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Get them excited about the lifestyle change

It is no good not making this new phase in your life exciting. If the children think it’s going to be hard, bland and boring, then they won’t be on board. Explain about how good food can help them in school and with their energy. It would be best if you and your partner showed encouraging signs about how great things will be. Although you want them to be motivated and happy about it, try and not make it into such a huge deal. It needs to be something that everyone is content in and not forced. 

Keep them informed

Keeping your family informed about the reasons is a great way to keep everyone on track. You may be wanting to have a vegan lifestyle because of your beliefs in the cruelty of animals. You may find that a plant based diet is exactly what you need because of the health benefits. Whatever your reasons may be, keep your family involved and remind them. Just as much as you will need to remind yourself as time goes on and you get further along in your journey. Things won't happen overnight. 

Start things off gradually

The problem with lifestyle and diet changes is that we can try and do too much too soon. If you had a meat eating family before your decision, it would be very difficult to become completely vegan straight away. So accept that this will be a gradual process and cut things out on a weekly basis. Start compensating for foods with other things and adding more vegetables to your meals. This is a great way to get people to try foods they haven’t ever tasted before, without feeling like they haven't got anything to eat at all. 

Research out alternative foods for the things they like

If you have a family who likes certain foods, then do a little research and find vegan alternatives. You will be surprised that you can find alternatives to pretty much anything these days. Including things like mayonnaise and sauces. Doing this means that it won’t feel like your family is sacrificing some of their well-loved foods or sauces. You have just found amazing alternatives for them to enjoy. Also, it is worth remembering that there are other things you can try that you may want to use yourself, perhaps remedies you have grown accustomed to where you are looking for vegan edibles as an alternative. Doing research online can help you find these things and not only make the transition easy for you, but also for the family as well. 

Finally, don’t forget that you can find many recipes online for old family favourites. Try these mango, avocado and apple summer rolls, this beautiful babaganoush, this lovely beetroot and orange soup or these Thug Kitchen buffalo cauliflower bites.Things like vegan bolognese and pasta will all be a huge hit with the family. Good luck with the lifestyle change. 

Follow me on Instagram for more vegan recipes and inspiration!

Lots of love,

Jenna

Life is busy, there is no denying that. We need to be able to function in our lives, stick with our commitments of work and our homes, and ensure that we still have a life that we enjoy. But we also don’t want to pay the price of not taking good care of ourselves. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to look and feel your best. 

Image source - pixabay - cco license 

Start with the basics and make them part of your routine

We all know that there are certain basic things that we should be doing that can contribute to helping us look and feel our best. But yet, are we actively incoporating them into our routines and general day to day lives? The answer is likely to be no, or certainly not as much as you should be doing. Here are some of the basic things we need to get a hand on. 

Exercising more frequently

One of the first things that you may want to do more of is exercise. We all know that we should be exercising more frequently but we can all admit that we might not do it as often as we should be. Exercising, especially when you are busy, is a hard thing to make time for. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean time consuming visits to the gym either. You can exercise at home, you can also look at running or just walking more frequently. There are things that you can do to help. 

Eating the right sort of foods

Your diet is also important when it comes to feeling your best. You don’t want to follow any extreme diets but simply have a more balanced approach to the food that you eat. Ensuring that you get all of the right nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to function. 

Sleep, drinking water and other things you can do

There are other basic things that you can do. These include getting a good night's sleep. This doesn’t mean quantity but more to do with the quality of sleep that you get. You should also consider drinking more water and ensuring that you do what you can to focus on your mindset and have a positive approach to life in general. This on its own can make you feel better. 

Image source - pixabay - cco license 

The things we can often forget about but can make a big difference

There are things that we can often put to one side or even forget to check in with that can help towards feeling better in general. Here are some of the things that you can do or get organised with to get yourself back on the right track. 

Taking better care of ourselves 

It is important that we do what we can to take better care of ourselves physically and mentally, however, one thing we don’t do as often as we should is get our appointments booked in. If you are a parent, the chances are your children will be all booked up and ready. But for yourself, you may forget to get your teeth checked by the dentist or fail to book an eye test. It is important that you keep up to date with all of these things. Eye strain, for example, can cause headaches and nausea. Getting them tested then looking online at places like Eyeglasses.com can help you to find suitable frames. A dental check up will put your mind at ease and even having a check with your doctors to ensure that everything is as it should be can help you to feel better within yourself. 

Focusing on our fashion choices and feeling confident

When was the last time you placed any focus on the things that you wear? Your fashion choices and what you choose to wear can instantly make you feel better and give you a confidence boost. This means dressing for the occasion, wearing your favourite colour or pair of shoes just for the sake of it. Make those choices and become more confident in your skin just by wearing something you love or feel amazing in. 

Taking into account work and relationships 

Last of all, take some time to consider how you feel about work and the relationships you have. Ensure you do what you want and also make sure that your relationships are healthy and happy ones. Contact me on my coaching website to discuss how you can achieve your optimum working environment.

Your complexion and presenting yourself in the best possible way

When it comes to wanting a flawless look with our face and complexion, it can often mean that we are a little unsure on what to do and how to achieve it. Using makeup can really help and getting this right can give you a big advantage but you also need to consider things such as how you feel within and other avenues that you should explore. So what can you do? Here are some of the best kept beauty secrets to help you have that flawless finish. 

Invest in the right makeup and tools

The tools you have and the products you use are just as important as the techniques, so this is where you may need to invest some money to create that flawless finish. Using better quality brushes and higher pigmented products could improve the overall look you create without even the need for an improvement in your technique. This is purely down to the application and the product used. Invest in some of the key areas like foundation and contouring brushes. These will help you create that base you need. Other areas would be to consider higher-quality makeup products that even makeup artists themselves would use. 

Find out what works for you

When it comes to perfecting your makeup routine and finished look, it is important to work out what looks good with your skin tone, eye, and hair colour. This is when we can go wrong and try and emulate a style that looks amazing in a magazine but doesn’t quite look the same when we recreate it. This is when it may be worth having your makeup done professionally and taking note of what the makeup artist uses, the techniques and your finished look. Snap a selfie on your phone if you need to. 

The secret to concealing

We all want to know the best way to cover up an unwanted red spot or dark circles around your eyes, and makeup tricks are a great way to conceal them. However, a top tip to remember is opposite colours tend to offer better concealment and coverage. Think orange tint concealers for dark blue/grey circles. Or green pigmented concealers for red spots. You will be able to judge the colouring from the concealers themselves. 

Look at tips online

Finally, learn some of the secrets of the trade by reading up online. Fir example, want to know the secret to perfect winged eyeliner? You may find you applying it all wrong, in actual fact, the wing shape should be created from your lower eye line. Who knew? If you want to create a fuller lip apply foundation to your lips to remove natural pigment, and create the shape with a white pencil. It’s crazy the tips you can pick up online, but it could be the way you create that flawless finish only a makeup artist can, from the comfort of your own home. Why not give it a try yourself?

Let’s hope these tips help you to look and feel your best. 

Lots of love,

Jenna

Image Credit 

Sometimes, it may feel as though we are buying the same birthday gifts year in and year out. Luckily, there are numerous alternative gift ideas out there to choose from that will be sure to put a smile on your loved one’s face as well as make a positive impact to their health and wellbeing. No matter a person’s fitness level, receiving a gift that will benefit their wellbeing is one that will be appreciated and possibly even bought for someone else! To make it a birthday that they will remember, here are five mood-boosting gift ideas for your family and friends. 

New Gym Gear

Who doesn’t love receiving new gym gear? Often, it’s all we need to regain motivation to start running or hit the gym again. New gym attire will help your loved one feel great, powerful, and confident about themselves and keep them excited about getting fit again. Gifting an entirely new gym outfit can make them feel invincible and begin to realise their own capabilities and self-worth. 

Yoga Mat

Yoga mats can make for extremely versatile gifts - they don’t have to necessarily be used for yoga, they’re also great for warm ups before a run, ab workouts, and HIIT exercises. Yoga mats can be the perfect gift for those who want to start leading a fitter lifestyle but are intimidated by the gym. By thoughtfully gifting a yoga mat, you can try to introduce your loved one to exercises that can be performed at home to help them grow comfortable with working out before they buy a gym membership. 

Tea Sets

The benefits of tea go far beyond taste and refreshment; they also contain great hidden health benefits too. While certain types of brews provide more health benefits than others, there is an array of evidence to support that regularly drinking tea can have  long-lasting positive impacts on your wellness. Research has shown that regular consumption of  tea can hydrate the body, prevent tooth decay, boost memory power and even reduce the risk of serious diseases such as heart disease and cancer.  If your loved one is a brew fanatic, CBD tea can be an ideal gift to kick start their path to wellness. 

Smoothie Maker

If you have a friend or family member with a busy lifestyle who’s trying to diet or eat healthier, smoothie makers can be the perfect wellbeing gift. They’re the on the go solution to hitting key nutrient targets and can be a great “pick me up” before and after exercising. With the right ingredients, such as seeds, nuts, vegetables and protein powder, smoothies can also be an easy meal replacement to lose weight. 

Cook Books

Healthy cook books can be a great gifting choice for the foodie in your life. You’ll be helping to inspire them to cook delicious, wholesome meals from scratch that they can be proud of. Maybe it’ll help them to reimagine the scope of their cooking abilities, encourage them to try out healthier choices, or even create original nutritious recipes of their own! 

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Bath & Beauty

One of the best things that you can do to help yourself unwind after a long, hard day involves indulging in a few bath & beauty related treats. Running yourself an extra hot bath with a calming lavender bubble cream is the perfect way to release a little stress and tension, and you can even take it a step further by adding a luxurious face mask and a couple of cold cucumber slices to help strained eyes cool down. For those of you who are feeling the burn after a particularly vigorous workout, utilising a CBD muscle rub is the ideal way to release tension and relieve aches and stress pains, and simple cocoa or Shea butter lotion is a great way to provide dry skin with some much needed moisture. 

Meditation

Meditation is a traditional practice that has been used by billions of people over many thousands of years, and it involves taking some quiet time to focus and relax your mind to let go of stress and negative energy to adopt a more positive mindset. You don’t need any special skills or equipment to start experimenting with meditation, just the determination and patience to stick with it. There are many tutorials online that can show you exactly how to meditate, but the basic instructions describe finding a comfortable quiet place in which you can just let your muscles relax and your mind wander. Try to free yourself of passing thoughts, focusing on a serene location like a white sandy beach. Meditation can teach you how to be a more patient and accepting person, encouraging calmness and a sense of balance. Click here to book a session with me to find out more about my Positive Mindfulness 10-week one to one online course!

Figuring out how to relax and unwind after a long, hard day has never been so simple when you are able to make the most of the top tips and tricks detailed above! Start off by experimenting with some luxurious bath and beauty products to release any built up tension from your body, and practice meditation to relieve pressure and stress from your mind.