​I love getting to know more about life’s natural cycles and rhythms. Lately, I’ve become increasingly curious about the natural menstruation cycle and how it impacts our energy and mood. Upon researching more deeply, I’ve discovered how we can help fuel and support our bodies natural cycles through our diet, exercise and even our daily behaviours. I challenged myself to listen to these natural rhythms for one month to see if I noticed a difference in my mood and energy. Check out what I learnt below!

These days, purchasing food isn’t as simple as it should be. Often, most of the food we find in our local supermarket has been internationally imported. While this can be great if you’re searching for produce which is out of season locally, it can come with lots of unknowns. Check out this list called ‘The Dirty Dozen’ which collates 12 foods you should definitely be buying organic wherever possible! We also share a super handy DIY fruit & veggie wash! 

​If you’ve never heard of the term ‘cruciferous vegetables’, then you’re certainly missing out. This powerhouse group of vegetables are super nutrient dense and are great at protecting our health. This blog post gives you a brief rundown on what cruciferous vegetables are, why they’re so special and what the health benefits can be!

​There’s a new diet on the block. Well, at least that’s what people thought. Intermittent fasting is neither a diet nor is it new! Sourced from our great ancestors, intermittent fasting is about designing an eating pattern which restricts WHEN you eat, rather than WHAT you eat. It has shown amazing results in regards to weight loss and fat burning while still enabling people to maintain muscle.

​Check out more about IF below, including 3 common methods and some frequently asked questions!

With June just around the corner (I know, can we believe it?), here at Live Lively we thought it would be fun to partake in Junk Free June with our own twist! This month, we’re focusing on cleaning up, cutting down and only letting the good things stay. However rather than just throwing the junk out of our diets, we realised that we needed to do something a little more ‘lively’. Our Junk Free June workbook looks into our diets, homes, lifestyles and habits! Read More for the full details and your FREE PDF workbook to download at the bottom of this blog post!

Visceral fat is the new monster in the closet and it’s not just overweight people who need to worry. Visceral fat can be an issue for anyone! Commonly known at ‘belly fat’ visceral fat is found in the abdominal cavity and wrapped around your internal organs. Visceral fat can quickly turn into a serious health problem, as it is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease and even certain cancers. Learn more about it below and the steps you can take to minimise your risk!

We understand how difficult it can be to maintain a GF/DF diet while traveling. So we wanted to create this series to clue you in on our favourite cafes and restaurants which offer GF/DF options or allow you to customise your order accordingly. First up, is NEO Cafe & Eatery located on Willis Street in Wellington CBD. This was the highlight of our trip to Wellington last October and definitely needs to be added to your list of places to check out!

Hey Honey! 
​Meal prep doesn’t have to be fancy - it’s supposed to be functional. 
​I believe there is this big stigma about healthy eating: it’s expensive, it’s time consuming and yes it may be great for you but sometimes it’s just not worth all the effort. Think about it, as humans we’re lazy! We love convenience and taking the easiest route possible to a solution. That’s why fast food joints are so successful, just drive in, drive out and grab yourself a quick fix of fat, sugar and carbs - perfect. At Live Lively, we wish to promote that healthy eating shouldn’t always cost a lot, either of your time or your energy, allowing you to focus on the importance of prioritising healthy food and the creativity of cooking! We understand that these days life is busy. Whether your days are filled with a career driven 9 to 5, life as a mum, or a student pressing through exams and classes. Healthy eating and a good lifestyle should be as easy as a grab and go. It doesn’t have to be boring either! 

Deep inside of us, we can’t deny that meal prepping would be a massive step towards reducing our workloads during the week. Restaurant kitchens have been doing it for years and yet in the average household the dinner menu is often something we leave until either our stomachs (or the kids) are growling. The meal prep process allows us to begin a new week with a win, feeling confident that you are prepared and organised for whatever may be thrown at you. For me, as a student, I need quick and easy food solutions that I know will provide me with easy healthy meals which I don’t even have to think about. But for you, your situation might be entirely different. As a mum of 3 kids, perhaps you are struggling with coming up with different dinners every night that you know your kids will love. That’s the amazing thing about meal prepping. It isn’t all about fancy, ‘instagramable’ meals or the other extreme of eating chicken, broccoli and rice 5 days a week. It’s about encouraging functional problem solving, fitting the nutritional needs for you and yours while inspiring you to love and enjoy food - as well as the creative process of preparing it. That’s where this guide comes into play, I’m here to help you identify how meal prepping can revolutionise your week without taking up an entire day, denying you of variety or breaking the bank!