This weeks interview is with the oh so beautiful Keri Bainborough, from ‘We are the Wildflowers’. I remember reading Keri’s blog when it was still Midlands Musings, I had just got the courage to start my blog, so I found this to be a great source of inspiration. I love the way Keri writes, she is raw and real and makes you feel like you are her friend (:  I really started following her blog posts more when she started her Vegan journey, as I found I could really relate to that as I had been through a similar journey. I really do encourage you to check out her blog, it really is beautiful and her writing so honest and real. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview Keri!

Interview

Keri Bainborough

Website: www.wearethewildflowers.co.za

Instagram: @keribainborough

Twitter: @keribainborough

Facebook: We Are The Wildflowers

Where do you live?

Stellenbosch, South Africa

How did your journey on this healing lifestyle begin?

Well, my mom has always been very health conscious and has always believed in sickness stemming from the mind-body connection. She often would take my brothers and I to alternative healers such as kinesiologists and homeopaths rather than to regular doctors and so that is something I’ve always been very conscious of – I don’t believe that a pill can fix every physical ailment – in fact medicine should be the last resort. I’ve been following a relatively healthy lifestyle since I was at university. I fell in love with being active and going to gym when I was in about my second year at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. I also cut out refined carbs, processed foods and excess sugar at the same time and lost a lot of weight I had been carrying from high school. A couple of years after university, I began practicing yoga and treating my body to regular reiki and healing massages with Colleen at Midlands House of Healing – which was life-changing! I cut down on my drinking and started spending a lot more time on my own, focusing on developing my spiritual and mental wellness; I began writing more and gradually found myself on the path to beginning a career which I’m passionate about. Last year,  I became vegan – a decision which actually had very little to do with health and everything to do with ethics. Living on a farm and in a farming area exposed me to the way animals (both wild and farmed) are used and abused for our own consumption, and so I cut out all animal products from my diet. As I’ve done more research into the benefits of a plant-based diet and the dangers of eating animal products, I’ve discovered that my new lifestyle choice and way of eating is actually far healthier than it used to be! My exercise recovery time is far greater; I generally have more energy and I feel lighter and more in tune with my body than ever before.

What inspires you to stay healthy and live well?

I like feeling good – I’m addicted to that sweaty, endorphin rush after a hard workout or that sense of serenity after an intense yoga session. I firmly believe that exercise for the body is exercise for the mind. I literally feel like I start going crazy if I don’t get out and about – even if it’s just to walk my dogs for twenty minutes. I sleep better, think better and work harder if I’m eating well and exercising. The body, mind and spirit works together and you can’t separate the parts when looking at the wellbeing of one whole person.

What does a day look like for you?

I ideally like to start off the day with a yoga or mediation session (preferably both) followed by walking my dogs. I then have breakfast and settle down to work for the morning if I don’t have client meetings. Sometimes I will join my husband for a lunchtime gym session if I can. I try to keep my afternoons free for writing and reading/researching, but mostly I end up working again! In the evening I like to take my dogs for another walk if I get a chance, followed by a long soak in the bath and dinner with my man. This is my perfect day. Most of the time, I ended up working in my yoga pants with unbrushed teeth until 5pm.

What are your staple ingredients on your shopping list?

Lots of vegetables and fruit (huge amounts of spinach, kale and avocados), beans, whole-wheat brown bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, quinoa and vegan staples like nutritional yeast, dairy-free pesto, chia and hemp seeds, almond milk, Spirulina powder, dates, coconut cream, dark chocolate and Fry’s convenience foods for those lazy cooking days.

Share with us favorite easy go to snack?

Hummus and cucumber sticks or Medjool dates stuffed with almond nut butter if I’m craving something sweeter.

How do you like to keep active?

Yoga, walking, running and the occasional short, but very intense toning session from The Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines. Her AB blasts are KILLER.

What is your favourite quote?

There are so many! At the moment, I find this one particularly pertinent: “Be You. The World Will Adjust.” I’ve spent so much of my life trying to please others and change who I am to fit in. The reality is that I’m a bit of a weirdo. And I dig it. And the people who are in my life dig it too. We’re all weirdos together!

Any advice for people starting a life of wellness?

Perfection is the mother of all fuck ups. Eat well and exercise most of the time, but allow yourself the odd treat and crazy night out. It keeps you sane. And remember that you need to look after the body, mind AND spirit. Do things you love which don’t always necessarily involve eating healthily or going to the gym – reading, hiking, writing, watching a great movie, drawing, having coffee with a good friend, painting, singing, dancing et cetera. Nurture your creative inner kid and surround yourself with good people. Also, do everything from a place of kindness and you won’t go wrong. The more in balance you are mentally, the more you will want to continue spoiling your body with nourishing foods and good exercise. It all works together!

 

RAW CREAMY AVOCADO AND CUCUMBER ZUCCHINI NOODLES

Ingredients: *use organic where possible

2 big zucchinis aka marrows (I used a julienne peeler to slice mine, but you can buy spiralized zucchini from the shop or make your own with a spiralizer)
Cherry tomatoes
Rocket leaves
Jalapeno slices or Olives
Pea Shoots

For the sauce:

1 medium sized cucumber (the bigger your cucumber, the runnier your sauce will be)
1 large avocado
Juice from 1 lemon
A handful of basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Place your zucchini noodles in a mixing bowl. In a blender, blitz all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth. Toss with noodles and then place on a plate and decorate as desired with tomatoes, olives, rocket and pea shoots.