Healthy Living

Limping and broken legs

2009-06-26T07:40:00.003+01:00

When we look at someone’s efforts to improve their health we can easily tell which aspects needed the large amount of effort. The small efforts for their minor changes are harder to spot and this is similar to our own situation.

If you had a broken leg you would have to stop what you were doing and get it fixed.

If you had a limp you could keep going for a long time, and perhaps the limp would go away on its own.

Where in your health are you ‘limping’?

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Mailing it in?

2009-06-12T13:41:00.002+01:00

That’s an interesting phrase isn’t it?

When someone isn’t really trying very hard we say that they’re ‘mailing it in’.

How many times have we realised that we are doing just that – not putting in the appropriate level of effort into our health?

Recognition is the key of course to doing something about this. If we can catch ourselves then we can do something about it. Luckily the answers are usually obvious, it’s the catching ourselves that is the tricky bit!

Stop yourself and see if you are ‘mailing it in’ – if you are you might find your progress accelerating once you have resolved the issue!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Boost your alkalinity first thing in the morning

2009-06-05T16:09:00.003+01:00

A really simple way to get your day off to a flying start is with some lemon juice squeezed into a glass of water.

Although citrus fruits are generally acidic they become alkaline after they have been processed by the body.

Green drinks will help you to become alkaline quicker, but if you are looking for some variety this is a good place to start.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Plan your meals a plate at a time

2009-05-29T08:59:00.003+01:00

There was a really nice comment that I heard on the radio the other day and it was related to planning meals. The general discussion was around getting the ratios of protein, carbohydrate and vegetables right when cooking meals.

The suggestion was; ¼ protein, ¼ carbohydrate and ½ vegetables.

If you find that you or your family aren’t eating enough vegetables day to day then this may be a good way to plan and serve your meals.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Are you ‘mailing it in’?

2009-05-15T16:18:00.002+01:00

When it takes time to do something worthwhile (like getting into shape) we can find ourselves slipping and not doing the best that we absolutely could. A phrase I heard years ago was ‘mailing it in’ as in not taking part fully.

Are you mailing it in with some of your activities?

If you find that you have then it may be good practice to ask yourself this question before undertaking that activity again – ‘what is the purpose of doing this?’

By asking this question we can determine if it is still important to us. If it is then we can gain some new ideas and some new motivation. And if it isn’t – then perhaps you have saved some time in the long run!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Best laid plans......

2009-05-08T08:53:00.001+01:00

We know what we need to do in order to change our health. We know what to eat, what kind of exercise and what kind of relaxation we need. Then nothing happens!

This often happens because of the overwhelming nature our plans can take. When there is too much to consider this can sometimes stop us from figuring out how to start (it all looks so huge!!!).

A simple way around this is to find a starting point and ignore the rest – for the time being at least. With a simple and uncomplicated start we can benefit from a number of things. Firstly, we make progress and from this we can gain momentum. Secondly, the experience from the starting point can provide knowledge on how to approach the rest of your plan. Your plan may need to change or you may need to consider adding in some extra items for example.

Whilst planning is important, action is right there alongside in terms of importance. If you find that your best laid plans are going nowhere then maybe it is worth trying a small part of it, a part you feel comfortable with, and seeing where you get to. Then you can attempt the next small part and so on, and before you know it you will be where you wanted to be!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

The next three steps

2009-05-05T15:13:00.003+01:00

When we are working towards an improvement in our health it might be hard to work out what our plan of attack might look like. If we are already healthy but wish to improve further we might me moving into unchartered territory and not be sure what such a bold plan would look like. A simple resolution to this could be to only consider the next three steps.

By keeping it as simple as this we can keep a focus on the next step that we have identified and taken the pressure off the need for a complete plan. By doing these few actions we can gain new ideas and knowledge that will guide us towards where we want to be.

This ability to focus on the next couple of steps can also help us to improve our personal productivity and accelerate our progress.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Considering a continuum

2009-04-24T16:23:00.005+01:00

When deciding what to do next with your goals it can sometimes be hard to come up with ideas. A simple way around this is to use a continuum.

If you look at one of your recently completed goals you could place this at the middle of a continuum. To the left of it could be a really bad version of it, and to the right could be an amazing version of it – bigger, better and in full colour surround sound!

Building on an existing idea is an easy method that you can use to create new ideas and a new vision of your future!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Sticking plasters

2009-04-17T08:15:00.004+01:00

Sometimes our plans work out and sometimes they don't. When it comes to health and exercise we can find that short cuts and temporary fixes are put in place. The downside to this is that there can be a lack of long term benefits, and if we are looking for a fitter and healthier body
then this can go against what we want.

If you find yourself getting stuck and not progressing, things aren't working out and plans keep on falling over then it might be worth considering a simple exercise called '5 Whys'.

To perform the exercise you need an issue that is currently affecting you. Ask yourself 'why the result occurred' and answer the question. Ask yourself another question – this time aimed at digging down to the next level, and keep repeating this process until you have reached a
fundamental 'a-ha' moment. At this point you can make simple changes that have the potential to be sustainable and highly effective.

If you respond to the first answer you run the risk of putting sticking plasters on a problem rather than fixing the problem once and for all.

Describe it in one sentence

2009-04-09T15:11:00.003+01:00

With so many things to do it is sometimes easy to get lost with what we should be doing. Our health based activities can fall into the same category. How do we keep our focus on what we need to be doing?

A simple way to do this is to question what each activity is meant to achieve, providing the answer no more than one sentence. For example, if we are looking at our meal planning activities we could ask this question. The answer could be something along the lines of ‘to nourish my body effectively with great tasting food’.

Checking in on what we’re meant to be doing can sometimes be a useful pause in the hectic day to day world we live in.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Getting out of the doldrums

2009-04-03T17:25:00.000+01:00

If your diet and health plans aren’t going too well then think of the doldrums. The doldrums are a reference to sailing when the winds disappear and we get stuck. This conjures the idea that we need to put some wind in our sails and get going again.

With reference to diet and exercise what ‘wind’ do you need to put in your sails? What activity or change would give you a kick start as you journey towards your healthier lifestyle?

It could be planning a long walk or a couple of smoothies – something to get us back on track and feeling like we’ve made an effort. Once we have made our gesture we need to take this momentum and put in place the discipline that we need in order to keep our progress going.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Water - a big factor

2009-03-20T10:04:00.002Z

Watching the adverts on TV and some of the views made on chat shows about looking after ourselves it always amazes me how the basics are overlooked. The new and more complicated approach is taken in favour of the straightforward fundamentals.

Water is one of those fundamentals. Most people have heard the statement '8 glasses of water a day'.

Whatever the precise amount of water we need for our bodies it is a fact that we are made up of approximately 70% water. Taking supplements and doing the more advanced things in terms of nutrition and health makes an assumption that we have the basics covered.

Sometimes keeping all of the plates spinning in life can be a challenge, but I'd ask you to challenge yourself - do you drink enough water during the day?

Not coffee, not tea, not fruit juice - just plain old boring water.

If you do struggle with this then please visit our other articles for some ideas, otherwise well done and keep up the good work!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Count your chews

2009-03-13T19:23:00.001Z

Whilst having my lunch the other day I was lucky enough to sit opposite a man who ate without chewing. I was fascinated by the spectacle opposite and managed to get into a conversation with him. I asked him what he was having – lasagne – and then I asked him what it was like. He didn't really know – it was lunch!

I thought that this was a strange response, it wasn't a bland meal in any sense and yet this person had not considered the fact that they were feeding themselves. If he had considered this he would likely have found that he would chew more and engage more of his senses in the eating experience. A book called the 'Slow Down Diet' (by Marc David) talks about the research behind good eating practices. In this case the need to slow down and enjoy what you are eating. The reason for this? To absorb more of the nutrients and become nourished. This is, after all, what eating is for.

Next time you are eating please consider whether you are relaxed, engaged and consciously eating. If you're not eating this way try counting the number of times you chew your food – it might be a good way to develop a better eating habit.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Crushed Seeds

2009-03-06T16:49:00.000Z

We often look for ways to improve the nutritional content of our diets. Adding in new foods can often be difficult due to the volume or the time. Adding in small amounts of food to other foods can make this process a whole lot easier.

Crushed seeds is one good example of this. A mix of sunflower, linseed and pumpkin seeds can provide the correct split of fatty acids that your brain will thank you for. Adding this to your cereal or your yoghurt, for example, can increase the nutritional content of the meal.

Dried fruit is in the same camp. A handful at the end of a meal can increase the nutritional content once more with little effort. Thinking of ways to add in small amounts of nutritionally dense foods to your existing meals can make a big difference.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Start with fruit

2009-02-13T08:31:00.001Z

The struggle that many readers have with consuming enough fruit and vegetables in their diet can be overcome in one simple approach.

Start your day with fruit.

There you go - how's that for a starter for 10?

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"Alkaline all the way!"

The 10 rep challenge

2009-01-30T16:05:00.001Z

Finding the smallest amount of exercising that you can do to 'get the job done' is an interesting experiment. If we know that doing something is better than doing nothing (when it comes to exercise) then finding the least amount you can do might be enough to gain some momentum.

The '10 rep' challenge is one way to do this – do 10 reps of an exercise that you love and leave it there. You never know – you might end up doing more.

If you know what else you would like to do exercise wise then you have a plan of how to spend your time once you have completed your 10 reps.... if you wish.

A little bit of effort can really get the body (and mind) into action. So, when exercising looks like too much hard work or will take too long try the '10 rep' challenge.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Joining forces

2009-01-21T09:39:00.003Z

The habits required to stay healthy are sometimes tricky to keep in place. Eating fruit, using your juicer, getting in your exercise etc..

One of the ways you can improve the development and maintenance of your habits is to piggy back the habit with another activity that will get done.

For example, if you are not using your juicer enough – you could tie in the juicing with the preparation of your evening meal. You’re in the right place at the right time doing similar things. The additional effort to use your juicer is minimised and potentially more likely to happen.

Try joining the new habits with the current tasks and see what happens.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Meal Planning

2009-01-09T08:31:00.003Z

One of the themes that I write about is the consumption of enough fruit and vegetables during the day to (at least) meet the 5-a-day target. One of the discussions that I have with people that continues to surprise me is the lack of planning that goes into people's meals.

Apart from the logic that it helps to focus your shopping habits (at your local shops, supermarket, or wherever you go), it gives you the opportunity to determine how much of your diet is good quality nutritious food. By taking the time out to do this you can make immediate (and sometimes dramatic) improvements to the quality of your diet.

Now, here's the interesting bit - where you put your focus on your meal planning can make the schedule of meals entirely different. If your focus was on consuming more vegetables then this could be the start point for when thinking about what meals to have. For example, say you wanted to eat brocolli and carrots - what would go with them? You come up with an idea and there you are, you have a meal that contains the right amount of vegetables for you.

Whatever your focus or needs are for achieving your health objectives apply it to your meal planning. Take the small amount of time that it requires and reap the rewards.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

When's your bed time?

2008-12-15T08:28:00.003Z

Driving around first thing in the morning can yield some interesting sights. One of the sights that interests me the most is people driving whilst cramming breakfast into their mouths! I sometimes wonder what time they get up and what stress this practice of getting up and almost immediately getting into their car to rush a breakfast whilst racing to work does to their bodies and minds.

A lot of people complain about not being able to get up in the morning and when you speak to them about their routines the evening before you realise that there is no routine. There are recognised benefits of going to bed at the same time each day and waking up at the same time each day.

If you are one of the people who suffer in the mornings then maybe it would be worthwhile to experiment with a regimented approach to bed time!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Smoothies and juicing

2008-12-01T17:30:00.001Z

If you're looking to add in a different dimension to your intake of fruits and vegetables then have you considered making smoothies, or creating a new juicing combination?

Many people have juicers lurking away in their kitchen cupboards and this can provide a good alternative to dessert after the evening meal. If you can rope your family members into cleaning the juicer afterwards then you're on to a real winner!

Even if you don't have a juicer, but have a blender you can make some really good smoothies that can add to your '5 a day' as well as making fruit even more interesting.

Enjoy.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Weariing 'nutrition glasses'

2008-11-12T08:05:00.002Z

When you get that mid afternoon hunger pang - what do you choose?

What if you haven't brought your fruit with you to munch on?

If you have been in this situation then it may be worthwhile using your 'nutrition glasses'.

What I mean by this is, instead of picking up the first thing that comes to hand because it will do, look at it as if you were wearing a special pair of glasses. These glasses would shade the item based on how good it is for you. If it is really good for you then you might see it as being green (the colour of Wheatgrass!), and if it is bad for you then it might appear red.

By making a decision to only eat the good foods (or green appearing foods) then this can aid your health and overall diet.

Give it a go and see if your choosing of foods improves.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Tinier portions

2008-11-03T17:16:00.002Z

Some of the more recent entries in this blog have been about the use of smaller steps to achieve our objectives, but this week after talking to some friends I realise that big to one person is small to another.

When we talk about talking smaller steps it is sometimes the most ridiculously small looking steps that would take us to where we want to be.

One of the best examples I can think of is the apple. Pure and simple - we all know the saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. When discussing this I found people saying things like 'yeah - but I see an apple and think how long it will take to eat, so I don't bother'.

If you find this approach is the same as the one you take then try making the portion even smaller. Cutting an apple or two up before going to work and taking it with you in an airtight container gives you something nutritious to nibble at. Lo and behold, at the end of the day we suddenly have eaten two of our five a day portions! Magic!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Creating the ritual

2008-10-27T17:03:00.001Z

When working on becoming healthier through eating better food, exercising more and starting healthier habits it sometimes becomes useful to create appropriate rituals.

What I mean by this is to find a sequence of activities that when run together make doing the new habit easier.

For example, if you are wanting to make sure that you choose healthier options when you do your food shopping you could link a number of items together. A possible combination would be a song on the car stereo that makes you feel good, followed by remembering why you are doing these activities, followed by imagining yourself as the ultra healthy person that you want to be, followed by an effective selection of foods when you actually do the shopping.

By getting yourself into the right mental state for doing what you need to do you will find that you can achieve your results far quicker.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Lazy Town tribute

2008-10-20T19:44:00.002+01:00

I was watching 'Lazy Town' with my daughter at the weekend and one of the main characters demonstrated to the youngsters in the programme that he had a daily checklist to make sure that he had eaten all of his fruit.

The list also included his glasses of water and cleaning his teeth!

Ingenious.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

What it?

2008-10-11T08:22:00.003+01:00

When we ask 'what if?' questions we allow ourselves to come up with better answers. This allows us to expand upon our current thinking.

Very nice - but what has this got to do with health and nutrition?

What if _ _ _ _ ?

Go on, ask yourself a better question.

If you are struggling to eat your daily requirement of fruit: "what if I started my day with fruit?"

If you are struggling to drink enough water: "what if I carried a bottle of water around with me during the day?"

Think of a health issue and then think of a better question.

Go on - give it a go!

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Nutrients and food choices

2008-10-06T07:13:00.002+01:00

As we move through the day we get to make all kinds of choices. In particular we get to make choices about the diet we consume.

There is a very interesting decision process that we can embrace, as a test, to see what happens to the quality of our diet. This test is based on the 'Nutrient to Calorie' ratio of food.

The decision becomes quite simple - 'does this food that I am about to consume have a lot of nutrients compared to its calories?'

For example a tomato would have a high level of nutrients relative to its calories, where as a spoonful of sugar would have a low level of nutrients relative to its calories.

If we can keep this decision in our consciousness during the daytime, then choosing which foods to eat can become a whole lot easier!

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"Alkaline all the way!"

Diet Preparation

2008-09-26T08:19:00.000+01:00

When getting enough fruits and vegetables into our diet during the day is a challenge a different approach is needed.

One of the best ways we have found to do this is to choose what time we prepare these items.

Let me explain...

If you can find the time of day that you are at your most organised and most efficient (most of us have a certain time of day that we feel this way - I am first thing in the morning) then you can work out what you want to eat and when.

This sounds like an incredibly simple approach, but that's the beauty! We need to make active choices about what we do, otherwise the day will slip past and suddenly it's 9pm and we realise that we've only had one or two pieces of fruit / vegetables all day.

If you create meal plans you can design fruit and vegetables into your diet and if you don't - this might be worth considering.

But the place where this idea holds greatest potential is in the snacks between meals. Where are you going to be and at what time during the day? Can you get your fruit snack there? What do you need to take with you? etc...

Try this basic technique, plan your fruit and vegetable intake, prepare your 'snacks' and achieve a better diet.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

The upward spiral of self-discipline

2008-09-09T10:29:00.002+01:00

One of the recurring comments I get from friends and family is 'how do you keep up with your healthy lifestyle?'

It's very easy to tell people the answer - self discipline. This got me thinking - what ideas can help people to develop self-discipline in the area of health? Thinking this through I recalled people I had met through my life who had impressed me with their own dedication to various aspects of their lives.

What came to me was that they were disciplined in many areas of their lives.

So what?

Well, one of the most straight forward applications here is to find any area that you have a foot hold in - in terms of self-discipline and expand on it. Slowly, over time, you will be able to expand this discipline into other areas - including health.

For more help on making this change please look at one of our previous articles - Tiny Steps.

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"Alkaline all the way!"

A sip of water - regularly

2008-05-30T06:53:00.003+01:00

One comment that my friends and family often make is 'I can't seem to drink enough water'.

Obviously, hydrating yourself is exceptionally important but it is realised that many people (adults) find it difficult to drink water on its own.

My advice is to keep a glass of water nearby and take regular sips (see the Tiny Steps commentary below) instead.

Over a period of several hours you will consume a good quantity of water, without any of the hassle or stress of 'necking' a big glass of water.

And, taking small ongoing sips is better for the body - one smooth continuous flow is usually better than big chunks when it comes to the body.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

A Smaller Serving

2008-04-21T14:34:00.000+01:00

A friend of mine who is struggling to reduce their weight was talking to me in a restaurant the other day. I couldn't help notice that their plate was being filled excessively (we were at a buffet by the way).

This was completely in their control and they could have put less on their plate. It was a very full plate.

I am not promoting starvation, I am proposing portion control.

Isn't this one of the most difficult habits to form?

If you are reading this and have some ideas about developing this habit - then please share them with us!

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Appropriate Exercise

2008-04-10T19:56:00.001+01:00

The notion that some exercise every day is good for you is an interesting one. I was listening to a man on the radio talking about this and he was saying that any kind of physical movement that you enjoyed counted.

This got me thinking about the people I meet who make a real effort to keep to their diets yet don't do anything else to help their quest for better health and higher energy levels.

It seems strange to me that so much effort could be put into one area, and that another area that is complimentary could be forgotten.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

The handy lunch bag

2008-03-28T17:16:00.003Z

As I was having my lunch today I was being talked to by someone trying to ridicule me - I had a little lunch bag with me. I was out of the office and am aware that if I don't take nutritious food with me then it becomes far too easy to find junk to eat instead.

I like my bag - it's insulated and has a strap!

Anyway I let the 'banter' continue as I could see what they were going to have for their lunch - I realised that it was pointless having a conversation about food preparation and nutrition with someone who wasn't interested...

If you have trouble with food preparation and the temptation of junk food at lunch time then it might be worth considering a bag all of your own!

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Tiny Steps

2008-02-29T22:00:00.001Z

Well we’re two months in to 2008 and I know that many of you will know people who made health based resolutions. Two months in how are they doing? One feature of resolutions is the large scale assault people put into their new activities. This usually results in burnout and failure to follow through.

If you know someone who is experiencing burnout from their resolutions then please feel free to pass the following ideas along to them.

When large declarations and actions are made, but fail to achieve the intended results it is worth considering a small scale approach. By this I mean taking the smallest possible amount of action towards the new lifestyle / health habits.

Sometimes it seems laughable, but building up from the tiniest changes can allow you to build momentum and over the longer term new habits form and take you to where you want to go. Some people might laugh at the tiny nature of the actions, but does it matter if in the longer term you are living the kind of healthy lifestyle that you want.

Whether the changes being made are to exercise more, eat more fresh fruit or get more sleep - taking a tiny amount of action consistently will soon get the brain wanting more. And then bang! One day you’re doing what you want to be doing!

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Acid erosion of teeth?

2007-12-14T18:27:00.001Z

Have you seen the adverts on TV for the toothpaste that helps to prevent your teeth from 'acid erosion'?

The toothpaste helps to protect the teeth from acid which is present from modern diets. For those of you who have been following alkaline diets for a while you will recognise this as dealing with the problem from the wrong end. Acidic foods are usually those that are highly processed and rich (the beers, coffees, meats and snacks of this world). Alkaline foods are usually fruits and vegetables (but watch out for a lot of the sugary fruits).

So, what to do if you are not already on your alkaline diet? Try to eat 80% of your diet from the alkaline side. Type in 'alkaline diets' into a search engine and see what information you can find to create a better approach to choosing the food that makes up your diet.

And what about Wheatgrass? It's about as alkaline as you can get - so make it a part of your diet.

http://www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk/
"Alkaline all the way!"

Another end of a year

2007-12-02T09:03:00.002Z

Well here we are at the end of another year - how has it been for you?

At the start of the year most people make New Year's resolutions, quite often something to do with improving health.We all know how well these resolutions do with the general public, but what about you?

Most people who read this newsletter don't make health orientated New Year's resolutions. They don't need the external motivation to improve their situation. They know it is important and so they just get on and do it. The results follow.For those of you who are struggling with your 'health plans' let me ask you a couple of questions.

Firstly, are the actions that you are performing taking you closer or further away from where you want to be? Secondly, where did you get your health plan from?I meet people with all kinds of challenges with their health and sometimes they have a plan that is so detailed and in-depth that it is pretty hard to keep up with.

And, of course, I meet people who have no real game plan.

Unfortunately both cases lead to premature burn out and a lack of results. If you recognise any of the above then please have a think about where your health plan has come from, if it suits you, and if your actions are leading you where you want to go.

Feel free to tweak the plan a little bit, you might just be missing the target by a fraction and might not need a completely new plan. Then again, maybe you do. You know what is right so use your own judgement. And of course if you realise that you need a bit more education then find the information and make the decisions you need to make.

2008 could be an even better year that 2007, if we choose it to be.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

Doing important things first

2007-11-02T16:16:00.000Z

This statement might seem really obvious, but it is one of those common sense ideas that are overtaken by the hustle and bustle of day to day living. If you are anything like the old me then you might find that you start off your day with a number of things to do that are important then the phone rings! By the end of the day you still haven't done those couple of important things that you wanted to do and you find that your day has been filled with interruptions and many other things that you never intended to do. This is despite the fact that these other tasks don't really leave you any better off than when you started.

This way of looking at tasks in terms of value is certainly a principle used in business, but it also applies to health and nutrition. If one of the most important things to you is exercise for example and you start your day off exercising then you are already ahead of the game when a distraction does affect you.

If you struggle with consuming your full compliment of fruits and vegetables, but realise the benefit of doing so, then put the emphasis on this at the start of the day. Starting great and finishing poorly is better than starting poorly and finishing poorly. Of course, starting great and finishing great is better yet!

And of course if you are struggling to consume your Wheatgrass then why not try to do this first thing?

When you create a start of day routine you must remember that it is your routine. You get to choose the most important activities that make up your day, but by starting the day with your items first you get a head start over the interference that happens when you interact with other people. I am not suggesting that you hide away for the rest of your life; I am suggesting that you decide what is important to you and start your day as you mean to go on (if you haven't already of course).

The reason that I wrote about this subject this month is that I speak to people who tell me that '5 a day' is a lot. They struggle to consume this amount of nutritious food as their day whirls around them, and after they try this solution they realise that '5 a day' isn't really that much.

If you are someone who finds it difficult to get on top of your exercise or healthy eating then try this approach to see if it helps to give you a push in the right direction.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

More water please

2007-09-15T07:47:00.000+01:00

It still surprises me how little people drink when it comes to water.

Water is essential for effective functioning of the body and it can help with suppressing appetite and improving your thinking.

Drinking something without stimulants, as in coffee, is a real challenge for some people as water 'has no taste' as people keep telling me. That's right - there's also nothing harmful in there (assuming they are drinking clean safe water).

Do you drink enough water?

Can you find ways to drink more water?

Consider this next time you are feeling sluggish or peckish and then go drink some water.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

A cure for migraines?

2007-08-03T18:47:00.000+01:00

About two years ago I was reading some information about increasing your intelligence by holding your breath underwater for periods of time, whilst being at a depth of about two metres. At the same time I was having problems with migraines - routinely finding myself with a loss of vision and feeling sick, before having to lie down for a couple of hours.

A manager who I used to work for told me about his daughter's migraines and explained that when the artery that goes to your brain spasms this restriction in blood flow causes all of the side effects that I mentioned above, and that the pressure change from the blood supply correcting itself was the headache part that I experienced. I am not medically qualified, but after looking at a basic sketch of this artery on the Internet I wondered if the technique for increasing intelligence would provide another benefit.

Intelligence is meant to increase from being underwater because of the 'mamallian diving bell reflex' - leading to a permanent increase in the diameter of the artery to your brain to improve the blood flow. The writer of the article (Win Wenger - www.winwenger.com) was talking about improving the amount of fuel going to the brain for thinking purposes, I was thinking about getting enough blood to my brain to stop my eyesight 'going funny' and getting headaches.

After about four one hour sessions in the pool (holding my breath as long as I could underwater, coming to the surface, another deep breath and back down - repeatedly over the hour) I found that my migraines started to reduce significantly.

I used to have a bad migraine once every two to three weeks (where I was incapacitated for up to four hours) and this is now at a very mild (10 to 15 minutes) level once every three months or so.

Coincidence?

I would love to know what you think.

www.wheatgrasstogo.co.uk
"Alkaline all the way!"

P.S. Please consult your doctors and lifeguards before attempting this!

Cooking with healthy ingredients

2007-05-17T08:00:00.001+01:00

I am sometimes asked how I manage to get healthy foods into my diet on a consistent basis and I often point them in the direction of 'The Optimum Nutrition Cookbook' see this link - http://www.awesomewheatgrass.com/site/1407167/page/882482 for more information.

In the early days when I decided that my diet was an important part of my life I did find it difficult to keep a consistent - high quality diet going. By finding out more ways to have a good diet than ways to slip into poor eating habits it does become easier.

A book like the one mentioned above does help.

Struggling with 5 a day

2007-05-15T22:23:00.001+01:00

One of my colleagues was grumbling about how difficult it was to eat five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day.

They asked my how I did it and I simply replied 'start the day with fruit'. It's a pretty simple answer and for those of you who follow 'time management' principles you will realise the power in its simplicity.

If you are struggling with other health goals for example, it might well be a good opportunity to start the day with health promoting activities - such as performing exercise before going to work.

Mull it over and let me know what you think.

Get the juicer out

2006-10-31T11:58:00.000Z

Many people I know have a juicer, and yet it sits in a cupboard, or on the worktop - gathering dust.

When you use a juicer you can get serious health benefits as the vegetables are raw - most of the enzymes and vitamins are still intact when compared to cooking the vegetables (i.e. boiling).

The most common cause of this lack of use of a juicer that I hear is that it takes too long to clean the juicer, or that it takes too long to prepare the fruit and vegetables to go into the juicer.

Is it too long when you consider the potential benefits that it will give you in the long run?

If you find that you are in this category, and find the cleaning part a real chore then consider applying your brain to the problem.

For example - if you were in a position where you ran the hot water tap and filled a washing up bowl with hot water then as soon as you have juiced you could give the parts of your juicer a quick rinse to get the pulp out of all of the hard to clean areas and then properly wash the parts later on. This is especially true for the sieve part of the juicer.

I realise that it is really uninspiring to clean a juicer that has been left for a while, but giving it a quick clean before you drink your juice can make a world of difference.

Try it and see if you can get back into juicing.

Food Additions

2006-10-23T15:56:00.000+01:00

I was eating porridge the other morning and after complaining that it tasted bland I decided to add a few more items to my bowl. The items I chose were sultanas and ground up seeds (pumpkin, linseed and sunflower). Almost instantly I had improved the nutritional content of my meal!

This got me thinking - what else could I add to my meals in order to improve the nutritional content of that meal?

Simply adding salads is a great way of doing this, but getting creative is a fun way to improve a meal as well. Even a piece of fruit at the end of the meal is a great way to boost the nutrients during that meal.

Add something that is nutritious and low in calories to your meals and improve the overall quality of your nutrition.

Fast Food and pH (or awful tasing wheatgrass!)

2006-10-12T10:50:00.000+01:00

Last night I was stuck away from home, late in the evening after a long meeting - and found myself exceptionally hungry. The only place nearby was a fish and chip shop - so I had fish and chips.

I didn't feel too great later on in the evening, and next morning still felt bloated.

This entry is not to bad mouth fish and chip shops - it is about what happened this morning.

I took my shot of Wheatgrass and it tasted rather foul, and this is unusual for me because it usually tastes sweet and usually I hold the juice in my mouth for a minute or two - not this morning!

People ask me if Wheatgrass tastes horrible and my usual reply is - 'only if your pH level is out of balance', this morning mine was way off.

If you are finding the taste of Wheatgrass to be 'too much' then this is an excellent sign to carry on with taking Wheatgrass. Soon enough you will start to enjoy the sweet taste and your body will reward you with higher levels of energy - which I am sure you will agree is worth it.

Powerful cucumber

2006-10-04T16:13:00.000+01:00

Have you become a fan of cucumber?

It hasn't got the kick of Wheatgrass but it is a good addition to an energy packed diet.

Like Wheatgrass, because the skin of a cucumber is emerald green it means that it is packed full of chlorophyll - and this means a high MHz rating (for you to use as energy) and high alkalinity (to keep your pH on the right side of the scale).

If you're like me then your juicer will be in action every day, and for me putting a cucumber through the juicer not only delivers a nutritious drink it provides hours of conversation in the office about my 'weird drinks'.

It is an acquired taste, like Wheatgrass, and it gets better over time as your pH balance normalise.

Try it!

Wheatgrass Power

2006-09-19T14:46:00.000+01:00

The power of Wheatgrass is amazing. This food not only lets you cleanse your body and allow you to have more energy, but I wanted to mention this as part of my first post.
Why do I want to let you know about Wheatgrass? Most people don't know about it and I have found that if people don't know about something then they cannot experience it.
So the question I have for you to ponder is this:
"How many foods that you consume are powerful foods - foods that make you feel full of energy and actually give you something positive back after you have digested it?"
Think about it and then do a web search on a search engine.