The Best Move To Loose Your Belly Fat
Comments Off
A note from Chris Hudson:
“Spring break, pool parties, summer vacation…it’s all right around the corner which means it is flat belly time!
Diet, cardio, and core work will get you started but there is one thing people always forget and something I’ve been telling my clients and students for years! You will NEVER have a flat stomach if you have tight hip flexors. Don’t want to stretch for flexibility or mobility? Hey, that’s on you, but if I told you it would get you that flat belly….”well maybe I can spend a few minutes on the mat.” Check out the following article:”
Working hard but you just can’t lose that stubborn fat on your tummy? Doing lots of crunches and endless hours on the treadmill to try to get rid of it?
Here’s a little secret: When you sit all day — as almost all of us do — your butt muscles turn off and your hip flexors (the muscles on the front of your hips) get short and your abdominal muscles stop working. This causes your hip bone (pelvis) to tilt forward which puts stress on your back — causing, yes, lower back pain — but it also pushes your belly out. You can be adding to this scenario with exercises like crunches and running on the treadmill creating shorter and shorter hip flexors. So you look like you have a gut, even if you don’t have an ounce of fat! This is also the case if you are spending a lot of time in spinning classes which are a huge culprit of tightening the hip flexors and creating this pooch.
Look at yourself sideways in the mirror. Check to see: Does the top of your hips tilt forward, creating a pooch, because your pelvis is being pulled forward by your hip flexors and your core and glutes are not engaged and working to flatten out your center? Or are your hips underneath your center with a flat tummy?
I have an exercise to fix the former — it’s called the hip extension, and all you need is your bodyweight. This exercise will stretch out your hip flexors, engage your core and switch on your butt muscles, which will lead to your hips getting into the right position to flatten out your pooch!
Position: Lie on your back, on the ground, arms outstretched at 90 degrees from the body. Bend one knee so the foot is flat on the floor as it would be in a sit-up.
Movement: Keeping the other leg straight and in line with the trunk at all times, drive down with the bent knee foot, causing the body to lift. The top of the movement is when the straight leg is in line with the thigh of the bent knee, which is about a 45 degree position. Make sure the body is straight at this point and both hips are even.
Reblogged from Huffington Post.
How Stress Messes With Your Stomach
Comments Off
The enteric nervous system, or the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, is often referred to as the “second brain.” That’s because much like your brain, the GI tract relies on the same types of neurons and neurotransmitters to complete specific functions, as well as maintain communication with the central nervous system. Have you ever noticed that fluctuations in your emotions cause a reaction in your stomach? You may feel butterflies with love, nausea with anxiety, or gut-wrenched with fear. This is because the brain has a direct effect on the GI system.
This also means that when you’re experiencing stress—whether chronic stress or ongoing tension from small daily stressors—your gastrointestinal health is impacted. Psychological stress can impair contraction of the GI tract, induce inflammation, and increase susceptibility to infection.
The GI tract/brain connection is so intense, in fact, that research has shown that patients who seek therapy for stress and mental anxiety see a reduction in GI symptoms. The reverse has also been shown: Changes to your diet, such as eliminating certain foods, can improve your mood and energy levels.
Is it stress?
Chronic upset stomach, irritable bowels, and other unpleasant symptoms of the digestive system are the gut’s natural reaction to stress. To minimize the damage to your mental and physical health, you need to identify the source of your discomfort and when it began.
Then, try these strategies for reducing stress:
- Meditation. Try quiet meditation exercises, join a yoga class, or simply find a quiet time and space to unwind. Be sure to take quiet time for yourself on a weekly basis.
- Journal. Sometimes you just need a space to “let it all out.” The pages of a diary can be a great way to rid yourself of stress and free your mind and body from what’s bothering you.
- Make a list. Sometimes managing stress is as simple as writing down and prioritizing what needs to be done.
- Therapy. Talking to a trusted advisor or professional counselor can help ease stress.
Is it diet?
If the stress in your life seems to be under control, yet you still suffer from moodiness, feelings of anxiety, or lack of energy, it may be related to food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are different from food allergies, in that the reaction isn’t as severe and often doesn’t manifest itself for up to three days. Processed foods, gluten, dairy, peanuts, alcohol, soy, sugar, and artificial sweeteners are the top culprits of GI discomfort and diet-related mental anguish.
To determine the source of your GI distress and related symptoms, try an elimination diet. Develop a healthy eating plan that eliminates food items over the course of three to four weeks. This should sufficiently rid your body of the harmful effects each food may be having on your GI tract.
After the 21 to 28 day period, start adding back each food item one at a time, watching for discrepancies in your mental and physical state. Reactions may include—but aren’t limited to—mental fogginess, fatigue, depression, abdominal cramping, upset stomach, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or acne. If effects aren’t observed after one week, the added food item is a safe part of your intake, and you should choose the next food on the list to add back to your diet. If effects are observed, cut that item out of your regular dining rotation.
Once you’ve finished the elimination diet, you can devise a balanced diet eliminating the foods that cause you distress. Removing these foods from your diet will enhance your energy, improve weight management, boost mental clarity, and may even help you sleep.
If your food cravings are out of control, your memory forgettable, your skinny jeans unwearable and sleep unattainable, you could be suffering from a hormone imbalance. There are six things that can throw your hormones out of balance, and they may just surprise you.
1. You don’t pay attention to your cosmetics: Phthalates and parabens are widely used in a range of cosmetics and have been linked to cancer, obesity, diabetes. In fact, a link between phthalates and thyroid hormone levels was confirmed by the University of Michigan in the first large-scale and nationally representative study of phthalates and BPA in relation to thyroid function in humans. As ingestion of these chemicals increased, serum levels of certain thyroid hormone levels decreased. Remember that the products you use on your body or face should be free of methylparabens, propyl parabens, formaldehyde, imidazolidinyl urea, methylisothiazolinone, propylene glycol, paraffin, phthalates, isopropyl alcohol and sodium lauryl sulphate.
2. You take too many spin classes: Whether we engage in strength training or aerobic activity, cortisol is released during exercise in proportion to the intensity of our effort. Both high-intensity and prolonged exercise cause increases in cortisol, which can remain elevated for hours following a workout. Researchers at the University of North Carolina have also linked strenuous, fatiguing exercise to higher cortisol and lower thyroid hormones. Remember, thyroid hormones stimulate your metabolism, so depletion is definitely not a desired effect of exercise! The same study found thyroid hormones remained suppressed even 24 hours after recovery, whereas cortisol levels remained high throughout the same period. As you can see, more is not always better. This is why I recommend short, intense, 30 minute strength training sessions 3x along with at least one yoga session).
3. You take too many unneeded medications: Under normal circumstances, friendly bacteria found in our digestive system live with us in symbiotic harmony. Factors such as poor diet, and medications such as birth control pills, antibiotics and corticosteroids, can however upset this healthy balance and lead to a host of difficulties, including increased body fat storage and reduced insulin sensitivity.
While they are designed to help our health, many medications are also a source of toxins and hormonal disruption. The biggest culprits are antidepressants, birth control pills, synthetic HRT and corticosteroids. A study published in Diabetes Care examined antidepressant medication use as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and weight gain. Researchers found that more frequent dosages of antidepressants were associated with double the risk of diabetes in participants. The study concluded that ongoing use of antidepressant medication was associated with an increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes. It goes without saying to please consult your health practitioner before considering making any changes to your medications.
4. You consume too many sweeteners: A not-so-sweet fact is that artificial sweeteners are known to cause increased cravings and weight gain, and may subsequently contribute to pre-diabetes. Psychologists at Purdue University’s Ingestive Behavior Research Center reported that relative to rats that ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (sugar), rats given yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin later consumed more calories, gained more weight and put on more body fat. Another study by researchers at the University of Texas San Antonio found that middle-aged adults who drink diet soft drinks drastically increase their risk of gaining weight later on. When researchers followed up with the participants after eight years, they discovered those who consumed one diet soda a day were 65 percent more likely to be overweight than those who drank none. My recommendation would be to ditch both the regular – and the diet soda – and get your tastebuds used to water naturally sweetened with lemon or fresh cut fruit. For your sweet tooth, choose products with xylitol, stevia, luo han, or opt to include cinnamon or unsweetened cocoa powder (i.e. in your shakes) to add taste.
5. You are too acidic/not alkaline enough: When our body becomes acidic, minerals such as potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium may be stolen from our vital organs and bones to combat or buffer the acid. If these mineral losses and metabolic abnormalities continue, we increase our risk for a number of conditions including obesity and hormonal imbalances. You will enjoy the most dramatic results when your body is slightly alkaline.
You can test your body fluids (saliva or urine) using litmus paper strips purchased from your local health food store. Test your pH first thing in the morning or one hour before a meal or two hours after eating. Match your strip to the associated color on the package of pH papers to determine your body pH. If the pH of your saliva stays between 7.0 and 7.4 all day, your body is functioning within a healthy range. If your urinary pH fluctuates between 6.0 to 6.5 in the morning and 6.5 and 7.0 in the evening, your body is within a healthy pH range. First morning urine should be slightly more acidic as you eliminate waste accumulated throughout the night. Continue to measure your pH daily if your values are abnormal, otherwise testing once a week will suffice. Drink water with fresh lemon twice daily to boost your alkalinity and consider adding a greens powder or fresh spinach to your smoothies.
reblogged from blisstree
2 pressed juices a day helps to lose belly fat
Comments Off
I’m not sure at what point I began to get fat. It was sometime in living in sunny Southern California. Where everyone is beautiful and it seems that no one works and everyone has a lot of money. How was I living in West Hollywood around the most beautiful people in the world and gaining weight. I was exercising, eating healthy, active, but depressed. Part of it could have been my dead end job or just overall unhappiness in my life. I later found our the primary reason I was stacking on the belly fat was because of my lack of digestion. Even when eating healthy I was always bloated and always had a stomach ache. I was sensitive to EVERYTHING!
As it turns out I had no enzymes left in my body. My body was no longer breaking down food the way it used to so instead of digesting it my body stored it in a muffin top around my ass and my waist. I went from a size 32 to a size 36, YES THIRTY FREAKING SIX WAIST! UGHHHHH. Nothing would fit around me.
I remember waking up one night with horrible stomach pains and drawing the line saying that is it . I WILL FINALLY DO SOMETHING about my stomach issues. So I got online in the middle of the night and read about enzymes. The importance of enzymes in digestion . I immediately started juicing, and pressed juicing to be exact because of the many many enzymes that help break down food. Within 2 weeks my waist started slimming and my stomach aches were completely GONE! Yes Gone Here I am 8 months later. I drink 2 juices a day. I have lost 25 lbs and have more energy than I have ever had in my life. I feel great and my body is the fittest it has ever been.
Sure pressed juices have been known to cure cancer and help people lose weight during a fast but I think we are just on the cusp of something so great, so cutting edge, that could vastly change our physical bodies as we now know them. I’ll post some before and after pictures. One year ago and today!
Great tips for boosting your health and appearance in 2013!
Tip #2: A green juice cleanse
Tired of looking at celebrities and wondering how on earth they manage to have such a youthful appearance — despite their heavy work schedules? Well, wonder no more because we’ve found five ways to make 2013 your year.
1. Start Cleansing
Ever wonder how celebrities such as Angelina Jolie or Kim Kardashian have such flawless skin? Although everyone can’t afford to get those pricey microdermabrasion treatments from spas, we have found the next best solution. On a daily basis, women wear makeup and eventually it leads to a lot of build-up on the face. This build-up can damage the skin by causing breakouts or dry skin. The Clarisonic helps to remove dirt, oil and left-over makeup from pores without using any harmful chemicals. In fact, unlike other cleansers the Clarisonic can be used twice a day and can help improve your skin texture within a matter of days.
2. Juice It
One of the most popular resolutions made every year would be to be healthy and have a healthy diet. Although many prefer fruit smoothies, green smoothies are often more beneficial to the human body. There are numerous reasons to include them in your diet; not only are they very easy to make, but they are also highly nutritious. Green smoothies are full of vitamins, iron, protein, fiber and antioxidants. Also, by having a green smoothie bright and early in the morning, your body is given the nutrition that it needs — and within a matter of time it will return to its overnight detoxification and slimming mode which takes place during the early morning
Give Roots Juices a call at 866.606.6184 and we can customize a green juice cleanse for you.
Read the full article: The Huffington Post
Fight Fat Like a Superhero
Comments Off
Head over to our Facebook page to learn how you can use this image to win 6 pack of Roots Juices! View the large image here.
Detox During Breakfast, With Food!
Comments Off
Sometimes nights out lead to mornings filled with dietary regret. If that’s the case, then you’ll want to help undo the bad with a healthful breakfast made with detoxifying foods. With chilly mornings a near certainty for the next few months, a breakfast that warms you while helping you get off to a good start is in order, so here’s a warming detox breakfast to make the next time you feel bloated and blah from the night before.
Green tea with lemon: Green tea contains high levels of catechins, which speed up liver activity and promote the production of detoxifying enzymes. Add a squeeze of lemon for an alkalizing kick.
Ginger green juice: Need extra detoxifying help? Whip up this spicy green juice; while it’s served cold, the addition of ginger to the simple recipe warms your body, and the lemon, ginger, and parsley in the juice all help your body detox. Make this in the morning, and take it along with you to work in a mason jar for a midmorning pick-me-up.
re-blogged from fit sugar.
5 Creative Ways to Get Your Spinach
Comments Off
The Many Benefits of Spinach
This leafy green is a super-versatile nutrient powerhouse. And thanks to these easy ideas, you have no excuse to leave it out of your next dish.
While wolfing down a can of spinach might not give you insta-muscles or superhuman strength, eating two or three servings of this nutrient-rich leafy green each week could help you power up in other ways. Some preliminary research shows it might make your muscles more efficient during a workout (cool, huh?). Plus, it has a load of other nutrients that keep all systems running smoothly:
It’s full of lutein, which promotes healthy eyesight by preventing cataracts and macular degeneration.
One cup of fresh spinach provides almost 200 percent of the daily value of vitamin K, which is essential for bone health.
Spinach contains twice the amount of iron as most other greens and can act as a substitute for men who are not eating as much meat, according to New York City nutritionist Stephanie Middleberg, R.D. (Getting enough iron, among other things, will keep your energy levels up.)
But perhaps the best thing about spinach is this: It’s extremely versatile, so you can keep it on hand and toss it into any meal. Here are five super-simple recipes to get you started.
re-blogged from men’s fitness.
Master Cleanse vs. Juice Cleanse
Comments Off
We get may clients that come to us and say “I’ve completed the master cleanse, now I think I’m ready to try your cleanse!” Honestly, sometimes this rubs us the wrong way. We started this company not to compete with the traditional fad cleanses and diets that have come and gone, but to show Dallas that cleansing can be healthy and beneficial in the long run. Essentially, our cleanses are the original; humans have been drinking fruit and vegetable juice for thousands of years. It is healthy, nutritious, detoxifying, and cleansing. All without sacrificing much of anything! Personally, I like to think of our detox & cleanse kit as more of a “cleansing nutrient flush” rather than the definition that is commonly associated with the word ‘cleanse’.
What’s wrong with the master cleanse concept? We welcome you to research this yourself, there are plenty of articles arguing for both sides of this topic. Our founder – Brent Rodgers, has always been against these types of cleanses. As you may know this cleanse consists of just water, a little lemon, and some processed maple syrup. People end up starving themselves for two weeks – forcing their bodies to pull energy from lean muscle mass before the fat. And as soon as the cleanse is completed they fall back on all the same unhealthy habits and ruin any progress that they’ve made.
Check out an article about the Master Cleanse on health.com
So what’s better – A juice cleanse or the master cleanse? A juice cleanse floods your cells with nutrients. It provides your body with all of the “good stuff” that it needs to thrive and heal itself. We welcome you to educate yourself and make your own decision! And we are always available to chat with you!
The Complete Cleanse [New Product Announcement]
Comments Off
This is a total juice cleanse how it should be done. How many times have you wished that you could just have everything you needed to eat healthy delivered to your door worry free? Here ya’ go!!
Three days of raw food, followed by three to five days of juice, and then three more days of raw food. And this isn’t just ANY raw food! We’ve sourced the best – Innergy Foods and Mobile Gourmet have crafted the most delicious fresh made meals. Currently this program is only available in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area due to delivery restrictions. We have been getting some great feedback so far from some early testers!
So what are you waiting for? Try the 11 day complete cleanse with raw food and juices today. And for more information, feel free to give us a call or shoot us an email.
