Balance

They say that finding a balance in your life is the key.  I wholeheartedly agree, but it is easier said than done! For me, my biggest challenge is time.  Time to get all the washing done, time to play with the kids & run them about, time for a hot cuppa, time to study, time to be healthy......you get my drift.  Before having children I had the luxury of time but of course didn't realise it then.  I have no regrets, I would just like to be able to fit it all in and not be exhausted at the end of each and every day?  So my quest is first and foremost to look after me.  Selfish, I think not.  If I'M not 100% all of the time then I can't possibly expect to achieve my goals.  I've punished myself for long enough.  By this I mean that I would feel sorry for myself, get down about it all and being an emotional person (in other words, a female) I would turn to food for comfort and abuse my body with exactly the opposite to what it needed. Nourishment, inside and out.

Nourishment.  This is where I believe we should all start.  Give your body everything it needs, everything it deserves and you will be rewarded in so many ways. I am finding that after much trial and error with various foods, what is best for MY body and how to make the most of it. But, I also have a long way to go.

I may only be in the very early stages of studying my Naturopathy course but I have done a lot reading and research and it actually scares me regarding what is out there, what is being advertised as 'food' and more so 'healthy food'.  My discoveries, so far, have lead me to which 'foods' to avoid as well as what will nourish me  and my family in the best way possible.  I have also come to the realisation that, in regards to food, (and perhaps I have just been naive to it all) the bottom line is money.  It all comes down to who can make the most money and unfortunately at the cost of public health.  A lot of food that is being portrayed as healthy, just plain and simply isn't and I would urge each and every person to research, for themselves the 'foods' that they are putting in their and their families mouths.

I must give credit to my mum.  I hadn't realised until just recently that it is she who put me on this path to a healthier lifestyle. She had introduced myself and my brother to a Naturopath when we were very young.  Then later on to Chinese medicine, and also to alternatives in our diets from time to time.  She was never one to push an 'alternative' lifestyle upon us but without even realising it I knew more about alternative and a healthy lifestyle than I had realised.

As a young adult, I had become lost in a world of what most 'normal' folks would be doing- clubbing, drinking, very little sleep and so on. But once having children and always having their best interests at heart, and realising that I had become quite an unhealthy person myself my eyes have become wide and my heart open to what is not actually an alternative lifestyle but one that has always been there, one that has been over run by society and advertising and money hungry executives!

I'm not going to recommend any kind of diet to anyone but all I can do is impart the knowledge that I have gained, so far. I believe that life is short, too short, and to make the most of it, one should start with looking after ones self on a holistic level.  I also understand that each person will view the world in a very individual way due to their genetics, their environment and their up bringing.  Change can be good, it can also be hard and of course there's the cost to consider.  But if you don't know that there are choices out there then it's very hard to make change begin.

Here are a few facebook pages/blogs/sites that I have found to be very useful.  I hope you enjoy them......

Herbs, Health and Happiness
www.herbs-info.com/blog

Path To Wellness with Melissa Ambrosini
www.pathtowellness.com.au

Natural New Age Mum
www.naturalnewagemum.com (one of my favorites)

Jess Ainscough
www.TheWellnessWarrior.com.au (another fave)

Healthy and Natural World
www.healthyandnaturalworld.com

Homesteading/Survivalism
www.homesteadingsurvivalism.com

Introduction

As a mother of five there is no doubt my life, at this very moment in time, is busy! But that is not all of who I am and all I want to be.  Yes, I am a mother first and foremost but there are so many other titles that I would also give myself.

 I see my life as being divided into chapters. Made up of experiences that have been the result of decisions that have both been made for me, and mostly the one's I have made on my own.  You could say that I am from a broken family but I've never believed that I've missed out on anything as a child.  Supported by a very loving family, I feel that my life has been blessed and continues to be blessed with the opportunities that I have experienced and the love that I still feel today.

  I have recently decided to further my knowledge regarding health and nutrition and I am now studying at home. I have chosen to become a Naturopath which leads me to quite a passionate part of my life and hopefully I will be able to impart a great deal of helpful and relevant information to those that read my future posts.  I will also include my family life, being a parent, wife, cook, amateur photographer- (a huge creative outlet for me), and a hobby that has increased over the years after many school fundraisers- baking.  I also have so many other interests and I'm sure they will pop up at some point too.

Blogging is all very new to me so I expect that I will stumble my way through to begin with but hopefully I will get the hang of it before too long.

So, my blogging journey begins as does my next chapter........