Monday, 29 July 2013

Nurturing Healthy Habits



Healthy Habits JJ Whilst making a lunchtime juice-smoothie combo the other day, I realised how years ago my staples used to be bread and milk!!! OMG!! The first two things on my mind on return from holidays were always a cup of tea (with milk) and bread (subconsciously I think I was afraid of starvation if I didn't have a loaf in!!) Now my staples are bananas, avocados and greens - the foundation to my favourite breakfast green smoothies, and after a holiday (usually there's a long journey involved) my first thoughts are always for a nice looooooooooong drink of water. Shows how tastes and mind sets change - if we allow them to.

By de-cluttering our minds from old stuff, such as beliefs (that I’ll starve without a nice slice of granary on hand) and habits (brewing up without thinking), we can allow new energising, health-giving habits a bit of room to move in and set up home in our brain cells. Yay!!

But often it’s a chicken and egg situation. What comes first? If we are happy and healthy and bouncing full of energy we are more likely to feel good about ourselves and therefore more likely too to eat and think more healthily. Similarly, if we drink our water and eat our greens we are more likely to have cells that are buzzing full of energy and flourishing – which can’t but help overflow to global level (i.e. YOU).

Obviously if you aren’t eating as well as you could, and perhaps holding on to negative beliefs, your poor old cells will be feeling the effects and, rather than being happy, will be dragging themselves around feeling sorry for themselves and under-functioning. And that means you will be too. It takes a strong will or a light bulb moment or even both to get you changing your diet and mindset.

My own experience was one of feeling like absolute death and really scared because of my health (or lack of), and had someone suggested I hung upside down from a tall bridge to get better, I would have done so (a BIG deal for me as I’m a “feet firmly on the ground” kinda girl). Thankfully, a less dangerous option was on hand – to change my diet - and two of the things which went out of the window were wheat and dairy. The rest as they say is history.

Often it has to be a leap of faith. Often when you are in the depths of despair, you just have to trust and take that step.

The other week there was a fantastic film called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” on TV. It followed an Australian man called Joe who after suffering an auto-immune disease for many years (and being on umpteen drugs), decided to juice his way across the USA. Along the way he met a truck driver called Phil, suffering with the same illness. Phil chose to follow Joe’s example and get juicing. Both men made incredible strides in their health, lost lots of weight and were headed for a life without drugs. Both had hit rock bottom, but both too took that very difficult leap of faith. And WOW what results.

Obviously not all of us are so seriously ill.  I try to have a very healthy diet, but even so felt the film had a message for me too. It really brought home just how fundamental food is to our health and well-being, and how I need to get that message across to people. Whether you are a juicing-queen / king, or maybe have an OK diet but suffer with odd headaches, or lacking energy – things which we assume are “normal” (they aren’t; it may be the norm, but it isn’t normal) - I would recommend you make a point of getting your hands on this film and watching it, and see if it doesn’t speak to you at some level. 

The following quote sums it up nicely. J “Our bodies are incredibly smart. We have over 60 trillion cells intricately and automatically coordinating their activities so we can go on with our lives without having to worry about our health. But when we introduce bad foods to our bodies, we start to destroy this finely tuned masterpiece, balance is lost and the preconditions for disease set in. Our bodies scramble to recover and regain balance, but so long as bad food keeps coming in, they will remain out of balance and, over time, disease will set in. Our bodies are extremely forgiving of bad habits - but only up to a point - and when they have had enough, people will get a wake-up call like they’ve never had before”  THE RAVE diet and Lifestyle - Mike Anderson

The first step with any healthy diet / lifestyle is to get savvy !! You don’t need a university degree – just a few basics to put you on the right path. I shall be giving my “How Happy Are Your Cells” talk JJ in Dorking, Surrey on Monday 30 September and I invite you to come along to learn some of those basics.
See my website for more details ............

Friday, 11 January 2013

Cake-centric runners and couch smoothettes!!

Cake-centric runners and couch smoothettes!!


A brand new year gives us all a chance to turn over a new leaf. As a lover of stationery, I like to see life as a journal. At the beginning of January, we can draw a line under our old year, which may have seen an odd bad habit creep in and perhaps a few Christmas excesses, and now we are faced with a blank page on which we can scribble our intentions, hopes, dreams and goals for the year ahead.

Central to all this should be our health. Yes, I know I keep repeating myself BUT THIS IS SO IMPORTANT.

Be proactive. Take time now to focus on you – to ensure your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing are the best that they can be. If you don’t take time now, you may well be forced to take considerable time out when it’s not that convenient.  Big diseases don’t just suddenly visit us one evening out of thin air. Often they are brewing for several years, fuelled by our poor diets, lack of exercise, and lack of care for ourselves. Just a little time each day spent on looking after “me” can reap long-term benefits.  

A lot of people get a rush of blood to the head in January and sign up for gym membership or resolve to go running every day. That’s great, but not if you are still cramming cakes and eating a poor diet. Your already depleted reserves will be strained even further and injuries are more likely as well as feeling under par. Likewise, there is only so much benefit from being a couch-smoothette – a term I made up to denote a green-smoothie eating couch-potato!!

A healthy diet and lifestyle (including regular exercise) go hand in hand. They are not mutually exclusive!! 
Make nourishing yourself with health-giving foods and exercising your daily habits in 2013. You are sure to see and feel the difference. 

Wishing you a healthy 2013

Wednesday, 2 January 2013

Events in January / February


HAPPY NEW YEAR  

What better way to kick off 2013 than to think about your health? 

I have 4 events happening over January / February - workshops and talks to help you on your way to a healthier you. See below.  All are held in Dorking, Surrey.  

If are interested in any of them, let me know via email / phone. 

With best wishes for a happy and healthy 2013 

Judith



Want to feel healthy, vibrant & fabulous in 2013?
JJJJ
WEIGHT LOSS COURSE

Mondays  21, 28 Jan + 4, 11, 18, 25 Feb    (7.30pm - 10pm)

* Do you have a New Year’s resolution to eat more healthily but don’t know where to start?   * Do you wish to lose a few unwanted pounds? * Are you fed up of yoyo diets, counting calories or points?  * Are your clothes feeling a little tighter than you'd like?  * Do you want more energy? * Do you have a health niggle and would like to tackle it naturally?  

YES? Then join up now!!  Much more than just a weight loss course, you will find out in a relaxed and friendly environment how by combining a healthy diet, detox and exercise you can enjoy more vibrant health, feel great and lose weight naturally.

The course is held at my home in Dorking, so booking is essential.  Price £75
To book, contact me on 01306 884235 or drop me a line at judithreidnutrition@gmail.com   






Introduction to BACH FLOWER ESSENCES

Wednesday 23 January  8pm - 9.30pm

A gentle solution to life's ups and downs

JJJJ
Our emotions can hold us back in life and make us feel thoroughly miserable.

Are you perhaps * fearful * lacking in confidence * in shock after a trauma * angry              * shy * sad * lonely * undecided * depressed?

If so, help is at hand. J Bach Flower Essences can help to rebalance you emotionally
so that you can start to enjoy your life and feel at ease once again. J

Learn about these wonderful natural remedies which are easy and safe to use at home.

The talk is held at my home in Dorking, so booking is essential.  Price £10
To book, contact me on 01306 884235 or drop me a line at judithreidnutrition@gmail.com   



Want to give your digestion some TLC?
JJJJ
DIGESTIVE WELLNESS WORKSHOP

Saturday 02 Feb 2012   1.30pm - 5.30pm

Are you fed up of bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion, heartburn, spasms, IBS or general digestive discomfort? This workshop is for YOU!! 
Don't be shy!  Come along and find out in a relaxed and friendly environment how you can give your digestive system some much needed TLC

The workshop is held at my home in Dorking, so booking is essential. Price £28
To book, contact me on 01306 884235 or drop me a line at judithreidnutrition@gmail.com   








Rethink your diet - Nourish to Flourish!  
JJJ
Introduction to Naturopathic Nutrition Weekend Workshop

Saturday and Sunday 16 and 17 February   10.30am - 4.30pm

Rethink your diet so that you can enjoy better health, feel great about yourself and flourish at all levels.  A MUST if you are serious about your health.
Lots of information, tips, tasters, handouts and recipes to set you on the path to a healthier you.
Learn in a relaxed and friendly environment. Nourish your mind and body. Be empowered. Be inspired.  Meet like-minded people. A chance for you to re-focus on YOU!

The workshop is held at my home in Dorking, so booking is essential. 
Price £110.  EARLY BIRD PRICE = £95 if booked before 14 Jan.  
To book, contact me on 01306 884235 or drop me a line at judithreidnutrition@gmail.com
For more details see www.judithreidnutrition.co.uk  





Thursday, 27 December 2012

Grounding our dreams in 2013


NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Bach Flower - Clematis  helps us root our dreams and goals in reality

Yes, I know I have written about Clematis relatively recently, but seeing it adorn the fences of the nearby railway the other weekend, it made me think about New Year’s resolutions and how some of them often remain as pipe-dreams only.

So Clematis is making its second appearance in my blog!!  



The airy-fairy dreaminess of Clematis becomes all too apparent in the winter months, when it blankets the otherwise bare and quite dull hedgerows!! With its grey wispy appearance it looks rather ghost-like, reminding us that those in a negative Clematis state are hardly present. They maybe physically present, standing there before us, but their thoughts are usually far away, dreaming of the future, of a better life.
As we approach the end of 2012 and the beginning of a new year ahead, it is common to make resolutions. We may dream of being a gorgeous, slimmer version of ourselves, or of making a great success of our new business venture but these will remain as pipe dreams if all we do is take a Clematis approach to the future.
Dreams ARE important. Visualising ourselves as our future selves can motivate us towards achieving our goals, but we need also to ground ourselves and actually DO something. We need to live in the now, and put in some effort, whilst at the same time holding that dream. 
If we wish to lose unwanted pounds we need to get off our bottoms and exercise, as well as taking a good hard look at what we eat and making changes. If we dream of a successful business, we may need to put in hours of training, networking and advertising.
The bottom line is that we cannot hope to write a masterpiece if we do not put pen to paper!!
The Bach Flower Essence of Clematis helps to root us in reality and gives us a firm foundation on which to grow our dreams into a reality.   


Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Happy Christmas



Wishing Everyone a very Happy Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year ……… 

Friday, 7 December 2012

4 Bach Flower Essences for Christmas



I consider my set of BACH FLOWER ESSENCES as 39 friends on hand to calm me when I feel out of balance emotionally. Four worth considering at Christmas are:

* Vervain - where we are enthusiastically trying to produce the perfect Christmas and finding ourselves unable to relax. This essence helps us to do just that - relax and enjoy, without doing things to death and striving for perfection! 
* Impatiens - when we feel tense, irritable and impatient, perhaps because the children are playing up or others aren’t doing things as quickly as we’d like. We find it hard to cope with the frustrating Christmas queues and delays!!  This essence helps to bring patience and the realisation that everything happens in its own time.
* Elm - where you have so much on your plate (and I’m not talking too much turkey here), and you feel overwhelmed by it all. This essence helps to put our “list” into perspective and renews our confidence in being able to do what needs to be done.
* Olive for when you are simply exhausted mentally and physically from over doing things in the run up before the big day. This essence brings us a sense of peace and renewed strength but also gives us insight into how we overdid things to begin with to get so exhausted. 

Do any of these speak to you? These are just 4 of my “friends”.  There are many more to choose from.

For a more general helping hand - there is always * Rescue Remedy which can be used for major and minor traumas - anxiety before an event, the after effects of an argument or perhaps an accident in the home. It helps to restore calm, diffuse shock and trigger the body’s self-healing into action. NOTE: if you experience a medical emergency, this can be used whilst waiting for (but not instead of) medical help - a few drops on the tongue or pulse points.    

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Good breast health



GOOD BREAST HEALTH 
Last December, I reached my half-century and within weeks was being “invited” to have my first mammogram. I knew well before the letter arrived that I would never put myself through one of these. Tales from my mother having had a painful and worrying experience had made me realise that squashing a boob between two plates in the name of health, was in fact traumatising local cells and very delicate tissue. I happen to believe that my cells like a little respect and bags of TLC so that’s what I intend giving them in bucketfuls!!

My game plan is to reduce my risk with a healthy diet and lifestyle AND IF the need arises to check out any untoward symptoms with a proven safe method of scanning - and yes there is one. See below.  

I do NOT intend in participating in “just in case” invasive procedures. If I were to do that, I might as well also pop a daily statin just in case my cholesterol becomes too high (and the joke there is that cholesterol isn’t the problem it’s made out to be either!)  

I was delighted to buy my first copy of “What Doctors Don’t Tell You” back in September as it featured a bumper article entitled “The Great Mammogram Con”. I don’t intend re-writing it here, but would urge EVERY woman (whatever age) to read it. Instead I’ll just include a few key points.    

First of all, for every true case of breast cancer detected by a mammogram, it also sees 10 false positives!!! A false positive can lead to a full-blown scary rollercoaster of more tests and treatments including biopsies, lumpectomy (where the cancer is removed), full mastectomy, chemo and radiation. And this isn’t taking into account the months of worry and stress!! There are numerous stories in the papers / on the net telling of women who have unnecessarily had breasts removed.
Radiation and compression of the breast tissue carry dangers. It is argued that the X-ray radiation of one mammogram is negligible, but I would argue that any X-ray carries a risk. Also, at a screening, it is common for there to be 4 X-rays per breast so the cumulative effect is not as negligible as doctors would like you to believe (and ladies, if you consider our annual invite, the risk factor keeps building up).  And just to add insult to injury, literally, as well as being ultra-uncomfortable and often painful, a mammogram can spread existing cancerous cells!!
Mammography is a limited technology as it only sees mass and structure, and not activity, so there is no way to know if a lump is cancerous or aggressive. About one third of all aggressive breast tumours are not detected and in dense breast tissue (fairly common in younger women), cancers can be missed.

You’ll be pleased to know that there is a safe alternative. This is thermography - digital infrared thermal imaging. Where a mammogram sees mass, thermography sees activity from the heat emitted by fast, cancerous growth. It can pick cancers up early, when it is easier to tackle. It is safer because there is no radiation and no breast compression either. Win-win. 
The down side is the cost. Not yet available on the NHS, this procedure has to be done privately. A company called Medical Thermal Imaging Ltd runs mobile clinics throughout the UK (0333 800 3003). It is still worth asking your doctor about this because the bigger the noise we can make about this safe option, the more hope there is that someone may take note and introduce this instead of mammograms.

Whichever way you choose to check, the bottom line is not to buy into the fear. The problem is that the word “cancer” puts the heebie-jeebies into the most level-headed of us, and we can get drawn into having procedures which we may not need.

It pays to take a preventative approach and this starts with diet.  If you eat junk, you are not giving your cells (breast and other) the TLC they deserve, toxins build up and then disease can manifest.  If we stress our cells on a daily basis, they will spend all their time defending themselves rather than healing and cleansing.

Diet-wise
J drink plenty of clean water
J minimise/avoid caffeine
J eat organic
J eat a predominantly plant-based diet (and cut out dairy for sure)
J eat lots of veg and fruit, particularly green veg
J minimise/avoid sugar (cancer thrives on this)
J eat wholefoods and avoid processed
J minimise/avoid alcohol
   
Lifestyle-wise
J don’t smoke
J de-stress (do you REALLY HAVE to do this and that?); relax; stop to smell the roses
J get plenty of sleep
J get plenty of exercise. It’s non-optional if you want to stay healthy 
J get savvy about your toiletries, household cleaners etc. Ditch any chemical cocktails asap
J go hippy-style and ditch your bra. In particular under-wired bras can put undue stress on breast tissue
J re-think your deodorant. If it’s a bog-standard smelly stick, it’s likely to contain aluminium as well as other nasties. You are rolling this directly into the lymph glands under your arm, which sit next to your breasts. Not a good idea. My recommendation is to wash well and go au-naturel, but it that’s too scary, choose a more natural product

Here’s to good breast-health.