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Treatment, T cells and Walking in Nature.
I first wrote this blog exactly a year ago. I wanted to share something about my experience of having had breast cancer and how I chose to feel, think and what I chose to do. One year on and I’ve just celebrated what has become known in my family as my ‘cancerversary’ – June 16th, the date I was diagnosed. For many, this would be a date to dread, not one to celebrate, and yet for me, it’s my wake up call; when I began to take notice of what I was unconsciously doing to my health; to become conscious, to value my life and myself and to begin to…
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Keep calm and love your immune system
From personal experience, training and research in bio-medicine, nutrition and NLP, I have learned that we have an amazing immune system that works hard, all the time, to keep us in a state of health. When we give it the right environment to do so, it will thrive. When we don’t, it can’t function so well. We can ‘feed’ it with food and water that will nourish every cell, tissue and organ or we can feed it foods that harm it. And that’s not all. When we are stressed we activate the fear centre in the brain and this leads to a downgrading of the immune system. The opposite is…
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Managing Stress: Why now is the perfect time to take control.
Right now, many of us are living lives very differently. We are experiencing changes that we never imagined. Whether we are working long hours in front line services, unemployed, furloughed, working from home, home schooling, caring for others, volunteering, being shielded or have been sick or bereaved, the changes have been sudden and in most cases, quite drastic. Change can feel liberating, exciting, peaceful but it can also be stressful as our bodies and minds deal with the new normal and process the thoughts feelings and emotions that these circumstances create. Stress is a fact of life, it’s natural and it can be helpful and constructive in the short term…
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Working from Home: 10 tips for being at your best in mind, body and soul.
In these challenging times of change and uncertainty, it’s even more important to feel secure, have stability and maintain a sense of purpose amidst the chaos, For most people, the usual work routine has been tossed into the air and shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. So, as both a Wellbeing Coach and someone who’s worked from home for a while now, I thought I’d offer some advise and tips for people that are new to this malarkey that just might help you to survive the day with your sanity intact, be productive, effective and at the same time have more energy, focus and feel calmer and happier about your…
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Food is Medicine: How To Boost Your Immune System
So, at the time of writing, we are in a health crisis caused by a pandemic. We are having to live very differently, conform to rules that we don’t like but are for the greater good. Lives have been turned upside down, families are separated and jobs and finances have uncertain outcomes. This state of chaos can be scary and unpredictable and it can sometimes feel like we have no control. And yet, right now. we are being given the opportunity to stop what we’ve been doing and reflect, re-evaluate and reset our priorities, focus on what’s important to us, our loved ones, communities and the world at large. We…
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How to have a better day.
I’ll be honest, I’m not feeling at my best today. As a wellbeing coach, it’s often hard to admit this. Aren’t I supposed to have all the answers and be able to both think and eat my way to perfect health?? I wish. Instead, I’m sat at home feeling ‘under the weather’ – what a strange expression that is. Anyway, I’m feeling a bit crap and taking my own advice of rest, fluids and good food. I’ve also just had a delivery of some new flooring (living the dream😂), which has prompted me to write this instead of doing my accounts, to enhance my emotional and mental state (I know,…
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Stress, Me and the Honey Bee
In his book ‘Becoming Supernatural’, Joe Dispenza likens living in a state of chronic stress to driving with one foot on the break, the other on the accelerator. Well, I’ve never actually tried it but when I read this I knew how it felt. It perfectly described how life used to be for me. Living in a state of stress had become ‘normal’. So much so, I had no idea there was anything wrong. Until, of course, to continue the metaphor, the damn wheels came off. Now it’s a different story. I am much more aware, and know how to return my mind and body to a state of calm…
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HRT – Is it really worth the risk?
So, this week has seen the publication of a comprehensive world-wide study by Oxford University about the link between breast cancer and Hormone Replacement Therapy. And, shock-horror, they’ve found that the risk is greater than previously thought. This isn’t new though, is it. The link between these two has been known about since the turn of this century. Since then, there has been so many conflicting studies, it’s not surprising women are confused and anxious about whether or not to use this method of alleviating symptoms of the menopause. It’s no secret that my view is that there are many natural ways of dealing with the likes of hot flushes,…
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Coming through the menopause: My Story.
When Irene from One Dream One Vision approached me in July and asked if I’d tell the story of my menopause experience in a podcast interview, I was delighted. I’d never done a podcast before but had enjoyed listening to many. I like the feeling of listening in to a conversation that is both entertaining and informative. So, here was my chance to ‘go public’ with what happened to me during my enforced menopause, due to cancer treatment. In the podcast I share my journey of discovery. From struggling with anxiety, losing my confidence, almost my sanity and walking away from a 22 year teaching career, to understanding that it…
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Pimped-up Coleslaw!
Do you love a dollop of coleslaw with your salad? I do! But I find that it can get a bit ‘samey’ after a while so here’s a few ideas to pimp it up, make it even more tasty, and of course, the more raw ingredients you put in it, the more you’re nourishing your amazing trillions of cells that make up your unique bodies and minds! Not only that, but ditching those nasty supermarket tasteless tubs will save you buying one more piece of single-use plastic. I do use shop-bought mayo and mustard but they both come in glass jars and I choose ones with the least chemicals in…