Sharing the love

Aren't they the most stunning flowers ????  I was so pleasantly surprised today when I found this beauty perched up against my front door.  First thought.....Wrong house???  Second thought.... have I forgotten an anniversary???

None of the above !!!

The beautiful flowers were sent as a thank you by two of my PT clients.  I was so touched by the beautiful unexpected gesture that tears were rolling down my cheeks...Yes I am a big sook, but I bet you would be choked up too.

These two ladies have been working so hard consistently week after week and logging in great results towards their personal goals.  A huge well done to them. They are a great example of the power of hard work, consistency and positive action.

My beautiful flowers and card sit pride of place in the "good room".  Thank you Jane and Laura !!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, enjoy the good weather and don't forget daylight savings on Sunday.

Losing weight the healthy way

I am always being asked what is the best and healthiest way to lose weight.  In my opinion, the healthiest way for you to lose weight has absolutely nothing to do with crash dieting/ and or erratic bursts of sudden exercise.  Its all about changes that are gradual when it comes to nutrition and exercise.  So if a regular exercise routine hasn't been part of your regime then it wouldn't be very wise to jump into a 10km run or start lifting 10 kg dumbells.  Not only do you risk injuring yourself, but the struggle to complete the exercise will leave you demotivated and defeated, in turn having a negative effect on your weight loss.

Below I have listed some simple tips that really are a no brainer when it comes to healthy weight loss.  Just being aware of some of these tips and following them will have you well on the way to beginning your healthy weight loss journey and maintaining it in the long run.  Hope they help some....

* Your body uses the food that you eat to supply it with energy. It stores any remaining excess energy within your body as fat. What this means is that if you are eating more food than your body actually requires then you are going to gain weight without even meaning to.

* In order for you to lose weight you are going to need to use up the fat storage. The two most effective ways that you can achieve this are to reduce how many calories you are consuming in a day, and to increase the body's natural levels of activity.

* Introduce your changes on a gradual level. Small changes can really add up in order to make a big impact in your life. Eliminate small things out of your diet and add in small exercises and pretty soon you will be seeing some  serious changes that you did not realise that you were capable of.

* Increasing your activity levels is very important. If you increase how much exercise you are doing while maintaining the exact same diet, you are still going to lose weight. Even if you hate the gym, there are exercises that you can do to overcome your weight problem. A 20 minute walk every day can really make all the difference and is easy to accomplish. Take the dog or kids out and make it a fun affair. Find something that you enjoy doing - swimming, riding your bike with the kids can also be good as you can exercise and have a family activity. Find something that is easy for you to do. Get up and just do it. It really is that easy. The more active that you are, the more calories you will burn, whether you cut calories out of your diet or not.

 * Commit things to paper or tell as many people as you can Write your plan down on paper, write down what you eat on paper and write down what you do when you exercise and when you exercise and for how long. When you commit things like this to paper, it makes them more real, and it makes you take your goals more seriously in the process.  Also if you tell people about your goals you are more likely to stick to them as you will feel like you need to follow through.

 * Be consistent Its no use working hard for 2-3 weeks and then letting it slip.  Letting treat meals turn into treat days/weeks.  Not sticking to your exercise schedule consistently sees all your hard work going to waste.  I see this often as a trainer and it pains me to think about all the hard work and effort being undone and wasted through lack of consistency.  If you skip a few beats here and there its ok, you just need to get back into a routine and keep being consistent with the regime.  Its a way of life - a healthy, active lifestyle.

Stella

Motivation Monday !!

Mighty Monday !!!  Lets start the week with a little MOTIVATION!!!

Making good choices......What will it be ????

BE HEALTHY!!

Multitasking mums !!

Its Friday and its the first chance I've gotten to sit and write a little.  Phew!! What a week!

My trip to Singapore was amazing !!! 16 girls, lots of shopping, reflexology, walking, eating and lots of laughs.  My 5 days in Singapore went by so quickly....feels like I never left. What a lovely place....very clean, organised and highly efficient.  I am a bit of a germophobe so needless to say international travel makes me kind of anxious......cant get any better than the sanitation of Singapore.  

I loved everything about the place.  We got through quite a bit.  Lots of shopping - which surprisingly went very well considering there were so many girls.  Trips to Chinatown, Little India, Night Safari, cocktails at Raffles and some boogying up on the sky deck bar at Marina Bay Sands.

Arrived home Saturday morning on an overnight flight to be greeted with a beautiful thud of reality back at home.  Aaaaaa the serenity !!! Not!!  Why are women such masters at multitasking and keeping things together ?? Not that my husband didn't try but you could see it was hard yakka.  So the rest of the day was spent washing, cleaning, son to the doctor, netball game and run group at 5 pm.  I still don't know how I managed to run but I must say the Saturday girls did an amazing job on their 25 min run.  They all kept up and finished just before the rain set in.   

So this week back to reality, school activities, back to training and all my lovely clients. They all managed to do well while I was away and all recorded some weight losses for the week so well done!!

And a huge pat on the back to my Wednesday run group ladies who amazingly finished their 5km run. They ran all the way at a good steady pace...So proud, and in good time too... Run for the Kids not far away and the ladies who are running in it are going to do a fine job...Well done to them for putting in all the effort, determination and those last sprints to the end !!!!

I hope you all had a fun and fit week and enjoy your weekend !!!   and some pics from Singapore !!

Dumplings..Yummy

 Loved the hand sanitiser at the restaurant entrance..

 Love that they all had masks on while cooking..my kind of place ..

 Chinatown..

Raffles..What a beauty...

All the girls...

Going on a ride on a big jet plane

Hello everybody, hope you have all been well.  I've had a great week with my PT clients and my running group.  We are at week 6 of our couch to 5k program and I have to say I'm so proud of all the wonderful ladies participating.  Our 7 am group this morning was looking back at week 1 when we first started at a 90 sec interval jog.  Wondering at how far they have all come, todays jog intervals were a whopping 8 minutes.  Everyone kept up and they have even gotten used to the sprint to the end.

A huge well done and pat on the back to everyone !!  And some wonderful results from my PT clients.  Body fat % decreases and weight drops, more importantly everyone is getting fitter and stronger.

Every morning I put up a motivational quote to try and inspire myself and my friends and clients.  One of the most popular of these I thought I would share with you to have a think about....

     "You are a perishable item...live accordingly...."

 One of my favourites, although I don't know who it is Im actually quoting, but thanks !!

And on another note, Im off to Singapore tomorrow morning for 5 wonderful days with 16 amazing girls. Im in the midst of packing, organising massive to do lists for my husband, parents and kids and getting extremely excited.  I have been a little nervous but am feeling a lot better at the moment, just received a very lovely, thoughtful call from my dear friend Kate...reminding me that it will all be fine and to just enjoy..great advice.. thank you xxx

Enjoy your long weekend guys,

Stell

KONY 2012

I wanted to post this video that was sent to me by many friends over the last few days.  It introduces a very very bad man  - Joseph Kony.  It was quite distressing to watch and to come to the realisation that this is happening to thousands of children of the world in this day and age.

I watched the video with my 11 year old daughter and she was shocked to say the least.  Her first words after the video finished were.. " mum, its 2012..we have to help make him famous"

I know everyones ideas, opinions and thoughts are different and thats what makes our world so diverse, but  have a watch of the video and Im sure you'll agree with my daughter Chloe.  Any step we take or make is a step in the right direction...

Coconut oil

Hello everybody.  My apologies I have been MIA for a little too long.  I have been so busy at the moment with lots on that I have unfortunately neglected my blog.  I hope you are all well and have been keeping fit, healthy and happy.

This afternoon I was preparing dinner and was thinking about how great my ingredients were that I thought one in particular would make a great topic of discussion.  Behold the wonder Coconut oil !!

I have been using coconut oil for cooking for a few months now...comes hand in hand with Paleo.  I must say I was sceptical to begin with as it looked like ..well to be honest - lard, but am quite happy with using it now and am actually enjoying the taste.

There has been so much written about coconut oil of late that I thought would be good to give you a little info on it.

Coconut oil used to be regarded as bad oil, high in saturated fat and basically not good for  our diet.  Scientists have now discovered that it is actually a different sort of saturated fat that reacts differently in our bodies.  It really is all to do with the fat molecule found in the oil.  It is made up mainly of medium chain fatty acids AKA -medium chain triglycerides. This is what gives it its health benefit qualities.

Most foods containing saturated and unsaturated fats consist of long-chain fatty acids.  When these are consumed these fats are stored in the body.  MCFA found in coconut oil are different to LCFA.  Unlike other fats it is not stored in the body.  The MCFA are processed in the liver and used for energy immediately.  This is why athletes, especially runners use coconut oil and water as natural energy drinks.  It does not have a bad effect on cholesterol and help protect against heart disease.

The goodness in the coconut oil is basically due to the MCFA found that makes it so good for our bodies and so healthy.

Miranda Kerr swears by her coconut oil.  She has said that she consumes 4 teaspoons every day, whether it be on her salads, in her tea (yuk) or just eats it straight.  It is claimed that it aids in weight loss also.  The type of oil aids in increasing metabolism through a thermogenic effect in the body...ie..calories being burned.

I wouldn't go as far as taking spoonfuls of it but for the moment am happy using it for cooking and baking..very yummy in banana bread.

I thought I would share...give it a try.....oh forgot to add, its actually little pricey too....that jar above cost $12.

Have a relaxing night  xx