Oh my word, it's a biggy, Episode 60 of the Nourish & Nurture podcast!! Firstly, thank you for listening and for sharing your questions and struggles with me. The challenges, wonderings and questions that listeners, followers and clients share with are what informs my episodes, so thank you all! Today's offering is all about mindset, it's power, it's limitations and ways to optimise it. What will be covered: - What is Mindset? - What does it consist of? - Benefits of a Growth vs Fixed Mindset - Practical suggestions to develop a growth mindset As always if you enjoy this one, please share with someone who you think would also enjoy it. I have created 3 extra spaces on my Food & Mood Freedom Academy and throwing in FREE resources to further boost your health & wellbeing journey. If you want a programme that targets deeper issues and helps you end emotional eating and supercharge energy, click here to see the FAQs and ⁠Academy info⁠. Thanks for listening, Coach Sarah

Ever wondered why you can't sustain willpower, why we get those dips in self-control and end up sabotaging our goals? This is what I wanted to begin to address in this episode (I'll do more podcasts on this), to discuss what influences willpower and self-control, common barriers and some workarounds for enhancing both. If you want some help with your goals and feeling stuck, DM me and let's chat x

So many clients and followers struggle to meal plan and prep in time and cost effective ways, due to being time-poor and due to overthinking the process. That is why today's episode addresses common mindset barriers and myths around meal planning along with practical suggestions to make it more effective for your health and well-being goals. If the topic resonates with you take a listen and if you got something out if it feel free to share with a friend who could benefit from listening. Let me know in the comments what your takeaway is from this episode and the action step you will take to optimise your meal planning.

If you are struggling to implement the necessary habits needed for fat loss, then this episode is for you - we’re going to look at the practical and psychological factors involved in successful behaviour change. Once you reflect on these these you can begin to find solutions to help you reach your goals. As you listen, pick out what resonates most with and start there and see how you can optimise healthy habits. If you are stuck with anything I'm happy to help. As always if you enjoy this episode, share with someone else who you think could benefit from listening to it too. Sarah x

We are all a bit rubbish at acknowledging our progress at times, and instead only focus on how far we’ve got left to go until we reach our goal. Costs of this include reduced motivation, increased self-criticism, overgeneralise and exaggerate about what you feel you HAVENT done, the reality of your progress to date will be skewed by and discounted by your negative thinking and perfectionistic ideals. In this episode I would like to invite you to think more productively about your efforts in your health and wellbeing journey, and how enjoyable your journey could be by focusing yes on where you want to be but then shifting focus back to where you are at and how far you have come. I will introduce the H.E.A.L. exercise a neuroscience technique I have used with clients over the past 7+ years to help you do just that. Any questions on how to apply this technique to any aspect of your life? Just DM me or you can email to sarah@nourishandnurtu.re.

It is a tricky area and pretty much a 'no no' for many, but there are both pros and cons to food tracking. In this episode I walk you through the main reasons you could track and how. I will also delve into more mindful, intuitive eating methods. And ultimately you needn't choose either or, you can do both if you choose to. What I would say is what we measure we can manage, so it can be a great idea to track what we eat/drink but not for the reasons you might think... If you enjoy this one, please share with a friend x

As a perimenopausal woman and working with many menopausal women, I thought this would be an important one to cover. In today's episode I help you understand what happen to key hormones at perimenopause - and why hormones have the effects they do on other bodily systems. Understanding is key to minimising risks of diabetes, CVD, metabolic syndrome and other health concerns. Then I look at what practical strategies we can implement in order minimise the health risks of ill-managed symptoms experienced in the menopause transition. I am running my next Menopositivity Masterclass on Monday 5th August 7.15pm (on Zoom), if you would like to join like-minded women to get actionable strategies for your menopause journey, then simply click here. Listen, enjoy and share with someone who could benefit from today's episode x

In this 2nd part of the Emotional Eating Series, I invite you to reflect on your relationship and responses around food. Then we will look at strategies to help minimise emotional eating, but it is by doing the deeper work. And if you do dig a little deeper, while it can feel 'messy' it will help you tolerate distress/discomfort (ie uninvited feelings, sensations) - which is what leads us to eat in the first place, usually. Think about how you fill YOUR cup, how you attend to YOUR needs and feelings. When you take actions to meet your emotional and physical needs through non-food methods (and though food too since food is ONE way to self-soothe, and that is okay), you empower yourself to diversify your toolkit for dealing with...well, your life. Let's dive in! If you enjoy this episode feel free to share with a friend who needs to hear it. Coach Sarah x

Emotional Eating...when we overeat in order to distract from, or self-soothe intense emotions that we think we can't handle. This is Part 1 of 2 of an Emotional Eating mini series which will help you understand the neuroscience behind emotional eating, why it is counter-productive to punish yourself further for engaging in eating in this way...and what you can do about it. Key highlights: - What makes us emotionally eat? - Hormones, multiple brain functions and specific regions in the brain all serve to make it harder to not eat our emotions. - Emotional eating myths - Strategies to help manage and indeed reduce emotional eating significantly. Would love to hear if this is something that you struggle with and any take-aways that you get from today's episode. If you know anyone who needs to hear this please share it with them. x

Today is a quicky! :-) Some of my clients enjoy calorie cycling during the weight loss journey - it has so many benefits as it offers flexibility and can work with any crazy life schedule. Join me as I talk about what it is, why it might help your weight loss journey and how to actually DO it. If you want to chat more about it then DM me on Whatsapp or Instagram and we can find out what it could look like for you. Coach Sarah x

My 50th episode! Thank you for listening to my podcast and for your comments and questions. How do you manage your monthly Cycle? How do you eat at various stages of your Cycle? How do you manage the emotional impact of the hormonal 'storm' that can occur especially in the Luteal phase? If you don't have a plan for working WITH your Cycle and not against it, then this episode is for you. For the past twenty years I have coached women to have a Period Plan so that they dont have to write-off weeks of their lives and so that they can still drop body fat. Your Period Plan is something we can review and refine on a regular basis, so if you have one there will be little nuggets of useful information in here for you too. Enjoy! As always if you have any questions you would like me to answer on a future podcast DM me them privately or comment under this episode. Aside from 1:1 coaching I offer corporate wellness programmes focusing on optimising nutrition, mood, mindset, hormones and menopause. So that you can enjoy lasting health and well-being. You can find more info here, Coach Sarah

As many of you listeners know I have been fascinated by nervous system regulation - specifically polyvagal theory and activating the Vagus Nerve to help build resilience in emotional regulation... What has this got to do with fat loss? Well, when we are less emotionally regulated we will seek to avoid or control difficult emotions and physical sensations, to numb out - through our eating behaviours perhaps through restriction of food or binge eating. This is precisely why I use nervous system regulation (emotional and physical regulation) in my therapeutic work and also with the nutrition & mindset clients I coach. And it is a GAMECHANGER. In this episode, I give you an intro on what Polyvagal theory is, where the Vagus Nerve becomes involved and how it can help you regulate yourself so that you can make better eating and life choices! My coaching programmes are founded on this premise that we need de-stress our way to weight loss - if it's going to last. I hope you enjoy this one, please give this podcast your finest rating and share with someone who could benefit from hearing it. Any questions - let me know here or on Instagram.

Are you a frazzled, time-poor, emotional eater with barely a moment to herself? Most of the women I chat to are and that is why they are stressed, exhausted and fed up. Add menopause into the mix and it is a perfect storm. In today's episode I share my style of coaching, how it is different to other nutrition coaches because it is based on my psychological expertise hones over the past 20 years. I help women do the deeper work that needs to be done to tackle emotional or binge eating so that they can begin to heal their relationship with food and with themselves - never mind the inevitable weight loss and energy boost that comes along with managing your mood and mindset in more effective ways...because let's face it, as women we suppress so much because a) people need us to hold it together and b) it is not comfortable to tolerate emotions that we are afraid of. I show you how you can overcome that fear and develop a robust toolkit for minimising emotional eating for good. But more than that you get to feel confident and resilient emotionally and physically. For more info on this click here or simply DM me on Instagram or Whatsapp with any questions x

Ever notice the mind telling you that you 'don't have time', that you can't do something before you have even tried? You are beaten before you have even started and that is why our progress (in any behaviour change) stalls. Today's episode highlights common self-fulfilling prophecies or beliefs that are likely affecting your weight loss and well-being journey. And I take you through strategies for overcoming those unhelpful thoughts/beliefs. As a CBT therapist and Nutrition coach I hear these a lot in sessions and in check-ins, so hope you find them helpful - and helpful to know others struggle in similar ways. If you know anyone who could benefit from listening to this episode feel free to share with them x

Today is a short one, where I remind you why to stay accountable and open minded about slip ups, 'bad' days/weeks or when you week has been challenging...and you don't want to check in with your coach. It is totally natural to be a tad dread-laden at times like these, but if you avoid checking in you will miss out on turning things around, so that you can hit the reset sooner. Tune in to hear just how important checking in is for you, for your journey and for your coach. If you enjoyed this it would be lovely if you shared it with someone you know who is struggling. Coach Sarah x

This episode we dive into the disadvantages of becoming impatient about fat loss progress (the rate in comparison to others...or compared to a previous time that you tried to lose weight). We'll look at: - Physical costs - Mental and emotional costs - What you can do to adopt a different mindset This is my bread and butter (mindset) so if how you think about your fat loss journey is getting in your way, get in touch here - say Hi If you hear this and know someone who could benefit from hearing it, do share it with them x

Many of you who follow me on Social media and clients have all asked questions that I wanted to answer since they all fall under the category of 'Fat loss myths'. The amount of misinformation and downright lies spouted by many makes fat loss much more complicated than it needs to be. Worse than that, it usually plays on our self-loathing and desire for fast results no matter the financial or emotional cost. So it is a really important topic to discuss. I'd love to know any other ideas you have seen promoted that have helped or hindered your own weight loss journey. Let me know in the comments section. Now, without further ado, let's get myth-busting!

Having been chatting to people in the DMs and to clients, the theme of self-esteem and weekend fat loss habits was a common one. In today's episode I wanted to explore this further: - The ways self-esteem shows up on weekdays but especially on weekends; - How it impacts on our (eating and other) behaviours; - What we can do about it. I find that weight loss is more often a *weight loss *management and implementation* issue, which is underpinned by our self-esteem, mood, mindset and all of the many factors that influence each of those things. If this is something you struggle with, as a therapist of 20 years, I can help - Leave a comment or DM me here x

In midlife it is particularly tricky to drop body fat because of the physical and psychological changes that naturally occur at this age and stage of life. Today's episode explores: - In what ways mindset forms the foundation of your fat loss journey (or any behaviour change) - Common mindset barriers I see in client check-ins and in group coaching - How to overcome mindset barriers in order to achieve lasting change in your health and wellness journey in midlife. If you enjoyed this episode please let me know and feel free to share with a friend or someone who could benefit from hearing it too. Coach Sarah x For coaching questions: www.emotionalregulationcoaching.com

Like with any kind of behaviour change, we need to build consistency into our routine, our habits, in order for the change to last. In this episode I cover what 'habit stacking' is, why it is very beneficial for fat loss and what it actually looks like with real-world examples. As you listen, I invite you to start thinking about incorporating habit stacks into your daily life, so that you can over time build momentum and maintain focus until you achieve your weight loss, well-being or other goals. If you enjoyed this do let me know. AND if there is an aspect of weight loss or mental health that you struggle with, then leave a comment here or DM me on Instagram (@nourishandnurtu.re) - so that I can support you through my future podcasts. If you are interested in my combination of psychological, nutrition and mindset coaching then reach out and let's chat. Coach Sarah x