This Healthy Homegirl

There is no maybe about it, it is definitely May. A majestic month I affiliate with flowers and freedom, the knowledge that daisy chains and long Summer days are not too far away. The showers of April have provided plants with the necessary sustenance to grow. Progress is palpable, change is afoot. In line with this, I want to plant the seeds that will help me succeed. Like a sapling that grows into a tree, I want my dream to become a reality.  “We know what we are but not what we may be.” -William Shakespeare. I have been thinking a lot lately about how I can incorporate more of what I love into my daily life. What would incentivize  you to get out of bed in the morning if you didn’t have a why? I need something to work towards before I take my first step into the day. Something that drives me, motivates me, enthuses me and moves me. I have been reading a book entitled “100 Things Successful People do.” It provides you with a plethora of thought provoking qu...

Did you ever feel like your heart could literally explode? That so much love could permeate through this little pump that it could blissfully burst? As my kindred spirit Seamus Heaney so perfectly put it: to “catch the heart off guard and blow it open.”  It is so important to savour the moment, to allow yourself to become enthralled by the many facets of happiness: family, friends, feelings. The precious etches they make on your soul.  Imagine all of your favorite people in one place and every one of them emitting enthusiasm on an exponential level, I am lucky to have experienced this. Cue a new addition to my favorite memories, one of the best yet; my bachelorette.  When my bridesmaids asked me what I wanted this weekend to look like I made a few simple 😅 requests: American sports franchise theme featuring alpacas. As luck might have it, I just happen to have the most amazing bridesmaids in the world 🙌🏼 . A foursome more formidable than the Fantastic Four...

Yoga? I’m down dog.  The first time I tried Les Mills’ BodyBalance, I knew it was a game changer. Like a Russian nesting doll, instead of constantly looking outside for the answers, I feel like I have unlocked the person I want to be. Similarly having dipped into yoga and meditation, in this class I have found the right combination for me. Another day, another namaste .🧘🏼‍♀️  Bodybalance is a holistic hybrid of three particular practices: Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates. It follows a particular pattern which focuses on stretching and strengthening every part of your body. If you’re looking to increase mobility and build core strength while also massaging your mind, this is the wellbeing workout for you.  In this class, mobility, muscle and meditation majestically merge to form a tremendously therepeutic trifecta. Instructor training took place over two days and focused on the principles, techniques and beliefs that each practice promotes. The Les Mills mantra cen...

          One of my all time favourite poets, the wondrous wordsmith that was Seamus Heaney once remarked at a university graduation: I absolutely adore the assertive nature of this statement. It implores you to ask yourself: what am I doing every day to take me closer to my goal? It invites you to answer the question: do you want to trundle through life or thunder along the ground of convinced action? He goes on to describe this rhythm we should experience, the momentum we must manufacture in order to be the best version of ourselves. If we don’t do this, we run the risk of merely filling a set mould rather than intuitively creating and carving out our own.  In essence, this quote struck me because it provides the simplest instruction on taking charge of your life. My sister asked me recently how she could work on achieving her goals. In my last post I referenced my fuzzy focus in February. I think clearing a path is  pivotal for ...

As  January folded into February I collected my thoughts in a calm corner of a cute cafe. There is something about the start of a new month that ignites something exciting in me. A wave of realization rumbles within, a lightning spark of enlightenment, it is a phenomenon I like to call thunder and enlightening . The main reason I love a new month is because it is an opportunity to overwrite anything that didn’t go to plan in the four weeks preceding it. My February goals focused on practicing BodyBalance for my upcoming instructor training course, drinking 2 liters of water daily, gratitude posts, blogging, getting my greens and varying my exercise activities. I incorporated more running, football training and cycling into my routine but this then took from my strength training. I became frustrated that I was letting some goals go in my persistent pursuit of others. It was time for a two pronged approach: downsize and minamalise. While I had heard the term minamalism...

On the 3rd of September 2018, as the sun set on my second decade, (and my kindred spirit Beyonce was turning 37) I started to consider how, as my twenties ended, the lens I viewed life through was no longer the same. In my mind's eye, it is akin to sitting in the optician's chair watching the images blend and blur, when you eventually regain your focus, things are not as they were. In line with my ardour for alliteration and love for little links, I will describe three things I have learned during my transition from twenty to thirty. ωнαт ωιℓℓ ρєσρℓє тнιик? As we amble through adolescence our minds are conditioned to consider what other people’s perception of us might be. This thought then traipses with us into our twenties when, in my experience it steadily shed significance as time passed by.  I have been inspired by people who follow their passion and challenge the confines of their comfort zone without worrying about what others will think. In general, I ...

🅣🅗🅔 🅦🅔🅔🅚🅛🅨 🅕🅞🅞🅓 🅕🅘🅧 🄳🄾 🅂🄾🄼🄴🅃🄷🄸🄽🄶 🅈🄾🅄🅁  🄵🅄🅃🅄🅁🄴  🅂🄴🄻🄵 🅆🄸🄻🄻  🅃🄷🄰🄽🄺 🅈🄾🅄 🄵🄾🅁 If there’s anything that encourages emerging from my cosy cocoon of slumber circa 6am, it’s my weekly food fix that usually does the trick. It’s feeling safe in  the knowledge that I have baked oats ready to roll, healthy snacks to keep me on track  and a smoothie to slay a few of my five a day.  Because I don’t like milk, I tend to sub the regular variety for a nut based alternative. Try cashew for creaminess but I have one firm favorite, vanilla almond milk, I opt for unsweetened because it is indeed sweet enough!If you want your authentic calcium fix just add a splash of vanilla essence. Following on from this, I also sub coconut oil for butter because it also adds a further flavor boost. This week I’m focusing on the six am slot, because if I am going to break my fast, it has got to be something that I won’t l...