Posts by Sarah

Guilt-Free Pancakes

February 6, 2015 Tags: , , Sarah
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As we often choose to celebrate specific occasions throughout the year that mean something to us, I am guessing that you didn’t know there was one specific day, just dedicated to pancakes! And why not? Pancakes are awesome! But like everything loaded with sugar, white flour and butter, they’re not the best for . To combat the overwhelming feeling of post pancake guilt, we have found a great healthy pancake recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 scoop Vanilla protein
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
  • 1/2 medium banana
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

 

Directions

  1. Place raw, uncooked oatmeal in a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes fine flour.
  2. Add eggs, banana, protein powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, and pulse blend until smooth.
  3. Toss blueberries into the batter and mix using a spatula or spoon.
  4. Place a pan on medium-high heat and measure out about 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp of batter per pancake. Use small amount of coconut butter to lubricate the pan.
  5. Cover the pancakes while they cook to help the inside cook faster. Cook them for about 45 seconds to 1 minute on the first side, and then about 30-45 seconds on the other side.
  6. Enjoy some great, guilt free pancakes!

 

Cinnamon helps to lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar levels and is a source of iron, which improves your ability to transport blood to your muscles so they get workout-powering nutrients. Whey protein powder contains the amino acid leucine, which helps your muscle fibres grow and repair after a gym session. Blueberries are one of the best sources of antioxidants among berries. They are also low-GI, which means they release their energy slowly, and count towards your daily five portions of fruit and veggies. Enjoy!

How to find the right goals

February 6, 2015 Tags: , , Sarah
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As we move into February this is the time 80% of the new years fitness resolutions have been dropped. There are various of reasons and excuses as to why people give up on their fitness dreams. Here are some guesses: training is too hard, you are scared to start from scratch, you don’t know where to start, you want to lose weight, be fit, trim up, but don’t know how to do that. And so on.

You need to design your goals using the SMART goals principal:

SPECIFIC                Set specific goals, e.g. to lose 10kg

MEASURABLE       Ensure you can measure the progress of your goals – numbers don’t lie

ATTAINABLE         Your goals need to be obtainable – it is impossible to lose 15kg in two weeks

REALISTIC              Make sure your goal is realistic both in the timeframe and the

TIME-BOUND        Your goals need to have a deadline, which always needs to be realistic

When creating goals ensure you have a mix of long, medium and short term goals to keep motivated, these all depend on your individual level of commitment:

SHORT TERM GOALS
… can be as short as 1 day! For instance, if you’re a sugar junkie, and can’t go without your fix for the day, then it is highly recommended to starting small. Go one day without a trip to the vending machine.

MEDIUM TERM GOALS
Medium term goals are them best way to ensure you remain on track to achieving your overall long term goal. They can range from a week to a month depending on your specific goals is. A great medium term goal is to attend a minimum of three training sessions per week. Without medium term goals you’re making much harder on yourself to achieve your overall goal.

LONG TERM GOALS
Other than to remain active and healthy, long term goals are the reason why we train, whether its to achieve a dress size, gain or lose weight, or even set a performance based goal to achieve them you need to focus at the beginning of the goal pyramid – short term goals.

 

As soon as you determine your SMART goals, tell your family, tell your friends, post it on Facebook! As soon as it’s out of your head, it’s no longer a thought – it’s reality. If you begin to lose focus, your friends and family will be the first to ask you about your progress and if you train with AUSFIT, you’re then accountable to the team.

So stay focussed, and never forget why you started!

Running Foods – What to eat before, during and after

January 23, 2015 Tags: , , , , , , , , , Sarah
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Everyone has different levels of comfort regarding eating around training, so it is important to trial what works best for you. In general, allow two to four hours before running and/or after eating a large meal, to allow time for your food to fully digest. After a smaller snack 30 minutes to two hours should be sufficient, depending on how much you have eaten.

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BEFORE

BERRIES: For energy boosting snacks before a run, try to focus on smaller carbohydrate snacks that have a reasonably high glycaemic index score (GI). A food’s GI measure is relative to how quickly it is digested and broken down into glucose, so high-GI foods are absorbed faster and less strain is placed on the gut. Berries are a great little energy booster, they are packed full of healthy sugar and also contain Vitamin C and potassium to help your muscles repair whilst you run. Potassium is also one of the key electrolytes that will help you body fight off those unwanted muscular cramps.

 

 

 

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DURING

NATURAL POWER BARS OR GELS: When talking about foods and supplements to be taken during a run, it all depends on what length we’re talking about. If your going on a chilled run around the block, then you probably won’t need anything, just suck it up and push on as your body has enough energy to get you through. But if we’re talking about a full marathon, then you will have to look to supplements and food sources to keep you going. A great natural option is a handful of sultanas or natural power bars – these babies are packed full of sugar and good fats to keep you going. Alternatively, if you’re about to embark on a 20km+ run it is possible to stick to energy gels. These are full of sodium, potassium and magnesium; all the key electrolytes your body loses during such a run. They are also much more manageable than a handful of fruit.

 

chicken

AFTER

PROTEIN: After your run you probably won’t care what you eat, as long as its tasty and within grabbing distance. However, this is the most important part of your working meals. Your body has just depleted a lot of its minerals and vitamins and has worked a lot of muscle groups for a long period of time. Your post run meal has to be packed with as much protein, carbs, minerals and vitamins as possible – look to lean chicken breast, quinoa, avocado and green vegetables for nutrient dense recipes.

 

Australia Day – A Guilt-Free BBQ

January 23, 2015 Tags: , , , , , , , , Sarah
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As we head into a long weekend filled with Australia Day BBQ’s and booze, you’re probably a little worried about sticking to the healthy stuff,  here are a few great BBQ recipes to get you through the weekend, and have you come out on top, ready for another strong week of training. Swap the fatty burger patty for a chicken breast filet and the cocktail sauce for a dressing, voilá – a gazillion calories saved.

A. THE ENTREE: DIPS VS SKEWERS

The classics are generally what ever is on special at Woolies, honey soy chicken, BBQ chicken, hummus and tzatziki dips etc. But you will save yourself a bucket load of money, if you whip them up yourself. Bonus: you will know exactly what is in the marinade. Grab some green banana prawns, garlic and lemon and you will have an entrée to die for! Extra fancy points especially if you leave the tails on when you cook them…

B. THE MAIN: THE BURGER 

Everybody loves a good burger. Unfortunately a quarter-pound beef burger with all the frills will set you back round about 500 calories (30 grams of fat). Take off the cheese will save you about 100 calories. Swap the beef patty for a chicken breast fillet and you save another 200 calories. The burger bun has around 130 calories, so opt for an open sandwich to halve the intake. But if you can’t give up the old burger bun go for a high seed wholemeal variety with a low GI.

C. THE SALAD: POTATO VS CABBAGE

All time classic: the potato salad. Being full of calories (mayo, yum!) it won’t make the top spot on our healthy-eating-list, although it’s full of fiber and Vitamin C. Using full-fat mayo will set you back about 360 calories per cup, but that’s still better than using no or low-fat mayo, which is full of other, ridiculously unhealthy ingredients, such as conservatives, synthetic sugars and so on. Instead, opt for coleslaw with a vinegar based dressing. Red cabbage, white cabbage and carrots are low in fat, packed with vitamins and anti-oxidants and the dressing is low in sodium – which makes it a perfect side.
If you’re not into creamy salads at all, but still want something potato-y, try this: a fresh sweet potato, apple and walnut salad. Find the recipe here: http://bit.ly/1JqxGus

D. THE DRINKS: COCKTAILS VS BEER

Regarding fat, with cocktails you’re on the safe side. Unfortunately the booze and the mixers are what gives your drink additional calories. A standard drink will easily get 160 extra calories on your meal plan. Better: stick to low-calorie light beer (less than 100 calories).

E: THE DESSERT: ICE CREAM VS ICE CREAM

Well, well, chocolate ice cream – delicious 125 calories and 57 grams of fat per serving. Isn’t it tragic? There is literally nothing you can do about the recipe that would lower chocolate in calories without somehow messing up the classic chocolate-flavour. So, simply forget about it all together. Instead, try self-made fruit ice-blocks: swirl up some kiwi fruit, mango and passion fruit in a mixer and a tiny bit of caster sugar, freeze it to ice sticks and enjoy your (almost) guilt free dessert. Find the recipe here: http://bit.ly/1Bd9j1F

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU – Join the 8 Week Challenge

December 9, 2014 Sarah
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The AUSFIT 8 Week Challenge is designed to assist you in making the much needed lifestyle changes you know you should have made a long time ago. To do this, we designed the challenge to be as fun, accurate and engaging as possible. We begin by using the state of the art DXA scan to show you exactly where you stand before the challenge, this scan provides you with an accurate overview of your body, we also end the 8 weeks with another scan, showing you how far you have come in just 8 weeks. In addition to the scan, and a solid 8 weeks of unlimited group fitness classes, you also receive a 1hr face-to-face consultation with our nutritionist, this is to ensure you are in the best possible position to get the most out of these 8 weeks, you will walk away with a professionally designed sustainable meal plan that can also be used after the 8 weeks. To help speed up your metabolism and your recovery time, the Team at ASN Neutral Bay have provided you with a supplement pack valued at $150. The top 3 male and female transformations receive great prizes including a full spa day to relax and rest your new body!
The AUSFIT 8 Week Challenge kicks of on the 12 January 2015, total cost is $547.00.

To register for the AUSFIT 8 Week Challenge click the button below and create your profile through MindBody, once you create your profile you will be able to get started and begin scheduling your classes!