Monday 4 January 2016

Day 1 - 2016

4th January 2016

I know we don't have to wait for a new year, a new week, a new month to start focusing on better health both in body and mind, however it sure is a great time to start where a new year brings new energies, new vibes, and simply newness in exciting people through social media, tv and radio, and new science in being able to set new goals filled with lots of hope, intentions and passion.  

My reason to start now is 'IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN'.



Having run a healthy alternative food business from a Cafe for the last 3 years has opened up my eyes to the whole notion and practice of eating much more healthily, by coming up with great ideas for foods, drinks, juices/smoothies and snacks and in turn, seeing how good I feel, and seeing how good others feel and the positive feedback I have received.  It is not about being on a diet, but about learning to eat healthily in order to lead a better life both mentally and physically and most importantly enjoying great food and feeling satisfied and not deprived.

The Cafe has now unfortunately closed due to a number of reasons:
- the location
- not enough people being interested in eating 'well'
- my health

Following on from the Cafe, I have gone on to setting up an online business selling both traditional foods, cakes and treats as well as the more natural and healthier alternatives which primarily focus on vegan, gluten free and RAW foods, cakes and treats.  

The cafe closed down 31st October 2015 and between being busy in the first few weeks of November closing down everything to do with cafe and its premises and some client online orders, I had the time to reflect.

Soon after the Cafe closed, I fell sick with cold, flu, backache and so much more and was bed-ridden for 16 days.  This, I know, was just my bodies way of shutting down after 3 years of non-stop working and managing the Cafe with little break/rest, neither physically or mentally, and during these few days of sickness, it gave my body and mind a chance to slow down and heal.

I always mention health in 'mind and body' and this is because they work hand in hand.  In order to have a healthy body you need a healthy mind and vice versa.  They work as a pair and rarely work well apart!

Over the latter part of November and December 2015, this period gave me time to not only rest, but to reflect.....reflect about the past, present and future.

I realised quite a few key things:

-  Experience:  running your own business gives you many skills, from business management, supplier management, employee management, food management, customer service skills, understanding food technology, acquiring new skills in food cooking methods as well as understanding juicing and making smoothies and above all, the impact of all of the above has on the body and the mind, mentally and physically.

-  Health:  working in a healthy environment at the Cafe, where we offered Vegetarian and Vegan foods as well as Raw Foods, Juicing and Smoothies, being physical in terms of always being on your feet and running around the cafe and kitchens and shopping etc. as well as finding out about new healthy foods to offer to our customers gave me many insights and breakthroughs.  One major breakthrough for me was the introduction to RAW foods and understanding this concept and its benefits both in being able to make quick and easy savoury foods and snacks, more importantly, having a sweet tooth, making and preparing wonderful desserts, treats and cakes that are not only RAW but healthy in terms of not adding bad fats or sugars.  This is a skill I will always value and use on most days even now.

-  Body:  The impact that running your own business has on the body is enormous.  For me it has highlighted the importance of looking after your body even more.  Being on your feet for 16-18 hours per day, suffering with existing back problems due to disc ware and tare has certainly taken its toll.  At the end of some days, I would get home, or should I say I 'crawl' home in excruciating pain feeling that my back will no longer be able to cope with my weight and carry me further.  I would get home, go to bed and just lay down in the same position for a good few hours before even being able to turn over because of the pain, giving the back a chance to rest before activating it again.  This, probably above all, was one of the scariest experiences and insights running my own business gave me, resulting in me now taking back control of the body by reducing the weight it has to carry, eating healthier to improve inflammation in the body yet keeping the body fuelled in the right way to be able to not only cope day to day but carry me forward with ease in the future therefore being able to start gentle exercises and walking.

-  Relationships:  It is quite funny when having your own business.  You see a transition in how people act towards you and with you.  Family are family and even then sometimes pressures are put on relationships where certain expectations are put in place and not met. This I have come to believe and understand that we should have NO expectations what so ever of anyone, friends or family, because at the end of the day the only person who can think for you and do for you is YOU.  I have seen many friends come go, both old and new. Old friends were completely supportive at the beginning with the excitement of a new venture and then seemed to dwindle away in time and new friends, some friendships are still in tact and blossoming and other friendships again, dwindled away because they came on the scene for their own benefit, with their own agendas for exposing their own businesses through my business and when this came to no fruition, they were no longer interested in anything else.  SO BE IT.  I strongly believe in what will be will be, in Karma and in positivity and that life is too short to worry about others.  We (the royal we) can only be responsible for what we do, what we think and what we feell therefore taking charge of ourselves only.

Although I was constantly in the company of people, whether customers, employees, suppliers, family or friends at the Cafe, my life revolved around the Cafe.  The mind could not switch off to allow focus on anything else, or anyone else apart from the day to day running and management of the business.  This led me to not having the energy to socialise and when I did find the time, to not being committed or focused on that person or event.  This saddens me now although I feel that anyone setting up a new hands on business is in this position because you are so intent on putting your all in so that your business is a success.

The Future

Moving forward, as a consequence of my reflection time, this has led me to the following goals:

-  Rest:  resting the body and the mind.  Take time out.  Rest, sleep, meditate, walk in fresh air and take deep breaths.
-  Socialise:  Interacting with friends and family with full focus and attention, connecting with lovely new friends I had the pleasure of making whilst at the Cafe and enjoying life in the different stages, environments and settings that I have the pleasure to experience.
-  Food:  Eat healthily, cleaner, lighter and understanding what I am eating and where my food has come from and starting to experiment to create wonderful new nourishing cuisines, snacks and cakes to not only aid my taste but to be able to offer others.
-  Fitness: Start my journey to first and foremost heal the back and enable for my core muscles to be worked a little harder to enable my back to get stronger so that it can carry me into the future with significantly less if no pain so that I can enjoy a little more challenging exercises and workouts.  I love to dance, anyone who knows me know I love to dance, but even now, dance moves are proving difficult as my back can not be flexible enough therefore getting back to dancing.
-  Business:  Build a business that is not only profitable (we all aim to make some money to reward our living standards so that we are comfortable) yet helps people to see what can be achieved through healthy eating, through healthy exercise, through having the right mindset as well as through planning.  I want to be able to offer retreats and workshops to show all my learnings and experiences and assist in starting other peoples journeys through my experiences and learnings. 

So, in summary, this blog is a diary of my goal settings, a diary of what I eat, what I cook, what I drink, recipes and guides. my fitness regime, my physical health progress, my business journey and everything else I have the pleasure in experiencing.

Timescales:  initial phase 3 months with review 4th April 2016.

I value any comments, suggestions you may have and look forward to the future and what it may bring.






2 comments:

  1. After all your EXPERIENCE,(because that´s all is about), it's ALWAYS GOOD, STAY ON THE GOOD OF THE EXPERIENCE, after all, that's WHY we are on Planet Earth..to EXPERIENCE and LIVE! I wish you ALL THE BEST! Big Kiss xxx

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    1. Thanks Paulo for your comments and I hope you continue to enjoy this blog which is a candid insight into my day to day experiences with achieving ultimate healthy both mentally and physically. Hope you are keeping well xxx

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