Muffin delight

After something quick and easy that's yummy too. Try this savory muffin recipe. These little guys are great as a snack, lunch, dinner and actually breakfast too!

Quiche Muffins

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 ½ cups of low fat milk

1 tablespoon of butter  melted

½ cup of self-raising flour

1 cup of low fat grated cheese

2 cups of filling of choice (see tips)

Method

-Preheat oven at 180°C

- In a bowl whisk together, eggs, milk, butter and flour.

- Fold in cheese and fillings.

- Pour into muffin tray (We use a texas muffin tin)

- Back for 40mins or until set.

Tips

• -          For filling try Leek and mushroom; carrot and zucchini; spinach, cherry tomato and capsicum; roast vegetables; diced chicken breast and corn.
• -          Can be frozen.
• -          Serve hot or cold with salad. 

Zen Mondays

Wishing our Monday mornings were a little like this..

and a little less this...

Lets get your Mental, Physical and Nutritional work day in check!

MENTAL

Its important to be in a positive head space especially when working. Instead of starting the week frustrated that its only Monday change your view and and the week will go quicker. Lets break this down. 
You have to be at work (well have to if you want to keep doing fun things and have a home) so being tired, frustrated, and mopey only affects you. Your boss couldn't care less if you're sitting at your text in a bad mood. So slap a smile on, be grateful you have a job and look at the week ahead positively and become a go getter.
When you get in on a Monday have a look at the calender for the week and see what's on: Meetings, Due dates, Clients etc so you're not surprised in 2 days when you turn up to work late and with no make up on. 
Next use your first 30 mins to prioritize your day and check emails. 
Plan your activities and create daily deadlines. 
By lunch you should aim to have finished all the high priority work for the day.
Use your afternoon for lower important activities that don't require an immediate response. 
The structure of the afternoon is just as important as the morning. Although we have celebrated Labour day it appears the 9-5 week day has gone a little wayward. But even if that means home-time is 6.30 now it's still important to be finished when you leave. The brain and you will work better and feel better leaving work for the day with a sense of completion not with 3 things half finished hanging over your head. It creates a work/home life balance. When you leave with still a bunch of things requiring attention people stew of this at time and and the quality of home time decreases which impacts on relationships with partners, family and friends. So look at your work and prioritize according (unless you're a surgeon nothing you do is that important it can't be done tomorrow; no one will die). Emails don't need to be responded to at 9pm at home because you know what no one can do anything with that information because no other business is open!). Now I'm not saying go and be lazy surprisingly when you create more structure to your working day and daily deadlines, productivity increases and so does your mental happiness. 
Also by adding that end to your work day, enjoying and relaxing through your evenings you've created barriers. Instead of work filtering through into home time its stopped and you mentally have switched off because you have not only left work but finished your activities for the day. Most people then end up not despising their jobs as much. 

PHYSICAL 
It's also important to take small breaks from work (especially if you're at a desk)! 
So UP YOU GET!! 
-Take 5 deep breathes holding briefly on the inhale.
-Tilt head toward shoulder holder for 5secs alternate sides.
- Roll shoulders circular forward 10x then repeat back wards
- Stretch 1 arm out with palm down, pull fingers down. Hold for 3 secs. Pull fingers up and hold. Repeat alternating hands 3x
- Standing stretch up arching with hands arching back. Slowly bend down to touch toes. Hold for 5secs. Inhale. Slowly roll up exhaling. Repeat 2x

NUTRITION

 Your energy levels across the day and productivity is influenced by how you fuel your body. So instead of grabbing a double espresso in the morning and slamming a redbull at 3pm add foods that nourish the body and give a good balance of energy across the day. 

Have a LOW GI breakfast: oats, natural muesli,or wholegrain bread with poached egg.
Lunch should be light to avoid getting the sluggish feeling in the afternoon. 2 brown rice sushi rolls, salad with lean meat, quinoa and tuna salad. Protein and vegetables/salad are a good choice.
Snacks are also important. 2 fruit, 1 yogurt and some trial mix is the perfect balance of macros. 
And don't forget your fluid status. Aim for about 1.5-2.0L/d of water.
 Now grab a cup of green tea and Power on!

Fall Fits

The seasons have changed whether the weather is fall for us and spring for you these fits will be perfect for the temperature!

Nike 

Obsessed Capris - Grey Heather / Atomic Orange

$70.00

I have these 3/4 and live in them they're super compfy and take me from the gym to the street. Loving the new colour combo!

PILOT ATHLETIC

Florence Puffer Jacket - Black

$270.00

Nena and Pasadena

Desert Storm Crew

$89.95

THE UPSIDE

GForce Shorts - Black

$170.00

NIKE ZOOM FLY

AU$160.00

Lorna Jane

                                                    CANDY PUFFA VEST

$149.99

Items available From Style Runner, Lorna Jane and Fit up.

Glycaemic Index

Everyone needs to eat carbohydrates at every meal to give energy to your brain and muscles. All carbohydrate foods break down into sugar in your stomach but they do so at different speeds – some slow, some fast.  The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a measure of how a carbohydrate food affects the sugar in your blood.

Choosing slow acting carbohydrates in medium serves is better for your overall health.

-        Slow acting Carbohydrates = Low GI food

o    More slowly broken down and has less impact on blood glucose levels

-        Quick acting Carbohydrates = High GI food

o    More quickly broken down and causes higher blood glucose levels

Glycaemic Index of common foods:

	LOWER GI Best choice	MEDIUM GI Good choice	HIGH GI Limit intake
Breads	Wholegrain bread, Burgen® breads, Soy and Linseed, oat-bran based breads, Country grain, Bakers Delight® Low-GI white bread	Rye bread, light rye bread, crumpets, pita breads, mountain bread wraps	White and wholemeal bread, bagel, gluten free bread
Breakfast Cereals	All bran® fruit and oats, All bran®, Guardian®, Porridge, Traditional Oats, Sustain®, Weet-Bix®, Natural Muesli	Untoasted Muesli, Just Right®, Special K®, Fruity Bix®, Vita Brits®	Sultana Bran®, Bran Flakes®, Coco Pops®, Rice Bubbles®, CornFlakes®
Grains	Pasta, wheat noodles, bulgar, Moolgiri Rice (freedom foods®)	Basmati Rice, Doongara rice, Couscous, Quinoa, Gnocchi	Jasmine rice, brown rice, glutinous rice, short grain rice
Legumes	All beans (e.g. kidney, baked),  chickpeas and lentils		Broad beans
Starchy Vegetables	Corn, butternut pumpkin, parsnip, green peas	Sweet potato, Beetroot	White Potato (Nicola or almera, hot chips
Note: Most vegetables contain very little carbohydrate so do not affect blood sugar levels. Aim to eat at least 3 cups of non-starchy vegetables every day.
Fruit	Apple, pear, orange, plums, peach, nectarine, kiwi fruit, grapes, mango, banana (firm)	Rockmelon, pineapple, cherries, sultanas, apricots	Watermelon, dates, banana (ripe), most dried fruit
Low Fat Dairy	All varieties of cow and sow milk, yoghurt, custard. Yoplait le-rice
Savoury Biscuits	Vita weat®, Ryvita®	Rice-corn cakes	Water crackers, Sao®, Savoys®, Sakata®, Cheds
Sweet Biscuits	Oatmeal biscuits,  Snack Right Fruit Slice®	Digestives, Milk arrowroot	Tim tams®, Oreo®, Choc Chip cookies, Wafer biscuits

Meat, chicken, fish, nuts, eggs and cheese do not contain any carbohydrate and will not increase your blood sugar levels. But these foods are high in fats so should not be eaten in excess

Nap time

Our parents have been telling us for years to get 8 hours sleep but with busy lifestyles, work demands and social lives brimming with invitations how many of us actually get enough shut eye...?

Now we've all heard of the saying "You can sleep when your Dead"; but studies are indicating that this off the cuff comment may be more accurate then first thought. 

Epidemiology studies have found the following increases in people getting less than 6 hrs of sleep.

Stroke: increased risk by a factor of 4x
Obesity: increased due to the increase in ghrelin a hunger hormone
Diabetes: insulin resistance is increased due to sleep deprivation 
Accelerated memory loss. Not only permanent cognitive loss, but evidence in early brain deterioration
Osteoporosis: changes in bone mineral density and bone marrow changes
Cardiac disease is also increased; 48% increase in early cardiac death and in mortality
Overall increase in death by 4 fold. 


And if that's not reason enough to hit the hay according to a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, up to 26% of people say that their sex lives tend to suffer because they're just too tired. There's evidence that in men, impaired sleep can be associated with lower testosterone levels. 




So its clear if you want be having better fun in the sheets you need to be hitting them more often. 



Best way to get qaulity shut eye. 

Getting in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle (your circadian rhythm) is one of the most important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you will feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only an hour or two. Consistency is vitally important.

Set a regular bedtime. Many clients say this is the hardest. The key is setting the the wake time then you'll naturally be tired by the end of the day for sleep. If you're constantly sleeping in its hard to force yourself to sleep that evening. 
Wake up at the same time every day. Waking up naturally without an alarm is the besty measure of adequate sleep. 
Be smart about napping. While taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.

Open up your eyes to the value of closing them! 

Shake Shake Shake

Supplements and Exercise

"Protein supplements are generally overused. The recommended dietary intake of protein for an average Joe is easily achieved through diet alone. For the ultra-fit I see a place for protein supplements as their needs and total energy requirements are slightly higher."

The first thing I ask someone who loves to tell me all an out their protein shakes is: "Do you know how much protein you need a day?" If that answer is no then you don't need a protein supplement!

Don't get me wrong Protein supps definitely have a valid place but that is with athletes on a structured resistance training program, endurance athletes, athletes with high training loads not a person who does Bi's + Tri's twice a week! Half the time these gym users end up consuming more calories then they have burned to begin with, not to mention choosing the wrong protein for their body and often consuming in excess. Protein supplements achieve results based on program type & frequency, protein type (complete/incomplete BCAAs), and timing of consumption.

If you feel you want to commence a new program that's great! If you want to support this with maximal protein even better but before you take advice form the jacked up guy who hogs the free weights we recommend consulting a GP, Exercise physiologist or Dietitian as these guys are qualified experts in the area and will ensure you're getting the right amount at the right time (and right price) to see maximal results.

In the mean time here is the down-lo or protein!

Why does your body need protein?

Protein is required to build new cells. Every cell and organ in your body needs protein. Muscle, skin, hair, bone, and connective tissue contain protein. To live and function properly, your body needs protein.

How much protein do you need in a day?

It's been reported by American and Australian health bodies, along with the World Health Organisation, that men and women require approximately 0.8g of protein per 1kg in body weight.

      80kg man requires approximately 64g of protein per day

      60kg woman requires 48g per day.

Do you know how much protein is in the food you eat?

      250g portion of salmon, steak, chicken or pork loin all contain between 50g to 60g of protein.

      Three eggs contain 20g of protein

      1cup milk contains 9g

Like your food a bit faster?

      Double Whopper with Cheese contains 55g

      3 KFC Original Recipe Thighs contains 62g

      Domino's BBQ Meat Lover's Pizza contains 77g

Fresh, fast, or a combination of both … if you live in a Western country, you're most likely hitting your required protein intake every day, week, and year.

Do I need supplements?

The average gym user does not need any form of supplementation. Natural varieties (without all the hidden nasties) can complement a wholefoods nutrient-dense diet; assisting people to feel full, shed fat mass, or gain lean muscle.

Snack easy

The art of Snacking

Lunch was hours ago, but your stomach is growling and dinner isn’t for another 3 hours.. sound familiar? You're contemplating a chocolate bar or grabbing that banana bread form the office café but the guilt is too much to bear. If you think that your best option is to avoid a snack altogether and wait for the next meal, think again.

One of the biggest myths about snacking is that it is an unhealthy habit. The truth is that it's not snacking that is bad, but rather the type of food and quantities that people choose. In fact, snacking might be the missing ingredient that will help you reach your optimum health goal.

The Benefits of Snacks

Although you may feel guilty about snacking, it can be beneficial to eat smaller meals with snacks across the day instead of large meals just a few times a day. Here's how healthy snacking can help you:

·         Prevent overeating. Snacking between meals can actually reduce your overall caloric intake by controlling the feeling to binge or overeat at your next meal. The best way to describe this is often I get clients that will only have one slice of toast a breakfast but by mid-morning find they’re starving and often going for something quick and easy with their coffee or controlling temptation but are so hungry by lunch that they eat the first thing (usually quick and easy) they see… pie, dim sim, slice of pizza, subway etc.

·         Boost of energy and nutrients. Healthy snacks provide fibre and nutrients your body needs to keep you energized throughout the day. Fibre is what help us feel full so instead of the body fluctuating between full>hungry it maintains a more even level of satiety. So our energy across the becomes more closely regulated and so does your level of productivity.

Make Snacks a Healthy Part of Your Life

The real challenge is what kind of food you eat and how much. There are many easy ways to incorporate snacking into a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips to make snacking work for you:

·         Avoid consistent snacking of foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat. Pretty much if the snack is bite size (potato chips, sakata, savoys, biscuits) its bad news. These snacks tend to have little or no nutritional value, have addictive flavours (that often taste better washed down with soft drink)  and are also hard to monitor (how do you know if you’ve had 5 or 15). The key to healthy snacking is to eat more frequent, yet small portions. Buy small packages of food to avoid binge eating and don't snack out of the box.

·         Always have snacks available. A healthy lifestyle always comes down to organisation. So portion out some  trial mix at the start of the week so it’s ready to grab and go, keep healthy snacks like dried fruit in a desk drawer, fresh fruit in the fridge or muesli bars in the car.

·         Only snack if you are hungry. The point of healthy snacking is to quench hunger while being health conscious, so don't snack if you aren't really hungry. A leading cause of overeating happens because of boredom or social eating, so be careful not to fall into this trap.

With proper portions and healthy food choices, snacking can enhance, rather than hurt your diet.

What we suggest:

• -       Low fat yogurt   
• - Fresh fruit    
• - Raw nuts/seeds     
•   - low sugar muesli bars    
•   - chopped veggies