Easter is now two weeks behind us and many people will have over-indulged. In most cases, a day or two of indulgences is unlikely to do any long-term damage to our health and weight goals – unless we don’t get back to normal immediately. If you’re having trouble getting back on track, talk to a Health Coach who can help you with strategies or a whole program that will see you working toward better health and well-being.

Our Term 1 Little Black Dress Challenge is complete, with the winner from our Prospect, SA centre. Hill Mac lost 7.59% of her body weight in just 6 weeks and is now enjoying her $400 shopping voucher. There were four random prize winners who each won a $150 shopping voucher: Frances L from Balcatta, Honey P from Frewville, Dympna H from Armidale, and Tonia G from Blackwood. Congratulations to you all, and happy shopping.

Slimmer of the Year Finalist – Linda A, Lismore, NSW

Lost 13.6 kilos & 49.5 cm

When I decided to give up smoking and take the first step to being healthier five years ago, I never thought I would have gained weight let alone 20kg, feel like a stranger, and not recognise myself or my body.

I became someone that didn’t have the energy or motivation to do anything. It became hard to get a good night’s sleep and I was always absolutely drained. I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything for myself; I would come home from work, sit down and lounge around or go to sleep. I have tried a lot of different diets and exercise plans over the last four years with minor results, maybe a kilo or two, which was very disheartening and gave me little confidence within myself.

When my daughter shared exciting news that she was pregnant and expecting early 2016, I decided I was going to do something about the way I looked and felt within myself. I wanted to be a young healthy energetic nanny that can enjoy the time spent with my family. I was also tired of not having the energy to do what I honestly love which is riding my horses as I felt so “FAT” in the saddle as well as being energy deprived.

To make the first phone call to Healthy Inspirations was the hardest thing I have done because I had never had a result from dieting or exercise, plus it was the first step in my new beginning. It was a second chapter in my life where I could have the energy and motivation to do what I wanted and to be happy.

It’s the first time in years that I have felt so good as well as being able to have a full night’s sleep and not feel drained or energy deprived. I now don’t need a step to get up on my horse and feel much better in the saddle. I walk every day and go to Healthy Inspirations 3 times a week, even though I live 45 minutes away it’s absolutely worth it. I am so proud of what I have achieved and how much more I can achieve, becoming more and more confident each day.

~ Linda A~

What does “Fitspiration” do for you?

Fitspiration has exploded on social media, and while you might not know what the name means, you will have seen it featured many times. Fitspiration occurs where images of “perfect” bodies undergoing ‘pain’, ‘push’, ‘perseverance’ and ‘suffering’ motivates you.

While fitspiration, or fitspo, is better than thinspiration, does the trend have any value for those of us without perfect bodies? Perhaps it’s just a vehicle for those genetically blessed with the ability to sculpt the perfect physique – through extremely disciplined diet and exercise routines – to show it off. Perhaps it’s really just an avenue for attention-seekers to get the attention they crave.

While some fitspiration features people promoting realistic exercise and body acceptance messages, much of it promotes the idea of exercising through pain and ignores the likelihood of resultant injury. Fitspiration athletes are dedicated to their cause, usually to the exclusion of leading a regular life. They also encourage body comparisons and therefore have a detrimental effect for most people.

What we don’t usually realise is that many of the Fitspiration images are manipulated in ways to make the athlete look better. Whether that’s using photo shop, strategic lighting, fake tans, unusual posture, and great clothing, it creates look that is not achievable even by the featured athlete. Here’s a great video showing how it’s done.

If fitspiration encourages you and helps you get out of bed and go for a walk or to the gym or turn on your yoga video, all is well. It’s great if it makes you feel good about yourself. If it doesn’t, avoid fitspiration at all costs.

How to quietly introduce new options for the family

In most households, like it or not, women are the ones controlling the shopping and food choices for the family. If you’re following a program to lose weight, it’s important for your sanity that they follow the same program. After all, who really wants to prepare different meals for different family members if they can avoid it?

The question is, how do you feed your family the same food as you eat if they’re not trying to lose weight? And how do you get them to eat it without having stand-offs and blazing arguments?

As the Healthy Inspirations programs are based simply on food, not diet food, it can be really easy, even for families with fussy eaters. Obviously not all strategies will work for all children (or partners), but here are some tried and true ideas:

Vegetables

• Blend cooked vegetables and add to bolognaise sauce – kids usually don’t even know they’re there.
• Mash cooked cauliflower with a little butter and cream. Many families happily eat it thinking it’s mashed potato.
• Oven-bake vegies with a little olive oil. Broccoli, cauli, carrots etc are really good done this way; just keep an eye on them or you’ll be trying to tempt the kids with burnt vegies instead.
• Grate some cheese over cooked vegies and then pop them under the grill for a minute or two to melt the cheese.
• Always serve up vegies that people enjoy. There’s no point creating fights over new vegies when the old ones are happily eaten.
• Introduce one new vegetable at a time, while still serving up the favourites.
• Add grated vegetables to an egg, bacon and cheese mixture, pour into muffin pans, and bake for about 20 minutes. Frittata muffins are usually a winner.
• Make mini meatloaves or chicken loaves in muffin pans. Use minced meat, a couple of eggs, and grated (raw) or cooked (mashed) vegies added in will ‘disappear’.
• Cauliflower pizza bases are delicious and the focus for the meal is on the topping each family member chooses to add. Ask a Health Coach for a recipe.

Proteins

• The mini meatloaves (above) are a winner because the shape is fun and, because the edges brown nicely, it looks more appetising than a slice of a larger meatloaf.
• Make bone broth with left-over roast bones. Put the bones in a slow cooker, add onion, salt and pepper, and vegies like broccoli stalks and carrots and celery, then cover with water. Cook on low for 24 hours, then strain and enjoy some very nutritious and versatile stock.
• Slice roast meat very finely and use as a wrap for vegies. You can even wrap it up in baking paper or foil so it can be easily eaten like a take-away.
• Younger children often find it hard to eat a steak, but easy to eat bolognaise.
• Mix protein powder into a smoothie and drink it. Call it a milkshake if it helps.
• Use protein powder to make snacks such as muffins, bliss balls and mousse.
• The old favourite of soft-boiled eggs are still popular, and serve them with steamed vegetable ‘soldiers’.

Fats

• Offer nuts and seeds as snacks.
• Add coconut oil to milkshakes and smoothies.
• Fry eggs in some butter.
• Make chocolate mousse with avocado and a little cacao – creamy, with top quality fat and delicious.
• Add olive oil to steamed vegies just before serving.
• Vegetables roasted in olive oil or fried in butter are delicious, and the addition of the fat often gets reluctant eaters to discover that they enjoy the food more.

Let us know on our Facebook page if you have other strategies that have worked for your family.

Healthy Recipes – Peri peri chicken
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 small handful chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
• 8 large chicken drumsticks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. To make the peri-peri marinade, combine the garlic, ginger, oil and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and process until puréed. Add the chilli and parsley and stir until combined.
2. Place the chicken in a large sealable plastic bag. Add the peri-peri marinade and seal tightly. Rub the bag to coat the chicken in the marinade then refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight, to develop the flavours.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking dish with baking paper. Remove the chicken from the bag and drain off the excess marinade. Place the chicken on the prepared tray, breast-side down, and season with the salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 1 hour, brushing occasionally with the pan juices. The chicken is cooked when it is golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced with a skewer. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest before cutting into 8 pieces.
4. Serve immediately with the lime wedges and a green salad.

This recipe was found here.

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How many minutes?

Popular fast foods, snacks and drinks may be very tempting but give some thought to the number of minutes of exercise you will need to set aside, on top of your normal exercise, to burn off the extra energy they provide. Even a very small ‘treat’ can have a negative impact on your weight loss success.

Question: How many extra hours/minutes of activity does it take to burn off 2 tempura prawn sushi rolls?

Strenuous Aerobics: 34 minutes
Social Golf: 67 minutes
Energetic Dancing: 45 minutes
Jogging 8 kph: 34 minutes
Swimming: 45 minutes
Walking: 67 minutes