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I've been feeling stuck & frustrated more often than I'd like over the last few months.

Whenever I ask myself this question, it gives me a more productive course of action than sitting in my own pity party & digging myself into a mental hole.

Save this post as a reminder for whenever you're feeling stuck!

I've found a lot of value in avoiding looking at my phone in the first & last hours of the day.

It's not something I always manage to do, but I notice a significant difference when I limit social media time to certain times of the day & hyper-processed foods to 1-2 days per week.

If I let my brain do what it wanted to do, I'd literally just be scrolling 18 hours per day, eating ice cream.

(With a few breaks to go to the toilet...but I'd probably take my phone with me).

Whenever I get it right, I can feel my brain relax and my overall feeling of wellbeing increases dramatically.

Having a few rules can help.

Like not unlocking your phone for an hour after you wake up...

Or only letting yourself sh*t quality, addictive foods on a certain day of the week.

Content reposted from

Take control of the simple habits which have lasting effects.

Sunshine.

High quality nutrition (not just counting calories & crash diets).

Daily movement.

Go to f*cking bed earlier.

Drink more water.

Take the time to learn how to care for your body and your mind.

It's worth it.

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Learning to challenge your stories with better questions can transform the action that you're prepared to take.

Learning to take a step back and ask;
"will this question help me to find problems, or will it help me to find solutions?" is a skill that genuinely changed my life.

It's not something you'll always get right, I certainly don't.

But remembering this as often as you can, and changing the way you think is one of the best things you can do to increase your chances of progress.

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Treat your body with the respect it deserves.

What do you think about this quote? 🤔 Agree or disagree?

The fact that these things are becoming increasingly common, is a sure sign that there is a disconnect between how we live, and what our mind & body actually need from us.

There's no quick fix, but there are certain research-backed practices which can start to reverse these things.

That's why next week I'l be launching a free 14 day trial of my program, to help you build sustainable habits, and become strong, healthy & find your energy.

In a world where burnout is common and hustle culture is the norm...

It is up to us to take responsibility and prevent these things from affecting our physical & mental health.

Recognising these signs early and knowing when to slow down will speed up our progress overall.

If our psychology suffers, so will our physiology.

Take a break, take care of your mind & body.

Basic rules of movement:

1) Stop compensating for a weak core with a weightlifting belt.

2) If you don't focus on moving well, sooner or later you won't be able to move at all.

3) Sitting all day, then going into an intense workout is not a good idea.

4) If you don't use it, you'll lose it.

5) The only people who care how much weight you lift are you and your dog (and he only cares because you feed him).

6) Scale back your session according to how you feel on the day, not just what your program says or you did last time.

7) Walking is the most underrated form of recovery & movement.

8) If you have a muscle that's always "tight", it's probably weak.

9) You can't target specific areas of body fat with exercises (sit ups will NEVER help you "burn stomach fat").

10) Something is always better than nothing.

Social media is full of advice of what you could & should be doing to take care of yourself.

It can be overwhelming at the best of times, let alone if you're already struggling.

And sometimes, it can make you feel like what you're doing isn't "enough".

I often struggle with my own mental state & become overwhelmed, so here's some advice I would offer myself when I don't feel on top of things;

1. Set ONE incredibly small daily target for your health & energy; drink 5 glasses of water, get outside for 5 minutes, meditate for 2 minutes.

Prove to yourself that you are capable of doing something. Then you can start building momentum.

2. Not everything needs doing, right now. Don't put yourself under needles additional pressure with false deadlines.

3. Create a 3-item to-do list that you can tick off at the end of the day do that you can feel like you've done something positive, despite how useless you feel.

Again, they should be small, simple things. Just remind yourself that just because your brain is telling you that you're useless, that doesn't make it true.

4. Breathe (into your diaphragm, not your chest).

5. Remind yourself that things will be OK. This will pass - just do your best to keep yourself moving through it.

I've had more than a handful of people already contact me this year, saying something along the lines of...

"Hey I'd love your help with [insert health goal here], but I'm super busy right now - can we chat when things are a bit less crazy?".

My answer will always just be polite.

But in my head, the answer is;
"Sure, but I know I'm NEVER hearing from you again."

Because when was the last time you DIDN'T feel busy?

When was the last time you had a few minutes to yourself and thought...

"Excellent, my life is peaceful and in order now, I'm going to ask someone to help me with [insert health goal here]."

Doesn't f*cking happen.
Ever.

Now here's the truth.

My job, and anyone else who is remotely competent at helping people to change their lifestyle...

Will do so when things are at their hardest, busiest & most stressful.

Because your health isn't just a "when it's convenient" thing.

Or more to the point, for you it is.

And that's why it's something you've always struggled with.

As soon as things get stressful (which is the vast majority of the time)...

You drop your health focus.

You don't need support when it's easy.
You need support when it's hard.

Whenever you're ready? Ask someone for help.

Over the last few years, the latest trend in nutrition & fat loss has become calorie counting.

Which is somewhat of a good thing.

Weight loss happens due to caloric deficit.

And it's much better to know that's what matters, compared to previous diet trends.

But ultimately, even though it's slightly better information...

The advice still boils down to "eat less & exercise more".

Which is NOT helpful for the vast majority of people.

It's like asking your boss what you'd need to do to get a promotion, and just being told to work harder.

See, calorie counting doesn't address the real issues.

That you're burned out.
Exhausted.
Constantly on the run.
At your wits end.

And it's because you feel like that, prioritising your nutrition & exercise feels like too much of a mountain to climb.

The most important piece of advice I can offer you...

Make lifestyle changes which improve your energy levels.

Restorative exercise & movement.
Sleep.
Hydration.
Mindfulness work.

And when it comes to your nutrition - the first thing to change?

Stop eating foods which make you feel like 💩.

Once you start to feel better, you'll make better choices and things won't feel like such a battle.

I saw this quote a few weeks ago and it's been hitting home ever since.

Drop a ❤ if you feel this.

Here's what most people are told to do when it comes to their gut health...⠀
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1. Eat lots of prebiotic fiber to "feed" your microbiome.⠀
2. Take a bunch of gut health supplements.⠀
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And that's not the end of the world...⠀
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BUT.⠀
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IF you're focusing on your gut health, there's usually a reason.⠀
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Maybe you suffer from digestive discomfort & bloating.⠀
Maybe you suffer from chronically low energy.⠀
Maybe you've had some unusual blood test results.⠀
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But whatever it is, chances are you decided to focus on optimising your microbiome because there's an indication that things aren't quite right.⠀
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And if things aren't quite right, it's usually because of a bacterial overgrowth.⠀
(Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth affects at least 1 in 4 people).⠀
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Now...⠀
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The problem is that the first thing that you're told to do in eating a lot of prebiotic fiber actually INCREASES bacterial overgrowth, usually making symptoms worse.⠀
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When I'm working with a client and we're prioritisng gut health, the first thing we'll do is reduce any bacterial overgrowth by removing starchy and hard-to-digest fibers (which these bacteria LOVE).⠀
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Within a week, they'll almost always notice an improvement in;⠀
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- Mental clarity⠀
- Mood⠀
- Digestion⠀
- Energy⠀
- Sleep quality⠀
- & more...⠀
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The way I like to think of it is that if you've left a garden to become overgrown, everything needs trimming back before you start planting & feeding what's already there.⠀
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Once we start to notice improvements by ELIMINATING things from their diet, then we start to work on rebalancing & optimising.⠀
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I hope this helps, don't forget to ❤️ and save this post!⠀
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If it did help? I'd love to hear from you in the comments 👇

Several forms of depression are caused by the suppression of the chemical 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) in the gut & brain.

This can be caused by an autoimmune response where high levels of inflammation & neuroinflammation are present which are directly impacted as a result of consuming inflammatory foods.

Examples would be;
- Refined (table) sugar
- Gluten-containing grains
- Excessive omega 6 oils
- Dairy (especially low quality)
- Soy
- Emulsified foods

And in some people, eggs & histamine-containing foods (such as citrus fruits) can also cause inflammation.

Your health & wellbeing is uniquely individual and goes far beyond just;

"Eat better & move more"

If you would like to book a free wellbeing discovery call, click the link in the comments.

There are only 3 reasons to exercise:

1) To improve physical performance & fitness.
2) To manage stress.
3) To create a feeling of wellbeing.

Never to burn calories.
Never because you feel bad about your body.
Never because you feel bad about what, or how much you ate.

[IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH MEDITATION, OR YOU'RE TRYING TO START?]⠀
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Make sure you try this technique!⠀
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Don't forget to leave a ❤️ ⠀
Follow for more!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Where's your focus right now?

Every day, your attention & focus is being pulled in hundreds, if not thousands of different directions.

It's EXHAUSTING.

One of the most effective tools that I've ever used, for deciding my actions is to have a list of rules that I read to myself every morning (sometimes multiple times per day on the harder days 😂 ) and do my best to live by.

They act as a kind of "filter" of where I should be putting my attention and what I should be doing.

1. Be ordered.
- Treat your body like you love it.
- Maintain environments that you want to be in.
- Avoid busyness for the sake of busyness.

2. Be loving.
- Give your full attention to whatever you are doing, or whoever you are with.
- Make sure your actions have purpose & intent (and make sure you know what they are)
- Listen more than you speak (and listen to understand, not to respond).

3. Be truthful.
- Avoid spending time on people who make you feel uncomfortable to be yourself.
- Never be fearful of saying what’s on your mind (it's OK to be wrong).
- Don’t waste energy trying to change someone else’s mind.

The more rules I manage to stick to, the exponentially easier life gets.

What rules would you add?

Make sure you're following my new Instagram page!
https://www.instagram.com/arcoaching/

I think we forget that we're the most complex organism that we know of.⠀
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Your body is insanely durable & adaptable.⠀
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But that doesn't mean you should abuse it.⠀
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A good person may be patient, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to test their patience.⠀
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Taking care of your health is a LOT more than HIIT workouts and calorie counting.⠀
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If you're not sure where to start?⠀
Click the link in my bio and book your free discovery call.⠀
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I won't lie.

There have been times where I have treated my own self-care and wellbeing as an inconvenience.

Sure, I could go to bed earlier.
But that would mean I have to stop watching TV.

Sure, I could take better care of my cooking.
But that would take more energy & effort than I have right now.

Sure, I could do just 15 minutes of SOME type of exercise, but I don't have much longer than that, and what difference will 15 minutes make anyway?

Thing is, treating your own wellbeing as an inconvenience is like fast-tracking yourself to inconsistency.

You don't HAVE to do anything...

But if you choose to take better care of yourself?

You're going to completely transform how you feel and your results.

Your mood & energy will be so much different.
Your motivation will be there when you need it.
You & your body will actually start to get along.

But stop treating things as an inconvenience.

And just commit to taking better care of yourself.
Focus on giving your body what it needs to be fit, healthy & strong.

It'll be life-changing.

Make sure you're following my new Instagram page!
https://www.instagram.com/arcoaching/

Make sure you're following me on Instagram!:
https://www.instagram.com/arcoaching/