Listen To Your Body!

Slow Changes and Vibrant Growth in our natural surroundings let us know that the Seasons are changing from Winter to Spring.... these Slow Changes and the Vibrant Growth of Spring are often reflected on our Body and mirrored within us!

By taking notice of these inner and outer signs and being aware of what we are thinking and feeling.... by taking time to Listen to our Body, we can connect to our own inner Wisdom and discover answers to empower our Body and increase our Mental Energy.

Food cravings, lack lustre hair, peeling nails that suddenly or easily break, skin breakouts, mood swings, depleted energy and lack of vitality.... are all signs that your Body needs care and nurturing and that your lifestyle needs some attention and balance.

Please share your ideas - [ E-mail ] - Thanks!

Spring Updates

Cravings and in particular sugar cravings can almost be addicting and some people have a difficult time managing their cravings for sweet and sugary foods. Unfortunately, sweet and sugary foods are high in calories, sometimes have unhealthy fats and indulging in these cravings can lead to weight gain and ups and downs of high and low energy levels. Often people experience cravings even when they have just eaten or they are physically satisfied, without understanding why?

Wanting something sweet after enjoying a delicious and nutritious meal, and even knowing you are physically satisfied, can just be a habit from your childhood or even a part of your lifestyle, that could increase natural feelings of comfort and that you seldom think about before acting on.

When you are no longer hungry after eating a meal, yet crave something sweet like a rich desert or large bowl of ice-cream, this may just be a family tradition from your childhood and a long standing habit that is difficult to replace. Trying to ignore cravings will just make them worse, leading to the overwhelming need to overindulge.

Another reason for craving something sweet could be due to low serotonin levels. Serotonin is a brain chemical that makes you feel content and happy. Many antidepressant medications work by keeping serotonin levels high.

Sugar may increase the absorption of an amino acid called tryptophan, which the body uses to make serotonin. This means that eating something sweet may make you feel happy and avoiding sweets may make you feel crabby.

Chromium is a mineral that studies have shown may reduce carbohydrate cravings. Although having an occasional bowl of ice cream really isn’t going to harm your diet or eating plan, although you don’t want ice cream or dessert to become a habit. When the craving hits, choose fruits and berries instead of high calorie sweets. Exercise is also a good way to overcome cravings for sweet or sugary foods so go for a walk instead of eating a bowl of ice cream.

If you're going to tackle your cravings, it's important to know where they're coming from -- and why you're having them. "Cravings happen for physiological, psychological and emotional reasons," explains David Kirsch, a celebrity trainer, fitness expert, author and founder of New York's Madison Square Club. "We eat because we're hungry, but also when we're sad, depressed, anxious or bored." If you find yourself craving the same things at a particular time each day, keep a log of the whys and whens. You may start to see a pattern emerge, which could help you identify a relationship between your moods, stress levels and food habits. If you can figure out what triggers your cravings, you've won half the battle.

***************************************************************

You know how lots of restaurants start you off with a basket of bread or tortilla chips, compliments of the house? Turns out that's not such a great deal after all. Beginning a meal with carbohydrates can make your blood sugar levels spike and then crash, which will make you hungrier and stimulate carb and sugar cravings later on. To help with portion control during a meal and craving control afterward, begin with some greens, like a starter salad or a little fat, like some avocado, a handful of nuts or a small amount of goat cheese. This will help regulate blood sugar and stop you from wanting to eat the whole table, bread basket and all.

***************************************************************

Go Yoga - One thing all experts agree on is that stress can play a big role in our hunger levels... and our cravings. When we're not feeling our strongest mentally, food can become a comfort; when we're running around scattered, we don't always have time to make the right food choices. Plus, stress can do funny things to our metabolism and sugar levels, which can trigger cravings. While quick fixes like deep breathing and walking around the block can help lower stress levels in the here and now, if you find you need a longer-term solution, try yoga. Practicing this mind-body workout will modulate your current stress-o-meter and will also have a more lasting, cumulative effect on how you deal with stress, arming you with tools like meditation and stretches that will help you to better tackle future stressful situations. Less stress and fewer cravings sound good to us -- the flexibility's really just an added bonus.

***************************************************************

Please share your ideas - [ E-mail ] - Thanks!