Looking after number one

*MATERNAL MONDAY*

Exercise and pregnancy

I thought this picture was most appropriate for this post.

I used to have this idea in my head that when I was pregnant I would work out all the time and look like this awesome Lorna Jane model… Ha!

WHAT EXERCISE I’M LOVING:

-I am beyond obsessed with swimming laps at the pool. It’s meditative, I’m weightless, it’s refreshing and so enjoyable that I don’t even realise I’m exercising.
-Each trimester I’ve met up with my lovely exercise physiologist Anna Miley who designs me a personalised program. For my third trimester I’m working on a great stabilising program, mostly using my fit ball and certain yoga postures. Oh and of course pelvic floor!
-My husband is also an exercise physiologist, so I sneak into his aqua aerobics classes with all the grandma’s at least once a week. They have knitted me so much baby gear it’s crazy!
I disregard the whole “This is how much weight you should gain in pregnancy…” conversation and just eat healthily and exercise regularly. I guess the most vital thing I’ve learnt during pregnancy is to LISTEN TO MY BODY and my energy levels.

What sort of exercise were you drawn to in pregnancy? What did you learn about your body?

Emma the Naturopath xx

32 weeks (the size of a wombok cabbage)

LOOKING AFTER NUMBER ONE

At Georgie Cooke’s ‘Resilience and Happiness’ workshop last week, she discussed the importance of self-care when building strength against life’s stressors.

Why is it that self-care is the first thing to go out the window when we’re under the pump, although that’s when we need it most? When we are feeling overwhelmed by life it’s so convenient to not take your lunch to work and grab sushi, have lazy dinners or spend late nights “zoning out” in front of technology.

For our nervous system to thrive we must NOURISH our bodies with fresh food and good quality sleep and NURTURE our souls by convalescing.

I’m putting in long hours at work at the moment and trying to tie up loose ends with the business before I finish up at the end of the year. Oh and did I mention I’m 32 weeks pregnant?! I’ve really up-ed the self-care rituals and instead of crashing and burning, I’ve maintained my momentum.

I currently have an evening ritual of:

-turning the TV off by 7pm
-having a simple but healthy dinner
-soaking in an Epsom salt bath with lavender
-reading in bed by 8:30pm with just my lamp and candles
-meditating for half an hour before I go to sleep

Georgie spoke about an interview in which His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke about how he meditates daily, unless he has a particularly packed schedule, then he’ll meditate twice. I think that says it all.

Don’t forget to look after number one.

125. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. Walking into Pushkar and being licked to death by Molly the pup dressed in a Christmas elf costume.
2. Finding a stash of colouring books, stickers and pencils while I was cleaning out my clinic drawers and keeping them aside to give to someone. The next customer who walked into the shop was heading over to the Philippines following week on an orphanage mission and was over the moon with the supplies!
3. Flipping channels and coming across an episode of Sesame Street. I watched it for a few minutes to see what I’m in for in the future and they were talking about YOGA! The kids and this fluffy monster were talking about focus, practise, affirmations and meditation! I swear 25 years ago it was just Cookie Monster scoffing chocolate chip biscuits…
4. Driving to work on Friday morning and hearing Peaches by Presidents of the USA on the radio.
5. Eating hot brown rice nasi goreng for brekkie on a rainy Sunday morning as I type my Top 5.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I glanced at my To Do list this week and it looked a little like this:
-thank_____ for the baby toys
-thank _____ for the artwork
-thank _____ for the baby singlet
-thank _____ for the flowers
-thank _____ for the card
-thank _____ for the ring
The list went on and on about all the kind people who have blessed me with little trinkets and cards over the past week. What a beautiful thing to realise that my only jobs were to offer people gratitude.

“If you want to find happiness, find gratitude”

-Steve Maraboli

*MATERNAL MONDAY*

GETTING THE GEAR

There’s less than 7 weeks till Baby Caller will be arriving so my husband and I decided to get things organised!

Some friends of ours so kindly leant us all of their baby gear: pram, capsule, cot, change tale, bath, Bumbo seat, a vibrating and a swinging bouncy chair, play mat, wraps, high chair, etc. We’d heard of so many people that had rushed out and bought EVERYTHING from overpriced baby shops and then found that they hardly used most things as the baby grew so fast or they just didn’t get used.

I grabbed a bunch of stuff from work last week like natural dummies, organic nursing pads, herbal nursing tea, lavender oil and almond oil. Then I ordered a carton of organic baby wipes and a 15L drum of natural laundry liquid last week –trying to be proactive.

What did you do when it came to organising all the baby paraphernalia? Did you buy new, borrow from friends or buy off Gum Tree?

What were your ESSENTIALS? What things could you have gone without?

Emma the Naturopath xx

*pictured*

33 weeks –size of a honeydew melon

126. Top Five Things I LOVED This Week:

1. Ferrero Rochers. I nominate the creator for a Nobel Peace Prize.
2. Decorating our REAL Christmas tree.
3. Beach towels with fringes.
4. The guy who fixed my air-con at work after two 30 degree days in a row.
5. A Christmas present to myself: Belle Gibson’s The Whole Pantry cookbook.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I’ve been pausing a lot lately and asking myself “How can I simplify this?” It helps to weed out the superfluous tasks and highlights what is really important. I feel that this takes pressure off of myself (and who needs extra pressure this time of year anyways?) and grants me more breathing space. It’s a way of putting SELF-CARE into action.

Examples:

-Instead of receiving new 20 emails each day, I’ve been unsubscribing rather than just pressing the delete button til I see them again next month.

-Rather than rushing about after work gathering ingredients and preparing something elaborate for Christmas parties, I’ve been doing the trusty old dip and veggie sticks. Last week I even made a packet brownie mix.

-Asking my mum to help me run the shop so I can do laps and have a sleep. It made me feel human again.

-Accepting offers to go around to my parents’ house for dinner when the last thing I feel like doing is cooking.

How can you simplify your life to allow it to flow smoother?

*MATERNAL MONDAYS*

Not giving a f*&k

Sorry about the ‘f’ word folks, but I’ve got a point to make…

On Friday I had my last appointment with my naturopath before I give birth. She made me up a herb mix and a flower essence and we talked about diet during breastfeeding, what to take to the hospital and bumps in the road like mastitis and colic.

Then she looked me straight in the eye and said “Now Emma, this is the most important thing of all. Everyone is going to give you advice and tell you what you SHOULD be doing. You have to smile, say thankyou and then do whatever the f*&k you want. You know your baby better than anyone and all you have to do is listen to your intuition”.

I’ve encountered a few comments that I’ve brushed off along the lines of:

“Oh but you’ll use cloth nappies eventually though?”

“So you’ll be opting for a home birth I assume?”

“But you’ll have the basinet in your own room for the first couple of months right?”

“You’ll get the whooping cough vaccination of course?”

“You’re going to feed on demand aren’t you?”

“You’ll be having at least 12 months off work won’t you?”

My response: “We’ll just see what happens” with a smile.

I have a selected few women I trust for guidance as well as a couple of friends who I bounce ideas off, plus I just read the books that align with my beliefs. But apart from that, my husband and I look forward to figuring it out along the way!

Did you experience similar situations? What did you do in response?

Emma the Naturopath xx

34 weeks –size of a pineapple

I'm a massive fan of Gwenyth Paltrow's cookbook It's All Good. I just whipped up a batch of her Candy Bars (page 254 for all of you playing along at home).

CANDY BARS

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups raw cashews
1 ½ cups dates, pitted and roughly chopped
½ cup almond butter
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup shredded coconut (I used desiccated coconut)
½ tsp almond extract (I used vanilla extract)
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips (60% or higher cocoa content)
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil (I used organic butter)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Grind cashews to a very fine meal in a food processor. Add the dates, almond butter, maple syrup, coconut flour, shredded coconut and almond extract and pulse til you have a sticky ball of dough.

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper and press the mixture into the tray using wet hands. Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

3. Combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a stainless steel or glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water on the stove top. Stir the mixture til it’s melted, remove from the heat and pour over the cashew mixture. Return to the fridge and let it cool for about an hour til the chocolate has set.

4. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
I tried some of the cashew mix when it was in the food processor and it was pretty sweet, so I'd prob leave out the maple syrup next time. But see how you go

Emma the Naturopath xx

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Raise your words

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Listening to two friends speak so passionately about lawn mowing! I feel like I must be missing out on something.
2. The word ‘tempestuous’.
3. Another weekend to myself largely involving Frank coffee scrub and watching Sex in the City on my laptop in the bath. Oh and more star-fishing.
4. Spontaneous sleepovers from friends on their way down the coast. A beautiful way to brighten an otherwise monotonous Monday night. There’s nothing like that mad cleaning spree when you get home from work! Maybe I should clean like this more often…?
5. Restraining myself at Bunnings from buying an apple shaped bird feeder and zebra print gardening gloves. Although a couple of extra seedlings may have snuck into my basket. 

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. 
“There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, 
than a woman being unapologetically herself; 
comfortable in her perfect imperfection. 
To me, 
that is the true essence of beauty.”

-Steve Maraboli

"Raise your words,

not your voice.

It is rain that grows flowers,

not thunder"

-Rumi

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Now let me tell you something about Emma the Naturopath...

I have always had a TERRIBLE morning routine that consisted of waking as late as possible, sitting in front of the computer cramming in book work or scrolling through Insta as I drank a smoothie or vegie juice then rushed out the door to work going "Is that the time!"

Since returning from a very nourishing trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago, I've found myself in a nice little morning ritual. I wake at 7, get a pot of dandelion chai simmering on the stove then wander outside to check on my little garden. When I come back inside, I light my Drishti 'Uplifter' candle (lemongrass and lime) which is like my "coffee" that sends a message to my brain to wake up.

I sit at our wooden dining table with my chai and choose an affirmation card from the deck. I ponder it for a while, maybe write about it in my journal, eat some red papaya (obsessed right now!) then start getting ready. My husband gets up at 5 each morning to surf and watch the sun rise so the house is deliciously silent.

It's taken me 29 years to get my morning routine sorted! I knew all along that I should make the effort but I was full of excuses like "I'm just not a morning person". Now I'm reaping the benefits.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Here is my affirmation card from this morning that literally jumped out of the deck as I was shuffling!

"GIFT: Within every struggle resides the tremendous potential for growth. Look for the treasure. All is well".

"Risk it, go for it. Life always gives you another chance, another go at it. 

It's very important to take enormous risks"

-Mary Gaunt

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. That Seattle has banned the sale of bottled water!!
2. A perfectly juicy white peach.
3. The inspiring energy of Janine Allis –founder of Boost Juice. She gave a beautifully stirring and practical talk at a business seminar I attended this week.
4. Telling my husband about all the delicious recipes I can’t wait to create in my I Quit Sugar for Life cookbook. He then pointed out the fact that I was eating a Tim Tam.
5. How quickly Vanessa and I jumped back on our paddle boards when she felt something slimy brush against her leg.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Let go and your world will open up”
-Eileen Hall

Release your grip on jobs you don’t love, ended relationships and belief patterns that do not serve your life in a positive way. Let go of safety nets you have constructed around yourself and put your faith in the possibilities of the future. You’ll never know what opportunities are waiting to meet you!

Oh yeah, and please be mindful that it takes 450 to 1000 years for a single plastic bottle to biodegrade.

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight.

And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings.

You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”
-C. Joybell C.

Have trust and and live in the present moment. 

You are stronger than you realise.

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Sliced banana and shredded coconut on top of Monday night’s yellow curry. My husband knows his way around the kitchen!
2. Mango smoothies on a sunny beach day. Cheers Mac
3. Seeing two beautiful friends become Mr and Mrs Pomroy. Because true love is a big f*%king deal.
4. High five to the person (no doubt a woman) who invented stick on nipple covers. A backless dress’s best friend.
5. Watching people sheepishly snavel our council pick up. So many slow driving cars and neighbours going for walks as the sun sets.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one step in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain” –Tom Hiddlestone

On a drizzly overcast morning I poured myself a mug of dandelion chai and snipped up a pile of my Frankie mags and Lorna Jane catalogues and made myself a pretty little vision board *pictured*.

I don’t physically write specific goals on a piece of paper anymore as I try to adopt a more “effort with grace” approach towards the future. Sometimes the more you chase things, the further they go away. So for me, this is the perfect way to set intentions without getting too caught up in the details. Are you a fellow vision boarder?

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0266 514 533

Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

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Let them have cake

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: *Hawaiian Style* (It’s Sunday over here!)

1. Chomping down a massive acai bowl while watching Kelly Slater dominate Pipe.

2. The underwater language you speak to each other while snorkelling. Lots of nasal squealing accompanied by enthusiastic pointing and arm tugging. And then me clinging to my husband like a cat when it gets a bit deep for my liking.

3. When my yoga teacher asked us to dedicate our practice to somebody, I chose a beautiful friend of mine who was due to give birth that day. After a very sweaty power yoga class and an amazing refuel at The Beet Box Café, I came home and saw the good news that her beautiful son had entered the world!! Welcome little Otis!

4. The sunset on Wednesday afternoon at Sunset Beach. It turned the sky, sand and ocean the most insane electric pink.

5. Hiking to the summit of Diamond Head then tandem surfing with my husband off the Waikiki reef. I’ve never seen such turquoise water!!

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. We stood in front of the Duke statue in Waikiki yesterday as the sun was going down. Quite a humbling experience for my surf rat of a husband. I saw a little bronze plaque on the side of the state which was really touching:

“In Hawaii we greet friends, loved ones or strangers with ALOHA, which means with love. ALOHA is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawaii renowned as the world’s center of understanding and fellowship. Try meeting or leaving people with ALOHA. You’ll be surprised by their reaction. I believe it and it is my creed. ALOHA to you”.

-Duke Paoa Kahanamoku

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: (I’m home!!)

1. At the top of my “must do” list for Hawaii was to swim with turtles. On our second last day I was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and swam right up to the most gorgeous sea turtle who was just chewing on the reef and gliding around peacefully! Tick!

2. My yoga teacher’s top “I’m just here for the savasana”.

3. The day I flew back to Coffs, I went for a walk without my iPod around the rainy marina and empty beaches. Just the grounding experience I needed.

4. My super amazing parents who dropped us off and picked us up from the airport, did my banking, collected my mail, even worked in the shop when we were a girl down, watered my plants, filled our freezer with mangos from their tree, stocked up our fridge with our fave foods and cooked us vegie patties for dinner the night we arrived home! Such legends!!

5. Digging out my old favourite story books from my childhood to read with my little niece and nephew when they came to visit.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. And so our time in Hawaii has come to an end. It was so nourishing on every level. Physically, we were living on granola, green smoothies, pineapple, papaya, salads, vego stifrys, coconut kefir, spirulina kombucha and acai bowls. Oh, and the odd Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups! We were riding around on our bikes, hiking, swimming and surfing in the ocean, soaking up the sunshine and sweating it out at yoga.

On a spiritual/mental/emotional level, having that time away allowed me to reflect on my life/goals/priorities/values which was so essential. That’s one of the elements of travelling which I love the most. I always gain a new perspective by seeing my world with clearer eyes. You can’t help but live mindfully in the present moment.

It’s left me feeling so inspired and excited about life again. And I can’t wait to share it with you all!!

“You have to leave the city of your comfort zone and go into the wilderness of your intuition. 

What you discover will be wonderful. 

What you discover will be yourself”

-Alan Alda

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Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. When your fave long lost song comes on the radio and you sit in the car in the driveway singing away til it’s over.

2. When your mate convinces you to bring your board “just in case”. I’m so grateful he did! We all surfed the funnest little peelers at the Pass while dark ominous clouds loomed overhead.

3. Salted caramel cupcakes at the Bangalow markets.

4. Leaving the oil on your body and through your hair for as long as possible after a massage. Stoked to find my new fave masseuse in Coffs!

5. The mini red capsicum I grew. It made a cameo appearance in tonight’s tofu rice paper rolls.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Forget yesterday
It has already forgotten you.
Don’t sweat tomorrow.
You haven’t even met.
Instead, open your eyes,
and your hearts to a
truly precious gift;
today”

-Steve Maraboli

*CHOC ZUCCHINI BROWNIES*

These are the most deliciously dense little morsels. They only rise a few inches and are really rich and moist so cut them into small squares for the perfect accompaniment to a peppermint tea as an after dinner treat or lunchbox snack!

1 ¼ cups almond meal
¼ cup cacao powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
¾ cup zucchini, grated (one small-medium zucchini)

1. Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz til smooth.
2. Grease 6.5 x 4 inch loaf pan with coconut oil or line with baking powder.
3. Bake at 180 degrees in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Dairy free
Wheat and gluten free
Paleo friendly
High protein

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Cellulite and stretch marks. Insta and the net can be so bombarded with super skinny flawless models with thigh gaps and “fit-spo” pages. Clearly I’m all about being physically fit and living a healthy lifestyle but it’s so refreshing to go down to the beach and see “real” girls.

2. A packet of apple sticky notes that one of my besties sent in a birthday parcel. I’ve written affirmations and stuck them in my diary, mirror and on anything else that doesn’t move.

3. Sunny windy weekdays where you only have to share the beach with a few school kids jetty jumping and a flock of seagulls.

4. Having an impromptu sleep over at mum and dad’s farm. I woke up to roosters crowing, birds in the trees, gentle rain on the tin roof and the smell of very strong Italian coffee.

5. A weekend to myself =sleeping starfish at night.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS.
“Be here.
Be present.
Wherever you are, be there”

-Willie Nelson

Being a naturopath, has really taught me to LISTEN to people.


To hear WHAT they are saying.

To hear WHY they are saying it.

To hear HOW they are saying.

And sometimes, what they are really TRYING to say.


It’s about being totally present and feeling empathy towards the person in front of me.

How do you go listening to others? Do you dominate 90% of the conversation? Do you read their body language? Do you make eye contact and give them signs that you are interested in what they have to say? Or are you waiting for them to stop talking so you can give your opinion? Are you mentally committed to the conversation or are you thinking about what you need to buy for dinner?

Listening and being present with someone is such a simple yet meaningful gift you can give someone. Let’s focus on that this week.

It's hard to leave old habits behind. 

But when you want a new result (be it a pain-free back, clearer skin, a few less kilos or a better nights sleep) some improvements need to be implemented. There are no magic pills or quick fixes for change, just effort, determination and releasing the old. 

And if you need some guidance with that, 

I'm here waiting for you 

Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health
0266 514 533
Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

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