Her Unique Glow - Nourished Living

Sometimes things just don't go to plan! This morning, as I was about to upload a podcast that I had just recorded, I realised that I had actually recorded a VERY similar podcast (with the exact same title!) about a year ago - An episode on focussing what could go right. This was so ironic as I spent a few minutes beating myself up about it and judging myself for not realising what I had done! So as soon as I realised what I had done, my initial response was to pack it all in and not upload an episode this week. But after that thought appeared, I questioned it and realised that I needed to focus on the positives and reframe what I perceived as negative. So yes, it was frustrating that I couldn't upload the episode I had previously recorded BUT it had given me an opportunity to share even MORE with you and what to do when things don't go right. It's all about our mindset and how we choose to experience life. 

Do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media throughout the day? I know I do, and it’s something I’m still working on at the moment. Social media is a huge part of our lives and I don’t really know anyone that doesn’t use some form of social media (maybe one or two people!). It’s an even bigger part of our lives if we run online businesses (or any business for that matter), so of course, the majority of us spend hours mindlessly scrolling to see what we may have missed, what the latest trend is or even to just pass the time while we’re waiting for the kettle to boil.   If you do find yourself scrolling continuously throughout the day, then it’s important to think about who you’re following and more importantly why. Just like the people you choose to spend your physical time with, it’s essential that we make sure we are choosing who we follow for the right reasons. They should bring something positive to our lives and to your day. Looking at their latest post should fill you with love and positivity, not fear or feeling like you lack something. This podcast episode helps you to uncover WHY you're choosing to follow the accounts you do and asks you to question if they're serving you in the best way right now at this moment in your life.

Self-care is the latest buzzword and trend of the moment. Although I’m loving that more and more of us are advocating, promoting and practicing self-care, there’s also a part of me that finds it strange to be ‘trending’. It should be something that we practice on a daily basis regardless of our circumstances – not because it’s the latest hype word or fad out there. I suppose one of the main reasons self-care has come to the fore-front of the health and wellness space, is that with diet culture at an all-time high, with fitness crazes through the roof and social media playing a bigger role in our lives and mental health than ever before, the NEED for looking after ourselves has also risen – I’d go so far as to say it’s essential if you truly want to be healthy in this day and age. It’s so important to understand exactly what self-care is so we know what we are aiming for, without getting too caught up in the hype of it all. We are so much more than just our physical body and yes, self-care does focus on caring for the physical bodies we are all gifted with, but what about the emotional and mental aspects of our bodies as well? It’s time to start treating your mind, body and soul with the same care and respect as though you value them all equally. This episode covers the 3 dimensions of self-care and how you can implement small practices into your life so that you can be the best and healthiest version of yourself possible! PRODUCTS MENTIONED: FREE GRATITUDE DIARY

We are constantly allowing content into our lives from the social media accounts we follow to the books we read and even the conversations we have with friends and loved ones. Sometimes we can get so stuck in habits and life that we forget we actually have the conscious ability to make choices as to what content we allow in and consume.  If you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media or turning on the TV out of habit than necessity, then it might be time to reevaluate why you allow certain types of content into your life and how it might better serve you going forwards.  This episode covers many different types of content you might be consuming, how to assess if it's serving you in the right way and why it's important to be conscious about what you let into your life.

So last week it was my birthday and I’m not going to lie, there’s something about turning 29 that felt a bit yucky. Whatever the trigger, the cause was still there and needed to be addressed. I’m a very introspective person and love journaling, expressing my thoughts and working through any ‘sticky’ areas in my life or mind, so of course the natural thing for me was to grab my A3 note pad, colourful pens and start brain dumping everything I had floating through my mind.  One of the journal prompts I used was:What lessons have a learnt from this year? I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on my 28thyear and celebrate all the lessons I had learned – the lessons that were unique to the past 365 days, not only because I feel it’s important to celebrate our growth but because I wanted to acknowledge an opportunity to really make a change and LEARN from last year. So I thought I’d share my top 10 lessons with you in the hope that maybe one of them might resonate or help you in some way.  *I should also mention that Koa was born just before my birthday last year so a lot of these lessons that I’ve learnt have been a result of also being a new mother. Things just seemed to perfectly align themselves that way!

Looking after your mental and emotional health is one of the most important things you can do to look after yourself. There shouldn't be a stigma around in and we shouldn't wait for something to go wrong before addressing it. It's about practicing self-care, being introspective and understanding where you're coming from so you know how to get to where you want to be. I love journaling and it's a great way of expressing yourself; almost like a form of talk therapy, but sometimes it's hard to know where to begin - especially when your thoughts are whirling round your mind at 100 miles an hour. So here are some of my favourite journaling prompts to help get you started.

Although many of us may have experienced some form of binge at some stage, binge eating is actually a form of disordered eating and something that can be quite debilitating, overpowering and all-consuming. From my experience of working with clients and a lot of beautiful women, binge eating isn’t so much about the food as it is about how we feel about ourselves.   Binging and binge eating disorder is such a complicated topic and there are so many reasons that it might be affecting you, although everyone experiences it in their own unique way. In this podcast episode, I wanted to share some common tips to help you on your journey with binging and also how you can reduce those binge eating induced sugar cravings.  Remember: Our relationship with food is directly linked to the relationship we have with ourselves. So let's dive in deep! **If you feel you need extra support with binge eating then please reach out for help and email at: hello@heruniqueglow.com

"What you resist persists, what you look at disappears."  This is one of my favourite quotes from the book 'Conversations With God' By Neal Donald Walsch. In fact, it's one of my favourite quotes of all time and one that really jumps to the forefront of my mind on a daily basis. We all have barriers. We all have stories we tell ourselves. We all go through tough moments in life. Sometimes these stories benefit us as we carry them through life and sometimes they hold us back from really stepping into our true power and becoming who we dream of being. When we go through tough times we can either: A) Choose to bury things and ‘resist’ or B) Choose to work through think and ‘look’ at them Option A leaves you feeling stagnant and stuck. Your beliefs in the stories you tell yourself keep you from moving forwards and truly experiencing life. Life is ever flowing and changing and we need to accept the things we can’t change and let our beliefs and stories adapt.  Option B, although more challenging and sometimes the scarier option, will inevitably allow you to grow and give you the opportunity to cultivate, manifest and create the life you dream of. Yes it’s harder, yes it’s uncomfortable but it’s worth it. It’s worth doing the hard work to see the reward.  It’s time to stop resisting if you want to see change in your life. Start ‘looking’ so you can take those actionable steps to get you to where you want to be. If you feel you need a bit of extra guidance to work through those negative times, emotions, feelings then please get in touch: hello@heruniqueglow.com

It's been a while since I've uploaded a new podcast episode and I wanted to explain where I've been and why I'm back recording for you guys! It's a more real and raw way of communicating with you, without any prompts or scripts and I hope that this way you feel more connected and resonate with what I have to say. This episode also covers the anxiety and worries that may have crept up over the last few months with Covid and everything that's going on in the world around us at the moment and some tips and techniques to help you navigate through those negative thoughts. If you have any topics you'd like me to cover in future podcasts then feel free to email me: hello@heruniqueglow.com and remember to share this podcast with anyone you think would benefit from listening to it!

Taking the time to make yourself a priority and look after YOU is one thing we can all do to limit the stress that we take into our lives. It may not always mean that the stress goes away, but sometimes it’s more about handling the stress in a healthier way than getting rid of it completely. If you want to be the healthiest and happiest version of yourself – not just for you but for your family and friends as well – then it’s time to start being a bit more selfish and put yourself first. After all, you only get one body in this lifetime, so it’s time we started taking care of it more!

Love, excitement, adoration - there are so many wonderful feelings that rise to the surface when you're pregnant. However, no matter how much you've been waiting for this adventure or trying to conceive, pregnancy can come with a whole heap of fear driven emotions - including guilt, anxiety and overwhelm.  For me, one of the biggest struggles I had to overcome was letting go of the control over my body and how it would look. I LOVE my pregnant body and I'm so in love with my bump, but that doesn't mean it was an easy journey to get there and that's what I wanted to talk about! Questions about weight gain have been the most common and frequent since finding out I was pregnant, which is why I thought it was an important topic to talk about as I know I'm not the only woman that has struggled with this - especially the guilt for feeling any fear around weight gain as this baby is wanted more than anything! This episode is completely real and honest where I talk about how I'm feeling and my journey with my weight gain through pregnancy - I hope you enjoy it and that it may help you or someone you know in some way. I'm raw and vulnerable in sharing this story with you so hope it does help in some way! I think it's important we all share more and keep this conversation open! So be kind xxx

This episode covers a topic that is so close to my heart and that is the power of our minds and how they have the ability to transform our lives and the way we experience life. Don’t let social conditioning of what is seen as right or wrong dictate your worth or your ability to make your life happen for you the way you want it. If you want something then go for it – you have the power and the capabilities to do so, all you need to do is believe in yourself and focus your energy on the areas that you know will serve you best.  It's time to flip the switch any time self-doubt creeps in and focus on what could go right.

Just like the physical relationships we have in our lives, social media relationships also play a big role in how we feel about ourselves and how our energy is spread and shared throughout the day. The messages you are constantly feeding your mind, what you believe and what your inner mean girl feeds off have the power to change your day and take it from epic to anxiety ridden.  This episode covers why we should start to understand our 'why' behind our activities on social media and why it's important to be aware for our mental health.

We all grew up knowing that there were 4 seasons every year – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter – but what wasn’t expressed to us, were the seasons of life.    Everything in our lives has its own season just like the seasons we experience throughout the year. Our relationships, friendships, finances, work, love, happiness, sadness, prosperity, home life, physical activity, diet – everything that nourishes us internally and externally also experience their own seasons. They start at the very beginning, flourish, continue to grow and then show us when it’s time to move on. This episode covers the seasons of emotions and how they are all beautiful and necessary to experience in order to live a truly fulfilled life.

When I talk about long term weight loss, I’m not talking about using a restrictive diet and then keeping off the weight, I’m not talking about restricting your food forever – in fact, I’m not talking about restriction at all! It goes against everything that I believe in and my main healthy lifestyle principles. If you want to lose weight, then that is totally achievable and it can be done in a healthy way where the focus is on loving and nourishing your body.  However, what happens when you reach your goal? Are you in the habit of restricting and then binging once it’s all over? Or have you built healthy habits that you can take forwards with you for the rest of your life? I’m hoping it’s the latter, but I know for so many beautiful women, being on that restricting-binging cycle is all too familiar. Not only is it damaging to your health to be on a restrictive diet one minute and overindulging on delicious (probably not so healthy) foods the next, but it’s also damaging the relationship you have with food.  This episode covers 5 tips towards maintainable long-term weight loss without restrictive dieting and freeing yourself of all those limiting beliefs around food. It is possible to lose weight, keep it off and still feel  free to enjoy the life you deserve.

It’s been a while since I’ve spoken about positivity and positive thinking but when it comes to living the life of your dreams, there is no better place to start than with your mind-set. It’s always amazed me how our minds have the power to transform our day. We are the creators of our own life and how we begin that creation is always with a thought – that thought is then expanded on through deciding your next course of action, taking that inspired action, stepping outside of your comfort zone and propelling you forwards towards the life you dream of. This becomes a thought - action - creation cycle. In this episode, I wanted to talk about how this sequence can either work in our favour or against us and how you can start taking back ownership of your life so that you can live the life you dream of and create what you have always wanted. Want to work with me? [Click here](https://www.heruniqueglow.com/coaching/item/free-health-consultation) to find out more.

When I was a teenager, I associated the word ‘healthy’ with stick thin women, eating grapefruit, cutting out wheat and exercising every given moment of the day. That thought pattern didn’t shift until I started re-educating myself on what a healthy diet was and how to exercise right for my body. It doesn’t matter who you are or what background you come from, we all have our own definition of what ‘healthy’ is and what we see as optimal. Maybe for someone being healthy is about losing weight, or gaining weight, maybe it’s about exercising more or less, cutting out junk food, de-toxifying your life, harnessing loving relationships, getting rid of toxic relationships or maybe it’s getting more sleep and stressing less. We all have our own health goals and our own opinions as to what healthy should look like.   I was so confused as a young girl – there was so much conflicting information out there and it seems to have become even more complicated now! One minute there’s an article saying that eggs are bad for you, then the next minute they’re suddenly the most amazing source of protein ever! One documentary says veganism is the only way, whereas another person says paleo is best. There’s hot phrases like ‘gluten free’, ‘dairy free’, ‘refined sugar free’ (yes, I know I use all of them!) and not to mention superfoods, greens powders, health powers, protein powders (again, I’m aware my pantry is also stocked with them!). There’s no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ when it comes to the foods we choose to eat and it’s time we stop complicating health and get back to basics.

Sleep is one of the major key players in creating long term, vital and sustainable health. Without enough good quality sleep, we are left feeling run-down, sluggish, irritable and out of alignment. If you want to feel your absolute best and be the most epic version of yourself possible, then it’s time to start prioritising sleep and turning good quality sleep into one of your non-negotiables. This episode covers: * Why we need good quality sleep * The benefits of sleep * Sleep deprivation * How to adapt your nutrition to enhance your sleep * How to create a healthy sleep environment * Easy lifestyle changes to increase the quality of your sleep To read the blog post, [click here.](https://www.heruniqueglow.com/blog/the-importance-of-good-quality-sleep)

When I was studying with The Institute of Integrative Nutrition, one of the things that really resonated with me was the holistic approach we were being taught. One of the core concepts of holistic health and nutrition is about treating the cause and not the symptom.  One of the biggest examples I love to share is the idea of primary food and secondary food. The food we eat is known as secondary food. Primary food is everything else that feeds our lives from our career and finances to our happiness and relationships. When something is out of alignment with our primary food, then our secondary food will be out of alignment as a result. In this case, the secondary food is the symptom (what we eat) and the primary food is the cause (what’s causing us to choose the foods we eat). This podcast episode looks at 5 areas of primary food and why treating the cause will help relieve the symptoms. To read the blog post, [click here](https://www.heruniqueglow.com/blog/treating-the-cause-not-the-symptom).

There’s the saying ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’ and this is so relevant when it comes to practicing self-care. Understanding who you are, what you need to thrive and what drives you can lead you to establishing a regular self-care practice that will help you to tune into yourself and always make sure your cup is full. Sometimes being selfish is the most unselfish thing you can do and taking that time for yourself is vital for giving your energy to others. When you’re at your most vulnerable and not looking after yourself regularly, those negative thoughts, inner mean girl chants and doubts can creep in and take over.  This episode goes through 9 different ways you can tune back into yourself and feel more grounded, calm and settled. To read the blog post, [click here](https://www.heruniqueglow.com/blog/how-to-tune-into-yourself).