27 March 2011

Over Christmas this year I had time to bake, which is one my favourite things to do :-) Given my absolute LOVE of Chocolate, my speciality of the season turned out to be Heart Shaped Chocolates. I adjusted the recipe off the back of Organic Cacao Powder box by Soaring Free Superfoods. They are the raw food company and have wonderful products. Take a look at their website for more information about what they do www.superfoods.co.za.
The best thing about these chocolates is that they are packed with antioxidants and you only need one (ok maybe two if you are real chocolate lover!) They are made from Raw Cacao which is an amazing Superfood and filled with antioxidants.
What you will need:
• Heart shaped ice trays ( you can find them at Woolworths)
• 100g Butter
• ½ cup Coconut Oil
• ¼ cup Honey
• 100g Cocoa Powder (Best to use Organic Raw Cacao – www.superfoods.co.za)
• 1tsp Vanilla Essence
• Whatever you choose to throw in ... I throw in chopped nuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, maybe some raisins or even rice-crispies ... makes them crunchy :-)

Melt the butter and coconut oil in a double boiler. Add your honey and slowly add the cocoa powder and vanilla essence. Mix together and add your special things. Now pour into the heart shaped ice trays and allow to set in the fridge.
Best enjoyed sitting quietly outside with a cup of something warm, or a glass of your favourite red wine.

27 March 2011

‘Some souls have gotten free of their bodies.
Do you see them? Open your eyes for those who escape to meet with other escapees,
Whose hearts associate in a way they have of leaving their false selves
to live a truer self.’
 

27 March 2011

So many of us are used to living purely from what our ‘minds’ think is right and not with our hearts. We feel that life is limited and come from a place of ‘Why?’ as opposed to a belief of ‘Why not”
As George Bernard Shaw says:
“Some men see things as they are and ask, ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and ask, ’Why not?’ ‘’
Start believing in what your heart wants. When those negative voices ask Why? Can you turn that ‘Why’ into a ‘Why Not?’ And see the change...
“Vision is the capacity to believe in what my heart sees, what others can’t see. Vision is seeing positive possibilities where others see only negative probabilities” Carl Hammerschlag
 

27 March 2011

This meditation is focused on getting to bottom of what it is your heart truly wants and needs out of your life, not simply going with what your head thinks.
Put some gentle music on that has no words. Sit down in quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for at least 20 minutes and close your eyes. Now take in some deep breaths. On each out breath feel your world falling away. Feel all the worries of your day and what you still have to do simplyfae away - nothing will change in 20 minutes...
Now after following your breath for 10 cycles start to picture a waterfall coming down over your head and washing your whole body. Feel it pour over your head and down your arms washing off everything you ‘know’ to be true. How does your heart feel? Warm and soft and slow... that is what we want it to feel like. If it is still feeling hard and is racing continue to take a few more breaths until it feels slow and gentle.
Now you are ready....
Picture yourself waking up in your perfect life. Start from the moment you open your eyes.
What do the sheets feel like? What colour are they? Is there someone next to you?
Is there sun coming through the window or is there snow outside? A beach, some green trees or a cafe? What do you do next?
Where do you go? To what job? Or not at all? Do you have children? What car are you driving?
Simply go slowly through every step or your day. If your mind throws in those voices... “That will never happen!” “Are you crazy?” simply smile and say... this is my vision, it can have anything in it that I choose. Don’t listen to the What? or Why? Change them to the What if’s? Or Why not’s?
You can have anything you choose... but here is the important part - you need to feel what your heart feels whenever something comes in. Is your heart starting to feel hard and tight? or does it feel warm and soft?
The biggest thing about this meditation is to get away from what our minds think our lives should look like. The thinking mind always wants more - the higher paid job (which may mean longer working hours), the smarter car (which may mean more worry when your friend spills chocolate in it), the bigger house (which may mean more people are needed help you with it, and there are more rooms to clean.) Whereas the heart will tell you what it is you truly are wanting. Perhaps it is the mansion on the beach... and that’s great... as long as your heart feels good and soft and warm when you think about it.
This is time to be true to you...
 

27 March 2011

Last month we spoke about setting a monthly budget for the year – ensuring that there were elements of savings and “contingency” for potential increases during the year. The budget is most probably the easiest aspect of financial planning because sticking to it is certainly one of the hardest! However, what is of equal importance to setting your budget is monitoring your monthly expenditure against it - it’s no good getting to the end of the month to find that you’re way over budget. I like to set aside time every week to capture my expenditure on a spreadsheet – often I’m quite shocked at how much those cups of coffee at Vida Cafe add up to! This then allows you to adjust your expenditure pattern for the remaining month.
Whether you’re needing help with setting your personal budget or if you run a small business and need assistance with budgeting and forecasting, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 

27 March 2011

‘You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it however’ Richard Bach
 

27 March 2011

We all know the saying; ‘What you put in, is what you get out’ but when it comes to food but do we know just what we are putting into our bodies?! Over the past 30 years there has been a dramatic decline in the amount of vitamins and minerals we get out of our food due the effects of commercial farming and powerful fertilizers that leave the soil empty. So what to do? Eating organically is ideal and my philosophy is to rather eat it and let it absorb naturally, then take a supplement. However, if this is not possible, you may have to take a good supplement to ensure you get your daily needs in.
I am always investigating new supplements to see what is out there and recently have been trying the most wonderful superfoods. Superfoods are simply Super Foods! They are food concentrates that contain all the essentials vitamins and minerals that tend to be lost by our farming methods and cooking methods. If you are looking for the most ‘natural way’ in a supplement to get good vitamins and minerals into your body, then this is the route you should investigate.
The superfood I have been trying over the past few weeks is fabulous and the one I would suggest you try out. It is Panaxea’s Superfood-Red and Superfood-Green. Essentially, without getting too detailed, the Red Superfood is a Berry drink that contains all the antioxidants and vitamins you need on a daily basis to keep your body processing beautifully, and Superfood Green contains the vitamin and mineral equivalent of 5 serving of vegetables.
You simply take a capful of the berry drink first thing in the morning, and as an afternoon tea/snack you can take the green warm drink. The berry drink is a fabulous way to start the day, the green drink does takes a bit of getting used to ; ) but I love it now.
If you are looking for a great, easy way to give your body just what it needs, you can stop taking handfuls of pills and simply use these Superfoods and an omega and you will be on your way.
If you have been put on a regime by your health practitioner please check with them first before changing over. Remember everyone is different, and has their own individual needs.
 

27 March 2011

Does your exercise routine need a little shake up – are you finding that pounding the pavements day in and day out are doing little for the shape of your body? Although running is a wonderful, versatile and often social sport, it doesn’t do a whole lot for the shape of our bodies!! Including strength training in your exercise routine is just as important for a runner as any other athlete. Strength training has numerous benefits including:
• Improving overall body strength therefore maintaining good form while running, which in turns allows for better breathing and helps you to finish stronger at the end of a run or race;
• Strength training builds both muscle and bone, so will improve balance, prevent osteoporosis, plus your body will become more resistant to overuse and injury;
• Strength training speeds up your metabolism, therefore burning more calories; and
• Strength training tones up flab, and therefore improves your body image.
Including strength training in my own exercise program after breaking my back 4 years ago has helped me to see the benefits first hand – my running has improved, my bone density (osteoporosis) has improved dramatically and slowly but surely my body image is improving!!!
Whether you are 17 or 70, a competitive runner, a recreational runner or just a walker, thin or well endowed, you should make strength training an integral part of your exercise routine. If you find it difficult to find the time to add strength training into an already busy exercise schedule (e.g. if you are a runner), try combining the two into one session. A half an hour run followed by 30 minutes of strength training, or running burst between strength exercises will all work to provide you the benefits we looked at.
If you would like to include strength training but don’t know where to start, or feel intimidated or bored by the prospects of being closed up in a gym, please feel free to give me a shout – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , there are numerous options available to suit everyone’s lifestyles and pockets.