by Keith Tucker | Nov 14, 2018 | Health and Fitness Fundamentals
Essential Oils to Help Beat the Blues
Over the last six months my family and I have been using essential oils around the house and at the gym, and I must say it has been amazing!
They can stimulate you into action. It can also relax you and induce sleep. If you struggle with the blues, you can use aromatherapy to improve your mood.
What Is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the use of scents to alter mood. You can use essential oils through a diffuser or even place them in diluted form directly on your skin. You can also use lotions or creams on your skin. Another option is to burn a candle with your favorite scent. Finally, some people like to steep the scent or brew a tea.
Scents Commonly Used to Treat Depression
While there are a number of combinations and scents used to elevate mood, relax, diffuse anger or create calm, these scents are commonly used specifically for depression:
- Basil
- Bergamot
- Cedarwood
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
- Clary sage
- Frankincense
- Geranium
- Grapefruit
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Jasmine
- Myrrh
- Neroli
- Rose
- Sandalwood
- Spruce
- Orange
- Ylang ylang
The citrusy scents elevate mood and awaken the senses. Scents like jasmine and lavender induce a state of calm and relaxation. You may want to play with various scents to find which works best. Of course, you’ll also have personal preferences.
As mentioned you can use aromatherapy in a number of ways. You can combine essential oils into a bottle. With a dropper you can place the oils on the edge of your pillow or on clothing you’re wearing.
Alternatively, you can add the essential oils to a lotion base or fractionated coconut oil. This will diffuse the strength of the oils so it’s safe for skin application, this is especially important for sensitive skin and childrens skin.
There are a number of ways to enjoy aromatherapy and to reap the mood-enhancing benefits. You can also find blends or recipes on how to blend scents online.
As well as emotional benefits, essential oils work brilliantly at relieving colds, stomach aches and headaches, and has been a life saver as the cold and flu season as begun.
Essential oil are great,but remember they work hand in hand with nutrition. So make sure you are also fuelling your body with nutrient dense foods and beat those winter blues.
Keith
by Keith Tucker | Nov 8, 2018 | Uncategorised
Beat Winter Blues with Nutrition
Oh no, it’s that time of year again, the days are getting shorter! By time we sit down for dinner at 5pm the sky is dark, the temprature has dropped and it wont be long before the scarf and gloves are back on. No wonder a lot of people suffer from the winter blues.
I don’t know about you but as soon as our daytimes become shorter, i really don’t have much motivation to do much of anything apart from stay in and keep warm on the sofa. There are however things we can all do help us beat those winter blues.
Photo by Hayeon Yun on Unsplash
Quit Sugar
Sugar is the cause of many, many health concerns, so if there is every a good time to quit, it’s the winter.
Steer clear of a diet that contains a lot of starchy carbs, white flour and sugar. These can cause inflammation, blood sugar spikes and low energy.
Beat the blues by providing your body with the nutrients it needs to stay strong and healthy. Plan ahead and pack your cupboards and fridge with uplifting foods this winter.
Foods to Help Conquer Winter Blues
- Fatty Fish and lean Meats– Salmon, tuna and Mackerel is rich in vitamin D and omega fatty acids. It’s also protein. If you don’t like fish, eat chicken, turkey and plenty of nuts and seeds.
- Lentils and legumes – Lentils are rich in folate. They also have a number of B vitamins which help you manage stress
- Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale – Dark leafy greens contain a multitude of vitamins. They’re also a good source of fiber. Try to include at least one serving of dark leafy greens every day.
- Water – Drink plenty of water, stay hydrated to help keep your fatique and keep snacking at bay.
Vitamins and Nutrients to Look For
Choose foods that have a high nutrient content, choose foods that contain:
- Vitamin D – Vitamin D has been shown to prevent and reduce depression in some individuals. A deficiency in this vitamin is also linked to a number of illnesses and conditions including diabetes.
- Vitamin B – the vitamin B complex helps your body manage stress optimally. It also boosts your immune system.
- Folate – Folic acid helps regulate your blood flow. It also assists with sleep. Better sleep means a better ability to manage stress and control emotions. It means better physical and mental health.
- Omega Fatty Acids – Fatty acids reduce inflammation in your body and your brain. Studies have shown that people who experience winter depression are often low in omega fatty acids.
- Protein – Protein helps keep your blood sugar levels even. This means consistent energy throughout the day. Try to eat protein at every meal.
So, keep those winter blues at bay and get those nutritious foods in. But remember that there are other things you can also do to beat winter blues.
- Keep moving. Exercise plays a huge part in our mood and mental well being. It may be cold but keep your exercise routine going, you’ll feel a million times better for it.
- Get some sunshine. Get outside as much as possible and grab that natural vitamin D in when you can, the fresh air itself will work wonders.
- Essential oils. We are currently using a range of essential oils in our house at the moment and they are having a great uplifting effect, we use citrus and spice oils provide a boost to your mood.
So take control and enjoy the winter months.
Keith
by Keith Tucker | Oct 25, 2018 | Food
It’s that time of year again, when a salad for dinner won’t do. The days are shorter and the temperature is dropping so it’s time to get the slow cooker out and try this delicious, tender slow cooked beef stew.
I like to add a few more vegetables to my stews than the recipe shows, but it’s up to you. So here you go.
Recipe
1 Onion , chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 carrots, halved and cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
½ pack thyme
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 beef stock cubes or stock pots
900g beef
Beef for braising such as skirt, buy a whole piece and cut it yourself for bigger chunks or buy ready-diced
2 tsp cornflour (optional)
½ small bunch parsley
Parsley , chopped
Cauliflour rice or Quinoa (optional)
- Fry the onion and celery in 1 tbsp coconut oil over a low heat until they start to soften – about 5 mins. Add the carrots, bay and thyme, fry for 2 mins, stir in the purée and Worcestershire sauce, add 600ml boiling water, stir and tip everything into a slow cooker. Crumble over the stock cubes or add the stock pots and stir, then season with pepper (don’t add salt as the stock may be salty).
- Clean out the frying pan and fry the beef in the remaining oil in batches until it is well browned, then tip each batch into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs, or on high for 4 hrs.
- If you want to thicken the gravy, mix the corn our with a splash of cold water to make a paste, then stir in 2 tbsp of the liquid from the slow cooker. Tip back into the slow cooker, stir and cook for a further 30 mins on high. Stir in the parsley and season again to taste. Serve with cauliflour rice or quinoa if you like.
by Keith Tucker | Oct 13, 2018 | Food, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
Snack Attacks
The key is to snack right – and to snack right, you need to plan ahead. When you’re prepared for snack attacks and have a healthy snack on hand, you’re in control of your diet and your weight loss.
Choosing to diet and change the way you think about food can be very difficult. If you have been eating a certain way for many many years it can be a challenge. Cravings, hunger and the stress of trying to manage a new and healthier diet can lead to snacking on the wrong foods, which will sabotage all of your hard work.
Hummus is great as a healthy snack.
However, if you’re prepared for these potential challenges you can keep your diet on track.
Healthy Snack That Won’t Harm Your Weightloss Goals
Here are seven quick healthy snack ideas that won’t sabotage your weight loss:
- Nuts – A bag of nuts is a great snack because contain the kind of healthy fat your body needs. Grab small snack bags and fill them with a handful of nuts. Almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and even walnuts are all a fantastic and delicious snack.
- Vegetable crisps and guacamole – vegetable crisps (the healthier option) and homemade guacamole are a great snack. Avocados, like nuts, are rich in healthy fats. A dollop of guacamole and five or six vegetable crisps is a perfectly healthy snack.
- Yogurt – Natural yogurt is perfect as a snack. Add a few nuts and seeds and some fresh berries for a well-rounded and delicious snack. If you aren’t able to eat dairy, we love coconut yogurt from Coconut Collaborative.
- Tuna or sardines – Fish is full of omega fatty acids and it’s high in protein. Tuna and sardines with crackers is a healthy snack.
- Nut butters – Almond and Cashew butter is great on top of celery, apples, bananas or even in a spoonful in small smoothie.
- Veggies and hummus – I love Hummus and is always something that we have in our fridge at home, it makes a great snack, just add celery sticks, carrots and other sliced vegetables and you have a super tasty snack.
Snacks are a healthy part of a diet, if done right. Plan ahead and make sure you have your healthy snack with you or in a convienent spot. Use these healthy snacks to help you keep cravings at bay and get all the nutrients you need to get and stay healthy.
Keith
by Keith Tucker | Oct 12, 2018 | Exercise For Optimum Health, Weight Loss and Performance, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
Change The Way You Think about Exercise and Change Your Life
I personally love a good workout and a good challenge, but a lot of people just don’t, they can’t think of anything worse and consider exercise a form of torture. You may hear how much fun exercise is and envy the ones that can just jump out of bed in the morning, looking forward to their daily gym session.
Changing your exercise mindset, and letting go of the pressure of ‘exercise’ will change your life (and your body).
Exercise Doesn’t Have to Be Painful
Exercise can and should be fun and something you can do each and every day. Because honestly – if you’re not having fun, how likely are you to continue doing it? If it’s not easy to do, how can you find time to fit it into your day?
It’s a whole lot easier to motivate yourself to go for a walk or a bike ride to the store than it is to run five miles, right? And you can fit a walk into your day every day. It’s easier to go play tennis with a friend than to climb on the cross trainer at the local gym. And much more fun, too.
Go Slow, and Just Get Moving
We have been told that to be healthy we need to do a sustained activity for twenty, thirty, or even sixty minutes. That a gym class such as spinning or boxercise or spending 60 minutes on a treadmill is what’s important. This form of staying fit just doesn’t appeal to a lot of people and therefore just isn’t sustainable for many.
If you are new to fitness, start slow, just get moving everyday. During your lunch break, don’t sit at your desk, get up and go for a walk. Instead of getting home and sticking another box set on, go for swim, try a dance class?
Moving your body means walking; it means being physically active. It doesn’t mean an hour in the spin class – unless you enjoy spin class. Exercise is fine as long as it’s part of a daily habit of movement.
Adopting a Healthy, and Active, Mindset
If you dread working out, find an activity that you enjoy and fits in with your lifestyle. The activity should require movement. Do something you enjoy that gets your body moving.
You can do it.
Keith
