As I sit here drinking my peppermint tea wondering how best to put this into words, I’ve already raided the snack cupboard while procrastinating as one does on watch!

I am at the halfway point of my IIN Health Coach Course.  I can already  see with what I have learnt I’ve made some changes to my person.

Sleep… I love the “you can sleep when your dead” and I lived by that motto for many years, but now you’ll find me snuggled up by 2200 for sure!!!

I was proud I could run off little sleep, either on charter or in our down time I’d be out till all hours and then show up ready to face the day, safe to say the effect on my body is showing up and now I know how much I pushed my body in the wrong direction. Working for years as a Chef especially on boats your always on call, my previous boats I was woken up more often than not through the night for snacks! My favourite being the pasta with tomato sauce and veal escalope at 330am! With my current job I know my guests are only going to wake me if its urgent so I feel I do get a more restful sleep knowing that.

Caffeine – I’ve been on and off this band wagon for years, however if I’m somewhere coffee is shit then its easy! I have 1-2 cups instant coffee ( DON’T JUDGE!) a day when I’m on the boat these days. I did go a few years of only have a coffee on weekends at my fav cafe in Cannes – Da Laura!

I definitely don’t have any after lunch. I feel I am quite caffeine sensitive, of course if I’m back in NZ or anywhere with a decent flat white I’m all over it!!! But I do know that too much caffeine for sure fills me with anxiety and I end up walking in circles and achieving nothing except getting frustrated! After watching the lectures on Caffeine it only drives home how this just isn’t good for us, however I like the flavour an I’m working on giving up, baby steps!!

My peanut butter on toast consumption has also taken a massive dive for all of you that know how much that delicious snack was my go to! Being back in the USA and seeing how long the bread lasts is reason enough, its just not natural is it really!

I do still indulge every now and again but I’m much more conscious of it and definitely eating more vegetables especially the sweet potato as I LOVE them!

Through Yoga I have learnt a lot about breathing and creating calm through the breathe, in our lectures there is a meditation and some breathing techniques I can’t speak highly enough of how amazing these techniques are, just try right now take a deep breath do you feel it in your belly or are you just breathing shallow into  the chest?

Do yourself a favour and just sit still in a comfortable position without your phone in your hand and breathe, place you hand on your belly and feel it fill up with the breathe, and exhale! take 10 deep breathes,  take more if you want! Notice the gentle inhales and exhales and filling the belly up with air, and how this makes you feel.

I feel that I’ve managed to cover the most important points so far and I’ll save the rest for later!

If you want any more info, tips tricks or random advice if I can help I’m more than happy to do that – send me a DM.

So get some sleep, cut back on the coffee and breathe!

Cupcake xx