CONGRATULATIONS

Just wanted to say, 'Congratulations'

Its important to stop and acknowledge all of your hard work over the last 4 weeks. Its traditionally something that I think we are not so great at, stopping our busy lives to tell ourselves, 'well done'.
So take a minute and do that.........

Some of you have already had your measures done and some have them scheduled over the next few days. All the results that have come in have been successful due to everyone's commitment to the program.

Success is the continuous movement towards a desired outcome. So remember, any decrease, in weight, fat mass or waist girth is a victory, one that should be celebrated

When Life gets in the way: Part 2

Should I exercise if I have a cold?

Sometimes we can get a cold and think that maybe we shouldn’t train because it will make us feel worse, not better.
Research now shows that you can exercise with a cold without having adverse side effects.


“If you have a cold but no fever, exercising is fine. New research shows you can put as much effort into a workout when you have a cold as when you are healthy. At Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, 45 students were infected with the rhinovirus that causes most colds. After developing cold symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat and/or cough, they ran on a treadmill for up to 15 minutes, as did 10 healthy students. Researchers found the lung capacity of the infected students was the same as that of the students who were not ill. In fact, the sick students reported that exercising didn't feel any more strenuous than usual.”


So don’t let a cold get in the way of achieving your goals this month and beyond!!

BY NADINE

Breakfast Recipe

A great breakfast recipe courtesy of our favourite Swede Kat!!

TASTY EGG WHITE OMELLETE

Ingredients

3 egg whites
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
pepper to taste
1/2 cup loosely packed, thinly sliced fresh spinach
1 roma tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons grated 25% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Preparation method

1. Whisk the egg whites, 1 teaspoon water, dill and pepper in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Toss the spinach, tomato and Cheddar in a small bowl.
2. Lightly coat a small nonstick frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and set over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook until the eggs begin to set on the bottom.
3. Lift up the edge of eggs with a spatula, pushing the cooked part towards the centre of the pan and letting the uncooked portion run underneath. Cook until the eggs are almost set and the bottom is just lightly browned.
4. Spread the spinach filling over half the omelette, leaving a 1 cm border and reserving 1 tablespoon of the mixture for the garnish. Lift up the omelette at the edge nearest the handle and fold in half, slightly off-centre, so the filling just peeks out. Cook for 2 minutes. Slide the omelette onto a plate and garnish with the reserved filling. Serve at once.

By Kat


Why is breakfast so important??
10 reasons to eat breakfast

Measurements

Welcome to the final week everyone!

I will be in contact with you all this week to arrange times to do your post 4 Week Intensive measurements. It is important that you are not dehydrated at the time of your measurement which means 1) No training immediately before your measurements and 2) avoid alcohol the night before your measurements.

I will be asking you about what aspects of the 4 week intensive you will be continuing to implement long term so start thinking!

Cheers All,

PJ

When Life gets in the Way

For the next four weeks you have all made plans to help you achieve your fat loss goals and you have made a commitment to stick to these guidelines in order to maximise your results.
Sometimes life gets in the way – there are unplanned events, emergencies, meetings that run over time etc etc etc…
The important thing is to recognise that this has happened and not use it as a reason to give up, but simply pick up where you left off and keep going.
This is an important lesson to learn after the four week intensive has been completed because life is always going to have the potential to get in the way.
If we go on holiday, travel with work, have a Birthday – anything that may disrupt our daily plans, it has the potential to send us off the rails and back towards unfavourable results.
Accept that we are going to have those times and make the choice to get back on track the day after your Birthday, that big night out, an indulgent holiday.

NADINE

Post 4 Week Get Together

We'd like to invite you all to a casual get together to catch up, celebrate, reflect and share your experiences having completed the 4 Week Intensive. There will also be a small debrief and a few stand out achievements acknowledged. We hope you can all make it to appropriately wrap up an inspiring and challenging 4 weeks for you!

When: Monday 12th October from 6:30-7:30pm.
Where: SJB Interiors, Level 2, 490 Crown St (Just around the corner from Ignite before the Clock Hotel)
Dress: Casual civvies, partners welcome!
Nibbles and light refreshments provided.

RSVP to comments or to pj@ignitehealth.com.au

Time to Share

What has been your experience so far with the 4 week Intensive?? It is powerful to share and declare your experiences with others, good, bad or otherwise. You may be inspired by what others are experiencing and you too might have something to offer others facing the same challenges as you. Wow, if they can do it I can do it!

Please post challenges, successes, general observations as to how your feeling to comments. We'd like to share your level of commitment and your experiences with the wider Ignite community, almost all of whom share your goals!If you don't want your comment to be used on the 4 week Intensive board, that's fine, please say "don't use" at the end of your post.

PJ

Rate Your Intensity

One of the ways that we can improve our results is by increasing our exercise intensity.

Rate your intensity every session by using an effort scale from 1 – 10.
Let’s forget about 1-5 (you’re sleeping or at home on the couch, or sitting at your desk).
6 out of 10 is a brisk walking pace – you are putting in some effort, but you can comfortably hold a conversation.
7 out of 10 starts to feel a bit more challenging, you can feel your heart rate increasing and could talk whilst taking a breath every four or five words.
8 out of 10 you are now needing to take a breath every couple of words if talking.
9 out of 10 there’s not much talking going on now
10 out of 10 we never really get to a ten because we always keep a little bit in reserve in case of emergencies!

So, can you talk whilst you’re training? Where do you put your intensity on the scale? Where do you think you could go with it?

BY NADINE

Half Time

Hi Everyone,

Congratulations, you are half way through the 4 week intensive. I trust you're all sticking to your guidelines! :)

A few of the changes you've made that may have been hard at the start may be starting to get a little easier at this point? Perhaps this won't be the case for all the changes you've made, however after another 2 weeks and I'm sure some of these changes will become healthy new habits that just happen automatically.

Good luck with the second half of the 4 week intensive. Remember your results will be a reflection of 1) How strict you implement your guidelines and 2) How strict you set your guidelines in the first place. Post your challenges and success at the 2 week mark to comments.

Cheers all,

PJ

MOUNTAIN BREAD

A good way to reduce your nutritionally empty carbs is to substitute our normal bread with Mountain Bread wraps. Enjoy 1 or 2 wraps for lunch. We recommend the Rye Mountain Bread Wrap.

Sample filling:
30g ham/roast beef/chicken
1tbls of avocado
Cucumber
Spinach
Mushroom

Or

30g tuna/smoked salmon
Capers
Low fat cottage cheese
Rocket
Olives

ENJOY lunch! We Love mountain Bread wraps!

By KAT

The Benefits of Strength Training

When our goal is to lose body fat we automatically think that we need to increase our cardio which is certainly an important part of the equation.
Another way to reduce body fat is through strength training, not only does it burn the calories while you’re training, but the lean muscle that is developed boosts your metabolism helping you to become more efficient at burning calories at rest.
Many people fear that they will ‘bulk up’ if they do strength training, but with the correct balance of food that is low in carbohydrates you will develop lean muscle that isn’t ‘bulky’, but firm and fabulous!


By Nadine

Coffee, the good the bad and the ugly

Coffee and caffeine was a topic that received a lot of attention in the group discussions on nutrition on Saturday. I've re posted a blog post that Darren wrote in the past that sheds more light on the most habitual part of most of our diets!

"After having my double macchiatto this morning I thought it pertinent to blog on the effects of coffee on our system.

So as the story goes and depending on who you speak too some will tell you that coffee is good for you in moderation (1-2 day) and some will say that its not good for you in any dose. That's not saying that its bad, as long as its in moderation - but that its just not good. And the purists will say that its bad (but these people don't live and work in Surry Hills).

In my experience speaking to experts in recent years, they say for weight loss and general health there are NO benefits to drinking coffee and that they would recommend in an ideal diet that it be omitted. And they follow that up with, 'but don't even think about taking my daily morning coffee away from me'!

I think that this proves the strength of caffeine on our system and that it is a DRUG that we are easily addicted too.

So my simple and easy to follow recommendations on coffee for weight loss is as follows
1. have less than you are having now, shouldn't be anymore than 1 or max. 2/day
2. reduce the milk content to a minimum (so short coffees or long blacks)
3. give your system a complete break from coffee every 6 months for 2-4weeks
4. make sure you drink plenty (2L) of water as coffee leaches your system of water and nutrients

Some interesting links to others thoughts

yourtotalhealth
Crossfit Santa Cruz
How to give up coffee?

By Darren Shaw"

ENERGY JOURNAL REMINDER

Hi All,

Just a reminder, to make sure you're getting into the habit of filling in your Energy Journal daily with when you ate, what you ate, and how much you ate. The more information your trainer has when they review your energy journal, the better they will be equipped to give you constructive feedback and guidance about how your food is going.

Please submit your Week 1 Energy Journal to your trainer by 6:00am on Monday 7th September. Trainers emails:

darren@ignitehealth.com.au

nadine@ignitehealth.com.au

kat@ignitehealth.com.au

pj@ignitehealth.com.au

SLEEP

A person in my group during Saturdays workshop mentioned getting enough sleep as one of the danger situations that they needed to plan for and overcome. Let me run a scenario by you that lets you see how much sleep can influence our lives.

You stay up on Sunday night and enjoy a few glasses of wine and watch a movie that finishes at 11:00pm.
You have trouble getting to sleep because you are still wide awake from staring at the bright TV for 2 hours.
The quality of your sleep is poor because you had a few glasses of wine.
Your alarm goes off at 6:30am after what seems like 2 hours sleep.
You hit snooze a few times and realize when you get out of bed that you only have time for a shower or breakfast. You don't smell too good so you choose the shower.
You get to work and after an hour or so realize you have no energy. Nothing a coffee won't fix.
Lunch rolls around and you realize you forgot all about the salad in the fridge you were meant to bring in. You're starving so get some take away.
You struggle to get any work done and realize your going to have to stay back late, why am I so unproductive? Better call ignite and cancel my session for tonight.
You get home at 7:30. Your hungry, you've only eaten lunch. One dinner that could feed 4 later and you ready to finally unwind in front of the television with a glass of wine.

REPEAT AND THATS HOW YOU GET OVERWEIGHT


Alternatively:

You read a book after dinner and start to feel a bit drowsy by 9:00pm.
You decide to go to bed and get to sleep by 9:30pm.
Your alarm wakes you up after what seems like an eternity and you jump out of bed into the shower.
You have breakfast remember the chicken salad and the 2 snacks that were pre packed in the fridge.
After your mid afternoon snack at 3:30pm you realize you've gotten all of your work done and wonder if anyone would notice if you left early to train at the gym. You decide they would so you check out whats happening on www.ignite4weekintensive.blogspot.com and pretend you're working.
Pumped to train, you hit the gym on time, increase your deadlift by 5kg and beat your timed workout by 30 seconds.
You get home and despite feeling like you've been eating all day, you eat a small dinner, read a book, and come 9:00pm you start feeling a bit drowsy and go to bed. REPEAT AND YOUR ON TRACK TO YOUR WEIGHT LOSS GOALS

For more info on sleep, how important it is and what you can do do maximize it, check out the links below.

Sleep Article

Sleep Article 2

4 Week Intensive Audio

If you would like to re visit or brush up on any of the content from the presentations from Saturday, below is a link to the audio of the 4 Week Intensive presentations, recorded earlier this year.

www.lose4kilosin4weeks.com

I would recommend you rip it onto your phone or MP3 player and listen to it when driving (or even better when walking!) to keep your guidelines in the forefront of your mind.

YOUR OUTCOMES AND GUIDELINES

Telling others your intentions adds accountability.
Please post your outcomes and guidelines for the next 4 weeks to comments.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations for attending todays workshop!

You are about to embark on a 4 week journey that will not only allow you to shake things up and lose weight fast but it will give you a blueprint for how to keep it coming off in the months ahead and keep it off for good in the long term. It is our hope that you will achieve great results in the next 4 weeks and that this will be the stimulus for more long term changes in the future.

You’ve got the support all those who attended today and we encourage you to use this blog not only to be inspired but also to inspire those on the same path as you by sharing your successes and challenges.

We invite you to post the number one thing you gained out of todays Workshop and your expectations for the 4 weeks ahead. Post thoughts to comments.

Just wanted to say, 'Congratulations'

Its important to stop an acknowledge all of your hard work over the last 4 weeks. Its traditionally something that I think we are not so great at, stopping our busy lives to tell ourselves, 'well done'.
So take a minute and do that.........

Some of you have already had your measures done and some have them scheduled over the next few days. All the results that have come in have been successful due to everyone's commitment to the program.

I had a quick chat with Sandy (one of the participants) this morning and I asked him how his measures went and he said he had lost 2.1kgs of total body weight and 2.7kgs of fat. He seemed a little disappointed, but I thought these were great results.

A few things here to understand
1. the number that's the important one is the total fat lost and not the difference on the scales. Remember that!

2. On reflection I thought, 'everyone is expecting to lose 4kgs' and that's why some may be disappointing with only 2 or 3kgs of fat lost - which is still a great result.

Wise young PJ said to me once that he considers 'ANY' movement of a number in the right direction as a successful outcome. And he is right!

Success is the continuous movement towards a desired outcome.

2 PERFECT EATING DAYS

Often dietary advice is very general in nature and when it comes time to implement this new information you simply don't know where to start. Below are examples of two ideal days to give you some more idea's on how to keep up the good work from here on!


DAY 1

Breakfast- Natural low fat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, musli, raspberrys, almonds

Snack- ½ apple, 1 boiled egg, nuts (3-6)

Lunch- Mixed salad e.g tuna, mixed leafs, chick peas, cucumber, tomatoes, alfa sprouts, avocado ”dessert” 1 kiwi

Snack- low fat cottage cheese, blueberries, nuts (3-6)

Dinner- Chicken breast, roasted vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms) roasted in olive oil, garlic, herbs) mixed salad

Snack (if still hungry) – Strawberrys, natural low fat yoghurt, nuts (3-6)


DRINK 2-3 LITER OF WATER DURING THE DAY



DAY 2

Breakfast- Oats (porridge, blueberrys, sprinkle vanilla protein powder, nuts)

Snack- 1/2 slice wholegrain bread, avocado, ham

Lunch- Eggwhite omellete with mushrooms, red onion, ham, spinach

Snack- 30g low fat cheese, 3 Olives, 1 Kiwi fruit

Dinner- steamed/oven roasted fish with steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus), mixed salad.

Snack (if still hungry)- Low fat cottage cheese, berrys, nuts (3-6)


DRINK 2-3 LITER OF WATER DURING THE DAY

BY KAT

MEASUREMENTS

Almost all of you now have a time arranged to have your measurements done again in the next week.

Please come along with your workbook from the day that outlined the changes that you committed to for the past 4 weeks. I would like to review your success in implementing these changes with you and also discuss to what extent you will be continuing with them. LETS MAKE THIS THE START OF A CHANGE FOR THE LONG TERM!!

See you all soon. Keep being good!!

GOING ITALIAN

ITALIAN BEEF WITH LENTILS

Serves 2
Ingredients:

280g very lean, ground beef
1 cup of lentils (canned is fine, but get low sodium)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
salt, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
pepper, to taste
Instructions:

1. Sauté the onion, celery and bay leaves in the olive oil until the leaves become fragrant and the onions start becoming translucent.
2. Add the ground beef and garlic. Continue cooking over low to medium heat until the beef is browned.
3. Add the lentils and tomatoes. Continue cooking until lentils are heated through. Add seasoning salt and pepper to taste.
4. Divide into 2 portions (save the second portion for lunch or share it with someone for dinner!), Serve with a side salad






Eggplant Chicken Parmigiana Casserole

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
3 cups diced eggplant
1 tomato, chopped
3/4 cup tomato sauce (canned, no salt)
120g grilled chicken breast
120g Healthy Choice Low Fat Italian Cheese
1 tbs. bread crumbs
1 tbs. corn meal
Instructions:
1. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick pan and sauté the onions until translucent.
2. Add the eggplant and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and chicken and sauté another 5-10 minutes.
4. Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of one large or two individual-sized casserole dishes.
5. Put the eggplant mixture on top of the sauce, sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the eggplant mixture, sprinkle the cheese on top of the breadcrumbs and drizzle the remaining teaspoon of olive oil on top.
6. Bake at 180ْ for 10-15 minutes, until the top gets brown and bubbly.
Serve with a side salad.

BY KAT

Coffee.. the Good the Bad and the Ugly

After having my double macchiatto this morning I thought it pertinent to blog on the effects of coffee on our system.

So as the story goes and depending on who you speak too some will tell you that coffee is good for you in moderation (1-2 day) and some will say that its not good for you in any dose. That's not saying that its bad, as long as its in moderation - but that its just not good. And the purists will say that its bad (but these people don't live and work in Surry Hills).

In my experience speaking to experts in recent years, they say for weight loss and general health there are NO benefits to drinking coffee and that they would recommend in an ideal diet that it be omitted. And they follow that up with, 'but don't even think about taking my daily morning coffee away from me'!

I think that this proves the strength of caffeine on our system and that it is a DRUG that we are easily addicted too.

So my simple and easy to follow recommendations on coffee for weight loss is as follows
1. have less than you are having now, shouldn't be anymore than 1 or max. 2/day
2. reduce the milk content to a minimum (so short coffees or long blacks)
3. give your system a complete break from coffee every 6 months for 2-4weeks
4. make sure you drink plenty (2L) of water as coffee leaches your system of water and nutrients

Some interesting links to others thoughts
Why CrossFitters drink Coffee?
Coffee and Weight Loss
How to Give Up or Reduce your intake

1 WEEK TO GO

You are in a unique and strong position to make long term positive lifestyle changes compared to what you were doing prior to the 4 week intensive.

I'd like to encourage all of you to start thinking about what you are going to commit to continuing once the 4 week intensive is over.

I will discuss this with all of you individually when your measurements are done at the end of the 4 week intensive. Times will be arranged with each of you in the coming days.

RULES FOR DINING OUT

1. Don't eat the rolls if they have them. Ask the waiter not to even bring them to your table.
2. Always choose a low-fat protein entrée, like chicken or fish, and ask to replace any starches or grains with extra vegetables.

3. Always ask for dressings and sauces on the side. This may get you some strange looks, but you will then be in control of how much you use.

4. If the low-fat protein you order is significantly greater than the size of your palm, take the excess home.

5. Determine whether the carbohydrates on your plate are favorable (good choices, fruit or veggies) or unfavorable (bad chices, bread, pasta, potatoes, etc). If you’re eating favorable carbohydrates, have double the volume of carbohydrates compared to the protein portion. If you are eating unfavorable carbs, treat them like condiments - eat only a small amount to compliment your good food choices.

6. You will probably not have to add additional fat. Most restaurants cook their food in oils and frequently add extra to side dishes (even steamed veggies).

7.If you would like to enjoy a glass of wine or indulge in a little dessert, eat less carbs with your meal. Never eat an entire dessert yourself. Share it with your date or your entire table.

BY KAT

CrossFit and Intensity

Listen to Coach Glassman talk about why CrossFit (specifically the workout Fight Gone Bad - see below for explanation, you have probably done it and dont even know) creates such an amazingly intense workout, and understand why the trainers of Ignite choose to use its principles to drive your results.



In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We've used this in 3 and 5 round versions. The stations are:

1. Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
3. Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
4. Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)
5. Row: calories (Calories)

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

RECIPE: GINGER CHICKEN

Ingredients

1 1/3 teaspoons olive oil
120g skinless chicken breast, cut lengthwise into thin strips
2 cups broccoli florets
1 ½ cups snow peas
¾ cup yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Serve with a green salad

Instructions: In a wok or large nonstick pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and sauté, turning frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli, snow peas, onion, ginger, and ¼ cup water. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the chicken is done, water is reduced to a glaze, and vegetables are tender, about 15-20min. If the pan dries out during cooking, add water in tablespoons to keep moist. Serve fruit for dessert




No more Potato mash BRING on the cauliflower mash
Ingredients

4 cups frozen or fresh cauliflower
100ml chicken broth
50ml plain low fat yogurt
1 Tsp. salt
Instructions
Cook cauliflower in microwave or steam for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked still a bit crunchy not mushy. Put all ingredients in to a blender or food processer and puree until the consistency of mashed potatoes.

BY KAT

Cereal for Breakfast.. how much is too much?

ok ok.. we now have clarity on how much cereal, grains, oats for breakfast fits into our 4 week intensive and the rest of our lives if we want to get and stay lean.

Kat and I went out on the road last week and presented a 2hr nutrition workshop with a food demonstration to a group of accountants (exciting stuff)! Kat made up a bunch of snack and some breakfasts which included oats.

I was amazed to understand that Kat recommends ONLY 30-50 grams MAXIMUM or cereal, oats or grains for breakfast. "I'll starve", I hear you say. This minimum amount of grains is meant as a sprinkle over your 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, handful of berries and 3 almonds.

It was made very clear to me that a bowl of cereal is no good for people who want to be lean and stay lean.

RATE YOUR INTENSITY

One of the ways that we can improve our results is by increasing our exercise intensity.
Rate your intensity every session by using an effort scale from 1 – 10.
Let’s forget 1-5 (you’re sleeping or at home on the couch, or sitting at your desk).
6 out of 10 is a brisk walking pace – you are putting in some effort, but you can comfortably hold a conversation.
7 out of 10 starts to feel a bit more challenging, you can feel your heart rate increasing and could talk whilst taking a breath every four or five words.
8 out of 10 you are now needing to take a breath every couple of words if talking.
9 out of 10 there’s not much talking going on now
10 out of 10 we never really get to a ten because we always keep a little bit in reserve in case of emergencies!

So, can you talk whilst you’re training? Where do you put your intensity on the scale? Where do you think you could go with it?

BY NADINE

ERROR IN YESTERDAYS POST

It has been brought to my attention that there was an error with yesterdays post. The BBQ, fundraiser, outdoor workout is on Saturday 13th June not Saturday 6th June as originally posted. Ooops!

PJ

AFTER THE 4 WEEKS

Congratulations to everyone, you are currently at the half way point of your journey. Cast your mind forward 2 weeks as I want to inform you of what will be happening in 2 weeks time.

At the end of the 4 weeks I will arrange times with you all to do your measurements again so that you can see how your bodies have changed and set new goals going forward. I hope to do the bulk of these on Saturday 30th May, but some of you may have them done in the following week.

We've recieved some feedback that you would like a chance to meet with your fellow 4 week intensive clients again outside of the gym setting once the 4 weeks is over. On Saturday 13th June we will be having an outdoor workout, BBQ and social event for all Ignite Health clients as a fundraiser for Nadine and Darren who will be flying the flag for Ignite Health at the 2009 Crossfit Games in Santa Cruz, USA in July. We'd like to invite you all to attend as an opportunity to catch up with each other and share your experiences and results!

PJ

Mountain Bread

Mountain Bread wraps are a prefect substitute for bread. Enjoy 1 or 2 wraps for lunch. We recommend the Rye Mountain Bread Wrap.

Sample filling:
30g ham/roast beef/chicken
1tbls of avocado
Cucumber
Spinach
Mushroom

Or

30g tuna/smoked salmon
Capers
Low fat cottage cheese
Rocket
Olives

ENJOY lunch! We Love mountain Bread wraps!

By KAT

Use Bio-Measures a feedback mechanism

The old standard of weighing ourselves on the scales can be seriously de-motivating. There is nothing worse than standing on the scales and seeing that all your hard work has resulted in little to no weight loss. But the scales don’t give you a great picture of what is really happening. It’s like looking at the profit and loss without looking at the balance sheet.

That’s why we use the DF-50 Bio-Impedance a high tech version of the body fat scales that you stand on (works of the same technology). As trainers we use your results from these measures to help guide us in our programming towards your goals. Its gives us great data as to how your body is responding to what training you are doing and how you are eating.

Use PJ and the Bio-Measures process as a driver to guide you to where you want to go. Start to understand what impact your training and ‘more so’ your food has on your results.

The Benefits of Strength Training

When our goal is to lose body fat we automatically think that we need to increase our cardio which is certainly an important part of the equation.
Another way to reduce body fat is through strength training, not only does it burn the calories while you’re training, but the lean muscle that is developed boosts your metabolism helping you to become more efficient at burning calories at rest.
Many people fear that they will ‘bulk up’ if they do strength training, but with the correct balance of food that is low in carbohydrates you will develop lean muscle that isn’t ‘bulky’, but firm and fabulous!
Ignite client, PJ, has changed his training to introduce more strength and he has had better results in terms of reduction of body fat than when he was focusing predominantly on cardio based sessions.

By Nadine

SHOULD I EXERCISE IF I HAVE A COLD?

Sometimes we can get a cold and think that maybe we shouldn’t train because it will make us feel worse, not better.
Research now shows that you can exercise with a cold without having adverse side effects.


“If you have a cold but no fever, exercising is fine. New research shows you can put as much effort into a workout when you have a cold as when you are healthy. At Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, 45 students were infected with the rhinovirus that causes most colds. After developing cold symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat and/or cough, they ran on a treadmill for up to 15 minutes, as did 10 healthy students. Researchers found the lung capacity of the infected students was the same as that of the students who were not ill. In fact, the sick students reported that exercising didn't feel any more strenuous than usual.”


So don’t let a cold get in the way of achieving your goals this month!!

BY NADINE

Increase Frequency with Tabata

Do you want to increase your exercise frequency, but having trouble finding the time to get the gym? TABATA is a great way to get a quick efficient work out and you can do it anywhere! Some people doing teh 4week intensive have decided to do Tabat every day other than those which they get to the gym.

Simply all you need to do is choose a couple of exercises from the list below and do the following;
Do as many as you can in 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds and repeat 8 times in 4 minutes. Try to keep the number the same each round, record the lowest number and try to beat that the next time you do it.

By choosing two exercises you can get a great work out in 8 minutes!!!Here are some of the exercises you can choose from;SQUATS, LUNGES, BURPEES, SPRINTS, SIT UPS, PUSH UPS, PULL UPS, STEP UPS/BOX JUMPS. TABATA is a good way to finish off a session in the gym too.

So you don't have to waste time watching the clock find tabata timers below
Internet based timer
Downloadable Timer : put it on your phone or ipod (5th link down titled 'tabata')

Add to comments what tabata you have been doing.

RECIPE OF THE DAY

TASTY EGG WHITE OMELLETE

Ingredients

3 egg whites
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
pepper to taste
1/2 cup loosely packed, thinly sliced fresh spinach
1 roma tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons grated 25% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Preparation method

1. Whisk the egg whites, 1 teaspoon water, dill and pepper in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Toss the spinach, tomato and Cheddar in a small bowl.
2. Lightly coat a small nonstick frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and set over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook until the eggs begin to set on the bottom.
3. Lift up the edge of eggs with a spatula, pushing the cooked part towards the centre of the pan and letting the uncooked portion run underneath. Cook until the eggs are almost set and the bottom is just lightly browned.
4. Spread the spinach filling over half the omelette, leaving a 1 cm border and reserving 1 tablespoon of the mixture for the garnish. Lift up the omelette at the edge nearest the handle and fold in half, slightly off-centre, so the filling just peeks out. Cook for 2 minutes. Slide the omelette onto a plate and garnish with the reserved filling. Serve at once.

BY KAT

SLEEP

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WHEN LIFE GETS IN THE WAY

For the next four weeks you have all made plans to help you achieve your fat loss goals and you have made a commitment to stick to these guidelines in order to maximise your results.
Sometimes life gets in the way – there are unplanned events, emergencies, meetings that run over time etc etc etc…
The important thing is to recognise that this has happened and not use it as a reason to give up, but simply pick up where you left off and keep going.
This is an important lesson to learn after the four week intensive has been completed because life is always going to have the potential to get in the way.
If we go on holiday, travel with work, have a Birthday – anything that may disrupt our daily plans, it has the potential to send us off the rails and back towards unfavourable results.
Accept that we are going to have those times and make the choice to get back on track the day after your Birthday, that big night out, an indulgent holiday.

NADINE

WHAT SHOULD I EAT

Base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nut and seeds, little starches, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that support
exercise but not body fat.

What are we suppose to eat?

CARBS (2/3 a plate, 2 fists)
Good Carbohydrates
• Most vegetables (except corn)
• Most Fruits (except raisins and bananas)
• Oatmeal, barley
Bad Carbohydrates
• Pasta, breads, cereals, bagels and potatoes
• Bananas and raisins
• Corn


PROTEIN (1/3 Plate, 1 fist)
• Skinless Chicken
• Turkey
• Fish
• Very lean cut of meat
• Egg Whites
• Low fat Dairy
• Tofu
• Soy meat substitutes

FATS (a dash)
Good Fats
• Olive oil
• Avocado
• Nuts
• Fish oil
Bad Fats
• Fatty red meat
• Egg yolks
• Organ meats
• Processed foods rich in trans fats

COMBINATION FOODS
• Equal portions of Fat/Carb/Protein
• Milk
• Yogurt (choose unsweetened natural)

By KAT

PLANNING FOR THE WEEKEND

"Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted".

Routines commonly go out the window on the weekend. Eating out, socializing, abundant options for different foods at your disposal can present challenges.

Its time to start thinking and planning for what situations this weekend is going to throw at you and what you can do to ensure you stick to your guidelines regardless?

GETTING THROUGH WEEK 1

Week 1 is when your eating and training habits undergo the biggest changes. Subsequently it can be one of the most challenging periods of the 4 week intensive as you body cries out for what it has become accustomed to over the years. "Where's my caffeine? Where's my sugar?"

Remember why you are participating in the 4 week intensive and why you made the commitment to changing these aspects of your lifestyle. Your new healthier lifestyle will become just that (Lifestyle) if you persist in this early period.

Post early challenges and successes to comments.

YOUR OUTCOMES AND GUIDELINES

Telling others your intentions adds accountability.
Please post your outcomes and guidelines for the next 4 weeks to comments.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations for attending todays Intensive Fat Loss Workshop.

You are about to embark on a 4 week journey that will not only allow you to drop fat fast but will give you a blueprint for how to keep it coming off in the months ahead and keep it off for good in the long term. It is our hope that you will achieve the 4kg fat loss in 4 weeks and that this will be the stimulus for more long term changes in the future.

You’ve got the support all those who attended today and we encourage you to use this blog not only to be inspired but also to inspire those on the same path as you by sharing your successes and challenges.

We invite you to post the number one thing you gained out of todays Workshop and your expectations for the 4 weeks ahead. Post thoughts to comments.