Day 11: "30 Day Gratitude Challenge"

Day 11: Today I am grateful for meeting some amazing girls at a retreat in Bali. They are all lovely with their unique talents and big hearts :)

The other day I got to catch up with some beautiful girls who I met in Bali last year. We have kept in touch over Facebook and I'm grateful as they are some of the loveliest people I have met who, with their unique talents and personalities, add total value to my life. It's amazing how this can be when I have not known them for years and years as many of my other friends. But here's to new friendships I say!

I later discovered that one of them, Nicole, writes a blog: www.healthyhappymind.blogspot.com.au

Which I wanted to share with you. I find it inspirational and perhaps you might too!

It's so important to surround yourself with HAPPY people. People who INSPIRE you. SUPPORT you and UPLIFT you - this is what feeds your "well" BEING! 

Healthy Body and Mind

It's a bit of an Oprah inspiration week!

I, for one, know what it's like and what happens to my well-being when I'm not feeding or fueling my body with healthy food. It's what keeps the balance and adds to your moods. 

A couple of years ago, I started on this exercise path and got myself a personal trainer. I wasn't overweight or anything (I'm just pregnant at the moment! haha..), but I certainly needed the motivation to exercise and keep it up. A walk here or a yoga class there wasn't really cutting it. Especially as I got older, it just seems harder to maintain that once-youthful-body! What I didn't expect was learning the benefits and VALUE of 'clean eating' and about all the amazing raw organic foods that surround us and the difference it made for me.

As I mindfully cut out more 'refined' sugar from my regular diet (I'm not perfect, so yes, I indulge now and again!), I certainly noticed the difference when I have been eating crap. In fact, I can probably say, when I eat the 'cheap'-not-so-good-for-you-chocolate, I become this sugar addict! When I've had too much sugar, I feel sluggish, I want to exercise less and you can probably see this downward spiral.... feeling sorry for yourself yet?

How our MOODS can change. Have you ever noticed that about yourself?  It's all about CHOICES.

It's a balance. And I believe it's equally important to nourish not only the mind but the body as well. The two really just go hand in hand together!  It's amazing when you get the two into flow :)

Having a healthy body, puts us into a much better state of BEING.

Being MINDFUL about what you're eating and fuelling your body with yummy wholesome food will allow you to be more in tune with your body. How your body responds will tell you a thing or two that may need some attention!

Perhaps the reason why you might love that milk chocolate or ice cream so much and just want to have more and more might just be that you've got a sugar addiction too! Or perhaps just notice if you're a fast or slow eater...it's the little things that you become aware of that will allow you to make the changes you need to improve your overall well-being. 

HEALTHY BODY = HAPPY MIND! 

Happy Mind = Happy Life!

What are you eating right now?

(found on Make Your Life Amazing)

Creating rituals

Today is my dad's birthday - Happy Birthday Dad!

This quote was one of the many I would hear my dad mention to me. Perhaps it's one of the reasons I like to find inspirational quotes!

I love waking up early to see the sunrise. It's one if the most favourite parts of my day (and watching the sunset, but I live in the east, so I get the sunrise!). This photo is a photo I actually took on one of my many early morning Bondi walks. 

There is so much truth to this quote, what a clever man Mr. Benjamin Franklin was! 

It is a reminder that we need to be looking after ourselves - it's all about mind, body, spirit. Without our health, then what wealth would we enjoy? 

Be mindful to eat well and fuel your body with lots of nutritious whole foods and cut out all that refined sugar! Not only should one eat well, exercise is important and what many people might struggle with is to get enough sleep! So get to bed early, turn off that iPad, TV, smartphone or anything similar at least an hour before bed. This way you're not overstimulated before bed and you have a better chance of a more restful sleep!

I have to say, I personally am at my best before lunch time. So the earlier I'm up the more time I have to get more done! And the only way I'm up early (not using an alarm clock !) is an early night :)

When we're getting better sleep, our body functions so much better!!! (Such as burning fat or better alertness). Would you cope with stress a whole lot better if you made sure you got a restful sleep?

What time will you be heading to bed tonight? And what night time ritual might you put into place for a more restful sleep?