Style Your Zenful Life: Tips for a Calmer Lifestyle

Style Your Zenful Life

Our lives can be busy, hectic and at times overwhelming-on the daily. Most of us start out with good intentions to bring a little more decompression and calmness into focus, but often times that seems like a wish more than an action we can accomplish.  It doesn’t have to be so hard.  What I’ve learned is that the smallest changes can add up over time and become more of our daily routine.

Here are some tips to Bring on the Zen…

1.     Don’t overcommit and set limits. If you find that your life is overfilled, you may need to set some limits. So stop doing some of the least important things, the things that honestly don’t matter that much. Set a limit for how many times you will check inboxes, Instagram, Twitter etc. per day. And say no to anything that will overextend you if you really don’t have the time.

2.     Find a way to decompress that works for you. I like working out to release tensions and curling up with a good book. Get in the car and drive with the tunes on high. What works for you? Long walks, or a run, yoga, meditation, going down to the water or taking a nice hot bath? Find out and do that.

3.     Get out of your own head. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. This can create a lot of unnecessary stress. When facing what looks like a mountain ask yourself questions like: Does someone on the planet have it worse than me right now? Will this matter in 5 years? These questions help you to zoom out and realize that things may not be that bad and that you can handle them.

4.     Slow it down. Your emotions can work backwards too. If you slow down while walking, moving your body or talking you can often start to feel less stressed (compared to if you move/talk fast). Slowing down to decrease stress goes for many other things you do in everyday life too like eating, working at your desk and having a conversation.

5.     Unclutter your space and unclutter your mind. Give yourself just 5 minutes to declutter your workspace or the room you’re in-or start smaller with a drawer at a time. A uncluttered, simplified and ordered space around you brings clarity and order to the mind. So don’t stop there. Declutter, simplify and organize your home and life too to live in a more relaxing environment.

6.     Use a minimalistic mindset. Eliminate the distractions. Once you have decluttered your space take pride in the simple things you surround yourself with. Rid yourself of distractions here. This will brings you a sense of peace and makes it easier to focus.

7.     Be 10 minutes early. It’s a small habit but it can transform much of your travel time during the year from a slightly or very stressful time to periods of relaxation and recharging.

8.     Ask instead of guessing. Reading minds is pretty much impossible. But still we often try it and create anxiety, uncertainty and misguided conclusions for ourselves. So ask and communicate instead. It may sometimes be a bit hard at first but it can save you and the people around you so much trouble in the long run. I can’t stress this one enough!

9.     Disconnect. Disconnect or at least limit your internet activity and the checking of your smart phone.  Spend more of your time and give undivided attention on your family, friends, hobby or maybe being out in nature.

10. Breathe. When stressed, lost in a problem or the past or future in your mind breathe with your belly for two minutes and just focus on the air going in and out. This will calm your body down and bring your mind back into the present moment again.

When implementing even a few of these tips, you should feel more grounded, less stressed and the presence of a zenful lifestyle beginning to take shape. Namaste.

(Hey and if all else fails--you can always enjoy a nice whiskey!)

How do you Style the Zenful life YOU Want?

Healing Your Whole SELF

“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need” – Ayurvedic proverb

                         

I am excited to announce that I am officially a Certified Holistic Nutritionist! Many of my clients come to me for emotional support and advice, however during our sessions there is often a missing piece that I needed. Many clients struggle with health issues and I felt that I needed to have more training and information on how to offer solutions and guidance to support your goals.

I have always recognized that there is no “one size fits all” diet which is going to cure all illnesses. Through my insight and coaching with you, I focus on having a thorough understanding of your personal goals, needs, and lifestyle to create a food and life style that is tailored for YOU.

Let me help you get things back on track not only emotionally but physically as well so you can start thriving, rather than just surviving!

Food STYLE

Food has the power to nourish, heal and energize our bodies. As a society, we are no longer truly nourishing ourselves with food, usually because we are too busy to take the time to do so. Instead we opt for pre-packaged and processed “fake foods”, which cause us more harm than we could have ever imagined. To truly heal ourselves, we need to reconnect with real, whole, nutrient-dense foods and eat the way nature intended. 

Four simple food rules:

1. If you can grow it, pick it, hunt it; if it will rot; if it was once alive (plants as well) – eat it. If it is packaged and processed, don’t eat it

2. Food should always be enjoyed – “healthy” does not have to mean “tasteless”

3. Create an awareness and appreciation of how you eat and where the food you eat comes from

4. Choose quality over quantity


Active Life STYLE

Exercise is a form of stress on the body, which means a little can be of huge benefit to your wellbeing, but too much is just as detrimental as none at all. My key exercise principles:

1. Train smarter, not longer, doing a variety of exercises and movements that you enjoy and have fun!

2. Never view exercise as “punishment” for something else

3. Always allow adequate time for rest, recovery and regeneration and incorporate mindfulness in your routine to help with stress and decompression

My Life STYLE Approach

My philosophy is simple: Eat real food! Holistic nutrition addresses the whole person by determining and addressing the underlying causes of your health conditions rather than simply addressing the symptoms.Stress, negativity, lack of sleep and lack of play can undo all of the benefits we obtain from eating well and training smart. It’s true. 

So start being kind to yourSELF (and others) NOW by:
1. Try to get 7-8hrs of sleep each night to allow your body to adequately rejuvenate
2. Incorporate stress management into each and every day, such as meditation, deep breathing or simply going for a 10 minute walk (or sit) outside
3. Play! Do something fun with friends or family on a regular basis that is unrelated to work or exercise

Remember –

• 
Optimal wellness is so much more than simply eating good food, but food is an excellent starting point
• You can’t out-train a bad diet
•  Have fun with your new life style approach to wellness

Styling Your Personal Program:

I design personalized nutrition & wellness programs for my clients, who come to me with a variety of concerns such as stress, fatigue, aches and pains, weight gain and weight loss, digestive issues, hormonal balance, infertility, PMS, anxiety & mood swings, or direction with cleansing/detoxing.

My approach focuses on three main areas: nutrition, lifestyle/emotional wellness, and exercise/stress relief. I will design a meal plan, help you uncover hidden food allergies that may be causing some health problems, and aside from what I uncover during the consultation process, I use my insight and training to uncover areas of imbalance, and I’ll recommend various methods to help you achieve optimal health.

You deserve to be SELFishly Styled from the inside out and to live a life that is healthy and vibrant!

If you are interested in a FREE Holistic Nutrition Assessment, Contact Me Today or visit my website, www.ginaclapprood.com

xo

Gina

Falling HARD for Fall

It’s already October and this can only mean one thing,

AUTUMN IS ON IT’S WAY. Summer’s over and we are back in the “normal” routine of our lives.  I have always loved autumn, it’s not too hot and not yet too cold.  The leaves are turning on the trees and getting ready to fall.  And fall HARD.  Much like most of us do as we start to reflect on the year and our summers that came to another quick end. 

To me, this symbolizes a time that is bittersweet.  The colors of the leaves change, the nights get darker much earlier and depending on your outlook on it, this is a time that can represent barrenness or the preparation for renewal.  I tend to choose the latter. 

To grow, we must release and let go of the dead weight that is holding us back.  This season should serve as a reminder to shed the parts of ourselves that we need to let go of.  We don’t need to completely change, but adjust in order to blossom new ideas, deepen our relationships with ourselves and others and grow into who we are meant to be.

If you’ve made mistakes, forgive yourself and let them go. If you’ve made choices you regret, free yourself of them. If you have even purchased items that no longer serve you, donate them to someone they can serve. Letting go requires us to acknowledge facing the unknown and trusting in ourselves to grow even stronger than we were before.

As you think about the “leaves of yourself” that you are letting go, it is the perfect time to cozy up and comfort yourself in the process with all the delights of the season.

Here are some things I recommend you do to help give yourself support through the process of falling hard this autumn season:

• Practice positive affirmations 
• Set aside time each day to decompress and slow down 
• Wrap yourself up in a cozy sweater or blanket and read for a while 
• Drink a warm cup of tea, hot chocolate-or pumpkin spice anything, or you know a nice neat whiskey :)  
• Light a candle and take a relaxing bath (if you’re a mom-don’t forget to lock the door!!!)
• Cook some favorite Fall inspired comfort food like apple crisp and chili 
• Sit outside by a fire 
• Get in the car and take a scenic drive to see the foliage 
• Catch some z’s early and treat yourself to some much needed restorative rest 
• Write in a journal about what you are releasing
• You can take this a step further and write your thoughts down on a piece of paper and then burn them in that outside fire to truly let them go 
• Create a Vision Board that is themed on renewal and self-care for the season ahead 

What will you do to Fall Hard and take care of you SELFishly?


XO, Gina