Complete all the below exercises starting with 50 reps of each, down to 10, for a total of 5 rounds. After each round do 100 skips. 50-40-30-20-10 Step or jump lunges Push ups -toes/knees Squats Mountain Climber (each side) Burpees 100 skips #Cardio #Lunge #HealthandFitness #PushUps #Workout #HIIT

Brownie 100g butter 1 cup sugar 2 free-range eggs 1 tsp pure vanilla essence ¾ cup plain flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ cup good-quality cocoa 100g good-quality white chocolate, cut into small chunks 100g good-quality dark chocolate, cut into small chunks Icing sugar to dust (optional) Whipped cream and berries to serve (optional) Method: Preheat the oven to 180c conventional. Grease a slice tin, and line the base with baking paper. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla essence, and whisk to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa into the mixture, add the white and dark chocolate chunks, and very gently fold with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes then test with a skewer. These brownies are done if the skewer still has a little of the mixture clinging to it. Allow brownies to completely cool. Remove the brownies from the pan, and cut into triangles. Unwrap the candy canes, and use a sharp knife to gently cut/break the candy canes into 10cm long pieces. Press the sharper end of the candy cane into the bottom of the brownie triangles. Icing 1 egg white 250g Icing Sugar 1 tsp lemon juice Green food colouring Sprinkles Method: Using an electric mixer, whisk egg white until light and frothy. Gradually add icing sugar and lemon juice to egg white. Beat at high speed until fluffy, thick and shiny. Add green food colouring until you're happy with the colour. Spoon the green icing into a zip lock bag. Seal the bag and cut off a small corner of the bag with sharp scissors. Starting at the top of the brownie triangles, gently squeeze out the icing in a curvy zigzag as you go down the tree. Add your favourite sprinkles and a small star sprinkle at the top. Enjoy! Brownie recipe by Chelsea Winter #Recipe

I have never believed that weight-loss or weight management is as simple as calories in versus calories out. Our bodies are not inert and what contributes to how we nourish ourselves includes what can be complex cultural, psychological and environmental factors. What, and how much you eat, as well as moving your body regularly aren’t the only things that impact your weight. Emotional and physical stress can also tip the balance of the nervous system and subsequently the scales. But it’s not always about weight gain, stress can also result in people losing weight – or changing their eating habits. Driving the stress response When you go through a period of prolonged stress your body is constantly producing adrenalin, as a result your energy tends to be inconsistent. You fire up and then you crash, and the choices you make when you crash can set you up to fire up again and quite often they are nutritionally of a poor quality. They will typically involve caffeine, sugars or starches, or all three. Let’s face it. You don’t polish off a packet of chocolate biscuits thinking you are going to feel amazing afterwards. You don’t do that from a lack of knowledge. You do it for biochemical or emotional reasons, or both. Consuming too much caffeine is a sure fire way to feel stressed/rushed as it results in the release of adrenalin, one of our body’s stress hormones. Many people feel tired, yet often describe themselves as being wired – yet they continue to consume coffee (which stimulates adrenalin production!) This is of particular importance if you feel jittery when you consume it. Swap coffee for green tea or if that’s just unbearable to you, ask for a single shot coffee, notice if you feel calmer and more energised after a week of doing this. Stress and weight gain Continual overproduction of cortisol (our long-term stress hormone) can lead to visceral fat gain, the type located inside our abdomen that is strongly linked to inflammation and an increased risk of many diseases. Stress has a tendency to make food feel more rewarding or comforting, and subsequently we can rely on food to ease our stress. Be mindful of when you’re eating to alleviate stress or when you’re eating because you’re hungry. Typically, the types of food you want will be the clue here! Not many people who are stressed crave a big bowl of kale. Stress and weight loss Many people describe that the mere thought of eating makes them feel nauseous in the midst of chronic stress and anxiety. There is a biochemical reason behind this. When our bodies produce stress hormones part of this ‘fight or flight’ response suppresses what it considers non-essential processes such as our digestion, therefore, digestive processes are compromised. Liquids are often beneficial for these people as they’re much easier to digest, try soups, smoothies and slow-cooked foods, such as casseroles. It’s not all about food The most effective strategy for modulating or even eliminating stress is to identify where the stress in your life is coming from, or if you are driving this physical response through your thoughts and perceptions of pressure and urgency. This is not often as obvious as it may seem. While there are obvious triggers such as work deadlines, financial pressure, relationship pressures and so on – there will also be situations in your life you may never have considered for example your daily commute, or people in your life that may cause you to feel stressed due to their very nature or your response to them. It may help to do an experiment where you monitor your state of mind regularly; when you start to feel stressed write down the cause, your thoughts and subsequently your mood. Once you can identify your source/s of stress you can develop your own plan for addressing these factors. By Dr. Libby Weaver #WeightLoss #HealthyEating #NutitionAdvice #HealthandFitness

A looming deadline at work. Your mother-in-law’s impending visit. Getting the kids’ science fair projects out of the way - the night before they’re due. No matter your current stage of life, it’s likely that you experience stress on a regular basis. And while some stress can be good - inspiring you to make a change in your life, or lighting the fire you need to get something done - getting stressed too often and staying stressed for too long is detrimental to your health. When we’re constantly stressed, our body remains in fight-or-flight mode, which triggers a host of physiological responses, including an increase in cortisol levels. And while that’s helpful in situations like facing a wild grizzly bear head on, remaining in that stressed-out, fight-or-flight state over a long period of time can lead to health issues ranging from weight gain to increased inflammation (which is the root cause of most diseases) to elevated blood sugar. Chronic stress is also a cause of adrenal fatigue, a condition that happens when the body and adrenal glands struggle to keep up with the demands of external stressors, and can lead to symptoms like depression, inflammation, and poor focus. As if that wasn’t concerning enough, the reality is that it isn’t just our environments or tough situations that cause stress. Indeed, certain foods can have the same negative impact on the body. So if you want to reduce stress levels and decrease your risk of disease, learning how to naturally relieve stress can help—as can steering clear of the following foods: 1. SUGAR If you want to reduce stress, sugar is one of the first ingredients to cut out of your diet. When you’re stressed, the body releases more cortisol, a hormone responsible for helping us manage both stress and blood sugar levels. That’s because when you eat sugary foods, blood sugar levels spike, and the body must release more cortisol to balance blood sugar. The problem is that increased cortisol can also cause sleep issues, decreased immune response, headaches, and unhealthy food cravings. Additionally, rapidly fluctuating blood sugar levels cause feelings that are similar to stress, including anxiousness and fear. By eliminating foods with added sugars - like pastries, flavored yogurt, and soda - and eating more whole foods, you’ll keep your blood sugar stable, which means fewer mood swings, reduced stress, and a happier body. 2. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS Sugar is bad enough on its own. But all too often, food products aren’t even sweetened with the real thing - instead, they’re packed with artificial sweeteners. These artificial sweeteners can lead to health problems like headaches, metabolic disease, and cardiovascular disease. But they can also result in an addiction to sugary foods by retraining your taste buds, causing you to seek out even more sweet (and largely unhealthy) foods. If that wasn’t bad enough, artificial sweeteners also have side effects that can lead to stress. Aspartame, for example, is found in more than 6,000 foods and drinks and in 500 prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and it causes migraines, mood disorders, and manic episodes. And just like other types of sugar, these artificial sweeteners don’t do your blood sugar any favors. Skip the sugar and fake sweeteners and try natural sweeteners instead. 3. PROCESSED CARBOHYDRATES Processed, refined carbohydrates might taste good to your tongue, but they’re not doing anything for your body. For starters, they have no nutritional value and are actually worthless calories. And they also lead to fluctuating blood sugar levels that can cause you to feel moody and irritable. Many processed carbs, particularly standard packaged foods, are high in sodium. And aside from making you extra thirsty, that extra sodium causes your body to retain more fluid, which then forces your heart to work harder to keep the blood pumping. It can also increase blood pressure, making you feel bloated and generally unwell, which can certainly increase your stress levels. 4. ALCOHOL A glass of wine might help you feel more relaxed after an intense day, but have much more than that and you’re likely negating any of alcohol’s health benefits and, instead, adding more stress to your life. That’s because drinking alcohol can increase the production of hormones that will leave you feeling anxious and more stressed than before you began imbibing. It can also increase blood pressure and heart rate and trigger those same stress-like symptoms within the body. Lots of alcoholic drinks are also packed with sugar, which means you’ll be getting a double whammy of stress-causing ingredients - first from the alcohol and then from whatever way-too-sweet mixer is used in your cocktail. And if you think you’ll just sleep off the stress, that’s unlikely. Alcohol disrupts your sleep patterns, so while you might fall asleep more easily than usual, you won’t get the deep sleep that’s necessary to feel refreshed. The result is a cranky morning after and - you guessed it! - more stress. 5. EXCESS CAFFEINE If you can’t function without your morning cup of Joe, you don’t need to give up coffee completely. But if you’re regularly drinking several cups each day, you’re likely going to find yourself feeling more stressed than you’d like. Too much caffeine can spell trouble for your adrenal glands by overstimulating the body. And because it stimulates the nervous system, caffeine can cause a rise in blood pressure and heart rate that will ultimately increase feelings of anxiety. In fact, if you suffer from anxiety, one of the first things you should do is cut out caffeine. Finally, it’s important to remember that caffeine isn’t found in just coffee. It’s also in soft drinks, certain types of tea, energy drinks, over-the-counter pain relievers, and even chocolate. By Dr Josh Axe from runtastic.com #WeightLoss #HealthyEating #HealthandFitness

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.