Killer Tips About Healthy Eating, Eco-friendly Food & NZ's Top Health Treats

4 Questions with the Founder of I Am Co. Health Boxes

A few months ago, I was thrilled to be featured on the I Am Co. blog describing my morning ritual. After discovering this clever brand I chatted to Georgie, founder of I Am Co. subscription health box company, about what she's learned about healthy eating and food.

An I Am Co. Health Box - Yum!

1. Why do you think people need help with eating healthy?

In the western world, we’re constantly presented with processed food products and beverages that have been tampered with and mess with our whole being. I believe food has a huge impact on how we exist in our day to day lives. Eating healthy can be the catalyst to get somebody on the right track in every area of their life.

2. Why is ethical or eco friendly food production important to you?

Although none of us are perfect, I think it’s important to take notice of at least the small things that we can. Looking for products that are ethically sourced or grown is becoming more and more crucial, particularly in the world of ‘Superfoods’ where a lot of these products are grown in developing countries. 

Looking at the packaging is something we’re starting to take a lot more notice of and we will continue to update. I Am Co. will keep working towards becoming an even more eco-conscious company ourselves.

3. What's your FAVE healthy product you've come across?

Oooh such a hard one! As a big chocolate lover, I’d have to say any of the RAW chocolate products we’ve featured. I love Pana & Loving Earth chocolate from Australie, but the NZ brand ‘Neats Treats’ makes some pretty crazy good raw chocolate also. I love the natural feel-good chemicals that get produced when you eat raw cacao! 

4. What does each Delight Box always contain? (is there a staple?)

We always love to include a different herbal tea. We’re big tea drinkers and know that it’s one thing you can never have too much of. Plus it encourages people to take time out of their busy-ness to slow down and have a moment. NZ has a lot of beautiful tea companies popping up all over the show, so we try to support these where possible!

In general we look for brands that share at least 2 or more of these values:

• Free of preservative or additives.

• GMO Free.

• Refined sugar-free

• Gluten-free

• Vegan

• Paleo

• Locally sourced

Georgie, Founder of I Am Co.

Thanks so much to Georgie for her expert insights into healthy food, eating and yummy NZ treats. Read more about Georgie, and I Am Co. Below. Get your own I Am Co. health box here.

Georgie Hendl is the founder of I AM Co. - a wellness hub online that spreads a message of self-empowerment and love.  I AM Co sells a monthly subscription box ‘The Delight Box’, which is filled with up to 10 different health foods and natural beauty products.

Georgie is also a qualified holistic nutritionist, yoga instructor and passionate foodie. 

She’s based out of Auckland, NZ.

Accidentally Anxious Part 3

Is Coffee Bad for You?

Coffee is delicious. Sipping away on the dark, tantalizing beverage is alluring for the experience as much as the taste. Unfortunately, relying on coffee to combat your lack of sleep and keep you alert for your endless list of urgent tasks doesn’t help you get more done; it scrambles your brain, making you more distracted.

Caffeine fires up your nervous system. Your pituitary gland then thinks there’s some sort of emergency, so it releases hormones that tell your adrenal glands to produce adrenaline—your fight-or-flight hormone. Your body is primed to outrun a tiger or fight to the death; your blood pressure rises, your muscles get more blood and blood flow to the stomach slows. You’re raring to go, but you’re just sitting at your desk. The accumulation of adrenaline means your body is in a heightened state of anxiety, and your racing heart serves no purpose other than to leave you feeling wired.

Try This: One cup a day is fine—let’s not get too extreme! But instead of starting the day with a coffee, try a hot water or decaf. Then your daily coffee will feel like a treat rather than a necessity.

Accidentally Anxious Part 2

How to sleep better

After a busy day at the office, unwinding in front of an episode of your favorite Netflix show is hard to resist. Unfortunately, the backlit screen, the moving digital images and the stimulation of a particularly violent episode of Game of Thrones (for example) keep your brain working overtime. Sure, you might fall asleep in front of the screen, but it’s likely to take longer and your mind won’t have the time to unwind in the process. Wellness pros recommend avoiding screens two hours before bed to help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. 

Try This: Sleeping longer is key too. It turns out that your body doesn’t run well on six hours a night, so grab a nonviolent book and head to bed half an hour earlier this week. In a month, try going to bed another half hour earlier, and soon you’ll be getting eight hours of shuteye.

Accidentally Anxious Part 1

My article for US activewear and wellness hub Live the Process is live!

Below is the first part of this important article, enjoy!

-Caitlin xo

Although we may not always realize it, many of us are stuck in a cycle of perpetual anxiety.

Between being swamped at work, juggling relationships and trying to maintain our health and well-being, our anxiety rates are increasing—affecting as much as 10 percent of the population in Western countries.

How can we combat this problem?

Our Busy Lifestyles

Everyone is busy. Whether you’re a single, working man juggling dating, friends, the gym and work or a working mum, busy with that set of a million responsibilities, no one has time. Or do we?

Health and wellness thought leaders are pointing to “perceived urgency” as the culprit of anxiety caused by busyness.

Creating endless “to-do” lists, making unrealistic commitments to relationships and friends and trying to cram in too many yoga classes or appointments leaves you feeling overwhelmed and unsuccessful because you can’t live up to your own expectations. Add to that the unrealistic demands of bosses and clients based on the trend of “next day delivery” and we’re all left gasping for air. If everything is urgent, nothing can ever be prioritized, and the list is never finished.

Try This: Instead of an endless to-do list, prioritize only three urgent tasks and leave the rest for another day. You’re likely to actually manage that amount of responsibility, which helps relieve the mental stress of a streaming to-do list.

My Interview on the Wellness Force Podcast is Live!

I'm a guest on US podcast Wellness Force! How exciting! Listen to me chat about how breaking my back inspired me to join the world of wellness.

Thank you to Josh Trent for helping share my story of injury and recovery, and how it ignited my passion for helping others live happier, healthier lives.

Josh Trent is a wellness coach and innovator, and has been Awarded "Top 50 Digital Health Influencers 2015." Along with his own knowledge, he uses his podcast to interview other passionate experts in behavior change, wellness technology, wellness, fitness & nutrition.

I'm so honoured to have been a guest on this inspiring podcast. Thank you for having me Josh!

Aprivé Wellness Writes for Hip & Healthy UK

Hip & Healthy UK is a beautiful online wellness magazine - and they asked Aprivé Wellness to write some expert articles.

The 10 Minute Workout To Ease Lower Back Pain

If you’re desk-bound most of the day, chances are you’ve experienced lower back pain. Check out these simple exercises to help ease discomfort in this area and enhance your workday. You can even do some of them right at your desk!

*Please remember, this article doesn’t address all low back pain conditions, and always see a good Physiotherapist in conjunction with this advice.

Sitting and Our Spines

Our spines aren’t designed for a sedentary lifestyle, so sitting at a desk all day plays havoc on our lower backs, particularly when we have bad posture (which we can all be guilty of at 3pm!) Long periods of sitting puts pressure on the lumbar spine when unsupported and tightens the hip muscles, pulling the pelvis into a forward position, increasing the arch of the lower back and causing it to sway. A sway back is a vulnerable position for our spines, and causes pain that can become unbearable after a long day at a desk.

Instead of reaching for the painkillers, try this simple workout to ease your low back pain:

Read the full article here