Clean Fresh Water for All

Today, bloggers all over the world are talking about clean, fresh water.  This is a marvelous video that explains the hype and hoax behind bottled water and how clever marketing has duped us all.  Watch it, share it, save money, improve health and help the environment!  The Story of Bottled Water

Diana Elsmere

Unsustainable practices - who is responsible?

Is it the manufacturer who:

• Uses destructive extraction processes in order to obtain raw materials?
• Harvests raw materials in non-sustainable ways?
• Infringes on human rights in any way?
• Causes pollution during the extraction of raw materials and during the manufacture of the product?
• Uses chemicals that have not been tested for safety and that have unknown effects on the web of life on which we rely?
• Uses deadly poisons in the production of the product leading to pollution problems, poisonings and destruction of environments and species?
• Produces products that are not bio-degradable and have limited life-spans (do these products end up in land-fill sites and cause pollution for hundreds of years?)
• Produces hazardous wastes and does not make provision for the proper disposal of these wastes?
• Does not inform the public of the dangers of their products before, during or after production?
• Does not inform the public of the ingredients contained in their products?

Is it the retailer who sells goods not knowing or turning a blind eye to the fact that:

• The goods fall under any of the categories listed under the manufacturer above?

• They use huge amounts of non-biodegradable packaging that will take hundreds of years to break-down and cause problems for future generations?
• Sells products that do not have the ingredients listed on their labels?
• Sells products containing ingredients that have not been tested for safety?

Is it the corporation that:

• Uses products that are produced in any of the abovementioned ways?
• Provides services to companies and organizations that produce these products?
• Does not raise concerns about these products with the manufacturer or warn the public about these products?
• That puts profit taking before concerns for the health of the public and the planet?

Is it the consumer who:

• Unwittingly supports all the above?
• Does not demand safe products?
• Does not exercise the consumers’ right to know?
• Purchases products not knowing anything about the ingredients in it or the manufacturing processes listed above?

Is it the media that:

• Allows the advertising of products and services that support any of the above mentioned practices?
• Does not report on CEO’s who are successfully moving their companies beyond  sustainability to being restorative – actually giving back to the earth
• Does not report on the fact that we need more leaders, corporations and manufacturers who do not just do what the law requires but who do what is right?
• Does not speak about new possibilities, new ways or a new future?
• Speaks about symptom of crime but not about some of the causes of crime?

Is it the advertising world that:

• Advertises products and services that support any of the abovementioned practices?
• That makes consumers believe that they have to buy more and more stuff?

Is it the government that:

• Spends a great deal of money in doing ‘more of the same’ and not enough on finding sustainable alternatives for all?
• Is not pro-active in leading the sustainability revolution?
• Spends too much money on trying to alleviate symptoms (e.g. crime) and not enough on dealing with causes?

Is it the developer who:

• Strips the land of topsoil and all plants destroying habitat and ecosystems?
• Uses building methods and products that are harmful and not sustainable?
• Fails to use cutting edge technologies that are earth and people friendly?
• Uses vast amounts of paving causing water to run-off instead of seeping into the earth?

Is it the poor person who:

• Out of desperation cuts down trees?
• Out of hunger, steals
• Out of a profound sense of alienation (the advertising world says that you are not worth much if you don’t have all these consumer goods) commits other crimes?
• Is it the newly urbanized person who drops a paper on the ground because they do not understand the concept of ‘waste’?

It is all of us.  We are all complicit in it.  We are destroying the earth. 

Let’s talk. Let’s work together. Let’s find new ways of being that are not destructive and that will safe-guard the future for our children.  

Diana Elsmere

Harbor Green: Going 'Green' Can Be Easy

Harbor Green: Going 'Green' Can Be Easy: " Most people think that being 'green' means you have to replace everything in your home or make dramatic changes in your lifestyle. This..."

Julia Butterfly Hill "Disconnection"

Do You Know That You Are Eating Genetically Modified Foods?

Do You Know That You Are Eating Genetically Modified Foods?

The superfood that reduces fat absorption by 75%

The superfood that reduces fat absorption by 75%

The One Thing You Must Avoid if You Want to Lose Weight…And No it’s Not Sugar

The One Thing You Must Avoid if You Want to Lose Weight…And No it’s Not Sugar

The Best Diet To Lose Weight

The Best Diet To Lose Weight

Getting and spending we lay waste our powers ....

William Wordsworth wrote this in 1807:

The world is too much with us; late and soon
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

If he thought things were bad 200 years ago,  I wonder what he would have said about the world and what we are doing to his beloved Nature if he were alive today! 

I made up a list of a few simple things that if implemented, could lighten our load on the planet:

What we can do.

1.  Buy natural products and buy local whenever possible.
2.  Avoid all chemicals.
3.  Eat organic produce (it is not only healthier, it is better for the environment)
4.  Eliminate waste where possible and where not possible, reduce, re-use or recycle:

• Plastics
• Glass
• Paper
• Organic matter (garden and kitchen scraps should never be sent to any landfill)
• Clothing, linen, household goods.

5.  Observe at least one 'buy nothing day' per week - more if you can! 
6.  Use your car less - start a lift club or live closer to work.
7.  Read labels.  If ingredients are not listed or you don't understand what they are, don't buy the product.
8.  Buy yourself Ruth Winter's series of consumer dictionaries and educate yourself.
9.  Remember most poisons/chemicals have not been tested for safety (out of 80,000 man-made chemicals, only about 2,000 have been tested for safety).  We have no idea what these poisons/chemicals are doing to our health, our children's health or the health of the planet on which we depend.  If you think you can do without the planet, just try and stop breathing for 10 minutes and see what happens.
10.  As a general cleaning agent use one cup of vinegar per 10litres of hot water.  Stronger solutions of 50/50 water/vinegar or neat vinegar can be used on tougher dirt.  Add essential oil for fragrance if you like.  The vinegar smell disappears within 5 - 10 minutes.  Vinegar is a very powerful cleaning agent.
11.  Make air freshener using 1/2 cup white alcohol (cheap vodka works well) 20 - 30 drops each of 2 to 3 essential oils of your choice.  Pour into spray bottle and fill up with water.  Shake before use. Alternatively, we all know that lighting a flame eradicates unpleasant odours, so leave a lighter and a candle in the loo.
12.  Use natural soaps for personal use and natural laundry soaps for laundry. 
13.  Stop using fabric softeners.
14.  Share this information with all your friends.  Get them to stop using poisons and chemicals as well.
15.  Consider 'right' livelihood options. 

You can make a difference. 

Until next time

Diana Elsmere

Inspiration for exercise

My weight has dropped down to 60.6kgs and this does not make me happy!  I have not been able to exercise for about 4 weeks due to a wicked sinus infection which is causing lung congestion.  I am feeling so depressed about this that I could spit.  I miss running, I miss lifting weights, I miss the wonderful feeling of exhilaration that exercising brings.  More than all that, no exercise means loss of strength, which, just kills me.  Every day I think:  'Today I will be better' but I am not.  It must be hell on earth for people suffering from ill health for long periods of time.  At times like this, I am reminded of the importance of good health and how vital it is to take care of it.   Every aspect of it: environment, diet, exercise.   This means no chemicals/toxins in the environment or food intake.  Keeping things as natural and balanced as possible so as not to overload the body.

Just to get my mind of this depressing subject have a look at the late Marjorie Newlin at:  http://femalemuscle.com/homegrown/marjorie-newlin-86-year-old-female-bodybuilder/
Talk about inspiration for anyone who says they can't exercise!  Marjorie started body building at the age of 72 and competed up until she died at the age of 87 (beating younger women too!).  The fact that she became so strong and stayed strong until she died just proves the wonderful recuperative abilites of the body when it is treated properly.  Most people I know over 80 don't look anything like her, hell, most people I know don't look like her or have her strength.

One day soon I will be able to exercise again....please..?

Diana Elsmere

H. Pylori

OK, I know that I have not posted anything for ages and I do have reasons for being so lax.  Firstly, I have been sick and secondly, I have had major problems with network coverage.  Living in SA makes connecting to the net a challenge in itself but when you add the fact that the network I was using had barely any coverage where I live made it virtually impossible.  Anyway, we have now changed to another provider and there is a huge improvement.

The doctor discovered that I had a high infection of this thing called Helicobacter Pylori.  It was horrible and made me quite sick.  H.Pylori is also known to cause ulcers and stomach cancer.  Fortunately, provided there is no resistance to antibiotics, it can be eradicated.  It is necessary to take two different types of antibiotics together with other medication which neutralises stomach acid.  I have just had a look on the net to see how other people experienced symptoms and I was shocked to see what some people went through.  The symptoms are so diverse it is difficult to pinpoint without a blood or stool test.  The symptoms include back pain, nausea, vomiting constipation or diarrhoea, abdominal pain, indigestion and burping.  My advise to anyone is this:  if you are experiencing any weird abdominal symptoms that do not go away (some poor people suffered for years before they were diagnosed correctly)  get your doctor to test you for Helicobacter Pylori and, if you have it, get it treated pronto. 

Well, I just got over that little lot and then I got a lung infection.  It was not bad enough to warrant more antibiotics so I have just weathered this on my own.  I have read that taking antibiotics indiscriminately leads to antibiotic resistance of goggas (like H.Pylori) and then when you really need the antibiotic, it does not work.  So if I can fight things off without medication that is the route I am taking!  It might take longer but it will make me stronger.

Diana

Everything is connected

What started out as a simple matter of me losing a bit of weight is turning into something else entirely.  Of course, the original objective is still the framework on which everything else hangs but I am no longer sure that it is the main one anymore. 

What this whole journey confirms for me is that everything is connected.  The health of our bodies depends on how we take care of them; this includes what we eat and how we make the effort to get our bodies moving.  Our bodies, having evolved from ancient times when we were still hunter/gatherers, are used to moving and need to move in order to stay strong.  This equates to exercise. 

What we eat depends on food produced by other people.  The next thing we have to look at and question is 'what is in and on the food we eat?'  How is the food we eat produced?  How is it modified?  Is it grown in such a way that does not harm the environment?  In a way that is sustainable?  Are chemicals used?  Are poisons used?

Another aspect of health relates to the contact we have with our environment.  Does our environment contain poisons or chemicals that can harm us or our children?  We cannot keep ourselves healthy if we live in an environment that is polluted or we eat food grown in chemicals and poisons. 

The final aspect of health is related to our relationship to all life (including fellow human beings).  We, as humans have the intelligience to search out the unseen.  With a little effort we are able to see the 'invisible' threads that connect privilege to suffering, economic wealth to ecological damage, greed to disaster.  Without making these connections we close our hearts; if we close our hearts, we are no longer human. 

Everything that happens in the world comes back to the individual.  We are all responsible. 


Diana Elsmere

I-T Band Injury

The reason why I am so insistent that people who have not exercised for some time take it really, really slowly in the beginning is that, if you don't, you can injure yourself.  Don't be like me.  In the beginning I went too fast, too soon and for my efforts picked up an I-T Band injury which plagued me for nearly a year.  In fact it still gives me a twinge now and again as a gentle reminder of what not to do.

I found some information on this injury on the web but, as usual, what works best is listening to your own body.  This is how I overcame this injury. 

1.  Shortened my stride.  The longer the stride the more strain on the I-T Band.  Today, even when I run at maximum speed I keep my stride short. 
2.  I keep my posture as upright as possible.  Even on hills.  Most joggers I see, slump their bodies forwards especially if they are beginners or when they are running uphill.  This is a big no-no as it puts a strain on the
I-T Band.  If you observe professional runners - their postures are always upright - there is not a 'slumper' in sight when they run!

The other things that help relieve some discomfort with this injury are stretching and massage or rolling it out.  You can check under merchandise/injury prevention tools at http://www.runinjuryfree.com/ for an idea of the rolling out method.  Of course you don't need to buy this foam roller as there are much cheaper alternatives:  try your local pool shop (pool noodles) or hardware store (plastic piping) or you can use a rolling pin or a can.  They all work well.

Rest is also important - when something hurts, rest it.  Don't be a hero and try to 'push' through anything.  If your body hurts it is telling you that something is wrong.  Don't ignore pain.

Diana Elsmere

Losing weight and fat

There are no 'secrets' to losing weight and fat.  There is only education and implementation. 

First up, is education.  Just like we all have to educate ourselves on how to use various objects in our lives like our car, TV, playstation, computer etc. we also have to educate ourselves on how to take care of our own bodies and health. 

We all have handbooks on our cars.  We look up how much pressure we should put in the tyres, when we should have it serviced and what fuel to put in it to make it run at its optimum.  Some people even add all sorts of gadgets to make their cars go faster or put in special sound systems so that they can listen to music with greater clarity and depth.  If someone is interested in something, they take the time to learn about it.

Why are so few people interested in their own bodies?  What is the point of anything else on this plane of existence if we did not have a body?  I would go so far as to say, without a body, you and I would not have a life!

There are no handbooks on health.  There is lots of information available on what to do once you are sick or overweight or depressed etc. but very little emphasis on how to stay well in the first place.  Also, without knowing how to stay well, how are you going to stay that way once you get better?  So learning about what is in the food we eat and how much of it we, each as individuals, need to stay healthy is the first step in the education process.  Most people have no idea what protein, carbohydrates or fat are.  They have no idea what these things do or where to find them in food.  They also have no idea what their own particular bodies need. 

I go on a bit about individual needs because I want to emphasise that everyones' needs are different and should be assessed individually and personally.   For instance, a daily protein intake of 1g per 1lb of lean body mass is recommended, as a guideline.  The truth is that this measure of 1g can range from less than 1g to more than 1g per person.  I might need 1.2g of protein per 1lb of body weight per day, the next person may only need 0.50g or 0.75g of protein per per 1lb of body weight per day.  The same applies to carbohydrates and fats.  The right amounts for you can only be found by experimentation with your own diet and listening to how your body responds.  It is a bit like tuning an engine.  Adjust it until it runs sweetly.  An added complication is that your body's needs may vary due to seasonal changes, increased or decreased stress, age or other factors.  If you have trained yourself to be in tune with your body you will immediately pick up its changing needs and rectify your food intake. 

Hand in hand with education goes implementation.  It is useless to gather knowledge if you don't use it.  As you learn something more about creating better health, apply it immediately in your life.  For instance, you smoke, you suddenly realise that it is bad for you so you stop.  Next:  you eat tons of processed foods and when you learn that these are bad for you, you stop.  Next:  you learn that fresh fruit is good for you so you start including it in your diet.  And so on ...... and so on .....

Education and implementation is the name of the game.  No secrets, no mysteries .....!

Diana Elsmere

Protein, carbs and fat....

I got it wrong again!  The amount of protein should be about 1 gram for every pound of lean body mass.  So for me this works out to be about 100g of protein a day, not 140g!  On top of this counting of protein, carbohydrates and fat intake, it is important to do it all within the daily calorie intake required to lose weight.  So because I have upped my protein intake (and through this the fat intake increases as well) I have to adjust the carb intake in order to keep the daily calorie count correct. 

In order for me to lose weight (taking into consideration that I exercise 6 days a week) I have to consume about 1800 calories a day.   Through trial and error (because it is so different for everyone) I have to work out all that I am supposed to eat per day within the framework of calories and correct proportions (for me) of protein:carbs:fats.  It is far more complicated than I ever imagined and takes a lot of recording, noting results, adjusting and recording all over again.  It is complicated because, despite all those wonderful claims of wonder diets and wonder pills etc. the business of getting personal nutrition correct is totally individual and cannot be generalised.  What works for me, may not work for the next person. 

This is why it is so important to know your own body and the effects different foods have on you.  It is also vital to know exactly what you eat and record it.  I used to think recording everything was a waste of time until I started doing it.  I was flabbergasted at what the records told me - what I assumed/thought was very seldom an accurate picture.  It is exactly the same reason why a pedometer is necessary - it is a reality check and it stops us kidding ourselves.    

Proportions yesterday were:  Protein:  127.7g;  Carbohydrates:  78.7g;  Fat: 57.2g  This is not ideal as I think the carbohydrates are a bit low but I lost 0.8 kg in 24 hours!  This is probably mostly water so I am not getting too excited about it.  Training wise I did not experience the cramping of my quads in the last minutes of cardio so this is a good indication that my body is very grateful for the extra protein. 

Today I am going to reduce the protein down to about 100g and increase the carbohydrate intake because I think that it is too low and will show up as lack of energy if I don't correct it. 

Can't wait to see what happens!

Diana Elsmere

Are you getting enough protein?

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing! 

I had some idea of the amount of protein I should eat every day, but I had the measurements all skewed.  I am supposed to eat about 140g of protein per day and I translated this measurement into food weight.  Wrong!  Instead of calculating the grams of protein in chicken for example, I was simply weighing the amount of chicken.  There are about 30g of protein in 100g of chicken and I would measure out about 120g of chicken which equates to about 35g of protein.  I finally figured it out - I was eating about 40g of protein per day and not 140g.  BIG difference I say. 

The next difficulty I faced was how on earth was I going to get 140g of protein into my daily diet.  When I added up all the protein, carbs and fats I had to eat I found that it was simply impossible to eat it all!  The penny finally dropped; this is why athletes use protein shakes, because it is so easy to get lots of protein in this way.  A decent protein shake can deliver 42g of protein which equates to eating about 7 eggs!  

I always turned my nose up at these shakes in the past but it finally makes sense to me.  Watching a documentary on the amazing Bruce Lee together with the realisation that I was really not getting the proper nutrition did it for me.  Bruce Lee was the pioneer of the protein shake.  He would blend raw steak, about 12 eggs and other stuff I can't remember, and drink it.  Everyone was shocked at the time because no-one was doing it.  I am sure everyone knows about Bruce's 'one inch punch' and his lightening speed and if that's what protein can do, then I want more of it.

I had a protein shake this morning after my endurance run (to help the recovery process I believe is the correct terminology!)

It will be very interesting to see if any differences manifest in strength, speed, endurance and body fat.

Watch this space!

Diana Elsmere

Technology for Fitness

I simply have to talk about the wonderful gadgets that are available that help tremendously when getting fit, healthy and strong. 

The first one for anyone who is just starting to exercise is a pedometer.  Not every pedometer is the same as some are more accurate than others.  I have an Omron which is very precise.  It also religiously counts all the steps I take even if I have it in my pocket or handbag.   The good thing about a pedometer is that it tells it like it is.  If you have not done your 10,000 steps for the day, then you haven't done them, no pretending.  So it is a great reality check for serious office potatoes.  When I worked all day I thought I got loads of exercise because I climbed a few flights of stairs.  The reality is that in order to be regarded as 'active' you have to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.  This equates to about 5 miles (11 kms).   Children should be taking more than 10,000 steps a day and elderly persons about 6,500. 

The psychology of the pedometer is two fold. 

1. You can't kid yourself.
2. It inspires you to get off your butt and take a few more steps to get the count up there.  In fact, I got to the point where I always made sure that I did more than the 10,000 steps.  I came up with all sorts of ways to increase the daily count:  e.g. when I was cooking, instead of sitting down and waiting for things to get going I would walk up and down.  When ironing I would keep moving and not just stand there.  When I went shopping I would park as far away from the shop as I could get and walk.  If it was raining I would go to the nearest shopping center and traverse the whole place until I got my count. 

The other gadget that I would not do without is a heart rate monitor.  I have a middle of the range one (it does not have GPS or anything fancy).  I find all the counting of heartbeats and such a real bother so the monitor does it all that for me - and a lot more accurately I can tell you!

It (the monitor) tells you when you are not making enough effort and it tells you when you are over-doing things.  I did not have one when I first started (because I did not know about it) but if I knew then what I know now I would definitely have used one from the beginning.  By monitoring your heart rate you begin to understand what is happening in your body and, as your fitness levels improve, you have to start making more effort to keep your heart rate up.  This is what got me to start running.  I was no longer able to get my heart rate up enough by just walking so I had to start going faster and faster in order to get the same results. 

I still maintain that going SLOWLY in the beginning is essential.  I went slowly for nearly a year before I started pushing myself more.  To be more precise my body wanted to go faster because by then I had developed an excellent endurance and fitness foundation on which to build.  Without a proper foundation, doing too much too soon and too fast leads to injuries.  Not to mention others risks.  If you are over-weight and have not exercised for yonks, just begin by aiming to take 10,000 steps a day.  It is also a good idea to have a medical exam to make sure everything is ok before you start exercising. 

By the way, both gadgets record all your exercise sessions and so you can keep tabs on how you improve every month.  Exercise records are very important because they help keep you motivated and you are able to observe the improvement trend over time which is incredibly encouraging. 

Whenever I think I am not getting anywhere, I look at how I have progressed and I am very pleased indeed!

Diana Elsmere

Good Food for Health

I have wittered on about what I refuse to eat because it is bad for the body and now I want to just mention what I do eat because it is good for the body. 

Good nutrition/food is what the body can digest and utilise and contributes to its overall health over time.  Bad food is what the body cannot digest or utilise and harms the body over time. 

Unfortunately, because our bodies are so resilient a bad diet sometimes only becomes apparent over many years and we often don't connect the dots.  Imagine if, after guzzling a piece of chocolate cake, we instantly put on 20 pounds around our waists!  Or if the body refused to take in anything that was harmful and chucked it out every time we had our little 'indulgences'.  I bet we would not be so keen on the 'just this once can't be bad' attitude.

For anyone who has just joined me - use phantasmagoria here - and picture the above scenes....instant ballooning or instant hurling.  Not pretty huh?

Anyway, for the sake of our health, we have to learn to 'see' the long term effects of our eating habits.  Long-term effects of bad eating habits are terrible and sometimes, irreversible.  Keep on picturing that the next time you eat whoppings of saturated fat and sugar.   

Here is what I do eat:

1. Fresh fruit and vegetables.
2. Nuts, seeds, olives and avocados (good source of essential fats needed by the body)
3. Lean meat, chicken, fish and eggs.
4. Some dairy (very little hard cheese)
5. Olive, avocado and various seed oils (cold pressed)
6. Various herbs, spices and vinegars for flavouring.

Cooking methods:  Baking (without oil) using non-stick cookware or steaming. 

We cannot exercise enough to counteract bad eating habits.  A friend of mine once told me that in order to burn off one slice of chocolate cake I would have to run from Johannesburg to Pretoria and back again (a distance of about 100kms).  She also told me (she is a personal trainer) that when people first start exercising they believe that they deserve to go and have a muffin or a piece of cake after their workout and they end up eating more calories than they ate before they started exercising.  The results are obvious - they get even fatter and, they blame it all on the exercise, not what they are stuffing into their faces every day.  Very curious indeed. 

Maybe one day everyone will see the consequences of their actions in time to change them.  That is my hope.

Diana Elsmere

Health, Fitness and Losing Weight

I learnt a new word yesterday and, I must say, I am quite taken up with it.  The word is 'phantasmagoria'.  It means a 'shifting series or succession of things seen or imagined as in a dream'.

I suffer from phantasmagoria a lot!  For instance since my health and fitness levels have improved, I feel so much stronger and faster that I can see myself leaping up into a certain tree that I pass on my morning run ( much like those guys in a Kung Fu movie).  The tree is perfect.  It has just the right bend in its trunk and this is where I will place my foot as I run and leap upon it.  It has a branch at just the right level and just the right size for me to seize as I fly upwards into its branches.  Honestly, this series of images is so strong that I think it is just a matter of time before I carry it out in reality.  Of course, there is a strong possibility that instead of flying up into the tree I will only manage to jump a centimeter off the ground and finish off in a spectacular crash landing.  There is also the possibility that as I crash, a car will drive past and all 20 occupants will be staring at me. 

I play out millions of things in my imagination and most of them start up of their own violtion.  I would never have started the thing with the tree on purpose, so where did it come from?  Phantasmagoria. 

These shifting scenes as seen in my mind have altered considerably since consciously improving both health and fitness levels.  When I was still working full time a more likely scenario would have been a phantasmagoria of a confrontation with someone (usually after the confrontation) telling them all the things I thought about afterwards that I should have said to them.  The difference, when I think about it, is significant.  The tree thing is far more fun and enticing.  The confrontation scene is unpleasant and stress inducing. 

So, losing weight whilst improving both health and fitness levels has made me feel better physically as well as psychologically and a whole new cycle of feeling good has begun.  The cycle of feeling bad has been broken.  Thank goodness for that. 

Diana Elsmere

Losing Weight or Losing FAT

Losing weight and losing fat are two different things.  Losing weight as measured by the scale could signify loss of water and loss of muscle without any fat loss at all.  Worse, loss of muscle results in an increase in body fat %.  Over time, decreased muscle mass and increased body fat % will result in the body being compromised. 

There are three important facts to remember:

1. Losing fat happens slowly and is facilitated by proper nutrition and building muscle through exercise. 
2. Losing weight by means of some crazy, unbalanced diet, may be gratifying in the short term (because the scale will register large amounts of weight being lost) but the results are not sustainable or desirable (because of the increase in body fat % and loss of valuable muscle mass).
3. Health and fitness are not possible without the right nutrition and exercise. 
4. Our health is directly affected by the health of our environment.

Trying to achieve this goal I have set myself has resulted in me exploring the way I think and why I think like that.  Wanting instant solutions to situations is really created by the socio/economic society in which we live.  It is attributable in no small measure to the advertising and marketing which imbue us with hidden beliefs on a daily basis.  When these hidden beliefs are confronted by reality we become frustrated.  At some level we believe in magic.  Unfortunately, magic does not work in the real world (not in this dimension anyway!) and it is vital that this is recognised and dealt with consciously.

This vacuous belief in magic (e.g. magical products that will instantly solve our problems) can undo our resolve. Without recognising unconsciously held beliefs, we will remain victims, unable to stay motivated enough to reach our goals. 

Diana Elsmere