wellness Archives - Claire Cutler Casey

Do you want to get by or do you want to get better? Is food intolerance getting in your way?

Food intolerance may only be the start of the story……. Do you want to get by or do you want to get better_

Food intolerance is on the rise, with nearly 20% of the population believed to suffer symptoms including:

- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Rashes
- Runny nose
- Bloating
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Reflux
- Hot flushes

Food sensitivity testing identifies the foods the body is struggling with and elimination diets can provide some relief, however, food may only be the start of the story.

In Traditional Chinese medicine the stomach is the ‘home of emotions’, where we experience a vast array of emotional responses.

Consider a time you were nervous, did you experience butterflies in your stomach?

butterflies are a common sign of anticipation, excitement and nervousness

The stomach is the organ that begins processing all the nourishment we take in, be it physical or emotional. Metaphorically we ‘chew things over’ before swallowing, if we take on board something that is against our better judgement it can leave a bad taste in the mouth and decisions or situations that are indigestible to us, can cause emotional upset, making the stomach churn. If we cannot let something lie it can repeat on us resulting in physical and emotional pain as we go over it repeatedly, dissecting it to look for other information to support our decision.

emotions

Exploring our emotional diet alongside our physical nutrition creates a robust mechanism for supporting the body to better digest physical food, build emotional resilience and eliminate emotional situations that do not nourish us.

What emotional sustenance are you taking in that is not nourishing you? Are you self-critical, do you compromise your own values to maintain the status quo or are you holding on to some anger or resentment from previous experiences? Do you get stomach ache, headaches, nausea, diarrhoea or constipation? Do you suffer with IBS or bloating? Does your body react uncomfortably to the food you eat?

Whilst elimination diets provide a respite for your physical body they do nothing to address the emotional strain your body is experiencing, in fact, the added pressure of reading labels, checking restaurant ingredients and ensuring foods you can eat are accessible, whenever you need them, can create additional stress, increasing the body’s sensitivity to foods. The relationship between food intolerance and stress is difficult to untangle, ironically they ‘feed’ each other, dragging you down in the perpetual cycle.

Reducing the amount of stress and emotional turmoil you experience every day gives your body a greater opportunity to heal because every extra bit of stress perpetuates the downward spiral, be it stress from food or life.

Break the cycle, create space for the healing to begin.

out of order

In your personal kinesiology food sensitivity session you will receive a full kinesiology session to balance your system, before we go on to test over 150 common foods, to ascertain which ones are the most stressful to your system, helping you to eliminate these from your diet for a specified period, allowing your body space to recuperate.

During this period you might choose to address other emotional issues to support the healing process, it’s up to you, it really depends on how quickly you want to get back to the life you love.

Food sensitivity

We will discuss your concerns. You will receive practical tips and support to take away with you, enabling you to deal differently with the foods and situations that are not supporting your health. You’ll also receive valuable insights into the mechanisms your system has created to help you cope and what you can do (or stop doing) to improve your own comfort and build resilience, helping you take it one step at a time so you can build on your success everyday.

woman Jumping

So, ask yourself, do you want to get by, or do you want to get better?

Claire Cutler-Casey is a professional Kinesiology Practitioner and Touch For Health instructor as well as delivering a variety of business and well-being workshops designed to help you navigate the process of change.

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

Do you wish your body would just perform better?

When just one muscle under-performs the knock on effect impairs your performance

Do you wish your body would just perform better? Whether you’re fed up with pain and discomfort or you want to improve your sports performance, this is for you.

Muscles are vital to good posture, they hold the spine and body upright and enable movement and flexibility.

When the integrity of muscle performance is compromised it can result in postural deviations which, if not addressed, can lead to discomfort and pain which can affect performance, sleep, concentration and overall quality of life.

Whilst such deviations may be imperceptible at first, as you continue to train or just go about your day, their impact increases, as other muscles try to compensate to counteract the effects of deviated posture, eventually leading to damage and, of course, pain.

When just one muscle under-performs the knock on effect impairs your performance and, eventually creates pain.

Your body is an incredible piece of kit, a superb structure of organic engineering.

Over 650 muscles work with 206 bones to

Everything you do uses muscles, from unconscious actions like breathing and blinking to the more conscious activities like cycling and cooking dinner.

Your body is focused on one crucial task, keeping you alive. Making sure that, if a hungry bear runs out of the woods, you won’t be their next meal.

When a muscle malfunctions others quickly take up the slack, pulling together to keep you going but, eventually, this creates danger and your brain sends a pain signal to alert you that something is wrong and you need to stop. Stop before you fall down and become bear lunch.

Initially working through the pain seems a viable short term way of continuing in the face of impaired muscle function. Your body pumps endorphins that bathe your brain and cut off the pain signals. This mechanism is designed to ensure that, when that bear is in hot pursuit, you can keep running. Keep running to a place of safety.

Until you stop.

Once you stop all those juicy endorphins settle down, the adrenaline tails off and the body quickly reveals the true state of affairs, with exhaustion and pain taking centre stage.

Are you ready to take your training to a new level of personal performance? Get the inside track.

In these extended sessions we:

Kinesiology addresses the factors that inhibit or impair muscular integrity.

It is not a test of strength, if it were I’m pretty certain you would win, it is an analysis of how the stress and existing damage you hold affects your ability to train and perform ongoing.

Having established the blocks that are holding you back from peak performance we resolve them using various subtle, profound techniques.

If you are curious to know more, please get in touch

I look forward to working with you.

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

Can you feel it in your gut?

Intuition is your inner tutor, the ability to access all your previous experiences, look at the situation in front of you and calmly …………

Can you feel it in your gut? We call it intuition, that feeling you get in your gut, in the pit of your stomach, it can be a quick response to something or a gnawing sensation that rumbles on over a period of time.

Traditional medicine practitioners have always paid attention to the intuitive responses of our clients and will often be heard to ask ‘how does that feel for you, what does your gut say?’.

Often, in my kinesiology clinic, I will be discussing some aspect of a client’s journey with them and their gut will rumble and roar, joining in the conversation and generally making itself known.

I often ask clients about their relationship with their intuition; curious to understand if they are acting on the knowledge that their bodies are desperate to share with them. Often, clients will relate tales of when their gut prompted them to go in one direction and their logic suggested another, they went with their logic and quickly came to regret it, wishing they had followed their own instinctive advice.

I have often pondered how we got so far away from the knowledge our bodies hold, this is one of the many reasons I was drawn to Kinesiology as a career, helping people to have a smoother easier relationship with their body, helping them to hear the wisdom their system has to share with them and to act on it without fear or doubt.

So many factors of our post industrial revolution life create ‘rules’ that we feel obliged to follow, many of which are counter intuitive to what our bodies need. I’m sure many of you have read reports about teenagers needing more sleep and how many of us, as parents, have been bombarded by the latest ‘thinking’ on how to best raise our children. Handily so much conflicting ‘rightness’ leads many to throw their hands up in resignation and just ‘do the best they can’. Which, incidentally, is often the best thing for that child.

Post industrial revolution society is a very left brained world, where each action creates a predetermined consequence. “Work hard at school and you will get a good job”. This is a linear way of working which leaves no space for creativity, exploration or individuality. No space for intuition to speak and be heard.

The result of all this ‘colouring inside the lines’ creates insecurities and fears, situations where people struggle to know what to do in response to a new situation or a business curveball, because they have not been told what the rules are for that particular encounter, and they can end up feeling anxious and lost.

This is the point where people tend to seek me out, many of my clients will start their conversation with ‘I’ve come to you because I am desperate’ and end it with ‘Thank you, I feel so much better, I wish I’d come to you years ago’.

What have I done in that short space of time? What magic have I performed? Quite simply, I have reconnected the person to their own body.

By gently and respectfully reconnecting you to the body of knowledge and experience that has travelled every single step of your life with you you can easily access your physical, emotional and bio-chemical repository. Your own personal PA that has seen everything you have seen, heard everything you have heard and experienced every second of your existence and, given the chance can help you use all that precious information whenever you need it.

Intuition is your inner tutor, the ability to access all your previous experiences, look at the situation in front of you and calmly and resourcefully create your own solution.

So, when you’re sick of doubting yourself, sick of being anxious, sick of second guessing every decision you might make, please, get in touch

I look forward to working with you.

Claire

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

Try something new with your resolutions for the year ahead…

I’m going to ask you to try something.

Take a moment and stare into the flickering flames of the fire or a candle.

Let the light flicker and play and watch as it dances, in an endless rhythm of light.

Take a walk in the day.

Watch the frost on the dormant twigs, see how it shines in the sunlight, watch the lustre glistering in the moonlight.

Embrace the rapture of quiet, calm, reflective, winter.

Finally, having done these things, reflect on how you feel.

Winter is the time of reflection.

See the water frozen over, providing the perfect natural opportunity to witness yourself, as you truly are. No ripples to distort or interrupt, so in nature, everything is still and calm, including us.

Much of nature is in hibernation now; cosied up beneath a blanket of thick frost and frozen ground. Icy paths present us with an opportunity to glide, fleet footed. Dancing quietly with the beauty of this quiet, frozen time.

Remember you are part of the natural world, the seasons of the natural year echo and vibrate through you, calling us to rest, to reflect and to venture within.

Winter is the dream time, a time of short, short days and long, dark nights. A time to hibernate and let the dreaming body venture away. Now we can explore ideas without commitment, so, embrace the freedom to browse your future possibilities, with no intention to buy. No decisions are required just yet.

How often do you make your New Year resolutions on the stroke of midnight? Racing to get them fixed before the final chime has rung? Ready to fling yourself, all guns blazing into a brand new year, a brand new you.

But, wait, what of the ‘old’ you?

What of the wise you who learned so much during the previous year (and all the years before that) what of them?

Winter is the time to sit with yourself, to scrutinise and reflect, to ask yourself some intimate questions and allow yourself to hear the answers.

Winter is a time of gathering.

Gathering knowledge, insights, dreams, ideas and wisdom.

Gathering your self, assembling the pieces that make you and allowing them to gently combine into the person you will share with the world this year.

Like searching through a long forgotten chest to see what treasures are hidden there, before deciding the fate of the container, let us first explore what precious gifts it holds.

Winter is the season to explore the self, deeply and courageously.

It is the time to make peace with your fears, your insecurities, your frustrations and your creativity, time to explore – are you ready to try something new?.

It is the time to journey inward and connect with your inner direction, embrace your confidence, and courageously balance your cautious, careless, reckless aspects, taking ownership of all that IS you and creating resolution, within yourself, to carry you through the year ahead.

If recent years have taught us anything it is that it’s not plans and actions that see us through, it is courage. Courage in the face of uncertainty.

Use this time to embrace your courageous self.

Sit with it the brave part of you. Raise a glass to your inner courage, thank it, seek knowledge from it, above all, allow the courageous part of you to rest.

Your courage may feel depleted because of the exceptional year we experienced.

Winter is the time we replenish out depleted reserves, filling them until they are full.

Rest and reflection are the tools that enable this.

Allow yourself to play with ideas and dreams, who would you like to be this year?

Think of it as a game of dress-up. Experiment with different ideas of you. Mix and match until the person you wish to be emerges, just in time for Spring.

Come Spring you will have the energy, confidence and courage to burst into bud and blossom. What’s more, with your reserves refuelled, you have all the resources you need to achieve everything you dreamed of.

Happy New Year.

Claire

Claire Cutler-Casey is a professional Kinesiology Practitioner and instructor as well as delivering a variety of business and well-being workshops designed to help you successfully navigate the process of change.

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

What do you need?

So often it seems that there is something in our mindset that is blocking us, an attitude or a belief but, when we actually go into it and explore the logistics of something the solution is much simpler that we first imagined.

What do you need? I’ve a card on my wall with the saying

‘It’s not the mountains ahead that wear you down, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe’

How true is that?

Like so many people I can get a bit ‘Heath Robinson’ about things, using anything and everything, except the correct tool for the job.

I had been using various boxes to rest my feet on under my desk, they were too solid, too high and, basically, all too ‘wrong’ in some way.

Eventually the stiffness I experienced after long periods sitting with my knees at this angle was too painful and I began to avoid sitting at my desk and working.

This dislike of sitting at my desk was preventing me from doing all the things I wanted to do, as the frustration about not doing things grew, I became scared that I couldn’t do things, distracting myself with other tasks that I decided were much more important, like laundry and gardening, soon apathy took a seat at the table and then discontentment joined the party, soon I was feeling pretty useless and fairly low.

I wasn’t getting any satisfaction because I wasn’t doing anything I wanted to do, I wasn’t

sending the emails that I wanted to send
writing the courses I had been excited to write
sharing the insights and information I longed to share
experiencing the usual joy of achievement and progress.

So I resolved to sort it out.

Through my work I have learned to ‘listen’ to bodies, to witness the subtle messages that are either ignored or misunderstood. I could have taken pain killers to reduce the stiffness in my knees, but I knew that wasn’t the issue.

Unfortunately I had disappeared so far down the emotional rabbit hole that my emotional state had become my perceived ‘issue’ and I had completely forgotten about the discomfort I experienced sitting at my desk.

I sat quietly with my ‘self’ and I asked ‘What do you need?’

I feel fortunate that my work empowers me to be curious this way and to allow the answers to come. My ‘self’ knows that I will witness and respect the answers revealed, even if I don’t necessarily ‘like’ them.

The solution came quietly and simply, as a thought, a memory of working in huge well resourced organisations where we were all assessed and supplied with ergonomically designed, fully adjustable foot rests under our desks.

What my body needed was the correct tool for the job.

Today my (maybe I’d better say our) new foot rest arrived and I am stunned at the difference it has made to my sitting position and my demeanour.

IMAG3302

I am now excited to sit at my desk and get on with all the computer based things I had been avoiding and really wanted to do.

Clearly my body knows what it needs, and pTerry fully approves of the new piece of office kit too, which is always a bonus.

Next time you find yourself down an emotional rabbit hole, take a moment to stop and ask yourself, ‘what do I need?’ The answer may surprise you, if you let it.

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

2 sides to every story…..

Recently I had a huge light-bulb moment, one of those bigguns that knocks the wind out of the sails and led me to question how easy it is to forget that there are 2 sides to every story.

It came at me twice, from 2 different encounters, so it obviously needs witnessing and it showed me that there really are 2 sides to every story, even the ones we write in our own heads.

An acquaintance contacted me and asked if I could support them with a project they were hatching, they had all the ground work laid and wanted some help with logistics. We sat down and discussed the ‘issues’ and, together, we found the best way for them to reach the desired outcome.

Afterwards, while chatting and finishing up, they turned to me and said, ‘I was worried about asking for help, so thank you for being so kind’, going on to share that they felt ‘like an idiot’ for not knowing what to do and didn’t want to ‘waste my time’.

I’ll admit I was taken aback by their comment as I always do what I can to help others and was concerned that they felt they couldn’t ask. Upon further gentle exploration, it emerged that they had written a whole story around why I wouldn’t help them and how was probably much too busy to ‘waste my time’ (their words) on them.

This encounter left me pondering the impact of our internal narrative, I hold my hands up, I am just as likely to write a complete work of anxiety ridden fiction around a task that worries me as they did, but, never before had I consciously experienced the impact of that from the other side.

In psychology and counseling we call it ‘monstering’ – creating a huge scary beast out of something, so much so that it is the monster we create that incites fear and not the experience or situation itself.

Asking for help can trigger memories of ridicule and inadequacy, creating feeling of inadequacy, but it doesn’t have to be that way. When I sat and considered my side in the exchange I acknowledged that I was very happy to help, feeling respected, valued and honoured, to be asked.

Then I reflected on situations where I had done just the same thing. Faced with an issue I could not resolve alone and anxious about ‘getting it wrong’, I had constructed fictional narratives around the task, making it weightier and far more scary than it was ever likely to be!

I realised that, within my narrative, I had written dialogue for the other people involved, deciding that they would avoid me, and, if I did finally manage to make contact, they would refuse to help me or make up reasons that they couldn’t or, worse still, sneer and say ‘oh, don’t you know?’.

Getting tangled up in this constructed dialogue, It’s too easy to believe our own anxious hype when, in reality, the people we approach are more likely to be helpful, kind and supportive, happy to share their knowledge and expertise and help us along the way.

Then it struck me, I had done some people a huge disservice by failing to acknowledge that there are 2 sides to every story, allowing my anxiety to put words in their mouths. Words they would just NEVER say, not to me, or to anyone. They are decent people and, in my anxiety, I had chosen to ignore that.

I realised that, every time I have engaged in that destructive and unsupportive internal dialogue, I have created words, emotions, actions and intentions for other people that are simply not who they are or how they would act.

I felt sad about that, having experienced it from both sides, so I have decided to consciously start a different conversation with myself, one that acknowledges my fear and accepts my vulnerability while seeking help and support from others without creating any ‘monsters’.

Maybe there are situations where this might help you too, do let me know, it’s great to hear your thoughts.

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

The best laid plans

Sometimes things just don’t go to plan, despite the best laid plans, something always happens to remind us we are human, part of a much bigger, more powerful picture.

Last night I decided to get an early night, I was hosting a big online EXPO with a colleague today, so, with that in mind pTerry and I headed out early for our late night dog walk.

Now what trouble could we get into on a late night stroll round a quiet Yorkshire village? I mean, It’s not like much could happen is it? We are talking about the best laid plans, after all.

So, pTerry is having a sniff about and I’m just replying to a quick email from the event host when we both seem to be stuck. I mean, both of us, neither of us could move.

pTerry had wrapped himself around a lamppost .

Ooopsie thinks I and tries to untangle us when the flat, thin, ribbon lead slips up behind the removable panel and wedges itself there.

pTerry looked at me, he was not impressed, so I unhooked his harness from the lead in order to get a better perspective on the situation.

That lead was well and truly wedged. Try as I might, I couldn’t free it and then, the more I tried the more I laughed.

Needless to say this scenario didn’t figure anywhere in my best laid plans.

If you’ve ever tried to be strong when laughing uncontrollably, well, you know what I mean, and, of course, my lack of strength just made me laugh even more.

Finally, after much tugging and laughing I managed to pull the lead free, by this time it’s nearly in two pieces, so I tied a knot in it and we walked back home, with me giggling to myself about the hilarity of the episode and thinking, ‘Imagine if that had happened tomorrow on our morning walk, when I was in a rush!’ (which just made me laugh even more)

I rang the event organiser to tell her and we both fell about laughing at the antics of the mad dog walker, in the quiet Yorkshire village, in the middle of the night, all tangled up round a lamp post, with her little dog watching quizzically

And then it hit me – In all the meticulous planning we had not planned to take a moment and have a good laugh!

Fortunately the universe had our back and provided that one for us.

So, next time you’re planning anything, remember to plan in some fun bits too.

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

The power of ‘unplugged’

……there is life beyond the screen and the continual interruptions of the notification bell……

March 6/7th 2020 is #national unplugging day. A day where we are encouraged to untether ourselves from the electronic devices that now take up so much of our time, energy and attention and feel the power of ‘unplugged’.

The idea behind national unplugging day is to remind us that there is life beyond the screen and the continual interruptions of the notification bell. It feels like no coincidence that national unplugging days falls immediately after World Book Day.

What better way to unplug from the world than curling up with a good book?

I was delighted to see that these two days fell simultaneously as I had chosen world book day to launch my first book, a work book designed to help people innovate and create change in their own lives, a gentle guide full of insights, ideas, techniques and illustrations to fire up your imagination and help you remove the obstacles that keep tripping you up.

Maybe the inability to ‘unplug’ yourself from the world is one of those obstacles.

Is your inability to unplug from the world one of the obstacles blocking your creativity?

I carried out a small experiment a few years ago, into the power of ‘unplugged’, creating a valuable habit as a result of the benefits experienced.

Every night I switch off the modem that powers my internet. They have an off switch, who knew ?

Then I set my devices to charge in another room, away from where I sleep. If this is not feasible for you, try moving them to the foot of the bed, rather than having them on the bedside table, and remember to switch the mobile data off.

I found that I slept better and was more rested and refreshed when I woke up and this benefit continues to this day.

I bought myself a little digital alarm clock to wake me up and have developed a very different attitude to those notification bells. I’ve also given important people my land line number because, some days, I choose to leave the internet switched off, to minimise distractions and give my creativity space to roam.

If you feel that one of the obstacles that’s holding you back might be the inability to unplug from these constant distractions, give this a try. Yes, it feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but once you get into the habit the feelings of peace and deep sleep soon pay off.

If you’d like to find our more insights and practical tips to help you get where you want to be, check out my new book, which is being launched through a crowd funding campaign, all the details can be found here

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

Feeling blessed

I feel humbled to be considered as one of 365 inspirational business women.

I am feeling blessed. Just before Christmas I was invited to be interviewed by the lovely people at the Shecan365 project.

Such a wonderful project and, as well as feeling blessed, I feel humbled to be considered as one of 365 inspirational business women.

The project captures a different woman’s story, every day, for 365 days, in just 365 words, which is as challenging as it sounds.

My story is here and there are loads of other inspiring stories to read, with new insights added every day, there is even a physical book, i’s super glossy and a lovely addition to any coffee table, great to pick up and flick through when you feel the need for a little inspiration.

I hope the story of how I got where I am today will help you in some way, even if it is just to understand a little more about how I became involved with Kinesiology (plus there’s a cute picture of pTerry the puppy).

Many of the women talk about overcoming adversity or experiencing significant life changes to get where they are now and I am feeling blessed to be counted in their number.

Enjoy.

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.

Reflect, breathe, dream and grow

This innovative 120 page workbook is a compendium of carefully designed activities aimed to help you successfully negotiate and manage change.

I am thrilled to say that, after a year of writing we are nearly ready to launch.

This innovative 120 page workbook is a compendium of carefully designed activities aimed to help you successfully negotiate and manage change.

Take your own personal journey, navigate effortlessly through the obstacles that hold you back, follow carefully placed signposts, stop along the way to embrace the vista of your own potential, as you stretch your creative muscles and emerge refreshed as the person you aspire to be.

Use the activities and tools to identify and transform your personal barriers, redefining them into the fuel to thrust you forward.

This 120 page workbook beautifully combines Chinese five element theory and energy insights with ingenious activities and gorgeous illustrations, creating the perfect space for you to reflect, breathe, dream and grow.

About the author:

cropped-claire-9

Claire’s careers have centred around managing change and supporting people to negotiate it as effectively and efficiently as possible.

This workbook is the ultimate fusion of a lifetime spent learning that self directed change is always more sustainable than change that feels forced or foisted and years creating effective, engaging solutions.

Why crowdfunding?

It has taken 16 months of ideas generation, careful crafting, experimenting with practical activities, formulating gently probing questions, having meetings with graphic designers, anatomical illustrators, technical editors and user testers to bring this project to the place where it is nearly ready to share with the world.

I am using crowd funding to complete the final steps of this monumental journey (UPDATE – this is now closed).

If you’d like to get your hands on a copy of the finished book please click here

Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to me

Claire

If you would like to book a 1:1 Kinesiology session, please click here.

You can also join our online community here.