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Sophie Uliano is an Internationally renowned Green and Healthy Living expert. She is the author of New York Times best-selling, book, Gorgeously Green. Sophie is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and a Certified Yoga teacher. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including Oprah, Good Morning America, The View, The Early Show, and Access Hollywood. She has written three additional books, on wellness, food, health and natural DIY’s (The Gorgeously Green Diet, Do it Gorgeously and most recently, Gorgeous For Good). Sophie’s education began in the UK where she studied clinical nutrition, homeopathy and aromatherapy, which led to her interest in healthy eating and making her own health and beauty products. Sophie has active audiences on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, where she posts at least two videos every week. Sophie is also the resident green & healthy living expert on Hallmark’s Home & Family! and we are so excited to have her as January’s Guest Blogger.
A Gorgeous New You!
With a brand new year on us, many of us start thinking about what we want or need to change, how to improve ourselves and/or give up bad habits. It IS the time of year for change, when we believe we can turn over a new leaf and try once again to hit that target weight, or stop stuffing ourselves with processed foods. But as the weeks turn into months, we often find ourselves failing: The diet didn’t really work because it just wasn’t sustainable, and anyway why shouldn’t a girl have a little donut with her coffee?
So, this year I want to offer a different approach, and one that I think will help you to grow in the right direction. Quick fixes and sudden changes really don’t work because they are not organic to who we are, and that needs to be the starting place. What works for you, may be disastrous for someone else, so it might behoove you to ask yourself in a moment of quiet, a few key questions.
The first question
The first question that I’d like you to ask yourself is:
What is holding you back? Ruminate on this for a few moments – what or who is holding you back from reaching your highest potential as a human being? Maybe grab a notebook and write your response down.
The second question
The second questions is about a health issue that you may be grappling with. It might be something as simple as tight shoulders, or as serious as fibromyalgia. Whatever it is, ask yourself the following question: What’s really going on with me? When I ask myself this question, I get some very surprising answers! Oftentimes it’s about a resentment that I’m holding onto, or a deep sadness that I can’t shake, or a feeling of absolute overwhelm. The process of inquiry can be very powerful. I’m not suggesting that I am responsible for my disease, but I am asking myself what perhaps lies in and around it. The answers are almost always about letting go of something – an attitude, an opinion, resentment, or the outcome of a situation.
The Final Question
The final question I ask myself is:
What am I grateful for? There is nothing so empowering and life-changing as gratitude. I make a long mental list on a daily basis. When it comes to creating the life I want, this is THE most powerful starting place because what I put my attention on always increases. If I put my attention on the things that I just love about my husband, then I greet him quite differently than I would, had I just been reacting to our daily stresses. If I look at him with admiration, respect and love, then he sends all of that right back at me.
If I go into work and focus on the things that I love about my job, I become warm, alive, and open to opportunities that I would have closed myself off to, had I been complaining.
When thinking about your health, your weight and your beauty, it’s also useful to start by affirming what you love about yourself before you even begin to start forcing change (change can’t be forced anyway!). What do you love about your body, your hair, your smile, your ability to do yoga, run a mile, whatever it is…
Then, instead of thinking of things you have to give up, think of things that you’d love to add to the already beautiful picture. For example: I love my eyes, my smile, my hair, and I’d love to feel the same way about my skin, so I’m going to take the necessary steps to clear up my skin. I will use skin-loving products, eat skin-loving foods, and drink tons of water. I’ll also lovingly allow myself to get a few more hours of sleep a night, as this will add to my glow.
In my book, Gorgeous For Good – A 30-day program to Lasting Beauty Inside and Out, I provide you with all the practical information you need to love yourself more. It’s a skin-to-soul program, where you get to slowly transform your lifestyle by making choices based on sound and simple information.
Your job is to find a way to love yourself unconditionally, and my job is to provide you with the tools to make the outer YOU shine.