Bountiful Heart Women's Health and Fitness Expo

Bountiful Heart

in conjunction with

present a

Women’s Health and Fitness Expo

Join us for a morning of wellness workshops including a nutritionist-prepared breakfast, HIIT fitness demonstrations and life coaching tips.

Bring your trainers!

You’ll find us at the North Harbour Sailing Club at the bottom of the hill on Gourlay Ave, Balgowlah

Sunday 11^th September 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Please enrol to attend at

www.bountifulheart.com.au

or phone Louise 0414 678 943

Belinda 0413 120 768

Krys 0416 111 331

Gold coin donation to Jean Hailes' Women's Health Week is appreciated

Mindfulness meditation - how, when and why

Mindfulness meditation is something I have been aware of for some years now. Even prior to this label, it was the key objective of every ashtanga yoga class - the breath, keep focusing on the breath, move to the breath... During stressful moments in the past, I would hum a mantra over and over. It was this repetitive, almost mindless humming that would soothe my stress. 

So you might say I've toyed with mindfulness for many years now. But it was only recently that the planets aligned and I finally and completely got on the mindfulness meditation bandwagon. My sister, who has been practising diligently and happily for many years now, sent me a link to a Monash University free online course in mindfulness. 

FREE?!?!? I'm in!!

This is what I learnt during the six week course:

Much scientific research has gone into mindfulness and a coping mechanism and stress reliever. As Dr Craig Hassad explains during Week 2 of the course our active imagination has compromised our normal fight or flight response over the years. Through anxious thoughts our body has switched on this fight or flight response, even though there is no real threat. When this response is continuously and inadvertently switched on by stress and anxiety it slowly makes us sicker and sicker.

"We accelerate the hardening of the arteries so it leads to heart attacks and strokes, metabolic effects, high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high blood lipids, and so on. It also affects the ageing of the bones. It affects the ageing of the brain as well 'cause the stress chemicals are neurotoxic so they damaged brain cells over the long term, and actually, they do a thinning of the grey matter. So we don't just feel bad in the short term, it affects our health in the long term. And the areas that are most affected are the memory centre, hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, our working memory, executive functioning areas of the brain. So we actually perform poorly in the acute moment that we're actually anxious and stressed but actually, in the long term, it affects our ability to function well. So it comes with a cost. The only bit of the brain that's going to grow if we're activating it all the time is the stress centre. So it gets bigger and it gets more reactive. In a kind of way, we wire our brain for more stress." https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mindfulness-wellbeing-performance/4/todo/5183

So that is the why. Mindfulness helps us rewire our brains to turn off that stress response and improve our immunity.

The key to the how is firstly committing to the practices. If you google "mindfulness meditation exercises" you will come up with many online audio clips for meditating to. There are also great apps. This one called Mindfulness Coach was recommended to me by a health professional. The meditations are all very short - 9 minutes approximately. Even my boys enjoy joining me for these ones. To initially get into the process of mindfulness meditation, you are usually asked to sit comfortably in a chair with your feet touching the floor. This I recommend, as lying down during the audio always ended up with me snoring blissfully! Also check out these ones of varying length by Sydney University. I try to practice first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If I'm feeling a bit wobbly I'll throw an extra one in during the day too.

When should you practice mindfulness meditation? Being mindful is encouraged in every moment and every place.  Eventually you want to bring your newfound mindfulness into every aspect of your life: listening to your family and friends, exercising, driving, making love (thinking about what you're going to have for dinner instead is not very mindful!) I have found it particularly helpful to cure my insomnia. At 3 o'clock in the morning, all these fabulous creative thoughts would keep me awake for hours. Now I can fall back asleep by simply focussing on my breath. I am sleeping better now than I have for years.

There you go. A brief explanation of mindfulness and my experiences so far.  I do notice when I haven't been practicing. I get much more irritable and flustered by the little things. Fortunately you can choose the length of your meditations, so there always the opportunity to do a quick five minute reset. Give it a go. You might actually enjoy it, let alone reap many, many health benefits. x

I just pigged out at the Plantation Island resort buffet..... Now what?

I just got home from a fantastic week spent at Plantation Island Resort. It was brilliant - we had the best time swimming, snorkelling, golf, tennis, paddle boarding, kayaking, cracking open coconuts and of course over-indulging at the buffet. To be honest, there were a few extra beers and rum cocktails consumed too. But it was a holiday right? You want to enjoy yourself and pay the consequences later.

Once home, the scales indicated a couple of kilos needed to be shed to get back to pre-holiday numbers. So what now?

The first thing I'm going to do is exercise my discipline. Discipline should be treated just like another muscle: the more you use it the stronger your willpower becomes.

The way to practice discipline is simply by saying no; no thanks; no, not today; no, I don't want it; no, I don't need it. Just say no. The best things to say no to when trying to recalibrate your weight are sugar and alcohol. If you did Febfast, you'll know what I'm talking about. Simply giving up those two things will produce quite remarkable results. Take up the challenge and give them both up for a month. The Febfast website offers loads of suggestions for achieving this.

So that's the first step: no sugar, no alcohol for a month. I allow myself one or two pieces of fruit per day and a few dried apricots or figs a couple of times a week when I'm really wanting a treat with my evening cuppa.

The second thing I'm going to do is exercise my body. Ya gotta move it to lose it people. You're young, you're vital, your body is designed for this..... movement. Whatever you enjoy: be it dancing, walking the dog, riding your bike, swimming in the ocean. You will enjoy it and your body will show you how much it loves it by becoming stronger, leaner, healthier and cleverer at metabolising your food.

Recently, ABC aired a documentary on High Intensity Interval Training
It is well worth reading through the narration. Essentially, the reporter went from average to good fitness levels in just fifteen weeks doing the simple program outlined in the link above. It was a phenomenal result and should be reassuring to all those people out there who think they haven't the time to exercise.

I was so concerned at the levels of obesity I saw at the resort. Not only overweight 20 something year olds, but kids. Kids that could barely run, kids that piled mountains of chips, mashed potato and bread rolls onto their plates, emulating their parents. Yes, I indulged whilst on holiday, but I fear these people made a constant habit of over-indulging.

We know better. We know that excessive consumption of carbohydrates can lead to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, dental cavities and heart disease. Carbohydrates that are beneficial are whole grains, legumes and vegetables. Fill your plate and your belly up with above-ground veggies.

None of these steps are hard. What is harder is condemning yourself and your family to a life-time of health issues and sedentary behaviour. Print off that image of the wee ant and stick it on your fridge. Now get out there and Do Something!

Bountiful Heart ~ commencing 22/2/16

After its successful debut last October, the Bountiful Heart fitness fundraiser will recommence on February 22, 2016 with even more benefits

• an optional pre and post program health check by Dr McMullen
• 2 group fitness sessions per week with Louise Mavor or Belinda Eady*
• Nutritionist Krys Lojek’s 6 week menu plans with telephone, email and
  group Facebook support. Easy, achievable and inspiring
• Free educational shopping trip for the first 5 people to join Bountiful Heart
• direct charitable donation to the Disability & Rehabilitation Support Program of the Papua Health and Education Initiative
• 1 weekly yoga session with Sue Hume from Manly Ocean Yoga at South Steyne SLC 
• 1 organic facial by Kris from Larissa Bright Skincare
• 1 life coaching session from Wellness Forte
• a weekly exercise plan designed for your requirements
• 24hr on-line support and encouragement – we are there to help you achieve your goals

*Louise: Monday 6am/Wednesday 6am//Saturday 8am, Balgowlah

Belinda: Monday 9:30/ Thursday 9:30/Friday 9:30 Balgowlah/Queenscliff/Manly

The cost of the program is $300 for 6 weeks, 

$100 will go to the Papua Health & Education Initiative. 

Sign up now, it’s all about your wellbeing. 

Phone Louise on 0414 678 943 or email

louise.mavor@gmail.com

Krys Lojek's Delicious Menu Plans

Hello Bountiful Hearts

Gosh darn we're so blessed to have the talents of Krys Lojek, our resident nutritionist and Belinda Eady, Balgowlah's most experienced PT, bar none.

It really was a colliding of the planets when I said to Belinda "I've got this idea that I can't get off the ground" and that Pocket-Rocket got so enthused about the idea, she nearly tripped up on herself! Such wonderful, contagious enthusiasm that woman has.

She roped in Krys to hear my idea and from that little boat shed in North Harbour Marina Bountiful Hearts finally grew wings.

Thank you guys for your wonderful support and enthusiasm. Just the kind of women you want with you on this fantastic journey.

I am following Krys' menu plans... during the week and then there's the weekend.

I don't think I'm alone when I admit to having certain "deviations" in the weekend eating. Firstly, it's a habit. Friday evening comes and there's a little sigh, a little loosening of the neck, jaw muscles and waistband!! I reach for a cold beer for hubby and I, and give all family members a handful of crisps - aahhhhhh. 

The trick is to allow yourself a deviation for one meal; enjoy it, take the time to chew or sip slowly, contemplate your week's achievements and how much you've relished your new health and fitness program. 

Maybe you've a big weekend planned and you end up having two "deviations". Just get up the next day and get back on track. Don't sabotage your hard work by throwing in the towel and saying "to hell with it". Tell yourself it's not a diet; you're not eating less but eating more of the right things. And then make yourself a huge green salad bowl and chow down.

Last weekend I didn't want to torture myself by watching the family eat pizza, so I revisited the cauliflower pizza recipe. It's been a disaster in the past. I guarantee my family will never go near a cauliflower pizza again! So with only my taste buds to please, I mixed and merged several recipes and came up with this:

I made a daikon radish and carrot salad to go with it. Delicious.

So the base recipe was:

1 whole cauliflower, processed in the blender til resembling rice

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 Tablespoons almond flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

A couple of tablespoons of fresh herbs, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic or onion powder (or a fresh clove of garlic crushed)

2 Tablespoons of yeast (this gave it a more authentic pizza dough smell & taste, but is optional)

2 large eggs, lightly whisked

Transfer the cauliflower "rice" to an oven set at 200oC and bake for 15 minutes. Cool.

Place cauli in a clean tea towel or doubled Chux cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Transfer to a bowl and add all the other ingredients.

Spread mixture onto a pizza or oven tray, flattening with your hands to make a large pizza crust about 1/2 cm thick. I divided my mixture and froze the other half. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Once baked, top it with your chosen "deviation" ingredients. I put on a washed rind cheese and some prosciutto. Because the flavours are so intense, you don't need much. 

Other ideas are sun-dried tomato pesto, asparagus, chicken (previously cooked), bocconcini, walnuts and lemon zest. 

Or tuna, anchovies, olives, feta, red onion and capers (salt alert!)

The point is, you can have a deviation, but it doesn't have to bomb all your hard work. Try to stick to the menu plan and you'll find that you actually don't want that Tim Tam, double scoop of ice cream or serve of hot chips. You will crave more of the good and satisfying food that you're making right in your own home.

Enjoy the journey.