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!
Thursday, 22 August 2013
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.”
8 May 2013: Sexually Explicit Material Affects Behaviour in Young People
Viewing sexually explicit material through media such as the
Internet, videos, and magazines may be directly linked with the sexual
behaviour of adolescents and young adults, reports Science Daily. That
is the conclusion of a new study published in The Journal of Sexual
Medicine. The findings suggest that the practice is just one of many
factors that may influence the sexual behaviours of young people.
Concerns have been raised that viewing sexually explicit material may negatively affect sexual behaviours, particularly in young people. Because previous studies on the topic have been narrowly focused or limited in other ways, Gert Martin Hald, PhD, of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and his colleagues conducted an online survey of 4,600 young people aged 15 to 25 years who lived in The Netherlands.
The survey revealed that 88 percent of males and 45 percent of females had watched sexually explicit material (through the Internet, magazines, videos, television, and/or other media) in the past 12 months. There was a direct association between watching sexually explicit media and a variety of sexual behaviours — in particular adventurous sex and sex that involves the exchange of money — even when a number of other factors were taken into account.
”Our data suggest that other factors such as personal dispositions — specifically sexual sensation seeking — and consumption of sexually explicit material may play a more important role in a range of sexual behaviours of adolescents and young adults, and that the effects of sexually explicit media on sexual behaviours in reality need to be considered in conjunction with such factors,” Dr. Hald said.
”It has been 65 years since Kinsey first published on sexual behaviours, yet researchers continue to avoid this area of science. It is important to have factual information in order to make educated decisions,” explained Dr. Irwin Goldstein, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The study’s findings may be particularly informative for policy makers and educators concerning the effects of sexually explicit media consumption on young people’s sexual behaviours.
Concerns have been raised that viewing sexually explicit material may negatively affect sexual behaviours, particularly in young people. Because previous studies on the topic have been narrowly focused or limited in other ways, Gert Martin Hald, PhD, of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and his colleagues conducted an online survey of 4,600 young people aged 15 to 25 years who lived in The Netherlands.
The survey revealed that 88 percent of males and 45 percent of females had watched sexually explicit material (through the Internet, magazines, videos, television, and/or other media) in the past 12 months. There was a direct association between watching sexually explicit media and a variety of sexual behaviours — in particular adventurous sex and sex that involves the exchange of money — even when a number of other factors were taken into account.
”Our data suggest that other factors such as personal dispositions — specifically sexual sensation seeking — and consumption of sexually explicit material may play a more important role in a range of sexual behaviours of adolescents and young adults, and that the effects of sexually explicit media on sexual behaviours in reality need to be considered in conjunction with such factors,” Dr. Hald said.
”It has been 65 years since Kinsey first published on sexual behaviours, yet researchers continue to avoid this area of science. It is important to have factual information in order to make educated decisions,” explained Dr. Irwin Goldstein, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The study’s findings may be particularly informative for policy makers and educators concerning the effects of sexually explicit media consumption on young people’s sexual behaviours.
13 June 2012: 'Shared Parenting' rears its head once again
And so the discussion are shared parenting crops up yet again...
The Government has published its consultation document on reform of the law for private law children proceedings.
The prelude to the consultation starts with the following: "The majority of parents who separate reach their own agreements about the care arrangements for their children. However, when disputes about these arrangements arise there is a risk that children's needs are overlooked. In too many cases one parent is left in a position where it is very hard to retain a strong and influential relationship with his or her child. The Government firmly believes that parents who are able and willing to play a positive role in their child's care should have the opportunity to do so".
Well, that's all fine. We are in agreement there.
"The aim of the proposed legislative amendment is to ensure that this happens in court cases and to reinforce the expectation generally that both parents are jointly responsible for their children's upbringing. The Government also believes that a tougher approach is needed in cases where court orders are breached, and it intends to explore the scope for additional enforcement sanctions for the courts. This consultation includes options and questions on how court orders in private family cases regarding the care of children can be more effectively enforced".
So, we have just had a very large consultation on the current Family Justice System and how it might be improved. Although the lobby for "shared parenting = an equal amount of time for both parents with the children" was very strong from some sectors of government, the Family Justice Review (FJR) panel decided that they would strongly recommend against changing the law to introduce any concept of shared parenting. Unfortunately, government being government, has the choice whether to accept or reject the recommendations set out for private law proceedings in the FJR. Enter another consultation...
Pannone solicitors (@Divorce_experts on twitter) has said that the need for new legislation has also been rejected by children’s charities such as the NSPCC who asserted that the importance of a relationship between children and both parents is a principle which is already recognised by the family law system.
They said that "Amending family law to explicitly recognise an existing principle may cause greater confusion between separating parents, leading to an increase in disputes and the number of cases that end up in court. We will however have to wait to see what impact the proposed changes may have in practice".
I really like the way suesspiciousminds (@suesspiciousmin on twitter) sums it up:
"So, this is another crack at a consultation. (Only this time, the consultation is – in traditional government style – “We’re going to do this, which of these four ways do you want it precisely done?’ Oh, and we’ll make none of the options particularly desirable, but one on offer is less awful than the others, so that when that one triumphs in the consultation, we can imagine to ourselves that it was the overwhelmingly popular way to make this change)."
Having read the consultations and the options that are on the table, it seems that government has not considered the most important aspect of parenting post separation - that the child has the right to a meaningful relationship with both parents. Sometimes this does not equate to the amount of time the child spends with each parent. A court (and maybe I give judges far too much credit) has the responsibility to ensure that if the time is significantly disproportionate, that there is a good explanation for this - and that everybody involved in the case has a clear understanding of why the decision has been made and how it will be played out.
It does not seem like any of the options provided in the consultation document incorporate this principle fully, which is disappointing to say the least. So in starting to draft our response to the consultation...in the words of Lucy Reed (@familoo on twitter), "I vote none of the above".
The Government has published its consultation document on reform of the law for private law children proceedings.
The prelude to the consultation starts with the following: "The majority of parents who separate reach their own agreements about the care arrangements for their children. However, when disputes about these arrangements arise there is a risk that children's needs are overlooked. In too many cases one parent is left in a position where it is very hard to retain a strong and influential relationship with his or her child. The Government firmly believes that parents who are able and willing to play a positive role in their child's care should have the opportunity to do so".
Well, that's all fine. We are in agreement there.
"The aim of the proposed legislative amendment is to ensure that this happens in court cases and to reinforce the expectation generally that both parents are jointly responsible for their children's upbringing. The Government also believes that a tougher approach is needed in cases where court orders are breached, and it intends to explore the scope for additional enforcement sanctions for the courts. This consultation includes options and questions on how court orders in private family cases regarding the care of children can be more effectively enforced".
So, we have just had a very large consultation on the current Family Justice System and how it might be improved. Although the lobby for "shared parenting = an equal amount of time for both parents with the children" was very strong from some sectors of government, the Family Justice Review (FJR) panel decided that they would strongly recommend against changing the law to introduce any concept of shared parenting. Unfortunately, government being government, has the choice whether to accept or reject the recommendations set out for private law proceedings in the FJR. Enter another consultation...
Pannone solicitors (@Divorce_experts on twitter) has said that the need for new legislation has also been rejected by children’s charities such as the NSPCC who asserted that the importance of a relationship between children and both parents is a principle which is already recognised by the family law system.
They said that "Amending family law to explicitly recognise an existing principle may cause greater confusion between separating parents, leading to an increase in disputes and the number of cases that end up in court. We will however have to wait to see what impact the proposed changes may have in practice".
I really like the way suesspiciousminds (
"So, this is another crack at a consultation. (Only this time, the consultation is – in traditional government style – “We’re going to do this, which of these four ways do you want it precisely done?’ Oh, and we’ll make none of the options particularly desirable, but one on offer is less awful than the others, so that when that one triumphs in the consultation, we can imagine to ourselves that it was the overwhelmingly popular way to make this change)."
Having read the consultations and the options that are on the table, it seems that government has not considered the most important aspect of parenting post separation - that the child has the right to a meaningful relationship with both parents. Sometimes this does not equate to the amount of time the child spends with each parent. A court (and maybe I give judges far too much credit) has the responsibility to ensure that if the time is significantly disproportionate, that there is a good explanation for this - and that everybody involved in the case has a clear understanding of why the decision has been made and how it will be played out.
It does not seem like any of the options provided in the consultation document incorporate this principle fully, which is disappointing to say the least. So in starting to draft our response to the consultation...in the words of Lucy Reed (@familoo on twitter), "I vote none of the above".
5 April 2012: Venturing to the ‘Dark Side’
Just been reading a report by Christopher Carpenter, the 30-year old
assistant professor of communication at Western Illinois University.
Carpenter is getting worldwide news coverage for his study of the ‘dark
side’. He is not researching the benefits of watching Star Wars Episode
IV: A New Hope, why the force was strong with Luke nor is he researching
why Darth Vader turned. Instead, he is researching the timely subject
of Facebook.
Carpenter’s study, “Narcissism on Facebook: Self-promotional and Anti-social Behaviour,” is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
Narcissism is defined in this study as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and an exaggerated sense of self-importance,” Carpenter said.
For the average narcissist, Facebook “offers a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships and emotionally detached communication.” More importantly, for this study, social networking in general allows the user a great deal of control over how he or she is presented to and perceived by peers and other users, he added. Interesting.
The narcissistic personality inventory (NPI) survey sample included 292 individuals, which measured self-promoting Facebook behaviours, such as posting status updates, photos of oneself and updating profile information; and several anti-social behaviours, including seeking social support more than providing it, getting angry when others do not comment on status updates and retaliating against negative comments.
Carpenter’s research methods class emailed people they knew and asked them to complete the survey. Approximately 75 percent of respondents were college students, he said.
He hypothesized the grandiose exhibitionism would predict the self-promoting behaviours. This includes vanity, superiority, self-absorption and exhibitionistic tendencies. The entitlement/exploitativeness was hypothesized to predict the anti-social behaviours. This includes a sense of deserving respect and a willingness to manipulate and take advantage of others, Carpenter explains.
Results showed grandiose exhibitionism correlated with self-promotion. Entitlement/exploitativeness correlated with anti-social behaviours on Facebook. Self-esteem was unrelated to self-promotion behaviours and it was negatively associated with some anti-social behaviours (i.e. self-esteem was related to less of these anti-social behaviours).
It is very interesting to see how people use facebook to portray a particular image – as Carpenter says, self-promotion. I know of a couple who are going through a very difficult patch in their marriage, to a point where she doesn’t know whether she can continue. He feels bullied into making decisions. Their concern is the small child they have together. With another on the way. But on facebook, all looks as bright, glorious and happy as ever. Is Facebook becoming like Second Life – a chance to promote yourself in a way that you desire to be portrayed? Is it that shot at showing to the world, the type of life you ‘have’ that was always out of your reach? It is promoting that individualistic, humanistic worldview where me, myself and I are number one. This is no doubt one of the root causes of the entitlement that Carpenter speaks about, which results, often in anti-social behaviour.
If Facebook is to be a place where people go to repair their damaged ego and seek social support, it is vitally important to discover the potentially negative communication one might find on Facebook and the kinds of people likely to engage in them. Ideally, people will engage in pro-social Facebooking rather than anti-social me-booking.
“Students who use technology for self-promotion tend to be more narcissistic than those who simply use technology to connect to others”. That’s according to a research paper by Flagler College psychology professor Meghan M. Saculla and Western Kentucky University psychology professor W. Pitt Derryberry, who set out to discover whether there was a correlation between moral judgment development, narcissism, and technology use.
According to this study, males reported that they are more likely than females to use Facebook as “a vehicle for popularity, to use cell phones as a means of creating a medial identity, to isolate themselves with these technological devices, and to use Facebook and cell phones for exhibitionistic display”. Though females tend to use Electronic Media and Communication Devices (EMCDs) more often than males, ‘the attitudes of males regarding their EMCD usage appear to be more detrimental for social functioning’.
“In general, the ‘dark side’ of Facebook requires more research in order to better understand Facebook’s socially beneficial and harmful aspects in order to enhance the former and curtail the latter,” added Carpenter. Agreed that there is alot more research to be done in this field, particularly as our world becomes smaller, and the use of technology becomes wider and more intense.
I’m going to watch Star Wars now. It’s better for me than spending time being sucked into the dark side of Facebook, where I admit, I do venture on occasion.
Carpenter’s study, “Narcissism on Facebook: Self-promotional and Anti-social Behaviour,” is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
Narcissism is defined in this study as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and an exaggerated sense of self-importance,” Carpenter said.
For the average narcissist, Facebook “offers a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships and emotionally detached communication.” More importantly, for this study, social networking in general allows the user a great deal of control over how he or she is presented to and perceived by peers and other users, he added. Interesting.
The narcissistic personality inventory (NPI) survey sample included 292 individuals, which measured self-promoting Facebook behaviours, such as posting status updates, photos of oneself and updating profile information; and several anti-social behaviours, including seeking social support more than providing it, getting angry when others do not comment on status updates and retaliating against negative comments.
Carpenter’s research methods class emailed people they knew and asked them to complete the survey. Approximately 75 percent of respondents were college students, he said.
He hypothesized the grandiose exhibitionism would predict the self-promoting behaviours. This includes vanity, superiority, self-absorption and exhibitionistic tendencies. The entitlement/exploitativeness was hypothesized to predict the anti-social behaviours. This includes a sense of deserving respect and a willingness to manipulate and take advantage of others, Carpenter explains.
Results showed grandiose exhibitionism correlated with self-promotion. Entitlement/exploitativeness correlated with anti-social behaviours on Facebook. Self-esteem was unrelated to self-promotion behaviours and it was negatively associated with some anti-social behaviours (i.e. self-esteem was related to less of these anti-social behaviours).
It is very interesting to see how people use facebook to portray a particular image – as Carpenter says, self-promotion. I know of a couple who are going through a very difficult patch in their marriage, to a point where she doesn’t know whether she can continue. He feels bullied into making decisions. Their concern is the small child they have together. With another on the way. But on facebook, all looks as bright, glorious and happy as ever. Is Facebook becoming like Second Life – a chance to promote yourself in a way that you desire to be portrayed? Is it that shot at showing to the world, the type of life you ‘have’ that was always out of your reach? It is promoting that individualistic, humanistic worldview where me, myself and I are number one. This is no doubt one of the root causes of the entitlement that Carpenter speaks about, which results, often in anti-social behaviour.
If Facebook is to be a place where people go to repair their damaged ego and seek social support, it is vitally important to discover the potentially negative communication one might find on Facebook and the kinds of people likely to engage in them. Ideally, people will engage in pro-social Facebooking rather than anti-social me-booking.
“Students who use technology for self-promotion tend to be more narcissistic than those who simply use technology to connect to others”. That’s according to a research paper by Flagler College psychology professor Meghan M. Saculla and Western Kentucky University psychology professor W. Pitt Derryberry, who set out to discover whether there was a correlation between moral judgment development, narcissism, and technology use.
According to this study, males reported that they are more likely than females to use Facebook as “a vehicle for popularity, to use cell phones as a means of creating a medial identity, to isolate themselves with these technological devices, and to use Facebook and cell phones for exhibitionistic display”. Though females tend to use Electronic Media and Communication Devices (EMCDs) more often than males, ‘the attitudes of males regarding their EMCD usage appear to be more detrimental for social functioning’.
“In general, the ‘dark side’ of Facebook requires more research in order to better understand Facebook’s socially beneficial and harmful aspects in order to enhance the former and curtail the latter,” added Carpenter. Agreed that there is alot more research to be done in this field, particularly as our world becomes smaller, and the use of technology becomes wider and more intense.
I’m going to watch Star Wars now. It’s better for me than spending time being sucked into the dark side of Facebook, where I admit, I do venture on occasion.
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