What's with that? We become parents then suddenly second guess our every move! Too much screen time, too many treats, not enough treats, haven't prepared dinner covering all 5 food groups. Haven't taken them to Queensland. Not enough friends around for sleep overs. I yelled at them and I know I was under pressure and yelling isn't the way we parent these days!

Just one glance on social media, especially on school holidays & it can seem like every family is having a wonderful time. Road trips, beach, ice creams, 'crafternoons'! The reality is, these are snippets of nice parts of their days. Wheres the pics of the overflowing laundry basket, kids fighting, mum having a wine at 2 o'clock?

ENOUGH!!! Kids need to feel safe & loved. If we let our heads be filled with so much guilt and pressure, we actually miss out on those opportunities to show them just that. Just being present with them if only in a passing conversation. Lets not miss those little moments that show us that we're actually doing a great job. Lots of little moments mount upto overall well balanced kids.

Mums rock and yes we can have it all. We can juggle parenthood, careers, friends, family, health and we CAN absolutely put ourselves first when we need to and want to. If we don't, we start to feel worn out, under appreciated, exhausted. If we don't ever put ourselves first...who will?

Colder days seems to mean aching joints for some of us ... ahhh 'over 30's'. How's gym working for you? No quite cutting it? Heres why.

So many machine based exercises not only aren't time efficient, but they often are damaging for your joints. In physio terms, there are two type of movement patterns, Open Kinetic Chain & Closed Kinetic Chain. Put simply 'open' is when your hand or foot is free to move (like a chest press). During 'closed' your hands or feet are in a constant, fixed position (usually on the ground) such as pushups.

Why does it matter?

Closed chain exercises are better for your joints—especially the knee joint, which is very vulnerable to stress and injury. The movement in closed chain exercises forces joints stabilise & strengthen. In contrast, open chain exercises, like knee extensions or hamstring curls produce shear force, which stresses the knee joint (particularly the ACL) and is more likely to result in injury.

Closed chain better mimic activities of daily living, ie- get you moving in a way you were built to. Closed chain exercises work many muscle groups at once. - time efficient!

The Balance Studio solution - Suspended Classes - primarily closed chain moments patterns! These classes feel like a weights session, except you're supervised and done in 1/2 the time.

Suspension straps were originally designed for the U.S. military as a field training tool. We love them is because they facilitate Closed Kinetic Chain. Giving you a time efficient, joint stabilising, functional movement. Muscle tone & strength & a rock hard core are added bonuses.

We have two Suspended Classes -

Entry level isSuspended Pilates - a fine balance of flexibility, mobility & strength.

More Advanced is Suspended Sculpt - works major muscle groups, layered with cardio.

Over & out xx Rach

Yes we can get stuck in our ways. Especially when our work/life balance puts us in a Mon/Fri/Weekend box. How much we love that Friday feeling or uh ... ' FRI -YAY' (annoying I know) We live for the weekends, public holidays and annual leave. We schedule our lives around the 'have to do's - work, family, keeping the house, car, yard in a liveable condition (most of the time.) Round and round we go.

Don't get me wrong, it's no biggie but when it comes to our bodies and the assumption that we want them in working order for the long haul, it's simply not going to happen if you get stuck in the same ol' training routine. Heres why:

Movement needs to be varied to allow your body to continue to move in various ways. Think elite cyclist - wow, what incredible power in those thighs, cardiovascular endurance, stamina. Impressive, but without the balance of using the back of their bodies, standing tall and having flexibility - they'll be pretty lucky to be cycling at all in their senior years.

'But I do heavy weights and can swing a battle rope around for 2 minutes at a time' - ok, great!

Can you leap out of bed in the morning and put your shoes on without risking a ruptured disc?

'Oh, I walk for an hour most days'. Lovely - especially in these parts. But could you run to save your life? How many seconds could you run for, if your life depended on it?

It doen't matter what activity you do, your body will thank you for changing it up. This will this help with your fitness goals by preventing a plateau. It will help prevent injury by allowing your body to move in all different planes. I like to think of the body as the most perfectly engineering feat there ever was. Use it in every way it was built for. Strength - Flexibility - Power - Muscular Endurance - Cardiovascular Efficiency - Balance - Agility - Mobility.

So whether its a daily walk or the same ol' heavy session at the gym, you need mix it up to cover all bases. Oh one last tip - if you're going hard at the gym or any high impact class without the balance of pilates/core/flexibility based training whereby you strengthen whilst lengthening, increasing both stability and mobility in your joints and correctly using your core to look after your spine, chances are you won't be doing any the above, problem free for ever. If you already attend our Balance classes - here's your challenge - try a class you wouldn't normally do. The huge variety in our timetable covers all bases so the choice is yours. Hold onto your mojo!!

xx Rach

So we reach a 'mature' age and the bod doesn't function quite as well as it did in our 20's right? We're not interested in flogging ourselves at the gym as 'big guns & a six pack' isn't the be all & and all anymore. "I just want to keep surfing. My back/shoulders/hips/knees aren't behaving anymore" I hear this all too often. The good news - this doesn't have to be the end of the story - far from it!

Pilates, put simply is your solution. If it's good enough for the likes of Kelly, Mick & Steph, then you'd have to assume they're onto something here.

HERE'S WHAT A PILATES TRAINED BODY WILL DO FOR YOU IN THE WATER:

Balance - from ankles to knees to pelvis, all those finer stabilising muscles, ligaments and tendons are fine tuned giving you greater control on an unstable surface.

Mobilityto twist and drive. Pilates trains your body to move in the way that it was built to - in multiple planes. The beauty of pilates training is that it strengthens your muscles whilst they're in length, giving you full range of motion and power.

Control & speed to 'pop up' - a biggie! Firstly shoulder function - Yes, even after overuse/chronic shoulder issues, pilates will re-align, strengthen, stabilise and bring your shoulders back to their full potential - yes even when paddling out! Core and Glutes- When we learn how to properly engage our core and glutes, the benefits are endless. less strain on the rest of your body as your core is not only sharing the load but driving power to the rest of your body. Our glutes (bum muscles) atrophy as we age. Without adequate glute muscle, we don't have adequate pelvic stability - therefore core stability.

Improved recovery time. Pilates can be used for injury management and injury prevention of the entire body. IE - minimal 'down time'

Can you imagine how long you'd last in the water if your body was working to it's full potential? There simply is no need to hang up your board and resign to the fact that your body is getting on. Yes we've all heard 'use it or loose it' but

We have 3 styles of Pilates at Balance Studio - Restorative Pilates, Hard Core Pilates & Suspended Pilates.

Check out our class descriptions here.Restorative Pilates is a good starting point if you've never tried it. So if your 'mature' aged body is getting in the way of a good surf, we'd love to help you out.

xx Rach

As if parenting wasn't exhausting enough! So too often am I presented with mums who have neck, shoulder, upper back, lower back and hip injuries! When I say injuries, no I don't mean from trauma caused by falling over landmines of toys. Chronic overuse and misalignment injuries are just all too common in mums. I can always pick a mum of a young one from the way she carries herself. Her upper shoulders and neck are tight as bricks. Her hips are all twisted and she stands with a big arch in her back like she's still 9 months pregnant. And yes, sorry to say she has a mum's bum.

Yes, these wonder women's bodies have endured absolute extremities - just as we were built to endure.

However, you don't need to just 'suck it up.'

It starts during pregnancy, with our incredible bodies carrying everything in front. Besides being heavy, it begins the process of an anterior pelvic tilt, excessive lumbar curve, tight hip flexors, short hamstrings, rounded shoulders and rounded upper back. What do we do?

We get on with it, because, lets face it - there's a brand new life that comes first.

Then comes breastfeeding - hours on end seated, rounded upper back and tense, 'shrugged' shoulders, tight hips and bums shrinking into oblivion.

The problem then compounds as the little bundle of joy grows into a heavy bundle of joy.

So when you're holding him or her close to the body - sweet, your arms have gained strength as bubs has gained weight. How about as they grow bigger and you're extending your arms to

put them into the cot or car seat? Suddenly they're 5 times heavier but our arms don't quite cut it. We use our already compromised backs and tight upper shoulders to get the job done. What do we do? Push through, we get on with it.

Then comes the toddler - yes finally they can walk on their own but not for long as they still need a mum cuddle, so we heave them up with our relatively strong arms and swing them over to the hip.

Question - Do you balance out your left & right hip to carry the big bundle of joy around on? Nooo of course not. So in turn we add hip alignment issues to the list of '

Unfortunately, all too often we just push ourselves aside until it's a problem that we can't ignore.

For me, Pilates fixed everything and I haven't looked back. It re-sets your shoulders that have internally rotated since pregnancy. It gives you endurance in your upper back so you can stand tall again. It re- engages your core muscles, including pelvic floor so your spine is supported, and jumping/sneezing is no longer a 'no go zone'. Balance Studio's style of both pilates and barre have a very strong focus on bums and hips and aesthetics is just the added bonus. Without efficient muscle in 'the rear', our hips, spine and knees are all taking the unnecessary load. Pilates is an essential 'pre- requisite to any high intensity exercise as it works on strengthening and stabilising your tendons, ligaments and secondary muscles so you can safely perform more dynamic movements.

So from me, a mum who used to ache from head to toe until I finally put ME on the 'to do list', trust me - Pilates will be your new BFF. It just works. Check out our Child Friendly Restorative Pilates on Fridays 10.30am.

xo Rach

So getting the household back to some sort of routine has been great, all in order except I feel completely drained, like I'm crawling to the starting line! The last thing I feel like doing is training.

I'm sure you know where I'm coming from.

It got me thinking about why do we do it? Yes, for most of us the answer is pretty straight forward - 'get fit, tone up, loose weight'. But why? It's got to be more than aesthetics surely?

For me, it's always been about longevity. After working with clients aged 60+ in a fitness facility for the 1st half of my career, I was so determined to have a body that will work for me in the long haul. No it wasn't the frail 75 year olds that motivated me, it was one particularly gorgeous

92 year old - 'Sylvia'.

Graceful, delightful Sylvia, used to float through the door in her perfectly co-ordinated active wear, 3 sessions per week, always positive, always putting in 100%, only allowing herself 5 minutes for a chat so she'd have time to complete her prescribed exercise.

Now, besides completely running rings around some people a 1/4 of her age with her strength, balance, mobility and agility, what I loved so much about Sylvia was that she knew exactly what made her tick.

She woke at the same time every morning, never rolled over and went back to sleep because she knew that would make her more tired. Grapefruit and grain toast for breakfast, to keep her' plumbing' in order. Gaze over the newspaper to keep her mind sharp. 9.30am was gym or a brisk walk time - every day!

So what was her 'why' when it came to training? Surely she had those days when she was completely drained? Her 'why' was that she didn't want to get old! Yes, she did have tough days but she had her 'staying young' formula down to a fine art. Her self awareness was her biggest asset. Daily, she'd set herself up to win.

So are we going to wait until we're 92 to finally understand what makes us tick? I'd hate to put a downer on it but I'm guessing if we didn't get it together before then, the only thing we'll be floating through is the pearly gates!

What is it going to take for you exercise regularly?

Accountability - Do you stick at it when you train with a mate?

Finances - Are you more likely to show up if you'd payed in advance?

Variation - Do you get bored with the same old routine?

Music - Does it help you push through a tough training session?

Time Management - Do you work better when you've booked your sessions in advance?

Atmosphere - Are you a class or gym person? Do you need like minded people to help bring you up and back for more?

Honestly ask yourself, 'What is my why'? Know what makes you tick and even on those days where you feel like crawling to the starting line, you won't fail. Have the image of devine Sylvia and her kick arse attitude, marching her way out of the gym! Sylvia you rock!!!!

xo Rach

I put myself first over the xmas/new year break. Shock horror! 'Me' on my to-do list. 'Me' on my priority list - Guilt free. YAY!!

Us, especially women weren't taught to do this. We were built to grow babies, to but them 1st, to teach our offspring how to be well rounded, independent adults and then they press 'repeat'. But how well rounded are we, if year after year, we put ourselves on the bottom of our list of priorities?

We're always so 'crazy busy'. We tell ourselves that we're productive because we've got 'got so much done today'. How often though, do we get to the end of the day and realise we haven't fitted in any

'me' time, and haven't ticked everything off the list anyway?We put ourselves last in line, if at all. It's as though giving ourselves to everyone else all the time is the only option. Not any more from my friend.

We work ourselves to the bone, many of us We tell ourselves that tomorrow I'll stop and chill for a bit, read, hit the beach all by myself. We guilt ourselves out of doing anything just for ourselves because there's always so much to do. Where does it get us? Tired, cranky, resentful, sometimes a tidy house. Hey, let's face it, if you have kids on holidays your house might be tidy for 1/2 a day if you keep your voice raised - (nicely of course). If I ever have the trifecta all at once - a clean house, clean backyard and clean car - yep, I'm satisfied, but bloody exhausted! For what?

2016 was a shocker for many of us it appears - never to be repeated! So I asked myself - If I'm serious about making long, lasting changes, not just the 1st two weeks of Jan, what's it going to take?

The answer is 'Me' as a regular feature on my 'to do list'.

Just with a few weeks off over summer, and having a real look at my priorities, magic happened. No, not the trifecta, not 'crazy busy', not squeezing every friend and family member into my precious time off. I just simply decided enough is enough, I will not be dragging myself to the finish line of 2017 on all four's. I put my phone away, took ownership of it, choosing to use it when I'm available - not 24/7, slept when I was tired, ate when I was hungry, ignored the dishes & washing when I couldn't be bothered & decided I am not going to feel guilty about putting myself 1st.

The result - bigger that I could imagine! Sooo rested, so much energy, more patience, more time, simply happy, more grateful for friends & family and just loving the very simple pleasures - a good book, lie on the beach, a Netflix binge, a jog to Bells and back.

Then, what was a real eye opener was a comment from my 12 year old as I was having a lie down on the couch. "What's wrong mum?" He was sincerely concerned that I was sick or something. "I'm just doing what I feel like doing which is nothing'. It dawned on me that rather than rearing well rounded adults, as we were built to do, we're teaching our kids that to be 'successful' in life, you're meant to be 'crazy busy' all the time. Mum's look after everything and are always thinking two steps ahead of what else needs doing. I was teaching my child, by example that I mattered in my own life. What's the old saying? Monkey see, monkey do. I was teaching him that he should always matter in his. Hopefully he presses 'repeat' when he's an adult.

No, this 'me time' is not a new years resolution that will be forgotten by mid Feb. It's here to stay, guilt free by simply re-naming my 'to do' list to a'really need to do'list'and this list is so much shorter except a big inclusion - ME! Am I going to win the trifecta? Highly unlikely - YAY!

Enough is enough! We are constantly flooded with health & fitness 'professionals' banging on about bikini bodies. Frankly, I find it very unprofessional. Gyms & P.T's amping up their marketing campaigns - 'Look Hot By Summer', Get A Bikini Body In 3 Weeks", How To Get A Bikini Worthy Body"....

What an insult!

Let's face it, we know about photo shopping, we know that images of the perfect, bump free, wrinkle free, fat free female body is far from reality. Yet these constant images of how we 'could/should' look still find their way into our subconscious. Don't us women put ourselves under enough pressure? Successful careers, perfect mums, good friend, sister, daughter, housekeeper, partner - arghhhh!

For me, there is nothing more beautiful than a woman rocking her bikini OR one piece with absolute confidence, strutting her stuff up a sand dune, taking on some big waves, running around with her kids at the beach - not caring about any lingering bounce coming from her thighs. To me she's is a superstar because she's oozing confidence, therefore beauty - from the inside out. Her self talk is proud of who she is and what she achieves. She energised, strong, healthy, happy! She doesn't give a sh*t about some lumps on her bum, the layer that appears over her bikini bottom when she sits down, or what any one else thinks of it!

How does she do it we wonder? As a fitness professional, I see this 'empowerment' in women grow when they start to feel strong, fit, energised and confident in what their body can do and how it can make them feel. Their confidence comes when they push through barriers in their training. This is more than a physical barrier, its mental, it's emotional, it's the whole package. These women strut out the door, feeling proud of themselves. These women don't look anything like Kayla Itsines or Jennifer Hawkins - really who has a butt like that in the real world? Yes they change their shape & they're happy with their aesthetics but it's their self talk that makes them able to rock a bikini down the beach. Have a think about it. We've all seen girls at the beach in a bikini without a wrinkle, lump, bump, layer of fat in sight, gorgeous curves, perky boobs but she's soooo self conscious! She's trying to cover up her tiny trim butt, she's so paranoid she barley moves from her uncomfortable propped possie on her towel incase she gives off a 'bad' angle. She's not strutting her stuff down to the water to body -surf a huge wave. She's not happy with her 'perfect' 22 year old bikini body!

Here's your challenge.

UNFOLLOW any social media accounts that help create poisonous self talk about your body image. Don't buy 'Health & Fitness' mags that make you feel inferior. Give yourself a pat on the back for honouring your body with movement and healthy fuel. Look after it so it will serve you in your senior years. Let's not look back when we're 75 and realise we wasted our prime years worrying about how our body looked when we now just want it to work well!

Got a bikini? Got a body? You're ready!!

#respectyourself #realwomenrock

Over and out xx Rach

There's sooo much info & inspo out there right? In a time where we have everything handed to us on a platter (or our phones), why can we still struggle to shift those extra kg's? Eat less rubbish & move more. Easier said than done. We can be on track one day, things get hectic, we drop everything, beat ourselves up & promise to start again 'properly' next week. Ok, reality check - We are not robots. We're not always going to be perfect so stop beating yourself up about it & start getting real.

Our resources for clean food/meal ideas are unlimited. It's not too hard to source recipes. We know we need to move, our minds & bodies love us when we do. Why do we sometime still not get where we want to get to in the fat loss game? Here's the most common mistakes my clients over the last 12 years have made.

Skipping meals.

Our bodies use energy (ie. calories) to eat & digest food. It's that simple. Breakfast is a biggie. Skipping breakfast doesn't allow your metabolism to kick start your day. You're already on the wrong foot before you leave the house. I hear so often, "I'm just not hungry in the mornings'. So get up earlier & get moving, train, hang the washing out, just get the blood flowing so your body & brain tell you - 'feed me'. The other big problem with this skipping meals is that once we let oursleves become sooo hungry, what kind of food are we likely to scoff down? Carbs & sugar as they give the body the quickest fix!

Soultion - Identify what meals you tend to skip & prepare not to. Have your panrty & freezer full, have healthy snacks on hand incase of emergency, know what your'e going to eat ahead of time & prepare. *more on meal prep next blog.

I need the “Quick Fix”

If you are after the magic pill, sorry there just isn’t one. Many of us are after the quick fix, the one cure that’s going to give us the body, weight loss, fitness that we so desperately want, but the quick fix is just that .. quick. Quick results that disappear just as quickly. To get results that last a life time you need to form habits that you can sustain for a lifetime.

Solution - Take the time to find meals & snacks ideas that 1. You like. 2. Is going to fit in with family life. 3. Is real, clean eating. Keep your collection on hand, dont allow yourself to get bored of your weekly meals.

Alcohol.

Yep, alcohol is a big player in hindering your weight loss efforts. With one standard glass of wine approximately 100 calories, it’s easy to see where the extra calories can come from when you regularly have a glass or two each night with dinner, with not much other nutritional benefits. Had a boozy friday or saturday night? Lie around the next day stuffing your face with carbs & sugar?

Solution - Cut back on those few glasses and make a huge difference to your weight loss efforts. Hungover? What's done is done however the best thing you can do is metabolise that alcohol out of your system asap. Get to a class, walk, jog, what ever it takes as soon as you can!

But I drink smoothies!

Great! Hopefully they're full of fresh fruit, seeds, nuts & loaded up with nutritional benefits. However, if they're loaded up with fruit that's of a high sugar content, you're making your fat loss challenge more challenging than it needs to be.

Solution - More berries, rhubarb, peaches, melon, grapefruit. Less bananas, mangoes, pineapple, oranges. Add protein & healthy fats to your smoothies, almont milk, whey protein powder, linseeds, chia seeds etc.

Just move

We are busy. We have jobs, families and stuff to do which leaves very little time for ourselves, too often we're at the bottom of the 'to do' list. Enough is enough! We know how much better we feel when we're fit. We know that we have more energy, more confidence & probably more tolerance for everything we have to get done every week if we've put oursleves on the 'to do' list.

Soultion - Find something you love, that doesnt feel like just another chore & schedule it into your week like you're making an appointment which you dont cancel. Do you cancel your kids activities just because you havent got time/cant be bothered? Figure out what makes you stick to something. Is it because you've payed up front? Is it because there's a set time that you need to be there? Does being accountable make you adhere to a routine? Do goals help you stick to something? Training with a friend? Dig deep and ask yourself - 'How do I roll?

Just a few tweaks of your week can make a huge difference. Consistency is the key!

Over & out, Rach xx

Our suspension classes are a favorite. Not just becuase they absolutley rock! Some might say they're equivelant to a weights session at the gym. Kind of on the right track however these little beatuties are better for your body than weights. Here's why:

Strength - the entire body

Shape - the entire body

Balance - ankle/knee/hip stability

Core - pretty much switched on the entire time

Time efficient - uses multiple muscle groups at once

Natural movement patterns - move the way we were built to move

Low impact - happy joints

Closed Kinetic Chain - The no 1. reason we use them

Closed Kinetic Chain. SOOO much better on your joints than a lot of equipment you may find at the gym. Closed chain exercises enable to body to move in a primal way, the way we were built to move. If you've ever had a joint that has given you grief, closed kinetic chain is your new best friend. Here's the deal.

Your bones and muscles are connected in a “chain” and therefore the movements you make are also part of a that kinetic chain. We move in both Open & Closed Kinetic Chains. It's important to know the difference, particulary as we age and we want longevity.

Open Kinetic Chain: are movements that are performed where the hand/arm or foot/leg is free to move. Often weight is added far from the body - eg. - holding a dumbell.

Closed Kinetic Chain: are movements that are performed where the hand/arm or foot/leg cannot move. Your body is the weight/resistance.

So what's the big deal?

Lets think legs - Open v's Closed Chain.

Open - A seated leg extention at the gym. (The one where you sit, hook your feet under a padded, weighted arm & straighten your leg. Works the quads - great.

Closed - Suspended One Legged Squat - Works the quads, glutes, ankle stabilty, knee stability, hip stabilty, spine stability, core - brilliant!

Closed chain exercises are safer for your joints—especially the knee joint, which can be vulnerable to stress and injury. The force involved in closed chain exercises like lunges and squats is compressive, meaning it actually stabilizes the joint and helps strengthen it. In contrast, open chain exercises, like leg extensions or hamstring curls produce shear force, which stresses the knee joint (and the ACL) and is more likely to result in injury.

So let's visualise the lower body compressing over itself during a one or two legged squat - Time efficient - working entire muscle groups. You need to balance, challenging your stability from your ankles, knees, hips, spine. Core is on to help you balance. Strength & shape comes from own body weight providing the resistance. The part we love about this is: it's your body weight that compresses the joint, stabilising it as you're asking it to work for you. So much safer than a weight at the end of your limb.

If you suffer from joint pain or an old joint injury, you should try to avoid open chain exercises at that particular joint. So, if your knees are'nt great, do squats and lunges (closed chain exercises) instead of leg extensions or leg curls (open chain exercises). Injured elbow, do pushups (closed chain) instead of chest presses (open chain) if you have shoulder issues, try pull-ups.

Our Suspended Sculpt & Suspended Pilates classes are based on this super functional, efficient movement pattern. Places Strictly Limited. Bookings Essential.

First things first. At Balance we all are about healthy, strong, fit, realistic body image -

It's NOT all about being skinny.

However, some of us do carry too much body fat. It doesn't help our state of mind and certainly isn't friendly to our vital organs. Therefore, if you are aiming to drop some excess fat, this one tip is simply science, not the latest fad some Kardashian is promoting. This fact remains the same today, last year and next year, regardless of what type of training you're doing or what type of meal plan you're following.

Carbs (sugars) before a workout will prevent your body from accessing fat stores.

Having carbs (which convert to sugars) before you workout literally programs your body to use those carbs as your energy source and NOT your stored body fat. When it comes to eating carbs pre-training, your body thinks - “Last In, First Out”. It’s going to use those carbs that just came in first, well before i's going to use stored body fat.

Your body has an intelligent, efficient design. If those carbs you just ate are available, then why would your body want to go through the work of breaking down stored body fat and using it for fuel when it doesn't have to? Short answer: It won’t.

Plus, an important realization is that if you fuel your workout on carbohydrates, you will “hit a wall” once your blood sugar levels drop. Think kids on red cordial - oh so high but then rapidly, oh so low! You'd be making your training sessions way more difficult than they need to be, on both your mind and body.

By avoiding loading up with carbs pre-training, your metabolism will actually be turned up because it has to work harder to access stored fat.

Here are some simple examples of smart pre- esercise nutrition if your no. 1 goal is fat loss:

If you train early morning:

Option 1. Exercise in a fasted state Option 2. Eat/drink proteinOption 3. Have some natural caffeine (from organic coffee or tea) by itself or blend it with some healthy fats (like coconut oil, almond milk) - No sugar!

If you train in the daytime/early evening:

Option 1. If you've eaten carbs allow at unto 2 hours after you eat to trainOption 2. Eat/drink proteinOption 3. Have some natural caffeine (from organic coffee or tea) by itself or blend it with some healthy fats (like coconut oil, almond milk) - No sugar!

Clearly you must know your body and it's limits. If you don't respond well to training with the above options, a slow release carb (low GI) would be a good option.

Oh, one last tip. If you're taking any of our super efficient fat loss classes like HIIT Circuit, Shred or Metafit and your no. 1 goal is fat loss, you should try to avoid carbs for at least an hour post class. These types of classes that amp up your metabolism, have your body accessing those fat stores at a heightened rate for hours afterwards. However the minute carbs / sugars enter your blood stream, that is what your body will access.

Overall, listen to your body, train smart, eat smart, be consistent & the reward is all yours!

Desk job, travel a lot, got a mum's bum? You may have noticed your butt isn't quite as perky as it used to be! It's not just your imagination. Here's what happens. GLUTES SHUT DOWN when we sit for too long - INACTIVE GLUTES CONTRIBUTE TO TIGHT HIP FLEXORS, UNSTABLE PELVIS & SPINE, POOR POSTURE -THEREFORE BACK PAIN WEAK GLUTES CAN LEAD TO PAIN IN OTHER AREAS - If glutes aren't performing properly, impact & force shifts to other weaker areas like knees & ankles.A WEAK BUTT CAN SERIOUSLY INTERFERE WITH YOUR WORKOUT - Glutes support the pelvis which supports the spine. Without adequate glute strength, those high intensity moves that we love to hate get risky because your spine is compromised.'MUM'S BUM - A posterior pelvic tilt can make your butt appear flatter. Lack of blood flow to your butt at skin level can cause CELLULITE. What can you do? - FIX YOUR POSTURE WHILST SITTING. Heres a handy reference: http://www.centralcityphysio.com.au/office.htmlCHOOSE EXERCISE THATS GOING TO MAKE YOU FUNCTION BETTER: The way you train is the way you'll eventually move, stand, sit. Does your workout focus on alignment, posture, correct core & glute engagement? From our perspective all Balance classes focus on all of the above. Pilates & Barre particularly zone in on our butts. So get your butt firing and let's perk it up!

Over & out Rach xx