My 10 Goddess Commandments

These 10 commandments are mine baby (feel free to borrow) and when I live my life by all of them - watch out!! Fabulous stuff just happens.

1.  Take full responsibility of who I am
2.  Always recognize my uniqueness
3.  Never compare myself to anyone else
4.  Be the best I can be every second, every minute, every hour, every day...
5.  Be completely in love with who I really am
6.  Accept and give compliments easily and freely
7.  Fully accept who I am - the good and the not so good
8.  Be grateful and practice gratitude on a daily basis
9.  Have clarity on what I want, where I want to go/do and who I am
10. Have fun/laugh/be sexy/have lots of amazing sex!


What are you 10 Goddess Commandment?  Get thinking and let me know xxx

Ill be happy when I lose that last 10lbs........

Yeah, yeah!! My god if I hear one more woman say that to me again Im going to chop her head off.  There you go - 10 lbs gone - just like that!! Now how do you feel????

Honestly the amount of women that I encounter on a daily basis who put their happiness and lives on hold because of their "extra" weight they perceive they are carrying.

Why not be happy now, right now in this very moment, embrace everything about you.  Go on - I dare you, strip off your clothes and stand in front of a full length mirror and take a good long hard look at your body.  Really look, look intently at who you are and how you are made up.  This body of yours does a good job, no wait, it does a grand job, it carries you around every single day.  It gets you out of bed in the morning, it gets to work, its takes you to the pub, health club in the evening, it enables you to play with your kids, it helps you run for the train, it does everything you ask of it.  But maybe thats the problem your asking your body the wrong questions, your not telling exactly what you want it to do and then you get pissed off when it doesnt look the way you want it to.

When I work with my clients I suggest to them that they start by accepting and honoring who and what they are.  I encourage my clients to ask the questions why they are the way they are.  If they are unhappy with their size then why are they this size, what has driven them to be this size.  If the answers are that they are overeating, under exercising then they need to address this and a simple tip of the balance will result in weight loss.  What my clients have got to understand as well is that as women we store more fat, we are designed that way, fat is womanly, it gives us curves, it enables us to reproduce and it is essentially what makes us women.

Another scenario that I encounter is that when women have been trying to lose weight for a long time they normally have plateaued.  So when I suggest to them that they may be at their natural weight I normally get a fierce reaction from them.  Yes any woman can be lean, she can reduce her fat levels right down, but at what cost, normally periods disappear and these women are depriving themselves of food on a daily basis which normally results in them being more obsessed with food than when they started.  Their moods start to plummet, their sex drive disappears and even though they are leaner than ever their self esteem takes a nose dive.  Sounds great doesn't it - and most of my clients have to understand that if they do want to lose that last 5 - 10lbs then major deprivation is on the cards.

We are a nation that compares ourselves to everyone else.  If I can suggest just one thing - that is to honor who you are, realise that you are unique, you are very special and there is no one else like you.  What works for one woman doesn't mean that it will work for you.  We need to take care of ourselves, honor who we are, cherish our bodies and vow to always do the best we can each and every single day of our lives.  We want to live a long, healthy, vibrant and bountiful life full of sexy energy and I guarantee that if you are living a life deprived of food you are not going to feel this way.

There is so much to do in life, to feel, to learn, to experience and when we take away our obsession with being slim, lean, skinny, smaller we are freed up totally so we can live out our lifes full potential.

Life + Awareness - Guilt = One happy Goddess

Guilt - a useless emotion, an emotion that sneaks up on us when we aren't looking, an emotion that takes us on a roller coaster of a journey, an emotion that when not checked and reigned back in can overrule us and permeate every second of our gorgeous lives.

How often do you feel guilty and why do you feel guilty? My goddess mojo that I live by is "Do the best I can every day, whilst loving who I really am".  

Somedays this means that I get up, get dressed, put a smile on - even if I dont feel like it, grab a coffee, watch a little trashy tv, eat some chocolate and just mosey on through my day and somedays this means that I spring out of bed, slide into my trainers, whizz round the park, pump some heavy weights, eat healthful, gorgeous food that Ive prepared, be a dynamo in the office and a goddess whilst teaching. 

Im a high achiever, every day I want to conquer the world, I want to cross off all the items off my to do list, I want to end the day feeling euphoric that I have done the best I can.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in achieving that I forget to live,  to fully appreciate each moment of my day.  I forget to be grateful and I forgot just to be.   Im all about being aware, being aware in my mind, my body and my soul and sometimes things happen, that are way out of my control that remind me to slow down, relax, breath and to just be.

Take for instance this past month - Ive been training super hard, eating great and working hard in and on my business.  My body started to ache about 2 weeks ago and I started to feel tired but I carried on regardless thinking that this would pass, then last week I got toothache and this week it got worse and a quick trip to the dentist and one of my wisdom teeth was whipped out resulting in me being floored, out for the count, enough is enough this Goddess needed her rest!  and rest I did, Ive slept, chilled out, taken time out from the gym, eaten what I wanted, when I wanted.  That sneaky guilty feeling kept trying to edge its way into my day and life but I gave it the goddess heave ho and you know what?  I feel good, I love me and Im on the mend, my body feels ok, Im looking less hamster like from the tooth extraction and Im ready to go back into my life at a gentler goddess pace.

Sometimes we just need a rest, we just need some time out from our daily routine to stop and smell the roses and we need to do this without that five letter word called guilt.  Life carries on regardless whether we are in it or out of it so its all about my Goddess formula...... Life + Awareness - Guilt = One happy Goddess.  Try it and see if it works for you xxxxxx

Life in the Goddess Lane.....

Many things have happened recently, I am swamped with work, enrolling all my lovely clients on GSMs autumn sessions, I am preparing for the photo shoot for GSMs pocket pole manual and Im reshuffling my finances after taking a long hard look at them at the end of this summer and vowing that I would always have more than enough money  to do everything that I desire to do.  Add to that a couple of frissons with a local pole dancing school and a so called professional photographer that completely let me down at the last minute and out of the blue contact from two of my past lovers!  If thats not enough to stir a Goddess up, I dont know what can!!!!

Things happen for a reason and as the saying goes what doesnt kill you makes you stronger and I know that what ever I focus on I will get or conversely will get me so in all the above I have risen above, stood by my high goddess standards and forged ahead, always moving forwards, moving upwards and breaking new ground. I have to remember that I have a dream and that dream will only be mine if I keep my eye on the prize and play full out to achieve it.

I am also in week 9 of my GSM "Sexy Curves" program.  The change of seasons is making a big impact on my choice of foods and my energy and its good to remember to go with the flow, my weight has remained static for the past two weeks but my body is looking good, I am leaner, more toned and much stronger in the gym and on the pole (which I LOVE).  I will never underestimate that women love to be and feel strong, I correlate that when my body feels strong my mind feels strong too.  I am slowly changing my food choices to correspond with the autumn, out goes the salads and cold foods and in comes sweetcorn, sweet potato, squash, vegetable stir frys and yummy omlettes.  This change for me excites me and keeps me motivated to continue forwards on my GSM "Sexy Curves" program - and remember I am doing all the ground work so that you dont have to - this program is making its debut Spring/Summer 2011.

X

Sexy Body Day

Praise for GSM Inspire & Mentor

Its going to be an awesome Autumn......

Somethings afoot, somethings different, I can feel it, I can smell it, its a sensation that is so evocative, so seductive, its magnetic and its drawing me in and I just cant help myself Im falling, Im letting myself go, releasing, enveloping and enjoying the ride.  Life is about to change and boy! am I ready for it.  Autumn is here, here in its gentle unfolding abundance.  Autumn is one of my favorite seasons and having spent most of this year stepping back and chilling I am noticing this change of season even more.

Ive been and still am in full on creating mode, this is a different place for me - normally I am like a trojan horse - just ploughing forward and working, working working but as I entered into this year I had the desire to slow down, to stop, to smell the roses - no longer happy to just be in the moment I wanted to now create each moment!   And you know what - its done me the world of good.  Slowing down has given me the opportunity to notice my life, Ive noticed the days, the mornings, the evenings, my moods, my smiles, my tears, my child growing into a young man over the summer, Ive had time to spend with my good, good friends, Ive made mistakes, Ive taken 10 steps forward, 10 steps back, gone round in circles, explored new avenues, new opportunities and have come full circle back to where I belong.

I am ready to evolve now - I can feel it - its in my bones, in my soul and in my heart.  My passion, my determination and my dreams are ready to unfold.   I feel stronger, lighter, more in charge of my life than I ever have, I feel that I am evolving into this magnificent woman, I am merging with my name - Goddess Star Monroe - I feel like a Goddess, I feel like I can take on the world and win.   I am ready to take my life, my body, my mind, my soul and my business to another level.

So Autumn I welcome you with open arms, I embrace the changes and I am ready for the challenges you send  me.  Miss Goddess Star Monroe is ready............

World watch out x

Goddess Star Monroe.

I am Goddess Star Monroe - the womans' lifestyle and fitness expert.  I adore working with women, it is my mission here on earth to inspire and educate women everywhere to be the best they can be and learn to love who they really are.  Through my spirited, fun & sexy instruction - including pole, burlesque, pilates, belly dancing and hula hooping women can discover fun and flirty ways to move and enjoy their bodies.  I also run one day sexy fitness events in Sept and April and twice yearly I host a glamorous sexy kinda of variety evening called "Glamour".  I am also putting together the final stages to my 14 week body transformation program "Sexy Curves" with my first lifestyle and fitness DVD due out Spring 2011.

I proudly present to you........

My Inspire & Mentor Coaching Program

This has been 2 years in the making gorgeous ones, lots of research, some fabulous guinea pigs to test my theories out on and hey they all got the results they were looking for and then some!!  My baby is born.........  I am super proud, super happy that my coaching program is here.  Here to help you move on in life and rock it out like only the true you can!!!!!

Inspire & Mentor

Intuitive life changing advice from wise ol me!  I get in and I get out fast baby!!  Im an explorer of your mind, call me a female Moses, I part the waves of your confused, stuck mind, step right up and right in to help you move forward and obtain totally clarity and ownership of what, who and how you really want to do and have you in your life. 

I love working with weight/body issues, relationships and love, career and money - that does kinda of look like everything! If you are ready to hear the truth and nothing but the truth then Im your Goddess!

Inspire & Mentor is ideal if you desire outstanding RESULTS in your mind, body and life but just dont know how to go about changing.   I myself have overcome many obstacles in my life and at 39 I have never looked or felt so good as I do right now.   I am straight talking, wise, compassionate and am a fountain of knowledge helping women all over rock out their most sensational bodies and lives. 

Please email or call for an initial pow wow, where we will see what I can do for you.           

Initial Inspire & Mentor session £250.00 (concessions are available).  

 A 90 - 120 minute private advisory session with myself that will set you free and on your way to greatness!!!

Follow up sessions £100.00.

A 60 minute advisory session for when you need a little push every now and then.

A modern day Goddess.

A modern day Goddess knows who she is and want she wants. She is in complete control of her life and through her dedication and commitment she lives her passions and achieves her goals.   A modern day Goddess is beautiful, inside and out, she takes pride in her appearance and it shows.  When she walks into a room she has the power to turn heads but she remains mysterious enough to captivate her audience.  A modern day Goddess is spirited, fun and sexy and she wants to share that with everyone xxxxx

Goddess Star Monroe. Sexy Curves. Week 5

Get your fabulously, sensational body here........

I try not to watch too much television as when I sit down in front of her the one eyed goddess draws me and never lets me go.  So I limit myself to only watching 15 mins max then I have to walk away.  This morning a random channel was on showing infomercials - my fave!! I love them, so full of crap and bulls*** promising you all sorts of wondrous changes to your body in only 6 mins or less a day.    In 10 mins I watched open mouthed watching an ab trainer promising the demise of your love handles and a weight that shakes that promises the end of your bingo wings and in return amazingly shapely arms that even Madonna would be jealous of.    I mean REALLY, do they really expect us to buy into this and buy these products??  We are bombarded with products on a daily basis from exercising fit flops to fitballs that promise fabulous posture and if you are not careful you will get sucked in, spend a fortune and wonder why you never get the results the product promised.

With over 20 years experience of working with women in the health and fitness industry I pride myself on being a crusader of the truth for women everywhere and I feel its my duty to inform women everywhere that a fabulously sensational body only comes from hard work, dedication and commitment.  No fad diets, exercise routines or exercise products are ever going to change your body.  Women everywhere need to start taking full responsibility and ownership of themselves, commit to taking charge of their lives and their bodies and then be dedicated to doing their utmost best every single day of their lives.

Small changes bring big results, we cannot expect to drop 14lbs ++ instantly, to tone up our bodies by doing 6 mins of exercise a day.  But by instilling positive habits that you can do daily will help you on your way to a fabulously sensational body.  Rome wasnt built in a day but it was built and so shall your healthy, vibrant body.  Start looking at what you put into your mouth - are you eating because you are hungry or eating out of habit? 80% of all weight loss is down to what we eat.   Are you moving daily? if not, just start walking.  Are you being kind to yourself or do you put yourself down? reframe and switch how you talk to yourself - always big up the positives and celebrate every tiny little thing that you do that moves you forward to taking care of yourself a little bit more everyday.  Trust me this helps magnificently.

Women everywhere - there is no magic cure, no magic potion, no magic pill, no magic product BUT there is a MAGIC YOU!! You know your body like no one else does, deep down you know what serves you and what doesnt, you know when you are eating when you are hungry and when you are not, you know if you are moving enough or you are just being lazy.  Sometimes we just need a little push in the right direction.   Use me as your catalyst to making major changes to your life and your body I am here right via email to answer all of your questions.  I am also 5 weeks into my 12 week body transformation program "Sexy Curves" that will give you down to earth advice and guidance on how to transform your body and your life.

Keep in touch with me and remember you are in charge of your life, only you can change it to get your fabulously, sensational body.

x

Rules are meant to broken......(arent they?)

I never conform, I never do as Im told, I always go against the grain, if someone tells me to do something I do the complete opposite, if there is a rule then I am there to break it, I dont follow I tend to lead and if I go alone or if people come with me Im just as happy.  Being this way has admittedly got me into a lot of trouble over my years but I have also had the most immense fun too.  Its liberating to do what I want, to go with what my gut instincts tell me to do, to fly in the face of what everyone else is doing and do it my way, it can be damn right scary too, it pushes my buttons and it gets me to face my fears and do it anyway.

So I began wondering why am I like this.  As a child I was angelic, I was quiet, shy, very withdrawn, wouldnt say boo to a goose, did as I was told, lived in fear of my mother and father, never crossed the line for many of my earlier years.  I was brought up in a strict household, my mother ruled the roof, you darent cross her, she was ferocious.  I wasnt allowed to say certain words, I remember I wasnt allowed to say liar, swearing was out of the question, smoking was forbidden (at 13 I used to smoke herbal cigarettes out of my bedroom window - till my little sister caught me and bribed me!!), no elbows on the table when eating, no leaving the table if any food was left on my plate (thats another whole issue right there!!), no slouching, no chewing gum, no this, no that!! bleurgh!!!! Goddamit no wonder I rebelled as soon as I could.  At 16 enough was enough I flew the nest, found drink and I was outta of there, or so I thought!!  I have vague recollections of my mother dragging me out of nightclubs and telling all of the bouncers in my home town never to let this girl in ever again as I was only 16!!! She ruined my sweet 16 social life, but I can giggle about it now!!  I also paved the way for my siblings, I dont think that they ever got into as much trouble as I did.

So flip this scenario around to right now and I am a mother myself to George who is nearly 11.  I am bringing up my child completely differently, I treat him like an adult, he can choose what to do but he also has to deal with the consequences if there are any.  I am much more liberal than my mother ever way and only time will tell how George will mature into a young adult.

But I must admit my mother did her best and maybe if she hadnt been that way then I wouldnt have turned out into such the rebel that I am today.  So for that I have to thank my mother and I do definitely agree that rules are meant to be broken as Mae West said beautifully "if you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun".

Welcome to my Sexy, Curvy & Fit program

I want to keep you updated with my progress on my Sexy, Curvy & Fit 12 week body transformation program...... I am here for your viewing pleasure.

">

Do you let people label you or do you label yourself

Forever people have been telling me that Im an all or nothing person.  They tell Im either on or either off, am good or bad, am flat out or doing nothing at all, am black or white etc etc, you get the gist.

Being told that Im an all or nothing woman starts just as a thought, now if repeated often enough this thought then becomes a belief, after a while this belief then starts getting actions that support it and then this moves into instilled habits that again ingrain this initial thought deep inside my subconscious.  So I know that everyone is allowed their own opinion and this is just their perception of me but I  started to think about this and wondered if this moniker everyone freely gave me was useful and if it was actually true.

Now looking back at my past experiences I could, in passing, agree with this saying but I have decided to switch this saying on its head and I now reply to people when they suggest this to me that Im just a woman who does everything to best of my abilities, or another way to look at it, is when I put my mind to it, I do it well, so very, very well.  

Looking at it this way gives me back the control over what I do and how I do it.  It makes me feel very much in charge and also gives me full ownership of what Ive done and what I do.  This also means that I fully accept that in the past I have been a very good cocaine addict, an excellent alcoholic and a very professional bulimic.  On the flip side I excel at taking care of myself, I am proud to be the owner of the most passionate drive and determination which enabled me to compete in the UKBFF British Bodybuilding finals (figure category) last year and I surprise myself continuously with my laser sharp focus which is slowly enabling me to build my Goddess Star Monroe empire.

So its all about how you see yourself, how you frame who you are.  Do you let people label you or do you label yourself? 

x

Curvy to Lean....

Life - if youre not careful it takes you away with it.  To stay on track and be aligned with your passions, goals and dreams take dedication, focus and determination.  Even Goddess's can lose their direction sometimes, can be confused at what they want, need and desire, can kid themselves that a stroll in the park and lifting a few weights in the gym counts as exercise and drinking a green smoothie in the morning and then snacking on chocolates counts as a nutritious eating program!!!  Thats me Im talking about, if you havent already guessed!!

Well I took stock and yes I do look adorable when Im curvy but I know deep down that Im not taking the best care of myself and Im all about doing the best I can each and every single day.   So my focus is switched on, my drive is back and my dedication to my "be the best" cause is back on.  2 weeks I started my own "Curvy to Lean" 12 week body transformation program.  I am documenting EVERYthing I do, from the time I get, the thoughts that run through my head, the exercise I do, the food that goes into my mouth, the feelings I feel, the energy I have or dont have, everything and I mean everything is being written down and you know why?????

Because of YOU, this is a program that I am developing for women, women who want to lose weight, tone up, get direction, have more energy, transform their body and just plain old feel good about themselves.  Its going to be a work of art, I know what you have to do to be in the best shape of your life, Im testing driving it for you, Im ironing out all the glitches and making the best program you will ever do!!  Im putting my heart and soul into this and it will look something like this....

12 weekly downloadable modules which include; a video each week explaining what you need for the week,  a detailed blueprint for the week, my journal notes so you can refer back time and time again to help you move along with the program, detailed exercise notes/photos and detailed nutritional advice.  A weekly teleseminar is included too and if you are in my vicinity a weekly bootcamp session is available run by my goodself - what more could a woman want!!!

Module one will be available for your free viewing pleasure this autumn with the whole program launching Spring 2011.   Watch out goddessas the Goddess has arrived!!!!!

Pilates Goddess

Ive been teaching pilates for over 11 years now.  Ive been in the fitness industry for over 20 and Pilates attracted me because of its clever and slick marketing ploy - promising you long sleek toned muscles using exotic and sexy looking equipment.  Wow, I was sold, sign me up to the next course and lets get going with achieving this fabulous body!!!  I did my training and then some more training and then some more, spent a fortune on kitting out my studio with the aforementioned exotic looking equipment and hey ho there I was one qualified pilates instructor.

I also loved pilates as I was always hot on technique with my PT clients and my group exercise classes, I couldnt understand why anyone would want to workout with crappy posture.  So it suited my mini hitleresque type teaching method keeping my clients in check whilst they dutifully performed all their  exercises.

If Im honest (and hey, Im always honest) Ive had a love/hate relationship with Pilates over the years, I have gone through a divorce, a drug addiction and various shitty relationships all of which I let impact my pilates business, but my clients stayed, they stuck with me and they obviously saw something in me that I didnt realize or even believe was there.  Throughout this time I was also looking for my long, sleek muscles, they never appeared (hell, how can they when I was in self destruct mode!!).

I have taught pilates in many different ways from the in depth intensive method to the generic go with the flow method and I have always got clients but not always got results.  But recently I met a wonderful woman, her name is Rebecca Leone and she is responsible for igniting my fire and inspiring me to new levels of Pilates wonderment that I only ever dreamt about.  She is my pilates mentor and I have had the opportunity of training with her for the past 2 years and had the pleasure of spending time in her amazing company in Las Vegas last December.  She has taught me the importance of spine health and that if we dont have great spine health, what do we have!! She has revolutionized my pilates teaching, I have a vision, a goal to empower and educate everyone that comes my way the importance of looking after their bodies from the inside out.

My teaching skills have transformed, I have transformed, my knowledge is amazing and I do consider myself a master Pilates instructor, in fact, my nickname is the Pilates Goddess.  This job is a challenge, it requires energy, compassion, intelligence and love on my part and when I mix all those ingredients up and stir in my eclectic client base the results are just pure magic.

I am transforming my clients lives through my pilates teachings, I am a straight talking Pilates Goddess, I deliver results, bodies that were once misaligned and in pain evolve into elegant, graceful beings.  I love the challenge of discovering how their bodies work, I have many theories of my own.  I believe that emotions not spoken get stored in the body, I believe that there is a whole mysterious connection between connective tissue and movement quality, I believe that when my clients put their mind to it they can achieve anything they damn well want to.

I believe in this method so much that I have taken on a apprentice, Goddessa Sarah London, she has also been trained with Ms Leone, so there is no longer just one of me, there are two and there is power in numbers.   I will mentor Sarah now to bring her up to my high standards of teaching and deliverance of excellent customer service.  We are ROCKING the world of Pilates, we are putting the FUN, the SPIRIT and the SEXINESS into PILATES, we are delivering the most outstanding classes and one to ones in the South east area, I have my eye on my own beautiful studio and this will come to me when I am ready.

And those long, sleek muscles, well they are here, as my attitude and approach changed so did the results.  My clients and I are looking great, we stand tall, walk with elegance, move with a sassy, sexy edge that only you can do when you have the confidence that your body is yours and you are in charge of it completely.  Pilates is here to stay and we are going make sure its FUN, SEXY and SPIRITED.

So its all here for the taking, why not drop a line and let me know how I can help you..........

www.goddessstarmonroe.com

I love my mummy

I think Im entering a confessional period of life right now, as I feel the need to speak about subjects that I never really talk about and one of those is my darling mummy.

I have had a love hate relationship with my mum for years, she annoys the hell out of me, always butting her nose into my business, telling me what to do, how to do, where to go to this etc etc etc.   I have never been close to my mum, always keeping her at arms length so she does get a chance to interfere.  She is opinionated, cutting and very judgemental.  But I do love her, she is my mum and she bought me up the best way she knew how.  I the eldest of 4 children and I paved the way for the rest of my siblings, I was the naughty one, the black sheep, the bad girl.

Over the years my mum has yelled at me, smacked my hands with a wooden spoon, banished me to my bedroom, had me quaking in my shoes by just her look, she has dragged me out of nightclubs by my hair, she has interrogated me in front of my friends, she has shouted at me in public, she has laid the guilt trips on me and she has sided with my boyfriends rather than me.

She has also been there to cuddle me, to hold me, to tell me that everything is ok, that I can do anything I want, that she loves me, she believes me, that Im strong, Im an amazing woman, I have seen that look of admiration in her eyes, I hear the strong words of encouragement she drilled into me when I was young, she has high values, morals and ethics that she believes in and she has dedicated her life to bringing up myself and my siblings.

My mum is quite a woman.  She is strong, she is capable, she is clever and she cares.  She has my utmost respect and I hold her in very high regard and I love her very very much x

Sneaky Addictions

I met a lovely girl in Starbucks this morning and she confessed to me that she was "addicted" to coffee.  She looked forward to walking to Starbucks every morning to get her daily fix, even though it was out of her way from home and work.  After a brief natter (as I also had to get my coffee!!) I discovered that she loved the whole scenario about getting her coffee, she loved the atmosphere in the shop, she loved sitting down outside and drinking her coffee, she viewed it as a treat, a pick up, something just for her that she could enjoy day after day after day.

Now this post could go off and start talking about Starbucks and how absolutely brilliant they are in enticing people into their world but Im not!  Im going to tell you about me and addictions.  We use addictions as a way of not accepting and acknowledging the truth of who we really are and no one knows it better than me!!  I am the queen of addictions, hey even the goddess of addictions I have had numerous obsessions and addictions since I was a little girl and I thought I would share mine and my analysis of each one.  I think trying to get rid of an addiction without replacing with another healthier addiction is doomed for failure, so remember that when looking at yours.

Me age 10 - 16      
Religiously touched everything 3 x before I could leave the room or house.
I was totally shy, totally insecure and used this as a form of reassurance that nothing bad would happen to me.

Me age 13 - 16
Stopped eating food in the day, I would only every eat 1 x chicken pie covered in tomato sauce in the evening
Control issues, I felt out of control, didnt like myself, one way of keeping myself in check.

Me age 17 - 19
Men
Needed to feel loved, be loved

Me age 23 - 26
Bulimic
Control issues again, didnt like my body, didnt like myself, wasnt good enough

Me age 30 - 37
Addicted to cocaine and alcohol
Completely unhappy, wanted to shut off from my world and not feel anything

Me age 31 - 37
Shopping
An escape, freedom, another control issue.  Spending money gave me a feeling of control (even though I was completely out of control)

Me 37 to now
Walking
Time out every day to clear my head and reset my batteries for my day ahead
Training in the gym
Clever me time, where I am nourishing and building my body to the best it can be
Baking and eating cakes - weekends only x
My nurturing side coming out again, allowing myself to be indulgent and enjoy doing so
Spending time with good friends
Its all about the love baby, love, love, love.
Reading, researching, learning
All about expanding me as a person, again to be the best I can be.


So as you can see Ive had a fair few addictions.  Ive also turned my life around without the help of therapists or counsellors and I am creating a new life full of wonderfully, beautiful addictions.  Addictions that will help me grow, help me love and adore who I really am.

Honey Goddess Star Monroe is HOME, BABY, HOME xxxxx





            

Bringing SEXY back!!!

I must admit I may have to thank the adorable Justin Timberlake for the title but the rest is all about us sexy women!

Sexy is a state of mind, its a sass, its the way you walk, the way you talk, its about  confidence, its about self belief and its about one kick arse rocking attitude!

Hey if you dont feel confident, fake it till you make it.  Check yourself out in the mirror, look and I mean really look at yourself, acknowledge and own who that women is in the reflection, give her the thumbs up and tell her that she is the most goddamn sexiest woman in the world,  she is the hottest woman to walk the planet and hey today is going to be your day baby!!! Its all about you!!!

Dress your body in clothes that you feel great in, do your hair, put your makeup, make an effect because (in the words of that famous advert) you are SO worth it!!!

A real woman is.........

1. Independent
2. Busy in her own business ie job, hobbies, interests
3. She doesnt meddle in other peoples affairs
4. She has great compassion
5. She knows that a man needs space and needs to sort out his own problems in his own time
6. She is well dressed and groomed
7. She is calm and relaxed and takes time out every day for herself
8. When she has money she spends it and when she doesnt, shes not worried
9. She knows her worth - she is priceless!
10. She has a certain elegance about herself
11. She is self confident and is not afraid of making mistakes.
12. She surrounds herself with inspiring friends and media.
13. Adores her family with a passion.

Interesting eh???  How many traits do you see in yourself?  Do you agree, disagree?  Let me know your thoughts xx

My principles to follow for change.

Having just returned from the most amazing and immense training course I have experience for a very long time my head is swimming.  Swimming with thoughts and ideas.  If Im honest Im very excited I know that this is going to bring enormous change to my business and what I can offer to all my lovely clients.  Im a little scared too, change is change and I as much as the next person likes to stay in my comfort zone but I know for me to expand and evolve I need to walk through my comfort zone, feel the discomfort and get on with all the changes I need to make.  So thats where I am right now, I am committed to taking baby steps, going gently and smoothly, being consistent in my action plan to go where I desire to be.  

Whenever I am faced with enormous change there are steps that I always tend to take....

1. Take a breath, step back from it all and look at the big picture
2. Become clear on what, how and why I want what I want
3. Talk to my good friends about my ideas, let them see how they sound when I verbalise them
4. Categorize, ie separate work, home, body, mind
5. Work out the goals/passions for each one - starting at the ultimate goal
6. Work backwards from this goal, chunking down the goal into smaller bite sized pieces
7. Write up my goals, assess them, are they realistic, are they exciting, do I feel passionate about them?
8. Work every day towards achieving my goals, be gentle but firm with myself, Rome wasnt built in a
day, but it was built.
9. Realize that extraordinary results needs extraordinary effect.
10.Keep the faith, believe that I am worth this and keep my focus on the end result.

Feel free to use my change principles for anything you are trying to achieve.  Let me know how you get on, and Im here if you need any further advice or just fancy a chat xx

What do you do to look after yourself?

I was teaching a couple of days ago and my client looked me straight in the eye and said.... "I love my lessons here, this is my time, this is time for me, its time out from my busy life and it just makes me happy,", she also asked me what I do that is just for me.

2 years I radically changed my life and for many years before this point I can honestly say that I was taking no real care of myself at all, I was in self destruct mode and I kinda liked it there.  As I transitioned out of this phase I set in place 3 daily rituals that I know I could do everyday, that was 1. to get up 2. walk the dog 3. have one green juice.  These were simple self care rituals that I continued to do daily and they in turn helped me instill some great self care habits.  So fast forwarding to today I thought I would share how I take care of myself on a weekly basis.

Every day I wake up early, I walk the dog, talk to my friend, go to the gym.  I take time to prepare my breakfast and lunch.  I try to write nearly every morning, I go to the hairdressers a couple of times a week to have my hair blowdryed, once a month I have a manicure and pedicure.  Every night I body brush my skin, I run a long bubbly bath and I sit in it and relax.  I read something inspirational every day.  I express my gratitude and appreciation every day and I remind myself what an absolutely beautiful, lovely woman I am every single day.

These are my rituals, these are what makes me the woman I am today.  These rituals support and help me, they guide me to being the best I can be, they inspire me and they help me grow and evolve all the time.   There is no doubt I am one wild, free spirited woman, who hates rules, regulations and being told what to do!  I understand that I could easily not look after myself and throw caution to the wind and say f*** it but I dont, I know where that would take me and Im all about looking after myself and being the best I can be, because when I am being the best I can be, then I can inspire and encourage others to be the best they can be xxxxxx

Beautiful creatures.... You are unique, there is only one of you! Focus on what you love about yourself and forget about what you don't! When you honor your inner and outer beauty your womanly powers will explode!! X

My Goddess Power

My goddess power, the energy which lights up my life, puts the pizazz into my day and juices up my creative soul is always with me and at times it peaks and at other times its quiet and more unassuming.  Right now its quiet, I am in a reflective mood, my life is shifting, something deep is happening that needs my beautiful attention.  I am learning to accept that this is part of my exquisite life, learning to let go and to go with the flow...... Its an ongoing process that I know will be with me for the rest of my life.  Only when we go through these times can we learn and then grow.

So I am nourishing myself, I am taking super uber great care of myself I have just had my hair coloured and cut, I have bought out all the organic vegetables and fruit in the local supermarket, I have just made the most explosive juice ever and am looking forward to creating raw pecan fudge later this afternoon.  Learning and knowing that I am worth looking after is one of the best nuggets of knowledge I have learnt and accepted in this past year.

If you need a pick up or are craving sugar - beautiful creatures you need to try this baby!!!!!

Molotov Cocktail
4 apples
1/4 onion
1 red jalapeno
1 slice ginger
Chuck it all in a blender, whizz and knock back

POW!!!!!!!!!
Im still not seeing straight now!!!!

my fridge of wonderful food x

Soon to be Raw Pecan Fudge xxxx

Enjoy x

Beautiful creatures.... We always create a life that coexists with our internal beliefs. Think about this and see how you feel xxxx

Beautiful creatures.... Do we really need to know who we really are. Sometimes when we accept that we are powerless then we can allow the magic to enter into our worlds x

Ive linked up baby

Its Friday - Ive got a little task for you to do......

I had an insightful meeting with one of my lovely clients earlier this week.  We were talking about her passions, ideals and goals for her body and in our meeting I came up with a great little task for her to do which I thought would be good for anyone to do, especially if you have any hang ups with your lovely body.

I asked my client to list in one column her ideals for her body, I asked her to be ultra specific and super clear.  She came at me with a long list, probably about 15 + items on there ranging from...
shiny, healthy hair
high cheekbones
pert breasts
clear glowing skin
no cellulite
no stretchmarks
thin ankles
shapely thighs  .... and so on, but you get the gist.

Now we spent a long time looking through this list and I asked her how she compared her actual self to this "super" list. We checked off the ones she felt she had and left the others alone.   I then asked her in column two to write next to each comment in column one how she actually felt about her body when she compared it to her "ideal" body and then how she talked to herself about this part of her body.    This is where the exercise got interesting.

When comparing her real self to her ideal self her self talk was rude and very disrespectful - not good for her self esteem at all!!  My client had made up this "super ideal" body in column one and after probing and questioning she realized she had let herself be conditioned into this list by reading various magazines, looking at TV programs and comparing her body with the airbrushed images that are spoon fed to us via the media.  

Now after comparing column one to column two I asked her to write up column three and this column was all about how she could start reframing and accepting her exceptional uniqueness about her body.  I asked her to write out next to each comment in column one what was good/great/different about her body and she was to write this down and keep this part of the exercise.

This may take some work and this may be a challenge for some of you, especially if you are used to talking to yourself negatively.  But trust me this part of this exercise will start to do wonders for your self esteem and confidence.  This is really teaching you how to start honoring and accepting what a magnificent and fabulous body you actually have.

I would love every woman to know that she is an individual and has a certain uniqueness about her that no other woman has.   I encourage all women everywhere to STOP comparing yourselves to other women, learn to embrace everything about yourself, your curves, your shape, the way you move, the way you smile.  Why would any woman want to look like anyone else?  You are you.  Dont you just LOVE that!!!!!!

X

Make way for the feminine........

We live in a patriarchal society and the energy surrounding this is undoubtedly male - its all about drive, focus, discipline and purpose.  It is goal oriented, always looking for the best strategy to obtain the desired result.   We have lived this way for many, many years and  as women we have got wrapped up in this too always planning, organizing, leading and taking control.  We live in a society where pursuing our deadlines and achieving defines our success.   But this way of living is denying our natural state of being and feeling.  We are so busy planning with our minds that we are ignoring our emotions and our bodies.  We are walking around out of touch with who we really are.

Now compare the male energy with the female energy, the energy beautiful creatures that we were born with and what makes us essentially a woman.  Female energy is open, its sensual, it has an exquisite life force of its own, its all about nurturing, protecting and enduring.   It is sustained by colour, sound, touch, smell and most importantly intuition.   Female energy is all about love, it longs to feel and experience love through everything and everyone.  Its creative, it flows, its just all woman.

Every man and woman has both female and male energies that flow through them and it is all about finding the exquisite balance that works for you.  I myself for many years have been totally male energy driven in my life and my business, always doing and achieving and striving for success.  By teaching sensual dance I have been aware of my sensual side but only recently have I taken this to another level and started to really utilize my female energies in everything else I do.

It is an interesting journey, out goes the to do lists and the structure and the goals in exchange I am exploring my passions and what excites me on a daily basis, I am taking time to nurture and love myself like I have never done before, I listen to my body and rest when I need to rest, I am calm and peaceful, I give myself time to be quiet so my creative juices can flow.  I am enjoying the ride, the flow, the journey, I trust that there is something much bigger than me that will take care of me and will show me where I need to go.  I am learning to let go, its scary, its exciting and its me xxxx

As always, beautiful creatures my posts are here to bring you into awareness, to wake you up from where you are and to let you know that there is so much more for us if we just open our minds and our hearts.  So just start to notice where your energies lie - are you more male orientated or are you working with your female energies.  Enjoy and have fun with this xxxx

Some of my random philosophies on eating and your body.

1. When your life is in balance your body will in turn balance out and be the shape and size it is naturally meant to be.
2. If you eat crap for a couple of days you normally wont see any difference in your body until a week later. Our bodies work on a 5 - 7 day time lag.
3. Little changes to our eating habits on a consistent basis reap the most dramatic results, its not what you do right now, its what you are doing now, in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and beyond.
4. When you fall of the wagon of healthful nutritious eating (and you will), accept that fact that you have, dust yourself off and get right back on again.
5. Diets make you put on weight, it makes perfect sense psychologically - whatever you think about you will attract.... Diets = food!!!
6. We all need to return to our natural rhythms.... eat when we are hungry, stop before we are full and be fully conscious of whatever we put into our mouths.
7. Your body weight has nothing to do with your body - its all to do with your mind.
8. You need to retrain your taste buds slowly introducing more fresh vibrant fruits and vegetables to your palate.
9. Know with a PASSION that sugar is highly addictive and it takes time to loosen this addiction and know also that once you have freed yourself from sugar if you eat again you are back into being addicted again!
10. Concentrating on the body as an end result rather than a means breads fear.  A fear that we are not good enough....
11. Deprivation is a crap way to lose weight.
12. If nothing else introduce one green smoothie per day and you are well on your way to looking and becoming so much more healthier.

You are precious!

Do you know how precious you are?  How wonderfully unique and exquisite you are?  Do you respect and cherish yourself each and everyday?  Mmmmm I wonder how many of us beautiful creatures actually do really care for ourselves.   We are so busy running around chasing children, working, looking after partners, parents, dogs, cats, ...... (insert your own) that we often neglect the most important person here and that is ourselves!!!

Its all well and good booking a hairdressing appointment or taking some time off to have your nails done, yes I agree, pampering is a sure fire way to boost our self esteem and confidence.  But I'm talking about something much deeper here.  Do you really value yourself, do respect yourself and do you feel you are number one in this life?  Asking these questions nearly always brings up some unexpected emotions.  Be true to yourself and ask yourself these questions and sit with them and see how you feel.  Only when you believe wholeheartedly that you are enough, that you are worthy, that you have so much value, only then does great change begin.

I was having a conversation with one of my dear clients yesterday, she was having some business problems and was very upset.  She described to me the conversation she had with her husband the night before.... he was very busy with a project he was working on and she was talking to him about her business problems.  As she was describing her situation to him, she suddenly stopped and said "oh don't worry, you are busy, I'm going to bed".   Now I'm not sure what anyone else would pick up from this but I looked deep into her eyes and I said "that doesn't sound like a woman who values herself and what she does."  Tears pricked her eyes and I knew Id hit the nail on the head.  If we cant learn to value ourselves then no one can, this is played out often in a marriage/partnership where the woman believes that her problems aren't as important as her husbands.

This is powerful stuff and by not recognizing your value, your brilliance even, this will send out the relevant messages into the world that you are of no value and you will get treated likewise.   I'm sure that you know this but not only do we have to manage and stay in control of our own thoughts we are bombarded on a daily basis via all media that we are not good enough and these messages get deep rooted into our subconscious if we are not aware.

So beautiful creatures please accept that you are precious,  honor the responsibility that you are priceless and that you deserve the utmost respect from yourself and everyone else.  Sit with these thoughts and just see how they feel, try them on for size...  and you will find that you being you is a perfect fit and its your birthright to be glorious xxx

Beauty is our birthright!

Beautiful creatures.... Do you believe that beauty is your birthright or do you believe that beauty is a gift only some women possess?

I believe that every woman has the right to be beautiful, beauty is there for us all.  Beauty starts in the mind and as the great Sophia Loren says "Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful." Our thoughts really do shape who we are.  If we believe that we are not beautiful then it is so simple we just wont be.  So if it is so simple why not start to question your negative beliefs about yourself and start telling yourself that you are beautiful.  This will to help you on your way to be more beautiful, its a daily practice, a ritual maybe - I need you stand in front of the mirror every morning and look deep into your eyes and tell yourself that you are beautiful and then find 1 or 2 areas of your body that you like, then celebrate them.  Walk away from the mirror happy in the knowledge that you are starting to take great care of yourself.


This daily ritual described above will set you on your way to believing that you are beautiful.   I have more for you.... Shall I let you into a secret???   To really supercharge your beauty a woman has to follow a lifestyle that supports and inspires you to be beautiful too.   You need a lifestyle that will give you results.  Results such as glowing, luminous skin, radiant from the inside out, an abundance of energy and a beauty that reflects sensational health and well being. Results that will make you look and feel younger than your years and that will have heads turning in the street saying WOW!!! How does she do that?


The secret is Raw foods.  I have been exploring and discovering the world of raw eating and it has transformed me!  My energy levels are up, my skin is glowing, I feel calmer and I radiate a beauty that I know comes from me looking after myself from the inside out.  There is so much information on the net on raw foods and the raw way of living and it can be overwhelming but I'm going to let you know how I started on my raw food journey and that was with a green smoothie every morning.  This is now my breakfast of choice and I know I am starting my day with a nutritious meal that will not only make me feel good but look good too!!  There are a couple of recipes below,  try them and see what happens.  Within 4 - 6 weeks you will start to notice your skin glowing baby!  Enjoy 


From
http://www.rawfamily.com

Green Smoothies for Beginners

Basic Balance
Victoria Boutenko

1 mango
1 cup kale
1 cup water
Yields 1 quart

Rocket Fuel Smoothie
Victoria Boutenko

2 cups green or red seedless grapes
3 golden kiwis, peeled
1 ripe orange, peeled, seeds removed
1 small leaf of aloe vera, with skin
5 leaves red leaf lettuce
2 cups water
Yields 2 quarts

Morning Zing Smoothie
Victoria Boutenko

½ bunch dandelion greens
2 stalks celery
½ inch fresh ginger root
2 peaches
½ pineapple
Yields 2 quarts

Parsley Passion Smoothie
Sergei Boutenko

1 bunch fresh parsley
1 cucumber, peeled
1 Fuji apple
1 ripe banana
1–2 cups water
Yields 2 quarts

Inspiration and Passion

I have so many subjects that I love to talk about and so many that I would adore to write about but sometimes my inspiration is just not there and I have to trust that it will return to me when the time is right!  This evening I spent the evening with a gorgeous girlfriend and we sat in on an evening with Jo Malone.  Somebody in the audience asked Jo "how do you find your inspiration?"  to which Jo replied.. "hang around with inspiring people"!!!  and boom!!! at that moment my inspiration returned!!  Spending the evening away from my office with like minded people ignited my spark again!

I believe that we are all creative and inspirational people and that there is something much bigger than us that surrounds us, envelopes us and connects us all.  Call it spirit, god, goddess, source, energy, call it what you want but its there and its running through all of us.  I believe that we are spiritual beings on a human journey and this energy courses through our bodies and its our job to release it and use it wisely.

We are all unique and all completely individual and therefore we all have unique talents that we can offer the world.  There is no two people alike and therefore everyone has something different to offer.  When you grasp the enormity of this, doesn't this idea make you feel just wondrous, magnificent and very powerful!  

I encourage all my clients to work on discovering their passions.  Here is my secret key to discovering your passions.  

Question 1.  What would you do if you knew that you couldn't fail?

Question 2.  What would you choose to do a daily basis even if you knew you wasn't going to get paid?

Question 3.  What would make you leap out of bed every single day with a smile on your face?

These questions will need some thought and some action and you will need to answer these questions every 3 - 6 months and the answers may change but what you will find is that you start to become closer to living and believing in your passions.

When you discover your passion, you want to live it, breath it and absorb it and this makes you one happy being!!!  Remember like attracts like and this is why we are here on this planet earth to discover our passion and to live it full out, to inspire ourselves and to inspire others.

Now go discover....... Have fun exploring your passions and let me know how you get on xxx

The Pink Party just cant help but be magnificent!

Details of our next Pink Party

I'm excited, I'm very excited!! My company Cardiostriptease is holding its 4th Pink Party next week.  It is 7 days till this extravaganza of an evening.  We have 11 sexy, fun and spectacular acts performing, all unique and completely individual, just the way I like it.

3 years ago the idea for the Pink Party was born.  My dear dear friend Jo Russell was living with terminal cancer and I thought it would be a great idea to raise some for her by putting on a little soiree.  The first event was held in a small room and we had pink cupcakes, champagne, 10 pole dancers from Cardiostriptease, teachers and students and 40 excited guests!! It was an amazing success and we raised lots of money for Jo xx   A year later we moved to a larger venue, we found some amazing performers to add their sparkle to the proceedings, more guests attended and the event became bigger and bigger.  It was at this point that the Pink Party transformed from being a pole dancing event to a wonderful unique variety evening showcasing some of the most amazing talent you will ever see in one place.  From pole, to burlesque to fire, to real live snakes, male belly dancing, hula hooping and slick streetdance the Pink Party has it all.

What I personally love about all our performers is that they are unique and individual.  They all have their own sense of style and a certain dynamic purpose about them.  They are excellent at what they do and are captivating to watch.  I am one proud woman to be involved performing alongside them.

My gorgeous friend Jo came last November to watch our show and having her their in the audience always makes the evening very special.  Jo passed away this year in March leaving a everlasting impression on me.  She is a truly amazing woman and she inspired me to reach for my wildest dreams and desires.  She is always in heart and soul and we are proud to run all our events in memory of Miss Jo Russell.  Jo has a son and he is called Josh.  Josh is 19 and he is at university.  After have several discussions at the Cardiostriptease office we all decided that we would love proceeds to now go towards sponsoring Josh through his time at university.

The Pink Party cant help but be magnificent, it is surrounded by love and inspiration.  I will always remember you Jo and I dedicate The Pink Party to you xxxxxx

Details of our next Pink Party

The Bathroom Scales....

You know the feeling... Your feeling good, your looking good, you admire yourself in the mirror "not bad" you say to yourself, "hey Im looking fabulous!!" then you step onto the scales to affirm these great feelings.  You look down expecting to see a magic number that will tell you how good you are, how great you have been and when you look down those scales register another number!! Another number much higher than you expected!! You look again in disbelief are they right you wonder and start to shift your weight from side to side hoping and praying the number will shift down, but it doesn't.  So you step off and pick the scales up and put them on the other side of the bathroom, you step gingerly on again, holding your breath, you look down!! Arrrghh NO! they still register the same number.  "Rubbish" you cry, this cant be right and you pick the scales up and give them a good shake, if they are non digital you may start to fiddle with the dial.  The you put them down and have a genius idea, you sit on the toilet and pee - yes that will do it, that will bring the number down!! So you take the scales outside the bathroom and you put them on the floor in the hall, you stand on again holding your breath, oh!! no holding your breath may make the scales register higher so you blow all your breath out and look down... NO, NO, NO the say the same!! This just cannot be right.  You step off the scales with you head hanging low, your self esteem plummeting faster than the speed of light.  You feel awful, you have failed, you feel like crying!!! What a way to start your day, you just want to crawl back into bed.

Beautiful creatures.... Does this sound familiar?  How much of your self worth and self esteem do you put into a chunk of metal with a dial that sits on your bathroom floor?  How can you let an innate object like the bathroom scales tell YOU how to feel?  Ive been here, done it and got the t-shirt.  Its horrible we put so much emphasis on the scales to register how virtuous we have been and to let us know whether we have been good or bad!

Wake up and smell the coffee!!!! This is absolutely ridiculous.  There are so many other ways for us to ascertain that we feel great.   We will only ever feel sensational when we feel good from the inside out.  When you know that you are taking care of yourself on a daily basis to the best of your abilities with the resources you have and you make this your life's journey then this is the only sensible, intelligent option for real women to feel great about themselves.  Whenever we externalise anything to make us feel good about ourselves this is always going to end up in tears.

Start to believe in yourself, start caring and nourishing your body, mind and soul.  Make it your number one priority, you only have one life and you only have one body.  Treat your body as a temple, stop relying on scales to tell you that you are good or bad.  I dare you to throw them out and liberate yourselves from this chunk of metal.

I can make you look 1 - 2 dress sizes smaller in 5 mins.

Every morning in the gym it always amazes me how many people workout with such terrible postures - shoulders hunched, upper back rounded, waistlines slumped, heads down.  Its almost as if these people have no respect for their bodies and themselves.  In fact these people are so disassociated with their bodies, there is no mind/body connection whatsoever.  To get ultimate results from any exercise program we have got to be what we want to do.  What I mean by this is we have to engage our minds to control our bodies and be thoughtful with every exercise we perform.  Its no good working super hard on the treadmill or with weights if your posture is just terrible - you are only ingraining these bad postural habits even more and people wonder why they have bad backs!!

Ive been teaching Pilates now for over 12 years and the first principle I address with any of my clients is how they hold themselves.  We've all been told to stand up straight, shoulders back, stomach in - but that just doesn't work - we are not in the army, we need subtle tips to align and hold our bodies throughout our day.  I can make all my clients drop 1 - 2 dress sizes within 5 mins!  Now that's pretty spectacular, well it would be if the client takes on board what I suggest and then works with this on a daily basis.  What we need to do is have awareness of how we hold ourselves all the time.  This takes discipline and effort but the rewards are magnificent.  Clients walk taller, they have less aches and pains and their movement quality takes on a grace and elegance that wasn't there before.

So here are my quick postural daily tips.....

1. When you are standing, feel your feet ground into the floor so you have balance and stability, focus on your spine and imagine your spine becoming longer from the pelvis all the way up to the crown of your head. Focus your eyes directly ahead of you.
2. Go find your pelvic floor and get used to connecting with this fabulous muscle, gently draw upwards from between your legs and concentrate on holding this gently.
3.Feel your waistlines lengthen and become aware of this feeling.  Try to maintain this for as long as you can and remember to breath!

If you feel any tension start to creep in, relax, take a breath and try again.  If you just start to work with these 3 tips on a daily basis you are on your way to looking leaner, more elegant and moving more gracefully.  Practice, practice, practice xxx

I will post a video on this shortly x

Change is good for our souls.

How often do you change?  You know things like your hair, you clothes, the route you take to work, your choice of drink....

As our life fast forwards around us we tend to get stuck in our own worlds and our own patterns.  Sometimes not even noticing that we have done the same thing for ages and ages.  Doing the same thing over and over makes us stale and unyielding to the beautiful flow of life that is happening all around us all the time.

I too can get stuck in my patterns and then suddenly wonder why I'm feel tired, have no energy and generally feeling restricted.  I'm not a fan of old sayings and proverbs unless they have a positive spin to them but "a change is as good as a rest" is a great one and little changes to our day can make a tremendous difference, they can wake us up, enliven us and give us a spark to bigger changes along our way.

Just last night I decided to take the door of its hinges that leads into my Pilates Studio.  Such a simple act, a little crazy perhaps but it has made all the difference to my rooms upstairs, the light flows in beautifully and it makes me smile!! So change is good, its good for our souls.   So can I tempt you into a little change today, see what you can do and see how it makes you feel xxxxxxxxx

Do you know how to take great care of yourself?

Women are interesting creatures.  Full of emotions, thoughts and feelings and sometimes all of these can get a little too much for any of us.

I'm all about empowering and inspiring women to take great care of themselves and this is an ongoing journey that needs our full attention and focus.  After all, what we focus on is what we will achieve.  So starting to become aware of what we focus on is the first step to creating our most wonderful desires.

I just popped into my local Starbucks this morning and started chatting to one of the lovely girls behind the counter, she was upset about her life and just wanted to feel great about herself.  She didn't know how to go about it and said she was fed up of her feelings of jealousy and insecurity especially when she has a boyfriend.  These feelings were ruling her life and they were making her feel very unhappy.

After talking to her very briefly we discovered that she really did not like herself and I asked her where this belief came from, she looked at me quite quizzically but I carried on and explained that her beliefs have stemmed from her thoughts and her thoughts were just things and she could (if she wanted to) with focus and determination change her thoughts and therefore change her beliefs about herself.  No amount of new clothes, a great hair cut or pretty shiny things will ever make this woman feel good.  She has to take the time to delve in deep into her mind and start to question why she thinks this way about herself and where has this got her.

I would hazard a guess that there are alot of women out in this world that do not really like themselves and have no idea how to go about changing this.  From my own personal and working experiences I know that for deep everlasting change women have to start in their minds.  They have to start focusing on what and how they are thinking about and learn to direct these thoughts with a little bit more intelligence.  We are creators of our own destinies and it all starts with our thoughts.

So over the weekend have a good look at your thoughts and your belief structures that you have made up about yourself.  Are they serving you well or are they bringing you down.  When you realize that you have all the power you will ever need to change your wonderful self then the magic happens.