Fit Kids - keeping our kids healthy, the fit kid toolbox with Hivita

Being a fit, healthy family in these modern times can be quite the challenge!
Many families find it a challenge and even when you do get it happening well, and you all eat well you can still be falling short of certain minerals and vitamins. It is hard!
Families and especially kids are busier than ever so it is more important than ever to give our bodies everything it needs to work at peak performance.

As a mum, passionate about healthy, active living and a dance mum of a very active competitive dancer and cheerleader, I know nutrition and health is so important.
My youngest from a tiny age was filled with passion and drive to dance and stretch and lunge about our house like a Yogi. It is this amazing drive in her that I also see in lots of other kids these days as well.
Not a very big TV family I have always encouraged outdoor activities, dancing, yoga and sports for all the confidence and health benefits. My youngest loves it so very much.

We eat well, loads of vegetables and fruit every week but when your child is also learning for many hours a day at school and then training 3-4 afternoons a week or doing different activities they need a really great action plan to support them.

For my little ballerina and for other kids that do sports, dance, cheerleading, swimming or are just active kids wanting to be healthy this is my action plan!

• Good sleep.
  I make sure she gets 12 hours a night, for her age, level of training and school this ensures she is well rested.
• Hydration.
  We actually generally pack two bottles of filtered water for school so we can monitor just how much she is drinking there and so she drinks more.
• Relaxation time.
  I make sure she gets soaking relaxing baths with kid appropriate essential oils, Epsom salts magnesium baths, massages, chiropractic adjustments if needed and downtime days of relaxation.
• Green time.
  It might sound obvious but we actually have to make a mental plan to get enough of this in some weeks when we are really busy! This includes beach time, bush walking, a trip to a waterfall, river walks, park plays, tree climbing, muddy puddles! Fresh air + sunshine + dirt!
• Nutrition.
  Lots of raw vegetables and fruits, green smoothies before school, healthy protein sources, good fats. Healthy snacks to give longer sustained energy and lots of diversity in vegetables.

An extra boost.
At the moment we are doing this with HIVITA for KIDS
I have found this to be a really useful extra tool in the parenting toolbox actually. I was sent some to review and I noticed the first days that it gave her a boost in energy levels, (not like the sugar boost that has an awful after effect crash but the great sustained energy boost we might see from power juices and things as adults.)
My daughter found the taste pleasant and it had a full range of minerals and vitamins, unlike many multivitamins that forget about the all important minerals we need too!
It would also be equally great I imagine for the fussy eaters, the low immune kids that seem to catch every cold that goes about, myself and my oldest more studios daughter are also currently taking Hivita as well and do actually feel a lot better for it.
I think it can be so easy to forget about all the extra minerals that humans actually need to be in top health, they don't even get that much of a mention in the media but they are so important for our health and wellbeing.

To find out more about Hivita check out their website HERE

AND my readers you can get 50% OFF!! To try it yourself

TRY Hivita Liquivita for Kids using code "bekkids" at the checkout of the online store!

And you can see my tiny ballerina in action on her Instagram, account HERE

*This was a sponsored post by Hivita. Opinions and reviews completely our own.

FUTURO review and my personal health toolkit.

FUTURO review and my personal health toolkit.

When you become a mum you sacrifice, you give, and you do everything in your power to raise healthy, happy and protected children. 

And then you get a bit older and things start to weaken or show wear and tear or maybe even illness or disease strikes and you realise how little effort you may have been putting into looking after YOU as well. 

Now when you have medical issues I think you can either become a sufferer or a doer, just like the glass half full scenario. I have decided to be a doer and find the best ways to help me and my body, as it is after all my only body, to better cope with life and live a long, healthy, happy one.

While I am only 35 I come from a family with (amongst other things) lots of Osteoarthritis and I myself have also been told I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and scoliosis so my joints and back can be very painful and does need extra tender loving care.

And you know what? These days I am doing pretty darn good. Yes, there is pain, and discomfort but I feel like I have an awesome toolkit at my disposal helping me now! 

Yep, a toolkit! 

Just like you might have for your house or your car.  A toolkit of things that help you, aid you, make a real difference to your quality of life. What is in mine?? 

*EXERCISE. My Rheumatologist told me exercise is even more important for me than the average 35 year old as it will actually help my body to cope better, things like squats and lunges (yikes, I don’t think I will ever like them) help strengthen my muscles and take the pressure off my joints so I am doing sets of exercises every day. I am also back into walking and about to get into a Pilates or yoga class. 
*POSTURE, MASSAGE and PHYSIO TREATMENTS. With my physio I am practising better posture. 
*PLANT BASED ANTI INFLAMMATORY EATING. With my diet I am eating a plant based, clean diet full of green smoothies, fresh juices, soups, salads, fruit platters, raw desserts and (because I can’t help myself – chocolate, my old friend, though, in my defence, mostly refined sugar free chocolate ). It is very much simple foods that I am eating and lots of leafy greens and foods as close to natural as possible – and it is working! My inflammation levels on blood tests have plummeted and I lost 15 kilos! 
*ALKALINE WATER. With my new water filter jug, that I LOVE I have been drinking alkaline water every day, as have my kids! 
*HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS. With my naturopath I am taking silica, turmeric, fish oil, high vitamin c, zinc, pro biotics, glutamin and a herbal mixture. 
*FUTURO SUPPORT. And for my body I am now trying out 
Futuro Custom Dial Stabilising Supports 

I am using these cool innovations, especially when I am doing repetitive work which normally gives me lots of pain. I have to be honest, at first I wasn't so sure they would help as I have tried plenty of creams, braces and things in the past but I did actually feel a difference the first day I was wearing them, especially the wrist ones. These braces by Futuro are specially engineered to give protection and comfort and most of all firm reliable support to weakened or injured areas like wrists, elbows and knees. The supports feature Boa Technology Inc. ‘click to fit’ dials, so they are adjustable throughout the day with the simple twist of a dial, providing the level of support needed by you and giving you control over how it works for you.  

AND my girls thought I looked like Iron Man – so it was the added bonus of instant cool mummy cred too! 

Futuro wrist braces – giving mums pain relief , support AND instant Iron Man coolness!! 

One thing I have absolutely learnt in the last few years is that pain robs your life of JOY. It is a happiness thief, it makes you short tempered, grumpy, dismissive and stops you enjoying each and every moment with your children. 

I also learnt that prescription pain relief doesn’t really help with joint, back and neck pain either. It just takes the edge off and makes you feel vague and tired, plus it puts so much extra stress on your liver and kidneys! And it doesn’t address the problem of why the pain is there either. 

What I now know is it is having a toolkit at our disposal; a balanced, chemical free toolkit, like a great physio, herbal supplements, exercises and tools like these Futuro Custom Dial supports can give us our joy back. 

It can make living in our body much more comfortable so we can get back to the more important things in life like bug hunting in the garden with 4 year olds and braiding 9 year old hair to look like Elsa. 

If I can share any wisdom with fellow mums it is get yourself a great tool kit and support system for your body and your health, it makes a world of difference and you need to take care of yourself because while your kids are your world, you are theirs. 

This is some of my personal toolkit this year – giving me my JOY back.

Bek xoxox 

This is a sponsored blog post as I was paid to review the Futuro Custom Dial supports. 

All opinions are my own and I do very much believe in my "toolkit" and only endorse products I believe in.

If you suffer from joint pain, or have someone you love that does pop over and have at their full product range HERE for medication free support options available out there. After all our bodies have to cope with so many chemicals and things already, anything natural that helps is a really good thing!


Please note the information in this post is based on the author, Bek's own personal experiences and does not in any way give out medical information or replace a consultation with your health care professional, it is for your reading pleasure only. Please always seek and follow expert advice for any and all health concerns you may have before undertaking any kind of treatment, natural or otherwise.

WATER. Hydration for Health & Happiness and a water filter review

WATER
Beautiful, life sustaining water.
I think in modern times, and even especially now that healthy eating has become so very in, we often forget the simple things and one of the most important ingredients of all for a healthy, happy life, WATER...

Up to 60% of the human body is water, every cell in our body uses water. We need water to function, to live and yet so many people don't drink enough water! And don't worry for many years that was me too...
More and more studies have been done that show dehydration to be found in almost every known disease to mankind and it also makes almost every illness's symptoms worse.
Think about it, when something is seriously wrong what do they do in hospital? Put you on a drip! Because they know how important proper hydration is.
Last year I read an incredible book on this very subject coming from decades of medical research called, "Your not sick, your dehydrated."

Wow, what an amazing book and eye opening read.

It wasn't long after reading it and being inspired to include much more water into my day that I began to really notice and worry about the chemicals and toxins found in tap water.
I can totally understand why they are in there. Council's have to make sure no moulds, bacteria or anything harmful gets into people's drinking water, no easy feat when it usually comes from lakes and dams I can imagine.
BUT, if I am making all this healthy, chemical free, beautiful food and trying really hard to have a chemical free house then surely these chemicals are counterproductive?

It was right when I was thinking this over and wondering also at the state of the inside also of my rainwater tank which the owner told em he wasn't sure had been ever cleaned (eek, I know right) that I was contacted about reviewing an amazing, high tech, extremely efficient (and complicated)  in home water filtration system that conveniently is all inside a handy jug!

It is just the perfect size for a family, would fit into any household and is portable so also very convenient for anyone who is renting.
And while the process it undertakes to clean and energise the water is highly complex, you don't have to do much of anything! (Perfect for a busy mum like me) who has little time for more complicated things in life.

It is even designed into an attractive jug that would not clash with any kitchen decor either for that matter.
Which funnily enough has always been of great importance to me and my kitchen purchases ;)

I also LOVE that the company you buy it from is created by Joanne Musgrave, a certified health coach who uses her own training along with naturopath Julie McNab to offer a range on her website that you know has been really well researched, not just the ingredients but the company itself too and their ethics. What is there is beautiful products and you know you can trust what you find at Shop Naturally.

Now this means a lot to me, and I really place a lot of value in businesses that take their products and their word on said products seriously. This makes my life so much easier as a shopper and busy mum and also gives me great respect and admiration for their integrity and passion.
I am just delighted to say that Shop Naturally is one such business.

I don't have hours and hours of spare time to research everything, I just don't so when I can trust a beautiful business that makes my life and shopping experiences so much better.
On the Sunshine Coast I have this trust with the Jeffers Market stores where I know Stephen Jeffers would not stock anything he had not extensively researched and now I have it online at Shop Naturally now I have discovered them too.

The water jug I reviewed and fell in love with is called

Waters Co Bio Mineral Pot Ace 1.5L Water Filter Jug
Check out out here 

It is 1.5 litre, adds minerals back into your water, has a nine stage filtration system, alkalines the water and filters out chlorine and fluoride.

" The 9 filtration stages are: prefilter, activated carbon filter medium, ion exchange resin, bio organic alkaline minerals, organic germanium, far infrared and magnets. They filter out chlorine, heavy metals, fluoride, nitrate, odours, sediment, bacteria, cysts & viruses. At the same time, the filtration system adds around 60 bio organic trace minerals & restructures the water molecules to significantly increase cellular hydration, adding 'Ki' (Life energy)." Website quote. 

It even comes with a PH testing kit, something as a horticulturalist I was very impressed with and interested in.
I have long since suspected the Sunshine Coast water to be acidic and I found out I was right and considering research also sais that cancer can only live in an acid environment I think we all want to improve our bodies PH to be more alkaline and one of the easiest ways to do this is drinking alkaline water everyday.

Improving your hydration and becoming alkaline improves your skin, eyes, hair, weight, mood, bowel movements and is said to be powerful healing for everyone and especially people with auto immune diseases, arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Reactive Arthritis, asthma, chrons, eczema etc etc

Drinking more water always sounds simple but in reality so often ends up being a bit slap dash!!
I find this jug not only gives me better tasting water that is so much better for me and my family but it also keeps me accountable too as I know just how many times I should be refilling it and drinking from it for me and my two gorgeous girls everyday!

Thank you goes to Shop Naturally for this review and for introducing me to an easy way to beautiful, clean, alkaline healing water for me and my children.

Eat Beautiful, Be Active, Live Well, Find Calm AND stay hydrated!

LOVE Bek XX

Beauitiful Skin Carolines Product Range Review

Since hitting my 30's I have noticed my skin go through a real change. Gone is the oily skin of my youth and now I have skin that needs, wants moisture.
I can still hear my mother saying to me when I was young what her mother had told her and her grandmother had told her mother (and all had great skin and aged very well) you must moisturise your skin every day and with moisturiser you can trust, look after your skin as a woman, especially your face, neck, cleavage and hands and you will be forever glad you did.
Even when I look now at photos of my grandmother (whose last boyfriend was 34 years her junior!!) and my great grandmother I am amazed at how great their skin was and how well they aged, even my own mother in her late fifties now looks younger than she is and ix not heavily lined at all.
But did I, a modern girl born in the good old 80's listen to advice from generations of women in my family?? 
Gah, I wish!!
No instead I have spent years in the sun (horticulturalist so sort of comes with the territory I guess), in salt water and when I did put anything on my skin it was usually chemical laden make-up with no doubt toxic levels of who knows what!?
And yes, I have started to noticed those lovely face friends, wrinkles...
Well, good old hindsight and all that at least I am on to it now!!

Proof I am looking after my skin more and getting sun savvy!

So this year in my life self care and self body love is playing a big part.

When I watching the series breaking bad, (yes I was surprised that I got right into it), there was a scene when the pregnant Skylar was moisturising her pregnant belly and her arms and neck, it instantly triggered in me memories of always watching my mother moisturising and I realised that I just don't spend that much time doing simple acts of self love like this...

Am I really that busy or tired after the kids have gone to bed that I cannot spend even 10 minutes shining some love on myself and body?
No of course not so this is now a part of my nightly ritual!!

As part of this I have been on a mission to search out and find brands of skin care products that I can trust, that my skin actually likes and that really resonate with this self love and appreciation act.

In my search I have been delighted to come across a gorgeous brand called

Carolines Skincare

The name appealed to me right away as it sounds like a natural beauty range made by a woman who is proud to put her name to her product.
Of course it was (and some of you may already know I have a real thing about getting parcels ;) sent to me in a gorgeous packaged way with such detail it made my day!

When I first looked over the products I was absolutely thrilled reading the ingredient list - what a change from some out there with all those scary long unpronounceable chemical ingredients!
Here is an example:
The **beautiful** lip balm
Wheat germ Oil
 Borage Seed Oil
 Golden Seal root extract
 Calendula flower extract
 Slippery Elm extract
 St John’s Wort extract
 Simple Tincture of Benzoin
 Pau D’Arco
 Vitamin E (botanically derived)
 Jojoba
 Rosehip
The lush cream:Golden seal
Calendula Herbal extract
Borage Seed Oil
Aloe Vera
Simple tincture of Benzoin
Colloidal Oatmeal
Vitamin A

How could you not be thrilled with ingredients like that? Now I have also been trying quite a few natural skin care ranges lately and some have been great, some meh, some just lovely and the Caroline's Range definitely came under just lovely. Especially the lip balm - which I had to hide from my daughters and my visiting mother ( I guess I know what they will be getting in their Christmas stockings!)

Caroline's is also said to be excellent for Eczema, Dermatitis and Psoriasis.

My review? I really liked the range, I would add this to me fave natural ranges. I find the face wash leaves your skin really smooth and clean feeling, the moisturiser is nice and light - I could probably use a little heavier/deeper moisturising for my skin type on top of it but it felt just lovely on with no greasy residue and you can easily apply make-up after it without having to wait or worry about it not applying properly.
Also I know this range is safe, chemical free and even safe for my kids should they sneak some (which being girls they are wont to do!)
I will definitely add the lip balm to my beauty essentials, it is one of the best I have tried.

You can find the Carolines range and check them out yourself HERE
And find them on FACEBOOK here

Stay beautiful. Live Well. Cherish Yourself and get your self on too!

Bek XX 


Note: This is not a sponsored blog review, I was sent products from Carolines to try all opinions and review is my own at my own discretion.

Brown Rice & Quinoa Pumpkin Wine Risotto & WIN the wine to make it!

Recently I was sent two beautiful wines to review that are by Taylors Wines
(A hardship I know!)

I have always enjoyed a glass of a great wine with a beautiful meal shared with friends. My first experiences with wine were straight out of studying Horticulture to my first job working in vineyards in Mt Barker in Western Australia. It was such a wonderful experience, (ok well maybe apart from all the secateurs cuts ;) working in vineyards and with winemakers gave me such an insight into wine and grape vines and the beauty of the whole process.

Mixing this with great food was always a part of it for me and from my experiences of my mothers kitchen table.

When I tried the Gewurztraminer I knew I wanted to cook with it!

This dish I have created is a relaxing recipe to create, it is slowly cooked and a savoured experience. Beautiful, enjoyable cooking, best done while also enjoying a glass of this lovely wine and even better while chatting to a great friend or two.

Brown rice, Quinoa and Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients

• 3 cloves Australian garlic, chopped
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup Taylors White Wine I used Gewurztraminer
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 cup organic brown rice ( I actually found the organic cheaper than the non organic at coles!)
• 1/2 litre good vegetable stock
• 4 cups vegetable stock, gently warmed (not hot) 
• water as needed
• 1/2 medium pumpkin
• a few garlic cloves extra (optional)
• 100g feta
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Himalayan pink salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180'c
• Slice the pumpkin into slices about 3 cm long and 1/2 cm thick.
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and arrange on a baking tray, add some extra cloves of garlic and roast in the oven until cooked through and a little crispy on the outside. Set aside.
• Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a saucepan.
• Add in the lentils, reduce to a simmer and cook until soft. Set aside
• Fry the onion and leek in the olive oil until wilted.
• Add in the garlic and turmeric, stir through 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the brown rice, stir through so it is covered gently in olive oil.
• Pour in the wine, stir over a medium heat until it is mostly evaporated.
• Pour yourself a small glass of the beautiful Gewurztraminer (totally optional of course feel free to insert herbal tea here if you wish) and relax as you slowly enjoy and experience the next step of slowly adding stock to the rice, a bit at a time, stirring, enjoying the smells and textures in the pan, why not munch on some lovely carrot and red capsicum sticks too!
• Keep simmering that rice, stirring, adding stock a little at a time. If you need to use some water do so, when the rice is mostly cooked but still just a little crunchy add in the quinoa and lentils with any remaining stock and a enough water so there is enough liquid to cook the quinoa in. Mix together well and continue to simmer until rice and quinoa are cooked. Turn the heat off.

• Chop the feta into small bite sized pieces.
• Carefully fold the pumpkin pieces through the rice mixture and then the feta. The heat will allow the feta to gently melt a little in places. Remove skin and through roasted garlic cloves through.
• Serve.
• Optionally top with some freshly chopped parsley 
• Optionally serve with a glass of chilled Gewurztraminer to adult dinner guests so the flavour experience continues.

Notes

• The alcohol burns off during cooking 
• This dish makes beautiful leftovers the next day, enjoyed cold or hot.

Toddler Tips

• If you want to make a wine free version simple make a much smaller version for them and use stock in place of the wine, they do not usually notice the onion but you can leave out if you wish also.
• If you are serving this for a dinner party or the parents are enjoying a nice glass of wine with the meal why not make it fun for kids and let them have a chilled fruit juice in a stemmed glass too (you could always use plastic stemmed glasses from the party section at most shops if your worried about glass.

One lucky reader will win two bottles of Taylors Wines!

‘Bringing great wines to life.’

Established three generations ago in South Australia’s beautiful Clare Valley, Taylors Wines is a family-owned Australian wine company that was born from a passion of producing exceptional,  hand crafted wines. With a philosophy that embraces balance, elegance and finesse in every wine, Taylors truly brings great wines to life.

From a velvety Cabernet Sauvignon to vibrant Promised Land Moscato, Taylors Wines boasts a world-class collection of unmistakeable quality and style. Plus, with a comprehensive Environmental Management System and a commitment to sustainability, Taylors Wines understands that green is just as important as red and white.

The giveaway is open to Australia only. Winner must be of legal drinking age and provide proof of age to claim prize.

@Taylors_Wines

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taylors-Wines

http://www.taylorswines.com.au/

Would you like to WIN two beautiful wines from Taylors Wines?
To enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Presents in the post - Red Balloon

I have always loved the post.
Maybe it is in my heritage as my great, great grandfather was a postman in France...
Getting letters, cards and things in the mail has always filled me with delight, yet as times turn more and more digital you just don't get the same amount of mail like we once did, we even get e-cards and digital Christmas cards now.
So you can imagine my delight when to be able to review a RedBalloon experience!

My RedBalloon  experience was all about organic, fair trade  coffee, and yes it was just wonderful!
AND look at how stunning it comes to your door! The packaging and styling was faultless and it really did make my day extra special when I received it.

I truly treasured the moment and waited for my toddler to have her nap before brewing up a pot of one of the beautiful, organic coffee of the month and sitting down to enjoy it with a great biscuit, chocolate maca ball or macadamia bliss ball. Giving myself a treasured 10 minutes of quiet, cool breeze and delcious hot coffee - bliss!

I really enjoyed this review, and not just because I love a great coffee or because I love receiving things in the mail, or even because I absolutely loved the gorgeous presentation, I really enjoyed this review because it felt like a special reason to take some time out in my day for me and that is why I would not hesitate to do more Red Balloon experiences and give them as a gift.

AND even better you receive $20 off when you spend $79 or more on any RedBalloon experience or gift box!!! Visit www.redballoon.com.au and enter the promotional code REDBLOG14 at the checkout to receive your discount.
(Offer valid until 30/06/2014. Promotional Code can only be used once per person. All purchases are subject to RedBalloon T&Cs, for full details read here: http://www.redballoon.com.au/help/terms-conditions)

What a sensational gift idea for any member of the family or even yourself!

We all need that special reason to be delighted in our day, to take some time out to #experiencehappy !

Bek XX




*This was a sponsored review. Opinions are my own*