INSPIRING SOULS - The 'Fit as a Fiddle' Edition.

Today another inspiring soul joins the ranks. This lady is the real deal. She talks the talk, walks the walk, and practices what she preaches. Jennifer Birkhead is a mama of two beautiful girls, owner and founder of 'Vivid Health and Fitness'. She is a personal trainer with a heart the size of Texas. She is on a mission to change the world and, by gosh, will she ever! Let's meet Jen.

1. Describe your health approach in three words.

Consistent. authentic. achievable.

2. How did you gain your ‘health nut’ status? 

I've been a fitness freak for a long time but my health journey evolved a lot with the birth of my two daughters. I wanted to be the best role model I could, I wanted to impart as much knowledge as I could. I wanted to empower them with this information so that being "healthy" was a very natural state for them. I am very much about walking the walk so I had to embrace this life to share it with them, and all those I meet. The way I see it is you don't know what you don't know. Don't use this as an excuse, use this as a reason to get curious. I love to learn and to share knowledge.

3. What is the most over used ingredient in your kitchen?

Used: probably coconut oil…. consumed: probably bananas - the happy fruit!

4. What have been the greatest challenges for you in your quest for total health?

As a reformed sugar freak I could say cutting out the lollies and chocolate but to be honest once I was on this path that was an easy choice as it is now all about what foods nourish me from a cellular level. 

I think probably the most challenging this has been the wanting to 'change/heal' the world NOW but having to be patient and have faith in the Compound Effect ;)

5. Who are your greatest influences and inspirations?

Influences: As a group fitness instructor I hold the Les Mills program creators in high esteem, for their energy and passion to fight globesity.

Inspiration for me comes from everything around me rather than 'celebrity'. Inspiration comes from being able to see into someone's life and what they have accomplished, what the stand for, what they do. There are MANY people I work with who inspire me daily.

As a mother my own Mum is a HUGE inspiration to me. She is so much more than a Mum, she is my best friend and my rock.

My children inspire me to be everything I possibly can in this life.

6. What has been your most radical change? 

Thos who knew me before this journey would agree that the turn around when it comes to sugar - lollies and chocolate - has been a huge one!!! 

7. Recipe for success? 

Know your 'why'. Don't do something because it's cool or because someone else told you to. Get curious ask questions and know why YOU want to do something. When you know 'why' you are doing something you will do it even when it seems hard.

Surround yourself with likeminded souls, who lift you up, not tear you down.

Live in Gratitude, everyday.

8. Describe your perfect day. 

Waking at my leisure (a novelty when you have kids! - I am a night owl…) with a view of the ocean, sun shining.

A beach walk followed by breakfast of fruit, nuts and seeds with natural yoghurt cinnamon and raw honey with my three loves - hubby and two girls.

Cuddles and giggles with the kids.

A HIIT workout.

Beach with the family to build sandcastles and play in the waves.

Healthy lunch of a green smoothie or some sort of veggie delight.

Reading.

Boardgames and bedtime stories.

Scrummy dinner (that I don't have to prepare!) a wine and great conversation with my man.

9. What are your words to live by?

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

10. Message for the wannabe wellies? 

Health is the natural state of being for the human body. It is only what we do or do not do that alters that. Nourish your body, inspire your mind, embrace your life. Live like you mean it.

Blessings and abundant gratitude for today's Inspiring Soul x

WARM FUZZY FRIDAY - The Simple Life Edition

HAPPY FRIDAY! I apologise that my entries have been rather sparse of late. These past few weeks have been absolutely crazy. I've used today's Fuzzy Friday post to remind myself of what truly matters in life. That 'busyness' often is the number one thief of happiness. Riding out this last wave of 'busy' and then looking forward to welcoming the 'simple life' with open arms! Who else is feeling the craziness in the air at the moment? Let's chill the bleep out and take a second to be mindful of what's really important. Love and kindness, baby!

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Blessings and oodles of weekend love x

WARM FUZZY FRIDAY - Birthday Styles

Found here

I woke up this morning, to a beautifully whispered 'Happy birthday beautiful' from my darling, in a warm bed, with 25 years behind me and a hell of a full heart. Grateful doesn't come close. Blessed doesn't cut it either. Complete and utter overwhelm and the world's biggest smile...

The past year has been massive. Absolutely gargantuous. I have laughed, cried, smiled, hugged, stumbled, succeeded, been fearful, been brave, soul searched, green smoothied; I have been supported and loved by the world's greatest and most sparkling souls in my family and friends; I have worked my little butt off; I have trusted and loved and given thanks wholeheartedly. There is so much dang good in my life that I can't imagine how it gets much better, but then I wake up the next day and I am blessed with something else to be grateful for. Every single day I find things to say 'thank you' for, and as if by magic, more and more things pop up in my life that I am ever so grateful for.

It was exactly 12 months ago that I invested in myself and purchased the Lifestyle Transformation Guide - as a promise to myself to banish the self hate and clean up my thoughts, my health and my life. This program was an incredible turning point for me. It opened my eyes to the world around me, allowed me to step back and appreciate just how much magic was around, it encouraged me to honour my mind, body and soul and treat them accordingly and most importantly (or what I, at least, value the most) is that it set me on the path to my truest and most authentic self. 

I wake up every morning grateful for having another day to learn, grow, discover, share, inspire and be inspired; when I look at pictures of myself I see the story behind the smile or the laughter - I don't scrutinise over my appearance; I have the most incredible friends who make me so proud and feel oh so loved; my family are my rock and despite the distance now between us - they are embedded in my heart and are with me every day; I have a business that I love and I am determined to grow and fulfil my vision of service and support; I have interests and hobbies that make me 'me' and they have lit a fire in my belly that seems to grow in its power and strength every single day.

I am 25 years old and have been truly truly truly blessed. I will never stop being grateful, will never stop being positive, will never stop loving, will never stop caring, will never stop trusting, will never stop laughing, will never stop aspiring, will never stop dreaming, will never stop learning, will never stop saying 'thank you'.

So to all of you - friends, family, beautiful readers and supporters - thank you. Today YOU top my gratitude list. Thank you for making my life glisten and beam and shine and be sprinkled with magic erryday.

Blessings, gratitude, smiles, hugs and a big ol' piece of raw birthday cake for good measure x

WARM FUZZY FRIDAYS - The Lights of my Life Edition

Last week I attempted to assemble this post, write beautiful words, reference all the links and have it all click-ready for you by Friday afternoon - nek minut my computer crashed and I lost the beautiful post. So I will today keep it very short and sweet and leave you with a collection of images. And this simple notion - loved ones (family, friends, lovers/partners) make up our world, make the colours brighter, the tastes sweeter, the sounds more heavenly and our soul uplifted. This post is dedicated to MY support network - the incredible people that I have by my side and who I am never ever ever letting go.

Blessings and bucket loads of gratitude x

I WANT YOU - The Life Changing Hump Day Edition

Image found here

 

This image, in all it's glorious simplicity and modern tweaks, perfectly depicts where I am at right now. I'm looking at you, I'm strong and sure, I'm wearing a festive-as-fug hat and I sincerely want YOU to live your BEST life. Whatever that may mean for you. If that means a better job - I want that for you; better health - I want that for you; better relationships (friendship and romantic) - I want that for you; better income - I want that for you; better career - I want that for you; more energy - I want that for you; more gratitude and happiness - I want that for you. Believe it or not, the universe is abundant and infinite. If you get crystal clear on what you want, it delivers. But you need to get so dang clear on what it is that you want to come about, why you want it to come about and when you want it to come about. A beautiful friend of mine gave me the analogy of the universe being like the ocean, we can go to the ocean with a thimble and extract a tiny amount of water; we can go to it with a bucket and get a little more; we can go to it with a GIANT mother flippin' hose and likely won't even see a dent in water levels. The universe can't give us what we don't ask for and what we're not ready or prepared to receive. True story.

 

So what brings me to the blog today... Well I've been getting so clear on what it is I want, what goals and aspirations and scary big dreams I have ahead of me and where I want them to take me and why I want to get there. I have spent the past two weeks soul searching harder and further than I EVER have before. As a result, I am FEELING better than I ever have before. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - I am literally buzzing every day with anticipation and excitement and momentum when I think about what the future holds. But I needn't even think forward to the future because at the moment, my present is so dang good. Sure there are things that I would love to bring about, and I will, but my entire life right now is a direct result of how I have designed it and I take FULL responsibility for what's around me. And it's amazing. I have so many things to be grateful for that my gratitude lists are honestly getting ridiculous.

 

Part of my journey to get where I am today is by finding my 'tribe'. I am so so fortunate that my friends and family have ALWAYS supported me no end and they stand absolutely 110% behind everything that I do. But part of getting to where I am now is also through my connecting with people, all around the world, who have the same passions, values, direction, beliefs and energy as me. These women (I always seem to have incredibly strong women in my life and not so many fellas. Come at me boys!!*) have fanned the flames and kept my passion burning bright. Finding people that love and support you. Whether you, like me, were blessed with an army of angels around you from the time you were born (looking at you family and my girls) or whether you've discovered your tribe later in life OR whether you're yet to discover them. They're out there. Trust me they are. And they're the ones who will get you from where you are to where you want to be.

 

A HUGE and recent change in my life is the people I have met through Isagenix, the nutritional cleansing company that I connected with a few months back and have not let go of! The people I have met in my journey to 'wellness' - who share similar goals, values and overall enthusiasm for life and all its incredible possibilities - are the most powerful and instrumental people I have ever come across. They are changing lives, building a better tomorrow and smashing their goals, left right and centre.

 

I want YOU to have that. I want you to find your tribe and start your journey to your BEST life. I am looking for people to join my team - who are motivated, passionate and driven and who ultimately want to build a kind, well and FREE life for themselves. I want financial freedom and physical freedom to be the 'norm'. I want us to stop living our lives the way that we've been programmed to and instead break the mould and live life YOUR way.

 

I have told the universe that I will be living in a beautiful big old house on Yallingup hill with ocean views and a beautiful, inviting open floor plan by the time I am 30; I will create a life that allows me to travel and not be limited by financial or physical restraints; I will be perfectly aligned in mind, body and spirit so that everything I work for and achieve happens in perfect synchronicity with the universe. I will spend the rest of my life, til my dying days (and even then some) helping, serving and supporting others.

 

If ANY of this resonates with you and you want to become your healthiest self (and healthy in every single sense of the world - physical health; emotional health; spiritual health and financial health) then I want you to declare this the day that you start your new life and email me at blessthismess@hotmail.com.au and let's DO this. I promise you that I will put every ounce of myself and my heart into helping you achieve your goals.

 

Blessings and cuddles and excitement and every other positive emotion in between x

 

*In a completely platonic way of course ... I love you David!

LAUNCHING 'OPERATION KIND'

Feeling a little 'off' the other day, I turned inwards and endeavoured to get to the crux of why I am the way that I am (a health and wellness nut and obsessive of epic proportions). Why did the 'wellness revolution' resonate with me so hard and why was I determined to embody and share all that I could from the 'wellness world'. And, call it an epiphany or whatever, I realised that it came down to one overarching virtue that I have harped on about my whole life - kindness. Every single 'health' and 'wellness' related change that I try to implement in my life comes back to kindness. 

+ Kindness to Myself - My new and daily priority. Showing myself love, respect and kindness. How I wish I could turn back the clock and undo those years of self hate and judgement. So much energy wasted on focussing on everything I wasn't rather than spent celebrating everything that I am and everything that I have! Bless This Mess has encouraged me to be accountable and cherish my mini victories, my daily blessings and the things that I would usually let pass me by. 
+ Kindness to Others - I hate seeing people upset and I hate seeing injustice, cruelty and mistreatment of people close to home and in our wider communities. I have always been someone who strives to 'keep the peace' and mediate situations to avoid conflict and to avoid anyone feeling sadness (but obviously I'm far from perfect and I have personally cocked up from time to time, having not always acted 'kindly'). This being said, I need to up the ante. I want to do more and I want to contribute more. Only speaking words of kindness and only showing love - my funky brand spankin' new mantra.
+ Kindness to the World - I think I have always been somewhat conscious of the environmental consequences of our daily little habits but only to the extent of what I knew. As my interest in the world 'outside my little bubble' grows, I have sought to learn more about our world, our universe and the environmental costs of our Westernised living. I am slowly, slowly, slowly making changes and am trying to reduce my carbon footprint, 'simplify' my living, reduce toxicity in my life and in my home and start to make decisions that take the 'greater good' into account. Sigh, challenging but oh so important to me.

So, in a moment of pristine clarity and epiphany driven euphoria, I decided to launch a little side project. And how fitting that it be the beginning of July - a fresh start and an opportunity to press 'reset' and re-evaluate where you are and where you'd like the rest of 2013 to take you. Operation Kindness is  my new life pursuit, in a nutshell. It encompasses kindness to myself (by nourishing my body with nutrient rich and high quality foods; moving and challenging my body; training my mind to think loving, kind and positive thoughts and drive away negativity); kindness to others (by sharing my learning with others; seeking opportunities to share my blessings; volunteering and 'making a difference') and kindness to the world (eliminating toxins and chemicals in our home; shopping with an 'eco-friendly' mindset; honouring and encouraging the humane treatment of animals; learning more about and advocating for human rights).

I'll be checking in, and staying accountable, on the blog and updating you on my kindness crusade as I strive to clean up my life and make it more simple, more loving and ultimately more kind.

I would LOVE to hear from you. Let's start a kindness ripple and watch the waves roll in darling! What aspect of kindness do you resolve to start practicing daily? Kindness to yourself? Kindness to your friends, neighbours, colleagues, strangers? Kindness to animals? Kindness to the earth and living more harmoniously and with minimal impact? 

Blessings from my kind, happy, healthy and strongly beating heart x