Strength Within Wellness

06/04/2026

Children in Finland were placed in play environments filled with real forest soil instead of artificial surfaces. The goal was simple. Increase daily exposure to natural biodiversity.

Within a year, measurable changes appeared. Improved immune markers, more diverse skin bacteria, and stronger overall immune responses compared to children in standard urban settings.

The idea is that contact with natural microbes helps train the immune system early, reducing overreactions linked to allergies and inflammation.

It challenges a common instinct. Cleaner is not always better. Controlled exposure to nature may be one of the missing pieces in modern childhood environments.

13/10/2025

A groundbreaking 2025 study published in Science Advances has revealed that while women experience a decline in the number of eggs as they age, the quality of those eggs at the DNA level remains surprisingly stable. In contrast, men’s s***m accumulates genetic mutations over time, making older fathers more likely to pass on DNA errors that can contribute to developmental and neurological conditions in their children.

Researchers found that these s***m mutations increase steadily with age, particularly after 40, while eggs showed minimal DNA damage accumulation. This challenges decades of assumptions about female fertility and aging — and flips the traditional “biological clock” narrative on its head.

The implications are significant: men’s age can influence conception success, pregnancy outcomes, and long-term child health just as much as women’s.

In essence, time affects both sexes — just in very different ways.

12/03/2025

Outdoor Group Training IS BACK!

WOY WOY/Umina/Ettalong - Mondays and Wednesday Mornings

WE ARE NOT just another outdoor bootcamp. We focus on helping you thrive during any stage of life! We focus strongly on women's wellness, hormones, pelvic health and the latest evidence-based research in these fields. WE Cater for All Ages. Get the right training, strength, and advice for your stage of life, whether you’re a 16 or 60!

book here:
https://mountainbikemamas.com/product/outdoor-group-training-10pack/

20/03/2024

💕💯

The Birth Sling was created by Australian Osteopath Dr Jess Michaels and is a new take on an ancient birthing tool designed to support women to remain upright and active during labour and delivery, which can significantly decrease the risk of interventions including c-section.

Affordable, easy to use and install (no need to drill holes in walls or the roof, all you need is a door that can be securely closed), portable and safe.

Feel supported as you intuitively find positions that work for you and your baby during labour and birth.

www.thebirthsling.combirth.sling - https://www.instagram.com/the.birth.sling

20/07/2022

8 FIGHTS WORTH PICKING WITH YOUR KIDS:

Parenting is hard. Parents have to choose their battles. Here are 8 fights worth picking with your kids:

The Reading Fight:
Make your kids read. Because reading is tied to everything from cognitive development to the ability to focus. Make your kids read now.

The Outside Fight:
Make your kids go outside. The natural world teaches us things. Plus, outside there's sunshine, fresh air, and exercise waiting for them. Most importantly, nature is full of things in short supply in our world: Discovery, wonder, peace, joy.

The Work Fight:
Make your kids work. I’m saddened by how many parents don’t require their kids to lift a finger at home. There are priceless life principles you can only learn with a mop in your hand. Let sweat be their teacher.

The Meal Fight:
Make your kids eat as a family. Our lives are a blur of incessant activity. Meals together are a physical pause to recover a truth so easily sacrificed at the altar of busyness. Nothing's more important than family.

The Boredom Fight:
Make your kids live with boredom. Don't show a DVD on each car ride. Kids need unscheduled time. And, odd as it sounds, boredom is a skill. It's hard as a parent to deal with the assault of boredom complaints. But if you give in and fill up their time with external stimuli, you'll raise an activity addict. Make them learn how to be.

The "Me First" Fight:
Make your kids go last. Not every time for everything. But enough to remember that the world doesn't revolve around them. Take the smallest piece. Give up the remote. Do someone else's chores. Get their least favorite choice. They won't like it, but they need it.

The Awkward Conversation Fight:
Make your kids have uncomfortable conversations with you. S*x, dating, body image, values...Your kids will roll their eyes and resist. You will stumble and stutter. They need and want your perspective, lessons learned, and wisdom.

The Limitation Fight:
Learning to live within limits is a valuable life skill. In fact, many adult problems arise from an inability to accept them. Screen time limits, dietary limits, activity limits, and schedule limits are all good.

As a parent, you have to pick your battles. They're not easy, but they're worth the fight.

*Copied from David Morris on Twitter
***Photography by Rebekah Melancon

17/07/2022

“Can I come to see your baby?”
Words that caused my heart to sink
For, of course I want to see you,
But I’m weary and I stink.

It’s been days since I got dressed
and there’s chaos everywhere.
Dirty dishes overflowing,
and there’s breast milk in my hair.

I’m really in survival mode.
I can’t tell the nights from days.
My life has been uprooted
in oh so many ways.

My head feels like exploding
and I’m trying to just BE.
Yes, I’ve gained this new addition,
but I’ve lost a piece of ME.

A new love has engulfed me
and transformed my every being:
A love that, all at once,
is so constricting, and so freeing.

So, please, dear ones, I ask of you
to just give me some time
to navigate this new terrain
that’s really so sublime.

And, soon, I’ll have you visit:
I can’t wait for you to meet.
But, right now all I can manage
is to feed, sleep, and repeat.

Maria Tempany (Therhymingone)
Image by - https://www.instagram.com/arynlindsey

🍂🍁 For support in your gentle parenting journey, pick up a copy of our gorgeous autumn issue which is out now!. Grab your copy from supermarkets throughout NZ and newsagents throughout Australia! To find your local stockist, or to subscribe, visit https://linktr.ee/TheNaturalParentMagazine 🍂🍁

22/04/2022

😳

A team of leading international researchers has discovered significant links between medical interventions used in the birthing process – such as caesarean section and induction – and a child’s long-term health.

26/11/2021

Sara Wickham shares her thoughts on birth knowledge, women's wisdom and what she wishes she could tell everyone about these topics...

24/11/2021

It’s good to be back!

Lots of sore necks, backs, knees amsd shoulders today before the class after months and months of lockdown sitting. Afterwards, smiles all around and juicy limbs and muscles! Movement heals!

Ettalong: thursdays
930am group fitness
1020 Pilates

Dm if you’d like to come along!