Sculpt and strengthen: glutes

Sad but true fact: you cannot spot-reduce areas of the body. That's right, no amount of crunches will turn a beer gut into a Beckham belly. However, you CAN strengthen areas of the body with targeted training - improving your posture and lean muscle mass and OVERALL strength and energy-burning potential. Your glutes are one of the major muscle groups (some days, more major than others) and working them to fatigue will have your body on fuel-burning momentum for hours afterwards. Some ideas from Women's Health magazine below. For the link to the article and print-out PDF, visit my Facebook page!

Women's Health butt blaster

Mmmm Miso!

Miso Soup

Miso is a fermented soy product that is not only super tasty, but also provides a wealth of health benefits.

Making miso is an art form in Japan. It is made of soybeans and koji, a culture starter made from beneficial molds, yeast and lactic acid bacteria. As long as you choose unpasteruized miso, you will be getting the benefits of live friendly microflora for the health of your inner ecosystem.

There are many types of miso, some made with just soy beans and soy koji (called Hatcho miso, a favorite in Japan) and others made with barley and rice.

No matter which type you choose, this fermented superfood is immune strengthening, high in antioxidants (good for inner AND outer beauty!), aids in digestive system balance, high in protein, vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin K and isoflavones.

Check out the asian food section of your supermarket, health food stores or asian grocers!

Recipe for miso salad from 101 Cookbooks:

Miso salad

1 1/2 cups shallots, skinned and thinly sliced
splash of extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

2 tablespoons miso
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard (or a bit of whatever mustard you have around)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey or agave)
1/4 cup (brown) rice vinegar
1/3 cup mild flavored extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure toasted sesame oil (optional)

1/2 of a medium-large cabbage
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
3/4 cup chives, minced
8 ounces extra-firm tofu (see headnotes), room temperature

Stir together the shallots, splash of olive oil and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about 15 minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn). if needed turn down the heat. Remove them from the skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer. they should crisp up a bit.

Make the dressing by whisking the miso, mustard, and brown sugar together. Now whisk in the rice vinegar and keep whisking until it's smooth. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, and then the sesame oil. Two pinches of fine grain salt. Taste and make any adjustments if needed.

Cut the cabbage into two quarters and cut out the core. Using a knife shred each quarter into whisper thin slices. The key here is bite-sized and thin. If any pieces look like they might be awkwardly long, cut those in half.

Gently toss the cabbage, shallots, almonds, red onion, chives and tofu in a large mixing/salad bowl. Add a generous drizzle of the miso dressing and toss again - until the dressing is evenly distributed. Add more a bit at a time if needed, until the salad is dressed to your liking.

Serves 3 - 4 as a main dish, 6 - 8 as a side.

Welcome to today

GUEST: iHanuman Yoga Teachers

Guest blog from iHanuman - free yoga videos from yoga teachers of all traditions! Enjoy.



Hanuman yoga videos

Last summer, a friend of one our iHanuman Yoga Teachers' inquired about doing some video work for us. She had just finished her first year of film school and she was anxious to put her training to work. She only had two months of free time to offer us, so we began an idea for a project we had been thinking about for several months. We contacted all of our local studios and offered their teachers the opportunity to film a yoga video clip for our "In the Studio" series. Our goal was simply to highlight the variety of incredible local teachers and studios while creating valuable yoga teachings.

Hanuman pose (the white monkey)

  Most of the videos come from Charlottesville, Virginia, but Saraswati also took the concept on the road to the Outer Banks and even Portland, Oregon. The videos range from the breathing techniques, known as Pranayama, from the Ashtanga Yoga Tradition and the Kundalini Tradition to Yin and Vinyasa yoga sequences that are accessible to most yoga practitioners. We have created a playlist on our Youtube Channel for you to view the current videos. And Saraswati has contacted us again about returning to the project this summer! So we are currently putting together a schedule for recording more including a Yoga sequence in Spanish, some Yoga Philosophy and more asana sequences from new teachers.

Where to start with fitness tools for home and travel

So, it’s icy cold outside. You know you’ll have to stop for petrol too. For four days this week you’re at a conference in Timbuktu in a budget motel with no gym for miles. What to do? Eat fast food and give up on the whole fitness schmitness bizzo? You could. Or you could invest in some smart home/travel fitness tools and make some plans!

Exercise DVDs – ask friends, trainers, research online and watch YouTube videos to decide on the sort of workout you want to do, the personality of the instructor that appeals to you (if you don’t like super-perky, avoid zumba at ALL costs), the length of the workouts and how many options it gives (ie. does it cater to beginners, regular and advanced participants?)

Alternatively, subscribe to an online video service! Some are free, some are minimal cost. Check out iTunes.

I love barre3, Tracey Mallett, Casey Ho’s Blogilates, TeriLeigh’s power yoga podcasts

Hit up your local Target, Kmart, Big W, insert generic brand here...you get the idea.

Wrist support handles

A recent trek down the sports aisle at my local Kmart unearthed fit balls ($12), ab rollers ($10), wrist support handles ($12), yoga mats ($19)...

Talk to a trusted personal trainer and schedule some appointments to go through a program of body-weight exercises you can do when travelling that will maintain lean muscle mass while ensuring your technique is spot-on! Do NOT think that powering out 200 push-ups that are actually belly-flops counts as a workout. Don't think I haven't seen it. Also? 100 sit-ups that are actually more puffing and grunting than real abdominal contractions? Not. On.

Lunge anywhere

Fit ball

Push ups done right

Licorice tea - sweet as.

Licorice Root

The only alternative to coffee that doesn't feel like a poor substitute for me. Licorice root. Super sweet, smells heavenly and supposedly treats adrenal fatigue. As a natural stress-head and over-caffeinator, my poor adrenal system needs all the love and cuddles I can give it!

Health Food Store

It reportedly supports the adrenal system by balancing the level of cortisol (stress hormone) in the body. It's an anti-inflammatory and can also aid in upper respiratory inflammation (asthma, phlegm) and apparently, indigestion and water retention. But hey, what matters is it tastes addictively good. Please be aware that ALL herbs contain properties that may not be suitable for you depending on interaction with existing health conditions or medication. Please do your research to make sure it's safe for you. 1 - 2 cups daily is the suggested dose.
Find licorice tea at your local health shop or try Natural Health Direct.

Sweaty salutations

Bikram Yoga

Back to Breathe...more my pace!

I did my first Bikram Yoga class this morning! Let me get it out in the open early: this is not the yoga for me. I felt extremely uneasy watching participants get red-faced and need to flop into "corpse" pose regularly throughout class. For 85 minutes of the 90 minute class, I desperately wanted it to be over! I can't even say that I see this experience as yoga. This class felt like self-flagellation. I know that it is popular. I know that it has physical and mental benefits for many participants and I respect that. We all ask something different of our practice. I want to feel challenged, but also energised and invigorated, celebrating what my body can do and the feeling of being part of my class. The rapid-fire delivery of instruction was passionless and it most closely resembled the calling of a horserace! "Higher, leg higher. Go deeper, higher, stop. 3,2,1...bang, bang, bang!" So, not for me, but it DID satiate my curiosity. Thankyou to Lily for the opportunity - our next stop is back to Breathe Wellbeing! I also love barrebody.
Have you done Bikram? Does it work for you? Leave a comment!

Overtraining = more is not more

Admission: I was guilty of this for many years and I know that it is NOT easy to change your approach and your beliefs around fitness and what it takes to get the results you want, but if you think you might be overdoing your training, little changes are going to have big benefits on your physical and overall health.

I just read an article in Oxygen magazine with pro body sculpting models and personal trainers - question of the month was How much time do you spend training? and all of them said one hour, maximum except for one who spent an hour and 45 minutes only during competition period.

If you have a "more is more" approach to fitness, how about being smarter and taking a "quality over quantity" approach? I commonly see people grinding out long sessions of cardio machines in the belief this is the ideal weight-loss recipe. What is more effective and smarter and more fun is variety, planning your workout in advance, alternating high, moderate and low intensity intervals and plenty of resistance training (ideally with heavy weights). Muscle burns calories and it keeps churning up fuel long after your workout is over.

Trainer can give you tailored advice

If you are regularly working out for over and hour, see a personal trainer for a few sessions and ask them how you can get the results you want using your gym time efficiently. If you want a trainer recommendation, contact me. I would love to train you or recommend someone who can.

Overtraining sucks

• Training = Workout + Recovery
• Overtraining = increased back, knee, ankle and hip vulnerability to injuries
• Overtraining = imbalance in hormonal levels with increased cortisol (stress hormone) and adrenal gland fatigue (tiredness, poor sleep, moodiness)
• Overtraining = emotional vulnerability and heightened anxiety

 

Pelvic Floor Health with Michelle Wright of Mishfit

Michelle Wright of Mishfit

Today I had the pleasure to meet Michelle Wright, the founder of mishfit. Michelle and I discussed the  issue of pelvic floor health and the concerning fact that it is so common, and yet it receives very little attention either publicly or in the fitness industry. I learnt quite a lot from our meeting and I hope you do too. 

Mish has generously donated a double CD with meditation and pelvic floor exercise routine for alucky Core Integrity with Cat reader! Just leave a comment below stating in 20 words or less why you'd like to win.

Hi Mish. Thanks for chatting with me today. Let’s start with what your professional background is.

M: I began my working life as a primary school teacher in New Zealand, later moving to Japan and London to teach and work as a language consultant. Ten years’ ago I moved to Australia and after 4 years, I gained my qualifications in the fitness industry and embraced a new career as a trainer.

What was your purpose in establishing mishfit?

M: I started mishfit to achieve 3 things: to give mums an option to undertake affordable training that they could attend with their kids, to create awareness of the pelvic floor in the fitness industry and to ensure women were educated also, to have a business that was flexible enough that I could give my family time and energy (not easy to do as a single mother with 2 kids and no family in Australia!)

What is next for you?

M: I want to continue to enable and empower women to have their own mishfit business and I recently sold my first franchise, now operating in Ringwood. A mishfit franchise allows women to stay fit and healthy, create a meaningful difference for other women and being able to balance their work and family obligations.

Why is it a concern that there is a lack of education around pelvic floor health in the fitness industry?

M: It is like the last taboo... we don't like to discuss things "down there!" Historically, pelvic floor as a muscle that is taught at training facilities has been completely missing. The new Pelvic Floor First initiative from the Continence Foundation of Australia is helping to change that. Post-natal women are one of the largest groups in our society attending registered fitness centres or services,  and we know that one third of them are leaking... It is definitely time for the fitness industry to wake up and get involved.

What are you doing to make this happen?

Last month I presented this subject at FILEX (the largest fitness convention in the Southern Hemisphere) and I was thrilled that over 100 people attended and that 6 of them were men! Yah!

Who can do pelvic floor exercises and benefit from it?

M: All women, regardless of whether they have had children or not, should be practicing pelvic floor exercises. Men can also benefit,  and it’s a must if they have had any prostrate issues. A strong pelvic floor does not only stop you from leaking (80% of pelvic floor dysfunction can be sorted out by regular exercises in this area), but improves your orgasms (makes them stronger) and gives you a flatter lower abdominal (by activating the transverse abdominus muscle)... how cool is that? The big 3 I call them!

Mishfit client

Who are the typical class patrons of mishfit?

M:  My personal training clients are women of all backgrounds. mishfit mothers is a group program that I have designed for pregnant & post- natal women, and is currently in Ringwood & Northcote.

What signs can people be alert to that indicate a weak pelvic floor?

M: Leaking a little wee when you sneeze, jump or cough. The inability to hold on. Excessive toilet going (more than 5-7 times per day) and inability to empty bladder properly. Any pelvic or lower back discomfort. Any bulging or heaviness in the vaginal area (this could signify prolapse)

Is it ever too late to begin pelvic floor strengthening exercises?

M: Never! The World Health Organisation has stated that this is one of the largest preventable issues of our times.

Where can people find out more about mishfit and enrol in classes?

www.mishfit.com.au or 1300mishfit (1300647 4348)

Join mishfit on facebook & twitter

Pick me up with yoga and what's coming!

Yoga instant energy

Feeling blah? Try this 15 minute instant-energy booster from Women's Health magazine - either print out the guide or follow along with the video. Great way to greet the day or beat the post-lunch slump!

What's coming up ...

Pelvic floor exercises

An interview with Michelle W (MishFit) on the importance of focusing on the pelvic floor during exercise, especially pre- and post-natal; a guest post from fellow yogi Danielle on what her practice means to her and random goodness, as you've come to expect (a weighs routine, stretches, reviews, etc)!

Coming up: weights workout guide

Random fitness tips and articles

Skin Love

I have to come clean - I am a skincare and makeup fanatic. Having had bad acne when I was a teenager, I am adamant about looking after my skin. I went through two courses of Accutane, and let me tell you, that makes a person never want to experience nasty skin-peeling, vicious lip chapping, redness and sensitivity again. SO!
I change products regularly, not so much because I give up on the ones I use, but because there are so many awesome new products and research coming out. What I have discovered and am LOVING at the moment includes...

NVEY Organic erase concealer

ECO Minerals blush

• NVEY Organic concealer brush (perfect size and softness for around the eyes and nose) & erase concealer in neutral.
• ECO Minerals mineral blush in Uluru - not JUST for the name! Beautiful shade that mimics a healthy glow (cheaper than a holiday in Thailand!)
• Estee Lauder lip tint in Amber Bronze (611) - apply one coat for the slightest berry sheen and three for a stronger colour

  

  Estee Lauder lip tint

• Garnier BB Cream in light shade. This is amazing and so cheap - moisturises, heals blemishes, prevents new spots and covers redness...plus you can throw it in the basket while you're doing the groceries. Bonus.

Garnier BB Cream

What are you using and loving at the moment - leave a comment!

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