Is it possible to have your cake and eat it too?
The Sweet Secret to Health & Happiness
I’m feeling the urge lately to get very authentic and gritty with my content. So, it’s time to dish out some harsh truth talk about health, happiness, and yes, even cake. 🍰
We’ve all stared at a delicious slice of cake and felt as though we should savour it but then begin to worry about the calories. Then, we want to eat it, but don’t want to eat it — yeah, that feeling. Well, what if I told you that you could have your cake and eat it too – metaphorically speaking, of course – when it comes to your health and well-being?
This isn’t hokey nonsense, but coming from the truths that I’ve observed in practice.
To get to where you want to go, you HAVE TO believe and trust in yourself, ditch the overthinking habit, and this might very well be your only recipe for success. For most of us, we need more than this. We need the motivation, the courage to show up for ourselves, and the actual recipes and workouts to gain health.
Ok, this is not to say that I’m some superhero or perfect self-believer. I share this because I struggle more than most (or so I tell myself).
The perfect recipe starts with self-belief
Take a second to picture you’re in the kitchen baking a cake and you've got all these ingredients in front of you. Some are wholesome and nourishing (maybe you have some oats, some carrots if you’re making a carrot cake, lemon peel, strawberries for the top), while others are things we’ve believe to be unhealthy (think refined grains, sugars, saturated fats, dietary cholesterol…).
But what happens when you mix them all together? There’s balance, there’s portions to be shared of this cake, and there’s the sweet indulgence that feels so good.
And it shouldn’t be served with a side of guilt. But yet, when we receive our slice, we perceive there to be guilt.
Now, what if we twist this up a bit? What if instead of guilt, you’re faced with thoughts of self-confidence, positive self-worth, and a self-image of how gorgeous you are (inside & out)? And that this one slice is just a part of your overall nutrition? And then you don’t think about it again.
Now, let’s take this to the next level, life.
There are the good, wholesome ingredients of life: fun, happiness, and feeling good about yourself. And the less-desirable “ingredients” are the things we have to do that make us feel a little ordinary, mundane, and, yes, boring: work, school, laundry, and that kind of stuff.
But, just like the cake, the less desirable ingredients are necessary. They can be the glue, the sweetness, the reminders to eat your veggies. And like the cake, in life there are feelings that maybe we don’t want to have, but they are necessary to grow. It’s when we give them too much space in our rent-free heads.
Here’s what I mean:
It’s okay to feel bored; that sparks creativity.
It’s okay to feel down and blue; this can spark the desire to break free from the routine.
It’s okay to feel a little bad about yourself (on a rare occasion) if it encourages greatness to rise from the feeling.
“The secret to a balanced, healthy life? Mixing the ingredients together in just the right proportions, and enjoying just the right amount — and a little more, when needed.”
See, the thing is, when we truly exercise self-belief, we're laying down that solid foundation – the "cake" part of our lives, if you will. It gives us structure and substance.
I’m by no means an expert in this department. I’m just like everyone else, trudging through the feelings, the cake of “life,” figuring it out as I go along. But I’ve noticed over the years how my own personal successes with health, along with those of my clients, have soared when there is the element of belief in self. Things seem to fall in place, like a magical potion.
This is where the "eating the cake too" part comes in. It's about allowing ourselves those moments of joy, those little indulgences that make life sweet. The key is finding that perfect balance – not depriving ourselves, but not overindulging either.
Overthinking: The burnt edges
Ok, the burnt cake might be the nemesis for us all, when it comes to baking the perfect “cake” of life. It's like leaving your cake in the oven for too long – you end up with burnt edges, the smoke alarm going off, and a disappointing mess. Every. Damn. Time.
“When we overthink, we’re essentially stuck, turning the same thoughts over and over again. It’s exhausting, and honestly? It doesn’t get us anywhere at all. Overthinking can lead to stress, anxiety, and even physical health issues.”
The good news? Just like you can scrape off the burnt bits of a cake, you can learn to let go of overthinking. It takes practice, but it's totally doable. I lean on tools like presence, mindfulness, creative practice, journaling, exercise, the four agreements (don Miguel Ruiz), and breathwork. There’s really no one answer to shaking off the overthinking. It’s a recipe filled with delicious ingredients. And you get to create the recipe.
Frosting with self-worth
Can you think back to a time when you stopped believing in yourself? It’s that moment of lost trust. If you have never learned to trust others thanks to trauma, hurt, or pain, then how can you learn to trust yourself?
This could be a big wound that needs to be healed and requires a team of professionals.
“Self-trust and self-worth go hand in hand. Believing in yourself can come through small actions to start. ”
It’s important to acknowledge where you’ve come from and how far you’ve moved your needle. And I don’t think we do this enough, so I have this on my list for intentions for the next year to advocate for this simple action.
Keep a list of the actions you’ve taken towards your worth and trust, whether on your phone, in your notebook, or inside your head. I write mine in the shower steam sometimes as I find the water pouring over me to really heal my thoughts — and the lack of permanence allows the list to change over and over again.
Your list might include things that you perceive to be successes, overcoming challenges, and times you’ve thought outside of the box. But make the list about you, not how others see you.
When you start “frosting” your “cake” of life by believing in yourself more and overthinking less, the changes start to show up. Things start to feel easier. You know the struggle of trying to lose the “last 5 pounds”? One day, you’ll wake up and realize it’s happened because you put in the work WITHOUT OVERTHINKING!
“And I think this is where the short-terms plan fail. They’re a plan with an end result. And then what? You’ll be happy? For how long? ”
Long-term plans aren’t plans but rather lifestyles. Adopting a new way of living, thinking, and feeling. Milestones are important, but living a fabulous life is the end goal. And I hate to burst your bubble, but we all have the same long-term goal: survive the worst days in the best way possible. After all, we all end up in the same place.
If you’re learning how to frost your cake with words of encouragement and self-love instead of "I can't do this," try "I'm learning and growing every day." Rather than "What if I fail?" think, "What if I succeed brilliantly?"
This isn't about ignoring challenges or pretending everything's perfect. Not at all. It’s about approaching life with a new attitude and treating yourself with kindness. Remember, you wouldn't frost a cake with poop, so why frost your thoughts with it?
The sprinkles on top: taking action
Now, here's where the sprinkles meet the frosting. All this self-belief and positive thinking is great, but it needs to be paired with action to really make a difference.
You've baked your cake (built from self-confidence),
you've frosted it (with a healthy mindset),
and now it's time to add that final touch – the decoration, the sprinkles.
The sprinkles are the first steps you’re taking toward your goals.
Maybe it's signing up for that yoga class you've been eyeing. Or, how about finally starting that side hustle you've been dreaming about? Or maybe, just maybe, it's joining us at Rooted to kickstart your journey to a healthier, happier you.
Slicing up success: one piece at a time
I’m a big consumer of trying to take it all in, and I don’t mean this just nutritionally.
Fun fact: you don't have to eat the whole cake in one sitting.
The same goes for your goals and dreams. Break them down into smaller, manageable bites.
Want to run a marathon? Start with a 5K.
Dream of writing a book? Begin with an essay or a paragraph.
Tackling our goals bit by bit, we build confidence and momentum. Each small success is like another delicious bite of our life, fueling us for the next challenge.
The proof is in the pudding (or in this case, the cake)
I've seen firsthand how this approach can transform lives. Take one of my clients, for example. She came to me feeling overwhelmed, constantly overthinking her diet and exercise routine. We worked together to build her self-belief, quiet those overthinking tendencies, and focus on small, achievable steps.
“when the roots take hold and that sprout appears, you can always see the spark in someone’s eyes. ”
Fast forward a few months, and she's not only reached her health goals but also started her own coaching business – something she'd always thought she could never do. She let go and started to believe in herself. What a powerful growth that is to watch, when the roots take hold and that sprout appears, you can always see the spark in someone’s eyes. That's the power of believing in yourself and letting go of overthinking.
Your invitation to the party
So, if you’ve made this far, something tells me you're ready to have your cake and eat it too. You want to embrace self-belief, ditch the overthinking, and start living your best, most delicious life? And you want this once-and-for-all.
I’m presenting you with your chance to take that first step (maybe it’s a leap). Join us inside of Rooted, a 3-month program where we're all about nourishing your body, mind, and spirit. We'll help you find that perfect balance – the one where you can enjoy life's sweetness while still staying true to your health goals.
Remember, you're the baker of your own life-cake. You get to choose the ingredients, the flavours, and how you want to decorate it. So why not make it the most amazing, delicious creation possible?
“This program is for YOU and no one else but YOU!
We take a personalized nutrigenomics approach with the power of plant-based eating.
GREENS, BEANS & GENES”
Sign up for Rooted today, and let's start baking something beautiful together. Because trust me, life is too short to not enjoy every single slice. 🍰✨
Now, who's ready for some cake? Balance, remember? 😉
