Get Your Body Right

Asthma and VO2 Max

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Article as written for InShapeNews. See the original article here.

When I met my husband he suffered from asthma, but over the years it has virtually disappeared. So how did he do it?

Those who suffer from Asthma, characterised by frequent episodes of breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing, know that this chronic inflammatory disease is not much fun. Couple this affliction with related diseases like gastro-esophageal reflux, rhinosinusitis and obstructive sleep apnea, and it can be downright deadly.

Whilst it’s not completely understood why some individuals suffer from asthma, and to differing degrees, what is agreed is that cardiovascular exercise can assist in reducing the severity of it. No you can’t always control the air you breathe, but you can control how much air capacity your lungs have, this is known as the maximal oxygen consumption or VO2 max.

Unfortunately most people who suffer from asthma avoid exercise altogether as it often brings on an attack due to exercise-induced inflammation of the bronchial tubes, making it hard to breathe. But research shows that asthma sufferers who take the plunge and strengthen their lungs by increasing their VO2 max have much better resistance to attacks simply because their lungs can function more efficiently.

When I first met my husband he was using an inhaler multiple times a day. I have to admit that I soon become oblivious to that distinctive sound the inhaler makes as it injects its sometimes lifesaving dose.

Having never suffered from any breathing issues I was perhaps not as understanding as I could have been when it came to his asthma curtailing our activities. With a new and very active life together he soon strived to achieve the effortless level of breathing I enjoyed. In his aim to throw away his inhaler here’s what he did.

1. First, he avoided any asthma triggers like ‘unclean’ air environments, in particular smoke-filled environments, excessive air pollution and allergens.

2. Second, he learned and regularly practiced deep breathing exercises to start to increase his lung capacity and also as a way to calm down should an attack begin.

3. Third, he started low cardio exercise by simply walking. Gradually he walked further and faster, eventually even up very steep hills.

4. Fourth, he sought out higher intensity exercises, his favourite being water aerobics. Once a gentle pastime created to keep the elderly more active, when practised in deeper water at a higher intensity it is one of the most beneficial low-impact cardiovascular activities around. Try racing someone the length of a pool holding foam dumbbells and you’ll see what I mean.

Did these four steps work? You bet they did and that ‘puffer’ sound is now a distant memory. And whilst he still has his inhaler in case of emergency, he hasn’t used it for years.

Get Your Body Right, Plan Your Trip

How to Select the Perfect Mattress

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Ok, show of hands – who here has bought a mattress before? For those of you who have, it’s a safe assumption that you went to a store and bought it.

Before buying it, you would have tested it for a few minutes – probably doing what we like to call the ‘Infamous Mattress Test’, involving a brief lie down and a raft of uncertainties regarding whether or not to put your feet up and if it’s kosher to lie on your side or linger for more than a minute.

Of course, this is the way it’s always been and we’ve all fallen victim to the Infamous Mattress Test at one stage or another. But is this really the best way to choose a mattress?

Getting a good night’s sleep is vitally important to your health and wellbeing. It improves brain function and allows us to concentrate better on both complex and everyday tasks. However, many people find that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to have a good night’s sleep. So then, how do we improve the quality of our sleep?

That’s where OzMattress comes in. We design and engineer our mattresses to the highest standards. Surprisingly enough, this doesn’t require the large price tag you usually see with high quality mattresses. It’s about a fair go for mattress customers in Australia – something that has been unheard of for too long. Our lower overheads reduce costs but rather than pocketing that money, we take it off the price tag.

We’re so sure about the quality of our mattresses that we don’t want you to test it for just a minute or two in a cavernous, fluorescently lit showroom. Who can be really sure about what their buying after such a short test? No, our mattress tests are far from infamous and are done in the comfort of your own home. You’ve got 100 days to decide. How else would you be sure that something you’re going to spend one third of your life on is right for you? Test it doing what you’re actually going to use it for – I mean, everyone’s different, right? So sleep, snore, snuggle and salivate for 100 days, then you’ll know if you’ve chosen the right mattress.

Naturally, there are some decisions that you’ll have to make beforehand – the size of your mattress is a good place to start. From there, you have two choice of firmness – soft to medium and medium to firm. Why just two? Simple, we didn’t need three… we have the perfect balance with two.

But after all that, who are we exactly? Well, we’re just a group of Aussies based in Melbourne who know what Australians want. We don’t squash or fold our mattresses – they’re delivered right to your door – nay, your room – by our expert delivery men.

And that’s how you choose the perfect mattress.

About our Guest Blogger

ZakK

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Zak has slept in airports, train stations, hostels and stranger’s lounge rooms all over the world, so he appreciates a good night’s sleep when he gets one.

He’s the resident blogger for OzMattress – arguably Australia’s best (but definitely first exclusively online) mattress retailer.

 

 

 

How to Lose Weight Lying in Bed

Female belly with tape measure

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Want to know how the right mattress can help you lose weight while you sleep?

Read all about it here in Sigrid’s guest blog for OzMattress.

 

Get Your Body Right

Getting Rid of Cellulite

Skin staggered a cellulite

Column as written for InShape News. See the original post here:

Cellulite is common in women of all body shapes and sizes. In fact up to 90 percent of post pubescent women have some cellulite in the pelvic region, lower limbs, or abdomen. And although it may be unwanted, it’s completely normal.

Cellulite’s ‘dimpling’ effect is caused by little protrusions of fat through the fibrous connective tissue that lies under the surface of the skin (please refer diagram courtesy Wikipedia). What results is an orange peel or cottage cheese appearance of the skin.

Unfortunately it’s genetic – if your mother had it, then you’re likely to get it as well. And although there’s no permanent solution for cellulite, there are a number of things you can do to help reduce the appearance of it.

Lotion, Potions and Surgery

Most of these will do nothing including the array of new fad machines which don’t have any scientific proven results despite their marketing tactics. The only exceptions to reduce the appearance are:

– Creams with 2% aminophylline – drains water from fat cells temporarily.

– Liposuction – the physical extraction of fat cells.

However, neither of these provides any permanent solutions. So let’s now look at what can.

Eat Right

The presence of toxins from over processed and fast foods exacerbates the appearance of cellulite. Stick to a healthy diet of fresh vegetables, lean protein, complex carbohydrates and fresh fruit and you will avoid cellulite.

Lose Weight

As a general rule fat cells don’t multiply, they just enlarge when you put weight on. And enlarged fat cells tend to give a more dimpled appearance, so reducing your weight will help reduce the severity of cellulite.

Tone Up

If you don’t need to lose weight then toning up helps to reduce the appearance of cellulite by converting any excess fat to muscle. Make sure you include resistance training twice week into your exercise routine.

Move More

Those with circulation problems, including lymphatic issues, will tend to have a more prominent ‘cottage cheese’ look. Keeping active and mobile will help to improve your circulation and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

More Water, Less Salt

Drink at least 3 litres of water every day, more if you’re exercising, to flush the excess toxins out of your body. Also reduce your salt intake, as this minimises any water retention which can make the cellulite more obvious.

Reduce Stress

Stress produces the chemical catecholamine, via adrenalin, which has been associated with an increase in cellulite. So do what you can to keep the stress down.

 

Recipes

Recipe: Perfect Thai Salsa

Thai Salsa

This tasty Thai salsa has no oil, is low fat, extremely low calorie and high on protein and fibre so it will fill you up fast.

With the Asian flavours of coriander, mint and Thai basil, it has the unmistakable sweet, sour and salty balance thanks to a little sweetener, fresh lime juice and some fish sauce.

It makes a great healthy dip with your favourite vegetables (carrot, celery, capsicum crudités) or a small handful of organic corn chips (see here for the low down on corn and corn products).

Thai salsa is also perfect fat-free topping for any piece of steamed or oven baked fish, especially oily fishes like Atlantic salmon.

And blizt it into a sauce for cooking chicken, turkey, lamb or even tofu! How many ways can you use this Thai Salsa?

Ingredients

½ cup fresh mint leaves

½ cup fresh coriander leaves

½ cup Thai Basil leaves

1 small chilli (or more if you like your salsa firery!)

10g fresh ginger, peeled

3 large cloves garlic

250g tomatoes

100g qukes or peeled and seeded cucumber

100g red onion, spring onion or celery (for fructose mal-absorption)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon fish sauce

Stevia to taste or 1 tablespoon SplendaTM

Method

1. Chop the tomato finely and set aside in a colander to drain any excess liquid

2. Chop the qukes and onions or celery finely

3. Chop the herbs and chilli, finely, removing the chilli seeds if you prefer a mild salsa

4. Peel and mince the ginger and the garlic

5. Mix the above ingredients in a bowl and add the fish sauce, fresh lime juice and sweetener

6. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Alternatively if you have a Thermomix, place herbs, chilli, garlic and ginger in a bowl and blitz using the Turbo button for 2 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and process for 10 seconds on speed 4 or until combined and chopped to the desired consistency

If the salsa is too ‘juicy’ let it sit for 20 minutes in the refridgerator to infuse and then drain in a colander.

Nutritional Information

1 recipe / 500g contains:

126 Calories

1.0g fat (of which 0g is saturated)

6.3g protein

24.1g carbohydrate (of which 11.1g are sugars)

7.1g fibre

Serves 4

 

Get Your Body Right, Get Your Mind Right, Get Your Spirit Right

How Energised are You?

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In his groundbreaking book,’ The power of full engagement’, Dr Jim Loehr, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, maintains that ‘Managing energy, not time is the fundamental currency of High Performance”.

For many, the challenge is trying to maintain full energy, focus and engagement in all areas of our lives, like work, home, and relationships, and at the same time make time and energy to nurture ourselves. Anecdotal evidence suggests that depression, stress and anxiety are on the rise in the workplace, and also at home. Modern, busy lives often mean that maintaining our health as well as our happiness is becoming a struggle in itself as we try to give equal attention to our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing needs.

Is it realistic to think that we can be fully energised across all four areas?

What’s the impact when you, your team members or family members are lacking in Energy?

Based on their personal experience and years of research, co founders of Real Health and Happiness (R2H) Pete Jensen and Sigrid de Castella, have created a holistic approach to solving the personal energy puzzle. Say’s Pete, “When it comes to personal energy, some people have the Health puzzle complete, yet aren’t truly Happy. Others are very happy, but the Health piece of their puzzle is missing, which will impact their energy in the long term”.
 R2H provides the knowledge and tools to achieve both and live a daily, energised life!

Why the ‘Real’ in R2H?

Having both experienced success, and also the struggle with trying to maintain their energy on an ongoing basis, Pete and Sigrid have an acute empathy with ‘reality’ as opposed to visions of perfection and overnight fixes. Says Sigrid, “We’re about the Real challenges that Real people face on a daily basis.  We understand that the journey of Health and Happiness is not a straight line, and when you experience a dip often that’s the end of your attempt or you give up. Our methods have been carefully designed to be ‘real ‘and keep you on your path.”

Harnessing their combined experience and expertise, Pete and Sigrid are presenting a 1 day workshop on the 25th of May 2013 that will allow you to take stock of your current energy levels, find the missing pieces of your energy puzzle, and help you build a sustainable plan to ensure your success. This is a wonderful opportunity for your team members or personal network.

For more information about the workshop content and booking process, visit www.r2h.com.au

Your Presenters

Sigrid de Castella – An international author and weight loss expert, Sigrid lost more than 70 kg naturally, and reclaimed her life. An expert in the area of Health and Wellbeing, Sigrid shares her secrets, knowledge, skills and tools to guide you on a journey to sustainable health.

Pete Jensen – A global consultant and personal transformation expert, and with an intimate knowledge of the latest psychological teaching and tools on Happiness, Pete remained stuck in a long depression, until he rediscovered 3 age old proven core ingredients of Happiness which enabled his recovery and the successful life of adventure he enjoys today.

Recipes

Recipe: Natural Homemade Nut Butter

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Remember the old school days before the word peanut struck fear into the hearts and minds of school teachers everywhere? As kids we used to eat a lot of peanut butter. But with our new view on healthy eating we’ve come to realise that commercially bought peanut butters are generally packed with sugar, salt, oil and additives, which are best avoided.

In actual fact homemade nut butters are a healthy option, and in moderation can form a delicious and nutritious part of a healthy eating plan. There are plenty of nuts that contain real health benefits – walnuts, Brazils, almonds just to name three. Read my blog on the benefits of different nuts here.

And when it comes to homemade nut butters the bottom line is that healthy versions should contain only one ingredient… NUTS! So here’s how to make your own healthy home-made nut butters.

Making homemade nut butter can take up to 15 minutes of actual time in the food processor to release the oils from the nuts, so this is a job of patience. You’ll need a good quality food processor or a Thermomix and for best results follow these tips.

Tips

Always start with fresh raw and unsalted nuts.

Nuts are high in natural oils and can go rancid when stored at room temperature so store them in the freezer until ready to use.

You can roast your nuts just prior to making homeade nut butter (on 80 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes), but raw nuts are best used to preserve the natural oils, vitamins and minerals.

For a runnier consistency include a proportion of nuts with a very high natural oil content like macadamias, cashews or Brazils.

If your homemade nut butter is a little too firm you can add a small amount of nut oil such as macadamia oil to get the desired consistency.

Once your homemade nut butter is finished you can season to taste with spices, herbs, mineral salt or a sweetener if desired.

Remember to store your finished homemade nut butter in the refrigerator and remember it will firm up when cold and keep up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!)

Sigrid’s Basic Homemade Nut Butter

Ingredients:

60g raw almonds (with skin)

40g raw Brazil nuts

30g raw Pecan Halves

40g raw Walnut halves

30g raw hazelnuts

A little macadamia oil (if required)

Pink salt flakes

Method:

1. Place the nuts in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the regular cutting blade.

2. Process the nuts for about 45 seconds and stop the machine and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. You will have nut crumbs.

3. Continue processing for another 1 to 2 minutes until the ground nuts come together into a ball. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Taste the nut butter and add a little mineral or pink salt flakes.

5. Continue to pulse the nut butter until it reaches the desired consistency – up to another 10 minutes depending on the quality and strength of your food processor.

6. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly to ensure even texture.

7. Store your homemade nut butter in a sealed contained in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

This butter is delicious on a piece of toasted 100% rye sourdough or pumpernickle.

For Chunky Nut Butter

Remove 35g of the nuts prior to processing.

Follow the nut butter instructions to step 6 when the nut butter is finished.

7. Then stir in the nuts that you had set aside.

8. Process for a few seconds to cut the whole nuts into chucks.

9. Store your homemade nut butter in a sealed contained in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Cinnamon Walnut Butter

Ingredients:

200g raw shelled walnuts

½ teaspoon (or more) of cinnamon

Pink salt flakes to taste

Sprinkling of Stevia extract to taste

Method:

1. Place the walnuts in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the regular cutting blade.

2. Process the nuts for about 45 seconds and stop the machine and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. You will have nut crumbs.

3. Continue processing for another 1 to 2 minutes until the ground nuts come together into a ball. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Taste the nut butter and add the cinnamon, salt and Stevie. Adjust any quantities you require.

5. Continue to pulse the nut butter until it reaches the desired consistency – up to another 10 minutes depending on the quality and strength of your food processor.

6. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly to ensure even texture.

7. Store your homemade nut butter in a sealed contained in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

 

Recipes

Recipe: Perfect Iced Tea Recipes

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Iced tea can be one of the most refreshing things to drink on a hot day. Particularly popular in America where it’s been drunk since the 1700’s, it’s not seen the same widespread enjoyment here, although it is enjoyed all over Europe and Asia.

Low in calories and high in anti-oxidants getting the perfect iced tea recipe is also quite healthy. According to the National Cancer Institute, the presence of catechins in tea may help in treating and preventing cancer. And according to the Linus Pauling Institute studies have shown that certain teas, especially green and oolong, may assist in weight loss.

So why not give this refreshing beverage a try, and to make sure your experience is enjoyable, try these handy hints for the perfect iced tea recipe.

1. Use Enough Tea Bags

When foods are served cold, the flavours become dulled. So stronger teas, like Darjeeling, Jasmine or green teas, work better when served cold. Use at least two tea bags for every 750mls of water for best results.

2. Don’t Over Steep

If you prefer your tea stronger, use more tea bags rather than lengthening the steeping time (which is usually only around a minute or two). Allowing tea to overstep brings out the tannins in the tea and can make it bitter. For weaker tea, use the same number of bags and simply reduce the steeping time for better flavour.

3. Add Sweetener to Hot Water

If you sweeten your tea, add the sweetener to the hot tea in order to dissolve the grains. If you prefer to sweeten your tea afterwards then make a simple syrup from your sweetener rather than use granules which will leave grains in your glass.

4. Cool Before Refrigerating

Putting hot tea into a cold fridge will often result in cloudy tea. Allow your tea to cool for at least 30 minutes before you refrigerate. If you do end up with cloudy tea sometimes adding a bit of boiling water to it can fix it.

5. Stay Real

Don’t use artificial juices or ‘fake’flavoured tea bags. Only use real fresh squeezed juices for the very best flavour.

6. Fresh is Best

Your perfect iced tea recipe tastes best when it is freshly made. Make only what you will drink in two or three days.

 

Iced Tea on a Hot Day

2 fruit tea bags (whatever is your preference)

12 mint leaves, torn

500 mls boiling water

500 mls unsweetened pineapple or other fruit juice, chilled

2 passionfruit, halved and pulp removed

2 cups ice cubes

250 mls diet ginger beer, chilled

 

1. Place tea bags and half the mint in a large, heatproof jug.

2. Add boiling water and steep (jiggle) tea bags for 1 minute then remove

3. Let tea cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate until cold.

4. In a 2 litre container add chilled tea, fruit juice, passionfruit pulp and mint.

5. Stir until passionfruit seeds separate and tea is well combined.

6. Chill until ready to serve.

7. To serve half-fill each glass with tea, add ice cubes and top with ginger beer.

 

Irish Apple-Teas

2 Irish breakfast tea bags

500 mls boiling water

1 cinnamon quill

½ Vanilla pod, split in half

500 mls clear unsweetened apple juice

½ red apple, sliced

½ lemon, sliced

Sweetener to taste

Crushed ice, mint sprigs and honey (optional), to serve

 

1. Place tea bags in a large, heatproof jug.

2. Add boiling water and steep (jiggle) tea bags for 1 minute then remove

3. Add cinnamon quills and vanilla bean and let tea cool for 30 minutes.

4. In a 2 litre container add tea, cinnamon quills, vanilla and apple juice, then cover and leave to chill and infuse overnight.

5. To serve pour the tea into a jug. Add the apple and lemon slices, crushed ice and mint sprigs, then serve with honey or a non-sugar sweetener if desired.

 

More Ideas

T2 Has a range of additional recipes you can find in their blog here: http://blog.t2tea.com/how-to-brew-ice-tea/

 

Get Your Body Right

Public Transport Fat Burners

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The other week I bloogged about “Secret Office Workouts For Longevity” and I mentioned, according to research, that fidgeting like rapidly tapping your feet and talking with your hands can burn up to an extra 350 calories a day. Continuing on that vein then exercising whilst traveling on public transport (or any transport really) is a really good way to burn up extra calories – if you can make every second count. But how do you do it without looking obvious?

The Austrian Organisation Eltis has a humorously named program “Fin In Fahrt”, which translates to “Fit in Travel”. The organisation facilitates the exchange of information, knowledge and experiences in the field of urban mobility in Europe, and supports the creation of urban transport systems, which use less energy and produce less emissions, while improving the competitiveness of urban areas and the mobility and quality of life of its citizens. In particular they promote exercising whilst waiting at public transport stops through the use of custom designed stops with exercises on them.

So too Scientific American seems to be getting in on the act with their Podcast on “Mass Transit Encourages Exercise and Weight Loss”. It reports that Residents tend to stay thinner when a commuter train was added to their region, because of increased exercise walking to and from stops.

And whilst all this is good news, and promotes the expansion of public transport whilst reducing carbon emissions and the cost of health care, there seems to be few programs freely available on the Internet for knowing exactly what exercises to do. That is until I came across the unusually named Chicken Bus Workout developed by nomadic traveling enthusiast Lisa.  Whilst this article is very tongue in cheek there are some real lessons to be learned here for maximising your workout during transport down time.

So after recommending a warm up and stretching session (two points for that, well done), the exercises most useful for conventional public transport systems are:

The Half-Seat Squat

Also known as the Butt Cheek Squeeze, according to Lisa this is done when you’re sitting on a crowded bus with only half of your backside on the seat. In order to stabilize yourself, you have to tighten the free butt cheek so that you don´t fall off the seat. While doing so, you also tighten up the quad muscle because you’re in a pseudo squat position.

The Bicep/Elbow Grip

Lisa says that you can do when forced to stand and lean or sit in awkward, uncomfortable position. With one hand (e.g. left), grab part of a seat on the right hand side of your body. Then, stabilize yourself with your opposing elbow. Difficult to explain but especially if you ‘pulse’ your tension on and off you’ll get a good muscular workout.

The Sitting Ab Crunch

You contort your body slightly and bed a little forward, carefully tightening your ab muscles, so that you take up as little space as possible. Again, ‘pulsing’ your ab muscles on and off will make the workout more effective.

The Flamingo

And just in case the Chicken Bus Ride is a little too tongue in cheek for you then Joakim Christoffersson’s NanoWorkout recommends an exercise called The Flamingo. Just lift one leg slightly and try to keep your balance without holding on to something. Public transportation are rarely known for providing a smooth ride so you are in for a challenge, but if you for some reason think it’s too easy then try to close your eyes while still standing on one leg.

Get Your Spirit Right

Will You Feast or Famine This Valentine’s Day?

pink-candy-heart

Many seem to view St. Valentine’s Day as a recently commercialised occasion promoted by florists, gift services and chocolatiers and designed sell their wares by the truckload, when what we should really be focusing on is something that’s free – LOVE. The truth is this day of giving is actually a very old tradition indeed. So how did this day of romance really begin?

St. Valentine’s Day began as a public feast and celebration for one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus, all living around the first century AD. Nothing is reliably known of St. Valentine except his name and the fact that he died on February 14 on Via Flaminia in the north of Rome.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. And whilst there are no surviving records to confirm what really happened, the stories that have been handed down by generation to generation have in them the very essence of romance, of a sort.

One legend contends that Valentinus was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men, deciding that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families Valentinus began perform marriages for young lovers in secret.

Another story suggests that Valentinus helped Christians escape torturous conditions in harsh Roman prisons.

Yet another fable tells of an imprisoned Valentinus sending the first “valentine” greeting himself after he healed and then fell in love with his jailor’s daughter Asterius, writing a letter to her before his execution and signing it “From your Valentine”.

In truth the stories of these three saints could in fact all be of the very same man. But regardless of the truth each of these tales have at their core a heroic, sympathetic and romantic man. That combined with a public feast in times of absolute famine would make this celebration a popular and welcomed one.

So much so that hundreds of years later, in the dark Middle Ages, Valentinus’s reputation would be the light (and the meal-ticket) that would see him become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

The day was first connected with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the custom of courting for love blossomed. By the 15th century, it had transformed into a chance for lovers to express their love for each other by bestowing flowers, chocolates and confectionery, and the giving of signed or anonymous greeting cards (known as “valentines”)

Today, officially Saint Valentine’s Day is a feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine’s Day, albeit on July 6th and July 30th, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.

The day is also seen my many (sometimes illogically) as the perfect wedding date and there are some famous (or rther infamous) Valentine’s Day weddings including The Captain and Tennille, Elton John and Renate Blauel, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, Jerry Garcia and Deborah Koons, and Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.

Most of us can’t help but get caught up in the feel good romance of it all. Love is infectious, delightful and enjoyable. So no matter if you’re alone, or if you’re lucky enough to have someone special to share this day with,why not grab a Rom-Com movie, prepare something special (and slightly healthy) to eat and open a bottle of wine and celebrate one of the most wonderful emotions we can experience in life … that four letter word … L – O – V – E.

 

Plan Your Trip

Clean Your Car and Lose Weight

Car Boot

“Did I read right?” you ask. Yep, cleaning your car can actually help you lose weight. But I’m not talking about the physical aspect of it, scrubbing away at those layers of grime, dirt and bird poo you accumulated on the paintwork whilst driving around.. Rather it’s about freeing up the mental space in your brain to problem solve and focus on your goals.

Did you know that your car is a reflection of you? If it’s in poor condition, unserviced and full of rubbish or junk then chances are your body is not your temple either. Now you might think that your car is only designed to get you from A to B. But when you drive and spend time in it you’r actually using all of your senses: touch, sight, sound and smell; whether you realise it or not. Whilst most of these are focused on driving (as they should be), a portion of your senses are peripherally focused. So they’re spending time (and energy) on the other things around you.

A strange kind of logic therefore has it that if you remove these ‘other’ things, things that don’t need to be there (like rubbish or a dirty windscreen) or things you shouldn’t need to worry about (like that gurgling sound coming from somewhere under the bonnet), then this frees your mind up to focus on more important things, like problem solving in order to reach your goals, including the weight loss goals you have.

If it all seems like too much of a chose then implement the 10 minute rule – agree to spend the next 10 minutes on cleaning up and out your car. Chances are once you get going you’ll continue for much more than 10 minutes. And once you start to experience a safer, cleaner and more enjoyable car, you’ll probably want to keep on going.

So clean out your car and get it running in tip top condition. You’ll not only have a more engaged driving experience, but you’ll be more safer on the road and have more ‘head space’ to focus on the things that really count.

Safety First – What You Should Have in Your Car

Just inc ase you’re wondering what’s OK to leave in your car here’s a pretty exhaustive list. And, yes, for local city driving you can skip many of these items. However if you have an older less reliable car, or if you’re doing a long road trip or traveling around the country packing these items are an absolute must. The trick is to have as much as you need without carrying so much that the extra bulk (and weight) reduces your fuel economy. So select wisely!

  1. Your car owner’s manual should be in your glove compartment. It provides lots of useful information that can get you back on the road quickly, or contact numbers for roadside assistance.
  2. An old cellular phone, powered off, with a fully charged battery can be useful in case of emergency as you’ll be able to dial 000.
  3. A blanket can be useful in case of spontaneous picnic events or if you get stuck in your car and you have to sleep for a night or two unexpectedly.
  4. A battery-powered radio (and extra batteries) if travelling in bad conditions (snow, flood, fire).
  5. Bottled water but on an appropriate long term storage container that doesn’t leach harmful chemicals.
  6. High energy snacks or protein bars in case your blood sugar drops or you get stuck somewhere without any ability to get a meal.
  7. Road directory and maps – don’t completely rely on a GPS navigation system.
  8. Jumper cables in case of a flat battery.
  9. A first aid kit (and manual) is vital in case of an accident or injury.
  10. Tire repair kit which makes it possible for you to patch up a flat tire to drive for a short period.
  11. Tire air gauge for preventive maintenance and to improve fuel efficiency.
  12. Road flares or reflective signs so that others can see you if you need to change a tire at night.
  13. Flashlight and extra batteries.
  14. A can of WD-40 which can help loosen any bolts that you can’t undo.
  15. Car fire extinguisher can stop something from turning into a disaster.
  16. Portable battery charger.
  17. A change of clothes – you never know when you’re going to need them!
  18. A towels for all sorts of reasons from cleaning up, drying up to being useful in all sorts of situations.
  19. A roll of duct tape can be useful to temporarily repair air filters, mufflers and other items to keep you on the road.
  20. A pair of sharp scissors to cut all sorts of things.
  21. A carpet remnant is great for lining the bottom of the boot and doubles as a great wedge to get you out of mud, snow, or ice if you become stuck.
  22. A small amount of cash in large coins and small notes can come in handy if you run out of cash without a nearby ATM.
  23. If travelling through snowy or icy conditions carrying some road salt (in winter) can rescue you if you’re stuck in ice.
  24. An umbrella for those rainy moments (especially if you’re in Melbourne).

Sigrid de Castella – weight loss achiever, paleoish intermittent faster, adrenal fatigue recoverer, foodie, cook, writer, globetrotter & dog lover