eattypelive

Growing older doesn’t mean growing old

My preschooler shuffled around on his seat until his face was almost pressed against the glass of the gondola. The whir of the cables serenaded us over rocks, grass and the odd sheep, until a small shudder rocked the gondola and we stopped. “Why have we stopped?” My son asked, clearly slightly worried that hisContinue reading “Growing older doesn’t mean growing old”

You are the expert in you (and your children)

Yesterday I had the privilege of talking to a lovely group of mothers and mothers-to-be. Afterwards, my colleague commented on how the message I kept repeating to these mothers was something she thought they had never heard from a health professional before. “Oh?” One of my eyebrows shot up. What had I said that wasContinue reading “You are the expert in you (and your children)”

Stressed out? Change your mindset

A while back, I wrote a small piece on stress management as part of a larger resource. I started off by writing all the usual stuff about how chronic stress kills. But as I was writing, I was thinking to myself how utterly unhelpful it is to tell people to just avoid stress. It’s totallyContinue reading “Stressed out? Change your mindset”

What is lifestyle medicine?

Today I received confirmation that my fellowship to the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine has been approved: I’m officially a fellow. While it’s a big deal to me, I know it means next to nothing to most people, because most people have never heard of lifestyle medicine! Let’s change that. Lifestyle medicine is a branchContinue reading “What is lifestyle medicine?”

Laughter is no joke

It was weekly ritual. The giant bucket of popcorn was balanced precariously between the cinema seats. Even with my brother’s monster appetite there was no way we’d make more than a small dent in it, but that wasn’t the point. It was time to relax. Sweat beads slipped down the shiny glass beer bottles inContinue reading “Laughter is no joke”

Supersized fruit and vege

My thumb flicked the phone screen to scroll the shopping list. Hmm. We already had almost all of the vegetables and fruit that we needed at home so the only produce item we needed today was some more fruit, to ensure we wouldn’t run out before our next shop. The corners of my mouth screwedContinue reading “Supersized fruit and vege”

Go to sleep

A while back, I conducted a little experiment on myself. For three nights I went to sleep at the same time as my preschooler – 7.30pm. I wanted to see how I would feel if I slept more, so I just closed my eyes and drifted off a couple hours earlier than I usually wouldContinue reading “Go to sleep”

In defence of milk

“Milk please,” my preschooler directed politely. “In my red cup, with a straw,” he added with a smile. I shook the bottle of organic, non-homogenized milk, so the cream would disperse from it’s lump at the top of the bottle, then I poured it into the specified red cup. He slurped it up happily, delightingContinue reading “In defence of milk”

Cover me in sunshine

After lunch yesterday, my 3-year-old lay down on the floor quietly. “What are you doing, cutey?” I asked. “I just want to lie in the sunshine,” he stated matter-of-factly. I lay down next to him and for the next 15 minutes that’s all we did. My god it felt good. I am a sun-seeker. RightContinue reading “Cover me in sunshine”

Cinema therapy – it’s a thing

My partner says that I sometimes have a tendancy to get down about the world’s problems. Sadly, it’s true. It’s possible that yesterday I burst into tears while cooking dinner because of “the state of the world”. After dinner, I parked up outside the gym to wait for my booked session to begin, and itContinue reading “Cinema therapy – it’s a thing”