Listen to your body...

Hey there! 

Yep I'm talking to you! Since you were born I've been here, trying to get your attention in all sorts of ways. Sometimes I can,  sometimes you seem to want to ignore me and just do your own thing.

I've been sending you message after message in all different guises, in the hope that one of them may get through and you'll listen to what I'm saying and act upon it.

The thing is, you live inside of me, and have done since your conception, and you're growing and maturing all the time but I'm writing this because I'm hoping it will do the trick and you will at last take notice of me . 

I'm a little upset you see. I don't like some of the things you do to me and need to let you know. I get hurt by them , literally, and can't just take it without creating some kind of fuss. You make these strange decisions, over and over, with no regard for me. I do my best for you every minute of every day, and am very seldom rewarded for it. 

You fill me up with the strangest of substances, sometimes way too much, but it's more the content I'm worried about. You see when you eat lots of sugar, and refined carbohydrates, cheap nasty fats, and salts, I have to deal with it. When you pour alcohol down your throat with gay abandon I'm the one that has to bail you out! 

It's all getting too much and if you carry on I feel I'm going to be overpowered and the consequences of that are .... well, disastrous. I need nutritious food, I need fresh stuff, I need balanced food full of vitamins and minerals that I can work with, that I recognise. Some of the stuff you give me, I have to harbour in strange places because I don't know how to digest them . I just can't do it; it's not in my make up, and I can only adapt so far.

The other thing is I was built to move, and move frequently. I wasn't designed to sit behind a desk or a car steering wheel for hours at a time. If you let me I'll suprise you with my skills, really I can walk, run, jump, skip, swim and all sorts if you'll just give me the chance. It hurts me to sit around and not be active. I get all stiff and sore, and some parts of me have to overcompensate for other bits of me that don't work so well. Then I end up walking all funny, and it doesn't feel right.

The important thing to realise is that you can't replace ME , you only ever get one of ME, and so taking care of ME, should be your number one priority. It seems you'd rather be doing other things, and that perhaps I've become an after thought. But please, please, please, I am where you have to live. You can move house as often as you like and call it home but I'm your permanent home. You can't live without me.

So please, spare a thought for me and what I'm going through when you don't take care of me.....simple changes are all that's needed and you can begin today.

You can't carry on the way things are. 

With Love

Your Body

XX

Spirulicious Energy Bombs

Yesterday I wanted to add spirulina to my diet; hadn't had it for a few days and after all it is a superfood of epic proportions! So I came up with this little beauty of a recipe... 

Please enjoy making these lovely little balls of goodness. They are gorgeous, and will perk you up at any time of the day with all natural ingredients.

So here's the ingredients for Spirulicious Energy Bombs : 

2 tsp ground almonds

100g macadamia nuts

100g medool dates

1 1/2 tsp Spirulina (or more or less to taste)

1 tbsp Raw cacao powder

1 tsp Raw honey or more to taste

1 tsp hemp seeds

2 tsp cacao nibs

Method :

1. Put the dates and the macadamia nuts into a Vitamix  and whizz up until paste like ( with the odd lumpy bit of nut)

2. Add in all the other ingredients gradually until you're left with a dark green paste.

3. Tip into a bowl and roll into lots of little balls.

4. Roll each one in dessicated coconut, or raw cacao powder, and place in the fridge to harden slightly.

Enjoy!! I love mine with a peppermint/ green tea. 

Rx

Eat what you like, just make it yourself

If you had all the time in the world I wouldn't say "eat what you like, just make it yourself", but I know your time is as limited as mine, so it's safe to say.

What I'm getting at is, if you allow a big company to make your meals, you lose control over what  goes into it. The chances are it will be full of lots of fat, sugar and salt. These three ingredients are cheap, filling, and they increase the 'craveability' of food. So that's great for them because you want to eat more. 

It's way quicker to nip to the supermarket and buy a ready meal, or call at a takeaway on the way home from a busy day at work, and pick up dinner that you can eat there and then, or at least within minutes of heating it up in the microwave (don't get me started on those nasty, nutrient zapping machines). 

But you're putting your health in the hands of a big food corporation who , quite frankly, couldn't give a toss about you or your family. If they did they'd only use the finest ingredients, they wouldn't use chemically derived substitutes for real food, they wouldn't use ingredients that your body doesn't recognise and so harbours in your fat cells, and they wouldn't need to hide behind fancy packaging. 

They make their products taste so good they know you'll be back for more, and quickly. 

Let's take chips for example . To buy them takes seconds, and they're so more-ish they're gone in minutes. If you make them yourself though, you have to buy the potatoes, wash them, cut them up, cover them in oil and cook them. Time consuming and faffy, even if the result is that they taste great. So they're self regulating... Chances are you  don't have the time to make them every day. The same goes for cakes, biscuits, doughnuts etc. There are not many people who could be bothered to make these foods from scratch. But when you buy them you can eat them by the bucket load, and they're as cheap as chips!! 

If you want to take your health into your own hands the best way is to buy fresh food and cook it yourself from scratch. Cake , chips and doughnuts, within reason, made with quality ingredients will do you no harm if they are made and eaten 'sometimes'. 

A friend of mine told me he made KFC at home using a recipe he found on the internet. I googled it, it's simple, uses real ingredients and with organic chicken makes an amazing meal. Who needs bargain buckets? Why not try to make a 'fast food' meal at home. See how great it tastes, even though it's time consuming. Listen to you body afterwards and I think you'll be rewarded- no bloating, no gas, no feeling stuffed, no IBS, no reflux, just a satisfied gut. 

Food for thought... You really can eat what you like, if you make it at home , with quality ingredients . Buy good quality meat,fish, sea salt, local organic produce, and avoid highly processed sugars and carbohydrates.. Oh and heaps of fruit and veggies. 

Health is the new wealth. 

Have fun!

Rx

Do these things .... Daily!

Today's blog originally started as a thought from reading a book on adrenal fatigue. I'm nearly out of the woods, but every now and again still have a 'blip' where I need to rest, take stock and always go back to the book Adrenal Fatigue The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James L Wilson. To be honest it's a great book for all to read, as it offers the best advice for stressy, busy people... And doesn't that cover most of us??

Please don't stop reading .... This blog is not just for/about adrenal fatigue sufferers, it's for everyone living and breathing on this wonderful planet of ours....

This morning I started with warm lemon water, but still felt a little dehydrated. After consulting the book I've had two glasses of water with sea salt and a piece of lime- this helps to rehydrate (dehydration is a common symptom for all of us, but particularly people with adrenal fatigue. Don't try rehydrating with sports drinks, they're usually high in potassium and low in sodium , which is the opposite of what most of us need.

The book gives some great straight forward, simple, easy to follow advice for everyone..Adrenal fatigue is very rarely diagnosed by medics, but the following list of symptoms may mean your adrenals are being challenged to a certain extent, and I believe this is everyone at some stage in our lives :

difficulty getting up in the morning (err well that's most people isn't it?!) , 

feeling fatigued even after sleep, 

craving salty foods, 

feeling drained of energy, 

feeling like even small jobs are too much for you, 

not wanting to get it on in the bedroom, 

constant road rage, 

smoking too much, 

anxiety, 

compulsive eating, 

yelling at your kids all the time, 

taking longer to shake off viruses,

feeling light headed when you stand up quickly,

feeling abit depressed but not able to work out why,

feeling a bit down, not laughing enough, not much interests you

bad PMS - wanting to kill your partner!, bloated , tired, crabby, cramping, cravings...,

feeling rubbish if you don't eat enough,

fuzzy thoughts, 'brain fog',

forgetting  things, 

getting quickly irritated, by people and things,

sensitive  to loud noise (this is me... still, even the tv being turned up too high),

getting second wind at 10pm, having been ready for bed mid afternoon, 

not feeling like you're achieving as much as you had to

So, to help with any of the above, the following things to do each day can be selected,  as many as you can do or want to do, or have the inclination to do .

 I dip in and out depending on how I'm feeling but it's worth revisiting the list, or picking just one or two to do each week until they become a habit.

Here goes :

Use salt in food and drink, but proper sea salt or Himalayan, not refined 

Look for things that make you laugh!

Be in bed by 10pm - this takes some doing for me!

Sleep until 9am whenever you realistically can

Be grateful for at least three things daily - I have an attitude of gratitude reminder on my phone at 6pm each day, and share this with my kids

Eat lots and lots of coloured vegetables, but especially green

Drink juice (80% veg, 20% fruit) 

Learn which foods make you feel bad - keep a food diary/mood diary

Move your body daily

Breathe properly - if you don't know how,learn

Do yoga

Meditate, even for ten minutes a day- I do it before I get out of bed, and use an app called Headspace on my phone

Make your lifestyle a healing one

Get rid of your energy robbers - those things/people that drain you. Make a list of things that serve you and things that don't and start to release the ones that don't 

Believe you are healthy

Do something you love every day

Chew your food well

Laugh a lot

Take the responsibility of your health into your own hands, it's not the doctors job ! 

Have acupuncture - it helps your body to heal itself, no pills required

Keep a journal

Make lifestyle changes that will move you to greater health

Make your own food, from scratch - if you can't, learn

Avoid CRAP foods 80% of the time

Drink herbal teas, reduce regular tea and coffee

Reduce alcohol intake 

Eat whole foods as nature intended 

Have a regular body massage

Bathe regularly in bicarbonate of soda/Epsom salts and lavender oil - heaven! 

Get outside in the fresh air every day

Go barefoot on grass or sand to ground you, whenever possible

Her your chakras balanced - Jenny Kaye in Harrogate is amazing

Massage your feet with oils - this stimulates reflexology points, and can help with pain relief

Surround yourself with what you love - candles, and flowers are my thing

Stroke pets - my two beautiful black cats, Elle and Minx do wonders for me when I'm having a bad day

And lastly .... Visit me for health coaching!!

Hope this has been helpful.

Enjoy your day. Rx

Chocolate Truffles ... With tahini? Really?!

Yes... I've added tahini to these little balls of goodness and they taste yummy! 

Tahini is a great ingredient, made from ground sesame seeds, for raw recipes as it's so creamy, it helps to provide moisture and an element of 'stickiness' that holds these little truffles together. Not only that though, it packs a punch where protein is concerned and is a rich source of B vitamins, Vitamin E and minerals too.

It has a nutty taste, some people are not keen on its own, but it's great mixed with other ingredients either as a savoury or sweet dish.

These coconut truffles make a fab gift ,in a little bag,or box, with ribbon, or to take to friends for an after dinner change to chocolates!

Here's the recipe, it takes minutes to make:

2 oz hazelnuts

2oz walnuts

2oz dessicated coconut

2oz raw cacao powder

3oz raw honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

3oz tahini

Method :

1. Blend the nuts and coconut in a food processor. I use a Vitamix

2. Tip the mixture into a bowl and mix in the other ingredients gradually

3. Roll into small balls , they are rich so make the balls just bite size! 

4. Roll in dessicated coconut and chill in the fridge until ready to eat

Enjoy! 

This recipe is in my first Ebook Bakes, Bars and Bites - available from Amazon.co.uk . If you don't have a kindle facility, please DM me through FB either on my Balanced PT page or my Sweet Enough page, and I can send you the PDF for the same price.

Rx

Guest Blog Post - Gilly Payne

I've been Facebook friends with this lovely lady for a few months now, having been introduced by Ian Mulrooney of Smartway2fitness (who starred in my last blog) . We finally met up a couple of weeks ago, along with Andrea Wood of Mind and Body Clinic fame (who has also starred in a blog post for me). The three of us put the world to rights where health and nutrition, and fitness is concerned! I hope you enjoy reading all about Gilly :

1. Tell us how you got into this field? 

I got into fitness and health when we lived in Sweden. Everybody does some form of fitness there, it's part of life just as you eat food and drink water . They don't even think about making time for it, it's just automatic. A great culture! 

I am a Nordic walking instructor. I came into this field through my Pilates Instructor, Tina Skidmore. Tina invited me to join her in setting up a Nordic Walking Business. I said yes without really knowing anything about it but I had immense faith in her and she is intuitive enough to have spotted something that would suit me down to the ground. She's a gifted lady, to whom I owe a great deal of happiness and fulfilment. Two weeks later I was on the course and loved every minute of it. The teachers are inspirational and it's a fabulous form of exercise. I recently extended my repertoire by qualifying as a personal trainer too. Primarily this was so that I had more exercises up my sleeve for the ski fit sessions that I run, and to extend the tool box of strength work that we practice on the walks too . I loved it so much I've now started working as a PT too!

2. Can you explain how you help clients to improve their health and well being ? 

I provide a fun, friendly accessible form of exercise that is easy to learn, and as exercise goes is reasonably cheap, needing very little equipment and can be practised at home, alone. I try to encourage mindful walking and breathing and help them practice this in the sessions. I advise them on diet and lifestyle choices and listen to their feelings, worries and concerns, both with regard to their exercise and health,  but also in relation to their personal lives. Being a trained relate counsellor helps there! 

3. What are your top three health and lifestyle tips? 

I would say get out and move every day, even if it's just a brisk walk around the block (what could be more grounding?) . Learn to breathe properly and practice mindfulness. I think if you can do all of these the rest falls into place.  Stress, cravings, dietary dilemmas - they all dissolve.

4. How do you start your day?

I usually start my day with a shower and a good stretch session, in the shower ( unless it's a 6am start for a PT session) followed by porridge, with soya protein powder , flax seeds, blueberries and Redbush tea.

5. What is currently in your fridge?

Well I have three fridges so this could take a while!!  Soya milk, blueberries, strawberries, smoked salmon, celery, carrots, broccoli, kale, tomatoes, eggs, butter (from grass fed cows of course) , ham soya yoghurts, apples, lemons, Avacado, bananas, and because my son has been home there is also fresh ravioli, pate, a one month old Christmas pudding remains and orange juice but they are heading for the bin any second now!

6. What is your guilty food pleasure, go on tell us, you must have one!! ?

White wine! 

7. How do you keep yourself fit? 

Cross training suits my body; if I don't work out this way I become too strong in certain areas and not in others (generally those that have been injured in the past). I Nordic Walk, run, bike (road), practice Pilates and go to the gym. I'm also trying to return to Yoga, after a 5/6 year breather, so that I can keep these tight muscles in check by stretching them out. 

8. What is your biggest daily challenge? The one thing that can pull you off course if you let it? 

I'm prone to overtraining and then suffer adrenal fatigue. I love exercise and I love the endorphin buzz that one gets from it, so I'd happily do some form of exercise in every spare moment of the day but 'one' needs to rest. So, I guess my biggest daily challenge is to sit still!

9. How do you relax? 

I love a long bath with aromatherapy oils or Epsom Slts, if I've done a lot of exercise; alongside whatever book I'm reading at the time. I love to read in the bath! 

10. If you had three wishes that would help our planet, what would they be? 

I have to admit that I am the worlds most ignorant person when it comes to saving the planet, so my answers are a little tongue in cheek. Firstly I wish euthanasia would  become legal so that my children can shoot me when I start showing signs of dementia! That will de-stress  the planet an awful lot!

I wish I could remember to take my own bags to the supermarket each time I visit. 

I wish it would stop raining so that we could all walk mud free! 

Thanks very much Gilly!

Rx

You can contact Gilly through her FB page ; Gilly Payne

Guest Blog Post - Ian Mulrooney

I'm delighted to introduce Ian Mulrooney as my guest blogger this week. I've known Ian for over thirty years (OMG really?!) and we re-connected many years ago, via social media. He was just in the process of changing his career, and he's now progressed to being one of the most knowledgeable sports injury therapists in the area. I love him getting his hands on me!! And so does my son Ben. 

You can find Ian at smartway2fitness.co.uk, and on FB - smartway2fitness.

So, here he is : 

1. Tell us how you got into this field? 

I am a sports injury specialist, structural integrator and neural/visceral body worker! Are you any the wiser? I got into this after meeting a magical lady..Janet Lech, on a train one morning whilst commuting to my previous job! After chatting I went for a treatment and thought why didn't anyone treat me in the same way when I was injured in the 80's! I quite like the sound of this.. I was a little bored and stagnant in my job, so I thought I'd look at training as a Sports Injury Therapist. I did this with Active Health and completed my Advanced Level 5 Diploma. I now work with that lady; she's very special!

2. Can you explain how you help clients to improve their health and well being? 

It all depends on the person. I work with them to resolve issues that they may have, highlighting the impact on their body, lifestyle changes, movement changes, nutritional advice, referrals, prefab, rehab, and looking at the problem causing the injury.

3. What are your top three health and lifestyle tips? 

Eat less and move more

Eat as much home grown, or locally grown food

Look after your body with good fuel (food), exercise, and bodywork!

4. How do you start your day?

I always start my day with a shower, quick meditation, and then if it's a Tuesday or Thursday I have blueberries, strawberries, grapes, apple, yoghurt, seeds, nuts, honey, cinnamon and porridge made with Raw milk. If it's Monday, Wednesday, or Friday I may have a run to start the day. Saturday is either a social bike ride with friends, or a lazy morning with the grand kids. Sunday is cycling, with coffee and a cake stop! 

5. What is currently in your fridge? 

A lot of everything, it's Christmas. I pride myself on having such things as Raw unpasteurised milk and butter, fruit, vegetables, and organically sourced meat.

6. What is your guilty food pleasure? Go on, tell us, you must have one! 

Wine, chocolate and cake! The cake I enjoy when I'm out cycling at quality cafés around Yorkshire!

7. How do you keep yourself fit? 

I like to cycle , run and walk! Also, I ensure I have bodywork every month.

8. What is your biggest daily challenge? The one thing that could pull you off course if you let it? 

Not sure I have one, if I'm honest I'd say patients.... they are all challenging, and I learn more from everyone!

9. Describe how you relax? 

I like to cycle , run, walk and read

10. If you had three wishes, that would help our planet, what would they be? 

Have dedicated cycle routes - to reduce obesity, pollution, and improve the health of the nation. 

Stop the population of the world increasing so quickly, we are a virus that is consuming  too much of the natural resource.

Be kind to each other with more hugs!!

Please go to Ian's Facebook page at smartway2fitness, and his website smartway2fitness.co.uk for more information, and to make an appointment. I promise you, you will NOT be disappointed. 

If you liked this blog I'd be grateful if you would click to follow, or leave a comment here or on Facebook.

Thankyou, here's to a healthy week.

Rx