Category: healthy living

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Essential Oils as wellness tools

essential oils for wellness

“Wellness” refers to being in optimal physical and mental health. Essential oils are one of the easiest ways you can support yourself to better wellness.

Are you addressing both aspects…or only one? (or none). Taking full personal responsibility for your wellness is like “future-proofing” in a small way (remember, accidents happen, and sometimes there is something rumbling under the surface that you dont know about. And also, the mental game is very influential on our physical health). So it is important to be using tools and lifestyle behaviors that support good health, and encourage releasing of negative thought patterns and behaviors that may influence your health and well-being.

I get asked a lot about the five questions below so I thought I would share my answers in order to inspire you to try your own blends or combinations that might support your own wellness journey.

neroli supports the throat chakra

FAQ’s

Which essential oils do you use for reducing stress?

Lavender peace – this is very strong for my senses, and will use it sparingly in the diffuser (1-2 drops max. I find it helps me go to sleep so I use it late at night. But with strong anti-anxiety properties, I find this is very helpful in stopping a racing mind.

Aromatouch – this is an excellent blend for massage as it helps soothe sore muscles. I have been using it for years as a muscle rub after a shower. It is calming and soothing without being a “lavender” smell. Magnolia. It starts and ends for me with this oil. It is my all time favourite and has been in my pocket since it very first arrived on the market. It contains very high amounts of linalool

Which essential oils do you use for uncovering shadow parts?

Neroli – it helps with “communication” therefore it is a throat chakra support, which helps to increase internal dialogue. Many people believe they have trouble “speaking their truth”, well let me tell you that this oil can help you overcome this!

Which essential oils do you use to reduce inflammation?

Copaiba rolled down my spine every morning while my tea is steeping! I make tea every morning, and while I wait I simply roll this oil down my spine. Inflammation is a key cause of disease in the body. So this is my personal ‘war on inflammation’ I do it without even thinking about it. Copaiba helps to reduce pain over time because inflammatory cytokines get reduced.

How can I improve my sleep?

Cedarwood in my Epsom salt bath with lavender are a MUST.
2 cups Epsom salts, and 4-5 drops of cedarwood is my go-to when I need to ground myself and release the week. My human design is “Manifestor” which means I go hard, and then I need to become a hermit for a while. I need to tap out and just relax and be with myself. Something I struggled with for a very long time. And now I embrace my limitations and happily retire to a bath for an hour of bliss. It helps me to go to bed relaxed in body and mind. I will also use Aromatouch if my muscles are noticeably sore.

What do you suggest for better digestion?

I am in love with the ZenGest blend rubbed on my tummy. It is a new recipe blend and smells incredible. Cardamon and peppermint are my go-to oils for cooking and enhancing flavours – and would you believe also help digestion? I use this at the first sign of a tummy ache, or if I know that I am about to eat a heavy meal at a party, then I will use it before I eat. My youngest will often get a sore tummy, so she uses it too.

cedarwood is a grounding and calming oil

We have a plethora of oils at our finger tips, which when used wisely, can help to move you towards more awareness, openness and care for your entire being.

Over the years of practicing yoga and “trying” to make better food and lifestyle choices, I have learned that illness, chronic conditions, and accidents happen. However, we have a tool at our finger tips that is going to support us to move in a better health direction.

If you are wanting to kickstart an area of your health, the pure intention of using an oil to support this is a fabulous start.

Want to lose weight? Use Motivate oil blend every morning when you do your morning movement.

Keen to be less frantic? Use Magnolia every day and keep it with you during every single frantic moment to help interrupt your habit of freaking out.

Needing to listen more and speak less? Use frankincense to slow your roll and help you to be more grounded.

Ask me for suggestions if you are stuck, but also lean into the oils you really love the smell of – they are no doubt the right ones for you to use in this season of change and growth.

Belle xx

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30sec cold shower for better health

Fancy exposing yourself to a 30sec cold shower each morning instead of running the risk of getting a cold or flu? Well, if research is anything to go by, you could be experiencing better health in as little as thirty days.

Cold water therapy is a bit of a buzz concept now – especially with Wim hof and his team of fanatics leading the way! I’m one of those Crazy Ice Bath People, and I’m proud to say that I can speak not only of the theory of cold water plunges but also of personal experience too.

I took my first cold water dip in the icy waters of Thredbo, NSW in June 2021 with a group of eager participants wanting to reach beyond their comfort zone. We were under the careful instruction and training of Leah Scott, a qualified Wim Hof Method teacher in the Snowy Mountains. Her retreats are not for the faint-hearted and will change your life. (Trust me, it changed mine!)

After that retreat, I then went on to do 90 days of cold water immersion – whether it was a 4min cold shower every day, an ice bath, a river plunge in the national park near my home, or my parent’s pool. After 90 days I stopped counting, it had become part of my daily life and it helped me to overcome some serious mental health challenges from 2 lockdowns and a devastating divorce.

I was determined to understand how this 5-10min daily plunge could have affected me so profoundly so I began doing some research and realised that this isn’t “new”, its just been popularised by Wim and his team. Isnt that awesome?

The benefits of a cold shower

Proponents say that swimming in cold water can help with insulin resistance, muscle recovery post-exercise, cardiovascular health, reduction in inflammation, increased energy, mental health support, and even weight loss.

To get the benefits the water must be at/below 15 degrees Celsius. So if you live in a colder area then you can just access cold water from the tap, the pool or a local river. If you are in a warmer area, you may have to start freezing ice regularly.

Cold shower research

Not surprisingly most research is conducted with the view of enhancing athletic performance. Athletes want to reduce recovery time and reduce pain. The research supports cold water immersion as a powerful tool for recovery (1, 2).

A 2016 study wanted to determine if taking a 30s, 60s or 90s cold shower (after a hot one) every day, could reduce the number of sick days a person took off work. The result? It CAN. The good news is that there was no statistical difference between the 30s,60s or 90 s groups – meaning you can just do thirty seconds and reap the benefits!

All the way back in 2008 a study showed that cold showers could be beneficial in treating depression as it sends messages from the skin to the brain to help switch it back online.

But how does it work?

Immersing in cold water below 15 degrees C, causes your blood vessels to constrict, and then when you emerge from the water and begin to “thaw out” a little, the vessels will dilate again (3).

Cold water will activate the sympathetic nervous system which is commonly referred to as your “fight or flight” response. When you are immersed in cold water you will release more noradrenaline/norepinephrine peripherally and it will increase the release of noradrenaline in the brain as well. When the skin feels the cold water, the receptors will send a sudden signal back to the brain to say “hey, something is happening here” which scientists believe could have an anti-depressant-type effect (4).

The part of your brain that is responsible for wakefulness and attentiveness – the reticular activating system (RAS) – can also be positively affected by cold water immersion. In particular, the locus coeruleus of the RAS, is involved in the arousal, and sleep-wake cycles, memory and emotions. People living with chronic fatigue syndrome have seen benefits in daily immersions due to norepinephrine being predominantly released in this part of the brain which then contributes to a cascade of downstream pathways (5).

The innate immune response (the barriers of your body that stop pathogens from entering) and the autonomic immune system work in tandem to keep you healthy. Acute activation of the fight or flight nervous system affects the innate immune response, and research has shown that it can be positively influenced through meditation, cold water immersion and breathwork (6). The immune system when out of balance will have an overstimulation effect causing too much inflammation in the body. This then causes pain, discomfort, and illness. By managing the effect of pro-inflammatory markers through cold water therapy it reduces inflammation, therefore reducing pain and discomfort.

Benefits for non-athletes or those who arent “that sick”

I love reading research and knowing that athletes and those who are fighting some serious illnesses are getting better-informed healthcare every day. However, I want to focus on the average Joes and Jills of the world – those who are moving thru life and trying to live better and do better, and enjoy themselves at the same time. Most of us are sitting in this category, and what I love about cold water showers and immersion is that we can tap into our superhero vibe just by facing our fear and getting in that cold water!

We can benefit just as much as an athlete. -especially by reducing pain and discomfort and reducing recovery time post workouts.

How to take a cold shower effectively

even though the research says to start warm and then finish cold, I think this is really hard to do. It isn’t my approach, but hey if you insist, you do what works for you. My method is that of stepping into the boxing ring. You go ALL IN and you don’t back down.

Step 1. Turn on the cold tap all the way – full force

Step 2. Stand in the shower and let the water touch your feet

Step 3. Flick the water at your body, getting your arms wet

Step 4. Get your legs wet

Step 5. Turn around wet the back of the legs and butt

Step 6. one full arm and shoulder / then the other

(by this stage most of you should be wet)

Step 7. Soap up and then fully immerse to rinse off

Step 8. wash your hair (this is usually best after you have done the non-hair wash a few times first).

Tips

Put a hype song on so you can sing and dance to it

Do some big deep breaths (in for 4 out for 6) before stepping into the shower

Resist the urge to turn on the hot water tap

Stay for at least 60secs / or 30 secs after you have settled your breathing down (then you will feel the full rush of dopamine as you have settled into the shower

DONT yell, scream, carry on – just calm your breathing down (it takes about 30-60secs)

Be present

Remind yourself what a badass you are!

Go on, you can do it

So there you have it – ALL the research, all the reasons WHY you should be doing cold showers – your mental health, your physical health and your badass self are all waiting for you. Imagine sticking to this for thirty days and finding out that you were stronger in body and mind than you thought possible!

That’s what is waiting for you on the other side of your curiosity as to whether cold showers or cold water immersions might be right for you.

Leave a comment and let me know if you have tried it, or maybe are willing to try it!

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Scrub your Socials- take your power back

Starting off the new year and taking your power back with a digital clean up clean up can be the most important thing you do at the start of the new year! Take your power back by removing negativity in your Socials, and removing the dead weight in your Inbox!
The collective energy for us at this time, is to restore, to connect and to enjoy. Why not use this time to restore your own energy, connect to those things that matter to you, and to embrace the idea that our life is for us to enjoy.

Here are my top tips when it comes to socials and digital life, so that you can clean up the energy in this space. Remember – we get energy strands of connection in the online world, just like we would in peson.
EVERY person you see on social media you will create an energy strand with.
EVERY person who scrolls your feed will create an energy strand with you.

Do you want that? Regularly clearing out your online space is a healthy part of your energetic hygiene practices. Just like if you went to a pub, you would come home and have a shower…consider this the same routine.
Cleanse
Release
Renew your boundaries!


My Top 5 Tips take your power back with a digital clean up:


1. Scrub your socials:
Go thru all your socials and remove any account that doesn’t give you good feels when you see it.
This includes people as well as biz accounts (but we will get to that in Step 3).
If it isn’t an account that LIGHTS YOU UP …its gone!
Remove it ASAP and get that lower vibration out of your field. Otherwise, it will continue to drag you down.
It happens gradually over time, without you even realising, and one day you declare to the world “I’m going off FB / IG for a while in order to rest and recharge”.
Um really? Why not just stop using it before announcing to the world you are over it? (It’s a bit of a bugbear of mine!)

You see, this kind of behaviour comes from a lack of boundaries in this department, and you honestly only have yourself to blame. However – we don’t do “blame” in my world, we simply LEARN and don’t look back. (I think perhaps a trigger releasing session would help in this case though!)

So here is your new mantra:

I get to decide what is in my feed

What I click on, the algorithm decides I like

I must be diligent about what I click on

I get to control my experience

If I don’t like what someone is posting I SCROLL on, OR I delete / mute / unfollow / block etc

My socials. My choice!

Never again will you feel whiny and in your victim mode about how “bad” social media is for you!

Personally, I love IG as I can follow hashtags I’m truly interested in, and that inspire me and teach me.

Everything else is a no-go for me and my mental health. This includes “friends”, or family who I am afraid I will offend if I unfollow. (And honestly, how often do you see these so-called ‘friends’ anyway? Would you share a meal with them? That’s what I ask myself. If I wouldn’t then I wont allow them into my energetic online field either. Another Q to ask yourself – if you wouldn’t share a meal with them, are they really a friend? Does it matter in the grand scheme of things if you removed them from your digital life?)

2. unsubscribe.
We get hundreds of emails every day – so be discerning about what you will accept in your inbox. If you’re anything like me you have signed up for a discount on a shopping platform and keep receiving their newsletters. I also have well-meaning sign-ups where I wholeheartedly decide I will be interested in a particular website and its offerings and then promptly never read another email from that site ever again. And yet they keep sending me emails!
My brain likes to pursue many a rabbit hole, and I get really interested in topics for short periods of time. Then I am over it. The dopamine hit wears off. Are you like that too? Well, the time is now for you to start cleaning out your emails and only keeping those that actually add value to your life – like mine.

OR not.

The choice always remains yours – so embrace your power to choose and decide what you want bombarding your inbox. It does take a fair bit of time, so I suggest putting on some music, or a podcast or watching Netflix and doing it simultaneously. That way you can just keep powering through the ‘unsubcribes’ and GET IT DONE.

3. unfollow/unfriend.
This is a tough one, as it pulls on the heart strings doesn’t it? I can’t tell you how many times a client has said they simply must stay “friends” with a family member out of fear they will offend them if they don’t.

STOP

DOING

THIS

This is the very definition of giving your power away. I didn’t know until a short time ago that we can actually mute a Facebook ‘friend’ and we won’t see their posts anymore. I love this as it means that you don’t have to completely say ‘goodbye’, just ‘let’s have a break for now’.

I know that it feels uncomfortable when you make these small decisions about a friendship or family connection, but it is really about being kind to both yourself and them. Your negativity – even in private – still affects the energy strands that connect you both. So what you are doing is removing your trigger so you can take back control of your own energy. That’s got to be a good thing – right?
A few years ago my cousin’s wife unfriended me, and I didn’t realise for a while. It definitely made our relationship non-existant as I haven’t heard from her or my cousin ever since. I have never tried to contact her again as I feel awkward and uncomfortable knowing I’m not her ‘cup of tea’ – which is okay. We never had anything in common, except she married my favourite and much loved cousin. It’s a shame, because her one small act caused me some heartache, and means that my kids don’t know hers. Remember – be kind. To yourself and others.

Be ruthless with ‘friends’ that you don’t even know. If they post things one time that are questionable, or directly opposite to your values then consider whether this is the content you want to consume. Some people vent and it triggers your own stuff. (Maybe it’s time to do an Emotion Code session though?) That’s ok. Cut them some slack and start looking at why it affected you so much. If they do it again, and it really annoys you, offends you, or crosses a line – it’s time to unfriend. No one wants to leave their front door open to angry, bigoted, racist, keyboard warriors, conspiracy theorists etc…so think of your account as your front door to your own energy field.
You need to put a line of defense between you both.

4. mute. I’ve mentioned it before but it needs its whole paragraph and time in the sun. Instagram has a mute button, and it is totally fine to use it. Just see how when you use it, that your life doesn’t end!
But you can use your own mute button on many things – like not replying to a message as soon as you receive one. You can choose to mute yourself during a conversation, and just hang up and plead “it dropped out” if queried.
Muting yourself means you get to decide what comes out of your mouth. It also means you retain your own power. There is no rule book that says you “must” respond. So choose when you do.

5. rest. I know you think that sitting on the couch and mindlessly scrolling for 3 hours is resting. It is not.

It is scrolling, and it is not mindless.

It is very mindful – and not in the best way.

When you are scrolling away you often lose track of time, and you ignore your kids and animals, and probably forget to do the chores around the house. Bbe intentional about your scrolling. But don’t call it rest. Cos it ain’t.
Resting is when your body AND mind get a break. (This is also not called sleep).

Resting involves an intention to slow down, and to just be in the present moment. My favourite way to rest is in my hammock with a blanket (if it is cooler) and a pillow under my head and knees. I love the feeling of swaying gently. I often don’t read in the hammock, I just look at the trees and the sky.
Some people say that resting can be reading a book – but the mind is still active.
Others say resting can be swimming – but the body is still active.

Many people find it hard to just sit and do nothing for a period of time, except breathe and be. So i invite you to set a timer for 3mins and just allow yourself to be in the present moment. Lay down. Watch the clouds. Listen to the birds. Just rest. And when the timer goes off, set it again for another 3mins. You’ll be amazed how quickly time flies doing nothing.
Resting is the biggest gift you can give yourself in this busy life we live. So choose to consciously do it for a few minutes per day – and watch how your entire perception will shift.

Start today

Scrubbing your digital energy field is an act of self love. Start today and notice how less-stressed and anxious you become. Removing the negativity, the draining, the anger, the complaining, the comparison and the sense of missing out can help restore your balance and your enjoyment of life. When you become ruthless at guarding your own energy, you will find the rest becomes easier and life becomes happier.

Good luck xx

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Mindset- everything you need to know to get out of crisis

Mindset is the starting point of making any kind of life changes.

In this blog Belle shares her 5 tips for finding a balanced and focused mindset to help up-level your life, and make it one that is extraordinary. You’ll be surprised to learn it isn’t complicated or fancy – just consistent. 

 

Mindset is everything – you can push yourself for a time, but consistent, focused moving towards your goals comes from a very different place than sheer will. A shift in Mindset needs to come from first making a decision that things need to change – an actual conscious decision to live life a certain way – otherwise everything will be haphazard and not have a purpose or meaning attached to it.

You wouldn’t start a business and drop $1M into it without having a plan for the business – right? So why do we tend to approach life with no plan attached?

Call it a goal? A dream? A vision? Call it whatever you want, but if you want to start living life on your terms and begin living the life You want, then you need to have the right mindset to get you there.

Now you could be the kind of woman who loves affirmations. That’s a positive mindset.

Or you could be the kind of woman who likes a set order and structure to follow. That’s an organised mindset.

You might like to just do what feel right in the moment. Honey, that aint no mindset, that’s a habit of laziness.
Let me explain.

Most people say they want their life to be a certain way. They allow themselves to dream big, they get into the good feeling space, and they ride the good feeling wave of imagining themselves having the things they dream about. But if there are no choices, no decisions, no structure and plan in place about how to get there – then there will probably be nothing coming to fruition, unless you are holding on to luck and crossing fingers and toes.

So how do you come to that place when you are so focused, so determined and so committed to making things happen in your life?

The Answer? When the pain of living “this” way get sooooo incredibly unbearable that you simply MUST take yourself in the direction of your dreams.

Most women I work with  only make the moves when they are in crisis. Including me. My past is full of moments like this. I remember a time in my life when I was literally sensitive to every food you can think of. My body was in total crisis, every food – wheat, dairy, soy, salicilates (that’s a ahcemical in EVERY single fruit and vegetable) – I would react to with hives, asthma, body pain, weakness and severe anxiety. Life was a nightmare, cos I had no idea it was the food I was eating making my life so incredibly hard. A friend said to me “what will it take before you stop eating chocolate if you know it makes you bloated and gives you tummy pain when you eat it?” I responded “It would have to give me diarrhoea before I stopped.”
Guess what happened soon after?

Yup. You guessed it. And it was intense. I had to stop taking the train cos I couldn’t last between stations and I have an aversion to public toilets! (ultimate pain right there!)

My life had to get me to a point of incredible pain discomfort before I would make a healthy – wise – choice for my body. (Don’t get me started on how unhealthy my thinking, my abuse of my own body and my blatant disrespect for myself was – I was 29yrs old at the time, and I really needed a mentor to support me but they really didn’t exist back then.)

 

So why not make a decision to re-focus your mindset on the things you really want in life, before it is either too late, or the pain becomes unbearable?

 

Life is whatever you focus on, and if you are focused on set backs, disappointments and regreat, then that’s probably what is in store for you in the future.

Are you ready to change it NOW?

 

Let’s do it…here is my 5 step guide to getting focused on what you want NOW:

1. Focus on changing your physical state. The way you sit / stand when you are sad, ashamed, depressed, anxious is VERY different to how you sit/stand when you are feeling unstoppable.
So whatever you are doing right now….STAND UP….shake your body out ….feet hip distance apart, feet turned out 45 degrees ….put your hands on your hips..…tits out / shoulders back …chin up…..squeeze your butt muscles and breathe deeply 10 times.
Research has shown that 2mins in the “Wonder Woman Power stance” will increase strong feel good chemicals in your brain which will flow to your whole body. You will then feel clearer and more decisive. This is what you want if you are going to change your life!
Do this every morning for a week….and see how you feel.

  1. Focus on the food you eat….and stop those sugary, processed, fat laden foods entering your body. Just for 5 days. And see how you feel. Don’t give up everything you love. But if it is full of sugar, fake as hell, comes with a label where you cant pronounce any ingredient, just avoid it for 5 days. That’s all. Then see how you feel.
  2. Increase water. No, I didn’t say tea/coffee / soft drink…I said water. Plain ol’ water. Aim for a glass every hour while you are awake. Yep, you’ll probably be friends with the God of the Toilet while your bladder gets used to it, but who cares? You are increasing your hydration! No brain ever worked optimally when it was thirsty and weak. Water will help you think more clearly and with more focus.

Do this for a week and see how you feel.

  1. Get in some movement every day. Not 30mins flat out exercise. Not cross-fit. Not a gym session where you almost vomit. Just move. Take the stairs when you’d normally take a lift. Park further away from the station and walk. Take the dog for an extra walk each day. If you are completely sedentary: Do 10 x squats, push ups, ab crunches and tricep dips every 2hrs. If you have a chronic illness just circle your joints, breathe deeply and get your body moving again.

Do this for a week and see how you feel.

  1. meditate. Sit there. Suck it up. Get comfortable with your discomfort. Meditation is not hard, it just feels excruciating at first. Search on YouTube for a meditation that you like the sound of (for improving your golf game, for anxiety, for stress, for sleep – you name it, and its there.)

Or use this one: https://vimeo.com/237005316 password: Meditation

 

If you want an extraordinary life, then you need to take extraordinary action. This is your starting point, and you are the only person who can do it!

Comment how this felt for you, and what you noticed was different in your life.

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The lates oil to be released from doTERRA could be a God-send for many people.

In a world exclusive doTERRA has created a unique blend of Copaiba oil which combines 4 species of Copaifera*. 

So why has the Oily World gone crazy over it?

 

Copaiba is a powerful oil that affects the same receptor sites in the body as marijuana  – without the “high” or the trouble with the police!

This oil does not contain THC, and yet it packs a powerful punch that can ease stress associated with being in constant pain (thus reducing the pain response), it can help support the digestive system, reduce inflammation in injured tissues and support immune, respiratory and cardiovascular function. 

The creators of this oil blend are humble, but I am here to tell you that this baby is a game changer for anyone who has suffered with constant pain which puts them on the couch, and out of action for days at a time.


The Science: 

Copaiba works on the Enodcannabinoid system which is made up of CB1 and CB2 receptors. The Central Nervous System and Brain (responsible temperature regulation and appetite, among others things) contain CB1 receptors. 

CB2 receptors are found in the endocrine and immune systems. If a chemical affects the CB1 or CB2 receptors they are known as cannabinoids. Marijuana affects CB1 and affects hunger or gives the user “the munchies”.  A “runner’s high” is a result of exercise affecting a response from the CB1 receptors. 

Now, this isn’t the place for a heated “legal / illegal debate” about the use or medical marijuana to heal and soothe people living with chronic pain, dealing with cancer, or being highly stressed. I have my opinions, and I am sure you have yours too. So let’s shelve all that for now….

However, what you do need to know is that there are 3 different types of cannabinoid and Copaiba oil is one of them (aka  BCP: BCP, or Beta-CaryoPhyllene). It affects CB2 receptors and offers superior support for many areas of the body and traditionally has been used to support the body’s natural response to injury or irritation and supports healthy digestion.

 

Usage:

Take INTERNALLY daily (you can combine with Frankincense for a booster) to help support over health – instead of  paracetamol you could take this instead.

DIFFUSE in the home to calm the mind and ease physical symptoms.

Applied TOPICALLY to affected areas with coconut oil to soothe tissues that are inflamed or injured. Combine with Cedarwood to give it a little deeper boost.

 

So how do you get your hands on this oil?

 

IF you are already a Wellness Advocate and have a doTERRA account, then you can order through your Back Office from 2 October 2017

If you are YET TO BECOME A MEMBER then simply click here and follow the prompts to set up an account and become a part of my team. You get weekly support, are entitled to free consults each quarter to learn more precisely how to up-level your health and wellness, and you get to jump into an online Oily world where everyone wants to support you and you will never be alone!

BUT WAIT…..THERE IS MORE:

During October if you purchase a Home Essentials Kit & the Life Long Vitality Pack I will gift you with a FREE bottle of Copaiba oil. This is open to everyone! Even if you are already a member on my team.
These two kits will give you superior quality nutrition, helping to support your body from the inside out. The LLV pack is made up of bioavailable nutrients that may be lacking in your diet. (Lifelong Vitality Pack: watch this vid to find out more) The Home Essentials kit contains 10 oils that can transform the toxic chemical profile of your home (meaning NO MORE cleaning products!), boost immune system, lift mood, support a clear and balanced mind plus much more. 

Used together, you will find that you get sick less, spend less money at the doctor or chemist, and have a Natural First Aid Kit right there in your kitchen that is safe for the whole family.

Home Essential Collection : I will send you my free ebook “100 Uses of Essential Oils” when you order this kit.

 

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Emotions are your guide post

Not all physical sensations are from a physical place. They are quite often from the emotional body. Let me give you an example:


 You know that sinking feeling you might get when you think of someone who might be in trouble? 
Or that feeling of butterflies right before you have to do public speaking?

What about the sensation of tightness in your chest and you feel like you are going to have a panic attack?

Have you ever had a friend that made me so frustrated you could feel all tight across the chest and hot flushes going up the neck and face?

Do you ever experience times in social situations when you feel totally drained?

I have learned how to work with my “felt sense” – that part of me that feels everything. If you can learn to understand the “language” of your body, talking to you and relaying your emotional body, then you can learn how to let it guide you. 

So what can you do to start becoming aware of your emotional guidance system?

    1. Start by making a choice to become more aware of how your day to day emotions feel in the physical body.
      You can practice this by starting on the GOOD FEELING emotions. So, when you are happy, stop for a moment and ask yourself “where am I feeling happy in my body the most?”
      Then when you are feeling sad, ask yourself “where am I feeling most sad in my body?”
      This isn’t hard to do, but may take some practice before you feel confident identifying the feeling area. 
    2. Once you can identify the feeling you are feeling and where it sits in the body, you can ask why it is there. Only do this for the negative emotions, or the ones that feel more difficult. This way you can almost “make friends” with them, and they wont seem so heavy or oppressive.

 

With practice, you will start to recognise the feeling of the emotion in your body, long before you recognise it in your brain! Then you can make decisions from this.

Invited out with a friend, and you feel heavy in your belly?
Then simply decline with grace, as your body has said “the timing is not right on this one today”.

Offered a promotion at work but you feel immediately tight in your chest? Possibly this is your usual response of panic setting in (self-sabotage?), and you need to work on your self-confidence?
(Book in an energy clearing session to correct this).

Can you imagine how more genuine and heart-centred, your life will become when you learn how to listen to your emotional feedback system, and live from this centre?

If you approach life from your head too much, you may over-think – and think things that aren’t actually there! But if you go from your “feeling sense” you will never go wrong. You will free yourself of negativity and drama, and allow peace and good feeling to grow!

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The Importance of Being Selfish

“Selfish” isn’t a dirty word…in fact it may be the most healthy character trait you can have…..as long as it is accompanied by kindness and love.

 

Taking the time to look after your body regularly through exceptional food, pure water and regular exercise are the first three pillars to good health – you probably already know this as these three pillars have been drummed into those of us born after 1970.  As a society we have come to believe that taking care of these three areas is the best – and most sufficient way – to care for yourself. However, there is a fourth pillar of health that is often forgotten, hidden or shunned – that is the pillar of Emotional Wellbeing. 

This clinic is not just a massage clinic, we are more than that. We are therapists who recognise the importance of emotional wellbeing, and we understand the signs and symptoms that crop up in a body that is not in emotional balance. We call this the Mind Body Connection, and Belle is a leading expert in her field on recognising that every physical symptom has an emotional cause underneath. 
Regular self care is the ONLY way to ensure you are in emotionally balance – and this will look different for everyone. 

Emotional Wellbeing (EW) is the practice of listening to and being guided by that inner voice that speaks to us when things feel a bit “off” and when things feel very right. You can think of EW as being like a rudder on a boat. It helps us to steer and stay on course. I’m not much of a boat person, but I this is a good analogy that can describe the idea:
When you are in a boat and the rudder is slightly turned in the wrong direction it takes a moment or two before you realise you are headed slightly off course. The good thing is you can correct your steering by taking the helm in two hands, and tuning your attention to where you are going. You will get back on course quickly when you recognise your mistake, but it takes a little longer if you aren’t paying attention. And sometimes you can get into serious trouble if you really don’t recognise you are way off course.
Are you with me so far?

Our body has a feedback system that is always helping us to steer in the right direction, it gives us signs and an a “a-hoy there” if we are off course. I prefer to call the gut my “inner wisdom” but you can call it your gut instinct, or intuition too. For many women, they ignore this feedback system because they are so busy caring for other people and making themselves too busy to take time out for themselves. Our modern society prides itself on the ability of a woman to get shit done and to be superwoman. I know countless women who just keep going and going and going…until they fall apart and have to stay in bed for a day or so, and then get up and go and go and go again!

But I am here to tell you that this is the BEST way to start feeling aches and pains in your neck and shoulders, recurrent headaches, sinus infections, persistent coughs and colds and to feel sad or apathetic in your heart. For many women they report feeling like they have “no direction” or “no purpose” even though they have a job, they have a family, they have a partner, they have a house (etc etc) and they don’t see any real reason why they feel so flat, or low or un-energised or just a bit blah.

This is REALLLLLYYYY common in the years after having a baby. Clients will often present with aching in the neck and shoulders, and possibly lower back, but they will put it down to having a very heavy bub, or that they are still breastfeeding etc. Whilst yes, that may be true, there is an underlying emotional imbalance that is weighing heavy on you too. Problem is, when you have babies close together, you get too busy to care for yourself and correct some of the things that start to hurt and feel bad, because you are too busy caring for tiny humans. And so the problems compound until you have more serious aches and pains, and possibly many conditions and diseases to manage.
Often when I ask the simple question “How often do you engage in self-care?”
I get answers such as:
“ummm….”
“not very often”
“what do you mean by ‘self care’?”

Self Care is the act of attending to and caring for the self. It can be through making small choices such as what to eat or what to drink, that is life-giving and energy supporting. Or it can be through making huge life choices such as removing toxic relationships from your life, moving to a new town, changing jobs, or beginning a meditation / fitness program on a weekly basis.

Emotional Wellbeing is reliant upon your ability to put the focus on yourself for a while – especially if you are feeling achey, or despairing, or just a bit “nothingness”. Getting selfish means you are taking the time to look after your own needs, and put yourself first. If anyone has a problem with you putting yourself first simply say to them:
“So you are saying that you have a problem with me looking after myself, because it means I can’t look after you? And that makes me selfish?”

LOL – they have no where to go with this argument. (You’re welcome xx)

So here are my tips for getting selfish with kindness and love, follow them and you will be on the road to feeling better in mind and body:

The food you eat can have a huge impact on your emotional wellbeing. Sugary foods often put you on a high, but then you go through a low a few hours later and you wonder why you feel so irritated with a husband who works long hours and leaves you alone with the kids all day.
Drinking lots of coffee all day – “just to get you through” – has a taxing effect on your adrenal system (your energy system lets call it) and can actually make you have less and less energy as the weeks and months go by. Then you may find yourself with zero energy by the evening, and getting crankier and crankier with the kids (who ALL have a witching hour in the evening!) and with a partner who has no idea he has walked into Jurrassic Park and found a T-Rex in his kitchen.
(Now I am not giving your partner any excuses for his behaviour – it may be crappy, and your crankiness may be justified….but that is a blog for another day.)

Darling, I want to speak to YOU and help you to control the things about YOU that are making your life harder. And you can be sure that skipping breakfast, reaching for toast for lunch (cos it is easy) and eating off your child’s plate (cos it is quicker than making your own lunch) and downing copious amounts of coffee or chocolate all day (cos it makes you feel good) is only adding to the T-Rex Effect each afternoon/evening.
Now I am not saying eating good, clean food in a balanced and healthy way is the be all and end all, but I am yet to meet a client in my clinic who has a clean diet and poor emotional health. Just saying.
Self-care starts with food.

The next thing you need to address follows on from food……drinking. Make sure you limit coffee and tea (unless it is pure, organic and gorgeous tea from a tea maker, not the rubbish in tea bags in the supermarket!) Swap this out for water water and more water. Get your 2L per day and then talk to me about drinking coffee. Water is life. You need it. Drink it. Purified if you can.

The next thing you need to do is breathe more. Consciously, not shallow and hurried, but long deep breaths that fill you up and slow you down. If you don’t know how to do this, then get your bum to a meditation or yin yoga class immediately! YES you can put the kids in care or ask a sitter, or go later at night (don’t do yin in the day time, that’s not what it is for). You CAN do this, and you CAN make changes to your schedule once per week. It is your CHOICE to do this. Breathing deeply helps to soothe your nervous system and will quiet a busy mind. There will be less T-Rex activity when you are feeling more quiet and subdued…and then you can handle the Witching Hour with more grace and self control.

Journal often. This is so good for the soul. It gets things out of your mind and when you re-read what you wrote, it can be a revelation. Practice “Appreciation” for the little things around you. Notice the weather when it feels good to you. Notice your favourite jumper or boots or hat. Be thankful and appreciate you have a nice watch or jewelry that makes you happy. Just notice the things you have around you such as a nice tv or a lounge chair or maybe you have a Thermomix that makes your heart sing? Just notice the material objects you have that make you happy. Avoid noticing what you don’t like, and don’t focus on what you don’t have…that’s not the purpose of this exercise. Just become more Appreciative of what you do have and what you do like.
It is life changing to do this.

Engage in regular bodywork therapies. Choose from massage, Aromatouch therapy, Reiki, Emotion Code, facials, foot treatments and hand massage. Try different things every once in a while and see a new therapist, just for a change. Every therapist you see brings something new to the table (pardon the pun) so treat your body work as a “must do” and intuitively book in a session that interests you and you are curious about.

Body work helps you to unwind, and to find stillness. If you are a talker, try not talking for your next session and see how that feels. Let your therapist know you want to try something different because you are trying to get more in touch with your inner voice. She will be able to support you in this, and maybe guide you into deeper relaxation.

Make this next month all about YOU. Get inward focused and be selfish in a kind and loving way towards yourself. Who knows how you will feel at the end of it? Maybe less aches and pains, or maybe more clarity about what you need in life going forward? Be patient, be consistent and go get selfish!
You deserve it Darling xx

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Dragging in energy? Choose 3 basic steps to feeling better!

Is your energy lagging?
Do you wake up often feeling like you are dragging yourself thru your day?

Sure, you may get some energy moving AFTER coffee, AFTER a shower, AFTER exercising..but how would it feel if you felt good BEFORE doing anything?


There are 3 EASY and available changes you can make to your daily lifestyle and see benefits NOW!

 

The food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink all hold chemicals and pollution that our body needs to process – this takes energy.
Let’s break this down:

 

1. The food we eat – come on, be honest, the food you eat isn’t always actually food is it? The stuff that comes out of a box is HIGHLY processed, sometimes in a lab, and so contains synthetic ingredients that your body doesn’t even recognise.
Your body needs to process this – and that takes energy.
If you are fighting a cold or flu or some other infection, and you eat food that takes effort to process….even “real food” that is heavy and stodgy takes time to process, it takes energy away from your immune response……so TIP: when you are sick, eat lighter, lightly cooked food in smaller amounts. Give your body the fuel and nutrients it needs without the loading.

2. The air we breathe – pollution is part of life. Some people sit in doors in air con 38 hrs per week. Others are in traffic driving (or exercising) for an hour or so per day. Others smoke. (no judgement here.) So to counteract the effect that breathing this air has on our bodies, it is good to support the liver (the organ that filters your blood) and the lungs (this organ is obvious – right?)
Getting out into nature – AWAY from cars, is the best remedy! Into the countryside, or the beach or lake areas. Breathing deeply, expading the lungs, allowing the body to take a FULL and CONSCIOUS inhale – ahhhhhh I’m relaxed just writing it!

3.The water we drink – if you are anything like me, you need to force yourself to drink more clean, pure water! This is a hard one for people who are busy, or people who use their hands for work (massage therapists! typists, drivers etc). I like to get a big jug and fill it with water and a drop of lemon oil to purify it…and then I have a little competition with myself to see how much I can drink before I go home! (hey, whatever works!)
I love Earl Grey tea…and so sometimes I will drink 2 cups in the morning, before realising I haven’t had any water yet.

When I was really unwell with glandular fever, I could hardly be bothered to drink – I had ZERO energy, and a really sore throat. But what I did find is that some days were a LOT better…when I realised it was the days I drank over 2L of water, I was able to sit at the dinner table with the kids, or engage in conversations where I actually smiled (smiling and talking took too much energy on my worst days).
But I digress…..if you have excuses such as “I don’t like the taste of water”…I’m sorry – get over it. That excuse is for kids. Your taste buds will adjust – TBH you probably have too much sugar in your diet which is dulling your taste buds. That excuse is ridiculous. You don’t drink water for taste, you drink water to hydrate your body. Your body will not function properly – it will be sub-par – if you don’t drink enough water. If you don’t care for the taste, that translates to me as “I don’t care enough for myself, to do basic – minimum – things to help myself get to a better place of wellness.”
Water is readily available. It is a no brainer – if you want to feel better – drink purified water – and reduce the coffee/tea and sugar and milk.

PERSONAL STORY:
I was never a fan of taking supplements until I got really sick. I remember laying on the couch writhing in full body agony (glandular fever was a horrible illness!) and I started to think about what I could possibly take to make myself feel better. I started to look up doTERRA’s Life Long Vitality range of supplements. I’m traditionally not a supplement fan – I prefer to eat balanced meals and drink water. However I did lots of reading and realised that if I am out of balance – clearly I was very unwell – then I should be doing everything I can to get myself into wellness and stay in wellness (EVERYONE was telling me I had to be careful I didn’t develop chronic fatigue).
So being an Oily doTERRA girl already, I thought I would give the LLV supplements a try – I mean, what did I have to lose? They arrived 4 days later and I started taking the max dose advised every day. I recovered from my second attack of GF and I took a before and after video of my progress in a month! It was quite telling the difference in my entire being.
I’m not saying LLV cured me, but I am saying it helped strengthen my body to fight a virus that was taking me down.
I believe taking supplements for at least 3mths is the best option. Then you can truly track your progress each month, and see if you have different sleep cycles, cravings, menstrual cycles, mood states and energy levels. For me, I was able to see a marked difference.
GOOD NEWS – Aussies can NOW order LLV from our Aussie warehouse each month (translation: it is cheaper postage and no exchange rate!).

 

Are you ready to make HUGE changes just by taking 3 supplements per day? I can help you! ORDER HERE