When I was young I wanted to be a chef and sing in my own restaurant…

SQ-111Seriously, the title of this blog, completely true story.  I still have the dream, you’ve got to keep it alive!  Now it’d be a healthy restaurant, maybe somewhere warm, near the beach….

But, food, glorious food, that’s where it all started for me.  Even before music there was food, of course, my Mom decided that feeding me was the best option!  But seriously, I was a very lucky baby and young child.  I spent the first few years of my life on beautiful six acre plot, house built in the countryside by my parents with a swimming pool.  I grew up around animals and eating fresh produce grown on our own vegetable patch.  I knew exotic fruits and vegetables from a young child, as I was born in South Africa.  But, apart from the fact that South Africa has a large variety of fruits and vegetables, in those days it also didn’t have packaged foods, no store bought baby food and not a lot of pre-prepared ‘ready meals’.  My family knew how to cook, and they can cook well, I mean REALLY well (it gets competitive at Christmas!).

Sometimes getting continual, niggling problems with your health or lifestyle can be a great indicator that your body isn’t happy and wants to change something.  The words of many health professionals have been drummed into me “Don’t simply look for a pill to make the problem go away, it’s like gagging the little voice that’s trying to tell you something.”  Instead be grateful your body is doing exactly what it should and letting you know there’s something you need to investigate!  I live well using a few strategies for myself.

Live Naturally

What does “living naturally” mean?  Well, for many it can mean different things.  For me it encompasses everything I put in, come in contact with and put on my body daily.  No biggie then!  But seriously, I’m not strict and boring about it, I do cheat from time to time, but I know I’m always on the right track and actually I think it’s fun to find that there’s a better, healthier way to live!

What works for me is:

  • Eating a whole-food, plant based diet, with occasional fish, but you’ll find me posting mainly sugar, gluten, wheat and dairy free recipes with a mix of cooked and raw food recipes.  And smoothies and juicing –  I love smoothies, especially of the green kind!
  • To only use products with no SLS, parabens and harmful and harsh chemicals, I’d like to share with you how far this industry has come and some of my favourite brands and homemade recipes out there.

Natural living is not new or some sort of age that will pass, it is just very much getting back to a time where media and marketing didn’t dominate the products we should be buying, putting on our skin, or food we should be eating. It is sitting up and taking note of the knowledge we have to keep a healthy body and taking responsibility for our own well being and using our knowledge of prevention rather than cure.

Natural living may seem extremely hard in a modern world surrounded by so much choice, and you won’t find my kitchen or bathroom shelves always stocked with home made products, I do like a bit of fancy from time to time. But my fancy is responsible and chemical free. My food is whole, from its original source to the plate, it looks like food, not a boxed version of something that once was food.

Think Positively

People find it hard to believe that performers can have low self esteem and confidence issues.

The biggest revelation that came out of thinking negatively was how it can affect your health and well-being.  There are physical responses to stress that can cause serious illness.

There are many ways we can approach positivity, cognitive behavioural therapies, neuro-linguistic programming, and I use some of this, but mostly I practice mindfulness and meditation.  And whether or not you are religious, spiritual or just positively present everyday, it’s all about finding the best in every person and every day.

 Move Freely

I especially refrained from saying “I exercise daily” or something similar, because I don’t, but I don’t use the words ‘because I can’t’ either.  I have many exercise freak friends, meaning I’m envious of their motivation to do copious amounts of strenuous exercise daily.  But I only just realised recently that they do it not just to be mega fit, but because they genuinely love it.  I love it too, when I can do it, otherwise it’s just a chore, and I hate chores 🙂  So many people are scared of the word exercise as it conjures up images of their idea of torture!  Moving freely is to not be inactive for long periods of time during the day and to most importantly find something you enjoy.  Essentially, I can scream all I like about how fantastic I think Vinyasa Yoga is and someone else could do the same about Hatha Yoga or Pilates, running, cycling or swimming, but if it’s not for you and you don’t enjoy it then it’s simply counter productive.  Find your moves and doing it willingly!

 Love Deeply

Ah love, the best kind of drug!  If you just rolled your eyes, stay with me please… Romantic love is only one of the kinds of love we experience in our lives.  I’m talking giving your all to everyone you have in your life, be there, be present, love like they are worth having there.  I also like to think of the bigger picture, the universe if you like, if we send out negativity why would we expect to get positivity and love back?

Also, don’t wait, don’t be too afraid to be the first to give love, whatever kind of love that is, friendship love, family love, loving your animals or even the new people you meet that you have a connection with.  It’s all love and it all makes a difference to your wellbeing, so you’re doing it for selfish reasons really!!

Occasionally I will share some recipes, positive thoughts, interviews with some of my favourite people, experts, showcasing some of my favourite brands, health living tips, music and natural beauty tips.

“Embracing Change” is based on personal thoughts and a general healthy lifestyle, not as professional advice.  This is shared for information purposes. Always consult your own healthcare provider before beginning any new treatment or changes to determine the best course of treatment for you.  Sourced information may be from external material and the accuracy is beyond our control.  The opinions and views in comments may be monitored and regulated and any outside or public comment is not endorsed by Shelly Quarmby.

 

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