Author: COO Guest blogger

No time, not a lot of money or just simply not sure how to make a cheap healthy meal in under 30 minutes.  It could be any one of the above or all of the above that prevent you from doing your health a favour, so from my new upcoming book, here is a simple recipe that will fill you up, taste sensational, feed the whole family and cost under $10

Curried Lentil Soup!!

You will need:

• 1 tin of lentils per person – organic taste the best
• 1 brown onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 cup of chicken stock (or 1 stock cube)
• 1 tsp spoon of Keens curry powder
• 1 carrot
• 5 beans
• 1 small potato
• 1 Olive oil

TO DO:

Simply dice the onion and finely chop the garlic and cook until soft in the olive oil.  Empty the entire tin of lentils including the liquid into the saucepan, add 1 teaspoon of curry powder and the stock cube and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Chop the potatoes and carrots into small cubes and add to the soup mixture immediately and leave to cook on a medium simmer for 15 minutes.  Chop the beans in half and add to the soup 5 minutes before serving.

Once beans and vegies are soft it’s ready to serve.  No salt needed in this one as the stock should do it for you!

Bon appetit!

With headquarters in Sydney, Australia, Shoes for Planet Earth is a non-profit organisation started in 2009 by people who love to run and want to give something back. Working together with local and international communities and companies Shoes for Planet Earth provide recycled running shoes to those in need around the world.

Their ‘soul journey’ is to help mankind by improving the well-being whilst minimizing the consumption of non-renewable earth resources. Shoes for Planet Earth aim to encourage exercising and a healthy lifestyle, to improve hygiene and disease control and facilitate the ‘feel good’ intangible benefits of giving and receiving.

Fit n Fast urge you to give back to the community in 2012 and donate your old runners or any shoes to those that need it. Visit any Fit n Fast club and drop them into the bin provided, PLUS have a FREE workout on us when you do!

Existing members/new members/staff can drop their old unused shoes into one of the bins provided in the club to be given to the charity. Shoes must be clean and washed and tied together before putting into the bins.

With the silly season fast approaching and summer just around the corner, looking good for summer doesn’t mean spending hours at the gym, that is why Fit n Fast provides a “cheaper, better, faster” approach to fitness.

Not everyone has the time to spend hours in the gym. We live in a very busy world which means we all have very little time and we want to make sure our money is spent wisely. Fit n Fast have developed a concept that not only accommodates peoples time, but also their wallets without compromising on the facilities.

Our clubs are designed to accommodate any kind of workout. For those of you that are short on time, Fit n fast have created effective 30 minute workouts which give you the results you desire.

With no long contracts, no catches and no restrictions, there is no reason to wait. Its real, it’s here and we are on our way to providing the average Aussie, who has little time and is cash conscious, with a solution to keeping a healthy body and a healthy wallet!

See below for this week’s deals!

Okay so you’re planning on going to the gym for a great workout but want to make it count and don’t know what to eat after a workout, right?

Why not try a delicious whey protein shake packed with carbs and nutritional goodness?

What are the benefits of “shakes”?

After a workout your body is depleted of energy (glycogen) and your muscles are damaged.
The goal of your post workout “meal” is to replace your glycogen stores and digest some protein to help repair your muscles. This should be done as soon as possible and as shakes are much faster to digest and prepare than whole foods they tend to be the preferred option.

But don’t carbs make me fat?

When you finish exercising your body has a “carbohydrate window of opportunity” that is open up to 60 minutes after your workout.

Here is how it works:

When your body is depleted of energy, like following a workout, your muscles convert carbohydrate foods and beverages into stored energy (Glycogen). Your body will only convert Carbs into fat when your Glycogen stores are full. So after a workout you can eat almost all the carbs you want and not put on body fat!

So make post-workout protein shakes a part of your routine to increase you energy levels throughout the day and to assist in the repair and recovery stage of your muscles. What’s your success been in consuming protein shakes? Have you noticed a difference?

So there are plenty of popular diet and exercise myths that still exist in social conversations, so we thought we’d cover off the five most common myths that are now busted for your improved health and well being.

Diet and Exercise Myth #1: Crunches will get rid of your belly fat.

Unfortunately you can’t pick and choose areas where you’d like to burn fat, it is equally burnt across your body. In order to burn fat, you should create a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength training elements.

Diet and Exercise Myth #2: Never eat before a workout.

Fuel from food and fluids is required to provide the energy for your muscles to work efficiently, even if you are doing an early morning workout. Try eating a small meal or snack one to three hours prior to exercise. Eat some fruit, yogurt, or whole wheat toast.

Diet and Exercise Myth #3: Lifting weights will make women bulky.

Most women’s bodies do not produce nearly enough testosterone to become ‘bulky’ in comparison to body builders. Generally if you do find yourself getting bigger than you would like, simply use less weight and do more repetitions.

Diet and Exercise Myth #4: Fat is bad for you, no matter what kind.

Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of “good fats” out there that are essential for good health and aid in disease prevention. These are naturally found in foods like avocados, nuts, and fish. By eating small amounts of these foods at meal times they can help you to feel fuller for longer and therefore eat less.

Diet and Exercise Myth #5: Not eating is the best way to lose weight.

Having a healthy diet with 5 good meals per day and moving more will help you lose weight and maintain the lean muscle mass needed to boost metabolism. People often believe the diet and exercise myth that they must take drastic measures to lose weight, such as eating less than 1200 calories per day, but such diets usually do not provide adequate fuel for the body and will slow metabolism.

Don’t fall into the myth trap members and guests, be a myth buster or approach a Personal Trainer to achieve that health and fitness goal TODAY! We’d love to assist you

For those of you that follow us on Twitter and ‘like’ us on Facebook, you would know that we absolutely love quotes – and judging by your responses, you love them too!

So, to help keep you motivated during all those Quickie exercises, we’ve put together a list of our favourites.

Happy reading, & remember to drop us a line on Facebook and Twitter of what you’re favourite quote is.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced” – James Arthur Baldwin

“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted” – Denis Waitley

“By facing our challenges we discover our potential” – Anonymous

“If I’d known I was going to live so long, I’d have taken better care of myself” – Leon Eldred

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going” – Beverly Sills

“Nothing tastes as good, as feeling good feels!” – David Wolfe

“Happiness never decreases by being shared” – Buddha

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore”
- Andre Gide

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy” – Dalai Lama

“A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time pills or stairs” – Joan Welsh

Exercise is good for your mind, body, and soul – Susie Michelle Cortright

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going – Beverly Sills

“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states” – Carol Welch

“In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired” – Anonymous

“True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body, the two are united” – Alexander von Humboldt

“To get rich never risk your health. For it is the truth that health is the wealth of wealth” – Richard Baker

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live” – Jim Rohn

Staff Name: Ben Glover

Role: Membership Service Coordinator

Favourite Workout: Currently I am following a training system called Bookend training. To give you an idea of how it works. Imagine your leg session, starting off with 3 sets of your heaviest squats, then going through four more leg exercises, then doing another set of your heaviest squats at the end till failure. Followed by two more sets of squats at 15 reps with a lighter weight. Doing this with all major muscle groups in the week will shock your body with awesome results.

What do you do away from Fit n Fast: Love hitting up the city every now and again with good mates, putting on a quality DVD to wind down and above all I love a good fishing session Best Workout Tip: Our attitude is the primary source which determines success or failure. Wake up each and every day with a ” I can do ” attitude and give it your all.

Staff Name: Chris Ensbey

Role: MSC

Favourite Workout: Olympic Weight Lifting

What do you do away from Fit n Fast: Decathlon – Surfing – Rugby – Church

Best Workout Tip: Do as many compound and all body exercises (cleans, snatches, bench, squat, dead lifts) as possible in your workout, if you want to bump up your overall strength.

We all have that friend that lives of coffee and/or tea. Although that’s not necessarily a great idea, drinking coffee and tea, especially green tea, does have it’s benefits. But remember, drinking these in moderation with food is the key when it comes to losing weight and receiving its benefits!

Green Tea:

Green tea does two things. First of all it increases your metabolism, enabling you to burn more calories throughout the duration of the day. Second of all, it increases your body’s ability to burn fat.

Apart from helping you burn calories, it also has many health benefits. Some of these include: preventing tooth decay, lowering your cholesterol levels, and preventing the growth of cancer cells.

Although some researchers recommend drinking between 5 and 10 cups of green tea per day, it totally depends on how much you personally want to have (and what your bladder can hold!) The great thing about tea is that it contains barely any calories, making it a great drink to consume without having to worry about all the calories you may be piling on.

Coffee:

The caffeine in coffee can act as an “appetite suppressant”, meaning that it can put your stomach hunger pains on the back burner. Because it is a stimulant, it helps increase the number of calories you burn.  Which some think is because you have increased energy, meaning you move around a lot more. But remember, if you’re adding 2 or 3 teaspoons of sugar to each cup of coffee, and even cream, it will not be very beneficial for you in the long run.

The important thing to remember is to not substitute tea or coffee for food or meals. The best way to lose weight is by maintaining a healthy balance between food intake and exercise.

For more information click here.

Staff Name: Philip Batterham
Role: General Manager Charlestown
Favourite Workout Song: Offshore by CHICANE

What do you do away from Fit n Fast: Hang time with my wife is at the top of my list she is the funniest person I know. We just bought a house so I’m really looking forward to jumping into some house projects and putting my stamp on something. I love my training it’s the ultimate distress tool.  Family, friends and all things FUN fill in the rest of my life.

Best Workout Tip: Make your training FUN and full of variety. Training can be hard work but let’s make it something we look forward to rather than a chore. Mix things up with different training styles and intensity and your body will respond faster and better than ever.