3 WAYS TO HAVE A HEALTHIER SUMMER

Short and sweet. Easy. Totally do-able. Coz we wouldn't want it any other way. So here they are...

JOIN ME FOR MY >FREE< NEW YEAR NEW YOU TRANSFORMATION

If you hadn't already seen this on Instagram or Facebook, where've you been my dear?!? 

Let me fill you in.

Starting January 1st, for the entire month, I am sending out daily emails so you can kick start your year with the support of me, and I'll be with you every step of the way. Think of it as your month-long consultation with me, FREE of charge, and that you can implement at your own pace.

HEALTH NON-NEGOTIABLES OVER THE FESTIVE SEASON | DO YOU KNOW YOURS?

It's only a few weeks til Christmas already (where did the year go?) and already, I'm feeling the madness.

It was only last week that it culminated in chronic fatigue rearing it's ugly head again... My sister came to stay which was awesome, and B was away which is great for getting stuff done, but I do miss him obviously. I was eating out more with my big sis (not great for my tummy or my credit card), I had extra shifts at work, but these helped pay the incoming bills right... then I was bedridden all of Wednesday and so sick I couldn't keep water down, and had to lie horizontal all day resting. It hurt to read so literally nothing was done, although that's (obviously) exactly what I needed. 

SHARING THE LOVE || GORGEOUS XMAS GIFT IDEAS

This is a gift list directed at You / Your loved one / Anyone that wants to buy for moi! A selection of the coolest, funkiest, most gorgeous gifts I have seen floating around the online world, that need to be shared. And the majority of these have been made and created by some very talented Aussies, doing what they love to do best.

Without further adieu, Happy Shopping!!

THE LOWDOWN ON PROTEIN POWDERS

I constantly get asked my opinion and advice on protein powders. . . Should I be taking a protein powder? What's the difference between an isolate and a concentrate? What does sprouted mean? When should I be taking it? Will it make me bulk up? I'm a vegetarian, do I need to be taking protein powder? How often do I take it? 

Protein powders are very popular, and for good reasons...

A QUESTION OPENS POSSIBILITIES. A STATEMENT CONCLUDES THEM. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

I'm fat

I'm tired

I'm hopeless

I'm not good enough

Or whatever it is for you. These all conclude and concrete into both our conscious and subconscious mind, that they are in fact real. Truth. And that there's no budging from them. When we continue to say and think such statements, day by day they become more real and we end up living out these thoughts. Even if they are not real.

SHARING: LEONIE DAWSONS 2015 WORKBOOKS

If you know me personally, you'll also know that I'm a very share-y person when I find something I love! Whether it's a new cafe, a food product, a cleanse protocol, a free ebook or a scented candle! If I find something I love soooo much, everyone around me will know about it. And this is one of those share-y things.

Here's the scoop >>

NOURISH: THE BEST LIVER PATE RECIPE

I can hear some of you already - liver!! Organ meats!! Offal!! Gross!! And I totally hear ya. I used to be exactly the same! Remember my hardcore vegan days? Some of you were even around then. And they weren't all that long ago. I suppose we learn what we are to learn in any given circumstance, and I know that a raw vegan diet did not help my chronic fatigue. Organ meats though (and bone broth perhaps more so) most definitely did.

And I'm going to see if I can sway a few of you to the liver eating clan...

5 TIPS FOR AN EASY CLEANSE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (CAKE)

For us in the southern hemisphere, we're gearing up for another out-of-this-world-amazingly-hot Summer. Am I right? Isn't Summer what we live for down under? I know I do (hence why I moved to the tropics... all year round baby!) 

I want to give you a regimen that will gently cleanse your system to have you feeling and looking your best come Christmas Day. I know it's still a little while off but these changes don't happen over night.
Why go on a full on detox only after all the cake and eggnog when you can prepare your body beforehand, to easily work with the extra goodies we like to indulge in over the silly season? No brainer.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS IS HERE!!

For years I've had friends and family ask me to do an ebook. It almost didn't matter what the topic would be, they just believed in me and what I wanted to share with the world. 

Fast forward almost 5 years and here it is. My very first ebook!! Filled with recipes from both myself, and some of the best Nutritionists I have seen online and in the flesh. This way you get more recipes, more education, more variety, from more sources, making it better than I could have on my own.

SHOULD WE EAT MEAT? AN SBS SPECIAL

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When SBS do a short doco that happens to be anything food or nutrition related, word gets out very quickly amongst health and nutrition circles, and following on is plenty of banter, discussion, and opinions on whatever the topic was. A recent program however seemed to get missed this time, and even I watched it after it appeared on television. It aired last week and was titled "Should I Eat Meat?" which had both vegos and non-vegos alike interested to hear the outcome.

If you haven't seen it I highly recommend having a look - especially as it only airs online until November 17th (ie. next Monday). ---> Click here to watch it now

WOMENS WELLNESS CONFERENCE PART 7: DAVID WOLFE !!

Where do I start on this guy? So David Wolfe is perhaps the single most driving factor to having gotten most people to the Womens Wellness Conference. I think. He is the guy who hosts and runs it, but there are so many other speakers there that perhaps a few weren't so fussed to hear David Scrap that! Anyone who has ever seen David Wolfe speak live knows how freakin incredibly amazing he is; how his passion, enthusiasm and energy for what he talks about oozes outta him and you can't help but want what he's having! The generosity, kindness and genuine support he wishes you when you speak to him is not common these days, and you can easily see how special this man is.

Ontop of that, he is a bloody genius. Einsten. Close too. I'm not kidding. I've met and seen him before, had too much cacao and danced the evening away with him also, and will continue to do so as long as I live. 

This weekend he was focusing on COLOUR, and specifically the colour BLUE, due to his latest research for his next book. It was fascinating, rewarding, exciting, and beyond educational to say the least. So I've kinda chunked it down as best I can and have all my notes below for you my lovelies.

WOMENS WELLNESS CONFERENCE PART 6: DONNA GATES + Eating For Your Genes

I Love Donna Gates. The impact she has had on the health and wellness industry due to her education on gut health, micro biome, bacteria and so forth, is nothing short of amazing, and naturally when I saw her name on the list of speakers at the Womens Wellness Conference I was jumping up and down.

This year Donna's talk was titled The Gene Smart Diet: How Food Talks To Your Genes, and as much as parts of it were fascinating and had me scribbling notes on my notepad, there was also a fair chunk of it that kinda went straight over my head - or perhaps I was more focused on the raw chocolates in my handbag than trying to understand certain gene codes. Either way, here's what I took away:

WOMENS WELLNESS CONFERENCE PART 5: Nadine Artemis and our Lady Garden

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Essentially important information for all females here, I've put it in dot-points so it can be scanned over quite quickly if you don't have a lot of time up your sleeve.

Nadine Artemis is the creator of Living Libations, an exquisite line of serums, elixirs and essentials oils for those seeking the purest of the pure botanical health and beauty products on the planet.

WOMENS WELLNESS CONFERENCE PART 4: ROY DITTMAN + Female Reproductive Health

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Two BIG things in this post (well, there's more actually) - 

1. If you're wanting to fall pregnant (ever), this is for you
2. If you already have a child and they fall in the Autism Spetrum scale, this is also for you

WOMENS WELLNESS CONFERENCE PART 3: Bruce Lipton + The Honeymoon Effect and Marianne Williamson + The Divine Feminine

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I've lumped these two incredible speakers together - not because either of them had nothing great to say, as it was quite the opposite. I was so enthralled in what both Bruce and Marianne had to say, and the energy that oozed out of them up on stage, that I took barely any notes at all. Here is what I did take down:

WOMENS WELLNESS CONFERENCE PART 2: Sara Gottfried and 7 Steps to a Clearer Body + Focused Mind

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Sara Gottfried is a Harvard-trained MD with 20+ years of experience, and author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Hormone Cure, which I have been seeing doing the rounds on social media, bookshelves of girlfriends, and tossed around in conversation recently. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at the Womens Wellness Conference and here are her 7 Steps to a Clearer Body and Focused Mind.

WOMENS WELLNESS CONFERENCE PART 1: Lissa Rankin and Mind Over Medicine

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Q. What does my body need to heal?

Q. What might my body be saying no too?

I am a huuuuge fan of Lissa Rankin! HUGE! So as soon as I knew she would be at the Womens Wellness Conference I was like BAM! I'm going! And it just so happened that we would be in California when this 3 day event was to be held in Costa Mesa. So I booked the tickets and now I'm here to give you everything I learnt in a 7 Part Series.

CALIFORNIA: WE CAME, WE SAW, WE LOVED YOU

I mentioned last week that the main reason I was in California in the first place was because I had booked the Tone It Up Retreat, but B and I had wanted to get over there for years and we always put it off.So once I booked my spot, then we had to go right? And as expected, it was freakin' amazing! So here's what we did, where we went, my fav foodie spots, and a good dose of piccies to help tell the story. Enjoy!

RECAP: THE TONE IT UP RETREAT, CALIFORNIA 2014

This was the reason I was in California. The reason I booked flights over. The reason I got to holiday (sorry - vacation) in the sunny state for a month with my man.

For The Tone It Up Retreat!!

Anyone that knows me, knows I'm slightly obsessed with these girls; Karena and Katrina.

F L O W I N G IN CALIFORNIA

 

I'm sure I've spoken it about this topic previously but it seems no more fitting than right now to bring it up again. And that is F L O W. And going in the same direction as it. Coz when you're on holidays it's either super easy to go with the flow, or you make life a living hell if you resist it. Yet when we are at home, why is it that it's harder to see that resistance to change it?

NOURISH: A WINNING CHICKEN RECIPE

HELLO FROM VENICE BEACH BABY!

We're having a ball and as much as I would love to tell you all about it right now, I'm not going too! If you're on my newsletter list you already know bits and pieces, and if not, sign up in te box tothe right.

For now I want to sahre a super quick recipe I created last week coz it was just so darn amazing!

We got organic chicken from Wholefoods and with a few other bits and peices in the fridge, I whipped this up whilst we had a movie on in our apartment. You're gonna love it!

FLIGHT ESSENTIALS TO LOS ANGELES

When you read this I'll be on my way to the airport, getting ready to fly outta Sydney over to Los Angeles. I'm so excited as it's sort of been a recent decision - I booked a 3 day retreat only a few months ago and booked our flights a couple of weeks ago. And here we are. Today's the day.

Having not done a long international flight to this length for over 6years, I've got myself prepared as I still get very anxious when flying. I have noticed that the more I fly the worse it has gotten, and I now know that through doing a lot of personal work the past year, my awareness has expanded and as a result, I am also becoming more and more afraid when flying. I thought it was meant to get easier, and it was only last week it hit me. If I'm becoming more aware, then I'm picking up on more people's stuff, and on an aeroplane, well there's a lot going on in people's heads.

NOURISH: A NUTRIENT PACKED LONG HAUL FLYING BLISS BALL RECIPE

This is a recipe I created last night in the kitchen as I wanted to pack as much nutrition as I could into bliss balls to take to Sydney for our flight to L.A. Now whether they will last til then is another thing. Regardless, I'm pretty happy with these crunchy lil balls.

HAS THIS BEEN LURKING AROUND YOU THESE PAST FEW WEEKS?

It seems to be all around me at the moment. These past few weeks. I even spoke about it in my newsletter last Friday. Friends, colleagues, even people I've never met are feeling it. And as a result, I was too. Until I decided to change my thinking coz it sure as hell wasn't working for me to keep going the way I was.

5 QUICK POST WORKOUT SNACKS

Depending on the time of day and the type of exercise you are doing, it's quite likely you're going to want a little summin-summin after your workout. If you've just done a 2hr vinyasa yoga sesh you're probably starving. Same goes with a long run, a quick HIIT workout, even a Body Pump class. All these sorts of activities burn energy, use up fuel stores, tear your muscles to promote muscle repair and growth, and have you sweating and thus losing hydration. So, a good slosh of filtered water along with a protein-rich, muscle-repairing, re-fuelling snack is just what your body needs. But what should you be eating?

HOW TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER AN ADRENAL LAPSE

It can happen to any of us. We're cruising along just fine - feeling good, moving our body regularly, eating good foods, getting some sunshine, enjoying our job and whatever else is a constant in our life. But then something hits us and kinda knocks us about a bit. You have visitors for the week, you're planning a trip somewhere and loads has to be done before you jet off, a new baby arrives, more visitors come to stay...

Whether you've got your feet planted firmly on Mother Earth or not, these types of things can often throw us outta whack for a bit, and then we seem to be good to go again. Such is life is it not? But what if it's adrenal fatigue, adrenal exhaustion, or chronic fatigue you've had; can you just as easily pick yourself back up?

8 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT PMS

Yes. You read that right. Contrary to popular belief, there would be a small number of women out there if you were to go and seek them, who actually give thanks to their PMS. And today, I am one of them.

Call it a Gratitude List if you will, because we all know those lists make us feel better on even the shittiest of days. I wrote a post a while back on why you should do nothing on Day 1 of your cycle (still a fav post of mine) and with good reason. PMS is just a lead up to that day and so with it, I've learnt to enjoy the process, educate myself around why I have had pain on and off over the years and how to treat that, and believe me, when you have no pain during your cycle, it can actually be a beautiful time of your month.

7 REASONS YOUR WEIGHT LOSS PLAN ISNT WORKING

 They may not be as straight forward as you think...

FROM SUNRISE TO SUNSET - A PICTORIAL POST OF MY DAY

What's an average day for me? Most of my days are pretty much the same... except for the one or two each week I'm working at the health food store. Then it's kinda a get up, train with my bestie, eat brekkie out, chat over great food and awesome coffee til we moan about having to leave the sunshine, get changed, and drive to work. But even once there, we have a ball. After all, who wouldn't wanna work with their best friend?

So, as all good stories, let's start at the very beginning...

STRUGGLE WITH EATING HEALTHY FOODS? HERE'S HOW TO EAT BETTER IN 3 EASY STEPS

I could easily write out 50 things you could do to eat better but that probably isn't actually going to get you eating better now is it? Hello overwhelm. So I've chunked it down big time. To three. Coz three is easy. Do-able. And once achieved, proud moments of song and dance can commence. So here you go --

11 THINGS YOU (PROBS) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME

BLOGGER LOVE LIST

I'm feeling the online blogger love at the minute and so thought I'd let you all in on a few of my fav's as they might be right up your alley also. To be honest I follow very few blogs these days, but will trawl around to read random articles here and there. There are a very small handful that I am on every week without fail and those are the ones you see below.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A MORNING ROUTINE

Do you find you get to the end of your day, and amongst tending to your partner, family, friends, emails, the boss, colleagues, perhaps children, the dirty dishes, that never-ending to-do list, the missed calls from your mum, and the fact that you still haven't been to the gym... You feel like you never get a split second to yourself?

Enter the brilliance of a Morning Routine.

YOUR FREEBIE INITIAL CONSULT IN 5 EASY STEPS

It seems the more clients I meet the more I am seeing that most people are walking away with the same advice from me during their initial consult. No matter where their diet may be at, how much water they are drinking, sleep they're getting, and so on... the same grass roots stuff applies and it also seems to be the basic stuff we neglect, forget about, or skim the surface of... whether due to a lack of education around it, or simply missing it trying to attain health further a field - with a myriad of supplements, chronic dieting, another wonder pill, or excessive exercise.

So I'm here to share with you what I am seeing more and more in all my initial consultations. Look at this as a freebie consult if you will. And really have a look at your own life to see if you are applying these. Coz like I said, they can be easy to forget.

A NEW KIND OF EATING DISORDER

There's a new type of eating disorder going around, and just like the sniffles your bestie gave you, this too could be passed on if you're hanging in the wrong crowd. The ironic thing is that this eating disorder, is one where you're obsessed with healthy foods...

NO CALORIE COUNTING. NO ROUGH CARDIO... MOVE YOUR BODY WITH LOVE

When you think of weight loss what type of exercise springs to mind? Put your hand up if cardio was the first thing that popped into your head. Unfortunately it isn’t always the case and I want to delve a bit deeper into why and what may work better for you.

COMAPRISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY

Ever noticed that when you're comparing yourself to another human being - be it their career, their gorgeous long hair, their golden tan, the fact that they are on holiday more than you, can stick to a sugar free diet more than you, has a better body than you, more energy than you, or a relationship longer than yours... You never end up feeling better about yourself?

It's a simple fact of life and one we all understand - comparing ourself to another is not a joyful act, yet we still do it.

But what about comparison of ourself, to our own self?

5 QUICK TIPS FOR OVERWHELM

This past weekend we had a close friend come to stay with us. He also brought along his 'light machine' which is what his business is based around. Without going into any great depths of it as I'm still not really sure how to explain the magnificence of what it is, after a Friday night workshop he ran in town, there was an abundance of people wanting to see him for private sessions. And so has been the last 3 days for me, in my home, people coming in and out, in and out, having cups of tea and bantering away with new found friends, on our kitchen deck and around the house. It's been beautiful to see, feel, and be a part of, but it has also been mind blowing for me, left me feeling a little scattered, and when I have up to a dozen people in my house all day long til 9pm at night some evenings, I have found myself a little overwhelmed, frustrated and in need of a Christie-Bubble.

A LITTLE BIT OF BOOK LOVE RIGHT NOW

I've got to be the worlds slowest reader so when I can actually offer you more than one book that I'm into... it means I've been reading more than usual, or I haven't written a post like this in months. And I gotta say it's been a bit of both!

NEW PROTEIN BALLS ON THE MARKET ---> WITH MORE CRAP THAN A SEWER. HERE ARE 2 FAR BETTER RECIPES

Recently, I was rather excited to check out a new range of products on the market from one of Australia's leading supplement companies, as they had teamed up with one of Australia's leading health and fitness personalities. When I found out where I could get my hands on these products, I excitedly popped on over on my lunch break with my sister to have a look, and was eager to try the protein balls I had seen on social media (post lunch sweet treat right?)

Such. A. Dis. A. Pointment.

WHEN YOU'RE VEGAN AND THEY'RE A HARD CORE CARNIVORE

I used to say that as a vegan, I would only date vegans. It just so happened that B was also vegan when I met him so that made it easy for me then. However he began eating meat once again earlier than I did. Did our relationship fall apart? Not at all. Perhaps we both inheritantly knew I was not that far behind him, and was making bone broth in no time.

But I do know that some people have strong opinions on this, and regardless, some are in a relationship where the eating habits of one are as far as they can be from the other. Or if not a relationship, either a close friend or family member eats differently to you. So what can you do?

NOURISH: BLUEBERRY + BANANA PROTEIN PANCAKES

If you're like me and luuuurrrve pancakes but never make them as you don't have enough time to wait over the fry pan ensuring they don't burn for half an hour, that they don't stick, making sure they will flip, and so on... this recipe is for you.

BEST BREKKIE IDEAS FOR EVERYONE

 

We so often hear that it's the most important meal of the day. That we ideally want to eat the biggest meal at this time (and little at the end of the day). To load up on protein and carbs and good quality fats to ensure our energy levels are high, our blood sugar balanced, and our belly's full.

What happens though if you're someone that doesn't really have an appetite at brekkie? Or work odd hours that mean the times you are eating are also a little off?

REVIEW: SPROUT WHOLEFOOD CAFE + GROCER

I love a good cafe. So much so that I'll find a way to fly interstate to suss one out. It was 2 months ago I first came across this place as a friend had mentioned it, and so we lunched there. I was blown away! Fast forward another month, I was there again. Brekkie one day, lunch another, a smoothie post training on a third, and then to pick the brain of the guy behind it all (and eat some more). The place I'm talking about, is Sprout Cafe and Grocer on Sydney's lower north shore.

ARE YOU ASKING FOR YOU?

Are you good at asking for what you need?

I had this lesson this morning. I saw a client yesterday, and even though he is a friend of mine, he was adament in paying my full client fee for my service. Awesome. Lesson #1 as when he asked for a session my head immediately went to "ok so I'll give him a discount" - not feeling confident enough in what I do.

HOW TO TRAVEL + COME HOME WITH A BETTER GUT

Travel -- something we all love. To get away, see new places, wander new streets, and if you're like me, eat at every place you've previously googled, reviewed, read about, or been suggested to go visit.

On my recent trip to Sydney, we ate out more than not, moving around with weddings, classes, meetings and more, and as much as I love a cafe brekkie, having them everyday, plus lunches, and most dinners at restaurants around town can get a little monotinous. And ontop of that, if they are not nutritious meals, it can be very easy to feel sluggish, bloated, fuller than normal and a little less than your usual amazing self, quite quickly.

So how can we make sure that when we're traveling we eat just as well (if not better) than we do when we're at home? And then return from our trip feeling better than before?

ARE YOU CRAZY ENOUGH TO TALK TO YOUR BODY?

Last week I told you all about my #28daygutcleanse but I didn't mention one awareness I had in the last week of it....

WHAT A #28DAYGUTCLEANSE CAN DO TO YOU

If you've been following me on Instagram you would have known that I was doing a #28daygutcleanse for the past month. The reason I wanted to embark on such a thing was because the way we are taught at college to heal a leaky gut, can be quite a lengthy process, and I wondered if clients would really see and feel tangible results soon enough to want to continue with these sometimes restricted (and long) eating plans. It was upon reading about another process, essentially the same, but done in 28 days, I had to try it for myself - that and still feeling gut symptoms myself, I wanted to clear this all up.

WANNA LOSE THOSE LAST FEW KG'S? 7 SECRETS I SHARE WITH CLIENTS

First up, I'll stick my hand up for a greater appreciation of our individual bodies, and as a collective. There are far too many trashy mags these days with "she's too fat" and "she's too skinny" on the covers, misleading females everywhere as to what's even healthy these days.

Having said that, even when we do have a gorgeous acceptance and love of our body, there are times when we may have let our healthy eating habits slide, work and study has taken over our lives, illness has been present, or something else that may have led a few kg's to creep on up, and for whatever reason now, you might be struggling to knock em back off.