Lifestyle Changes | Lauren Kinghorn

What’s Healthy Eating About… Really?

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

What’s Healthy Eating About?

The first time I started questioning whether I really knew what healthy eating was about, was almost 30 years ago. I moved to a small town in the Klein Karoo called Montagu and met the renowned fruitarian, Essie Honiball.

At the time, Essie was 67-years-old and the picture of health, a joyful, sociable lady with boundless energy. She would come down to the hot springs, where I worked, to swim with her friends.

Essie told me she felt and looked younger than she did in her 30’s when she was dying of TB (Tuberculosis). She firmly believed that switching to a diet almost exclusively of fruit, nuts, and seeds was what saved her.

Essie Honiball lived to the age of 89. Here’s an interview with Essie at age 86.

What Do We Need to Eat?

In Biology and Home Economics class at school, I had been taught we all needed to consume a varied diet of meat, fish, starch (grains), dairy, vegetables, and fruit.

The lesson was clear. If you’re not eating a balanced diet consisting of all the recommended food groups, you won’t get all the nutrients you require for good health.

Proteins
Carbohydrates
Fats
Fibre
Vitamins
Minerals
Antioxidants
Water

Yet I discovered that for some people, it was possible to live on fruit alone. This idea blew my 20-year-old mind. I didn’t become a fruitarian myself, though I’m sure it must have encouraged me to eat more fruit.

I went through my own health challenges in my late 20’s and started tuning into what my body needed. I started juicing and doing fruit and veg cleanses. I discovered that my body functioned best on fresh fruit and veggies.

It was while I was cleansing and juicing that I felt my healthiest, my energy levels were always through the roof, I was slim, happy, sleeping well, and free from pain.

Yet, for years, I kept following the healthy eating guidelines we were taught at school. Eat all 5 food groups, have everything in moderation, drink 8 glasses of water, sleep 8 hours a night. I knew the drill.

That’s what I was taught at school and so I believed it was the truth. But is it?

What are We Designed to Eat?

On 9th September 2020, I made the switch to a wholefood plant-based diet. My friend Mariana called me from Joburg for a catchup chat and encouraged me to look into it.

Mariana had been suffering from debilitating bouts of rheumatoid arthritis and found that she was able to virtually reverse her condition if she ate a plant-based diet. When she slipped back to eating normally, her symptoms would flare up again.

Mariana sent me some YouTube links to videos by Doctors who advocate a plant-based diet and I found the information so compelling, I decided to join Mariana in following a plant-based lifestyle.

One of the segments I found really interesting, was this. Humans are not designed to eat meat. We think we are because again, we were always taught at school that humans are omnivores, but it turns out we are not. When you look into our physiology, it appears that we are actually natural herbivores, plant-eaters.

If you look at our jaw structure, we are not built to be carnivorous. We can’t kill an animal and tear it apart with our teeth.

And instinctually, we don’t want to.

If you saw a little rabbit or piglet with a broken leg on your path, what would you do? For most people, our natural instinct would be to comfort and do what we can to save the wounded animal.

What would a dog or cat do in the same situation? Pounce! And gobble it up. Because they are natural carnivores, meat-eaters and happy to prey on defenceless creatures.

The thing is, that by the time we see fresh meat in freezers at the grocery store, it’s been neatly chopped up, cleaned and packaged and we don’t think of it as a creature at all. We didn’t have to kill it ourselves so we don’t spare a thought for the life of the animal we are about to eat.

What is a Wholefood Plant-Based Diet?

It’s kind of like a vegan diet because it’s mostly vegetables, fruit, and grains but the emphasis seems to be more on eating plants and whole grains for optimum health.

You can call yourself a vegan and eat fried chips and loads of processed vegan delicacies. That’s not the idea with a wholefood plant-based diet.

On the other hand, you can call yourself wholefood plant-based and sometimes eat eggs, dairy, fish, poultry or meat, from the best possible sources, such as organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised or wild-caught.

Why Eat a Plant-Based Diet?

I’ve found that people choose to live a vegan or plant-based lifestyle for three compelling reasons:

To protect animals from harm
To protect the environment
To protect themselves from preventable diseases

What to Eat on a Plant-Based Diet?

So, what do people consume on a plant-based diet?

Vegetables – in season, fresh and organic where possible
Starchy vegetables – such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut
Fruits – including berries and melons
Nuts – ideally raw, unsalted macadamia, walnuts, brazil nuts and cashew nuts, almonds and nut butters
Seeds – such as pumpkin, flax, chia, sesame, sunflower and hemp seeds
Whole grains – such as rolled oats, brown rice, quinoa etc.
Legumes – chickpeas, lentils, peas, peanuts, black beans, etc.
Unsweetened plant-based milk – soya milk, almond milk, coconut milk etc.
Healthy Fats – avocado, coconut oil, olive oil
Plant-based protein mushrooms, tofu etc.
Herbs and Spices – including seasonings like nutritional yeast
Coffee, Tea, Herbal Tea

How to Eat More Fresh Fruit and Veggies?

We’ve got so used to reaching for yummy goodies loaded with unhealthy sugars that we forget to eat our fresh fruit and veg.

Here a few quick tips to help you get in more fruit and veggies on a daily basis.

Buy a variety of fresh, fruit and veggies, including berries, melons, nuts and seeds
Begin each meal with raw, fresh fruit or veg or salad
Aim to eat at least 5 different colours at each meal
Begin or end your meals with veg and lentil or bean soup
Make fresh smoothies or juices as snacks

What Not to Eat on a Plant-Based Diet?

Fast food and fried foods – pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, fries
Refined Foods – white bread, pasta, doughnuts, cakes, cookies, biscuits
Packaged and convenience foods – crisps, biscuits, health bars, frozen dinners
Processed animal products: bacon, ham, macon, etc.
Processed vegan products – such as vegan meat, butter or cheese
Artificial sweeteners – and food or sauces containing artificial sweeteners

What to Avoid on a Plant-Based Diet?

Many plant-based advocates follow a vegan diet but if some feel they need to supplement their diets with animal sources, for whatever reason. If you’re going to introduce some form of animal product into your diet, follow the guidelines below.

Meat – eat very rarely, and if you do, make sure the animals are grass-fed, pastured and treated humanely, where possible
Dairy – as above
Poultry – free-range, grain-fed and organic, where possible
Eggs – as above
Seafood – wild-caught from sustainable fisheries, where possible

What’s Healthy Eating About?

So, what’s healthy eating about… really?

For me, it’s a wholefood plant-based diet, because of what I’ve read and researched about the many health benefits. And also because of how I feel when I’m eating loads of fresh fruit and veggies.

Essentially, you get to decide what healthy eating is about for you. We are all different and our bodies respond differently to what we eat.

What I can tell you, is that your taste changes very quickly when you make the switch to a plant-based diet. Foods you thought you could never live without (like cheese, cream or meat) no longer hold their appeal.

I invite you to try it out for a week or two and see how you feel.

This post was sponsored by Anti-OxidantFruits.com. All opinions are my own.

Aligning all 8 Dimensions of Health and Wellness

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Lauren Kinghorn

8 Dimensions Health Wellness

Health and Wellness have been a big focus in my life. I started teaching Aerobics when I still in High School and took over my Mom’s gym shortly after I finished school.

A couple of years later I also started studying and practising a number of different modalities, including Aromatherapy, Reflexology and Shiatsu. I became particularly interested in holistic health and healing. I was fascinated by how the mind, body and spirit are all connected.

I delved deep into every aspect of health and wellness over the years because I wanted to know how every secret on how to live long and prosper.

And yet, it took Harold at Bodybuilder Solutions to introduce me to the idea of the 8 Dimensions of Health and Wellness. Have a look at this post: https://bodybuildersolutions.com/the-best-resources-for-mental-health-and-physical-wellness/

And, here they are.

All 8 Dimensions of Health and Wellness

I’ve placed them in the order that makes it easiest for me to remember, starting with the 4 that align with some of the chakras (or energy centres in the body). I used their corresponding chakra colours on the infographic below.

1. Physical (the base or root chakra)

2. Emotional (the sacral chakra)

3. Intellectual (the solar plexus)

4. Spiritual (the crown)

The last 4 are not energy centres in our body but relate to aspects of our daily lives that can impact our health and wellness.

5. Social (Relationships)

6. Occupational (Work)

7. Financial (Money)

8. Environmental (Surroundings)

While it’s virtually impossible to be focusing on all 8 of these all the time and have them all in perfect balance, it’s certainly something worth striving for.

You might put so much of your time and energy into mastering one aspect of your life that the others go out of kilter.

On the other hand, when you achieve success in one area it may give you the confidence and motivation to tackle other areas of your wellbeing.

And there is a tremendous benefit in aligning each dimension of health and wellness and feeling they are all working together in harmony. Because that’s when you feel a sense of peace, satisfaction and well being. A feeling that all is right with your world and you’re doing just fine.

In this post, I’ll aim to give you some of the keys I’ve learned over the years that have helped me achieve this alignment in my own life, in the hopes they help you too.

Let’s take it from the top.

1. Physical Health and Wellness

Deep down I think we all know the answers to this. They are simple to learn, but not easy to implement.

Exercise regularly (at least 30 minutes, at least 3 or 4 times a week)
Eat nutritious foods (especially plenty of fresh fruit and veg)
Get enough sleep (6 to 8 hours a night)
Drink enough water (around 8 glasses a day)

Those are the basics. We all know them but we get caught up in what this expert claims and what that diet promotes and what that organisation recommends.

Here are my personal keys to making these work for you.

Exercise

You’ll only do it regularly if you love it and can incorporate it into your life. So find something you really enjoy doing. For me, right now, it’s walking my dog and jumping on the trampoline with my son, because that’s all I have time for. But at other stages of my life, it’s been swimming, gym, dancing, yoga, pilates. What moves you?

Nutritious Foods

I recently went wholefood plant-based which means I mostly eat a healthy vegan diet. Though I know that’s a big ask, so if this just sounds too extreme to you, please start adding more fresh fruit and veg into your diet and avoid eating overly processed foods and especially processed meats.

I have discovered it’s a brilliant lifestyle choice, especially if you are overweight or have heart disease, Type 2 diabetes or any other preventable health condition. But don’t take my word for it. I’m just following the experts.

Here’s a great overview of plant-based nutrition by Dr Anthony Lim

Disclaimer: Please note that none of the recommendations in this post is intended to replace the advice of your Medical Doctor. Please consult a doctor or registered health practitioner if you have any health concerns.

Sleep

Stop all digital activity, including watching TV at least half an hour before you go to sleep to have a good night’s rest.

Hydration

Water or tea is best. One or two coffees a day is fine. A glass of wine a night (or your favourite drink) is fine but don’t overindulge too often. In my book, sodas are a no-no. I could go into the long explanation of why but then we’d never get to the rest of the post.

2. Emotional Health and Wellness

We all want to be happy and free from anxiety, yet, sadly, most people aren’t. We live in a world where millions of people are suffering from depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia and nervous tension and have resorted to medication for relief.

There are many natural ways to be happy and free from worry and I believe it starts with choosing happiness.

Once I made a conscious decision to live a happy life, the natural ways found me.

Here are some of the things that make me feel happy and at peace.

Guided Meditation or Visualisation
Being out in nature
Being in contribution
Caring for loved ones
Playing with or reading to my children
Caring for pets
Dancing, singing or listening to music

But what about those stubborn or particularly heavy emotions you just can’t seem to shake?

I’ve found Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or Tapping) to be most useful in helping me release unwanted emotions.

For example, here’s a tapping session I did on Disappointment.

Once you know the basics of how to EFT, you can tap on any emotion that’s upsetting or depressing you.

The deeper you go, the more relief you feel, which could mean working on childhood wounds or past hurts that have stuck with you for years.

3. Intellectual Health and Wellness

To be healthy intellectually, it’s important to use your mind by doing things like:

reading
study
research
travelling
and other intellectual pursuits that broaden your mind

It’s equally important to clear your mind of stress, worry and limiting beliefs.

I read a funny meme at a coffee shop the other day.

It said: “Give me coffee to change the things I can change and wine to accept the things I can’t.”

I’ve discovered that what causes most of our pain, suffering and stress is believing things should be different than they are.

So my best piece of advice for a happy life is to accept those things you can’t change and change the things you can. i.e. Do your own inner work. Let go of all those thoughts about what others did or should have done, what they said or should have said.

Instead, turn your thoughts to who you are, who would like to be around and what you would like to do with your time. Be in your own business.

Again, easy to say, not so easy to do. Until you meet Byron Katie and use her simple technique to unbundle those stresses and beliefs and turn them around.

Byron Katie designed a process of questioning your stressful thoughts, called The Work.

Here’s Katie doing The Work with someone on How to Have a Clear Mind and Healthy Body.

The Work is a great way to get clear on the thoughts that have been holding you back or dragging you down, sometimes for years.

I’ve found the best breakthroughs in my own life have come when I start out by doing The Work and then shift into EFT if big emotions come up.

These processes sound simple but they are life-altering. Try them out for yourself, especially on your most painful experiences and you are likely to see what I mean.

4. Spiritual Health and Wellness

Our spiritual journey is deeply personal and a path only we can walk. This journey is usually ignited by the religion, faith or path we have followed since childhood. For me, that faith was Christianity and it led me to A Course in Miracles.

Learning and teaching A Course in Miracles has given me tremendous peace.

Here’s one of my favourite lessons in A Course in Miracles.

Lesson 47, God is the strength in which I trust.

The spiritual perspective is that pain and suffering are caused by believing we are separate from God.

In a sense, this is the same concept Byron Katie teaches, just in different words. Where Katie might call it questioning what is or questioning the truth, on a spiritual level, when we question what is, we are questioning God.

When you draw nearer to God in…

prayer
praise
meditation
stillness
communing with nature, or
when you give love, and
forgive yourself and others..

you access your God-mind where you can safely embrace the peace that passes all understanding.

5. Social Health and Wellness

Social health and wellness relates to our relationships.

We all know that if we are in an abusive relationship, whether it’s a parent, partner, child, work colleague or friend, it can take its toll on our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

We also know that when our children “get in the wrong crowd”, their health can suffer. Peer pressure and social pressure can drive people to do things they would never do on their own.

Just as unhealthy relationships can be devastating for our personal wellbeing, healthy relationships can turn our health around.

In my life, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have wonderful parents as role models. My Dad was a Minister so I grew up in the Church. That really helped me build a strong healthy social structure within a loving community.

That foundation helped me seek out healthy role models at school and in the workplace.

It is far more difficult for children who grow up with unhealthy role models at home, to make healthy choices in their adult relationships. This is where public service becomes important.

Our relationships with those in authority are extremely important, especially when we are younger and still building our strength and courage to stand up to authority when needed.

One amazing Grandmother, one child-centred Teacher or one caring Sunday School Teacher can change the trajectory of a child’s life and make the world of difference in a community.

If we want to see a healthy society, the responsibility falls on each one of us to give back to the community in whichever way we can.

6. Occupational Health and Wellness

For me, occupational health and wellness have always started with being passionate about your work.

Job satisfaction is a huge part of your overall happiness as well as your health and wellbeing. After all, most of us are working for the greater part of our day.

What’s interesting to note is that job satisfaction seems to have increased in 2020, according to this article: https://legaljobs.io/blog/job-satisfaction-stats/.

Perhaps the pandemic is creating a happier workforce because more people have been able to work at home or perhaps it’s because people value their jobs more now that so many jobs have been cut during the pandemic.

My best advice on the work front is similar to my advice on exercise. Find something you love to do, something that makes your heart sing, something that makes you jump out of bed in the morning.

Get to know your personality, your strengths, your weaknesses and be your biggest advocate.

7. Financial Health and Wellness

Our relationship with money is usually complex.

Financial wellness is not only about how you make money, spend money or save money but also how you think and feel about money.

We grow up with a number of beliefs around money and they are not always healthy.

If you faced lack in childhood and you don’t address your money beliefs and money blocks, you may be facing lack in adulthood too.

So I would start by doing the internal work.

Examine your money beliefs and create new healthy beliefs.
Figure out why you want to make money
Where you want to spend your money
How much you want to keep and
Where you want to invest your money
And then you can turn your attention to the how.

If you’ve been hitting a few money blocks, you may find these money afformations helpful. Afformations are much like affirmations, except they are questions rather than statements.

Isn’t it interesting how all these dimensions tie-up? When you look at one dimension, you can see how each plays into the other.

Your work affects your finances.
Your thoughts and feelings affect your finances.
Your relationships affect your finances.
Your physical health can affect your work which in turn can affect your finances, etc.

And of course, vice versa. Each dimension of health and wellness impacts the other.

8. Environmental Health and Wellness

Your environment can affect your health in many ways.

For example, living in the city is considered more dangerous to your health than living in a small town out in the countryside. Not just because of the faster pace, traffic congestion and added stress but also because of the smog and noise pollution.

Cities bombard and sometimes overload our senses.

Your home or work environment can also affect your health. Most people find living or working gin a chaotic or cluttered environment to be more stressful than a clean, well-organized home or office.

And then there’s our impact on the environment, how we contribute to the health of our environment.

We all know by now that we can make simple lifestyle changes to improve our environment:

Recycle
De-clutter
Conserve Water
Plant trees and flowers
Use natural products
Consume less (minimalism)

But did you know that the single most impactful thing you can do for the environment is to stop eating meat?

Animal agriculture is having a devastating effect on the environment.

This video explains how the meat and dairy industry works.

Here are just a few ways eating a vegan or plant-based diet, positively impacts the environment:

Saves water (because our livestock consumes a lot more water than we do)
Reduces greenhouse gases, the leading cause of climate change
Reduces air pollution
Protects the rainforests
Protects endangered animals

Of course, the choice is always yours. It’s not easy to stop doing something you’ve done all your life, especially if it’s something you enjoy, like eating meat or cheese.

I have found that when I find enough compelling reasons to make a change, I make it. And it sticks.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoy implementing some of my key pointers on the 8 Dimensions of Health and Wellness into your life. I invite you to play with these ideas.

Try one or two of them on and see if they fit. I’d love to hear which ideas resonated with you. Feel free to leave a comment below.

This post was sponsored by Bodybuilder Solutions. All opinions are my own.

Disclaimer: Please note that this article is not intended to replace the advice of your Medical Doctor. Please consult a doctor or registered health practitioner if you have any health concerns.

Easy Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Lauren Kinghorn

Easy Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Ooh, I love receiving contributed posts like these! Here are some really easy healthy lifestyle changes you can make today that will make a real difference to your mood. Instantly. And if you make these lifestyle changes stick, they’ll be life-changing.

4 Lifestyle Changes to Relieve Stress, Improve Your Health and Be More Successful

We all get stressed from time to time, and it’s not surprising. Life just has a way of being tough now and then, as our obligations to work, family, and our health, amusement, and well being all too often collide catastrophically.

Of course, it’s fairly common as well that we’ll make things worse ourselves through bad habits and unproductive approaches to resolving our problems.

In the worst of instances, you could find yourself on holiday in the best and most beautiful resort, only to find yourself chronically unable to relax and enjoy the moment. Conversely, if you’re able to manage your stress response when back at home, even the most mind-numbing work concerns can seem like small and manageable things.

As stress affects the quality of our lives to such a great degree, here are some suggestions for lifestyle changes that can help to radically reduce your stress.

1. Read on topics that uplift and intrigue you

You may have an enduring interest in technical subjects such as science or engineering, or your passion might be reading the literature of the past and getting lost in the incredible worlds that people managed to create over the span of human history.

On the other hand, you might be passionate about reading up on healthcare as a prelude to taking up a degree at the University of Southern California.

Regardless of what your particular area of fascination is, reading has the ability to transport us away from the preoccupations and worries of ordinary life and to carry us off to an eternal world of images and concepts – whether those take the form of mathematical formulae, or the metaphors and wordplay of William Shakespeare.

Distracting yourself from your concerns and preoccupations – even if only for a brief time – can have a tremendously positive effect on your overall sense of wellness. It can calm the mind and reduce stress, and as we know stress is not just a matter of “feeling uncomfortable”, but can have tremendously negative consequences for health when it’s allowed to become chronic.

Reading is a great and productive form of distraction which you can turn to no matter where you are.

2. Quit the caffeine and alcohol

This tip is often difficult for people to stomach (excuse the pun), for the obvious reason that caffeine and alcohol are so incredibly rife and common in the world. The vast majority of adults in the Western world consume both alcohol and caffeine, and many consume them on a daily basis.

But caffeine is a drug known to directly boost the production of the body’s stress hormones, and to tire out the various receptors and organs associated with those, and other, hormones.

That daily cup of coffee may be contributing quite dramatically to your chronic sense of stress and anxiety.

Likewise, alcohol causes damage to the brain and other organs of the body, and there is evidence that even in small amounts, it may make people less healthy, less resilient, and less capable of facing the world head-on. A bitter irony, considering people so often get drunk to drown out their stress and anxiety.

By quitting these two substances and shouldering through the few weeks or months of irritability and withdrawal (yes, really, they are actually drugs) you may find your stress vastly diminished.

3. Be sure to fuel yourself properly

A large number of people are constantly fighting to attain the perfect physique. Bellies are never flat enough, biceps never toned enough, and so on, and so on.

One of the side-effects of this obsession is that many people live in a state of chronic yo-yo dieting and caloric deprivation.

The bottom line is that when you don’t eat enough food, your body doesn’t work properly, you are less resilient, less healthy, and your stress hormone level are through the roof.

Make sure to fuel yourself properly. Eat whole, nourishing foods, comprising carbs, protein and fats. Yes, low carb diets may also boost stress hormones.

4. Get away somewhere scenic every once in a while

If your home environment becomes too stressful, you need to take steps to address the causes of that stress, and make it more bearable.

If your home is not excessively stressful, but you’re just chronically stressed anyway, getting away and visiting somewhere scenic once in a while can really help to alleviate the bad feelings.

Go somewhere where you don’t have to worry about work. Somewhere you can be inspired by the beauty of nature, and just relax for a while.

Aren’t these the easiest lifestyle changes to make? And can you see how effective they can be? Are you doing this stuff?

Awesome Jobs You Can Do While Travelling the World

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Lauren Kinghorn

Jobs Where You Travel World

Have you ever dreamed of travelling the world? Here are a few incredible careers that enable you to sail the seven seas, adventuring, exploring, discovering new cultures while padding your wallet rather than emptying it. Bon Voyage!

#JobsWhereYouTravelWorld

Awesome Jobs You Can Do While Travelling the World

Everyone has the desire to travel the world, but not many people go out there and achieve that dream. If you want to do everything you can to really make the most out of the time that you have or if you want to do something that you have always wanted to do then you have to make sure that your finances are in order first.

The problem is that this can be very difficult, and it may even be impossible for you to do with the time frame that you have. One thing that you can do to try and get around this is find a job that you can do while travelling.

When you do this, you can easily make the money that you need and you can also take the time that you need to enjoy yourself without breaking the bank.

Freelance Writer

Being a freelance writer is quite possibly one of the best jobs that you can do when you travel the world. If you have experience as a banker then you can easily submit articles to various websites that relate to this.

You can also submit articles to various financial magazines as well. This is just one example of how you can use your past experience to your advantage and when you become experienced at writing, you can then begin to charge a much higher price for your work.

You can also write for other, more complicated topics as well, which will really help your career take off.

Teacher

If you have a teaching degree or if you have a master’s in some kind of educational institution then you really are able to travel the world and make your own money.

Certain countries are always on the lookout for people who have these kind of qualifications and countries such as China, Thailand and even Korea are ideal options here.

America is also another country that is always looking for qualified teachers and most of the time, you can walk into a job with ease if you have the right education.

The problem here is that the visas for some countries, including America are very strict and you may find it very hard to meet all of the requirements.

For this reason, getting a job in these countries may be harder than you’d like to think so it’s super important that you do all of your research here so that you can go on to get the best result out of your trip.

Travel Nurse

If you want to be a travel nurse then there are plenty of ways that you can do this. One thing that you can do is be registered in a certain speciality. You can also work as a dialysis nurse or even as a practitioner.

If you have worked in the past as a physical therapist then this is another fantastic option and you would be surprised at how easy it is for you to really get the best result out of your experience.

The pay is great and you can do long or short-term assignments as well. In a lot of cases, your house will be provided and this is ideal. Of course, if you want to find your own property then it is also very easy for you to go through a property agent.

Travel Agent

Travel agents often act as middlemen between travellers and hotels or even tourism boards.

A lot of travel agents are required to have first-hand knowledge of the package they are trying to sell so it is very helpful for you to have visited the country in question before.

You may also want to have experience in educational or college experience as this will make your resume way more appealing.

Of course, if you want to really step things up to that next level then one thing that you can do is travel the world and apply for jobs in the country that you are in at the moment.

With every country that you visit, you are increasing your resume and adding to your experience, and this will make you that bit more appealing as you make your way through your new adventure.

Tour Guide

If you don’t feel as though your home is where you are right now then travelling really can make the whole thing much easier for you. If you want to travel but get a fun job while you are out there then it is more than possible for you to work as a tour guide.

This is brilliant if you have a lot of experience in a single country and it is also ideal if you have visited a country in the past that just “spoke” to you.

For example, if you know a lot about a country, the music that is there or even the culture then a tour guide is a great option and it is incredible to think that you can earn money while sharing the passion that you have with other people.

One option if you want to be a tour guide is to try and find out as much information about the area as you can. You don’t even have to have visited the area before and this is a great option if you are worried about not having enough experience.

You also need to make sure that you are very fluent in the other language as well. Speaking English as well is a great advantage and there is a high chance that your clients will speak it as well. Of course, if you are concerned because you don’t have the time to learn a new language then you may be able to pick it up when you are there, but it will be much harder for you to provide your customers with a fantastic experience.

Yacht Crews

Have you always wanted to be a sailor? That’s great but did you know that there are so many ways for you to travel the world while making money from it?

A lot of people out there need help maintaining their boats and there are so many yacht clubs out there that need a helping hand from time to time. This is a fantastic way for you to sail across the world.

Cruise Ships

If you don’t know how to sail a boat but you do like the idea of being able to get out there and see the world then you may be able to work on a cruise ship.

If you have experience as a sound technician or if you have experience working as a production manager then you really won’t have any problems at all in going on a cruise ship to work.

After all, these cruise ships are often full of entertainment and they usually need someone who is able to manage all of this for them. If you have experience working as a technician then this is ideal, and these jobs are often in very high demand. If you want, you can even get some experience as a casino dealer, a chef, a line cook or even as a masseuse.

Cruise ships focus on providing an all-around experience to the people who travel with them and if you want to get a job there then it really isn’t hard if you have a profession.

Other professions that you can easily integrate into your cruise ship line of work include a hotel manager, diving instructors, clean-up crews, musicians, childcare professionals, dancers and even comedians.

Au Pair

Someone who works as an au pair is a nanny or even a babysitter who is required to do some light housework.

The positives of this include the fact that the families that you will work for tend to be wealthy and they may even need you to go on vacation with them so that they can have some time away from the kids.

You may also get to experience gourmet meals, the chance to see the world in a completely different light and even a way to get out there and explore what is around you.

You would be surprised at how easy it is for you to get a job as an au pair and the best thing about it is that you can easily move between families and you can do this anywhere in the world as well.

All you have to do is make sure that you have experience in speaking that language so that you can communicate with the kids properly.

Geologist

This one really does require some advanced planning but the whole thing can pay off with ease. The first thing that you need to do is make sure that you have a background in physics.

You also need to make sure that you have experience in studying math and even a master’s degree as well. When you are a geologist, however, you may find yourself jumping from one exotic location to another and this can easily provide you with one of the best experiences in the world. Nothing will be able to compare to this.

Have you got the travel bug? Bags packed and ready to go? Why not apply for that travelling job you’ve always wanted?

Taking Care Yourself as Mom laurenkinghorn.com

Mama… When last did you take care of you?

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Lauren Kinghorn

Taking Care Yourself as Mom

I’ve mentioned before that as a Mom to a busy little man, taking care of myself has been pretty low on my priority list for a while and that this year I’m planning to change that.

Mama… When last did you take care of YOU?

There was a time in my life that I was much better at taking care of myself, so I’m going to give you some tips today based on what I used to do when this was my focus. Because I learned a lot of great tips and tricks about Self Care back in my Twenties when I was an Aerobics Instructor and a Massage Therapist.

Burnout

I learnt even more about Self Care when I burnt out as a Massage Therapist and found myself struggling with exhaustion, depression, Sciatica (lower back pain and aching down the legs), Spastic Colon and the most hideous, debilitating migraines. My road to recovery was long but eventually, I found answers.

I never want to suffer from burnout or any of these horrible symptoms again. If you’ve ever suffered from burnout or any of these symptoms, you’ll know exactly what I mean. As the year progresses, I plan to incorporate more and more of these Tips back into my own life as well.

Simple Lifestyle Changes

Just a proviso to mention upfront: None of this is intended as Medical Advice or to replace the advice you may be getting from your Doctor.

What I’m going to share with you is really just simple lifestyle changes that I made in my life that helped me enormously. Nothing too radical. I can’t promise you will get the same results that I had, as I don’t know your Medical History and I am not trained to diagnose or treat Medical conditions. I can only speak from my own experience.

Okay? All good with that? Here we go.

Self Care Tip 1: Eat Nutritious Foods

It’s no secret that we are what we eat. And when I was feeling my worst, I was consuming a lot of chocolate and drinking a lot of coffee. These are not poisonous substances by any stretch of the imagination but they became poisonous to my system because of the quantity I consumed over time. And probably some other health factors coming in to play at the same time.

So, for a while, I had to cut anything that contained caffeine out of my diet altogether.

How did I find out I had become intolerant of anything containing caffeine? I consulted a Kinesiologist and a Naturopath. I highly recommend veering off the path of Allopathic Medicine and finding some Alternative Healers if you have a bunch of symptoms that won’t seem to go away and you’d like to find out the root cause rather than just treat each symptom.

At the time, I also did a 2-week fast and a few fruit and veg cleanses and discovered that my body likes fruits and vegetables more than any other food. I felt absolutely fantastic after a few weeks of eating only fruit and veg. Here were the 5 main benefits in a nutshell.

Energetic
Joyful
Fit
Slim
Free of pain

Here are my…

5 Ways to Eat Nutritiously

1: An Apple a Day…

Eat 90% what God Made and 10% what man-made (or tampered with). So if it’s in a box, bottle or packet rather than in a basket needing to be weighed, if you can’t grow your own in your garden, it’s probably man-made or tampered with.

In other words: Eat Plenty of Fresh Fruit and Veggies (this includes Berries and Nuts) to limit consumption of bread, biscuits, muffins etc.)

2: Find Out What’s Poisoning Your System

Find out if you are allergic or intolerant to anything and if you are:

eliminate it for a good few weeks or until all nasty symptoms disappear
then re-introduce, slowly
and never in the same quantity as before.

3: Eat Frequent Smaller Meals

Eat Frequently and never until you’re overly full (5 to 7 Small Snacks rather than 3 Big Meals) to keep blood sugar and therefore energy levels up. Maintaining even blood sugar levels can mean the difference between whether you are happy and relaxed or depressed and nervous.

4: Drink Plenty of Water

Drink lots of water or herbal tea and eliminate sodas or soft drinks – even fruit juice and diet drinks as they still contain some form of sugar.

5: Eat More Fish

Choose Fish or Poultry over Red Meat or Pork. I find my body works best when I eat plenty of fish rather than heavier, usually fattier steaks. I know this is very controversial advice nowadays with the popular diets that centre around fat, juicy steaks. However, fish oil is incredibly important for the brain.

If you’re not eating fish at least 3 times a week, I would recommend supplementing with Omega 3 Oils. If you’re vegan or vegetarian I’d imagine you already know which foods are richest in Omega 3, but in case you don’t, there’s a great article here.

A Note on Supplementation:

I believe 100% in supplementation, simply because I know most of us don’t have the time or inclination to eat as nutritiously as we should. The supplement that helped me most when I was burning out was a little colloidal liquid called Cellfood by Nu Science Corporation. I got it here in South Africa from a company called Oxygen for Life.

Why it worked for me was because it:

was readily absorbed by the body
available at the cellular level
contains 78 elements and minerals, 34 digestives, 17 amino acids
contains Deuterium Sulphate which splits water molecules to release Oxygen at the cellular level

I must just mention here that this product is extremely detoxifying. I had a severe headache every day for the first 10 days of taking it but after that, I never suffered from a migraine ever again. Ever. And my spastic colon disappeared too. Along with lower back pain, depression and exhaustion. After about two weeks on the product, I felt better than I had felt in years. It was life-changing for me.

Self Care Tip 2: Be More Active

Self Care Tip: Be More Active laurenkinghorn.com

I’ve read a number of articles proclaiming that our sedentary lives are becoming the new BIG HEALTH ISSUE. i.e. More life-threatening (and more fattening) than either fat or sugar.

We sit on our bums to get to work and then sit at a desk all day and then come home to sit on the couch and watch the TV, eating our TV-dinner, which we popped into the microwave. I know that sounds like an extreme example, but these are the kind of lifestyle habits that sneak into our everyday life.

And I can see how, as a blogger, sitting at my laptop for hours a day is not doing me any favours. I am fortunate that I’m also a Mom which sometimes requires me to be active, either doing housework or playing with my son. So I’ve started saying YES more often when he asks me to come jump on the trampoline with him. We also go for walks together and now that he’s a bit older we can pick up the pace a bit (sometimes).

Regular Exercise is Key

What I learned when I was training to be an Aerobics Instructor, back in the day, is that for exercise to make a difference to your health and well-being, it needs to be regular (at least 3 times a week to maintain fitness, 4 or 5 times to increase fitness).

Along the way I discovered that the drop-off rate is really high is people aren’t enjoying themselves.

5 Ways to Being More Active

1: Find Exercise You Enjoy

In modern society, we tend to get stuck on the idea of the Gym as the only place to go to be active and the Gym may not be your cup of tea. But don’t let that stop you from exercising.

There are many different activities to do other than working out. And some of them may be more appealing to you than doing a workout indoors along with a bunch of other sweaty bodies.

Here are some fun ideas you might want to try that may keep your interest:

Dancing (e.g. Ballroom, Salsa, Scottish Dancing, Line Dancing)
Martial Arts (e.g. Karate, Judo, Kung Fu, Tai Chi)
Beach Volleyball
Tennis
Golf
Rebounding
Table Tennis
Badminton
Yoga
Pilates
Ice Skating

2: Shorten the Duration of Exercise

People often avoid exercise because they think it’s going to take too much time out of their day.

All you need to find is 20 to 30 minutes a day.

And it’s been proven that short bursts of exercise where you get your heart rate up can make a difference – even 5 minutes four times a day makes a difference.

You could try these tips to be more active.

Climb stairs instead of taking the lift whenever you can.
Step away from your desk every couple of hours or so and skip (with a skipping rope)
Go for a short brisk walk in your lunch hour

Warning: Don’t try do any of these in high heels, you can stay in your work clothes but good shoes or bare feet are a must.

3: Get out in Nature

Being out in nature is good for the soul. Exercising in nature is good for body, mind and soul.

There are so many amazing outdoorsy activities you can enjoy. Here a few examples:

Hiking or Mountain Climbing
Walking on the Beach
Swimming (in the sea)
Windsurfing or Kitesurfing
Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Canoeing
Cycling
Jogging or Running

4: Change it up

If you find your interest in any activity is flagging, then it’s time for a change. Try something new every once in a while.

Or do something different every day. Whatever it takes to keep you active.

5: Change Your Mindset

Don’t let exercise start to feel like a chore. If it feels like something you HAVE to do, it becomes something you do grudgingly. Let it flow. Let it become a natural part of your life. Find enjoyment in movement.

Self Care Tip 3: Take Time Out

When last did you take a bit of R & R (Rest and Relaxation)? Read a good book? Or even flip through a magazine?

Emotional wellbeing is essential when you’re a Mom. Because if you’re an emotional wreck, your kids usually are too. And everyone around you for that matter.

Here are my Top 5 Ways you can bring some much-needed balance back to your life.

1: Play Time

It can be so easy to let go of your friendships when you become a Mom. Especially if you have a number of children and your whole afternoon is spent getting them to all their extramural activities.

Take time to nurture your friendships, even if you have to have the kids in tow while you’re doing it. Find things you can do with your friends and your children.

In the same vein, it’s just as important to find time to play with your children. Get down and dirty with them. Climb into the sandpit sometimes or onto the jungle gym. Lie on the floor with them playing cars or dressing up dolls or building blocks. Let them lead the play and you might find you have a blast.

Oh… and while we’re on the subject of down and dirty, your hubby might appreciate some playtime with you too.

2: Down Time

Never underestimate the rejuvenation power of a good nap. Sleep is generally in short supply for Moms, so take naps whenever you can.

And if napping is not your thing, at least find a way to get in 8 hours a night every now and then.

SLEEP is one of the greatest healers I know.

3: Quiet Time

We live in a very noisy world. There is almost always something on, TV, Radio or just the background noise of traffic and chatter. That’s why it’s essential to find spaces and block out time when you can experience stillness.

Find a way to bring meditation or prayer into your life. Learn Transcendental Meditation if needs be. Or learn a breathing technique. Or just breathe.

If you really find it impossible to slow your mind down to that pace, a Yoga class might provide just enough stillness for you. Or you can lose yourself in a book or some classical music, any music that calms and relaxes you. Whatever it takes to quiet your busy mind.

4: Me Time

While we’re busy slowing things down, it’s a good time to discuss chilling out on your own.

Here are some favourite me-time activities that you can consider incorporating into your life.

Relax in a Bubble Bath
Go for a Full Body Massage
Indulge in a Spa Day
Go for a Facial
Read a Good Book
Window Shop
Say no once in a while
Get the Giggles
Journal
Lose Yourself in a Craft Activity
Watch a Funny Video on YouTube
Walk on the Beach
Go on a Shopping Spree
Give Yourself a Home Facial
Try Wii Fit Yoga
Walk in the Park
Paint
Exfoliate your Whole Body
Sing
Take up Creative Writing
List all the Things you are Grateful for
Knit
Dream of Your Ideal Day
Draw up a Bucket List
Breathe
Garden
Try out a New Recipe
Watch an Inspirational Video on YouTube (e.g. a Ted Talk)
Pop on your Favourite Beats and Dance in the lounge
Create something
Bake
Browse in the Library
Visit a Museum or Art Gallery
Invent something.
Play Words with Friends or Patience
Whistle
Pamper yourself with a Pedicure or Manicure (if money is tight, you can swop treatments with a good friend).
Relax in Your Comfiest Armchair with a Cup of Tea
Just Be

5: Let Go

Every now and again, it’s also a good idea to do something a bit crazy. Something out of character.

Take yourself on an Artists date
Go on a girl’s night out
Go on a wild Date Night with your husband at a club where you’re the oldest people there
Or book yourselves into a local Hotel for one night, just for fun
Get out of your head
Reinvent Yourself
Go to a stand-up comedy show and laugh your head off
Plan a Dream Holiday on some exotic island and follow through
Join a Church
Go skydiving or bungee jumping or sailing or on a ski-trip… or something
Anything that takes your fancy (within reason)
Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
Visit a beautiful Cathedral
Try something new
Take your kids to the funfair
Go camping
Take your kids to Disneyland
Volunteer at an Animal Shelter or a Children’s home or an Old Age Home
Go on a Pilgrimage
Light up the world
Go to a rock concert
Play Pretend
Walk the Camino
Or just close your eyes and go to any place you like in your mind
Find your Happy

Get out there and have some FUN.

Take Care of Yourself Mama! You Matter.

Over to You

Is there any aspect of self-care you think I have left out? Do you see self-care as self-indulgence or a vital part of your health and wellbeing? What do you do to feel your best? What do you do to operate at your peak? Join the conversation below…

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