Showing posts with label start the new year right. Show all posts
Showing posts with label start the new year right. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

☺ How to Create an Awesome 2015! ☺



*This post was originally posted January 2014, reposting for the 2015 New Year Kick-Off!*

Hello beautiful New Year! 
How exciting! A fresh start, a fresh new page in this book of Life! 
First and foremost, I hope you all have set some awesome intentions for your new year; I hope that you are filled to the brim with positive change in mind, with love, with hope, with the courage to walk the path of your dreams! With this in mind, I wanted to make a list of reminders and tips of how to truly and fully make your dreams and intentions a reality, and where the bumps can often arise along the way so that you are armed and prepared for the best year ever! Because a New Year has the profound opportunity for you to make your life magical, to make a fresh start, to make the changes you want and to really set those amazing intentions into action, However, none of this happens unless You make it happen.

Cleaning the Slate.
A New Year doesn't magically clean the slate. It doesn't magically make everything okay again. It's really just one new day. BUT, you can make it the first step towards your happiness and bliss. That one step is so important, but the motivation and courage to follow is even more important. You get to create the momentum of your life and to guide it into a positive direction; to welcome love and gratitude and all good things into your life. Now, with this, you cannot simply brush all the mess of your life beneath a rug and expect it to stay there. If you want change then you must make it happen. If you want a clean slate then you must actually resolve the past. 
I speak about this from a place of deep deep knowing, from the experiences of my own life, from observing the lives of others, and from this journey that continually surprises me with lessons. Taking the steps to Heal Yourself are steps that cannot be overlooked. All the positive thinking, the optimism, the smiling, and love in the world will not mend the holes that have already been made in your heart and mind; these are things that you must address, that you must take charge over, and that you must find true resolve in. Only then can you mend that broken heart and live your life without that burden. If you don't, they will arise again and wreck havoc on all the work you make towards your happiness. This is a most valuable lesson, and I share this with you today because I want you to find resolve, to welcome all the good in your life that you deserve, and to truly start your new year right: without the burden of your past to weigh in your heart.
There are many ways that you can do this, but I encourage you to do it right. And by do it right, I encourage you to see a councillor, a therapist, someone who can really help to heal you. EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) changed my life. And EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is another method that can heal old wounds. These are the only two methods, that I know of at this time, that will truly and purely heal those wounds, to mend those wires in your brain that attach the past to negative feelings and reactions. Both of these methods work by activating pressure points and different sides of your brain to become okay with trauma, problems, and even physical blockages in your body. 
While EFT is very new to me, I am very excited to be trying and experimenting with this more. And it is even something you can do yourself at home--though I encourage a session with someone who knows what they're doing so that you understand the pressure points and wording to use this method properly. 
EMDR, I know works, because it was one of the most healing experiences of my life that allowed me to put a rather tumultuous past behind me. After I was done this session, I literally felt as if I was walking on clouds, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from within my soul. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for this experience. This new year, I intend to do another sessions as soon as possible, as there are issues that have risen that I did not resolve, or was not so aware of, the first time I did EMDR with my councillor several years ago. 
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of resolving your past. And I mean Really Resolving your past. I've seen the past wreck havoc on my own life and the lives of people around me, and, so, addressing problems before they grow into something much less manageable is vital. If there is one lesson I could give you this new year it would be to do it Now.  


ReCreate Yourself; Be Yourself.
New Year's resolutions often come with some sort of personal or physical changes we want to see in ourselves. You Do get to recreate yourself. Every single day. And I encourage you to do so. Because it is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself; to come into yourself, to be the greatest and truest version of yourself, whatever that might be at the time and know that it may, and very likely will, change with time. 
Allow yourself to change, allow your opinions to change, your dreams to change, your life to change. Change is a natural and wonderful part of life, learn not to resist it and instead embrace all that it carries with it. No one should want to remain stagnant. Be the person you're meant to be! 

Work on Yourself Every Day.
Every day is a profound opportunity to make changes, to take charge, and to be the change you wish to see in your life and in the world. However, all those things you want to accomplish won't happen unless you make them happen, and this requires an every day action. It shouldn't be a chore, it should feel inspiring, uplifting, motivating and exciting! And those actions every day can be as simple as making yourself smile, to repeating affirmations, to speaking words of gratitude. The importance is to cultivate positive thoughts, feelings, and emotions to fuel the passions of your life and to attract greatness into your life. 

Don't be Afraid of Failure.
You will fail. You will fall on the ground and kick and scream and have breakdowns, and cry, and be angry and frustrated. But you will also climb back up, be awesome, inspired, happy, motivated, and all the more powerful if you let yourself climb back up after every fall. Falls are inescapable. We all stumble, we all fail, we all make mistakes. These are vital lessons and important steps in life. Don't resist them, simply allow them to happen, learn the lesson, and move onward. 
The fear of failure should never be a reason not to do something. Inner instincts can tell us when something is wrong or should be avoided, but fear of failure should simply never be a reason not to do something. So charge headfirst, take risks, take chances, be bold, and step out of your comfort zone! 

Make a List.
If there is something you want, don't forget to write it down. This is why creating a Vision Board is such a powerful tool, because you place your wants and dreams into action. Writing things down makes them twice as likely to come true. Getting specific with what you want is even more powerful. If you want that dream job, partner, friend, or whatever it is your heart desires, make a list and be as specific as possible. Write down every detail. If it's a job, write down the hours you want to work, the responsibilities you want, the sort of work your job entails, the happiness and freedom you want from it, your wage, and so forth. If it's a partner or friend, write down characteristics, details, activities you want to do with this person. Get as detailed as possible! And, last but not least, make sure you have made room in your life to accept those things into your world. The Law of Attraction is a useful tool, learn about it and cultivate it into your life to make magic happen. 

Live the Life You Want.
In life, we make far too many sacrifices. We talk ourselves down from things that we want and deserve. Often times, we aren't honest with ourselves at all about what we want for ourselves, of what we need to grow, of what we need to do for ourselves to be happy. This year, I challenge you to really discover yourself; to let the walls down, to see yourself truly, and to be honest with yourself with what you want. No more excuses, no more tiptoeing. If you want something, claim it, make it your own. Live the life of your dreams and don't let anyone or anything stop you! Have the courage to say yes and to make your dreams a reality. 
Don't belittle your dreams, don't feel selfish or needy. Be Honest with yourself! You are allowed to ask and want amazing things in your life. So do! And remember that you Deserve Happiness and Love. 

Be Grateful, Be Happy.
More than anything else, be Grateful. Gratitude is the single biggest key to living an awesome life--regardless of anything else around you. By being grateful we harness appreciation for ourselves and the lives we already have, and we open the door to even greater things by doing so. Gratitude cultivates love and happiness. Gratitude is the greatest key, use it daily! 


I wish you all a very happy new year filled with adventure, love, laughs, excitement, and change! Be bold, be yourself, and have courage! 
So much love from me to you! 
Create an amazing day, and create an amazing life! 

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Sunday, January 5, 2014

Ⓥ Feel Good with Delicious, Healthy Eating Ⓥ


. . . . . . . . . . 
{New Year Inspirational Kick-Off!}
 Kicking off this new year only feels right to be boasting with enthusiasm and inspirational to get things running all the more smoothly, so, I welcome you to the New Year Inspirational Kick-Off! The next several days will be dedicated to sharing fun projects and resources you can use to keep your own life bustling with gratitude and awesomeness.
New Year Positive Power! Huzzah!
. . . . . . . . . .



Today (meaning our usual Sunday Vegan Kitchen Posts), I wanted to do something a little different. After too much wine, too many cookies, too much eggnog, and too much junk food in general during the holiday season, getting back into shape, quite naturally, appears on our list of New Year's resolutions. My suggestion isn't going to be to go Vegan (though I do think you should), but merely to eat healthy and to feel good about the food you put into your body. Far too frequent is the mentality that healthy food tastes awful. Eww, gross, who wants to eat vegetables? Well, while you should enjoy the taste of raw vegetables, no one said that eating healthy meant you had to eat them all raw; come on now, you can dress up your food and make it explode with delicious, tantalizing flavours. And, yes, it will still be healthy. 

The recipes posted here on ReLove Plan.et are always vegan (again, ditch the mentality that vegan food is gross… or expensive for that matter), and are also usually gluten-free and free of common allergies. On top of that, the recipes I post focus on Health. I want you to eat right, I want you to feel Good about what you're eating, and I want you to enjoy every mouthful and want more once you're done. Because that's the way we should eat, that's the way we should enjoy food. That's the way eating is supposed to be! 

So, as well as checking in at ReLove Plan.et for recipes, I am sharing some of my favourite recipe resources. And after that, some eating tips to stay on track and have a super healthy year! 



Healthy, Yummy Recipe Resources! 

  • ReLove Plan.et: All the recipes you can find archived by category and name by clicking Here (or the "Vegan Kitchen" tab on the right side of the blog). You can also search the tag "vegan kitchen" to scroll through them all (click here). Recipes are always vegan, usually gluten-free, free of allergies, and healthy and oh so good! 
  • Fellowship of the Vegetable: This blog is wonderful, positive, and filled with yummy recipes. Plus the photos of all the food are beautifully displayed. The recipes are all vegan, and . Kylie, who runs the blog, says "I started this blog at the end of 2011 as a way to journal my journey through veganism, but I’m hoping it has evolved into more of a place for people to come together and see how easy and fun being vegan can be." It certainly is! Kylie also does lots of restaurant and food reviews of places she's gotten to try out. I love the creativity of the recipes, and I always look forward to seeing her new recipe posts. Check it out here: http://www.fellowshipofthevegetable.com/ 
  • Lunch Box Bunch: This is probably my favourite place for recipes! They have so much to offer and they are usually on the healthier side with lots to offer and plenty of pretty pictures to entice your tastebuds. Check it out here: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/
  • This Rawsome Vegan Life: Every healthy diet should include more raw foods, and that's when "This Rawsome Vegan Life" comes in. If you think raw food isn't delicious, amazing, and packed full of flavour then you haven't been looking in the right places. This website is enough to make your mouth salivate the second you hit the main page with the photos alone. Raw desserts are my particular weak spot, I mean, who doesn't want to eat dessert and actually feel really good about doing so? I highly recommend you give it a try, soon all your desserts will be raw for the mere pleasure and health of it all. Check them out here: http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/
  • VegWeb: Oh my! The second you go to the VegWeb webpage you are immediately thrown into fits of enticement at all the yummy images of food. VegWeb is the world's largest collection of vegetarian (read vegan) recipes. You can literally find any kind of recipe you may be looking for on here. It's amazing! While not all the recipes may be incredibly healthy, vegan recipes are always a healthy start and there are lots of truly healthful recipes on the site you can turn to. Go to the site here: http://www.vegweb.com/
  • One Green Planet: "Your online guide to making conscious choices that help people, animals, and the planet." This site is not only packed full of healthy vegan recipes, but it also has plenty of vegan, health, and activism resources you can check out and stay motivated with. Oh and, of course, there is an entire recipe section, including a gluten-free one, and raw living t keep your plate happy. Check them out: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/
  • PPK (Post Punk Kitchen): The PPK was created by Isa Chandra Moskowitz with the idea to have a fun cooking show to give vegans something to watch. A website was also started to support the show and to foster a vegan cooking and baking community, where they could submit recipes, share ideas and maybe gossip a little bit. PPK is a super fun and vibrant place and packed full of amazing recipes. If you're looking to go vegan this new year, this is your hotspot to stay inspired! Check out PPK here: http://www.theppk.com/
  • Vega: I love Vega, and I always will. The company, and founder, really have your health in mind when it comes to the products they sell and the website they share. There are health resources, fitness tips, and an entire recipe section, all with your health and happiness in mind. Check them out and enjoy all that they have to offer: http://myvega.com/vega-life/recipe-center/

Pinterest: There are so many more website and resources I could share above to keep you motivated, by my favourite of them all? Pinterest. Why? Well! My oh my are the wonders you can find on Pinterest! I love using it as a collection of all my favourite recipes I find while trolling through the web or happen upon through any other social media site. Then, whenever I'm unsure what to make that day for supper, dessert, breakfast, or anything else, I simply turn to my list and start scrolling through tantalizing images. Here is my "Vegan Kitchen" board, I encourage you to make your own to keep motivated! http://www.pinterest.com/reloveplanet/vegan-kitchen/
I am also very much enjoying Kylie's (from Fellowship of the Vegetable) Pinterest, so you should check out hers for food ideas and inspiration as well. http://www.pinterest.com/faboofierce/vegan-yums/


Health Tips! 
Let's stay motivated and happy shall we? Here are some more tips to keeping your New Years happy and healthy! 

  • Don't Overeat. It's so easy to do and it will be your biggest downfall. You should feel energized and awesome after eating, not like a lethargic mess. What you eat has a huge roll in this feeling. The other roll is played by How Much you eat. Need help? Buy yourself a smaller plate and/or bowl. It sounds kind of silly but it works. I have a beautiful little ceramic pottery bowl I bought locally that I absolutely love, and it gives me the perfect portion sizes. Just don't go back for seconds. ;)  
  • Drink Lots of Water! Yes, cliche, but so important and so true. Do it! Your digestion, your body, and your mind will thank you. A few tips when it comes to drinking water: don't drink a ton of water after meals, you should be waiting at least half an hour to an hour before consuming a bunch. Drink a glass of water half an hour before meals, it will fill you up so you don't overeat and it will help your digestion along later. If you workout, drink more. 
  • Take a MultiVitamin. You can do everything right, eat the right foods, exercise, and be an overall shining ball of health, but a multivitamin could still benefit you. Sadly, most of what we eat isn't what it used to be; the soil is depleted of its nutrients and therefor the food grown in it is lacking, and food is usually harvested too early in order to make it to us across the globe. On top of this, if you are stressed out then your body won't absorb all the nutrients either. Everyone could benefit from a multivitamin these days. Just make sure you choose a good one! There are plenty of bad-for-you vitamins on the market. Look for natural, organic, and vitamins that your body can absorb. I use RawOne for Women, it's amazing and perfect. If you are lacking in any other nutrients be aware and take supplements accordingly. 
  • Choose Organic and Local. This should always be your first choice. Choose the right thing for the planet, your health, and the animals and people that live here. Support your community, it will not only be good for community, but their grown food is probably more nutrient rich than anything you buy in the supermarket. And Organic means freeing yourself of awful bad-for-you pesticides, chemicals, and GMO. If you aren't going to eat Organic, then at least avoid the list of the dirty dozen. 
  • Eat Regular Meals. Don't skip meals, but don't spend all day eating either. Ideally, eat smaller meals every 3-4 hours, to give your digestion a break in between and to keep it happy and working optimally when you do eat. 
  • Exercise. Exercise has everything to do with a health digestive system and a happy body. Exercise lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and it keeps your digestive system flowing. It also keeps your lymph system active which will keep away colds. Twenty to thirty minutes a day is all you need, even if it's just a leisurely walk. 
  • Make Calories Count. Stop calorie counting. At once! Calorie counting is an awful way of trying to be healthy and it may work in some ways but fails when it comes to your overall well-being. Not all calories were created equal, this you need to keep in mind. When you are happy, exercising, and eating the right foods your body will metabolize and use the nutrients in those foods much more efficiently. Don't fall for the crappy "Special K" products or any other gimics of the sort, at the end of the day, these are still Junk Foods. Choose Real food and you will no longer need to count calories.


Eat Real Food
Drop any silly Diet Fad you may be following and, instead, just eat Real, Whole Food. That's all there is to eating healthy. Real Food. 
While there are so many debates on different dieting, these are some simple overall rounded tips you should follow these simple rules… 

  • Lessen or cut out animal products. Even those that are pro-meat will almost all agree less is more. If you're going to eat animal products, reduce once or twice a week for meat and eggs. Dairy you really should try to cut out completely, but if you are going to consume then go for one or twice a week as well. 
  • Carbs are good. But not equal. Choose whole grains and you won't have to worry about following silly low-carb diets. Vegetables and fruits are healthy carbs as well, eat lots of them! 
  • Eat lots of Veggies. Vegetables are the cornerstone to health, eat lots of them! 
  • Fruit, fruit. Fruit is best on its own and/or in the morning. However, fruit is good for you and don't react like nasty sugars, so eat your heart out. 
  • Cut Out the Crap. No junk food, no processed foods, no high saturated fats, no refined flours or sugars. Got it? Good. 
  • Omegas. Omegas are sooooo important for you health, and yet most of the population don't get their healthy omega 3s nearly enough. Your ratio should be 1:1, but you can be healthy with 1:3 (omega 3 to omega 6 ratio). Your best sources to boost your omega 3s are chia and flax. 


Above all else, stay motivated by being happy. The happier you feel, the more inclined and motivated you will be to eat healthy, because you will Want to make yourself feel good all the time. Stay on track by getting a friend involved, joining an online community, or really exploring all the resources around you. And have fun with it! And remember to be grateful for your food. 

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year! I know you can do it!  


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Friday, January 3, 2014

☺ 365 Grateful Project ☺


. . . . . . . . . . 
{New Year Inspirational Kick-Off!}
 Kicking off this new year only feels right to be boasting with enthusiasm and inspirational to get things running all the more smoothly, so, I welcome you to the New Year Inspirational Kick-Off! The next several days will be dedicated to sharing fun projects and resources you can use to keep your own life bustling with gratitude and awesomeness.
New Year Positive Power! Huzzah!
. . . . . . . . . .


Continuing the New Year Kick-off, today, I am sharing a Gratitude Project that really spoke to me, for the exact reason of seeking out new and fun ways to keep the motivation flowing and the gratitude present in every moment.



The '365 Grateful Project' was created by Hailey in early 2008 in an effort to fight depression. This effort began a year long photographic project which involved taking one Polaroid photo a day of something she felt grateful for. 
Haley has described the discipline of having to look for the good things that happened every day as life-changing, in so many ways. Hailey found not only her marriage, spiritual life and health improved, but this project accidentally, wondrously spread and affected the lives of many others. 

This project, of course, interests me because of the spread of joy and the use of gratitude to fall in love with yourself, the things around you, and your life again. Plus it sounds like a fun way to stay motivated and keep the good vibes going every single day. Therefor, ReLove Plan.et is challenging you all to take part. You don't have to share your photos with the world, it can simply be for yourself, at home, in a scrap book. I also encourage you to write down a little sentence or two to describe this moment of gratitude. The more deeply you can dive into gratitude the more profound the effect. 

If you're on instagram, or even Facebook or twitter these days, then use the tag #365Grateful to your photos and instantly be part of the gratitude!
Also, if you'd like to follow my own 365 Grateful Project then you can follow me on instagram, tumblr, or even here on the blog I'll post my photos once a week with little descriptions to share with you all. I'd also love to see your own projects from fellow ReLovers, so you can also tag your photos with #365relove to check out others in this lovely little community here at ReLove Plan.et--because I would love to find new and fun ways to connect with you all as well. 

Alright, that's all for today. ;) Be sure to watch the video, it's very inspiring! And, above all else, remember to have fun!  


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