Why It's Okay to NOT Love How You Look

I almost wasn't going to share this post today because I feel like there are too many "self love" posts out there - and this goes against them completely. 

Why? Because I'm telling you it is okay to not love how you look all of the time. 

We live in a world that is obsessed with perfection and personal image. 

Anti ageing creams line the shelves of supermarkets and department stores, weight loss products promise you "the body you've always wanted", Instagram is constantly flooded with before and after photos, botox and fillers are injected with gusto, clothing brands are pushing the latest and greatest fashion trends that you have to have, the list goes on and on... 

and yet? We're still not happy. 

Self love and positive body image have become buzz words and yet, whilst we know we should be nicer to ourselves, we still can't get past it when we're feeling a little vulnerable or blah. 

But do you know what I think? 

I think it's completely unrealistic to love yourself all the time. Why? Because we hold ourselves to ridiculous standards - and we're also human. 

We each view the world differently and we each have different perceptions of perfection - which means perfection doesn't actually exist.

What do I mean by that? 

Think about someone you think is "perfect". They have the perfect body or amazing fashion sense or whatever you think is perfect... 

Meanwhile, that person might have a completely different perception of themselves - and someone else will have a completely different perception of them too. Whilst you think they're perfect, that's just your perception. 

Take the above photo. 

I saw that and I thought; 

• Frizzy hair
• My left eye is bigger than my right eye 
• My posture is weird
• My face looks puffy 
• That's a weird half-smile
• I'm totally getting smile lines 
• That is a terrible photo

I'd almost hit the delete button on the camera when Jesse said "I really like that photo". 

And then I realised. I really am my own worst critic. Sure, you might look at that photo and see those "flaws" too.... but do they really matter? 

When I look through our photobooks, almost all of our photos are of Jesse - with a few of me sprinkled throughout. Why? Because I hate photos of myself - so I am always behind the camera (that's the reason we have photos taken on our anniversary each year - because sometimes they're the only photos of me in a year!). 

But what happens when I'm old and want to show my grandchildren the adventures we've been on? There will only be a few photos of me to look at. 

When I look through my grandparent's photo albums - there are imperfections everywhere, but those photos are perfect to me. I love seeing where my grandpa has caught a candid photo of my grandmother swinging on a swing in the backyard with laughter in her eyes and love on her face. 

I love seeing the photos of my grandpa pulling silly faces or photos that are blurred with the rush of children in the background. Or photos of smiling faces with backgrounds of mess and clutter that shows life and reality - not chaos and disorganisation like my type A personality would believe if that photo was of me. 

If those photos were digital, would I have ever seen them? Not if I was the one doing the curation. 

So you know what I've realised? It's okay to not love how you look or what's on the outside all the time. 

Why? Because it's not important. 

I'm seeing my imperfections and realising, you know what? That's okay. I'm perfectly imperfect. 

When I'm old, I'm not going to look back and say "oh wow! I am SO glad I had an amazing butt from all of those squats" or "you know what? My life was amazing because my hair was always perfect". 

Even though I would change things in a heartbeat (let's be REAL - I'm a flawed and naive human!), I'm going to stop beating myself up. 

Yes, 

I don't like photos of myself but my husband does. 

I have cellulite but I also have legs that are strong and have taken me to the most incredible places. 

I have acne and pimples and blemishes but I have hormones and a reproductive system that works and that's all part of the package. 

I have crazy frizzy hair, but it's also thick and healthy and I can rock a killer mermaid 'do after a day at the beach. 

I don't have killer abs but I do have working organs that keep me alive and healthy. 

I don't have an incredible physique but I have copious amounts of free time to spend with the ones I love - instead of slaving away at the gym. 

My list could go on and on - and I'm sure yours could too.... but those lists are silly. 

Instead of focusing on external appearances, why not focus on just living life? 

Do you really want to miss out on an awesome day at the beach making memories just because you're too concerned with what you look like in a swimsuit? 

Do you really want to skip a date with potentially the man of your dreams just because a pimple decided to rear it's giant head why you were sleeping? 

Do you want to be the dull one at the party because you're so worried about your appearance that you can't bring yourself to talk to anyone or have fun? 

Or do you want to be like me and have your photobooks filled with photos of everyone but you, just because you either won't get in photos - or you don't like the ones that are taken? 

I don't think so. 

Give yourself a little grace and realise it's normal to feel insecure and unsure at times. It's normal to not always love the way you look. Sure, it sucks - but that's human nature. 

What you really need to remember, however, is that none of that matters.

We're all perfectly imperfect and that's okay. 

Let's be REAL;
Tell me, what's one "flaw" you get caught up one that you really need to get over?
And what do you really want to change your attitude about? 
I'm always fussing too much over my skin and my cellulite. I'm changing my attitude to photos and bikinis. Does it really matter what I look like in either if I'm missing out? 

    

   

Free Weekly Meal Plan & To Do List Printables to Start Your Year Right!

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I'm not much of a resolution maker, however, this year I've decided I need to be more intentional about meal planning.

Nothing annoys me more than the question of what's for dinner. It starts around 3pm and it always seems like whatever I feel like Jesse doesn't feel like and we end up settling on something that is kind of sub par. 

Whenever I plan our meals, however, I have the time to prep whatever needs to be prepped and we have a whole week full of delicious meals - not to mention the fact it often ends up cheaper as I can plan to cook whatever is on sale. 

To make meal planning super easy this year, I put together some printable menu planners for myself (in two designs - a girly floral version and a more neutral gray theme) - and I thought I'd share them with you too! 

So here they are! >>

Good vs Bad Palm Oil: Is There a Difference?

Palm oil. It's been a bit of a buzz word in recent years. There's shared Facebook posts demonising brands, people who sing their hatred of palm oil from the rooftops - and there's even information on palm oil plastered on the walls of the orangutan enclosure at Taronga Zoo. 

But what's the truth? Is there such a thing as good palm oil and bad palm oil? 

I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to claims as I don't like to believe anything I hear in the media before researching it myself - and the same goes for palm oil. I wanted to find out what was actually going on with the palm oil trade and what it means for our world. 

Around 50% of foods sitting on grocery store shelves around the globe contain palm oil. It's in our packaged foods, shampoo and conditioners, soaps - even lipstick and cosmetics. Sure that's not good news for wildlife, right?!

Wrong... well... sort of wrong. You see, there is such a thing as "good" palm oil - good meaning sustainable - and sustainable meaning  the production processes do not destroy rainforests and ecosystems or cause air pollution (which further increases the risk of extinction for creatures living in that environment). "Good" palm oil also benefits local communities with fair working conditions. 

Unfortunately, only 17% of the 74+ million tonnes of palm oil consumed around the world is from these "good" sustainable sources. The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) are trying to change that though - and they are already starting to see change!

The RSPO trademark movement is gaining momentum with 13 countries currently listed with RSPO certified producers and many companies choosing to use only RSPO certified palm oil in their products. 

RSPO are trying to inspire change through social media with their #GoodBadPalmOil social media campaign - and they asked Jesse and I to jump on board. As a couple with a heart for the developing world and the people and creatures who live there, we couldn't say no. 

Palm oil doesn't just affect animals. It affects our sponsor children and their families and it affects our world as a whole. 

When we have the opportunity to share our voice and opinion with the click of a single button, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to get involved to inspire change.

So what can you do? 

1. Learn more about Palm Oil here.
2. Say yes to sustainable palm oil and share it with your friends on social media to help spread awareness of RSPO's campaign.
3. Buy products from RSPO certified companies (find a list here)

How do you know when a product uses RSPO certified palm oil? Look for the symbol! In Australia, RSPO members include Arnotts, Coles, Woolworths, Jurlique, McCain, Nuttelex and so many more.  We ALL have a choice - and we also have the opportunity to put pressure on the industry to change. 

 

But tell me, do you ever think about where the ingredients in your food come from? 

    

   

As always, this post was written entirely by us, though it was created in partnership with RSPO. We're passionate about inspiring positive change in the world and for us, a blog post like this is one little effort that has the potential to make a difference. We'd love you to support us by sharing this post and sharing the love with our friends at RSPO. 

How to Balance Work and Life Without Going Crazy

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We live in a world that is constantly busy. One question I often get when I tell people that I run a business, write a blog, volunteer and somehow manage to fit in a normal life is how? 

How as in... 

How do you have time for everything?

How are you not crazy?

How do you balance it all?

And how are you not hooked up to an IV of coffee 24/7?

But it's not a question that people are simply asking me - it's a question we're all asking. How do you balance work and life and family and everything you want to do? 

Sure you can pick and choose what you want to spend your time on, however, this is the real world and unfortunately I don't think too many of us can get away with only working two hours a week and still paying our bills and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't fare so well if you decided to only focus on work and nothing else for the rest of your life. 

Family is important. Work is important. Life is important. So how do you juggle them all? 

Whilst I don't have all the answers (sorry guys, I tried 42 and it just didn't work), I do have some tips that work for me - and I'd love for you to chime in with your own tips in the comments too. 

So here's how I juggle work and life and still stay sane >> 

How Healthy Living Bloggers Like to Spend Their "Me Time"

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So, last week I shared my tips for How to Make More "Me Time" When You Have a Busy Schedule but I thought you might be in need of a little more inspiration. 

As I said in my last post, everyone's "me time" looks different - so rather than just share my ideas, I thought I'd get a little help from my friends! 

Today, I've rounded up a bunch of ideas from my very talented blogger friends who also happen to have healthy living blogs of their own! Not only will it give you some ideas for your own "me time" - but you'll probably find a few new blogs to add to your must read list too!

And, of course, in true Kristy fashion; the doodles are back! And apparently my little cartoon friends are feeling the cold this week as I've drawn a few of them in long sleeves :P

So here are our favourite ways to spend a little "me time"! >>

How to Make "Me Time" When You Have a Busy Schedule

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So, remember when a few weeks ago I told you that May was going to be Not Cray May? Well, that totally didn't happen because my schedule is never anything other than busy.  

In fact, we all lead pretty busy lives - whether you're chasing around kids, rocking the 9-5 or owning your own business, life can get seriously hectic - and if you're not careful, it's easy to forget to look after yourself!

"Me Time" is seriously important. Why? Everyone needs time to unwind and relax - especially if you want to do life at your best. "Me time" looks different for everyone - but it's all about self-love and looking after yourself. 

Lately I've been hearing too many friends tell me that they just don't have time to look after themselves or don't have a chance to relax even for five minutes - so I thought I'd share some of my favourite ways to squeeze a little me time into even the busiest of schedules! 

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If you're someone who loves schedules, be intentional. 

If you're like me and tend to perform your best when you've got even a vague schedule in mind, be intentional about making your me time! Schedule something specific that will help you to unwind each and every day.

Kick Start The New Year - Our Favourite Protein Snacks

Hello my sweets! We're currently exploring beautiful New Zealand, however, before we left, we decided that January was the perfect time to share some of our favourite protein snacks with you! 

As many are thinking about their New Year's Resolutions, we thought you'd give you some tips to kick start the new year - and what better way to start that with some delicious snacks to keep you fueled and on track! 

Protein bars and protein powders can be expensive - and it's hard to know what to choose! We've taken the mystery out of the selection and rounded up the best of the best gluten free protein snacks to share with you!

Here's our favourite protein snacks of the moment! >> 

My Winter Fashion Must Haves - From Workouts to Days Out! {2015}

Now, I want to start this post by telling you that I am, by no means a fashion blogger. In fact, more often than not I'll dress for warmth rather than style in winter (as my friends and family will tell you I'm completely usless if I'm cold) - but I probably dress like you do when you're not off to a special event because, like you, I'm a real person.

I'm not a hoity toity celebrity with red lined shoes and I'm not someone who prances around in their million dollar sneakers - I'm just a real girl with a real life - and that's exactly why I thought I'd share my winter must-haves with you!

I've also included pinnable images for every outfit so, if you're like me and loveeeeeee pinterest, you can pin away! You'll see the red Pin It Button () which will pin the entire post or a pink Pin This Outfit Button ( - NB: It seems some computers automatically change this button to a grey Pin It button so looks for the (Outfit Pin) label if that's the case) which will give you just that image!

So let me share what I'm loving now that the weather is cooler! >> 

The ONE Thing Every Pet Owner Needs to Know to Keep Their Pet Healthy and Happy

As you may already know, Jesse and I are those crazy dog people. The ones who talk to their dog in a baby voice and treat them like a child. The ones whose dog has way too many toys and a million and one nicknames and the ones whose dog knows exactly how to get what they want.

Chanel isn't just our dog, she's our baby - and we do everything possible to keep her healthy and happy - at least, we thought we did... 

We know the foods she can and can't eat, we know the signs to look for for paralysis ticks (even though we've never heard of anyone in our area having an issue with paralysis ticks...), she goes straight to the vet for a checkup as soon as she's acting funny, she has ear drops for her recurring ear infections (because girlfriend's fur isn't doing her any favours) and we spent weeks worrying about her when we knew we were bring a puppy into the house.

We thought we had everything under control - and we thought we were doing everything right.... but then that cute yet ridiculous underbite you see above became part of the problem we didn't know we had.

You see, years ago we found out that our neighbour brushed her dogs teeth - and truthfully, I thought she was a bit of a weirdo, a bit over the top. Little did I know, that neighbour had the right idea.

We'd never been told to brush Chanel's teeth - and just like all of our friends, we thought that chew toys and bones and dog treats were doing the job of cleaning her teeth for us. Dogs don't need toothbrushes in the wild - why would we need to brush her teeth?!

But we were wrong. 

Last year, we found out that Chanel had seriously tooth decay. Unlike a human that could tell us that they had a toothache, Chanel just had to put up with it until we discovered the problem. 

First, we casually brought up her bad breath at the vet's whilst there to check on her ears. We knew her teeth weren't clean - but neither were any of our friends dogs. That's when we discovered the problem. 

Not only did Chanel have teeth issues because she's a small dog, she had teeth problems because she used her teeth differently to how she was supposed to due to that under-bite. 

Here we were thinking we had everything under control and that toys and treats were doing the job of cleaning her teeth - yet the vet smacked down a hefty quote for teeth cleaning in front of us.... 

And when I say hefty, I'm talking thousands. 

The vet didn't instill any confidence in me and the hefty quote made me want to run for the hills - but then whilst reading some articles about pet dental health on the web, I found Dr Dave from Dr Dave's Vets and Pets. 

I had a look at Dr Dave's website and knew I needed to get in touch with him immediately to talk about Chanel. Their website claimed they offered Sydney's best value pet dental services and they specialised in them too - but I wanted to know more. 

It only took one conversation with Dr Dave to have Mum and I in the car with Chanel making our way all the way over to Darlinghurst for an appointment with him - and as soon as we met him, I knew I'd made the right choice. 

You see, Pet Dental Health is a funny thing. It's not really known about because it's not really taught about. It's not something we speak about with our friends and most vets only do one day of study on dental health during school - even though it's one of the most common problems they'll face in their clinics.

Dr Dave, however, is a member of the Australian Veterinary Dental Association and extensively studied dentistry with some of the worlds best pet dentists. I know what you're thinking though, that all sounds wonderful - but what does it mean for your dog?

For me, the most impressive thing about Dave was that he loves animals - and you can tell that they love him. He has the experience that you can trust and he went above and beyond to ensure Chanel was healthy enough to have her teeth surgery before he even began to discuss it as an option. 

Our pup wasn't just refusing food because she was fussy - she was refusing food because her teeth were causing her significant pain and discomfort. Bones and chew toys and treats were never going to do anything to help because it's actually been proven that feeding dogs bones does nothing to prevent dental disease.

I mean, think about it; would you chew on a bone rather than brush your teeth? You know that wouldn't work for you - but somehow we accept that they'll do the job for our pets. 

The signs for dental disease are all there - but we often shrug them off as a "doggy thing"; 

• Bad breath
• Brown discolouration of the teeth
• Cracked or worn teeth
• Reduced enjoyment of food or fussiness at mealtimes
• Bleeding gums 
• Drooling or pawing at the mouth
• Pain when you touch the muzzle
• Bleeding gums
• Slowing down on walks or lacking energy
• Eating on one side of the mouth
• More tartar on one side of the mouth than the other

Chanel had many of those signs and together with Dr Dave, we decided that a dental procedure was a must for her - but he wanted her to lose a little bit of weight before the procedure to ensure she was healthy. You see, in order to clean the teeth properly, the dogs need to be put under anesthetic and Dr Dave wanted to ensure that Chanel would have a fuss-free procedure with no complications.

We scheduled the date for Chanel's teeth surgery and got onto Puppy Bootcamp to shed a little bit of weight off Ms Beyonce Booty.

Before we knew it, it was time to pack Chanel up in the car and drive over to Darlinghurst for Chanel's surgery. She had her favourite lamb in tow as well as an anxious Mum (me!)

We had her consultation and check up first and then left her to have her surgery before picking her up later that night.

Chanel had quite severe dental decay - so her procedure was a little more extensive than other dogs. She needed nine teeth extracted (which were too decayed/damaged to keep in their or just about ready to fall out on their own) and had all of her teeth completely cleaned.

The procedure also included an x-ray to show exactly which teeth were healthy, which were decayed under the surface and needed to be pulled out and which teeth were damaged yet repairable through future care. 

I know nine teeth sounds like an incredible amount - and I was concerned too, but I was amazed at how much happier and healthier she was with those problem teeth. Our fussy eater became a pup who was more than happy to chow down at meal times and no longer went on hunger strikes for days at a time. 

When we picked her up that night we had a very sore and sooky pup - but a day or two later she was back to her normal self, playing with the puppy, eating her food with no issues and seeming much brighter and more energetic than she was before.

Here we were thinking that Chanel was just getting older and lazier - but it was actually her being in pain that was causing her attitude change. It sounds silly, but since the teeth surgery and cleaning we've had a new dog - one who's happier, healthier and more energetic - and one who doesn't have stinky breath in the slightest!

But now that Chanel is doing so much better - what are we doing to keep her that way?

• We've changed her diet
  Previously Chanel only really ate soft foods as that's the only thing she would eat - and because our old dog, Gizmo, was on a special diet due to other health issues and we just fed them the same foods. Chanel now eats mainly dog biscuits which are designed to keep her teeth clean and healthy - and it's also a weight control formula to ensure she's not eating too many calories. 
• We're working on brushing her teeth
  Let's be honest, I say working because it's a work in progress. Dogs don't tend to like having their teeth brushed so it takes time to get them used to it.
• We still have chew toys around for her to play with
  Whilst chew toys aren't going to be a substitute for proper homecare, they can help to keep their teeth clean and healthy so we have quite a few specially designed chew toys around for her to play with
• She'll be having regular checkups
  The plan is to have Chanel get a maintenance clean once a year or as needed to ensure her teeth stay healthy and strong and she doesn't have to have any more removed in the future. We'll be booking her in for an annual scale and polish with Dr Dave to remove tartar and plaque before it gets too bad.
• We've added "Healthy Mouth" Water Additive to their water
  As suggested by Dr Dave and his team, we've added the Healthy Mouth solution to the dogs' water bowls to help fight plaque and bacteria.

But don't just take it from me, if you want to learn more about Pet Dental Health, here are some articles that might help!

• Further information on Dr Dave's Vets and Pets Pet Dental Cleaning Services in Sydney
• Why It's So Important to Look After Your Dog's Teeth
• A video by Dr Dave Explaining Pet Dental Disease
• How Pet Dental Disease is Killing Your Pet

And a big shout out to Dr Dave and his team who are absolutely incredible and love what they do - and that love definitely shows. You can visit them with your pet for a free dental health consultation at; 

• Darlinghurst
  350 Victoria Street
  Darlinghurst, NSW 2010 
  For appointments call: 02 9358 2566
• North Ryde
  384 Lane Cove Rd 
  North Ryde NSW 2113 
  For appointments call: 02 9888 1833

But tell me, did you realise it was so important to look after your pet's teeth?

What do you do to clean your pup's teeth? Or what will you do now?