By drawing inspiration from the people, things and world around you, taking just the bits that suit you and leaving the rest out, without beating yourself up for going about things differently from someone else, you can find out what works for you. I really believe it isn’t about success or failure, but about celebrating your own individuality and creating conditions that allow you to be the best version of yourself. I found that as I focused on one of these areas (I’ll explain a bit more in the next section, but for me, a change in diet was really my starting point), my attitude towards other aspects of my life started to change, having a positive knock-on effect and driving me to create conditions for a truly healthy, happy lifestyle.
I have been, and continue to be, on a fascinating journey of self-discovery, learning a little more about myself every day. I have come to realize how powerful this knowledge is, and that it can really influence the many different parts of my life, allowing me to take decisions that nurture me. Most noticeably, I have learned to be kinder towards and more accepting of myself, something that so many of us find challenging. I still continue to learn and grow every day, and I hope that I will do so for ever. In the meantime, I want to share the power of this process and help guide you through all the confusing and conflicting information. I want to help you make sense of it all in a way that is manageable, that fits in with your life and allows you to really understand what it is that you need in order to find your own sense of balance.
Some of you might be reading this book because you are looking for a way to overcome a digestive disorder or low energy levels – or perhaps you’ve realized that you are not feeling as good as you would like. If this sounds familiar, then in many ways your motivation is probably already in place. You know why you are trying to make changes and can see how much your life could be improved if you can relieve yourself of whatever symptoms you are experiencing. However, when you try something and it doesn’t work out, it can be incredibly frustrating – I know that from my own experience. For you, persevering when you can’t find a quick fix may be challenging at times, but hopefully you will soon recognize the things that do and do not suit you.
Others of you perhaps might be a little curious, and even if you don’t have a specific cause for immediate change, you might simply be interested in learning more about yourself or how to live life to the fullest. For you, making changes to your lifestyle can be harder to commit to, but perhaps a little less frustrating.
‘Nothing about this book is intended to be prescriptive. The aim is to share with you a few ideas to help you work through your own journey, at a pace that suits you, in order to discover what makes you feel your absolute best.’
Alternatively, you may not fit in with either of those groups and maybe just picked this book up at random – if so, why not continue to flick through just a little longer and perhaps you’ll spot something you like the look of, or a sentence or two that resonate with you? Whoever you are, taking the time to focus on yourself is a really positive exercise that can help you to get the most out of life, and hopefully help you to learn and grow in ways you might not have known you could.
I would never want to tell anyone how to approach their own life, but as you go through this book I would urge you to be open-minded, to step outside your comfort zone and go with the flow. Trial and error can be incredibly frustrating, but for most of us quick fixes just don’t exist, especially if you are looking for long-term change. If you can find comfort in the idea that you are trying to do what is best for your mind and body, and that each day is a step towards figuring it all out, the whole process will become more manageable, no matter what setbacks you may face.
I hope this book serves as a guide for you. Nothing about it is intended to be prescriptive. The aim is to share a few ideas to help you work through your journey, at a pace that suits you. The most important thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong, no pass or fail. This is all about you, learning about yourself and creating a life that allows you to feel your very best.
Another thing that I find so helpful to remember is that we are all insignificant. I mean this in the best possible way. Every time you face a problem that feels totally terrifying, take a step back and know that as much as you may think your actions will completely rock the world, they truly won’t. Each of us, alone, is insignificant, but together we are a powerful force. Let’s create individual consciousness on a large scale. Let’s play, learn, grow and inspire the people around us. And most importantly, let’s find ourselves, and learn to enjoy each moment, because nothing in life is permanent.
I want to show you how to fall in love with taking care of yourself – to help you navigate through the processes of connecting with yourself, and opening the door for you to walk through in order to find your own true balance.
What I am sharing with you in this book is all stuff I learned on my journey to improve my physical and mental well-being. You can draw inspiration from different theories, examples and other people’s experiences, holding on to just the bits that work for you and letting go of the things that don’t.
Throughout my teenage years, and especially as I got to university, I struggled a lot with both energy levels and digestive issues. Things seemed to get worse and worse until eventually I felt that it was having such an impact on my quality of life that I totally despaired. I remember calling my mum on an almost daily basis at a total loss about what to do. Every time I ate I was in so much discomfort, and not a moment went by that I wasn’t aware of some sort of stomach-bloating after eating. I didn’t even understand that it wasn’t normal until my mum tried to get me to describe what I was feeling and I realized that other people didn’t have this 24/7 digestive awareness. On top of all that, I got to the point where my body was seemingly so exhausted just trying to digest whatever I fed it that I couldn’t physically stay awake after eating.
I eventually got to the point where I was so miserable that something really had to change. I decided to do a total 360-degree lifestyle turnaround and take out everything and anything from my diet that I thought could possibly cause any sort of stomach issues. I felt that structure would be really valuable to me, so I followed a strict high-protein diet, eating very simple meals based around chicken, turkey, eggs and fish, usually accompanied by brown rice and steamed veg. It was the sort of diet you would expect a body-builder to follow and, combined with some serious gym training to try to keep myself feeling strong and confident, I really bought into this rigid plan. I was in the best shape of my life: strong, fit and healthy, and for the first time in a long while I had the energy to get through each day again. My gut was almost healed, too – in fact, after just six weeks the improvement was so dramatic that I couldn’t believe I had waited so long to make changes.
However, while I felt as though I had proved a miracle to myself in terms of my body, I began to struggle in other areas of my life. I was no longer drinking alcohol, and as a young adult in London whose friends had all started working in the City and many of whom were boozing their way from Wednesday to Sunday, I felt as though I was pretty isolated socially. My diet and newly discovered teetotal ways didn’t go down particularly well in social situations, and often I would just choose not to go to that party, or dinner, or anything else due to a fear of the undesired attention I might draw.
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