Stress!

In some way our lives are all full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands….whether it be from work or home life. For a lot of people Stress starts to become a way of life. Its not always a bad thing-in small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in “stress” mode, your health and wellbeing will start to pay the price.

If you constantly feel frazzled and overwhelmed, it’s time to take action to bring your nervous system back into balance. 

The Body’s Stress Response

 When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.

Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.

Common external causes of stress

Not all stress is caused by external factors. Stress can also be self-generated:

Common internal causes of stress

Not all stress is caused by external factors. Stress can also be self-generated:

Many health problems are caused or exacerbated by stress, including:

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run:

You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health.

• Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for exercise, at least three times per week. Nothing beats exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension….plus it becomes “you” time!
• Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day. Avoid “Processed” foods like the devil and get variety in your diet.
• Avoid caffeine and sugar. The temporary “highs” caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By removing the coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems head on and with a clear mind. 
• Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.

Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions and more:

• Proper glucose metabolism
• Regulation of blood pressure
• Insulin release for blood sugar maintanence
• Immune function
• Inflammatory response

Cortisol has been named “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:

• A quick burst of energy for survival reasons
• Heightened memory functions
• A burst of increased immunity
• Lower sensitivity to pain
• Helps maintain homeostasis in the body

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

• Impaired cognitive performance
• Suppressed thyroid function
• Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
• Decreased bone density
• Decrease in muscle tissue
• Higher blood pressure
• Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
• Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of metabolic syndrome, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

LOVE YOUrself
Love Yourself

Do you Love YOU? I mean deep down really LOVE YOU….and not in a conceted way or a selfie pout kinda way….I mean Self Love.

Now when I say self love….it may sound weird and some people actually think it’s wrong to love yourself and that’s fine, I mean we are al different after all. But how can you love anyone else or expect anyone to love you when you one love yourself.

YOU are an amazing human being, with so much potential and so much to give….you have gotten where u r now with all of life’s ups and downs and yet here you are living and smiling.
If you were to speak to your best friend the way you sometimes speak to yourself…..how do you think they would feel? Speak to yourself the way you do your best friend whom you love, be your own best friend and show yourself some LOVE.

LOVE YOUR BODY – yes you can – regardless of lumps, bumps, curves – who cares? It’s YOUR body – you live in it and no1 else does…so learn to love it and suck it up buttercup, you have an amazing shell of a body to live in…start showing it some love,instead of finding the flaws and criticising yourself….really look at yourself and smile and see beyond it all. Love your body enough to NOT restrict food and Love your body enough to NOT see exercise as a chore.

LOVE YOU – think of all the people who love you – they do for a reason right? because you are worth it (flick ur hair in the style of L’Oreal if you must) but they love you because they see something special in YOU…..so start looking deeper and seeing that same something special.

LOVE YOUR FOOD – probably one of the biggest relationships we all have is with food…am I right? Love/Hate and all that jazz. We’ve all been “on a diet” haven’t we, we’ve all restricted ourselves and stopped ourselves from eating something we love because of the calories (blahh blahh) – and yes of course it’s good to eat healthy and make the right choices…BUT it is also OK to have a little bit of what YOU LOVE every so often…and when you do DONT beat yourself up about it….so what?? Create a great relationship with food and you will never have to diet again.

TELL YOURSELF “I LOVE YOU” EVERYDAY – I started a book called “mirror work” and it’s 21 days program and it gives you tasks to do – which means talking to yourself into the Miri with positive affirmations, now I don’t mean full on convos and looking like a nutter…but it’s allowing yourself to look yourself in the eye everymorning (or whenever u pass a mirror) and saying out loud/in your head – that I LOVE YOU or some other positive affirmation, rather than a negative comment about yourself…yes at first it seems weird and a little scary but trust me after a few days it becomes norm and also…you start believing and after all that’s all that matters.

ITS OK TO LOVE YOURSELF
Show yourself some LOVE and reach deep inside your heart and soul and start to realise how amazing you are and how much you deserve to be LOVED.
Now go and tell yourself that I LOVE YOU!!!!
Jen x

When you see a physical change in someone – its easy to see isnt it…..I mean lets say someone loses weight or gets their eyebrows/lashes done or they go and get their hair or make-up done….its a physical change, an instant difference that you can see and notice change in that person.

When you go through a transformation inside or you get a massage or holistic treatment like “reiki” the change isnt on the outside, people may not notice and at first you may not see the change either. You see with Massage and healing type therapies the change is often on a more emotional, mental and spiritual level…..and they aren’t always instant like make-up or a hair do…BUT this doesn’t discredit the treatment at all.

Often when we have a Massage or Healing treatment, we can feel that instant change and benefit and sometimes it may take time for our body to adjust and change…..and these changes are normally subtle and take shape over time and it isnt until someone maybe says something or you take some time to sit and reflect you can be like WOW and you can see the shift the change.

So although the benefits and changes of Massage and Healing are not seen by the naked eye and may not be as instant as others…dont discredit what they are doing on a soul level, what they are doing to heal you from the inside out….I think a lot of the time we get hung up on “physical” and “aesthetics” and we often neglect the inside, the mind and the soul.

Massage and Healing work on a deeper level

Change is there
The Shift is happening

Just believe and let it happen

Jen x

STOP comparing
STOP Judging

Your journey is just that YOUR Journey and no-one else’s

Remember we are all individuals
We all are built differently, we all move differently and anatomically we are all different.

What works for 1 person may not work for the next

STOP comparing your day 1 to someone else’s day 300

We are all at different stages in our Fitness Journey and it can be hard not to look at someone else and be a little envious, use them for inspiration BUT remember that you are you and they are them…..and we will all change in our own time

Focus on you
Focus on your goal
Focus on your happiness
Focus on what you are doing

Jen x

10 Things you don’t know about me (or might not know)

I thought it’d be fun to get to know me and tell you some things you don’t know about me….as much as I use this page for business its nice to share something personal at times.

1. Im an only child and also an only grandchild
2. When I left school I did Law and Politics A-Levels as I wanted to be the next Prime Minister (prob still will be one day haha)
3. Despite my outgoing nature in classes and socially…Im a introvert who loves being alone
4. Im obsessed with the Moon and all things healing
5. When I was 21 I lived in Greece and worked in a gym out there, learnt to speak Greek and everything.
6. Ive been single for 7 years, despite some people thinking Im married haha
7. I don’t want kids…never ever!!
8. Ive done Ballroom and Latin Dancing all my live and passed all my gradings to the highest possible one
9. Im a qualified Life Coach/Spiritual Life Coach

  10. Im a lover of dark chocolate ?

So there ya know….a few unknown facts about little old me

Jen x

Im not qualified in Nutrition and I dont claim to be, I know enough to get me by but what I do know is this

Nutrition has a massive effect on Body, Mind and Spirit…both the Physical, Mental and Emotional Body is affected by Nutrition

Your diet and what you eat has a bigger effect on you than you can ever imagine

We all need to eat properly to be able to function at our best…plus medication doesn’t replace real food (now I know in some cases medication is a must…BUT in a lot of cases Nutrition really can be the answer)

Tiredness, Depression, Muscles Aches, Fatigue, Headaches (etc) can all be affected my Nutrition….but they can all be helped with a proper nutritious diet (alongside sleep and hydration)

Pay attention to what you eat and how you feel…notice a pattern?? The food and mood connection is massive…and we sometimes dont see how certain foods can make us feel a certain way….if you notice after eating a certain food that u have a specific feeling/body feels a certain way – then try taking it out and see if you notice a difference. Keep a food/mood diary and see if you notice a pattern

Only eat food that brings you and your body goodness, energy and brings that light inside your body.

Eating crappy/sugary foods? Takeaways? Fizzy Drinks? Greasy Food? Crap?….notice afterwards you can feel heavy/sluggish/bloated/bad skin/mood changes/guilt??? YEP Thats the affect nutrition can have on you

The connection between nutrition and US and a whole goes so much deeper than :”weight loss” so so soooo much deeper and the sooner ask connect to this, the better

Fuel your body with the right stuff and watch it change your life

Jen x

p.s if you are struggling…please seek help from a dietician for a fully qualified nutritionist (please always check their credentials)

Why cant we say Thank You??

Lets admit it, we all do it, even me….and when i do it I just wanna slap myself because I think “why have you just done that”

Why cant we take a compliment/a gift/a kind word?

Why do we struggle with just accepting it and saying “thanks”?

Example:

Person: “you look fab/I love that top/You hair is amazing”

Us: “Oh no Look at my skin/oh this old thing/oh are you messing its a show it needs doing”

Get what I mean??

Why cant we just accept a compliment and accept that a person is wanting to say something nice/kind/positive to us and make us feel good…for all we know it may have taken them a lot to say and then we just go and knock them down?

The more we invite and accept compliments/abundance into our lives – the more it will keep appearing .

If we keep brushing off compliments and rejecting them, if we keep saying “too good to be true or I cant believe it” when it comes to abundance and kind words form others….soon we wont have any of that in our lives.

You see thats how the universe works….it listens, listens to what you are saying to yourself and others…

Make sure your thoughts and words echo what you really want

How about next time someone gives you a compliment or gifts you something just simply say “Thank You” with a smile

Jen x

Meditation

Meditation is an approach to training the mind, similar to the way that fitness is an approach to training the body. 

What is meditation?

Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person. It’s about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgment. And eventually, you may start to better understand them as well.

There’s no such thing as perfect meditation. Sometimes your focus will wander or you’ll forget to follow your breath. That’s OK. It’s part of the experience. What’s most important is to meditate consistently. It’s one of those things where the journey is more important than the destination.

It’s extremely difficult for a beginner to sit for hours and think of nothing or have an “empty mind.”….I think thats hard for anyone to be honest

If relaxation is not the goal of meditation, it is often a result.

In Buddhist philosophy, the ultimate benefit of meditation is liberation of the mind from attachment to things it cannot control, such as external circumstances or strong internal emotions. The liberated or “enlightened” practitioner no longer needlessly follows desires or clings to experiences, but instead maintains a calm mind and sense of inner harmony.

HOW TO MEDITATE: SIMPLE MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques.

1. Sit or lie comfortably on a Chair or Cushion
2. Close your eyes. 
3. Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.
4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.
5. Dont worry if thoughts come and go – as they will…allow them to but always come back to the breath and dont try and control your thoughts.

Even just 5 mins a day is a great starting point, if like me you find sitting there in silence just listening  to your own breath and  trying not to focus on the “thoughts”…why not try guided meditation….using an app

I use “Insight Timer” its a FREE App and has tons of free guided and silent meditations, just search one you are looking for.

I like to do my meditation 1st thing in the morning before I do anything and sometimes even last thing at night before sleep, I know the days when I need a double dose, but other days the morning one serves me well.

Its totally changed my outlook on life, the way my days start and how I react to situations and things in my life…it wasn’t easy to begin with I will admit it, trying to keep still and focused on well…nothing for 5 mins but now I am up to 20mins and I feel great.

The key is DONT try and block out thoughts, thats not the point, let them come….and they will eventually get quieter as you focus inwards and on the breath.

I took 30mins out today and went and sat here in St Johns Gardens….the sun was shining, people were smiling and the birds were tweeting!! The trees are sprouting green and the flowers are blooming….as I sat I observed a few wedding parties coming from St Georges Hall and getting their photos in the amazing surroundings and it got me thinking……LOVE really is all u need is it, seeing people so in love, smilong, families and friends all together celebrating the joyous love of 2 people is just wonderful!! Love literally makes the world go round and if we all spread a bit more love around….the world would be a much happier place

Love starts within and then spreads outwards….ending in the marriage and commitment!!!

As the Beatles say “all you need is love”

Spread Love and Light wherever u go 

Jen x

Its National Avocado Day!!

Who will be showing some Avo Love today??

Is Avocado your thing??

• Nutritious
• More Potassium than a Banana
• Full of Heart Healthy Fatty Acids
• Contain Fibre
• Contain Antioxidants 
• Contain lots of vitamins and minerals
• The “Seed” is just as nutritious
• Lowers Inflammation
• Versatile (can have on toast, in salads, alone, in smoothies, smoothie bowls….it goes on)

And lets not forget they are delicious

Will you be showing your Avo-Love today?

Jen x