Juicing! Why It Should Be a Daily Part of Your Diet

In this modern world, with our fast pace of life we have become used to supplementing our diets with vitamins and mineral pills. These supplements have their place and can be very effective, but they can't take the place of a stable diet of fruit and vegetables.
Not only do they provide a wealth of minerals, nutrients and vitamins but they also cleanse and balance the body. Now there is a revolution that is happening at the moment and it is taking the food Industry by storm, which means you don't have to eat all your fruit and vegetables. So what is it? Juicing. That is, taking fresh raw fruit and vegetables. Then extracting the juice from them to produce a tasty cocktail of minerals and nutrients which are brimming full of goodness. And they taste great!
So here are my 8 reasons why you really should consider juicing as part of your daily intake of fuel for your body
1. Raw Juicing is better
Once you have tasted the freshly extracted juice made from your own raw vegetables and fruit you will realize there is no comparison between that and the juices you can buy in a carton which have things such as preservatives and sweeteners added. Homemade juices will have nothing added, nothing taken away just 100% goodness. Your own juice will retain all of its goodness because it's not undergone any processing. This makes a big difference, as any form of cooking destroys some of the content of minerals and vitamins.
2. Getting your vitamins and minerals on a daily basis
Freshly extracted juices are packed with many of the vitamins and minerals which the body needs to keep us fit and well. Those vitamins found in fruit and vegetables are often bound to other nutrients which help with absorption. For example, Bioflavonoids can be found in the pith of citrus fruits which help with the absorption of vitamin C. So obviously juicing on a regular basis is an excellent way of making sure you get the all the vitamins and minerals each day.

3. Antioxidants
You may have heard of Antioxidant nutrients in Newspaper and magazine articles. Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene can give protection against degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease, premature aging. It is believed that these vitamins hold the key to minimising the effects of these devastating diseases. The reason why these nutrients have such a positive effect on our preventative healthcare is that they are able to slow down the damage done by the unbalanced molecules, known as free radicals.
4. Free radicals
Free radicals are molecules produced when the body breaks down food, or it can be caused by environmental exposure: things like tobacco smoke and radiation. They react with other molecules in our body and destabilize them. In other words, putting your cells at risk. They have been linked to the development of diseases such as cancer and heart disease, because they are capable of destroying other healthy molecules which will in turn then be unstable. So drinking freshly extracted juices that contain all the nutrients on a daily basis is going to have a long term impact on your future health as well as benefitting you in the short term.
5. Easier to digest
Fruit and vegetable juices are easy for the body to digest, especially if your body can't cope with a lot of fibre. But they are not to replace the fibre in your diet which is necessary for the elimination of wastes. Because freshly extracted juice is a liquid it will be quickly absorbed and digested in the stomach, and the nutrients absorbed into the bloodstream. This works so efficiently that it will be absorbed within minutes of being eaten. Also of benefit is; plant enzymes which come from the vegetables. These also help in neutralizing any excess fat or proteins from other foods eaten.
6. Cleanses the body

Drinking Fresh juices are an excellent way of cleansing the body. Fruit and vegetables in their raw state hold good amounts of water which will have been filtered and distilled through their complex structures, making digestion a whole lot easier with no impurities to deal with. In addition to that, all fruits contain acid. This helps remove toxins from your digestive tract. Some fruits such as oranges and apples contain pectin; this will also absorb fats and toxins from your digestive tract. Green vegetables are also rich in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a molecule that absorbs sunlight and converts its energy into carbohydrate. Vegetables with chlorophyll, such as watercress and spinach are helpful when on a detox programme. Carrots and tomatoes are also very good at acting as a tonic for the liver too.

7. Keeping a balanced diet
Freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices act as excellent alkalizers once they have been digested. So this will help when eating normal foods, as they tend to be high in protein, with too many refined, processed ingredients. All of which can cause high acidity levels. The body has a finely balanced pH level, where it should be somewhere in the middle between acid and alkaline, tipping slightly towards alkaline. So drinking a glass of fresh juice each day will help in maintaining your pH balance to where it should be.
8. Good health insurance policy
Drinking just juice on its own won't give you perfect health, but added to a balanced diet and regular exercise you will increase your chances of a long and healthy life. It may be worth considering other changes you can make as part of your daily routine. Things like:
Stop smoking
Cut back on intake of alcohol
Take regular exercise (at least 3 times a week)
Increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables (juicing makes this a doddle)
Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water
Now that you have the facts, just go out and do it. Get yourself a juicer, buy some fresh fruit and vegetables and start juicing! There are plenty of resources for recipes and tips on juicing or sign up to makemeslim.net and learn how juicing and losing weight can be really effective. It was for me, I lost 40 lb's in just 3 months and I'm maintaining my weight too.

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6 Tips to Improve Your Body Image

We have all had problems with our body image, whether it's just before the party season or just after. Everyone has had some issue with how they look at some point in their lives. Today our lives are filled with visual images of how we are supposed to look or we are being introduced to the 'latest' diet program making us take a closer look at our bodies.

Here are 6 tips to help you become less obsessed about how you look:-

1. Stop avoiding your body - The best way to avoid negative body image is to face up to how you body looks and to start getting to know it, lumps, bumps and everything in between. If you usually avoid mirrors, now is the perfect time to start approaching them. Look at yourself as a whole person - don't just focus on the bits you don't like. Spend some time with yourself naked! Try new activities that you would normally avoid like going to the beach. The more time you spend in contact with your body and accepting your body the way it is, the more you are likely to develop a better body image.

2. Stop constantly checking - This is when you are constantly checking your body for evidence of continued 'disgustingness'. A person might study their body in the mirror for hours, or pinch their sides to check on their 'fat'. Write a list of your checking behaviours and recognise what you are doing by making a point to refuse to check or at least try to cut back.

3. Stop comparing yourself - One form of the checking behaviour is when you also compare your physical attributes to other people. It can be challenging to stop negatively comparing yourself to others. Make a note of when you compare, who you compare yourself to, and what you say to yourself when you do it. What effect does this have on how you feel when you do it? What can you say to yourself that can be more helpful and uplifting?

4. Check your assumptions out - Some people can interpret normal everyday evidence as 'fatness'. For example, a lot of women think that if their thighs or stomachs wobble, this means they are 'fat'. In fact, this wobbliness is part of a normal female's characteristics and can be normal fluid retention leading up to a premenstrual cycle but many view this as a 'sign' that they are putting on weight.

5. Separate the feeling bad from feeling fat - When you are having some weight issues, it can sometimes be challenging to separate your feelings of how you feel about your body. For example, if you've just had a fight with your partner you may start to feel 'fat' and unattractive. Try and identify what the real issues are and keep them separate from your body image issues. Another example when people feel 'fat' is just after they have eaten. When this happens remind yourself that your weight and appearance are the same before you started to feel this way. You may feel different but your weight hasn't changed.

6. Practise self acceptance - When you have a negative body image it's like having you own personal critic inside your head. This critic makes you feel awful because you end up believing it. When you feel terrible about yourself, you may look for ways to feel better. You may eat something which you feel is 'naughty' but gives you some momentary pleasure, but then the critic is back to comment on what a pig you are. To change this negative body image persona you need to kill the critic in your head and learn to love yourself for the way you look. Cognitive techniques can be a very effective in helping you identify and change your critical thinking.

By learning to accept and love yourself for who you are and the way you look, you will find yourself happier and more appreciative of how your body looks and feels. We all want to look our best and have a healthy body but a healthy body comes in many shapes and sizes. Make sure your lifestyle consists of a healthy eating plan and regular exercise that will help boost yourself image; self esteem and of course increase your energy levels.

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Benefits of Regular Exercise and Physical Activities

Exercise has become very popular among people who want to look good and at the same time be healthy irrespective of their age. This is because research have proved that regular exercise and physical activities can make you feel better, have more energy and probably live longer. It will be difficult to ignore the health benefits of regular exercise and physical activities. The good news is that you can have all the benefits of regular exercise regardless of your physical ability, age or sex.

Lets see some of the ways exercise can help to improve your looks, health and life generally.

EXERCISE HELPS PREVENT HEALTH CONDITIONS AND DISEASES

Research have proved that exercise and regular physical activities boosts good cholesterol, keep your blood flowing smoothly thereby reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Health problems like depression, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and many more can be prevented by engaging in regular exercise.

EXERCISE HELPS IN WEIGHT LOSS

No weight loss program is complete without exercise and/or regular physical activity. Exercise helps to prevent excess weight gain and also to maintain weight loss as it helps to boost your metabolism. The intensity of your activity determines the mount of calories you burn and how much weight you loss. Even at work you can be more active by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the next office instead of making calls or sending mails. You can do some stretching while running a copy.

EXERCISE RELIEVES STRESS AND IMPROVES MOOD

Exercise and physical activities stimulates and enhances the production of endorphin in the brain that makes you feel good, happier and more relaxed. When you exercise regularly you feel better about you looks and appearance which helps to boost your confidence and also improve your self esteem. Engaging in exercise and physical activities will take your focus away from any stress causing situation or factor helping you to relax better.

EXERCISE HELPS TO BOOST ENERGY

Exercise and physical activities help to deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues thereby helping your cardiovascular system to work efficiently. When your heart and lungs work efficiently your energy level will be enhanced and you will have more energy to go about your daily activities. Exercise and physical activities boost your endurance as well as improve your strength and stamina.

Exercise also promotes better sleep, enhances your sex life and helps you connect with friends and family. In fact, it can serve as a means to bring back the spark in your social life.

If you are looking for a way to feel better, look good, be healthy and have fun, engage in regular exercise and physical activities. Adding a 30 minutes to one hour exercise in your daily schedule and strictly keeping it like an appointment will give you all the benefits. Checking with your doctor before starting any new exercise program is very important especially if you have any health concern.

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Why It's Hard To Lose Weight Without Exercise

Unfortunately one of the most difficult things for people to accomplish is to lose weight and get fit. To achieve this in a natural way, maintaining healthy nutrition and a regular exercise plan is your ticket to success.

As simple as that may sound it actually confounds most people which is the main reason nearly 50% of American adults are overweight. Losing weight is difficult because not only must a person completely revamp their eating habits and maintain a consistent exercise routine, but also consider the length of time it will take to lose the excess weight. This is usually what throws people off course.

In other words, sure it may be rather easy to eat healthy and exercise for one week, but how about for one month, a half of year, a whole year or longer? The length of time needed to drop the weight will depend on how overweight a person is, and how consistently they stick with their plan.

There are some people who want to lose weight but do not want to workout. If you are one may be leaning this direction, it's important you understand that it will be hard to lose weight without exercise. Even though exercise comprises of only about 30% of a person's weight loss success, the other 70% being nutrition, working out regularly still plays a key role in creating a healthy life.

Not only does working out burn calories and fat from our body, but it lends a motivational hand to help remain inspired with this new way of life. It is very easy to slip back into old habits and routines when you are not motivated to lose weight any longer.

If that's not reason enough for you to include exercise into your weekly routine, let's look at the numbers and that may help change your outlook on this healthy habit.

Say for instance an individual whose calorie amount to maintain their current weight is 1,800 calories per day. This past week Monday through Friday this individual was able to create a deficiency of 350 calories each day by focusing on healthy choices and portion size. The deficiency total for the work week totals 1,750 calories which is equivalent to about a half of pound of weight lost.

However on Saturday, this individual went out with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday and this is where the problems began. Not only did this person have 3 alcoholic beverages but had a number of appetizers along with an enormous meal. To top it off, since this person was under the impression that since they maintained healthy nutrition during the week they ordered a large chocolate overload dessert and devoured afterwards.

Do you realize that amount of food comes out to over 2,500 calories? That amount goes entirely over the amount of calories allowed for a day let alone for one particular meal.

This is one of the main reasons why it is hard to lose weight without exercise to burn off any extra calories that may be tossed into your body on any given day. By maintaining this healthy habit, you will not have to worry much if a birthday celebration or a night out with friends arises since you will have exercise to back you up to help get rid of the junk.

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