Merry Christmas and a happy new year to my lovely readers. I hope you had a truly jolly Christmas day and Santa bought you lots of treats.

This year we broke family tradition and instead of spending it at our parents house, my older sister and her boyfriend held it at their place in London.

I love Christmas, it's a great time of the year and our family love to play card games,Cluedo and the game 'Donkey' - our favourites, and of course burst into laughter when doing charades.

We went to see 'Dead Funny' at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand on Tuesday, which was great! Dark humour, I'll admit it was probably easier for my parents to understand all the references to the comedians which have subsequently died *hence the name 'Dead Funny'*, but it was based on marital issues which were overblown and suddenly the audience roars with laughter as custard pies and trifle puddings go flying across the stage.





Sarah

1. Surround yourself with positive people
This may seem hard, but anyone in your life that is causing a negative impact on your life must be put to the back of the cards. I'm not saying you shouldn't be there for someone when they are in need, that is much different. I'm talking about negative people who somehow make you miserable, but you think they are friends or a boyfriend, maybe. There is no need for a fallout, but distance will make you stronger and you will realise they were sucking the life from you.

2. Breathe and take time for yourself
Alone time is so super important. I really cherish my own company, relaxing or browsing the internet. I like fiddling around with guitars I'm no good at playing, and I like to draw. These things make me feel at home in myself. If particularly anxious, I find traditional breathing techniques, yoga and meditation help me to find a sense of calm.

3. Keep a notebook/diary
One thing that gets me through is writing down goals I would like to achieve. These aren't goals to go bungee-jumping by the time I'm 25, or to have kids by the time I'm 28. These are small steps that I'd like to take during the next year. I find that drawing yourself as you think you are now, and drawing who you want to become or who you think you will be in 2 years time is a really healthy exercise, one that I did in Tanzania and funnily enough the person I thought I was; a busy PR lady, didn't like that life much or the people in it. The other person I drew liked wellbeing, yoga, learning instruments and the other person wanted to work in another industry. That other person was truly me, and now I'm working towards small goals to continue in a new (but comfortable) direction.

4. Learn to say no
It's great to be an enthusiastic yes person, but when you are tired and need some time to breathe, it's ok not to attend every social event on the calendar, even if your friends try to make you feel guilty about it.

5. Keep your loved ones close
Let your loved ones know how appreciated they are. They will always be the people you turn to when things get rough, and they are always there to have your back. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves how lucky we are in life to have someone who truly cares.

6. Get creative!
Whether it's cooking, photography, painting, sculpture or even rearranging the house - doing something creative and fun will only bring joy.

7. Have a clear-out.
It's important to de-clutter the house in order to de-clutter the mind. I like just enough clutter/objects that my home feels cosy; but never things I don't need. All those old bills, papers and magazines on the side - be brutal and get rid of them. Old underwear, old socks - bin them. Clothes - bag them up and take them to the charity shop if you haven't worn them in years. Creating space in your home also creates space in your mind and instantly makes us feel on top of things, more organised and ready to take on the next day.

8. Get enough rest and sleep
This is so important! Aim for 7-8 hours sleep a night to feel fully functional. If you're a light, disturbed sleeper like me, take a herbal supplement or night time tea an hour before you head to bed to help you to drift off.

9. Try to exercise once a week
Exercising is hard when you're feeling negative, but not only does excersise make you feel great afterwards, it also gives focus to your life. Focus on eating clean and really nurturing your body. Don't give into temptation and binge on pizzas and fizzy drinks, these will make you feel terribly sluggish.

10. Listen to music
I love soft acoustic folk vibes when I'm feeling low. I like listening to Fleet Foxes, in particular. Put on music which gives you a little lift, particularly in the mornings when you are gearing up to face the day.

A few nights ago I threw Christmas themed house-warming party at my house and invited all my Bristol friends over for mulled wine, snacks, music and wild games.

You'll absolutely have to forgive the quality of my photos - the dark creeps in from 2pm in the afternoon at the moment so there's really bad light.

Tonight I learnt about all sorts of health related practices. My housemate and one of my best friends, Becki, from Just Lady Jane.

I worked at Pukka Herbs, a herbal teas and supplements brand, for a short time as a temp when I first moved to Bristol. That's how I learnt a little about herbal practices and met Becki, Sebastian, Tim and the team.

Tonight I discussed with Becki what my dosha was.

First question, if you don't know already, what are dosha's? 




In Ayurveda, your dosha is your body/mind type. In my case, I am a mix of Vata and Pitta. Your dosha affects how you perform on a daily basis. For me, it was most interesting to learn why i'm not sleeping so well, and why I have bursts of energy and then crash during the day multiple times. I've thought for a long time it's been connected to sugar alone, and my addiction with the stuff, but now i'm starting to think it's my dosha which is completely imbalanced...

According to Sebastian Pole, co-founder of Pukka Herbs, during the colder months (October - March) I should eat a Vata based diet, then I should switch to more of a Pitta based diet during the summer months, when I don't need to keep my body warm so much.

Ok, so you're asking 'I'm a Vata - now what should I eat?'

Sweet things: Natural sugars, fructose
Tastes I my body needs: Sour/citrus fruits, fermented food, sourdough bread, vinegar, fermented yoghurt.

Spices great for Vatas:
Ginger
Garlic

Take supplements:
Taranaprash (Golden preserve)
Cardamom
Ashwuganda

Grains:
Basmati
Brown rice
Wild rice
Wheat
Cooked oats
Quinoa

Grains to reduce:
Barley
Corn
Buckwheat
Rye

Veggies to eat:
Avacado
Beetroot
Cucumber
Carrot
Sweet potato
Seaweeds

Vegetables are a funny one for Vata's, as we get really cold all the time it isn't good for us to eat lots of raw food.

It's better to cook veggies, but avacado, beetroot, cucumber and carrot are not so bad to eat raw.

Salad leaves apparently are particularly bad to eat for Vata's, as they cool the body down even more, so it's best to stick to cooked spinach or greens rather than a cold bowl of leafy salad.

Don't eat raw:
Peas
Leafy green veg (eg. kale or spinach)
Summer/Winter squash
Potatoes
Onion

An interesting pointer is to cook veggies in a little bit of ghee butter and spice them well, as the butter will lubricate your digestive system whilst the spices compliment your Vata diet (providing it is not too spicy!)

Good spices for Vatas:
Cardamom
Cumin
Corriander
Ginger
Fennel
Dill
Cinnamon
Salt
Black pepper
Cloves
Mustard seeds

Vata super foods:
Asparagus
Spiraliner (I would rather take this in tablets as it isn't so yummy)

Sweeteners:
Honey
Moulasses
Barley
Malt
Maple syrup

Drinks:
When drinking water, never drink it cold.

A tip is to boil the kettle for a cup of herbal tea (in a Vata's case, a tea with cinnamon or licorice root is perfect), and to pour another cup of hot water at the same time. Take them both to your desk at work, and wait for the hot water to cool down until it is drinking temperature.

Drinking warm water won't cool your body down so much, like cold water does. Vata's struggle to keep warm, at the best of times, so it is recommended you match your diet to your body, so the body doesn't use up so much energy in the day trying to stabilise your body temperature.

Drinks to avoid: Anything that contains tannin's.
Black tea
Green tea
Red wine (this one I'm mortified about... I LOVE red wine).

Other things to avoid: "The top two won't be hard to avoid as I don't do either!" she says, coyly.
Drugs
Tobacco
Poor quality oils
Extremely spicy foods

You can take Pukka's quick test to find out what your dosha is.

Let me know in the comments below!

Sarah

I threw together a little something in the kitchen earlier and it dawned on me I've been cooking as a veggie for years and I haven't shared any of my quick easy recipes yet.

1. To start, dice a small onion and fry in organic coconut oil. Add a diced clove of garlic and use a handheld slicer to form your courgetti. Throw the courgetti in last (it only needs a minute to soften).

3. Now throw your courgetti in with your onion and garlic, cook for one minute and turn off the hob. Drain your broccoli and pasta once soft, and pour into the saucepan. Dice a large cooked beetroot and throw into the mix. Now all you need to do is add your crème fraiche, cheese and seasoning of salt and pepper and serve!

So here we are, my take on reducing the amount of pasta I use in my dishes to keep the carbs low. Let me know how you got on in the comments if you tried this out at home!