Green Tea for Fat Loss

Green tea has been often heralded as some kind of ‘wonder drink’. Ridiculously high in anti-oxidants and containing next to no calories with a small hint of caffeine, its’ a great drink to support a healthy diet.

But can green tea really work for fat loss? Not like you’d think sadly. Whilst the active ingredient in the tea ECGC (epigallocatechin gallate) may boost metabolism and fat oxidation you’d need to be consuming vast quantities of it to really benefit from it.

Green tea still does have other amazing health benefits though, so don’t despair and stick the kettle on!

If you’re looking to lose that unwanted bit of weight before summer you’ll no doubt already be looking at cleaning up your diet and getting exercise in.

When it comes to losing weight it is all about the amount of calories you burn vs the amount of calories you eat. It’s that simple.

So if you’re looking to increase your daily calorie expenditure then there’s an easy little technique you can employ to get the weight falling off even quicker.

NEAT, right?

NEAT is an acronym for ‘non exercise activity thermogenesis’, which is basically a long way of saying that doing the ironing can burn calories.

As you might have guessed from the fairly complicated sounding term, NEAT is anything that requires you to burn calories that isn’t part of your exercise program.

By making a conscious choice to get up and get moving in anyway through the day you’ll find yourself burning a surprisingly high amount of extra calories when totalled up at the end of the week.

As an example, a 20 minute hoovering session round your flat could burn 100 calories or even more.

If you take a short 20 minute walk after dinner you’ll add another 80 calories to that total. Couple that with washing the car or mowing the lawn and you’ll be burning as many calories as you would in a conventional gym session.

Remember, losing weight is all about keeping those calories under your daily maintenance level. 2000 calories a day for girls and 2500 for guys. Roughly.

So get your diet cleaned up and get your house cleaned up too, because the extra calories you burn whilst doing it just might make a big difference when it comes to your weight loss goals!

Put Some Pep In Your Step!

Make sure you’re getting all the right vitamins and nutrients to support a healthy body and, most importantly, a happy mind!

 There has been a lot of debate whether changing your eating habits can improve mood and mental health. It has now been scientifically proven that eating foods containing calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and zinc can all work together to improve a happy, healthy mind!

Calcium is well known to playing an important role in keeping your bones healthy and strong and reducing the risk of diabetes. Calcium deficiency affects women more so than men, so be sure you’re getting enough as recent studies have shown that low levels of calcium can contribute to PMS depression and low mood. Food that are high in calcium include low-fat and plain yogurt, kale and part skim ricotta cheese.

Magnesium is an important mineral that maintains and protects your overall bodies health. Getting enough magnesium will ensure that you are developing enough serotonin to contribute to feelings of happiness and regulate your emotions. Magnesium rich foods include almonds, cashews and spinach.

Vitamin B6 is heavily involved with the production of neurotransmitters which send messages to and from the brain and body. Long-term effects of vitamin B6 deficiency can include a weakened immune system which can leave you feeling very unwell and tired. Regulate normal brain function by making sure that you’re eating enough salmon, chicken breasts and healthy breakfast cereals.

Zinc is important in supporting a healthy immune system and is found in nearly every cell in the human body. If you have low levels of zinc, you may suffer from anemia, hair loss and depression. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you will need to eat 50 percent more zinc than meat-eaters, as the body absorbs plant-based zinc much lower. Be sure to get your dose of zinc by choosing foods such as pumpkin sees, Swiss cheese and cashews.

Detoxing: The benefits to a body cleansing diet.

Do you feel burnt out, finding your eating too much junk food and notice you’ve been feeling groggy lately? Following a detox plan will give you a much needed energy boost and help your body reset, while setting you back on the right track to eating healthy again!

Many of us who have tried a detox in the past have probably felt more sleepy for the first couple of days, we reach for a sugary snack and we throw in the towel. The reason behind feeling so fatigued for the first few days is that our body is ridding itself of the toxins we have gained from eating processed and junk foods. Making sure to drink enough clean water is important when detoxing as this will keep at bay any headaches we may incur while not eating sugars. Many people claim that their energy levels soared while nearing the end of the detox period and have continued after the plan was over.

Detoxing is a great way to control your food cravings. You are able to eliminate addictive foods from your diet in no time! This will help for future weight loss and will stop you feeling sluggish from overeating. Allowing your body to be replenished with the natural vitamins it needs can also help with hormonal imbalances which can play a huge part in binge eating and weight gain.

Every one feels stressed out, every now and then but maybe you feel your stress levels are nearly at boiling point? Don’t fret, there’s good news! Cortisol, the stress hormone, can be easily regulated by taking part in a detox program that is high in blood sugar balancing foods.