Do you plan for self care? It’s an art and a necessity to integrate beauty rituals into your busy life if you want a juicy loved up experience! I’m all about PLEASURE and enjoying all the juiciness life has to offer! Pleasure is the ultimate beauty elixir! I’ve tried the struggle, force and control and that just made me miserable, tired and bloated. As I learned to surrender and be kinder to myself, my body began to heal and my life became more fun, playful, abundant and happy! Yipee! So here’s something that will make you salivate – 40% of your metabolic power is linked to your ability to receive pleasure. Yeap, pretty cool. So the more we bash and bully the body into weight loss the more we actually diminish our bodies ability to digest food, heal and burn fat. The solution – RELAXATION!
My man is out Friday night and I’m pondering on what I want to do and it looks like I’m going detox body and soul on Friday solo in my bath! Bliss! I’ve learned over the years that in order to feeling fabulous, grounded and connected to myself and my body, I need to take time out to replenish my soul. It maybe a 15 minute bath or a bit more sleep, a girls night out or a bit more time for cooking and eating nourishing meals or exercise. Note to self – a beauty regime takes planning and a commitment to ones self as a priority.
So the question is, do you plan for self care, a chill-lax and pleasure or do you push forward expecting someone or something else to take good care of you?
Many women grow tired and resentful because they’re so exhausted and it’s understandable. Women have a lot of roles to play and for many as we build businesses and have families the responsibilities and the to do list becomes endless. So what’s a girl to do? Plan for YOU. You must. It’s imperative. Don’t wait till you reach exhaustion and then blame others. It’s waste of your time and typically damaging to your relationships. Also you need to take responsibility. It’s no ones fault but your own. Sorry but I am here to support you not BS you!
When was the last time you planned for your own pleasure? There is always a way to make it happen IF you make it a priority. Take ACTION! What are four things you can schedule in over the next month for you? Do you need someone to baby sit your kids? Can you offer to baby sit their kids to create a swap system? Do you need to hire a virtual assistant? A house cleaner? Or book in a facial once a month, see a health coach or have a girls night out or in the sanctuary of your own home once a month? Perhaps, it’s as simple as getting off the computer and phone for 24 hours! Hmmm, I wonder what you will come up with? Please let me know!
If the ugly beast of GUILT sets in. See it and let it go. It’s not serving you and it’s certainly not good for your health, fueling fat storing hormones that take over your body. You deserve rest. Take it. Perhaps life was meant to be easier than we make it? Rest allows me to tune inwards and the stillness without fail always taps into my inner wisdom. It will work like that for you too.
I bet you a million bucks if we plan for baths and pleasure we’d all be a lot more loved up, healthy and chilled out. So I’m off to have a bath in the middle of my renovations, TV pitching, book writing, wedding plans and clients. I know I can fit in 20 – 30 minutes to be super deliciously kind to me. Can you? I used to feel guilty and now I don’t. Feeling deserving of a juicy life comes from starting to integrate juicy experiences into your daily routine. As you enjoy the pleasure and see that the world is still standing, and that you personal don’t need to hold it up, you will start to relax into a whole new way of living.
I don’t believe in the power of will power but more in FREE WILL. Desire, creativity, passion & intention come from free will & it feels FAB! That’s how I lost weight, healed my body, overhauled my metabolism and got my sassy mojo purring in fine form – with intention, desire, energy and trust. As you relax into life, you will in fact attract more abundance because you’re actively saying I trust life, I deserve to feel good, I’m abundant and a person deserving of rest and pleasure. And you know what you get what you put out, right? So stop stressing and start a new sensual relationship with YOU!
A great way to fuel your body and to keep your energy balanced through out the day, is to eat 5- 6 small meals or snacks to stay on track. If you want to feel great then snack to stay on track and experience the difference; boost your energy, develop focus and mind power, lift your confidence and improve your health.
The secret is the following:
1. A STRONG DESIRE TO FEEL FABULOUS.
2. SELF-CARE.
3. PREPARATION.
4. AWARENESS.
Eating a yummy snack every three hours keeps your metabolism burning and your body powering along, avoiding energy slumps and potential binge behavior when your absolutely starving. If you want to have bread, eat sugar free whole grain bread 3 times a week in the morning so you burn it off during the day.
Limit pasta and potato at night and remember the motto is quality not quantity. If you can have grass fed beef once a week, chicken a few times a week and fish a few times a week with ONE glass of wine that would be a great start. Perhaps you can splurge on two glasses on Friday night!! WooHoo.. just remember one glass is good but much more than that is not so great. Each glass has about 4gms of sugar which is pretty low but you would be cutting out quite a bit over say a week and then a month. It all makes a difference and it all adds up!
Here are a few suggestions for you. To save time and to ensure that you are organized, it might be best to prepare some of these snacks at night to take to work. This makes it easy to grab a bite when you feel you need to. Another great idea is to save a portion of your dinner or make an extra meal at night to keep as a snack or meal for the following day. Charcoal or roasted chicken is another option if you hate to cook or don’t have time. Free range or organic are great. They have great chickens (including salt free) at Wholefoods in the States at most Coles and Woolworths in Australia. You can also request them too. For easy eating, cut the chicken into quarters then wrap small portions and take to work or store in your fridge for quick snacks. As soon as your starting to feel hungry take the time to have a 5 minute nosh to eliminate any energy slumps. If we can take sugar breaks then I am sure we can take a nosh break to refuel. If you get over hungry your blood sugar levels tend to plummet which can make you feel tired, irritable and unfocused. It has also been proven to drop productivity and memory by over 30%. You might want to avoid that from happening!
Make sure to always eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism to supre charge your energy for the entire day. Not eating breakfast is one of the worst things you can do deplete your energy. While sleeping, you’ve been fasting over night and your body needs food in the morning to operate effectively. So if you have to get up 15 minutes early to make time for breakfast, do it. Your body will thank you.
Binge Busting Snack Ideas:
1. 200 grams Grilled Chicken & 1/4 Avocado
2. Protein Bar / Raw Food Bar (check to see that the sugar content is low and that there is no fake sugars and try to get an organic bar or raw food bar ) I like Horley’s Carb Less Bar and you can get them at health food stores, buy a box and keep at work provided you don’t eat more than one a day.
3. Boiled Egg with a touch of salt
4. Boiled Egg, 200 grams Grilled Chicken & 1/4 Avocado
5. Protein Smoothie (2 scoops protein, 1/2 banana and or berries, water, ice and soy milk – sugar free, delete banana if on low carb diet but having some carbs is good for you as in vegetables, fruit, salad, legumes and some grains)
6. 8 almonds and an apple, or half and apple and one teaspoon of almond butter or peanut butter.
7. Soup – you can buy at most food stores and eat when you feel like it. Go for low sodium options if you can.
8. Buy a whole chicken from Wholefoods / or any store see if they have free range, cut in quarters and keep at work to snack on. Also baking chicken legs takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, see recipe below, point 10.
9. Limit soda or better yet delete it all together, keep a big bottle of water on your desk and aim to drink it all by the end of the day. Also sugar free iced tea can be purchased or easily made with a few herbal tea bags and lots of hot water. I store litres of it in my fridge and my favourite is herbal berry~ I add stevia to sweeten and I am good to go.
10. Chicken legs, l/4 cup of coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, one onion chop finely, one capsicum, one zucchini, cut all vegetables finely, dash of sea salt and mix in bowl, then add to baking tray and back on 180 degrees for 30 minutes. Substitute with other vegetables if you prefer but no potato.
11. Keep frozen berries in freezer have a small bowl for dessert or ¼ of apple sliced finely so you savor it.
12. Iced herbal tea is great. Get a glass jug, boil water and add about 4 tea bags and add water and then chill. If you like some sweetness add stevia.
For more information on sugar in white check out this article:
Ingrid Arna and celebrity TV chef Dom Rizzo cook a divine Italian Salad that is good for the soul and body. In 12 minutes you will get the step by step tips to cook up the delicious fare at home. We will discuss food, mood, organics and more!
Here is the wonderful recipe direct from Dominique’s website:
One of the great recipes from the recent Waterfront Festival held in the Gold Coast. Be sure to let me know what you think of these yummy recipes in the comments section.
Sicilian-Style wild grain salad ( Dominique used a mixture of quinoa, millet, brown rice)
Quinoa(information)
not a common grain that is used in most kitchens today
rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked.
Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. It is a recently rediscovered ancient “grain” once considered “the gold of the Incas
new to the United States,
quinoa has been cultivated for over 5,000 years,
The Incas considered it a sacred food and referred to it as the “mother seed.”
the Spanish conquerors destroyed the fields in which quinoa was grown. made it illegal for the Indians to grow quinoa, the cultivation of quinoa was all but extinguished.
1980s, began cultivating it in Colorado.
complete protein
Help for Migraine Headaches
Cardiovascular Health relaxes blood vessels
Prevent Heart Failure with a Whole Grains Breakfast reducing the risk of heart attack and high blood pressure
Antioxidant Protection – guard other cells, such as red blood cells, from injury caused by free radicals.
Excellent source of Fiber from Whole Grains and Fruit Protective against Breast Cancer
Rinsing the quinoa and then toasting it gets rid of the green, raw, and slightly bitter
taste this grain can have called sapions. It is an option to toast the quinoa after it has been rinsed, it is not necessary but gives a lovely toasted flavour to the grain.
Ingredients
10 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1/3 cup roasted capsicum, sliced
8 black olives chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups shredded Swiss chard or wild greens
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts, roasted
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Place the toasted rinsed quinoa into a saucepan and cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook the quinoa until the grain slightly swells and is soft to the bite. Drain the quinoa and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a fry pan and sauté the onions, garlic and spinach for 2 minutes or until softened. Combine the quinoa with the spinach mixture in a bowl and add all the other ingredients, adjust the seasoning and drizzle in a little olive oil.
Remember these ingredients are optional and you can substitute your favourite salad combinations.
Do you plan for self care? It’s an art and a necessity to integrate beauty rituals into your busy life if you want a juicy loved up experience! I’m all about PLEASURE and enjoying all the juiciness life has to offer! Pleasure is the ultimate beauty elixir! I’ve tried the struggle, force and control and that just made me miserable, tired and bloated. As I learned to surrender and be kinder to myself, my body began to heal and my life became more fun, playful, abundant and happy! Yipee! So here’s something that will make you salivate – 40% of your metabolic power is linked to your ability to receive pleasure. Yeap, pretty cool. So the more we bash and bully the body into weight loss the more we actually diminish our bodies ability to digest food, heal and burn fat. The solution – RELAXATION! 
