Today’s offering is “Eat Right to Feel Better” and is a timely reminder to listen to my body.

My body tries to tell me things all the time, but often I don’t want to listen as the temporary satisfaction I receive from consuming, say chocolate, dampens down what my body is trying to tell me.

For example, recently when I’ve been eating food too high in carbs / sugar I have been getting heart burn.  Did that stop me?  NOPE!

But if I had stopped and listened to my body I would have been well aware that consuming that particular type of food caused my body to revolt.  Then, I would have pieced together how tired and lethargic I felt as well.  Obviously, it is not something that my body likes at this time.  It’s not that it’s allergic (in terms of an anaphylactic response), but my body was trying to tell me that it didn’t appreciate what I fed it.

So, I’m just going to keep an eye on the messages my body is trying to pass on, whether it’s a physical effect or a mental functioning / clarity one.

Is anyone aware of the responses of their body to certain foods?

Rewind 7 or so years.  I had a 2, 4 and 6 year old and was run off my feet as most Mums are.  I was overweight.  Yoga called me and I went for a session at the local Community Recreation Centre.

Well, it was a horrible experience.  It was the middle of summer and the room was not air-conditioned and boy did it stink!  Then to top it off, the class was a big mix of beginners and experienced people, but the instructor only catered for the experienced side of things.  The result was that I felt like a pretzel, my self esteem took an absolute dive (as I didn’t understand what was being asked of me, nor could I execute it to my satisfaction) and the feeling in the room was not one of love and one-ness (more like someone going through the motions to get paid, rather than having it as a passion).

I went back for another week, just to see if it really was as bad as I felt.

It was.

So, that being my experience, I was really unsure whether yoga was for me.

Fast forward to 3 years ago.

Santa left a DVD under the tree that was for doing Yoga in your living room.  Although this was better than my first experience, I always was unsure if I was ‘doing it right’.  That’s the problem with a screen, it doesn’t answer back (not when you’re sober anyway!).

Fast forward to October 2011.

I was on a special spiritual development type course conducted by a good friend, Marie Henson from Colourful Soul Connections, and the theme for the month tied in with movement.  Marie organised for us to share something near and dear to her heart and so we were to have a day based on Yoga.  We went to see a friend of Marie’s who teaches Yoga (Marg Willcocks).

WOW!  WOW!  WOW!

Marg runs the Greenwood Yoga Academy and it has the only ONLY Nationally Government Accredited course in WA and the 3rd Yoga accredited course in Australia.   Marg is the first person I’ve come across to really live and breathe her Yoga craft, with a passion to pass this on to others, whether they be people within a session or future Yoga teachers passing through her Academy.

As a result, Marg is absolutely amazing at verbalising and demonstrating what movement she wants you to do.  She watches carefully and you are given gentle tips to assist getting in the correct position. If you have an injury, Marg offers ways to do the moves that will not stress the body.  Plus, all the matts, blankets, bolsters, blocks etc that you need are right there and if she sees that you need something else based on how you are holding a posture, well she just goes and gets it and positions it ever so quietly.

I just loved this session and didn’t want it to end.  I didn’t feel overly self conscious and was certainly made to feel special.

If you’re in Perth, north of the river, and Yoga has called you, I would not hesitate in sending you straight to Marg.  I’m rabbiting on a bit here, but I felt so good afterward – actually had to ground myself once I got in the car as I was a bit floaty!

Thanks Marg and thanks Marie too!

I did learn lessons though from this horrible year:

• Carbs are my enemy - my body has a sniff of some carbs or sugar and it holds onto a heap of water and drops my energy levels dramatically.  This then creates a pattern that results in a downward spiral.
• Stress and time pressures lead me to make choices usually based on carbs or sugar.
• Not being true to myself and avoiding doing things that I know I’ve got to do, but part of me is scared to do …. well, that leads to a degree of emptiness that food attempts to fill (not consciously).  I have ideas for about 6 books floating around in my head, but I find things to do to avoid writing because putting yourself out there in written form is opening yourself to other people’s judgement and I obviously felt vulnerable to that.
• I can’t do this alone all the time as it is too isolating.

So, I’ve got to kick start this process again.

Last year I had support through my medical herbalist, Dr Kitty Campion (Perth Natural Medical Clinic) and she was absolutely fantastic at directing me towards foods that supported my weight loss efforts, as well as providing guidance on what to take to support my liver and kidneys while losing weight (yep, they get a hammering) and numerous other strategies to help me on my way to healing and health.  In hindsight though, when Kitty attempted to help me deal with the emotional aspects behind my weight, well that was when I started to pull away.  And when the weight started coming back on!

So to change things up and try and deal with this head on, I am going to initiate some new things:

1.  Call an Emotional Eating Counsellor whose name has ‘coincidentally’ come across my path twice recently.  I looked her up on the net and once I make contact with her I’ll write more about it.

2.  Start going to Yoga on a Monday morning – yep,  Jennie, I’ll be there ready for 9.30!  Again, listening to my intuition and the fact that Yoga has been in my face a lot recently says I need to do it.

One of the things that has helped in the past that are strategies that I am going to resurrect are:

• Keeping a food and emotion journal
• Putting up my ‘star’ chart on the fridge to help keep me on track (read more about it at Star Chart for Mum)

Mum's Star Chart!

So, if anyone wants to join me on this, or simply be someone cheering me on from the stands, well that would be great!

And so now, the first step …. weigh in and measurements ….done!

Whenever I’m talking with someone and the conversation shifts to some chronic health issue, well Kitty is the person I recommend them to.  If you would like to follow up with her directly, she is currently practicing at the Perth Natural Medical Clinic - www.pnmc.com.au.

There are 2 courses that Kitty is running coming up in the next few months.  One of them is aimed at people interested in learning more about Iridology - using the iris as a manifestation of psycho – emotional aspects of disease.  In lay terms, the eyes reflect what has been going on in your body and give signposts to help a practitioner help you to heal.

The other course, entitled Creating Happiness, is a course about Emotional Evolution and Emotional Intelligence. Evolving emotionally is about learning to be intelligent and mature with our emotions and feelings. Emotions, properly experienced and understood, are a perfect mechanism for creating personal growth and successful relationships which are key to happiness.
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to be really authentic and honest with our feelings. It is the central pillar for our success in life. It is the maturity to be accountable for our feelings and not impose them on others, so sabotaging any chances of intimacy and fulilment.
The course is open to practitioners to improve their work with clients, to couples, singles and anyone who wants to learn to re-set their relationship course in order to experience more potential and growth. It is led by Kitty Campion, offers a safe and supportive environment filled with wisdom, warmth and insight.

If you would like more information, download the PDF brochure attached or call Kitty directly (contact details are included in the brochure).

Kitty Campion Courses 2012

I hate wasting food.  Seeing a plate with half eaten toast on it and a bowl with some porridge left in it just got me thinking.

I really do tend to act as a vacuum and eat on the run.  Abhorring the waste, I do tend to clear off plates when I haven’t yet eaten myself ….. and sometimes when I have.

But what is this tendency to hate wasting food doing?

It’s become part of a tendency to waste my life.

It’s almost easier to be caught up in the hurly burly of life, being thrown from one demand on my time to another, than to actually face things, take stock (once again) and look at what’s important.  It’s easier to put off to tomorrow something that for me is currently a challenge.  My weight is a challenge.  No doubt about it.

Eating on the run is not the answer.  Eating someone else’s discards is not either!

Time to stop the waste.

Please God give me the strength …….

Below is a story of a Doctor who has found an amazing way to switch off the cancer genes.  It’s so amazing that he has been hounded for years by the Establishment, trying to shut him down.  The lengths they have gone to and the number of times they have failed is astounding.  I’ve embedded his story provided in this film.  It is available to view, free of charge, from June 11-13 2011.  Take the opportunity to explore this whole world of cancer treatment and vested interests a little bit more ….

Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business from BurzynskiMovie on Vimeo.

Here is a link to the source where I found this information originally – an article by Dr Joseph Mercola : http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/11/burzynski-the-movie.aspx

Love to hear your thoughts ……

When I go into survival mode that’s when sugar comes to the forefront in my life. I have the quick energy hits at 3pm and then I’m on the slippery slide. I start craving sweet things more and more and pretty soon I have a much diminished ability to say ‘no’.

So, in this brief post I’m just going to outline what has worked for me in the past and what I’m doing today.

A low carb / high protein diet where I have no sugar works brilliantly for me – the weight drops off quickly as long as I maintain the eating pattern. The hardest thing I find though is getting back into that way of eating as I’ve allowed bread, rice, pasta and sweet things take up residence.

So, my Medical Herbalist, Dr Kitty Campion, suggested I take the Metagenics product called “Insulex” (for normal healthy blood sugar levels) at the rate of 2 capsules with food, 3 times per day. Insulex is in Metagenics Practitioner Only range and therefore not available without a visit to a Natural health practitioner.

Really quickly after going on the Insulex and trying to kick start the low carb way of eating I can feel a difference. I feel fuller and within 2 days my sugar cravings have gone. I’m not battling a demon craving and making unhealthy food choices as a result.

So, for all those people trying to combat sugar cravings, maybe do your own research and give it a go after seeing a Naturopath.

Please note, this is not a sponsored post.

Affirmation Monday is a new initiative from Transformational Diaries. Readers of this blog will be well aware of my penchant for viewing things through eyes that can be said to be ‘alternative’ or ‘new age’ by some.  I just love to try and find the positives in life and I struggle when I allow myself to be sucked into this cycle of stress, poor eating and poor habits.  It is then that my positive nature has to work so much harder.  It’s still there, but I do tend to feel battered from within.

So, each Monday, for my own benefit,  I am going to choose something to focus on for the coming week.  I will then write it in the form of a positive affirmation and this will be my mantra for the week.  I’ll put it on my screen-saver, on my phone, on a card in my pocket, on the bathroom mirror …. anywhere I can think of to prompt myself.

Affirmation 101

An affirmation is a positive statement of intent, written in the present tense, and designed to help shift our energy in more positive ways.  It focuses on what you want, not what you don’t want.

For example, an affirmation that says “I am not going to be a doormat for people any longer” puts an emphasis on being “a doormat” and is actually the trait you are trying to overcome. It also seems future oriented in the ‘going to be’ part of the statement.  Instead, the affirmation could be reworded to be something like “I set my boundaries and people respect them”.  The focus shifts to what you want to have happen, rather than what you want to overcome.  It’s subtle at times, but there is a difference.

Using words like “I will” also have no place in a positive affirmation.  They are future focused and have the power to hold us back from what we want to create for ourselves now.  For example, an affirmation that says “I will be rich one day” can keep you in a ‘lack’ space, whereas an affirmation that says “Abundance comes to me in many different ways” opens doors to opportunities and is expansive.

My personal experience with affirmations has evolved over the years. Initially I just couldn’t say the bloody things and believe them.  I mean, here I am, 30Kg overweight and I am to look in the mirror and say “I am thin and healthy”.  I mean, come on!  And that, my friends, is when affirmations don’t tend to work ….. when you shut off their power because you don’t believe them.

Strategies to Help Believe Positive Affirmations

How the affirmation feels when you say it is what is important. If you’ve followed the rules for writing an affirmation (positive statement of what you want in the present tense) and it feels like a load of baloney, then look at the strategies below to see if they help.

1.  Write them in the form of “I am in the process of …..”.  That acknowledges that you’re working towards the goal, one step at a time.  So, the above affirmation I could be reworded to “I am in the process of creating a healthy and thin body”.  That feels different and doesn’t feel like a lie.

2.  Write them in the third person – “Catherine is thin and healthy” doesn’t create the same negative chatter in me and feels like it is coming from outside of me.  Once my comfort levels increase with the subject of the affirmation, I change the affirmation to second person (Catherine, you are thin and healthy) where it sounds like a statement someone is saying to me in recognition of my efforts, or if I’m ready, to first person (I am thin and healthy).

Affirmation for Monday 9th May

Look, I hummed and haa-ed before settling on the affirmation below.  Initially I went for one regarding healthy choices, but then decided that the one I’ve chosen is almost like the umbrella affirmation that for me always needs to be worked on.

“I love myself the way I am”

If I need it to be written in another way to help with any resistance I feel, here are some adjustments as an example:

“Catherine loves herself the way she is”

“Catherine, you love yourself the way you are”

“Each day I am better at loving myself the way I am”

“I am in the process of loving myself the way I am”

There are a heap of variations just on this one positive affirmation.

If this blog post talks to you, suggest a variation of the affirmation above in the comments section or come up with your own for the week.

Footnote:  The image above is from www.photobucket.com

I’ve had a ridiculously busy April beyond even normal levels. For example, my 13 year old daughter, Poppet, is in a state synchronised ice skating team traveling to the National competition in December this year. In April, the team had a Canadian World Champion spend some intensive time with them over almost a 2 week period. This meant a huge amount of juggling of family resources (given there are still another 2 daughters as well) as not only was there school and all the usual commitments, but Poppet often had to be at the rink (45 minute drive away in light traffic) before school and after school and huge chunks of the weekend.

And so, there were mornings where we would get up at 4.30am to be on the ice for 6am, plus nights where we would get home at 10pm.  In one day I spent 5 hours driving to and from things!

It was crazy!

And so, the term “missing in action” seemed to apply as there was not doubt I was ‘in action’ all the time, but for some of the family (and the blogging world), I was missing.

Then I laughed at the term considered another way ….. missing …… ‘inaction’!

I have failed to learn the lesson of balance yet again. I have been missing from my own life and as a result have been caught in a cycle of ‘inaction’ yet again. My diet has drifted toward the easy to get hold of carbs and sugar hits once again. My water intake has been inconsistent as has been my taking of supplements that help my body get on track. I had gone into survival mode and in so doing made choices that ultimately affect the quality of my survival! How ironic!

This seems to be the bane of my existence, this juggling duties of a Mum very much involved with her children, with my own needs.

And so, as always I welcome your feedback and comments as they help me stay focused and connected to what I need to do.

How do you cope with juggling competing needs within your life? How do you maintain balance?

Since mid-November as the stress and time pressures associated with Christmas and busy school holidays increased, at about the same time I began to have more carbohydrates in my diet.

I would make a really quick sandwich rather than a salad with some protein.

In hindsight, this for me was the start of the slippery slope.

After a short while  the ’3pm munchies’ began to take hold.  Unfortunately as I was in the throes of making Rocky Road, Fruit Mince Pies and all other assorted Christmas treats, there was an abundant source of sugar-laden instant fixes!

So not only was I consuming more wheat-based carbohydrate, but the sugar got far more of a thrashing than was good for me.

And then I started feeling crappy again – tired and under pressure all of the time, joints aching and feeling like a 70 year old (or worse!), temperament shifted toward being a little bit more snappy, intolerant and impatient and the inevitable bloating and weight gain.

Well, in that 3-4 months I had put on 7Kg of the 12 Kg that I’d lost!  Now past experience has shown me that a lot of that is fluid my body holds onto when I have a carbohydrate / sugar heavy diet, but even so, BLOODY HELL!

So why did it happen?

I think it was a period where I went back to my old ‘modus operandi’ – putting others first above my own needs, without there being any balance.

When I felt time pressured I cut back on the things that ultimately help me:

• Morning exercise time
• Daily meditation
• Healthy, vegie filled meals with some protein at each one
• Blogging

I mistakenly believed I was ‘freeing up’ some time, but all I was doing was robbing it, because before long I was back to being really tired and needing ‘Nana Naps’ to get through the day.

I had “robbed Peter to pay Paul”.

Mistake, big mistake!

So, I have started again – low carb / high protein and morning walks 5 out of 7 days.  Daily meditation routine still not quite there, but vow that I will get into it.

I weighed in at 97Kg a week ago and have dropped to 95Kg already.  My bloating has gone, my aching joints have disappeared, my feeling of being overwhelmed has lifted and my energy levels are improving.

1 week – thank heavens!

When I tried to think of a word that described overall how I had been feeling, one word kept coming into my head….

DISCONNECTED

I felt disconnected from that which make me feel good …. from my essence.  I had put it on hold to allow the labels of my other roles (which I love) take over when that really is unnecessary.

That old lesson of BALANCE comes back to haunt me.

Let’s hope I’m closer to learning it this time around!

Do you have any lessons that trip you up every now and again just to see if you’ve mastered them?