Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 28

Day 28: Mind, Body & Spirit
As Plato once observed, “The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole. No attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul, and if the head and body are to be healthy, you must begin by curing the mind.”

In other words, to enjoy Total Health, we all need to aim for a state of positive well-being in mind, body and spirit; and the first step, says Dr Deepak Chopra in his book Journey Into Healing, is to realise that this is even possible.

“To have a renewed body, you must be willing to have new perceptions that give rise to new solutions,” explains Dr Chopra. “if you look closely as your own body, you will realise that you are sending signals to your body that repeat the same old fears and wishes, the same old habits of yesterday and the day before. That’s why you are stuck with the same old body.”

We sincerely hope that the RRR Retreat and the past 28 days, plus the´individual coaching have started you on a journey of increased mindfulness on what you eat, do, and think on a daily basis. We hope you have started developing some healthy lifestyle habits that will stick with you for life.

For those of you from Singapore, we would like to invite you to come in to our office on this Tuesday 26th Nov from 7.00 to 8.30pm for a Graduates’ Review. Let’s get together, share with each other our progress and thus be encouraged by each other (doesn’t matter if you didn’t do anything; this may motivate you to get started!). If you have new recipes to share, bring them; or better still, prepare and bring the food for us!

We are also planning the next Total Health Detox Camp next Feb 2020. We strongly urge you to join in, as well as invite your friends, family and loved ones to join us.

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 27

Day 27: Stay Balanced
In an ideal world, we’d be preparing every meal from scratch, from growing our own vegetables in our backyard straight to our plates. In the real world, and especially in a country like Singapore where there is space and time constraint, we have no choice but to rely on packaged food most of the time. So in pursuit of good health, the next best thing to do is: learn to read and understand food labels.

Here are some quick reminders:
Serving Size – Always check to see how many servings the product contains and what constitutes a single serving.
Calories – Bear in mind that not all calories are nutritionally equal.. A can of soda, for instance, may have the same calories as two slices of wholegrain bread but certainly will not have the same nutrients!
Total Fat – Same goes for fat. Not all fats are equal; we do need good fats so don’t just look at the total fat content. Instead look out for saturated and trans fat figures and avoid them if possiblw. However since food manufacturers can legally round down a half gram of trans fat to zero, look in the ingredients list for partially hydrogenated oils – if there is, the product has trans fat.
Total Carbohydrate – The total carb figure doesn’t say much as it would include fibre and sugar values. Fibre is important for health. And since labels do not distinguish between naturally occuring sugars, like those from fruits, and added sugars, it’s better for you to check the ingredient list instead to look out for high-fructose corn syrup, maltose or sucrose to make sure you’re not loading up on too much sugar.
Sodium – Watch your sodium numbers. Limit sodium intake to between 1,500 and 2,400 mg a day. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, aim for less than 1,500mg a day.
Protein – Recommended daily intake is between 10 to 35 grams per day, but again, the quality is important too. Go for a variety of lean, nutrient-rich sources like fish, tempeh and beans. For animal protein, remember one serving is roighly the size of your fist.

Today’s Recipe
Today, you can try a simple Detox Salad for lunch. It’s light and energizing.

INGREDIENTS (10 Cups)
1 bunch broccoli, stems removed
1 head cauliflower, stems removed
2 ½ cups shredded carrots
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup raisins
½ cup finely chopped parsley
4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
Himalayan rock salt and pepper to taste
Kelp granules (optional), to taste
Pure maple syrup or honey, to drizzle on before serving
Any herbs, to sprinkle on top
Cinnamon powder (optional), to sprinkle on top

DIRECTIONS
1. Chop the broccoli, cauliflower and carrot until fine. Add into a large bowl.
2. Stir in the sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins and parsley. Add lemon juice and seasoning to taste.
Note: the stems can be saved for a stir-fry later.

Today’s Exercise
Continue with your exercise regime that you started this week. Push yourself to do a little more than yesterday if you can.

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 26

Day 26: Check if You Are on Track

If you are still following this, then give yourself a pat on the back! Three more days to go and you can congratulate yourself on having the tenacity to stick to the 28-Day Total Health Plan.

Let’s have a little recap today to check if you have been following the fundamentals:
1. For your main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), half your plate should be vegetables, one quarter protein and one quarter complex carbs. Example: black rice with fish and vegetables.
For those of you who are taking the Optimal Set, the PowerCocktail (supplying more than your half plate of vegetables) and a piece of banana on wholegrain toast and a small cup of yoghurt will be perfect for breakfast. For those on ProShape All-in-1, have your ProShape and a tuna salad, for instance.
The key is balance. You need to eat protein with carbohydrates (complex not simple) to get into the fat burning zone and keep your blood sugar level balanced. Protein slows down the release of sugar from carbs.
2. Graze, don’t gorge. You can have snacks (fruits, nuts) in between meals rather than overeat (and suffer from indigestion!) in one big meal.
3. Exercise to burn calories and increase metabolic rate. Muscle burns more energy than fat, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. What works best is to do 30 minutes if any exercise that gets your heart rate up, three times a week, and 8 - 10 minutes of muscle strengthening exercises three times a week.

Today’s Recipe
For today, try this simple Green Apple & Tuna Sandwich which you can prepare in the morning and bring to work for lunch.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)
1 green apple
1 can (about 185gm) tuna flakes (in water)
2 tsp lime juice
Dash of black pepper
1 tbsp mayonnaise
8 slices wholegrain bread

DIRECTIONS
1. Chop the green apple into small cubes and mix with tuna flakes.
2. Add lime juice and pepper to taste
3. Add just enough mayonnaise to bind mixture together and spread onto sliced bread. You can also add slices of tomato and cucumber if you wish.

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 25

Day 25: Be a KPC

No, I don’t mean you should be a busybody; KPC here means Keeping People Connected. Make it a point today to call an old friend out for lunch or just to chat. Or if you work in a big company, invite someone you seldom talk to, to have lunch together. Get more involved in your community – find out how you can volunteer at a local organization or in your church. Or simply, look around your house and see what perfectly good items you do not use, that you can bless others with, or offer your skills and services to those who can benefit from it.

Now is also a good time to show gratitude to people who have made a difference in your life. It has been shown in several research studies that gratefulness actually gives you more energy (Emmons & Mcullough, 2003), can help you sleep better and lowers your anxiety level (Korb, 2012), and can help you feel physically better due to increased levels of serotonin and the trust hormone oxytocin.

Amazing! So, guys, thank you for reading and following my suggestions so far!

Today’s Recipe

Here’s another seafood brown/black rice recipe you can try.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

½ cup brown/black rice

½ cup quinoa

30gm prawns

30 gm fresh scallops

30 gm fish fillet

2 tbsp soya sauce

pepper to taste

1 tsp ginger juice or a slice of ginger

1 tbsp pure coconut oil

2 ¾ cup stock (chicken or ikan bilis)

DIRECTIONS

1.   Rinse and drain the rice and quinoa.

2.   Shell prawns and devein. Cut fish fillet into bite-size. Marinate seafood in soya sauce and pepper.

3.   Bring stock to a boil in a big clay pot or non-stick pot. Add rice and ginger juice and bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered. Lower heat and cook for 10 mins.

4.   Spread seafood and coconut oil on top; cook for another 6 mins, uncovered.

5.   Turn off flame and cover the lid for 5 mins or till dry before serving.

Today’s Exercise

Continue with the exercise you started yesterday – whether it’s dancing, swimming, skipping or just your walk-and-run routine. What’s important is that you just do it.

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 24

Day 24: Listening for the Music
Experience has put a fence around the way we think, see and hear. It’s time to free your mind and listen for the music.

There’s a story of these two men who were walking along a crowded sidewalk in a downtown business area when suddenly one of them exclaimed, “Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket!” The other man, who couldn’t hear a thing above the heavy traffic and crowds of people, was amazed. The first man, who was in fact a zoologist, trained to listen to the voices of nature, simply took out a coin, and dropped it on the sidewalk. Immediately a dozen people started looking around them.

“We hear,” he explained, “what we listen for.”

It’s important to frequently take time off to listen to our inner voices, to our bodies, to our loved ones. Each time you think you hear a dissonant note, listen again. It may be a lifesaving tune.

Today’s Meal Plan
You have been getting lots of tips, ideas and advice on what to eat and what not to eat for the past 23 days.

Today, let your creative juices flow and try to come up with a healthylicious meal using whatever you can find in the fridge or your larder. And tomorrow, make it a point to share with us in the chat group what you prepared.

Today’s Exercise
Do something you really enjoy today. If you like music, just put on your favourite album to pulsating volume in the privacy of your room and start to dance and move to the beat until you have worked up a sweat. If you like swimming, grab your gear and go, go, go. Or try something new that you have not tried before – buy a skipping rope, hula hoop or resistance band. Be adventurous, the key is to just enjoy yourself!

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 23

Day 23: Go One Step Further

Presumably, you are now starting to make healthier choices when it comes to food. You may now want to go one step further. Go organic. But before you say, Oh no, too expensive, it may help to know which fruits and veggies are the highest in pesticides, and which are clean enough to stick with the conventionally grown variety.

Most Commonly Contaminated, Go Organic

Apples

Celery

Strawberries

Peaches

Sponach

Nectarines

Grapes

Sweet Bell Peppers

Potatoes

Blueberrues

Lettuce

Kale/Collard Greens

Least Contaminated, It’s Your Call

Onions

Sweet Corn

Pineapples

Avocado

Asparagus

Sweet Peas

Mangoes

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Kiwi

Cabbage\Watermelom

Sweet Potato

Grapefruit

Mushrooms

So if budget is a concern, then just opt for the latter list, which is full of great nutrients as well and make it a point to learn more recipes.

Take the humble cabbage for example. This cruciferous vegetable is packed with essential nutrients. Eating half a cup of cabbage would provide 47% of your vitamin C needs for the day, 102% of vitamin K, 8% of manganese, 6% of folate and lesser amounts of vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, and thiamin. It ahs anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory properties, is good for eye health, weight loss, brain health, bone health, the list goes on!

I use purple cabbage to prepare a healthylicious coleslaw, I love it in form of kimchi, or boil some cabbage to add to my miso soup… Here’s some wonderfully simple cabbage recipes you can try.

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 22

Day 22: Set New Goals

Looking forward to a brand new year? Yes, I know it's only Nov but it's never too early to set new goals. Goals for your health, goals for your life.

Today I watched That Vitamin Movie. It’ll blow your mind just how important proper nutrition is towards warding off diseases and treating, yes treating, so-called incurable diseases like cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, etc. This is information the whole world needs to know and which have been hidden from the public for decades.

The medical industry is BIG business – worth about three trillion dollars a year. It has the clout and the motive to deceive the public, even many doctors are not aware of the deception.

It’s YOUR life. Take responsibility for living the life you deserve. Don’t procrastinate – find out more now and take ACTION now to do what needs to be done.

Today’s Meal Plan

You've cleansed. You've cut back. You've swapped this for that. Now it's time to raise the nutritional bar even further - and keep it there. From now on, aim for at least eight daily servings of vegetables, and three to four servings of fruit. If you can, make Intermittent Fasting a daily habit. Remember the Healthy Plate and stick to it.

Today’s Exercise

Build on last week's fitness regimen with challenging upgrades and an extra run/walk interval each day.

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 21

Day 21: Discover Your Strengths
At the end of the day, reflect on what you've accomplished, not what you should have done.
Looking back at the joyful moments you have experienced thist year, try to make the connection between your untapped passions and your No. 1 career goal. For more help in identifying or narrowing down your top goal, ask your friends and family members what they consider to be your best skills and talents. If you are not sure who to ask, go to the bookshop and get a copy of Strength Finders 2.0 and do the online test to help you discover your unique combination of strengths. You may surprise yourself!

Today's Recipe
If you eat red meat, look for 91 percent lean beef; it's comparable nutritionally and caloriewise to 93 percent lean ground turkey; it's also lower in cholesterol.

For today, try this recipe from Martha Stewart: Asian cabbage stuffed with ground beef sirloin and shiitake mushrooms to help boost your immunity during the rainy season.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces ground beef sirloin
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 head Napa cabbage

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine beef, mushrooms, rice, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Remove 8 large outer leaves from cabbage (if leaves are less than 5 inches wide, overlap 2 leaves, side by side). With a rolling pin, roll each leaf until the stem end is pliable.
3. Dividing among leaves, mound meat mixture toward upturned stem end. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll each leaf into a bundle.
4. Arrange cabbage rolls, seam-side down, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour 1 cup water over rolls; cover dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve drizzled with juices and sprinkled with red pepper, if desired.

Today's Exercise
Combine all of this week's moves again today. Walk for 3 minutes and run for 12 minutes. Repeat for a total of two run/walk intervals.

Your 28-Day Total Heath Plan - Day 20

Day 20: Rediscover Your Passion

This weekend, take time to reflect on what you most want to accomplish this year -- and in the years to come. To those who've lost touch with their ambitions, it may be time for a little soul-searching.

If you find that you have fallen into a rut in your job, it may be time to rediscover your passions. What do you really want for yourself? What do you really enjoy doing? Start making a list now and strategize how you can achieve what you have written down this year.

Give something to two people today. Kind behaviour begets kind behaviour, so show someone some spontaneous love with a cup of coffee, a hug, or a compliment. You’ll be surprised how good that makes you feel!

Today’s Recipe

Healthy eating doesn't mean no chocolate! Even though you've cut out junk food, remember that dark chocolate is actuall good for you – keeps you feeling like you’re 20 and looking like you’re 16! For the highest amount of antioxidants, look for chocolate that contains at least 70 percent pure cocoa. Here’s a simple, quick recipe for Healthylicious Chocolate cinnamon rolls.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices wholegrain bread, with crusts cut off

1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt

Lindt dark chocolate spread or dark chocolate, melted.

1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon Coco sugar

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1.     Use a rolling pin or alternative to flatten the slices of bread.

2.     Spread the dark chocolate spread on the bread and roll tightly together.

3.     Dip the rolls into the egg and fry in a pan with olive oil.

4.     Mix the cinnamon powder and sugar and sprinkle over the rolls before serving.

Today's Exercise

Combine all of this week's moves today: Upper Body, Lower Body and Cardio. Walk for 3 minutes and run for 12 minutes. Repeat for a total of two run/walk intervals.

Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 19

Day 19: A New You for the New Year

Give yourself a pat on the back – you have made the decision to make healthy changes to your lifestyle and stuck to it. No matter how small the first steps are, it’s still a good start in the right direction.

Well, as the experts say, it takes at least 21 days of doing something consistently to turn it into a habit. I hope you have been studiously avoiding all the no-no’s and following some of the to-do’s that I have give you so far. Three more days and it will be a habit!

Today is a good day to look back on the joyful moments of the past year. As you do that, try to make a connection between your untapped passions and your top priority life goal. For example, if you really enjoyed giving advice and helping people problem-solve, you may decide you want to be a life and health coach like me!

I hope 2019 has been a great year for you; 2020 will be awesome! You will be healthier, look and feel better and don’t forget – you made some great new friends at the RRR Retreat, make sure you keep in touch with them.

Today’s Meal Plan

After a few days of feasting, you may want to enjoy a quiet lunch with the family at home. Whatever your plans, make it a point to eat slowly today: Enjoy the taste of your food. Chew mindfully and experience fully what it means for your body to be truly nourished and not just full.

Today’s Exercise

Are you feeling good and pleased with yourself so far? For today, invigorate your body even more by combining all the moves you have learnt so far. Then walk for 5 minutes and run for 10. Repeat for two walk/run intervals.