At the last Lunch & Learn event in January, there was an interesting question asked: "If I could just implement one health strategy, what would it be?"

Taking a moment to consider the options, my initial thought was juicing.

Over the years there has been so much media publicity on the benefits of juicing that I immediately thought that it probably was the best return on investment in terms of time and nutritional punch.

However, after considering the real practicalities around juicing, there are very few people I know, particularly where busy work and family life are involved, don’t have the time to commit to a regular juicing practice.

Whilst the real thing is best, you can now purchase some amazing products that can fill this gap, so daily green juice is always practical and impossible. My favourite at the minute is Vivo Life New Thrive Living Multinutrient Drink, which comes in two flavours.

At The Energise Academy, we are lucky in...

The Energise team is still buzzing from this week’s Lunch & Learn workshop! Sharing our knowledge is one way we can work towards our target to #energise1millionfamilies to incorporate more living and raw foods into their diets.

What is Lunch & Learn?

The Energise Health Lunch & Learn workshop is designed to pass on everything our founder, Mark Bryant, has learned about food and health on his journey back from cancer.

You don’t have to be a raw foodie, a vegan, or even vegetarian to benefit from this workshop – it’s for absolutely anyone that wants to improve their health and feel energised.

Once the introductions are out of the way, we’ll dive straight into Food Fundamentals, where you’ll learn all about the benefits of raw and living foods. Mark will then show you the equipment he uses to grow living foods, how to set it up, what seeds to buy, and how to store the cultivated sprouts, before a live food prep...

Do you ever have those rattling moments where you reconsider your entire existence? Not in a spiritual, “why am I here?” kind of way, but more in a, “I can’t possibly survive ‘till 45 if I carry on living like this” kind of way.

 A bit morbid yes, but an increasingly common way of thinking in this modern “fast food, quick fix” day and age we currently find ourselves in. You’re consumed by that old familiar feeling in an instant as you stare hopelessly into a double bacon and cheeseburger for the third time this week...

This way of eating gives us instant energy and is at times admittedly delectable, especially when you’ve been “too busy” to eat and you’re starving. 

But the energy that “bad carbs” give you isn’t sustainable, and that is why an hour after eating, you’ll find yourself in a torpid state, feeling lethargic and ready for...

The fact that you've experienced a shift in consciousness, and that you're here, physically researching ways to become vegan, means that you've already taken the first step. It's no easy road, that's for sure, but it's most certainly a life choice that will not only benefit the environment and animals but benefit your life in more ways than one. It's a process though, so take it one step at a time.

Know your reasons, take it slow

There are many reasons as to why someone would want to become vegan, these vary, but here are a quick top five reasons why most people attempt this transition:

• It's the best way for you to help animals
• You'll slim down drastically and feel more energised
• Lower your carbon footprint
• Science proves that the human body has no reason to consume animal products
• Over one million people on earth are malnourished and plant-based farming more lucrative and sustainable than that of animal farming and its accompanying diet. 

The key here is to keep your...

"A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals." - The Vegan Society

There are many ways to embrace vegan living, yet one thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat, including fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, and honey.

It's not just about diet, however, vegans avoid exploiting animals for any purpose, with ethical reasons being a key factor in choosing a vegan lifestyle. Shockingly, animal products and products tested on animals can be found in accessories, clothing, and makeup, just to name a few! Fortunately, in today’s world, we have...

It is now 3 months since officially launching The Energise Academy. I wish I could say this new career of being a Health Educator, a Lifestyle Coach and Marketeer has been easy, but it hasn’t.

I was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, six months after a high intensity stem cell transplant I had a relapse. I wouldn’t let my oncologist tell me the revised prognosis, I just focussed on getting better.

I have since discovered my situation was considered terminal and that the majority of patients in a similar situation don’t make it past six months.

It was at this junction that my mindset shifted from ‘maybe cancer was just one of those things’ to ‘I helped create it, so I can help shift it.’ Explaining how this came about is another story for another time.

So how did I help create cancer in the first place?

Firstly, let's look at how the World Health Organisation’s definition of health.

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental...

So much guru advice encourages us to step outside our comfort zones, when in reality, the place we know as home mentally and emotionally isn’t really somewhere we could really call home.

For me I lived outside my comfort zone thinking that’s where success and happiness was, when in actual fact it was right inside my comfort zone I had just forgotten who I was at my core and deepest level.

My advice for anyone that experiences excessive stress, over works, has addictions to really go inside and look for the answers and rediscover our pure and authentic selves.

Every single one of us are amazing creations and whatever your religious beliefs we are gods creation and are perfection in motion.

We need to be open to evolve ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Be vulnerable, accept ourselves fully for who we are.

For a moment forget the bullshit we tell ourselves on a daily basis.

Connect with your potential...

Isn’t raw food and living food the same thing? It is easy to confuse the two to be the same as both raw and living foods are uncooked or not fully cooked, however, there are subtle differences between the two, and below we dissect what they are.

What are Raw Foods?

Plant-based foods in their original, uncooked state are deemed to be raw foods. Raw foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, grains, seaweed and so much more. Raw foods contain a wide range of vital life force nutrients.

The more 'living' a plant is when we eat it the more enzymes, vitamins and minerals are absorbed into our bodies which we then use as energy and for the renewal of tissues. Because of these enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, we feel even more energetic than before.

Foods that have been picked days before you consume them are also considered to be raw food - these foods include most of the fresh fruits and vegetables you eat. It may still have vital enzymes and nutrients because it has...

So how do you get healthy and stay healthy? I want to focus on three simple things in order for you to do that.

1 - Use Fitness as a Vehicle for Health

One of my friends and business partners, Ben at Fast Way to Fitness, said to me, "Use Fitness as a vehicle for health." That’s what they do down at the gym. That made so much sense.

It is easy to live such a sedentary life in the Western world. We’re sitting on our laptops, we’re watching too much TV, and we’re not doing as much activity as we once did when we were out in nature, farming the lands and everything else.

So, get out there and get moving. Increase that activity level. Burn those calories.

Whether it’s achieving 10,000 steps if you're only at 5,000, joining a gym, joining a yoga class, get a fitness coach, get a fitness mentor. However you do it, get out there and get moving.

I now do between seven to ten hours of exercise per week. It can come in the form of so many different activities and...

After being diagnosed with cancer in 2016, Cheryl Lapansee from Michigan talks about her experience and what she has done to help herself recover from the disease combining both lifestyle improvements with modern medicine.  

Youtube Video: Energise Academy Interview: Mark Bryant and Cheryl Lapansee 

Transcript:

Mark: Hello, everybody. Here I am again from Florida, and I thought I'd do my first ever interview. The interview's with Cheryl, and she's from Michigan and somebody I've met over here in the Hippocrates, and she has an amazing story, as well, which she can share. Just tell us a little bit about what happened, how you found out that you had the cancer, then how you took steps to overcome that.

Cheryl: Okay, thanks for talking to me Mark. I'm glad to share with you. First of all, I was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, and what I noticed right away was they wanted to rush me instantly into chemotherapy, and I just felt like I needed to take a breath and...