Holding onto Contentment

The sun rose steadily over a pink and orange sea. Promises of warmth but no sting yet. Just glorious sunlight. From the balcony of an ocean-side hotel I basked in the rays and watched the beach become busier. At dawn, the surfers arrived, shadows against the waves. Then the joggers. Then walkers with their dogs. Finally, a scattering of young families as the sun crept higher.

holding onto contentment

I sat, with a cup of tea and a neglected novel and watched. The sun rising and the people on the beach. I heard the crash of the waves. I closed my eyes and felt the warmth against my face. And I felt perfectly, perfectly happy and content.

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My (almost) 30 days without coffee

Most people give up coffee due to a health kick, pregnancy or one of those self-sacrificing deals for charity. Me? I lost a bet.

without coffee

I swore black and blue that my wedding anniversary was on the 15th October. My husband, who is much better at dates than I am, was keen to bet I was mistaken. And to wager a month without coffee. Despite the fact that it was highly unlikely he was wrong. Despite the fact that I have a terrible memory when it comes to dates. Despite the fact that I once had our wedding date engraved on a key ring and then promptly misplaced the key ring. Despite the fact that I REALLY love coffee, I took the bet. As you know, I lost.

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Keeping things fun and fit (sponsored)

This post has been sponsored by Bupa

Murphy is alive and well in our household. If I drop the toast, it will be butter-side down. The morning of my twenty year high-school reunion, I broke out in acne reminiscent of my seventeen-year old self. And the week my family signed up for the Bupa family challenge supporting Healthy Harold, we were hit by the dreaded Brisbane flu.

But we persevered and will take some of the challenges with us into healthier weeks. That’s the great thing about the Bupa challenges – you can easily extend them beyond the suggested week. In fact, hopefully they result in changed habits so that you extend them into life in general.

keeping things fun and fit

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Making smarter food choices – it’s not so hard after all

Making healthier choices

As a twenty-something year old I was a poster girl for good health. I didn’t smoke. I didn’t dabble in drugs. I drank, but the total number of benders could be counted on one hand. I had the disposable income and time to spend on yoga and Pilates. My vegetarian lifestyle  meant my diet was full of fruit and vegetables. I was pretty lousy with sunscreen application, but all in all, my vaguely boring lifestyle made for good health.

As a thirty-something mother, my poster girl status is looking a bit tired and tattered. Bit like me really. I still don’t smoke, do drugs or drink in excess but I don’t think I can claim any brownie points. My exercise is now limited to chasing after my children, although I do try to squeeze in some classes. My now pescetarian lifestyle has left me pasta-rich and iron-poor. The yearly dental, optical and doctor check-ups often slide. My three meals a day tend to consist of my childrens’ left overs and the thought of making another sandwich for lunch leaves me a little ill. And through all this I am acutely aware that I need to lay solid foundations for healthy living for my sons.  Read more

Exercising with babies and children

Exercising with KidsTo wrap up the week’s focus on health, I wanted to share some practical ways to exercise with children. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have time to exercise because of the kids. But in reality there are plenty of ways to incorporate exercise into my life with the little ones along. Of course, the concept of “me time” does get a little lost, but the trade-off is doing something fun and laughing with my boys – and that’s pretty good too.

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How Health Insurance Can Help With Healthy Living Costs – A Guest Post

Health Insurance & Your fitness and well being - tips from Health Insurance CompareAs we focus on our health this week, we have a guest post from HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au on how to choose the best kind of health insurance for your needs. I must admit, that my first foray into private health insurance was to avoid tax. As we started a family, we relied on health insurance a little more and it mattered more what was covered. Now, as we enter a new phase of our family life – no more little babies for us – I am once again thinking about whether the right things are covered. Having cover that includes benefits for wellbeing and fitness is important to both Sarah and I, so that’s what we asked Health Insurance Comparison to chat to us about.  Read more