Travel | Inspired Health by Rachel Grunwell

January 20, 2023

Tips to Manage Stress

Tips to Manage Stress

By wellness expert Rachel Grunwell – co-leader of the Polynesian Spa’s Mindful Moments Retreats, yoga + meditation teacher & author of Balance: Food, Health + Happiness.

Make uplifting your wellbeing the goal for 2023 , doing it one tiny step at a time. Your wellbeing is your true wealth.

You could work on how you move, eat, sleep – or how you manage stress.

The latter is a common issue for most people. So, you are not alone. Here are some tips to manage stress. I hope one resonates and helps you.

Do joyful things because they are mood-lifting and uplifting for your soul.

Joyful activities are also a great distraction from your never endling to-do-list. As researcher Brene Brown, when we are in a state of joy colours are brighter, exercise feels easier and smiling happens involuntarily. We also don’t lose ourselves; We become more truly ourselves. Consider something you love to do that makes you feel joyful and do it regularly.

- Find calm in a way that resonates with you.

For me, yoga and meditation put me in a calm, happy, grounded state. I feel more myself and “in balance”. But yoga isn’t for everyone. It’s all about finding “your thing”. For you, it might be a walk in nature that helps you to feel calm.

Nature Nurtures: Rotorua’s majestic Redwoods Forest in incredible. You’ll feel calm as you walk through this special, quiet, beautiful and peaceful place.

For others, they might find calm by doing tai chi or having a hot bath at night in candle-light. One sure way to feel calmer and happier is patting your dog or cat if you have one. This releases feel-good hormones in your body like oxytocin.

- Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend or a child.

Self-talk can be toxic when we talk to ourselves. It takes practice to change the way we think and talk sometimes. The next time you feel frustrated at yourself, stop, pause and remind yourself that you deserve thoughts that are loving and kind – just like everyone else. Remind yourself that you are doing your best and deserve to be happy.

- Book a retreat where you can learn lots of de-stress skills like diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, mindfulness and where you will experience time in nature.

The Polynesian Spa’s Mindful Moments Retreat is a perfect weekend-long getaway that’s affordable. You’ll get pampered here with a massage included in the retreat fee and indulge in nourishing food with our sumptuous lunches (provided on both days of the weekend). The goodie bag is what everyone really raves about though! It’s worth $350 and includes lots of incredible beauty products as well as my book, Balance; Food, Health + Happiness. The book includes wisdom from 30 global experts including psychologists, neuroscientists, nutritionists, emotional intelligence experts, and happiness researchers + 30 nourishing recipes. Retreat-goers spend time in nature (biophilia, or forest bathing) in the majestic Redwoods Forest. Yoga is included and you’ll learn incredible meditation and mindfulness skills from the spa’s highly experienced manager, and meditation teacher, Helena Keenan.

Here are some pictures to tempt you:

Here’s an example of the goodie bag. It’s different every time but always includes beauty products, a Balance book and a bag.

Here I’m in a private pool, but there are 28 lake-side pools to choose from on site – of different temperatures. Some are acidic and great for muscle aches and pains, while there are also other pools where they are alkaline and these leave your skin silky smooth.

The pools are bliss…

Rachel and Helena are experienced wellness experts who love to share research-backed tools on how to uplift your wellbeing.

Here are the retreat dates for the Mindful Moments Retreats in 2023:

Saturday, 20th May – Sunday, 21st May 2023

Saturday, 19th August – Sunday, 20th August 2023

Saturday, 18th November – Sunday, 19th November 2023

$689 per person

To find out what’s included and to book check out the Polynesian Spa website. Click HERE

https://www.polynesianspa.co.nz/mindful-moments-retreat/

July 1, 2022

10 Wellness Tips to Live More Vibrantly Alive

By Rachel Grunwell

AD/ This blog was sponsored by the Polynesian Spa in my role as their ambassador. I co-lead the Polynesian Spa’s Mindful Moments Retreats. Book the next retreat here via this link: https://www.polynesianspa.co.nz/mindful-moments-retreat/)

10 Tips to Live more Vibrantly Alive:
1. Surround yourself with people who make you belly laugh and feel joyful. This will make you smile, brighten your day and uplift you from the inside to be more “kid-like”. We need more joy, always. It lifts our mood and make life fun.
2. Focus on eating more foods that nourish your body to feel better and perform better. It’s not a focus on aesthetics; It’s a focus on uplifting “you”. Ie omega 3s in salmon are great for the brain, while the antioxidants from blueberries are epic brain-food too, for example.
3. Note three things you are grateful for today, visualise these things in how they look, feel, taste, and soak up the magic of this in your life! You could think of people, places, foods you love, an animal you love… whatever you like!
4. If you are feeling hungry around that 3pm “snack attack time”… try drinking a large glass of water instead, wait ten minutes and then notice if you are still hungry. Somethings we confuse being thirsty with being hungry. If you quench your thirst first… then you may not be hungry… you may just have been thirsty!
5. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed… then try taking a short walk outdoors with a friend. The fresh air, sunshine, gentle movement and good company can shift your mindset to a better space.
6. Spoil yourself. Take a mindful moment to spoil yourself, treat yourself, or just savour some quite “met time” to re-set. It could be taking a moment to have a coffee or cup of tea in the sunshine to savour some alone time, meeting a friend for lunch for connection time to feel happier, or one of my faves….getting a decadent massage (and of course my top place to go is the Polynesian Spa!) You’ll feel pampered here, relaxed to a whole new level and rejuvenation.
7. Take time to dream about working on a goal or dream you’d like to achieve. The only thing holding you back is “you”. Remember small steps get you wherever you want to go, I promise.
8. Keep learning, growing, thriving. Keep curious and doing things you love doing to find “flow” – that psychology state that helps you to feel “happy”. For me it’s doing things like music, art, running etc. But for you it may be something entirely different. Just do what you love! You deserve this “me time” to recalibrate.
9. Want more energy? The power of a good night of sleep can never be underestimated. This helps you to perform at your best – and better still, it’s free!
10. Looking for a healthy elixir recipe to help you during Winter? Try ‘Rach’s Remedy’ which is delicious and full of great nutrition! https://inspiredhealth.co.nz/rachs-remedy/

* Find more tips from Rachel via https://inspiredhealth.co.nz or on instagram https://www.instagram.com/rachelgrunwell/?hl=en

April 11, 2022

6 Tips to Boost Your Corrosive Self-Talk

AD/Your Self-Talk Matters – It impacts everything from Weight-Loss, to Anxiety, Depression… to Fuelling Your Success in Sports to your Work…

– Blog By Rachel Grunwell (wellness coach, speaker, & author of Balance: Food, health + Happiness). Rachel co-leads the Mindful Moments retreats at the Polynesian Spa. Book a weekend-long retreat getaway HERE

Connect with Rachel via Instagram: @rachelgrunwell

Negative self-talk is a trend I witness with many of my wellness coaching clients. It breaks my heart.

My clients are juggling all the balls in the air but still struggle with love for themselves. They lack self-love and often practice negative and damaging self-talk. Their inner dialogue with themselves is mean, unkind and is holding them back from their true potential.

They see themselves through a lens of “not enough”. Not pretty enough, slim enough, smart enough, fit enough, or good enough. They feel guilty about taking “me time” to uplift their health. They feel like “me time” steals time away from giving more to others.

I tell my clients: You are enough. You are worthy. You are special. You are beautiful. You deserve to be seen, heard, and loved. It’s okay to nurture yourself, your health and look after yourself. You matter too. You deserve the chance to chase after your dreams, goal-crush and be the best version of you. The only one holding you back is “you”. If you look after “you” then you can give even more back to others you love, I promise”….

I advise my clients to practice self-love if they want to be successful in this one, precious, short life. You must talk to yourself in a similar way that you’d talk to your best friend or a child. – with tenderness, compassion, kindness, understanding and love. Otherwise, you’ll stay “stuck”.

How you speak to yourself fuels how you feel on the inside. It can have a ripple effect too with others. And those beliefs that you have inside your head can influence how you behave. You need self-love for kick-ass confidence in the world and to move forwards.

If your self-talk is negative and said out loud then the impact can be even more corrosive. If you say you are stupid and then your child hears this and copies your role-modelling… it will feel devastating to hear them repeat those words about themselves.

Positive self-talk can impact on your success on uplifting your health. An example of positive self-talk might sound like: “I’m tired today and so I won’t make it out for a run today and that’s okay. Tomorrow I’ll go and move my body and keep trying my best. I deserve this healthy me-time”. This positive self-talk is more likely to lead to more positive healthy behaviours.

This is rather than saying something negative like: “I’m not going running today because I’m useless and I may as well give up now…”

The latter sentence will likely result in future fitness inaction.

My dream is to help more women believe in themselves and so they can goal-crush. I’d like to inspire everyone to help to stop this unhealthy cycle of negative self-talk. We need to fuel a culture of self-acceptance, worthiness, self-compassion, and self-love instead. We need a nurturing self-talk revolution.

Critical to living a wholehearted, authentic and full life is loving ourselves, writes Brene Brown in her book ‘The Gifts of Imperfection’. Positive self-talk is a key to leaving dark thoughts and to living more in the light.

Being kind with our self-talk is also all about helping us to move forwards, feel resilient and live

more vibrantly alive.

Tips for more positive Self-Talk:

1. Use a ritual daily to practice a self-love mantra that helps you to change your self-talk dialogue. For instance, one of my girlfriends Cristina tells herself out loud

“I am beautiful” daily while she puts on her moisturiser in front of the mirror.

While she massages in the cream, she says these kind words to herself. This is instead of things like “I shouldn’t have drunk wine last night or stayed up so late and that’s why I look tired”…

2. Embrace your imperfections – and realise this takes time and commitment. These are things that make you look beautiful and look like “you”.

3. Make a conscious choice to believe in yourself and say positive things out loud. Let kids hear you speak these kind, positive, uplifting mantras.

4. Set boundaries. Say no to things you don’t want to do – otherwise if you say “yes” you feel resentment later. A no for someone else, is a “yes” for your soul health.

5. Find something that calms your nervous system. I personally use yoga, mediation, and I savour my cup of coffee mindfully daily where I pause and feel gratitude for the upcoming day. If I feel really anxious then I reach out to uplifting friends, or go for a walk (which in my book Balance explains how this calms anxiety).

6. Take time to do things you love to do. Practice being playful. These things can boost your mood and confidence.

This is a sponsored post by the Polynesian Spa. Rachel is an ambassador for the spa complex where she co-leads the Mindful Moments retreats.

January 6, 2020

Rotorua: Five Experiences that are WOW

By Rachel Grunwell

You can visit Rotorua many times and always experience a fresh, fun and exciting side to this city that wows.

I visit for 48 hours and experience the geothermal earth forces. I do stand-up paddleboarding on one of the 18 lakes. Luckily, there were thrills with no spills. This fussy Auckland chick also got to savour some epic kai. I left wishing only
I had more time in this place that’s home to the world’s best mountain biking trails.

Water, glowworms and wonder: Walking on water with Paddle Board Rotorua sets my heart soaring. I’m on Lake Okareka, a 15-minute drive from the city centre. Deep blue waters are below. Blue skies stretch overhead. Sunshine warms my back. I breath in fresh air. There’s a vista of green soothing hills in every direction. There are coves to duck in and out of, which light up with glowworms at night (the twilight tour is the most popular). We glimpse rare birds. This. Is. Bliss. Every parent needs to take their kids to do this. www.paddleboardrotorua.com

2. Waimangu Volcanic Valley: If, like me, you are a Game of Thrones fan then you will understand this likeness . . .

The Inferno Crater Lake at Waimangu Volcanic Valley has the same ice-blue as the eyes of the White Walkers. It’s that darn beautiful it will leave you in absolute wonder.

This is Rotorua’s premier tourist attraction for good reason.

The valley formed in 1886 when Mt Tarawera erupted. There are unique geothermal features on the self-guided eco-walks of varying lengths. This protected scenic reserve is a 20-minute drive south of Rotorua. You can also do
a boat cruise on Lake Rotomahana. This gives visitors a view of the reserve’s volcanic displays from a cool perspective. www.waimangu.co.nz

3. Jetboat Thrills: Okay, I was a bit of a wuss about doing this at first with the New Zealand River Jet Crew. I was a bit wobbly, worrying about going fast and flying on water and doing 360-degree turns. But I ended up loving this thrilling jetboating trip. It winds through the spectacular Tutukau Gorge. The canyon walls rise up to 50m. The tour guide shared history of the area (and lots of laughs) along the way. He helped us spot rare birds too. I loved the stop off at the world-renowned Orakei Korako thermal attraction. The bright yellow and pinks of the boiling mud, geysers and silica terraces are so memorable. Then there’s the option to go through The Squeeze. You wade through knee-deep warm water towards a narrow gap in the cliff face, then squeeze through crevasses top end up resting in the waist- deep thermal waters for a soak. www.riverjet.co.nz

4. Terrace Kitchen: Food resembles art here, and tastes so darn good I almost licked the plates. The chefs make fresh, seasonal, sustainable food, showcasing local ingredients at their best. You know what’s epic about this place though? The super-friendly staff.

So, here’s what I ate: My starter is a vegan warm salad (turmeric tahini emulsion, slow-roasted aubergine, truffle butter, and oyster mushrooms); my main is fish with turmeric and lemon marma- lade, asparagus, fish and herb beurre, and with buttered kamokamo and pan- roasted carrot; dessert is a berry parfait (it has coconut, biscuit, berry sago, cider coulis and edible flowers). The food, staff and this modern, friendly place lived up to my fussy Auckland-girl-expectations. terrace.kitchen

5. Sudima Hotel Lake Rotorua: The city’s largest hotel is nestled on the edge of Lake Rotorua. A short walk to the city centre, it’s close to lots of attractions. They have Ma ̄ori bread at the buffet breakfast. I scoffed four pieces. I couldn’t stop, it’s that good. The coolest thing here though is the kids’ area at the entrance. It’s so inviting with colourful beanbags, a giant ‘connect four’ game and TV screens to amuse. Adults like this hang out as much as the knee-high-folk. www.sudimarotorua.co.nz

The kids area at Sudim Hotel Lake Rotorua is epic…

● To find out about more amazing experiences in Rotorua check out rotoruanz.com

● Rachel Grunwell was kindly hosted by Destination Rotorua

This feature was published by NZME including the Bay of Plenty Times and on the Herald on-line.

Rachel Grunwell is an award-winning journalist, columnist for Good magazine and Indulge magazines + the Herald online. She’s a wellness expert and author of the book Balance: Food, Health + Happiness (which boasts 30 global experts on how to live healthier and happier). Find Rachel at inspiredhealth.co.nz, Instagram @rachelgrunwell, and Facebook InspiredHealthNZ

December 7, 2018

Fiji – for a blissful escape or adventure. Read about two top locations…

CASTAWAY_Hero Image_ credit_Matt C Bauer-

pic of Castaway Island – courtesy of Matt Bauer

Visiting Fiji conjures up: Blissing-out on white-sand beaches. Swimming in azure, tropical waters. Devouring mouth-watering paw-paw, pineapple and coconut. And smiling while saying “bula!” to everyone. But there’s more to experience in this paradise too. Writer Rachel Grunwell shares some unique experiences at two top locations.

March 3, 2018

Polynesian Spa announces homegrown ambassador

Pictured: Rachel Grunwell at Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa

ROTORUA, Thursday 25^th January 2018: Health and wellness expert Rachel Grunwell, who grew up in Rotorua, has been announced as the new brand ambassador for New Zealand’s leading hot spring and luxury spa experience, Polynesian Spa.

A mother of three, Rachel is a yoga and meditation teacher, wellness magazine columnist, keynote speaker, healthy recipe creator and runs the Inspired Health website and social media channels with a combined fan base of around 20,000 Kiwis.

Polynesian Spa chief executive Gert Taljaard says they selected Rachel to be their ambassador because of her influential health and wellbeing background, but also because Rotorua is very close to her heart. She was born and raised in Rotorua and even once worked with the complex as a massage therapist.

“It’s great to have an ambassador who has had a lifetime relationship with Polynesian Spa having spent her childhood years growing up enjoying our pools and her early career working as part of our team. Having authentic ambassadors on board is very important to us” says Taljaard.

As brand ambassador, Rachel will be inspiring people to lead a naturally healthier lifestyle by integrating the benefits of mineral bathing, spa treatments and mindful moments into their wellness regime.

“I’m excited to be part of the Polynesian Spa family. I can’t wait to share real-life and science-backed wellness wisdom to help people to be healthier and happier. I’m looking forward to being back in Rotorua more regularly and it’s great to be collaborating in an industry which I am passionate about” says Grunwell.

Ironically one of the two exclusive alkaline and acidic springs that feeds into the 28 pools that Polynesian Spa boasts onsite is named the Rachel Spring and the new ambassador has been excited to rediscover the history of the therapeutic and rejuvenating waters.

“What makes Polynesian Spa so unique is the access it has to these two wonderful springs. The alkaline spas from the Rachel Spring are hot and relaxing and leave your skin with a silky feeling while the Priest Spring relieves and rejuvenates tired muscles, aches and pains. It is very uplifting for the soul,” says Rachel.

Rachel’s first job is to assist with developing a wider range of healthier choices for the new 88Ra Café menu and will host the highly successful Mindful Moments Retreats during the year.

Mindful Moments Retreats will be held on the following dates:

Saturday 9th June – Sunday 10th June

Saturday 11th August – Sunday 12th August

Saturday 10th November – Sunday 11th November

To find out all the details check out the Polynesian Spa website. Click HERE

Rachel Grunwell is a wellness magazine writer, yoga teacher, health blogger, healthy recipe creator for Good magazine and an ambassador for the Achilles charity which helps Kiwis with all kinds of disabilities to participate in events.

For wellness inspiration, follow Rachel via Inspired Health’s Facebook & Instagram

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February 15, 2018

Travel to the Whitsundays – highlights for a family

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Experience sun, sand, sea-life and unforgettable adventures and memories with your family in the Whitsundays. Rachel Grunwell shares her family’s holiday highlights.

Instead of buying my kids lots of “stuff”, I’ll invest in experiences.

Visiting the Whitsundays, in Queensland, was on our family’s bucket-list. The treasure: The Great Barrier Reef. This is one of the seven wonders of the world. It’s easy to reach for Kiwis. It’s about a 3hr flight to Brisbane and 1hr 15m flight to Whitsunday Coast Airport (Proserpine). Here are some highlights on what to do, where to stay and eat for a family.

After arriving at Proserpine, we drive in a hire car for 50-minutes to Bowen. This place is famous for a giant mango which cost $90,000 to make. We loved eating frozen mango here.

The area is renowned for mangoes, and growing lots of other vegetables and fruits. Nearby, you feel in paradise on the beach at Rose Bay or Horse Shoe Bay with clear sea views for miles. Swimming at Horse Shoe Bay was so incredible my son Lachie, 10, asked “can we stay forever?” We slept at the Rose Bay Resort which boasts a great pool, palms and sea views. I watched over the balcony as my kids splashed in the pool and then looked out to sea to try and spot whales.

For cheaper accommodation in Bowen, you can stay at Queen’s Beach Tourist Village. This is only a short stroll to sandy beaches, playgrounds and tennis courts. I met a guy here who has visited yearly for 26-years. It’s so beautiful and there’s so much sea adventures on your doorstep.

Up Flagstaff hill , you can view the bays of Bowen. You can see endless blue seas and the stunning curves of many islands.

We had a great dinner at the Grand View Hotel nearby. This is famous for being in Baz Luhrmann’s film Australia, starring Nicole Kidman. This charming and renovated building is an old-Queenslander-style beauty. For good coffee and a family-friendly menu, we enjoyed two places in town: The Le Sorelle Coffee House has a great playground on site and awesome menu. While, the Sails on Main, has a cool nautical theme, boats on display and also good kai. For dinner, you can’t beat fish-and-chips at Birds Fish Bar. Here you eat just-caught seafood overlooking the beautiful Bowen Harbour, fishing boats and watching the sunset here is magic.

www.rosebayresort.com.au

www.qbtvbowen.com.au

www.lesorellecoffeehouse.com.au

www.sailsonmain.com.au

From Bowen, we drove 50-minutes to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday island cruises. Walking along the Airlie Esplanade, beside the beach, is bliss. An amazing local café for smoothies, salads and fresh, healthy food is Bohemian Raw Café. We came here three times!
The Great Barrier Reef was better than we imagined. The moment my son Zach, 12, swam with a giant humphead wrasse fish (and other fish and coral of all rainbow colours) was magic.

whitsundays zach and fish

Finn, 6, squealed over turtles coming close. He also loved the underwater viewing observatory and semi-submersible (like a submarine). Cruise Whitsundays offers an incredible all-day adventure to ‘reef world’. This is a giant platform in the ocean, which caters for all activities, a buffet lunch and so many adventures. If you have a bigger budget, you can hire a helicopter or go diving.

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Look at those gorgeous blues of the Great Barrier Reef. Ahmazzzzzzzing!

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Zach and I sharing memories underwater that we will treasure forever.

There are 74 island wonders in the Whitsundays. Another we will remember forever is Whithaven Beach. Cruise Whitsundays does a half-day trip here. The sand is 98% silica, a cool temperature and has the same texture as coconut-flour. The water is postcard-perfect. The white sand and aqua waters will be something I dream of returning to again.
whitsundays whitehaven beach

Check out that white, white sand!

whitsundays rach in water

The water is so clear. It’s bliss here.

A great family-friendly place to is the 26-acre BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort. This boasts pools, a new mega waterslide park, go-carts, mini-golf, tennis, outdoor movies, jumping pillows, and a kids’ club. There is camping, caravanning to luxury cabins. This place is so entertaining for kids. My kids met new friends here and had so much fun. While they enjoyed a movie here one night, I walked 10-minutes up the road to Yoga Therapies. This 90-minute yin yoga session was a highlight for me.

The accommodation highlight for my husband and I was the Mantra Boathouse Apartments. You look out over the Port of Airlie Marina and the hotel and pool facilities are swish. We had five cockatoos land on our terrace in the morning. I’m not sure who was more delighted – the bloke or the kids. Ten minutes walk away is the Anchor Bar and Grill. There’s a cheap kids menu and relaxed and friendly atmosphere here.

The Whitsundays delivered on magic memories for our family.

This article was published in print and on-line by NZME. To read it click HERE

whitsundays fam

www.cruisewhitsundays.com.au

www.adventurewhitsunday.com.au

www.mantra.com.au/queensland/whitsundays/airlie-beach/accommodation/mantra-boathouse-apartments
Rachel’s trip was supported by Tourism Whitsundays. Find more to do: www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au

Rachel is the director of lifestyle website inspiredhealth.co.nz

Follow Rachel( InspiredHealth Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/InspiredHealthNZ/

& Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inspiredhealthandfitness/

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November 19, 2016

Girl on an Adventure column 1

Girl on an Adventure column 1 – published in Good Magazine

By Rachel Grunwell

There’s a saying I love: Challenge yourself; Change yourself.

So in essence, by tackling scary adventures outside of your comfort zone, you can boost personal growth.

That’s my excuse for signing up for Le Race – an 100km bike ride from Christchurch to Akaroa on March 25, 2017. I was scared silly about the idea. So, of course I immediately signed myself up.I signed up a training buddy too, TV3 presenter Mike McRoberts. I figured if I trained with Mike then no one would notice how terrible I am at this sport. All eyes would be on him. Oh, and he’s also a great training buddy and top bloke, of course.

After signing up, he pointed out a small detail. “Er, neither of us have bikes Rach”. Small detail though, right?

Thankfully Mt Eden Cycles shop owner, Mark Taylor, (pictured above) came to the rescue with some loan wheels for us two crazy journalists who love scaring ourselves stupid (over things we know nothing about). Mark “fitted” me to a bike recently, which made me laugh. Here was I thinking you only get fitted for things like wedding dresses.

Rachel’s gear: Top and padded bike shorts, shoes courtesy of Specialized and a helmet courtesy of Mt Eden Cycles shop.

It turns out road bikes come in nine sizes. I just told him to find me a midget-sized bike and I’d be right. But there was no getting away with that. He explains why it’s important to get the fit right. “Otherwise it could be a bit sketchy when you’re going fast down hills.” After that comment there was no further arguing from me. I prefer to keep the skin on my elbows and knees. So, he fit my midget frame to the bike frame, adjusted the seat and handlebars and then asked me to choose a colour preference in cycling helmet.

“Why bother,” I asked. “No one looks good with helmet hair anyway”. He agreed, but still asked me to please choose a colour.

“Challenge yourself; Change yourself”

I refrained from choosing the fluorescent pink helmet that caught my eye. I’m such a girlie girl, but I knew if I wore pink lycra too I’d likely resemble moving candy-floss. And remember, I want all eyes on Mike. Perhaps I could get him to choose the pink helmet…

Mark then kindly gave me some quick tips before unleashing me onto the street. He was probably worried about me crashing into someone’s parked Audi. I live in Mt Eden and so there’s a high chance of that. Perhaps I should move to another suburb?

He kindly taught me how to unclip my shoes so I can hopefully avoid “the zero mile an hour fall”. This is when riders usually stop at the lights, forget they are clipped in and then do a spectacular sideways crash – all in slow motion. So, he was kindly trying to save me from that hurt. To my body, but more importantly to the ego.

Wish me luck for my first ride. I hope you get to see a second column…

Column by Rachel Grunwell – Good Magazine’s wellness columnist, a keen marathoner, qualified yoga teacher and director of the InspiredHealth website.
Follow Rachel via Inspired Health on Facebook and Instagram.

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October 2, 2016

Auckland Bridge Climb – the ultimate school holiday fun!

By Rachel Grunwell

Want something memorable to do with the kids? Well, doing the Auckland Bridge Climb would be an absolute ‘high’-light, I promise you.

It’s an incredible adventure that can give your kids a new perspective on Auckland city. Some folks travel the world to do this. If you are lucky enough to live in Auckland (like me) then it would be a crime not to experience this! Or wherever you are in NZ, put it on your bucket list if you are ever in Auckland. It’s a lot of fun.

Here are 10 reasons why you should do it:

It is the one and only bridge climb in New Zealand
A tour guide tells you about the history of the bridge which is super interesting. Learn about the architecture, the stories around when it was built, how it works.
The views are AMAZING including sea, boats, the Auckland skyline, the Auckland Skytower…
See Bungy Jumping up close (or do it if you are a thrill-seeker)

Here are some picture highlights of when I did the climb with my hubby Damien, son Zach, aged 11, and his mate Alex, also aged 11. ps kids have to be aged 10-years-old and weigh a minimum of 35kg to do this.

Wearing onesies and ready to climb!

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Hard-hats on. Game-faces on….

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That’s the mind-blowing view we climbed for! It’s even amazing when it’s raining. Not even a drizzle could dampen this experience.

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The hard-hat team. What an adventure.

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We did it. We feel on top of the world up here whoop. Yeeeeees!!

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We looked down on traffic, boats, sea… and a 360-degree view of Auckland City.

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Here’s the team we climbed with. We all gave the experience the big thumbs up.

Follow inspired Health on Facebook & Instagram too (we do giveaways lots – there’s a $50 prize pack giveaway at the moment – and we also inspire Kiwis with awesome lifestyle inspiration).

InspiredHealthNZ is run by Rachel Grunwell: Blogger, magazine wellness columnist, yoga teacher, marathoner and adventure-seeker.

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September 2, 2016

Penguins on the Peninsula & other Dunedin Delights

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By Rachel Grunwell

Seeing penguins at a zoo is great. But seeing blue penguins (korora) up-close in their natural habitat on the stunning Otago Peninsula is an awe-inspiring sight you’ll store in your memory bank forever.

I’m on a mum-and-son ‘adventure vacation’ with Zach, aged 11, and seeing the world’s smallest penguin delight in a world-famous reserve at the Royal Albatross Centre is something we agree is a pinch-yourself-kind-of-experience.

It’s dusk, the stars are overhead, we’re rugged up warm with eyes-wide-open at Pilot Beach as we gaze out over the pond-like sea with tiny waves lapping ashore.

I don’t know who is more excited. My kid, or this self-confessed big-kid.

I expect to see a couple of penguins way off in the distance. But incredibly we see 60 penguins over about 60-minutes – just merely a couple of metres away.

These penguins religiously come in nightly here to feed their chicks in nests on the hillside.

And wow, what a sight: They are dumped by the waves into shore in groups (called rafts). They waddle, drunk-like, out of the tide and onto the beach and then hot-foot it up the grassy hill.

By the way, they couldn’t give a toss about us nosey-parker humans. Actually, we must be a pretty funny sight for the penguins. We are among a tour group of about 30 people quietly huddled on a giant, lit-up wooden platform.

You don’t tire seeing these cute little birds. Every time a new bunch of blue-and-white bodies pops up out of the water, either my son or I nudge each other or whisper excitedly “there’s some more”. Zach and I now long to return to see the colony of royal albatross.

http://albatross.org.nz/otago-peninsula-tours/

The New Zealand International Science Festival showcases a long list of events and experiences to inspire curiosity over the nine days (during the first week of the July school holidays) of the biennial festival. And with Dunedin now New Zealand’s first GigCity, technology (in all its glorious manifestations) is a big part of the offerings. You can dip in, or out, of as many of the events as you wish. Zach and I loved walking through a giant inflated brain and learning about its different parts and functions. And while Zach enjoyed witnessing the dissection of a sheep’s brain, I looked the other way! We could use computer technology to see underneath our skin and there were even real human body parts to marvel at. You name it and you can likely experience it here: Think microscopes, psychology investigations, dentistry workshops (Zach loved making a shark tooth from a mould) and even a workshop on how to ‘fight like a physicist’ (that’s learning how to win against a bigger opponent through physics ie understanding centre of mass, gravity and equilibrium etc). Another of Zach’s highlights was the music/explosions show by Dr Graham Walker and DJ Sixfootsix. Picture fireballs, explosions, marshmallow cannons, and liquid nitrogen clouds, mashed up to music.

http://www.scifest.org.nz/

Be star-struck by real stars at the Otago Museum’s Perpetual Guardian Planetarium. You get to sit back in a comfy chair and journey to the edge of the universe and back in a 360-degrees immersive theatre experience. You can’t beat the prices either. Children aged 4-18 pay $7, while adults are $10.

http://otagomuseum.nz/whats-on/do/planetarium

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An unexpected highlight was a two-hour Street Art Tour, called ‘Small City Big Walls’, through Dunedin city by guide Victoria Gilliand. I’m pictured underneath one of the artworks, playing around doing a yoga pose and pretending to be the bird’s prey…

About 25 colossal murals by world-famous artists are hidden on buildings throughout the city. Artists from places like Belgium, LA and Europe have been paid to create unique artworks that now make Dunedin an edgy and hip place.

It’s hard to choose a favourite artwork that stretch the imagination including a giant tuatara, to a mythical creature with Kakapo-like features, and even fish swallowing boats. It’s wonderful to experience the artwork, but hearing the stories about them from the guide makes this even more than just a colourful tour.

http://dunedinstreetart.com/

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I heard a professor lecture on the topic of superfoods at Dunedin’s Technique Training Restaurant. I loved hearing about the super powers of certain superfoods, while I ate a three-course superfoods meal here. The lecture and topic was part of a unique event – part of the Science Festival – but anyone can reserve a similar dining experience here for crazy cheap prices. This fully licensed restaurant was established by the Food Design Institute to train future chefs, hotel managers and restaurant staff by industry professionals. So it’s a training environment, but a great night out that will hardly stretch the purse–strings. Check out the below link to find out when you can book a meal.

http://www.op.ac.nz/enterprise/shops-and-services/technique-restaurant

Find more to do in Dunedin https://www.dunedinnz.com

(This article was published in seven newspapers nationwide)

Rachel Grunwell is a magazine columnist & director of Inspired Health. Follow Inspired Health for giveaways and lifestyle inspiration:

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