WellBeing

Searching questions are asked at bedtime. Maybe it’s the secure comfort of pyjamas, snug bedding and fluffy bed partners. Perhaps it’s that the moment of getting into bed is a gap ... a hiatus between the activity of the day and the regeneration of t

COMPILED BY TERRY ROBSON How does wanting selfcontrol impact on your ability to achieve it? To test this, researchers conducted a series of four experiments that tested the impact of wanting self-control on performance. They found that those people w

Words LIZ MCLARDY Money seems more likely to infect our relationships with fights, fears and shame than to spark joy. But money shouldn’t be the greatest cause for breakups and marriage breakdowns. How you choose to approach your co-financial life ca

Change is a funny thing, isn’t it? Sometimes you run from it, terrified it’ll eat you whole and invert all you find familiar — a fear unfounded on whether all that’s customary is good for you or not. Other times you wave a red flag in front of change

Words NICK PARKINS The simple act of relating to others — in families, with friends or as a fleeting interaction between strangers — can be fraught with needless division, angst, self-doubt and confusion. This problem is often couched in goodwill, pa

COMPILED BY TERRY ROBSON Declines in wild and managed bee populations threaten the pollination of flowers in more than 85 per cent of flowering plants and 75 per cent of agricultural crops worldwide. Monitoring of bee populations could lead to better

Words STEPHANIE OSFIELD Are you sure you want that latte/ long black/macchiato “to go”? Every year, Australians are dinking more coffee and less tea and, in the process, we’re missing a golden opportunity to down a beverage with incredible health pun

Did something resonate with you in this issue of WellBeing? Tell us! Write to WellBeing, Locked Bag 154, North Ryde, NSW 1670, email wbletters@ universalmagazines. com.au, comment on our Facebook page or tweet us: @WellBeing_Mag. We reserve the right

Words CARROL BAKER Femininity is often defined by a woman’s breasts. Popular imagery portrays the breast in many forms: a voluptuous Renaissance woman in repose, an infant contentedly suckling a mother’s breast or a buxom celebrity sporting breasts w

Words DR KAREN BRIDGMAN Glucosamine is the most popular supplement taken worldwide. First prepared in 1876 by Georg Ledderhose but not sold commercially until 1939, it was first made by processing chitin from shellfish shells. Today, it’s also produc

Mama Body Tea is an organic herbal tea company specialising in herbal blends that provide comfort and support to women and their babies throughout pregnancy, breastfeeding and motherhood. The range consists of 13 blends that have been designed by the

Compassion is when you create healthy boundaries for yourself. This allows true happiness and confidence when making decisions and holding yourself accountable for them. Divina Jamon I have this little thing I do called 11:11. My father passed away w

Words ANTHONY KINGSTON Silk has long been the ultimate in luxury textiles. It can conjure images of the wealthy and powerful of China, Marilyn Monroe claiming to only sleep naked in silk sheets and the high end of the sensuous lingerie market. Now, r

Words DR KAREN BRIDGMAN Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is an edible annual flowering plant thought to have originated in ancient Persia and was then introduced to India and China where it was known as the “Persian vegetable”. The earliest written record

COMPILED BY TERRY ROBSON In this study, a total of 40 children aged 10–11 took part in a class-based test on different mental tasks. Children were randomly assigned to a room that had either rosemary oil diffused in it for 10 minutes or a room with n

Words PETE EVANS Photography MARK ROPER Want to improve your mood, quality of sleep and energy levels, and enjoy sharper brain function? What if you could do this simply through the ingredients you choose to cook with? Yep, putting food on your plate

Words STEPHANIE OSFIELD Though we spend at least onethird of our lives working, we often pay little attention to the ambiance of our office space. This is particularly true of SoHos (Small office Home offices). Yet somehow, in your home office, you e

NATULIQUE is the first true full-line brand in the market offering hair products that are organic, cruelty free, DEA free and sulphate, perfume and paraben free. A company passionate about ethical, natural products and sustainability. W: natulique.co

KAREN BRIDGMANis a holistic practitioner at Australian Biologics, Sydney, and Pymble Grove Health Centre, Gordon. Garlic has been shown to be as effective as antibiotics in eradicating Blastocystis. The parasite Blastocystis hominis is popping up all

Words KATE DUNCAN I’d like to share with you my afternoon’s activities. I went on a nature quest, foraging for wild flowers in the nearby community garden. I found lavender, sage, rosemary and eucalyptus, which I bundled up with twine, wrapping it ti

Words MEGAN BLANDFORD I have vivid memories of being read to in my childhood. My sister and I would snuggle up on either side of our mum as she read aloud books that are still among my favourites: The Secret Garden, The Magic Faraway Tree, Matilda an

Say no to toxic single-use disposables and use a BPA-free, stainless-steel Cheeki insulated mug for coffee and tea. Mugs have pop-up, leak-proof lids and newly released cups have easy flip-up, spill-proof lids. Keeps beverages hot for up to 12 hours!

Words VERONICA JOSEPH Have you ever read something — perhaps a page of a book, a recipe or even, dare I say, an article in this magazine — and not remembered what you just read? What about recalling what you ate for breakfast yesterday or what you di

CHRISTINE BROADBENToffers personal consultations, unlocks exciting aspects of self and considers astrology a healing art. Telephone and Skype options allow distance consultations. Get in touch with her via christine@astrologyspot. com.au, astrologysp

Imagine you’re 90. You’re sitting in your favourite chair, a steaming mug cupped in your hands, gazing at a photograph of a much-treasured moment. As you relive this moment of magnificence, your eyes, accented by grooves carved by a lifetime of love,

When and why did you start following a sustainable lifestyle? My husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2002 and after undergoing seemingly successful treatment we thought he was cured. Then in 2006, when I was heavily pregnant with our first child, th

Words MARTIN OLIVER Economists frequently aspire to an ideal of “free trade”, with minimal government intervention and an absence of distortions in the marketplace. However, the free market has shortcomings that are easy to airbrush, or overlook, inc

Whether you are keen to become a yoga teacher or just want to deepen your own understanding and practice of yoga, this journey should be a life-changing and positive experience. Yet, with countless styles, prices, formats and teachers to consider, ho

Words SOPHIA AULD When 45-year-old Karen visited her doctor about her aching hip, the last thing she expected was to be diagnosed with arthritis. Didn’t that only affect old people? She was surprised to learn that at least half of arthritis sufferers

Words JENNIFER JOHNSTON Snow had been falling constantly since our arrival at Nozawa Onsen, a traditional Japanese ski village four hours drive northwest of Tokyo. I was with two of my teenage sons on the fourth day of the ski section of our Japan ho

JESSIE HALEY W: facebook.com/jessiehaleyillustrated, instagram.com/jessie_haley_illustrated, liberteandom.com/mental-fi tness The creative process plays a huge role in my life. I hadn’t painted in 15 years and, when I felt life had come crushing down

CARLA OATESis a natural beauty expert and the author of Feeding Your Skin. Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets have been prescribed since the 1950s based on bad science that linked saturated fat and raised cholesterol levels with heart disease. Confusin

Words SONIA ZADRO Imagine you are a fly on the wall in the midst of a psychotherapy session. You would expect to see lots of talking, perhaps some head nodding by the therapist, some angst and sadness from the client. What you wouldn’t expect is for

Words CAROLINE ROBERTSON, Photography KATE NUTT, SHOT AT GAIA RETREAT & SPA OMG, it’s ONJ on the phone apologising because she’s 15 minutes late. Nice to see Hollywood hasn’t changed this Melbourne girl’s manners. Despite her celeb status, singer and

Mona Pavilions These eight pavilions at MONA are defined by contemporary design and avant-garde art. A heated pool, sauna, winery and a museum tour should cap things off nicely. mona.net.au/ stay/mona-pavilions MACq 01 This premium hotel on Hobart’s

Eating according to the seasons makes sense, so I encourage you to listen to the transitioning seasonal cues and shift to eating grounding but lighter foods. My menu over winter has rotated between stews, stir-fries, curries, warming teas — and somet

Words DR MICHELLE MARS Are you confused by the sheer volume of information you receive about health and wellbeing? One minute coffee is good for you; the next it’s causing cancer. You read that most of us are marginally dehydrated one day and the nex

ALEXX STUARTis an educator passionate in the space she calls “living a lowtox life”. Through her speaking, workshops, e-courses and online community, she helps people make the best new choices for themselves, family and planet. W: lowtoxlife.com You

Words CATHERINE LAWSON Photography DAVID BRISTOW On the outskirts of Kathmandu, forested ridges rise in sweeping arcs, wrapping protective arms around Nepal’s enduring historical centre. Carved with verdant rice terraces and studded with ancient gild

Pippa Neve is a highly experienced professional, intuitive natural healer and meditation guide. Her approach to healing is heart centred and guided by her true affinity with people’s emotions, young and old. Pippa offers a bespoke treatment with know

Words JESSICA LEE There’s no doubt that setting goals gives your life focus. Achieving goals feels fantastic — but do you believe you are only successful when you achieve your goals and a failure when you don’t? For a long time, I felt great when I a

Sometimes, driving through the suburbs, you may spot the plants below. Many street trees are useful, as are a lot of common weeds and flowers. And, yes, it is easier to buy plant foods in a supermarket. But ours is a generous planet. A little “gather

KAREN GOLDRICKis a holistic veterinarian at All Natural Vet Care, Russell Lea, Sydney. T: +61 2 9712 5844 W: naturalvet.com.au A combination of diet and environmental enrichment has been shown to be more effective than either used alone. As they age,

Reviews by Kate Duncan, Holly Foley, Danielle Kirk & Chris Stafford MY COUSIN RACHELDirected by ROGER MICHELL Starring RACHEL WEISZ, SAM CLAFLIN CHURCHILLDirected by JONATHON TEPLITZKY Starring BRIAN COX, MIRANDA RICHARDSON THE PROMISEDirected by TER

JAN MCLEODis a highly respected coach, mentor, speaker and consultant, a specialist in the areas of high performance, wellbeing, nutrition and change strategy in the workplace. W: thecapacity equation.com.au, madforhealth.com.au We are fast approachi

Bring your body back into balance A practitioner-prescribed probiotic will provide clinically effective, researched and strain-specific probiotics that will help target your individual health needs. Find a natural healthcare practitioner online. W: m

DR MICHAEL ELSTEINis a Sydney-based anti-ageing physician and writer. He is the author of three books, including his latest, The Wellness Guide to Preventing the Diseases of Ageing. He has also designed the app The diet guide to ageing prevention. Sa