Wanting to change your body is okay, not loving every ounce of your body is okay, wanting to lose weight is okay and in today’s society is quite an understanding view point.

But, there’s a better way to do these things than restricting food, spending your life counting calories, following food rules and over exercising only to put the weight back on as soon as you ‘fall off the wagon’.

And, that better way is putting self-care first. Eating is an act of self-care, restricting food on a diet is not.

Let’s start listening to our bodies and putting ourselves first.

Let’s start eating what we fancy, rather than avoiding the food, putting it off, only to eat twice as much later on – does this make sense?

Let’s start exercising because we enjoy the movement. Studies show that if we engage in activities that we enjoy, then we are more likely to continue with it.

Let’s start to sit with our emotions, feel them and release them, and then move on with our day, instead of numbing them down with food.

Let’s take our focus off weight-loss and put it on enjoying our lives instead.

Lisa xx

The post DO you want to focus on enjoying your life More? appeared first on Feel Great Health.

If you’re still experiencing the emotion after 90 seconds, it’s because you’re attaching your thoughts to that initial experience of the emotion, and you’re extending it with your thought patterns.

There is actually a neurological surge of chemicals that courses through your body when you have an intense emotional trigger and reaction, but this passes after 90 seconds – so any further emotion is all your doing, by holding on to your thoughts and the way they are making you feel, crazy right?!

Action step:

So, your action step today is to take that moment when you have an intense emotional trigger, and pause, remove yourself from the situation and slow down your breathing, yes, just breathe.

Breathe and try to focus all of your mental energy on the sensation in your body.  Feel the physical sensations of that surge of chemicals moving through your body.  Name out loud the sensation that you’re feeling as they change.  If you can focus on the sensation of the emotion, instead of on the emotional story, then you can keep yourself from turning to food whenever you experience emotional upset. Instead you can feel what you are feeling, and let it move through and not eat about it – a bit like a surfer riding the wave, you want to ride the wave rather than be swallowed up by it! 

I didn’t find this easy to do at first, so may take time and effort, but it is worth it, I promise.  

Lisa xx

Photocredit: Tengyart

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Health is not about being a perfect person, in a perfect body, with a perfect diet, with perfect clothes, nope, nothing like that.

It doesn’t matter what size or shape your body is,. Whether you are in perfect health according to your GP or whether you have an on-going illness.

Health is how you feel in the body you have currently, illness and all.

Some people are going to feel healthier than others for sure but everyone is capable of feeling health, even though you may never be rid of your illness. I know, as every member of my family has one illness or another, we joke that we keep the NHS going lol!

Mental health is just as important as physical health. When you work on one, you automatically work on the other because you’re a whole person.

Feeling great health is about your mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing.It all gets wrapped into one, making you, a totally unique individual!

It’s about doing what you can, when you can, with no comparisons, because we are all on our own unique health journey.

Lisa xx

The post What does health mean to me? appeared first on Feel Great Health.

If you really want to evolve into a loving space with your body, you are probably going to have to re-write a lot of social ‘rules’.  That means that you have to be willing to go against the norm and blaze your own path in your health journey.    There are as many ways to do this as there are rules and expectations put on us by society.  

Here’s 3 ideas to help you on your way:

Smash the Scale

Your worth does not have to be defined by or limited to the numbers on the scale, measuring tape, or the size of your jeans. You are so much more valuable than any number.   Those numbers are in no way correlated to how much love you deserve because the truth is that you are worthy of infinite love.  You know that anxious, uncomfortable feeling that you get when you prepare to weigh yourself? You really don’t have to subject your body or your emotions to that at all.  

Expand your perspective to include all of the ways in which you evolve as a being: mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually because it is all a part of your health and well-being.

Eat the Cake 

What food have you been guilting yourself about? Do you ever eat something and then immediately calculate how many minutes you will have to exercise in order to burn it off? Do you ever feel ashamed when you eat a dessert in public because you think other people might be judging you? Have you ever felt compelled to explain your food choices to a friend or loved one?   Do you ever deprive yourself of food as a punishment or indulge in food as a reward?

Food can be a way to nourish and honour your body.  It can be a way to connect with your body’s needs.   So, rather than judging the things you desire, you can learn to use them as guides on your journey towards body peace.  You can enjoy food and make eating an integral part of your body acceptance experience.  When you begin to connect with your body, you will be able to eat the cake, the apple, or whatever you choose and know why you made the choice.  Knowing your ‘why’ will begin to free you from the judgment of self and others when it comes to food choices.  That newfound freedom will help you to ‘eat to love and love what you eat!’

Move that body!

Everywhere we look there are messages about getting fit, obtaining a better body, and losing the fat.  Most of the time these messages are connected to the goal of getting thinner or sexier. However, I want to remind you that a great way to honour your body is through movement that you enjoy.  Fitness and exercise do not have to be about punishing or changing your body.  Body movement is a great way to connect with your body in a loving way.  I know that it can be challenging to disassociate body movement from the concepts of extreme fitness and weight loss, but here are some ways you can start now:

• Try new activities- explore ways to move your body that you’ve never tried before and make it fun!
• Find something you absolutely LOVE and do it often- the more you enjoy an activity, the more rewarding it will be to your mind, body, and soul
• Find a friend or loved one and invite them to join in to make it more fun
• Invest in some gear that helps you feel comfy, confident and excited to move your body
• Release the numbers- don’t obsess over calories, miles, or hours, move to have fun!

Body movement can be fun, relaxing and refreshing.

Don’t feel like you have to try to do all three at once, do one at a time because baby steps make big changes!

Lisa xx

The post Re-writing the rules for body acceptance appeared first on Feel Great Health.

Well, some do, for a short period of time, but then the weight slowly creeps back on until you eventually end up weighing more than when you started!

So, why do we bother?

We go round and round on the diet merry go round because that’s what we know to be the only thing to do to achieve everything we’re dreaming of, health, happiness, love, attention, you name it, it’s all bound up in the illusion of weightloss!

95% of diets fail, would you buy a car knowing that 95% didn’t work?

If you struggle with any kind of overeating, then chances are you’ve tried most every diet out there in an effort to control your eating. And with each new diet you begin, you’ve likely experienced the promise of a “New You.”

But like most every dieter out there, you’ve likely also experienced the disappointment that comes when you inevitably “fall off the wagon” and return to your overeating behaviours.

So perhaps the answer to end binge eating does not lie in seeking a “New You” but in seeking a NEW APPROACH! This means starting the new year with NO diets, NO fads, NO gimmicks, and NO quick-fixes. Instead, it means starting the new year with a new approach to understanding and truly resolving your emotional and binge eating.

Start by listening to your body, what is she saying to you?
Try eating when you’re hungry, and try stopping when you’re getting full, how does this feel for you?

Lisa xx

The post New you or New Approach? appeared first on Feel Great Health.

I know it’s hard especially when great aunt Maud, who you haven’t seen since day dot comes to visit and insists that you try her cake, even though you’ve already explained that you don’t like cheesecake!

I know it’s hard because everywhere you look there’s food! Why do so many of our family get togethers involve so much food? Or is that just my family?!

I know it’s hard because you go from house to house doing your bit, visiting all your relations, and at each house you have a banquet fit for a king!

I know it’s hard because you have to see relations that you barely know, or worse still relations that you argued with last year!

Christmas is so stressful anyway, without the added bonus of food issues thrown into the mix, so here’s 3 things to hopefully make your week go a little smoother:

1 Set an intention for the holiday, what do you want to get out of it?

For example:

1. I will be present and in the moment with my loved ones
2. I will make time for myself, even if only for a few minutes
3. I will take what I need, and leave what I don’t
4. I will practice self-compassion
5. I will allow myself to experience pleasure, including from food, without judgement
6. I will practice self-care each day
7. I will nourish myself with satisfying meals and snacks

2 Give yourself permission

• Give yourself permission to have the foods you love, and leave behind the ones you don’t
• Give yourself permission to rest or exercise if you are craving movement
• My answer to the question, “Can I eat that??” is always a resounding, “YES!”

3 Realise that there is an ebb and a flow to normal eating

• This means that our bodies are very resilient and can handle fluctuations in our eating!
• A single meal or day or week of eating more indulgent foods and not being in our usual workout routine is not going to make a difference in your weight or fitness in the long run!

I hope this helps you, and you’re able to start to relax around the Christmas holidays, and enjoy the time spent with our loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

Lisa xx

The post Intuitive Eating during the holiday season appeared first on Feel Great Health.

Perfection is an illusion of control and safety. It leads you to think that once you are perfect, or once everything around you is perfect then you will feel good enough, in control, and protected from pain or disappointment, and everything will be just …well, perfect.

But perfection is a lie.

It’s unachievable, and it requires stuffing down or shoving away anything that is real, messy, and genuine. Perfection requires a smile when really you want to cry; instead you say, “I’m fine” when really you want to say, “I’m falling apart.”

A more mindful life inspired goal is to be PRESENT. In any given moment, being present means you are aware of how you are feeling and what you are needing without judgment in any given moment, and then behaving and responding accordingly.

To be present is to feel good enough, bravely facing each moment and knowing in your heart that you’re doing the best you can. Being present, not perfect, makes space for messy emotions, backwards steps, forward stumbles, and learning curves. Being present is vulnerable…and where the magic really lies.

Take a moment to practice being present by checking in with yourself using the following questions:

– How does your physical body feel?
– How does your emotional body feel?
– What is happening in your life that feels good?
– What is happening in your life that doesn’t feel good?
– What do you need to do or say to address these issues?

When you aim to be present in your life, rather than perfect, you are standing tall in life. It may feel very strange at first, but with practice you can begin to embrace PRESENT over PERFECT!

Lisa xx 

The post present or perfect? appeared first on Feel Great Health.

But before we engage in mysterious overnight disappearances, I’d like us to consider an alternative approach that is grounded in the principles of IntuitiveEating (sometimes called ‘mindful eating’). After all, don’t we as parents hope that our children will grow up to be ‘normal’ eaters who feel in control of their food, rather than food in control of them?

Our children are never too young to begin learning the principles of Intuitive Eating, and Halloween is a perfect opportunity for this. So, rather than parents taking charge of sweet rationing and leaving children to feel like they must be restrained from this highly coveted and seemingly dangerous food (which sounds so similar to a diet), why not try the following strategies to promote a calm, moderate approach to sweets during this time of year:

1. Ask your child to sift through the sweet pile and divide the sweets into three groups:

(1) absolute favourites, they definitely want to eat

(2) like, but definitely not first choice

(3) could live without / don’t like.

This helps children become aware of what they like and don’t like in their loot.

Explain to your child that they can eat any of the sweets, but that they may want to start with their favourites. Mindful eating is all about saving the BEST for FIRST! If you save the best for last, then you may end up eating a lot of food you don’t really like just to get to the good stuff.

Talk with your child about how sweets affect the body (in age-appropriate terms). Teach children that sugar is OK (because all foods are OK in moderation), but a lot of sugar can make their tummy hurt (as is true with too much of any food). Avoid using words like ‘bad’ or ‘unhealthy’ to describe sugar; be objective in your descriptions. Teach them that it’s best to balance sugar with other types of foods (e.g., apples, chicken, milk, etc.) so that their body feels good.

When your child eats the sweets, request that they eat it at the table without distraction so that they can focus on enjoying the treats. We tend to feel more satisfied with our meals and snacks when we attend to the experience with awareness and focus.

Let your child know that they can have more sweets in the near future (e.g., later today, tomorrow, etc.). If they think this is their last chance to eat it, they will likely overdo it and crave it more in the future.

Allow your child to experience the natural consequences of eating too much candy. If they experience a stomach-ache or sugar crash, explain to them that this is naturally what happens when the body gets more sugar than it wants. Many times, we have to experience something first-hand before we accept the notion that we should do something differently.

Finally, be a good role model for a healthy relationship with sugar. Children learn primarily by watching what their parents do, so take this opportunity to show your child how to be a mindful sweet eater. Enjoy your favourite sweets at the table, talk about when your body feels satisfied after eating a few pieces, and avoid making any judgmental comments about your body and/or your child’s body (or anybody’s body, really).

When children are encouraged to trust their bodies and make food choices that taste good and feel good, they become Intuitive Eaters who feel at peace with food. And when sweets are no longer the primary focus, costume contests, party games and having fun become the important part of the night.

Happy Halloween!

Lisa xx

The post Trick or Treat at Halloween? appeared first on Feel Great Health.

You haven’t lost any weight, or changed body shape despite doing umpteen failed diets.  You’ve tried going to the gym for an hour every day, one expert says to do this, another expert says do something else instead, you’re chopping and changing between the two there’s no wonder nothing is working for you!

It IS confusing right?

The thing is diets don’t work, nada, no, not at all!

For 95% of the population anyway, diets don’t work to lose weight, instead they work to slowly put the weight back on and then some – I know, why are we only just hearing this now?!

The thing is, we’re not, this has been tested and proven for many years, it’s just that we didn’t really want to hear it, because we needed some hope of losing the weight.

If diets don’t work, then what are we going to do besides a lot of panicking?

I have 3 suggestions for you that I know you need to consider before making any decisions.

1. Make a firm decision to stop doing what you’re already doing (It’s not working for you now, so what makes you think it’s going to suddenly start working for you in a few weeks time?)
2. Reflect on what hasn’t been working and start to think about what might in the future.
3. Commit 100% to your new approach, and see if it’s the right one for you

So thats a firm decision, reflect, and commit and let’s start making the changes necessary for a healthier life!

Lisa xx

The post Confused about your weight? appeared first on Feel Great Health.

Are you gonna make the most of them or let them slip by like all the rest?

I challenge you to make one small change, repeat it each day and see how good you feel by 1st January 2020, yep it really is that simple!

It could be going to the gym, reading a chapter of your self help book, getting a bed time routine in place, going for a 10 minute walk outside, having a smoothie, trying to keep calm around your kids\grandkids, absolutely anything, your choice because only you know what you need to do to improve your way of life.

It’s your choice, only you can decide, just make sure that it’s a small change thats easy enough to do that you’re going to keep doing it on a daily basis.

But, remember 90 days of baby steps will create big changes in your life.

So what’s it to be, change something or stay as you are?

Lisa xx

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