Pic credit Natalie Walton ,photographer Lynden Foss

During my renovations there were a few favourite accounts of designers and stylists I followed, on the top of my list was Natalie Walton’s instagram feed.

What drew me to her beautiful account was the sense of calm her home evokes (even though she has 4 kids!), her sentiments around sustainability and her use of timeless, natural objects.

The other day her tips on ‘Daily Habits to Create a Calm Home’ really resonated with me. At this point in we are experiencing major lockdown in Sydney and our homes have never been more important. I thought Natalie’s checklist contained wonderful ideas to live by to help us get through these difficult times. I particularly loved tip No 5 which really made me stop and think and take a different perspective about boundaries.

I am sharing these tips with Natalie’s permission, because I thought they might resonate with you too. Natalie elaborates on these individual tips in her original post here.

Daily Habits to Create More Calm at Home

1. Clear clutter – Don’t underestimate the impact this has on how you feel. Even one surface or nook can make a difference.

2. Tidy as you go – Make life easy for yourself, and break it down into small manageable steps.

3. Take responsibility – Focus less on other people’s behaviour and more on your own. Be proactive about what you can do and control.

4. Work as a team – Set small goals that you can achieve together and celebrate small wins with free/fun time.

5. Create daily rhythms – While we often think boundaries and rules are restrictive they actually create more freedom.

6. Start the day right – Morning routines are important. Get up before everyone else and have some time to yourself – to exercise, journal, plan your day or just be.

7. Create a sanctuary – Make your bed every day, and create a bedroom that feels restorative. (See point 1 – clear the clutter.)

8. Embrace rituals – Incorporate simple pleasures into your day – a quiet coffee, lighting a candle after everyone has gone to bed – whatever it is to make you feel good.

9. Eat well – Food has a huge impact on how we feel every day. Cutting sugar out of my diet was one of the best things I ever did.

10. Reduce alcohol consumption – Another simple idea to make you feel better every day. I rarely drink, and it’s another one of those decisions that has had a HUGE impact on how I feel and function every day.

Please let me know in the comments what you find is helping you during lockdown.

Come hang with me over on instagram or Facebook where I share daily health and wellness inspiration.

You might also like ‘How I Created a Calm and Peaceful Home’.

Bren x

I battled bulging closets and random clutter strewn about and overstuffed junk drawers that threatened to overtake us. Which is so bizarre for me as I don’t function well at all without order but it all just got away from me. I used to dread coming home from holidays, where everything was always minimal and spick and span, and face the disarray that was my home.

Now I am thriving in a completely organised home and I’m revelling in the degree of organisation I’ve managed to achieve. The biggest barrier to creating a calm, peaceful, relaxing home, was simply that I was completely overwhelmed with where to start!

It took me months of research and trial and error to find what worked best for me, and I’m still very much a work in progress with so much still to organise, but my oh my, have things turned around for us at home!

Below is a little peaceful piece of my kitchen.

And isn’t my study nook soooo relaxing?! Can’t thank my architect and decorators enough for bringing my vision to life!

There’s no more hunting for a particular white T-shirt in an overstuffed wardrobe because there it is sitting with all the other white tops hanging beautifully on my black velvet hangers.

No more ‘where is my biscuit tray I need to bake cookies’ because there it is in my neatly separated kitchen drawer. No more where is the Mirin I need to make fried rice because there it is with the rest of my bottles in the side compartment of my fridge (which I simply adore btw hence why two pictures!).

All the bottles go in one spot now so I’m not fishing around the back of the fridge looking for them.

How gorgeous are my open shelves. Yes, more to dust but totally worth it!

Having an organised home and life has made everything easier. And I’ve trained the rest of the family up too, it honestly didn’t take long. I think it’s because they loved the benefits of being neat and tidy and organised too. The kids start the day making their beds, it ain’t always perfect, but it’s good enough, and they also know to return everything to it’s place. If I’m honest, it’s the hubby who has been hardest to train up (!) but we’re getting there, and I’ve learnt I’m going to have to let some things go 🙂

As Marie Kondo says, “putting your house in order is the magic that creates a vibrant and happy life”.

I can tell you that with everything now neat and tidy and everything in it’s place, life now feels calmer, easier, and I am much more happy and relaxed as a result.

Bren x

I don’t know about you but I’m a summer babe through and through. I abhor the cold am always dreaming about long, hot, sunny days.

And because sport is life for my kids, long rounds of golf for my son, surf sports, and netball for my gal, pretty much all our spare time is spent outdoors.

This is great because it means my whole family gets all the wonderful benefits that the sun provides. For starters, it’s nature’s wonderful anti-depressant, helping us to feel upbeat and happy, and it also helps our bodies manufacture Vitamin D. Yes, you can and should also get vitamin D by eating vitamin D rich foods like wild-caught salmon, mackerel, sardines, eggs, and mushrooms, but it’s far more effective getting it from the sun. The sun is the best way to ensure we get enough, especially since vitamin D deficiency is so common and has been linked to certain cancers, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, depression, osteoporosis, and many other ailments.

The outdoors lifestyle definitely puts us at risk of sun overexposure however, even with all our hats, clothes, shade, and rashies, so sunscreen is a non-negotiable preventative option for us.

This brings me to the two types of sunscreen on the market:

1) Chemical-based sunscreens use chemical ingredients or active constituents that absorb UV radiation preventing the rays from penetrating the skin. Basically, the sunblock soaks up the rays like a sponge. They contain ingredients like synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, and parabens, and toxic ingredients like oxybenzone (endocrine disruptor and bleaches and kills coral reefs. This ingredient is actually banned in Hawaii), avobenzone, octisilate, retinyl palmitate (may harm the skin and may lead to skin tumors), to name a few.

Keeping in mind we need to coat sunscreen thickly onto the skin and reapply every 90 minutes, multiple times a day, so hours of skin absorbing exposure to all those toxins is putting our kids and our own health at risk.

2) Mineral-based sunscreens tend to block UVA better than chemical sunscreens and the good ones use zinc oxide which creates a physical barrier for the skin from the sun. But not all mineral sunscreens use safe ingredients, so ALWAYS check out the ingredient list.

Naturally, I go for the mineral-based sunscreens but there’s another problem.

Over the years of buying natural sunscreens, we have struggled to find one which the kids are happy to use.

Does this sound familiar?

“This sunscreen makes me look like a ghost”

“It’s too thick”

“It stinks”

“It’s too oily”

“It doesn’t rub in”

While I’ve personally been prepared to just suck up all the shortcomings, the kids end up sneaking off and using their mate’s sunscreens which is defeating the whole purpose.

But with all the trial and error over the years and recent vast improvements in natural sunscreens, I’m happy to say I can narrow it down to the top three favourite sunscreens as listed below.

Firstly, here is my easy 2-step rule when shopping for sunscreen:

1) Always choose a sunscreen that offers broad-spectrum protection, is a mineral-based sunscreen using Zinc Oxide (now comes in invisible form), and is ocean and marine friendly.

2) Avoid sunscreens that have the chemical ingredients which have been shown to penetrate the skin contributing to allergic skin reactions and other health impacts including hormonal disturbance: – Chemical UV filters/absorbers, Nanoparticles, sulphates, parabens, petrochemcials, and artificial fragrances.

It pays to note, however, that in Australia the full list of ingredients is not required to be fully disclosed!  Because brands can hide certain ingredients I recommend always asking the brand for a full ingredient list.

My Top 3 Favourite Natural Sunscreens, all Australian made, in order of preference:

1. Hello Sunshine – easily the best smelling of them all and special mention to their Facestick which we can throw into all our little bags and easily reapply as needed and now they have a fab new tinted facestick! 

1. Little Urchin – just love their tinted option too
2. Whatnot – this one is the thickest of the lot to apply but makes you feel like you’ve got great coverage. It’s a little greasier too.

Do you have a favourite natural sunscreen? Let me know in the comments.

Other posts you might like …

The Hidden Dangers of Natural Sunscreens (and the ones I recommend)

The Best Natural Skincare Products for Women Over 40

Best Natural Skincare for Teenage Girls

Bren x

After all, what we wear not only surrounds and protects us, it enhances our features and expresses our personality.

I have to admit though, getting dressed for the day can become confusing and burdensome especially when one minute you are at a netball game or trudging around a hilly golf course, and the next at a dinner with your girlfriends in a gorgeous Sydney restaurant …

The change of season also throws me and I find a closet clean-out clears the decks for the new season and breathes fresh air into my wardrobe, allowing space for some new and necessary pieces.

Cue Sydney personal shopper and stylist extraordinaire, FiFi!

The time and money saved by hiring a stylist at least once a year is invaluable to me and this is why…

– They help cull your wardrobe of clothes which no longer serve you (pass these on to friends, family and/or charity).
 
– They are experts in optimising and transforming what already exists in your wardrobe. 

– They make an inventory of items you need to buy which makes getting dressed each day effortless, allowing you to get the most out of your wardrobe, and they know exactly where to get them from no matter what budget.
 
– They save money on new purchases and wrong purchases which never see the light of day #guilty #guilty #guilty
 
– They save you the the agony of looking through racks of clothes when you have kids to pick up from school in an hour! 
 
– They help you feel confident every time you step out the door.

– They give back time in your day because getting dressed each morning and looking chic becomes quick and effortless.

Our shopping session consisted of FiFi finding all the missing pieces to make getting ready for any occasion, effortless.

According to FiFi I’m ready and set for at least the next 7-8 Winters with the perfect pieces she found for me.

The whole experience was such a pleasure with FiFi doing the research and pounding the pavement first, then organising all the clothes for me in the dressing rooms of the different stores to try on.

Now I couldn’t be happier or more excited to get dressed each day.

Quite the ultimate act of self-care, because I’m totallyworth it ❤

A personal style session with FiFi would make a fab Mother’s Day gift don’t you think?

So below I am sharing three, 3 in 1 looks FiFi styled together for me, to showcase the versatility of some new and specific items I invested in. Look out for FiFi’s style tips below.

3 Ways with Black Leather Leggings

FiFi Style Tip: Black leather leggings add an edge for your look but are still a classic versatile black piece. For casual day time in the week toss on a big slouchy sweater white sneakers and an easy bucket bag. For wintery weekends it’s about wearing these leggings with a big parka, a simple knit, white sneakers and a tote. For evening add heels, a chic sophisticated wrap shirt plus grab a clutch ! Done !

3 Ways with Dark Denim Flares

FiFi Style Tip: A great new addition to your wardrobe are these dark denim high waist flares from Country Road, they are just so versatile. Not as casual as jeans but not boring black pants. They fill a gap in your wardrobe. For casual day time wear with a long brown cardigan, crisp white tee and sneakers. Add a tan bag to tie it in all and tone together. For a more dressed up day time look or a casual dinner toss over a check blazer with the tee and grab a small chic bag. For evening these jeans look fabulous with a simple black top, heels and a clutch. Add earrings.

3 Ways with Animal Print Dress

FiFi Style Tip: A long covered up dress is a a great piece for winter. It will take you from day to evening. It should have long sleeves, and go for a longer length. It should be over the knee. for a sophisticated day look try with long boots and a leather jacket. For casual weekends toss over a sweater and add boots and a big tote bag. For lunch or dinner add gold sandals and a chic designer bag.

Can’t really hide it, but I’m as happy as a pig in mud!

So tell me, what do you think of these looks? Do you have a fave?

Follow FiFi on instagram where she shares so many of her fab finds from luxe to less, and also keep an eye on my instagram too. FiFi and I discussed the possibility of doing a regular, fun Friday Fashion post series with looks for the different occasions I’ve got coming up …! 

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

When I’m not cooking, cleaning, raising my family, running them all over town or running my business, I love playing dress up!

Note: All the looks in this post are by Shop With FiFi who breathed life into the old clothes in my wardrobe.

Here’s a Sass & Bide dress I picked up on sale a few years ago teamed with my very old, gold Missoni for Target to wear to a “no stilettos allowed” 50th birthday party I’m going to on Saturday night!

Even if it’s just to follow my son during a round of golf, or on the sidelines of my daughter’s netball game, and certainly when I’m out to lunch with my girlfriends, or on a (rare) dinner date with the hubby, I like to feel confident, chic and effortless in whatever I’ve thrown together.

FiFi foraged around and threw together this cosy, comfy yet chic casual look for Winter

Teamed with this old Witchery jacket for when I’m standing at Heffron Netball Courts, otherwise known as the coldest place on earth, watching my daughter in the Winter time. FiFi tip: Jean cuffs should hit the top of the boot!

But usually at the start of a new season, I’m like a deer in headlights staring at my wardrobe, and I know it sounds like #firstworldproblems, but I almost dread getting dressed for the day.

There’s just too many clothes all crammed in together and I don’t  have time to rifle through so I make do with the Same.Old.Looks #boring

Know the feeling?

A wardrobe detox and styling session is up there as one of my favourite forms of self-care, I’m always left feeling refreshed, fulfilled, confident and so good that I’ve treated myself to something fun.

The other option for the “no stilettos” 50th birthday party on Saturday night, but I might save this one for a dinner date with hubby.

It’s had been a couple years since my last wardrobe detox, and desperate to pare down to basics, streamline and style, I remembered a super-lovely and super- stylish lady I’d met at a friends birthday drinks who was a personal stylist and shopper, and that was FiFi from Shop with FiFi and The FiFi Report.

I highly recommend following FiFi on instagram for all her current fashion tips from ‘luxe to less’. 

So I got FiFi around to unlock some of the dark secrets of my wardrobe on a search-and-destroy mission and a mercy dash to search-and-accessorise and we’re going to follow this up with a shopping spree too (blog post to come).

“I want you to love your wardrobe and get dressed effortlessly and easily in the morning’ – FiFi

And that’s what FiFi has done for me.

Personal shopper/stylist, FiFi totally understood my lifestyle required mainly casual looks and she was determined to style looks for me she was certain I’d wear

Two garbage bags full later and endless looks styled to fit my brief, I’m strutting my stuff down the street as though I’m Naomi Campbell ?That’s truly how good I feel!

Below are a few more looks I love ….

I can’t wait for  Stage 2, when FiFi takes me shopping for a few missing items which will just make getting dressed each day even more effortless.

Do you have a favourite look FiFi put together for me? Let me know in the comments! 

You can follow FiFi at Shop With FiFi here.

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

While most of my 30’s was consumed with the craziness of babies and dealing with post natal depression, insomnia and anxiety that came along for the ride. All the while I managed to nurture my kids as they grew into toddlers, then school-age children (boy didn’t that go fast!).
 

My 40s on the other hand have allowed for more time for personal growth and reflection.
 
My kids are now teenagers, and while I remain ever-present for them, their growing independence has allowed me the space to become more self aware and I realise in my 40’s I’m happier being me despite the changes in how my body looks, the greying hair, the extra wrinkles and the perimenopause symptoms (!)

 I also appreciate being alone with myself and I understand myself better. I care less about what people think of me, if they don’t like me, it’s their problem not mine, and generally feel more confident within myself which makes me feel more powerful.
 
I am blessed with a wide friendship group, but have learnt that friendships change over time. Sometimes they have an expiration date and fizzle away. And that’s OK. But I can now recognise the handful of besties who will always, always have my back. Even if I don’t speak to them all that often, because well #life, I know they’re there as I am for them.
 
I have learnt to cherish the deep scars from events in my life that were difficult or traumatic. They somehow remind me I’m alive and have gifted me my biggest life lessons.
 
As I travel through my 40’s, love, peace and harmony are what I crave. I have no interest in being sucked into someone else’s drama, so I’ve become ace at creating boundaries : )
 
The big one though, is having time for self care and slowly but surely getting better at the art of graciously saying “no” AND not feeling guilty about saying it.

As my children grow older and I can feel their inevitable and natural separation, I realise that nothing is more important to me than them and our precious family unit.

My big goal in life is to stay connected to them. So I’m conscious of making beautiful memories with them, to be present in their lives everyday, and ensure that I look after my health so as I grow older I can keep up with them, show up for them, stay well for them.

Onwards and upwards.

Watch out 50, here I come!

One of the ways I address my health is by doing a deep cleanse around spring to feel ready for summer with a reset of the mind, body and soul. Right now we are offering a Break Through! Signature Cleanse Summer Special available for a short time only! All the recipes are absolutely bursting with nutrients and flavour and are antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory, which makes them super powerful and helps with weight management, balancing hormones, reducing cravings and feeling fantastic in a body you love. Find out more here.

Brenda x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

Need to cut down phone time?

There’s an app for that!

Since compiling this list I’m convinced there’s an app to address virtually every aspect of self-care!

No matter what your definition of self care, whether it be…

Taking 5 minutes to focus on your breath each day.

Meeting a friend for coffee.

Enjoying a regular pampering session.

Whatever decisions, actions and intentions helps to refuel your mind, body, soul just make sure you prioritise them because life is tough, and looking after your wellbeing is paramount.

Using apps is an easy, convenient, and affordable way to boost your mental and emotional health. 

Below are some favourites I researched and as voted by you! 

18 of the Best Self-Care Apps you need to try

1.Insight Timer

They have a free version and it has many different options for meditation styles, depending on what you may need that day. I personally recommend listening to Sarah Blondin.

2.Headspace

This one is definitely one of the most popular meditation apps around. It’s meditation made simple in just a few minutes per day. It also teaches you how to apply mindful techniques in different areas of your life.  It has a free 10-day basic series pack.

3.Vent

Vent is a social network for people to express their feelings and connect with people who care. Vent allows you to express yourself and to listen others during tough times. A safe space to vent anything without judgement from the understanding community.

4.Shine

A daily inspiration drop to brighten up your day. Who doesn’t need a bit of that?

5.Daylio

Best described as a mobile life or mood/habit tracking journal. Daylio allows you to keep a private diary without having to type a single line. You can also add notes and keep an old school diary. Free to download. 

6.Calm

A great app for meditation and sleep. Perfect for those anxious, monkey minds who find it hard to fall asleep at night and need some help to switch off.  There’s a couple of us at least in this house. Has a free trial.

7.Habitica

Habitica is a free habit-building and productivity app that treats your real life like a game. With in-game rewards and punishments to motivate you and a strong social network to inspire you, the aim is to help you achieve your goals to become fit, healthy and happy. Love this idea.

8.Moodspace

MoodSpace is a great app for mental health. It aims to create a self-help space where you have the opportunity to experiment with different treatment methods, in the form of interactive mood workouts, to see what works for you. 

These mood workouts are designed as short, habit building, self-help exercises that can be completed on your phone, at any time you choose and every workout is based on the latest research into depression treatments.

The Three Clouds (daily gratitude journal), Mindful Meditation and the Thought Diary (which challenges difficult thoughts) are popular activities.

9.Downdog

Down Dog is a free guided yoga app, providing a studio-like yoga experience in the comfort of your home and which fits perfectly with any schedule.

Each time you practice, Down Dog creates a brand new vinyasa yoga sequence so you won’t have to do the same routine over and over again. 

10.Sworkit

Offers an easy solution to fitness with guided workouts for any schedule, has personalised plans with useful guidelines for strength , cardio, yoga and stretch training, you can select a focused workout from within that category.  Offers a fun and effective way to fit in a workout on busy days or for the gymophobes amongst us.

11.J & J Official 7 minute app

Designed by an exercise physiologist and based on science-backed routine called interval training, combines aerobics and cardio for a great session you can do at home. Short workouts that get your heart racing.

12.Perspective

A free unique journaling app that captures your thoughts, moods, interests and habits. Then prompts reflection and insight to help you make personal discoveries

13.Woebot

This app, created by a clinical psychologist from Stanford University, makes mental health accessible to everyone. It helps people examine how they react to challenging situations and to think through them with step-by-step guidance using methods from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

14.Superbetter

Powered by the science of games, positive psychology and behaviour change, Superbetter is designed to increase your resilience and optimism and help you overcome difficult obstacles.

You’ll be challenged to complete different wellness tasks each day in the form of a game. SuperBetter takes a holistic approach to help with depression, anxiety, chronic illness or pain, and PTSD. Plus, it covers a wide range of topics including divorce, workplace issues, grief, and more.

15.Space

Space is the perfect app to help you break your phone addiction and find your phone/life balance. 

If you find your phone use to be disruptive and distracting you from people and things that are most important to you, this app is for you. 

16.Plant Nanny

Plant Nanny is a simple, cute little app that reminds you to drink water. Combining health with fun to remind you to drink water regularly.

17. Grateful: A Gratitude Journal

This app was created based off of research from Harvard Medical School that shows the link between gratitude and improved health and emotions. By posting daily journal entries in the app, you’ll practice gratitude daily and get the pick-me-up you need whenever you’re having a rough day.

18. Pillow

This app helps you track your sleep. Just put your phone next to your pillow when you sleep (on aeroplane mode of  course!) and it will analyze your sleep patterns based on your movements.

The next morning, Pillow will wake you up in the 30-minute window where you’re in light sleep and you’ll get detailed statistics of your sleep quality the night before.

And while the extra suggestions below aren’t apps, they are some pretty powerful  self -care tools.

Program

Break Through! Signature Cleanse

I created this program with Naturopath Naomi Judge to help women reset their hormones, get off the blood sugar rollercoaster, reduce inflammation, improve digestion, maintain a healthy weight and feel fantastic in a body they love!

Full of delicious recipes and lifestyle advice, The 28 Day Break Through! Signature Cleanse is a great way to increase energy and transform your body from the inside out by focusing on YOU. 

YouTube

Yoga with Adrienne

Free yoga videos on her website or YouTube. The yoga sessions are very manageable, around 30 minutes. Each day, there’s a theme, starting with practicing ease, practicing intention and so on.

Facebook

Red Table Talk

Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow, and mother Adrienne – three generations of women open their home for a series of candid conversations with family and friends. 

Websites

You Feel Like Shit

This game is designed to help you get through your busy day. It’s basically an interactive flowchart to help you practice self care. 

Do Nothing for Two Minutes

The name says it all.

Podcast

LiveAwake

The Live Awake podcast helps bring you back to your grounded centre through reflection and guided meditation.

Enjoy!

Have you used any of these apps? Do you have any other faves I can add to the list?

Just let me know in the comments.

Please go ahead and share this post and spread the self-care message and remember …

“the only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.” – C. JoyBell C.

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

Do you feel like BURNT TOAST!?

Do you always say YES?!

As women we are socialised to feel responsible for the feelings and well-being of those around us, pushing our own well-being and needs aside.

We’ve been brought up to be people pleasers and avoid conflict.

Remember your teachers who commend you for getting along with everyone in class?

Your own parents who smother you with love when you say yes to everything they’ve suggested?

From childhood we’re taught not to defy authority so ‘yes’ becomes engrained in us.

We want to please others so that we fit in, are well-considered and liked by our peers.

We say YES because …

We want to get along.

We want to be nice.

We don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings.

We worry that saying no will break our bonds.

We don’t want to feel disapproved of.

We don’t want to be rejected.

But saying all that YES is to our own detriment and can lead to our physical and emotional needs not being met, ultimately leading to resentment, stress and burnout.

PAY YOURSELF FIRST

For most of us it is very easy to say “yes”.

But for many of us, it’s just not so easy to say “no”.

Take it from me, saying no takes training, practice and time.

Practice saying no.

By taking pause and checking in with yourself and whether what you really want to say is ‘no’.

By listening to cues that it’s time to ease off (before you collapse like a house of cards).

Or if ‘no’ is too confronting what about “not right now”?

Or, “can I think about it and get back to you?”.

Feel the fear but make the change anyway.

At first you might feel like crap for saying no.

Eventually you will feel proud… and healthier because ‘no’ is the first step in saying ‘yes’ to you.

Remember, there will be plenty more opportunities to say yes!

PAY YOURSELF FIRST

If you’ve been saying YES too often, you might find your stress hormone, cortisol, is riding high!

This can become dangerous and lead to health issues like weight gain, sleep disorders, acne, sleep disorders and impaired immune system. 

Learn to Calm Your Cortisol by saying NO and by feeding your body these cortisol soothing recipes in my FREE CALM YOUR CORTISOL ebook  >>>>>>>>

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

Guest Post by Dr. Elise Bialylew, Founder and host of Mindful in May.

Elise Bialylew Bio:

Elise Bialylew is bestselling author of, The Happiness Plan and founder of Mindful in May, the world’s largest online global mindfulness fundraising campaign that teaches thousands of people each year to meditate, while raising funds to build clean water projects in the developing world. A doctor trained in psychiatry, turned social entrepreneur and mindfulness expert, she’s passionate about supporting individuals and organisations to develop inner tools for greater wellbeing and flourishing, and offers workshops and training at The Mind Life Project. Her work has featured in the Huffington Post, New York Times, and on Australian Television.

It is a time when health and wellbeing become a focus, followed closely by the summer warmth which is synonymous with the flourishing growth of all of nature.

It is a perfect time to shed our layered clothing, get our feet on the earth or sand, and enjoy refreshing dips in our waterways.

These warmer seasons inspire us to move our bodies and to eat more natural cleansing fresh foods.

In order to feel our best and leave behind the dull skin, tummy complaints, and ‘padding’ usually associated with the cooler seasons, a good detoxifying cleanse can be a powerful tool.

While it’s true that our organs are made to filter themselves all the time, it’s important to recognise that we live in an era where we are constantly bombarded with toxins and other nasties that our bodies are just not used to dealing with.

Things like processed foods, unnatural body care products, and all the pollution we encounter is new to us as a species.

Our bodies are just not designed to filter these types of toxins, so they accumulate. Which is bad news for us, our hormones, and our health! This build-up doesn’t allow us to excrete excess hormones and so they build up and…

So we need to cleanse.

I personally recommend a deep cleanse with every season, but my preferred times to cleanse are spring and summer.

That’s because as the weather warms up we naturally crave more raw and cooling foods, cleansing foods, which have a cooling effect on the body.

The lightness and high water, fibre, and vitamin content work together to act as our internal air conditioning during these warm months and serve to detoxify our bodies.

At this time of year, we also need less dense, high-energy food because we get so much energy from being outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

There is no better season than spring and summer to have fun experimenting with the wide variety of colourful and tasty vegetables in season.

So how do you cleanse properly and effectively?

Well, it’s twofold really.

1) Increase cleansing foods

It’s no secret that most of us fall very short of getting our daily dose of vegetables, with only 1 in 20 Aussies consuming the recommended 2.5 -5.5 serves per day.

Not only do vegetables jumpstart our day with a boost of nutrients, but the phytochemical-rich foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds start pumping through our bodies right from the beginning of the day, warding off illness and promoting good health, and promoting deep cleansing.

Here’s a post with twelve ways to include more vegetables with breakfast.

2) Reduce ‘trigger’ foods

That is foods that are known to be highly reactive, meaning they are likely to have negative effects on your digestive health. In their place, we introduce cleansing options instead. Some of the main trigger foods include…

• gluten from wheat
• gliadin from oats
• eggs
• dairy
• sugar
• high starch foods
• industrialised oil
• caffeine
• alcohol

These foods can cause an immune reaction.

Symptoms include bloating, wind, bloating, migraines, runny nose, cough, stomach ache, irritable bowel, or constipation.

Over the long term, if you are reactive to one of these (especially gluten), they may also contribute to stubborn weight.

Cleansing helps to reset hormones including leptin and blood sugar levels and trains your body to learn to access its energy from balanced meals rather than carbohydrate snacks throughout the day.

The Main Benefits of Cleansing

• • Eliminate excess waste from the body
  • Aid weight loss
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Reduce cravings
  • Improve sleep
  • Strengthen your immune system
  • Kickstart you on the road to healthy changes
  • Clarify thinking and improve overall sense of well-being.
  • Alleviate mood
  • Reset hormone imbalances
  • Glowing skin…and so much more!

After you cleanse you are going to feel lighter, brighter, happier, and healthier.

Want to understand the importance of cleansing and enjoy delicious recipes which take the guesswork out of cleansing?

Our special ‘Cleanse for Life’ Cyber week bundle offer ends Monday 29th November at midnight. So if you’re ready to balance your hormones, reduce inflammation, detox from built-up toxins, and feel fantastic in a body you love, then you’ll want to check it out!

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!