Ten Keys to Happier Living in 2015

So there's good news and there's good news!

The good news is I have a fail safe plan to ensure you have a happier 2015 than 2014 - and it's FREE

And the good news is..... if it doesn't work you get your money back ;-)

What would you say is THE most important aspect to life? The most common answer seems to be 'health' but I disagree; I firmly believe our happiness overrules everything. Are we saying that all healthy people are happy, or are all unhealthy people also unhappy? Happy people get sick less, they sleep better, have better relationships and just seem to have a more positive outlook on life. And if you think we should put the happiness of others before our own, think about the old adage of the flight attendant telling us to put our own oxygen mask on before helping others. Happiness is infectious, true???

So let's forget the New Year's resolution of losing weight, getting fit or sorting out the attic space, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment...  ;-) If you haven't made the big change in previous years, January the 1st is not the time to commit - I could make up a whole ream of statistics to 'prove' that New Year's resolutions don't work but I think we all know that anyway, right?

So here's a very simple plan from www.actionforhappiness.org that is not only guaranteed to bring more happiness but it's easy too! A list of ten actions you can take to improve not only your life but the life of others around you too. And if the one you're working on becomes overwhelming or you can't seem to find the motivation right now, put it aside and move on to another. You have a whole year to complete the list and I'm even giving you the rest of December to plan ahead and come up with a plan of action. I'm more than happy to set up a conference call once a month to help motivate those interested in joining in. In the meantime you really need to check out their website - it's awesome!

I'm in, who's with me...???

Join in by adding your comments below and let's all hold each other accountable!

Take the "I want" from "I want happiness" and you're left with..... :-)

Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins

These have become a firm favourite in our household over the last few months. They are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast option, mid-morning snack or even lunch! And they are delicious hot or cold. Plus they are the perfect thing to meal prep in advance - just bake up a full pan batch and they keep well in the fridge for the rest of the week!

Ingredients
  • 1 Chicken Breast - roasted and shredded
  • Himalayan Pink Salt 
  • Black Pepper
  • Garlic Powder
  • 12 Eggs
  • 3 Green Onions, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
  • Fresh Parsley, finely chopped or dried (optional for garnish)

Directions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400'. Place your chicken breast on a baking tray and season with the black pepper, salt and garlic powder. Roast for approx 25 minutes (until cooked - will vary depending on the size of your chicken breast!)
  2. Once the chicken is cooked through remove from oven and shred using a couple of forks
  3. Add chicken to a bowl and douse liberally with about 1/2 the Franks Red Hot sauce until the chicken is fully coated
  4. In a separate bowl whisk up your eggs, add the green onions, some black pepper and the remainder of the Franks sauce
  5. Divide the egg mixture equally amongst your muffin cups, then add some of the shredded chicken, then sprinkle a small amount of parsley on top if using - do not overfill the cups - leave at least 1/4 " to top.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes in a 400' oven.
Tips: Use Parchment Paper muffin cups to prevent the egg from sticking. Adjust the Franks Red Hot sauce to suit your taste buds or try another variety of hot sauce altogether!


The most efficient workout ever!


We all know the feeling. Maybe we've just come back from vacation, a business trip or even an injury/illness; for whatever reason and however long the break, the workouts have fallen by the wayside and we need to get back on it...

For some there's little motivation, for others there's lots of motivation but at that moment we're all in the same boat; we feel fat, unfit and generally a little loose around the edges. Whether we are or not is a different matter but it can be enough to upset the flow - so much so that for many of us it takes far longer than it needs to to start exercising again. We pull 'perfectly reasonable' excuses out of nowhere, convincing ourselves that we'll be back just as soon as we can be. So a week's vacation can often mean two weeks of no workouts - recognize anything here...?

So how do we do work up the motivation and get back on form when we really don't want to? Well, I have a system of my own that works for me and maybe it'll work for you too! 

I've tried hitting it hard in the belief that my aches and pains from overdoing it will make me feel good again - it doesn't, it just make the next day seem even worse - so I take another day or two off... I've tried carrying on where I left off but somehow I manage to convince myself that I don't have enough time right now, there's too much to do. And if I do start out like this I'm happy to put my hand up and admit that sometime's I've got half way through and lost interest - and that can REALLY set your motivation back - avoid that situation at all costs! 

The one that works for me - I go back to absolute basics; I chose the easiest, shortest workout I know with a plan to put in just as much effort as I need to. This has numerous benefits, mostly psychological; 
  • It's easy and quick to complete therefore it's more likely to be enjoyable 
  • I know I won't ache tomorrow so I won't have any excuses to not continue
  • I won't have to get up super early to achieve my aim
  • At the end and however you look at it - I worked out 
And that is where I get my motivation from - suddenly I'm back on it; I did it, I enjoyed it and I'm ready to do it again - I feel like I've never been away.

So if any of this resonates with you; plan your next break to finish as soon as possible with the 'holiday' of all workouts and just see how quickly YOU feel back on track. Good luck :-)

  • How do YOU get back into exercise after taking a break?
  • What's your 'favourite' go-to easy workout routine? (I love Ultimate Ball from the Supreme 90 DVD series)



Save money and eat better at lunch with this simple advice

Most of now know that there is a lot to be said for pre planning our meals during the week; we get to eat healthier food, we don't grab and go just because we're hungry and haven't thought ahead, and of course we save money! Seriously, what's not to love? (check out more benefits of meal planning in this post)



The Problem is we don't always follow our own advice. Evening meals are one thing; we have a menu, we've shopped for what we want and we choose which meal to eat in which order. Lunches and snacks however seem to escape the rules of eating well. Many of us mean well but when that meeting goes on too long or we get to lunch time and we're already too hungry to have the patience to make something, we tend to go with the flow. Someone orders pizza or suggests going out to lunch and what do 'we' do? We join in; it's sociable, it's easy and it can be instant gratification!

And the answer? At some point during the week find a few moments to plan ahead and prep. It doesn't have to be a major mission to do it all in one go, it can be done during other meal prep or cooking. Whilst the weekend is prime time to plan for the week ahead in our house find a time that suits you (we often do our prep work on Monday night since weekends we're away, busy or just having too much fun!!)

It takes no longer to boil a dozen eggs than it does to make a coffee, so do both at the same time. There you go, each of you has an egg or two each day! Wash and chop a bunch of salad veg while that night's dinner is in the oven; you've already got the utensils out and the counter is already a mess so let's kill two birds with one stone! Bag the salad leaves in Ziplocs, chop up and bag carrots, celery, bell peppers, add some baby tomatoes and hey presto you have a week's worth of healthy snacks. Boil up a pan of grains; I like to use sprouted quinoa and brown rice mix; portion it up into containers and there's the protein for your lunches. You can even fill a bunch of Mason Jars with all the salad items so you only need to add dressing and shake it up at lunch time - could it be any easier? Grill up some lean chicken and add some to each salad or the cooked rice; even the messy jobs like grating cheese - do it all now and bag it up! Are you starting to see the picture now?

You're way more likely to eat healthily if you take your food in to work/college etc with you. And this doesn't just work for the busy commuters, it's just as effective if you work from home - trust me I learned the hard way. You get all the nutrients your body needs to do its daily tasks and you get to choose a good balanced and tasty menu each week. It really is as easy as it sounds to do all this prep work while you're in the kitchen doing other things; don't leave it till the morning as you're rushing out the door - it won't happen. But it's easy to grab those containers and ziplock bags full of snacks and lunch that you prepared' 3 days ago!

Let me know how it goes!





  • Do you meal plan?
  • What are some of your favourite items for prepping in advance

What happens when the work/life balance swings too far...


I'm a big believer in getting the work/life balance right, I always have been and a career in the Military helped me achieve it for more than 23 years.

Then came summer 2013; I was into my second year of running my own business, (InSpiralCoaching) and like most people working on their own with no real structure or set hours, I was struggling with the guilt of not being busy when I had no reason to be. In my mind I should be head down, arse up from dawn till dusk - after all, how could I ever succeed if I wasn't at my desk 80+ hours a week!

So I did what I had to and got done what needed to be done but I spent many hours looking longingly out of the window as the beautiful weather passed me by, convinced in my own mind that I was far too busy to actually take time off to enjoy life. Instead of loving the hike and the bonding time, walking my dog was just an escape from my desk - but only if I had my headphones on, studying as I went. I'd beat myself about how little I would achieve some days, and when I did succeed it was never enough. All the things I love about living here in the summer; hiking and mountain biking with Meli, (the aforementioned pup), paddle boarding our myriad local lakes and long days of motorcycling ended up taking a back seat. So when I looked back at the end of summer I started to wonder what it was all about; where had it gone?

We're limited to our time on this amazing planet and at 50 I figured I wasn't far off half way through mine - I only have another 50 or so summers left in me... So I vowed that come this summer there was no way I wasn't going to live it to the full, come what may! I'd tipped the balance to one extreme and (purely in the interest of research you understand!) I was determined to go check out the other end of the scale and not miss a thing. Thankfully I'd taken on a bit of part time work helping out at Urban Harvest last winter so I couldn't completely escape the real world - I had some structured commitments in my week!

So I'm happy to say I took on this summer with a vengeance and dragged (?! - yeah right!) my long suffering wife with me. Long motorcycling trips were arranged starting with a five day expedition with friends, we went camping on undiscovered, (to us) islands, hiking, cycling and paddle boarding were regular activities and fitness was at an all time high. We went to classical concerts and music festivals. I snuck in a 4 day trip to ride my bike around a track and we even managed a two week trip to visit friends and family in SoCal, catching up with two friends I went to online 'school' with and another we'd not seen for almost 10 years. Did my business suffer? probably. Did my finances suffer? definitely. Was it worth it? abso-frickin-lutely...!

It's called balance right? So whether we tip the scales lightly each way or we set them rocking like a ship in a gale it's no good just looking at the here and now. We need to look at the bigger picture over a greater period of time and see how well it balances. Work 100 hour weeks if you need to to but don't forget to add in some 'let's go crazy' time to make up for it - and don't feel guilty about doing it; no one's judging you - unless they are in which case they don't matter!

Who knows; maybe next year I'll get it right, maybe not. Like the rest of us, I'm just a work in progress :-)

The perfect diet


Let me just start by saying when I use the word 'diet' I do NOT mean it with regards to weight loss! Diet to me means; why I eat, what I eat, where I eat, when I eat and how I eat. I eat to fuel my body for it to thrive in the life I choose to live, I eat mostly real whole foods; usually organic and local wherever possible. I eat mostly at home. I also eat out occasionally because I love the laziness and the atmosphere of a good restaurant - on these occasions I eat whatever takes my fancy! I eat a decent size breakfast with a good mix of protein, carbs and fat. I very rarely get hungry because I snack all day on veg and fruit with my lunch thrown in there at some point and my main meals at least, are eaten slow time, at the table, in company!

My weight is stable, my body fat healthily low, I have plenty of energy, I'm never ill, (I guess I should touch wood at this point!) and I don't suffer from digestive issues. I do however, always eat too much when I eat out; I know it beforehand and I know I'll feel uncomfortable afterwards but you know what - I'm ok with it, it's my own version of the 80/20 or the 'cheat day' method. And that's the point here - this is MY method, it works for ME!

I've tried every different way of eating over the years from three square meals a day, to six smaller meals, two large meals, not eating till lunch time, not eating after 5pm etc... I've read lots of books and listened to lots of 'experts' about how, when and more often than not, what we're meant to eat for our best health. But they're ALL wrong..... and they're ALL right - for some people, but not for everyone. There is NO such thing as the perfect diet for everyone. I've found what works for me and I encourage you to do the same; listen to everyone but listen mostly to your body. If it works for you, don't change it, but if it's not working - do something about it. You have a lot of good years left in you; make sure they're your best yet!

It's food; make sure you enjoy it and make sure it serves you...

7 Easy Ways To Improve your Health NOW!


Everyone knows how to be healthier; we all know that to take more exercise, eat clean and simplify our lives will have a positive impact on our overall health, but then real life clicks in...

So we do the best we can; we skip the drive-through, we buy good and real food when we grocery shop, we hit the gym several times a week and we lie in on Sundays - maybe. We do the best we can.

But what if there were some free, easy and guaranteed small ways to improve our health - permanently, would you take the opportunity? Well you've read this far so read the rest and try to disagree if you can ;-)

  1. Ignore every commercial you ever see or hear! Billboards, the internet, radio, TV commercials are designed to do one thing and one thing only - sell you something you don't need! Just think about that; They are purely to sell you something that you don't need!!! They are not for your information and they are not looking after your best interests, they cost the company a lot of money, which you as the consumer will pay for in the long run. If you need something you're quite capable of sourcing it yourself, and if you do source it yourself, you'll end up with exactly what you need - no more, no less!
  2. Detox - a regular detox, and I'm only talking three or four times a year here, is the perfect way to reset your body, your mind and generally get you back on track with a fresh and healthy mindset. It doesn't need to be a full on 'starvation' style juice cleanse either; you choose what you want to detox from. There are a million different detoxes out there from a week to a month, but it can be as simple as quitting one thing for just a few days - sugar, alcohol, processed food or even just eating out. Detox to suit YOU!
  3. Water - I know I know, we're always being told to drink more water and most of us should. But all I'm suggesting here is two changes; 1. Drink one glass before every meal and another during the meal. Drinking before a meal will help satisfy your hunger so you'll naturally want to eat less which let's face it, with North American size portions becoming the norm, that won't do any of us any harm! Drinking water with the meal will help with digestion and also slow our eating down - put down the fork, pick up the glass. 2. When drinking alcohol drink a glass of water with each drink. Again, it'll help satiate the craving and fill you up more quickly, it will also help with any hangover the next day...
  4. Do NOT go inside gas stations - there is NOTHING there for you. Pay for your gas at the pump and leave - it's too tempting, especially on a long journey, to grab a quick snack or drink for the road. Stock up with clean snacks and water before you go. If you want more than water, consider making your own Kombucha - read more about that here. Gas station drinks, (other than water) will tire you out, fog your mind and contrary to their own self belief, will not quench your thirst!
  5. Dig your head out of the sand regarding your finances. I'm not very good at making up statistics so let's just say that money is one of the biggest causes of stress and one of the biggest causes of relationship problems! Budget for the amount you earn and your necessary expenses. Stop using shopping on finance; if you can't afford to pay for it - you can't afford it. If you don't pay your credit cards off in full before any interest is due - stop using them. I know debt is not an easy habit to get out of and turning it around is neither a quick nor an easy task, but I promise you one thing - a year from now you'll wish you'd started today!
  6. Breathe... Yes I know you do it all the time without thinking but I'm challenging you to do it with thinking! Whenever you get a moment or the thought occurs to you, really concentrate on deep belly breathing. Breathe in the good, breathe out the crap, it'll do wonders for your stress levels, your blood pressure and a general feeling of relaxation. You have to breathe anyway so you might as well do it right :-)
  7. Change your way of thinking, respect and treat yourself as you would anyone else you love. Only put inside your body what does you good. Eat to fuel that amazing body, it's that easy!

Clean Eating Banana Coconut Macaroons


For a healthy, tasty and sweet treat try these delicious banana coconut macaroons. They are quick and easy to make and have NO added sugar - the sweetness is all from the fruit.

Ingredients

  • 2 bananas
  • 1 cup nuts (I used a combo of cashews & almonds)
  • 1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • pinch of sea salt
Directions
  1. Add the nuts to a food processor and pulse until they are ground to a fine flour. Transfer to a bowl and set aside
  2. Add the bananas to the food processor and blend until puréed
  3. Add the bananas to the bowl with the nut flour and then add all other ingredients and mix well until combined
  4. Using damp hands scoop up small balls of the mixture and firmly pack into shape, then add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Bake at 275'F for 25 minutes (until the edges are browned)
Enjoy!


Relationship 'tough love'


As relationships mature and get and more comfortable we, (yes, pretty much all of us) tend to make less effort than we did in the early days, we slip. In many ways this is perfectly natural; we have the 'honeymoon period' where everything is perfect and we'd do anything to make the other person happy - or happier. Then as time goes by we settle into the routine of real life; we get confident in the relationship, we get comfortable, and realistically, we get lazy - yes, you too! The competition to be your partner's best match grinds to a standstill.

From this point on it often starts a very slow, almost imperceptible downward spiral where each of us sees the other not putting in the same amount of care without seeing our own lack of effort. And instead of picking up our own game, we wait for them to make the first move. That kiss on the cheek on your way to work, that "love you" when you hang up the phone; is it just lip service or does it have meaning?... Maybe we start to notice the changes in 'them' - not ourselves. Some of the differences that attracted us in the first place become irritating. And.....well you know the rest...



A wise man one said, "Ensure that everything you do, you do to the best of your ability". I tried to apply this in my growing up years and my career; I always did the best job I could. I'm pretty sure that if I ask anyone I know if they use the same approach to work, they will probably say yes, of course they do. We're all professionals, so we'd never admit to doing anything but our best. We have our careers and our reputations to think of after all. But apply that same question to our relationships and get an honest answer... Start with yourself, (go on, no-one's listening...) Do YOU work your hardest in your relationship, or are you competitive and expect your partner to be the one to inspire you to put the effort in? After all, "if he/she doesn't, why should I...?"



The only competition in a healthy relationship should be the one of who loves the most!!! Did I practice this theory in my first marriage and my past relationships? No, I didn't and I'm sure it had a lot to do with why they failed. Have I learnt from it and am I making more effort this time? Undoubtedly yes. Have I mastered it? Hell no!!!

It can be tough at the best of times and it's certainly tougher when things go wrong; when you fall out, when they hurt you, when you want them to be sorry for what they've done or not done. Even if you're totally faultless, can you put it behind you, pick yourself up and move on? Does an athlete hold a grudge when they get beaten? No, of course not, they come back tougher and stronger next time - are you big enough to do the same with your desire to love the most?

Someone once told me that any act that requires forgiveness should actually be unforgivable; the theory in this is that forgiving the wrong-doer only serves to make them feel better, not you. It doesn't fix the hurt, instead it belittles you and your feelings and merely paves the way to feel good about themselves again. This in itself is quite a controversial topic but the point I want to make is; it shouldn't matter what they do or don't do - they do not control how you react to events, only you do. Only you can put it behind you, move on and keep fighting to be the one to love more. Only when we all have this attitude will we start to see more relationships, more marriages starting to succeed in the long term rather than fail when the going gets tough!

You have YOUR standards, no-one else's, so stick to them. How you react is about who you are, not what happens to you - be the bigger person, keep loving more and see what comes back in return.

What are you going to do this week to go 'the extra mile' in your relationship?

Mudd, Sweat & Tears

Or should that be 'Mudd, Blood & Hyperthermia... Ok, so it wasn't quite that bad but I did scuff my knee a little and it was certainly cold enough not to sweat!

Mudd, Sweat & Tears is a 12km cross country obstacle course similar to the Tough Mudder or Spartan races out there. It's designed to test all round fitness, team spirit and determination. Here in Kelowna BC the event takes place at Crystal Mountain - one of our local ski resorts, which being at elevation means the weather is unpredictable to say the least - especially in spring. It was probably 15 degrees C in town but up the hills it was no higher than 5. With rain. With wind. With icy cold water obstacles... Thankfully there was lots of running up an down hillsides in-between obstacles which gave the competitors a chance to dry off and warm up - somewhat. I say competitors but really it's not a race at all, at least not against other teams, just against yourselves. All teams help each other out when it comes to the more challenging events like climbing up and over 9ft mud slicked walls and the likes.

Our team consisted mainly of people from Helen's workplace, and me as a guest member and was a variety of ages and fitness levels, but only one goal - to have fun and to finish! Our start time was 10 am but due to some logistical issues and the sheer numbers of competitors we got going with the newly created 10:15 group!. There seemed to be less of us in our group so we had a daily clear run to the first obstacle - the above mentioned 9ft wall. Once over that the fun really started - with a muddy crawl through a pit covered with strands of barbed wire - just to keep our heads down and our bodies low, and wet! This really set the scene for the morning and from now on anything we came across was covered in mud from previous participants - I was always a bit of a dab hand at rope climbs but when both it and my hands are covered in slimy mud...

Other obstacles consisted of the intentionally demoralizing idea of carrying something heavy up a hill only to then carry it back down again, hulling a truck tire uphill by rope, more mud pits and wading through a waist deep mountain stream full of snow-melt - only the males amongst us can really appreciate the effort it takes to keep the water level below 'that' certain part of the body :-/


But the clincher, hence the photograph, had to be the last obstacle - the 'Over and Under'. A mud pit just a foot or so deep with logs running side to side; waist high ones to climb/slither over and low ones barely above the mud level to go under. Amazingly I did see one or two clean-ish faces that had managed to somehow get under without having to fully submerge the body, but for me at least, the only way under was to literally swim under! And so it was I emerged with enough mud in my face to not be able to open my eyes for sometime afterward - tricky really when the only way to clean off was a fire hose connected to yet more snow-melt water.

It was funny to watch a crowd of people trying to get their free finisher's beer to their mouths whilst shivering uncontrollably to the point of spilling more than they drank - but those few sips that made it to your mouth were oh so sweet!. Carelessly we'd taken just one small towel between us thinking that it would be easy to dry off and then put on our clean clothes - ha, no such chance! Getting home, (how awesome are heated seats when you need them...) we had to strip off in the garage before entering the house as even our 'clean' clothes were caked in slowly drying mud. And then the longest hottest shower ever ensued...

All in all a top day out; lots of mud, some sweat and some very almost tears of feeling fingers again after eventually thawing out  - way to go team Bridge Trolls!!!

Too old for this shit!

Recently I was trying to rally friends to join our 'Mudd, Sweat & Tears' team and although I expected many of the 'thanks but no thanks' responses, one answer almost stopped me dead in my tracks. A guy ten years my junior replied with "I'm too old for that shit" - whilst proceeding to tell me how great he used to be in his youth - he's nearly 42! Too old for what exactly? Too old to have fun, too old to get down 'n' dirty, too old to work up a sweat, too old to exercise and take care of himself???

And it got me thinking, at what age are we too old, at what point do we give up, consider ourselves over the hill and start 'winding down' to whatever the next life has to offer? there are lots of inspirational quotes about how we should live our lives (this being one of many and a personal favourite);
But however you choose to inspire yourself, surely the whole point of life is living. We are born and we die, those two are pretty much guaranteed, but anything else in between is really up to us. Shouldn't we live and keep on living right up until we die?

Thankfully not everyone has the same outlook; when I completed my first 'Tough Mudder' last year one of the guys on our team was in his early 60s, fit as a fiddle and was in no way holding anyone up. But he seems to be in the minority. Why? - because he's lucky that he's in good shape and is not ill? No, apart from not having been run over by a bus so far he's not lucky at all; unlike many middle-aged, (whenever that is!) people, he is committed to living a long, healthy and fun life - me too!

So I plead to all of you; consider this life precious, ignore the nay sayers and doubters and especially if you're one of those people who think they're 'too old'. Have a rethink, turn back the clock and make sure the second half of your life is better than the first. You've had the practice run, you have the experience and wisdom - start proving it! (and live the life in your Facebook profile!).

Come on; who's for never being too old for this shit???

Get to know the awesome you!


20 years ago this week something happened that changed the way I thought about myself forever and genuinely came to believe that I, (and therefore you) can do anything that I set my mind to. So what was this big life changing event? I completed one of the physically toughest and mentally challenging courses in the (British) military. The course itself was 'only' three weeks long but to me it was a culmination of a year of committed training and before that, many years of wanting, wondering, questioning my abilities. Did I have it in me, and if not what did that say about me as a person? What if I failed or was injured, would I try again? In the end certain things aligned, the opportunity came along and it was time to 'put up or shut up'!

It wasn't specifically the course content itself, but what followed as a direct result of passing that did it for me, a whole multitude of things changed; I was immersed into a culture of seeing every challenge as just that - something to be tried; there was no such thing as quitting - ever and nothing was seen as a failure, I was part a culture of non-judgemental equality, men who encouraged and sang the praises of each other as opposed to putting others down to boost their own self esteem. For the first time in my life I truly felt good about myself - I'd faced my fears and uncertainties and I'd won. A whole new world of opportunity opened up, and it was 'my' world for the taking!

I discovered a new found confidence in myself. Understanding that everyone has their own private battle inside, I started to feel comfortable around strangers, forgetting my own insecurities and paying attention to them. I learned to rock climb, to skydive and scuba dive, I found and married the love of my life, my career took a turn for the better - a career I eventually cut short to follow my dream of travelling after which I emigrated to another country and started a whole new career, this time working for myself helping ordinary yet amazing people face their own fears and make the changes to achieve their greatest gold and dreams!

Don't get me wrong; the point of all this isn't to brag about 'me' but to pass it on, to pay it forward - whatever it is that's holding you back, whatever your toughest challenge is, whether you think you can or can't, whatever you may find out about yourself; the only sure way to find out is to try it - you have no idea what you're capable of, (more than you think, I guarantee it!) or how it may change your life forever. Get to know the awesome you!

And the most important lesson I learned along the way - you'll never regret the things you do as much as the things you don't...

What Quitting Smoking Taught Me About Coke...


December 2nd 1985 was the last time I touched a cigarette and you know what? I still to this day have dreams in which I'm smoking and wake up in a panic that I've failed, only to realise it was just a dream.

I was in my early twenties and most people I knew smoked, I had no real reason to give up - although my mother constantly 'nagged' me whenever I saw her and my boss at work who I respected enormously detested any kind of smoking. This was back in the days before any kind of bans or segregation had been introduced. But one day a colleague of mine and myself decided we'd give up as a New Year's Resolution; we worked night shifts together every fourth night so agreed we could hold each other accountable. The plan was simple; we would have a practice run on Dec 1st to see if we had it in us to quit, then we'd commit to a final cigarette on New Year's Eve. That first day I 'borrowed' and smoked half a cigarette from another colleague. The following day I found myself alone in the workplace, (I had purposely not gone for a break to resist the temptation!) with someone else's pack of smokes, and even a lighter. I crumbled! I took a cigarette and smoked it. It didn't satisfy me in the slightest, it just made me feel disgusted with myself, and from then on, I never touched another one - ever! Help came from one expected quarter and one unexpected; my boss was overwhelmingly encouraging. And a friend offered me a smoke one morning before remembering I'd quit. I said yes without thinking but he was quick to react and point blank refused. His own words of encouragement was the great surprise as although we were friends, I expected banter and words of doubt in my resolve. (I don't think I ever did say "thanks Darren")

I have met many people trying to give up smoking; some would try to go 'cold turkey' but most would try to cut down or wean themselves off it slowly. I realised something about myself; I don't have the willpower to cut down, or to stop for a few days, smoke just the one, and then stop again. Because willpower is what it takes to do something short term, to make a temporary change - like a detox for example; we can give up certain foods for a short term on willpower alone - because we know it's only temporary. But to make a real change, to quit something forever - willpower is not enough, you can't survive on it. If you need further proof just look at all the diets out there that simply don't work. We need to totally reset our way of thinking.

Spring forward almost 30 years and I realise I'm drinking too much Coke. But I'm not addicted, not me, surely not, I'm certainly not about to admit such weakness as an addiction to Coke - I'd rather tell the world I was addicted to cocaine - at least that's an addiction that people take seriously. But sugar is addictive, arguably more so than cocaine and just look how much sugar is in Coke! So let's just say I had a bad Coke habit... I could give it up every time I did a detox or cleanse, (there's that willpower again!) but within days I'd be buying it again. I tried not keeping it in the house but that didn't do any good - it's everywhere you go! I'd even drive out just to buy a can, convincing myself that "it's a hot day and I'm thirsty - and water is dull."

So I searched back into my past for inspiration, (Dec 2nd 1985 to be exact) and told myself what I already knew - it had to be all or nothing. So that's what I did, I gave it my all; I did a week of sugar detox from the excellent book 'The 21 Day Sugar Detox' to give myself a kick start and a fighting chance, (plus a little help from my friend Will Power...) and vowed that I had drunk my last dose of chemical poison!!!

If you feel you have a 'bad habit' when it comes to either a brand of soda specifically, or just refined sugar in general think about this... Sugar IS addictive and should be looked on and treated as such - there are no half measures, no cutting down, you need to quit!

If this resonates with you; forget willpower alone and maybe try my approach - and let me know how it goes - good luck!

Eggs, eggs, eggs...

With Easter upon us this weekend many people around the world are thinking of chocolate eggs, and understandably so, who doesn't love them!
But let's not forget one of the most awesome 'superfoods' available for those of us not living a vegan lifestyle - the humble chicken egg! Be they scrambled, boiled, poached, fried, made into an omelette or a frittata, or even used in baking, don't miss out on this beauty of a food. Long ago were the myths surrounding the so called dangerous levels of cholesterol debunked; here's a couple of useful articles but don't be afraid to do your own research and make up your own mind;
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/eggs/
http://authoritynutrition.com/why-are-eggs-good-for-you/

But before we go crazy for these punch packing nutritional power balls we need to understand the difference between certain types of egg and their true benefits - or otherwise. A perfect egg has all the ingredients to build a whole healthy chicken, a store bought egg however, may not! Something to think about...

Battery eggs are by far the worst eggs to buy; the chickens live in the most dire conditions, (five minutes on Google will show you just how dire!) are pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics - which get transferred to not only the eggs, but to you too! They live distressed lives and have no room to flap their wings never mind walk.

Free range eggs are often sold as the ethical option, suggesting that the egg laying chickens get to live outside. This is not the case and the (Canadian) law only insists they spend a few minutes each day outside.

Organic eggs suggest not only a more ethical upbringing but also a healthier egg. Organic chickens certainly have to be fed organic feed, but chickens don't naturally eat feed, they eat whatever they can get from the ground. Organic chickens may also have their beaks cut off and can be force moulted to increase yield. Not all organic eggs are 'raised' this way but how will you know?

Pastured eggs.  Now we're talking; these are from chickens that live outside all day, foraging for the food that chickens eat naturally, (bugs, worms etc) and are full of the most amazing nutritional vitamins and minerals.  They will have plenty of space to run around, are unstressed and only get tucked away at night to keep them safe from predators. Not everyone of course has access to this type of farm, (or neighbour) but if you do then I highly recommend you skip the stores and buy your eggs this way. Larger and with much darker yellow yolks, they will also last a lot longer than store bought eggs. The reason - store bought eggs are washed to 'look the part' which also rids them of the protective coating they are born with - pastured eggs don't even need to be refrigerated and will still last a couple of weeks.

And so using the time honoured common sense advice of 'all things in moderation', enjoy your eggs and of course in the meantime, enjoy your chocolate versions and have a great Easter.

By the way - the darker the chocolate, the (generally) healthier the egg - and did you know - dark chocolate is less 'addictive'... :-)

What's the big deal with organic food anyway!

These days there seems to be a lot of pressure to only eat organic if we want to be healthy - but is it true?

Most of us know that organic food is better for us, better for the environment and in the case of animal products, it's generally better for the animal. And for those who don't know or have forgotten the whys and wherefores and the details, here's a quick run-down.

The term “organic” refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. Specific requirements must be met and maintained in order for products to be labelled as "organic". Organic crops must be grown in safe soil, have no modifications, and must remain separate from conventional products. Farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides, bio-engineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Because of the lack of preservatives, organic food is generally fresher as it has a shorter shelf life. Organic livestock must have access to the outdoors and be given organic feed. They may not be given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal-by-products.

More and more these days the large supermarket chains are joining the organic bandwagon and there is a myriad choice of organic products on our shelves, but is organic food always better and worth the extra cost? Not necessarily and here's why;

Some foods are far more susceptible to, and will absorb more of the pesticides than others. The following is a list of the most contaminated products, often referred to as 'The Dirty Dozen' - from worst to least; Apples, Celery, Sweet bell peppers, Peaches, Strawberries, Nectarines, Grapes, Spinach, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Blueberries, Potatoes

Conversely, others are less affected; this next bunch are 'The Clean Fifteen', in that they are the least contaminated. In order of least contamination they are; Onions, Sweet Corn, Pineapples, Avocado, Cabbage, Sweet peas, Asparagus, Mangoes, Eggplant, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, Sweet potatoes, Grapefruit, Watermelon and Mushrooms

So it's my belief that we really don't have to obsess about organic food all the time, and certainly from a cost point of view it's worth choosing carefully what you buy organic and what you don't.

The term organic can be misleading sometimes; organic eggs for example means the chickens must have been given organic feed, have been allowed minimum access to the outside and cannot have been treated with hormones or antibiotics. However...they only need to be outside for a few minutes, (yes minutes) a day, they are still allowed to have their beaks clipped and to be force moulted. As for organic 'feed' - pastured chickens don't eat feed, they eat bugs and worms etc. so the organic feed they eat isn't necessarily the right food for them, it just happens to be organic...

Another reason to potentially avoid organic foods, (although the word avoid is a little strong) depending on where you live, is the origin of the produce; I would much rather buy my produce from a non organic local farm than an organic one thousands of miles away. Not just from the travelling distance point of view but some foods from other countries may not be quite as organic as they seem; not everyone has the same rules. Many smaller producers simply cannot afford to certify as organic and stay in business, so it's more important to check for yourself how local farms operate, many are more ethical and 'organic' in the way they do business than some larger food suppliers who merely tick the right boxes and pay lip service to the rules.

So yes, organic food is, for the most part, the better option but it's really worth looking a little deeper to find the truth. It does take a bit of research but once you know where your food comes from and how it's produced, you will have the knowledge and the confidence to know you're doing the best for you and your family - happy 'hunting'...

(Use the image above as a quick check-list for when you're shopping - just right click and save!)

Sweet Disposition

Today I'm handing over the blog to my talented and wonderful sister - Sue. She is the original 'health food nut' in our family and she runs a small business in North Wales making delicious handmade chocolates

Take it away Sue...
......................................................

My life has been turned around by my discovery of Raw Chocolate some years ago. I love sweet things, especially chocolate, but found more and more that sugar was giving me problems. I will never forget the moment when I realised somebody had invented chocolate that was sweetened in other ways. And it was made from something called Raw Cacao. So I began my sweet adventure.

'Blue Agave' syrup

First of all, for me, there was Agave syrup ~ that golden liquid made from cactus sap. The Blue Agave plant (Agave tequilana) produces tequila as well as the most valued Agave syrup. Evoking sunshine. Siestas. Sombreros. Beautiful to look at. Lovely to partake of during windy wet Welsh winters. As I began to create my own Raw Chocolate delights, I used this sweetener often.

In recent times there has been a lot of criticism about Agave, due to its high levels of fructose and, therefore, possibly detrimental effects on our health. Some damm it as one of the top ten worst foods you can consume ~ up there with aspartame and high fructose corn syrup. Confusing, though, because even as I write this, it is being sold as a healthy alternative to sugar by respected (even raw food) websites.

The Agave plant has medicinal qualities. I was very interested to learn that pulque, the fermented juice of the Agave cactus, was regarded as sacred by the Aztecs.  To them it was a divine gift, not to be abused. The Tarahumara Indians believed that the soul of the Agave plant is extremely sensitive and must be treated with great respect so that it will continue to be willing to help humankind.

I rarely use Agave in my chocolates these days. I have moved on to making tempered chocolate and Agave wouldn't work well. I do have some on my shelf, however. There is a customer who asks for it in her chocolate. I like it mixed up with crème fraiche.

And, (I'd just like to whisper quietly), when I go past, I offer a  nod of respect to an amazing plant. I hope it doesn't get too pissed off with us.

The Blue Agave plant
Sue Frisby has been creating chocolate with raw cacao for about four years. She sells her creations as chocoMAMA. Her aim is to create chocolate that deeply satisfies, that goes to the source of what chocolate lovers are looking for. She makes it at home, gently, in small batches, right by the sea in North Wales. You can find her at www.chocomama.co.uk and on facebook.

Why long haul flying is good for you!


I'm a firm believer that however busy we are in our lives, as the consumer society we live in certainly likes to remind us, there is always time to relax and wind down. However, we don't always get the choice of when to relax, it is often forced upon us.

Forced relaxation - now there's a novel idea, and here's how I came to this conclusion... Right now as I sit here at 30,000 ft writing this, (at least I assume I'm writing this as the seat in front of me is so reclined and so close that the angle of my lap-top screen means I can't see a thing - I hope it's turned on...) in my slightly too cramped space, with my slightly too close neighbours and my total lack of 'control', I realize that 10 hours flying over the Atlantic is the perfect de-stressor!

I know what you're thinking; I've had too much of the complimentary cheap wine with my dinner and I'm not making sense. Well you're wrong, I'm making total sense, and this is why; My day started early after a late night of last minute socializing; a screeching alarm, last minute stuffing of last minute shopping into too small luggage, weighing bags, hurried goodbyes, hustling my baggage through the impatient rush hour commuters, checking in line-ups, seemingly endless airport security - boots off, belt off, watch off, lap-top out, empty pockets - boots on, belt on, watch on, lap-top away - only it doesn't seem to fit any more, like my carry on bag has shrunk while being X-ray'd, grab my pocket contents and 'move away quickly sir'! I've yet to figure out why the pace of undressing before the X-ray machine is so much more sedate than the speed dressing after - I feel like the elicit lover making his quick escape because the front door opened... and there's still two hours before boarding - a classic case of hurry up and wait!

But now we get to my point; I now have nothing to think about until sometime tomorrow other than which gate I need to be at and at what time. One glance at the departures screen and I'm all done - my responsibilities are over for the next 12 hours - and it's bliss! I can spend more time in a book shop than I ever normally get to, I can sit in a bar on my own with a beer at 11 am without looking like a desperate drunk, I even enjoy browsing all the naff gadgets in the duty-free shops - and as for the people watching, don't get me started...

Once boarded, life actually gets even easier; grab a few necessities, (book, music, headphones, water) from my carry on and stuff what's left into the overhead storage - sit down, belt up and relax. Ok, so it's not the stretched out seating they tease us with as we make our way through first and business back to cattle class and I seem to be surrounded by over-tanned shorts and flip-flop wearing 'two weeks in the sun' vacation types and everyone seems to be carrying a crying baby but it's reassuringly calming and relaxing. From now on, the whys, hows and wherefores of getting us to our destination is down to a small group of strangers dressed is slightly strange attire. I am out of control - literally - there is nothing I can do about anything and I accept this fact with ease and total comfort. Even my meals are planned for me; what I can eat at what time, right down to my choice of wine - red or white! I now have 10 hours of complete and utter selfish 'me' time. I can flick through the airline's magazine and dream about where I want to go next, read my book, listen to music, write a blog post, watch my choice of TV from comedies and dramas to a whole bunch of films - both up to date and classic oldies. I can even grab a few hours sleep - ok, perhaps that's a little wishful thinking... What's a little cricked neck and aching knees in exchange for 5,000 miles of guilt free laziness... This is my time to really lay back, (well, maybe not actually lay) relax and recharge :-)

So, is there a message in this post for those who don't find themselves in this situation very often? Yes, there absolutely is; although most people's days start just as early with at least as much pressure and stress as any pre-flight travelling, most days also have at least some time where we have no control of what goes on; stuck in traffic, waiting in a queue, on hold on the phone... These moments are precious, we should embrace them, switch off the thinking, the worry, lose the self importance and just go with the flow - try it sometime, it really is rather refreshing and totally stress relieving... :-)

Make your own Almond Milk

Now we've finally invested in a Vitamix one of the first things I was eager to try was making our own almond milk. It really is crazy simple!

Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 5 cups filtered water

...yep, that's it! (of course you can sweeten it if you need to with a little stevia or honey, and you can add some vanilla essence if that's your thang, but we just like it plain so we can add to smoothies where's there's already plenty of flavour and natural sweeteners!)

Directions
  1. Soak the almonds overnight in 2 cups of water
  2. Rinse and drain
  3. Add to your high speed blender along with 5 cups fresh filtered water
  4. Blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes
  5. Sieve through a nut bag or fine mesh cheesecloth - however if I'm just making my almond milk to use in a smoothie or to add to oatmeal for example, I don't sieve it at all. That way I get all the benefits of the nuts in one go!
  6. And Voila! You have your almond milk. Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days

If you do decide to sieve your mix, don't throw the 'residue' away - spread that out thinly on a baking tray and pop it in a 180 degree oven for 3-4 hours to dry out. Once dry, put it in a food processor to smooth out all the lumps and you have yourself some almond meal!


What does Good Health mean to you?


There is so much emphasis put on healthy eating these days, but is it somewhat missing the point? Most of us have heard the cliche that "It's 20% in the gym and 80% in the kitchen" but I think that over simplifies things a bit.

Most of us know we should be eating more veggies, less processed food, drinking more water and taking some form of daily exercise/physical activity. Simple - but if all know that why are so many of us overweight, underweight, prone to chronic decease and generally unhealthy?

We have to go back further, dig deeper, question ourselves. And the first question we need to ask ourselves is "what does it mean to ME to be healthy?". And I have the answer… but unfortunately it's only my answer, not yours!

We are all different and we all want different things out of life. For me, health means living to be 100+ years old and to be of sound mind and body to enjoy life right up until the time the lights go out. My version of 'enjoy life' will undoubtedly change as I get older, as it has done since I was younger and I'm OK with not partying the night away and still make work the next day as I did 20 years ago - and in another 20 years time I may not have the same passion for fast motorcycles. But my point is, I don't want to spend the last 10 or 20 years of life weak in mind and infirm in body, so NOW is the time to invest in that future.

We all consider investing financially for our twilight years but what about our minds and bodies to be able to enjoy a position of financial independence… If we're too overweight, or weak, or regularly ill and it's having an an effect on our 40/50 year old selves, imagine what it's going to be like as we get older! Things won't get easier unless we take ourselves seriously right now! (But that doesn't mean lose the sense of humour - quite the opposite in fact - a light hearted outlook to life is definitely a god thing!)

So we need to incorporate a 'gap analysis' into our lives. Simply put, we figure out what long term health means to us on an individual basis, we look at where we are now and where we want to be in the future. Then we just have to figure out how to get from point A to point B. If we don't eat healthily now - why not? It could be a lack of education, bad habits, something from our past or simply that we've never been too bothered about it all, until maybe, (hopefully) now! We need to know what's wrong before we know how to fix it.

So ignore the fad diets, the 30 day weight loss promises, the gym memberships that you have no interest in, the media driven image of what health should look like and talk to yourself, (it's not too crazy - trust me!) about what YOU and only YOU want from your life. Have you ever 'really' considered what a health coach could do for you? They say life is too short but it's also too long not to enjoy it...

Homemade Natural Honey & Lemon facial scrub



It might be worth pointing out that today's post is not being written by Chris! It's Helen here with a quick and super easy home-made facial scrub. After being nagged for a while by my dear husband about the chemicals and toxins I was slathering all over my face/body/hair on a daily basis I have broken down and started researching and making my own. This was my first foray into the natural home-made skin & body care products. And I started off with a good one!

Honey & Lemon Facial Scrub. There are just 4 ingredients and there's a good chance you'll have them all in your pantry and fridge right now so you could have your own scrub ready in the next 5 minutes (but first you need to finish reading this to find out how!)



Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Honey
Mix it all together! Seriously that's it!! adjust the consistency to what works for you (nice and runny or a bit on the dry side - it's your choice) by adding more sugar. The 6 Tbsp I used is nicely in the middle.

Tips:
  • You will want to give this a good shake before each use as the oil will separate.
  • This won't have a super long shelf life due to the fresh lemon - mine was fine for a week or so but I probably wouldn't push it much longer - keeping it in the fridge is obviously an option to extend the life but I personally would never remember to take it into the bathroom with me!
  • Use a finer grain sugar for use on the face (but this is awesome over the whole bod' too!)
The benefits

  • Honey - is naturally antibacterial, full of antioxidants and extremely mositurizing and soothing
  • Olive Oil - is very rich in vitamins E & A. Great for anti-aging it nourishes and protects the skin
  • Lemon - is a natural exfoliant since the citric acid acts as a gentle skin peel'can diminish scars & blemishes. It is also has natural antibacterial properties and can lighten & brighten the skin and diminish the appearance of scars and blemishes.
  • Sugar - is an excellent exfoliant leaving soft glowing skin
....So have you made this yet?! 

~ Helen

Pin It Party!


Today I'm linking up with Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean and her 'Pin It Party' - I'm featuring 5 of my posts I’d love to see on Pinterest. Click on the link or the image below to be taken to the original post and PIN away!!

You can also come follow me on Pinterest!

So here are my 5 favourite 'pinnable posts'!;



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Make your own awesome Kombucha Pro-biotic
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Why you should pay your friends back


White Rabbit Snowshoe Race Recap

It's that time of year; the time that most runners hang up their shoes and find another way to keep fit during the winter. I'm fortunate enough to live in a place where winter sports are everywhere and although my skiing prowess leaves a lot to be desired, I seem to be able to get myself around on snowshoes adequately. There is a difference however between adequately and competently so it was no surprise that Saturday morning found me lining up for the mostly downhill 5 km race rather than the 'start at the bottom of the hill, run to the top, turn round and run back down again' 10 km race! I say mostly downhill as the first couple of kms are undulating and quite the warm-up, so much so that any extra layers worn whilst stood around at the top of the hill, (thankfully the 5 km race ticket includes a lift pass to get to the top!) have long since been discarded with gloves, hat and 'Buff' stuffed into any available pocket.

The White Rabbit Snowshoe Race is an annual event and this was it's 9th year and my third. It's a small and very friendly event with a campfire, hot chocolate and cookies at the finish line, along with the friends and families of runners to cheer you on as you 'sprint' the last 100 metres to the finish line. I say the last 100 metres as that was about the limit of visibility due to the thick fog/clouds at the lower level of the Crystal Mountain Resort. In typical ski resort style though, the weather at the top was stunning with blue skies and sunshine above and the surrounding area below popping up through the thick cloud layer. However grey the sky looks from below, it's only ever a case of how high to climb to get above it. (Mountain fiends and arial sorts people will resonate here!)

Just missing a podium by one place, (I'll catch you next year…) didn't mater in the slightest as prizes are all picked blindly from a bag of race bib numbers. As usual the prizes supplied by sponsors excelled themselves with anything from new snowshoes to poles, thermal wear and other such goodies. This year my wife's number was picked early so she bagged a new snowshoe bag for me - it seemed only fair as last year I'd won one for her!

I 'suppose' now would be a good time to let my wife Helen have her share of the limelight; after numerous 10 km road races, half marathons and even the Chicago full marathon, she secured her first ever podium with an outstanding third place finish in the women's race! Well done honey, what great race. Ok, you can climb down from the step now ;-)

Why the internet is ruining your diet


The internet is a wonderful thing; an amazing tool and for the first time in history us mere mortals have ever increasing access to any and all information out there. We can pick an unknown topic and within minutes, have a basic grasp of almost any subject we can think of; no more one-sided arguments fed to us by well meaning professionals, (doctors, teachers, parents, the church etc.) or those with their own agenda, (insert your own thoughts here - this isn't that kind of post…).

However... the internet with it's vast resources and myriad articles, views and 'ready for you' research can be a double edged sword, and that brings me to the point of today's post. And I'm going to cover just two topics here; diet and exercise, but just let me just start with my own interpretation of the words diet and exercise.
  • Our diet is what we eat, how we eat and where we eat, on a day to day basis. It is NOT a word to describe the pointless starving of our bodies in order to reach some possible, (or not) figure on a scale. Since when did we allow a digital readout of a number on a machine determine the way we should feel about ourselves on a particular day? (If you really want to see a number on a scale, write that number on a piece of paper and tape over the readout - bingo, every time you stand on it you'll be at your perfect weight!) You might just pick up on my opinion of 'dieting' here.
  • By exercise I mean any kind of physical movement; from stretching before getting out of bed and walking the dog, to running marathons, strength training and joining boot camp style gym classes. In other words, everything that encourages us to use our bodies in the way they were very cleverly designed to be used. 
So, back to the internet and particularly social media. Depending on the day of the week and which of our friends' posts we see in our news feeds, we should either be pushing ourselves until failure, until we collapse in a 'crying like a baby' heap - never stop until we have what society has deemed to be the perfect body. Or we should completely ignore that advice and take it easy; be gentle with ourselves, stop if it gets uncomfortable, just move in any way we can or want to.

The same advice regarding our diet is thrust upon us; it is often quite literally, (if virtually) rammed down our throats; eat meat, go vegan, avoid wheat, eat whole grains, eat real whole food, take supplements etc. We've been told for years that if we want to lose fat we should eat less of it - but fats are not only good for us, they're vital to our healthy survival! The same with carbs; one minute we're 'carbo loading' before an athletic event, the next we're being told to eat less of them, even quit wheat forever!

Quite simply, the correct answer is there is no correct answer! Each and every one of us are different and we all have different needs to best serve our bodies. We never question the fact that we all pursue different careers or fall for different types of people. Well, we are or at least should be encouraged to be, just as diverse when it comes to the food we eat and the exercise we take. Both nutrition and exercise are constantly evolving sciences and what we or they, (whoever 'they' are...) thought was right yesterday seems to be wrong today - and vice versa. But like any other species in the animal world; left to our own devices, and notwithstanding the Darwin principle, most of us would survive quite well by figuring out what works and what doesn't.

The only thing I think we all agree on is that everyone needs to eat and everyone needs to move. It's what we do with that knowledge that can get confusing. So my advice to you is this; keep an open mind, do your research, question everything and have fun exploring what works best for you and your unique body. And if all this is too overwhelming for you to figure out on your own - maybe it's time to hire a health coach - helping you figure out your own personal route to health is what we do :-) 
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