Body Essence will be producing monthly newsletters from now on and would love for you to keep up to date by following us on Facebook where these newsletters will be shared, along with lots more other health, nutrition and exercise information. So please be sure to like us! https://www.facebook.com/bodyessencenz September always brings such a happy and cheerful feeling to me, and although there are plenty of cold days still, it’s the promise of sunshine and warmth that makes me feel so excited and impatient for the summer ahead. I love nothing better than on those first few days of warmth it seems everyone shakes off their winter cloaks and everywhere you look there are people out and about walking, jogging, using their new-found motivation for exercise, and smiling…everyone seems so happy! Yes happy! Believe it or not, there is actually a perfectly valid reason as to why sunshine makes us happy. We make laughable connotations about ‘the winter blues’ or ‘another gloomy day’, and a happy person can be ‘a ray of sunshine’, however these all do stem from the truth. Sunshine makes us happy. Here’s how! In the nutrition world we split foods into two categories – Macronutrients (large nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and Micronutrients (small nutrients such as vitamins and minerals). Both food groups play essential roles in maintaining our overall health and wellbeing. If we look closer at the micronutrients, these are small nutrients contained within foods but even though they are small, they are responsible for keeping our body healthy and well and without a good variety of all the vitamins and minerals in our diet our body may not work as well. For example, we need Vitamin C to build a strong immune system, we need Essential Fatty Acids for healthy skin, and we need magnesium for a strong heart. Just as important is our need for Vitamin D. Our body can absorb a small amount via a certain few foods, such as egg yolks, fatty fish and liver, however we are designed to receive our Vitamin D intake via the sun. The body manufactures Vitamin D from cholesterol, however for this to occur the skin must be exposed to sunlight. The reason this can affect our moods and how ‘happy’ we feel is to do with a brain hormone called Serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for mood elevation. The Vitamin D we receive through sun exposure activates the release of serotonin, meaning with sun exposure our serotonin levels rise causing an increase in our mood. Likewise, with a decrease in sun exposure our serotonin levels will drop, causing a drop in our mood. We don’t need a great deal of sun to receive our adequate Vitamin D intake, so always ensure you are super sun-smart first, however a few minutes of moderate sun exposure now and again could be the difference between a happy day and a glum day! Body Essence is super excited to launch its brand new nutrition and exercise programme, the 6 WEEK KICK-START PROGRAMME! This is simply about healthy eating – HOW to eat, WHY eat healthy, WHAT to eat, WHEN to eat…a complete step by step process of giving your nutrition a complete KICK-START! Body Essence’s philosophy for nutrition is NATURAL, WHOLESOME, FRESH and CLEAN foods. In this programme you are encouraged to take all foods back to their purest form, their most natural form. The state that a food should be in – how nature intended it. It will explain to you why this is so important and how to incorporate these foods easily into your diet. Across the six weeks you will go through simple and effective changes to make to your diet to help promote health and wellbeing. This is not a focus on weight loss or anything else; it is purely about eating for health and nourishment. However, no goal, weight loss or anything else, can be successfully achieved until your body is in a state of good health. Indirectly this programme can help you achieve much more than just how to eat healthy. While learning and achieving healthy eating in this programme, you also get 15 MINUTE DAILY WORKOUTS to do for each day of the week, for the entire six weeks! These workouts are suitable for everyone with options for different fitness levels, they use body weight only so no equipment needed, and are a great combination of resistance and cardio exercises. And there is no excuse - everyone can find 15 minutes a day! With a mix of healthy, wholesome, clean eating and daily exercise, there really is no other option but to be healthy, feel great and look amazing! When you are ready to KICK-START your nutrition and exercise, download your programme here today http://www.bodyessence.co.nz/shop.html It’s not about dieting. It’s a way of life. A happy, healthy and sustainable life! Chocolate! Yes that’s right, chocolate! Not the overly processed, sugar laden milk chocolate, but dark chocolate – the darker the better and with the cocoa between 75-90%. Believe it or not but this food packs a powerful punch when it comes to nutrients. Dark chocolate contains high levels of Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Potassium, Zinc and Selenium. It contains one of the highest levels of antioxidants than any other food, and has also been shown to increase your level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that increases happiness and decreases stress levels. Add a couple of square of dark chocolate to a handful of mixed nuts and you have a perfect, healthy and yummy morning tea snack! This is one of my favourite smoothies for when you really need a substantial snack. It contains high levels of a big variety of nutrients, is high in protein and will give you a super good energy boost! In a blender add the following and blitz until smooth. Adjust the amount of liquid to suit your preferred consistency.
Pour into a glass and enjoy! |
Kerri van de Loo - Mindfulness coach, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach & SELF-LOVE COACH:Join our Online Wellness Club here: https://www.bodyessence.co.nz/wellness-club.html Categories
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December 2022
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