Cervical Cancer Prevention Week
Life is short (but we can stack the cards in our favour)
It’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Week this week.
I am a cervical cancer survivor since 2006.
I had surgery for a biopsy before cancer was even diagnosed. I woke up 5 days later in intensive care being told I was lucky I survived.
The memories (I was told it was PTSD) still haunt me.
That’s one of the reasons I set up my business. To be healthy. To help others get healthier. To campaign on the important issue of Women’s health. (I also KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that being a healthy weight is one of the best ways you can stack the cards in your favour. With a coach, you can lose weight for good.)
There was no vaccine available for HPV – the virus that causes most cervical cancers – when I was young.
The awareness of Cervical Cancer was mediocre.
Things are getting better.
I always ask my friends now “Have you had your smear test?”.
I’m not embarrassed or ashamed.
It may be uncomfortable. It may be embarrassing. But let me tell you the surgery, chemo, radiotherapy (including internal radiotherapy) plus the side-effects of pain and inflammation, muscle wastage, anxiety, depression, infertility (for me anyway), and so on are MUCH MUCH worse.
So, next time you meet a friend, ask the question.
“Have you had your smear test?”
You never know. It may save someone’s life.
It’s been a tough couple of days, after a super cool, chilled weekend and start to the week.
I just found out one of my former strategy session clients died after a short illness. She was in her early (maybe mid-) 50s and had two grown-up children. She worked as a Life Coach. I am in a state of shock.
I just can’t believe it.
She always struggled with her weight, and sadly if you get ill, if you are overweight or have obesity the body has to work a lot harder to get better, especially after the age of 50.
But 50 is young! At least that is what I tell myself.
When I was in my mid-40s I thought 50 was miles away –
💨 but let me tell you it goes fast!
You just don’t know what is around the corner.
I nearly died aged 35.
My brother died aged just 34 (and he was very fit and athletic).
Of course, it’s not all about weight. It’s stacking the cards in your favour which is all we can do, isn’t it?
My Mother-in-law made it to 95.
Life is unfair.
It doesn’t make sense.
The fact is we don’t know what will happen. (Just as well really). But, I agree with these wise words:-
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we will not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. – Buddha”
I am always searching for better health myself.
And I still remember my Consultant oncologist told me the reason I survived Intensive care was because I was slim and fit.
Some people vehemently dislike the word ‘slim’.
Yes, I am a healthy weight, and slim. More importantly, I feel good about myself. (And btw I don’t judge people who are overweight or have obesity. I am incredibly sympathetic as I was there myself).
I have chronic pain – from internal injuries sustained during surgery. There are psychological reasons too as all pain comes from the brain. So, we need both kinds of good health – inside and out.
Life is precious.
It makes all the other niggles seem insignificant.
It also makes me want to get on with doing all I can to help people live long and healthy lives so they can be around for their families, their relatives, weddings, births, celebrations and ordinary life events like seeing friends for coffee or lunches, bigger events like moving house, going on special holidays or getting a job or even taking a leap and starting a business.
Don’t put off the start of your health journey until one day.
Make that one day TODAY!
If you’d like any help devising a strategy for starting your health and happiness journey hit reply to this email for more information.
What is holding you back?
What is keeping you stuck?
Have you lost your mojo?
Is your self-confidence at an all-time low?
If you want to get started it takes a bit of oomph. A bit of action. A bit of INSPIRATION.
I can’t imagine how my husband would have survived had I died back in 2006.
And it’s my mission to make sure we can stick around as long as possible with better health, happiness and peace of mind for an exciting future!
It's Movember - Prostate Cancer Awareness month
It’s Movember this month when men grow a moustache to raise awareness for Prostate cancer.
According to Prostate Cancer UK
- More than 47,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year – equating to 129 men every day
- One man dies from prostate cancer every 45 minutes – more than 11,500 men every year
- One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
- About 400,000 men are living with and after prostate cancer
If you are interested in your own health and happiness it goes without saying that the men in our lives are really important. Just as we have to have our own screening tests done (after all my smear test saved my life as I had cervical cancer with no symptoms whatsoever). Had I waited until I felt unwell, it probably would have been too late.
The prostate cancer screening test isn’t foolproof but it is helpful.
Please do have a look into the research behind prostate cancer and open up a conversation about the health topics you may find embarrassing.
Please also pass it on to anyone who you think might benefit and please share this newsletter if you think that would help.
If you agree, I would like you to…
- Think about your why.
- Why do you want to be healthier?
- What future plans do you have in mind?
- What have you been putting off?
- Are you guilty of self-sabotage?
- Are you ruled by negative emotions?
Think about Better Health instead!
Being healthier is so much more than just following a particular diet, or changing your lifestyle.
We are approaching the party season – I’m sure you have noticed ALL the supermarket ads. on TV talking about FOOD already (in the second week of November) – so get ahead of the game and get in shape before New Year. Better still be healthier all year round.
When you get your mindset into a framework of positive psychology, things magically fall into place. You feel better. You see the positives around you. You search for and find solutions to everyday concerns and you get results. It may feel slow at first but slow and steady wins the day for many. It’s avoiding the yo-yo mindset that we want to aim for.
Permanent health is about getting inspired, upgrading your mindset challenging your beliefs,
and then just doing it!
What are your objections to getting healthier?
You may not think you have any objections to being healthy.
You may not think you need to get any healthier.
But hear me out….
The narrative is that we have a cost-of-living crisis, and as far as energy is concerned there is no hiding it. Our energy bills have more than doubled if not more.
If you’re trying to get healthier – and that may include losing a few pounds or a lot of weight, you need as few blocks as possible to just do it.
We rationalise whenever we are trying to change because it is comfortable to just stay the same.
It’s hard to get fitter, change your comfortable routine, get to the gym, make healthy food, buy healthy food and eat healthy food.
We want to relax in our safe environment. Order takeaway, nip to the shops for an easy meal, a glass or two of wine, and skip the workout or walk (especially when it’s chilly and darker outside). That’s totally normal.
And if you reason it’s going to cost you more money to be healthy – why would you bother?
Especially when the results are going to take weeks if not months to see any difference.
I have a list going on at all times in my kitchen. I have a plan for the meals we are going to eat every week. In fact, I have got into a bit of a routine. Sundays are roast (chicken or beef usually). Monday nights are seafood pasta in a cheese sauce, Tuesday nights are curry (Korma to be exact), and so on. I have a practice of cooking more than two meals for two people each time I cook or batch cook. When I make the curry I will make enough for four or five weeks. I buy organic chicken when it is on offer (organic is more expensive than regular but you don’t have to buy organic if it doesn’t fit in your budget).
Not only does it save you money by cooking more than one meal at a time, but it also saves you precious time. Most evenings I just have to defrost the main meal, heat it up and cook the side dishes.
Another way to save money is to buy frozen fruit. Fresh fruit is much more expensive than frozen fruit.
I was on TV speaking to Alastair Stewart about the cost of living crisis and he was interested to hear me talk about the freezer so much. OK so you might not have a freezer, but I think it is a great investment. You could even just get a small chest freezer.
If it’s important enough you’ll find a way – if not you’ll make an excuse (unknown).
I love giving practical tips that are available to all in my strategy sessions. You will go away from the session with enthusiasm that you will feel better and get healthier (and the side-effect bonus is easy weight loss and money saving)!
22.2.22
I am passionate about health, and that is why I decided to become a nutritionist and coach. Being slim and fit saved my life.
Unfortunately, the messages that many people – including healthcare providers – put out there are based on personal responsibility. If you have been trying and trying for a long time to lose weight, improve your health, feel better, and get in shape, then when you hear this, you immediately hear blame.
It’s not your fault.
It’s challenging for other healthcare professionals. Many on the front line are just diagnosing and treating people’s health when it has already reached a critical level. They are treating the symptoms and mostly with medicine. After all, that is their speciality from Medical School.
They are doing their best. But it’s not good enough. Rates of overweight and obesity are increasing every year. It’s critical.
Do you feel empowered when it comes to your own health and do you feel equipped with the right knowledge to feel as healthy and happy as possible?
If you’re confused – and I would be very surprised if you weren’t! – then why not put your name down on my pre-sale waitlist for my brand new online self-study course. It’s called Yo-Yo no! The no-diet diet. www.yoyono.co.uk is available for your best results starting today!
It’s your first easy step to filtering the myths from facts and created by someone who knows and remembers how it feels to be unhappy about her weight, who’s turned it around and stayed there for over 20 years, and helped many people do the same.
Is Time our Greatest Asset?
😳 Do you ever think about the things you could do if you didn’t think about your weight?
How much have you put off until you’ve lost weight?
🙉🙊🙈 I’ll start my business when I lose weight.
🙉🙊🙈 I’ll book that beach holiday when I lose weight.
🙉🙊🙈 I’ll call that old-school friend when I’ve lost weight.
🙉🙊🙈 I’ll go on Social media when I lose weight.
🙉🙊🙈 I’ll allow myself to have myself in a photo when I lose weight.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Google, on 18 Jan 2021 — 45% of people globally are currently trying to lose weight.
Clearly, a lot of people worry about their weight, otherwise, the diet industry wouldn’t attract 45 million people a year in the US alone to spend 33 billion dollars!
If you’re getting this email and you’ve been a successful client I apologise, (but please pass it on to anyone who you hear complain, or who wants to know what you did! If they ask, obvs. you don’t want to upset them by making them think you’re judging them 😫).
You need a change of mindset and a system that stops your cravings – which by the way are not your fault if you can’t stop yourself from reaching for the Dairy Milk at 4 o’clock with a nice cup of tea.
That’s exactly why I called my self-study online course The no diet diet.
That’s the second part of the name.
🪀 It starts off with yoyo no because another very shocking, sad and absolutely crazy statistic is that the majority of diets fail.
I believe it is as high as 99%.
My online course and 1-1 coaching are completely different to normal weight loss methods and approaches.
They cover all three main bases.
1. Science – why do we store fat instead of burning it for fuel?
2. Metabolism – are we doomed or are the old wives’ tales true? (That it slows down with age no matter what we do.)
3. Mindset – do our beliefs matter for permanent success and if so what can we do about it?
It’s a completely new lifestyle including a different, healthier way of eating.
There are clever sugar and carb swaps so you don’t have to be deprived.
I’m a foodie and I love to eat.
In my spare time, I create new delicious recipes that no one ever knows are healthy and sugar-free. I love catching people out when they don’t even realise this. There are a bunch of bonuses too which you can see in more detail if your interest is piqued.
What’s to lose? Except for maybe ten pounds (to start or maybe that’s it!)
Permanent weight loss is about getting inspired, upgrading your mindset challenging your beliefs, and then just doing it!
STOP DIETING and please start living your dream life.
I promise you won’t regret it and anyway I offer a guarantee!
The cost of living crisis
I think it’s fair to say that everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment as energy and food prices increase.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we will not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. – Buddha”
I have teamed up with an amazing woman called Heidi who quit her highly successful corporate career and decided to start her own business when she lost significant weight and felt so much healthier following low-carb. and couldn’t find a one-stop-shop to buy what she needed. It’s doing really well and she is helping a lot of people.
She has offered all my clients, readers, and friends an amazing 10% code for anything bought from her online store. She is doing absolutely brilliantly, and she is a really kind person too.
Just go to https://wearelowcarb.com and enter the code Olivia10%
Also, don’t forget if you haven’t already done so –
Sign up for my self-study course
Other tips to save money on your food shopping are to remember to eat seasonal vegetables, buy meat and fish in bulk and freeze it. I cannot recommend highly enough that you invest in a chest freezer, even if you don’t own a garage. Also, drink more water. It’s free and so healthy. Personally, I buy 5 litre bottles of mineral water and I am researching good water filters to save even more money.
If you’re confused about how to save money and still eat healthily – and I would be very surprised if you weren’t! – then why not Sign up for my self-study course. Just put your name down on my pre-sale waitlist for my brand new online self-study course. It’s called
Sign up for my self-study course today! It will take less than an hour to watch the videos, there will be essential recipes, and it’s a great introduction to learning the truth about fat-burning, metabolism, calories, and finding the root cause of why you struggle to achieve your health and happiness goals.
I am passionate about health and being slim saved my life (according to a consultant in Intensive Care). That is why I decided to become a nutritionist and coach.
The cost of living crisis is a daily worry – even for people who earn good salaries, have regular holidays, and have most things under control.
I’m not an economist – but as I said to Alastair Stewart on TV on Sunday when invited as ‘ a good friend of the channel’ to discuss the issue that most people care about – it is all about old fashioned domestic science or home economics.
It’s not your fault. Especially if like me your mother wasn’t a great cook, or you are too busy to spend hours in the kitchen chopping, cooking, and looking up healthy recipes.
Can you fix obesity with an injection? In my newsletter this week I want to share a news story that is very relevant.
There is a new drug treatment called Wegovy – a weekly injection that suppresses appetite and is as effective as gastric band surgery.
We need to talk about overweight and obesity.
Britain has one of the worst rates of overweight and obesity with 2 in 3 adults overweight. Obesity is when your BMI is over 30. To find out how to calculate your BMI just divide your weight in kgs by your squared height in metres, or hit reply to this email and I will do it for you! Overweight is a BMI of 25 to 30.🤦🏼♀️ I know how it feels to be overweight. I used to be so ashamed of being too big, and I hated how I felt.
🤷🏼♀️ But is an injection really the answer?
🙈 Does it go to the root cause of why our hunger levels are out of control? The drug called Wegovy aims to suppress appetite. You have to have a BMI of 30 or over if you have been referred for specialist help, or a BMI of 35 with a weight-related problem to be eligible.
Researchers are really excited because a third of the participants in the trial lost a fifth of their total body weight.
The drug treatment is recommended to be taken alongside dietary and exercise habit modification.
This is really exciting for anyone who thinks they have tried everything, maybe even seen their primary healthcare provider, and sought help in the sea of information on the internet.
But what about the psychological aspect?
Will people have to stay on the jabs for life? (It’s only recommended for a short time period.
I believe that for people whose lives are seriously at risk – and obesity increases your risk of illness, reduces your immunity, and can present many challenges to how you feel about yourself it can a good kickstart. Being overweight and obese can also interfere with your mood and overall lifestyle.
BUT I do believe the root causes need to be addressed too. Appetite regulation can be addressed by changing the types of food you eat (reducing the amount of ultra-processed food for starters). And you have to address the underlying emotions for why people overeat.
You can get all this in my brand-new self-study course.
Sign up for my self-study course to be added to the waitlist today!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/02/08/obese-get-weight-loss-jabs-effective-gastric-band/