The Live Lightly Centre

28/07/2025

Healing is not linear! This is why follow ups are so important. 🙏

If you just look at the way you’re feeling today (you may have a cold or a bad night’s sleep or an anxiety attack or some bad news) and focus on how you are feeling in the moment, rather than all of the progress you’ve made so far, you will feel like nothing is changing.

Healing is firstly about stopping the decline. If we can just stop you getting worse, that’s a huge win. Then its about starting to feel better, starting to do better, starting to have more control, motivation, energy and focus.

Then and only then will the body be able to start actually GETTING better.

You will have your ups and downs, your ebbs and flows, your good days and bad days, energetic days and your tired ones, your happy ones and your sad ones but as long as we are getting more of the good, and less of the bad, we are winning.

Expect bumps in the road. Expect setbacks and failures. Expect to feel like its all too hard and its not working for you but then expect to come out the other side bigger better faster and stronger. Coz you will be.

Healing is not linear. Prepare for that and it will make the journey so much more rewarding. 🙏💕

28/07/2025

Reminder that I will be away from Sunday 9th August to Tuesday 19th August. I have two weeks til then so if you needed a follow up or new consultations before then best to get onto it.

You can book online using the blue “contact us” button on the page, call the centre on 6355 6246 or even message through the page.

Also that means there will be no pick ups of supplements or winter herbals during those dates too unfortunately, although there is always the online ordering through MyScript for current clients (herbals excluded, they are hand made in store!)

Thank you! 🙏💞

26/07/2025

I often tell my people to think outside the square when it comes to food. Such things as a savoury hot brekky (like soup or dinner leftovers) and adding things to “pimp” a meal if you need to stretch it or add a certain nutrient profile.

Here is a perfect example and bear with me here 😂

This was my brekky today, I ate it at about 10.45 between clients and it was a mix of leftover spaghetti Bolognese sauce from the night before (there wouldn’t have been enough for a whole meal by itself) mixed with some leftover Asian style chicken soup I made during the week.

I also threw in some fresh chopped cauliflower and broccoli because there was very little fibre there. Re-heat til the veggies are cooked through and the soup loosened the spag sauce and cooked the veg, plus I drizzled some olive oil on top because it needed some more good fats.

I gotta tell ya, it was bloody delicious! 🤤

The problem with my “experiments” is if I really love them too bad, I can never re-create them because they are usually a hotch potch of stuff thrown together that I had at hand.

I just have to live life in the moment with a lot of my food. 😆

26/07/2025

🐶 Saturday Post! 🐶

Reminder that this Saturday 26th July I am open between 12 and 1pm for supplement/herbal pickups. Please message me beforehand to make sure I've got what you need in stock though.

Cheers. 👍💕

25/07/2025

Have you heard of the soleus muscle? It is a powerful muscle in the calf and it plays a really important role in cardiovascular health believe it or not!

The calf muscles, particularly the soleus, are often referred to as the "second heart" because they play a crucial role in the circulatory system by helping to pump deoxygenated blood back to the heart from the lower extremities.

This function is essential, as the heart alone cannot effectively circulate blood throughout the entire body, especially against gravity in the legs. The soleus muscle helps get the blood back up towards the heart and stop pooling in the lower limbs.

I’ve also heard it said that it is a huge “glucose sink”, playing a big role in glucose uptake and managing insulin levels so soleus push ups (otherwise known as calf raises to us old gym goers lol) can help stabilise blood sugars, especially in diabetics/pre-diabetics, those with insulin resistance, and especially after a high carb meal.

You can either do this sitting which is fabulous for those who are mobility impaired, or just go for a good ol fashioned walk.

The wonders will never cease. 🤷‍♀️🙏💕

24/07/2025

Trust me, I do see the irony in this post seeing as you are reading this on a device, most likely follow me on a device and probably found me using a device, but that doesn’t take away from the facts of the matter!

A study has been carried out that showed a 72-hour phone restriction, or giving up your smartphone for three days, has been shown to cause changes in brain activity, particularly in areas related to reward and self-control.

This finding, supported by studies from German researchers, suggests that our reliance on smartphones may have a more significant impact on our brains than previously thought.

Here's a breakdown of the key findings (copied from an article I read):

• Altered Brain Activity:

Just 72 hours of smartphone restriction can alter activity in brain regions associated with reward processing and impulse control.

• Improved Cognitive Function:

Some studies suggest that limiting phone use for 72 hours can lead to improved focus, cognitive flexibility, and better decision-making.

• Restored Impulse Control:

The restriction may also help restore impulse control and emotional regulation.

• Addiction-Related Changes:

Research indicates that smartphone restriction can affect brain activity in areas linked to addiction-related neurotransmitter systems.

• Not Always Negative:

While some participants reported feeling agitated or experiencing withdrawal symptoms, others experienced positive mood changes.

The research highlights the potential for even short periods of smartphone restriction to reshape brain activity and suggests that our constant connection to our devices may have deeper biological implications than previously understood.

I’m guessing this is not rocket science to most of us and as always, my thoughts turn to the kids. 😭

What are we doing to them and their brains? Its hard to even quantify what this will mean for the next generation who are literally born with a smartphone in their hand and what it will do to their mental health and empathy levels. Although I daresay, we are absolutely seeing results of it already in our schools and the mental health of our young ones.

Heaven help us all really. 🙏💕

21/07/2025

I’ve had a few beautiful people over the years ask where I’ve studied and whether they should study naturopathy because they are “really interested in health”. My short answer to them is always “don’t do it!!!”

Seriously man, don’t do it.

It is a bloody hard profession to make a living from because no one hires naturopaths except other naturopaths so you basically have to be your own boss and your own business. Oops sorry I forgot, naturopaths can also get jobs in pharmacy now, as supplier reps and health food stores too so if none of that floats your boat, then once again, don’t do it.

Having said that there are some outrageously successful naturopaths (financially) out there so it can be done.

Regardless of what people may think, it involves a full blown degree so that’s 4 years of your life and a buttload of sacrifices and cash so unless you’ve got the drive and desire to be your own boss and some sort of financial backing or financial assistance, again, don’t do it.

I was unbelievably fortunate to have had the ongoing love and support of my husband both personally and professionally, I never had to worry about paying the bills from my job so I could concentrate on building it at my own pace and with my own passion.

I also had the good fortune of being a mature aged student (I was in my 40’s when I graduated) so I had masses of life experience plus a solid background in business coming from the insurance industry which both played a huge role in my successes so far.

If you’re doing it to “add to your knowledge base” don’t do it.

If you’re doing it coz you’ve “always been interested in herbs” don’t do it.

If you’re doing it coz you “love nutrition” don’t do it.

If you’re doing it coz you want to change the world, don’t do it.

If you're doing it to earn money, don't do it.

People pull the p**s out of naturopaths. They say we are “pseudoscientific”, we are not taken seriously by anyone other than those whose lives we’ve helped change and we are looked at as, well, possibly being just a little bit kooky.

Our profession has no respect at all and people cancel appointments because they got mixed up with a hair appointment and of course, the hair is FAR more important than their health so we’re left with a hole in our schedule that could have been filled by someone who really needed it.

We are always last on the list for people to see, if we even make the list at all, and the amount of times I’ve been told that I am someone’s last resort, I’ve stopped counting.

So, if you’ve managed to wade your way through that miserable pile of tripe as to why you SHOULDN’T be a naturopath and you still want to be one? Well you’re a special kind of cat for a start so well done.

The upside of being a naturopath is you literally get to change (and sometimes save) lives.

You get to see people at their most vulnerable, when no one else could help, who have been so medically brutalised in every sense of the word that they absolutely refuse to go back to a doctor again in their lives, and you get to help them.

You get to hear people’s stories from the beginning. You get to share in their home lives, in their loves and heartbreaks and in the things that make them, well, them.

You get to hear what has happened to destroy them and hopefully, you get to be a massive part in what helps to heal them.

You get to educate people (and be educated yourself). You get to have the most amazing, intellectual, funny, warm, sometimes spooky, sometimes downright terrifying, sometimes sad, often times funny and always moving conversations.

You get to be in the position of being the most trusted person in that person’s world, at that give moment, and that is an honour I don’t think you get with almost any other job in the world.

You get to have the satisfaction of succeeding where many others have failed, getting amazing results where modern medicine has achieved few and getting people actually healthy again.

You get to give love, support and encouragement and you get to receive gratitude. You get to help people. And maybe, if all the planets align and you’ve done everything sort of right, you might be able to make a modest living out of it. Maybe.

We will never be respected by society as a rule, but knowing just how much good we’ve done, and how much our clients love us for the help we’ve given them, THAT’S why you become a naturopath.

All of the other reasons you can just google online. 💻

21/07/2025

Just a heads up that I will be away from Saturday 8th August to Tuesday 19th August so if you needed a follow up or new consultations before then best to get onto it.

You can book online using the blue “contact us” button on the page, call the centre on 6355 6246 or even message through the page.

Also that means there will be no pick ups of supplements or winter herbals during those dates too unfortunately, although there is always the online ordering through MyScript for current clients.

Thank you! 🙏💞

21/07/2025

Whilst all the other stuff is important, if not vital, if you don't have the actual petrol in the tank you ain't going nowhere. Bring your bloods in to me for a thorough assessment. 🙏💕

You can be doing everything right; eating well, exercising, meditating, journaling, but if your minerals are depleted, your biochemistry won’t cooperate.

Mineral deficiencies are a silent epidemic that can sabotage your health, often without obvious signs. Even in developed countries, they’re more common than you think.

Why?
-Soil today is depleted of key nutrients like magnesium and zinc.
-Processed foods are stripped of minerals and sugar actually depletes them further.
-Stress, caffeine, alcohol, and medications (like antacids or diuretics) drain your mineral stores.

🧬 Minerals are essential for hormone balance, energy, sleep, immune function, and brain health. Magnesium regulates over 300 enzymes. Zinc supports immunity and healing. Iron delivers oxygen. Selenium protects your thyroid.

Symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, hair thinning, and dizziness aren’t always psychological. They could be biochemical.

Work with a practitioner to optimize, not just normalize, your levels. Sometimes healing isn’t about mindset, it’s about minerals. Get the basics right, and the rest becomes a lot easier.

Thank you . Hyman for this super informative post!!

20/07/2025

Have you ever heard of the “mammalian dive reflex”(MDR)? It is a physiological response that occurs when a mammal is submerged in cold water, particularly during breath-holding. It's a survival mechanism that prioritizes oxygen delivery to vital organs like the heart and brain while conserving oxygen overall.

Some studies suggest that stimulating the MDR, through techniques like splashing cold water on the face, can help reduce anxiety and panic attacks by activating the parasympathetic nervous system which promotes relaxation.

Probably without knowing it, this information may be the basis on which a lot of the cold therapy techniques used these days to help regulate the nervous system are based upon. It has been suggested that if you are having an anxious moment or a panic attack to take a deep breath and plunge your face into a sink full of cold water, even going as far as adding ice cubes to it if you can.

Sure, probably not the most pragmatic of calming techniques to use if you’re in a board meeting with a face full of Maybelline, but otherwise a simple enough technique to try yourself the next time your nerves get the better of you.

I love all these little tips where we are harnessing what nature has already given us to help calm our nervous systems down. 🙏💞

20/07/2025

This little guy. 🤩 Smiling at me directly under my kitchen window. How could you not love him? 😂🙏❤️

18/07/2025

🐝 Saturday news! 🐝

This Saturday (tomorrow!) 19th July I have one appointment left in the morning, if you are a new client you will have to contact me directly as you won't be able to book online but if you're a follow up you can!

Also, open between 12 and 1pm for supplement pickups. Please let me know before you come what you want just so I can make sure we have it in stock.

Have a fabulous weekend! 🙏💕