My Herbalife Program

I thought I would do a post about my Herbalife program for anyone who may be interested :) all of the products are herbal and therfore safe to use by children, adults, pregnant and breastfeeding mums. Although daily dosages are recommended, you cant over dose on the products. They are literally just like food but in another form.

Firstly, the two core products are the f1 nutritional shake mix and the f2 multivitamin. I have either 1 or 2 shakes per day as well as a multivitamin with each main meal. The shakes come in lots of flavours but my favourite is vanilla. As well as providing all of the nutrients and minerals your body needs each day in perfect balance, these products also work to cleanse the villi in your intestines so that you can properly absorb all of the nutrients you consume throughout the day.

I also use a supplement called cell-u-loss which helps your body and cells to maintain perfect water balance. This therefore reduces unhelthy water retention and keeps your kigneys functioning optimally. Another product I take twise daily is, NRG or Natures Raw Gurana. This supplement helps enormously with energy levels as well as alertness and concentration so I have found it very helpful whilst studying at university. I also take a probiotic complex which helps to restore and maintain the perfect balance of healthy bacteria in the gut.

I use both Mango and mandarin Aloe concentrates which literally cleanse your insides and assist in digestion as well as drink up to 5 cups of peach herbal tea most days which is full of antioxidants, gives me energy and keeps my metabolism running FAST! There is also a apple flavoured active fibre complex which I have occasionally to keep me regular and to keep my digestive system functioning optimally. Lift off is another great product I use which is like a caffeinated powder that you add to water to make an energy boosting delicious fizzy drink.

Two other supplements which arent includes in my ultimate program but that I opt to take anyway are joint support and tang kuei plus. I find the joint support really minimises my joint pain sue to my ligamentous laxity and the Tang Kuei Plus is a wonderful relaxant which helps me to destress and also sleep.

Finally I also use products from the sports range. The f1 sports nutritional mix can be used to make shakes prior to exercise instead of the regular f1, which substitutes a couple of ingredients with others that better prepare your body for exercise and activity. CR7 drive is a delicious tangy guava powder that I add to water for better performance and endurance whilst working out and rebuild strength is another chocolate favoured shake mix which I have after I have a strength training class as it helps my muscles to recover and repair.

I have found my recovery has come so far since I started these products and after abusing my body for so many years, it feels so good to know that I am now providing my body with all the nutrition and energy it needs to function optimally! I have so much energy now and am so thankful that I am now able to experience dynamic health, every single day!

A little motivation to start the weekend

Feeling energised and motivated after resting and a Herbalife STS

Dragging myself out of bed last Thursday morning was really hard. Ever since starting Herbalife I have been bouncing out of bed each morning but for some reason I was feeling really tired and unmotivated. I had been studying really hard all week as well as going to the gym each day and working and I think that I was just mentally and physically exhausted.

I felt a little better after having my Herbalife shake so decided to go to my regular Thursday morning 'body attack' gym class. My legs were a bit sore before I even got there and during the class they just wouldn't do what I wanted them to do. They were heavy and slow and simple things that were usually effortless, seemed like massive efforts. Somehow, I managed to get through the 45 minute gym class but it was so hard, but not even in a good workout type of hard way.

I went home and studied for the rest of the day, barely leaving my room but by mid afternoon, I was starting to feel really nauseous. At times I actually thought I was going to be sick I felt so unwell but luckily I didnt vomit. My boyfriend arrived just before dinner time and the first thing he said to me was that I looked really tired. Thats when I knew that I had been doing too much and that I had worn myself out.

After a good nights sleep I felt quite a bit better however I knew that my body needed a rest day, so thats exactly what I gave it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to give my brain a rest day too as I had too much happening at uni with assignments due and lectures to watch but not exercising while still eating lots was exactly what I needed.

I went out for dinner with my boyfriend and another friend of ours and we had a really nice night. And despite the face I had quite a few drinks that night and only got about 6 hours aleep, I woke up the next morning feeling like a million dollars. I got up early, made my herbalife shake as well as breakfast for my boyfriend and an hour later we were on our way to Hobart.

I was going to Hobart to attend a Herbalife STS (Success Training Seminar) and luckily my incredible boyfriend said he would drive me down as I had no idea how to get to the place where the function was being held. It was an incredible day with lots of speakers sharing their success stories as well as learning about all of the products Herbalife offer. I got to try some new Herbalife products, which were all delicious (but now I just want to buy more products which I cant really afford haha!)

There was an ex professional AFL footballer there who uses and distributes Herbalife so it was good to hear him talk about his journey and the advice he offered about going for your dreams was unbelievable. There were so many people there with inspirational stories that I couldn't help but feel inspired, to continue actively chasing my dreams and proving to everyone, as well as myself that I can do anything I set my mind to. Whether it be make a full recovery from anorexia, finish my uni degree or get fitter and stronger.

After such a big day I was feeling tired by the time I got home so I made myself some tea andvpretty much went to bed. My boyfriend stayed up watching tv and I tried to watch it with him but I couldnt keep my eyes open so just slept. I felt great when I woke up the next morning though so decided to go and do a quick 45 minute workout at the gym. After a two day break from exercise my energy levels were great and my body felt properly recovered too as my joints and muscles were no longer sore. It was a very successful workout and I really enjoyed it too.

When I got back home my boyfriend and I went to watch his sister play football and we also bought lunch at the bakery. It was a beautiful and sunny day so it was really nice to stand outside and absorb some heat, something that is quite rare in a Tasmanian winter. We then just headed back home and rested for the rest of the afternoon/night.

This week is mid semester break which means I dont have an university classes however I do have two mid semester tests next week so will have to spend most of the week studying for those. I hope everyone has a great week and remember to rest if your body or mind need it! :) xx

On top of the world

After having quite a bad cold for most of last week, I have been feeling particularly incredible this week with more energy then I can remember having for a long time. I seemed to recover from my cold really quickly and I believe that this is purely due to how well I am looking after myself at the moment. Through resting, keeping up with my Herbalife products as well as eating lots of nutritious foods, I suppose my immune system is super atrong and I also providing my body with adequate energy to do what it needed to do to get well again.

My poor boyfriend hasnt been so lucky and has been sick for twice as long as me, most likely because he doesn't look after himself so well. Although I have tried to get him eating more nutritiously, I would never try to pressure him into it as I believe it is a very personal choice and everybody should have the right to choose how they live and what they eat themselves.

I have only had one work shift this week which has really suited me as it has meant that I have had heaps of time to catch up on my university work. I still cant believe just how much I am enjoying university this time around and I know that it is purely because I am now in a much better head space then I was last time I was at uni. I know it can be tempting to try and get your university course completed as soon as possible but I highly reccommend taking a break if your not happy and just focusing on getting well for a while. Studying really can be enjoyable and it should be enjoyable but you need to be in the right frame of mind for this to be possible.

I have been trying some new gym classes this week and I have loved all of them. I feel so motivated for exercise now that I am bursting with all this energy and exercise no longer feels like a chore for me. I love the way it makes me feel and I can feel myself getting fitter and stronger too. I became so weak whilst suffering from anorexia and it feels so wonderful to be slowly reversing that.

I am heading home to Swansea this weekend which I am really looking forward to as I haven't seen my family for ages. It will be great to catch up with everyone although I am a little nervous about what my family will think about my new herbalife products. I am worried that they will be really quick to judge and jump to the conclusion that it is some kind of weight loss program. Fingers crossed I am wrong and they are more open minded to what I am acfually doing Herbalife for.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week and that your weekend is wonderful too. Stay strong and keep fighting guys... you've got this! <3 xxx

Recovery is uncomfortable....

Yes, Recovery is hard and uncomfortable.... But you should do it anyway, I promise its worth it!

Living without regrets

Sometimes I find myself thinking about what my life would have been like if I had never developed my eating disorder or if I was never sick. To say my eating disorder has taken a lot away from me would be an understatement. Not only did it steal so much away from me as soon as I got sick, it literally took years away from my life. 

Even though I often think of all the things I missed out on because of my illness, I know that I wouldn't change a single part of my journey so far, even if I could. Because if everything that has happened in my life so far hadn't happened, then I know I would not be where I am today.

 Of course it would have been great to never have gone through the torture and pain of having an eating dosorder and also recovery. But then I know I wouldn't be as brave and strong as I am today and I would never have learnt to believe in myself and accept myself as I now do. I also wouldn't be able to use my own experiences to help others who are going through similar things to what I have been through.

The main reason I wouldn't change a single thing from my past is because I know I probably would never have met my boyfriend. Nathan is, without a doubt, the love of my life and I know that if anything in my past had been different, then chances are we would never have met and ended up together. So although my journey has been painful, lonely and plain terrible at times, for me being with Nathan now is worth every bit of that. 

Make the most of every situation

If I said I wasnt a little dissappointed about not being able to go out or socialise this weekend due to babysitting, im afraid I would be lying. The truth is, there are other things I would rather do on my rare days off then babysit kids however I am determoned to make the most of it and still have a good weekend.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I have been feeling very run down and tired lately which as far as I know is only due to a lack of sleep. Therefore a weekend of relaxing and doing very little is probably exactly what I need! Besides walking Tess I literally plan to just relax and hang out with the kids both today and tomorrow. The two girls are at pony club and dancing so it is only the little boy who I need to currently look after.

I am just waiting for the girl to get home from dancing and I am going to take the kids up to my families place for a visit. I am looking forward to seeing my family and i think the kids also want to see the farm animals and feed the lambs. My best friend jemma is going to come and keep me company tonight which I am looking forward to and tomorrow we are hoping that it will be warm enough to take the kids up the river for a swim :)

Me with my youngest cousin 

I hope that everyone is having a good weekend.

A perfect morning

This morning really has been perfect. I woke up quite early but in a truly wonderful mood. I bounced out of bed and watched an episode of grays anatomy before getting myself some breakfast. I had 2 slices of cashew spread on toast as well as a bowl of creamy vanilla oats and they were delicious. I honestly think I could eat this every single day and still.would never get sick of it. After relaxing for a while longer, I got ready to take Tess for a walk.

We set out on the beach and I was so happy that the sun was shining and that it wasnt too cold. We ended up walking for an hour or so because it was so nice and i was enjoying it so much. I was also listening to music the whole time too which makes walking even more enjoyable for me.

I an so glad that I have been doing a gair but of cleaning over the last few days as it means I dong have to spend the whole day doing housework. Instead I am going to visit my brother as it was his birthday yesterday, see my sister and then hang out eith my cousin Jemma. We are thinking about going out for lunch at the bakery as well as taking our dogs for a walk together.

I hope everyone has a good day! :)

BE POSITTIVE

Not everyday is great, but there is something great in every day

Something that I always try to remind myself, is that there is always something to be grateful for and that if you try really hard, you will always be able to find a bright side to almost every situation. For example, even though it is AFL grand final weekend and I have to work all weekend I am trying my hardest to stay positive.

After thinking about it for a while this morning, I realised that even though I have to work all weekend, there were still many positives about today that I can concentrate on;

1. Since it is the weekend, I get paid weekend rates which means I earn a lot more money
2. I finish work at 4:30 both today and tomorrow so wil have enough time to take tess for a nice walk after work each afternoon before Tea
3. I am working with my mum which will be good as I will be able to send a bit of time with her (it seems as though I haven't caught up with her for ages)
4. Since it is school holidays and also grand final day today, it is going to be busy so the day should go nice and fast
5. My boss is really nice so he will let us have the AFL grand final on to watch whilst we are working
6. It is supposed to be really hot today which is great as the shop wont be feezing cold like it usually is
7. I am healthy enough to do all of this extra work as once I would not have been capable of it
8. Although working so much can be a bit of a drag at the time, it will make me appreciate my time off when I finally do have it. I have already made plans for my best friend to come up and stay for he weekend on my next weekend off. :)

So as you can see, usually you can find positives in most situations and by concentrating on the positives instead of the negatives, you will be much happier for sure. Afterall, life is way to short to spend it unhappy and always concentrating on the negatives!

Some people may believe that you are born an optimistist or a pessimist and while this may be true, this does not mean youcan not change from one to the other if you work on it. I honestly believe that I have only become such an optimist since I have
started forcing myself to see the positives in every situation. Now, I seem to think positive most of the time and without even trying!

No matter what, I always have a smile on my face and try to bring some positivity into other peoples lives too, by always being polite and happy. I love being such an optimistic person now and highly encourage you to give it a go. It could help you in your recovery as well as just making your life happier and more positive :)

Waking up feeling fantastic

After a wonderful nights sleep last night, I have woken up feeling fantastic and positive and full of energy. I still fall asleep early every night while I am watchinng tv but I am managing to stay asleep until 6:00 am each morning which is amazing for me as I have had trouble sleeping in the mornings for the last few years. The only reason that I can think of that explains my improved sleep patterns is that I have allowed my body to heal through nourishing it and making recovery progress. So if you have troubl sleeping, impproved sleep may be another reason to motivate you to recover too! 

Today I am working at the supermarket which I am actually quite looking forward to as my cousin Jemma (who is also one of my best friends) is going to be working as well. Although we will obviously be working, it will still be nice to have one anoythers company. Even though we do get tired of telling the customers that no we aren't sisters or twins (as eryone seems to think we are)! It is also school holiidays a the moment which means that it will be quite busy at the shop which is really good too. I find that the dayss always go much faster when it is busy and when there is always something to do. 

My cousin jemma and me (Do you think we look alike?)

After a rainy day yesterday, it looks as though it is going to be a nice sunny day so I am looking forward to getting out and taking Tess for a nice walk before work. I also need to get ready and straighten my hair so I really should make a start. i am looking forward to having the day off tomorrow so that I can catch up on my house work and also so that I have some quality blogging time. I have had some good idea over the past few days for post ideas but just haven't had the time to write about them yet, so those posts will be comiing tomorrow!

Have a great day everyone, can you believe that it is the last day of September already? This year is going so fast! It will be christmas before we know it! 

Another gorgeous Spring day

As it is Thursday today I have the day off which I am really happy about. I plan to make the most of today and get everything done I need to do as well as to spend some time relaxing as well. I have to work for the next 6 days after today, including this weekend so I won't get another chance to relax or get things done for a while.

While I would rather not work every third weekend so I could just have every weekend to myself, I know that I really have no choice but to continue to work every third weekend as ottherwise I would struggle too much financially. I get paid weekend rates when I work at the supermarket on the weekends so it really is good money, which comes in very handy when you are living on your own and have to pay all of your bills by yourself.

I am about to take Tess for a walk outside which I am really looking forward to as it is really warm and sunny. It feels so good to be able to get outdoors in shorts and a tank top after having such a freezing cold winter. I hope that we have a hot summer this year so that I can make the most of being well enough to swim and get outdoors. The ast few summers I havent really been able to or have wanted to do a lot as my life still revolved around my anorexia.

I hope that everyone is feeling positive and happy today like me. Always remember that no matter how bad things may seem, they can always get better but only if you believe in yourself and continue to fight with everything you've got!

Feeling amazing after 10 hours sleep

I couldn't believe it when my alarm woke me this morning. I went to bed extremely early so was expecting to wake up in the early hours of the morning as well however luckily I didn't. I suppose I shouldnt be surprised as I have had a massive sleep deprived weekend and my body really did need and deserve a big rest before starting another work week.

So I am feeling motivated about starting another week of work and also excited about my birthday plans this weekend. Its really strange as about a week ago I thought that this was going to be just another uneventful birthday but now I have gone out and made some good friends it looks as though it is going to be a great birthday Weekend. I am so glad now that I have been brave on a few occassions and gone out even if I didn't feel totally comfortable doing so as it has given me confidence and allowed me to fit in with some really great people.

My house is still a bit of a mess from when I had everyone over on Saturday night and I have HEAPS of washing to do but most of that is probably going to have to wait until Thursday when I have a day off. I am so used to having very little to do on the weekends and being able to get all my house work done then but I still prefer going out and having a life any day! Everything else will get done eventually!

I owe my poor dog a really long walk this morning as she has only been on one walk each day over the weekend. Between bad weather and being really busy I just haven't been able to take her as often which I am feeling pretty guilty about (for her sake, not mine). So I better finish this uphere so that I have enough time to take her for a nice long walk before going to work.

No matter what, Tess is still my #1 girl <3

Waking up happy

I love waking up feeling positive and happy and luckily that is exactly how I woke up this morning. The first thing I noticed as soon as I woke up is that the worst part of my cold has finally passed. My throat feels completely fine, my nose is no longer running ad is head is no longer feeling congested and achy. I am not the type of person who complains or feels sorry for myself whilst I am sick but I must admit it was a nice feeling waking up this morning and feeling so much better today.

I think it is so easy to take feeling healthy for granted and it is only when you have been unwell and then start feeling better again that you really appreciate feeling well and healthy. My mind feels so much clearer and luckily, all of my thoughts are positive ones. I can allready tell that today is going to be a really good day and  I don't mind at all that I have to work. 

At the moment it is raining so I dont know if I will be able to take poor Tess for a walk or not. I feel fine at the prospect of not taking her for a walk wich is really good, as not being able to exercise would have made me quite anxious, not that long ago. Being a farm girl, you would never catch me complaining about the rain anyway as we are desperate need of it. So I am thrilled that it is raining really and hope that it contiues to rain all day.

Like we often are here, we are in the middle of a drought which is pretty awful. It literally means that there is no grass for our sheep and that they therefore are starving. We feed them as much grain and hay as possible but of course this is extremely expensive and we just cant afford to feed them that much. What makes things worse is that we are lambing at the moment and because the ewes are quite weak, it is even harder for them to give birth to their lambs and look after them. :(

I am glad that I am feeling better and more energetic as this has really ended up being quite a busy weekend with, working both today and tomorrow and also going out tonight with some friends. I am so glad that  am not feeling anxious or sressed about going out tonight as I oce would have been, just happy and excited! 

I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Does anyone have anything interesting planned? x

    

Ready for a brand new week

After sleeping for most of yesterday and then for almost 12 hours last night, I am glad to say that I am feeling healthy and happy and ready to start another week of work. My house seems like a huge mess and it seems ike I have so much to do after woring for 12 days straight and then having a really busy weekend but I know that there is no point worrying about it. I will just have to be patient with myself and slowly get through all of the jobs that need to be done. over the next few days.

I was so worried yesterday that i was going to wake up this morning and still feel sick as I really didn't want to go to work feeling unwell but fortunately this has nt been the case and I am almost feeling completely back to normal. I felt well enough to have a normal sized breakfast anyway which is aa positive thing. I am still feeling a little ashaimed of myself for having so much to drink but I know that I cant change it now. As I said yesterday I know that I just need to learn from my mistakes and not do it again.

It has been incredibely windy all night and my whole unit has just rattled and shook so I am really not looking forward to walking Tess early this morning. I know that I have to take her though because I only took her for thie tiniest walk yesterday and she is full of energy because of this. Hopefully I don't get blown away though ;). I am working at the bank today in Bicheno which is only a 7 hour work day which is good. Hopefully this means I will also have time to get a few other things done here around my house.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend. And that your week ahead is great too! :D

A positive attitude=a positive day

My day has been positive, yet again. I am so glad that I have been able to find 5 positive things about each day so far this week and t really is helping me to look on the brighter side of life. Todays Positives were;

A RELAXING MORING: This morning is the first morning that I havent had to get up early and go to work for almost two weeks so it was so nice just to relax for the morning. I still woke up earky and ate breakfast early but it was great that I didn't have to get ready to go anywhere.

PLL: I finally had a chance to watch some of my Pretty Little Liars. It is serioously one of the best tv series I have ever watched and it just seems to keep getting better and better. Apparently soem peoplehave allready found out who A is but I really dont want to spoil it for myself. I would rather just watch each episode in order!

WALKING TESS: It was quite sunny this morning so Tess and I enjoyed a nice long walk along the beach. A nice brisk walk always gets me feeling super energized and Tess even went for a swim as the water was lovely and calm.

GETTING EVERYTHING DONE: Even though today was supposed to be a full day off, I actually still worked for three hours tonight (from 3 until 6) as I needed to cover another workers shift for them. I didn't mind though as I had already gotten everything done at home that I wanted to do today. I vacuumed my house, tidied up as my unit was messy, did two loads of washing, walked Tess, cooked myself chicken rice and vegetable casserole for tea as well as having timejust to relax.

EMAILING: Over the last few days I have recieved heaps of emails and I was feeling quite stressed that I hadnt had much of a chance to answer them all. Afterall, any emails I receive I like to reply to as soon as possible so that I dont like to keep people waiting. Especially when people need support and/or advice. I replied to a lot of emails today though which is great. I just have a couple more to go that I will either reply to tonight or in the morning to those.

My day

It is not hard to find five positives from my day today as overall I have had anouther great day. Feeling so happy and healthy all the time really is fantastic but I cant help but worry a little bit that it is all going to eventually come to an end. I know that I shouldn't waste time worrying about this though. I know I just need to make the most of feeling so positive at the moment and worry about feeling down, when and if it happens.

Positive 1: I worked at the supermarket today and it was no where near as cold as it was on the weekend when I worked. Instead of being 9 degrees when we got to work this morning, it was allready 12 degrees and throughout the day it increased to 16 degrees.

positive 2: I worked with my mum and we got along really well which was great. I barely ever see my mum anymore as we are both so busy with work so it was nice to spend a bit of time with her and have a chat. Even if it was just between serving customers.

Positive 3: Tonight I had yoga which as always I really enjoyed. Tonight was my seventh night of doing the yoga and I think I am enjoying it more and more each week. While I am not getting more flexible (as I am already incredibely flexible) I can feel myself getting stronger and I am also getting more 'in tune' with my body as the weeks progress.

Positive 4: As I looked around the room at yoga tonight and saw that I was not the skinniest girl and that there were in fact lots of girls skinnier then me, I did not wish for a moment that I could be smaller then I curretly am. For the first time I could actually say that I accept the fact that there are people out there who are skinnier than me and I am completely ok with it.

Positive 5: I made myself a delicious dessert when I got home from yoga. It consisted of a banana, vanilla icecream and chocolate topping. I haven't had this combination is an extremely long time but it was so yummy! I will definetely be having it again soon!