Not Another New Years Resolution Post!
Every New Years a cavalcade of posts are sent scampering around the world telling, encouraging, cajoling the reader into reading about the new year resolution. Some are for it, some are against it (why wait for new year), some have a list of ‘best’ resolutions, and others let you know what resolutions you should NEVER make (ie, lose weight, renovate, or be positive to everyone you meet)
So with that in mind, let me keep this short and practical.
Personally, I LIKE the idea of a New Year resolution list. I’m all for making resolutions during the year, but there is something wonderful about starting something at the beginning of a full year ahead...like Mondays are often used to start a new project, or skill learning. New year is like the penultimate Monday.
BUT....if you are going to go to all that effort of creating these new plans/ ideas/ improvements to your life, why not spend a few minutes more creating a way to ensure you actually reaches each of these goals and not let your enthusiasm just peter out as the weeks go by and suddenly its Easter and you are happily chewing on eggs before u remember that no chocolate rule you had set on January 1st.
OKAY
So make a list.
Try and keep it to a couple of items...not too many
Are they achievable? Do you feel 10/10 able to achieve it...if there is a yes but or yes if, answer, then the goal maybe fine but it needs breaking down. Lets use one of mine for example:
1. - Meditate everyday
okay...I think you can all see how vague this is.....yes of course I ‘can’ do it, but will I?..... Probably for a few days, maybe even a week. I can bet with great certainty that it will not last long. Soooooo....lets make it doable, and quite frankly, more fun.
WHEN and HOW
When will I do it and how? Honestly, I wake early, I’m tired, I need coffee, my dogs need a walk. I work and come home exhausted and just want to sleep or watch tv and vague out. I can’t think of any ‘perfect time’ to meditate. However I know how awesome I feel when I do.
I’m going to make a check list, stick it on my fridge. I’ll have a description column, and in that will be a version of my goal. Meditate before sleep for 1 minute (either just counting breaths or using a visualisation tape). Yep, 10/10 I can do that, even when tired. If I do more great, but thats not the requirement. 1 minute and I get a nice juicy tick in that achievement box, yeehaw!
Next week in my description, all going well I will make it 2 minutes, then the week after 3 minutes, etc, etc. My goal will be 30 minutes, but I’m not even thinking about that now, thats way too hard and too unachieveable in the mind state and habits I have now. If I get to 10 minutes and freak out that its too much, I will just lower the expectation for that next week. Simple, and my list is on the fridge to remind and encourage me everyday.
So what will your goal be?
Imagine, wanting to lose weight, learn a language, be tidy, relax, learn economics, read a book a week (yes it can be done), and what could be achieved if you broke it down to its most basic and doable part, then gently added every few days or week. That’s 365ish days a year and 52 weeks of continual improvement...imagine the person you could be by the end of one single year.
Its now 2018, who will you be by 2019?
Who do you WANT to be?
Write it down....and do it :-)
If you need any help, coaching or guidance, feel free to email or facebook me for some ideas or more formal assistance
Why I love Bitter Melon
A miracle fat loss supplement?......... Maybe!
What is it?
This wierd looking fruit, bitter melon, is also known as bitter gourd, bitter squash, bitter cucumber or balsam pear. It refers to the fruit grown on a Cucurbitacae vine. It grows in tropical and sub tropical climates in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.
What is it meant to do?
The Chinese have long used Bitter Melon as a blood sugar controller, and finally the Western World is becoming more aware of its uses. Bitter melon is a plant that has the amazing ability to improve glucose tolerance and reduce blood sugar levels. This is why bitter melon is highly recommended for diabetics (always check with doctor first!). The benefits don't stop there. Due to its improvement to glucose tolerance it is also great for:
- Skincare and acne, psorriasis, eczema (drink the juice 3 x a week)
- Has more beta carotene than broccoli
- Vitamin K (blood thinning and antiinflamatory)
- Relieves acid reflx and indigestion
- Diabetes type 2,
- Lowers cholesterol , (therefore reduces heart attacks and ehart disease
- Anti cancer properties
- Due to blood sugar and liver tonic benefits it is an effective weightloss controller.
So how does it do it?
These days, extra weight, lifestyle, and dietary intake all play a part to make many of us insulin insensitive. This results us in having an excess of blood sugar in our system. Fat loss wise, the body can not burn fat in a sugar filled environment. It will stop using other energy sources (such as fat) and use only the sugar until its gone. Dietary fat at this point, is not broken down for energy use, but rather stored in adipose (fat) tissue around the body and also accumulates in the liver and contributes to clogging in aortic valves. High levels of blood sugar will also damage blood vessels and nerves. None of this is good for longevity and good health!
The fruit has at least three active substances with these glucose tolerance properties, charantin, vicine and an insulin-like compound known as polypeptide-p. It seems these work individually or together to reduce blood sugar levels. Bitter melon also contains lectin, which has similar effects to insulin in the brain (insulin secretion is needed to lower blood sugar levels) and promotes insulin sensitivity in the body.
The Garvan Institute in Australia has done some interesting studies in the last few years, looking at bitter melon as an effective supplement for diabetics. Noting that it has few side affects compared to pharmaceuticals.
"When we give this compound to our mice just before a meal, we then give the meal, we find that they have a much more efficient removal of glucose from the blood compared to animals that have not been given the drug," Garvan Institute's Professor David James
How do I take it?
Take it in capsule form, I use iherb generally for my Bitter Melon capsules, and take them around 30 mins before a higher carbohydrate meal. However don't worry too much if you forget before your meal, you can still take it while eating. The other option is to use the actual plant. These are generally found at your local Chinese market place. Be warned the fruit is well named. It is BITTER! The recipes below are worth following to make sure you are able to hide the taste sufficiently. :-)
So if you suspect you might be a little insulin insensitive or have high blood glucose levels, bitter melon is a great and natural substance to try. Just a word of caution. Its highly effective. Take the recommended dosage. Hypoglycaemic attacks have been associated with high intakes of the supplement (admittedly these intakes have been over 5 times the recommended dosages). These extreme intakes are very unlikely if you are just adding the actual food into your diet and not the supplement.
If you found this interesting, you may want to implement this into your way of eating. If you are unsure in any way feel free to contact me
Recipes
Recipe ingredients:
- • 1 Bitter melon seedless, chopped
- • Ice to taste
- • Honey or stevia to taste
- • Lemon to taste
Place bitter melon pieces and ice cubes into blender.
Stir until smooth and blended. When the ice cubes rather smooth, enter lemon juice and honey to suit your taste (to get around for the bitter taste of bitter melon covered with sweet honey and fresh lemon).
References
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-bitter-melon-that-makes-even-more-worth-eating.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/308112-how-to-use-bitter-melon-to-lower-blood-sugar/
http://www.naturesgoodness.com.au/Bitter-Melon-Capsules.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-03-26/humble-vegie-may-end-diabetes-fight/1083716
https://www.garvan.org.au/research/diseases-we-research/diabetes-type-2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/07/11/aloe-bitter-melon-help-treat-diabetes.aspx