Kerry O' Connor Nutrition & Wellness Coach

16/09/2023

Sorting out your Gut Instincts !!

10/01/2022

There can be a lot of confusing information and advice out there surrounding healthy eating and what our own individual wellness lifestyle might look like.

If the New Year has inspired you to make some positive changes but you're not sure how to maintain motivation, here are a few handy tips.

1) Know your why and visualise it
Knowing why you want to get healthier is the first step to motivate yourself to form healthier habits. 💪🧘

2) Small Steps
Making one small change at a time and incorporating this into your lifestyle helps you move forward to bigger goals. 🏊‍♀️🏅

3) Plan and track
Planning ahead and tracking feelings and symptoms is a helpful way to understand what works best for you, it helps you celebrate the wins but also helps understand any negative thoughts and triggers.

If you feel you need advice, support and understanding to make changes to your New Years Health goals contact me for a free 15 min chat. Live Life Now 🌺

23/12/2021

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to a year of health and happiness for us all. 💪🥗🚴‍♀️🌺

25/11/2021

Sometimes we need a change in weather to change up our routine or to incorporate new habits. So this cold spell why not adopt a few healthy habits to boost the immune system. ☀️🍋

On an average year most adults will catch 2 to 3 colds a year and as anyone with children knows they pick up many more and after a year of no mingling with others unfortunately some are destined to pick up a much higher amount this winter.🎅🤶

Immune health has been compromised a great deal this year due to excess stress, poor sleep, poorer food choices and for some a more sedentary lifestyles. However if we could incorporate a few healthy habits on the run up to Christmas it will help us enjoy the festive season from a more positive perspective. 😴🥱

1) Take a Vitamin D supplement. We’re Irish, the majority of us will have low levels at this time of year. The most recent research shows that taking 1000IU of Vitamin D along with Magnesium helps the absorption of both these essential nutrients. ☀️😎

2) Add some more Vitamin C and zinc rich foods into your meals on a weekly basis. Choose one new food or recipe a week from seasonal foods, Green leafy veg, sweet potatoes, red and green veg and fruit, Chickpeas, nuts and seeds. Both these vitamins have ant-viral and anti-bacterial properties.🥦🥑🍅

3) Include rest and self care in your weekly routine. Stress comes in many forms including over exercising so a balanced exercise routine is key to staying healthy over the next few weeks. Add in some yoga, meditation, reading, knitting or whatever brings you back to presence and stillness. 👩‍🎤🏊🧘‍♀️

If you need any help in starting a new healthier and happier lifestyle, contact me to support your journey. Live Life Now🌺

03/11/2021

With the shorter nights and a taste of winter in the air, it can be hard to motivate ourselves to head out and exercise in the dark. Some tips to help prepare for the winter season ahead 🥶

1. Exercise Buddy
Make an arrangement to meet a friend same time and place every week and hold each other accountable. Or sign up for weekly classes to ensure that you have some extra motivation .💃⛹️‍♀️🏋️‍♂️🧘‍♀️

2. Proper Clothing
There is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing !! Wrap up when the weather is cold , A good raincoat in this country is a must as is a high vis..🌂 💦☔️

3. Meal prep
When we are organised at the start of the week, everything else seems to fall into place more easily. Having our meals planned out allows us more time to head out in the evenings to our classes or walks. 🍚🍜🍲

4. Goals
It has been shown that by having a goal to work towards will help you make that extra push when you might not otherwise. So this winter sign up for your first 10km or adventure race or challenge yourself to swim a certain distance. No time like the present !! 💪

If you want support and motivation in setting goals and staying healthier this winter, contact me for the next step in your wellness journey. Live Life Now 🌺

18/10/2021

World Menopause Day 18th October 2021

Having a Menopause Awareness day is a step in the right direction encouraging not just women but men, families and workplaces to talk openly and honestly about Womens Health and the changes that happen to our bodies during this phase of life. 😚🔥

Up until a couple of years ago I was unaware that:

Menopause can happen at any age, with the average age being 51.

That hot flushes, anxiety, weepiness, joint pain, weight gain, brain fog are only some of 34+ symptoms. 🤒😴

That 1 in 4 women leave their workplace due to menopause.

There is now a growing awareness that there is help and support out there from supplements to HRT to forums. Educate yourself and get correct information that WILL help. 🥦👩‍🔬👩‍🎤

Menopause absolutely does not mean your best years are behind you, it is the beginning of a new chapter where we can learn to be the fittest, healthiest and most confident version of ourselves !! 💪🧘💃

If you need help and support managing your Health & Wellness at any phase of your life, contact me for a free discovery call. Live Life Now 🌺

29/09/2021

More more more 🌺

14/09/2021

Tips To Build Your Immunity

The last 18 months has led many of us to improve our immunity and our lifestyles so that we can support our body in fighting off viruses. Whilst our environment has always included viruses, bacteria and other pathogens for the most part we live harmoniously with them but certain factors can make us more susceptible to picking up an infection. 💪💪💪

As we head into the colder months our risk of infection can increase. We tend to spend more time indoors often with poor ventilation and of course less sunshine means less Vitamin D. It is hugely important for our health and well-being that we supplement with Vitamin D over the Autumn and Winter. ☀️😎

A wholefood diet with a large variety of vegetables full of antioxidants, good quality protein and plenty of good fats is one of the essential building blocks of a strong immune system. The flip side of course is a diet high in refined, processed foods and sugars deplete the body of vitality and suppresses immune function. 🥦

Lowering daily stress will ultimately improve our immune system. Stress and high cortisol levels can damage the bodys cells and trigger inflammation making us more susceptible to viruses and infections. Taking lifestyle measures such as meditation, good sleep and yoga alongside possibly taking some choice supplements can help us unwind and improve our immune system. 🧘‍♀️

If you want help making better choices to help your immune system function optimally this Autumn contact me for a free 15 min discovery call. Live Life Now. 🌺

17/08/2021

Think this is worth sharing, everyone’s experience is unique but it’s good to know what can be expected along the way 💓

I’ve just read something yet again about breastfeeding promoted as being easy … and I have to say I disagree and here’s why:

One of the traps public health promotion can fall into is being so keen to promote breastfeeding that any challenges get glossed over, through fear that it’ll put us off. Instead breastfeeding gets painted as some kind of idyllic, simple, miracle cure for all ills.

Of course, many hugely value breastfeeding, but any approach that takes this stance is doing both women and breastfeeding a huge injustice.

Breastfeeding is not easy. It requires time & investment and can be a steep learning curve.

However, that’s in no way to say the alternative is any easier. Many women find once they get through the early weeks of breastfeeding they actually find it much easier than bottle feeding.

But that still doesn’t make it easy. And that’s OK.

What in life worth doing is easy? We put ourselves through challenges all the time. We work hard for exams. We train for races. We do it because we think it’s worth it, not because it’s easy. And we expect others to support us. Imagine our outrage if we were training for a race and everyone suggested it wasn’t worth it as it wasn’t easy.

Calling breastfeeding easy is an injustice to the time & often effort it takes. You may want to breastfeed, enjoy it, believe it is worth it – but that doesn’t make it easy.

Easy belittles the many hours we spend breastfeeding, the challenges we overcome, the sacrifices we make because we think it’s worth it.

When we gloss over the realities of breastfeeding, we feel unprepared for what it’s really like. If we tell people to expect easy, and they hit a hurdle, they may think they’re doing something wrong.

Normal (but not easy to handle) baby behaviour (such as feeding lots, not wanting to be put down) gets perceived as something wrong, & that formula will solve it (it won’t).

Women then end up depressed, blaming themselves, thinking they didn’t try hard enough because after all, isn’t breastfeeding easy?

Rather than calling breastfeeding easy, we need to think about how we as a society can make breastfeeding easier.

05/08/2021

When someone asks how you are, is the answer, “I’m tired”? It could be struggling to stay awake at 11am or reaching for the biscuits at 3pm? Feeling constantly tired makes us feel miserable and ca leave us relying on caffeine to get through the day. ☕️☕️

We know that diet can directly impact on tiredness levels? And just a few small tweaks to our nutritional intake could leave us feeling energised and satisfied, whatever the time of day. 💪💃

When thinking about food and energy levels, it’s important to pay attention to our blood sugar levels and to identify peaks and troughs.

When we eat or drink something that’s quite sugary, our blood sugar spikes, and what goes up must come down. This crash usually happens about 90 minutes later, usually at 11am or 3pm in the afternoon 🍩🍹

So, when it comes to what foods to limit when struggling with regular bouts of tiredness, no surprise the number one culprit here is sugar!

Top Food Tips To Combat Tiredness
1) Any food that contains sugar even fruit should be balanced with either protein or fat to keep those levels balanced. 🍤🍗

2) Eating a broad variety of colours ensures that we consume minerals and vitamins that are all essential for energy. Leafy greens like spinach and kale are really high in key nutrients, especially iron and someone who struggles with constant tiredness can often have low levels of iron. 🥬

3) Choosing wholegrain carbs instead of white refined options will ensure a slow sustained release of energy. Foods like lentils, beans, porridge and salmon are also excellent natural sources of essential vitamins and minerals to help combat feeling tired. 🍠

4) For most people, eating a protein rich breakfast is recommended and eating 3 meals a day will help ward off tiredness as we’re providing the body with a steady stream of nutrients that can be used for energy production, and help stop the blood sugar highs and lows. 🥚🍳

Energy-stabilising snacks could be a handful of mixed nuts, some Greek yogurt and berries and a personal favourite, sliced apples with almond butter. 🍒

5) Some foods like red meat for example are a bit tougher for the body to digest and they can sit around in the digestive system for a long time. This can have an impact on your energy levels.
To combat this, chew your food thoroughly, and avoid drinking 20 minutes beforehand, during and 20 minutes after so as not to dilute your digestive enzymes. 👨‍🎨

If you’re looking for support, motivation and accountability in achieving your weight loss goals contact me for a 15 minute free discovery call. Live Life Now. 🌺

28/07/2021

Live Life Now 🌺

WHAT IF?

What if you’re never ready?
What if, this is as close to being ready that you’ll ever actually be?
What if, the biggest regret you have when you look back on your life, is that you wasted time waiting, waiting to be better, when you were already so very much enough?
What if, the last thought you have when your life comes to an end, is that you didn’t do enough living whilst you were alive?
My friend, this is it.
This is your life, right here, right now.
And let me tell you something, somebody somewhere went to sleep last night assuming tomorrow would be a new day.
And it wasn’t.
Today is the day.
Every day is the day.
Life waits for no one.
Seize the moment, seize the day.
Dance like nobody’s watching.
Watch the sunset.
Eat the delicious cake.
Put your bare feet on the cool grass.
Be alive.
Be ALIVE.
Put your hand on your chest and feel that heartbeat pulsing through your body.
That’s all you need to be ready.
That is truly all the purpose you ever really need.
You, my friend, are alive.
So live.

From ‘to the women’ by Donna Ashworth: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08LRGWY74/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabt1_OYLVFbX4YR91V

Art by Tricia Stirling

05/07/2021

• It's summer time and when the sun shines and sometimes when it doesn't, I try where possible to get some Vitamin Sea into my system. 🏊‍♀️🚣‍♂️

🍏🍒 The hot weather also makes me gravitate towards cooler foods such as salads and smoothies. These are great ways to get a full rainbow of coloured fruits and vegetables into my daily diet..

The more colour the more health benefits. By eating an array of fruit and vegetables ensures that we get more anti-oxidants into our bodies.🥦🍅

🍑These anti-oxidant rich foods help battle the infamous free radicals that roam the body damaging cells and causing illness , premature aging, heart disease and many other immunodeficiencies.

🍋🌶A living foods diet will provide a good supply fr️om amongst 1,500 known anti-oxidants that will help keep you healthy and happy including wonderful and powerful herbs such as mint, nettles, cayenne pepper and tons of other spices.

LEAFY AVOCADO SALAD

2 ripe firm avocados
1/2 bunch of spinach
1/2 bunch of watercress
1 head of lettuce or mixed salad
1 bunch spring onions 2 sprigs fresh mint
4 red radishes, diced
Juice of 1 lemon, pepper, Braggs Aminos to taste

Cut avocados in half, remove stones and scoop into balls. Clean and chop the greens and onions. Combine all ingredients together and toss lightly with lemon juice and Braggs Aminos.

A lovely summer salad full of anti-oxidants and good fats. 🥑🥑🥑

Enjoy.

20/06/2021

It's easy to feel gratitude and thanks when you get to spend quality time in our beautiful country 🙏 a few days of hikes, bikes and jellyfish swims brings a new appreciation for what brings me happiness... 🌺

08/06/2021

Top tips for weight loss

The diet that may have worked for us when we were younger doesn’t work as effectively when our hormones start fluctuating. It’s important to find a healthy lifestyle that works for us and that we can live with forever before our hormones take over.💃

1) Keep a food diary. This should include all you eat and drink daily, if we write everything down it makes us think twice about mindless eating.🍒

2) Getting older means we start to lose lean body mass at over half a pound a year over the age of 30.. this can slow our metabolism and lead to weight gain. To counter this, it is essential to add weight training and resistance exercises to your fitness routine. This is especially important for women who are at a greater risk of osteoporosis.🏋️‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏊‍♀️💃

3) Eat less at night. Studies show that having a minimum 12 hour fasting window leads to eating less calories, better blood sugar balancing and reduction in belly fat.💦🌙

4) Cut out added sugars. We all know sugar creates a lot of inflammation, ill health and weight gain but we’re not always aware of how much sugar is hidden in foods that you wouldn’t expect such as tomato sauce, salad dressings and bread. Get into the habit of reading labels and avoiding sweeteners as these just pile on the weight.🥨🥫🍝

5) Work with a Nutrition and Health Coach. Finding an eating pattern that promotes weight loss and nourishes your body can be difficult. A Nutrition and Health Coach can help with your weight loss goals and lead to long term success.👏

If you’re looking for support, motivation and accountability in achieving your health and weight loss goals, contact me now for a free 15 minute discovery call. Live Life Now 🌺

26/05/2021

Weight gain and stress.. 😩

A few stressful months at work, home life is flat out and there's been no me time. All of a sudden a few extra pounds creep up especially noticeable around the tummy area even though your diet and exercise regime haven't changed... sound familiar ??

It could be your body's stress response. When our bodies are under stress or under perceived stress the hormone cortisol rises. This causes us to go into survival mode " fight or flight" mode which is important in running away from a tiger but not so important when the tiger is in reality a traffic jam..!!

Unfortunately excess cortisol and ongoing stress cause weight retention and weight gain as the body goes into survival mode.. This causes cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods

Stressing the body even further by over exercising and crash diets only exacerbates the problem.

We need to teach the body to switch gears and to keep the cortisol response lowered so the body doesn't respond to and get used to over eating on non-nourishing foods.

Tips to Lower Cortisol

1) Exercise regularly but don't overdo it 🏊‍♀️

2) Meditate daily or do yoga, Tai chi 🧘‍♀️

3) Talk it out with a friend or family member or a therapist 👂

4) Implement ways of delegating at work and at home 👉

5 ) Get good quality sleep 😴

6) Eat a healthy diet and keep stimulants (sugar, caffeine, alcohol) to a minimum. 🥦‍♀️

If you need support with managing your stress or your weight, you can contact me for a free 15 min discovery call. Live Life Now 🌹

17/05/2021

Back in the motherland where I touch base with what's good and beautiful in the world.
So grateful that I get to grab these moments and spend time in places that I love 💕 Live Life Now.

12/05/2021

We’ve all been there, eaten something that doesn’t agree with us and have what I affectionately call a “food baby” for a few hours after. This bloated feeling may also include “the Noises”.

That feeling that something just isn't quite right with your tummy. It’s often hard to explain to people, but it's a feeling like your tummy is under stress. It’s that uncomfortable and tight feeling of fullness in the stomach which may also be accompanied by pain and gas. This is what people commonly described as ‘bloating.’

Bloating and its symptoms can be triggered by many factors, but what a lot of people don't know is that a bloated stomach is a clear sign that actually, your digestive health and your gut may need a little bit of love. Who would have thought!!

Many people put up with uncomfortable bloating on a regular basis, assuming it is just ‘part of life’, well it doesn't have to be and here are 5 tips that might help a little.

1) It's not just about what you eat but it's also about how you eat. When you eat, try to really savour, enjoy and be mindful of what you are eating. Take time with your meals and chew your food well. A great tip is to try to aim to have 15-20 chews per bite. The more you chew, the more your food is broken down before it even hits your digestive system, which gives your gut a much easier job. Other little simple tricks are to sit upright at a table when eating and avoid watching tv or having any distractions. Sit down and really connect with and enjoy what you are eating. This isn’t just good practice for your gut, it's great to be mindful of in general. 🌶🥬🍅🍎

2) Movement is a great way to help your digestion. There is a lot of evidence out there that suggests that walking after a meal is a great way to aid digestion. It's also a great way to get the steps up. A simple trick you can try today is after your lunch, don’t sit directly back at your desk. Get outside and go for a 10-15 minute walk. Your gut and digestion will thank you for it and it's a great opportunity to call a friend, put on a podcast or even just have some well deserved time to yourself. 🧗‍♀️🏊

3) Don’t drink too much liquid with your food. It can dilute your natural enzymes that are working hard to break down the food you’re eating. Drinking your water half an hour before meals is also a good way of keeping you feeling fuller and keeping your portions smaller. 🥛🍶

4) Be aware of foods that may actually be causing bloating and noises. Some people find that by keeping a food diary for a few weeks can really help identify problem foods. These could then be avoided until you get your gut healed.🥦🍅🍈

5) If your diet doesn’t consist of raw foods and might be a bit heavy on processed foods it may help to add digestive enzymes to your meals. We can get these naturally by adding apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and other bitters to our meals. Alternatively your local health shop will recommend them in a supplement form. As we age we need more support in this area and digestive enzymes can make a real difference to our gut issues. 🥕

If you would like any help with managing better food choices you can contact me for a free 15 minute discovery call. Life’s too short to spend it bloated and uncomfortable !!😅

04/05/2021

It’s great to see outdoor training and organised physical activity back for so many different groups around the country 🚴‍♀️🏊‍♀️🏇🏌️‍♀️

While some of us have been lucky enough to keep up with cycling, swimming, jogging and walking, it’s important that as things start to open up that we find an activity that we enjoy and that we can stick with 💃🚴‍♀️

For many of us brisk walking has been a huge part of our lockdowns and it has been great for our mental health as well as our physical health and some of the only socialising that we felt we could do safely 🌺🥗😎

By brisk walking for an extended period of time, we are burning up energy and therefore this can help with weight loss and fat burning. 🤾🏄

Walking is a simple and free way to burn some extra calories and improve your health. However it is still only a piece of the overall health puzzle which ideally would include nutrition, resistance training and behavioural change.🥕🫒🧄🥝🍒🏋️‍♀️

If you would like to focus on a healthy lifestyle that can give you more energy, look better and feel better contact me for a free 15 min consultation 🥗🌺 Live Life Now 🌺💫