It’s almost everywhere you look, Fit-Inspiration, or Fitspo. It’s that barrage of motivational memes with that slightly nastiness about them, it’s those ‘miracle‘ shakes, wonder pills, apps for tracking calories, detox teas and so-called ‘influencers‘ showing us how wonderful life could be if we were disciplined, dedicated and toned. If you’re happy and comfortable in your own skin, then possibly all this fitspo just washes over you. However for some it’s a little more damaging, and can feel like yet another reminder that you’re just not good enough and yet another edition to your to-do list. While there are few contemporary studies into the negative effects of Fitspo, previous research does suggest that an over exposure to fitness related images can be detrimental, particularly to women. Fitspo started out as an online phenomenon, spurred on by Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram but morphed to include things like apps and television shows; helping to create multi-millionaires out of entrepreneurs like Kayla Itsines with her Bikini Body Guide workout app. Nowadays, however, the world almost seems to be full of superfood focused, raw juice obsessed, turmeric crazed, workout junkies, Paleo pedantic, health and wellness diehards. Me on the other hand, I try to eat well […]
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It always seems like a good book is hard to find when you need it most… so below are two recommended reads. Buddhist Boot Camp By Timber Hawkeye Given to me by a friends on a similar journey this book is now my handbook. Open any page on any given day and read for just a few minutes for non-sectarian approach to being at peace with the world. Timber Hawkeye is a real person who once upon a time was also on a journey, in this book he shares his experiences without preaching. I guess the beauty of this book is that it is easy to read, easy to understand, the chapters are small and you can read them in absolutely any order and it’s all highly relatable. You don’t need to be a buddhist to find the teachings motivational, it’s all about training your mind and boot camp is the ideal method for those of us who are time poor or with limited attention spans As the Dalai Lama says, “Don’t try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.” Buddhism isn’t just about meditating, it’s about being […]
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Knowing what to do, or how to handle things when someone you know has depression or anxiety can be tricky. You can feel like there’s a constant elephant in the room, or that your treading on egg shells. Everyone’s journey is different and even if you’ve battled through depression or anxiety, your journey will be different to anyone else’s. There are hundreds of different blogs, articles and books aimed at explaining and simplifying what you can do to help someone going through depression, anxiety or any other mental health issue, but in all honesty there is no straight forward answer. I’ve heard some stupid advice over the years ” …you have nothing to be depressed about, there are plenty of people who have things worse.” If that was how being depressed was determined, then by the same token, why bother being happy as there is always someone who has it better. I know for me personally my biggest problem has always been, and will probably always continue to be my self confidence. There is nothing I doubt more than my place in the world, my own abilities and how other people see me. Depression and anxiety aren’t things based purely on have vs […]
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Sometimes in life you get a little stuck, almost glued to the spot and unable to move forward. Sometimes it’s because of a major life event, other times it’s just a shitty mood, the kind you just can’t shake. “You put too much pressure on yourself” “ You’re too hard on yourself” “You need to have more confidence in your decisions” Lately I’ve heard these statements a lot, but nobody ever offers me any magical fixes, amazing cures or helpful advice. It’s not their fault that I can’t snap of it, I know I should but knowing and doing are always closely aligned. Sometimes it feels like I’m doomed to be eternally unhappy with myself… I achieve something and immediately find fault and point out my own short comings. I’ve been stuck here before, and know what I need to do in order to reboot and reset. I don’t expect perfection from others people, so why am I so hard on myself? When you reboot or restart your computer, you’re fixing how it is functioning currently, rather than changing the whole computer. You’re bring your computer back to where it was before or where it needs to be, rather than slow and sluggish. […]
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Years ago the only ones waffling on about the benefits of being grateful or showing gratitude were religious folk, you know… priests, ministers, and religious eduction teachers. Nowadays though, gratitude is basically a scientific field with countless studies showing the many benefits of establishing an attitude of gratitude. People talk about the numerous and far reach benefits of adopting a grateful philosophy, going so far to even attribute positive changes in career, health, personality, emotional health and social presence to a simple change in attitude. The flow on, and key effect being “happiness”… all these articles, motivational talks, memes, and self help books boil down to one thing… In an interview with Gretchen Rubin, author and University of Houtson research professor Brené Brown said “I think the change [in her happiness levels] is the result of letting go of perfectionism, embracing vulnerability, and practicing gratitude.” Brother David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar, suggests happiness is born from gratitude. Fuck it! I thought, I do want to be happy and this sounds too easy. So I challenged myself to take a moment at the end of each day to mentally list 3 things I was grateful for that day, the point, […]
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Social media and our now digitally saturated lives mean the core of journalism has been forever altered, and largely for the worst I believe. We expect news updates fast, and will tolerate articles packed with he said, she said while accuracy falls by the wayside. Opinion and fact are interchangeable and information is fast and easy to come by, investigation is as easy as tapping away on a keyboard and smashing some search terms into google. The prevalence of Facebook and news apps on our smart phones, as well as Instagram and Twitter mean our demand has changed, we digest media differently and expect news stories, gossip stories, opinion pieces, rumour and salacious stories fast and updates almost instantly. Like naughty teenagers the motto of the day is “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness, than to ask for permission“. News media outlets now battle it out to bring you the “news” first… not the news most well written, or news most well thought out. Speed is the most important part of journalism now… not whether the material reads correctly, or that credible sources have been quoted or that it’s even news. We deal now in “content” which we expect constantly, rather than the […]
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It probably seems a little crass to boil meditation down to a how to list… but it seems in this day and age a good how-to is worth it’s weight in gold. I’m investigating meditation for myself, but before throwing money into books and courses I wanted to just give it a low-key whirl at home.
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These meatballs are sooooo simple to make and are practically fail safe, great for flatmates who can’t cook or nights you just want something simple. The quantities really needn’t be exact… I tend to muck around with the sauce, tasting as I go. Ingredients: 100g premium beef mince (or more if you want more… but if you increase the mince quantity, remember you’ll need more of everything) 1/4 diced onion 1/4 cup breadcrumbs or rolled oats 1 tablespoon flour 1/3 cup tomato sauce 1 desert spoon vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sugar Garlic salt Cracked pepper Mix together mince, onion and breadcrumbs, I find it’s easier to use wet hands rather than a wooden spoon or food processor. In a separate bowl mix into a smooth paste flour, 2 tablespoons water, salt and pepper. Now is the fun part…. where you can jazz up this recipe by adding ingredients to the mince mixture. We’ve added… diced capsicum, a small amount of diced chilli, parsley, spring onion and crushed garlic. As with most things the choice is YOURS! Not feeling jazz? then just use the recipe as is. Add the smooth paste to the meat mixture. Shape the mixture into meatballs and […]
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If you've travelled through Europe, the flawless class and natural style of French women won't have escaped your notice. I remember being amazed at how well put together and casually cool they all seemed, I wondered at the time if it was something they were born with or if it's something taught in French schools....
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Have you ever sat one of those dreaded personality tests? You know the kind, there’s no “right answer” but everything kinda seems a little like a trick to make you look like a asshole. I had to sit one as a part of the interview process for a job I’d applied for, it was full of bizarre yet straight forward questions, and I couldn’t quite tell what the preferred answer as meant to be. One of the questions asked if I was a perfectionist and I guess to anyone on the outside looking in I don’t look like much of a perfectionist. I’m certainly not immaculately turned out, I’ve been known to have messy hair and chipped nail polish, I don’t excel at everything I do, but then again… …perhaps I am a perfectionist. Later in a second interview for the job, the interviewer referred to this question. “Can you give me an example when being a perfectionist is a negative thing, or has negative effects“was he onto me? Confused I initially struggled to answer the question. My interviewer prompted me, “would striving for perfection halt your progress“. Initially I thought no way, don’t be ridiculous… but then again is […]
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