hi

Hi, just letting y'all know that I'm still alive and kicking!

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It has been a hectic few weeks: working longer hours than normal, getting small snippets of study done, sleeping an awful lot and biding my time until the wedding. It is only ten days away now! Time should be flying, but I think that I'm looking forward to it so much that time has slowed to a crawl. 

So what's been going on? I had an awesome bridal shower with all my girls at my favourite vegan restaurant (Luke organised it for me as a surprise- best fiance ever!). I ate my body weight in vegan fried rice, "chicken" and cashews, Mongolian "lamb" and a giant cake that Skye made. That cake was the stuff vegan dreams are made of.

On Saturday night I picked up my favourite sister from work and we had a yoga/smoothie/health food shopping sleepover. Healthy sleepovers are the best- now we are just waiting on our box of loot to arrive which will include organic vegan cosmetics, dehydrated crackers, raw sprouted cereal and more. I can't really remember because we were still browsing at midnight and it all kind of blurred together...it will be a surprise!

I also went to yoga class last night even though I had a really sore muscle on my lower back, and it was an excellent practice and I thought it might coax the tight ball into loosening up a little, but then today I had to hobble around holding my back like a ninety year-old. Also, Deep Heat patches do not work as well as you think they would!

Will post overdue pictures soon, potentially even tomorrow night. Hold on to your hats, people!

warming up

This morning's breakfast after a trip to the market on a damp Sunday morning: warmed-up smoothie with one banana, half a navel orange (including the rind), fresh turmeric root, macadamia nuts, cinnamon, ginger, maca powder, coconut milk, oats and coconut oil. 

It just feels so nourishing, and the perfect start for a day of studying cells and biochemical pathways in the body. Today will also include a yoga home practice, journalling, cuddling with my soon-to-be-husband, watching some "Healthtalks", eating some roasted veggies and taking my little Chihuahua to the groomer to have her talons clipped. 

eating for fertility, warning: talk of ovulation!

Don't worry (Mum!), we're not trying for a baby or anything yet! Although one of my favourite bloggers Loni Jane did just give birth to a beautiful baby boy on Sunday and, even though she doesn't know who I am, I am really happy for her. The blogging world is weird, okay?

I stole this intimate picture from her tumblr page. I'm a creep.

So, why all the fuss about fertility? Basically I have stumbled upon Nat Kringoudis' website and have been devouring the information like a madwoman. Nat is a doctor of Chinese medicine and specializes in fertility, conception and breaking through myths (and socially constructed hush around women's issues) regarding the pill, ovulation, conception and fertility. This woman is amazing! Not to mention absolutely gorgeous and lovely to boot. Hello, girl crush.

I always know when I have found something that really resonates with me because I can't stop thinking about it. All this stuff about actually embracing being a woman (and not feeling guilty about having breasts, hips and a period) is something that I truthfully haven't given much thought to in the past. After reading Nat's articles (and the user comments that often follow them, usually in the dozens), I have decided to go off the pill after the honeymoon. This will be in about six weeks, and I honestly can't wait to get to know my natural cycle. This is a BIG deal for me; I was a late bloomer developmentally (sorry to worry you, Mum and Dad!) and actually only had my period for around three years prior to going on the pill. I don't even remember what my natural cycle is actually like! I feel like I'm venturing into the great unknown, and it's kind of exciting.

My baby doesn't look normal! Oh wait, it's a dog

I am actually a little underweight at the moment and have been on the pill for around seven years, so I am really curious to see what this new adventure brings. My fingers are crossed that I actually have a cycle, and that I haven't destroyed it with medication, weight loss and stress. The pill itself strips the body of important vitamins and minerals, and in light of my hypothyroidism diagnosis by my naturopath, I really have to focus on putting the right things back into my body! Our bodies are very clever and only ovulate regularly and reliably when it is safe to do so; if our bodies (and minds) aren't in a fit state to conceive and maintain a pregnancy, our cycle will forfeit. 

Delicious, nourishing, unphotogenic organic polenta porridge

The other good thing about going off the pill after the wedding and honeymoon is that it will give me the chance to get my body in optimal condition for making babies when Luke and I do decide to start trying. Apparently it is great to start preparing with natural supportive fertility treatments (e.g. eating right, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, acupuncture) between six months and a year prior to trying for a baby. It can also take a good few months for your body to get back into the swing of things after coming off the pill too, so it wouldn't hurt to start now.

So, in addition to the many supplements I am taking and dietary changes I am making to help recover from hypothyroidism, I am going to start eating for my fertility as well! I am going to continue with my veganism for ethical reasons (and because I'm in love with it), but this will mean adding more good fats, hormone balancing and supporting foods and supplements, eating enough, and eating food that supports my individual constitution (e.g. eating warm, nourishing foods to help my sluggish digestion instead of trying to maintain a cold, raw diet which is actually hard for me to digest). 

Bespoke vegetable pie made for me from my family

Cheers to fertility and good health! And girls, think twice before you go on the pill- it's scary coming off something that you have been taking every single day for seven years and not knowing how your body is going to react. Get to know your beautiful cycles.

sleep-in sunday

Today was a double market day. I love Sundays!

I got up early this morning and sat in the sunshine sipping on my morning bottle of chlorophyll, then Mum picked me up and we hit the market. I purchased some organic kale, gluten-free bread without the shitty ingredients like sugar and artificial fillers, baby purple congo potatoes, zucchini, baby broccoli and a croissant for Luke.

Gluten free toast (L: banana and tahini, R: raw honey and LSA)

After the morning market trip I crawled back into bed and had a big long sleep (woke up groggy- ugh), then got up and went to the other market with Luke. We bought lots of fruit, and I found a bottle of raw organic preservative-free red wine and a big jar of organic gluten-free lemon polenta porridge. Score. I will be having the polenta porridge for breakfast tomorrow morning for sure.

I just ate some homemade raw pad thai for lunch (my first time using kelp noodles), and the rest of today will be probably filled with cooking for the week (something I have been neglecting lately because I have been tired), reading, maybe a bit of study, a workout at the gym with Luke, and then an episode or two of "Breaking Bad." Nice. I have been desperate for a rest.

Raw vegan pad thai

Also, I did an hour of yoga last night for the first time in months and I felt amazing afterwards. I am going back to my regular class on Monday night, too. I think yoga is pretty good for my body and my mind, and I plan to keep it up. In other health news, I have been following my naturopath's treatment plan for about four days now and it is all going well. The herbal tincture is the most repulsive thing I have ever tasted, but if it will get me well I will drink it!