There appears to be a lot of gastro going around.  For many people who get it, you feel like death for a short time with vomiting and or diarrhoea but then you are over it and feeling great again in a couple of days.  Some times this does not happen and you continue to feel not quite right for some time afterwards.  Here are a few natural tips and tricks to help get your digestive system back in top shape.

3. Prebiotics.  They provide food for the good bacteria encouraging a return to optimal balance of the bacteria of the gut.  Some great prebiotic foods include garlic, onions, leeks, dandelion greens, jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, snow peas and chick peas.  ​

In order to give the people you love, care about, work with or even just interact with each day the best version of yourself, you must first make yourself a priority.

We often get busy in the everyday run around and neglect to take the time to stop and think about what we really need.  Stop and ask yourself - What is the one thing that would most improve "me" at the moment?  What would make me feel closer to the best version of myself right now?  Your answer could be anything from more sleep to quiet time, to someone to talk to, a hug, a massage, exercise - anything.  Listen to what your heart is telling you.  Now, what can you do today - for yourself that will help you feel like the best version of you?  

As they say every time you get on a plane - put on your own mask first before helping other people. When you feel like the best version of yourself you have more to give.  
​
~Bel

Standing desks can be great.  Ideally you want a sit to stand desk - one that allows you to change position as the most benefit is derived from movement and altering your position.  It is not just sitting that is the new smoking, to be more correct - it is not moving that is the new smoking.  

Standing for extended periods of time in one spot can be just as detrimental as sitting for sustained time periods.  Desks with a fidget bar underneath are great however you don't need to go all technical.  The easiest way to rectify this is to place a small step under your desk.  A ream of paper or a brick will work fine.  This way you can easily change position by placing one foot up on the step at a time.

In short: fidget more, shift your weight, rock side to side or backwards and forwards, suck your tummy in from time to time and make sure you do not end up slouching by leaning backwards and hyperextending your lower back.

If you would like your child to have a check up in Geelong with our kids only Chiropractor Dr Carrie - time is running out.  She only has 18 spots left before she finishes up in Geelong on the 27th of this month.  Call now to get in quick as places are filling up fast.

Don't worry though, if you miss out both Aaron and Belinda would love to look after your children.  They have access to all of Dr Carrie's notes and can easily pick up where she left off so your kids will still be in safe, capable and caring hands.  See you soon!

Do you want a quick workout that will work your whole body?  We know swimming works the whole body however if you don't have the time or the inclination to swim these 4 exercises will give you an all over workout.

​1. Squats - ideally "ass to grass" however this depth should be developed over time as it requires a lot of ankle flexibility that most people are lacking.  If technique is poor and you round your lower back to compensate, this can cause back injuries so only go as low as you can maintaining optimal technique.

​3. Push ups - as above it is really important to learn to lock your shoulder blades down to stabilise your shoulder when performing these.  Start performing push ups with your hands on a kitchen bench height then find lower stable objects to increase the degree of difficulty.

First, you write a list of all the things you need to do either in a day or a week - choose a time frame that suits you depending on the degree of repetition you have in your life.  For most people a week will work well.

​Choose how you wish to break these tasks up.  You may choose - research, reading, action tasks, phone calls, social media, advertising, employee management - whatever works for you.  You may choose to break things up according to where you do them - say kitchen tasks (where you cook, empty the dishwasher, do food preparation etc), office tasks (where you sort papers and do research), dining room tasks (where you make phone calls and plan / organise.  You may choose to use your school subjects to break this time up.

In a week calendar broken down into segments (I suggest hour segments) place all your non negotiables.  Rule out your ideal sleeping time, put in your dinner time if you have a specific time that works for you, if you have to pick kids up from school put that in.  You are planning any time you have available in your week to make the most out of it.  This includes planning for fun time with family or friends, exercise time as well as your work time.  It is entirely up to you - you may just use this technique to make your work hours more efficient or to optimise 3 hours of study after school - how far you take it is your choice.

On the physical level - I suggest you use different colours for each type of activity as you have broken them down for yourself.  It helps your brain to recognise the patterns.

​​As mentioned in a previous post - I suggest you study or work in concentrated blocks of 45 minutes then have a "rest" period of 5-15 minutes to move, stretch, get fresh air, water and / or a healthy snack and organise for your next concentrated time block.  This may involve switching books, tidying your desk to start fresh or gathering the materials you will need for your next stint. All these activities should be considered preparation for your next stint (including the exercise, stretching etc) and should allow you to get straight down to the nitty gritty when start your timer. 

Time blocking and including "rest periods" after each time slot increases your efficiency as well as improves the way your body and brain work allowing for more sustained periods of pain free and constructive work in the long run or greater amounts of free time at the end.

The contents of your child's school lunch box can make a huge difference to their concentration, behaviour and energy levels.  Every school lunch should include the following 4 things.

1. Fresh vegetables - the more variety and different colours the better.  Carrot sticks, celery sticks, green beans, snow peas, cucumber (especially the baby ones), capsicum and cherry tomatoes all travel well and taste delicious.

2. Healthy protein - for sustained energy and to keep them full.  Hard boiled eggs, left over chicken, roast beef or turkey, ham, tuna, silverside, cheese, youghurt or even cold sausages.  Nuts are fantastic too if your child's school allows them.  In the hot weather make sure to either include a frozen drink ir ice pack to keep things cool or put their lunch boxes in a cooler bag.

3. Healthy fats - for growing brains.  Avocado particularly as guacamole dip for the fresh vegetables is great, olives, once again tuna, hard boiled eggs or cheese, coconut oil treats (paleo protein balls are fantastic) and nuts or nut butters particularly macadamias and walnuts if your child's school allows them.

4. Water - even mild dehydration leads to impaired concentration, tiredness and everything just seems harder.  Wherever possible avoid plastic bottles.  Even BPA free plastic bottles are now being shown to contain chemicals equivalent to or in some cases worse than BPA.  In my opinion glass is best however in schools this may not be the best option.  In this case stainless steel is a great alternative.  To give a plug to a local company (I suspect they won't mind) - check out Earth Bottles.  Their bottles are double walled so they keep liquids cold for 24 hours or warm for 12 hours.

Bonus: Fresh fruit - strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, apricots, apple, pear, mandarines, kiwi fruit (make sure you cut it and include a spoon) and the list goes on.  There are so many to choose from so mix it up.  The more varied the diet, the better the range of nutrients your child will get.

This is particularly important for kids but also applies to adults so remember to include all 4 items in your menu for the day as well.  It helps give you all the nutrients you require to keep your brain and body in tip top condition. Enjoy!

​~ Bel

Taking the time to prepare great healthy lunches for your kids then packing them in a plastic lunch box so the food absorbs all the chemicals we know to be detrimental to health seems a bit crazy to me.  In my opinion this is even more pertinent to kids as the chemicals involved generally affect hormones.

I personally love glass and use my pyrex bowls for all my leftovers and my voss water bottle for drinks.  When glass is not an option, say for school lunches - I like stainless steel.

After a lot of research these would be my top picks for school lunch boxes and drink bottles.

To make them easier for you to find you can check them out on any of these australian websites

• https://www.nourishedlife.com.au/brand/lunch-bots.html
• http://www.shopnaturally.com.au/lunchbots-stainless-steel-lunch-box-containers.html
  
• http://greenchickadee.com.au/lunchbots/
  

Check them out at 
https://earthbottles.com.au

Please note: I have no association with any of these companies I just like their products and think they are worth telling you about to keep you and your loved ones in good health.

​~ Bel

As the school year begins, I thought it worth giving a few tips aimed at the teenagers out there who want to do their best this year at school.  These tips also work really well for getting the most out of your work day.

I personally try to use all these techniques and can honestly say I think this is what got me through my study in high school relatively easily compared to many of my peers.  Good luck in making your efforts this year efficient so you are left with plenty of time to have fun as well.

~ Bel