If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times, right? “You have to eat your fruit and vegetables”. I can still hear my mother’s voice. I refused to eat my fruit and vegetables from a very early age in my life up until the age of 21. Yes you read it correctly. It was at age 21 when my unhealthy choices started catching up with me and I decided to regain my health. Well, for the last couple of years I’ve been consuming between 5 – 10 servings of fruit and vegetables daily and it has made a huge difference to my overall well-being.

So I thought it would be a great idea to share some ideas around how you could get to your 5-a-day. Natural foods are the best and most nutritious for your body, so do your body a favour and fill up with nature’s fuel!

• Make a smoothie. Smoothies can contain multiple servings of fruit at once. This is an easy way to increase your fruit & vegetable consumption. Not to mention, they taste great too. Try carrot, tomato, blueberries, raspberries, mango, banana or cherries in a blender, add some soy milk or non-fat yogurt, ice, and blend for a delicious nutrient packed smoothie!
• Have a fruit bowl in the kitchen. Top it up with colourful, in-season fruits and use it as a snack bar during the day.
• Improve the quality of your sandwich. Add sliced tomatoes, rocket, avocado, bean sprouts, pepper, and cucumbers to your sandwiches.
• A Healthy Sundae for breakfast. Layer your muesli or high-fibre cereal with freshly chopped fruit and low-fat yogurt. Top it with some nuts and honey.
• Try something different. Prepare couscous, but don’t just eat it on its own. Mix it with crispy vegetables. Add butternut, pumpkin seeds & feta cheese. Make a salad with tomato/cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, avocado & feta. Delicious!
• Load up your freezer. If you don’t want to worry about fruits & vegetables spoiling prematurely then keep a few bags of frozen produce in the freezer. Frozen fruits are great for smoothies and frozen vegetables can quickly be added to dinner.
• Make a hearty soup or stew. Chicken vegetable, minestrone, and gazpacho soups are loaded with vegetables. Make your own soup with fresh produce. Leftovers can be frozen or eaten the following day.
• Stir-fry your vegetables. For a fast & healthy meal, stir-fry fresh or frozen vegetables such as onions, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, peppers and water chestnuts, and add some chopped chicken breasts. Serve with rice, noodle or couscous.
• Bulk up your salads. Fill at least half of your plate with salad. Add spinach, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes, chickpeas, green peppers, mushrooms, and other vegetables to your salad for a more vitamin-rich meal.
• Take it with you. Prepare fruit, vegetable sticks & dried fruits to take to work. Keep them in your bag or briefcase to eat during your commute to school or work.
• Make a sosatie. A fruit sosatie – thread grapes, cubes of Kiwi fruit, papaw, watermelon, strawberries and pineapple onto skewers and serve as an exotic snack.
  
• Plan ahead. Next time you do your shopping make sure to buy prewashed, pre-cut vegetables. It will be easier for you to add a handful of slices to your lunch.
• Drink fruit juice. A quick glass can help you get a serving or two in. Make sure it’s 100% pure juice as some are often loaded with sugar or even better, make your own fresh juices in your juicer or blender.
• Choose a variety of colours. The more kinds of fruits and vegetables you pick, the less likely you’ll get bored eating them. Make sure you are choosing fruits and vegetables from each colour on the colour wheel, since each colour contains different essential nutrients. This way you won’t miss any power vitamins & minerals.
• Make it a habit. To consume more fruit and vegetables requires some careful planning, but oncce you’ve done this for a week or two it will become a habit and part of your lifestyle. By consciously choosing healthier natural foods you will feel lighter, healthier, have radiance to your skin and lots more energy!

I thought I’d shift gears today and share some information with you about Earth Hour happening on 28th March ‘09 at 8:30pm (GMT+2). As many of you may know I’m an absolute animal & nature lover! I care for the environment and have a real deep connection to the planet. I have been trying to reduce my carbon footprint as much as I can in my own small ways.

Earth Hour is a worldwide initiative that allows individuals like you & I to get involved and really make a difference in a big way. Remember that together we can accomplish major goals. The goal for Earth Hour this year is to have 1 billion worldwide supporters to switch off their lights for an hour! Will you be one of the millions around the world turning off your lights at 8.30pm? Have you made your pledge?

Please take some time today to find out what Earth Hour is all about and how you can get involved. It will only take a few minutes of your time. Watch the videos to find out more & then click on the banner below to support this cause. I know that many of you are already making a difference, please share your earth hugging initiatives with us by commenting on this post below. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Earth Hour 2009 is a global initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature which acts as a worldwide call to action to every individual, business and community to take a stand against Climate Change. To show your support, sign up now and commit to switching off your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28th at 8:30pm. Originating in Sydney, Australia in 2007, the Earth Hour initiative proved more than worthwhile when it witnessed 2 million people coming together to switch off their lights for one hour for this vital cause. Source: www.earthhour.org.za

Energy in = energy out + energy stored

This simple equation illustrates the balance between the energy that we take in through foods we eat and the amount of energy that we use up through exercise. The energy balance that we don’t use will be stored as fat.

So if you’d like to lose weight you have to consume less energy (calories) by adjusting your eating habits & you have to spend more energy (physical activity) by incorporating fun exercises. If you want long-term results then this has to become your lifestyle.

Be wary of fad diets offering rapid weight loss. Many of these diets advocate eating as little as possible, which if you look at the equation above, will make you lose weight, because you are taking in less energy than what you are spending. This however has a detrimental effect on the body – when less food is available to the body it tends to react by slowing down your metabolism (because it goes into “starvation mode”). Slower metabolism results in slower weight loss and sluggish digestion. The other downfall is that after a prolonged period of not eating enough nutritious foods, when you do start eating “normally” again you tend to put on weight quickly as the body now stores the food you eat as fat, in case you go on a starvation diet again. Therefore short-term crash diets are not the answer!

Long-term weight loss success:

• Correct mindset – you have to feel happy about the plan that you’ve chosen to follow in order to make it work. See yourself at your goal weight and feel healthy and energised.
• Set realistic goals – you can’t expect to eat correctly and exercise for one week and then be thin, it’s a process so make sure that you focus on reachable goals
• Make the necessary lifestyle changes – Eat healthy foods, low-fat, cut back on sugars & alcohol, include lots of fruit & vegetables.
• Include regular exercise – you don’t have to join a gym but you have to start moving around. (30 minutes 5 x per week)

Combining nutrition & exercise is key. When dieting alone it often results in the loss of muscle mass. Dieting & exercising combined will protect your muscle mass. Why do you want muscles? It will ensure a better shape, toned body, less flab, less cellulite and the best part is that muscles burn more calories than fat. So if you have a muscular body you can eat more as your muscles will burn the energy put in, even at rest, but if your body fat is high you will have to eat very little energy (claories) in order to maintain your weight which takes us back to the “slow down of metabolism” scenario. So focus on 5 – 6 small, nutritious meals per day, exercise 5 x per week & an optimistic, focused, willing mind-set, to start your weight loss process!

If you need any ideas on how to get going leave a comment below or contact me under the About Us section!

I often get asked how I stay focused on wellness, how do I keep in shape and have these lasting results for the past 10 years. I thought that this would make an interesting topic to discuss today!

The one thing that has worked extremely well for me is to live in day-tight compartments with everything that I do including wellness. If you think about it, we live in this moment, this second. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow doesn’t exist yet. So, I don’t focus on what I did or didn’t do yesterday or what I have to do to get results tomorrow or the rest of the week, I try to focus on the present moment. What is my wellness goal and what do I have to do this moment to bring me closer to my goal.

How does this affect my health & wellness? Well it’s easy to set an intention for today only. For example: “Today my intention is to have positive thoughts and to make every task I do fun! I intend to have five nutritious, “alive” food meals & 2 litres water. Today I choose to do 30 minutes of high intensity cycling on a stationary bike. My intention is to appreciate every person that I have dealings with by thanking them for their great service.”

At the beginning of the day, after meditation, I set my intention and record it in my journal. I call this the preparation time. Remember every good artist prepares his canvas, materials and work area before he sets out to create his masterpiece. If he doesn’t do proper preparation the end result may not be a masterpiece but just another piece. But when preparation is done, when the right intention is set, the right actions (brush strokes) will follow.

After my preparation is done, the creation can begin. I now go into my day and am prepared mentally. I take action, which is the brush strokes, applying colour onto my canvas. I choose to paint with the colours of passion, appreciation, joy and focused positive energy. My masterpiece is created action by action: nutritious meal then exercise then appreciation then drinking water. Moment by moment. By the end of the day I have completed one more piece of the puzzle which forms the final masterpiece – the end result, my wellness goal realized.

The real work is the preparation & mental make-over and once you’ve mastered this the body make-over has to follow. So go forth today and let the creativity of the Universe flow through you as the artist of your life, your dreams and your goals!

Not so long ago, the media reported that we should reduce our fat intake for health reasons, consequently, carbohydrates came under the spotlight & a new trend developed: eat less fat & fill up on carbohydrates….Carbohydrates might be low in fat, but, eat too many & the excess easily converts into fat. Given that most people think of carbohydrates as starchy foods, like breads & pasta, the new trend resulted in rapidly expanding waistlines! Fortunately, fruit & vegetables are also carbohydrates, commonly known as ‘complex’ carbohydrates. These are the ‘good guys’ because they are slowly digested, helping to reduce hunger & keep blood sugar levels on an even keel!

As we age, our body becomes less efficient at producing anti-ageing antioxidants, which is why we need to increase our intake of antioxidant-rich fresh fruit & vegetables. By choosing antioxidant low-GI foods, the body receives both anti-ageing nutrients & energy stability!

In this short video you’ll hear about my personal wellness transformation and how Wellness IQ started. Learn how you can begin your journey back to optimum health & vitality.

This year we have some great additions to our business to assist you reach your personal best – find out how!!

I would love to hear your comments! – Lisa ☼

Lisa Breedt, Co-Founder Wellness IQ

“There is no easy and quick plan to happiness, there is no single spot where you can start. Where you are right now is the best place to start.” – Mark Twain

So often we get consumed with the daily activities that make up our life. We get home at night and feel exhausted from all the demands and stresses we experienced during the day. This can leave us feeling like our lives are passing us by while we’re not enjoying the journey.

Happiness is our birthright and we were born with happiness inside us. Remember there is only a stream of well-being flowing in life and it’s often turning away from the stream that makes us unhappy and feel unfulfilled. But we can easily reconnect to the stream and start feeling happy NOW.

Feeling happy has a huge impact on our health and our bodies. It makes you healthier when ‘happy chemicals’ are released into your body, your muscles relax and all your body’s processes return to their natural state. It makes you younger by increasing your body’s production of the anti-ageing hormone. So not only can feeling happy help you to heal, it also makes your entire appearance younger.

My top 5 tips to feel happy right now:

1)      Have an attitude of gratitude.

When you think of all the things that you are grateful for you will immediately feel happier. Your house, your warm bed, the delicious food you just ate, your loving children/partner, your pets,  your car, friends, family, your career, your garden, fresh air, sunshine… the list is endless if we just take a moment to remind ourselves of the abundance that we already have in our lives. Why not get a journal and write down 3 things that you are grateful for everyday.

2)      Spend time in nature.

When you do, your body moves into a calm energy state, and this allows for soul healing and regeneration. Spend time in your garden or a nearby park. Escape the city on weekends and go hiking or for a walk on the beach or a picnic in the mountains. When you reconnect with nature you will feel the stream of well-being and have an instant lift in your mood.

3)      Feel positive emotions, tell positive stories.

Our thoughts, words and deeds have consequences. If you keep focusing on what you dislike or don’t want in your life you will feel unhappy and depressed. It’s far better to direct your energy, focus, thoughts and words to what you DO want. When you do this your emotions will be positively charged, and the stories that you tell will inspire you and those around you!

4)      Use your imagination and be creative.

Imagine that you are breathing in happiness. Reconnect your thoughts to all the happy moments that you’ve experienced. Play it like a movie. See the images of these happy moments – people, places and events – as you’re breathing in. Then think of some of the bad ones as you are breathing out – let it go and watch as it disappears into thin air. Do this exercise often during the day and your body will feel lighter as you re-energise with happy thoughts.

5)      Follow your intuition.

Ask yourself permanently: “What can I do to be happier now?” When you go within and ask yourself this question, you will come up with the best happiness solution for YOU in that moment. By acknowledging that you have the answer and following your intuition, you will automatically raise the happiness bar.  Then go on and do what your heart’s telling you!

“And now let us welcome the New Year, full of things that have never been.”
Rainer Maria Rilke

As the first few days of this year have greeted us I was thinking of how one could make the best of the New Year. How can you make sure that the chapter you write this year is the best one ever, as you have written many chapters and have collected data and experience which you can now invest into your future?

What I’ve discovered is that you get the most out of your year one day at a time, better yet, one minute at a time. Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow doesn’t exist yet… but NOW, this second, is where life unfolds. Be assured that this second you possess all the knowledge, inner wisdom, creativity and prosperity needed to realize your desires. All you need to do is become still, reach deep within and connect to your infinite ability. Bring this into your present moment and live this second in the present moment, not in the past or the future. If you can bring your energy and focus into the present moment you will be astonished how beautiful life becomes and you will have the power to create an amazing year in 2009 filled with wellness, happiness and prosperity.

I love the start of a New Year, the beginning of so new many new things and the conclusion of others. As you reflect back on 2008, it’s a really good idea to see what worked for you and what you would like to improve this year. In your quest for health, wellness and happiness, it’s the little things in life that count. So start incorporating some of the ideas below into your everyday schedule and see the difference that these little steps can make.

1. Don’t skip the most important meal
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it kick-starts your metabolism and provides you with the necessary energy after your night long fast. Even if in a rush make sure to grab a piece of fruit or a protein smoothie.

2. Let the light in
Good, strong, natural light has very important benefits to mind and body. So paint your inside walls a light colour, add skylights if possible and keep your curtains open to let the outside light in.

3. Wash your hands
You know why and you know when. A 20-second hand wash with warm water and soap is all you need.

4. Embrace compliments
We tend to take criticism to heart, but we never do so with a compliment. Work on swopping this around and feel an immediate lift in your self-esteem.

5. Add more Fibre to your diet
Include more Fibre by adding bran or wheat germ on crumb toppings, sprinkling seeds and nuts onto your salads, and adding apple, raisins and muesli to your breakfast yogurt or smoothie.

6. Don’t try to be perfect
Striving to do everything well is fine, but you have to accept that nothing is perfect. Get rid of the judgemental behaviour and self-doubt, and learn to praise yourself for a job well done even if it’s not perfect according to you.

7. Be aware of your back
Try some core Pilates postures to assist your back. Lengthen your trunk, lower your shoulders and focus on pulling your stomach in. The deeper your stomach ‘sinks’ into your spine, the better-off your back will be.

8. LOL (Laugh out loud)
Laughter can reduce your blood pressure and heart-rate, trigger endorphins – the body’s natural painkillers – and give your abs a good work-out. The best and cheapest way to feel good.

9. Sleep tight
Try to avoid triggers before bedtime that could prevent you from having a good night’s rest – caffeine, vitamin C, heavy exercise and pre-bedtime arguments. A few drops of Lavender oil on your pillow may help you to drift off easily. Close everyday with what you are thankful for in your life.

10. Eat your fruit and vegetables
Find the brightest red, orange, green yellow or purple produce you can find. The brighter the fruit or vegetable, the higher the nutrient content thus preventing you from diseases.

11. Drink H2O everyday
Water, water, water. Humans are made up of 70 – 90% water depending on age. We lose water through daily bodily processes so replenishing your water is very important. Aim for 6 – 8 glasses of purified water per day to keep your system running clean.

12. Think of Nothing
Reduce stress by taking 10 minutes in the morning and evening to meditate. Sit cross legged in a comfortable position and focus on your breathing. Stop the chatter in your head and let the stillness flow through your body. This practise does wonders for the mind and the body.

13. You don’t have to gym to exercise
All you need to do is 10 minutes of activity, 3 x per day and you’ll feel energised. Walk the dog, toss a ball at your kids, do the garden, clean the house or dance to your favourite music.

14. Bring life into your house
Indoor plants can bring a sense of nature into your house. They also assist to filter and purify the air and looking after them provides a peaceful feeling.

15. Love yourself
Stop criticising and complaining about not being good enough. Start embracing the powerful, amazing creation that you are. The minute you love yourself and are kind to yourself, everything and everyone around you will reflect that back to you.

We’ve spoken about our mental attitude, nourishing our bodies and the image that we have of ourselves. Another area that is very important in our quest for optimum health and well-being is exercise. I know what you’re thinking: “GYM – no way!” There are many alternatives to gym so don’t stress! Physicality plays a very important role in our overall well-being. The world has two groups of people – those who exercise and those who don’t. The difference between these two groups is remarkable. Speak to a person who incorporates some form of activity everyday and they will tell you that they have lots of energy, less stress, a positive mental attitude and a great shape. On the other hand the non-active group will complain about frequent spells of illness, lots of stress, weight problems and sluggish overall bodily performance.

So many people make New Year’s resolutions around exercise and this is good – “This year I will exercise and be more active!” But unfortunately if you are trying to implement a strict new exercise regime on a stubborn mind it may only last a few weeks or even days. The key here is to make it fun and to take it one day at a time. Forget about gyms, jogging, weights or aerobic exercise or to start a rigorous plan exercising 6 times per week. Instead think about positive, energetic movement that will be life-changing and an enjoyable body enhancing activity. Then take some time plan your physical routine – what do you really like, what is your goal and how will you accomplish this while having fun? Think dancing, ballet, swimming, horseback riding, tennis, golf or riding a bike. What about some mind-body spirit form of exercise like Pilates, Yoga or Thai Chi.

Once you find your pleasure enhancing activities, do it daily and see how you transform into a lean, healthy, stress and illness free individual. Celebrating being alive and being well!