Apr 24, 2015 | Detox & Wellness
We all kind of know about our Liver. We know it gets affected by drinking alcohol and we know it does something for our digestion. But did you know how important your liver is for detoxing and your overall health?
In fact the Liver is much more than we may think! It’s a miracle organ of detoxing and it is involved in around 1000 daily functions such as:
- cleansing and detoxing our blood
- breaking down hormones and toxins
- metabolizing fat
- storing vitamins, minerals and glucose for energy
- producing vital building blocks for blood production
- as well as playing a big role in our immunity against disease
By abusing the liver with alcohol, processed, fatty and deep fried foods as well as medication of any kind (including the “Pill”, ladies) we put a strain on this vital organ. It is already dealing with a lot of the above, as well as keeping us safe from all the other environmental toxins we ingest every day.
So what can we do to take care of our liver?
First thing first – cut out the crap. Get rid of that (daily) evening glass of wine for a while, stop eating that finger licking deep fried chicken and if you can stop all over the counter medication that is not prescribed by your doctor that is a HUGE step to help your liver stay healthy .
To get you started and prepared for any detox follow these steps for a happy liver:
- Drink more water!
- Eat lots of leafy green vegetables, cooked and raw
- Upon rising drink a big warm glass of water and squeeze in half a lime
- Incorporate beetroot into your diet – cook it, juice it, pickle it or blend it!
- Take some Milk Thistle Extract either as a supplement or as a tea.
Once you have eliminated these bad habits and have started being kind to your liver, you can get to work at repairing your liver more intensely by doing a detox and a specific Liver flush – we will talk about this protocol more in depth in the next blog post – so stayed tuned!
Apr 18, 2015 | Detox & Wellness
Tension & Trauma Release Exercises aka TRE, is a breakthrough self-help tool for stress management and trauma recovery developed by Dr. David Berceli, PhD. This is a new way to detox your body.
It is a body focused process, that releases deep chronic physical and emotional tension created during traumatic and stressful events. It’s a simple set of exercises performed to initiate the body’s innate natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating to release stress, tension and trauma. When this muscular shaking/vibrating mechanism is activated in a safe and controlled environment, the body is encouraged to return back to a state of balance and a calm nervous system.
TRE® is based on the fundamental idea, backed by recent research, that stress, tension and trauma is both psychological and physical. When we experience a situation in which we feel threatened, our nervous system releases a huge amount of energy to set up the body for survival. In these fight/flight situations our reptilian part of the brain kicks in to shut off other functions of the body, not important to immediate survival, like digestion and immune function.
This energy and the accompanying contraction of the muscles are vital functions, once the threat is over the body has the ability to discharge this energy through literally shaking it off and carrying on living stress & tension free.
This would make life stress and trauma free – wouldn’t that be nice!?
Unfortunately we also have the ego mind/ neo-cortex that can get in our way and prevent us from going through the natural cycle of a stressful event. As we all know we have been taught to be strong, not show fear, be calm and composed at all times – so when we shake we think we are showing something we shouldn’t, even though it’s just the body releasing the stress.
The body doesn’t distinguish between “real” threat or “just perceived” threat.
Meaning we can have up to 50 fight/ flight reactions a day from real threats or just something we perceive as stressful like a traffic jam or an angry boss.
Animals do it in the wild and we have the capacity to bring our bodies, mind and nervous systems back into balance in the same way as nature intended.
Our mind might not be aware but our nervous system is always on the watch for us and our survival, at all times.
This is where TRE comes in – as mentioned in the beginning these exercises initiate this shaking response in the body to let go of this pent up energy and deeply held tension and stress patterns from the muscles to get the nervous system back to baseline.
Things you can experience when practicing TRE are plenty but here just some examples
- Less Worry & Anxiety
- Reduces Symptoms of PTSD
- More Energy & Endurance
- Improved Marital Relationships
- Less Workplace Stress
- Better Sleep
- Less Relationship Conflict
- Reduced Muscle & Back Pain
- Increased Flexibility
- Greater Emotional Resiliency
- Decreases Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma
- Healing of Old Injuries
- Lessened Anxiety surrounding Serious Illness
- Relief from Chronic Medical Conditions
It is important to do these exercises with a TRE Provider for at least the first 3 sessions in order to learn the exercises correctly and also how to self-regulate in order not to stress the system even more, which can happen if you don’t know what to watch out for.
Currently the first private session is FREE at Santosa, and the following two private sessions are at a heavily discounted price until April 24th.
We will also be running group classes in the future but the prerequisite to join the class is to do one private session before joining a class.
Come and see for yourself what all this shaking is about contact [email protected] to book your first private session.
Apr 11, 2015 | Detox & Wellness
Working as a chef and coach at the restaurant of the detox center here in Phuket, I’m always amazed by the quantity of people actually wanting to be in better shape, to feel good, to taste good food and not feeling guilty, and to live life to the fullest….
I’m a vegan chef and the question I got more frequently, when talking to people, is “How I can lose weight?”
Everybody wants to lose weight, but all of them are “afraid” of being on a diet; it’s just like they don’t like the word itself.
Do you know what “diet” actually means?
It comes from the Greek word “diaita” which means “style of life”. So, it is not only a matter of food, it’s also a matter of thoughts and habits.
For this week’s Coach Corner I give you some inspirations and ideas for your life style, some practical tips as an answer to that question. Remember to consult your physician before starting any diet or weight loss program, or talk to a good detox expert and manager for more information.
1. It’s a matter of “process”, not “goal”
You can lose weight by following a process, and for this it takes time. It’s not only a matter of the goal. As Jeff Haden says, “[…] process is everything, if you cannot commit to the process, you won’t get the result.”
Remember, it must be at least 21 days. (I can say that 28 days is even better, like a lunar month, as we are so influenced by the Moon)
2. Figure out what you are currently eating
I mean everything that you are taking into your body… And also what you are currently drinking. Keep a record and read it often, you will be amazed. (I know, I already wrote about that; it’s just so important and crucial that I like to remind again.)
I like this sentence: when we are being observed we change our behavior.
In this case you will be the one doing the observing
3. Start with a 1 or 2 days fast
It can be a juice fast, a raw food fast, or a vegetable broth fast.
1 day fast is just the beginning and it will change your mood and you will feel much better and motivated.
4. Drink two glasses of water before every meal.
Please drink authentic water. Not soda, light coke or sparkling cold water.
Just water – fresh, transparent and precious still water, at warm temperature.
5. Don’t eat anything white, starchy and processed
Flour, sugar, potatoes, butter, cheese, milk, etc.
Replace all these with legumes, vegetables (cauliflowers are white AND ok, as they are not processed)
6. Eat as much raw food as you can
It’s delicious and healthy and it will help you feeling full and nourished. Try also vegan raw food…healthy, yummy and good for you and the planet.
7. Engage yourself in a physical activity
Choose the one you prefer and stick to it for 21 (or 28) days, minimum. You can try yoga, for example: aerial yoga, acro yoga, bliss yoga, hatha yoga…it is a wonderful way to connect body and mind and have them in perfect balance.
Or you can walk, swim or do aqua-gym, run…
The possibilities are endless.
8. Stick to the plan
As I wrote above, process is everything.
Get ready for transformations!
Apr 5, 2015 | Detox & Wellness
Since the 1980’s it’s been scientifically proven that house plants are natural air purifiers. Housing plant life not only brightens décor and mood, but effectively cleans and purifies the air we breathe from harmful toxins and pollutants. No matter how clean and tidy you are, the home may still be full of contaminants. In fact many of the products we use to KEEP our homes clean are the very causes of contamination. There are several household cleaning products that leave chemical residues behind. Anything with the label “keep out of the reach of children” is an automatic red flag. However, your kids ingesting these products is not the only danger. Inhaling and/or touching these detergents can still transfer dangerous chemicals into the body as well. Children are at further risk as they are still growing and have an immune system that is more susceptible to infection. Yet adults and pets can be at risk as well. Even if you are using all homemade organic products, your home itself may be releasing harmful toxins into the air you breathe!
Where do these toxic fumes come from?
Formaldehyde is one of the main culprits,it is an organic compound found in a multitude of household building materials and furniture. It is a common component added to glues that hold pressed-wood, cabinets and carpets together, is emitted by natural gas stoves and is an active ingredient of flooring caulks and sealants, paint, furniture finish and upholstery stain repellants.
Formaldehyde is only emitted in low levels but the accumulation of materials utilizing this compound can be quite dangerous. In fact some governments have begun to regulate the amount of formaldehyde that can be legally used in insulation and particleboard furniture. It is theorized that formaldehyde may cause cancer in humans and has been known to trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions when present in high levels.
8 Plants that can detox your home
Luckily, we can reduce our ingestion of theses harmful particles by investing in a few house plants. Seems simple enough yet, which are the most effective?
We have compiled a list of 8 effective air purifying plants that you can keep indoors.
- Areca Palm (Butterfly Palm)
- English Ivy
- Gerbera Daisy
- Snake Plant
- Spider Plant
- Aloe Vera
- Peace Lily
- Goosefoot plant
Apr 2, 2015 | Detox & Wellness
A little story of a woman breaking herself on her quest for the life she wants to live:
Once upon a time there was a young woman working very hard. She moved to a faraway city that was never going to be her home, studied for many years there before jumping into busy working life, moving from city to city to accomplish her quest for achievement. She was so dedicated to push through to get there, somewhere. The holidays were her sanctuary, she would go home, feel at ease with herself and the world and recharge before taking on the things that, in her mind would make her succeed in this lifetime.
Many years went by in this fashion of battle and quest, recharge and recovery. Having always been fit and healthy she found her mind, body and spirit spiraling into a never seen before state of decay. She would run – get an injury – be banned from running due to pain and inflammation – stop exercising and get caught in a nasty loop of being unfit, training and injury. She ate healthy generally but found herself eating the sweets and snacks found in the office to keep her energy up after those long meetings. The commuting meant she got home later and later, ate dinner later and later or skipped it altogether finding she would just collapse in bed exhausted, not many hours before the alarm would shake her out of bed again. In a hurry to catch the train she would grab something to eat on the run and rush off to the next coffee stand to sweep out the last cobwebs before concentrating on her ultimate quest for success. This went on day after day, month after month, year after year.
Bad sleep, pain in the body, poor digestion with constipation issues, and brain fog were all things that were popping up on a growing list of concerns in this young woman’s life. Not bad enough to stop her on her quest though – because she was strong and she could endure hardships.
She wanted a way out, to get her health back so she could continue on her quest – this was just a real inconvenience in her rise to her vision of being an empowered and successful woman in the business world. So she delayed it and told herself she would take care of it tomorrow.
How could a Health Coach do anything in a situation like this?
Well, one fateful afternoon she met with an old friend. This old friend of hers was a Health Coach and she agreed to run through a wellness assessment together to see what was making her feel so stuck in her life.
The questions on the form started to bring up some realizations that she had been just too busy to acknowledge. Realizations about her health, happiness, state of mind and even her life direction. This was her first powerful insight, a Coach simple holding up a mirror in front of her, letting her take a step back to understand what was happening to her in her life.
What was the result of this seemingly mundane event?
This only seemed to be an innocent chat between long standing friends, yet the Coach was asking specific questions that really cut through the thicket of confusion of how to live a happy and healthy life in line with her visions. A few months after this innocent meeting she:
- quit her job, took some time off to go travelling and exploring
- did a detox to change her eating habits and reduce the inflammation in her body
- started running again to become fit in a gentle manner
- AND found a new job in another country which gave her the freedom and after work lifestyle that made her feel alive and energized.
These things didn’t happen overnight but she realized that this was a challenging and scary time in her life and having her Health Coach there to support her, cheer her on and challenge her gave her the motivation to push forward. She could now push for the success in her career that she was yearning for from the beginning, but now she was coming from a point of power and sustainability, not exhaustion and desperation.
That is the key point – we can only be happy and healthy if we align our life, our daily happenings with our bigger picture, our visions. Whatever that vision may look like e.g. having a family, successful business, happy marriage, saving the world…
We can be so focused on the bigger picture and the end product of our vision that we forget and neglect our daily happenings, our health, our body mind and spirit, which is the vehicle to travel to the destination of your vision.
How does this apply to you?
Have you ever been in the mindset of just needing to get through this so that then I can be happy, healthy, kind, successful, fill in the blank?
If you can align your daily choices with the bigger picture and enjoy the ride – that’s what it’s all about. That’s where a Health Coach can really help you to create your own launch pad to your success by finding ways to keep your body, mind and spirit healthy while you are reaching for the stars.
Life isn’t easy, but it is beautiful with all its challenges and lessons to be learnt. If you need someone to stand by your side because you are confused and need to be guided back to your own wisdom and health – a Health Coach is the right choice.
Get healthy so you can kick ass – Book your free 30 minute Wellness Assessment with Santosa’s Health Coach, Sandra by emailing [email protected]
Mar 27, 2015 | Detox & Wellness
Rather than turning to harsh chemicals, such as bleach or borax, to banish mold and to clean your house, there are eco-friendly, natural ways at home that won’t hurt your family, pets or the environment.
And the ingredients are easy to find and very affordable.
detox your home shopping list:
- Vinegar (either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- Tea tree oil solution
- Citrus seed extract and water
- Lemon juice
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Baking soda
Those ingredients are great for your house cleaning and they make the best detergent ever to detox your house.
So, without further ado, here are our suggestions for you:
Vinegar:
You can dilute it with water or you can spray it from a bottle onto the area and leave it for few hours, then scrub with a brush. It works miracles on limestone, mold and it kills bacteria as well as viruses. Vinegar also prevents mold if you spray it on surfaces and leave it to dry. You can add some drops of essential oil like mint, lemon or thyme. Thyme essential oil is a powerful antiseptic.
Tea tree oil solution:
Just two teaspoons of tea tree oil mixed with two/three cups of warm water can make a solution you can spray onto mold. It prevents the formation of mold spores and the strong scent keep pests away from your furniture
Citrus seed (or grapefruit seed) extract and water:
They are both very powerful against mold and bacteria and, unlike vinegar and tea tree oil, do not have an odor but their taste is very bitter. You can dilute 30 drops with three cups of water, mix in a bottle and spray where needed. Do not rinse.
Hydrogen peroxide:
With baking soda, this is my best choice when I want to clean my house. Both very cheap, they do miracles. I use them in the bathroom, in the kitchen and over all surfaces that need a deep cleaning.
Use three percent hydrogen peroxide from the bottle on the surface you want to clean and leave for 10-15 minutes. Keep the hydrogen peroxide into bottles in a dark area.
It is also a powerful disinfectant and it removes mold spores.
Baking soda:
Used with vinegar and water, or alone with water, baking soda is very effective at cleaning your house. Here are some suggestions:
– Mix baking soda with enough water to make a paste. Scrub the surface with the paste and leave it for 15 minutes, then rinse with water or vinegar.
– For cleaning oven, pans and baking trays: make a paste with baking soda and water and scrub the surface, as above. Leave it all night. Then rinse with hydrogen peroxide and then with water. This remedy removes all the oily stains and it is chemicals-free.
Do-it-yourself dishwasher soap! With four ingredients and in few minutes…
This is all you need:
- 8 lemons
- 800 ml of water
- 300 grams of salt
- 200 ml of vinegar
Put the lemon into a pot with water and boil them (like potatoes) until they become soft. Drain the water and cut the lemon in small pieces, discard the seeds and process them until you have a puree. You should have a very thick juice, with no pieces of lemons left in it. If there are still pieces, use a cloth and filter the pulp and keep the dense juice.
Now, mix the puree with 800 ml of water and add the vinegar and the salt. Place the mixture into a pot and bring it to the boil, stirring WITH A WOODEN SPOON, from time to time until the mixture reaches the right consistency…neither too thick nor too runny. It will take around half an hour.
You will get almost 500 ml. of an excellent detergent, 100% ecological!
Use one or two tablespoons of it into your dishwasher.
All-purpose cleaner:
- 100 ml of vinegar
- 400 ml of distilled water
- 8-10 drops of castile soap (or dish soap)
- Essential oil, few drops (mint, lemon, thyme, rosemary, lavender, etc)
Place all the ingredients into a spray bottle and use it where needed.
