Archive for Expert interviews

Are you putting your oxygen mask on first?


Only hours away from our return flight from Spain this summer, I found myself Googling symptoms for heart attack in women, just to reassure myself that the pain in my chest was probably nothing. What I read was not clear enough to stop worrying and I very nearly had my husband take me to the hospital. Instead we went for a walk on a pier and I thought I was going to faint. After a good doze of the fresh ocean breeze, I started feeling better and the pain in my chest as well as the dizziness faded away. Things that had gone through my head were very scary. The scariest thought of all was ‘who will look after my children if something happens to me?

Everyone knows that when the oxygen masks in an airplane drop from the ceiling you need to put your own mask on first and only then help your children, right? So why is it that in ‘real life’ mums seem to forget this very important rule all too easily? We seem to always be busy with looking after everyone around us that we either tend to forget ourselves or simply run out of time or energy for taking care of ourselves. If you are anything like me, you are enjoying looking after your children, spending time with your partner and your job gives you additional satisfaction, so you might not even notice that you are neglecting yourself.

Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you because I thought I was doing great. I started my business to create the flexibility to look after my children. Driven by the love for my family and the passion for my business, I kept stretching myself beyond my limits. And that despite the fact that I can count the number of nights my little girl has let us sleep through in the past 20 months on my two hands. The heart attack scare of this summer was a big wake-up call for me. I’ve had a check up with the doctor and it appears that the symptoms were indeed caused by exhaustion.

What have I done about this? First of all I got some help. Living far away from family, we had to be creative and found the solution in Granny Aupair. So we now have a Swiss ‘granny’ live with us for 5 months to help me with the children and the household. The difference she is making to our lives is amazing. I feel much better and can be there for the children in a much more relaxed way. We are laughing much more together now :-).

Secondly, I had a conversation with my friend, Luci, about risk factors for heart disease and what she told me made me aware of how important it is to put on our own oxygen masks first once more. She told me about some new research findings you might not know about. Due to my own experience, I feel very strongly about sharing this information, watch my video interview with Luci to learn more.

If you would like someone to help you feel taken care of this winter and holiday season, join us on our Winter Self Care Boost program. In this program we’ll help you cruise through this winter glowing with energy and maintaining your weight with ease. In one of the 5 online video classes we’ll help you create simple habits to tamp down the stress and help you sleep better, at least if you are not woken up by a baby in the middle of the night :-).

The Winter Self-Care Boost Program

Begins on November 17th. 

Early Bird pricing ends November 15th.

If we have enough participants, registration will close on Nov 15th.

 

Having trouble to make time to eat healthily?

Salsa

Last Sunday after a good but tiresome day – it had been raining heavily, so the kids had stayed indoors, mostly running around in the house – I joined an amazing event on Healthy Food Ideas for Busy People. The idea seemed appealing: as all parents, my husband and I are concerned about what the family is eating, but we don’t have much time to cook, as we’re both working. And I was also curious about the idea of a free live interactive broadcast on YouTube. I had no idea it existed, at home we use Skype a lot and the free features do not allow such possibilities!

It was a relief not to have to leave the house on a rainy night! And as the broadcast started, I saw that the hosts of the event took questions and answered them in real time. So that was my first contact with this feature, it is called « Hangout » and I made a mental note to switch to it. It’s impressively cool.

What I also really enjoyed was the content of the event: it turned out to be very hands-on advice, nothing too theoretical, which was so nice. Both hosts knew what they were talking about and the challenges of everyday family life; Diana also has 2 small kids and runs her own business, Our Mamas Rock. And she met Luci because she sought advice to get rid of pain in her joints and back after her second pregnancy. The simple changes Luci suggested in Diana’s diet made a world of difference, and now Diana, back to her energetic self, wants to help other busy parents feel their best and feed their families easy, healthy, delicious foods.

Diana shared four tips on how to be efficient in the kitchen and while preparing meals, so the process is simpler and faster.

Luci Gabel (she’s the founder of www.LuciFit.com) helps busy people create healthy habits that last a lifetime: healthy food choices and essential exercise programs. She’s committed to helping people become more mind-body connected so they can give their bodies what they need in a healthy way. During the Hangout she described 5 easy ways to make sure you’re choosing foods that will give you the high nutrient value and optimal energy, while never sacrificing on flavour or satisfaction with your meals.

My advice: see for yourself! www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNwPuBp4324

As for me, I was really impressed to see how a few simple tips can save so much time. It gave me a motivation to implement easy changes so that we can cook healthier food. The greatest take-away for me was the suggestion to plan the meals for one week and go shopping only once, saving time and money. As things are now, my husband does the supermarket shopping and I go to the market, and we tend to buy what looks good and is not overpriced. Sounds pretty random, eh? Boy, we’ll have to work on this one but it definitely seems to be worth it, we might just need to buy a bigger freezer :-).

The thing is, when you’re trying to adopt and keep new good habits, it’s hard to be consistent in the long term, even if we’re a team – task-sharing is a must at home. Sometimes one of us has to put in more hours at work and it’s hard for the other one. I was concerned about keeping the spirit, so when Diana and Luci introduced a winter self-care support programme to help attendants cruise through the winter feeling fit and with an extra load of energy, I was eager to get more information on what they have in store, and I put my name down for more healthy tips. As far as I know, you can still put your name down here: www.lucifit.com/healthytips .

Diana told me that she’s planning more live and interactive Hangouts, covering topics relevant for parents of young children. I’m expecting the next session, I’ll stay tuned.

Claire

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