Health & FitnessOctober

menslifestylespain.com october 201234

Health &

Fitness

For those who want to shed that extra weight and can fi nd the discipline to do so, here are some detox and fasting methods that not only help you to drop a few sizes, but also to cleanse and rejuvenate the blood, tissues and organs. You will be amazed at how eff ective they can be at curing and preventing all kinds of ailments. A detox is also a great way to reform old eating habits and begin to introduce foods that benefi t the body, instead of just eating for fl avour.

One of the fi rst things to learn about is quantity. The amount of food you eat should never exceed the amount you need for energy output. The body will only convert as much food as it needs into energy. The rest is stored as fat, calcium deposits, plaque, phlegm, impacted faeces, cysts and other accumulations. An athlete or builder for example, would need a lot more protein and fat than say a computer operator, whereas the computer operator would need more complex carbohydrates than the former. Also, in summer you need more cooling fruits and veg, and in winter more warming fat and protein. Just because everything is available all year round in the supermarket doesn’t mean you should eat it all year round. Changing your diet to

begin a detox usually triggers a response in the body called the “healing crisis”. The symptoms of this can be frequent colds, fl u, diarrhoea, profuse sweating, dark urine, skin eruptions, headaches and other uncomfortable symptoms. These are all caused by the body’s rapid elimination of toxins built up in the tissues and organs by old eating habits. It is a natural response and only happens when the toxic foods are totally eliminated from the diet, especially foods such as meat, milk, sugar or drugs. The stronger the symptoms, the more toxic your system is. When your system is fully cleansed the

symptoms will disappear, as well as other seemingly unrelated ailments you may have had. You will almost certainly experience cravings for the off ending foods, such as sugar and starch, which, if you give in to, will cause you to binge on the particular food. This will get rid of the withdrawal symptoms, but it will also immediately halt the cleansing process. Stay focused, don’t give in, the end results will far outweigh the temporary discomfort.

RAW FRUIT/ VEGETABLE FAST:

This is a popular semi-fast using raw fruit or vegetables. They are an excellent way to purify the body and eliminate toxins. Select only one type of fruit or veg and stick to it. Diff erent fruits and veg work better on diff erent organs so pick one that suits the area that needs most work. One popular type of semi fast

Detox & FastingAs another summer comes to a close, many of us will be feeling the eff ects of the “eat, drink and be merry” culture that is so prevalent nowadays, especially here on the coast. With food and alcohol staying relatively cheap, and readily available 24 hours a day, it’s no wonder many people fi nd it so easy to gain unwanted pounds.

menslifestylespain.com october 2012

is the famous “grape cure”. Dark grapes are one of the most widely used for detox, and they work wonders on liver and gastrointestinal problems. There is a hospital in Russia that specializes in treating its patients using only the grape fast. In America there are patients who claim to have used the grape fast to cure “incurable” cancers. The grape cure not only detoxifies the body, it also enhances metabolism and strengthens the heart muscles. All other foods must be cut out when starting the grape fast. The fast should last up to 10 days, minimum 3 days. Start off eating 1 pound per day and work up to 3 or 4 pounds. You may feel like crashing out after 2 or 3 days because of the toxins being dumped into your system as they are purged, but grin and bear it for a few days and you will feel better than ever.

FASTING:Fasting is the most ancient and natural healing mechanism in the world. All animals fast when sick. There are tribes in the Amazon and Africa that keep “sick houses” outside the villages where sick villagers go to fast until they regain their health. The ancient Greeks fasted for health and long life. Galen, Paracelsus, and Hippocrates, the founding fathers of Western medicine, prescribed fasting for all serious ailments and as a preventative. Fasting triggers an amazing cleansing response that reaches into every cell in the body. Within 24 hours of halting food intake, enzymes normally used to digest food stop entering the stomach, and instead travel into the intestines and bloodstream, where they devour the waste matter including dead and damaged cells, unfriendly microbes, and pollutants. All the organs get a rest, and so can purify and rejuvenate their tissues and balance their functions. The alimentary canal is swept clean and what comes out the other end will surprise first timers enough to make fasting a regular habit. Probably the most important benefit of fasting is that it thoroughly purifies the bloodstream, which is vital in delivering oxygen and nutrients to every cell, and carrying away wastes for excretion. Dirty blood cannot perform these tasks and all kinds of problems arise, such as acne, boils, pimples, diarrhoea, liver spots, foul perspiration, bad breath, body odour etc.

The best fast to undertake is a seven day fast, as it takes seven days to cleanse the entire bloodstream by

fasting and to rid the lymph system of toxins. You eat nothing for the seven

days. Instead you take a powder called Psyllium Husk powder. This

is ground from a special grade of psyllium seed. It can be purchased in most health stores. It can be taken with 10 oz. of filtered water or organic apple juice, or a mix of both. Put 1 teaspoon of the powder into

the liquid, stir it quickly and drink immediately. Follow

with a glass of water. It should be taken 5 times

a day. The powder swells in your

stomach so you feel full.

It also clings to the walls of the colon, holds moisture there, and softens and loosens the waste matter that has built up in the colon for years. Bentonite, which is made from volcanic ash, is a great addition during a fast as it acts like a magnetic sponge, soaking up toxins from every area of the digestive tract. It usually takes at least 2 days for the waste material to begin to pass, this will not be faeces but rather the layers of mucous-coated undigested foods that have been impacted on the colon wall for years. Each passing of this material should be inspected, and by seeing what comes out, you will be strongly

motivated to continue through to the end of the program.

Excessively obese and / or chronically ill people should not try the full 7 day fast first time, as

this could raise the toxin levels in the blood to dangerous levels. The best approach would be to start with

several 3 day fasts spread out over 3 to 4 months, with a diet of mostly raw veg

foods in between.

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menslifestylespain.com october 2012

Girevoy Sport Competition

The competition was set to world championship standard and overseen by professionally trained judges. There were over 90 competitors both male and female which made it one of the biggest events ever outside Russia. The whole day was very well organised and turned out to be a great success. Eddie and Mark have a lot of experience to draw from, both having competed twice at world championships, in Russia, and numerous other international events.

Kettllebell sport (or Girevoy Sport) comes from an old tradition and is becoming very popular worldwide, with many clubs now holding regular amateur and professional tournaments.

Girevoy sport is based on 2 main types of competition: the biathlon and the long cycle, both of which are to be completed in a maximum time of 10 minutes. The biathlon is made up of 2 lifts: the jerk and the snatch. The jerk involves lifting 2 kettlebells (1 for females) from a centred position to an overhead fi xed position as many times as possible in the 10 minutes. It involves a lot of technique and failure to complete each rep correctly will be called a “no count”.

Three no-counts mean automatic disqualifi cation. After a set amount of rest period, the second part of the biathlon, the snatch, takes place. The snatch involves swinging a single bell, the same weight as the bells used in the jerk, from a low position to a fi xed position overhead. Again the same rules apply regarding correct technique and no-counts, and the lifts must be completed within 10 minutes, with the bell changing hands only once.

The longcycle is made up of two types of lift done together: the clean and jerk. Again women use one bell and men use two. Same rules apply.

Rank is achieved by lifting a specifi c number of reps which are allocated according to bodyweight categories. As such heavier competitors would have to complete a higher number of lifts with a given kettlebell weight than a lighter person would. Kettlebell weights begin at 8kg and increase by 4kg up to 32kg in professional competitions. The competition kettlebell is of a standard size, no matter what its weight may be, and are colour coded for easy reference.

This was my fourth competition and the biggest I have attended so far. I had been training for it since mid March, my aim being to compete on

Kilkenny, Ireland

David Sheehan

On the 25th September I took

part in a kettlebell competition in

Ireland. It was hosted by Eddie Sheehan

and Mark Stapleton of Kilkenny

Kettlebell Club.

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24kg bells and complete enough lifts to attain Rank 1. My coach Mark had been training me online using personalised programs, designed for my weight and abilities. With a week to go to the big day I fl ew back to Ireland for some last minute face to face coaching. This is usually unheard of as in the week leading up to the competition the training eases off to allow for some much needed rest. However I didn’t have that luxury as I hadn’t been coached in person for 6 months. This meant I had a lot of areas which needed correcting. Then, with 5 days to go I decided I could compete on 28kg bells. Needless to say my coach wasn’t too excited as it hadn’t been tried before but I did a set using them and half convinced him I MIGHT be able to pull it off . So I signed myself in on 28s and prayed I wouldn’t burn out after 4 minutes. As it turned out, on the day I needed 60 reps in the jerk and managed 64 reps. In the snatch 112 reps was required and I completed 114 reps. I got a gold for my weight category and achieved the rank of Contestant for Master of Sport. It was a great day and I was very pleased that all the sweating and bleeding fi nally paid off . It was also a credit to my coach whose programs were so brutal but also so put together out that I could actually compete on heavier bells.

Of course, the training doesn’t stop. There is always a new goal and my next one is the world championship in Milan in November, which means even more sweat and blood. However I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s one of the few sports where the average training session pushes you past your limits and leaves you for dead- now who wouldn’t want that?

Turkish Get-upBenefits:• Develops shoulder strength, stability and flexibility• Develops strong and stable core• Compound exercise which recruits every muscle and joint in

the body to complete the exercise• Full body workout

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Lie on the floor, kettlebell in rack position on your right side, left arm on the floor at 45 degrees with your palm flat. Right leg is bent, left leg straight out at 45 degrees.

1

Press the bell straight up and lock out your elbow, at the same time right shoulder is kept flat on the floor. Keep your eyes focused on the bell for the remaining movements.

2

Keeping bell pressed, bring your right shoulder across to the left side, so shoulders are perpendicular to the floor and forming a straight line up to the bell.

3

Pull your left arm in and raise your body up so weight is on left elbow.

4

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Push upwards and shift your weight onto your left palm by locking out your left elbow.

5

Raise both hips as high as possible, right leg remains bent, left leg straight.

6

Bring left leg under the body and spread your weight to the left knee and left palm.

7

Push straight up into standing position with bell locked out overhead.

8

Repeat each movement in reverse to return to the starting position on floor.

9

menslifestylespain.com october 2012

I have to be honest, I like a certain amount of stress in my life. It’s like that ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’ syndrome, too much is bad, too little is bad but somewhere in between is...just right.

We have to be realistic when we’re talking about stress. There is good stress and bad stress and we wouldn’t learn anything or push ourselves if we had a stress free life. Let’s face it, where would the fun be in that?

Some stress keeps us focused and challenges us. It enriches us and makes life interesting. It can push us and drag us out of our safe underachieving lives. A certain amount of stress pushes us to reach for what we want and to gain our goals in life.

Should I stay or should I go?

In Survival mode and when faced with danger you have two choices. Fight or flight?

Do you fight and stand or run for the hills? Running for the hills is acceptable when the odds are gargantuan against you as fighting against such odds is just stupid, there’s always another day.

But if the odds are doable? Then you stand your ground and fight. If you make the stand then your body creates

epinephrine. If you run it creates cortisol. Both enhance your system and makes your heart beat faster and your blood flow quickly to your muscles. Through your reaction and when your choice is made, you then go into the zone. Your heart calms, you breathe fresh air and you relax.

Stress is part of our survival skills, built in from the dawn of time. With stress the heart rate goes up allowing more blood to the brain and making us think quicker. Our blood gets directed to the muscles and arms and legs to give more strength and speed. Our blood sugar rises giving more stamina so we can fight and run longer. With stress even our blood clots quicker, in case of wounds, they won’t slow us down.

Bad Stress

It’s only when stress consumes our every walking hour that it becomes a problem. Then it can have major harmful effects.

Physically it can lower your immune system and make you sick, it can attack the heart and weaken it, bring high blood pressure and migraine. It can cause chest and back pain, shortness of breath, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, diabetes and even...cancer. With stress there’s an increased risk of infection and can hinder your bodies ability to heal.

Psychologically it can create sadness, anxiety and depression. You can withdraw from people as you no

STRESSThe greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another - William James

“ ”

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longer want to deal with them (or more likely, you don’t want them to see you in such a low state). You can experience worry, insecurity and dramatic mood swings. Anger, irritation and a lack of control over your anger can result in too much stress.

Bad Stress Effects

This lack of control can also turn into addictions with drinking, smoking or eating.

Your production levels plummet rapidly and you never seem to have enough energy to achieve your goals. Your job becomes dull as a result of you not putting the effort in.

If this dissatisfaction spills out into your close relationships and you stand every chance of losing those closest to you.

Ways to avoid stress

Controlling your stress levels is essential to your well being and has to be done every day while you’re experiencing it.

The following are simple ways of reducing your stress levels:n Be positive. How you see things

is massively important when it comes to stress. Your outlook can change in less than 5 minutes depending on how you see things. You can be passive and do the ‘woe is me’ thang, or you can grit your teeth and think ‘not now, not ever’ and never let them beat you.

n Health. If you eat well then your healthy body will help with stress.

n Exercise every day can make you take out some of your stress in physical form.

n Sleep is essential for dealing with stress. Cut down on Caffeine as it keeps you awake and stops you sleeping. Cut down on Alcohol and smoking as they also disrupt sleep.

n You’re not a slave to the phone. Go out without it or put it on silent. You chose to make the call rather than being constantly on demand.

n Don’t neglect your friends or loved ones. Make sure you spend time with them as they can help by simply listening. Real friends will and you’ll soon sort out which ones you have.

n Learn to relax. Take time out for yourself. There are disciplines that you can learn that can really work effectively on stress such as Tai Chi, Yoga and Meditation. All of them work. If you haven’t got time for those yet then just take time out and breathe deeply, it’s the first part of meditation anyway and you’ll soon gain the benefits.

n Make sure you don’t over stretch yourself. Sometimes in wanting to please everybody you race around like a blue arsed fly and get more and more stressed out. You may then spend time with each of these people but you’ll never be enjoying yourself because you’ll always be mindful that time is ticking and you will need to be somewhere else after some time. Start pleasing yourself and enjoying spending time on projects and with people rather than spreading yourself so thin. You’ll gain and get less stress as will the people and projects you spend real time with. Remember ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ and sometimes when you say ‘no I can’t be there’, will make them appreciate you more when you do turn up.

n Think about your stress. Write down what the cause of your stress is. Too much work? Ask for help. Certain people winding you up? Avoid them or spend as little time with them as you can. Avoid certain situations that can add to stress (like traffic jams and long queues).

n If you know what is causing your stress then do your utmost to sort it out. Think how you can stop the stress. Set goals to achieve that will end the stress for good.

n And finally, remember that ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Remember to treat yourself when you succeed at something. Take a break and enjoy that present and the time off that you deserve.

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