Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with Zenflore
There is an old adage which I’m sure most of you have probably heard about, that it takes 21 days to make/break a habit. The reality of course is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach and it can take anything from 66 days to 245 days and in some cases, it doesn’t really seem to work at all. I’m at a stage where I do need a little bit of an intervention staged, and I’m partnering up with Zenflore to see if I can spend the next 30 days focusing on me to try and stop flying by the seat of my pants.
Let’s backtrack a little bit. The first 10 weeks or so of 2019 have been ever so slightly crazy. In that time, amongst so much other shizz, I’ve officially become self-employed, completed that secret kitchen makeover in a week which went a little bit viral, and have just launched a new blog series dedicated to trying to change the way we perceive people who don’t have children. My Instagram which grew just 200 followers in the whole of 2018 has grown 3,500 in a month and I love the super supportive community that have taken me under their wing. I was determined to smash my 39th year and am definitely winning at that, but I also feel like I have one million balls all up in the air and trying to keep them all juggling is a big headache.
It’s a funny thing to describe it as stressful, and maybe overwhelming is a better word because none of it is negative. But I am aware of certain things over the last few weeks. I’ve barely been to the gym. I’m not eating much and I’m also not eating properly particularly either. I’m not drinking enough water. My work planning and blog organisation has gone out of the window and I’m back in the vicious cycle of writing a day before instead of trying to get at least a week’s worth of posts written in advance. Sleep also seems to be increasingly evading me and whilst I’ve never been one for lots of it (I average between 5 and 6 hours a night), on Friday night if you saw my Instagram stories you’ll know I woke up at 2am and never went back to sleep! Ironically it’s World Sleep Day in a few days time and I could definitely use some world-class tips on how to recover that much-needed R&R.
So how can Zenflore help with this tale of woe? Let’s look at the jargon. Zenflore is a natural food supplement, available in small capsules on a one-a-day basis in packs of 30. The tagline is:
“Complete support for your mind and body during busy and demanding times”
Produced by PrecisionBiotics based in Ireland, Zenflore is a probiotic containing the 1714-Serenitas culture. This is one of the first cultures to have shown in a clinical study to increase the activity in the areas of your brain that are associated with emotions, learning and memory. It was also associated with a higher ability to cope with stress during a stress test. Additionally, Zenflore contains B vitamins which help support energy and vitality.
There is also a direct link between the gut and the brain, which explains things like butterflies (or a dodgy tummy sometimes!) when you get nervous/anxious about things. The physicality may present in your stomach but it’s your brain which tells you what that feeling is. The link between the two is something called the Vagus nerve which I won’t lie, seems to have completely bypassed me. Either we didn’t learn about it in school or I just wasn’t paying attention (the latter is entirely likely). But I’ve just spent the last 20 minutes learning all about it and how important it is so Zenflore are already a winner in my eyes because I’ve learned something new today!
Now I’m not normally one for supplements and try to make sure I get most of what I need from my food. However, since I follow a vegan food lifestyle, as much as I can extol the virtues of this there are some vitamins which are very difficult to come by, specifically B-12. Zenflore contains the daily required dose plus it has no animal products in it all and is entirely natural. It’s also very small so easy to digest and has been manufactured to make it entirely convenient to your lifestyle as it doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge like typical probiotics.
I’m not going to rely on Zenflore alone over the next 30 days to try and get myself to a more focused, zen-like place. I’m going to commit to going to the gym twice a week (anything extra is a bonus), cook at least twice a week (I tend to batch cook when I do get round to it) and focus more on what I’m eating and drinking. I’ll be taking a daily Zenflore capsule over the next 30 days and then sharing with you how I feel at the end. It costs £29.99 for a 30-day packet and can be purchased here. Wish me luck!
Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with Zenflore. I only work with brands/companies with whom I have a genuine interest. Hopefully you will enjoy learning about them too. Thank you to Zenflore and you for supporting my little space online.