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My 2015 Health and Wellness Goals

December 29, 2014 by Monique Leave a Comment

New Year PictureAs 2015 approaches I’m sure many of us are engaging in a little bit of soulful reflection on the past year. For me, 2014 has been crammed full of intensely joyful-but-stressful occasions; I got married, travelled around Europe for three months (tough gig, I know) and relocated from Sydney to London with my husband. On the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, I’m cranking a pretty high score for the amount of life changes I have experienced.  (For those of you who are unfamiliar with this scale, it’s a scoring system working out by two psychologists – Thomas Holmes and Richard Raye – back in the 1960s, which attributes scores to 43 various life events that have been statistically linked with illness. The psychologists came up with the scoring system by examining the medical records of thousands of patients.  And yes, of course I am sure you want to figure out your score too,  so click here for a link to the scale.)

What about you? How was 2014?

With such a big year behind me, I’m taking some time to create a little list of healthy practices that I would like to adopt more regularly in 2015. To motivate and encourage you to also embrace 2015 with some healthy living goals, I thought I would share a few of them with you.

  • Stretch more. I am aiming to do this by attending yoga classes regularly, walking around the city during my lunch break (as often as I can – at the moment I hardly do it at all!), and taking a few minutes to stretch when I wake up and prior to jumping in to bed at night. My lower back has been quite sore lately, something that I have heard many people complain of but until now has not been a real issue for me. Long periods of sitting at an office desk, hunching over my laptop at night working on my website, running, cooking…they’re starting to take their toll.  At home, I have a foam roller which is so fabulous to lie on and roll on; I highly recommend one if you’re feeling stiff.  Incorporating stretching in to your daily life does not have to involve a reformer pilates machine or even doing anything outside of your home.
  • Re-align my approach to exercise. My relationship with exercise has fluctuated significantly. As a child, I wasn’t particularly athletic, though I participated in the obligatory netball team. That dried up by mid-high school, when I resolved that I was just not a fitness fan.  Several years of partying, drinking and eating crap later and sadly, restrictive eating and obsessive exercising took control when I was feeling low, and I became very thin and anxious. Now, I’ve got back to a pretty fit bod and good eating habits, but unfortunately have a few lingering health issues from the time when I was very underweight.  Though I love to get sweaty and I always want to push myself, in 2015 I want to prioritize movement that will support me individually and allow my body to heal (ergo, the stretching and yoga focus).  Remember, we all have different body types and metabolisms; don’t get caught up in all of the #fitspo out there and feel like you need to crossfit six times a week or become a distance runner. Exercise needs to be right for you; listen to your body. What is right for you may not be what you see someone else doing.
  • Chew more. What?! Yes, chew more. I have a tendency to eat lunch at my work desk or eat my breakfast while checking my phone/the news/reviewing a document etc. For some meals, it is just about unavoidable that I am going to be preoccupied, which can mean that I don’t concentrate on my food and leads to indigestion. Chewing kickstarts our digestion; saliva contains an enzyme called amylase which helps to break down starches in food, and also the physical process of mashing our food into mush before swallowing helps our stomach and intestines out too. Less bloating and discomfort after eating, better digestion and nutrient absorption. So chew more. This also facilitates the practice of more mindful eating (if it’s in your mouth for longer you’re probably going to think about it longer, aren’t you?), which promotes satiety and a better relationship with food.
  • Get back in to fermented foods. Back home in Sydney I was always brewing away a few litres of kombucha tea and going through truckloads of sauerkraut. Of course, this is pretty unsustainable while travelling, but now that I’m back into a regular routine I am aiming to introduce fermented foods back in more often.  Fermented foods including sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir and yoghurt provide our digestive systems with an abundance of good bacteria which help us to digest our food, maintain the integrity of our intestinal lining and protect us against illness. Did you know recent research indicates that the composition of our gut micro-biome may play a significant role in our physical and mental health?  If the idea of bugs in your belly being able to affect you from head-to-toe is totally new to you, have a look at ABC TV show Catalyst’s program on the relationship between our gut bugs and illness here. I also like this presentation by Dr Robynne Chutkan on Mind Body Green.

These are just a few of the little things I am going to take on board with me into 2015 and which I hope will help me through another crazy busy (but crazy wonderful) new year. I’d love to hear what practices, mantras and/or goals you are taking in to 2015 with you, please leave a comment and share if you feel comfortable. And… Happy New Year! xx

Filed Under: Blog, Lifestyle, Wellness

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Monique Cormack

I'm Monique, student nutritionist (and part-time lawyer!) and creator of Nourish Every Day. I share my favourite healthy recipes, nutrition articles and tips. Thanks for stopping by!

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  • | BIRCHER MUESLI | One of my favourite ways to start the day and the perfect swap for a hot porridge bowl during the summer months. I make mine with loads of different seeds and top it off with fruit and usually a generous sprinkling of granola, too. Gotta have all the different textures! Best thing is you can make a big batch in advance which is perfect for when you’re busy running a million and one errands as Christmas draws closer...with fresh berries and colourful toppings it’s fancy enough for a festive brekky too. Recipe for this Super Seed Bircher Muesli is on Nourish Every Day, link in bio or -> nourisheveryday.com/super-seed-bircher-muesli/ #birchermuesli #bircher #oatsforbreakfast #wholegrain #overnightoats
  • | PLANT PROTEINS | There’s a lot of interest in vegan diets these days, and while that’s not for everyone, many of us can benefit from reducing our meat intake and balancing it out with more plant foods. 🌱 One question I get asked a lot is, where do you get protein from in a vegan diet? I feel that there’s a lot of misinformation out there on this point, some like to criticise and downplay the availability of plant protein, whereas others over exaggerate and mislead about the abundance of plant protein. 🌱 In this graphic I wanted to give some realistic, practical examples of a vegan meal relatively high in protein, with quantities that I think you could actually eat in one reasonable, satisfying meal. 🌱 Good sources of vegan proteins include soy products, legumes, seeds and nuts, with smaller amounts of protein in wholegrains and pseudo grains like buckwheat, quinoa and millet. 🌱 Do you incorporate plant proteins into your meals? #veganmeals #plantprotein #plantpowered #eatmoreplants #veganprotein
  • | LUNCH GOALS | Who else loves a snacky lunch plate like this?🙋🏻‍♀️ One of my favourite things to throw together to graze on as lunch times are often pretty busy at my place. • On my plate: cucumber, carrot and baby tomatoes for my veg, mashed avocado for healthy fats, boiled eggs for protein, and some yummy carbs in the form of a quinoa seed loaf. It’s made from a @thesourcebulkfoods mix - I love making my own loaves like this but sometimes it’s nice to have someone else work out the recipe for you! • What do you like to put on your grazing plates? I probably would have added some cheese or hummus as well if I had some! #lunchinspo #lunchideas #eatyourveggies #simplefood #glutenfreeeats
  • | HEALTHY HACKS | planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, it all takes time! Yesterday we had a bbq at our house and with the boys to look after I didn’t have as much time as I used to. So I grabbed a few of the things I often buy when I need to get food ready fast. Shredded coleslaw veggie mix + canned chickpeas were the foundation ingredients of this yogurt slaw with spice roasted chickpeas👌So delicious and really easy to prepare thanks to these pre-prepped supermarket winners! Yes making this totally from scratch is amazing but we have to make healthy eating practical and accessible. What are your fave healthy hacks? Recipe coming soon. Happy Sunday! #healthyhacks #nutritiontips #eattherainbow #coleslaw #healthylunchideas
  • | HOMEMADE SNACKS | These no food processor protein balls are the most popular recipe on the blog at the moment and it’s not hard to see why; you only need 5 ingredients and no fancy equipment is required! Simple bliss balls that last for ages in the fridge, so make a big batch all at once. Love having a batch of these on hand alongside some of my other fave snacks like nuts, hummus, cheese, veggie sticks, dates, rice cakes. What are your go-to snacks? Full recipe for the protein balls is on Nourish Every Day -> nourisheveryday.com/no-food-processor-protein-balls/ #blissballs #proteinballs #healthysnacks #snackideas #homemadesnacks
  • | FIRST FOODS 👶| Pictured are the very first foods I introduced to the boys when we started complementary feeding, ie when we introduced solids. 🥦 Once upon a time the standard approach used to be starting out solids with rice cereal or fruit purée, but more recent research suggests toddlers/children are more likely to accept a wider variety of healthful foods if we start with vegetables first, and offer them frequently and in variety. 🥦 Starting with the more bitter or neutral flavoured veggies from the outset gives the most opportunity for bubs to adopt them into their taste preferences and may reduce risk of rejecting these foods in later years. 🥦 In the beginning, these can be blended with breast milk or formula to create a smooth consistency and create a slightly more mild flavour, then just reduce or omit the milk/formula completely. 🥦 We started with avocado and moved on from there. All initial foods were a hit except for the green beans, which of all things would seem to be the sweetest! I also blended the potato and spinach together as blending spinach alone is a damn pain. 🥦 I’ve been asked quite a bit about baby feeding recently so I’m going to start sharing some stuff on here, but there will be lots of non-baby nutrition stuff too! #startingsolids #firstfoods #babynutrition #babyfood #weaningjourney EDITED TO ADD: it’s also important to introduce iron-rich foods at around 6 months, these first tastes can be introduced alongside or for 1-2 weeks preceding iron-rich foods. More info to come!
  • | EASY VERMICELLI BOWLS | Sunday night dinner sorted! Salad veggies, rice vermicelli, peanut sauce and your choice of protein. For an easy fix use store bought bbq chicken, or if you want meat-free substitute in the oven baked bbq tofu from my last post! Thinking of possibly making a Christmas cake during baby nap time today. Do you like Christmas cake? What’s your go-to Christmas dessert? p.s. full recipe for vermicelli bowls with peanut butter sauce is on Nourish Every Day -> nourisheveryday.com/vermicelli-noodle-bowls-peanut-butter-sauce/ #easydinnerideas #vermicellinoodles #bowlfood #noodlebowl #peanutsauce
  • | OVEN BAKED BBQ TOFU | New recipe is up on the blog guys! The tofu recipe you need when you’re not so sure about tofu 🤷🏻‍♀️ With a good marinade it becomes tasty little cubes of goodness perfect for tossing into buddha bowls, salads, stir fries...you name it. I recommend it in a colourful bowl like the one pictured, drizzled with tahini dressing. For this recipe, use extra firm tofu so it’s easy to handle and doesn’t fall apart. Full recipe is on Nourish Every Day, link in bio! #bbqtofu #tofurecipes #bakedtofu #plantprotein #veganrecipes
  • | THANK YOU 🙏 | Thank you for all the love on my previous post announcing my change of name and slightly new biz direction. It has been a pretty strange but amazing year...had twins, finished uni, y’know...just pretty intense (understatement!). And I’m so grateful for you guys sticking by me as I’ve not been as consistent with blogging and recipes. But the love for creating things is still there ❤️ and I’m looking forward to getting back into more of a flow! For now though it’s been another crazy day involving hot weather, babies throwing food around a restaurant, vaccinations, temperatures and more...so is cake for dinner acceptable? I think so. Apple Zucchini Snack Cake recipe from the blog (link in bio) -> nourisheveryday.com/apple-zucchini-snacking-cake/ . . . . . . . . . . #cakefordinner #applecake #zucchinicake #zucchinibread #glutenfreebread #glutenfreebaking #healthybaking #healthyrecipes #easyrecipes #cakegram #healthier #healthysnacks #loafcake #feedfeedbaking #feedfeedglutenfree #thekitchn #thebakefeed #eeeeeats #healthyfoodrecipes #nutritionist #nourisheveryday

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