Sometimes it can be overwhelming with knowing where to begin when it comes to starting your health and wellness journey, do you agree? The market for this information is saturated, conflicting and sometimes, confusing. I don't want to add to that, so before you read any further, I want to let you know that you know what is best for you. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa, and isn't that exciting. If we were all the same, the world would be a dull place. So I ask of you to experiment and have fun. Try all of the things, but if it doesn't feel right for you, don't do it. Only you know what is best for you, so trust that, trust yourself and health will come your way in the best form for you. But I wanted to share with you some of the things I love to do for my health so it can get you experimenting and having fun like I mentioned above. Remember to take what works and leave behind the rest. What you will find below may seem straight forward or may seem a little out there, but don't judge before you try. I have tried and still try, lots of new things to help keep me healthy and happy. Some are whacky and some are simple, but I give it a try because you never know what you may fall in love with. And without further ado... TIP ONE - HAVE A NIGHTLY ROUTINE I have been doing my nightly routine for a few years now, and yes it has changed and morphed over time, but it has always been there. I do it because it really helps me wind down from the day. My mind and body know that rest time is coming up so it too can prepare for sleep. My routine is super simple and it should be that way so you can do it every night without fail; it becomes a habit. I wash my face, moisturise, put my PJ's on, put on lip balm and essential oils, put my phone away, write in my gratitude journal and read a few pages of a fiction book. TIP TWO - MOVE YOUR BODY No surprise here coming from a personal trainer. We should be moving our bodies most days, if not every day. Whether it is going for a walk, going to the gym, doing a yoga class or having your own little dance party at home - get moving. Allowing your heart to beat a little faster than usual and get your blood flowing is so good for you in mind, body and spirit. But remember to move your body in a way that you enjoy, if you hate the gym, then don't go - try something else. TIP THREE - LIMIT YOUR REFINED SUGAR AND PACKAGED FOODS Another no brainer and something we all know but find very difficult to follow, me included at times. Refined sugar is bad, bad, bad - it goes straight to our belly and turns into visceral fat which is not good. Diabetes anyone?! Do what you can to crowd out the refined sugar foods with other healthier options. I have plenty of healthy snack recipes which you can try and I'm sure you will love. Healthy doesn't have to be boring, so keep it fun and tasty. TIP FOUR - DRINK PLENTY OF WATER Yep another tip we all know but struggle with at times. Over the years, water has just become part of my daily life, no excuse. I can feel when I am getting dehydrated now so I am on top of that before the headache really kicks in. I always have a glass on the bench which I sip from every time I walk past. There are also some great apps for your phone that send you a reminder to drink water. Simple but effective if this is something that you struggle with. Considering we are made up of 80% water, this is truly an important tip for your health. Sub tip for this one, when we wake up in the morning we are dehydrated because we haven't drunk any water for 5-9 hours. So I like to start my day with a big glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice and warm water. This not only hydrates you but it is great for detoxifying your liver. TIP FIVE - SELF CARE TIME IS A MUST TO MANAGE STRESS LEVELS There is a reason I go on and on about self-care, and that is because it is uber important for our health and mental wellbeing. We all need a break, we all need alone time and we all need to relax. As you do it more, the guilt becomes less and less, I promise! A big big issue we have these days is stress and we need to be able to manage it because sometimes we can't eliminate it from our lives. So make sure you make self-care a priority so you can keep your stress levels in check. TIP SIX - CHANGE OVER TO NATURAL BEAUTY PRODUCTS Over the past 12 months I have been slowly changing over my beauty products and make up to natural, organic and animal cruelty free options. When you begin to look into what is in the beauty products on our shelves, it is pretty frightening. They are full of nasty chemicals that do more harm than good for our bodies, and not to mention the cruelty of testing on animals. The chemicals that you put on your skin go straight into your blood stream, so it doesn't just stop on your skin, it goes all throughout your body. This horrifies me, so that is why I have made the change. The changes I have made are to natural deodorant (other deodorants are full of chemicals and aluminum which goes straight into your body and breast tissue), shampoo & conditioner, make up, moisturiser, face wipes, fake tan (Eco Tan is amazing), perfume and body wash. Make the switch, you won't regret it! Check out Emmily Banks from Depths of Beauty for heaps of information on this topic. TIP SEVEN - BREATHE DEEPLY We all get so busy many of us forget to breathe properly. Yes that may sound silly but it is true. When was the last time you took a big deep belly breath, and really filled up your lungs? Try it now and see how you feel. Set a reminder on your phone for a few times throughout your day to take in 5-10 deep breaths and watch the changes in your mindset occur. TIP EIGHT - SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE Relationships are so important, without them we are lonely and it can lead to other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. It can also cut your life span short. So make sure you surround yourself with loving and supportive people - be picky with who you allow to take up your time. If you have people in your life that just cause you more stress, anxiety and sadness, it is time to say 'adios' to those people and find your tribe of like minded girl pals, who get you; flaws and all. TIP NINE - GET ENOUGH SLEEP 7-8 hours per night is optimal, anything less than this can start to impact on your health. When personal training clients come to me for the first time we have a chat about their exercise history, their current nutrition and I then ask them how much sleep they average per night because this can really impact on any weight loss that they are after. It matters people, so sleep every night and make it good quality sleep by keeping your phone away from the bedroom and keep bright lights to a minimum. TIP TEN - LEARN ABOUT EMF AND RADIATION This is a new one for me and something that I am currently learning about and experimenting with. I'm sure most of you have heard about radiation from our mobile phones, but there is so much more to it than that. I listened to a podcast episode on The Melissa Ambrosini Show with Dr Libby Darnell all about EMF and the effect it has on our health - it really is scary. Since listening to this podcast episode (which you can listen to here), I have bought my hubby and I radiation eliminating headphones, we turn our WIFI modem off at night while we all sleep, I stand on aluminium foil while brushing my teeth (which helps to release extra energy in my body that doesn't need to be there) and next on the list is pouches for our phones and when we move into our new home, filters to help reduce the amount of EMF running through our house. I hope these tips have been helpful and useful for you. I hope they bring you some 'aha' moments for new things to try because my aim is to help you be as happy, healthy and radiant as you can be. We all deserve to live long healthy and happy lives, so give some, one or all of the above a try and see how they make you feel. Please leave me any comments or questions below, I always love to hear from you and help you where I can. Be happy & healthy, 
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