jo hodson 01/07/2014 jo hodson 01/07/2014

Inspired in June

It's a beautiful day and i'm feeling reflective and inspired.

It's also the first of July and what a perfect day to reflect... upon the last month (or so). My monthly 'inspired' posts seemed to have become a little lost amongst the busy-ness of life and so today I felt it a good opportunity for some gratitude.

June has been a month of sunshine, the summer solstice, progress with Wholeplus and my health coaching, another article published in Definition Magazine... and overall a growing sense of clarity on my direction in life.

I still work too hard, still try to fit too much into my days, still get distracted by my ever turning mind of ideas. But with clarity comes focus and with focus comes a sense of structure and moments of calm.

Growing friendships and connections with people around me who think and feel like me have also been explored this month moreso than ever before. Personal friendships are blooming and I have also put myself out there to join networking groups in the wellness area. Being inspired by others and enable others to be inspired fuels me.

How about you, what has inspired your soul this last month?

This is my little roundup of things that made me happy in some way last month. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see more.

No bake chocolate nut butter balls- so moreish and the most requested treats from my friends (the perfect gift or part treat)
The first strawberries of summer
This tastes slightly sweet like cake yet has no sugar. The ginger is a bonus
My new toy. Spiraliser. Oh. How. I. Love. Thee!!
Plaintain... i've been playing with using ripe plantain in smoothies and ice cream with great results! Stay tunes for more on that.
Sunsets. Warm evenings staying out until late.
This quote was beautiful. Self knowledge and clarity.
My favourite veggie porridge- cauliflower and lemon juice work so well!
loose teas! I love teas and now I can make my own blends
My chocolate peppermint plant is growing nicely- great addition to smoothies and as tea!
Love finds you in the strangest of places... including at the bottom of my tub of homemade body butter.
I was sent some product to test by Steenbergs. I used their lavender to make a bedtime almond milk. Beautiful.
Another quote. Don't let fears take your energy.
Teapigs send me some complimentary matcha drinks from their new range. Felt privileged!
Bought a huge box of tomatoes from the market and had a go at dehydrating them for the first time. New experience. Rich and delicious.

I'd love you to join me in other places too!

Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus me FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. Day to day you can always find me in these places:

jo hodson 30/03/2014 jo hodson 30/03/2014

Inspired In March

I can't quite believe Spring is here (the clocks changed last night so it's official!)

I can't quite believe we had snow on Wednesday yet T-shirt weather over the weekend.

I can't quite believe it's been so long since I wrote an 'inspired' post. The original idea was for it to be a monthly feature, but hey, sometimes life just happens... and you just gotta roll with it (my Silent Sunday's and Mantra for Monday's are suffering a little in the same way!)

So today i'm happy to bring you a little round up of what has made me tick this month...so, how about you? Any happy little tit bits, news, inspirations, achievements you'd like to share? I'd love to hear!

Here is my little roundup of inspiration from my Instagram reel:

Truth. I hadn't thought about it this way before.
Juicer experiments...on loan from Tribest. Review and recipes to come soon!
My lovely dad made me a over-bed desk on wheels.... now I don't know how my life existed without it!
Remember these pancakes day experiments? Proper chocolate overload.
One of my favourite two-ingredoinet desserts. (coming to the blog soon!)
An amazing book from one of my favourite bloggers. Now I just need to actually find the time to enjoy it and make things from it!
My first go at making matcha tea... erm, interesting!
More truth
It was my dad's birthday and so I thought he's appreciate my little handmade card :-)
Lemon and blueberry smoothie experiments for the Real Food Source.
As a little thank you gift I was bought flowers!! That's hasn't happened in a very long time.
Finally...today I ran a 10k obstacle race 'One True Grit' lots of mud and water and all in aid of charity. Yep, that's how I chill out on sunday afternoon.

Please follow me on Instagram to keep up with random daily goings on, lots of food and other inspirations as they happen!

I'd love you to join me in other places too!

Why not sign up for emails in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. Day to day you can also find me in these places:

jo hodson 01/11/2013 jo hodson 01/11/2013

Inspired in October

So we're down and out with October already! And now that Halloween has just been and gone… everywhere starts gearing up for Christmas in full force. That's pretty scary. Not that I don't love Christmas, it just means we're fast closing in on the final quarter already- but there is still so much I want to do before the year is out!!

One of my aims as summer ended, was to make a conscious effort to spend time outside. I really enjoyed the 'oneness with nature' in the summer months and I found it really helped to clear my head and give me some downtime. Now that the colder weather and the wet and cloudy days are here I have to admit I haven't been so proactive in my task. I also need to alter my typical running route since my usual trail run across the fields gets so muddy at this time of year...but that shouldn't be a reason not to get out there in the crisp winter air.

Anyway I digress, in all October has been a very exciting month… I have begun to push my Wholeplus brand to a new (and scary!) level and have officially teamed up with Saviour Snacks and I'm in the process of talks with other companies to unleash my healthy foodie products to the world, (okay, maybe not the world but it's a step in the right direction!)

I've also just produced a little e-book in conjunction with the Real Food Source, It's been something we've been wanting to implement and get out there for a long while now, and so hopefully that'll also be the kick I need to produce my own Including Cake version (it's been in my head for about a year).... maybe it will take shape before the year is out!

So, what's been going on in your world... are you embracing the coming winter months or are you still pining after summer sun?

Here is my monthly picture roundup for October.

Thoughts on 'stillness' I wrote back in May but 'found' again when looking through old notes.
Beet smoothie... my new favourite combo!
My cat catching autumn sun beams.
Autumn is here. ..
E-book shot! (yes- ridiculously simple chocolate truffles!)
I loved to this quote.
Teaming up with Saviour Snacks… Excitement!
Experimenting with 'raw food'… Amazing salad dressing.
Huge food delivery!
Prepping my Wholeplus goodies.
Pumpkin excitement…my first ever can!
A 'tree' of quotes seen at a yoga exhibition... everyone pinned up their own inspiring words.

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with random daily happenings, lots food and other inspirations!

jo hodson 15/10/2013 jo hodson 15/10/2013

Life catch up...and how I gained an extra day!!

Wow...so i just managed to miss both a Silent Sunday and a Mantra for Monday....big oooops!!

Life just seems to be one step ahead of me at the moment!

So I thought today I'd offer a little catch up of sorts. A life catch up.

Thought of the day = I've figured out a way to actually gain another 'day' in the week. Seriously. Here me out on this. Behold the technical calculaitons.

I've been getting into a bad habit of going to bed much later than I mean too...usually pushing midnight then getting up at around 7am.

BUT the last 90 minutes or so of an evening are totally lost on me, Im getting tired, I faff about, I don't seem to be either working or relaxing very effectively at all. Kinda nothingy.

SO I figured if I shunted my day by 90 minutes and went to bed at 10:30pm and got up at 5:30am then I would gain an extra 90 minutes of productive work time each morning. Multiply that by 5 for a working week and you get 7.5 hrs aka one whole 'work day'.

That sounds like an awesome plan to me! So now I've just got to implement it.

I'm hoping that by gaining my time back early on in the day it will reduce the sense of unease I often have as the afternoon wears on with the familiar 'i still have too many things on my todo list' kicking in.

So that's my randomness for the day, I'm in a random kind of mood. I've still be eating this soup nearly everyday. Maybe it's sent me crazy.

A recipe will be with you tomorrow I promise!!

In the mean time...tell me, how do you manage your time, do you have any top tips for me?!

P.s here's a little recipe sneak preview :-)

jo hodson 01/10/2013 jo hodson 01/10/2013

Inspired in September

Autumn time. The colours are changing as the world clings on to its glory.

I love this time of year, especially since we've had some warm sun filled days to soften the blow of summer past. I've been out running across the fields in the evening glow.the temperature just right against my skin. I've been for early morning walks into town instead of taking my car. I want to make the most of this time before the evenings draw in and winter coats and scarves become the norm.

It occurred to me that throughout the summer when i've been able to spend so much time outside, my sense of peace and enjoyment of life has peaked so much more often. I don't want to loose this as the seasons change and so i am going to make much more effort to continue this time spent outside no matter what the weather. It really does wondered for the soul. No doubt there will be more on this another time as I continue to delve into my courses. Self reflection is abundant.

So, what has this month brought me?

This month has really been a kickstart for me. A new sense of direction with two new courses to study for. A new job working with The Spine & Wellness Centre as their wellness consultant, and I have been given free reign to really make it my own and strengthen my own confidence and philosophy. It's an amazing opportunity.

Also in the last few days so exciting news with my Wholeplus products… I have been approached by Saviour Snacks to feature m products in their boxes. It;s early days and the logistics have yet to be confirmed but what an honour in itself.

As we reach the last quarter of this year lets see what else life has in store.

Be open to all opportunities and smile whenever you can. You can always smile.

Here is my monthly roundup for September…tell me, what were the highlights for you this last month?

study in the sunshine...the best place to be!
My IIN course materials arrived
Loved the way this pepper sat in its paper bag
Fresh figs from Barefoot Therapies garden
Erm.... this courgette got a bit big!
I had so much kale from my friend's allotment i had to out in in a sandpit to wash it!
Beautiful sunset runs...lots of those.
I made dog cookies...a new challenge for me.
Gift voucher for sharing my favourite smoothie recipe...yay!
New product development...you can see more here
New beetroot smoothie obsession- I have yet to try using raw beets.
My newest favourite tea flavour
My newest soup obsession...need to get decent photos to get it on the blog!
I took part in One True Grit...lots of crawling, climbing, running, and MUD!
My first try at wake boarding...so fun and an incredible arm workout.

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with random daily happenings, lots food and other inspirations!

jo hodson 31/08/2013 jo hodson 31/08/2013

Inspired in August

Berries on bushes…in pies…in my mouth.

Long school holidays with kids playing out in the parks.

Sunny afternoons with evenings drawing shorter...

Hmmm…this last point caught me out recently when I went for a run on a glorious sunny late afternoon after the heat of the day had passed. As was jogging along listening to Chrissie Wellington A Life Without Limits and getting super inspired and energised I failed to notice the setting sun…and the fact I had no idea where I was... and then it got very dark! #embarrassing #fail

August is a funny time of year in some ways- summer sunshine, relaxation but also the niggling notion that Autumn is not so far away. Also for many the new school year is upon us and the relaxed mood changes and goals and routines come back into play. With routine comes change and with change comes a rethink, a shift, goal setting maybe? It's a time of year for new resolutions and positive intentions and decisions, so why save these resolutions for January. I think September is a much better point in time!

I've certainly made a few decisions and have a few more to make in the next few days (I hope) …I will elaborate more in a post in the next couple of weeks once everything has been confirmed!

For now, enjoy the last few days of summer as the days slowly slip into Autumn and the changing seasons each make a play for attention.

Here is a little recap with what inspired me this month.

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with random daily happenings, lots food and other inspirations!

blackberry picking! (5-minute blackberry and apple crisp will be on the blog next week)
The calm of a cathedral always quietens my busy mind.
beach time....buckets and spades at the ready!!
Ha, see the irony with my green smoothie...'enjoy'
This story resonated with me
The beautiful Lavender farm just down the road from me
Loved this book- quick versatile recipes- must try!
The Bristol Balloon Fiesta..painting the skyline
Beach runs are the best!
My dad and sister engrossed in a bookshop- books never fail to inspire!

jo hodson 01/08/2013 jo hodson 01/08/2013

Inspired in July

Summer sunshine… trail runs through the fields in the early morning sun… working outside… eating dinner in the garden enjoying the evening warmth.

July has been a feel good month. There is something about the sunshine that soothes the soul, maybe literally massaging away all the stress of life under the warmth of the rays. It's hard to be down when the sun is in the sky and this month has seen the bluest skies so far the year.

That also means this month has seen a lot of coconut water drinking… particularly my banana coconut smoothie. The shorts and strappy tops have made appearance and it's lovely to be able to take a trip out for the day without having to worry about taking a jumper of a raincoat.

Long may the sunshine continue!

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with random daily happenings and inspirations!

My Inspired summary: