6 Months on the Detox Lifestyle!

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6 months on the Detox Lifestyle!

I thought I'd share with you what I've learnt over the last 6 months with the view to inspire you to take up a detox lifestyle of your own.

How you organise your detox lifestyle is up to you and its different for everyone. Its fundamentally about getting rid of old habits and adopting new beneficial ones in your mind, body and spirit. If you're not sure of what habits you have or would like to change, make a diary for a week of the kind of excercise you do, food you eat, etc and then review it after the week is through. You'll soon see what patterns you have and what you'd like to change.

For me, I wanted to change my eating patterns. I was exercising quite regularly and was pleased with my habits there. However, I wasn't happy about my habits with food.

For my detox lifestyle to become more balanced, I wanted to change 3 main eating patterns:

1- Drinking a glass of wine most evenings.

2- Eating a bar of chocolate most evenings and

3- Eating toast every morning for breakfast.

So I decided to give up wheat, dairy and sugar for 30 days. 


Then 30 days turned into 6 months! :D
 

Here's the lowdown on my 6 month journey:

1- How much did you stick to the wheat free, dairy free and sugar free challenge?

In the first 30 days, I did about 98%. The 2% discrepancy was mainly to do with things that happened by accident! You would be amazed at how much sugar there is in food, even in those little spice mixes you get! Unbelievable.

In 60 days, I stuck to the detox about 90%. This was due to me wanting to try the things I hadn't been having for such a long time! (When I did, they didn't taste that great anymore anyway).

In 90 days, I stuck to it about 85% of the time and beyond 90 days I've kept to this percentage. The only times I'm ever eating wheat, dairy or sugar is when I'm out with friends, or if someone buys me lunch and they didn't realise the new lifestyle I'm into.

2- What were the highlights?

Day 20 was the first highlight for me. I could literally feel my legs thinner in my jeans! It was weird but good!

Day 30 was the second. I was so pleased that I had committed to the challenge and followed through to this milestone day! *proud*

Day 43 was the third highlight. It was an exciting day as I bought lots of new superfoods to try and was super excited to give them a go!

Day 63 was the fourth. I had gone down 3 notches on my belt! Amazing!

3- What were the lows?

Day 15 - Obsession. What was I going to eat and when was I going to eat it?

Day 35 - Boredom. After getting a routine going, things seemed samey. I researched new ways of doing things and got to changing things up. This was a crucial step and now I do this regularly.

Day 47 - Dehydration after consuming wheat and sugar. Realisation - this old food is not good for me!

4- What things did you notice changing other than the physicality of your body ?

I felt lighter, happier and more in control. I gained more determination, more eagerness and a great sense of achievement. I felt a strong sense of centredness.

5- What drove you to keep going?

- Remembering what it was like before, that 'not bothered' attitude of what I'm putting in my body. 
- The willingness to get to a place of noticeable change. 
- The feeling that I could inspire others if I really made a difference to myself.

6- What would you say to people looking to do their own detox?

That in order for you to see and benefit from the results, you must do at least 30 days of whatever it is you want to change at 100%. After 30 days you don't have to be as hard-core and in fact its better for your well-being to realise that perfection is simply an illusion. Doing your best, as much as you can is what matters.

7- What kinds of replacement foods can you recommend for wheat free, dairy free and sugar free?

These are just some suggestions, its not an exhaustive list, just things that work for me. Experiment! Try your own.

Instead of chocolate = dried figs! (or any dried fruit without preservatives)
Instead of toast/bread eat = maize, rye bread or rye crispbreads
Instead of milk = rice or almond milk
Instead of yogurt = coconut butter
Instead of sugary or salty snacks = fruit, seeds, dried fruit, nut mixes
Instead of vinegar = olive oil
Instead of butter = olive oil
Instead of cheese = tofu or nuts, depending on the dish
Instead of tea/coffee = herbal tea (literally freshly chopped herbs)
Instead of frying = steam
Instead of meat = fish
Instead of sugar = manuka honey
 
So there you go! My 6 month summary with some suggestions for you. What do you want to change in your life? You can do it, I believe in you. Give it a go today! There's never a *perfect* time to start, except for now! :D

If you'd like to see my in depth blog about the first 90 days, it starts here. Or go to the Healthy Eating pages and scroll down. Enjoy!

Till next time,

Much Love


Leona.
http://www.createyourtruelife.com

5 advantages of being Emotionally Sensitive

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It's an interesting thing, sensitivity. I was brought up with the belief that emotionally sensitive people are vulnerable. In my experience I have found is that the reverse is actually true. Now I believe that without some level of sensitivity, you cannot be a truly fulfilled human being. Being sensitive has massive lasting benefits that are often overlooked.

It's the initial point of interaction that can be difficult for someone who is sensitive and that's what we tend to hang onto. If you're emotionally sensitive you can take what someone says as personal to you and even harmful. Once this reaction is understood and worked with, it can be powerfully and positively harnessed and used for maximum benefits. For example, when you understand that there is no benefit in taking what someone is saying to you personally and then you put a new reaction into practice repeatedly, you gradually gain a sense of empowerment. I have worked with hundreds of adults and children and all those who demonstrated sensitive qualities, turned out to be the most interesting, talented, resilient and successful in the long term.

The wonderful Jim Rohn (1930-2009) said a beautiful quote which I came across win the middle of writing this post. He said, "The more you care, the stronger you can be".

With that in mind, here are my 5 advantages of being sensitive:

1- You gain an enriched, magical quality to life. Have a unique viewpoint to offer and/or creative way of looking at the world.

2- You have a deeper understanding, inherent compassion and a strong connection in relationships with others.

3- You have a natural connection to all living things; nature, animals, 'source' and/or god.

4- You feel very fulfilled in what you do and/or you feel an importance to attain complete fulfilment in life.

5- You have or look to gain a sense of responsibility to others around you (including animals), your community and/or the planet at large.


So in conclusion, if you feel that you are sensitive - embrace it. Without sensitive people this world would be a cold and empty place. If you feel alone in your sensitivity then begin to understand more about yourself; when, how and why you act the way you do. Think about possible ways to overcome your actions and how you can really use your sensitivity to enhance your life experience. I promise that when you do, your life will become more balanced and enjoyable that you thought possible. If you need some tools to show you how then simply get in touch.

If you feel you are not a particularly sensitive person, then I urge you to take the time to experience humility. Get in touch with your emotions by purposefully putting yourself in situations that you know would evoke an emotional response, so that you can explore these feelings. You'll find that you become a fuller, more enriched human being as a result.

With Much Love and till next time,

 


 
Leona
Helping you to create the life you've always wanted.
http://www.createyourtruelife.com/

10 ways to stay happy in the Winter

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1- If its working, keep doing what your doing.

Whatever youre doing right now with your detox lifestyle that you love, keep doing it. The tendancy is to turn away from what you know and get into big hearty meals, load on sugar and slump on the sofa. Don't do it! Stay with your fab smoothies and juices for the reason why you did in the first place - they give you loads of energy and are packed with nutrition. If its not working, mix it up and research into new ways of doing things. Experiment with warming foods like ginger, cinnamon, dried fruit, Peppers, Oats, etc... More on detoxing.

2- Try Soup for Breakfast.

I know this sounds mental! but the Japanese have been doing it for centuries. Get some Miso soup or just make your own by experimenting with different combinations of veg. Use beans or lentils to thicken. Easy, warming, super tasty, nutritious and you can make batches enough for a couple of days if you like.


3- Go for walks in nature as often as possible. Get the sun on your face.

Get connected to nature at this beautiful time of year. Breathe in deeply when surrounded by trees. Top up on that vitamin D as much as possible. Supplement if you need to.

4- Keep your exercise routine up.

I know, you feel more tired when its dark - me too! But you know you feel a million times better after your workout.

5- Invest in a new coat, a snuggly blanket, a hot water bottle, new slippers and pure wool socks!

Ahhhhh! Treat yourself! These things make you feel snug and wonderful :D

6- Schedule in creative time. 

The Winter is the perfect time to get creative. Make a decoration for Christmas. Make a gift for someone. Make a pie. Whatever you fancy making, go do it. More on creativity.

7- Plan and visualise your future.

This is the perfect time to plan ahead. What would you like to achieve next year? What steps could you do to make this happen? What would love to to if time and money were no object? Dream a little....

8- Meditate

Find quiet time to breathe, centre and ground - often. You'll feel less lost and more like you.  More on meditating.

9- Do a good deed....or two!

Do something for someone that you know they'd love. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture - helping fix something for someone less able than you is a great way to show you care.

10- Embrace who you are and celebrate!

You are awesome! Just being you! Now go celebrate your awesomeness, just for the simple reason that you are alive. You're doing much better than you think.

With much love



Leona x
Dedicated to connecting you to who you are and your life purpose.
http://www.createyourtruelife.com/

Meditation - why bother?

Create Your True Life

I used to meditate everyday way back in 2007, but recently I was guided back into meditation through a friend of mine. What changed? Well, this guy offered me a completely different approach on WHY to meditate and this I wanted to share with you.

Before I used to meditate to clear my mind, relax and focus. I also used to do a lot of visualisations and used to find it benefited me creatively. However back in 2007 I had a lot of contradictions going on in my life - I saw that my creativity and my physical, practical life were quite separate. In fact it was my mission to get them to fuse together, but I wasn't making as much headway as I'd like. Meditation helped with this immensley.

When meeting up with my friend recently, he was doing a healing on me and let me know of a few things I needed to get straightened out - mainly things that I was overlooking. I immediately went into 'physical' mode - My response was "OK, I must do this then and that, and get this done asap!" However, THIS RESPONSE was what was the problem. Have you ever had that? Have you had so many things going on that you almost go into auto-pilot or 'do-do-do' mode?! I'm sure you have, its how most of us live in the Western World!

So my friend told me that its not about do-ing, its about be-ing. When you get into a meditative mode, you switch off your auto-pilot, your 'got to do this, that and the other' mode and you simply 'be'. Then, from this state of be-ing, you can begin to ASK. Asking is the key to this. And TRUST. When you ask, it is given. This is a natural law.

To put it another way, instead of creating more lists and goals from a physical perspective,  allow yourself to be who you are ALREADY, so that these things come out naturally and THEN get expressed. For some this might be difficult, - when was the last time you did something that was your passion, or what you really wanted to do? or When was the last time you did this thing regularly? It reminded me once of a quote I read "Do what inspires you first, then do everything else you have time for". Love this quote! Its helped me prioritise things in my life so much over the years.

Meditation gets you into your own space, free from internal chatter and into listening mode. When you ask "What do I need to know?" or "What would I really like to do now?" and then LISTEN - an answer will come. In my experience its not just one answer, but many. Then my advice to you is, go write your goals AFTER you've done this process, when you are truly in touch with what it is you want anyway - and WHY you want it. When you get excited about the things you are doing in your life, they literally pull you toward them, its irresistible!

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It might take you a few goes until you really get into the meditation 'zone', but if you are serious about creating your true life, this is an invaluable tool for you. For me it usually takes around ten minutes to clear, I find deep breathing helps immensely. I actually love the feeling of stretching out my lungs and getting all that air to pass in and out. The great thing is that there are tons of ways you can create your own space and listen, not just through meditation.

If you want to find out more, I can show you how. Simply book a "Make Change Happen" programme with me today. All you need know is that you WANT to change something and the rest will flow.

Till next time, much love

Leona x
www.createyourtruelife.com/

90 Days of the Detox lifestyle!

I've been on my detox lifestyle for 90 days = 3 months! 

It started with just 10 days, then 30 days, then 60 days and then last week I reached 90 days of my detox lifestyle!

Wow! What a ride its been. Its been so much fun! The highs have been loosing weight after just 20 days and then more after 60 days. The lows have been when I repeated a few meals and things seemed samey, but then I just got creative and found new ways of doing things!

As a reminder, days 1-30 were full-on 100% wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free and since day 31 I've been doing this 90% of the time.

My main piece of advice here is, please don't try and be perfect - its too much work!
Go easy on yourself, do the best you can and you will still reap the rewards!

With Much love,

Leona xx

www.createyourtruelife.com

SO...Here's my 60-90 day diary!

Day 62 - The Sun came out in London! Had the smallest pot of Gu you can possibly buy - thats about 45g of chocolate. It was SO nice! Still amazed that this and half a bar of chocolate is the only chocolate I've touched in 62 days. Considering I was eating it at least 4 or 5 times a week before that. After eating the Gu it was like, yeah - this is cool! I can eat chocolate now and again because I've committed to being healthy and I wont ever binge on anything ever again, it just wouldn't feel right.

Day 63 - Celebration! I've gone down 3 notches on my belt!!! 3 whole notches in 63 days! Guys if I can do this - so can you! Go for it! Make your changes today! Remember its all about replacing old foods with new ones, thats all. Make it easy for yourself xxx

Day 65 - While watching the olympic torch run through north london, someone gave me some cake! Such a nice lady I couldn't turn her down so I ate a couple of mouthfuls then put it on the side and a dog came up and finished it off! He must have known he was doing me a favour!!!

Day 68 - Fist time eating cheddar cheese since Day 32 or 35 - I wasn't impressed - so tasteless. Got back to beans quickly! ;0) "Falling off the wagon" re-enforces my love for this new way of life - the tastes are far nicer!

Day 72 - Been working full on days and evenings and must say this was the biggest challenge of this detox lifestyle so far, I was still keeping up the superfood smoothie breakfasts. Managed to stay (mostly) clear of sugar, but bread and cheese made a couple of appearances here - in Borek form (Boreks are turkish feta and spinach pastries). The main thing I noticed was that after eating wheat and dairy, the food didn't give any fuel, it almost felt like a waste of eating something! When I got back to eating rye, beans and salads again I felt an almost instant energy boost. I was so happy to be back to the good stuff.

Day 75 - Feels so much easier now to make better choices with food. Before I started this, it used to be easier to pick up bread and cheese and now it feels harder to do this. I know that it doesn't help my body so eating it has become almost pointless - just a texture sensation in my mouth.

Day 78 - My Boyfriend bought me Superfoods book by David Wolfe. I am absolutely loving it! SO, so, good to have all this information in one place now. Leaning so much more about Spirulina. Mace and Hemp, which I have now on a daily basis. Also learning about new Superfoods that I haven't yet heard of.

Day 80 - Having taken Spirulina for over 3 months already I decided to increase my daily intake from 5g to 10g = double the amount. Watch this space guys! Will report with more info!

Day 83 - Went out with the family so wine was consumed. Feel so completely different towards wine than before I started this whole process. Its so good to have broken old habits. Its also great to not be bound by new decisions - its OK to have wine now and again! I'm chilled about it!

Day 84 - Toast round my boyfriend's mums. First bit of wheat bread in 80-something days! Tasty, just not as full as rye but I must say the warmth is a nice change. Will look out for breads that are no wheat - maize bread tastes practically the same!

Day 87 - Loving having doubled my intake a spirulina. My breakfast smoothie lasted me for 4 hours today which is definitely a record, usually I have to have something before lunch to keep going, but not today! I cannot express tot you how much I'm loving replacing wheat, dairy and sugar with healthier alternatives, I feel so much more alive. Meeting with a friend I hadn't seen for a while, she was shocked at how much I'd changed. In particular with my eyes and skin which she both said looked brighter than ever before. With 90 days approaching I'm full of gratitude for the centredness that I feel more and more each day. 

Day 89 - Due to my schedule, I've been missing a few workouts so I did a double one today - an hour of aerobics followed by an hour of pilates, which Ive never done before. I did all the advanced pilates options which was great even though a couple of them were really challenging. 

Day 90 - Ive done it! Ive reached 90 days! SO, so amazing. I'm so pleased with myself. I don't think I need to count the days anymore - this is a lifestyle for me. I'll jump off the wagon now and again (usually when going out with friends) but then I'll jump straight back on. Life is interesting like that :0) 

Its great not to be bound by a set of rules, but to choose the heathy option over the unhealthy one, because it feels so much better. 
A conscious choice down to experience of how if feels having done both. This has all been about liberation from constraints, while at the same time being on a health mission! 

I truly recommend you go for it - try 20 days at a minimum and go from there.
You will feel and see the benefits!!!! 

If you need some help (and lets face it we all do from time to time), then I'll be there. 
Whether you have a health, emotional or personal issue, I'd love to help.
Go to my website Create Your True Life for more info.

With Much love 

Leona x

www.createyourtruelife.com

The Significance of Creativity

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Creativity has always been part of my life as I have been teaching Art and Craft techniques to both children and adults in the UK for past last 10 years. The benefits of creativity are numerous and include learning new skills, learning about different materials, promoting right brain activity and learning how to make ideas become a reality.

In my Life Coaching I use creativity as an essential part of the "Make Change Happen" programme. I use creative thinking to help the individual to understand their current situation. I use creative visualisation to help instigate feelings of relaxation and ease. I also use a creative process to help clients see their situation going forward in the future. Even if someone regards themselves as totally uncreative, I help them to let go of their own limitations and gain a sense, or feel, for what they are looking at. This facilitates a realisation that the person can ‘see’ things in a unique way and allows space for this ‘way of seeing’ to develop. We all have this ability, as this is what one side of our brain is designed for!

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For me, creativity is an essential element for growth. When you visualise, or create a vision for what you want to happen in your life, you literally pull it closer to you. Its like you get clear on something and then the doors begin to open. Getting clear is crucial. But how to get clear? There are so many ways to do this and I work on this with clients in my sessions. It’s all about getting into your natural flow, your natural way of doing things. You can't possibly do this in a conventional setting. You need so much more than a desk space in a stuffy office environment! It’s all about giving the person space so they can allow their true self to come to the surface and then stay there.

Trust is a massive factor in creativity. Learning to trust yourself, your decisions and what you really want from your life is important for your own development. Some people find trusting their inner voice difficult, if not impossible. There are so many distractions around us in our daily lives that it can feel overwhelming. If this is the case then all you need to do is create some 'me' time to just simply 'be'. Even if it’s just half an hour before you go to bed. Take this time to write down your thoughts, draw, listen to relaxing music, or simply be still and breathe deeply. Do this without judgment on yourself. If you can give yourself this time, then I promise, your creative brain, or your own ‘ways of seeing things’ will begin to come out to the surface. Slowly but surely you will begin to hear your inner voice and when you hear it, you'll soon be able to act on it. 

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Creativity is really acting on your inner voice, your personal guide, your inspiration. And Inspiration is the key to lasting fulfillment. What could be more important than that?

With much love

http://www.createyourtruelife.com/

Leona x

www.createyourtruelife.com

60 days on the detox lifestyle! :0)

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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!

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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