WHY WAIST YOUR MONEY

OK- I’m going to have a little GRRR moment.


I cannot believe HOW MUCH MONEY some people pay for online programs.....

So here it go's, People out there ( mainly woman) pay $85 dollars, sometime even more for a emailed program, not even a specific program, I’m all for do what you need to get healthy but everything you need that they send you, you can find on the net, clean eating recipe’s are everywhere.

You should know what is right to eat. It’s not rocket science it is just common sense.

Any eating plan or lifestyle change to you eating that tells you to cut out a food type is WRONG! Most I have read tell you to cut out carbohydrates, some fruit, and alcohol.

Our bodies need carbs they are what we use for energy. I mean look at the population of the world that eat RICE or PASTA as their main source as food, most of them are not fat. They move more to burn of what they eat.
People that play sports, need to eat more and eat lots of carbs, the more you move the more you can eat.
The energy that you put in your mouth has to be less than the energy you use and you will lose weight. If you eat crap and eat lots of fatty food and sugary foods you will not lose weight.

I don’t understand why people need to pay loads of money to hear this.

I understand a personal trainer because they push you when you can’t push yourself; they also make you accountable to someone other than yourself so in no way am I talking about personal training here.

I’m talking about programs where you sign up, pay your money, and they send you all this common sense information. They are great for support with all of the other thousands of people on there and awesome for recipes that you can get but other than that, you’re paying for NOTHING people. You can find everything on the net.

What’s more is that people change their eating after paying someone to tell them to stop eating shit, then they get on their pages and write these awesome reviews I change my eating and I thank this plan cause I’m losing weight.

Their are lots of free great site's out there that give you clean eating guide...
 One of my fav's is Happy health Gigi

 http://happyhealthygigi.tumblr.com/tagged/cleanrecipes/page/2

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/food_and_recipes/clean_recipe.aspx
So there is 2 pages that ill give you for free.

REMEMBER DIET IS 80% of weight loss. :)
Tash

CURRIED SWEET POTATO SOUP

NOW THIS IS YUMMY-KIDS WILL ASK FOR MORE!!!!

1kilo sweet potato-peeled and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup celery (cut into small pieces)
4 tomatoes (cut into small pieces)
2 carrots (cut into small pieces)
1 red pepper (cut into small pieces)
1.5 liters of vegetable stock
1 cup of lentils
1 tsp good fresh chilli
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger
Sea salt and pepper to season


Put sweet potato in to stock and boil add salt and pepper.
Add lentils, celery, tomatoes simmer for 15 mins

Add the ginger, garlic and chilli. Boil for a further 5-8 minutes
If it is way too thick you can add more boiling water.

You can either blend or eat as is :)
I make double so I can freeze it in portion sizes and just pull out when I’m hungry and have no time to cook.
Tash x

Lentil Quiche

Now this is high protein, low fat, and the kids and hubby will love it and easy!



1 large onion, chopped
2 table spoons olive oil
1/2 cup of dried lentils
2 cups water
2 cup broccoli, cut into florets
3 tomatoes
4 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons mixed herbs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Salt and pepper

Pre heat oven to 190degrees

Place olive oil and onion in the bottom of a pie dish.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until onion is soft

Place the lentils and water in a saucepan and boil for 20mins or until lentil are tender.

Drain almost all the water out leave a little in the bottom, place in broccoli on top of the lentils cover and cook for 5 mins.

Add the lentils, broccoli, tomatoes to the pie dish with onion, stir in cheese.

In a bowl whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper and herbs, pour into pie dish.

Bake for 45mins or until firm

Cool for a few minutes before slicing

LETS TALK DIETS AND PROGRAMS

WANT TO START OF SAYING SORRY ITS BEEN AGES GUYS.

As a health and fitness professional it is hard to keep up with all the new DIETS and crazes, you have to read continually and research NEVER stops. So Part of being good at your profession is that you can distinguish what’s basically a load of crap and what COULD actually work for some clients.

There is so many let’s talk about a few:

Ashy Bines "clean eating plan" - the latest of the ones going around in OZ at the moment. It is basically the same idea as "body trim" Cut out almost all carbohydrates, sugars, and processed food etc and only eat FRESH-MADE FROM SCRATCH food.

The benefit with the ashy bines is that there is a massive net work of support facebook page where you can discuss your progress, swap recipes, get motivation, and give motivation. And she also has cardio classes all over OZ.  Just quietly I had of wish I started up something like the "ashy bines" lifestyle eating plan.

Body Trim is basically the same eat only fresh food, no carbs, high protein, and also does the same measuring no scales, and walking as you exercise to start with. He gives you some pretty good simple recipes in his book!

Then there are all the diets where you have to count calories and you have a daily calories intake. This works for people that that way over eat and have no idea. It makes people accountable for what they put in their mouths- in saying that a food diary will basically do the same thing. I make all my clients do a food diary for a few "normal" days so we can sit down and go through it and it is amazing how much people actually SNACK and don’t realize.

Organization is the key to eating well- if you are un-organized and have nothing ready you end up eating something processed, quick and easy which is normally full of FAT, CARBS, or sugar or ALL.

Things like weight watchers is OK, but YOU need to learn how to prepare your own healthy low fat fresh healthy food, how long are you going to be on weight watchers? Forever? NO! So as soon as you come off it you go back to your old ways and eat like you did when you got fat or UN healthy!

 

Look to sum it up is that it is really easy, I don’t think you need to pay someone to tell you how to eat healthy, you know what good eating is, low fat, low or no processed foods, and lots of fresh foods. MOVE GET OF YOUR BUTT - IF YOU DIDNT KNOW THIS YOU MUST NOT HAVE GONE TO SCHOOL.

It’s a good idea to get a trainer, to push you to your limits and to be accountable to someone. Everyone is different, different things work for different people!

THE BIGGEST THING IS TO JUST START NOW!!!!! NOT ON MONDAY :)

iM ABOUT TO DO SOME REASERCH ON A BOOK "EAT STOP EAT" I WILL GIVE YOU REVIEWS NEXT :)

Lentil and spinach soup

Now this is NOT something I would normally cook but I tried it and loved it......

300g brown lentils wash really well

Can of chickpeas - don’t forget to wash them really well
3 stalks of Celery sliced
2 leeks sliced
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic pressed in garlic press
2 carrots chopped small
600g spinach chopped
Half a lemon juice and zest
Splash of olive oil
2 liters water

Place the lentils in a pot with crushed garlic and 2 liters of cold water
Cook for 25 minutes or until tender.

In another pot heat olive oil and add all the vegetables leaving the spinach and chickpeas out cook for about 12 minutes then add the lentils and their water to the vegetables. simmer for 20 minutes until it is like a nice soup consistency then add chickpeas and spinach and salt and pepper simmer for another 7 minutes adding extra water if needed.

Enjoy TASH xxx

PORTIONING YOUR PLATE

Ok so it helps me to divide our plates up in 3 sections

1. Vegetables- These should be non-starchy vegetables that are multicolored!! The more color on your plate, the better!! This should take up half of your plate.

2. Protein is your next section. Chicken, beef, pork, lamb, ham, turkey, any lean meat and egg. This should be a little over 1/4 of your meal.

3. Carbs-brown rice, cous cous, quinoa, (steer clear of bread, white rice and pasta with weight loss) try to avoid any Carbs at night time.

A few notes-
 Try and limit Carbs to morning and lunch stay clear at night time.
Potato is a starchy carb cut them out if you can all together
Eat the whole egg- the best part for you is the yolk

My Quick Lunch Time Salad

I find that if I wash all my veggies and then put them in the fridge it makes things a lot quicker for me during the week. I also wash and pull apart my lettuce and keep in zip lock bags. You can also chop up all your salad stuff and keep in the zip lock bags or fridge containers for the week so it’s easy when you want it fast!

Lettuce

Spinach leaves

White cabbage

Carrot grated/chopped

Cucumber

Tomato

Capsicum (any colour)

Feta cheese

Optional*

Sun dried tomatoes

Olives

Capers
Onion
Boiled egg
Tin plain tuna in spring water
I put a little sweet chili sauce on mine once made, you can use a vinegar mix if you prefer!

Cut up all the ingredients in to bite size bits mix and enjoy

Tash xxx

example of my eating plan

Ok so I’ve been "clean eating", "eating right" "eating fresh" whatever you want to call it for about 2 weeks now. I haven’t been as strict as I probably should be but it takes time to change your eating habits for good and permanent change.

I have been trying to make everything from scratch that go's in my mouth, I have a free day or two depending what is happening that week.
There are a few things I LOVE, I’m a huge PASTA fan. I love spaghetti, macaroni, and any pasta. So I TRY to buy the whole meal or brown pasta which isn’t really available here and I limit to maybe 2 meals a week.

Rice, well it’s really hard to eat out here and not order something that does have rice. So eating out has been limited, well trying.

Also Indonesians LOVE sweet stuff, bread here is disgustingly sweetened with sugar.

I’m really lucky here because I have the time to cook from scratch, all the time. I tend to have a BIG cooking day; usually the day after Tatie (my maid) goes to the market. I do up a huge chicken and veg soup, spinach and lentil soup, beef and red wine casserole, and a quiche and portion them into freezer containers.

So like I said there are a few things I just can’t live without: REAL FATTY MILK!!!! Pasta hit now and then, mint slice biscuits and a few beverages... All of these things are ok in MODERATION!!!!
MODERATION!!!!-this is one word that has been lost in our society for far too long! People over eat, and not good food. They get UP-sized meals; really did you need those extra chips full of sugar? And that Pepsi full of sugar? NO you really didn’t.

I get very angry when I hear or read usually oh I didn’t know that was bad for me.......REALLY you had no idea that if you sat down and ate that whole packet of chocolate biscuits that there would be no side effects?

ahh anyway totally of the track, all I’m trying to say is that people need to stop playing dumb, ask for help, or research and take some accountability for their own lives.

ok so just 2 short weeks into changing my eating for the better, (not that it was veer really bad) iv never really been a junk food person but with kids you find that pasta's and rice dishes, and breads are on your main shopping list a lot of the time because their easy, cheap, and you know the kids will eat it! But our children have to learn the difference between fresh eating and bad habit eating as well and grow and expand there taste’s.
I only had knee surgery in March; I’m really impressed with the results so Far., following is an idea of what I have been eating:

DAY 1
Breakfast: Oats with brown sugar and whole milk
Snack: Banana and berry smoothie with whole milk
Lunch: Lentil and spinach soup
Snack: Muffin (Homemade) Sometime miss this snack if I had a late lunch or having early dinner
Dinner: Baked Lemon chicken with steamed veg.

Day 2:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs half a piece of toast (homemade bread) (whole meal)
Snack: smoothie
Lunch: tuna + a quick salad
Snack:  strawberries
Dinner: Grilled salmon fillet with stir fry veg.

There are just 2 examples of some meals that we eat. I will be posting a recipe a day so stay tuned.

Tash xxx

REST. RECOVERY AND INJURY

 

Ok so we are going to talk REST and RECOVERY and INJURY for your body today.

It’s fantastic to see people get right into exercise and wanting to get fit. Your body on the other hand is probably in shock if you haven’t done anything in a long time, you need to ease into it, gradually increasing your time and making your workout harder.

I recommend doing 1-2 weights sessions a week but not the same body part (muscle group), 2-3 intense cardio sessions and then as many "light" sessions as you want-nice strolls, soft bike ride etc.

The body repairs and strengthens itself in the time between workouts, and continuous training can actually weaken the strongest athletes. Rest days are critical to sports performance for a variety of reasons. Some are physiological and some are psychological. Rest is physically necessary so that the muscles can repair, rebuild and strengthen.

Recovery time allows these stores to be replenished and allows tissue repair to occur. Without sufficient time to repair and replenish, the body will continue to breakdown from intensive exercise.

There are a few things you can do to help your body repair itself,

* Drink plenty of H2O before, during and after exercise.

*Stretch well after exercise, even better get someone else to stretch you.

*Make sure your eating- and eating good food.

*Rest.....

When exercising you are meant to feel "the burn" example, if you are doing lunges you muscles in your legs and butt will hurt. Your knees shouldn’t hurt if you get sharp pain in your knees or say back you’re not doing it right so STOP! This is where having a personal trainer/professional to show you how to do exercises with proper form so you do not injure yourself by having poor incorrect form.

TASH xx

Daily Recipes

Hey Guys, from now on I’m going to try and post 1 recipe a day!

So I have made a few yummy things in the past few weeks. Keeping in mind that I have 3 growing children that DO NOT want to lose weight, I usually make 2 dinners. :)

I made an awesome Beef and red wine casserole last week it was awesome:

Preheat oven to 180degress c

500g round steak (just some nice beef)

1 onion (I like it just sliced)

3 cloves of garlic crushed

5 diced tomatoes

1 cup red wine

1 cup hot water

2 table spoons plain flour

1 beef stock cube (dissolved in the 1 cup of hot water above)

Drops of oil (olive, rapeseed etc)

Add a drop of oil in a non stick pan, add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds put into casserole dish.
Toss meat in flour reheat pan add one more drop of oil, fry meat until all is brown (6 minutes) put into casserole dish.
reheat pan add tomatoes, wine, stock bring to the boil and add salt and pepper to taste add to casserole dish cover and cook for 1.5hours.

(You can add in carrot, capsicum, peas or mushrooms)

Nice warm winter dish! Yummo enjoy!
Tash xx

TRAINING, WHAT AND HOW MUCH?

I get asked continuously "Tash how many time should I train a week? What should I be doing?" "What training is the best?", "should I concentrate on cardio or weights?"

In my opinion and experience people can’t focus on everything all at once, diet, cardio, weights and live a life.

In saying that diet contributes to 60-80% of getting healthy and achieving the body you want.

Next comes weights- and before you say "I don’t want to get big and bulky" majority of Ladies CANT get huge like a man without help of supplements etc even then it is so HARD to get big and bulky for a lady as we don’t have the testosterone to achieve this. Weights are going to tighten and define your muscle, the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn.

Then last but not least is movement, cardio (other than daily movement). I find it easier for my clients to just improve their lifestyle by getting out side, walking, going to the beach, park swimming than saying go and do 2 -3 classes a week. I find changing lifestyle is enough and achievable, you have to remember that you have to fit in all this in to your life.

Ok so yes it takes up a lot more tie to prepare healthy fresh food-BUT making a salad and grilled steak takes less prep than say a potato bake. I have some great tips to help you with preparing food and saving time. Next blog!

So in summary, I get my clients to do at least 1 weights session (2 if they are super fit by splitting the body in to 2) concentrate on your eating plan- and move your ass, even if you take the stairs instead of the lift, park in the furtherest car park from the door to work or shopping centre.

Tash xx

BACK TO BASICS-CLEAN EATING

I get asked all the time "Natasha, what is clean eating?"

It is really very easy! "Clean eating" is a relatively new term given to eating non processed foods, Vegetables, fruits, fresh meats (not processed) and whole grains.

It is really important to eat well not only for weight loss but for your overall health; processed foods are loaded with chemicals and harmful additives.

If you need proof, just look at history: back in the olden days they didn’t eat processed foods, they ate what they grew and could catch, meat and fish was fresh, vegetables and fruit where eaten when they were picked. SUGAR well it was from honey, molasses and cane sugar when available-rarely.

There was barely any obesity especially in children because they did more physical stuff outside than sitting on their butts inside.

I’m "simple" eat good fresh food, move your butt, drink water and lift weights. It’s really that easy!!!!! Kids should be made to be outside running around in most daylight hours. sure everything in moderation, you have to adapt a little to society and technology as that is the way the world is being run BUT we need to beet this "fatty world" we are becoming and we need to take a simple approach and stop paying $$$$$$ for silly quick fixes. It’s a life change to be healthy it takes time, and effort but I guarantee once you have done it you will feel better and be a much happier person.

So I hope I have shed some light on the "clean eating" for you.

Any comments please comment any topics you would like me to address please tell me!

Tash x

Lets talk GOALS.

I often see people fail in their quest's to a healthier and fitter body and mind.

I think it is because they don't have clear or realistic goals. We all read in the magazines Victoria lost 50 kilos on such and such a diet, or Kate lost all her baby weight in 6 days..... bla bla bla !!!
ITS A LIE PEOPLE

So where to start, you want to sit down and think of realistically what you want to achieve,saying i want to loose 10 kilos a week is NOT realistic. What you want to do is make a LIFESTYLE change that you will easily be able to maintain for a long time. If you have kids and have barely any time well don't set your self up to fail by wanting to train everyday.... if you currently eat mainly pasta don't cut it out all together....

So ill give you some examples : i have a 12 mth old baby, iv lost most of my baby weight but am hanging on to maybe 2-3 kilos i don't want.
Exercise: Because i have twin 5 yr old and a 12 mth old I'm going to have to manage my time well, let say i want to make the gym 2 times a week, ill also go riding with the kids (i have a toddler seat on my bike) lets say every day cause that's achievable as my kids ride everyday (even if its around the block its something), id also like to attend yoga 1-2 times a week. if there is a sport or exercise you love to do then do it, you don't want to choose an activity that you are going to hate, i can not run run run on a treadmill and go no where boring!!! but i love to box! so ill be boxing at the gym after my weights.

Diet: as i said i have a family so when cooking i have to think about the eating as well. i also live in a place that meat is very very expensive, so I'm going to up my protein and lower my carb intake.
Lots of salad or steamed veg's with a protein like tuna, chicken, steak and boiled eggs :)
Omelet for breakfast or poached eggs
Have one free day a week usually on the weekend :)

OK so i don't think iv over committed myself - my diet isn't changing a great deal so my goal is a kilo every 3 weeks. which is very achievable I'm in no urgent hurry!

so first thing sit down and wright down goals. not too many ! then look at you goal list and re-write it as follows:
I will loose 1 kilo a month for the next 3 months
I will go to the gym 2 times a week
I will eat healthy
etc etc.
add in any personal goal you may have as well example
I will save $50 a week for my holiday
I will speak only nice words to people
etc etc
I hope i have helped you on where to start.
keep your eyes open - my next blog will be all about breaking down exercise what to do more of to achieve different goals :) happy goal writing

Daily recipe - chcicken salad

OK well i had THE best chicken salad for tea tonight made in my very own kitchen.

Lettuce (of your choice)-not too much maybe 1/2 cup - 1 cup
Cucumber
Capsicum
Tomato

Cheese cubes

Sun dried tomatoes

Sunflower seeds

Black currents

Chick peas

Almond meal

Chicken schnitzel/BBQ chicken
Chop everything up to bit size pieces, layer in you bowl sprinkle the almond meal over not too much!!!

AND ENJOY

Optional Extras:

Capers

chilli's

olives

teaspoon Caesar dressing

lets talk diet V exercise

OK so the long tug of war between Diet verse Exercise, which one to focus on, which is more effective to loose weight, today i will try and clear this up a little.

Daily movement is imperative to any healthy lifestyle, it is recommended that you do approximately 10,000 steps a day which seems a lot, but between normal daily activity and a daily walk it is easily achievable! 

If you want to loose weight the you have to dramatically increase that, which for everyone is not that easy!

When i was a little younger and running a personal training studio on the gold coast (Australia) i use to get so pissed when my clients would cancel, id heard every excuse in the book as to why they were not coming to their session. I was training approx 40-50 clients a week and i would get at least 2 cancellations a day. it is only since i have "grown up" had children and got a mature life that i can totally relate to those clients that i would drill after they missed a session on what their goals were, how they were going to achieve them if they were missing sessions.

Now that i have twin who are 5 and a 12mth old i totally understand that exercise is put last on  the list for the day. So for the past ummm 5 years i haven't exactly been keeping healthy, time with my kids, and house work and time with my hubby come before Any of my needs.

So in saying that diet is probably (i think) 65-80% more effective if you can stick to it for the time you want to loose weight.

What magic diet you ask... well i have tried just about everything through my career as i don't talk about anything unless iv tried it first hand, so every time something new is the hype i try it as long as its not going to kill me.

Cabbage soup diet, Atkins, the 7 day diet, the maple syrup diet and detox diets, but the most effective that i have found is a low or no carbohydrate's high protein diet or eating plan as i like to call it because it had to be a permanent change not just a DIET.

So if you can eat lots of protein, eggs, meat, fish, only for 4 days then this will give you a great cleansing period, then you can incorporate salads and vegetables just no starchy vegetables like potato.

it is most beneficial if you can eat mostly protein for breakfast, a protein only snack mid morning , protein and salad for lunch, then protein only snack in the afternoon then protein and steamed vegetables for dinner.
You can have a free day every week followed by a protein only day. steer clear of sugar as much as you can and fruit while you want to loose weight. Id like to add here that REAL food is obviously best at all times.

AND NO carbohydrates-bread,pasta,rice etc.

I personally find this healthy eating easy to stick too, my husband does NOT! he hates EGGS well that makes it hard unless he is going to eat meat 5 times a day by it self, I'm still working on what works for him but i will post it when i do!

Everyone has to remember that after kids and hitting 30 YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET BACK YOUR 20 year old body! yes some people are extremely lucky and will keep that body but majority of us will not.

The biggest reason people fail diets and loosing weight is because they have unreal expectations, you will not go from a size 24 to a size 8 in 3 weeks, and unless you quit you LIFE will you be able to exercise everyday for 4 hours. there are some TV shows, that I personally think give the wrong impression about loosing weight and changing your lifestyle, for some people its just carving a little bad habit, some its a whole lifestyle transformation which is really hard when you have a life, kids, significant other, work, school etc etc. 

So that the start of my healthy lifestyle blog stay tuned!

any questions or anything i can answer please ask :)