Let's find the "right" exercise mix...it makes life amazing! 

By Su Reid-St. John

OK, I’m just going to say this: If you think you hate exercise, you haven’t tried the right kind.
It’s like saying you hate vegetables: Surely you don’t hate them all! If brussels sprouts make you gag, you don’t stop eating veggies altogether. You try carrots or spinach or bok choy until you find something you like.

Or think about when you’re trying on new bathing suit. If the first one makes your body look like a sausage in a too-small casing, do you stalk out of the dressing room and head for the beach naked (or not at all)? No, you try other suits.

So why should it be any different with working out?  Try TBTA or PUNCH —and if you don’t like those, try BALANCE or PUMP or ZUMBA.

Here’s why it’s worth it to put in the effort: Exercise has been shown time and again to make you happier, give you more energy, help you sleep better, cut your disease risk (think diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancer, even the common cold), help you lose weight and keep it off, increase your endurance so just living your life (lifting kids, climbing stairs, carrying groceries) feels easier…the list goes on. Talk about a wonder drug!

And if you’re thinking, OK, good point, but exercise is just so darned hard, hear this: Do it and it will get easier. It will. It’s like playing the guitar or knitting or making pie crust from scratch; it takes practice to get good at it. Our 21st-century selves are so wired for instant gratification that it’s easy to get frustrated when something challenges us. But things worth having, worth being, are worth working for.

I’m speaking from experience here. I used to hate exercise and was in pretty poor shape as a result. Then one day I saw someone whiz by on a pair of rollarblades  and I thought, Wow, that actually looks like fun. So I got a pair and my world changed. To my utter amazement, I began to look forward to working out. And you know what else? The more I skated, the fitter I became—and the more I began to enjoy other activities (like hiking and biking).

What it comes down to is this: The key to finally learning to like exercise is to hang in there through all the trial-and-error and allow yourself the time and opportunity to find something you actually enjoy. And when that happens, exercise will become something you get to do, not something you have to do.

Hearty Beef and Mushroom Stew...for these Autumn Days

Well with this change in the weather it is perfect time to start adding soups & stews to the family menu.  This recipe is a great combination of veggies & beef, high in protein and low in fat.  Great for busy people on the go, best part is it tastes even better the next day.  Cook a huge pot and keep in on hand.  Enjoy and bon appetit.

Hearty Beef and Mushroom Stew

By The Nourished Kitchen

Mushroom stew combined with hearty beef and simmered gently for hours in stock, herbs, and wine, is a satisfying dish – robust and warming and utterly perfect for those colder months.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon clarified butter
4 ounces bacon, chopped fine
1 pound beef stew meat
6 shallots, peeled and chopped fine
1 large leek, white parts only, sliced thinly
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 pound fingerling potatoes, kept whole if small, chopped if large
2 pounds mixed mushrooms (shiitake, button, cremini, chanterelle, porcini etc), cleaned and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 small bunch fresh thyme
2 cups dry red wine
3 quarts homemade beef stock
1 small bunch fresh parsley, trimmed and chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat a tablespoon clarified butter in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot over a medium-high flame until it melts.
Render four ounces chopped bacon in the hot fat until it crisps, then remove from the pan, add one pound beef stew meat, browning on all sides, about three or four minutes. Remove the browned meat from the pot, adding chopped shallots and sliced leek.  Cook the leek and shallots until they release their fragrance and begin to caramelize a bit around the edges.

To reduce the fat in this recipe, drain the majority of the bacon drippings off at this point, leaving enough to lightly coat the pan. This will leave enough fat to give the additional ingredients the flavor, but not the fat content.
Toss chopped carrots, celery, and mushrooms into the pot with two bay leaves and the leaves of one bunch fresh thyme.  Cook for two to three minutes, before deglazing the pot with 2 cups dry red wine and 3 quarts homemade beef stock.
Add browned beef back into the pot along with one pound small fingerling potatoes. Note: To reduce additional calories, pat down the browned beef with paper toweling to remove excess bacon fat before adding it back into the mixture.
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the mushroom stew slowly for about an hour and a half to two hours until potatoes and meat are tender.
Remove the stew from the heat, stir in crisp bacon and chopped parsley.  Season the mixture to taste with unrefined sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper as it suits you.
Total Servings: 12

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 321
Carbohydrates: 26.4g
Cholesterol: 47mg
Fat: 8.1g
Saturated Fat: 3.1g
Fiber: 7.5g
Protein: 25.2g

Fighting 40's Flab!

Metabolism is really only a small part of why it's harder to lose weight after 40. Age and life tend to conspire against.
Want to get the "heads up" on how the body reacts to aging?  Fighting 40's Flab covers many key topics relating to metabolism, hormones, aging and how we can tackle the issues of health and weight gain after we turn 40. 
Not 40, even better to read this now! There is useful information for people of all ages.  Find out what happens to you before you turn 40 and start to prepare your body for the changes that "naturally" occur.

7 Thoughts That Stop You From Losing Weight

by Kylie Sexton - www.MyMindCoach.com.au
 

Each day you have approximately 80,000 thoughts! That's a lot, right? Incredibly 90% of those thoughts will be the same thoughts you had yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. The things you think day after day become beliefs, some beliefs empower us, some do not.

If you're struggling with your weight, or your motivation to lose weight or eat healthily, I can guarantee you'll have some variation of these "fat" beliefs in your head:

1. I'm so fat.
You would think that saying to yourself "I'm fat" would motivate you to eat right and exercise, wouldn't you? Wrong!
When you say to yourself "I'm fat", even if you are, it begins a negative spiral that can cause you to eat more comfort foods, skip workouts and feel bad about yourself. (See my article on Emotional Eating) Start praising yourself for your great qualities, or saying "I'm getting slimmer every day". Be encouraging to yourself like you would be to your children.
 

2. I don't have the time to exercise
Ahh, No time. Of course. I know you're a busy woman or a working Mum with washing, school lunches, dinners, house to clean, work, soccer practice, dance practice, drive here, drive there, So much to do! ...You do have a LOT to do. Do you think that people who exercise regularly have more time? Or less to do? Everyone has 24 hours in a day, how you divide that time up and what you spend your time on depends on your priorities. Is exercise important to you? Is it important enough to carve 3-6 hours out of your week to do it, each and every week? What if you got sick and couldn't do all of the other things on the list? Doing exercise is like investing in your own energy and health for later in life. Make a few deposits and notice how much better you feel.
 

3. I'm not good enough / I'm not worthy
When you get down past "I don't have the time or money to exercise / eat well" often there is an underlying belief that "I'm not worthy / not good enough" to spend that time / money on myself. So many kids form this belief when they are very little over some event that they will often forget. However this belief can shape a persons entire life, preventing them from doing, being and having things that they truly want and could be good at. If you have one of these beliefs, ask yourself, Does this empower me? You are worthy and good enough to do whatever your heart desires. Believe it!

4. My kids come first.
This belief is a double edged sword. Of course the first moment you had your baby, your life changed. This is a beautiful belief, because it allows you to be an amazing and thoughtful Mum. However, this belief can be dis empowering if being a selfless mum stops you from also being a person. Have you let your own identity and passions slip? When looking after your own health and happiness comes last, then you need to address this.

5. I can't say no 
Similar to putting your kids first, the belief "I can't say no", can keep you overweight because you are compelled to do everything for everyone else before looking after yourself. Give yourself permission to say no from time to time. When things don't suit you or put you out, you are allowed to say no.

6. I'm just big-boned / curvy / voluptuous
This belief is a negative belief disguised as a positive one. It depends on what it means to you. Often women will say this to themselves as an excuse to not even try to become healthier. I used to think I was big boned, until I really decided to get slim, lost 25 kgs and discovered that my 'bones' had nothing to do with it.

7. I have no self-control / I'm weak / I've blown it!
If you berate yourself after eating a 'naughty' food with these thoughts, you are right in the emotional eating cycle. These thoughts will often come with feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment & self-anger. All those negative feelings do is cause you to spiral down and eat more. One packet of biscuits does not mean you have blown it, or you have no self-control. It is an example of a time when you chose not to exercise your self-control. Notice how realising you have a choice gives you back your power? You could choose to use it next time.

If you find that you have some of these thoughts or beliefs, ask yourself. Do these empower me? Do they help me to be the best Mum and woman I can be? If not, what could I choose to think instead?

Welcome to our blog!

Coffs Coast Health Club is now "officially" blogging!  Yes, keep your eyes here for up and coming information!

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