Happy 2016 – Be the Best You can be!

Most of my blogs are on travel and business, but for those that have been ‘followers’ for a few years now, you’d know that I occasionally throw in a lifestyle blog, and this is one of those!

With 2016 looming, I reflected on 2015 which for me was an amazing year of success that I am proud of – the launch of my first book, business growth and diversity, and travel adventures to amazing destinations that I had not visited previously. My life on a personal and business level thrived and now it’s time to focus on the coming year ahead and look forward.

I have a number of goals and aims for 2016, many of them travel and business related (no surprise to people that know me, I’m sure!) but for me, 2016 is a year that I want to focus on my personal health and development, to be the best that I can possibly be.

Now I’m in my early forties, it’s time to really concentrate on developing a healthy lifestyle so that I am performing at my optimum energy, focus and health levels. I know this will help me reach new personal and business achievements and it’s something I really do want to commit to.

In recent years, my waistline has slowly expanded (I think they call is middle aged spread!), my time for me has decreased as work, family and commitments have taken over (it always takes reflection for me to realise this as I love what I do and enjoy what I do every day). And with a couple of family and friends not being so well this year, it’s really made me realise, more and more, the importance of looking after myself. As my dear friend Kim Morrison from Twenty8 says “self care is not selfish – it’s essential”.

Now I shall never claim to be an expert on health, well-being or fitness, nor a trained or authority on any of these areas, but I do enjoy learning about these topics and understand the importance of taking little steps to improve every day and the need for us all to focus on our well-being.

If we wish to be successful business people, fantastic parents, global travellers, valued friends and most importantly, happy – then we need to allow ourselves ‘me time’ and the chance to indulge in activities and habits that enable us to be in our peak condition, mentally and physically.

So with this in mind, here are my little aims (and tips) to focus on each day to bring me a little closer to being as healthy and alive as I can be:

• Keep a food diary – and be honest with this and include everything. It will highlight your daily habits and show up areas that can be tweaked or refined
• Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. As the old saying goes ‘ breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dine like a pauper’
• Exercise daily – do something active every day; it doesn’t have to be a marathon but something or things that keep you active. Check out Kim Morrison’s Work Out of the Day posts for fantastic, effective workouts that are great for those that are time poor (twenty8.com/wods)
• Drink 2 litres of water, or 8 glasses, of water per day
• Take a morning pro-biotic to assist with optimum gut health
• Eat smaller portions as the size of our meals often hinders our weight equilibrium. Someone once told me to eat off a side plate and this sounds like a great plan! ‘Eat to live, don’t live to eat’
• Start the day with a cleansing/detoxing drink. Jessica Sepel’s metaboost drink is perfect… check out jessicasepel.com/recipes/jesss-metaboost-drink for the recipe
• Eliminate fructose and processed food from your diet where possible
• Eliminate soft drinks from your diet – think of the chemicals and/or sugar!
• Aim for 7 – 9 hours of sleep every night

Sound like a lot to take on? You betcha, but baby steps is the key – introduce items slowly and work on a little improvement every day, that is what I am aiming to achieve. As habits start to form, it will become easier and remember your end goal!

So wish me well, today is 1^st January 2016, the start of a bright and promising New Year. Whatever your dreams and goals are, I wish you every success and all the best for a great year!