Create certainty to create calm

Today on Hop into Health I interviewed Nam and Devo – two friends and two inspiring people. I wanted to explore the importance of breathing, why it is essential for happiness and stress management and more importantly HOW TO BREATHE??

Crazy to suggest that you don’t know how to breathe I know, but as you sit here reading this, are you aware of your breathe?

Are you able to use your breathe to stop stress, modulate emotions and govern your thoughts? This is the extent and capabilities of learning to breathe properly.

Q: N & D: What are your back grounds?

A: Nam – Deep sea free diver who helped other free divers. I started to study what happened to people emotionally and chemically in oxygen debt and strategies they used to improve it. We started working with Pat Rafter (iconic Australian tennis star) a few years back to help him optimise his breathing. Then we started attracting serious surfers who were taking on big waves and started to teaching them to breathe, not to panic and control their physical and mental self under stress. From this we realised that we could replicate this to the wider community because what we teach is a daily life skill.

Devon: I did a bachelor in human movement and have been coaching people about their bodies for years. Together we make a great team as I help Nam with the physical and science understandings of what we do.

Q: Why do you think people are struggling to breathe properly?

A: People are missing out on basic life skills in school and as children. We are not taught to breathe from birth through to death. However having control over your breathing enables you to govern your thoughts, your chemistry and your physical self.

Stress in itself (the Fight or flight response AKA sympathetic nervous system response) is often governed by perception and beliefs. If we can work out why and when we are stressing we can learn to switch it off with breathing!

Q: Why is stress increasing?

A: Stress is perception and it is perceived in the body 3 different ways: mental, physical and chemical. When we start to stress our heart rate goes up which affects our higher centres in our brain. Interestingly the mere fact our heart rate goes up, tells our brain to start stressing! The heart feeds back 90% of emotional information to the brain and can generate a stress response, not the other way around!

This recent understanding of the body is what is behind heart math. (A subject for another show)!

Learning to breath better helps manage stress feedback to the brain, slower respiratory rate which keeps chemical changes to a minimum as well keeping the heart calm! So important.

Q: How can people better manage stress?

BREATHING BETTER!

1. Label it – what is it exactly that is stressing you

2. Create certainty in your body (best done by mastering your breathing slow breathe in and slow breathe out).

3. This delivers more oxygen to the cells which is calming

Q: where can people tap and learn more from you guys?

A: Via our website www.equalize.com.au .

I can highly recommend Nam and Devo for anyone suffering with anxiety or for people wanting to improve their oxygen reserves. Contact them via their website. They would love to hear from you.

Summary:

There is so much to the stress reaction and most of it is in our control. If you are struggling with anxiety, you really need to start by improving your breathing. Nam took us through a breathing exercise on air (listen the podcast for it) and I strongly recommend doing more with Nam and Devo or getting a guided meditation app or DVD. I am planning on making one over the next few weeks so will let everyone know.

Jay is a chiropractor and today we focused on chatting about back pain and next pains/headaches. Podcast here.

Q: What does a chiropractor do?

A: A chiropractor does 5 years of training at university 3 years as an under graduate and 2 years as a post graduate. And it is the speciality of manipulating muscle and bones to ensure 100% body alignment and recovery.

Q: What is the most common issue that people come and see you about?

A: Lower back pain for sure! Approximately 80% of people with have lumbar sacral pain at some point in their life with 60% going on to have a chronic issue and pain.

Q: Why are there so many back injuries?

A: As more people use technology and put their body through less movement and more sitting, their backs start to lose their strength. Many people have poor posture at the computer  with chair heights being either too high or low and computer screens not at the right height (your eyes should line up with the top of your computer screen).

People can also add strain to their necks and supporting structures as they protrude their chins to look forward. This puts a lot more pressure on the spinal cord which leads to neck stiffness and headaches.

Chemical imbalance and dehydration are important for muscles. As people consume lots of stimulants (energy drinks,  coffee, protein shake boosters) they alter their hormone state as well as dehydration and create pH changes (more towards acid) in their bodies.

It’s important to drink lots of water (1.5 – 2 litres a day) for a healthy body. This includes water and herbal teas only not fruit or vegetable juices, alcohol or any other drink. In fact for every cup of caffeinated drink you have you need an extra 500mls of water to balance the dehydrating effects of it.

Q: When should people see a chiropractor? Pain or before and when should they stop?

A: Pain is a late sign that your body is out of balance and needs attention. However this is when most people will come in to have their problem (now pain) sorted out. If they take pain relief only and don’t get the underlying cause of the pain sorted out, their body will start to heal in a poor way. Early intervention, settle down inflammation and regular checks while the body is healing.

Q: Do you often find that despite manipulation some people don’t get benefits?

A: The bodies’ homeostasis (perfect balanced state) is a combination of having balanced body, chemical and emotional systems. If one of these are out the person’s other aspects will suffer. For example, if you are low on testosterone (due to lack of exercise) you may stoop your shoulders, protrude your chin, slouch your lower back and develop back pain. This is further drop your moods and can lead to depression. Viewed in this way, our body is a culmination of many balanced areas.

This is another way of thinking about how to manage lower back pain. Maybe you haven’t exercised for a while and have gotten into the habit of driving into work, grabbing a coffee, working mostly through lunch breaks, or doing banking and other tasks indoors over your lunch break. To leave there on the back of another afternoon coffee and kit kat to collect the kids, or walk in the door to chores. Little exercise, little movement, poor eating, poor hydration and no stress outlet. This changes your hormones (chemical imbalance) which can affect your emotions and then affect your back and ability to heal.

Many people hurt their lower back doing simply daily tasks like twisting around in their cars to grab something, or bending over to pick socks off the floor. An injury is often an accumulative degeneration of the lumbar sacral area over time.

Q: What if someone doesn’t like that bone clicking sound when their neck is cracked? Is there anyway around that?

A: You can use other tools to trigger and release muscles that don’t involve clicking the neck. Just mention it to the chiro when you get there.

Q: What are some good tips for preventing neck pain and headaches?

A: 1. Drink plenty of water

2. Reduce stimulants like coffee, smoking

3. Move more. Engage in an exercise program even if it’s just walking

4. Make sure your computer height and chair height are not forcing your chin forward

5. Sleep with on a medium to firm mattress with one pillow only.

6. Act on pain by seeing someone when you first notice it and get regular treatments until the pain has resolved.

Q: What is carpel tunnel?

A: Carpel tunnel is when the muscles of the palm are not stretched outwardly. They are mostly in a flexed position (e.g. using a mouse, holding a pen) so the opposite movement which is to splay your hand , is good.

Thanks so much Jay for coming in. If you would like to see Jay as a chiropractor, I am happy to recommend him. Jay has treated me for shoulder injuries, pain pains and hip pains that stopped me running. His clinic is on Chevron Island, Gold Coast. If you would like help with the chemical and emotional side of your life, feel free to contact me through my Health Queen Clinic.

Next week I will be talking to 2 breathing experts, Nam and Devon on the importance of being able to breathe properly!

The energy and mental state that is required by most work environments are driven by outputs and time frames. This is very different to the energy and hormone status you require to be a calm, nurturing mother. We need to switch hormones when we switch roles and if we try to do both roles (work and parent) at the same time, or forget to transition, BOOM you will end up with a  hormone EXPLOSION!

Your hormone explosion might be a surge in cortisol which will make you anxious, jittery, agitated, crave a release (maybe chocolate or food). Adrenaline can make you do similar things but your heart will race and you will feel a surge of anger or irritability – which is good old Mr Testosterone (our male hormone) surging forth like a monster. And unfortunately it is often the testosterone that leads us to yelling, grunting, getting impatient, stressed and lashing out.

Left unchecked the Hormone Explosion ultimately leads to the Hormone Collapse and the inevitable words;  ”I can’t do this any longer!!”

I must admit that I struggle with the transition from business woman to mum. I genuinely struggle to do it seamlessly and I know I am not on my own.

Which makes me wonder whether we (mums) should be working in the first place. I love my work immensely and if I didn’t have to do it for money, I would still be doing it. However the reality is as a sole parent, is that I need to work not only for enjoyment and sanity but in order to make money to survive.

Many of you may feel the same. Whilst working less could be an option, not working at all really isn’t. And so as mums (or dads) we do have obligations to keep the family afloat and provide in  a financial sense or by making food etc (which can also represent work).

Some activities, such as work, just need to be done.

In a desperate attempt to squeeze all our roles and obligations in our day, we can  impose some serious time frames. Also known as DEADLINES.

Rationally we believe deadlines will help us with time and energy allocation, so we can so work out budgets, time allocation, whether we can afford holidays etc. A business plan at work based on time management with measurably outcomes makes sense, but unfortunately the same strategy isn’t as easy to roll out on the home front. Trying to get children to confirm to strict schedules can knock out the only opportunity in their day to have unstructured spontaneous fun. Which is very important for their imaginations and development. But can seem to make our day drag out when we are often tired and fatigued.

Children are very much in the now, while planning and timed expectations makes us stress forward. Transitioning from work mentality to home mentality is so important to change this way of responding to our changing roles as it affects our hormones too and can lead to a rise in our stress hormones (cortisol, testosterone and suppression of our lovie-dovie hormone oxytocin).

If we come from an environment of time pressures, KPIs, deadlines, reports and strict adherence to policy straight into a random, children driven environment it can feel like  a rough ride in a car like when the gear box crunches together or you bunny hop.

Being a working woman requires testosterone (so we can be fearless, strong and powerful) while being a mother requires more oestrogen and oxytocin (so we can be nurturing and caring). By recognising the different hormones required by your body for certain roles, you can make adjustments.

If you don’t make these adjustments and transitions either consciously or unconsciously, we can end up in having a few hours of almost hell until we get the children to bed. Ugly for our children, as we may sound stressed, agitated, or yell and ugly for us as we feel annoyed, pressured, tired and guilty. No fun for anyone!

Here are some things that I have tired to help switch my brain (and hormones) from work (head) to home (heart).

I know this tip doesn’t work…

1. Turning up late after school or after school care and getting home when they should be eating dinner. You are tired, they are tired and this is a recipe for disaster. Red light activity folks!

What has helped me…

1. Having a sign or sticky note on my steering wheel saying “mummy hat now”

2. Mentally resigning to the fact that thinking about work will only stress me and to switch off before getting the kids

3. Have a walk or exercise (i.e. dropping testosterone, increasing oxytocin)  before collecting the kids

4. Finishing work 1 hour before collecting kids

5. Prioritising family ahead of work and if I feel like I am slipping behind either critic the deadlines I have in place and how achievable they are (and what is the worst case scenario if I extend the deadline to ease pressure).

6. Try to prioritise the kids ahead of unpaid work. Ask “Am I being paid to do this activity” (i.e. have you worked your quota of hours for the week and are doing stuff in your own time and putting pressure on your family and mothering, or are you doing something for good will, or even a work related activity that doesn’t generate income directly like face book).

7. I guess the other part to the equation is your partner. They also need attention and time and if their needs are being met then you are half one on the way to getting yours met too.

8. Consider a demi pair or an au pair. I had a nanny for the first few years of my children’s lives so that I could work and not disturb their routines too much. It seems to work out well

9. Look at other ways to support yourself in your home. Often coming home can mean more work especially when you have children to cook for, wash and clean up after. Consider cooking with slow cookers so the meal cooks over the day, cook every second night and have left overs, encourage the children to cook when they are old enough, consider a cleaner once a week, assign the children chore lists, make cleaning and helping you out fun and a game.

10. If you work from home, try not to look at the computer while with the children. This will only lead to frustration! Get into the healthy hormone habit of turning your computer off at 8pm, no more checking emails etc., just turn it off and have a break.

11. Make sure you are not hungry and have eaten something healthy an hour or two before picking the children up. You want a balanced blood sugar.

This working mum role can be a dilemma for sure!

If you have clear transition periods, signs and shifts in hormones you will be fine. Try some of the above and please leave any success techniques you have. If you would like more help on structuring your perfect work/life balance, have a look at the Happy Female Formulae. It is a culmination of years of watching successful people and how their hormones respond to their lifestyle. This downloadable workbook brings it all together so you can work through at your own pace and create your most perfect day.

Momentarily may be 3 weeks at a time or 6 weeks at a time!

These seems to be the common complaints and issues arising from such an adhoc work pattern.

For the person travelling

- Loss of purpose when not on the work site

- Idle minds when at work sites

- Increase in addictive or escape like behaviours to cope with radical changes

- Loneliness

- Missing the family unit

-  Mixed feelings from those left at home including resentment, anger and depression

For the person left at home

- Feelings of anger and resentment are common as the person at home (often the mum) is expected to do what both parents normally do

- Feelings of anger and resentment towards the travelling parent when they are home as they are often fatigued and don’t help out, despite the stay at home parent also being exhausted

- Feelings of sadness, loneliness, emptiness, confusion, anxiety

-  Sleep issues as often we become reliant on the other person sharing our bed and adding security. Take that away and we can feel vulnerable and unable to sleep

- Resentment towards money as it is usually the driving force behind people doing a FIFO arrangement.

So while on the surface the fly in fly out gig is very appealing, be aware that it may not roll out how you thought it would when you have kids.  Try it out if you feel it is worth it but have regularly reassessment times on whether it is the best thing for you to be doing. Ie every month ask each other how the other is going and whether the benefits still out weigh the bad.

To help make it successful, establish daily contact (phone, Skype, emails), keep communicating despite there being a lot of distance between you all, share dreams, ideals, daily experiences.

Now a personal trainer, Nudge knows what it is like to be living a life that you are not happy with. His mates used to call him negative nudge and he was. His outlook on most things was very negative and it shadowed the way he held himself in every day life.

Today we discussed how you can overcome BIG issues such as weight loss, money, relationships, addictions etc. The podcast is here.

Q: Why take the plunge

A: It’s pretty simple, if you don’t like your life, your relationship (s), your work or your body, then you need to make a change. And if you haven’t worked it out by now, doing more of the same (i.e. keep doing what you do now) will give you more of the same.

Sometimes I have issues and go to bed and think miraculously it will fix itself in my sleep. Unless the problem is lack of sleep, then nothing changes when I wake up! Change requires conscious, concerted intent and actions to enable a something different and new to occur – which will bring a different result.

Q: Isn’t Change hard and painful?

A: Once again keeping this simple – can you afford not to change? Can you afford to live with today’s pain when really change won’t mean more pain?

Using the words “hard”, “painful” “effort” “can’t” all imply that you firstly don’t have belief in yourself, secondly that you are already assuming it will be tough even though you haven’t tried yet and essentially that you are not really willing to change.

Q: When do you know you have hit crunch hour?

A: There are a few signals/indicators that you are ready to change. These are:

1. Hearing yourself whinge and be negative ALL the time. Listen to your language around your friends, try to see others how they see you. Are you bright, upbeat and being true to yourself,  or are you feeling like you are falling short of the mark. Are you living to your potential?

2. Sick of having the same results, feeling lousy, seeing no money in the bank, crying,  depression and/or anxiety.

3. Experiencing physical symptoms with no real root cause eg: not sleeping, having poor energy levels, sore joints, aching body, irritable bowel, nausea, headaches

Q: What are common excuses/reasons that people find when they are trying to take the plunge or commit?

A: These are the common excuses and some ways to get around them:

- The usual one for losing weight is “time”and saying “Ï don’t have enough”.

Remedy - YOU need to make time, stop doing other things so that you have time, priorities your day better, start saying no to other people’s needs and wants and yes to yours!

- For money struggles, saying I don’t have enough, poor thoughts, I can’t afford this or that, not being prepared to save money

Remedy - stopping spending, stop using credit cards, stop purchasing on the spot, on a whim, stop buying on line. Unsubscribe from discount websites

- For relationship issues common ones are: Ï can’t do it on my own”I am scared” I can’t commit” trust and faithfulness are other issues.

Remedy – YOU deserve the BEST relationships! Find some friends, couples , pictures of people that appear to have warmth and trust in their relationships and watch how they interact, how they resolve conflict and how they succeed through the tough times

- For career challenges: I need the money, I need to do more study to change, We can’t afford for me not to work

Remedy – you spend a large percentage of your waking time at work, it needs to feel good and to be in alignment with your values. Working only for money will never lead to happiness.

Q: Once you commit how do you keep the momentum going?

A: Here are a few ideas:

1. Get a coach (PT, finance coach, naturopath, counsellor)

2. Become accountable to someone else so you feel you are a team and not doing your actions means you are letting the team down. Eg a PT, a friend, a support group

3. Goal setting is very powerful. Here is a Goal setting sample on how to goal set from my Happy Female Formula.

4. Vision boards, photos of your progress, support groups, have a song, winners bible, Face book support groups

Q: So what are the key things I need to do to take the plunge?

1. Identify what you don’t like about your life, self, relationship

2. Talk to people about what is achievable, look around at what others have achieved (market research)

3. Define what you want (how does this feel, what does it give you, what do you look like with it)

4. Make a commitment to change

5. Set small achievable bite sized goals.

6. Start with the finish in mind and make sure support strategies are in place

7. Reward yourself along the way, if you fall off the wagon, jump back on quickly

Thanks so much Nudge for coming along. The podcast is excellent!

If you would like to have Nudge as a personal trainer please contact him, or follow him on Face book for hot tips.

Next week, Dr Jay Miller (chiropractor) will be discussing back health and why looking after your spine is extremely important.

ADDIT:

Actually I think this is what happens in reality…

You reach a point of pain and confusion that feel so bad that you have this life saving urge to make  a change. And some where deep from within, you know that if you don’t then nothing will change and you will feel even more trapped and like a victim.

I have been to this place and it is quite awful. You can find yourself crying huddled like a baby on your bed calling out for your mother, because truly it is a painful, overwhelming place that you pray no one will ever witness.

Then, just as you are truly broken, you reach a place of resolute.

A place of calm after the storm. You know this matter will never reach this low point again.

And it’s ironic around this time that you hear people saying things like “yeah, what self respecting person would allow that to happen to themselves”. And believe me, this applies to every painful state you can think of: physical ills, addictions, being over weight, being poor, being divorced, being this being that. At some point I believe we reach that point of; “ok this is my breaking point. If I drop any lower than this then I really do not respect life let alone mine”.

This place is a relief to reach. The pain suddenly stops or backs away and you can see that you can and need to change.

You need to act on the urges while the memory of the pain is still with you and is feared. ACT while you are motivated. Then as the pain subsidised and is replaced with joy you need to shift to be motivated by the love of what you have.

Remember to make this shift… from running from pain to running towards happiness. Unless you do, the old demons may re emerge.

Once you have what you want you cherish it. Whether it be good health, a lean body, a great partner, healthy children, good income – whatever it is – be grateful and cherish.

I was joined by Ronaldo Fulieri , chef and nutritionist and we discussed some BIG subjects…. Why and how have we gained weight? And what on earth can you do to drop it again??

It seems that whether you are trying to , or more importantly not trying to gain weight, people are still doing it!! Soul destroying for sure!

I summarised this topic a few years back as sex, stress and sugar hormone disfunction and it is still how I approach this issue in my mind/clinic.

Regularly people come to my Health Queen Clinic or I see them when I give talks around the nation, battling the same dilemma. HOW COME I CAN”T LOSE WEIGHT?

In order to find out why you can’t lose weight, it is probably pertinent to look at common reasons why people are gaining weight. On today’s show we set out to cover the big 4 but really only got through 3 and I will have another show to discuss the 4th reason (chemicals in foods e.g. additives, salt, colours, chemical confusion) at a later date.

I hope you enjoy the podcast and here are some take home grabs…

When putting together today’s show I thought I could narrow down the woes of fat gain down to 4 causes but truly it is a culmination of things… optimistically I have tried to narrow to it 3 things and the 4th topic on chemical additives will be discussed on a later show.

1. Hormone confusion

Hormone confusion is killing the nation and is not getting much exposure – why?? Maybe because hormones go in the “too hard basket” by many practitioners. And to be honest, those that want to help (PTs, nutritionists etc) don’t necessarily have the learnings or skill set to do so. Managing hormones requires a strong biochemistry back ground (i.e. the academic teachings) PLUS a remarkable understanding of the human species.

Hormones respond to our environment and decision making so in order to help someone with a hormone imbalance you need very good people skills. People skills to listen to people and secondly people skills to motivate change.

Treating hormones from a medical perspective can be tricky and a short consultation and a script for medication may stop gap hormone issues but may not give you full balance.

Hormone balancing requires the practitioner to show and teach the patient how to find happiness and encourage them to lead a balanced lifestyle (good eating, exercise, low stress, healthy relationships etc). Then naturally their hormones will balance.

Medications may help you placate symptoms but they certainly don’t teach you new ways to roll out your life, relax nor eat better.

You need to see someone who gets this. I treat many people with hormone imbalances and part of me goes on the journey with the patient as we work out what their body likes and doesn’t like.

Common hormone issues that CAUSE FAT GAIN:

a. High cortisol

Cortisol is one of our stress hormones. It is secreted when we perceive something to be a threat to our existence. This maybe a true threat (i.e. someone holding a gun to our head) or the same response can be generated through thoughts, pain, foods, time frames and work. In fact we can generate a stress response (therefor a rise in cortisol) just by thinking about something. WOW.

High cortisol tells the body to shut down digestion as it is deemed “non urgent” and augments all the body actions that can help us defend ourself (i.e. sugar to the muscles, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure).

If we eat when we are secreting lots of cortisol (i.e. digestion switched off) a few things happen. We can eat things too quick a few things can results: bloating (due to food not being chewed properly ), nutrient deficiencies (due to lack of enzyme production and absorption issues) or our body will store the food as fat.

TIPS:

Never eat while your brain is active. Switch off from work, eat away from your computer, prepare your meals and allow the smells to switch on your appetite centre and digestive juices. Important – YES!!

b. Testosterone

This male hormone is present in both sexes but when it is increased in women it leads to tummy fat. Infact high testosterone is the number one reason I find working women don’t lose fat. Often because it will mean high cortisol as well but also because high  testosterone alters blood sugar levels and insulin.

The causes of high testosterone are varied and you may wish to check your hormones via saliva to find out if yours is elevated, or you may wish to read my book, Beauty and the Beast Within, which talks more about this problem.

TIPS:

Avoid high carb diets, only eat carbs with proteins, stress less, have more fun, increase oxytocin and remember when you have finished work to put your girl hat back on.

c. Oestrogen

Both sexes make oestrogen and in both sexes elevate oestrogen will cause fat to accumulate, stop it being lost and body shape changes.

Women with high oestrogen typically have cellulite, thigh and buttocks fat and can have other symptoms of high oestrogen.

Men with high oestrogen typically have wider hips (not normal in a male), moobs (male breasts) and some psychological doubting/anxiety etc.

TIPS

To lower oestrogen you must have organic vegetables (pesticides, herbicides, weedacides can mimic oestrogen and contain xenoestrogens), only eat hormone free meats, make sure your bowels are working daily (oestrogen is reabsorbed through the large gut after 24 hours) and lots of green leafy vegetables. Watch out for beer. It contains oestrogen!!

2. Increased availability of convenience and high sugar foods

As people are working longer time is becoming more premium and people are short cutting time in food preparation and meals. Buying a “pre made meal” for many, means an hour saved and an extra hour to spend on work.

Prepared, pre made, take away meals are problematic for a few reasons.

Many use salt to flavour which cause fluid retention and most use LOADS of sugar.

Sugar is definitely addictive and as humans we develop tolerance which means we need more to get the same effect/benefit/hit.

As children we are given fructose (usually from fruit) or lactose (from milk) which starts sensitising our pallet to crave more.

Imagine having a teaspoon of sugar in your tea (when you are not used to it) and it will appear very sweet. Over time though the same teaspoon will not seem as sweet. Then unconsciously we find that sugar boosts are energy so we add another teaspoon (or we have another cup of tea/coffee). I know many people who are unconsciously driven to eat sugar due to the unconscious addictive effects.

The sugar trap leads us to crave more over time, gain weight (it leads to a spike in insulin) and seek out more high sugar foods.

Sugar rich foods include ANY carbohydrate but especially those with a high GI index. Glycaemic index (GI) refers to how quickly the sugar in the substance is realised. The higher the GI the quicker the sugar hit and the more dramatic the effects on insulin.

Excess sugar consumption (energy giving foods) leads to fat production as it is safer and takes up less space for the body to take sugar from our blood and store as fat. This is called lipogenesis and is activated when we over eat sugars or eat without proteins.

TIPS

Watch out for insidious sugar consumption (bars, teas, coffees, alcohol, dips and crackers) either at retail outlets (e.g. petrol stations) or in your pantry. My greatest discovery was working out that I eat/drink less sugar when I simply don’t buy it in the first place.

SAY NO

Eating carbs (sugar foods) with proteins helps stop cravings for more, and also helps your body handle it better.

Try not to eat while doing other activities as this leads to unconscious eating where most over eat. Overweight people misjudge how much they eat by 30-50% and normal sized people also estimate incorrectly at 20% more than what they thought!!

FOCUS on your food and LOVE IT.

3. Gluten is sticking up our guts!

Gluten is a new age issue. It is the protein section of certain grains (wheat, rye, barley and oats) and helps the seed germinate. In the 1960s and 1970s during post war and food shortage days, the government apparently encouraged farmers to hybridise grains so that they grew quicker and would yield more produce. Unfortunately Gluten is not well metabolised by many people (in latin it means glue)! This leads to it sticking on the gut wall causing all sorts of issues (gut, head and skin problems).

Often this tummy confusion at a cellular level leads to constipation/diarrhoea, malabsorption, candida and weight gain. Many people lose fat just by stopping gluten.

Sounds simple? Unfortunately it is quick tricky.

Gluten is not only found in obvious things like bread, flour, muffins, cakes etc but is used as a thickening agent in many foods such as sauces, packeted foods, lollies, cans, deli meats.

TIPS

Cut out the obvious sources of gluten for a week and see how you feel. If you feel better by cutting back on toast, sandwiches, pasta then you will probably get improvements and feel even better by going the whole hog!

Join Ronaldo’s newsletter list to get a free ebook on detoxing juicing! And share the word to follow me and Hop into Health Radio station by clicking on face book share below.

Eating raw means eating ALIVE foods!

So if you are feeling low on energy or like you are not ALIVE, then start eating more RAW…and feel your energy and life soar.

Eating Raw foods has been the staple of many traditional diets including the Artic Inuits and Siberian Nenet tribe. Even Japanese embrace a large component of raw eating.

As foods become more tainted with chemicals and preservatives many are looking for a more pure, wholesome alternative. RAW might be it.

Q: Where did the raw movement start?

A: Raw foods and the raw diet was recognised by Maximilian Bircher-Benner (who made museli) in Switzerland in 1897. He had a health sanatorium and was a strong advocate of raw foods. He also advocated “..patterning your life after the logic determined by nature..” (makes sense to me **Sam)

In 1939 Weston Price documented the connection between eating lots of raw foods and good dental health. Then in 1984 Leslie Kenton wrote a few books and showed that raw foods had a higher nutrient content compared to cooked foods.  With book Raw Energy, Eat Your Way to Radiant Health, people learned to juice, sprout seeds and harness the powers of raw foods to heal.

This has been followed by many great raw foodies including: David Wolfe, Gabriel Cousens, Christine Bucaran, Gabriel Chavex and Ann Wigmore.

Q: What cooking processes are a no-no if doing the raw thing?

A: No heating food basically – no stir fries, no roasting, no frying, no BBQing, no steaming and no boiling

Q: What food processes are permitted?

A: Dehydrating, juicing, processing, blending, sprouting and freezing. These processes don’t impair the nutrient qualities of the food. Plus they contain chlorophyll which is packed with chelating qualities (takes heavy metals and free radicals out of your body) and gives LIFE!

Q: What things can be eaten raw?

A: The majority of raw eating tends to make most vegetarian but you can eat raw meats (like the Japanese) or marinate meats/kefir. Foods commonly used for raw foods are : fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.

Q: What does sprouting entail?

A: Sprouting is the process where nuts, seeds or legumes are bathed in water, usually for 8 hours and this can activate enzymes in the food which leads to easier digestion. The product sprouted can then be ground up, processed and used as a meal, whole or blended and strained to make milk.

Q: What pieces of kitchen equipment do I need if I am going to go RAW?

A: A dehydrator is good (aim to spend $300-500) Excalibur is a good brand and you can buy 5 or 9 draws. 9 draws makes more sense as you can prepare more food at once.

A juicer is a must and you can get single or double grinder. These types tend to extract more nutrients from the plants as centrifuged ones will leave a lot of moisture (and therefor nutrient ) in the pulp. Aim to spend $500 – 1000 on a good juicer (Samsung, green star or Lexor good brands).

A processor or blender is also a good kitchen aid!

All can be purchased via Bryn www.rawconnections.com.au

Q: If someone wanted to start with juicing what is a good start?

Fruit juice: apple, orange, lemon and ginger

Vegetable juice: carrot, celery, apple and beetroot

Green smoothie: lettuce, rocket, kale, pear, apple, spirulina

Crackers, beetroot dip and museli.

Q: What are some other ideas?

A: Making crackers with seeds and blended vegetables (use the dehydrator), spaghetti with a mincing spiral machine, soups, salads, sweets

Q: What is the secret in sweets?

A: using natural sweeteners makes a massive difference. Dates are great, and natural syrups.

Q; What are the health benefits of eating raw?

A: High nutrients, less processed chemicals, no preservatives, no additives,no colours. Becoming a raw foodie often means less alcohol, less coffee, less tobacco, less or no meat and is better for the planet and your body!

Q: Where can people find out more?

A: Follow any of the people mentioned above, follow Bryn at Rawconnections and buy some books!

This Sunday 21st April at Kirra Hill, Bryn is holding a raw food class 11-2pm. Connect via his website.

Bryn on Hop into Health this morning

Tune in next week when I talk power food combining with chef Ronaldo.

Equipment: food processor, dehydrator, or low over with tray,

Ingredients:

- 500 grams soaked nuts (pecans, walnuts)

- 250 grams soaked sunflower seeds

- 200 grams vegetables (zucchini, carrot, pumpkin, squash)

- 60 grams mushrooms

- 1 onion

- 350 grams tomatoes

- 2 Tbs herbs (parsley, dill, corriander)

- 1 tsp rock salt

Method:

1. put all vegetables into food processor and blend leaving medium chunkcs

2. Add nuts and seeds, blend till combined but with some texture

3. Roll into 70 gram balls

4. Flatten out onto a sheet and place into dehydrator for 5 hours

5. flip off teflext sheet and dehydrate for another 2-3 hours

6. serve with fresh tomato sauce and salad

Ref: www.rawecstasy.com.au

As I ponder over what to wear, how much writing to take (I am hoping to write a few blogs; (“I didn’t mean to say that” as a title, corporate female syndrome, super foods and coffee benefits), prepare my radio show for next week, prepare show for ABC next week, present and finish an edit an article for a magazine. It’s all exciting but sometimes I wonder if it’s too much. I mean, I am going to a health and lifestyle retreat. And there’s a little something calming just by saying the word retreat…. part of me would like to retreat to the retreat! Do my presentations and simply do very little else but relax and chat with the guests and get to know some very cool people.

I know its already going to be a special weekend even before it starts.

Podcast of the show (skip the first 15 seconds).

A few years back average folk were introduced to the movie The Secret. The Secret was a window into the science called quantum physics and was a commercially produced doco-style movie showing people how you can harness your thoughts and vibration. What does all this mean?

This is my take on Quantum Physics, the laws of attraction and how we can use it.

We are taught at schools that we have 5 senses: taste, smell, touch, auditory and visual. What is not explained but is felt by all of us, is our “gut feeling”. This is a powerful SENSE that can and should guide our decision making more. It’s about reading vibration and energy levels.

Gut feelings or intuition are our inbuilt gauge whether the activity, the thought, the feelings, the direction, the decision (whatever it is) that we are making at the point in time is in alignment with our beliefs and values.

Go against your intuition, your gut feeling and very often a negative response will occur. Go with the decision that “feels right” and watch your life blossom.

Our values are very personal and are constructed over our lives through experiences, people, learnings and teachers. We all have our own set of values and they are neither right nor wrong compared to some one else’s. In fact it is best not to compare values. And when you understand what your values are (i.e. what matters most to you as a living being) they will guide you to the true path that you should be taking.

Going against your gut feeling, or against your own values (to appease someone else’s values) will leave you feeling empty, ripped off, resentful, negative and feeling like a victim.

Identifying your values and even labelling your beliefs, enables you to understand others better, let go quicker and conflict manage a lot better too.

People are either moving from pain (which is a strong motivator, but can lose potency as a driving force when the pain resolves) or they are moving towards happiness.

I find that many people come to the Health Queen Clinic in pain, or running from pain/hurt. It is a great motivator (e.g. I want to lose weight, I need to lose weight – I feel tired, have low self worth and am developing health complaints). I can work with people in pain because I throw them a rope or opportunity to change that dynamic. But the person needs to ultimately make the change.

At some point people will resolve their pain, and it is at this point that I try to transition people to run towards happiness.

I think running towards happiness is the ultimate mind frame to have and will stop the “I am in pain, I am a victim, I have no control about my external life” to ” I have control over my destiny especially if I do x and y.

An example discussed with Kate was fat loss.

Rather than starve yourself to be thin, why not nourish yourself to be healthy.

It’s a slightly different paradigm that will lead to greater and more sustainable results.

Today’s show was about how you can use positive thought, reflection and harness your internal powers to heal yourself.

General Discussion:

Q: How can people heal themselves

A: typically when people are suffering a “hurt” or “pain” whether it be physical or emotional, they look for external fix-ups. What we can utilise though is something much stronger – our inner thoughts, guides and belief.

Typical external fix-up things are medications, alcohol, TV, zoning out, attending health appointments (but waiting for them to fix us), doing exercise and wondering why they don’t achieve what they want.

The external changes that we crave really need to start within and with a shift in how we think and feel.

Q: Why do people fail to get what they want?

A: Many people think something will fix them without tapping in first to themselves. A classic example is money. People believe that money will make them happier and change their lives. If they really are struggling to make ends meet then they do need more money but many people find the money and still are unhappy and have “poor thoughts”.

What we need to do is identify how we wish to feel. Step into that space and see if it feels like a good relaxed fit.

Q: How do you know if something will suit you?

A: If you have two options (or more), sit back, reflect, meditate and immerse yourself in the feelings of getting that option. Imagine you have it and how does it feel. Does it feel great, awesome, easy, relaxed, or does it give you angst, stress, doubt and insecurity. This is your intuitive powers guiding you to make a sound decision that will fit your beliefs and values. And Kate’s big tip is: when you know what you want and that you can get it, work out how happy you will still be without it. This encourages you to let go (i.e. not NEED it) and often this permits it to come to fruition.

The Dalai Lama calls it detachment, others call it letting go of the outcome. But it is an important step. Sometimes we hold on to things so tight that we think “without xxx I will be in pain” but the true secret lies in “with xxxx I will feel this, but without xxx I am still very happy”.

Amazing things happen when we let go and not worry about the outcome (a little bit different to how women are naturally wired but worth practising).

Q: What things can people utilise to find this projection into their future, and to enable them to heal hurts?

A: People can use reflection time (e.g. time out, exercise, green light activities, meditation, yoga) to clarify what they want and then to resonate with the feelings they believe it will deliver. When they fall into place, that is i the right course of action to take.

Q: What holds people back being able to utilise this skill/tool?

A: Clutter, lack of understanding that reflection allows calm so that you can identify what you need, time, denial, being to busy, scared to face feelings and pain

Q: What tools can people subscribe to if they want to give this aspect of healing, improving a go?

A: You can purchase Kate’s latest book (Healing Path) , you can purchase the Happy Female Formulae, You can attend seminars on personal development and do on-line courses. Try to surround yourself with people who already “get this”. Have practitioners, health advisors, counsellors etc who can teach you the power of improvement through unleashing your own true potential.

Kate on radio this morning.