Intermittent Fasting for weight loss using Circadian Rhythm Eating

As I write this tonight, I’m curled up on a couch snuggling with my dogs wearing turquoise yoga pants, a grey pullover, and leg warmers. I have a warm mug of chamomile licorice tea in my left hand. The lights are dim and my freshly laundered sheets are practically screaming at me to come to bed! But there’s a secret I want to share with you tonight! The beauty, weight loss, and anti-aging secret of Intermittent Fasting.

I’m doing something I do every night and have done every night for the last two decades. I’m preparing my body for sleep. More on this below… for now let’s chat a bit about one of my FAVORITE subjects! Let’s talk about intermittent fasting!

What is intermittent fasting?

I’ve been promoting intermittent fasting (IF) for years! Nowadays, it appears to be popping up everywhere. It’s a staple with my clients. Especially those in California and New York. I guess you could say what started as a trend, now has scientific evidence to back it up!

The eating plan, which has people restrict their eating to specific times of day or days of the week, seems to come with lots of benefits. A Harvard study found that following an intermittent fasting protocol appears to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation in the body.

Intermittent fasting helps my clients drop their weight faster than any meal plan ever could. In fact, real detox specialists know that offering a program with a generalized meal plan is a one size fits all disaster! I believe, In order to truly help people lose weight, reduce inflammation, diabetes, and to feel better about themselves, you must address each individual separately.

So why, exactly, is intermittent fasting so effective? That question has been the subject of debate for years. Some doctors argue that if it’s just another form of calorie restriction; by eating for fewer hours during the day, you’re likely eating less overall.

Others claim that fasting temporarily triggers a “switch” that jump-starts your metabolism. But thanks to new research, experts suggest that intermittent fasting’s benefits could stem from timing meals to the rise and set of the sun. In other words, following your natural circadian rhythm.

What are circadian rhythms and how do they work?

It’s actually natural for diurnal animals such as humans to eat during daylight when we evolved to digest food.

You can think of circadian rhythms as a pacemaker for your body! It’s basically your brain’s master circadian clock (which controls your body’s circadian rhythm). It’s made up of cells located in the hypothalamus. As our eyes recognize light, this master clock sends hormones (mainly cortisol – the stress hormone), to wake you up.

At night it sends melatonin, to make you sleepy. This keeps the rhythms of the body in check. It keeps the cells clean and in good working order. It gives them the rejuvenation they need.

If you don’t have that signal, individual cells literally won’t know what time it is. This can disrupt normal bodily functions. Think about your body getting off track when you travel or when you go for 24 hours without sleep. This ran down out of whack feeling is due to your circadian rhythm being off track. Your natural rhythms in your body are out of step with the external signals it’s getting. This causes your body to struggle to adjust, making you tired, cranky, and hungry.

This is one of the reasons I give each of my clients a meal cut off time. I myself do not take in anything outside of tea or water after 6 pm sharp! I teach my clients that they need to train their bodies to quiet down for the evening. It’s like turning the lights off before bed, you just get used to it.

The Benefits of Daylight eating and intermittent fasting combined!

1) You’ll lose weight

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that eating late at night increases your weight. There simply isn’t any time left late at night to move the body and burn off those calories.

2) Intermittent Fasting allows for more Lucid dreaming with fewer nightmares

Avoid large meals late at night. According to the National Institutes of Health, late-night meals can cause indigestion that interferes with REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement. This means you wake up more frequently. If you continue to eat late at night you can say bye-bye to beautiful lucid dreaming and hello to nightmares.

3) Healthcare without the price tag

It’s a scientific fact that people who eat late at night tend to eat more. In addition, studies show that late-night noshing increases triglyceride levels, a type of fat found in your blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t use right away into triglycerides; and high levels may increase your risk of heart attack and or stroke.

4) Heart health

Eating after 6 pm could be bad news for your heart because the digestive system is less efficient at night leading to a greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Andrea Cox – Speaking about the benefits of fasting at the National Cancer Conference

5) More time for yourself and with your family

I utilize the hours between 6-8 pm to clean my home, walk my furry husbands, and catch up on work projects. Sometimes I just zone out completely and catch a yoga class or play good music. Who wants to be slopping up the kitchen at night? Not me!

6) Your Skin will thank you

The anti-aging effects and more specifically the effect that eating earlier will have are AMAZING! Your skin is the largest organ of the body. When you stop stuffing your body late at night, the first place it will show will be in your skin.

The Benefits of fasting

7) Greater Spiritual awareness

It’s hard to be grateful for food when we are constantly eating it and never truly experience hunger. We don’t even really enjoy food when we are eating very frequently. Fasting teaches us to appreciate food, but also many other blessings and pleasures in our lives.

Here’s a video I shot on a quick 24-hour fasting day. You can see it has gotten quite a bit of interest. And for good reason!

Intermittent fasting combined with daylight eating is a win-win! Not just for your waistline! For your emotional well-being, mental health, and spiritual growth too! I don’t want to begin quoting the Bible in this article but I am feeling led to do so. The fasting prayer has been my “go-to buddy” during both long and short term fasting periods. My longest fast being a 21-day water fast. Boy did this prayer come in handy!

The Fasting Prayer
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you”.

I only want the best for you
Please love yourself
and drink your juice
~ Andrea

Want to read more articles on the weight-loss benefits of intermittent fasting? Check out this great article I found here!

Intermittent fasting can also help with depression and anxiety! Read my article on herbs for depression here! 

Juicing For Health

About twenty years ago I healed my gut and my life by making several lifestyle changes that I’m going to share with you below. I was suffering pretty bad and felt trapped eating six small meals a day as a fitness model. Every day was another day of trying not to upset my stomach. At one point my Crohn’s disease had me weakened down to a mere 97 pounds. Darn that Diarrhea! I didn’t leave the house other than going to the farmers market or gym. I was living in Ohio and there weren’t a lot of people who were educated on digestive issues. Like I said, I made several lifestyle changes but the number one change was, I began juicing every single day. In fact, I’ve not missed a day of juice in twenty years.

Here is what I did to heal below but first, I have a HUGE announcement! My Juicing For Beauty Book just hit 5000 sales! This was with ZERO advertising and just two mentions on Facebook! THANK YOU! Here’s a link to get your copy!

Ok, Now for the Tips and a few Juice Recipes too!

I began juicing cabbage daily. Cabbage juice is extremely healing for not just Crohn’s disease but ALL digestive disorders. I even began including small amounts of cabbage into my salads.

I started a regular yoga practice. I actually got into my yoga so much that I didn’t miss a day for two years straight!

I prayed. Yep! Sure did! I prayed to my angels and guides that my gut would heal completely.

I STOPPED stressing out about being perfect! Knowing that none of us are truly perfect, I let that “smit” go!

I stayed on my vegan diet! Of course ….I stayed on my vegan journey. I was already vegan at that time for two years. Some doctors were actually blaming my plant based lifestyle! I knew they were wrong. My intuition was SCREAMING that I was on the right path. My mother also encouraged me to stay the course.

I began taking probiotics and even created my own pro and pre-biotic called smiling gut! Today I include cabbage in my diet once or twice per week. I’ve been known to sneak it into other people’s food too. Cabbage and probiotics are key when healing digestive disorders. No pharmacy needed:)But it’s the type of pro-biotic that counts! I consider my “Smiling-Gut” pro-biotic to be the best on the market today. 

I kept things simple! It’s easy to get carried away with newby enthusiasm when you begin your health journey! You’ll be making elaborate concoctions comprising multiple fruits and vegetables! I once had a client call me and tell me that she tried to juice an avocado!

Juice as your first meal of the day

The best way to begin juicing is to replace your breakfast With a 32 ounce juice. Swish the juice around with your saliva like you’re at a wine tasting. A 32 ounce juice should take you a minimum of 15 minutes to drink. The idea is to nourish the cells into not craving the bad stuff but craving the good. Juicing first thing in the morning is like a blood transfusion to your body.

Juice in batches

One of the biggest complaints my clients make is that they don’t have the time to juice. In my opinion this is a poor excuse to not gain the healthy benefits that juicing provides. I usually do two different types of juices in one day, and store the second in a closed jar in the fridge (it can keep for up to 72 hours). Although it loses a few enzymes it doesn’t lose enough to not gain all the health full benefits. You can also freeze your juice for up to 3 months (though I use frozen juice within a week) without experiencing any significant loss of quality. Freezing juice is convenient because you can thaw frozen juice when you don’t have the time or the ingredients to make it fresh. The nutritional quality of frozen juice (especially when you freeze it immediately, use it quickly and pack it correctly) is high enough to make it worth the effort. And frozen juice trumps no juice. To freeze juice simply fill glass canning jars up and leave an inch at the top before sealing. This way they won’t burst.

Take it slow when coming from a SAD diet!

Many people turn to this lifestyle after eating a “SAD” diet (Standard American Diet). They end up attempting to juice and a week later, they’re selling the juicer on the Internet because it “didn’t work for them”.

Juicing is not a magical pill you take to heal your ailments. It takes time and you must stick with it. But over time there is no way to heal the body more than to begin juicing. It actually changes your body on a cellular level for the positive. Alkalizing you from the inside out. I often tell my clients it’s like a peeling of an onion. The best anti-aging cream does not compare with juicing.

Don’t start off fasting on juice Almost everyone who purchases their first juicer does so wanting to fast. We all try juice fasts, or replace all our food with juice eventually once we get into this lifestyle. This gives our digestive system a much needed break. While this can be great to detox, you might also burn out with all that juicing, and lose your motivation for it completely. Remember to make juicing a part of your lifestyle which means incorporating it into your day, whether it’s one juice a day or more. Slowly ease yourself into it so it becomes a habit, not a hardship.

My biggest tip for juicing is to keep it simple. Some of my favorite signature juice recipes are…

The Straight Up Sexy! 

(the benefits are profound)!

2 Large cucumbers

2 granny smith apples

one bunch celery

Run through the juicer and enjoy!

 

Charming Chocolate Milk

1 pound of carrots

1 head of Romain

a few drops of chocolate stevia (this tastes like chocolate milk)!

Run through the juicer and enjoy!

Love Thy Liver Juice (On days that I want a little liver cleansing)

2 green apples (less sugar)
8 pieces of flat leaf kale
1 small lemon rind included
1 half inch piece of ginger (any more will kill the juice)
2 cucumbers
1 medium beet

This is a delicious combination that gently detoxes the liver once you add the beet.

Good luck on your juicing journey!

My favorite detox green juice recipe is my Green Goddess

Ingredients

1 bunch Celery
1 Cucumber
1/2 inch of ginger
A handful of parsley
1 Apple (I prefer green)
Instructions

Put everything through a juicer and enjoy.
TIP: This can be done by blender. You will just need to strain the pulp for it to be a juice. It is okay to just drink as is after blending. It’s a great source of fiber.

Copyright © Andrea Cox

I love you
I Only want the best for you
Please love yourself
And drink your juice
Andrea

Raw Vegan Carrot Soup Recipe |Tips on How to Break a Fast

Hey Luv,

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of dry fasting, water fasting,  juice fasting and systematic under eating. I’ve been getting plenty of rest and trying to limit my favorite treats such as Raw Vegan chocolate and my delicious Raw Vegan gluten-free cookies to a minimum. I’ve pretty much been living off my herb garden and foods I find from foraging and by hitting a local underground farmers market.

Working with clients on a one on one basis via zoom and over the phone takes a lot of my energy. So does digestion. Therefore reserving my energy for helping you become healthier wealthier happier and more in tune with your intuition is where I desire my energy to flow. One of the most common questions I get is “how do I break a fast”?

This is a great question that I LOVE answering! I’ll just bullet point a few facts below… 

Easing back into solid foods after fasting

Stay away from processed foods and fast food! After a fast it is always important to ease back into eating solid foods.  This doesn’t mean to go out and get some fast food and eat it slowly, if you do, it will be a very unpleasant experience and not at all beneficial to your health. If you are like many people in today’s society who are woke, you simply have never or would never indulge in fast foods knowing the facts that are out there today. 

Focus on eating fruits I find what works best for both myself and my clients is to eat some of the lighter fruits, like apples or melons (melons are FABULOUS after fasting)! Just be certain to eat enough to produce a bowel movement within thirty minutes.  

Only eat until you are almost full. You will know you have eaten enough within the first 10-20 minutes because your stomach will feel full. Make sure you chew your food thoroughly. This allows your digestive system to work slowly, allowing your saliva to saturate each bite. This entire process allows the enzymes in your saliva called amylase, (also in fruits and vegetables) to break down carbohydrates into simple sugars.

Don’t eat until you are hungry! Tuning into our bodies can be difficult. This is where meditation, yoga and just plain old mindfulness come into play. 

Chew your food thoroughly Masticating your food into the tiniest parts, saturating them with your saliva, making digestion efficient and easy on your body. I like to say we should “chew our juices and juice our food”. Meditate on that and there will be more in tomorrow’s newsletter.

The photo below is of one of my recipes found in my Raw-lic-ous recipes book here!

This is a quick and easy recipe that is full of enzymes because it’s raw not cooked! This makes it ideal for breaking a fast.

The photo below is of one of my recipes found in my Raw-lic-ous recipes book here!

 

This is a quick and easy recipe that is full of enzymes because it’s raw not cooked! This makes it ideal for breaking a fast. 

 

Raw Vegan Carrot Soup Recipe

 

Place the following ingredients in a blender or vitamix and blend. 

 

* 34 oz carrot juice

* 1 avocado

* 1 clove garlic (optional)

* 4-6 dates pitted

* 1 whole carrot

 

Enjoy without shame or guilt! 

 

 

I love you, 

only want the best for you

please love yourselves and drink your green juice Blessings of peace love and abundance

Andrea Cox

 

All material on this website and across all of Andrea’s social media is owned and copyrighted material. Misuse or stealing of this material is punishable by law. 

 

Detox Retreat California

Michael from Canada and sweet beautiful Rosemary from New Jersey.

I had two locals and two people from out of town join me at La Costa resort for an intimate retreat this week.

My local couple partook in working their corporate jobs while taking on a juice fast. One has an hour commute each day and she rocked it!

These two lovelies in this photo came in from opposite sides of the globe. Michael my kind hearted cancer is from Canada . He’s teaching me to be calm through storms. Michael is in the process of changing his entire life beginning with his health. It’s impressive.

Rosemary my Italian mother of two who is a Leo/Cancer cusp is teaching me about pure unadulterated kindness. Rosemary takes care of her mom who has Parkinson’s. Her Javanese dog “Gia” is getting up there in age and she calls and checks on her daily. She is so nice that I leave her room wondering if I’ll ever meet another person with such a loving heart.

Both of them GLOW from the inside out! Not because of their accomplishments. Not because of the latest charcoal mask:) They glow because they both have open loving GIVING hearts! They glow because they are honest, kind loving people. They glow because they want the best for everyone. These are people who put others before themselves. I think maybe I’m teaching them how to turn their selflessness into selfishness! They are teaching me to turn selfishness into selflessness. Funny how that works.

They are just beginning their healthy not so selfish self love journey (self care is NOT selfish)! In the beginning of every transformation are people who know how to love themselves first. Knowing that we cannot give to others until we first give to ourselves.

 

Finding Health Through Spiritual Peace & Downtime

I’m taking the time over the next few days to tune in & decompress:) De cluttering both my home and my body. Spending time with friends whom I love and reconnecting with spirit.

A few things I’ve got lined up for the week ahead….

Lymphatic drainage

Deep tissue massage (done✅)

Acupuncture & hot cupping

Leaving my cell off after 2pm (I have no TV)

Meditation

Yoga

Nature walks

Fresh juice & harvested spring water

Donating 25 items to the Salvation Army

Taking time to unfollow & delete anyone I’m not in direct contact with via social media

Utilizing My dry brush & sauna as much as possible

Every day is a new day to grow, evolve and manifest beautiful love in many different forms.

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Today’s Spiritual Message… When you are no longer moved to tears but can still feel sadness….when you no longer feel the need to broadcast a life event yet you feel happy…when we no longer need to grip a feeling that has long passed…then we are traveling in a state of un-egoic peace. Repeat this message “I am peace”!!!

Please love yourselves

Andrea

Healthy New Beginnings!

Is it December already?! YIKES!

WOW! What a month! Are we really in December? We must be! I’ve been SLAMMED with back to back retreats!

I just had 7 people leave San Diego to begin their new healthy lives! Our next retreat starts on January 1st, New Years Day!

I’m offering all of you first dibs on this opportunity to reserve your spot with only a $500 deposit! The remaining wouldn’t be due until December 29th!

This will go FAST! If you want to drop 10, 12 or even 15 pounds in five days to kick of the year in the right direction, E-mail me at Rawfoodteacher@yahoo.com

The Christmas gift EVERYONE will LOVE!

Hey everyone! I wanted to give you a quick Holiday update and also tell you about a FABULOUS giveaway!

                                                      UPDATE

If you’ve not heard yet~I just got published in the Huffington Post! YEA! As an artist, writer and detox expert this is a HUGE bucket list item for me! Be sure and check it out on my blog!

Louis & I left Mexico but we had to take a “Good morning Merry Christmas photo for you first! Can you guess where we are now?

Good morning San Francisco! I’ve got you in my blood due to my father who loved you! I’m excited to EXPLORE you! Take me to the places you want me to see!

                                                  DETOX TEA!

I realized I had forgotten any tea bags for my trip:( What did I do? Easy! I simply shaved ginger, turmeric and boiled in water! A squeeze of lemon and a dash of cayenne for my immune system and I had my own little tonic! YEA!

A GIFT THAT EVERYONE WILL LOVE!

You’ve been asking for it! Here it is! ☆☆☆▪▪☆☆☆▪▪☆☆☆▪▪☆☆☆▪▪☆☆☆▪▪☆☆☆
From today until Christmas at noon I’m giving away a FREE Skype or phone consultation! Now, I generally charge $250 for these! But I want to give back for all of you supporting me & showing the love that you have! I truly have a passion for seeing people increase their quality of life while getting truly healthy!

To get you’re free phone consultation simply purchase my digital detox that I have on sale right now for just $97! {Yep~Crazy Deal!} This is the same program that people lose up to 1 pound a day or 30 pounds a month on! You can do this program for a short as 1 week or as long as a month!

The beautiful thing is you’re eating an abundance of food everyday! Even those who are not vegan can do this program although you’ll probably be a vegan by the time you’re done 🙂 To get my digital detox now cut & paste the following in your browser ~
thehealthyhaven.net/digital-detox/ 
Or simply go to TheDetoxQueen.com
I can’t wait to see your before and after pictures! It’s never too late to get a brand new start on life!

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Andrea L Cox is the owner of  The Healthy Haven & www.alkalizewithandrea.com  (Detox, Yoga, Juice fast & Raw Food Educational Retreats!)

Andrea is a fitness model turned health coach who has written two books on the raw vegan healthy detoxing lifestyle! Known as “The Detox Queen” She has taken the media by storm & has an impressive social media following with her YouTube channel surpassing 2 million views & her personal Facebook page alone having 20,000 people! 

 Andrea has appeared on numerous news stations TV shows and magazine publications in her home town of Dayton Ohio and now where she lives in San Diego! She has also had national media coverage! Her retreats have become a destination health vacation for several Hollywood celebrities! 

Andrea’s online detox programs may be found at www.thehealthyhaven.net

Andrea’s retreats can be found at www.alkalizewithandrea.com

If you’ve not checked out Andrea’s Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or Twitter yet FOLLOW her below!!! She would love to see you there! 

 Facebook click here

Twitter click here

YouTube click here

Instagram click here

Ten ways to detox daily & feel better today!

TEN CHEAP WAYS TO DETOX & FEEL BETTER TODAY! BY ANDREA L COX

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 1) The Grape Miracle! The Brandt Grape Cure was developed in the 1920s. I’m not going to get into the exact protocol but I am going to tell you how I use grapes below! 

• Up until last year I actually didn’t care for them at all. I preferred more sweet tasting fruits like figs, dates and cherimoyas! Then a girlfriend of mine popped them in the freezer! WOW! My favorite treat! Took them with me today and ate 3 pounds of them yesterday! If you are going to enjoy grapes, I suggest you eat them as a mono meal! Mmm! I ♡ me some grapes:)

  Here are my top ten reasons you should make grapes a staple food!
  1) Easy to pack ~ great travel food
  2) Divine frozen
  3) Full of antioxidants 
  4) Good way to get your purple food in
  5) Grapes are a great lymphatic detox
  6) Kids Love them
  7) They are easy to digest
  8) They give you energy
  9) Great pre workout food
  10) They produce a mega Bowel movement!   

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  2) NAPPING Taking even a 20 minute nap between the hours of noon-3pm has proven to benefit both cognitive function and bodily functions! I try to nap at least 3 times per week. Try to set up a daily nap time in your home or office to reset your bodies rhythm.                                                                                                                          

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  3) COLON CLEANSING The way you begin your mornings is vital to how the rest of your day will flow! Due to traveling over the last 3 days, my mornings haven’t been flowing like I prefer them to. This is why I made sure to get up early this morning to clean out my colon and start the day with my favorite lemonade! Colon cleansing is imperative in todays world! Look into coffee enemas and colonics! Be sure to find a REPUTABLE THERAPIST! They are hard to come by! Find what works for you and begin to cleanse your colon!                                                                                                                                                                                              

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  4) The Detox Lemonade! This drink is a must to detox your liver! The liver has enough burden as it is. Why not give your liver a break with this easy to make drink! The recipe is below~♡♡♡~Drink 16oz~32oz for optimal digestion, liver cleansing and beautiful glowing skin!  Make this the night before and leave in the fridge to marinate. Enjoy the liver cleansing properties and the energy from the vitamin C shot you will get!  

•  2 Liters “good water” never tap!

• 1 drop of Young Living Essential oil of lemon 

• 1 drop of Young Living peppermint oil

• The juice of one organic lemon

• The juice of one organic orange

• 5 cucumber slices  & a  sprig of mint (optional)                                             

  

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  5) MEDITATION Meditation has been proven to lower blood pressure in individuals with chronic stress. What more proof do we need? During my interview with Meditation expert Tom Cronin I learned a way to “go within” that works for me. I try to aim for at least 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night. Although meditation does not have the effect that my yoga practice does, I always feel calmer and more centered when I incorporate it into my flow! 
  

  

  Meditation is a great way to settle the mind daily!

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  6) YOGA   The facts are in! The benefits of yoga far surpass any other exercise out there. For me, yoga is my moving meditation! Ive practiced 3-7 days per week for over 7 years now and find the benefits are long lasting for days after class. Aim for 3-5 sessions per week. 
  

  

  Getting my yoga and girlfriend time in all at once!

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  7) SPEND TIME WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE  When we surround ourselves with people who love us and who we to enjoy being around our lives begin to just FLOW! We sleep better. We feel more motivated! We just enjoy life more and the little things that tend to bother us simply disappear! Find your tribe and keep it small~ less friends, less drama! You don’t need to have a tribe of 30 to be happy! Two or three close friends along with a positive family is sometimes enough! 

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  8) LOVE ON YOUR FURRY FRIENDS! To love is to have a dog! I truly believe this! Having pets around and the simple act of just holding a dog, cat or bunny really does reduce anxiety! With SO MANY homeless animals in this World why not adopt a pet? The health, companionship and love you will get in return will pay you back for a lifetime!      

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  9) EAT HEALTHY Eating NON GMO organic fresh in season fruits and vegetables is imperative to longevity and improving the QUALITY of your life! Aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables per day! Your mood, skin and overall zest for life will thank you!

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  10) JUICE Got Juice? If you do I bet I would be able to pick you out of a crowd! For those of you who say “juicing is not natural~ we need the fiber” I say to you the following! When you give the body a break from digesting by removing the fiber even for one meal per day, you get a blood transfusion that is IMMEDIATELY absorbed into the blood stream within 10-15 minutes! WOW~ NOW THATS A POWERFUL VITAMIN! Yes, we do need fiber but not at every meal! We no longer live in a natural environment therefore it is up to us to detox DAILY! Juicing gives us this power! 

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  ABOUT ANDREA COX! 

• Andrea L Cox is the owner of http://www.thehealthyhaven.net (Home of the Digital Detox~lose 30 lbs in 30 days program) & http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com (home of Andrea’s Detox, juice fasting, yoga raw food retreats)! Andrea is a fitness model turned health coach who has written two books on the raw vegan healthy lifestyle and detoxification! After healing herself of bulimia and anorexia Andrea set out to spread the word on cleansing on a cellular level to create optimal health! Andrea has appeared on numerous news stations TV shows and magazine publications. She runs yoga juice cleanse retreats both in San Diego and Mexico! Her You Tube channel is approaching close to 2Million views. Her website for retreats is http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com Her other programs may be found at http://www.thehealthyhaven.net Andrea’s YouTube channel is AndreaCoxTV

7 Tips to slow down & de~ stress!

7 Tips to Slow Down & De~Stress!

Hi there:) Between work, chasing after the kids, running errands, caring for aging parents and trying to keep your body healthy, who has time to slow down? Is it just me or does it seem like everyone is in a rush these days yet no-one is getting anything done! 

News Flash~Your body is well aware of these chronic stressors we call “life”! Its screaming for you to “slow down and just be! When you repeatedly get stressed, your nervous system stays stirred up. Even small amounts of stress can make you feel overwhelmed.

Today as I sit in Mexico with my boyfriend, his son and two amazing dogs, I realize its 5pm and I’ve been in my bikini all day. Mexico does that to me. It slows me down and I don’t mind a bit! I always feel refreshed when I return home ready to tackle my week! 

Andrea taking a relaxing day in Mexico!

Here are my top 7 Tips for learning to slow down~de ~stress and  relax!

1) LEARN TO MEDITATE  Meditation has been proven to lower blood pressure in individuals with chronic stress. What more proof do we need? During my interview with Meditation expert Tom Cronin I learned a way to “go within” that works for me. I try to aim for at least 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night. Although meditation does not have the effect that my yoga practice does, I always feel calmer and more centered when I incorporate it into my flow!

Andrea Cox~Morning meditation in Mexico!

2) PRACTICE YOGA OFTEN The facts are in! The benefits of yoga far surpass any other exercise out there. For me, yoga is my moving meditation! Ive practiced 3-7 days per week for over 7 years now and find the benefits are long lasting for days after class. Aim for 3-5 sessions per week. 

3) VISUALIZATION A therapist told me I needed to visualize years ago, I laughed then went and bought a book on it! Nothing can bring peace like visualizing yourself on a far away island listening to the ocean waves crashing around you while you are on your lunch break in your office! Try it and see for yourself!

4) STOP THE STIMULANTS I recently stopped taking a green tea pill and I cannot tell you how incredibly taxing it was! I had a headache for three days! We are talking green tea with all its benefits! Bottom line here is that any and all caffeine will rev you up then drop you like a one night stand:) Ditch the coffee and replace it with a caffeine free herbal tea! Your adrenal glands and partner will thank you (less moodiness)!

5) GET YOUR HANDS ON A GOOD ADRENAL GLANDULAR Nothing supports the adrenal glands after a long stressful period in life than a good nights sleep and a great adrenal glandular! Your adrenal glands support energy production in the body. When we are in that “go go go rat race” they can crash and burn out! This leaves you feeling tired and ran down! Look for a good adrenal product preferably one that is herbal and vegan.

6) HYDRATE & EAT HEALTHY Skip out on this and the consequences will be great! In order to have peace in our mind we must have peace in our bodies! This comes from the inside out! What you take in today will determine your clarity of mind, peace and your bodies ability to handle stress tomorrow! Choose that food wisely and hydrate!

7) MOVE YOUR BODY EVEN ON YOUR “REST DAY” Exercise is as important daily as breath! Our lymphatic system doesn’t pump on its own, we must move so it can do its job to pump that lymphatic fluid that carries toxins out of our body! Even if only for 20 minutes~move daily! Your body, heart and mind will thank you!

 

I hope you enjoyed this and empty the tips above in your own life! Feel free to Tweet this and tag me at “Rawchefandrea”! You may also Pin it or share it on Facebook and tag me under Andrea L Cox! I love sharing!

 

Andrea L Cox is the owner of http://www.thehealthyhaven.net & http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com

Andrea is a fitness model turned health coach who has written two books on the raw vegan healthy lifestyle and detoxification! After healing herself of bulimia and anorexia Andrea set out to spread the word on cleansing on a cellular level to create optimal health! Andrea has appeared on numerous news stations TV shows and magazine publications. She runs yoga juice cleanse retreats both in San Diego and Mexico! Her You Tube channel is approaching close to 2Million views. Her website for retreats is http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com Her other programs may be found at http://www.thehealthyhaven.net

 

7 Tips to becoming more emotionally healthy

Cultivate strong relationships~ Develop and maintain strong relationships with people around you who will support and enrich your life. The quality of our personal relationships has a great effect on our wellbeing. Putting time and effort into building strong relationships can and will bring great rewards. Studies actually show that married people live healthier longer lives! The proof is literally in the pudding!

Exercise everyday~ I’m not saying you have to become a professional body builder. The facts however are well known~exercise releases endorphins that are mood boosting! One of the best mood boosting exercises I know is to rebound! Yep! Rebounding has been proven to boost your mood! The average rebounder can be bought for around $200. A small price to pay for all the mood boosting and lymphatic benefits! Feel free to watch my video about rebounding here Rebounding Video

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eat right! ~Physical and mental health are closely linked; it’s easier to feel good about life if your body feels good. Try to replace one meal per day with a liquid meal. I prefer my clients use the all mighty all powerful juice! This gives your body a break from digestion! Try to consume at least 75% of your fruits and vegetables in their raw natural state. Eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are 80% full. No one feels good when they are stuffed!

Cashew curry salad!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Challenge yourself~ When is the last time you read a book, completed a crossword puzzle or challenged yourself to memorize someones name, birthday phone number and address instead of logging it into your cell phone? Learning improves your mental fitness, it expands your brains capacity and creates a sense of calm throughout the body by shifting focus off the body. 

Helping others in anyway you can is also a wonderful challenge! When I started my YouTube channel it was for that very reason! I never thought in a million years it would end up as it has where I actually get paid to do what I love! By helping others the rewards come ten fold back to us! Try it! 

Try to not take things personally~ Be aware of what triggers you and how you react. Often times we are triggered the most by those we love! You may be able to avoid some triggers simply by sitting the person down who is triggering you and having a heart to heart with them. Express how your feeling and that you need them to approach or speak to you in a different way.

Get 8 hours of sleep per night~ Get plenty of sleep. Try to set a regular bedtime schedule. Sleep restores both your mind and body. When we feel fatigued we can literally “lose it” with ourselves and those we love. No one functions well without proper sleep! 

Ask for help.  A perfect, worry-free life does not exist. I find no shame in saying “I have a therapist” and neither should you!  If you don’t get the help you need first off, keep asking until you do. Therapist are like a new pair of jeans, you have to try on a few before you find the perfect fit!

 

Andrea L Cox is a published fitness model who has written two books on juicing, raw vegan food, bulimia and detoxification. Andrea owns The Healthy Haven~ home of everything detox! Andrea is in demand for her cleansing retreats by both celebrities and the average house wife. Andrea’s YouTube channel has close to 600 videos and 2 million views! She has appeared on such shows as KUSI San Diego, Fox 45 Dayton Ohio, Fox San Diego, channel 6 San Diego, The Del Mar Times, Dayton Daily News, Muscular Development magazine, Pump fitness, The Patrick Timpone show,One radio network, Mind Body Green and several others.

You can see more of Andrea on the following websites

www.thehealthyhaven.net

www.alkalizewithandrea.com