Total Wellbeing Blog

Relax a little...

Do you ever stop to wonder if you are actually enjoying your life as much as you could be or are you are packing so much in to each day that you don't take the time to think about much at all other than how many more tasks or chores you can squeeze in before bedtime?

Sometimes we are so caught up in our lives, we forget to enjoy them. We aren't here forever and if we don't sieze the moment and start enjoying it, we are left wondering where all that time has gone!

Many of us spend so much time doing what we think we should be doing rather than what we want to be doing. Take some time this week to consider what is keeping you on your 'hamster wheel' and look at what changes you can make to start relaxing and generally enjoying your life more.

Work - You may not be in your perfect job at the moment but your attitude to it makes a huge difference. Work is work but there is no reason why it can't be fun as well. Start appreciating what is good about where your work and enjoy your colleagues company more. There is nothing wrong with having fun in the workplace!

Home - We can all feel like there is a hundred tasks to do with not enough time to do it but to ensure you get some quality time to enjoy as well, segment your time at home in to work and play and make sure you stick to it! Allocate a reasonable amount of time to getting things done but also take the time out for yourself. If you spend a lot of time clearing up after others, then get them to do their fair share - even kids can chip in and help out to lighten your load!

A lot of what we do can either be done differently, not need to be done at all or done with a different attitude. Remember that life does not have to be done perfectly and if there are tasks that can wait in exchange for enjoying the moment, then this is well worth making the swap for.

Autumn clean - clear that clutter!

You have heard of 'spring cleaning' - well how about having an 'autumn clean'? It's a perfect way to get rid of the clutter in preparation for more cosy nights in and of course, to make plenty of room for all those lovely Christmas presents!

Clutter can have such a big effect on us if it gets out of control, it can totally zap our energy and pile up to a point where we don't really know how to tackle it! Clutter is one of life's drainers and if you are a bit of a hoarder, you may have more trouble with this than most of us.

Over the past few weeks, I tackled my clothes - we don't have a huge amount of storage space and 3 charity bags later I have been left with plenty of space to top up my winter wardrobe but best of all, getting rid of things that I will never use again and can go to a better home has made me feel so good! It lightens our load and helps put us back in control so that we can get on and do the things that really matter!

It's amazing how much we end up keeping hold of that is not important to us, we don't need or haven't used in months or even years! Don't underestimate the great feeling of getting rid of old baggage - it can be a major drainer, overwhelm us and raise our stress levels and that is never great for our sense of wellbeing!

Escape the diet trap!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for some time will know that I have been working on intuitive eating for several months now - something that took a long time to get my head around after years and years of constant dieting but a journey that has been well worth it.

I am very fortunate to have recently come across The Food Philosophy coaching course. This is very different to intuitive eating because it works on the root of our problems with food to help us break the cycle of overeating rather than our eating habits.

I am now on week 4 and this course has taught me so much about the psychological side of overeating already and how being on diets just for a little while can cause us to become compulsive overeaters! What I love about it, is that it is totally logical and it is working! Intuitive eating has given me so much and this course is filling the gaps that intuitive eating does not address. It is totally different to anything I have read or any course I have ever completed before with many 'lightbulb' moments that make perfect sense of the crazy world of the dieter / binger!

The temptation for all of us to 'just go on one more diet' and then follow principles of something like The Food Philosophy can be hard to resist but when you discover what lurkes behind these thoughts and the reasons that we keep on and on in our cycle of dieting and overeating, you will never want - or need to touch another diet!

The Food Philosophy teaches you to stop your compulsion to overeat just by helping you to change your perspective and see things differently - free to make your own choices that are right for you. The course is complete with full support of a forum of great people going through the same journey and your coach Sue - the founder of this revolutionary programme offers you unlimited help and advice to help you through the course and eliminate your struggle with food once and for all.

The Food Philosophy has a special offer on at the moment which lets you do the whole course and then pay for it if you are happy with the experience - so be sure to enrol now to get a pay-afterwards place on the course. This offer is only for a limited period so be quick!

The Food Philosophy Website

The obesity crisis - again....

Yet again, the news headlines are focussing on the obesity crisis - something that seems to hit the news on a regular basis with the government saying they will do the same thing as last time and with nothing much changing! More and more people are becoming overweight and yet the 'experts' just keep telling us to eat less and exercise more but hold on - isn't that what we have been doing for decades since the diet industry made it's mark?... and aren't people just getting bigger and bigger the more they diet?

As Paul McKenna once said 'diets are no more than training courses in how to get fat and feel like a failure' - something that has stuck in my mind since I first read his book! There are more and more resources out there now to help people escape the diet trap - one we have been stuck in it because it's all we have ever known for so long until recently. It's not until you stop dieting that you realise how many everyday conversations revolve around calories and weight and that's a scary prospect. People are obsessed with being a certain weight and even if they get there, they are still not happy with themselves and become all consumed with achieving the perfect body instead of focusing on enjoying life to the full!

There is nothing wrong with exercise - as long as it's enjoyable and there is nothing wrong with eating nourishing foods - as long as it isn't under the duress of dieting that makes you crave anything but! Giving up dieting does not mean a lifelong binge, it means freedom from it!

When will the current extreme body obsession stop - my fear is that it never will! Prepare to hear the same news about the same crisis 6 months from now with reports that the nation are getting even bigger before!

One of my favourite sayings is 'If you always do what you've always done - you'll always get, what you always got' - it's time to stop dieting and start living!

About friends

I have been sent this wonderful message 3 times in the past month and absolutely love the message it brings. I hope you find it as insipring as I have...

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Be grateful for those people who are part of your life, whether for a reason, a season or a lifetime.