The more I research health, fitness and nutrition, the more I realise that at the heart lies respect for ourselves, our bodies and the gift of life.
This is obviously a key point highlighted in the wonderful movie Hungry for Change and it reminded me of how central to changing our lives this concept is. It was also highlighted in a few episodes of "Biggest Loser" this week (which I confess to watching occasionally!)
If we don't respect ourselves enough to show care and love for our bodies, then we certainly can't expect anyone else to. Is it any wonder that relationships can struggle under the strain of health and weight related difficulties - we're not in a nice place emotionally.
How do you show yourself that you care for yourself? Do you have any rituals or self-devised rules that you follow? I would love to hear them!
Have a happy day!
Friday, 30 March 2012
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
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
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
Friday, 23 March 2012
Hungry for Change
I know one thing that I'm definitely doing this weekend! No Romantic Comedy for me this Saturday night, I will be watching this much anticipated film "Hungry for Change" from the makers of the brilliant and much needed "Food Matters."
It's a film about food quality and how most foods in todays' society are not food, but in fact food-like substances.
I can't wait to watch this movie, as I've only heard brilliant things about it. If you are questioning what is healthy, and are unsure, from what I've heard, this is a great place to start.
I found the key to changing my health and wellness was through learning and listening and while it may not seem as attractive as popping on the latest Reese Witherspoon movie (or action pic if that's more up your alley) this may help create the change you need in light of your own health. Your food is (or should be!) after all, your medicine.
Have a great weekend - let me know what you think if you watch it!
It's a film about food quality and how most foods in todays' society are not food, but in fact food-like substances.
I can't wait to watch this movie, as I've only heard brilliant things about it. If you are questioning what is healthy, and are unsure, from what I've heard, this is a great place to start.
I found the key to changing my health and wellness was through learning and listening and while it may not seem as attractive as popping on the latest Reese Witherspoon movie (or action pic if that's more up your alley) this may help create the change you need in light of your own health. Your food is (or should be!) after all, your medicine.
Have a great weekend - let me know what you think if you watch it!
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Oh the possibilities.....
We all have times were we doubt ourselves, and we struggle to figure out how and why we should stay on the path we're already on - even if it is something we are truly passionate about. I'm at this point now, and maybe it's been coming for a little while - as I've been really apprehensive about this year with my baby starting school. Even yesterday on a beautiful sunny autumn day I drove past the park we used to hang out at after going for a bike ride - I missed him and I felt a lump in my throat. I stopped the car and walked through that park as a symbol of the new part of the journey I am on.
So, in an effort to help clear my head, I am sharing my thoughts with you, and hope that somehow this will help me with direction. I suppose I'm thinking out loud. I apologize for the lack of clarity in the following - I'm not ready to divulge all of myself yet.
Lately I've felt compelled to follow a path that is so blindingly obvious, that I'm already on it - well for myself anyway! I have felt passionate about this area for as long as I can remember, though the way I relate to this area of interest has changed with the decades.
I feel drawn to do "big things" and help others in this particular area, as I feel my experiences can help. Yet I look around me and I see that I'm no different to anyone else - what makes me think I'm more "qualified" to follow this path?
I see more and more people telling the same sorts of stories and sharing similar ideas just with different packaging. Why would I go to the effort of launching myself into a mammoth project just to have it fizzle out? Would it fizzle out? How embarrassing if it did fizzle out? Would I fight to the death to prevent it fizzling out but risk my closest friends and family in the meantime while all of my energy and effort is diverted elsewhere?
Why does sharing just with my friends and family not feel like enough? (besides the fact that they'll probably get sick to death of me, and stop inviting us over!) Why do I feel like I have to help not one, not one hundred, but at least one thousand people?
My brain is answering all of these as I write and I'm not sure I want it to.
My soul is telling me because I want to leave a legacy - not money, or stuff (because God knows I already have enough clutter - and no - my kids don't want more toys for presents this year! LOL!) - I want to leave a legacy of good health, goodwill and knowledge.
I've always loved books and as a kid I remember feeling anxious when I was in about grade three or four when I visited the library and it was a big deal because it was the first time we were allowed to do something (or maybe it was a the first time they opened it? I can't remember) but I felt anxious because I thought - how will I possibly be able to read my way through all of these books before the end of grade seven????
That sums me up to this day. I didn't want to read all of the books in the library because I wanted to "do it perfectly" - I wanted to read them all because there is SO much out there to learn - and when you're a kid who doesn't have a driver's license or passport and the internet was not yet heard of in the average Australian family home back then (early 90's) then books are the perfect place to start.
This thirst for knowledge is propelling me forward now. While I enjoy what I'm currently doing and it does change people's lives - my other passion has the power to change so many more lives and I want to help shape a legacy of knowledge and good health - for the generations yet to come.
I can serve a purpose to help others and to help shape a brighter future.
So, in an effort to help clear my head, I am sharing my thoughts with you, and hope that somehow this will help me with direction. I suppose I'm thinking out loud. I apologize for the lack of clarity in the following - I'm not ready to divulge all of myself yet.
Lately I've felt compelled to follow a path that is so blindingly obvious, that I'm already on it - well for myself anyway! I have felt passionate about this area for as long as I can remember, though the way I relate to this area of interest has changed with the decades.
I feel drawn to do "big things" and help others in this particular area, as I feel my experiences can help. Yet I look around me and I see that I'm no different to anyone else - what makes me think I'm more "qualified" to follow this path?
I see more and more people telling the same sorts of stories and sharing similar ideas just with different packaging. Why would I go to the effort of launching myself into a mammoth project just to have it fizzle out? Would it fizzle out? How embarrassing if it did fizzle out? Would I fight to the death to prevent it fizzling out but risk my closest friends and family in the meantime while all of my energy and effort is diverted elsewhere?
Why does sharing just with my friends and family not feel like enough? (besides the fact that they'll probably get sick to death of me, and stop inviting us over!) Why do I feel like I have to help not one, not one hundred, but at least one thousand people?
My brain is answering all of these as I write and I'm not sure I want it to.
My soul is telling me because I want to leave a legacy - not money, or stuff (because God knows I already have enough clutter - and no - my kids don't want more toys for presents this year! LOL!) - I want to leave a legacy of good health, goodwill and knowledge.
I've always loved books and as a kid I remember feeling anxious when I was in about grade three or four when I visited the library and it was a big deal because it was the first time we were allowed to do something (or maybe it was a the first time they opened it? I can't remember) but I felt anxious because I thought - how will I possibly be able to read my way through all of these books before the end of grade seven????
That sums me up to this day. I didn't want to read all of the books in the library because I wanted to "do it perfectly" - I wanted to read them all because there is SO much out there to learn - and when you're a kid who doesn't have a driver's license or passport and the internet was not yet heard of in the average Australian family home back then (early 90's) then books are the perfect place to start.
This thirst for knowledge is propelling me forward now. While I enjoy what I'm currently doing and it does change people's lives - my other passion has the power to change so many more lives and I want to help shape a legacy of knowledge and good health - for the generations yet to come.
I can serve a purpose to help others and to help shape a brighter future.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
What's your theme song?
So, I got to thinking this morning as I drove home from the school drop off.
In an effort to find motivation to knuckle down and write another project that I'm working on, I put on one of my favourite positive songs - which wasn't quite the one I was looking for, but it helped lift my mood and made me remember that everything worth having requires hard work and nothing comes easy.
This made me wonder who else has a "theme song?"
My theme songs change every now and then depending on the goals that I'm working on - for example I remember running a half marathon last May in preparation for a marathon later in the year. This event was a test - the time that I achieved would be used by my mad marathon buddies to calculate a predicted time for big run.
The whole time I was running I could see the 65 year old man who was a training buddy about 1km ahead of me! So I started repeating (in my head) "kick it up another notch" (from the song "Kick it Up" by The McClymonts) to remind me to push through the pain and keep going because before I know it - the race will be over and I wanted to know that I had put everything in.
This was so powerful!! I didn't catch him - he came in at 1hr 37mins and I came in at 1hr 42! But I had shaved 16 minutes off my previous (and first) half marathon time and I was in the top 10 finishers for females!
As an interesting side note, apparently the man who smashed the then world record for men's 5000m race (Halle Gebrselassie of Eithiopia) said that he won by setting his pace to the beat of that old song from the 90's - "Scatman!"
My current "theme song" is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield and "Astonishing" by the very talented Natalie Weiss - which I play regularly with my children in the car! These are just beautiful songs with such positive uplifting messages and as I feel like I have such BIG plans for my life - the what is obvious to me, but the how isn't quite apparent yet - so "Unwritten" seems like an obvious choice! Just hearing the song gets me inspired!
So guess what I'm about to do? Play my theme songs and write!
What's your "theme song?" I'd love to hear the song titles that you feel help you towards your goal!
In an effort to find motivation to knuckle down and write another project that I'm working on, I put on one of my favourite positive songs - which wasn't quite the one I was looking for, but it helped lift my mood and made me remember that everything worth having requires hard work and nothing comes easy.
This made me wonder who else has a "theme song?"
My theme songs change every now and then depending on the goals that I'm working on - for example I remember running a half marathon last May in preparation for a marathon later in the year. This event was a test - the time that I achieved would be used by my mad marathon buddies to calculate a predicted time for big run.
The whole time I was running I could see the 65 year old man who was a training buddy about 1km ahead of me! So I started repeating (in my head) "kick it up another notch" (from the song "Kick it Up" by The McClymonts) to remind me to push through the pain and keep going because before I know it - the race will be over and I wanted to know that I had put everything in.
This was so powerful!! I didn't catch him - he came in at 1hr 37mins and I came in at 1hr 42! But I had shaved 16 minutes off my previous (and first) half marathon time and I was in the top 10 finishers for females!
As an interesting side note, apparently the man who smashed the then world record for men's 5000m race (Halle Gebrselassie of Eithiopia) said that he won by setting his pace to the beat of that old song from the 90's - "Scatman!"
My current "theme song" is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield and "Astonishing" by the very talented Natalie Weiss - which I play regularly with my children in the car! These are just beautiful songs with such positive uplifting messages and as I feel like I have such BIG plans for my life - the what is obvious to me, but the how isn't quite apparent yet - so "Unwritten" seems like an obvious choice! Just hearing the song gets me inspired!
So guess what I'm about to do? Play my theme songs and write!
What's your "theme song?" I'd love to hear the song titles that you feel help you towards your goal!
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Focus - Invite More Energy into Your Life
So far I've talked about focusing on how your body feels after eating certain foods and how it responds to these foods. I've also suggested that you create a new ritual in place of one that didn't make you feel so great, or wasn't working for you - for example the mid-afternoon slump.
Then I raised the question of passion - are you doing the things that you love? (Have you got any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear what your passion is!)
So far - you may be thinking that this is not getting dramatic results - but the key thing to consider is that until you realize that your actions are not aligned with the end result that you have in mind - you are not going to reach your goal - optimal health which happens to result in a slim healthy body!
Just like my light bulb moment when I realized that I was a fat person because I was acting like one. I expected to meander through the day eating whatever I wanted - while also expecting that I should be able to fit into anything I like! Go figure!
So one characteristic of a healthy person became obvious to me - they all eat plant food like fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. But where I was coming from - that all seemed like rabbit food.
My palate was so used to being saturated with full-on flavour explosions like savoury crackers with as many numbers and artificial colours in them as there were crackers in the box, or rich mud cake (that was designed to sit on a shelf for 3 to 4 weeks!) washed down with creamy coffee. Plant food was just so bland in comparison!
With this in mind, the focus for the week is to invite more energy into your life - through living foods.
Think about how much food that you include during your day that includes real live energy. Do you start the day with a piece of fruit in your breakfast? Or a roasted tomato on the side of your eggs? Or avocado on toast?
Do you choose these foods as a snack during the day? These are all very portable foods, and very easily picked up from the supermarket or corner store as a "fast food" when you're in a bind and drive-thru fast food seems like the only option!
Or do you fit the stereotype of a Standard Australian Diet (SAD diet) that includes a piece of tomato on your sandwich at lunch and then you wait until dinner to get your first real dose of vitamins and minerals from plant foods in your meat and three veg?
This week, be mindful of how many plant foods you are eating each day, and try to increase the volume of your intake, and especially try to start consuming them earlier in the day if dinnertime tends to be your main live food meal.
You can achieve this by having a fruit smoothie in the morning, or pan-fried vegies (in good fats) with your eggs, a banana at morning tea, or Cyndi O'Meara's favourite of dips and vegetable sticks at snack times. This is great for kids too! Check out her recipe page.
The most fulfilling part of writing this blog is hearing your thoughts - I love to know your feedback and your stories. Please let me know how you feel about this or any of my previous posts!
Have a great day!
Then I raised the question of passion - are you doing the things that you love? (Have you got any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear what your passion is!)
So far - you may be thinking that this is not getting dramatic results - but the key thing to consider is that until you realize that your actions are not aligned with the end result that you have in mind - you are not going to reach your goal - optimal health which happens to result in a slim healthy body!
Just like my light bulb moment when I realized that I was a fat person because I was acting like one. I expected to meander through the day eating whatever I wanted - while also expecting that I should be able to fit into anything I like! Go figure!
So one characteristic of a healthy person became obvious to me - they all eat plant food like fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. But where I was coming from - that all seemed like rabbit food.
My palate was so used to being saturated with full-on flavour explosions like savoury crackers with as many numbers and artificial colours in them as there were crackers in the box, or rich mud cake (that was designed to sit on a shelf for 3 to 4 weeks!) washed down with creamy coffee. Plant food was just so bland in comparison!
With this in mind, the focus for the week is to invite more energy into your life - through living foods.
Think about how much food that you include during your day that includes real live energy. Do you start the day with a piece of fruit in your breakfast? Or a roasted tomato on the side of your eggs? Or avocado on toast?
Do you choose these foods as a snack during the day? These are all very portable foods, and very easily picked up from the supermarket or corner store as a "fast food" when you're in a bind and drive-thru fast food seems like the only option!
Or do you fit the stereotype of a Standard Australian Diet (SAD diet) that includes a piece of tomato on your sandwich at lunch and then you wait until dinner to get your first real dose of vitamins and minerals from plant foods in your meat and three veg?
This week, be mindful of how many plant foods you are eating each day, and try to increase the volume of your intake, and especially try to start consuming them earlier in the day if dinnertime tends to be your main live food meal.
You can achieve this by having a fruit smoothie in the morning, or pan-fried vegies (in good fats) with your eggs, a banana at morning tea, or Cyndi O'Meara's favourite of dips and vegetable sticks at snack times. This is great for kids too! Check out her recipe page.
The most fulfilling part of writing this blog is hearing your thoughts - I love to know your feedback and your stories. Please let me know how you feel about this or any of my previous posts!
Have a great day!
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