Make these tasty vegan tacos with a smoky-sweet salsa and pack in all of your 5-a-day in one meal. Kiwi brings a moreish, fruity dimension to the salsa too. INGREDIENTS 175g pack baby corn 1 large red onion, sliced 1 red capsicum, deseeded and roughly chopped ½ tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp olive oil 1large ripe kiwi, halved lengthways 1large tomato , halved 100g wholemeal flour , plus extra for rolling 1 large garlic clove 15g fresh coriander , chopped 1 tsp vegan bouillon powder ½ tsp smoked paprika 85g red cabbage , finely shredded METHOD Heat oven to 220C/200C. Pile in the corn, red onion and capsicum into a large shallow roasting tin and toss with the cumin seeds and oil. Add the kiwi and tomato on one side of the tin and roast for 20 mins. Meanwhile, mix 60ml water into the flour with the blade of a knife to make a dough. Knead briefly until smooth, then cut equally into four and roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into a 16cm round tortilla. Cover with a tea towel to stop them drying out. Remove the cooked tomato and kiwi from the tin and return the veg to the oven for 10 mins. Remove the skin from the kiwi and scoop the flesh into a bowl with the tomato, garlic, half the coriander, bouillon and paprika. Use a hand blender to blitz to a smooth salsa. Heat a large non-stick frying pan, without oil, and cook the tortillas one at a time for a minute on one side and about 10 seconds on the other, until you see them puff up a little. Spread a tortilla with some salsa, top with cabbage and roasted veg, then scatter with the remaining coriander. Add a spoonful more salsa and eat with your hands. Original recipe taken from BBC good food

12/01/21 GETTING STARTED THE SMART WAY The scientific secrets to starting an exercise regime you can stick with. START AN EXERCISE REGIME YOU CAN STICK WITH Emma Hogan – Fit Planet by Les Mills So this is the year you’re going to get fit. But have you really thought it through? What exactly are you going to do? What’s realistic? How much is too much? And, most importantly, what’s the secret to sticking with it? Every New Year, thousands of well-meaning rookies will join gyms and fitness facilities with their resolutions at the ready. By the end of 30 days, almost half of them will be back to square one, defeated, discouraged and no closer to a healthier life. It turns out that fitness is just like any addiction – it all starts with a small dose. “Too many people make the mistake of leaping into exercise when baby steps are what’s needed,” says Bryce Hastings, Les Mills Head of Research. He suggests any newbie exerciser keeps these three things firmly front of mind: · Start slow – Don’t push your body too soon, stop your workout when things are feeling tough · Build gradually – Aim towards staying for a full workout as your fitness builds · Mix it up – Include a mix of strength, cardio and flexibility training A slow start, building gradually and incorporating variety is an approach that’s scientifically proven to work. Get Fit Together, a study conducted by Penn State University, followed 25 sedentary adults through a 30-week program of LES MILLS™ classes including a mix of cardio, strength and flexibility. The group saw awesome results – so awesome that they extended their life spans by an average of 3.6 years. You can read more about the results here. But the really interesting news was that over the 30 week study, 20 out of 25 study participants never missed a workout – a compliance rate of 98.8 per cent – almost unheard of in studies of this type. Despite each of these programs being highly engaging, the real key was the gradual way in which the exercisers adapted to their new routine. An initial six week period encouraged them to “dip their toes” into fitness before ramping up the intensity with a full six-day-a-week exercise schedule. So instead of being overwhelmed by it all, feeling sore from overworking unfit muscles and giving up, they actually enjoyed it. Using these research insights (and a wealth of wider fitness and motivation expertise) Les Mills developed the SMART START program – a six guide to successfully taking your fitness to the next level. Get the SMART START workout schedule here. Remember, the first step to fitness isn’t a leap. The key is to start slow, keep it fresh but most importantly, have fun and the results should follow! This piece originally appeared on LesMills.com _ The Team at Northern Arena #changinglives

12/01/21 This month we are introducing some new cardio equipment on trial. We'd love to know what you think? The PowerMill Climber uses SureStepSystem Technology to ensure smooth motion and a large range of available speeds for a wide range of exercisers. PowerMill has a large usable step space, intuitive console choices provide entertainment, workout tracking and detailed product use information. The Hammer Strength HD Sparc is the ultimate in performance trainer for explosiveness and power with no impact stress on knees or joints. It requires a high-knee and glute driving force which is ideal for developing maximum force and sprint speed. See here for more _ The Team at Northern Arena #changinglives

Christmas Opening Hours Read it ... Swim & Aqau Changes in 2022 Read it ... Member of the Month Nominate ... Orange Door Music Request Request it ... Holiday Group Fitness Timetable Read it ... Cauliflower & Squash Fritters Make it ... WOD - Decumulator Do it ...

Roast the veg on a quiet day and freeze it, then later in the week you can use it to whip up these healthy, gluten-free fritters in just half an hour. INGREDIENTS 100g gram (chickpea) flour 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground cumin small bunch coriander , finely chopped (optional) oil , for shallow frying 150g natural yogurt 1 garlic clove , crushed 75g vegetarian feta , mashed 2 tbsp finely chopped mint pitta breads and salad, to serve For the roast cauliflower & squash base 1 cauliflower , split into florets, the stalk cut into cubes ½ large butternut squash , cut into cubes 1 tbsp oil METHOD Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss the cauliflower and squash in oil and spread it out on a large oven tray. Roast for 25 mins, or until tender. If you're making the base ahead of time, you can leave it to cool at this stage then freeze in an airtight container for up to a month. (Defrost fully before using in the next step.) Put the flour in a bowl and gradually stir in 125-150ml water to make a batter as thick as double cream. Stir in the turmeric and cumin and some seasoning. Break up the cauliflower and squash a little and mix it gently into the batter. Add the coriander, if using. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and when it is hot, drop 2 heaped tbsps of the mixture into the pan, spaced apart. Fry until the fritters are dark golden, about 2-3 mins each side. Remove, keep warm and repeat with the remaining batter. Mix the yogurt with the garlic, feta and mint. Serve the fritters with the mint & feta dip, some salad and pitta breads.

23/11/21 Yay, swimming lessons are back on! We are ready for the first day back in lessons on Friday 3 December following government guidelines. Please login to double-check your next swim lesson time and date. Swimming lessons have been suspended for free for the period we have been closed. Lessons paid in advance have been credited to swim school accounts for when we reopen. Whilst using the swim school your health and safety is our number 1 priority with the following procedures in place. Lessons will begin again on Friday 3 December – Please check online for your day and time. The last day of swim lessons this year is Thursday 23 December. At this stage, all staff and anyone eligible for a vaccine coming into the facility are required to be vaccinated unless your are medically exempt. (Please note we are seeking clarification on children aged 12-18 years). You will be required to show or scan your vaccine pass. Here’s some instructions on how to obtain your Vaccine pass if you haven’t already My Vaccine Pass | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz) - Please have your vaccine certificate ready on entry. Masks are strongly recommended to be worn when you enter the building. They are not required to be worn in the pool and pool hall. Please use the sanitisers provided before entering the facility or at one of the alternative wash stations. As always please scan your Northern Arena swipe card to mark your attendance of your lesson. To assist with social distancing, we encourage you to limit caregivers to one per family (where possible). We encourage all swimmers to change at home before and after your lessons where possible. There is a separate entrance available for the 8-lane pool. Please advise your children to follow the entry and exit of class directions given by the teachers and deck supervisors. Please respect other people’s space in and around the facility. Additional cleaning remains in place. Where possible use the contactless entry and designated exit point. Should you prefer private lessons we can accommodate these at quieter times. Please contact reception for further information. We will continue to keep you updated on any changes to the situation as soon as possible. Thank you for understanding. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to message us at info@northernarena.co.nz or call 094219700. As you can appreciate, our enquiry volume is higher than usual at this time, so there may be some delay in responding. We can't wait to see you again back in swimming lessons. _ The Team at Northern Arena

22/11/21 Fantastic news! On December 3, we will be moving to the traffic light system and opening our doors. As it stands right now we wanted to update you on what will be happening at Northern Arena Gym. As always your health and safety is paramount whilst using the gym. The following explains what this means to you and your gym and what happens when we go to the red light: We will be able to open our doors again for the Gym, Pool and Group Fitness Classes on Friday 3 December. At this stage, all staff and anyone coming into the gym must be vaccinated unless you are medically exempt. You will be required to show or scan your vaccine pass. Here’s some instructions on how to obtain your Vaccine pass if you haven’t already My Vaccine Pass | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz) You will only need your vaccine pass verified once for your gym membership. You will not need to show your pass each time you attend the gym. Masks are recommended at Northern Arena, however these do not need to be worn whist you are exercising. Group Fitness capacity will be changed in accordance with 1m social distancing government guidelines. We will have a station set up in the YARD this week if you would like to get ahead of the crowd and have your vaccine pass verified and linked to your membership in advance of us reopening. FAQ's Can I just email you my vaccine pass or proof of vaccine? Sorry no, we have to verify your pass in person, (we are not allowed to keep any data relating to your health status) and the vaccine pass is the only accepted form of proof. Do you keep any record of my vaccine pass on your system? No, we put the expiry of your pass into our system, and that is all. I am vaccination exempt. What do I do? If you are exempt from the vaccine, you will still be provided with a vaccination certificate. We will need to view this in the same way as any other vaccination certificates. No other form of proof will be accepted. Can you run outside classes for non-vaccinated? Not at Red, at this stage we believe this may be possible at Orange with distancing and capacity limits. We are awaiting more information on this. Are there any restrictions on class numbers? At Red, yes there are. Distancing required is 1 metre and a maximum of 100 people in each designated space. This will mean a slight reduction in Cycle and F2 studios, but not Studio 1 or YARD. But the good news is that we have MORE of these classes on the timetable. Do I have to wear a mask? Mask use is recommended, but you do not need to wear one whilst exercising. I have loved training outside, are you going to keep some classes out there? The majority of the classes will move back inside the building. YARD classes will continue to run outside and we’re going to keep the marquees up over summer to keep things all weather and give you a bit of protection from the sun! Given the popularity of YARD classes and training outside we have included MORE on our timetable. As always, we will continue to keep you updated on any changes to the situation as soon as possible.  Please know that all of these health and safety procedures are in guidance to keep you safe to train! Please be patient and kind to your fellow gym family. We can’t wait to see you back indoors at Northern Arena. _ The Team at Northern Arena #changinglives

04/11/21 Great news that we will be moving to alert Stage 2 from Wednesday 10th November. Even though we are not opening our doors we are getting back into it. From next Wednesday 10 November we will continue to operate our outdoor classes and outdoor gym sessions under the cover of our huge marquees in the Yard at the back of the building, just with larger capacity. This means more space and opportunities for everyone to workout. So, we are switching all memberships back on. Unfortunately, we are NOT able to open our pools and we understand that this is not a preferred situation for everyone. If you would like to further suspend your membership for another month from 10 November 2021 to 10 December 2021, please complete this form before Midnight Sunday 7th November. Like always when we return, your health and safety is paramount whilst using the facilities.  The following explains what this means to you, and what we are doing to keep you safe: We will be reactivating all memberships on Wednesday 10th November unless you choose to opt out. At the current Covid Alert level stage, vaccinations are not currently required to attend the outdoor group fitness and gym session. Northern Arena is required to follow the Governments vaccine mandate, which is to only allow access to fully vaccinated people, once we open the doors and have transitioned into the new traffic light system. This is a compulsory requirement on both our staff and members to continue to work and customers to attend the facility. We will continue to do everything we can to keep our workplace, workmates, our whanau and communities safe. We will send you a Jump Start 21 day program to help fight off lockdown. We have over 60 live group fitness classes per week which must be booked via our online booking system. Gym weights and cardio sessions available from 6am-6:30pm and must be booked via online booking system. Outdoor exercise sessions are extended to a max of 25 people per bubble. These classes will now be part of your usual membership fees and you are not required to pay the $10 per class. $10 pay as you go sessions will no longer be available. If you are unable to make a session, please cancel your space for someone on the waitlist to take your place as soon as possible. Please ensure you can scan-in using the Government QR codes at the entrance to the Yard. It is recommended that you wear a mask to and from the class. (You do not need keep it on whilst exercising). No facilities within Northern Arena will be open apart from coffee pick up and retail. Your Group Fitness Timetable is “Live” and available for you to book now. Please note this timetable may change from week to week whilst we are in relevant alert levels. Please refer to the online timetable only as this will be current and live. Please respect government guidelines regarding social distancing. Our timetable allows for extra cleaning and set up time between sessions. If you have friends or family that would like to come down and take part in a workout, please contact the gym team If you have compromised immunity or feeling unwell, we kindly ask you to stay at home. Please know that all these health and safety procedures are in guidance to keep you safe to train! Please be patient and kind to your fellow gym family. We can’t wait to see you back and training at Northern Arena. _ The Team at Northern Arena #changinglives

22/10/21 We now have now installed two massive marquees in the YARD. This now means: We have an ALL-WEATHER solution, so you can workout at Northern Arena rain or shine. We are able to offer MORE CAPACITY for classes and run ‘double bubbles’. You’ll see two sessions for each class on the timetable. Bubble 1 and bubble 2. If you’re not a fan of doing classes, we will have a range of gym equipment available in our OUTDOOR GYM from Tuesday. These will be sessions available for you to book online (ensuring that we don’t exceed the maximum of 10 people at any one time). Just like the classes these sessions are a pay as you go system. Once you’ve booked, it will take you to a payment page to secure your booking. Your actual gym membership will continue to be on hold. Our PERSONAL TRAINERS are fully available and have a range of options to help you train during this stage of level 3. If you’re lacking some motivation or need a kick start, send us a message/email and we’ll get you connected with one of our awesome trainers. We like to put a massive shout out to Carlton Party Hire on the speedy turnaround to get these up and running for you! To check out the timetable, book and pay, click here We can't wait to see you again. _ The Team at Northern Arena

08/10/21 We now have the green light for outdoor exercise sessions with a max of 9 members per class. These classes are pay as you go $10 per class. Payment is required at time of booking and all bookings will be via our Northern Arena website. There will be a variety of different classes taking place in the Yard space at the back of Northern Arena. There will be separate entry and exit points – please follow the signage and ensure you scan the Covid QR code at the entrance to the Yard. It is recommended that you wear a mask to and from the class. (you do not need keep it on whilst exercising) Please adhere to social distancing guidelines (2 metres). No facilities within Northern Arena will be open. Please note all memberships will still be on hold – this is separate pay per class system. To check out the timetable, book and pay, click here As this an outdoor space, we are at the mercy of the elements. In the event we have to cancel a class, you will be refunded otherwise all payments are non-refundable. As there will be no Waitlist functionality available, there will be no cancellations or refunds if you change your mind – we would suggest you gift your spot to a loved one. We can't wait to see you again. _ The Team at Northern Arena

14/09/21 Yay we are one step closer – Level 3 here we come!! Just like you we have all of our fingers and toes crossed that we will be back into the new Delta Level 2 in the next week or so. We will touch base again once the dates are confirmed but just a heads up on what will be happening in your gym when we return. We will be having a Level 2 timetable available to book once we know when we can re-open. Please be aware that this timetable may change from week to week whilst we are in Level 2. Please refer to the online timetable on a regular basis to check out what is on offer. Please note that due to Covid restrictions classes like our Boxfit programme will not be available whilst we are in level 2 and also our Cycling studio will have limited numbers. You will need to book all of your group fitness classes online (with the exception of SwimFit and AquaFit) and make sure you are scanning in both at the door with the Covid tracing App and also scanning your membership tag as you enter the gym so we can assure we are contact tracing correctly. Masks will be required at Northern Arena however these do NOT need to be worn whilst you are exercising. We are pretty excited to have the opportunity to be back in the building soon and will touch base again once our opening date is confirmed. Cant wait to see you all soon!!! The Gym team.

Meet Jo Getting Ready for Level 2 Read it ... Member of the Month Nominate ... Give Your Mental Health A Boost Boost it ... Spinach, Sweet Potato & Lentil Dhal Make it ... WOD - Cardio HIIT Do it ...