Wellbeing

Get some tips this Dry July!

Managing Sugar Cravings

By Peter Rule on

We all seek the taste of sweet foods naturally in our diet, however it can be easy to crave excess high sugar foods for many varied reasons.

We have 5 basic recognised tastes – sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savoury) however we can become imbalanced in our food choices due to stress, low energy, eating on the run, looking for psychological reward or treat or nutritional deficiencies, just to name a few.

Refined sugar is addictive due to the release of dopamine from the brain. Dopamine is one of the principal neurotransmitters involved in creating substance dependence on things like alcohol. The excess dopamine that is produced gives rise to powerful feelings of pleasure; however these excess levels also take a long-term toll on...

Read more…

It takes 21 days to create a habit.........But Only 1 to set the challenge

By Dan Churchill on

Monday Motivation

We all have our own gifts and talents… some of us can sing like serious weapons… have a wealth of knowledge on beauty and wellness… others can win an NBA championship after being down 3-1 in the play offs (lets not kid ourselves in saying Lebron James is not human).

There is definitely natural talent within us all, something that we have that just fits, comes with ease… i feel my ability to create my own vocabulary of words such as “goodness, awesomeness & babin” is super simple to me.

When it comes to a task or challenge, eg. setting a 5 minute km pace for a half marathon, losing 10kg/ pounds, watching all the seasons of Game of Thrones back to back ;)… its not something we generally achieve within a day, but also...

Read more…

12 Weight Loss Rules To Cheat On

By Sam Bailey on

Health and fitness might be having a moment – but really, weight loss just got a hell of a lot harder.

With so many conflicting messages now (hello fitness bloggers, diet cookbooks, e-books, apps and wellness coaches), it’s a jungle out there.

Do we cut carbs? Do we focus on abs? Do we join a gym or do it at home? Do we eat superfoods? Do we eat fat? Do we cut back on calories? Do we drop diets all together? See? It’s exhausting.

In Australia 63.4 per cent of the population is now classified overweight, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics – and it’s no wonder we’re stuck, there are too many ‘rules.’

But hey, rules are meant to be broken. Read on for the most common weight loss myths and why you should cheat on them.

1....

Read more…

I think I can

By Cassandra Dunn on

by Cassandra Dunn, Clinical Psychologist for 28bysamwood.com 

Motivation mantras and myths

You’ve set a goal and you’re fired up to achieve it. For the first few days of any challenge, motivation and mood levels are high and you’re confident you’re going to smash your goals. But if you think you can rely on your motivation to get you through a challenge, think again.

The truth about motivation is that it won’t always show up when you need it, so absolutely do not rely on it.

Any psychologist will tell you that along the path to making permanent change you will strike periods of ambivalence. This is completely normal. Your challenge is to just keep going even if it feels like your head is not entirely in it. Your mantra needs to be “...

Read more…

SodaStream Fruits Strawberry with Basil and Lemon Infused Sparkling Water

By SodaStream on

Skill level: Easy


1 litre SodaStream Fruits Strawberry

6 fresh basil leaves

1 cup fresh strawberries

1 lemon

Ice


Prepare the sparkling water: Fizz 1L of cold fresh water with SodaStream Sparkling Water Maker.

Add flavour with SodaStream Fruits Strawberry mix.

Slice the lemons and strawberries

Add the ice, strawberries, and lemon slices to the pitcher, followed by the basil leaves.

Pour the SodaStream Fruts Strawberry Sparkling Water over the mixture.

Stir, serve and enjoy!

Read more…

Coconut Rough Bliss Balls

By Healthy Coconut on

2 cups Coconut Magic desiccated coconut

2 cups of walnuts

Pinch pink salt

8 Medjool dates, seeds removed

cup cacao powder

2 tbs Coconut Magic coconut oil, melted

2 tbs cacao butter, melted

Pinch vanilla essence

2 tsp Coconut Magic coconut sugar

Blend 1 cups of Coconut Magic desiccated coconut, walnuts and salt in the food processor until finely ground.

Add the dates and process until the mixture becomes sticky.

Add all other ingredients (except the remainder of the desiccated coconut) and process until well combined. Roll into balls of bliss!

Coat the balls with the remainder of the desiccated coconut. Refrigerate for one hour and serve.

Makes 8 – 10 balls + prep: 20 min. setting: 1 hr.


Find more recipes in The Healthy Coconut.

Read more…

Who Needs A Healthy Liver?

By Dr Cris Beer on

For the first few years that I worked as a general practitioner I had understimated the liver's significant role in the general wellbeing of my patients. I had learnt that the liver was important from a physiological point of view and that it helped keep us alive, but I hadn't fully considered how it keeps us feeling well on a day-to-day basis.

I had been taught how to detect liver-function abnormalities in blood testing and how to feel for an enlarged or tender liver - all signs of obvious and severe liver damage. But as for understanding liver damage well before any obvious clinical signs begin to show, I was completely in the dark. I had seen severe liver damage from chronic alcoholism and from liver disease such as hepatitis, but the...

Read more…

Why Am I Not Losing Weight

By Claudia Beyer on

You work out five or more times a week, eat a healthy diet, but no matter how hard you try, you just can’t shift any weight? Claudia Beyer, personal trainer from BareVitality and Author of “Your Holistic Metabolism“, says that diet and exercise are just the beginning. 

Many female clients come to me feeling like they’re at a dead end. They are exhausted from their efforts and don’t know what to do.

So why isn’t it working? First of all, you need to understand that your body is a holistic system. If one area of your health or lifestyle is out of balance, it affects all the other systems. For example, If your hormones are playing up, this can affect your metabolism and your ability to lose or maintain your “ideal”...

Read more…

Surviving Dry July

By Cassandra Dunn on

It’s that time of year again, when thousands of Australians pledge to give up alcohol for 31 days and raise funds to support people living with cancer. There’s no question that it’s a great cause and for many of us, a major challenge.

If you’re thinking of signing up, but find the thought of a month without alcohol a little daunting, you wouldn’t be alone. It’s important to be realistic in your expectations and accept that there will be difficult moments, because if you assume your early burst of motivation will keep you going for the month, you could be taken off guard at that inevitable moment when an alcohol craving hits you.

Here are a few strategies that should help you sail through an alcohol-free month…

Know your WHY

Sticking to...

Read more…