No matter how healthy, well, fit or fully spiritually evolved you are. there can always be little tips and ideas you haven't considered or that you ONCE practiced and forgot about. Without further ado, some basic health hacks you may already be aware of (applause for you!) and some extra ideas you can keep in your arsenal for Living 101.

Keep frozen veggies stocked up

This one is so simple. Mixed vegetables, diced up and ready for cooking. They bulk up any meal from simple steak and veggies to a hearty soup or stew. It's not always convenient to go shopping for fresh veggies and fruit when you're under time pressures. Fail safe!

Flavour with organic herbs and spices instead of chemical laden, sugar and MSG rich stuff

It can be easy to reach for those cheap bottles of "Thai" "Indian" "Moroccan" flavourings in the supermarket, but if you read the ingredients list, chances are they are full of sugar and random ingredients like "chicken flavour" (what IS that?!).

My favourite find is Australian made, ALL NATURAL, gluten free, no additives and preservatives Pinch Spices. The Hunter Valley Rub is delicious on meat dishes and the Spicy Caribbean Rub is amazing with eggs and veggies, pulses and rice based meals. And fish. And pretty much anything really. Yum.

Look for free gym trials and yoga/pilates/dance studio special offers

Try a Google search for local gyms and studios and if they don't list trial offers, don't be afraid to ask. Many studios and gyms understand that you don't want to sign up for a membership or even a month of visits unless you get a good feel for their offerings on the initial visit.

Keep teabags in your handbag

Found yourself stuck in a meeting or the office for a deadline-based issue and stomach rumbling? Is your colleague offering you Instant Coffee as the only option? You will thank me for this! I take them on flights too. It's like a little bit of home you can indulge in anywhere.

Stock up on long-life milk and basics like tinned tuna and salmon, brown rice and quinoa

The best way to avoid indulging in the 2-minute noodles your flatmate has conveniently stocked up on in case of armageddon or even eating Cornflakes for dinner (guilty - but Special K, surely that's a TAD better?) is to ensure you have some basic staples that are adaptable. Since you've already got a cupboard full of Pinch Spices now, any rice and fish, or chickpea and quinoa meal is going to taste delish.

Coles does a range of 2-serve rice, quinoa options. These are genius for the pantry at home and at work. I swear by brown rice/quinoa combo. Zap it in the microwave (or don't, if you're me) and combine it with whatever pulses, veggies, proteins you love and voila!

Use Facebook groups to buy, sell and swap fitness gear

There's plenty of location and product/services based Facebook groups where you can buy, swap and sell. This is a convenient and affordable way to pick up new fitness gear, from DVDs and sneakers to leggings and fitness trackers, while also being able to swap or sell what you no longer use.

Learn how to create some basic, healthy meals so that you're confident to cook for yourself

This may be watching YouTube or it may be asking a friend or family member to share recipes and cooking tips with you. For some of us, boiling an egg is a complete mystery. If you're feeling a bit braver and want to make your cooking lesson a bit more of a social affair, see if your local market runs cooking courses. Some councils, food stores and natural health stores run classes too. As per any major life decision, Google is your friend. I love these zucchini fritters with smoked salmon and poached eggs.

Use a meal delivery service for a week to introduce new flavours and recipes to your palate

I can wholeheartedly attest to the quality and reliability of My Muscle Chef. I became addicted to the kangaroo-based meals but the basa fish fillets and chicken were also fabulous. They come in different sizes but all labelled and securely packaged in separate trays ready for the fridge. Pick your meals for a week or longer, and you can take some to work, keep some for home and know that you don't have to worry about shopping or preparing food if you're under enough pressure with work, family or personal issues. Also fabulous if you're injured or post surgery or just unwell. Everything is done for you! These are also ideal if you can't manage to get beyond the same old ritualistic meals - egg and lettuce roll from the cafeteria every day? Steak and potatoes every night? Change it up!

A new player is Marley Spoon. I'm about to give this a whirl as they are releasing a whole new super healthy range of meal options. Their current options look fab too though so go check it out. Never hurts to try something new.

This is a guest post by the wonderful holistic nutritionist, Teri Mosey. She has been a much valued contributor to fitness and wellbeing journals and media, especially in the US.

The Food Chakra Connection

When most people think of food, the conversation commonly goes towards calories, carbs or protein. What if a different conversation arose and you asked how does food nourish all of me; body, mind and soul?

Welcome to the world of holistic nutrition.

Holistic nutrition, practiced for thousands of years, sees food as a healer, nurturer and way of life. Foods goes beyond the calorie, having energetic characteristics that interact with your bio-field; more specifically, the chakras. Chakras are vortexes of Universal energy that run up and down your spine regulating your life force energy or qi. This energy is what gives the gift of life. With that said, chakras are the link between your energetic and physical beings, and the universal consciousness.

What does that mean? Each chakra vibrates at a particular frequency that impacts specific biological processes. For example, your heart chakra energy influences the health of your heart, lungs, cardiac nerve plexuses and thymus gland. Each chakra has a level of consciousness it reflects; with underlying universal life lessons. Your personal journey, all that you are meant to experience and learn in this lifetime is tucked into your biology!

A way to identify these lessons and discover your true nature is through your relationship to food. The link between food traits and chakras comes from sharing the same vibrational energies, corresponding physiological systems and your behaviors around the act of eating. Let’s look at the heart chakra; surrounded around the theme of love. Universal life lessons in love can be experienced through gratitude, acceptance, compassion and forgiveness; of yourself and others. These lessons around love manifest in heart and lung illnesses, making food choices that nourish the heart and strengthen the lungs at the forefront to foods for the heart chakra.

Food and eating strategies to nourish the flow of energy to the heart chakra begins with emphasizing a plant based dietary pattern. Plants are loaded with phytonutrients; health promoting compounds that assist the body’s self healing abilities while altering gene expression. Begin by adding colorful root vegetables, legumes and the grain quinoa to your dietary pattern. Two qualities that specifically vibrate with the heart chakra energies are green color foods and the flavor bitter. So add cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, rapini and bok choy into your weekly meals. Add those bitter leafy greens like arugula, watercress and lacinato kale to the mix. Daily! Instead of raw, place them under a little heat, wilting them. This makes nutrients more bioavailable and keeps your digestion happy. In recipe terms, explore a soba noodle soup, an adzuki bean stew, roasted root vegetables, a wilted green salad or a grilled veggie quinoa salad. The options are endless. Just keep in the plant family with a heavy presence of greens! And while you’re at it; add a little pungent flavor to these dishes, in the form of scallions, garlic or leeks. They help keep the lungs clear!

Observe if you have an aversion to the above mentioned foods; especially the bitter greens. That’s an underlying message that your heart chakra is asking for your attention! Take a moment to contemplate, “am I willing to live with an open heart?” It can even invite contemplation on questions like, “Do I have underlying resentment? Or “Are the majority of my decisions intellectual, keeping my heart out of the conversation?”

While in the kitchen which can become your space of active meditation, put on your favorite tunes and hum along as you cook! Humming deepens your breath and lowers your heart rate; perfect additional nourishment for the heart energies. Cooking a meal for yourself shows self-love, share it with others and you are expanding the vibration!

The chakras become a bridge between your soul and physical being, with an invitation to use your relationship to food as a way to discover your most authentic self. What an amazing opportunity. Are you up for it?

Teri Mosey

www.terimosey.com

www.terimosey.wordpress.com

Here's a VEGAN, heart chakra nourishing Spinach & Artichoke Pizza with garlic sauce. If that's not your cup of chai, have a Quinoa and Potato Crust pizza (also vegan!) You're welcome!