Welcome to The Strength Temple Learning & Insights. All our client services are completely discrete and bespoke. That said we want to deliver useful and valuable content to the wider community interested in reaching their full potential. This section delivers articles based on our
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philosophy of Hydration, Flexibility, Movement, Nutrition, Environment, Breath & Mindfulness promoting overall wellness and empowering habit formation.
Anchors & Healthy Chocolate Thick Shakes!
So we’ve already discussed Anchors and their importance in controlling behaviour in some of our Mindfulness articles. We caught up with Shona Vertue for an interview on how Anchors affect us in our day to day lives, and how she’s made some simple changes to move from limiting habits to great habits. Her technique is an important lesson as it doesn’t fight the anchor, and uses it in an extremely positive and empowering way through redirection. Oh - and she shares a version of a chocolate milkshake that will blow your socks off! Enjoy…...
Interview with Shona Vertue on Anchors and her Thick Choc Shake for health!
TST “So Shona. Great to have you with us today. We want to explore anchors and how they may affect our eating on a subconscious level. Tell us about some of your food memories from when you were at school."
Shona "Well, when I was little, one of my favourite things to do with my Dad was to have a Chocolate thick shake from Macdonald's. I became really attached to this Thick Shake because it reminded me of the time I would spend with Dad. It was comfort food."
TST “Ok, so that’s a perfect example of how we can create anchors which associate a particular thing with a feeling. Over time this can mean that we crave that thing when we need to go to that same feeling. Do you still drink them?"
Shona “Well I gave up MacDonalds some time ago, and I have to say it’s the only thing I really missed. I guess it’s because of the thoughts of the great times I had with my father. I think I was searching for comfort, but I found that replacing it with something better for me hit all the Anchors and kept me healthier and feeling better."
TST “OK cool! So you effectively used the anchor that you’d already developed, but replaced the old habit with an empowering new one?"
Shona “Yes, that’s right. I invented my own recipe for a thick chocolate milkshake and I have to say I actually prefer it to the old one so it’s a massive step forwards. I still get the lovely smooth chocolate hit and feelings of comfort, but also some great fuel for my body which doesn’t have the crash effect of the old version packed with processed sugars."
TST “Thank you Shona. So it’s a great lesson for all of us. When you crave a certain food, just stop to think for a moment why that might be happening. What feelings are you craving? Try and find another “vehicle” to satisfy your needs. This can be a food, but it can also be a number of other activities or things. Maybe even a nice glass of filtered water to replace a bad habit. Perhaps go for a walk in the fresh air. Or invent your own healthier version like Shona did!
Here’s Shona’s recipe for her Healthy Thick Chocolate Shake. We’ve tried it and it comes highly recommended. As usual go organic with all your ingredients and enjoy!"
MacShona's Thick Superfood Shake
1/2 - 1 Avocado (depending on size)
1 Tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder
1 ripe Banana
1 cup rice or oat milk (maybe more if you like a more runny consistency)
1 teaspoon Manuka Honey (If you like it a little sweeter try adding a couple of dates as well)
3-5 Ice Cubes
Sprinkle of Bee Pollen
Place everything in a good quality blender and hey presto! MacShona’s thick Superfood Shake.
Shona Vertue xx
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