Sleep More - Weigh Less!

I really like it when an article I read really hits home and is very relevant to the clients I am working with. Sleep, or lack of it, plays a major factor in our everyday health and can play a crucial part in a weight loss diet. At the moment, I have a client who is finding it very hard to lose weight purely because she is surviving on around 3 hours sleep every night. Doctors find it very easy to throw sleeping tablets at a problem which is probably caused by a hormone imbalance or insufficient melatonin in the body. So if you are having problems sleeping a naturopath or hormone therapist would definitely be a better option. Also, don't forgot the circadian rhythm. All animals have a daily rhythm whereby they go to bed at a certain time and get up at a certain time. The body is the most happy when this rhythm is maintained. For example, if you go to bed at 10pm every night and get up at 6am every morning your body will be very happy that you are getting 8 hours sleep every night and it knows exactly when to sleep and when to wake up. Of course, in an ideal world, we would be able to maintain this at the weekend as well as during the week - yeah right! I don't think anyone I know will go to bed and get up at the same time 7 days per week! Think about it - it probably is the major factor in that horrible "ugh" feeling on a Monday morning (that and the alcohol units consumed - but that's another article!). Check out the link below for all of the info related to helping weight loss by sleeping more.

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/20/sleep-more-lose-weight.aspx

Swap to Brown Rice for a Healthy Heart

Hello.

We swapped to brown rice around 6 months ago and haven't looked back since. All white carbohydrates including rice, bread and pasta are all pure energy and not much else, so swapping to the nutritious and fibre-filled brown counterpart is a very sensible idea. I found the whole grain rice too gritty and it takes around a fortnight to cook but it seems that brown rice is better for you anyway - woo hoo! See below for lots of big words from the experts!

Brown rice boost to heart health
Brown rice is often thought to be healthier than its white counterpart because of its higher fibre content, and researchers have now furthered its credentials with claims that it also has the power to fight cardiovascular disease.

When brown rice is polished to make white rice, the nutritionally beneficial subaleurone layer, which contains oligosaccharides and dietary fibres, is stripped away.

A team of US and Japanese researchers says that the subaleurone layer – between the white centre of the rice grain and the brown outer husk – may provide protection from high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) by working against angiotensin II, an endocrine protein which promotes these conditions.

Satoru Eguchi, Associate Professor of Physiology at the Cardiovascular Research Centre and Department of Physiology at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia said, ‘Our research suggests that there is a potential ingredient in rice that may be a good starting point for looking into preventive medicine for cardiovascular diseases. We hope to present an additional health benefit of consuming half-milled or brown rice as part of a regular diet.’

Source: The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Beware of the Tofu!!

Hello.

I have read many articles recently and had a very interesting conversation with one of the health experts at FILEX last year about the health, or indeed unhealthy, affects of Soy products. Living in Asia, most of us eat a lot of tofu and I know many of my friends children who use soya milk as an alternative to cow's milk. There is a lot of evidence out there which confirms that unfermented soya products e.g. tofu, soya milk, soya cheese, soya yoghurt etc interfere with the balance of our hormones. I have taken this information seriously as my own daughter is lactose intolerant and was enjoying soya milk on a daily basis. I have now changed to rice milk (please don't let me read any articles on that one!). Please look at the link below and make up your own mind.

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/13/soy-controversy-and-health-effects.aspx

Let me know what you think.

Tomato, Zucchini and Oregano Slice

Hello. Here is another super yum recipe from Australian Women's Weekly. It's great warm or cold and can be made the night before for a yummy lunch at work. It's also healthy, low fat and very easy to make.

Tomato, Zucchini and Oregano Slice

125g cherry tomatoes

1 egg

3 egg whites

1/3 cup (65g) low fat cottage cheese

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 small zucchini (90g) grated coarsely

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves

30g baby spinach leaves

1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced. Line an 8cm x 21cm loaf pan with a strip of baking paper.

2. Place tomatoes in pan. Roast 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine egg, egg whites, cheese and garlic in medium jug.

4. Remove tomatoes from oven; reduce oven temperature to 160C/140C fan forced.

5. Sprinkle tomatoes with zucchini and oregano; pour over egg mixture. Bake about 25 minutes or until set.

6. Serve slice with spinach.

Enjoy!

Make your workout more efficient

Hello.

Here is a very interesting article about making your workouts more effective. This is the way I train most of my clients i.e. resistance training mixed in with bouts of short burst anaerobic exercise and longer bouts of recovery. It's effective and a great way to lose weight. I have read quite a few articles recently on the same subject and most experts agree this is a much more effective and efficient way to work out compared to long repetitive cardio sessions.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/10/05/dont-make-these-mistakes-with-your-workouts.aspx

Hope you enjoy the article and let me know if you try it.