Getting to the World Domination Summit meant a lot to me this year. I had heard the gushing from those that went last year and I knew in my heart that it was the place for me.  I want to, I want to, I want to. The only problem was that I was on the waitlist with thousands of other keeners, there were 500 tickets left, and they sold out in 13 minutes last year. What?!

I went to bed the night before the final ticket sale with the ticket sale time written on my arm. I phoned my girlfriend to arrange to use her office, which was in the same building as my bootcamp because registration and my class started at the same time.

The clock struck nine am, my fingers flew into action on the key board, and just like that I was one of the ecstatic ticket holders that made it in under the 9 minutes (they sold out a little quicker this year).

Then a thought rudely butted its way into my glorious moment…what if I applied that kind of intention to the rest of my life?

Whoa, that made me think.

What if I applied that kind of laser focus to my parenting, to my fitness, to my nutrition, to my marriage, to my work, to my housecleaning? (Ok, I am getting carried away.)

It is a startling thought because as much as I practice being present and living my values, I often spend a lot of the day in reaction.

I get up in response to one of my kids waking, my daily actions are in response to my schedule, I often eat based on the time and choose my food according to habits. I would say I have an intentional life, but the truth is my intentions are often vague.

Health-vague

Good marriage – vague

Powerful parenting – vague

Then I got thinking; my best workshops and classes happen when I have that clear laser sharp intention. The breakthroughs in my relationships with family start when I set the intention to have more connection, play, or patience with that person.  When I think about it, intention has been a pivotal factor in any key shifts in my life.

Clear, powerful intention requires:

• Preparation: you make room, create solutions, overcome any hurdles that could challenge the outcome that you have intended.
• Clarity: there is no vagueness regarding the outcome you want.

Instead of my intention being health, it is:  to wake up every day with vitality and energy. To have a lean, fit body that loves to move and play. To have a loving intuitive relationship with my body, where I listen to what fuels it best and act according. To have a peaceful clear mind, to be inspired daily. To be surrounded by loving relationships, to have a rockin immune system that laughs at cold and flu season, to sleep like a baby every night and to feel connected every single day to God and my spirit. Now that paints a picture that I dig.

• Positivity: stating something in the negative does not work because you are not being clear about where you are going instead… Not being sick and tired, is far less effective than stating what you want instead of that.
• Create reminders: we are habitual creatures and will fall back into our usual rhythms and routines unless we are reminded regularly about what we want more than the comfort of our habits. This is why I have a vision board, leave myself notes and encourage my clients to have vision boards. This is why I wrote the time on my arm…I was not going to let forgettingbe a barrier to getting tickets to that conference.
• Commitment: dig down deep and ask yourself if what you want is really important? Why is it so important? Be clear on why you want what you are intending for and commit to achieving/receiving it. Commitment is important because it does not scurry away at the first feeling that comes along and tries to oppose it. I have not always ‘felt’ like being married, going to work or waking at the sound of a crying child, but I am committed. Commitment keeps me moving in the right direction when my feelings would derail me. The good news is that the warm, fuzzy, inspired feelings always return. I just don’t depend on them.
• Action: nothing feeds intention like action. Intention without action leads to frustration. So, even if you can’t take the type of action you want, take a mini step towards what you want. You might have planned for a run, which is in line with your intention to be fit and strong. If you can’t run, due to an unexpected situation, go for a quick trot around the block, run the stairs a few times, or do squats and wall push-ups in the bathroom if you have to. I am actually begging at this point. Please, please do something towards your intention, because nothing will strengthen intention more than action.

Whew, that begging took it out of me.

I get excited about what I am intending for my life and how that is already showing up. I guess what gets me really going is that it is possible for everyone. It is possible for you.

What are your intentions?

{Photo Credit}

This is my first product review. I am happy to have had the opportunity to try two products, Sleepon & Weight Off, by NuvoCare Health Sciences.

The Back Story

I first saw Ryan on The Dragon’s Den, a Canadian program that has business owners pitch their business ideas to big wig entrepreneurs. I love the show and really enjoyed Ryan who created his own health products and knew what he was talking about. He was one of the few companies that the Dragons joined forces with.

I met Ryan last spring at a health trade show in Vancouver. Besides getting the dish about being on the show, I was excited to talk product with him. At the trade show, there were five products that he was showcasing, Weight Off and Sleep On, being two of them. Ryan gave both of these products to me to try out.

Here’s the Inside Scoop

SleepOn – First of all, I don’t usually struggle with getting sleep, so my husband was the guinea pig. He has a hard time falling to sleep, and he sometimes has a hard time getting back to sleep if awoken in the night. (With two small kids we rarely get a solid night’s sleep!) What he found:

• SleepOn helped with falling asleep and staying asleep
• He didn’t wake up feeling groggy
• After two weeks, it didn’t work as well
• It worked again when he took a week off from taking it and then went back to it

I tried it twice on nights I was really restless. I found it helped to relax me to sleep, and I had a deeper sleep than usual.  However, I didn’t continue to take it because I don’t typically have trouble with sleep.

Weight Off- I had a mix of feelings about trying this product because I have sworn off of the diet bandwagon, but I still want to lose some weight. Ryan didn’t make any false claims about me being able to eat junk food and still lose weight, which won my trust. I took it most days with breakfast and lunch for a month, and I didn’t make any other dietary or exercise changes. Here is what I found:

• I lost 2 pounds
• I didn’t get the jitters or stomach sensitivity that I usually get with caffeine or other stimulants
• I noticed that I didn’t get as hungry afterwards, and I forgot my mid morning snack quite often
• My energy increased as well, but not to the hyper or jittery state

I am not a huge advocate of diet pills, but I see how this product would gently support weight loss goals. It is not the solution to weight loss though, and you will need to be prepared to make dietary changes. However, it can be a helpful support to your weightloss goals.

I found both products to be helpful and my husband has already asked me, a few times, to order some more SleepOn.

Thank you Ryan for the chance to try out your products and to give my readers an honest review.

No time? No problem.

When my hubby and I have plans to go out, and the babysitter falls through, we don’t hang our heads and decide to stay home. We hit our contact list for plan B, and if that falls through, plan C. I think we have even gone as far as plan J (I come from a big family).

This is pure determination, flexibility with a splash of creativity.

In truth, we savour those occasional outings because we know they fuel our marriage and our emotional health, and they can supercharge the fun factor in our lives. In short, it is worth the effort to overcome the barriers.

So, why not apply this mind frame to exercise?

So often we allow life to get in the way of our fitness and health goals because we give up too quickly.

No time, no worries…create a plan B or plan C that allows you to stay on track, while managing the ups and downs of life.

For example:

Your A Game: get your sweat on five to six times per week for an hour, include weights, cardio and stretching.

Your B Game: get your sweat on three times per week for twenty to forty-five minutes. Give yourself a morning stretch for a few minutes and throw in weight bearing exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, and tricep dips on commercial breaks or with your kids.

Your C Game: one biggie workout a week, like a hike, walk, or sweat session at the gym. Then, throw in the mini exercise boosts like hop scotch, a dance off, a wrestling match or running the stairs a few times. Do this once or twice a day and throw in the sporadic weight bearing exercises listed above a few times a week. We are talking about ten minutes here and five minutes there that won’t require a shower and beauty treatment afterwards.

I get that life is hectic, but neglect is a form of abuse and your body deserves some of your best love. You deserve some of your best love.

It is easier to go from your C plan to your B or A plan when life slows down than it is to go from nothing to your A or B plan. Once fitness is a habit, you can adjust the volume based on priorities and responsibilities.

If you have small children or are a single parent, your C plan may be your best until the children get older. That is okay because you are doing what it takes to maintain health and eventually build on it.

So what is your A –B – C plan? Don’t let someone prescribe to you what it should be…make it fit for you, and make it fun!

{Photo Credit}

Guest Post by Julia Frey

Turkey and Leek Pie

Turkey leftovers will never be the same…

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 30 gr. butter
• 800-1000 gr. leftover turkey meat
• 50 gr. italian pancetta or bacon
• 3 leeks (white part only)
• 3 medium carrots
• 1 cup/250 ml. leftover gravy
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 2 sprigs of each rosemary and thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• prepared shortcrust pie pastry (Pillsbury in Canada or Jus Rol in the UK)
• 1 egg (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C or 180 C for a fan oven.

My dear friends, you were probably expecting some amazing pie crust recipe that was handed over to me by my mother, and to her by her mother and so on but instead I am advising you to use a prepared one. I hope you are not too disappointed but the truth is that when I have a container full of turkey leftovers in the refrigerator that scream-”Use me, I am literally on my last breath”, the furthest thought from my mind is to run to the kitchen and engage in a long and tedious process of pastry  making. Trust me, the flavour comes from the filling, not from the crust. There is definitely time for making your own special recipe but not a week after Christmas! So where were we? Yes, oven.

In a deep frying pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil and your butter over a medium heat, cook your pancetta with the herbs for about 7-10 min and than add your sliced leek and diced carrots. You can definitely use bacon instead of pancetta if it’s too hard to find or pricey. It’s readily available in England and for a good price, so I prefer it.

After your vegetable have been cooking for 10 min and leeks softened add your diced turkey and gravy. If you don’t have enough gravy use chicken stock and thicken it with flour. Cook the mixture for about 10 min until heated through and not too runny. Add more flour if it is!  Taste it and season with salt and pepper.

I really recommend using your leftover gravy because this is where your taste is going to come from. You already spend lots of time building flavour and complexity into it while cooking your holiday dinner-it’s time to reap the benefits. Take your filling off the heat and cool it before pouring it into the pastry. While it’s cooling roll out your pastry or take a little break with a glass of wine!

Line the 9″ deep pie plate with the pastry. When the meat is cooled enough to handle pour into your lined pie plate with the edges hanging over the sides of the plate. Brush the edges of the pastry with a beaten egg. I used to skip that step and my beautiful pies would come undone in the oven. I like my food to look pretty, so it would frustrate me to no end. The egg is your glue here. Don’t skip this step. I beg you. Pinch your sides of the pie really well and brush the top with the rest of your egg.

Also, don’t forget to make pretty slits on your pie to make room for the steam to escape or your pie will explode. Maybe. As I mentioned earlier, I like my food to look pretty.

For the pie you see in the picture I used my turkey cookie cutter on the leftover pastry and cut out a couple of turkeys. Then I appliquéd them on the pie and brushed the whole deal with the egg again. You know how I begged you not to skip an earlier step? Feel free to skip this one. It’s for food nerds only. Skipping of the last step bares no consequences on the deliciousness of that pie.

Bake your pie for 35 min and serve with whatever you like. In my case it was mashed potatoes and green beans.

PS. This recipe was inspired by Jamie Oliver similar recipe but was tweaked so many times that I can almost claim it as my own.

I am back, and I feel almost as good as the lady in this photo!

I love the New Year because it is a fresh start. Whether you are pro or anti- resolutions, it is a great time to reflect on where you are at and move forward in the direction of your choosing.

Since I am a recovering middle child and rebellious by nature, I have a hard time taking resolutions seriously. I am serious, however, about having a vision.

My vision is about who I want to be, what impact do I want to have, and what do I want to experience.

Once I am good and inspired, I break it down into the bite size goals that will take me there.

Good thing my vision is inspiring, because my bite size goals are not that sexy…

• Get up a little earlier
• Plan a little more, especially meals
• Find the joy in almost every moment (let’s be realistic, I still clean the toilets in my house).
• And pay forward with generosity

What I have found is that my mini goals don’t need to be sexy when I focus on the big picture. Every morning that I heed the advice of my alarm clock, every meal that becomes more than just a thought, every sore muscle, every piece of lettuce that crosses my lips, I am living my vision. I am being authentic with who I am and honouring what I want for myself…because I am worth it. And so are you.

So here is to a year of living our visions!

{Photo Credit}

Guest post by Julia Frey

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

All right friends, here is the recipe that consists of two different recipes that I combined for my love of Pumpkin Spice Lattes (which are unavailable where I live in England). The first one is a pumpkin muffin recipe that I converted into a cake recipe.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/4 c oil
3 c. white sugar
6 eggs
1 large can 28 oz of pumpkin pure

Directions

Mix first 5 ingredients, add next 3, than the last one.
Bake at 325 F/160C for 25-30 min.
It looks like a lot of ingredients but it’s because it makes 4 dozen muffins.  A couple of days ago I was tired of making muffins after 2 dozen and poured the remains of the batter into 2 8″ rounds cake pans and baked them for about 25 min. (please watch them because I am not sure of time, it was an experiment and my oven temp is off)

Now the cake was inspired by Sweetapolita and her Vanilla Bean Latte cake. To get the recipe for the icing, click here.

Julia’s Bio

I am Julia and I am a domestic goddess. Wait. Scratch that.  I am Julia and food is my biggest passion. No, not true again. The truth is I am passionate about many things, and in pursuit of them my husband, our two gorgeous children and I left our home in Canada and moved to London, England about a year ago. I love feeding people great tasting, healthy and REAL food almost as much as I love creating it. I am excited to bring to you the recipes that are tested by me and tasted by my family. You are also welcome to follow my family’s adventures here.

I would like to make an order:  I will have one pair of lean thighs, easy on the muscular development, a trim tummy and a supersized order of motivation, just to curb my appetite.

Outside of a plastic surgeon’s office, this order would be lunacy, however it doesn’t stop the fantasy.  The fantasy that goes something like this: if only I had more willpower, then I would…(fill in the blank).

In truth, willpower does not stand much of a chance against cravings, or the call of bad habits, for an extended period of time, because it is only one part of the equation for change.

WILLPOWER DOES NOT EQUAL CHANGE

That is right. The belief that willpower will cure the world of chubby thighs and muffin tops, not to mention debt and fidelity issues, is a farce!

I beg your pardon?

You are hearing me correctly. This fallacy, that it is willpower that is your main barrier to change, resides with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, somewhere between Never Never Land and an honest politician. (Okay, low blow. I am sure that there is a Never Never Land, but I just haven’t come across it).

Willpower is real, but it is not sustainable on it’s own, which makes it a lousy solution and definitely not ‘THE CURE’. I should clarify, the feeling of willpower is not sustainable and will short circuit.

Willpower is clear and intentional focus that is followed through with action. Because it requires consciousness and laser focus, it also requires a lot of mental, emotional, and, at times, physical, energy and often feels like you are moving against the grain.

This is why willpower is great for the initial drive, or sprint, that sets change into motion. Without a plan, though, you may find yourself back at square one, wondering how you lost your groove, yet again.

If you are serious about change and want to get the most mileage out of willpower, try these proven strategies:

• Make the decision once: I heard this suggestion as it pertained to moral decisions. Make the choice once not to steal at work, use gossip as a pass time or use white lies to sugar coat the truth. It made sense because if you make the decision once, you will not be in a moral dilemma every time an opportunity presents itself. This is true for all change. If you decide to exercise 5 days a week, you spend your energy figuring out when and how as opposed to if you will work out.
• Use reminders: One of the main reasons people drop a new positive habit is because they forget. It is easy to get caught up in the day to day and honestly forget to take action, until you look back and ask yourself how you went a whole week without exercising. This is where a vision board, daily schedules and electronic reminders are fantastic. Right now, I am a big fan of HabitForge, which will send daily reminders.
• Be clear on what you want and why: “I want to be around for my kids” or “I want a healthier lifestyle” don’t quite cut it when you are in the midst of a panic attack because you have gone two weeks without a smoke and have just had the most stressful day of your life. You need to be very clear on what you want for yourself, why and how important it is to you. You need to be so clear and regularly reminded of this, that when the initial buzz from your motivational sprint dies down, you are continually inspired and energized by the image of who you will be with this new habit.
• Have accountability: I have made a million contracts with myself that have found themselves in the garbage or ‘forgotten’ because I would talk myself out of it just as easily as I talked myself into it. As a coach, sometimes this is one of my main roles, to hold someone accountable to their highest capability. You can work with a friend as an accountability partner, use an online source such as HabitForge or Stickk, or hire a coach to get you through that initial phase of one to six months that is required for change to be effortless.
• Don’t expect to always feel good about the change in the moment: Let’s be honest, sometimes sticking to our goals feels like torture. The truth is, positive change doesn’t always have to be inspiring or exciting. There will come a time when it feels like the negatives far outweigh the positives of making change. If you are prepared for these feelings, you will not let them have a say in your decision to stick with the plan. Feelings are just feelings, and they will come and go. If you know the changes you are making are better for you than staying the same, then allow the misery or self-pity to come and go without giving them any power.
• Refill your emotional energy supplies: Change takes effort and a lot of initial energy. Although you are burning this additional energy for a worthy cause, you need to make sure you put back what you take. This does not mean zoning in front of the internet or TV with a bag of Doritoes! This means doing something that feeds your spirit, and if you don’t know what that is, this is a perfect time to explore that.
• Watch your thoughts! Nothing will drain the bank of willpower quicker than entertaining thoughts of breaking down. If you are taking a break from sugar, but allowing yourself to fantasize about double fudge brownies, willpower will not hang around for very long.

Change does not have to be a heavy emotional burden in your life that relies solely on the feeling of motivation. It can be fun, creative and engaging. Take the time to build a safety net that not only extends the feeling of motivation, but will help to catch you when willpower has seemingly abandoned you in your time of need.

So, until there is a magic pill to increase willpower and make change effortless, I encourage you to supersize your willpower through one or all of the above tips.

Hey, if you have a way to supersize your willpower that we haven’t talked about, I would love to hear what works for you in the comment section!

{Photo Credit}

Moussaka

This recipe comes from one of my best friends, Julia Frey, who happens to be a Culinary Diva. She has taught me that healthy food can be fun to make and taste amazing.

Take it away Julia…

This moussaka features two sh0rtcuts, neither of which sacrifices flavour: the eggplant is broiled rather than fried, and the topping is a mixture of cheese and milk instead of the usual bechamel sauce. ( Lots of calories saved by making those alterations)!!
Serves 4

3 tbsp. olive oil or cooking spray like Pam
1 onion, chopped (I prefer red onions for flavour)
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed for speedy cooks
1 pound lamb to keep it authentic to the Greek cuisine but I always use extra lean ground beef instead
1/2 cup red wine (optional) but not for me
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes in thick pure (one 15 oz. can)
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 t. ground allspice
salt and pepper to taste
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled and cut in 1/4 inch thick slices
4 oz. low fat cream cheese
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. First of all, don’t be put off by the list of ingredients, this recipe is very quick to make!! Heat the broiler. In the large frying pan heat one tablespoon of olive oil and fry onion and garlic until softens for about 3 min. Add the meat and cook until no longer pink, stir in wine, tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaf, cinnamon, allspice and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and let it simmer, covered for about 20 min.
2. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the remaining olive oil or simply spray with Pam, salt and pepper them as well. Put the slices on a baking sheet and broil them 6 inches from the heat, until browned for about 5 min (watch them carefully they burn very quickly)!! Then take them out flip them on the other side and repeat.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the cream cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Warm over low heat until just melted.
4. Oil an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Layer half the eggplant slices in the dish, then half the meat sauce. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan. Repeat the layer (just like lasagna). Spoon the cream cheese sauce on top and broil until just starting to brown, 1 to 2 min.

Footnote: If you’ve never cooked with eggplant I beg you to try. When cooked properly it’s deliciously sweet and silky. If your eggplant looks and feels spongy to the touch it’s not done and WILL taste horrible. Put it back in the oven!!!

Serve moussaka with a simple green salad and plenty of red wine.

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine magazine.

{Photo Credit- Photo is from Flicker, so don’t be dismayed if your Moussaka doesn’t look like this}

Sometimes, as a mother of two small kids, I feel like sleep is more of a luxury than a necessity, but then I remember back to my couple counselling days…

I was seeing a couple that had a love-hate relationship. I would work my hardest in our one hour sessions to get them connected to the love they had for one another. They would feel it, commit to making changes and being kinder, only to show up one week later with a huge list of offences that had taken place since our last session.

I was ready to pull my hair out because I had tried everything. And then a question came to mind…

 “How much sleep are you getting at night?”

They shrugged and did some quick math in their heads, “Between four and six hours.”

What!?

When it came down to it, it was a matter of some bad habits and late night movie watching that was depriving this couple of sleep. They went away from that session with one homework assignment: no less than seven to eight hours of sleep a night!

I had to laugh when they came in a week later beaming. No amount of counselling could compete with good old fashioned sleep.

Listen up, folks: Sleep is a necessity!

You can live longer without food than you can without sleep. It has also been reported that if you go without sleep for extended periods of time, your mental health will be significantly compromised, and you may experience episodes of manic behaviour or deep depression.

Not worth it.

For most of us, it won’t be as dramatic as going a week without sleep. It will be a more subtle and pervasive sleep deprivation that can take place because of bad habits, medical conditions, small children or shift work, and it can have a dramatic impact on our health, not to mention our quality of life.

Adequate sleep, which is six to eight hours for the average person, is required for your body to regenerate and handle day to day demands.

Quality of sleep is important, as well. If you are getting eight hours of sleep, but having it interrupted a number of times throughout the night, you may experience the same physical and emotional fatigue as someone who is not getting the quantity of sleep that they need.

Sleep Is A Pillar Of Holistic Health

Quality sleep will help with the aging process, speed metabolism, increase immune function, increase mental and emotional health, increase willpower and mental clarity, just to name a few things.

So what can you do to increase your level of quality sleep?

• Bed time routine: we are creatures of habit, and our body responds accordingly. If we have the same routine before going to bed every night, our bodies adapt and will start releasing the hormones that promote sleep as soon as we begin the routine. This can be something as simple as having a cup of hot tea, and then brushing your teeth and washing your face. Or, it could be something a little more involved, like a warm bath followed by reading from your favourite book.
• Turn off electronic devices: it may feel like you are unwinding when you watch TV, but don’t mistake numbing or being distracted with relaxing. It often feels good to zone out in front of the TV or computer, but your mind is going a mile a minute as it follows visual stimulation.
• De-stress throughout the day: having a ten minute relaxation routine before bed doesn’t always cut it when you have been going full steam ahead all day. It is like going a hundred miles per hour all day and then putting your foot on the brake. You will not stop instantly. It is important to do relaxation exercises, like the ones listed below, throughout the day and not just at bed time.
• Supplements: before you hit the prescription solution, try something natural like melatonin, valerian root or an herbal sleep blend.  Many times these natural solutions will help you wind down into a deep slumber.
• Meditation: I stumbled upon this one. I was doing a meditation mp3 before bed and fell into the most amazing sleep. I don’t know if I have ever finished this guided meditation c.d. because I have begun using it to help me, not only fall asleep, but have an amazing quality sleep.
• Limit caffeine: I had to laugh at my husband when he used to come home, absolutely wired, from Monday night football. He kept saying it must have been an exciting game because he was just racing. When I got to the bottom of it, they were getting free ice teas, and he was having three to four! Coffee is an obvious culprit, but be careful of other caffeinated bevies like green tea, black tea, iced tea, cola and hot chocolate. Everyone metabolizes caffeine differently, but it can take up to seven hours to be out of your system, and if you want to be in bed early, that may mean kicking your skinny latte habit on your last coffee break.
• Exercise: this releases the adrenaline and energy that gets built up from daily stresses. You don’t have to train for an hour. Even twenty minutes of exercise a day will help you to fall into a deeper sleep at night.
  Note: exercising actually stimulates you and will interfere with sleep if you do it within two hours of going to sleep, so get your dance on during the day or in the morning.
• Journal: one of the number one reasons people report not being able to sleep is not being able to turn off their thoughts. Journaling is a great way to get out what is going on in your mind and clear your thoughts. It doesn’t have to be poetic or look pretty. Just get it out there, so that your thoughts are no longer taking up sacred consciousness when you want to be asleep. If you believe in prayer, this is also a great time to release your thoughts and worries to a higher power. Once you surrender your worries and desires, it is often easier to surrender to sleep.

If you have been putting your sleep habits on the back burner, here is your wake up call. Quality sleep is one of the number one keys to optimal health and it is time to master this aspect of your health. If you have had ongoing sleep issues, please consider seeing a doctor or naturopath to look deeper into underlying issues. But, whatever you do, don’t put up with lousy sleep.

Sweet Dreams…

{Photo Credit}

Do you ever get sick of being told what to do? I understand that I am a recovering middle child, but sometimes my rebellion days creep into areas of my life that I don’t want to rebel in. I want to want the celery. I want to want a run. Not always so, my friend, but this is where I have learned to tap into creativity to bypass a life of rigid rules that cramp my style.

I first made the connection between creativity and health when I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Everyone’s cheerful solution to my limited choices was “just have a salad”.  Being the logical and grounded person that I am both personally and professionally, I developed a rage towards salad.

Then, one day, my pity party was rudely interrupted by a thought ‘What if I focused on what foods I could eat and became creative in how I made them’. Now, don’t let the Holistic Health Blogger name fool you: I do not wake up with dreams of bean sprouts and yams dancing in my head. This was a bit of a stretch for me, but I saw it as a creative challenge. I started playing with recipes, and I developed a mad crush on different soups. {Sadly, I must report, salads and I have not been able to resolve our differences and, for the time being, we have decided to part ways.}

Since introducing creativity to my food choices worked so well, I started bringing in creativity to my exercise. If I couldn’t fit in a run, I would have a dance off with my kids or challenge my daughter to a skipping challenge. My 4.5er is obsessed with yoga and nags me to do yoga with her, which is a blast, and I found the most amazing hike that is less than two minutes from my house! (Who would have thought you could climb the mountain I live next to?).

Where things really got wild was when I applied creativity to my thinking…

Being the personal growth geek that I am, I would challenge myself to reframe dull thoughts with energizing thoughts:

Dull:

“I don’t feel like exercising.”

Creative, energizing:

“I love how I feel after a hike”

“I love how the fresh air feels when I am running”

“I can’t wait to come home after my run and take a warm bath”

Creativity is an infinite resource that resides in all of us. It seems that many of us lost this connection when we learned to be grown-ups. Unfortunately, that disconnect creates a barrier, not only in achieving what we want in life, but having fun along the way.

Luckily, creativity is innate, and with a little practice, you can use your creativity towards cooking, exercise, spirituality, thinking, hobbies or even time management.

So, pull out the pixie dust and polish up the magic wand, and start using your creativity to better your health.

Photo Credit