It’s time to share one of my favourite ‘secret weapons” for fast tracking wellness…
I believe that food is one of the single, most powerful game changing wellbeing tools there is!

I have felt the power of this in my life personally, so much so that I dedicated almost one third of my book
“Energise Your Life” to recipes, meal planning, and food heroes.

The impacts of being tired or time poor often creates a cycle of not nourishing our bodies
with food that fuels our energy. How many times have you picked up takeaway or bought
convenience foods simply because you were “too tired to cook”?

The irony is, while these foods save us from cooking, they often make us feel more tired!
Want to break the cycle and get your food on track?

MEAL PLANNING FOUNDATIONS

I base my meal planning on “foundations”, which I prepare on Sundays so I start the week ahead of the game and don’t have to start cooking from scratch each meal.

My book includes the actual recipes that I form my foundations on: with 4 key areas that are on rotation, making multiple batches of energy balls, smoothie bags, lentil patties and breakfast basics.

Each Sunday I make 2 weeks supply of 2 of these foundations so I always have them on rotation in my freezer or pantry. Then I mix and match the way I use them for quick inspiration when I don’t have much time.

Here's what I have on hand ready for this week:
  • Cooked quinoa
  • Salad greens and fresh kale & baby spinach
  • A delicious chickpea hummus
  • Roast sweet potato cubes
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Spiralised veggies like carrot/ raw beetroot
  • Lentil patties
  • Leftover dhal
  • Fresh berries, breakfast muesli and granola
  • Frozen green smoothie bags
This week I also made a raw cashew and coriander blended sauce to pour over my bowls- I love making home made sauces to change flavours!)

(I love choosing foods by colour to ensure I’m getting a broad variety of nutrients, and I can easily grab scoops of each to mix and match these things for quick and delicious “power bowls”.

GIVE FOOD ORGANISATION PRIORITY!

Whenever I know I am going to have a busy week ahead I remind myself that if I make food organisation a priority in the lead up, it will be the greatest gift I can give myself.

I know that making nourishing choices will not only sustain my stamina and resilience, but also have a flow on effect to other areas of my life because I’ll have more energy.

The food we consistently consume becomes the sum of much of our energy. We get good energy from good quality fuel.

In my book I recommend ways to give your pantry and fridge an overhaul so they inspire positive nutritional choices.

Have a detox of the foods you keep in the house and get rid of anything that doesn’t support you in your health and wellbeing goals; you can’t eat garbage if you don’t have it!

Put healthful foods front and centre and organise them in a way that inspires you to use them in your meals.

SUNDAYS ARE THE KEY: Leverage your Sundays! By getting organised on Sundays, you’ll go into Monday well prepared to feed yourself food that boosts your energy and keeps your body healthy.

My tradition is to get myself organised for food on a Sunday early afternoon, then reward myself with “Sunday Spa Day” with an hour of home spa to relax and restore. I hope this inspires you to include food as a tool for vibrant living. Remember, consistency is the key!

THE POWER OF EXERCISE

Exercise is my other favourite “tool” that keeps me moving forward in my journey of wellbeing.

Our bodies are designed to move, and physical exercise each day boosts the health of our heart and muscles, as well as our mental wellbeing. My advice here? *Don’t mistake “motivation” with success. The truth is- no matter where you are in your wellness journey, you will never feel motivated 100% of the time. If you rely on feeling motivated to get results from exercise, you’ll set yourself up for failure of this goal.

So ignore motivation, and focus on one word: CONSISTENCY! Consistency gives encouraging results, you’ll notice you get stronger, your body more flexible, and things you previously found challenging become easier with each consistent day.

BETTER DONE THAN PERFECT

I also find the affirmation “Better done, than perfect” helps me maintain consistency. If we only exercise on the days we think we can break records, we’ll never stick to our regime.

There will be days you are a little tired or unmotivated, times you might be working through recovery from illness or injury and it’s okay to listen to your body with some rest days, or gentler sessions. But ignore the perfectionist voice that says it’s not worth doing if it’s not “winning”.

Winning is keeping consistency each day and week- that’s the thing to be most proud of!
WORK WITH THE BODY YOU HAVE TODAY

One of my favourite yoga teachers (on the “Glo” app I’ve used for about 10 years now),
Elena Brower, shared something during a class that has always stuck with me.

“Remember to work with the body you have today. Not the body you had, or the body you want to have-
but the body you are blessed to have today.”

These words are so practical and real! You may know about the cycling accident I had several years ago?
These words from Elena really helped me through my four surgeries, and the rehabilitation that followed.

Two of the operations left me needing to use a pulley to lift my arm each day to get it moving again.
Initially I could hardly raise my left arm- lifting it just above my hip as it hung by my side.
Every day this consistent pully exercise (which was often demoralising!) helped me pull my arm a little higher.
Before I knew it, in a matter of weeks I could lift my arm above my head again!

We all want to be across the finish line, but the truth- this is real life.
Results take work and persistence.

Don’t compare yourself to others who have been through their own
journey of consistently taking one step at a time.

Stay consistent- you’ll get there too!


FOCUS ON HOW YOU WILL FEEL AFTER- THAT’S THE REWARD!

How many times have you felt you were too tired to go for a walk or to the gym,
but once you got out there you felt much better?

Exercise releases endorphins that make us feel good, and when performed in a balanced way,
it also flushes out excess stress hormones, which I always think of as letting off steam.

If ever you feel resistance to maintaining consistency with exercise, ask yourself:
When I exercise, how will I feel afterwards? The answer is always “Alive and buzzing with feel-good endorphins”.

Remind yourself of how you will feel after exercise. It’s very motivating!

TIPS TO SUCCESS:

Your project for this week:

  • How can I schedule a consistent time for exercise to move my body every day?
  • What planning can I put in place to make it easy?

I find choosing what I will do, when I will do it, what I will wear etc in advance ensures I have no excuses or interruptions to my goals.

All I need to do is stick with the plan to get the benefits.


I like to think of goals as stepping stones across a river. One step at a time, and before you know it you are there!

I hope you are feeling in flow with the easy, sustainable tools I’m sharing here.

Each one giving you more energy to add another tool
to keep the momentum on enhancing your wellness journey!

x Naomi

About Naomi Whitfeld

Naomi Whitfeld is the Founder of iKOU and author of the book "Energise your life".

Her passion for inspiring others to live a life of wellness & joy shines through in everything she does.

As an intuitive Aromatherapist, Naomi incorporates mind & body benefits into all she creates, believing we respond best when we treat as a 'whole".

Winner of the Telstra Business Women's Award for "Entrepreneur of the Year", and "Wellness Warrior of the Year" in the Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Awards, Naomi has a particular interest in supporting busy women to enjoy rituals of self-care on a daily basis.

Order "Energise Your Life"

"Energise Your Life" by Naomi Whitfeld

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