Week 2

Week 1 was about visualising and setting goals.

Week 2 is time to put them in to action.

The best way to make lasting change is to implement new healthy habits slowly and gradually. 'Start slow and aim low' is the mantra... while this may sound a little dull it is the best way to ensure you don't get overwhelmed and go back to your previous patterns. Start one healthy habit at a time. You have three weeks of the course left so why not choose the three biggest changes you most want to implement and introduce one a week from today.

HOW TO DEVELOP HEALTHY LIFESTYLE HABITS

The secret to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to focus on the rewards. You have already decided on the healthy habits you want to create and visualised the positive results. Use this visualisation to motivate you to take action every time.

How do I get Motivated?

If you are feeling a bit too tired to go for a run, have a stretch, make a nourishing meal. This is the crucial moment when you need to remind yourself how much better you'll feel in 30 mins after you've gone for that jog or walk, had a nutrient rich vegetable juice or increased your blood flow and oxygenated your body through another activity such as yoga or a swim. And remember you don't have to run a marathon every time. Small steps regularly is how to find your way to a healthier lifestyle. Change comes gradually through consistency. However just hoping these changes will happen isn't enough. You need to keep taking the small steps forward. Take control of your mind and prioritise your vision and take a proactive approach to achieve your goals. It’s about identifying your outcome and moving toward that end goal.

Create the environment where these changes can work.

The next step is to picture what conditions would make these activities more appealing... Would running or going to a yoga class with a friend make you feel like going more often? Do you have an inviting space to cook good food in? Is there fresh healthy food in the kitchen? Do you have a pair of running shoes in an easily accessible place that will become part of your exercise routine? Have you dedicated a space in your house for meditation and yoga? Do you start conversations with friends and loved ones about the positive and healthy things in life and how to enjoy them with each other? Do you have activities booked in to look forward to during the week such as classes or training clubs? If you want to quit smoking do you have an activity that is more appealing to replace the temporary pleasure response you receive from the nicotine? Even the simple pleasure you derive from visualising how much healthier and more attractive you will be by quitting can replace the fleeting pleasure response that cigarette might offer.

What conditions do you need to make these healthy lifestyle habits permanent rather than temporary?

The most important thing and this is the key to making long lasting changes with anything....they need to make you feel good emotionally. Emotions are tied to motivation and action. If the thought of doing something doesn't make us feel good emotionally then our innate human nature makes us avoid it and conversely we are drawn towards that which makes us feel pleasure no matter how fleeting. So the goal is to find a way to make these wellness activities as enjoyable as possible. The setting needs to be right. Put your favourite playlist on while cooking dinner. Make sure you have a comfortable space to meditate and a shawl to keep you warm. Find a place to run where you can enjoy your surroundings.

It's about finding the determination and motivation to make time for your health and wellness after a long day of work and/ or early in the morning before work. It's about finding the right balance that works best for you. Because even though it may seem daunting to set the alarm for your morning rituals or go for a jog in the evening the positive results far outweigh the extra effort. Another way to make a start towards better health and wellness is to remove the negative aspects in your life such as poor quality food, smoking, drugs, alcohol, negative thinking, excessive TV watching or toxic relationships.

Instead of chasing these addictions, negative feedback loops and cravings its time to replace them by creating healthy habits. Like dreaming up tasty recipes to ignite a passion for good food and eating right. And visualising the positive body changes and added energy that comes after a few weeks of regular exercise. Talk to your family and close friends about sharing some of these healthy lifestyle habits with you. Taking time to talk about your dreams and priorities with your close friends and/or partner can bring you closer and increase your chances of success. Plan special occasions to share with those you are intimate with and decide whether the career you are in is truly serving you now and for the future.

Once you have achieved a lifestyle that is not only healthy but also enjoyable you've won. And of course, life is always going to give you hurdles and complications to deal with and overcome. But if you keep focussed on what your priorities are in life it will really help keep you motivated and moving towards your goals.


6 DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS

ENVIRONMENTAL

  • Biophilia - spend time in nature daily
  • Connect with your surroundings - grounding, walking, sitting
  • What is your immediate work and home environment feel like? Is it an ergonomic space to work in? Have you created a serene home to encourage creativity, joy, peace and wellbeing? If your home or work space is cluttered then consider the method of clearing space by decluttering to revitalise yours space. Removing unwanted, old clutter from your living and working space is important to help you to prioritise and create new energy.
  • What is the quality of your food?
  • Is the room you sleep in a healthy space (lighting, mattress, electronics, noise, smells, moulds)?

SPIRITUAL

  • Do you commit to a daily practice of awareness, philosophy, routine?
  • Take time to read new theories and concepts to develop thinking and brain health
  • Turn the television off and consider instead taking time to meditate or do a guided journey with HeadSpace or similar

EMOTIONAL

  • How is your emotional body feeling?
  • Do you struggle to keep motivated?
  • Do you feel that you are being weighed down by stress, anxiety, tension, depression?
  • What daily habits are you following to ensure healthy mental space?
  • Are you

PHYSICAL

  • Do you move your body daily?
  • Are you maintaining physical wellness through daily bowel moments, massage, movement, taking time out from your desk

SOCIAL

  • connect with your loved ones
  • maintain healthy communication and boundaries
  • create social interactions through support networks, groups, sports, voluntary work

INTELLECTUAL

  • Svadhyaya - Begin a path towards self study and truly getting to know ourselves.
  • enrol in a course that helps you to learn, grow and educate yourself to keep you interested in life
  • connect and communicate with others to keep your mind active with new ideas and concepts

Make a weekly plan

Attached is a 3 wk Wellbeing planner pdf. Download it and fill out the first three changes you're going to make over the next three weeks. Remember there is no pressure to do too much. This is a marathon not a sprint. Once the three weeks are up and if you've implemented change you should definitely see some positive results and realise the potential that a long term healthy lifestyle can offer.

Four more things that will improve your chances at success are:

  1. Get enough sleep so that you have the energy and motivation to implement your wellbeing plan.
  2. Have a good breakfast
  3. Create a playlist
  4. Reward yourself. If you go for your first run or brisk walk in the morning make sure to make yourself a delicious smoothie afterwards or if it was an evening run then reward yourself with a bath afterwards and don't forget to add the Epsom salts or magnesium flakes.



As you move through this program, each week you should feel lighter and brighter (after the initial cleansing period in the first two weeks). Start to watch for healthy changes to your physical appearance as well as your emotional and mental wellbeing. It takes years, if not decades to manifest illness however if we do the work and commit to making positive changes then our bodies will slowly reward us with more vitality. If we stick to the path of health, long term vitality is our vision. The key is progress and to keep consistently looking for areas in your life and diet that you can improve on.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF HEALTH?

* Your skin is clear, smooth and lustrous. 

* You are within the normal weight range for your age, build and height 

* Your normal body processes such as digestion, bowel evacuation, urination and menstruation proceed normally and occur without excessive discomfort 

* Your bodily excretions (sweat, urine, faeces, saliva, vaginal mucous and menstrual blood) do not have unusually strong or unpleasant odours. Your urine is clear after your first morning urination. Your faeces are formed well and your menstrual blood is bright red and void of clots. 

* Your appetite is normal and you have a hunger in the mornings 

* The desire for fluids is balanced – it increases with exercise and hot weather 

* Your emotions are balanced and even. Their is neither too much anger, joy, fear, boldness, impulsiveness or procrastination. You are able to cultivate and maintain a state of equilibrium. 

* Sleep is balanced with wakefulness, it is not interrupted by excessive or disturbed dreams or waking. Dreams are uplifting. 

* You have a quick mind, feel alert and inspired with a good imagination and memory 

* Your body moves easily with strong integrity 

* The blood vessels can be seen under the skin however they do not bulge or are not painful. 

* Your hair is lustrous and is not too thin or too course. It grows well, in the correct places and does not grey or fall out prematurely.

HOW IS YOUR MENTAL WELLBEING?

Some people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function. Deeper and more serious mental health challenges that many people face are depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviours.

How stable our emotions are coupled with our nervous system integrity can be a direct reflection on: 

  • how we handle stress
  • relate to others
  • make choices 
  • our patterns of thinking and behaving
  • general wellbeing

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ARE STRUGGLING

Signs and symptoms of poor emotional wellbeing can vary, depending on the individual, circumstances and other factors. As a result these problems can leave you feeling lack of joy, miserable and can ruin families, relationships and work situations. Some common examples of signs and symptoms of mental health problems include:

  • Feeling sad or down
  • Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
  • Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
  • Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
  • Withdrawal from friends and activities
  • Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
  • Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
  • Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
  • Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
  • Problems with alcohol or drug use
  • Major changes in eating habits
  • Sex drive changes
  • Excessive anger, hostility or violence
  • Suicidal thinking
  • Sometimes symptoms of a mental health disorder appear as physical problems, such as stomach pain, back pain, headaches, or other unexplained aches and pains.

In many cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of counselling, herbal and nutritional support, diet and lifestyle and in more severe cases medications. Positive mental health is important and can feel like climbing out of a muddy ditch. Research has recently told us that creating new neural pathways in the brain is the first step towards clearing old patterns of behaviour and moving towards the sunshine again. 

HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE? HERE ARE OUR TIPS:

Start your day off well

Spend the first half an hour of your day in a state of receptive peace. This means avoiding reaching for your phone to check messages and emails. Take the time to start a morning ritual (affirmations, journal writing, sitting in the sunshine with a cup of tea, meditation, yoga or walking) as these reinforce the attitude and rhythm of the day by promoting parasympathetic nervous system balance (calm) rather than sympathetic nervous system dominance (fight, fear, flight reactions).

Talk About Your Feelings

Telling somebody that you are sad can take some of the sadness away and sharing joy will add more joy. Humans often crave closeness to other people and sharing feelings helps. It is also a good practice to avoid negative projections, an example of this is a continual retelling of scenarios/ stories. It is more productive instead to talk about your feelings and how you can improve your responses in the future.

Keep Active

Exercise keeps the brain and body healthy and can help improve your mood. Research on depression and anxiety shows that exercise has both physical and psychological benefits by boosting endorphins to your brain (feel good chemicals).

Eat Well

What we eat has a big impact on how we feel, mentally as well as physically. Your brain needs nutrients to stay healthy, certain types of food contain essential components for good mental health. Remember what is good for you physically is good for you mentally.

Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant, we drink alcohol to change our mood. Drinking a lot can harm your brain and lead to depression. Short term it may make you feel better but when the drink wears off, you feel worse and are more likely to get the blues. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Stay in Touch

There’s nothing better than catching up with friends and family, try to invest your time in people you care about. Give them a call or chat to them online. Communicate more, conversation can solve most problems.

Get Help and Advice

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness it is a way of staying strong, help to create a culture where asking for help is encouraged. As well as family and friends there are local services put in place to help you, remember everyone needs a little help from time to time.

Take Time for You

A change of pace is good for your mental health. It could be as simple as five minutes to yourself to a weekend away, or just trying something new. Just that little five minutes can de-stress you. A new environment may distract you from how bad you feel and make you focus on something else. Have a little selfish time, you deserve it.

Do Things You’re Good At

If it makes you feel happy and you enjoy doing it, then make time for this activity even if it is only to boost your self-esteem. Enjoying yourself can help beat stress, think of something you love doing now or loved doing in the past

Self-acceptance

For many people self-acceptance is hard to come by on a good day, but when you have had a bad day your self-acceptance is in shreds, its normal to feel like this. Learn to accept that you’re unique, work on your strengths and be kind to yourself. Feeling good about yourself will boosts your confidence, be proud of who you are.

Reach out for help when you are struggling

You are not alone in your struggle with anxiety, stress, depression or mental health balance. Many people are faced with these issues on a daily basis however you do not have to isolate yourself in loneliness. Please reach out for the support of friends, family and professionals if you feel that daily life is too much to handle.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE START TO CLEANSE OUR BODY?

Sadly it is undeniable that we live in a toxic world where pollution and radiation are things we endure every day. There are chemicals in our personal care products as well as in household cleaning agents we use daily, we inhale them and we consume them. We also live busy lives with high-stress levels which can mean that we are more likely to consume convenient packaged or fast foods. Because of all these things we often end up feeling unwell and feel dull. Some of us cope with everyday stress by consuming alcohol in excess, smoking or overindulging caffeine.

When it comes to our well-rounded kick-start body health program, we must consider not just the physical removal of toxins, but also the emotional aspects that we may need to release and cleanse.  These can appear in many aspects of our daily lives and having a deeper understanding of why these occur can help us to keep on the path to complete the overhaul and yield the positive benefits.

CRAVINGS

From day one of the start of a reset program you may notice you're thinking about what you could be eating, should be eating, and want to be eating, so cravings can occur right away for you.  When undertaking a new way of life it is natural that you will experience some shifts in energy and attitude. Our bodies are creatures of habit and our brains have such control of our bodies that it may try to con us into old habits over and over again.  Keeping this mantra in your mind may help you in those moments of weakness “if you always do what you have always done, then you will always get what you have always got”.  Or another one, “there is no shortcut to any place worth going”.  Changing habits means that we need to go outside of our comfort zones.  It is a necessary part of the healing process to feel flat in the beginning of any lifestyle changes as the body learns to let go of old habits and create new healthy ideals.

ENERGY

Following a low carb diet, or not, by the end of day one your energy may be low. This occurs because your body is switching from the habit of using carbohydrates as the primary energy source. When you restrict calories your brain isn’t getting as much glucose for its main energy source this may result in feelings of sluggishness and grouchyness.  The longer that you persist through the program the lighter and brighter you will begin to feel as your body resets its energy utilisation. This also occurs because the digestive system is also experiencing a break in its activity which means that there is more energy for the body to spend on healing and regeneration (liver, gut, bowels, immunity).  Digestion is a very active process and takes lots of resources from the body, such as blood flow and energy to break down food. 

MENTAL CLARITY

The brain-gut connection means that any time there is something amiss in the gut, the brain is affected. A high toxin load impairs the brain’s ability to quickly process information thereby leading to brain fog. The energy boost emanating from a period of detoxification rewards the brain with improved focus and mental clarity. Different toxins are fat-soluble, so their adverse effects on the brain can be immediately felt – primarily because the brain has one of the largest aggregations of fat in the body. This is why a well-planned full body cleanse should clear the way for neurological benefits with feelings of better mental clarity and focus.

SLEEP

Sleep helps 'detox' your brain and you may find that in the first week of the program that you are tired and sleep heavily. This occurs as your body is working through the back up of toxins and moving them through the bloodstream to eliminate from the body.  Another result may be that you are experiencing vivid dreams or nightmares. This is a process of the emotional body also detoxing its emotions, again a positive result and should only last for the first week.

At night, you may find yourself counting sheep (or steak) while you sleep. If you feel hungry, it can be really difficult to sleep because your body is trying to tell you that you should eat.  If this is the case for you, ensure that you have drank sufficient amounts of water during the day and afternoon as quite often we think that we are hungry when we are actually thirsty. Try some herbal teas, a light snack and some slow restorative yoga to help you to sleep like a baby and allow your body to cleanse at a deeper level.

EMOTIONS

Research continues to support the idea that “…humans are simultaneously biological and cultural beings, which means that physical and ideational networks are enfolded in and unfold from one another.”  This means we need to cleanse the spirit and mind as well as our bodies.  Starting a new way of living will definitely cause a shift to occur in the beginning and you need to think of this as a positive. Think of all of those colloquial terms that the English language has formed such as “shit on the liver”, these are a good description of how you will initially feel when shaking up your diet and lifestyle. Keep in mind, these are positive, short lived and push us to transform!

LIBIDO

One surprising perk you may enjoy after a couple of weeks is an increased libido and improved body confidence. Many people don't realize that the rectum and sigmoid colon are located directly behind the pelvis. When you're bloated or have a back up of wastes in the colon, you don't want to have sex because gas could slip through or the pressure during sex feels uncomfortable. After a week or two the bloating should be decreased, your digestive system is pretty empty and you may have an increase in confidence and feel better about yourself and your body because you've accomplished what you set out to do. Moving wastes out of the body will also increase your energy levels, motivation and you may find that you start making time for your partner because you don’t feel flat or disinterested anymore.

DIGESTION & BOWEL MOVEMENTS

Working to improve your digestion is a Naturopathic philosophy that works! Improving the way you digest, absorb and break down foods means better nutritional status, energy and overall wellness. If you have any digestive issues (IBS, constipation, bloating, reflux, indigestion etc) these are all signs of poor digestive function. The Bristol Stool Chart (included below) helps you to understand how your daily stool gives an indication of bowel health. Typically we want to move our bowels at least 1-2 daily, any changes to the form, amount, colour etc indicate digestive changes which can be addressed accordingly with diet, supplements and lifestyle changes. For example, increasing water consumption with a Type 1 stool can greatly improve your health (reduced dehydration).

CAFFEINE WITHDRAWALS

If you're a caffeine drinker (one to two cups daily), withdrawal may rear its ugly head since you have to cut out coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate during the program. Caffeine is a stimulant to the central nervous system, and regular consumption causes some degree of dependence on it. Without caffeine, blood vessels in the brain can dilate, causing headaches. You may also experience central nervous system depression, which is like the opposite of stimulation and comes with a hefty dose of drowsiness and fatigue. Heavy caffeine drinkers-four or more 8-ounce cups per day-may notice signs as early as the first day. Remember again that this is a natural process for the body to let go of its addiction. You may consider slowly withdrawing from the caffeine over a couple of weeks to slow the reaction down and also substituting caffeine for other low caffeine beverages.  Also ensuring optimal hydration is important during this time.

EXERCISE

Exercise can kickstart the natural detox process as it flushes out the lungs, and cleanses the skin as we work up a sweat. It also increases blood flow promoting better circulation to pump white blood cells through the body and help organs cleanse themselves effectively.  In the first couple of weeks of the program we recommend gentle movement and restorative yoga to nourish the bodies elimination processes. Going out to hard during the start of the program may cause inflammation and pain as the body has increased the circulating toxins in the cleanse phase.

BOWEL MOVEMENTS

Be prepared for a few extra trips to the bathroom in the first few days of starting the program as your body starts to kick into cleanse mode. This is a positive, especially if you suffer from constipation problems. Some people however can go the opposite way and find that they are experiencing constipation rather than lose bowels. Everybody reacts differently so observing what your bowels are doing is important. Ensure that you chug plenty of water throughout the day to prevent dehydration and help the bowels to keep moving out the circulating wastes. 

ENTHUSIASM & WELLBEING

Since a high toxic load affects the brain, it inevitably affects how we experience events and the feelings or emotions associated with these. After a period of cleansing, once accumulated toxins are expelled, you can experience an improvement in your mental and emotional state. This does not only mean you’ll be generally feeling better about yourself but you will also start experiencing better sleep.

The human body is well equipped to get rid of toxins and other unnecessary, unwanted matter (waste) from the various systems that make it up. However with the passage of time, due to unhealthy diets, intake of toxic substances (drugs, alcohol, caffeine, certain medications), chronic stress and exposure to environmental toxins, these detoxification pathways can become sluggish and the body can feel inflamed as if it is not firing on all cylinders.

Compromised detoxification pathways can lead to a lack of energy, infections and disease as our vital organs are subjected to daily stress and start to function less efficiently. Therefore, giving the body some much-needed respite through a full body cleanse can not only reset the system but also help nurture our vital organs. As a result, they get to ‘reset’ so to speak. This means we can help to reset and restore systemic efficiency in our bodies by taking a break from unhealthy habits (preferably getting rid of them altogether).

7 TIPS TO EAT WELL

Eating well is important. It’s part of life. It’s part of a routine. Each day is an opportunity to improve your mental health by taking small steps towards eating, moving, living, breathing better.

Mindful eating

If you concentrate on what you’re eating, you’ll probably eat more healthily. For example, people who eat while watching television tend to eat too much at one sitting. Practising mindfulness and being aware of what you are doing has its own benefits.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is important because quality sleep helps the body to rebalance, replenish and revitalise. Poor food choices usually stem from tiredness, low vitality and feeling like healthy eating is too hard.

Think fish

Long chain omega-3 fatty acids are good for your mental health, brain and nervous system. Omega 3 oils help to reduce inflammation which is often a trigger for gut/ brain issues. You get them in oily fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, perch, herring and sardines. 

Drink water

Drinking plenty of water helps prevent dehydration. Mild dehydration can make you irritable. Drinking sufficient filtered water (herbal tea, plain water, iced teas) can help to nourish the brain and reduce feelings of depression.

Healthy food swaps

It can be easier to make small changes than big changes. They’re more likely to stick. Swap white breads for wholegrain breads. Swap the frying pan for the grill. Swap salted nuts for unsalted nuts. Think of healthy food swaps and take it slowly so that you create healthy habits rather than short term fads that you probably won't stick to.

Go easy on the alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant. While it can make you feel good for a while, drinking too much alcohol can affect your mental and physical health. If you drink alcohol, it’s best to drink in moderation.

Go easy on yourself

Change doesn't usually happen overnight. Take small steps to improve your diet, make changes and practice positive self talk. Some of those changes will be easy, others will be harder. You’ll stick with some, and not stick with others. In time, they will become healthy eating habits that come naturally.

Complete and Continue