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Zain’s **Super Powerful** Morning Detox Tea

I have shared with all of you that I normally start my day with this and have done so since I was very young thanks to my mother and her understanding of Ayurvedic medicine.

Every now and again, especially during the Spring and Fall when nature is birthing and or dying, I like to do a 3-day all-natural detox for my mind, body and spirit.  

During my detox, I start my day with this tea which is one of the most powerful Ayurvedic detox recipe’s I have ever tried.

1 Pot Boiling Water

1/2 Cup Fresh Mint Leaves

Juice of 1-2 Lemons

1/2 Cup Dandelion Leaves OR Dandelion Root (this comes in powder too)

10 Drops Milk Thistle

1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger

1 Tsp Fresh Grated Turmeric OR 1/4 Tsp Powdered Turmeric

*Just combine all of the ingredients in a pot of boiling water and let steep for 10-15 minutes

This tea will alkalize your blood, cleanse your liver and endocrine glands, purify your skin and increase circulation in your digestive system.

Break Free From Your ROUTINE

Routine can be as addictive as a tub of Ben & Jerry’s right after a…well let’s just be real…after one spoonful.

And while enjoying this (as a major treat every now and again in the correct portion…OMG I sound like my mother, sorry) is relative to savouring the moment, it can also sabotage all of your efforts to live a healthy, fit, lifestyle.

Same goes for routine.  I know it may not seem that way but it’s true.  

Taking a break every now and again from your routine is necessary to achieve balance and lasting health.  Really, it is.

Routine offers little room for spontaneity so it is invaluable for us to break free of our regularly scheduled training, eating and timings.  How many of you honestly, feel compelled to eat the same foods day in day out or train your bodies the same way everyday?

Although this may be helping you achieve results physically, what do you think it is doing for your mind and spirit? 

One word: SUFFOCATION and deep down inside, especially overtime, you start to get the feeling of, is this all there is?

HELL NO. Life is happening.  

Here are some of my favourite ways to jump on the freedom train:

1. Get out of town - You will be forced to try new cuisine, experiences and train in a different setting.

2. Take a new class or train at a different gym - Never tried yoga or barre? Why not grab a friend and have some fun trying it out? Perhaps sign up for a guest pass at another gym or taking your workout outdoors.

3. Try a new recipe every week or a new food each day for a month - Need some inspiration, click here.  Check out what foods are in season and as you are walking in the market, see what draws your attention. eat intuitively.

4. Book a spa day - Pamper yourself at your favourite spa.  Enjoy a massage or a treatment package either on your own or make it a date with a friend.

5. Try shopping at a DIFFERENT market - One where you don’t know your way around and enjoy the experience of trying new things.  Farmers Markets are amazing if you have access to one.

6. ***Write down areas in your life where you are dedicated to your routine and notice how you feel in those areas of your life.  Do you feel in control? When you break free do you feel out of control? Notice and become aware of your control patterns.  The need to control is based in fear and does not serve your higher self.*** 

Heaven on earth…I so needed this…
@ScandinaveSpa #Whistler #beautiful #nature #health #wellness #relaxation #majestic #spa

Planning on doing some Sunday baking?

Check out my recipe for healthy, sugar-free, vegan Raspberry & Coconut Scones in this month’s Oxygen Magazine and send me over a picture of yours for a chance to win a free, 1 hour Nutritional Consultation with moi!

This is the perfect recipe for those spring/summer tea parties and of course grad and wedding festivities! 

*make these gluten-free using coconut flour!

I love this chart on PLANT BASED PROTEIN SOURCES!!!

Zain’s Tri-Colour Salad the grand finale…#birthdayfeast #healthy #classic #Italian #buffalomozzarella #vineripenedtomatoes #basil #balsamicreduction #avocado #oliveoil #healthyfats #vegetarian #salad @oxygenmagazine @eatcleandiet @wholefoods

THIS is what’s going on in my kitchen right now.
Prepping a classic #Italian birthday feast…
#buffalomozzarella #tricoloursalad #healthy #vineripenedtomatoes #healthyfats #salad #balsamicreduction#basil #oliveoil

Zain’s **No More CELLULITE** Game Plan

Not sure if its something in the air this week but I have received several messages on social media asking about tips on how to deal with cellulite.

As the warmer season approaches and we start bearing more skin, we women become super conscious about the little fat pockets that like to park right up on our thighs and hips.  

Before I started living the way I live and eating the way I eat, I too dreaded the ‘cottage cheese-like’ lumpy skin around the tops of my legs but I can honestly say that now, due to my lifestyle, it is nowhere to be found.  

Cellulite is simply fluid retained in fat cells that increase as weight/body fat increases and due to a lack of oxygen in the area, they get squished together creating the dimply look.  Free-radicals, age, diet and lifestyle have a lot to do with it but let me tell you, clean eating is a major game changer.  I had more cellulite at 25 than I have at 33 and that is a fact.

So here’s what I do to keep cellulite at bay:

1. Diet

Choose foods that oxygenate the blood and help release fluid retention

• beet root
• radish
• parsley
• asparagus
• lemon
• salmon and other fatty fish
• flax seeds
• spinach
• kelp
• cucumber
• berries
• dill weed
• anise
• fennel

*drink at least 3 liters of water per day, every day as well as lots of herbal tea

*my PURIFY VITAMIN WATER works wonders for fluid retention so sipping on this all day will benefit you big time in the cellulite department

*coconut water works wonders 

*enjoy foods packed with healthy fats and oils as they will help your body let go of the fat it is holding onto.  I recommend fatty fish such as salmon or black cod as well as coconut oil, walnuts, avocado and chia seeds

*avoid highly acidic foods and stick to alkaline foods, to find out more about what this means click here.

*avoid sugar, salt, alcohol and caffeine (including chocolate, not raw cacao) as these things SUCK the oxygen right out of your blood stream.

2. Training

A regular weight training and cardio program will do wonders for you.  Weight training, transforms fat cells, which hold 25% water, into muscle cells which hold 75% water.  The magic ingredient in water is….you got it….oxygen.

Here are some of my favourite cellulite-fighting training activities.  Try to incorporate these activities into your life at 4-5 days per week.

• HIIT sprints
• full-body weight training
• functional training
• yoga
• barre classes
• hiking
• running

3. Secret Tips & Tricks

Being the complete tomboy that I was growing up, I was fortunate to have a sister who was really in the know about all things beauty related. Her natural talents for creating amazing skin and body care recipes as a kid ultimately led her to becoming the founder of an incredible skincare line sold and used at some of the top spas around the world. Her stuff is the only product I will use on my skin and body and its made with organic indigenous ingredients such as kelp, clay, oils and herbs.  

*That said, you should look for a product line that is all-natural, that suits your particular body.  Don’t buy into all the humbo jumbo magic creams.

*My sister also swears by something called dry-brushing.  For those of you unfamiliar with this, you use a dry loofah brush in a circular motion on your ‘cellulitey’ areas and this helps to break up the fat and increase circulation.  To see a demonstration of how to perform dry brushing technique, click here.

Here is a little recipe for a masque that my sister would make for cellulite.  This should be applied directly to your trouble areas to help oxygenate, tighten and relieve fluid retention.

AntiCellulite DIY Masque -

Combine 1 avocado, 1 beaten egg, 1 tsp of kelp powder, 10 drops of sweet orange oil, 5 drops of fennel oil, 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp raw honey.  Mix together and store in a mason jar in the fridge.  

Start by dry-brushing the area then apply this masque to your trouble areas 2-3 times per week allowing the masque to sit until it dries, then wash off with cool water. 

Remember, cellulite will not vanish overnight but if you remain committed to a clean diet with lots of antioxidant fighting foods, train regularly and practice dry-brushing, you will start to notice your body transform and your cellulite will become a thing of the past!

#LoveFood Lunch @EternalAbundance @e3live
#raw #vegan #abundancesalad #livefood #bioavailable #nutrients #greenjuice #ginger #miso @eatcleandiet

How To Achieve LASTING Weight Loss

LASTING weight loss for me, was NOT the result of simply eating and training.  Of course these are two critical elements of achieving weight loss but in my experience of ups and downs, there is one thing that has made all of the difference and no, it was not a book, certain meal program or diet or was it coaching or guidance from an outside source.  

What has led to my lasting balance with my weight and physique is:

LOVING MYSELF ENOUGH TO  LISTEN TO MY BODY

No matter what diet I followed, no matter how much external guidance I received or how hard I trained, being disconnected to my body and ignoring its signals made me dependant on external techniques to get my body to a point of balance.  

This was fleeting because the moment that I could no longer follow the diet plan I had been working with because I was going away or when the program ended or I stopped training that way, the weight would all come right back and for those of you who have experienced this, you understand how frustrating and disappointing this can be.

Don’t get me wrong, learning how to eat clean and train have metamorphosized my life but what has caused these habits to become a way of life took a deep excavation of all of my feelings of worthlessness and fear of failure, perfectionism and self-judgement and replace them with compassion, forgiveness, understanding and love.

As I did this, my intuitive voice began to speak louder and louder to me and I started to listen.  

From deep within, messages came to me about what foods to choose and what exercise would benefit me most that day. Living like this, with this level of freedom and watching as my body has become leaner, stronger and more flexible as a result of it is what I believe in our society we have moved so far from.

So how did I learn to do this?  Well, a regular meditation practice helped a lot.  What it did was it quieted my mind so that I could actually hear  what my body was trying to tell me.  The messages, many times, conflicted with what my head said which spoke to me in the way of calories, fat grams what I should and shouldn’t be doing based on so-called ‘weight loss rules.’

Well the rules worked but they were never lasting and I decided to choose myself over them and guess what?

I won.  

Sure it was scary as f*&^ to let go of what I had learned and believed to work, but it has changed my life and has given me the gift of lasting balance in my body.

We are used to looking outside of ourselves for the solution.  My prayer is that you realize that this behaviour is conditioned and that your body is so much wiser than anything outside of you, provided you trust it enough to let it guide you.