The Importance of Taking Time OUT!!

'Trying times are not the times to stop trying' Harvey Mackay

Life has a nasty habit of presenting us with trying situations when we least expect them. That is what life is all about - these dilemmas are thrown into the mix to test us and to make us stronger. We can hopefully learn from them and move forward in a more positive light than we thought was ever possible. 

It is amazing how strong and resilient we can be when we are faced with times of upset and difficulty but, on the flipside, we need to realise that no matter how much positivity we have in our life it is important to take time out for US - this allows us to focus on our relationship with ourselves and to realign a healthy and grounded attitude.

It is essential that this 'time-out' is taken guilt-free - we are entitled to it no matter what our responsibilities may be - it is normal to get stressed! Stress is a biological reaction to what is going on around us and it is part of how we function. We all need stress in order to work to peak performance - in small doses, it can be beneficial to many of us but chronic stress can lead to us feeling overwhelmed, burnt out and miserable.

When you take time out for yourself you are giving your body a break and your mind time to re-energise. Choose to fill your time with things that you enjoy and which make you happy! Go to the gym, go for a walk, bake a cake, take a bath, read a book... whatever it is which helps you to unwind, indulge yourself!

You don't have to wait until you are stressed to take a break. Here are three quick guilt-free ideas which you can build into your daily routine:

Start the day with yoga. Yoga is a one of the best stress-busting activities that you can do to benefit body and mind. By setting your alarm a few minutes earlier and practicing some key asanas; you will bring a calmness and positive energy to the start of your day.

Eat to relax. We may be on the run-up to Christmas and those family sized tins of chocolates are now in prime view when you walk into the supermarket - but stay strong! Look to nature for your treats - for example; honey and mango both offer depression-fighting compounds and green tea is an ideal source of L-Theanine which is purported to relieve anxiety, stress and anger. Remember a little of what we like is OK in moderation but 'we are what we eat!'

Take a walk. Exercise and fresh air works wonders to clear the mind. It encourages relaxation whilst getting your body moving and your heart pumping! Plus anyone can do it - no excuses now!

The Beauty Deli Big Question

'The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions' John Simone

Reflection: Look at your life. Are you living the life of your dreams?

Monday muse... take a moment to answer today's question. Pass it on... Find out more about the people you know. Even the small things provide BIG revelations! Engage in conversation. Build relationships. Speak to someone new!

Lunch on the GO... to keep you on the GO!

Now the school holidays are over - it is time to focus! Many of us use the holiday period to have a little time to ourselves, to spend time with our children or to jet off abroad for a sunny break. So what happens now that we are back in work? Meal times can no longer be tackled in the leisurely 'lets see what's in the fridge' or by choosing a convenient take-away or a long afternoon in a 'nice country pub' kind of way. We need to plan healthy, cost effective, nutritious meals which keep us going all afternoon and get us back on the right track! So ditch the instant soup and the overpriced disappointing sandwiches, here are some fresh ideas to keep you going all afternoon...


Salad in a Jar: One of my favourite ways to put a quick take-out salad together is to layer lettuce or spinach, seeds, legume, fruits and vegetables with beans or chickpeas and dressing in either a screw top or clip top jar. You can put pretty much anything that you want together - just remember to layer your salad leaves on the top to stop them going soggy and shake together when you are ready to eat to make sure that your dressing covers all of your layers.

Low-Carb: If you are trying to cut back on the carbs a great idea is to make a lettuce wrap. You can fill the lettuce leaves with leftover chicken or fish plus any veggies. Add guacamole or houmous for extra flavour and wrap and eat!

Speedy Eggs: Scrambled eggs are super quick and so easy to make. Rather than topping toast, top your eggs with chorizo, feta and paprika for a spicy kick. If you prefer the classic; choose wholemeal or rye bread and add rocket or spinach leaves and couple of cherry tomatoes. I really like poached egg with avocado on seeded bread with a mixed topping of seeds (pumpkin or sunflower work well).

Keeping it Balanced: For an equal mix of protein, wholegrains and veg, make a mezze-style meal and dip sticks of carrot, pepper, cucumber, cheese and seeded pitta into houmous and guacamole. The variation of tastes and textures keeps you interested and full enough to keep the hunger at bay for the rest of the afternoon!

Super-Quick: This version may sound more like breakfast than lunch but you will find that this will fill you up far better than a shop bought sandwich! Buy a small pot of greek yoghurt and add a handful of nuts, seeds, blueberries or raspberries - seconds to put together, minutes to eat and the combination of fat and protein will keep you full for hours.

Healthy Pitta: A simple sandwich - stuff a pitta bread with chicken, lettuce, tomato and salsa - this final spicy touch delivers flavour as well as giving a great balance of protein and carbohydrates.

Fast Lunch Rules:

• A Protein Fix: It must contain a good mix of protein and fat to keep you full well into the evening.
• Fruit and Veg: Lunch must contribute to your 5 a day!
• The Right Carbs: Pick good quality wholgrain carbs to keep blood sugar levels even and prevent mid-afternoon sugar cravings!

Friday Focus: Art as Expression: Being Happy with YOU!

How many of us can look in the mirror and honestly say that we are happy with what we see? I don't think I've ever met anyone who can say 'I look perfect' or 'I'm so happy with me!' So why can't we ever be content with the way that we look? Low self-esteem? Being too bothered about other people's perceptions of us? Setting unrealistic goals? Or the old adage; we all simply want what we can't have?! 

We all have days when we don't feel 100% about ourselves and the way that we look; I am sure many of us have experienced 'fat days', 'thin days', 'good days' and 'bad days'. I truly believe that we know deep-down when these perceptions stem from being valid (feeling and looking overweight and being proactive in tackling it) to just completely unrealistic (picking fault with everything about how we look). So why do we feel like this?

Let's look to the media and the fashion industry - I know that there are so many strong minded individuals out there, who know what they want and don't care what other people say or write about; but for every one of these fabulous people; there are plenty more who consciously/subconsciously filter through and  focus on the unrealistic body shapes and lack of diversity which is in the media.

Rather than putting women under pressure to achieve the 'perfect' body - which for the record, doesn't exist! - there should be a fairer representation of 'real' women in the media. I'm not championing being overweight and being happy about it, but we are all different - we are not identikit robots - we should be supportive to each other to be fit, healthy and embrace the way that we look. We need to be happy in our skin - I don't think that if you are unhappy, accept the way you are - as we all have the power to change things for ourselves - but don't try to set unachieveable goals.

For today's exercise we will focus on creating a self portrait. It doesn't matter if you are not great at art; the whole point is to have a different experience in front of the mirror to create a new perspective. This exercise helps you to get comfortable with looking at your reflection and practicing the art of not judging but playing with materials to help to alleviate some of the critical thoughts that you may have about yourself when we look at our reflection. This can be a difficult experience for people who spend time only to critique themselves in the mirror and attaching emotion to those critiques. This exercise is more about looking at the face as a set of shapes, lines and colours which builds the appreciation of the beauty of it rather than finding the flaws within it. With more practice this exercise can gradually decrease the initial instinct to judge. 

Where do I start?
You will need a canvas (you can pick these up really cheaply), paintbrushes, paint, a palette (or paper plates will do), water, paper towels, a pencil and a mirror. Find somewhere comfortable to sit and make sure that you have a mirror in front of you so that you can see your face. Outline your face shape on the canvas with a pencil - this doesn't need to be exact! This is about spending time with yourself, learning the curves of your face, the colour of your eyes and the experience of playing with art materials. Spend some time painting your portrait. Once you have finished, try not to judge; remember fighting your inner critic is what you are trying to overcome!

Friday Focus: Complete this exercise during the weekend. Pick some quiet time for inner reflection!

Wisdom Wednesday

 Overcome those mishaps!!!..

The Beauty Deli Big Question

Business/Entrepreneurship: What's your WHY? 
If you have a big enough WHY, you will always figure out the What and the How. If you don't have a big WHY you will always use the What and the How as an excuse for the things that you said that you were going to do. 

Monday muse... take a moment to answer today's question. Pass it on... Find out more about the people you know. Even the small things provide BIG revelations! Engage in conversation. Build relationships. Speak to someone new!

Monday Management - Time Management - Where do I start?

Starting out in business
Time Management - Where do I start?

This is a subject quite close to my heart - primarily because it is something that in some way or another, I have had to work on over the years! Many of my friends will tell you I am the last one to arrive for any party or get-together; not because I am trying to be fashionably late but because I am have always had a real issue with getting anywhere on time! I make sure that I allocate my time properly, leaving plenty of time to get ready and choose an outfit but there always seems to be a last minute hitch - an unplanned fashion emergency - the shoes don't match the outfit as well as I thought for example - or my hair or makeup isn't quite right - but we've always been there haven't we?!

Personal dilemmas are a lot different to a professional ones - I suppose subconsciously I am more relaxed about the fact that a few minutes here and there won't make a massive difference, but I believe in business we should take a completely different approach and when I need to manage my time effectively I am always - surprisingly - on point. You have to tackle your professional life in a completely different way - you are not just representing yourself and your capabilities but also your business and any brands which you may be associated with.

I'm not just talking about the importance of arriving on time to meetings, but also the need to manage your time when planning your day, week or month. Effective time management is about finding ways to complete the tasks that will ultimately help you to reach your goals - this is what the foundation of your business is built on - the building blocks that you need, stem from planning your time efficiently.

Really effective long-term time management, however is about self knowledge and involves spending time reflecting on your own preferences and priorities. A common assumption when starting a business is that you will be able to do everything differently and change all of your habits - a good exercise is to think about the things that you manage/juggle in your life at the moment, think about how much you fit into your average day and identify the times in a week when you can viably fit in times to complete business tasks.

Early morning may work well for you or if you work full-time you can plan your time during the evening - maybe when your children are in bed. We all have extra time at the weekend - Sunday is a great day to allocate to planning the forthcoming week. Taking this time to reflect on your life and commitments is important as it means that you can make realistic changes based on self-knowledge about what works best for you.

Planning your week - Quick Tips:
Building on your self-knowledge you can plan a week ahead as you go...

• Use a week planner or a diary
• Make a list about what you want to accomplish in the week
• Break tasks down into manageable chunks

Next week: Basic Tools and Materials, Planning and Lists!