancing, yoga, stretching, walking, and aerobic exercise are excellent during a detox.

Exercise daily and you will feel energized, self confident and emotionally high.

 

DRY-SKIN BRUSHING

Dry Skin brushing is a wonderful way to stimulate your circulation and help with lymphatic drainage. It increases cell skin renewal, makes your skin smooth and soft, removes cellulite, tightens the skin and strengthens the immune system.

 

Dry skin brushing techniques:

 

Use a soft natural fiber brush; avoid synthetic bristles as they can be too hard on the skin.

Always dry brush your skin before you shower.

Start at your feet and toes, and use long strokes to brush toward your heart and up.

Avoid tender areas where the skin is thin around the breasts and face, and avoid moles and birth marks.

Brush your stomach using circular motions clockwise.

Brush your hands from your fingers up to your shoulders towards the heart.

Dry-brush your skin every morning and evening before bathing for 5 minutes.

After brushing take a nice shower to remove all those dead skin cells.

Towel dry the whole body and apply sesame, coconut or almond oil to soften the skin.

 

Cleansing the body is one of the best ways to restore vitality and remain healthy in the polluted environment.

 

INFRA-RED SAUNA

 

Studies show that infra-red sauna therapy can eliminate a wide range of chemical compounds such as heavy metals, PCB’s, pesticides, and prescription and non-prescription drugs.

Heat causes fat-soluble chemicals to be released from the fat cells and tissues into the lymph fluid. These toxins are then expelled from the body through the sweat.

Infra-red sauna can be applied to a wide range of conditions such as chemical sensitivities, auto-immune conditions, allergies, chronic fatigue and cancer.

 

The benefits of infra-red sauna:

Improves circulation, regulates blood pressure, and promotes a better skin tone and healing of skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. It relaxes muscles, reduces fatigue, and reduces physical and emotional stress.

 

Simona Stepancic BSc, RHN, ROHP, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Orthomolecular practitioner and Raw Food Coach

 

Body Detox

with

Nutrient-Rich Food – Vegetables

 Simona Stepancic BSc, RHN, ROHP, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Raw Food Coach, Orthomolecular practitioner

There are a few detoxifying techniques that you can incorporate into your life.

 

 

1.      Eat organic nutrient-rich food

2.      Exercise

3.      Dry skin brushing

4.      Infra-red sauna

 

VEGETABLES:

 

Carrots:

Carrots are one of the best body cleansers. They contain Beta-carotene, vitamin B, calcium, vitamin C, pectin and fibre.

Carrots have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. They strengthen the liver, kidneys, lungs and digestive system.

 

Celery:

Celery is excellent blood cleanser, diuretic and laxative. Celery contains vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, silica, fibre and coumarins, anti-cancer compounds that may be beneficial in cancer prevention. It helps to neutralize acids in the body.

Drink celery juice after exercise to replace lost electrolytes.

 

Kale:

Kale is rich in iron, sulfur, vitamin C, beta-carotene, chlorophyl and calcium. It contains powerful anticancer compounds that protect against breast, lung and colon cancer.

Kale has a cleansing effect on the body and its high fibre content helps cleanse the intestinal tract. Kale can be added to salads or included in vegetable juices.

 

Cabbage:

Cabbage contains beta-carotene, calcium, vitamin B1 and B6 and vitamin K. It is also a good source of fibre and has antiseptic, antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Cabbage cleanses the liver, detoxifies the stomach and helps with digestion. Cabbage contains phytonutrients that remove free radicals, toxins and carcinogens from the cells. Cabbage is especially potent when eaten raw or juced.

 

Simona Stepancic BSc, RHN, ROHP, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Raw Food Coach, Orthomolecular practitioner

 

 

DETOX YOUR BODY 

Simona Stepancic BSc, RHN, ROHP, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Orthomolecular practitioner and Raw Food Coach

Body cleansing has been around for thousands of years. In ancient times people cleansed the body and the mind.

Detoxification today is even more important then in ancient times. Today we are exposed to millions of pounds of chemicals in our environment. Toxins such as pesticides, herbicides, plastics, petrochemicals, heavy metals, pollutants in our water, additives in our food and residues from drugs, cigarette smoke, dental filings and paints irritate our bodies, making them more prone to disease and ailments such as allergies, cancer, arthritis, heart disease etc.

Our bodies are overloaded and work overtime to eliminate toxic materials from tissues and organs.

Detoxification helps the body open all channels of elimination to remove toxins and waste deposits.

 

There are a few detoxifying techniques that you can incorporate into your life.

 

1.      Drink water

2.      Eat organic nutrient-rich food

3.      Exercise

4.      Dry skin brushing

5.      Infra-red sauna

 

Simona Stepancic BSc, RHN, ROHP, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Raw Food Coach and Orthomolecular practitioner

 

 

 

 

After a long hot summer we are back to work and ready for a new journey of conscious eating.

Our busy schedule might prevent us from thinking about the healthy food that’s best for us each day. But with planning ahead, our lunches gives us confidence and security. When shopping for particular food, ask yourself:  “Do I want this food to become part of my healthy body cells?”

Think about your total nourishment of the day. We need to eat (I would like to encourage you to eat) every three to four hours to balance blood sugar in order to maintain energy and focus.

I always recommend green drinks first thing in the morning. Drink them on a bus or train if you don’t have time at home. Mix greens with water or your favorite juice to embellish the flavour. If we don’t fuel our body properly in the morning, we will feel grumpy and moody, and will not be able to think straight.

Be creative when preparing a meal or a snack for work. Use different colours, shapes and textures of organic fruits and vegetables.

Serve celery sticks, radishes, cucumbers, carrot sticks, and chopped fennel with home-made spreads. You can also prepare your own cream cheese by mixing pine nuts, lemon, celery and a little water in a blender or food processor. Dips and spreads can stay for a week in the refrigerator.

You can use wraps such as rice paper, kamut pitas, and raw Nori sheets. Fill them with hummus or choose from a variety of home-made raw spreads, and add fresh vegetables such as radishes, cucumbers, sunflower sprouts, etc.

Make your own salad of radicchio, green leafy lettuce, arugula, and dandelion. You can add beans, radishes and sprinkle some ground flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, dulse or whatever you prefer. Bring your own salad dressing made of extra virgin olive oil, lemon and Celtic sea salt.

Munch on Goji berries, which are packed with nutrients and fibre.  Have at least two apples a day. You can also make yourself a smoothie made of parsley and mango, which can be prepared ahead of time.

Take a protein shake with you if your work hours are long and you are heading to the gym after work.  You can choose from hemp, rice or whey protein; just mix them with water and add some fresh or frozen berries such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Protein shakes will keep you energized and alert and you will be able to work out longer.

 

And remember to drink water! Recommended is at least ten glasses of Reverse osmosis water every day. The amount depends on climate, stress and exercise. Have a bottle with you every day.

Many of us eat lunches away from home. Here are a few suggestions to choose proper food when eating out.

• Choose a restaurant with healthful dishes on a menu.
• Eat a salad or other vegetables with your chicken or fish if you have to have a meat
• When having a salad, order dressing on the side, such as olive oil and lemon.
• Skip the bread and butter.
• Avoid deep fried vegetables; ask the server to steam your vegetables.
• If you have allergies and intolerances to food always ask your server for the ingredients and method of preparation of your particular dish.

The transition to a healthy diet and lifestyle can be easy. Once you make the change, you won’t want to go back.  The rewards include improved memory, clarity, and focus.

 

Simona Stepancic, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Orthomolecular practitioner, Raw food coach