This is a guest post from my fabulous relationship coach, Monique Halley. (I will be sharing my experience with you when I am done with my 35-day journey.) I found Monique on Facebook and was really fascinated by her road to improving her relationship with food. She shares some real nuggets. I can’t wait to share how she helped me shed some distorted beliefs about myself, food, and my self-worth. It’s crazy what a couple of phone calls and deliberate intention can do.

Enjoy.

-K

When it comes to personal development, I’m pretty good at doing the necessary work, to sustain my mind and soul in a healthy way. I’ve read the books, watch the videos and apply what makes sense for me. However I’ve been half-assing it when it comes to the physical work with my body. I haven’t been happy with what I see in the mirror or how I felt physically; yet it wasn’t enough to make a more consistent change. I would justify my lack of true commitment, to not having a plan, believing my eating habits were not “that bad” or making excuses that it’s too expensive to eat healthy.

My work surrounds helping women create healthy relationships, starting with self first. When that’s the intention I can’t overlook a healthy relationship with the body as well. That goes for me too. From that awareness alone, deep down I knew it was time to make a permanent change. On July 11th, I wholeheartedly committed to challenging myself to practice living a healthier lifestyle. This time was different. It felt different; I had a detailed plan, I knew this change would be beneficial to me in a tremendous way and I had moral support.

I practice reclaim work, which entails regaining what’s necessary to be your best self. That sparked the name of the journey I embarked on, July 21st. My focus was & still is reclaiming a healthy relationship with my body and rebelling against anything that’s not in alignment with my goal. Hence; the title: reclaim-rebel 38-day mindful eating & movement journey.

When we think of eating healthy, the automatic thoughts we usually have are depriving ourselves of comforting & delicious foods. I felt the same way, until this journey. I’m a very picky eater and I was amazed at how many healthy meals I found that was comforting and tasted really good. Surprisingly, I experienced more benefits than expected and I want to share them with this community.

Top 3 Benefits of this journey:

1.      You will feel rejuvenated, because you’re resetting your body from a healthier space. Your body will consume only foods with natural, raw and live ingredients that are packed with nutrients. Your body won’t work as hard, because it’s not breaking down process foods and that’s why you will feel more energized. You will also be more in tune with your body. We are so use to eating according to the clock, 12pm is lunch, 6pm is dinner etc. If you listen by paying attention to how you feel, your body will let you know when it’s time to eat.

2.  It’s one of the highest ways to practice self-love and boost your confidence. I’ve had to acknowledge the hard truth of knowing that you cannot work against your body/health and still have self-love.  Once you start eating healthier and exercising, it’s inevitable you will experience self-acceptance. Self-love begins with self-acceptance and when you are doing something to improve yourself, that’s love.

3.  You will have more control over what you are eating. Some of us are unaware that as consumers we are swayed to make unhealthy food choices by the food industries through their marketing. Rebelling against those tactics had to be present throughout this journey. Knowing the affect of certain foods on your body, what ingredients don’t belong in your body and how your digestive system works also empowers your decision making.

  I made a radical commitment to this journey and it was worth it. The time you spend getting clear about what foods you should & should not eat, grocery shopping, prepping time, fighting through unhealthy cravings etc…you will definitely develop a healthier relationship with your body.

As I’m writing this post, I have 2 days left on this journey. So far I lost 10 pounds, I’m more health conscious and feel much better.  I plan to truly make it a lifestyle change, by including more fruitarian, vegan & vegetarian meals in my diet.

This is easier said than done, so I’m writing a free e-book that will have more insight on what I did to support myself  throughout this journey.

  This is the framework of reclaim-rebel 38-day mindful eating & movement journey.

·         7 days of transitioning

·         1 day of fasting

·         20 days of Fruitarian meals

·         5 days of vegan meals

·         5 days of vegetarian meals

This is the quote that, reminded me to stay the course: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare” –Audre Lorde

Monique Halley is an International Speaker & Relationship Clarity Expert. She is the Founder of Simply Bliss, a personal development company for women, with a focus on relationship clarity. Her personal experience has led her to empower women to reclaim their Individuality in relationships. Through “Reclaim” a relationship coaching program, she guides women through self-exploration processes. Monique believes in order for women to dramatically transform their negative relationship patterns, they must be willing to see clearly how they have co-created the old ones, as well as take responsibility to begin showing up in completely new ways. They can then create authentic, happy & healthy relationship experiences. Monique is also the Co-Founder of Upgrade Women’s Leadership Academy.  

You can learn more about her work and her personal coaching program at: http://www.radicalselfie.com/reclaim/ 

Connect with her on social media at:

https://www.facebook.com/simplyblissliving

https://twitter.com/Simplyblisslife

http://www.pinterest.com/simplyblisslife/

instagram.com/simplyblissliving

[info_box type=”alert_box”]Caring for yourself including takes care of your finances.  I encourage all ladies who are serious about self-care to go on The Happy Finances Challenge. In 42 days you can learn to make money decisions that will lead to long-term financial happiness. [/info_box]