♥ No beaches like this in London!

When a chance meeting on holiday in Perth led to a surprise job offer, I found myself packing my bags and taking the plunge into a brand new life. And, I hoped, a much healthier one. Years spent in the hustle-bustle of London, with a stressful job and too many after-work drinks had taken their toll. Turns out that the City of Lights was just what I needed to revive my weary body and soul. So I wanted to share a little of my journey to wellness since arriving in Perth…

♥ Jacobs Ladder

♥ Kings Park

My first home in Perth was nestled at the foot of Kings Park and I was soon blown away by its beauty. I eagerly ventured out for a run, feeling a touch smug that I was out exercising at 7am…..this soon evaporated when I realised how many people had already run the gauntlet of Jacob’s Ladder by that time!

Since that first visit, magical Kings Park has been a consistent source of joy. One of my all time favourite things is a swim in the rooftop pool in the park, gazing out onto the trees…bliss.

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♥ Subi Farmers Market

A stroll round Subi Farmers Market for a fresh juice and organic veggies is my treasured Saturday morning ritual. It never fails to restore me after the working week, awakening my senses with all the yummy tastes on offer, from the healthy to decadent – with my favourite raw chocolate stall combining both elements beautifully.

The buzz of people easing into their weekend is wonderful and I love connecting with local producers with a real passion for what they do. Gorgeous!

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♥ Innate Wisdom Wellness Centre

One thing that struck me as a Perth newbie was how many people here see a chiropractor. Intrigued, and spurred on by my tense ‘desk jockey’ shoulders, I ventured into Innate Wisdom. They use a very gentle technique called Network Spinal Analysis – no cracking!

It’s been truly amazing. The long held tensions in my body are melting away, but it’s the emotional release that’s been totally mind blowing. I can’t thank the team enough for their skill and care.

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♥ ‘Down South’

Oh my! When I had my first taste of the Margaret River region I thought I’d stumbled on paradise. Since then I’ve been ‘down south’ at every opportunity and it always uplifts me.
The relaxed vibe is so appealing, as well as the many opportunities for pampering – manna for a spa addict like me! Favourites are Empire with its Sodashi spa and Merribrook which has beautiful grounds and a lovely swimming pool.

Of course there’s the obvious pull towards gluttony, with edible and quaffable temptations at every turn, but a little of what you fancy is good for you, non? Especially if it’s from the fabulous Cullens biodynamic winery…

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♥ Kitty Campion at the Perth Natural Medical Clinic

As with chiro, naturopathy seems more prevalent over here, so after seeing Kitty Campion give a talk on the mind-body connection I decided to give it a go. Kitty is an experienced medical herbalist and practices many other therapies including iridology, sound and light healing, bioresonance, and Reiki. Put simply, she’s an all round natural health superstar.
It’s fair to say that when I first saw Kitty I was more than a little ‘toxic’. But no more! My eyes sparkle, my skin glows and I have a definite spring in my step. We are very lucky to have Kitty in Perth!

What would your top 5 wellness tips for Perth newbies be? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Article by Karen Miller, Perth newbie & loving it!

Be well,

xoxo

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Clarins, huh? I’ll admit to considering their counter far too stylish for my grubby mitts and therefore haven’t tried much (any) of their stuff. So given the opportunity to review one of their products (and wonder of wonders, actually having some input as to which one might be best for my skin), I went for the oily/combination skin treatment, and thus received a rather lovely 30ml dropper bottle of Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil on my doorstep.

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What I’ve found is key to the application is patting it into your face and not rubbing it – I’ve had bad experiences with products before because I’ve smoodged it into my face without thinking and the friction has caused inflammation 🙁

The jury was still out for me in terms of using oil to combat oily skin, so I was hoping this might be the product that would swing it around for me. Certainly there’s a whole internet full of positive experiences with this product, and MANY people who were adamant that this was a vital summertime treatment.

A lot of people also suggested that misting your face with rosewater or something similar before and after the oil helped it sink in, and I would happily agree with this idea. I spritzed my face with the Echolife Rosewater Mist and it made the oil spread further and sink in faster.

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So in the morning the scent was completely gone, I wasn’t shiny anymore and my skin was soft. Like, freakishly soft. The blackheads on my nose had shrunken and I had nowhere near the amount of pressure lines on my face that I usually have after peeling the CPAP machine off my face. And this was all the benefits of one night.

Having used for a little while, I don’t experience continual quality jumps like I did that first night, but it’s kept me on a similar level. I most notice it on my forehead, which is plagued by frown lines and has smoothed out a lot. Definitely going to continue to use this – as completely strange as putting oil onto my oily mug feels!

Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil is $49 for 30ml, and available at Adore Beauty.

What do you think? Have you tried and loved any Clarins prods before? Got an oily mug too? Lets talk, comment below.

Review by Suzanne: has an incurable allergy to exercise and can only be cured with cake. And blogging.

Be well,

xoxo

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After a pretty mundane day at work, I was looking forward to nothing more than my Monday evening Pilates class at Pure Moves Cottesloe. I jumped online in the morning to book and pay for the 5.30pm Pilates Mat class with Chantelle. It was super easy and quick and I was emailed a receipt straight away. I pay for casual classes, $22 per visit, but there are packages available too.

I arrived early to the light, bright and fresh studio and had a quick chat to the instructors before setting myself up for the intense core workout to follow.

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Pilates is nothing like Yoga. I’ve been a Yogi for about 3 years and love it for a good stretch and to relax and calm my mind. Pilates is more focused on core strength and developing lean muscle tone. But both hark back to the importance of breathing and its place within the exercises.

Chantelle led us through some breathing and neck roll downs to start before we moved on to work our glutes, abdominals, triceps and quadriceps. We worked these major muscle groups with a series of ab curls, squats, leg raises etc. We used toning balls to add resistance to most of the exercises, in other classes we’ve used resistance bands (rubber bands that help with strengthening exercises).

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What I love about these Pilates classes is the fluidity, the only rest we have is to stretch between tough exercises – into my favourite position, child’s pose 🙂 It really is a great workout as we keep our heart rate up with the continuous movement.

Pure Moves check your health and injury history and are able to tailor any exercises to your needs – a lady had sore knees in one of my classes and the instructor showed her alternative exercises for when we were doing squats etc.

I walk out of Pilates every week feeling lighter than air and totally refreshed and re-energised. If you haven’t tried it yet, you must!

Have you tried Pilates before? Share your experience below in the comments section!

Review by Lucy, pilates enthusiast!

Be well,

xoxo

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I love eating sushi! But sometimes I crave something more nutritious and wholesome than polished white rice. Let’s jazz it up! So when I saw this recipe from Janella Purcell on Good Chef, Bad Chef recently, I knew I would be making it oh-so very soon. You see, instead of rice she adds a mixture of quinoa and millet. Both wholegrains are gluten-free and are great sources of protein, especially in a vegetarian diet.

Recipe (adapted from Janella Purcell)

Ingredients

♥ 1 cup firm tofu, julienned
♥ 1/2 cup tamari
♥ 1 tsp sesame oil
♥ 1 cup quinoa
♥ 1 cup millet
♥ 1/2 avocado, sliced
♥ 4 spring onions, sliced lengthways
♥ 1 carrot, julienned
♥ 1 cucumber, julienned
♥ 1 tbls wasabi
♥ 2 tbls soy mayo
♥ 2 tbls black sesame seeds
4 toasted nori sheets (you may need more)

Dipping sauce

♥ 1/2 cup tamari, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp umeboshi vinegar

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Method

1. Cook the quinoa and millet together, using 4.5 cups of water. To do this, simply bring both grains to the boil, then let simmer until the water absorbs. This takes about 15 minutes.
2. To prepare the tofu, place it in a pan and add the tamari (tamari is just a wheat-free soy sauce, but feel free to use whatever soy sauce you have) and sesame oil. Then add enough water so the tofu is just covered. Let it simmer until the water has been absorbed by the tofu. Set aside.
3. To make the rolls, place the nori sheets on a dry surface, shiny side down. Press about 1/2 cup of the grains on the sheet.

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4. Scrape a little wasabi on top, then some mayo and sesame seeds.
5. Now top with a few slices of avocado, half a spring onion, some carrot, cucumber and then some tofu.

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6. Roll up, then cut into 3cm slices. Serve with the dipping sauce.

7. …….don’t forget to eat them!

These sushi rolls were amazingly tasty! My friend, expecting white rice sushi with chicken, still thought they were delicious! I didn’t have any spring onions, wasabi, mayonnaise or black sesame seeds. But hey! Next time I might add some grated or pickled ginger. Yum 🙂

Foodie review by Hannah from Dear Asparagus.

Be well,

xoxo

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One of my Chrissie presents from my extremely thoughtful/obedient husband was a 1 hour pregnancy massage. It was at Yummy Mummy Day Spa in Perth;

I was looking forward to it for weeks and especially because they have the special bed with the gigantic hole for the belly so you get to lie on your stomach. I have been doing the same thing on the beach by digging a hole for my belly and boobs for a bit of sun and relaxation. To add the massage aspect also was too exciting.

It was magical. The therapist was super friendly, skilled and very attentive. I was asked to tell her exactly what I wanted to have extra time on- upper back, pecs, and feet!! I wouldn’t say she was a sports masseuse and she wasn’t working hard to get rid of trigger points or anything like that, but it was very relaxing. A very deep massage probably isn’t the best for pregnancy anyway and I was happy with the pressure.

The bed itself was really comfy. I was told that a few women’s bellies don’t fit into the hole and I was crossing my fingers I would as I really didn’t want to have to lay on my side (like every night for the last 7 months!!). I have a super long body and just barely fit in. My boobs were not in the hole, so I put an extra pillow under my DD’s to reduce the tenderness of them. I was happy on my back too, inclined for a tiny belly rub and some brilliant time spent on my poor feet.

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They served some yummy tea afterwards, and the whole experience was lovely. I know a lot of spa’s offer pregnancy massage, but I would definitely recommend one where they have the special beds and trained therapists for peace of mind and ultimate relaxation!!

Another awesome result was revealed when I went to a pilates class the next day and my colleague said that my chest, neck and shoulders were very relaxed and settled when I was doing upper body exercises. This was great news as I have been ultra tense and unable to broaden and open as easily due to the extra weight everywhere.

I have booked in for my second massage as a birthday treat and cannot wait.

Yummy Mummy Pregnancy Day Spa
253 Oxford Street
Leederville WA 6007
Ph: 08 9201 1077

Have you had a pregnancy massage before? If you’ve never been pregnant, do you know someone who is who could use something like this?

Review by Sarah Devlin, personal trainer & mama to be.

Be well,

xoxo