It’s going to be a really quick update this week – I’m determined to have a whole day off tomorrow so need to crack on!!

I bought some amazing cooking apples at Chittenden Farm the other day so I played around and made a fabulously healthy & scrummy apple cake last night. We ate it hot, straight out of the oven but it was just as good cold for breakfast this morning! It was great on it’s own but it would also be really good for pudding with a little custard, cream or ice cream.

I loosely followed a victoria sponge recipe but added extra dry ingredients as the agave nectar makes the mixture wetter than sugar. Agave nectar sweetens the cake but keeps the GI much lower than sugar, which means that your body does not need to produce so much insulin in response, which in turn reduces the tendency for your body to store fat…which means that you can have your cake AND eat it! Here’s what I did in case you want to give it a try:

Ingredients:

• 6oz butter (or half and half butter and coconut oil)
• 3oz dark raw cane sugar
• 3oz agave nectar
• 3 medium eggs (free range)
• 4oz wholemeal spelt flour
• 4oz ground almonds
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 (massive) cooking apple, peeled and chopped

Cream together the fat, sugar and agave nectar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between

Sieve all the dry ingredients together, then stir gently into the mixture

Add the chopped apple and continue mixing until it is fully incorporated into the cake mix

Bake for 20-30mins until risen and springy to the touch.

NB you may need to cover the top of the cake with baking parchment half way through as agave nectar browns more than sugar. I used a square tin, lined with baking parchment but you could use muffin cases for indivdual cakes if you prefer – adjust the cooking time accordingly

Enjoy

Last chance to sign up to the February Active Living weight-loss & detox group:

The Active Living weight-loss package is available now but you only have 2 more days to book! Bookings close on 20th February ready to start on Monday 27th.

Group support is crucial when you’re making lifestyle changes so the package will be delivered via a closed facebook group, where I’ll add all the content you need including:

• daily meal plans
• recipes
• weekly shopping lists
• the science behind your food
• details of the elimination eating program
• weekly videos giving you education to help you make long-term changes to your eating patterns

You are free to post any questions, comments, experiences or ideas within the group and I’ll be dropping in to offer my support too.

In addition the 28 day package includes a weekly one-to-one Skype call with me to discuss your progress and any issues.

If you would like to drop a dress size & feel full of energy please click here

If you have already bought your Nature’s Sunshine Healthy Starter pack but would like join the group and access the support package to go with it, please email me so that I can send you an adjusted payment link.

Special offer from Sweatshop:

Buy one pair of shoes (in store or online) between 30th January-18th March  and get another pair for £25 (voucher valid until 21st December 2012). Click on the trainer below for full details:

Pain in the neck?

If you spend a good part of your week sitting at a desk, using a laptop or driving the chances are that you will experience some tension in the neck, shoulders and upper back. This may manifest itself in many ways, including:

• aching in the muscles (either directly around this area or lower down in the back)
• headache or
• limited mobility in the neck

It may also lead to you carrying your head too far forward which then puts a strain right through the body because the spine cannot follow it’s natural alignment.

I’ve included a few pictures showing the muscles which tend to become shortened and tightened (typically the sternocleidomastoid, the scalene, the levator scapulae & the trapezius) and some stretches you can try to relieve the problem. (NB if you have specific issues with your spine/neck/shoulders please refer to your usual practitioner before trying these)

Stretch for levator scapulae:

Stretch for sternocleidomastoid (SCM):

Stretch for upper trapezius:

& finally…here’s what’s happening at bootcamp next week:

We’re moving into week 3 this coming week so things will get a little bit more lively…but please don’t let that put you off! It’s important for you to listen to your body and increase the intensity only when you’re ready – bootcamp is not a competition so please always let me know if you need more manageable options for any of the exercises we are doing.

6.15am @ DCPS:

• Monday – whole body accumulator (mats & DB)
• Wednesday – ME (mat & DB)
• Friday – Core conditioning (mat & DB)

9am @ Benenden:

• Monday – Power 50/10 (mats)
• Tuesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Wednesday – PHA & pulse razors (mats & DB)
• Thursday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – Metabolic circuit 3 (mats)

PS If your children are on half term don’t forget that you can bring them with you to play nearby (under your supervision of course!)

My favourite facebook picture this week:

I love this one because it is so true – I hope you find time this (and every)week to step outside your comfort zone and find some magic

Jane x

I love nutrition

First up I’d like to thank all of you who came out on Tuesday night for my first nutrition workshop – it was great to see you there & I hope you took away some useful information. Thank you too for your generous donations for Hospice in the Weald - you raised £75 which will be sent off to them later today.

If you missed it here were some of my key messages:

• stop eating processed foods – they are packed with trans fats, sugar (or even worse, high fructose corn syrup), salt, flavourings, preservatives and other additives that mess with your body’s systems and hormones
• drink more water but filter it first to remove some of the 350 chemicals which are added along the way to your tap – aim for half your body weight in ounces of water per day (ie. if you weigh 140lbs, you need to drink 70 fluid ounces of water which is equivalent to 9 cups per day) – add a tiny pinch of natural sea salt to help your body to absorb the water instead of it passing straight through!
• look after your heart by adding coconut oil and fish oil to your diet
• coconut oil is a saturated fat made from medium chain fatty acids which are not stored in the body but burned up quickly for energy; it also reduces bad cholesterol & raises good cholesterol in the blood;  it is stable at high temperatures, making it the best oil for cooking & it tastes great!
• fish oil is crucial for raising the level of omega 3 in your body, which improves the health of your brain & nervous system – most of us have very high levels of omega 6 in our diets and we need to redress the balance by increasing omega 3 intake
• stop drinking fizzy pop – did you know that it takes 5 GALLONS of water to cancel out the bone-damaging effects of one can of coke or diet coke – OMG!
• eat organic and local whenever you can – places I love to shop include:
• Silcocks Farm for organic meat, veggies & cheeses (www.silcocksfarm-organics.co.uk)
• Vegetare, High Street, Cranbrook for health food supplies
• Chittenden Farm Shop, Staplehurst for the most amazing selection of local veggies, apples and game
• Wards butchers in Benenden

I am planning to run another nutrition workshop next month so please let me know if you are interested in details.

I love Active Living

Off the back of the nutrition workshop I have now launched my Active Living weight-loss package. The next Active Living group will start on 27th February so please sign up now if you want to be included. This is the programme I followed last October/November and I am happy to be able to share it with you now. It is not a magic bullet, but it will help you to make some important lifestyle changes that will improve your health and help you to drop excess body fat. Please note this not a quick fix diet – it is more of an educational journey which will lead you to making better nutritional choices for long-term health. Have a look here for further details & sign up soon if you want to join the February group.

I love cooking

This is your last chance to book onto the cookery workshop that I have set up with Nicci Gurr - the workshops are scheduled for Sunday 19th February but I need to confirm numbers early next week – if there is not sufficient take-up I will postpone the workshop until a later date. This is an ideal chance to improve your cookery skills and learn more about using healthy ingredients to make delicious family-friendly meals. Nicci is a fabulous chef and I know you will learn a lot from her over the 4-hour workshop. Please let me know if you have any questions about the cookery workshop.

I love Nakd bars

Staying with the food theme a little longer…Tesco have Nakd bars at 2 for £1 this week! I love the non-cereal bars (such as cocoa orange, gingerbread & pecan pie) as quick snacks to eat on the go. They are raw, fruit and nut bars which are entirely natural and gluten-free. Even better, the cocoa orange one (straight from the fridge) is a great substitute for chocolate!!

Learn to love your feet!

I’ve been playing with more feet this week and I wanted to share with you some of the stuff I’ve been doing.

Obviously our feet get compressed from the load they carry and the impact they endure day-in-day-out and it is important to give them a bit of attention every day or so. Your feet are made up of 26 bones and they are designed to move as you walk so that the force is dissipated when you strike the ground. If you feet & ankles become ‘locked up’ you may develop callouses & bunions on your feet but you may also suffer with aches and pains around the body, especially in the knees as they are next in line to absorb the force if your feet can’t do it.

There are some really simple decompression techniques you can apply to your feet but it is best to show you these in person and I will do so as soon as the weather is warm enough for you to take off your socks outside (so maybe not next week then?!). In the meantime you can make a start by gently massaging your feet, stretching your toes, walking barefoot as often as possible & doing these ankle mobilisation exercises every day:

Love bootcamp!

We’re moving on to week 2 so you’ll have plenty of chance to work a little harder if you want to next week.

Slight nag – please, please, please make sure you are with the group at the start of your bootcamp session – if you’re late you may miss crucial parts of the mobility & movement prep (especially important when we are training outside) and it isn’t fair for everyone who was on time to have to miss some of the exercise content because we have to stretch the warm-up to accomodate late-comers. Most of you are brilliant (thank you) but there are a few stragglers…hopefully you know which one you are!

So obviously it is Valentine’s Day on Tuesday (aka my mum’s birthday) so there will be a little shift in the 9am sessions – we will be doing ME on Monday & Thursday this week so that we can do a lovely, warm, fuzzy, romantic (?) pairs workout on Tuesday instead. You don’t need to bring a partner (I’ll play match-maker!) but if you could use it as an opportunity to bring along a friend for FREE – my Valentine to you! Just make sure they arrive with you before 9am so that i can get them to fill in a health questionnaire.

Here’s the rest of the line-up for the week ahead:

6.15am @ DCPS:

• Monday – mixed high/low accumulator (mats)
• Wednesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – broken burpees (mats & DB)

9am @ Benenden:

• Monday – ME (mats & DB)
• Tuesday – Valentines pairs workout (mats, DB & wear something pink!)
• Wednesday – bodyshock (mats)
• Thursday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – laps 2 (mats & DB)

Love you x

I had a great time on my course last weekend and as a result I’ve been feeling fired up and excited about bottoms and feet this week! If I haven’t had my hands on yours yet it’s only because it’s too cold outside – but just wait for spring to arrive and I’ll be showing you some great stuff you can do with your big toes… I can’t promise I’ll be grabbing hold of your bottom but you never know!! I’ve just signed up for the second level of the course which is at the end of March so the pressure is on to get 10 case-studies down on paper beforehand – I might possibly need one or two more bodies so I’ll keep you posted in case you fancy a free postural assessment?

Other than bottoms and feet, most of my week has been focused on food as I’m getting everything together for my nutrition workshop next week. It’s not too late to register – just click here and follow the instructions. The workshop is free of charge (although I will be collecting donations for Hospice in the Weald) and it would be great to see you there – please come and join me if you are available on Tuesday evening (8pm in Hawkhurst) and bring friends/family with you. If you are confused by all the conflicting dietary advice that you see, come along and find out the truth behind some of the headlines…I’ll also be sharing with you some great success stories from clients who have been following the Nature’s Sunshine cleanse program.

On the subject of food, I’ve been asked recently how I make healthy(ish) cakes so here’s what I do. Simply take a standard recipe and substitute healthier ingredients where possible. For example, I don’t use wheat flour - I use a mixture of coconut flour and ground almonds instead; I only use butter (not margarine) or coconut oil; & I try to use alternative forms of sugar (I tend to use raw cane sugar or fructose sugar but you can also use agave nectar or honey).

Here’s a recipe for chocolate, cranberry and walnut cupcakes:

• 4oz butter
• 20z coconut oil
• 3oz raw cane sugar
• 2oz fructose sugar
• 3 free range eggs
• 3oz ground almonds
• 1.5 oz organic cocoa powder
• 1.5oz coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3oz walnuts – chopped
• 2oz dried cranberries
• splash of rice milk

Cream the butter, coconut oil, and both sugars together until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well-mixed.

Sieve together all the dry ingredients and fold into the mixture.

Finally stir in the walnuts and cranberries and enough rice milk to give the correct consistency.

Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases and bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the cakes are risen and springy to the touch. Eat straight from the oven or allow them to cool and dredge with cocoa powder.

(You don’t have to use walnuts and cranberries – you might prefer finely chopped apple or some chopped organic dark chocolate and chopped cashew nuts – just make it up as you go along!)

Paleo meal plan generator:

I am very excited to have signed up for the brand new Paleo meal plan generator from Chris Kresser. This clever gizmo allows you to input any foods you want to exclude/include within my meals and then select either one meal, one day or one week – it then gives you links for all the recipes it suggests and a shopping list so that you can stock up on everything you need. All the recipes and shopping lists are easy to print off and it also lets you save your favourite recipes for quick reference in the future. How fantastic is that?

If you are unsure what to eat or you get stuck for new meal ideas, I recommend you take a look at it here – there’s a free 15 day trial and you can cancel after that with no questions asked. I promise I’m not on commission – I was just very impressed when I signed up last night

Next week at bootcamp:

You can breath a sigh of relief – we’re back to week 1 next week! If you came to bootcamp today you will have enjoyed the annihilator that my super-circuits class experienced a few weeks ago – how was it for you? Hope you went home feeling like you had worked your whole body – rest assured you will be burning fat for a good few hours after that one…

Here’s your list of what’s in store next week.

6.15am @ DCPS:

• Monday – Boxfit 40/20 (mats)
• Wednesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – PHA conditioning (mats & DB)

9am @ Benenden:

• Monday – Awesome arms & abs (mats & DB)
• Tuesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Wednesday – Steady CV (mats)
• Thursday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – Low-impact accumulator (mats & DB)

If you have to be out and about this weekend make sure you wrap up warm! Better still stay home and cook some healthy(ish) cakes…

Have a good one

Jane x

PS please feel free to add your comments or questions below

What a beautiful finish to the week? Apart from the mud under-foot (!) it was positively spring like in Benenden at 9am this morning – I absolutely love it that it get to be outside every day )

So lots to do…here’s a short & sweet news update to keep you abreast of all things tmf:

1.  Don’t forget that there are only 4 more days to sign up for the ‘lean, green & full of beans’ cookery workshop at the early-bird discount price. This hands-on cooking experience, hosted by local Roux-trained chef Nicci Gurr, will give you some great ideas about how to prepare healthy and affordable family meals. She will give you a demonstration of how to prepare and cook a main course meal and then everyone will get hands-on and prepare a range of dishes, which you’ll sit down and enjoy at the end of your 4-hour session. The cookery workshop is suitable for anyone, regardless of cooking ability and experience so please come along and join Nicci and I on Sunday 19th February. You can book here but remember the price goes up on 31st January so do it soon!
2. In case you haven’t done so yet, you’ll need to register if you are planning to attend my first nutrition workshop which takes place at Marlborough House School on Tuesday 7th February at 8pm. Please come along and join me if you are interested in hearing the latest industry updates on healthy eating for fat-loss and health. I have been putting in long hours studying around this subject and I am really excited (and slightly nervous!) about sharing this information with you. The hall is booked & I’d love to see you there. The session is completely free of charge but I will be collecting donations for Hospice in the Weald so please don’t forget to bring some pocket money. You can register here.
3. I’m on a course all this weekend so please be patient if you contact me – it might take a while for me to get back to you. I’m not sure what I’ll be learning but I’ll let you know on Monday…
4. I don’t often get on my H&S soapbox, BUT today I’m going to. Please could all bootcampers please make a real effort to be there at the start of their session…there’s been a few late-comers this week and you put yourself at risk from not warming up and mobilising fully for the workout ahead. Aside from the health & safety issues, it can also be disruptive to the session having people join at different stages and of paramount importance – you’ve paid for 50 minutes so you may as well get 50 minutes!!
5. The health benefits of vitamin D have been in the news this week so you may be interested to know that getting outside every day for just 30 mins will boost your levels of vitamin D, which will help to balance your body’s rhythms & natural mood chemicals, boost your energy, increase your productivity and improve your sleep patterns. That means that your regular bootcamp sessions are doing so much more than just working your muscles – admittedly there’s not much light yet at 6.15am but there soon will be. On the days that you don’t come to bootcamp, try eating your breakfast outside or getting out for a walk/cycle ride during the day to make sure you keep up the good work.
6. Just before I add a run-down of sessions next week, here’s a lovely juice recipe from Liz Earle: She calls it the ‘green fizzer’ and she says it is a great pick-me-up so maybe one to try if you’re feeling in need of a boost this weekend? Blitz together a handful of baby spinach leaves, half a cucumber (skin left on, chopped), 2 stalks of celery (chopped), one large carrot (chopped) & one apple (chopped). Savour every sip. (I think I might have to try mine without celery because I just haven’t conquered that one yet). Let me know what you think of it?

Next week at bootcamp:

So the slightly scary news is that it’s week 4 already…which means things will get a little bit harder again next week. Obviously there will still be options for those who need them, but also the opportunity to really push yourself if you want to.

I’ve included a fitness test on Monday’s sessions – 9am bootcampers can vote whether or not they want this on the day. The fitness test is purely a benchmark of your current fitness – you will not be competing with anyone other than yourself.

6.15am @ DCPS:

• Monday – Fitness test & metabolic circuit 4 (mats only)
• Wednesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – The Annihilator!!! ((mats & DB)

9am @ Benenden:

• Monday – 10,20,30,40,50 plus optional fitness test (mats & DB)
• Tuesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Wednesday – The big 5-0 (mats only)
• Thursday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – The Annihilator!!! ((mats & DB)

Don’t worry if you’re not sure what each session entails – just come along and find out )

I saw this on facebook and thought of you:

Talking of facebook…make sure you ‘like’ my page here so that you can follow my posts and updates on fitness and nutrition and stay in touch with other tmf people. You can ‘friend me’ on my personal page too if you want?!

I think that’s everything, but please if I’ve missed anything drop me an email or add your comments or questions in the box below.

Have a good weekend – enjoy the sunshine

Jane x

I’d like to give you a big welcome to my weekly newsletter if it is your first visit; if you’ve been here before I hope you like this weeks edition…

It’s been another great tmf week with some new faces and some returning ‘old’ faces at bootcamp. I’ve had some really great feedback about some of the sessions this week. Please feel free to drop me an email and let me know if you really liked a particular session (or if you didn’t) as you are the centre of my business and your thoughts are genuinely important to me.

It’s been an exciting week for my ‘lean, green & full of beans’ project and I now have dates and booking details for the free nutrition workshop and the cookery workshops:

The nutrition workshop will take place on Tuesday 7th February at 8pm at Marlborough House School. I’ll be sharing loads of information with you about:

• the toxins your body is exposed to every day and how you can protect yourself from them
• how food production methods affect the quality of our foods
• how to eat for optimum cellular health
• the science behind your food
• how to make permanent changes to your weight and body shape

The workshop is open to anyone who is interested in making positive lifestyle changes, regardless of whether or not they are trying to lose weight. Primarily it is about being healthy, but be warned that weight loss often follows! Please let your friends and family know about the nutrition workshop if you feel they would like to attend.

The nutrition workshop is free of charge but I will be collecting for donations in aid of Hospice in the Weald.

Register below to reserve your place at the workshop:

The cookery workshops are being run by Nicci Gurr who has been a chef for 20 years and trained originally with Albert Roux. She now runs Home Gurrown with her husband Jules.

The first of our cookery workshops will take place in Cranbrook on Sunday 19th February and there are 2 sessions for you to choose from. The morning session runs 9am-1pm and the afternoon session runs 2-6pm. Both sessions include:

• a cookery demonstration
• a discussion about where to buy and how to find good quality local ingredients
• a break for coffee and healthy cake
• hands-on cookery session
• time to sit-down and enjoy the foods your have created
• copies of all recipes and nutrition hand-outs to take home

Places are limited to 8 people per session to ensure that everybody gets hands-on.

Booking is now available at an early bird price of £47 (the price will increase to £57 on 1st February) - choose your session below:

Please choose your session

Morning session – 9am-1pm Afternoon session – 2-6pm

Recipe ideas:

On the subject of food I’ve included a couple of healthy, tasty recipes from Anna Aparicio.

• hip reducing korma recipe
• confidence boosting protein balls (they look like chocolate truffles, but healthier!)

There’s loads more recipes on Anna’s blog so have a look around and see what takes your fancy. Let me know how you get on…

Sweatshop sale this weekend:

If you are looking for any fitness clothing or footwear you can save 20% in store and online this weekend only by clicking here and following the instructions.

Sweatshop is a fantastic place to buy footwear so pay them a visit if you want to look after your feet! Consider trail shoes rather than running shoes if you want something suitable for the 9am bootcamp – they’re cheaper and have much better grip on the mud!!

Finally, here’s what you need to know if you’re coming to bootcamp next week:

It’s week 3 so the sessions will be gradually getting a little bit tougher – but remember to pace yourself and always listen to your body.

Every session next week needs mats & dumbbells so please remember to bring yours along. If you don’t have any dumbbells you can buy them here; if you’ve recently signed up and have not yet had a mat from me, just ask next time I see you – there will be one waiting for you in my car!

6.15am @ DCPS:

• Monday – partners (mats & DB)
• Wednesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – 5-up workout (mats & DB)

9am @ Benenden:

• Monday – weighted metabolic circuit (mats & DB)
• Tuesday – ME (mats & DB)
• Wednesday – Tabata drills (mats & DB)
• Thursday – ME (mats & DB)
• Friday – core conditioning (mats & DB)

Last but not least…

Have a great weekend & I’ll see you next week

Jane x

What a wicked week I’ve had! It’s been SO good getting back to bootcamp again - hopefully you are feeling that way too? I maybe a little sore in places, but I feel so good for being back outside after 2 weeks of self-imposed ’house arrest’ over Christmas. Long may the dry weather and blue skies continue….

I’d just like to take this opportunity to welcome all the new bootcampers – especially our youngest ever recruit and first ever baby-bootcamper! Well done to all of you for getting out of your comfort zone this week – I promise it gets easier, although it may not feel like it for the first few weeks!!! Next week we’ll have another baby-bootcamper at 9am – but this time a four-legged one – so look out for Tilly!

While I was checking my emails today I picked up a great post from a blog that I follow and it seemed very relevant so I thought I’d share a little snippet with you. The post is headed ‘Go Outside!’ and the author (Chris Kresser) says:

“Research shows that exercising outside confers even greater physical and mental benefits compared to the same exercise indoors. Take a long walk at your local park (bundle up if it’s cold) rather than plugging away on the treadmill in your fluorescent-lit gym. Take advantage of warmer, sunny days and move your workout into the wilderness. It may take some creativity or extra planning, but the mental and physical benefits will be worth the effort. You may even find yourself enjoying your workout more than usual!”

Hopefully you are all already converted to the pleasure to be had from exercising in the fresh air, but please spread the word amongst friends and family – as far as I’m concerned it’s definitely the way to go!

You can read the full article here.

Cleanse and detox:

There has been a lot of interest in the cleanse and detox package that I mentioned last week. Some of you have already ordered your pack which is great & I’ll send you some simple guidelines to help you with it.

If you feel that you want more support including a nutrition package to go alongside the herbal supplements just hang on a little longer – I’ll have further details next week once I have secured a hall for the launch workshop.

I have had some questions about the supplements themselves. I just wanted to say that I wouldn’t recommend them to you without having personally tested the products and looked into the company to satisfy myself that I am happy with their authenticity; obviously I would suggest that you have a look on the Nature’s Sunshine website if you have any queries or concerns about their products.

Cookery workshop:

As part of my ‘lean, green and full of beans’ project for 2012, I am delighted to tell you that I have linked up with Nicci Gurr of Home Gurrown to bring you hands-on cookery workshops for those who feel that they need more confidence in the kitchen.

We will be launching the first workshops in February & each 4-hour workshop will include:

• a cookery demonstration by Nicci
• discussion about where to find good quality, affordable, local ingredients and why it matters where you buy your food
• a break for coffee & very special cake
• hands-on cookery under Nicci’s guidance
• a sit-down meal to eat all that you’ve created
• copies of all the recipes from the day
• nutrition handouts to take away

The first workshops will take place in Cranbrook on Sunday 19th February so put the date in your diary if you are interested in coming along.

There will be two sessions to choose from – a morning session which will run 9am-1pm or an afternoon session from 2-6pm.

The cost of the session will be £57 but there is an early bird discounted price of £47 available until 31st January.

Places are limited to ensure that everyone can get involved, and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you are interested in booking please email me and I will forward the payment link to you so that you secure your place.

Nutrition tips and tricks:

If you signed up last week to receive my free nutrition tips and tricks I haven’t forgotten you! I should have everything up and running over the next week so keep an eye on your inbox…

If you didn’t sign up but would like to please go back to last weeks update and enter your details under the slide show screen

Bootcamp next week:

We’re on week two next week so sessions will start to get a little bit more challenging. Remember that you need to listen to your body and ease back into it if you haven’t done this type of exercise before or have had a long break from exercise. Obviously if you’ve been coming to my sessions for a while I’ll expect you to listen to me instead!!!

If you’ve recently signed up don’t forget that you need to collect a mat from me – you may need to remind me…

You will also need to buy yourself a pair of dumbbells as I only have a very small number of spares in my car. The general rule is that they should feel heavy and not be pink….! 3kg (per dumbbell!!) is ideal for most women but you may need 4kg if you are used to exercising with weights or 2kg if you have problems with your neck/shoulders; men should go for 5-8kg depending on strength & fitness. There is more information available here.

6.15am @ DCPS:

• Monday – Metabolic overdrive (no DB, just mats)
• Wednesday – ME (DB & mats)
• Friday – Laps 2 (DB & mats)

9am @ Benenden:

• Monday – 45/15 circuit (no DB, just mats)
• Tuesday – ME (DB & mats)
• Wednesday – CV & deck intervals (no DB, just mats)
• Thursday – ME (DB & mats)
• Friday – Broken burpees – I promise it’s better than it sounds!! (DB & mats)

Don’t forget super-circuits on Monday at 7pm in the sports hall at DCPS – come along and join in if you want to try something different. I can’t tell you what we’ll be doing yet as I don’t decide until Monday afternoons, but obviously it’ll be awesome!!

So it’s Friday, it’s 7.30pm and I think it’s time I got off here…have a fantastic weekend as always & I’ll see you all again next week for more fitness and fun in the fresh air!

Jane x

]]> http://www.taylormadefitness.biz/2012/01/13/weekly-update-13th-january-2012/feed/ 0 http://www.taylormadefitness.biz/2012/01/05/1st-weekly-update-of-2012/ http://www.taylormadefitness.biz/2012/01/05/1st-weekly-update-of-2012/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:48:49 +0000 Jane Taylor http://www.taylormadefitness.biz/?p=446 Hello!

I hope you have all had a really restful break over Christmas.

I’m really looking forward to seeing you all again next week – although given the current weather I’m delighted that we haven’t been doing bootcamps this week!!! Over Christmas I’ve been planning lots of new and exciting ways to get your bodies into shape and I’ve also been spending time working on my nutrition project, more of which in a moment…

I had lots of good intentions for getting myself into shape over the past couple of weeks but other than a run on Boxing Day and a few Pilates sessions I must confess that I have given in to the call of the sofa and the first 3 series of ER… However, I have a busy weekend ahead with a Fitness Pilates workshop in Bristol on Saturday and a running workshop in Hawkhurst on Sunday so I think I’ll be feeling nicely sore by Monday morning in spite of all the resting I’ve been doing!!

I have had several enquiries already about my detox plan so I have spent most of today putting together a short presentation film for you which will give you more details about what it involves. Please have a watch below – I’d love to get your feedback on the presentation but be kind as it’s my first attempt!

welcome & healthy starter pack

• DCPS bootcamps at 6.15am (Mon, Weds & Fri)
• Benenden bootcamps at 9am (Mon-Fri) – now running throughout the year
• DCPS super-circuits at 7pm on Mondays
• personal training sessions as per your usual schedule unless otherwise arranged

It’s week 1  for both bootcamps so you can expect slightly gentler workouts to ease you back into things, although you’ll still be able to push yourself if you want to. I’m also going to include some extra mobilisation work at the start of each session, working on a different part of the body each session. Anyone coming along for the first time, or after a long break, will need to listen to their body and pace themselves…please make sure you let me know if you need more manageable options.

I’ve added notes for each session to show whether you will need to bring your dumbbells and mats – if it is your first session I will have spares available to borrow…

6.15am bootcamp:

• Monday 9th Jan - 5, 10, 15 (mats but no DB)
• Wednesday 11th Jan - ME (mats & DB)
• Friday 13th Jan - 5 BX (mats but no DB)

9am bootcamp:

• Monday 9th Jan - 5 BX (mats but no DB)
• Tuesday 10th Jan - ME (mats & DB)
• Wednesday 11th Jan - Laps (DB but no mats)
• Thursday 12th Jan - ME (Mats & DB)
• Friday 13th Jan - Low impact 30/30 (DB but no mats)

[5 BX = 5 basic exercises in case you were wondering!]

I’m sure there’s loads more I could include but my mind has run dry for the time being so I’ll sign off and wish you a great weekend – hope to see you ALL next week – no excuses please!!

Bear in mind that you only have one body, and if you don’t look after it, where else are you going to live?

Jane x

Goal Setting 101

Setting goals will enable you to eliminate the distractions in your life and help you to focus on the really important things.  By knowing exactly what you want, you’re able to concentrate on specific areas with more accountability and focus. Goals allow you to get more things done so you can achieve more.  Who doesn’t want to achieve more?

I like to take one large goal and break it into smaller, more attainable “mini-goals”.  This will give you the direction you need if you get off track.

Goals help you to create steps.  The old saying goes, “How do we eat an elephant?” Answer: One bite at a time. No matter what task we have to tackle, we often can’t do it all at once. We can, however take small steps toward completing the task.

Always, always, always write down your goals!

Set small, measurable and attainable goals.

Focus on getting the result that you want.

Why did you set this goal?

Why is it important to you?

Make a commitment to yourself, and then take action with your end-result in mind.

Use your time wisely and work hard.  Don’t waste your valuable time and energy with fillers that do not take you closer to your goal.

Tell everyone you know about your goal.  You have probably heard this a hundred times, but it really works.  It will create accountability, and the more accountability you have, the more likely you are to succeed!

But, be careful… Don’t share your goals with people who won’t support you. Don’t let anyone sabotage your goals.

One more thing…. “TODAY, not tomorrow” is critical.  Don’t put anything off until tomorrow…it will never get done.  Besides, if it were really important to you, then why would you wait?  Do it TODAY!

What are your goals for 2012?

Please let me know if I can help you accomplish your goals this year.

Define – Plan – Commit- Take Action – Make No Excuses – Be Persistent- Re-read Your Goals Daily – & Never QUIT!

Happy New Year!

Jane x

I can’t believe we’re nearly at the end of the year already – OMG it has flown by…

Thank you to everyone who came to the Christmas meal on Wednesday – it was a great night and I have had some lovely feedback from lots of you saying how much you enjoyed the meal, enjoyed seeing everyone in civvies and enjoyed having time to get to know each other better. It was lovely to see so many of you there and a pleasure to have your company. To those who couldn’t make it, you were missed but hopefully you’ll be able to join us next time…?

I’m not a big one for speeches so apologies for my very brief attempt. What I wanted to say was thank you all so much for making 2011 such a positive year for me. My job is so easy when I get to work with such fantastic people – although I’ve been putting in some very long hours, it never feels like a chore and I genuinely wake up every morning looking forward to the day ahead. Believe me it hasn’t always been this way, so I truly appreciate my good fortune.

I’m looking forward to taking a break for a couple of weeks over Christmas but rest-assured I’ll be dreaming up new and torurous ways to exercise your body in the new year while I’m off! I’ll also be putting the finishing touches to my nutrition workshops which will be launching in January, doing some study to keep my brain ticking over & doing some exercises to keep my body ticking over…I’ll probably take a couple of days off too!!

Whatever you are doing over the festive period, I hope you have a relaxing time with family & friends. But please remember that you don’t need to go too mad just because it’s Christmas…I’ve added some topical links below to help you manage your nutrition & exercise, as well as how to stay sane over the holidays:

• ME approach to stop holiday weight gain
• how many calories are there in your Christmas dinner?
• how far will you need to walk to burn off that many calories…?
• 30 things to stop doing to yourself

I also wanted to share this brief festive message from BJ Gaddour, just because it’s short and to the point…and it made me laugh!

So there’s just 3 more bootcamps and 1 super-circuits class before Christmas…here are all the details you need:

6.15am @ DCPS:

It’s week 4 so expect to work a little harder, but it’s Christmas so there’ll be some fun along the way!

• Monday – weighted metabolic circuit 4 (DB)
• Wednesday – festive ME (DB)
• Friday – 12 days of Christmas workout – Santa hats required!!

Super-circuits @ 7pm (Monday):

We’ll have a Christmas party workout so please bring plenty of energy and festive cheer along with your Santa hat!!

So that’s me signing off for the year, so that I can go and knock up some chocolate truffles (!) but I’m really looking forward to working with you all again in 2012.

Thanks again for all your support this year, and thank you too for the Christmas gifts which are sitting under my tree waiting for the big day

Jane xx

PS everything starts again on Monday 9th January – click here for bootcamp dates 2012 :o)

I had a rather unusual day yesterday, spent slightly out of my comfort zone feeling for my own and other people’s auras…very zen and slightly bizarre! Not something I’ll be introducing to my training sessions (‘thank godness’ I hear you cry?!) but maybe something I’ll apply to myself somewhere further down the line?! It was good to step outside my normal field and have an alternative look at life.

Just a few brief updates again this week:

Well done to all my detox guinea pigs who are progressing well – hang in there with the clean eating plan as much as you can & for as long as you can for maximum return on your investment. I’m looking forward to sharing your results with everyone in the New Year.

Numbers for the Christmas meal are now confirmed so I look forward to seeing you all there on Wednesday.

If you volunteered yourself for a free sacral decompression I’ll see you next week – I’ll email out reminders tomorrow. I’ve already practised on a few of my PT clients and had some interesting results so it will be good to try it out on some more bodies and see what we can find…

Raw food recipe:

This week a friend sent me this fabulous recipe for a chocolate tart made by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall on his channel 4 series last week. His challenge was to prepare a banquet using only raw foods and this was his dessert course. I haven’t tried it yet but will definitely be giving it a go over the next couple of weeks – hope mine looks half a good as this one!

• http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/raw-chocolate-ganache-tart-recipe

Let me know how you get on if you give it a try – better still bring me a piece!!!

Bootcamp news:

1. after a sudden downpour we had a very wet finish but the 9am sessions are now over for 2012 (:o( – but don’t forget that you can come along to the 6.15am sessions or the 7pm Super-Circuits (Mondays) if you don’t want to wait until 9th January for your next class
2. there are 2 more weeks of the 6.15am bootcamp so come out and enjoy some bright & frosty mornings to get you in the mood for the festive season
3. there are only 5 more days to buy the annual 12 for 9 bootcamp package so please let me know if you want to do this (refer to earlier email for full details – or let me know if you didn’t receive an email about this)
4. if you are a 9am bootcamper you need to email me about your payment so that I know how many sessions you would like once we go to 4-weekly sessions in January
5. mats are now here! all 6.15am bootcampers will be getting theirs this week

6.15am bootcamp next week:

• Monday – Bodyshock 3 (DB)
• Wednesday – ME 27 (DB)
• Friday – Ladders & shuttle drills (DB)

I’m just heading into London – thought I’d leave you with another cute pic from fb this week. I love satsumas – we always had one in the foot of our stockings on Christmas morning so they always make me smile – but this one even more so :o)

Hope you have a great day – see you soon

Jane x