But I don’t eat sugar: 3 simple tips to reduce your sugar intake

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We’ve all heard the terrible stories about sugar causing obesity, diabetes, rotting teeth, and hyperactivity in children. But there are SO many other sequelae that are caused by sugar. I’m not going to get into these here, because that would require a whole other blog post.

To start, here are a few simple tips to help get you started on your crusade to eliminate sugar from your diet:

  1. If it’s packaged, put it back. Most packaged foods have added sugar. Think cereal, cookies, candies, and other packaged foods. These have a TON of added sugar, as well as other fake ingredients that you should stay away from. If you MUST buy packaged foods, make sure you can pronounce the ingredients on the package, look out for sugar as one of the first ingredients (check out this article on different names for sugar: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Other-Names-Sugar-Appear-Labels-810571), and read the nutrition facts to see how many grams of sugar are in one serving. When you start reading food labels, you will realize just how much sugar is in your favourite packaged items.
  2. Stay away from flavoured foods. Do you really enjoy the taste of strawberry yogurt or apple cinnamon oatmeal? Of course you do. That’s because there is a TON of sugar! You may think you’re taking a step in the right direction by purchasing these �?healthy’ items because the food industry tells us that we are, but take a closer look at the nutrition facts. I’m not telling you to eat plain oatmeal or greek yogurt, because let’s be honest, they taste pretty bland without anything added to them! Instead of purchasing pre-flavoured food items, which notoriously have a ton of added sugar and chemical ingredients, try purchasing the original, plain version and then sweeten and flavour with natural foods like fresh or frozen berries, maple syrup or honey, and some cinnamon. It’s so much better to ADD flavour and know what’s in your food, than to purchase it pre-flavoured.
  3. Stick to water as much as possible for your beverages. I know drinking orange juice for breakfast is a tradition, but if you look at the amount of sugar in the juice you are buying, you will be shocked! Sports recovery drinks, soft drinks, and energy drinks are not only full of artificial colors and flavours, they are packed with sugar. So stick to water as much as possible. You can drink water plain, or add lemon, fruit, or drink it hot as tea or coffee.

What are some other tips that you can recommend to help people cut back on sugar? Share them in the comments.

How to be more productive in life and business

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Hi there!

I wanted to write this blog post because I know you are overwhelmed with everything you have going on…taking care of the kids, keeping up with the house cleaning, cooking healthy meals, getting to the gym, trying to start a business…the list goes on.

I know it seems like there is just not enough time in the day to get it all done. I get it because I’ve been there!

I remember when I first started my business, I was finishing up my doctorate degree, working on my health coaching certification, working part-time as a research assistant, trying to stay healthy, struggling to find time to see my friends, and trying to figure out what the heck I had to do to start a business.

I’ll admit it. I was totally overwhelmed and some days I felt like it was not worthwhile. Can you relate?

Anyway, I was able to get out of this rut with a few simple steps that I continue to use to this day. Not only has my business productivity soared, so has my health and my life in general.

Here is the step-by step that I follow to increase productivity in life and business:

  1. Sit down on Sunday or Monday (whatever works best for you) and get out your calendar. Whether you use an agenda or paper calendar or online calendar, it doesn’t matter. USE IT. *Pro tip: I like to have the entire week in front of me, so if you don’t already have a calendar, try to get one that allows you to visualize your entire week all at once.
  2. Write down all appointments, meetings, client calls, etc that have been scheduled for the week. These can be business-related and personal. For example: dentist appointments, hair cuts, etc.
  3. Write down all appointments with yourself. For example: self-care, personal development, massage, yoga class/gym, etc. You might think it is silly to schedule appointments with yourself but think of how often you get through the entire day and don’t have time to go to the gym, meditate, do yoga, etc. The KEY is making this a priority in your schedule so that you TAKE the time for you. *Pro tip: Schedule your Me time at the same time each day (I recommend you schedule it first thing when you wake up) so that it becomes part of your routine and is non-negotiable.
  4. Schedule in weekly business activities. If you do not already have a list of business activities that you do weekly, it’s time to create one. Here’s what mine look like: Record and edit video on Monday, write email on Tuesday, coaching calls / client fulfillment on Wednesdays and Thursdays, write email on Friday. Once you have your list of business activities, block out time in your calendar to complete each task. This is my base schedule that repeats every week unless I’m at an event or on vacation, in which case, I adjust my schedule. But, the important piece is consistency and knowing what you need to do every day and every week. Having this base schedule keeps you focused and takes you out of overwhelm.
  5. Write down what your ONE business focus is for the week and the steps to complete. If you are selling your coaching services, your focus should be on getting sales calls. If you are hosting a webinar at the end of the week, your focus should be to complete all elements to prepare for the webinar. Write out what steps you need to do in order to successfully complete this business focus at the end of the week. *Pro tip: Do not give yourself more than one business focus for the week.
  6. Schedule the tasks within your business focus into your calendar. Block out time slots to complete each step. *Pro tip: 1. Do not give yourself more than THREE tasks per day in your business, and get these three tasks done FIRST (after your Me time). 2. Have a list of things you would like to do in your business but that are not necessarily of utmost importance. These will come in handy when you finish your three tasks with a ton of time to spare and wonder what to do next!
  7. Take a look at your calendar and get excited for the week ahead!

Once you have completed these steps, here are a few things you you will notice…

  1. Your calendar is actually not that overloaded and there is still plenty of time to do the household chores, pick up the kids at soccer practice, and take time to relax.
  2. By prioritizing your business tasks and not trying to do everything at once, you will see that it takes a lot less time to accomplish your business goals.
  3. Not only will your business grow more quickly even though you are spending less time working on it, you will have more time to have a life and you don’t have to feel guilty for enjoying it because your business tasks have been handled.
  4. Now that you know what your business focus is at all times, you no longer have to stress out over what to do next, so you can be much more calm and enjoy your life that much more.

This process is really a win for both life and business, isn’t it?

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and found my step-by-step process useful! If you did, please share this post and comment below with your biggest take away.

I can’t wait to see how you incorporate this into your own life!

Lots of love,

Lianne

Self-care ideas for the busy entrepreneur woman

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Are you a busy entrepreneur woman who wishes you had more time for yourself, but just can’t seem to even find a minute to spare?

Are you constantly on-the-go, running from one committment to the next, and when you are finally ready to relax, it’s already way past your bedtime?

You wake up every day feeling exhausted because you didn’t get enough sleep.You have to make breakfast and prepare yourself for a real job that you have to get to while you build your business. You have kids to feed and prepare for school. You slave all day at a job you hate, but you know you can’t quit because your business isn’t successful enough yet. You get home after a long day of work, feed the kids, bathe them, do their homework, put them to bed, and work on your business until the wee hours of the morning. You do this day in and day out, with no end in sight and you have lost hope. And then you wonder why you’re feeling so stressed out and on edge all the time.

I get it. I have plenty of clients who, just like you, are in the beginning stages of entrepreneurship. My clients came to me in the same place that you are in now…feeling exhausted, stressed out, and ready to give up.

I decided it was time to share with you exactly what I do, and what I teach my clients to do, so that you can finally start feeling ENERGIZED, RELAXED, and like you’ve totally got this. Because you deserve it!

Morning routine

I’ve recently started a new routine where I start the day with meditation, yoga or stretching, and journaling. I found this amazing (and free) resource recently called Meditation Oasis and I listen to one of their meditations on their podcast channel every morning. My favourite is the chakra meditation because I can do it lying down. I just press play and lie in bed to do my meditation. This specific routine lasts under 20 minutes. I then do some yoga or stretching-usually about 5-10 minutes, depending on how I feel.

After my meditation and yoga, I get up, and I do one of two things: Either I get ready and go to the gym, or I put on a warm house coat and slippers, and put on some relaxing music on Songza from one of their Moods playlists.

If I’m coming back from the gym, I take my shower before I make a warming, comforting breakfast of coffee and oatmeal with berries and greek yogurt.

I sit with my journal and I write for about 10-15 minutes. I write whatever I feel like, but if you are needing some inspiration, try dream journaling. This entails writing down what your dream life looks like as if you are already living it. I believe that the more you visualize actually living the life you want, the more your dreams become a reality.

After journaling, I get ready for my day of work.

Daytime routine

I take a 5 to 10-minute break every hour or hour and a half. That way, I can clear my head, take a breather, and refocus.

I try to get outside at least once a day for a few minutes, even if it’s just to stick my head out the window.

I take time to prepare healthy meals during the day, with lots of fresh vegetables and protein.

I take time for personal development either during my lunch break or at the end of my day. I listen to audio trainings or podcasts, read a book, or watch webinars.

I work about 3 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon, with a one-hour (minimum) break for lunch.

If I didn’t go to the gym in the morning, I go in the afternoon.

Evening routine

In the evening, I do whatever I feel like doing that is going to help me to relax and feel good. Here are a few things I tend to do for relaxation:

I diffuse essential oils. My favourite combo for relaxation is Peace & Calming with Lavender.

I do light yoga or stretching.

I read a book or watch Netflix.

I take a hot bubble bath.

Other times, I see friends, family, or go on a date. I do whatever I feel like doing, and I always listen to what my body is saying. If I have plans and my body is saying it needs a night in, I will listen to my body. Having a strong connection with your body is a very important part of self-care.

Bedtime routine

About 45 minutes before I want to go to bed, I put on my pyjamas, get washed up, and get into bed.

I read a book for about 20 minutes.

I then put on my favourite sleep meditation, which is again from Meditation Oasis. I drift off to sleep easily with this meditation.

 

I hope you have found this blog post helpful. If you need any more information about self-care or would like to set up a personalized self-care routine, please feel free to email me your questions to [email protected]

 

Lots of love,

Lianne

What I eat when I have no energy…

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Do you ever have those days where you just feel like you’re walking around like a zombie?
I had one of those days just last week, and it was really annoying because I knew that I had had a good night’s sleep. What the heck?
No matter what the reason was, I felt REALLY sluggish. The easiest thing would have been to just lie down and take a nap, but I couldn’t do that because I had work to do!
So this is what I did: I made a green smoothie!​

Energizing Green Smoothie Recipe

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1-2 cups spinach (or other greens like kale, chard)
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of fruit (frozen or fresh)
A pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
*Optional: 1 scoop of protein powder
I absolutely LOVE green smoothies because they are delicious, nutritious, very versatile, and refreshing during these hot, summer months!
Green smoothies are my go-to meal when I’m feeling sluggish because they have a ton of vitamins and minerals and they keep me full for a long time, which keeps my energy levels up.
Another great thing is if you are not a fan of green vegetables, you can ‘hide’ them in your green smoothie! I like green smoothies better than juice because blending your produce keeps the fiber whereas juicing gets rid of it.
There are so many other foods that increase your energy; you don’t have to rely on caffeine or other stimulants!
If you need help learning how to eat to increase your energy, then schedule a call with me now.
Here’s to sweet sleep (and a TON of energy!),
Lianne
P.S. If you’re curious about how to naturally increase your energy so you can power through those sluggish days, click here now and let’s talk.

Everything is easy!

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Hi there my friend,

How are you doing today?

My guess is…overwhelmed.

You have too much on your plate – what with all of the stuff you have to do for your family and friends, and then there’s that business that you so desperately want to work on, but, well, something came up and you’re running around all day doing other things…

You know you need to get your life under control so you can actually move forward and make some money, but it just seems impossible to even think that one day you will be in a place of having enough time to devote to your business.

Did I read your mind?

I thought so.

That’s because I totally know what you’re going through!

If I could tell you how many times I went through the day feeling like that when I was in the early stages of my business…And I’ll admit I’m not perfect and I still have those days (watch the video below to find out).

But there’s a secret you need to know that my coach shared with me and it totally shifted everything for me.

You can get out of overwhelm right now.

It’s simple really.

You just need to decide that you will no longer let overwhelm control your life.

In fact, let’s just take the ‘o’ word out of our vocabulary completely. That’s what my coach told me to do.

Instead of my mantra being “I’m overwhelmed” I shifted it to “Everything is easy”

And in just a few days, I can already feel a difference in how I feel physically and mentally, and I am changing the way I go through my day. I am so excited about this that I filmed a quick video for you about the shift.

If this video inspired you to let go of the ‘o’ word for good, and you would like some help figuring out exactly HOW to do just that, then click here and let’s talk.

Lots of love,

Lianne

PS-I am passionate about helping YOU get to a place where everything is easy, where you go through your day with ease and grace. It is totally possible for you.Let me show you how. 

5 Key Steps To Start Attracting Clients In Your Business Now

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Hi everyone,

I’ve been getting a TON of questions from you guys about how to find clients and make more money in your business.

And since I’m all about helping entrepreneurs be successful in their life AND their business, I decided to shoot this quick video where I go through what you need to have in place if you want to start attracting clients in your business right now. I hope it helps you!

If you would like some help to come up with a personalized action plan to get you your first or next client in your business, then let’s talk. Click here and book a time in my calendar that works for you.

I can’t wait to talk to you!

Lianne