Cleansing the body during the Solstice.

Last week, everywhere around the world, we experienced the Summer Solstice. It is a deeply spiritual and cleansing time for our body, mind and souls. And we really felt it in our house!

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and usually falls on the 21^st July. It’s counterpart, the Winter Solstice, falls on the 21^st of December, and is the shortest day of the year. This year in the UK we had 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. In the Arctic Circle it is the only day of the year when they experience a continuous period of daylight for 24 hours. Wouldn’t that be something to behold!

The Summer Solstice celebrated at Stonehenge last week.

In the UK the most popular celebration occurs on Stonehenge. This mysterious Pagan monument is famously aligned to the solstices. We know very little about why or how Stonehenge was built but during the Summer Solstice it is the only time the rising sun reaches the middle of the stones when it shines on the central alter. People travel from all over to gather together and party while watching the sun rise here every year.

Midsummer’s eve has always had a magical theme to it, it was said it is a time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest.

Now I don’t know if that is true, but I do know that last week, my usually happy healthy family were all slightly more emotional and we all were under the weather. Furthermore the chats I had with friends confirmed they and their kids were also not 100%, whether emotionally or physically.

There is without doubt more energy in the atmosphere at different types of the year and consciously or unconsciously we are all affected by these energy shifts. We all know about fictional werewolves at full moons, but in fact it has been shown that rates of crime do increase during full moons!

Solstices, Equinoxes (which happen in March and September) and full moons stimulate our bodies to release. What we release is up to us. It may be we need to release toxins of the physical kind and this might present in a cold or a rash, or we might need to release emotional toxins and this may present in anger or tears.

Solstices and Equinoxes are so powerful that many therapists will recommend timing  cleanses or detoxes during these periods to enjoy greater benefits of improved digestion, clearer skin, weight loss.

Naturopath Debra Allan says that “it is believed that the Equinox affects the thickness of the blood and when the blood is thinner, albeit only slightly thinner, it is a good time to cleanse. The blood moves faster and therefore speeds the elimination of toxins.”

Foods that detox different organs in your body 

Isn’t it incredible that without us even being aware of having to do anything the universe gives us 16 (12 full moons, 2 Solstices and 2 Equinoxes) opportunities to cleanse ourselves throughout the year! So next time you’re thinking of doing a short 1 or 2 day cleanse think about doing it during a full moon! Of if you’re thinking of doing a long cleanse like the 30 Days to Healthy Living Cleanse I wrote about in a previous blog here https://theholisticblueberry.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/30-days-to-healthy-living-and-beyond/ consider doing it during an Equinox or a Solstice and see how much more powerful they are!

Although its not always pleasant to be either ill or overly emotional, it actually does our souls and bodies a lot of good. And there is a lot we can do to support ourselves in eliminating these toxins so we don’t store them and they don’t end up causing chronic conditions later down the line.

I’ll be talking more about how to do this and expanding more on the routes of elimination our bodies have to clear out toxins in an upcoming blog so keep your eye out.

Until next time! xx

 

Is your child a picky eater?

Hello parents of picky eaters. How many meals have you prepared today, only to clear them off the floors and walls, I wonder?

Nearly 10 years ago I received my diploma in child development and since then I have had many, many conversations with parents of picky eaters. They always went the same way: parents shared their concerns that their child didn’t eat very much, and I would reassure them that their child was doing great and the latest research showed that children usually ate what they needed.

For years I never really got why parents were so uptight about it. Just give them healthy options and leave them to it. It’s that simple, right?

Wrong.

To persistently, patiently, creatively, lovingly, calmly and joyfully present a child with food 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times a day, every day, and to have them throw it at you every single time is soul destroying. I get that now, I truly do.

Food isn’t always grateful received in our house!

Some kids are fussy eaters and are really picky about only eating certain things. Others are non-eaters, just really not interested in eating much at all. My daughter falls into the non-eating category. She has been known to refuse bottles of breast milk and all food, other than a few raisins, from dawn to dusk when I’ve been away from her. The girl just ain’t that into food, and it can be frustrating and at times worrying.

Of course, the research remains the same: children will usually eat what they need when given healthy options. But even knowing this on a cognitive level, doesn’t make it any easier for the person responsible for their well-being to have to watch them refuse food over and over again.

We have weaned Seren onto food through the practice of baby led weaning (BLW).  I am a huge fan of BLW, mainly for the ease of it. Rather than spend a lot of time steaming vegetables and making purees like in traditional weaning, once babies are over 6 months you simply allow them to help themselves to whatever food you are having, provided there isn’t too much salt in it (you would probably also choose for the food to not have too much sugar or spice in either, certainly initially).

 

BLW is as messy as it is fun

BLW has many benefits, including allowing a baby to control the movement of food around their mouth so they have less of a risk of choking on foods.

It also provides them with stimulation and a chance to practice their fine motor skills such as pincer grab, and bringing food to their mouth.

It can also make children less inclined to be fussy eaters, as they have always been able to control what they eat.

 

One of the great things about BLW is how it focuses on ‘food is for fun for the first year’, which is now the official policy for weaning babies. Breast milk (or formula) is recommended to remain as the main source of nutrition and calories for a baby up to being one year old.

So for the first 6 months of weaning Seren, we enjoyed a relaxed stress-free weaning journey. Yes, occasionally it used to irritate me when I spent a long time making her delicious healthy foods that invariably ended up on the floor. But I wasn’t concerned about her nutrition input, trusting my breast milk to give her everything she needed. However, as her first birthday came and went without her interest in food picking up at all, I began to take her nutrition more seriously.

My simple but effective tactic now is to cram in as many nutrients, calories, fats and proteins into as small a portion as I can, so what she’s eating is as nutritionally dense as possible.

I can honestly say I feel so grateful for working for such an amazing company as it has allowed me access to their fantastic nutrition range, which I’ve all but become obsessed with. What I love about the Arbonne nutrition range is it is botanically based; 100% vegan; nutrient dense; full of phytonutrients; dairy, gluten and soya free and a premium, high quality blend of vitamins and minerals. I use their products, as well as others, to ‘boost’ our family’s meals.

The photo above shows an example of my daughter’s breakfast.  On top of oat or rice porridge I added Arbonne Essentials Daily Protein Boost to provide plant-based protein; Arbonne Essentials Greens Balance to provide vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables across the rainbow; soaked overnight chia seeds for Omega 3, calcium and fibre; baobab powder for Vitamin C; a blend of Omega 3 oil from different seeds; and molasses for iron.

I add these kinds of ingredients to at least one of her meals a day, be it pancakes, smoothies, yogurt or cereal. This way I know that even if she doesn’t eat a lot, what she is eating is jam-packed full of goodness!

Adding nutrition boosters to foods such as pancakes is a great way to get extra goodness in to our little people without them knowing!

 

The reality is that some kids just don’t eat a lot. So, based on my professional and personal experience, here are my top 5 tips for parents of picky eaters:

 

1. Be a good role model. Your child is never going to be convinced to eat their broccoli if they’re watching you dip hobnobs into a cup of tea. Role model healthy, adventurous eating habits. The simplest way to do this is eat your meals together and all eat the same thing.
2. Don’t wage war. No matter how stressed you get (and no one’s saying it isn’t stressful!) do NOT start making dinner time a battle ground. Eating is not just a physical experience, it is a social and emotional one too. The last thing you want to do is create negative associations for your child around food.
3. Boost foods. Invest in some good quality boosters. You can get them from me through the link at the bottom of this article, or from local health food shops. Use these in at least one of your meals per day to give you peace of mind that your child getting as much goodness as possible out of what they are eating.
4. Make it fun. Meal times should be enjoyable! Eat together, chat about your day, share jokes and stories, and enjoy the experience together as a family.
5. Include children. Children love being involved in tasks. Ask children of all ages to help prepare, serve or even grow parts of the meal!

To purchase your own pure, safe and beneficial nutrition products follow the link below. For any guidance or assistance message me directly, I am always happy to help!

http://www.arbonne.com/Pws/LauraPierson/store/AMUK/catalog/Nutrition,486.aspx

 

Happy World Environment Day!

On this World Environment Day I want to explain how you have the power to make significant differences to climate change!

I’m writing this from West Yorkshire, where I live, on a day when it is pouring down with rain. Torrential rain always makes me nervous in this area because the town which I call home has been devastated by flooding repeatedly over the last few years. Living here has  really brought home to me that climate change is here. It’s happening now. And the answer lies on your plate: eat less meat and dairy!

In 2006 the United Nations undertook a huge environmental study examining climate change. They, and many subsequent studies, found that meat production is the leading cause of every significant form of environmental damage around the world – water pollution, soil erosion, deforestation, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

This is something that hardly gets talked about, which is as astonishing as it is disgusting. People’s attachment to food often prevents them from acknowledging or responding to the facts.

So in terms of the environmental damage caused by our food choices, what are the facts?

1. Greenhouse gases: animal agriculture is responsible for at least 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all of the world’s transport combined. Cows and sheep are responsible for 37% of the total methane generated by human activity. Methane is estimated to be 23 times more warming that carbon dioxide and is causing nearly half of the planet’s human-induced warming.
2. Water pollution: antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, chemicals and animal waste produced in animal agriculture leaks into our water. It’s the world’s biggest driver of water contamination.
3. Soil erosion: over half of all soil erosion in the US is caused by animal agriculture business.
4. Mass deforestation: it is estimated that over 70% of previously forested land in the Amazon is now pastures for housing or growing food for livestock. This is a major world problem.
5. Resource intensive: eating plants is substantially more efficient than eating animals. Cattle, for example, consume 16 times more grain than they produce as meat.
6. Water usage: it takes 5,214 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef. An average person uses about 5,200 gallons of water for their yearly supply of showers. So it takes more water to produce a pound of beef than it does to shower for a year!

Just look at the chart below showing the greenhouse gas impact of different diets. The difference between a plant based and meat based diet is staggering! It makes such a difference that if the USA, for example, switched all their beef to beans, they could achieve up to 75% of their climate emissions reduction targets! It’s a simple as that!

 

This is why I am proud to work for a company that has led the way in producing products free from animal ingredients, as well as having a strong commitment to leaving the planet in better shape than they found it.

On a personal level my partner and I are vegan and raising our daughter vegan, and I can honestly say I have never felt better. If you are looking for plantbased meal inspiration ideas why not follow me on Instagram @veganmama_uk, or for tips on how to reduce the animal products in your diets join groups such as ProVeg or Veganuary on Facebook.

Think of the difference we could make to the planet if we all made the commitment to reduce or eliminate the animal products we ate? For our children and our children’s children.

I will leave you with this quote by Jo Lieberman:

‘Global warming is not a conqueror to kneel before – but a challenge to rise to. A challenge we must rise to.’

 

How to protect yourself against the sun, healthily

Now that the weather is warming up and summer is upon us it’s important to be mindful of the sun. But possibly not how you think. As summer approaches you’ll start to notice sunscreen up and down the aisles in the supermarket, advertised on TV and sticking out of nappy bags. Why then, with the use of sunscreen and aftersun increasing, are the rates of skin cancer also increasing?

The truth is that our dependence on sunscreen is causing us more harm than good. Many different studies over the last few decades show that there is actually a higher risk of cancer among individuals who used the most sunscreen.

The sun itself is not dangerous. In fact it is very beneficial to us. It provides us with Vitamin D which promotes bone growth and prevents many illnesses such as breast and colon cancer, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, seasonal disorders and depression. We should all aim to get 20 minutes outside in the sun without sunscreen everyday, preferably early in the morning in hot weather.

So what is the problem with sunscreen?

When we consider that our skin is the largest organ of our body and we absorb what we put on to it, it makes sense to be mindful about what is in the products we use. However, worryingly, 75% of sunscreens are known to be toxic.

There are 2 types of sunscreen: mineral and non-mineral. Non-mineral sunscreens contain chemicals which get absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream. Some release skin-damaging free radicals, some act like oestrogen and disrupt hormones and several can cause allergic reactions and skin irritations. Oxybenzome is the most common ingredient found in non-mineral sunscreens, and it is now recommended that sunscreens that contain this are not used on children.

The other type – mineral sunscreens – contain zinc or titanium and they are designed to reflect UVA/UVB rays, rather than absorb and scatter them like non-mineral sunscreens. This means they are not absorbed into the blood stream and are not allergenic.

My daughter with her mineral sunscreen

Spray sunscreens pose a different problem. Although these are not as popular as they were a few years ago, they are still widely used. The problem with sprays is that we breathe in the nasty chemicals, straight in to our lungs, putting children at a higher risk of allergy or asthma attacks. It is now recommended we avoid using spray sunscreens on children or, if using them, spray into your hands and then apply to the child.

Another less discussed problem with sunscreen is that it encourages people to spend extended periods of time in the very hot direct sunlight.

I remember my history teacher telling us that during WW1 the number of men who got shot in the head in the trenches went up after they were all issued with helmets. This was because the men suddenly thought they had 100% protection from bullets, when the helmets were really only designed to protect against falling debris.

Sunscreen is a modern day equivalent. Using sunscreen does not give us a free pass to sizzle in the sun for a few weeks each year on holiday, while the rest of the time we live in a mild, cloudy country. Sunscreen can only protect us to a certain point and it is therefore important that we try and live in more natural harmony with the sun.

This is why I have made the decision to not use sunscreen unless absolutely necessary, and this includes on my 1-year-old daughter.

This decision may sound almost dangerous to you, but we happily spent all summer outside last year, with her never using sunscreen once. And no, there was never a time that she was even close to burning.

We have a healthy relationship to the sun and protect ourselves by avoiding being outside in the direct sun for long periods of time, or during the middle of the day. We stay under shade and wear lightweight breathable clothes that keep us cool but also protect us. We also eat foods that naturally protect us from the sun, such as blueberries, red grapes, pumpkin seeds, almonds, asparagus, carrots, red peppers and foods that contain omega 3 fatty acids.

Keeping to the shade and wearing protective clothing is a far more effective defense to the hot sun

This year, I must confess I’m having a slightly harder time! She can now move, won’t stay under the shade, won’t keep a hat on and is happiest outside and naked. So I acknowledge, especially when it comes to our children, that there are times when sunscreen is necessary!

Therefore, knowing what we know, it is so important that the sunscreen’s we do use are not harmful to us.

The sunscreen that I use and recommend is the ABC Arbonne Baby Care Sunscreen. It is a non-chemical mineral sunscreen, formulated with non-nano zinc oxide, along with botanicals, antioxidants, minerals and natural moisturisers. It contains aloe vera, chamomile, vitamin E and is clinically allergy tested for use on sensitive skin.

To find out more see this Meet the Product fact sheet here https://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/arbonne/jhstpako2r/849_uk_eng.pdf

Or to purchase your own pure, beneficial sun protectors, follow this link here at http://www.arbonne.com/Pws/LauraPierson/store/AMUK/catalog/Sun,483.aspx

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me directly.

Enjoy the sun, safely and healthily!

Embracing the rod on my back

In my opinion one of the most frustrating and insensitive things to say to a parent is “you’ll make a rod for your own back!” And yet it is a common expression that gets thrown around at new parents, especially those who are seen to be ‘giving in’ to their child’s needs.  And babies’ sleep is one of people’s favourite things to get all preachy about.

My daughter had a rough start to life with a difficult birth and, perhaps as a result, she wanted to be held constantly. So she was. We wore her in carriers in the day and she slept in my arms at night.

Sleeping close to your baby is called co-sleeping, which, following safety guide lines such as not drinking alcohol and keeping duvets and pillow away, is perfectly safe and for many newborn babies it helps them adjust to life outside the womb.

 

Co sleeping and breastfeeding go hand in hand

However, I will admit that at that time I intended to get my bed back relatively quickly and so gently, over the next 4 months, we got her in her own room and sleeping fairly consistently ‘through the night’. What a result! But then everything changed when the sleep regressions kicked in.

Sleep regressions are perfectly normal. They transition a child from baby sleep cycles to adult sleep cycles, and happen regularly over a child’s first few years of life. Some babies are hit harder than others, and we were unlucky. My daughter, now nearly 14 months old, currently still wakes every 1-2 hours. Yes, I am tired.

During the first year of her life I all but became obsessed with getting her to sleep better. I read everything, and tried everything! Here are just a few examples of things we tried:

• A consistent night time routine
• A flexible night time routine
• A bath every night

• 

  Investing a good carrier has been a life saver for us!

  A bath once a week

• As much time outside as possible, including naps outside
• Naps inside, in the same place every day
• Red lighting
• No lighting
• Putting her in her cot
• Having her in our bed
• Feeding her throughout the night
• Not feeding her in the night
• Having regular nap times
• Letting her lead when she wants to nap
• Filling her up before bed with porridge or smoothies in the bath
• Not giving her food after 5pm in case it was causing tummy ache
• Singing/ shhh-ing/ white noise/ quiet music

And so the list goes on…

(N.B We have never ‘sleep trained’ her by way of ‘controlled crying’ or the ‘cry it out’ method as I strongly believe this would have been very harmful for her and affected her trust in us as her parents. However, I acknowledge that when a parent’s mental health is at risk through sleep deprivation, then gentle sleep training may be what is in the best interests of the family.)

Whatever we tried, it did not work. And yet, I’ve stopped stressing.

I have finally accepted that her need to be close to me in the night is a legitimate need and parenting her is not a part-time job. There may be some babies who are perfectly happy, peacefully snoozing away in their cot 7pm-7am, but mine needs me just as much, if not more, in the night than the day. I cannot choose to be attentive and respectful of her needs during the day, but ignore them in the night.

I have come to realise that many adults don’t ‘sleep through the night’ and sleeping issues are huge in our society.  My job is to simply support her in forming a healthy attitude towards sleep, the rest will come.

One of the best things we have done was to sell her cot and replace it with a mattress on the floor. We now bedshare full time, and this means neither of us properly have to wake up during the nights. A quick cuddle and a feed and we both roll over and go straight back to sleep again.

I rest when I can. I go to bed early if needed and occasionally I disappear off for a two-hour bath at the weekend. And while I do the night times, my partner does the mornings so I can sleep undisturbed for a few hours.

We finally embraced our daughters need to be close to us and replaced her cot with a mattress on the floor so we could sleep together

No, our situation is not ideal. Yes, I am eagerly awaiting the day when I can sleep undisturbed. I know that day will come, one day.

But until then, I, and every other parent out there, is just doing our best.

So please, be mindful before you start giving out advice. Don’t lecture parents on the ‘rod they’re making for their back’. And please don’t judge other parents’ decisions on how to manage their child’s sleep. Even if do things that you swear you’d never do, such as sleeping with their three-year-old or planning their days around a rigid routine.

The truth is you have no idea what you would do in their situation, because you will never have to parent their child.

I didn’t want or expect to still be sleeping, and waking constantly, with a 1 year old. But you know, I treasure these times. I savour the cuddles, her head burying into my neck and holding onto my hair as she falls asleep. I love waking up to her happy excitable face every morning, so ready to seize the day.

I know she will not need me like this forever, but right now I’m her favourite thing in the entire world and that’s a rod I’ll happily carry.

 

 

 

 

30 Days to Healthy Living and Beyond!

I’m tired, but I can’t sleep. I’m hungry, but I don’t have time to cook anything. So I make a piece of toast; and maybe later a cup of tea, which will be cold by the time I get round to drinking it, with some biscuits. This has been my life for the past year!

Whatever your situation finding the time everyday to cook and prepare meals to stay healthy is hard work! Society doesn’t help. In fact, society makes it very hard for us not to be overweight or obese.  Everything is geared up for over-consumption of the wrong things, from portion sizes to the price of fresh food compared with frozen foods to supermarkets positioning sweets and chocolates alongside the checkout. We live in what is known as an ‘obesogenic society’.

Over the last year I got into the habit of making quick, easy meals that largely consisted of processed and beige foods. I got used to feeling sluggish, lethargic and craving a sugar fix. That was until my daughters 1st Birthday approached, when I realised I could no longer use the line “I’ve just had a baby” as an excuse to feel rubbish. It was time for action!

So, along with my partner, I decided to embark upon the 30 Days To Healthy Living Cleanse! And I’ve got to tell you, I loved it!

The cleanse is designed for people who care about their health and want to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way. It is not a deprivation diet; it is a 30-day whole foods, clean eating programme. It is particularly useful for people who experience fatigue, foggy thinking, poor sleep, poor digestion, excess weight, inflammation or skin issues.

The 30 Days to Healthy Living pack contained all I needed for my cleanse. Firstly, I received my meal replacement shakes, which come in both vanilla and chocolate. Each serving contains 20g of plant based protein as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. What is fantastic about these shake powders is that they not only form the base of many different exciting and delicious smoothie recipes we concocted, but they can also be used to make not-at-all-naughty treats! We made brownies, mousse, truffles, pancakes and more –  all healthy and guilt free!

Chocolate mousse made with avocado, chocolate meal replacement shake, cacao, vanilla essence and chia seeds, topped with blueberries! Yum! 

In my pack I also received products to help the colon and gut work effectively; vitamin bursting energy boosters; detoxing teas; vitamins and minerals from 37 fruits and veg across the rainbow and immunity boosting pre and probiotics! On top of all this, we committed to eliminating acidic, unhealthy foods for the duration of the month.

On top of all these fantastic products I also benefited from unparalleled support in the form of a free in-depth guide to the cleanse, recipe ideas and a support group connecting with other people also on the cleanse. However, the best thing was that I was coached throughout the whole programme by qualified nutritionists who talked me through the key elements of the cleanse and were on call to answer any questions I had.

By the end of the month I had lost half a stone, I had far more energy, no bloating, I was sleeping a lot better, my mind felt clearer and more focued, my hair had grown loads, my nails were stronger and I finally felt comfortable in my old jeans again! This was far more than I’d dared hope for and I was thrilled!

Feeling great at the end of my cleanse and back in my pre-pregnancy jeans! 

While my personal success is great, there are 3 main reasons that I LOVE this cleanse and why, in my opinion, its beats all the others out there!

1. This plan is SO easy! As a busy Mum, working from home, with a child who wants to be attached to me 24/7, I need something that is quick easy, and preferably that I can do one handed! This cleanse fuels you full of goodness, and it only takes minutes to prepare.
2. It is not a diet! I hate diets with a passion and this is because, in my personal experience, diets make you obsess about food. Whether it’s counting points, syns, or calories, these diets only feed your obsessive compulsion around what you eat, which does nothing to deal with your mental or emotional attachment to food. In the long run this only leads to you gaining more weight.
3. It eliminates your cravings. What has blown my mind about this plan is that I no longer crave the things I did before. This has meant that since I finished the cleanse, and eating anything and everything I fancy, I have maintained my weight and I haven’t returned to my old unhealthy eating habits!

If you think that you too could benefit from this cleanse, it is available at http://www.laurapierson.arbonne.com or contact me directly if you have any questions!

This time next month you could be feeling stronger, lighter, sharper and buzzing with energy! So what are you waiting for?

Lets talk about water!

As I sit here this morning with my pint of warm water with the sun shining outside, I realise that as it gets warmer, and for many of us our natural thirst begins to kick in, it is a perfect time to reflect on the quantity and quality of the water we are drinking!

When we consider that 65% of our body is made up of water, is it any wonder that hydration is the key to wellness? Water is after all the source of all life on this planet! Even our bones are 40% water!

 

Is it any coincidence that 70% of our cells are made up of water and 70% of the planet is made up of water?

When we don’t get enough water, we can cause serious problems for ourselves. When our body becomes dehydrated it gets anxious and stressed. As a defense mechanism for dehydration our liver will produce excess cholesterol which will strengthen the cell membranes to stop our cells losing too much water.  While this is beneficial in terms of keeping hold of water, it prevents other good things from entering our cells and stops the waste from leaving our cells, resulting in trillions of clogged up, depleted and very unhappy cells in our body!

You may be thinking that your Grandparents and parents hardly drank any water and they lived to a ripe old age! Unfortunately for us, because of environmental factors such as pollution, decrease in quality of food and a faster paced life, dehydration is a far bigger problem nowadays than for previous generations. On top of that, certain drinks, such as tea and coffee, rather than hydrate us, actually dehydrate us further!

What we need to work up to having is 4 pints of plain, still, filtered water every day!

But there’s a catch! Most people have their water with their meals, but in fact this is one of the worst times to drink water! This is because water dilutes the acid in our stomach that is needed to break down our food. If that acid is diluted when food is in the stomach, it can lead to digestive problems, so therefore the perfect time to drink water is about half an hour before you eat your meals.

The internal stress we, often unknowingly, experience that results from dehydration can manifest itself physically in many different ways. It is the root cause of so many chronic health conditions and for countless people it is the missing ingredient in their otherwise health life! And while it isn’t the complete answer to feeling fantastic, it is at the start of every journey towards good health, because when your cells don’t work well, you can’t work well.

So here’s to water, the foundation on which to build a healthier, happier you!

To find out more about water, purchase this book ‘Water, The Elixir of life’ found here at http://www.lesleyunapierce.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU from The Holistic Blueberry!

Welcome to The Holistic Blueberry!

THANK YOU for joining me here!

I want to start this blog by talking about something really important in my life and that is GRATITUDE!

 

I am so grateful for my partner and daughter, I love them both with all my heart

 

When life is busy and challenging, when we’re tired and feeling overwhelmed, it is easy to forget how much we have in our lives to be grateful for. No matter what the situation, there is always something to be grateful for! By simply taking time to look around us and appreciate what we have, we have the power to change our lives!

Why? Because this is how the Law of Attraction works! The Law of Attraction states that whatever we put into our lives, we will get out of it. If we fill our life with love, positivity, happiness, optimism and we are thankful for what we have, we will receive more of it! More love, more happiness, more of what we have! If we are negative about our life, our job, our relationships, then we will see them decline.

What we put our emotional energy into will show up in our physical lives! It really is that simple.

And when you understand that, you realise what an enormously powerful tool you have at your disposal. You want something? Imagine you have it and be grateful for it! You want that new job? Thank the universe for it every night before you go to bed! You want your relationship with your partner to improve? Be thankful for them throughout the day. Gratitude creates abundance!

I know this is true because I have lived it and breathed it for 2 years. During periods when I have practiced gratitude every day, my life is full of wonder and joy. During periods when all I could see was what was lacking; lack of sleep, lack of time, lack of energy, my life was unfulfilling and depressing.

If you don’t believe me, try for yourself. Every day for the next month, think of 5 things to be grateful for every morning. Think of them and say thank you for each one of them 3 times in your head. See how you feel in a months time! Your life may be unrecognisable!

So once again THANK YOU for reading this, please comment on my posts and let me know what you think!

Until next time!