Daily Meditation Made Easy

For years I have wanted to meditate daily. I love meditation and recognise its many benefits. I had no trouble going to a weekly meditation class, but when it came to meditating on my own, I never got much further than day one.
There were always reasons why I couldn't. Morning meditations seemed difficult, I would rather sleep a little longer. A busy schedule with work, social commitments and running a house made it difficult to fit in during the day. Finally at night, I preferred spending time with my partner.
I spent a lot of time converting a spare room into a tranquil meditation room and I even bought myself some lovely meditation music and guided meditations to listen to. The room only ever got used once or twice before the dream of meditating daily was lost to other priorities.
It wasn't until I began pinning some great meditations on Pinterest that I really broke through my lack of motivation and made my dream a reality. It was so simple and that was the key.
One morning, as I woke up, I realised I had time to spare and was awake enough to grab my phone and turn off flight mode. I keep my phone switched off or in flight mode when it is near the bed at night. With the meditations accessible from my phone through Pinterest, I found it easy to pick a guided meditation to listen to. I was able to lay under the covers and complete a healing meditation. I felt amazing afterwards. I felt more positive and was in a great frame of mind ready to start the day.
Since then I keep my headphones on my bedside table and when I wake up I pick a meditation that suits the amount of time I have available. There are so many great meditations available online it is just a matter of finding them. While I am in bed I am able to lay down or sit up depending on my mood or the type of meditation.
It just goes to show that when you make things simple it makes it easier to achieve your goals.
For some great meditations visit my pinterest board. 

Organic life

For the last six years I have been drawn towards the idea of organic food. I realise there are a lot of chemicals in our food many of which we are unaware of. I have been reading labels for years and avoiding particular substances but eventually I decided it was time to take the plunge and give organic a proper go.
It was great to see how many supermarkets have begun providing organic fruit and vegetables. Even lots of the online food delivery services in Australia have organic products available. Ordering online has definitely made it easier to eat organic food.

The benefits

• Eating organic food means you are not consuming food that has been dosed with chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. 
• Organic food is fantastic as lots of the fruit and vegetables are grown locally. I am a big believer in supporting local farmers and it's great to see the number of locally grown organic products available increasing.
• Organic fruit and vegetables taste amazing I couldn't believe how delicious tomatoes and stone fruit are. Just like homegrown.
• By purchasing organic products you are supporting farming principles that are better for the environment. 

The challenges

• As delicious as organic food is, there is not as great a variety available. It continues to grow all the time although you do need to adjust to eating fruit and vegetables that are in season.
• Organic food can be expensive. My partner and I spent a lot of time, possibly too much time, comparing the price of organic to non organic. If you are like me and want to dive into organic food and not look back, then you need to plan to spend about a third more on your food. 
• The only other challenge I have come across is the occasional caterpillar but it makes you realise how healthy the food must be.

Be aware

Don't be confused by all the information available about organic food. Especially if you read about the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen. Australia has different practices and standards required of our farmers to that of countries such as America where lots of this information comes from. You can learn more about the Australian standards for pesticide levels and the annual results of surveys for pesticide levels here. 

At the end of the day you should be aiming for a variety of delicious fruit and vegetables in your diet. When you are ready perhaps you will take the next step ensuring that you are consuming organic produce. 

Resources to inspire you to give up sugar

Are you suffering from information overload? Here is a compilation of my top 4 resources on the impacts of sugar and how to reduce your sugar consumption. Lots of these resources also have some amazing and delicious recipes for you to try.  

1	That Sugar Film, is a must watch especially if you are not sure if giving up sugar is the best thing for you. For more information on the film, the impacts of sugar and how to give up the white stuff visit their website.
2	I have been inspired a lot by Sarah Lawson and “I quit sugar” Her cookbooks are amazing and her website offers lots of great information, recipes and tips to help you give up sugar for a happier and healthier life.
3	The ABC’s Catalyst did an interesting and informative story on sugar called “Toxic Sugar?” looking at the connection between obesity and sugar. To watch the story go here.
4	The first book I read about giving up sugar was “Sweet Poison” by David Gillespie, it contains lots of interesting information on the rise of sugar consumption and the impact it is having on our bodies. David also has a website.

Giving up sugar

Chocolate, lollies, ice cream, cake... oh ice cream cake, I love it all. Unfortunately it doesn't love me. Perhaps the first sign that I had a problem with sugar was how many events in my life revolved around the sweet substance.

I can remember the excitement I felt as a child, reaching into my Nanna's lolly jar and grabbing my favourite toffee before anyone else could eat it. The mint ones were always the first to go. Family holidays came with an ice cream tub full of lollies for us to snack on during the road trip. Of course I was the kid that would borrow Dads keys later and sneak in to grab a few more lollies. Every movie I went to as a kid would come with an ice cream, lollies or chocolate. Fizzy drinks loaded with sugar were a common treat, while ice cream for dessert was always available as long as I had eaten my dinner.

It wasn't just the obvious sugary foods and drinks, my parents did their best to help me live a healthy life. Unfortunately I grew up in the time when juice was marketed as healthy. So the fact that I would consume 2.5 litres of apple and pear juice over two or three days wasn't an issue. 

The other indicator that sugar was not working for me, was the massive sugar lows I would have. If you know anything about star signs then you know as a Cancerian I am naturally moody, but, when consuming sugar there is a massive difference in my personality. I become irritable, depressed and hyper. The effect of the sugar wouldn't last a few hours but for days. The first time I removed sugar from my diet the improvement in my mood was the first thing people noticed. 

I say the first time, because as with any addiction, sugar is hard to quit. I am a very determined person and even I could only manage to give up sugar for six months before I gave in and went from consuming small amounts to being back to my high sugar diet once more. 

The moment I realised how addicted I truly was to sugar, was after giving it up for a while. I had begun to allow myself small treats of sugar. The odd biscuit or glass of juice. Of course I was done for, as soon as I entered a lolly shop. But I had myself convinced I could have just one or two hard boiled lollies from the cute jar that I had purchased and be fine. I would control myself and enjoy the lollies over the weeks ahead. As I walked away I popped a lolly into my mouth, it was delicious. I sucked on it and made it last, savoring the sweet raspberry flavour. It was so good, I thought I would enjoy one more. I sucked on it too but by the third lolly I was crunching through the hard boiled sweet and gulping it down. It was as if I had hit a point at which my brain no longer cared about the flavours but wanted to consume as much sugar as possible. Crunching away at the lollies with out pleasure or enjoyment I realised I had a problem. 

It's not easy to give up something that is so delicious and addictive and everywhere. But with a little determination and perseverance it is possible. In fact after a few days of saying no to sugar, I find it gets easier and easier. It does help if you have healthy wholesome foods ready for snacking on and you haven't left a half-eaten block of chocolate in the cupboard. Drinking plenty of water and making sure you don't let yourself get so hungry you can't bear to organise a proper meal also helps. 

There are many websites, books and documentaries available that will help you better understand why giving up sugar in particular fructose is a great idea. I for one have seen many benefits not only to my mood but also to my physical health. I have lost weight, 20kg in fact and my skin is clear and has a healthy glow, my eyes look healthier and I feel more energetic. For a list of resources that have helped inspire and encourage me on my journey take a look at my top 4 resources post. 

At times, it can feel like you are alone on this mission to avoid consuming sugar. It can be frustrating to watch people enjoying your favourite foods without a care. But the longer I have maintained a sugar free existence, the easier it is and the more I want to maintain my wholesome sugar free life. 

Living a wholesome life

As life evolves, what you want out of it changes. Often, those things you want in life that remain constant are what you need to lead a wholesome and fulfilling life. For me a wholesome life included love, nourishing my spirit and caring for my body. 
I felt the pull towards improving my health, by eating organic whole foods and giving up sugar. I wanted to nourish my spirit, through meditation, expressing my creativity with writing and art. The same inner drive was encouraging me to take up yoga and walk in nature.
I am gradually incorporating all that I believe I need to make my life whole. I don't want to give anyone the idea that I have it all figured out, I am continually learning and working on incorporating all the components of my idea of a wholesome life. Many have only been achieved after years of persistence and practice, but there are still more to go. Hopefully, by sharing my experiences and ideas with readers, I can inspire others.

My three tips to lead a wholesome and fulfilling life:

1. Find out what it is that will make your life whole. What is it that makes your heart sing and your spirit jump for joy? Do you love cooking, growing your own food, painting or walks on the beach. Whatever it is that you feel pulled towards, pay attention and work towards it. 

2. Don't take it all on at once. I have lots of aspects of my life that I have been working towards for a while. I have tried to instigate everything at once but it is often harder to maintain. I have had more success making a single change and persisting with it. If the change is simple and easy to incorporate into my life the greater my success. 

3. Don't give yourself a hard time if you are not successful straight away. Those things that are really worth incorporating into your life, will fall into place with time and persistence. It took me three years to finally switch to organic food permanently the first few efforts were not sustained, however, it did eventually fall into place.

Once you know what it is you want for your life then work towards it, don't give up. Keep smiling and enjoy your wholesome life.