Latest Research Findings:

3 in 4 Pregnant Women are NOT doing enough exercise.

Most women do not exercise enough during pregnancy to meet expert recommendations, according to research published in the March issue of Preventive Medicine.

International guidelines set by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommend that pregnant women should aim to do 30mins or more of moderate exercise on most, if not all days of the week.

A study from the University of North Carolina in the US looked at data collected on over 1200 pregnant women from 1999 to 2006. The authors found that only 22.8% of pregnant women engaged in a level of activity that met these guidelines.

Colleen Burns, a physiotherapist (and mother to 2month old Matilda) said most pregnant women can exercise safely.

“There is now plenty of evidence to prove that moderate exercise is not dangerous” Colleen said.

Go on and try each of the 10 different types of tree nuts in 2010.

Nuts in general have been found to reduce the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes, plus can help manage blood cholesterol and weight. They are a nutrient rich plant food. So, to reap the nutritious benefits and obtain the rewards, just remember to eat a handful of nuts every day.

Almonds

Origin: Almonds are traditionally grown in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, but like many nuts with oversea origins now grow in Australia (NSW, Vic and SA).

Don’t let the holidays spoil your weight-loss plan.  Celebrity personal trainers shared their sneaky tips with In Style magazine to help you survive the silly season.

David Kirsch – Heidi Klum & Anne Hathaway
You can still enjoy the holidays and all its treats, but you need to be sensible about what you eat and drink. Stay away from the sugar-laced cocktails and stick to spirits with sparkling water or red wine, but make sure you drink water in between.

Jackie Keller – Reese Witherspoon & Angelina Jolie
Keep your hands occupied with a glass of water or red wine to stop them from picking at the canapés and finger food at parties. As soon as you need to put your glass down, this action automatically makes your brain think about what you’re doing and prompts you to make a healthy food choice.

Mike Alexander – Jessica & Ashlee Simpson
Another way of being smart about your food choices at dinner parties is to choose white meat instead of dark because it generally has less fat.

Carrie Latt Wiatt – Salma Hayek & Matt Damon
Adding fresh products and ingredients to your traditional meals not only helps increase its nutritional value, it also breathes new life into old favorites. And if you simply have to indulge in the festive cookies, the Meringue, gingerbread and molasses ones are safest because they have the least amount of calories compared to other cookies.

Jeanette Jenkins – Christina Applegate & Jordana Brewster
Stay away from the bread. But if you can’t get away from it completely when cooking, use whole wheat or multi-grain bread crumbs – it’s lower in sugar and higher in fibre.

As a personal trainer, the one question people always ask me is “How do I lose weight?”  My own family is no exception – my sister struggles with weight loss because she has three kids to worry about before thinking of exercising. It’s often hard to find the time to do a good workout when you have to keep the kids entertained at the same time.

In situations like these, the best way to lose weight is to play with your children and do exactly what they do – crawl, hop, skip, jump, giggle.  By exercising with kids, you are ultimately:

·    Achieving your daily quota of exercise
·    Having Fun
·    Releasing Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which helps with weight loss and anti-ageing
·    Using the 3 natural planes of movement, which stimulates brain function and overall wellness
·    Burning calories
·    Toning Muscle
·    Increasing your metabolism
·    Instilling positive health and exercise values in your kids

Whether they’re your kids or someone else’s, exercising like a 2-year-old is fun. Try to incorporate 45 minutes of exercise by doing exactly what your child does. I do this with my nephew and niece because I never have dedicated exercise time when I go to visit them.

Exercising as a kid means that if they swing on the swing, you swing on the swing. If they decide to run around the yard with the dog, you need to run around the yard with the dog. If you are doing this with more than one child, try a multi-task workout - do lifts with one while pushing the other on a swing.

If you are looking for something a little less impulsive, why not try all of the following exercises to give you a full body workout while still playing with the kids.

Party Patrol - Breeze through the festive season without blowing your diet

Spring Clean Your Fitness Workouts and Eating Plan

 
With these tips and tricks from The Rancan Sisters

 
With the onset of Spring and the warmer weather, now is a great time to get your body back into shape. The Rancan Sisters have suggested a few tips to help shift those extra winter kilos.
 
Work it out, work it off!

Exercise is the best way to keep the weight off. Kilos lost through exercise stay off!

• Time efficient workouts are easy to add into your weekly routine. Try FiTViBE*, accelerated training on the vibrating plate. It helps smooth out cellulite whilst toning your body, increasing your strength and can be done in your lunch break!
• Add an extra workout session to your fitness schedule. One extra session can burn 350 – 500 calories in the week
• Get outdoors! We have a few more weeks before daylight savings changes over. It’s light and bright all morning. Start the day with a before work walk or jog 
• Pedometers are also great for measuring steps. Make a goal to walk EVERY day for 10,000 steps – the weight will drop off!
• Make sure your cardio workouts are actually burning fat. A good way to do this is by using a heart rate monitor. Find out your optimum heart rate and make sure you’re working to that level
• After being all covered up during winter, you are about to expose your body to the world again. Give yourself a pedicure, get a wax or apply fake tan to make yourself feel fabulous

Spring clean your diet

The 100 calorie guide to keeping Christmas cheer under control.

Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry, throwing caution to the wind and overindulging.  It’s only when January 1st hits, you wish you’d consumed a little less cheer and a lot less calories.

And while it is perfectly okay to indulge for one day, the festive season seems to be getting longer each year, with celebrations beginning as early as mid November.

But, don’t worry, there is a foolproof way of getting you through the festive season 100 calories at a time. And you don’t have to miss out on all the yummy things!

Even though the festive season is traditionally a time to socialise more, eat more and completely relax your normal routine. It’s also a time when mindless overindulgence can cause you grief once the last Christmas cracker has been popped and the last slice of turkey has been eaten.

Lindsay Price’s Rigorous Workout

Welcome back to the Wellness Zone for this Spring edition!  It is fantastic to see the weather warming up a little and encouraging us to venture outside.  I am certainly feeling a little sluggish after winter and keen to back exercising outside again.

How about you - do you bounce out of bed every morning ready to live a vital day? Or has this been replaced with the need for a really good sleep in? For many of us loss of energy is something that gradually happens over time until one day we don't notice the difference and the reduction in energy becomes our ‘normal'.

This is becoming the case for many women and fatigue is one of the most common symptoms I see as a Natural Healthcare Practitioner, in fact some are

If you're struggling to lose fat and get a better figure, you're definitely not alone. However, amongst the herds of people trying to lose weight by doing endless cardio workouts, did you know that most of them are doing it the wrong way?

Ok, lets step back a second. They're not doing it the wrong way, but it's definitely not the most efficient way. The fact is that steady state cardio fitness is not the most efficient way to burn fat! Sure, you'll burn calories, but it's not as effective as other means of training.

If you're looking to lose weight and become leaner and more musclular, you simply have to start doing short bursts of high intensity