Do you have a friend who is just needing some encouragement to kick off their Health & Wellness Journey?

Would you love to extend your love of fitness at ALTA to family and friends?

If so, bring them along to ALTA in the Month of February and you will both get 20% off your session. Please contact us if you are wanting to bring that special someone along to a session so we can be prepared and warmly welcome them to our ALTA community.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Register here

This is a simple 10 day challenge where for 10 days you eat no processed foods or take away, just simple honest to goodness food. The challenge is about breaking unhealthy habits, you know how passionate I am about good food and all the crap, yes crap that is on the shelves. We have been fooled for too long that what we are getting is all good for us and you may even lose a few kilos.  I will guarantee that you will learn so much about your food and how it makes you feel great when eating well.

To keep it as simple as possible, let’s not over complicate it, there is no weighing, no meal / portion sizes.  There is just a list of foods you can use to make your own breakfast, lunch and dinner or as JC and I do, make 2 nutritious meals a day. So what will it all look like you ask?

• Starts Monday 7^th Feb
• In a neat little PDF guide you will get
  • An allowed foods list – I highly recommend you go shopping Sunday and buy what you need for at least 3-4 days and go through your pantry and clean out anything that will tempt you
  • Recipes – including vegetarian options
  • Hints and tips to make it an easier transition
• Each day I will email you a quick 5min run down
• A Private Facebook Group, where you can ask me any questions, tell us what is happening to you, share pictures of your meals and be supportive to others in the group
• Cost only $30 – just a contribution to the effort and time we’ve put into this would be appreciated

Count me in!

Register here

It is based primarily from my learnings and guides from Changing Habits, Dr Anna Cabeca & Blue Zones based on their sound nutritional guidelines.

IMPORTANTLY: Please note that this program is not suitable for pregnant women and it is also recommended that all individuals seek professional medical advice before making changes to your exercise or diet. The information, ideas and suggestions we make in this program are purely from JC and I and they are not substitutes for consulting with your health professional.

Well, I’m calling 2022 ALTA’s Year of Health! It started with one client who has come out of COVID, one of the few not to put on weight however there is some pretty big changes required so I called it ‘2022 is Your Year of Health’ and it’s stuck on me how passionate I feel about this and it’s picking up speed!

I’ve been writing up a yearly plan of activities, challenges, ALTA Talks, events and more! And with our growing team and clientele, we are feeling super positive towards the coming year watching you, our clients and friends, embracing a year of more positivities, more freedom, more joy and of course more fitness, health and happiness. To continue to learn and impart that learning to you our clients and the wider community and importantly to have fun and laughter whilst we work, certainly makes up for the pain exercise brings.

And as much as I’d like to be optimistic, COVID is not behind us, it’s here in many forms, it still causing angst, restrictions, discrimination and a host of unknowns. But just in case we have further lockdowns be confident that we know the drill and can bounce around what is thrown at us.

Looking forward also, JC and I are undertaking more personal growth, being loving, guiding parents to 16 year olds, being a loving friend, sister, daughter, wife & mother and that I am present in all my interactions. I intend to be more curious rather than assuming. And our team are learning and moving in all sorts of directions personally and in the areas of health and wellbeing – We truly consider ourselves lucky to have a team whose values are strong and committed.

As we get to this point our sincere heartfelt best wishes to you all and thank you so much for supporting us in 2021, we are here for you and because of you, all of us wanting to be fitter, healthier and happier – who wouldn’t.

Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022!

We love exercise and while it’s not always deliberate especially when we are away, we tend to do whatever we feel or when the moment presents itself. The idea of holidays is to have a holiday and if it isn’t something we like or love doing (for me perhaps running) then we don’t. Same goes with food but simply I try to be just as good as I am at home. The important step in all this is to keep moving our bodies, don’t be a couch potato or just sit on the beach or at the park all day – get up and move at least every hour or so. We try to include something that requires strength and cardio, not necessarily together and this is because we know ourselves, and research has proven that when we stop, we lose the gains we have made. An example of this is if I haven’t run for a week, it’s okay, but if I haven’t run for a month, it’s like Holy Moly So Much Harder!!!

So here are a few tips to keep motivated and not lose what you’ve achieved and return in 2022 feeling great.

• Start the day waking up with the sun and drinking 2 big glasses or water (one with Apple Cider Vinegar to balance out your ph levels). This will set your circadian rhythms to a nice start to the day.
• Walk everywhere – well as much as you can, walk to the shops, to the beach – leave your car at home. And take a ball with you, tennis ball, football, soccer ball, Exercise by throwing to each other or find a wall to throw / kick against.
• Swim – the cold water is good for our bodies and it’s a great overall body workout, take your goggles or flippers so you can swim some distance.
• Get on a bike – ride the streets or to the shops, ride down dirt roads, see where they take you. We always have our bikes.
• Grab a tennis racket and just have a hit for fun or set up a game with friends – this is our new sport so we will be taking ours away.
• Pop into a gym and do a 30min work out. Most gyms have casual entry, we do this often, sometimes we even get a PT! You never know what you can learn from others though more often than not it just reminds us how good we are!! (Yes, a bit of high fiving and pats on each other’s back – sometimes you just have to acknowledge we are good at what we do).
• Eat well / drink well – choose well, be conscious of what you eat & drink, stay away from as much processed food as possible, cheap take away and soft drinks. Take your favourite recipe book and try out some new meals, have plenty of mineral water and lemons on hand for a refreshing drink.
• Take a walk after dinner – nothing more lovely on a summers evening going for a walk (which also helps to digest your last meal and set you up for a good night sleep)
• Lastly, don’t stay up late (unless New Year’s Eve) go to bed by 10pm, no screens an hour prior, enjoy some nice music, talking with family / friends, read a book – think again circadian rhythm.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We always ask ourselves what are we grateful for?  As we near the end of 2021 we feel this more deeply, acknowledging our gratitude, thinking it or saying it out loud. At our recent team end of year get together we did this, and it was so, so lovely to hear what people were grateful for.  The past two years has shown that we have focussed on some things we took for granted, didn’t appreciate, or even thought of – like zoom – who would have thought we were grateful for an online platform!!!

Here are just a few of the grateful sentiments we have heard from you, our clients and friends. We hope you enjoy them and take a moment to think, or tell someone, what you are grateful for.

I am grateful for…

• My home, my garden for being a place of solace 
• For my church and being able to help those in need, particular our young people
• Living in Australia, it is a wonderful country
• My studies and being able to continue them although it has been hard not being in person
• That our kids have managed a difficult time, still passing their classes and being active
• Zoom! It kept me working and I’ve been able to ‘see’ family and friends
• My health
• My wife for being there with me, we’ve stuck it out together
• Red Wine!
• Friday night take away
• Jigsaw puzzles
• My new puppy, he has made the world of difference this year and brought me happiness
• Teachers, Nurses, Doctors
• My business coach who kept me focussed to not give up!

What are you grateful for? 

I love Christmas, just the joy of pretty decorations, lighting and family time and I don’t need presents but I love giving them and l love giving something meaningful and with that I have a deeper connection and feeling when receiving something that I know has been given with some thought. So, as you are all very obviously aware we are into all things fitness, health and wellbeing and there is always something under our tree that reflects this.

So here is our Top 10 gifts ideas:

#1 – An ALTA Fitness Gift Voucher! What better gift can you give a loved one than that of fitness & we have a great offer ‘Buy 5 sessions get one free!

#2 – Foam Roller – The benefits from foam rolling can ease muscle tension & pain, reduce soreness after training, greater mobility and stretching. We have a few available in our little shop.

#3 – Massage Balls – a good stocking stuffer – see above benefits as per foam rollers. Also available to buy from us!

#4 – Essential Oils – Pure organic essential oils offer a wide range of benefits plus the simply beautiful scents can support stress, sleep, relaxation and more Twenty8 is where I buy our organic essential oils, you can click here to check them out!

#5 – Blue Light Blocking Glasses – a must have if you are using your computer late at night as the blue light from screens decreases your melatonin hence making going to sleep and staying asleep harder. You can click here to have a look! 

#6 – Joovv Red Light Therapy Device – red light can enhance skin health, whilst near infrared light penetrates deeper into the body tissue enhancing recovery and inflammation support. You can click here for more detail, they have some good discounts at the moment.

#7 – Books – I love reading and as you probably already know some of my top picks this year in regards to learning more about what is good for us from a nutritional and lifestyle view point are Lab to Table by Cindy O’Meara, Liver Better Life by Paul Gow, Obesity Code by Jason Fung

#8 – The Australian Sustainable Ethical Fashion Guide – on doing something for our planet and some light reading this guide supports Australia business’ who are working towards protecting the planet and it’s people. Cheap at only $9.95. You can click here to see more.  

#9 – Indoor Air Purifying Plants – this is always a favourite for me – my favourites are the Peace Lily, Devils Ivy Pothos and Snake Plant/Mother-in-laws tongue. You can click here to head to the website where they have beautiful gift boxes.

#10 – Good Quality Dark Chocolate – Pana Organic Chocolate ticks off all my list for good quality, healthier chocolate option. They make for a lovely bag stuffer or a little gift to a friend just to say Merry Christmas you are special to me! You click here to learn more, I buy ours from Apples & Sage Organics in Balwyn

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us.

What makes for healthy eating during the festive season?

With Christmas coming up fast and having just got out of lockdown many of us are wanting to take off a few kilos (me included!). We’re all thinking arghh it’s Christmas and I’m going to all these get togethers and lunches and dinners and drinks and think ‘Stuff it’, let’s have a good time and then come January we are regretting a little too much as are the extra, extra kilo’s.

I have one very, very big tip on how to eat healthy over the coming months.

Don’t eat processed foods and only eat quality takeout!

That’s it, simple! Why simple? Because nearly all processed foods, and fast food take away, contain excessive ingredients compared to home-made. They have preservatives, thickeners, sugars, bad oils like vegetable and canola (don’t be fooled if it says organic canola – it doesn’t make this ingredient healthier) and they use cheap ingredients many of which cause inflammation and increase body fat – Yep, they will put unhealthy fat on your body and cause weight gain!

So what does make for healthy eating during the festive season?

Home cooked food that use simple one off ingredients – when I say one off this means that it is simple such as sugar – Rapadura is one, flour – Emmets Wheat – Eggs (organic free range) – organic fruit and vegetables, legumes they have no pesticides or chemicals – Grass fed meat (organic where possible), quality butter & olive oil… What all these have in common is they have no extra processing, colours, flavours, thickeners, preservatives and more – in other words know where your food comes from and what are the ingredients.

Make from scratch, look for recipes that use simple ingredients yes it takes time to shop and cook but if you get prepared now, fill your pantry and fridge with simple ‘one off’ ingredients and then, when you are invited over to family or friends or having people to your place, you will have all you need to make healthy treats, meals and snacks that taste way better and are fresh AND you get compliments too ‘Ohh WOW you made this, it’s delicious!’.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

These words have come up 5 times in the last week so I thought it was a sign that I need to follow up with people. With friends, with family, with my network but importantly with our clients as we have returned to studio. As we are reconnecting face to face and we are all in a new space, how are we feeling about being together again, getting outside our ‘zones’, eating out, having that much needed haircut, socialising, going to films and being in a crowd! As human beings having a positive connection to others is integral to our wellbeing and research has shown that those who have positive connections live longer, more fulfilling lives.

When I think of reconnecting with our clients I think first, how are you? how is your family? your job? your stress levels and importantly how is your fitness!? And as we reconnect with you, it is your fitness and health that you come to us for. We have been closed a total of over 9 months since March 2020 and whether you continued with zoom, outdoors or not at, the last 20 months has affected our fitness.

So, this is where JC and I put our thinking hats on, coaching is a passion for both of us.  Although we do it in our own way, we love helping people not just in regard to your exercise regime but also your health and wellbeing, in fact we do this on a day to day basis, as do our team, on checking in, how you’re feeling, how is your body feeling and perhaps were asking a myriad of questions on your health and wellbeing. However we need to take a moment and reconnect with why you are here – your goals, have they changed, do they need to change, is there something more we could be doing or exploring such as losing some weight in a healthy, sustainable way or wanting to eliminate the aches and pains associated with working from home and not moving frequently or, realising your strength has waned or a new goal like running a 5k race. Whatever it is, we can help you with reaching those goals – if you are willing to put in the commitment and effort!

So, a quick heads up over the next few weeks I will be sending out an email to take on 30min coaching sessions if you would like to spend a dedicated time just to review, explore your goals for 2022. This is a one-on-one session with me and designed to be a deeper review and come out with some accountable actions to reach your goals including your vision of what you will look like, feel like, be doing in 6 or 12 months time. This is not the time to be shy, think about it for another 6 months, think oh I’ll be alright, it is a really powerful session to set your health goals and it is only for existing clients and there is a small charge of $50 for a 30min session – why am I charging you might ask? Well, this is what I know, if I pay for something I’ll commit to it, if it is for free I wane and I’m not 100% committed.

This is for everyone, male or female or for them or they, this is for you whatever you want. It can be face to face, via zoom or a phone call. If you are interested come and talk to me, it is only on offer until mid-December.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us.