On p u b l i c a t i o n
Health Wealth & Happiness
Deliciously Sustainable Lifestyle Changes By Danna Levy Hoffmann | Brought to you by Organilicious. Their personalised and holistic approach aims to create sustainable and delicious lifestyle changes. Full disclosure: side effects may include falling in love with food again, losing weight and feeling amazing!
W
e all want change, yet most of us don’t want to change. We want to watch less TV, we want to get more exercise, lose weight, eat better, start writing that book, spend more time with the kids… We declare it a few times a year and especially as a new year resolution, we might even start strong once in a while, and yet most often it doesn’t stick. Change is scary, time consuming, hard to go through and we don’t really know if what’s around the corner is actually worth all the hassle… When we do start, we often go on bold decelerations and pretty much secure our failure by putting high and unreasonable expectations upon ourselves. In fact, research shows that about 54% of people who decide to make some change in their lives, fail beyond six months, and the average person will declare the same resolution 10 times in their lifetime without success. Did you even stop and think why? Why is is that change is so hard and scary?? So this is where I get all geeky on you, and talk about our brain. A lot of people blame themselves for not having a strong enough will power, not being strong enough to make a change. I have some good news for you: IT’S NOT YOU, AND YOU’RE NOT ALONE! Although some say we’ve evolved a lot since the stone age, our brain still functions the same exact way. When it comes to change, our brain fears it and will find any way it can to feel safe. Safe for our brain means doing/ thinking/feeling the same thing we’ve done/ thought/felt yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. By now you’re thinking to yourself “great, so this pretty much sums it up, no need to even try”. I promise you that’s not the case. Not only is it possible to change (and dare I say, hijack your brain), it’s also not as hard or scary as it sounds… If you do it right that is. Here are three simple steps anyone can take: 1. Slow and steady wins the race Unlike our famous new year resolutions (which we already know don’t work), breaking down our one big goal into small steps is much more sustainable, and lets the brain slowly adjust to very simple changes. That way, you’re not committing to something which will take all of your time and energy right off the bat, but rather take you a few minutes a day to implement small changes.
Cover Story
2. Hijack your brain Sounds like a scene from a sci-fi movie, and yes people do it all the time (sometimes without even knowing it). Do you know that moment when you are at a crossroad (a small one - like choosing between an apple or a slice of cake, or a life changing one - like replying to a job offer), and for a split second, there’s a tiny voice inside your head? You know, that same voice which always knows what to do, and we often ignore, kind of like your mom? This is exactly the moment you can apply The Five Second Rule - by Mel Robbins. The five second rule works on the argument that you know what you should do, but you can’t seem to make yourself do it. You simply need to outsmart your own brain! The moment you count down from five to one, you are interrupting habit loops, happening in the basal ganglia, and move your brain activity to the pre-frontal cortex. The pre-frontal cortex is responsible for, amongst other things, decision making. After counting down from five to one, you can actually take the advice of that little voice without much hassle. So the next time you’re watching Netflix, and that little voice tells you to go to bed rather than start another episode, give the five second rule a try. It’ll blow your socks off. 3. Accountability partner We all know the African proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. Having an accountability partner, someone who can coach and support you, and help keep you commitments, is a true game changer. It can be your best friend, your partner, or a paid coach. No matter who you choose to go on this journey with you, going together will really get you far. Knowing that someone will be checking up on you, ask you about your progress, and help you come up with more small changes which will bring you closer to your goal, will make a huge difference, guaranteed. So no, making changes in our lives does not come naturally. But with small steps, the right mindset, and the perfect partner, you’ll be moving mountains sooner than you think! About Danna Danna Levy Hoffmann is the founder of Organilicious, a leading health and lifestyle coach and an expert on living a nourishing lifestyle. Danna is a certified IIN health coach, a speaker, and a healthy lifestyle expert. For more info check out organicilicous.ch
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Health Wealth & Happiness
Well Aligned Clean Label | By Sandra Deira
S
ummer is upon us and what an amazing time to reside in Amsterdam. The canals are livelier than ever, and finding a spot to chill on one of the cities overcrowded terraces is increasingly challenging. Amsterdam is home to huge annual festivals like the Rolling Kitchens, a 5-day food-truck festival. The city is also hosting Amsterdam Pride which attracts a lot of international visitors every year. Last but not least, in the south-east, will find the Kwaku festival, the ultimate urban food and music festival, across four weekends. Food is the buzz word this Summer! Whether the food is healthy or not, simply enjoying tasty food, and therefore life is good for our general wellbeing. Talking about being healthy nowadays is a study in itself. With so many products advertising themselves as healthy, it’s easy to take them at face value, but that isn’t always the right idea. One thing we know for sure, is that poor health due to food (or lack thereof) consumed is still a major problem around the world. According to the World Health Organization, micronutrients malnutrition or ‘hidden hunger’ affects people around the world with approximately two billion suffering from micronutrient deficiency conditions worldwide. Undernutrition (children being too small for their age or too thin for their height) and micronutrient deficiencies along with obesity, and other diet-related diseases are increasing amongst individuals, households and populations are increasing. In developed countries. people are becoming increasingly aware of the causes of depletion in fruits and vegetables. Former Swiss pharmacology company Geigy produced a table which gave an insight into the reduction in quality and nutrients in fruits and vegetables between 1985 and 2002. Causes of depletion include leached out soils, air pollution, accelerated growth, quicker production, pesticides, colour and taste enhancers. Add to this the longer transportation distances for stored and refrigerated fruit, preceded by premature or unripe harvesting and post-harvest processes to speed up or simulate ripening, such as genetic modification and the use of artificial ethylene gas.
Sponsored by ww.wearehealthtribe.com
According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) it is tropical and popular fruits such as banana, mango, papaya, pineapple and guava which undergo this ripening method the most, often resulting in a reduction in taste and/or quality, despite the fruit appearing fresh and fully ripened. It is interesting to see how many creative ideas were born and provide a good income in the health industry. Some food processors tend to take the idea of cleaning food very literally and rinse your fresh greens thoroughly in a bath of chlorine. You can only hope those much needed vitamins and minerals can survive such a bath! A couple of years ago I became familiar with the term Clean Label. Clean Label is the clear, clean and under-
Interview
standable labelling of food. Unintelligible jargon, and certain artificial ingredients are banned from lists of ingredients, and every consumer gets a clear and concrete explanation of the specific ingredients. A lot of nutritious supplements contain unnecessary synthetic additives, such as anti-caking agents and coagulants, coatings, colourings, emulsifiers, and flavourings. An example is ascorbic acid, a genetically modified and synthetic form of vitamin C, which usually comes with a yellow or orange coating. When informed by a clear product label, consumers can understand that ascorbic acid is synthetically produced and is not an organic vitamin. When you realise this, it starts to become clear how limited our knowledge really is, and how conditioned we have been to assuming something is healthy due to the use of buzzwords, as opposed to actually having a full understanding of what constitutes a healthy product. Returning to my home country, the Republic of Surinam, for the first time, I was surprised to learn that oranges could come in green, with a yellow coloured juice, and a sweeter taste. So conditioned are we to assuming what we know as oranges are the only kind of oranges, that such discoveries can come as a real shock! While citrus fruits may be the most famous source of vitamin C, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables are richer in the vitamin. Oranges are at the lower end of the list of the top 20 fruits and vegetables with high levels of vitamin C. While orange juice is a source of Vitamin C, and drinking it is a good idea, you might want to look for other natural and organic sources to maintain your vitamin C levels as well. Overall, in Western society the intake of vitamin C is mainly through processed products, mainly fruit juices, containing ascorbic acid the synthetic form of Vitamin C mentioned above. There are other options available, and the existence of Clean label products make these much easier to find, and makes it far simpler to avoid buying products with artificial forms of vitamins and other substances. When most people purchase nutritious supplements, it is for the active ingredients. However, supplements can contain a surprising amount of additives, with almost no bioavailability. Bioavailability is the capability for the body to absorb a substance, making it possible for the process the benefits of that substance. Synthetic additives are not found in 100% natural products containing ingredients with a high bioavailability. There is a downside, and it’s cost. Natural organic products take longer to produce, with capsules sometimes filled by hand, the ingredients are put through comprehensive analysis to achieve a high level of certification. All of this results in a higher price. It is not always easy to find all-natural nutritious supplements. It may, however, make a substantially more valuable contribution to your health than the alternative options.
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Science & Tech
<Mothers who code>
Solving the mystery of professional success and motherhood (without leaving your child behind). Interview with Hana Harencarova | By Darie Nani
H
ana first felt in love with paragliding but little did she know that her passion would take her away from home and onto a new life in Switzerland. She met and fell in love with a fellow paragliding enthusiast and after a whirlwind romance, she got married and started a family. You may think at this point this is Hana’s story and you would be forgiven as so many woman before her are considered to be just mothers and wives, and we are led to believe this is the end of their story. Not for Hana. Moms learn to code
“Once we have children, as mothers, we are expected to put our careers on hold. For most of us, the chances of finding fulfilling employment that allows us to balance our career goals and our commitments to our family are slim. As a mom I realized I need to redefine my professional orientation and soon after the birth of my daughter I started my freelance business as a web designer. It was something I always wanted to do and with all the changes in my life, this was a great moment to do that. Yet I struggled to find the right courses for myself. Especially since I had a young child and whilst there are plenty of options for where to take a young child, finding courses that gave me the flexibility to look after my baby and study was a lot more difficult. So now, two years later, I decided to tackle this problem by starting a coding courses for moms, where they can take their babies with them. This way they can learn new skills without leaving the little loved ones behind. ‘Moms learn to code’ gives young mothers the chance to learn web design and programming skills. I always loved to teach at university, and I missed this kind of personal contact. I decided to empower women in finding their ways into tech. I run courses in Zurich as well as live events, online courses and also give private lessons.” You have a background in psychology, you are an active paragliding pilot and you even own a paragliding school with your husband. On top of everything, you are creating websites for entrepreneurs and businesses, you teach women how to code and of course, you have a young daughter. How do you find the drive to do so many things at once?
www.momslearntocode.com
I always loved to solve problems. The new ones, the challenging ones. I was bored by the routine and searched for something new. After finishing my PhD. in psychology I was ready for the next challenge. Learning to code gave me the opportunity to merge my psychological and technical skills. Thanks to my psychological background I can analyse and understand my clients’ needs as a business owner
Interview
and what their clients are looking for. This enables me to create user-oriented products with a strong emphasis on results. Sei Online is a web design company. While you create bespoke solutions, there are numerous other businesses which provide similar services. What is unique about your solution? Do you have a different approach? Effective design is not just about looking good. It creates a connection between you and your customers, it builds trust and motivates your visitors to action. If you need your website built from scratch or you want to redesign your current web page to better suit your business’ needs, this is what we do best. Our complete web solutions bring all you need from A to Z. Whether it’s a complex presentation of your services or a simple business web page, we’re are able to make a distant dream a reality. I create modern websites for my clients which create a relationship with their customers. The user experience and technical perfection are in the priorities. The whole process is also designed in a way that the client can to give us as little or as much input as is needed. It’s important to keep the process simple and agile. So I can react to client’s needs promptly and the results are immediate. Thanks to my background in psychology I understand the decision-making processes and the behaviour of the visitors. That enables me to create websites which motivate the visitors to engage with the company. Every customer project is unique and that’s why I love my job. Creating a web page is like a baby being born. Each one is very special and beautiful. And that makes my job so exciting and satisfying. Helping my clients to thrive and free them from the technical struggle by providing them with a highend online presence which leads to more or better clients. What’s the biggest challenge you have faced thus far? Balancing the time between work, family and learning. Me and my husband we are both self-employed and we both take care of our daughter so we need plan for who works when each week. Where do you turn for inspiration and why? Inspiration comes unexpectedly. It’s more about being prepared to listen and write it down than going to look for inspiration. To be honest, I get the best ideas usually during the night or after some good tea. Being free to decide when I work gives me a great advantage. I let myself to be inspired by those random moments and people who come along in my life. This freedom is what I strive to offer to other young mothers, who just like me, have the right to have professional success. Having or starting a family shouldn’t stop anyone from learning to code, starting their small businesses and become successful entrepreneurs.
85
Sovereign
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