Just a thought or two

Having being away for a week, in the wonderful capital of New Zealand - Wellington - I have come home missing my family who live there but also feeling like I ate my way thru most of the city...and, admittedly, had a 'few' wines as well.  
Lets face it - now I am back at square one in the attempt of a better me.
But back into it today - brown rice and tuna for lunch, and my carrot for afternoon tea.  Boring you might say?  Maybe, but I love eating food like this.  There is something wonderful about raw, unprocessed food that i enjoy.  I know that's so good for me and my body loves the nutrients that comes with 'raw'.  For those of you who are interested - I challenge you to watch a documentary, called FOOD MATTERS.  It is fantastic and has changed the way I think about food and life.  They also have a wonderful website (www.foodmatters.tv)which I highly recommend you take a look around - we have learnt so much from their posts and updates.


So - onwards and upwards.  We can't get down and sad about our food mistakes and days where we haven't exercised.  We must pick up our feet and push on thru the hard days!  We will succeed!

Tomorrow I walk

I will walk hard

I will walk up

And I will enjoy it!

Sore Muscles...?

My husband and I have started a fitness/weight loss 'thing' and we have been exercising HARD for the past 2 weeks.  Sweating it out, walking up the mount, jogging around it and pumping weights.  Today - i am sore.  Sore even in places that I haven't actually exercised - my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my back is aching - its all on!  Then we go to weigh ourselves this morning, and we have both put on 300gm!!!  What's that about??? And then our senior beauty therapist let me in on a little secret....
You get better results in weight loss and building muscle if you 'go hard' every second day - not every day.  Muscles get sore because of the tearing and rebuilding they go thru to get stronger and the increase in weight is due to the build up of lactic acid in the muscles.  This releases itself over several days and then eventually, the weight loss will show on the scales. Remembering that muscle weighs more than fat.
So maybe next week we will be slim and fabulous and hopefully not sore?  Will we be fabulous before summer really sets in?  Maybe, hopefully - but i know that having a spray tan this evening will make me feel AT least 5 kilos lighter!!  (Did i mention that Refresh does the best Spray tans ever?!).  

O'la Tropical Organics

Ah - the Islands of Hawai'i...my favourite.  Having spent 6 months living on the big Island of Hawaii - i have never forgotten its smell, its beauty, its amazing way of making you feel beautiful.  I have never been to Paris, but I have to say, I believe that Hawai'i is one of the most romantic places in the world.

Having this love for the islands, I wanted to bring some of the passion and fragrance here to Refresh Beauty Therapy - so, we found O'la Tropical Organics - made on the big island from all natural ingredients.  Here is why we like them:

* They use only ingredients that can be found in Hawai'i. 

* They make our own hydrosols ("soul" of the plant) infusing locally grown and wild crafted botanicals in an ancient copper distilling processes. 

* They buy from and support our local farmers using all natural and organic ingredients whenever possible. 

* They value the ancient wisdom passed down by our elders and we handcraft everything with reverence and respect. All the botanicals, fruit, sea elements and oils they use for a reason and because they have a connection that is valued by the Hawaiian elders. Hawai'i gives the products a resonance and a vibration that are palpable and makes our body products feel alive and fresh. 

Sounds interesting?

We stock Vanilla Ginger, Passionfruit Citrus and Coconut Lemongrass.  For summer, we will be stock Paradise Plumeria and Mango Grove - FUN!!  Come in and see us and experience the fragrance of the islands.

Mount Maunganui

Main Mount Beach

Ah - the beautiful Mount!  What a wonderful place to live.  As I am originally from Wellington, but had spent some time in the islands of Hawaii - this was the closest I could get to that wonderful beach lifestyle.  With our warmer weather - sunnier days and white sand beaches, why wouldn't you live here?  

Over the past 12 years, I have watched the city grow up and out.  More people, bigger roads and lots of wonderful shops, cafes and restuarants.  I do believe that we have a lot more growing to do but I hope that we won't lose the realness of what we were - a little beach side town that boasts of beautiful summers and wonderful holidays.

If you haven't yet visited Mount Maunganui in the sunny Bay of Plenty - then where are you! You have to come and walk around the mount, have a coffee at the wonderful Deck Chair cafe or even a real Italian Gelato from Monte Gelato and of course - a facial at Refresh Beauty Therapy!

Seasonal Food

We all know the importance of eating fruit and vegetables that are in season.  We always try and purchase produce that is grown here in NZ and that is correct for the right season.  I am not sure if the 'carbon footprint' actually exists, but if it does, then I know that I am doing what I can to support home grown food and not food flown around the globe!

So what is in season right now for spring?
Asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, potatoes, chicory, cabbage, rhubarb, leeks, spinach, spring onions, purple-sprouting broccoli, new potatoes, cauliflower, radishes, carrots, watercress.
As you will note, most of these are high in vitamin C which we still need high doses of, as the seasons change.
We like to encourage that you eat most of your vegetables raw or only lightly steamed - as this is the only way to receive all of the amazing nutrients that lie beneath the skin.  And another great tip is don't peel your veges!  Keep them as nature intended.

Janesce Sun Care Lotion

Today we wanted to share with you about the most amazing moisturiser for the face - by Janesce.
Janesce is an Australian based product, made by a Naturopath/Beauty Therapist (Janinie Smith) who grows all the herbs used in the products on her farm.  We believe in the quality, the results and the ethics that are behind the product and I personally have never seen such results with skin, as I have with Janesce.

So today's product is called SUNCARE LOTION.  This amazing moisturiser is used once a day - preferably in the morning and with regular application over a period of time, builds up the skins own natural resistance to UVA and UVB rays.  Suncare lotion has flower extracts and nut butter which boost the skin's natural responses to protect if from the damaging effects of the sun.  This blend is rich in anti-oxidants, which counteract free radicals caused by sun damage.

Suncare lotion is very healing for sensitive skins or skins that suffer from eczema and is so safe, it can be used on babies.

This lotion is one for the whole family, especially as we head into warmer, sunnier weather.  Over time, your skin will show less sensitivity to the sun and the effect will slow down premature ageing.

I have personally used this product and my husband, who is a Landscaper, just loves it. It is non-greasy and absorbed very quickly into the skin, therefore making it a wonderful base for makeup. 
 

Hello and welcome to our Blog! This is all very new for us and we are excited to share with you what we are learning and what we are doing as a business and as individuals.
We are a natural based business, believing that nature has the best remedies for our skin and of course our health.  We have seen amazing results with the products that we use and we hope to grow with our clients as we move forward.