A Dancing Mermaid: Mietta Gornall

Oh hi there!

This week I am super excited to introduce you to a total beam of sunshine, beautiful beach babe, organic crusader and international professional dancer and model Mietta Gornall. Mietta is currently dancing in the hit musical The Lion King, and when she isn’t sparkling on stage you might see her big smile paddling around Bondi. It has been such a treat learning more about her life as a dancer, and if you’ve checked out her instagram account, she’s also a great inspiration to remember to stop and smell the fresh sea air.

Q. Being a professional dancer must take such dedication and passion! How does your diet help you reach your goals?

I eat very clean and organic food to help maximise my energy – I LOVE eating and cooking and have only recently learned that food is ‘fuel’ not ‘entertainment’… when I eat properly I feel better and therefore perform much better.

Q. Welcome to Sydney and congratulations in performing in The Lion King! Have you been spending much time down in Bondi?

Thank you! Yes – I love Bondi, I need to move there asap, the beach is my happy place and this one is truly special. I also really appreciate the selection of health food cafes/stores and inspiring yoga studios in the area, pretty obsessed with the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk too!

Q. Where is your favourite healthy place to eat in Bondi?

Porch and Parlour – amazing food, friendly staff and a great location. Their menu is really interesting and everything is super tasty so you can’t go wrong… I had lunch there today and just thinking about it makes me want to go straight back tomorrow!

Q. What snacks would you recommend to people who also have busy active lives to keep them moving through the day?

I make my own trail mix which includes goji berries, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, nuts and bee pollen. I also love making my own bliss balls…. they don’t last very long in my house though.

Q. What is your favourite way to relax after a big show or long day?

We do eight shows in six days (three double show days) so my body can get quite achey and sore, I find a bath with lectric soda really helps my muscles recover. It generally takes me a while to wind down as I’m buzzing after performing so a pot of organic sleepy tea is a necessity for me (‘relax’ by Pukka is my favourite at the moment). A relaxing night in wouldn’t be complete without my sea salt & caramel scented candle from Tigerlilly… it is magical…

You can follow Mietta on Instagram, or catch her in the hit musical the The Lion King now!

Sesame Oil: Get the JLo Glow

I love moisturising my skin, and given the chance I would bathe in the stuff like a baby walrus splashing around out at sea. The issue I’ve been having is that after a few hours in the summer sun or winter chill, my skin would become dry again and needing further treatment. I would often stop and think wow my skin must be so thirsty and high class drink up all this expensive moisturiser! But wait a minute, where is it all going?

After a while the empty bottles in my recycling bin were stacking up. Could this really be healthy putting litres of chemicals all over my body? I stared to question my beauty routine and budget, and after reading a very inspiring post from a Gerson Cancer survivor who said “I don’t put anything on my body that I wouldn’t eat” it then hit me, how could I preach about only eating organics and living a healthy life when I was subliminally consuming masses of processed manufactured chemicals every day in my moisturisers. No more!

After doing my research I settled for the Queen of all oils, Sesame. Organic cold presses Sesame oil from your local organic store is around $9.95 a bottle, you can cover your entire body every day and a bottle will last you a month. Cha-ching savings! I use sesame oil as an all over face and body moisturiser, first thing in the morning and then night time after a shower.

Within 2 weeks of using sesame oil on my body, a chronic skin condition which a doctor once told me was “erect hair follicles” (random I know) on my arms was gone. The raised red rashes on my upper arms that I have had since I was a kid was now smooth and no longer apparent, my summer tan was lasting  longer and my skin tone was more even. I could apply sesame oil in the morning and still have hydrated looking skin 12 hours later. I was not only saving hundreds of dollars I was feeding my skin a tasty chemical-free treat and the results were superb. In my mind it looked something like this..

It’s not just the physical benefits of sesame oil that has me hooked but also the internal wonders it is doing for my body. As one of the oldest cultivated seeds, sesame also helps combat diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, gum disease and has some great anti-bacterial properties that really help with skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, fungus and rashes.

If you stop and think, would you eat the  moisturiser you are currently using on your skin? You would probably vomit. So maybe it’s time to look for a cleaner, natural and cheaper alternative to processed package moisturisers like sesame oil.

Get some!

Welcome to The Bondi Organic!

Hey there world!

How are things? Have we you had your soy chai-tea latte this morning and are ready to take on the day? Yes you are!

My name is Teena, I am a North Bondi local lady and a lover of the beach, a committed organic eater, natural healer and wellness enthusiast. I am studying Naturopathy and learning lots of magical things about the human body (that old chestnut) and ways we can save the world one kale leaf at a time.

I would love the opportunity to take you with me on my organic journey around the backyard and down to the beach. I will be reviewing our local organic cafe’s, restaurants, supermarkets and new alternative products in the hood, answering any questions you may have along the way on natural health.

Bondi is such an epic place to see and swim, but we are also so lucky to be surrounded by an abundance of tasty treats and inspirational human beings that make you want to jump out of bed in the morning and chug a green smothie and go for a surf.  I look forward to getting to know more of these people and experience the place I call home.

See you in the water!

Teena x