Communication between parents and teens about sexuality can reduce early sexual behaviour reports Family Issues.
However, little research investigates how parents who were adolescents when they had children (early parents) talk with their teens about sex. In-depth interviews were conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 29 parents of seventh graders. Salient themes of conversations with adolescents were risks of early parenthood, sexually transmitted infections, delaying sex, and using protection. Compared with parents who were older when they had children (later parents), early parents were more likely to report having had negative sexuality communications with their families of origin and to express a wish to communicate differently with their own children.
Early parents were more likely than later parents to discuss risks of early parenthood and to rely on extended family involvement in sexuality communication. Findings suggest that early parents may bring unique perspectives that enable them to approach sexuality communication differently than do later parents.
A new study suggests that poor mental health and casual sex feed off each other in teens and young adults, with each one contributing to the other over time. Researchers found that teens who showed depressive symptoms were more likely than others to engage in casual sex as young adults. In addition, those who engaged in casual sex were more likely to later seriously consider suicide.
“Several studies have found a link between poor mental health and casual sex, but the nature of that association has been unclear,” said Sara Sandberg-Thoma, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in human sciences at The Ohio State University. “There’s always been a question about which one is the cause and which is the effect. This study provides evidence that poor mental health can lead to casual sex, but also that casual sex leads to additional declines in mental health.”
Sandberg-Thoma conducted the study with Claire Kamp Dush, assistant professor of human sciences at Ohio State. The research was published online recently in the Journal of Sex Research and will appear in a future print edition. One surprising finding was that the link between casual sex and mental health was the same for both men and women. “That was unexpected because there is still this sexual double standard in society that says it is OK for men to have casual sexual relationships, but it is not OK for women,” Kamp Dush said. “But these results suggest that poor mental health and casual sex are linked, whether you’re a man or a woman.”
The study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Adolescents from 80 high schools and 52 middle schools were interviewed when they were in grades 7 through 12 and then again when they were aged 18 to 26. In all, this study involved about 10,000 people who were surveyed about their romantic relationship experiences across time, as well as depressive symptoms and thoughts of suicide.
Overall, 29 percent of the respondents reported engaging in any casual sexual relationship. These were defined as any relationship in which the participant reported he or she was “only having sex with partner” as opposed to dating. This included 33 percent of men and 24 percent of women. The results showed that participants who reported serious thoughts of suicide or more depressive symptoms as teens were significantly more likely to report having casual sexual relationships when they were young adults.
Casual sex, in turn, was linked to further declines in mental health. Specifically, those who had casual sex in their late teens and early 20s were significantly more likely to have serious thoughts of suicide as young adults, results showed. In fact, each additional casual sex relationship increased the odds of suicidal thoughts by 18 percent. However, casual sex in late teens and early 20s was not associated with changes in depression as a young adult.
The researchers are not sure why casual sex was linked to later serious consideration of suicide, but not depressive symptoms, in these participants. It may be that depressive symptoms fluctuate during adolescence and it is hard to capture an accurate reading when measured just twice, as in this study, Kamp Dush said. But the findings suggest that both researchers and health professionals need to consider more than one measure of mental health.
“Just because a person does not indicate depressive symptoms in one survey is not always proof that he or she is doing OK,” Kamp Dush said. “We need to look at multiple indicators of mental health, including suicidal thoughts.”
The results do point to a possible “cyclical pattern” in which poor mental health leads to casual sex, which leads to further declines in mental health, Sandberg-Thoma said. “The goal should be to identify adolescents struggling with poor mental health so that we can intervene early before they engage in casual sexual relationships,” she said. Kamp Dush said casual sexual relationships may hurt the ability of young adults to develop committed relationships at an important time in their development. “Young adulthood is a time when people begin to learn how to develop long-term, satisfying and intimate relationships,” she said.
Tuesday 3 December 2013
Wednesday 2 October 2013
Girls' Views on Coercion
Girlguiding has released Care versus Control:
Healthy Relationships, which explores girls’ views on coercion.
Key findings from the attitudes survey include:
- 23% of girls aged 11 – 21 showed a full understanding of what an abusive relationship is
- 21% said that telling you what you can and can’t wear was acceptable
- 12% of girls aged 11 – 21 said that telling you who you can and can’t spend time with could sometimes be ok
- 21% said that shouting at you or calling you names because of what you may have done could sometimes be ok
- 22% said that checking up on you and reading your phone could sometimes be ok
- 96% of girls aged 11 – 21 said that it was never acceptable for a boy to hit, kick or punch his girlfriend for talking to someone else at a party
Monday 23 September 2013
Divorce no longer a social taboo...
Divorce is no longer seen as a social
taboo. Nearly two
thirds of people now do not think there is a stigma attached to ending a
marriage as attitudes towards divorce have become more relaxed. Only 4
per cent of British people questioned said they strongly agreed that
divorce is a social taboo.
The research into the changing attitudes towards marriage found that it is young people who are now mostly likely to believe that divorce is socially acceptable. Only 56 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 said that divorce was taboo, compared to 67 per cent of 24- to 54-year-olds.
The poll of 2,000 people by YouGov for the DVD release of film I Give It A Year found that the words people most associated with marriage were commitment (37 per cent) and love (20 per cent). Only 4 per cent of people said that the word they most associated with marriage was divorce. The study further found that 28 is considered the best age to get married.
Working in the family law field, where I am confronted with family breakdown everyday, I have seen not only in my professional life, but in my personal life how divorce has become the norm in modern social life. It's familiar and has ceased to be the taboo it was in years gone by. Most of us have been affected by divorce, whether we’ve gone through it, know someone who has, or have been affected by our parents’ divorce, so the taboo status has lost much of its power.
The generational difference in attitude could be put down to the young couples’ proximity to parental divorce, and an unwillingness to repeat the same mistakes. What we are seeing is vast numbers of couples who give up on marriage or their relationships too quickly before seeking professional help. It has become the easy route out to separate or gain a divorce, rather than decide that a relationship is a commitment, and particularly in marriage - one that is for better or worse. The majority of people don't understand how complex and traumatic a decision like a divorce can be, before they go into it. There is no such thing as a painless divorce; we are just getting better adjusted to it as a part of modern Britain - and as part of the modern world.
TV actress Alison Steadman said that the stigma of divorce is now a thing of the past. The 66-year old said: ‘I can remember when I was at school there was one girl in my whole class, her parents were divorced and it was shocking, we as kids felt really sorry for her ... her mother had married again and it felt really odd. ‘I think now it seems to be the norm for kids that their parents don't stay together, sadly. ‘But times change and hopefully, maybe my sons' generation, there will be a switch again, maybe they will think again. ‘Because divorce is so easy now and it wasn't years ago and you had to go through all sorts of hoops. It was incredibly complicated, now it's just a question of saying “that's it”. ‘Perhaps we don't put the value on it that we did, I don't know.’ The actress married Mike Leigh in 1973 and split up with him in 1995 when she left him for actor Michael Elwyn.
My mother-in-law in South Africa who works with educational institutions has noted to me on many occasion how many young people sitting in classrooms across the country are impacted by their parents' divorces. And alot of them, not only once, but multiple times, where parents have been remarried. She mentioned to me that probably about 80% of the children sitting in primary school classrooms have been affected by parental separation.
I think alot of the unhappiness and dissatisfaction in relationships is down to expectations. And the media hasn't played a very pretty game in assisting the situation either. People are people - no matter who you decide to be with, you will at some point in the relationship, be faced with their raw humanity which is in its very nature, selfish and self-preserving. More often than not, you will be faced with your own selfishness, drive towards survival and desire to gratify your every wish. What would happen if more people decided to put their partner above themselves in those tough situations when everything screams to run. There is a definite fear that this will be perceived as weakness in a dog-eat-dog world. I think that this is bravest, most courageous and selfless action that mankind has going for it. That is true love. I don't mean that this concept should be extended to relationships where domestic violence or abuse is prevalent, by all means - no - that is reserved for a different time and space. I guess that we walk around with a sincerely warped view of what love is - and it's wrapped up in the romance, butterfly, romcom context rather than the hard-edged, commitment driven, the good, the bad and the ugly-but-I-still-choose-you mindset. So I ask - what would the world be like if we all made a decision like that on a daily basis?
The bottom line is that we cannot rely on our own strength to make this decision, because as humankind, we fail miserably at this, and we fail constantly - but there is one who can help us to do this, one who loves us impeccably, perfectly, without fail, unconditionally. He is the one how teaches us what true love is and how to operate in it, the more we surrender ourselves to him. He is the Christ.
The research into the changing attitudes towards marriage found that it is young people who are now mostly likely to believe that divorce is socially acceptable. Only 56 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 said that divorce was taboo, compared to 67 per cent of 24- to 54-year-olds.
The poll of 2,000 people by YouGov for the DVD release of film I Give It A Year found that the words people most associated with marriage were commitment (37 per cent) and love (20 per cent). Only 4 per cent of people said that the word they most associated with marriage was divorce. The study further found that 28 is considered the best age to get married.
Working in the family law field, where I am confronted with family breakdown everyday, I have seen not only in my professional life, but in my personal life how divorce has become the norm in modern social life. It's familiar and has ceased to be the taboo it was in years gone by. Most of us have been affected by divorce, whether we’ve gone through it, know someone who has, or have been affected by our parents’ divorce, so the taboo status has lost much of its power.
The generational difference in attitude could be put down to the young couples’ proximity to parental divorce, and an unwillingness to repeat the same mistakes. What we are seeing is vast numbers of couples who give up on marriage or their relationships too quickly before seeking professional help. It has become the easy route out to separate or gain a divorce, rather than decide that a relationship is a commitment, and particularly in marriage - one that is for better or worse. The majority of people don't understand how complex and traumatic a decision like a divorce can be, before they go into it. There is no such thing as a painless divorce; we are just getting better adjusted to it as a part of modern Britain - and as part of the modern world.
TV actress Alison Steadman said that the stigma of divorce is now a thing of the past. The 66-year old said: ‘I can remember when I was at school there was one girl in my whole class, her parents were divorced and it was shocking, we as kids felt really sorry for her ... her mother had married again and it felt really odd. ‘I think now it seems to be the norm for kids that their parents don't stay together, sadly. ‘But times change and hopefully, maybe my sons' generation, there will be a switch again, maybe they will think again. ‘Because divorce is so easy now and it wasn't years ago and you had to go through all sorts of hoops. It was incredibly complicated, now it's just a question of saying “that's it”. ‘Perhaps we don't put the value on it that we did, I don't know.’ The actress married Mike Leigh in 1973 and split up with him in 1995 when she left him for actor Michael Elwyn.
My mother-in-law in South Africa who works with educational institutions has noted to me on many occasion how many young people sitting in classrooms across the country are impacted by their parents' divorces. And alot of them, not only once, but multiple times, where parents have been remarried. She mentioned to me that probably about 80% of the children sitting in primary school classrooms have been affected by parental separation.
I think alot of the unhappiness and dissatisfaction in relationships is down to expectations. And the media hasn't played a very pretty game in assisting the situation either. People are people - no matter who you decide to be with, you will at some point in the relationship, be faced with their raw humanity which is in its very nature, selfish and self-preserving. More often than not, you will be faced with your own selfishness, drive towards survival and desire to gratify your every wish. What would happen if more people decided to put their partner above themselves in those tough situations when everything screams to run. There is a definite fear that this will be perceived as weakness in a dog-eat-dog world. I think that this is bravest, most courageous and selfless action that mankind has going for it. That is true love. I don't mean that this concept should be extended to relationships where domestic violence or abuse is prevalent, by all means - no - that is reserved for a different time and space. I guess that we walk around with a sincerely warped view of what love is - and it's wrapped up in the romance, butterfly, romcom context rather than the hard-edged, commitment driven, the good, the bad and the ugly-but-I-still-choose-you mindset. So I ask - what would the world be like if we all made a decision like that on a daily basis?
The bottom line is that we cannot rely on our own strength to make this decision, because as humankind, we fail miserably at this, and we fail constantly - but there is one who can help us to do this, one who loves us impeccably, perfectly, without fail, unconditionally. He is the one how teaches us what true love is and how to operate in it, the more we surrender ourselves to him. He is the Christ.
Monday 16 September 2013
Online Sexual Abuse
A survey by the British Association of Social
Workers (BASW) and the NSPCC shows that half of all social workers are
concerned about dealing with online sexual abuse or behavior and need more
training. Key figures include:
- Almost half (49%) of social workers said that 25% of their sexual abuse cases now involve some form of online abuse
- A third (34%) of social workers said they were not confident understanding the language used by young people online
- 47% said they were not knowledgeable about how young people communicate via social networking
- 36% felt they did not know the right questions to ask to identify and assess online sexual abuse
- 30% said they did not feel confident dealing with child protection sexual abuse cases using the internet
- 50% say they don’t know what how to recognise the signs of the online sexual abuse of children
Thursday 22 August 2013
Juicemaster Detox Trial: Two Weeks Later
Two Weeks Later
I left this bit to write a few weeks later and the one question everybody always has is, yes, the weight has come off, but will it STAY OFF? I must say that two weeks later, I still feel great, I have kept that little bit of weight off and I have incorporate juicing into my everyday diet too. It's a great way to keep fuller for longer. Bear in mind that I try to exercise everyday (do spinning or body combat classes probably 4-5 time per week in any event), so I think that has helped stabilise the outcome. I can also definitely see an improvement in my skin, which tends to breakout a bit during certain times of my hormonal cycle - but I was surprised that the benefits of the juicemaster on my skin were only seen after I conducted the trial and not during this time, which I found interesting.
All in all, I would definitely see this as an excellent way to shed those few extra pounds, especially if you have a big event coming up. I wouldn't use this as a longer term solution to weight loss, but that is where Jason Vale's 14 day Turbo Charge Your Life comes in. I don't think in the long term, by going back to your old eating habits you will be able to keep those extra pounds off, no dbout they'll creep back on at some point - but I think even a quartely detoxer, this diet will work wonders not just for weight management, but also for the general health benefits that we all so desire in this day and age!
I left this bit to write a few weeks later and the one question everybody always has is, yes, the weight has come off, but will it STAY OFF? I must say that two weeks later, I still feel great, I have kept that little bit of weight off and I have incorporate juicing into my everyday diet too. It's a great way to keep fuller for longer. Bear in mind that I try to exercise everyday (do spinning or body combat classes probably 4-5 time per week in any event), so I think that has helped stabilise the outcome. I can also definitely see an improvement in my skin, which tends to breakout a bit during certain times of my hormonal cycle - but I was surprised that the benefits of the juicemaster on my skin were only seen after I conducted the trial and not during this time, which I found interesting.
All in all, I would definitely see this as an excellent way to shed those few extra pounds, especially if you have a big event coming up. I wouldn't use this as a longer term solution to weight loss, but that is where Jason Vale's 14 day Turbo Charge Your Life comes in. I don't think in the long term, by going back to your old eating habits you will be able to keep those extra pounds off, no dbout they'll creep back on at some point - but I think even a quartely detoxer, this diet will work wonders not just for weight management, but also for the general health benefits that we all so desire in this day and age!
Juicemaster Detox Trial: Second Part
So I continue on my Juicemaster Trial.
I did have some chicken that I made for my hubbie last night. It was delicious, however, it didn't break my spirit to carry on the juicemaster trial. So I push through.
Day 4:
I woke up feeling pretty irritable, and did my day 4-7 shopping. Because of all the fruit and veg I had left over from making all of the required drinks (mid-morning and tea time) it only cost be £15 to replenish my stock! It looked quite strange me carrying 4 pineapples out the shop. Those drinks leave me so full I am not really hungry for the morning and afternoon sessions.
I went to a spinning class in the evening, it was not bad not great. Later in the afternoon my right leg started aching so I put a hot pad on it. Must be my body detoxing, body aches in my legs are usually a sign of my body getting rid of junk.
Day 5:
I had a super juice in the morning. I made one for my husband too because he has taken a slight interest in the health benefits of juicing. I added a banana into his to make it a little sweeter. He liked it, much to my surprise!
Friday spinning class was terribly intense, but it was nonetheless a good workout. It was a sunny day outside so I spent a bit of time sitting in the sun at lunchtime which did me the world of good.
I didn't stick to the schedule st out today because I wanted to mix things up a bit, but I realised that I had run out of courgettes in the process. Also because of the burning / refux situation with the acidity of the juices, I decided to stick to those without the pineapple base which seemed to work well.
Day 6:
At the last minute, I was invited to go to the beach with a group of friends. I knew that this would throw me off my juicefest, but I decided to wake up early and pre-make all of my juices for the day. I had to also find some way of keeping them cold because a warm and soggy juice is not ah-sum.
I made a superjuice for the road and then a ginger zinger and a pure green super juice for the time I was at the beach. I must just say that all of the juices have been really good to taste, up until I had the green super juice. It is vile, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I managed to chug it down and instantly tried to forget the scarring memory that I had drunk anything so horrid! By the time I got to the ginger zinger at the end of the day, it had become a bit warm so not that great but it did the job.
I personally think if you are able to make all the juices from scratch just before drinking, rather than preparing them all in the morning for the rest of the day, that this is a better way to go. My mother always tells me to drink my juices right after they have been made to avoid oxidisation happening (which is essentially the process where the fruit turns brown) and nutrients being lost. I'm not sure whether this has an affect, juicing gurus seems to disagree on this point. A good article to read is Everything you need to know about storing fresh juice, if you are going to produce and store your fresh juice for later.
Generally, I felt great today. I could definitely feel the difference in my clothing, and my tummy didn't bulge in my bikini at the beach so I didn't feel I had to suck it in all day (yes, girls do this even though they might not look like they're doing it!).
Day 7:
Last day, and boy I could not wait to finish. Although these juices are great and left me feeling excellent, I must say I was ready to get back to normal food. The last day of juicing was uneventful, just stuck to the routine!
Weigh-in and Measurement:
I did the overall weigh-in and measurement on the Monday (Day 8) after my week long juicemaster diet. I had lost 2 kgs and about 2cm off my tummy, hips, bum and thighs. Yay! Jeggings fitting comfortably by the end of the day.
Pop in again in two weeks to find out whether I've managed to keep the weight off!
I did have some chicken that I made for my hubbie last night. It was delicious, however, it didn't break my spirit to carry on the juicemaster trial. So I push through.
Day 4:
I woke up feeling pretty irritable, and did my day 4-7 shopping. Because of all the fruit and veg I had left over from making all of the required drinks (mid-morning and tea time) it only cost be £15 to replenish my stock! It looked quite strange me carrying 4 pineapples out the shop. Those drinks leave me so full I am not really hungry for the morning and afternoon sessions.
 |
| My Juicemaster Remnant |
Day 5:
I had a super juice in the morning. I made one for my husband too because he has taken a slight interest in the health benefits of juicing. I added a banana into his to make it a little sweeter. He liked it, much to my surprise!
Friday spinning class was terribly intense, but it was nonetheless a good workout. It was a sunny day outside so I spent a bit of time sitting in the sun at lunchtime which did me the world of good.
I didn't stick to the schedule st out today because I wanted to mix things up a bit, but I realised that I had run out of courgettes in the process. Also because of the burning / refux situation with the acidity of the juices, I decided to stick to those without the pineapple base which seemed to work well.
Day 6:
At the last minute, I was invited to go to the beach with a group of friends. I knew that this would throw me off my juicefest, but I decided to wake up early and pre-make all of my juices for the day. I had to also find some way of keeping them cold because a warm and soggy juice is not ah-sum.
I made a superjuice for the road and then a ginger zinger and a pure green super juice for the time I was at the beach. I must just say that all of the juices have been really good to taste, up until I had the green super juice. It is vile, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I managed to chug it down and instantly tried to forget the scarring memory that I had drunk anything so horrid! By the time I got to the ginger zinger at the end of the day, it had become a bit warm so not that great but it did the job.
I personally think if you are able to make all the juices from scratch just before drinking, rather than preparing them all in the morning for the rest of the day, that this is a better way to go. My mother always tells me to drink my juices right after they have been made to avoid oxidisation happening (which is essentially the process where the fruit turns brown) and nutrients being lost. I'm not sure whether this has an affect, juicing gurus seems to disagree on this point. A good article to read is Everything you need to know about storing fresh juice, if you are going to produce and store your fresh juice for later.
Generally, I felt great today. I could definitely feel the difference in my clothing, and my tummy didn't bulge in my bikini at the beach so I didn't feel I had to suck it in all day (yes, girls do this even though they might not look like they're doing it!).
Day 7:
Last day, and boy I could not wait to finish. Although these juices are great and left me feeling excellent, I must say I was ready to get back to normal food. The last day of juicing was uneventful, just stuck to the routine!
Weigh-in and Measurement:
I did the overall weigh-in and measurement on the Monday (Day 8) after my week long juicemaster diet. I had lost 2 kgs and about 2cm off my tummy, hips, bum and thighs. Yay! Jeggings fitting comfortably by the end of the day.
Pop in again in two weeks to find out whether I've managed to keep the weight off!
Wednesday 3 July 2013
Juicemaster Detox Trial. Let's go, Jason Vale!
I decided a while ago, to invest in a week of detox. Mostly because I felt the old 'jeggings' line starting to dig into my flesh come the end of the day. Not awesome. Not a great way to end the day either, feeling sluggish and bloated. This is no new way of life to myself (nor should it be for any follower of Christ practising spiritual disciplines). Annually I get involved in a 21 day Daniel fast in January / February which provides a fantastic start to the year both spiritually and health-wise. I often embark on 3, 7 or 10 day mini-Daniel fasts about one or twice a year following the 21 day Daniel fast and can definitely shout from the rooftops the benefits of this lifestyle. My go-to book on all these occasions is Fast your way to health by Lee Bueno. It is a fantastic read, but more than that, the concepts just make sense! Would really recommend it to anyone embarking on any fasting or detox programme, especially if you are interested in the spiritual elements which accompany this.
Looking through the iTunes store one day, I came across this book '7lbs in 7 days'. Really? I thought and proceeded to download the sample. Any 'get results quick scheme' catches the eye of many a person, I guarantee it. It's a side effect of this instant gratification society that we live in. The sample book proceeded to confirm everything I already knew and experienced in my personal life of fasting. So thought buying the full book would be a waste of time for me, even though it is recommended for full effect and to keep motivation up during the detox. I can say that definitely having some reading material which encourages you to carry on to see results is important, hence my 'fasting bible' mentioned above, which has got me through some difficult fasts!
I checked out various testimonies of people who had done the detox and had incredible results, especially when followed by the 14 day turbo charge your life. Seemed the real deal, but I didn't need much convincing to be honest.
We gave our juicer away a while ago, which was a pity, but luckily a friend of ours was moving house and giving stuff away, so we got a brand new juicer, blender and citrus press. Perfect for the start of the juicemaster detox! On Sunday, I went to our local farm stall to stock up on all the fruit and veg I would need. Juicemaster provides a really handy shopping list. It cost me £49 to buy all the fruit and veg I needed for days 1-3. However, it seems like because I have not made all the juices required on the plan, I will have some left over from days 1-3 for days 4-7.
I googled the juicemaster plan and recipes for the plan and have them on tap on my iPhone / iPad safari pages. I know you can also download the juicemaster app which is supposed to be really good, but I didn't want to pay £3 for an app I am only going to be using once a year or so. Switching between the two pages on my phone or iPad, I can easily get the information I need about what recipe I will be making at what time of the day.
Apparently Jason Vale recommends you exercise three times a day for 20-40 mins each time - or something to that effect. Not sure who in this day and age has the time to do that type of exercise, unless you're on a retreat somewhere. But anyway. I am pretty active usually, most days in the week I do a spinning class, which is 45 mins of intense workout but then I'm done for the day. On the odd occasions I do aerobics, zumba, play squash or go for a cycle. So my exercise regime for this programme continues to be what I do on a day-to-day basis.
So. I have now completed the first three days of the juicemaster detox. Let's start with Day 1:
I started the day off by doing my usual Monday morning spinning class which is quite intense. I drank about a litre of water at and after Spinning. I had my first 'Super Juice' at about 12pm and only added the spirulina and probiotic. I don't have wheatgrass and am not really keen to add it into any of the juices, so have left that out of all the recipes where it's supposed to be included.
At about 12:40, I started wishing I could have something warm and comforting for lunch, or even just a cup of tea. This was even though I was full up with juice. So I knew it was my appetite talking to me rather than a desperate hunger.
At about 1:30pm the usual detox headache started. I've had these before with fasting but I must say that this one was not as painful as others I have had in the past. This is probably down to the fact that I have not been drinking as much coffee / tea over the last few months as I would usually do. I would advise anybody doing any kind of fast or detox to refrain from drinking tea / coffee or any caffeinated drinks about a week before the fast / detox actually starts, or at least peter it out beforehand. The detox headache can be extremely debilitating, but it is good to know that your body is getting rid of the hefty toxins that have been built up over time in this process. Read Fast your way to health, it explains the process incredibly well.
I had the 'Super Chute' Juice at about 3pm which I thought was going to taste awful with all of those greens in it. But I was pleasantly surprised that it was almost (and I say almost) very tasty! It is probably the apple that tones everything down and sweetenes it up. Although there were many 'greens' in the drink, include spinach, kale, watercress, broccolli, courgette and the staple for every juice - the cucumber, it came out purple/red because of the beetroot in it (see left for the pic which makes it look like something died in my juicer!). It is not fun cleaning the darn thing after making this juice. You have to be so careful that the beetroot doesn't splash and spill onto anything nearby, especially your clothes!
For dinner I had another 'Super Juice' as per the instructions. I found it a challenge everyday to incorporate the mid-morning and 'tea time' juices into my consumption, just because I was left so full by drinking the morning and lunchtime juices that I didn't feel the need to drink any further. It might also be that my portions of juice are larger than what is expected (these recipes make ALOT of juice) but thats what it says in the recipe planner, so that's what I do.
The detox headache peaked at about 9:30pm and I could feel the blood pulsating into my head, but it kind of subsided after I had the 'lemon / ginger zinger' (pictured in the making - right) . I've read somewhere the ginger has anti-inflammatory properties so potentially this could have something to do with it. I finished off the night with a mint tea (well, it you can call hot water thrown over mint leaves a mint tea). And then went to bed with a slightly aching head. I must have had about 1.5 litres to drink during the day, which I know can be increased, especially while the body is in the initial stages of eliminating the toxins.
Day 2:
I woke up feeling energised and peaceful, headache totally disppeared. However, I did feel like I do when I know a cold is coming on. My throat was slightly sore and my chest a bit tight. However, this feeling left after about an hour. Again I headed off to spinning class which was not as intense as the Monday class.
Had a 'Super juice' when I returned from spinning, but didn't have the mid-morning juice as I was too full for that. The 'Super juice' kept me going until lunchtime (about 2pm). At about 12ish I felt a bit peckish for something bready or cakey, and struggled to concentrate on work at this point, but I managed to push through.
I had a 'Turbo express' juice (pictured left) which is similar to the 'Super juice' with the pineapple base. I noticed that the corners of my mouth were feeling slightly sore and I wondered whether that has to do with the acidity of all these juices, especially those incorporating pineapple? My husband also commented on how these juices were going to damage my teeth because of all the acid, so he suggested I invest in some straws. I saw a dentist on one of the other forums I looked at suggested this to. She also said NOT to brush your teeth after drinking the juice as this will cause further damage to your pearly white.
I finished off the day with a proper mint tea (bag 'n all). I know there is the option to go for the 'Hot 'n spicy' but it seems like adding three more apples worth of juice to my system at 11pm at night is not going to be the best for my blood sugar levels. But who knows, maybe I'll try it tomorrow.
Day 3:
Woke up with a sore throat and a burning chest. Again, I wondered if this has to do with the acidity in the juices that slightly burnt my gullet. No spinning this morning because there are no morning class offered, but am attending one tonight. I started the day off with my lemon water (as I said before, hot water thrown over a half squeezed lemon). This is to get the digestion and eliminating of toxins working. Lemon is good for that. This was followed by a Lemon/ Ginger Zinger. I've tried to cut down on the pineapple in the juices because of the acidity, so went for the carrot and apple base instead.
For lunch I had a new type of juice not tried before. It's the 'Passion 4 Juice Master'. This is the first time any of the recipes have encompassed another food group apart from fruit and veg. I was quite hesitant to add the yoghurt to the mix, but the recipe says it, so I did it. Others have waxed lyrical about this juice. I didn't find it to be any spectacular. I must say I prefer the pure fruit / veg juices to this one which incorporates the dairy. I liked the colour though - a beautiful mint green!
I've just had a 'Turbo Express' again for dinner and definitely think the acidity has caused my sore throat because as I started drinking it - my throat had that burning sensation again. Have to further cut down on the pineapple!
A great tip (which might go without saying) is to clean your juicer and blender between every meal. That way the fruit juice can easily be filtered through to the funnel and to the glass every time. I know it's a schlep, but definitely worthwhile if you want to get the maximum out of all the fruit you are juicing. I do feel bad scraping the leftovers out, thinking how much of the fruit is actually waster. But thank goodness for our compost bin - into which all the leftovers go. Makes for a beautiful garden!
Now I have to get my hubbie's dinner on the go (he's off playing evening cricket). Making a roast chicken dinner. Will probably sneak a 'stuk' while no one's looking!
Keep a look out for days 4-7 coming soon. And then we will have the big weigh-in and measurement (because it's not all about the scale - keep some for the tape measure!)
Looking through the iTunes store one day, I came across this book '7lbs in 7 days'. Really? I thought and proceeded to download the sample. Any 'get results quick scheme' catches the eye of many a person, I guarantee it. It's a side effect of this instant gratification society that we live in. The sample book proceeded to confirm everything I already knew and experienced in my personal life of fasting. So thought buying the full book would be a waste of time for me, even though it is recommended for full effect and to keep motivation up during the detox. I can say that definitely having some reading material which encourages you to carry on to see results is important, hence my 'fasting bible' mentioned above, which has got me through some difficult fasts!
I checked out various testimonies of people who had done the detox and had incredible results, especially when followed by the 14 day turbo charge your life. Seemed the real deal, but I didn't need much convincing to be honest.
We gave our juicer away a while ago, which was a pity, but luckily a friend of ours was moving house and giving stuff away, so we got a brand new juicer, blender and citrus press. Perfect for the start of the juicemaster detox! On Sunday, I went to our local farm stall to stock up on all the fruit and veg I would need. Juicemaster provides a really handy shopping list. It cost me £49 to buy all the fruit and veg I needed for days 1-3. However, it seems like because I have not made all the juices required on the plan, I will have some left over from days 1-3 for days 4-7.
I googled the juicemaster plan and recipes for the plan and have them on tap on my iPhone / iPad safari pages. I know you can also download the juicemaster app which is supposed to be really good, but I didn't want to pay £3 for an app I am only going to be using once a year or so. Switching between the two pages on my phone or iPad, I can easily get the information I need about what recipe I will be making at what time of the day.
Apparently Jason Vale recommends you exercise three times a day for 20-40 mins each time - or something to that effect. Not sure who in this day and age has the time to do that type of exercise, unless you're on a retreat somewhere. But anyway. I am pretty active usually, most days in the week I do a spinning class, which is 45 mins of intense workout but then I'm done for the day. On the odd occasions I do aerobics, zumba, play squash or go for a cycle. So my exercise regime for this programme continues to be what I do on a day-to-day basis.
So. I have now completed the first three days of the juicemaster detox. Let's start with Day 1:
I started the day off by doing my usual Monday morning spinning class which is quite intense. I drank about a litre of water at and after Spinning. I had my first 'Super Juice' at about 12pm and only added the spirulina and probiotic. I don't have wheatgrass and am not really keen to add it into any of the juices, so have left that out of all the recipes where it's supposed to be included.
At about 12:40, I started wishing I could have something warm and comforting for lunch, or even just a cup of tea. This was even though I was full up with juice. So I knew it was my appetite talking to me rather than a desperate hunger.
At about 1:30pm the usual detox headache started. I've had these before with fasting but I must say that this one was not as painful as others I have had in the past. This is probably down to the fact that I have not been drinking as much coffee / tea over the last few months as I would usually do. I would advise anybody doing any kind of fast or detox to refrain from drinking tea / coffee or any caffeinated drinks about a week before the fast / detox actually starts, or at least peter it out beforehand. The detox headache can be extremely debilitating, but it is good to know that your body is getting rid of the hefty toxins that have been built up over time in this process. Read Fast your way to health, it explains the process incredibly well.
I had the 'Super Chute' Juice at about 3pm which I thought was going to taste awful with all of those greens in it. But I was pleasantly surprised that it was almost (and I say almost) very tasty! It is probably the apple that tones everything down and sweetenes it up. Although there were many 'greens' in the drink, include spinach, kale, watercress, broccolli, courgette and the staple for every juice - the cucumber, it came out purple/red because of the beetroot in it (see left for the pic which makes it look like something died in my juicer!). It is not fun cleaning the darn thing after making this juice. You have to be so careful that the beetroot doesn't splash and spill onto anything nearby, especially your clothes!For dinner I had another 'Super Juice' as per the instructions. I found it a challenge everyday to incorporate the mid-morning and 'tea time' juices into my consumption, just because I was left so full by drinking the morning and lunchtime juices that I didn't feel the need to drink any further. It might also be that my portions of juice are larger than what is expected (these recipes make ALOT of juice) but thats what it says in the recipe planner, so that's what I do.
Day 2:
I woke up feeling energised and peaceful, headache totally disppeared. However, I did feel like I do when I know a cold is coming on. My throat was slightly sore and my chest a bit tight. However, this feeling left after about an hour. Again I headed off to spinning class which was not as intense as the Monday class.
Had a 'Super juice' when I returned from spinning, but didn't have the mid-morning juice as I was too full for that. The 'Super juice' kept me going until lunchtime (about 2pm). At about 12ish I felt a bit peckish for something bready or cakey, and struggled to concentrate on work at this point, but I managed to push through.
I had a 'Turbo express' juice (pictured left) which is similar to the 'Super juice' with the pineapple base. I noticed that the corners of my mouth were feeling slightly sore and I wondered whether that has to do with the acidity of all these juices, especially those incorporating pineapple? My husband also commented on how these juices were going to damage my teeth because of all the acid, so he suggested I invest in some straws. I saw a dentist on one of the other forums I looked at suggested this to. She also said NOT to brush your teeth after drinking the juice as this will cause further damage to your pearly white.
I finished off the day with a proper mint tea (bag 'n all). I know there is the option to go for the 'Hot 'n spicy' but it seems like adding three more apples worth of juice to my system at 11pm at night is not going to be the best for my blood sugar levels. But who knows, maybe I'll try it tomorrow.
Day 3:
Woke up with a sore throat and a burning chest. Again, I wondered if this has to do with the acidity in the juices that slightly burnt my gullet. No spinning this morning because there are no morning class offered, but am attending one tonight. I started the day off with my lemon water (as I said before, hot water thrown over a half squeezed lemon). This is to get the digestion and eliminating of toxins working. Lemon is good for that. This was followed by a Lemon/ Ginger Zinger. I've tried to cut down on the pineapple in the juices because of the acidity, so went for the carrot and apple base instead.
For lunch I had a new type of juice not tried before. It's the 'Passion 4 Juice Master'. This is the first time any of the recipes have encompassed another food group apart from fruit and veg. I was quite hesitant to add the yoghurt to the mix, but the recipe says it, so I did it. Others have waxed lyrical about this juice. I didn't find it to be any spectacular. I must say I prefer the pure fruit / veg juices to this one which incorporates the dairy. I liked the colour though - a beautiful mint green!
I've just had a 'Turbo Express' again for dinner and definitely think the acidity has caused my sore throat because as I started drinking it - my throat had that burning sensation again. Have to further cut down on the pineapple!
A great tip (which might go without saying) is to clean your juicer and blender between every meal. That way the fruit juice can easily be filtered through to the funnel and to the glass every time. I know it's a schlep, but definitely worthwhile if you want to get the maximum out of all the fruit you are juicing. I do feel bad scraping the leftovers out, thinking how much of the fruit is actually waster. But thank goodness for our compost bin - into which all the leftovers go. Makes for a beautiful garden!
Now I have to get my hubbie's dinner on the go (he's off playing evening cricket). Making a roast chicken dinner. Will probably sneak a 'stuk' while no one's looking!
Keep a look out for days 4-7 coming soon. And then we will have the big weigh-in and measurement (because it's not all about the scale - keep some for the tape measure!)
Subtle sexual cues can influence more than we care to admit
Linked to my previous post about how sexually explicit materials can affects behaviour in young people, I have been reading up this topic more recently as part of the youth work I am involved in.
I've read some interesting articles on the BPS and Science Daily websites, which I thought I would share with you here:
I've read some interesting articles on the BPS and Science Daily websites, which I thought I would share with you here:
Men who are usually sexually conservative
can be swayed by subtle sexual clues, new research has found. Published
in the British Journal of Health Psychology, the study revealed that
when they view sexual images, these males become more willing to engage
in casual sex. The research was carried out by investigators from
Dartmouth College and Medical School and involved two experiments – the
first including 75 male undergraduates spoken to face-to-face and the
second featuring 112 18 to 57-year-old males recruited online.
In the first experiment the men were
questioned in person and in the second the men were recruited online.
All participants were asked if, over the next six months, they intended
to have casual sex with someone they didn’t know very well or had just
met. Those who responded ‘definitely not’ were seen as having no
intention whereas any other response was seen as having at least some
intention. The men were also asked about particular scenarios where the
chance of a sexual encounter could happen, such as a friend’s party, to
ascertain their willingness to engage in casual sex.
Later on, half of the men were exposed to
pictures of attractive, scantily clad women. In the first experiment
these pictures were flashed on a computer screen so quickly that the men
were not aware of them; in the second the men rated pictures in the
belief that they were evaluating an advertising campaign. For both
experiments, the other men (the control group) were exposed to pleasant
but non-sexual images. After viewing the images, they completed
questionnaires that repeated the questions about intentions and
willingness for casual sex.
Dr Megan Roberts – who conducted the
research along with her former PhD supervisor Dr Rick Gibbons and
colleagues – said: “Compared to men who intend to have casual sex, those
who didn’t showed an increase in willingness to do so if they had
viewed sexual images. This was even true for the older men who were in
committed relationships. Overall, this suggests that sexually
conservative men can be more swayed by subtle sexual cues.
A colleague of mine made a comment about
whether this is as a result of the known effect that increased
Testosterone levels lowers restraints and decision making capability?
“Think of this as similar to young teenagers
drinking. Most don’t go out explicitly intending to get drunk but are
willing if they are offered alcohol at a party. Likewise, many adults do
not intend to have casual sex, but would be willing to do so if
presented with the opportunity. This finding has sexual health
implications, because individuals who are not intending, but are
somewhat willing, may not have contraception and thereby leave
themselves open to unplanned pregnancies and STDs.”
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