Snacking – let’s get it right
Mid-meal snacking is the most challenging part for people when it comes to making appropriate choices within their daily dietary pattern. This is where most of us tend to stray from our otherwise healthy diet and undo all our awesome work. Saying this, snacking between meals can be essential for some to: To maintain balanced blood sugar levels; To keep you satisfied for longer and manage appetite control; To maximise energy levels; To maximise concentration levels; and, When...
Pilates for Back Pain
Pilates is frequently recommended by doctors and physiotherapists to help with existing back pain and in the prevention of future back issues. We know that Pilates helps with strengthening the back, but what other benefits can can you experience: Here are our top 3: 1. Core Strengthening Our core muscles support our spine and having strong abdominal muscles will support and ease pressure on the back. If lower back muscles are weak, our body will rely more heavily on passive structures (ie. ligaments) as well as...
Power of the Pose: Twist
Twists are a wonderful way to realign and restore range of motion in the spine and stimulate circulation. As many of us live a relatively sedentary life, we can lose the full range of spinal mobility which can result in muscle tightness and shortening of the soft tissues. Regular twisting can also help to maintain spinal discs and facet joints (the small joints at the back of the spine where two vertebrae overlap). Begin on your back,...
Is your sleep on track?
Check the questions below (issued by the National Sleep Foundation) to see if your sleep is on track: You fall asleep within 15-20 minutes of lying down to sleep. You regularly sleep a total of seven to nine hours in a 24-hour period. While in your bed, your sleep is continuous—you don’t have long periods of lying awake when you wish to be sleeping. You wake up feeling refreshed, as if you’ve “filled the tank.” ...
Eggplant & Crispy Chickpeas with Tahini
8 ingredients · 40 minutes · 2 servings Directions Preheat the oven to 425F (218ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the eggplant on the sheet, cut side facing up and brush with half the avocado oil. Lightly dry the chickpeas with paper towel and add to a medium-sized bowl. Toss with half the sea salt and cumin. Add the chickpeas to the baking sheet alongside the eggplant. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove,...
5 Ways to Embed a New Habit
To establish a new habit, we need a certain amount of discipline. There are however some tricks to make the process easier, whether it’s adding something new to your life or stopping something you’ve been doing for years, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to make things easier. Remove Temptation If you planning to stop an activity, then remove the temptation around you. Less on-line shopping? Just cancel the credit card. Want to eat better?...
Power of the Pose: Push-ups
As a fast and effective way to strengthen the upper body you can't beat the traditional push-up. With the correct alignment you will work into the pectoral muscles, triceps and shoulders as well as abdominals and the muscles spanning the lower back. For the traditional version, begin with your hands flat to the mat, shoulder-width apart and fingers facing forward. Scoop the abdominals in, press heels back and slowly lower your body in a straight line towards the floor (avoid...
How to boost a sluggish metabolism
While we can't really change our basal metabolic rate (the rate at which our body uses energy for basic functions, eg, breathing, circulating blood around the body, regulating hormones etc), we do have a lot of impact on our overall metabolism. Movement and general activity has a huge affect on our metabolic rate. Have you ever wondered why people who naturally move quickly and are agile tend to be slimmer? Integrating additional activity into the small pockets...
Why we should eat 30+ plant foods per week
Each and every one of you knows that eating an abundance of plant foods is ideal for a healthy diet. You simply work along a continuum regarding how much you are actually going to exercise this knowledge within your day-to-day life. The question many clients have had for me is "what is an abundance?" In volume and variety. According to the American and British Gut Projects, the sweet spot for optimal gut bacteria diversity occurred when 30...
The Wonders of Water
When the weather is cooler we often find that drinking water becomes an afterthought and we drink considerably less that in the warmer months. Maintaining good levels of hydration is essential for our bodies to function well. Not only can this reduce brain fog but it’s easy to confuse feelings of hunger with feelings of thirst which results in eating more that our bodies need. Why staying hydrated is important: * Water helps to lubricate & cushion...