Enjoy.

What makes you smile? Just a little bit? But a lot is even better?  Do you do enough of it? *Can* you do more of it? Instead of rushing through life and not having time at the end of the day for what you love … (or who); how about sitting down with a glass of vino; music playing; maybe even a candle for ambience…and reflect on your schedule. 

 

• How can you get more fun in your days?
• What can you switch around (there *will* be something; you just have to look and get creative with this, friend);
• Start with what you enjoy….at the time you want to add it in and work the rest of your day around it.
• Let’s get more fun and laughter into our lives.
• You’ll feel so much brighter for it xo

Laughter is by definition *healthy*

~ Doris Lessing

Move. 

I should add perhaps “more”. I’m not going to tout the benefits of moving more and being active for our health; this post is about “balance” – which, in itself is part of our health. Yet in today’s day and age we have too many opportunities to sit. Our brain is then tired at the end of the day from typical sitting in front of a computer, and *who* has time to move?

You do. I do. We all do. It’s about adding it in whenever you can. It’s about finding what you enjoy to do. Don’t want to workout but love to dance? skip? hop? walk? run? gymnastics? volleyball?

You get the idea.

Find what you love to do. And do more of it. You get rid of the cobwebs as they say. You breathe deeper; you think less about the stresses of the day and so much more about what you are doing, where you are doing it, the sounds…the smells….

See? I bet you feel more balanced already.

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Sleep.

We all know how incredible we feel after a good night’s sleep, right?

Sleeping well – and by well I mean: deeply, and for at least 7 hours at night. Is crucial to our health, wellbeing and happiness. I mean, think about it: when we feel rested, we have more energy; more will; more *patience*; more “happy”.

We have more of the good stuff.

• time to take a check on your night: how is your sleep?
• do you feel rested when you wake up?
• do you tend to go to bed at the same time and wake up easily at the same time (hint: *this* is what you want to aim for)
• do you go to bed with a bazillion thoughts in your head? If so? What can you do about that (hint #2: you *could* reach out to me…I can help with that)
• do you have a nighttime ritual? Something that slows you down; which you look forward to and which signals to the brain “it’s time to get ready to sleep”?
• So many things; but each one important to reflect upon.
• Reach out to me *please* if you have a problem with your sleeping patterns.

Eat.

Eat colourfully; eat enough (yes….so many think “dieting and starving” is the way to go but a lettuce salad for a meal isn’t helping.).

Believe me when I say; food can affect our happiness – and it can help our mindset, balance us. When we eat what we need, in the best way possible – which actually *includes* having fun my friend here and there – it soothes us, nourishes us, heals us, strengthens us.

Often we think of workouts for wellness. Food is such a significant part of the picture.>

Want help with this? Fill out the form at the bottom and I’ll be happy to help you – nourish your soul….

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Stop.

Yup. Just stop.

And by this I don’t mean stop doing everything right this minute and do nothing. Nooooo – what I mean is this:

• do you ever just take a few minutes (more would be great) to sit and think? reflect? dream?
• do you ever take time for *you* from the everyday grind of get up, get doing, get helping, get being, get dinner-ing, and anything else that doesn’t leave you time at the end of each day?

You need this. Be it through the form of meditation (guided or otherwise) or as I do…sitting in my backyard with my coffee in the morning and crossword; or something that slows you right down and gives you such pleasure? Something you look forward to doing?

This is so important. With busy lives; stress affecting health; lots of sitting and watching a screen; just. stopping. Is something we need in our day. Even if it’s for five minutes.

And here’s the thing: you may find at first that your brain is whirring….that you are itching to “do” something.

Put on some calming tunes, find a favourite spot and be. Some ways to do this are:

• Meditating
• Listening to music
• Doing something soothing to you (reading an “easy” read, doing a crossword…)
• Journalling/ reflecting
• Sitting outside and watching the birds (seriously!)
• Curling up with your dog/cat/pet of any kind and stroking them (and they benefit too!)
• Or none of the above. Just nothing works too.

Dance.

Oh my; the therapy that dancing can be. Songs can lift us up (but also take us down if it’s a reminder or a downer) and I’m not sure about you but my Neighbours have seen me garden in the back yard lately with a few jigs here and there as I have lively music on that ya just can’t sit still to.

That saying “dance like no one is watching”?

Do it.

There is nothing like putting on the tunes (*LOUDLY*) and moving without a care in the world to your own beat.

Nothing.

So…..once you’ve finished reading this, go and grab your tunes and get moving to the beat…..

And you tell me that you don’t feel better for it 🙂

Get Social.

I am one of those ‘introvert-extrovert’ types. When I’m on, I’m on. When I want to be off….

I reeeeeally want to be off. No phone calls; not ‘on the spur of the moment’ visits. Just want my jammies, (since it’s typically after dinner this “me” shows up); my boys; my home.

Yet there is definitely “health” in socializing. Having just gone through the 2020 Pandemic – if there’s one thing it’s shown me – is the value of those online-chats with my galpals each week. The laughter; the connection; the ability to help each other and/or vent.

We can’t do it all alone and I get it; you may be reading this saying you are that introvert and you don’t want to socialize. That’s okay. We have to do what sits with our souls; makes us happy and gives us peace.

But don’t toss the value of a quick conversation with someone completely out the door. Those chats, giggles, vents?

Just another way we stay balanced.

Get Creative

I hear you; you might be saying “I am not one of those creative types”.

Me too.

But here is the thing; it is so good for our mindset; our peace; and our brain amongst other things, to get stuck into something that has those creative juices flowing.

And it might be literally painting or colouring by numbers; or colouring “in” in a book. It might be (as I’ve done) in taking up an instrument. There was no WAY I ever knew how to play one let alone read music. But this Spring I decided piano time it was (or attempting it) and you know what?

It brings me such peace.

It creates such pleasure.

I feel accomplished (even with the itty bitty amount of achievement I’m doing).

I look forward to it.

And it makes me have “me time”.

More than anything? I can’t believe how clear mind is; how calm I feel and how happy I feel when playing it (and generally).

There is really something to be said for getting creative to help us find our balance. So…push comes to shove; what would you be willing to try?

Love and Gratitude.

I wanted to put these two together since personally for me? One begets the other. When I love….I love my family, friends, things I do….and myself. And when I show the love through doing any or all of the other items listed in this (I-hear-you-long!) blog; I am definitely showing myself the love.

And when I do this I *always* feel grateful.

Or perhaps you do it the other way around (no right or wrong here, friends): You are so grateful for things that you find the love just spills over.

As an example, when we eat well; we are showing ourselves the love (and when we help those we love do it, boy are we doing that. Some may feel offering chocolates as “well done’s” is showing love, but really it’s the other way around: show them health and wellness for life and you show them love).

And when we do so we:

• can be grateful for even being able to have the food;
• feel great (which we can feel grateful for;
• move more; do more (gratitude);
• have more energy (gratitude);
• have beauuuuutiful skin which sparkles! (gratitude);
• sleep better (ohhhhh how you’ll sleep better when you eat to nourish *you* – and you’ll be so grateful for those zees);

You get the idea right? We could go through the list of all above and find reasons to be grateful.

In fact….why not do that as an activity one evening this summer. What a lovely way to spend an evening writing about how grateful you are for being able to move, eat, sleep, create…….etc.

• Looking for some assistance with any of the above actions – or help in general? I cover both health and lifestyle in my Coaching (or…one/the other if preferred); have an *extensive* background in both and personal training and mindset is a huge focus for me since at the end of the day change truly happens when our mindset does.
  

Fill out the form below (do it now while you think of it 🙂 and let’s start a fun, intentional, no-pressure conversation.