WelleCo's nutritionist and formulator Dr Simone Laubscher discusses her guide to building healthy habits.
It’s easy setting a goal, however it’s the process in reaching that goal which is the hardest part. What advice do you have for building healthy habits and sticking to them?
You need to know your 'why' and not just in your head, but you need to feel the joy reaching this goal will bring you into your whole body. Example you want to lose 10kg, why? A few answers could be to feel more energised, confident, stronger, and well. Your work will seem easier, you will find exercise more enjoyable, the relationship with yourself and others will flow, and you will feel comfortable in your own skin. So, weight loss will trigger a domino effect of improvements on your mental and physical health. If you tap into the joy of achieving this goal when a craving hits, you can combat the desire for short term gratification to long term bliss. Habits are emotional so you need to get out of the mental tennis match of 'will I, won't I' & tap into your bliss and then the craving will pass. Also, most triggers last around 30 seconds so take a breath and hold your bliss for 30 seconds to dial down the noise from a craving. It's just a habit loop after all and these loops can be broken. If you find it hard to break habit loops watch this space for I'm recording a webinar with the steps you can easily implement to re-set and level up your life, breaking free of habits that are holding you back.
What are your top three health and wellness habits that help you to thrive and live your best life?
- Every day I drink 2-3 litres of water with lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of unprocessed sea salt to hydrate at a cellular level so I feel mentally and physically balanced. I also have The Super ElixirTM every morning with a teaspoon of WelleCo’s newest innovation, The Collagen Elixir. It sets my day up to flow. Love this book too ‘Your Body’s Many Cries for Water – You’re Not Sick, You're Thirsty’ by by F. Batmanghelidj.
- Movement and sweating. I move and sweat every day. Elle told me years ago she moves her body every day and I adopted her ethos. Cycling, swimming, dancing, horse riding, I mix it up so my mind and body both benefit. I also use my Therasage FIR sauna for 30 minutes most days for this is a great way to support all systems of the body and keep your detox & healing pathways open.
- Mindfulness. I pray, meditate, and practise gratitude every day. If I don’t, my day goes pear shaped and I get stressed and irritable. I've learnt the hard way. If you find it hard to enjoy your everyday life, and find yourself just living for the weekends, I recommend reading Mo Gawdat's book; ‘Solve for Happy’.
What are the 7 pillars of wellness you swear by?
We are all identically different but at the core of our lives we have 7 main wellness pillars that allow our lives to flow. Nutrition, Sleep, Movement, Mindfulness, Environment, Body Balance and Supplementation. If you take a moment and look at your life, 3 main areas will spring to mind that you need to work on. If it's hard to pinpoint 3 pillars, see my blog to help you determine what pillar you need to focus on.
What are your health and wellness resolutions for the year ahead?
I need to work on my Sleep Wellness Pillar and embrace nose breathing to support deep restorative sleep. I run on high energy so I don't feel I need much sleep but the quality of sleep is key. Mindful breathing, wind down rituals, WelleCo’s Sleep Welle Calming Tea, lavender oil, Epsom salt baths for foot baths and a good book - I'm working on this whole bedtime routine to calm my nervous system and embrace healing sleep. I'm not putting a due date to perfect this by, but instead I'm holding this lightly and being kind to myself. 30+ years of working late in all time zones will not fall away immediately so I’m elegantly allowing my life to shift over the year and to love myself enough to prioritise this.