Archives December 2013

Who doesn’t love a new year?

That crisp, clean, shiny new-ness of it.

Breathe in the possibilities….oooooh yeah!

But, before you leap into your 2014 resolutions, here’s something you should do. It’ll help you sweep clean all the virtual noise and clutter from 2013.

Drowning in clutter

It’s super important that you eliminate the accumulated clutter from this last year. You see, clutter blocks EVERYTHING.

Blocks our thinking.
Stymies our flow.
Drains us of our energy.

It literally weighs us down – physically and emotionally mentally – suffocating us.

So, if you want clarity, inspiration and sparkle in 2014, join me in this simple exercise for the final days of December.

Clearing the virtual clutter. Or stop drowning in email.

It’s the technological age. With all our mobiles, iPads and computers our virtual worlds are very noisy. Our inboxes are chokers – all those emails, newsletters, blog posts et cetera.

Sure, we’re blessed to have so much information at our fingertips, but it definitely doesn’t feel blissful or invigorating when your inbox overloaded.  Bing ding ding, you have a gazillion unread messages.

All those unread newsletters sit there, goading us. Their un-read-ness reminding us how much there is to get through. They fester in our inbox, while we hope that, “Tomorrow, I’ll have more time”. We don’t.

The truth is even when we do get a moment, we don’t read them. Because we all know there’s never enough time to read all the emails that we don’t actually want to read!!!!! And we don’t need to…..so let them go.

Here’s how to streamline your inbox…

There are two types of email. The first type make me physically cringe as they appear in the Sender’s Column. What the heck was I thinking when I subscribed?

In hindsight, the emails that make my stomach contract, I subscribed to out of fear. Fear of not being enough: good enough / smart enough / successful enough.

Enough of feeling ‘not enough!’

Over the course of the final days of December, those emails – the ones the you never have time to read or make your stomach contract – are going to go! Immediately.

A simple click on the unsubscribe line at the bottom of the page is all it takes. Done. Gone.

The second type of email is completely different. These are newsletters I subscribed to because they make me laugh, offer a fresh perspective and make me feel nourished and supported. Those notes are always welcome into my inbox – no matter how busy I am.

My inbox rule: only love and nourishment is allowed to come into my inbox. Anything that’s preachy or I’m-not-enoughy is unsubscribed to and deleted immediately.

So, between now and January 1st (or as long as it takes), I’m setting aside a couple of minutes each morning to unsubscribe to any of the emails that make me feel heavy.

You know what I mean, darling. Just let them go so that you can create space for what you do want in your inbox. And life.

And by next year, I’m going to have a stream-lined, loved-filled inbox with only emails of nourishment and inspiration.

Aren’t you ready to enter 2014 clear-minded, fresh and ready for your best year yet?!

Love etc, Avril

P.S. I’m going to get really brave here and say this – I certainly hope that you feel the love in my blog posts, but if you do decide to unsubscribe, I wish you well.

I only want to be in your inbox if it helps you make the changes in your life that you want to make. If you choose to let me stay, I have something fun-filled coming up for the New Year. If you’re tired of the usual dull resolutions, you’re going to love this adventure!

Hooray – the holiday season is nearly here….fa la la la la…time to celebrate!

But, since food and drink take centre stage at most of our celebrations, it can be easy to overeat without even realising it.

How can you avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain – but still enjoy festive indulgences?

Here are 5 holiday survival tips to help you navigate the chaos of the festive season:

1. Eat slooooooooooooooooooowly

I hear you! I get that it sounds very, very low tech.

But you see, we all have an enzyme in our gut that tells our brain when we’re full. Thing is – this enzyme takes 15 minutes to travel from our gut to our brain. So if you’re speedily shovelling in the Christmas turkey or frantically scoffing the hors d’oeuves, it’s oh so easy, to go from famished to absolutely stuffed, before your brain even has a chance to register the “I’m done!” signal.

One of the easiest ways to slow your eating is to put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls. Slooow down, chew your food and be present.

Who knows – you might even the opportunity to converse and engage with others around the table. How civilised!

2. Alternate your Christmas tipple

All those free cocktails at the work do, and the bottles of bubbly at the neighbour’s BBQs can be a culprit for unwanted excess. In the spirit of Christmas, one glass can swiftly become, um, well…..substantially more.

But who wants to be a teetotaller? Not me!

A simple way to address the excess holiday drinking is to alternate your alcohol with a glass of water.

Again, I get it – it sounds pedestrian. But it works (and your head will thank you in the morning when you wake up, hangover-less).

3. Connect with family and friends NOT food

Instead of focusing on the inevitable food and drink during the festive season, I encourage you to spend focus on connecting with people gathered around the table.

At the party, make a conscious effort to seek out a conversation with your out-of-town colleague. Have a chat with your favourite aunt and really connect with them.

You see, when we have an enjoyable connection with people, we change the biochemistry in our body. During social engagement with loved ones, the ‘good-feeling’ hormone oxytocin is increased, which decreases our desire for food.

So, connect with your cousin and get the naturally-occurring appetite suppressants flowing!

4. Move your body, every day

Set the intention to move your body every day. It’ll help with processing any extra food, and it’ll also help with holiday stress.

Perhaps it’s a brief walk after your meals with the family. Maybe it’s a solitary stroll after your meals to avoid the family (!!!). Maybe you could toss the football outside with your grandkids for some fresh air.

The key is to keep it simple – do not overcomplicate it. Just get your body moving – even a 10-minute stroll does wonders for your body.

5. Express your gratitude

We all have much for which to feel grateful.

Even if you’re going through a tough time – maybe Santa didn’t deliver or maybe your dearly beloved is absent. Perhaps money / time / nerves feel stretched. You still have oooooodles for which to be grateful.

Remember, that when we focus on gratitude, we feel more grateful, and we start to have the realisation that – there’s an awful lot that we want ….. that we already have!!!

So, keep focusing on the aspects in your life that bring joy, and a smile to your lips.

The festive season is a time of celebration, love and gifts. Why not use these five tips so that you can give yourself the gift of health?

Wishing you all happy, healthy holidays!

Love etc, Avril

PS: If you’d like a helping hand so that you can start your 2016 with weight loss momentum, maybe hypnotherapy is exactly what you need. Why not come on over and start a conversation?