Her Unique Glow

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1) Practice gratitude

There are so many reasons why having a daily gratitude practice can positively impact your health – in fact, more and more research is being done to explore why and how it’s so effective. Practicing gratitude can:

• Improve your mood, making your happier and in a more positive frame of mind.
• Improve your relationships by increasing your connectedness and satisfaction.
• Help your sleep.
• Help you with positive decision making.
• Help you create sustained happiness.

Establishing a daily practice is something I suggest to all of my clients – Supercharging your health doesn’t only mean eating right and moving your body - It’s also about changing your lifestyle habits so that your day to day life can be transformed to create the epic life you dream of. Practicing gratitude is one sure fire way of making that happen – it’s something that I’m so passionate about that I created a free gratitude diary that you can download from HUG!

2) Meditate

I know this one might seem a bit ‘woo woo’ and it’s something that I know you either love or hate BUT coming from someone who wasn’t a huge fan of meditation at the beginning, it’s honestly one tip that is going to help you create an amazing health-style. The benefits of meditation translate into almost every area of your health and life from decreased stress levels to improved performance.

I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea though and to be completely honest and transparent, I go through phases. About 5 years ago, I was totally obsessed – to the point where I would go to meditation classes even when I was on holiday, whereas now, taking the time to meditate almost causes me more stress than relaxation as it takes me ages to switch off. Having said that, when I do take the time to meditate I not only feel calmer but also more switched on and productive. Meditating is a great way to increase productivity because it gives you more clarity and reduces that unwanted ‘brain fog’.

Reducing stress is so important when it comes to looking after our health and if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this it's this: I want it to be ‘DE-STRESS' yourself! Stress causes so many health problems and by meditating (even for just a few minutes every day) daily it can help lower those stress levels and in turn supercharge your health.

So if you don’t have time to meditate or it’s not entirely your thing then breathing exercises are amazing!

This is my favourite go-to breathing exercise:

4,7,8,4 breathing.

• Breathe in for 4 counts.
• Hold for 7 counts.
• Breathe out for 8 counts.
• Repeat 4 times.

I do this multiple times throughout my day: When I’m anxious, when I’m overwhelmed, when I can’t sleep at night, when I’m trying to calm down, just before I eat so that my body is relaxed… the list is endless.

Start to add a breathing or meditation practice to your daily routine and see if and what difference it makes not only to your mind but your body as well.

3) Drink more water

Of course this was going to be on here! Drinking water is vital to your health and wellbeing – it’s one of the first things I ask my clients to start doing more of. How much water we should be drinking is totally bio-individual but on average we should be drinking about 2-3 litres a day.

Yes it can get boring, yes not everyone loves the taste (I personally LOVE the taste of water – is there even a taste?) but there are ways you can add flavour and switch it up a bit – adding fruit, berries, lemons or mint to your water can add flavour to it's more palatable to drink.

One HUGE tip I want you to takeaway though is this:

Drink more water in the morning.

In the morning when we wake up, we have been starved of water for hours and so our bodies are dehydrated. The first thing we should all be doing is drinking a tall glass of warm water to hydrate ourselves and help kick start all of our body functions. Our bodies can NOT function without water and having not had any while we were sleeping means that it’s essential to drink a LOT more in the morning.

4) Take time to be present

Life is fast, life is hectic and there’s always a million and one things to do. When we live at that hundred mile an hour pace of life our stress systems are on constant high alert. In fact, most of us live with chronic low grade stress and like I said before – that does nothing for your health and can really cause a whole list of health problems that quite frankly, none of us have the time for.

Being present is one way that we can start to reduce some of that stress by taking the time to ‘switch off’ and allow our bodies to relax and slow down.

What I mean by ‘be present’ is:

• Switch off your phone every now and again.
• Take time away from social media.
• Spend more meaningful time with your family and loved ones.
• Do things that don’t involve technology.
• Have a meaningful conversation.
• Take more time for yourself and notice your body and what it needs.

Allow yourself some time every day where you’re not on ‘high alert’ – trust me, your body will thank you for it.

5) Cut out junk food and eat more whole foods

This one is obvious – junk food does NOTHING for our bodies and can actually harm our bodies if we eat too much of it. Cut out all the junk food, artificial preservatives and sweeteners and start eating more whole foods. Whole foods provide way more benefit to our bodies AND they’re full of flavour too. Trust me, cutting out all those junk foods we have learned to love is a tricky task – but within just a few short days you will notice your body respond to all the goodness you’re fuelling it with. It doesn’t take long for your body to shift into a healthier state when you start fuelling it right – and once you notice those changes you won’t want to go back!

It’s empowering when you can see and feel your body adapt to all the positive changes you’re making.

6) Cook more food at home

The more you cook at home, the more you are in control over what foods you’re putting in your body. Take aways and ready meals are so full of salt, sugars and preservatives which your body doesn’t respond well to at all!

Plus, cooking from home means that you can prep meals and snacks for the week so that you’re not tempted to reach for those quick fixes when you’re out and about. Start noticing what you’re putting into your body and make sure that you’re fuelling it from a place of love.

In fact, cooking from home means that you can add that one special ingredient no one else can:

Vitamin L – LOVE

7) Move more

Get your body moving! It’s as simple as that. Our bodies are designed to move so start taking advantage of that. Know what works for you and what you enjoy. The more you enjoy moving the more likely you are to turn it into a daily habit. You don’t have to become a gym bunny to move more – you can get up a go for a walk, chase after your kids in the playground, ride a bike to work or even stretch out your body with a few yoga poses while you watch TV. There are so many ways you can start to move your body more and it’s essential for improving every aspect of your health. It can:

• Improve your mood.
• Improve your mental health.
• Give you more clarity.
• Improve your productivity.
• Help you with your sleep.
• Help you to lose weight.
• Help with anxiety.

Whatever your reason for wanting to transform your health, move more – it will benefit you no matter what.

8) Make sleep a priority

Sleep is essential for being truly healthy in every aspect. It helps to reset our hormones, allows our bodies to switch off from the stresses of the day, it boosts our metabolism and fat burning potential and proper sleep allows us to live each day with more energy and fulfilment.

Making sleep a priority is essential to our health, especially in a time where sleep is seen as a ‘luxury’. Sleep is natural and an absolute requirement for total wellbeing, so the way I see it – it shouldn’t be a luxury – it should be a non-negotiable. If you’re struggling to get adequate and meaningful sleep in then go to bed earlier. Make sleep a priority.

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Now, always remember bio individuality. When it comes to making changes to your lifestyle you need to remember that it’s not a one size fits all approach. It’s completely down to you and you will find what works for you. These are just tips that I think we can ALL benefit from in some way (but of course some may resonate with you more than others). All I ask is that you go forward in your health journey with an open mind and a whole load of curiosity! Experiment and continue to learn so that you can empower yourself to take charge of your health and your life! After all, knowledge is empowerment!

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