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Morphy Richards

Thursday 21 March 2013

Spring, Spring, Spring!


Although we have not seen this through the windows  officially we have a spring.
  Spring is my favourite time of the year when I wake up from hibernation, I feel a new energy to everything.
The day is already long, and only remains for us to wait for warm and sunny days.
Spring is the time for me to clean up the whole body. As  always I do spring cleaning in my home to feel clean and fresh I also care about the cleaning  in my body. I do not know why but this is the time when I really should clean up my body, to make some healthy rituals in my life and enjoy the fact that the winter months behind me.In the spring it is definitely easier for me to take care of my diet. To clean my body of toxins  for some time it is really worth to avoid sweet, sour and salty foods that cause water retention in the body and added to the diet foods more bitter and sharp.
So I reach for the:

Grains: quinoa, barley, buckwheat, rye, brown rice, long grain


Vegetables: sprouts, asparagus, peppers, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garlic, green beans, mushrooms, peas, onions, radishes and spinach

Fruits: Dried fruits, apples and pears

Herbs: parsley, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, clove - aromatic herbs that can help reduce your intake of salt.

Protein: legumes (beans, sprouts, lentils, peas), pumpkin and sunflower seeds, white meat (chicken, turkey), freshwater fish and eggs (hard-boiled)

Oils: Reduce your intake of oils and I use mostly corn and sunflower oil

Dairy and milk products: for some time about 2 weeks so I try to avoid completely cheese, milk, yogurt and other milk products

Herbal teas with: cardamom, chicory, cinnamon, cloves, Dandelion, ginger, hibiscus, orange peel and strawberry leaves






As already doing "order" with my body, of course, I do not forget about exercise. Even though the weather does encourage me and I would like to stay a little longer in bed is really worth it to wake up before 7 in the morning, so that you can start your day with the rising sun. Exercising in the morning is the perfect solution for me at this time of year! This helps to stimulate blood circulation and strengthen the immune system. This is a great impetus to the very beginning of the day.

After the winter, my skin also becomes drier so I try to scrub it with special brushes for the face, body scrubs and do facials moisturizers, and if necessary I'll go to the beauty therapist to make my  skin fresh and radiant.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Breakfast 2.

Today for breakfast two slices of wholemeal bread with cheese, cherry tomatoes sprinkled with fresh basil leaves

Thursday 14 March 2013

It is worth to drink tomato juice!



What do you drink every day? I usually drink water, green tea, black tea, a cup of coffee. In general, I have eliminated a variety of juices which we can buy in supermarkets from my diet, The exception is tomato juice. I reach for it most often in the evening after the training session, yoga and aerobics. So why  should we include in our your diet tomato juice?




Tomatoes provide us with many important nutrients. They contain antioxidants, lycopene which helps to restore energy after a hard training session. Studies conducted among athletes showed that those who drank tomato juice after workout quickly regained their energy and muscle regeneration was faster than those who drank other energy drinks.
In addition, tomatoes protect against prostate cancer, pancreas and intestines, and coronary disease. Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12. Tomatoes help us to maintain strong bones and good eyesight and help in the fight against infectious diseases, provide increased energy, better digestion and healthy skin.

So, time for a glass of tomato juice!

Wednesday 6 March 2013

30 days of salad. Day 1 - Avocado salad


Can you imagine eating salads for 30 days, and never be bored? I do. I think that salads are the perfect dish, which we can include in our diet and enjoy their flavor every day. For sure it will help us in the fight against unnecessary pounds and provide a lot of nutritional value. In order not to be tired eating leaves every day it is worth to mix different ingredients together, different flavors, different herbs and spices. Once more sweet, sometimes the sour, or more pointedly and certainly we do not ever get bored. Salads can be either an ideal starter for dinner, substitute potatoes or rice or a separate dish.  
So today, I am starting a series of "30 days of salads" and I look forward to your suggestions and comments. And for the begining, the salad with avocado.



Ingredients:

1 or 2 avocado
the discretion of the salad mix: lettuce, arugula, eskarola, Roman, radicchio, Lollo rosso
coriander leaves
lemon juice
teaspoon of olive oil
salt to taste


Method:
  1. Cut the avocado into small pieces, chop the coriander and mix with salt, lemon juice and olive oil.
  2. Mix the salad leaves and ready.
  3. To this we can add a slice of whole-wheat chlebka and we have a delicious light supper.



 

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Tuesday with yoga - bridge pose

For me, yoga is one of the best ways for good health of the body and getting rid of all types of pain, especially back pain. Yoga position for today's Setu Bandha Sarvangasana or bridge position.




Steps to make the position of the bridge:

  1.  Lie on your back. Bend your knees and pull your heels to the buttocks, legs, however,  remain perpendicular to the floor. Feet and knees should be hip-width apart, outer edges of the feet parallel to each other. Push the feet firmly on the floor. 
  2. Place your hands flat near the shoulders, fingers pointing toward the feet and pressed firmly into the floor. Set your elbows shoulder-width apart, elbows, head toward the ceiling, forearms should be perpendicular to the floor.
  3. On the exhale lift your pelvis up, try to keep it high enough to cross the bone is parallel to the floor, roll up your tailbone at the same time. (If you have a problem with high-elevation basin, you can try a variant with raised heels to the top of lift at the toes and then press the feet).
  4. Tilt your head slightly to the back, put the tip of the head on the floor, push your heels and hands and then lift your pelvis as high as her chest. Try to maintain a constant distance between the elbows. 
  5.  Open the chest and stretch, breathe calmly. And then on the exhale dźwignij again, straightening your elbows. Now, head hanging down, make sure that the face must be passive, try not to stretch the neck.
  6. Remove the arms on the outside, pull the shoulder to the center. Do not let your knees widened out, do not straighten your legs at the knees, the legs must be strong and immovable, they are to lift you up, the burden can not fall to the loins. Rotate the leg to the inside. Your body should be taut like a bow. Stay in the position for several breaths (5-10 seconds).
  7. Exit the position on the exhale: bend your arms, put his head on the floor, bend your hands and knees and then lay back on the mat. You may have to repeat several times the position. After this asana is indicated the opposite position: bend forward.

The greatest benefit of the bridge pose is that it relieves back pain, especially lower back pain. If you want to have a strong hand and foot bridge position is ideal because all your weight is on your hands and feet. If, in turn, in spite of a strict diet, you can not get rid of belly fat, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana position will help you to  have a flat stomach. When you lift up, stretch the abdominal muscles and thus lose belly fat. All the internal organs get the impulse to run correctly. In addition, the bridge position regulates blood pressure, improves heart function, tones the kidneys, regulates the work of the genitourinary system, combats sexual dysfunction and infertility, helps fight depression, cure asthma and back pain. This item adds energy throughout the day.
 


Try and tell me how you are feeling after this position.

Saturday 2 March 2013

Why should we eat nuts?




They are one of the best sources of protein, minerals and unsaturated fats. Perfect snack, addition to many dishes, sweet or savory, roasted or raw – these are nuts. Pecans, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts why we should eat them, why they are an essential part of a healthy diet?



First, the inclusion of nuts into the diet is healthy for the heart. Nuts contain sterols and fiber, which reduce blood lipids. A Wall Street Journal article reported that eating 2 1/2 ounces of nuts a day lowered LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 7.4% in a test group of 600 participants who had high cholesterol but were not taking medication. Eating nuts regularly reduces the risk of blood clots that can cause heart attack. Nuts also contain L-arginine, a substance that improves the condition of the arteries, making them more flexible and less prone to blood clots.
Second, eating nuts can greatly reduce the feeling of hunger. So even though they have a lot of calories should become a snack for all  who want to lose weight. One study shows that there is an inverse relationship between the consumption of nuts and BMI - in other words, obese people rather eat much less or not eat nuts at all. Nuts contain a lot of fat and fiber, which help suppress hunger. Even when we feel much hunger and crisis envelops in us nuts are the perfect snack. So we reach the delicious almonds, pistachios or other nuts instead of crisps, sticks or cakes, which will provide us only empty calories.
Finally, nuts are also an excellent source of many B vitamins, vitamin E, minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, antioxidants and trace elements such as selenium, manganese and copper. Many nuts also contains flavonols and resveratrol. Resveratrol is also found in red wine and red grape juice. It is recognized for helping in the fight against cancer and reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other diseases in the elderly age.
I do not know about you but I love all varieties of nuts, I appreciate their shapes, different flavors and aroma, and most importantly nutrition. Take, for example almonds. In terms of body weight, are the most nutritious nuts of all available to us. Brazil nuts are unique because of the high content of selenium. I love to enjoy pistachios, and what is surprising-pistachios are rich in fiber, which is so much needed in the daily diet. Peckans, delicious nuts which are able to lower cholesterol. Walnuts also have special properties-are a rich source of omega-3. A popular cashew nuts are rich in fiber and protein.

The only drawback of nuts is their high amount of calories. But 20 pieces will surely be for us and for our weight safely.



Remember calories content in 100grams

Walnuts - 645 kcal
Pistachio nuts - 589 calories
Hazelnuts - 640 kcal
Peanuts - 560 calories
Cashew nuts - 560 calories
Almonds - 630 calories