Fibre…itis!

There is a new epidemic sweeping our lands and it’s coming to a house near you....I call it Fibre...itis! When I look at a plate of food I see nutrient content, you know, fibre, enzymes, phyto-nutrients. I think to myself, what am I going to get out of it? Will it feed me or just fill me? I know I am in the minority here and perhaps it’s a crazy concept for a lot of people, but one that I would ask you to be open to. You see, what you are eating will determine quite of lot of how you are feeling. When you eat something, it will be broken down into smaller parts. These smaller parts, will then go on to become even smaller parts and smaller etc….Eventually, these parts need to become energy for your cells. If you put diesel into a petrol engine, you wouldn’t get very far right? Well, that’s what has happens with your body too. Junk food in, junk energy out.

However, no matter what you take in, it is through all of these incredibly complex metabolic processes, that we produce waste products that will need to be eliminated from the body. If these waste products are not eliminated correctly, and efficiently, the body almost begins to poison itself from within...sounds yuck eh! These waste products will look for alternative way of elimination e.g. spilling onto the skin and causing eruptions and problems and like just slowing us down in general sometimes to the point of stopping us in our tracks with a major illness until we do get the "junk" out. There is a better way than letting these waste products build and build and cause damage to our bodies and this is by taking in sufficient fibre. Fibre is the magic sponge that will safely eliminate these waste producs from our bodies.  So, exactly is fibre and where do I get it from?

Soluble Fibre
There are two main types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. The soluble is the kind found in fruit, beans peas, oat bran, rye, barley, certain veggies such as broccoli and carrots, psyllium (that you can buy in shops) and especially chia seeds. Soluble fibre has a jelly like substance that improves bowel movements. If you’ve ever soaked chia seeds in water, you will get a very good example of this jelly like substance. Soluble fibre also mops up or binds with cholesterol found in the small intestine and brings it out of the body. Soluble fibre can slow down the release of sugars into the system, and is therefore an excellent way of reducing the risk of diabetes.

Insoluble Fibre
Insoluble is the type found primarily in greens, peels, nuts, seeds wholegrains and beans. Think of the husks of grains, and you’ll get the picture of what insoluble fibre looks like. Insoluble fibre is like a sponge and indeed plays a similar role. If you’ve ever put a sponge over water and allow it soak it up, then you will have a good visual of how the insoluble fibre works in the intestine. It can absorb many times its own body weight in toxic residue and then releases it from the body.

Other than metabolic waste where do these toxins come from?
From inhaling the air around us, to undigested foods, taking in heavy metals from the food chain e.g. tuna fish is very high in mercury, and from other pesticides/herbicides that have been used to bring the food to our table. Skin care products, household products that are not environmentall friendly, shampoos and conditioners that are usually bought in chemists and supermarkets, mobile phones, laptops, medication,, alcohol, coffee etc. We live surrounded by them and there is nothing you can do to avoid some of them. However, the one good way to make sure that you are fighting them in the best way possible is to up your fibre intake.

What is the best way to up my fibre intake?
For me, this has to be by taking a green smoothie daily. The fruit and leafy green combination works perfectly. You can also do as I do and add chia seeds for even more soluble fibre. I soak mine before hand. If you do manage to get some chia seeds  and put them in water, you will see exactly how this works. You could also up your legumes (peas, beans and lentils), seeds, nuts and veggies intake. Fruit is also an excellent source of fibre, but I would not encourage you to take in too much as it still does contain a lot of fruit sugar. About two pieces per day is best. Also, please don't get too bogged down in whether or not you have eaten soluble or insoluble fibre, just increase your intake of veggie foods and you will be really helping your gut. For the record, animal products are not sources of fibre, so do not be fooled, you will get neither soluble or insoluble fibre from eating them. Plant based foods are the way to increase your overall fibre intake.

If you would like some green smoothie recipes, please visit www.facebook.com/kitchengreenie. There are plenty of recipes there to get you started.

I hope you found this article helpful and if you did, then please so pass it on to someone who might benefit from reading it.

To your good health!

Ruth.

Juicy Secrets

There has been lots of interest in juicing in recent years and deservedly so.  Many people now replace several of their daily meals with these nutritional power-houses and are reaping the benefits of such a change. Juicing remains one of the quickest ways to supercharge your health and vitality that is available to date. The following is a short guide on juicing that I hope will help clear up any questions that you might have had but were afraid to ask.

Fresh Versus Pasteurised
The first thing you need to know is that there is a difference between pasteurised and un-pasteurised juice. Fresh juice has active enzymes and the pasteurised version does not. These active components of fresh juice are the main reason why juiced fruit and veg only last a short time after being prepared. Typically this is around 24 hours, after that, the juice will have oxidised quite considerably. Oxidation is the process where the active enzymes comes into contact with oxygen and as a result, begins to degrade over time. If you’ve ever cut an apple and left it exposed to the air, you will see it turning brown. This is the same oxidative process that happens to a fresh juice. There is a considerable reduction in the quality and enzymatic content once the juice has been extracted, which is why it is better to drink it soon after it has been made.

Juice Contains No Fibre
This is true. The juice is almost like the blood of the plants. Once it is passed through a juicer, the fibre is removed leaving only the liquid element behind. You body can easily absorb the nutrients from this liquid without having to go through the lengthy digestive process that eating the whole plant involves. This makes light work on the digestive tract, and is an excellent way to up your nutritional intake, particularly if your digestive system is functioning below par. Have you ever felt the need to sleep after a big meal? Not exactly the result eating a meal is meant to achieve, but shows the power of the digestive process, particularly when it is under siege, well, juicing is an incredible way to give your body a break, while feeding it at the same time. 

However, even though juice does not contain any fibre, we do still need  to eat it and in fact, we need a lot more than we would imagine, so I would not recommend you staying on only juice for a long time, unless you are treating a serious health condition. Fibre is like a magic sponge that mops up all the toxins that are stored in our colon. The lack of fibre in our western diet is a major cause for concern and is seriously damaging people’s health. Victoria Butenkyo (one of my secret nutritional heroes) in “Green for Life” recommends people take in at least 30 to 50 grams per day. It is sad, but most of us are falling way short of this figure, with most people closer to 15 grams per day. I most certainly do not want to “dis” juicing, or its increcible role in reversing many illness and nutritional deficiencies, but feel that people need to be made aware of its lack of fibre.  I will be covering more on fibre in another post over the coming weeks so watch out for it.

Best Time to Juice
Morning is definitely the best time to juice. This is because the body has several different cycles and it is in the morning when the juice will be of most benefit to you. The body goes into its cleansing and detox cycle at 3am and does not leave this cycle until noon the following day. During this time, the inner organs are cleansing and expelling the body of unwanted toxins. It is more supportive to your body to drink fresh juice and have foods with a high water content during this time, which means a nice, fresh veggie juice is an excellent way to start the day. Examples of veggies that have a high water content are cucumber and celery. Fruit too also has a high water (and sugar content too) and don’t forget your leafy greens. You may have heard that having your biggest meal in the middle of the day really is better for you but now you know why, it’s because your can digest it easier. The later the hour in the day that you eat, the more taxing it will be on your digestive system. If you are going to have a large meal and it is a late hour and you find your digestive system is not what it used to be, then I suggest you try taking some digestive enzymes before you eat. I find these little things a Godsend!

Juicing is Alkalising to the Body
Our body’s blood has a natural acid/alkaline balance. It is measured on a PH scale that ranges from zero, with zero being the most acidic to 14, being the most alkaline. Good health is somewhere between 6.8 and 7.6. Most of the refined foods we eat, i.e. all processed and packaged  food, wheat based products, dairy and animal products are acid forming to our bodies. When our PH is too acidic it is Disneyland for bad bacteria and yeast to survive and thrive. Ideally we are better off refusing entry to these little nasties and juicing, particularly green juices are an excellent way to redress this balance to more alkaline surroundings. The reason I mention green juices is that many people are under the illusion that having mango, pineapple, pear a carrot is a good nutritious juice. It is certainly better than the shop bought version, but for maximum nutrition, low GL (glycaemia load) and truly healthy juices, you need to get juicing those leaves and veggies with a smaller amount of fruit. I will be putting up a Useful Links Index shortly so, do please keep checking back to see if I’ve been organised enough to get write and jog my memory if I haven't.

Different Veggies You Can Juice

• All Leafy Greens – including kale, spinach, pak choi, parsley, coriander, mint – high in vitamins A,C and E, watercress, rocket, all types of lettuce, chock full of chlorophyll (see separate entry on chlorophyll) and phyto-nutrients. Great for alkalising the body.
• Cucumber and Celery are incredible for flushing out toxins from the kidneys. Great for building hair, skin and nails. Anti-inflammatory qualities. Celery is high in the coumarins, a phyto-chemical that may help lower blood pressure and increase white blood cell count.
• Beetroot – great for building strong blood and heart. They add a lovely earthy flavour to your juice. Don’t forget to juice the leafy tops too as they contain beta-carotene, calcium and iron.
• Apples- are lovely and sweet and bring a lovely taste to your juice. They are a great system cleanser and like most fruit, have plenty of anti-oxidant properties because they have high Vit A and C content. They are also more alkalising to the body than other fruits.
• Pears – similar to apples, but are the more alkalising than most other fruit.
• Ginger – Incredible for your digestion and brings such a unique taste to your drink. I love this and add it to almost all of my drinks and smoothies.
• Lemons and Lime - Full of Vitamin c, but their real benefit is in the alkalising effect they have on the blood. This makes them excellent for taking the edge off some of the more bitter leafy greens and a great combination with lots of other fruit.

As you can imagine, this is not an exhaustive list, of fruit and veggies that are available. There are lots of juicing books on the market that can offer lots of creative recipes that you and your family can enjoy. For juicing, the higher the water content, the more juice you will get. The above list are some of the fruit and veggies that I juice regularly.

Enjoy getting to know what works for you and I look forward to hearing all about your amazing, healthy, juicy concoctions.

To you good health!

Ruth.

Alkalising Your Body

My friend Kate from Alkalkine By Design is a whizz kid when it comes to alkalising the body correctly. It is my view that there is a lot of misinformation about the best way to alkalise the body.  It is something that I myself, pay close attention to in my own life. I do this by measuring my body's PH levels (more on this towards the end of this piece). I've asked Kate to write a small piece to explain exactly what alkalising is and to highlight some of its benefits. Not only has she offered the following for my blog, there is a free alkalising ebook to all those who would like to know more.

Here's what Kate has to say on the subject of Alkalising

Alkalising is a natural hygiene (natural eating) term applied to the practice of eating raw salads and vegetables, with the inclusion of nuts and seeds, and some fruits. Alkaline foods are considered all vegetables (with the exception of root vegetables) and only a handful of fruits such as lemons, grapefruits, avocadoes and tomatoes. Your blood is slightly alkaline, and in order for the blood to maintain its proper form and correct function, it too needs alkaline foods. Without it the blood then starts to steal nutrients from other organs and tissues creating pain and disease from such lack. When you 'alkalise' you give your body correct nutrition for creating blood, tissues and maintaining proper organ function. The benefits of which give you clear skin, much more energy, proper working function of every organ in your body and reversal of aging. Even better is an abundance of digestive enzymes, and good bacteria without the need for supplementation. People who alkalise rarely have pain in any area of their body and are known to reverse painful conditions. Under supervision, alkalising is also known to reverse serious health problems where Western Medicine offers no hope or progress. You lose your taste for sweet sugary foods, your taste changes considerably and your mouth will freshen with the renewal of tastebuds - you literally start tasting your food for the first time as it should be, and will desire salt and other dressings and food additives much less. Your body wakes up and receives the goodnesss for use and blood creation, giving you a glint in your eye, a spring in your step and a return of your sex drive. An 80/20 approach (80% of your daily intake being veges, salads and oils/nuts etc) and 20% being acidic (such as rice, salmon or other fish fillet, millet, quinoa, sweet potato and also any protein or animal based foods) is a very strong long term strategy for living a healthy and socially inclusive life. To find out more about what kinds of foods you could enjoy in this transition please visit my website at www.alkalinebydesign.co.uk and download Alkalising Made Easy for free.

My words on your PH

I've been checking my own PH levels for a while now. When I first started, I was amazed at how easy it was to affect it, particularly by the foods we eat. The PH scale is a measure of the degree of aciditity or alkalinity as measured on a PH scale. PH stands for potential of hydrogen and in effect is the amount of hydrogen in any particular substance. If you look at the diagram above, you will see that the PH scale runs from 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. Neutral is around the 7 mark. The scale is a good indicator of good health with the body being more healthy and disease free in an alkaline environment. It is thought that anywhere from 7.2 to 7.4 is the best alkaline environment for our bodies to live in.  There are many other elements that affect your PH and while diet is a very important element, it is not the only one. Drinking pure, clean water will do wonders for keeping your PH alkaline. However, our water supply chain is not pure and clean, so if you can get access to either spring water or get a good water filter fit into you home, this will go a long way towards keeping your body balanced. Keeping your stress levels in check will also help. I have known some people who had the optimum PH levels and did not eat a particularly alkaline diet. However, what they did have was a super attitude to life and oozed happiness and contentment. Being stressed creates acid in the system, which in turn will alter your acid/alkaline levels, so do keep those negative thoughts and emotions to a minimum if possible or at least get help with clearing them out altogether.

Kate and I will be running a series of talks and workshops in September 2011 in Ireland and the UK. The schedule has yet to be confirmed, but we are we are really excited to share this information with you. I will be showing you how to clean up your diet and Kate will be taking you through best way to improve your PH safely. If you would like to be put on the mailing list, please feel free to contact me on kitchengreenie@gmail.com.

Kate will also be running life blood analysis clinics at that time and I will be posting up information on these over the coming days.

For now, I will wish you a super, healthy, happy and empowered day!

Best wishes,

Ruth.

Know Your Personal Care Products

  

Some of the potentially harmful ingredients commonly used by the personal care industry and the products that you can find them in are as follows:

Antipersperant

The main culprit here is aluminium.  Aluminium is a metallic element used extensively in the manufacture of aircraft components, prosthetic devices, but also as an ingredient in antiperspirants, antacids and antiseptics.  Scientific research conducted on the brain tissue of deceased Alzheimer's patients, found unusually high levels of aluminium in the brain.  Aluminium compounds are known to be neurotoxic (a toxin that damages or destroys nerve tissue) for humans.  When we use products that contain these harmful substances, the liver must work harder to rid our bodies of these toxins. The US FDA advisory panel has requested the removal of such chemicals from antiperspirant deodorants but still they are widely available. Substances that have been considered safe in the past are now considered harmful and it is up to each of us to choose wisely when making our purchases for ourselves and our families.

Toothpaste

Hard to believe, but your toothpaste is not a harmless substance that leaves your teeth nice and clean and your mouth feeling fresh.  The average bathroom toothpaste contains two harmful substances fluoride and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) that are best avoided.  Fluoride is a chemical that has had much research conducted on its safety levels for humans. The following might be worth noting: that if as little as 1 gram of fluoride is ingested, it can cause poisoning in humans. Adults don't normally swallow toothpaste, but children do. However, adults don't get away unscathed, as according to the World Health Organisation, Fluoride can accumulate in body tissue and can be poisonous if ingested over longer periods of time.  So essentially, the choice is yours.  We don't need it.  If you are still worried about protecting your teeth from decay you are receiving more than enough of your daily quota of fluoride if you drink Irish tap water! So why have it in your toothpaste as well? The reasons why SLS is best avoided is set out below under the heading "shampoo".

 

Shampoo

Both sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) are synthetic ingredients found in most shampoos bought in supermarkets and chemists. SLS is a harsh detergent and wetting agent used in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and auto cleaning products, but also found in many of our personal care products.  It is a known irritant that is rapidly absorbed and retained in the eyes, brain, heart and liver cells which can have long term health implications. Sodium laureth sulphate is another irritant that has a low molecular weight which is rapidly absorbed by the body and will readily penetrate the skin.

Other research has shown that SLS and SLES may cause potentially carcinogenic nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with commonly used ingredients found in many products. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. They are used in personal care products because they are cheap.

 

Skin Care Products

Considering the  skin absorbs almost anything that we put on it, perhaps the next time you shop for your products, you might note the ingredient list. These are products that are widely available in our supermarkets and chemists and ones that we are told are totally safe for human use.

I believe the wost of the harmful ingredients to be propylene glycol. This is a substance found in many skincare products, body lotions and even baby wipes.  Propylene glycol prevents the escape of  moisture and water from the skin, which has the effect of making the skin look plumper and younger in appearance.  The Environmental Defense Fund, state that propylene glycol can weaken the immune system and has been found to cause kidney damage and liver abnormalities. Propylene glycol is also found in paint, liquid laundry detergents, antifreeze and brake fluid. I for one have not used any harmful skin care products containing these ingredients for over 20 years, and I do hope that you will look on your bathroom shelf today and clear out any and all harmful products that do not serve the best interest of your or your family's health.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of hazardous chemicals that we are exposed to every time we choose a personal care product . I have outlined some others to watch out for below.

 

Other harmful ingredients

Alpha Hydroxy Acid
Animal Fat (Tallow)
Bentonite
Collagen
Formaldehyde
Glycerine
Mineral Oil
Petrolatum
Talc

Over the coming days, I will add an article on the most commonly used E numbers used to preserve our foods that I believe are best avoided.

To your great health and empowerment!

Ruth.

Be Your Own Health Expert

The following was given to Kitchen Greenie by the kind permission of Suzanne Laurie, Director of Studies at the Institute of Complementary & Integrated Medicine - www.icim-ireland.net.

Be Your Own Health Expert Quick diet health check

To find out just how your diet measures up try our quick quiz below.

Score one point for every statement that applies to you:

* I do not add sugar to food/drink most of the time.
* I avoid processed foods most of the time.
* I rarely add salt in my food.
* I do not drink more than one cup of coffee most days.
* I do not drink more than two cups of tea most days.
* I do not drink more than 2 units of alcohol a day.
* I do not eat fried food more than twice a week.
* I do not eat "fast food" more than twice a week.
* I do not eat red meat more than twice a week.
* I do not eat chocolate or sweets more than twice a week.
* On most days more than a third of my diet consists of fruit & vegetables
* I drink more than 1 litre of plain water each day.
* I usually choose whole grain products (bread, rice, pasta) over 'white' alternatives.

Scores:
1-5. Your diet needs some major improvements if you are to avoid poor health. Use the quiz above to establish where your problem areas are, then work at changing one or two at a time over the next few months.

6-10. You are on the right track. However there is still room for improvement if you wish to be in the best shape possible.

11-14. You obviously work hard at looking after your health. Because of this any 'treats' are unlikely to affect your health. Keep up the good work.

You Are What You Eat
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it.
We are all constantly being told what we should and shouldn't eat so most of us know the components of a healthy diet. However could the way we eat actually be just as important as what we eat in terms of health. Here are some top tips to ensure that you get the most out of what you eat......and that you can have the fun stuff too!!!

How to eat
It is all too easy for eating to become a habit rather than a pleasure in this busy world in which we live. However, forgetting to appreciate food, and mealtimes can lead to overeating, poor digestion and ultimately poor health and weight gain.

Heres how to do it properly:
* Eat slowly. The stomach and digestive organs need time to prepare themselves for digesting the food we eat. Ideally they should receive a signal that food is on its way - perhaps from cooking smells or chewing action in the mouth. At this point small particles of food should start reaching the stomach. However this should be a slow controlled process. If you are eating a sandwich on the go or rushing dinner to get to an appointment the digestive organs will not have time to organise themselves and food may be poorly digested. You are also unlikely to know when you are full, as it can take 20 minutes for this message to reach the brain.

* Chew well. Chewing is the first part of digestion. If food is not broken down in the mouth properly then it may be too big for the digestive system to handle. This can lead to malabsorption of nutrients and weight gain. It can also lead to overeating as mentioned above.

* Allow yourself to be hungry. In this day and age it is ok to be hungry. It does not mean that you will not get fed and should be embraced because it means that you will enjoy your food more once you do get it. It is also important to stop eating once you feel satisfied. Our taste buds become less sensitive the fuller we are so as soon as you stop tasting the food and are just shovelling it in - stop!!

Portion control
One of the major obstacles to a healthy diet is over eating due to poor portion control. We just don't seem to know how much is enough anymore! Watching your portion sizes is a great way of ensuring that you can eat ALL your favourite foods without piling on the pounds or damaging your health. Here are a few easy to follow tips:

* Don't fill your plate. The trend for super size dinner plates means that a plate of food is now about 1/3 bigger than 20 years ago, yet we do not need to eat that much more food. So don't fill it. Stick to the following simple guidelines for how big each part of your meal should be:

- Meat / fish / beans / lentils - the size of a pack of cards
- Cheese - the size of a box of matches
- Potatoes / rice / pasta - the size of a tennis ball
- Vegetables - half your plate of food

* Half and half. Try decreasing the portion size of your favourite foods by half and substituting the rest for fresh salad, vegetables or fruit. For example, if you are used to eating a whole deli or sub sandwich at lunch, just eat half and have it with raw veggies or some fresh fruit. Then wait to see if you're still hungry.

* Know your serving sizes. Just how much of your favourite snack is considered one serving? Do you even know? Check the box and see -- you may be surprised at how many servings you are actually consuming at one time. Measure them out following the recommendations next time you eat them.

* Can you stomach it? The stomach is about the size of two loosely formed fists. Therefore it only really needs a large handful of food at any one time to be satisfied. It is better to eat a small amount regularly (but only when you feel real hunger) than overface your digestive tract with larger less frequent meals.

Healthy weight loss
Many of us feel that we could do with a few less inches around our waists/bottoms/thighs (... delete as appropriate!). However weight loss should only be undertaken for health reasons and just to emulate the latest waif like superstar. As we age it is even more important to have a bit of padding in appropriate places as it helps to cushion our delicate bones and organs as well as helping to smooth out those pesky wrinkles! Periods of starvation only cause nutrient depletion which can lead to problems later in life such as osteoporosis, dementia and even cancer. So if you do want to lose weight - do it sensibly. Weight loss of about 1-1.5lbs per week is both achievable and sensible. To lose that weight you need to get rid of about 350 calories per day from your diet. This can be achieved by simply removing a portion of ice cream, a bagel, a large bag of crisps or by reducing food intake slightly and exercising the rest away (an hours walk will burn off 150-300 calories.

A note from Kitchen Greenie....While I stay away from animal products myself, I feel this article highlights that most people are overdoing it when it comes to animal protein, particularly when you look at the healthy portion size recommended by Suzanne. For further information on why it is more health enhancing to reduce the amount of animal products you eat, please read The China Study by Colin T. Campbell on http://amzn.to/jvR6zn. I will be posting some other great meat free recipes over the coming weeks so do log back in.

Thanks so much for reading!

Ruth.

Lemon Treats

Makes about 28 treats. Tart lemon, nutty walnuts and sesame seeds, rich coconut and smooth, sweet dates come together to make these incredibly refreshing treats.

1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup sesame seeds
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (organic)

How to make them…
Place dates, walnuts, sesame seeds, lemon juice and zest in a food processor. Pulse and blend until completely combined and smooth. The mixture will be slightly sticky. With dampened hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Roll in coconut and chill until ready to serve.

This recipe is posted especially for those ladies who enjoyed eating them at the Greystones Community Garden this evening.

Super easy and super tasty.

Enjoy ladies!

Unleasing Your Potential

The Oxford English Dictionary defines potential as “having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future”. This definition certainly speaks to me. Many people believe that some things are totally out of their reach and because of these limiting beliefs, stop striving to achieve their goals. There may be no truth in the statement that anything is possible for anybody. For example, if you are a wheelchair user, it may be a very difficult feat for you to run a marathon, but you could certainly wheel one. This leaves it more realistic to say that anything is possible, for anybody, on their own terms. This now brings in the whole concept of a person’s potential, something that I believe is very overused and much mis-understood.

We all have potential to be something in the future and that future is ever changing. In years gone by, it was thought that the life we were born into was the only life you could live. This, thank goodness, has become a very outdated way of thinking. However, some people are very happy with their lot and would not change it even if they could. This I believe is a very important point to remember when considering your own potential. I ask you now to reread the definition again and again until it has well and truly sunk in and is fully registered with you. You can indeed be anything you would like to be, within your own parameters, but it will take new ways of thinking and behaving from you. You will need to know how to set goals and achieve them before you can achieve that potential. If you keep going down the same road, you will get the same result, so once you’ve identified the potential that you would like to move into, then I believe you will find the following goal setting strategy very helpful in helping you achieve that potential.

Goal Setting – Learning How To Set Goal
Focussing on the final outcome of a goal when it seems very far away can be overwhelming. This in turn can lead to a disheartening effect. It will be a lot easier if you break your goal down into mini goals. For example, you could set outcomes that you would like to achieve in certain time periods. Let’s say your plan is to achieve your goal in one year, you could break this into 12 sections representing the twelve months. For me, my health is something that I place great importance upon and therefore is one of my top 3 life goals. This is because without your health, you pretty much will have difficulty achieving any of the other goals in your life without it. So setting a goal like eating more health enhancing living food will move you towards this goal. This will mean being organised and not just grabbing the first thing that is put in front of you because you’ve let yourself get so hungry, your blood sugars will tell you to eat something, anything and quick! You could decide to make a new vegetarian dish every month for your family, which would also move you towards this goal. If you decide to take out all processed foods from your diet over night, you are setting yourself up for failure. This is because we need to get organised when we want to achieve a goal. If you have no idea how to cook a healthy meal, then you will resort back to your old ways of eating pretty quickly. Once you are back in your old and very comfortable way of eating, you will tell yourself that this is actually the way of eating that suits you best….all because you failed to plan! So each month set sub goals for yourself. Continue to keep your final outcome in your mind and subdivide your mini goals within the time framework that suits you.

Some questions to ask before setting your personal goals.
If we don’t know what we truly desire in life, it is difficult to create a situation where it can happen. Tuning into nature, regular physical exercise and quite contemplative time are ways that can help restore the connection to who we truly are.

• What do I really enjoy doing?
I love this one because most people forget that what they enjoy doing will bring them most pleasure….Note to self: must dance more!

• What am I passionate about?
Is there a topic that you feel very drawn towards and one that you find yourself speaking up about in particular? This will also serve as a good guide for you and will help you set clearer goals. No point in becoming the chairperson of the bingo club, if you’re really find nothing of interest in bingo.

• What makes me feel alive?
When I eat good food, I feel amazing and this is a feeling that I like reproducing. What makes you feel alive? Walking, nature, meeting friends, writing, painting. Do take some time to figure this out.

• What do I want out of life?
Ask yourself what do you value? Money, fame, family, community status, peace…..Asking
yourself these simple questions will help you get clear on exactly what your life is about for
you.

• Where do I want to be in five, ten years time?
This question will help you get organised. If deep down you would like to own a house in the country, and you live in an apartment in the city, then maybe you could take some visits to the country at the weekend and keep it alive your heart and mind.

• What are my core values? (what’s important to me?)
This is extremely important for you to figure out. As I’ve mentioned above, health is one of my top 3 goals. This makes many of my decisions around staying healthy much easier. It makes exercising pleasurable rather than a chore. Figuring out what’s important to you will help get really clear on what direction your life will take.

• Who are the people I admire?
Doing this exercise, you will be able to see what qualities these people have that you admire. Once you’ve done that, you can then consider taking on some of their qualities.

• Who are my role models?
This is similar to the above except once you’ve identified these people you can now become more of a copy cat. If they’ve been successful in a particular career, then you can be too. If it has been achieved by one person on the planet, then it can be achieved by you too. I have a sister who really admired a particular actress. The actress was particularly funny, and my sister became very funny too. In fact, it was uncanny how like her she became. You do not have to become the person fully, but you can certainly take on aspects that might work for you and also look at how they achieved their life goals and work with that.

• If I only had a year to live, what would I like to accomplish?
Isn’t this a great question? I still ask myself this to keep myself on track. It is so easy to get caught up with the day to day grind of life that we forget to stop, step back and see if we’ve set our sails in the right direction, living daily by focussing on what’s important to us. What would your year look like?

SMART Goals
If you remember nothing else from this article, do remember the following and put it up on your fridge.

SMART goals are – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-framed.

• Work off of lists and mark the items by their importance.
• Do the toughest things on your list first. This will give you a sense of freedom and you will be surprised at how quickly you will get through the easier tasks.
• Delegate tasks to others when possible
• Surround yourself by experts. You cannot do everything yourself.

While all this is going on, it is important to set time aside just for you; outside of your personal commitments. Treat yourself to a massage, reiki treatment or just a walk in nature. It is in these quite moments that your greatest bursts of inspiration have space to come in.

To your good health and empowerment!

Ruth.