2024 has been an excellent year, my gauge is always my health and I’m feeling better than ever, something I never take for granted. I’ve taken more time out to enjoy holidays and visited Croatia and Gran Canaria this year which was such a bonus to soak up the sunshine and swim in the sea! I forgot how good it feels.

Our old VW Camper Van Bruce was back on the road & although still needing work done, we managed a few fabulous trips in Scotland, which was great fun! A few trips to Raasay were also highlights and the nicest place I have ever run a fermenting workshop!

Our Wellness Weekend to Ardmay House in October was fantastic fun, a real bonding weekend and true testament to the kind of people we have in the group, all willing to share their gifts and talents with us! 

So as another year comes around, it’s time for all the usual New Year Resolutions, promising ourselves we will give up alcohol, processed food, sugar, caffeine, chocolate, whatever we feel our vice is. The truth is that all-or-nothing resolutions rarely work, we focus on the restriction and lack of something we enjoy, and the cravings kick in and before we know it we are right back where we started!

Some thoughts for the new year:

• The focus of New Year New You, suggests that the old you is not good enough. The reality is that we are not the same person from one day to the next, our cells constantly die and are replaced, our gut microbes are not static but ever changing according to our diet and lifestyle choices! So we change and evolve all the time!

• Our cells and tissues are literally built from the food we eat, so the old saying You are what you eat has a ring of truth to it!  It has been overtaken by the saying You are what you host! In other words, our trillions of gut microbes control every aspect of who we are, from our mood, energy, metabolism, weight to immunity & digestion.

• Introducing fermented foods can be a game changer, creating a better balanced and more diverse gut army, which leads us to make better choices, cause guess what, cravings also come from the gut, the good guys need a diverse source of fibre, which only comes from plants and fermented foods are like super fertiliser for them.

Simple steps for a happy healthy you:

• Focus on gut health and a well balanced gut microbiome, which comes from eating a largely plant based diet and including fermented foods, and also being aware of the things which negatively impact our precious gut microbes. One small step at a time, one new habit at a time, consistency is key!

• If you do one thing differently this year, make it introducing fermented foods into your life! These foods can literally transform our health on every level and they taste absolutely delicious too! The Wellness Hub is all about community, finding our tribe and supporting one another. 

Change is so much easier when we have the support of like-minded people.

I was fortunate enough to meet up with another 3 powerhouse women this year, Claire Gray of Skin and Within Podcast, Julie Nimmo, wild swimming enthusiast and Catherine Lawson of Barefaced Life and Claire has created a podcast series based on our chats!

We are calling ourselves The Wellness Warriors and we are all excited to see where 2025 takes us! One thing, for sure we will have lots of fun and laughs along the way!

As ladies of a certain age, we have amassed a lot of knowledge over the years and we love a wee discussion so check out our New Year Podcast where we are discussing New Year Resolutions! 

I wish you abundant good health and happiness this year and, thank you all for being part of the Wellness Hub Community! Let’s move forward one step at a time and make 2025 our best year yet! 

In good health,

Janice

xx