Baby Steps to Better Health

Sandy our nutritionist shares how easy it is to move in the right direction to having great health - the body you want. Take a step with Sandy:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Confucius

We’re all on our own journey to having better health (eating well and moving more) – whether it’s as simple as eating less chocolate (sigh!), or running for thirty minutes or even in a 10km fun run.

The problem is that sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. How do I lose all those kilos? How do I run when even walking around the block can sometimes be a struggle? (phew!)

You just need to know where to START. And the good news is that starting begins with something very small: a single STEP.

“But something small isn’t going to make any difference!” I hear you say. “Not when my favourite form of physical activity is walking up and down the confectionery aisle in the supermarket…” ;)

The key here is doing something small over time. That means making one small change, and repeating it every day, and every day after that. Have a look at the facts:

- Eating one less 50g chocolate bar a week equals around  4,500kJ saved a month – resulting in weight loss of 1.5 kg in a year!

- Simply switching to reduced fat milk from full cream (2 glasses a day) can help you lose two kg in a year!

- Walking for fifteen minutes extra a day adds up to almost 7,000kJ burnt per month, or loss of over two kg of excess fat a year!

Can you make any (or all) of the above small changes, or baby steps? Sure you can! And I bet you can think of several others – especially if you’ve been completing a food and exercise diary, as recommended in my previous post: (http://fradaz.blogspot.com/2010/06/first-steps-to-healthier-more-visible.html ).

So join today with all of us Fradaz girls in beginning your own baby steps to feeling better and moving more. All you’ve gotta do is START. :)    

© Sandra Peut 2010   

Sandra Peut keeps busy juggling her varied roles as a wife, mother (to four children aged 6 and under!), nutritionist and health promotion officer in women's health, and writer. Blue Freedom, a romantic thriller and her first novel, is due to be published by Rose and Crown Books later this year.

For more info, visit http://www.sandrapeut.com/

Her first romantic thriller Blue Freedom                                                                

Invisible?

The other night I was watching Master Chef (the TV show where contestants compete by cooking amazing meals to win the show‘s title - it so makes my dinner time look sad ;)).  Anyway, one of the female contestants had an embarrassing mishap with an ingredient right in front of the judges, other contestants, and let's not forget just the whole of Australia.  
She shook her head and simply stated “I am not invisible now.”

Wow, what a statement. I mean really (and be honest) haven’t we all felt invisible at times? 
For some of us maybe you have always felt this way. Invisible to the big old world, invisible to the success of others, invisible to those you value most or want value from, even invisible to you.

I soooo have.

Then, what’s  worse is when you make a mistake, or things don’t go to plan, or you just have an embarrassing mishap suddenly you’re ‘visible’ for all the wrong reason. You’re left feeling silly, or angry, looked over, disappointed and shamed (oh pass me the chocolate now and I mean the whole block). You can even feel and start to believe that those standout moments of weakness are what define you.


Sometimes it is easy to be invisible too. Easy to not have to make tough decisions, easy to not take responsibility for where you are personally at, easy to not have to worry about what others may think if you were to step out, easy to leave it to others to be the ones that make a difference - cause their the mistake free, perfect, standouts right !!!

Truth Moment: If you don’t become visible no matter the cost, then who will make a difference in your own life, in your world = no one.

Only you can make you visible. Only you can find you.


It is time to get visible that means you, you, you.

Sure it’s a risk and there are going to be mistakes made, maybe some embarrassing mishaps, feeling uncomfortable, and feeling ‘out there’ with the spotlight on (sunglasses anyone?). But if you keep stepping out ‘visible’ you are also going to learn how to get it right, become comfortable, and feel really happy that you are doing what you knew was always in you.  
You will achieve the ultimate dazzling goal of making a difference for you and in others.


So this June we are all shedding invisibility and living visible. (Shameless dance around the room time - now that's visible!;))

Time to:

Look around your life, what needs you to be 'visible' (or more visible), who needs you to be visible, where can you step out, up and in?

1) Is it time to change some old thinking and look in the mirror and become visible to your self-esteem and your value? Those past failures or mistakes don’t define you - so throw them off NOW!

2) Do you need to become visible to a dream, goal or passion and step out and learn, achieve, do and most important BE?

3) Are there people around you who need you to be more visible to make a difference for them - to make them more visible: Your children, your hubby, friends, those without friends, those in desperate need, and those in other nations, …………..?   

4) What organization, church, charity needs you to be visible and join them in making a difference to others? (We know your busy but what could you do? :))
             
 Get Inspired:

Read Proverbs 31:10 -, from the Bible http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2031&version=AMP 
This is a passage about a woman who stands out. She is visible. This is because she has chosen to stand confident in who she is and she stands confident in what she does (in her day to day society and particular lifetime) – she is seen being actively visible.  
She is not about being the perfect women or the most incredible and gifted (She sooo would have needed chocolate too). She is here to inspire you to be the best YOU.  Touch YOUR world with visible YOU.

 Everyone share:

Tell us what you are doing or going to do to be visible?

It's all in a cup of tea!

It is today! I get up to live this fabulous day however I have just one problem! The problem is that I am not quite sure what I should be doing. Have you ever been there?

Oh I am not talking about eating breakfast, or ironing (Yuk, anything to avoid ;)), or looking after my two girls. I am talking about those involvements either by career, or pure passion, desire, and interest that gives us pleasure, fulfillment and makes a meaningful difference in our lives and others.
Because I have moved town and also have had a bit of time out to have my babies I have had to press the pause button on a few of my old ambitions. Now I am ready to get back out there and do, do, do, it’s just WHAT????

Who am I kidding! This all feels a little overwhelming. I have a few ideas, a wish list. It’s just there are too many directions I could go in. HELP!

It gets worse though, because then I start to wonder if I am doing the right thing? Going in the right direction? I start to pondered if it is really possible to achieve? Could I really do it? Is it too risky? What if I make the wrong decision? What if this is a waste of my life? Or worse is ‘this’ for younger people!!!!! What if I make a complete fool of myself? Finally, I still have to manage my everyday responsibilities = absolute ‘frazzle’!

Ever been here too?

Truth Moment: We don’t always have to have all the answers and directions for our life figured out!

Where we are at this very moment in our lives is where we are and that is ok. It does not always have to make sense, it does not have to be perfect and we don’t have to keep rushing forward to keep up with the trends of life.

So I am pausing. I make myself a cup of tea (with a piece of chocolate of course) and simply enjoy and think about all the good things in my life past and present and the good things about where I am at now. It is in this moment that I remember 5 things that have never let me down when it comes to finding a new direction or ‘do’ in life:

1) Know: God has a purpose for my life and is quiet capable of showing me and steering me to it without my fretting!

2) Live: I have to take action. Step out not worrying if it is right, wrong or perfect. I need to push on a few ‘doors’ to see if they ‘open’. I might even have to get out of my comfort zone and try something new, talk to people in a particular field of interest, and sometimes change the idea of what I thought my life would look like.

3) Time: Most importantly I need to give myself time to try, fail, not care what people think, win and discover.

4) Trust: As I act opportunity will come. If I am about to make a step in the wrong direction or a mistake I will feel it inside (no it is not just caution or nerves). I trust this instinct because I know it is how God leads me and it is very obvious. It is the Holy Spirit saying “don’t go this way, try another”

5) Share: I also talk to close friends and trusted family who know me and can pray for me, advise me and cheer me on.

So with my 5 points, I finish my tea, have an extra piece of chocolate, and with peace and no fear, rise ready to dazzle as I am now, knowing my future is going to be just amazing.


Thinking: Do you need to stop and have a cup of tea? Are you trusting God with your life? Read Proverbs 3: 5-6 while enjoying a cup of tea and chocolate!

Average Me!

So today I have decided to put my life in the galaxy of the Internet and start blogging. Though I’m not sure that I am interesting enough to hold your attention. The problem is I am just a plain old (and getting older shhhhhh!!!) ‘Jane average’.

I have a husband, two children, I work at home, have two dogs, a mortgage, a mail box full of bills and boring paper and the housework can tend to laugh at me as I try everyday to clean the house only to do it again the next. I do have great friends, a wonderful family, a lovely place to live, and lots of chocolate.
But it is just that I want to be interesting. I want my life to dazzle. I want to shine. I don’t want to fade into the background of life or be stuck in the average = nothing basket, no matter how often I am sweetly told “your special because you are you”.

Truth moment: I am special because I am me and the same goes for you. We all are.

Just because our lives are far from perfect and are full of the ‘everydayness’ (is that a word?:)) does not mean we are average. It just means we have to purposely look into our ‘everydayness’ and see who we are actually dazzling and shining for. You see we already are shine and dazzle to someone.

For me it is my husband who needs me to love him and his ‘annoying’ bits. My girls need me to show them how to be princesses and live even in the tedious tasks, (like picking up more toys, anyone!). My friends need me to encourage them and be real about life. Oh and my neighbor relies on me to take my bin out every week. (Two words: Nappy bombs!). It's just a 'plain old average' fact that we all bring, can give and shine something special into our corner of the world.

Be brave, have a look, whose there? Your needed. Now be you and shine.
Share with me who you shine for!