Focus: "From Little Things....

So, it's not rocket science I know - but when we continue to make better choices than we we would have previously, it's going to result in a better version of ourselves!

When we make premium choices, that's when the results are really evident - only a blind man could miss them! (and even then, he may be more perceptive than some men I know!)

So we don't have to be perfect. YAY!! Perfection is overrated anyway!

Just consistent.

Consistency is the name of the game with changing our health. The only way we can continue to consistently make better choices is to know our reason to change.

Why do we want better health?
Why do we want to be slimmer?
Why do we want more self-confidence?

I know these questions are fairly obvious, and are closely related to my posts from last week, but these are really important questions that we need to answer otherwise permanent success will always elude us.

When times get tough, if we don't have a reason as to why to make the better choice, it's easy to give in to the "If you can't beat 'em, join in" voice in our head!

So the challenge for this week is to find your purpose.  What are your answers for the above questions?  You don't have to tell anyone - though feel free to share if you like - and it's entirely dependent on how you feel - not what you think other people expect of you.

Happy soul searching.

Oh, and in case you don't know the rest of the post title - it's "Big Things Grow" (written by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody)

Focus: Relearning our approach to Food

This post is a little later this week partly because I don't like to write a post unless I have inspiration - waffling on is a speciality of mine in real life whereas I prefer my blog to be a little more poised, articulate and considered!

My aim is to inspire a change of health in others with a more holistic approach than most of us read about in the average health related newspaper article, magazine or diet book - on an intuitive level.

So after finishing watching the fantastic movie "Hungry For Change", it occurred to me that THIS film could be a great place to start for those who don't know where to begin relearning their approach to food. 

Although quite often we know what we should be doing, sometimes it takes a "kick up the butt" to move us into action.

Watching this movie may be just the "kick" that you need to propel you forward on your journey to better health and vibrant living!

This movie is free online until the 31st of March - make the most of it while it's available free - and share it with friends and family that you care about - it may not only change your life, but theirs as well!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" Mahatma Gandhi

Focus: Maintain Momentum!

In the process of my journey - I bought SO many books and magazines - they were literally piled around me. I read so many different theories on nutrition, magazines for improving running technique, gleaned other magazines for tips on designing workouts for particular reasons and so on. But NONE of this mattered if I didn't take what I learnt and then put it into action. 


Just knowing information doesn't mean that it will make us healthy. Quite often we know isn't working for us, and we also know what we generally should be doing - but we choose not to. We are making a decision at that point - to put our head in the sand. I know - I've done it myself so many times. 


It takes the recognition that we're not happy with our current state, and the realization that "if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always get!" 


So if you are wanting a different outcome, or perhaps you've started making changes but you're struggling to keep it going - start finding a way to maintain a positive momentum of change. Look at your vision board, work on your passions, play your "theme song," do things that "satisfy your soul without compromising your goal" (my own little saying) - so baking a whole cake for yourself is out!    


These small things help to create a positive shift in your thinking which will hopefully lead you to make choices regarding your health that show appreciation for, and nurture, your body.


Start loving yourself more by making an effort to be less critical of yourself, and making choices that you know will nourish and care for your body, and you will be amazed at how this will help you keep moving towards a healthier and happier you. 



Are you feeling me? What is your gut reaction to this post? Let me know how you feel about this topic - I'd love to hear more thoughts!



Have a great week!  

Focus – Tune into your body

I hope you had a great day .... I did, but I'm glad it's getting toward the end of the week!

So here I go. Do you feel tired of being overweight but not sure where to start? Do you shove food in regardless of whether you are hungry or not? Do you struggle with fitting into the majority of your wardrobe but can't bring yourself to the point where you HAVE to go shopping for new clothes as

1. It's expensive and
2. It's demoralizing?

When I felt like this, I knew that I had to eat better, it's just that all of the "diets" looked like rabbit food.  How was I to adapt from my beautiful filling dinners of big bowls of spaghetti bolognaise (BIG bowls!) with a side of almost one whole garlic bread, and a glass or two of red wine, followed by a mammoth serving size of dessert? (which followed my bout of "trying to be good, eat a salad sandwich for lunch and nothing else for hours!)

It's hard to make such a dramatic change, and I wouldn't recommend it - the fact that it's so foreign means that you can't sustain it, and then you end up feeling worse - and so the negative spiral downwards continues!

How about we approach it from a positive angle? From a self-love angle? Like - I'm going to start thinking about my own needs more? Like I'm going to start taking care of me more - to help me be a more positive person?  Sounds good? 

Well, my aforementioned friend is starting an experiment with me, and I actually emailed her this information on Sunday night. She was feeling down, yet inspired, so I wanted to help!

So here is the deal. I don't want you to think of any of this as you are doing it to lose weight.
 
At the moment I just want you to make observations about how you feel when you eat certain foods

• when you eat them
• immediately after
• within a few hours
• then next day (for gauging your night time meal)
• it's effect on your digestive system and whether it is slow, quick, well-formed or loose (sorry it's so graphic, but it is important info - don't worry - you don't need to tell me!)
• whether your tongue is white and claggy in the morning when you wake up, or if it is pink and free of white coating

You might find it effective to write down what you ate, and then write observations down also.
 
I want you to particularly pay attention to how you feel after eating

• white bread (or related products like rolls, pizza, burgers, pasta)
• sweet foods (cakes/biscuits/muffins/muesli bars/orange juice)
• deep fried foods (especially hot chips)
• breakfast cereals
• processed salted deli meats or from packets at supermarket (e.g. ham, chicken, prosciutto, bacon, roast beef, pastrami, kabana, hot dog sausages, any sausages)

Last but not least -

• any protein foods that don't contain sugar (eggs, chicken, beef, cottage cheese, milk, cream cheese, natural yogurt)
• salad vegetables

For example - my observations about white bread and me - my mind is initially really clear, but within 5-10 minutes, I've crashed and I feel really foggy and tired, and I have to go to the loo!
This sounds really full on, but it doesn't have to be! Just eat what you normally eat and see how you feel. Write it down if you have a tendency to forget!

See if you feel

• satisfied or bloated or empty? 
• clear or foggy mind?
• calm or hyped?

I found that I was very detached from my body and treating it as my own "pleasure machine" without listening to how my body actually received it and if it liked it or not (if you know what I mean? that is - gave a positive or negative reaction)

I found that I ate regardless of how it reacted which is pretty disrespectful to my body when you think of it - if it was our pet or our car we wouldn't give them food or fuel that their systems reject or react negatively to, as we would feel guilty and upset for them, yet we disrespect ourselves in that way without even thinking twice as food has such a HUGE emotional attachment for us!

So for now, just start listening to your body again, and start the process of tuning in to what it is trying to tell you. 


Enjoy your journey.

Slimosophy - the beginning.

Slimosophy - the core beliefs required to live a fit and healthy life. A slim, healthy, vibrant and energetic body is a result of this philosophy.

This blog has been a long time in the making - in my mind and in my soul - bubbling away deep within until it became obvious what I needed to do. Lately I've had a series of events occur including meeting a couple of VERY inspirational ladies and as a result my creative energies were positively overflowing. As a consequence of reflection on these events, my new but dear friend inspired me to turn my passion to help others realise their own health and happiness into a blog. So here I am. 

Before I start, I must say - I'm nervous! I don't profess to have all the answers or to be perfect. As my profile information states - I'm not a qualified nutritionist or personal trainer, but I'm a qualified fat girl turned fit girl, so this is the basis of my knowledge that I'm sharing with you.

Before you ask - this is nothing new - there is nothing radically different I'm telling you here, no new approach to getting healthy. My aim is simply to try and help you change your self-perception and to change fat habits into fit habits, and to help you learn to listen to, nurture, and nourish your body.


I'll leave it there for now, more tomorrow.