Lushious

Gourmet Vegan/Vegetarian Catering

 

There are pro's and con's about holding an entirely vegan wedding! In fact you may struggle to find any on your pro's list. If so, you have definatley not had the opportunity to enjoy a meal prepared by the vegan/vegetarian 'Master Chef', Sid from Lushious catering.

My husband and I set out early on to find a catering company which would provide tasty, exciting and reasonably priced vegan food for our wedding. As you can imagine there are not a lot of options in this category and an even smaller number that impressed us! Luckily for us we were holding the reception at my family home which allowed a great deal of flexibility and a large cooking space for our potential chef!

I came across Lushious in a simple google search and was impressed with their wide range of options. The man behind the brand is fondly known to me as Sid. He was extremely helpful from the very start and provided us will all the information and confidence we needed to create our menu.
Sid gave us the opportunity to visit his home town for the day for a taste testing session. So, with rumbling tummies, worried parents and open minds we made the trip to Katoomba NSW, to be served by the man himself.

Needless to say the food was amazing and we were sold! Lushious catering offers a huge array of finger foods including, Organic Brown Rice-balls, Sweet Potato and Coriander Croquets and Fresh Rice-Paper Rolls, stuffed with veggies and tofu, served with tamari and toasted sesame seeds. They also have the option of theme based menu's for your main course. We went with the Middle Eastern theme which was made up of delicious falafel, dolmades, stuffed zucchinis and orange infused baklava, just to name a few.

Sid and his 'Lushious' staff created a fantastic vegan buffet which impressed every guest in the house! (even the sceptical oldies) They were professional and enthusiastic from the first email enquiry right through to washing up every last plate!

If you are looking for a catering service in Sydney, vegan or not, Lushious catering would be my first choice every time!!

Check out their website http://www.lushious.com.au/ 

or contact Sid on Mob: 0432 143523

Body composition Analysis

I usually hate testing of any type! Maths tests, test match cricket, 'the beep test'. However I have found one test that did tickle my fancy. VLA testing, or more widely known a Bioimpedance Analysis. I had heard of this before in the form of specialised weight scales that you give you a reading of your body fat percentage and muscle mass. It has always intrigued me but I had not been game to try it.

When my chiropractor told me she offered this type of analysis in a more thorough form, I started to think more seriously about it (after all, she did have my neck in both her hands while telling me.. who was I to say no!)

The analysis provides information on various aspects of your health. It basically gives you an insight into your body composition including percentage of fat mass, active tissue (muscle) mass, BMI and hydration levels, just to name a few.
The testing also provides nutrition information and calculates how many calories are ideal for your particular body to be consuming and breaks that down further into what percent should be protein, carbs and fat. Needless to say, this simple tool produces eye opening data which I found extremely useful for my ongoing health and wellbeing goals.

The test is done by a qualified practitioner who attaches leads to your hands and feet and passes a low voltage electrical current through your body. This may sound alarming, but it is safe and painless and apparently is a similar level of current to using your mobile phone.The results were printed out for me on the spot and I had a follow up appointment booked in 2 months. Surprisingly the analysis is not intimidating but rather gives you and your health practitioner and opportunity to discuss where you can make improvements (in my case, hydrating those poor little cells of mine) and also provides positive feedback in regards to what you are doing right! ( only .23 kg of fat mass to lose before I am considered ideal!.. if only it were that easy)

As I mentioned, I had the testing done with my chiropractor Vivienne at Chiropaedic. She is someone I see regularly and who I have full faith in when it comes to my health and wellbeing. Vivienne also used the analysis results to further discuss with me my current nutrition and what small changes I could make to better improve my body composition and my overall health.

Vivienne is offering this to 'sydneywellbeing' readers at a discounted price of $60. (usual price $120) Small price to pay I would say for the huge insight and potential gains it can lead to.

To book an appointment contact Chiropaedic
Phone: 9438 2868 or email chiropaedic@bigpond.com

Pyramid training

Pyramid style training overloads the muscle and is a very effective way of working out! The idea is that you start of easy and continue to add exercises until you reach your peak (or your legs start to shake uncontrollably like mine did).

Check out the Bodyrock challenge I completed this week. It was a brutal session but the different style of training motivated me to do the best I could! I only reached the half way point the first time I tried it, so I am determined to complete the whole set on my next attempt!

Workout Breakdown

Time: +/-30min.Workout Type: Time Challenge Exercises: 5

• Round 1 = 10 Get Ups
• Round 2 =Round 1 + 20x Backward Lunge & Sandbag Press
• Round 3 =Round 2 + 20x Sandbag Squat
• Round 4 = Round 3 + 10x Burpees
• Round 5 =Round 4 + 40x One Leg Toe Touch

Instructions:

This workout is like a game. You start with just one exercise and each round you are adding a new one so that in the 5th round you end up doing 5 exercises. Then you reverse the order and start with 5 exercises and work your way down to the first one.

Check out Bodyrock.tv for a full explanation of all the exercises.

Good Luck!

Sandbag training!

For my birthday this year, hubby bought me a fantastic new fitness tool.
THE SANDBAG! One could expect that most girls would turn their noses up at such a  gift and the reaction of my friends was commonly " but what else did he get you... you know, that sparkles?".

Shall I remind you that my favourite pass time is keeping fit! What more could one want, than new equipment, which once filled with chosen weight, can assist you in working all those muscles we thought " un workable".

The sandbag is increasingly used in workouts to challenge the body in agility, strength and stability.  It appears to be the only fitness tool that actually has the weight shift and move,which means your body must work much harder to perform the exercises. Because sandbag training emphasises the whole body, you will find that each one of your workouts burns more calories than your typical workout with weights or cardio machines.

The bag is sold empty, which allows you to fill it with your preferred weights, sand or in my case '1.5L of water, a bike lock, 2 sweet potatoes and a 1kg bag of rice'. It is important to start off with a relativly light bag, to get your body used to working with such an awkward, unstable object. As you become more comfortable with the equipment, you can add more weight.

I had a few great suggestions of sandbag exercises such as shoulder/overhead press, squats and chest press. These were great to start with!

I want to share with you the 'Bodyrock' workout I completed which incorporated my new sandbag! I had such fun using it and am looking forward to my next session.

Check it out
http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/03/10/only-girl-in-the-world-workout/

Triathlon Training...update

27:48  
Time recorded for my Second Biathlon attempt 



Well I didn't quite make my goal time of 27:00 but I did beat my previous score by 1min and 3 seconds.

Training logs

I have been thinking recently about what motivates me to keep fit and continue training...
I have mentioned before that I love trying a variety of workouts and fitness challenges but without a platform to record my achievements, I am effectively going no-where. I have used training and nutrition logs in the past and found it very helpful to put my progress on paper. Not only can you monitor your increase in strength/cardio/(insert your own goal) but you are held accountable for the results or lack of results that occur.


There are a number of online training logs out there and which one you use will depend on both how you train and what your goals are. For beginners, or those who do 'general training' and are not working on a particular aspect of fitness, I find a simple daily calendar log to be effective. It allows you to quickly document your workout for each day to ensure you are sticking to your fitness goal.
Sharing these logs with others is also a great way to keep up your motivation levels. Not only can you learn about what others are doing to keep fit but you can add a little bit of friendly competition. Those of you who are training for a specific event or are serious about improving, it might be more useful to try something like this printable workout log where you can pre-plan your workouts, print them off and fill them in as you go. There is nothing better than flicking through your log each month and noticing with delight that you have made improvements along the way without even realising.


I am also a great fan of the 'Food and Mood' diary. It can be used as a tool when trying to lose/gain weight or to pinpoint how food is influencing your mood. What you eat affects your mood, and this, in turn, affects your next choice of food. They are connected in a continuous cycle. By documenting a daily log of food and liquid intake for 1-2 weeks, you may begin to notice interesting eating habits and begin to take measures to address them.

I am keeping a record of my workouts for this month.... why don't you give it a go!

Get Tuff Bootcamp!

Those words hold a whole new meaning now I have been through 2 seasons of training with Roger...

Two months before my wedding in September 2010, I decided it was time to step it up a notch with my training regime. Roger's boot camp came highly recommended, however it also came with a warning...“it's pretty intense”.

And Pretty intense it is!!

This boot camp is not for the faint hearted! After participating in activities known as 'Mount vomit', log training and 'testing day', it is now difficult to feel satisfied with my measly 4km run on the treadmill.

Roger accommodates all levels of fitness but lets no-one slack off. He is encouraging and motivating while maintaining a superb level of fitness and instruction. His workouts are tailored to the strengths and weaknesses of all group members and no session is the same as the last.

In true Bootcamp style, the sessions begin at 6.15am and include a mix of resistance, speed and cardio training. The workouts are super fun and varied and although training is taken seriously, there are always lots of laughs.

Whether you are training for a specific event, looking to get in quick shape before your 'big day' or needing the encouragement and motivation of a personal trainer...Roger is your man!

Get Tuff Bootcamp runs in 6 week blocks and the groups are held in a variety of Sydney locations. Roger also offers individual Personal Training and Adventure Fitness.

For more information check out the website 
http://www.gettufftraining.com/