The purpose of a detox is to cleanse the body of toxins that have accumulated in the body. While some dieters turn to fasting as a detox method, a safer, more nutritionally sound approach is based on ingesting natural fruit and vegetable juices. A well-balanced combination of fresh, raw juices is not only fat-free but also provides the body with concentrated vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants. These help the body flush out toxins, leading to increased energy, vitality, and fat loss.

You can detox naturally by just eating fruits and vegetables for about a week and, of course, drinking tons of water.

Try this easy detox juice for breakfast:

4 carrots
1/2 cup fresh spinach
Handful flat leaf parsley
2-3 sticks celery

Juice all ingredients, putting celery through last. Mix with water to taste or drink neat, your preference.

Here are a few other good recipes:
• Apple Cucumber Juice
• Beet, Carrot, Apple, & Ginger Juice
• Green Juice

Image: gadl

Cold weather might not be the best motivator in terms of going out and exercising, but being stuck indoors is a great opportunity to get reacquainted with your kitchen and focus on healthy nutrition. Get ready to dig in to these nourishing winter foods…

Citrus Fruits
Seasonal citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines brighten up winter days and contain vitamin C to boost the immune system during cold and flu season. Citrus fruits are also good sources of cancer-fighting phytochemicals like flavonoids. Eat them out of hand or add them to warming drinks like Natural Cough Control Tea and Warm Grapefruit Tea.

Root Vegetables
Carrots, parsnips, and turnips are the humble, yet comforting, vegetables of winter. Roasted, mashed, or puréed, these vegetables provide us with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Think roots are boring? Try these recipes from Eating Well and you might very well change your mind.

Winter Squashes
Pumpkin, acorn squash, spaghetti squash … the whole spectrum of winter squashes is colorful, sweet, and full of antioxidants and vitamins A and C. You can learn more about the world of winter squashes and find some easy ways to prepare them over at Women’s Health.

Comfort Food
Let’s face it, we all want some comfort food this time of year. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be unhealthy! For nutritious, filling recipes, check out these Hearty Soups and Stews and 5 Healthy Muffin Recipes.

Do you have any favorite winter recipes to share?

Live Life Loud!

Want the tools to develop life-long health habits?
Check out my e-book, Your Life Force: Training for Strength & Harmony.

Image: Florian Schroiff

There is a delicate balance between being able to tickle your senses in all ways and living neither a restricted nor a decadent life. I believe I walk that fine line every day. I know you are probably laughing at the fact that I’m psychoanalyzing my Sunday joy, but wait, there is a point…

For my personal growth and exploration, I like to feel that I can enjoy things and say “yes” or “no” without feeling guilty or regretful. But only theorizing about this concept is not enough – it must be a well-known mind map. Put into action, it can involve a “no” to the request of a dear family member when I have overextended myself, or perhaps a humble stepping back when the ego has taken over.

When it comes to nutrition and fitness, I like to eat healthy and feed my body with the gifts of the earth. I also like the small instant gratification of eating the sugar and then being able to say “no more” and stop – without guilt. I enjoy moving and exercising. But I also need the balance of not keeping a rigid 7-day fitness schedule.

I believe creating a healthy balance keeps us in a place of learning to choose and make decisions based upon listening to ourselves, and not reacting with compulsive behaviors. Restricted, compulsive behaviors are imprisoning, taking away the freedom we are born with.

My cupcake might be your [fill in the blank] indulgence that you can learn to enjoy and then keep at bay. You can learn to do anything. It is your choice to begin, to change direction, to stop, and, most of all, to feel, smell, taste the journey you are taking.

So there – a whole philosophy in a cupcake. The looking forward to it. The allowing it to happen. The utter enjoyment of sharing it with friends. The giggles when going on and on about the fetish. And then yet another reason to do that fun fun workout class one more time…

Live Life Loud!

Image: clevercupcakes

It’s soup season, and these are some of my favorite recipes from Sweden. They’ll keep you warm and healthy through the Holidays!

• Blueberry Soup: An energy- and antioxidant-rich soup traditionally served to ski marathoners!

• Kale Soup: Leafy greens, chicken broth, and ginger will help keep winter colds at bay.

• Spinach Soup: A quick, nutritious, and flavorful meal with greens, eggs, and nutmeg.

Image: bobjudge

A: Hello, Nikita! In my book Your Life Force there is a whole chapter with tips and tricks on how to stop emotional eating. It requires focus and a real resolve, as stress is so common and we need to eat every day. But there is hope if you really want to stop!

My advice is to work with the different methods in the book, and if it still feels like you are not getting anywhere, you have to call in the Army! There are support groups for overeating, and there are cognitive psychologists who can help you change your behavior around food. Do not give up and do everything wholeheartedly!

Tanja

Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!

I’m working from early morning and I am at home about 5, then I have dinner and then when I am ready to do my workout, it’s 8 already. I finish about 9 and I’m not really sure what should I eat then? I am going to bed about 11… Please, Tanja, I really need your help.

By the way, I already bought a second DVD workout with you. I enjoyed the Resistance Cord one so much, I bought the Total Body BalanceBall a couple of days ago and it’s fantastic. I have so much fun and I feel like you are here, doing the exercise with me. Thank you, Tanja. – Kasia xxx

A: Hi Kasia, Great question! This is a problem for a lot of people because they are stuck in the rule of not eating before bedtime. The more important thing is actually to eat after your workout, to replenish your energy supplies and get the MOST out of the workout you just did!! If a small meal of vegetables, a grain, and protein feels like too much before bedtime, a protein shake can be beneficial at this point. Just make sure to get shakes that are LOW in sugar, which can sometimes be difficult to find.

You might also consider getting up an hour earlier and switching your workout time to the morning hours. It can be hard to switch, but after a few weeks you will start feeling the benefits of what a great start that workout gives you. In my own experience, evening workouts can sometimes cause insomnia because of all the endorphins and adrenalin that get produced. But again, this is a very individual experience. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Thank you for working out with me!!!

Live Life Loud!
Tanja

Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!

Do you sometimes get stuck eating the same foods over and over that you know you like? They might even be healthy foods, but a little variety (or a lot!) is important when it comes to getting phytochemicals – the plant-based chemicals that are believed to boost our immune systems and protect against disease.

Phytochemicals may help with everything from fighting cancer to improving memory, and scientists say the best way to get them is to eat a rich assortment of plant-based foods. Spinach, tomatoes, and grapes are just some of the well-known foods that contain phytochemicals, but there are literally hundreds of others, including whole grains, vegetables, beans, fruits, and nuts.

Check out this chart of phytochemical-rich foods and their effects. You might even take it with you when you shop for groceries. In addition to adding more health-boosting phytochemicals to your diet, perhaps you’ll discover some delicious new flavors!

Images: Stewart, Muffet, Zest-pk

Whenever I travel, I always plan ahead and pack healthy and simple snacks that can be eaten at the airport, waiting in line somewhere, or while sitting and enjoying the scenery of a new town. It’s important to be prepared so you keep your metabolism in balance and don’t end up grabbing whatever junk food is nearby.

Here are a few smart choices for on-the-go foods… These are good snacks to keep in your purse or car or office drawer, too.

• Wasa crackers
• Instant oatmeal packets
• Roasted almonds
• Walnuts
• Dried blueberries
• Whole-grain pretzels
• Soy chips
• Salmon jerky
• Peanut or almond butter
• Green tea bags (excellent for digestion)

And remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water!

A: The secret is DEFINITELY to stay active as much as possible. It is difficult sometimes, because your body is seemingly and obviously gaining weight because it is making a baby. But just the thought of how much easier it will be to regain your energy and body after delivery, is hopefully a good motivator.

Also, it is in the calories!! A baby-making body doesn’t require more than 200-350 more calories per day. Moms often “eat for two,” which can mean that there is a food frenzy at every meal. When you find the balance, stick to it!!

Here are some little sayings you can use to motivate yourself:

• I am doing this for the health of my Baby
• I want to get in Hot Mama shape quickly after I deliver!
• I am instilling the value of health into my precious baby already!
• Exercise makes my body stronger, healthier, and wiser!!
• Any little thing I do is valuable!

Tanja

Note: This article is for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical counseling. Before starting this or any other diet or fitness program, consult your physician to determine if it is right for your needs.

Do you have a question? Don’t be shy – ask it here!

Contrary to the messages in some fad diets, carbohydrates are necessary to supply the body with the energy it needs to function.

Carbs are found almost exclusively in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, peas, and beans. Milk and milk products are the only foods derived from animals that contain a significant amount of carbs. These essential nutrients are divided into two groups: simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.

Simple carbohydrates, sometimes called simple sugars, include fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar), as well as several other sugars. Fruits are one of the richest natural sources of simple carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates are also made up of sugars, but the sugar molecules are strung together to form longer, more complex chains. Complex carbohydrates include fiber and starches. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates include vegetables, whole grains, peas, and beans.

Carbohydrates are the main source of blood glucose, which is a major fuel for all of the body’s cells and the only source of energy for the brain and red blood cells. Except for fiber, which cannot be digested, both simple and complex carbohydrates are converted into glucose. The glucose is then either used directly to provide energy for the body, or stored in the liver for future use. When a person consumes more calories than the body is using, a portion of the carbohydrates consumed may also be stored in the body as fat.

When choosing carbohydrate-rich foods for your diet, always select unrefined foods such as fruits, vegetables, peas, beans, and whole-grain products, as opposed to refined, processed foods such as soft drinks, desserts, candy, and sugar. Refined foods offer few, if any, of the vitamins and minerals that are important to your health. In addition, if eaten in excess, especially over a period of many years, the large amounts of simple carbohydrates found in refined foods can lead to a number of disorders, including diabetes and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Yet another problem is that foods high in refined simple sugars often are also high in fats, which should be limited in a healthy diet. This is why such foods like cookies and cakes, as well as many snack foods, are usually loaded with calories.

Dietary fiber is the part of a plant that is resistant to the body’s digestive enzymes. Only a relatively small amount of fiber is digested or metabolized in the stomach or intestines. Most of it moves through the gastrointestinal tract and ends up in the stool. Although most fiber is not digested, it delivers several important health benefits. First, fiber retains water, resulting in softer and bulkier stools that prevent constipation and hemorrhoids. A high-fiber diet also reduces the risk of colon cancer, perhaps by speeding the rate at which stool passes through the intestine and by keeping the digestive tract clean.

In addition, fiber binds with certain substances that would normally result in the production of cholesterol, and eliminates these substances from the body. In this way, a high-fiber diet helps lower blood cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease.

It is recommended that about 60% of your total daily calories come from carbohydrates. If much of your diet consists of healthy complex carbohydrates, you should easily fulfill the recommended daily minimum of 25 grams of fiber.

Do you have any questions about carbs? Leave a comment below.

Image: little blue hen