Click on the link below to watch our funny video….
Bring Sally Up Challenge Last week we had some fun doing a Squat Challenge to Moby’s song “Flower” Thank you girls for being such good sports. x
November 6, 2015
What is Chromium & how can it help you loose body fat?
Chromium is a mineral our bodies use in small amounts for normal body functions, such as digesting food. It is known to enhance the action of insulin. Chromium is found in meat, whole-grain products, some fruits, vegetables & spices.
Several studies have now demonstrated that chromium supplements enhance the metabolic action of insulin and lower some of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, particularly in overweight individuals. Chromium picolinate, specifically has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease & type 2 diabetes. Supplements containing 200 to 1000 mcg chromium picolinate a day have been found to improve blood glucose control.
In another study published in May 2015, they found that a caffeine-based CBA/Chromium III formulation curbs the adverse effect of high-fat diet on body weight and insulin action in mice. Data suggests that this formulation could serve as a promising alimentary supplement to facilitate weight control in humans.
Caution needs to be taken into account, as some other evidence suggests there are no adverse affects to taking Chromium. The jury is still out, as various other studies show no effect of Chromium with people who are NOT diabetic or insulin resistant.
As always, check with your health professional before taking supplements.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15208835
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18388893
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Chromium-HealthProfessional/
September 15, 2015
How does the supplement Creatine work?
Creatine supplements are used by athletes, bodybuilders, wrestlers, sprinters & other who just want to gain muscle mass. The body produces some of the creatine it uses, other sources come from protein rich foods such as meat or fish.
Creatine has the ability to increase muscle stores of PCr (phosphocreaine), potentially increasing the muscles ability to resynthesize the ATP from ADP to meet increased energy demands. Did you just say “What the?”
Confused???? If so watch this great video I recently found on Youtube How does Creatine work?
Extensive research has shown that oral creatine supplementation at a rate of 5 – 20 grams per day appears to be very safe & largely devoid of adverse side effects, while still being effective in improving the physiological response to resistance exercise, increasing the maximal force production of muscles.
A supplementation of creatine is not recommended for people with kidney or liver disease or diabetes. Others who should avoid taking it are children under 18 and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
July 17, 2015
Salted Caramel Fudge – Vegan, Gluten Free & Paleo
Salted Caramel Fudge
2015-07-16 19:58:22
This healthy fudge is vegan, gluten free & paleo approved. Not that that even matters, because it is absolutely decadent and delicious.
Ingredients
- 10 medjool dates (soaked for 30 minutes)
- 1 1/4 cups of cashew butter (or just put cashews in the food processor for around 10 – 15 minutes till smooth & creamy)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Soak the dates in water for 30 minutes is what the recipe says, I found nuking them in the microwave for around a minute in some water & then draining them did the trick.
- Place the dates, sea salt & vanilla into a blender or food processor until smooth and like a caramel.
- In a small saucepan, on medium low heat, add the cashew butter, coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir until everything is combined.
- Fold in caramel mixture.
- Line a 8 “x 8” baking dish with grease proof paper. Spoon the batter into the baking dish.
- Place & store the fudge in the freezer.
- Once it’s set, use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into squares.
- Enjoy.
Notes
- Take the mixture once all combined. You may need to make up some more of the caramel mixture (dates, salt & vanilla) to give it the taste you are after.
- You can sprinkle some chocolate chips on the top if you like before it goes into the freezer.
Adapted from My Whole Food Life
Adapted from My Whole Food Life
FABULOUS PHYSIQUES https://www.fabulousphysiques.com.au/
February 18, 2015
Beware the “What the Hell Effect” !
You are trying to use your willpower and resist that bad food. But that pizza and icecream are calling you. “Eat me, eat me!” Your willpower snaps & you eat an extra slice or a scoop of icecream.
What happens next? You think since I have already blown my diet, I might as well keep going. WHAT THE HELL.
The “what-the-hell effect” is well known to willpower researchers such as Roy Baumeister. There’s even a formal scientific term for it—counterregulatory eating—but since that’s such a mouthful, let’s just stick to the “what-the-hell effect.” In their recent book, Willpower, Baumeister and co-author John Tierney cite numerous experiments that show that dieters often do okay until the inevitable day when they break their diet rules. Then they stop monitoring their eating (“Was that my fourth piece?”) and ignore or are unaware of their feelings of fullness.
How can you avoid the what-the-hell effect? First, STOP DIETING! Dieters can become so preoccupied with following the rules of their diet that they can lose touch with their inner sensations of hunger and fullness. Moreover, if you are on an extreme diet, your hunger will propel you to gobble more than you intend—or even want. And diets don’t work! 95% of dieters regain their lost weight within two years. Instead of dieting, follow a sensible eating plan.
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO PREVENT THE “What the Hell Effect”
1. Set specific short term goals – give your willpower the best chance for success, break your goals down to smaller specific chunks. Create small wins that help you build emotional momentum.
2. USE ACCOUNTABILITY LOGS – mistakes happen. When you maintain an overall positive daily trend with a habit, it becomes easier to accept those small failures. Simply take note of the mistake, record it in your journal & then move on. It is NOT a catastrophe.
3. UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS – remind yourself not to turn a “little” mistake become a “big” mistake by remembering that everyone experiences some form of habit regression from time to time.
4. TURN GOALS INTO CELEBRATIONS – tell yourself when you have achieved your first small goal, you will buy yourself that new dress, or go to Gold Class Movies.
In summary, focus on one habit at a time, be specific in your goal setting, & understand that mistakes will happen.
When you realise you’re experiencing this kind of mindset, you can avoid complete failure & simply have a “bad day” that’s easy to overcome.
December 30, 2014
Dr Oz – Rapid Belly Melt Plan
With Christmas just behind us, and the new year approaching, I thought perhaps a few of us might be looking down at our belly’s and thinking, what have I done?
Well, Dr Oz has the answer. Apparently. With 3 easy steps.
1. Take 125mg of Forskolin in the morning. Forskolin is a herbal extract from Coleus forskohlii, a plant belonging to the mint family.
According to Dr Oz, adding it to your diet is like lighting a furnace inside the fat cells, helping them burn away. This fat torching root zeros in on fat, not muscle. (make sure supplement label says contains at least 10% forskolin)
2. Torch Visceral Fat with spices – Visceral fat is dangerous belly fat the is found deep below the skins surface, and often surrounds the organs. It is biologically active, churning out hormones & inflammation that helps keep us fat and contributes to other health problems.
What to do: Use blood sugar-stabilising spices every meal. Consume 1/2 teaspoon of one of these spices each meal: cinnamon, clove, oregano, cayenne or turmeric.
3. Drink Green Tea Lemonade – the antioxidants in green tea could help increase metabolic rate & lean body mass. The lemon helps your body pull out up to 6 times more antioxidants from the green tea – supercharging its belly melting power.
Ingredients – Put a green tea teabag into 2 cups of warm water for at least 20 minutes. Then add 1/2 squeezed lemon. Drink this hot or cold, everyday.
None of that sounds too difficult. Obviously, staying away from sugar, wheat and processed foods are the best place to start. Oh, and drink plenty of water. Oh, and get off your bum and exercise to build up your lean muscle mass and increase your metabolism.
I just googled Forskolin and found that Chemist Warehouse has some at a great price $14.99. So I am off for a drive to pick some up. Can’t hurt.
Please, let me know if you have tried this before and had any success or failure.
Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy new year to you all.
x
December 11, 2014
The best abdominal exercises – as studied in a lab
Summer is here, and everyone is wanting that washboard stomach. Well, don’t waste time on inefficient exercises a study conducted has taken the guess work out of it for you.
A team led by Peter Francis, Ph.D., and Jennifer Davis, M.A., in SDSU’s Biomechanics Lab, conducted the study. They recruited 30 women and men (20 to 45 years old). Each participant was reportedly in good health with an activity level ranging from occasional to daily exercise. The researchers asked participants to perform a variety of abdominal exercises at random while hooked up an EMG machine, which monitored their level of muscular activity as they worked each movement.
Using the collected data, the researchers were able to establish each exercise’s average level of muscle activity. Based on these numbers, the exercises were then ranked from best to worst.
The Results
Every tested exercise proved to be relatively effective—but some were more effective than others.
The Top Five Abdominal Exercises
Bicycle Crunch
Captain’s Chair
Stability Ball Crunches
Vertical Leg Crunch
Reverse Crunch
It’s best to choose based on your preferences and experience. No matter which exercises you choose, take the time to train and strengthen your abdominal muscles. Strong abdominal muscles can help with posture, alleviate lower back pain and contribute to your long-term health.
December 8, 2014
Dedication, consistency & focus – My star couple
My job is both rewarding and frustrating. I hear all the excuses under the sun. People want the results, but unfortunately lack the determination to achieve their outcome. People have got to understand that they didn’t all of a sudden become overweight or unfit, it is a slow and graduate process that seems to creep up on them. And therefore the fix is not going to be a quick one. The quick fixes will not last, studies have shown over and over again dieters, the majority of the time will put the weight back on, and then some. It is a lifestyle change my darlings!! that will lead to a long lasting healthy life.
Andrew has lost 10cm from his waist, 18.3cm from his belly button & 9cm from his hips.
Anyway, I digress. I am very proud to share with you 2 people that have shown absolute dedication, consistency and focus in their fitness and weight loss goals. There have been many times of struggle & anguish, but they have stuck to their resolve and the results are remarkable.
EMMA & ANDREW These results were achieved in 87 Days. Look up “awesome” in the dictionary, and there should be a photo of these two fabulous people. They lost over 13kg each. Congratulations x
Emma has lost 10cm from her waist, 16.8cm from her belly button, and 7.5cm from her hips.
Emma has gone from a size 14 to a size 8
November 25, 2014
Maple Coconut Pancakes – Paleo Style
These coconut pancakes are delicious. Fluffy and nutty, combined with some berries and coconut yogurt, these pancakes are perfect for the not so naughty breakfast or treat.
Maple Coconut Pancakes – Paleo
2014-11-24 14:11:19
Serves 4
I haven’t had a lot of success with Paleo pancakes, but these ones are delicious.
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 – 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or rice malt syrup) – you judge sweetness
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour (your choice)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
- coconut oil for greasing (or butter)
- for serving: mixed berries, mango, coconut yogurt, slivered almonds
Instructions
- Put the eggs, coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla into food processor or blender and process till combined.
- Add coconut flour, gluten free flour, almonds, baking powder, cinnamon & salt to food processor and blend till smooth consistency.
- Taste, check for sweetness etc.
- Let sit for about 2 minutes to thicken up.
- Heat a medium pan and grease with coconut oil. Medium to low heat.
- Pour batter into the pan, about 3 – 4 tablespoons for each pancake. Brown for 2 – 3 minutes per side.
- Serve warm with Coconut yogurt, berries & mango. Sprinkle slivered almonds & cinnamon on top for a bit of pizzazz..
FABULOUS PHYSIQUES https://www.fabulousphysiques.com.au/
November 10, 2014
Kind of CrossFit
I won’t try to hide it, I am not a big fan of Cross Fit. It is the injury issue and poor form I have witnessed that I have a problem with. People should be properly educated on form, acceptable rep numbers, and the warning signs of when to stop, this is the responsibility of the instructors. There are plenty of Personal Trainers in my field of Strength and Conditioning out there too who aren’t strict on form either, shame on them.
There are a few ideas I have taken from Cross Fit and incorporated them in my own gym as my clients can confirm over the years. This week I will be incorporating some of the workouts specified in this article written by the awesome Christian Thibaudeau on T-Nation. 3-complexes-for-rapid-female-fat-loss. I, and my clients are fortunate however, that training is one on one, so strict form will be always adhered to at all times.
The Modified Cosgrove Complex – 6 Reps of each
1. Deadlift
2. Straight-Leg Deadlift
3. Romanian Deadlift
4. Bent-Over Row
5. Front Squat
6. Push Press
7. Back Squat
8. Good Morning
The Kettlebell Complex – 6 to 10 Reps of each
1. Overhead Squat
2. Squat
3. Swing
4. Bent-Over Row
5. Romanian Deadlift
The Waterbury Dumbbell Complex
1. Reverse Lunge, 6 reps per leg
2. Romanian Deadlift, 12 reps
3. Good Morning, 12 reps
4. Front Squat, 6 reps
5. Military Press/Push Press, 6 reps
6. Bent-Over Row, 6 reps
7. Floor Press, 12 reps
Let the fun and games begin.