14th February 2016
It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach, just get them to fly
in formation. Rob Gilbert
Good morning BeYOUtiful, just woke up and realised it's the day of
love! Who or what do you love? I'm guessing family, friends, pets, food and
drink, possibly your job or maybe its experiences like chilling out with a good
book, having a relaxing bath. We're all
pretty similar in the things we love, the real question is are "YOU"
on that list? I'm on mine!
What do we tend to do when we love someone or something? If you've ever had something new, whether
it's a car or a pair of shoes? What do
you always do when you get them? You
take care of it, same goes for those people we love in our lives, I bet you take
care of your kids really well - or are you neglecting them and throwing a bag
of crisps and a bar of chocolate at them for breakfast!
If you didn't immediately come to mind when I asked you what do you
love, then maybe you need to think about how putting yourself high on that list
might help you succeed with your weight loss and getting healthier.
What could you do to make sure you love yourself just that little bit
more? Do you need a bit more you
time? I know I have no issue with
chilling out and having me some quality time but I don't have enough time in
there to do the 'stuff' that should be done on a weekly basis, notice the word
'should' that's what stops me, housework and stuff, it's not fun so I don't
enjoy it, so I don't prioritise it, chilling out, knitting, watching tele, I
enjoy, so I have no problem doing that.
I am aware that I do need to get my balance a bit better though because
there is stuff I want to do but just can't be bothered, at the moment, I'm not
sure if that's a time issue, an energy one or just the fact its winter and I
just don't want to but once the weather gets better I'll be okay. If it doesn't then I need to look at the time
and energy thing!
The problem for so many of us with time is we have to work to pay the
bills and that leaves us tired and with less time, some of us work ridiculous
hours, some because they like to, but others because they absolutely have not
choice or the bills don't get paid - this isn't good!
Back to loving ourselves, I've get sad when I hear my members don't love
themselves, maybe because I remember that feeling myself from many years ago
and I don't believe anyone should feel that way. Remember you are good enough, you are a
perfect version of you and so many people love you, so you should love
yourself. Loving yourself shouldn't be dependent
on what you look like, it should be unconditional, so let go of those negative
thoughts, focus on all the positive traits you have and love your physical self
- yeah, love how you look.
Let's just think about that body of yours for a moment, how amazing is
it, what it does every day for you, mine has just slept for 8 hours and
recharged itself while I was out for the count, it's now typing on a keyboard
without me even having to look at my fingers why I type - isn't that
incredible. It proves inside my head is
a brain that's pretty good, I might not be Einstein but I have the same hair
colour! Those same hands sat knitting a
blanket last night, wrote down all the weights of my members at the scales
yesterday, loaded my car after going shopping, made a sandwich for my mom's
lunch so she wasn't hungry. They
massaged Alfies bad back on the evening, and poured me a glass of wine.
What! Are you thinking what is she going on about? Well we all put such incredible importance on
the way we look, that we're not actually focusing on the importance stuff, what
we do! What makes a person BeYOUtiful in
my eyes is WHO they are not what they look like. What they do, how they behave and how they
make me feel is so much more important than whether they're eyebrows have been
plucked to within an inch of their life, whether they're wearing size 10 skinny
jeans, or whether they've brushed their hair!
When I think about all the BeYOUtiful people in my life, I get a
feeling, not an image! I don't care what
they look like, I do care how they make me feel. I don't care what I look like, I do care how
I behave, how I make others feel, how I act and you know what, I am damn
BeYOUtiful, actually I'm incredible, and yes I will say it myself and no I'm
not conceited, I'm not vain, I'm not a bighead, but I am a person who does what
I can to be the best I can be, that's
true beauty in my eyes. I care about how
others feel, I want to make them feel good, I want to make a difference, I
don't just want to look good when I walk in a room.
I'll stick to caring about my healthy and happy, loving life, taking
care of me and everyone in it, I can do that whatever I look like and whatever
size I may be and so can you, you BeYOUtiful creature!
Now go look in the mirror and admire your awesomeness! Look at yourself, say 'I Love You' and start
to mean it! The world is a better place
when it's filled with love, so start with yourself and work outwards xx
Let's finish with the other thing I love - FOOD, here's today's Smart
Point recipe and I thought as it's Valentine's day and there is likely to be
chocolate around, maybe you could use some of it to make these delicious Sticky
toffee brownies;
Sticky Toffee Brownies
Serves 15 - 7 Smart Points each
125g dried, pitted dates
125g low fat spread
100g sugar-sweetener
2 eggs
50g dark chocolate
100g self-raising flour
pinch of salt.
20g pecans
35g caster sugar
30ml light double cream
Preheat the oven to 160oC/fan140oC/Gas 3 and line a 30cm x 20cm brownie
tin with baking parchment. Roughly chop
125g dried, pitted dates and place them in a small saucepan with 100ml water.
Heat gently for about 10 minutes or until all the water has
evaporated.
In a bowl, cream together 125g low fat spread and 100g sugar-sweetener,
blend until pale and fluffy.
Add 2 eggs, mixing until combined, then stir in 50g melted dark
chocolate and the dates.
Fold in 100g self-raising flour and pinch of salt. Pour into the tin and bake for 15
minutes. While baking, roughly chop 20g
pecans and mix together with 1 tsp caster sugar. Sprinkle over the part-baked brownie, then
return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
While the sponge is cooling, make the caramel sauce. In a small saucepan, heat 30g caster sugar
until it has turned a pale amber colour, then add 5ml light double cream and
stir. Be careful, as the heat from the
sugar may cause it to spit. Gradually
add 25ml double cream. Once the sauce
has cooled, drizzle it over the sponge using a spoon and slice into 15 brownies
to serve.
mmmm.
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