How to Stay Fit & Healthy During the Holidays

The Christmas season is a busy time and as we rush from here to there, buying presents and attending dinners, we often forget to take care of our own health.  We naturally begin to focus more on other people this time of the year—and rightfully so, it is the season of giving after all—but it’s important to maintain your own wellbeing.  Doing so will leave you feeling happier and more ready to enjoy the festivities.  Keep the following tips in mind and you’ll be on your way to a healthy, stress-free Christmas.

#1 - Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Think colour when eating fruit and vegetables. Eating a variety of different colours gives your body a wide range of valuable nutrients like vitamin A, C, potassium, magnesium and fibre.

#2 - Limit processed foods, sugar and saturated fats.  Most of your energy comes from the quality of the foods you eat. Natural foods will ensure that you’ll feel more energised and more able to keep on top of your busy Christmas plans.

#3 - Drink water. In Australia, Christmas can be one of our hottest periods of the summer. Don’t fall into the trap of spending the day racing around, not thinking about your hydration levels. Drink plenty of fluids (not sugary ones!) to keep yourself hydrated and you will concentrate better, look better and feel better.
Quick tip: Start your day with 25% lemon juice in warm water – a great source of vitamin C!

#4 - Don’t overindulge. All those delicious offerings can be tempting, but you’ll enjoy it more if you keep your portions small.  Focus on the taste and not the quantity. Too many sweets and rich food can be hard for your body to process, resulting in headaches, stomach pain, and a feeling of sluggishness.  Be sure to practice moderation when it comes to food and your body will thank you.

#5 - Have healthy snacks handy. Why not freeze some berries into ice cubes and add them to your drink or have as an ice block?  There are many beautiful fruits in season now—mango, nectarines, peaches, apricots—why not slice some up and arrange them artfully on a snack tray?
Quick tip: When preparing a meal, aim to have 60% salad on your plate.

#6 - Keep up your regular exercise plan. Regular movement is important to keep the body healthy and well tuned. Exercise increases the metabolism, gives a feeling of wellbeing and is known to give you more energy.  You’ll find those tired, stressed feelings can disappear with a simple walk or yoga stretching.

#7 – Be sure to get enough sleep and relaxation. You can’t handle all the tasks of the Christmas period along with your normal work and lifestyle if you don’t give yourself the chance to rest. Practising meditation or listening to a relaxation tape for 15 minutes can do wonders to restore your vitality.
Quick tip: Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake to ensure a good night’s sleep.

#8 - Remember what Christmas is all about. As the list of things to do grows longer and time grows shorter, it is easy to lose sight of what is important to us at Christmas time. Don’t forget what Christmas means to you. Christmas is meant to be a holiday, so treat it as one. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by all your Christmas preparations take a moment to yourself and put everything back in perspective.

Hopefully these tips will help you stay healthy this holiday season and give you a chance to really enjoy it!

Happy Holidays from Hopewood!

By Jenny Colless-Buhn, Naturopath at Hopewood Health Retreat

Shake Your Stress Away in the New Year

Join us in 2012 for these exciting activities!

7-8 January: "Shake away your stress"

This dance themed weekend will have you shimmying your way to fitness. Classes are a great workout and a lot of fun. They focus on safe movement and introducing exercise in a safe, non-threatening, relaxed environment. We’ll also focus on balance this weekend as we learn to stretch, relax, and meditate. 

14-15 January: "Restorative Yoga and Meditation Retreat" 

A range of activities from the yogic 'tool box' to help you release, restore and re-align.  Leave behind the stressors of every-day life, take a deep breath and be ready to be nurtured in Hopewood's unique healing environment.  Workshops are designed to help you re-connect with your true nature and to give you a greater sense of positivity and inner strength.
*Restorative yoga is suitable for anyone with injuries or medical conditions as well as experienced yoga practitioners.

More events to add to your calendar:
21-22 January: Take Charge of Your Health Naturally
28-29 January: Wholistic Health and Wellbeing for Stress Management

Book early to reserve your space.  Call us on (02) 4773 8401.

Christmas Day Lunch

You’re invited to our Christmas Day Lunch!

Join us for a Christmas Day Lunch on 25th December at 12:00pm.  Enjoy our delicious new vegetarian menu prepared by Chef John. Christmas Day Lunch at Hopewood is a delightful buffet of scrumptious offerings, prepared with the healthiest and most nutritious ingredients.  This guilt-free, stress-free meal is best enjoyed with friends so book your space today.

$50 per person or $90 for 2 people

Call (02) 4773 8401 to book now.


Take a look at the delightful menu that John has created!

Christmas Day Lunch Menu
Prepared by Chef John Estival

Hors d'oeuvres:
Non-alcoholic beverage served with canapés

Salads: 
Potato and Leek terrine
Mushroom salad on bed of wombak
Beetroot and roasted capsicum
Nicoise
Green and White Asparagus
Mixed green salad
3 Salad dressings: Yoghurt; Balsamic; Hopewood dressing

Main Course:
Hopewood Cashew Nut Loaf
Pumpkin/spinach/coconut curry
Mushroom risotto
Italian eggs
Baked vegetables in rosemary, honey & balsamic

Desserts:
Hopewood Christmas Pudding with yoghurt or custard
Banana/Raspberry Ice cream
Summer fresh fruit platter
Dried fruit and nut selection

Rebecca's Story

Rebecca came to Hopewood in October after traditional medicine had failed to relieve symptoms caused by Parvo virus. The virus caused her to have arthritic pain in her joints and when Rebecca arrived at Hopewood, she was exhausted because the pain made it impossible to sleep through the night. Our naturopaths recommended an initial fasting program for Rebecca, coupled with hydrotherapy and massage. Here is Rebecca’s story.

......................

"The friendly, kindhearted staff welcomed me at Hopewood Health Retreat, as did the beautiful sound of the bellbirds, the colourful gardens and tranquility of the grounds.

"First up was a grand tour, where I was shown the facilities throughout the retreat. I was asked about my goals whilst visiting Hopewood and some questions regarding my eating requirements, which Jennifer sorted out quickly with the kitchen, before she then gave me the opportunity to unpack and settle into my room before heading to lunch.

"Being surrounded by specialists in natural healing, gave me hope that I would soon feel good again, after more than 3 months of chronic pain. Their care and dedication to my health and wellbeing was just what the doctor ordered and I knew I was in good hands. The Naturopaths, Hydrotherapy, 7 Day Fasting program, Reiki and numerous treatment options for pain elimination (especially the Shiatsu Massage which immediately rectified some of the pain which had been keeping me awake at night) all contributed to an overall sense of wellbeing. I felt even throughout the hardest days of fasting that I had the support I needed to successfully rid the toxins from my body. This process gave my body a fighting chance to then deal with the pain caused by this unusual Parvo virus, which has plagued my body with arthritic symptoms.

"Another one of the brilliant things about Hopewood is that temptation is taken away from you and I strongly recommend that if will power isn't your strongest attribute, then Hopewood definitely makes it easier to be kind to your body. They will go to great lengths any time, day or night, to help you with any of the discomfort associated with eliminating those naughty things which our society makes so easily accessible to us.

"During my stay at Hopewood I attended a few of the activities, with Yoga, Belly Dancing (what a laugh!) and the Cooking Demonstration being my favourites. Having switched to a diet free of gluten, most animal products, caffeine and sugar, the cooking demonstration was especially helpful and gave me extra ideas on substitutes for things like wheat, fats and sugars. I think everyone was delighted by John's Christmas cake recipe and how simple it could be. I can't speak highly enough about the food on offer at Hopewood.  Once I finished my fasting program and was able to resume eating again, I was so taken by the flavours and variety of food on offer.

"Everyone on staff was more than welcoming and bent over backwards to ensure my experience was a good one, despite the hard nature of Fasting. Not only were the staff supportive, but having the option of inviting love ones to join me at Hopewood was comforting. I left feeling refreshed, energized, and optimistic that my body will be able to rid itself of the virus.

"Thank you for having me at Hopewood!"

Elite Sydney Hairdresser and media personality, Troy Thompson visited Hopewood Health Retreat in October and here's what he had to say,

"Hopewood Health Retreat allows you to get back to a state of natural health and well being."

"I found myself becoming more and more calm every day."

"Whether you have a day, a weekend or a week to invest in your health and wellbeing—Hopewood has the perfect package available."

Visit Troy's blog to read more about his experience at Hopewood.

Hopewood Welcomes a New Chef

In October, we were delighted to welcome Chef John Estival to our staff. John was born in Belgium, where he spent most of his youth at his grandparents’ farm, tending to the animals and helping to grow fruit and vegetables.  John’s love and passion for food was given to him by his grandmother who taught him how to cook.

Before moving to Australia, John travelled all over Europe to discover new foods and cooking styles.   John came to Australia in 1988 and fell in love with this beautiful country which offered so much potential for a food fanatic.  His work in Queensland and Sydney has given him an appreciation for how food is grown and processed, and its effects on the human body.

He is currently studying a course on Human Nutrition. John feels blessed with being offered a job as a chef at Hopewood Health Retreat where he can share his experience in the food and hospitality industry and has taken on a new challenge in vegetarian cooking.

The Benefits of Magnesium

What is Magnesium good for? Hopewood Naturopath Jenny has the scoop.

• Magnesium is directly involved in 300 functions within the body, is found in every organ of the body, contributes to the make-up of teeth and bones and is one of the most essential nutrients to our wellbeing.
• Magnesium can help maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keep heart rhythm steady, support a healthy immune system, regulate blood sugar levels, promote normal blood pressure and strengthen bones. 
• To keep your nutrient levels up consume magnesium rich foods such as dark leafy green vegetables, spinach, broccoli, pumpkins seeds, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, wholegrain breads and certain fruits.  Avoid eating refined sugar and flour products as this can deplete the body of magnesium. Excess stress also robs the body of magnesium; find some stress coping techniques to help in this area.
• Like many other minerals, magnesium cannot be made in our body and therefore we need to source it from our diet to remain healthy. Magnesium deficiency can cause heart palpitations, as well as neurological and muscular symptoms. While magnesium deficiency is fairly rare, see your doctor if you have concerns.   

Jenny Colless-Buhn is a Naturopath at Hopewood Health Retreat, for more information visit www.hopewood.com.au or call (02) 4773 8401.

Fresh food ideas

The sun has come out of hiding and spring is in the air! We’ve put together some of our favourite refreshing healthy food options to help you feel energetic and fit back into your summer wardrobe.  Thank you to our Hopewood fans for providing us with these great suggestions.  

“I love green smoothies made with banana, raspberries, apple, pineapple, mango and a bunch of fresh English spinach with chai seeds.”

“My favourite healthy dish at the moment is a pea and mango salad. I’ve been given a lot of ideas from my visits at Hopewood :)”

“A Middle Eastern dish of couscous, finely cubed cucumber and tomato and diced red onion with a splash of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.”

“I love light Philly cheese whipped with light cream, lemon and lime juice, and fresh pineapple pieces. A great dessert that is light on the calories but high on taste.”

“Stewed apple with a crumble topping of rolled oats, cinnamon, coconut, pepitas, sunflower seeds and a tiny bit of melted butter.”

Thank you all who shared your favourite healthy culinary options. We can’t wait to try out some of these melt-in-your-mouth ideas. Enjoy!

Secrets to being healthy revealed...

During our 50 Prizes in 50 weeks competition, we asked our dedicated Hopewood fans “what’s your secret to being healthy?” We were overwhelmed with all the wonderful and inspiring answers we received.

We’ve listed some of our favourite responses below, because some secrets are just too good not to share:

“Staying positive. An internal happiness creates peace, lowers stress and encourages enthusiasm for life. And makes for wonderful relationships with those I love.”

“I discovered the secret how to be healthy 2 weeks ago...the secret is to LOVE YOURSELF! It is intense journey but it is worth it”

“I maintain a positive attitude, eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and make lots of time to spend with my lovely friends and family.”

“My secret to good health is eating nutritious food, walking in the fresh air, relaxing with good company and taking time out to be pampered.”

“Regular exercise, good healthy food, eight hours sleeps each night, no smoking & doing things that I enjoy to de-stress.”

“My secret to being healthy is being positive in life, eating well, exercising regularly and enjoying every moment and making it count.”

“Plenty of sleep, exercise, sunshine, fresh air and beautiful vegetarian food - oh and a healthy dose of love and affection!”

“Downtime.  I think it is extremely important to relax, recharge when you can and find a quite place to gather your thoughts as often as you can.”

“I keep stress to a minimum, and when I do get stressed I turn up the music and dance around my house singing.”

A big thank you to all who shared your secrets. We hope you don’t mind we shared a few!

Coconut Oil - Good for you?

Coconut oil… is it good for you? Hopewood’s naturopath, Rebekah Travers reveals the truth about this saturated fat. 

• Coconut oil is derived from the coconut tree, and is well-known for its use in cooking and skincare products.

• Coconut oil consists of more than ninety per cent of saturated fats. This has resulted in a bad reputation, as saturated fats can increase blood cholesterol.

• However, coconut oil is great for the immune system. Rich in lauric acid, it helps strengthen the immune system and boasts antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties.

• Coconut oil also provides the brain with an alternative source of ketones. Ketones nourish and provide energy to the brain. It is also known to improve memory function and concentration.

• Coconut oil is best consumed in its natural state. Always opt for organic cold-pressed coconut oil, or natural organic extra virgin coconut oil.

Rebekah Travers is a Naturopath at Hopewood Health Retreat. Visit www.hopewood.com.au for more information and health tips. 

Feeling weak at the knees?

Follow these useful tips from Hopewood’s Naturopath Wendy Hannah to build your bone strength:

• Exercise is key to bone integrity. Try weight resistance work such as yoga, Pilates, stretching or dyna band sessions. Aim for four or five 20 minute sessions per week.
• Avoid stimulants such as sugar, soft drinks, coffee, smoking, salt, alcohol, excessive protein, and processed foods. Stimulants can affect the balance of minerals resulting in bone loss or protein loss and can lead to inflammation in the joints.
• Increase your intake of magnesium. Eat regular servings of seaweeds, mixed green leaves, parsley, nuts, egg, low fat mozzarella, figs and soya beans. Magnesium is important in immune function, general movement and bone structure.
• Spend 10-15 minutes daily in direct sunlight without sunscreen. Vitamin D is essential for bone density and formation.

Wendy is an Naturopath at Hopewood Health Retreat, for more visit www.hopewood.com.au

The Suffering from foot pain? Hopewood’s expert Doug shares these helpful tips

 Hopewood’s expert Doug shares these helpful tips:

• Treat yourself to a hot foot bath. Heat water to 30 degrees, add half a glass of Epsom salts and three drops of lavender oil. Soak feet for ten minutes.
• Massage your whole foot from toes to arch to heel. Use your hands to bend and stretch your joints as you go.
• Roll a golf ball on the floor with the bottom of your foot while seated. This massages the bottom of the foot and can help relieve the discomfort of heel pain, cramps or arch strain.
• Avoid wearing high heels, cheap or old runners or poor fitting shoes.
• Don’t persevere with discomfort; a visit to the podiatrist could save you a lot of money and pain.

Doug is an Osteopath at Hopewood Health Retreat, visit www.hopewood.com.au for more information and health tips.

Gentle Benefits

If you suffer from an injury or don’t have time to attend a session at the gym, you may feel like it’s time to ditch your sneakers and give-up on exercising all together.  However first – let’s have a look at the benefits of gentle exercising.

Staying active, albeit at a leisurely pace, will maintain bone mass, increase flexibility and cardio fitness; these are only some of the physical side effects. By following a gentle exercise program, you can also reduce stress and enhance self esteem.

There are several ways to include gentle exercise in your daily lifestyle. For instance, gardening, mowing the lawn and walking will raise your heart rate and reduce knee pain (as less pressure is placed on the knees with lower impact exercising). Tai Chi, Yoga and Aqua aerobics can also be beneficial, increasing co-ordination and muscle strength.

The trick is to find something that suits you. You want to choose something you will enjoy and stick with it, because these helpful exercises are too important to your wellbeing to ignore.

10 tips to terrific skin

Do you want radiant glowing skin? Follow these simple tips to keep your skin healthy and hydrated.  

1. Drink H20 – by keeping your body hydrated, you moisturise your skin from the inside out. Drink 1-2 litres a day or more if you need it. 
2. Use a good moisturiser – using a good moisturiser on exposed skin areas helps to protect the skin from sun and wind damage. 
3. Sunscreen is essential – you need to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. So slip, slop, slap or chose a foundation with SPF 30.  
4. A little Vitamin D – 10-15 minutes of sun a day is good for bone density, red blood cells and energy, but make sure it’s no longer than that. 
5. Stay cool – avoid very HOT showers as they tend to dry out your skin. 
6. Let your body breathe – cotton and cotton-blend clothing is cool. It allows the body to breathe and regulates body temperature. 
7. Love lemons – citrus contains antioxidants that support the skin, so include a good serving of lime, lemon, pineapple and orange into your diet. 
8. More fruit! – paw paw is excellent for skin and aids digestion. It can also help aid minor burns, cuts, cold sores and cracked lips and other skin conditions. 
9. Vege out – boost energy and support your immune system by eating more vegetables. Try water-based vegetables such as cucumber, zucchini and lettuce to hydrate the skin. 
10. General care – use a ‘loofah’ to stimulate circulation of blood and exfoliate dead skin cells before your shower. Finish with cold water to close pores and apply a moisturiser. 

Slow down on the caffeine

Do you wake up with a cup of coffee? Pick up an energy drink when you feel tired? Or snack on a chocolate bar for a sugar hit? Caffeine, found in all of the above, speeds up the messages to your brain, increases your heartbeat and creates more acid in your stomach. You feel more awake, but how is it affecting your body?

If you drink more than two cups of coffee a day, you may begin to experience headaches, restlessness, agitation, tremors, depression and severe palpitation. Caffeine can also lead to weight gain, heart disease and diabetes. Plus there is the general toxicity, links to potential cancer and its negative effect on calcium balance and bone integrity.

Ever wonder why you can’t sleep at night? We can blame caffeine for that too. So next time you reach for your caffeine hit, consider the health impacts and slow down instead of speeding up.

DID YOU KNOW? 

Caffeine increases the adrenaline in your body, but when that adrenaline leaves your body, you become fatigued, requiring more and more caffeine to function normally. Like always, moderation is best. 

Quick tip - Speed up your metabolism!

Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns energy. If you enjoy the occasional delicious morning tea or yummy dessert, make sure you eat the right foods to burn of those calories quicker!    

Try to regularly include metabolism boosting foods in your diet such as chilli, cayenne pepper, spices, low fat dairy, rolled oats, raw almonds, grapefruit, apples, eggs, spinach and beans.   Broccoli, cauliflower, celery and lettuce are also great as they require lots of energy to be broken down.  

DID YOU KNOW? 

If you under-eat it actually slows down your metabolism! To maintain a good metabolism, your body needs regular fuel and time in-between meals to digest.  So try to eat at least every 4-5 hours to maintain a good metabolism.

No time to exercise? Keep reading…

We all know the feeling of yet another week gone by without stepping foot in the gym, taking the dog for a walk or spending some time stretching our worn out muscles. With our increasingly busy lives, pressing deadlines and family responsibilities, finding time for exercise can too easily be put at the bottom of the to-do list!

Follow these handy tips from Hopewood to put the spring back in to your step, and help you feel more energetic:

• Take the stairs instead of the lift. Unless you’re located on the 20th Floor, walking up the steps can give you some much needed exercise and only takes a few minutes longer. Stairs are really good for aerobic fitness and strengthening the legs. Try to go use them as much as you can throughout the day. Plus, you’ll avoid those awkward silences in the lift!
• Walk wherever you can. If your work is too far away from home for an easy jog, try parking in a car park further away from your office and walk the last few kilometers. Or next time you go to the shops, instead of grabbling for the closest spot to the entry, choose one of the empty ones right at the back. You’ll save yourself some stress and increase your daily exercise.
• Sit up straight. If you find that you slouch a lot, try this simple exercise. While your sitting in your chair (you can also do this standing) sit up straight, hold your tummy in, push your shoulders down, keep your head straight, squeeze your bottom in and push your feet into the ground. Hold this for 30 seconds if you can, as it becomes easier, hold for longer.
• Take exercise breaks. Try to take four minute breaks from your computer at work (or home) and walk a measured distance. For example, the distance could be from the study to the back fence, or down the corridor at work. Keep the distance to about 30 metres. Do this simple exercise five times each day and before you know it you have walked 7km in one week! How easy and simple is that!

Detox… is it for me?

Feeling sluggish? Need to get the energy moving, clean out those clogged up vessels and get the immune system back on track?

Detoxification can help you to regain optimal health and wellbeing, prevent diseases and rid the body of accumulated toxins and harmful chemicals, whether they be enterotoxins (internal i.e. food and beverages) or exotoxins (external i.e. environmental toxins).

If you answer yes to any of the following, a detox could be beneficial for you.

Do you:

• Suffer from stress?
• Eat pre-packaged foods?
• Eat takeaway foods?
• Use artificial sweeteners?
• Drink coffee?
• Have excess sugar?
• Smoke or drink alcohol?
• Work or live in an environment where chemicals are used?
• Use household cleansers?
• Use a microwave?
• Use plastic containers to store food?
• Use cosmetics or personal body items which contain chemicals, preservatives or parabens?

Detoxifying assists our organs to work more effectively and has anti-ageing benefits and promotes longevity.

At Hopewood, detoxification programs are undertaken in a supervised environment where progress is monitored daily. The most appropriate cleanse is selected by the naturopath based upon unique conditions and a thorough medical history. It may be recommended that you follow a healthy eating plan with meals designed specifically for your condition, or go on a juice or water fast. After completing a detox, it is common for people to feel invigorated and revitalised mentally and physically.

Feeling stressed? Try laughing!

Laughter really is the best medicine. Laughing not only gives us an internal workout and stimulates circulation but can help to reduce levels of stress and anxiety, leaving you feeling calm and confident.

As a stress-buster, laughter is one of the most powerful resources available. In fact, some psychologists believe that humour has the opposite effect of stress.

Humour acts like floss for the mind - cleaning out the cobwebs that clutter our thoughts so we can focus more clearly. It also helps us to put our worries in perspective, so we can avoid having a meltdown when problems arise.

Physically, a good laugh acts like a wonder drug. Laughing relieves tension in the neck and shoulder area, massages internal organs, oxygenates the lungs, reduces blood pressure, reduces stress-inducing chemicals and increases pain-killing endorphins.

One doctor found that 20 seconds of laughter is the same caloric workout as three minutes on a rowing machine, while another study found that laughter works faster on the body than either Valium or vodka!

So next time you’re feeling stressed... give yourself a good dose of the giggles and laugh the weight from your shoulders!

Make 2011 the year to drink more… water, that is.

Our bodies need at least 6 to 8 glasses of water daily to help flush out toxins.

By drinking water regularly you could enjoy the benefits of improved digestion, a stronger immune system, a more alkaline environment within the body with less inflammatory conditions, a healthy nervous system with increased mental function and longevity.

Water is involved in almost every bodily function and is an essential nutrient as life cannot exist without it. Water assists in nutrient transportation, digestion and absorption and the elimination of waste products. Water also carries electrolytes, which are mineral salts that help convey electrical currents in the body.
Water maintains and regulates body temperature, blood volume and blood pressure.

FACT ~ Did you know that dehydration is a common cause of elimination ailments such as chronic constipation, urinary tract infections, haemorrhoids and even degenerative diseases like arthritis.

Common signs of dehydration are headaches, dizziness, fatigue, dry skin, dull back pain and swollen hands and feet.

So this summer, drink up!