There is only one way to achieve happiness. That way is to simply be happy. You are probably thinking right now “How do I get to be happy? Things just don't work like that, it doesn't take into consideration the times that I am miserable because of problems or mishaps that come up in my everyday life." If this is you, then you need to stop and meditate! Meditation can be done in many ways, just find the one that works best for you and your purposes. Being happy much more of the time promotes more happiness. It’s just that simple. If you practice gratitude daily, then you will find more things to be grateful for. It’s like an epidemic of enjoyment. If we are stuck in sadness or stress all the time it literally changes our cells, biochemistry and brain to recognise stress and sadness. This becomes our norm as we are stuck in the anxiety of past and future thinking. The path that you have chosen that led you to your current situation was not a few days or months in the making, but a long and strenuous path that has spanned through many years. In comes MEDITATION!!! In reality, it has taken you as long as you have been alive to become the way you are today. The good and the bad. It has also taken you that long to achieve what you have achieved, to possess, and to arrive at your current condition. By taking the time to meditate and think about who you are, and what you have in your life is truly what you want your body and therefor your reality will answer you calls. If you are completely satisfied with the way your life is going, congratulations-do more of what you have been doing and you will get more of what you already have in your life. But if who you are, what you have, and your current conditions are less than what you want or perhaps are different from what you want, you must start meditating about some basic changes you will need to make in your life. Failure to make those changes will find you continuing to seek the things you really would like in your life as the years pass by. I really want to suggest to you that before you may reject how meditation can help you through your life, ask yourself whether your current actions have been getting you the results you desire…? So why not try to meditate on that. In this day and time with all the things we have to deal with in our lives it is very hard to stay on a positive level and be happy all the time, but just taking a few minutes a day just meditating by yourself will help you keep things in perspective where instead of being unhappy about the situation you are in you can find a way to be happy, grateful and optimistic.

Most of us have trained at one point or another in our lives. Chances are if you’ve ever taken your training seriously you’ve used a training journal or a training log. The main difference between training journals and training logs, is what you document in them after each workout or day. Training journals are just that, a journal. They will normally include things like mental health and how you felt during the day or your workout. What you ate that day, did you drink enough water, did you sleep well, how are you feeling overall and any other factors that may have impacted (both positively or negatively) your session and/or your day. A training log simply logs your exercise routine. Sets, reps, weights. Training logs are generally created off some kind of a template. For example; every day you fill out a form that has the same fields. Things like current weight or daily workout are all things that can be put in a training log on a day to day basis. So, why can’t we just do both…? Guess what? You can… Both journaling and logging are important to keep an effective history of your past. I’ve found out through experience it’s nice to have the two combined together in some way. We are a holistic being after all so as important as it is to log how we are going physically, we cannot discount the mental and emotional side of things too. As well as external impacts that may form patterns that we need to recognise in ourselves to create change and growth. The number one benefit of recoding your training is to have a detailed history to look back on. This can be very useful in times of planning. For example, to figure out what has worked for you and what hasn’t. It’s very useful for figuring out reasons for injuries or for times of burnout. Have you ever sat down and tried to plan out training with nothing to work with? If you have something to look back upon a detailed account of what you’ve done over the past few weeks it’s easy to plan ahead, and to effectively increase your workout intensity to improve for the future. A detailed journal is also nice to have just for personal use, and to be able to look back on past months and years, to remember different accounts and just how far you have come! Some find written journals to be helpful, while others are tech savvy and keep everything on their devices. There are lots of apps that can help you to record your physical activity, mental and emotional moods, food and water intake, and anything else you feel the desire to track. If you would like any help finding a great training journal or help planning your sessions to come based on your goals, then send me a message.

Nutrition as it applies to our daily lives means that we take in what we need to maintain our body’s healthy state. Nutrition has become an important word thanks to a mapping of our daily food requirements. These requirements determining what is and is not dangerous for us to consume and the amounts in which we need to consume things. What about eating habits? What about vitamins? What role does our daily intake play in our health? More than you have been led to believe or understand, the body’s ability to remain well under anything other than ideal conditions is a direct result of the nutrition received on a daily basis. The mind’s ability to remain well is definitely a direct result of our nutritional intake. For instance, the human brain doesn’t develop well without the necessary input of protein and fats in our daily diet. No protein or fats, no intelligence. Nutrition refers to the nurturing of our body in our ability to keep it healthy and functioning as it is supposed to do. Our ability to provide the body with all the necessary food, vitamins, and minerals so that we continue to thrive in our daily life processes. How do we determine that we are providing the essential nutritional needs? That knowledge comes by educating ourselves about what our individual needs are, the needs of our family, and then taking that knowledge and applying it to the foods we buy, that we prepare, and that our families consume. Health is taught as a science course, and addresses matters of personal hygiene, diseases, and the broad spectrum of health as it applies to the masses as well as our nutritional and caloric consumption in our food which is often the most important part. I personally believe we should have the field of nutrition and physical activity married into something combined to provide every person that enters the school system with a personal knowledge of their bodies’ needs, caloric and nutritional, so that they complete their education with mental and physical competencies, as well as analytical and mathematical competence. Nutrition is a concept that should be as important to our educational process as our ability to count. The ability to recognize our nutritional requirements, find the foods we need to fulfill those requirements, and differentiate between healthy food consumption and “unhealthy” eating habits is not an option. Not for a healthy, happy, long, and quality life. What we should absorb as we travel along life’s daily path is a way to incorporate good nutrition and physical activity into our lifestyle. Bad nutrition receives more advertising dollars than healthy nutritional options and is often more visible. But that doesn’t mean it’s any easier, more convenient, or cheaper. Habits generally take about two weeks to make the switch from conscious action to unconscious thought. Two weeks is not long, it’s not long at all for decisions that will affect you for the rest of your life. It’s also not long for the potential reward that comes from setting an example your children can follow, and you can be proud for them to follow forevermore.

Would it not be nice if you could avoid bad habits instead of having to quit them after starting? No one will avoid all bad habits. There are just too many to stay away from them all. Yet, you can reduce the number of bad habits you have to conquer. There are certain bad habits that you can avoid altogether. For example: Your body has no need for nicotine or tar from cigarettes. So, if you do not take that first cigarette, you will never have to face the daunting task of giving them up. It is well worth any social discomfort you might feel to dodge that bullet. Other bad habits are a matter of degree. Your body needs food but over eating can be a problem, right? Many people realise that they will gain weight if they do not stop overeating food. However, you cannot just stop eating altogether to avoid the problem. Instead you must find a way to reduce or find food that will make you feel fuller for longer. Not exercising is another of the bad habits that can make you unhealthy over time. You may know that you need to get up and move around and you may have every intention to do so. However, the energy does not seem to be there when you need it. To avoid this bad habit, start slowly. What you may not realize is that the energy will increase as your exercise increases. Bad habits of personal hygiene can be avoided too by developing a positive routine. If you fear going out in public smelling bad, you can make it a habit to shower every morning. Shower more than once a day if the situation calls for it like after the gym. Brush your teeth and comb your hair. We all have those days where we hang out in our pyjamas but taking a little time for ourselves to look our bests can also make us feel at our best, so this is a great trick for mindset. Relationships are difficult enough without developing bad habits. If you are getting married, make a point of discussing all the possible trouble areas first. You can do this with a pre-marriage counsellor or on your own. Either way, it is good to learn how you each can contribute to keeping away the bad habits of jealousy, neglect or whose turn it is to take out the rubbish. Many bad habits can be avoided if you will only consider the needs of yourself and of others equally. For every bad habit, there is a way to avoid it. The trouble is that no one can be vigilant enough to control every bad behaviour they may have and at the end of the day we all have some bad habits floating around. What is more, many bad habits start before people are old enough to think much about it. The good news is we are all capable of change bad habits and the power is in our hands alone to change it!

Would you like to be a fitness person? Or are you a fitness person already but would like to be fitter? Do you realise that ‘Fitness’ is about more than just how on-point your outfit is? Here are 7 great tips on how to become an effective fitness person: 1. Get a program that will best suit you. Every fitness person is different. You may have surgical history where a program may not be suited for you. Always consult a qualified trainer (like me) to make sure that the fitness program will not hurt you. If the fitness program is not for you, it will only be a cause of frustration and injuries. 2. Set realistic targets. Wouldn't you be frustrated if you set your mind into reshaping your body in month? Make sure that the body you prefer in a period of time is achievable and realistic. The program should also be practical and will not give you false hopes. It is important to be aware of the blocks you encounter in your daily living. This will help you know what program is satisfactory. And once a program has been reached, then you can set goals and timelines that are realistic. 3. Exercises should work on the parts of your body where muscles are. The reason mainly is, when you develop muscles, you burn more calories and then you lessen the fats in your body. Multi-joint exercises and weight lifting are recommended. Learn what exercises work on certain parts of your body. Multi-joint exercises are also said to be effective and time saving. 4. Be systematic on working on your muscles. Your muscles should be working harder over time. Repeating the same sets of exercises and same weight without getting your muscles to work harder will not give satisfactory results. You can record your daily results and make the progression based on your previous data. A daily log will also motivate you since you are able to track how far you have gone. It builds confidence since there is a written proof something that was successfully accomplished. 5. Perform a set of exercises in 10 repetitions. Every number that was accomplished is called a repetition. Try to make every repetition with less momentum as much as possible. The lesser the momentum, the harder your muscles work. And the harder they work, the bigger they become. To check if there is much momentum when lifting, see if the arm is floating. If the arm does float, then there is much momentum. 6. Be flexible and perform a variety of exercises. Every exercise program should have a variety. You can change your exercises, goals and sets every month to keep you motivated and on the go. Doing this will help you prevent being bored and losing energy physically and mentally. 7. Be Motivated! Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? We often forget that our goals come off the back of muscle under pressure over time. You must stay consistent in any exercise program to gain the results you are after over an appropriate amount of time. Stick to the plan and trust the process and you will get there. Not all programs work for all types of people. There is no workout that is best for everyone. But you learn from experienced people. Learn to acknowledge blocks and demonstrate self-discipline, keep yourself motivated and work harder every day and add variety. Doing these things, you will discover that you are stronger than you think and worth all of the efforts.

Mind health is THE most important thing for our overall wellbeing. It’s true, right? Think about it. If your mind is in good stead you can deal with almost anything, you thrive, you live with passion and you have confidence that no matter what life throws your way, you’ve totally got this! Now, that doesn’t mean that we don’t get sad or that s**t doesn’t happen and sometimes we just need a little happiness booster to get us back on track. I’m aware that what may work for me may not work for someone else, so the message is to keep trying until you find something that will suit your needs and perk you back up to a position of positive wellbeing and spirit. So, what do I do when I’ve reached a cross-road and need some direction or could do with some healing? Below I’ve listed 5 basic ways that have helped to lift my spirit and with practice will also help yours: 1. Meditation! Meditation is one of the greatest self-healing tools available and costs nothing except a little of your time! There are many meditation techniques out there, find one that suits you and begin. By putting some meditation music on and spending time in quiet contemplation it can soothe your soul and reconnect you with the highest aspect of yourself. 2. Aromatherapy and Essential Oils. Rebalance and rejuvenate your spirit through blending a selection of essential oils together in an aromatherapy oil burner. I’ve found the following blend works extremely well when there’s a need for nurturing, support and healing: Approximately an hour before retiring to bed place a few drops of the following in an aromatherapy oil burner with some water (for safety’s sake, extinguish the flame before lights are turned off for the night): • Jasmine • Rose • Neroli • Lavender • Bergamot The smell is divine! I use this one every now and again and not only sleep like a baby, but anxiety and stress disappears and feels like the weight of the world has lifted from my shoulders by the following morning! 3. Breathe! Stand with feet a shoulder-length apart. Take 3 slow and deep breaths using the diaphragm muscles. Breathe in through the nose and breathe out through slightly parted lips. As you do these imagine you’re inhaling your personal power, filling every cell in your body, from your diaphragm up to the top of your head. Be your personal power and notice how much taller, straighter and stronger you become. Repeat the steps above. 4. Be in the Present Moment. Take a few deep breaths and focus totally on this moment, right now. If you’re reading a book or magazine, or even this article, totally focus on the words and take in their meaning. There is only you and this article now in the present moment. If you’re in the workplace, focus totally on the task at hand, and only this task, and what you must do in order to complete it. Nothing else matters except you and the task at hand. 5. Set an intention. When I’m on the lookout for something new and useful for me, I set my intention on what it is I’m after. For example, I may want to find a book that will give me answers in regard to directing me to another healing modality or skill. I then meditate on this intention, give it a timeframe then open my heart to it. Lo and behold I will have a book in my hand in no time at all! I love the power of intention – I also use it for getting a parking space when I go shopping! I still do sadness and unhappiness well (I’m still human) though neither lasts long whereas in the past it would last many days sometimes weeks. What lasts much longer is a peaceful state. When using the 5 points above, my spirit lifts and life once again becomes more peaceful and joyful.

Is There Health Without Water? Water makes up 98% of our body, and without this life-giving fluid you and I would not survive. Crazy right? The human body can survive for up to 3 weeks on water alone. Try surviving without the water and you might make it 4 to 5 days. It’s a truly amazing and health sustaining fluid, and it’s just water! So, what do we really get from water, that our body must have and can’t live without? It’s the benefit of the fluidity of water, and what it does for our bodies that is the most important part. All our bodily functions rely on the cells in our bloodstream to supply them the nutrients and minerals that they need to carry out those vital functions. How do our cells achieve that end? They absorb the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients we take in during our digestive process. But they also absorb water, or liquid fluids that are a product in direct water intake or the digestive process, but either way, water must be a part of the formula. Since cells are also made of mostly water or fluid, it’s necessary to keep lots of water coming, and make sure that we include at least 2L daily intake. We are a sum of our cell health! Ask any health and fitness instructor, and they will tell you that you must consume plenty of water during your exercise routine, weight lifting, and physical activity requires us to take in water and in far greater amounts. Most of the instructors will recommend just plain water. Why must we keep our bodies so hydrated? In order for the metabolic and muscle burn to occur, there must be plenty of water and plenty of oxygen. Oh, wait a minute, there’s another benefit of water. It contains oxygen, a substance our body cannot get enough of. Water also helps to flush the lactose acid that accumulates in our muscles when we work out or use the body excessively. The lactose acid can build up and cause soreness, stiffness, and muscle pain. So, if you look at the benefits that water supplies, and you are trying to maintain health and fitness, you cannot ignore the fact that water needs to be a part of your daily intake. But how much water do we need to adequately supply our bodies, and help fuel our metabolic processes? The most often recommended quantity is 1L for every 22kg of body weight. Yes, there is a calculation for it! What other benefits can water provide, other than the obvious ones of adding fluid to our bodies? Water helps keep our skin healthy and glowing. It helps in the reduction of wrinkling, and aids in our ability to flush fat, toxins, and any other unwanted or foreign substance from our bodies. Flushing our intestines with plenty of water allows us to maintain stable and safe quantities of yeast and bacteria. Plenty of water keeps our thought processes and brain function at optimal levels and prevents headaches that are caused from not enough hydration. It’s pretty amazing what that one little glass of water can do!

Everyone knows that variety is important when it comes to diet. Not only is eating the same foods every day boring, but it is extremely unhealthy as well. That is because each type of food contains different nutrients, and different levels of those nutrients. The best way to eat healthy is to eat a wide variety of foods from all the food groups. It is important to eat a good combination of meats, beans, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. All these foods contain important nutrients, and no vitamin pill in existence can provide the vast variety of nutrients your body needs every day. Of course, simply eating foods from a variety of sources is not enough. It is also important to make smart choices within those food groups. After all, yogurt and a hot fudge sundae are both dairy products! The best choice in that situation should be obvious, but other choices are more subtle. Fortunately, the nutritional labels which are required on all packaged foods are a big help for those pursuing a healthier diet. Not only do these labels contain information on the number of calories, fat grams, etc., but they provide detailed information on the levels of many important vitamins and minerals as well. When choosing healthy foods, small changes can have a huge impact. Simply exchanging fresh, low fat fish for higher fat meats can greatly lower the amount of fat in your diet and increase your level of health. Replacing highly processed grains for more nutritious whole grain products can also have a great impact on healthy eating. In nutritional terms, less is often more – that is less processing and less refining. Processing and refining methods can strip many vital nutrients from foods, so choosing less refined whole grain foods is important. Cooking techniques are also very important when maximizing the health benefits of the foods you choose. After taking the time to choose the healthiest, freshest broccoli in the supermarket, it would be quite a waste to slather that cooked broccoli with cheese and butter, for instance. It would also be a mistake to overcook that broccoli, especially by boiling it in water for a long time. That is because vegetables can lose significant amounts of nutrients through overcooking. When preparing fresh vegetables, it is best to quickly steam them in the microwave or on the stove, using as little water as possible. Use only enough water to keep the vegetables from scorching. Choosing a variety of foods is important to a healthy lifestyle, but it just as important to limit the amount of certain foods. Foods high in sugar, and those high in sodium should be avoided as much as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy that piece of cake or serving of potato chips as an occasional snack; it simply means limiting regular consumption of these high fat, low nutrition products. When adopting healthier eating habits, it is important to make changes that you can stick with for the long run. After all, a healthy eating lifestyle is just that, a lifestyle. Changing your shopping, cooking and eating habits are not easy, but the many benefits make healthy eating an important habit to get into.

Meditation is an exercise recommended for everyone (but especially those of us with hectic, stressful lifestyles)! It is defined as an engagement in contemplation, especially of a spiritual or devotional nature. Meditation has been shown to relieve stress, and promote overall good health, by simply reflecting upon our day, and finding happiness within ourselves and within the NOW. This and other mind exercises help us to keep our mind fit, and functioning at top performance levels. But up until the last fifty years, meditation was something the western world knew little about. Is it necessary for our health? Or have we just come up with a new fad, to fill up the empty hours of our day? Our mind has varying levels of operation, known as brainwaves. As we pass through the different stages of our day, we enter various stages of brain wave activity. The brain uses this tool as one way to allow us time to rest our busy mind, and cope with all the pieces of information we’ve received, a way to kind of “mind file” for the day. Modern alternative medicine and holistic healers believe in the power of the energy that flows through our bodies; this energy radiates from our mind as well. It is believed to be the chief from of transportation for our body’s nervous system to carry out communication. Breathing techniques, music, aromas, and candle therapy are all ways we utilize the opportunities to reflect on our day, allow our mind to rest and replenish itself for further use. But are these methods keeping us mentally fit? Yes, it does help to keep us mentally fit. The great benefit in meditation is the mind’s ability to transform itself into a vehicle for higher awareness and to heal itself. Something once though impossible by main stream medicine. Meditation is a way for us to become aware of the fact that there is more to our being than just our physical activity. We have so much more potential locked away in our mind, resources that we never tap into until we have the chance to quiet the mind, quiet our surroundings and open the door to the possibilities we don’t examine on a day to day basis. In our meditative state, thoughts that never have the opportunity to be heard during the bustle of the day are afforded the opportunity to come forward and be heard. Every step that we take is a step in some direction for our life. The opportunity to set our own destiny, develop our manifestation of what we believe our life should be, is the opportunity meditation provides. Every action we’ve ever taken started as a thought. The thought was then brought into reality by our action on that thought. So are we able to produce new thoughts and new possibilities, all in this time of quiet reflection. It is in these small moments of creativity and higher conscious operation that our mind heals itself from the stresses of everyday activities and maintains a real level of healthy operation. Our mind is like our body, we don’t have to look unhealthy to be unhealthy, and sooner or later, the illnesses shows up if we are not looking after our own best health. Mind and all.