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A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the first of the two main emotions. Fear. https://rb.gy/x47mq I ended the blog with the introduction of the opposite big E – Love, with the intention of getting straight to it. I haven’t so much procrastinated but soon realised that a subject with so many connotations, references and quotes wasn’t going to be straight forward. Because as I found out, finding Love is a journey of self-discovery. Often messy but most definitely achievable. Growing up I associated the word love with finding a romantic partner. The one, the husband, the lover, the forever partner. Mixed up with fantasy and quite often delusion, I thought that Love was something I had to find somewhere from someone else. I hunted around for years looking for the person who was going to gift me this thing called Love. Like a magic potion it would transform my life into one of Bollywood style opulence where everything glistened with gold, and every problem was solved with a song and a dance. Ok, there goes my imagination again. But you get my drift. I call this my ‘princess thinking’ period which to be frank went on for years. Experience went on to teach me that even if someone says they love you (in a romantic setting) when challenged by life events, this thing called love gets tested, put in the spotlight and the reality of the situation can so often come tumbling down around your diamante studded heels and the dream has gone up in a puff of smoke. Gradually, bit by bit, I would find myself in desperate situations where my worth depended on the love I received from others. Not just lovers but family and friends. Every criticism, betrayal of trust or hurtful remark sent me further down the spiral of low self-worth. I mean if these people couldn’t show me love then maybe I was unlovable at some level. I felt permanently sad and was in an ongoing grieving process for the love I so longed for. Then suddenly what would appear to be out of the blue, my world imploded, and my mind and body gave up. Call it a nervous breakdown or a nervous ‘shutdown’ my body and mind could cope no more. Of course, there were many factors that resulted in my collapse but the underlying theme of feeling loveless was strong. All of this despite the fact I had raised a beautiful daughter and from the outside looking in everything looked good. I was unable to mentally and physically ‘get up’. My mental health was through the floor and well-meaning folk who would say ‘you’ve got to love yourself’ and ‘find self-love’ just sounded like platitudes and just added to the meaningless noise of useful advice that was all around me. By now, I felt nothing. I felt nothing for 18 months. The tale, too long and at times disturbing got far worse before it got better. But it did get better. Much better. You see in my worst possible times I was surrounded by love and in turn felt safe to have many realisations and ‘aha’ moments: · I had a therapist who showed considerable compassion and went over and above at times to demonstrate a true belief in me. Through much talking we started to establish my core values. Honesty came up as my number one, but the penny dropped that I had continuously hidden my true feelings for fear of rejection and disapproval. Nowadays, don’t ask me a difficult question and not expect to get an honest answer. Apologies if its not what you want to hear. I continue to check in with my therapist. · I had and still have a spiritual life coach who helps me with the practical coaching side of things but is also intuitive and gifted. She never gave up on me and constantly told me that things would be good again. I honestly didn’t believe her at the time, but I look back and realise that she was planting hope. She introduced me to working with positive energies and I am beyond grateful for her presence in my life. · Friendships were put in the spotlight. I’ve loosened the rein on people I was never quite sure of. People who I never really trusted with my heart. Meanwhile, others showed up and showed nothing but care and understanding. I see people very clearly now and this above anything is a huge advantage. My friendships now really are all about quality not quantity and whilst its still difficult to watch some friendships fade away, I’m no longer attached to the outcome. Letting go of the need for approval and looking for love in people who were merely my teachers, not necessarily my friends is the most freeing feeling I have ever encountered. · Family. Whilst my upbringing contributed to a lot of my feelings of low self-worth there’s nothing like a ‘warts and all’ breakdown to stir up the sludge. I have a deeper love and understanding for my parents who I now can see did the very best they could for me. I love my parents and wouldn’t change them. My sister was amazing throughout. I guess the moral of the story is if you look for an unlimited source of love from other people you will be constantly disappointed. Whilst Love is circular and flows between souls, unless you’re willing to take a long hard look at yourself, or if you refuse to be accountable for your perceived lack of love then genuine love will always elude you. Your own love and the love of others. Love is an easy exchange once you stand true to your soul and ditch the BS. Love for ourselves is all we ever really aspire to. Once we love ourselves, we will attract in our love matches be it in romance or friendships. The best bit is once you realise all of this you can still have your Bollywood wedding and diamante heels. Although time has moved on and its more likely to be elegant with an element of comfort. There will however be plenty of singing and dancing. Love Louisa x

Over the years I have entered discussions with like-minded personal growth seekers around the fact that the two main emotions that drive us and shape our lives are those of Love and Fear. Opposites in their intention. Powerful in their individual ways. The black to the white. The pleasant to the unpleasant. So, it’s here that I’m going to take a look at fear and the different ways we can experience it in our own lives. I refer to fear and love as the big E’s. Big in their presence and big in their impact. So, what is fear? Fear is something that is built into our DNA. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to run away from ravaging tigers and dangerous predators and if we hadn’t developed an ability to fear then humans would have been wiped out and quite frankly, we wouldn’t be here. So, fear in the face of danger is indeed a legitimate response and one that we need in healthy amounts if we are to navigate certain situations. It’s the irrational responses of fear that rise during actual or potential situations that cause us damage and can railroad our lives and influence some of our biggest decisions. As if that’s not enough to circumnavigate there’s other people’s fears about you which although belong to them, can leave you feeling doubt about your life and decisions. If we’re feeling even a little bit vulnerable, we can take on this unwanted fear attention until we realise it doesn’t belong to us anyway. If you’ve ever journeyed your way from hopelessness to hope, there will be people who will unwittingly keep you in a fear-based energy to soothe their own insecurities of you changing and showing up in a different way to the one they are used to. Fear it would seem is everywhere. So how do we recognise when fear is at play? And what do we do with it? The first question I would encourage you to ask yourself is ‘What is going on for me right now?’ this is a question that allows you to simply think about your feelings and in turn pinpoint your distress. This is a practice that is often used in a therapeutic setting but one you can adopt too. By recognising and voicing the things that are bothering us we give them airplay and the attention that they are screaming for. It’s easier to do this with another person as an observant listener (choose this person wisely as you don’t want to get bamboozled by the views of others) but if that isn’t available then write them down. Writing things down has merit as you can look back and remind yourself and it gives some focus so that you can start to unpick the fearful situation. Have a good think about the root cause of the fear. The list is endless but here are a few examples: Are you in a toxic or unhealthy relationship/friendship but you fear being alone? Do you fear travelling abroad because something terrible might happen? Do you fear failure of any kind because it would make you a lesser person? Do you fear speaking up or telling your truth because you’re afraid of rejection or criticism? Do you fear success because you feel like an imposter? Are you fearful about the state of the planet and the politicians ruling it? Is someone else voicing their fear about you and your situation? If you highlight the part that’s worrying you as I have, you will start to recognise where the issue lies. You can see that the fear is attached to a perceived outcome, a response from another and a whole lot of limiting beliefs that you are telling yourself. Fear likes to lie to keep you firmly in its grip. However, Fear cannot control us or our situation unless we let it. But like a small child stamping its feet it vies for our attention. It makes us accept jobs we don’t love because we’re fearful we won’t make the rent. It makes us enter and commit to relationships that are wrong for us because we fear being lonely or being left on the shelf. But once you realise that fear is driving you and making you uncomfortable and unhappy you can learn to release it and banish it from your mind. Letting go of fear buys you a newfound freedom to make choices that your heart wants you to do. Fear can only really be destroyed by love so make sure you love what you do, you love who you spend time with. Don’t surround yourself with fearful people and the best thing I ever did to eradicate a fearful mindset was to stop watching the news. No news is good news, so they say. Release fear and let love in. Love is the big E that we all need to work from. As a Bach Flower practitioner I am interested and invested in human emotions. For anyone unaware of the Bach flowers, they are essences derived from certain flowers that once administered orally set about to shift difficult and unpleasant emotions that have risen to the surface. There are 38 separate flowers in the Bach collection that treat things like guilt, envy and overwhelm to name but a few and if you’ve ever taken Rescue remedy (a combination of 5 of the flowers) for exam nerves or anxiously dropped it in your mouth before a dentist’s appointment or are a nervous flyer, then you’ll have an idea how effective these essences can be. Fear is behind so many difficult feelings, so the remedies are a good starting place. If you would like to explore any difficult emotions and learn how to shift them, contact me to discuss the Bach Flowers and how they can help you find emotional freedom. Follow me on www.louisacox.com to read the next blog. The big E’s – the emotions that shape us – Part two – Love. Love Louisa x

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for a while now and after reading a similar Instagram post written by another massage therapist, I decided to pen my thoughts around body image and some of the thought processes that are commonplace when people book in for a massage. I hope to alleviate any of the worries and concerns that you may bring to the experience so to fully engage and benefit from one of the most immersive and nurturing therapies you will ever come across. Zoom back 30 years. With a stressful, deadline focused job which found me turning up in different countries with changing time zones, I was looking for ways to switch off, find some calm and give my body a well needed rest and opted for a massage experience at a local spa. As life was busy, I gave little thought about my mismatched underwear, my chipped nail polish and the huge boil that had taken residence on my back. No part of my body had seen sight of a razor or, as it was at the time, hot wax for quite a while. I hadn’t done any exercise for months and my stomach sat uncomfortably over my knicker line. I wasn’t looking pretty and I hadn’t prepared for the tumbling thoughts of wanting to look preened in front of another But its only when we need to get semi naked and especially in front of strangers that these things seem to matter and the mental chatter usually goes something like this. ‘What if she/he catches sight of my out-of-control pubic hair? I’ll be mortified!’, ‘I haven’t shaved my armpits or legs, please don’t judge me!’ or ‘I have spots and thread veins, I’m not perfect’ or ‘I’m overweight, what will she/he think? I know you think these things because I have too but why are we so bothered? As small children we ran around the garden, splashing in and out of the paddling pool wearing nothing but sunscreen and nobody gave a hoot. Our parents thought it was cute. But as our bodies developed the parenting styles of the past taught us to feel ashamed, vulnerable, and self-conscious if we exposed too much skin and God forbid if we left the house wearing skirts too many inches above the knee. Times have changed, but now we endure the obsession to look perfect in every way and if we don’t there’s a filter that will do the job. It’s a mind field at times and whether we think we care or not, we mostly, all have that niggling voice of imperfection that comes out of hiding when you are about to get undressed in front of a stranger. So here is what you need to know from the experience of a well trained and qualified massage therapist. One of the first things we learn as massage students is how to dress the massage couch. We place towels, blankets, or light duvets in a way that when you are lying down and waiting for your treatment the only part of you that is visible is the front or back of your head depending on the preferred approach of your therapist. More importantly, before you get to the couch and the part where we ask you to remove your clothes (I always ask for underpants to remain on) we will hold a towel up so we can’t see you or we simply leave the room and let you de robe and settle on the couch in privacy. Once the treatment starts, we are trained to move the covering about the body so that the only area of skin or limb that is exposed is the part to be worked on. If we catch sight of a bruise, spot, scar, or varicose vein our only interest is if it is to be avoided as we don’t want to cause pain or discomfort. If you have hairy legs, un pedicured toenails etc we really don’t care. It won’t affect how we treat you and the likely hood is we have too! As for worrying about having the perfect body, believe me this doesn’t matter. I don’t believe in perfect and perfect to who anyway? Curvy, large, slim, tall, short, bodies all benefit from a good massage. Massage doesn’t discriminate. As a holistic massage therapist, I am just as interested in how the treatment affects your overall wellbeing, lowers your blood pressure, and regulates the nervous system as I am about your physical body. If you fall asleep, I’ve done my job and if you snore a little, I do a little internal happy dance. Massage is for everybody and anybody. See you on the couch soon, Louisa x Holistic Massage therapist www.louisacox.com

Fancy some grog mate? It’s Australia 2003 and two friends are enjoying a beer together as they often do. On this occasion though Travis Malone and Luke Slattery get talking about moustaches. The once popular in the 70’s trend had all but disappeared and the two guys from Melbourne joke that they should bring the Moustache back. Inspired by a friend’s mother who was raising money for breast cancer they decide to grow a moustache to raise awareness of one of the biggest threats to men’s health, that of prostate cancer. By persuading 30 friends to ‘grow a mo.’ by sending out an email with the title ‘are you man enough to be my man?’ the beginning of a new level of awareness around men’s health began. The Movember movement has gained momentum year on year and now boasts a staggering 6 million Mo bros and Mo Sisters supporting the cause and raising funds to be channelled back into men’s health, facilitating better conversations, awareness, research and help for our brothers who might not ordinarily have the dialogue or the support to embrace and get help for health problems, mental or physical. These days it’s not only prostate and testicular cancer but also men’s mental health that is in the spotlight during this month of Movember. With the knowledge that suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under the age of 45 this is important and without movements like Movember our men would struggle to get the support they so desperately need. It gets me thinking about the men in my life. My father, my uncle, my brother-in-law, my friend’s sons, my nephew, and my male friends. Looking around me it is easy to see how men came to struggle with the idea of open dialogue around their health and how admitting to a problem can often be felt as a weakness. One of my best buddies is a guy who I’ve known for 12 years and whose been an absolute rock for the last two. There is no romantic connection between us, more a sister, brother friendship which developed into a strong alliance in the aftermath of my own mental health crisis. I was coming to terms with the effects of a severe depression, and he it turned out, was still reeling from the breakup of a relationship with the love of his life. The woman he planned to marry and have children with, was, only 8 months after their separation, doing both with another man. What I noticed was that whilst my friend was able to be a rock and a power of strength for me, he was finding it hard to deal with his own pain. He wanted to cry. I could hear it in his voice. It was years of being raised to believe that ‘big boys don’t cry’ and that he had to ‘be a man’ about things that stopped him from even knowing how to start the conversation about much he was suffering mentally and emotionally. It took a lot of gentle persuasion and reassurance from me that it was ok to be feeling the way he did, that he was a great friend and able to support everyone around him, but he was also allowed to break down and for his hopes and dreams to shatter in no particular order, all over the floor. I told him he would only start to heal once he’d acknowledged to himself that he was in an emotional black hole and that it was ok to be vulnerable. It was ok to admit to the world that he was struggling. He, like me just wanted some love and understanding. He, like me is a mere mortal. A human. Men and woman are not so different in the very human need to feel, and to admit to being scared and fearful but history and expectations about how a man should behave have led to a crisis in men’s ability to open themselves up. The fear of being vulnerable and the fear of being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness are real and the need to admit those things and be able to get help is crucial. Education and being given the ability to talk openly is quite literally saving men’s life through movements like Movember. In the UK we have made a few waves when it comes to how society feels about men’s roles and the importance they play within the family for example. These days men can change nappies, take paternity leave (although only for a week or two) and some choose to leave their jobs to look after the children. This is a well needed change from the traditional expectations of what a man ‘should ‘be but there is still a general idea that men are the stronger of the species. That men are indestructible. That men are stoic and showing emotion is weak. As woman we say ‘men get it easy’ because they don’t have to contend with fluctuating hormones in the way we do and will never know the pain of childbirth. However, men are expected to be tough through whatever life throws at them and even within their own sex they battle with what they can say to each other and how they are perceived by their fellow brothers. Men are more likely to get into physical fights and these days with knife crime at an all-time high are just as vulnerable as woman, just in different ways. Men are expected to be brave and strong always. I don’t think it’s that easy. As a woman or a Mo Sister, I recognise men in all their suffering and admire a man when he is honest and open. It's what I look for in a relationship and a friendship with the men I meet. I love men. There are bad ones but there are bad woman too. So, if you have an important man or men in your life, ask them how they are, persuade them to get a medical check and encourage a bit of top lip hair growth during this month of Movember. There’s still time. Let’s keep raising awareness around men’s health. Mo Bros and Mo Sisters unite and together we can help save our precious men.

For many years I have been bothered by the subject of food poverty or more recently the food insecurity so many of us are experiencing. The very fact that there are people who can’t afford to put a decent meal on the table, parents going without so that their children can eat and the reality of having to choose between bills and a basic need is unfortunately as relevant today as in the last few decades. With an already fragile economy we’ve navigated Brexit, a global pandemic, and an unstable political party whose motto turned out to be ‘do as I say, not as I do’. Two years ago, we learnt a new word - Furlow. This year we have learnt a new phrase – The cost-of-living crisis. Yet again the subject of food and affordability has raised its unwanted head. Growing up I was protected from the harsh realities of food insecurity. We always had enough, and the subject wasn’t part of our everyday existence. That is until images of starvation started to appear on our TV screens. Being a teenager in the 1980’s saw me suddenly exposed to news reports from Ethiopia. Due to years of Civil war, drought, and an inability of the government to control the grain market, Ethiopia was hurtling towards Famine. Harrowing and difficult scenes of emaciated children and babies filled every news report. It was nothing short of heart-breaking. In 1985 the front man for the band The Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof, had had enough. He was as incensed by what he was seeing as the rest of us and used his creativity and passion to find a solution to ease and support the deadly famine that was playing out in Africa. Together with his friend Midge Ure (from the band Ultravox), he pulled together the biggest names in Rock and Pop and staged the once in a lifetime concert, Live Aid. Queen, Wham, The Who and many more were just some of the acts who took part in the marathon 16-hour concert that spanned both the UK and the US and was broadcast to 160 countries. Geldof wrote the song ‘do they know it’s Christmas? Under the charity Band Aid which featured similarly familiar artists. Live aid raised $127 million, and Band Aid raised $24 million. Fast forward 30 years and the spotlight is now on our own communities, our neighbours, family and friends. Individually we may be struggling to feed ourselves. We’re not experiencing famine and there is no lack of availability of food, but we are in a crisis. In 1967 the US opened its first food bank, and the Trussell Trust opened its first UK food bank in 2000. Foodbanks have served as a lifeline for people on low incomes and the number of food banks in the UK are increasing year on year. There once was a stigma felt by those using such services, as if they’d failed somehow, having to rely on handouts. But there is no shame in wanting to eat and I for one would not hesitate to get help where it is available. In fact, I can write with confidence about one food initiative that is close to my heart. In October 2021 I signed up to volunteer for a food initiative based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire called the Cherwell Larder https://www.cherwellcollective.com/about-us/cherwell-larder/ The brain child of American born Emily Connelly which started from her garage and now runs 3 days a week in the local community centre. Surplus food is collected from the main food hub in Oxford, independent businesses, and donations. In the UK we throw away 9.5 million tons of food waste in a single year. 8.4 million people in the UK are in food poverty. The Cherwell larder is part of a movement that prevents useable food going to land fill and in turn goes directly to the people who visit the larder. You don’t need to apply to come. Simply fill in a form to register and then turn up. The larder runs a café alongside the food hall using surplus food to serve some of the tastiest meals I’ve ever had. We ask for a donation but if you are struggling, we’ll never turn you away. The recent rise in food prices (currently food inflation has risen to over 14%) has seen the number of users grow and across the county the amount of food initiatives like the larder has risen from 100 to 200 in a couple of years. Because of this our current challenge is not getting enough or the variety of food that we were getting a couple of months ago. Surplus is now being spread thin. Supermarkets are better at redistributing surplus food, food arriving in wrong packaging, food past its sell by date (but still safe to eat) or foods that have been discontinued, but there is still so much more that can be done.’ It’s estimated that UK supermarkets donate over 7,800 tonnes. Sainsburys leads the way with 7.6% of its food donated. Tesco’s who pledged to end edible food waste by the end of 2018 ended 2019 with 81% of all surplus food going to humans or animals. According to Eco and Beyond ‘Retailers in Spain and France are doing better. They donate 118,000 and 100,000 of food respectively. France has even banned supermarkets from throwing out edible food’ It is my hope and the aim of many that as the cost-of-living crisis tightens its belt we can find creative ways to work with what we already have sitting in the warehouses of the UK’s grocery supply chain. Food is a basic need. If you are struggling to buy food look for your local foodbank or one of the many larders, fridges and pantries that now operate across the country. Louisa x

As we emerge out of the dark wintery months and into the lighter days of spring, we may find our focus is coming back to our diet and how we look and feel being at its optimum. It’s been a slightly challenging last year where many of us have found comfort in the arms of banana bread. We soothed our souls through comforting food and possibly drunk a lot more wine than we would have previously done. Anyone who has been involved in home schooling knows that the time to have a drink has got earlier and never felt more needed. As a weight loss -coach I work with people to achieve their weight loss goals. You’ve likely landed here for the same reasons. Do you have a few pounds or a couple of dress sizes to shift? The diet industry is vast and the type of diet you choose will vary from person to person. From Weight Watchers to the 5:2 fasting diet, each one bringing its own merits. But whichever diet you choose ( I can help you achieve weight loss though eating a balanced diet but more on that later) there are some useful pointers that will help you have a successful weight loss journey. I’ve put together some useful tips to help you along the way: Preparation When I embark on a diet, I like to spend a little time getting into the right mindset and preparing for the beginning of the start date. The week before you start, write a food diary or journal and record everything you eat and drink. It’ll help you identify where you need to make changes and act as a reminder of your habits as you go through your diet. Note the times, where you eat, your mood to highlight what you are eating when you are feeling fed up. Are you having TV dinners? Are you eating late at night? For the record we tend to munch down on high carb comfort food when we’re fed up or feeling low and we tend to eat quicker and snack more if we eat whilst watching TV. Eating late at night can increase your blood sugar levels and affect your sleep which can affect your memory and efficiency the next day. It is a good idea to carry on your food journal as you progress with your diet to help Keep you on track. Make it a mission and it will give you a real sense of achievement. · Get rid of unhealthy foods – It’s time to sort out the cupboards! In the lead up to a diet it’s always good to get rid of temptation. Donate those cakes, biscuits and crisps to willing neighbours or dare I say it, throw it away. Then have your healthy foods at hand so they are easy to get to. When on your diet · Drink more water during your diet to keep you hydrated and to stay healthy. Aim for 8 glasses a day. Water is not only good for hydration it helps you to lose weight too. Water has 0 calories and helps you to feel full. So often when we’re getting hunger pangs it's our body telling us it's thirsty. By drinking a glass of water before a meal, you will feel fuller and eat less too. Drinking water instead of sugary drinks or even sugar free drinks will retrain your body and tastebuds to enjoy less sugar, so you’ll crave fewer sweet treats and empty carbs. If you need help getting started drinking more water, try to drink a glass of water before each drink, each time you have a drink during the day. You could also try adding natural flavours to your water, like lemon juice, mint or fresh fruit slices. · Practice good sleep patterns. Weight loss hacks are not just about food and calories. They are about rest too. Rest and sleep are just as important for how your body functions and what your body craves. When you sleep you have more energy during the day, so your body craves fewer empty carbs and sugar to give you more energy. Have you noticed that all you want is sweets and pastries when you're super tired? Ways to improve your sleeping habits: o Turn off the TV and any electronics at least an hour before going to bed. o Have a relaxing bath, read a book, meditate, do yoga before going to bed to help you get a good night’s sleep o Stop drinking caffeine after 6pm o Start an exercise routine The more regular and good sleep you get, the happier your body will be. Making it Easier to get and stay healthy. · Cook your own meals. A great way to kick start weight loss and healthy eating is to cook your own food. Cooking your food from scratch will give you full control over the quality of ingredients, portions and calories that you put in your body. It’s the first step to taking control of your food. Eating pre -packed foods that are made to be kept on the shelves don’t nourish your body. · Meal Plan. This is hugely important when it comes to successful dieting. Setting out your meals for a week ahead of time not only means you won’t only have loads of tempting foods around, but it’ll also be kind to your pocket. You buy only what you need. It’ll help you stick to your plan and you get to be in control of the recipes and what you eat. · Keep healthy foods close. If you’re going to snack, then make it healthy and have them close to hand. Snacks get a bad name in dieting because we often reach for overly processed, sugar high, salt high and fat high snacks. Lots of flavour but lots of calories too. Go for low sugar alternatives like nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruits, beef jerky, dark chocolate, high protein foods like cottage cheese and boiled eggs and full fat Greek yoghurt. Do be careful of portion size here though as foods like nuts contain fat, its beneficial fat but too much still racks up the calories. · Learn portion control. Portion sizes are getting larger and larger despite the need to eat less. Restaurants and takeaway portions are way too big. One portion can easily exceed your calorie needs for an entire day. It’s all about understanding what you need and eating just that. Do the full test. If you eat slowly and mindfully learn to recognise when you are ‘full’. Although we have been raised to ‘finish your plate’ if we eat more than our body needs, the food will be stored as extra fat. · Spice things up. If you want to make your new healthy lifestyle interesting and wanting you coming back for more then add some spice or flavour to your food. Many people on a diet produce bland and boring food. I know I won’t stick to a diet if my food doesn’t taste interesting. Add spices, homemade sauces and marinades to really spice things up. Add things like sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, dried herbs, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ground ginger and coconut sugar · Learn to spot sugar. Identifying the sugar amount and sources in your food is essential to getting healthy. Contrary to what you may think sugar is not just found in desserts, soft drinks and sweet foods. Sugar is everywhere, in canned food, in junk food in bread and even in many snacks that are advertised as healthy. To identify the sugar, make sure you read the label on everything and stay away from anything that has added sugar. One way to recognise sugar in food labels is by the ‘ose’ suffix. Sucrose, maltose, fructose, galactose, high fructose corn syrup is sugar just under a different name. · To reduce sugar intake: o Drink water instead of sugar filled drinks o Homemade sauces instead of canned sauces with lots of sugar o Identify the names of sugar o Use healthier alternatives for sweeteners like coconut sugars and raw honey o Avoid artificial sweeteners Remember if you see brown sugar, fruit juice, malt syrup or organic cane juice they are still refined sugar no matter how lovely they sound. · Use your blender. One fantastic and simple way to get your vitamins and minerals in is to make juices or smoothies. Simply place your chosen ingredients into the machine and press start. It’s a great way to start the day and to really combine a lot of goodness that are low calorie, natural and tasty. And finally….forgive yourself. If you slip off the diet wagon don’t give yourself a hard time. It’s usually a matter of not if but when. We’re human right. Forgive yourself, dust yourself off and go again. Happy dieting folks Louisa x

Around about a year ago I walked into a date with all of the enthusiasm of a woman looking forward to a lovely lunch with an equally lovely sounding guy. We’d been chatting for a while and had decided to meet up in London as I happened to be there for a course I was attending. The conversation was engaged, quick witted and fun. We talked about mental health ( oh the irony, it would turn out) as he was a composer writing music for a new mental health app. Everything was going just fine. Little did I realise that things were about to take a different turn. About half -way in I started to experience an intense heat. Overheating and starting to sweat. My hearing started to morph from crystal clear to the sensation of being under water. I could barely hear what my date was saying. It was when my heart started pounding and feeling like it was about to burst out of my chest that it became clear to me that I was suffering from severe panic or what we know as a panic attack. I made my excuses and gingerly made my way to the restrooms to try and slow down my breathing which by this point had cottoned on to the complete mayhem going on in my body. My date was a perfect gentleman and walked me along the Thames to help me calm down, but the sheer embarrassment of the occasion meant that date 2 never materialised. However, over the next few weeks I carried on with my newly formed business, rushing from job to job as a massage therapist, writing talks and generally not knowing when to put the laptop away. What I had missed with my experience that day in London was that my body was warning me to slow down. In 72 hours, I had left a paid job to start on my own in the form of complete self- employment, driven to London to do a full days training in seated chair massage, got completely lost on the North circular stressed to the eyeballs trying to find Richmond and then engaged in a two-hour date with a relative stranger. This was a warning sign that, like most of us do, I choose to ignore. If I’d been listening more closely to my body, I may well have avoided the level of anxiety I started to experience in the coming months. I’m happy to report that my experience with severe anxiety is now under control. I can finally breathe again. But It did get me wanting to learn more about how to prevent or control anxiety. I realised that by making a variety of lifestyle changes you can really help manage anxiety. Anxiety is a widespread condition affecting millions of people all over the world, symptoms vary, and some people only experience it now and again but if your one of the unlucky ones who has prolonged anxiety of over 6 months then you may be diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder or GAD. The symptoms of GAD include phycological and physical symptoms such as fear, tension, excessive worry about everyday events and problems, irritability, difficulty concentrating, issues with relationships (personal, social and work) heart palpitations and elevated heart rate, muscle tension and chest tightness. Anxiety has been on the rise since the global pandemic has struck with the uncertainty of job security, the fear and reality of becoming ill and the grief of losing loved ones. Treatments include talking therapies like CBT ( Cognitive behavioural therapies) and medication can help be it chemical or natural. Being a nutrition coach, I have become increasingly interested in the role of certain foods for managing anxiety and the following are must haves to be included in your diet to help prevent or manage anxiety. Eating a diet high in vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains and lean protein can help.Research suggests that proper nutrition can help improve symptoms. Foods that help anxiety Brazil Nuts – the humble brazil nut comes high in something called Selenium. It is thought that selenium may improve the mood by reducing inflammation which is often heightened when someone has a mood disorder like anxiety or depression. Selenium is also an antioxidant which helps prevent cell damage. It is also anti-carcinogenic which helps to prevent cancer from developing. Other nuts, animal products and vegetables such as mushrooms and soybeans are an excellent source of selenium. Enjoy just 3 -4 brazil nuts daily being careful not to take in too much selenium as this has been seen to cause some side effects. Brazil Nuts and other nuts are also a good source of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant. Antioxidants can be beneficial for treating anxiety. Recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/brazil-banana-bread Fatty Fish – Foods such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout and herring are high in Omega 3. Omega 3 is a fatty acid that has a strong relationship with cognitive function as well as mental health. Omega 3 rich foods that contain Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) provides two essential fatty acids EPA and DHA. Both of these regulate neurotransmitters, reduce inflammation and promote healthy brain function. Current recommendations suggest eating at least two servings a week. Salmon and sardines are also an excellent source of vitamin D. Researchers are increasingly linking vitamin D deficiency to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Recipe: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/salmon_traybake_53794 Eggs – Egg yolks are another great source of vitamin D and also an excellent source of protein. It is a complete protein meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids that the body need for growth and development. Eggs also contain Tryptophan which is an amino acid that helps create serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood, sleep, memory and behaviour. Serotonin is also thought to improve brain function and relieve anxiety. Recipe: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spanish_tortilla_78863 Pumpkin Seeds – Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of Potassium which helps regulate electrolyte balance and manages blood pressure. Eating potassium rich foods such as pumpkin seeds and bananas may help reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety. Pumpkin seeds are also enriched with zinc. A recent study found that zinc deficiency may negatively affect mood. Zinc is essential for brain and nerve development. The largest stress sites of zinc in the body are in the brain regions involved with emotions. Recipe: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pumpkin_and_sunflower_54035 Dark Chocolate – Studies have generally found that dark chocolate or cocoa may improve mood. It is a rich source of Polyphenols especially flavonoids. One study has suggested that flavonoids might reduce neuroinflammation and cell death in the brain as well as improve blood flow. Chocolate has a high tryptophan content which the body uses to turn into mood enhancing neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the brain. Dark chocolate is also a good source of magnesium. Eating a diet with enough magnesium in it or taking supplements may reduce symptoms of depression. When choosing dark chocolate aim for 70% or higher. Recipe: https://www.oetker.co.uk/uk-en/recipe/r/double-chocolate-and-raspberry-muffins Turmeric – Is a spice commonly used in Indian and South East Asian cooking. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Curcumin may help lower anxiety by reducing inflammation and oxidising stress that often increase in people experiencing mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Turmeric is easy to add to meals. It has minimal flavour, so goes well in smoothies, curries and casserole dishes. Recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/turmeric-pancakes Chamomile – Commonly used herbal remedy because of its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and relaxant properties. Some people believe that the relaxant properties and anti-anxiety properties come from flavonoids present in chamomile. Chamomile tea may be useful in managing anxiety. It is readily available and safe to use in high doses. Recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gin-free-gt Yoghurt – yoghurt contains healthy bacteria. There is emerging evidence that the bacteria and fermented products have positive effects on brain health. According to recent clinical review, yoghurt and other dairy products may produce anti-inflammatory effects in the body. Including yoghurt and other fermented food in the diet can benefit the natural gut bacteria and may reduce anxiety and stress. Fermented foods include cheese, sauerkraut and kimchi. Recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lemon-yogurt-chicken-flatbreads Green Tea – Green tea contains an amino acid called theanine which is receiving increasing scrutiny due to its potential effects on mood disorders. Theanine has anti-anxiety and calming effects and may increase the production of serotonin and dopamine. It has been found that 200mg of theanine improved self- reported relaxation and calmness while reducing tension in human trials. Green tea is easy to add to the daily diet and is a good replacement for soft drinks, coffee and alcoholic beverages. Recipe: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-iced-green-tea-with-ginger-mint-and-honey-recipes-from-the-kitchn-207387 So, I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog and that you go ahead and include these particular foods into your diets. Your mind and body may thank you. As for the dating…there’s always 2021 to look forward too! Love Louisa

When it comes to our Immune System and keeping it healthy, we generally look at ways to fix our diet through eating more of certain foods. All well and good. However, there is a rather large part of our bodies that is often left out of the equation. Did you know that our skin is our largest organ and one third of the toxins in our systems are excreted through it. By dry brushing the skin regularly you can really boost your immune system whilst giving your skin a glow, improve your circulation and reduce cellulite. What’s not to like quite frankly. Dry brushing ( brushing the skin with a brush that has natural bristles) is an age- old practice that has grown in popularity again in recent years. It’s become an essential inclusion into any beauty regime whilst offering Immune System boosting benefits too. More specifically, dry body brushing stimulates the Lymphatic System which is a network of lymph vessels connecting the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes filter the foreign bodies or nasties that we don’t want hanging around in our systems and help towards the overall detoxification process further down the line. This along with the benefits of soft skin ( when combined with moisturising) and smoother looking skin are enough reason to include this practice into your self-care routine. How to Dry Brush the skin Dry Brush before you shower or bathe. The general rule of thumb is to use your dry brush to brush skin in long vertical motions upwards towards the next section. Circle around the joints ( ankles, knees and hips) in a clockwise motion. For each area repeat motion 4-5 times. To break the routine down into sections, move brush from bottom to top or towards the direction of the heart. From feet to ankles, from ankles to knees and knees to hips. Be gentle around sensitive parts of the body. The brushing motion should be firm but not uncomfortable. At the arms start with the hands and use long vertical motions towards your elbows, circling around the elbow and then the upper arm towards the shoulder. Next, shower or bathe in warm water and thoroughly clean the skin. A good thing to do if in the shower is to turn the water to a ‘bearable’ cold temperature. This will close the pores. If you are really brave, then you could practice the Wim Hoff* style of cold-water showering. Pat skin with towel to dry Finish with applying your skin moisturiser all over. Here I like to use a luxurious body oil* , which helps to make the experience truly nourishing and Spa like. Wear floaty cotton clothes and waft around the house. You will feel amazing. People and Products: www.wimhofmethod.com – follow Wim to learn how to shower in cold temperatures to further boost your skins circulation. www.la-eva.com – for the most luxurious body lotions and body oil. Local, Vegan, Organic and simple luxury. www.avene.co.uk – Body lotions for sensitive and dry skins. Covers all skin types. www.amazon.co.uk – See Ithyes Dry Body brush - £6.85 or Myltp Bath Body Brush with Natural fibres - £6.85 Happy brushing! For now Louisa x

At the moment more than any time we can remember we are finding ourselves being tested. Being cut off from normal human interaction and the not knowing just how long it will be that we can wildly run around hugging our friends and family, or share any kind of space with each other is just starting to take effect. Social distancing is our new normal, and If like me, you are one of the thousands of Self-employed, doubt and fear for your financial security may have replaced the enthusiasm and passion you normally hold for building and growing your business. However, as fate would have it, we are creatures of survival. We’re learning to continue our exercise via Zoom and have group chats via Street Party and what’s App. None of it is the same but it’ll do for now. We will inevitably discover new things that we hadn’t realised existed and develop new skills (I can’t stop baking) or give time to the things we’ve always wanted to do. Some of us will be changed forever. We just don’t know how yet. And how do we cope emotionally when we have been forced to isolate ourselves from our very habitual and animal instincts of interaction with others? These days are bringing our very relationship with ourselves and our interactions with others into question and into the spotlight. One friend I know is totally on her own, another has a house full of 7. Neither rarely works well after a few days. How is this all impacting your emotional health? If you’re apart from family, you may find yourself worrying about their safety. If you’re alone and generally find it difficult to reach out to other’s, then this will test you. Are you anxious and generally worried about the unknown? Let me introduce you to the Bach Flower Remedies. A set of emotional aids that gently remove negative emotional thought processes or treat emotional discomfort. Available from most chemists, the Rescue Remedy may have already helped you out in a stressful situation. Most people already know about the quick results that this combination of flower remedies (5 in total) can bring. Used frequently for times when feelings of terror and shock, trauma and fright have taken over. What you may not have cottoned on to is the fact that these 5 remedies are part of a larger set of 38. They’re easy to take, natural and perfectly safe. A set of remedies that are complete in their inclusion for treatment of any type of negative emotion. My go to whenever I notice that I’m over worrying about every little thing is Mimulus or when I’m worried about my daughter, Red Chestnut. When I find that people around me are pushing my buttons and testing my tolerance levels, I take Beech. The inevitably of the enormity of it all at times sees me reaching for Elm which is to be taken for Overwhelm. It’s in times like these that our emotional health will be tested and so these remedies can be really helpful. They can’t do you any harm, upon instruction they are simple to use and they don’t interfere with any current medications nor do they have unpleasant side effects. The remedies are tinctures to be taken orally. You may only need one or a combination of up to 7, being the maximum number at any one time. If it’s a combination of remedies that your current moods are reflecting then a 30ml mixing bottle, spring water and a tiny amount of brandy are required to complete a treatment bottle which you will take over the course of approximately 3 weeks. The remedies will do the rest. You will find that things won’t bother you in the same way and things you have fixated upon simply disappear as a thought process. You may think this witchcraft or the placebo effect but whichever I have many positive lines of feedback from clients and my own astonishing results to know that there is power behind these plants chosen and intuited by Dr Bach back in the 1930’s. Dr Bach devised this system to be simple. So that anybody can use the remedies. And it is that simple. Most of though can have a hard time tuning into our emotions and its often easier to let someone else question your thought processes and what lies behind the feelings of fear, anxiety, apathy and the like. As you get started with using the remedies it is advisable to seek out a Practitioner who is trained in the art of questioning, to seek out the correct emotions that have taken a negative turn and therefore put together a remedy bottle that is unique to you. Instruction on how to take the plant medicine will also be clearly laid out. In these times where face to face interaction has been halted, I am offering a consultation and delivery service via email or phone. If you would like to know anymore about the remedies or would like to book a consultation, then please contact me via my website. For now, I wish you peace and harmony Louisa X

Something that I have practiced for quite a long time is the art of planning my food shops to make sure that myself and my daughter always eat a balanced diet. It helps us stay within a budget and saves us from the daily stress of having to work out the answer to ‘what’s for dinner?’ I’ve never been a fan of having to think about food and shopping each day whilst navigating work and other life commitments but then never has it been so relevant to get the most out of your shop and to cut down on visits to the supermarket as it is now. I know, I know, the thought of planning for the week ahead seems like a mammoth task and possibly daunting but I promise the work all happens upfront on one evening and then the rest naturally unfolds into an organised and stress- free event. I promise. Besides, what better time than now to create this new habit, get the family involved and have some fun? So how do you go about it? First, choose an evening, preferably the same one each week to write your meal plan. I opt for a Friday night. Doing this on a Friday night leaves me with Saturday as my shopping day ( be it physically going to the shops or ordering online) and then if I’m feeling super organised (and running out of things to do) I’ll do some *batch cooking on the Sunday. I tend to work on meal planning between Monday to Friday, allowing for the weekend to be more of a free flow. Maybe a pizza delivery here or a Chinese there. In more normal times, dinner at a friend’s or trying out that lovely new restaurant in town…. Sigh. By the way, I’m not really advocating take always as a permanent weekend fixture but merely giving yourself some flexibility will stop this from feeling too rigid. Rest assured there will be many healthy recipe versions of our favourite take-aways in Newsletters to come. Workout who and how many mouths you have to feed for Lunch and Dinner for each of the chosen days. If one of the members of the family is working on the frontline in hospital at the moment for example then figure out if they will eat the same but later, will they need something to take with them or will they be eating food provided from elsewhere. It’s likely that a vast majority of you reading this will be at home at the moment but each family or person (if you’re on your own) will have their own unique ‘whose home for lunch and dinner?’ timetable or ‘What do I fancy today? List. Some people recommend doing food planning for dinner only, but I like to cover all bases. This is especially relevant at the moment. I personally like to make sure there’s enough breakfast foods stocked up and the same for lunch. Next is the fun bit. If you’re anything like me you may covert a huge pile of recipe books, recipes acquired from others and magazines. If unlike me, you don’t there’s always the internet. The world is literally your oyster. I love mixing it up and having a fish- based dish one night followed by a vegan bean chilli the next. This is because I love food and eat practically everything. You may be a *vegetarian, *vegan or a *flexitarian and anything else in between. Whichever your food choices there are simply loads of recipes to be had. Once I’ve chosen my recipes, I then write a Menu for each of the days that includes lunch and dinner. I stick that on the fridge as a simple go to reminder. On a separate sheet I then list all of the ingredients needed for the chosen recipes. I must note that at this point (and before I venture out) I check the cupboards for anything that I already own. There’s nothing more annoying and expensive than buying spices and tomato puree to then get home and realise you already have them. If you have children at home with you then get them involved too. Let them choose a day in which they plan the menu and even better encourage them to be the chef for their chosen day. So, it’s that simple really. Just a bit of concentrated time will leave you loads of extra time to do what you want to do, take the daily stress out of having to think about food, stop you from having to go out regularly and exposing yourself to the potential of the virus and build in a huge variety of different foods. Using the meal planning method of eating will result in less waste and you will save you money by only buying what is needed. No more buying a huge bag of carrots when you only need 2 for a recipe. Top Tips If you shop on-line you can quite literally see how much your spending. My sister does a cross comparison by having 3 different well know supermarkets up on her screen at the same time. The one showing the cheapest total wins every-time. This is worth doing if you want to go this step further as all supermarkets will have their own deals on at any one time, but this is for the hard-core budget planners amongst us and only if you are really struggling for things to do! Make double the amount for the next day or for recipes that can be frozen. Leftovers are fantastic for next day lunches too. Buy foods that you know you love but also try a new dish a week. Just to keep it fun and experimental. This is a very practical approach to eating so throw in a curve ball and have some fun along the way. Terminology and fun facts Vegetarian - a person who does not eat meat or fish, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons. Vegan - a person who does not eat or use animal products. Flexitarian - a person who has a primarily vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish. Pescatarian - a person who does not eat meat but does eat fish. Foodie - a person with a particular interest in food; a gourmet. Or Me! Batch Cooking –is simply the act of preparing and/or cooking larger portions of different foods, meant to be mixed and matched to create versatile meals throughout the week Happy planning! Warm wishes Louisa

Being a Holistic Massage Therapist I’ve always been much more interested in ‘prevention rather than cure’ when it comes to our wellbeing. Consequently, I have a steady stream of clients who visit once a week or at least very regularly, for a massage. It helps keep them in balance and give them some ‘self’ time. They are fully aware of the benefits of full body relaxation and the wonderfully healing effect it has on the nervous system. The use of therapeutic oils play to the senses through smell and also absorb into the skin and further add to the joyous and healing experience. I’d say that mostly these visits have sprung from a need to ‘tune out’ and find some rest bite in a world that throws up a countless number of stresses. Stress untreated throws up all sorts of other feelings and anxiety and depression can take a firm grip if we don’t take measures to help ourselves through our challenges. In my 20’s I’d always noticed how the regularity of massage therapy really helped me through the challenges of young adulthood. Moving away from home with few supporting influences and a fast paced, travel heavy career, saw my energy depleted on many an occasion and massage was always my go to. Not only did my body and mind feel calmer and more nurtured, I always felt supported . There was a sense of feeling empowered due to the fact I had taken my health into my own hands. Ok. Physically somebody else’s hands but you get what I mean. For most of us though our thought to turn to self- nurture and serious self- care when the going gets tough is often far down the list of essentials and the idea of seeking out massage therapy as a form of real help in such times just a mere whisper of an idea. Wouldn’t that be lovely? What a treat that would be! I’ve noticed that there can be a feeling of self -indulgence at the mere mention and maybe the idea of laying down for an hour without any of your normal distractions just seems unnecessary. So as a reminder that’s its essential to look after yourself well and establishing and maintaining good habit brings amazing things, here’s a reminder of the benefits of regular massage: It helps to decrease stress Encourages positive hormone production Reduces aches and pains Improves energy levels It brings with it the healing power of ‘touch’ and connection Massages feel good Plain and simple. Next Month: What is QI Gong?

Holy Moly! I’ve been walking around this for an age….no more procrastination…. I’m diving in and getting this out! The desire to write this blog has been borne from the wish to share with you, all of the wonderful things and people that I have come across, things personally experienced and work with, to help turn uncomfortable and unpleasant feelings and emotions towards the lighter side of happiness, healing and just plain ‘feeling better’. I have always been inquisitive and open to trying many different forms of healing whether it be through physical movement, nutrition and diet or spiritual and energetic development. For those reasons I naturally morphed from someone who was a designer in a very unfeeling yet creative corporate environment to an independent Holistic therapist who works with massage, energy healing, the Bach Flower Remedies. I’ll admit to a mild obsession with ‘we are what we eat’ and everything that comes with it, the seed of which started in Domestic Science classes way back when and has continued to capture my attention resulting in me becoming a Nutrition Coach. So much to talk about I can barely wait to get going! For now though I’m writing this as it’s the countdown to Christmas so it’s huge love to you all and I will emerge the other side in January 2020 with my first blog: Massage. Treat or Treatment.