Inspiring “Wellness” at Kawana Island
The “Discover Wellness” event held at Living Choice Kawana Island on 27th March attracted more than 100 residents and clients who went away loaded with useful information and tips on how to make good food choices and improve their well-being.
Healthy sandwiches and muffins were on the menu for Morning Tea, served by resident helpers, and attendees took the opportunity to visit stands by the Organ Donor Foundation, Cancer Council, Living Choice Home Care and a pictorial display of village activities. Meanwhile, the village’s line dancers were going through their paces and attracted an interested audience.
First guest speaker, author Annette Sym of Symply Too Good To Be True, spoke of her journey from weighing 100kgs to losing 35kgs “when she decided to give up dieting and become a healthy person”. “I turned my greatest weakness - ‘food’ - into my greatest strength and so can you,” she said.
Annette said the turning point for her came when she received a photo in the mail from her best friend who had been visiting and sent her holiday snaps. “In amongst them was a photo of me at Mooloolaba Beach, Australia. It was horrendous; I weighed 100 kilos and was squeezed into my bulging swimming costume. I sat down and wept. When I looked at that photo I saw an extremely overweight, unhealthy woman and I was only 37 years old!”
Having tried many fad diets in the past, Annette decided to forget dieting and looked into the health aspect of food. “I came to the conclusion that if I was healthy, the weight would come off by itself. Most importantly, I started to eat properly and that’s how my love affair with low-fat recipes began.”
Annette is now the best-selling author of seven “Symply Too Good To Be True” cookbooks and has just released another book, “Cooking for 1 or 2 people”, which is flying off the shelves. For more information, see https://www.symplytoogood.com.au/
The second guest speaker, Anne Gibson – the Micro Gardener, gave a fascinating talk on the many life-giving nutrients found in herbs. Anne also showed everyone how to grow healing foods that one can enjoy every day, while reducing food waste and living more sustainably. “With a little help, good planning and design – even in a small space - you can maximise your enjoyment and edible rewards.”
Anne has a free monthly newsletter, packed with useful advice. See https://themicrogardener.com/
A huge thank-you to the many resident helpers who assisted on the day, including Janne and Manfred Bernhard, Bob and Ros Johnston, Rhonda Shoemark, Liz Male, Cyril and Daisy Gaudart, Mary Paton and Victoria and Doug Hoggan.
