Health and Fitness Coach

My Top Tips for Getting Your Pre Baby Body Back

For many mums out there the pressure to lose that pregnancy weight can affect the enjoyment of those first months with your baby. So unless you are planning on donning the catwalk or appearing in Vogue, take a chill pill, enjoy your first few months, while slowly getting back into a healthy routine. It takes nine months to put the weight on, so expect around nine months to take it off again! After that, it’s more about your lifestyle than your bubba! Watch my segment below for more tips.

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Cosmo’s Fun Fearless Female Awards – I’ve Made it to the Finals!

I am very fortunate to have been nominated AND voted through to the Finals of the Cosmo Mag, Fun Fearless Female awards. I am nominated in the Entrepreneur category but there are many other categories from Actors to bloggers, authors, rising stars just to name a few.

Check out some of the amazing Australian women and what they’re up to! Voting closes on 15th September so back your favourite chicks and vote for all your favourite fun fearless females!

Watch out for the finalists appearing in October edition of Cosmo Mag out in Early September 2010. Vote Now

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A Home Gym For Less than $50

Recently I appeared on KAK to talk about a home gym for less than $50. Follow this circuit if you want to beat the bulge without breaking the bank!

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Matt Preston’s Regime: Interview with Kerri-Anne

Recently Kerri-Anne Kennerly was curious to know how on earth I was going to get Matt Preston in shape. She wanted to know if foodies can actually be fit, and what my top tips are for getting someone like Matt into shape.  Here is our interview:

My Top Tips to Becoming a Fit Foodie

Diet

  • Begin with a 2 week Detox to kick start your metabolism
  • Learn how long it takes to burn off certain foods
  • Don’t get portion distortion
  • Get creative with low calorie, high flavour foods
  • Eat even sized meals throughout day

Exercise

  • Train before breakfast on an empty stomach
  • Wear a heart rate monitor and count your calories burnt
  • Pick exercises that burn the most calories
  • Something is better than nothing!

Are you a foodie? Do you think foodies can be fit too???

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Can Foodies Be Fit? Matt Preston Battles the Bulge with Me

Read the Full New Idea Article here.

Recently New Idea Magazine has uncovered Matt Preston’s latest project – weight loss! He has enlisted yours truly to train him both face to face and online as he strips off 25kg and embarks on the quest to go from fat foodie, to fit foodie! New idea (23rd August 2010), and has outlined my training plan, nutrition plan and Detox that Matt has embarked on. Watch this space for more updates as we embark on what will no doubt be a whirlwind adventure between the Fitness Freak and the Foodie.

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How to Burn More Fat Everyday. Tips for Tapping into Those Fat Stores!

Recently I appeared on Mornings With Kerri-Anne to discuss how we can burn more fat during our workouts and through our diet. Watch the 3:24min clip below.

My Top 5 Tips for Burning More Fat:

  • Train before Breakfast, on an empty stomach: Studies show you burn more fat training on an empty stomach and your metabolism stays boosted for up to 15 hours after you train. That covers you over breakfast, lunch and even dinner!
  • Interval training: Building up the intensity of a cardiovascular activity to close to a 10/10, then giving yourself a recovery. For example my treadmill interval training program
  • Running is the BEST fat burner around: Try to teach yourself how to run. The Couch to 5k is a great ‘learn to run’ program, building you up steadily over 9 weeks.
  • Build lean muscle mass: The more lean muscle you have on your body, the faster your metabolism. Try to incorporate weight training into your program at least two days per week.
  • No carbs at night: I am a carboholic and love them! They are not your enemy, however if you are wanting to maximise your fat burning then steer clear of them at night. They get converted to blood sugar very quickly, triggering the production of fat storing hormones such as insulin. Remember, no bread before bed, no white at night!
  • Do you have any fat burning tips that have worked for you in the past?

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    Interview: Joanna McMillan Price On the Best Snacks

    Ever wondered what the top nutritionists recommend for healthy snacks???  I recently had the pleasure of interviewing my nutrition idol Dr Joanna McMillan Price on her top tips for snacking. Joanna has written many fantastic books on health and nutrition. She comes from a strong research background, yet has a brilliant way of explaining things in practical terms.  She walks her talk and is one of the most highly respected Nutritionists in Australia.

    Joanna talks about her favourite snacks for health, weight management and enjoyment!

    Two key lessons really stood out for me:

    1. Spread out your meals: You will expend more calories (ie speed up your metabolism) if you spread your calories out in the day (rather than eating 2-3 larger meals). That’s why if you skip breakfast then eat more than half your daily calories after 4pm, you will probably struggle to lose weight.
    2. Beware Foods that Drive Hunger: The three main drivers for hunger (ie these things make you want to eat more) is Fat, Sugar, Salt. Food manufacturers know this so they load up food with these things. Chips: Fat and Salt. Chocolate bar: Fat and Sugar – ouch!

    Joanna’s top Snack Pics:

    • Fruit/veggies: Bananas, Oranges, apples, strawberries, carrot sticks, celery sticks.
    • Muesli bars (Be Natural are her top pick). Beware of fat and sugar content
    • Small portion sizes of nuts and seeds

    Thanks SO much Joanna for your informative (and cheeky) interview! I need one of those banana holders!

    What are your favourite snacks that follow my guide of  SIMPLE – NUTRITIOUS – DELICIOUS?

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    Choosing Exercises to Fit Your Lifestyle

    Recently on Mornings with Kerri-Anne we discussed exercising throughout your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. What are some of the best exercises for different age groups and what should you be focussing on?

    Last Minute Preparation for a Marathon, Half Marathon or Fun Run

    Sydney Marathon

    Sydney Marathon

    You’ve done the training. You’re feeling fit. It’s time to think about your strategy for the big day. Factors such as the type of training, food, recovery, and race day strategies can be the difference between a PB and a PF (personal flop!) What can you do in the two weeks leading up to a race and on the day that will deliver your best running effort yet?

    Taper your training:

    Tapering training will enable your body to be fully recovered from all those long runs you’ve subjected it to. It gives you a chance to build up important stores such as your iron levels, zinc and white blood count. Do you need any more reasons to cut your training back? Most people jump at the opportunity!

    Tapering is dependent on the distance of your race. For a marathon I would suggest halving your total distance/time run for the last two weeks. Doing shorter easy runs, mixed with a few sprints will help with speed, but really it’s just about maintaining what you’ve already got.

    For a half marathon, the more prepared you are, the more time you have for tapering. Your last long run should be 8 days before, but if you only decided only three weeks before the race to do it, you may very well need that extra bit of time! You won’t make a huge difference to your fitness in the 8 days leading up to the race, but you run the risk of being tired/injured if you smash yourself so close to it.

    For any distances less than a half marathon, give yourself four days off running before the race and you should fresh a daisy on the day.

    Get stretching:

    Admit it, you don’t stretch enough. What is it with most runners and stretching? It’s about as popular as a cold shower in winter (maybe because it can feel just as painful!). Hamstrings, calves (stretch with both a straight leg and bent), glutes, hip flexors, and lower back are the essentials. Click here for a video on some popular runners stretches. You may prefer to join a yoga or body balance class as this will stretch not only your running muscles but others you never even knew you had.

    What to eat and drink before the race:

    Click here to continue reading…..

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    Should You Weigh Yourself For Weight Loss?

    Recently I appeared on mornings with Kerri-Anne  to discuss whether it is necessary to weigh yourself for weight loss. It’s an interesting debate and one that I have very strong views about. Watch the discussion below…

    What has your experience with the scales been? How frequently do you weigh yourself?