Did you know that your bones are living tissue? They contain blood vessels, nerves and bone marrow, which is where blood cells are formed? 

Our body’s natural cycle of bone renewal

Your bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves, the construction of our bones never ends, it is a constant cycle of renewal as old bone is broken down and new bone is built. 

If our bones did not repair and reinforce themselves, we would suffer from broken bones on a daily basis. 

When we are under the age of 20, our bodies form more bone than we lose. The majority of adults will reach their peak bone mass by the age of 25. Which is really young! The trick is to focus on building your bone mass when you are younger and maintaining these healthy lifestyle choices as you get older. 

But it’s never too late to lead a healthy life! 

Losing bone mass as we get older 

When we are around the age of 30, we start to lose more bone than our bodies create. If not enough bone mass is created when we are younger or if bone loss occurs when we are older, then our risk of fragile bones and osteoporosis is increased. 

This may sound rather overwhelming, but the thing is, there are a number of diet and lifestyle changes you can make to build strong and healthy bones and maintain them as you get older. 

Natural ways to build healthy bones

1. Calcium 

You may already know that calcium is great for building healthy and strong bones. Calcium is, in fact, a vital nutrient for building bones and slowing down the pace of bone loss. 

However, calcium cannot work alone in promoting healthy bones. Some experts even suggest that over-consumption of calcium or dairy products (a great source of calcium) may be bad for your body. 

Luckily, it’s easy to ensure you are getting the right amount of calcium. 

How much calcium do I need? 

The recommended daily intake for calcium is 1000mg for adults up to the age of 50 and 1,200mg for those who are older than 50, as this is when bone loss starts to speed up. 

As we get older, our intestines start to absorb LESS calcium from our food and the kidneys also seem to be less effective at conserving calcium. Because of this, your body might start to take calcium from your bones (Yikes! Somebody please pass the milk!). 

The best way to ensure you are getting enough calcium is through food. 

What foods are rich in calcium? 

• Seeds
• Milk and Cheese
• Yoghurt
• Sardines and Canned Salmon
• Beans and Lentils
• Almonds
• Whey Protein
• Some Leafy Greens

2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential to promoting healthy bones. Vitamin D is basically the Robin to the Batman that is calcium. 

Vitamin D helps your body to absorb calcium. 

You can get vitamin D from food sources and supplements. Sunlight is also a great way to get a good dose of this amazing vitamin. Your body needs roughly 1000 IU of vitamin D daily. 

If you can, try to spend roughly 5 to 30 minutes in the sun, between 10 am and 3 pm, twice a week. Make sure your face, arms, legs and lack soak up the rays without sunscreen. If you have fair skin, then limit this exposure to 10 minutes. 

3. Exercise 

Make sure you perform strength training and resistance training. Have a look at our excellent blog post: 1 PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. 10 MOVES. ALL THE SWEAT to get you started! 

Here’s another goodie: 8 REASONS WHY EVERY WOMAN SHOULD LIFT WEIGHTS. Did you know that women have a higher risk of osteoporosis compared to men? Even more reason to hit the gym! 

Moving your body through active exercises helps to build more muscle and build strong and healthy bones. 

A recent study also found that aerobic exercises such as jogging, walking and dancing helped improve calcium absorption in the upper body and upper thighs. 

4. Protein 

Make sure you are getting enough protein. In fact, 50% of our bones are made up of protein. Studies have found that a low protein diet decreases calcium absorption and might also affect the rate at which our bones form and break down. 

5. Collagen

There isn’t much research on the effects of collagen as yet, but some early evidence suggests that taking a collagen supplement can help protect your bone health. 

Collagen is one of the main proteins found in your bones. It contains vital amino acids (proline, glycine and lysine) which help promote bone health and build strong muscles. 

How healthy are your bones?

It’s time to grab your running shoes, hit the gym, improve your diets and increase your supplement intake. 

To many, it may come as a surprise that you don’t have to eat meat to build muscle (vegans rejoice!). Which means that there is no reason for you to worry whether or not you are getting enough protein on a vegan diet.

In fact, studies have found that it does not make a difference whether or not your protein comes from animals or plants. The key to building lean muscle is how much you workout, how you workout, the amount of protein you consume and the times when you consume it.

In this article, we are going to show you how easy it is to gain lean muscle on a vegan diet in 4 simple steps…

Plant protein to build muscle: Does it work as well as meat protein?

Let’s get into the facts…

A recent study found that the short answer to this question is…yes!

The researchers in the study found that plant protein is just as effective to aid in muscle growth and strength as meat and animal protein.

Why does your body need protein?

Protein helps your body to repair and build muscle. Which is why it is so important to consume it after a hard workout.

Protein is a vital element of every single cell in your body. Your hair and nails mostly consist of protein. Your body will use protein to produce enzymes, hormones and other important chemicals. Simply put – protein is an essential building block of your muscles, bones, blood and skin.

Protein is a macronutrient. This means that your body needs large amounts of it. Minerals and vitamins are known as micronutrients, which means that your body only needs small amounts of these.

Did you know that your body stores carbs and fats but it cannot store protein? Which means we need to ensure we are getting enough protein in our daily diets.

But the thing is, you may need less protein than you think.

1. Make sure you are getting the right amount of protein

The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per each kilogram of your body weight.

The easiest way to work this out is to calculate what your minimum protein requirement is in grams and multiply this by your body weight.

So, a person who weighs 70kgs will need 56 grams of protein a day.

If you are someone who regularly works out, then you will need to include a bit more protein in your diet. Experts suggest this amount to be 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kg of bodyweight. Although, 1.5 grams per kilogram is a good amount to work with.

That’s roughly 84 to 140 grams a day for someone who weighs 70 kgs.

Expert tip – Apps like MyFitnessPal are great ways to track your protein consumption and get a good idea of how much protein you are consuming at each meal.

2. Make sure you pair your proteins correctly

Amino acids are known as the building blocks of protein. Your body is able to create some of its own amino acids, but it heavily relies on food to supply the bulk of them.

The amino acids your body cannot create on its own are referred to as essential amino acids. Here’s why you need to know this…

There are 2 different varieties of protein. The first of which is known as complete protein – this type of protein contains the 9 essential amino acids that your body cannot make.

The other type of protein is known as incomplete protein and this does not contain all of the 9 essential aminos.

The majority of plant proteins are incomplete, the only exceptions are chia, hemp, soy and quinoa. All meat proteins are complete proteins.

This is why it’s important to ensure you pair your foods correctly to get the complete protein you need.

Pairing sources of plant protein together to provide all the essential amino acids is known as complementary proteins.

Here are some pairing examples:

• Barley and lentils
• Whole wheat pita and hummus
• Almonds and oats
• Whole grain bread and nut butter
• Brown rice and beans
• Tempeh or tofu with quinoa and brown rice

3. Amazing plant protein sources

For optimal strength and muscle growth, you need to eat around 25 grams of protein at each main meal.

Here are some great examples of plant-based foods that are high in protein:

Beans, legumes and lentils

Kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas are all great sources of protein. The protein content of each will vary slightly. For example, one cup of canned kidney beans will contain roughly 13 grams of protein. The same amount of lentils will contain 18 grams.

Tofu and soy products

Soy is something you can never get tired of. Soy products such as tofu are a great way to ensure you get protein in your diet and they make for a great meat alternative.

Soy cheese, yoghurt and tempeh are all delicious and healthy!

Tempeh is made from slightly fermented, cooked soybeans that are formed into patties. Roughly 100 grams of tempeh contains 18 grams of protein.

Quinoa and whole grains

Quinoa is known as the powerhouse of wholegrain protein. One cup of cooked quinoa contains 18 grams of protein and 9 grams of fibre.

Wholegrain bread, brown rice, barley and bulgar wheat are all rich in protein and relatively inexpensive.

Nuts and seeds

Cashews, walnuts, peanuts and almonds all contain protein. The same goes for sunflower and sesame seeds.

However, most nuts are high in fats, which is why you do not want to make them your primary source of protein. Nut butter is a great post-workout snack. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter contains about 8 grams of protein.

Protein powder

If you are looking for an easy way to include more protein in your diet, then protein powder is a great way to do it.

Make sure you read the labels of any protein powders you buy and make sure they contain natural ingredients and not any cheap fillers.

4. Time your protein intake correctly

Your muscle growth will heavily rely on the protein you eat, particularly before a workout.

Before hitting the gym, have some soy milk or a handful of nuts. A great snack is also some nut butter on a brown unsalted rice cracker.

You then need to make sure you eat within 30 minutes after your workout. This can be a meal or a snack (depending on the time of day).

A protein smoothie is a great and convenient option after a workout too!

If you want to know more about protein intake and want an eating and training plan designed just for you, then why not get in touch with the WellBe team and we can get you going on your fitness journey?

There’s a common misconception that a hardworking employee is someone who skips lunch and works nights to get the job done.

Although this approach to work-life is somewhat admiral, the nonstop meetings, deadlines, late nights, early mornings and even weekends of work, all spell one thing – burnout.

When you live a life revolved around work, your health takes a back seat and stress takes over.

Companies who understand that an employee’s mental and physical wellbeing is a top priority and implement wellness programs to help achieve this are rewarded with happy, hardworking and healthy staff.

The truth is, corporate wellness programs will soon no longer be a benefit, but rather a necessity in the years to come.

What is a corporate wellness program?

Also known as an employee wellness program, it will include strategies aimed to improve the health and wellness of employees.

The program is designed to reduce stress, give advice and information on health and nutrition and also provide health assessments to help uncover staff-specific health issues.

Simply put – a wellness program helps your company to implement specific practices and techniques that aid in creating a happy and healthy workplace.

The benefits of a corporate wellness program

Before we get into the simple and effective ways you can incorporate wellness in the workplace, let’s first take a look at the benefits of a wellness program

Just a little head’s up – If you would like a more detailed description, have a look at our article to get clued up!

But for now, here are the basics:

• Improved productivity
• Higher engagement
• Fewer sick days
• Happier and dedicated staff
• Better company culture
• Easier recruiting
• Higher retention

Now that you have a good idea on what a wellness program is and how it can benefit your company, let’s get to the good part…

5 simple ways to bring wellness into the workplace

The first step you need to take is to work with a Wellness Coach or Wellness Company who specialises in implementing wellness in the workplace.

This way you can ensure you are making the right choices and taking the right steps toward a healthier, happier and wellthier workplace.

1. Create a flexible work culture

Implementing flexible working hours will enable your employees to avoid traffic and encourage a better balance between their home and work life.

Perhaps you can even allow employees to work remotely once a week?

Still not convinced on flexible work arrangements?

Have a look at this study – researchers from Standford discovered that staff who worked in a flexible work environment produced better results, worked longer hours, took fewer sick days and were much happier at work. They felt trusted and supported as they were allowed to create their own work schedules without the nag factor of micromanagement.

2. Encourage nutrition through healthy meals and recipes

Nutrition and diet have major roles to play in our overall wellbeing.

If your diet consists of high contents of sugar, take outs and greasy foods, your body is going to respond adversely.

Poor nutrition leads to sleep issues, daytime fatigue and low productivity and energy levels at work.

What you put into your body is what you get out.

So, if you’re loading up on the take out and unhealthy canteen food from work (even the freshly baked muffins in the morning meetings), your body is going to take a toll.

Through encouraging healthy eating and allowing your employees to access healthy, filling and delicious foods, this will not only benefit their health but your company’s too.

3. Give employees access to health and wellness information

A great way to do this is to send out a monthly newsletter with healthy recipes, fitness and health tips and tricks and some motivating articles to read and videos to watch. Which is something a wellness company can put together for you.

Instead of bombarding your staff with meeting requests and status updates, throw something healthy in the mix in the form of a wellness mail or newsletter.

Another great way to do this is host weekly wellness workshops where professional wellness coaches can chat with your staff on what it means to live a healthy life and how to go about doing so.

4. Reward healthy behaviours

Provide gym discounts and fitness allowances. For example, you could reward employees who work out a certain amount of times a week with a free coffee booster. You could also reward those who reach their fitness goal (run a 5km or take up a healthy eating plan and stick to it.)

There are all sorts of fun and rewarding ways you can encourage healthy behaviours both at work and at home.

5. Get your staff to move more

Ever heard of a walking meeting? It’s where you and your staff take a stroll to discuss things instead of sitting in a boardroom.

If this isn’t your style, then why not create lunchtime yoga sessions or mindfulness mornings?

The more exercise your employees can fit into their daily lives, the better they wellbeing will be.

Are you ready to bring wellness into the workplace?

If after reading this, you are ready to motivate employees, improve their health and happiness and in turn, improve productivity and the success of your company, then it’s time you get in touch with us.

What WellBe can do for your company:

• Health-related digital content and newsletters
• Workplace workouts
• Menu additions, meal suggestions & recipes
• Weekly workshops and seminars
• Customised exercise and nutrition plans
• Ongoing health and wellness consulting
• Counselling and psychological support
• Physiotherapy and chiropractic assistance
• Performance and personal development coaching

So, are you ready for wellness?

Now, you are probably thinking that bad habits entail smoking, eating too much or maybe gambling. But the thing is, bad habits go far beyond the stereotypical ones we all tend to focus on.

So many of us are guilty of bad habits. Maybe it’s overindulging in a little too much retail therapy (even when you already own 7 different pairs of boots in the same colour), maybe you are a procrastinator at work or maybe you spend the majority of your spare time on social media. No matter what your unhealthy habit is, we all have them.

Bad habits follow us around in our day-to-day life and they can take a toll on our physical and mental wellbeing. Without knowing it, your bad habit could be weighing you down in more ways than you realise. Draining your bank account, consuming your spare time or just making you unhappy.

However, it is possible to effectively bring an end to our bad habits. The trick is to replace them with good habits.

You don’t just erase a bad habit, you replace it with something better

According to an article written by James Clear (the man knows what he is talking about), the idea is to take something bad from your life and cultivate new practices that provide a similar benefit.

Let’s dig a little deeper into this way of thinking…

The thinking behind bad habits

Bad habits are pinpointed to two leading causes: stress and boredom. From smoking to splurging at the mall, bad habits stem from us trying to deal with our stress or boredom.

But, the trick is to teach yourself how to deal with these two factors in new and healthy ways.

For example, if smoking is your bad habit, then instead of trying to stop smoking cold turkey, you need to try and think of a healthy and productive replacement for smoking. This might be working out, practising deep breathing techniques, or really anything that works for you and stops you from picking up a cigarette.

Here’s how to effectively break your bad habits and replace them with healthy ones

1. Learn how to cope with stress better

According to an article in Time, the first step to breaking a bad habit is to sink your stress levels.

A number of bad habits, from smoking to sugar consumption, involve your brain’s reward system. Having a smoke or a slab of chocolate is recognised as a reward by our brains. This is a reason why we start to form these bad habits in the first place. Simply put – they feel good.

It’s easier to say no to a bad habit when we are in a happier state of mind. Our willpower is stronger when our mental and physical wellbeing is too. This means that the first step to breaking bad habits is to improve your overall wellbeing.

Some tactics include:

• Getting enough sleep
• Exercising regularly
• Taking part in stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and yoga

If you are lacking motivation or don’t know where to start, then we can help with personally designed wellness programs that really work.

2. Find your triggers and eliminate them

If eating a slab of chocolate every night is your guilty pleasure, then get rid of all the candy in your house. If smoking if your bad habit, then chuck out ashtrays and lighters that remind you of smoking.

Get rid of any triggers in your environment (like right now).

3. Find healthy substitutes for your bad habits

This involves thinking ahead of time as to what you will replace the bad habit with. You need to come up with a game plan and figure out how you will respond to moments of stress and boredom.

If you feel like you are procrastinating at work, then take up an online course or read an interesting article online instead of scrolling the Gram. If you feel the urge to have a sweet snack as a result of stress, why not go for a short walk instead or eat something healthier yet still delicious?

Practise deep breathing or healthy distractions when you feel like you might slip into a habit as a result of stress or boredom.

4. Visualise success and think positively

It comes down to the power of positive thinking.

Start by writing down a list of goals for yourself or a mantra.

It can be as simple as something along the lines of…

I am fit, filled with boundless energy and overcome my bad habits with ease and strength.

Or…

My mind is at peace in knowing I have the strength to overcome my bad habits.

Visualise yourself as a healthier and happier person for it and watch as your life starts to change around your positive way of thinking.

Wake up in the morning and visualise yourself crushing your bad habit, smiling as you do it and succeeding in your ability to do so.

Think positively

Did you know that negativity is also a form of a bad habit? Every time a negative thought comes into your mind, recognise it and then eliminate it with a positive one.

For example, if you start to think that you cannot overcome the need for a cigarette and you might as well just have one, then replace this thought with “I am strong and confident in my ability to overcome my bad habits” and take 5 deep breaths.

It’s really that simple.

5. Know that it’s okay to slip up

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that if you are trying to give up a bad habit, then you might hit a bump in the road from time to time. You need to plan for failure.

But, instead of beating yourself up, recognise your mistake and tell yourself you will do better next time and actually do it.

Where to from here?

We hope this list of tactics will help in putting you on the path to success in breaking a bad habit.

Remember to eliminate your cues, replace your bad habit with a good one, visualise success and think positively and know that it’s okay to fail.

What bad habit are you wanting to kick?

Have you lost your enthusiasm to exercise in the cold winter months? Well, you are not alone.

Staying productive and motivated during the frosty days of winter isn’t easy. We all know what it’s like, the temperature drops and so does our eagerness to get out and exercise.

We often find ourselves switching to mornings spent cuddled up with hot cocoa under the sheets and evenings snuggled in front of Netflix or our fireplace. Our morning workouts start to slip away, we have pressed snooze so many times we lost count and our evening exercise routines are no more. All we want to do is get home, get warm and stay that way.

Sound familiar?

Why it’s so hard to workout in winter

Well, for one, the cold weather isn’t exactly inviting now is it?

And secondly, once you start to skip a workout here and there, other aspects of your once healthy lifestyle often start to take a hit. It might be easier to grab some hot takeout as opposed to popping into the shops to get some groceries for dinner. When it’s cold, everything seems like an effort and we tend to slowly slip into ‘sloth’ mode. Too many skipped workouts and takeouts start to add up until eventually, we find ourselves in a slump. A ‘sloth’ mode slump, if you will.

Not exercising and not sticking to a healthy eating plan is a recipe for disaster as our nutrition and fitness have a profound effect on our lives.

That’s why we have put together this fitspired guide of 7 easy ways to regain (and keep) your motivation to exercise and get your health back in line.

1. Set goals and stick to them

Start with setting attainable goals. Perhaps you want to run a 5km without stopping to walk. Maybe you want to improve your lifestyle through healthy eating and exercising 3 times a week. The simpler the goal, the better.

Performance-focused goals are often better than aesthetic goals. So, instead of setting a goal to look a certain way, set a goal to do something fitness related like running a race or attending spinning classes twice a week or even sticking to a workout routine. That way you have something more tangible to work towards.

If you aren’t sure where to start, then get in touch with our team and we can help you set realistic goals and help you reach them.

2. Find simple ways to reach your goals

The moment you set your goals, then you need an action plan.

This could be developed with a personal trainer or a nutritionist. At Wellbe, we pride ourselves on helping our clients reach their goals through personally designed programs that actually work, are grounded in science and are delivered in a fun, approachable and lifestyle-focused ways.

To realistically reach your bigger goals, break them down into smaller ones. It can be as simple as eating more veggies every day, waking up when your alarm goes off (even if it is still dark outside) and skipping out on your weekly take out meal. Speaking of eating your vegetables, here’s a great recipe for healthy bell peppers.

Expert tip – Track your workouts. This way you can take notice of your day-to-day victories to keep you motivated.

3. Prep like the boss you are

We have all been there – we forget our gym shoes, forgot about the yoga class we booked, didn’t have time to make lunch at home so end up grabbing something unhealthy from the canteen or the fast-food place down the road at work.

Try to implement easy organisational tricks to make sticking to your goals and plan a whole lot easier.

Set aside your afternoon on a Sunday to meal prep.

Set reminders in your phone for workouts. And stick to them as best you can.

Pack your gym bag the night before and make sure you have everything in there for your workout (and pack something warm for after).

Scared to hit the gym? Have a look at our Girl’s Guide To Surviving The Weight Section.

4. Take care of yourself

Make sure you are well-fed (with healthy foods of course), worry-free and happy. This way you will feel more motivated to reach your goals.

Go to bed early and try to get at least 6 to 8 hours of GOOD, actually, GREAT sleep a night.

Have a long hot Epsom salt bath once or twice a week.

Spend time reading your book, in nature or watching your favourite series. Don’t forget to do things that make you happy.

Expert tip – Yoga and deep breathing are great ways to relieve stress. Have a look at this awesome Youtube Channel  – Yoga with Adriene.

5. Phone a friend

Schedule workouts with a friend. That way you can both motivate each other to get up and show up at workouts and fitness classes.

6. Keep things fresh

Routine can be a great way to get the best results, but it can become a bit monotonous at times. If your meal or fitness plans are getting a little boring, then try experimenting with new things.

Attend different fitness classes at the gym. If you have a personal trainer or Wellness Coach, then chat to them about how you can make your fitness plan more exciting.

So many people find that their meal plans start to get ‘tasteless’ over time. That’s because they don’t realise how many amazing and healthy food options there are out there. Have a look at these 12 Healthy Winter Recipes for some inspiration.

7. Be honest with yourself

Remember, your motivation comes from within. If you don’t feel like training or you are craving a cheat meal, then ask yourself why?

Maybe you had a bad day at work. Maybe you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed right now. Maybe you are trying to find an excuse? No matter what the answer is, don’t be afraid to be honest with yourself.

Sometimes a workout can make you feel better. And sometimes maybe you just need to take the day off and have a long bath and a warm dinner.

Just make sure you hit the gym tomorrow.

What it comes down to

The winter months might be long and cold, but there are simple and effective ways to find the motivation you are lacking to hit the gym, workout and stick to a healthy eating plan.

Remember to not be too hard on yourself. Do what you can with the time you have and know that your best is ALWAYS more than good enough.

Keep at it! You’re doing great.