60 days on the detox lifestyle! :0)

www.createyourtruelife.com

The journey doesn't end at 30 days!

To those who have been following my blog - I've been living a sugar free, wheat free, dairy free and alcohol free for the 30 days originally and now 60 days, whoop! Before that I'd been a non meat eater for 12 years and had became bored with the lazy option of bread and cheese for many meals. It was time to make a change! I'm so excited to share my progress with you, with the intention to inspire you to do something similar - you can do it! :0)

The major thing I've learnt is that you can't be perfect! Trying too hard is doomed to failure so my new approach is definitely do the best I can do 100% of the time and feel good about my decisions 100% of the time. That means if I actually do the wheat free, sugar free, alcohol free and dairy free only 90% of the time - then I can live with that!

www.createyourtruelife.co

So here's my progress....enjoy x

Day 31 Immediately after my 30 days I felt excited and wanted to carry on with what I'd put in motion in regards to my diet. I chilled out a bit in regards to having some feta cheese (yummy!) and tried some cheddar, but ended up throwing it away as the taste was very strange - Haven't touched cheese since.

Day 34 Had my first chocolate bar in 34 days! It was green and blacks 70% with unrefined sugar so I felt cool with that. Had half the bar. Haven't had one since. Dried figs are too good!

Day 35 I had a routine going with my food but realised the meals were getting a bit samey. What was needed here was a bit of variety to keep up my enthusiasm and I started to look around for more recipes and research into nutrition online.

Day 38/39 I was working somewhere where I hadn't prepared some food and there was only a newsagent nearby. I ended up having the only available thing - samosas and sandwiches! The next day to avoid this happening I had sushi for breakfast! (I don't recommend it though!) flaffels for lunch and fish for tea. I felt back on track.

Day 41 - 40 Celebration! I decided that it was about time to celebrate all the achievements I had made over the last 40 days - getting out of my old pattern and into a new and exciting one! Went out for a meal with my parter and for the fist time had some deep fried food in a beautiful Thai restaurant. It was delicious. We shared a creme brulee but I had two spoonfuls and couldn't eat anymore - it was too dense. The wine however was lovely :0) I realised that I will always love food! Its just a case of getting a daily healthy eating plan going and so going out for treats now and again, doesn't seem like a huge stray from the path.

Day 43 I made my first purchase of maca powder and had my first banana, maca and hemp seed water based smoothie. WOW! It was so delicious! I was also on about the 60th day of taking Spirulina, so today was a massive superfood day for me! It was also the day that my lettuces and rocket lettuce was ready to pick and so I had a extra super nutrient salad. My experience with spirulina is that as it contains vitamin b12, it saves you having to be concerned about eating eggs. Secondly, I think it curbs your appetite a bit which is a bonus!

Day 45  I read somewhere that it takes 20 mins of aerobic activity to burn of a glass of wine (prob due to the amount of sugar), so now my mantra is - if I drink a glass of wine during an evening out at the weekend - the next day I'll go for a workout. It feels good to have a plan about this - it feels like I respect myself and my body. And it also feels like I can chill out about it all and not be concerned about it. Nice!

Day 47 Sugar and wheat intake. Felt SUPER dehydrated because of it and cant wait to work it off and get back to the better lifestyle tomorrow.

Day 48 One of the best workouts ever! think this has to do with my new superfood super-intake :0) Just wanted to keep going and was getting into a really good breathing rhythm whilst doing it. Feeling a real progression!

Day 53 Day of noticing how things are changing work wise. Lots of things growing from seeds I sowed 53 days ago. Also looking back over the year and realising one of my major goals has nearly been achieved - so close!

Day 56 Bought some Quinoa and am loving it. I bought it years ago but never really got on with it, but now it feels exciting! So many different flavours you can add to it. Really enjoying it with fresh Mange Tout from my veggie garden :0)

Day 59 Still focusing on work, more phone calls, more opportunities, really exciting. Feeling really high, but in a balanced way. I used to get highs and lows but now it all feels great, all the time. I think its because I'm on this mission, nothing can stop me, only myself.

Day 60 Got my goal sheet out and re-did my goals. Last time I did them (in detail) was in March and really great to see how the major ones are still in place but have shifted slightly. Got myself a proper plan in place for the next 30 days, feels really good.

So there we go! I've reached 60 days of my detox lifestyle - amazing! I'm keeping going! I've made so many new discoveries and I still feel like there is so much to discover. I'm definitely on the road for 90 days and beyond....

www.createyourtruelife.com

Although I don't talk about weight loss much, I am excited about my new body :0) It feels lighter generally and if you look back at my 30 days blog post you'll see that it was just within 20 days where I felt the weight coming off. Its a really nice feeling to know that you CAN shift weight but it is so much more than that - its really about balancing your emotions and having respect for yourself. Respecting your body, respecting yourself enough to treat yourself in the best way you can.

Once you find this respect for yourself - you'll only ever look forward at the possibilities and consistently ask yourself 'What's next?'

Need help with your journey? I'd love to be there for you! I offer a 3 session programme called "Make Change Happen" that deals with any situation you are in and changes your approach for the better. We can meet in person or talk via Skype.

Please go to my website for more info and get in touch!

With much love


Leona x
http://www.createyourtruelife.com

How to empower your need for Significance

www.createyourtruelife.com

We all want to be significant somewhere in our lives. Whether its significant in a relationship, as a parent, as a friend, in our career or in a hobby. We all have the desire to do something a bit 'our way', and this is natural - we are all unique and everyone has something special to express.

For me, significance is all about giving - it's what I can contribute to people, a situation or the wider community. I do this through my work, whether its on a one-to-one basis, with groups of children, groups of adults, families or teams of people. If I'm not contributing in some way, I'm either looking at ways to contribute, or relaxing somewhere feeling that my work is done - for now!

How do you express your significance?

The trick is learning that's its OK when you are NOT expressing your significance. Feeling insignificant is the extreme of this and usually comes from a place of waiting for someone else's approval. Its when you won't feel better until that other person has acknowledged you. How can you rise above feelings of insignificance and approval? With congratulating the self. If you congratulate yourself, you don't wait for anyone else to applaud or congratulate you, you do it yourself. You make the time to do it and you go for it! You are in touch with yourself and trust yourself to feel when you've done the best possible job you can. Its wonderful when people say you have done a good job, but to rely on that for your feeling uplifted is dis-empowering.

How are you currently congratulating yourself? Could you congratulate yourself in a more beneficial way?

Its all about getting the balance right - honouring yourself enough to make sure you can be the best that you can be. You can be significant and you can come from the heart and you can be authentic.

Its about managing your energy so that you are always doing the things you love, but being open and free enough to allow new experiences that you may not have even considered. This is the beauty of life!

www.createyourtruelife.com

Its all about going with the flow, having patience and perseverance.  Gardening has taught me about this (most of the photos I use on my blog are from my little oasis in London). When you see the seasons change and you watch a seed grow into a plant, look after it along the way and then harvest the fruits, you become in touch with the flow, growth and change of all things.

In practice, its all down to experience - being open and aware in situations and coming from the heart - your true self.
When we tweak the little things, everything else falls into place :0)

Much love


Leona x
www.createyourtruelife.com

Shift Hope into Expectancy

A friend of mine put a post out on Facebook today and it inspired me to write this blog post.
The statement was one of Hope - Hope standing for: Hang On Pain Ends.
Now although this is true - everything does pass - I have never been one for Hope. Hope feels too much like sitting on the fence to me.

Don't get me wrong, Hope is better than despair and I'd much rather you be in hope in that case. But hope is really that in between stage where you haven't quite figured it out yet. Its where you haven't taken that moment to work out what you want and you're just kinda wishing everything will turn out OK.

Now, how about if you could turn hope into expectancy? Could you shift your hope into expecting that everything will turn out OK - or even KNOWING that everything will turn out OK? If you could do this then surely no matter what happens you would be equipped with not only dealing with any situation, but transforming it into a situation that leads to a better outcome for you? Sound good?

Well this IS possible! Its not only possible, but true - what you believe about yourself and the world around you, defines everything for you. Its about getting a plan for your life, but then being able to throw out the plan when you need to and trust who you are. Its about creating a vision for yourself and your life and then sticking to it - no matter what.

Change can be instant but its progress that we really want. To get progress we really have to shift our perspectives - alot of the time. We need to train ourselves to be flexible and adaptable. Its much like training a muscle - it doesn't happen over night, but over time we see small then significant changes, that shape our lives for the better.

That's what Create Your True Life is all about.

I'm here to show you that:

1- You CAN change something that feels unbenefical to you.
2- You will NATURALLY change as you flow into your own truth and your own ways of doing things
3- You will CONSISTENTLY make better situations for yourself by shifting your focus to what you really want.
4- You will always be focused once you have someone around you who is committed to mentoring you on your journey.

I'm here for you!
What ever you want to change whether it be your health, your relationship(s), your wealth, your career path or a personal habit then YOU CAN DO IT - but you can't do it alone.  
Reaching out to someone is the best move you can make and my 'Make Change Happen' programme is designed so that you can get the best out of your life - now - TODAY!

So go check my website out for more info and give me a call or email. I'd be delighted to assist you as this is part of what my True Life is all about - helping YOU to create your true life - however you wish it to be.

Much love

Till next time,


Leona x
http://www.createyourtruelife.com

30 Day Challenge

Some of you may know I've been on a 30 day Challenge to be wheat free, dairy free, sugar free, 'bad' fat free, caffeine free and alcohol free. I'm pleased to say - I MADE IT! and am feeling lighter, brighter and clearer as a result!

Motivation
I've been regularly working out for over a year and was looking for a new and improved way of looking at my diet to compliment this. Since I committed to my new plan of aerobics 3 times a week I noticed that days after I had eaten a lot of heavy food the workouts would be harder than days where I had eaten lighter. I've been a non meat eater for over 12 years now and regularly have relied on both bread, cheese and pasta as a kind of quick solution for many meals. I also had been getting into the habit of a nice glass of red wine and a bar of chocolate at the end of the day. I became aware that these patterns were just like emotional patterns and they had become tiresome. There must be another way I thought - so I was looking out for it.

I came across this new approach to food after a four day seminar I participated in which really got my attention. I don't believe in diets and workout more to feel good than to look good, so I wasn't interested in a quick fix - but something more sustainable and most importantly - ENJOYABLE! This diet was all about increasing your energy - getting you to move more, drink lots more water and eat 70% live foods. I figured that as I had the exercises down, the water and food bit should be easier and you know what - is WAS!

Whats the process?
Its basically removing wheat, sugar, alcohol, bad fats, meat, caffeine and preservatives from your body and getting more good fats and live foods in your body. I took to it straight away as I really felt this all made so much sense. We all know that in order to be healthy that we have got to move more and eat well - so this approach seemed like common sense to me. It also seemed a lot more simple than a 100% raw food diet - I had heard much about raw food over the years, but going 100% raw didn't feel right for me - hot soups in winter makes too much sense! I have my own allotment plot where I grow my own fruits and vegetables and have done for the past 9 years. Its these foods that have the highest nutritional content and I have felt the benefits of my own veg vs shop bought veg - there's no comparison!

http://www.createyourtruelife.com

Progression
I started it out as a 10 challenge, after a shopping trip to my local grocers and health food shop. My main feeling was - how am I going to live without CHOCOLATE?! but as soon as I found the dried fruit section in the health food shop I felt at ease. I got myself a couple of huge bags of dried figs and thought - every time I want some chocolate I'm going to munch on these. So that was that sorted! The second question for me was - what am I going to do without bread?! So I stocked up on Rye Crispbreads and that was that sorted! I also bought a ton of green leafy veg, but that wasn't unusual for me and also some good quality salmon from the fishmonger - done.

So the 10 days went really well. I felt really excited about my new diet and got into the swing of it easily. When the 10 days were up I was a bit like - is that it? and made a pact with myself to go for 20 days - this was a bit harder. After about 15 days I started getting a bit obsessed - what was I going to eat, when was I going to eat it? I felt like food was becoming all I was talking about and driving my partner crazy! I thought, I've got to relax more about this! Also around this time, emotional stuff started to come out. I was dealing with the issues of control - how could I control my life without becoming a control freak?! This was very important to me. I trusted that the answers would come and kept going.

Then I reached 20 days! I was so happy - this was a milestone for me. I had noticed that I had become more thirsty rather than more hungry a lot of the time. My portion sizes started getting smaller and my drinks started getting larger! It was also around this time I could feel my legs a little slimmer! A bizarre thing to notice, but its true!!! ;0)

As I got onto 22, 23 days I could really feel a difference, I had gone down one notch on my belt and I just felt more energised generally. I was on the home straight....30 days was approaching! I turned my control issues into excitement and getting it done rather than having to talk about it as much.

The hardest thing was keeping it up when I had to work long days. Most of the time I would make a brown rice, bean and vegetable medley, but when I hadn't come prepared thankfully the local supermarket stocked either mackerel, sushi or hummous and rye crispbread so I could eat that. One of the most frustrating things I found was misleading products - even such a simple thing like a Chinese 5 spice mix had sugar in it! And my favourite meat free sausages had sugar in them! I was amazed that when I went into the supermarket - everything there is either wheat, sugar or dairy based!

 http://www.createyourtruelife.com

However saying all this, the great thing about living today is that there is so much food available from different sources. Its just about getting your priorities right and shopping from multiple places rather than one. I have absolutely no problem with that and love giving my money to smaller companies who are growing. This makes more sense to me.

So I reached Day 30 today! I feel fantastic! I made a commitment and I stuck to it. But for those of you who know me, wouldn't be surprised by that at all :0) I've always been this way but now I have a plan with my food too and that feels LIBERATING! More weight is coming off, I have more muscle and more energy than ever before. I can do 8 press ups! Doesn't sound a lot, but six months ago I couldn't do 1!

More importantly than this though, I have seen a progression in my approach to life. I am more centred, more calm and my solution based attitude has strengthen ten fold. I feel more appreciative towards every thing and every one and its given me even more inspiration to support many more people on their own personal journeys in life. And I'm going to keep going - this is now a lifestyle for me.

If you are wanting to make a change to what you eat my advise would be to do it a bit at a time. Think how am I going to replace this food? rather than eliminate it. Focus on nurturing yourself rather than depriving yourself. It really is an approach to life, not an approach to food. You'll find that the emotional stuff could be the hardest bit to deal with, but this is the most important thing. Be the change you wish to see in the world - you can make a difference - today - now.

Can't do it on your own? No problem! We all need help from time to time!
If you have a personal, social, family, health, career, work or relationship issue you'd love to shift, then I'm here for you! I offer one to one sessions in person or via skype.

Get in touch for more information via my website: http://www.createyourtruelife.com





 Here's what a recent client said about their experience:

"If you need direction, motivation and encouragement, Leona will inspire you to achieve!! She is dynamic and rejuvenating, and her sparkle certainly rubs off! My project that has been on the back burner for the last 10 years and has finally had life breathed back into it. I forever grateful to Leona for making my dreams a reality!"

Vanya Silverten. North London.

http://www.createyourtruelife.com

Much love and Till next time,


Leona x
http://www.createyourtruelife.com

What is Life Coaching?

A lot of people have heard of Life Coaching and are pretty mystified to what it actually is, so I thought I’d write a straightforward blog on it, just to clarify a few things.

Life Coaching is something you need if you are someone who wants to get the best out of life. It will benefit you immensely and moreover you’ll enjoy the process too.

Whether you’re a mum, a professional, an entrepeneur, a recent graduate, someone who's just lost their job, someone who's looking to improve their relationship(s), someone who wants to take control of their body, someone who's recovering from an accident, someone who wants to fulfill their creativie side or someone who wants to get more out of their life no matter what they do, then Life Coaching is for YOU! The list really is endless as Life Coaching targets your specific concerns and deals with them head on in order for you to make productive and lasting changes.

Bottom line is that if you want more balance in your life and want to get the most out of it that you can - then you will greatly benefit from have a Life Coaching session.

Life Coaches work with someone’s current situation and helps them to grow and develop through this, towards reaching their goals. Each Life Coach uses their own series of techniques that they feel gets the best out of the client. Most Life Coaches do not look at past issues when dealing with a client’s present situation.

What do I offer at ‘Create Your True Life’?

The way I approach Life Coaching is from a Holistic Perspective. I deal with the client’s current situation but I see the past present and future as one whole in which all parts must be addressed in order to deal with the situation most effectively and in order for the client to reach their full potential.

My techniques are very focused and develop from one to the next, allowing the client to feel at ease with whats being discussed and really put them into the driving seat of their current situation. Once the person feels that they have control, then the possibilities for that persons expansion continues to grow and grow. I always make sure the person is given a safe space to express their true nature as its from this place of authenticity, that they will unlock the secrets to their own personal successes.

My sessions can deal with almost any situation not just effectively but ultimately –  I am here to show you that with a fresh perspective, anything and everything you desire in your life is achievable. Whatever your goals are – you can make it happen.

I’ll teach you techniques that you can integrate in your daily life as the daily input is this is how you get results. And of course I’m here for ongoing support in the transitions you are making. No matter how big or small the change you need to implement is, we all need support and encouragement from time to time.

I know that those that have the courage to ask for help will receive it, in abundance.

But anyway, you don’t have to take my word for it! 

You can see just some of my previous Clients testimonials here -> http://www.createyourtruelife.com/testimonials.html

Till next time

Much love,

Leona x

http://www.createyourtruelife.com

The fun is waiting for you

You often hear people say, "It’s just the way I am” or “It’s just the way it is”. You usually hear it as a result of someone not knowing where to go next with the situation. Or as an answer to the question “Why?”

Its interesting how Why? Can sometimes bring up a bit of fear, or even dread in some people. The fear is so real that the answer to the question has been well thought about a long time ago and often well rehearsed to this day.

It’s like that with a belief about something. Often we decide what we believe and then stick to it. We've often decided what we believe a very long time ago and its usually through various people or situations that have drawn us to that conclusion.  Its like we decided what we believed then and that now, in this new situation (where we are finding it tricky to find an answer) we decide that it won’t be changed and say "its just the way I am" – or worse – that it cant be changed - and say "It's just the way it is".

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with whom you are or the way it is – unless you think there is. Unless you know that every time you say those statements you have a fleeting thought of “Oh I wonder what it would be like if I wasn’t like this/things were not like this?”

For me, this is has always been where the fun starts. That excited edge of your rehearsed, practised and fine-tuned thoughts – into a beautiful brand new thought. A thought that could bring forth something new. A thought that could quite literally change your life.

A new thought changes your life by changing your perspective. Once you look at something differently, you then decide how you will act or how you will respond to that accordingly. The trouble is that our lives are sometimes so well rehearsed that we forget how to do something differently or spontaneously. But the thing is – you don’t have to remember how to do it, you've just got to do it!

Trust, A leap of faith, or whatever you might call it, is just waiting for you all the time. Its calling new situations, new people, new experiences to you, to see how you'll react and whether you'll decide to take yourself to the next level. Often its small, simple things that will call you. Its these things that lead to the gradual expansion of your old self into your new self. This new self isn't a whole different you - its the same you becoming so much more. Its only our minds that see the big huge scary picture and say "Whoa! Wait a minute…I can't do that!"

If I were to give you just one piece of advice to conquer your fears that would be learn how to trust. Trust yourself, trust others, trust your environment. There are a million ways to build your trust and that usually means taking a small step out of your comfort zone and into something a little less familiar. You've probably got something right now that your thinking about as you read this.

What is it? How could it change your perspective if you did this thing today?

Let me tell you that it is SO worth your effort. DO this thing. Do it today.

 
The fun is waiting for you ….. just let it in!

If you'd like to explore beliefs about yourself that hold you back and create new ones that empower you then I'd love to be of service to you.
Please contact me via the website: www.createyourtruelife.com.

Till next time,

Much Love,


Leona x
www.createyourtruelife.com

Where True Freedom Really Is

Many people look at the word addictions and almost always think of drug addiction and alcohol addiction as being the predominant addictions that we have as a species. But there in another addiction that is much more common, subtle but far more damaging in the long run for us – and that’s the addiction to emotions.


Now let me clarify –I’m not saying having emotions in general is a detrimental thing  – that would render us little more than robots performing automation actions! I’m talking about the addictions to certain emotions – addictions that hold us back in situations, rather than set us free. Or in other words, ways of being that close down a situation, rather than open it up.

For example, you have a fear of closed spaces, so you feel anxiety when you use public transport, when you are in a very busy environment and you may feel extremely uncomfortable when in a meeting with someone face to face in a small room. Now this anxiety, first and foremost is a surface level outcome of a deeper fear that you have about how people perceive you and ultimately how you feel about your self worth. This raw and real emotion has manifested itself into situations so that you now feel bound by its grasp. This is the addiction. You don’t want it! But you are trapped in the addiction of fear – and this is one of the most common addictions on the planet. 

This kind of emotional addiction will truly shape your life. It will effect what decisions you make, where you go and who you interact with. Your life is probably filled with a lot of certainty – places and people you know well and situations you have been in 100 times already as you know what your going to get. Do you have this addiction? Or if not, take a moment now to think about what emotional habit or pattern you have created that holds you back on a regular basis.

There is one major trouble with this way of life – or any way of life where you are addicted to an emotional response – after a while of repeating and repeating the same actions to make sure your life is exactly the way it should be so you never get into any situation that could cause dis- ease, it gets well and truly BORING!

You know you are trapped by your emotions, you know you don’t want them anymore. You’ve probably got to the place where you are ‘sick and tired’ of repeating the same old actions and you quite possibly have made yourself become literally ‘sick and tired’. Maybe you’ve missed some days or weeks of work, spent weekends alone with your fear and refused to go to places where something great could have happened, but you just couldn’t give up your attachment to your fear. That’s all it is really – an attachment. You can give up this attachment, if you really want to. If you really really want to.

There are many points that you can come to with an emotional addiction that can lead to a turning point. Usually its out of desperation – you just can’t take it any more. The missed opportunities are stacked so high you just won’t do it to yourself anymore! There’s another point at which you can come from and that’s inspiration – suddenly you are inspired by something that’s so compelling, that the only way you can get to that new thing is to cross your barrier. The question is, will you take that leap of faith?

If you are willing to take the time to really see what your emotional addictions are, you can truly live a life of freedom. And if you need support, I can help with that! There's nothing I love more than helping others free up their lives. Imagine your life without the baggage of your emotional bad habits. What would you create?

Till next time

Much love,

Leona.
www.createyourtruelife.com.

If you are looking to free yourself from an emotional pattern, Leona is available in person or via Skype to help you break it down and create new beneficial habits that will change how you live your life for good.
Please call 07905 603 332, email Leona, or go to Create Your True Life for more information.