We are back with another interview with another inspiring health and wellness advocate! This time we meet Robyn-Anne Rose.
We have already shared the story of how Rose-Hip Vital has helped her arthritis, and she has shared with us some amazing recipes she makes which include her daily dose of our magic orange powder.
Robyns experience as a nurse and working in pharmacies has given her an amazing understanding of how to navigate your way around the vitamins and supplements aisles and find what's right for you. Now she is launching a book to help us all decipher labels and make better decisions when shopping for vitamins and minerals.
Robyn is passionate about living a balanced life when it comes to her health and happiness, so we thought we would ask her about what she loves to do to stay fit and what she is passionate about. She also dispels a couple of myths about vitamins along with sharing some great healthy living tips!
Share your journey with us. What first interested you in health and wellness, and what inspired you to share your passion with the world?
In my early 20s I chose a career in nursing because I was interested in health and wellness. And although I loved nursing back then, I was always acutely aware that I was on the curative end of helping people; my patients were already sick. Coincidentally, I too was sick at the time having experienced some stressful events which led me to being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a stomach ulcer. Through the help of a counselor and naturopath I learnt to adopt better physical and mental self-care practices in order to speed up my recovery and to help prevent further illness and dis-ease. I also discovered that I felt very passionate about preventative health and wanted to pass on what I had learnt through this experience to others.
Becoming a Vitamin Specialist within pharmacy is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I love working with customers who take a proactive role in their health and I enjoy being able to support them with their product choices. Unfortunately, though, with so many different products on the market I see a lot of overwhelmed customers when it comes to choosing vitamins and minerals. And it is this confusion that has inspired me to write a book for shoppers of the vitamin aisle. My goal is to make vitamin shopping simpler and more enjoyable for my customers, whilst enabling them to take back their power when it comes to health and wellness.
You're passionate about educating people so they can make better health choices, but what are some of the other things that you love to do in your day to day life?
I have been doing Ariel yoga for almost a year now. Its great for flexibility and core strength, and its also a good form of relaxation for me.
I love meditation especially the guided form and I always have loads of meditation Apps on my phone. I can learn so much about myself by going within. Whenever I am confused or upset about something I can always find an answer when I meditate.
Cooking is definitely my passion. I love cooking up a large feast when friends and relatives come around. There is nothing as good as having a laugh over a meal and a glass of wine with the people you love. You can see many of my creations on my Instagram account Vitamins_and_Sprouts.
What are some of your top wellness tips and healthy eating habits?
I believe in keeping a young mind set. Age is just a number that should not dictate what you do with your life. A classic example is Margaret Fisher who is one of our Australian champion tennis players at 84 years of age.
One of my mantras is use it or lose it. I have a great stretching App on my phone so that I can stay flexible. Its also good when Im stressed as it grounds me by bringing my focus back to the physical. I plan to still be able to touch my toes well into my 90s.
My diet is predominantly plant-based and wheat free. I rely on a diet rich in alkalising, nutrient dense greens to give me the energy and focus I need every day. I also find wheat to be acidifying and pro-inflammatory. It tends to make my arthritis flare up so I made the choice to cut it out of my diet a couple of years ago.
Good quality vitamins and minerals are a major part of my health routine. I always supplement with anti-inflammatory products such as Rose-hip Vital with GOPO and a Curcumin product. I also take an alkalising Super Green powder that contains a complete vitamin and mineral profile, and a product that includes the herb Withania which is for adrenal support.
What are a few of the easiest changes people could make in their daily lives to start improving their overall health now?
Take 5 minutes every day to meditate. Try a guided meditation in the car before you walk into work. It sets the intention for a positive day and its fun and easy to do.
Take 5 minutes to stretch every day. Afternoon tea is an especially good time if you have a desk job or you suffer from 3pm fatigue. Stretching improves metabolism, circulation, and helps to focus attention.
Try having a drink of water next time you feel like snacking. Often the body is dehydrated and is looking for moisture to re-hydrate itself. We can sometimes mistake this for hunger when our body may actually need water.
Swap out high sugar snacks for dark chocolate. Make sure you get > 70% dark as this has the least sugar and highset magnesium content. Also a handful of almonds will help to balance sugar levels and sugar cravings as they are slow-release carbohydrates.
Take the stairs instead of the escalator/elevator wherever possible. This small amount of exercise will boost heart rate and metabolism. Try taking two steps at a time or jogging up them if you want to challenge yourself.
What are some of the myths about vitamins that you would like to dispel?
MYTH 1: All vitamins are the same.
All vitamins are NOT the same. They come in a variety of strengths, ingredient combinations, and quality. Cheaper brands will usually contain lower doses and may use poorer forms of ingredients that are less absorbable in an attempt to keep prices down. Naturopathic brands and clinically trialed products, on the other hand, will have a higher price point but will include therapeutic doses of better forms of vitamins and minerals.
MYTH 2: All vitamins do is make expensive pee.
People are often referring to the yellow colour that their urine turns when supplementing with a Multivitamin or B complex product. This change in colour is caused by the intake of vitamin B2 and is brighter in colour when the body is dehydrated. Consuming more water will reduce the colour intensity of the urine. And as far as the price of pee goes, if your body is lacking in nutrients then only minimal amounts of vitamins and minerals will make their way to your urine. If large amount of vitamins and minerals did end up in your pee then this would be a good thing because it would indicate that your nutritional status was excellent.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
- Drink more water.
- Include more alkalising greens in your diet.
- Trust your intuition.
- Take on more challenges. Feel the fear but do it anyway.
- You are loveable and worthy.
What's next in store for you on your life journey?
Next is to get my book Vitamin ME: How to successfully shop the vitamin aisle off to the printer. Its due out in early 2017. I'm really looking forward to having a couple of book launches. There will be one in Lismore which is my home town and one in Melbourne where my publisher is situated. Then I want to travel around to health food stores and pharmacies doing Q&A sessions to promote my book.
And who knows maybe another book!
To learn more about Robyn's first book and pre-order at a discounted price visit her website . As a bonus we have collaborated with Robyn to offer you a beautiful eBook for free which has eight amazing recipes including the ones we have featured on our blog which all contain our magic orange powder along with lots of other wholefoods and superfoods. The recipes offer you easy solutions to packing lots of nutrients into your day.
Let us know in the comments below if you do order Robyns book and receive our eBook. We would love to know how you like it?
If you want to know more about Robyn-Anne Rose, you can follow and read her blog Vitamins and Sprouts here.
