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!

Are they exhausted, getting sick, falling apart, over it! It’s such a tough time of year.

Last week my daughter woke up, practically slept walk out of her room with big bags under her eyes and for the first time ever asked if she could have a day off school.

She told me later that day that she was surprised that I agreed to her taking a “wellbeing day” but I explained that I could see that she desperately needed that day, a day away from addition and subtraction, all the noise and school yard politics…

She stayed home and played the piano, watched her favourite shows, ate her favourite food, read books and lazed about all day. By the time evening rolled around she was herself again, pepped up and ready for her nippers training session.

I had given my daughter permission to relax every fibre of her being and, in doing so, reclaim her fight.

And that’s something I’ve found about self-care, we often need someone else to jump-start it for us.

Giving ourselves permission — to rest, to recharge, to realize self-indulgence isn’t actually self-indulgent at all.

This is a concept I know is especially hard for women.

We ALL need to remember to exhale….we’re all pushed to do too much, we all need a break. Kids and parents alike.

We don’t want our kids to learn from us that they have to work their butts of all the time until they burn out. We want them to tune in to what they really need and grant themselves permission to take a break.

As busy mums though, how do we take time out when we don’t seem to have five minutes to ourselves from sunrise to sunset?

Let me ask you an important question.

Has your busy-ness become the thing that defines you? Has it become a badge of honour?

Our culture has decided that we need to be Wonder Women and so we believe that being busy is what makes us worthy.

We need to SHAKE THIS IDEA OFF!

Because while we remain slaves to our to-do lists and exist in get-it-done mode, we are forgetting to live a meaningful and healthy life meant to be enjoyed.

How do I shake it off though Brenda? Who’s going to get it all done for me?

Well, I suggest you take a good look at your to-do list and make some honest decisions about what’s really non-negotiable and what you can say bye-bye to. Eg: Do you really need to organise those birthday photos into a special album? Or go to that event if no one is going to get hurt by your absence?

And/or..

Find some support in the areas you feel like you could use some help, then decide who you can ask to support you in those areas. Eg: My mum comes over once every fortnight and I never say no to her bringing food for my family which usually lasts a couple days and creates some much needed time and space. Say YES to help!

I’d also love to invite you to join my FREE LIVE WORKSHOP which I host with Naturopath Naomi Judge on what we consider to be the most important topic when it comes to Women’s health and wellbeing – and that’s the importance of self care.

After all, having too little rest is a major contributor to expanding that waistline, IBS, gas, bloating, headaches, depression, heart problems, decreased sex drive ……

WHY YOU NEED TO LEAVE GUILT AT THE DOOR AND EMBRACE SELF-CARE
Learn to love, nourish and respect yourself with these 5 smart habits

In this workshop we explore: 

• Where this guilt comes from and why we feel it (so important to recognise this so you can move on).
• How lack of self-care creates stress and some serious health issues you shouldn’t ignore.
• How you can get clear on a specific, urgent WHY, your sense of purpose, your capacity to fulfil your mission and do what brings you joy.
• The telltale signs of stress (it’s not necessarily what you may think!).
• 5 easy ways to create sustainability and resilience in your life so you don’t become ill and burn out (this is gold!).
• Plus there’s a Q & A with us at the end.

Please share this workshop with your friends, I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll be thanking you later!

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 Sylvia Puentos

To me, the word failure is highly charged and disturbingly absolute. To fail means that you are wrong; that you are inadequate, incompetent or ‘not enough’. A 2014 study found that 70% of parents feel judged regularly by others around them, including by strangers. As yet, there are no statistics on how many of us judge ourselves, nor how often we turn our criticism inward because of some perceived lack of parenting ability.

We, as a society, have created a false ideal around raising children; we have come to believe that there are set guidelines to being an effective parent. That there is a ‘right’ way. According to this learned limitation, if we can simply recognize where we are failing in our role as a parent (or if we are told by others) then we can find ways to fix it.

But what if it doesn’t have to be this way? What if we were willing to confront the idea that failure doesn’t actually exist?

Failure is a fabrication of society and it is built around an ever-changing set of ideals. (That which was regarded as good parenting a century ago may be maligned today, and vice versa.) When we buy into failure it sticks with us and it creates a vortex of wrongness. Just like digging a hole, it is easy to fall so deep into a spiral of judgement and perceived failure that it is almost impossible to climb back out.

One of the most important things we can understand as parents is that our offspring learn how to ‘be’ in this world, through observation and example. When children observe their parents struggling with the rightness and wrongness of their role – when they watch mothers and/or fathers succumb to judgement from self and others – they, too, learn to approach life in this way.

It is in this way – by mimicking the behaviors of their parents – that children learn to judge themselves as ‘wrong’ or ‘a failure’ when they make a not-so-good choice or decision.

But what if we could learn to function as parents (and role models) from a place of allowance and kindness toward ourselves? What if, instead of measuring our choices and behaviours against a social ideal, we came to view parenting as an exploration. In this way, poor choices are not failings on our behalf – they are opportunities to learn more about what we would like our life (or our relationship with our children) to look like, and what we would like to change.

Parenting as an exploration

When we accept that parenting is an exploration, we remove any concept of success or failure. An explorer has not failed if their trekking brings them to an impassable river. It is simply a sign that the current direction is not working; they will need to adjust to venture further. So it is with parenting.

From this space, one of consideration and allowance, we become more open to the actual needs of our children. Specifically, without the fear of perceived failure, it is easier to choose:

Are you willing to be a bad parent? Are you willing to choose what you feel is best for you and your family, despite what social expectations may dictate?

Are you willing to be vulnerable in front of your children? Are you willing to see your child’s contribution to the family as equal to your own? Are you willing to empower them by asking questions?

Are you willing to listen to your children? Parents often talk too much and many press their own perspective – what is right, wrong or acceptable – onto the child without any acknowledgment of the child’s awareness.

Are you willing to give your child whatever space they require, even if they choose silence? Often all that is required for a child to find solutions to their challenges is the space to explore their own perspective and capabilities. What if as a parent, you made sure to say “You’re an amazing being and you are gift to the world?”

When we, as parents, are willing to step into a kinder and more accepting view of ourselves, we offer an incredible gift to our children: the ability to live, learn, explore, strive and fall without ever judging themselves as wrong, inadequate or a failure.

Five questions you can ask when you feel like you have failed:

1. According to who am I failing?
2. Where did I buy the notion that I have to be perfect?
3. What if I have been doing the best I can, with the tools I have?
4. What’s right about me I’m not getting?
5. What is it that I know that is best for my child/family that I haven’t acknowledged?

About Sylvia Puentes: As an Author, Certified Facilitator of Access Consciousness®, Right Voice For You® Facilitator, Educator Empowerment Coach, International Speaker and Trainer, Sylvia Puentes contributes to people of all ages by sharing tools and techniques that can transform any area of life. Her work also includes courses in Public Speaking, Leadership and Employee engagement. Her kind presences creates a space of ease in working with individuals and groups to clear limitations and open the door to endless possibilities.   

We need to understand that by looking after ourselves we feel more valued and we create a deeper sense of connection to ourselves, our families and the world.  

There are many simple ways we can take a break from the demands of the day and some of my personal favourites are:

• exercising
• committing to at least 15 minutes of quiet time each day,
• asking for help (hard one!)
• catching up with girlfriends frequently

While it may not be an obvious choice, fashion is another one of my favourite and fun methods of self-care! After all, what we wear not only surrounds and protects us, 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 on the sidelines of a 50 over cricket game, 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 stylists, Jocaliving, dynamic duo extraordinaire, besties and mums, inspiring women everywhere to put their best foot forward. The time and money saved by hiring a stylist twice a year (summer and winter) is invaluable to me and this is why…

• they help me cull my wardrobe of clothes which no longer serve me (these end up with friends and family or St Vincent de Paul)
• they are experts in optimising and transforming what already exists in my wardrobe by styling endless fresh looks to take me from rugby to rooftop bar
• they make an inventory of items I need to buy which  make dressing easier and allow me to get the most out of my wardrobe
• they save me money on new purchases
• they save me the agony of looking through racks of clothes when I have kids to pick up from school in an hour! 
• they help me feel confident every time I step out the door

Make sure you take a look at Jocaliving’s special offers at the end of this post

Below I document my two sessions with Jocaliving.

Part 1: Culling and Styling with what was already in my wardrobe

I had a specific brief for my wardrobe cull/styling session. I needed to focus on casual but smart winter looks to take me from shopping, to lunch with the girls, and the sidelines of my kids sport. I had dinner with the hubby that night so the last look was for that purpose : )

Here are 10 of my favourite looks from our session. I’ve been wearing these looks TO DEATH!  You will notice Jocaliving rotated and mixed and matched lots of my clothes and accessories, which means with just some simple tweaks, I stay feeling fresh in all my different looks. I also love that I can just go to my photos on my phone for reference if I’m ever feeling stuck to get dressed.

Here’s another comfortable and adaptable look which the girls styled live on Facebook on the day of our session.

Part 2: Filling in the Gaps with a Shopping Styling Session

During our ‘cull and style’ home session, Jocaliving made a list of missing items which I needed to make my wardrobe gel, allowing more flexibility to use more of what was already in there. Things like jewellery, belts, shoes and bags were the crucial missing elements. Plus, some staples which are on the Jocaliving (JL) ‘MUST HAVE’ winter staples list (find out how to get a copy of this cheat sheet below!). I also wanted some dressier looks to take me to events, book launches, or out to lunch and dinner. I am madly in love with all the pieces they found, all on sale I might add, and all I can see myself wearing for years on end.

Here are just a few of the looks they threw together for me.

Look 1: I love this grey knit dress, it can be worn a bit more casual with the boots and cross over bag for lunch, or dressed up with the heel and clutch for night. I’m thinking I might wear this to an evening event I’m attending for my husbands work at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Look 2: Also on their ‘JL MUST HAVES’ is this  long vest and waxy black jeans. I just popped on a warm knit with cut out shoulders underneath (you can see the jumper better in Look 6) and voila, ready for lunch with the girls, or a cook book launch or event.

Look 3: “JL MUST HAVE” winter knit with gold necklace (which is actually a belt- love the versatility!) and nude heels. I’ll wear this one with a long sleeve underneath, it’s great that I can wear it both ways. I’ll throw my black cape over this one and off to dinner I’ll go!

Look 4: I love this look and I’m planning on wearing it to a food product evening event in the city next week. Notice the necklace, leather jacket from my casual looks and waxy black jeans make an appearance again.

Look 5: Crisp white and neutrals are lovely in winter, teamed with my leather jacket for warmth, I’d take this one out to breakfast with the flats (can’t stop wearing them!), or lunch with the heels. Love my new ‘JL MUST HAVE’ crossover bag and white jeans.

Look 6: “JC MUST HAVE’ black knit dress with earrings, rope belt, bag and heels, throw on my charcoal or black cape and I’m ready for dinner with my man!

Look 7: A repeat of the white jeans and cross over bag, teamed with new top and denim jacket. Can be made casual or dressy depending on bag and shoe. Must say, this is probably better for early Winter, or warmer Winter’s day, or the cusp of Winter and Spring.

Look 8: I’m dressing up again with “JC MUST HAVE’ knitted jumper (I love a cut out), teamed with a skirt we found at a bargain price.  I’ll throw a cape or coat over my shoulders again before heading out for the night.

So, whaddya think?

Now for the exciting special offers!!! Yes, you can have both!

Special Offer #1:

In the comments below, let me know your favourite look from Part 2, and head over to Jocaliving and like their instagram page, to receive a FREE copy of the Jocaliving ‘MUST HAVE WINTER STAPLES’ cheat-sheet which they created especially and exclusively for followers and fans of this page.

Special Offer #2:

Jo and Carolyne from Jocaliving have kindly offered the first 5 women who email me, a personal home and cull styling session OR shopping styling session for 25% off the full price! They are already worth their weight in gold at $400 for a day, but $300 is just ridiculous to have these gals come in and sort you out and make dressing for each day a breeze! You can email me at brenda@brendajanschek.com

NB: This offer is only for those who are Sydney based and live a maximum of 20 kms from the CBD.

Good luck!

Bren x

When I got up this morning, my husband had already left for work.

The dishes were still sitting in the dishwasher.

The clothes in the washing basket hadn’t folded themselves.

None of the overflowing bins had been emptied.

The kids weren’t offering to help me with the morning chores.

And I could deal with all that.

Until my son gave me some lip .. which saw me walking off and sulking to the other room.

Birthday, schmurfday.

My daughter came in to check if I was all right and give me a hug and a kiss.

While I was walking her to school I received a text from my son ” Have a good birthday”.

I mentioned to me daughter ” He could have said I’m sorry”

She said: “Maybe that was his way of saying sorry”

Wise, comforting, beautiful words from my 10yr old girl, which filled my heart with love.

Words which turned out to be best birthday gift I could receive.

Words which made me know that I was doing ok at raising emphatic, kind, thoughtful children. They are far from perfect, trust me, but it’s times like these when you see glimpses of the beauty that lies within them and a reflection of the things you are getting right.

Birthday’s always make me introspective. Make me stop and observe where I’m at, where I’m headed, exactly who I am. 

My daughter’s words showed me the type of mother I am. Showed me what is most important to me in life. It’s not something I can honestly say I had contemplated before.

See, when it comes to parenting, I don’t focus the kids on what they will do in the future, or who they will be. For me, success is not defined by working hard to ‘get the right job’ and make a lot of money…

Emotional intelligence is where it’s at for me. Success is defined by kindness, empathy, sensitivity. All the while remembering and accepting that no one is perfect. We all make mistakes. We’re all doing our best. What’s important is it learn from those mistakes. Remembering also, that no two people are the same and it’s important to leave room for that. This is the message I am instilling in my kids.

“Have a good birthday” – was my son’s way of saying sorry. I wasn’t in a place to see it that way. My daughter saw things from both sides, that moment of empathy helped me through and made my day.

So that’s enough contemplation for one day. It’s time for me to jig work and treat myself to an hour long relaxing facial. 

The day is turning out perfectly after all.

Bren x

One minute I’m feeling happy, content, in flow, grateful and full of love, then something can happen and I feel fearful, anxious and totally STRESSED OUT!

Only yesterday, along with my partner Naturopath Naomi Judge, we were recording a webinar for the members of our Break Through! program, about the incredibly important area of stress.

We acknowledged stress is an unavoidable part of life and often out of our control. What we do have control over however, is reducing the amount of stress we experience and mitigating the harmful effects of the stress we just aren’t able to avoid.

Back to my last two days for a moment.

Well, let’s just say they’ve been ROUGH on a personal level!! And the stress of it all affected me on a physiological and psychological level. How do I know? Well I tuned into my mind and body and these were the things I noticed going on…

My muscles around my neck and shoulders were tight
I had headaches 
My tummy felt off
I was feeling exhausted
I was snappy
My breathing was shallow
My mind was catastrophising
Insomnia paid a visit
And I was just generally out of sorts

That’s a lot of symptoms right there!

It’s so easy to get stuck in our stressful situations and not allow ourselves to move on. Often we just don’t know how to move on. 

Our society doesn’t value self-care, so often we don’t have the tools to know how to deal with stress.

I didn’t allow myself to linger in my stressful place for too long as I would have once upon a time.

Awareness, consciousness and acknowledgment were the first steps in dealing with my stressful situation.

What did I do to ease my stress?  These small things helped me enormously…

Reached out to my husband for support
Called my brother for advice
Spoke to my mum for empathy
Observed my negative self-talk and gently changed it to positive self-talk
I took a nap (normally unheard of but I listened to my body and whilst napping my beautiful daughter took it upon herself to wash all the dishes in the sink. She sensed I needed some support)
Deep breaths
I may or may not have had a vodka on the rocks
I stayed in the moment rather than let my mind runaway with all the catastrophes it could think of
I went out for my morning walk and instantly felt my troubles wash away…here’s a pic…

Truth is, stress is wreaking havoc on our health in so many ways. It’s becoming chronic and prolonged and no amount of nutrient-dense food or supplements can save us.

It affects so many systems of our body, including our gut, it puts us at risk of various health and modern degenerative conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism and autoimmunity. It affects our physical body, our emotions and our psychology.  

Everything that happens to us has the potential to be a stressor. But we have control over this in the form of choice. We can reduce stress’s harmful affects by changing our attitude, improving our daily self-care routines and being mindful to avoid unnecessary stress.

Those stress management skills we acquire and implement, we need to start teaching them to our kids so that they will have healthy coping strategies to help them survive the rollercoaster of life. This will allow them to deal with stress in healthy ways and positively manage the inevitable stress that will turn up in their lives.

Bren x

The Hubby Cleanse – Stages and Realisations

Sorry I didn’t recap the results of my first week of cleanse. I could feel in my bones how worried you all were, but frankly, I was far too busy strutting around with the pride I usually reserve for completing a rudimentary home handyman task.

This cleanse thing was easy! Brought it to its knees, I did.

It’s been just over 4 weeks now, which makes a mockery of my intention to provide weekly updates, and which is a little longer than the typical Break Through! program. But remember I’m using this cleanse to address some health issues, meaning not only will it take longer than 3 weeks .. or 4 (gulp), but that I reintroduce food groups as I go.

The results have exceeded my expectations by a considerable margin. Quite frankly, I feel terrific, and it’s noticeable to both myself and those around me. It’s almost like I’m seeing the world in colour for the first time in a while. I’ve even begun to notice these cute little creatures with wings that fly about, and colourful plants with pleasing aromas! The transformation has been quite amazing. I’ve almost literally gone from looking and feeling like this

… to this:

I’m sure you’d agree that’s pretty dramatic!

By committing to a more regular training routine at the same time, as well as getting more sleep, I’ve managed to shed a few kilograms into the bargain. This wasn’t my real objective at all, though I knew it would be a natural consequence. In the meantime, if you know anyone with a belt-hole puncher, send them my way, will you?

Although making adjustments to my diet turned out to be far easier than I thought (I can still pack it away), it hasn’t been without its fair share of help from my lovely wife Brenda. Without that assistance, which has mainly involved cooking and preparation (and gentle reminders to do it myself occasionally), this little cleanse update might have had a different and slightly ashamed tone.

And it’s not like the cravings haven’t ebbed and flowed along the way. I can readily identify a few distinct stages I’ve experienced so far, and I’m sure many people would agree.

Stage 1:

The first couple of days are always the hardest. For me, it’s usually the first couple of minutes before I wipe my brow and claim that I really, really tried. But the reason I think these early days are difficult is that you haven’t built up any ‘time capital’ at this point. Because you’ve only just begun, it’s very easy to just cave in and begin again. What’s the loss, right? A day or two?

I’m pretty sure as I stared into the eyes of the cream-filled biscuits in the work kitchen in those early days, dressed so fetchingly in their smooth, tight-fitting, sealed glass jar, that I could hear them singing “Hello, is it me you’re looking for…?” It took all my strength to keep myself from lunging at them, and it had only been a day! But the last time I did that I ended up with a wife and two kids, so I inserted my knuckle into my mouth and backed away.

Stage 2:

Once the initial two days were safely out of the way, it was fairly easy to relax into a routine of preparing and taking meals to work, nuts to chew on, and some fruit for snacks in between. The siren call of all manner of cookie and lolly jars became but a murmur, and I was beginning to wonder if it could really be this straight forward.

Stage 3:

Moving well into the second week was a bit more jarring, however. And it was unexpected, as well as difficult to navigate safely. The old routine wanted to come out to play, but working in my favour though was time capital I’d built up. I had reached a point where I just didn’t want to start again! Even for the $1 chocolate specials at Woollies.

Truly, there is an element of psychology in making change, and I’ve found that the further you journey into the task (usually), the easier it is to mentally cope with the change.

So what have I learned so far?

The importance of an objective

– If you have a target in mind (health, weight, whatever your fancy), it’s far, far easier to commit to a routine, then stick to it.

The importance of an objective – If you have a target in mind (health, weight, whatever your fancy), it’s far, far easier to commit to a routine, then stick to it.

How much I actually ate – constant grazing for no other reason than something to do (and I do love food!), and often on sugary snacks, is not a great relationship to have with food. I know … my body rebelled. No wonder I felt bloated – my stomach never got a rest!

Lack of side effects – Not only do I feel fitter and more vibrant, but no headaches! Not one, and not even close. Perhaps that’s fortunate given stories I’ve heard from those with heavy addictions to things like sugar and caffeine, but I’m not going to argue. I’ve had more than my share already.

Preparation – You really have to be organised to maintain a strict routine, otherwise it’s too easy to scrape by with snacks that undo all the good work. Just as bad is going without a meal because you haven’t prepared food. The best thing about a bit of preparation is that it generally takes the same time as preparing one meal, but can last you days.

Lack of alternatives – Where I work in the city is not well known for cuisine. That’s a kind way to put it. And the options are limited, mostly carb or grain-loaded, and not really ideal from a health perspective. It takes quite a lot of groundwork just to locate even a half-healthy shop, which never seems to be within an accessible distance as well.

Lack of cravings – OK, I did miss coffee, but the way I used to attack chocolate made me think abstinence would be torture. Surprisingly, it wasn’t at all.

The importance of sleep – I do actually know and appreciate this (I’m reminded constantly by you-know-who) … it’s just that I never got around to going to bed early. Making a concerted effort to do so has definitely helped my moods, energy levels and alertness.

When I think about it, it makes a lot of sense to make some more permanent changes to my diet once the cleanse and food reintroduction are completed. If it makes me feel this good, why wouldn’t I?

Adrian Janschek

And luckily I’m one of them!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the 10th annual ‘Happiness & Its Causes’ conference which saw the world’s brightest minds in psychology, science, education, business, religion and the arts come together to educate and inspire thousands of people at Sydney’s beautiful Luna Park. I also had the good fortune to hear the Dalai Lama speak those inspiring words above and so many more.

On reflection, His Holiness took me back to when I was 18yrs old and and had decided that my life’s course would see me striving for love, connection, compassion, empathy, purpose and happiness. Without doubt, this path has been circuitous, and continues to experience curve balls, but his words reignited my trust and belief in human nature and what we can collectively achieve. And just maybe that means happiness too!

Charlie Scudamore, principal at Geelong Grammar is another exemplary human who is fighting for happiness. He has introduced Positive Psychology to his school and is passionate about finding what he and other teachers can do to improve the lives of children.

Mr Scudamore says.

“We would like to make the world a more peaceful and kinder place,”

In our affluent nation, there are so many young people with eating disorders, depression, anxiety, stress.

However, there are many schools around the world who are beginning to embed positive psychology in their curriculum. “We teach it as a subject, alongside mathematics and history,” he says. Thinking back, I reckon I could have used one of his positivity classes after a double period of maths!

He believes, and I agree, that education has been hijacked by too much assessment. He states that while it’s good to have academic success, the ‘developed countries’ have lost their way by focusing too much on outcomes and less on positive well being. Mr Scudamore’s focus is on creating  positive communities through our schools, classrooms, families and organisations by focusing on wellbeing. Specifically, he believes these 5 things can help shape positive communities:

• Trust
• Compassion
• Integrity
• Forgiveness
• And above all else, HOPE

He believes that if our children leave school with a developed sense of co-operation, kindness, and doing good things for other people, the world just may end up being a better place.

Both speakers believe that modern education has a strong orientation towards materialism and that we  need to question whether this will result in positive human beings and bring happiness to people.

“A materialistic life is no guarantee for inner peace or inner happiness, yet inner peace is the ultimate source of a happy life”

And one of my biggest a-ha! moments occurred with the realisation that self-care and self-worth wasn’t some new-age indulgence at all. It makes a whole lot more sense to regard taking care of oneself as something we owe to ourselves, to society and our communities.

“Micro moments of connection are not just about our own health, but also about the other person we are connecting with…..Working on yourself is not hedonistic, rather self-improvement will ripple out affects to the next person and then the community”

So it seems the secret to happiness for us and our children doesn’t lie in the latest iPad or Netflix (as fun as they can undoubtedly be), but rather lies in being loving and compassionate human beings, connectedness, self improvement, service to society, mindfulness and love.

Bren x

I have always, or rather thought I had always been really healthy. In 2002, my body, after giving me signs which I chose to ignore, developed tumours in my spleen. That was a turning point in my life. Going through an experience like that is such a highly personal experience, I have never felt so alone, although I had the support of my family and friends, it was an extremely personal battle that I had to endure myself. The insight into my body, spirituality and life itself was incredible at this time. I nurtured my body to wellness, after having a splenectomy (my spleen removed) and have since lived an organically rich life – living and breathing all things healthy.

What are some of the things you value most in life?

Above everything else: family. Family and having great family relationships is the foundation for a happy, healthy life.

Friends: I am extremely blessed to have several groups of friends, most of who have known me for most of my life. I have three girlfriends who I have been friends with since I was eight years old. I have another group of friends who I have been friends with for half my life – every year we go away together for a girls weekend and it is such a joy to experience such incredible fun times together.

Health: our health is so important and having experienced a health crisis it is so important to value our bodies – most of us don’t and we take our body so much for granted and that is not in anyone’s best interest. We only have one life (in this body anyway), it is all about nurturing the body mind and spirit. We don’t have to grow old expecting to get frail and ill, the more we nurture and look after our body now, the more it will reward us in years to come – see healthy lifestyle practices on www.theresekerr.com – I share a lot of information on health and wellness from myself and an array of people as my goal is to educate. When we are educated we can make informed decisions as to our health.

Happiness, peace and joy: It is so important to me to feel content and happy and at peace in my life. I am releasing a book in the not too distant future as to how I have achieved this and I share incredibly personal experiences in the book in the hope that people who have experienced similar things get to understand that their past in no way defines them or what they are capable of. I have a peace that radiates through my being now and it is such a magical place to sit in.

Can you share with us the benefits you and your family experienced once embarking on a focussed, healthier, more holistic lifestyle?

Personally, I have never felt as fit and healthy in all my life. Energy radiates from my core and my cells feel as though they are alive and vibrant and as a result I am truly living an active, balanced life. My skin glows, my hair shines, my body feels strong and vibrant and that was not always the case. I had a live blood analysis not that long ago and most people’s blood is about 12-14 years older than their physical age, the practitioner told me that my blood “age” looked about 12 years younger than my physical age and I don’t have a spleen (your blood filtering organ so that in itself is testament to the benefits of living a healthy life.

Miranda is the epitome of health, she lives and breaths health and nutrition.

None of our family, including John’s parents, Peter and Anne are on medication. Peter is 82 and Anne is 77 – not a bad result to be medication free at that age – testament to living a good healthy life.

Is organic produce best, and why?

“Certified organic” is the only true organic product. There is a huge misrepresentation in the world over in the use of the word “organic”. A product only has to contain one carbon to be classed as organic yet can contain a thousand or more chemicals. Certified Organic is the consumers guarantee of quality of product, their guarantee that the products don’t contain the nasty chemicals so commonly found in foods, chemicals such as food additives, pesticides, insecticides, preservatives, colourings, msg, etc. On average women put around 200 chemicals a day on their skin. Chemicals like sulfates, parabens, TEA’s, DEA’s, glycols, formaldehyde, formaldehyde derivatives, ethoxylates, artificial colours, flavourings, etc etc and we wonder why we don’t feel alive and lit up by our presence here.

I believe most people in our society are not giving their bodies the adequate nutrition needed in the first place and then they place the additional load both in and on their bodies by eating nutrient depleted, chemical laden foods and by applying a concoction of synthetic substances to their skin.

We like to use the analogy of a bucket, There is only so much water a bucket can hold, right? When the bucket reaches 99.99% capacity it only takes a few drops of additional water to overflow the bucket and inevitably there will be a mess to clean up. Likewise, we believe at some point the body will not be able to handle additional chemicals, without some adverse reaction, illness or disease resulting.

How important is it have a healthy diet and lifestyle from a young age?

A healthy diet from an early age is vitally important. Avoiding sugar is a must for parents with children and for every person. Sugar will cause bone, fertility, obesity, pancreatic and all sorts of challenges so it is vitally important to eliminate refined sugars from the diet. As a family we don’t eat sweet things that often. We live by the 80/20 rule where we are mostly healthy and a little indulgent. The funny thing is, the more healthy you eat, the healthier you want to be and you don’t put bad, highly processed, highly refined, high sugar content foods into your system as you don’t crave them.

By starting early with living a healthy life, you are giving your body the best chance not to age and to remain healthy and disease free. The World Health Organisation (WHO) state on their website that one of the critical concerns faxing the world today, even in Western culture is malnutrition – malnutrition meaning the lack on nutrient-rich foods. We can eat all we want but there is a big difference between “diet” (what we put in our mouth) and “nutrition” (what nutrients our body absorbs from the food we put in our mouth). Education is the key and that is what I am all about and I surround myself with people who are wellness focussed and want to share the benefits of living a healthy existence and living that through to a ripe old age – it totally is possible..

What are the must have ingredients in your kitchen, and what types of food do you regard as poor choices that we should avoid, and why?

• Certified Organic Coconut Oil is by far one of the ingredients I must have. It has a high heat resistance and is the only oil I cook with.
• I use Olive and Macadamia Oil in my salads as well as coconut oil as they are some of the most nutrient-rich oils as well as Chia Oil from the Chia company
• Fresh healthy certified organic green leafy vegetables, eg Kate, Spinach, Silverbeet, lettuce, Bok Choy and all greens generally – they are a high alkaline food and are so beneficial to the body. I put all of these in my healthy shakes, see my recipes at www.theresekerr.com. Each day I include a heaped handful of raw kale and spinach, silver beet in my shakes – you could not ever get a child to eat that amount of raw green leafy vegetable so by adding this to a shake, they get super nutrient rich food in something they will love.
• Avocado – a super food and one I include in my shakes as well.
• Chia Oil and Chia Seeds, along with Acai, Maca, Mesquite, Cacao, Spirulina, Vital Greens, nuts and more nuts – these are superfoods and fill the body with incredible nutrients, support the digestive system and 60-70% of the immune system operates from the digestive system so I cannot overemphasize the importance of looking after your digestion
• I use Quinoa, Almond or Hazelnut Milk instead of dairy – low GI, (Quinoa is a high protein alternative), fantastic alternatives to dairy
• Fresh baby coconuts are the base for most of my shakes – I use the coconut water and the flesh and it is incredibly nutrient-rich. Coconuts are one of the understated superfoods – coconuts should be in everyone’s pantry
• Broccoli is a superfood – but only eat certified organic or farm fresh from the markets (as long as they don’t use pesticides and insecticides)
• Homemade Bioactive yoghurt – I make it myself from Progurt starter and it is so great for your tummy and digestive system
• Rejuvelac – I make my own fermented grain products including fermented rejuvelac (grain juice) and then use the grain to make fermented porridge – great way to kick start your day is by having high enzyme, sprouted porridge and rejuvelac – these become a broom for the intestines.

Can the foods we choose to eat impact on our moods, behaviour and energy levels?

Without question our diet or rather our nutritional intake or lack thereof impacts every part of our life. Having adequate nutrition in our body and not having chemicals in our foods, personal care and household products impacts every part of our lives, including moods, behaviour and energy levels. Our foods are filled with chemicals, additives, preservatives and we wonder why the incidence of ADD, ADHD etc has escalated. We are eating nutrient deficient foods and to add further insult we are adding toxins that our body then has to eliminate in some way. In our society today, I believe our liver spends so much time detoxing that it doesn’t get the opportunity to perform other vital roles, one of which is breaking down fat.

An example of how the food we consume impacts our mood, etc… The higher the sugar content is in the food we consume, the higher the energy peak will be but it is only short-lived. As our body craves more energy, we get agitated, can’t concentrate, we crave more sugar there begins the continual roller coaster ride because we then beat ourselves up because we had that extra lolly or cake. Anything containing high levels of sugar is what we call quick releasing energy food, but the challenge is if we have too much “sugar” or highly refined, highly processed foods, high carbohydrate foods, anything in excess of what our immediate needs are, our body converts that sugar to fat as opposed to burning it. It is estimated that in America, for example, people are consuming four times as much sugar-type foods than the pancreas can actually handle. Frightening statistic.

Filling our body with nutrients is essential for mind as well as body health. Our bodies need vitamins and minerals and essential oils to function effectively. Our body also needs adequate rest and downtime as well a high quality filtered water.

Your new book, Lunchbox Solutions, incorporates the ideals of healthy living you describe above, and the graphics are yummy on their own! Do you feel that families let themselves down nutritionally when it comes to lunchtime?

I feel that families do the best with what they have and what they know. One of our goals as authors or Lunchbox Solutions is to educate people, because it is only when we are educated about nutrition and/or the lack thereof in our foods, that we have the ability to make informed choices as to our health. We wrongly presume that what is in our foods is healthy and will provide us with everything our bodies need, that is certainly not the case. With a lot of the foods currently available on supermarket shelves, you might as well eat the packaging because the nutrient-content within is so depleted.

Buying quality fresh produce, produce that doesn’t contain all of the nasty chemicals is one of the best things you can do for your body and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Go to the local farmers markets (see www.theresekerr.com for local farmers markets around the world), as certified organic is usually reasonable at the markets and/or if you can’t buy CO product buy farm fresh produce.

Avoid sugar and any foods that rapidly convert to sugar, eg pastries, pasta, anything containing sugar and/or anything that is highly processed. Avoid trans fats (found in a lot of our foods), they are poisonous to the body. Use certified organic coconut oil as your cooking oil (certified organic) and avoid tinned or packaged products wherever possible. Also avoid low fat, low sugar. We, including our kids, need healthy, low GI, sustaining meals and Lunchbox Solutions provides those answers. See http://theresekerr.com/books/lunchbox-solutions/ to access some incredibly healthy, nutrient-rich, low GI, sustainable alternative lunches – great for all the family!

How easy is it really to prepare healthy lunches for ourselves and our children, and what are some preparation tools you find useful?

It is easier than you think. Like everything it is all about preparation.

Sometimes it seems a whole lot easier to just give into children and throw into their lunchboxes that vegemite or jam sandwich, packet of chips and a cupcake. There is no doubt that this type of approach to lunches is quick, simple and easy. But the question is: Is life simple and easy when we have tired, angry or unwell children? Isn’t it easier to get through the day when our children are vibrant, happy and healthy.

What we eat directly influences our health, our energy, our capacity to learn and our relationships. If we can see value in this then we will be able to find the extra time we need to create nourishing food.

The reality is that everyone is busy and yet we naturally prioritise whatever activity we value. If we value exercise, then we organise our day so that we have time to visit the gym or go for a run. Our choices are always influenced by the value we place on them. That said, there are plenty of ways to economise your time in the kitchen. Even though preplanning menus, sourcing and purchasing high quality food and preparing nutritious meals may take more time, we can assure you that once you get used to creating a few meals and snacks at the same time (best done on the weekend) and making larger quantities of a meal (so that you have pre-planned extras) you will find that making lunches in the working week becomes a breeze.

Here are a few tips:
• Think ahead and plan – If you know what is on the menu for the week ahead you will save countless trips to the shop as well as the stress of having to decide what to create for lunch and dinner each day.
• Cook pre-planned extras – Sometimes when you make your evening meals, double the recipe so that you have plenty of leftovers or what we call “pre-planned extras” – for lunch the next day.
• Keep your pantry well stocked with staples – these might include healthy grains, flours, pasta’s, rice, beans, cans of coconut milk, healthy tuna, salmon and sardines, and rice and nut milks so that you always have ingredients to make meals and nutritious treats when time allows
• Keep your kitchen well stocked with snacks – the simplest being fresh certified organic fruit and vege’s. You can also buy a selection of dried fruits, nuts (preferably activated nuts) and healthy crackers, all of which can be used as quick additions in lunchboxes.
• Consider lunches the night before – make sure that everything you need is ready. Sometimes nutrition gets left behind in the moring madness and we focus on simply getting “something” into the lunchbox, as opposed to getting “something healthy” in there.

How do you deal with picky eaters?

Children observe everything we do, they always have. If we truly want them to participate in life in a healthy manner, then we have to be an inspiring example of that. In order for our children to develop broad, healthy palataes they need to notice how we honour our body – there is enormous power in role modelling. When our children observe us eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, choosing to drink water or eating a nourishing breakfast every day, they will follow suit – Monkey see, monkey do.

Become the “Health Guru”. Because you can only teach what you know, the onus is on your to become knowledgeable. We say, elect a food captain, someone who is in charge of the household’s “food culture”. This person not only researches and sources healthy food but also monitors the family’s diet, ensuring adequate intake of fruit, vegetables and water, for example.

A powerful way of teaching is to invite your children to help you plan and cook meals. Explore healthy recipe books together and have them select what they would like to eat. While cooking or shopping you can teach them about wholesome ingredients and how to prepare food; these are wonderful life skills and their participation will encourage commitment to new lifestyle habits.

Talk your kids up – everyone loves praise especially our kids! Develop the habit of giving your children praise about how healthy, strong and vibrant they are, here are a couple of examples:

“You are a powerhouse, look at those muscles… It must be all the good food you eat.”
“You are one of the best eaters I know.”
“I love seeing you look after your body like that – you are amazing.”
“I am so proud of the choices you make.”
Be a stand for what’s possible for your children’s health. Take out sugar and highly processed foods, highly refined foods. Flynn, for goodness sakes is only two years old yet he loves olives, grapefruit, paw paw, eggplant and foods that you wouldn’t expect a two year old to eat. When we are a stand for our children’s health, they only know what we know and therefore accept what we accept as normal.

What’s next for Therese Kerr?

Breakfast Solutions will be released around April this year and I am so excited about that. I am also releasing three other books in addition to Breakfast Solutions this year so stay tuned for that. I have moved out of the GM role of KORA Organics to undertake more public speaking and to take on the event management role as I love more than anything sharing the benefits of living a healthy life with others. I have sat in an office for most of my life and my heart sings more when I am out with the people hence making this very exciting change.

I am also releasing my own certified organic household products – again another exciting venture and I am creating programs for health and wellness so this year is going to be an exciting time for myself and my family and I am so looking forward to what lies ahead for us all.

More than anything though I also intend to take more time for myself and my family, to spend quality time with Matty, Flynn, Miranda and Orlando and Johnny.

I will be giving more of my time to Kids Helpline as it is an incredible organisation that supports all children in Australia. A child phones Kids Helpline every 60 seconds in Australia, and on average, Kids Helpline receives between 12-14 youth suicided related calls every night. I am off to Peru in November for Kids Helpline, fulfilling my own personal dream of trekking Machu Picchu and in the process raising much needed funds for KHL – to put it bluntly, 40% of all kids aged between 5 and 25, who phone Kids Helpline can’t get through and we need to change that. If you would like to help me help the kids of Australia by donating to this non-government funded organisation you can do one of two things or even both if you feel inclined:

• Participate in the Peru trek with me
• Donate to my fund-raising initiative to help raise the money for KHL

To do the above please go to: http://kidshelplineperu.gofundraise.com.au/page/ThereseKerr and together we can make the difference to many lives.

Would you like to share one of your nutritional kids’ lunch box ideas plus its health benefits?

Roast two chickens at dinner time – one for the meal and one for leftovers. Use the drumsticks in the lunchbox (ensure you have the adequate insulated bag to keep the food in the lunchbox cool and safe). Add to the lunchbox ½ a sliced cucumber, some grapes and an apple. You may also like to make in advance a mini quiche or falafel balls with our dipping sauce and include. You could even add a healthy fruit spelt bun – all of this information can be found in Lunchbox Solutions.
In Lunchbox Solutions we provide so many healthy lunchbox options for you to make and you can make them on weekends and then freeze them – even frozen they are a much better option that the high GI, high fat, highly refined and processed food options currently filling the lunchboxes of today.

Most of all, enjoy the journey on taking your kids on a healthy adventure – the rewards will be enormous – you will have happy, healthy, children who are equipped to learn more efficiently and are less likely to get bored, hungry or even anxious at school.

Enjoy and let your little lights shine.

Love Therese xxx

My indulgences are (usually) guilt-free because in my day-to-day life I follow a 90/10 rule whereby I can honestly admit that about 90% of my diet provides my body and brain with optimal nutrients, enriching my health and brightening my outlook.

I imagine that most of us know that fast foods such as soft drinks, deep fried foods (take-away generally), potato chips, doughnuts, lollies, biscuits etc are not nutrient-rich. Right? These foods don’t belong in our regular routine. I would like to suggest that we aim to just ditch them.

Here are some of the reasons why:

• The calories in these items are super high, but the nutrition value is super low, which means they are lacking in important vitamins and minerals
• They contain high levels of bad saturated fats & trans fats
• Excess refined sugar is stored as fat, and is associated with obesity, premature ageing, addiction and more
• They often include excess amounts of processed salt which increases the risk of developing high blood pressure – a risk factor for heart disease, chronic kidney disease and stroke
• They contain preservatives & artificial colours which have been linked with conditions like ADHD, migraines, eczema, breathing difficulties, and even cancer
• And simply, each time we eat junk food, it’s a missed opportunity for our body to receive the nourishment it needs to function optimally

Instead, let’s enrich our lives by eating more from these healthful food groups (certified organic is preferable):

• Protein: grass fed meat, legumes & pulses, pastured eggs, wild fish, nuts & seeds (also good source of fat), quinoa (fantastic protein source for vegetarians)
• Vegetables: leafy greens (especially greens like kale, spinach, lettuce), sprouts and an array of colourful plants.
• Dairy: grass fed cheese/cream/yogurt & milk.
• Fruit: including berries and an assortment of fruits.
• Fats: healthy fats like grass fed butter, ghee, coconut oil and olive oil.
• Grains: whole oats, brown rice, ancient grains such as buckwheat, amaranth & quinoa (technically a seed, though treated like a grain)
• Herbs & spices: like cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano or turmeric these add flavour to dishes and also have lots of medicinal effects.

The overall benefits you and your family can expect from eating these incredibly enriching wholefoods include:

• an increase in energy, motivation and focus
• the ability to maintain your ideal weight with little effort
• a strong immune system, improved general health
• better sleeping patterns
• youthfulness & longevity
• and as a result, increased happiness

Sound tempting? Why not pick 2 or 3 of these nutritious foods and add them into your home-cooking repertoire this week?

Or if you are truly ready to create a healthier and happier life, touch base with me today.

Have a healthful day.

Bren x