Do you feel like BURNT TOAST!?

Do you always say YES?!

As women we are socialised to feel responsible for the feelings and well-being of those around us, pushing our own well-being and needs aside.

We’ve been brought up to be people pleasers and avoid conflict.

Remember your teachers who commend you for getting along with everyone in class?

Your own parents who smother you with love when you say yes to everything they’ve suggested?

From childhood we’re taught not to defy authority so ‘yes’ becomes engrained in us.

We want to please others so that we fit in, are well-considered and liked by our peers.

We say YES because …

We want to get along.

We want to be nice.

We don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings.

We worry that saying no will break our bonds.

We don’t want to feel disapproved of.

We don’t want to be rejected.

But saying all that YES is to our own detriment and can lead to our physical and emotional needs not being met, ultimately leading to resentment, stress and burnout.

PAY YOURSELF FIRST

For most of us it is very easy to say “yes”.

But for many of us, it’s just not so easy to say “no”.

Take it from me, saying no takes training, practice and time.

Practice saying no.

By taking pause and checking in with yourself and whether what you really want to say is ‘no’.

By listening to cues that it’s time to ease off (before you collapse like a house of cards).

Or if ‘no’ is too confronting what about “not right now”?

Or, “can I think about it and get back to you?”.

Feel the fear but make the change anyway.

At first you might feel like crap for saying no.

Eventually you will feel proud… and healthier because ‘no’ is the first step in saying ‘yes’ to you.

Remember, there will be plenty more opportunities to say yes!

PAY YOURSELF FIRST

If you’ve been saying YES too often, you might find your stress hormone, cortisol, is riding high!

This can become dangerous and lead to health issues like weight gain, sleep disorders, acne, sleep disorders and impaired immune system. 

Learn to Calm Your Cortisol by saying NO and by feeding your body these cortisol soothing recipes in my FREE CALM YOUR CORTISOL ebook  >>>>>>>>

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

Are they exhausted, getting sick, falling apart, over it! It’s such a tough time of year.

Last week my daughter woke up, practically slept walk out of her room with big bags under her eyes and for the first time ever asked if she could have a day off school.

She told me later that day that she was surprised that I agreed to her taking a “wellbeing day” but I explained that I could see that she desperately needed that day, a day away from addition and subtraction, all the noise and school yard politics…

She stayed home and played the piano, watched her favourite shows, ate her favourite food, read books and lazed about all day. By the time evening rolled around she was herself again, pepped up and ready for her nippers training session.

I had given my daughter permission to relax every fibre of her being and, in doing so, reclaim her fight.

And that’s something I’ve found about self-care, we often need someone else to jump-start it for us.

Giving ourselves permission — to rest, to recharge, to realize self-indulgence isn’t actually self-indulgent at all.

This is a concept I know is especially hard for women.

We ALL need to remember to exhale….we’re all pushed to do too much, we all need a break. Kids and parents alike.

We don’t want our kids to learn from us that they have to work their butts of all the time until they burn out. We want them to tune in to what they really need and grant themselves permission to take a break.

As busy mums though, how do we take time out when we don’t seem to have five minutes to ourselves from sunrise to sunset?

Let me ask you an important question.

Has your busy-ness become the thing that defines you? Has it become a badge of honour?

Our culture has decided that we need to be Wonder Women and so we believe that being busy is what makes us worthy.

We need to SHAKE THIS IDEA OFF!

Because while we remain slaves to our to-do lists and exist in get-it-done mode, we are forgetting to live a meaningful and healthy life meant to be enjoyed.

How do I shake it off though Brenda? Who’s going to get it all done for me?

Well, I suggest you take a good look at your to-do list and make some honest decisions about what’s really non-negotiable and what you can say bye-bye to. Eg: Do you really need to organise those birthday photos into a special album? Or go to that event if no one is going to get hurt by your absence?

And/or..

Find some support in the areas you feel like you could use some help, then decide who you can ask to support you in those areas. Eg: My mum comes over once every fortnight and I never say no to her bringing food for my family which usually lasts a couple days and creates some much needed time and space. Say YES to help!

I’d also love to invite you to join my FREE LIVE WORKSHOP which I host with Naturopath Naomi Judge on what we consider to be the most important topic when it comes to Women’s health and wellbeing – and that’s the importance of self care.

After all, having too little rest is a major contributor to expanding that waistline, IBS, gas, bloating, headaches, depression, heart problems, decreased sex drive ……

WHY YOU NEED TO LEAVE GUILT AT THE DOOR AND EMBRACE SELF-CARE
Learn to love, nourish and respect yourself with these 5 smart habits

In this workshop we explore: 

• Where this guilt comes from and why we feel it (so important to recognise this so you can move on).
• How lack of self-care creates stress and some serious health issues you shouldn’t ignore.
• How you can get clear on a specific, urgent WHY, your sense of purpose, your capacity to fulfil your mission and do what brings you joy.
• The telltale signs of stress (it’s not necessarily what you may think!).
• 5 easy ways to create sustainability and resilience in your life so you don’t become ill and burn out (this is gold!).
• Plus there’s a Q & A with us at the end.

Please share this workshop with your friends, I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll be thanking you later!

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

I personally love smoothies. I recommend them to my clients and on my women’s health Break Through! Signature Cleanse.

Not only are they quick, easy, and delicious, they help increase our quota of vegetables for the day as well as give our overloaded digestive systems a break.

What’s more, it’s easy to add in ingredients which also aid the digestion process.

Here are 20 reasons I love smoothies so much:

1. Quick and easy to make
2. Depending on the ingredients can be made in bulk and kept up to three days in the fridge or even frozen
3. Incredibly nutritious
4. Convenient as they are portable and you can take them with you as you fly out the door
5. Delicious
6. Helps to get your daily allowance of vegetables
7. The blender does all the liquefying so it gives the digestive system a break
8. Provides the body with essential nutrients without taxing the digestive system
9. Anti-inflammatory foods can be included which may not be readily consumed like berries, ginger and chia seeds
10. Ingredients which help with digestion, like cucumber and lemon, can be readily used
11. Lots of detoxifying ingredients like kale and herbs can be added
12. It’s jam packed full of other healthy ingredients like nuts, seeds, avocado, fruit, milk, spices, superfoods – the options are endless!
13. They are full of fibre which can help digestion
14. Helps get more healthy stuff into the kids
15. Nice and filling and can see your through to lunch time so you don’t overeat
16. Help fight hunger and cravings
17. Lots of the good green stuff can be added in
18. Can be custom made and any combination goes
19. Great for weight management
20. Energising

Here are some of my favourite combinations…

Ginger, Mint and Green Apple Smoothie by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Choc-Banana Nut Butter Smoothie by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Anti- Oxidant Smoothie

Carrot and Tumeric Smoothie by Guide to Organics

The Best Beetroot Smoothie by The Holistic Ingredient

Iron Boosting Smoothie by Naturopath Naomi Judge

Clear Skin Smoothie: Nettle, Blueberry and Macqui by Ascension Kitchen

For the kids …

Sweet Green Smoothie by 123 Nourish Me

Super Smoothie by Brenda Janschek Health and Lifestyle

Dreamy Creamy Breaky Boosting Buddha Smoothie by 123 Nourish Me

It’s worth noting that if you have digestive issues like IBS, constipation, diarrhoea or acid reflux you should consult your health professional because certain fruits and vegetables may further irritate the digestive system.

Find out more about our Break Through! Signature Cleanse, aimed to reset the body by balancing hormones, reducing inflammation, detoxing organs from built up toxins, boosting metabolism, improving digestion, reducing bloating, increasing energy, optimising weight, and feeling fantastic in a body you love!

Of course there are more than just smoothies on the cleanse!

All the recipes on our cleanse have been designed with balanced ratios of macronutrients to harmonise our hormones and help us feel satisfied for a few hours, to detox the build up of toxins in our organs, to reduce inflammation in the body, heal the gut and so promote positive, thriving health!

What’s more, past members have reported that the whole family love the whole food recipes too!

Bren x