Wellness Wednesday - You are enough

Have you ever compared yourself to another woman? We all do it now and again and some people do it on a daily basis. We might compare our body size, body shape, clothes and style or what is in her shopping trolley. Sometimes we feel better about ourselves and other times the comparison leaves us feeling that we are not enough.

What causes us to compare ourselves with other women? It is the limiting belief that we are not enough and that we need to receive our sense of worthiness from outside sources. When we know that we are enough then we can be happy we who we are. 

We are usually unaware or we forget that we are not comparing 'apples with apples'. Apples come in different colours, shapes and even sizes. Some are sweeter than others, some have more crunch and a few have caterpillars in them. They come from different families and even those in the same family may have grown on a different tree. Within that one tree the apples will have had different amounts of sunshine, wind and rain depending on their position on that tree. And so it is with us. There can be no real comparison because everything that we have experienced and all that we are makes each of us unique.

Instead of comparing ourselves to another woman we can celebrate our diversity and uniqueness. I like to find one thing that I like about each woman that I see which could be the colour of her top, the shape of her necklace or the way that she wears her hair.

The really interesting thing is that when I am finding something to llike about a woman I stop comparing myself to her. I might decide that I like her necklace so much that I will look for a similar one or I might decide that that sort of necklace would make a wonderful present for someone.

Enjoy being enough because you are unique, whole and perfect just as you are. The way that we think about other people let's them know that they are also enough and that is a wonderful gift to share.

warmest wishes

Sarah

Foodie Friday - the caveman diet

The 'caveman diet' suggests that our digestive systems are unable to cope with grains and dairy. The premise for this is that for centuries we hunted and gathered and that farming is relatively recent. Whilst countries all over the world practise some sort of grain farming, dairy farming is not common practise in Asia and other in some other areas. Coconut milk is used in place of dairy products.

The paleolithic diet, abbreviated to 'The Paloe diet' was followed by our ancestors for 2.5 million years, whilst farming has been around for about 10,000 years. First made popular in the 1970s by Dr. Voegtlin, a gastroenterologist who believed that this diet could prevent and manage common bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis.

This diet has both critics and followers. It would appear that people either love it or hate it.  As a high protein diet there are elements that are very similar to the Atkin's diet. It is also a little similar to the 'No carbohydrates after 5pm diet' in that all grains and legumes are off limits after 5pm for that diet, and permanently for the Paloe diet. And this has nutritionists concerned about possible health issues related to lack of Vitamin B and other nutrients found in whole grain products.

The dairy industry is also concerned about the total avoidance of dairy in this diet however those that follow it claim that they get enough calcium from leafy green vegetables. There are other aspects to the lack of dairy including the research that demonstrated that dairy can increase weight loss in addition to providing calcium and protein to our diets.

The human race is the only mammal to continue consuming milk pass infancy but does that necessarily mean that it not good for us? I will write a blog on milk and dairy another day.

So what can you eat on the Paloe diet?

• Protein and lots of it. Meat, chicken, fish, eggs
• Fish including shell fish
• Vegetables and heaps of them, except for white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are acceptable. Green vegetables are fully encouraged in all their forms.
• Fruit and nuts are both allowed but in smaller portions for those working towards weight loss. Fruit contains lots of sugar and nuts contain lots of fat. Both are good for you but may need to be controlled for weight loss and weight maintenance.
• Seeds of all varieties
• Olive, coconut, avocado, walnut, flaxseed and canola oil in moderation

Foods to be avoided are:

• Dairy (all)
• Cereal grains (all)
• Grain-like seeds (quinoa, buckwheat)
• Legumes (all beans, chickpeas, lentils, soy products, peas)
• Peanuts
• Starchy vegetables
• Salt-containing foods (store-bought condiments, bacon, deli meats)
• Fatty cuts of meat
• Sugar
• Fruit juice

Exercise is also included in this diet, and this exercise should mimic caveman activities, so hiking, sprinting, weight bearing and  moving regularly are all recommended.

What are the pros and cons of this type of diet? The upside of this diet is that it greatly reduces our sugar intake and all that often goes with that, such as fat and highly processed flours. It also increases our intake of vegetables and healthy unprocessed foods. These things are all good for our health.
The downside of this diet is the elimination of other potentially healthy foods including whole grains and dairy. As with any diet that removes sugar and saturated fats along with refined flours, it does have the potential to cause weight loss and improve other health issues such as high blood pressure and raised blood sugar levels.

If you are interested in this kind of a diet, I recommend doing your homework and looking at any research around this diet and all the medical advice that has been written both for and against it.

Always check with your doctor before undertaking any new diet.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Wellness Wednesday - managing stress

As busy women stress can be part of our every day lives. Even when we aren't personally stressed we can still be affected by stress when those we love are stressed.

Today my youngest daughter is having a stressful day. She is so stressed that it is making her ill. Even though this isn't my stress it still affects me. One an emotional level I don't want my children to be ill because of stress, and on a practical level she is so unwell that I have chosen to change my plans for the day to provide the extra support and care she needs to get through her day. This will include driving her to an exam, which is probably the cause of the stress.

Have you ever been so stressed that felt physically ill. It is such an unpleasant experience and one that I used to have to cope with on a weekly basis. Learning relaxation techniques can make a huge difference.

Breathing: Deep breathing is a great technique for relaxing the body and the mind. It helps to slow down the release of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. The technique is to breath in slowly for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 2 seconds and breath out for 6 seconds. Keep focusing on your breathing and counting.

Meditation: Visual mediation involves creating a picture in your mind and focusing on it. This picture could be somewhere that you have been and loved, or somewhere that you would like to go. Imagining yourself sitting on a beach or by a pool of water somewhere quiet and green are two favourite images that I use. As you imagine yourself sitting there, focus on how relaxing it feels, be aware of the warm sun, the breeze, the sounds of the trees or the sea and feel your body slowly relax.

Activity: Focusing on an activity that fully occupies all your senses is another way to relax. I like to garden for stress relief. Concentrating on all the colours and smells, the task that I am undertaking and being outside in nature helps me to stop focusing on something stressful and focus on the task at hand.

Going for a walk: Taking a walk in a local park or along a nature trail can be relaxing. Focus on the nature around you, looking for birds in the trees and all the different plants and trees along the way. Moving is very good for reducing stress and the action of moving itself can reduce stress. Moving in nature is using two stress busting techniques at once.

Dance: Put on your favourite dancing songs and really throw yourself into it. Dance the way that you really love to dance. If like me your children are horrified if you move so much as a finger or toe in public (or even at home) then this is the time to let yourself go and really get into it. Dancing is a fantastic way to reduce stress and lift your mood. When we produce adrenaline and cortisol it affects our bodies and dancing helps to use up those hormones and produce feel good hormones to replace them.

There will always be stresses in our lives, so finding the ways that work best for you to deal with stress will add quality to your life.

Please share your ways to reduce stress because the more options we have, the better quality of our lives.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Foodie Friday - the 5:2 diet

Many people who would like to reduce their weight have two desires. These are to get quick results and to be able to eat all their favourite foods. They also do not want to feel deprived, hungry or hopeless.

The 5:2 diet (also called the Fast Diet) is an alternating diet, because there are 2 calorie constriction days and 5 eat 'normally' days. The 2 restricted days should be non-consecutive days for the best results. This diet has become one of the new trends in the weight loss world. There are several reasons for this including the lure of being able to eat your favourite foods most of the time and the ease at which it can be fitted into most lives.

It reportedly has more than weight loss benefits, with early results showing improved blood glucose, reduced blood cholesterol and decreased blood pressure in some individuals. The blogs about this diet show that it doesn't work for everyone but there is so little research that it is not yet known why it would work for some people and not for others.

The research done that has shown success with intermittent fasting was done on animals in laboratory conditions. The trails involving humans are under way with early indications being positive but not definitive. The science related to this method of weight loss and maintenance is that as cave men, we would have gone without food when it wasn't available. It is only relatively recently that we have had access to endless supplies of food, and this only applies to the Western world.

When we eat all the time without any fasts our body is in 'go go go' mode and doesn't get to rest and restore. We eat so often that the fast we have when we sleep is no longer sufficient for all our repair needs. The science shows that when we are fasting for any length of time, our cells repair themselves instead of replace themselves. This could be compared to times of financial stress when we stop buying anything new and repair and renew what we already have. For our bodies, it is comparable to a trip to the garage for a tune up and some clean oil.

On the 'fast' days, there is a calorie limit of less than 1000 calories. Different authors and creators of this diet differ slightly about the amount of calories. Dr Mosley recommends 500 calories for women and 600 for men. There has also been some debate about how these calories should be divided up. Should we eat them as two or three meals? Does it make a difference to the results if we have 600 or 700 calories?

These questions are yet to be fully answered due to the lack of completed human trials and research. The experts undertaking the studies suggest that anything less than 1000 calories is beneficial and will have some beneficial results. Those results may be quicker with slightly fewer calories.

As well as several books on this diet, there are also websites and blogs with recipes and ideas about the best way to utilize the limited calories. Protein and green vegetables are some of the most suggested food to make the most of the calories. Protein is filling and lasts longer than some other foods.

The other point to remember is that there is no completed research on what can be eaten on the other 5 days. So far people have been informed that they can eat 'anything' on their non-fasting days. However if this includes buckets of fried chicken, litres of ice-cream and several packets of chocolate buscuits, the desired results may take a lot longer than if the 5 days are full of healthier food choices.

One recent study on 100 women had them eating reduce calories (below 1000 calories) 2 days a week, and Mediterranean diet pattern of eating the other 5 days. All the women enjoyed significant weight loss and found the regime relatively easy because they were only restricted for 2 out of 7 days.

Next week we will explore another weight loss diet.

As with any change in diet, always consult your doctor first and there are a few groups of people for whom this diet is not recommended.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Wellness Wednesday - Can Botox affect your brain?

Some people age so gracefully, others less so, and some people appear not to age at all. Ageing is almost a dirty word as we struggle to keep our youthful looks, our sex appeal and our general health.

I once heard Dame Maggy Smith comment that she believes that English actors often get great parts for older women because many female actresses do not want to be viewed as 'an older woman'. One of the greatest compliments you can pay a woman is to tell her that she looks younger than her age.

A face lift is a big operation but there are now other options with the ability to make us look younger 'during our lunch break'. Go to work looking older and go home looking younger. One of these 'lunch hour' treatments is Botox. A poison that stops our muscles from working. In our face this causes our wrinkles to be smoothed out, making us look younger and fresher.

A friend of mine who once tried it said that it felt like the needle had gone as deep as her brain, however we know that this is not what happens. So how could it affect our brains?

When we make a facial expression it causes chemical changes in our brain. It has been demonstrated that by smiling at yourself in a mirror for 20 minutes a day for several weeks can reduce depression and improve your mood. Physiology creates psychology. When we slump our breathing becomes more shallow and we have more negative feelings. When we sit up and look up it gives our lungs more room to breath and as we look up we begin to feel better. It is the same with our face. When we smile we can feel happier even if we weren't happy to begin with. When we frown we can begin to feel worried.

When we have Botox our faces are unable to form any expression so our brains are unable to get the same messages. Botox has been shown to affect people's mood.

We also read other people's expressions to let us know how they feel and what they are thinking. Consider someone close to you. When you look at them you probably know what they are feeling. You know their 'bored' look, their 'happy' look and their 'fear' look. We show our love for people through our expressions. We can share a joke without saying anything. For some friends, one shared look can cause hilarity.

Botox has been shown to cause relationship issues because delaying an expression in response to a question can cause concern. Consider asking your 'significant other' if they loved you and they looked unmoved and expressionless for even 1/10th of a second. You may start to doubt their affection for you.

Botox has some wonderful medical uses, and for some people it is worth the cost, the physical pain and any other emotional side effects. When we make a decision we need all the facts. If you are considering Botox as a form of cosmetic treatment you might like to consider ALL the facts and not just the desired outcomes.

warmest wishes
Sarah

Foodie Friday - which diet?

There are so many weight loss diets to choose from. How can we choose one that will work for our body type, fit in with our lifestyle, appeal to our personal preferences and actually work?

Over the coming weeks I am going to investigate a weight loss diet each week so that you can work out which one will best suit you. The information will be just that, only information. I am not recommending one type of weight loss diet over another and you should always seek medical advice before undertaking any weight loss diet.

What is a 'diet'? Although the word has become synonymous with weight loss, it actually refers to all food and drink regularly consumed and is also used to describe prescribed diets including a 'diabetic' diet or a 'gluten free' diet.

One of the issues with a weight loss diet is that it can have the opposite effect on the body, temporarily reducing weight but ultimately causing increased weight gain. The reasons for this will be explained in my next book but in simple terms, some weight loss diets cause our body's to go into 'famine' mode, and save all our calories as fat until there is enough food again.

A lot of people want a 'quick fix' diet, some prefer pills and potions and others prefer pre-cooked and planned meals. Again, it is all about choosing the one the is best for you. For some people their target weight is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

When choosing a weight loss diet we need to consider a few points. Here are some points that you might like to think about during the coming weeks as you read about the different possible diets for weight loss on this blog:

• how much time to you have to prepare specific food?
• how sustainable is your choosen diet?
• how expensive is your choosen diet?
• how fast do you want to reach your target weight?
• how much weight do you want to loose?
• how will a diet fit in with your family life?
• how will a diet fit in with your working life?
• do you mind counting calories or would you prefer someone else to do that for you?
• do you want to prepare all your own food or do you want to buy it/have it delivered?
• would you prefer to count 'points' rather than calories?
• is this going to be a new way of life or a temporary way of eating?
• have you been on previous weight diet before?

It can be worth researching any type of weight loss diet before embarking on one, and this can include reading blogs about the diet where people have commented on how it worked or didn't work for them, asking family and friends if they know anyone who has used it and asking health professionals for their advice.

I will also be exploring emotional eating because this is my area of expertise and I really enjoy working with women to assist them to move forwards and away from emotional eating.

Enjoy reaching your gaols

warmest wishes
Sarah

Wellness Wednesday - laughter for health

What do you call a 3 legged donkey? A wonky!! What do you call a 3 legged donkey with one eye? A winky wonky donkey!


When was the last time you had a really good laugh? I'm not talking about a little chuckle or a smile. I am talking about a really good laugh, the sort that has tears rolling down your cheeks, making you laugh out loud and feeling really happy.

We need to laugh. It is a form of emotional release and good for our health. Patch Adams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Adams) was very aware of the health benefits of laughter.

What's old, grey and still hiding in the cupboard? A hide and seek champion!

In March 2005, a study in Baltimore demonstrated the change in blood flow when we laugh. Using film clips the researchers were able to reduce blood flow by inducing mental stress when shown war clips, and increase blood flow and reducing mental stress when showing comedy clips.

Science has proved that mental stress reduces our immunity and this in turn makes us more at risk of becoming ill from infections, from flu to athletes foot.

 Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they have honey combs!

We can create our own opportunities for a good laugh. Here are just a few:

• watch a comedy film or program
• find funny video clips on youtube
• remember the last time you had a good laugh and take yourself back to that event
• find jokes that make you laugh either on the internet or ask friends for their favourite jokes
• find a fun activity to do
• attend a comedy show

 Where do you find a dog with no legs? Where you left it!

Laugh and the world laughs with you, so enjoy helping someone else laugh.

warmest wishes

Sarah

Foodie Friday - The benefits of dark chocolate

What wonderful news! Small amounts of quality dark chocolate provide health benefits.

As most you have probably realised by now I love chocolate. If you are reading this then it could be because you also enjoy chocolate or maybe you are just interested by the possibility that chocolate could have any health benefits.

For those of you who enjoy chocolate, here is a list of health benefits from consuming dark chocolate in moderate amounts. As for most food and drink, moderation is key.

• Dark chocolate is good for your heart. Eating small amounts two to three times each week can help to lower blood pressure. It also improves blood flow and may help prevent the formation of blood clots. It may also prevent hardening of the arteries.

• Dark chocolate is good for your brain. As already stated, dark chocolate improves blood flow, and that includes blood flow to the brain, which is good for cognitive function and also for reducing the risk of a stroke.  It contains chemical compounds that can improve our mood, giving us a lift and helping us to feel happier. 

• Dark chocolate helps to control blood sugar. Dark chocolate can help to reduce insulin resistance by helping cells to function normally and regain the ability of the use of the body's insulin efficiency. Because of it's low glycemic index, it doesn't cause spikes in blood sugar levels.

•  Dark chocolate is contains antioxidants. Antioxidants help to free the body of free radicals which cause oxidative damage to cells. Free radicals are thought to be involved in the ageing process and may be a cause of cancer. Eating foods that contain higher levels of antioxidants including dark chocolate can help to protect the body against the damage that can be caused by free radicals.

•   Dark chocolate contains Theobromine. Theobromine has been shown to harden tooth enamel. Whilst it reduces the risk of getting cavities it is still very important to practise good dental hygiene. Theobromine is also a mild stimulant and can help to suppress coughs.

• Dark chocolate has lots of vitamins and minerals. It contains some of the following vitamins and minerals in high concentrations: Potassium, Copper, Magnesium and Iron. Copper and potassium help to prevent against stroke and cardiovascular diseases, iron protects against anaemia and magnesium can help reduce the incidence of high blood pressure, heart disease and type II diabetes.

Whilst we all probably have our own idea of a 'small amount' the guidelines suggest one to two squares a day, or the equivalent thereof. (If you have diabetes please consult with your health practitioner before eating any dark chocolate.)

Enjoy a few squares of dark chocolate knowing that there are several health benefits.

warmest wishes
Sarah

        

Well-being Wednesdays - living your values affects weight loss

Recently someone very near and dear to me has been struggling with a dilemma. This person found themselves in a relationship with a 'Jekyall and Hyde' character. The Dr Jekyall side met all their emotional needs and they lived through the Mr Hyde times so that they could enjoy the Dr Jekyall periods. When we meet someone who meets all of our emotional needs we unconsciously and consciously choose to stay with that person.

Apart from the emotional pain of living with a Mr Hyde at times, it can also cause physical issues. This sort of dilemma causes stress and as you and I already know, this produces stress hormones which can lead to weight gain. But this kind of stress can also cause digestive upsets, headaches and migraines, skin problems, lack of sleep (which can also lead to weight gain) and even depression.

Whilst all our emotional needs may be being met intermittantly, our values are not being realised. We all have many unconscious and conscious values, and our top three values need to be realised at all times for us to be able to live comfortably and happily on a daily basis. Maybe you have worked for an organisation that did not share your values and you felt uncomfortable having to practice their values during the day. I am guessing that in the end you left because it was too uncomfortable and you probably found yourself becoming increasingly tired and unwell, dreading going into work every day.

What are your top three values? How do you work them out?
Write a list of the things that you talk about the most and spend most time and money on. You may tell people that you value fitness but rarely undertake any physical exercise or spend time and money on exercise. My top value is my family. I talk about them, think about them, spend time and money on them, plan my working life around them and do all that I can to help them remain happy and healthy.

This week I was coaching someone on their values and once they understood their top three, everything feel into place for them.

Enjoy discovering and living your values.

warmest wishes
Sarah