As written for InShape News

It seems ‘The Master Cleanse’ is all the rage right now. And, whilst I’m dubious, I thought I’d give it a go.

Google reveals it has three parts: Ease In, the Lemonade Diet — think American home-made lemonade not the fizzy carbonated stuff — and Ease Out. The main detox involves drinking a mixture of maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper in water anytime you feel hungry. No other food except plenty of water, and a laxative each morning and night.

Many detox-style diets start with drinking lemon juice — to soften stools — and cayenne pepper – to speed up the metabolism. The maple syrup simply makes the drink taste better and gives you some calories — about 600 a day — so really this is a bit like a ‘Clayton’s’ version of fasting.

It’s suggested the Lemonade Diet is followed for 10-days, however there’s good medical reasons why you shouldn’t exceed 2 days.

These are as follows:

•  Your liver requires certain nutrients to function properly.
• After 48 hours your body’s reserves are depleted and you’ll start feeling side effects including boredom, irritability, lack of concentration and headaches, as well as a decreased metabolism, despite the cayenne.
• Plus, in any reduced calorie program muscle, not fat, is the first to be consumed by the body.

With all this in mind, I tried the program. Here’s what I thought.

Day 1:

The Lemonade recipe is far too sweet and the pinch of cayenne is hardly noticeable. What is it with American palates? So I halve the syrup and double the pepper. After the second drink I decide I actually don’t like the taste of maple syrup and the conspiracy theorist in me can’t help but wonder if this cleanse is just clever marketing by the Maple Growers Association. I switch to natural raw or Manuka honey instead for its flavour and health properties.

Drinking loads of filtered water helps with stomach rumblings. The water that does most of the detox anyhow. By late afternoon I finally get to the chemist and buy Nu-Lax, which is fruit based and gentle. My energy levels are good but it’s hard not to eat dinner with my husband.

Day 2:

It’s exit all areas and I’d forgotten how bad stomach cramps and the green apple splatters can be. I wonder again why I thought this was a good idea. By the end of day two my energy levels are starting to wane and the extra bowel movements are limiting my regular activities.

Days 3 onwards:

I start adding whole food back to my diet starting with more liquid type foods. These are vegetable soups, fruit and vegetable smoothies and juices for a few days. But, these are only freshly made from ‘live’ ingredients, not shop bought. This allows my intestines to reacclimatise whilst gradually building up my intake of solid foods.

In Summary:

Sure after a few days I feel better and the scales are lighter, but why wouldn’t they be? Really the whole concept of ‘detox’ is a bit of a fallacy. What’s important to realise is these programs don’t actually detox you, they just allow your intestines to empty more than usual.

And it doesn’t really matter which one you do. They all follow basically the same principle. Eat less, eat only living foods and cut out all animal products, sugars, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol. It’s a pretty simple concept, and one that due to increased fibre consumption with or without a laxative, that is sure to get results.

More interestingly though, if we didn’t eat all the rubbish in the first place then we wouldn’t feel we need to detox, ever. And the big issue with all these ‘detox’ programs is that when we go off it, we return to our old habits, and therein lies the real issue. If we ate more sensibly, controlled our intake of calories and processed foods and drank lots of water then we’d feel healthier, our weight would stabilise and we’d probably live longer too.

The bottom line is, detox programs are not a quick weight loss fix. The only real weight loss solution is slow, steady portion control, regular exercise and changing your behaviour at a subconscious level. And I should know because that’s exactly how I lost 70 kilograms and kept it off.

As written for InShape News: http://inshapenewsflash.com/opinion/bikram_yoga/

I have, for some time, been lectured by converts on the ancient wisdom and natural healing powers of this hot form of yoga, so I thought it was time I experienced it for myself.

So, I headed to Bikram Yoga Melbourne, situated on Bridge Road, Richmond, in Victoria, for my first class. I probably should have done some research first, but I wanted to go in cold, with no expectations, no training and no warning. I actually thought it would be a piece of cake having done classical yoga for several years. But Bikram is different.

Firstly, the room is hot — 40 degrees — so you sweat massively. Secondly, whilst participants are quiet there is continual coaching from the instructor, virtually no silence. Thirdly, the class was an hour and a half long. Did I mention the 40 degrees?

Was it easy? It’s true the heated environment allows for much deeper stretching, but I have to admit that after an hour I wanted to run and fling the windows wide-open so I could breathe in the cool air. However, Bikram is also about persistence, dedication and discipline, and it’s in that very moment of doubt where you find your inner strength and power.

Did I like it? I have to confess that Bikram is not my all-time favourite way to work out. But it does provide good variety and has some great health benefits. And the invigoration you feel after you leave the hot room is pretty exhilarating.

Favourite pose? There were 26 (mostly) poses, some easier than others. My favourite was Savasana or the dead body pose. Do Bikram and you’ll find out why!

Will I go back? Whilst studios will suggest that you should practice Bikram yoga daily, I am considering a weekly class to assist with long term flexibility.

Bikram Tips:

Follow these simple tips to ensure you get the most out of your class:

• Having an empty stomach is considered best for all forms of yoga, so it’s best not to eat for two hours before any class.
• Wear very light clothing. An action back singlet or crop top with stretchy short leggings is best. Sweat head bands and wrist bands can also be useful. And wear thongs or shoes that you can easily remove.
• It’s yoga etiquette to take your own mat but most studios generally have mats for rent.
• Take a large bottle of water into class with you, along with a large towel to cover your yoga mat as well as a smaller sweat towel.
• Don’t wear any perfumes or strong deodorants as this will impact others around you. Class rooms are regularly aired, but if you’re worried then head to the day’s first class for a fresher room.
• During the class don’t expect to achieve the full poses first time. Go at your own pace and don’t stretch beyond what is reasonable for your level of fitness and experience. In time you will achieve more.
• After class remember to rehydrate with plenty of water and boost your electrolytes if necessary.

As written for SophistiCareer: http://sophisticareer.com.au/half-the-woman-i-was-how-i-lost-70kg-naturally-part-2/

Step two may seem a bit of a ‘no brainer’ – incorporating exercise into my daily routine. But what kind of exercise would produce maximum results with the least effort? And how little could I really get away with? With my eating plan becoming more comfortable it was now time to get my body right.

At 143kg I struggled to walk, puffing at the slightest incline or increased pace. I would park close to where I was going so I hardly had to walk. I would even drive around trying to find the closest parking space rather than walking an extra 50 metres. So I knew I had to start slow.

At first exercising was just a burning desire to prove the world wrong: that I was born with the world’s worst metabolism and I couldn’t lose weight. I began with a gentle stroll each day at about 3km/hr (225 cal/hr). It was all I could manage. I’d have preferred to be couch surfing and move quickly towards an early death.

But as I started to see results on the scales my mind shifted and I started to actually enjoy it. I began wearing a pedometer and became more creative about ways I could increase my step count: park further away; take the stairs; just move more. That initial change, getting into action, was the most important. Once I actually started doing some exercise it became easier, and once it became easier I then felt like doing more.

With increased activity my mood began to change – the air of depression gradually began to lift and I started to feel more positive. I still had the occasional day where I fell off the wagon – but they became fewer and fewer. In the end weight loss is about consistency of action and commitment to yourself.

Due to my size I had to start with low weight bearing activities to prevent injury. I began to research the amount of calories burned with various exercises. Swimming (563 cal/hr) would have been a good option but the thought of me in a bathing suit in a public pool was paralysing. I opted instead for a stationary bike (675 cal/hr) which I could watch in front of the TV. It kept my mind occupied and enabled me to burn more calories especially as I could wear just a crop top and shorts to work out harder. I may have looked awful but it was in private. And so I began to sweat – a lot of sweat.

But with all this sweat came dehydration, so I had to learn about water: How much did the body need at rest? What about when exercising? What does water actually do in the body? I found out I now needed 4.2 litres each day to rid my body of the toxins from my weight loss activities. Boy was that a lot to get down every day, but my results on the scales continued to improve with each passing week.

After I’d lost around 40kg I wanted to start toning my excess skin so I wouldn’t look like a saggy baggy elephant. I read about the benefits of resistance training for skin elasticity. More importantly I learned that by combining it with high intensity cardio I could actually achieve better weight loss and fitness results by spending less time exercising. I was sold.

But I soon learned that I also had to implement a stretching and recovery routine to get the best results. If I’d trained every day my body would have gotten fatigued, and I’d have become stiff and sore. My body needed time to recover, heal itself and, in the process, build more muscle. And the coolest thing was that having a higher proportion of muscle mass not only meant I looked thinner, it enabled me to burn more fat all day long – even while I was sleeping!

I didn’t realise I had learned so much about my body – now I was really on a roll and I was more motivated than ever. But there was a third and very crucial step that I was about to start implementing, and it was this last step that would make the biggest difference to my weight loss and give me the secret to lifelong health and vitality.

Read about Sigrid’s third step to her amazing weight loss transformation in part 3 of “How I Lost 70kg Naturally” coming soon.

And here’s why: Staying up late has some dangerous effects on the body – in fact it’s much more serious than just feeling a little tired or groggy in the morning.

It’s Not Natural: For 500,000 years man (and woman) has lived a diurnal existence – waking with the sun and sleeping when it’s dark. This is our design by simple evolution. However with technological advancement we now have the option to change our life-style and choose instead to be nocturnal. But forcing the body to go against its natural design places it under extreme stress and causes mental and physical changes in our body.

The Brain Drain: Most of us are aware that late nights can lead to sleep deprivation – just ask a night shift worker or someone that suffers from a sleeping disorder. Not getting the necessary 8 hours of quality sleep the body requires to regenerate and recharge itself each night leads to a reduction in brain and cognitive function. Dozens of studies have proven the clear connection between a lack of sleep and reduced mental stability. When this happens we experience reduced alertness, co-ordination, concentration, memory, and motivation.

Emotionally Charged: A 2007 joint study between Harvard Medical School and the University of California revealed that sleep deprivation causes a change in the brain where we are simply unable to put things into the proper perspective. As a result we become more emotional and tend to over react to simple events, often blowing things out of proportion.

The Long Haul: Insufficient or irregular sleeping patterns also have far reaching effects on the body’s long-term equilibrium, producing stress and creating hormonal changes. This causes a cascading range of physical effects in the body often leading to changes in body weight, a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, premature aging and even sleep paralysis. Further, a study in 2001 by Chicago Medical Institute proposed that a continued lack of quality sleep could also be linked to diseases including stroke, heart disease, breast and prostate cancer, and mental illness including psychosis and bipolar disorder.

Bottom Line: Sure, having the occasional late night every now and again won’t cause irreversible damage. But getting enough restful sleep each night is critical to maximising your health and vitality. And if you want to stay as youthful and beautiful as Sleeping Beauty then stick to a regular sleep schedule and see your doctor if you’re having trouble sleeping.

It can bemuch more difficult to maintain or lose weight whilst traveling because we’re away from our usual routine and our usual food sources. Flying, in particular, can be a disaster for diets as airline food tends to be very high in sodium, sugar, saturated fats (and trans fats!) and preservatives and low in vitamins, minerals and fibre. But why is this so and what can we do about it? Guillaume de Syon, a history professor at Albright College said that the higher altitudes alter the way we taste and food will often taste “dry and flavorless” as a result of the pressurization. Further passengers, feeling thirsty due to pressurization, many drink alcohol when they ought to drink water.

Whilst many airlines are trying to impove the quality of their meals there are three main reasons that they will rarely reach a high standard. First, the change in the air pressure and the low humidity inside the cabin numbs about one third of our taste buds making ‘normal’ food tasteless. Increased salt, sugar and spice are added to make airline meals more palatable. Second, airline meals need to be precooked and frozen to comply with health and safety standards. Unfortunately, the freezing process tends to degrade the taste of food (again) and so the meals are loaded up with even more extra salt and fat to compensate.  And third, preservatives and hydrogenated vegetable oils (high in trans fats) are necessary to stabilise and store the food.

So what can we do about it? First is to eliminate or restrict alcohol to one standard drink. The second is to drink plenty of bottled water – at least an average of 200mls per hour every hour. And avoid the sodas and fruit juices which hold no nutritional value.  Third is to order a special diabetic meal. Diabetic meals are lower in salt, sugar and fat, and whilst they may taste a little more bland they are generally prepared fresher, contain more fresh ingredients and are much better for you. Plus you’ll generally get served your meal first! If you’re on low cost carriers who don’t supply meals then make sure you have healthy low carb, low fat, low salt and no sugar foods to take with you to avoid the risk of impulse buying their unhealthy offerings.