BIKINI BASICS

HERE is a quick article on what you probably aren't but SHOULD be doing if you really want that bikini body for swimsuit season.

Simple and to the point! Good article. Here is a summary:

1) Write down your goals (keeps you on track, keeps you motivated)
2) Fit in some fun (do cardio that you ENJOY! Try something new, like paddle-boarding)
3) Toss the magazine (cardio should be hard enough to actually burn calories and fat)
4) Think outside the crunch (there are several muscles in the abdomen, work them all!)
5) Break less (don't rest between exercises, connecting everything burns more calories)
6) Remember all your major muscles (WHOLE body workout!)

Here's to fitting into that teeny bikini (preferably one made of organic fabrics)!

HEALTH AND IMMUNE BOOST

HERE is an article with a guide to living with "your best health", naturally. All of these techniques are also geared towards increasing the effectiveness of your immune system, helping to stave off disease. A summary of the tips:

1) Get your sleep!
2) Stay in shape (30-40 minutes of cardio/day)
3) Floss your teeth
4) Swear off sugar
5) Get a massage (I like this one!)
6) Meditate
7) Try acupuncture
8) PRACTICE YOGA
9) Take echinacea
10) Eat crunchy veggies
11) Take probiotics
12) Take a mushroom extract (like AHCC)
13) Boost your vitamin D (15 minutes of noon-time sun or add a supplement)
14) Laugh more (increases activity of T-killer cells, a major part of your immune system)
15) Take elderberry extract
16) Recharge your thymus (by going to a chiropractor or taking a thymus support supplement)
17) Spend time with friends
18) Eat bright, eat right (add colorful veggies to your diet for zinc and selenium)
19) Go with garlic (2 cloves a day. Antiviral and antibiotic properties)
20) DRINK TEA!

On top of increasing your overall health, some nice side effects of following this plan are decreased stress and decreased body fat!

BURN, BABY BURN!

Here are several tips on how to increase your resting metabolic rate and burn off those excess pounds, naturally! The tips:

1) Lift weights at least 2 days a week on non-consecutive days (allowing muscle to heal). Now don't be shy about using weights that are heavy! The more muscle you build, the more calories you burn just sitting at the computer reading this blog!

2) Add some spice to your life! Adding spices to your foods, including hot sauces, garlic, cinnamon, and others, have been shown to not only speed up your metabolism, but many of them decrease inflammation throughout the body (think Aleve without the side effects), therefore helping your body to effectively regulate your metabolism.

3) DRINK TEA! Green and white in particular. Have at least 3 cups a day to experience the effects of EGCG, an antioxidant shown to increase base metabolic rate.

4) Become a fidget-er. The more you move, the more calories you burn. Standing for a few extra hours each day burns an additional 100 calories! Unload the dishwasher one dish at a time, walking around the kitchen to put each item away. The calories add up fast and soon enough you'll be slimmer without feeling like you had to put in any work!

More tips to come, but for now, implement as many of these as you can. Every ounce of effort will make a difference in your goal for a sexy, slimmer you!

HAIR AND SPEARMINT...

OK, this is crazy!
A study coming out of Turkey shows that women with excessive hair growth (facial, stomach, and/or chest) who drank two cups of Spearmint tea a day saw a noticeable decline in hair growth!

The cause? Spearmint blocks the effects of testosterone, which is often the culprit behind hirsutism (aka men's facial hair on a woman).

So throw away your hair bleaching agents and grab a couple of boxes of spearmint tea!

The article is available HERE

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES OK'ED FOR TREATING CANCER TREATMENT SIDE EFFECTS

A study coming out of the Cochrane Collaboration shows that homeopathic herbs and treatments for side effects of cancer treatments like chemo do not interfere with the drugs, plus many of the remedies were proven to be effective!

Among the herbs they tested was Calendula creme, which was effective at treating skin irritation from bouts of chemo. Traummel S. for mouth sores was also included in the study

Soooo nice to finally see homeopathic health taken seriously! Normal pharmaceuticals often treat one symptom while creating another (like Ibuprofen helps with inflammation but can damage the liver). Naturopathic medicine is often effective, we just need more studies done to verify this to the scientific community so that MD's can offer these treatments to their patients in good conscience.

You can read the article HERE