Hello there, time for a guest post and this time it will be in English by Lisa Smalls. I hope you enjoy this one! 5 Healthy Habits to Develop this Summer Does your mindset change with the seasons? Mine does. I am constantly surprised by how the weather and time of year impact my mood, motivation, and mindset. As spring turns to summer, I find myself ready to breathe new life into areas of my life that haven’t received as much attention as others. I’m ready to tackle that next big project I keep moving to the back burner. For me, summer is a time of rest and rejuvenation. It’s a time of reflection and looking forward to a new and better version of myself. If you can relate, join me in developing these five healthy habits  to reshape the second half of 2019. Practice Mindfulness The fundamental concept of mindfulness  is understanding that there is nothing you can change about what has already happened and also understanding that you don’t know what ...

Want to heal and nourish your body from the inside out?   Our gut is our second brain and the condition of your gut will affect your whole well being. Did you know that unhealthy gut microbiome can make you sick? Many diseases are linked to your gut microbiome. I designed Detox- Heal Your Gut programme so that you could set your foundations for life long health. Below you can find more information about these. First in Finnish and then in English. Suolisto kuntoon ruokavalion avulla Tässä valmennuksessa  saat: ·  suolistoa hellivän terveellisen ruokavalion (ilman kaloreiden laskemista) ·  yksinkertaisia ohjeita, joiden avulla saat terveemmän suoliston ·  syödään normaalia arkiruokaa ·  kesto 4-6 vkoa tai voit jatkaa pidempäänkin ·  terveellisiä ja suolistoa helliviä reseptejä (suolison tasapainottaminen tapahtuu ravinnon avulla) ·  vinkkejä suoliston bakteerikannan tasapainottamiseen ·  vinkkejä tehokkaaseen det...

Holistic Health My view on health is holistic. I believe in treating people as seeing everything from many perspectives. Wellness is a sum of the following things: sleep, rest, nutrition and exercise. If you want to feel good and healthy then you need to have enough rest, eat nutrient dense food and exercise on a regular basis. If you succeed in every area then you will feel great. On the other hand, if you are constantly sleep deprived you cannot expect your diet to fix everything. In addition your thoughts influence the way you think. If you are on a positive mindset then you will experience more positive outcomes. Positive thinking is very important to your health. Your mind is a powerful thing. Never expect anything less. Lastly, the relationship will have an impact on your health as well. Surround yourself with positive people who will support you on your way to a better health. Gut Health Your gut is your second brain. Did you know that 80 % of your immune system is in...

As many of you,like myself, take vitamins on a regular basis, there are certain "rules" which you should bare in mind when you take supplements.  So, I would like to give you tips about how to make your vitamins work even better. Let's jump right into it, shall we. These pictures are from Doha's Evergreen Vegan cafe. Take them with food. In general your vitamins will absorb better if you take them with your meals. Schedule them: take Magnesium in the evening and vitamin B * in the morning. By taking Magnesium * in the evening will ensure you a restful sleep. Read more here . Other supplements, especially multivitamins * might cheer you up so take them in the morning. Take caffeine into consideration. Caffeine deprives iron and calcium. Take your vitamins 30 minutes after your coffee. Besides, consume your coffee with milk or other vegetable milk, such as almond milk or oat milk. Read more why I gave up coffee . Pair them correctly: vi...

We all know how important it is to be present on the moment and not worry about tomorrow or all the undone chores that are waiting for you. So how to practice being more mindful? How to silence your thoughts for a minute before thoughts about your to-do list start to emerge? I know all too well how in the midst of family life you cannot seem to find any time or space to practice being mindful. On the other hand, isn't mindfulness what family life really is all about? Being present each moment with your child, answering all kinds of questions from "Mom, look what I made!" or "Mom, guess how many Donald Ducks I have?" 😁 OK, in my opinion it is.. But what I would like to practice more is how to quiet down my mind after a busy work day.  Our minds are hard at work all day long and this continues when I come home. Here I will share my tips which have proven to be quite OK  5 Tips how to more mindful: Try to have 10 minutes to yourself (me...

Spring - the perfect time to rethink our eating habits, make healthier choices and get a fresh start! This post is for you who love fresh starts and spring💗 Without further ado here is my suggestion for spring cleaning your diet: Cut Back on These: salt:  Do I even have to tell you that eating too much salt makes you bloated... processed foods:  There is nothing good to say about them. caffeine: 1-2 cups a day won't hurt you if you are not sensitive to caffeine like I am. But if you consume more, maybe it's time to ponder if caffeine is really good for you.. In fact, drinking too much caffeine has more side effects than health benefits. It can also make you feel even more tired. Read here why I stopped drinking coffee and how it changed my life! alcohol:  It affects your sleep and reduces the amount of deep sleep you have. Switch it to herbal tea . sugar:  It makes you age prematurely and who needs that? Read here how to get sugar out ...

As you all know, I value a good night's sleep and try to improve my sleep every now and then. You cannot get around to the fact that sleep is cure for everything: bad mood, sickness, losing weight, living healthy, avoiding cravings, recovering from your workouts and the list goes on... Previously, I wrote about my bad sleeping habits  and how you can sleep better. But after that  I gave into coffee again so now I am trying to improve my sleep even more.  Here are few things that I am going to change in my routines: Stop drinking coffee or don't drink it in the afternoons. Research has shown that caffeine can stay elevated in the blood for 6-8 hours. I stopped drinking coffee. Again. Read more in here . This was a real game changer for me and my sleep . Eat more carbs in the evening. Especially oat porridge makes you sleep better because oats, eggs and bananas include magnesium, potassium, vitamin B and tryptophan which will have natural sleep in...

This post is about changing your way of thinking and learning to love yourself for who you are. Moreover, it is affirmations to all perfectionists, like myself. I copied these affirmations from Affirmation Podcasts with Josie Ong. I listen to her podcasts and affirmations every morning when I drive to work. I found her channel from Spotify as I was driving home from university and wanted to listen podcast instead of my playlist on Spotify. From the first podcast on, I was hooked. I highly recommend her channel to you. Her affirmations have been a game changer in my life: I can say that I have found a better balance in my life.  I used to think I had to do everything perfectly for the first time and every time. Now I know I can do things really well but not always perfectly. I used to think that mistakes were total catastrophes. Now I know it's all part of being human. I used to think critical thoughts constantly. Now I know I can give myself credits from my efforts....

Did you know that the healthiest people on earth live in Okinawa (Japan), Ikaria (Greece), Loma Linda (California), Nicoya (Costa Rica) and in Sardinia (Italy), in so called Blue Zone area? When I first heard about this, I became intrigued of the idea that you could add years to your life by following their example. So how do these people live and what do they have in common? Compared to average people, they live 8 years longer than normal people, they suffer only a fraction of "modern" diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia, meaning that they live a rather healthy life. In addition they belong to a strong community. In the area of Japan, in Okinawa, people live by this simple principle " Eating when you´re 80% full." Thus, they practice mindful eating and this is something we could all learn: to appreciate, focus and enjoy food when we eat. In addition, sometimes we are in such a hurry that we eat too fast which results in eating more....

How active are you on a daily basis? It is a known fact that moving your body regularly throughout the day has more health benefits than if you were to schedule a HIIT workout and spent the rest of your day sitting. The"regular movement in your day" or "incidental activity" (=small acts of every day life that are meant as exercise) can be for example taking the stairs instead of elevator, walking home from work instead of driving or walking to grocery store.  According to Aki Hintsa: Voittamisen anatomia  * by taking 8000-10 000 steps a day you will gain significant health benefits even though you don't do any other specific work outs. On the contrary, if you don't do this incidental activity in a day although you go for a work out class, you don't get the same health gains.  As I have advised before: if you don't have time to exercise, include some short walks or incidental activity to your day. Play with your kids, spend time outdoor...