< PreviousFor example, back in 2009 I found my life out of control and I was eating my way to an early grave. Feeling there was no hope for my future, and at a heart-breaking size 24 (in the midst of menopause), depression and anxiety set in. Then, my friend died of cancer! This was my light bulb moment; I was shattered that her life ended too soon, and it scared me to think that I was in danger of facing an early death myself. I realised I wanted to be around to see my children and grandchildren grow up, so I began some serious lifestyle changes. The most intimidating and scariest moment of my life was entering my lo-cal gym for the first time. Now I help women from all walks of life gain their health and fitness back. My aim is to shine a light for those women in despair and who have lost their way. My clients include cancer survivors, wid-ows left behind too soon, women going through divorce, those suffering from being excessively overweight. I work closely with each one of them, focusing on their mindset, nutrition and strength, showing them hope and a way to get their mojo back.Take Coral, for example – after surviving Cancer in 2010 her health was suffering from all the treatment she had undergone. She needed help to gain her health and strength back, and she was referred to me by a friend who strongly believed I could help her. While Coral is challenged to keep her weight off, she is the epitomy of good health and her much improved strength is inspiring. We predominantly do strength training but focus also on nutrition, sharing recipes and healthy cooking ideas. Debbie lost her husband to sui-cide, he was in his 60’s. After five years, Debbie was still devastated at her loss and her weight was spiraling out of control; she was so sad and very unmotivated about her life. Within three weeks of training her, there was a significant change in her appearance; she was more vibrant and just glowing. Each Monday evening, I incorporate a core strength class with a medita-tion focusing on gratitude and thanks for our personal health and wellbe-ing. In my experience, people who show gratitude report fewer aches and pains, a general feeling of good health, and participate in regular ex-ercise.Many fitness programs will have you focusing on things like “losing weight” or “getting fit.” However, I like to take a fresh, inno-vative approach. It’s called Goals Fo-cus; or being 100% focused on what you want to achieve. Instead of placing your focus on what you want to get away from, you focus 100% on what you want, and then your mind will get busy helping you achieve those goals.So start with being grateful that you have a chance to achieve your goals – it’s never too late!―12 SIGNS OFGRATITUDEby Estelle WilliamsOne of the most important things we can all do for our mental health is to allow a good amount of gratitude and appre-ciation into our day.Gratitude is being present to the mo-ment, and really seeing the good things in your life, acknowledging them and giving thanks. It is appre-ciating the people who love us and those who sometimes don’t, allow-ing us to grow more into who we are.Each Sun Sign has a particular tal-ent for gratitude, and so I’ve shared some tips below on how each can ap-proach each day with a grateful heart and grow more into a loving life. MAY 22-JUNE 20MUTABLE AIR ~ RULED BY MERCURY MARCH 21-APRIL 20CARDINAL FIRE ~ RULED BY MARSAPRIL 21-MAY 21FIXED EARTH ~ RULED BY VENUSAriesAs the youngest child of the Zodiac, The Ram is full of wide-eyed, innocent wonder at the world and what it can deliver her. She appreciates that she is a unique being with an independent will and can make her world what she wants it to be just by stating her intention. She feels gratitude for her loved ones and affords them the independence that she claims for herself, and while sometimes she may appear selfish, she is anything but.TaurusThe Bull is completely immersed in sensual experience, and as such has a healthy grati-tude for the good things that life affords her. She does not take her luxuries for grant-ed, but appreciates the work and focus that go into gaining value from everything she owns. She shows her gratitude by being a great custodian of her possessions and by taking pride in her accomplishments that are visible on the physical plane.GeminiThe Twins are the most grateful for any op-portunity to use their mind, their powers of speech and for their ability to communicate ideas. To gain the appreciation and respect of a Gemini girl, ask her what she thinks about any topic that interests her. She will delight you with fun and interesting facts about her world and you will learn a great deal in the process.JUNE 21-JULY 22CARDINAL WATER ~ RULED BY THE MOONAUGUST 23-SEPTEMBER 22MUTABLE EARTH ~ RULED BY MERCURYJULY 23-AUGUST 22FIXED FIRE ~ RULED BY THE SUNCancerThe Crab is grateful for a peaceful home, and will do anything to create and protect a safe environment for herself and her loved ones. Any assistance you can afford to al-low her to feel that her home is a haven and a beautiful sanctuary will gain her appreci-ation and generosity, but watch out for her tendency to be possessive once you have entered her comfortable lair.LeoThe Lioness loves to be the object of grati-tude from her subjects, she is the Queen after all. But it is because she has such an appreci-ation of loyalty and sincerity, she recognises these traits in others and will win you to her side with her sunny smile and warm hearted disposition. She will then bathe you in the glory of her regard because she is grateful for your loyalty and is a firm friend to your endeavours.VirgoThe Virgin is the most detail oriented sign of the Zodiac, and as such feels most gratitude when she can apply her prodigious talents to sorting out the minutiae in her path, as she knows that the delayed gratification afford-ed by doing one’s tasks properly, complete-ly and with care will set her and her loved ones up for a more comfortable future.OCTOBER 23-NOVEMBER 21FIXED WATER ~ RULED BY PLUTONOVEMBER 22-DECEMBER 21MUTABLE FIRE ~ RULED BY JUPITERSEPTEMBER 23-OCTOBER 22CARDINAL AIR ~ RULED BY VENUSLibraThe gentle Libran girl is most concerned with balance and fairness, and so is most grateful when she encounters situations and opportunities to right wrongs and to gain peace and goodwill between her family and friends. She loves to be loved and she most appreciates being in a calm and sensual rela-tionship, while at the same time having her intellectual freedom.ScorpioThe Scorpion is most grateful when she finds someone she can relate to at a deep and mean-ingful emotional level. Superficiality causes her pain, and she will show you the sting in her tail if you insist on being vacuous and trite. She appreciates honesty – and the raw-er and more real the honesty the better. The opportunity to indulge her deepest desires is the happiest she will be.SagittariusThe Archer is the most grateful when she is free to explore her world and constantly in-dulge her desire to discover the meaning of life. This tends to make her a little hard to pin down, and can also result in a lot of gen-eralisations on her part but she appreciates the freedom of expression and exploration that allows her to break off the shackles of a dull existence and truly be a citizen of the world, and beyond.JANUARY 20-FEBRUARY 18FIXED AIR ~ RULED BY URANUSFEBRUARY 19- MARCH 20MUTABLE WATER ~ RULED BY NEPTUNEDECEMBER 22-JANUARY 20CARDINAL EARTH ~ RULED BY SATURNCapricornThe Sea-Goat appreciates a job well done, and will go out of her way to make sure that all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. She is grateful for the opportunity that so-ciety affords her to prove her worth, as her reputation is as important to her as the air she breathes. Give her the right materials and she will build a mountain for you, slowly, steadily and surely, but for goodness sake, don’t rush her!AquariusThe Water Bearer is another sign that craves freedom and appreciates the opportunity to express her ideas which are often unconven-tional and surprising. Her gratitude for her fellow humans is apparent in all she does, as she desires the freedom of expression of all people. She loathes tyranny of any kind and is a champion of the masses.PiscesWhen it comes to gratitude, the girl who is born under the sign of The Fish has this idea mastered. She is so grateful to be of service to humanity that she will sometimes forget herself and her own needs and you’ll have to remind her to take care of her health as she gives so much of herself away in the pro-cess. She appreciates having the permission she feels she needs to spend time recover-ing her energy, and needs to make sure she has some alone time to accomplish this.Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” ―Next >