Hydration and Exercise

Around 60-70% of the human body is composed of water, so it's fair to say that water is vital for survival. It functions to keep our body temperature regulated, allows us to breathe, is essential in digestion and excretion, assists body movement, just to name a few!

Drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day is recommended, but during exercise or when in hot environments, we need to drink more, because we sweat more.

But is water enough? Or do you need a sports drink to stay properly hydrated?
Sports drinks will keep you well hydrated and give you energy if you're participating in high intensity exercise for more than an hour. However, if you're not exercising to this level, plain water will do just fine.

What defines a sports drink?
Sports drinks (sometimes called electrolyte or isotonic drinks) are developed to contain the right level of carbohydrates (5-8 g/litre) and electrolytes (such as sodium and potassium) to keep you well hydrated; replacing what is lost from the body during exercise.

Did you know...
Studies have shown as little as one percent dehydration can cause major changes in body temperature, while two percent dehydration will drop your performance levels significantly! So to operate efficiently it's crucial to keep your fluid levels up.

Other drinks that contain high amounts of carbohydrates stop water being absorbed quickly and therefore can delay hydration, so are not suitable before exercise.

So if you're doing a high intensity workout, choose a sports drink. But, if you're not working out to this intensity and drink them as part of your everyday routine you may end up putting on weight because of the extra carbohydrate content.

If you don't like the taste of plain water, add a slice of lemon, orange or a sprig of mint to give your water some flavour without adding the calories you'd get by using cordial.

Hydration tips for exercise
•Make sure you're well hydrated before you exercise — start drinking approximately two hours before
Keep your fluids topped up during exercise
Always remember to re-hydrate after exercise – it's essential for recovery. Try to drink one to two glasses per hour until your urine is pale again

Do you love or hate your big hips? Here are my five hip-defining tips to help you achieve the figure you want.

Most people have a body area that they dislike but in my experience big hips tends to be a topic of controversy. Some people want to make their hips bigger and really work on getting a great hip/booty package. Others despair at their pear-shaped figure and want advice on which exercises will help give them the proportions they want.
I understand that people want to look good—let’s face it; feeling that we look our best is a huge confidence boost. Follow my five steps to add hip definition and you could be feeling more body positive in no time. These big hip tips will help you define your waist, tone up your tush and work your hip area until it’s perfectly proportioned for you! It’s amazing that by simply taking a few small steps and striving to improve your body through fitness, you could quickly see a boost in overall confidence and self-image.

My advice is to work towards achieving an improved overall fitness level and incorporate your body specific goals into that plan. Here are my five hip-boosting tips to help you get started on perfecting your hip area and booty while burning calories and improving your fitness level.

Boost your cardio exercise regime

Cardiovascular exercises such as running, cycling, biking and swimming burn calories. Often the fuel your body uses for these cardio activities is stored body fat. If you’re trying to burn fat off your big hips and booty, making time for a few cardio workouts each week is essential. Remember that you can’t decide where your body will burn fat (there’s no such thing as spot reduction), but adding 30-45 minutes of cardio on three days of the week will help you to burn fat effectively.
To make your cardio workout lower-body specific, try running and include hills to build up your glutes. Or try a spin class – they can be tough but fun and, if you put in the work, you should see results within the first six to ten weeks.

Make small dietary changes

Investing in good nutrition is one of the most important factors in improving your body. If you want to increase your muscle mass you must consume adequate protein. If you’re increasing the amount of exercise that you do, ensure that you are well-hydrated and enjoying plenty of good carbohydrates. My tip is to write down a daily consumption food diary so that you can see what you’re putting into your body. Make small changes to cut out junk foods and choose healthier options. If you focus on snack time to start with, you may be surprised how many empty calories you’re consuming. A change of just a few hundred calories a day can make a big impact on your body composition over time.

Build muscle and tone up

If you want to improve the muscle tone in your lower body, you must add lower body exercises to your routine. My favorites for toning big hips and booty are squats, lunges, step-ups, and leg lifts. Even if your aim is to slim down, building muscle is a perfect choice. Start out by performing these exercises using your body weight, then progress to adding resistance with dumbbells or a weighted bar. Strength exercises three days a week for 30 minutes would be a great start.

Balance your body with upper body exercises

If your proportions aren’t balanced, it can make a certain body part look too big or too small. Sculpting a balanced body, especially when talking about hips, is important. If you want to help big hips look smaller, start working on toning your upper body and shoulders in addition to lower body exercises. Try adding push-ups to your routine—they will tone your arms, chest, abs and back muscles in one simple move.

Get started

This is an important tip because I’ve hear people talk about wishing to improve their body all the time. Unfortunately, wishing without taking action will not work. If you make a commitment to following my simple big hip-slimming tips and getting your exercise routine going, over time you will start to notice changes.

***

I love having what I call a ‘strong figure.’ My upper and lower body is muscular but still petite proving that there is no need to be afraid of building muscle. Having a lean body mass means that my body burns more calories each day because it takes more energy for my body to sustain muscle. Muscle takes up less body space than fat as it’s a denser tissue. Having muscle can actually make you look smaller than if you have a lot of fat.

Whatever your overall body goal, just remember that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. True beauty is what is what radiates from the inside. Maintaining a body fat percentage that is within a healthy range is what I believe is most important.
Good luck working on your hips and booty. Get started and stop wishing!

Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, ISSA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at Herbalife.

Pequeña cambios - grand resultados.....

Cuando usted toma una mirada más cercana a los alimentos que consume habitualmente - y sus hábitos de ejercicio todos los días - es increíble cómo un poco de puesta a punto se puede añadir hasta grandes recompensas. Estos son algunos cambios que podrían conducir a la pérdida de 27kgs en un año :

*Añadir 20 minutos adicionales para el ejercicio diario - el extra de 100 calorías quemadas por día podría significar 4.5kgs más ligero en el final de un año .
*Si su desayuno habitual en los cinco días a la semana es una bebida de café y un croissant , un cambio a un batido de proteínas se rapó alrededor de 250 calorías al día - suficiente para dejar más de 8kgs en un año .
*Una sana costumbre de comer ensalada de cerca de 7 veces a la semana es un poco contraproducente si la lechuga esta empapados en aderezos. Reducir la cantidad de aderezo de ensalada de tres cucharadas a uno dará lugar a un ahorro de más de 1.000 calorías a la semana - y la pérdida de alrededor de 7kgs en un año .
*Alrededor de tres veces a la semana , en lugar de tener una barra de chocolate como una tarde tentempié , tienen una pequeña barra de proteína y una taza de té en su lugar. Usted podría estar cortando hasta 600 calorías a la semana - lo suficiente como para arrojar casi 4 kgs en un año .
*Sandwiches se comen 5 veces a la semana en promedio y siempre incluyen una rebanada de queso. Pierde el queso y reemplazar con ensalada, y ahorrar 500 calorías a la semana . Otros 3kgs podrían perderse en un año con este cambio.
Postre se come seis veces a la semana - por lo general las galletas o helados , por una suma de alrededor de 200 calorías . Substituta para una pieza de fruta , y cortar las calorías suficientes para perder otras 4.5kgs en un año .

Escrito por Susan Bowerman , MS, RD, CSSD . Susan es un consultor pagado por Herbalife.

Small Changes Can Add Up Big Losses

When you take a closer look at the foods you routinely eat – and your everyday exercise patterns - it’s amazing how a little fine tuning can add up to big rewards. Here are some changes that could lead to the loss of 60 pounds in a year:

*Add 20 extra minutes to daily exercise – the extra 100 calories burned per day could mean 10 pounds lighter at the end of a year.
*If your usual breakfast five days a week is a coffee drink and a croissant, a switch to a protein shake will shave off about 250 calories a day – enough to drop more than 18 pounds in a year.
*A healthy habit of eating salad about 7 times a week is a bit counterproductive if the greens are drenched in dressing. Reducing the amount of salad dressing from three tablespoons to one will lead to savings of more than 1000 calories a week – and the loss of about 16 pounds in a year.
*About three times a week, instead of having a chocolate bar as an afternoon pick-me-up, have a small protein bar and a cup of tea instead. You could be cutting as much as 600 calories a week – enough to shed nearly 9 pounds in a year.
*Sandwiches are eaten 5 times a week on average and always include a slice of cheese. Lose the cheese and replace with salad, and save 500 calories a week. Another 7 pounds could be lost in a year with this one change.
*Dessert is eaten six times a week – usually cookies or ice cream, to the tune of about 200 calories. Swap for a piece of fruit, and cut enough calories to lose another 10 pounds in a year.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.

Swap it for a shake

FEATURED PRODUCT

FORMULA 1 SPORT

Healthy nutritional shake. Formula 1 Sport contains 219 calories per serving to help manage your calorific intake.

KEY BENEFITS
219 kcal per serving to help manage your calorie intake
Contains 18g of protein, which supports the growth of lean muscle mass

Contains Casein and Whey protein, both high quality dairy protein
Vitamins C, E and Selenium help to protect the body’s cells from oxidative stress

Unique protein-carbohydrate blend with fibre and essential vitamins and minerals

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM FORMULA 1 SPORT?

Formula 1 Sport is for everyone

Recreational sports players or gym junkies who need a reliable, healthy meal.Busy professional who is constantly on the go, but works out to stay fit Athletes who need to manage their weight and maintain a healthy diet

USAGE

Blend 2 scoops (26g) of Formula 1 Sport with 250ml of semi-skimmed milk (1.5% fat).

For weight control: Replace two meals per day with a delicious shake and eat one nutritious meal.

For healthy control: Replace one meal per day with a delicious shake and eat two nutritious meals.

A healthy meal to be taken before or after your workout.

We guarantee that every product from every batch produced is screened for prohibited substances by an independent third party. For your assurance, products may be tracked using the batch number on the product and checked at www.koelnerliste.com

SKU #1432
Vanilla Cream flavour, 20 servings

For more information regarding Herbalife 24 visit http://sports.herbalife.com/

FEATURED PRODUCT

PROTEIN BARS

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a delicious,
healthy Protein Bar. 

Each bar has 10g protein to help you build lean muscle mass – remember the more lean muscle mass you have the faster your metabolism, so you’ll burn more calories even when at rest!

Herbalife Protein Bars are a delicious high protein healthy snack. With approximately 140 calories*, each Herbalife Protein Bar contains almost 10g of high quality dairy protein, which can help build lean body mass. Increasing your body’s lean body mass can contribute to an increased metabolic rate.

KEY BENEFITS

• Approx 140 kcal per bar, which is less than many conventional chocolate bars.
• A balanced combination of 10g of protein and 15g of carbohydrate.
• 10g of protein to help you build lean body mass.
• High in vitamins B1, B2, B6, vitamin E and pantothenic acid.
• Available in tasty Chocolate Peanut, Vanilla Almond and Citrus Lemon flavours.
  * Varies per flavour

HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?

Proteins from foods like soy and dairy are termed ‘complete’ proteins because they contain a balance of all the essential amino acids (or building blocks) for the growth and maintenance of muscle.

USAGE

One or two bars per day as a healthy snack.

#0258 - Vanilla Almond
#0259 - Chocolate Peanut
#0260 - Citrus Lemon

SHAKE RECIPE OF THE DAY

Chocolate & Pear Mousse – 352 calories

4 scoops of Herbalife Formula 1 Chocolate

1 tin pears

2 eggs whites

100ml semi-skimmed milk

Seven Tips For Eating Right

Did your New Year's resolutions include a vow to "eat right"? Many of us make that promise to ourselves in January, but by about March we find our old eating habits sneaking back up on us. Maybe you tried to tackle too much – or maybe you hadn't really thought about what 'eating right' really means. Eating right involves more than just making the right food choices – it's also about eating the right foods at the right time. So here are seven tips to help you to 'eat right.'

Eat right when you get up. You don't need to eat immediately upon awakening, but it's really important to eat in the morning. Those who eat breakfast regularly are better able to control their weight, while breakfast skippers are likely to over-compensate and eat too much at lunch. If you can't face much in the morning, try a bowl of oatmeal with a bit of protein powder stirred in, some fresh fruit with a scoop of cottage cheese or yogurt, or a protein shake made with protein powder, milk and fruit.

Eat right before you grocery shop. If you do your shopping on an empty stomach, you'll be like a kid in a candy store – everything will look good to you. Grab a protein bar, a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts before you go out the door so you'll be less tempted. And make a list – and do your best to stick to it.

Eat right when it comes to fats. We need small amounts of fat in the diet, but most of us eat too much. And, some fats – like the ones naturally present in fish, tree nuts, olives and avocados – are healthier than others. Healthy fats add flavour, so add avocado or nuts to your salad, or a dab of flavourful olive oil to steamed vegetables.

Eat right before you work out. You need to fuel up before your exercise – especially if you work out first thing in the morning. If you don't have much time to eat beforehand, easy-to-digest foods like smoothies, soups or yogurt do the trick. If you have a few hours to digest before you head out, have a regular meal with plenty of healthy carbs – whole grain breads, brown rice, pasta, fruits and vegetables – to keep you going strong.

Eat right after you exercise. After a good workout, your body might be low on fuel, so try to eat something within 30-45 minutes after you finish your exercise. Your muscles are looking to fruits, vegetables and whole grains to help replenish their stock of carbohydrates – and a shot of protein to help them recover.

Eat right when you eat out. We eat so many meals out these days that dining out isn't the special occasion it used to be. Resist the urge to splurge when you're out. If you're trying to cut your calories, split a starter with a friend and order an extra salad. Or, skip the starchy side dishes and double up on vegetables. Ask for dressings and sauces on the side so you can control how much you eat.

Eat right at night. A lot of people eat lightly or skip meals during the day, only to eat huge amounts of calories between dinner and bedtime. But when you do most of your eating at night, your brain and muscles don't get the fuel they need for your daily physical and mental activities. Instead, distribute your calories fairly evenly over your meals and snacks. If after-dinner snacking is piling on the pounds, try brushing your teeth right after dinner – it's one of the best ways to signal that you're done eating for the day.

Congratulations to new Millionaire Team Members! 

Legal Editor & Chartered Acountant - NICOLA & SCOTT WALKER 

Prior to Herbalife, Nicola worked as a Legal Editor and Scott as a 
Chartered Accountant. To the majority of people we appeared to have ‘good’ jobs and were living an affluent life, we were struggling to cover the interest payments on the debt we had accumulated during University while at the same time living a lifestyle which seemed appropriate for our vocations. Out of work, both of us were heavily involved in Scottish Basketball, with Nicola representing Scotland at Senior Women’s level.

We heard about Herbalife through an online advert and that same day, Nicola met with our soon-to-be sponsors Lisa and Alastair Forrest at their Wellness Centre in Edinburgh. After some initial scepticism and a lot of online research we were comforted by the quality of the Nutrition Advisory Board and from seeing that some of the world’s top athletes and teams are sponsored by Herbalife and, after attending our first training session, decided to purchase our International Business Pack and become Independent Distributors.

One of the first things we were told was that the people who attended the most meetings and training events were the most successful in Herbalife, so we’ve never missed one! Some of our friends and family questioned why were always giving up our weekends to travel to meetings across the country but we knew
that we wanted to learn as much as we could and get around as many successful people as possible.

We have to admit that until recently we have neglected our circle of influence and have built most of our business in the cold market, and through it have made some incredible friends for life, however, our circle of influence is still there and we are now hoping to share this incredible opportunity with as many of them as possible.

Initially we built our customer base and first team members through the Weight Loss Challenge and still run challenges to date. We have also used fitclubs, free facials and the 3 day trial but now run all of these from our Wellness Centre in Dunfermline which we opened with our Millionaire Team member, Jim Cusick.

The Wellness Centre is a concept we love and because of the success of ours, our Millionaire Team members, Sarah and Kevin Green have opened a centre in Portsmouth and more members of the team have aspirations to open centres of their own. They are an incredible opportunity to get people working together and can generate fantastic energy within the team.

Over the past two and a half years our organisation has developed into an incredible group of people and it is hugely down to their drive, determination and hard work that we are where we are. For this we will be eternally grateful. Currently, we have 91 Supervisors in the organisation including 2 Millionaire Team and 5
Active World Team.

Congratulations to Professional Rugby League player Ben 

Cockayne on qualifying for Herbalife's prestigeous Millionair 

Team

Congratulations to Rugby League player BEN COCKAYNE on qualifying for the prestigeous Millionair Team 

            

Congratulations to Rugby League player BEN COCKAYNE on qualifying for the prestigeous Millionair Team 

My back ground is professional sport. I am a Rugby League player currently playing for Hull Kingston Rovers 
in the English Super League. I was introduced to Herbalife through my sponsor Joshua Maskil with the
help of Adam Renshaw too in July 2012. I am also a Personal Trainer which was something I thought I would
get into after my Rugby career. When Herbalife came along I realised it maybe another avenue for me to delve
into post Rugby career. 

I got involved not really knowing what I was doing or where it was going to go but things just seemed to
happen for me on the retail side of things. I eventually attended my first training in October 2012 at the Mega 

Weekend which was a massive eye opener to me. From then on I attended every big event I could and
fitted it in around my Rugby. 

The Leon Weisbein weekend in April 2013 being the biggest boost for my business as I came away from there with not only a whole heap of inspiration and new found knowledge but also the Audi TT for top producer, so I was buzzing.

I used Shake Parties regularly and still do today and also now run my own HOM which is going great.
I'm also currently running a Weigh Loss Challenge with 64 people involved which is another great tool
to help people towards a healthy active lifestyle.
My career after Rugby is now already well on track. I have missed two holidays so far from Herbalife
and will also miss Greece again this year because of Rugby commitments, but retirement is looking
good 

SHAKE RECIPE OF THE DAY!

Delectable Cheesecake – 201 calories

1 scoop of Herbalife 1 Vanilla

1 scoop Herbalife Formula 1 Strawberry

30g low-fat cream cheese

125ml semi-skimmed milk 

Mixer – Level 2

Congratulations to Dawnon her qualification for Millionaire Team at 80 years old!!!!!

DAWN STANFORD 

I was introduced to Herbalife over 14 years ago by my daughter, Lynne Congreve, who had just become a Distributor. I was impressed by her energy and the weight she was losing by taking Herbalife products. I'd been a 'yo-yo' dieter for many years, always going back to being tired and overweight, so I was very sceptical Herbalife would work for me!

She explained how to use the nutritional products regularly every day and I became her first customer. I soon started enjoying new energy and then went on to steadily lose 2.5 stone (16 kilos), I dropped two dresses, toned-up and changed shape - and I've kept the weight off ever since!

Two friends were interested in my results and wanted to try the products. Lynne explained how I could become a Distributor and they could be my first customers. She invited me to a Herbalife meeting which explained the products and the home-based business opportunity. I was very impressed and decided I wanted to join Herbalife too. My goal was to qualify as a Supervisor.

At 80 years old, I continue to enjoy working my own international Herbalife business which is providing me with a regular monthly income that supplements my Pension! I am very passionate about all the nutritional products and simply love introducing the 'Herbalife Brand' to others.

Snack Smarter: 5 Reasons Snacking Can Be Good For You

1.Healthy, portion-controlled, snacks can play a valuable role in your daily diet and help stop you reaching for those unhealthy treats that can pile on the pounds.

2. Snacking on healthy foods can help keep hunger pangs at bay and provide a consistent flow of energy to fuel your day.

3.Eating more often can help you eat more sensibly when it comes to mealtimes. If you know you’ll be eating more often, you can teach yourself to be satisfied with less every time you eat, since you know you’ll be eating again in a few hours.

4.You can meet your body’s nutritional needs by adding snacks to your daily diet. If you’re trying to get 7 to 10 fruit and vegetable servings a day, a couple of servings of dairy, and you have protein needs to meet, too. That might be hard to do if you try to distribute all that food over just three meals.

5. The beauty of eating healthfully is that high fibre fruits, vegetables and whole grains have relatively few calories per bite. That means you can eat every few hours, and still have quantity and quality – without spending huge amounts of calories.
Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife Internarional

Shake recipe of the day!

Carrot Cake Shake – 284 calories

2 scoops of Herbalife Formula 1 Vanilla

1 medium-sized fresh carrot

25g raisins

1 small piece crystallised ginger

100ml unsweetened orange juice

100ml water

Mixer – Level 3

Should we be eating 3 or 5 meals per day?

3 meals a day or 5 meals a day – does it matter? There are those who ‘just say no’ to snacking and restrict themselves to three meals a day, period. In their view, snacking is simply a bad habit that can pile on the pounds. In the opposite corner are those who say that small, frequent meals will help control hunger, so it’s better to eat five times a day. 

Is one strategy better than the other? Research has yet to give us a definitive answer, suggesting that whether you eat three times a day or five, the question of whether there is a health benefit … will ultimately depend on how much energy is consumed. In other words, if it’s weight loss you’re after, the bottom line is keeping your calorie intake in check. Snacking itself isn’t bad, unless it’s pushing your calorie intake past the tipping point.

If you look at what many people consider ‘snack foods’ – greasy, salty, sugary packaged snacks like crisps, biscuits and sweets– it’s easy to see why they’d adopt the ‘no snacking’ approach to weight management. 

Of course, there are plenty of healthy foods to snack on, too – which is just one reason to support the small, frequent meal approach. It’s a practical issue – the more often you eat, the more opportunities you have to meet your nutritional needs. Snacks can be used as an opportunity to work in more healthy fruits and vegetables, or maybe some calcium-rich yogurt, or an additional portion of protein. 

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife

Shake recipe of the day!

Berry Bonanza – 252 calories

2 scoops Herbalife Formula 1 Strawberry

250ml pineapple juice

40g frozen strawberries

Mixer – Level 1

IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING THIS WEEK… BREAK THE DIET CYCLE!

What does the word “diet” mean to you? Does it send off deprivation alarm bells? Or does it signify one last pizza and a milkshake before the carb-cut-down begins? Whatever it is, all diets have one thing in common…they end! I think the longest diet I’ve ever done lasted 2 weeks. I cut out practically every carb on the planet and by the last few days, my energy levels were non-existent and I was one moody cow to be around! I came to realise that dieting changed the way I thought about food. Suddenly it became the enemy and meal times brought on feelings of anxiety and stress. Not fun! I may have ended up a few pounds lighter but as soon as I came off the diet, those pounds came straight back! I now understand that a healthy, gorgeous body won’t come from restrictions and feelings of deprivation, you’ll be forever yo-yo dieting and your body will not be a happy one. We’ve compiled our top tips on how to stop dieting and start looking at food in a positive and healthy way!

Stop counting calories and start looking at ingredientsCalorie counting can be bad news as it can divert your mind off the most important thing, the ingredients. Of course, calories are to be considered. If you aren’t using up as much energy as you’re putting in then it will cause problems, but your body is a very good judge at how much energy you need and if you are feeding it healthy and wholesome foods as well as exercising, it will let you know when enough is enough.

Put the emphasis on “health” rather than “weight”This tip really helps me when I think about why I choose to eat a nutritious and balanced diet. It’s easy to get caught up with the desire to loose weight, but try and switch the mentality of “I’m eating these blueberries because they will help me lose weight” to “I’m eating these blueberries because they have so many antioxidants and they are going to benefit my health”. You will start to see food in a more positive way that doesn’t always revert back to whether it will make you “thinner” or “fatter”.

Find a Hip & Healthy substituteThis is a tip that you can add in to your lifestyle immediately. Earlier on, I talked about the hassle and stress of restricting foods. The reason why you feel deprived when you do this is usually because you have nothing to replace it with. Where’s the pasta gone? Where’s the bread gone? You notice a gap in your diet and that makes you unhappy. Well we have a solution, (a very easy one!) Find a healthier substitute! For example, swap refined white bread for rye or spelt bread. Or if you’re feeling like a weekend baking sesh, give our Gluten Free Quinoa and Chia bread a go! http://www.hipandhealthy.co.uk/gluten-free-seeded-quinoa-chia-bread/

Have a blowout meal once a weekThis is a tip I learnt from my time working as a personal trainer atBodyism. We would encourage our clients to allow a “cheat meal” into their diets once a week, and we suggested this for a few reasons. Firstly it’s good for your mind as it takes away the feeling of deprivation. It’s something to look forward to and it can really help keep you on track during the week. Secondly it can help you lose weight! (it’s true!) Bodyism founder, James Duigan says “when you’re following a good, healthy diet all the time, your metabolism stays steady. However, when you eat more than usual, your metabolism goes into shock and starts working overtime to burn off the extra food”. We like the sound of that!

words by Molly Jennings

          IF YOU DO ONE THING THIS 

                             WEEK...

Keep calm and eat these foods..............

March 3, 2014Blog, Health, If You Do One Thing This Week...

Whether it’s running a lavender-scented bubble bath, picking up a favourite book or even exercising, we all have different ways of dealing with stress and anxiety. Another popular “stress-buster” that we turn to is food. How many of you have come home from a stressful day at work, only to find yourself nose deep in a tub of ice cream or hulk-size portion of spaghetti? (Yes, I’m guilty!) Do you ever wonder the reasoning behind all of it? Meet cortisol (aka the stressed hormone). Our cortisol levels increase when we become stressed and tense, which then causes us to crave sugary, carby foods. This would be ok if we were about to run away from a hungry looking grisly bear because we would burn it off, but we’re not. All that excess energy from the sugars isn’t going to be used up so our bodies store it as fat. Maybe that momentary pleasure we feel when we eat junk food isn’t worth it after all!

Having said all this, food can help in times of stress, but is choosing the right ones that’s crucial. Here’s our top soothing snacks for when stress come knocking!

Peaches – When it comes to superfoods, the poor little peach often gets overlooked! They are high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties and they act as a great natural diuretic for when you’re feeling a little bit “bunged up” down below! Not only this, they are also known to have calming and sedative-like effects. Many advise giving restless children a peach before bed to reduce their hyperactivity!

Turkey – Turkey is well known for its calming properties, and it’s all to do with L-tryptophan. L-tryptophan has a very relaxing effect and it’s actually the precursor to serotonin (our feel-good hormone).

Bananas – Bananas are awesome for relaxing our bodies. They are a fantastic source of potassium and magnesium, which are natural muscle relaxants, and many people, including myself, eat bananas to help soothe period pains. Instead of slumping under your duvet with a bar of chocolate, rustle up some of our super easy Vegan and Gluten Free Banana Muffins!
http://www.hipandhealthy.co.uk/vegan-gluten-free-banana-muffins/

Swiss Chard – Like bananas, Swiss chard is packed with the anti-stress mineral, magnesium. Add Swiss chard to your favourite salad for dinner to relive tired muscles and nerves.

Beans – Beans are definitely foods that help you snooze and beans like chickpeas and black beans are a triple threat! They are high in B vitamins, magnesium AND tryptophan! We knew hummus was delicious for a reason!

words by Molly Jennings

Congratulations to Herbalife's new Chairmans Club Members Martyn & Karen Farmer

Read their story plus many health and business building tips in this seasons Herbalife Today Magazine..read it on-line at the following link.

Herbalife Today UK

KEEP MOTIVATED. STAY IN THE DRIVING SEAT. ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS… HERE’S HOW.February 10, 2014Blog, Health, If You Do One Thing This Week...

When it comes to achieving goals, I think it’s fair to say we can easily lose our way and get distracted, even though we all start with the best of intentions! Suddenly you find yourself totally un-motivated and frustrated at the whole situation. You see… our little friend motivation, is a bit like a naughty puppy, take your eyes off it for one moment and it’s gone walk-a-bouts! It is possible to retrieve it back again and that’s’ where H&H come in! Sustaining motivation is the key to the tricky lock of goal setting and goal completing, so we want to share our H&H secrets to staying motivated, whatever your goals may be…

Be SpecificRule number one, don’t be blasé with goal setting. You may have a rough idea in your mind of what you want to achieve but in order to give yourself the best start you need to be specific. Want to start running? Set yourself a distance. You want to make sure your goal is as recognisable as possible so that you’ll know as soon as you’ve achieved it. Being 100% clear on your goal will help enable you to figure out a successful strategy.

Know your reasonsAnother significant factor to be aware of is understanding why you want to achieve your goal, as it’s important to have some kind of underlying passion for it. Whether it’s quitting sugar (if you haven’t already!) or spending more time with your family, get a pen and paper, and note down why it’s so important to you.

Display your inspirationBeing able to see something that inspires you towards you goal is so easy yet incredibly effective at keeping you motivated. For example, if your goal is to save some money for your dream holiday, stick some pictures of your desired destination around your house (I stick mine inside cupboard doors!) You’ll constantly be reminded of how much you want to go and it will over-ride the temptation to spend money on that morning coffee! (Make a green tea at home instead!)

Get readingReading about and researching your goal is another good one! An on-going goal of mine is to be more adventurous in the kitchen so I’m constantly looking at new recipes online and scrolling through books and magazines to gain inspiration. Becoming knowledgeable in your goals is a great way to keep you motivated and you’ll gain a better insight in to what works and what doesn’t.

Find a goal buddyGrab a friend and get them on board! Conquering a goal is way more fun when you can share the experience with someone! It becomes less of a goal and more of an exciting challenge where you can both take part and be a supporter too. Besides a little friendly competition never hurt anyone!

words by Molly Jennings