My Paper Crane Cheat Sheet!

Darling artist My Paper Crane has come up with a way for us to keep in mind what fruit & vegies would be best for us to buy organic and which ones we can skip if need be.

Absolutely adore it! You should still make sure to wash all your produce thoroughly (including meat!) before consumption to help shake off any pesticide residue, but this handy guide should have a place in all health conscious wallets!

Organic food may currently cost a little more, but aren’t you worth it?! The money you spend on organic food now, could possibly be saved on health-care later… plus you’ll have a feather-light conscience knowing you’re helping the environment & giving your body the best possible nutritious food available!

If your local supermarket doesn’t stock any organic produce, let them know you’re interested in buying it!

There are plenty of places in Perth that stock organic produce / groceries & I’ll be highlighting some of the best for you soon, but for now, pop on over to My Paper Crane & download the sweet chart to help you make great food choices!

Found via the Bloom Cosmetics blog.

Be well,

xoxo

♥

I’ve long been the type of person to leave things until the last minute, am perpetually late, and disorganised would probably be my middle name if my parents could have seen into the future! Lucky for me, they couldn’t and I ended up with a more suitable “Kristen” instead of “Disorganised”.

This applies to many aspects of my life, including getting fit & healthy. I’ve put it off for SO LONG now. Sporadically taking up yoga classes for a term, not showing to half of them, joining the gym for a few months going 4 days a week then going cold turkey… I think a lot of people can relate to my inconsistencies.

Personally, I’ve no need to lose weight – I’m actually trying to put some on, but I’ve never been “FIT & HEALTHY” in that ideal way where flouncing up a flight of stairs comes easily, thieves need not take chase because I’d be worn out after the first two steps… you get the idea!

I also think there’s a fairly large misconception going around that thin = fit. I’ve always been thin, but unfit & still get incredulous looks when I talk about my exercise regime and frequently hear “But you don’t need to exercise!”.

However, I do! I really, really do! I decided this year was going to be the year that I really went for it and am going for fitness slowly but steadily by attending 2-3 yoga / body balance classes a week to start out. I feel so much more positive in general, I can feel my strength improving week by week (such a good feeling!) and I’m already noticing changes in the way my body looks & what it is capable of.

Everyone should work towards their own personal fitness & wellbeing goals, no matter what category you’re thrown into by the people around you “too skinny”, “too big”, “too old”.. ignore them and do what you need to do that is going to make you feel your best!

For me this means the aforementioned exercise classes, a massage once a month, spending as much time as possible with my gorgeous friends, connecting with like-minded people (that’s you!) & eating healthily to the best of my ability!

What are your own fitness & wellbeing goals? I’d love to hear!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥

Laughing is good for your health. There is a veritable roll call of measurable benefits to be gained from having a giggle, such as…

♥ Reduction of stress hormones, increase in feel-good hormones like endorphins
♥ Physical & emotional release
♥ Workout for the heart & internal organs
♥ Distraction from problems
♥ Connection with others

With this in mind and on the hunt for something different to do on a Friday night with a friend, I stumbled across Friday Night Stand Up @ Lazy Susans Comedy Den, at The Brisbane.

I’d never been to The Brisbane before and found it to be a delightful and elegantly styled ‘pub’ / venue. The Comedy Den is located upstairs (you just have to traverse what must be the steepest staircase in all of Perth to reach it!)

We were seated in a really cute room reminiscent of Seinfeld, as I and other audience members noted and at 8.30pm the acts started. There were three comedians & a host (who was also, surprise surprise, a comedian!)

Here are my thoughts about the evening in general: I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

It was the best night out I’ve had in ages, my cheeks were hurting from laughing so much. All of the comedians were fantastic and I would honestly recommend it to EVERYONE I know. The performers vary from week to week, some of them are Perth based and others are touring acts. All are designed to get you chortling, which they do!

I should note that there were plenty of swear words, politically incorrect jokes and references to sex, so if this offends, it’s probably best to give this comedy night a miss.

Friday Night Standup costs $18 (you can book at BOCS or tickets on the door if there are any left) and it went for a little over two hours. Well worth the money and I left with a huge smile and, I’m sure, plenty of endorphins racing around my body!

Lazy Susans Comedy Den runs comedy nights Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday! So you have no excuse not to get some humour & good health into your week!

I’m not sure who Lazy Susan actually is, but she’s 130% onto a winner.

Upstairs @ the Brisbane Hotel
Cnr Brisbane & Beaufort St
Highgate Perth, WA 6003

Email: solongley@yahoo.com

Tel: (08) 9328 2543

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥

Good morning and welcome to the week! If you look out the window Today I’m sure you’ll notice the cool, grey clouds that are hovering over our lovely city.

The seasons are certainly changing and with it, I feel a definite shift in my mind and body. When Winter comes, our animal friends slow down and many go into hibernation. Mating is no longer the priority, as the change in season flicks a switch to tell them that now is the time to eat lots to get fat for Winter and prepare for a long snooze to preserve energy!

I think that these kind of changes occur within us as well, we are after all animals too – albeit clothed, with iPhones & french manicures, but at our core we are the same as our hibernating friends. When the seasons switch I always feel a sense of change and unrest in my body, maybe you do too.

I’ve found myself eating more lately and reflecting internally, I am getting ready to sleep for 3 months (if only)!

So I thought I’d start the week with that little idea to ponder.

In other news, I had a fabulous weekend & have a few pieces of info to share with you!

♥ Blush Day Spa has completed the big move from Leederville to North Fremantle & can now be found at:

Address: 76/80 Stirling Highway, North Fremantle, Western Australia 6195
Phone: +61 (08) 9335 5600

♥ The 3 Months to Glow thread is one of my all-time favourite Vogue Forum discussions. I check it out when I’m wanting some inspiration for glowy skin, which is pretty much always!

♥ WELLNESS WA COMPETITION! We’ve had an amazing response so far, but it’s still running til the end of April, so get your entries in and you could be the chuffed owner of a $100 Ella Express Voucher! There is 3 to win so hop to it

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥ Yoga Doggy! ♥

Today my friend and I had a Body Balance date all lined up and ready to go. When we arrived, the disinterested receptionists informed us that there was in fact no class due to it being Easter weekend, surely we need exercise more at this time than any other?! Alas, it was not to be.

But my friend is an inspirational little bunny and suggested we head over to the park and do our own workout, something that I probably wouldn’t have thought of.

So we went to a nearby oval and created our own yoga / body balance / light strength training workout for about 20-30 minutes and I have to say that the sun, pups, breeze, birds and grass, along with the light exercise, did me a world of good.

We could have easily gone home and given up, but we DIDN’T! It’s really inspired me to do spontaneous / proactive things like this more often and I hope that the next time you don’t get to your workout class for whatever reason, you consider making up your own – after all, you probably know most of the moves already! I promise you’ll love it

Be well,

xoxo

♥

Here’s a delicious smoothie recipe that is one of my favourites and that I whipped up on this quiet Friday night at home! I’ve had a big week, so there’s nothing better than relaxing at home, schmoozing around and making plans for the weekend (Farmers market! Body Balance! Yes!) while indulging in some decadent tasting but fairly healthy snacks!

Ingredients:

1 x banana (preferably frozen if you prefer a thicker ice-cream like consistency, yummo)
1 x cup of frozen blueberries (they also make your skin glow, bonus)
1 x teaspoon of wheatgerm (I keep this in the freezer to maintain it’s freshness)
1.5 x cups of chocolate Vitasoy

Method:

Pop em all in the blender, blend on high for a minute and do the crocodile rock around the kitchen because your DELICIOUS AWESOME SNACK IS READY!

CROCODILE-ROCK-NOW, WHEN YOUR FEET JUST CAN’T KEEP STILL!

Aside from that, Tonight is going to involve lots of organising in the Wellness WA office & replying to e-mails. Very productive.

My gorgeous writer Kelly-Anne had a fantabulous beauty mega-spree this evening so expect to hear all about THAT in the very near future – this is me being jealous, right here.

Be well,

xoxo

♥

So I like to do little updates to let y’all know what wellbeing related things I’m upto and perhaps provide a little inspiration every now and then!

In the past week I have converted three people close to me to the JOY, MAGIC & WONDER (!!!) of smoothies containing spinach!!

With a combination of persuasiveness, persistence & the fact that the smoothies are, in fact, flippin delicious, three friends of mine overcame the deeply ingrained hurdle of spinach being a bland dinner vegetable & emerged on the other side amazed at the spinach + fruit combination.

One friend said, and I quote:

Person one and I sipped on tangy raspberry + spinach + banana + wheatgerm + little bit of apple / pear juice + water, while person two and I substituted raspberry for frozen mango, which made the smoothie really creamy & delish.

I’m going to keep a tally of how many people I convert!

In other stomach rumble inducing news, I’ve recently discovered and become addicted to THESE:

CHIC NUTS SICILIAN HERBS & GARLIC FLAVOUR!

I’d been struggling for a while to find a good alternative to chips. Whats super crunchy & dry, still a little bit salty and not as terrible for you as shoving 3 packets of chips into your hungry gob daily?

These babies pass the test. With flying legume-based colours!

They’re an all natural wholefood, contain 24% protein, lots of iron & fibre, are low G.I, probiotic AND super low in fat (4 grams per 50g with less than 1 being saturated). Pretty amazing if you ask me and way better than chippies!

You can find out more about them at http://www.chicnuts.com. I picked up my packet from Woolies. Great company, great idea & their customer service is fantastic as well.

Try these few tidbits out and if you have any fantastic ideas for healthy snacks be sure to send them my way!

Be well,

xoxo

Diet by D’Zyne

It’s often thought that dietitians are for those people who already have a health problem. Seeing a dietitian for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity or being underweight is common because it can be a way to manage, change or prevent a condition without the use of medication.

However it’s not just the unwell that can make the most of dietitians. Seeing a dietitian can greatly improve your general well-being. As Jo-Anne Dembo, Accredited Practicing Dietitian from DIET BY D’ZYNE says

“Your body is like a car, and if you try to use cheap oil as fuel, then your car is not going to work efficiently.”

The same goes for your body, you have to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs to work properly and look after itself. If you don’t feed your body the right foods, it can rebel against you. You might not see the effects immediately but you will in the end.

The simplest way to improve your diet, is to pick good foods, fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, foods with a low fat content and your proteins too, eat small meals and eat often. A little of everything and not too much of anything. If you’re eating well and are doing a regular amount of physical activity (don’t chicken out, work up a sweat) then you are allowed to treat yourself occasionally. Whether your treat is some chocolate or a small plate of pasta is up to you.

Don’t get your hopes up though, just because you’re seeing a dietitian doesn’t mean change will be easy! There’s no secret pill and you won’t walk out having lost 10 kilos, you have to do as you’re told. That being said, they won’t cut out all the things you like, leaving you with carrot sticks for every meal. Small changes can make a big difference and it’s not as hard as you might think.

To touch on the vegetarian, vegan and raw diets, if you’re thinking about changing to one of these or have already, it would be good to see a dietitian. To live a healthy life, you do need to make sure you are getting enough of all the essential vitamins & minerals. If you’re not eating correctly you can miss out on these, but this goes for everyone and is possibly even more relevant to those who don’t eat many fruit and vegetables. Remember, a healthy well balanced diet is just the start, if your focus is on a lifestyle approach, you will see results. To get the most out of your life and your body it’s a great idea to see an Accredited Practicing Dietitian.

Changing your diet, while simple, can pre-empt health issues for the long term and also make you feel wonderful in the short term. Changing to a healthier diet can have different effects on people, you could get more energy during the day, you could lose weight and your skin could clear up. So not only will you start feeling better, you’ll start looking better too.

If your family has a history of health issues, looking at diet early on can delay or lessen the effects of those.

To find a consulting Accredited Practicing Dietition, check out the DAA home page http://www.daa.asn.au, call 1800 812 942 or search the Yellow Pages.

E: nationaloffice@daa.asn.au

(There is a search function on the website to find dietitians in your area!)

Article by Liv Bambola!