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Hi and welcome to the Gratitude Personal Health Coaching webpage.

Gratitude is a private health studio situated in quiet, natural surroundings at Roches Beach, near Lauderdale in Tasmania. We offer one on one coaching to assist you in reaching your fitness and wellness potential.

Here you will find resources and information on health and wellness topics.

For copyright reasons, some of this material will be available to clients only, and will be password protected. If you are an existing client and would like a password (or if you have lost your password) please email me at Raelene@GratitudeHealth.com.au

Scroll down this page to see a summary of the latest postings, or browse the pages and categories above.

Thank you for allowing me to share in your health and wellness journey, I hope you are inspired by the information you find here.

Yours in health,

Raelene Callaway.

A little while back, The Internet Bloke and I were talking about venturing at high speed down Mt Wellington on bikes, and what a thrill that would be.  We had a grand plan of presenting this to our Taiko group (Taiko Drum) as a neat training exercise…use our Taiko van to transport our bikes of various (and some of dubious) quality and see who had the biggest…I mean…who was the most adventurous/fastest/craziest/fittest/who had the bikes with the best brakes…

Well it turned out to be a bit of a fizzer for various reasons (mostly insurancy and responsibleness type reasons) and also because Mr C squashed that idea by refusing to let me trash the brakes on my new bike.  Also, my new bike is a road bike, with VEEERY thin tyres…rather prone to punctures (as my client Charlie can testify, he once had to come to the rescue of a certain damsel in distress near his property near Midway Point…).

And, as many of you also know, the rupture of my achilles last year put paid to cycling for a while…

Well, true to form, I haven’t given up on this dream to go flying down the mountain like a possessed banshee (can banshee’s be possessed?).  Now that my achilles is performing admirably…I’ve considered another option, and ok, I admit it, a safer one which likely comes with better insurance, bikes to suit the terrain, and presumably suitably responsible persons in charge, who hopefully know what they are doing and can offer sound advice on the best way to go from 0 – 100Km in short order….

Thanks to a recent blog post on Think Tasmania,

Tasmania: A Taste of Foodie Paradise!

my desire to freewheel down a mountain has been revived.  Read the blog post by clicking on the link above.

Click here for more  info on Mt Wellington Descent .

SO.  Who’s in??

I have recently “completed” a wonderful course: “The Metabolic Blueprint” – developed by Josh & Jeanne Rubin, from East West Healing and Performance.  There will be a new round starting in April, and I HIGHLY recommend this for practitioners and lay-people alike – particularly for those who are committed to finding the foods which support their (or their clients’) individual physiology.  I have learned so much from this course: how the body truly is a system of systems, and how to use foods to help and heal, without the use of supplements or expensive lab tests!  This is based on the work of Ray Peat PhD, Broda Barnes MD, Hans Selye MD, Constance Martin, Francis Pottenger and many more “thinkers of outside the square”.

I place the word “completed”  in inverted commas (and say it in my best Dr Evil voice), as the information contained in this course will keep me challenged and investigating for a long time to come!  I love that.

As someone who has encountered several health challenges (past and current) despite leading a so-called “healthy” and active life for, well…MOST of my 44 years, I have discovered (and am living, breathing, walking evidence) that:

a) low fat diets don’t work, even if you look lean and fit (for a time at least, I was down to a lean 53kg, but felt like, well…excrement),

b) low carb (high protein) diets don’t work long-term, (no matter your “metabolic type” – the body needs to use glucose as it’s primary source of fuel).  Using protein and fat as the primary source is simply sacrificing metabolism to achieve weight loss which will likely be short lived,

c) we need to utilise all three macro-nutrients (proteins, carb’s, and healthy fats – will you be surprised to learn that the healthiest fats are saturated – NOT polyunsaturated, and that not all carbs and proteins are created equal??) and we need to use them in the right ratio’s for us as individuals,

d) many foods touted as being “healthy” by the health-care community are causing so much ill-health and inflammation, and

e) negative lab tests prove very little, and a cheap thermometer can be your best friend!

The Metabolic Blueprint (TMB) course has shown me the scientific proof why this is so.  As a confirmed “protein type” I followed a high protein, high fat diet for years (which I initially did very well on), but in recent years I had started to feel that my foods were no longer supporting me.  Even so, this course has challenged a paradigm I have held for so long…change can be confronting (even for someone who coaches others to “change”!)

TMB has shown me that many foods which I thought were “healthy” can cause hypo-thyroidism, inflammation, and hormonal imbalances – and many of the foods which I had been avoiding are the ones which I needed to consume in order to support my physiology and metabolism, to reduce inflammation and balance hormone levels.

Over the last few months, this new information has led to profound changes in the way I eat (volume, number of meals per day, ratios of macro-nutrients, type of foods, and the recipe’s I used!) not to mention changes in what I will (and WON’T!) be planting out in my veggie garden next season!!  Through this course and by working one on one with Josh (www.eastwesthealing.com) , I am learning the tools to fine-tune my individual nutritional requirements, and monitor my metabolism – with nothing more than my own dedication to my health, a willingness to learn and change an old paradigm, allowing myself the time to focus on my foods, and a cheap thermometer!

Stay tuned, as I will be posting more about my personal journey towards raising my metabolism and discovering super-charged health and wellness!!  In the mean-time, I will be removing some documents and recipes from the website….

For more information on The Metabolic Blueprint, click here.

Wow, it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything!  In Summer you’ll usually find me in the garden or participating in some other activity in the sunshine.  So now that Autumn is with us,  I have the opportunity to share with you some of the things I have been doing over the summer.  Like having fun and experimenting with my food, and finding ways to make it as nutritious as possible for myself and my family.

I have been half-heartedly trying to get hold of local, fresh, and most importantly, raw (unpasteurised/unhomogenised) milk for what seems like forever (in reality about 8 years).   We were able to get goat’s milk, but none of us were huge fans of the taste.  Then I saw Matthew Evans’ TV show on SBS “The Gourmet Farmer” (I am a huge fan…read on..) and it really gave me a kick along to source out either a cow (impractical at this time), or a means of obtaining this white gold.

I’m not going to go into the reasons or debate why I have been searching this out for so long, and I’m not going to tell you to go do the same.  But I do advise you to do your research on the subject and make up your own mind, as to whether you want to keep drinking that overly processed stuff they sell in the supermarket.

My inquiries finally led me to a little place which I now regularly frequent to obtain my fix of this precious commodity.  I feel so fortunate to be able to see these very happy cows grazing on lush green grass about 40cm high, and to be able to give them a bit of a pat and a hello before making off with the good stuff!

And you should see what I’ve been doing with it.  Yoghurt, baked custard (yum!), Labne (all recipes a la Matthew Evans’ fabulous book – the Gourmet Farmer – “Real Food Companion”) and…wait for it…I have been making my own cultured butter!  (When I haven’t been rubbing shoulders with Matt on Flinder’s Island and living the good life – another Summer Story which I’ll save for later).

This process is so easy, fairly quick and very rewarding, not to mention tasty!

As I said, I cultured the butter, but this isn’t strictly necessary.  I do it because I like the taste, it adds beneficial bacteria (probiotics) to the butter, and culturing helps to thicken the cream which makes it easier to turn into butter when using the very fresh thin cream from my happy new girl-friends.

To culture the cream, add 1 tb buttermilk to the cream, and let it sit out in a warm place for 8 – 24 hours.  I have heard that adding yoghurt instead of buttermilk will have the same effect, as will kefir grains. If you are not going to culture the cream, you will still need to let it sit out on the bench for at least 4 hours.  Cream turns to butter easier when it is between 14 – 16 deg c (58 – 62 deg F), so if after sitting in a fairly warm spot, it may need to go back to the fridge for a bit. *See note at end of post

Many recipes suggest using heavy or double cream, but I have successfully used this raw cream at a “pouring cream” (or “whipping cream”) consistency – but it does work best when thickened.  A word of caution here though – if buying cream from the supermarket, make sure it is pure cream with no additives such as gelatin or thickeners.  By the way,  cultured cream is also known as “Creme fraiche”, so you could also use this.

Here is the process (click on the thumbnails for a larger picture):

1.  Equipment  required (sterilised or at least washed very well):  Blender, 1 or 2 wooden spoons, cutting board, large bowl of iced water, spare bowl or 2, strainer (sieve), a small jug or cup. Any quantity of cream or creme fraiche, 2% quantity of organic sea salt (optional) and/or other optional seasonings (eg herbs),waxed paper or a ramekin for storing your finished product.

2.  Pour cream into blender, make sure the lid is secured. IMPORTANT: IF YOU MAKE SURE YOUR CREAM IS BETWEEN 14 – 16 DEGREES C (BEARING IN MIND IT MAY WARM UP A LITTLE WHILE BEING WHIPPED IN THE BLENDER, SO CLOSER TO 14 DEG IS PREFERABLE) YOU SHOULD HAVE NO DIFFICULTY WHIPPING IT, WITH NO NEED TO CULTURE IT FIRST.

Blend until the cream thickens like whipped cream, and keep blending!  After a few minutes (depending on the temperature of the cream) it will split into butter and buttermilk – you will know when this happens because you will hear a ‘sloshing’ sound.  Leave the blender to sit for a minute, while the butter rises to the top.

3.  Place a strainer over a bowl, ready to collect the buttermilk. Pour out the butter/buttermilk into the strainer.  Keep the buttermilk for baking in place of milk, it is wonderful when combined with baking soda (bi-carb soda) to give an extra rise to baked goods (not that we eat many of those, hey?).

4.  Gently press out more of the buttermilk with a wooden spoon.

5.  Place the butter back into the blender and add about 1 – 2 cups of iced water (don’t skip the iced part, it’s crucial). The aim here is to remove as much of the buttermilk as possible to extend the storage time of the butter.  If you leave buttermilk in there – it will spoil after a few days.

6.  Give the butter and water a bit of a blitz, the buttermilk will be extracted into the water.  Strain this into a second bowl to be discarded, or straight down the sink.  My dog likes it though – that’s always an option…waste not want not… What’s left in the strainer is looking a lot like butter…because that’s what it is!

7.  Not finished yet though – we’re determined to get rid of that last bit of buttermilk. Place the butter in a bowl of more iced water, and squeeze the butter with your hand.  If the water still looks milky, chuck the water and repeat with fresh iced water.   The water is iced, because you want the butter to stay really firm.   When it’s done, place the butter on a board.

8.  Use a dry wooden spoon to pat the butter, and squeeze out the last of the water.  Sometimes I use some absorbent paper to blot the moisture (making sure not to leave any bits in the butter!).   Then spread the butter out a bit, and add salt or seasonings if using.  Quantity of salt should be no more than approx 2%.  If you find you have added too much salt, simply drop the butter back into the iced water for a bit of a massage, and start again from there.

9.  The finished products:  Butter and Buttermilk!

Form the butter into a nice shape and wrap in waxed paper, or store in this “butter keeper” method. Fill a bowl or ramekin with the butter, up to the top.  Place a small amount of fresh clean water (filtered or spring) into a slightly larger bowl.  Upend the butter bowl and store in the water.  Make sure the water is covering the butter.  This creates an air-tight seal, and the butter can safely be stored in the pantry for lovely soft, spreadable butter whenever you need it.  (And I need butter quite often!) Trust me, you haven’t tasted butter until you’ve tasted the gear you can make so easily for yourself!

I sourced lots of this information from the internet – I found the information from the blog at Food Renegade very useful.

I saw the butter keeper idea at www.butterbell.com and on you-tube video’s – and then made my own.

Also check out these you-tube video’s which I found helpful:

Jersey Girls

To get you started on investigating raw milk:

RealMilk.com

More About Raw Milk – by Sally Fallon

Do you know what’s ironic?  The week after I made my first batch, with me feeling ever so clever, there was my yummy hero Jamie Oliver making butter on the telly (I have a bit of a “thing” for TV chefs) as part of a “30 minute meal”.  Synchronicity.    First Matthew, then Jamie…all I need now is for Simon from the Cook and the Chef to strut his stuff with some butter and I’d be a very happy camper.

*March 2012 – I no longer culture my butter.  Life is a learning process, and what I have learned from “The Metabolic Blueprint” course by Josh and Jeanne Rubin from East West Healing and Performance, is that fermenting and culturing foods increases lactic acid.  Lactic acid is inflammatory.  Fermented and cultured foods are unnecessary in a healthy body – and if you’re not healthy, adding lactic acid is only going to hinder physiology at the cell level.   Click here to find out more about The Metabolic Blueprint.

Click here to go to the link @ Cook It Allergy Free.

It was an early start for us, being up at 5.15am to be at the starting line by 7am.  The forecast was for rain and 17 degrees, translated means it could do anything – it’s Spring In Tasmania afterall, and the weather on our gorgeous mountain can be unpredictable at the best of times.  So we dressed for all weather, drank a bucket of water (important to be well hydrated at the start) ate a solid breakfast (well in my case drank it – a choc banana smoothie, with 3 raw eggs, some almond meal, a banana and a teaspoon of raw cacao), loaded up with snacks (for me, a pear and a big bag of trail mix with lots of nuts) and set off.  Wrest Point car park was PACKED <note to self….allow more time for car parking and a last minute wee>.  In Bill’s usual inimitable style though, he willed a spot within the Casino grounds so we didn’t have too far to walk (ha…that’s a joke, people..).  

The event was really well organised, with well over 1000 entrants and very little chaos all in all.  A group warm up before we set off (we missed the main warm up session due to having to queue for the loo’s – shame, I am always up for a bit of aerobics at 6.50am in the morning).

We were in the middle of the pack at the starting line, and we didn’t have long to wait before the crowd started moving forward.  Our position didn’t really change until things started getting sorted out near the mountain.  With so many people it was a bit tricky to try to move up, so we just cruised at what I thought was a nice warm up walking pace.  Placing yourself near the front of the pack would be a definite advantage… well that’s if one was interested in being competitive!  (Erm…<clearing throat> ok so I do have a BIT of  a competitive streak in me, and I found it really interesting to observe my own tendencies in that regard….).

It was Helen’s first go at the event, and mine also.  It was Andrea’s second year in a row, so we were looking to her for bits of advice.  I have to say, I felt so uplifted by the energy of the participants, with everyone being so supportive to each other and the atmosphere was filled with happy people getting out there and just having a go.  I loved the fact that the walkers were so varied in age, size, and ability – some walking alone, but also lots of pairs and teams in various forms of TEAM GET UP (next year we might be the ones in pink wigs and tutu’s).  I enjoyed having a bit of a chat to others as we went, hearing their stories (some raising awareness for organ donation, one lady was entering for the 10th year in a row and had a huge cheer squad complete with banner cheering her on from the side of the road – this lady had learned the hard way and made sure she entered on the first day of registration).  One particular grey haired lady of senior years (we wished we had got her race number) was SO inspiring, walking on her own, yet never stopping and she managed to stay ahead of us most of the way, and ended up finishing well ahead of us – just incredible.  I want to be like her when I grow up.  Andrea managed to give her a big hug at the end which was so lovely!

When it came to getting on with it, it became a matter of simply placing one foot in front of the other, and trying not to stop.  I found that if I took large strides and kept the stride length the same no matter the incline, that I could keep my speed pretty constant.   What I also found helpful, was at times to turn around and do a little walking backwards, easing the more overworked muscles, and giving other muscles a bit of a go.   My facial muscles were getting a good workout too, I felt like I couldn’t take the smile off my face – especially when watching THOSE TWO AWESOME SHEILA’S really put in the effort and get the job done. 

Well before the turn off to Pilinger Drive, we were taken by surprise when the first runner went flying past us, well ahead of schedule – going on what we had been told this wouldn’t normally happen until Pillinger Drive.  When I say flying, this dude was practically sprinting (seemed to us anyway).  It was pretty hard to believe this guy was running a mountain and not going for a relaxed run on the flat.  The crowd of walkers gave him a huge cheer as he went past.  Sure enough, this pocket rocket sized ball of muscle with steel springs for legs was the ultimate winner – Scott McTaggart from Canberra in a course record time of 1:24:14.  Scott’s story is here.  Congratulations also to Tassie’s own Jenny Gillard who won the women’s run!

By the time we reached the turnoff to the mountain, it had started to drizzle.  Just misty stuff really, and personally I found it quite lovely.  The air wasn’t cold, and the mist was cooling on the skin and WOW what delectable scents were now emanating from the greenery of the surrounding bushland.  Misty swirls rising up of the road, it was very pretty, although not everyone was finding the experience so glorious – those who hadn’t trained, and were unprepared, well, those people will know better for next time.  As for Team Gratitude, our training walks really paid off, it was so helpful to know where we were along the road, and what the incline was going to be like around the corner etc etc.. I won’t deny it became progressively harder past the Springs (@ 14km’s), and especially past the Chalet (@ 17km’s).  At this point it was getting difficult to see more than 15 meters in front of our noses, with the mist coming down, and the drizzle.  It was a good idea to bring my hat, although I didn’t need it to keep the sun off, it did keep the rain out of my face….by this stage we were counting every little blessing.  I did my best to motivate my awesome team, actually I do believe that just near the Big Bend – which I’m guessing is roughly 19 Km’s in - I may, just may, have called out – “come on, it’s practically flat just a little further up!” which may or may not have spurred on the gals (I don’t think they believed me to be truthful) but I WILL take the credit for inspiring some lagging runners to get going again! 

With not too far to go, it seemed certain people were flagging, and there wasn’t much I could say to the lasses get those legs chuffing a little faster, as hard as they tried.   Bribery wasn’t even working.  I admit, I succumbed to a fib, and told them I had lollies in my waist-bag.  They didn’t believe me (funny that…).   Their spirits brightened considerably when some kind gentleman proferred jelly beans - to the high excitement of Andrea and Helen, with Andrea later proclaiming loudly  “that jelly bean was a lifesaver!”  Of course, my comeback was “actually it’s a jelly bean…” I’m not sure whether it was lack of oxygen to the brain or her German origins ergo Andrea’s poor knowledge of an Aussie lolly-icon, but she didn’t get the joke (plus my humour is pretty subtle at times)…. but that’s ok, pet.  You’re awesome anyway.

Bill was amazing.  I’m SO glad I dragged him along.  Not only did he manage to drag me out of bed on time, he kept our spirits up when I just wanted to concentrate on getting MYSELF up there – so at this point I want to thank my solid as a rock Mr Gratitude for his unflagging spirit and energy.  Those long legs have got to be an advantage though, jus’ sayin’.

Turns out THAT jelly-bean did the trick, and we crossed the finish line all 3 of us arms linked, and I want to say that finishing our “recreational” walk with those two gorgeous ladies was a highlight of my career, and I am so impressed, proud and inspired by them!  Well done Andrea for making it two years in a row, and to Helen for making it despite recovering from a knee injury.  For those others who couldn’t make the walk this year for varied reasons, we missed you, we would LOVE to have you join us again next year – so put the date in your diary and let’s get committed!  To my two fella’s who couldn’t make the run this year due to illness – I know that you have it in you to do this again, and I very much look forward to being a part of getting you there next time.

So there we were – a few girls (and a ring in) who thought we might only just manage to make 14km’s of this gruelling walk – who then conceeded maybe they’d have a crack at getting to the top and why the hell not (and wouldn’t it be cool if we could finish it before the cut off time of 4 hours 20 mins) – who ultimately made it with plenty of time to spare in a time of 3 hours, 44 mins, 52 secs!  We each hold a beautiful and precious medal, and I tell you right now, THAT ONE’S GOING STRAIGHT TO THE POOL ROOM!

My top tips from my own experience of this event on the day:

Drink heaps!  Before, during and after.

Eat a great breakfast – or drink a smoothie - 2 hours before the race.

Don’t carry a backpack unless you HAVE to.  A waist-bag is a much better idea.

Swing your arms!  Don’t try to conserve energy by not using your arms.  Your arms are part of the walking motion and you can utilise the kinetic energy to help find your cadence.

Maintain your posture!  Stay upright, don’t hunch, you’ll be fighting gravity if you do.

Don’t stop!  It is very hard to get going again!  Try to not need the loo during the event!  Those queue’s are a real bummer.

Take consistent strides.  Train well beforehand and test out your stride length.  Set a pace you think you can maintain, but challenge yourself.

Snack well before you feel like you need to.  I found a juicy pear was EXACTLY what I felt like.  It quenched my thirst and gave me plenty of sugar to keep going.  Jelly beans?  Only if you really need to   Dried fruit will do the trick.  Nuts for fats and some protein.

Prepare, train doggedly, be sensible but determined. 

Set your goal.  Stay focussed on that goal.  Know why it is your goal and how it will feel to reach it.  No excuses.  Achieve it.  Simple.

Exercise your facial muscles.  SMILE.  A LOT.  Even if you don’t feel like it.  It really helps.

Understand that your body will probably hurt in various, sometimes random places.  This is generally to be expected unless you’re an elite athlete, and even then, it happens.  Acknowledge the fact as it occurs, but don’t dwell on it.  Again – smile.  It helps

The Mercury Newspaper story is here.  Look closely and you can spot Andrea in the top right hand corner in grey, looking very chipper!

The Mercury Photo gallery is here.

Stay tuned, I will be posting photos of Team Gratitude very soon!