I have been sooooo addicted to coconut goodies lately and now I found this yummy coconut and banana smoothie recipe. It isn't on the healthy side the because it contains alcohol but it is pretty yummy and can be used for a dessert after a good lunch with friends.
Ingredients:
2 Ripe bananas, mashed
4 oz coconut cream
6oz rum
4oz banana liqueur
3 cups crushed ice
Makes 4 servings
To make it:
Combine the bananas, coconut cream, rum, banana liqueur and ice in a blender.
Blend until smooth and pour into glasses to serve.
Tuesday 4 September 2012
Sunday 2 September 2012
Pelvic curls
Pelvic curls are one of the very basic pilates exercises and is very beneficial. To most people it does seem like a very simple exercise but if you look at the image below you will see that so many muscles get used performing a pelvic and it relaxes your spine and stretches it out for you.
I like to use pelvic curls in all my classes because it is a nice spine and abs warming up but more because it stretches your hip flexors which is super important because if your hip flexors are tight you will have a tight lumbar spine. The other reason why I like it so much is because it is a good exercise to teach the right breathing and how to work into your deep abdominals to control your spinal movement.
If you have a tight back give these a try....
Lie onto the mat with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart. Imprint your spine onto the mat and place your pelvis into a neutral position and making sure there is no space between your back and the mat.Walk your hands down to your heels to ensure your shoulders are relaxed onto the ground.
Keep your abs nice and tight.
Inhale: To prepare
Exhale: lower your ribs into your abs making one strong connection and squashing any gap between your back and the mat and roll your pelvis up until you form a nice straight line with your body. Remember you want to lift one vertebrae at a time so you are using your abs to roll up.
Inhale: Pause
Exhale: Roll all the way back onto the mat one vertebrae at a time with a nice tight tummy to control the movement down. You want your ribs to roll down first, then the middle of your back then your lower back all the way to a neutral pelvis.
A neutral pelvis is when your hip bones arent higher than your pubic bone and arent lower than your pubic bone.
Friday 17 August 2012
Raw Chocolate pudding!!
I have just finished making a Raw chocolate pudding!!! It is gluten free,dairy free tasty and all healthy...ok wait... there is quite a bit of honey in it BUT it is still healthier than what you would get out of an instant pudding mix box.
It is called a raw pudding because it's all natural ingredients and nothing from animals and that has been processed. It also does not get heated above certain temperatures because once food gets heated it loses all the good nutrients.
My first raw pudding is in the fridge for 30 min and I'm dying for the 30 minutes to pass so I can eat it :):)
Want to try it out?
Here is the recipe...
1/4 cup raw honey
3 tablespoons coconut oil in liquid form or filtered water
1/3 cup raw cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Combine all the ingredients in a blender until it is well mixed and then put it all into a sealed container and straight into the fridge for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes.... Enjoy the goodness of a healthy chocolate pudding!!!!
It is called a raw pudding because it's all natural ingredients and nothing from animals and that has been processed. It also does not get heated above certain temperatures because once food gets heated it loses all the good nutrients.
My first raw pudding is in the fridge for 30 min and I'm dying for the 30 minutes to pass so I can eat it :):)
Want to try it out?
Here is the recipe...
Raw Chocolate Pudding
2 avocados, peeled
1 ripe banana, peeled1/4 cup raw honey
3 tablespoons coconut oil in liquid form or filtered water
1/3 cup raw cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Combine all the ingredients in a blender until it is well mixed and then put it all into a sealed container and straight into the fridge for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes.... Enjoy the goodness of a healthy chocolate pudding!!!!
Tuesday 24 July 2012
Weight,fat percentage,body water percentage..such a complicated thing!!
I have been looking at scales and the one says you weigh this much and the other says you weigh this much but I never know which one is actually the accurate one. So now I have one of those really cool scales that you put your age and your height in and then it measures your weight, body fat percentage and your body water and out of all the things in my opinon I have found that measuring your body fat is actually the most accurate way to monitor your body. I have gone by the bmi calculations and even those aren't that accurate because they always say I'm under weight which is wrong because I'm on a normal weight and when i do the body fat calculations it is always accurate to what it should be. To test your body fat there is a few different ways but the two most used ones are with callipers which is hard because you have to keep going in to have it done and then the scale that I have. So now I'm going according to my fat percentage and my body water percentage.
If you have one of these cool scales you should know that men should have between 15 - 18 percent body fat and a women between 20-25 percent and for body water men should have 55 percent and women 51 percent. Right now my body fat is slightly high but still in the range it should be in so now instead of working on weight loss I'll be working on fat loss.
Oh just before you go out to buy one of these scales I just want to add that if you do have a pacemaker or any other implanted device you shouldn't use this scale at all. The reason for this is because in order for it to measure your body fat and water it sends an electric current through your body and does its calculations depending on the speed the currents pass through your body
If you have one of these cool scales you should know that men should have between 15 - 18 percent body fat and a women between 20-25 percent and for body water men should have 55 percent and women 51 percent. Right now my body fat is slightly high but still in the range it should be in so now instead of working on weight loss I'll be working on fat loss.
Oh just before you go out to buy one of these scales I just want to add that if you do have a pacemaker or any other implanted device you shouldn't use this scale at all. The reason for this is because in order for it to measure your body fat and water it sends an electric current through your body and does its calculations depending on the speed the currents pass through your body
Monday 23 July 2012
Cravings!!!
Did you know that when you are craving something it means your body is lacking something on the inside?? Ok I must agree that sometimes its just plain boredom and getting cold now that it is winter but usually it does mean your body needs something.
So here is a list of things and what healthy option you can have instead of the unhealthy option.
Sweets Chronium Broccoli,grapes,cheese,chicken,beef
Carbon eggs,liver,fish,dairy,nuts,cranberries,turkey,
Phosphorus cabbage,sweet potato and spinach
Bread Nitrogen Anything high in protein so fish,meat, nuts
and beans
Fatty snacks Calcium Cheese,mustard,broccoli and sesame
like chips
Coffee Phosphorus Chicken,beef,liver,fish,eggs,dairy,nuts,
Sulphur legumes,red peppers,onions,garlic,meat,
Salt veggies,salt,apple cider vinegar,seaweed.
Iron
Alcohol Protein Meat,seafood,nuts,granola,oatmeal,
Avenin mustard,broccoli,cheese,sesame,kale,
Calcium raw cabbage juice,black olives,
Glutamin potato peel broth,seaweed,bitter greens
Potassium
Carbonated Drinks Calcium Mustard,turnip greens,broccoli,kale,
legumes,cheese,sesame
Salty foods Chloride Fish,unrefined sea salt and goats milk
Tobacco Silicon Nuts,seeds,orange,green and red fruits
Tyrosine and veg
So here is a list of things and what healthy option you can have instead of the unhealthy option.
If you crave: What your body needs: Healthy Option:
Sweets Chronium Broccoli,grapes,cheese,chicken,beef
Carbon eggs,liver,fish,dairy,nuts,cranberries,turkey,
Phosphorus cabbage,sweet potato and spinach
Bread Nitrogen Anything high in protein so fish,meat, nuts
and beans
Fatty snacks Calcium Cheese,mustard,broccoli and sesame
like chips
Coffee Phosphorus Chicken,beef,liver,fish,eggs,dairy,nuts,
Sulphur legumes,red peppers,onions,garlic,meat,
Salt veggies,salt,apple cider vinegar,seaweed.
Iron
Alcohol Protein Meat,seafood,nuts,granola,oatmeal,
Avenin mustard,broccoli,cheese,sesame,kale,
Calcium raw cabbage juice,black olives,
Glutamin potato peel broth,seaweed,bitter greens
Potassium
Carbonated Drinks Calcium Mustard,turnip greens,broccoli,kale,
legumes,cheese,sesame
Salty foods Chloride Fish,unrefined sea salt and goats milk
Tobacco Silicon Nuts,seeds,orange,green and red fruits
Tyrosine and veg
Home Remedies for Mosquito bites
Summer is something like 2 months away!!! Yipppeeee! Only down side is that mosquito's come out to play and if you are unlucky like me you get eaten away by them so I found a few home remedies to relieve the itch of the bites. I haven't tried them yet but i hope it works.
Hope they work :)
- Lemon Juice
- Baking Soda paste
- Banana peel
- Apple cider vinegar
- Lavender and tea tree oil
- Asprin
Hope they work :)
Saturday 21 July 2012
Egg Plant
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Tuesday 19 June 2012
Moods?????
So.... We all have our good days and our bad days and on the bad days you usually feel Stressed, Sluggish,Cranky,Anxious,Angry,Sad and PMS (yes said it). On those yukky bad days there is a way to fix it...without a pill...can you guess what it is?? The answer is ....... FOOD!!
BUT
Just remember... quantity...That great saying you always hear you need to keep in mind- all things are good in moderation.
So here is the list:
Feeling stressed? Chocolate is your answer!! Dark chocolate to be exact! Experts say that dark chocolate can actually reduce your stress hormones and known as cortisol and catecholamines which then reduces your anxiety giving you the chance to relax a bit. Even as little as 1 small square can do this so keep a slab around and have a square or even two every time you feel stressed or under pressure.
Sluggish- You know that terrible feeling where you are so tired you cant keep your eyes open or you just cant get yourself to focus on something? Spinach salad is what you need and not coffee like we think. Before i let you in on why spinach helps you must know the interesting reason to why we feel sluggish.... Impaired blood flow and nutrients to your brain does and this happens when you have high levels of homocysteine in your blood which damages your blood vessels which causes the impaired blood flow that then leaves you feeling sluggish. The reason why spinach makes you feel better is because it contains folic acid which lowers homocysteine levels. You actually don't have to stick to spinach because its not the only food that contains folic acid... any green leafy vegetables, potatoes, cereals and beans also contain folic acid.
The next one really like....
Apple with peanut butter :) yuuuuum! This is where I have to keep moderation in mind!!
So this is for when you feel cranky which usually comes with feeling tired and you actually don't have energy to do anything! All you need is to increase your energy levels and you can do so with carbohydrates but carbohydrates burn quick giving you a boost of energy and dropping you down. So... what you do is add a fat or a protein because fats and proteins take longer to digest which keep you going for a longer period of time so your apple is your carbohydrate and your peanut butter is your fat but its your HEALTHY fat because its also a protein. Try it - You wont be sorry!!
Anxious - Salmon burger or Salmon sushi
Salmon s a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which keeps your anxiety levels nice and low and even nicer it also reduces anger and irritability.
Green Tea for anger!!
So green tea contains caffeine and caffeine actually makes you get that angry feeling but because its such a small quantity in green tea you don't have to worry.Green tea contains theanine which helps calm you down and help you focus so I would say its good to sip on some green tea before a meeting.
Sad is next on the list...
We have a hormone which is called serotonin which you probably know all about but know it as the "happy Hormone" that calms you down, makes you feel happy or even relaxed. Vitamin D is the key to keeping this hormone level so low fat milk or mushrooms.
Last on the list is.... wait .... PMS....
Pms is a combination of two of the above... you want to combine carbohydrates and vitamin D. So an egg salad would be good to start with egg mayo salad. The egg provides protein and your mayo the serotnin making you feel satisfied and happy :)
Hope this helps for one of those bad days... Really try the apple and peanut butter :)
BUT
Just remember... quantity...That great saying you always hear you need to keep in mind- all things are good in moderation.
So here is the list:
Feeling stressed? Chocolate is your answer!! Dark chocolate to be exact! Experts say that dark chocolate can actually reduce your stress hormones and known as cortisol and catecholamines which then reduces your anxiety giving you the chance to relax a bit. Even as little as 1 small square can do this so keep a slab around and have a square or even two every time you feel stressed or under pressure.
Sluggish- You know that terrible feeling where you are so tired you cant keep your eyes open or you just cant get yourself to focus on something? Spinach salad is what you need and not coffee like we think. Before i let you in on why spinach helps you must know the interesting reason to why we feel sluggish.... Impaired blood flow and nutrients to your brain does and this happens when you have high levels of homocysteine in your blood which damages your blood vessels which causes the impaired blood flow that then leaves you feeling sluggish. The reason why spinach makes you feel better is because it contains folic acid which lowers homocysteine levels. You actually don't have to stick to spinach because its not the only food that contains folic acid... any green leafy vegetables, potatoes, cereals and beans also contain folic acid.
The next one really like....
Apple with peanut butter :) yuuuuum! This is where I have to keep moderation in mind!!
So this is for when you feel cranky which usually comes with feeling tired and you actually don't have energy to do anything! All you need is to increase your energy levels and you can do so with carbohydrates but carbohydrates burn quick giving you a boost of energy and dropping you down. So... what you do is add a fat or a protein because fats and proteins take longer to digest which keep you going for a longer period of time so your apple is your carbohydrate and your peanut butter is your fat but its your HEALTHY fat because its also a protein. Try it - You wont be sorry!!
Anxious - Salmon burger or Salmon sushi
Salmon s a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which keeps your anxiety levels nice and low and even nicer it also reduces anger and irritability.
Green Tea for anger!!
So green tea contains caffeine and caffeine actually makes you get that angry feeling but because its such a small quantity in green tea you don't have to worry.Green tea contains theanine which helps calm you down and help you focus so I would say its good to sip on some green tea before a meeting.
Sad is next on the list...
We have a hormone which is called serotonin which you probably know all about but know it as the "happy Hormone" that calms you down, makes you feel happy or even relaxed. Vitamin D is the key to keeping this hormone level so low fat milk or mushrooms.
Last on the list is.... wait .... PMS....
Pms is a combination of two of the above... you want to combine carbohydrates and vitamin D. So an egg salad would be good to start with egg mayo salad. The egg provides protein and your mayo the serotnin making you feel satisfied and happy :)
Hope this helps for one of those bad days... Really try the apple and peanut butter :)
Monday 18 June 2012
HeartBURN
Heartburn is a killer especially in winter because we are eating all the yummy foods to keep us warm but then it creeps up and then burns like fire keeping you up at night or just making your day unpleasant. I must say i suffer from heartburn from time to time because i like eating sweets and sugar adds to heartburn. Its not the only thing though so I found a chart that shows all the foods that are acid building and the ones that aren't.
Before I add the chart I just want to explain a teeny tiny bit about acid...
Basically you want a more Alkaline body as you are meant to feel healthier and of course you suffer from heartburn far less. Acid foods make you feel sluggish,tired, you can catch a cold or flu much easier, tummy cramps and what is worse is I have read that cancerous tissues are acidic so you do really want to avoid too much acid.
So here is the list of foods to munch and avoid:
Before I add the chart I just want to explain a teeny tiny bit about acid...
Basically you want a more Alkaline body as you are meant to feel healthier and of course you suffer from heartburn far less. Acid foods make you feel sluggish,tired, you can catch a cold or flu much easier, tummy cramps and what is worse is I have read that cancerous tissues are acidic so you do really want to avoid too much acid.
So here is the list of foods to munch and avoid:
...ALKALINE FOODS...
|
...ACIDIC FOODS...
|
||||
|
ALKALIZING VEGETABLES Alfalfa Barley Grass Beet Greens Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery Chard Greens Chlorella Collard Greens Cucumber Dandelions Dulce Edible Flowers Eggplant Fermented Veggies Garlic Green Beans Green Peas Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard Greens Nightshade Veggies Onions Parsnips (high glycemic) Peas Peppers Pumpkin Radishes Rutabaga Sea Veggies Spinach, green Spirulina Sprouts Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Watercress Wheat Grass Wild Greens ALKALIZING ORIENTAL VEGETABLES Daikon Dandelion Root Kombu Maitake Nori Reishi Shitake Umeboshi Wakame ALKALIZING FRUITS Apple Apricot Avocado Banana (high glycemic) Berries Blackberries Cantaloupe Cherries, sour Coconut, fresh Currants Dates, dried Figs, dried Grapes Grapefruit Honeydew Melon Lemon Lime Muskmelons Nectarine Orange Peach Pear Pineapple Raisins Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Tangerine Tomato Tropical Fruits Umeboshi Plums Watermelon ALKALIZING PROTEIN Almonds Chestnuts Millet Tempeh (fermented) Tofu (fermented) Whey Protein Powder ALKALIZING SWEETENERS Stevia ALKALIZING SPICES & SEASONINGS Chili Pepper Cinnamon Curry Ginger Herbs (all) Miso Mustard Sea Salt Tamari ALKALIZING OTHER Alkaline Antioxidant Water Apple Cider Vinegar Bee Pollen Fresh Fruit Juice Green Juices Lecithin Granules Mineral Water Molasses, blackstrap Probiotic Cultures Soured Dairy Products Veggie Juices ALKALIZING MINERALS Calcium: pH 12 Cesium: pH 14 Magnesium: pH 9 Potassium: pH 14 Sodium: pH |
ACIDIFYING VEGETABLES Corn Lentils Olives Winter Squash ACIDIFYING FRUITS Blueberries Canned or Glazed Fruits Cranberries Currants Plums** Prunes** ACIDIFYING GRAINS, GRAIN PRODUCTS Amaranth Barley Bran, oat Bran, wheat Bread Corn Cornstarch Crackers, soda Flour, wheat Flour, white Hemp Seed Flour Kamut Macaroni Noodles Oatmeal Oats (rolled) Quinoa Rice (all) Rice Cakes Rye Spaghetti Spelt Wheat Germ Wheat ACIDIFYING BEANS & LEGUMES Almond Milk Black Beans Chick Peas Green Peas Kidney Beans Lentils Pinto Beans Red Beans Rice Milk Soy Beans Soy Milk White Beans ACIDIFYING DAIRY Butter Cheese Cheese, Processed Ice Cream Ice Milk ACIDIFYING NUTS & BUTTERS Cashews Legumes Peanut Butter Peanuts Pecans Tahini Walnuts ACIDIFYING ANIMAL PROTEIN Bacon Beef Carp Clams Cod Corned Beef Fish Haddock Lamb Lobster Mussels Organ Meats Oyster Pike Pork Rabbit Salmon Sardines Sausage Scallops Shellfish Shrimp Tuna Turkey Veal Venison ACIDIFYING FATS & OILS Avacado Oil Butter Canola Oil Corn Oil Flax Oil Hemp Seed Oil Lard Olive Oil Safflower Oil Sesame Oil Sunflower Oil ACIDIFYING SWEETENERS Carob Corn Syrup Sugar ACIDIFYING ALCOHOL Beer Hard Liquor Spirits Wine ACIDIFYING OTHER FOODS Tomato sauce Cocoa Coffee Mustard Pepper Soft Drinks Vinegar ACIDIFYING DRUGS & CHEMICALS Aspirin Chemicals Drugs, Medicinal Drugs, Psychedelic Herbicides Pesticides |
Thursday 14 June 2012
Looking for a great aerobic exercise to do at home?
This type of exercise is just too nice...it's aerobic, improves your balance,agility, coordination and your speed as well as improves your core strength and helps develop nice sexy back muscles.
Whats even better is that you can do it anywhere...at home, on holiday, in doors, outdoors or where you want to and all you need is one piece of equipment....a skipping rope!!!
Before you can start skipping you need to make sure your rope is the correct length for you. To do this you stand on the rope and lift it up, the skipping rope handles should come up to your arm pits. When they do, you know you’ve got the right length.
Like any other form of exercise you need to start off slow...you don't want to go overboard and then not try again so ideally you want to skip at a nice moderate pace or a pace you are comfortable with for 30 seconds and then rest for 15seconds and repeat as many times as you can. If that is too relaxed for you go ahead and skip for 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds. It all just depends on what you feel comfortable with and how fit you are.
Take time and build it up...if you can only skip for 10 min today keep it at that and then try for 20 min next week...just keep on listening to your body. Then when you start getting used to that try different skipping styles. Different styles will again start using different muscles.
I will post a few pictures of the different styles for you to try out.
Whats even better is that you can do it anywhere...at home, on holiday, in doors, outdoors or where you want to and all you need is one piece of equipment....a skipping rope!!!
Before you can start skipping you need to make sure your rope is the correct length for you. To do this you stand on the rope and lift it up, the skipping rope handles should come up to your arm pits. When they do, you know you’ve got the right length.
Like any other form of exercise you need to start off slow...you don't want to go overboard and then not try again so ideally you want to skip at a nice moderate pace or a pace you are comfortable with for 30 seconds and then rest for 15seconds and repeat as many times as you can. If that is too relaxed for you go ahead and skip for 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds. It all just depends on what you feel comfortable with and how fit you are.
Take time and build it up...if you can only skip for 10 min today keep it at that and then try for 20 min next week...just keep on listening to your body. Then when you start getting used to that try different skipping styles. Different styles will again start using different muscles.
I will post a few pictures of the different styles for you to try out.
Alternating: as if you are running on the same spot.
Combination: do 8 basic and 8 alternating
High jump: same as alternating just that you lift your knee high towards your chest
Endurance: Any of the jumps and you try go for as long as you can with 1min breaks in between
Sunday 20 May 2012
Water Retention...sigh
Wow... Water retention sucks...It makes you feel like a big puffy cheese curl and you end up gaining 1.5kg over night and you cant squeeze into your jeans or your shoes!
Water retention and I are big friends...I happen to suffer from it a lot so now I have done some homework and found a few ways to get rid of it when it does happen to again so if you suffer from being turned into a sponge often here are a few tricks to try.
Drink More Water...Yes you did just read that! Apparently this actually helps relieve the bloating and if you don't actually drink water your body will just grab onto its fluid and keep it there.
Drop the salt - If your body is sensitive to sodium you will retain more after eating salt.
Drink/eat diuretics - Diuretics increase your rate of urination which is what you want... you want to get rid of that water. So here are your options; cranberry juice,
teas like green tea, rooibos tea and chamomile tea
asparagus
horseradish
watermelon and celery
Have less Carbs - Carbs are stored in your body as glycogen which has a higher water content which then adds to retaining more water. Protein on the other hand is a way better option because your body fluids are used in the breaking down process of protein.
BUT do note that i did say less carbs and not cut carbs out.
Limit your alcohol intake - We all know alcohol as something that dehydrates you but after consuming quite a bit it actually causes your body to retain water and causing you to bloat. An interesting fact about alcohol and why it causes you to bloat is that alcohol causes the secretion of an acid known as hydrochloric acid that erodes your stomach lining which causes the bloating because it makes your stomach vulnerable to digestive juices.
Eat warm foods - Cooked foods are easier to digest where cold foods aren't too easy.
Exercise - What exercise does is increases your circulation and moving the fluid around to your kidneys which then turns it into urine
Then there is always going for a good massage and acupuncture if you have time to.
I will be trying these out next time!!
Water retention and I are big friends...I happen to suffer from it a lot so now I have done some homework and found a few ways to get rid of it when it does happen to again so if you suffer from being turned into a sponge often here are a few tricks to try.
Drink More Water...Yes you did just read that! Apparently this actually helps relieve the bloating and if you don't actually drink water your body will just grab onto its fluid and keep it there.
Drop the salt - If your body is sensitive to sodium you will retain more after eating salt.
Drink/eat diuretics - Diuretics increase your rate of urination which is what you want... you want to get rid of that water. So here are your options; cranberry juice,
teas like green tea, rooibos tea and chamomile tea
asparagus
horseradish
watermelon and celery
Have less Carbs - Carbs are stored in your body as glycogen which has a higher water content which then adds to retaining more water. Protein on the other hand is a way better option because your body fluids are used in the breaking down process of protein.
BUT do note that i did say less carbs and not cut carbs out.
Limit your alcohol intake - We all know alcohol as something that dehydrates you but after consuming quite a bit it actually causes your body to retain water and causing you to bloat. An interesting fact about alcohol and why it causes you to bloat is that alcohol causes the secretion of an acid known as hydrochloric acid that erodes your stomach lining which causes the bloating because it makes your stomach vulnerable to digestive juices.
Eat warm foods - Cooked foods are easier to digest where cold foods aren't too easy.
Exercise - What exercise does is increases your circulation and moving the fluid around to your kidneys which then turns it into urine
Then there is always going for a good massage and acupuncture if you have time to.
I will be trying these out next time!!
Are you Obsessed??
I just had a conversation with someone who is worried about their friend who has suddenly become so obsessed with eating healthy and training that it has basically taken over their lives and I thought about it and there are actually so many people with this issue they just don't realize it so here are a few things I believe are signs that you are a tad bit too obsessed.
You exercise so hard to the point of pain and still push the the pain. BAD!!!! If you are feeling pain it is your body telling you it is going to get hurt so rather stop and give it a break!
You train for longer than 60 minutes... and yes intense exercise not low intensity with a lot of chatting. This is actually not good for your body because your stress hormones actually start increasing and your muscle building testosterone levels start dropping so you aren't actually getting any benefit from that extra hour after your first hour.
You put off important events to get to your workout.
You exercise while you are sick. EXTRA BAD!!! You can damage your heart for life if you train while you are sick!! Your heart goes under so much strain that you could actually get carried out the gym in a body bag if you push yourself while you are sick.
You actually don't enjoy your food you just eat what you have to to ensure that you have had enough kj to get back into the gym and try burn off double the amount you ate.
You count every single kj that you consume and if you just go a few numbers over your daily limit you feel guilty and push yourself way past your limits in the gym for that extra 2 or 4 kj's you consumed. Also another BAD thing... If you starve your body it will actually start storing those kj's that you actually do consume because it goes into a starving mode!
You Replace your food with gum or water... Same as above...You are sending your body into starvation mode!!!
So the point of this is.... Don't get obsessed and go overboard! There is a saying that moderation is the key to everything and if the few things listed above do apply to you...slow your swing down and enjoy the ride...being fit and healthy shouldn't be controlling your life and be a must do and a punishment for your body...it should be fun and enjoyable!!!
Look after your body... It is after all the only one you have.
You exercise so hard to the point of pain and still push the the pain. BAD!!!! If you are feeling pain it is your body telling you it is going to get hurt so rather stop and give it a break!
You train for longer than 60 minutes... and yes intense exercise not low intensity with a lot of chatting. This is actually not good for your body because your stress hormones actually start increasing and your muscle building testosterone levels start dropping so you aren't actually getting any benefit from that extra hour after your first hour.
You put off important events to get to your workout.
You exercise while you are sick. EXTRA BAD!!! You can damage your heart for life if you train while you are sick!! Your heart goes under so much strain that you could actually get carried out the gym in a body bag if you push yourself while you are sick.
You actually don't enjoy your food you just eat what you have to to ensure that you have had enough kj to get back into the gym and try burn off double the amount you ate.
You count every single kj that you consume and if you just go a few numbers over your daily limit you feel guilty and push yourself way past your limits in the gym for that extra 2 or 4 kj's you consumed. Also another BAD thing... If you starve your body it will actually start storing those kj's that you actually do consume because it goes into a starving mode!
You Replace your food with gum or water... Same as above...You are sending your body into starvation mode!!!
So the point of this is.... Don't get obsessed and go overboard! There is a saying that moderation is the key to everything and if the few things listed above do apply to you...slow your swing down and enjoy the ride...being fit and healthy shouldn't be controlling your life and be a must do and a punishment for your body...it should be fun and enjoyable!!!
Look after your body... It is after all the only one you have.
Friday 27 April 2012
Some of my studios equipment
Mat work and equipment work are both great fun and I always share mat work exercises but never really any machine work so here are some pictures of what can be done on my reformer and wunda chair :)
This is my FAVOURITE!!!! Its a great hammie stretch.
Triceps!!!
Abs! Abs! ABS!
Damn it is super hard to work your lower abs and your upper abs at the same time but I have just the exercise for you!! I love doing it and it is even nice to do after doing a set of chest lifts because then you really feel the burn in your upper abs.
Starting Position:
Start with your hands behind your head and your head, neck and shoulders in a chest lift keeping your shoulder blades off the ground and then your legs extended out to 45 degrees. If your back does arch in this position take your legs up higher and closer to 90 degrees instead of lower to the ground.
Movement:
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Increase your crunch and curl your legs in to table top or into your chest.
Inhale: Extend back to starting position by slowly curling your back down on the mat and legs to 45 degrees on the height you feel comfortable with.
Repeat 15 to 20 times.
Important!!
If you have a very arched back concentrate really hard on not arching your back and keeping your legs closer to 90 degrees than lower to avoid a back injury!
Hint:
If you curl your tail bone up nice and high when you pull your legs to table top the more your lower abs will work.
Starting Position:
Start with your hands behind your head and your head, neck and shoulders in a chest lift keeping your shoulder blades off the ground and then your legs extended out to 45 degrees. If your back does arch in this position take your legs up higher and closer to 90 degrees instead of lower to the ground.
Movement:
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Increase your crunch and curl your legs in to table top or into your chest.
Inhale: Extend back to starting position by slowly curling your back down on the mat and legs to 45 degrees on the height you feel comfortable with.
Repeat 15 to 20 times.
Important!!
If you have a very arched back concentrate really hard on not arching your back and keeping your legs closer to 90 degrees than lower to avoid a back injury!
Hint:
If you curl your tail bone up nice and high when you pull your legs to table top the more your lower abs will work.
Sunday 22 April 2012
Thursday 19 April 2012
Fun Fact
26 grams of fat in some of the larger sized popcorn boxes of oil popped popcorn at the cinemas. This adds up to as many kilojuoles as a Mcdonalds Cheeseburger and Medium chips. Ouch...Im staying away from oil popped popcorn for a while ;)
Saturday 7 April 2012
Leg Circles in a Shoulder Bridge Position
Focus:
Abdominals
Hamstrings
Hip Extensors
Aim:
Core strength
Hamstring strength and length
Abdominal strength
Pelvic Stability
Hip mobility
Starting Position:
Lie on your back with your knees bent, heels close to your tailbone and your arms by your side reaching towards your heels.
Movement:
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Pelvic Curl up 1 vertebrae at a time until you are on your shoulders
Inhale: Extend 1 leg up into the air as straight as you can.
Exhale Pause
Inhale: Slightly lower your leg to the side.
Exhale: Complete your circle
Repeat 8 times in each direction.
Inhale on the last complete circle
Exhale: Lower leg down.
Repeat on your other side.
Do Not:
Let pelvic drop
Over extend your spine
Do:
Keep your pelvic and abdominals stable
Keep the range of movement controlled and small.
Focus:
Abdominals
Hamstrings
Hip Extensors
Aim:
Core strength
Hamstring strength and length
Abdominal strength
Pelvic Stability
Hip mobility
Starting Position:
Lie on your back with your knees bent, heels close to your tailbone and your arms by your side reaching towards your heels.
Movement:
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Pelvic Curl up 1 vertebrae at a time until you are on your shoulders
Inhale: Extend 1 leg up into the air as straight as you can.
Exhale Pause
Inhale: Slightly lower your leg to the side.
Exhale: Complete your circle
Repeat 8 times in each direction.
Inhale on the last complete circle
Exhale: Lower leg down.
Repeat on your other side.
Do Not:
Let pelvic drop
Over extend your spine
Do:
Keep your pelvic and abdominals stable
Keep the range of movement controlled and small.
Monday 26 March 2012
Flourless Chocolate Cake
This cake is perfect for any gluten-free friends or family members
Ingredients
- 500g chopped dark chocolate
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- 2tbsp Frangelico or brandy
- 165g ground hazelnuts
- 250ml cream, whipped
- Icing sugar to dust, and cream, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2. Grease a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
- Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Half fill a saucepan with water, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and sit the bowl over the pan (don’t let the bowl touch the water or the chocolate will get too
hot and seize). Stir occasionally until the chocolate melts. - Put the eggs in a heatproof bowl and add the Frangelico. Put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water — don’t let it touch the water. Beat the eggs with electric beaters on high speed for 7 minutes, or until light and foamy. Remove from the heat.
- Using a metal spoon, quickly and lightly fold the chocolate and ground hazelnuts into the eggs. Fold in the whipped cream and pour the mixture into the cake tin. Put the cake tin in a roasting tin and pour enough boiling water into the roasting tin to come halfway up the side of the cake tin. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean when poked into the centre of the cake. Remove the cake tin from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Turn out the cake onto a plate, remove the paper and cut into slices.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.
- Serves: 10
- Prep time: 20 mins
- Cooking time: 1 hr
- Total time: 1 hr 20 mins
Nutritional informationGuideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.
Thursday 2 February 2012
GrapeFruit Smoothie
I love grapefruit in the morning :) Grapefruit speeds up your metabolism and helps you lose weight.
Grapefruit Smoothie
Ingredients
1 1/3 Cup Fresh Red grapefruit juice
8 Large strawberries
2 Medium bananas
1 (8oz) container strawberry yoghurt
2 tbsp Honey
1 cup Crushed ice
How to make it:
Place the grapefruit juice, strawberries, bananas,yoghurt, honey and ice into a blender and blend until smooth.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 361
Total fat: 1.8g
Cholesterol: 5g
Grapefruit Smoothie
Ingredients
1 1/3 Cup Fresh Red grapefruit juice
8 Large strawberries
2 Medium bananas
1 (8oz) container strawberry yoghurt
2 tbsp Honey
1 cup Crushed ice
How to make it:
Place the grapefruit juice, strawberries, bananas,yoghurt, honey and ice into a blender and blend until smooth.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 361
Total fat: 1.8g
Cholesterol: 5g
Monday 30 January 2012
A bit of Protein
If you are lacking some energy and your muscles feel a bit tired this s a good smoothie for you and its really good for men and even the ladies who are doing a bit of weight training.
AND if you enjoy the Kuai one this one you will really love because it tastes the same and is slightly lower in calories than the Kuai one.
Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Banana
1 1/4 Cup Sliced fresh strawberries (yuuuum)
10 Whole almonds
2 tbsp Water
1 Cup Ice cubes
3 tbsp Chocolate flavoured protein powder ( yum yum)
How to make it:
Place the Banana, strawberries, almonds and water into a blender. Blend to mix then add the ice cubes and puree until smooth. Add the protein powder and continue mixing until evenly incorporated, which is about 30 seconds.
Nutritional Information:
Calories; 349
Total fat: 8.1
Cholesterol: 0mg
AND if you enjoy the Kuai one this one you will really love because it tastes the same and is slightly lower in calories than the Kuai one.
Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Banana
1 1/4 Cup Sliced fresh strawberries (yuuuum)
10 Whole almonds
2 tbsp Water
1 Cup Ice cubes
3 tbsp Chocolate flavoured protein powder ( yum yum)
How to make it:
Place the Banana, strawberries, almonds and water into a blender. Blend to mix then add the ice cubes and puree until smooth. Add the protein powder and continue mixing until evenly incorporated, which is about 30 seconds.
Nutritional Information:
Calories; 349
Total fat: 8.1
Cholesterol: 0mg
Pilates Exercise of the Day!
Hamstring Pull
This is a great ab workout plus a very nice stretch for tight hammies.
Muscle Focus:
Abdominals
Objectives:
Strengthen abdominals
Develop pelvic stabilisation
Increase hamstring and hip flexor flexibility
Starting position:
Lie on your back and bring your legs up to table top position and then pull yourself up into a chest lift and straighten your legs.
Movement:
Place your hands behind your one legs knee and lower the other leg down hovering off the mat.
Exhale: Pull your leg closer in to your chest deepening your core contraction doing two pulses...Exhale two small puffs on each pulse.
Inhale: change legs still keeping in a chest lift position.
Exhale: Pulse leg twice towards yourself still exhaling small puffs on each pulse.
so Its Exhale(pulse)exhale(pulse) Inhale (swap), exhale(pulse)exhale(pulse)
Try 6-8 on each leg
Remember:
Keep your hands behind your knees if your flexibility will allow it.
Keep lumbar spine in the mat on the changes
Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed even though they are up in a chest lift position.
This is a great ab workout plus a very nice stretch for tight hammies.
Muscle Focus:
Abdominals
Objectives:
Strengthen abdominals
Develop pelvic stabilisation
Increase hamstring and hip flexor flexibility
Starting position:
Lie on your back and bring your legs up to table top position and then pull yourself up into a chest lift and straighten your legs.
Movement:
Place your hands behind your one legs knee and lower the other leg down hovering off the mat.
Exhale: Pull your leg closer in to your chest deepening your core contraction doing two pulses...Exhale two small puffs on each pulse.
Inhale: change legs still keeping in a chest lift position.
Exhale: Pulse leg twice towards yourself still exhaling small puffs on each pulse.
so Its Exhale(pulse)exhale(pulse) Inhale (swap), exhale(pulse)exhale(pulse)
Try 6-8 on each leg
Remember:
Keep your hands behind your knees if your flexibility will allow it.
Keep lumbar spine in the mat on the changes
Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed even though they are up in a chest lift position.
Watermelon Smoothie
Every weekend someone pops by here with a watermelon and no one really gets through these large watermelons so whats better than a watermelon smoothie??
Plus
This is so far the best smoothie because its the one that is the lowest in calories!!!!!!! Who would have guest that??
Watermelon Smoothie
Ingredients
4 Cups Cubed seedless watermelon
10 Ice cubes
1/3 Cup fresh lime juice
1/4 White sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
How to make it:
Place the watermelon and the ice into the blender. Pour in the lime juice, sugar and salt. Blend until smooth.
This recipe does make 5...made for the whole famdamaly!
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 82
Total fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 0g
Plus
This is so far the best smoothie because its the one that is the lowest in calories!!!!!!! Who would have guest that??
Watermelon Smoothie
Ingredients
4 Cups Cubed seedless watermelon
10 Ice cubes
1/3 Cup fresh lime juice
1/4 White sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
How to make it:
Place the watermelon and the ice into the blender. Pour in the lime juice, sugar and salt. Blend until smooth.
This recipe does make 5...made for the whole famdamaly!
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 82
Total fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sunday 29 January 2012
Hmmmm Honey and Mango
Honey and Mango Smoothie again but a tad bit different and a few more calories than yesterdays one.
Honey Mango Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Mango- Peeled, seeded and cubed
1 1/2 Cups Milk
3 tbsp Honey
1 Cup ice cubes
How to make it:
Place the mango, milk,honey and ice-cubes into a blender. Cover up and blend until smooth. Serve Immediately.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 225g
Total fat:3.9g
Cholesterol: 15mg
I must say I loooove the milk in this one!
Honey Mango Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Mango- Peeled, seeded and cubed
1 1/2 Cups Milk
3 tbsp Honey
1 Cup ice cubes
How to make it:
Place the mango, milk,honey and ice-cubes into a blender. Cover up and blend until smooth. Serve Immediately.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 225g
Total fat:3.9g
Cholesterol: 15mg
I must say I loooove the milk in this one!
Pilates Exercise Of the Day
Something more challenging today... Its the roll up... but on a foam roller! A foam roller is really worth buying... its great on your back for stretching it out and relaxing your muscles. When you look at the image you wont think so but it is just one of those things that you must just try out to believe it.
Roll-up on the foam Roller
Muscle focus
Abdominals ( 1 roll-up = to 6 crunches so great abdominal work)
Objectives
To strengthen the abdominal muscles
To develop spinal mobility and stability
To stretch the muscles of the back
Increase balance
Starting position:
Lie on the roller with your head on one end of the roller and your tail bone on the other end of the roller.
Pull your navel to spine and imprint your pelvis into a neutral postion.
Arms straight up at 90 degrees
Motion
Inhale: Lift your head, neck and shoulders taking your arms down to just above your waist.
Exhale: Pull into your abdominals and sit up nice and straight.
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Roll all the way back down onto the roller, 1 vertebrae at a time.
Remember:
Maintain a C curve rolling up
Keep your head in line with your spine
do relax your shoulders and not pull them up to your ears.
Nice and easy? I would say it is. If this is too hard for you and you find that you are lifting your feet you can move your feet slightly away from your body...the closer your feet are to your body the harder it is.
A foam roller can be pricey if you shop in the wrong place. At dischem they are the cheapest at R110 instead of R400 to R550.
Roll-up on the foam Roller
Muscle focus
Abdominals ( 1 roll-up = to 6 crunches so great abdominal work)
Objectives
To strengthen the abdominal muscles
To develop spinal mobility and stability
To stretch the muscles of the back
Increase balance
Starting position:
Lie on the roller with your head on one end of the roller and your tail bone on the other end of the roller.
Pull your navel to spine and imprint your pelvis into a neutral postion.
Arms straight up at 90 degrees
Motion
Inhale: Lift your head, neck and shoulders taking your arms down to just above your waist.
Exhale: Pull into your abdominals and sit up nice and straight.
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Roll all the way back down onto the roller, 1 vertebrae at a time.
Remember:
Maintain a C curve rolling up
Keep your head in line with your spine
do relax your shoulders and not pull them up to your ears.
Nice and easy? I would say it is. If this is too hard for you and you find that you are lifting your feet you can move your feet slightly away from your body...the closer your feet are to your body the harder it is.
A foam roller can be pricey if you shop in the wrong place. At dischem they are the cheapest at R110 instead of R400 to R550.
Saturday 28 January 2012
Exercise of the Day!
Wow...I haven't done a Pilate's exercise of the day in ages...I would say I'm slacking big time!
So to ease back into it I will start off with something nice and simple but still good core work.
Shoulder bridge Prep
Muscle Focus
Abdominal muscles (of course, of course)
Hamstrings
Objectives
To strengthen the Hamstrings
To stabilise the pelvic-lumbar region
To develop hip disassociation ( very important)
To Improve back extensors control
Lets go!
Starting Position
Lie on the mat
Imprint your spine and pelvis into neutral
Relax your shoulders and walk your fingers down to your heels
Motion
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Curl your pelvis up, 1 vertebrae at a time into a nice pelvic curl
Inhale:Prepare
Exhale: Lift our leg up from your hp joint maintaining the 90 degree angle at your knee.
Inhale: lower your leg down still maintaining the 90 degree angle and just lightly tapping your toe to the mat.
After 6 repetitions lower your leg to the ground and do the same on the other leg.
Once you have done a set on each leg lower your foot to the ground and pause and restabalise your pelvis while inhaling and as you exhale slowly roll back down onto the mat, one vertebrae at a time.
Remember:
Keep 90 degree angle at your knee when moving your leg
Initiate the movement from your hip while keeping the pelvis level
So to ease back into it I will start off with something nice and simple but still good core work.
Shoulder bridge Prep
Muscle Focus
Abdominal muscles (of course, of course)
Hamstrings
Objectives
To strengthen the Hamstrings
To stabilise the pelvic-lumbar region
To develop hip disassociation ( very important)
To Improve back extensors control
Lets go!
Starting Position
Lie on the mat
Imprint your spine and pelvis into neutral
Relax your shoulders and walk your fingers down to your heels
Motion
Inhale: Prepare
Exhale: Curl your pelvis up, 1 vertebrae at a time into a nice pelvic curl
Inhale:Prepare
Exhale: Lift our leg up from your hp joint maintaining the 90 degree angle at your knee.
Inhale: lower your leg down still maintaining the 90 degree angle and just lightly tapping your toe to the mat.
After 6 repetitions lower your leg to the ground and do the same on the other leg.
Once you have done a set on each leg lower your foot to the ground and pause and restabalise your pelvis while inhaling and as you exhale slowly roll back down onto the mat, one vertebrae at a time.
Remember:
Keep 90 degree angle at your knee when moving your leg
Initiate the movement from your hip while keeping the pelvis level
Honey Mango Smoothie
This smoothie was to die for!! We have an overflow of honey in this house so today's smoothie and tomorrows smoothies will have honey in.
Honey Mango Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Mango- Peeled, seeded and cubed
1 tbsp White sugar
2 tbsp Honey
1 Cup non fat milk
1tsp Lemon juice
1 cup Ice cubes
How to make it:
Place the mango, sugar and honey into a blender, pour in the milk and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
Divide the ice cubes between 2 serving glasses.
Pour the mango smoothie over ice to serve
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 199
Total Fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol:2mg
Honey Mango Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Mango- Peeled, seeded and cubed
1 tbsp White sugar
2 tbsp Honey
1 Cup non fat milk
1tsp Lemon juice
1 cup Ice cubes
How to make it:
Place the mango, sugar and honey into a blender, pour in the milk and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
Divide the ice cubes between 2 serving glasses.
Pour the mango smoothie over ice to serve
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 199
Total Fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol:2mg
Thursday 26 January 2012
Delicious Smoothy
My mom and I have decided we will have smoothies every morning for breakfast as a change so I'm going to update you with smoothie recipes everyday if I can :)
Cherry Almond
Ingredients
1 (226g) container Cherry yoghurt
1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 Banana peeled
1/4 cup low fat cream
1tsp Almond extract
Serves 2
How to make it:
In the blender mix all the ingredients together and blend until nice and smooth.
Nutritional Information:
Calories 239
Total fat:4.7g
Cholesterol: 16mg
Cherry Almond
Ingredients
1 (226g) container Cherry yoghurt
1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 Banana peeled
1/4 cup low fat cream
1tsp Almond extract
Serves 2
How to make it:
In the blender mix all the ingredients together and blend until nice and smooth.
Nutritional Information:
Calories 239
Total fat:4.7g
Cholesterol: 16mg
Monday 2 January 2012
Gluten free Shortbread
Super Duper Easy Gluten free Shortbread
Only makes 6 so if you want to make more double up the quantity.
What you need:
100ml Rice flour
50ml Potato flour
30ml Castor sugar
50ml Cardin Margarine
What to do:
Sift the flour and ass the sugar.
Rub in the margarine using your fingers
knead well.
Spray and cook a small bread tin approximately 9 x 19cm.
Press the dough in evenly. Prick well with a fork. Bake at 170 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden in colour.
Mark off 6 fingers while warm.
Remove carefully when cool and sprinkle castor sugar on.
I would post a picture but I ate them all before I thought of a picture :P
Only makes 6 so if you want to make more double up the quantity.
What you need:
100ml Rice flour
50ml Potato flour
30ml Castor sugar
50ml Cardin Margarine
What to do:
Sift the flour and ass the sugar.
Rub in the margarine using your fingers
knead well.
Spray and cook a small bread tin approximately 9 x 19cm.
Press the dough in evenly. Prick well with a fork. Bake at 170 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden in colour.
Mark off 6 fingers while warm.
Remove carefully when cool and sprinkle castor sugar on.
I would post a picture but I ate them all before I thought of a picture :P
Smoothie Time
Super-C Smoothie
What you will need:
110g (3 large or 5 medium) strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 thin slice (100g) watermelon or sweet melon, seeds and rind removed and flesh cubed
half a small banana
45ml strawberry yoghurt
30ml orange juice
5ml honey
What to do:
Put the fruit in a blender and blitz until pureed. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz to combine.
Pour into a glass to serve
This recipe couldn't have been easier or more delish.
What you will need:
110g (3 large or 5 medium) strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 thin slice (100g) watermelon or sweet melon, seeds and rind removed and flesh cubed
half a small banana
45ml strawberry yoghurt
30ml orange juice
5ml honey
What to do:
Put the fruit in a blender and blitz until pureed. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz to combine.
Pour into a glass to serve
This recipe couldn't have been easier or more delish.
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