Every January, and at a lesser level in September, masses of people get down to business with their good intentions and resolutions. To only have thrown the towel in the ring by the next month. We’ve all done it, you are only human at the end of the day. You’ll go hard for a couple of weeks, maybe go on a strict diet, or exercise every day for 2 hours, and then you’ll lose all motivation and stop completely, or reduce the amount you do. 

Just so you know, this is not your fault, or prove that you don’t have the motivation it takes to succeed. 

It’s merely an ability design flaw. 

Let’s start with your expectation: How realistic are your future goals? 

This is a bit of a conscience question, but putting in the work here, can prevent disappointment in the future.

If for example, you want to run a marathon next year, you don’t just do a little trot once a week for 20 minutes on a Sunday, and then feel surprised that you...

What would you do with an extra hour in your day?

Right now, everyone is spending more time at home. But does this mean you actually HAVE more time?

If you have young children, you probably feel as if you can’t leave them alone for one minute.

This might mean that you have to wait to do all the chores until the kids are in bed. Leaving you with no time to yourself in the evening.

Of course, you can’t switch off your parenting duties, and making sure your family is ok and cared for is essential. 

What you can do though, is be mindful about how you use your time when you do have a moment.

One of the things you can do is make sure meals are ready in a flash. Either by batch cooking or meal-prep.

Here are 3 tips to meal-prep like a pro, leaving you with some extra (breathing) time.

Plan ahead. This can really give you a bit of headspace, knowing what you will prepare for lunch, dinner or even breakfast. Here you can also mix and match with your produce: boil a big...

This little pseudo cereal is actually a seed. As part of the amaranth family, it is originally grown in South-America. 

I love using quinoa myself and recommend it regularly to my clients. Why? Because it's super easy to cook, neutral (but a little nutty) in taste, and is packed full of dietary fiber, protein, B-vitamins and a little bit of fat. 

Since it's so versatile, you can really use it for a lot of different recipes, from savoury to sweet.

Here are 3 of my favourite uses for quinoa.

Vegan beetroot & quinoa burgers.

This recipe is super easy. The burgers hold really well with the help of some buckwheat flour and chia seeds. Bring on the superfood train! 

Use the image below for the recipe, or watch the video for instructions.

Quinoa & Buckwheat skillet granola.

Check the recipe here.

Jewelled Quinoa Salad

You can't make it any easier! Just throw in whatever you want to use up from the fridge, maybe add some mixed seeds, and you're good to...

Remember when you where a baby, and you learned how to walk? You would take a couple of wobbly steps, fall down on your bum, maybe shed a tear or two, and try again. This might have gone on for a couple of weeks, or months, but eventually, you transitioned from crawling or bum-shuffling to walking confidently on your two feet. It might have been hard at times, but because you didn't know any better, and because you where set on learning this new skill, you persevered. This is what we call the growth mindset: you believe that your talent (to walk on two feet) can be developed by perseverance, hard work, watching how others do it or accept their help, or even strategy (keep your hands connected to the table while shimmying along). 

A fixed mindset, on the other hand, is where you believe you are born with your skills or talents, and this frame of mind (it's a belief, not a fact) can make it much more difficult to grow and develop. As you can imagine, people who have more of a...

Ever heard the phrase: 'Size matters'?

This is totally true when it comes to creating new, lasting habits.

Just think back to January first. How many big plans did you have? How many big new habits where on your list?

And how many of those big plans and habits stuck.

There is a reason you probably didn't stick to these new habits, and that's because your action steps where too big!

Yes, you heard me right. Taking on projects that are too big to comprehend in one go, are often seen as huge mountains, difficult to climb.

Take a weight loss plan for example. Let's say, you want to lose 10 kilos. You have no actual date in mind, just the number.

Where do you go from there? You start eating healthier, move a bit more. And the weight starts coming down. Half a kilo, one kilo, two kilos, maybe three. But that 10 is still a far way away, and on days that your motivation isn't as strong, those 7 kilos to go might seem impossible. 

Which can lead for you to throw in the towel.

Sounds...

When it comes to improving your gut health, things can get overwhelming very quickly. What can you eat, what can't you eat? How and when should you be eating. Where to start and how to implement all of this in your life, right?

The 5R approach has been found very beneficial for a lot of gut health related problems, and is used a lot. It is a great tool to use and simplify your approach to gut health. This is basically how I've personally turned my gut health around. A simple, sustainable approach to stick to changes helped me feel the changes overtime. Keeping it simple has always been the biggest motivator to make changes!

Here's what the 5R protocol includes:

Remove: This is where you remove any foods you are sensitive to, or where you learn to find out what foods don't agree with you. You'll also cut out any processed food and remove any factors that have a negative effect on your gut health.

Replace: Once you have cut out all the foods that negatively impact your...

Especially now in these turbulent times, spending time and intention to make sure our well-being is as optimal as it can be is essential! Not only help these practices to move through the weeks as easy as can be, most of these pillars, when done right, have a positive effect on your immune system! Anything to protect yourself where you can.

Here are my favourites I'm focusing on right now.

Tribe/Community  Being part of a group of people you can level with and who you can turn to for advice or help, who you can share your isolation experience with or who you can simply have a 'natter' with, can really lift your spirits now. I've seen virtual book clubs pop up, numerous group calls, online co-working hours and so on. It warms my heart to see how people are reaching out to one another.

If you feel a bit lonely, pick up the phone and call an old friend who you haven't talked to in a while. If you have much to catch up on, time will definitely pass! Right now is also an excellent...

Have you ever felt that something is just 'off'. And you can't seem to put your finger on what it is exactly?

I hear you! For ages, I couldn't tolerate eating any peppers. No joke, I was fine with all other foods, but if I ate even a sliver of a pepper, no matter if it was cooked or raw, my belly would blow up like a balloon within 20 minutes.

So what did I do? I cut out peppers. Didn't eat them for months, to have the exact same effect again if I did happen to eat some. Not eating peppers is not the end of the world, I know.

But still I like the taste of them.

This was a very clear sign that something was 'up' with my digestion, you can probably see that, right? (and luckily, since I've stopped eating gluten, peppers don't have an effect on my anymore. Bring on the chilli!)

But what about signs and symptoms that don't seem as clear as this?

You could have disruptions in your digestive system without realising it. Here are some obvious and not so obvious symptoms.

1. Bloating. As...

With the scary season coming up quick, it can be so easy just to run to the store and buy a pack of sweets, chocolates or the like. I get it, it's easier, quicker and most people will probably love you for it! It might become a problem when you have leftovers and still try to look after your own health. Temptations, temptations!

Here are some healthier ideas that are quick, simple, and they can function as snacks when the main event is over!

1. Sliced apple with healthy toffee sauce dip.

Ingredients:

• 100 g dried dates
• 300ml boiling water
• 50g coconut butter, or normal butter
• pinch of salt (optional)
• Apple wedges, core removed

Preparation:

Soak the dates in the hot water for 15 minutes, then drain but make sure to save the water! Blend the dates with the coconut butter and add the soaking water bit by bit until you have the right consistency to your liking. (you probably don't need all of the water)

Serve with apple wedges. (if you want to cut them a while before serving. store in a...

There is something really nice about autumn to me. Yes, agreed, if you live in a country like Ireland, you need to be prepared for 4 seasons every day. So: layers for when the sun comes out, sunglasses (see prior reason), all weather water-, wind-, sleeth-, proof jacket, which miraculously also is breathable and looks elegant, an umbrella for when you just got your hair done and you can't put up your hood (just pray there is no gale blowing at the time) and decent shoes.

I've been in Ireland for about a month now, it rained nearly every day and I think I have all of the above down to a T by now. Apart from what one time I went out for dinner, decided to glam up with a pair of heels, got caught in an October monsoon, and am now still suffering from blisters... The struggle is real.

Once you master the art of The Weather, autumn is a pretty awesome season! Walks in a forest, harvesting the last foods from the garden, stocking up the pantry for the winter, take time for endless cups...