Geelong’s Gym

Happy New Year to one and all.  Now that the celebrations are behind you, it’s time to remember those resolutions you made last night.  I’m willing to bet that the majority of you resolved to eat better, drink less and exercise more.  Right?

The best way to start putting those resolutions into practice is to kick off the New Year with a full body detox.

I know it sounds scary, but you won’t beleive how amazing your body will feel with after just a few days detoxing.

There are many detoxes out there that are so complicated you couldn’t possibly keep up with them.  So here are a few simple tips on how to have a successful detox:

• Drink plenty of liquid, between 2-3 litres of water daily.  Adding fresh lemon to your water will also make it alkaline and help push out all those toxins.  (To find out more about alkalinity, check out our blog on Alkaline vs Acid foods).
• Cut out coffee and black tea and replace them with green tea or peppermint tea.  These herbal substitutes are great for your digestion and your metabolism.
• For the hardcore, eat fresh fruit and vegetables only; for those who don’t think you can manage that, eat mostly fresh fruit and vegetables and add tuna, salmon or fresh fish and brown rice to bulk things up.
• Cut out all junk food – I know that one is pretty obvious.
• If you really can’t give up dessert completely, try having fresh fruit (berries are particularly good) with low fat Greek yogurt.  It’s yummy and healthy.

Asparagus is great for a detox and can be used in lots of different ways. Try making asparagus soup - beautiful!

If you do this for a minimum of 3 days and no more than 7 seven days you will feel fantastic and you’ll be surprised at just how much energy you’ll have.

Add in regular exercise to help lift your fitness and those extra Christmas kilos will disappear faster than you know it.

There are heaps of fantastic Detox Recipes out there to help you on your way to a healthier body, both inside and out.

Please note: if you have any exisiting medical conditions, always seek a medical practitioner’s advice before starting a detox.

Unless you’re the Christmas Grinch I’m sure you’ve heard the popular Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

In the lead up to Christmas I thought we’d have a look at the 12 gifts in this song and how they can be a gift to the health and well-being of your body (or not as the case may be!).

Christmas - a time for joy and laughter

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree…

Did you know that according to Greek legend the first partridge appeared when Daedalus threw his nephew, Perdix off the roof in a fit of jealous rage?  Now I’m not advocating that you add nephew tossing into your fitness repertoire, but something you may not know about partridges is that they are seed eaters?  If you want to increase your metabolism and keep your brain alert, try snacking on seeds, such as pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, in between meals.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves…

Turtle doves symbolise love and deep friendship.  During this Christmas season, take the time to show those you care about how much they mean to you.  Sometimes the end of the year and the lead up to Christmas can be stressful and the ones who usually bear the brunt of your stress are those you love the most.  I’m sure you’ll have a much happier and healthier Christmas if you show a little extra love to your friends and family.  And if you’re really struggling to get rid of that stress, come along to a Yoga Class at Geelong’s Gym and watch it just melt away.  I’m sure your family will thank you for it!

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me three french hens…

Did you know that french hens are actually a variety of chicken in France?  Chicken is a low fat protein and is, in fact, one of the best sources of protein.  However, if you suffer from heart disease or high cholesterol then chicken is something you should try to avoid or at least eat very little of – chicken has a considerable amount of cholesterol, almost as much as red meat.  So check with your doctor before you indulge in a whole lot of roast chicken on Christmas day!

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four calling birds…

Here’s an interesting fact for you… in the original version of the song the calling birds are actually “collie” birds, a variety of black bird in England.  Does anyone remember the song Sing A Song Of Sixpence where the black birds were served as a meat pie?  Now it’s difficult to find many health benefits in pie, since it’s loaded with buttery pastry and many other things we shouldn’t be eating.  But let’s face it, Christmas is a time when we should be able to loosen up a little and if necessary open the top button of our pants to create a little more room.  Let yourself indulge a little, because you can always work it off in the gym in the New Year.  Afterall, that’s what New Year resolutions are all about!

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five golden rings…

I bet you’re wondering how I’m going to turn gold rings into a health benefit, right?  Well aside from the weekly massages you could probably demand if you gave  your true love a gorgeous ring, there are actually some health benefits to wearing rings, or copper ones at least.  Copper has been used to promote health since ancient times, although the greatest benefit it has is through ingesting small amounts as recommended by a doctor.  However, there are many people who swear by wearing copper jewellery to target specific areas and alleviate things like arthritis.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six geese a-laying…

Once again we’re back to food, which I guess isn’t that surprising considering so much of Christmas revolves around eating!  Goose eggs are highly sought after, especially since they’re much larger than your ordinary chicken egg.  But I’m sorry to say that goose eggs are incredibly high in cholesterol and so for the greater good of your body, I recommend staying away from these.

Tune in next blog post for the remaining six days of Christmas.