Day1 - Quit Sugar 8 week program

My little man helping mum peel almonds

As expected today was a good day. 

Motivation - high

Energy Levels - great

Weight 72.4kgs

Gross Detoxy feelings - none

Sugary foods consumed - soy milk in my morning latte

 

Tough spot -  I did have a moment this afternoon at a friend's house when I was offered some bran cake which sounded oh-so-healthy but alas there was sugar in it.  So I waited until I got home and had a latte with A2 milk and one of the zest n' poppy sugar free bikkies that I made yesterday and felt great.  Even while making the kids popcorn I didn't feel the urge to snack away the afternoon as has been my style lately.

 

I weighed in this morning as well just to keep an eye on what's happening weight wise.  While weight loss isn't my ultimate goal I am really curious to see what happens on the scales and as long as I can keep my exercise levels up I should be losing fat instead of muscle.

 

The chia pudding that I mentioned I had made for this morning's breakfast I thought was really tasty and filling and my husband thought is wasn't too bad but the kids weren't loving it so I am going to have a play with it to see if I can make it more palateable for the kids.  I'll let you know how I go. 

 

The chickpea bombs again were enjoyed by my husband but not so much by my 6 year old but I had a proud mum moment when she explained that although she didn't love them she still ate them because she had swimming at school today and she needed the energy.  That's my clever girl!!

 

The little man and I peeled our almonds this morning and have had them in the oven ever since.  Can't wait to try these tomorrow when they are properly dried out.

 

Here's how we did it

 

Activated Almonds

 1 cup almonds

enough water to cover almonds and an extra 1" at the top

1tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt to taste (we used Himalayan Rock Salt but it's up to you)

 

Cover almonds with water and leave to soak overnight

In the morning peel off the skins, so that you have blanched almonds

Place almonds in a bowl and mix through vinegar and salt.

Place in the oven on he lowest setting you have and cook for 12-24hrs or whenever they feel crunchy.

 

(adapted from the I Quit Sugar e-cookbook)

 

 

I'm sweet enough thanks

I am officially on the bandwagon.  The no sugar bandwagon that is.  I have done lots of thinking and lots of reading about this humble sweetener over the last 6 months or so and I have finally come to the point where I have read enough to convince me that sugar may in fact be the root of all evil. 

 

A large call you say.  Sure it's a big call but if what I'm reading is accurate, and the science is convincing, then we really do have something to worry about.  Those who have something to say on the subject and most notably I have been reading Australian author David Gillespie who wrote Sweet Poison and Big Fat Lies and Dr. Robert Lustig author of Fat Chance.

 

Both authors have done a phenomenal amount of research into obesity and metabolic syndrome and what may be behind the massive increase in our waistlines and the massive spike in diseases related to metabolic syndrome such as Type 2 Diabetes, Dyslipidemia, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver, Heart Disease and Hypertension amongst a host of others.  Both authors are happy to present the science and take along the journeys that they both took to come to the conclusion that sugar or more accurately fructose is by far the most likely cause of all of these diseases and more.

 

I won't go through the science with you as you can read the books yourself and if you're a bit of nutrition buff like me they are well worth the read.  The basic premise is that fructose which is one half of table sugar and the sugar that gives fruit it's sweetness manages to go undetected in our bodies energy balancing system and so our body continues to look for food to make up for the calories that it can't see.  It also impairs the bodies ability to recognize leptin which is the hormone that tells the brain that you have eaten enough.  Pair this with the fact that it is linked to the pleasure centers of your brain which reward you with a hit of dopamine every time you eat it and there-in lies the crux of the problem.  No wonder we struggle to give up the white stuff!!

 

Unfortunately the only real solution to stopping the cycle of eat more sugar, want more sugar is to go off it completely.  This is where I began to struggle.  Yes I can see what they're saying about sugar being so bad for us but it tastes so good and has been one of my main sources of energy while pregnant and coping with a new born and it's my friend and I love it and I don't really want to give it up but give it up I must.  I have however managed to recruit some help to get me across the line.

 

I found a great resource in the form of Australian writer and personality Sarah Wilson.  I used to love reading Sarah's articles in the Herald Sun about getting back to basics and simplifying life and so when I found that Sarah had quit sugar and published the e-books I Quit Sugar and I Quit Sugar 8 week plan I knew I had found the help I needed.  I purchased her 8 week plan and I Quit Sugar e-cookbook and am excitedly preparing for week 1 tomorrow. 

 

The program takes you on an 8 week journey that is designed to allow you to release your need for sugar and focus your eating habits on foods that will truly uplift you body but it begins gently to ease you into the scary world of no sugar.  This first week is simply about cutting back on those added sugars in your diet and taking stock of where the sugar in your diet is coming from.  It's about preparing for the weeks ahead by finding alternative foods and strategies for coping when the craving hits.

 

The e-cookbook is stunning and as it is my first experience of an e-cookbook I have had so much fun clicking on the links for more information and recipes.  The 108 recipes in the book are also amazing and I have already made the Chia seed pudding, the zest n' poppy cookies (which my little man loved), some chickpea bombs and have got some almonds soaking tonight in preparation for activating them tomorrow.

 

With Sarah's help I truly believe that I can kick the sugar habit and supercharge my energy levels and my health and hopefully lose some baby weight along the way.  Wish me luck over the next 8 weeks and I promise to keep you up to date with how I'm going and I'll pop in any recipes I feel have been helpful for anyone who wants to join me.  Is anyone else in the process of kicking the sugar habit or has already done so successfully or not so successfully?  I'd love to hear about your experiences.

 

Your balance buddy

XX

Tap, tap, tap it away

I must admit.  When my sister introduced me to the idea of tapping a little while back I was sceptical.  Very, very sceptical.  The idea that simply tapping on specific areas of your body could magically make your problems disappear to me sounded absolutely ridiculous.  Imagine my surprise then when I found myself signing up for the 2013 Tapping World Summit!! I'm still not sure why I did it but I'm so glad I did.

The ideas behind tapping were originally developed by a psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan to help with some of his clients who were struggling to move through some emotional issues.  He called the process the Callahan technique Thought Field Therapy (TFT.)  He found that a client who had spent a long time with him trying to work through an anxiety issue found themselves much less anxious after only 1 session of TFT.  

The process was then adopted by many more practitioners including Nick Ortner and Jack Canfield and the name was changed to Emotional Freedom Technique or more simply just tapping.  The idea of tapping is that   by tapping specific areas of the body which are based on Traditional Chinese Medicine acupressure or meridian points while talking about the specific issue that is bothering you you are able to reprogram the brain to be less affected by the specific issue.  Proponents of tapping have stated that there is now research that shows that tapping actually affects the brain's amygdala response.  

The amaygdala is the part of the brain that stimulates the fight or flight reaction in response to stressful stimuli.  Normally if there is something in your life that is causing you some grief, thinking about it will light up the amygdala region of the brain putting the body into fight or flight mode.  Apparently researchers found that the process of tapping actually disengages the amygdala while thinking about the stressful stimuli meaning that you are able to effectively reprogram your brain to be less stressed out by the normally stressful situation. To see how tapping is done please watch the below video.

Speakers at the 2013 Tapping World Summit have claimed to have used tapping with clients to help to heal a huge variety of concerns both mental and physical such as guilt, phobias, addictions, fears, physical pain, illness and weight loss.  They believe that all problems have an emotional base and by working through and tapping away that emotion the situation can be improved. 

I have listened to speakers over the last few days talk about using tapping for weight loss, body image issues, self love and ending self sabotaging behaviors and have had my eyes opened to the emotions that hide behind a lot of our issues.  I have tapped away with the speakers and have found that over the last couple of days I have felt calmer and much more centered as I have started to deal with some of the emotions that I had been hiding deep down.

The Tapping World Summit is on until the 13th of March and is free to register.  If you're interested in finding out more about this technique and the different ways that it can be used in your life then join up  here and listen to each day's downloads at a time that suits you.  Just ensure that you watch the introductory video first otherwise you will find yourself a bit lost.  I highly recommend having a look at this after all you have nothing to lose and heaps to gain.  I still have no idea what made me sign up for this summit but I can see tapping having a big impact on my life.

You balance buddy

Renae X

Relax fella

Are you the kind of person who when feeling tired will keep pushing through?  I know I am, actually I mean was. I've always been the kind of gal who when their body says "You know Renae, I'm a little bit tired now how about stopping for a rest?"  I would reply "Pfft.  Body what would you know. We've got heaps of work left to be done and we won't be stopping until I am satisfied that it's done."

Now you can manage to go on like this for a while but in the end if you're not allowing your body to get the rest that it needs it will eventually slow you down whether you like it or not.  For some it's falling asleep at the wheel and having an accident, for some it's stress related heart conditions, for many including myself this weird little phenomenon called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome comes and takes over your body.

No-one seems to know what actually causes CFS as it is simply a medical term for the patient having persistent tiredness not caused by over exertion, medical conditions or relieved by rest.  It is believed to be often caused by a post-virus fatigue as the illness often begins as strong flu like symptoms which then lead into the fatigue and many, many other symptoms.

For me I was just completing my final assessments for my fitness qualifications, was actively looking for work, looking after 2 very active children under 4, training vigorously usually twice a day, training as an SES crew member and moving house when illness struck.  In fact it struck the very weekend we were moving house and as my husband was busy painting the interior of our new home I moved every single box from one house to the other while barely able to stand.

As was to be expected (but not by me at that stage) I didn't recover very well from my illness and the next week while completing a running prac for my final assessments I was barely able to get around a track that I would normally have been able to do 25 laps of without breaking a sweat.  Did this slow me down?  No way, straight after this I went a completed another prac at Cross Fit.

You're probably thinking this chick is pretty slow but the fact was that I was just stubborn and refused to admit that while the mind was strong, the flesh was unable.  After this I began working in the fitness industry doing sometimes seven shifts a week, teaching classes, showing clients how to lift weights  and completing my own training.  I also had the sole care of my children for 40 hours a week and the lion's share of the housework and cooking. 

I was getting home from work some nights at 9pm and would be backing out my driveway again at 5.30am.  Guess what?  I got so tired that I would fall asleep sitting in a chair in the middle of the day.  I would wake up after 8 hours sleep feeling as though I hadn't slept a wink 9 days out of 10.  I refused to listen to my doctor that it was my highly active children causing my tiredness as they had always been active but I hadn't always been chronically exhausted.  I finally sought the advice of a naturopath who through analysis of my lifestyle, symptoms and some diagnostic tools was of the belief that I was suffering from adrenal fatigue.

While I don't want to get too much into this, adrenal fatigue is basically when you keep your body in "fight or flight" mode for too long and your adrenal glands are no longer able to produce the adrenaline needed to get through life with the energy it requires.

Fast forward to now and through falling pregnant with baby #3 and leaving work to become a stay at home mum I have finally learnt that my body does have limitations and failing to recognise this is not tough, it's not courageous, it's stupid.  I have now learnt to listen to what my body needs and have found the following things:

- While pregnant I need a minimum of 9hrs sleep to function well

- Exercising more than a brisk walk or some vigorous yoga or a light weights session causes excessive fatigue.

- If I feel tired, stop.   Sit down and take 10 minutes to have a cup of tea, read a book or cuddle the kids.  If I don't, I end up down for a whole day.  Better to take 10 minutes now.

- Going to be at 9.30pm and rising at 6.30am gives me about 30% more energy then going to bed and waking up at alternative times.

- Not to feel guilty, like a failure or weak because I cannot function at the level I used to as this was what caused this predicament in the first place.

- That when I respect my body's needs that I  feel much better in general and much less tired meaning that I am still able to achieve plenty in my day.

I have also found that by being more selective in the things that I spend my time and energy on and cutting out the stuff that has no real importance I am able to not only conserve energy but I am able to focus better on those things that I do meaning that I do them better.

My advice to you so that you don't need to learn things that hard way is to listen to that body of yours.  Rest when you need to rest, get the amount of sleep that your body needs, exercise at an intensity that leaves you invigorated not constantly exhausted and don't function on the belief that you must be busy to be productive. Respect your body and it will be everything you need it to be.

Easy Peasy Pesto Pasta

This is what I threw together last night for Adie's school lunch today.  She loves pasta and I know this will go down a treat.  It also makes a nice change from sandwiches.  I threw in some berries for brain food, a cheese stick, nutella on 1 slice of bread (her Friday treat) and yoghurt for morning tea (she's a very big eater) and an apple to go with her lunch.

I didn't throw in the meat for Adie as we had a tofu smoothie for brekky and we are having meat for dinner so her protein needs will be covered but it is a great option to get some extra protein in if needed.  The pesto also contains some great fats which will help to make her feel fuller and do all of those wonderful things that good fats do.

Serves 1

Ingredients

Handful of dried pasta (so technical I know)

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1.5tbs pesto sauce or pesto dip (it's what I had left in the fridge!)

Small handful of ham or cooked chicken optional

Method

1. Cook pasta according to packet directions

2. Add pesto, tomatoes and meat to pasta and serve.  Lunch done!

Adie's Yummy Tuna Lunch Roll Ups

Ingredients

2 x Slices of multigrain bread

1/2 95gm tin tuna (I use lemon and cracked pepper or tomato and onion)

1 tbs light cream cheese

3 slices of cucumber diced

2 tbs grated carrot

Method

1. Cut Crusts of Bread and using a rolling pin roll as flat as possible

2. Spread Cream Cheese over the two slices of bread then on one end of the bread add tuna, cucumber and carrot.  

3.Pressing down firmly on fillings tightly roll bread up into a tube.  Cut into whatever size pieces your child will find easy to manage.  I cut Adie's into 1/2.

Healthy Homemade Muesli Bites - A Great School Snack

With my oldest starting school this week I am keen to find lunchbox additions that contain healthy ingredients and that I can make myself to ensure less nasty additives.  While searching the internet for suitable recipes I came across a muesli bar recipe that looked not too bad but it contained not only honey but also sugar and butter.  This was close to what I had in mind but not quite as the amount of sugar and unhealthy saturated fat was not what I wanted for our little girl's school lunch box.

I decided to attempt this recipe but with a couple of changes.  Firstly instead of the 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of brown sugar in the recipe I added only 3/4 cup of honey.  While honey is still a sugar it has a lower GI rating than sugar and contains many more health benefits and nutritional benefits. (See Health Benefits of Honey for more info).

I also switched the 125gms of butter which is high in unhealthy saturated fats (Long Chain Fatty Acid or LCFA) for 125gms of coconut oil which is high in a healthier saturated fat (Medium Chain Fatty Acid or MCFA.)  The difference basically is that the body metabolizes each of these fat types differently and while LCFA have a negative effect on cholesterol, MCFA has no effect on cholesterol and in fact has been known to lower the risk of heart disease.

There are many more health claims made about coconut oil but the one I found most fascinating was that coconut oil contains lauric acid which when present in the body converts to monolaurin.  Monolaurin is a compound that is highly toxic to viruses, bacteria, funguses and other micro organisms and it is used to treat conditions such as candida albicans, athlete's foot, measles and influenza.  Breast milk is the only other known source of lauric acid which may explain the increased immunity of breastfed infants.  For more info on coconut oil please see Coconut Oil.

OK so back to the recipe which I tried and I must say tastes absolutely amazing and the little Miss agrees.  It has heaps of seeds, oats and wheatgerm so while high in calories they are largely good calories and a little bit will go a long way to providing satiety.  They are nut and dairy free and so suitable for people with nut or dairy allergies or for kids who go to nut free schools or kinders.  Please note though that it is high in sugar due to the honey and so isn't something that should take the place of fresh fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy in the lunchbox but something to add in every now and then in place of a store bought muesli bar.

Keep an eye out for more school lunch ideas this week as I get ready for my very first back to school.  Please subscribe above if you don't want to miss out on any of my delicious but nutritious lunch ideas.

Renae's Super Tasty, Super Healthy Muesli Bites

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup wheatgerm

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup sultanas

125gms coconut oil

3/4 cup honey

Method

1. In a frying pan cook oats, coconut, wheatgerm, sesame seeds, sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds stirring over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes.  Set aside to cool and stir in sultanas.

2. Cook honey and coconut oil over medium heat until coconut oil melts then turn heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes.

3. Line a 20x30cm slice tin in baking paper and add in the oat mixture and then the honey mixture stirring thoroughly.  Really, really thoroughly.  Press down firmly with a fork and leave to cool.

4. Once cooled slice into 32 pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.  This recipe should also freeze but I haven't tried it yet.  I will give it a go tonight and report tomorrow on the results.

Options

Try rice bubbles or puffed millet instead of the rolled oats for a gluten free version.  You could also add in whatever dried fruit you like and swap some nuts for seeds if nut allergies are not an issue for you and your school.

Nutritional Information

Based upon calorieking.com.au

Per 1 piece Makes 32 Pieces

KJs/Cals - 630/151

Total Carbs - 13.3gms

Sugar - 10gms

Fat - 9.8gms

Saturated Fat - 6.2gms (see info on coconut oil fats above)

Cholesterol - 0mg

Protein - 2.8gms

Fibre - 1.6gms

Sodium - 3mg

Calcium - 24mg

Hung up on housework?

Now where's that kit kat?

So here I am at home exhausted but happy after spending a few days cleaning my home with the energy that has returned with the second trimester of my pregnancy.  Happy I said, more like completely chuffed with myself.  The floors were done, the kitchen fully cleaned out and organised, the furniture was polished, the kid's rooms were spotless and the bathrooms were sparkling.  The house looked amazing for the first time in a long while and I was loving it.

Now let's rewind back and have a look at the last few months when I was completely zonked with early pregnancy and the constant nausea taking it's toll on me.  The house was never a bomb site but it was also never amazing and I felt this everyday as disappointment in myself for not being able to stay as on top of things as I would have liked.  

I found myself often in tears and yelling at my darling boy as he had yet again decided to change our carpet from white to psychadelic with whatever tools he had at hand (wax crayon, fruit juice, playdough, whatever he could get his hands on really.)  I took every attempt from my children to mess with the tidiness of my house as a personal insult and when they really trashed it I felt hopeless defeat for a while.

Seriously who buys white carpet?

Now as I stood there feeling chuffed about my amazingly clean looking abode it occurred to me that I had invested a lot of myself and my self esteem in my ability to keep a tidy home.  It might seem like something reasonably harmless and that heaps of people do but when you stop to think about it it's completely crazy.  I was investing my sense of wellbeing and happiness in something that not only has no affect whatsoever on the fate of mankind (my ruling stick for the import of anything,) but was also totally at the mercy of two children, my energy levels and my schedule.  In hindsight really not that clever.

Buddha amongst his many teachings brought us the idea that human suffering was caused by either attachment or aversion.  Attachment to things that we have or desire and aversion to those things we don't want.  Buddha taught his disciples that to achieve true happiness we need to rid ourselves of our attachments and aversions.  He wasn't suggesting that we never want for anything ever again but that we didn't attach ourselves or our current or future happiness to that desire.

Buddha also taught us about impermanence.  The fact that nothing in this universe including ourselves is here forever and that even the giant mountain of today will be a slightly different mountain tomorrow as it is affected by it's environment so that one day it may be worn away to nothing.  

Understanding the implications of impermanence helps us to let go of our attachments and aversions as we understand that those things that we feel we can't be happy without won't last nor will the happiness that comes with attaining them.  Also those things that we waste energy on hating, wishing away or avoiding will also not last and we can accept that with  time the cause of our aversion or our aversion itself will simply cease to be.

What does this have to do with my housework scenario? Everything.  I had attached myself and my happiness to having to have a clean home.  When my home was clean, I was content with this aspect of myself and would allow myself happiness until as is inevitable this condition for happiness goes away and I am back to denying myself happiness until the condition is restored.

So what to do?  While I don't endorse never cleaning your house again as keeping a clean home helps to ensure a safe and healthy environment for us and our families, I am suggesting that my sense of wellbeing is to no longer be impacted by the condition of having a clean home or not.  Now that I have awareness of my actions I can understand that while my home may not be as clean as I would like, this condition will not last and so I needn't waste my energy and happiness on wishing it to be different.

Gimme, gimme, gimme

I've talked about having a clean home but there are many different ways we display attachments and aversions that will be manifesting themselves in my life and yours.  Do you feel ashamed of yourself when unable to stick to your chosen eating plan and totally pumped when you get it right?  Do you think of yourself as a queen or king when you have achieved that longed for figure/muscle tone and a dog when your body looks different to this ideal?  Is your sense of self love affected by the behavior of your children, state of your bank balance, prestige of your occupation, make of your car?  The list goes on.

My challenge for myself over the next week and I hope you'll join me is to look at those things we have attached our sense of wellbeing to, list them down and then get real with ourselves about the impermanence of these things and the craziness of attaching our happiness to them.  I reiterate again that I am not asking you to stop working on a healthier you or stop working but to understand that these things are not you and you are not them.

Good luck and if you like what you read don't forget to follow my blog by subscribing at the top of this page.

Your balance buddy

Renae X

P.S Is there anything you can think of straight away that you have unknowingly attached yourself to?

My Delicious Berry Tofu Smoothie and why I love silken Tofu

Silken Tofu

Silken Tofu for me is an absolute wonder product.  It is extremely versatile, inexpensive and high in nutrients such as calcium (tofu has 372mg per 100gms compared to skim milk which has 122mg per 100mls), protein (6gms per 100gms with all essential amino acids), it is a good source of thiamin, magnesium, phosphorous and copper, it is low in sodium,  fat and most importantly saturated fat and is suitable for vegans.

Silken Tofu is similar to firm tofu (regular tofu) except that it is processed differently and has a different texture.  Pressing and separating the soy curds and whey is what gives regular tofu it's firmness whereas in making silken tofu the two are not separated which gives a much lighter and creamier tofu.  

This is perfect for me as I like to use silken tofu to increase the nutritional content of many old favorites such as potato and leek soup, pumpkin soup and pesto sauce.  Like regular tofu, silken tofu takes on the flavour of what you are cooking it with but the beauty of silken tofu is that it blends into whatever you are making and the only difference is that it will slightly thicken and make creamy whatever it is you are cooking.

I wanted to share with you a recipe I adore.  I'm not someone who is huge on eating highly processed foods and so when I need to get some protein in quickly and I don't have time to cook eggs or just to add a bit of additional protein and nutrients to a smoothie I whip this up as a breakfast or after workout snack.

Note: A Tofu smoothie does not have the equivalent protein of a protein powder so if you are looking for a large amount of protein then a protein powder (whey protein isolate is great) would be a better source.

Berry Tofu Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients 

125gms Silken Tofu

2 handfuls of frozen berries

500mls(ish) of milk or soy milk

2 drops vanilla essence

1 pinch of cinnamon

Method

Throw all ingredients into the blender and process until smooth.  Continue to add more milk to achieve the right consistency and then enjoy.

Optional Extras

Banana (great for extra carbs), LSA powder, chia seeds, cocoa powder, coconut oil, flaxseed oil.

My life out of Balance

On the surface I guess you could say that I'm someone who already has a pretty balanced life.  Like most people I'm good at hiding the ugly truth from the general public so as to present a picture of a happy, healthy and on top of everything person.  I am coming to learn that not only does this do me a disservice as it robs me of the opportunity to live truthfully fully accepting where I am in life right now but it also stops me from asking for help sometimes when it's desperately needed.  

This also does others a disservice as they do not get the opportunity to get to know the real me and they are also robbed of the opportunity to offer me help as people like to have the opportunity to help others where possible.  I know this is the truth for me and I'm sure it is also for many others.  It gives us a lasting sense of inner happiness when we can help ease the suffering of others.  Why let pride get in the way of giving someone that opportunity?

So the ugly truth is that although I seem to lack for nothing, in reality my life is full of some gaping holes.  I lack energy, I lack passion, I lack respect for my true self, I lack time to be present with my children, I lack respect for my own limitations, I lack the ability to ask for help, I lack the ability to maintain a way of eating that fully supports my body, I lack the will to exercise some days even though I love it, somedays I even lack the ability to be happy.  This is not how I want to live my life.

Now before you think OMG here we go this blog is going to be one gigantic whinge fest.  I also have many, many, many wonderful things in my life that I am truly grateful for every day and can always access this gratitude.  I also understand that I really lack for nothing as I already have inside me the ability to have all of these things. 

The purpose of this blog is to track my journey as I tap into my inner abilities to create what I desire in my life and to lose those things that do not serve me.  I hope that in discovering this I can help some of you to do the same for yourselves.  At the very least there will be some kick ass recipes, some interesting challenges and natural living advice that I'm sure everyone can take something from.

So get on board by subscribing on your top right and together lets start accessing our full potential and living our best lives, not our perfect lives but our best lives.

Today's question for you:

What are those things that you feel is missing from your life that you want to uncover?

Your balance buddy

Renae X