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Lemon Water for Good Digestion, Detoxification

One of our favorite (simple!) wellness practices to add to your healthy morning routine is a glass of lemon water. Taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, it’s a simple and effective way to boost your health in many ways all at once.

the health benefits of lemon water

In addition to re-hydrating your body (important first thing in the morning!), the vitamin C and other antioxidants in lemon water also help to:

  • aid digestion
  • promote regular elimination (poo)
  • improve immunity
  • enhance your body’s natural detoxification processes
  • provide an alkalizing effect that helps maintain a proper pH balance for overall health 

Because it boosts the body’s natural digestion and detoxification processes, many people find that a glass of lemon water each morning also aids in supporting weight loss and skin health.

how to make lemon water

Lemon water is oh-so-simple to make:

Squeeze half a lemon into a full glass of water & enjoy first thing each morning.

(No lemon on hand? A lime works just as well!)

You can squeeze the lemon by hand or use our favorite lemon/lime juicer (which helps get more juice from your lemon, and keeps those seeds out!).

how to properly wash your lemons

It’s a good idea to wash your lemons (or other citrus) before cutting them open for juicing. They’ve been a lot of places (and touched a lot of hands!) on their way to you, and their grooved peel is particularly good at carrying wax, agricultural chemicals, germs and other “handling residue.” (Ick!)

Use a produce wash like Veggie Wash, or soak your lemons for 15 minutes in a large bowl of water with 1 teaspoon baking soda. Scrub the peel with a produce brush, rinse and dry, and you’re ready for juicing!

Via: www.fourwellness.co

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12 Minutes to Better Health and Fitness

When time is tight, it can be difficult to do your usual 30- to 60-minute workout. For those days, a Tabata-style workout may be the answer. Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that requires just four minutes to complete. In fact, research suggests this form of HIIT could actually be more effective than three, 30-minute sessions running on a treadmill for improving aerobic capacity.

Researchers organized 55 healthy, young male participants into three separate training groups for a 16-week workout program:

  • HIIT-T (High-intensity interval training on a treadmill): Seventeen participants performed a Tabata protocol on a treadmill. They ran at a velocity associated with 130% of VO2max for 20 seconds, followed by a 10-second rest, and repeated this pattern for eight cycles for a total of four minutes.
  • HIIT-WB (High-intensity interval training with whole-body exercises): Nineteen participants conducted Tabata intervals using body-weight movements including burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks and squat thrusts with 3-kg kettlebells.
  • MICT (Moderate-intensity continuous training): Nineteen participants ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes at an intensity associated with 90% of the heart rate at the second ventilatory threshold (VT2), a training intensity associated with an increase in breathing rate and an inability to talk comfortably while exercising.

For the warm-up to each workout, the HITT-T group did a four-minute warm-up on the treadmill, the HIIT-WB group used the same body-weight exercises but moved at a much slower tempo for four minutes, and the MICT group gradually increased running tempo. 

At the end of the 16-week training protocols, each group had improved their fitness levels, which was measured by time to reach VT2 and the time to reach exhaustion. The HIIT-T group demonstrated better results than the HIIT-WB or MICT groups, supporting the idea that HIIT is a time-efficient workout solution. This is great news for those days when time can be a factor and a gym workout just isn’t feasible. In other words, when time gets tight, a four-minute Tabata workout may be sufficient for maintaining your current level of fitness.

Here are two options for applying this research to your own Tabata-style protocols:

  • At a health club, use a rowing machine to complete a four­-minute Tabata consisting of 20 seconds of sprinting followed by 10 seconds of resting while standing on the side rails. Repeat this pattern eight times. (A rowing machine is recommended because it involves both the arms and legs working together and does not place additional stress on the knee or back joints.)
  • Use body-weight exercises for a Tabata, which can be perfect on those days when your schedule doesn’t allow time for a trip to a gym or when you’re traveling and are stuck in a hotel. The following circuit (patterned after the one used in the study) is ideal. If you don’t have weights available, replace the squat thrusts with ice skaters (hopping laterally from one foot to the other).

The entire workout should take about 12 minutes because you should allow some time for a warm-up and cool-down with stretching for the involved muscles. For the warm-ups, follow the workout protocols from the research study outlined above.

Here are some general guidelines when performing the body-weight exercises:

  • Keep your spine long. When your spine is extended, you use more of your hips. 
  • Move from your hips. Whether you are hinging forward or rotating, make sure that the movement comes from your hips, not your spine. 
  • To increase activation of your core muscles, press your feet and hands firmly into the floor when they make contact. Imagine you are trying to push the floor away from you, which can help improve activation of your deep core muscles.  

While it’s always nice to have a long, stress-reducing workout session, there will be days when time really is a factor. For this reason, it’s nice to know that time-efficient Tabata-style workouts really do work and produce results.

Via: www.acefitness.org

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5 Healthy, Quick and Easy Breakfasts

It’s not easy to get out the door on time in the morning, let alone with a nutritious breakfast in your belly.  We hear this time and again from our personal training clients.  Luckily there are a lot of quick and healthy breakfast options – that are delicious and will keep you fuelled ‘til lunch. Here are five of our favourites:

1) A SMOOTHIE

There are a million ways to make a great smoothie.  In the Nielsen household, this is our go-to recipe (all amounts are approximate – no need to measure!).  Blend it up in whatever kind of blender you have and bring it with you in a travel cup.  You can even put your ingredients together the night before – just store in your blender in the fridge until morning.

  • ½ cup frozen berries
  • ½ a banana
  • Handful of spinach
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (the flavoured varieties are chock-full of sugar – stay away!)
  • ¼ cup pure pomegranate juice
  • Enough unsweetened vanilla almond milk to cover most of the other ingredients – about ¾ of a cup.
  • Any add-ins you like.  We usually add some probiotics as well as a high-quality protein powder. 

2) BREAKFAST MUFFINS

There are many recipes for muffins on Pinterest. This one is our current favourite.  These are easy to make, nutritious, and pretty tasty to boot. Make them on the weekend and keep them in the freezer for the week. 

Mix the following ingredients together, then bake at 350 Fahrenheit until then look done (about 15 to 20 minutes):

  • 3 mashed bananas (the riper the better)
  • 1 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 3 cups quick oats
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Handful of chocolate chips or blueberries

3) AVOCADO TOAST WITH EGGS

Here’s an easy no-brainer breakfast full of healthy fats, protein, and fibre.

  • 1 small ripe avocado (sliced or mashed)
  • 2 slices of bread toasted (we recommend sprouted, rye, or flax)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Optional: pepper, red chilli flakes, tomatoes, other topping of preference
  • 1 or 2 poached or hard-boiled eggs

4) OVERNIGHT OATS

Get a head start on breakfast the night before by simply throwing a few ingredients in a jar, and pop it in the fridge overnight. We like this recipe from BBC goodfood. The night before serving, stir the cinnamon and 100ml water (or milk) into your oats with a pinch of salt. The next day, loosen with a little more water (or milk) if needed. Top with the yogurt, berries, a drizzle of honey and the nut butter. Eat cold or warm depending on your preference.

  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 50g rolled porridge oats
  • 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
  • 50g mixed berries
  • drizzle of honey
  • ½ tbsp nut butter (we used almond)

5) HAM AND EGG CUPS

This low-carb high-protein breakfast is quick and tasty. All you need is a muffin tin, your oven set to 400 Fahrenheit and a few ingredients. Line 2-3 cups in your muffin tin with a slice of ham, crack an egg into each ham cup, add a few spinach leaves (optional), and season with salt and pepper. Bake until eggs are cooked through, 12-15 minutes (depending on how runny you like your yolks). Garnish with parsley, cilantro, sliced green onions, or another topping of your preference. Vegetarians can sub vegetarian “ham” slices and double the slices.

  • Oil, to lightly coat muffin tin
  • Ham slices (can sub sliced turkey or salami, but double the amount)
  • Eggs
  • A few spinach leaves (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Parsley, cilantro, green onion, for garnish (optional)

STAY ON TRACK

If you’re in such a rush that you don’t have time for the above recipes, go for a piece of fruit and some nuts or nut butter. Alternatively, keep a few to-go cups of plain Greek yogurt in your fridge handy for those extra busy days. Don’t forget the spoon!

If you’re looking for more diet advice and motivation to help you get and stay on track, Nielsen Fitness Platinum clients enjoy nutritional consultations as a part of their training sessions. Be sure to take advantage of these consultations and ask your trainer for more quick and healthy meal ideas. If you aren’t a client, you can click here for a first free workout and assessment. Our team of highly trained professional trainers and nutritionists look forward to helping you lead a healthier life.

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