Teaching Group Fitness while Pregnant

Well here we go, the last week of teaching classes has now come upon me!  I’m a little sad because I have to take a break from something I love but also pretty chuffed because this means I get to sleep in (and that our little person is soon to be here!).

So admittedly I have been scouring the internet looking for blogs of other instructors that taught while pregnant and how they went, when they took a break and it was all as you would expect:  discuss with your doctor, listen to your body and scale back the intensity of your workout.  I agree with all these things but what I really wanted to know was how people really felt while teaching- and insiders perspective.  So this post is about what really happened to me while teaching group fitness while pregnant!

First up, I quit teaching CXworx at 10 weeks pregnant, my instructor manual says that the programme is not suitable after the first trimester so I went with that.  To be honest, I actually could feel my core getting weaker at just 10 weeks!

*EDIT* I believe that Les Mills have advised that the  CXWorx programme is suitable during pregnancy with appropriate modifications further into pregnancy. On a personal note- this may be appropriate for a participant but as an instructor you would have great difficulty in demonstrating the moves for most of the class when pregnant.  Food for thought.

I have kept up teaching BodyPump and RPM along the way scaling back weights and intensity.  This is a great resource for pregnancy options in BodyPump: http://w2.lesmills.com/files/GlobalCentral/Clubs/PregnancyBrochures/BP%20pregnancy%20brochure.pdf

So that covers what you expect.  Here is what I didn’t expect- and it wasn’t physical.  As part of the Les Mills tribe we talk a lot about building connection with our members.  Connecting with people is probably something that comes very easily to me so as expected connecting to members has also been effortless for me as a teacher.  Then you throw pregnancy in the mix, something about being pregnant automatically makes people feel very protective of you.  I mean complete strangers help you in the shops, people can’t help but smile at you, it just absolutely brings out the best in humanity.  So what happens in group fitness?

Your participants will fill your heart with so much warmth.

They ask every time you catch their gaze how you are feeling, they ask about progress on your nursery, your sleep at night, your cravings- everything.  Inadvertently,  you get to know each other on a much deeper level, finding out more about their families, children, grandchildren.  It is a wonderful thing.

As my pregnancy has progressed I haven’t really been feeling like the sprite instructor.  I feel heavy, I feel sluggish, I don’t know how I can be motivating for 50 BodyPumpers at 6am.  I have felt like maybe it’s time to call it quits. But almost as soon the thought enters my head I’ll be approached by someone after class who says:

“You are such a great role model”

“You are inspiring”

“I keep going because you do”

“You are going to be a great mother”

Did you just hear my heart explode?  I mean really, who is motivating who here?  Its a form of connection I’m not sure even Les Mills knows of!  So what is my advice to anyone teaching group fitness while pregnant- enjoy it you are about to see something beautiful unfold before you.

Raw Chocolate Thermomix Style

After spending a bomb on a Thermomix I always cringed a little when people would comment that I could make all the same things without one or that my food wasn’t made with love in it.  This recipe defies this.

One of the super awesome features of a Thermomix is that it holds very steady and accurate temperatures when cooking (that would be the German design for sure).  For food to be classified as “RAW” it has to be prepared in temperatures less than 40C.  How convenient that Thermomix has a 37C setting which is also just above the melting temperature for cacoa butter.

You can make this recipe stovetop but you have to be meticulous with the low settings on your range and get your thermometer out to maintain a sub 40C temp.  Yup, have fun with that!

The secret to raw chocolate is cacoa butter, if you are currently making yours with coconut oil it probably tastes good but not *great*.  Its the cacao butter that gives it a real velvety texture.

Ingredients:

35g whole cacao beans (or equivalent cacao powder)
130g raw cacao butter
35g raw honey
2 pinches himalayan pink salt
optional filling: frozen raspberry, shredded coconut, goji berries

Method:

1. (Optional) Prepare your mould by putting a small amount of filling in each cup.  I often put a pinch of coconut or a single frozen raspberry in each cup.
2. Mill cacao beans for 15 seconds on speed 9. Remove from TM bowl and set aside. Skip this step if using cacao powder.
3. Melt cacao butter for 6 min at 37C on speed 4.  Melting times can very if it is a hot or cool day.  Ensure that cacao butter is completely melted, no lumps, and has a golden colour and a smooth consistency.
4. Add milled cacao powder, honey and salt into the TM bowl.  Mix speed 5 for 10 seconds.
5. Gently spoon the chocolate mixture into the mould filling to the top.
6. Put mold in the fridge for 15 minutes.
7. Pop them out and enjoy!

Note: These chocolates will melt if left out of the fridge for too long.

Top 5 Tips for an Awesome BodyPump Class

Hi everyone!

Have you tried BodyPump yet? Or are you a BodyPump Pro?

BodyPump is the original barbell class created and choreographed by Les Mills.  The class is 55 minutes divided up into ten tracks- each one with a different muscle group focus (plus a warm-up and stretch).  For some great info about the class check out the Les Mills website:

http://w3.lesmills.com/global/en/classes/bodypump/about-bodypump/

BodyPump is a weight training workout that focuses on using light weights and lots of reps to build strength, tone and burn heaps of calories.  As a certified BodyPump instructor here are my top 5 tips for having an amazing class:

1. Listen to the music.  Well first up, the music is great and gets you motivated but also the work in BodyPump is all in the timing.  Feel the beat of the music as you move into 2/2, up quick down slow, super slows and singles.  It makes a difference to the workout.
2. It’s the range that makes the change. Make sure you are moving the weights through their full range of motion.  For example, a bicep curl is from touching the legs until just before your shoulders. Don’t cut yourself short!
3. Listen to the weight selection.  Even if you have been to BodyPump a million times listen to the weight selection for every track.  Not every squat track is created equal so why put on the exact same weight every time?  The instructor will give you a heads up whether to put on your normal weight or go bit more/less.
4. Up your weights.  If you are confident that you have the timing and the range completely mastered its time to up your weights.  Just a little!  Go for 1.25 kg a side.  If you are putting up your weights for a small muscle group (like biceps) you will feel that small increment more than if it was for a large muscle group (like legs).  So be patient!  My first time at BodyPump the instructor told me to just lift the bar, no weights!  I got those weights up eventually!
5. When class is over acknowledge how good you feel. At the end of the workout you are going to feel great.  Take a second at the end of class to feel your energy and a sense of accomplishment!

Easy Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

I love my slow cooker.  Almost more than I love my thermomix.  Gosh, that confession is pretty much the equivalent for me as a mother choosing a favourite child!  The beauty of the slow cooker (or crockpot for my North American friends) is that it does ALL the hard work for you!

This recipe for Slow Cooker Italian Chicken isn’t really even a recipe- it is so easy the hard part is getting your slow cooker off the shelf.  But really, if you are committed to avoiding takeaway food and processed food you have to have a few super easy gems up your sleeve.  This chicken tastes brilliant with a leafy green salad as a side or mixed steam vegetables.  I often make this one on Sunday night and set it on right before I go to sleep and when I wake up Monday morning I can use some for my lunch then keep the rest in the fridge for dinner/lunches for the rest of the week.

Easy Slow Cooker Italian Chicken 

Ingredients:
4-5 chicken breasts
2x 400g cans diced tomato
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
salt

Method:

1. Place chicken breasts at the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle with salt.
2. Remove peel from garlic cloves.  Crush garlic by using the flat side of a chef’s knife.  Add crushed garlic, canned tomato, and Italian Seasoning to slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 7 hours.
4. Once cooked, there will look like there is quite a lot of excess liquid in the slow cooker.  That’s okay!  Take two forks and shred all the chicken up, replace lid and allow to cook on low another 15 minutes.  All the excess liquid will be taken up into the chicken.

There are heaps of variations that work on this recipe try these:

• Use fresh tomatoes chopped instead of canned.
• Substitute garlic powder instead of crushed garlic.
• If you like spicy- substitute salsa for chopped tomatoes, omit Italian Seasoning. Serve with slices of avocado.
• Once finished add sautéd mushrooms and black olives to transform into an easy chicken cacciatore.

Green Tea Smoothie

Just a quick little mid-week post.   If you are like me and have to act quick some mornings to get out the door this smoothie doubles up as your breakfast and your caffeine hit!  Not to mention also full of antioxidants.

Green Tea Smoothie

Ingredients:

• A big cup of green tea (cooled, I make it the night before and put it in the fridge)
• two massive handfuls of spinach
• half an avocado
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup ice
• 1-2 drops of liquid stevia (optional)

Method:

Blend until smooth- add water if you like a thinner consistency.  In the Thermomix I blend on speed 7 for 40 seconds. Makes two big smoothies. Yum

This recipe makes two big smoothies!!

A Smart Pantry

The title of this post makes me giggle a little. My maiden name being Pantry, my married name being Smart.  Don’t worry, this post isn’t about my family tree, it’s about how to build the foundation of a smart ‘healthy’ pantry.

First up here is a picture of my pantry:

I know, what a mess! Because I have a teeny kitchen but a decent sized pantry I keep my rarely used appliances hiding in the pantry.  Truth is,  I eat mostly fresh produce and meat  which are kept in the fridge! I use my pantry items to add flavour, seasoning, texture, acidity, or aid in cooking my meat and vegetables.

So running through what’s in the picture:

From the top shelf left to right: Maca powder, dulse flakes, coconut oil, then nuts & seeds for the rest of the shelf- almonds, walnuts, cashews, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, pecans.  That big yellow/green tin at the back is my olive oil (I buy it in 4L cans!), lime flavoured olive oil and my spice rack.

Second shelf from top: bee pollen, raw honey (2 jars), vinegars (red wine, white wine, honey, pear, apple cider, balsamic, white balsamic, malt vinegar), fish sauce, hot sauce, HP sauce (Mr Smart is English, this is a non-negotiable in our house!), tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, tinned beetroot, tinned wild caught salmon,  a spare soda stream canister, quinoa, quinoa flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, white vinegar (for cleaning), and then more spices.

Third shelf from top: SunWarrior Raw Protein Powder (choc and vanilla), my vitamin stash (multi, vitamin C, fish oil, probiotic), dukkah, kelp noodles, coconut milk, Mr Smart’s cereal stash, empty tupperwares.

Bottom shelf: cake tins that I NEVER use (because I don’t bake), toaster, rice cooker.  My slow cooker normally sits in that big empty space but is in use at the moment!

Things to note- I have a whole shelf in the kitchen that is dedicated to tea and coffee.  I love a strong black coffee to get me going but usually have a huge assortment of herbal teas as well (minimum 6 boxes!).

Building a healthy pantry does take a bit of time and items like herbs, spices and nuts are expensive.  I buy most pantry items in bulk and then store them in spare tupperwares or glass jars.

I covet dried herbs and spices like you wouldn’t believe, I have over 30 in my cupboard. My must haves are:

• Celtic sea salt
• Peppercorns
• Cinnamon
• Paprika
• Thyme
• Garlic powder
•  Italian seasoning
• Rosemary  & Thyme (I have a huge amount of these two herbs in my garden but I would use more dried if I had to buy fresh all the time)
• Cacao

Oils:

• Organic extra virgin coconut oil
• Organic extra virgin olive oil

Nuts/seeds:

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Pepitas
• Chia seeds

Sauces/vinegars:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Red wine vinegar
• Tabasco sauce

Misc:

• Coconut flour
• Raw honey
• Green tea

Stuff in tins:

• Coconut milk
• Diced tomato
• Tomato paste

What do you have in your pantry?

The Ultimate Comfort Food: Sweet Potato Mash

I’m pretty much obsessed with sweet potato mash.  I love how it sortof has a sweet and creamy flavour all at the same time. When I make sweet potato mash I always make a huge batch, none of this make a couple serving sizes, I cook up a kilo of sweet potatoes at a time.  There is only two of  us in our house so a kilo goes a long way!  Did you know sweet potatoes have almost twice as much fibre as white potatoes? They are also great for vitamin C & E, beta-carotene and manganese!

One of the brilliant things about sweet potato mash over regular mash is that it keeps really well the in the fridge and doesn’t go starchy and dry so easy to reheat and have as a side with another meal or you can ‘repurpose’ it into a whole new meal. I love doing this.  Probably a bit too much!  My sweet potato mash gets reinvented throughout the week until well, it’s all gone! Stay tuned for my re-purposing recipes!

We’ve got to start with the basic sweet potato mash:

Ingredients:

1 kg peeled and roughly chopped sweet potato
water (amount depends on whether you use a thermomix or traditional)
salt
20g organic butter

Thermomix Method:

Add 150g water, sweet potato, and salt to TM bowl cook 17 minutes on 100 speed 1.

Add butter, insert butterfly slowly turn up dial to speed 4 for 20 seconds.

Done!

Traditional Method:

Add sweet potato to a saucepan cover with water and boil until sweet potato goes tender (approximately 20 minutes).

Drain water from sweet potatoes and transfer to a bowl.

Add butter and salt, mash until soft and creamy.

Gluten-Free Banana Nut Porridge

I’m a morning person, don’t hate me.  A typical day for me is to get out bed and head straight into my workout, even during weekdays I am at the gym at 6am before work.  It’s pretty safe to say that I am always hungry for breakfast when I get back from the gym and need to refuel before I dive into the day.  Most typical breakfast foods are pretty highly processed even so-called ‘healthy’ cereals are laden with refined sugar.  This porridge is pretty much heaven; nutty, banana goodness all rolled into one piping hot bowl and the sweetness is just right, the recipe below makes one BIG serve but easy to scale up depending on how many people you are feeding.  I’ve also provided an option below to include protein powder if you are trying to maximise your protein within the day.

I’ve divided up the recipe into two separate methods- the 4 min Thermomix method and traditional method.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Banana Nut Porridge

Ingredients:

10g walnuts
10g almonds
1 banana (peeled)
2 tbsp quinoa flakes OR 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
100 g water (or dairy/almond/coconut milk)
1 tsp chia seeds
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
drizzle of honey
1 tsp bee pollen (optional)

Thermomix method:

Add walnuts and almonds to TM bowl grind 3 seconds on speed 6.

Add banana mix 4 seconds on speed 4.

Add quinoa flakes OR protein powder (adding both will make your porridge too dry), water, chia seeds, shredded coconut, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to the mix cook at 100C for 3minutes speed 1.

Transfer from TM to serving bowl, drizzle with honey, then sprinkle with bee pollen.

Traditional method:

Using a food processor/blender  grind walnuts and almonds until they have a crumbly consistency (not to a meal).  Add banana to the food processor/blender and combine with nuts.  Transfer to a saucepan,  add quinoa OR protein powder, water, chia seeds, shredded coconut, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to the saucepan.  Cook on medium heat stirring continuously until porridge is heated through (about 5min).  Transfer to serving bowl drizzle with honey and spinkle with bee pollen.

Why weight train + 30min strength workout!

Hands up, who is guilty of smashing the cardio but then shying away from getting stuck into a strength training routine?  This used to be me in a big way!  I was a complete cardio addict because I thought it was the best way to control my weight and make the best use of my time in the gym to torch calories.  Now I love to lift!

Here are some great reasons to weight train:

• Increase lean muscle in your body- this is what gives you a toned look!
• Not only strengthen your muscles but also your joints and tendons.
• Increase your metabolism by increasing lean muscle mass (those muscles will burn calories even when you aren’t training).
• Increase your bone density.
• There is something incredibly satisfying about lifting heavy stuff above your head!

Ladies, you will NOT bulk up! Women don’t have the right balance of hormones in the body to build big bulging muscles. Trust me- I would be massive if this was possible!

My favourite way to weight train is to do BodyPUMP but sometimes I want to do a workout and I’m not scheduled to teach so this is my go-to workout when I want a quick full body workout.

For a warm-up I walk from home to the gym at a quick pace (almost 10 min).

For the workout- to maximise my time, I don’t take a break between each ‘pair’ of exercises and only take a quick sip of water before moving on to the next ‘pair’.  I repeat each exercise 12 times to complete 1 set, then repeat to complete either 2 or 3 sets.

1. Squat (body weight or barbell) + dumbbell chest press
2. Barbell row + tricep dip (body weight)
3. Alternating dumbbell bicep curl + shoulder press
4. Walking lunge (just walk around the gym until your legs go wobbly- don’t count reps on this one)

Quick little stretch and I’m out! Its like a MiniPump!

Raw Lemon Slice

I love raw sweets.  I could go on here about how raw food is so good for you because its unprocessed, whole ingredients, paleo, blah blah.  You get the picture right?  Well, the truth is that I love raw sweets because I can’t bake.  I have made way too many cakes that have gone from the oven and straight into the bin.  It breaks my little heart to do that.

So the alternative is raw! No baking required, as an added bonus you are pretty safe not to get any refined flours or sugars in a raw sweet!  Winning!

Right now the lemon tree in my backyard has about one million lemons on it.  No exaggeration.  I have literally been scouring the internet for recipes on how to rid myself of  a few of these lemons!  I came across this little ditty over on the Rawtarian blog:

http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-lemon-bars-recipe

I know, she calls it a lemon ‘bar’ and I call it a ‘slice’. It’s an Australian thing.

For my Thermomix-ers out there here is the conversion:

Ingredients:

130g almonds
200g medjool dates
zest of 1 lemon (I use a paring knife to roughly cut the zest off the lemon and put as chunks in the TM)
juice of 2 lemons
1tbsp vanilla essence
90g shredded coconut
2 pinches celtic sea salt

Method:

Place almonds in TM bowl grind for 5 seconds on speed 7.

Add dates, lemon rind, lemon juice, and vanilla mix 6 seconds on speed 6.

Add coconut and salt mix 8 seconds on speed 4.

Press the mixture into a small slice pan or tupperware and put the fridge for 1 hour.  Alternatively you could roll the mixture into balls and then place in the fridge to chill.