Motivation Monday!!

Happy Monday! I love Mondays because they always feel like a fresh start. The slate is wiped clean and you have hope for what can be achieved in the week ahead. I like to set goals for my week. This week my goals are:

1. Eat Clean 95% of the time (It's my sons birthday this week so a piece of birthday cake may make its way into my mouth...I'm not perfect!)

2. Exercise every day. Whether that be a brisk walk, weights session or yoga/pilates class

3. Clean out and re-organise my bathroom cupboards. Things have gotten way out of control!

4. Write at least 2 blog posts (1 down...)!

5. Keep on top of cleaning chores and washing/ironing/folding (This is a tough one!)

6. Lighten up & have more fun! I can be way to hard on myself and I am trying really hard not to  be so self critical!

Below are some images that I find motivating to kick start this week!

What are your goals for this week? Do you like Mondays like me? 

Have a wonderful week everyone :-)

Sophia xo

Why we're not getting what we want!

A few months ago I stumbled upon a blog called The Daily Love. The main component is written by Mastin Kipp who started the blog a few years ago. It has since grown quite a large following to say the least! To be honest, a lot of the time the content goes a little too far into the self help arena for me, but occasionally if I am in the mood I do open the email and have a skim of the topic for that day. Last Wednesday was one of those days. I started reading Mastin's blog titled 'Why you're not getting what you want!' (read here) and I thought it made a lot of sense and really broke down the process of why some people achieve their goals and others don't.

In a nutshell:

We all have desires, thoughts and actions which affect our results either positively or negatively. So, if you have the desire to be fit and healthy, but your thoughts are that it is too hard or you don't have time then you are unlikely to follow through with the action that it takes to achieve your goal. Furthermore, if you have the desire to be fit and healthy and your thoughts are on track (In other words, you know your goal is achievable, you are planning your healthy meals and your workouts etc) but for whatever reason you aren't following your plans through with action, then you aren't going to achieve your goal either. In order to turn a desire into a reality you need to ensure your desires, thoughts and actions are all in alignment. Sounds super duper simple, I know, but for some reason I appreciated having it broken down like that. It made me think "umm dah! If I want something, why would I keep telling myself I can't do it or not following through with what I need to do to make it happen?!".

We humans are odd creatures. We can look at ourselves in the mirror one minute and point out all the things we don't like about ourselves and then the next minute carry on with our day either doing nothing about it or actually doing things that are only going to make those things we already don't like about ourselves worse (For example, feeling bad about our weight in the morning and then spending the day eating unhealthy and being sedentary. I know I have done that a million times before!!) What the?! We tell ourselves we can't do anything about it or we don't have the time, the money, it's just too hard, or a onslaught of other excuses. Why? Why not just accept our desire, accept that we can do it and then actually do it?? So much less heartache in the long run I imagine! But as I said, we are an odd bunch and I don't expect to get to the bottom of that question today that is for sure...

Perhaps if we take the time to think about what our desires are and whether our thoughts and actions are truly in line with them, then we might find ourselves making different choices?

Worth a shot i say...

Sophia xo

Being a Present Mum

I came across this image online today (I think it is originally from here) and it resonated with me because at the moment I am consciously trying to be a more present Mum. It is so easy to get caught up in how much has to be done between work and home that it is easy to just let the kids come along for the ride without being present in each moment with them. Probably the worst culprit for my lack of presence on a day to day basis is my Iphone. Between Facebook, Instagram, Email, Pinterest, Youtube and Blogger I can often get lost staring at that stupid screen! I admit I find it cute when my 11 month old girl grabs my phone, puts it to her ear and says "Hawwo Dada" and then holds it in front of her and starts punching the screen with her finger. She has even on more than one occasion managed to slide the button across to unlock the screen! But it also breaks my heart because I know she is imitating me and I know that if she is imitating this action so much at 11 months old that it is because she has seen it on so many occasions in her short life. How many moments have I lost in the past 11 months because my face was buried in that screen! My husband and I try to pull each other up on it, but sometimes it is such a habit that you don't even realise you are doing it! My 3 year old has now said to me a few times "Put the phone down Mummy!". As I type this I cringe!

So I am making it my mission to be more present every day with my family. An example of a time when I know I am really bad at this is when I take the kids to the park. Now that Mason is getting older he can happily play on the playground without needing me to be right next to him the whole time and Chloe isn't quite old enough so she will usually be sitting in the pram playing with a toy or eating some food. In the past I would have probably sat on the bench and watched Mason whilst intermittently looking down at my phone. I'm not saying that I would completely ignore the kid, I would still push him on the swing and watch him come down the slide, but i would often hear him say "Mummy, watch this" because he had looked over at me and seen that i was looking at my phone. Yesterday we went to the park and I left my phone under the pram (only taking it out to take a few cute photos and then putting it straight back!) and enjoyed playing with him the entire time. We played hide and seek and it was the best fun ever!!!

Here are those cute photos :-)

Being a more present Mummy is definitely one of my new goals! Is this something you struggle with too? How do you make sure you are present in the moment? I would love to hear from you :)

Sophia xo

PS. I think I am going to try and print of the picture at the beginning of this post, frame it and hang it somewhere in my house as a daily reminder!

Rewarding yourself with things other than food!

I for one am a shocker for rewarding myself for doing simple day to day tasks with food. Getting the washing done, the kids to bed, running errands, going to the gym, finishing work, just simply making it through the day and I am heading straight to the kitchen to see what naughty treat I can find. I have been like that for as long as I can remember. And before you say well just choose something healthy, sorry but that's not going to cut it. I'm not going to reward myself with a carrot. I like carrots, but they aren't what I am reaching for when I am looking to pat myself on the back and relax. It is a habit I am trying really really hard to break. 

I am especially bad at this in the winter months. I find the cold and the rain painful and depressing and I am constantly looking to reward myself for completing mundane tasks because to me it all just seems harder in the winter. In the past (and I'm not going to lie, occasionally in the not too distant past... Last night maybe... Whaaaat!) a hot chocolate was top of the list and was often accompanied by marshmallows, chocolate and some biscuits for dipping (yum!). Last year when I was pregnant, this was pretty much my nightly ritual! And it has been my ritual for many many years before! In trying to change my lifestyle this has been by far the hardest part! This winter season it has not been my nightly ritual but it's been my nightly struggle not to do it and more often than not I am successful but not always.

So, getting to my point, In an effort to find non food replacements to reward myself with at the end of the day I went out and bought some bath bombs from Lush and some chocolate and Creme Brûlée teas some T2. 

 I got the Creamy Candy Bubble Bar and the Sex Bomb Bath Bomb...

 as well as the Mint Julips Lip Scrub. This stuff smells and tastes absolutely amazing and leaves your lips feeling so soft. It also makes such a difference to how lipstick and lipgloss apply!

Chocolate & Creme Brulee Tea!

So my new hot chocolate and marshmallows is hot baths and tea. 

Do you reward yourself with food? Have you got any good tips for changing this habit? I would love to hear from you :)

Wish me luck!

Sophia xo

My Top 5 Tips for Clean Eating!

Sticking to a clean eating plan can sometimes sound difficult to do. Below I have listed my top 5 tips for successfully eating clean :-)

1. Remove all 'unclean' foods from your house! Willpower will only get you so far. Eventually a craving will come on at a moment of weakness and if there are still unhealthy foods in your fridge and pantry you are so much more likely to indulge. To prevent this from happening you need to commit to clean eating and get rid of all processed foods. This doesn't mean eat every unhealthy food in your house and then start 'clean eating'. Give the foods away and start straight away!

2. Meal Planning & Prep: This is the biggest one for me! If it is just as easy or easier to grab your clean, healthy meals than it is to grab/make something unhealthy you will be so much more likely to stick to clean eating. Put aside a few hours once a week to prep your meals for the week. Not only will this help you stick to clean eating, but it will also save you so much time during the week. I love not having to cook every evening!

3. Keep it Interesting! Try new clean eating recipes often. There are so many great websites, blogs, magazines and books with amazing clean recipes. Make sure you don't get stuck in a food rut and keep eating the same thing until you get bored and then give up. Its okay to eat your favourite clean foods but try to incorporate new recipes as well and you may stumble upon a new favourite!

4. Replace your favourite unclean foods with clean versions! If you have a favourite food that isn't clean and you think you just couldn't live without it then look for or come up with a clean version! You can google all sorts of clean alternatives for different foods. For example, clean pizza, clean ice-cream, clean chocolate cake, clean biscuits etc. and most of them taste absolutely amazing. You wouldn't believe they are actually good for you!

5. Get your whole house involved! Eating Clean will be so much easier if everyone in your house is on the same page. If you are cooking for a family, then cook clean meals for everyone. Don't make a clean meal for yourself and something different for the rest of the family. This will result in a lot of extra temptation and why not get everyone in the house on the healthy bandwagon :)

Good Luck! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below :)

Sophia xo