Start The Day Wet & Raw

So often we read about the importance of starting the day with a good, healthy breakfast. The very word 'breakfast' perfectly captures the fact that this first meal of the day 'breaks' the 'fast' we have endured during the night. Depending on what time you eat your last meal of the day and what time you eat your first meal of each new day, this nightly fast can be lengthy. For example, a 7 pm dinner and 7 am breakfast equals a 12 hour fast. Even if you succumb to a late night snack, your sleep time alone is, for most people, between 6-8 hours long.

So starting the day with a healthy breakfast is something I do every day to fuel my body for the day ahead.

However, even before I have breakfast, I like to start the day with what I call 'breakdrought'. In other words, I start the day with a hydrating drink. Because in the same way that we haven't eaten during the night, we also haven't been hydrating our bodies.

Plain water is fantastic. Water with lemon or lime, or any fruit, is equally great - some say even better. Herbal teas will do it, as will any number of healthy juices, if you don't mind the calories. Unfortunately, as much as I love good coffee, for me that has to wait until later in the morning. Simple hydration comes first. Hence the 'wet' start to my day.

I also try to incorporate something raw into the start of my day. Most people who are concerned about their health understand the importance of increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet.

The variety of ways in which you can include raw fruit and vegetables into your breakfast are endless. Eating the same thing every morning soon gets boring, so it's good to have a few options. Some of my favourites include:

• Whole or slices of fruit (whatever is your favourite, or in season)
• Fruit sliced/diced, or frozen (thawed) berries with cereal or yoghurt
• Fresh fruit juices
• Fruit & vegetable smoothies
• Toast toppings – tomato slices, avocado
• Supplementing poached egg on toast with a handful of baby spinach leaves

It's easy to start the day with the best intentions of eating 'healthy', but intentions and eventual actions don't always align as planned. But by incorporating raw fresh fruits and/or vegetables into your breakfast, you get to tick that box before you even head out the door for the days. First things first, and all that.

 

If you have any creative ideas about how to start your day with fresh fruit and vegetables, I'd love to hear them!

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5 Easy Ways to Cultivate Balance in 2015

by Fran Bishop

As we're thrust deeper into the holiday season with thoughts focused on the New Year, a great temptation is about to rear its ugly head.

No, it's not the temptation of yet another batch of holiday cookies. It's the impossible-to-resist pull to set unrealistic, Herculean goals for 2015.

And yet while the setting of New Year's resolutions isn't a problem in itself, making unrealistic promises to one self or others disrupts balance and ends up making you feel more frazzled than ever.
Here are 5 balanced, realistic ways to achieve your goals in 2015:

1. Create a Goal Board/Calendar
You want 2015 to be a great year. You have 20, maybe even 100 different things you'd like to achieve. But a goal without a realistic plan is merely wishful thinking.

Create a goal board and/or calendar and choose ONE goal per month for the first quarter of 2015. Choosing fewer goals will not only help you prioritize; it will help you create a manageable plan for actually achieving those goals as well.

2. Ask the Tough Questions
What do you really, truly want in 2015? On the surface, your goals might include launching a new business, getting healthy, spending more time with family, and other worthwhile pursuits.
But what is at the core, or heart, of those goals? What is your "why" behind seeking a new business, a healthier body, or better state of mind?

Determining what you truly want underneath the surface will help you choose goals that reflect your deepest aspirations. It will also help you shift your lifestyle and bring every aspect of your life into balance.

3. Do Your Research
You're not alone when it comes to achieving goals and cultivating balance in 2015. Examine some different resources, including blogs, books, mastermind groups, and coaches, and see which of these resources can help you achieve your goals.

The resources you choose should not only help you reach your goals, but should help you focus on your overall performance and create more equilibrium in your life.

4. Evaluate Pro's and Con's
Be honest - what aspects of your life are just not working for you? Which facets do you love and want more of in 2015?

Sometimes it can be difficult to know from where your lack of balance originates. Take a good, hard look at what's working and why those aspects of your life make you happy.

Take another hard look at what's causing you stress and draining your energy. Keep in mind that goals can also include ending toxic relationships and spending less time and energy on certain projects and/or people.

5. Treat Yourself
It may sound counterintuitive, but one of the most effective ways of reaching your goals is by doing something totally unrelated to your goals.

Take a vacation, sign up for an art class, attend a conference, or treat yourself to something seemingly unrelated to your personal and professional life. You'll not only learn about yourself and the world; you'll discover surprising answers and new perspectives that will, in turn, help you achieve your goals that much faster.

Bonus: Tighten Your Focus in 2015
A wonderful goal-setting treat for 2015 is called Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting. This book, by author Lynn Grabhorn, will help you get laser-focused about what you want to achieve and how you're going to get there in 2015.

In Chapter Three, Grabhorn writes, "Focus on what you don't want, and watch it get bigger. If you're giving some passionate attention to something you truly do not want, it will eventually grow up to smack you." Focus instead on what you DO want, and be sure that focus is directed toward one goal at a time.

If you had to narrow it down, what is your ONE goal for 2015?

About the Author

Fran Dean Bishop is an award winning business coach and CEO with 20 years in the health management industry. She founded Aerobodies Fitness Company, (now AFC Management Services), in 1994 as a corporate service provider of health promotion, fitness management and behavior change programs for the private sector and federal agencies. Fran also designed and launched two successful health technology innovations, MyEquilibriumCoach and MECkids.com. To request Fran for a speaking engagement or workshop, contact her at franb@afmsco.com - 703-402-8477.

Article Source: http://goarticles.com/article/5-Easy-Ways-to-Cultivate-Balance-in-2015/9927175/
 

Top 4 Reasons For Choosing the Single Life

by David Cunic

There is a hilarious movement in this country trying to tell you that you NEED to be in a relationship with someone. That somehow that is more normal than not being in a relationship. There is an unspoken emphasis on starting a family and finding a soul mate that has been in place since the fifties. What is odd is every other ideal since then has evolved, yet we still truly believe and fall victim to that. The idea that we cannot love ourselves or define ourselves unless we have someone next to us, doing it for us. That we cannot face tragedies or troubles in life and make it through them solely on the strength of ourselves. But why is it an ideal that existed in a long dead time is still forced on us? Why are people who choose to be single still looked at as strange? I can tell you being one of them that a GREAT many of my friends on the other side of the fence tell me how unhappy they are.

I say we live in a new age. An age where we should be allowed to be somewhat selfish, and being single makes that a hugely enjoyable act. Some may be single unwillingly, but this is me raising a glass to the people who are single by choice, and know just how much fun that can be.

1. Times Have Changed
I am not here to insult love or relationships. Love is pretty magical when it works, and for those who want that and find that and experience that daily, I tip my hat to you. May it last forever (though we all know how rarely that actually occurs). But why is it that starting a family and being in love seems normal, and being by one's self seems strange? It is completely true, the old adage that you cannot love someone until you love yourself, so let me ask: How do you learn to love yourself if you never spend any time alone with you? I want you to think that over for a moment. Truth is, you don't.

2. Not Answering To Anyone
Love, if you do it right, is about factoring someone in to every single decision you make. This also means, when the love is true, putting yourself last. As wonderful and altruistic and selfless as that is, are the people who do that always happy? When did we learn that doing things for OURSELVES was bad? When were we taught to be punished for rewarding ourselves our doing something primal and enjoyable? We must have been programmed to feel that way, because no one knows how to be happy anymore, and the lack of doing anything to work towards that is not going to change that.

3. The Art Of Casual Sex
Despite WHATEVER you have been taught to the opposite, two consenting adults can have casual sex. The act of sex without love or a relationship exists, and guess what? Even though people equate being single with celibacy, such is not the case. If you are an adult and an honest, open one, you will find other souls like you who may have no interest in the drama of a relationship, but know how beneficial sex is to one's life. This opens the door for the €but love makes sex better€ argument, which also opens the door for €love without sex leads to life without drama€, so we could probably back and forth this hours. Remember, this is not the 50's. You want to lock yourself down, that is your prerogative. But a LOT of things have changed. Shake the shackles of those ideals if it means you will be happier.

4. Is It Lonely?
Here's the thing. Being single is a lonely life if you choose it to be. Yes, you can do nothing with nobody if that is what you want, but you can also do (and this is my entire point here) whatever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want. Pop culture may try to trick you into thinking single people are miserable, but do they ever poll he people who are willingly single? The people who say no to relationships because they choose to? The people who actually like the freedom it buys them and how it allows them more time to get to know who they REALLY are without defining themselves by someone else?

Well, let me tell you. It is pretty kick ass. I'm not going to lie. Remember, live the life you WANT. Not the life you have been conditioned to believe you are supposed to have.

 

About the Author

David M. Cunic, is a successful physical therapist and personal trainer for Pazoo, Inc., a Health & Wellness company for people & pets. To learn more visit us at http://www.pazoo.com.

Article Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Top-4-Reasons-For-Choosing-the-Single-Life/9753814/
 

3 Easy Ways to Free Up Time

There's always plenty to do in your business, and your work is never done.

 It's easy to slip into a pattern of being busy, without feeling you've actually accomplished something.
So how do you change that?

How do you stay on top of things that need to be done, and still have enough time to relax?

How do you get more done without working harder or stressing out?

And how can you make sure that you FEEL like you've done enough and made progress?

These tips help you get more focus, more freedom, and get more done in the same amount of time:

Tip #1: Spend your time on what matters most

How do you want to spend your time? What's most important to you?

And are these the things you actually spend most of your time on?

Write down everything you do from getting up to going to sleep for a week.

 This will give you some interesting insights.

When I did this myself, I was quite unpleasantly surprised by how much time I wasted. (On email, for example. And on Facebook.)

I bet you can find (and eliminate) some time wasters too when you do this exercise. That will free up some (or a lot) of time every week.

Tip #2: Do this inner work before you start working

Take some time each morning to do this exercise:

Step 1:
Close your eyes. Imagine it's later this evening, and you're about to go to sleep. You're smiling and feel great as you look back on your day. You feel good about yourself, this day, and what you've accomplished.

What actions did you take to make you feel like this? What made you feel good? How did you spend your time throughout the day?

Step 2:
Open your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. Write down 1 to 5 actions you will take today - the actions that will make you feel as good about your day as you just imagined.

Step 3:
Start with the action you most resist taking. Once that's out of the way, the rest of your work will be so much easier.

Take 5 or 10 minutes each morning to do this exercise. The results will amaze you!

Tip #3: Create a weekly schedule

Having a template for how you spend your time each week gives you a lot more freedom & focus. This schedule can be as detailed as you like. Just create something that works for YOU.

 For example: do all your admin stuff each Friday morning. Write newsletters or blogs each Thursday morning.

You can use this schedule every week, so you can stop thinking about what you have to do (and when you will do it) all the time.

I really love working with my weekly schedule. It gives me more focus, I get more done, and it gives me peace of mind.

Do you already have a template like this? If not, take some time to create your own personal schedule. It really works!

Just remember:

Your schedule is a TOOL to help you. Change it whenever your situation or your wants and needs change.

And make sure YOU stay in charge of your life and how you spend your time.

Don't let your schedule, to-do-lists, or other people's agendas and expectations determine that for you.

 

About the Author

Brigitte van Tuijl is a Soul Purpose & Breakthrough Expert for heart-centered entrepreneurs,
author of the forthcoming book 'The Art of Divine Selfishness - transforming the world by thinking of YOU' and originator of the unique 7 step F.R.E.E.D.O.M. process to turn your purpose into a profitable business you LOVE
www.brigittevantuijl.com
Subscribe to the fr.ee weekly ezine with tips to get unstuck, get on purpose and get paid for your mission: [http://www.brigittevantuijl.com/ezine/]

Article source: http://goarticles.com/article/3-Easy-Ways-to-Free-Up-Time/9314476/
 

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