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15 Minutes a day

Finding a spare quarter of an hour during the day can seem a tall order for some of us and to others it’s really not that important. One thing’s for sure, setting aside fifteen minutes a day to keep fit is essential for a long and healthy life! So let’s find a way to chip away five minutes here and five minutes there and stop making excuses!

8 minutes to tone your body

To tone your lower body (buttocks, hamstrings and calf muscles), perform sets of lunges holding a weight in each hand (begin with 500 grams). Tighten your buttocks, pull your stomach in, keep your back straight and let your arms hang down by your sides. Move your right leg forward and then lower your body by bending at the knees creating a 90° angle (so your rear left leg is balanced on its toes). Raise your body up keeping your back really straight and bring your feet together back to your starting position. Perform sets of 10 lunges alternating with your left leg.

To strengthen your chest and upper body, remain standing with your arms stretched out on each side. Begin by moving your arms in small circles 20 times first in one direction, then 20 times in the other direction. Next move your arms up and down using little movements and then rotate your arms 20 times (with your palms facing downwards, then upwards).

As the days go by, you can of course increase the speed, frequency and number of repetitions.

2 minutes to clear the lungs

Because our breathing is instinctive, we don’t do it correctly. Yet our body’s mechanism for taking in vital oxygen says a lot about our state of mind. For instance, anxious or hyperactive people tend to take jerky breaths, while “lethargic” people breathe out for longer than they breathe in. In any case, breathing has to be learnt and breathing well comes with a bit of training. In the long term, you will be surprised to see its positive effect on stress levels, digestion and sleep...

Lie down on a hard, flat surface and place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds, feeling your stomach expand with air. Hold your breath for 5 seconds and then breathe out very gently through your mouth for 10 seconds to expel all the air from your stomach. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

And 5 minutes to stretch

During all this physical effort, you’ve been oxygenating your muscles. So now you should give them a good stretch to get rid of the toxins and relax them. If you have woken up with pain in your muscles or joints or if you’ve been sitting down all day, stretching will loosen you up and ease the pain.

Standing up with your arms stretched above your head and feet slightly apart, stretch your spine as much as you can as if you are trying to touch the ceiling. Stay in this position for ten seconds or so, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Relax and breathe out.

Next, grasp your right ankle with your right hand and bring your heel up to your bottom. Hold this position for ten seconds or so. Stretch your left thigh in the same way.

Sit down on the ground, with your legs stretched out and your feet together. Breathing out, slide down slowly and try to grasp your feet. As soon as you feel your muscles “pulling” (don’t force it), stay in that position for about ten seconds then relax. Finally, lie down on your back and bring your knees up onto your chest to completely relax your lower back.

Save money

A non-profit group called The Environmental Working Group releases an annual report of the fruits and vegetables that are most likely to contain pesticides. They dubbed this group the “dirty dozen” and collect their information from more than 87,000 government tests. The most recent report shows that peaches top the list for most pesticides. Others include: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, nectarines, strawberries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, and pears. So be sure to buy these produce items organically.

On the other hand, the 15 fruits and vegetables that are least likely to contain pesticide residue include: onion, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomato, sweet potato, and cabbage.

You can save money by purchasing these items at a regular grocery store, if need be. You don’t need to buy the organic versions.

Posture

1. Elongate your torso

'Become mindful of your body's alignment,' says ballet-tone teacher Alexandra Wood. 'Stand tall, shoulders back, with your chest open. Focus on lengthening your torso by pulling up from your pubic bone through your abs, towards the crown of your head and right up to the ceiling. Imagine you're creating more space between each bone in your spine.'

2. Tighten your tummy

We've all wobbled, one-legged, in a yoga class, but you'll never see a ballerina hopping around the stage trying to get her balance. Firm up your core and you'll stand firm, too. Once your muscles are warm, stand straight and hold on to something sturdy. Slowly lift your outside leg in front of you, then swing it back so it's just behind you with your toes pointed. Keep your upper body still and your shoulders back.

3. Lengthen your legs

Remember first position in your ballet classes? Stand upright with your heels together and your feet angled at 45°. Slide your left leg out in front, then out to the side before sliding it back to the centre, then repeat on your right side. Remember to engage your abs throughout - all your weight will be on one leg, so your core muscles will help you balance.

4. Stretch your spine

'You're likely to crunch up your lower back muscles if you sit at a desk all day,' says Melissa, 'but this move will really stretch out them out.' Sit on the floor with your feet flexed against a wall and bend your upper body over them. Now ask someone to gently press down on your upper back - you'll get a good pull in your lower back, too. Follow this by kneeling down, leaning over your thighs and reaching forward with your arms for a lovely full back stretch.'

5. Straighten up that slouch

On the train, at the dinner table or at a desk - we're all guilty of slouching. Fight the slump with this Royal Ballet approved move. 'Hold a resistance band or a broom handle above your head, lean your arms right back and stretch them out wide', says Melissa Hamilton, soloist with the Royal Ballet. 'It's a super simple stretch and a great way to mobilise your joints and banish round shoulders.'

Green remedies

Did you know that one of the simplest, least expensive and non toxic alternatives to deodorants and antiperspirants is simply plain soap?

I haven’t used deodorants or anti perspirants for over three decades. Most people don’t realize this, but the underarm stains on your shirts are actually created by the chemicals from these products – not by your sweat. Avoiding antiperspirants and deodorants is just one way to reduce your toxic burden.

Although I’ve not yet read DeJong’s book, I like to promote sensible, non-toxic solutions to the chemical-laden products and remedies most people use on a daily basis.

The Green-Washing of Organic Personal Care Items

Sales of ‘green’ or organic personal care products reached $350 million in 2007 – an increase of 24 percent from 2005. But as the demand for natural and organic products has risen, so has the practice of “green washing.”

As the list above shows, there are a number of greenwashing tactics to look out for, if you’re still purchasing these products instead of making your own.

Chemicals You Definitely Want to Avoid

Did you know that if you use conventional cosmetics on a daily basis, you can absorb almost 5 pounds of chemicals into your body each year! Many of which have been linked to deadly side effects like cancer.

Below I’ll offer a few simple, non-toxic alternatives to help you avoid some of these hazardous chemicals, which can be found in many personal care products:

• Paraben, a chemical found in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics that has been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, which can drive the growth of human breast tumors.

• Phthalates, plasticizing ingredients (present in nearly three-quarters of 72 products tested by the Environmental Working Group), which have been linked to birth defects in the reproductive system of boys and lower sperm-motility in adult men, among other problems.

• Musks, used as fragrances, can accumulate in your body, and have been linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and cancer in laboratory studies.

• Artificial fragrances, which are among the top five known allergens, and can cause asthma and trigger asthma attacks.

• Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), a chemical used in shampoo to prevent bacteria from developing, which may have detrimental effects on your nervous system.

• Toluene, made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus.

• Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum, these products coat your skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins. They also slow cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of aging, and are a suspected cause of cancer and disruption to hormonal activity.

I highly recommend using the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database where you can look up a wide variety of products and brands to find out what they’re really made of, and whether or not they’re safe.

Being choosy and only using products made of real, recognizable, natural and organic ingredients bearing the USDA Certified Organic seal, is your best bet when purchasing products that go into your body, or onto your skin.

Easy-Breezy Home-Made Beauty Products

Like DeJong, I believe the absolute easiest way to ensure that you’re not being exposed to potentially hazardous agents is to simply make your own personal care products, using simple all-natural ingredients that many of you may already have in your home.

Here are a few of my recommendations:

All-natural moisturizers -- Pure emu oil is a great alternative to facial- and body moisturizers and lotions, as is pure coconut oil. It’s a fantastic moisturizer and a potent source of the beneficial fat lauric acid.

All-natural acne fighter -- Rubbing just a drop of oregano oil on a breakout can speed up the healing and prevent unsightly scarring without resorting to harsh commercial acne medication (remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards).

All-natural deodorant – I advise stopping ALL antiperspirants. Common soap and water works fine. If you still need further help then try a pinch of baking soda mixed into water as an effective all-day deodorant.

All-natural shampoo and soaps – You can find clean, non-chemical soaps at many health food stores.

Finding recipes for your own homemade beauty products is a breeze when you have access to the internet. Just Google “homemade cosmetics” for more than 400,000 pages of recipes and instructions.

Home remedies - 1

Olives may be of some help here, but ginger is far better. It's traditionally used to treat nausea, but also seems to work quite well against motion sickness. To make a tea, simply slice off a small amount of fresh ginger and steep it in hot water for 30 seconds up to several minutes. Ginger is very potent, so taste it at regular intervals of about 30 seconds—it can get very strong fast!

Alternatively, for a quicker but less elegant solution, just take a half teaspoon of the fresh ginger and finely dice it with a knife and swallow it whole. It has worked every time I have had the need for it. It probably is the most consistently effective herbal food that I have seen work nearly every time.

In addition to ginger, the University of Maryland Medical Center also suggests using peppermint and black horehound, which is actually a traditional remedy for motion sickness.

These herbs can be taken as:

• Dried extracts in the form of capsules, powders, or teas
• Liquid extracts or tinctures

To make a tea using dried herb, put about one teaspoon of the herb into a tea strainer and place it in a cup of hot water. Avoid adding sugar. If you absolutely need some sweetness, try a couple of drops of liquid stevia instead.

Another excellent method that you can do whenever and wherever motion sickness strikes, is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It balances your subtle energy system and calms your motion sensors, and this will calm your symptoms of motion sickness and allow you to finally enjoy the pleasures of travel.

Home remedies - 2

The devil is in the details when it comes to the recommendation to use yoghurt to combat bad breath, because most of the yoghurt you find today is loaded with sugar and made from pasteurized milk. You do NOT want to use these commercially available yoghurts as they are more likely to do more harm than good.

Only use traditionally fermented yoghurt, such as kefir made from raw milk with no added sugar. Another alternative is to consume traditionally fermented foods (such as natto or tempeh), or take a high quality probiotic like Complete Probiotics.

How is it that these types of foods and bacteria can help against bad breath?

Because halitosis, or bad breath, is typically caused by systemic diseases, gastrointestinal and/or upper respiratory tract disorders, and microbial metabolism from your tongue, saliva or dental plaque—all of which are indicators of systemic unbalance, which can be remedied with probiotics in the form of an oral supplement or fermented foods.

In addition to reseeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut, I highly recommend limiting the primary fertilizer for the bacteria that cause bad breath, namely SUGAR and grains that rapidly break down to sugar. That automatically means cutting down on processed foods (which are high in both grains and sugars/high fructose corn syrup), as they cause bad odor-causing bacteria to grow out of control.

Beware that mouthwashes are only effective against bad breath caused by intraoral factors. Gargling and swishing can't help you much if your problem stems from an imbalance of bacteria in your intestinal tract, for example.