Hey Goal Getter

How to make your health goals a reality.

With the new year, often comes new years resolutions. I’m not a fan of them myself. But I am a fan of goal setting. Whether that be in the new year or any time of year. Yesterday I created a vision board for my desktop wallpaper to help keep me on track with my goals for this year.

But what do you do if you have a long track record of setting health goals that never become a reality? You get caught up in the daily grind, distracted by other tasks and you never get chance to bring your goals to fruition. 

Here are some ways to smash through common mistakes when setting goals, to help you get to where you want to be.

Common Goal Setting Mistakes and How to Fix Them

If you have a habit of setting then quickly forgetting your goals, you’re not alone. But why is it so common for people to set their goals only to continually overlook them or neglect to put in the work to achieve them? It’s not usually due to lack of willpower or passion but more likely due to a lack of planning or just not knowing how to set yourself up for success and set goals in an achievable way. These tips will help you to make a plan and set your health (or any) goals the right way.

Your goals are too general and vague

If you write “get healthy” as a goal it is very difficult to know what needs to be done and almost impossible to track your progress. You need to break this down into specific goals you are trying to reach.
Get healthy could become:

  • Get 8 hours sleep every night or

  • Exercise for 30minutes five days a week or 

  • Drink 2 litres of water every day 

Think about exactly what you want to achieve - more energy, better muscle tone, improved bowel habits - and then work out what you need to do to get there.

You are setting too many goals at one time

The best way to invite overwhelm and procrastination is to set too many goals at once making it hard to focus on any of them. If your goal list becomes overwhelming, it all becomes too hard and nothing gets done. 

Instead, set a small number of goals, preferably ones that are related to each other. Try to stick to no more than 3 major goals to work on at a time.

In clinic I like to focus on minimal changes for maximum impact. This is how you should also approach your health goals.

You’re Not Making a To-Do List or Tracking Your Progress

A crucial step in setting and achieving goals is assigning the tasks that need to be done in order to achieve those goals and then completing the tasks, so you can see your progress. Make sure you have a goal planner so you can write down what tasks need to be done in order to achieve each goal (download my goal planner template for free). Be as specific as possible here, writing down the name of the task, what you need for that task, when it should be completed, and any other details that are relevant.

If your main goal is to improve your energy, you could set yourself these tasks to get there:

  1. Get to bed at 10pm and wake at 6am (8 hours sleep)

  2. Eat a balanced breakfast every morning

  3. Drink 2L water daily

Once these tasks become part of your normal routine, you can reassess your goal then work on implementing the next set of tasks if needed or move on to the next major goal.

You’re not Being Realistic with the Schedule or Goals

While it is good to be specific with your goals and tasks, you also have to be realistic. Keep in mind how much time you have and what you can actually get done. If seem to keep falling behind, missing goal deadlines or you’re feeling overwhelmed, then you might need to revisit your goal and see if it is realistic at this point in your life, or simplify and break it up into smaller, more gradual tasks. Perhaps it doesn’t matter how long it takes to reach your goal, as long as you are moving in the right direction. Little speed bumps or diversions off the path don’t need to derail all of your efforts. Get back on track and keep working towards your goal, you can do this!

Psssst Goal Getter, I have a gift for you!

I LOVE to-do lists and goal planners. Like really really love. The feeling of satisfaction I get from crossing things off my daily to-do list is THE BEST. I love it so much that I will add items to my to-do list that I have already completed, just so I can cross it off! Sometimes it’s hard to remember how productive you have been in a day, or it’s hard to be productive because you don’t have a plan or to-do list!

Flounder no longer, I have created the perfect goal planning, to-do listing, habit tracking bundle to help you get clear on your goals, set out your tasks, brain dump your daily to-do’s (I put everything on mine - dark washing, light washing, hang washing out, pick washing in, eat lunch, drink water, post blog, post to instagram, reply to client email, return calls, drop Akira to school, pick Akira up, unload dishwasher… You get my drift. Dump it down and cross it off!), and track your healthy habits to solidify your goal getting success.

Oh and it’s completely free. Grab yours below and slay those goals.

FREE GOAL PLANNER
A$0.00
Add To Cart

My Total Hip Replacement - Six months post op

Surgery Day

On the 28th of June 2021, I was admitted to the Mater hospital for a total hip replacement. This was also the day that stricter lockdown rules came in to play and I was not able to have anyone come in to the hospital with me. If you had seen or spoken to me in the 6 months prior to that you would know that I was HIGHLY anxious about this surgery and I actually did not want to get it done at all. I had had a bad experience with the anaesthetic from my prior surgery when I was 17 and I was very apprehensive going into this surgery. So naturally, the moment I stepped into the hospital alone, I burst into tears.. I believe it was sobs, actually. Luckily a few minutes later I realised I had left my X-rays in my mums car so I had to quickly pull myself together to call her and get her to return to the hospital drop off area. There were no tears after that.

The rest of my experience was pretty smooth sailing.. Except for the vomiting (I don't seem to react very well to anaesthetic and it took a while to find an anti-emetic that worked)! My anaesthetist was great. He chatted to me about herbal medicine and told me that his father had actually studied herbal medicine as part of his medical studies when he was becoming a General Practitioner (pretty cool!). He knew that I was worried because of my previous bad experience and assured me that it wouldn't be the same this time. He was right, I didn't even know that he was putting me to sleep. And before I knew it, I was was awake again!

The surgery was less complicated than my surgeon anticipated. I didn’t need any extra bone grafts to build up my previously grafted socket, instead he screwed the socket in to secure it. And I didn’t need a femoral osteotomy to even out my leg length. This meant that my rehab could go along the usual path without needing extra time on crutches for a bone graft to heal.

< The x-ray is in the window at the hospital and you can see the trees through it.. if you were wondering what was going on!

Due to the lockdown I couldn't have any visitors, but that turned out to be OK. It gave me time to rest and concentrate on recuperating. I spent most of my days choosing what I would order next from the room service menu! Yep, the Mater has room service. You literally choose what you want when you want it, and the food is DELICIOUS!

Rehab

My recovery went really well. I had decided early on that I was going to trust my new joint and not be scared to stand on it and use it. Someone I know actually had a double hip replacement a few days before me so every time I felt scared I thought of him and remembered he didn't get a choice to favour his un-operated hip, he had no choice but to put his weight on both of his new hips. So I was going to woman-up, do what the physio's told me, and do my exercise.

I did my six weeks of rehab at my Mum and Dad's house. Akira and I moved in for that time so that they could look after both of us while Jono continued to work. The first week was the hardest. I got really down at one point because I was feeling helpless - my mum was helping me put my undies on and dry my lower legs... And OMG I had NO IDEA how often I drop things until I wasn't able to bend down and pick them up!
A friend messaged to check in on me and I told her I was in a funk. Lucky for friends because she reminded me that there were lots of things I had planned to do while I was recuperating so why not take control of the things I COULD do instead. It was the reminder I needed and from that moment on I used my long handled grabber to pull my undies on and pick up my dropped stuff, and I found a technique to dry my own legs. Once I claimed my power to do what I could, I didn't feel bad about asking for help on the things I couldn't.

The other thing I found really hard was when the dressing came off my wound and I discovered that my surgeon had cut right through my old scar from my surgery when I was 18 months old. I was pretty devastated actually. I had mentioned to my surgeon before going into surgery that I wanted to keep my old scar if possible but it was only a quick comment as he was passing through. I spoke to my physio friend about it and she told me the entry point would be fairly specific and that he only would've entered there if he really needed to. That helped. But it took me a long time to be able to look at my scar without feeling sad. You can still see some of the old scar but it just looks very different. The old one had the big stitch lines going across it like an old fashioned 80's scar and the new one is very neat and clean looking. It's fine, I have accepted it now, I just feel like part of the road map of my life has been erased.

As far as rehab goes, a physio came to the house twice a week for the first two weeks and then once a week for the next four weeks (as set out by the rehab in the home program offered by my health fund). My physio set me up with exercises to strengthen my hips and knees. It shocked me how incredibly weak all of the muscles on my left side were. I literally COULD NOT stand on my left leg without holding on to something and even that was a struggle. My muscles were most likely weaker than the average hip replacement patient because due to my congenital hip defect I had probably never used them correctly. For this reason, six months on I am still seeng my physio every 4-6 weeks and still working to strengthen everything to the best that it can be.

In addition to physio, my rehab included walking. 1000 steps the first week, 2000 the 2nd week and building by 1000 steps each week until I reached 10000 steps/day. I cannot describe how amazing it feels to walk without stiffness and pain. The closest I have been able to come up with is this: you know what it feels like if you walk through thigh deep water? It’s fine for a little while, then starts to get tiring, and after a while its a real struggle to pull your legs through the water to take the next step. That is what it feels like to walk with advanced hip osteoarthritis. You are constantly dragging your leg through the motion of each step. It is exhausting. Now it feels as light as a feather and I can walk and walk and walk and so far I have gone over 11000 steps in a day and still felt I could do more.

Result

The main reason I have chosen to share my Hip Replacement journey through my instagram posts and here is to help other people who are facing hip replacement surgery. Especially those who have arrived here after being born with congenital hip dysplasia, like me. When I was heading toward surgery I was so scared! And even though all of the experts were telling me it was time, I honestly didn’t think I was in enough pain to be at the stage of surgery. Every person I spoke to who had been through a hip replacement told me they wished they had done it sooner and told me I would be glad. But I kept thinking it might not be the case for me. Maybe I wasn’t bad enough to experience the benefits. Let me tell you, I was wrong.

When you have lived your life with pain, you get good at coping with it. I now understand that I have a different definition for what pain is than other people. I didn’t find child birth painful. It was something.. overwhelming, all consuming, intense. But to me, not pain. It had purpose and it had pauses. What I experienced with my hip, I would describe as stiffness and discomfort, not pain. After my surgery, bruising and tenderness, but not painful. To me, something I would describe as painful is breaking your toe. When it throbs and throbs and throbs and you just don’t know if it’s ever going to stop.

So now I understand that when I was asked if I was in pain, I was but I just didn’t realise how much. I also managed it bloody well (read about that here), and I was extremely inactive so didn’t have cause to notice it too much. I was walking a maximum of 5500 step a day prior to surgery, and that was a push, and I was sitting down a lot. Now that I am no longer in pain, I can see how bad it was. Having a hip replacement was THE BEST decision I have ever made. It has changed so many aspects of my life. I have way more energy, I can keep moving all day, I don’t feel tired during the day (I also had an iron infusion the week before surgery so I’m sure that also contributes), I am happier, I can cut my toe nails with ease, I can put on my socks, I can squat down to do something on the floor and stand up without having to hold on to something, I can climb and descend stairs with no hip or knee pain, I have more drive and focus and interest in life. Oh, and I can wiggle my hips!

Life with my new hip is good. I have named her Pip and she is my highlight of 2021.

Advanced Osteoarthritis Protocol & Hip Replacement Pre-Hab

My path towards osteoarthritis and hip replacement surgery

This is a personal story today, based on my experience with congenital hip dysplasia, arthritis and my path towards a total hip replacement.

When I was born (in the 80’s in England), all of the usual checks were done and everything was deemed normal before I was sent home from hospital with my family. My Mum says that she mentioned many times over the next 15 months to health professionals that my left leg was turned in a strange way but she was repeatedly told that everything was fine, my hips weren’t “clicky” and it was nothing to worry about.

When I started to walk at 15 months old, finally they had to listen. I was diagnosed with congenital hip dysplasia that required corrective surgery due to being “missed” during the routine checks. My hip was so far out of the socket that it didn’t click (this was also the case with my niece and nephew, but luckily because of my history, all of our kids are given hip ultrasounds at 6 weeks old and theirs was corrected quickly and without surgery).

At 18 months old I had surgery and was in various harnesses, plasters and braces for a long time after that. I still remember wheeling around on my back using the board my dad made me covered in pink carpet and on casters.

Fast forward to my teens and I would often jump to my feet in the middle of class because I felt like my hip was about to pop out and I was in quite a bit of pain. This lead to another surgery where I was given a bone graft to improve the structure of my hip socket and keep things in place. After this surgery I was in traction for 5 days (similar to that first image above) and on crutches for 3 months. I had for some reason expected this surgery to give me completely normal usage of my hip and at a follow up with a orthopaedic doctor I was basically told to suck it up and that this surgery meant that instead of needing a hip replacement at 25, I now wouldn’t need one until I was 45. So, I sucked it up.

Thankfully, along the way I found myself working in a profession where I would work alongside some amazing physiotherapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, osteopaths, massage therapists and naturopaths. And I learnt that you don’t need to suck it up, there’s actually a lot you can do to improve the pain and mobility of these joints and to minimise the discomfort of osteoarthritis.

I am now 38 (I didn’t make it to the predicted 45), and am scheduled for a total hip replacement in a couple of months. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that it was time to speak to a surgeon. My osteopath (and colleague, David from Dural Osteopaths) had mentioned it quite frequently, as he knew from years of treating me that my hip was rapidly declining, he was met with denial and refusal. My physio friend saw me walking late last year and was quite insistent that if I didn’t sort my hip out soon, other areas of my body would pay the price (she was spot on, my right knee has become quite dodgy). And eventually I had to “suck it up” once again and commence the path to surgery.

When I took the x-rays above to the surgeon and he assessed me, he told me it was end stage arthritis and that I was definitely a candidate for a total hip replacement. They would be able to operate the following month. I told him I wasn’t ready to book it in yet, which he said was fine but he said “you must be in a lot of pain, I’m sure you won’t want to leave it too long”. And the thing is, I am but I’m not. I have this amazing protocol that keeps me in a pretty manageable state of discomfort, and I know that without this protocol, I would either be in an unbearable amount of pain right now, or I would’ve had the surgery already. I know this because when I stop following my protocol I start to suffer pretty quickly.

My Osteoarthritis protocol

Being a naturopath, I am very lucky to have access to the best practitioner grade supplements and the most up to date research and knowledge when it comes to osteoarthritis treatment. I have treated osteoarthritis in my clients and I have done quite a bit of trial and error on myself. I am not going to give you a one sized fits all regime for arthritis because it doesn’t exist. Naturopaths look at each person as unique and each treatment protocol is also unique, and tapered to that individual. What I am sharing with you here are the herbs and nutrients that have had the most impact for me. I don’t routinely take any prescription pain killers or anti-inflammatories (not that i’m against it if required), and I can count on 1 hand the number of times I’ve taken ibuprofen or paracetamol for hip pain in the past 12 months. This protocol varies to a standard osteoarthritis treatment where we would be working to nourish the joint and help it last longer. I will share one of these with you after my surgery, when I’m working on building my knee back up to prevent further damage. What i’m sharing today is more acute care to keep pain and inflammation manageable in end-stage arthritis (where there’s not much in the way of cartilage left in the joint).

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)

PEA is a game changer for chronic pain and inflammation. I started on a dose of 1200mg daily (taken as 4 x 300mg doses) and now hover between 2-3 doses a day depending on my pain levels and compliance. This isn’t something you take acutely, expecting pain to disappear after one dose. Rather, PEA needs to be taken for 8-12 weeks before most people notice a significant improvement. But once the improvements kick in, they are noticeable. PEA is generally quite safe to use and is safe alongside most other supplements and medications.

Curcumin

Curcumin is derived from turmeric and is well known as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic herb for arthritis treatment. I am taking a high dose of curcumin, far greater than you would likely get by including turmeric in your daily diet (it would equate to over 20g of turmeric root daily). I have tried a number of different curcumin extracts from different suppliers and have settled on one that I find most effective, with a backup option if my first choice goes out of stock. Curcumin can interfere with the action of a number of pharmaceutical drugs so you definitely want to seek advice from your healthcare provider before starting this herb.

Boswellia serrata, Piscidia piscipula & Harpagophytum procumbens

You probably know Boswellia by its common name, frankincense. Boswellia has be proven to reduce pain and improve joint function in osteoarthritis patients. It’s an anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and analgesic herb. Piscidia (Jamaican dogwood) and Harpagophytum (Devils claw) are also used for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, reducing or eliminating the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers. These herbs can interact with pharmaceutical medications so practitioner advice and prescription is recommended.

Physiotherapy

As I mentioned earlier, I have worked with a range of fantastic practitioners over the years. The first treatment I received was from a physiotherapist called Sue Brown and she completely changed the way I walked, and it felt like she untwisted my spine. The other physio, who helped me to learn how to walk up stairs in a way that protected my knees and helped to work on my leg length difference was Peta Gosbee. Peta is a friend of mine and also recommended the surgeon I have chosen to perform my hip replacement. These physio’s helped me to gain confidence in my body and take control of my situation. I will be using physio again for pre-hab and rehab around the surgery and have been given some exercises to do at home.

Osteopathy

My hip has never felt as good as it has since I started working at Dural Osteopaths. I am certain that David has kept me moving well and helped to delay my need for a hip replacement. I am currently having osteopathic treatments with David every 3 weeks. I have found that this is the magic number to keep me moving without too much stiffness. David not only works on my hips/pelvis/lower back but also work on releasing my ribs, upper back and neck. It amazes me every time I see him how much more movement I get in my hips after he has adjusted my ribs. Mind blowing!

Remedial Massage

As a remedial massage therapist myself, I obviously value and recognise the benefits of regular massage. At the moment I get a massage approximately every 4 weeks and if I manage to time it within the week before my osteopathy appointment I find both treatments even more effective. My massage therapist Louisa Lin has a similar treatment style to my own and she successfully releases my tight muscles while relaxing me to a state of zen that usually results in me waking myself up with a snort! I also had a treatment with Elizabeth from Natural Tranquility recently when my sacrum was aching constantly. Liz was fantastic and relieved me of my pain in just one 30minute session.

Total Hip Replacement

The above protocol has been fantastic for keeping me moving, able to run (sometimes hobble) around after my four year old, and working over the past year while my hip has been rapidly declining. It’s not a long term solution though and I have come to accept that a new hip should help me gain back more quality of life. With two months until my hip replacement, I am now about to commence my pre-hab protocol which will include all of the above, plus an anti-inflammatory diet and some exercises to improve my recovery outcomes.

I wanted to share this information with you so that if you’re struggling with advanced osteoarthritis, you can see that there is a lot you can do to improve your symptoms and keep yourself relatively pain free. I definitely recommend seeking the guidance of a naturopath for the herbal and nutritional side of things, getting the right quality and right dosages is vital to right outcome. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.

Laura

Free acute consults for people affected by the bushfires

Photo+by+Holger+Link+on+Unsplash.jpg

Australia’s bushfire crisis

By now the whole world knows that our country is burning.

They are sharing in our horror and distress and they are helping in any way they can.

The fabulous Celeste Barber has opened up a world wide donation page through Facebook that at last count had raised over 21 million dollars for the NSW fire service.

And there are so many other places you can donate money including:

If you’re based in Australia you can also send supplies such as non perishable food, water, clothing, personal care products etc. You can check online via Facebook or Instagram for local drop points or enquire at your local church or community centre.

A quick internet search will also help you find many other places to donate funds or suggestions of other ways to help out. A big thing here is to remember that the affects of these fires are going to last for months or years and that our help will be needed in the distant future as well as today, so if you’re not in a financial position to help out today, but things will be easier in 6 months, that’s OK, your assistance will still be gratefully accepted in the future and you can also help out by donating your time to some of the charities or drop off points, money is not the only way to help.

Free acute consults for those affected by Bushfire

I’ve been trying to think what I could do at a personal level, beyond money, to offer assistance in some way.

It dawned on me that I have a skill that is very useful for those affected by the fires. I’m trained in herbal and nutritional medicine which means I know about beautiful herbal medicines and nutritional therapies for lung health, mucous membrane soothing, stress, insomnia, depression, wound healing, exhaustion.
All of the awful things our fire fighters and survivors of these catastrophic fires will be facing.

It could be today, next week or next month, there is no end date on this offer; if you or someone you care about would like my assistance from a naturopathic perspective, I would love to offer my services free of charge.

I appreciate that time is precious for anyone currently affected which is why I’m offering this as an acute consult where we can get down to the crux of the symptoms quickly and efficiently, and it can easily be done over the phone.

I will provide you with actionable tips to help with recovery as well as any herbal or supplemental recommendations to help your body heal.

Bookings can be made here or you can shoot me an email here.

In a scary and desperate time, it has been beautiful to see Australian’s band together to care for one another and show what we are all about. It’s why we’re famous for our “mateship” and it we should all feel so very proud.

Pregnancy Massage

I have always loved providing pregnancy massage as a service because I believe that pregnant women are the most deserving recipients of massage. During pregnancy the female body undergoes an enormous transformation and the physical impact can lead to all sorts of aches and discomforts.

Not only does pregnancy massage help to ease some of the common discomforts of pregnancy like backache, sciatica and fluid retention. Pregnancy massage also allows the expectant mother some time out and pampering before the impending arrival of her new baby.

Burton Health Tea TV debut!

It's a pretty exciting week for us at Burton Health HQ! This week we are featured on the 'Try It, Rate It' promotion across all of the Lifestyle channels on Foxtel.

I really never thought I'd ever see my hand made tea on television! It's quite a surreal feeling. 

The best part is that this opportunity fell on my lap while I was sitting on a sun lounger in Dubai! If I hadn't been on holiday, I probably wouldn't have made time to read the email and would've missed the opportunity. I knew holidays were good for business!

As you may be aware, I am super proud of my herbal tea. I pride myself on producing a full flavoured, delicious tea using my knowledge of the therapeutic actions of each herb and without adding any flavouring or sweeteners. I truly believe that a good herbal tea allows the herbs to speak for themselves and that enjoying a cup of tea should be an experience, not just a habit.

The Try It, Rate It promotion allows viewers to apply for the chance to sample a pack of Burton Health Tea. Each pack includes a 10 serve bag of our TeaStress, Rest and Digest and ImmuniTea blends of organic herbal tea as well as a tea infuser.

Burton Health Tea will be featured on the Lifestyle channel until Sunday 14th February 2016 and I would love some of my readers, patients, tea customers and friends to be amongst the 10 people who receive a tea pack. All you have to do to be in the running is head on over to the Lifestyle channel website and enter your details.

The winners are chosen randomly so good luck! And let me know if you see my tea on your TV screen!

Laura x