Tuesday 31 January 2012


It’s such a beautiful summer day so I’m making smoked salmon salad tonight. It takes 15 minutes to put together, so you still have time to get out and enjoy a nice evening walk.

Smoked Salmon Salad
         Ingredients

·         Smoked salmon (sliced)
·         Lettuce
·         Sprouts
·         Purple onion
·         Capers
·         Lemon wedges

Method

·         Wash lettuce and select nice looking leaves, spread these down on a tray
·         Layer slices over lettuce leaving some gaps between the slices to add sprouts, spring onion, capers and if more lettuce if you want to stretch it further to feed more guests
·         As you add each layer, build it towards the centre so its slightly higher in the middle
·         You could serve with a dressing such as a soy mayo with lemon juice
·         Garnish with lemon wedges


Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au





Sunday 29 January 2012


Top tips to make perfect posture second nature

Remembering to take notice of how you use your body during your daily life will greatly improve your awareness of personal posture and alignment. Try the following tips and notice how much your posture improves.

• Move the driver’s seat of your car to a more upright position so that the back of your head rests on the headrest.

• Stand evenly on both feet at every opportunity. Utilize times when you are waiting – like in the supermarket and post office queue – to practice.

• Use a backpack to carry your gym gear and always put both shoulder straps on.

• Sit with a lengthened spine at work, at the café, in the doctor’s waiting room. Keep both feet on the floor.

• Never cross your legs. Feel that your weight is evenly distributed over your sitting bones.

• If your office chair has arms, take them off. Make sure your work station is well set up.

• Sit like the letter ‘i’ not the letter ‘c’.

• Get up from your desk every 45 minutes, walk around, stretch, perform some forward bends, arm raises, and shoulder rolls.

• Place these alignment cues into your memory bank:

- Stand tall, evenly on both feet

- Lift the arches of your feet and lengthen your toes

- Release the muscles of the chest and front of shoulder

- Draw the shoulder blades down the back into a soft ‘V’

- Lengthen the neck and allow the skull to float on top

- Gently activate the pelvic floor and transverse abdominals.



• Stroll instead of striding occasionally, so that you notice how you are moving.

• Breathe long, slow and deep breaths as often as possible.

• Be aware, take care of your body and you will move freely.



Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au


 



 


 

Tuesday 24 January 2012


Making the changes in 2012

Starting the New Year with a resolution for a fitter and healthier you is easy when you are still on holiday feeling great and motivated.  But how do you maintain new healthy habits when your resolve starts to fade?

There are two things many of us have at the start of a new year; great ideas for healthy change and plenty of motivation!

The problem with motivation is that it disappears quite quickly. So whether you're starting an exercise routine, trying to eat breakfast every day, or need to lose weight, how can you make your resolutions last beyond the second week of January?

If we really want to change we need to figure out a way to keep doing the things that are required even when we don't feel like it or we're not excited about it. Like brushing your teeth, you do that most time without even thinking about it or even not wanting to do it.

It is a routine "a habit" that we have been taught since we were very young and we just do it.

But when it comes to exercise and healthy eating habits we have a very hard time changing even though we are bombarded with information about how important it is. The difference is that with the tooth brushing our parents told us it was important and they also made us do it, which meant it became a habit.  

The first step in applying ourselves is to accept that with change comes discomfort.

We might have to get up earlier to exercise, we might have to say no to a chocolate cake at work, and we have to spend some time during the weekend planning the weekly meals and maybe even cook some meals.

By accepting that from the beginning and be prepared for that we can improve our chances and be proud of our self when we can manage hurtles and stick to our goals.

We have to find a way that works for us and there is no "one way fits all" concept. 

If, for example, you are middle-aged and have back problems that make exercise difficult, don't just become a couch potato.

No single magic formula works for changing every habit - depending on what you are trying to achieve, different approaches and expectations will be required.

Changing a habit doesn't happen over night; you didn't get your habit overnight; be patient and as long as you stick to your goals let it take time.

Research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that it can take 18 to 254 days for behaviors to become automatic when performed repetitively.

The good news is that missing the occasional day didn't affect the process, the researchers found.

Another study shows that although changing a behavior can take a lot of effort to begin with, it does become more automatic and therefore easier over time.

And once we form a habit, even if we stop it, it will be easier to reintroduce next time around because patterns in the brain that were formed when we established the habit quickly re-emerge according to US researchers who examined behavior in rats.

On the other side though, this is also true for bad habits.

So if you want to make your resolutions stick, here are some golden rules to developing healthy habits:

*     Don't try to change too much at once. Focus on just one or two new habits at a time.

*     Be clear about your goals.

*     Focus on why you are trying to change. Know the benefits of changing and the consequences or costs of not.

*     Make time for your new habits. Get up an hour earlier if you intend to fit exercise into your schedule, or give yourself time to walk to the train station instead of driving.

*     Create an accountability system. Keep a diary.

*     Get regular reinforcement through reminder systems or visual cues such as photographs.

*     Monitor your progress. This can be through your diary, regular records of your activities, etc.


 
Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au






Wednesday 18 January 2012

I'm cooking fish today!!!!

I love this recipe, it's quick, very nice and so healthy.

Stir-fried garlic and chilli fish
Serves 2

1tsp olive oil
300 g fish of you taste (you can even use prawns)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chili, sliced
juice of 1 lime
350g green vegetables ( you can use what ever is in season, tonight I will have
snow peas, asparagus and broccoli)
100g mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce

Heat a frying pan (I usually use my wok) over high heat and add the oil. Add garlic and chili, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour over the lime juice and add the green vegetables, mushrooms and soy sauce. Stir-fry for another 3 minutes and add the fish, the green vegetables should be cooked but slightly crisp, add little vegetable stock or water if necessary. Serve immediately.



Enjoy!!!!!!!

Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au


 






Monday 16 January 2012



Wellness has become a “trendy” word

But what does it really mean? Is wellness the absence of illness, a sense of well-being, or an active process of engaging in healthy activities?


Wellness is a state of mind, one where physical and mental health converges. It goes beyond just eating good foods and going to the gym; it requires a holistic understanding of the profound complexities of the human condition. Simply put, it is a desire to participate with our body by listening to our body.


Wellness is a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.

While medical professionals can gain insight from different resources of valuable information, it’s important that individuals use wellness as caring about them self. It represents engaging in activities that prolong the sense of well-being. After all, we are complex spices that require feeling happy, being well and controlling our bodies.

Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.

·         Process means that improvement is always possible

·         Aware means that we are continuously seeking more information about how we can improve

·         Choices means that we consider a variety of options and select those in our best interest

If wellness is multidimensional, what are the dimensions of wellness? The most commonly described sub-dimensions are the following:
  • Social wellness
  • Occupational Wellness
  • Physical Wellness
  • Emotional Wellness
  • Environmental Wellness

The physical dimension of wellness encourages cardiovascular flexibility and strength and also encourages regular, physical activity. Physical development encourages knowledge about food and nutrition and discourages the use of tobacco, drugs and excessive alcohol consumption.
Emotional wellness includes the degree to which one feels positive and enthusiastic about oneself and life. It includes the capacity to manage one's feelings and related behaviors including the realistic assessment of one's limitations, development of autonomy, and ability to cope effectively with stress. The emotionally well person maintains satisfying relationships with others.
In order to achieve a state of wellness in our own lives or try to guide others to it, we must be aware of each of the dimensions. We may not all be physically fit or free from disease; we can, however, strive for increased wellness by working with what we’ve been dealt.


Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au

Sunday 8 January 2012


Don't know what to cook tonight??

A quick and healthy dinner that I use often is, lamb file on the BBQ served with tsatsiki and a nice Greek salad.

Marinade the lamb files with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh rosemary.

Tsatsiki
Ingredients
2 large cucumbers, peeled, grated and squeezed to drain liquid
1 small garlic clove, finely diced
11/4 cups plain youghurt
Salt


Directions

1.   In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, garlic, and yogurt and mix well. Season to taste with salt.


Greek salad
Ingredients (serves 8)
  • 6 firm ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 3 cucumbers, coarsely chopped
  • 1 red onion, sliced into rings
  • 1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded, coarsely chopped
  • 200g marinated Greek olives
  • 220g marinated feta, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp dried Greek oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
  • 60ml (1/4 cup) white vinegar
Directions
  1. Combine tomato, cucumber, onion, capsicum, olives and feta in a salad bowl. Sprinkle with oregano and salt.
  2. Whisk together the oil and vinegar in a jug. Drizzle the salad with dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

And voila’, dinner is ready and SO nice!!!!!

Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au



Wednesday 4 January 2012


I'm so excited!!!

We have a brand new year ahead of us, and WE can make it the best year ever!

I have a wonderful group of clients that I know will do their best to meet their goals 2012. I'm doing the RenewYou seminars with three other great therapists (find us on facebook Renew You), "it's all about you as a woman".
My 2012 already looks like a great year!!

Follow me on facebook (New Fitness), twitter (newfitnessPT) and together we will make 2012 a great year.

Do you want 2012 to be a great year for your body and soul?
Join my Happy Body program and make the changes your body deserves today!

Find out more on www.newfitness.com.au

Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
www.newfitness.com.au