Hey Beauty Buzzers… are you having a slow start to the year and struggling to meet your New Year resolutions in the drink less, eat healthier department? Myself included, starting is sometimes the hardest part. There is always so much to do and it’s easy to put “it” off for one more day. Stop procrastinating! If you take small steps toward your goal, you’ll begin to see your progress and that will motivate you more than you know.

Here’s five easy and inexpensive ways to get started:

1.    Drink water
Too often we misinterpret thirst for hunger and our signal for thirst may cause us to eat. Reach for water first and make sure you are well hydrated before eating any meal throughout the day. Keeping a water bottle next to your desk or in your car to top up throughout the day is an easy way to help.
Where possible, try to drink water at least 30 minutes before eating as this will allow time for the water to properly penetrate the cells of your body and hydrate your stomach lining in preparation for proper digestion. Add lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to water or green it up with barley grass powder, wheatgrass powder, spirulina or chlorella.

2    Sleep
Did you know that the average adult sleeps less than 7 hours per night? In today’s fast-paced society, 6 or 7 hours of sleep may sound pretty good. In reality, it’s just not enough and a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation.
Just because you’re able to operate on 7 hours of sleep doesn’t mean you wouldn’t feel a lot better and get more done if you spent an extra hour or two in bed. The best way to figure out if you’re meeting your sleep needs is to evaluate how you feel as you go about your day. If you’re logging enough hours, you’ll feel energetic and alert all day long, from the moment you wake up until your regular bedtime.
There are many effects with sleep deprivation (including weight gain) which means we need to sleep smarter. You can do this by committing to a regular bed and wake time, avoid caffeine and alcohol and by creating a dark, quiet and comfortable sleep environment.

3.    Clean out your cupboards
The food in your cupboards is quick, easy and saving you time, but it could be causing you to pack on the weight.
What to toss
Instant meals: meals in a box or can, like instant noodles, packet pasta, flavoured rice and pre-made soups are loaded with salt.
Canned fruits and vegetables: Fresh is way healthier and contains more fibre. Canned vegetables are typically high in sodium and also may be lower in nutrients because some vitamins are leached out into the water in the can. With canned fruit, the peel is often removed, so a lot of nutrients are lost there.
Trans fats: often implemented by manufacturers to extend the shelf life of their product, trans fats are lurking in biscuits, crackers, muffins and pastries. In the short term they hit that craving, but in the long term they’ll raise your risk of heart disease.
What to keep
A healthy cupboard should contain mostly cooking staples – ingredients you can use to put together fresh meals ie olive oil and vinegars for sauces, nuts and seeds for snacking, brown rice to bulk up vegetable dishes and different flours like spelt and whole wheat.

4.    Add more green to your diet
The easiest way to start eating healthier and stopping yourself from eating naughty food items is to think green. If it isn’t green, don’t eat it! If you’re like me and get a little bored with the same old foods, think of other ways to eat your fruit and veg. Start your day in a healthy way such as with a homemade juice and if you don’t have the time to do a fruit and veggie shop each week try out Homegrown Foods www.homegrownfoods.com.hk. This is Beauty Buzz’s favourite farm who deliver to your door and advocates for eating premium, sustainable, clean food. They have an amazing array of wonderful herbs, fruit, vegetables and even juicing packs. And between now and 31 January 2012 they have a promotion whereby all 12 week and 24 week new orders or renewals receive four complimentary baskets of fresh organic vegetables. Now there’s no excuse!

The guidelines for making green juice is generally 60% dark green leafy vegetables and 40% other vegetables/fruits. Green juices are an amazing way to add life giving and detoxifying plant chlorophyll to your bloodstream and don’t forget to add parsley and cilantro (coriander) that are powerful, natural green plant foods for detoxing heavy metals out of your body. Add these amazing herbs to juices, salads, soups and meals.
Blend these ingredients from our personal recipe book:
Recipe idea #1
1/2 pear
1/2 green apple
handful spinach
handful parsley
2 celery stalks
1/2 cucumber
small piece ginger
slice of papaya
Recipe idea #2
6 Kale Leaves
1 Cucumber
4 Celery Stalks
2 Green Apples
1/2 Lemon
1 piece of ginger

5.    Breathe Deep
Many of us have tried all sorts of diets and the latest gym equipment guaranteed to beat the bulge. However, current research indicates that weight loss may begin with giving attention to something as simple as your breathing. In fact, deep breathing” is credited by some as the source of many bodily benefits, including weight loss.

A study conducted in 2010 Japan has confirmed this, leading to the recommendation of a deep breathing exercise as an initial treatment for obesity. Obese participants in the study “showed significant loss of body fat,” after repeating the breathing exercise for one month.

In order to begin to reap the benefits of deep breathing, practice a simple exercise for a few minutes each day. Begin by exhaling completely, emptying the lungs of all air. Next, inhale slowly through your nose, to the count of five, focusing on expanding your belly to engage the diaphragm muscle. Next, hold for six to seven seconds and then exhale slowly through your nose for a count of eight. Perform five to ten repetitions which is quite easy at your desk or while watching TV.

For more information about home delivered fresh foods, contact Homegrown Foods at www.homegrownfoods.com.hk or 2671 2771 and info@homegrownfoods.com.hk