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The need to detox is a call from our body to "recover" from any holiday mishaps or even from the general change in our habits during the same period. Detoxification helps alkalinize the ph of the blood, enhances the detoxifying action of the liver and reduces inflammation in the body, thus improving our future health.

Fortunately, our fall food choices are plentiful, nutrient-dense, and easy for that matter. Below, we've put together a list of foods that are detoxifying and will help you get back on track, and here's a great quick super detox juice recipe!

1. Sweet potato: it is rich in vitamin A, fiber and potassium, helping to reduce retention, good digestion and supporting the health of the immune system. They are rich in vitamin D and B6 which contribute to the good functioning of the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. Finally, it contains phytolachines which bind heavy metals, further detoxifying the body.

2. Apples: As apples are high in pectin and fiber, they absorb toxins. Also, they contain glucaric acid which helps to remove chemicals and additives that some foods may contain.

3. Ginger: ginger contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components and relieves digestion. It helps in detoxification by producing healthy sweat, ridding the body of toxins and generally helps to strengthen the immune system.

4. Beets: Beets have phytonutrients with detoxifying and antioxidant effects. They contain betaine, an amino acid associated with the neutralization and elimination of toxins from the liver. They are high in fiber and potassium, so they act as a natural laxative, fighting retention and constipation.

5. Onions: It is one of the richest foods in polyphenols, an antioxidant that helps the body function properly. They also contain flavonoids that reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

6. Dill: It is rich in vitamins and anti-inflammatory, while it contains substances that help activate glutathione, an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and helps detoxify the liver.

7. Brussels Sprouts: Rich in fiber, vitamins C and K, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, Brussels sprouts help with the digestive process and lower blood sugar.

The detox period is not a period of deprivation as many people think. It is a period when we strengthen our body, giving it clean foods with beneficial properties that help its already detoxifying action. It is a help that we provide to him to continue to carry out his work.

Detox Juice Recipe:

Juice with beets *2 people

1 beetroot

2 carrots

3 pieces of celery

½ lemon

1 cm ginger

1 green apple

You put everything in the blender and drink. We advise you to drink it immediately so that it does not oxidize and better in the morning on an empty stomach, as the vitamins and minerals are absorbed more easily.

Good start!

- iToocan Team

Sources:

https://nutritioncanheal.com/8-foods-for-detox/

https://www.humnutrition.com/blog/the-best-detox-foods/

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/detoxifying-foods/

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/6-power-fruits-you-should-include-in-your-diet-to-detox-1677523

https://chopra.com/articles/8-incredible-health-benefits-of-eating-ginger

(Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash)

A wellness journal can positively impact your mental health. Journaling your feelings and experiences is a mindfulness practice that helps with stress reduction and clarity. This habit can also help you create a "space" of self-awareness to connect deeply with your feelings, promoting reflection and establishing acceptance of those feelings, whether positive or negative.

Some of the benefits you can get from a diary:

- Improving your emotional health.

- Help in organizing your thinking.

- Strengthening self-awareness.

- Stimulating your creativity.

The iToocan team encourages you to get started, with some tips for your first steps:

1. Organize your thoughts

What topic do you want to write about? What happens; How do you feel; What are you thinking; What do you want;

2. Reconsider or think

Revise or reflect. Close your eyes. Take three deep breaths. Concentrate. You can start with "feeling" or "today"...

3. Explore

Investigate your thoughts and feelings. Start writing and keep writing. If you get stuck, close your eyes and reset your mind. Re-read what you have already written and keep writing.

4.Time yourself

Write for 5-15 minutes. Write the start time and estimated end time at the top of the page. If you have an alarm/timer set it. Try to find a pleasant place to sit comfortably, take advantage of this moment and make it a self-care moment of the day.

5. Make a smart close

Finish by re-reading what you wrote and writing a sentence or two: "As I read this, I notice-" or "I know-" or "I feel-". Note any action steps you need to take.

There are several ways to do this, depending on your writing style. You just have to try it!

Good start

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The iToocan team

What is the golden recipe for happiness?

Is there a recipe that if you follow it you will feel even more happiness?

What you have surely heard is that happiness is a decision. And yes, it is. At the same time, happiness is a commitment.

Countless researches now, from well-known and serious institutions show that what we think makes us happier, in reality, does not work. They do not offer us this source of happiness, with duration.

For example, a promotion, a new car or house, more material goods, more money or excellent grades at school and university. All of these can, if we choose, act in addition to the very basic ingredients of happiness. But by themselves they only provide a temporary joy and after a while, you are back to the same state you were before.

So what is it that will really make you feel happy?

1. Discover your unique skills, your strengths and use them every day. (strong skills)

2. Good sleep. Sleep at least 7-8 hours a day.

3. Meditate every day, visualize the things you aim for, the things that fill you and you in them.

4. Distinguish what is really important to you and focus on the goal.

5. Learn to manage negative thoughts.

6. Socializing, hanging out with people, talking to them and hearing their stories.

7. Gratitude! To generously share your gratitude, from the smallest to the largest. Acts of kindness and sharing gratitude, every day.

Try them and start living a full and meaningful life. As you choose it.

Elena Mouradidou

Well-being coach | Master NLP | mBraining

Personal & Business Coach

Master NLP | mBit Coach

Yoga Master Trainer | Anahata Yoga Studio

Master of Arts Sorbonne University

Association of NLP (ANLP) | The American Board of NLP & Hypnotherapy (ABNLP)

Transformation Academy USA | Yoga Alliance USA ERYT500

Contact: +30 6937433805 | Mail: elena@elenamouratidou.com

www.elenamouratidou.com | www.anahatayoga.gr

IG: @elenamouratidou | FB: @elenamouratidoucoach

*Elena Mouradidou wears the favorite top comfort, from iToocan

Nowadays, we often hear talk of the practice of meditation as a method of balancing and calming the mind, and perhaps this sparks our curiosity to find out "what this practice is". Perhaps, because there come times when we feel that our minds will "explode" from too many thoughts, and we seek a way to calm it and make it clearer.

Then again, maybe we are (or have been) at a turning point in our lives where everything we know so far fails to provide an answer, and somehow, we decide to seek a way out in meditation.

Or perhaps we have sometimes felt that there is a Reality that transcends us, or we feel the sense of a presence within us, and wishing to connect with it, we come into contact with meditation.

In any case, and however we get in touch with it, sooner or later we will discover that the state of meditation is in fact the natural state of being! Young children are constantly in it, although they are not consciously aware of it. Thus, at some point, when the path of Self-awareness (or returning to our Source) begins for us, we are actually seeking to return to this spontaneous state of being, but this time, with awareness.

But what is the origin of this practice, which we usually associate with the yoga tradition, or even Buddhism?

In fact, from ancient times to the present day, elements of meditative practice can be found in almost all cultures and traditions: In the Indian, Buddhist, Buddhist, Jain, Taoist, Sufi, and even ancient Greek traditions!

The culmination of yoga practice is meditation. It is said that meditation allows us to know our inner being, awareness, and bliss that are the characteristics of our deepest Self. Besides, the tendency to know the inner self is innate in man. Thus, through meditation, we come to know our deeper self in a meaningful way, and become familiar with it on all levels - physical, emotional, mental, spiritual.

As we begin our journey into the practice of meditation, whether with a group, a teacher, or on our own, it is not long before we "stumble" into some obstacles common to all: First of all, the seated squatting position; but in reality, this is not necessary at all! Meditation may well be practiced while sitting, as long as the spine remains straight.

However, even when the unpleasant sensation in the body is overcome gradually with practice, the intense thoughts and/or feelings that arise will remain for some time. The best way to deal with them is not to directly oppose them - this makes the situation more difficult - but, for example, to take the thoughts simply as mental energy (normal for the mind), and return to the object of our concentration, without getting caught up in their flow. On the other hand, the practice of meditation does not aim at the absence of thoughts, but at focusing on a single thought.

The ways to exercise are practically infinite! For example, by focusing on an external or mental object, or on a sound, or on an auditory or mental narrative, or even by walking, focusing on our steps! However, the two most "popular" methods of meditation are also the simplest: none other than concentrating on our breath, or on a word (or syllable, or phrase) that we mentally repeat, the famous "mantra".

Whatever method we choose, it is good to approach meditation with exploration, originality, humor, and flexibility. It is not necessary to set aside a lot of time; initially, 5 minutes a day is enough, gradually increasing the practice time to 15-20 minutes. A combination of stability and flexibility is also important.

To give a personal example, I remember that when my children were babies, I had no time at all for "regular" meditation practice. But when I put them to sleep, I knew I had 20 seconds until they woke up again! I therefore decided to try and concentrate on something, within 20 seconds!

Our approach simply requires patience and persistence; as a modern meditation teacher says: "like training a puppy to clean itself: calmly, as many times as necessary, we will take it from where it is, and carry it to its newspaper." It is also essential to remember that there is no "failure" in meditation. Whatever arises it is welcome, as long as it brings us closer to our deeper self.

In this way our own practice becomes our best guide, teaching us in the most subtle way how to proceed. And then, as our practice matures, the following magic happens: Although we practice alone, we realize that we are not just separated, isolated beings; on the contrary, we are all together, inseparable parts of a unified indivisible oneness, full of infinite wisdom and bliss!

Meditation practice is, after all, the deepest, most complete, and most special relationship that it is possible to develop with ourselves. By knowing ourselves on a physical, emotional, and mental level, we finally get in touch with our deeper nature, which is true Awareness and Bliss. And this realization changes forever our view of ourselves and the world, and "gives us the power," as a great modern meditation teacher says, "to establish ourselves firmly at the centre of our Being as a Power of Love and Light."

Nancy Hitzanidou, March 2022

MSc, Yoga and Meditation Teacher

Υοga Alliance (Υοga Alliance E-RYT 500, YACEP)

To be healthy is not just about ridding yourself of disease but it is also about being in a state of complete physical, mental and social well being (Edwards, Edwards & Basson, 2004).. Recently positive mental health has been studied in much depth and wellbeing is now being acknowledged as extremely important for every athlete. Rhff (1989) developed a scale of wellbeing which has 6 dimensions: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life and personal growth. Ryff (1989) argued that wellbeing is developed through a combination of emotional regulation, personality characteristics, identity and life experience, education, extraversion and increases with age. Each dimenision of the wellbeing scale can be seen as a form of life challenge: “self-acceptance of personal strengths and limitations, developing and maintaining positive relations with others, mastering the environment so as to meet needs and desires, seeking autonomy through self-determination and personal authority, finding personal meaning through purpose in life and optimizing unique abilities and talents through personal growth” (Edwards, Edwards & Basson, p.26, 2012).

Various research has shown that psychological well being and physical self esteem are promoted by regular exercise, which occurs for between twenty and thirty minutes a day at least three times a week. Research found that health club members who exercised regularly were more psychologically well than people who did not exercise on a regular basis. It has been found that sports such as swimming, yoga and fencing all improve psychological wellbeing. Krawczinski and Olszewski (2000) conducted a longitudinal study looking at how a physical activity programme influenced the psychological well being of people over sixty years of age. From a psychological perspective it has been found that exercise improves wellbeing by enhancing feelings of control, self-esteem and self-efficacy. As well as this it has been found that exercise leads to more positive social interactions and this can directly relate to one of the six dimensions of well being (positive relations with others). Exercise does not always have to be on your own and by joining in with groups you are more likely to have more interaction, which could lead to positive relations. Exercise has also been found to improve a number of different aspects ranging from academic performance, assertiveness, memory, perception, body image and work errors (Edwards, Edwards & Basson, 2004). The changes which occur physically from exercise will also have an impact on a persons physical self perception. By exercising you are more likely to improve your body image which will in turn lead to improved autonomy, body control, competence and appearance (Edwards, Edwards & Basson, 2004).

Through exercise you are working on improving all of the six dimensions of well-being. Exercise can improve self acceptance by giving an individual a more positive view about themselves. By exercising you are improving your health and body image and therefore will start to have a more positive attitude. Exercise can improve your autonomy by making you feel as though as you have more confidence in decisions in which you make. As we have mentioned exercise leads to more positive social interactions which in turn related to your positive relations with others. Through exercise you can develop environmental mastery by feeling as though you are in charge of the situations in which you live. Finally exercise can improve your personal growth and purpose in life by giving you more new challenges and making you feel as though you have an aim in life.

Written by Adam Morris

Taken from : https://believeperform.com/how-does-exercise-impact-well-being/

All @ to the writer of the article