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Hi there all you awesome Wellness Warriors, Life flies past, and if we are not careful, we lose what is important in the pressure of what is urgent. More and more it is becoming very obvious to me that our thoughts control out circumstances. Thoughts and words determine our lives. sadly, we are unaware of this in many situations Are you choosing great, moving forward thoughts? Are you conscious of those sneaky little negatives that eat at your self confidence and ability to choose? Have a positively thoughtful day! Yours in wellness Janine

Today I saw the most awesome picture of a library of 2 rooms in a home, filled with rich color, books, more books, oh and more books, wooden ceiling with oak beams, gorgeous green velvet chair to comfortably curl up in with, you guessed it, a book or two! Visually rich, pleasing, colorful  textured. Just yummy. The thought of all that thought, imagination, research, knowledge and life, on paper, in one place-totally delicious, breathtaking and stimulating. On reflection, I realized that, to me, this is treasure, but what would it be to someone else? Would it be as valuable and pleasing or just something else to dust and take care of? All the collected knowledge and pleasure I would derive from a room like this would not necessarily be the same treasure trove to another. What is treasure to you? What brings you joy and excitement? How do you refill your cup of life? You are special, worthy and have as much right to treasure as any other. Find your treasure today, rejuvenate yo

Hello there all you awesome Wellness Warriors I am blessed with an awesome husband. He realized I needed 'me' time this afternoon and left me at home while he took the children out. It was so awesome. Quiet, peaceful, calm! During a rejuvenating run I enjoyed the calm of the dusk, the oranges and purples were really beautiful. The beauty of the stark trees was a reminder that winter is nearly over. I came home and set a bonfire in our outdoor fireplace. I sat enjoying the fire and the stars twinkling in the dark sky overhead as the planes flew over to come into land at OR Tambo Airport near us. My Labrador sat next to me just keeping a silent watch and offering a companionable paw every now and then.It was very therapeutic. While watching the fire dance, whistle,move,die, re-spark; I realized- again, that we have to be so careful to keep our batteries recharged and our dreams and goals in front of us. Just as I needed to feed the fire to keep it alive, so we need to feed

Hello there all you awesome Wellness Warriors Have you had a spot of heartburn lately? Perhaps your elbow has been sore? Blurry eyes? Where have you been annoyed or angry and swallowed it? Where have you been indulging in a spot of coffee or 5? What are you trying not to see? Scary that your body can be telling you where there are challenges in your life. Whether they be in the physical or the physiological.  When you are 'acid' with someone or something you literally have acid in your system, whether it is heartburn, or sore joints. When one of your organs or systems in your body is not at ease- it will tell you. Awareness is key at this point. Thinking out the box is a great idea. My weak spot is coffee. 1 cup a month appears to be acceptable. More than this and my kidneys talk to me through my elbows. O my! touch anything, even clothing, and my elbows chat to me. What part of you is talking to you? Listen to what your body is telling you today. It could save you

This morning I was looking forward to my run. The thought of getting out of bed, however, was not appealing. Once dressed  and out the door I was greeted with cloudy, grey skies. The world was silently muffled as I moved along the route I use for burst training. I enjoy the time spent running or swimming. It allows for time to reflect with no interruptions.  This morning I started musing on the following as I moved along. Even though I was wrapped in the moist velvet of the cloud. I knew where I was going and could keep moving-with no fear of getting lost. Life is like this. When we keep our goal or dream in mind, it can be misty, the path obscure, the way not as clear as we may like it to be. So long as we keep moving and the destination in mind. We are able to achieve what we set out to, and even more. We just need to plan ahead for the next 'destination' so that we do not stagnate once the original goal is reached. stagnation is smelly and unpleasant. Not where we

Hello all you wonderful Wellness Warriors Alexander,my son, had bricks left over from a project he had finished. I had plans for those bricks! But due to various reasons never put the plan in my diary and to-do-list. Procrastination, they say, is the thief of time. Here it was the thief of my plans. I noticed something interesting . The double row was now a single row. The height had also decreased dramatically. SOMEONE WAS STEALING THE BRICKS ! Our nocturnal visitors had struck again. No wonder our dogs had been going ballistic. Well! I took the remaining few bricks and used them to mark out my new herb garden; a much reduced plan due to the theft. Amazing what we find time for when we have to. ( I woke up very aware of muscles I thought I was training this morning) While I was running this morning I was pondering on the thought,"What do we allow to be stolen from us due to being unaware?" Our health? Our self respect? Our income? Our relationships? I see this i

Dear Wellness Warriors, Many people see these words above and go:”Humph…. Bunch of baloney” Why have people lost the ability to become more, to grow, to challenge the status quo? Why have they become so fearful of success, of sticking out, of moving ahead and helping others move ahead as they leave a gap to be fulfilled? Are you able to focus on a feel good thought for 2 minutes at a time? Have you tried yet? Remember: do not change how you feel about a situation-just change how you feel. In our house we call it ‘being in the zone’ It helps avoid a lot of conflict. It helps us focus on what is necessary and not what is a challenge. Is it easy? Yes! It just takes practice. Do we always get it right? No, we are human, and make mistakes and forget to practice what we have to. But – it is becoming less and less difficult and being in our zone more and more attainable. Focus on what you want, not what on what you don’t want. I have a sign on my speakers by my computer “IF

Hey there all you wonderful Wellness Warriors What are you grateful for today? I was really blessed when I was running on Thursday. Overhead I heard this soft , swishing sound. I looked up to see Ibis's streaming overhead from 3 points of the compass as they began their annual migration to warmer climates. It was an awesome sight of teamwork and instinct. (It would have been great to be going in a warmer direction myself.....!) I was really grateful to be able to experience this miracle of Nature and to have had an incredible an exhilarating run. What have you done this week to fill your tank. An important fact- we cannot give when we are empty. It takes us into reserves and this, longterm, leads to dis-ease. Great smoothie yesterday . Filtered water Parsley Celery Pears Pineapple(peeled) Linseeds Cinnamon powder 1 teaspoon Blend and drink life. Have a blessed week Yours in wellness Janine

Hey there all you Wonderful Wellness Warriors! The wind today was awesome. The washing dried like greased lightning and everything went so much faster because of this. The sense of achievement was really uplifting. We often do not have control over certain things-like the weather. However, we do have control over our attitude towards life events and challenges. Do you immediately default to the negative or positive side of attitude when faced with challenges or setbacks? I am watching myself and others in this area. It has taken me many hours of focus and decided work to default to a more positive outlook on life. It is a decision. It is also reprogramming of our brains that achieves this. It takes rethinking values and attitudes, of practicing in all areas. Do I always get it right? I wish, but it is happening that it is more and more on the correct side than incorrect. It does take conscious practice. Helping out at a learning centre has definitely helped. Children are here fo

7/05/2013 Hello there all you wonderful Wellness Warriors, How are you all on this crisp, very crisp Highveld day? As always there is so much to share with you and to choose one theme is, for my personality, an interesting discipline. I am seeing more and more how our personalities and love languages affect our day to day functioning. When you are unaware of what your personality and love language mix is, it can have very negative connotations to life. Are you an extrovert or introvert, task or people orientated? Do you prefer to take things slowly and calmly or have things done immediately and your way? Do you need to analyze every detail or do you prefer to just have fun and socialize? Am I stereotyping? Not at all. These are just miniscule examples of what our makeup is composed of. We are all an interesting mixture. Our uniqueness and yet similarities is what either attracts or repels people. We have one thing in common though; our words make or break us and we a

Good morning on a vibrantly beautiful day! As we go about our daily routines we often forget an attitude of gratitude . This morning I am grateful to be alive, and able to practice the concept that work is love in action. I am looking forward to swimming later on and am very grateful that I am able to enter and exit the pool in my own strength. what are you giving thanks for today? have a great one yours in wellness Janine

Hello all you wonderful Wellness Warriors Hope this finds you all managing your path of wellness successfully. With autumn and spring on the way, some of you might be running from your systems unwillingly entertaining a few viruses. Ensure you are drinking lots of filtered water, with or without lemon juice. Give your body a head start by using ginger, mint, cinnamon, clove, cayenne pepper in your smoothies. Don’t forget the other ingredients that boost your immune system, namely the greens, especially dandelion leaves, parsley, coriander, lettuce and spinach. Some kale, cabbage, cauliflower and the tops of radishes, carrots and beetroot would also be beneficial. Thoughts Have you ever tried to think on a thought that makes you feel good for 15 seconds? Try it. See if you can last the full 15 seconds. I asked 2 separate people to try this. It was very saddening that they both replied that they really couldn’t think of anything that makes them feel happy. Well, practic

Hello there all you wonderful people, Do you ever feel like you are taking 2 steps forward to take 10 back? This has been asked by several people recently, "Janine, why do I feel like everything is going wrong, just when it was going right?" Sometimes we are so busy struggling to achieve daily goals, we forget the long-term picture. We are so busy hurrying, we forget to slow down and re-assess the important versus the urgent. Often urgent and important are not the same thing! Yes, things may be rough due to past decisions and, sometimes, factors beyond our control; However, keep on doing the correct thing and you will be able to look back and see that there is more positive than negative. Look for more effective ways of accomplishing tasks. Personally,I have found that the Flylady ( www.flylady.com ) principle of just doing something for 15 minutes at a time- really takes the struggle out of work. Why? Because there is a time limit. You can focus for 5 to 15

Hello there all you wonderful people  It was such an awesome break to have my husband home for 5 days. To have time with my children and to just be able to listen to various speakers via the Internet webinars. What have you done lately to feed your inner self, to fill your cup as opposed to emptying it? Are you so 'busy' that you forget to be? Thought for the week Instead of pushing yourself to change, how about you think in terms of growing? Of expanding and developing the great points you already have? it is my experience that we are very threatened by change, even the thought of it can send us into a tailspin. So...... take the wonderful person you can be and GROW towards that. Is it change? not really, more a type of expansion. Enjoy expanding, growing , and being the interesting person you are designed to be. Have a blessed week Yours in wellness Janine

Copious crowding causes cohesion 04/03/2013 Hello there all you wonderful Wellness Warriors, How are you all on this wonderful day? How do I know it is wonderful? Every day has the potential to be so! It is our choice and our decision in any given circumstance. So- Have a really wonderful day! Smoothie Corner Cup of spinach 1 peeled, chopped pineapple Cup of coconut milk ½ cup filtered water 1 red apple 4 sprigs mint 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder 1 chopped cucumber ½ cup celery leaves ½ peeled de-pipped paw- paw Blend and enjoy This came up as frothy, light, and definitely meeting all 5 tastes. If you have hemp powder , add half a teaspoon. Or you can ring the changes with Linseeds of sunflower seeds. Think out the box. Sometimes you will win in the taste department, other times you will have to adapt some more. Even if you take your base, put half in fridge for the morning and reshape what is left in the blender. Necessity is the mother of inventi

Hey there all you wonderful Wellness Warriors, We had a wonderful amount of hail & rain storms late last year. Well, it shifted the pieces of corrugated iron on the roof, unbeknownst to us. The first we knew about it, our lounge wall was bubbling and ‘stuff’ was seeping through as it collected more and more water behind the paint. When my son, Alex, stripped some of the bubbling paint away….mould splotches have started enjoying my plaster. Alex then removed some of the plaster…the brick is soaking, but mould free. Yes, we did phone the insurance (no, they haven’t sent an assessor 3 weeks later.) The point I am eventually getting to is: What areas in your life are covered by lovely paint on the outside yet is a mouldy area on the inside? We all have them. We need, however, to acknowledge them and to put some renovation work in place. For many, it is self thought and self speak. We, more often than not, bring health and other challenges on ourselves with our tongue.

Just a serious thought for today. I was privy to a conversation where it was being discussed that a certain dance curriculum is being reviewed. It will be being made easier as the children of today are not able to cope physically or concentration wise with the current, decades old, programme . This is a sad indictment on the physical state of our children. We, as parents and concerned adults, certainly need to get our children out the house more, into the fresh..well relatively fresh, air and get them doing more physical activities. This would benefit us as parents as well. I am blessed that I run with my son and swim and stretch  with my daughter. it helps me with my concentration, fitness and life skills and is great bonding time. We learn from each other and it is an opportunity of giving individual time. Admittedly my son is humouring me as my pace is MUCH slower than his. However, my husband gives him a really great run for his money. Have fun and get fitter. Enjoy lif

22/01/2012 I made the seriously best smoothie this week. Experimenting on your behalf sometimes has my family gagging, but faithfully swallowing. Albeit they hold their noses as they swallow. Here goes: ¼ cup carrot seedling tops – yes the green ferny bits ¼ cup radish tops and 1 radish ( I harvest a leaf off each growing seedling) ½ cup peeled chopped pineapple ( very ripe one) 250mls filtered water 1 organic banana 1 red apple ½ cup of fresh mint 2 baby spinach leaves 5 cm cucumber 2 raw free range eggs ½ lettuce Blend and enjoy It was really delicious and nutritious Saying of the week IF YOU DO NOT WANT IT- DO NOT SAY IT! And that is all I have to say on that!!! Sometimes when we say affirmations and positives, our brain blocks it as we may be feeling discouraged or despondent at the time. Please do an experiment for the next 6 weeks. Ask yourself WHY something has happened e.g. “Why am I healed physically and emotionally?” “Why am I

People are really unaware of how they bring dis-ease into their lives. It is very  sad to listen to them speaking illness, lack of finance, and dis-ease in all areas of life, into their life. I hear: "they make me sick!"              " I am losing my mind"             "my feet are killing me!" When they get sick, are memory challenged, or have feet challenges that affect their back and every other part of their body...the surprise is very evident. I heard a very interesting phrase: "If you don't want it-do NOT say it." A good motto for this week. Be aware of what you are creating in thought and word this week. It could change your life.