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Recipe originally appeared on Healthykelsi.co.nz INGREDIENTS 1 tsp olive oil 1 onion 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 2 sweet potatoes, cut into cubes 400g canned chickpeas 400ml canned coconut milk 1 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp peanut butter 1 tbsp lime juice 1 cup spinach METHOD Add your onion and garlic to a pan with a bit of olive oil and cook for a few minutes before adding the spices. Next add your sweet potato and stir to coat in the spices. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, soy sauce, peanut butter and lime juice. Cover and leave to simmer for around half an hour until the sweet potato is soft. Add the spinach and stir through until wilted. Serve with brown rice and top with fresh coriander and chilli.

What is a Virtual Class? A virtual class is the same fitness classes that you know and love or want to try but are played on a screen within the fitness studio. Who are virtual classes aimed at? Virtual classes are often a gateway for live group fitness classes. So, if the thought of joining a throng of confident, seasoned group exercisers in a packed fitness studio daunts you, virtual could be the way to go. Virtual workouts typically attract smaller numbers, and you can go at your own pace, which makes them ideal if you’re a novice looking to learn the moves. Virtual classes can be a much less intimidating environment for beginners to start in and many then go on to ‘graduate’ into live classes. For regular attendees: Virtual allows us to fill the schedule, creating more options to do the classes you love, especially for those times your schedule won’t always allow you to get to a live class. Why would I go to a Virtual Class? Virtual classes have typically lower attendance and give you the opportunity to try something new. The addition of Virtual Classes enhances our live instructor fitness class timetable and lets us provide more classes and spaces for our members to attend. It's a great alternative if you cannot book into a live class. It’s also a great option if you have some reluctance on exercising in close proximity to others as typically there is greater social distancing in these classes. How long are Virtual Classes? Normally the classes run between 30-45 mins. All classes will be formatted to accommodate a great work out experience and allow cleaning time between sessions. Will Virtual classes replace Live classes? Nothing beats the experience of a live class and the motivation and encouragement of having one of our amazing coaches leading the class. Most people would always choose live over virtual. What virtual offers is accessibility and flexibility to run more classes more often, and at times it would never be viable to run a live class. This makes them a hit with everyone from shift workers to moms, and anyone else who’s not keen or able to battle rush hour at the gym.

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FIVE REASONS TO TRY HIIT How the right HIIT prescription can change your life. It’s been called the closest thing to an exercise pill. And while it might take a bit more effort, there is now no doubt at all that high-intensity interval training is just what the doctor ordered. Anyone who follows the latest in fitness news knows that HIIT is a hit. A big hit. But high-intensity interval training is much more than a fad – it is a scientifically proven way to build cardiovascular fitness, and research is revealing plenty more health benefits it can bestow. Here are five of the top researched reasons to put HIIT on your own workout list: HIIT improves lean body mass and maximal oxygen consumption, while drastically cutting the risk of heart disease. Learn more. HIIT is extremely effective at cutting stubborn and unhealthy tummy fat. Learn more. In both young (18 to 30) and older (65 to 80) exercisers, a major study showed HIIT had by far the greatest activation of muscle and fat-burning capacity, when compared with other types of exercise. Learn more. HIIT has been shown to be much better than other workouts for producing excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), meaning your body continues to use oxygen and burn fat long after you’ve stopped exercising. Learn more. HIIT has been shown to be more enjoyable – in one study 92 percent of participants favored a HIIT workout over traditional moderate continuous exercise. Learn more. So, the research definitely supports HIIT. But what about the science that goes into actually designing an effective HIIT program? In this video, one team of HIIT professionals explain how a combination of expertise, scientific insight and creativity go into the making of a great workout. As Les Mills Head of Research Bryce Hastings explains, LES MILLS GRIT is designed to push the heart rate up as high as possible, as often as possible in a 30 minute phase. “So we design the workout to have these very high spikes of intensity, followed by a complete recovery. And it’s those spikes that generate the types of biochemical changes that are very specific to a HIIT workout.” The workout is then tested by a team led by Dr Jinger Gottschall of Penn State University to measure its efficacy, and only then made available. They’re looking to see if we’re delivering on that HIIT promise,” says Bryce. “It’s the ‘pill’ that every athlete wants.” This piece originally appeared on lesmills.com By Finlay Macdonald

Strengthen your immunity with this cool green smoothie. They are a great way to get a good source of B vitamins. The B vitamin found in leafy greens, like folate, vitamin B6, and niacin, help your body release energy from food and can promote a healthy nervous system Another great tip is to add probiotic powder to help look after your gut heath. INGREDIENTS: 1x banana 2Tbsp chia seeds 1 kiwi fruit 1 Cup spinach 1/2 cup mango 1/2 cup almond milk or coconut water INSTRUCTIONS: Blend all ingredients together and enjoy.

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If you’re a beginner or haven’t been swimming for a long time, this is the programme for you. Commit to getting back into the pool and add a swim into your weekly exercise programme. As well as helping to improve your stamina and muscle tone, swimming is a great cardiovascular workout. It is the best method for an all-over body workout, whilst virtually eliminating impact on joints and muscles. These 12 week easy-to-follow programme is the perfect start to ease you into the water and build your confidence. It’s designed for you to get moving in the water, improve your swimming fitness and by the end, get you swimming 200m in a swimming pool.

If you’re a beginner or haven’t been swimming for a long time, this is the programme for you. Commit to getting back into the pool and add a swim into your weekly exercise programme. As well as helping to improve your stamina and muscle tone, swimming is a great cardiovascular workout. It is the best method for an all-over body workout, whilst virtually eliminating impact on joints and muscles. These 12 week easy-to-follow programme is the perfect start to ease you into the water and build your confidence. It’s designed for you to get moving in the water, improve your swimming fitness and by the end, get you swimming 400m in a swimming pool.

If you’re a beginner or haven’t been swimming for a long time, this is the programme for you. Commit to getting back into the pool and add a swim into your weekly exercise programme. As well as helping to improve your stamina and muscle tone, swimming is a great cardiovascular workout. It is the best method for an all-over body workout, whilst virtually eliminating impact on joints and muscles. These 12 week easy-to-follow programme is the perfect start to ease you into the water and build your confidence. It’s designed for you to get moving in the water, improve your swimming fitness and by the end, get you swimming 1km in a swimming pool.

Scientists believe swimming could provide a unique boost to brain health. Image: Pixabay/Pexels This article is published in collaboration with The Conversation Seena Mathew Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Science has already shown that aerobic exercise can slow ageing. However, a growing body of research suggests that swimming in particular produces brain-enhancing effects, such as better immune response. Neuroscientists are still working to understand exactly why swimming is particularly beneficial in preventing ageing - and may be close to the answer. It’s no secret that aerobic exercise can help stave off some of the ravages of ageing. But a growing body of research suggests that swimming might provide a unique boost to brain health. Regular swimming has been shown to improve memory, cognitive function, immune response and mood. Swimming may also help repair damage from stress and forge new neural connections in the brain. But scientists are still trying to unravel how and why swimming, in particular, produces these brain-enhancing effects. New and improved brain cells and connections There is clear evidence that aerobic exercise can contribute to neurogenesis and play a key role in helping to reverse or repair damage to neurons and their connections in both mammals and fish. Research shows that one of the key ways these changes occur in response to exercise is through increased levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The neural plasticity, or ability of the brain to change, that this protein stimulates has been shown to boost cognitive function, including learning and memory. Aerobic exercise also promotes the release of specific chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. One of these is serotonin, which – when present at increased levels – is known to reduce depression and anxiety and improve mood. But what’s special about swimming? Researchers don’t yet know what swimming’s secret sauce might be. But they’re getting closer to understanding it. Swimming has long been recognized for its cardiovascular benefits. Because swimming involves all of the major muscle groups, the heart has to work hard, which increases blood flow throughout the body. This leads to the creation of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. The greater blood flow can also lead to a large release of endorphins – hormones that act as a natural pain reducer throughout the body. This surge brings about the sense of euphoria that often follows exercise. In one study looking at the impact of swimming on mental acuity in the elderly, researchers concluded that swimmers had improved mental speed and attention compared with non-swimmers. However, this study is limited in its research design, since participants were not randomized and thus those who were swimmers prior to the study may have had an unfair edge. Another study compared cognition between land-based athletes and swimmers in the young adult age range. While water immersion itself did not make a difference, the researchers found that 20 minutes of moderate-intensity breaststroke swimming improved cognitive function in both groups. Kids get a boost from swimming too The brain-enhancing benefits from swimming appear to also boost learning in children. Another research group recently looked at the link between physical activity and how children learn new vocabulary words. Researchers taught children age 6-12 the names of unfamiliar objects. Then they tested their accuracy at recognizing those words after doing three activities: coloring (resting activity), swimming (aerobic activity) and a CrossFit-like exercise (anaerobic activity) for three minutes. These findings imply that swimming for even short periods of time is highly beneficial to young, developing brains. For centuries, people have been in search of a fountain of youth. Swimming just might be the closest we can get. Read the full article here: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/why-does-swimming-enhance-your-brain-more-than-other-similar-forms-of-exercise Written by Seena Mathew, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor This article is published in collaboration with The Conversation. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

INGREDIENTS Stuffing balls 200 g butter melted 4 rashers streaky bacon diced 1 onion finely diced 1 cup dried apricots finely chopped 2 tablespoons water (if needed) 1 granny smith apple peeled, finely diced 220 g gluten-free panko breadcrumbs ½ cup milk 1 egg whisked ¼ cup sage finely chopped ¼ cup parsley finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt Roast chicken 1 size 16 free-range chicken olive oil 1 lemon halved INSTRUCTIONS Heat 1 Tbsp of the melted butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and starting to crisp. Add onion and apricots and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until soft, adding a little water if needed. Add the apple and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until apple is soft. Place breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Add milk, egg, remaining melted butter, sage, parsley, salt and bacon mixture. Mix until well combined then season well with freshly ground black pepper. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll tablespoons of mixture into tight balls. Set aside in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up a little while you get the chicken in the oven. Line a roasting dish with baking paper. Wash and pat chicken dry inside and out with paper towels. Place in lined roasting tray, drizzle with oil, season well with salt and pepper, and squeeze over the lemon juice (stuff lemon shells in the cavity). Roast chicken for 45-50 minutes or until just cooked through (when the juices run clear when you pierce the inner thigh with the tip of a sharp knife). Halfway through cooking time, remove roasting dish from oven and arrange stuffing balls all around chicken. Drizzle with olive oil and return to oven until cooking time is finished and stuffing balls are golden. Turn stuffing balls once during cooking. Let chicken rest for 15 minutes then slice and serve with stuffing balls.