Conquering The New Year Resoloution Fail Habit

First off, I hope you had a very happy Christmas! I hope you all got some lovely presents and had a great time with friends and family :-)

Now it's that time of year when motivation for a better life style seems to come upon us...
But how many of us actually stick to it?

The answer is, sadly not many of us!

And I'm pretty sure why...
As I have witnessed over this attitude for a few years now, including myself - it never occurred to me till now, that most of us seem to get caught up in a pretty vicious cycle.
It usually comes down to one word. One word that we all hate, and shudder when we think about it. You have probably guessed it - That word, Is DIET!

To put things straight, from what I have learned, is that the word and actions of 'diets' are negative, useless, border line evil and most of all, usually one big CON!

We seem to kid ourselves every year - 'New year, New me!'
Sounds great! But we always seem to start off on the wrong foot. And that's by starting a diet.

"This new year I'm going to go on a diet and lose some weight"

(goes and eats equivalent weight in food)....

I wonder why he/she has done that!

Diets as we all know, forbid certain foods - be it carbs, fat, sugar, or all 3! at least one thing will be off the menu.
So what happens when we forbid, or plan to forbid food?
We want it more than ever! It's a very simple form of reverse psychology.


You will always want what you can't have - That doughnut will smell a hundred times nicer, and those chips will be smelt over a mile away... IF you forbid them from entering your mouth...

I can't stand how 'diet' businesses suck us in! There's a key word here... Which is business.
A business aim is to make money, profit, and returning customers. A customer that visits and never returns after service is bad, so - A diet business that encourages you to pay on a regular basis is never going to have long lasting results, unless you keep paying for that product!

Do yourself a favour this year - Don't join a diet club, unless it's FREE!

Why not try something different?
Break the new year habit, and actually positively change something in your life. Change something that you know will stay changed forever, for the better.

So what could you do that's different from the usual diet resolution?

It's easier that you think!

Make simple, achievable pledges - like;

Cut down, or cut out meat -
This could be something really simple, like putting an end to processed meats like ham and pepperoni slices, or swapping sausages for a vegetarian alternative.

Swap indulgent snacks for healthier ones - I'm not going to suggest swapping a chocolate bar for a piece of fruit! Because when someone suggests that to me, I secretly get really annoyed! It's just not the same!!
If you like fruit, aim to eat more of it, but if you're not a fruit fan, there's lots of healthy snack alternatives.
If you like cakes and biscuits, why not try Nakd Bars. They are a great sweet alternative - My favourites flavours are the Gingerbread, Strawberry Crunch and Bakewell Tart. At less than 200 calories a bar, they're much better than that slice of cake, and what's better is that they are calories that your body can use, as the bars are made mainly from dates and nuts - Don't judge until you have tried them!
  If you really want to treat yourself, Graze are a really healthy snack company. You can choose from hundreds of snacks, they even have special diet filters to make choosing that little bit easier. You get 4 snacks in the post, just make sure you only have one snack in a day to insure optimum snack control!

Cut down on the fizzy junk! Shop bought fizzy drinks are seriously unhealthy! Sugary or not - They are full of chemicals that our bodies can't use (therefore dehydrating us) Fizzy drinks are known to give us mood swings, food cravings, headaches... The list could go on. So do yourself a favour and cut out the conventional fizz.
Why not try making your own, Healthy fizzy drink? It's easy!
Just buy (or make) some fizzy water and add your favourite fruit juice (not from concentrate) If you want to make it taste a bit sweeter, just add a little xylitol to sweeten things up a bit.
Should you really want that one glass of regular fizzy pop, then have it! if you forbid yourself, you are just more likely to binge on it later.

Remember that we are not forbidding ourselves from anything, you are choosing to have healthier options because we want to lead better, healthier lives.

Swap some of your sugar intake with XylitolXylitol is a Natural, Safe Sweetener that's great for dental health, and helps keep your bones strong!
It's a lot sweeter than sugar, so you will need to use less, for instance if you have 2 sugars in your tea, you will only need one teaspoon of Xylitol. This is a very simple change that could give very good results! And it much cheaper than a diet club membership.
Just remember that too much xylitol (just like other sweeteners) can give a laxative effect, so if you have lots of cups of tea and/or coffee a day, I would suggest you try to cut down on those drinks too.

Less Caffeine...
This is always a sensitive subject for people, as we just love our caffeine. But there's a glimmer of hope for you!
1-3 cups of coffee a day is actually good for you! But if you are having more than 3 cups a day, then I'm afraid that's not so good. Caffeine dehydrates the body, and as we all know is addictive. Try cutting down to 2 cups a day (one in the morning, one late afternoon before 5pm, or save the second or third cup for those evening shifts) Cut down one cup at a time. Once you are used to having one less cup a day, cut the next one out and so on, until you are at 2-3 cups maximum a day.
If you suffer from IBS, it might be wise to only have one cup a day after a meal, or no cups at all, as coffee can aggravate the digestive system.

Have more plant based meals
Meat free meals are quick to make, easier to digest, and are often much cheaper! Grab some vegetarian magazines to get familiar, and give it a go!
I have some easy plant based recipes here on my blog

Eat Organic Where You Can Another very simple life change. It costs a little more, but I find that if I pay a little extra for my food, I'm less likely to waste it. Organic salad ingredients is a great place to start, simply because it tastes nicer!

Why not try ordering a salad box from Riverford or Abel and Cole? Or a local organic farm?

Walk More
Now this could sound like a really drab tip... but with a little motivation on nicer weather days, you could really benefit from this simple life change. Just 5-10 minutes of direct sunlight gives you your RDA of Vitamin D in any temperature, plus, walking being a form of exercise, will boost your mood, and of course, burn some calories.
You could try walking to the next bus stop, park your car further away from your destination, or make a pledge to go for a walk round the block - Or, take a vow to go for a country walk at least once a week, either by yourself for some self reflection time, or with a friend to make it more pleasant if you like company.

Happy Therapy!
It's good for everything, and I will recommend it for everything! Plan something different to do each week. Not only is this a great motivation, it helps by keeping your brain active, and is an opportunity to make some great memories too :-)
Here's some activities you could do that are cheap or practically free!
Country walk destinations
Swimming
Picnics
Batch cooking healthy meals
Making homemade pizza with friends/family
volunteering somewhere for a day
Explore a town or village that you've never been to before
Movie nights with loved ones
Alcohol free cocktail and pamper parties at home
Pen pals
Yoga Class
In fact, any form of fun or relaxing exercise class!
Gardening (burns body fat and you could grow your own salad!)
Blogging, of course,
Reading,
Buying books from a charity shop and re-donating it when you're finished.

There are SO many ways you could change your life for the better. You don't need to change much in one go either. A small change each year could build to a whole new life style in just a few years! You will be healthier, and probably happier, if you just change one thing at a time.

Don't punish yourself anymore with diets. Change the things in life that will benefit YOU! If you know that a piece of junk food will send you off on a mood swing, take a big step and change that habit in a way that will make you feel better.

Only set yourself achievable goals (that includes goals where you may need to push yourself just a little)
Never overload yourself with pressure. Life is meant to be healthy and happy, not one or the other.

Do what feels right for YOU

Once you have cut the junk, and the fad diets, you will start to realise the better things in life. What those better things are, are for you to find out on your journey.

I hope you all have a happy, healthy, and fun new year, and that this post has filled you with confidence that you have the power to change your life for the better, without having to spend tonnes of money on diet clubs.

Living With a Chronic Health Condition

It isn't easy! And it isn't cheap!

So here's some tips that I find helpful for everyday living, with my chronic illness.

I'm thinking about writing a book of tips for living with long term health conditions, so I'm using this post as a taster I guess... I hope you find these tips helpful, let me know what you think.

The tips I give are not medical advice. If you are not sure about anything consult your medical professional.


Here we go...


The benefits and work guide
It's about £12 a year, but the help and advice can be priceless...


An electric toothbrush -
No need to scrub your teeth with all your might wasting precious energy! An electric toothbrush takes less energy to use, with better cleaning results. (Don't forget to use those floss sticks!)

Pantyliners -
Sounds silly, but on some days, they are a life saver!
You can get 3 boxes of 50 for less than £2 from Superdrug when they are on special offer (they don't seem to have the pack of 50 online, so get someone to buy them for you, otherwise you can buy 30 for 99p a box which still isn't a bad price.) If you want to be as organic as possible, you could try Naturacare Pantyliners, Organyic, - or Washable Pantyliners which could work out cheaper in the long run, they're very comfy, and come in lots of different pretty patterns too!
I find Pantyliners so useful, especially for those days when changing clothes is too difficult, changing a pantyliner keeps me feeling cleaner, making those horrid days feel a little less yucky.

Infrared Heat pad -
Do some research/consult your doctor before going ahead and buying one for yourself to make sure it's suitable. I have found that my infrared heat pad was money well worth spent! I use it everyday (even on hot days!) it has multiple heat settings, and really helps my deep chronic pains and stiff muscles/joints. It's a life saver for menstrual pains as well. It also has a built in timer which I find really useful.  I bought my heat pad straight from Firzone to be sure I got a legitimate product.

Muscle rubs -
If your tummy is too sensitive for painkillers (or find that they just don't work) Natural muscle rubs do exist! So there's no need to feed toxins to your body for some light relief
(don't use muscle rub and heat pads together as it's not a pleasant experience!)
you can buy hot or cold muscle products, I love Natural Hero as it's very good value for what it is.
If you want to go super natural, you could try this product from HandMadeNaturals or Gwdihw 25g if you want to try something natural but a bit cheaper - You can also buy Gwdihw 75g

All of these muscle rubs are made in the UK!


Ice Packs -
Another method that can help ease hot swollen joints, heat surges and general muscle aches.


Water and hydration -
It's the simplest tip, but easily forgotten.
Water is best absorbed when something has been infused in it. Make your water super healthy by infusing lemon, or something that's easier on the stomach like cucumber, or aloe vera,  or grapes and apples. It also gives a lovely taste to the water without the need for toxic juices that contain lots of sugars and sweeteners. Add whatever fruit/veg you like!

Deep breathing for 10 minutes, 3 times a day -
It's relaxing, easy, and free!
breathe in, feeling your tummy raise (not your chest) Lower deep breathing is more relaxing and energising and helps the body regenerate quicker. Breathing chest first is very tiring and can leave you 'air hungry' so doing this exercise 3 times a day could help you feel a little better (little is better than nothing right?!)


Silent Time -
Sometimes we can get wrapped up with lots of noise - Be it tv, music, people talking (even it's quiet) Reading, thinking too much (I class that as noise too)
It's good to get at least ten minutes of silent space, preferably outside each day.
If you can't get outside, opening a window could be the next best thing.

Face Masks
Using a face mask is a great excuse to get some Silent Time! It's also something good to focus on and makes time feel more productive if you like to feel as though you're doing something.
Boy's - This includes you too!
You may think that face masks are a girly thing, but they are very relaxing, and if you find the right face mask, your skin will benefit too! Detoxing can cause spots and blemishes - Face masks also aid the skin when your body is detoxing, helping to get rid of the spots so that the skin can heal quicker and easier. I love the face mask powders from HandMadeNaturals - And I can't wait to try these face masks from Akamuti - Especially the Chocolate and Marshmallow Mask!


Rescue Remedy -
A brilliant little remedy that can help anxiety and stress levels for those days when these emotions become too dominant. Using this along side the other stress management methods is always a good idea!

CBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is often shunted at, probably because some people have claimed that it's 'cured them'
Well fear not - I'm not claiming that. However it's a really good tool to have as it will help keep the mind demons at bay that can occur when dealing with a long term health condition.

Isolation, depression, anxiety... countless mental health problems can sink in when one has been unwell for a very long time. This is actually pretty normal, but it doesn't mean that you have to accept it, as it will just make your quality of life worse if you don't fight it. And CBT can help you fight these horrid symptoms that can occur with chronic health conditions.

It will not improve your energy, it will not get rid of pain - But, it will help you cope with them better, and it will give you professional support through the tough things that chronic health can throw at you.

Limit your screen time -
It can be hard to do, especially when one's housebound, but it's worth it!
I don't watch much tv anymore, and I try really hard to limit my screen time on my phone and computer, because I have noticed how much energy it takes!
Why not try and split your screen time into half an hour intervals, resting for at least 10 minutes before you head back to the screens. On bad days make the breaks longer, as screen time can really drain energy without you realising.

Record the programmes you want to watch so you can spread them out throughout the weeks - I find my tv recorder a really good pacing tool because I love tv but if I watch it for more than an hour I feel rubbish! So it's great that I can watch things at my own pace, pause, or turn off when I like.


Coloured acetate for computer screens.
It's a really cheap and easy way to help light sensitivity and to reduce blue light exposure, and possibly help with insomnia.
I have personally found that with an orange sheet of acetate over my computer screen, my eyes don't 'burn out' so quickly. I bought some different warm shaded colours from Arty Folk and favoured orange. (don't buy any blue pigmented colours like purples and greens - stick to yellows, oranges, browns and reds)

Blue light reduction apps
Blue light isn't healthy at night as it tricks the brain into thinking it's morning. So reducing blue light exposure at night could actually help if you struggle to sleep or relax. It's no cure, but something is better than nothing.

If you don't fancy having a coloured sheet over your screen, try one of the free apps or programs that are available like F.lux  it's free to download and can easily be turned off if you need to do anything creative like photo editing.


Nature -
Listening to nature can be naturally calming. birdsong, rain, the sound of the sea...
It's the only form of noise that I consider to be therapeutic. So if you're struggling to shut your mind of for some quiet time, invest in a nature cd and listen to it at least once a day.

Happy outings -
You want to spend your time wisely. So days when you're not visiting the doctor, and have rested enough, going out needs to be therapeutic.

Going to parks, cafes, restaurants, the beach is a great way to get some lovely fresh air and that much needed vitamin D from the sun. Or going to shops like The Range, The works, or other hobby shops can be really fulfilling and fun to go to.

What's better is that most of these places are wheelchair friendly!

Air out your home daily.
It's a brilliant routine to have - Opening the windows each day (preferably in the morning) to bring in lovely fresh air whilst ushering out the bad, stagnant stuff. I always feel much more uplifted and positive after airing out my home for a good 20 minutes.
  Fresh air is always good, even when it's cold! Blow out those cobwebs!

Fans -
Keep the air circulation in your home with a couple of electric fans whilst windows are closed.

Himalayan salt lamps -

A stagnant house is an unhappy house, so it's really important to keep the place you spend the most time in naturally fresh and positive.

Lip Balms - Link
Sounds simple, but it can make each day a little different. I have an array of different flavoured natural lip balms which I use each day, it's a nice gentle way to stimulate the senses in a gentle way whilst making your lips nice and soft too. Be sure to get natural lip balm and not petroleum jelly based balms.


Keep one room tidy -
If you struggle to to tidy up - Don't stress about it. No one likes living in a mess, so I decided that if I can keep just one room tidy, I can go to that room if I need to escape from reality.
The room I keep tidy is usually the spare room, as it never gets used! If I need to relax, but my bedroom is a mess, it's the place I go to.
When I have got a little bit of energy to tidy, I simply tidy in 5 minute bursts a day so I don't overexert myself.

Kitchen Gadgets -
Gadgets like a NutriBullet or Breville Family Blender; A Food Processor, Slow Cooker, and Dishwasher (I have a full size dishwasher)
Have all been the most helpful gadgets I and my family have invested in over the years. (not forgetting the microwave)

Make a breakfast or lunch smoothie in less than 5 minutes with the smoothie gadgets mentioned above, or make your own nut mylk - they're super easy to clean too!

Cut down food preperation time with a food processor and just place the used components in the dishwasher after use! With a food processor you can also make super healthy treats and snacks like nut truffles, raw cheesecake, and raw protein bars. ( I have the kenwood as it was the best cheap one I could find, but if you are noise sensitive, I suggest using ear plugs, or buying a MagiMix food processor as it's a much better quality machine with a very low noise level when it's in use, just be prepared for it's ridiculous price tag!)

Throw ingredients and water into a slow cooker before bed or in the morning, turn on, and leave to cook all day, it's the easiest way to have a healthy dinner freshly cooked. You could makes ready meals by freezing any leftovers too.

Shopping online
As fun as it can be to sometimes go out, shopping for daily essentials and food can really be a waste of energy!
Buy your food online, so you can spend your energy on better things, like visiting your local park, favourite cafe for lunch, or a tearoom, for tea and cake of course...

I love ordering my veg from Riverford, or Able and Cole. Knowing that my veg is organic, fresh AND local, it's a win all round. Yes, it does cost more, but I cut back on other things where I can. 
On weeks when I can't afford these lovely veg boxes, I buy organic veg from the supermarket online.

So I get my veggies mainly from Riverford, cupboard food from the major supermarkets depending on what vouchers I have, supplements mainly from Bodykind (Sometimes I take a special outing to Holland and Barrett as it's next to a coffee shop so I can sit down after) Beauty products from Naturisimo, Lucy Rose (free delivery over £15), HandMadeNaturals (not free delivery but the products are amazing) And have recently found another shop, Love Lula.

Apart from the supermarkets... most of the web shops mentioned above offer Free Delivery in the UK
What's great about shops that offer free delivery on any purchase is the fact that I don't have to buy everything at once, so I'm not spending lots of money in one go just to get free postage.

Get someone to batch cook for you.
It could be a healthier alternative if someone makes homemade ready meals for you from scratch. Just be sure to freeze homemade food within 24 hours of making them, to use fresh frozen meals within one month of freezing and always make sure food is piping hot throughout before eating.

Perfume Free Home...
Unless you use essential oils and natural products to scent your home, regular air fresheners and scented candles contain lots of toxic chemicals, and from personal experience, can worsen your symptoms.

I realised this a few years ago, when I noticed that my fatigue and headaches would get much worse every time I visited my parents house, then when I left, my health improved again. When I asked my mum to  store away her scented products and to air her home out a week before I arrived, I found that every time we did the test, my symptoms did not worsen as they usually did. I always notice my symptoms worsen when I visit a home that uses artificially scented products the minute I walk through the door.

Get rid of those scented candles, air fresheners, scented plug ins, diffusers, and carpet fresheners - Natural alternatives are available!

Essential Oils
There are so many essential oils, there is bound to be one for you!
Because it's difficult and stressful living with a chronic health condition, the ones I find most helpful are calming and energizing.
Litsea: Although energizing, it's also good for calming anxiety, aiding good quality sleep, and helps digestion.
Lavender: Good for headaches and stress.
Chamomile Roman: Goes well with Lavender and it also calming.
Grapefruit: Smells like cheesecake and is very uplifting!

Add essential oils to unscented massage oils or products; Use them as a foot or bath soak - just be careful as oils are slippery.

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