Have you been letting your job get in the way of fulfilling your 2012 new year’s intentions to get healthier and more fit? Well throw those excuses out the window with today’s guest post! Natasha shares with us some easy moves we can do on the job, especially in an office.    

Like millions of people out there, I work in a 9 to 5 routine job with nothing else to do with my body but sit, sit and sit… and that too in front of a computer. Oh yes, I do use my brains a lot (since I’m a writer) and that alone is so tiring that it leaves me with no energy to do any other physical activity.

Letting myself believe this “I am stuck” theory, I lazily went on with the job until one fine day I found out that I had gained an extra 9 pounds during the last few months!

Needless to say , it was a panic call for me and because I wish to carry on with a 9 to 5 job, I wanted to look for something that will keep me active while also helping my metabolism as I don’t want to starve myself, nor do I want to eat and sit, sit and eat.

Scouring the internet and using some of my own God gifted commonsense (ahem); I came up with five exercises that can help you burn enough calories while also helping you in lose weight:

 Note: Some of these exercises might not be suitable for you for many reasons, so you must consult your physician before adopting any of these.

Squatting Up & Down 20 to 30 Times

Ok! You can do this whenever you go to the washroom or a space by yourself where no one can see you. With this, all you have to do is start moving up and down while inhaling on the up and exhaling as you clench your abs to squat down. This exercise will immediately increase your heart beat and though it gets tough as you reach 16 or 20, it’s quite good for your legs and abdomen. Try to do this 30 times in one go and repeat this a couple of times. It hardly takes 5 to 10 minutes!

Yoga at the Desk

[click to continue…]

Who wants to jump out of bed in the morning? Ok, if you think that’s impossible to start with, how about eventually waking up naturally without the use of caffeine? Here’s an excellent guest post by Nadia Jones that I’m sure you’ll love.  

Early mornings… some embrace them with a warm smile a la Snow White. Others are a bit more apathetic about them, relating more to a well-known “Sleepy” dwarf than a princess.

If you’re in the latter group and find it difficult to shake off your grogginess in the a.m., there are a few things you can add to your morning ritual to perk yourself up naturally, sans coffee and energy drinks—these beverages can actually leave you dehydrated, which makes you even more tired.

Here are 4 quick ways to jump-start your mornings naturally:

Keep the Blinds Open

The easiest way to start your mornings energized is to wake up naturally and peacefully via the sun, not by an annoying alarm clock—our bodies instantly react to changes in light, so if you sleep in a dark room but light seeps through come sunrise, you should wake up on your own. If you don’t trust yourself without an alarm, have it as a backup, but don’t hit the snooze button—resting for even an additional 5 minutes can make you go back into the sleep cycle and it make you even more groggy when you do finally decide to get out of bed.

Do Morning Yoga

Studies show that some yoga poses can actually help curb fatigue because it helps regulate cortisol, a hormone that affects the adrenal gland and your energy levels. As a bonus, yoga also works as a natural energy drink because it requires you to take deep gulps of oxygen—air is needed to invigorate your cells and help keep your body alert. Not to mention that concentrating on your form and balance will give you a quick energy boost all on its own.

Take a Cold Shower

[click to continue…]

A great follow up to our last post, “How Stress Affects the Health of New Moms“, here’s a guest post by Varsha Aditya about what to do following the birth of your new baby to keep healthy and lose that extra baby weight.  

Postpartum weight loss is a major concern for many women. With all the emphasis our society places on losing weight, it may be difficult to accept the pounds you put on during pregnancy. Especially after the baby is born, it may be very difficult to accept the lingering fat around your waist. Many first-time mothers don’t even realize that it will be many months before their abdominal wall will be back to normal!

You may be tempted to start dieting immediately, but there are many reasons why this is a bad idea. Don’t let yourself cave in to a negative self-image or start believing that you absolutely have to get back in your old clothes as soon as possible! There are natural processes at work and understanding them can help you get your figure (and more importantly, your health) back without endangering the health of either you or your newborn.

Birthing Body Changes

Most women gain around 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy and lose only 12 to 15 at birth. That means you could easily have 20 pounds left to lose before you get back to your pre-pregnancy weight. But it’s not just fat making you bigger. Your bone structure, especially in your hips, may have widened significantly if it was your first baby. For some people, the hips “close” after a year or so—others never go back to their pre-pregnancy size. Your bone structure has nothing to do with your body fat. So don’t measure your weight loss by your hip size. Your pant size may be one or two sizes bigger than your pre-pregnancy size, even after you are completely back in shape.

To me, this is one of the saddest things about the modern conception of women. We are taught to feel shame about no longer having a teenager’s body. The fact is, my pre-pregnancy body turned into something far more marvelous when I became pregnant and gave birth—it became a woman’s body. Even though I lost a lot of weight after the birth of my first child, my shirts and pants still never fit the same way again. My shoulders and my hips were wider, even though I was even underweight at one point. Never feel ashamed of your widening hips. Flab is one thing, but a wide pelvis is a point of pride—celebrate the bones that allowed the passage of a new being into the world!

Downtime After Birthing

[click to continue…]

Whether you’re a new mom or not, everyone is affected by stress. This guest post by Bernice Spradlin is a must-read as she shares a few stress management tips using natural means! 

Natural tips on fighting stress—for you and baby

We all suffer from a certain amount of stress in our daily lives, and to a certain extent, stress is a part of normal life. However, if you’re a parent, children can be a handful, especially for new mom’s that are home with baby for the majority of the day.

Stress is actually the body’s physical, mental or emotional reaction to any situational change that requires a response. Events like these all qualify as stressors:

• A stressful event—i.e., like a crying, fussy child
• A baby that won’t let you sleep, for instance a baby with cholic
• Continuous mental or physical strain without relief—i.e., if mom never gets a break
• A muscle stress that you’ve put on your body—i.e., muscle pain from picking up a child without supporting your lower back
• A pressing stress that constantly dominates your thoughts—i.e., constant worry over your baby’s well-being
• A stressful reaction due to a dangerous or frightening situation—i.e., having a child involved in a violent relationship
• A tense atmosphere—i.e., a single mom worrying about her financial situation on top of caring for a new baby

It’s the effects of long-term, on-going stress (which is called distress) in situations like those listed above that can seriously affect your health, as well as the health of your new baby. For instance, instead of letting a cholicy baby keep you up all through the night, seek advice from your doctor who may prescribe gripe water that can be purchased very cheaply online via almost any Canadian pharmacy.

[click to continue…]

Want a powerful, natural food that will not only help you lose weight but will also boost your immune system as well as make you happier? Check out today’s guest post by cookbook author, Bindu Grandhi, to find out how you can thrive during a dreary winter!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! This catchy tune from the commercials for Chia Pets, the pottery that grows, is probably what pops into the minds of most people when someone mentions chia seeds. I know I’ve always thought these seeds were meant for arts and crafts, not consumption!

Nowadays, chia seeds are recognized as a superfood thanks to their energy-boosting, mood-improving and appetite-suppressing benefits. Believe it or not, chia seeds have been around for thousands of years, the Aztec warriors ate them for energy and to reduce inflammation.

The tiny Chia seed truly packs a powerful nutritional punch – rich in omega-3s, high in fiber and calcium, and loads of antioxidants that provide cancer-fighting protection. Studies have shown that it can reduce heart disease, arrhythmia, blood pressure; risk of heart attack, cancer and Alzheimer’s; improve brain function and lower cholesterol.

They also have a slimming effect due to their ridiculously high amount of omega-3s, insoluble fiber and protein.

Incorporating chia seeds into your diet is so easy, you can just scoop them into anything – pancakes, cookies, muffins, salads, yogurt, cereal, cake, milkshakes, smoothies, juice, and the list is endless. Just a spoonful (a tablespoon) is all you need.

When mixing chia seeds in liquids, remember to consume right away as the mixture will become gelatinous. In fact, chefs and cooks use chia seeds to add viscosity and density to dishes because when you add liquid to chia seeds, they swell to nearly 10 times their size which makes it a great natural thickener. Use whole seeds for salads and cereals, while ground seeds are good for smoothies and milkshakes.

With the winter in full swing, you might be feeling a little run down with the reduced daylight hours. So go buy a bag of Chia seeds which are available in grocery stores, Whole Foods and other health food markets. Toss them in your drink or sprinkle on your meal and you’ll feel recharged in no time!

About the Author

Author of Spice Up Your Life, Bindu Grandhi is passionate about healthy and flavourful cooking, especially when it’s flexitarian. She shares her health knowledge with the world by providing practical, healthy and tasty recipes as The Flex Cook.

Wow, chia packs a wallop of health in such a little seed! Do you have a chia seed recipe to share with us?