In this episode, we chat to Barbara Loomis, aka the Alignment Monkey, all about the uterus. We get into some in-depth discussions on how issues with the uterus can impact many other parts of the body that we often don't think of as being related!  There's also lots of good information on practical steps we can take to correct most of these issues for ourselves, or in conjunction with a qualified practitioner.

Barbara Loomis has a heartfelt enthusiasm for teaching people how to care for their reproductive and digestive organs through manual and movement therapies. She is an educator of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy, a practitioner of Chi Nei Tsang and Visceral Manipulation as well as a Nutritious Movement certified Restorative Exercise Specialist. She helps women suffering from painful and irregular menstrual periods, fertility challenges, constipation, pelvic floor issues, Diastasis Recti and tipped uteri.

We Chat About:

Barbara's journey into her current field of practice; including her close work with Katy Bowman

Barbara's personal connection to her work

Chi Nei Tsang therapy applied to uterine care

What is a retroverted uterus?

What can we do correct a retroverted uterus?

How we store emotions in the body and the central role of the  abdomen

The benefits of abdominal massage

What is uterine congestion and how does this impact on hormone health?

the importance of whole body alignment in relation to uterine health

The impact of uterus alignment / positioning on fertility

What can we do to correct alignment and move more freely?

The relationship between a tight psoas and ovulation pain

How can the positioning of toes influence pelvic alignment?

The tyranny of tight clothing!

How can we learn self massage and self care techniques?

Breathing for better uterine health

 

Links:

Barbara Loomis

Katy Bowman

Katy Bowman TPS podcast episode

Ecology Skincare

Jo and I have become floating nerds, so today we’re going to be talking floatation therapy with Tim George from the Private Sea floatation centre.

Tim and his wife Lynne discovered floating in mid 2014.  They were so impressed with the results of their float sessions that 5 months later The Private Sea was born.

Now with 3 tank rooms and a couples float room floaters are travelling from afar to relieve their stressed out bodies and minds in the mellow and calming environment of the float tanks.

Reports from customers are very positive with comments ranging from "its like being back in the womb" to "literally switched off from the world". Floatation therapy allows your mind and body to completely relax like you have never done before. With sight, sound, touch, taste, smell removed and very little in the way of gravity and balance your mind gets to take a breath and take a well earned rest.

No, it's not claustrophobic, no you can't drown and yes everyone floats.

We chat with Tim about:

How he and Lynne got into floating and came to open their own floatation centre

What floatation is - sensory deprivation tanks - depriving you of your senses in a tank with 350kgs of epsom salt

What happens in a floatation session? The physiological side and the psychological side

Turning off the fight / flight response, emotional response

Going through theta state in the floatation tank - creative and learning zone

What health conditions floatation therapy can really help with - fibromyalgia, pain, sleep, sports injury prevention and recovery

Local research into the potential for floatation and fertility

What are the benefits of floatation? Pain reduction, clarity of thought, detox, for skin issues like eczema and psoriasis

Who shouldn't float or when not to float

How to find your closest float centre

Links:

The Private Sea Floatation Centre

Joe Rogan - Sensory Deprivation Tanks

Joe Rogan - Podcast

Floatation Location

Ecology Skincare

Today we’re going to be talking mindful and intuitive eating with holistic nutritionist Joey de Backer from Living Nutrition

Joey is an accredited practising dietitian, holistic nutritionist and mindfulness teacher.

She believes that mindful and intuitive eating are the most important skills for any eater to develop ...to be able to choose the right foods and amount of food without having to know much about nutrition.

Joey is passionate about helping people with their food choices and helping reconnect with the body's signals.

We chat with Joey about:

How she came to make her primal shift

The myth of the perfect diet for everyone

Listening to your bodies cues about what to eat and how much to eat

Is my body going to ask for burgers and chips everyday?

Mouth hunger or psychological hunger vs real hunger

Transitioning to eating whole foods vs just eating a western diet mindfully

Getting more in touch with your body through movement, yoga, gardening to help you eat more mindfully

Dealing with cravings using mindfulness

Taking a 3-minute breathing space

How gut bacteria and stress might influence cravings

The more we resist the more things persist

What mindful eating and intuitive eating are

Keeping a food diary and rating level of hunger and satisfaction

We don't feel satisfied by food if we're doing other things while eating

The influence of posture and breath on our digestion

Most people eat very quickly, Joey shared some tips for slowing down our eating

Asking yourself what you want to eat when you go shopping and before a meal

Food waste and sustainability, why it's important and tips for minimising wastage

Mistakes we can make with mindful eating

Links:

Joey De Backer: Living Nutrition

BOOK: Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink

BOOK: "If Not Dieting Then What"

Ecology Skincare

Both Jo and I have some personal experience dealing with anxiety and today we have back with us our favourite guest, naturopath and counsellor Jad from Jad Patrick Naturopathy.

Jad is our go-to for all things interesting. From an early age he’s been intensely interested in health and nutrition and he believes a whole foods based diet, combined with exercise, stress management and healthy relationships is the key to preventing many of today’s chronic health issues.

So, today we’re going to be diving into some primal approaches to managing depression and anxiety naturally with Jad.

We chat with Jad about:

Why he personally has an interest in helping people with depression and anxiety

What the similarities and differences are between depression and anxiety

What they are and how they are generally treated

How natural treatments and conventional treatments work together

How inflammation affects mental health

How common anti-depressants work

How our genetics may affect mental health

Nature vs Nurture

How our microbiome can affect mental health

How a leaky gut and our diet can affect mental health

Which nutrients are helpful and whether to get them from food or supplements

How other lifestyle factors that can affect our mental health like sunlight, Vitamin D, sleep, having purpose, hobbies and interests, social factors and exercise

Options for managing depression and anxiety naturally

Mindfulness rituals like drinking tea

How histamine and food intolerances can feed into feelings of anxiety

Some quick wins that can make a real difference for depression and anxiety

Links:

Jad Patrick Naturopathy on Facebook

Prahran Health Foods: The Orchard Practitioners

Ecology Skincare

Today we’re going to be chatting about something that has become more important to the both of us over the last year and that is self care.

That deliberate act of taking some time out for yourself with an activity that’s good for your physical, mental or emotional health.

It might be yoga, going for a walk, meditating, having a relaxing bath or spending time with your friends and family. Any activity that will recharge your batteries and leave you feeling refreshed.

So we’re going to explore why self care is important, what stops us from doing it more often, what self care practices Jo and I love and some ways you can incorporate some self care into your day or create more time for it.

We chat about:

Why taking time out for self care is so important

Putting your own O2 mask on first

What stops us from taking time out for self care more often?

Survey results: the 3 big reasons why people don't practice self care (from Ecology Skincare)

Time, kids and family, work, keeping the household running

Belly breathing and dropping your shoulders

Jo's yoga and stretching, legs up the wall are all active self care

Seeing eating well as a nourishing act of self care

Happy dancing and smiling

Taking a mindful pause or mindfulness meditation

Walking on the beach or in the outdoors, simply sitting in the sun

Reconnecting with other people

Being ok with saying "no" when we don't want to do something or can't do something

Giving yourself permission

Ecology Mineral Bath Salts for a foot bath or full bath

Our best tips for working self care into your daily routine and making it a habit

Making appointments with yourself, sticky notes about the place, electronic reminders

Find your time wasters and reducing or eliminating them

Batching tasks so you have more time left over for self care

Links:

FREE VIDEO SERIES: How to Create Instant Calm in a Busy Day

Ecology Mineral Bath Salts

TPS #56: Self Compassion

In today’s episode Crystal and I are going to take some time to reflect on the year that was 2015.

We both had a lot adventures and fun last year. But naturally, there’s been some trials and tribulations as well!  

We’ll also give you a sneak peak into some of our personal goals for 2016!

We chat about:

Our road trip down the east coast of the South Island of NZ

How our approach to food and they way we eat has changed over the last year

Moving away from the "paleo" label, still following the principals of eating real food and bringing it back to what works for us personally

Reducing anxiety around food reactions and intolerances

Improving relationships with food

Crystal's been dealing with elevated thyroid antibodies

Impact of stress on appetite and autoimmune

Making conscious choices around 'green travel' - Jo's been biking to work and utilising car share schemes

Jo's reflects on her yoga practice

Crystal started kickboxing again

Incorporating self care and relaxation practices to manage stress

Trying out Floatation in a floatation tank

Crystal tried out Faster EFT tapping and recognises the benefits of going home and spending time with family

Jo made progress with her endometriosis, using acupuncture and chiro

Jo has been able to move away from using pain medication for her endo and manage pain and symptoms naturally

Crystal is learning how to manage tasks, projects and her to-do list more effectively using a whiteboard and 3 most important tasks with rewards

Jo's been delving into her personal values and what it means to be authentic

Prioritising time out for yourself and quality interactions with others

Being more compassionate towards yourself, Jo's expectations of herself and investigating motivations

We dive more deeply into mindfulness

Jo's been doing post-graduate studies in business management and leadership

Using 'reframing' techniques to help you move through work situations

Crystal is now working full-time on Ecology Skincare, launched a baby product and another podcast called Mind Body Beauty

Our plans and intentions for 2016, with this podcast and beyond

Morning routines, travel, new Ecology products, accountability groups, self care and gut health

Links

That Paleo Show: Our chat with Dr Brett Hill Episode 127

Ecology Skincare: Replenishing Mineral Bath Salts

Crystal's local Floatation Centre: The Private Sea

[VIDEO]: How to manage your To-Do List in a more fun and rewarding way

TPS 41: Ancestral Workplace Wellness with Brad Norris from Synergy Health

TPS 56: Self Compassion 

Mind Body Beauty Podcast

[eBook]: Natural Skincare Secrets for Women with Sensitive Skin

Key Person of Influence

In this episode, we bring you the final of our three part series from the AHSNZ International Symposium, held in Queenstown October 2015.

 

We Chat To:

 

Dr Andrew Dickson

Healthspiration and the psycho-sociality of everyday life: A discussion on the determinants and detriments of ‘health-at-all-costs’

Dr Andrew Dickson is organisational sociologist at Massey University, New Zealand. He is a graduate of biochemistry and business. His research expertise is in critical health studies, focusing mainly on the wider weight-loss industry, but also in applying a psycho-sociological lens to other ‘health’ industry topics including: the impact of managerial ideology; gender relations; ethics and embodied alienation in the sport sector.

 

 

Dr Ihirangi Heke

Atua to Matua: Maori Ecology and the Connection to Health and Physical Activity

Dr. Ihi Heke is currently a Maori health & physical activity consultant involved in a number of projects ranging from national health and physical activity initiatives funded by the Ministries of Education and Health to working in applied roles with elite athletes as a sport psychologist and strength/conditioner. Previously he has held lecturing roles in the School of Physical Education at the University of Otago, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Prince Sultan University in Saudia Arabia and the Wananga o Raukawa.

Dr Heke is also a consultant to the New Zealand Academy of Sport delivering to several national sporting bodies including; Motorsport New Zealand, Cycling New Zealand, Motorcycling New Zealand and New Zealand Swimming Federation

Karen Phelps

Signaling Theory: What Is Your Environment Trying to Tell You? How To Cut Through the Noise and Win at Life

Karen Phelps is a writer and marketing consultant from Ashland, Oregon USA. She discovered ancestral health principles in early 2011 and, having seen the benefits firsthand, is determined to share with others. She has worked for the Ancestral Health Society stateside, is a MovNat certified trainer, and has written and contributed to numerous ancestral health-minded podcasts, blogs, and articles.

The evolutionary mismatch lens allows her to see all sorts of culprits beyond diet and nutrition that affect us everyday, and because we live in a time of unprecedented choice, she wants to help everyone choose as wisely as possible

Links:

The Ancestral Health Society of New Zealand

AHSNZ You Tube Channel

Ecology Skincare

In this episode we give you more great chats with some of the speakers from the AHSNZ Symposium in October 2015.

 

We Chat To:

 

 

Professor Alister Woodward

Climate change and health – risks, limits and opportunities

Alistair Woodward is a medical graduate and public health specialist with a longstanding interest in the environment and health. For 10 years he was Head of the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland and is now Professor of Epidemiology in the same institution. He has written on air quality, radiation risks, injury prevention, the extraordinary benefits of the simple bicycle, and climate change – he was a convening lead author on the most recent IPCC assessment.

 

 

Professor Simon Kingham

Travelling in the slow lane: the benefits of, and barriers to, active transport

Simon Kingham is Professor of Geography and Director of the GeoHealth Laboratory at the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is a human geographer who has researched in a range of areas related to urban environment and health. These include research on transport, air pollution, green and bluespace (parks and water), and earthquakes. He has published widely both reports and in peer reviewed journals. He is a member of the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee and was on the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy Forum.

 

Lara Briden

Lara Briden, ND is a naturopathic doctor with nearly 20 years clinical experience. She has a strong science background, and formerly worked as an evolutionary biologist (she was lead author on the 1995 zoology paper: “Sex differences in the use of daily torpor and foraging time by big brown bats”). Thousands of patients have entrusted Lara with their PCOS, thyroid disease, endometriosis, and many other health issues, so she has had a chance to learn what really works for hormones. She has distilled that knowledge into her blog and book “Period Repair Manual.”

 

 

 

Links:

Ancestral Health Society of New Zealand 

Ecology Skincare

In October Jo and I were lucky enough to be a part of the first ever Ancestral Health Society of New Zealand (AHSNZ) Symposium in beautiful Queenstown.  

The symposium was put together by the AHSNZ Executive team headed up by President Jamie Scott and Vice President Dr Anastasia Boulais.

We joined over 130 people to listen to a dynamic and diverse range of speakers who gave us the latest information on ancestral health, sustainable living, urban design, and climate change ...and it was a fantastic weekend!!

Participants were totally blown away by this event and I heard from many people that this was THE BEST health and wellbeing conference they had attended….so the bar has been set pretty high team!

But right now, you guys are in for a treat because in this episode we’re bringing you a little taste of what we heard over the weekend. Jo and I caught up with some of the speakers between talks to ask them a few questions.

We spoke with:

Good friend of the show and creator of the Primal Play method... 

Darryl Edwards

Darryl Edwards, founder of Fitness Explorer Training & Nutrition based in London, England is a blogger, international speaker, and author of Paleo Fitness: Primal Training and Nutrition to Get Lean, Strong, and Healthy.

After almost two decades working in investment banking as a computer scientist and increasingly suffering from illness, Darryl transformed his health after adopting an ancestral model to wellbeing by referencing our hunter-gatherer past. Instead of solving computer algorithms, he set about helping to tackle some of the problems that beset many individuals wanting to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle amidst the global epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic lifestyle diseases.

As part of this mission, Darryl developed the PRIMAL PLAY methodology to inspire others to make activity truly fun while getting incredibly healthier, fitter and stronger in the process.

Darryl now devotes his time to helping others improve their ability to perform everyday, recreational and extraordinary tasks by eating and moving the way nature intended.

I did take part in one of those primal play sessions and it has heaps of fun, I was really surprised at how sore I was! - Crystal

Next we chatted with Osteopath Phillip Beach to chat archetypal postures and embracing life on the floor...

Phillip Beach

Phillip grew up in Sydney, Nigeria, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. When he was deciding on a career he went to London to study Osteopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Twenty-three years later he moved to Wellington.

His research interests revolve around three central questions. Firstly, how may we model whole organism movement patterns? There is remarkably little work being done on this central question. Secondly, what are the biomechanical drivers that are fuelling the endemic musculoskeletal distress found in our society? His presentation will introduce what he calls the Archetypal Postures of repose. Thirdly, what might the Chinese have been mapping with their enigmatic meridians?

I participated in one of those sessions and boy was I challenged by some of those simple floor postures, like kneeling and sitting cross legged ...time for me to spend more time on the floor! - Jo

Then we caught up with Brad Norris who gave the keynote talk on day 1 about how our values influence our motivation towards doing the things that make us healthier...

Brad Norris

Brad Norris is the founder and director of Synergy Health Limited – a business that over the previous 15 years has developed a strong reputation for delivering effective workplace health promotion programmes to some of New Zealand’s largest and most successful businesses.

Brad’s formal education includes the completion of a Masters in Industrial and Organisational Psychology and a Diploma in Sports Studies.

And lastly we chatted with Melbourne based PhD candidate, Stephen Hamley...

In this episode Jo and I chat with Australia's favourite Paleo Foodie, Alison Sims!

Alison is Passionate about real food and healthy living. She’s the lady behind the popular blog Paleo Foodies. Alison has also been eating her way around Australia in a bid to discover the best paleo dining experience. She is a regular contributor to health and lifestyle publications, a public speaker in food and health, and co-publisher of Australia's first Paleo Magazine, the upcoming Paleo Foodies Magazine.

We chat with Alison about:

Dinner Party Planning

How Alison made her Primal Shift

It's never an overnight change, its all about trial and error and experimenting to find what works

Seeing more and more cafes and restaurants with gluten free options and locally sourced ingredients on their menus - there is a change happening

Recipe creation  and an insight into Alison's family background

The most common questions Alison gets and some of the challenges people have when starting a Paleo lifestyle

The place for paleo treats

Working with Scott Gooding on the upcoming Paleo Foodies Magazine

What to expect in the Paleo Foodies Magazine

Topics in the first issue - the relationship between between gut heart hand the mouth and also insulin

Contributors include Mark Sisson, Dr Loren Cordain and Irena Macri from Eat Drink Paleo, also Paleo chefs and food producers

Available in iTunes and the Paleo Foodies website from early December

Making the transition from her career in advertising and marketing to Paleo Foodies

New App called Paleo Paddock

Best places to eat around Australia

Best Paleo places to eat in Melbourne - Patch, Palate, Paleo Den, Feast of Merit

Best Paleo places to eat in Perth - Nature's Harvest

Best Paleo places to eat in Brisbane - Primal Palate

Best Paleo places to eat in Canberra - Elemental

Best Paleo places to eat in Sydney - Bondi Whole Foods, Porch and Parlour, Little Kitchen

What Alison is whipping up for her Dinner Party

 

Links:

Paleo Foodies @paleofoodies

Top 10 Paleo Eats in Sydney 

Paleo Dining around Australia