5 Facts You Didn't Know to Aid Digestion

Here are some interesting rules to follow to be kind to your body and to aid your digestion:

1.  Fruit should always be eaten with a small amount of protein or carbohydrates to stabilize your blood sugar.

2.  Eat as many colors of food as possible in each meal to get the maximum nutrients and protection for your immune system.

3.  Water should be consumed at room temperature to be more easily absorbed, therefore more hydrating.

4.  Cold food should be eaten before hot food for ease of digestion.

5.  Tea should be consumed without milk.  The casein in the milk blocks the antioxidant properties of the tea.


Please let me know if you have any other interesting facts about food.

By Spa Samurai

5 Tips to Help You Sleep Naturally

I don't normally have problems falling asleep at the end of a work day.  I'm up at 6:00am, at the gym by 7:00am, and returning home from work at 7:00pm.  I'm pretty knackered after dinner from exercise (my body at the gym and my mind at work) as well as my commute. If anything, I have trouble staying up past 10:00pm!

I have a lot of friends who do have problem shutting down at the end of the day and rely regularly on sleeping pills.  I have an issue with sleeping pills because many people get physically and psychologically addicted to them and you often hear of overdoses through fatal combinations with other prescription medications or alcohol.


Here are some tips that I've compiled from my favourite fitness magazines that I thought I'd share:

1.  Cherries - Eat cherries 30 minutes before bedtime.  Cherries help boost the body's natural levels of melatonin to make you sleepy. Tart cherries in particular are the most effective. If you don't want to eat cherries, drink a glass of (sugar free) cherry juice.

2.  Pumpkin seeds -  Low levels of magnesium are linked to insomnia, so eat some pumpkin seeds in the evening or use a magnesium spray.

3.  Bananas - Like turkey, bananas contain tryptophan, which converts to serotonin and melatonin, the hormones which calm your brain.  Bananas also contain magnesium and potassium, which help to relax muscles and help your body recover after a workout. Blend the bananas with milk (which also contains tryptophan) 30 minutes before you want to fall asleep.

4.  Hot Shower - Warm water helps to dilate the blood vessels and relax muscles. It also gives you the opportunity to start shutting down your brain from a stimulating day and transition into sleep mode, a time essential for your muscles to recover and your brain to recharge itself.

5.  Meditation - Taking some quiet time for yourself before you climb into bed is a good habit to get into to enjoy deeper sleep. Sit next to your bed in a cross-legged position with the lights dim. Spend some time focusing on your breathing and practicing mindlessness (not allowing any thoughts to stick in your mind) for 5 minutes. Slowly climb into bed, lay in the corpse position and feel your body melt away.


I hope these tips help you get a better night's sleep and leave you feeling refreshed and revitalized in the morning.

By Spa Samurai

5 Drinks to Burn Fat

Summer is here and it is time to keep your tummy trim to feel confident to dress in your summer skimpies on the beach, in the park, or anywhere you can catch some sun for that much needed Vitamin D!

I thought I'd share my favourite drinks that keep you slim by boosting your metabolism, triggering your body to shed fat, and keep you full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and hydrated for good skin.

If you get the necessary ingredients at a health food store (or online), you can keep them in a drawer in your desk and whip up a healthy beverage in less than 5 minutes.

PRE-WORKOUT

Lemon Water
Full of vitamin C, citric acid, flavonoids, B-complex vitamins, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and fiber. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning helps to balance the body's pH, stabilize your metabolism, cleanse your bowels, fight infection, and detox your liver.  (I drink lemon water three times a day.)

1.  Add a few slices of fresh lemon (or bottled lemon/lime juice) to a bottle of water.

2.  Drink 750 ml when you first wake up before the gym.  Room temperature water is better than iced water.

3.  Drink another two 750 ml throughout the day.

Caffeine Kick

Full of caffeine to give you energy for early morning workouts and chemicals that tell your body to burn fat, plus creatine to give your muscles motivating bulk.  Drink a small cup after you have had half of your Lemon Water to stay hydrated.

1.  Pour yourself a small cup of strong filter coffee.

2.  Add a teaspoon of cinnamon.

3.  Add a teaspoon of agave nectar.

4.  Add a teaspoon of creatine.

5.  Stir and consume 20 minutes prior to the gym.  

6.  Drink the rest of your Lemon Water on your way to the gym.

 

POST WORKOUT

Simple Summer Smoothie
Full of protein, fiber, vitamins (B, C, D), minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants.  It helps you build muscle, stay full longer, and shed fat.

1.  Pour 200 ml of skimmed milk in a shaker (or blender if you have one at work).
2.  Add a teaspoon of bee pollen (I like the freeze dried variety in a jar from Whole Foods).
3.  Add two tablespoons of fat free yogurt (I like strawberry).
4.  Add a teaspoon of milled flax seed.
5.  Add a teaspoon of honey.
6.  Add some frozen mixed berries (if you have a blender).
7.  Add a scoop of your favourite protein powder.
8.  Add 50 ml of orange juice.
9.  Shake until smooth.

AFTER LUNCH

Iced Green Tea with Honey
Full of antioxidants, enzymes, and chemicals that tell your body to ditch the fat. It also improves circulation, memory, and your immune system.

1. Choose your favourite green tea.  I'm really into Lipton's Apple & Pear infused Green Tea at the moment.
2.  Brew the teabag in a large mug of hot water until it is richly brewed.
3.  Take the teabag out and put the mug in the fridge to cool down.
4.  Once it's cool, add some honey to your taste. (The enzymes break down if the water is too hot!)
5.  Pour over ice or enjoy cold from the mug.


Cinnamon Bomb
Full of enzymes and chemicals that triggers your body to lose fat. This drink helps to stabilize the sugar levels in your body and is a great alternative to dessert when you are craving something sweet after lunch. It is also very hydrating.  It is so simple, but absolutely delicious!

1.  Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon to a mug of hot water.
2.  Once it has cooled, add a tablespoon of honey. (The enzymes break down if the water is too hot!)


I hope you enjoy my recipes.  Please let me know your fat-busting drink tips!

By Spa Samurai

World’s Best Pampering Spas

 

WHAT? Pampering spa treatments are non-invasive, relaxing, and focus on the aesthetic beauty of the face, hands, and feet. 

WHY? Pampering retreats are a great way to get over jet lag, feel refreshed, rejuvenate your skin, and to treat yourself. 

WHO? Anyone who cares about grooming, looking younger, and feeling relaxed should try a pampering retreat. Pampering programmes are not just for women anymore.  Treatments specializing in men’s needs are very common and it is very common to see men at dedicated spas. Pampering treatments can be social, so it is quite common for couples, friends or relatives to go on pampering retreats together to spend quality time with each other. Pampering programmes are available at many resort spas with childcare facilities or activities for partners, which allows you time to focus on indulging yourself.

WHERE?  Pampering treatments are available at day spas, resort spas, and destination spas, but most pampering retreats can only be found at resort spas with dedicated programmes which include spa cuisine, fitness activities, and classes.

WHEN?  Most pampering retreats last between 3 – 7 nights, but some programmes can last up to one month and incorporate fitness, detox, weight loss, or other specialities.

Unlike other spa retreats that restrict alcohol and enforce strict diets, pampering retreats normally allow you to drink alcohol and choose your meals from a la carte menus to give you the option.  Depending on the location, spa retreats may offer outdoor fitness, sporting, or leisure activities in addition to your pampering programme.  All pampering retreats allow you to use the spa’s saunas, steam rooms, pools, and Jacuzzis.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS –

Pampering retreats are for anyone, but some spas are better than others.

Best Spa for COUPLES:  Kamalaya, Thailand

Perfect for couples, yet not inundated with cooing lovers, this resort is great for couples who share the same approach to holistic healing and want to enjoy the beautiful Thai scenery together by blissing out and getting beautiful together.

Best Spa for PARTNERS:  Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman

This hideaway resort is just two hours from Dubai, but makes you feel like you have found your own private paradise.  You can get the royal treatment at the spa without worrying that your partner will be bored.  They can choose from paragliding, canyoning, diving, rockclimbing, fishing, microlighting, mountain biking, or kayaking. If they aren’t adventurous, but not into spas, they can enjoy cooking classes,  peaceful cruises, lazy walks along the beach, or reading in your private plunge pool.

Best spa for MEN:  Canyon Ranch Tucson, USA

This is one of the world’s best spas, so they know how to make their guests feel special.  In addition to relaxing massages and grooming, located in the Arizona desert, this spa offers a whole host of outdoor activities for you to get back to nature, get some sun, and get in shape.

Best spa for MODELS:  Parkhotel Igls, Austria

This leading medical spa is a favourite amongst models for its state of the art facilities and exclusive service.  The focus of this retreat is on rejuvenation, so nutrition and trendy treatments will leave you feeling relaxed and looking younger.

Best spa for EXECUTIVES: Chiva Som, Thailand

Located in Hua Hin, just a two hour drive from Bangkok, this pampering spa is very popular amongst executives on business in Bangkok.  Chiva Som has a programme to fit almost any budget, but their high-end services are excellent value for money.  They have developed their own unique line of spa products, which are also on sale at Harrods.

Best spa for VIPs:  Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos

The COMO spa at this exclusive resort offers ultimate escapism and is popular with UK celebrities such as Miranda Hart and Hollywood A-listers like Demi Moore. But you don’t have to be a celeb to spa like one!

Can’t decide why spa or which retreat is best for you?  Speak to Jo at Healing Holidays – she’ll give you excellent advice.

By Spa Samurai

Stop Smoking Treatments That Work

The majority of smokers want to quit, but find it too difficult.  At some point they have tried going cold turkey, hypnotherapy, reading a self-help book, or swapping cigarettes for nicotine-replacement patches, gum, or e-cigarettes.  A few lucky people never start again, but most smokers spend years caught in the stop-start cycle, feeling out of control and unhappy.  Some people find that they replace fags with food, and start smoking again when they find that they have put on weight.

Over the counter products alone don’t always work.  If you are serious about quitting, I suggest a week-long smoking cessation retreat at a specialist spa to get help to stop smoking and to learn how to never start again.

Rather than just replacing the nicotine, “Stop Smoking” spa retreats will:

• Uncover the reasons you smoke
• Break the triggers that cause you to smoke
• Get rid of the cravings you have for cigarettes
• Give you techniques to deal with stress
• Educate you on how to be a healthy non-smoker

Spa retreats offer state of the art facilities and the top doctors, lecturers, and spa practitioners in their field.  Modern techniques and therapies are administered to get fast, long-lasting results.  Some of the most popular treatments include:

• Hypnotherapy
• Acupuncture
• Massage
• Detoxification
• Laser Therapy
• Magnetic Therapy
• Oxygen Therapy
• Serotherapy
• Ozone Therapy

In addition to lectures, counselling, and therapies, papering spa treatments are used to help you relax and relieve stress during this detox process which can be stressful on your body and taxing on your nerves.  You will learn relaxation techniques that you can practice once you return home as well.

Activities to distract yourself from your yearnings for cigarettes and fitness (particularly outdoor fitness) will make you feel healthy and curb your cravings.

Spa retreats help you to relieve the stress of quitting cigarettes, teach you coping strategies, and will help you focus on your priorities without any distractions or temptations.  It is a time to focus on yourself and to devote to improving the quality of your life to be healthy, live longer, and have more quality time to spend with your family. 

MY RECOMMENDATION –

SHA Wellness Clinic has an excellent 7 day programme to stop smoking using cutting edge technology, supervised by doctors.

Speak to Jo at Healing Holidays to find out more about the retreat.

What is your favourite spa to stop smoking? Let me know and I’ll blog about it.

By Spa Samurai

Pain Relief Treatments That Work

Chronic pain affects not only your physical well being, but your emotional and social contentment as well.  The ageing Baby Boomers are not all growing old gracefully, and their demands for pain treatment are changing the face of the pain management industry.  Traditionally people visited their GPs when faced with both acute and chronic muscular or skeletal pain, but these days they are seeking specialist treatments at spas.  Once considered “alternative medicine”, destination spas are replacing doctors’ clinics because they provide cutting edge facilities and a relaxing environment to recover from accidents, illnesses, and injuries.

Day spas are a popular choice for temporary pain relief, but specialist destination spas offer unique programmes with the industry’s top practitioners that make pain management retreats a better choice for long term wellness.  The most effective pain management retreats last a minimum of 7 nights which is the least amount of time that your body needs for treatment, re-alignment and for the pain to be alleviated through a reduction in swelling.

The key benefits of a week-long physical renewal retreat are:

• Get physical relief from your illness, accident, or injury.
• Improve your posture
• Get off pain medications
• Create a long-term strategy to cope with or alleviate pain

The key therapies used during a week-long pain treatment programme are:

Hydrotherapy:  Techniques using thermal baths and a variety of showers are used to soothe the body, reduce swelling, improve circulation, and diminish stress.  Hydrotherapy has been particularly effective in treating rheumatism and digestive problems.

Balneotherapy:  The use of sea water in treatments is particularly popular in Europe, but this technique is used all over the world.  The medicinal properties of sea water date back to Roman times.  The minerals  absorbed through balneotherapy are especially used to treat arthritis pain and fibromyalgia.

Mud Treatment:  The use of mineral rich muds and algae administered through baths and wraps were once only thought of as important for beauty treatments, but are now seen as an effective mean to reduce pain associated with bone injuries and muscular problems. Heat packs made of mud, algae and herbs are used to treat back and joint discomfort.

Acupuncture:  This ancient Chinese practice has moved into mainstream Western medicine as it is painless and extremely beneficial in acute pain relief.  Performed frequently and correctly, acupuncture relieves not only muscular pain, but can treat digestive disorders and skin diseases as well.

Massage:  Various massage techniques (e.g., sports massage, shiatsu, hot stone massage, Thai herbal massage) are administered as appropriate to treat specific injuries.  Massage relieves discomfort caused from tension, stretches muscles, and re-aligns the body.  Relaxation allows the body to recover and triggers hormones that reduce pain and promote healing.

Physiotherapy:  Specialist therapists will evaluate you to create a customized rehabilitation programme to realign the body, strengthen muscles, and increase flexibility. State of the art tools will expedite the recovery process.

Education:  Classes, lectures, and reading materials will be provided to teach your more about your specific ailment and give you the knowledge necessary to treat yourself after you return home, prevent further injury, and lead a life free of pain.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS –

1. Parkhotel Igls, Austria – This medical spa’s  week-long Musculoskeletal System retreat is perfect if you suffer from back pain or joint discomfort.
2. Chiva Som, Thailand – This holistic destination spa offers 3 – 14 night Phsyical Renewal retreats that focuses on pain management, posture alignment, and performance enhancement.

Do you have any tips for pain relief or a spa retreat that you can recommend?  Please let me know.

By Spa Samurai

The Uncelebrated Benefits of Stress Relief

Everyone knows what stress is, but very few people know how to undo its effects.  Stress can quietly creep into our lives through work, family, finances, and even friends.  It’s often easy to try to ignore it, to create unhealthy coping strategies, or to let it get the better of us.  We all know that stress is harmful because it leads to heart disease, but we overlook the other benefits to our overall health and well being that come from releasing stress.

Stress can also be responsible for the following -

Fat:  The body releases stress hormones such as cortisol and norepinephrine in situations that it finds potentially dangerous.  These hormones impede weight loss and may be the reason that you can’t seem to shed those last few pounds.  Stressing about what you eat or weight loss is counterproductive.

Anxiety:  The same stress hormones that are preventing you from shedding fat are causing a fight or flight response in your body that is altering your mood, your productivity, your relationship and your quality of life.  The stress response is your body’s way of protecting you from danger, but too much of this will shift your mood to agitation, loneliness, and depression.

Headaches:  Hypertension is a by-product of stress and it may be responsible for your chronic headaches. Stress headaches are caused by lack of sleep, eye strain, or muscular tension caused by anxiety. Working too much, staring at a computer for too long, or allowing things to build up may actually be manifested in stress-related headaches.

Bad Skin:  Stress changes the balance of hormones in your body, wears down your immune system, and can be responsible for outbreaks of acne.  This stress-induced hormone imbalance causes your skin to produce excess oil and is contributing to increasing rates of adult acne.

Early Death:  Heart disease is the most common killer from stress , but stress plays a damaging role for those with other diseases.  Stress weakens your immune system and leaves your system open to infections, which is particularly dangerous for those with already compromised immune systems due to HIV or treatments for diseases such as cancer or Hepatitis C.

The good news is that stress is manageable and most of the detrimental effects related to stress can be reversed. For those who need a break from their work and family lives, stress management programmes at health spas offer a relaxing retreat where you can get advice from professionals which will give you the necessary coping skills which will improve the quality of your life and your longterm health and wellbeing.

Stress relief retreats  at destination spas typically last from 3 – 14 nights and include relaxation, exercise, and education.  

Although programmes differ according to the specialty of each spa, most stress management retreats include elements of the following:

• Diet:  Detoxifying diets prescribed per body type help to cleanse the body of toxins.  There are even specialized foods (including dark chocolate) that will relieve stress from the inside out.
• Fitness:  Private training sessions, group exercise, and outdoor activities are a quick way to change your hormonal balance and blow off some steam.
• Yoga:  Yoga is a way to focus your mind away from stress, concentrate on your cleansing breathing, and stretch your muscles which relieves tension as well as repressed emotions.  The union of body, mind, and spirit  is a practice that you can take home with you as well.
• Meditation:  Many spas in India or Ayurvedic-based spas also offer lessons on breathing and meditation.  Meditation helps the mind from wandering and is an effective way to stop the downward spiral of negative thoughts in stressful situations.
• Cooking Classes:  Fun and social, cooking classes give you an opportunity to be light hearted and learn some delicious recipes for a healthy lifestyle.  Top chefs regularly share their most popular recipes and teach you about nutrition.
• Massage:  Relaxing massages physically remove tension from the body, cleanse the muscles of toxins, and trigger happy hormones to combat the cortisol.
• Pampering Spa Treatments:  Body wraps, salt scrubs, aromatherapy, saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpools all help you to feel relaxed, cleansed, and to dilate your blood vessels to fight hypertension. Relaxation causes the body to produce dopamine which makes you feel happy and helps to remove stress hormones from your system.
• Self Discovery:  Doctors, specialists, and other spa goers will be a part of your classes, lectures, and group discussions to provide a support net to help you change your life.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS –

My favourite spas for stress management retreats at the moment -

1. SHA Wellness Clinic, Spain
2. Chiva Som, Thailand
3. Longevity, Portugal

Speak to Jo at HealingHolidays.  She answered all of my questions about the different programmes and helped me pick a great spa.

What’s your favourite spa for stress relief?  Please let me know – I’m always looking for good recommendations.

By Spa Samurai