Yoga is designed to connect your mind with your body and spirit through breathing techniques, meditation and health-promoting postures (asanas).

Not only does practicing yoga tone your body and refresh your mind, it also improves your immune system, helps lower your stress level, and provides so many more health benefits.

Types of Yoga

Today, aside from having an abundance of yoga studios, there are many different styles of yoga to consider. Even though they’re all based on the same poses, each style has a particular focus. For example, one style has a purpose to improve flexibility, while another style primarily strengthens your core. So let’s take a look at the different types of Yoga along with their benefits and who would suit each type.

Hatha Yoga- In Sanskrit (an ancient classical language of India) “Ha” means “sun” and “tha” means “moon”. This type of Yoga is relatively slow paced, gentle type of Yoga and is a good place to start if you are completely new to Yoga and don’t know any of the asanas (poses). Like all types of Yoga, Hatha Yoga aims to unite the mind, body and spirit.

• Purpose: To introduce beginners to yoga with basic poses and relaxation techniques
• Benefits: Relieves stress, provides physical exercise, and improves breathing
• Good for: Beginners and people wanting to learn the basics of yoga

Ashtanga Yoga –In Sanskrit it means “eight limbs”. It’s a fast moving, intense style of Yoga practice and is based on a progressive set sequence of asanas, synchronized with the breath. Ashtanga Yoga can be quite physically demanding as you constantly move from one asana in the sequence to the next, so you’ll find that it will improve your stamina as well as your flexibility and strength.

• Purpose: To help improve one’s spiritual self
• Benefits: Relieves stress, improves coordination, and helps with weight loss
• Good for: Fit people looking to maintain strength and stamina, and those who want to get in touch with their spiritual side

Iyengar Yoga – This type of Yoga concentrates on the correct alignment and form of the body. Unlike Ashtanga Yoga, there is an emphasis on holding each pose for a long period of time rather than moving constantly from one pose to the next. Iyengar Yoga uses props such as blocks and straps to help align the body into the different poses.

• Purpose: To strengthen and bring the body into alignment
• Benefits: Helps improve balance, speeds up recovery from an injury, and builds up body strength
• Good for: Beginners who want to learn the correct alignments in each pose and those with injuries, balance issues, and chronic medical conditions like arthritis

Vinyasa Yoga – Much like Hatha, Vinyasa covers basic poses and breath-synchronized movement. This variety of Hatha yoga emphasizes on the Sun Salutation, a series of 12 poses where movement is matched to the breath.

• Purpose: To link the breath with movement and to build lean muscle mass throughout the body
• Benefits: Helps improve strength and flexibility, tones the abdominal muscles, and reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes
• Good for: Beginners and advanced yogis alike seeking to strengthen their bodies

Bikram Yoga – Also known as hot yoga, Bikram is practiced in a 38 degree room. It’s typically a series of 26 poses that allows for a loosening of tight muscles and sweating.

• Purpose: To flush out toxins and to deeply stretch the muscles
• Benefits: Speeds up recovery from an injury, enhances flexibility, and cleanses the body
• Good for: Beginners and advanced yogis alike who want to push themselves and those with physical injuries 

These are only a few of the many styles of yoga. Try one or all of them to figure out which one suits your needs the best.

We Canberrans are fortunate to enjoy plentiful sunshine all year round. You’d think we‘d be getting plenty of nature’s ‘sunshine vitamin’ yet at least 58% of us are deficient in vitamin D. That high number is alarming when placed next to the growing mountain of evidence linking vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of so many health concerns including:

• Cancers of the breast, ovary, prostate, colon.
• Leukemia
• Diabetes types 1 and 2
• Osteoporosis
• fibromyalgia
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• autoimmune illnesses including MS and rheumatoid arthritis
• Colds & flus
• Infertility
• Rickets 

If you work indoors and don’t get some exposure to sunlight on a regular basis (free of wearing sunscreens and makeup), it's quite possible that you are compromising your health. Given the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency it’s a good idea to talk to your GP about checking your levels via a blood test.

If you want to boost your Vitamin D, there are a number of natural food sources including milk, eggs and fatty fish such as herring, mackerel, sardines and tuna. However, it's extremely hard to get all of the vitamin D that you need to experience your best health without some exposure to sunlight.

Vitamin D is made in the body when UV light comes into direct contact with your skin. Whilst we’re highly aware that too much exposure to sunlight can expose us to the dangers of skin cancer, an avoidance of all sun is also risky. Aim for 5–15 minutes of sunlight 4–6 times a week on bare skin (arms, legs, face and back) without sunscreen.

For more significant depletion of Vitamin D, dietary changes and exposure to sunlight aren’t enough. In this case your health practitioner will suggest a supplement. Look for the vastly superior D3 rather than its cheaper and less effective synthetic D2. Get your vitamin D levels right and you’ll indeed be basking in good health.

What you eat can either significantly boost or reduce your fertility. The good news is, when you make healthier choices, the benefits can be large. A recent Harvard University study showed a decrease of 80% in infertility levels when coupes switched to a healthier diet. In part one of this series, Live Well Naturopath Shanna Choudhary outlines the foods to avoid. Follow her advice and you’ll be giving your body the best preparation to conceive.

Think outside the box

If there were just one thing you could do that would have a huge impact on your fertility (as well as your health), removing processed and packaged foods from your diet would be it!

If what you are eating comes out of box or a packet it’s likely to be both nutrient poor and chemically laden. ‘Food’ like this places stress on the body by adding to its toxic load as well as depriving it of essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals required for health and fertility.

Sweet Poison

You know how sugar gives you that sweet sugar “high”, which temporarily boosts your mood and energy levels but quickly gives way to the “crash” that follows, leaving you feeling moody, irritable and not so crash-hot anymore…

You may not know that the rollercoaster of sugar highs and lows disrupts delicate hormonal balance in your body which makes falling pregnant much more difficult. Diets high in sugar affect the pancreas and can lead to insulin resistance and eventually diabetes. Sugar also triggers a stress response in the body; depleting your adrenals, messing with your thyroid and depressing immune function.

It is still possible to have some sweetness in your life, but choose unrefined and more natural sources like maple syrup and raw honey and be sure to avoid the fake sugar substitutes which are very toxic to your health and fertility.

Caffeine Hit

Caffeine seems like our friend at first; as a good caffeine hit boosts our alertness and concentration levels, and can seem like a great pick-me-up when we need one in the morning or when we hit that afternoon slump.

However, caffeine consumption is associated with increased conception time; and has been shown to affect hormonal balance, prevent ovulation and even increase chances of miscarriage.

Even just 2 coffees a day has been shown to exert negative effects on ovulation and can actually increase risk of miscarriage by up to 2x.

Caffeine has also been shown to reduce muscular activity in the fallopian tubes, decreasing follicle function so the ovum may not reach the uterus. This could also be a possible implication in ectopic pregnancies.

Soy Trouble

Soy pops up in many different forms, and is found in a large variety of foods and food products, such as soy milk, tofu and soya sauce.

Soy has an oestrogen-mimicking effect on the body, which can disrupt your hormonal balance and therefore fertility in both females and males.

A number of studies have shown that soy has a negative impact on reproductive health and fertility; demonstrating significant changes in reproductive organs and the menstrual cycle, such as the development of endometriosis or heavy menstrual bleeding.  

Men are also adversely affected by soy, as it has been linked to lowering libido, erectile dysfunction, reduced sperm count, breast enlargement and mood swings.

Genetic Engineering

Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) contain an in-built pesticide in the form of a bacteria: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). However, Bt is believed to be causing widespread health and fertility issues in populations that have GMOs in the diet.

In Australia we have 43 varieties of GMO canola, corn, potato, rice, soybean and sugarbeet approved for human consumption. GMO ingredients can be found in margarine-type spreads, dairy blends, tinned, processed/packaged, snack and fried foods such as bread, pastries, chocolates, potato chips, cakes and confectionery; they are also widely used in stockfeed, used to feed the animals that are bred for the meat and dairy industries.

Whilst there is not a large body of long-term studies on the fertility effects of GMO foods, one study showed that mice who over a period 20 weeks were fed GMO corn, had greatly impaired fertility when compared with the mice who were fed non GMO corn. Moreover, the offspring of the mice fed a GMO corn diet also suffered from lower fertility rates/were found to be sterile.

Until GMO foods can be proven to be safe for consumption, many countries (particularly in Europe), have banned its use altogether. 

Good Fat, Bad Fat

Some fats deserve their bad reputation, however there are good fats out there that are really important to include in your diet to support fertility.

‘Bad’ fats to avoid include hydrogenated fats found in margarines and spreads, biscuits, potato chips, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods.

When good fats turn bad: Fats oxidise easily (become rancid) in which case they become toxic. To avoid this, try to make sure the oils, nuts and seeds that you eat have been packaged in a way that keeps them from exposure to light (dark packaging), air (air tight, and not already ground) and heat (some fats/oils become damaged by heat).

‘Bad’ fats harm fertility by causing inflammation, damaging cell membranes and altering the balance of hormones in the body.

‘Good’ fats on the other hand, are especially important when wanting to conceive, as they are essential for the production of hormones. Keep eating them once you do get pregnant, as they are integral to foetal brain and nervous system development.

Look out for reduced fat or fat free foods, as they are generally highly processed and high in sugar, and can impair the body’s absorption of essential fat-soluble nutrients such as:

Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin E. All of which are important fertility nutrients.

Coming Soon - Part 2: Foods to Boost Fertility.

Want Help Balancing Your Hormones and Boosting Fertility Naturally?

Take advantage of our special offer with Shanna: inital consultation only $90 (usually $150). There are limited places available so be quick! 

To make an appointment or an enquiry please give us a call now on (02) 6295 0400, you can book online by clicking the book now button below, or come in and see us at 35 Murray Cres MANUKA ACT 2603. 

The practice of oil pulling

The most effective oil pulling is done by placing around a tablespoon (you can start off with less and work your way up) of cold pressed organic oil into the mouth, and then swishing the oil around the mouth for approximately 10-20 minutes and then spitting it out. The longer you can hold the oil in your mouth the better but start with a few minutes and work up.

Research has shown that organic cold-pressed sesame oil is the most effective. Although other oils such as extra virgin cold pressed coconut, sunflower and olive oil have been used with success as well.

What happens next?

• First, the oils mix with the saliva, turning it into a thin, white liquid
• Lipids in the oils begin to pull out toxins from the saliva
• As the oil is swished around the mouth, teeth, gums and tongue, the oil continues to absorb toxins, and usually ends up turning thick and viscous and white
• Once the oil has reached this consistency, it is then important that you spit it out so the toxins don’t get a chance to become reabsorbed

What are the benefits?

A variety of scientific studies show the success of oil pulling therapy. One study has proven that oil pulling with sesame oil can boost overall oral health. Particularly, using sesame oil as an oral health agent helps to reduce the amount of germs in teeth plaque and mouth saliva. Scientists also believe that the lipids in the oil not only pull out bacteria, but stop bacteria from sticking to the walls of your oral cavity as well.

Another interesting find is the ability of oil to cleanse out harmful bacteria, as well as reduce fungal overgrowth. These oils also possibly help in cellular restructuring, and are related to the proper functioning of the lymph nodes and other internal organs.

The benefits of oil pulling for oral health include:

• Overall strengthening of the teeth, gums and jaw
• Prevention of diseases of the gums and mouth, such as cavities and gingivitis
• Prevention of bad breath
• Potential natural remedy for bleeding gums
• Prevention of dryness of the lips, mouth and throat

Going beyond the mouth to find even more benefits

Ancient Ayurvedic health practitioners strongly believed that oil pulling could assist with more than just diseases of the mouth and throat. It is believed that these oils help the lymphatic system of our bodies remove harmful bacteria and promote healthy micro-flora to ensure we have a healthy internal environment. Due to this, oil pulling has been used as a preventative health measure for a wide variety of health conditions. It’s another reminder that when it comes to our wellbeing, what helps each part also helps the whole body to be healthier.

Other benefits of oil pulling for our overall health include:

• Increased energy
• Clearer mind
• Decreased headaches
• Clearer sinuses
• Alleviated allergies
• Better sleep
• Clearer skin
• Regulated menstrual cycles
• Improved lymphatic system
• Improved PMS symptoms
• Reduced hangover after alcohol consumption

With so many benefits why not give it a try and let us know how this traditional remedy works for you. 

Reiki is profoundly relaxing and soothing therapy that deeply nourishes and revitalises the mind, body and spirit. Reiki is and form of energy medicine that uses energy channelled through the practitioner’s hands into the recipient to restore health and a sense of wellbeing.

Energy Medicine

Just as acupuncture does, Reiki influences the flow of energy in the body. Rather than using needs the Reiki practitioner uses their hands. Because Reiki helps to restore balance to the body it treats the whole person including body, emotion, mind and spirit. To use an analogy; the energy is the water, the Reiki practitioner is the watering can, and the person that is being healed is the flower. Basically a Reiki practitioner is acting as a channel for pure love and energy to flow through you. 

Origins of Reiki

Reiki is spiritual in nature, but does not fall under any religion. The modern day technique of Reiki is derived from an ancient healing art that was re-discovered by Dr Usui in Japan in the mid-1800s. During its development, Dr Usui spent many years travelling all over the world and meditating and studying energy healing modalities in order to understand how the healing energy worked in relation to the body. He realised he had to obtain a high state of altered consciousness in order to receive the answers he so desperately sort. Finally, according to accounts of the time, the answers came to him when he while he meditated and chanted upon a hill. He was filled with brilliant light energy, symbols and methods for passing this healing technique onto others.

What are the benefits of Reiki?

Illness of any kind can often develop as a result of blocked or stagnant energy. So energy work helps to balance and keep your energy flowing smoothly.

Reiki has been effective in treating the following:

• Chronic back pain
• Arthritis
• Chemotherapy
• Pre and post surgery
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Speeding the healing of injuries such as broken bones
• Fibromyalgia
• Plus lots more!

Are there any side effects?

Reiki has no side effects or contra-indications, and may be used in conjunction with any other treatment, medication, or therapy.

Where can I receive a Reiki treatment?

Lucky for you, here at Live Well we have our very own resident Reiki practitioner; Satomi. Her caring, loving and gentle nature, accentuate the healing practice of Reiki to ensure that you receive absolute calm and wellbeing during your treatment. To book an appointment please click here or call 6295 0400.

Are you a Breakfast-skipper? You’re not the only one! Approximately 15% of Australians tend to skip breakfast on a regular basis. Did you know that people who regularly skip breakfast are 450% more likely to become obese than people who regularly eat breakfast! According  to research, not eating breakfast can lead to weight gain, high cholesterol and other health problems as if you skip breakfast you tend to eat more towards the end of the day.

Eating breakfast helps:

• reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes
• reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
• proper blood sugar production and regulation
•  help protect the heart, vital organs, digestive system, and brain from damage
•  promote longevity 

Not all food is good for you. Eating fast food for breakfast was found to have similar health risks as not eating any breakfast at all.

Here are 6 reasons why you should eat HEALTHY breakfast:

1. Better blood sugar and energy balance: By the time breakfast rolls around, you’ll probably have gone 10 or more hours without food. Postpone eating until lunchtime, and you’re potentially looking at closer to 16 hours – so it’s no wonder you’ll feel prone to energy slumps. A breakfast containing whole grains and protein is ideal as it helps sustain steady blood glucose and energy levels.

2. Better appetite control and better body weight: One of the benefits of your blood sugar being more stable is that you’re less likely to get hungry later in the morning. This means you won’t be as tempted to reach for sugary, starchy or fatty snacks. This may sound odd, but eating breakfast may therefore actually help you avoid putting weight on. If you are looking to lose weight or maintain the trimmer figure you’ve already worked so hard for, eating breakfast can help there too!

3. A more nutritious diet: People who eat breakfast are more likely to get all their required nutrients and food groups every day. For example, it’s much easier to fit your recommended servings of dairy foods and fruit into your diet if you’re having cereal with milk first thing in the morning. Overall, the diets of people who eat breakfast tend to be lower in fat and higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals than the diets of people who skip breakfast.

4. A healthier future: Over the long term, routinely going without breakfast may increase your risk of developing chronic health problems, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you are a smoker and you skip breakfast you further increase the tendency to develop diabetes.

5. Improved stress coping: We are more likely to skip breakfast when we’re feeling stressed, but going without breakfast may actually increase your stress responses and make you more emotionally volatile and prone to mood swings. On the other hand, people who eat breakfast every day are less likely to report feeling depressed or distressed, and tend to perceive themselves as having lower stress levels than those who don’t eat breakfast.

6. Better concentration: Research suggests that eating breakfast is associated with improved mental performance later in the morning. If you have kids, get them into good habits now, because it has been proven children who eat breakfast regularly have better school performance and learning skills than their non-breakfast eating friends.

When people say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they are not joking. So get your brekky on and start the day with a nutritious healthy meal.

To get you started we have found some delicious recipes for you to try.

Quinoa Oat Porridge

1/3 cup quinoa, soaked overnight in filtered water
1/3 cup rolled oats, rinsed
2 cups boiling water
pinch sea salt
pinch cinnamon

Drain and rinse quinoa. Place in a pot with oats, add boiling water, salt and cinnamon. Bring to a boil lower heat, cover, crack lid a little so that oatmeal doesn’t boil over. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 or 10 minutes.
Top with berries, warm almond milk and toasted seeds or nuts.

(from: http://www.coconutandquinoa.com/2010/01/11/quinoa-oat-porridge-and-warm-almond-milk-and-blueberries/)

 Chia Porridge w/Seeds, Nuts & Berries
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup organic almond milk
2 tbsp dried unsulphured organic cranberries
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1/8 tsp cardamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 drops liquid stevia
diced strawberries, raspberries & blueberries for toppings
raw almonds, cashews & sunflower seeds for toppings (preferably soaked over night)
fresh mint as garnish or topping
Method
Place almond milk in a bowl and sprinkle chia seeds in and stir immediately for a minute or so to avoid clumping.  Add cranberries & spices as you stir along with 3 drops of stevia and the vanilla.  Allow to stand for 30-40 mins to thicken, or covered in the fridge over night.  Add berries, nuts and seeds as you may and a sprig of mint.

 (from: http://www.alkalinesisters.com/seeds-nuts-berries-yummiest-chia-breakfast-porridge/3360)

The Algae

Chlorella

Chlorella is a single-celled algae that grows in fresh water. Scientists have determined that it emerged about 2 billion years ago and was the first plant with a well-defined nucleus. However, because it is a microscopic organism it was not discovered until the late nineteenth century.

The Benefits:

• Repairs nerve tissues
• Increases energy levels
• Enhances immune system
• Normalises blood sugar and blood pressure
• Improves digestion
• Promotes healthy pH levels in your gut, which helps good bacteria thrive
• Removes potentially toxic heavy metals (such as mercury) from your body

Spirulina

Spirulina is also a single-celled freshwater algae that is blue-green in colour. When looked at underneath a microscope it appears as long, thin blue-green spiral threads. Its taste and odour are similar to that of seaweed. They range in shape from a single microorganism to giant kelp spanning over 120 metres in length.

Spirulina is often deemed the most nutritionally complete of all food supplements, containing a rich supply of many important nutrients, including protein, complex carbohydrates, iron, and vitamins A, K, and B complex. It also has a high supply of carotenoids such as beta carotene and yellow xanthophylls which have antioxidant properties. It is also rich in chlorophyll, fatty and nucleic acids, and lipids.

The Grass

Barley Grass

Barley grass comes in loose powder form or tablets. It is made from the grounded up leaf of the barley plant. Both Barley Grass and Wheatgrass are from the grass cereal family.

The Benefits:

• High antioxidant properties
• High levels of Omega 3 to promote brain health
• Alkaline food which keeps the pH levels in the body at normal healthy levels
• Helps maintain a healthy digestive tract and promote good bacteria
• Contains enzymes which play a vital role in the chemical functions of our body
• Has many vitamins and minerals including B1, B2, B5, B6 and B12, beta carotene, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese, and folic acid

Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass is a complete food grown and made from wheatberries, which is the seed of the common wheat plant. Wheatgrass is harvested when the grass is at its nutritional peak and has an extremely high concentration of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, living enzymes, chlorophyll and phytonutrients that can’t be found in the mature wheat plant. At this dark green leafy stage of growth, wheat grass looks similar to common lawn grass.

The Benefits:

• Increases red blood-cell count and lowers blood pressure

• Stimulates the thyroid gland

• Restores alkalinity to the blood

• Is a powerful detoxifier, and liver and blood protector

• Fights tumors and neutralizes toxins

• Contains beneficial enzymes

• Externally applied to the skin can help eliminate itching almost immediately.

• Will soothe sunburned skin and act as a disinfectant

• Works as a sleep aid

• Neutralizes toxic substances like cadmium, nicotine, strontium, mercury, and polyvinyl chloride.

• Offers the benefits of a liquid oxygen transfusion since the juice contains liquid oxygen

• Restores fertility and promotes youthfulness.

So if you haven’t already; go Green and soak up those super benefits of these amazing algae and grasses. If you are looking for a high quality product Live Well sells Vibrant Health Green Vibrance, which includes all the above mentioned super greens!

Until next time live well everyone!

Here are some easy tips that can be used to keep your bank balance happy whilst boost the nutrition and health benefits of your food:

• Buy fresh fruit and vegies that are in season they are better quality, less expensive and more likely to be locally grown
• Shop at Farmer's Markets: they have excellent produce and are a cheaper alternative to supermarkets. Visit Canberra's Northside and Southside farmers markets.  
• The less processed the food is, the more nutritionally valuable and less expensive it tends to be - so consider making your own cakes and biscuits at a fraction of the price and without all the preservatives and additives
• Try and buy staples in bulk - such as beans, whole grains and oats.
• Beware of supermarkets! Generally the perimeter of the supermarket has the healthier options, while the centre has the processed foods.
• Avoid buying pre-seasoned or marinated meat and fish as this means you are paying someone else to do it for you. Plus by seasoning yourself you control what goes in!
• Grow your own  herbs and vegies
• Consider buying generic/no name brands - when it comes to standard items such as oats and rice there is often no difference in quality as it generally comes from the same place.

There are many sources of inspiration online for healthy recipes that can inspire and encourage without costing the earth. The energy that you put into sourcing and making healthy food will repay you with higher vitality and better wellbeing.

Some informative and inspiring blogs to visit:

INSPIRED EDIBLES 

Nutritionist Kelly Mulcair's mission is to show people that healthy eating does not have to be time-consuming, complicated or boring.  She tries to keep her recipes as simple as possible. 

SPROUTED KITCHEN

Promising a tastier take on whole foods, Sprouted Kitchen offers recipes that use seasonal ingredients, and organic/local when found accessible + affordable.

CHEAP HEALTHY GOOD
Cheap Healthy Good is 'dedicated to the advancement of frugal, nutritious, ethically-minded food in everyday life'. Occasionally, they throw in some pop culture references for fun!

TASTESPOTTING

For those of you whose eyes are as big as your stomachs, this is the ultimate online food destination. Beautiful photos lead to recipes, which, hopefully, will lead to delicious meals in your own home.