Hello lovely community,
It's been seven months since I moved to Arrowtown, and I keep asking myself the same questions: why did I wait so long and how strange that I am starting to enjoy winter?
For someone who runs cold, that's saying something. I've actually come to love the distinct seasons here – at the moment I catch myself looking out for frozen puddles on the ground, admiring the fractal patterns the ice draws overnight.
It took a few trials and errors, but I think I've finally nailed my morning routine. Here's what's non-negotiable (most days, anyway).
1. Morning light and a walk with Pixie
Pixie is our four-year-old Schnoodle, and we are so lucky to have Lake Hayes as our daily walking track. Five kilometres, every day, and it never feels like a chore — it feels like an adventure. Some mornings it's hot air balloons drifting overhead, other days it's rowers slicing through still water, joggers, tourists and other dogs. Pixie has her own agenda too — rabbits to sniff out, ducks to keep an eye on. We both look forward to it.
2. Skincare and facial lymphatic massage
Before I head out with Pixie, I've built in a new habit: facial lymphatic massage. It's having a moment right now, and I started it partly because I'd begun noticing puffiness under my eyes.
What actually surprised me was the exhale. When I run my fingers along my collarbones, there's this involuntary release of breath — and it turns out that's me switching on my parasympathetic nervous system. It's a small ritual with a real physiological effect.
I use Embodyme's Oil mixed in with my moisturiser and it helps seal in all that goodness underneath. It comes in Peace, Courage, Joy and Kindness (my favourite!).
3. Resistance training
I know resistance training is essential for women in menopause. I know I don't want to have broken bones later in life. And yet it still took me seven months to make it stick.
The friction was all in my head: the room's too cold, I don't have the right weights, I'm too busy, I'll do it later. Eventually I just laid the yoga mat down with weights already on it, and told myself — I'll do it the moment I get back from my walk.
I started with five minutes, working through all the Instagram workouts I'd screenshotted and never used. And honestly, I've come to love the ache afterwards, because I know it means muscle fibres are breaking down so new ones can grow. Muscle mass is one of the strongest predictors of longevity we have.
I've since signed up to an online platform and I'm doing three fifteen-minute sessions a week. Next step: joining a local community class, so I can connect with others doing the same thing.
4. Creatine and Protein
After the walk and the training, my body needs fuel to rebuild — and I finally found a creatine that doesn't leave me bloated. My current stack is Bepure Perfect Plant Protein, Cell-Logic Enduraderm, and Orthoplex Clinical Creatine.
Then I sit down for focused work on the businesses and my continuing education in Functional Medicine, and I genuinely notice the difference creatine makes for my cognition and focus.
5. Self-compassion practices
Running three businesses remotely comes with its own particular set of challenges — and building a wellness business from scratch will hand you plenty of moments of struggle and self-doubt. When I hit a rough patch, I move through five steps:
- Acknowledge the struggle, and notice the thoughts underneath it
- Ask myself what I need most, right now
- Remember that pain like this is part of being human — I'm not alone in it
- Speak to myself the way I'd speak to a child, with a warm tone
- Offer myself supportive touch — a hand on my heart
Most of the time, when I ask myself what I need, the honest answer is: more knitting time.
The biggest lesson from the last seven months? I still can't quite believe how easily these habits have stacked together, one after the other. Turns out the old saying is true — consistency really is key.
I am upskilling in Functional Medicine at the moment, and I will be running a Sunday Retreat, Live Well, Longer at Well + Being on Sunday 27th September – 8 spots available only. Part of this retreat is unlearning the noise. You'll leave not with a longer list of supplements to try, but a clearer, simpler picture of what your body actually needs — and permission to let go of everything else. Register here.
