In this current health situation with COVID-19 and the lock down I know it has affected so many people around the world in some very challenging ways. The caliber of this situation has never before been felt or experienced. The closest world-wide experiences we have to compare it to are World Wars. The uncertainty around people's jobs, health and livelihood is not a comfortable experience at all. I have felt sadness, grief, shock, gratitude, relief all in the same day. All th

I hope you have all had a great first month of 2020 so far. January always seems like such a lovely cruisy contrast to the hype of December. Most people have had a decent summer holiday to reset and relax, and then at the end of the month we've got a 3 day weekend, and another mid-week day off following close behind with Waitangi day. Such a kind start to a new year... James and I are having our summer holiday in Taupo at the moment. I thought I'd share something that got me

It is with great excitement that I approach the celebration my 'business baby's' 3rd birthday! Well it's actually 4, if you count my 12 month side hustle of massage which was conducted from my accommodating Mum and Brother's house - but 3 years as a qualified and registered Naturopath. The Conception I knew from the beginning of my degree that I wanted to go out on my own into clinical practice and work one-on-one with others on their health. So, I started a massage 'side-hus

Moodiness, depression, sadness, anxiety, a general sense of 'blah'... It can be really hard to pin point exactly where you are at, or make sense of what you are experiencing so I hope this offers some help and clarity. Perhaps someone you know has been feeling a bit 'off' lately and might benefit from this read - remember sharing is caring. Depression can be a spectrum of hard to define thoughts and feelings, perhaps presenting as anxiety, or just general fatigue, and/or anyt

Does vitamin D conjure up thoughts of sunshine for you? Maybe it's because you remember hearing somewhere about the sun being important in making sure we have enough vitamin D? Well, you're right! Our skin holds the remarkable power of transforming the ultraviolet rays from the sun into a vitamin that provides our bodies with enormous benefit. Just 10-20 minutes of full sun each day provides us with enough 'solar power' to make plenty of our own vitamin D in it's activated fo

"Oh hey! How are you?" "Busy!" We've all heard it, right? 'Busy' seems to be such a common response that we all just seem to be on autopilot when we say it, and when we hear it. It's like a lot of us wear a badge full time that says 'BUSY' like it's now our identity. I am seeing it more and more in clinic - people on their way to total depletion because they have put their own needs last for such a long period of time. (Can I get a show of hands from all the Mums out there?!)

The start of each working year can be rather kind here in NZ. We have 4 weeks over a period of 7 weeks punctuated by public holidays. This can provide a nice start to the year by giving us space and time to get used to the prospect that we may be heads-down-bum-up for another 12 months. (Although, I don’t advise this and recommend scheduling in regular breaks – but I could and will write a blog about this later.) So, if your workplace or type of work you do are giving you anx

"Hydration - the act or process of combining or treating with water" We are right in the throws of summer now! With such sunny days here in the Waikato it's no wonder all the beach hot spots around here have been hit with both New Zealand and international traveler's alike. We are coming out of a season of partying, eating, drinking, swimming, beach walks, reading, and relaxing more than we are used to. We may have been so busy with all things fun that we can so easily forget

So who's heard of boiled frog syndrome? I thought I'd go over this story as we begin the lead up to Christmas. The story goes - if you place a frog in a vessel of water and begin to heat it the frog adjusts its temperature to cope with the rise in temperature of the water. Eventually the frog realises the water is now boiling and decides to jump but can't because it has lost its capability of doing so due to it becoming weak during the constant rising of the temperature. We m

This holiday season I am trying to lay off the creamy mayo a bit - we seem to go through a jar a week in our house of two! This dressing offers a much lighter option to dress those dainty salad leaves. It can, and is being used on a multitude of things at our place and I can't wait to share it with you! With this dressing’s hearty garlic kick it is possibly the best and easiest way to get a good dose of raw garlic in your diet. Fresh garlic is considered to be the most effect

The holiday season is a time we all hang out for. Come December - it's all on! Socialising, end of school performances, work dos, family, friends, shopping for food and presents on top of all the other commitments we already have. Sometimes in all the busyness we struggle to eat healthily, and instead 'grab and go' with less than ideal foods. We tend to drink more alcohol with all the festivities. We eat more sugar (a box of Roses chocolates makes an easy Chrissie prez right