 As the winter months soldier on, we can get lost in the trenches. Tis the season for colds, flus, chilly weather and short days. Take these darker months as a time to rebalance, rest and recover. Eat foods that nurture and support your health and wellness, participate in movement and exercise that feels good and productive, enjoy the longer nights as it may mean longer sleeps...guilt free (it is part of our body's natural rhythm). Tune into your body, your mind, your spirit and treat yourself with loving kindness. The happier we are, the healthier we will be, the mind sets the tone for the body: DIS-EASE creates DISEASE. 
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 It always take me a few weeks to get into the groove of a new year. To be honest I usually set a quick no holds barred goal for the first of January. One year I went 365 days without eating potato chips, one year it was 365 days of drinking 500ml first thing in the morning (both of these things have become permanent changes!). This year I committed to 365 days of getting onto the mat or floor for at least 10min of yoga. I am on day 18 and my body feels better already and it really eases me into my goal from last year (daily meditation). I do admit that this goal may be more challenging then the chips or water because it actually takes time. But I love this chill time for myself and my body. I am committed.
Has this ever happened to you? You are feeling good on a particular plan or regime. You can tell things are changing and shifting, you are feeling accomplished. Yet all of a sudden you get an urge... you want to sabotage, cheat or reward yourself in a way that is not productive. WHY?!!!
Don't worry this is normal. If this has happened to you, you are not alone. It is the natural cycle of change and human behaviour. This is precisely why so many start projects or journeys and do not finish them. Because change is not always comfortable. Change takes push and perseverance. The ability to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and keep going. Remember, things happen it is not a picture perfect journey, but if is something you really wanton desire, power though. It is ok to be uncomfortable! Challenge creates change (in other words: NO Challenge, NO Change). We cannot level up if do not challenge ourself to push to that next level. Challenge is uncomfortable...that is why it is a challenge. Don't be afraid to get into the nitty gritty, dig deep and feel uncomfortable. You got this! “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”- Muhammed Ali  Of course I would love to say that everyday I wake up at 4am (Deepak Chopra style) and meditate for 2 hours, ommm'in and humming in perfect rhythm with the universe, but of course it doesn't go that way and lets be honest, I don't really want to wake up at 4am. Although I do think morning meditations are the best (15-30 minutes is just fine), it is just that sometimes it don't happen as planned. Sometimes I have to fit it in at a random place or time. Check out 9 ways that I sneak in my daily meditation no matter what. Remember, you can’t do it wrong, you own your practice. Take a deep breath and gift yourself the present moment.
 Do you ever feel like a complete failure because you know what to do...you just don't do it? Well before you go judging and criticizing yourself I want you to know you are not alone. In fact, it makes complete sense. Making new habits or reinstating previous good habits takes time, repetition, dedication, trial and error. We need to strengthen that good old "habit muscle".
 A couple of years ago it dawned on me, I had everything I wanted and needed but it didn't matter because I wasn't enjoying it. I was running from one thing to another just counting down the hours until the day was done. Somewhere in my busy schedule I had lost my joy and my happiness. I began to realized this was not a sustainable way to live. I wasn't present, my memory was horrible and I was completely uninspired. I wanted to run away, but I couldn't (I was too busy to run away). I had to STOP.
Looking back now I do have regrets about this time in my life, mainly because there are so many moments I can't remember because I was so busy and stressed. Moments with my small children that I wish I could have appreciated. Of course hindsight is 20/20 and being a sleep deprived mother is a form of torture that I have now escaped (for the moment at least). But, I truly believe stress is the killer of joy and thankfully my misery was a wake up call. It was a call from the universe giving me the opportunity to slow down and be present. The thing is, I love to achieve (something else to work on perhaps), but I needed to find a way to be busy and be in the moment at the same time. I realized it is not entirely about my schedule, often it is about my state of mind and ability to be in the moment, let go of distractions and live. Truly live. How can you do this? For me, I knew I needed to slow down in my head. I can still achieve what I need to, I do not need to panic. I do not need to think of what is next. I can move through each hour with ease, flow and appreciation. Accepting my day and schedule as it is and attempt to move through each task with ease. Any challenge is an opportunity to grow, take a deep breath and take on challenges with ease, grace and compassion for myself and others. I totally understand to many this may seem impossible and it might even make you feel defensive (ie: "You don't know what I have to deal with!"). Let me tell you I know that each day in not roses and some days are dark or a complete mess, but my perception of how stressful my day is completely dictates how stressful it actually is. Make sense?  I don't mean to brag but I am still moving full force towards my New Year's Resolution. 2018 is all about minding my mind and manifesting the best most loving, energetic life possible.
Last year I totally dropped the ball on this goal. I set the same goal/intention as this year, but I did not have the will, the plan or the systems in place to follow through, not surprisingly I did not succeed. Classic "fail to plan, plan to fail" scenario. Maybe it wasn't the right time and although 2017 did bring some amazing things, I could have enjoyed and accomplished more with a rock solid mindfulness practice. I know 2018 needs to be about riding the waves with a strong and unshakable mindset.  Has this ever happened to you? You are feeling good, feeling pretty damn fit and thinking that maybe all this clean eating and active living is finally starting to pay off! And then..dun dun dun... you weight yourself. The numbers haven't gone down or even worse... they have gone up!!! You instantly start to feel panicked. Are you living in a fantasy world where you are actually getting bigger and bigger each day and you don't even know it?!
Cue a mental meltdown and all your worries and negative thoughts spiralling out of control aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh...... and scene, your day is ruined. Ok, calm down. I am sorry if you were triggered there, but I am here to tell you something I want you to remember forever....IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH YOU WEIGHT. So stop worrying about it.  2018 VIBE: Why how do you see yourself?
"Health, wealth, beauty, and not created; they are only manifested by the arrangement of your mind--that is, by your concept of yourself, and your concept of yourself is all that you accept and consent to as true."-Neville  Next year is THE year I will make changes! I am going to go all the way in 2018! Nothing can stop me. Cut to a couple weeks later, someway, somehow those goal have lost their lustre. So have can we set and achieve goals that we actually keep? Goals that actually inspire us instead of defeating us? I truly believe you need to look at the bigger picture of what you actually want and why. You need to have that strong vision, mission and pasion for your yourself and what you are trying achieve. If you do not feel that way about your goals. Scrap them and go right back to the drawing board.
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Anna TownsendFollow my personal fitness, nutrition and personal journeys and explorations. 
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