Blog

Love to read and looking for further guidance on the journey? You’ve come to the right place! Diane’s blog discusses the topics of: training, positive living, breath-work and meal prep in full detail to help you on your way!

A guide to breath-work: how to apply it to your daily life

A sense of heavy urgency fills many of our worlds. It can take over out mind by making it run wild, keep busy and have a hard time slowing down. Before you know it, anxiety has sunk in and from there we get lost in what to do. Sometimes, it can feel like “just doing one more thing on the to do list will relieve this stress” but it never does. So, today I am sharing with  you a few tips on how to apply techniques that work to slow us down and enhance peace within our inner world. 

  1. Allow Yourself To Slow Down.
*Between tasks / meetings / events / activities
Let yourself stop. Don’t grab for anything. Don’t move. Look in one spot, take one deep breath in, and one deep breath out.
~allow yourself at least 1 breath in between each task or activity you do in the day.
    2.     Breathe in a way that will benefit  you
*nasal breathing 
*fill your lungs with every inhale
*empty your lungs with every exhale
	Each time we breathe with this full inhale and releasing exhale, our body is able to circulate, recover and respond better. Thus, turning off our “fight or flight” response and turning on our “rest and relax” response. Enhancing our emotions, energy and daily living.

How to breathe.
Inhale - 5-6 counts (or until you feel your lungs expand)
*when starting out, it is helpful to gently place your hands around each side of your rib cage and feel the movement of each in and out breath

Exhale - 6-8 counts (or until you feel your air empty and your core slightly contract)
*this will feel like a relieving breath each time. As a side note, if you are feeling “out of breath” after your exhale, then you have breathed out too much. Stop at a slight contraction of the abdomen.
Create a gentle rhythm and flow within your own body. You will notice immediate positive effects, if applied correctly.

Any questions? 
Feel free to reach out to me directly :)

Should I eat less on rest days?

Eating a consistent amount of calories and macronutrients that aligns with your health goals is the best way to see progress in your nutrition, fitness and overall health for the long-term. — Diane Kukurudza — As a Lifestyle Client I would argue to say no. Here’s 2 main reasons why: 1. Food Consistency > meal and eating habits are tough to keep consistent if a routine isn’t yet established, so changing the amount of food and the kind of foods you are eating on training days vs. rest days can result in overwhelm and can cause a hiccup in regular eating habits. (which may hinder growth) 2. Risk of “Failure Mindset" > if there’s a busy week where workouts are tough to get through or a work-out is missed, there is possibility for mindset struggles such as “feeling like a failure.” this can sink in and cause a negative mindset around eating / exercise / healthy habits which could do more bad than good for long term health The reality is, if we can make the meal planning and prepping process enjoyable and consistent, that is when positive thought patterns around food form and healthy routines are created. The more consistent you are with food, the more positively your body will respond - metabolism increases - low stress response to food / planning - dopamine response toward food/meal prep (happy hormone) - proper nourishment for body & mind If you have questions about how much you should be eating or where to start with meal planning, drop a comment below and lets get connected! Chat with you soon! Xo, Diane

Sucralose vs. Granulated Sugar vs. Stevia Sweetner. What you need to know.

Sucralose (Splenda)

Sucralose is derived from granulated sugar and is 600x sweeter than granulated (white) sugar. Sucralose is made in a lab and technically not “sugar” because they replace three hydroxyl groups on the sucrose molecule with three chlorine atoms (making sucralose a calorie free sweetener because it is excreted (unchanged) through the feces after consumption)

It is FDA approved and safe to consume. About 100 health studies have been completed the last 20 years on sucralose showing safe use of consumption if within the guidelines.

Things you need to know:

  1. CONSUMPTION RECOMMENDS

150lb person = 28 splenda packets

The daily recommended guidelines is 5mg per kilogram of body weight

So what we are seeing here, is the daily max for sucralose consumption, is MUCH higher than the average person would consume.

2. BAKING WITH SUCRALOSE

Baking with sucralose supplements or sucralose are not recommended due to the mixing of sucralose with heat — this can cause a chemical called Chloropropanols which has been studied to cause cancer.

3. GUT MICROBIOME

If overconsumption of sucralose, it can cause inflammation in the gut. However, due to studies, this will be challenging as the daily consumption limit it quite high.

Granulated Sugar

Is made from sugar cane, which is naturally grown in tropical areas in the world. The largest producer being Brazil.

Things you need to know:

  1. DAILY LIMIT

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, the daily limit is less than 10% of caloric intake. For a 2,000 calorie diet, this brings the daily limit to 50g.

2. SUGAR SPIKE

Sugar contains high carb, no fat, no protein when consumped. For reference, 4.2g (1 tsp) of sugar = 4g of carbs. However, sugar causes a quick spike in blood sugar giving us quick energy, which is soon caused by a sugar crash. The crash can cause consumers to reach for more sugar to continue another blood sugar spike which has negative health effects such as high blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, etc.

3. MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS

Consuming sugar can trigger chemical imbalances in the brain causing negative effects to our mental health. Due to the blood sugar spikes, we see initial changes in dopamine levels rising, and during the sugar crash we see these levels fall, causing feelings of depression, anxiety and/or other emotional effects.

Stevia

Is derived from Stevia Leaves found in South America (native to Paraguay and Brazil). The leaves are dried and then soaked in water to release the sweetener from the leaf. From there, they filter, dry and then crystalize it to create stevia sugar.

Stevia sweeteners are not absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract causing the sweetener to be calorie and sugar free because it doesn’t impact blood glucose levels. Stevia is then metabolised by the liver and excreted in the urine.

Things to know:

  1. DAILY INTAKE LIMIT

The daily limit for stevia is 4mg of stevia per kilogram of body weight. For example, a 150lb person could safety eat 10 packets of stevia per day. Stevia is very sweet, so its highly unlikely you would add this much stevia.

2. STEVIA DRINKS

  • Zevia

  • Fanta Select

  • Vitamin Water Zero

3. HEALTH EFFECTS

Stevia is said to be healthy and purified extracts from the stevia leaves are now FDA approved. However, in 1991, it was banned by the US believing it was linked to negative health effects (cancer).

Will you be our next transformation?