By Abbey Cannan
Sunshine Coast’s triple Olympian Lisa Curry has partnered up with a naturopath to re-train her brain and body, sharing the keys in a new book, Happy Healthy You.
Lisa has lived her life in the public eye for four decades – as the golden girl of Australian swimming, to a ‘super mum’ and now a proud grannie.
Together with Jeff Butterworth, they have spoken to thousands of women, particularly focusing on the four key pillars – sleep, diet, movement, and mindfulness.
The book is about cutting through the diet fads and health crazes and learning to apply very simple principles, techniques, exercises, and easy eating habits to everyday life.
She bravely shared the highs and lows of her life in her 2022 Memoir 60 Years of Life, which became a number one bestseller in its first week.
Now she says the principles within Happy Healthy You have truly helped to balance out her own life – bringing strength to her physical and mental well-being.
“Working with Jeff is always a learning experience as he’s so knowledgeable and while we have so much information in our website, the hardest part was deciding what to add to the book,” Lisa said.
“Re-reading the book always reinforces what the most important things are to remember to live by.”
Lisa said it was vitally important to keep the book simple.
“As professional practitioners it’s really easy to write articles that are intellectually and scientifically correct, but for this book we really needed it to be holistic, specific, simple and real so the reader can have those light bulb moments when reading it,” she said.
“When you understand a concept , you’re likely to apply it to your life.”
Out of everything in the book, Lisa said her go-to recipe is the Soul Bowl Miso Salmon on page 105.
“It’s super delicious, easy to make and the lutein and zeaxanthin in the salmon is good for my skin. In fact, I’m having it for dinner tonight,” she said.
Jeff’s wife Katrina is a foodie and photographer, so most of the gorgeous meals they created and photographed together.
“They have eaten like this for the past 20 years, so if you’ve ever wondered how a naturopath eats, this is it,” Lisa said.
“My greatest wish would be to have someone make these meals, snacks and drinks for me every single day. I’m not a great cook and to me cooking has always been a bit of a chore.
“With a busy life and busy kids, mealtime was always a bit of a rush. But now I truly realise the importance and benefits of nutritious meals. I live by the 80/20 rule. It’s what you do and what you eat ‘most of the time’ that gives you flexibility and enjoyment in life.
“When eating healthy I live by what my mum used to say – buy small and eat it all. So instead of one big shop for the week, I shop every three days and make sure my salads and veggies are always fresh.”
Lisa said that eating for health, eating for energy, eating for life, actually does make a difference.
“You can have a beautiful nutritious meal and water in one hand and a pie, chips and beer in the other. Your mind and taste buds could eat either, but once you swallow, your body only knows one way to deal with it,” she said.
“Your body does what your body does. So health or illness will be the result of nutritious meals or nutrient deficient meals. It’s always a choice you make. It’s never too late to start making better choices.
“Eat better than you did yesterday. Food provides energy to live your best life. Really live, don’t just exist.”
For more information visit happyhealthyyou.com.au
Noosa Today readers have the chance to win a copy of Happy Healthy You. Competition closes Monday 29 April. To enter simply visit noosatoday.com.au/competitions
