Author: Sandy De Leo

Food-Lover Coaching Weight Management Club

Inspired by a love for food

1st June 2020 today we move forward into Lockdown Level 3. Many of the population here in South Africa are going back to work. Businesses are opening, and the economy has been kick-started again after being kicked well and truly during the total lock-down.

Some people like me who work in the field of vocational education and training, are still locked down because training activities require close contact and are at high risk for spreading the Virus.

Being an independent consultant, I find myself in-between. The in-between space, in this case, is where it’s difficult to know what comes next and tricky to make a decision about what to do next. I know for sure that my usual work is on hold until September and there is no shining light to indicate that my work will continue where it left off.

Everyone around the world has been touched by the pandemic. The magnitude of sadness and despair they say should make those of us who are still living and have money to buy food and loved ones to care for, feel better. I’m not sure how that works because I feel sad for everyone including myself.

I have decided to move forward and use my skills in another form. I’m working on my sideline, which is Health and Nutrition Coaching. I help people to be healthy, fit and to love themselves more by changing the way they think about food and changing the way they eat.

I do know that feeling sorry for myself doesn’t help, activity helps me to ease the pain. We have all been through an experience that has left us stunned and now It’s time to take care of ourself.

I was adamant about retaining my shape and fitness during the lock-down, and I worked hard on keeping my attitude of gratitude well charged and my spirits high. I have to admit it was tough and maybe the most challenging personal experience I have ever had.

I have gained 3.5 Kilos during the lock-down in spite of my good intentions. My clothes don’t fit so well, and I feel sluggish. While I’m thinking about it, my old knee injury is playing up, maybe because of the cold morning weather but 3 kgs extra to carry around doesn’t help.

How many Kilos did you gain so far? Or did you lose weight due to the stress? Would you like to join me in getting back into shape?

I am setting up the Food-Lover Coaching Weight Management Club. The first online meeting is coming up soon using the Zoom Meeting App.

  • Do you want to lose a few Kilos?
  • Do you want to gain a few Kilos?
  • Maintain a healthy weight?
  • Learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits\?
  • Learn how to say no to that Apple Pie?
  • Learn about different weight loss diet regimes?
  • Share your highs and lows with a group and be accountable for your weight management goals?
  • Bring a friend and do this together?
  • Support a friend or family member and join as a supporter?

Reply in the comments to let me know if you are interested and I will send the details about Food-Lover Coaching Weight Management Club, including membership plans and payment options.

An Opportunity to meet an Accountability Coach

Inspired by You No7

For everyone who wants to kick start a new lifestyle project

When I decide to embark on a project, either business or personal, I announce my intention, I tell people about it. The people I share my intentions with are people who will encourage me and ask how it’s going, people who are expecting a result and will hold me to book. That is how I make a commitment.

What does commitment mean to you? Although there are different modes of commitment, for example, commitment to a relationship, to a team, to a job, to a cause or to a goal, a commitment requires dedication.

I prefer to use the term dedication. To me, the term “making a commitment” feels static, whereas dedication has movement with no beginning and no end. I dedicate my time and attention towards a person or a task or a team or a project. When a specific result is required, I will be dedicated until the end goal is achieved.

If you are not so good at making commitments, find another word or expression that is more meaningful to you. Do you have dreams that are sitting on the shelf waiting for you to do something?

Take a look at the words and expressions below and see if anything resonates with you.

  • Obligation
    • PROMISE
      • Loyalty
        • Make it happen
          • Turn up for life
            • GIVE IT GRIT
              • Devotion
      • Resolve
        • Focus on the green light
          • Give it horns
            • Endurance
              • Get it done
                • COLLABORATE
  • “Dedication and commitment are what transfer dreams into reality.” Anonymous
  • “Commitment is the foundation of great accomplishments.” Heidi Reeder
  • “Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.” William Longgood
  • “Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality.” Abraham Lincoln
  • “Decide, dedicate, succeed” Sandy De Leo
  • “Dedication is the hours we put in when nobody’s watching.” Anonymous

What does accountability mean to you?

What does it take for you to hold yourself accountable? We are used to being held accountable by others, the boss, the team, our parents and teachers, but it doesn’t come easy to hold ourself accountable.

Is being accountable the same as being responsible? There is a discreet difference, although the two work together.

Responsibility can be shared while accountability cannot.

For example, you can give a team a task, but you can only hold one of them accountable for the end result. There’s no point in sharing accountability because that leaves the door open for one to blame another if the task is not done.

Being accountable means ultimately being answerable for the end results.

If you work alone on a project, you need to be responsible and accountable for the progress, and the results. To be accountable to yourself requires self-discipline and self-evaluation, and that is not in everyone’s skill set.

Successful self-employed individuals, freelance consultants and entrepreneurs are either highly skilled in self-accountability or have accountability partners.

It takes time and practice to develop self-discipline and an objective point of view. It is inherent in the nature of man to do things for others and to feel good when we keep our promises.

Without someone to hold you accountable new business ventures don’t happen, health and fitness plans fail, home and garden projects get put on hold. Dreams remain dreams, and the quality of life is dull and uninspiring.

If you have no one to tell about your future dreams projects and goals, you might consider working with an accountability partner, or how about an accountability team? Do you think the act of sharing your plans and being held accountable is going to help you get into action and stay the course?

Take this opportunity and grab your free 20-minute session with Sandy. Discuss the future get ready to turn up for life.

Sign up for your free coaching session

A Tribute to Fresh Lemons- Inspired by the Lady at the Checkout

Inspired By You No6

If your first thought as you wake in the morning is a happy thought, you are more likely to have a pleasant day. This morning my first thought was about lemons because my morning wake up drink is usually herbal tea with lemon. This morning I chose rooibos tea with lemon. I love lemons.

At the local supermarket, the lady at the checkout asked what do I make with lemons. She said she noticed how I always buy fresh lemons. I reeled off just a few things I do with the lemons and she smiled when I mentioned cleaning my teeth.

While the kettle was boiling, I had a moment to be thankful for having plenty of fresh lemons. I decided to start off the day with a tribute to fresh lemons.

Lemons are full of goodness and have more than 12 micro-nutrients, therefore having excellent feel-good qualities and antioxidant properties. Although lemons are a well-known source of Vitamin C, there is more than double the amount of Potassium in a lemon than there is Vitamin C.

Potassium is a mineral found in the body mainly in your cells, predominantly in your muscle cells and small traces in your liver, bones and red blood cells.

Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in the body and is the highest nutrient value in lemons. It helps the body regulate fluid, send nerve signals and regulate muscle contractions.

It’s no wonder that my early morning tea with fresh lemon starts me off with positive energy. I notice that when I chose Green tea with lemon I get an extra boost of energy and I can do a more rigorous morning workout.

This morning the positive energy was directed towards the cleaning properties of lemons. For the morning workout, I wiped down the inside and outside of the kitchen cupboards with a mixture of equal parts water lemon juice and vinegar. This mix is a natural disinfectant that cleans well and smells fresh.

Lemons juice is a degreasing agent and can be used to clean all sort of things

  • Kettles and coffee-makers can be de-scaled using boiling water and lemon juice
  • Lemon juice can remove stains from clothing, including those nasty little rust stains that pop up in pure cotton garments and bed linen
  • Boil water and lemon juice in the microwave to create steam, leave it for 5 minutes to act as a degreaser then wipe it down with a warm cloth
  • Lemon juice removes grime and stains from plastic containers
  • You can refresh the entire house if you simmer lemon juice and water on the stove for an hour or two. The smell and the vapour creep through the house.

Lemon essential oil is one of my favourites. In my office, I mix lemon oil and sweet orange oil in a diffuser, the aroma helps me to concentrate.

For a quick pick me up, you can mix one drop of lemon oil and one drop of peppermint oil in the palm of the hand, rub them together until the warmth sets off the invigorating aroma. Without touching the face take a few deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Finally, I need to mention food;

The acid taste in lemon is one of the four essential flavours used in cooking to balance the dish and create a dish of well defined flavours. The other three tastes being salt, fat and sweet.

Lemon can be used to balance out a dish that tastes, bland or flat, too salty or too sweet and can also help to balance out a bitter taste.

If the taste is too acid because you may have used too much lemon, try maple syrup and salt to rebalance. This is the joy of cooking and hereby completes this tribute to fresh lemons.

A Perfect Opportunity to Quit Smoking- Inspired by The Neighbor

Inspired by You No5

The 21 day Corona Virus lockdown in South Africa started on March 27, 2020. We are now waiting to see what will happen after the extended deadline on April 30.

The shock-waves that followed after the announcement about the lockdown included the unexpected ban on the sale of tobacco products and alcohol. These items are classified as non-essentials.

There are many arguments for and against the ban.

Mental health professionals generally advise us to focus on the positives in the face of adversity.

On the positive side of banning the sale of tobacco products and cigarettes, we find a mountain of benefits, including physical and mental health benefits and financial and social benefits.

If you are a smoker, I am interested to know how you are dealing with the situation. Are you angry, accepting, craving a smoke, or thankful for the unexpected opportunity to quit?

One of the best strategies for giving up smoking cigarettes is to selectively choose the time when to quit. A significant event is always the right choice. A wedding, a vacation, hospitalisation, the birth of a child, and sadly the death of a loved one are all examples of significant events.

There is no doubt or reasonable argument or valid excuse, you cannot deny, this significant event that is upon us right now is a perfect opportunity to quit smoking.

There are a few ways you can look at this.

  • Be grateful for this historic opportunity that has come your way to solve your pending health problems and help rid yourself of the compulsive habit of smoking cigarettes
  • Be outraged and focus on the fact that your right to choose is gone, and pile up all the other reasons why the ban is not fair
  • Be somewhat outraged but realise this is an excellent chance to quit and think carefully, are you going to take the opportunity or not
  • Be indifferent because you stocked up on cigarettes before the lockdown and spent more money on cigarettes than some people have to live on for a month

What will you do if the ban continues and all your cigarettes are gone?

For the past week, my husband Franco and I have opened the front gate early in the morning and stepped out into the street. We cast our eyes far into the distance to feel a sense of freedom.

One day the neighbour stopped for a chat as he drove out of his gate. That was the first conversation we had with another live person in 15 days.

The conversation got around to the banning of the sale of cigarettes and alcohol. Franco didn’t stock up; instead, he accepted this as his big chance to quit smoking. The neighbour, on the other hand, was furious about the ban, he did stock up and claimed to have enough in stock to last a few more weeks. The neighbour also mentioned he had stocked up on wine.

We all enjoyed our relaxed early morning conversation and in parting offered our assistance to help each other if we needed anything.

A couple of days after our encounter, the neighbour phoned to ask if we had a printer with enough ink and paper to print a 100-page document. It was for his son’s home-schooling manuals.

We were happy to be able to say yes and help. The neighbour offered a trade and asked if he could buy paper or ink or is there anything we needed in return. I remembered the conversation about cigarettes and wine.

We had already used the two bottles of red wine that we had in stock for cooking. The previous week I made a beef casserole with red wine sauce, and for Easter, Franco made Ragu with red wine and home-made Gnocchi. That was the end of the red wine. We traded a printout for a bottle of wine.

A friend who has been trying to quit smoking for a few years decided to stock up on cigarettes and ride the wave. He ran out on Saturday, he finally accepted this as the perfect opportunity to quit smoking.

A good thing about acceptance is once you have accepted something for what it is, it’s easier to move on.

I used to be a smoker, and I quit four times. I care so much about you that I am giving you a free course about dealing with the cravings when you quit.

Here is the full course about how to quit smoking for the rest of your life.

Because I care about your health, and I know you will never regret your decision to quit smoking, I am giving away 3 Quit Smoking Packages. The package includes 3 online coaching sessions and The Quit Smoking Project for free.

This will be awarded to the first three people who contact me with the correct answer to the following question.

What is the Title of the free course?

Everyone check out the courses, leave a comment and be my inspiration for the next post.

If you are a non-smoker but know someone who might be grateful for a little help to stop smoking, please share the post.

Micro-Greens & A Well Oiled Engine – Inspired by Caron

Inspired by You No4

The word antioxidants is a word I use every day. I continuously remind family and friends about the importance of antioxidants in our diet. I love the way the word sounds, I can almost sing it.

Playfully, I have attached a few of my own meanings to the word antioxidants.

The word sounds to me like anti-accident, meaning it describes something that is not an accident, something that happens on purpose or something we do with intention. For example, I might say “It’s an antioxidant that I put cinnamon spice on my breakfast every morning”.

I relate antioxidants properties in food to a well-oiled engine, anti-corrosive primers and anti-rust products. They all help to keep the outer skin smooth and keep the engines running.

The connection to the above is, food with antioxidants properties promote longevity, they help us to look and feel younger and to grow older with vitality.

The inspiration for this post comes from Caron. In the short time, this series has been published, Caron’s comments have convinced me, that she serves up tasty, nourishing meals for her family and that she is kind and nurturing in nature.

After the lockdown, I am going to develop a new hobby. I have decided to learn how to grow micro-greens. I have a kitchen windowsill where the light seems to be just right.

When I was a child, my mother often had a small box of mustard cress growing on the kitchen windowsill. She made egg mayonnaise and mustard cress sandwiches.

As well as the encouragement from Caron and memories of childhood, it is the antioxidant properties of micro-greens that is motivating me towards growing them.

Antioxidants are natural compounds found in some foods that help to neutralize free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are substances that occur naturally in our bodies but attack the fats, protein and the DNA in our cells, if not kept in check this can cause various types of diseases and accelerate the ageing process.

Fruits, vegetables and products derived from plants are the best sources of antioxidants. It’s nice to know that dark chocolate, green teas and red wine are also sources of antioxidants. Food that is rich in colour indicates there is a specific antioxidant present in that food.

Planning something to look forward to is a way of helping ourself to deal with difficult situations in the present. I have enjoyed daydreaming about setting up an antioxidant-rich micro garden in the kitchen, having smoother, fresh and glowing skin tone, energy in abundance and experiencing joy from seeing these little antioxidant nutrients grow.

Do you have anything planned for the future in relation to healthy living? A herb garden or a vegetable patch, or a chilli bush in a pot outside the kitchen door?

I encourage you to leave a comment, share your tips, tricks and favourite recipes. Startup a new conversation and be my inspiration for the next post.

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Back to Basics – Inspired by Lorraine Gutteridge

Inspired by You No3

The mindset of frugality might be appropriate for us all right now. Not just for those who cannot afford to stock up the fridges and freezers or for the millions of people who rely on the monthly salary to do the grocery shopping for the month ahead.

Today my thoughts are with those who shop for the most nutrient-dense foods at the lowest possible cost—the people who know what type of food sustains life on a small budget.

The same people who cannot afford to indulge in fast foods and fancy foods. The same people who suffer from hunger but do not suffer from modern-day decease caused by eating too many unhealthy foods.

Continue reading Back to Basics – Inspired by Lorraine Gutteridge

Comfort Foods – Inspired by Mike Oughtibridge

Inspired by you No2

We all have our comfort foods and our different reasons for why they give us comfort. For example, if chocolate is one of your comfort foods and also a comfort food of mine, I may enjoy it because it goes down nicely with coffee, but you enjoy it because it makes you feel like you are on vacation.

My friend Mike Oughtibridge inspired me to write this post. Mike owns a Guest House and keeps a well-stocked pantry. He commented recently during the lock-down about how his refrigerator has become a 24-hour buffet. Not for the guests this time, but for himself.

I used to crave for dark chocolate, that changed when I changed the way I eat, now I want nuts.

Continue reading Comfort Foods – Inspired by Mike Oughtibridge

The Simple Shopping List – Inspired by Joyce & Alix Armes

Inspired by You No1

For the next month or so, I don’t know how long, I will write two posts a week and publish these on Tuesday’s and Friday’s. This Blog series called Inspired by you will be a collection of yours and my experiences during the lock-down period, mostly relating to food and healthy living.

I invite you to add comments and start up conversations. Share your experiences relating to food shopping, cooking, food shortage, food storage, eating habits, cravings, great ideas and tips and tricks, ensuring that healthy living is the guiding theme.

Today is day five of lock-down in South Africa. My husband Franco and I have been in lock-down for eight days, and we intend to stay isolated for as long as we possibly can. We did our mega grocery shopping nine days ago. We decided to avoid the crowds, we anticipated that inevitably people will crowd the supermarkets during the four days before the lock-down.

Continue reading The Simple Shopping List – Inspired by Joyce & Alix Armes

Choosing an accountability partner

Why decide to have an accountability partner?

Here you are with your thoughts and dreams about the future but something is stopping you from taking action. You’ve tried a few times, making plans, making promises, and maybe you even set things in motion. Something is stopping you from achieving your goals.

Having someone to hold you responsible for meeting your objectives and achieving your goals is a common business practice with entrepreneurs and solo-preneures. Personal Trainers do this to help you achieve your fitness and sporting goals. The system of coaching and accountability can help anyone achieve any kind of goal because it helps you develop the mindset of an achiever.

Continue reading Choosing an accountability partner

Healthy Kitchen Cupboards

If you feel heavy and your energy is low, a great way to lighten up is to clear out your kitchen cupboards and stock up with only nourishing foods.

 When I hit my 50’s, I didn’t exactly hit the ground running. I was unfit, tired most of the time and 10 kilo’s overweight. I was bored with life and had no energy for quality time at the weekends. It was time to take stock of my health.

This was one of those times when I was reminded by the universe that I am mortal. I realised that optimum energy levels can only be sustained if I consciously take care of my health. I don’t want to be 90 years old and immobile. I want to be 90 years old, have good health, walk with the dogs, be independent and skip for 4 minutes every morning.

I kick-started my new lifestyle with a serious clear out of the kitchen cupboards. My new mindset was forming and I took great pleasure in clearing out foodstuffs that no longer served me. Since then the kitchen cupboard cleaning is a yearly ritual and happens in November. It’s refreshing to have healthy Kitchen Cupboards to start a new year.

Continue reading Healthy Kitchen Cupboards