Whether you have an unexplored passion, or want to upskill in order to cultivate new career options, learning can be a lifelong pursuit, and one that opens doors to endless possibilities…

Whether it’s signing up for a short adult education course, or enrolling for a degree, many of us return to education after taking some time away. It can be a hugely positive experience – a chance to learn new skills, develop our career, form new friendships, and immerse ourselves in an interest. But as exciting as it can be, it also brings anxieties around how to adjust, and whether it’s the right move for us.

For me, returning to university after time away was a big change. It took a while to see myself as a student, and get used to new routines. I’m so glad that I made the move though – it’s given me a chance to dedicate time to my passion, meet like-minded people, and to grow in new ways.

The benefits of lifelong learning

To find out more about returning to education, I spoke to life coach Chantal Dempsey. There are, she says, a myriad of benefits to lifelong learning.

“One of the greatest benefits of lifelong education is empowerment,” says Chantal. “Returning to learning not only offers the tools to change career paths, facilitate a promotion, or start a side hustle, it boosts your mindset to unlock ability and confidence. It validates a ‘can do’ attitude that empowers you to believe that anything is possible.” It can also widen your perspectives and understanding of the world, which can be great assets.

You’re likely to have things in common with people on your course. I’ve valued the connections I’ve made with others who share my interest – creative writing – as an adult. It’s lovely to meet like-minded people, as well as the added joy that can come with making new friends.

Our mental health and wellbeing can benefit, too. “As the confidence bucket gets filled by your successes, and your upgrade in skills and knowledge, your subconscious mind takes in the message that you can achieve and you are good enough,” says Chantal. “Confidence and self-esteem are the building blocks of mental health. Increasing them will achieve wonders for your wellbeing.”

Lifelong learning is also good for our overall health. “Research shows a link between learning and the reduction of some illnesses, such as dementia and coronary heart disease,” Chantal explains. “Neuroplasticity, which is basically the functional and structural reshaping of the brain, can happen throughout life to adapt to new information, experiences, and environments. Sustained adult learning simulates the creation and development of new neural pathways, boosting your brain health and power remarkably.”

Finding the right path for you

There are clearly lots of reasons to return to education. But how can we find the path that works for us?

Chan

Sharing the details about an upcoming Dr. Cabral 7-day detox. Sharing the details here and how to join in if you’d like!

Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I LOVED reading about your goals for the upcoming year. Please keep me updated on your progress and if you have any post requests or topics I can cover to support you, please comment or send me an email gina@fitnessista.com.

It’s hard to believe that holiday break is over and the kids are headed back to school this week. While I’m devastated – I enjoyed sleeping in and low-key days a liiiittle too much – it’s going to be nice to get back into a routine. We have a lot of things to look forward to over the next few months, including a Disney cruise, a trip to Disneyland, and a top-secret trip (it’s part of Liv’s birthday surprise).

One of the things I’m also looking forward to this month is another EquiLife 7-day detox. I felt SO GREAT after the last one, and it’s been a few months, so I’m ready for another round. Usually every January, I do some type of reset. Sometimes I cut out sugar and alcohol entirely for the month, other times, I’ll just focus on solid nutrition. It feels amazing to get back in the habit of eating (and craving) vegetables and fresh foods, especially after the joyful avalanche of holiday sweets and cocktails.

Moderation is my jam now, especially since the days of depriving myself are long gone. If I want a sweet treat or something more indulgent, I eat it and enjoy every bite. It’s been a festive couple of months, and I’m feeling a bit sluggish and craving sugar more than usual. Usually by the time New Years rolls around, I’m looking forward to making my way back to more *normal* eating. I love to kickstart it with a little reset and this year, I’m doing this liver-based functional medicine detox.

SO many of you joined me last time, so I wanted to invite you to join in if you’d like to go for another round. The fun starts January 22, so you can order your kit now and you’ll be ready to go!

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As many of us head back to normality after the festive break, how can we do so in a gentle and purposeful way?

How are you feeling this week? For those of us who had time off over the holidays, this week marks a return to work, a return to routine and a return to the ‘everyday’. The decorations are coming down, the last of the chocolate is dwindling and the Christmas films have been put to one side for another year.

For some, the New Year offers a clean slate. A sense of renewed energy and vigour as we run headfirst into new habits that promise to change us. Of course, if this works for you, that’s brilliant. Keep going and do what feels good.

For some of us however, that energy may be lacking. If you’re anything like me, winter so far has been peppered with illness and the idea of ‘New Year, new you’ feels a touch grating. Don’t get me wrong, I love the promise a new year holds and getting back into routine feels good… I’m just not in any rush this year. Instead, I want to embrace a gentler start to the year, and I suspect I’m not alone.

If this is resonating, here are a few ideas to enjoy a slower start to the year.

Add things back into your routine slowly

Initially, I had grand plans of jumping head first back into routine this week, including my exercise routine, but the Bank Holiday buffer at the start of the week gave me a moment to pause. I was still feeling quite tired, the days were (and still are) dark and wet, and I wasn’t quite ready to fully emerge from my Christmas cocoon. So instead, I’m inviting routine back in slowly.

I’m back to work for a shorter week this week (thanks to the aforementioned Bank Holiday) and my Pilates class starts back up this week. Other than that though, I’m letting other routines slide. Next week I’ll bring back other forms of exercise, and perhaps even that writing course I have my eye on.

The trick is to bring things back bit by bit. Think of it like acclimating yourself, dipping your toe in the water before diving in.

Audit your social feeds

The messaging at this time of year can be intense, right? I’ve already seen an influx of weight-loss ads and pushes to ‘try X and change your life!’. If you struggle with this, remember you can usually click on ads to say ‘not interested’ to train the algorithm. I also recently tried this from @alexlight_london on Instagram:

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Crispy-edged green chile chicken burritos full of cheesy goodness are an easy-to-assemble mealtime hit, full of green chile flavor.

Green Chile Chicken Burritos

Burritos are often served wet or smothered in delicious cheeses and sauces. Some days just beg for a simple, flavorful baked burrito with a bit of lettuce, tomato, and sour cream on top.

I enjoy the contrast of the, baked slightly crispy-edged burrito with the creamy, cheese filling. We like to top these easy chicken burritos with freshly shredded lettuce, tomato, and olives with a dab of sour cream. Fresh salsa or guacamole make wonderful toppings as well.

When making green chile chicken burritos I like to cook my own chicken seasoned with Mexican spices and then shred it and add green chile sauce.

To do this, I place chicken breasts or thighs seasoned with taco seasoning into the crock pot along with some green chile sauce. Cook the chicken for 4-5 hours until the chicken can easily be pulled apart.

When the chicken is done, shred it with a fork or roughly chop it and let it sit in the juices for a few minutes soaking up all that flavor. Add the additional green chile and the drained beans to the crockpot and stir to combine before spooning the filling into the burritos.

To assemble the burritos, fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken mixture, add the cheese, and sprinkle with cilantro. After rolling each burrito, keep the seam sides down and slide them into place on the pan.

If you do all the assembly right on the pan, it helps to avoid it spilling out the ends or unrolling when you transfer it.

Baked Chicken Burritos

To finish these chicken burritos in the oven, pop them into the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until

Are you ready to take the first step towards becoming the best version of yourself?

Have you ever wondered what you might achieve if there were no limits? What if you could unlock something within you that would propel you towards your dreams and desires, whatever they might be?

Your ‘potential’ is something that, maybe, you haven’t thought about in a while. When we’re young people, in school, college, and university, we’re encouraged to categorise our skills, and look towards the horizon and the things that we might want to achieve. In our adult lives, that same ambitious drive might have fallen by the wayside a bit.

However, truth be told, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Few of us would claim to have the same self-knowledge back then as we do today, and with that experience under our belts, perhaps right now is the perfect time to return to that challenge of unlocking our potential.

“‘Unlocking your potential’ is a phrase that is commonly used, but what does it actually mean? More importantly, what does it mean to you?” asks life coach Adam Craft. “My perception of unlocking your potential is this: we are all capable of achievement, there’s no doubt about that. The question is what is your potential?”

This will look drastically different for each of us. As Adam points out, for some it might be career oriented – rising to the top, leadership roles, financial goals, or influence on the world around us. For others, it might be linked to health, nurturing our physical health, as well as our mental health. It could be tied up with family, creating a life where we put quality time with the ones we love before everything else.

Getting to the point where we feel we’re reaching our potential might involve identifying the roadblocks that we need to clear. It could be our own self-limiting beliefs, and self-esteem issues, both things that can be worked on with the help of wellbeing professionals. Or you might find that there are practical solutions, and that your specific roadblocks could be things like time restraints, missing skills, or other changes to your lifestyle. That isn’t to say that any of those things are easy to sidestep – this is the very start of a long process, but the first step is to make some time for self-reflection.

“Think about it this way: imagine yourself in the senior years of your life. You’re looking back on your life, reflecting on what you have done, achieved, or made,” Adam says. “Is there something that comes up that you ‘wished’ you pursued more? I will often ask my clients this question when they first start working with me. It’s a great way of highlighting your ‘potentials’ or ‘musts’. From here, my client then knows what their potential is, and we work towards unlocking that. Visualisation is one of the most powerful ways to unlock your potential.”

Life goes by so fast, especially when we’re rushed off our feet, jumping from one task to the next without a moment spare to think about the bigger questions that we might come up against. So this is your sign to make time to