New and Better

This week, after much procrastination, I finally started working on my health coaching website again. I originally launched it last March, as a very simple version with just 4 basic pages. It served me well for a while, but last fall I started developing my vision for what I wanted it to become, and realized that the simple site I had was no longer going to work, so I started researching, planning, and mapping out my vision, as well as creating content for it.

The first version of my health coaching website

Of course, since the actual website makeover is not something I know much about, I've been avoiding actually making the transition for some time now. Well, I finally got myself to start working on it this week and so far, I've really been enjoying the process. It's been very different from the first time around, when I was stressed for the most part - it was quite the learning curve working with Wordpress for the first time!

I found a new theme to use, the drag-and-drop kind that is much more user-friendly for someone like me who doesn't know much about web design, that I'm very happy with but that also means that I am basically starting from scratch again. Despite that, and thanks to everything I've learned in the past year and all the research I've done to prepare for this, I'm actually feeling more excited than stressed this time around. Besides working on the design, I'm also re-organizing the content that was already there, and adding more - there will be a blog too from now on, along with some other new sections I've cooked up.

A tiny sneak peek behind-the-scenes 

I'll be sharing more updates and news about the re-launch through my newsletter

My vision for this website is to not only be a place where someone who would like to work with me can find more information about me and the services I offer, but also a resource for all of us who want to change the way we approach our health, to make it a priority and the first step in the journey towards our big dreams, whatever they may be.

I'm so happy to finally be turning all those ideas in my head into something real, but even more so, I'm hopeful that what I'm creating will help people stay healthy and feel their best, so they can go after their big dreams fearlessly.

I'd love to know, what do you think about health coaching? Are you familiar with it? Is it something you'd be interested in trying?

Reading, Listening, & Learning: May 2016

A couple of hours after publishing my previous post, I realized that it was the day that my blog turned 6 years old. At first, I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about it, and felt a little sad and guilty for not publishing something special to celebrate it, as I've done almost every year so far.

Truth be told, I'm currently in a place where I'd rather focus on more doing and less talking about doing, so I think the best way to celebrate this blog birthday is to just keep blogging. Besides, I've already talked and written time and time again (in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015) about how much blogging and this little piece of the world wide web means to me, so I can think of no better way to prove that - to myself and everyone who has been reading over the years - than if I just keep going.

So, with that, I'll turn my attention to what I had planned on writing about today. I wanted to share a few of the articles, podcasts, and videos that I have read, listened to, or watched last month - the ones that made me think and influenced me in a positive way. I mentioned a few weeks ago about how I wanted to write more about the things I find in addition to the things I do or think about, because they fuel me, help me keep moving forward, and show me new perspectives on life.

Below are a few of the wonderful pieces of content that I enjoyed in May:

Connie Chapman's Awaken Radio podcast: Although I've been following Connie's blog on and off for a few years now, back in April I listened to one of her podcast episodes that really made me think, so last month I wanted to try out a few more. The one that really stuck with me was episode 31, Manifest with Less Hustle and More Flow with Erin Stutland. I loved Erin's story and what really stuck with me until now is her way of turning negative thoughts into mantras and affirmations to help her transform, turn weaknesses into assets, and go after her goals. It's something that I want to include in my own life as well, whenever I'm having a bad day or find myself in a negative mindset, because I can already imagine how powerful it could be.

If Plan A Fails, Remember That You Have 25 Letters Left by Chris Guillebeau: I just recently bought Chris' now famous book, The $100 Startup*, but a few months ago, I added his blog to my reading list as well, and this post in particular served as a great lesson and reminder. As a new entrepreneur who is trying to get her business(es) off the ground, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything I do has to be perfect and bring results (or else it's not worth doing), and get paralyzed about my next step in the process. It was really comforting to realize that if something doesn't work out one way, there are so many other options that I can try out instead of giving up. Reading about Vanessa's thought process was inspiring, and served both as a wake-up call to the way I approach doing business, and a much-needed reminder that backup plans are important.

Aquafaba: The Magical Vegan Ingredient You've Probably Been Throwing Out by Mind Body Green: Coming across this article was a real case of serendipity for me! The day before, I had soaked and cooked a big pot of chickpeas and, just as I was getting ready for bed that night, I remembered reading about the miraculous properties of the cooking liquid from the chickpeas (and other beans) a few months before, but could not, for the life of me, remember what it was called. The next day, I had completely forgotten about it but, as I was browsing my Twitter feed, my eye stopped on a link to this article. Needless to day, I won't be forgetting the name again anytime soon. I didn't get a chance to use the liquid from this batch before it went bad, but now that I know exactly where to find more information (and recipe ideas!), I'm looking forward to experimenting with the next one.

What I Eat In A Day by Mimi Ikonn: I've been watching and finding inspiration in Mimi's videos for quite a few years now, and this particular video was a great reminder that healthy and delicious food doesn't have to be complicated. I love reading food blogs and getting recipe ideas from them, but the often long ingredient lists sometimes intimidate me and make me think twice about whether they're worth the time and effort that they require. Throughout this video, Mimi did so well to show plenty of healthy meal ideas that are not only tasty but can be put together quickly, on days when you haven't had time to think about, research, or plan what you'll have for your next meal. I'm still thinking about her sweet potato puree almost every day.

I'd love to know, have you found anything new or interesting through these links? Also, what articles/videos/podcasts have you come across recently that influenced you in a positive way?

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*Disclaimer: The book link used in this post is an affiliate link through the Amazon Associates program. This means that I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through it. I only use affiliate links for things that I love and have bought myself, but if you are not comfortable with this and would still like to take a look at the book, you can always go directly to the Amazon website and type the name of the book or author in the search box at the top.

Water for Health

As I was browsing my favourite websites this morning, I found out that today is World Health Day. To be honest, I don't keep up with many of these commemorative days, and rarely give them much thought, so I had no idea this day existed. That being said, a day that brings awareness to one of the most important parts of our lives - and one of my favourite topics - is worth joining in my book.

After doing a little more reading, I found that this year in particular, World Health Day is putting the spotlight on the alarming rise in diabetes, by highlighting the need for increased prevention and treatment efforts. While I can't speak much of the treatment aspect, prevention of this, and any other, disease is something I'm very passionate about, and the concept that I have built my entire health coaching practice around.

I wholeheartedly believe in prevention and in making small adjustments to our diets and lifestyles that, in the short run, have big positive impacts and that, in the long run, help us avoid negative health outcomes, as is the case of chronic diseases like diabetes.

There are plenty of little changes that each of us can make to maintain our health and prevent future illnesses, suited to our unique lifestyles, but one of the simplest and most effective ones, that I work on with each of my clients, is drinking more water. Giving more attention to how much water we're drinking every day and making it a point to drink enough of it can have the most wonderful outcomes. Over the past year or so, I've witnessed, in both myself and others that I've talked to, everything from relieving headaches, having more energy, a smoother voice (particularly important if your voice plays a big role in the way you make a living), and reducing cravings for not-so-good foods. In fewer words, I've learned not to underestimate the power of a glass of water!

Of course, drinking more water is a piece of advice we hear about everywhere and from everyone, but we all know it's not always easy to follow through with it. Actually, one of the reasons I wanted to write about it today is because I noticed that I haven't been drinking enough water over the last couple of weeks. So this is my way of reflecting back on some of the tips I've used in the past to get back on track.

What helps me the most is simply having water with me at all times, which means that, if I'm going out for more than a couple of hours, I bring a bottle with me, and when I'm at work, I have one or two of them out on my desk, where I can always see and easily reach for them. If I'm at home, I'll fill a glass and leave it out on the kitchen table so that every time I pass by it, which happens quite often, I see it and I'm reminded that I should take at least a few sips.

This is what I'll be focusing on over the next few days to make sure I stay healthy and well-hydrated, and I hope that, if you're struggling with it yourself, you'll give these tips a try and let me know how they work for you.  (...and if they don't work, I'd be happy to chat more about that too.)

Are there any other tricks you use to make sure you're staying hydrated every day? Please share them in the comments below.

Wellness List

I thought it was time I talked about my newsletter. This is something that has been on my mind for probably close to a year now. Through taking the IIN and B-School courses, I learned that newsletters are not only great tools to reach the potential customers or clients of any business I create, but also wonderful ways to connect with people about the things I'm most passionate about in a more personal way.

That being said, ever since then, I have been procrastinating on actually starting to send out newsletters, mainly because I had no idea what I would put in them. I did make the small first step of signing up for Mailchimp and placing a sign-up form in the right sidebar a few months ago, but not much progress happened since. Not practically anyway. I have, however, given this topic a lot of thought, and I've finally settled on something I'm happy with and excited about. As always, I have big plans for the future, but for now, I'm mainly looking forward to sharing some short personal updates from a wellness perspective, along with resources that I wish I'd known about along my health & wellness journey in the last few years. I will also be launching my health coaching services soon, and sharing my progress and availabilities there as well.

The way I see it, the difference between this blog, which I consider very personal as well, and a newsletter is that, for the latter, people choose to share their email address with me, likely because they are interested in the same things that I am on a greater scale than someone who may have stumbled across the blog through other links or Google searches. From being a subscriber to several newsletters myself, I know that sharing my e-mail address and allowing people into my inbox is a big deal, and I don't take it lightly.

So, if you think this is something you'd love to be a part of and you'd like to receive occasional emails from me, I'd love to have you join my wellness list!

As a heads up, I thought it would be helpful to mention that, if you do sign up, you should expect the emails to come from "Ana, Summer June Wellness" (my health coaching practice) rather than "Ana, The Summer of June" (this blog).

Photo via Death To The Stock Photo

Self-Care Week

I believe that self care should be a priority every day of our lives. This is something that I have learned from the beautiful Jess Ainscough as I've witnessed from afar her commitment to giving herself the best possible care every single day, and something that I will carry with me forever.

That being said, with everything that I have on my plate right now - a full-time job, a side business, a blog, and hopefully some time to spend with loved ones, including two energetic pets - there have been times when I felt that I had to choose between taking care of myself and keeping up in all these different parts of my life. Although I know better, that taking good care of myself first will actually help me handle all the other things much more effortlessly, self-care has in fact taken the backseat on quite a few occasions lately.

This is not something that I want to keep doing though so, since I am off work this week, it felt like the perfect time to reprioritize and make self-care a main focus in my life again. I thought it would be even more fun to share my progress on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #tsojselfcareweek and I'd love to have you join in if you'd like.

So what exactly do I mean when I'm talking about self-care? To me, self-care is anything that helps my body, mind and soul to be well and to thrive. For some examples, below is a list of the things that I'm planning to or have already started to incorporate into my days:

- daily green smoothies and, who knows, maybe some green juices too

- early bed times and/or later wake-up calls, to allow my body enough time to rest and recover
- healthy meals rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains
- pampering my skin with nourishing, all-natural oils, creams and treatments
- hot towel scrubs
- long walks outside with the pup (hopefully soaking some healing sunshine too)
- any type of exercise that will get me to move my body and enjoy myself at the same time
- oil pulling with coconut oil
- cozying up on the couch or the bed with a good book
- reminding myself of all the good things that I have in my life and that make me happy
- slowing down, doing less, or even nothing at all sometimes
- decluttering and cleaning up my space

Of course, this isn't a comprehensive list and I'm sure that there are plenty other things both you and I can incorporate into our days to give ourselves the best possible care (because we really do deserve it!) - please share your favourites with me either in the comments belor, or on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #tsojselfcareweek. Here's to a truly self-indulgent week and the beginning of a more self-caring and self-loving version of ourselves.