Natural Hormones with Sonia

28/01/2022

Lady J spilling the menopause tea ❤️💚🤣😂 … I’ve not heard of 🍆💪 before but I know it only too well!

warning drawn images of 🍆

06/01/2022

Challenge accepted! Delicious, easy-to-make, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, dairy-free bread... this is literally the most requested recipe by my clients over the years.

I gave myself to find a bread that was both yummy AND did not leave me feeling exhausted 20 minutes after eating it. Yes there are many gluten-free breads available in our grocery stores but for me they are fatigue-causing & weight-gaining guarantees with their ultra-processed ingredients.

Plus it's extremely difficult to get an egg-free bread that is easy to make & tastes good whilst not falling apart. Why egg free? Well so many women I've seen over the years with Hashimotos & Graves are extremely intolerant to eggs. For me finding out I was intolerant to eggs was a HUGE GAME CHANGER in my journey to finding out why I was so freaking tired in the mornings.

I also LOVE this bread for female hormone issues as it is LOADED in fibre & phyto-oestrogens. If you're struggling with sore b***s before your period or hot flushes try a slice or two of this every day. It might take a month or so to kick in (hormones typically take 1 - 3 months to respond to food-fixes).

My fave way of eating it is with creamy + a sprinkling of crunchy sea salt or toasted with lashings of .

Alrighty.... here it is....drum roll .... I'd love to hear what you think! Enjoy x

PS for my sisters this would only be suitable once you've done your re-introduction / challenge phase and know you're safe for these nuts & seeds.


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05/01/2022

Francesca working on her 2022 weight loss goals. Yep I know she looks tiny right?! But her Vet said she's a little too heavy for happiness at 3.5kg & has to lose 500grams which is about 15% of her body weight. She's and knows she looks adorbs! She's just keen for her joints & paws to feel a little better so she's committed to reducing the number & portion size of her daily "treats" & working on staying motivated whilst she lives her best life in 2022! How are you going so far 6 days in to this new year? Much love to you Francesca x

01/01/2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Have you made New Year’s Resolutions before and not met them? Then Day 5 of the “Create your best year ever in 2022 program” is for you. It’s about taking your goals and vision boards and turning them into daily habits that mean you have your own personal success plan for 2022.

I remember actually giving up on the whole NY Resolutions setting a few years back because I felt a sense of hopelessness that I would ever make any of them & why set myself up to feel failure and disappointment! What I have learnt in the past few years is that I was missing a key step. That was taking my goal and turning it into 365 daily habits.

If you’ve never done this before it is a game changer! Join me today for the last session, Day 5, where we’ll work through your goals together to make sure you have a list of habits that you know you can achieve. Plus for any you are unsure of I give a 5 step plan on how to work out what to do.

I am so looking forward to spending time with you today. Happy new years!

And if we don’t talk in the video all my very best wishes for a happy, healthy and fun 2022. Much love Sonia x

31/12/2021

Have you always wanted to create a goal for your year but not sure how? Have you ever done a vision board? Join me for the fun day, Day 4, of the 5 day program. It's quite frankly one of the most fun days of the year as far as I am concerned!

Together we’ll be setting goals in the areas of health, love and wealth together. I’ll be walking you through a few different ways to do this and also sharing my process and goals. This might just be the most important day of 2021 & 2022. Francesca & I look forward to sharing this fun experience with you. Much love Sonia x

Ps It’s getting kind of late so I’m all dressed and ready for tonight’s festivities! If you don't have time this one can easily be done over the next few days.

30/12/2021

I first had this Italian Veggie Bake in a Cafe in Brisbane years ago. I've been scouring recipes for years trying to find one that tasted the same as my memories. I think I've found it! It's spectacular looking & delicious tasting. The kind of dish I take to a BBQ, picnic & bring-a-plate gathering when I want to appeal the healthy foodies & the "I'm only interested in yummy food" peeps. It's loaded with anti inflammatory veggies, gluten free, grain free & (for most version) paleo. If you choose sheep or goats cheese it'll also be very supportive for delicate female hormones. For my strict AIP sisters, this one is not for you.

30/12/2021

Day 3 of Creating your Best Year Ever in 2022 5 day program. Today is a big one. We are exploring the emotions and events that did not go so well. The times we felt we failed, we stuffed up, or what we’d hoped for did not happen they way we thought/planned/expected.

We deep dive into these heavier themes because, let’s be honest here, most of us learn more from the things that do not go our way than when we are super successful. I know I do.

Now we’ve embedded the Year in Review Ritual we have in place a way to leave these emotions and memories behind when we finish today. Integrating only the lessons not the experiences. We are NOT our failures. Rather failure is our teacher.

If you have experienced major depression, anxiety, panic attacks or PTSD you may wish to skip today. Join me again tomorrow when we do the fun stuff! Planning our best 2022 ever.

Much love Sonia x

30/12/2021

Hello hello hello! Thank you for your beautiful well wishes, greetings & the love you’ve shown me in the past few days. I am feeling very heart-full hearing from you all. This morning the penny dropped (it took a few days...eek!) I need to share why I suddenly went MIA and if I am back practicing.

Why I went MIA:
I started 2021 excited to be studying a Masters in Human Nutrition. Nervously anticipating returning to study at the age of 50+ I reduced my practice to very limited online appointments infrequently, but I did plan to stay in contact with you all here regularly.

What I didn’t know or plan for was that most of my year would be taken up by an unfortunate situation in my home. Where I lived was found to have a serious mould problem. So much so we were told to evacuate immediately. I packed a small suitcase of essential hair care products, Bioenhanced Methyl Bs (for energy), my laptop, Francesca and a packet of Brazil nuts and moved into temporary housing. My partner and hero donned a hazmat suit and did the nasty job of packing our contents and shipping them to be mould-assessed.

Delays, delays and more delays meant the initial 6 week timeline for the remediation is currently running 9 months behind schedule. Not knowing when we’d be able to go home we bounced to 7 different living arrangements in 8 months.

All up 2021 was a steep learning curve into the world of mould, remediation, renovations and where to find building materials as it seems most of Australia decided to upgrade their homes this past year!

Yes I kept studying. I’ve learnt a huge amount more about the relationship between food and health that I am so looking forward to sharing with you all soon. To be honest it was a relief to escape into a world of chemistry equations and research papers on the (awful) consequences of a diet filled with ultra-processed foods. It might sound odd but exams and assignments were a safe place to bury myself when the anxiety of where I would be living next week threatened to overwhelm. A side effect of the situation is I ended up doing extremely well in terms of results! Who knew chaos was the key to unlocking study discipline ;)

Why an end of year 5 day program?
Unpacking a box at my latest home I found the goals I wrote down for myself for this year.

It’s not pretty. I’m going to confess I’ve only delivered against one of my list of many intentions.

I realise I’ve given myself a lot of excuses for not delivering against what I had planned. Pondering how these excuses could actually have been overcome if I had stopped for just a moment to re-adjust my plans, I started an exercise of reviewing the good, the bad and the ugly of 2021 and planning with more flexibility built in for 2022.

As I was doing the work - creating a movie of 2021 as a way to distance myself emotionally from the events of the year, reviewing what went right and what did not go so well - I started to think it might be of value to others if I shared the process I was undertaking daily. For this reason I’ve been jumping on video each afternoon for 10 - 15 minutes to walk you through what I have done myself the day before.

Has it been valuable? I'd love to hear if it's helped or not. Has it been too much? Not enough?

2022
I’ve now been accepted into a “Masters by Research” program so 2022 for me is more study. I do anticipate at this stage being able to start seeing clients at Mayfield Medical Connection at some stage as well. My timeline for this is still pretty vague as I do not know as yet how the research program I’ve qualified for plays out. Nor the ongoing saga of mould remediation. That’s not helpful for anyone needing a practitioner though, right?!

Am I back?
If you do want to see me I am now doing a limited number of consultations online typically via zoom. If you only want to see me “in the flesh” I’ve been running a wait list at Mayfield Medical and my own as well. Once I know when I’ll be back I’ll get in contact with everyone with a few week’s notice.

But you need someone IRL now
If you want to see someone in the flesh, IRL, sooner I have been referring to other practitioners I know and trust throughout Newcastle and the Hunter. Feel free to get in contact if you’d prefer this as an option.

Social media
I genuinely missed talking with you all! I loved our chats on the Facebook Lives we did together late 2020. So I am planning on doing more social media to stay in contact. I’d love for us to stay talking so let me know what you’d like to hear about / best ways for talk. Do you like the 5 day plan your 2022 program I created? I’d love to hear what you think!

Alrighty this post ended up being much longer than I thought it would be (no surprise to anyone that knows me I’m guessing).

Much love to you all Sonia x

30/12/2021

Hmmmm I found this fascinating. The article says it’s a comparison of vegan with meat eater in identical twins. Interesting right?! But when you watch it thru the vegan twin says he stopped eating processed foods & ate only healthy veg, nuts & seeds. The meat eater says he realised watching his (vegan) brother eating only healthy food that he actually eats a lot of crap (fast food that has meat in it). What do you think? For me the difference in their result cannot be put down to vegan vs meat but rather UNPROCESSED vs processed. For me this is a waste of a valuable study 😞

BEST OF 2021: Identical twins Hugo and Ross Turner are adventure athletes that are always trying to find ways to improve their performance. With the help of scientists at King's College London, they went on a 12-week fitness program with a twist: Hugo turned vegan, and Ross continued to eat meat. Wh...

29/12/2021

What’s your vision for your health? Energetic, happy with your weight, pain-free, fit & strong, clear headed? Do you have a plan of how you are going to achieve these goals? I’ve designed a program to be used now to create your best year ever in 2022.
It’s 10 minutes of me chatting and then over to you for 10 minutes. Today is Day 2 of the 5 day journey finishing Jan 1.
Every day has a “Year in Review Ritual” and then two activities to guide your manifesting.
I’m leaving Day 1 up here so check that out and move on to day 2. I’d love to hear your thoughts as you work through each activity and day! Much love to you Sonia x

28/12/2021

What are you up to on these “daft days” between Christmas and New Years? Feeling untethered and hazy? Why don’t you join me in using this time to create the 2022 that you have always dreamed of?!

I speak with so many women who live incredibly busy lives. They don’t ever get a moment to sit down and integrate the experiences of the past before they launch themselves into a new year. And if they do have time they do not know what to do nor how to go about reviewing what has happened with out getting bogged down in it.

Dealing with your past year means you can learn from your successes and the parts that did not go the way you’d hoped. It means you do not have to drag these stressors into the new year. Rather you get to create a year that is fresh and ripe with possibilities.

Why am I so passionate about this? Well I know that unresolved stress can trigger your immune system to get out of balance and attack your thyroid. It can also trigger hormones that cause weight gain, especially muffin tops and weight around your middle.

To help my clients and all women who are interested in creating 2022 as their best year ever I’ve designed a 5 day program called the “Year in Review Ritual”. It’s 10 minutes with me on video and then 10 minutes on your own each day from 28th December 2021 until 1st January 2022.

Grab a friend and use my 5 day “Year in Review Ritual” to create your own reality in 2022. I'm looking forward to the next 5 days with you all! Sonia x

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas 🎄 ❤️💚

I’ve always had mixed feelings about this day. When my Nonna was alive it was a day to catchup with far flung family & cook vast quantities of food in a kitchen hotter than the surface of the sun. As a teen it was a day fuelled by fights & re-hashed hurts numbed with supermarket pavlova & Aled Jones’ Christmas carols. In my 20s it was spent anxiously trying to find love by moulding myself into the perfect girlfriend stereotype. My 30s I painted a smile on my face, fixed a bow in my hair & lied 🤥. I’d smile & talk for 1 hour over lunch & then sleep for 16 hrs straight. I’d sleep from Boxing Day until Jan 3rd desperately hoping I’d start the new year with more energy than the last.

The wonderful part of >50 trips around the sun is I’m now able to choose. Dec 25th is now a day for love, a day for hugs (Covid safe), a day for laughter. For me the fun is also that it’s a day for trying new recipes, a day to festoon myself, my partner & my puppy in green 💚 & greet strangers I pass on the street. I feel so incredibly lucky that it’s now also a day I can play for hours in the pool & not feel exhausted.

Wherever you are this Dec 25th I wish you health, love & fun. Much love to you, Sonia ❤️🙏🎉

08/04/2021

Post Easter Holiday Blues Remedy. Did you know meditation has been found to prolong the energy boosting / happiness creating / chill feeling mood benefits of a mini-break?

I'm sitting at my study desk procrasting / researching how to maintain the mental relief & bliss of a few days off on hols & came across this awesome study in that very topic.

Not sure if you like / enjoy meditation? Now's a great time to dip your toe into the world of Ommmmm with Oprah and her bestie Deepak Chopra offering to guide you in the process with a free daily meditation course (expires April 18).

Study reference of claim on meditation prolonging benefits of holiday 10 long weeks after the holiday is over...
Blasche, G., DeBloom, J., Chang, A., & Pichlhoefer, O. (2021). Is a meditation retreat the better vacation? effect of retreats and vacations on fatigue, emotional well-being, and acting with awareness. PloS one, 16(2), e0246038.

OK study procrastination break over ..back to fish oil research deep dive ;) I hope your Easter break was peaceful and not too drenched by the downpour? Much love Sonia x

https://chopracentermeditation.com/experience

Meditate with Oprah & Deepak for 'Getting Unstuck: Creating a Limitless Life.' Register for free now.

20/03/2021

Do you know your cholesterol scores? Rainy Sunday ☔️ training on cardiovascular 🫀 disease & the importance of “knowing your numbers” & acting early 😇.

09/03/2021

Just in time for afternoon tea..thought you might like to know that green tea drinking has been found to reduce the risk of Thyroid Cancer.

Over 106, 000 people were studied and it was found green tea drinking may have a protective effect on thyroid cancer, especially in western countries like Europe and North America. This is good news for us in Australia & NZ with similar genetic inheritances.

Speak soon I'm just off to pop a pot of tea on ;)

Reference: Association of tea consumption and the risk of thyroid cancer: a meta-analysis. Ma, et al., 2015.

Image couresty of Pixabay

08/03/2021

Post Grad studies kicks off with a serial killer - Heart Attack Grill in US. We know it's bad for us but we still eat it - why?

It's answering THIS question that has driven me back to the books to study.

When I first started the journey to wellness with multiple autoimmune conditions & in hormone hell I literally didn't know what to eat.

4 years of nutrition & naturopathy study I learnt the power of food to change my health with Hashimotos and sluggish thyroid. Eating in harmony with the thyroid & hormone food rules I feel LOADS better. Yes I have more energy. YES I have better brain clarity. YES I enjoy happier & calmer moods... But...

I STILL eat crappy food from time to time. Even tho' I now I know there is an enormous weight of research on eating for thyroid & hormones. Much of our decision making on food is at a non-conscious level. This is now the area I am deep diving.

I'd love to hear from. you! Do you know what is driving you to eat foods you know or suspect may be harmful? Is it habit? Is it memories? Or like so many of my clients are you still confused about what you should be eating?

Finally if you have been waiting on a response from me I am back at the work desk & will work my way through your questions. With much love to you Sonia x

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/health/2013/02/18/sgmd-gupta-heart-attack-grill.cnn

Following the death of the Heart Attack Grill's spokesman, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has tips to heart attack-proof your life

20/12/2020

2 beautiful clients trial WillPower Drops with me in clinic today! The kitchen was drowning in chocolate, cupcakes & cake - perfect timing to talk WillPower borrowed from the magical herbal world.
It's not that I am a hard line none / never when it comes to chocolate but if I find myself going back for a second and third it's time for WillPower Drops. Btw What's your favourite Roses Chocolate? Mine is the coffee centre ;)

17/12/2020

Putting it all together is our final step in our weekly Hypothyroid & Hashimoto's step-by-step approach.

When your concerns are fatigue, brain fog, low mood, bloating and weight gain where do you start?

This fun & interactive final in the series we'll create your treatment plan by putting everything we have covered together in an approach that suits you. And right on time ready for the December holidays - yay!

I'm so looking forward to seeing you Thursday night Santa hats optional :) Sonia x