WellbeingLifelong

27/01/2023

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29/10/2022

It is that time of the year again... This weekend, we change clocks and say bye-bye to Summer daylight saving time! ☀️

You know what that means: darker afternoons, shorter days, longer nights... 🦉 if you define yourself as a night owl, here are some tips to improve the quantity (and hopefully quality) of your sleep.

☝️ Did you know?? Sleeping more and better is one of the simplest and easiest health changes we can do to improve our overall wellbeing. In business terms, we could say it has the highest ROI (little investment/effort for the higher return in health) 📈 So what not starting there?

While I sleep well once my eyes are shut, for many years I was (and still am at times) a so-called bedtime procrastinator. So this advice has been helpful for me, especially the point about no smartphones in the bedroom and welcoming the alarm clock! ⏰

Are you a night owl 🦉 or an early bird 🐦? I hope you enjoy the post either way 😘

❤️

20/10/2022

But the cost of bad relationships on ourselves and our society truly adds up. The relationships many of us grew up around and might consider “normal” are in fact dysfunctional, creating a negative cycle we often don’t even realize we’re in.

So how can we find good love, create good relationships, and keep them? That’s what my conversation with Mia Lux was all about on a recent episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy.

Mia is also what I like to call my “was-wife,”—we’re happily unmarried but still supporting each other in our own unique journeys, and we have a lot of experience from our time together to share.

Throughout this episode, we dig into our own reckonings with love and relationships, understanding our limiting beliefs, and how to reprogram our love software.

You can find the full episode here: https://bit.ly/3y06dTj

19/10/2022

Hello! Today I wanted to open a little window to reality when it comes to my own bad health habits.
The truth is, we are all humans, setbacks happen and these are actually important steps into our path to lifelong wellbeing and health. Why? Read on! :)

Hello my friends! In this post, I wanted to open a little window to reality when it comes to my own bad health habits. Despite I think I am quite healthy overall, I don’t believe in super str…

10/10/2022

The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year.

Fortunately for us all, mental health is becoming a more popular subject these days, and it is less of a taboo.

In my opinion, the thing we need to remember is mental health is simply HEALTH, at the end of the day. Navigating life as humble human beings comes with its inevitable ups and downs. Feeling anxious, sad, frustrated, lost, angry or fearful at times, is just as normal as feeling happy, confident, cheerful and content.

There is no Ying, without the Yang, right??

There is no need to be ashamed, and the more we open up about our "downs", as well as our "ups", the more honest we will be as a society. Social Media for example, and the idealistic realities that people often portray in there, is one to blame when it comes to this lack of honesty.

I could put together all the best things in my life and do lots of and posts. But as well as happy times, I obviously had hard ones and when I was in the midst of them, going to therapy has always been a great way of calming myself.

As the psychology geek that I am 🤓 I love the insights that a good therapist can bring into our lives. I have attended family, couple and individual therapy along the years, at different times of my life; and pretty much always has been beneficial 😇

To finish, here are some of the habits that can help you take care of your precious mind. There are lots, but these are some of my favourites:

⭐️ Journaling - Putting things in writing always help me to organise my thoughts and offload emotions (good and bad).

⭐️ Sharing my feelings - A talk with a good friend can do wonders when we feel down. Even by simply voicing out load how we feel can help us feel better automatically (accepting our emotions is much easier than hiding them).

⭐️ Going for a walk - Getting some fresh air, changing the scene, having time to process our thoughts, or spending some energy are just a few of the benefits of walking.

⭐️ Pausing and breathing - This tip is more linked to when we experience intense feelings such as anxiety or stress. Stopping and breathing slowly into our stomachs are a good way of physically expanding muscles that are otherwise tense and in pain.

01/10/2022

Happy Saturday everyone!! Today is World Vegetarian Day, did you know? 🥕

Eating "more fruit and veg" is the popular advice we have all heard at some point. I usually have no problem with vegetables, but I'm really bad when it comes to eating fruit 🙈

This is probably because, as good Mediterranean, I can eat pretty much anything with some olive oil and salt... and vegetables happen to taste really good with that! I also tend to prefer savoury flavours over sweet, which could be another reason 🤔

Anyhow, if you also struggle to eat all the fruit you'd like to, here are 4 tips that worked for moi:

🍓 Treat yourself - When we struggle to do something, making it as "appealing" as possible is the best way to start. Therefore, if you are not a natural when it comes to eating fruit, go with your favourite choices first, no matter the price! To me personally, that means blueberries, strawberries and melon. They never go to waste in my fridge!

🍐 Cut it down in pieces - We are lazy by nature. I think that is actually a fact, we are designed to save energy. Not sure how much energy it takes to cut an apple, but it certainly feels like an annoying job to me sometimes. Many years ago, I did a long trip with a friend who was a fruit lover. She used to cut down her fruit in pieces and kept offering them to me. I tell you, I have never eaten so much fruit in a month! Thanks to her, I discovered that preparation is sometimes the biggest obstacle in my relationship with fruit.

🍌 Have it handy - The good thing about many fruits is that they come naturally packaged! Make sure you have yours handy in your bag or office, so it is ready for you when you get peckish or need a snack. Bananas, grapes, blueberries, apples, pears or peaches are top options to carry on the go.

🍊 Sweet seasoning - Like Mary Poppins well said, "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down". Translated into our little fruit dilemma, this means... make it tasty, even if it means more calories, yes! Banana with Nutella, strawberries with cream, or orange with brown sugar are some of my fav go-to options 😋

19/09/2022

🌍 This week is Recycle Week 2022 (19-25 Sept), so I wanted to "recycle" a popular blog post that went live on Earth Day 2020.

Interestingly enough, when it comes to health, what benefits our minds and bodies is often the same that benefits our environment. Maybe because we are all part of nature and, more often than not, if we follow "nature's way", not much can go wrong 🌱

Here I wanted to mix and match. Put out there 4 ideas that will help improve our health as well as our planet's health.

💚 Walk and cycle more - Fewer fumes for the environment, more exercise for our bodies, and a perfect way to clear our minds. Walking and cycling more is simply a matter of habit, start small by running local errands and build up from there!

💚 Cut down on meat - Livestock provides just 18% of population's calories but takes up 83% of farmland, horrible ROI, right? Cutting down on meat (especially red meat) will benefit our health, as well as the planet's. Have you heard about Meat Free Mondays?

💚 Spend more time outdoors - Being out and about (ideally in nature) not only "oxygenates" our minds and bodies, but also helps us to enjoy of our free time without falling into the "consumerism trap" of common leisure pastimes, such as shopping things that we often do no even need.

💚 Buy local, seasonal food - Doing so, not only reduces unnecessary pollution on transportation, but also ensures the food we eat is ripe and full of nutrients - our bodies will thank us!

Finally, a little reflection. If you think you cannot make a difference with your little sustainable habits, just let your money do the talking instead...

Even small changes (buying less meat, more local food, reduce frivolous shopping) will translate into new trends. Shops and supermarkets, and eventually the world's economy, will have to adapt and respond to these changes accordingly - hopefully by installing more sustainable ways.

At the end of the day, it's all about "offer and demand", so let your demands of today lead the economy's offers of tomorrow ♻️

14/09/2022

Hellooo! This post will be in Spanish as I will be talking about a book I have written, which is currently being translated into English.
Holaaaa.... Bueno, ¡pues eso! Que he escrito un libro... ¿Qué fuerte, no? Aquí os cuento cómo fue todo y de que va...

Hellooo my friends! :D Quick note: This post will be in Spanish as I will be mostly talking about a book I have written, which is in my native tongue at the moment, but currently being translated i…

10/09/2022

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day 🧡 A few years ago, I spent over a year volunteering at the Samaritans as a listener in their helpline, and these are the 3 key things I learnt about su***de:

1 - Su***de, or su***de thoughts, are way more common than we think. In fact, su***de is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the country. According to the latest data, males are 3 times more likely to commit su***de than females.

Just because people don't talk about it, it doesn't mean it is not there. If anything, the opposite is true... which leads me to the next learning.

2 - Talking is key. Quite often, what leads people to kill themselves is thinking that they are trapped in their situation and there is no way out. If we want to help, the best thing we can do is asking and listening, and then listening some more. This was the key thing we did at the Samaritans, letting people offload their thoughts, emotions and worries. Talking is very healing, and having someone who would be interested in and listen to us is therefore paramount.

3 - If someone does mention su***de, it is important not to avoid the subject, judge the person or not take it seriously. Quite often, talking about it "out loud" helps them to be less likely to carry on with the idea. It is a very scary subject and, precisely because of this, we need to be there with them for support, so they know they are not alone going through this difficult phase in their life.

💙 Keep an eye on your loved ones and let's be there for each other. There are also plenty of resources to get help from, if you or someone you know is in distress.

Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. They're there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 116 123 for free.

***depreventionday ***depreventiontips

30/08/2022

The other day, I *finally* updated the "About" page of my website 🙌👏

As with many situations in life, waiting to have the time and headspace to do things "perfectly", is just a recipe for procrastination. But, on the other hand, it is scary to put yourself "out there" with something that you feel is rather mediocre and can be done better.

It wasn't until I found a niche that I felt comfortable with, that I got excited and energised enough to turn my wishful thinking into actions. Sometimes, we just need the right type of motivation.

💚 Anyhow, here is how I describe myself as a Health Coach. My aim is to help my clients become the healthiest version of themselves. I have a special interest in how our emotions and relationships impact our health (for better and worse!). I have experienced this first hand, and I observe it so often amongst friends, family, colleagues and clients...

My work and values are focused on prioritising solid, long-term change as opposed to quick but momentary results. I achieve this by helping my clients understand the root causes behind the so-called “bad habits” and teaching them behavioural change methods to implement the health improvements they always wanted, but struggled to accomplish.

Let's be honest, quite often we don't need a Health Coach to tell us "what to do", we already know. Taking action and staying in action is really the bigger prize here 🏆

The science of behavioural change, what makes us tick, is fascinating and something I keep focusing on as a professional 🤓

https://wellbeinglifelong.com/about/

18/08/2022

Walking has been the only form of movement (can we call it exercise??) that I have been able to keep up with for the last +5 years. So I could now label it as a long term relationship now, right? 🥰

I am talking about "long" walks, like aiming for 10,000 steps a day type of thing... not walking down to the supermarket to get some milk (although hey, every step counts!).

Since having Julia, this trend has been even more obvious, and walking has been pretty much the only form of exercise I have done and, to be honest, it worked wonders to shed off the pregnancy weight (20kgs... yes mamas) 😬

I love walking and talking with my friends and family, one of the best ways of spending QT together ❤️

When I am on my own, however, I prefer to walk with a "purpose", like running an errand or going to the office, I would happily ditch public transport and walk instead. With a podcast in the background, my little walks from Vauxhall to Victoria on my office days are becoming the only "me time" I get, and I really enjoy them :)

Finding the physical activity that you really enjoy and can keep up with, no matter what, year after year... is really hitting the jackpot when it comes to lifelong healthy habits 💚

For me, it was yoga, now is walking... For my brother, climbing; my friend Albert, swimming; my colleague Alex, running... And you? What is your go-to exercise? Do you have one, or wish you had? It is never too late!

10/08/2022

Hello y'all :) Sorry for the silence, here is a personal post where I share a mix of feelings, updates, to-do lists and fears. Speak again soon, I hope it doesn't take me +4 months!

Hello y’all :) Sorry for the silence, here is a personal post where I share a mix of feelings, updates, to-do lists and fears. Speak again soon, I hope it doesn’t take me +4 months!