Q. How do you take your coffee or tea in the morning ?

I enjoy a cappuccino with some good friends.

Q. What excites you most about motherhood?

Watching my children grow into responsible and loving individuals.

Q. What makes you most nervous about motherhood?

I always feel like I am hard on my children, but at the same time I encourage them to play as kids. I hate all these computer games and online stuff. I want my kids to play outside and learn and grow rather than sit inside and be the top of their class. I am not the best at monitoring homework, I would rather they play. My kids are only 6 and twins of 8, they have enough time left to study and learn and isolate themselves inside a house, I’m not ready for that yet, and have no idea how I will deal with that when the time comes.

Q. What’s one of your best childhood memories?

Going into the desert in Riyadh with a group of families and climbing the dunes, we would spend the day there. Eat, climb, slide down the dunes on a tray and just have the best and carefree times all together.

Q. What won’t we find in your closet?

monsters

Q. What’s your biggest flaw?

I’m hard on myself and get frustrated when I can’t keep up with my exercise buddies.

Q. How do you treat yourself?

Good, I eat well, I splurge every once in a while and I enjoy time with my family and friends.

Q. Name 3-5 of your favorite spots in your hood?

Tribal Fitness, walking, swimming and shopping.

Q. When do you put your kids to bed ?

7 pm, the boys are allowed to read until 7:30/8:00

Q. Flats or heels?

Flats!

Q. Early bird or night owl?

Definitely early bird, a late night for me is 10:00!

Q. What time do you wake up each morning?

6:00 on weekdays and 7:00 at the weekend

Q. Name a favorite book or one you are currently reading.

I love any and all of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series books.

Q. Favorite Film?

I’m easily entertained, I like action movies, romantic movies, comedies. I love Harry Potter too!

Q. What’s the best piece of motherhood advice you’ve received?

Be true to yourself, my dad always told me this.

Q. What are some common misconceptons that people have about eating healthy?

The most common misconception people have about eating healthy is that it is time consuming, expensive and very difficult. Nothing could be further from the truth, if you save all the money you use on drinking coffee, fast food and processed sugary treats you would have more than enough to eat a blanked healthy diet. You just need to know basic concepts to being able to prepare healthy meals, it is most often quick cooking and stir fry so as to preserve the best flavours of the foods. There is nothing simpler than a green juice; you just through everything into a high speed blender and turn it on with enough liquid to make it become a juice. If you prepare in advance, you can cook one meal to eat for two nights. If you prepare your meals in advance, you save a lot of time in shopping, preparing and cooking.

Q. What are some challenges you face when trying to feed children a healthy fresh diet? How do you overcome the challenge?

I’m easily entertained Children nowadays are so used to getting what they want and what they are used to. Having said that, I have found through my kids cooking class that every single one of them are open to trying the green juices and different fruits and vegetables I have on offer. If you explain to them why it is essential for them to eat and why it would benefit them, they will be more encouraged to trying them. Every person, child or adult, has a trigger to wanting to eat healthy and I find that once you give them the power to say that they do not like something that they are more willing to try. As parents, we always encourage our children to try new things, they might not like it and won’t have to eat anymore during that meal, but it will be reintroduced at one point as it takes about 20 times before one can determine whether they really do or don’t like the way something tastes. When children become part of the process of preparing and cooking the meals they will be more involved and will want to try. Letting them chose anything from a cookbook at home is a way, involve them in cooking (kids love cracking eggs), and even plating up.

Q. What inspired you to go into this field? 

There are two people who inspired me to go into this field; my personal trainer and my physiotherapist. I have fibromyalgia and was under the care of my physiotherapist for recent surgery I had had on my neck for a faulty artificial disc that had been placed a month before it came lose inside my neck. The pain had been intense and my recovery was therefore that much longer. I got to a point when I approached Craig Heslop from Tribal Fitness about personal training with him. I was nervous and very insecure about my abilities, I am a voluptuous woman and it was never my aim to lose weight. I was happy to lose it, don’t get me wrong, but my main goal was to be able to play with my kids like a normal mum and not be reliant on pain medication to make it through a day. I did well at Tribal Fitness and although I do still take medicine, I am fitter than I have been in many years and I feel so much better in myself.I wanted to be able to help people the way I had been helped by Craig and it was Rachel, my physiotherapist who told me about Health Coaching and what it was. It sparked my interest from the first moment I heard about the study and I found an amazing online study IIN, I haven’t really stopped since I started the study. My husband and parents have always been there at my side too supporting my decisions and encouraging me. My husband has been with me through every surgery I have had done and helped me through my fibromyalgia diagnosis and just reminded me of who I am and what I am capable of.

Q. What are three simple things one can remember when shopping or cooking?

It can be overwhelming at times w all of our choices…  

Everybody reacts different to food, you are your own best scientist. You have had years of experimenting with your own diet and you know what works for you or what might not. Eat single ingredient foods more than the foods with long lists if ingredients. Try and stay away from processed foods, eat plenty of vegetables and try and get the different coloured vegetables every day. My famous motto is eat the rainbow; eat a fruit or vegetable from the following colours every day: orange, yellow, red, purple/blue, and green. Lean protein is good for you and local produce. I am a fan of the paleo diet but do it with my own little quirks and twists. I would encourage everyone else to find what works for them and stick to it. Lastly, never go shopping when you are hungry. Plan what you want to buy, make a list and take it with you. Try and cut down your trips to the supermarket to once or twice a week.

Q. What's your vision for your Healthy w Caroline? 

 That eating healthy fruits and vegetables is not that difficult. I would like to continue teaching children how to make choices themselves and work with more female clients to teach them how easy to is and how it can impact and change their life for the better. If I can positively improve one persons life, that they feel better about themselves and eat healthy then I feel I have done what I set out to do.