Fish is something you can eat and know it's good for you. Either it's lean or it has good oils in it. Also contains omega 3 which is so good for all over body health.
Very simple and quick which is what we need for during the week particularly. Asian ingredients which is always a healthy and delicious way to cook.
A day early because naught GB got posts muddled up!!
This is a recipe from Michelle Bridges, one of the trainers from The Biggest Loser Australia.
Serves 2
300g snapper fillet (or other firm white fish), skinned and cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsps (salt reduced) soy sauce
1 bunch broccolini, stems quartered lengthwise, cut into chunks
2 yellow (or green) zucchini (courgette), halved lengthwise and sliced
6 shallots (spring onions) cut into 5cm pieces
150g shitake (or button) mushrooms, sliced
Combine fish, garlic, ginger and 1 tbsp soy sauce in a bowl.
Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a wok or heavy bottomed pan on a high heat. Stir-fry the broccolini for 3 mins. Add the zucchini and stir-fry for another 2 mins. Remove the vegies from the pan. Heat another tsp of olive oil and stir-fry the mushrooms and onions for 2 mins. Remove from the pan. Heat another tsp olive oil in pan and stir-fry the fish for a couple of mins until browned. Return vegies to the pan and toss with remaining tbsp soy sauce. Serve immediately.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
ROSIE - Improvised training Part II
So, following on from a couple of blogs ago about improvising training and those excuses not to get to the gym! Sometimes, when I'm finding it hard to get out of the house and an exercise DVD just won't cut it, I have had some of my best, calorie burning workouts ever using a couple of simple household items. You DON'T need equipment, you DON'T need to look good, you can do it in your bra and knickers if you like, the only thing I do request is that if you are doing high-impact stuff then please, please wear good trainers. Your calves will pay you back the next morning if you don't.
You can do improvised training anywhere, using anything. Below are just some ideas, you can do them indoors OR outdoors, just try and find some form of equivalent - i.e. if you need a chair and you're outside, use a park bench or something. If you are doing it in a public place, expect some funny looks... but you'll have the last laugh when you're as fit as a fiddle.
I have a little selection of things which I have built up over the years at home such as weights, exercise bands etc. But you don't even need them - for weights create your own with a couple of big bottles filled with um... water... or sand or something. Use your imagination. A small child will do... and they'll love the interaction.
Below is a little circuit I would do myself (if I could... grrr). The only rules I set myself is to FINISH it. Because you're at home, it's tempting to answer the phone or put the washing on. But I treat the session as if I were out of the house and in the gym - not to be interrupted. Do as many or as few reps & sets of these as you like, bearing in mind they WILL get your heart pumping and the sweat flowing, but hey, that's the point. Remember, this is what I would do for MYSELF, if there's something which you think you would prefer, then by all means incorporate it.
1) Lunge jumps:
Start in a split stance, one leg in front of the other. Go down into a lunge, using your arms spring up into the air and change your front leg so that when you land you are doing a lunge on the other leg. V v tiring. Rpt x 10
2) Foot taps
Using a stair or low step, tap each toe on the step alternatley. Obviously this is at a relatively high speed, as you are running up stairs. Repeat x 1 min
3) Leg crossed crunches (with weight optional)
Lying on your back, with your feet crossed in the air, take a weight on your chest (not too heavy) and crunch up to the ceiling. Rpt x 25
4) Mountain climbers
Get into a press up position (on your feet, no ladies press ups here!), and alternatley bring your knees up to your chest, ensuring you bring them as high as you can each time and making sure your legs go straight when you extend them. Rpt x 25
5) Leg extensions
Sit up straight. Pull your abs in. Lean back as far as you can whilst keeping your abs in (vital). Either rest your hands on the floor behind you (easy option), or cross your hands over your chest (v v hard!), extend your legs out in front of you (to straight) and then back in to your body (knees bent). Rpt x 20 if you can.
6) Bench hops
You do need a relatively low (about knee height), long... um... bench style thing here but to be honest I have done it with chairs before. Just be careful with those feet! If you're nervous you can do it just on the floor, just get those feet as high as possible! With your hands resting on the bench at one end, take both feet on one side of the bench. Keeping your feet together neatly jump both feet over the bench to the other side on the floor. This one makes people really nervous, just trust yourself and keep your feet high! Rpt x 20
5) Elbows to knees
That good old favourite - lying on your back, doing a cycle motion with your feet but with your legs extended straight and low along the ground, alternate touching your elbows to your knee as the knee comes in. Change the timing so do 8 normal speed, then 4 slow speed, then 8, then 4, then 8 then 4 if you see what I mean. Do 8, 4, 8, 4, 8.
6) Star jumps
AKA jumping jacks. One minute if you can!
7) Jump ups.
Again, I am lucky enough to have Reebok Step at home, anything equivalent will do. Stand with your feet either side of the step and jump up onto the step, then back down. Again, many people get nervous about this but practise makes perfect and it's great for co-ordination and balance. Rpt x 20
I would do try and do 3-4 sets of each, coupled with some upper body weights and more ab work. It is pretty intense so expect to find yourself in a hot, sweaty mess by the end of it. The joy is that if you're at home no-one will ever notice.......!
You can do improvised training anywhere, using anything. Below are just some ideas, you can do them indoors OR outdoors, just try and find some form of equivalent - i.e. if you need a chair and you're outside, use a park bench or something. If you are doing it in a public place, expect some funny looks... but you'll have the last laugh when you're as fit as a fiddle.
I have a little selection of things which I have built up over the years at home such as weights, exercise bands etc. But you don't even need them - for weights create your own with a couple of big bottles filled with um... water... or sand or something. Use your imagination. A small child will do... and they'll love the interaction.
Below is a little circuit I would do myself (if I could... grrr). The only rules I set myself is to FINISH it. Because you're at home, it's tempting to answer the phone or put the washing on. But I treat the session as if I were out of the house and in the gym - not to be interrupted. Do as many or as few reps & sets of these as you like, bearing in mind they WILL get your heart pumping and the sweat flowing, but hey, that's the point. Remember, this is what I would do for MYSELF, if there's something which you think you would prefer, then by all means incorporate it.
1) Lunge jumps:
Start in a split stance, one leg in front of the other. Go down into a lunge, using your arms spring up into the air and change your front leg so that when you land you are doing a lunge on the other leg. V v tiring. Rpt x 10
2) Foot taps
Using a stair or low step, tap each toe on the step alternatley. Obviously this is at a relatively high speed, as you are running up stairs. Repeat x 1 min
3) Leg crossed crunches (with weight optional)
Lying on your back, with your feet crossed in the air, take a weight on your chest (not too heavy) and crunch up to the ceiling. Rpt x 25
4) Mountain climbers
Get into a press up position (on your feet, no ladies press ups here!), and alternatley bring your knees up to your chest, ensuring you bring them as high as you can each time and making sure your legs go straight when you extend them. Rpt x 25
5) Leg extensions
Sit up straight. Pull your abs in. Lean back as far as you can whilst keeping your abs in (vital). Either rest your hands on the floor behind you (easy option), or cross your hands over your chest (v v hard!), extend your legs out in front of you (to straight) and then back in to your body (knees bent). Rpt x 20 if you can.
6) Bench hops
You do need a relatively low (about knee height), long... um... bench style thing here but to be honest I have done it with chairs before. Just be careful with those feet! If you're nervous you can do it just on the floor, just get those feet as high as possible! With your hands resting on the bench at one end, take both feet on one side of the bench. Keeping your feet together neatly jump both feet over the bench to the other side on the floor. This one makes people really nervous, just trust yourself and keep your feet high! Rpt x 20
5) Elbows to knees
That good old favourite - lying on your back, doing a cycle motion with your feet but with your legs extended straight and low along the ground, alternate touching your elbows to your knee as the knee comes in. Change the timing so do 8 normal speed, then 4 slow speed, then 8, then 4, then 8 then 4 if you see what I mean. Do 8, 4, 8, 4, 8.
6) Star jumps
AKA jumping jacks. One minute if you can!
7) Jump ups.
Again, I am lucky enough to have Reebok Step at home, anything equivalent will do. Stand with your feet either side of the step and jump up onto the step, then back down. Again, many people get nervous about this but practise makes perfect and it's great for co-ordination and balance. Rpt x 20
I would do try and do 3-4 sets of each, coupled with some upper body weights and more ab work. It is pretty intense so expect to find yourself in a hot, sweaty mess by the end of it. The joy is that if you're at home no-one will ever notice.......!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
GEORGIE - Balance it out, even when you PIG OUT!!
Picture this last week - Friday, tired, and at the end of quite a long week, i stuffed my face a little bit... no - I lie, quite a lot. I was also pre menstrual and always allow myself what I term a 'pig day' on these occasions or I am grumpy as hell...
So, cafeteria offerings are a little slim so I indulged myself with my favourite meal in the world (after pizza) which is baked beans and chips. (fries and boston beans to you yanks although better as they are English and yummy).
A few hours later, I had pasta, pesto and some veggies and a glass of wine (+1 +1 +1). Then it was a few crackers, cheese and chutney before bed. Oh and a bar of chocolate. Told you it was a pig out.
Anyway, the next morning, Pre menstrual stuff gone, I went to the gym - where having consumed quite a lot of carbs I was sure that I would breeze through my training session with my trainer Adrian. Oh how wrong I was. Half way through, I was running on empty, like I hadn't eaten properly for days; lead legs, short of breath, light headed - that kind of thing. I asked Adrian why, when I had eaten half of the carbohydrate family the day before wasn't I bouncing around like an idiot?
"Did you eat anything apart from carbs? "
"Well yes, baked beans, vegetables, chutney, pesto..."
"yes but did you eat any protein apart from the small lump of cheddar?"
"Er... guess not"
That's it? I didn't balance it out and it bit me in the ass??? Seriously people, before I got healthy - I used to go days without eating anything worthwhile in terms of nutritional value. Cardboard literally!! I guess when you eat a good, well balanced diet, it bites you in the ass when you don't.
So that's my little lesson learned last week. If I feel the need to up my calories for any reason, I shall include a steak with my beans and chips and some chicken with my pasta!!!
Have a great week!
G x
So, cafeteria offerings are a little slim so I indulged myself with my favourite meal in the world (after pizza) which is baked beans and chips. (fries and boston beans to you yanks although better as they are English and yummy).
A few hours later, I had pasta, pesto and some veggies and a glass of wine (+1 +1 +1). Then it was a few crackers, cheese and chutney before bed. Oh and a bar of chocolate. Told you it was a pig out.
Anyway, the next morning, Pre menstrual stuff gone, I went to the gym - where having consumed quite a lot of carbs I was sure that I would breeze through my training session with my trainer Adrian. Oh how wrong I was. Half way through, I was running on empty, like I hadn't eaten properly for days; lead legs, short of breath, light headed - that kind of thing. I asked Adrian why, when I had eaten half of the carbohydrate family the day before wasn't I bouncing around like an idiot?
"Did you eat anything apart from carbs? "
"Well yes, baked beans, vegetables, chutney, pesto..."
"yes but did you eat any protein apart from the small lump of cheddar?"
"Er... guess not"
That's it? I didn't balance it out and it bit me in the ass??? Seriously people, before I got healthy - I used to go days without eating anything worthwhile in terms of nutritional value. Cardboard literally!! I guess when you eat a good, well balanced diet, it bites you in the ass when you don't.
So that's my little lesson learned last week. If I feel the need to up my calories for any reason, I shall include a steak with my beans and chips and some chicken with my pasta!!!
Have a great week!
G x
Friday, November 19, 2010
ROSIE - Furious Bingham Girl!!!
Oh, I'm an angry girl today. Why does the media do it? (Sorry G). They print and publicise so irresponsibly that it makes me FULL OF RAGE. Take the article on Yahoo "health" today. The link is here - http://uk.health.lifestyle.yahoo.net/eat-candy-lose-weight.htm, the title "Nutrition professor drops two stone on snack food diet". As you can see, the link says "EAT CANDY, LOSE WEIGHT".
Grrr. Grrr. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. What does the message give us 4 times over in the link and title alone? And you don't have to be bloody stupid to think it, either!
* Well, if a nutrition professor can do it, then it must be okay for me.
* I CAN eat sweets and lose weight.
* He dropped two stone, surely I can too?
And the above are alongside a number of other things... and, as I said, I wouldn't blame you if you DID think the above. The problem is that many people will read the title, and then flick their eyes over the remainder of the article without taking in the fact.
And the fact is?
* The dude restricted his calorie intake to 1800 calories per day (recommended daily intake for a man is 2400). If my maths is correct, this is a 25% reduction in calorie intake, way over the 15% recommended drop if you are trying to lose weight.
* Recommendations are there for a reason. Your body NEEDS the calories. If you restrict your calories excessively, your body will lose weight for a short period of time, and it WAS for a short period, only two months. Thereafter, your body clings to fat, thinking it is being starved, your metabolism slows and you GAIN weight.
* It was done under extremely controlled conditions, which is not a usual "junk food eating" condition.
* Although it took account of other health indicators, this was on a short term basis and probably only associated with the actual weight loss, rather than the food he consumed. What would have happened to his blood pressure, cholesterol levels and everything else if he had continued to eat rubbish food long term?
I would like to clarify my thoughts on the matter, as I am a bonafide nutritionist too (okay, so I'm not a Professor). This is seriously irresponsible, not only to do the bloody study in the first place but more importantly to publicise it in such a way.
The article concluded with another astute comment from Professor Haub - "I am not promoting this or recommending it; it’s just an exercise in nutrition." Well, do you think the readers will really have GOT to the end of the article? No, they're off at the garage stocking up on chocolate.
Junk food is NOT GOOD FOR YOU. Now and again, as we all agree, it is nice, (sometimes necessary) but these should be few and far between. If you eat a varied, balanced diet you should not want to binge out on crap food. For most people, eating "snack food", or binging out on junk food is not done in a controlled environment. Moreover, eating junk food significantly adds to their daily calorie intake, it would NOT reduce it as it did "Dr Haub".
For most, junk food is comfort food. I do not think there is anyone in the world who has not snacked on some choccie or eaten some icecream in an emotional way.
To almost encourage (and yes, I think the title of this article almost does that) people to eat snack food by giving them the line that you can "lose weight" is ridiculous. Anyone can lose weight if they cut their calories enough, Professor Haub doesn't have to be a professor to know that.
Nuff said. I'm off to eat some icecream in protest.
Grrr. Grrr. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. What does the message give us 4 times over in the link and title alone? And you don't have to be bloody stupid to think it, either!
* Well, if a nutrition professor can do it, then it must be okay for me.
* I CAN eat sweets and lose weight.
* He dropped two stone, surely I can too?
And the above are alongside a number of other things... and, as I said, I wouldn't blame you if you DID think the above. The problem is that many people will read the title, and then flick their eyes over the remainder of the article without taking in the fact.
And the fact is?
* The dude restricted his calorie intake to 1800 calories per day (recommended daily intake for a man is 2400). If my maths is correct, this is a 25% reduction in calorie intake, way over the 15% recommended drop if you are trying to lose weight.
* Recommendations are there for a reason. Your body NEEDS the calories. If you restrict your calories excessively, your body will lose weight for a short period of time, and it WAS for a short period, only two months. Thereafter, your body clings to fat, thinking it is being starved, your metabolism slows and you GAIN weight.
* It was done under extremely controlled conditions, which is not a usual "junk food eating" condition.
* Although it took account of other health indicators, this was on a short term basis and probably only associated with the actual weight loss, rather than the food he consumed. What would have happened to his blood pressure, cholesterol levels and everything else if he had continued to eat rubbish food long term?
I would like to clarify my thoughts on the matter, as I am a bonafide nutritionist too (okay, so I'm not a Professor). This is seriously irresponsible, not only to do the bloody study in the first place but more importantly to publicise it in such a way.
The article concluded with another astute comment from Professor Haub - "I am not promoting this or recommending it; it’s just an exercise in nutrition." Well, do you think the readers will really have GOT to the end of the article? No, they're off at the garage stocking up on chocolate.
Junk food is NOT GOOD FOR YOU. Now and again, as we all agree, it is nice, (sometimes necessary) but these should be few and far between. If you eat a varied, balanced diet you should not want to binge out on crap food. For most people, eating "snack food", or binging out on junk food is not done in a controlled environment. Moreover, eating junk food significantly adds to their daily calorie intake, it would NOT reduce it as it did "Dr Haub".
For most, junk food is comfort food. I do not think there is anyone in the world who has not snacked on some choccie or eaten some icecream in an emotional way.
To almost encourage (and yes, I think the title of this article almost does that) people to eat snack food by giving them the line that you can "lose weight" is ridiculous. Anyone can lose weight if they cut their calories enough, Professor Haub doesn't have to be a professor to know that.
Nuff said. I'm off to eat some icecream in protest.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
ZAR - Recipe - Seven Vegetable Salad
Ooooh, I'm really excited about this one. I'm serving this at ZarBar this week with some adjustments but will be having it for my dinner on Tuesday. This would be a good one to make ahead of time and have for lunch at work and add different protein each day - tuna, chicken, turkey etc.
Serves 4
Half a bunch asparagus
1 carrot
1 zucchini
Handful baby spinach leaves
1/2 red capsicum (pepper)
10 sugar snap peas, green beans or mange tout
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
50g soft goats cheese
Half a cup of snowpea sprouts or alfalfa sprouts
With a peeler, peel long strips off the asparagus, carrot and zucchini into a bowl, until it's all done. Thinly slice the capsicum and peas/beans and add to the bowl with the spinach and the cannellini beans. Mix with your fingers.
If you're serving straight away then dress the vegies with some olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix again. Place onto plates, crumble the goats cheese over the plates and share the sprouts amongst them.
(GB - I tried this one this week and it's fan-bloody-tastic!!)
Serves 4
Half a bunch asparagus
1 carrot
1 zucchini
Handful baby spinach leaves
1/2 red capsicum (pepper)
10 sugar snap peas, green beans or mange tout
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
50g soft goats cheese
Half a cup of snowpea sprouts or alfalfa sprouts
With a peeler, peel long strips off the asparagus, carrot and zucchini into a bowl, until it's all done. Thinly slice the capsicum and peas/beans and add to the bowl with the spinach and the cannellini beans. Mix with your fingers.
If you're serving straight away then dress the vegies with some olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix again. Place onto plates, crumble the goats cheese over the plates and share the sprouts amongst them.
(GB - I tried this one this week and it's fan-bloody-tastic!!)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
GEORGIE - If your'e obese - read this.
I am sure that it isn’t correct to laugh at this headline “Fat People ‘are better at sniffing out food’” but oh how I chuckled when I read this in today’s Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1329811/Fat-people-better-sniffing-food.html
It’s actually quite an interesting article – fatter people have a better sense of smell. Their sense of smell also improves when they are full which makes them eat more. Ok, so they make good foragers but like SOO many previous pieces of research that try to understand what makes people obese, I welcome the good intent, but this yet another piece of literature that basically discards the idea of self control. Yes, if you have a keener sense of smell you might be tempted to eat more. But this comes back to my Bingham Girls argument that at the moment seems to be coming out every month.
IF YOU ARE OBESE – GET THIS;
“MY name is Georgie Bingham and if I ate what I want, when I wanted, I would be morbidly obese. EVERYDAY when I get up I make careful choices about what goes into my body and how active I am, to ensure that I maintain a healthy weight, so that I not only look as good as I can, but I am healthier, a hopefully live longer and am a smaller burden on our Health Service. I CHOOSE not to be fat. I choose to fight the temptations that would make me fat and this is an integral part of being a healthy person. Some people really DON’T have to watch what they eat. Lucky them. But if you are obese and imagine that everyone who isn’t obese is like that – think again. Being fat is about a lack of self control, self esteem, or BOTH. Stop eating, get a bit more active and join the rest of us who make conscious decisions every day, many times a day NOT to be obese.”
It’s actually quite an interesting article – fatter people have a better sense of smell. Their sense of smell also improves when they are full which makes them eat more. Ok, so they make good foragers but like SOO many previous pieces of research that try to understand what makes people obese, I welcome the good intent, but this yet another piece of literature that basically discards the idea of self control. Yes, if you have a keener sense of smell you might be tempted to eat more. But this comes back to my Bingham Girls argument that at the moment seems to be coming out every month.
IF YOU ARE OBESE – GET THIS;
“MY name is Georgie Bingham and if I ate what I want, when I wanted, I would be morbidly obese. EVERYDAY when I get up I make careful choices about what goes into my body and how active I am, to ensure that I maintain a healthy weight, so that I not only look as good as I can, but I am healthier, a hopefully live longer and am a smaller burden on our Health Service. I CHOOSE not to be fat. I choose to fight the temptations that would make me fat and this is an integral part of being a healthy person. Some people really DON’T have to watch what they eat. Lucky them. But if you are obese and imagine that everyone who isn’t obese is like that – think again. Being fat is about a lack of self control, self esteem, or BOTH. Stop eating, get a bit more active and join the rest of us who make conscious decisions every day, many times a day NOT to be obese.”
Monday, November 15, 2010
ZAR - Everyday actions and decisions
I found this so interesting. In the Body and Soul section of the Sunday Telegraph (Aus) a couple of weeks ago, explaining what happens to your body when you do certain things. I love this kind of article because usually I'm doing all the right things for my body and I can give myself a pat on the back!!
Laughing - produces feel-good chemicals which provides pleasure. Smile if you don't feel like laughing. Your brain will mirror-image your emotions by copying your facial expressions.
Drinking a soft drink - this can contain high levels of caffeine and sugar which will make you feel great in the short term. Quite quickly though, you will feel thirsty again as your kidneys have to work hard to process the caffeine. You will be depleted of vitamin B6 which among other things, balance hormones. You will also become addicted to the caffeine and sugar.
Eating chocolate - because chocolate is basically fat and carbs which give and instant energy boost but must be burnt off if they are not going to be turned into body fat immediately. On the upside, nutritionists recommend a small amount of chocolate is good for you because of the cocoa. This contains antioxidants which will attach themselves to free radicals which are enemies for our bodies (they attack healthy cells and increase the risk of diseases). On a basic level, cocoa encourages the brain to release serotonin which makes us feel happy and less stressed straight away.
Running - is the best workout you can do in terms of burning your stores of carbs. Your body also produces an excess of lactic acid which can end up in your muscles which could lead to soreness post-run, so make sure you warm down.
Drinking a glass of wine - apart from relaxing you the sugar will make you feel alert. However, as we all know, once the alcohol passes through your stomach and small intestine, it gets into the bloodstream and from there, the brain. This then makes us all a bit silly!!
Eating fruit - the natural sugars are used for energy, and the vitamins and minerals are used for bodily processes. The skin is passed through the intestine unchanged, keeping your bowel regular. The high fibre and lower KJ content of fruit makes it filling, so your stomach tells your brain that it doesn't need anything further.
Smoking - Apart from the joy to a smoker of the drag of a cigarette, it is of course doing unimaginable damage to your body. The carbon monoxide robs the muscles, brain and blood of oxygen meaning your heart has to work harder. The tar coats the lungs which causes lung and throat cancer. Amazingly, smoking does not relieve stress. The relaxed feeling that smokers experience when they smoke is actually a return to the normal state that non-smokers experience all the time!!
Crying - I don't cry alot but when I do, I feel so much better and I'm sure you'll all agree. Once you've finished crying, your heart rate and breathing return to normal which is what leaves us feeling so great. The deep breathing reduces stress levels.
Kissing - increases levels of oxytocin which help people bond and lowered levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Sharing germs also boosts the immune system (I wouldn't advise sharing too many though - yuck!)
Laughing - produces feel-good chemicals which provides pleasure. Smile if you don't feel like laughing. Your brain will mirror-image your emotions by copying your facial expressions.
Drinking a soft drink - this can contain high levels of caffeine and sugar which will make you feel great in the short term. Quite quickly though, you will feel thirsty again as your kidneys have to work hard to process the caffeine. You will be depleted of vitamin B6 which among other things, balance hormones. You will also become addicted to the caffeine and sugar.
Eating chocolate - because chocolate is basically fat and carbs which give and instant energy boost but must be burnt off if they are not going to be turned into body fat immediately. On the upside, nutritionists recommend a small amount of chocolate is good for you because of the cocoa. This contains antioxidants which will attach themselves to free radicals which are enemies for our bodies (they attack healthy cells and increase the risk of diseases). On a basic level, cocoa encourages the brain to release serotonin which makes us feel happy and less stressed straight away.
Running - is the best workout you can do in terms of burning your stores of carbs. Your body also produces an excess of lactic acid which can end up in your muscles which could lead to soreness post-run, so make sure you warm down.
Drinking a glass of wine - apart from relaxing you the sugar will make you feel alert. However, as we all know, once the alcohol passes through your stomach and small intestine, it gets into the bloodstream and from there, the brain. This then makes us all a bit silly!!
Eating fruit - the natural sugars are used for energy, and the vitamins and minerals are used for bodily processes. The skin is passed through the intestine unchanged, keeping your bowel regular. The high fibre and lower KJ content of fruit makes it filling, so your stomach tells your brain that it doesn't need anything further.
Smoking - Apart from the joy to a smoker of the drag of a cigarette, it is of course doing unimaginable damage to your body. The carbon monoxide robs the muscles, brain and blood of oxygen meaning your heart has to work harder. The tar coats the lungs which causes lung and throat cancer. Amazingly, smoking does not relieve stress. The relaxed feeling that smokers experience when they smoke is actually a return to the normal state that non-smokers experience all the time!!
Crying - I don't cry alot but when I do, I feel so much better and I'm sure you'll all agree. Once you've finished crying, your heart rate and breathing return to normal which is what leaves us feeling so great. The deep breathing reduces stress levels.
Kissing - increases levels of oxytocin which help people bond and lowered levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Sharing germs also boosts the immune system (I wouldn't advise sharing too many though - yuck!)
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