 1975 One day, 11 years ago, I was sitting at my parents' dining table eating Sunday lunch with them. I was in the midst of my PhD and had gone home for a visit and a quiet weekend. My Dad had been struggling with his health all winter, but was finally on the mend and in good spirits. He was enjoying his longed for retirement. We were arguing, as usual, about something trivial to do with recycling. Everything was completely normal.
And then his head rolled forward, he struggled to breathe and he collapsed. A massive heart attack. He never regained consciousness, and died 3 days later. That stupid argument about recycling was our last ever conversation.
What left me utterly shocked by this experience - aside from the obvious grief and pain - was the SUDDENNESS. It was totally out of the blue, on totally normal day. One minute alive and the next...gone.
Before this, I knew theoretically that death can take us at any moment, but I don't think I really believed it. Surely there would be some kind of warning, a premonition to put all our affairs in order and only have kind, deep conversations with our loved ones. The realisation that in fact we have NO IDEA left me scarred. Since then I've found it terribly difficult to make any kind of plans for the future or to wait patiently for things to happen. Because I might be dead. Any minute.
Tempting fate
My fear of death has not manifested itself in an exciting "eat, drink and be merry! Seize the day!" kind of way, but more in a hidden but crippling anxiety and fear of making plans. At my recent interview for a new job I was asked what I planned to be doing in 5 years time. While on the outside, my mouth was giving my prepared, acceptable answer, on the inside I was screaming "5 years! Are you mad? How can I plan 5 years in advance when I can barely plan next week?"
It just seems too risky to make any kind of positive goals when perhaps (probably) the gods will turn around and laugh, and see how it would be funniest to totally screw up those plans. It feels like hubris to assume that this time next year, my life will still be good, I'll still be healthy and my family will be fine. Far better to not think about it at all. Perhaps if I stay hidden and try to slip under their radar, the gods won't notice me at all.
So when I read Leonie Dawson's article this week about "The Power of Goals", it made me feel very, very nervous. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. Goals? Scary. Why tempt fate? I actually wondered how DARE someone have that many goals, be that ambitious.How do you find the faith or the boldness to say "This. This is what I want" without the terror of repercussions?
What if?
But if I don't know where I want to be in 5 years or 1 year or this summer, where am I heading? I am on a rudderless ship, drifting on the tides, hoping someday I'll finally wash up on a tropical island.
Or maybe I'm a passenger on someone else's boat, just going along for the ride (and feeling a bit seasick).
And what if, just an idea, I'm really still alive in 5 years time? Will I still be drifting? On what distant shore could I have washed up on, if I just go with the tide?
What if I do take the wheel, and then I screw up and get eaten by sharks? What if making my goals and following my heart means that everybody else around me is miserable? What if my goals are stupid?
But it's clear. No matter how deep my fears, or how little faith I have, it's time to have the courage to make some goals. Even if I add the words "if I'm still alive" to each of them. Even if I don't really believe that they can come true. Even if it means looking my own mortality in the face and saying "bring it on".
Where to begin
I may not be here in 5 years, 1 year, tomorrow. Or I may have another 60 years left on this earth. I have no idea. None of us can know. This is the pain and the beauty of life.
This is what I do know. I know that I want to leave something behind. I know how I would like my children to remember their mama. I know what kind of life I want to lead for the rest of my days, however many they may be. And I want to live my life, not drift through it anymore.
So this is how I will begin. No assumptions or hubris. Just the deep knowing about who I am and who I want to be. A map of where I want to go, but also the enjoyment of the journey, the detours, the meanderings and the crazy, fascinating people that I meet along the way. This is a point to start getting over my fear. To start plotting a course. To be willing to have the courage to take the wheel of my own ship.
If I want to fully live this life and love the shit out of it I have to be willing to take the risk of stating what I want and where I am heading.
I owe it to my Dad.
 Conquering a life-long fear of waves. Fear. It has been my constant companion for as long as I can remember. Fear of, well, just about everything really. I'm a highly sensitive, shy, fearful person. It's the way I'm made. Some of my fears tip over into true phobia territory and colour my whole life. Others are just background noise that bug me.
Writing this blog brings up a lot of fear for me, putting myself out there, writing honestly about who I am and what I believe in. It's why my posts come in fits and starts, as I deal with the fear for a while before it overwhelms me again. But I for so many years I felt desperately alone and different from everyone else. Watching my own children as they grow - one of whom is cautious and scared of many things just like me, and the other who is very unfearful in general, just like my husband - has shown me how much of this is in my nature and not something that is wrong with me. If you're a naturally timid, highly sensitive person like me, that doesn't make you any less loveable and valuable than someone who is not. There's not something wrong with you. We're just wired differently. And you are not alone. I understand. I like to think it means that we just have a more vivid imagination.
So today I want to share the ways I have found to deal with fear and I hope they may help someone else too.
1. Forgive yourself
It's totally ok to feel afraid. Everyone is afraid of something. As children, we often learn to be ashamed of our fears and hide them. (Seriously parents, don't tell your children that they're being silly. The fear is not silly to them, it's huge.) The truth is that everyone feels fear of something, the difference is what it is, and how we handle it. Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid. ~Franklin P. Jones
2. Return to the present moment
Fears are usually things that may happen sometime in the future. Unless there's something specific to be scared of now, such as a bear attack - in which case let that fight or flight response kick in - bring your attention fully to the moment you are in can let the feelings of fear slowly calm down.
You can do this by consciously relaxing your shoulders and focusing on breathing slowly in and out. Then, feel the ground beneath your feet. Notice the way your clothes feel against your skin, the wind against your face, the sun on your cheeks. Listen to the birds singing, the sounds around you, or the ticking of a nearby clock.
Children are happy because they don't have a file in their minds called 'All The Things That Could Go Wrong'. ~Marianne Williamson
3. Identify what you're really afraid of
Get to the source of your fear. This can be quite tricky but you probably have some default settings that you will find most fears come back to. For me, my default fear is the fear of rejection by people. Doing anything that may cause someone, somewhere to reject me or feel anger at me sets me off into a fear cycle. It's only by seeing this and acknowledging it that I can begin to break the cycle. Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free. ~Jim Morrison
4. Play the video to the end
What's the absolute worst that could happen? Is it likely? Most of our fears are just pictures and scary movies that we play out in our minds. Because this happens without us being really aware of it, we don't even realise that that's what we're doing. If you consciously stop and watch the video to the end, you may find that what you're afraid of is not very likely at all. I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. ~Nelson Mandela
5. Decide
Is the fear telling you something worth hearing, is there something that you really need to be afraid of (such as a dark alley late at night or a strange noise coming from your car engine)? Or is the fear being fantastically overblown by your subconscious mind (everyone will laugh at you and hate you and you'll die alone and be eaten by your cats?). Trust your instincts. If there is no immediate danger, if the stories your head is telling you are not Truth, make the decision. What is more important to you - your fear or the Scary Thing that you want to do? Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon
 Shazza 6. Find your superhero alter ego
Shazza is my alter ego. Shazza plays football and does triathlons and writes this blog. She does the things that Charlotte is afraid to do. They're both me, but they are two different sides of me, and when I'm feeling too scared to try something, I can decide to be Shazza for a while.
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward. ~ Amelia Earhart
7. What if you just can't?
If the fear is too strong this time, that's ok. This is not a competition and it's not a race. Don't compare yourself to others and think that you shouldn't be afraid - you have no idea what they are afraid of. Just grow a little bit stronger, take teeny tiny steps and be kind to yourself. Remember the little tiny child who still lives on in your heart. Reach out for help or a listening, understanding (non-judgemental!) ear. Hug your dog or your children. Live to fight another day. Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. ~Mary Anne Radmacher
What are you afraid of? How do you overcome your fears? Do you have a favourite quote on fear? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Have a beautiful, gentle week,
 Winter sunshine The story of my life seems to be learning how to be happy. My habit is to keep banging away at things that don't work for me because I believe that I have to be strong and stoic in order to be a worthwhile person. I'm slowly allowing myself to admit that it's ok to do the things that make me happy, not what I think that other people think that I should be doing.
It's not always easy to admit to yourself when something's not working for you, to do what feels right to you. But not all experiments are successful ones. We have to try and try and try again to find out what works. And that's perfectly ok, because sometimes you learn more from a failed experiment than from a successful one.
Here's what I learned from my January inner sparkle experiment:
1. Posting every day absolutely doesn't work for me. It stifles me and becomes a big dose of "should". I prefer to put much more thought and time into my writing. And after a long day at my office, I don't want to have to choose between spending time with my children or getting a blog post out. (Right now I'm writing this with my son on my lap).
I'm learning to put my own inner sparkle first. From now on I'll be sharing posts 1-2 times per week.
2. Learning more about mood-boosting foods was amazing and eating them genuinely helped my mood. I will definitely be researching and writing more about this. I also loved writing about healing your heart and soul.
On the other hand, writing about different types of exercise made me seize up with boredom. Oh!
And I realised, I don't just want to write about fitness anymore. Because that's what I really want to do. I want to help you to heal your heart and soul, and I know that healthy, compassionate exercise is a vital part of that - a part that often gets overlooked. But it's not the only part.
So I'm going to allow myself to write about whatever fires me up and shares my heart's truth. Because that's my job in this life.
3. It's ALL about finding what works for YOU, your life, your personality, your soul. Whether we're talking about fitness or blogging or eating or working - what works for me may not work for you, what works for your mum may be completely a bad fit for your current life, and what worked for you yesterday may not be right today. That does not mean that there is anything wrong with you! It means that there's a better fit somewhere.
If you want to create an amazing life, find out what makes you feel amazing. And then do it.
4. I love helping women to feel healthier and fitter, making positive changes in their lives, but I don't want to be a part of the fitness industry that tells you that there is something wrong with you that needs to be fixed, or that you are in any way flawed.
I don't want to impose any more rules or "shoulds" on anyone, I want to teach you to find your own sparkling and wonderful life. I want to help women everywhere to be Fearless and Free.
And so, Fearless & Free was born.
How things are changing (& how it affects you)
Nothing is really changing; I'm still writing about fitness, health and loving your body!
I just want to give myself free rein to take this so much further than just writing about exercise.
My vision is a future where all women love themselves and their bodies and nurture themselves in healthy and glorious ways. I believe this would change our world.
*
My goal in writing this blog is to INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, EMPOWER, ENCOURAGE and HEAL.
I hope you'll join me for the ride.
From my heart to yours,
Welcome to Day 12 of this series to help you to relight your inner sparkle! You can check out the introduction here and read Day 1 here. I have been on an unexpected hiatus for the past couple of weeks, due to life events, and I've been looking deep into my purpose and what I want to write about. You'll see that the website has changed and I'll be writing more about this. In the meantime, we're back to relighting your Inner Sparkle.  me, aged around 18 months Today I want to share with you one of the most powerful exercises that I have ever done for learning how to forgive myself and take care of myself. If you've ever done any inner child work, you've probably tried it before, but it's always worth a reminder.
All you have to do is find a photograph of yourself as a baby or very small child. Look at the picture of the little child and see how sweet and innocent they were. It's difficult to feel hate or anger towards that child. If your childhood was a difficult or frightening one, try to imagine how that tiny child felt. Any harsh or hateful feelings that you feel towards yourself now, can you feel them towards that child? Look into her eyes and feel love for her.
That small child IS you. She still lives inside you, and she is still feeling the fear, betrayal or conflict that was inflicted on her. Can you offer her love, support and tenderness? Can you offer your adult self the same? Try it. See how it feels. 10-minute movement
If you're in the Northern hemisphere, it's deep Winter and yet there is the feeling that Spring may be just around the corner. Go for a walk and see if you can find signs of Spring. Here, some trees have buds, others have blossom and some brave daffodils are poking through the ground. Can you feel Spring coming in your own heart?
Mood-boosting food
My children and I love cherry tomatoes. They're easy and fun to eat (they explode in your mouth!) and a simple way to get something healthy into the kids. Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, a fat-soluble phytonutrient that helps protect vital brain fat, and a nutrient that actually stops the buildup of pro-inflammatory compounds linked to depression. Because lycopene lives in tomato skins, the best way to get it is through cherry tomatoes, whose smaller surface area means you'll eat more skin than if you eat a full-size tomato.
Heal your heart and soul
Try the exercise above. Find a picture of yourself when you were very little. Look into that child's eyes and see how innocent and perfect they are. That's YOU. How does this make you feel?
Journal prompt
Write a letter to yourself as a child. What do you want to say to her?
Welcome to Day 11 of this series to help you to relight your inner sparkle! You can check out the introduction here and read Day 1 here.
Photo: www.kletterhalle7.ch
I've been at the climbing hall this afternoon, which makes me absolutely happy. Writing this series is inspiring me a great deal, it really IS relighting my inner sparkle. I'm eating more mood-boosting foods, doing more exercise and following my dreams much more than I have in a long time. If it touches just one other person out there, I'll feel like I've done my job.
So here are today's tips. 10-minute movement
Talking of climbing, why not go and climb something today. You don't need an official climbing hall to try. A tree, a climbing frame at the playground or a steep bank as long as it gets your arms involved as well as your legs. Do make sure you stay safe.
Mood-boosting food
This morning's mood-boosting breakfast was porridge. Oats are a very effective mood booster because they have a low glycaemic index (GI), so they slowly release energy into our bloodstream rather than by a quick rush that soon dips. This helps to keep your blood sugar and mood stable. The mineral selenium in oats can also help mood by regulating the function of the thyroid gland.
Heal your heart and soul
Have you ever tried asking your body what it needs? It sounds strange but if you try it, you may be surprised by the answers. You can ask it by getting really quiet and listening to it, by paying attention to each part of your body, or by asking the question and journalling to see what answers come.
The day that you truly accept and fall in love with your body, your life will change incredibly.
Journal prompt
Write a love letter to your body today. Tell it how much you appreciate it. Forgive it for not being perfect. Send it all your love.
Welcome to Day 10 of this series to help you to relight your inner sparkle! You can check out the introduction here and read Day 1 here. I practise what I preach!
Last night I couldn't face sitting in front of a computer again when I came home from work, so I didn't. I watched Big Bang Theory, cuddled my children and relaxed after a very long, tiring week.
I spent this morning tidying, cleaning and decluttering my bedroom and this afternoon, I napped with my son.
I danced and I laughed and I ate wonderful food. It's been a wonderful Saturday.
How has your Saturday been? Ready for some Inner Sparkle? 10-minute movement
Did you enjoy hula-hooping when you were a child? Grab a hoop again, it's a very fashionable fitness wave - here's a 10-minuted workout to get your hips moving and your heart pumping. Mood-boosting foodGarlic, yum I love it, the more the better! And it's so good for you as well. You may not be too happy about your breath afterwards, but garlic boosts mood by increasing blood flow around your body. The more blood flow, the less energy your heart will have to expend pumping, hence more energy to dance around your living room! Not only that, but it is also proven to protect against coughs, colds and chest infections. During the First World War, raw garlic juice was used as an antiseptic for bathing wounds, helping to save thousands of lives.Heal your heart and soul
Give yourself a break! You don't always need to be doing, doing, doing. How would life look if you only did things that you enjoyed? Think that's not possible? There are some things we have to do in life, but they are not as many as we think they are. Is there an obligation you can drop? Something that's always a chore that you could quit? Give yourself permission to choose the path of ease sometimes.
Journal promptWhat do you want to stop doing? What's keeping you from stopping? Why not just stop? What would be the path of ease? Wishing you a wonderful weekend
Welcome to Day 9 of this series to help you to relight your inner sparkle! You can check out the introduction here and read Day 1 here.  Endorphine high: laughing at myself for taking photos of myself with my iPhone.* "I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one." Mahatma GandhiI love this quote because it's just so counterintuitive to remember that it's when we're busiest and most frantic that it's MOST important to take time out and do the things that keep us happy and healthy. It's totally counterproductive to push harder and harder, getting more and more stressed and burnt out. Yesterday I wrote about my emergency self care drill, but the ideal situation is to take the time each day to ensure that it doesn't become an emergency. If you are exercising regularly in ways that you enjoy, eating stress-busting food and talking to yourself kindly, when the shit does hit the fan, you are in a much better position to cope with it. Today I took the time out from a crazy week to go for a run. For 30 minutes I had time to myself, fresh air and sky, and a fabulous dose of endorphines. I don't always enjoy exercise while I'm doing it, but I know that I'll almost always feel better once I've done it.
I've written before that it's been the times in my life when I was most active that I have also been the happiest, and the times when I've been sedentary have been when my depression has been at its worst. But even though I know this, it still sometimes takes all my power to get my butt out there exercising when I'm out of the habit. So don't think that if you don't enjoy it, or it doesn't come easy to you, that you're just not cut out to exercise. You just need a little oomph to overcome the inertia.* Gosh it's been a long time since I took silly pictures of myself exercising and posted them for the world to see on the internet! The last time was here in 2009! Here's your inner sparkle for today! 10-minute movement
Are you feeling brave? Another link today and it's time for some ABS. Check out these brilliant exercises from Alana Andrews - I especially love the look of the T-pot abs, which I just heard of for the first time on Facebook this morning. Going to try them out later! Why not join me?
Mood-boosting food
Cheese, and cottage cheese in particular, contains the amino acid tryptophan that generates mood enhancing brain chemicals such as serotonin, which can calm your nerves and help anxiety. Cheese is also rich in vitamin B12, calcium, and phenylalanine.
Heal your heart and soul
What do you love that you haven't done in a long, long time? Is there a place that you haven't been because you're too busy, or a hobby that you've put aside because there's too much else to do? Often we let our interests and joys slide because they don't seem to be grown up and responsible. But re-discovering them can light us up from the inside once again. Make plans this weekend, to paint or go ice-skating or play the piano, visit an old friend, or listen to music that you love.
Journal prompt"Life is not about finding ourselves, it is about creating ourselves." What do you think about this quote from George Bernard Shaw? Is this how you live your life? Do you find it inspiring? What would you like to "create"? Keep sparkling!
Welcome to Day 8 of this series to help you to relight your inner sparkle! You can check out the introduction here and read Day 1 here. Winter view from our balcony What happens when life gets crazy and your health and fitness gets pushed to the bottom of the list? Fitness, health and self love are long-term journeys and no plan goes perfectly all the time. The important things are to be flexible, and to be determined.
Be flexible
Shit happens. Life happens. We all get sick, or our children get sick, or work is frantic, or we have to take an unexpected trip, or a friend needs us, or there's a tornado. All is not lost! You just do what you can, when you can. Make sure you have some emergency self care habits in place (more about this below) so that you don't totally lose the plot. And be ready to carry on whenever it's possible again.
Be determined
Just because you had a bad day doesn't mean that you've "failed" or that all your resolutions were for nothing. It just means that you had a bad day. I missed posting yesterday, and felt annoyed that I hadn't met my goal of posting every day in January. But today, I'm back, and the world didn't stop turning just because I missed a day. Just keep going. Every day is a new start, whether it's January 1st or a Wednesday in the middle of April. Whatever happens don't give up. As soon as you notice that you're struggling just get back to what you want to do, make the choices you want to make and don't let anything derail you. Here are your Day 8 tips to relight your inner sparkle
10-minute movement
A website idea today: if you want to get in a quick, intense workout every day, Crossfit mamas is the place to look. They post a workout every weekday on the blog, specifically designed for SAHMs who are stuck at home with kids. So there's almost no equipment required, and the workouts last 10-20 minutes. These workouts are based on traditional Crossfit, but definitely way less scary and less complicated for newcomers.
Their workout today:
32 rounds, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest:
8 rounds- back extensions
8 rounds push-ups
8 rounds sit-ups
8 rounds squats
Go for it!
Mood-boosting food
My mood-boosting food today was beetroot. Apparently it's rich in vitamin B-3, or niacin, which is used in the production of dopamine in the brain. This neurotransmitter is an important component in mood regulation, so eating foods rich in B-3 can help you to maintain a good mood. It also has a reputation for stimulating the immune system and is thought to be rich in natural cancer - fighting compounds. I had mine pickled, however, and this does reduce the nutritional value. (Did you know that if you eat enough beetroot, you can turn your urine pink, which would certainly boost my mood! I've never managed to do it though...)
Heal your heart and soul
Make an Emergency self care drill. When life is stressful, self care can be the first thing that gets pushed to the side, right at the point when it needs to be upfront and centre! It helps to have a DRILL - a list of things to do when emergency self care is needed, so that you can do it without conscious thought - if you think too much, your conscious mind may well step in and tell you that other things are much more important.
Here's my Emergency Self-Care Drill
Drink a glass of water - I often feel agitated when I've simply drunk too much caffeine and not enough water
Eat a snack - preferably protein and/or fat if I can find it, preferably NOT just carbs such as sugar, chocolate or naked bread.
Go outside if possible, or at least change my environment
Take 10 deep breaths
Bring my attention to my heart beat (see Day 1)
Then...
at work:
When I'm calmer, then I choose just one thing to focus on.
at home, any of the following:
Have a rest for 10 minutes, maybe meditating, maybe just sitting
Take a hot shower
Watch something funny on TV or read a novel (step away from the computer!)
Cuddle a small person
Journal promptDo you have an emergency self care drill? What do you do when you're feeling overwhelmed? Do have healthy or unhealthy ways to cope?I'd love to hear in the comments about your self care drill and what's helpful for you when life gets crazy. And if you're on Facebook or Twitter don't forget too come and say come and say Hi!
Welcome to Day 7 of this series to help you to relight your inner sparkle! You can check out the introduction here and read Day 1 here. Today the sun came out from behind the clouds and I began to feel my own inner sparkle beginning to glow. I feel as though I'm casting off the holiday slump and coming back to myself again. Tonight I'm ticking off one of my items from my 100 things to do in 2012 list, taking my daughter to see my favourite ballet, Swan Lake. About half of the things my list didn't come true last year. But it's never too late! I've learned how much things can change in a single moment. You wait and wait and wait, and think your dreams will never come true and then from one moment to the next, they do! I trust that everything is happening in its own perfect time. 10-minute movement
Go outside today and walk under the sky, the trees and the sun (it's there, even if it's hiding behind the clouds). If you can, find a hill and walk up it as briskly as you can. If you're feeling warm and slightly out of breath, that's perfect. The view from the top will be worth it. Take some deep breaths and enjoy the feeling of being alive!
Mood-boosting food
Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that keep blood vessels healthy and happy. Chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa delivers a natural brain boost from sugar and endorphins. Savoring a piece of dark chocolate increases levels of phenylalanine, which is believed to enhance production of dopamine in the brain.
Heal your heart and soul
Create a Book of Inspiration! Fill a binder with beautiful images and inspiring articles, vision boards and goals, and anything that makes your heart sing. Use it as a pick-me-up for whenever you feel low or when everything sucks. Include your answers to today's journal prompt!
Journal prompt
Celebrate yourself! What's your favourite part of your body? What makes you beautiful? What are your strengths? Write down your 10 favourite things about yourself. Is this difficult? Why is it difficult for you?
Big love to all of you
Welcome to Day 6 of this series running throughout January to help you to relight your inner sparkle! You can check out the introduction here and read Day 1 here. My son helping me to fill out my 2013 workbook by Leonie Dawson on a quiet Sunday morning Today I was thinking some more about my goals for the year ahead, and making a list of races that I want to complete. Right now I'm feeling pretty tired, ill and out-of-shape and I'm wondering how on earth I'll ever be able to run a race again.
Feeling fit and healthy can require a big lifestyle change, and it's daunting. Here's some of the best advice I've heard: Don't look at the mountain. Just as when you're climbing a real mountain, just keep your eyes on the road ahead and take one step at a time. Make one small achievable goal for just one day, today. And then do the same tomorrow. And the next day. Each small success will fuel the next and eventually they add up and you're halfway up the mountain!
You don't have to climb that mountain alone. I am walking it too, right by your side and cheering you on.
10 minute movementLeave your weights next to your television! Doing 10 minutes of lifts while watching Big Bang Theory requires very little effort really. If you don't have weights, lie down on the floor and do some press-ups, planks or sit-ups. For inspiration, check out tomorrow's post.
Mood-boosting foodEach day I've been choosing a food that I've actually eaten that day. Today we had delicious hummus for lunch, so let's talk about chickpeas. Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are protein- and fiber-rich and they can also boost your mood. Chickpeas contain vitamin B1, or thiamine, which promotes brain and nervous system health, and tryptophan, which is an amino acid that can raise your serotonin levels. Heal your heart and soulA really simple way to calm my mind is Leonie Dawson's 100 breath meditation. As she describes it:"I take 100 breaths. I count them. I try not to think about anything else."It's so simple, and so incredibly effective. Try it for yourself.
Journal promptWhy do you want to feel fitter and healthier? How will it make you feel? What will it bring to your life? Is it for you or for somebody else? Go really, really deep into your "why" and keep asking until you reach the deepest reason that truly comes from your heart. You'll know when you reach it.
I'd love to hear more about your fitness and health goals, and how I can help you more. Drop me a line or leave a comment below!
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