Tag Archives: Cleanse

Breaking The Perpetual Cycle Of Sugar Addiction: The Sugary Truth, Its Hidden Sources & Proven Ways To Win The Battle

Hi darlings!

So I’ve got a little bit of a problem… You remember how about a week ago I said that I wanted to do a small detox? Well, I’m failing at it… And my biggest problem is cutting down on sugar!

You see, the last two-three weeks of February are normally super intense and stressful in the industry I work in. When I am stressed, I tend to crave sweets. The more sweets I eat, the more I crave them. As you can imagine, it becomes somewhat of a crazy cycle.

Sugar addiction - the perpetual cycle

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As if it wasn’t bad enough, I decided to share some extra sugary truth with you. *BOOM! Just because I can! Haha!*

TTC-The-Sugary-Truth

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To top it off, sugar:

  • is guilty of the creation of dental plaque & cavities;
  • triggers weight gain;
  • feeds cancer cells;
  • promotes premature aging, etc.

are you a sugar addict

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According to The Telegraph, you’re addicted to sugar if you answer ‘yes’ to one of the following questions:

1. Do you struggle to walk past a sugary treat without taking ‘just one’?

2. Do you have routines around sugar consumption – for example, always having pudding, or needing a piece of chocolate to relax in front of the television?

3. Are there times when you feel as if you cannot go on without a sugar hit?

4. If you are forced to go without sugar for 24 hours, do you develop headaches and mood swings?

Fortunately, I am a kind of person who stops craving sweets all at once if I don’t have any of them for about a week or so. Thus, the hardest step for me is pretty much to lower the consumption of sugar, and it’s an easy ride from there on.

There-is-always-hope

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*So dramatic! Hahaha!*

There are a few ways to curb the craving. Here are some of them:

  • MAKE A DECISION TO CUT BACK ON SUGAR *I mean, you gotta be committed! and mentally prepared for the challenge!*
  • Limit the amount of sugar you put in tea and coffee;
  • Substitute juice for water;
  • Watch out for ‘fat-free’ snacks;
  • Start reading labels;
  • Beware not only of artificial sweeteners but also ‘healthy’ sugar options *it still sends the same signal to your brain = I WANT SOMETHING SWEET!!!*;
  • Don’t overdo on fruit consumption;
  • No soft drinks *DUH!*;
  • Give preference to plain yogurt;
  • Swap sugar for cinnamon *This is genius!*;
  • OH, AND STAY AWAY FROM THE SWEETS AT THE STORE!!! *Oh, you knew I wouldn’t forget this one!*

8 hidden sources of sugar

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Now, share your secrets with me! What is your biggest sweet addiction? What works for you when you try to cut down on sugar?

xoxo
Olena

23 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Health, Kitchen Adventures

Hydration 101: Why Dehydration Is Making You Fat & Sick, 8 Hydration Myths Busted, And How to Remember To Drink More Water

If you read yesterday’s post, you must have realized that staying hydrated is crucial to a successful detox or body cleanse. Even though drinking enough liquids throughout the day could be a simple thing to someone, I’ve always struggled with it.

running hangoverSource

I am not sure if it is because I was forbidden to drink any water during my rhythmic gymnastics classes or for some other reason, but I simply FORGET to drink. I know, it sounds silly and probably doesn’t make sense to some of you; however, very frequently I realize that I’m thirsty when I am EXTREMELY thirsty. Obviously, dehydration has many negative impacts and should be taken very seriously.

Why dehydration is making you fat and sick

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Despite my multiple efforts to read more on this subject, I found myself reading many conflicting reports. As a result, I am more confused than ever.

Nevertheless, I was lucky enough to come across a great article on Runner’s World: 8 Hydration Myths Busted. I strongly recommend to check it out, but here is a quick overview:

  1. Drink eight glasses of water a day: A healthy dose of hydration is an individual thing.
  2. Pee clear to be hydrated:  “As long as it is a pale yellow, like lemonade, you’re hydrated,” says Yeargin. If it’s completely clear, it just means you’re full to the brim; what’s going in is coming out. On the other hand, if your pee is the color of apple juice or darker, or particularly smelly, you need to drink up.
  3. Caffeine dehydrates you: Apparently, if you drink only 2 cups of coffee a day and exercise regularly, the impact of caffeine is minimal, if any.
  4. Thirst isn’t a good hydration tool: It is a pretty accurate mechanism; however, it is good to be aware of other ways if your body is hydrated enough.
  5. Pure water is best for hydration: It really depends on the kind and amount of physical activity you are doing.
  6. You can’t drink too much: “You absolutely can drink too much,” says Casa, “and it can be deadly.” Too much water can cause symptomatic hyponatremia, a condition where the sodium levels in the blood become dangerously low.
  7. Drinking lots of water is a good way to “detox”:  “There is no evidence that excess water makes your body more clean,” says Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, M.D., a professor of medicine in the Renal, Electrolyte, and Hypertension Division at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “If anything, drinking too much water can slightly impair the ability of the kidneys to filter blood.”
  8. Staying hydrated eliminates your risk of heat stroke: Staying hydrated will definitely do you some good; however, you should always pay attention to the entire picture like body size, exercise intensity, fitness level, and age as well as humidity and air temperature.

how to remember to drink more waterSource

So how can you improve the situation if you’re forgetting to drink water just like me?

  • Check out the Hydration Calculator from Runner’s World;
  • ‘Spice up’ your water by adding fresh mint leaves, sliced cucumber or a squeeze of lemon or lime to it;
  • Make it a morning ritual: chug a glass or two of water when you wake up;
  • Have a glass of water with your meal, especially when you’re drinking alcohol;
  • Always carry a bottle of water with you and keep it visible;
  • Freeze little bits of peeled lemons, limes and oranges and use them in place of ice cubes;
  • Put a water alarm on your phone;
  • Every time you pass a water cooler stop and take a sip.

Wake up

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How do you stay hydrated? Do you have trouble remembering to drink enough water?

xoxo
Olena

21 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Health

How To Naturally Cleanse Your Body, Doing Detox Right & Ultimate Stretch Yoga Routine

For some strange reason, February tends to be the toughest month of the year for me… EVERY year… Without any exceptions! Perhaps, the winter just gets old or maybe it’s the lack of activities outside.

I LOVE being outside! I love going for jogs, walks and simply sitting at a park taking in the fresh air. However, with the super low temperatures and occasional snow storms, it’s *KINDA* hard. So by the end of the month, I start feeling… well… heavy. And no one likes that feeling, right? I can’t be alone?!

feeling fat

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Okay, don’t judge me. I know I am fine and I am NOT looking to lose any weight. However, I do want to get rid off this annoying feeling. So I figured that the best way to go about it would be to make my body take a break for a few days from any food that makes me feel that way. In other words, I want to detox my body from all those nasty things that have accumulated inside. *EWWWWW! That sounds bad, eh?!*

I will not be taking any DRASTIC measures because I find that many detoxes are NOT healthy and excessive. So this is pretty much my plan.

How to naturally cleanse your body

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These are the foods I will be focusing on and avoiding.

Doing detox rightSource

Pretty simple, right?

Planned workout for the day

Run 4 miles, perform 15 burpees every 15 minutes. Followed by this ultimate stretch yoga routine.

anti-stress yoga

Have you ever done a detox? What was your experience? Any tips?

xoxo
Olena

26 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Health