LIFE OF A YOGI: lifestyle

Late night words

Today I was looking through some photos on my laptop when I came across some 'progress shots' I took at the beginning of 2015. My first thought was Holy Moly I was fit!! My second thought was Jeez I'd better get back to the hot room. My third thought was right, I'm going to bed now and getting up early to go for a run! My point is, it made me feel bad about myself and where I'm at right now. But then I got thinking - like proper rational thinking. I cast my mind back to 2 years ago when these photos were taken. I had just gone through a breakup and I reckon 'revenge body' motivation was in full swing. I didn't know who I was yet and maybe I thought that getting my dream body would be the answer. I remember looking at these photos and thinking how good is it going to be to look back at these and see how far I've come. And maybe that doesn't sound all that negative, but thinking back, I wasn't happy. I could see all the imperfections in those pictures and all I wanted was to loose the fat I saw. Don't get me wrong, I was really healthy, I was eating well and working out but it was all for the wrong reasons. I think what I'm trying to say is getting your dream body isn't going to make you happy.

I've put on a little weight since then, yes. But I'm happy in all the other areas of my life so I'm not compensating anymore. I'm healthy, I workout, I eat well, just in moderation. I never drank alcohol back then (sorry metabolism), I never treated myself to yummy vegan slices (sorry not sorry), I spent all my time going to yoga, running, taking progress shots thinking it would make me happy and it didn't. I'm going to take inspiration from myself now, knowing that it is possible for me to be as fit and healthy again as I was, but the intention is what makes all the difference.

So anyway, it's been a while since I've posted on here (nearly a year!) and I suddenly felt like getting this all out my brain and into words. I think I'll sleep better now. And maybe I will go for that run tomorrow morning, but it will be because I love my body.

xx Courtney

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Energy clock

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FKXFIT Launch photo diary

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dear 2014

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lifestyle

I won't give up but I will surrender

The hardest thing I have ever had to learn is to fully surrender.

The past year has faced me with some challenges; the sort you don't expect and the sort that take a lot of learning to overcome. It's the emotions and thoughts that drag you down and sometimes no matter how hard you try, you feel them. And I've had to learn to do exactly that. Feel them. I've had to learn to not fight them, to surrender to them.

The concept of surrender for me has always had slightly negative connotations attached, like giving up, being defeated. I remember listening to Dido's song 'White Flag' as a kid. She says "I won't put my hands up and surrender," as if resisting surrender is something strong people do. But what I have discovered is that it is almost entirely the opposite. Surrender is in fact saying yes. Surrender is accepting every moment in its entirety. Surrender needs to happen often, everyday, every moment. Surrender is a lot harder than I thought… Surrender is something strong people do.

It's easy to accept the moments that bring us joy; the thoughts, sensations, emotions and experiences. The moments that don't feel so good are much harder to accept and surrender to. The mind automatically tries to fight it, deny it, fix it, as if these moments are unacceptable. As if accepting something that doesn't bring joy will only bring you unhappiness. But something magical happens when you surrender, when you unconditionally accept everything as it is, in the present moment.

It changes where you place your focus and perspective. I'm not going to deny that bad things exist, but I truly believe that where you place your energy, it grows. By focusing on problems, I'm only contributing to them. So by accepting them and surrendering to them, I change my focus to acceptance. I contribute to the positive, the solutions, the higher good.

And the outcome of this is almost indescribable. When you say yes to everything, you grow in clarity and control, you say yes to yourself. What truly matters comes to the surface. So today, I challenge you to surrender. Accept that moment, good or bad, let go, forgive. What's the worst that could happen?

"Whenever anything negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it. It shows you what's real and unreal, what ultimately matters and what doesn't. Seen from a higher perspective conditions are always positive. When you live in complete acceptance of what is - which is the only sane way to live - there is no 'good' or 'bad' in your life anymore. There is only a higher good, which includes the 'bad'. If you forgive every moment, allow it to be as it is, then there will be no accumulation of resentment that needs to be forgiven at a later time."

- Eckhart Tolle

xx Courtney

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, by Courtney

lifestyle

Time to sweat!

If you're like me and enjoy a regular yoga practise but also want to work on sculpting your body and improving your overall fitness, cardio might be exactly what you need. I'm not talking about running on the treadmill (...boring!) I'm talking about some fast workouts that produce fast results. They don't get boring and can actually improve your yoga practise!

What are the benefits of doing cardio?

Improves your mood: cardio stimulates the release of endorphins which are pain relieving and enhance the immune system. It also reduces stress and anxiety, and releases toxins from the body. I always find it helpful to do some cardio before a big performance, because it releases negative tension and toxins from my body and helps to reduce nerves before getting on stage. Not only does cardio leave you calmer than before, but also more energized. The increased heart rate and circulation refreshes your body and ensures all areas of your body are flushed with oxygen-rich blood. Do you love the buzz you get after yoga class? Try a runner’s high!

Improves endurance: cardiovascular exercise helps to build and improve endurance. As your muscles work hard, they require more oxygen-rich blood, so your heart has to work harder to produce and deliver it around your body. The more you build your endurance, the more efficient your heart and lungs become, improving your overall fitness. For this reason, cardio is also linked with better attention, memory, accuracy and information processing in the brain, as more oxygen-rich blood is delivered to the brain.

Burns fat: cardio burns more calories than any other form of exercise, which makes it great for burning fat! Adding just a few sweat sessions in a week can produce fast results in any fitness routine, and will compliment a strength based yoga practice. Plus, sweating helps to detoxify the body through the skin!

How can cardio benefit my yoga practice?

Most of the people you meet who are crazy about yoga have not started it for the weight loss benefits, but for the blissful feeling of connection with spirit. The flexibility and toning of the body along with weight loss effects are just an added bonus. However, adding cardio to your routine will see amplified results on both your body and mind. Although most yoga is focused on the spiritual, many yoga schools offer power yoga or interval yoga, which combine cardio, strength training, body toning and mindful meditation. This means you get all the benefits of yoga combined with a full body workout. This form of yoga burns serious calories and will produce fast results! However, if you’re like me and prefer to keep your spiritual yoga separate, you can add another form of cardio.

When you contract your muscles, they shorten; this is how movement occurs. The difference between yoga and most other forms of exercise is that it naturally builds lean muscle by shortening the muscles in strengthening poses and then lengthening them in stretching poses. Pilates cardio or Barre are great complimenting cardio workouts as they are the only other forms of exercise that combine lengthening the muscles into the routine. My favourite Pilates workouts are by Blogilates and can be done almost anywhere! (No need to pay for classes... bonus!) While stretching can still burn a few calories, it is not comparable to other aerobic exercise so if you want to burn fat and sculpt your body, a high strength based yoga practise, cardio, weights and high intensity exercises are more effective.

By increasing circulation to all the major muscles in your body, strength training becomes more effective (I use yoga as my strength training). The stimulation of the muscles means that when you work them, the muscles build strength faster. You will also find that most forms of cardio include some strength training, so you will be increasing the amount of work your muscles do a week; increasing muscle mass. By building strength faster you will notice improvements in different areas of your yoga practice because asanas require muscle control and strength. I have especially noticed an improvement in my arm balances since regularly including cardio in my routine.

By adding cardio to your routine, you build faster endurance (both physically and mentally), which is especially beneficial for the more challenging styles of yoga like Bikram or Ashtanga. I have found mental endurance the most beneficial to both my yoga practice and daily life. Vigorous exercise challenges your mind; often your body is capable of a lot more than you think! When you learn how to push yourself to new boundaries in your cardio routine, you also learn to push yourself and try new things in your yoga practice. I have found that I am more capable of difficult poses than I thought and the mental persistence makes a HUGE difference. It’s all mind over matter and this can be applied to many areas of your life.

It can be hard to find time for all the things you love as well as stay in shape, so I have included some fast and simple HIIT circuit workouts for all you busy yogis!

5 mins

30 secs jumprope

30 secs burpees

Repeat 5 times no rest

10 mins

30 secs jumprope

30 secs burpees

30 secs squats or squat and press

30 secs rest

Repeat 5 times

15 mins

30 secs burpees

30 secs squats or squat and press

30 secs skaters

30 secs in-outs

1 min rest

Repeat 5 times

What is HIIT?

HIIT is the abbreviation for High Intensity Interval Training. A HIIT workout consists of short bursts of high intensity work followed by short periods of rest. It is the most effective form of cardio and burns more calories than any other exercise. It is also super efficient, making it ideal for those wanting to fit a workout into their busy schedule. Research overwhelmingly supports HIIT workouts and the best part is that you can complete an effective HIIT workout in as little as 4 minutes!

Many will argue that steady state cardio is better because 45 minutes of running on the treadmill burns 400 and 15 minutes of HIIT only burns 250. But HIIT gets your heart rate up really quickly, and then continues to burn calories for hours after your workout. In fact research shows that the ‘afterburn effect’ can occur for up to 38 hours AFTER your workout!

Give these workouts a go, or create your own! Tabata format is known as one of the best templates for a HIIT workout. It consists of 20 seconds of as-hard-as-you-can work followed by 10 seconds rest. Pick some exercises and repeat 8 times for an effective workout that only lasts 4 minutes!

EXERCISE GLOSSARY:

PUSH UPS

Starting in a plank position with your toes together (or knees if you need an easier variation), keep your core engaged and back straight. It may help you to look forwards slightly to achieve correct posture. Bend your arms and lower your torso to the floor until your arms reach a 90 degree angle, making sure you are lowering your elbows back down the spine (away from your head). Push back up through your chest and extend your arms until you come back to the beginning position.

SQUATS

Plant both feet firmly on the ground, slightly wider than shoulder width apart with feet pointed out slightly. Looking straight-ahead with shoulders back, bend at both the hips and knees, making sure your knees follow the direction of your toes. Sit down backwards until your upper legs are parallel to the ground, like sitting down into an imaginary chair. Weight back in your heels, and your spine at 45 degrees to your hips, push up engaging all support in your glutes, returning to a neutral standing position. You can extend your arms for balance if you wish. For a SQUAT AND PRESS: hold weights at chest level as you lower into a squat and lift them above your head as you come back to neutral standing position.

BURPEES

Preparing for a squat, bend at the knees and hips, and lean the body slightly forward to allow your hands to touch the floor in front of you. Shifting the weight into your hands, jump or kick your legs back into a plank position, making sure your back is straight and your core is engaged. Transfer the weight back into your hands and jump the legs forwards into a squat position. Propel your body upwards with a jump, before coming back to a neutral standing position, ensuring you land with the balls of your feet first and with ‘soft’ knees to prevent too much shock on the joints.

IN-OUTS

Begin in a neutral standing position with feet and knees together, knees slightly bent (IN). From here, jump your legs outwards into a full squat (OUT), engaging the glutes as you propel yourself back up and straight back into the ‘in’ position. Repeat. You could also do this move with a step for an extra challenge. Begin standing on the step, then as you come into a squat position, jump your legs either side of the step onto the ground. Engage your glutes and propel yourself back into the ‘in’ position on the step.

SKATERS

Beginning in a neutral standing position, take your left leg behind your right leg on a 45 degree angle keeping the weight in your right leg. Lean your body slightly forwards and touch the ground in front of you with your left hand. Return to a neural standing position and repeat on the other side. You will get into a rhythm and ‘skate’ between each side. It may help to add a little jump or bounce in the middle before switching sides.

SKIPPING

Standing on the balls of your feet with a skipping rope handle in each hand, swing the rope upwards over your head with small rotations in the wrist. As the rope is about to touch the floor, jump upwards and allow the rope to swing under your feet before continuing the motion. You should not get a double bounce before jumping over the rope, we are after a continuous single jump.

xx Courtney

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lifestyle

Sunday morning secrets

We are very lucky in the Adelaide Hills to have some beautiful Sunday markets for farm produce, clothing and crafts. But when it comes to a Sunday morning adventure, it's nice to head out of the hills (where it's a bit warmer!) The Market Shed is one of Adelaide's best kept secrets; hidden down a side street in the heart of the city, but you wouldn't know!

[David Cann Photography]

What: Fresh food and produce with a keen focus on certified organic, sustainable and local produce.

Where: 1 Holland Street (City), Adelaide, South Australia 5000

When: Every Sunday 9 - 3

A few weeks ago, I went to 'The Market Shed' in Adelaide's CBD for breakfast. It is a rare occasion that Adelaide has new markets, especially markets like this! Strolling the warehouse turned marketplace, packed full of farm produce, fresh breads and colourful flowers, I took a moment to take it all in. One blog post hardly does justice to a place buzzing with the energy of like-minded people. The health conscious, earth loving and most of all FOOD loving, all in one place.

The inner city market is full of local community spirit with handmade and seasonally picked produce, especially for the market shopper. The Market Shed prides itself on quality, innovation, education and above all fun. There's so much diversity it's hard to know where to start and it's a food lovers heaven! There is everything from fresh homemade almond milks, to amazing veggie burgers and raw desserts! Unfortunately there are many stalls that I have neglected to mention (in the hopes of keeping this post short), but I will attempt to give you a glimpse. The Market Shed has become my favourite Sunday morning outing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves to start their Sunday with something special. Those of you who aren't from Adelaide, definitely put it on you list of things to try if you find yourself here!

[David Cann Photography]

One of the first stalls that caught my eye as you walk into the warehouse is Mother & son's bakery. Their well designed shop front is filled with mouth watering pastries and fresh breads. I went home with loaves of delicious, moist ciabatta and olive bread and the patisserie lover in me found it pretty hard to restrain myself from the croissants and cinnamon scrolls!

Beach Organics has all kinds of spices to stimulate the senses and you can see exactly what you're getting. They had the most amazing vanilla bean extract, definitely a welcome addition to my spice cupboard! After breakfast it was time for some sweet treats; A chocolate and rhubarb tart from Messy Jessy well and truly satisfied my sweet tooth and their homemade jams made my mouth water just looking at them!

Fresh apple, carrot, beetroot juice at Nurish Delish & Nutrish. The name says it all really, and I'm a sucker for a good fresh juice. Return your jar and you get $1 back! (great way to do your part for the environment and save $)

Bull Creek Bakery is a favourite of mine, they've been coming to the Stirling Market for years and I guarantee their pies are the best you'll ever have. I have the lentil ones (obviously) but they're appreciated by meat eaters and vegos alike.

The smell of fresh black coffee and roasted potatoes wafted towards me. I decided that potatoes for breakfast was acceptable, especially along side a haloumi salad (yum). But there was something different about the potatoes being served from the counter. Herb-y, garlic-y goodness.. basically. The stall was a traditional Greek shop, serving all kinds of meals and more specifically, herbed potato chips generously drizzled with thick garlic sauce; the inspiration for dinner a few nights later!

This recipe is dairy-free, easy and delicious. That's all you need to know!

INGREDIENTS:

2 potatoes (or however many you want) per person

Mixed herbs

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

[GARLIC SAUCE]

1/2 cup almonds

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp dijon mustard

juice of half a small lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (c). Chop the potatoes into wedges and place in a dish with some olive oil. Sprinkle with mixed herbs and place in the oven until golden brown and crispy. (I would give you an estimate time but my oven is broken and takes a lot longer than a normal oven!)

To make the garlic sauce, blend all ingredients until smooth. Store in fridge - be sure to shake it before each use. It will thicken overnight so you may want to add a little extra water each time you use it. Also great on other roast veggies or in yiros!

xx Courtney

[Photo credits: linked]

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Late night words

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dear 2014

I won't give up but I will surrender

Time to sweat!

Sunday morning secrets

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Late night words

Energy clock

FKXFIT Launch photo diary

dear 2014

I won't give up but I will surrender

Time to sweat!

Sunday morning secrets

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