Exercising with the lawn mower

Happy Monday guys, hope you all enjoyed the hot sunny weekend...

Today I am SORE!! and its not even the gyms fault this time.

I guess its due to spending 5 hours in the garden on the weekend.

We don't always think about it but incidental exercise can actually go a long way!!!

And this gardening has obviously gone a very long way because I am VERY sore.


Given the weather was so lovely and sunny over the weekend what better time to do the gardens? 
And there was a lot of garden to tend to.

BEFORE:  Our overgrown jungle

Mowing, pulling, lifting, digging, sweeping, pulling weeds (and some are stubborn and need brute strength to be removed) - all fantastic incidental exercise.

AFTER: Looks a little like we have a secret fairy garden

While in the garden I also washed the dishes - well some cups and saucers that double as bird baths in my garden.

Dirty Dishes

I even decided that since the weather was nice, I need a natural tan and since I am feeling more confident I would get out in the garden in some short shorts and a bikini.  Something daring for me and something I would not have done in the past... and better yet, I felt good enough to even share a snapshot.

Still some work to do, but I am happy with the progress

Hopefully all you lovely people are staying healthy and maybe getting in some of your own incidental exercise, what ever it may be.


"Its not easy but it is worth it - now repeat that every day"

Louise Taylor xx

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Please note: the content of this blog is complied from my experience and opinion and not meant to be taken as medical advice.

Girls day out with Raechelle Chase

Happy Wednesday everyone, I hope your week is going well and that you are all fit, healthy and happy!!


I had a very exciting weekend that I have been waiting to share with everyone until I had the


On Saturday November 16th Kapiti was blessed enough to have the one and only Raechelle Chase come and visit us.


I have talked about Raechelle on this blog before but for those who don't know, Raechelle is a New Zealand Figure athlete and was the 1st New Zealand woman to compete at the prestigious Figure Olympia in Las Vegas in 2011. She is a fitness model, mother of three, business owner (clothes, gym gear, supplements, training, nutrition, DVD) , runs her own gym in Auckland and is an all round amazing woman.

Raechelle Chase - IFBB Figure Pro

As a teenage girl I always wanted to be "skinny"! I wanted to look like the woman on the front of Cosmo or gossip magazines.

Then after meeting my partner I was introduced to a whole new way of thinking about my body and what I wanted to look like.

I no longer wanted to be "skinny", I wanted to be conditioned and lean.

Raechelle quickly became my inspiration and role model. While at this point I have no intentions to compete, her appearance, attitude, career, everything about her inspires and motivates me to push harder and do my best.

In October I finally got to meet my idol and even had her train me. DREAM COME TRUE!!

Girls Day Out 

So on Saturday 16th November Raechelle was in town and needless to say I was SUPER excited. 

So 20ish girls including myself filed up to Waikanae to Justin Rys's house where the event was being held.

Raechelle took 4 hours out of her day to talk to us about training, nutrition, modelling, photo shoots, on season diets, off season diets, she even did a photo shoot with all the girls in Justin's back yard and at the beach.

Tania Prince (NZIFBB Bikini athlete) the aeroplane 
click here to follow on facebook 

Raechelle and I at the beach 

Some pointers from the event

When you are in shape, hire a photographer and have a photo shoot - you look incredible, why not document it, especially if you want to do fitness modeling.


Always have a goal you are working towards, an event such as your birthday, summer, a competition etc. This way you are always moving towards something.


Listen to your body, if it is telling you you need something it is generally for a reason.


Find your good side - we all have one - and use it when taking photos.

Thank you...

I would like to take a second in this public forum to thank everyone who made the girls day out possible.


Justin Rhys - IFBB Pro / Director at Mass Nutrition Kapiti for organising the event, rounding up all us ladies and allowing us all into his lovely home for the afternoon.


Cindy Heels - for showing us all your lovely shoes


Flo Foxworthy Costumier - for showing us all the skimpy sparkly bikinis that you make for the shows. (FYI - these bikinis are AMAZING!! I want one even though I am not competing)


Dollface Mineral Make Up - for talking about the make up, tanning, nails and hair services you offer. AND for my amazing tan, it turned our great, LOVE the colour!!


Sammi Valcheva - for taking all the lovely photos!


And of course the one, the only, my idol...


Raechelle Chase - for coming all the way down to little old Kapiti and sharing your knowledge with us. You are amazing and one of the nicest people I have met!



To all you lovely people, stay healthy, stay fit, and keep up the good work

Louise Taylor xx

FOLLOW BLOOMING FITNESS ON FACEBOOK - CLICK HERE

Please note: the content of this blog is complied from my experience and opinion and not meant to be taken as medical advice.

Ghee wizz this is good butter

Hi Guys,


After promising this post yesterday, I tried with all my might to get it online for everyone but it just wouldn't upload!!!


Anyway here it is.

What is Ghee

Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is often used in South Asian cuisine - think Indian , Bangladeshi, Napali, Sri Lankan and Pakistani.

Ghee does not need to be keep in the refrigerator and will set (dependent on the heat inside your pantry) on its own.

It is made from heating butter slowly to separate the fat and the milk solids. The water evaporates, the milk solids brown and harden and the fat can be rendered off to make Ghee.

Ghee has a delicious nutty caramel flavor.

Ghee has a very high smoking point making it excellent for frying and cooking

It has essential nutrients such as amino acids, linoleic acid (antioxidant), vitamin A, E, and K and it also contrains calcium and potassium.

Ghee is a saturated fat so it should be consumed in moderation the same way you would consume butter. (eg don't start eating it by the spoonful please) but it does not contain hydrogenated oils!!

Generally it can be consumed by people who are lactose intolerant. After being clarified and passing thorough the process I am going to detail below, it is free from milk solids. (obviously I would recommend talking to your doctor or a medical professional)

How do you make it?

Step One:

In a sauce pan, add block of butter.
You can add more or less than a full block dependent on how much
Ghee you want to make ( i only did 100g at this is all I had in the house)

Step Two:

Put pan on a medium head and leave to melt - stir occasionally

Step Three:

Once all Butter is melted, allow to cook longer, 
you will notice that it will appear to split. 

Meanwhile:

Gather the other equipment you will need:
funnel, paper towels,
 container big enough to hold your Ghee
(this will get hot liquid put in it so try get one that won't melt!!)

Step Four:

put single paper towel into funnel,
i find folding one end around the side of the funnel to make
it easier to hold fit in better.

Step Five:

Pour a small amount of the melted butter into the paper towel
wait for it to slowly filter through.
Once it has drained, fold sides of the paper towel in
and press lightly to get the last bits out of the towel.

Discard paper towel.

Repeat:

Using a new clean paper towel repeat the process until 
all the melted butter has been strained. 

Result:

A container of Ghee or clarified butter. Put in pantry or fridge to set
and enjoy in cooking, baking or on toast.

What got left in the pot:

Darkened milk solids

What got left on the paper towel:

More darkened milk solids, if you taste a tiny bit
of this you will find that it is extremely salty 

I Hope you enjoy!!!

Louise Taylor xx

FOLLOW BLOOMING FITNESS ON FACEBOOK - CLICK HERE

Please note:  the content of this blog is complied from my experience and opinion and not meant to be taken as medical advice.

Personal Train Me and Kombucha

Hi everyone.

I hope you all had a magical weekend and are rested and ready for another week.

Over the weekend I took a trip to meet up with a friend that I haven't seen in a long time to discuss some "natural remedies" that she loves.

Let me introduce Personal Train me

In this day and age a lot of us are "to busy" to get to the gym and don't want to/ can't afford to pay a bucket load to have a one on one training session with a personal trainer.

Personal Train Me allows personal training to be done online so that you can do it at a time and place that suits you and at a fraction of the cost of a one on one training session.

Personal Train Me offers peronsalised exercise programs, nutrition support, your own online training platform, 24/7 email support from Anna directly, flexibility to fit your schedule, personalised to your needs, membership bonuses, support group access and the comfort that you will be treated as an individual.

You will get the results you desire, you will get the support you need!!

Personal Train Me want to encourage a healthy lifestyle and help teach people how to make informed and healthy decisions so that they can live their lives to the fullest and get the most out of what they put in.

Anna Mabey (owner of Personal Train Me) is a fantastic, real and down to earth personal trainer who is offering this amazing online service as well as some one on one training from her small home gym and Nga Purapura Gym in Otaki.

Anna has years of experience in personal training and worked as the fitness manager at City Fitness Paraparaumu where she managed the personal training services.

Visit the Personal Train Me Website - Click here

If you join up with Anna, reference "bloom" to let her know that I sent you :)

Anna's Natural Recipes

After the birth of her son Anna struggled to regain the strength that she had prior to getting pregnant. She tried different cleanses and tried going back to the basics of meat veges and good fats, and while her husband thrived, she felt AWFUL!!!

It wasn't long after this that she discovered that she wasn't digesting proteins any more and has basically just starved herself for two weeks.

Anna was given some pills and some enzymes which she had to take to enable her body to digest the proteins that it needed to function properly, adding up to nearly $100 per month.

Anna decided that she didn't want to have to pay this for the rest of her life and looked for an alternate solution - she found Kombucha and she swears that it is doing exactly the same thing that the pills and enzymes were doing.

Kombuca

Kombucha is fermented tea (sounds lovely I know haha) that has a huge range of health benefits.

These include:

Increased energy

Increased healing

Lowers blood pressure

helps relieve chicken pox

Reduces acne

Thickens hair and helps people who are balding

Strengthens finger nails

Psoriasis and skin conditions

Helps with allergies

Aging

Asthma

Migraine relief

digestive issues

To name merely a quarter of the benefits. For a full list of benefits click here

Kombucha is easy to make and pleasant to drink (tastes a bit like apple juice).

How Do You Make It?

1. In a large metal pot heat 4 liters of filtered water and 1 cup sugar
2. once all sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add 4 black tea bags
3. allow to cool to room temperature
4. pour into a glass jar that holds slightly more than your 4 liters
5. pour in a half a cup of a pre made Kombucha
6. carfully add the "scoby" (the bug that ferments it)
7. cover with a paper towel secured by a rubber band and put in a warm (not to sunny) spot for 8 - 12 days
8. Once tea is fermented pour into seal-able bottles (you can add vanilla, herbal teas etc at this point to flavour) and put in the cupboard. Slight fermentation at this point will make the Kombucha fizzy.

The pre made Kombucha and scoby can be stolen from someone else who makes Kombucha as every batch creates a new scoby.

My first pot of Kombuca Tea - counting down the days until it is ready

Ghee

I promised on Facebook yesterday that I would make a post about Ghee. This post is coming, and will be online later on this evening, I
Until i see you again this evening, remember - don't be afraid to try something different.

Louise Taylor xx

FOLLOW BLOOMING FITNESS ON FACEBOOK - CLICK HERE

FOLLOW PERSONAL TRAIN ME ON FACEBOOK - CLICK HERE

Please note: the content of this blog is complied from my experience and opinion and not meant to be taken as medical advice.