Take a quantum leap to wellness

It is a law of physics that if you introduce a tiny change into the chaotic pattern of the universe, dramatic results ensue. Simply one small change, just like a stone dropped into a pond can send ripples far and wide. We can influence the pattern of our lives by what we might consider a minor change to our lifestyle thus creating the healthy balance we are searching for. Why not start by introducing any of these wellness ideas into your daily routine and look forward to sweeping changes showing up in your life.

Body mantra
Be kind to yourself when it comes to exercise. Don’t slave away in a gym if you prefer to be joining a dance class, doing yoga or simply walking on the beach. Exercise becomes more effective with short burst of intense activity – called Tabata training - accelerating your fitness more than long slow distance.  When you have reached a good baseline fitness, then start with twenty to thirty second bursts with your heart rate at 75% of its maximum followed by a short recovery period. Try four and build up to eight intervals. It could be as simple as beach sprints, squats, stair climbing in your office stair well or yoga sun salutations, remembering to stretch afterwards.

Morning  cleansing
Here is a plethora of wonderful ways to start your day. Try one and see how it feels. Drink warm water and a slice of lemon, followed by dry skin brushing and then a shower with eight drops of an uplifting essential oil like basil or rosemary sprinkled on the shower tray.  Swizzle a mouthful of cold pressed organic oil like sunflower or olive oil to draw out bacteria and impurities in your mouth while you shower. Make up your own blend of body oil with healing properties using a base of olive oil, sesame oil, avocado oil, rosehip oil or argan oil – from the fruit of argan trees grown in Morocco and rich in Vitamin E (http://www.arganoilmorocco.com). Add any essential oils that you like – bergamot, rose geranium, lavender, ylang ylang. Wipe off excess with a cloth and you are cleansed from top to toe, inside and out.

Food philosophy
The only way you can survive in the land of fast food and felafels is to make eating less complicated and more basic by returning to wholefoods that are minimally processed and closer to their natural state. Organic fresh wholefoods are packed with nutrients and need minimal dressing up. Think of a power smoothie for breakfast with fruits, yoghurt, a handful of nuts and oats or organic eggs and wholegrain bread. Try the local foul with labneh and cut vegetables which will keep you satisfied for hours. Simply put whole rolled organic oats and buckwheat with a handful of seeds under the grill until browned as a crunchy topping for yoghurt and fruit. For lunch or dinner have a portion of protein like fish with a few spoonfuls of brown rice and half your plate salad or cooked vegetables. Knowing your nutritional type, whether you are a protein, carbohydrate or mixed nutritional type helps you to plan meals with the correct balance of nutrients for your unique metabolism.

back to top

Snacking secrets
Eating small and often is the key to keeping balanced blood sugar, mind and mood. Have on hand fresh fruits and raw nuts and seeds, raw veg and hommos, nut butter and wholegrain crackers, cooked chestnuts, miso soup, laban and herbal teas. Don’t forget a square of darkest chocolate over 80% cocoa if you need a sweet taste occasionally or a couple of dates stuffed with almonds.
If you are struggling with sweet cravings the latest scoop on sugar is stunning. As Dr Mercola says “When you eat sugar, not only do your genes turn off controls designed to protect you from heart disease and diabetes, but the impact lasts for two weeks! Even more concerning, if you eat poorly for a long time your DNA may become permanently altered and the effects could be passed on to your children and grandchildren.
In other words, you are born with a set of genes, but the expression of those genes is not set in stone. Your genes can be either activated or silenced by various factors including your diet and even your mind. It is not your genes that dictate your future health, but rather the expression of those genes that matter. So in the case of eating sugar, it’s now known that this switches off good genes that protect your body from disease. This is just one of many reasons why you may want to seriously limit or eliminate sugar from your diet.”

Stress busters
Examine the stressors that trigger emotional eating and negative behaviours and observe yourself in the act of unhealthy habits such as bingeing on sugar when you are tired or copious caffeine to revive you after habitually late nights. Decide then and there you don’t want to be this person and actively seek help to change and create the person you want to be.

The beauty of living in a chaotic world according to Parker Palmer is knowing that creation comes out of chaos and that even what has been created needs to be returned to chaos every now and then to get recreated in a more vital form.  As matter recedes into black holes and then explodes outwards into the universe so too does our energy contract inwards then expand,  knowing that in chaos, not only can we survive but thrive; that there is vitality in that chaotic field of energy.

Tapping into universal energy with breathing, meditation and specific techniques to release emotions like Emotional Freedom Technique creates mindfulness, space and peace in a chaotic world. Find places in your home where you can retreat and restore your energy with music and aromatherapy and use the call to prayer as your five times a day reminder to reconnect with yourself.

back to top