In September we invited “Cedarvale on the Road” to run a series of programs , the notes that follow are the main points from their third session (Losing weight without losing your mind).
Enjoy!
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Feeling tired? Got a general lack of energy? Fatigued?
What are some of the tools for combating these things? And how can we implemen tthem?
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Hydration – Perks you up!
It may be a surprise to realise it, but just being sufficiently hydrated makes a huge difference to your energy levels. Here are some of the reasons why.
- Percentages of Water:
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- 85% of your brain is water
- 95% of your blood is water
- 75% of your muscles are water
- 14% of your fat cells are water
- 22% of bones are water
- Specific Functions of Water:
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- Lubricates the joints
- Hydrates the eye balls
- Keeps the bowels regular
- Decreases ageing marks/wrinkles
- Enables good digestion
- Assists the heart and circulation
- Accelerates kidney function
- Helps get rid of toxins
- How much water should I be drinking?
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- Because your body is made up of so much water itis important to replenish its supply. Some of this hydration comes through ourfood, but even on top of that it is advisable to drink at least 6-8 glasses ofwater each day.
- That’s 1-2L per day.
- When is the best time to drink?
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- When you rise in the morning is the best time tohave a good glass or two of water. This sets you up for hydration success forthe rest of the day.
- Maintaining your hydration throughout the day isalso important.
- Drinking with meals is not the best practicebecause it makes it harder for your stomach to digest your food.
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- “Excessive liquids during meals can lead to bloating, indigestion, and even nutrient malabsorption.“
- Try not to drink:
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- ½ hr before your meals
- Until 1 hr after meals
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Hydrotherapy
Another great way to have an energy boost is to use somesimple hydrotherapy – nature’s tonic.
“Healthful, outdoor exercise combined with water treatments, will work miracles in restoring and invigorating the diseased body and refreshing the worn and weary mind.”
- Some great ways to boost your energy withHydrotherapy:
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- Contrast Shower
- Steam Bath
- Why use water?
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- Readily available
- Simple equipment
- Very effective
- Cheap
- No side effects
- Comes in various forms
- Anyone can learn to use it as a remedy
- Benefits of Hydrotherapy:
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- Stimulates circulation by 400%
- It has both a stimulant and sedative action.
- Hydrotherapy causes vasodilation – blood vessels enlarge
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Movement – Exercise energises the whole body!
If you struggle with a feeling of fatigue this may seemcounterintuitive to you, but exercise is one of the best ways to combat a lackof energy.
- Why does exercise give us energy?
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- Exercise facilitates active delivery of oxygenand nutrition throughout the entire system.
- And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily activities.
- Causes the brain to produce more serotonin and norepinephrine – important brain neurotransmitters.
- Exercise neutralises stress!
- Exercise transports more oxygen and glucose to the brain.
- Improves concentration, learning ability and memory.
- What are the keys to healthy exercise?
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- Regularity is key.
- Start slow, but gradually work up and then keepit regular. Your fitness will increase, your energy will increase, and yourbody will love it.
- Move every joint of your body.
- It is important to give your body a chance by stretchingbefore you do vigorous exercise – enabling it to handle the strain.
- Low impact activities are far preferable.
- For maximum benefit you need to get in a minimumof 20min per day.
- Exercise promotes weight loss:
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- Carrying excess weight causes fatigue
- Places extra stress on weight bearing joints
- Places an extra burden on the cardio-vascular system
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The 5 “R”’s
There are 5 simple things that we recommend everyone enjoyfor maximum energy.
- Rest
- Recreation
- Recuperation
- Regulation
- Relaxation
- Rest:
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- 7-8 hrs (before midnight is best).
- More melatonin is produced before midnight, andin a dark room.
- White blood cells are also replaced at this time.
- How to achieve the most from sleep:
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- Regular sleep hours.
- Fresh Air.
- Don’t sleep on a full stomach.
- Early to bed, early to rise.
- Exercise throughout the day in sunshine andfresh air.
- For insomnia have a neutral bath before going to bed or a hot foot bath to relax your body.
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- Eliminate Caffeine
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- One of the annoying things about caffeine isthat it ‘picks you up, then let’s you down.’
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- Dr Peter Rogers, Bristol university, U.K. found that drinkers develop a tolerance to the stimulating effects of caffeine, meaning that it only brings drinkers back to the baseline levels of alertness, not above them.
- Temporarily improves the ability to do simple tasks more quickly, but is disruptive on more complex tasks of motor reaction time and fine motor coordination.
- Caffeine:
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- Interferes with sleep.
- Causes irregular heart rhythm.
- Causes restless leg syndrome.
- Causes loss of bone calcium – osteoporosis.
- Decreases frontal lobe function – which can leadto depression.
- Increased risk of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
- What about caffeine-free coffee?
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- Caffeine-free coffee contains other chemicalswhich cause heart disease etc
- Contains tannins & other substances which are irritating to the stomach and digestive tract stimulating acid production and ulcer formation.
- What about the withdrawals?
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- Headache, decreased alertness,tiredness common duringwithdrawal.
- Withdrawal symptoms most severefor a day or two. Resolve within 5–6 days.
- Decrease gradually
- Drink plenty of water
- Take a Hot Foot Bath
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Digestion Requires Energy
Everyone knows what it feels like to have a food coma. But itis surprising when you learn how much energy it actually takes to digest yourfood. Making some simple changes to your eating habits can be of significantbenefit to your overall energy levels.
Genesis 1:29,30 – Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
- Advantages of a plant based diet:
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- Body is best suited to consume plant based foods
- Increased life span
- Better economics
- Higher endurance levels
- Loaded with Phytochemicals which protect from disease
- Easier to control weight
- Other helpful habits:
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- Having only 2 meals a day is shown to benefitenergy levels.
- Not snacking between your meals is anothersimple thing that can make a big difference.
- Eating simple foods is a great tip. Rich, processedfoods are extremely hard to digest, and sometimes leave you feeling more tiredthan before your meal!
- Plant based food is a whole lot easier todigest. It seems that our body was designed to eat it, and thus it processes itso much easier. The plants are themselves ‘designed to be digested,’ containingmost of the enzymes required for their own digestion.
- Eating whole grains is also important becauseunlike their refined cousins they are lacking the vitamins, minerals and otherimportant nutrients that energise the body.