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Relauncher is a luxe online health, beauty & lifestyle destination with handpicked products & services, all in the essence of looking and feeling your best, and it just so happens that we have TWO $40 vouchers up for grabs to spend on anything in their online store. Aren’t we good to you?!

Relauncher also feature Sydney-based services – ideal for those visiting and unsure where to get their hair done / facial / makeup for a special event / visit a yoga guru / shopping with a personal stylist who will take them to the best places within their budget rather than wasting time trying to work out where to go themselves…

Annette’s Top Picks

If I was able to win the voucher, which unfortunately I’m not (I don’t think that would be fair!), I’d be preeeeetty happy with any of the following gorgeous little morsels:

♥ Parakeet Drink Bottle – $21.95

ABSOLUTE BLISS IN A STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLE. I am very enamoured with this one, in case you couldn’t tell. Cutest way to cart around your green smoothie with you that I’ve ever seen 🙂

♥ Still Your Mind Meditation Blanket – $87.95

Not much to say but – YUM. These cosy blankets are a great way to stay warm in winter and add a touch of the deluxe to your yoga practice.

♥ The Muesli – Gluten Free Version – From $19.50

An absolutely delicious sounding muesli, which is high in healthy fats and extremely low in sugar. I’m going to make sure I try some of this soon, as it sounds absolutely perfect for winter mornings when you need to fuel up without getting a sugar rush.

♥ HURRAW! Balm in Black Cherry – $6.95

With a weakness for all things cherry, this all-natural, organic, fair trade, certified vegan lip balm is RIGHT up my alley! And did you see all those good-for-you things it has going for it? The best part is that if you win, and lip balms are your thing, you can get a HEAP for $40!

So now it’s your turn…

TO WIN: Make sure you’re a fan of Wellness WA on Facebook and head over to the Relauncher shop and let me know what you’d spend the $40 voucher on if you won, there’s 2 chances to win and just by leaving a comment with what you’d choose, you’re in with a chance! Hop to it! 🙂

Winner drawn 4th June 2012.

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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As I’ve been a bit slack with exercise lately, I was keen to ease back into it with something simple and not too strenuous – enter the ancient Chinese art of tai chi.

My Mum, who is 50+, had previously undertaken a tai chi course and raved about it, so I figured if she could do it then it’d be a cinch for me!

Some of the things tai chi can help with are:

♥ Anxiety and stress
♥ Posture
♥ Balance
♥ Fatigue

And much more!

I visited Next Generation Health Club in Kings Park in order to tour their facilities and trial the tai chi class as I’ve been looking for a gym to sign up to for a while now.

The class runs for an hour, and our friendly instructor Sam is kind enough to acknowledge that there are a few newbies (that’s me!) in the class, so he would go a bit slower this time – phew.

Running for an hour all up, I found the class to be the perfect level of difficulty, and very calming. The emphasis is on lots of different long, sweeping movements and there is a big focus on the breath, which I appreciated, but it’s also a good workout for your arms and thighs. By the end my, admittedly pretty weak, arms were VERY tired and my thighs were quivering slightly, wondering what they’d done to be forced back into the world of exercise.

I really enjoyed this class, and am considering signing up at Next Gen Kings Park as their range of classes and facilities are great.

Have you ever tried tai chi, or would like to? Lets chat in the comments!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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Pilates is a series of over 500 exercises, both mat and equipment based, inspired by calisthenics, yoga and ballet. It was initially introduced into America in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates to assist athletes and dancers to safely exercise and maintain their fitness when rehabilitating injuries.

It is a system that enables tailoring and adaptation to individual requirements, both mental and physical, to ensure that the body is working in harmony: the specific focus is on abdominal strength and muscular activation, and coordination of breathing with movement.

A common question I hear is: what’s better for me, yoga or pilates? And the answer is, both are fantastic, in different ways. It will depend on what you need from your practice right now. If you are rehabilitating an injury or really in need of building abdominal strength and stabilisation through the core, commit to a regular pilates practice. There is no reason you cannot also do yoga – the body loves variety in movement and thought!

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Top Ten Reasons to Commit to Pilates

♥ 1. Improved stabilisation of the spine: consider how much impact you put on your spine through poor posture, twisting, bending, lifting heavy objects (this includes children!), poor running technique…to name but a few sins against the spine

♥ 2. Improved flexibility

♥ 3. Relaxation of the muscles through the neck, back and shoulders through improved postural awareness

♥ 4. Improved physical coordination and balance

♥ 5. Lengthens and stretches the muscles – through body weight and light weight resistance, there is an increase in muscular and bone strength

♥ 6. Time to focus on breath, movement and how the body feels

♥ 7. Improved proprioception (awareness of your body in space)

♥ 8. Released tension in the body equals a less tense and anxious mind!

♥ 9. Engages the mind throughout practice – no time to dwell on the outside world or get restless!

♥ 10. Learning to breathe in the pilates style (inhaling through the nose to fill the back and sides of the ribcage and exhaling through the mouth while bracing the abdominals) oxygenates the blood and increases energy and alertness

ED: Hopefully this has inspired you to get into some Pilates! Check out RENZ Pilates, PFIWA, Perth Pilates Studio & Sense of Space Pilates for some Perth Pilates options! x

Article by Cat Woods (http://catcore.blogspot.com; http://pinterest.com/catcore), Melbourne Pilates teacher (so check her out if you ever go for a holiday!)

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Almond milk seems to be the dairy-free alternative of choice at the moment, and the perceptive among us may have noticed an increase in the number of long-life almond milk options available in the supermarkets over the past few months!

It’s a great milk to add some variety to you diet and the long-life versions are useful to have on hand just in case, but the REAL thing is much, much better and incredibly simple to make. So today I’d like to share with you: how I make almond milk!

What you’ll need:

♥ 1 cup of almonds
♥ 2-6 parts of water per 1 part almonds (it’s super rich, so I’d say go with more water to start with)
♥ Nut milk bag (I was sent one from WA brand Living Synergy, which does a great job)
♥ Optional: Vanilla pods, dates, honey, stevia etc for sweetening and experimenting!

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♥ Activate the Almonds!

The first thing to do is soak a cup full of almonds overnight (or for 8 hours) in a bowl of water so they activate. Since an almond (or any other nut) is a seed, it wont grow unless it’s watered. However, once water (or soaked in water in our case), the enzymes and crazy powers that cause a plant to grow are activated, and thus the nutrients become more bioavailable. Plus for this purpose it softens up the nut and makes it able to be made into milk! I activate even my snack almonds now, as I love the softer, easier to chew texture.

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The next day: you should be able to see in the above pic that the almonds are looking a bit fatter and swollen. They’re activated!

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♥ Blendy Blend Blend.

Next up, tip out the old water into the sink and pop almonds into a blender. Add 2-6 parts water to the blender, I found 2 cups water to 1 cup almonds still quite rich so would recommend 3+ cups of water. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes to make sure the almonds are fully blended.

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Should look a lil like this!

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Yum!

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♥ Nut Milk vs Nut Milk Bag

Next, position the nut milk bag over a jug, folding the sides of the bag over the sides of the jug so it doesn’t slip, and pour the almond milk into the bag/jug. You should see most of it filter through, but now comes the fun part!

Squeeze and knead the almond pulp that is left in the bag, it’s kinda like milking a cow (!!), and keep squeezing and mooshing it until it’s all gone and you’re left with dry almond meal which should look like…

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This!

For a yummy recipe that uses up your leftover almond meal check out this nut pulp macaroon recipe! I also like to pop a little bit back into the banana smoothie that I inevitably make straight after finishing a batch of milk.

So THAT’S IT! Super simple, and you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days, but the sooner you drink it up the better.

You can use it in smoothies, on muesli, or anything else you’d usually use milk for, but between me and you I like making a smoothie the most. It is VERY filling though, so be warned:)

The Living Synergy Nut Milk Bag is about $17 and stockists can be found via their website. There are also videos on the site to help you with whipping up your first batch!

Have I inspired you to make some almond milk? Ever even heard of almond milk before? Lets chat about nut milks.

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

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If you’re anything like me, the idea of heading to a spa retreat to completely renew and refresh yourself is high on the wish list. Personally, I’ve never been able to afford the blissful few days of complete relaxation and healthy, gourmet food & technology switch off (I don’t know if I could handle the last part!), but it is a dream of mine to one day be able to go to a health retreat a few times a year to reboot myself.

Which is why I’m so excited that Gwinganna, the holy grail of health retreats in Australia, have decided to come say hi to us WA folk for the first time and present a special wellness event in May – ‘Food, Stress and You‘!

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This inspiring wellness seminar will help you understand more about real food, the way we eat, stress and the factors that really affect your ability to maintain or to lose body fat. Featuring Gwinganna’s nutritionist Caroline Scott, you will leave with invaluable information, tips and the latest research on healthy eating.

♥ When: Thursday 24 May, 6.00-7.45pm
♥ Where: Hyatt Regency Perth
♥ How much: $40 per person and includes: a Gwinganna organic snack plus a selection of herbal and black teas. Book online www.gwinganna.com

The lifestyle seminars are a key component of the retreat’s innovative programs. “Guests constantly tell us the information provided in the seminars is invaluable. Part of our mission is to provide relevant take-home content that helps balance out a busy lifestyle” said General Manager, Sharon Kolkka.

This will be a really special event and tickets are selling fast! I’ve heard rumours of a goodie bag too, which can only be a positive thing 🙂

If you need some help coping with stress, and want to take a look at how food can help you get there, then this event is unmissable.

Let me know if you’re thinking of coming in the comments below!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

This is a sponsored post, but my passion for Gwinganna is 100% non-sponsored! :).