My Personal 2016 Wellness Wrap Up!

♥ local lunar babe @chi.borrello

Hey 2016! You were actually an awesome year for me, thanks for existing and allowing me to exist through you. I love to reflect, so the following are some of my health & wellness highlights:

Self-care became the top priority. After a few years of insane stress + anxiety, working 24/7 & zero holidays, all of that changed when I finalised the sale of my old business. Actually – it took a little longer if I’m being honest. At first I felt relieved, but also out of sorts. I’d been working so much that it felt wrong to have downtime, so I started freelancing & picked up a few ongoing marketing clients who were all AMAZING, and the extra money was terrific, however I was back to working 7 days a week and exhausted. Any days off I had from my regular job I was face deep in other work & I was burning out. Something had to shift, but I wasn’t sure what it was quite yet. All of this lead to…

Another life changing Bali trip (full review to come soon!). In June I spent 10 days in Ubud with my boyfriend & bestie, and it changed everything. We decided to create a DIY yoga retreat, this meant 2-4 yoga classes per day, meditation, incredible vegan food, loads of coconuts, cold-pressed juice & kefir, Ayurvedic treatments, pool time, a little exploring & lots of rest too.

It was here that I realised what I had been doing. I was focusing so much on work that I had absolutely no time to take care of myself. Being constantly tired, daily 2-3 hour afternoon naps, fluctuating moods & regular junk food cravings had become my new normal. I knew what I had to do.

As soon as I returned home I contacted my clients, thanked them for being wonderful & bowed out. I now enjoy 2-4 days off a week for the first time in around 5 years and have never felt healthier.

♥ Sunshine + cats!

Moving House + Sunshine!. Prior to my Bali trip, probably the biggest event of the year occurred. I moved house! From my teeny tiny falling apart-ment of 6 years, containing zero sunshine opportunities & zero landlord fucks (the place was practically in disrepair, but I did love it), to a giant, beautiful old house with a cat, huge backyard, plentiful slices of sunshine, AIR CONDITIONING (a big deal!!!), fireplace, amazing kitchen and a million other great things. Let it be known that having space to dance around, a couch outside to enjoy the morning breeze & birds, loads of flowers & trees, and a little bit of heating/air conditioning does wonders for your overall wellbeing – who knew 😉

Seeing a Naturopath. I wrote a big article outlining the reasons why I saw a Naturopath when I was feeling healthier than ever. And I can now attest that it’s absolutely one of the very best things that happened last year.

I’d seen Marnie a few years ago and loved her down-to-earth approach. I was already feeling great, but knew I had a few lingering deficiencies that could be improved upon. Actually they were pretty important ones! My iron was incredibly low (just below the lowest acceptable minimum) and my vitamin D levels weren’t great either, more than likely due to living in the no-sunshine-home mentioned above.

Both of these have a huge impact on mood and energy. Having struggled with intense chronic anxiety and low energy in my life, I knew it was time to get on top of these once and for all. I’m now spending a little bit of time in the sun every day, taking Vitamin D supplements to help & taking Iron supplements too. Interestingly, low iron is a pretty slow fix. It may take up to 2 years to get the levels to their peak, but I’m feeling better every day and excited to continue on this journey to full health. If you need a Naturopath I can, and always do, highly recommend Marnie Downer in Mount Lawley / Inglewood.

♥ Running around Lake Monger

Running. I’ve always found it difficult due to the aforementioned anxiety and low iron, however in June of last year I decided to recruit a friend and finally give it a real go. We decided on Couch to 5K, which is an 8 week program available as a phone app or you can just time your runs (the app is much easier!). This program does as it says and gets you from the couch, to being able to jog without stopping for 5K.

I have a confession to make, however! Due to my yoga teacher training, other fitness classes that need to be taken as part of my job, sicknesses, weather and general life – my pal and I are actually only up to ‘Week 5’ of Couch to 5K!!! But we’re both okay with it. At the beginning neither of us could jog for even 60 seconds and we are now able to cruise through 5-8 minute runs without collapsing. We’ll get to the full 5K this year 🙂 The mental and physical benefits have been fantastic – increased confidence, calmness, flatter stomach, better sleep, increased overall fitness – the list goes on.

If you are able to stick at it 3 x per week as the program suggests then you will get there much quicker than us, as we’ve only been able to squeeze around 1 per week in.

Hot Yoga Revelations. Listen closely, I’m about to share something that might change your life, as it is starting to do so for mine. So, as you may have gathered I do a bit of yoga and take a few fitness classes, partly because it makes me feel fantastic & partly because my job at lululemon requires it (cool job!).

What I’ve only JUST realised after all this time, is how incredible I feel the day after a hot & sweaty yoga class, but the kicker is that it HAS to be in a heated room. Why? I have absolutely no idea yet! All I know is that the day after sweating it out in warm to hot yoga, I feel INCREDIBLE. The only way I can describe it is a childlike feeling of joy and contentment that permeates through the whole next day and often lingers into the next.

You best believe I’ll be experimenting more with this in 2017!


So that’s my wellness year laid bare for you, I’d absolutely love to read your personal wellness discoveries of the year – and if you have any exciting plans for 2016, so share with me in the comments below!
🙂

Be well,

Annette xo

Why I saw A Naturopath When I Felt Healthier Than Ever.

It’s been 4 years since I last popped in for a check up with my naturopath, Marnie Downer. In those past 4 years I have undergone some huge changes in my life – from working in the fast paced world of agency PR while running this website, to leaving the PR world behind for a part-time job at lululemon with dreams of growing the website to a full-time gig, and then unexpectedly starting a high-stress business from scratch for the next 3 years. During that time my body & mind were pushed to their limits. I lost 10 kilos, gained it back again & had at LEAST 2 mental breakdowns in the process.

While I’m in a much better place emotionally & physically now and I’m a big believer that everything you experience is valuable and full of lessons, I can’t help but wish I’d kept in touch with Marnie while I was going through it all so she could have helped me care for myself a little better!

Today I went to see her again for a very different reason than I have previously, and I’m going to suggest that you should do the same (with her, or another naturopath that you like the look of!) no matter what is going on in your life.

Right now, I’m in a really good place. I enjoy my job, am completing yoga teacher training, have 2-3 days off a week, am learning to cook and meal prep nourishing meals, getting Wellness WA back up and running, sleeping well, low anxiety, learning to run, starting personal training again next week… I could go on as there really are loads of things I am happy about and grateful for in my life at the moment.

However, how often do we only seek help when things are dire? When we’ve well & truly hit the wall. Ground zero. Nowhere else to go.

What if we flipped this and continued working to improve ourselves and our lives when things are already going well?

With this in mind I decided to book in to see what I could tweak and improve in my “pretty good, most of the time, except when I drink wine, eat chocolate & smash a packet of chips” health & wellness routine, so that I can run with the good things that I’ve already got, and maybe add a few little improvements here and there to see even greater results.

It was well worth the appointment and I learnt that the next steps for me personally are taking an activated vitamin b supplement to improve stress resilience, drinking licorice tea to support my adrenal glands, upping the hot water with lemon for overall vitality & making sure to make my green tea with 80 degree water instead of boiling so that all the goodness is intact.

I also feel really empowered knowing that someone has my back nutritionally, knows my full medical history & diet and is making her recommendations based on my personal body makeup and goals.

I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to a naturopath (Marnie or otherwise) – they can tell you all kinds of things you never knew about yourself and your body, and I find I learn something new every single time I have an appointment. Whether you have an acute issue, are feeling a bit stressed or even are just tired all of the time, there is help available and it’s only a phone call or an email away 🙂

So, have you considered seeing a naturopath before? Are you in a dire situation physically or mentally? Or are things going pretty good but maybe they could be just a little bit better? Let me know – my passion for this area has been reinvigorated and I’d love to help point you in the right direction!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Beauty & Wellbeing Routine: Kitty Campion, Renowned Medical Herbalist / Naturopath.

First up, briefly tell us a little bit about yourself!

35 years ago I embarked on a life long journey of being a medical herbalist, initially diagnosing with iridology and over the years to the extensive training in six different styles of bodywork as well as training in further diagnostic methods using bio-resonance in Germany. During that time I have had the privilege of working with more than 30,000 patients and it was 20 years into this journey when I began further training in emotional intelligence and metaphysical law. I came to Australia 2 years ago on a permanent Distinguished Talent Visa in order to teach Emotional Intelligence, a 28 module course which is filling up quickly. My next class starts on 9th June. I’ve also just submitted my 10th book ‘The Handbook of Mind/Body Healing’ to a publisher in Sydney and am embarked on my 11th ‘A Revolutionary Guide to Healing Depression’.

Kitty works at Perth Natural Medical Clinic (PNMC).

Tell us about your daily beauty routine. (please include specifics about brands/products used)

Five minutes dry skin brushing followed by a brief hot then icy cold shower. Ren moisturiser (Ren products available on Strawberry NET) and Green People deodorant, together with Dr Organic aloe vera moisturiser.

What’s the one beauty treatment you can’t live without? And your favourite place to have it done?

I attend mi:skn salon in Lord Street, Mt Lawley for weekly facial acupuncture. Francesca Perino is a fantastic therapist trained in five element acupuncture so the treatment is holistic and she only uses natural products on the skin.

Who do you trust with your hair in Perth, and why?

To date I have not yet found a hairdresser to suit me and I am still searching.

Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

I use a Korean Chi machine which increases oxygen throughout the body and aids in relaxation.

Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products?

• Ecover shower gel
• Ren Global Protection Moisturiser (available on Strawberry NET)
• Yves St Laurent Fuchsia lipstick

Do you have any secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?

Daily meditation, a guaranteed way of emptying out all stress in the body and mind.

What beauty treatment/ wellbeing activity would you love to try but haven’t yet? (Due to time, money, scared etc!)

Eco friendly spa retreat for weekend

Describe a typical day of eating for you.

Morning liver flush – consisting of freshly pressed carrot, celery, lemon and ginger juiced with a couple of tablespoons of hempseed oil blended in.

Lunch – Fish/Meat and mixed green salad with balsamic dressing.

Afternoon Tea – Goji berries and nuts

Dinner – Meat/Fish and six seasonal vegetables plus 2 squares of Green & Black 85% organic chocolate. Sometimes half a bar! Lots of filtered water,the odd soy late or Rooibos tea.

Describe your fitness routine.

About to embark on a recently purchased aero pilates reformer bench. Hoping to do 3-4 times a week.

Do you take part in any alternative therapies or take supplements? If so, discuss.

I am a natural therapist and therefore take full advantage of weekly treatments of acupuncture and various bodywork.

How do you like to relax? What are your favourite ways to de-stress?

Art House Movies, British Detective Series, eating out with friends and enjoying fine wines.

Thanks so much to Kitty for taking time out of her extremely busy schedule to participate in our wellbeing routine! If you’re interested in reading more about her, I found this great article on the Perth Natural Medical Clinic website.

Be well,

xoxo

2011, Making it happen.

2011 – thank you. You constantly amazed me with the new and unique opportunities and good times that were frequently presented, here’s a tiny rundown of my year:

♥ Took a promotion at work, and from all accounts did pretty good in the new role
♥ Flew to Melbourne with my boy to see ‘The National’ for the first time and ate some amazing vegetarian food
♥ Viewed ‘Jimmy Eat World’ for the first time
♥ Took my first makeup masterclass
♥ Went along to a meditation course (didn’t quite finish it though, but held out for 4 weeks!)
♥ Took floor barre ballet classes for the first time
♥ Started as the Beauty Writer for X-Press magazine & contributor for eVoke magazine
♥ Began seeing a naturopath
♥ Met a lot of incredible people in the Perth beauty & wellness industry
♥ Made the decision to quit my job and return to study next year (!!)
♥ Began to organise the first Perth Online Beauty Media networking event
♥ Completed a 6 week photoshop course (highly recommended!)
♥ Did my first green smoothie demonstration @ Lululemon! Spreading that smoothie love.
♥ Began to overcome a deep seated fear

Tomorrow I’ll share with you my goals for the new year ahead!

I’d love to hear any of your years highlights though, so leave a comment below if you’d like to share! 🙂

I wish everyone a wonderful New Years Eve… see you in 2012! x

Be well,

Annette

xoxo