I know you are all committed to your self-care . It’s part of your daily life to keep you in tip top physical and mental condition.

But do you just accept that you’ve got where you want to be and sort of let things settle down only to realise that you’ve slipped into some bad habits or you’re not feeling too good?

You may have become an avid reader of self-help books to help with healthy eating, mindfulness or the latest exercise trend. But after a while do you find that those books find their way onto the shelf to stay there gathering dust? Forgotten and more like shelf help than self-help.

It’s a common problem as we are bombarded with so much information and sorting it becomes a chore. We become overwhelmed with it and for many people (me included) I reach a certain point and procrastination sets in. It just becomes too daunting to deal with and the books stay gathering dust and the shelf gets weighed down!

So, I’d like to share my tips on focusing on the appropriate self-care books for you:

I’ve been sharing a lot of info with you about stress … and today I’ve got a song for you to listen to that is scientifically proven to help cut stress and reduce anxiety!
 
For centuries, people have used music to calm, soothe, inspire, celebrate, and more – and you can put the power of music to work for you, too!
 
If you’ve ever been to a spa or massage therapist, you already know the background music is a big part of the relaxation experience. And if you’ve gone to a sports event, you know that music plays a huge role in psyching up the crowd!
 
The best thing is, using music to help you unwind takes almost no effort at all – which is pretty awesome if you’ve had a stressful day and are exhausted.

So, what’s this magical song I’m talking about? ​

In the work that I do as a Wellbeing consultant, (coach, nutritional therapist and budding functional medicine practitioner), I often talk to people about their health. In fact, before I work with anyone, I’ll ask them how important it is to resolve their health problem. From experience I know that unless that score is 8 or above the potential client is not ready to work on the problem, get to the root cause and make some lifestyle changes. They are often surprised when I give them some questions to think about and suggest we speak in a week’s time.
​
It always makes me think about that phrase “Good health is priceless” because clearly there are times when it’s not. Lifestyle changes are well recognised now for being able to reverse some chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems and irritable bowel syndrome. 

​Did you know there are certain foods that can actually help you feel less stressed?
 
It’s true!
 
They have pretty incredible health benefits, plus they work with your body to help soothe anxiety, cut inflammation, and generally help you feel more “chill.”
 
Are you ready? Here’s the list:

​I’m going to tell you about a pretty incredible hormone in your body that helps you get up in the morning and start your day feeling energized!
 
It also gives you the “juice” you need when you’re under any kind of threat, to either do battle or run away.
 
But when you have too much of it surging through your body (due to too little sleep, too much stress, too much of the wrong kind of exercise, or health issues), it can do a HUGE number on your mood and your health. 

My mother and father both worked hard all their lives. They both had jobs and my mother looked after the 
home and kids. My father had a job in heavy engineering, hard physical work and then he grew our vegetables 
and kept chickens as well keeping up with the repairs in the house. I don’t think they ever considered their own 
health a priority and they had few hobbies. 

​I bet if I asked that in a room of a hundred people the majority would put their hand up!! I'm not talking about energy that needs constant grazing on high sugar food or the energy that comes from a train of coffee. I'm talking about that energy that just sees you through the day effortlessly, so you can work rest and play (sorry!) and sleep.  You don’t have the jitters and you don’t keep piling on the weight from all the high sugar snacks.

​I think when I say to most people that I’m a nutritional therapist they’re not quite sure what I do. That’s okay, there is a lot of confusion about the difference between a nutritionist, a nutritional therapist and a dietician. The training is different and the ethos behind each one is slightly different. The reason I decided to qualify as a nutritional therapist is really contained in the definition of a nutritional therapist