Month: January 2018

Simple Healthy Lifestyle

Lifestyle

It’s not that hard to lead a healthy lifestyle…or is it? OK so almost everything gets in the way of trying to stay healthy. Friends, social life, kids, work, lack of time! The list goes on and YES there is always and excuse! ALWAYS. So how does one navigate the crazy lifestyle we all lead and make the first steps to becoming “healthy”. Well my personal mantra has always been to keep it simple. If your shopping list includes activated almonds from the ancient city of Babylon or berries with weird names you cant pronounce and your Pinned recipes have a thousand ingredients only to be found at Whole Foods. Well then forget it, you will feel defeated before you even start. So how do you keep it simple when it comes to health? Check out my 10 top tips below:

  1. Make a weekly meal plan using basic easy to source ingredients
  2. Aim for a weekly grocery shop
  3. Limit alcohol to 2x per week or in my case 3 (who am I kidding?)
  4. Don’t deprive yourself of a daily treat…yes I said “daily” but keep portion control in mind. Only buy treats in portion controlled sizes or packs.
  5. Catch up with friends for a walk or hike in place of a meal
  6. Stand while talking on the phone
  7. Avoid sitting for long periods of time
  8. Don’t let friends pressure you into unhealthy habits
  9. Set achievable goals
  10. Don’t weigh yourself often, the fit of your clothes will be proof enough!

Is this the end of bad branded content on Facebook?

Digital Marketing

Lets hope so!

Don’t panic if you’re a brand on the other end of this algorithm change… its not all doom and gloom but quite possibly a change that’s been a long time coming and will only positively impact users of the social networking site. So what are these changes you may be wondering? How will they impact my personal page? How will they impact my business page? Well lets keep it simple…Facebook’s algorithm has changed, as it constantly does however this news worthy change means the organic (unpaid) reach of a brands post will be far less than prior to the change. Posts from business pages will not appear as frequently in a persons newsfeed. Brands will have to pay through ads, sponsored or boosted posts for reach on the site.

This change has opinions divided. Consumers will have a better experience seeing mostly friend and family posts in their newsfeeds. Brands will have to work harder to produce more high quality content that is meaningful and engaging to the user. The upside is the user will be less likely to see junk content…the practice whereby business post sub par content just for the sake of posting content.  This practice is being more and more widely seen as businesses set goals to post “x” amount of times per day or week without taking into account the value of the material they are posting or the relevance and interest to the audience.

Of course Facebook will generate a significant amount of revenue through this manoeuvre and businesses will be forced to spend more money on creating content and paying for people to see it. Lets hope for a more relevant and engaging feed because at the end of the day we all need to spend more time on social media…right?

 

Aussie In Seattle

Lifestyle

I live in a country I wasn’t born in and I didn’t grow up in. Essentially I’m an Expat of sorts. I’m not alone in my reality, many people have had the opportunity to live either temporarily or permanently in another country. I’m lucky that my move was for advancement for my family and myself and not for reasons of necessity or displacement.  Moving half way across the world from Sydney to Seattle has been an amazing journey. Yes the weather is somewhat different as people are always quick to point out but It’s by no means unbearable. The air is fresh, the people are super friendly and kind hearted. The forests are amazing and the idea of having 4 distinct seasons where everything changes so dramatically is so foreign to anything I know.

So what don’t people tell you when you leave your home.

  • New friends are amazing and you have no choice but to make them quickly, but nothing makes up for the heartbreak you feel when your best friends are a million miles away.
  • Your culture is yours and like no other, its tempting to make comparisons and judgements about your new home. Don’t be that person! There will never be anywhere as amazing as your home but comparing constantly will only make you sad and push away those who call your new country home. Accept the differences and focus on those that are enjoyable and new.
  • Family will still be there for you no matter what so will the guilt of leaving them, that never diminishes…SORRY!
  • The Taxation system is confusing and pretty much sux in every country, get a good accountant if you wish to survive without going crazy.
  • Consider weather you really want the big house with the guest bedroom, you will get visitors, do you really want them staying for weeks on end?
  • You will never be the same again after living in another country, your mind will broaden and you will view your home country in a whole new light.