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Parents of 20 month old Jamie Houltham are extolling the value of getting very young children into swimming lessons after their daughter took an unscheduled plunge during a play date at a local beach last week. With her mother standing nearby, Jamie was enjoying a beach visit with her Nature Playgroup friends, playing in the rain in her t shirt and long pants, running along the beach and paddling in the less than ankle deep puddles. Unbeknown to the parents, a nearby storm water outlet had undercut an area in one of the puddles. Sarah, Jamie’s mother heard a splash and turned to see Jamie’s green pants floating in one of the puddles. Jamie was quickly rescued after she had been completely immersed and amazingly had not taken in any water, nor was she crying or distressed in any way. Sarah attributes Jamie’s ability to push herself up from the bottom of the “puddle” when she was completely immersed, to not swallow water and then float on her back, to having swimming lessons at Northern Arena from a very young age, and her great swimming teacher. Sarah admits that both her and Jamie were initially anxious when they had to perform their first full submersion in a swimming lesson. It had taken about 4 weeks before they both gained confidence regarding submersions. Without this practice Jamie would not have previously experienced being out of her depth and Sarah is convinced that she would have taken in water and been quite panic stricken. Although Sarah’s two older children started swimming lessons at an older age, she is a strong advocate for getting children into swimming lessons at an early age to ensure they develop both confidence and sensibility around water. The time taken between onset of panic and drowning can be as little as 12 seconds, so having confidence when in the water can save lives. #NorthernArena #SwimSchool #Babies #Swimming

At some point all of us will feel a little niggle or pinch after or during exercise. Listen to your intuition You know your body! If you are feeling a slight niggle throughout your workout you may need to take a longer warm up at the start. If it is a sharp pain, that is cause to stop and in some cases seek a physio. Timing under tension If you are coming back from injury or a niggle it is best to do your exercises slow and with control. This will activate your muscles and protect your joints. Remember it is YOUR workout and everybody’s journey through exercise is different. You are in it for the long haul and will be able to increase intensity and speed as you strengthen these muscles. Have a regular yoga or flexibility practice Having a regular yoga practice can not only keep you limber to help prevent injuries but it also provides more body awareness so that you become more attuned to what is working, what is tight, what is out of balance etc. Take time off when you need it I can't stress enough how important it is to rest and heal when you have an injury. If you don't let an injury fully heal, it may keep cropping up and nagging at you or can put you out of commission for good. Cross train and strength train Transform is about stripping the fat and increasing your fitness. Once you are feeling good, its time to cross train into strength training. We need to build those muscles that are supporting those joints and instead of only participating in one mode of exercise that can cause overuse injuries and muscle imbalances, be sure to switch up your training. Try a Grit Strength, or grab a PT Strength Programme to see further results. #HealthandFitness #Workout #gym

Cooling down after exercise, especially in the summer heat, is an important part of recovery. What is the best way to do it – do you go for an ice cold drink or one that’s very warm? Does consuming hot beverages in warm weather have counterintuitive cooling capabilities? What about during and after exercise? It’s late afternoon, you still have to work out, and you’re really craving that large coffee or tea. However, it’s the middle of summer; so do you get it iced or hot? A hot beverage could actually cool you down – here’s how it works. HOW A HOT DRINK CAN COOL YOU DOWN Here’s what happens when you consume a hot drink on a hot day: • Your core temperature initially rises (you are adding heat to your body) • The sensors in your mouth, throat, and digestive tract send a signal to your brain to produce more sweat • This increase in perspiration is the key to cooling you down While lots of sweating may feel uncomfortable or seem undesirable, sweat is beneficial and helps cool you down when the sweat evaporates from your skin. Keep in mind: For this cooling effect to take place, you need to be in an environment where the sweat can evaporate. Does this mean that in hot and humid conditions, when sweat evaporation is limited, you should drink cold drinks? Not so fast. Let’s take a look at how drinks affect temperature after exercising in different weather conditions. STAYING COOL DURING EXERCISE A study compared body temperature after exercising for people who were drinking either a warm drink or a cold drink during exercise. It showed that drinking a 50˚C drink, which is even cooler than the temperature of the usual takeaway hot drinks, reduces the overall body heat storage more than drinking cold drinks. And what happens if you drink a cold drink? EFFECT OF COLD WATER ON THE BODY DURING AND AFTER EXERCISE Drinking cold water or ingesting ice after exercise can shock the organs and doesn’t help the body with its natural cooling process. What happens when you drink a cold drink during exercise? • During exercise your internal body heat moves to your body’s surface, while your inner temperature actually decreases. • Ingesting too much cold food or drink will cause the blood vessels to tighten (restrict blood flow) and make the body retain heat. This will make you feel warmer, not cooler. So, what is the best choice of drink depending on the weather? GUIDELINES ON HOW TO STAY COOL WHEN EXERCISING IN WARM WEATHER 1. IS THE WEATHER HOT AND HUMID? • Yes, then stick with room temperature drinks • No, go for the hot drink to increase your sweat rate and help cool you down 2. ARE ICE AND COLD WATER AVAILABLE? • Pour cold water over your head and shoulders • Wrap a wet, cold towel around your neck and/or wrists • Rub ice on the inside of your wrists TAKEAWAY Drinking hot beverages to cool down has been conventional wisdom in many societies for centuries. Many of the largest tea drinking societies are located in warm climates. Science has shown that it does in fact work. So if you’re heading out into dry heat for that run or workout, go for the hot drink to cool yourself down. Just be prepared to sweat! #HealthandFitness #NutitionAdvice

Recipe By Julia and Libby Ingredients 2 free-range eggs 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, softened 1/3 cup greek yogurt 1/2 cup coconut sugar 1/4 cup almond milk (can use normal milk) 3/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder 1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional) 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 cup flour (I used gluten free) 1/4 teaspoon salt Method Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius on fan bake. Line a square 20cm baking pan with baking paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and add the butter/coconut oil. Add the greek yogurt, coconut sugar, almond milk, cacao powder and chocolate chips, make sure there are no lumps. Add the baking powder, flour and salt. Pour the brownie mixture into the baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool completely before cutting them (this ensures they turn out extra fudge-y). #HealthandFitness #HealthyEating #Recipe

Ingredients 450 g chicken breast (cubed) 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 onion 200 g brown rice 4 large tomatoes 250 g kidney beans (pre-cooked) ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes 1 tsp ground cumin 450 ml vegetable stock 100 g grated cheese of your choice Salt & pepper (to taste) 50 g cherry tomatoes ½ avocado 1 spring onion Instructions Dice the onion and tomatoes. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the cubed chicken to the pan and cook until done on both sides. Then add the rice and stir well. Sauté the mixture for two more minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes and spices and pour in the vegetable stock. Let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese over the burrito bowl – it will melt in a few minutes. In the meantime, dice the cherry tomatoes, avocado and spring onion and use them to garnish the dish. #Recipe #HealthyEating #WeightLoss

Get faster, fitter, and stronger at the pool by improving your butterfly kick technique in the water with this Speedo Fit video.

If you are looking for a new workout to add to your gym routine, you may want to give Tabata a try. Tabata training is a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout, featuring exercises that only lasts for a few minutes. The idea is to work at your maximum and complete as many repetitions as possible in 20 seconds. 20 Seconds of Squat Plate and Press - 10 Seconds rest - Repeat 8 times 20 Seconds of 4 Mountain Climbers and 1 Press up - 10 Seconds rest - Repeat 8 times 20 Seconds of Burpees - 10 Seconds rest - Repeat 8 times 20 Seconds of 10m sprints - 10 Seconds rest - Repeat 8 times Note: you can download a tabata app that does the timing for you.

Are you better off to get your exercise done at dawn, or should you exhaust yourself in the evening? The truth is there’s no credible scientific evidence to sway you either way. There are numerous studies designed to unearth the ideal time to exercise, but there is no definitive proof that it is better to exercise at morning, noon or night. ‘‘If you want to get the best from your workout, simply work out whenever you like.’’-Bryce Hastings, Les Mills Head of Research “Sure, there is a chance your body will burn calories differently at different times of the day, but these differences will be minimal compared to the benefit of exercising regularly. How much you benefit from exercise is closely linked to the amount of consistent physical activity you do,” he adds. Find what works for you By scheduling in exercise for the time that works best for you, you’re more likely to enjoy it. When you enjoy exercise you stick with it, and that’s where habits are born. Once exercise becomes a habit the results really kick in. When it comes to establishing a habit, many people argue that morning workouts are best. By exercising early in the day you can tick off your physical activity before any competing priorities, disturbances or excuses come into play. As a result there’s more chance of consistency. Making mornings work The secret to getting the most from early morning exercise is to wake refreshed, invigorated and ready to raise your heart rate. This makes a good bedtime routine essential. Working on your computer or eating late in the evening may sabotage your body’s ability to sleep and make getting up that much harder. If you’re magnetically attracted to the snooze button, however, don’t try to fight it. Simply schedule your workouts for later in the day. Many find that escaping the office for a midday workout can be invigorating. It can arm you with more energy, aid productivity and even see you through that dreaded mid-afternoon slump. Exercising in the evening can be ideal for alleviating the day’s stresses. If you’ve had plenty of opportunity to eat and fuel your body through the day, you’re in a better position to push your limits and take your workout up a notch. Experiment It’s important to note that everyone is different. Identifying the time that’s best for your body to exercise requires a bit of experimentation, so it’s a good idea to try the same workout at different times of the day. Take note of how you feel while you’re exercising and what works best with your schedule. An at home training program can be a good option to consider as you have the flexibility to try a variety of exercise workouts at different time of the day that suit your schedule.

SERVES 4 Pie Ingredients: 500-600g mince beef 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 1/2 green capsicum, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 tsp dried rosemary 3/4 tsp chilli powder 1/4 tsp sea salt to taste 1/4 tsp black pepper 6 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp almond meal + 2 tbsp water (may substitute 1 egg white) Topping Ingredients 2 medium kumara, peeled and cubed 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1/4 tsp sea salt Method: Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Combine the almond meal with water and set aside. Heat pan on a medium heat and begin to brown mince. Once mince is partially browned, add chopped carrots, onions, capsicum and minced garlic. Cook on medium heat until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Once carrots are soft, stir in tomato paste, almond meal mix, seasonings, salt and pepper. Boil the kumara until tender. Then add all of the topping ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer the meat filling to a casserole dish and top the meat filling with the kumara mash. Bake for 15 minutes.

Mates who train together …..stay together! There is a lot to be said for how much an exercise buddy can increase your motivation and accountability when it comes to the gym. No one wants to fly solo when let’s face it, working out with mates is so much more fun. It’s a time to turn up, catch up and muscle up. So, we think you should swap your weekly brunch dates to workouts with your friends. Trust us your body and mind will thank you for it. Still not convinced? Here’s some more reasons to workout with your besties! Counteract your sins before you’ve even sinned Who doesn’t love a hard out session on a Saturday morning with all your mates before hitting the town. It will make the tequila seem all the more sweeter! You will be more motivated We all know it’s way too easy to cancel the plans you made with yourself to do a workout, it’s a lot harder to cancel your workout when you have planned it with a friend. Not only does this keep you accountable and committed to your workout, but you will also begin to look forward to your workout as you will associate it more with the excitement of meeting up with your friend, over the pain of a workout. It makes training more fun There are lots of ways to shake up your training plan, but the best ideas will come to you when you brainstorm with a friend. Changing up your routine will keep you both interested in the workout and will make the time fly by and before you know it your workout will be done! You will work out harder Whenever you’re working out with someone else, the intensity is always going to be greater than when you’re alone. You will both push each other to work out harder and keep going for a little longer, getting in that one extra rep. Working out with a friend creates some healthy competition and pushes you to be better, see results faster, and keeps you on track. Create challenges for yourselves to push you to your limits. You’re more likely to stick at it More than 40% of participants drop a fitness course shortly after it begins when they attend on their own. But if they work out with a friend the dropout rate decreases to 6%. People who train together form a group connection and no longer feel alone. Sharing your successes with your friends is a great source of motivation to keep you going. If things don’t go as planned, you have a support system there to pick you back up and get you going again. When you feel close to giving up, a training partner can be all the more important because they can help you build up your motivation again. Strengthens your bond Spending planned time together with your friends to work out can help you maintain your relationships. As we get older and life gets busier and busier it becomes harder to find the time to catch up with friends. Having planned workouts with your friends ensures you make the time to maintain your relationship as well as getting your workout done. So, let’s get cracking! Bring a mate to Northern Arena and see results.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 26 minutes 10 Burpee Board Jumps Forward 10 Push Ups 10 Walking Lunges 10 Squats 4 Chest to Ground Sprints (10m) 4 Bear Crawls (5 forward and 5 back) 100m run #gym #Workout

SERVES 4 Ingredients: 12 eggs 1 capsicum, sliced thinly 1 onion sliced thinly 3 tomatoes, diced 2 cloves of garlic, diced or crushed 2 zucchinis, sliced thinly olive oil salt and pepper Method: Whisk eggs and set aside. In a large oven-proof saucepan, fry the garlic, onion and vegetables in a little olive oil until tender. Remove from the heat, add the egg mix and salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. Serve with a large green salad.