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and avoid bloating & constipation....  Only 6 sleeps to go!!!! Is your family counting down? Mine is! And it was my big boy's 7th birthday on Monday! Where has the time gone? Eat, Drink and Be Merry with No Regrets! Not drinking would be the kindest , most sensible thing to do but since that is not likely to happen... ....Here's what you need to know. Alcohol converts to acetaldehyde which is a POISONOUS by-product. This is what causes hangovers. It takes up to 24 hours for it to be removed from your body. Long after the effects of alcohol have worn off... ...you're still suffering because this POISON is wreaking havoc on your body and liver, in particular.  Here is your rescue kit! Take this "cocktail" of supplements
 Rich food, lots of alcohol and a different routine can really make your gut unhappy. :( 1) Take care of bloating
A protein packed smoothie is ideal - as it is not heavy but the protein and healthy fats that you add will provide you with a stable source of energy to see you through the morning. Alternatively, have scrambled eggs with mushrooms, peppers and cheese or one of my favourites, mince on toast.
Cucumber and thyme works well too! Be creative and enjoy this refreshing way to drink water.
Use a set of measuring cups to guide you when it comes to servings.
Avoid or limit how often you eat bread, rolls, pasta, muffins, biscuits, cakes. Other foods that could cause bloating are eggs and dairy.  2) Deal with constipation. Constipation is caused by not enough fibre, fluid or exercise. Going to the loo regularly is important because if there is slow passage of your stool then toxins can be reabsorbed into your body. Which is the last thing that you want when your liver is working so hard to process and detoxify you in the first place!!!
An apple provides about 4g. That works out to be a lot of apples! The goal for fruit and vegetables per day is 5 - 9 servings. A serving varies from 1 cup for chopped fruit to 2 cups for leafy greens. Movements aids peristalsis, the movement of your muscles in your digestive system. I'm not saying that you need to go to gym but a walk outside in the fresh air and sunshine will do wonders all round - including stress reduction!
Keep a bottle handy for when you're driving and running errands.  The Festive Season is now in Full Swing! Shoppers have a mad glint in their eye, have you noticed?! The sun is shining brighter, the sky is bluer and the evenings are longer. Your list grows longer and the madness of it all can start to do your head in.... Here are 3 tips and some sensible advice from Life Coach, Lee Foulis from Life is Choices.  Photo by Ryan Spencer on Unsplash 3 Tips 1) Give your mind time to "breathe" You can try meditation. You don't need to wake up at 3.30am and focus on a burning candle. You can be mindful in the time it takes to make your first cup of coffee. Click >Here< to download a meditation 2) Music is also a great way to rest your mind and relax. Who remembers the Gregorian chants of the late 80s/ early 90s? Click here for a reminder by Enigma!!! Or listen to light classical music. I use my sleep app - Sleep Bug - as it has a variety of sounds, melodies and noises. Simply taking the time to let your mind "breathe" helps to keep perspective. 3) Exercise There are plenty of studies showing that those who exercise regularly have less extreme responses to stress. Serotonin and dopamine are released with exercise so you feel calmer and more like you can handle whatever is thrown at you. When our stress levels are lowered then GABA is released which helps to increase your immunity to stress. This means that you get better at handling stress in the future. Try this routine out... I love starting my day with this shortened version of hte Sun Salutation.  we've just hit the last month of 2018! And for me, at least, I am going to be hurtling into 2019. This crazy month of December is full of birthday celebrations, a wedding and a family Christmas. I started writing it all down this past weekend and as always the drama is in the details. My son, who is turning 7, wants a carrot cake for his birthday party... anyone got a foolproof recipe? Please send it to me, the party is on Saturday afternoon! AND I need an outfit for the wedding - the dress code is coastal chic - what does that mean? If you know, please let me know - I need an outfit for 10 days time!  Oh this boogie man - I know that you know that sugar is a no-no for weight loss. I know that you don't add it to your tea or coffee. You drink diet cool drinks and use fat-free salad dressing. And I know that you still can't shift the stubborn fat on your tummy, bum and thighs. Sugar is sneaked in E V E R Y W H E R E! So even though you're not adding any, it is STILL in your foods that you eat. And Sugar goes by many names - - -  Start reading labels to find out if there is sugar in the foods you eat. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a maximum of 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for women. It's recommends a max of 9 teaspoons for men. A teaspoon of sugar is = 4g. I did a quick check in my grocery cupboard and this is what I found...
 And what about fruit juice? It's healthy, right? It's fruit, after all. If you had to choose between a fruit juice and a fizzy drink, you'd choose the fruit juice, right? No hesitation. BUT IT'S NOT!!!! Boxed juice like Liqui-fruit or Ceres can havee 9 tsp of sugar in a 250ml serving. What about if you juice or squeeze your own? If an orange has about 3tsp of sugar and you need about 4 oranges to make a glass. That is 12g of sugar per orange x 4 = 48g of sugar or 12 teaspoons !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you've strained the pulp then you are literally on a roller coaster sugar high. So drinking your fruit is not a healthy choice.  Drinking diet drinks have their own pitfalls because the artificial sweetners actually suppress your "I'm full" hormone so you never feel satisfied. Artificial sweeteners also affect your judgement so you tend to drink and eat more than you should. A number of studies have also revealed that artificial sweeteners can have the ability to change the flora in your gut. This is important because when your gut bacteria are out of balance i.e. you have more bad than good bacteria then this can lead to weight gain...  And NOW it's coming up to holiday time - sunshine, blue skies, sand, braais and alcohol.
When your blood sugar drops you are more likely to reach for a quick fix so that you feel better. And that quick fix usually turns out to be quick not nutritious! What happens when you eat something say a coffee and muffin or a mini sausage roll or a bread roll with ham? These foods are first off highly processed -they contain white flour, the fats used in them are likely to be hyrdogenated which are trans-fats, the meats are processed. When these kinds of foods are digested they are done so rapidly and that causes a rise in your blood sugar levels. Our body responds and releases insulin. Insulin is like the key that unlocks a door. The door, in this case, is our cells. The cells open up and take in sugar from the blood and that causes a drop in the sugar levels in your bloodstream. As a result you feel tired, lethargic, anxious and jittery.
By choosing foods that are slow releasing your body will not dump massive amounts of insulin into your blood stream to encourage cells to take up the digested foods quickly. This way your body will have sustained energy throughout the day. My first suggestion would be to eat breakfast each day. A breakfast that has proteins and fats. Both these foods will satisfy you, and because they take longer to digest you will be satisfied for longer and less likely to binge.   Come and join us in the Balancing Act Group and be part of the
20 Days of Wellness Challenge Join Here ... and a FREE meditation audio! Can you feel the craziness of the end of year creeping up on you? It's like the days are getting shorter and the lists are getting longer. Did you take advantage of Black Friday? I did! And the goodies were delivered yesterday - yay!!! So most of the Christmas presents sorted and some of the boys' summer clothes all delivered. Tick Tick Tick I feel like I'm ahead of the game :) I know you're interested in improving your stress levels, which is why I wanted to make sure you saw this Facebook Live that I did a couple of weeks ago. It's all about how to deal with Stress Check it out here - And this one is about what happens to your body when you are under Stress - Check it out here These videos are on Facebook so you'll need to be logged in to Facebook to watch them!
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