February can be a bit of a glum month so I have some tips to put a smile on your face this week.
Reasons To Be Cheerful (a fab track by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, why not upload it and sing along – that will make you smile).
Every morning remember all the things that you are thankful for such as, lovely friends, family, pets, experiences, your health, your home, your career, car etc.
Why not find something starting with every letter of the alphabet…
e.g. ‘A’ – I love my Aerobics dance classes; new Ankle boots, my niece Abbi (and that she is getting on well at University and I shared a lovely pot of earl grey with her on Sunday).
‘B’ my nephew Bradley and the funny things he says and does, my Boogie fit girls and how brilliantly they are doing, the new dog Bed is great and the dogs (and cats) love it… you get the idea, right?
Now I know that I have negative things going on/not going on in my life and I’m not ignoring them but I choose to weigh the positive things that I have going on in my life more heavily and pay more attention to those things than the things I moan about!
Finish every day with positivity by thinking about all the things you are grateful for, e.g. you managed to tick jobs off your ‘to do list’, you ate healthily all day , you fitted in that workout, walk, class that you committed to doing. You had a lovely conversation with a work colleague or friend. You did something nice for someone else etc.
Deal with the things that are bugging you! Make a plan (what has to be done, in what order and when) deal with the most important/annoying strategic things first and stick with your plan! Get someone reliable to hold you accountable if necessary eg. sort out paperwork.
Strategy:
Step 1 – decide when and what steps are to be taken,
Step 2 – get necessary resources e.g. boxes, files and bin bags ready. Resources include help and time.
Step 3 – allocate time and people to do tasks, e.g. 1 drawer/ box/cupboard at a time, what will you do, what will others do and when?
There might be more steps for you to consider but I’m sure you get the point! We all feel better when the weight of jobs to do are no longer hanging over us.
Smile. When we smile we feel better and make others smile too!
Smiling is infectious
You catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today
I started smiling too
I walked around the corner
And someone saw me grin
When he smiled I realised
I had passed it on to him
I thought about the smile and then realised its worth
A single smile like mine
Could travel round the earth
So if you feel a smile begin
Don’t leave it undetected
Start an epidemic
And get the world infected.
Laugh out loud! Watch funny videos, movies, TV shows, comedians etc. Do things that make you laugh and hang out with people who help you laugh.
Sing and dance. Moving/dancing to music boosts metabolism and production of stress fighting happy hormones. Singing also stimulates the production of the happy hormone, ‘oxytocin’ which is produced in the hypothalamus and secreted via the pituitary gland that sits at the base of the skull. It’s thought that singing creates vibrations within the sinus cavities in the face and stimulates the hypothalamus. So sing and dance like no one is watching, it doesn’t matter what others might think (and to be honest they usually have no opinion anyway!)
Avoid emotional vampires and negative moaners. Negativity is infectious but hey so is positivity, so go and hang out with those positive, upbeat folks who boost your mood and self esteem.
Limit time on social media. It’s a place where moaners seek attention by moaning and sharing their woes and others create a fantasy life that they are pretending to live; some folks are judgmental and like to troll. I like to catch up with folks have a laugh and then get on with making my day as great as I can!
Get some daylight, fresh air and exercise every day! Keeping fit and healthy boosts your mood and self esteem. Being ill does the opposite!
Take responsibility for your happiness!
These are just a few ideas to help you have a ‘febulicious’ February and be happy for the rest of the year too. Happiness is something we can take control of; it’s not something anyone else can do for us, so you decide!
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It’s Shrove Tuesday to look forward to this week and I have two tasty pancake recipes for you to try that will help keep you on your healthy eating plan later in this blog!
It’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday and if you are concerned that you won’t be getting any Valentines this year remember that it’s most important to be in love with the person that you are; you are worth loving and I believe that it’s important to love ourselves enough to take the best care of ourselves and remember, I love ya!
Fabulously Fit Fridays
We have one more Ski Fit class this week and then we switch to “Big Balls and What To Do With Them (no Friday class on 19th Feb but all other classes as usual that half-term week).
Happy Healthy Pancake Day!
You have two fabulous choices for your Pancake recipe this week; why not try them both for healthy breakfasts or lunches or tea! You can use savoury toppings on the second recipe (such as cheese, bacon, ham, chorizo – you could also add some pineapple for a sweet ‘n’ sour flavour) and the fruit, yogurt and honey/maple syrup options with the first or second recipes.
Helen’s Quick and Easy Pancakes
Option One
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 small banana
Enough coconut oil to grease the pan
Berries (blueberries, strawberries or raspberries
Greek/ coconut /live organic yoghurt
Method
Smash the banana in a bowl until smooth.
Beat in the eggs.
Pre-heat pan and oil.
Throw in a picklette sized dollop of the mixture and flip mid way through cooking until both sides are golden brown.
Serve with the berries and yogurt – it’s already sweet but if you need something, use warmed honey or maple syrup (warming it makes it more runny and you will use less) or a sprinkle of Palm (coconut) Sugar. I also like a sprinkle of chopped or flaked almonds or walnuts.
Option Two
Ingredients
330 grams almond flour
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs
180 mL unsweetened almond milk, light coconut milk, or milk
2 tablespoons walnut oil/ coconut oil, melted butter
Method
In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, flaxseed, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the milk and oil or butter and whisk thoroughly.
Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Add more milk as necessary, one tablespoon at a time, to reach pancake-batter consistency.
Lightly oil a skillet and heat over medium heat. Pour 4 tablespoons of batter onto the skillet. Cook for three minutes, or until bubbles form and edges are cooked. Flip and cook for three minutes or until underside is lightly browned. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with toppings as previously suggested.
Have a wonderful ‘Febulicious’ week and remember…
I love ya!
Helen
PS. Please remember to share your testimonials on Facebook (DYBO Health and Fitness), Twitter (@helencw99 – DYBO one to come soon) and if you are happy to email them to me, I can pop them on the website. Many thanks xx
