Series: The Ten Principles of Bioregional Living

One Planet Living outlines ten key principles of living a bioregional lifestyle. To celebrate bioregion and Cascadia, we will begin a ten week series on each of the ten principles, exploring them each in more depth. “Why are they important?”, “What does it look like in Cascadia?”, “What can I or fellow Cascadians do?” These are just a few of the questions this series will aim to answer about each of the ten principles.

To learn more about this series, and to stay tuned on each principle, go here.

The Unexpected Ways Yoga Can Build Muscle

I am a bodybuilder. I cannot even count the number of times that I have walked around in a tank top and people have asked me, “wow, do you do a lot of yoga or something?”

I used to get so offended by this question. I would think to myself, “How in God’s name does anyone think that yoga could have built this hard earned muscle? Stretching doesn’t build muscle!”

Little did I know, yoga is way more than just trying to touch your toes, and I was humbled by discovering this first hand when I decided to give it a try. I thought that a nice little stretch session would be good for my flexibility and recovery after demolishing some weights, but yoga offers a lot more than just that.

I ended up doing two workouts that day. I had no idea that yoga could be such an intensive practice and provide much more for my body than an increase in flexibility. Yoga has made its way into my weekly exercise routine, and it has not only helped my flexibility, but also my muscle building as well.
Read about the benefits here.

Plexus Slim Vs. Advocare: Which is Better For You?

 

Plexus Slim is a powdered dietary supplement that claims to help with weight loss. A major pro of this supplement it that it is stimulant and thermogenic free, and contains all natural ingredients. This means that it may be a safer option for diabetics and those who are stimulant sensitive. To use Plexus Slim, you simply mix the powder with water and drink it thirty minutes prior to any meal, making it easy and convenient. The major ingredient used to assist with body fat loss is chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that may block carbohydrate absorption and assist the body in the detox process. The other major ingredient found in this product is oxypregnane steroid glycoside, a compound known to suppress appetite by sending the “full signal” to the brain.

Advocare is a complete and comprehensive program that offers several different product lines and packages, depending on your goals and lifestyle. The Advocare 24-Day Challenge is their most popular program which is broken down into two phases. The first is the Cleanse Phase, which is the first 10 days of the program. This includes their cleanse system (fiber, cleanse tablets, and probiotics), OmegaPlex, and Advocare Spark. These products claim to detoxify and cleanse the body of waste that causes inflammation, and help the body efficiently absorb nutrients to boost the immune system and metabolism. Once the body is prepped, days 11-24 are the Max Phase. This phase includes their Metabolic Nutrition System, Meal Replacement Shake, and Advocare Spark. These products are meant to provide sustained energy, appetite control, and overall wellness. It should be noted that this program is not caffeine free, which should be a consideration for this program if you have other health issues. These products can be continued to be taken after the challenge as part of a healthy lifestyle program.
Read more about them here.

What Exactly is Clean Eating?

The term ‘clean eating’ has grown in popularity in the weight loss world as people are beginning to take more of an active interest in the quality of food they are eating instead of just the quantity, and how where their food comes from can effect not only their waistlines, but more importantly, their health.

Clean eating is based on the principle of consuming whole, single ingredient foods to provide the body with as many nutrients as possible while eliminating any processing your food goes through from the time it is harvested to the time it hits your table. The idea is to eat your food as close to its natural form as possible to maintain its nutrient density and avoid harmful and unnecessary additives that can jeopardize your health. By doing this, we can avoid several dieting pitfalls and health effects that come with food processing. Basically, if it comes with a nutrition label, skip it, even if it’s marketed as or popularly considered a “healthy” choice. If it ever passed through a processing plant it is not considered a clean food.
Read more here.

Paleo Could be the Best for Post Menopausal Weight Loss

A recent article from Web MD suggests that adhering to a Paleo diet may help post menopausal women lose weight, as well as reduce their risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Researchers claim that these benefits can be experienced without calorie restriction due to the nature of the Paleo diet.
Read more here.

Top 10 Diets for 2016: Editor’s Choice

With summer peering its head right around the corner, the time has come to shed the cold weather coat that has been keeping you warm the past few months.
However, with so many diet approaches on the market these days, the vast selection can be paralyzing when beginning to work toward your weight loss goals.

Luckily, our Editors have compiled a list of the top 10 diets so far for 2016 to not only make choosing a diet that much easier, but so you can better your chances of seeing results that much sooner.

Read the full article here.

Play Your Way to a Summer Body Without Losing Intensity

As you roll out of bed, you are met by the warm sunshine of spring. Finally! After months of oppressing rain and cold, warm weather is finally here.

What’s that, you say? Tight and toned without a dumbbell? That’s right. Those extra few pounds may just be enough resistance to build a bit of muscle. Now, let’s go to the park for a full body workout!

Read the full article here.

Resistance Training is the Best Defense Against Type 2 Diabetes

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, engaging in some form of physical activity every day may serve as the most effective way to lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, as well as the most important step in managing the disease in those that have already been diagnosed.

Read the full article here.

Teach The Kardashian’s To Squat!

Many women envy the Kardashian sisters’ booty’s, fake or not. They want curves, and they want them now! And, according to The New York Times, for about $10,000 you, too, can immediately have an end table for a back side.

We hate to burst your big booty bubble, but even surgery won’t give you the tight, toned, curvy body of your dreams. Why? It all has to do with the metabolic effects of muscle.

 

Find the full article here.

The Skinny on Detox Tea

For centuries, herbal teas have been revered for their health benefits. Originating in southwest China, Tibet and Northern India, tea has long been used for its supposed medicinal and spiritual properties.
Tea is now thought to possess a powerful ability to melt stubborn body fat, but studies show that although tea may provide many other benefits, this one may be the offspring of wishful thinking.
Celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, Hillary Duff, Vanessa Hudgens, and Lindsay Lohan are touting the miracles of teatoxing. Big name detox teas like Fit Tea, My Slim Tea and even coffees like Skinny Coffee Club are taking over young celebs’ social media accounts, taking credit for helping them lose weight before playing a role, or to stay refreshed and invigorated.
They sound great, right? But is it really possible for a nice cozy drink to give you the body of your dreams?

Let’s explore the most popular ingredients found in detox tea so you can decide for yourself if it is the right choice for you.

Find the full post:

Skinny on detox tea