Tips For Skin Health

As I have been working away at launching my face oil, I thought it was time to finally write a blog post about skincare- such an essential topic in health that I am very passionate about. Many people pay hundreds and thousands of dollars on their skin routine with the aim of having healthy looking skin. I personally like to simplify it, getting back to nature and tapping into the benefits that lie therein. Here are my two main approaches when it comes to healthy skin:

1) External Skincare

When it comes to what I put on my skin, I try to keep it as close to the earth as possible. The importance of getting back to nature and getting away from toxic ingredients is definitely growing in popularity. And with good reason. The skincare industry is flooded with harmful toxic ingredients. I won’t list them all here, but these links provide useful lists of various chemicals to avoid in skincare:

Chemicals of concern

20 toxic ingredients to avoid

I don't want you to read this and leave with anxiety around the danger of the skincare industry. That is an unhealthy state to be in and I am here to encourage health! What I do hope you can take away from this is greater mindfulness around your skincare routines- pay attention to what you are putting on your body by reading ingredient lists and choosing safe options.

There are many skincare companies that are recognizing this need and coming out with clean and safe skincare products, thank goodness! For me personally, I make many of my own products.  This way I can control WHAT I am putting on my skin and the QUALITY of the ingredients I use. For anyone interested, I have collated a list of what I use for my DIY skincare products at the end of this blog post. 

2) Skincare From Within

I believe what I put INSIDE by body is equally, if not more important for skin health as what I put on my skin. I nourish from within. Here are some specific dietary choices I make for my skin:

A) I don't shy away from healthy fats. In fact I welcome them! Avocado, coconut, healthy oils, nuts and nut butters. These contribute to having healthy, glowing skin. 

B) I avoid toxic processed foods and too much sugar. For me personally, they decrease the health of my skin and cause acne breakouts. 

C) Nourish through nutrition! I incorporate collagen rich foods (such as bone broth) and foods high in antioxidants and vitamins. Protein is also vital for healthy skin. I am not a big meat lover (except for making bone broth), therefore I get a lot of my protein from a variety of foods high in amino acids, such as nuts, legumes and quinoa. I also eat eggs and regularly add hemp seeds to my food as they hold all nine essential amino acids to form a complete protein source. 

D) Gut health has a direct impact on my skin health. I went through a time (post antibiotics) when my gut was unhealthy and my skin reacted. I got acne. I lost my skins glow. It looked tired and supple. As i restored my gut, my skin health restored too. Acne went away. The glow returned. Elasticity increased. I have seen first hand that the healthier my gut is, the healthier my skin is! For information on how I maintain gut health you can read these previous blog posts I wrote:

About gut health

How I restored my gut

My Personal DIY Skincare

For anyone interested in starting to make their own skin products, here are the main things I make. 

Face and body cleanser. This one I make using a combination of about 3 parts oat flour to 1 part almond meal and 1 part flax meal (that I sift with a fine sieve to remove any scratchier husky parts). Sometimes I add a little hemp powder too. Next I mix in some essential oils for a relaxing aromatherapy scent as well as skin soothing and nourishing benefits. I use a few drops each of lavender, chamomile and geranium essential oil. Also, if you have drier skin you can add more almond meal to the cleanser to make it more moisturizing.

This cleanser is in a powder form. To use, I mix a small amount of this powder in the palm of my hand with water to form a paste, then scrub it over my face and rinse. If you find it hard to rub over your skin it may not be wet enough- just wet your hands and then try again. It is a little messier than a regular cleanser but my skin absolutely loves it.

Deodorant (I melt down beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil, then mix in baking soda, arrowroot and essential oils (peppermint, lemon and tea tree). Once it cools and sets its ready to use.

Body Butter for my dry skin. I make this with cocoa butter, shea butter, apricot kernel oil and essential oils.

Face masks:  There is an endless amount of combinations I use for different face masks, but here’s some ideas:

Mash ½ banana with a teaspoon of manuka honey (or another raw honey)

Avocado (Yes, just mashed avocado straight on the face)!

Bentonite or kaolin clay powder that I mix with water to make a paste

Scoby. That’s right- that ugly alien looking thing that grows when my kombucha brews actually makes an amazing face mask. It has a similar effect to a an expensive fruit peel. I break the scoby up and lay the pieces over my face to cover my skin (a towel wrapped around my head is needed to catch the drips). I will say this- its not the most relaxing face mask, but boy is it effective at getting my skin to glow!

Matcha green tea powder mixed with honey and plain yoghurt.

Finally, I use witch hazel as a toner and then finish off with my face oil. 

So, as I get ready to finish this blog post and shut down my computer, remember that healthy skincare is a combination of what you put inside you as well as the quality of what you put on your skin. Pay attention to ingredients. Get back to nature. Nourish your skin.   

I'd love to hear any tips you use for healthy skincare or feel free to send me a message with any questions! 

Keep striving towards health. Whole health. 

How I Restored My Gut: 2017 Health Journey

This blog extends slightly from my last blog post on gut health, adding in my own personal journey. In particular, this was a journey of healing after my gut was damaged by antibiotics at the beginning of the year. The symptoms when it was unhealthy were significant, as were the positive effects that resulted from the healing process. This included healthy weight loss, improved mood, strengthened immune system and increased energy for life. This is an important blog post for me as this journey, though very difficult, has revealed so clearly to me the importance of gut health on overall health and wellbeing. 

Back in January I caught a nasty infection that took 4 courses of antibiotics to treat. The mission of antibiotics is pretty simple… kill bacteria. The upside of this is that they can be highly effective in treating bacterial infections. The downside is that they aren’t the smartest tools in the shed when it comes to distinguishing between good bacteria and bad bacteria - they just come in a kill whatever they see in front of them. So on the positive side, my infection was eliminated. On the down side, my gut was basically destroyed. So much of my good bacteria had been killed and boy did I feel it. Here’s the main changes I noticed when my gut became unhealthy:

1)   My appetite rose to an all time high. I was constantly ravenous and would become hungry again within 30 minutes of eating a meal

2)   I started having strong cravings for refined carbs and sugars.

3)   I put on weight quickly. Even though I was trying to still eat healthy despite my cravings for junk, my body wasn’t able to adequately process foods in a healthy way.

4)   My mood was generally low. I felt lethargic, energy-less and down. Motivation for life tasks reduced.

5)   My immune system was weak and I went through about 2 months of having constant colds due to my body’s lack of ability to fight off the germs.

6)   Don’t even get me started on the female health yeast imbalances that resulted….

7)   Digestion was off and my body swelled up from bloating

So to summarize, my unhealthy gut resulted in me feeling lethargic, sick and caused me to gain weight very quickly.  Something needed to change.

I was unhappy with how much weight I put on but I knew that I did not want ‘weight loss’ to be my focus. There was something larger going on that was the root cause of the weight gain and that was the priority for me to address. In this case, I knew the change I needed to make was to my gut. If I could restore my gut, then whatever followed with regards to my body size would be healthy- however that looked. I also knew my energy and mood needed to improve. Thus began my gut healing journey. 

Before I delve into HOW I restored my gut, I'm going to let you know the changes I noticed as it began to heal. 

Healthy body weight restored. Weight loss came naturally and in a healthy way. I did not diet. I did not count calories. I just focused on healing my gut.  

Cravings for refined carbs and sugars subsided. Avoiding these foods was no longer such a battle of willpower. The healthier my gut became, the less I craved them.

Decreased appetite. I was no longer ravenous 30 minutes after eating a large meal. I still crave food now, but this is when I am actually hungry and need to eat.

Strengthened immune system. I was once again able to fight off colds.

Female health/hormone and yeast balance restored

Enhanced mood and energy levels. I no longer felt like a lethargic sloth

Motivation to exercise increased.

I could not believe the vast changes that resulted solely from my gut being restored back to health!

So how did I do it? Well, here are the steps I took to restore my gut:

Probiotics

Probiotics are basically a deposit of good bacteria into your gut. When choosing a probiotic however, it is important to make sure it has a proven survivability rate, particularly in reaching your colon where the majority of gut bacteria resides.  Many probiotics don’t actually make it all the way to your colon and are therefore useless. This is the probiotic I chose to use.

Prebiotics

You can read about prebiotics in my previous gut health blog for more details about what these are, but in summary they are the fuel that strengthens the good bacteria in your gut. The probiotic I take also has prebiotic fiber, which is another reason I choose to use that brand. In addition, I researched foods high in prebiotic fiber and began adding them more and more into my diet, such as dandelion greens and sunchokes (largely just tossing them into my morning smoothies).

Tea

I brew a herbal tea specifically targeting immunity, digestion and gut health. I make it by filling a large pot with water and boiling it on the stove with the roots and herbs to extract the nutrients. I then strain the tea and store it in bottles in the fridge, drinking a glass every day. Here’s what I used to brew the tea:

Tulsi (holy basil)

Ginger

Dandelion root

Raspberry leaf

Moringa

Elder berries

Turmeric

Black pepper (helps in the absorption of turmeric)

Nettle leaf

Echinacea 

Marshmallow root

Kombucha

I drink a glass of my home brewed booch every day. Kombucha is fermented tea that is filled with live cultures and enzymes that are great for your gut health. I really recommend brewing your own kombucha as it is so easy to do and so much cheaper than purchasing the drink in stores.  I have two brews going simultaneously so that I have an endless supply of this wonderful drink.

Bone broth

Bone broth is a powerful gut healing food that I began to cook and drink on a regular basis. High in collagen It is believed to be effective at restoring and soothing the lining of the gut.

I reduced my sugar intake

Bad bacteria feeds on sugars and this is the reason I was having such strong cravings for sugar when my gut was unhealthy. Reducing my intake of sugar reduced the amount of food these bad bacteria were consuming, meaning less fuel for those suckers. I don’t particularly like to be super restrictive with my diet, particularly when it comes to whole foods straight from the earth. Because of this I still ate fruits and vegetables that have their own natural sugars. I do however avoid too many added refined sugars.

Fermented foods

Fermented foods are a natural probiotic- filled with live healthy cultures. The more live good bacteria in your gut, the more powerful the army is fighting against the bad bacteria. I started making my own sauerkraut, and also use kimchi and miso paste in my cooking. I also like to eat sourdough bread as it is fermented and gentle on your digestion. 

Wholesome organic foods

I added this in as the last point as I believe it to be the best way I can maintain my gut health. The way I eat is all about eating from the earth- avoiding foods with added preservatives, pesticides and antibiotics and allowing nature to be the preventive medicine that maintains my bodies health. To summarize my diet I would say balanced, wholesome, natural and rich in nutrition.

This journey over the past 6 months has confirmed so strongly to me the importance of the gut as the epicenter for so many physical and emotional health issues. I am glad I went through the painful journey because the lesson that it has taught me about my health has been so incredibly valuable to me.

I would love to hear from you guys about your thoughts and reactions to this post and feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Keep up the good fight on your journeys towards health. And remember these things:

Healthy looks different on everybody

Health is a long term lifestyle not a short term sprint

You are valuable beyond measure and worth the investment towards health.

What's all this talk about gut health?

Well, having just finished up another successful batch of home brewed kombucha, I felt inspired to sit down and write this post about gut health. The topic of gut health is gaining interest and momentum as an important factor in a persons overall health and wellbeing.  And there’s a reason why! A healthy gut maximizes the absorption of nutrients into your body while effectively fighting off harmful toxins from entering the blood stream. It is not only beneficial to healthy digestion, but also has been shown to balance hormone levels, promote healthy cholesterol levels, improve mood, reduce stress, boost energy levels, help prevent yeast infections, promote urinary tract health, reduce appetite & weight gain as well as prevent bloating, indigestion and heartburn, to list a few. Additionally, the majority of our immune cells reside in the gut, therefore a healthy gut is essential in fighting off infection and illness.

So how does this work?

The communities of microorganisms in your gut (the gut flora) are mostly made up of bacteria- trillions of bacteria actually, both good and bad. This bacteria is concentrated mostly in the colon (the large intestine). What happens in the intestines largely depends on the balance and diversity of the bacteria. Think of the good bacteria as an army fighting against the bad bacteria. There is power in both numbers and diversity e.g. having a range of soldiers/weapons for different battle needs. When the army of good bacteria overpowers the army of bad, the body is healthy. But when the bad overpowers the good, toxins get produced that can weaken the immune system, reduce the absorption of nutrients into the blood stream and damage the protective lining of the intestines that prevents toxins from entering the body. This can cause digestive issues, inflammation, leaky gut, yeast infections, skin conditions, weight gain, increased anxiety and depression and a lack of energy, motivation and strength.

So what causes this imbalance to occur?

An imbalance of bad bacteria can be caused by factors such as having a low fiber & highly processed diet, taking antibiotics (as unfortunately antibiotics do not have a moral compass, so kill both good and bad bacteria), consumption of preservatives, additives and other harmful chemicals in food or drinks. Also, bad bacteria in the gut loooove sugars- it is their food of choice. Particularly, the consumption of refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup can feed these little buggers, making the bad bacteria stronger and more armed in their war against the good bacteria. This also can lead to sugar cravings, making it difficult to stop eating sugar and therefore furthering the growth of bad bacteria. A vicious cycle. Basically, if the bacteria in your gut is sick, so are you. Ok, I know this is getting a little depressing so lets more on to a more positive note...

 How can we enhance the environment of the gut to reduce the bad and increase the good? One interesting technique growing in popularity is stool transplants. That’s right- transferring another persons ‘healthy, full of good bacteria’ stool into your colon to enhance your own supply of good bacteria. Now, thankfully, that is not the only way to go about improving your gut health! Here’s some other ways:

       1) Probiotic capsules

Probiotics contain live bacteria that can help add more of those good guys into your system. Note though that not all probiotics are effective. The bacteria may start out live however many die before even reaching your gut.  If you are going to take them, research ones that have been shown to have a survivability rate- not just reaching the small intestine but also ones that can reach your colon where the majority of bacteria resides. Here are a couple of capsule brands I have found to have good survival rates:

Inner Health Plus (Australia)

Silver Fern Brand  (United States)

       2) Prebiotics (oligosaccharides)

Prebiotics are not as widely discussed as probiotics, however they play an essential role in enhancing gut health.

The small intestine is where most of the nutrient absorption and food digestion takes place (a small amount also occurs in the stomach). What reaches the large intestine is fluids and undigested foods. Prebiotics, or oligosaccharides are a type of non-digestible fiber. The fact that they cannot be digested in the small intestine plays an important role in gut health as it means they are able to reach the colon and get to work. And what do they do? Ultimately they act as food for the probiotics. When the good bacteria feed on prebiotics they can grow and increase in strength. They are a wonderful fertilizer for your good bacteria. Here’s a list of some of the foods high in prebiotic fiber:

Raw chicory root

Wheat germ

Whole grains and legumes

Root vegetables

Bran

Acacia gum (Can dissolve in water and drink)

Dandelion greens

Garlic

Onions & leeks

Jerusalem artichoke

Apple skin

Seaweed

Flax seeds

       3) Adjust your diet

- Pay attention to the food you are buying by reading labels. Avoid foods that have been over processed or contain harmful chemicals and additives and instead add in more plants and wholesome clean, fibrous foods as well as fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha and tempeh.

-As mentioned above, minimize intake of sugars, particularly refined sugars and products containing corn syrup (Which unfortunately is used in so many store bought products in the US- even in places you wouldn’t expect it, like bread, nuts, crackers and soup).

-Antibiotics are not only found in drugs to take when you are sick, they are also rampant in the conventional meat industry- animals are pumped with these antibiotics as well as growth hormones. Additionally toxic chemicals are often used in the processing and packaging of meat. I try to avoid meat in general because I feel healthier when I eat mostly plant-based meals. However if you choose meat as a regular part of your diet, I would encourage both reducing the quantity and avoiding non-organic meats.

-Eat a range of healthy nutrient rich foods of all different colors- your greens, reds, yellows etc to ensure a diversity of nutrients enter your body

       4) Manage stress

Stress and gut health go hand in hand. Chronic stress can contribute to an unhealthy environment for your gut. An unhealthy gut can cause increased anxiety and stress… and so the wheel spins round and round. Stress really is inevitable when ‘adulting’, so telling you to never get stressed is not that helpful. But pay attention to how you are managing stress. If you are feeling tense, anxious or over-wired try to find a moment to close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Journal. Get some exercise. Even if you don’t have the time for a run or walk, maybe take a bathroom break and do some squats or star jumps/jumping jacks. Pray. Find someone to talk to. Sniff some lavender.  Try to get enough sleep. Prioritize learning to be mindful of your stress levels and developing techniques of self care and stress management.

Above all, whatever steps you take on your journey to health, take them out of an awareness of your value and worth, having them rooted in love for yourself and your body. 

To portion control or not to portion control: That is the question

To portion control or not to portion control: That is the question

I was motivated to write about this topic due to a recent online debate I was engaged in around an article titled “You’re probably eating too much”.  The article wrote about issues of weight gain as well as diet related disease such as diabetes, heart conditions, blood pressure etc and then went on to list portion limits for various categories of healthy whole foods- fruit, veggies, grains etc . My initial reaction was frustration. I made a comment on the article along the lines of “We need to stop promoting anxiety around eating through excessive focus on restriction. People should be encouraged to add healthy whole foods into their diet: addition rather than restriction. That’s how a healthy relationship with food is formed”.  I also wrote about how these healthy foods are usually the preventive measure for diet related disease, not the cause (saying that, there are certain medical conditions where people need to monitor their sugar intake, and this includes fruit).  But in general, these foods are one of the best ways to prevent disease and people should, in general be encouraged to add more into their diet. Well my comment sure stirred up a long and at times heated debate between people. Some were in total agreement. Others said my defense to the article must be a result of my feelings of guilt around how much I am eating. One person reacted by saying “I guess some people are just offended about everything”, while others wrote about how a restriction focus around food was what fueled their eating disorders. Some wrote about how they found it helpful for their health to know portion limits.  The reaction was so varied.  What was helpful for one person was what fueled another person’s eating disorder. So what can we do to assist with educating people in healthy eating while not fueling anxiety around a person’s relationship with food? Well…. I don’t know the exact solution, but here are a few thoughts I have about the topic.

Firstly, I believe the cause of a large portion of obesity and diet related disease stems from over consumption of refined sugars, processed carbs, corn syrup, hydrogenated soybean oil and other harmful chemicals that are permitted for use in the food industry, as well as the accessibility and affordability of junk and fast foods in proportion to healthy organic foods. If we are going to educate people in restrictive measures, then we need to start with the restriction of these harmful processed foods. I don’t believe the solution to combating disease and obesity lies in the hands of limiting healthy foods, as was recommended in this article.  If people were encouraged and educated around the importance of adding whole nutritious foods into their diet while limiting refined, processed junk foods; and investments were made to increase the accessibility of healthy foods in both low-income communities and the school system, obesity and diet related disease could, in my humble opinion decline. 

So what about people who are eating clean nutritious foods however are not able to lose the weight? This comment was brought up in the debate and I believe it is a valid question to address.

Firstly, before anything else I believe it is important to explore the intentions behind a desire for weight loss. Do you want to lose weight because you love your body, or hate it? I believe weight loss is healthy when it stems from a healthy love of your body and a love for yourself. A knowledge that your body deserves the best nutrition you can give it. A desire to reach your own bodies best shape- not the 'skinny' shape of someone you are comparing to, but the healthy shape that your own body thrives best in. When weight loss is rooted in this positive light, the process is likely to result in less anxiety and more joy at the opportunity to nourish and nurture the body you were given. If weight loss on the other hand is is stemming from a dislike of yourself, I would encourage you to set out on a journey to learn to discover your innate value and worth. Start to question and confront the negative beliefs you have about yourself. There are many ways you can do this- journaling, mindfulness, counseling, faith. The journey will be different for different people, but the important part is acknowledging that the negative sense of self that you have may not be accurate, and making the decision to discover a more accurate truth about who you are and your value. Now, in the process, you should still be eating healthy foods, however try to center the focus around learning to love yourself as this is essential to developing a healthy relationship with food. 

So what about people who want to lose weight and are doing so out of love for their body? Well, in this scenario, learning portion limits for different foods may be helpful. I would, however encourage people to individualize this to their own body and its needs. Not everyone’s body works in the same way. Not everyone has the same daily energy expenditure. People are all shapes and sizes and have varying metabolism levels. What is a healthy portion for one person may not be a healthy portion for another. When it comes to articles that list portion limits, read them with flexibility knowing that not every person is the same. For example, the portion limit for vegetables in this article was WAY less than the portion of vegetables I eat in a day. I know I am healthy regardless of what was prescribed in this one article and therefore I was able to read this and determine the vegetable limit was in fact incorrect for me personally. I just hope that others can also adapt flexibly to these articles to reduce anxiety and guilt.

To summarize, I believe that the process of learning and utilizing portion limits will be most effective once a person has developed this healthy relationship with themselves and with food and can find a way to individualize their portion limits to their own bodies- through a dietitian, nutritionist or their own awareness of their bodies functioning and needs. 

I know that people have varying thoughts in contradiction to what I have written in this blog (clearly… from the multiple opinions that arose during the online debate) and so I would love to hear what you think about this topic. Feel free to write your own thoughts, personal stories of what has helped you in this process or what struggles you are trying to overcome. I hope and pray that more people will journey towards a love of themselves, their bodies and a desire to thrive in health. Whole health.

Exercise: How to get disciplined?

EXERCISE. To some this word brings a shudder. To others it brings excitement. Joy. Passion. Thrill. Pleasure. It is their favorite part of the day. Let me go ahead and say that the latter is not me. Not anywhere close. For me, exercise is the ultimate test of my ability to discipline myself. Though I am highly passionate about health, exercise is a muscle I am still developing... No pun intended! So this post is aimed at people like me who know that they should be exercising but have a real struggle getting there. I will share a few tips that help me in this journey, and maybe one or some of them may help you too! I would also love people to post any comments below if there are any other tips that they use to get active.

Before I get to the tips I want to cover why this topic is even important. Exercise is more than a tool for weight loss and toning. Though it can have this effect, its importance lies beyond this. Firstly, exercise is beneficial for your physical health. It can reduce the risk of health issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure & diabetes. It strengthens your body and increases energy levels. Through regular aerobic exercise your body learns to become more efficient with its use of energy. In other words, becomes increasingly fit. The fitter you are, the less fatigued you become from the same amount of work resulting in improved stamina, increased productivity and most importantly, increased health. 

As well as its physical benefits. exercise improves your mental wellbeing. When you exercise, your brain releases dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter), serotonin (the neurotransmitter that balances mood and increases sexual function) and norepinephrine (The stress response neurotransmitter that results in increased oxygen to the heart and brain causing increased awareness and improved cognition). More and more, people are realizing that exercise is a highly effective treatment for depression and anxiety. It has the ability to boost your mood, decrease stress and improve cognition, motivation and ambition. It also is a great tool for improved sex life... added bonus. 

Even if you are one of those people blessed with a high metabolism who stays skinny no matter what food you consume, exercise is still important! See it beyond merely an effective tool for weight loss. See it as a non-negotiable part of every day life that will improve your health, wellbeing, mood, energy and effectiveness at life. So... how to get disciplined?

1) Find something you like 

For some people the idea of going to a gym and running on a treadmill is the epitome of boredom and pain (I speak for myself here...). Motivating yourself to exercise will be less challenging if you can identify things you actually like to do, or at a minimum find something that you despise the least. I love going for walks in nature. I love to dance... (I suck at it, but I love it!) I love outdoor bike rides. I love to swim in the ocean. I enjoy pilates. 

If you enjoy team sports- find a team. Do you like to dance? FInd a dance class or a Zumba video on YouTube and dance along. There may be times where you choose to do a form of exercise you don't like purely because of the benefits. If, however you aren't there yet don't let that stop you from being active! Stick to what you like and then as your fitness increases you will have more stamina to conquer other, less liked forms of exercise. You may even start to like more as you increase in fitness. 

2) Can't afford a gym? 

There are plenty of other ways to exercise that don't involve a gym. Go outside for a run. Put on a YouTube video. If you prefer working out with others, make a date with friends and do an exercise video together. Park your car further away from where you need to get to, or get off at an earlier bus/train station and walk. Taking a bathroom break from work? Do some squats before going back you your desk. Spend 10 mins in the morning or evening doing push ups, tricep dips, crunches, planking. There's ways to get exercise in for no $$ (and also for people with little time) so don't let the fact that you don't have a gym membership stop you from being active.

3) Make a decision

This seems obvious... but is actually one of the best tools I use to discipline myself. I make a decision to exercise and tell myself to stick to it. I will have a million things going through my head telling me not to work out, but I fight them. I will get dressed into my exercise gear even when I don't feel like going out. Once dressed, I still have thoughts or feelings telling me not to go, but I don't let them effect my decision. I walk out the door and start jogging or I turn on that pilates video and start following along. It really is a technique of overcoming thoughts and going against feelings. Its a decision to exercise DESPITE how I feel because I know it is important and good. I haven't yet reached the point where I ever feel like working out, so I use this same technique each time I exercise. What helps me win this thought battle is remembering that I NEVER am happy about the times I give in to my feelings and don't exercise however I am ALWAYS glad when I go against my feelings and work out. 

4) Don't let your exercise goals sabotage your exercise.

What do I mean by this? Well sometimes I don't exercise at all because the thought of what I am planning to do seems too much. Setting goals can be great, but if it is causing you to stop completely then allow the goal to be decreased. If that hill on your running route makes you not want to run at all, then just walk up the hill. Does the thought of a forty-five minute workout turn you off? Then do ten minutes. Fifty laps of the pool seems too overwhelming? Then don't do fifty! But swim some laps. Now I am not saying to never set goals or push yourself. What I am saying is that if your goals are turning you off exercising at all, then they are counter-productive. Give yourself permission to adjust the goals. Something is always better than nothing. Five minutes is better than zero minutes, and who knows- once you start working out you may end up having the energy to go further than planned. But even if you don't, at least you did something! 

Finally, the simple fact that I always feel good after exercising is a motivator in itself. Though I do not like the process, once I am done I feel a sense of satisfaction and joy at what I achieved. The pain in my muscles brings a sense of accomplishment and achievement. My mood is lifted and my energy is boosted. I am ALWAYS glad that I exercised. Always. 

Exercise is a non-negotiable aspect to health. 

Insecurity

In this post I want to dive a little into the mental health aspect of health. In particular, I want to cover one topic that I find to be highly important- that is the topic of insecurity. Insecurity, I believe is a key factor underlying multiple emotional, relational, mental, behavioral and physical issues that occur in our lives. It can get in the way living a healthy life and therefore is and an issue worth exploring.

So what is insecurity? The Oxford Dictionary describes insecurity as "uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; a lack of confidence". To describe it in my own words, I believe insecurity is a lack of understanding, belief or awareness of ones intricate value and purpose. I believe each person holds value regardless of their past or present actions or circumstances. Though all people are valuable, factors such as life circumstances, social oppression, internal thought battles, words that have been spoken when they shouldn’t have or not spoken when they should have can form cracks in a persons self-identity and worth. Sometimes these cracks are so large that we have no knowledge of our worth- just negativity, fear, pain and confusion. As humans, we naturally want to protect ourselves from harm and so we cover these cracks with certain defenses. These defenses display themselves in many forms but are rooted in insecurity. Here are a few examples of how insecurity can surface itself.

1) PEOPLE PLEASING. By people pleasing, I mean adjusting your behavior around people to avoid any form of conflict or rejection and to receive approval. You continue to search for ways to please people out of a fear of rejection or a need to feel 'liked' and appreciated. There is nothing wrong with having a desire to serve people and meet their needs. What is behind this action is what is important to look at. Are you trying to please others out of a selfless attitude that wants to build them up and brighten their day? Are you trying to please others to get something in return? Are you trying to please others because you need them to like you in order to feel good about yourself? The latter is often an act of insecurity. When there are cracks in your sense of self worth, other people’s reactions to you can enter those cracks. In other words, you attribute your value, or a part of your value to how others see you. If someone likes you, you feel better. If someone does not like you or in some way rejects you, you feel worse. You will try to avoid that latter feeling by orchestrating situations to get a positive response from people. This is tiring and can often leave people feeling burnt out, drained and resentful. Confidence and security holds an awareness that ones value lies beyond what others think or perceive of them. You can leave a situation of rejection and assess what you may have done wrong or what you may need to change, as well as understand that there may be things about that other person that need to change, however that is not your role. Your confidence remains because you know your worth is not determined by people’s perceptions or acceptance. I am not saying there won't be an emotional response. A confident person may still feel hurt attached to rejection, but their sense of self is not shattered. 

2) ARROGANCE: Someone who displays arrogance and a lack of humility may actually be defending against insecurities. For example, psychological theory behind clinical narcissism is that the person is defending against an extremely weak sense of self. Due to that extreme insecurity, the narcissist cannot attach any negativity to themselves without crumbling, and so will project weaknesses or negatives onto others while seeing themselves in an unrealistic, grandiose, 'puffed up' light. It is a wall of protection they have formed to cover up extreme insecurity. In psychology terms, this is their “false self”. Though clinical narcissism is is an extreme example, there are aspects of this behavior that we can find ourselves adopting at times in defense of certain insecurities we hold. Though often perceived as weakness, it in fact takes strength and confidence to be humble- to acknowledge and accept both your strengths and weaknesses while remaining whole and secure. A secure person can accept negatives about themselves because they view them as separate from their innate value. Though arrogance and confidence are often mixed up by people, they are in fact in contradiction to one another.  

3) PRIDE AND DEFENSIVENESS. This can go hand in hand with the above paragraph of arrogance however also has some differences. I will use myself as an example for this one. Many times when I receive negative feedback such as an observation of a mistake I made or an aspect of my behavior that needs to change I put up a wall of defense. Many of my arguments with my husband stem from defending against things I myself need to change because I don’t want to hear it (or vice versa...). My immediate reaction is to formulate excuses and rationalizations for my behavior or attitude stemming from a desire to avoid being seen in a negative light. At times I have made up complete lies just to avoid a negative critique being attached to me.  In addition to external assessment, insecurity can cause me to defend against self-assessment. I will rationalize intentions and actions in my head or make up lies in an effort to avoid self-critique. Insecurity turns self-critique into an attack against my value rather than a healthy tool for growth. It takes confidence and security to hear negative feedback and process it in a healthy manner. Not all negative feedback is accurate, but a confident person can hear it, process it and decide what they need to change and what in fact may not be true and they can discard. Hearing negative feedback won’t make a secure person crumble because it doesn't define them. I am definitely not perfect at this, but just having an awareness of the role insecurity plays in my reactions can help me make efforts to push past the pride and try to accurately self assess with humility. It doesn't come naturally, it is a conscious choice I make because I know that pride and defensiveness will prevent me from growing in maturity and character. 

There are many other ways insecurity surfaces in our lives and It will be too long to write a paragraph for each one! To briefly list some other examples, insecurity can surface in negative thoughts towards self/self attacking or loathing, unhealthy dependency on others, fear to step out & take risks or chances, inability to forgive yourself or others, fear to speak up when needed, avoiding stepping through doors of opportunity, self doubt, a lack of life goals and ambitions, easily taking offense, poor eating, giving up, receiving what is said to you by others through an inaccurate or skewed lens, inaction out of fear of failure, unhealthy relationship choices, compromising your values for fear of rejection, negative self-talk, anxiety and much more. I am not saying that whenever you see or experience any of the above you should always diagnose it as “insecurity”. What I am saying is that insecurity can lead to these things and so it important to spend time investing in developing your self worth and confidence. So how do we do this?

For me, investing in my understanding of my value has been through my spiritual journey and faith- holding a belief that I was created with purpose and value and am loved unconditionally. The “fathers love letter” has been helpful to read when I feel doubt about my worth. Other helpful means to develop self-confidence could be through counseling/therapy to confront how the past has impacted on your present. Counseling can help you explore your beliefs about your value and work towards restructuring these beliefs into a more accurate and positive account. It can help heal the cracks in your sense of self so it becomes stronger and more secure.

Additionally, make efforts to become more conscious of your thoughts and reactions to situations. Be mindful. It is easy to critique others and see their role in how you are feeling. It takes more effort to self assess your own role in a situation- regardless of how at fault the other person was. Questions to ask yourself could include:

 What false belief do I hold about myself that is causing me to react this way”?

What is it that is making me chase after this person’s approval?

What was it in me that caused me so feel so offended?

What is making me so afraid to apply for this job?

What is making me stay with this person even though they are abusive or devalue me?

Why am I treading on eggshells around this person?

Why am I afraid to speak honestly in this situation?

Why do I feel like running away from this opportunity?

To summarize, confidence and a strong sense of self-worth are important for many aspects of your life: Important to be able to separate others opinions of you from your value. Important for making healthy relationship decisions. Important for being able to take direction and correction. Important for healthy communication- both in how you express yourself and in how you receive information. Important for developing increased ambition and taking risks towards life goals and dreams. Important for confronting fear and doubt. Important for health! Do whatever it takes to invest in developing a healthy sense of self that is secure and confident. We will never be perfectly secure, but we should continue to aim towards this. Invest in it, grow in it and value it.  Learn to love yourself unconditionally!

Health Gripes

I feel a little hypocritical writing this post as normally I get irritated at people complaining online, however this is exactly what I am going to be doing! So here goes my hypocritical post. I'll be writing about two of my gripes when it comes to health- firstly, the diet industry and secondly, the idea of diets being restrictive. I want to point out my issues with both of these as I believe that  although disguised at times as "healthy", they can actually get in the way of health. 

So, lets discuss my first gripe- the diet industry. "Diet" foods are so widely marketed across the media to encourage weight loss. The idea that is put forward is that if something is low in calories, it is good to eat. Words such as "low fat" ,"fat free", "vegan", "gluten free"  or "low calorie" are widely used to appeal to people trying to be healthy. Attaching a buzz word, however does not make it healthy. Diet soda may be zero calories but you are basically drinking liquid poison. Aspartame, for example in most artificial sweeteners  has multiple effects, including triggering your hunger response so your mind tells you to eat more. It can therefore lead to weight gain, not to mention the health effects of drinking all those artificial chemicals. Foods could be labeled as "vegan" however still can contain harmful ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated soybean oil. Confectionary is marketed as "fat free" or "low fat", even though it is almost completely processed sugar; the same with many yoghurts that say "low fat". Most potato, cheese or tortilla chips, as well as microwave popcorn and kettle corn can all claim to be gluten free. Nut butters may say "all natural" or "organic", however they may have other ingredients added like sugars or hydrogenated oils. The only ingredient should be the actual nut! I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Make an effort to actually read labels and ingredient lists, rather than going straight to the claims the product makes. It is a simple change to make, but will be highly effective in shifting to healthier ways.

The second gripe I have is the idea of restriction. Now before I go on there is one aspect of restriction that I think is important, and that is linked to my paragraph above. It is important to avoid foods that are highly processed, containing harmful chemicals or synthetic man-made nutrients. The kind of restriction I am talking about is the mindset that in order to lose weight we have to torture ourselves by excessive elimination of all fats, sugars and carbs etc. Though this may contribute to weight loss or detox in the short term, it is not, in my opinion a viable long term solution for healthy living. How can we sustain  something that is so torturous? Now I know there are always exceptions, and some people may find this style of dieting helpful and be able to sustain it long-term. I also believe however that it is unhelpful for many other people who have cravings and enjoy tasty food. It can lead to feelings of guilt if there is ever a "slip up" from the high restriction standards we have set. It can also lead people to give up, as they feel like being healthy is too difficult, boring or restrictive. What has helped for me in this situation is to hold a mindset of ADDITION. Add in healthy, whole, nutritious foods to your diet. As well as healthy vegetables and whole grains, you can add in good fats such as avocados or coconut oil. If you are craving something sweet, add in healthier versions such as raw honey, coconut sugar, fresh fruit or other unrefined sugars. The more healthy options you add in, the less room there will be for the unhealthy foods. Say you really want pizza for dinner and just can't hold off from this craving. Instead of pizza being the only food you eat that meal, have a big healthy salad alongside it. The salad will 1) help you feel full sooner so you don't eat as much pizza and 2) add nutritional value to your meal. The more I have added in healthy foods to my diet, the more I start to become excited by healthy food on my plate and my body now craves nutritional meals. Maybe over time you will be excited by a cauliflower crust pizza and start to crave that instead of regular pizza! It may take time to reach the point where you completely crave healthy nutritious meals, but don't let that stop you from trying. To be healthy  does not have to involve painful restrictive diets that leave you feeling tortured. Choose to add something healthy to each meal you eat.  

Feel free to post any thoughts or any questions that you have about health that you may want addressed in future posts. Also I would love to hear from you about any ways you have added healthy food to your meal and how it worked out. 

Heather xo

Redefining "Health"

Well, after much talk around starting a health blog combined with large levels of procrastination, I am finally getting this thing up and running. Several of you have requested I start writing about my health journey, from food advice, recipes, nutrition lessons and information about my handmade skincare. So here is is!

As mentioned in the sites "about" section, my journey to becoming healthy has been one of ups and downs, mistakes and achievements. I used to believe that to be healthy meant to be skinny; to have thigh gaps; to eat diet foods in an attempt to minimize calorie intake and maximize weight loss. Oh how things have changed over time! Now these ideas I used to hold are what I am trying to battle against. I want inspire people to grasp hold of a deeper understanding of health that incorporates healthy minds (mind strength and mental health), physical health (fitness and clean eating) and spiritual health (having a sense of your purpose here on earth that incorporates something greater than your own self). I want to see people well in their soul, mind and body. Not aiming to be skinny; but aiming to be healthy.

I believe all these above aspects of health are interconnected and important. For example, having a sense of purpose for our lives that stretches beyond ourselves can increase our sense of self worth. Increased understanding of our value and self-worth can improve the health of our minds. When our mental health is strong and we have a positive outlook on ourselves and life, we will be more inspired to eat well and exercise. Eating well can give us energy we need to enhance our fitness. Exercising boosts our mental health, as does eating whole, nutritious, clean food. So it goes on... Health runs deep.

I believe each person on this earth is uniquely valuable and carries an important purpose for their life. In this belief lies my passion to inspire people towards health. The more healthy people are, the more they will live in their purpose and achieve great things with their gifts and talents. YOU are important and are worth making the choices and investments needed to thrive in health. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Feel free to ask me any questions or make any suggestions on topics you may like to be covered in future posts.

Be well,

Heather