Restore...Renew Week 4, Day 3: Mindful

De-clutter is a bit of a buzz word this century and when you look on the internet you will find many programs and ideas to help people de-clutter their homes.  Many books have been written on this topic.  Those who have watched Oprah will remember her introducing us to De-Cluttering Guru, Peter Walsh.  He is known for saying that "clutter is not just the stuff in your closet".  This is so true.  Most often clutter is merely the symptom of something else happening in our lives and in our minds.  Today's challenge is therefore not de-cluttering your desk, a drawer or a room, but about de-cluttering your mind.

It is estimated that the average person has approximately 2000 thoughts running through his/her mind an hour.  Imagine it being like an internal radio, and the speed with which those thoughts would come on the airwaves.  Imagine the noise it would make.  That is what we are dealing with, mind noise.

Most of these thoughts are repetitive in nature and a vast amount of them are filled with negativity.  Most of us are totally unaware that our minds are so busy, but the result of all this noise going on in our heads is that we are unable to focus as clearly as we should be, we become restless and at the end of the day we feel drained of all energy.

So, how do we de-clutter our minds?  Five steps.

Firstly, the one thing which causes a lot of mental clutter is our issues with the past.  Often our minds are so cluttered with every emotion, every insult and wound from the past that there is no space for anything new.  Now is the time to deal with the past.  Face it, acknowledge it and then let it go.  The past can only continue hurting us if we hold onto it for dear life.  Take the good with you, but as for the rest, let it go!

Secondly, write it down.  Make to-do lists, schedule it on your phone's reminders or write it on post-its.  This way you clear up space in your mind for more important matters.  You don't have to think twenty times a day "remember to buy dog food, remember to buy dog food".

Thirdly, get yourself a journal.  Write down your multitude of thoughts.  It is an excellent way to clear your thoughts, deal with your emotions and it can be a great tool to help you to let go of the past.  Once it is out on paper it no longer takes up mental space in your mind.

The fourth step, teach yourself to focus on one thing at a time.  Set aside a specific block of time to do one important project or task.  Focus all your time and energy on that, do not allow other thoughts to interfere or demand your attention.  This way you will get more done in a shorter amount of time.  Once your allocated time has passed for this task, it is time to move onto the next project, again focusing all your effort on this one.

Lastly, meditate.  Contrary to what most people believe about meditation, meditation is not learning how to focus on one specific thing, but rather about learning to clear your mind of all thoughts.  Sounds easy?  No, it is very difficult to not think about anything.  It is like trying to stop a herd of stampeding buffalo from crossing the river.  Yet, when we master this technique it will lead us to greater clarity and calmness.  It will help us to concentrate better and to become mentally stronger.

Now, get on with it, time to de-clutter that crowded space up top.

Restore...Renew Week 4, Day 2: Rejoice!

Today I want you to rejoice!  Rejoice in life, rejoice in BEING alive!  Rejoice in being healthy!

One of our challenges has been to join a gym, well, today I want you to go outside and breathe in the air, feel the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair.  let the sunset filter into your eyes.  Take your exercise outside.  Go for a thirty minute brisk walk or an easy run.  dust off your bicycle and go for a ride.  Feel the blood pumping through your veins and rejoice!  If you cannot walk or cycle, the go for a swim, feel the cool clear water wrapping around you, dripping from your fingers with each stroke.  We take life so for granted, yet every breath we take is a miracle, a wondrous blessing.  Become aware of your heartbeat, take in every beautiful detail of life around you.  When you have done your thirty minutes of exercise, sit down on the grass or spread yourself out among the little veld flowers, look up at the sky and rejoice!

Restore...Renew Week 4, Day 1(Again): Freshen Up

Due to some personal circumstances week 4 of my Restore...Renew Program has been postponed.  But, I am back on the internet.  Today's challenge then is to limit your food intake for today to only fruit and vegetables.  You may ask why?  Fruit and vegetables are filled with essential nutrients and antioxidants. These antioxidants help the liver and kidneys to clear our systems of free radicals.  A diet rich in fruit and vegetables can help with weight loss and digestion problems.  It can help reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of heart related problems. The addition of green leafy vegetables and fruit to the diet can lower the risk of  Type 2 diabetes. However, it is important to note that fruit juices contain much more sugar which makes it less advisable for diabetics.  Replacing your regular meals with fruit and vegetables for a day can help with bloating and water retention, but it is important to remember that our bodies need a variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals to work efficiently, therefore it is not recommended to only eat fruit and vegetables for extended periods of time.  However, eating only fruits and veggies for a day or two every so often might just have an invigorating effect on our bodies, helping us feel fresh, light and healthy.  Enjoy!

Restore. ..Renew Week 4, Day 1:An Apple a Day

Good morning! Welcome to week  4,day 1 of my four week Restore. ..Renew programme. Today's challenge is to only eat fruit and vegetables for the entire day. Fruit and vegetables are filled with essential vitamins as well as the necessary fibre our bodies need.  How much you eat today is up to you. Enjoy!

Restore...Renew Week 3, Day 7: Relax

Sunday afternoon.  Lunch has been served, the dishes done and everybody has retired for an afternoon nap, except you.  You have packed the dishes away, sorted the left overs.  You have tidied the kitchen, dining and lounge area and just as you are done the first person has woken up for his/her nap and is looking for something to drink or nibble on.  You scarcely had a moment to yourself.  I want you to take a moment now.  Twilight is slowly settling over the day, the worst of the heat is gone.  Find a quiet corner, maybe a spot underneath a tree, and read start reading that book you never seem to get time for, or flip through a few magazines and listen to some relaxing music. Do it now, before the Sunday evening routine starts, before you are besieged by requests for clean uniforms, or being enlisted in the search for homework books or mislaid projects. Take twenty minutes or half an hour to replenish your energies before the hunt is on for missing socks, etc.  You owe yourself this quiet time, a few well deserved moments to recharge your batteries for the week ahead.  There are very real benefits to taking a thirty minute respite.  Relaxing for half an hour, whether it be by reading, writing, listening to music or just spending time in nature helps to lower blood pressure and reduces the release of stress hormones. It also helps to relief muscle tension and pain.  It can also boost our energy levels, improve our memory and helps us to regain our focus.

It can also help us to be mentally prepared for another hectic week awaiting us.

Restore...Renew Week 3, Day 6: The Best Medicine

I hope you are having a nice relaxing Saturday.  Week-ends are really a blessing, they give us a much needed rest from all the stress we have to cope with during the week.  Today's challenge is an easy one.  I want you to watch a comedy, either a movie or a comedy show.  I want you to watch something which makes you laugh and does not take a lot of brain power.  It's time for your facial and tummy muscles to do a bit of exercise.  Laughter releases serotonin, that wonderful feel-good hormone.  Laughter also increases our oxygen intake and helps our muscles relax.  Are you feeling tense, is your neck or back in spasm due to tension?  The doctor prescribes a healthy dose of laughter.  In fact it is said that laughing can actually help to alleviate pain due to the release of more endorphin which is a natural pain-killer.  Watching a comedy show with friends or family is also a great way to build stronger relationships and to defuse interpersonal tension.  Have you ever stood outside a cinema waiting for the next show?  Have you taken note of the patrons leaving the theater after watching a comedy?  Not a single person exits the movie theater with a frown or grumpy face.  They all come out laughing, sharing their favourite moments with one another, laughing all the way.   Their stress, pain, anxiety or disputes are momentarily forgotten.  The effect of it even lasts into the following day.  Watching a comedy puts us into a good mood and it creates an atmosphere of happiness.  So, there it is.  Your prescription for today, an hour and a half of comedy and laughter.  Have a fabulous time!

Restore...Renew Week 3, Day 5: Refresh

Goodness!  Another week done and dusted.  Well, today is a great day to do a bit of cleaning.  Today I want you to clean your computer.  Get rid of all those unnecessary e-mails.  There is so much information out there, and if you are anything like me, I am sure you suffer a bit from FOMO!  I sign up for anything that has anything to do with the topics I have an interest in.  In fact I get so much mail from all the websites I have subscribed to, that I do not have the time to get through a fraction of them.  The result is that they are clogging up my mailbox and cluttering my life.  It is time for a serious computer "Spring" clean!
It is estimated that an average person spends approximately thirteen hours a week reading e-mails and answering them.  It means that over 600 hours a year is spend just responding to e-mail and it is further estimated that 50% of those e-mails are of a very low priority. It is time to put in the winnowing fork and separate the essentials from the junk.  I will have to be ruthless.  Do you have this problem too?  Well, it is as easy as pushing a button.  The 'unsubscribe' button.  Scary I know, but if you are subscribed to a website and have not read the mails coming from there in two weeks, the chances are good that it is not essential to your well-being, your work or your education, so, unsubscribe today.

Be brave, you can do it!

Restore...Renew Week 3, Day 4: Sign up!

Today is the 18th day of this brand new year.  How are you doing?  And all those New Year resolutions? How are they going?  By now most people have given up on about 90% of their intentions for the new year, and are back to saying tomorrow or when I have time or maybe next year, etc etc.  I myself are not a great supporter of new year resolutions, but rather favour the bucket list option.  I am also a fan of choosing a word for the year and trying to live it out in my life.  This year my word is Today.  Today is important.  I will do today what I can, with what I have, where I am.  Well today I want you to think about that one thing you have dreamed of doing for a long time.  Maybe you have been meaning to study further, or learn a new language?  Maybe you have been thinking about taking art classes or taking up cake decorating?  Some of you might have considered signing up for dance classes or getting involved in community service.  Make a list of all the things you would like to try or learn.  Write it all down even those things you might believe you are too old to do, or fear people might ridicule you.  Give each item a score out of ten, ten being the thing you would most like to do despite any misgiving you may have and 1 the thing that you may like to do, but if you don't that is fine too.  Now, very important- choose the one thing on your list you want to do most of all and DO IT!!!!  Don't put it off any longer, sign up for it today.  Don't over-think it, just do it today.  Do it NOW!

Restore...Renew Week 3, Day 3: What's For Dinner?

Tonight it is time to take out the treasures.  You know, those precious things you have carefully packed away in a special cupboard or in a safe place.  Those things you have been saving for that "special" occasion which never seems to be special enough to take them out.

Yes, that porcelain dinner service you have received as a wedding gift, or that tea set you have inherited from your granny.  It is time to take it out.  We have something to celebrate tonight.  Tonight is a very, very special occasion.  What is it you may wonder?  It is Life!  We are celebrating being alive.  What a better occasion than this to take out those carefully preserved treasures.  Don't wait for a special day, today is that day!!! Even if you eat take-away hamburgers in those royal plates tonight.  You are worthy to use them, your life is worthy of celebration.  Shake out that finely embroidered tablecloth, polish the silverware and lay the table tonight with your finest dinnerware.

I don't mean to imply that you should not look after these heirlooms, but use them and enjoy them. Celebrate every day for the simple beauty of it being NOW, and then wash them afterwards, put them carefully away and do it again.

So, what's for dinner tonight?

Restore...Renew Week 3, Day 2: Dance

What a beautiful day it is!

I hope you are well?  How did you do with yesterday's challenge?

Today, we are going to have fun.  I want you to let your hair down and kick off your shoes.  When last were you just silly for no reason?  Well, today I want you to just let go.  Put on some dance music, feel the beat and dance!  Dance for at least half an hour, or jump around, close your eyes and sway your arms, feel the rhythm pulsing through your body.  Dance with your heart and your feet will automatically follow.  Don't think about it, feel it.  Don't hold back, nobody is watching or judging you.  Dancing is a great stress reliever and helps to keep our bodies supple.  It also burns a lot of calories while we are having fun.

Here is a link to the best dance music of 2017.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCsXo5535Bg

Enjoy!

Restore...Renew Week 3, Day 1: Ain't so Sweet

Hello!  Happy Monday to you all!

Today's challenge is...No starch and No sugar.

Try to cut these two out of your menu today. Our bodies convert starch into sugar, so basically the challenge is to ban any form of sugar from our meals.
Consuming too much sugar can cause our blood glucose to fluctuate.  This has an effect on our energy levels. our emotional stability and may cause cravings.  Sugar increases our health risks, leading, for example, to diabetes. Sugar also gives rise to inflammation in the body which can worsen joint pain and cause flare-ups in individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Starch gets broken down into sugar and in turn excess sugar is easily changed into fat.
So, there you have it for today.  Sugar and starch free Monday.

Restore...Renew Week 2, Day 7: Breathe

Today is the end of our second week of my program "Restore...Renew".  How have you been doing?  Are there any of the steps which have worked for you?  Have you decided to incorporate any of the habits or ideas in your daily routine?  Jane messaged me that she has joined a gym, the first time in ten years!  Angie sms'd me to let me know that she had discovered the benefit of getting up earlier and having a proper breakfast.  She says she feels more alert and by ten o'clock she does not feel the need to binge on everything in sight.  How about you? Please let me know, either by posting here or sending me a private message, I would love to hear from you.

Today I want you to make a point of watching the sunset even if you have to get on the roof (be careful) to see it. Take ten to twenty minutes just to relax.  Breathe deeply and savour the moment.  Notice how the sky changes from yellow to pink, orange, red, purple and let it sink into your soul.  Forget for those precious few moments of all the stress, all the things you still have to do before Monday morning.  Ban any worries about the week ahead from your thoughts and just enjoy this time, just you and the sunset, the miracle of nature.  Let the calm of the twilight hour fold its blanket of peace around you and breathe.

Restore...Renew Week 2, Day 6: Step out!

Great!  It is Saturday! Time to have fun, let your hair down and dance!  For today's challenge I want you to rummage through your wardrobe and find something to wear which you have never worn or have worn very seldom.  Today is the day to wear it, be daring and be a little wild.  Team it with funky shoes and accessories.  Don't worry what the world might say, it is your life and your Saturday.  Do the colours clash?  Even better!  Go big or go home!  Have fun.  Be a child again, before "fashion sense" stole your child-like abandon.  Do you secretly wish you could wear a tiara?  Then do it, you are a princess at heart.  Maybe there is that one outfit hanging in your cupboard which you have never felt good enough, thin enough or pretty enough to wear!  Stop listening to that inner critic, send it to the corner to sulk and get that outfit out of hiding and WEAR it!  Go on, I dare you.  You have never been created to blend in, girl, you are meant to stand out!  Have FUN!

Restore...Renew Week 2, Day 5 : Face to Face

Today's challenge is truly a challenge!  No social media today!!!  Yes, no FB, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumbler or Google, to name a few.  Go radical, go off line!  I want you to disconnect in order to reconnect.  Instead of sending an e-mail, write a letter and post it.  Instead of sending a message, pick up the phone and phone somebody on your contact list.  Hear their voices, listen to the innuendo's behind the words.  Go visit somebody, arrange a coffee date, but phone the person to arrange it, don't just sms or Whatsapp!  And please, when you go on that coffee date with your friend, SWITCH OFF your cellphone.  Really connect, face to face, eye to eye.  Alright then, now you have read about your challenge for today, go ahead and disconnect.  See you again tomorrow, same place.

Restore...Renew Week 2, day 4: You are Beautiful

Welcome to  Week 2, Day 4 of my Restore...Renew program.  Today is about positive thinking.  Most of us know that positive thinking is very important, but when faced with difficulties we tend to forget about it.  We become so focus on everything that is going wrong, all the obstacles we are facing and the stress of living that we cannot see the light.  

Therefore, today I want you to make a point of bringing positive thoughts into your life.  Especially positive thoughts about yourself.  Write down a positive affirmation.  Repeat it out loud to yourself throughout the day, put it as your Facebook status, make it your screensaver and your wallpaper.  Decorate it and put it where you can see it all day long.

Thinking positive thoughts helps us to smile at life.  It enhances our feelings of goodwill and improves our energy levels.  Positive thinking helps us to see the bigger picture and aids us in achieving our goals.  Through it we in turn can inspire and encourage others.  We feel physically invigorated and excited about life.  Problems become opportunities.  A positive attitude attracts people and opens the lines of communication.  A positive frame of mind enables us to see opportunities and it boosts our self-esteem.  Speaking words of affirmation  and repeating them often is a great antidote for depression.

Go on, choose your words of affirmation and celebrate it today.  You are Brave, Confident and Beautiful!

Restore...Renew Week 2, Day 3:Go Green

Today we are going green.  We are going to the nursery.  When last have you been to the nursery?  In our busy lives going to a nursery is not very high on our priority list, but I have always experienced such calm whenever I go to one.  Just walking there through all the plants and flowers inspire me.  Today I want you to go there specifically to buy a herb.  Start a herb garden.  There are few things as nice as to use fresh herbs from your own garden and adding it to your home cooked meal.  Herbs also have many other uses than merely flavouring your food.  Rosemary, for instance, can help to improve blood circulation while Parsley is a good source of folic acid.  Sage has antiseptic qualities and Mint can help soothe stomach aches.  Oregano, a favourite in Italian dishes, has ant-bacterial properties and it is said that Thyme can help to lower blood pressure. So, there you have it, it is Thyme to do your bit for the environment!

Restore...Renew Week 2, Day 2: Hydrate

Good Morning!

I am sure that by now you have had your first cup of the day?  Well that is quite alright! Our challenge for today is not to give up coffee, but to just reduce our intake with one cup.  Replace it with a glass of water.  The same goes for your daily soda intake.  Replace one to two glasses of soda with the equivalent amount of water.  The aim is to hydrate our bodies.

Drinking water is very beneficial for our bodies, as about 60% of our bodies consists of water.  We need adequate water to maintain the fluid balance.  It helps with digestion and delivering nutrients throughout the day.  Drinking water can help us to consume fewer calories and it helps to flush toxins from our system.  Dehydration impairs our energy levels as our muscles need sufficient water in order to function properly.  Dehydration can also lead to headaches.  By replacing a cup or two of coffee with pure clean water can boost your metabolism, help clear up your skin and lead to an over-all feeling of wellness.  Give it a try.  If you are brave enough you can even try going without coffee and sodas for a whole day, replacing it with water.

Have a happy day, we'll talk again tomorrow.

Restore...Renew Week 2, Day 1: Commit

Today is a good day to join a gym or sign up for yoga classes.  It is time to commit yourself to investing in a healthier body.  I know you want to.  You have been threatening to do it for a long time.  I know.  You have been saying to yourself, and if you have been brave enough, to others as well : Next week, next month, next year, Monday, I am going to start a running program or I am going to join the gym or... . Well, guess what?  Today is next week, next month, next year AND Monday!!! So this is the day you have been waiting for for a very very long time.  Do it today!  Go on, get up, get ready and do it!!!!

Restore...Renew Week 1, Day 7 : Give Thanks

I am sure most of you reading this post are familiar with the Sunday-school song "Count your blessings, count them one by one".  Today's new habit or idea is about keeping a gratitude journal.  I want you to make a list of all the things you are grateful for today or this week.  It does not have to be a long list, just five things you are grateful for and why these things have made you happy.  

Writing down a few things at the end of the day for which we are grateful comes with an important benefit -happiness.  It takes the focus off the things or events which have made us unhappy and help us to remember those things which have made us happy or feeling less stressed.  Gratitude lifts our spirits and in turn we are feeling more positive, as well as more benevolent towards other people.  Gratitude makes us more optimistic and less self-centered.   Taking stock of what you are grateful for improves our vision for the future and it builds our self-esteem.  So go ahead, write down the things you are feeling grateful for.  It does not have to be anything major.  It can be something simple such as a walk at twilight.  

I am grateful for each of you visiting my blog or leaving messages.  Be blessed.

Restore...Renew Week 1, Day 6: Uniquely You

Today's post is about YOUR name.  Every baby who is born receives a name.  A name is an acknowledgement of existence. It is a means by which an individual can be identify.  Nine out of ten times the very first thing we say after "Hello" when meeting somebody new, is "What is your name?"  When somebody remembers your name the message you get is that you were important enough to that person that he/she took the trouble to take note of who you are.

Names have power.  When we address a person by their name they pay attention to you.  Often people will pause what they are doing when you call them by their name.  Most people have been given their name for a specific reason.  Names have meaning and they often strengthen our characteristics.  People tend to life up to what is expected of them.  A girl named Grace is usually full of grace and charming. Try imagining yourself with a different name.  What name would you choose?  Why would you choose it? How would it feel being called by that name?  I have tried it, but no other name suits me as well as my own name, and I love my name. Today I want you to write down your name and decorate it.  I want you to read up about the origin of your name and its meaning.  Write these down too.  Celebrate who you are.  Celebrate the meaning of your name.You are unique.

Restore...Renew Week 1, Day 5: Disconnect

Technology has really changed our lives over the past couple of decades.  Mostly the changes have been great.  I often smile when watching old movies and see how there are no cellphones to get the hero out of a tight spot, and a spy has to make covert use of a phone booth!  Technology has certainly made the lives of movie directors, hero's and villains much easier! However, there are certain drawbacks which come with technology.  People are getting increasingly dependent on it, and as far as social media is concerned we are becoming more and more distant from the people sitting right next to us, and living under the same roof as us.  It is incredible how easy it is in today's world to stay in touch with friends and family living far away.  Yet, it is terribly sad that communicating with those right by our side is becoming less and less.  Walk into any household unexpectedly and you will find the whole family busy staring at their phones, chatting to somebody on the other side of cyber space, or looking up tidbits of information.  We are slowly becoming strangers to one another and becoming increasingly isolated.  For today, I want you to switch your phone off.  Send messages to all those who might expect you to talk to them during the course of the evening, or put it as your status that you will be out of reach for the duration of your Friday evening.  When your family member come home have them do the same and collect all the phones in a basket.  Tomorrow morning they may have them back again.  Spend the evening talking to one another, share the days events and enjoy being a family together.  Time is precious.  The here and now, the being together is precious.

For tonight, let everyone who wants to contact you hear:  "The person you have dialed is not available..."

Restore...Renew Week 1, Day 4: Sort it today!

Welcome to day 4 of our four week program to restore and renew.  Today's task is to declutter a small area of your house.  It can be as small as a drawer, or a bookshelf.  Arm yourself with three bags or boxes and name them "Throw away", "Keep" and "Donate".  As you go through the contents of the drawer or cupboard be ruthless.  Try not to get emotionally involved with the objects.  Ask yourself if you really need it, what is the reason why you want to hold onto it, what would be the purpose in keeping it and could somebody else benefit from it.  A general rule of thumb is that if you have not used an object in six months time, chances are you will not use it again.  Sometimes we are faced by an object that holds a lot of sentimental value for us.  My advice is to put it aside and come back to it again after having sorted everything else out.  Once you have sorted the space out and restored order, you can again ask these same questions of the sentimental items you have set aside earlier.

The benefits of decluttering are actually much more than just having a tidy environment, it also has some psychological benefits.  Clutter not only cramps our physical space, but it also confines us mentally.  Most people find it difficult to focus on their work or studies when they are surrounded by a disarray of objects and chaos.  We may not be actively aware of its influence on our well-being, but subconsciously we might feel ill at ease.  It could lead to feelings of frustration and irritability.  A presence of clutter could hamper our productivity and lead to procrastination.  It might even affect our confidence.  Sometimes physical clutter is a symptom of what is happening inside ourselves, and we may need to also address our mental clutter.  Clutter leads to excess baggage.  Excess baggage becomes a burned which hampers our progress through life and it saps our energy.

Remember the old saying: Rome was not built in a day.  The same goes for clutter.  You did not accumulate it all in one day, therefore you cannot expect to do it all in one day.   It is okay to do it over time.  Start small, drawer by drawer, room by room, and before you know it you have created a happy organised space for you and your family.  A space to breathe.  Above all, have fun!

Restore...Renew Week 1, Day 3: Get Moving!

The third day of our four week Restore...Renew program!  How are you doing?  As you can see the changes or ideas are small and easily do-able. Today we are going to stretch ourselves a little bit out of our comfort zone.  We are going to park a little further from work or the shops and walk a little farther than usual.  Instead of using the lift or the escalator, we are going to take the stairs.  We are going to park at the opposite end of the mall, far from where we actually want to be.  If you are desk bound for most of the day, you should try to get up every thirty minutes and stretch a few times, walk for a minute or two before resuming your work.  Yes, the idea is to get active small steps at a time.  If you are already walking a lot in the office, then do it faster.  Get the blood pumping through your veins.  Every time you get up from your desk try to do ten squats.  Go on then, get moving, and make it fun!

Restore...Renew Week 1, Day 2 :Good morning!

Good morning!

Nothing says good morning quite like a healthy breakfast.  The first meal of the day sets the tone for the day to follow.  It is said that one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a pauper.

It is day 2 of week 1 of my four week program "Restore...Renew" and today we start the day with a cup of warm lemon and honey water.  Mix the juice of half a lemon with a teaspoon of honey and warm to hot water.  This is followed by a bowl of muesli and yogurt.  Finish your meal off with a fresh fruit of your choice.  Eat this sitting down.  Before you say "...but I have no time for that"  I would like to urge you to try getting up 10 minutes earlier in order to make time for a good breakfast.  It is one of the most important changes you could make this year.

Lemon juice boosts the immune system and it helps for digestion.  It also helps to flush toxins out of our bodies and balances our pH levels.

Eating a healthy breakfast not only provides us with energy for the day, but it also helps us to concentrate better and gives our metabolism an extra boost.

So, get up and have a delicious breakfast!

Have a fabulous day!

Restore...Renew Week 1, Day 1

Week1/Day 1

Tonight, take 10 minutes "me-time" and retire to bed earlier. However, first run a warm bubble bath, light some candles and relax. Clear your thoughts pf worry and stress. Breathe deeply and listen to soothing music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcOWEFNZTy4&vl=en

Pamper yourself tonight, let the music fill your mind with peace.  Relax and dream.

Restore...Renew

A New Year!

2018

It seems unreal that we are standing at the beginning of a fresh new year.  It feels as if I blinked and the year was gone.

In the past week I spent quite a bit thinking about new beginnings.  I love new beginnings.  I love the hope and anticipation which they bring.  There is usually an air of expectancy over everything.  Yet, sometimes, we bring the things from the past along with us into the new year.  We hang onto old aches, bad habits, regrets and fears.  Therefore I decided to share with you my 4 week program to restore, reset and renew myself for a great 2018.  Everyday for four weeks I will share with you little habits or ideas to help you renew yourself and your thoughts in the seven key areas of your life.  One small change or idea to implement for the day.  The idea is that you only try it for that day.  If, however, it is something which works for you, you may decide to make it a daily or weekly habit.  For example, if you find that getting up 10 minutes earlier makes a difference to your life, you may want to do it for every weekday.

All I ask is that you tell me if you will be joining me for this four week Restore/Renew program and then let me know, occasionally, how you like it.  I will also be opening a page on my FB about this four week program.  You are welcome to join me.