Morning Routine– How to have the best day ever

Hello creators, what a beautiful day it has been today - the sun has been shining, a walk along the coast inspired some new creativity and I have happy vibes all around. Why might this be? Because I have a pretty awesome morning routine is why. Over a year ago, a typical morning for me used to be: sleep in as long as possible, get up at the last minute, move like a crazy lady to get ready for work, skip breakfast and rush out the door. In return, I had stressful days and found myself chasing my tail in every way shape and form. Since starting a solid morning routine I've found so much support for the day that follows. What you choose to do in the morning is so important, because it's at this time when you have rested and recovered, your body has regenerated and it is just waiting for you to tell it what to do and where you want it to go for the day.

MY TYPICAL "BEST DAY" MORNING ROUTINE SCHEDULE

6am: I choose to have a GREAT DAY from the moment I open my eyes

 

Alarm goes off, the dreary eyes open. I have a few choices:

1. Press snooze, stay in bed and finish that dream
2. Wake up and say “fml”
3. Wake up and smile, thinking to myself:

I right now make a decision that this is going to be an incredible day. I’m going to wake up NOW and give myself the time to set up my perfect day. Waking up NOW will save me from rushing. Waking up now will lead to effectiveness and happiness. Setting up my perfect day will strengthen my knowing that I am the creator of my life as I set up my day then watch the miracles unfold.

Shifting to positive self talk MAKES me get excited to get the heck out of bed and make things happen.

6:05am Mindfulness exercise

Possibly the most important thing to do out of everything in my day. It switches on your awareness button which is totally useful for the whole day. Practiced every morning means you increase overall awareness in your life. Developed awareness means you develop awareness of yourself – every quirk, every reaction, everything. When you can see exactly how you work and are, you can become the master of your own universe.

6:15am Mini Yoga Sesh

While my oats are on the pot I get outside and do 10 minutes of basic power yoga. It’s at this time that the sun is rising and it marks the beginning of the new day. It’s here I feel inspired and thank the universe and sun for giving me another day and another chance to create all that I desire in this life.

 

6:25am Come back inside and eat my P-P-Power breakkie

 

The most important meal of the day. A protein-less brekkie might have been a big no no to me in the past, but since turning to raw food I am finding that I function a lot better this way. Brekkie is ½ cup of cooked steel cut oats, ½ Tbs of coconut oil, a sprinkling of blueberries and sprinkling of raspberries. The oats are full of silica and are great for digestion. The berries provide super antioxidant goodness and fight free radicals. & the coconut oil is great for my skin, digestion, metabolism and overall well-being. If I feel I need a bit of protein I will add a small handful of almonds instead of the coconut oil. Almonds are full of vitamin E and fibre. I add black chia seed every now and again too. Don’t forget to alkalise baby. A green juice or smoothie are good options. Otherwise I’ll do a lemon in water.

6:45am Shower and dress

It’s important to make the most of every situation you’re given – INCLUDING SHOWER TIME? Play your favourite music, sing a song, make it a joyous experience – because this is your day! & when you’re getting ready for the day ahead and choosing your clothes -  spruce up & feel great. Taking pride in presentation is NOT a superficial thing, it shows the world that you’re ready to put your best face forward, because today is going to be the best day ever!

7:15am The “Today I Am” Intention Board – The key to moving towards the person you want to be

This is probably not a new invention, but I created this little exercise for myself and I really enjoy it! Dave mentioned to me about telling myself intentions in the morning, Louise Hay says to write out an affirmation for the day 20 times in the morning. But this little ditty is what is most effective - TO ME, and by no means may it have the same effect on you. This idea came to me when I thought about how I want my life to look like and how I could try and bring it into fruition. I do it just before I leave the house. I write: “Today I am” and then following in big capital letters I write out the things I want to be for the day. For example:

  Intelligent

 Open

Warm

  Understanding

Productive

Resourceful

Loving

Doing this just before I leave the house is a great way to let them go as soon as possible, when you want something to happen the letting go part is just as important as setting the intention for it! I would compare it to being like bringing your team into the office for a meeting to discuss the agenda for the day, and then saying goodbye and letting them go off and follow through with the tasks discussed. If you just keep them held hostage in the office,  you can’t let them do their work.


Exercises like these might seem a bit airy fairy, but whenever you are told something a bit woo woo – don’t let your mind go crazy with it and analyse the information and all that. There are times when feeling an instruction without thinking too much about it is terribly important. Your mind cannot create – sure it can provide the tools and you need your brain but I repeat your mind cannot create. Anything the mind creates is usually kinda ugly (think about the “Marilyn Munroe” sculpture outside of QV1). Your creator within is meant to do the creating. When I write my intention words I feel them, & I get a glimpse in my minds eye and what it might look like if I were for example "understanding". Even if that exact occurrence in my head doesn’t happen, something similar to the same effect does & it is exciting! Now just think if you can master this exercise for a while. Your intention muscle strengthens and you can start to work in there things that will transition you fully towards the things you want in life.

It is true that when we want something, we need to take the steps to make it appear in our lives, with physical, mental and spiritual action. If I want to be a business entrepreneur, I need to start thinking and being like one, otherwise how am I going to make that transition. If I want to be completely loving, I need to start thinking and being as though I am loving. What you focus on increases, where focus goes energy flows.

Don’t forget to say thank you that you have been given a new day, another day to live, another day to create. This is the way we were made to be

Have a beautiful, resourceful and magical day x

NAT’S TURNING RAWfi (aka Raw Foodist)

WHY AM I WRITING IN CAPITALS. WHY AM I SHOUTING ! IT’S BECAUSE I’M SERIOUSLY JUST THAT EXCITED! & I’m thanking my shift to a raw food diet for it…

Over the last couple of week’s I have made the transition to eat 70% RAW. I still eat cooked chicken/fish and I cook my steel cut oats, but the rest of it is UN-COOKED, UN-PROCESSED, FRESH AS POSSIBLE FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD. Real food.

I’m not sure why food seems to entertain us all so much, maybe it’s because we all know that deep down inside it holds a key to the way we experience life. I’ve found that the more that I experiment with foods and my daily diet, something becomes very clear - getting back to basics is the most beneficial for my overall well-being. Since turning to majority RAW I have noticed a few almost “miraculous” things have taken place:

My inner vibrance seems to come alive more powerfully

I have loads of energy

My hair is growing faster

My skin is looking clearer

My awareness has increased

I think more clearly & efficiently

I look HEALTHY

I was a little bit inspired to try going the RAW way firstly because I already hold strong beliefs about the miracles of basic foods and then I got especially excited after reading David Wolfe’s book – Eating for Beauty. The book is focussed on raw based eating and the effects of different raw foods on the body. He gives a pretty good run down on what happens to the essential “life force” of foods when we cook them. There are so many miracles in raw foods as they are, ie nuts, veggies, fruits when they are fresh and organic as they still hold the energy from the sun and the earth.

There are some fundamentals of this book that I am incorporating into my daily diet and I think I’ve pretty much perfected it,  I’ll give you the run down on what a typical day’s diet looks like below. Here are the major foods he recommends to eat for beauty and why.

Pepitas - Source of tryptophan and essential fatty acids, anti-parasite effect and high in magnesium and zinc

Hemp seeds - Nutritionally complete food - all nine essential amino acids and rich in omega 3 & 6. Contain important proteins that are immediately utilised to build strong hair, nails, skin, muscle and connective tissue

Cucumbers - Kidney cleanser, alkalising, silicon (good for hair, skin & nails), water rich

Papaya - Contain alkaline minerals, vitamin A, collagen healing vitamin C, cleanse and soothe the digestive tract, deep radiant glowing eyes and skin

Berries - High in antioxidents protecting against free radical

Coconut oil - Improves the skin, antifungal, antiviral, aids digestion, boosts metabolism, MCFA's mean this fat is easily digested and absorbed by the body

Radishes - Rejuventating effects from high silicon, sulfur and vitamin C content

Stinging Nettles - Consuming dried nettle as a tea just as effective as eating the real thing. Contains chlorophyll, immune system builders, blood builders, vitamins A & C. Has highest level of beautifying mineral silicon than any other food, diuretic

Olives/Olive Oil - Highest natural source of vitamin E, stimulates immune system, keeps skin smooth, too many other benefits to mention.

A typical day's diet incorporating all of these raw foods looks something like this:

Breakfast: Steel cut oats (rich in silica), berries, coconut oil. Mug of Nettle tea

Snack 1: Serving of papaya & seaweed (zinc, vitamin and mineral rich, iron, manganese)

Lunch: Salad with radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, hemp seeds, pepitas, olive oil, lemon, and a serve of protein (cooked chicken/fish)

Snack 2: Cucumber & handful of nuts
Dinner: Superfood smoothie or salad with protein source


Raw food is really great to experiment with and you can actually do sooo much. Like these Raw Cakes I made on the weekend (Raspberry Dream Cheezecake & Choc Fudge Cake - all raw, no gluten, no dairy, no sugar):

There's heaps of resources out there to get stuck into recipes and the like. If you visit Manna or The Raw Kitchen they stock a multitude of books with raw recipes and all the food they sell in their cafe's is pretty divine.

ALL HAIL RAW FOOD