Mid week cooking
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition
Update: the session on the 8th is now fully booked, two more sessions have been added.
Cooking at home is one of the best ways to ensure you’re eating a healthy diet.
However, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, repeating the same old recipes week-in and week-out. Alternatively in the rush of work, kids, public transport and daily life, food can get pushed to the bottom of the list – meaning you end up eating take-away or frozen meals again.
Are you fed up with this and want to find out better ways to plan, prepare and eat healthy food?
In August I’ll be running a couple of Mid Week Meal Planning seminars. Bring along a friend and join me at Balance2health for a glass of wine and some nibblies, while I run through easy and practical solutions.
We’ll talk about the basics to keep in your pantry, how to plan and cook for the week and some easy recipes you can incorporate into your routine.
- Saturday 1 August 3.00pm – 4.30pm OR Thursday 13 August 6.30pm – 8.00pm
- Venue: Balance2health
- Cost: $20
- Bookings essential as spaces are limited – to reserve a place email Kathryn
Hope you can join me for what should be a useful and fun session.
Kathryn
Photograph by Bookgrl.
Holiday class timetable - only a few spaces left
Posted by kathryn in Pilates and Fitness
During the school holidays we will be running the following classes:
- MONDAY 6 JULY 6.15pm Instructor – Adrienn
- WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 6.15pm Instructor – Alexia – FULL
- SATURDAY 11 JULY 9.30am Instructor – Adrienn
- MONDAY 13 JULY 6.15pm Instructor – Adrienn
- WEDNESDAY 15 JULY 6.15pm Instructor – Alexia – FULL
- SATURDAY 18 JULY 9.30am Instructor – Alexia
Please note all classes are limited to 8 participants so book early! Email Alexia at alexiaam@optusnet.com.au
Personal Training is also available
Alexia will be available for Personal Training between 6 – 18 July. Make sure you book in advance, to secure your session.
*Please note there will be NO CLASSES between 20 – 26 July._
Term 2 classes begin on Monday 27 July.
Enquiries
If you have any questions about Pilates or Personal Training at Balance2health, then have a chat with Alexia. All our contact details are here.
Winter Weight Loss Plan
Posted by kathryn in Fitness, Clinic News and Nutrition
If you have made the decision to change old habits, lose weight and get fitter – now’s the time to act!
Keep moving over winter; learn how to control cravings and find a healthy way of eating that you enjoy.
The Balance2health Winter Weight Loss Plan will ensure you lose weight and have more energy, while still enjoying tasty, satisfying meals.
Get the individual care and attention you need
Losing weight and getting into a regular fitness routine can be difficult.
And one-size does not fit all.
Instead at Balance2health we offer a highly personalised service. Through a combination of individual personal training sessions; an eating plan that is catered to your tastes and lifestyle; and personalised food coaching – we guide you through your weight loss.
Feel like your old self again: Join the 6-week Balance2health WinterWeight Loss program.
Our Six-week Plan includes:
- 6 x Personal Training sessions
- 6 x ‘weigh ins’ and food coaching sessions
- Weekly food plans, to take the guesswork out of eating
- A training diary
- On-going support, motivation and advice via email
- For a cost of $79 per week
To find out more information or make a booking contact:
Look better, feel better, live better – join the Balance2health Winter Weight Loss Plan.
Pilates make-up OR extra classes - Term 2
Posted by alexia in Pilates
If you have missed one of your classes and would like to do a make-up, then you can book yourself in. Alternatively, if you would like to improve your Pilates practice by doing an EXTRA class now and then, you can book in for a casual class, at a cost of $16.
How to book
- At Balance2health, our Pilates Class vacancies are only for the use of current Term paying members.
- Current members who wish to book into a vacancy need to email Alexia to book. Do not simply turn up to the class.
- Spaces are allocated on a first-email-first-serve basis.
- Make-up classes cannot be carried over to a new Term, or to Holiday Classes.
- Although make-up classes are often possible during the term, they can only be offered if current class members let us know in advance when they’re unable to attend their usual class – this does not always happen.
- To book yourself in email Alexia at alexiaam@optusnet.com.au
- If you are doing an extra class, the fee of $16 is to be paid in cash at the class.
How to beat fatigue
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition and Herbal Medicine
Is tiredness getting in the way of your enjoyment of life? Are you so tired it’s impossible to get through the morning without drinking a triple espresso?
Being tired affects everyone at some point in their life. A busy life, staying up late, a full week at work can all lead to tiredness. However if you’re feeling fatigued all the time it can affect your health, relationships, work and happiness.
Feeling tired all the time?
There are a whole range of reasons why you might feel tired – even when there’s nothing wrong with you.
Not getting enough good quality sleep, lack of exercise, working long hours, emotional concerns and stress, and nutritional deficiencies and imbalances can all make you more tired than you should be.
And if you’re tired you’re more likely to suffer from some of the following:
- Poor concentration
- Poor memory
- Clumsiness / carelessness
- Low mood
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Muscle weakness
- Reduced immune system function
- Low motivation
Looking at your diet and lifestyle may be the answer
While working long hours and having a busy life impact how you feel, the food you eat and the lifestyle you lead can also make you more tired than you should be
- Your body needs nutrients: If your diet isn’t providing the nutrients your body needs to function at its optimal level, you’re going to be more tired than you should be.
- Skipping meals: Food feeds your metabolism. Food provides the fuel for your body and brain to function, so missing breakfast and skipping meals is going to affect your energy levels
- Overeating: While skipping meals is a fatigue-inducing no-no, so is over-eating. Large meals can drain your energy, leaving you feeling tired and sleepy.
- Not eating enough iron: Being low in iron causes anaemia, one of the leading causes of tiredness among women.
- Not drinking enough water: A dehydrated body functions less efficiently.
- Sleeping problems: Most experts recommend between seven and nine hours of sleep, however about 10% of the population suffers from insomnia that continues for six months or more.
- Not moving: Exercise and physical activity make you feel good: more energised. It’s also a great stress reliever – another common cause of fatigue.
Natural therapies can help
There are a whole range of nutritional supplements and herbs that promise to boost your energy levels. Some of these are useful and will make a difference. While others are over-priced and over-marketed. A good natural therapies programme will:
- Address the underlying causes of your tiredness
- Improve your diet, so it’s working for, rather than against you
- Improve the quality of your sleep
- Use supplements and herbs to plug any gaps in your diet and health
- Get you moving
Five tips for beating fatigue
- Don’t skip meals – eating smaller amounts of food regularly feeds your metabolism and provides balanced energy throughout the day.
- Get regular exercise
- Eat more fruit and vegetables – these provide many of the vitamins & minerals your body needs
- Go to bed earlier and try to get 8 hours sleep
- Drink at least 1.5 litres every day
Kathryn Elliott
Nutritionist & herbalist
Balance2health
Photograph by Fotosmurf.
Pilates Classes - Term 2 vacancies
Posted by kathryn in Pilates
Our small group Pilates Classes are held in 10 week terms.
NEW MEMBERS are welcome to join our classes at anytime during the Term.
CURRENT MEMBERS are encouraged to pick up an extra class whenever possible.
There are still places left in the following classes:
- Thursday 8.30am
- Friday 11.00am
- Friday 12.30pm
TERM 2 CONCLUDES 4 JULY
If you would like to start doing regular Pilates, or add an extra class to your weekly practice, then please email Alexia ASAP.
The benefits of personal training
Posted by kathryn in Fitness
One of the quality services offered at Balance2health is Personal Training.
Personal Training can be used for a number of reasons, for example:
- rehabilitation
- sports specific training
- general fitness programming and motivation
- weight loss
- addressing and correcting specific muscular imbalances; or
- alleviating chronic conditions.
Personal Training can be used several times or just occasionally – for example when new fitness goals and extra motivation for exercise are required.
At Balance2health sessions are customised to suit the needs and specific goals of the individual.
Accountability plays an enormous part in our commitment to exercise. Having a Personal Training appointment enhances that commitment.
Many clients at Balance2health and beyond, have already taken advantage of this service. Sessions have been tailored to meet specific goals, and also to educate the individual on how to continue to improve their level of fitness while at the same time learning how to prevent injury.
The greatest advantage of Personal Training is to have 100% attention of your trainer, guiding you safely through your exercise programme while providing you with positive reinforcement and information, as you achieve your specific goals.
With over 20 years experience in the Fitness Industry, Alexia Morris is able to provide quality, informative Personal Training Sessions for all ages and levels of fitness. Alexia has a wealth of experience in a variety of fitness styles, including:
- Pilates
- Swiss Ball
- Aqua Fitness
- Step and Low Impact Aerobics
- Strength training
To get your exercise back on track contact Alexia Morris on 0425 830 191 or by email.
Photograph by Sarmax.
Holiday classes & personal training
Posted by alexia in Pilates and Fitness
To book into the following holiday class, simply email Alexia.
The fee for each class is $16. Please note holiday classes cannot be used as makeup classes.
Holiday classes are also open to friends and family – so if you want to bring someone along, let Alexia know. This can be a good way to introduce others to Pilates, before committing to a full term of classes.
Classes for Term 2 begin on Tuesday 28 April.
Personal training
Alexia will be available for personal training on the following days during the school holidays . . . book early!
To find out more or book yourself in email Alexia at alexiaam@optusnet.com.au.
Five healthy meals to beat the heat
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition
It’s hot here in Sydney, which adds an extra layer of difficulty to eating well. I don’t know about you, but the thought of turning on the oven fills me with horror.
However eating endless salads can also get a bit tedious. So here are five healthy meal ideas, that keep the kitchen (and you) cool.
1. Roll your dinner in rice papers
An excellent way of sprucing up vegetables is to roll them up in rice papers and dip in a tangy sauce.
You can add chicken, prawns make it vegetarian, or simply just stuff them with salad leaves, herbs, grated carrot and some slivers of hard boiled eggs.
2. Use leftovers in a frittata
Frittatas are my back-up meal. We often have them on Friday night, when the fridge is nearly empty. But they’re also quick and easy to make when the weather is hot.
Use frozen or easy prep vegetables, like spinach, zucchini and halved cherry tomatoes. You only need to use the hot plate and grill for about ten minutes, and it makes a healthy, nutritious meal.
There are basic instructions on how to make here and more recipe ideas here.
3. Make an interesting salad
It’s easy to let your salads become boring.
Sticking to the standard lettuce, cucumber, tomato is a recipe for tedium. So spark things up by making an interesting salad.
Try a tuna, bean and watercress or add some flavour complexity to your normal salad with a miso, tahini and orange dressing.
If you’re not a regular legume eater then put together a chickpea, radish, onion and egg salad or what about this luxurious zucchini, cornichon, caper and herb creation.
Using different flavours, textures and ingredient combinations makes your salad more interesting.
4. Have a cold soup
Hidden in the comments section of this post is a great little idea. It’s from the writer of Nourish Me and it’s a simple cold tomato soup. Fresh coriander, lime juice and specks of avocado are stirred through, no heat required. Quite a lovely idea.
5. Get outside and barbecue
Barbecues are inextricably tied up with Australian summers. It’s a lovely way of eating when the weather is warm. You’re outside, there’s little washing up leftover and barbecued food seems to match up beautifully with salads.
If you’re fed up with the bog-standard steaks, why not cook some prawns or Greek lamb skewers. Try some Omega 3 rich sardines or a vegetarian version like tofu or haloumi with eggplant.
Enjoy the food.
Kathryn
Photographs by koneman and sofijab.
Kathryn's in the new Wellbeing Food magazine
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition
Wellbeing magazine have just released their first Food Guide.
It’s a beautiful issue, called Wellbeing Food: Eating for Pleasure & the Planet. A cross between a book and a magazine, Wellbeing Food is a guide to eating local, fresh, seasonal and sustainable food.
Kathryn’s article looks at whether fresh, in-season fruit and veg really is best.
Other writers cover how to buy organic food on a budget; the ethics of eating fish and meat; what “biodynamic” actually means; the best takeaway options; food labeling and much more. There’s also a section of gorgeous recipes at the end, from some of Australia’s leading chefs. It’s not fast food, but it is beautiful, fresh food.
Wellbeing Food is available from newsagents.