Do I really need to exercise?? Why??

Right, everybody says that, exercising is good, but why?? Well, regular activity  not only  strengthen your muscles as you already now. It will also improve heart and lung function, reduce your risk of major diseases, stimulate the growth of new brain cells, and even add years to your life. Isn’t that cool? Well, studies show just 30 minutes of physical activity most days is all that’s required to reap big benefits.

The good thing is that you do not need to start doing long hours in the gym or running marathons to get there, however, you do want to do it regularly… Remember, for good and for bad:

“It is not what you do one day that counts, but what you do everyday” 

If those reasons were not enough to convince you, here you have some more arguments IIN suggests us:

1. Keep you young. Workouts such as brisk walking or cycling boost the amount of oxygen consumed during exercise. Improving your aerobic capacity by just 15 to 25 percent would be like shaving 10 to 20 years off your age. Aerobic exercise may also stimulate the growth of new brain cells in older adults.
2. Reduce infections. Moderate workouts temporarily rev-up the immune system by increasing the aggressiveness or capacity of immune cells. That may explain why people who exercise catch fewer colds.
3. Prevent heart attacks. Not only does exercise raise “good” HDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure, but new research shows it reduces arterial inflammation, another risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.
4. Ease asthma. New evidence shows that upper-body and breathing exercises can reduce the need to use an inhaler in mild cases of asthma.
5. Control blood sugar. Exercise helps maintain a healthy blood-sugar level by increasing the cells’ sensitivity to insulin and by controlling weight. Regular brisk walking can significantly cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
6. Protect against cancer. Exercise may reduce the risk of colon-cancer by speeding waste through the gut and lowering the insulin level. It may also protect against breast and prostate cancer by regulating hormone levels.
7. Combat stress. Regular aerobic exercise lowers levels of stress hormones. For many people, exercise helps relieve depression as effectively as antidepressant medication.
8. Relieve hot flashes. Increasing fitness by walking or practicing yoga enhances mood and reduces some menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats.
9. Protect men’s health. Pelvic exercises help prevent erectile dysfunction and possibly benign prostate enlargement, a common cause of urinary problems.
10. Prolong life. Studies lasting many years have consistently shown that being active cuts the risk of premature death by about 50 percent for men and women.

So, when are you getting started? What are you planning to do? Just walking or riding your bike is a great way to get started!

Big hug,

Sara

About miracles… ;-)

“If you want big miracles, you have to take big risks. If you’re wanting to take smaller risks, you’ll have to accept smaller miracles.”

What risks are you taking??

Big hug,

Sara

My 5 top reasons to eat organic :)

I have been all over the place for the past weeks trying to understand what was going on in my life. I had to stop and write my priorities down. The first one is: taking care of myself in order to stay healthy :) Sounds cool, right? Well, next step is revising what I am doing to get there and what else could be done to feel better about it. One of the most important things that come to my mind then is food :) So I start revising what I eat and I realise that although it is not bad at all (specially compared to a couple of years ago), I am missing something! Hmmmm… Interesting… What’s wrong then? Well, for one thing or another I had almost stopped buying organic food! 

Why? Maybe because its more expensive or less convenient that the regular supermarket…  However after having worked in an organic (and vegetarian) fryi

ng shop during the weekend I realised I wanted to go back to eating organic as much as possible! Why? Here you are my main reasons to buy and eat organic:

1. It keeps chemicals away from my plate
2. It adds nourishment and flavor!
3. It protects water quality and helps the environoment
   
4. It helps the development of the local economy
5. It promotes eating veggies from the season, which will help you to conect with yourself

What is your main reason to eat organic? Do you have more reasons? Stay tuned to check the best tricks to eat organic while saving money! ;-)

Big hug and loads of organic food!

Sara.es

Let things come to you…

What to do when time passes by and things just don’t happen? Well, instead of trying to catch them hard, maybe we should allow them to come to us… After considering a new strategy to pursue my dreams during the last days, this came to me. Here you are a text from “Daily Guidance From Your Angels”, by Doreen Virtue:

Take It Easy

“Sometimes you struggle and strain to achieve so much that you unwittingly block yourself. This is especially true when you want something so bad that you try over and over again to make it happen.

The universe responds to the fear imprinted into the energy of struggle. This underlying anxiety that maybe what you desire won’t materialise is mirrored back to you in the form of limitations, delays, and unsatisfactory manifestations.

That’s why surrendering brings about immediate results. When you deliver your wish to the universe, you also release the fears that previously blocked you. Letting go is a statement that says, “I know my wish is manifesting in the best possible way, even if I’m not certain exactly how it will happen.” This faith is akin to opening the front door and welcoming your desire into your home.

Take it easy today, and allow the universe to do the work of creating your dreams. Your job was done once you made the wish, so turn it over to God and enjoy the creative ways in which your prayers are answered.”

So, will you take it easy now? I will… Everything happens for a reason…. ;-)

Big hug and tons of patience! xx

 Btw, thank you Jess Ainscough for being such a great inspiration! :) 

Do you want to re-connect with yourself this summer? Dont miss this summer camp in Antwerp! ;-)

I know, it is not summer yet, but do you already have plans? Don’t know what to do or have no people to do it with? Well, that was me last year, haha. I wanted to do something my future self would thank me for and have fun at the same time. More than taht I met very nice people and learned a lot about macrobiotics, yoga and eastern medicine among others… I also had the time to relax and enjoy just “being”… Doesn’t it sound cool? Wouldn’t you love to do the same? Well, you can! :)

Last year I spent a great week in Antwerp at Summer Camp organised by “De Natuurlijke Kookschool”. This year it will take place from the 29th of July till the 3rd of August. If you want to learn more about it I invite you check this video and visit their website!

Summer Camp in Antwerp 2012 :)

http://www.denatuurlijkekookschool.be/en/home

I will be there, hope to see you around! :)

Big hug,

Sara.es

Back from El Camino, and now what??

After 111km walking during 5 rainy and intense days  with the girls (Sara and Osane) we finally arrived to Santiago de Compostela… :) Yeaaaaah!

It was not easy… but we made it and we will do it again one day (that’s actually what everybody says, hihihi). Along the way we encountered very nice people, injuries, bad sleeping, lots of rain and very few sun, good food, lots of laughs, disagreements, courage, thoughts, reflexions, inspiration… bla, bla, bla…

However I did not find what I was looking for, my path in life… One of the reasons why I wanted to do el Camino was to clarify my thoughts and discover what I wanted to do in life. Well, it just didn’t happened how I had expected, hahaha.

The good news is that I can restate now that “Everything happens for a reason”… ;-) It just had to be like that. Here I leave some of the things we learned during this great adventure.

• Life will give you what you can face
• Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain
• The mind is like a parachute, it only works if you open it
• Distance is relative
• Everyone has its own rhythm, do not force it ;-)
• Keep on walking, you never know what life will bring you
• El Camino will not give you what you are looking for (my case), but what you need; do not see the way as a goal but as a school… Get to know yourself… ;-)

Now that El Camino was finished it was time to go back home and go back to reality. We had no clue where we would end up a month from then. What I did know is that I would be true to myself, my values and believes and that I will follow my dreams!  A year from then we are following our dreams in Australia, Georgia and Gent (not bad, right?). Lets see where we are in a year from now! ;-)

This is us again about to arrive… I see it now as one of the most difficult moments along the way, but look at us, don’t we look happy? We were and we always are because we want to be ;-)

Thank you again girls for such a lovely time and so many good memories, it was awesome!

Buen camino,

Sara.es

P.D. What is it that you learned in El Camino? I would love to hear from you!! ;-)

Healthy living… how do you do that??

For how long have you been willing to live a healthier live but you always find great excuses to start on Monday? Well, there is no excuse now…. Today is the day, MONDAY! Yesssss! ;-)

Now that you know that you have what you need to get started, here you are a schema with 4 issues you might want to take into account for a healthy living. It seems too broad right? I can imagine you don’t really know where to start… Do not worry!! (be happy :P) We will be exploring each topic during the following weeks…

So, what about sharing with me where you are or what your plans are to get started??

Happy Monday everyone!

Big Hug,

Sara.es

One year after starting “El Camino”

I can’t really believe one year has passed since we started walking El Camino… We were three young girls (Sara, Osane and Sara) who barely knew each other in person but that had shared a lot thanks to the Internet (it is crazy how the media can connect people nowadays!). We knew where we were coming from (same job that was recently over in different locations in the world: Viena, NY & Brussels) but we had no clue where we would end up in the coming future…

This is me exactly one year ago… What has changed? Can you see something different? I do… hahaha I feel like a whole new person since then… At that moment I had tons of questions in my head: how would it go among the three of us? Will it be too much walking? Am I bringing too much stuff? Will I be able to find the right food for me? Will we meet nice people along the way? How would the weather be like?… But the most important question… What will I do with my life after El Camino??

Well, I will tell you the answers to these questions next week, when El Camino was supposed to come to an end after 5 days of walking, rain, pain, good food, thoughts, sayings and happiness :)

So far I will say that sharing such an experience with this two friends was absolutely priceless… I still remember like if it was yesterday the moment when I met one of them for the first time in my life on a train and when we both met the third one at the bus station  in Monforte de Lemos… It was like if I had known them from my whole life…  :) The three of us so different and so much alike at the same time… We are dreamers, we cannot help it, but that’s fine because I dont think we want to do something about it but keep on dreaming BIG! :)

Thank you very much Sara and Osane for such a good vibe, so many laughs -indeed a lot ;-)- and coming with me! I still smile every time I think about our adventure… When and where will it be the next one? :p

AP,

Sara.es