Something strange happened last night that proved to me that i was on THE RIGHT PATH.

After my self-imposed isolation over the last week and a half (this book is my number one priority right now!) I was feeling neglected, alone, and a little bit needy. 

I really do. I am super competitive and love to prove people wrong (or that I'm right- as always!). So when I started hearing about this 'Paleo' jazz, I of course thought; "Why can't a vegan eat like that?" Well there are obvious limitations (meat, no grains or beans etc) however being as stubborn as I am I wanted to find a way around it.

One of my brothers had asked me to compile all of my Paleo friendly recipes together, for his Army co-workers, which I did, and as I specialise in HEALTHY vegan recipes, I get tonnes of people emailing me asking me for VEGAN Paleo recipes.

So, I got doing some research, some cooking and lots of taste testing. 

Did you know that a lot of the recipes I have been posting lately have been Paleo? That Dreamy, Creamy Hot Chocolate recipe from last night was. So was my fantastic Vegie Head Vegetable Pie and the Coconut and Curry Soup was another winner. And you enjoyed it didn't you? I knew it!

If you want to know more about Paleo diets, click here. Obviously this is aimed at meat-eaters, but stick with me kids, there will be plenty of Vegie Head recipes to come! 

So, why am I telling you all of this?

Well, as I mentioned, there is a huge demand for Vegan paleo recipes, and a vast majority of Paleo eaters train 'CrossFit'.

CrossFit is "the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide."*

DON'T FREAK OUT! 

It is actually incredible, functional, and by god do you get a good workout! My level of fitness equates to long walks with Charlie, and that's about it. I have done the whole gym thing, Les Mills, boxing, swimming...but this is something else. I walk out feeling powerful. Like I could conquer the World! 

I am so lucky that there is a wonderful CrossFit gym 5 minutes from my house, and after doing some research, I found that they whole heartedly encourage Vegans and Vegetarians to come along, which made me feel comfortable right away; I didn't need to be a meat eater! 

The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed, and there are people of all shapes and sizes, ages and fitness levels that attend.

Tristan, the owner and CrossFit expert (he even judged the Regional CrossFit games this year!) and I had a long chat, and both came to a conclusion; that we needed more vegan Paleo recipes!

So I step in, and voilá! Paleo recipes that everyone can enjoy!

This Saturday the 14th, why not come along to a FREE intro class? It is so much fun, you learn a lot and you can also come along and try some special Vegie Head Vegan Paleo food! 

It is a sad fact that we, as a Nation (and all over the world) are getting bigger, unhealthier and are ageing worse than ever before. Exercise and clean, organic, healthy foods are the only things that will change that- not pills and potions. There is not quick fix for this, and all we can do it get our bums off the couch and get to it! I will be certainly getting into it; its been a week, and although I am sore, it is a satisfying type of soreness. I equate this to WINNING! 

Hope to see you there, and don't forget to check out:

crossfitringwood.com
facebook.com/CrossFitRingwood

Lots of Vegie Head love x

Let's not beat around the bush here. There are many things I can do, and do well. Managing stress however, is unfortunately not one of them

Don't get me wrong, I thrive on stress. I love high pressure situations and perform best when working to a deadline. I love the intensity, the heart-pumping-sweaty-palms and the adrenaline high of being stressed out. So does that make me a stress addict?

Anyone who doesn't know me well will be surprised by this. However, those close to me will be nodding their heads in agreement. As my Mum has always kindly (and not so kindly) told me, "Adele, you will end up with an ulcer", and over the last year I have taken heed of her warning.  

Usually I am on auto-pilot and can be so stressed out, but have no idea that I am until I consciously pick up the following:

-I have no appetite (not good for a recipe creator!)
-I sleep even less than normal
-I have 'knots' in my stomach which leads to a very upset tummy
-I make mental 'lists' that I recite over and over again until I have finished every task

So what stresses me out?

-Not having enough time to focus on my business
-Not getting things done in time
-Worrying about not 'winning' or being number one 
-Not being able to say 'No' to people, and getting locked into situations that I don't want to be in (not because I don't love helping people but I just don't have a lot of time-point one!)

There are a number of things I find personally help me manage my stress

-Walking

I don't view walking as 'exercise'. I think if I classified it as exercise I probably wouldn't do it! But I set aside between one and two hours a day, just for Charlie and I.




-Pet Therapy

Ok, so it's not a far reach for me, but having Charlie has certainly calmed me down. There has been research that shows 10 minutes of patting a pet markedly lowers yours and their blood pressure. Giving unconditional love and time to an animal is also good for your soul.

-Tea

Beautiful herbal tea; it's the ritual and the time it takes to sit and sip a nice cuppa that helps. Blends that include chamomile and lavender particularly calm me down.

-Music Therapy

I'm not sure what real music therapy entails, however my version of music therapy is turning up music VERY VERY VERY loud, and simply focussing on it; the beat, the drums, the vocals and melody....it takes my mind off whatever is stressing me, and generally leads to dancing, which is great!

-Meditation

I am a meditation newbie; last week was my first class, and I will be continuing with it. It is something I need to practice (I did nod off a few hundred times), but I like a challenge and am prepared to put in the time. Sara at The Space in Between runs an incredible class; all different techniques and therapies. Do check out her Facebook page for some beautiful inspiration as well.

-I don't watch the news

Call it ignorance (but that's bliss isn't it?!) but I don't watch or read the news.. If I hear about something important I will try to do some reading of my own, however I find that getting inundated everyday with graphic images and content affect me. Especially when I can't do a lot about it. This is one of the reasons that the website and my Facebook pages are all 'graphic image and content free'.

-Eating well

Obviously eating the right foods helps as well; I am putting less stress on my organs to digest food and extract nutrients when the food I eat is 'clean' anyway.

-'To Do' lists

If I have a number of tasks to do, I find writing them down keeps me organised, but I also relish crossing that task out, and basking in another job well done.

-Acupuncture

Weekly acupuncture sessions, then fortnightly for maintenance, seriously helped with my stress levels. Dr Paul Carter helped to relieve tension in my back, neck and head using massage and needling, and uses herbs to balance me out. 

                      Some of the beautiful walks that we take everyday.

So why am I telling you all of this? 

All of you darling Aussie Vegies would have heard about 'Lifeline' and I'm pretty sure there would be the equivalent in countries all over the World. 

Lifeline connects people with care, by providing services in suicide prevention, crisis support and mental health support; all of which are serious issues in this day and age. 



Everyday, Lifeline receives 1,250 calls from Australians in need of support. Sadly up to 50 of these calls are from people at high risk of suicide. This is such a sad statistic.

Their Crisis Support Chat is also available for people who prefer to seek help via a real time, one-on-one online conversation with a trained crisis supporter.

Lifeline are having a 'Stress Down Day' on Friday, the 27th of July, 2012, where you can donate or purchase some cool 'Stress Down' slippers to wear! 

By taking part in Stress Down Day you will help them answer more calls, provide more one-on-one chat’s and help them to continue to save lives.

Get involved today, buy a pair of slippers, organise a stress down day at your work or school and spread the word that less stress is best!

I will be donating whole-heartedly to this cause, an I encourage you to all do the same; the smallest donation helps! 

In the meantime, take care of yourselves, and help is never far away if you need it. Remember that situations and emotions are often only temporary, and every hurdle and test will only make us stronger and stronger.

Lots of Vegie Head love xxx