Hello friend,
it is awesome to be here after such a long time away. truthfully i have been writing to you but i just havent been posting it live on here. if you go back to my long winded last post you can see what kind of a head space i was in, and it was tough for me. although alot has happened since then, that has pretty much got me feeling like i am back to my barest basic self. physical and mental illness will do that to you.
i feel as though at this point i can choose where i want to go, both within my own personal growth, as well as my growth with the outside world. like now i am back to being the closest to my centre self than i have been in a very long time, and i have the energy to be able to actually achieve things now.
having been stuck in a fear mindset for so long, it feels quite freeing.
it was a pretty big leap for me to actually be confident enough to show my vulnerabilities to be able to get the right help that i needed. and i now feel as though i have a stable enough personal base to rebuild myself from.
so with one of my hardest years behind me, i am so ready to get into my year of living my best life, growing my best self, raising my vibes and getting myself out into the world! (or as much as my introverted self wants to!)
the universe gives back what you put out, and i intend to give it everything ive got. lets make this year amazing.
Sweet dreams xx
Courtney
Showing posts with label Reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reflection. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 January 2018
Saturday, 22 July 2017
Healing My SIBO (Small Intestional Bacterial Overgrowth)/ Candida Naturally - My Struggles
Hello Friends,
i know long time no see! i am so sorry for being so absent both here and on my instagram recently, and if you are interested in why, this post is going to be a pretty candid and word vomit-y version of the last year or 2 of my stomach issues and how it has felt like it has effected pretty much all areas of my life.
as most of the people who know me, and even those who dont know me well, understand that i am a massive foodie! i feel like i am always thinking up different recipes i can make, how to make them healthier, how to alter them to make it intolerance/allergy friendly, and ultimately to hopefully open my own food stall/cafe (current life goal!). at university i did study public health and health promotion, with a nutrition major, and have always been super interested in helping people make healthier food choices, educating them on different ways of cooking and baking, how to make the healthier option the easier option, and most importantly making it all taste so good that you dont feel as though you are missing out on anything by cutting out some of the unhealthier foods from your diet. ultimately i want to help make everyone around me feel better by feeding them nourishing foods, and giving them the education and tools they need to better their own lives, or expand their food knowledge and skill sets.
so in knowing all of this about me, i have always loved experimenting and compiling a lists of possible stall sale recipes for the future and because i simply love experimenting with foods, i had gotten really upset and frustrated when my stomach started to get really bloated and painful after eating. now i know bloating is a natural part of eating every now and again depending on what you eat and how much, but after going through this for 2 years now, i can tell the difference between painful unnatural bloating that leaves you unable to move and near the end of the two years was actually making me so dizzy, and your average ate too much bloat.
so it felt like every second thing i was eating was making my stomach worse. i found that peanuts and soy were 2 of my worse culprits, but then other things i couldnt pinpoint that were effecting me just as bad. because of this i found my window of food to be creative with was getting smaller and i didnt really want to go outside of that because my symptoms felt like they were getting worse. HENCE why i havent been posting recipes or been very active on here, because my stomach was just messing with my diet and effecting my mental health in turn. being a foodie not being able to experiment and eat different things, and having to put my stall recipe collection on hold really just bummed me out. not to mention always feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, because i was gaining weight and would wake up bloated and it would just worse and worse throughout the day. literally every day.
i originally thought i was intolerant to so many foods and was cutting them out left right and centre causing me to become magnesium deficient, vitamin d deficient, my naturopath also believes i may have minor adrenal fatigue, as well as the constant stomach pain and bloating to the point where my tummy couldnt extend any further. she mentioned that the adrenal fatigue may have stemmed from being wholly plant based but cutting out basically all natural sources of protein like tofu, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans because i found they would bloat me the worst, but in cutting them out my digestive fire lowered immensely and i slowly stopped producing the enzymes needed to brake down the proteins because i was eating so little of them.
so i in fact made this whole healing process worse because i now have to heal my SIBO with a stomach that cant digest things properly because it doesnt produce enough digestive enzymes. meaning the food sits longer in my gut allowing it to ferment and feed the little critters.
so taking a step back, i went and saw a naturopath because i was at the end of my tolerance and couldnt figure it out by myself anymore. and as a massively anxious introvert this was a pretty big step for me. we decided to go with an intolerance test to see if it was what was upsetting my digestion and found that i was intolerant to Casein (protein in cows milk), and mildly intolerance to banana, apple, oats, wheat and bakers yeast. but that didnt explain my symptoms, until the naturpath explained that the most likely cause was SIBO.
SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. meaning the bad bacteria in my small intestine far outweighs the good. and every time my stomach bloats it allows more bad bacteria to move up from my large intestine. the SIBO bacteria feed of carbohydrates, sugars, starches, grains, legumes, beans, fruits any and all types of carbs. if you want to have a good read on what it is and how to combat it, i really recommend this website, i have found it helpful.
ok so here is the fun part. and truthfully i do feel a bit better now than i did (speaking from week 10 in phase one of the diet). but wow it has been a journey.
so in order to defeat SIBO you have to starve the bacteria of their food source and then also create a harsh environment in order to kill them off, while supporting a healthy gut regime.
so the food source of the bacteria is carbs, so in phase one you cut out all carbs, sugars, grains, legumes, fruits, breads, cereals, etc. there is also a list of veggies you can have an unlimited amount of, but most of them are restricted to portion sizes per meal, same goes for nuts and seeds, certain drinks and condiments. animal protein and many types of fats and oils are ok, as well as broths, herbal teas and herbs and spices. but as i mentioned above, my digestion has turned to shit so being able to eat some of these foods doesnt mean that a can actually digest them.
ok now i am at the point of my journey where i am going to lose friends and anger people and i genually apologize for that, i have been in two minds whether to share it or not but have decided to be completely honest because it goes against my nature to lie and i am hoping i am not alone in this inner conflict ive been having.
i have never labelled myself as anything other than plant based. i predominately ate vegan and i had been vegetarian for going on 5 years. but in this diet to kill off the bacteria, the only appropriate source of protein i could have was animal protein. which didnt sit well with me. i did avoid it for the first two weeks, because the thought of eating it wasnt an option for me. but since then i have had to include eggs into my diet. but moving through the diet i still wasnt seeing any improvement so i decided to add in fish a few times, but that only lasted a few meals because it just wasnt for me and when i was combining veggies and fish, the veggies ended up sitting in my gut too long while my body was trying to break down the fish, that it would just ferment and feed the bacteria. so i stopped with the fish, and had eggs as my only protein source.
(i just want to say that as soon as this SIBO diet is over i will return to not eating any animals, and because of my casein intolerance i also wont be eating any dairy.)
the SIBO diet is split into two phases, the first is to kill them off and get rid of them, the second is to slowly reintroduce certain carbs to ensure they dont come back again during this phase. each phase on the diet guideline i was given is 4-6weeks long. but as i have found out, it is all up to the individual. as i am typing this i am currently in week 10 of my phase one diet.
while on the start of this diet i was taking a probiotic, a liver tonic tablet and a tablet made from herbs to create a harsh environment for the bacteria. as i was upping the bacteria killing herb tablet you can really tell it was doing something.because as we all know things always get worse before they get better. (again here is a good web article on the die-off/healing crisis that occurs when the bacteria are dying off.) and in week three of this diet i actually felt really good, i had had a die off reaction, and wasnt experiencing any bloating pain, i was ridiculously tired, irritable and had muscle tiredness but my stomach felt better than it had in ages. i had a scheduled appointment with my naturoath and we went over where i was going from there, and how phase two would work for me, but that night after i saw her, my stomach cracked it big time. and we had worked out through what i was eating that i may have a mild candida infection in there too so i had to alter the diet slightly to accommodate the candida restrictions as well.
this went on for another 5 weeks, of a day or a few days of thinking i was feeling better then the bloating would return. i had also added in a herbal digestive to my regime to help me break down my foods but it still wasnt helping. so last week i had a scheduled appointment with my naturopath again (which originally was projected to be in the final week of my phase 2) and we have formulated a new plan to stop feeding the bacteria. being plant based i love my veggies and i was eating a veggie based meal for lunch and dinner everyday. and even though they were dinners made up of approved veggies for the diet, they were still two carb based meals in a row and i was struggling to digest them, keeping the bacteria fed.
so again this is a point where i am not overly happy with where this went but i just want to be healed and have this whole ordeal over and done with!! i have cut out my veggie based dinner for chicken and clear veggie broth. this was pretty hard for me, and to be honest i dont like it.
throughout this whole process, i have to say my emotional state has been a gigantic roller coaster, from feeling happy i feel a little better, to feeling like a failure when its not working. feeling tired beyond belief but not sleeping very well. having my stomach feel worse than it ever has, and wishing it was all just done with. thinking why is this happening to me? i legit have had no energy to even do any of the things i enjoy outside of my work. not to mention i have had to prep all of my meals at home, havent eaten out in months, and have actually compiled a gigantic list of foods i want to eat and places i want to go when this is over.
so for the most part this has been a crazy hard experience for me, and the only thing getting me through is that i will be healed afterwards to keep striving to my goals of having my own food stall, and being able to eat a more varied diet of foods.
i hope you are all having an amazing day and if you made it to the end of this massive brain dump of a post i congratulate you!!
i know long time no see! i am so sorry for being so absent both here and on my instagram recently, and if you are interested in why, this post is going to be a pretty candid and word vomit-y version of the last year or 2 of my stomach issues and how it has felt like it has effected pretty much all areas of my life.
as most of the people who know me, and even those who dont know me well, understand that i am a massive foodie! i feel like i am always thinking up different recipes i can make, how to make them healthier, how to alter them to make it intolerance/allergy friendly, and ultimately to hopefully open my own food stall/cafe (current life goal!). at university i did study public health and health promotion, with a nutrition major, and have always been super interested in helping people make healthier food choices, educating them on different ways of cooking and baking, how to make the healthier option the easier option, and most importantly making it all taste so good that you dont feel as though you are missing out on anything by cutting out some of the unhealthier foods from your diet. ultimately i want to help make everyone around me feel better by feeding them nourishing foods, and giving them the education and tools they need to better their own lives, or expand their food knowledge and skill sets.
so in knowing all of this about me, i have always loved experimenting and compiling a lists of possible stall sale recipes for the future and because i simply love experimenting with foods, i had gotten really upset and frustrated when my stomach started to get really bloated and painful after eating. now i know bloating is a natural part of eating every now and again depending on what you eat and how much, but after going through this for 2 years now, i can tell the difference between painful unnatural bloating that leaves you unable to move and near the end of the two years was actually making me so dizzy, and your average ate too much bloat.
so it felt like every second thing i was eating was making my stomach worse. i found that peanuts and soy were 2 of my worse culprits, but then other things i couldnt pinpoint that were effecting me just as bad. because of this i found my window of food to be creative with was getting smaller and i didnt really want to go outside of that because my symptoms felt like they were getting worse. HENCE why i havent been posting recipes or been very active on here, because my stomach was just messing with my diet and effecting my mental health in turn. being a foodie not being able to experiment and eat different things, and having to put my stall recipe collection on hold really just bummed me out. not to mention always feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, because i was gaining weight and would wake up bloated and it would just worse and worse throughout the day. literally every day.
i originally thought i was intolerant to so many foods and was cutting them out left right and centre causing me to become magnesium deficient, vitamin d deficient, my naturopath also believes i may have minor adrenal fatigue, as well as the constant stomach pain and bloating to the point where my tummy couldnt extend any further. she mentioned that the adrenal fatigue may have stemmed from being wholly plant based but cutting out basically all natural sources of protein like tofu, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans because i found they would bloat me the worst, but in cutting them out my digestive fire lowered immensely and i slowly stopped producing the enzymes needed to brake down the proteins because i was eating so little of them.
so i in fact made this whole healing process worse because i now have to heal my SIBO with a stomach that cant digest things properly because it doesnt produce enough digestive enzymes. meaning the food sits longer in my gut allowing it to ferment and feed the little critters.
so taking a step back, i went and saw a naturopath because i was at the end of my tolerance and couldnt figure it out by myself anymore. and as a massively anxious introvert this was a pretty big step for me. we decided to go with an intolerance test to see if it was what was upsetting my digestion and found that i was intolerant to Casein (protein in cows milk), and mildly intolerance to banana, apple, oats, wheat and bakers yeast. but that didnt explain my symptoms, until the naturpath explained that the most likely cause was SIBO.
SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. meaning the bad bacteria in my small intestine far outweighs the good. and every time my stomach bloats it allows more bad bacteria to move up from my large intestine. the SIBO bacteria feed of carbohydrates, sugars, starches, grains, legumes, beans, fruits any and all types of carbs. if you want to have a good read on what it is and how to combat it, i really recommend this website, i have found it helpful.
ok so here is the fun part. and truthfully i do feel a bit better now than i did (speaking from week 10 in phase one of the diet). but wow it has been a journey.
so in order to defeat SIBO you have to starve the bacteria of their food source and then also create a harsh environment in order to kill them off, while supporting a healthy gut regime.
so the food source of the bacteria is carbs, so in phase one you cut out all carbs, sugars, grains, legumes, fruits, breads, cereals, etc. there is also a list of veggies you can have an unlimited amount of, but most of them are restricted to portion sizes per meal, same goes for nuts and seeds, certain drinks and condiments. animal protein and many types of fats and oils are ok, as well as broths, herbal teas and herbs and spices. but as i mentioned above, my digestion has turned to shit so being able to eat some of these foods doesnt mean that a can actually digest them.
ok now i am at the point of my journey where i am going to lose friends and anger people and i genually apologize for that, i have been in two minds whether to share it or not but have decided to be completely honest because it goes against my nature to lie and i am hoping i am not alone in this inner conflict ive been having.
i have never labelled myself as anything other than plant based. i predominately ate vegan and i had been vegetarian for going on 5 years. but in this diet to kill off the bacteria, the only appropriate source of protein i could have was animal protein. which didnt sit well with me. i did avoid it for the first two weeks, because the thought of eating it wasnt an option for me. but since then i have had to include eggs into my diet. but moving through the diet i still wasnt seeing any improvement so i decided to add in fish a few times, but that only lasted a few meals because it just wasnt for me and when i was combining veggies and fish, the veggies ended up sitting in my gut too long while my body was trying to break down the fish, that it would just ferment and feed the bacteria. so i stopped with the fish, and had eggs as my only protein source.
(i just want to say that as soon as this SIBO diet is over i will return to not eating any animals, and because of my casein intolerance i also wont be eating any dairy.)
the SIBO diet is split into two phases, the first is to kill them off and get rid of them, the second is to slowly reintroduce certain carbs to ensure they dont come back again during this phase. each phase on the diet guideline i was given is 4-6weeks long. but as i have found out, it is all up to the individual. as i am typing this i am currently in week 10 of my phase one diet.
while on the start of this diet i was taking a probiotic, a liver tonic tablet and a tablet made from herbs to create a harsh environment for the bacteria. as i was upping the bacteria killing herb tablet you can really tell it was doing something.because as we all know things always get worse before they get better. (again here is a good web article on the die-off/healing crisis that occurs when the bacteria are dying off.) and in week three of this diet i actually felt really good, i had had a die off reaction, and wasnt experiencing any bloating pain, i was ridiculously tired, irritable and had muscle tiredness but my stomach felt better than it had in ages. i had a scheduled appointment with my naturoath and we went over where i was going from there, and how phase two would work for me, but that night after i saw her, my stomach cracked it big time. and we had worked out through what i was eating that i may have a mild candida infection in there too so i had to alter the diet slightly to accommodate the candida restrictions as well.
this went on for another 5 weeks, of a day or a few days of thinking i was feeling better then the bloating would return. i had also added in a herbal digestive to my regime to help me break down my foods but it still wasnt helping. so last week i had a scheduled appointment with my naturopath again (which originally was projected to be in the final week of my phase 2) and we have formulated a new plan to stop feeding the bacteria. being plant based i love my veggies and i was eating a veggie based meal for lunch and dinner everyday. and even though they were dinners made up of approved veggies for the diet, they were still two carb based meals in a row and i was struggling to digest them, keeping the bacteria fed.
so again this is a point where i am not overly happy with where this went but i just want to be healed and have this whole ordeal over and done with!! i have cut out my veggie based dinner for chicken and clear veggie broth. this was pretty hard for me, and to be honest i dont like it.
throughout this whole process, i have to say my emotional state has been a gigantic roller coaster, from feeling happy i feel a little better, to feeling like a failure when its not working. feeling tired beyond belief but not sleeping very well. having my stomach feel worse than it ever has, and wishing it was all just done with. thinking why is this happening to me? i legit have had no energy to even do any of the things i enjoy outside of my work. not to mention i have had to prep all of my meals at home, havent eaten out in months, and have actually compiled a gigantic list of foods i want to eat and places i want to go when this is over.
so for the most part this has been a crazy hard experience for me, and the only thing getting me through is that i will be healed afterwards to keep striving to my goals of having my own food stall, and being able to eat a more varied diet of foods.
i hope you are all having an amazing day and if you made it to the end of this massive brain dump of a post i congratulate you!!
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
A Day In My Life
hello friends!
i thought i would break away from the usual for my post today. so instead of sharing a recipe post with you i thought i would give you a little insight into how i spent my weekend.
of course majority of my day is spent thinking about food, eating food, planning what i want to eat and where. even when i'm at work (the source bulk foods in camberwell *melbourne) i am surrounded by ingredients and get to hear what other people love creating and dishes they wish to make. i love helping people find things they may not have tried or give them inspiration to branch out in their diets.
any way, i digress. here is a little insight into what i got up to on my weekend off, which was actually a friday and saturday.
i love walking the streets of melbourne, especially all those little side streets, filled with little boutiques and eateries. i made my way down to degraves street, to pick up a little vegan doughnut at doughnut time.
as it has been a few hectic weeks for both of us, my partner and i decided to have a good old fashion date night at home. so i took it upon myself to make sure we were fully stocked with delicious goodies. they had 2 vegan options the day i went and i decided to go with their vegan fox. its a simple doughnut coated in dark chocolate, pistachios and freeze dried strawberries. it was sooo good, but i am a bit of a doughnut fiend.
as you will see this 'weekend in my life' is far from the healthiest representation of diets but i don't eat this way all that often and therefore have no regrets!
before leaving the city to head back home, i ducked into raw trader for the last of tonight's treats. they have an absolutely amazing range of raw vegan goodies, and if you are a little nervous about making these kind of treats but want to try them, this place is perfect!
since i knew i'd be having a few treats later that night, when i got home from the city at lunch time i decided to get in my daily dose of veg.
dinner ended up being a baked sweet potato boat. which has become a bit of a staple dinner recently, along with spicy lentil stews.
this guy was baked in the oven for quite a while (forgot how long exactly sorry!) until you could poke it with a skewer and feel no resistance in the flesh. also a gooey caramel begins to ooze out of the potato when it's close to done.
once it was baked i opened it up down the middle and spooned over a lentil bolognese i made while the potato was cooking, then drizzled unhulled tahini and nutritional yeast on top.
thankyou for making it to the end of this little adventure, and i'll hopefully catch up with you all again soon.
have an awesome day!
Cinnamon Courtney xoxo
i thought i would break away from the usual for my post today. so instead of sharing a recipe post with you i thought i would give you a little insight into how i spent my weekend.
of course majority of my day is spent thinking about food, eating food, planning what i want to eat and where. even when i'm at work (the source bulk foods in camberwell *melbourne) i am surrounded by ingredients and get to hear what other people love creating and dishes they wish to make. i love helping people find things they may not have tried or give them inspiration to branch out in their diets.
any way, i digress. here is a little insight into what i got up to on my weekend off, which was actually a friday and saturday.
Friday
as my partner works monday to friday i had the apartment to myself today, but decided to spend some time in the city/center of melbourne for a while.
my breakfast fuel for the day was bananas and a dandelion chai with almond mylk and coconut sugar.
i took the train into the city getting off at melbourne central shopping centre, not the biggest fan of public transport but i am getting the hang of it now and it isn't as scary as it used to be.
made my way into lululemon at the emporium and picked up a new pair of leggings that are warmer than my current pair to wear to yoga. so far i have only tried a 10 day trial but i seriously think i have an addiction... and cannot wait to sign up! luckily my partner generously gave me a voucher at christmas for the studio at the end of our street.
i love walking the streets of melbourne, especially all those little side streets, filled with little boutiques and eateries. i made my way down to degraves street, to pick up a little vegan doughnut at doughnut time.
as it has been a few hectic weeks for both of us, my partner and i decided to have a good old fashion date night at home. so i took it upon myself to make sure we were fully stocked with delicious goodies. they had 2 vegan options the day i went and i decided to go with their vegan fox. its a simple doughnut coated in dark chocolate, pistachios and freeze dried strawberries. it was sooo good, but i am a bit of a doughnut fiend.
as you will see this 'weekend in my life' is far from the healthiest representation of diets but i don't eat this way all that often and therefore have no regrets!
before leaving the city to head back home, i ducked into raw trader for the last of tonight's treats. they have an absolutely amazing range of raw vegan goodies, and if you are a little nervous about making these kind of treats but want to try them, this place is perfect!
i picked up an apple crumble cake, black forest cake and a trifle slice. We shared these later that night and the apple crumble was our fave, followed but the black forest cake. i'm not a fan of trifle and that slice tasted spot on, so i tried but couldn't eat it because it was so close to the original!
since i knew i'd be having a few treats later that night, when i got home from the city at lunch time i decided to get in my daily dose of veg.
i had a bowl of left overs from thursday nights dinner. veggie lentil bolognese with tri-grain pasta from work, the source bulk foods in camberwell.
so saturday actually started off with a sleep in, which never happens for me. i'm usually wide awake early on my days off to get the most out of my day, even if it's just to sit around watching foodie videos on youtube!
so friday night ended with kombucha, popcorn coated in tahini, cinnamon and vanilla powder, shared treats from my trip to the city, while rugged up watching some of the new season of penny dreadful!
Saturday
then one of my best mates messaged me asking if i wanted to catch up over lunch, so of course i said yes!
my partner had gotten a restaurant recommendation during the week at his work, for an american style burger joint in richmond called the collection bar, that offered a vegan burger. so we decided to try it out, as our mate loves all things american!
this was the burger, and wholly moly, it was delishiously messy! and even though i haven't had the chance to try many vegan burgers, it was actually realllyy yummy!
i tend to keep away from soy products because i know my tummy really doesn't like it at all, but decided the discomfort was worth it.
it was called a bbq tempeh cheeseburger, made up of a hickory smocked tempeh patty, with dill steamed onions, vegan cheese, dill pickles, and vegan burger sauce. sorry for the really poor food photo!
as a little snack to tide me over until dinner, i tried out a new to me snack bar. it was actually really good as well! i had a surprisingly good food choices day today, as i find a lot of these types of energy bar/natural food bars are hit or miss for me. most of the time they are a miss actually, i prefer to make my own. but this had a deliciously fudgy texture and good flavour pay off.
dinner ended up being a baked sweet potato boat. which has become a bit of a staple dinner recently, along with spicy lentil stews.
this guy was baked in the oven for quite a while (forgot how long exactly sorry!) until you could poke it with a skewer and feel no resistance in the flesh. also a gooey caramel begins to ooze out of the potato when it's close to done.
once it was baked i opened it up down the middle and spooned over a lentil bolognese i made while the potato was cooking, then drizzled unhulled tahini and nutritional yeast on top.
thankyou for making it to the end of this little adventure, and i'll hopefully catch up with you all again soon.
have an awesome day!
Cinnamon Courtney xoxo
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Being ok with where I'm headed
Hello there!
Long time, no see. To start off with, I want to apologize for dropping off the social media planet. I feel as though recently, I have had a real shifting of life goals and focus of where I see myself being in the future.
Obviously this hasn't happened overnight, and it has been a really interesting process for me. I am not entirely sure when it started but I knew I just wasn't happy with where I was in my 'career'. I felt like I have always forced myself into what I thought was an ideal version of what I wanted to be, or how I felt others wanted me to be. Yes, I am a perfectionist, which can often work in my favor but more often than not, makes me feel as though I'm not doing 'it' right. Weather that be work or life related.
When I was growing up, I always felt like there were specific steps to take and certain milestones everyone reached to get into their career path. You go to school, pick out what you like and what you want to do, choose your subjects accordingly. Then work your butt off to get into the university course that will get you the job you want, then 'tada!' you will be working in a steady and stable full time job (yes, I was a little naive).
So, when after having gone through this whole process, coming out of my university degree still not knowing exactly where I wanted to take my life. I really felt a little bit of a failure, but mainly I felt like I was letting my family down. I am really close with my family, and it felt like I was disappointing them by not slotting straight into a job relating to my degree. Don't get me wrong I loved everything I learnt in my course and still love to build on that nutrition, health and well-being knowledge base that I have acquired. It really is my passion, but I knew that I didn't want to work behind a computer. I really love interacting with people, working with people and helping them on a daily basis.
It has taken me almost 2 years to feel comfortable in my own 'career', while still having future goals and things I want to achieve. This is largely due to having such a strong support base, my family and partner, allowing me to see that so long as I'm happy and can support myself, I can be anything I want to be!
If you have made it to the end of this ramble, well-done and thank you!
I realise that we all go through stages in our lives where we don't even know which way is up, let alone which direction we are heading. What I wish I had know while going through this, was that no matter where I am, it is good enough. That I will be happy, so long as I keep making choices that honor my true self, not what I think would make me look good to others or how I think I 'should' be.
Take home message from this ramble;
Courtney xo
Long time, no see. To start off with, I want to apologize for dropping off the social media planet. I feel as though recently, I have had a real shifting of life goals and focus of where I see myself being in the future.
Obviously this hasn't happened overnight, and it has been a really interesting process for me. I am not entirely sure when it started but I knew I just wasn't happy with where I was in my 'career'. I felt like I have always forced myself into what I thought was an ideal version of what I wanted to be, or how I felt others wanted me to be. Yes, I am a perfectionist, which can often work in my favor but more often than not, makes me feel as though I'm not doing 'it' right. Weather that be work or life related.
When I was growing up, I always felt like there were specific steps to take and certain milestones everyone reached to get into their career path. You go to school, pick out what you like and what you want to do, choose your subjects accordingly. Then work your butt off to get into the university course that will get you the job you want, then 'tada!' you will be working in a steady and stable full time job (yes, I was a little naive).
So, when after having gone through this whole process, coming out of my university degree still not knowing exactly where I wanted to take my life. I really felt a little bit of a failure, but mainly I felt like I was letting my family down. I am really close with my family, and it felt like I was disappointing them by not slotting straight into a job relating to my degree. Don't get me wrong I loved everything I learnt in my course and still love to build on that nutrition, health and well-being knowledge base that I have acquired. It really is my passion, but I knew that I didn't want to work behind a computer. I really love interacting with people, working with people and helping them on a daily basis.
It has taken me almost 2 years to feel comfortable in my own 'career', while still having future goals and things I want to achieve. This is largely due to having such a strong support base, my family and partner, allowing me to see that so long as I'm happy and can support myself, I can be anything I want to be!
If you have made it to the end of this ramble, well-done and thank you!
I realise that we all go through stages in our lives where we don't even know which way is up, let alone which direction we are heading. What I wish I had know while going through this, was that no matter where I am, it is good enough. That I will be happy, so long as I keep making choices that honor my true self, not what I think would make me look good to others or how I think I 'should' be.
Take home message from this ramble;
Don't compare your life to others.
Your life will be different to everyone else's.
You will have your own purpose and it is just as important as anyone else's.
Live your life to fill your own potential, don't try and shape yourself into something your not to fit certain expectations.
Know you are loved and love in return.
Courtney xo
Tuesday, 5 May 2015
Foodie Appreciation for April- A Few Of My Current Favourite Foodies On The Internet
Hello there! Yes this post is a few days late but I'll get my May favourites up in the right month... hopefully! I am currently sitting on my couch going through my Bloglovin' and Instagram feeds, and absolutely loving everything that I'm seeing. I am still so blown away every time I open up my foodie feeds and see all the amazing accounts and awesome talent that is shown by everyone in the health, well-being and nutrition community online!
I genually love being a part of this community, even though I am a pretty small fish in a very large pond, it can be such a positive and inclusive space that it is hard not to feel a part of something so fun! So, I thought I would stop and take the time to share a few accounts that I have been absolutely loving recently. This list originally consisted of SO, SO MANY accounts because I just couldn't cut it down! Therefore, I have decided that I may split it up and make these kind of posts on a regular basis, maybe monthly? It depends on if you guys like these kinds of posts from me, but honestly, I would love to have a place to share accounts that I am currently loving to read and watch!
(also these are in no particular order!)
Do you have a health, foodie or wellness blog?
Comment the website address or your instagram user name down below so I can come and check it out! Or just post your favourite blogs down below to share who you have been loving reading this month!
I genually love being a part of this community, even though I am a pretty small fish in a very large pond, it can be such a positive and inclusive space that it is hard not to feel a part of something so fun! So, I thought I would stop and take the time to share a few accounts that I have been absolutely loving recently. This list originally consisted of SO, SO MANY accounts because I just couldn't cut it down! Therefore, I have decided that I may split it up and make these kind of posts on a regular basis, maybe monthly? It depends on if you guys like these kinds of posts from me, but honestly, I would love to have a place to share accounts that I am currently loving to read and watch!
(also these are in no particular order!)
You can also find Mel's website here.
You can also find Evelyn's Blog here.
You can also find Karly's Blog here.
You can also find her Blog here.
You can also find her youtube here.
Do you have a health, foodie or wellness blog?
Comment the website address or your instagram user name down below so I can come and check it out! Or just post your favourite blogs down below to share who you have been loving reading this month!
Friday, 2 January 2015
New Years Resolution - How To Set Health Behaviour Change Goals
We have all
been there. Set our yearly goals; follow them for a few months or weeks or
sometimes only days, before finding them too hard or just get over it. This is
because we often set a goal that is unrealistic, unsustainable or just don’t
break them down into achievable steps. Creating a positive health behaviour
change is completely achievable, so long as you are consciously aware of the
behaviour and actively want to change it.
Self-efficacy –
You Can Do It!
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‘Health
is - the ever changing process of achieving individual potential in the
physical, social, emotional, mental, spiritual and environmental dimensions’ –
(Health; The Basics, Green Edition – Rebecca J. Donatelle, 2011)
5
steps to create and achieve your health behaviour change goals.
1. Reflect
& Choose an Aim.
This might seem
silly but to work your way up you have to start at the bottom. Reflect on what
it is about yourself you’d like to change, or look at it as an opportunity to
enhance a skill that you already have.
If you do not
see or find the need to change a behaviour, then you wont change it. For
example, if a smoker who does not see the need to quit or lessen the amount
they smoke, or a person who eats fast food for majority of the week but feels fine,
wont see the need to change their behaviour.
So the first
step is to really look inside and contemplate what it is that you want to
achieve.
For me this
year, I am going down the path I usually find myself and I aim to become
fitter.
I don’t do any
planned exercise; it’s all incidental activity. I do walk to the shops and park
at the back of the car park if the place I’m going to is too far to walk. I
also crazy dance around the house to loud music but want to get back to the
place I was in when I loved to get out and exercise.
2. Current
Behaviour - Pros & Cons of Changing.
To understand
where your going you have to see where it is your coming from. A lot of the
time our goals are far, far away from our current state and lifestyle. Which
can be both a good and a bad thing. It is great to aim high, but if you can’t
see a path from where you are to where you want to be, it makes the goal look
like an impossible mountain you have to climb.
Many also see
all that they may have to give up many of they things they currently enjoy,
like binge watching a TV show for three days straight, or turning to chocolate
as a coping strategy.
This is where you need to increase
motivation to want to stick with your aim.
List all of the
costs and benefits you will have if you do make this behaviour change, go for
your goal. Then list all of the costs and the benefits for if you do not make
your behaviour change, and stay in your current state. Try and make them a mix
of short term and long-term points, if the only costs of not changing your
behaviour are all long-term consequences, they wont feel relevant and you will
feel less motivated by them.
Explore each of
these and take ownership of the process. Build an understanding of the Pros of
changing your behaviour and the Cons of not changing, to increase your
motivation and readiness to change. If you find this task doesn’t help motivate
you, speak to a friend and they may help you to see Pros and Cons you can’t or
try readjusting your aim.
For my aim,
examples of Pros and Cons could be;
Benefits for
changing my behaviour:
- Feel more
comfortable and healthier in my skin.
- Elevate some
symptoms of anxiety.
Costs of
changing my behaviour:
- Taking up my
current free time.
- Many planned
exercises cost too much for me to afford at the moment.
Benefits of not
changing my behaviour:
- Save money.
Costs of not
changing my behaviour:
- Health
complications later in life, ie heart disease etc.
- No change in
current symptoms of anxiety.
- Will continue
to feel sluggish and have low energy levels.
3. SMART
Goals that Support Your Aim.
Now that you
know what your aim is, it’s time to break it down into goals that help you
achieve it.
SMART goals are
Specific, Measurable, Action-Orientated, Realistic and Time-Orientated. There
are a few other versions of this on the internet so if this doesn’t make sense
to you have a search around.
Each of your
goals should include each of these components;
Specific: your
goals should simplistically define what it is you want to achieve, using what,
how and why.
Measurable:
goals are stated in terms that are observable and can be verified.
Action-orientated:
state what action is needed to achieve your goal.
Realistic: your
goals should be challenging but not impossible to reach.
Time-orientated:
your goals should include a specific time frame that helps create a sense of
urgency.
For me this is
the hardest part of the process and it often trips me up trying to write these
out. I think as long as you vaguely address these 5 criteria you can create
your goals. It is a good idea to make a few SMART goals to address your aim, as
your aim is just an overarching theme, and these goals are what create the base
of your story.
Some
examples of SMART goals for my aim of ‘getting fitter’:
- Walk (specific-
the what/ action orientated) outside (specific- how), 3 times a week (time
orientated/realistic), for an hour each time (time-orientated/realistic), in
the afternoons after work and record progress of how far I walk (measurable),
starting Monday (time-orientated), so I can move my body more without tiring
(specific- why).
- Do yoga
(specific- the what/ action orientated) and stretch out (specific- how), 5
times a week (time orientated/realistic), for half an hour each time (time
orientated/realistic), in the mornings and record progress of how flexible I’m
becoming (measurable), starting Monday (time-orientated), so that I can
increase my range of motion and avoid injury (specific- why).
4.
Overcoming Obstacles.
No matter how
well you have written out your goals you will always hit a snag at implementing
them at some point. That is life! You cannot hit perfection all the time, but
the key is not to just give up on it all. Another way to ensure success is to
be prepared.
After
constructing your smart goals, sit back and identify what barriers you think
will stop you from completing your goals. For me, the first thing that comes to
mind is lack of motivation, but there are a few different types of stimulants
or barriers that can interfere with behaviour change.
There are
behavioural barriers; which are non-supportive or bad habits. Emotional
barriers; which is when you partake in specific behaviours, when feeling
certain emotions. Situational barriers; how you act in certain situations that
may work against your aim. Thought barriers; these are when negative thoughts
control whether or not you complete you goals.
Here are a
few of my examples;
Behavioural- I used to work at a cinema,
I love watching movies and TV shows, so I spend a lot of my free time sitting
down and watching.
Emotional- When I feel unhappy more often
than not I just want to curl up on the couch and read a book, which again
results in not getting up and exercising.
Situational- Often, when I catch up with
my friends it is to go out for dinner or a coffee, where we sit around and chat
to catch up, so again it is a stationary situation.
Thoughts- I often lack in motivation or
procrastinate tasks, postponing them by planning out my week on paper but not
actually getting out and doing the exercise.
Usually it is
the consequences of these actions that determine whether or not we keep
repeating these behaviours in response to the stimulants. For me, I haven’t had
any immediate or server consequences when reacting in the above ways to stimulates
so they have become habits.
So the trick
now is to recreate the reactions to stimulants ahead of time so you have a
prepared action ready.
My examples
of how I could overcome my above barriers;
Behavioural- Find a new rewarding
behaviour to do in my free time, I could set up my laptop next to my treadmill
if I find it hard to let go of my pass time.
Emotional- when I can feel myself moving
into an unhappy mind space, consciously focus on positive thoughts. Remember
that exercise releases endorphins, making you happier.
Situational- When I want to catch up with
friends, suggest a coffee and walk date instead of staying sedentary. Let them
know I want to be more active, and I’d love to walk and catch up with them.
Thoughts- instead of over planning and
postponing exercise all the time, set a plan at the start of the week and just
do it before I can talk myself around it. Get my partner to encourage me to get
out more.
5. Keeping
Yourself on Track.
A lot of the
time how we act is a mind game. It is the sum of our beliefs, skill set,
knowledge, support network, previous experiences and resources.
How we perceive
our own control in a situation also influences how we react.
Internal
Control- Own Your Actions
Julian B.
Rotter (1966) produced an article discussing the differences between an
internal and external locus of control. Locus of control is a continuum scale
of the perceived control an individual has over their behaviours.
People with a
more internal control have the perception that they have control over their
rewards and punishments, they contribute events in their life to their
abilities, and they engage in more problem-solving based coping. They take an
ownership of their actions and what becomes of them. They are more likely to
work for their achievements, set long term goals, tolerate delays in rewards
and are often more able to adapt. ‘I am in control of my own health’ (Wallston,
Wallston & DeVellis, 1978).
Whereas people
with more of an external control standpoint, believe that the events in their
life are a result of luck or chance, and that they feel like they have less
control over their fate. They distance themselves from their actions and the
reactions that come of it, often placing the control in the hands of others.
‘No matter what I do, if I am going to get sick I will get sick’ and ‘Regarding
my health, I can only do what my doctor tells me’ (Wallston, Wallston &
DeVellis, 1978).
In regard to
your health behaviour change, aim to stay near the internal perception of
control. You are in control of your own health outcomes, do not let guilt sway
you as none of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, just pick yourself back up
and take control.
Self-efficacy
is the belief that you can overcome barriers and perform behaviours that will
produce the desired outcomes. Believe in yourselves, you are amazing. You can
reach your aims, take control and become who you want to be. We all have the
power to do our own research in this internet day and age. Research the skills
you might need along the way, set out your plan with your aim, SMART goals and
strategies against potential barriers and your over half way there!
Involve your
friends and family, find an online support community, find others to help
enable you on your journey for when you hit a bit of a rough patch, this
doesn’t make you a failure, it just means you are able to fully utilize all the
support available to you.
Evaluate
& Review – Keep Challenging Yourself
Remember that
often your first plan isn’t always enough to get you to your aim, you will need
to make adjustments as you go and make allowances for life as it happens. You
will also need to adjust your goals as you reach them. Make sure you are able
to sustain them for a while before upping the challenge or adding in more SMART
goals.
Do not let a
lapse become a relapse! If your goals are too hard for you, simply adjust them
to a point where they are maintainable. Consistency is key here to maintain
your health behaviour change. Simply adjusting a goal is a better choice than
quitting, as having to start from scratch again later will be harder.
Rewarding Your Behaviours – Be Kind to Yourself
Positive
reinforcement is amazing, so make sure you reward yourself when you reach or
continually maintain you SMART goals!
One thing I
will say is if you are choosing to eat healthier as an aim, try not to reward
yourself with unhealthy treats, as a healthy diet in my opinion is an 80/20
balance, and when you put unhealthy treats on a pedestal and in the ‘forbidden
unless I’ve been good’ category it may create a binge mentality surrounding
them. Which I have experienced in the past.
Having said
that you could always treat yourself to a dinner out with your friends, or a
movie that you have been wanting to see or go out and buy yourself a new dress
or video game you have been waiting for. Positive reinforcement from those
around us always feels the best for me, so if you see a friend who is doing
amazing things and making changes in their life, let them know, show them you
support what they are doing. The possibilities are endless!
Keep in mind
that this is your life and you are the one who has to live it, so don’t beat
yourself up over a trip up in your goals. Just get up and keep living.
Let me know what your aims are for 2015 below and
if you know of any ways that help you stick to your goals, I’d love to hear
them!
‘I am in the process of positive change’ -
Louise L. Hay
Source:
~ Health; The
Basics, Green Edition – Rebecca J. Donatelle, (2011)
~ Generalized
Expectancies for Internal Verses External Control of Reinforcement - Julian B.
Rotter (1966, http://www.soc.iastate.edu/sapp/soc512Rotter.pdf)
~ Development
of Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales - Wallston, Wallston &
DeVellis (1978, http://www.vanderbilt.edu/nursing/kwallston/A16.pdf)
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