10 ways to be gluten free

For people living gluten-free, the constant feeling of missing out can be frustrating. Fortunately, a simple change in mindset can be the difference between a sense of exclusion and embracing a new and exciting menu.

Here are my 10 tips for embracing a gluten-free lifestyle from someone in the trenches:

1. Remember: Gluten-Free Living Is Healthy

Gluten has no business in some foods, but it’s used to “pad out” the product. For instance, wheat is used in most commercial soy sauces, yet traditional soy sauce contains no wheat at all. By cutting out sauces and foods that use gluten to water down the genuine ingredients, you’re consuming food without extra additives.

Still, keep in mind that cheap gluten-free products are often more refined than their wheat-y counterparts. Don’t grab something because the label says “gluten-free.” Check for quality.

From experience I can tell you that cheap gluten-free bread is awful, and cheap gluten-free cereal is packed full of sugar. So, make sure to choose good, quality products.

2. Substitution Isn’t The Answer

Instead of trying to substitute a crusty roll with gluten-free bread, change the meal altogether. Turn that salad roll into a luscious salad bowl. You’ll get more veggies that way, plus it will taste better.

All fruit, veggies and fresh meat are gluten-free too, so you’ll find many meals are a natural fit thanks to those great ingredients.

3. Your Favorite Dishes Can Be Modified

Love a creamy pasta dish as a winter treat? Me too! Gluten-free pasta is actually really good, and world famous pasta company, San Remo, makes everything from Spirals to Lasagna Sheets. You can find gluten-free pastas in the health food section of most supermarkets or online. If you can't find any gf pasta, try a risotto or paella for a filling winter dish.

4. Bread Will Change Forever

Realistically, bread will never be the same for you. You won’t be able to grab bakery-fresh bread (unless you’re really lucky where you live!), but that’s okay. You’ll want to toast gluten-free bread unless it’s fresh that day, but who doesn’t love a toasted sandwich? In the peak of summer, try laying your standard sandwich fillings on rice or corn thins for a light lunchtime snack instead. It’s delicious!

5. Google Is Your Friend

Pesky ingredients like maltodextrin and glucose can come from wheat, but the label may not list their origin. Jump on Google and search the product’s name, brand and the term “gluten-free.” The brand’s website will help you find out if it’s safe or not.

Handy hint: Just because a product doesn’t say “gluten-free,” doesn’t mean it’s off-limits. Brands have to pay a lot for the gluten free symbol on their products, so sometimes they go without.

6. Find New Favorites

When you’re entertaining, your friends may be surprised that many gluten-free foods are really delicious! You don’t necessarily have to give up the staples… or the junk food.

Craving pizza and beer? You can drink Budweiser and eat gluten-free Domino’s, if that’s what you want. (Your local pizza shop may make gluten-free pies too, which is way better!)

Want pasta night? Spaghetti bolognese with gluten-free pasta is delicious. You can also try quinoa bolognese for a vegan option.

Hoping to celebrate with birthday cake and sweet? Grab some gluten-free cupcake mix! Or make flourless chocolate brownies.

7. Speak Up

There’s nothing worse than feeling sick after a meal with friends thanks to hidden gluten in a meal you thought was safe. Always ask the waitstaff if your meal is gluten-free or what options are available. If you’re with a big group and embarrassed, excuse yourself before everyone orders and have a chat with the manager about what menu items are safe. Don’t feel bad for piping up and asking. It’s better to speak up than be left feeling ill!

8. Discover The World of Health Foods

Almost all superfoods are gluten-free: Amaranth, psyllium husks and chia seeds help you stay fuller for longer and promote good digestive health without gluten or nasties. Plus all fruit and veggies are gluten-free, so add more of these nutrient-rich goodies to your meals.

9. Take Probiotics

The medical community rarely tells people this, but consuming probiotics is incredibly good for your digestive health. Eating natural, sugar-free yogurt is a great way to keep your tummy healthy or, if you’re lactose-intolerant, try a probiotic supplement. It will make a world of difference.

10. Being Gluten-Free Is Popular

The list of gluten-free celebrities is long: from supermodel Miranda Kerr to Emmy Rossum, from Quarterback Drew Brees to Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice guy). Be proud to join the ranks and embrace your new diet. It’s an opportunity to try new things!

I originally wrote this post for Live the Process  - Check out their beautiful website!

All the meals at my retreats and events are gluten free, so if you've got a tricky tummy like me, you won't be left out of anything at Aprivé Wellness events!

What's your best 'how to be gluten free' tip?

New Year, New You Wellness Retreat Recap

Queenstown Wellness Retreat

Our retreat last weekend was a huge success! This sold out event at Nugget Point Hotel and Spa blended yoga, Pilates, nutrition, meditation, goal setting and luxury relaxation for an inspiring day.

I was so humbled our guests had flown or driven to the event from all over the country! Women of all ages from Tauranga, Wanaka, Invercargill and locals from Queenstown joined together to learn tips on how to live better in 2016.

Yoga Pilates Fusion class 

I pushed our guests with planks, some tricky core work and difficult balance in the yoga/Pilates fusion class. The retreat was all about starting fresh and achieving goals after all! 

smoothies, nutrition & vegetarian treats

Berry smoothies followed, then our guests were treated to a nutritintion workshop by Michelle of Queenstown Nutrition. They learned how to make matcha smoothies bowls with organic Japanese matcha, a green tea powder with 137 times the antioxidants of green tea! I’m so grateful to Matcha Maiden from Melbourne for sending this superfood to us.

We also learned about the health benefits of fermented food, and tried sauerkraut by Be Nourished. The curry one was my favourite!

Talking about food made the ladies hungry, so it was time for lunch: lentil salad, mesculin and beetroot salad, pumpkin soup and a luxurious cheese board. Aprivé Wellness is all about balance, and treating our guests to a cheese board added a hint of luxury to the day, plus it stayed within our nutrition rule of 80:20. 80% of what you eat should be healthy, and 20% can be a bit naughty!

goal setting & meditation

I led the goal setting session where our guests used the WOOP technique to set an important goal for the year. They locked in their goals by writing them in beautiful 2016 diaries from The Collective Hub. The inspirational messages in their pages are sure to help all the guests stay on track this year.

Meditation on the grass overlooking the Shotover river was the perfect way to unwind and relax, with one of our guests who has a little baby at home falling asleep! She, and all our guests really needed a break, so after meditation they wandered up the sun kissed steps to the stunning Nugget point spa to enjoy the steam room, pool, sauna and hot tub.

Picking up their gift bags with products from Olive Skincare, Global Soap NZ, Matcha Maiden and Chia, each guest hugged me on their way out. I was so flattered with the kind words all the guests uttered as they left, and really hope each felt refreshed and empowered to achieve their goals for 2016.

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Your health as an asset

Drawing parallels between your house and your health may seem strange, but it can help change your attitudes towards your health and wellbeing.

1. Renovations

Knocking down crusty walls and replacing them with open space and modern design breathes new life and value into a property. The same goes for your health; trying new superfoods, workout trends like Soulcycle or Barre, and experiencing new, evidence-based wellness therapies help freshen up and rejuvenate your health and wellbeing.

By adding modern innovation to your diet and workouts, you’re adding value to your health - just like renovations add value to your house.

2. Garage Sales

Getting rid of crap you’ve accumulated in your garage feels liberating! You can do the same with your health by ditching bad habits you’ve accumulated with a once a year ‘garage sale.’ If you started taking up social smoking, why not ditch it before it becomes a real habit? if you have a glass or two of wine every night, try having three alcohol-free nights a week before drinking becomes ingrained in your daily routine.

Little habits add up, so reevaluating your habits and ditching the bad ones leaves you feeling free and fresh to start anew.

3. Regular cleaning

A clean house is every home owner’s dream, but unclogging drains is never fun. The same goes for your health; you want to keep your body clean, and healthy pipes are important. Nutrient absorption is a vital element of health, and this mostly occurs within digestion.

Keeping this system healthy can help fight disease, help combat autoimmune disorders and prevent weight gain.

Probiotics help maintain a healthy pH in your digestive system, and eating natural fibres like psyllium husks, chia seeds, and fresh fruit and veggies can help maintain the motility of your digestive system.

4. Insurance

Insurance always seems like an waste of money, until you desperately need to make a claim. When it comes to health, it often takes that moment of desperation to inspire people to start making ‘payments,’ but you can start before then.

Instead of waiting for a health scare or injury; eat healthy, get regular exercise, meditate and meet up with a counsellor now, instead of later.

Even though these practices won’t stop an injury or health scare from happening, healthy habits help you recover faster when problems do arise.

5. Mandatory taxes and mortgage repayments

We all accept our mortgages and taxes as mandatory payments, but when it comes to our health we still see spending money on wellness as optional.

Instead, consider your gym membership, weekly yoga class and monthly visit to your counsellor or nutritionist as mandatory payments to elevate your health.

This doesn’t mean you’ll never skip a yoga class, but it does help prioritise health in your mind, and inspire you to make better use of your memberships.

Do you consider your health an asset?

Why posture matters & how to improve yours

Good posture has so many important benefits. It’s not only better for your spinal health, it radiates confidence and power, and has been proven to improve the success of negotiations.

If you have a desk job, sitting in a chair for 8 hours leaves almost everyone slumping at 5pm. Then you’re expected to stand elegantly at after-work drinks or walk home, ridden with fatigue.

You can have better posture in just one week though. It all comes down to spinal stability and your core. As a Physio, I’ve had so many patients ask me how to get good posture, so I devised 4 simple steps:

4 ways to get perfect posture

1. Draw your chin back

Why

A pointed chin brings your neck forward, pulling on the muscles of the neck and shoulders. To compensate for the forward weight shift, your upper back slouches into a kyphosis when you sit. When you’re standing, the effects travel down to your pelvis, and your lower back sways to counterbalance the forward weight shift in your head. 

How

• Sit or stand tall with your hands together as though you’re praying. 
• Let your fingertips lightly tough the bottom of your chin
• Without lifting your chin off your fingertips, draw your chin back into yourself as through you’re making a double chin.
• Relax a little (because that’s not a good look) and find a point where you’re about to make a double chin but are just a millimetre off- that’s where you want your neck to be.

2. Draw your shoulder blades down and back

Why

The old ‘shoulders back’ mantra doesn’t work - so focus on drawing your shoulder blades gently down and back. The muscles that do this are slow twitch, meaning you only need to slowly and gently activate them, not pull them quickly like you would for a bicep curl.

How

• Sitting or standing, gently imagine you’re gripping an orange between your shoulder blades in the middle of your back - this is where you want your shoulder blades to sit.
• This movement is the same as the end of an upright row you might do at the gym

*If you get a burning pain in your mid back at work, try drawing your shoulder blades down and back, hold for 5 seconds, and relax. Repeat this 10 times every time you check your Instagram and your postural muscles will get stronger and your pain will disappear!

3. Lower your ribcage

Why

Puffing up your rib cage puts pressure on your mid back where your ribs join your spine, plus it looks pretty awkward. By lowering the rib cage flush against your tummy, your spine will be in a better position, and you’ll be sitting or standing taller.

How

• Sitting or standing, place your hand on your ribs, just underneath the underwire of your bra
• Add gentle pressure through your palm and feel your rib cage gently soften into your torso - this is the ideal position for your ribcage

4. Tuck your tailbone

Why

We’re all guilty of letting our back sway when we sit or stand, but this position can lead to lower back pain. When you gently tuck your tailbone under by using your deep abdominals, your spine sits in a nice, neutral position without stressing your lower back vertebrae and nerves.

How

• Sitting or standing tall, place one hand in the small of your back and one hand on your lower abs
• Now imagine a skewer through your pelvis - you’re going to rotate around the skewer
• Gently push with both hands, feel your lower abs tighten, and the sway in your back diminish

Common Questions about Posture

1. Should I sit on a swiss ball at my desk?

You can, but you can still have poor posture on these balls. Plus, when you’re tired there’s no support for your spine. If you really want to use one, I suggest alternating between a good, supportive desk chair and a fit ball every hour or two. Ditch the swiss ball around the 3pm slump.

2. Are heels bad for my posture?

No, but they can increase the sway in your lower back putting pressure on your spine if your core isn’t strong enough. If you can hold position 4 of the posture tips, you’ll be fine!

3. How should I sit at my desk?

A good desk chair is designed to support your spine. Sit with you butt all the way back in the chair, sit up tall so your entire spine is resting on the back rest, and push your chair in all the way under your desk until you’re comfortable. Sitting forward in a chair, or far away from your desk encourages bad posture and leads to back pain.

4. What’s the best workout to improve my posture?

Pilates, Barre and dance will help your posture improve. They emphasise good spinal stability and elongation of the spine, so you’ll be standing taller in no time.

Next time you're sitting at your desk, try these 4 postural tips to radiate more confidence and protect your spine. Good luck!

“A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind.” - Morihei Ueshiba

What a Tibetan Monk taught me about Wellness

I’m no expert on Buddhism, but something about the inherent philosophies of the Eastern religion resonates with my holistic view on health and wellness. I’ve been to a handful of Dharma chats by Buddhist monks in Asia, and am always captivated by their jovial spirits and useful lessons.

Recently I attended a talk by The Fifth Amnyi Trulchung Rinpoche, a visiting Buddhist monk from Tibet, passionate to help make people live happier lives. While I believe wellness has its roots in a range of philosophies and schools including medicine, naturopathy, meditation, neurology and sports science, I’m confident this clever man’s lessons can apply to everyone in their business and personal lives.

1. Spend most of your time on goals that are important to you

The visiting monk told us a story from Buddhist text about a man who was trying to rub down a steel pipe to make a needle. He was so obsessed with it, he wouldn’t stop and realise how frivolous it was - he would never get it down to the size of a needle in his lifetime. This man's main life goal was to improve his meditation, but he spent almost all his time trying to make this needle. I was told this applies to everyone: If you have a goal - something you want to improve - spend all your time on that. Don’t let trivial, meaningless things get in the way of your goal because it’s so easy to get distracted. And I'll bet the man in the story didn't have the distraction of social media like we do now!

This applies to wellness: If you want to lose weight and be fitter, devote your time to working out, even if it's just a walk around the block. Instead of checking your social media and spending two hours a day watching reality TV, you can devote this time to your goal so you achieve it faster. It's hard but worth it!

2. Don’t just focus on results, engage in the journey

It's like the old "it's about the journey not the destination" saying. Amnyi Trulchung Rinpoche told us too many people focus on the results of something, instead of the practice itself. He said if they immediately transfer their energy from the outcome to the practice, the practice immediately gets better. In the end then too, the outcome is better! While he was talking about getting better at meditation, this philosophy works for any skill and any business. 

This applies to wellness: If you want to eat better, instead of spending ten minutes lamenting your weight on the scales and berating yourself over the brownie you ate at lunch - redirect that energy to sourcing local produce and healthy recipes. Take time and pride in creating healthy, nutritious-filled dishes and you’ll find you’ll eat better overall. Plus! It’s much better to spend your energy on something positive rather than negative - your self esteem will thank you for it.

3. Wake up with happy thoughts

Everyday, Amnyi Trulchung Rinpoche wakes up and says to himself he hopes every sentient being lives happily and healthily and without suffering. He told us he knows this doesn’t mean every living thing in the world will have the best day ever! But he said waking up with a positive mindset and wishing others and yourself well is a really useful way to start the day - and it lingers throughout the day.

This applies to wellness: If you’ve ever been to yoga, you know some instructors will finish the lesson with a similar statement, before the requisite “Namaste.”Rather than waiting until yoga, try and think a positive thought first thing every morning. It can help you start the day in a positive mindset, and better prepares you to combat stress throughout that day.

4. Don't disregard people because they live differently to you

During the session, this charming monk told us about a monk who was famous in Tibet in the 1950's. He was dismissed by Tibetan society and officials for being a disloyal monk because he drank and smoked occasionally, and even had girlfriends. Unfortunately though, he was also incredibly clever, and was one of the few prominent men in the country who spoke English. At a time when a seat at the UN could have determined Tibet's future, the one man who spoke English and would have been the ideal choice was shunned by his country. The monk told us the seat at the UN remained empty, and we all know what happened next. 

This applies to wellness: Different therapies, techniques and philosophies appeal to different people, and just because you may not agree that Bikram yoga is worthwhile, someone else will think it's great! And plenty do. Wellness is about promoting mind and body wellbeing, so rather than dismiss other schools of thought, see what you can learn from them.

As a Physio I have a medical background and used to be cynical about some alternative therapies, but I can't tell you how many patients have seen incredible results from them that no other therapy or pill could provide. One woman was cured of chronic anxiety after a number of sessions of Bowen therapy. You never know what you could learn, so keep your heart open to hearing about different people's wellness goals.

I’m no expert, but I know wellness is multi-faceted. If we can all integrate mindfulness to make clearer, better decisions about how we spend our time, who we spend it with, and what our goals are - we’re one step closer to living well! 

What have you learned from someone that has helped you come closer to your wellness goals?

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Exciting news!

Spa Wellness has invited me to join their exclusive list of holistic experts

The brilliant team at Spa Wellness have included me, Caitlin Reid, in their portfolio of holistic experts and I'm thrilled!

What does being a holistic expert mean? 

It means I'm featured alongside some incredible healers and holistic therapists. I'm so honoured to be included with these wonderful experts.

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I'm thrilled to be included in this list of experts, and would love to hear from you about how I can help you create movement therapy programs for you luxury retreat or hotel. 

• I can work with you to create a movement therapy program to suit your clientele, from an exclusive in-room workout for luxury hotels to a water therapy fitness program at a beach retreat.

• I also help train fitness professionals and massage therapists on the newest innovations in the industry.

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