Tell us a little bit about what you do
I’m an Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach. I help women live their best life. I do this by firstly boosting their diets with whole foods, such as greens, legumes, beans, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds and super foods. I also help them to develop exercise programs and gain confidence in the kitchen, so they can have fun with food. I run cooking classes, group coaching programs and monthly wellness talks, to ensure that there is a good range of resources for my clients.
What inspired you to pursue a career in heath and wellness?
I live and breathe wellness, so it seemed only natural to spend my days helping others to try and find that perfect balance - so they can feel their best. I also absolutely love working with my clients and seeing the positive changes that they make to their diets and how amazing they feel afterwards. It’s definitely rewarding.
What has been the biggest challenge starting your own practice?
I would probably have to say doing it all yourself. Its very time consuming and you have to be very dedicated and put in the hours and constantly try new things to see what works best. I’ve loved the journey and grown a lot over the last two years. You can't be afraid of making mistakes. Instead, you should focus on growing, learning and figuring out the best way for you to do things. What works for someone else might not necessarily work for you, and so until you give it a go, you wont know.
How do you start your day?
I generally start my day with lemon water followed by a small green smoothie (which I make the night before) and have on my way to yoga (3 x a week).
On the other mornings I will make some porridge, a chia pudding or some bircher muesli and enjoy this while I sit and relax before my day really beings. I will then normally do some form of exercise (like yoga), shower, look over my to-do list and right before I get started for the day I will whip up a matcha latte, which I’m loving at the moment. Then it’s straight into my work, which might be client meetings, adding to my blog, recipe testing, taking photos, or replying to emails.
What is your health philosophy?
Always listen to your body. I am amazed at how many people are so out of tune with their bodies and the subtle messages it is always sending. Every day from the time you wake till you go to bed, your body is giving you lots of little bits of information, that you can use to figure out what you need to be at your best. For example, some morning you might wake up exhausted and with a headache; which is telling you that you need to take it easy. Have lots of lemon water, skip the coffee that day and have an early night. Another example would be that if you are bloated or uncomfortable after a meal - figure out what caused your discomfort and how you can avoid that food in the future. Being aware of these messages is something that I try to teach all my clients, so that they gain confidence in their bodies and feel more in control.
What do you see to be the biggest health challenge we are currently facing?
I think not making enough time for ourselves is one of the biggest challenges. We all have 24 hours in a day but often it feels like we can’t possibly fit everything we want into the day. I work on breaking down the days and figuring out little tips and tricks to save me time. I also work on ways to boost my health, by developing morning routines, batch cooking once a month and meal planning. These little tips have such a significant impact on our health and the pressure in my day.
I also love to get my clients to schedule time every day for themselves. This is so important to reduce stress and to bring them back into balance. We can be so stressed, with a million things on our to-do list, that we forget to nourish ourselves. It doesn’t have to be long, but if you can dedicate 10-20 minutes each day to yourself, you just watch the transformation that will occur with your moods, energy levels, and ability to tackle the day without loosing the plot.
Health often becomes a second priority when we are busy juggling work and family commitments. What do you do to keep on top of your health when life gets busy?
I have a list which is called “my daily non-negotiable list”. This is a list that has 5-10 things on it that I have to do each day to be my best. When I’m crazy busy I just go through my list and make sure I’m able to do everything. If I can’t, that’s when I get really stressed, anxious and out of balance, so it’s really important for me to stick to it.
Some of the things on my list include lemon water in the mornings, getting 8-9 hours sleep, having down time, stretching, meditating or moving my body each day and having a green smoothie. Everyone’s list is different but it’s such a great way to show you what’s important and what you need to focus on even when busy. I am also really strict with my meal planning for the week, so that I’m not having to stop at the supermarket every evening, which is such a time waster.
Where are some of your favourite places to eat around Auckland?
I love going to The UnBakery on the weekends with girlfriends (normally after yoga), The Raw Kitchen, Sip Kitchen and Mimosa in Takapuna.
What are your top five tips to get in shape and feel great this summer?
1. Start having green smoothies every day
2. Move your butt 5-6 times a week and mix it up
3. Cut the sugar from your diet and replace it with natural sugars such as medjool dates, maple syrup (A grade) and coconut sugar.
4. Home cook as often as possible so you are in control of the food in your diet. I aim for 90% home cooked and 10% eating out.
5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Start each day with lemon water and then make sure to be drinking 2-3 liters of water every day.
For further advice email hi@reneesexton.co.nz for a free 30 minute initial consultation.
Any recipes you would like to share?
At the moment I am loving my Bircher Muesli Recipe, which is my staple that I make each week on a Sunday evening. You can make a huge batch of it for the week and then your all set for a quick and easy breakfast. I hope you like it.
My Bircher Muesli:
Makes enough for the week (8-10 serves)
Ingredients for Bircher:
· 2 1/2 cups of oats
· ¼ cup of desiccated coconut
· ¼ cup of chia seeds
· ½ cup of nuts
· ½ cup of seeds
· ½ cup of dried fruit chopped roughly
· 1 tbsp of cinnamon
· water- 3 1/2 cups Or nut milk
Extras + Toppings:
· raglan coconut yogurt (1 tbsp per serve)
· maple syrup
· bee pollen
· buckwheat
· strawberries (chopped up)
· 1/2 lemon
· 1/2 green apple (grated)
· sliced almonds
· golden kiwifruit or orange
Method
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl or container and mix well with the water until covered. You can also soak it in nut milk for a creamier texture.
- Stir well and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 2-3 hours
- In the morning scoop out a few tbsp. and place in a bow
- Add 1 tbsp of coconut yogurt, ½ grated green apple, ½ organic lemon and stir well
- Serve with fruit, sliced almonds, bee pollen, and a drizzle of maple syrup
You can also heat this up on the stove with nut milk and turn it into porridge.