 It’s the time of the year again with the festive spirit is in the air! The old traditional upbeat music is blaring, the streets are painted in red and throngs of people are dressed in their best outfit in anticipation for the entire day of celebration. Slightly less glamorous is the impending challenge of the maintaining your diet and discarded new year resolutions that we so carefully crafted a month ago. After all who can resist the massive temptations we are subjected to at every house we visit? How then do we survive this Chinese New Year without falling victim to the onslaught of new year goodies! Don’t worry, just follow these tips that we have prepared for you and you can survive this Chinese New Year celebrations without breaking the scales! 1) Control Your HungerMany people often head for house visiting with an empty stomach which ultimately ends up being filled with scores of unhealthy festive delights due to the tendency to overeat. To prepare yourself to avoid this phenomenon, arm yourself with healthy food and snacks before going off to for your yearly visiting. Fruits, yoghurt, Oats, Protein bars and Salad are good snacks rich in protein, fibre and vitamins to get you through the day. Eating these before you go visiting is likely to get you full faster and also help prevent you from binge eating all the unhealthy alternatives. 2) Eat Sugar in ModerationConsuming sugar is likely inevitable in the face of the never-ending festive goodies. However you want to stay away from consuming huge amounts of sugary snacks at one go. The reason why sugar has earned such a bad reputation is the fact that sugar consumption is related to hormonal imbalance, insulin spikes which affects your metabolism. This may stimulate hunger in individuals ultimately causing you to consume amounts over your total required energy intake (thus causing you to put on weight). Research has also shown that sugar has addictive properties. Ever wondered why you could never stop at just one pineapple tart? Sugar is not directly linked to obesity so consumption of it in small amounts is okay. However if you really want to maintain a healthy diet this season, our advice would be to not even start on them. But if you really have to, eat in moderation. Arming yourself with the knowledge of what you are eating is the first step to successful maintaining your diet and health. 3) Get Enough SleepThis is one of the most important yet often overlooked factor of not just fitness but health in general. The detriments of lack of sleep are plentiful including higher blood pressure, stress, sluggish cognitive functions, slower bodily functions, increased obesity and risk of heart disease. And yes you read that right! Lack of sleep DOES cause you to put on weight due to reduced levels of leptin (chemical that makes you full) and increased levels of ghrelin (hunger stimulating hormone)! So party hard but don’t forget to get enough sleep! The optimal amount of sleep for normal adults is around 7-8 hours for complete body recovery, especially so if you are still exercising regularly during this period! 4) ExerciseOne of the best things you can do is to continue on your exercise regime! If you currently do not exercise frequently then its good time to start. The benefits of exercise on your health are backed up by extensive research, not to mention the additional energy expended that can counteract any excess calories consumed during this time. Between the feasting and fellowship, setting aside just one hour to exercise wouldn’t be too much to ask? After all it is a public holiday and most of us do not have to work during that time. If you are already following a workout schedule then stick to it. Don’t let this festive period be your excuse to skive. Even some light-intensity cardio would be better than not doing anything. Better still if you could drag your family members along for a bonding exercise activity like running, going for a hike, going cycling or even just a walk in the park! If you are looking for a special workout dedicated to improve your overall well-being and as well as fitness levels, try out our hot yoga sessions conducted in far infrared rays! Exercising in far infrared environment delivers twice the benefits of a normal yoga session. Click here to find out more about our hot yoga sessions!  5) Don’t feel like exercising? No Problem.Whilst exercise is definitely our first recommendation for keeping fit during this period, what if you simply don’t have the time, ability or motivation to exercise? Perhaps you recently had an injury and find it hard to find proper exercises to keep fit. Well all is not lost! You can still attend our Ganbanyoku therapy session for a post-cny detox and body recovery. The benefits of Ganbanyoku include improve blood circulation, increased metabolism, weight loss, anti-aging effect, reduction in cholesterol levels and strengthening of the immune system. We hope that this article has given you sound information on how to tackle the much loved yet guilt-ridden Chinese New Year feasting! Hopefully you will now be able to enjoy a guilt-free time with your friends and family whilst not compromising on your health and fitness! Do contact us if you would like to find out more about the wellness services that we provide and we would love to be in touch with you. Thanks for reading and we wish you a happy and prosperous new year ahead!
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What are Far Infrared Rays?Far Infrared Ray are waves of energy, invisible to the naked eye, that exists in abundance around us. They are capable of penetrating deep layers of the human body, reaching inner-most regions of tissues, muscles and bone. They gently elevate the body's surface temperature (107.6F/42 celsius and above, enables destruction of cancer cells), and activate major bodily functions. Far Infrared therapy (FIR) involves the utilization of Far Infrared rays to gently heal, soothe, stimulate and detox the physical body, as well as the mind. Discovery of Far Infrared TechnologyIn September of 1962, President John F. Kennedy laid down the challenge for America: to be the first country to make it to the moon by the end of the decade. The vision was to advance as the leading space-faring nation on the planet and to prove the country's technological superiority. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was charged with this seemingly overwhelming task. The project wasn't as simple as just sending a ship to the moon, the major problem was making sure that the crew stayed alive. There was also the risk of contamination: what if the astronauts brought back undocumented microbes, viruses, or disease from Space? NASA feared for the safety of its astronauts and the possible contamination issue. A huge amount of budget was spent on research on the human immune system. It was during this time that NASA discovered the tremendous healing potential of Far Infrared Rays (FIR). NASA studies showed that in the infrared radiation spectrum, light in the 8-14 micron range penetrates the human body the most effectively. When far infrared rays (FIR) set at this frequency range are used during therapy, the result is that the rays are able to penetrate into the layers of the body and thus radically improve the effectiveness of its healing properties. This is the optimal frequency to produce the heat necessary to expand capillaries and increase blood circulation. The thermal effect within the body causes blood vessels in capillaries to dilate resulting in increased blood circulation. This in turn helps facilitate the removal of toxins and metabolic wastes in the body. FIR produces heat in the body that is harmless and targeted to deeply penetrate that raises body temperature. All of this strengthens the immune system. This also relieves the muscles, rehabilitates movement impairment, soothes pain and promotes muscle tissue repair. Toxins become clumps, or globules, and block circulation in the capillaries and then cellular energy becomes impaired. The strong thermal energy of FIR causes globules to vibrate and break apart, releasing encapsulated gases and other toxic materials and pushes them back into the blood stream where they are removed naturally in a form of natural detoxification of the body. In a two-year clinical trial that NASA spearheaded along with medical partners, cancer patients undergoing bone marrow or stem cell transplants were given a far infrared light treatment to treat oral mucositis -- a common and extremely painful side effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The trial concluded that there is a 96 percent improvement in pain of those in the high-risk patient group. Click Here to Learn More About the Benefits of Far Infrared Rays! Convinced by the Power of Far Infrared Therapy? Book Your Session Now! In most people’s minds, the idea of going to a spa is simply intended for women to enjoy. However, there are quite a few benefits that men can enjoy as well. This is especially true for treatments like ganbanyoku.
For starters, men can also enjoy the relaxing effects of ganbanyoku. Regardless of your gender it has the power to relax your body and make you feel amazing. This relaxation is a benefit all of its own, but there are also others that ganbanyoku can offer men to enjoy.  Every parent is constantly concerned about their child's intelligence. They are concerned that they are learning the right things and retaining what they are being taught. But, did you know that there is actually a way you can affect your child's intelligence by feeding them certain foods?
Over the years, we have learned quite a bit about how the food we eat affect our bodies and our minds. With this information, we are able to determine exactly what type of food our children should be eating in order to become smarter.  Chinese New Year, is as great a holiday for eating delicious food as are Thanksgiving and Christmas. Instead of Turkey and Ham, you are more likely to chow down on Peking duck, General Tso’s Chicken, dumplings, and springs rolls. Indeed, if you eat dim sum style or at a buffet, you are just as likely to enjoy a great variety of Asian cuisine.
Despite Asian food’s reputation of not being fattening or filling, it is possible to overdo eating it. So how do you enjoy a good Lunar New Year dinner and still be kind to your waist? The trick, as in all things, is moderation.  It can be difficult to trust the media when it comes to which foods cause and prevent cancer. It seems like everyday, there is a new perspective on whether or not a certain food or food group is healthy for you. You can hear that a certain type of food is shown to prevent cancer and then the next day it is shown to cause it. Below, you will find proven organic foods that offer protection against cancer as well as real ways that it does this.
 Caring for your body can mean so much more than proper nutrition and exercise. While our physical health is immensely important, our mental health is perhaps even more important. After all, what good is optimal health unless you are happy and are truly enjoying your life? Self-care strategies are important to integrate into your life. Learning to care for yourself is about respecting your needs and understanding what things you can do to nourish your soul and promote peace and a sense of well-being.
Below, you will find effective self-care strategies for improving your life inside and out.  There are times in life when our bodies don't function how they were initially designed. Perhaps we have received an injury, or maybe we are suffering from an illness of sorts. Whatever the cause of the issue, there comes a need to go through a process of healing.
Naturally, there are plenty of medical procedures out there for the different types of ailments our body goes through. However, these are not always safe, nor are they always successful. Luckily, there are some techniques available that allow us to go through the process of self-healing.  Shaped like a boomerang and coming in at a mere three pounds, your liver works hard for you everyday, possibly more than you could imagine. It’s the second largest organ in your bodyand yet, probably not one you give much thought to until something goes wrong.
 Here are the good things research shows that cocoa can do:
Act as an antioxidant. Researchers at the University of California, Davis compared the effects of 11/3 oz of high-flavanol Dove Dark chocolate with the same amount of low-flavanol dark chocolate on 10 healthy people. They found that only the Dove Dark had heart-healthy benefits: It reduced LDL oxidation and boosted antioxidants levels and HDL concentrations in the blood. Other studies have shown that the higher the Cocoapro "dose," the higher the levels of antioxidants in the blood and the less LDL oxidation. |
Anti OxidantHealth is wealth. Learn more on the science and benefits of Ganbanyoku Archives
February 2018
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