As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have been going through some pretty exciting major life changes recently. Naturally, the need to create a new path didn’t just happen over night, but in my case, it certainly made itself heard overnight. Or rather, I suddenly heard it overnight…and boy by the time I did hear it, it was SHOUTING!!

It actually happened one weekend in March on a visit to the UK. That weekend I had met up with my lovely friend Rosanna and met, for the first time, another delicious girlie, called Blanka. The lovely Rosanna is a fab and funky yoga teacher and the beautiful Blanka is a goddess of the raw kitchen.

Rosanna & Blanka

I had no idea that this highly delicious weekend would so dramatically crank up the volume of my inner voice and launch me into a dynamic period of change (as well as the amazing energy of the girls, I swear Blanka’s raw chocolate cake had something to do with this…seriously!). But I easily sensed that the seed of an exciting project was about to germinate. You know that feeling, when something just clicks so nicely that it’s impossible to not turn ideas into action?

One of Blanka's amazing (but healthy!) raw cakes

Since us three girls have a similar love of funky, healthy, energetic things, we decided to pool our knowledge and skills together to put on a rather delicious workshop to help and inspire other self-employed women to boost their energy, re-ignite their passion for their business, meet like-minded ladies and generally show them a good time.

And so our workshop ‘High Energy for Entrepreneurial Women’ was born. We are holding our first one in London on 27th November 2011 and would love, love, just love you to join us for a day of energizing yoga, delicious vibrant food (all raw!), inspiration for goal setting, a talk on energizing (raw) food plus tips on how to boost your energy.

We are ridiculously excited about this event. During my recent trip to the UK, I had a reminder of how fab these girls are by attending a couple of Rosanna’s yoga classes and sampling more of Blanka’s amazing food (raw vegan cheese and crackers, and raw banoffee pie lingers seductively in my taste bud memory).

Indeed, we are so excited about the possibility of you joining us, we are offering an early bird discount on the price of a ticket, so that you can save a yummy £40 to spend on other things. So scoot on over to this page and check out this event. Make sure you secure your place before Sunday 14th August 2011 to slurp up the special price!

In the meantime I shall do my very best to sample as many of Blanka’s desserts as possible, just to make sure that the perfect selection is made for you. Perhaps some more of that life-changing chocolate cake would be just the rocket fuel you need…

Blanka's raw caramel shortcake. Too heavenly...just too damn heavenly...

Sugar addiction is extremely common. Especially for us girls. We just seem to love our cakes, chocolate, tubs of luxury ice-cream, cookies and well let’s face it, anything that’s sweet and yummy!

Sugar is a naughty little monster as it messes with our blood sugar, causing spikes and dips which means that we get a sudden rush (woohoo) followed by a huge drop in energy (gimme more chocolate!). So we get stuck in this loop of kicks and drops. You need an energy boost, so you feast on sugary snacks, then when the sugar wears off you need more to get through the day.

And of course sugar creates an acid-state in your body, (disease, especially cancer, loves acid and sugary bodies) and contributes to obesity and diabetes. If these dangers don’t motivate you enough to address your sugar consumption (‘I might get run over by a bus before I sick…’) then you can certainly benefit your ‘now’ by tweaking your habits. Changing your eating habits and reducing the amount of sugar (refined sugar in particular) will really help your energy levels. As an ex-sugar addict I can certainly confirm this!

Listen, I am not telling you to give up desserts...just choose them wisely! Check out this healthy yummy recipe: http://bit.ly/rawchocolatebrownie

I do believe that part of the solution is actually realising that sugar is an addictive substance and that you really don’t ‘need’ your cookies and sweet treats. Of course they are yummy, and can socially bond us (Is anything better than sharing a yummy cake with your best girl friends?…well, apart from the obvious ) but often if we really look at the reasons why we are munching on sugar all day, we can make great steps to breaking unhealthy habits and replacing them with equally (if not more) yummy, energy-giving and fun things!

Here are some tips for you:

1. Do you turn to sugar snacks when you need an energy boost?
Have a look at what you are eating. Make sure you are eating wholefoods (eg brown rice and whole wheat pasta or bread) instead of eg white rice, bread and pasta. The complex carbs in wholegrain alternatives give you a more sustained energy release, so you are less likely to dip heavily after a meal. If you do need a snack choose something with fiber and natural sugars to prevent further blood sugar spikes eg some fruit and a handful of unroasted, unsalted nuts like almonds or cashews. And make sure you are eating lots of fresh, energy boosting raw veggies like salads! And don’t skip any meals…you are more likely to make better eating choices with a level blood sugar and clear head!

2. Are sugary treats a helpful prop when you need comfort?
Explore other ways that can bring you relief and love. How about calling a lovely friend or going for a walk with someone to talk things through? How about getting some exercise? It really boosts your mood and if you choose a sport/exercise class that really requires your focus it is great for shifting your mind from a certain problem and giving your heart a little break from sadness and worry. Or try treating yourself to something else. A massage maybe (ask a friend/lover for a free one!) or a nice relaxing bath. Don’t have time? PLEASE make time. You have to look after yourself. If you don’t then who will? Really…

3. Do you just love the taste? Well, you are not alone! I love desserts so much I made it my goal to become a healthy-dessert goddess so that I can have my cake, eat it and not feel horrid afterwards! Try out some new recipes that use healthier sweeteners such as dried fruit or low GI agave syrup. Check out my recipe book for 43 super sexy ideas!!

A little warning: dried fruit and raw desserts can still raise the blood sugar. Of course they also deliver minerals and other great nutrients, and are heck of a lot better than refined sugary treats. Just don’t live off them ok!? Remember to eat your greens!…

4. Add more greens to your diet!
The more greens you eat, the less you tend to crave sugar. Drink green juice and green smoothies. Add lots of green leaves to your salads. Try spinach, rocket, lambs lettuce, watercress… Find your favorite! Wheat grass juice is particularly good for battling sugar cravings!

5. Switch those sugary/caffeinated drinks for water!
Even fruit juice can cause blood sugar dips (still healthier than soda of course) but just keep an eye on that, and dilute with water if necessary. Water keeps you hydrated and energized! Explore which herb teas take your fancy instead of coffee or black tea. Caffeine also messes with your energy levels!

6. Taking a yummy sugar trip out of boredom?
Maybe your job makes you yawn, or you find yourself stuck to the sofa and TV in the evenings? What steps do you need to take to change your job? Is there a hobby you would like to start/take up again? Start thinking about how you want your life to look like. Maybe you need some motivation or guidance from a friend or coach to get you started, but once you change your habits you will have more energy to start living the life you actually love!

I hope this helps you start thinking about those naughty little sugar monsters! Let me know how you get on!

Remember to check out my other blog posts for yummy healthy desserts to help you on your way!

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Feel free to share this article with others. Please just remember to include the following credit: © 2011 Johanna Best www.miss-best.com

The key to problem solving: The freedom to be creative, fake creativity or, if all else fails, chocolate!

‘Be creative…now!’ ‘Solve a problem…now!’ Ever had that pressure put on you? I know I have. One time that springs to mind was a grueling 2 day entry-test to get into an Industrial Design Degree programme at Lund University. I had a really bad cold, and not a lot of creative experience or confidence behind me. It was horrid. Chuck a load of wanna-be designers in a room and give them a load of briefs (design briefs not designer briefs!!) and watch them sweat! I had a fever and the shakes and had to present my work to a panel, who must have thought I was a nervous wreck or severely hungover, or had Parkinson’s Disease until I pointed out that I was in fact suffering from a nasty nasty cold. I got a lot of praise during that panel interview…sadly not for my outstanding work, but for my apparent good command of the Swedish language. I didn’t get in. The universe knows best anyway, as a few months later during another degree programme I discovered my love for graphic design, which I think is far more instant, satisfying and accessible, and suits me much better.

You might think to yourself that if I am moaning about the pressure of coming up with designs on the spot then I am not suited to the modern work place. And I will quite agree with you. I mean I can certainly perform under pressure and am always pretty creative, but I have to say that my best ideas do not come when plonked in front of a computer and prodded with a stick to perform.

My most creative ideas come when I am not at a desk, and when I am not particularly thinking about the problem. I am sure we have all heard that the great thinkers came up with their revolutionary theories when doing other things than working. Mine often come to me when I am walking in nature or working out. In the days when I used to be partial to more than a drink or two I would find that the delicious, barely awake stage of waking up the morning after (when still slightly intoxicated) was an amazingly creative time. It was during one such morning when I lay in bed just 25% awake in a dreamy state yet with my mind going to crazy, alcohol induced places that I came up with the cheeky, but much appreciated, slogan for a back-mounted vacuum cleaner with a built-in massage function and MP3 player that I was working on for a group project. “Vac-Pac: Pleasure from behind!”

In fact I am sometimes tempted to get ridiculously drunk just to experience that wonderfully creative window of time the next day. But now that I am a little older – and therefore far less tolerant of the physical and mental hell that comes with a hang over – I think I will give it a miss and bounce on my mini trampoline instead.

So I do find it frustrating when companies insist on fixed working hours. Especially since I have had the good fortune of breaking away from the traditional 9-5 route and am more used to directing my own time and working when creativity is there.

And I know I am not the only one. A friend is doing some contract work at a rather old fashioned organization. He is used to working with modern, high-tech companies and despairs at the Stone-age mentality of his new colleagues. He rather amusingly described their use of email: “They come up to me at my desk and tell me that they have sent me an email. They then hand me a printed version of the email they have just sent!” Funny but insanely frustrating! So this organization is really not in the ‘problems are more likely to be solved away from the computer’ camp and have even bothered to reprimand him for not doing all his work chained to a desk.

So what you may ask, has prompted this public criticism of modern work life? Well, today I am not working in the office. Today I am free to go to and from the computer depending on my mood and my state of creativity. No prodding sticks. No need to ‘fake work’ to show that I am in fact thinking about the problem and not just aimlessly staring out of the window. You know the ‘I am actually working’ look don’t you? The frown of concentration; deliberately talking to your self; writing something down and dramatically crossing it out again; stabbing the air with a pointed finger and giving a satisfied nod? You don’t know it? It’s a good tactic to use when stapled to your desk until some form of inspiration strikes. Alternatively, you could subscribe to the following idea which is slightly less bonkers and far more pleasant:

May all people, who has completed a major piece of work
and who soon are going to sleep
may all souls who for a moment
feel themselves to be without inspiration and motivation
may all people who find the air humid, the time moving slowly
and the mood difficult to appreciate
grant themselves a good half liter of hot chocolate……..
they will experience a miracle.

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1775-1826)
French magistrate and gastronome

What ever you are doing – have a great day. Eat chocolate. Be inspired!

xx