Meet crossfit queen Kara Webb (+ her fave Paleo Chocolate Cake)

Today’s health power players are no longer just doctors or dieticians. They are smart businesswoman and men, tradies, bloggers, and health/fitness coaches – the new ‘it’ people on the health scene so to say.

Each week we will talk to a variety of inspiring individuals – from raw foodies, crossfitters, organic city dwellers, paleo peeps, nutritionists, bloggers & overall amazing human beings who actually practice what they preach.

First up I would like you to introduce you to Kara Webb who is THE fittest gal in Australia. For real. She placed number 1 at the Wollongong Crossfit Regional Games which is a massive feat – and she is current in California competing at the Crossfit Games which is running now until July 22-28.

Name: Kara Webb – (placed #1 at the 2013 Crossfit Australia Regional Games)

FITC Question: For the people who aren’t familiar with you (or just want to know more), tell us a bit about yourself.

Kara: I live in Brisbane and I my life is pretty much CrossFit. I am a coach as my sole job and love it. I get to use my experience to help others be better and in return I can learn from them to better myself. I have almost completed a nutrition degree but have taken some time off to just live and enjoy the cool stuff going on in my life. I got married, bought a home, made it to the CrossFit games and just decided to really enjoy it because this is the best time of my life and I don’t want to blink and miss it. I plan on finishing off my degree in the next 12 months or so, slowly but surely.

FITC Question: What made you choose the path of leading a healthy life and was there a particular turning point?

Kara: I was 19 and I had been going out doing all of the usual things a 19 year old does, drinking and carrying on, but I just felt gross. I didn’t have much energy or motivation for anything in life, I was eating bad food and didn’t feel very productive. I decided to ditch the silly times and joined a regular gym to try and feel good and get some positivity in my life. I started to really enjoy being fit and eating well, and the people that came into my life. Within 3 months I had met my now husband and also my coach/boss/friend. My choice to focus on being a better be brought the right people in my life and they haven’t left. My coach was my personal trainer and then he started CrossFit and I joined in too. My life is now perfect!

FITC Question: What does your usual daily routine look like – what is on your ‘must do’ and ‘must take’ list?

Kara: I am up at 4:30am every morning to coach at 5am so I don’t have a great deal of time to play around with. I always have a banana, and some other piece of fruit depending on the season and a big glass of water as soon as I wake up. I then have a second glass of water for my supplements. I take Pure Pharma’s fish oil, vitamin D3 and Magnesium and at the moment some Co-Q10.  I then coach 2 classes (with a cup of Earl Grey tea J) and sometimes train in the morning or practice some skills, and then come home to a second more satisfying breakfast usually left over dinner or some kind of eggs and ham or bacon and avocado.  I love a warm cooked breakfast. I then have lunch around 11:30-12 because I like a solid meat and veg or meat and salad lunch and don’t want a full belly when I train at 2:30. I will then usually have some kind of little snack about an hour again before I train. Heaps of water during the day, and then a Progenex protein shake straight after I train while I cool down. Then more water, some kind of fruit or snack if I have to coach again and then straight home to more meat and veg for dinner. I love every kind of meat, poultry and seafood you can imagine and make sure I balance it out over the week. Always have a cup of chamomile tea before bed to turn my body off and calm my nervous system after a crazy day.

FITC Question: Let’s take a peek in your bathroom cupboard – what are your must have products?

Kara: Since I train heaps I have to have things like Lavender oil for torn hands or grazes on my shins from Olympic lifting. I also take really good care of my skin since I train so hard and the mix of excess free radicals and salt on my skin can dry it out and leave it a bit worse for wear. I have a natural range from a company online called EZEntial. A nice gentle balanced cleanser, definitely toner, and a good night time moisturiser are my must haves.

FITC Question: What do you always have in your kitchen (both fridge and supplements)?

Kara: Always have dark chocolate, bananas, tea, heaps of meat, sweet potato, fish oil, magnesium.

FITC Question: How important is clean, nutrient rich food in your diet? Do you follow a certain style (ie raw, vegan, paleo etc)

Kara: I guess the basic structure of my diet follows a paleoish form. I eat red meat, fish, poultry with salad, fruit and vegetables for all of my main meals. Most other foods are occasional foods and might pop up in my diet from once a week to once every 6 months. I eat good quality cheese and yogurt maybe twice per week but other then that I don’t have dairy. I try to just follow the rule of eating food as it is for all of my main meals and have a few treats around that. I always have dark chocolate a few times during the week with my hubby.

FITC Question: How do you like to move and keep fit? Is exercise an important part of your life?

Kara: I wouldn’t be who I am without exercise. I do CrossFit 5 days per week. I need to feel challenged, productive, sweaty, fit, and strong most days or my body and my mind doesn’t function at its optimum. I want to live the best life I can and when I exercise I do that. It brings a feeling of contentment and happiness that nothing can compare to.

FITC Question: Who or what has been the biggest influence on your health journey? These days we’re influenced by so many different sources – from friends, family, blogs, magazines and now even Instagram!!

Kara: A combination of my coach/friend/boss Brian being such a positive influence on my life and coming into my life at the right time was the best influence probably. The other influence would be the continued companionship and socialising with my husband and everyone who does CrossFit with us. It’s the most positive environment that its addictive. We all feed off each other. That’s why you have to surround yourself with positive like minded people. Being happy is my influence. If it makes me genuinely happy and content then I will continue doing it as long as I feel that way.

FITC Question: Currently loving:

Kara: Loving Chamomile tea so much at the moment. I starting drinking it at regionals to keep my nervous system in check at night because its so hard to sleep during competition and it made me feel so relaxed and helped so much. I drink it every night now.

Number 2 is Sudoku haha. I have always liked playing it but I started on the plane to regionals also and then downloaded the app for it and played that all weekend. I have found keeping keeping my mind active in a positive way distracted me from any negative over thinking and in turn makes my training so much easier. I have been playing it ever since.

Number 3 would probably have to be interior decorating. I absolutely love it. There is nothing more fun then moving everything around and making your own space beautiful. I love my home to be my zen place. I make the effort to keep it clean, functional and full of beautiful positive things that keep the energy flowing. I am addicted to Pinterest Home Décor and spend way too much time on it but when I get home at the end of a big day at the gym I literally feel so happy as soon as I walk in the door.

FITC Question: Fave local cafe or restaurant?

Kara: We have a little café/roasting house calles Elixir in Hayward street Stafford next to the gym. The people are amazing, the coffee is beautiful (decaf for me J) and the food is so yum (Have to order the potato Rosti). It helps that its so close to us too.

FITC Question: As your parting gift to us – what is your favourite health product/holiday destination/retreat/exercise/recipe/tip etc (choose one and provide some info)

Kara: Well my favourite treat actually is a chocolate cake I make probably at least once per week for my husband and I. Its so simple and gives me an excuse to use my kitchen aid, and tastes delicious even though its not full of junk (recipe from the Fast Paleo App)

Kara’s Favourite Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:

4 Eggs

¾ cup Honey

3 Table spoons coconut oil

2 Tea spoons vanilla essence or extract

½ tspn baking soda

¼ tspn salt

¼ tspn baking powder

1 cup cocoa

* thats right, no flour!

Method:

Beat all of the wet ingredients well. Slowly add the dry and beat gently. Cook in a cake tin on 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes. Check with a tooth pick its all done and you have a super moist awesome chocolate cake in next to no time.

FITC note: I made this cake and it is amazing!! For extra luxe I added paleo chocolate icing

Paleo Chocolate Icing:

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1/3 cup of cocao powder

1/3 cups of honey

1-2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

Blend in a food processor until smooth – done!

Vision boards

Vision boards are the ultimate in manifestation. It’s where goals and dreams have a place to live until, in some crazy magical way…they become a reality.

What the heck is a vision board you may be asking? Well in a nut shell you cut out a bunch of pictures, affirmations and words and place them on a board (cork, fridge, wall whatevs – let’s not discriminated where dreams are created) and put it out there for the universe to bring back to you.

Easy right.

But before you grab the scissors and start cutting out superficial surface needs and desires from your latest glossy, think about what you really want, what appeals to your deeper self? What do you want to put ‘out there’ to bring into your life? Confidence to public speak? Images of your dream holiday in Italy? Want to win awards for your blog? Motivation to improve your health and change your lifestyle?

Now hold this vision in your mind and get ready to get creative – and don’t worry if you’re not fluent in artsy cool, I promise you will be pleasantly surprised at the end collage result.

The next step is to go through the piles of magazine laying around your house (or is that just me..?) and start tearing out the images that appeal to all of your ‘primary foods’ and goals (primary foods means not only health, but also relationships, spirituality, work, lifestyle etc) and remember don’t just rip out pics of stunning gals with amazing abs (ok maybe just a couple), keeping coming back to those deep seated goals.

After arranging everything on your board, have a moment to take it all in, feel free to eliminate things that no longer resonate with you.

What have you created? A vision board that screams ‘I Know Exactly What I Want’? A very specific job or change of location/environment perhaps? Living near the coast will be on mine – hello Bondi.

Maybe you went down the ‘Opening and Allowing’ Vision Board path where you have a vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way. This often happens in times of depression or grief – you want change but not sure how. This board is less ‘ego’ and more feeling focused. So does that picture evoke happiness in you? Then wack it up!

Do you have a particular goal you are focused on like work or a significant event? Then maybe a ‘Theme’ Vision Board is for you. The only difference between this board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent.

Of course you can use a combination of all three – it’s your board!

Author Martha Beck says ‘The board itself doesn’t impact reality; what changes your life is the process of creating the images—combinations of objects and events that will stick in your subconscious mind and steer your choices toward making the vision real.’

I have always loved hearing stories about people’s visions board and the positive results it has brought, if you have any please share below!

Happy creating x

Paleo/gluten free Cauliflower Crust Pizza – the best you will have.

Confession time. Even though I’m 99% committed and hardly ever stray, every now and then when it all gets too much I cave.

I cheat.

And yes, sometimes I lie about it.

You see I am 98% grain free in my diet but sometimes I crack and find myself driving straight to a nearby Crust Pizza franchise and order the finest gluten free pizza they have. I just love pizza and can’t seem to shake it. But you know what, I am sorry Crust because I can no longer afford to pay $50 for you to fuel my addiction (or deal with the tummy issues post gorge) when I have fallen for the new kid on the block.

Let me introduce you to the Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

What can I say, it has won me over with its taste, it’s sassy nutritional value, and the way it just make me feel all smug when I take it out of the oven.

Pizza Base Ingredients: makes one approx. 10-12 inch pizza
1 small – medium sized head of cauliflower – should be approx 2 to 3 cups once processed
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh basil (can add other herbs too)

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I use a pizza combo of parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese etc)
1 egg
2-3 tablespoon almond meal

Topping:

As much tomato pizza topping sauce, cheese for topping, and other delish veggies and meats as you desire.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees (or 450 f). I have been cooking the pizza base on a piece of baking paper on top of a wire rack as it helps cook both sides, but a pizza tray should work just as well.

Cut up your washed cauliflower florets (don’t use too much stem) and pulse in your Vitamix or food processer for approx. 20-30 seconds until it is powdery and almost smooth.

You then want to cook the cauliflower so either place in a pot and continually stir for apox 5 minutes or place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and zap for 4 minutes.

Once cooked place cauliflower onto a clean tea towel (you might want to let it cool for a few minutes before you move onto the ‘squeezing’ stage) – this entails you ringing the living bejesus out of it until you remove as much water as possible. Once you have think it is all done, do it again you will be surprised at how much liquid it holds!! This step will ensure you get a yummy pizza list base that holds together, rather than a crumply mess that falls to bits.

Once you are happy that all the liquid has been removed from cauliflower, remove it from the tea towel into a bowl. Now add all of the remaining pizza base ingredients into the bowl and mix away – using your hands generally works best to form it into a ‘dough’, you want your “dough” to be sticky.

Now it is time to place dough onto the baking paper, make sure you pat the dough tightly together when forming your crust– don’t make it too thick but don’t make it too thin either, you want it just right! Make sure you pat the dough tightly together when forming your crust

Pop into oven and bake for 8 – 11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.

Now it’s time to build the rest of the pizza (only when the base it golden in colour should you move to this step)! Add however much sauce, cheese, and toppings you want. Place it back into the oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.

Once you have taken out of the oven allow to cool for at least 2 minutes before you slide pizza onto a chopping board and cutting up with a super sharp knife or  with a pizza cutter. Remember to keep slices reasonable small so they hold together nicely.

Enjoy your delicious grain-free cauliflower crust pizza!
*Disclaimer – the slices may still be a lil floppy until you get the recipe and cooking times down, but they shouldn’t be crumbly.

This post look familiar? Thats because it is up on MindBodyGreen!! Check it out here

Bettering your business life

John McGrath and Anthony Bell are the go-to experts that help the rich get richer and novices navigate the path to financial success.

Below are some of the key points I took away from their key note speeches at an event I was lucky enough to be invited to – thanks rescu.com.au!

First up is all about bettering your business life.

Energy & enthusiasm – if you walk around with low energy and hating on life, is that going to translate and promote creativity and passion? No of course not. Start each day like you can better yourself and work towards your goals no matter how big or small.

Gold clarity – do you know what you actually want to achieve? Vision board the shit out of it!! Instead of thinking ‘I can’t’ or ‘it won’t’ – change your thinking to ‘wouldn’t  it be nice when..’ put it out there and you will be surprised what comes back to you. If you think I can’t – what do you think will happen? You got it, you will attract negativity and your dreams and desires will be harder to achieve thanks to those few negative words.

Time management & Process – what does your morning rituals look like? Do you the hit snooze button, grab an outfit off the ground (and look like a hot mess), skip breakfast and have a bad takeaway coffee which leaves you arriving 20 minutes late for work and in a fluster? Stressful right? Instead, try starting the day right by having positive morning habits. Wake up 20 minutes earlier. Breath, meditate, listen to motivation tapes from your mentors, do yoga or a mini workout, have a green shake, take time to dress and present yourself to the world how you want it be seen. Check twitter to read motivational quotes from your peers (instead of watching trashy morning news or negative news reports). Arrive to work 10 minutes early and prepare for your day ahead. Sounds so much better right?

‘If you don’t like change, you’re going to like extinction even less’.

Accountability – who is keeping you accountable? Are you? A business mentor? Peer coaches? If you don’t have anyone who has your back, find someone asap.

Product knowledge and great industry knowledge – continue to learn, continue to research so you can educate the world with what you know. Aim to be the best in your domain.

Time it’s time to assess how are you doing in your life. Next to each of the above points place a number ranging from 0-10 to indicate where you are at (0 is non-existent and 10 is kicking ass).

How is that time management going for you? If you are a 4 or 5 do you think that is going to get you to where you want to be? Take a hard look. These areas are where you can reassess and implement changes. I doubt that many people are a full rounded 10 but that is really what you should be aiming for, why accept anything less?

What’s next to bettering your business life?

1. Tedx your thinking. Think bigger. Always imagine that in 10 years’ time you will be running a global empire. Visualize this. Don’t think I can’t and say it is never going to happen. Ask yourself – is this the best that I could do?

2. Plan to dominate – plan to be the best.

3. Raving fans build your networks – from word of mouth, formal testimonials, social media shout outs, let your ‘fans’ be your greatest advocates.

4. Make me feel important – and make everyone who you come in contact with feel important.

5. Speed of trust – don’t second guess yourself. If something feels wrong in your gut despite someone telling you its ok. Always go with your instincts.

6. Passion and process – if you don’t have the passion there to start with, the process will never follow through.

7. Preparation is free. It costs you nothing to prepare, to research and plan. What are the key messages you want communicate? You should always know this and make sure everything reflects those messages. Taking the time prepare is really a reflection of your personal pride to make your life/business better. People will see this and you will be rewarded in the future.

8. Dollar productive activities – this is all about prospecting for new business and engaging current clients. How much of your time is spent on your business? It’s so important to build up new business to be be dollar productive.

9. Meetings – always have five face to face qualified meetings a week to grow your business.

10. High performance benchmarks – have high standards throughout your business. From business cards, the tea you serve, the gifts you give – exuded high quality.

11. Hyper product knowledge – be a 9 or 10. Aim to be an expert and know your stuff.

12. Systemise. Automate. Delegate – get everything down pack so it works smoothly. You need systems, you need it to happen immediately, and if not, delegate it. If you are not an expert in that area, get someone who is to do it.

13. You need to be great at crucial conversations. These can change your life. What you do today can have a huge impact on your future tomorrow. Back yourself, if you don’t it is costly. If you don’t believe you can do it why would anyone else?

14. Build oil wells. You must network, get groups, join boards etc. You must add values to these groups and they will give you returns in the future.

15. One day per week on your business – look at your diary and look at what can you improve, where are you wasting time? You need to work out of the business for one day a week, rather than in the business. You are not the only one who can do things – other people can attend meetings, take classes, write articles etc.

Now put everything into practice and execute it. Just do it.

 

And lastly, here are some key points from ‘celebrity accountant’ Anthony Bell.

Start with an achievable goal: it’s all about setting goals and moving towards them.

Setting perfect financial goals:

1. Wealth is a marathon not a sprint

2. Invest in yourself before you invest in others

3. Save a minimal of 20% of your income

4. Set a three year milestone and measure it by 36 months (set app reminders in your phone)

5. 10% growth per year is not a dirty word

6. Choose a peer partner with similar goals

7. Say no to risks

8. Reward yourself but only in moderation

9. Don’t set mediocre goals

Things to do in next 7 days

1. Find someone who has achieved wealth and find out how they did it

2. Write a budget from bottom to top (20% savings ie $200 a week savings) then write a budget on how you can live on the rest of the 80%. You can invest that 20% in a term deposit. Invest in yourself and work hard to get a pay rise if need to get extra money

3. Seek out a coach / mentor / peer partner

4. Write down your goals for the next 3 years (use iPhone reminders)

5. Start reading a book on wealth from someone you are aligned to

6. Stop saving you are going to do it. Do it

7. Keep your day job

 

Seek wealth for independence

Breakfast feast: rolled eggs & greens

There is nothing I love more than going out for breakfast on the weekend, but I just can’t help get the feeling I am being cheated not only in taste, but also at the expense of my bank balance! So last Sunday we did something a little crazy. We ate at home. Extreme I know, but I was pretty happy with the results and will defiantly be cooking up a storm at least one day over the weekends. I posted this pic to Instagram (find me at Fitnessinthecity_) and I have had a few people ask for the recipe – so here you go!

Rolled eggs with chilli greens.

Ingredients:

2-4 free range eggs (depending on how hungry you are or if you are sharing)

1-2 cups of washed greens. (I like Bokchoy, Silverbeet, Purple cabbage, Kale or whatever is in season/in the fridge.)

Handful of basil

2 organic free range bacon strips (optional of course)

½ Avocado

Handful of cherry tomatoes

2 slices of Lemon

Coconut oil, garlic, chilli paste, Himalayan rock salt, pepper to garnish

Egg spices:

Za’arar mix: Sumac, sesame, thyme, parsley, oregano, Himalayan salt

You can make your own or buy pre made. Another option is to just roll the eggs in sesame seeds or finely chopped herbs like parsley or basil – very tasty!

Directions:

Boil room temperature eggs (I boil the water on a low to medium heat with eggs already in it, and then set the timer to 4 minutes once the water begins to boil).

In a fry pan on a medium heat cook your bacon to your liking.

In another pan, add some coconut oil, garlic and chilli paste to sauté your greens and basil in – don’t overcook as you don’t want to lose the nutrients of the greens. This should only take approx. 3 minutes, then set aside.

Your eggs should be off the stove now and resting in cold water (so they stop cooking) ready for you to gently peel (or have someone peeling for you – even better!)

Once peeled roll them in your desired spices – I rotate between chopped herbs, sesame seed or Za’arar mix (I got this idea from Dane: The Healthy Tradie)

Cut the Avocado in half (scoop out with a spoon), squeeze lemon over it and dress with Himalayan Rock salt and pepper.

Plate everything up, sprinkle the remaining basil on top – add a great chia tea and you’re ready to feast!

I would love to see your egg creations – tag your photos with #fitnessinthecity on Facebook (@FitnessInTheCity) or Instagram (Fitnessinthecity_ )

Raw chocolate shortbread bars

There is nothing sweeter or more rewarding than having a positive impact on someone’s life – regardless of how big or small. In this case, it was introducing my soon to be sisters to raw desserts. That’s right, they have swapped empty calories, white, processed crack, (aka sugar) for more natural, nutrient dense substituents. And whola, the result was a gorgeous (paleo friendly) Raw Chocolate Shortbread bar.

And here is how you too can make it.

Shortbread ingredients:

1 cup cashews

1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup dates

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Chocolate ingredients:

1 cup cashews

1/3 cup coconut oil (you must use coconut – no substitutes!)

1/3 cup maple syrup, honey or agave nectar

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons raw cacao powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Process: Place all shortbread ingredients in the food processor. Process until the mixture sticks together and the dates are well processed.

2. Place: shortbread mixture into your dish, making sure you press the crust down firmly with your hands. The Shortbread base is now done.

3. Blend: Place all chocolate mixture ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend until very smooth.

4. Pour/deposit chocolate mixture on top of shortbread, similar to pouring icing on brownies. Smooth with the back of a spoon.

5. Freeze: Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour. Always store these in the freezer.

6. Enyoy! Slice a frozen piece, and let it thaw out on the bench for 15 minutes or so, top with some berries if you wish.

I would love to see your creations too so please tag your healthy pics with #FitnessInTheCity, then follow me via

www.instagram.com/fFitnessinthecity_

www.facebook.com/fitnessinthecity

www.twitter.com/fitnessinthcity

Big thanks to The Rawtarian for this amazing recipe! Check out her site for more delish recipes and tips http://www.therawtarian.com/

Has feeling embarrassed held you back long enough?

Feeling embarrassed?  How often has this feeling (or the thought of it occurring) prevented you doing something?

Maybe it stopped you presenting a great idea in a meeting for the fear of embarrassing yourself in front of the group.

Maybe you never tried bootcamp again because you were so unfit and far behind the rest of the group you couldn’t help but feel a flutter of embarrassment.

Have you said no to a lunch or party because it was with a group of people you didn’t know and you just felt plain old shy? (Yep, I’m putting my hand up to that one too).

Yes, it can rear its negative head at many unexpected moments which may bring up feelings of inadequacy, but don’t you think it is time to face that emotion head on?

Don’t you think you have missed out on enough opportunities because of it? I certainly have!

One definition states: Embarrassment is an emotional state of temporary discomfort induced by oneself when believing that a silly, or ill mannered act has been witnessed by others. Usually a small amount of honor or dignity is temporarily lost, but how much and the type depends on the embarrassing situation.

I want you to pay attention to the words ‘temporary discomfort’ and ‘induced by oneself’ because this is important . You must remember that feeling embarrassed is a temporary feeling only bought on by YOU if you allow it to.

So instead of shying away from situations that may make you feel uncomfortable or has the possibility to cause internal embarrassment  (does ‘what the hell will I say to all the people in the room I don’t know?!’ ring a bell..?) just do it. Just say yes and get it done. You will feel so much better in the end for taking risks than sitting on the sidelines all the time.

It is such a divinely simple solution: you just have to do it.

Think about it this way, if you never learnt how to draw or paint when you were younger (or you tried and then stopped because you thought you were no good), then you picked up a brush tomorrow – do you think you will have amazing adult capabilities?

No, because you stopped and your abilities didn’t grow, it hasn’t had the chance to progress through repetition and practice. And it is exactly the same with our emotions. If you inner voice has always been negative it is going to take time for positivity to take over –  but day by day with repetition of self-love and exercising positive thoughts, the change will happen – I am living proof!

Sure you may stumble through your first few words when presenting for the first few times, but look at how much is to gain by doing rather than not doing it!

By continuing to go to bootcamps your fitness will improve and your confidence will soar.

And saying yes to a lunch that you felt too shy to go to? You might just meet a new great friend, or at the very least, experience a new moment.

By doing, you grow. By being brave, you accept the emotion and possibilities. You learn, you adapt and then one day – whola! Something that in the past would have made you squirm or you avoiding in fear, has been replaced by excitement and new opportunities!!!

Would love to know what you have overcome, comment below or head here to Facebook to share.

 

I love lululemon athletica

Last night the Bondi store Ambassadors, local yoga, fitness studio owners and I was lucky enough to be invited to lululemon athletica Bondi Junction for a sneak peak of their new store before it reopened (today) revealing a bigger and dare I say better space to inspire, shop and stretch us!

After drooling over their current product (watch out credit card!!) we were asked to select a yoga outfit to wear for a 30 minute yoga class with Kelli Prieur (plus another outfit for casual wear), yep I died and went to yogi heaven!!

Did I mention we mingled to tunes spun by DJ Kid Kenobi and post yoga dined on delicious food and drinks from Brown Paper Bag Nutrition and Wellness – how is that for a fabulous Thursday night?!

Here are a couple of pieces I can’t wait to try out this weekend.

LOVE this Run – Rise – And – Shine jacket, warm, water resistant and cute.. what more could I want! Check it here  

Every winter wardrobe (whether it be for yoga or nights on the couch…) will need a pair of the True Bliss Pant, yes I may love just because they make me feel like a dancer. No judging.  Check them out here

I’m not going to lie, I have this Energy Bra in more than one colour… check out this and other styles here

Thanks again to the lovely lululemon team for organizing a great night x

Are you stuck waiting?

Sometime I get stuck in this place of waiting. Waiting until we move house, waiting until I feel amazing, waiting until that new job, the new year – the ‘something’ which then signifies a change can take place. Do you ever get this?

For some people it can be waiting to Monday until they start eating healthy again or waiting (and finishing) the chocolate until they begin exercising. It can be as simple as waiting to get the ‘cool’ jars to make your own almond milk or green smoothie, that’s causing your procrastination. Maybe waiting for the right moment to quit your job to follow your dreams. Or waiting to meet that someone special until you can let yourself be truly happy.

That’s a lot of waiting.

Are you guilty of wasting precious moments on toxic thoughts that might be holding you back from present happiness? Just because you are waiting for the perfect moment?

I just caught myself in this exact moment while cleaning the house thinking about how good life will be once I move into my ‘dream home’ with a vege garden, floor boards (no more puppy pee on carpet!!) a 2 minute walk for the beach..oh the cooking I will do, how healthy I will feel, how clean the house will always be, so uncluttered and zen. I bet I won’t have to work as much, oh the adventures that are in store.. (you get the idea).

Reality check – life is awesome right now, and waiting for things to change to that dream scenario no matter how big or small is crazy. Can we honestly keep using that Monday start excuses for ever?

YOU have to create the perfect situation yourself by just doing it, until then it is just a thought that may never eventuate. Think how many opportunities you have lost?!

Me? I might not have that ‘dream house’ right now, but I do live in a pretty amazing apartment that I can jazz up. I can do a spring clean and recycle junk that I don’t need anymore, I can drive to the beach in the mornings for a run and the puppy pee.. well that is a bit tricky but I can get it cleaned and look into getting new flooring put in to keep my sanity.

Now I am big on lists so here are some of the things i have recently ticked off or about to do :

– photo-shoot for new website (done and dusted!! I was waiting and waiting until I looked ‘amazing’ and less camera shy, silly girl!)
– finding graphic designer for website. So much ‘uhming and ahhing’ and wasted time on this. I took the plunge and just went with my gut. Stay tuned for the results!
– I enrolled in another nutation course to continue my education. Yes I am busy but there was never going to be a time when I wasn’t so no time like the present.
– waiting for special occasions to get glammed up. My wardrobe (Lululemon and Nike gear excluded) is seriously getting neglected!!)
– waiting for the weather to be warm to go for a swim. I adore that refreshed totally free few seconds when diving into the water- why wait 9 months to get that feeling?!
– waiting until I use up all my old beauty products so I can use only 100% natural toxic free ones (I have a LOT of products thanks to goodie bags from my days at a record label.. time to give them to a good home!!)

I’d love for you to comment below on something that you have put into the ‘waiting pile’ but are about to tackle!!

No more procrastinating!!

Paleo Anzac Biscuits

In preparation for Anzac Day tomorrow I whipped up a batch of delicious  Anzac Biscuits thanks to Therasa Cutter’s  recipe below.

Quick, easy and healthy – what’s not to love!

Paleo (gluten/grain free) Anzac Biscuits

1 cup (100 g) almond meal (ground almonds)
1 cup (100 g) flaked almonds
1 cup (75 g) organic desiccated coconut
1/4 (80 g) cup honey
1/4 cup (60 ml) macadamia nut oil
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 tablespoon water

Combine almond meal, flaked almonds and coconut.
Combine honey and oil into a small pot and heat gently.
Mix the bicarb and water then pour into the honey pot and mix until it starts to froth.
Pour into the dry nut ingredients and mix through until combined. Add a little water if needed to combine which will help them stick together.
Form into 22 cookies
Bake in a low pre heated oven 120 C (248 F) for about 30 minutes until golden.

Try not to eat them all at once!