insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 15 - May 2016

SPRINGCLEANING SPRING CLEAN YOUR HEALTH cont. I believe that we should be looking after ourselves all year round, but I also feel that spring is a good time for a well-being audit on our health and that undoubtedly leads to the need to make a few changes, so I hope these few words will give you some ideas on how to step up and shape up – not just for yourself but for those around you too. Eat Try this one! I encourage people to see food as fuel. Many people attach food to emotions, eating when they are happy, sad, excited, stressed, instead of eating to feed the body with what it needs to perform its best each day. Green Tea Smoothie Changing your body is also about changing your mind. There are many different ways to get results in a mirror or on the scales, but the key to living well over the long term is developing the ability to love and take care of yourself no matter what else is happening in your life. A good way to start is to just start. Sometimes that can be the hardest part, but once you do it can become exciting, especially as you start to realise how much better making sm all changes can make you feel. Review your lifestyle: • Give yourself time to think back over the last four weeks. Have you been giving your body the food it needs to create fuel for energy and vitality? • Have you been moving every day? I’m not suggesting you need to do a daily 10-mile run, but I do believe that you should move each day. • How much good quality down time or ‘you’ time have you been gifting yourself? Have you had any time at all to just ‘be’? • Who have you been connecting with in the past month? Are they the sort of people who would encourage and support your wellbeing journey? If the answer to any of these is in the negative, then make the changes you need to rectify it. I base my philosophy of true health around four simple elements or actions. EAT, SWEAT, THINK, CONNECT. If you take the time to bring these into your life you will be amazed at how different you will feel. By eating more nutritious food, moving each day, controlling your thoughts and mixing with people who energise you, your life can become pretty special, and the cool thing is that these four actions can be absorbed into your everyday life – but you need to be aware of where you are and the changes you need to make. Today I’m going to be focusing on the first two: Eat and Sweat, the perfect recipe for spring cleaning your body. • 240ml (9fl oz) brewed green tea, cooled • 1 scoop protein powder • 1/2 medium banana • 1 tbsp lemon juice • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (linseed) • 30g (1oz) fresh spinach leaves For those who want a kick start, you could try a short-term detox. We give our bodies a hard task every day; your liver, kidneys, colon and other systems are removing toxins from your organs, tissues and fat all the time. Everyone’s experience is different, but some of my clients report that after detoxing for a few days they notice an improvement in their energy levels, concentration and skin condition, with less bloating, indigestion, sluggishness and headaches. Many of them experience weight loss. Sound good? I would suggest that for four days you give your body a rest from coffee, sugar, alcohol and dairy foods, and eliminate all processed food and animal protein. You can go cold turkey or reduce more slowly – it’s up to you. I recommend a variety of smoothies and soups for those four days. I’m a big fan of the breakfast smoothie – it sets you up for the day and gives your body the boost it needs; it’s also quick and convenient to prepare. For the detox, the smoothies should contain four elements: • Fit fats (unsaturated – for example: avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butters). • Polyphenols (found in a variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables, spices and herbs). • Leafy greens (try spinach, kale, cabbage or broccoli). • Power proteins (e.g. protein powder and yogurt and/or keﬁr (a fermented milk drink, similar to yogurt). 66 Put all the ingredients into a blender, add ice to taste and blend until smooth. During the detox days you should eat three soups a day; at least one of them should be vegetable based and one bean based. Whichever soups you choose to make, they should include a combination of three of the following core elements: • Spices and herbs (sage, thyme, ginger, rosemary, marjoram and oregano, chilli pepper, black pepper and cinnamon). They taste great and add flavour and depth without adding fat or calories. • Cruciferous vegetables (these are the good guys – kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy (pak choi), broccoli, rocket, swede, watercress). They are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 15 - May 2016 | Page 66