7 Ways to Shift Your Lifestyle

7 Ways to shift Your Lifestyle!

One of the simplest ways to improve our lives in a massive way without necessarily taking a massive step (because those can be daunting) is by changing some of our habits. It doesn't take much, just a few little steps in the right direction over time can really set us on a whole lifestyle shift.

Reduce sugar as much as possible.

A study that was done shows that elevated sugar levels have been found to suppress the immune system. This affects the bodies ability to fight off sickness, disease, and inflammation. Along with a slew of other things like increased brain fog, low energy, mood swings, problem skin, weight gain and more - there are more and more reasons to reduce sugar every day.

Plan your food.

Meal planning can feel like an elaborate + detailed plan however it doesn't have to be. Have a few breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas ready at the start of the week so that when it comes time to prepare the meal you can skip the part where you have to figure it out. Already having it planned will feel like a weight is lifted off your shoulders

Write down your goal

What is an area you'd like to focus on right now? Is it to start making health more of a priority? Or to start a new habit? Or to spend more time with friends? Whatever it might be - Write 1-3 goals down now! A goal in your mind is just a wish.

• Be clear on the goal. Instead of "I’m going to work out more", try "I'm going to walk 6 days a week". Begin with a few small action steps you can start taking right away and then start!

• Read your goal every day. Commit to it. And keep doing the work. There will be days where you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up about it, just get back to the commitment you made to yourself because you're important!

Create healthy disciplines

Humans work pretty well around routines (consistency is something we crave even from birth) so if you create healthy easy to do routines supporting your goal you’ll be more likely to stick to it. For example- leave your running shoes in your bathroom so in the morning you wake up, get dressed in workout clothes and put your shoes on and head to your workout space to do your thing. Or if your goal is to drink more water - have a glass of water beside you always so you're often reminded to drink water!

Creating these healthy disciplines will start to feel easy and just part of the routine after a while. And if you create the routine there is more likely you'll stay on course!

Catch the energy drainers.

We all have them whether its a person, a device (hello phone I'm referring to you), a habit, a thought process, the list is endless. These energy suckers are out there and can cause us to spiral downhill on even the best of days.

• 1st - Determine what they are for you. Maybe this means doing a review of how you feel at checkpoints during the day. You'll get an idea of when you feel good and when you don't and why. What foods did you eat, people you encountered, activities you did that made you feel that way? Some of you reading this already know exactly what those energy drainers are already.

• 2nd - Once you're aware - CREATE HEALTHY BOUNDARIES around these or if possible CLEAR THEM all together. If checking social media is one of these for you then maybe checking your phone first thing in the day is NOT the best choice for you. Knowing yourself and having awareness around this is a great place to start mastering your energy!

SET A REWARD

Accomplishing goals is great and all - but if we just go from one goal to the next without rewarding ourselves it can be boring. When you set a goal - also SET A REWARD. A reward that will be worth putting in the work for. Doing the hard stuff can get less motivating as the excitement fades, so keep trekking along and remember you’ll have the prize at the end to look forward. This is new for me, I’ve set a lot of goals but have never really thought about rewarding myself for them. This is something I'm challenging myself to this year and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes for myself.

When setting your reward, set it in relation to the size of the goal. Don't set a tiny reward for a MAJOR goal. And be sure to honor yourself by actually giving and enjoying the reward once you accomplish it.

Build your toolbox

As we go through life there are many obstacles and challenges we are faced with. Our energy is going to be up and down, and sometimes we're not going to know what hit us. For myself, having a toolbox of different "tools" so to speak has helped bring me back to balance when I've needed it. Tools like yoga, music, meditation, podcasts, kale, running, taking my dog for a walk - all of these things help to bring me back 'home' or to my centered and balanced self.

As we go about our lives growing and overcoming challenges we should keep in mind different things we can do (tools we can use) to help bring us back home.

---

So there are 7 habits to shift our lifestyle. What habit speaks to you the most? What 1 or 2 are you able to implement into your life this week? Which one do you feel the most resistance towards? I challenge you to try out 1 in the next few weeks and see how it goes. And remember success isn't sustainable when we jump in with all we've got. Success works better when we make small incremental changes over a period of time.

Thanks for reading,

Jen xo

Anatomy of a Buddha Bowl

Soulful. Nourishing.  And provides the body with good wholesome energy. If I had to choose 1 meal to have every day for the rest of my life – it would be this, it is so versatile and can’t get boring because there are so many parts.

View fullsize

You can't mess up creating a Buddha Bowl. Any part can be swapped out for basically any ingredient. You can use whatever you have, including any leftovers you’re trying to use up.

 Greens:

• spinach, kale, romaine, arugula, collards – anything

 Grains:

• rice, quinoa, amaranth, wild rice – anything

 here’s where it gets interesting…

Protein:

• black beans, chickpeas, lentils, tuna/salmon, small portion of meat, hard boiled or fried egg – again anything!!

Vegetable:

• Roast Veg - sweet potato, butternut squash, broccoli, brussel sprouts. 
• Fresh Veg - tomatoes, cucumber, shredded carrots, sprouts, bell pepper, etc

Healthy Fats:

• avocado, Olive oil made into a dressing, shredded cheese, greek yogurt

Extras:

• Hummus, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.

You really can’t go wrong!  This is a GREAT option for reducing meat throughout the week (use lentils or beans instead of meat). A great place to start meal prepping -  preparing some stuff ahead of time becomes easier with practice and you’ll have something clean and nourishing to grab and go!

Let me know what you think - if you've tried to make one before? What were your favourite pieces to add? Or will you be trying this out in the near future? Love to hear your thoughts! 

All the best, 

Jen xo

And that’s a wrap!! (For January)

About now is the time when people (if they haven’t already) drop their resolutions for the year.  Now I don’t really like new years resolutions because it’s typically a big change that ends up being a short-term thing and I believe that mastering yourself is a daily commitment!

And guess what?!  The beauty of a daily commitment is that you can start anytime.  Every new day is full of incredible potential.  You just need to start. 

Here are a few ways to inspire you to get there.

#1 Be clear on what you want and always write it down.  
Whatever it is, you need to have clarity. If you don’t know what it is then how are you going to ever achieve it. 

#2 Set aside time for yourself daily.
Since this is most likely going to take up some space in your schedule, make sure that you give yourself the time to make it successful.  Carve it out of your week.  What are you willing to clear from your schedule to make room?

#3 Gift yourself with a reward for following through.
When we start something new we need extra motivation to help us along those early days when the excitement wears off and it gets tough.

#4 Visualize yourself succeeding.
When we can see ourselves succeeding we are already almost there. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right. ~Henry Ford

Let me know what your aiming for right now. I’d love to hear it.

The start of 2017!

So here we are, the start of 2017! 

This year has been full of ups and downs, many happy moments and likewise tough ones.  As we get ready to move forward into this new year, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect and even better is to journal your thoughts! 
 
What challenges have you overcome? What did you learn?
What have you created or experienced?  What are you most proud of?
 
This is an important step of closing off the year and preparing for the next. Once you've answered these questions I encourage you to do this:

Write down 3 goals you will focus on for 2017.  

These aren't resolutions -  that you jump into with both feet and after 4 weeks end up giving up because it was too hard or you've lost interest.  These are real intentions that you create this year. Write them down. Tape them to your bathroom mirror. Look at them every day.  And every day take one tiny, baby step closer to achieving them.

Slow, steady, and consistent is the way you will achieve these 3 goals.

Comment below and let me know what one of your goals is for 2017. Cheers to a healthy, strong, and better you in 2017! 

Jen
xoxo

Holiday Season + Self-Care

December is a time we tend to fall out of normal routine.  Our schedules can get quite busy trying to finish up last minute Christmas shopping and attending holiday dinners.  Either way it's easy to fall off the wagon. These simple tips are going to help you to stay committed to your own self-care and well-being this holiday season.

Tips For Impeccable Self-Care  
 
Stretch daily. Even a few minutes of stretching a day can keep you flexible and avoiding injuries.  Stretching releases toxins + gets endorphins flowing + helps muscles feel great!
 
Drink LOTS of water. On the days I drink enough water I feel energized, refreshed and feel good. On the days I don’t, I feel tired, lazy and my mind is foggy.  I can really tell a difference, so cheers to another drink of H20! Proper amount for women is 2L (+1L for nursing mama’s) and for men 3L.
 
Get outside and get moving. The stress of this time of year is higher and excuses try to consume you. This is the exact reason why you need to take time out for yourself to breathe in some cool, crisp, fresh air and get inspired by the beauty of nature.  You’ll be glad you did and you’ll feel more focused and grounded which will give you the ability to knock off your ‘To Do’ list even faster.
 
Say NO to Sugar + Processed foods. We all know at Christmas there are endless amounts of chocolates and sweets everywhere. And we all know how we feel if we get a little too indulgent.  My advice is to stay away or limit as much as possible.  Once we start its harder to stop. Our goal is to honour our body and to feel good as much as we can. And that is not happening if we’re on a sugar hangover. It zaps our energy and leaves us feeling lazy. If you’ve had too many non-empowering foods then try having something that does empower you (lemon water, fresh veggies, a healthy smoothie, etc).  It will make you feel so much better, I promise!

There you have it.  These tips are easy to do but also easy NOT to do. I challenge you to share these tips with someone you can stay accountable with this month or share with me, I'd love to hear from you!!!!!  

May your December be bright! Sending you so much love this holiday season. 

Jen xoxo