With so much up in the air, fear is making us scared, seeing us retreat back into our shells and for many of us, a feeling of being completely out of our control. 

This feeling is different to the complete control we’re accustomed to having in our lives.

We’re accustomed to…. 

• Being able to buy groceries whenever we want without worry. Knowing what we want will be there whenever we need it (i.e. When in your life time have you ever thought we would run out of toilet paper lol)
• We can sit at home and buy literally anything we want online, whenever we want and from whoever we want. We have everything at our fingertips.
• We can book a flight and fly out anytime we want to anywhere in the world
• We can get petrol when our car is running low on every second corner. 

The problem with this uncertainty is the resulting physiological responses that suppress our immune systems i.e. fear, anxiety and overwhelm. 

Stress weakens your immune system, and a weakened immune system means we are more susceptible to disease, viruses and illnesses. 

As COVID-19 is now deemed a worldwide pandemic we need to take our health and our mental health seriously.

Here are 10 tips for reducing your stress and improve your mental health:

1. Start your day with intention – Create Your Daily Design 

No matter what is going on around you, you can always be in control of your state of mind. A great tool is to set an intention for the day.  

When you start your day setting positive intentions you are more likely to have a good day  and not let outside interruptions ruin your day. 

 This is how I create My Daily Design. I learnt this from Gabby Bernstein (Super Attractor book).

I answer these 4 questions in My Daily Design that help me set up my day for positive outcomes and feelings:

• How do I want to feel today?
• Who do I want to be today? 
• What do I want to receive today?
• What do I want to give today?  

Since starting this I have reduced my stress, created real focus and become a lot more productive and calm. 

2. Start a Gratitude and Personal Achievement Journal

Focusing on what you do have instead of what is going wrong will help you create more calm.

Try this exercise daily….writing down:

• 3 things you are grateful for in the morning; and

• 3 things you have accomplished or achieved at the end of the day. 

When doing this remember they don’t have to be big things, start small and work your way up.

Gratitude can be very simple. Start with the small things that we often to forget to appreciate e.g. I am grateful I have clean water to drink, I am grateful I have a roof over my head, I am grateful I have enough money to pay my bills. 

Your daily achievements could be as simple as e.g. Drinking 2L of water daily. Turning up to a workout, completing a task or sticking to a healthy meal plan.

The more we focus on what we have and what is going well, fear won’t be able to rule your life. 

3. Limit Screen Time 

The more you listen to the news or scroll social media, the more it will feed your fear. We suggest you get up to date but don’t get sucked into the never ending rabbit hole the media creates. 

Our suggestion is for you to turn off all screens 1 hour before bed (TV, computer, e-reader, Mobile Phone, etc.) to support mental health and promote a more restful sleep!

Another suggestion is to avoid checking your socials, emails or turning on the news as soon as you wake up it can create fear and anxiety before you step out of bed. Start your day on a positive note with the positive actions I have listed above.

4. Cuddle your kids or your pets

Take some time out and just give your children or four-legged friend a big cuddle. A quick cuddle has an amazing ability to create oxytocin (the love hormone) which promotes comfort, soothes and relaxes the nervous system.

5. Start decluttering and organising your home, office and car.

The more order you have in your surroundings the more at peace you will feel! If your home, office or car is disorganised and messy you will feel really agitated and stressed which won’t help at this time of uncertainty.

If you haven’t already, watch the Netflix series Marie Kondo “Tidying Up”. I reorganised my home after watching this series and the results have been amazing. 

6. Get Crafty 

Get crafty with your food, try some new healthy recipes or do some baking. I love being crafty with food because I can then share my creations with friends and family. Doing things for your family creates more oxytocin which again will lower your anxiety and stress levels. Check out our Cook book for some recipe ideas. 

If food isn’t your thing, why not spend some time colouring to reduce anxiety and clear the mind. Check out some free printable colouring pages online.

7. See the humour and LAUGH

Laughter is the best medicine. Watch something funny, read a book that makes you giggle or spend some with that friend who always makes you laugh.

By no means is the current situation funny… but just finding any humour in a bad situation will always bring more light into your life. I.e Toilet paper shortage… What the!

8. Take a walk in Nature or Meditate 

When you spend time in nature it has a magical way of reducing stress. I dare you to hug a tree, not only will it make you giggle it will also be very grounding or just get outside, get some fresh air and feel the power of mother nature.  

Mediation is also a great tool if spending time in nature is not as accessible. Close your eyes and sit still for 5-10mins focusing on your breathing. You will wake up feeling 10x better. 

9. Do a Workout with fun, to fun music! 

We all know the benefits of working out and how amazing it makes you feel. Use your favourite tunes to boost your workout, reduce your stress and boost those endorphins. 

10. Eat more Omega 3’s and Eat more veggies 

Good quality fats like Omega 3’s help to improve your mental health. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and wild salmon are a few wonderful whole foods that you can snack on during the day. 

Eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies will ensure you have a variety of nutrients that will keep you healthy and feeling great. Check out our cook book for healthy whole food ideas.

BONUS TIP:

11. Never forget that it will be fine and it will pass 

Be confident in the fact that this will blow over and no matter what happens your incredibly resourceful and it will all workout just fine.

Your mental health is so incredibly important for you to live a happy joyful life. Take the time to honour yourself by implementing 1 or 2 of these self care items to reduce stress and anxiety so you can move through any adversity with strength and confidence. 

Interested in becoming a member at femme fitness hub…. Try our classes for a week!

Love Belinda Carusi xoxo

The post 10 Ways to Reduce Stress and Anxiety in Fearful Times appeared first on Femme Fitness Hub.

Ladies! Don’t worry….2019 is over! Finished, done and in the record books!

It’s amazing how the change of a simple date can provide some much optimism, positivity and love in the world.

We believe that the stress, hectic lifestyles and unreal expectations will go away and when they don’t they compound, see us give up on dreams, put our goals to the side and damped our aspirations.

I believe that rather than continue the trend, you could pivot and give your body and mind some love.

2020 is all about self care…. Here’s how you can do a few simple things to make life all the more easier;

Set some rules for screens, social and work talk

Life is crazy and we bring it home. Kids go to bed and we’re back talking work. Stress levels stay high and sleep is disturbed. My advice…ditch the screens and limit bedtime for the two S’s.  

Sleep and Sex!

2019 is your year for FUN

What is your favourite thing to do? 5..4..3..2..1…. Answer? What is it?

So many women will struggle to answer as they are so busy. Overworked and run around that FUN is no longer FUN.

Coffee dates are great, but 2019 is the year to get, out and do something crazy, fun and will challenge you. Laugh, cry and be silly.

Embrace Your Mess

Some friends and I were brainstorming ideas for business and we came across this gem. Much of the link between lack of self care and worth lies in the mess. It’s the mess at home. the crazy schedule, the crazy kids, patterns, habits and your crazy mind playing games with you.

The thing is….it’s your mess and you need to embrace it. Everything good in your life came from it. Practice some gratitude daily and embrace the mess you have, the joy it brings and the challenges it helps you overcome!

Set your watch for some ME time

Grab your diary, block out 30 minutes and make it just about you. Turn off your brain and meditate, take a hot (or cold) bath, do your nails, hair or anything that makes you feel special.

Crank the music, sing dance and be crazy. But do it alone! Learn how to say NO, and start saying YES to you.

But…Also Be Social

So many Women have zero network. Their top 5 human interactions are with the kids, the supermarket check out, their partners and their dog.

2019 is the year to be social. Start by finding a place with people just like you and just hang around, do what they do and take in the energy. Join a gym and knock off two birds with one stone! Also see point above 2019 is your year for FUN.  

It’s time to share yourself with the world.

Finally…No more hesitation…2020 is the year for ACTION

2020 is the year you can make it happen. So was 2019 and so was 2018 and so on….

The thing is….we have been through the pain, been through enough hurt and have somehow come out the other end. For 2019 to happen for you you need to be ready to blossom and the best way is to start writing down the type of person you want to be in…Try this…

What is the ultimate 2020 version of you look like? And…what does that mean?

1. Sexy…..which means they make an effort to look their best everywhere they go as it makes her feel amazing (and sexy).

Try this little exercise and put it up on your mirror at home as a reminder of the person you want to be. Do it everyday, read it aloud and be disciplined to make it happen.

Start with 5 words that describe your Wonder Woman what it actually means.

Little ladies, it’s time for you to shine and that starts with self love. Another year of hesitation = Another your of hurt

P.s. If you want to build the foundation of self love and care, come see us in the Hub and see what we’re all about with a 7 Day Trial! 

The post How Women Can Love Their Body in the New Year! appeared first on Femme Fitness Hub.

I know that when I heard Mindset in marketing all over the internet I thought….another Tony Robbins giving me some Rah Rah motivation speech about goals.

But over the years working with Women of all shapes, sizes, fitness backgrounds and background issues and problems (We all have them) I’ve realized that Mindset isn’t the motivation, it isn’t the dramatic shifts. It’s actually the small things, the small changes in the way approach the basic things we do everyday in our lives.  

What does that actually mean?

I’d love to share with you a few examples of what I think are “real” mindset shifts. Not motivation, yelling and screaming, jumping around short term bursts. Real mindset shifts that were written down in food diaries by real women making real change.  

Real shifts that are for life…..

How do I know they are for life……Because these Women now know what it “actually feels”  to be healthier, happier and regardless of what happens in the next period of their lives, deep down these there the things they will always remember.

You can’t forget how good your body can and is designed to feel!

I hope you find these shifts as powerful as I did!   

Follow us on Instagram? Check us out here! 

Interested in our Challenges? Click here to send us Message! 

Liked this Blog? Check out some more here! 

Enjoy and Comment Below the mindset Shifts that you feel you would love to make! Have an Amazing Day and tanks for Supporting FEMME Fitness Hub

The post The Real Mindset of Body Transformation appeared first on Femme Fitness Hub.

So what do we teach/ advocate for our clients at FEMME Fitness Hub in regards to nutrition that supports them to achieve their goals?

Is it Vegan? Paleo? Gluten Free? Intermittent Fasting? Vegetarian?

The answer is none of the above but at the same time, all of them!

Here’s how to approach Nutrition at FEMME:

1. We Get Women to Focus on Getting the Basics Right…First! 

For us at FEMME Fitness Hub this means enabling our bodies to start training, recovering and giving our bodies a chance. This means focusing on anti-inflammatory foods that promote recovery and detoxification.

In turn, this also means avoiding the foods that we know promote inflammation in our system i.e. dairy, gluten and processed sugars/salts. This is not forever or to attribute guilt, but to simply give ourselves the best chance to get where we deserve to be.

2. We Teach Women to Always ADD not Subtract

Elimination doesn’t work…It usually work like this…..Eliminate a food, resent eliminating it, willpower wanes and we pig out on said food!

At FEMME Fitness Hub we teach our clients to add not subtract. This means adding healthy foods, habits and tools which in turn enables natural attrition of the old, unhealthy ones. By doing this, we own our decisions, see and feel the benefits and never look back.’

3. We Teach Women How to Get Organised

Believe it or not, this is the hardest part. We look for recipes, diets and superfoods when the answer is simple. Healthy ingredients eaten consistently.  

The best way to do this? Get organised. This means food prep using our chop, chop, chop, cook, store method or simply outsourcing the process. Taking an hour out of your week to go shopping, and an hour to prep supports us to ensure we never don’t have food on hand and are tempted or left having to resort to the next best thing.

4. We Track Our Food

Not every diet works for everyone, not everyone can eat specific foods or let’s be honest…”like” eating specific foods. 

The best way to determine what works for you, meaning performance, digestion, mood, taste, ability to continue applying it, and results (Outcomes) is to track it. If you’re not tracking it, you’re not doing it! 

At the FEMME Fitness Hub we use a Food Diary that is 15% food and 85% feedback and planning.

We teach clients to analyse their own food, record their own feedback and make their own conscious decisions. We aim to transition our clients from unconsciously unaware, unconsciously skilled.

5. We Teach our Clients to Own their Decisions by Focusing on Education and the ULTIMATE Long Term Goal of Lifestyle.

By focusing on long term lifestyle we change the thinking and remove the feeling of guilt. This promotes balance and teach our clients to make healthier decisions but own the others as well, knowing it’s all part of the journey.

This means, but is not limited to:

• Promoting ethically sourced foods
• Teaching Clients to read and interpret food labels
• How to eat out successfully!

For some Women Nutrition can be hard and a chore, therefore at FEMME Fitness Hub we aim to stop it being about willpower and start making it just one of the things we do in creating the body and life we deserve!

Have an amazing day!

p.s. If you’re keen on learning how we can hep you achieve your health and fitness goals, why not book in a Free Consultation and 7 Day Trial! Click here to learn more

p.p.s Keen to earn more about the Hub? Click here to read our blog on how to get Men to eat healthy! Why not do it together! Click here to have a read! 

The post About the FEMME Fitness Hub: Nutrition appeared first on Femme Fitness Hub.

How to Create a Body by Design…Your Design!

Life can be hectic and when you think you’re organised a spanner is thrown in the works.

The best of plans and the best planning can be thrown out the door and knock you of track and everything in our lives is a reflection. Our health, body, work, relationships…..everything!

At FEMME we’re always looking for ways to make health and fitness easier.

1. Exercises
2. Workouts
3. Meal Planning
4. Mindset and Personal Development
5. Hard work….

It all comes back to a few simple things. Not rocket science, brain surgery or some mystic code we need to solve.

We just need to stay on track….Simple!

So how do we stay on track? If it’s so simple, why doesn’t everyone have a six-pack!

We need to decide what track is the most important to us…period!

This track is our pathway to success and it’s built on consistency applying the things we know we need to do, each and every day to stay on track.

So question….where do you want to be in 5 years?

And….

To achieve that 5 year goal, what do you need to have in place in the next 12 months?

And….

To achieve that one-year goal, what do you need to have in place/ completed this month? Where does your health, fitness, body need to be?

And…

What about this week? Am I doing what I need to do this week to hit that monthly goal?

Breaking down further, what about today? Yes, today! What do I need to do today to make sure that in 5 years time I’m the picture of health and fitness I aspire to be?

This is it, simple! The most important thing, prioritised and focused on each day, week, month, year!

The most direct path!

Question…..Do You Want a Body by Design? Or Have Your Body Designed For You?

If you’re looking to lose weight, tone up your body and get back on track I challenge you….

Give Yourself 7 Days! We’ll give you the habits, the meal plans, the workouts and the motivation. You just have to do it!

Click here to apply today!

Have an Amazing day!

p.p.s Struggling with your squat? Check out this tutorial here on how to fix your squat and stop having sore knees! 

The post How to Create a Body By Design appeared first on Femme Fitness Hub.

It was Food Diary review week last week (Second Hand in) and I understand that this is the point (Week 5 of the FEMME Fitness Hub Challenge) where the willpower you’re all using can potentially start to wane.

Without knowing it, we’re using willpower as a tool to create habits….for example;

1. Eating healthy
2. Using Your Food Diary
3. Turning up to sessions etc etc

It works because it allows us to focus it one specific task and make it happen. It’s super powerful because of it’s laser sharp, singular focus.

Problem with always reverting to willpower is that it can elicit a stress response. Long term chronic stress can turn into resentment.

Resentment in turn makes us resent the habit and then loose focus on all of the other great off shoots of the singular focus you’ve had i.e. When I’m healthy and fit I’m more confident. When I’m more confident I see my friends more….when I make time to see friends I’m a happier unit.

This is the reason we rebound……and keep rebounding…over and over again!

So if not will power, then what?

Listening today it lies in two facets:

1 – Gratitude; and
2 – Compassion for Self

You’ve probably got this point in the post here and thought….not again! Hear me out…today it’s a little different.

Let’s start with Gratitude.

Gratitude, or simply the process of identifying the quality and benefits along the way is a powerful tool.

Let’s talk about it…..

Listening today they spoke about about an experiment where the participants were offered $10 right then and there. Or $100 in a year.

What would you do? $0 to $100 in a year for nothing is a pretty good return….

Most wanted the $10 then and there.

By simply spending the week writing down three things they were grateful for the results were different.

Offered $10, they said no. $20…no again. Some took the $30 but the majority started to think…..I’ve got $0 now…..$100 in 12 months for free sounds pretty good.

Put that into your 8 Week Challenge perspective.

Say you wanted to lose 10kgs at the start but I offered you 2kgs now. No string attached. No journey, no learnings…nothing but 2kgs off.

How many would take it? Comment below.

Gratitude helps us create a holistic approach to habits, helps you identify all the good changes that are happening and…. creates a much healthier relationship with self.

Second aspect……Compassion for Self (p.s. Not letting bad behaviour or bad habits a miss. These are still a non-no and you know it)

Open your food diary now if you have one (Or grab one free here) and look at the learnings…..Some are pretty sad to read.

I failed today
I ate bad (You ate bad)
I gave up and just binged…..

I want you to perform a little role play…… Let’s assume you’re at work and you are giving someone feedback.

Read those sentences again from your Food Diary out loud to that colleague.

You failed today
You ate bad
You gave up and binged.

Look into their eyes and tell me how they’re feeling? Bad? Emotional? Hopeless? That’s how I’d feel if I was given that feedback.

Now just because you can’t see your own face when you write them down doesn’t mean it isn’t hurting.

Lesson….instead of treating people how you’d like to be treated. Why not treat yourself like you’d like to be treated.

The impact will be powerful.

So there it is….Gratitude and Compassion

To Do List:

As part of the 8 Week Challenge you all got a Food Diary (We’ll give you one FREE here) and part of this we’ve sneakily added a daily gratitude exercise.

My test for you all….

1. Fill it out in full
2. Give yourself a a break when you do it, you deserve it!

p.s. Want to put this into Action? The FEMME Fitness Hub 21 Day Challenge starts Soon! Click here to Learn More.

p.p.s Don’t be left out, grab your free food diary here!

p.p.p.s Love this Blog Check out the rest! 

The post Creating Real Motivation and Energy with Your Food Diary appeared first on Femme Fitness Hub.