Next up on our 'Talking Straight' series is our gorgeous friend Brigitte Warne, the model, entrepreneur and plant-eating foodie who runs PCOS to Wellness.
Since entering isolation during COVID-19, integrating healthy habits into our days has changed & we've been wondering how those in the health & wellness industry have been coping with the changes. Here's Brigitte.
SUPR: Has your morning routine changed since self-isolation? What does it look like now?
BW: It has actually changed a lot in some ways, and not much at all in others!
For start we decided to move back to Victoria and into our family beach house while we are self isolating, so I guess our entire ‘home’ is different haha, but we are so grateful we could do that during this time!
Since I had Flynn (my baby) I have worked mostly at home anyway, so I am lucky to be in a position that both my business’s are flexible in that way and not much has changed.
However my husband Jesse is now working from home too, which has been a blessing and a curse haha.
Usually now in the morning as soon as Flynn wakes up (around 6.30am) I try to smash out a couple of hours of work while Jesse looks after him, and then around 8.30-9ish we swap so that I can take Flynn and the dogs for a big walk and Jesse can get lots of meetings and work done.
I usually end up spending most of the day with Flynn in full mum mode, and then once he goes down for a nap I try to squeeze in another hour or so of work.
I used to do a lot of face to face meetings and also just simple things like catching up with my friends, going to the park and baby playdates etc (which were so nice as they broke up the day!) but on the flip side, I am so appreciative that we get to spend so much time together as a little family and that is something we will cherish forever!
SUPR: What’s one healthy habit or skill you’ve embraced during isolation?
BW: Rituals! I know that probably sounds a bit hippy dippy but i promise its not! I have never really been a ‘routine’ person and since having a baby even less so! But what I have found myself doing is putting in place daily rituals which help me to to structure my day (without having to stick to exact time lines) and also give me things to looks forward too!
ie: In the morning the first thing we do once Flynn wakes up is a have big family cuddle, make some breakfast, boil a pot of my herbal tea, do a bit of work and then go for beach walk.
So I have these simple rituals that I do throughout the day that bring me joy but also keep me accountable and help me to have a bit structure in my day!
SUPR: What are 5 ‘must-haves’ in your kitchen or pantry?
BW:
- Every single nut butter you can think of
- Dark chocolate
- Herbal teas
- Almond milk (although I am currently obsessed with macadamia milk)
- Lentils
SUPR: What’s one form of activity or movement you couldn’t live without?
BW: Yoga and walking. (Sorry boring i know!! Haha). Having PCOS means I have to be really conscious that workouts/ exercises I am doing are not placing stress on my body or causing my cortisol to raise. So i started walking and now I walk every single day. I don't know if it’s just being out in nature, the fresh air, getting to take my doggies out or just being able to move my body but I lovvvvvve it.
I also love yoga, I started doing yoga when I was around18 and had a bad back so found lots of other classes extra inflamed it (anddddd I also hated the gym lol) but yoga seemed to really help me. Over the years my mindset around yoga has completely shifted and it has helped me in so many areas of my life mentally, physically and emotionally, even learning how to just use my breath properly has been instrumental in helping me managing my stress levels (which has also helped me to manage my PCOS and even during pregnancy, birth etc!)
SUPR: What do you miss most from the pre-COVID-19 world?
BW: Hanging out with my mum friends and just venting about all our mum/ work life struggles hahaha. But also just being able to walk down the street and not feel like I have to actively avoid people, its just not a nice feeling to have to do that!
SUPR: What are you most grateful for?
BW: SO MUCH! My husband Jesse, our beautiful baby Flynn, being able to swim in the ocean, my own parents, the fact that we are still working, my dogs, being able to use zoom and FaceTime to see friends, my health! Honestly the list is endless!
SUPR: Why is it important to you to be Straight Up and authentic? Have you ever struggled in the past with being your true self?
BW: Gahhhh yes. I have had many struggles in the past. I modelled professionally for 10 years- but never felt beautiful, I have completed to university degrees- but never felt smart, I have had several businesses- but never felt like I was successful, I am obsessed with health, but have a condition which can not be cured, I was never maternal - but now I can not even imagine not being a mother.
All these things at some point in my life have affected me to some degree, BUT in the last few years I have started to open up about these struggles and once I started to talk about them out loud I simultaneously started to accept them and realised they were all insecurities that I had put on myself, no one else thought these things (and even if they did it really didn’t matter!)
I still struggle with have good days and bad days, but being authentic and accepting my insecurities has been one of the most freeing things that has ever happened to me, I am so happy and content with just being me!
SUPR: What’s one thing about the health industry you hope changes after self-isolation?
BW: Well to be honest I have hoped this would happen regardless of self-isolation, BUT my biggest hope is that people will become even bigger advocates for their own health and wellness.
No one is ever going to care as much about your health and wellness as you are, so if you don’t put in the effort in to understand your body/ symptoms/stresses/hormones/mental health etc no one else will.
It is incredibly empowering to be able to understand why your body might be responding a certain way, and to be able to tap into that to make informed and educated decisions.
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