I shudder to think of how many hours I’ve spent explaining the reality of ‘getting a flat tummy/6 pack’ to people. The frustrating part is they never really seem to hear what I’m saying which in one sentence is: “doing ab exercises will not specifically reduce the fat on your tummy”.

Here’s the longer version of this truth.

Point 1: You CANNOT spot reduce. When you do abdominal exercises (properly! You Tube clips coming soon) you are strengthening the muscle. Yes, you are burning a bit of energy but nothing significant and it most definitely won’t specifically reduce the fat covering your abdominals.

Point 2: What else are you doing?If you do want a flat stomach/6pack you’ll need to combine these four things consistently for many, many weeks (depending on what condition you’re in when you start out of course). Cardiovascular activities, major muscle strength work, core conditioning and a healthy diet which may include the need to reduce your daily energy intake – permanently! Oh and stretching too please.

Point 3: What’s your motivation?If you think sculpting a flat tummy/6 pack is going to help you find love or be happy I believe you’ll be extremely disappointed. Having ‘the perfect tummy/body’is never going to provide true happiness plus what you look like is only a part of your beauty… surely you want to attract a partner who is not just looking for a ‘celebrity body’? Boring!

Point 4: Love thyself. Your health and happiness is not in your abs! By all means include a variety of abdominal exercises in to your week every week but be appreciative of the more valuable benefits this will provide such as a decreased risk of back injury/pain, increased core strength and improved posture – the ultimate anti-ageing remedy!

Final Point: Exercise, eat well & think good things.If as a result of a well balanced diet and exercise program you end up with ripped abs – all power to you my friend, that’s just an added bonus to being the fabulously happy healthy glowing self that you are!

You’re gorgeous.

 © Jo Woods 2009

These days we must all make time to exercise, for internal health and for weight management. This is purely because the modern way of life involves less energy output, more energy intake and a greater need than ever for stress management. We appreciate that people don’t have a lot of spare time, nor do they want to spend it on long grueling workouts that render them physically crippled for the next week. Exercise must be convenient and sustainable for it to be effective. It needs to be a part of your week every week.

The 40 Minute Total Body Workout is designed to address these issues as well as make people realise that working out can be enjoyable and that the benefits of being a ‘regular exerciser’ are invaluable. It basically means that you can have your cake and eat it too! (Or chips, chocolate, wine & ice cream)

The 40 Minute Total Body Workout combines the principles of Pilates with free weights, resistance bands, cardio conditioning and the Swiss ball to target all the major muscle groups, burn calories and release as many feel good endorphins as possible in 40 minutes. Every workout is completed with a Back Care and Stretching session. Our workout changes every month so our members never get bored, nor do their bodies.

Our specifically trained Workout Coaches provide constant verbal and visual cues to ensure every member is performing every movement with good technique and perfect posture so the neck and spine are always safe. With a maximum of 6 members per workout we’re able to provide a high degree of personal training for everyone whilst you enjoy the camaradarie and motivation of a small group.

Members are welcome to spend extra time stretching or burning more calories in the cardio room before and after their workout. We recommend between 1 & 3 workouts per week and a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity every other day.

Our motto is – “Something is ALWAYS better than nothing”

Request your FREE Guest Workout online or call us on 9690 6060, we’ll look after you.

Benefits of ‘The 40 Minute Total Body Workout’

The benefits of participating in The 40 Minute Total Body Workout are many and varied, and may include but are certainly not limited to the following:

Physical Benefits

Increased energy, strength (muscle tone), metabolism, mobility, flexibility, stamina and heart & lung fitness. PLUS, it can dramatically reduce body fat, not to mention reducing the chance of you getting any of those yukky illnesses one can get when one does not exercise at all or very often. Psst…it would be remiss of us not to disclose that an increase in libido is frequently reported as is more upright bosoms in both men & women!
Oh and improved posture — beautiful, tall, youthful posture.

Mental Benefits

Improved concentration, clarity, memory, patience, creativity, confidence, sleep quality & the ability to win at Scrabble.

Emotional Benefits

Increased self esteem, body image, confidence and giggling. PLUS decreased mood swings, anxiety and cranky inner child behaviour.

Workplace Benefits

ALL OF THE ABOVE IN EVERY EMPLOYEE which in general terms means happier healthier staff who are highly productive and rarely sick. K-ching!!

 Request your FREE Guest Workout online now 
or call us on 9690 6060 to speak to a Super Smiler!

On the 11th of November last year I filmed a ‘Pantry Make-Over’ segment for A Current Affair and this is the list I gave to Debbie who graciously let me rumage through her pantry and throw a lot of stuff out. It’s also the list I use for ‘real life’ pantry make-overs so check it out and check out your pantry or better still, ask me to come and do it for you - I may be ruthless but the result is invaluable.

Smiler’s Pantry List

Bottles & Jars – oils, vinegars, condiments & spreads

• Oils: EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil
• Vinegars – your choice. (My faves are Balsamic & Mirin)
• Tomato sauce/ketchup/Barbecue sauce/Worcestershire
• Soy sauce/Tamari – salt reduced
• Favourite Asian sauces – oyster, ketjap manis etc (low fat/low salt)
• Chilli sauce/sweet chilli sauce
• Honey, Vegemite, jam, peanut butter (pure is best)
• Natural vanilla extract 

 Packets & Boxes – dry goods

• Bread – wholemeal/grain/rye
• Wholemeal pita bread – for lunches & pizza’s
• Wholegrain crackers
• Rice & corn cakes
• Pasta – wholemeal, white, corn/rice
• Noodles – rice, buckwheat, instant
• Rice – brown, Basmati, instant
• Muesli/cereals – low fat/low sugar/low GI/high fibre – as natural as possible
• Instant soup – Miso is great
• Seasonings: sea salt, black pepper, dried herbs & spices (incl. cinnamon)
• Oats
• Buckwheat pancake mix
• A selection of unsalted nuts; dry roasted almonds, raw cashews & walnuts

 Tins & Tetras   

• Tomatoes, tomato puree/sugo & tomato paste
• Low-salt stocks – in cubes, powder & liquid form. > ‘Massel’ is the brand I use
• Canned legumes: baked beans, cannellini, kidney, chickpeas, lentils
• 4 bean mix – small & medium tins. > add to just about anything
• Tuna, salmon, sardines
• Soups > tomato is mandatory in my pantry!
• Corn – small  & medium tins
• Beetroot & artichoke hearts > great for salads

 Fridge & Freezer

• Milk – low fat
• Eggs
• Cheese: tasty, feta, Parmesan
• Yoghurt – low fat natural or vanilla
• Fruit boxes in natural juice
• Salsa, tzatziki, houmos, pesto > I alternate these
• Mustard, chutney, relish
• Frozen berries – for smoothies
• Frozen vegetables: peas, mixed steam bags
• Frozen meals: Lean cuisine or similar for emergencies only (fresh is best!)
• Frozen soups & casseroles – home made
• Frozen Stock – in ice trays for use in stirfry’s/noodle dishes
• Frozen wholemeal/grain bread for jaffles & soup dippers

Top 7 Tips for a Healthy & Functional Pantry

1. Stock all the healthy items at eye level
2. Treat/junk items either low down, up high or not all all!
3. Label & date dry goods which are kept in air tight containers
4. Stock the basic dried herbs, spices & seasonings – buy/grow fresh for ‘ooompf’ with flavour
5. Keep everything towards the front – if you have deep shelves use the back space to store rarely used utensils
6. Group contents as per list  – having a pantry in order makes it so much easier to come up with meal ideas
7. Make a note on your calendar at the beginning of spring every year – ‘Pantry Clean Out’

Jo

© Jo Woods 2009

I was sitting at my desk earlier tonight, wrapped in a snuggly cardigan with hot tea and a block of Lindt chocolate (the dark mint one) at the ready, contemplating my topic for this weeks email when it dawned on me…spring is only 8 weeks away!

This is a delicious adaptation of a carrot soup recipe  Bev Davey (one of our loyal members) recited to me a few weeks ago. It’s so yummy I’ve found myself addicted to it over these past few chilly weeks.

Ingredients for a really big pot of soup:

2kg of carrots
1 large onion
2-3 gloves of garlic
1 litre of Chicken or Vegetable stock
1 tablespoon of freshly chopped coriander (though I prefer a little more)
Coriander leaves (fresh)
1 tablespoon of cummin (though I prefer a little more)
1 lemon
Yoghurt
Olive oil

Finely chop and roast the carrots, garlic & onion. 

Zest and juice the lemon.

Place roasted veges into pot along with stock, cummin, coriander and lemon juice. Simmer for a few minutes then let sit for 5-10 minutes before blending/processing into a smooth soup. Personally I prefer to add the olive oil just before blending so that it doesn’t go degrade during the cooking process.

Garnish with lemon zest, yoghurt & fresh coriander leaves.

Yummy

Don

Happiness is now booming industry and I reckon it’s because we’ve all just made life way too complicated.

There are too many decisions to make, too many things to keep up with and too few hours to manage it all in.
We all want to be happy but sadly we base it on “when I’s…”

“When I earn more …”
“When I weigh less…”
“When I work less…”
Blah, blah, blah…

By all means make those things happen but understand that there will always be something on your list, this is called aspiration! The minute you stop aspiring to have, be and do new stuff you’re deady-bones my friend!!

I am all for people working towards their dreams of a more relaxed and fulfilling life – this is what gets me out of bed everyday – but never at the expense of my happiness today.

I’m not one to repeat affirmations but I do like a structured thought to keep me focused on all things good! This is I am happy today because I know it contributes to my happiness tomorrow.

So the #1 tip for long term happiness is to enjoy your current life WHILST you work towards your dream life.

Your dream life will evolve over time as a result of you constantly taking baby steps to support it. Every little step counts!

© Jo Woods 2009

The best general answer to this 3 part question is this: any exercise is beneficial, do it whenever works best and do it as often as everyday but no less than 3 times a week.

Here’s my ideal exercise regime over the course of 7 days:

Monday:  20-30 minutes cardio in the afternoon.
Maintains:  Cardiovascular fitness + smile enhancer

Tuesday: Urban Workout – a 40 minute total body workout
Maintains: General body strength, mobility & flexibility, cardiovascular fitness + smile enhancer

Wednesday: Yoga or Swim 1-2kms
Maintains: Flexibility, mobility, lung capacity, general body strength & cardiovascular fitness + smile enhancer

Thursday: 20-30 minutes cardio in the afternoon
Maintains: Cardiovascular fitness + smile enhancer

Friday: Urban Workout - a 40 minute total body workout
Maintains: General body strength, mobility & flexibility, cardiovascular fitness + smile enhancer

Saturday/Sunday: Swim, bike ride, walk, kayak, surf or any other type of recreational activity on offer
Maintains:Well-being, mother-daughter relationship, sense of fun & spirit + major smile enhancer!

Remember that is my ‘ideal’ week, it rarely works out that I do all of it however I adjust the following weeks regime to balance out what I missed the previous week. It helps me to maintain my health on all levels – mental, physical and emotional. I am a huge believer in ‘intuitive exercise’ which means I might choose to swim instead of yoga if I felt I needed solitude and I might swap my swim for a workout if I felt the need for something a bit more dynamic and upbeat.

The most important thing is that you do something, exercise must be a regular non-negotiable part of your week, every week. You don’t have to ‘train’ like an athlete (unless you want to be one) - you just need to keep your body active so it can function optimally and keep that smile on your dial!

Get moving my friend, I guarantee you’ll smile more everyday.

Jo.

© Jo Woods 2010.

A lot of people find the transition from summer to winter quite challenging so if bells are ding-a-linging for you please read on…

Ahhh summer…outdoor dining, beach cricket, salt water swimming, light cotton clothing & sun drenched (responsibly protected) skin, feeling free and easy with the world at your feet. Divine. Truth is though, if you didn’t have winter then you wouldn’t appreciate all the delights that summer brings quite as much. So, this year do something different and make your winter wonderful.

Throughout Winter, Wrap Up, Stay Active & Enjoy Winter Cuisine Responsibly

And to keep the weeks moving by how about you:-

• Learn to knit
• Study a language
• Have guitar lessons
• Go to dance classes
• Do a cooking course
• Go ice skating
• Join a book club
• Do a massive jigsaw puzzle
• Indulge at a Day Spa (for an entire day)

There are endless activities to keep the winter blues away and sitting around whingeing about how cold it is definitely not one of them. Nor is eating the entire roast, the entire chocolate pudding with the entire container of King Island Double Cream – half is plenty!!

Plus, you never know, with the reports about global warming we may not even have winter in the future so lap it up and love it while it’s here.

PS. Get your freezer stocked with soup – Cauliflower & Bacon, Veg, Pumpkin, Carrot & Ginger & a good quality chicken stock is always available in my freezer during winter…right next to the Sara Lee High Apple Pie and French Vanilla Ice Cream…now you’re talking – just keep up the walking!

Do The Daily Three -   EXERCISE.  EAT WELL.  THINK GOOD THINGS

© Jo Woods 2008.

1. Toss big cubes of salmon in to a pan/wok with grated ginger, garlic, soy, mirin and spinach leaves and serve on brown rice with sweet chilli
2. Pan fry dense white fish with olive oil, garlic slices, lemon and a pinch of dried oregano
3. For a fast and hearty fish soup, add any type of white fish (in pieces) and freshly chopped parsley to a good quality minestrone
4. In a pot with chicken (or veg/fish) stock simmer garlic slices, finely grated ginger, sliced shitake mushrooms and chopped coriander for 10 minutes before adding cubes of salmon, steamed broccoli & rice noodles.  
5. For a perfectly balanced breakfast, lunch or dinner enjoy tinned salmon/tuna/sardines on whole grain toast with lemon, capers and cracked pepper and sautéed spinach & grilled tomatoes on the side.

The only thing I’m not able to suggest is which wine to enjoy with your fish dish but I’m kind-of guessing you’ll have that one under control!

© Jo Woods 2010