Day 3.

So today is THE day for many of you. The first day of the cleanse. How exciting! Im so proud of you for making the decision to clean out your body. Be prepared. Today and tomorrow will be tough. You may experience withdrawal headaches and cravings. Push through. You can do it. Always know that these symptoms are your body's way of ridding toxins and cleaning itself out. This isn't dangerous, its purification. Don't be tempted to turn back, it will get easier.


By the time you get to day 5, this is what your plan will look like.

7am Glass of warm lemon water, followed by shake and apple juice
8am Breakfast (preferably fruit) & Glass of water
WATER HOURLY UNTIL LUNCHTIME
12:00pm Lunch
3PM Shake + chaser (water)
WATER HOURLY UNTIL DINNER TIME
6pm Dinner
10pm/before bed – ProBiotic
Also adding in: Exercise
EASY!



The following steps are to be added to the steps already outlined for day 1 & 2.

Day 3
Step 5. EXERCISE.
Your headaches should be gone by now, and it is important to introduce some gentle exercise to get things moving through the body. If you are able to add some yoga at this point – great. Otherwise walking each day for 30 minutes is perfect. Don't push too hard. Your body is going through some massive changes, so gentle is the key.

Step 6. SHAKE & PRO-BIOTIC as with Step 3, Now add an extra shake to the program. Take this shake after lunch, and then take your pro-biotic before bedtime each night.

Your menu for today might look something like this:
Fruit Salad for Breakfast, For lunch Bean Soup as outline in the Recipes email & Roast Veggies for dinner (chicken or fish optional)

Enjoy your day!

Day 2

Image from here

Day 2.
Were almost ready to begin - and I'm putting up these posts two days in advance so that you can be best prepared. I admit I have had a little headache because I have started eliminating foods already. But Im really excited and can't wait to feel 100% cleansed and well. It is truly an awesome feeling! I hope you are all organised and ready. You will find below the steps for day 2, which you will add to those outlined on Day 1.

Step 3. SHAKE IT BABY.
The addition of the ‘shake’ begins today. Have your initial glass of lemon water, then your shake, and then followed this with a glass of water. This doesn’t need to be gulped down in one go, but its best to get the cleansing shake down as it solidifies and makes it difficult to drink. To take this shake, mix 1 teaspoon in a glass of half apple juice and half water (or to your tasting).

Step 4. Moving the BOWELS – it’s a must.
Bowels need to be moved daily to rid of toxic build up in the body. It’s going to be up to the individual to asses this. Elimination should be at least once a day if not twice when cleansing.
Example of today’s meals would be: ¾ of your regular breakfast – i.e. fruit and yoghurt or porridge. ¾ amount of your lunch and same for dinner. An example of a good lunch is a salad of spinach leaves, tomato, capscium, avacado, dressed with oil and vinegar. Dinner may be organic chicken with veggies. Processed foods are out. Healthy food is in! Snacks may be hummus dip with carrot & cucumber sticks or perhaps nuts and dried fruit. Don't overdo it though, remember we are moving into the real cleansing phase tomorrow.

Today you practice steps 1 – 4. This means: Water, No stimulants, morning shake and moving the bowels.

Do you Green Clean?

Well over a year ago, I made the switch to Clean Green. I wanted (and needed!) a safe, chemical free and non toxic living space. So I got rid of the nasty cleaning products and replaced them with Greener Cleaning devices, methods and substances. I got my house healthy!

Some household chemicals are so potent, they have a very toxic and damaging effect on the human body. Studies have indicated that ingredients in many household products affect the endocrine system, resulting in a higher production of hormones, linked to infertility as well as other diseases like cancer.

Each and every day in the clinic The Pagoda Tree, I see couples faced with fertility issues. There is not ever one reason as to why a couple might find themselves in this situation, it is an accumulation of factors including lifestyle, diet, environmental factors, genetics and constitution. Some of these we can change and implementing simples changes, like green cleaning can only every have a positive outcome on the body and the home.

I thoroughly enjoy knowing my house is clean and healthy. I admit, I probably need to clean more regularly than before, but thats not necessarily a bad thing, it is actually easier if I do it every 5 days or so anyway. I thought you might like my easy tips or a cleaner, greener home. So I've listed them for you!

1. Invest in Enjo. This cleaning system rocks, it saves heaps of time and in the long run money. It is a little bit costly to set up, but you can start with the bare minimum. You can of course still clean green without Enjo, you might require a little bit more elbow grease, but its good exercise anyway!

2. Make Bicarb Soda your friend! I use it in the toilets and around sinks and drains. You can also use it in your washing to brighten whites. This stuff rocks!

3. If you don't have time, you can still switch to greener supermarket products. They are often cheeper and extremely effective. They are of course good for the environment also.

4. Clean more for less. If you clean every 5-7 days, you can stay on top of nasties and make it easier on yourself.

5. No shoes inside - so good for so many reasons as well as for the bottoms of your feet!


http://www.readersdigest.com.au/life/10-steps-to-green-cleaning-tips-and-advice/article34807.html
Chemicals And Infertility: How Your Soap Powder Could Be Damaging Your Fertility

Step-tember Body Cleansing - lets get this started!

Step-tember Body Cleansing



My Step-tember cleansing process will have you feeling ready for the summer months, however without face to face assessment, it can only be based on diet and lifestyle. Whilst I feel like I broken record at the moment, I've been inundated with emails, expressing the interest of newcomers. I need to make sure we are all on the same page, and so some of this you may already be familiar with.

Many of you would have received an email once you registered your interest. An email also went out last night with recipe ideas. Please let me know if you are yet to receive it. *Please note - the list of foods in the email shows two groups of foods. Alkaline forming foods (page 1) which you are allowed and Acid forming foods(page 2) which are to be avoided.

What you will need:
Cleansing mix (purchased from The Pagoda Tree – we can arrange this online, or over the phone to make it as easy as possible. The Shake mix is $20.00 plus postage)
Probiotic (purchased from your local health food shop or chemist)

Rough Outline: Pre Cleanse – 3 days - getting the bowels moving!
Cleanse – 4 days - the vegan stage
Post Cleanse – 3 days - gently re-introducing foods

We are to start this Wednesday the 1st of September.

Day 1.
Day of elimination – the first few days are difficult as your body rids itself of toxins. It’s not ‘difficult’ in terms of being limiting, but it’s time to cut out the crap! We are going to do this gradually so your body moves through this process with out too much stress.

Step 1. WATER!
Upon waking, start your day with a large glass of lemon water. This kickstarts the liver.
Do this each morning of the cleanse. Get ready for lots of liquids!
Then drink a small glass of water every hour, on the hour (or as close to that as you can) This will ensure that you will have 8 glasses of water from 9am – 5pm.

Step 2.. ELIMINATE STIMULANTS.
I've given you plenty of opportunity to have already cut this out, but if you haven't done so already today it is IMPERATIVE that you start this.
This includes Coffee, Tea or any form of caffeine. Choices for fluids are: Water. Herbal Tea, Freshly squeezed juices. Most of you should have already done this, but if you have been dodging me, you must do this now.
Diet is the key part of this cleanse. You will be slowly eliminating foods that are toxic. For today, there should be basic meals, bearing in mind we are slowly paring back.
My example menu for today would be: Porridge with Milk (preferably rice milk), cup of herbal tea. For lunch, home made spring style soup and for dinner some fish and veggies. There should be no refined or processed foods from today onwards, for the 7 days. Snacks may include nuts, veggie sticks with hummus or acceptable dips (from the list of foods sent through in the email), fruit, dates are my personal fave especially if Im craving sweet foods.

We will be introducing the shake on day two. You are going to need good quality, preferably organic apple juice to have with this. Its question time, so please ask away!

Day 1 & 2 will be the toughest. Im here for you.

If you're joining me, watch this!

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. ~Booker T. Washington

Say a little Prayer and count your Blessings.

I received a message today, which touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes.

A patients little baby went to heaven today. He was born very early on, and had a short life of a few weeks.

When times are tough, we must count our blessings. Its times like this that allow us to realise just how precious life is, and how blessed we are to have all that we take for granted each day.

I know tonight, when I go to bed, this family will be in my prayers. My heart is hurting for them.

A part of you has grown in me, together forever we shall be, never apart, maybe in distance, but not in the heart.

7 days and Counting!

Its time to Cleanse, and put the coffee and toast on hold for a little over a week. Images by Hayley from Little Pinwheel


Yes, you read right. 7 days until I turn your life upside down and then around. You have 7 days to get your mind, heart & soul ready to clean your very insides out! I know some of you are scared, and others excited. Whatever your gut is telling you, its going to be so clean you can eat off starting Wednesday 1st of September.

Have you got your support person handy? Of course, I vowed to Hayley from Little Pinwheel that I would be there to hold her hand the entire way through. I also promised her that I would put together some steps for this week leading into the cleanse. Probably a good idea for all of you intending to participate in my Step-tember Body Clean Out. Even more so relevant to those of us who might live on a diet of Chicken Schnitzels, Toast and Coffee.... none of which (sorry but the truth hurst sometimes!) are included in my 10 cleansing steps. So for the Hayley's amongst us, lets start getting ready! From this Wednesday its a good idea to get into 'pre-cleanse' mode. Its not hard, its quite simple really. Here's what I suggest you do!

Days 1 - 3
Begin cutting coffee & stimulants down, if you have 3 cups a day (GASP!!) cut it down to 2 and then 1 so by the third day you are only having one. By day 4 we are going to cut this out all together. If your a stimulant kind-a chick (or bloke) this is going to be a slight challenge but, you will be much better for it in the long run if you can. You might be best using some green tea to assist.
Days 4 - 6
Were at the no coffee stage here. Its time to slightly pear back on the amount of foods you are eating in preparation. You should be aiming to eat roughly 3/4 of what you would normally eat, also beginning to eliminate processed and refined foods. By tomorrow, there should be none of these eaten.
Day 7
Open heart, Open mind. Get ready for an awesome 7 days cleansing!
Being the hydrating process and start having at least 6 glasses per day.

Im so excited about kicking this off. You are going to need two things (besides certain foods - all of which shouldn't be too far out of the ordinary). Step-tember Shake is a blend of several ingredients aimed at clearing waste through the gut. If you are cleansing with me, be sure to contact me to get this. You might attempt to do the cleanse without it, but it will be no where as effective. Its available from The Pagoda Tree. I can send it out to you, with postage, is $25. You also need to get yourself a pro-biotic. You can get this from your chemist, something like Inner Health Plus is perfect.

The cleansing guidelines will be up on Monday, to commence Wednesday. I can't wait for you all to begin this journey to Spring!

And finally, whilst we are on the topic of Hayley, Open Heart & Open Mind, you need to wander over to one of her blogs Little Pinwheel Blog and my personal fave The Trousse ...they are both awesome. Be sure to follow her journey as a women, mum and in the near future and happy cleanser!

Delicious Choc Chip Cookies - Just because you asked nicely!

You would NEVER believe these had chickpeas in them! Awesome!

Facebook seems to be where Im getting much of my inspiration from recently, and today seems no different. My status read " baking time... chocolate chip cookies with chickpeas, oats and other goodies! Delish!" and the comments that followed showed me that you love my healthy recipes! So here is this bomb I found today. I modified it slightly - its from Deceptively Delicious (you can find it in my book wheel, bottom left of the blog page).

Nat's Choc Chip Cookies

3/4 cup of butter (use real stuff)
1/2 cup brown or raw sugar (I halved this, the original recipe said 1 cup - way too much and unnecessary)
2 egg whites
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (original recipe called for two cups)
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1 tin chickpeas drained and rinsed (you could use fresh soaked ones instead)
1/2 cup of oats
2 cups flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsb vanilla essence

Prehead oven to 180 degrees, line baking tins with baking paper.
In a bowl, beat butter and sugar. Once creamy, add egg whites and vanilla essence.
Once nicely combined, add the chocolate, nuts, chickpeas & oats.
Then add flour & bicarb and mix well.
Roll tablespoon sized portions in hands and place on tray, approx 3 cm apart.
Cook for 13 minutes, until cookies are slightly brown. Do not over cook.
Allow to cook on a wire rack.

It just goes to show you how yummy & nutritious your cooking can be when you think outside the square!

Why cleanse?

There has been a lot of recent attention focused on 'cleansing' in relation to its necessity and effectiveness. I have to agree with some of what has been published; over the counter 'kits' don't properly support the body and may be harmful and damaging because not one size fits all when it comes to cleansing. However, I am here to tell you, your body can only benefit from the right type of cleanse.

Cleanses are absolutely necessary to rid the body of toxic matter that builds up and literally lodges itself right through the gut. Your gut is your bodies own cleansing mechanism, however, what we ingest, breathe and wash ourselves in, isn't doing our bodies justice. Potentially our bodies would do an awesome job of eradicating waste, if we put into it cleaner things including, less toxic food, water free from nasty pesticides, antibiotics and drugs.

By now you would know that I have put it out there that I am running Step-tember Body Clean Out. Im challenging all to join me in a very simple and basic cleanse that EVERYBODY can do. All you need is to give me 7 days (from September 1 - 8), where each day I will add 2 steps for you to add on. So, the initial day will be 2 steps, the second day 4 steps and by the time we get to day 5, all 10 steps will have been outlined. You will continue with these 10 steps for a further 2 days (or longer should you want to continue to feel awesome). Its that easy! Of course, should you require something more specific, its best to come into The Pagoda Treewhere we can dig deeper, with a supported Spring Body Cleanse.

On Monday the 30th of August, I will be posting the complete cleanse, with the aim of us all doing it together commencing September 1st. You can start at anytime, however I know it will be great to all be in a somewhat supported environment, where you can ask questions via my blog at anytime or email me. Its' going to be a perfect start to spring and a perfect start to an awesome you for September!

eat greener - get your mind ready for Step-temper Cleansing!

eat greener
Originally uploaded by frischmilch

Im not missing - Im just busy. I've been working on your Step-tempber cleanse!

Im getting really excited about this. Being able to simply outline several steps for you to follow, in aim of better healthy and fertility. A cleaner, healthier and more fertile you! (and before you back away now, Stop! Fertile doesn't = babies. Fertile = being healthy in all areas, including reproductive organs.)

For those who have missed it - Im devising a simple, yet effective 7 day cleanse starting on the first day of spring. Its similar to what we have in the clinic - The Pagoda Tree. Our Spring Body Cleanse is of course, individually tailored to each patient, and delivers the best results. However, it has become apparent by your emails and comments that you would like to join me in cleansing, and so, this is the best way I can see to safely deliver it to you. Not the easiest of tasks, but something I can see a real need for.

Im going to start posting what you need to do in preparation for this. There isn't too much involved, but rather a gradual progression each of the 7 days to feeling amazing. You will need an open mind, an open heart and if possible a support person. Surely you know of somebody else you can have do this with you?

For now, all you need to do is start preparing yourself for September 1st. The first day of your cleanse. Clear your calender for the week, or at least be aware that for this week you will be 'spring cleaning' your body.

I can hardly wait!

Spring Body Challenge... come join me!

This is what I wrote on my Facebook page yesterday "Spring is in the air! Almost the perfect time to cleanse the body. Who's in?? The countdown is on... I dare you to join me!" And lo and behold, I’m astounded by the amount of comments that followed. I was putting my thoughts out there - Spring is the perfect time to cleanse the body, and that we all should consider an annual clean out. It appears, that now many of you want to join me! So I've been brain storming and thinking about how best we can go about spring cleaning our bodies, in an environment where we can be supported. The cleanses we have implemented at The Pagoda Tree are tailored to the individual patient, and carefully designed to meet their body’s requirements. This gives brilliant results- including an eating plan, as well as herbal medicines, acupuncture treatment and post cleanse support to ensure maximum benefits. In my opinion, this is the ultimate and most effective way to rid the body of toxins. It gives the body a 're-boot', aids in weightloss, maximises fertility and makes it an awesome machine for the warmer months.

And since you are all so eager to join in, it got me thinking just how I can safely and effectively deliver this to everybody. The solution: Step-tember body clean out! I admit, it isn't an easy task to co-ordinate something like this without physically seeing each of you, however if the cleanse is outlines in several steps for each day , I think we can do it! Of course it will not be as specific as an 'in-clinic' cleanse but my intentions are to create something that is effective and safe to optimise health.

So conger up your friends, perhaps link them to this blog, and we can see how many we can get on track in the quest for better health in September!

My breast feeding journey

As World Breast Feeding week nears an end, my mind has been drawn back to those early days of my breast feeding journey. Im grimacing as I write and think about those first few weeks. However, I got there. I breastfed, I persevered and Im proud.

Olivia's birth was very long, partly due to the complications I ran into during my pregnancy. I was diagnosed with an irritable uterus, which saw the start of my labor at 30 weeks. I was airlifted from Mildura (where I worked fortnightly, to deliver Chinese Medicine to country Victoria), hospitalised and told to rest. This, an impossible task in a midwifery ward. Fed up, I discharged myself, and took myself home, frustrated with what modern medicine couldn't offer me. Finally I took charge, had my beautiful business partner treat me with acupuncture, took herbal medicines and lied on my couch for 7 weeks. It seem like an eternity. I had contractions (which didn't hurt but were more like braxton hicks) constantly for 10 weeks, so by the time labor was upon me, my body was exhausted.

Pre-labour contractions commenced 6 days before I gave birth, each day they would be more and more intense but each day, they would stop and start. I would literally be in labour for 10 hours, with contractions at 4 minute intervals, only to have it stop. This went on for 5 days. My uterus was so fatigued. Finally I gave birth, but given all the complications and marathon efforts, my body was completely out of sorts.

My milk didn't come in until day 8. I had no idea that it wasn't there - I mean, how was I supposed to know? I hadn't done this before, nor had Livvi my baby. Because my labor had taken a turn, I was administered fluids via an IV, which certainly had an affect on my hormones. There are so many factors that can delay milk coming in including c-sections, IV drips, epidural etc. I had no idea!

So finally my milk came in - and 'they' weren't wrong, a day of tears and sadness. I remember wondering how I was supposed to do this. Of course, because the milk wasn't there earlier, we had all sorts of attachment issues and like my fellow blogger potty mouth mumma who by the way inspired this entry. (be sure to check out her awesome blog too!) I could feel things weren't right with Olivia and her feeding, I and so I took myself off to several tedious visits to the lactation consultant and had countless home visits by my maternal nurse. I was introduced to nipples shields which were able to offer some relief from my dry, hard, cracked, bleeding and infected nipples. We took Livvi to the Osteopath to fix her little spine up after all that labor and we seemed to finally be off!

Things were on the up and I was happy for a short period of time until the mastitis kicked in. Oh dear lordy this was the worst I think I have ever felt in my life! I remember standing in my kitchen, about to faint. Thankfully my mother recgonised the signs. I remember those words... "you've got mastitis!" I had no idea what to do. My mind was frazzled, and it wasn't until mum said to me "how do you treat this Nat? What do you do in the clinic?" that my mind actually switched on and thought "hello! I treat this regularly! I can fix me!" So I took myself off to my clinic, The Pagoda Tree, got me some herbs, some cabbage leaves and off I went! My mastitis cleared up within 12 hours. I was amazed.

We cruised along for sometime, perhaps 3 weeks or so when I started to develop vertigo type sensations. Breast feeding was seriously drawing on my reserves. Some days I was so dizzy and faint, I couldn't get up. So back to the herbal shelf for me, making up another decoction to drink to set me back on track.

All up I breastfed for 11 months. I for sure would have gone longer had I had any milk left. It just dried out. I have many theories as to why - probably the most significant being my return to work when Olivia was 3 weeks old. My body never had enough time to recover. Being in the fertility industry, its extremely difficult to up and leave. By the same token, I have no regrets getting myself back into the swing of things and was fortunate enough to be able to bring Livvi to work with me for the first 6 months of her life.

There was one thing that got me through my journey - support. Without it, I would have for surely failed. Education and support is the main focus of this years campaign for World Breast Feeding week. The African proverb is 100% true... "it takes a village to raise one child." Im grateful for my support network. It may just be the greatest gift a mother can have.

Pregnancy Complications Linked to Depression

A patient sent me through this link yesterday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Pregnancy-complications-linked-to-depression-in-mums/articleshow/6255630.cms

I had to share - this is something Chinese Medicine has recgonsied for hundreds, even thousands of years.

There are so many factors which may contribute to PND. Fortunately Chinese Medicine treats this well. We see young mothers at The Pagoda Tree turn their lives around with some supportive treatment. What is even better - prevention! If your about to have a baby, consider a visit to us to support your body in the best possible way. Prevention is always better than cure.

p.s. I have spent the last hour trying to link in this article to my post. I can't seem to get it to work! If somebody can help me... please let me know how I can do this. Thanks!

Making Awesome Breast Milk

In the spirit of World Breast Feeding Week - here is one of my contributions to Practical Parenting some time ago.

Breast Milk is a pretty amazing liquid. It is a complete meal packed with all the nutrition a baby requires. Breast milk supports growing immunity and lowers the chance of various illnesses’ and disease. And it’s commonly agreed to be the best food (where possible) for a newborn baby.
I am often surprised that women however do not realise the effect their own diet can have on their child. Many women simply do not connect that what they ingest is being passed on through their breast milk to bubs.
Breast Milk is absolutely influenced by food!

Babies often develop skin irritation, wind and discomfort as a result of strong foods, passed on in the milk that upsets them. It’s believed that pungent flavours often upset babies, however each child is different and it’s sometimes tricky to determine exactly what may be upsetting your newborn. Generally, if it sets you off, it sets them off too! I couldn’t as much as look sideways at beans without my daughter’s tummy being upset and yes, beans do the same to me!
By the same token, what a mother ingests can be of therapeutic benefit for the newborn. Skin irritation, eczema and baby acne often responds very well to the mother using a pro-biotic or fish oil themselves, again, passed on via the milk.

Sometimes removing certain foods, commonly dairy, sees the skin improve. Skin irritation may be a reflection that the baby’s immature gut isn’t able to break down fats being passed on. It doesn’t necessarily indicate they will suffer with this condition for life, and in the majority of cases, go away as their little organ systems develop.
With this knowledge it’s simple to see why the breast-feeding mother needs to eat a wholesome diet full of good proteins, plenty of green leafy and colourful veggies and avoid processed foods that hold little nutritional value. Such a diet will benefit breast milk quality and quantity and ensure that as a feeding mother you can continue to deliver ‘the perfect meal’!
Natalie’s top five foods for beautiful breast milk:
~ Filtered water essential for adequate milk production
~ Oats or oat milk supports the production of milk
~ Protein, be it from lean meats, nuts, eggs and legumes
~ Green leafy vegetables which also contain calcium which is important for breast feeding mothers
~ Cereals and grains

The original post can be seen here: http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/practical-parenting/opinion/show/1297433/you-and-your-baby-are-what-you-eat/

Sometimes diet changes alone aren't enough. At The Pagoda Tree, we see all kinds of post natal conditions, including breast milk troubles.

10 things to increase your fertility NOW

Like.... right now.
Seen the movie 'How to loose a guy in 10 days?' Well, thats what I'm thinking... 'How to make you more fertile in 10 days!'

Each day that you make positive changes toward better health, your body reflects this as it immediately begins repairing and functioning properly. Some of this we can quickly feel and others take a little longer. But did you know, that at a cellular level, your body will be completely new this exact time, in 1 year? Each and every day, our cells grow and change. If we are providing our body with adequate nutrients, it will be influenced to change in a better way. Living an unhealthy lifestyle will without doubt, do the opposite.

So here are my top 10 steps to a more fertile you!

WATER! ~ Purified, good quality water. Does amazing things for the body, it helps to cleanse and move toxins out. Build up of toxins is a fertility killer!

REDUCE STRESS ~ an absolute must. Stress disrupts regular body function in so many ways. Introduce massage*, yoga and at least 4 hours of 'you' time every week.

SLEEP ~ Being in bed before 11pm is essential for good body function. If you have issues with sleep, best you get that sorted. And no, sleeping pills are not sorting it out. It might be time you paid me a visit at The Pagoda Tree!

WEIGHT LOSS/GAIN ~ being underweight may mean that you ovulate too regularly, which sounds good but actually leaves you 'sub-fertile (infertile temporarily). A specific amount of time is required for a fertile menstrual cycle. The opposite goes for those who are overweight. Being over an ideal body weight will mean less attempts of ovulation. Weight places extra stress on the body - and your body ain't silly! It knows that the uterus isn't an essential organ for survival, so it compromises and uses the energy elsewhere.

DIET ~ adequate nutrients from healthy foods are a MUST. Adding protein and lessening refined foods does wonderful things!

MORE SEX - get those hormones flowing!

EXERCISE ~ not too little but not too much! Too much exercise may to crazy things to your menstrual cycle and disrupt ovulation. Too little exercise isn't healthy either. Stick to 1 hour every other day.

WORK LESS ~ you can only expect out of your body what you put in. The number of patients I see that reduce work hours and fall pregnant soon after is almost shocking.

GO ORGANIC ~ comes back to eliminating toxins. Eating clean foods, without nasty chemicals creates a cleaner environment internally. Your body can only function better like this!

DON'T DO DRUGS ~ sounds silly but I mean medications. All medications have remafications. All are toxic. Some are necessary, and others aren't. There are alternatives. Explore the alternatives. Headaches, period pain, Irritable Bowel yadda yadda yadda... are NOT normal. They are signs your body isn't working. So fix it!

Oopss... I have 11 things actually! MORE SUNSHINE! More vitamin D. More health.

Unless structural problems are present, most women are fertile. Increasing amounts of endometrosis, Poly Cystic Ovaries and fertility issues are worrying but they are treatable. Positive changes (aka 10 things to increase your fertility) coupled with individualised and specific treatment will lead to positive outcomes, because the body will work if you feed it what it needs!

*THE PAGODA TREE has 50% off ALL massage this week only! There is NO way you can say no to that!

Image: Bare Feet, New Sprouts from Flickr

World Breast Feeding Week 1 - 7 Aug

Image uploaded by Raphael Goetter

Today starts the first day of World Breast Feeding Week.

"World Breastfeeding week provides an opportunity to reflect on the value of the breastfeeding relationship to the baby, the family and the community." (Australian Breast Feeding Association, 2010) This years theme is 'Breastfeeding: Just 10 steps - the Baby-Friendly Way.' You can read more about it here:

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/news/wbw2010.html

The World Breast Feeding Association is taking the opportunity to use this coming week to not only support Breast Feeding, but raising awareness to both mother and maternity organisations, including midwifery professionals.

Education and support to me, are the two most valuable practices that can be given to the mother. In my experience, a supported new mother has a far greater chance of successfully breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is a tuff gig. I struggled for quite some time as a new mother in my breastfeeding journey. I wonder had I not had the support, how my journey would have differed. Thankfully I developed awesome team around me, including my mother, midwives, lactation consultants and health nurses. I took advantage of them all, because I was determined to do it. This positive support was essential for me. Unfortunately not all women have this. Creating awareness of all the support services available will help so many women achieve their goal of successfully breastfeeding. What an amazing gift to both the mother and child.

Expect more breastfeeding blogs this week! Its a topic close to my heart. x