Grace Chatting

I have had a cold this week. Whilst it wasn’t life threatening, it was a bit debilitating. Of course there is nothing like being in bed feeling under the weather to make you consider your health generally, well at least, I did. I came to a conclusion that is not new to me, and that is that I really need to Alkalise.

I am very short (4’ 10”) and over the last 15 years I have put on 3 stone in weight, so very noticeable.. Of course there are a number of reasons for this; being more sedentary, more contented, and also in the habit of having a cold Chardonnay most evenings!

All the signs are that my system is over acidic. This is backed up by an E-book I have just been reading by Mark Arnastasi called 11 Steps To Vibrant Health And Energy.

He makes a very convincing case for keeping a healthy PH Balance of 7.36. Other thought leaders whom I admire, such as Anthony Robbins and Bruce Lipton also champion the Alkaline diet. I am totally convinced; so what is stopping me? My Inner Saboteur!!

Like I said, this is not new to me, but as a lifelong meat eater and erstwhile Chardonnay drinker, I am very resistant to changing my eating and drinking habits. The madness of it! I would be so thrilled and delighted to be slimmer, trimmer and livelier

Well I am certainly preparing to seriously address the issue. I need to remind myself, that it is a 10 Day cleanse, and just take it 10 days at a time. The rewards seem substantial. Mark promises that my life will never be the same again, and that my health and life will be utterly transformed … in just 10 days!

The Challenge

Now, here’s the deal for each day of the 10 day challenge:-

· Ten minutes of long, slow deep breathing. No problem there.

· A cold shower every morning. I definitely don’t like the sound of that, but I won’t die of it

· Twenty minutes of exercise, six times in the 10 day period. There we have it; this is the part that gets me. I know I sound like a woose I am just not very disciplined. I can probably do it for 2×10 minute sessions, rather than 20 minutes. The trouble is, I find it all very boring…. but, the next part will probably solve that problem

· Focus the mind on life goals and who you would be if you knew you couldn’t fail. Think about what excites you about life. Now that sounds like fun!

· Drink plenty of water, with “Greens”. I don’t like the taste of the “Greens”, particularly in large quantities, but I will definitely have a go. It strikes me this is one of the most important aspects of actually alkalising my system

· Optimise nutrition with lots of green vegetables, raw food and appropriate supplements. Well, I am studying Kinesiology at the moment and am already convinced about the usefulness of these.

o Eliminate sugar, salt and vinegar, tobacco, caffeine, alcohol and soft drinks. No problem there except for the Chardonnay (One day at a time J)

o Eliminate meat and dairy products

o Don’t eat carbohydrates and proteins together. Now that is the tricky bit. I already try to keep my carbohydrate intake down, but will need to look into this part a bit more, although I think it is crucial to losing weight.

· Rest. Get appropriate amounts of good sleep and perhaps have a massage or do some meditation.

Now that I have thought this through, I am quite determined to do it from New Year’s Day. This is not about dieting to lose weight, but rather about creating the conditions to be slim, healthy and energetic in 2013.

Will You Join Me?

What about you? Will you join me? My plan is to write about my progress and challenges each day. I figure this is a way of making myself more accountable, but also will make the whole endeavour more interesting; something like a little piece of research. Watch this space. J

Live, Love, Laugh and Be Happy

            Grace

written by Grace \\ tags: alkalise, Alkalising, Anthony Robbins, bruce lipton, exercise, Health, mark arnastasi, nutrition

I am a great fan of Brendon Burchard, so I was really intrigued when I saw the title of this video..  I had never considered Happiness as uncomfortable, but he explains it all beautifully as involving 5 distinct elements.

Change

To be happy you need to be growing, and that involves Change. I see many clients who are unhappy with their lives but they don’t want to have to change anything! Many people remain in the same job, the same house, or maintain the same lifestyle as a way of staying safe because life is predictable and secure that way, but it leads to a Groundhog Day kind of life. Ask yourself, are you willing to grow and change? When the caterpillar is changing to a chrysalis it feels like its whole world has come to an end, when in fact it is a necessary stage in becoming a beautiful butterfly.

Challenge

Everyone needs to have worthwhile meaningful challenges to stretch them in some way, otherwise you won’t grow. Every year I set a new challenge for my self; one year it was learning to sail, another year  it was doing a fire walk with Anthony Robbins. Most years I do at least one significant educational course so that I am constantly developing new skills, learning new things, meeting new people and having fun!. What about you? What new challenges can you set for yourself in 2013?

Creative Expression

We are all part of a collective, but at the same time, we are unique. Unfortunately the socialisation process and our education system can often shape us into having a herd or pack mentality. We finish up being overly left brained rational, logical and analytical in how we approach our lives and overlook our creative side. Often this is also because, creative expression involves time. For example, learning to play a musical instrument, or develop a new skill such as writing or painting. We need to be willing to give a certain amount of time to being creative. The reward is that we automatically become happier with ourselves.

Connection

Quantum Physics shows us that we are all in fact interconnected but for the majority of people they have no sense of that connection and in face feel very much alone and lonely, with no sense of belonging to the larger group. As Gandhi says, “Be the change that you want to see in the world”. Reach out to others who may be feeling as you do. Of course you may be reluctant to do that because of a fear of rejection, but in reality, most people don’t reject you. Is it possible for you to begin smiling more at the people you see in your day to day life?

Contribution

As Anthony Robbins points out in his Needs Psychology, we all have a need to make a contribution beyond ourselves whether we realise it or not. We need to feel that we make a difference, that our being here matters, and we can all do that if we choose. Can you decide that you will do at least one kind act of service every day? Try it and see the difference it makes to you and to others.

Consciousness

Brendon doesn’t mention this one, but I do. To be really happy, I believe you have to shift from living your life Unconsciously, just wishing and hoping that happiness will somehow drop from on high, or thinking you are the only one to whom S**t happens. You need to literally switch on to life and recognise that, as Abraham Lincoln says, “Most folk are as happy as they make up their minds to be”. We are on this Earth for a purpose, what is yours?

Now have a look at Brendon’s video and be inspired

Live, Love, Laugh and Be Happy,

                       Grace

written by Grace \\ tags: Anthony Robbins, Brendon Burchard, Change, Growth, Happiness

Hi folks. Sincere apologies for the delay in posting… I won’t bore you with my excuses, but you will have noticed from my last posts, that I have been very preoccupied with launching Relationship Academy, so if you are still interested in relationship matters, head on over to the new Blog at www.relationshipacademy.co.uk.

It has been a dilemma for me as I am so interested in relationship matters, but as a Personal Coach and a Therapist, I am also very engaged with matters relating to Personal Development and Health and Well Being.

I have decided to keep my Grace Chatting Blog to write about all the personal development and inspirational stuff I find so interesting , including my own journey, and The Barefoot Therapist blog  to cover all kinds of therapeutic matters, so check out www.thebaefoottherapist.co.uk Let me know what topics you want to know about and I shall be happy to oblige.

My plan is that on all three of these blogs, I can write about each of my areas of interest without it being a mishmash, and I hope you will all bear with me as I make this transition.

I actually feel very excited about the changes I’m making because there are so many aspects of life that I am grabbed by daily, but I felt very restricted to writing about relationships. Watch this space!

written by Grace \\ tags: Relationships; Inspiration; Therapy; Personal Development

If you are interested in finding out more about Relationship Mastery, sign up for my Free Ebook NOW!

grace@relationshipacademy.co.uk

written by Grace \\ tags: Divorce, love, marriage, Relationships; Dating

Many couples tend not to consider the developmental nature of relationships, and the process of moving from being single to becoming a couple; how we move through various stages from meeting, dating and then perhaps falling in love.

But being in love with someone is not the same as being in a committed relationship with them. Moving in to live with someone certainly is the action of someone who appears to be committed but that is not always the case. What can be commitment to one person can be cosy convenience to another. This is why couples need to have explicit conversations about commitment and where that may lead.

This video talks you through the evolution of a relationship.

Love well and be happy!

      Grace

written by Grace \\ tags: Relationships;love;marriage;dating;commitment