Everywhere I go I see adverts for meal plans and exercise programs with overwhelming promises, especially this time of year when the dreaded season of overindulgence begins. We are all conscious about the fact that we will be eating and drinking more than usual during this season and come January we have regrets and start looking for these adverts I am talking about.
Fitness centres have the fittest person on earth on their posters and personal trainers are showing off their abs and we think that if you train with them we can get the same killer abs. I used to think that if I only sign up for the gym, I would naturally lose weight! Has this happened to you? I never went to the gym, but just the notion of actually signing up and having the card in my wallet should be enough to lose weight and get the body I was dreaming of having… crazy right?
Welcome to the 7th edition of my Health Series! The reason I am doing this series is because I truly believe in something we call Bio-Individuality. What works for one person, may not work for another and the trick (and the hard part) is finding out what works for YOU!
We all have different views on what health means and how we obtain it! And we should! We are all different and all need something different. Health is something that affects us all and we should all have an opinion on it.
For this edition I have interviewed another local health coach; Holistic Sleep Strategist & Coach, Christine. Some of you may know her? If not, you should! Here is what she thinks about this subject!!
For me health has so many different facets but here is some of what comes to mind straight away.
Health means that you are respecting and taking care of your mind and body equally. In those areas I also make a difference between self(health)care, which would be a healthy diet, exercise, supplements and so on, and self care, which is taking time out, meditating, having fun etc.
On top of that you are ideally not only healthy enough to just being able to keep symptoms of illness or disease at bay but able to actually have a great immune system that will make it difficult for symptoms to even appear.
Most of us live very close to the edge of being just about healthy enough as to not being ill. But very few of us are truly as balanced and strong as we are physically and mentally capable off.
How do you achieve this level of healthy?
First of all you need to understand that it will take time and a priority towards health. Which can be challenging in a world where very often material or financial topics take precedence.
I am by no means perfect either but I am being mindful when choosing which foods I eat, by carving out time for exercise and meditation and by having left a job that was not fulfilling to now doing something that I am passionate about and that makes me happy.
Why is it important to be and live healthily?
Most of us have difficulties prioritizing ourselves, so saying that you will feel better as a person is often not motivational enough. We are taught to not put ourselves first but those around us. So what I like to remind my clients and myself of is that you cannot pour from an empty cup. You have to be strong, happy and well balanced in order to serve other at your best.
Why are you an expert?
A lot of people know that sleep is important yet very few have really looked at its science or at its importance holistically throughout the different stages in our lives. Through my education and experience I can definitely call myself an expert and not an amateur in the sleep department.
What is your top health tip?
Get enough sleep! Your body needs you to rest and sleep enough in order to repair itself physically and mentally. So sacrificing your sleep will come and haunt you along the road. And if you are struggling with sleep then you know where to find me 🙂
So, what did you think? Great, right?
Thank you so much Christine! I completely agree that most of us are healthy just to point where we are not ill, but are we truly healthy? Probably, me included! What does it take for us to be really healthy and happy? What is one thing you can do today to get you closer to becoming truly healthy? Just one step? Let us know in the comments below!
I used to do New Years Resolution. I used to vow to myself that this year I would stop smoking, eat healthy and start working out! I would quit smoking cold turkey, eat healthy without any sort of plan and workout every day! As January set off, I would stick to it the first few days, maybe even weeks, but then inevitably I would go back to my previous ways.
One year when I tried to quit smoking, it lasted until the first night out about two weeks in. Instead of beating myself up about it I just changed my resolution to “only smoking when I go out”. That was a disaster! I ended up drinking every night in order to smoke. Ridiculous! 😂
Year after year I would sign up at the gym or for an aerobics class, go maybe once or twice and then it would fade out. What a waste of money! I would also try to eat better using WILL POWER, but if you have tried that, you KNOW that doesn’t work!
Anyway, I eventually stopped making resolutions.
This year, I read about something else, something different that I will try.
Maybe you will try it with me?
I will use ONE WORD to describe how I want this year to be. This one word is supposed to guide you through the whole year and remind you to stay in the present. For instance, it could be gratitude. I want to be grateful this year. Then you would focus on this word all year long and remember to be grateful.
My word is staycalm and peaceful. Ok, technically two words, but it still counts 😉I had all these plans for my business in 2017. There were so many things I wanted to do! It became more and more challenging and overwhelming. And I became more and more stressed, trying to deal with my kids, managing the household and running my business, all at once. One day I said to myself, ‘no thank you’. I will stay focused, be effective and only do the things I want to do!
I will stay calm and peaceful.
If I feel myself getting stressed or feeling out of balance I will stop and readjust until I am calm and peaceful!
Doesn’t this sound much easier than trying to stick to unrealistic resolutions? I think it does!
Will you try it? What is your word?
What can you do to remind yourself of this word? Maybe hang it on a piece of paper on the bathroom mirror?
I had all these plans for my business in 2017. There were so many things I wanted to do! It became more and more challenging and overwhelming. And I became more and more stressed, trying to deal with my kids, managing the household and running my business, all at once. One day I said to myself, ‘no thank you’. I will stay focused, be effective and only do the things I want to do!