More Plants, less Pants & Green Smoothies

The Vitamins and Minerals in Green Vegetables are imperative for so many metabolic functions within the body that whenever a client asks me for weight loss advice, I will always increase their greens. Especially leafy greens. It makes a difference to their body composition, energy levels, complexion ... the list goes on.

However...

I wasn't always a vegetable eating, pantless saint.

I used to really struggle to get the veggies down. Most of the time it would be all about Protein and Starchy Carbs, oh and avocado ... that's green right? (FYI Avocado is green in colour but isn't classified a vegetable. It's actually a single seeded berry, so no it doesn't count towards your green intake; but still eat them, they are awesome).

When I realised that I really needed to get more greens i, I started eating more salad (clever move right?). I still didn't get the same joy out of a salad as I did out of Pizza. However, what I did start to realise was that after eating a salad I felt amazing. I felt light in my tummy. I felt nourished, refuelled and energised. I obviously didn't get the same feeling after eating pizza, no matter how much I enjoyed the process of eating it; it was never worth the feeling of bloat and heaviness that followed. 

I have since then grown to love veggies as much as pizza. So much so, I actually feel it when I've haven't hit my greens target. When that happens, I make one of these;

More Plants - Less Pants Smoothie

1 x big handful kale

1 x big handful of baby spinach

1 x small handful frozen mango

1 x small handful fresh mint leaves

1 x half cucumber

1 x half kiwi fruit

1 x Glass unsweetened almond milk

sprinkle of cinnamon.

Blend.

Take pants off.

Consume.

Enjoy.

x

Shona.

#respectyourtemple

#Video: Sun Salutations from our #yogi Shona Vertue

So this will be the shortest post so far.  Short is good.  Short is to the point.  Short of vibrant energy and happy smiles is what you WON’T BE if you follow The Strength Temple #7Pillars 😉  Here's some wisdom from our resident Yoga Guru; Shona Vertue.

The foundation of every yoga posture lies in the Sun Salutations.

So, while we may not all get the chance to do  a 90 minute yoga class every week, if we can practice the Sun Salutations every day, we are building and maintaining the strength needed to tackle other postures. Oh, and to just have a generally better time in our bodies. 

Do this with me in the mornings to really enliven your body, mind and inner goddess (or god).

x

Miss Vertue.
#respectyourtemple

Let's focus on your Glutes ;-)

Not only are glutes apparently 'on trend' right now, they also make for a strong, healthy and pain free body!

Women especially are very much at risk of having under developed glutes because we wear high heels.  Although high heels do a lot to make us feel sexy, they actually bring our weight forward to the balls of our feet, causing us to make every movement a knee dominant one, rather than a hip dominate one (**knee dominant movements predominantly use Quads and Hip Dominant movements predominantly use gluten and hamstrings).  Combine this with lots of sitting in chairs and you have yourself a very under-active and potentially weak Gluteus Maximus or worse, a saggy bum.

So, here are my 5 top tips to grow beautiful and strong glutes!

1. Low reps AND High Reps - The gluteal muscles are predominantly slow type fibres, meaning they do respond to high rep training. However they are made up of about 32% fast twitch fibres, which means that you need to include some low rep, heavy weight exercises to the routine if you really want to see them grow.
   
   Start with heavy weight compound movements first, such as Dead lifts and Barbell glutes bridges, then finish your workout with some more isolated movements such as Reverse Hypers on a swiss ball to get blood into the muscle and increase the 'pump'.
    
2. Do the Barbell Glute Bridge (variation pictured above). It was made famous by Bret Contreas (the glute guy).
   
   It's definitely one to get into your program and one that has certainly made a difference in the development of my derriere.  Contreas says; “When the knees stay bent, the hamstrings are placed in “active insufficiency,” which means that they’re shortened and cannot contract with maximal force.  Since the hamstrings can’t produce sufficient force, more work is placed upon the gluten to get the job done.  This is why bent legged hip extension exercises such as bridge patterns work so well in hammering the glutes.”
    
3. Eat Well, and enough.  Starving yourself or even eating low nutrient quality foods is not going to help you put some junk in that trunk.  When I say junk, I'm talking about the good type - not the dimply type.  Cellulite, although caused by a number of factors including hormones, is also caused by toxicity build up.  Getting alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and processed foods out of your diet can make a HUGE difference.  We want peaches back there, not oranges.
    
4. uscle Growth takes time and consistency.  The odd kick back is not going to get you anywhere.  If you want growth of the muscle you also need to consider the progressive overload principle of training.
   
   Progressive overload is simply the principle of doing 'more' over time.  However, that 'more' can have so many different variables, from more weight, to more reps, to just more complex movement patterns.  If you're not changing the program and increasing the difficulty in some way (with perfect form of course) you won't really see a change.  This is where a really good, programming Personal Trainer will be able to help you out.
    
5. Activate the Glutes before you begin a leg workout.  You simply have to wake them up.  Especially if you spend all day sitting on your butt, you can't just expect it to turn on when you hear gym music.
   
   The gluteals need to be activated with specific, isolated movements.  Clams with resistant bands, band walks, body weight glute bridges are all great recipes for a highly alert buttocks!

So let's focus on your gluten this week.  Let us know how you get on :-)

Happy Training.

Shona Vertue x

#respectyourtemple

Anchors & Healthy Chocolate Thick Shakes!

Interview with Shona Vertue on Anchors and her Thick Choc Shake for health!

TST “So Shona.  Great to have you with us today.  We want to explore anchors and how they may affect our eating on a subconscious level.  Tell us about some of your food memories from when you were at school."

Shona "Well, when I was little, one of my favourite things to do with my Dad was to have a Chocolate thick shake from Macdonald's. I became really attached to this Thick Shake because it reminded me of the time I would spend with Dad. It was comfort food."

TST “Ok, so that’s a perfect example of how we can create anchors which associate a particular thing with a feeling.  Over time this can mean that we crave that thing when we need to go to that same feeling.  Do you still drink them?"

Shona “Well I gave up MacDonalds some time ago, and I have to say it’s the only thing I really missed.  I guess it’s because of the thoughts of the great times I had with my father.  I think I was searching for comfort, but I found that replacing it with something better for me hit all the Anchors and kept me healthier and feeling better."

TST “OK cool!  So you effectively used the anchor that you’d already developed, but replaced the old habit with an empowering new one?"

Shona “Yes, that’s right.  I invented my own recipe for a thick chocolate milkshake and I have to say I actually prefer it to the old one so it’s a massive step forwards.  I still get the lovely smooth chocolate hit and feelings of comfort, but also some great fuel for my body which doesn’t have the crash effect of the old version packed with processed sugars."

TST “Thank you Shona.  So it’s a great lesson for all of us.  When you crave a certain food, just stop to think for a moment why that might be happening.  What feelings are you craving?  Try and find another “vehicle” to satisfy your needs.  This can be a food, but it can also be a number of other activities or things.  Maybe even a nice glass of filtered water to replace a bad habit.  Perhaps go for a walk in the fresh air.  Or invent your own healthier version like Shona did!

Here’s Shona’s recipe for her Healthy Thick Chocolate Shake.  We’ve tried it and it comes highly recommended.  As usual go organic with all your ingredients and enjoy!"

MacShona's Thick Superfood Shake

1/2 - 1 Avocado (depending on size)

1 Tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder

1 ripe Banana

1 cup rice or oat milk (maybe more if you like a more runny consistency)

1 teaspoon Manuka Honey (If you like it a little sweeter try adding a couple of dates as well)

3-5 Ice Cubes

Sprinkle of Bee Pollen

Place everything in a good quality blender and hey presto!  MacShona’s thick Superfood Shake.

Shona Vertue xx

#respectyourtemple

#Video: Fancy a Quickie?

Breath is one of the Pillars of your Strength Temple.  It's there for a reason as it's so important for health, both physical and emotional.  One of the most amazing ways to focus on breath is through Yoga practice.

Here’s a beautiful article from Shona Vertue around treating yourself to some Yoga love.  We thrive on this at The Strength Temple and invite you to let Shona into your lives too.  She’s a force of nature.

How many of you find the thought of practicing yoga intimidating? Daunting even?  Putting the body in compromising positions, confronting situations, discomfort, stillness … it’s pretty scary stuff right?

I’m going to be honest here and tell you that it scares me too. And no word of a lie, about 2 minutes into my daily practice my brain has pretty much written a thesis on why I should stop and do something else.

That’s where the #yogaquickie concept came from … I thought – 5 minutes every day (or #yogaeverydamnday in the land of instagram) is better than 90 minutes once every month or fortnight.

6 minutes of deeply concentrated, joyful and breath-synchronised movement, is far more beneficial than 90 minutes of a pseudo-yoga class with a front row ticket to your own internal monologue ranting on about your likes and dislikes, to-do list and see-through lululemon pants.

10 minutes, 5 minutes, just 3 deep breaths even – it’s all yoga. To me an advanced yoga practitioner is determined by the quality of the connection between their body, mind and breath, not by how well they can impersonate a german pretzel.

I live in a busy city, time is more valuable than money and ironically more scarce – so I understand the need for fast, effective results. In my experience as an elite gymnast, yoga teacher, personal trainer and massage therapist, I know that nothing works better and faster than good old consistency (remember that concept of sticking to something for longer than it takes to go through your Facebook news feed?)….

So – give me roughly 3-5 minutes. Every day. Try a quickie, and see how you feel.  I've quite flexible!  Don't force any of the moves and only do what feels comfortable.  If you are unsure speak to your trainer or GP before you start on any type of new fitness campaign.

You’ll be amazed that you’re actually doing yoga. Every damn day and your body will thank you for it.

x
Miss Vertue

#respectyourtemple

Stairway to Heaven "Glutes"

“I should just note that I wrote this one quite some time ago when I was living in sunny Sydney. I Sadly don’t live near any park with steps. London is very flat. However, if you are near stairs – I hope this article brings you some inspiration to climb up, then down, then up again, then down, then up (because it’s important to finish on a high). Enjoy…”

Lately I’ve been looking at more dynamic and explosive ways of training my body, 1. because it’s fun and 2. because I don’t seem to have the time for these luxuriously long workouts anymore – so it has to be efficient with the time I have.

Stair sprints have been the answer.

There are a few main benefits to stair sprints. As mentioned above it is time efficient, allowing for a great cardiovascular and intense workout in under 15 minutes of training. Legs and Butt to brag about is benefit number two, as the explosive nature of stair running can do wonders for the Gluteus Maximus & Medius and Quadriceps. Benefit number three is the fact that it’s way more interesting that sitting on a leg extension machine or stepping up and down bench in the gym – you’re hopefully outdoors, in the sun, breathing fresh oxygen.

Today I ran up the beautiful, yet painfully steep steps at Cooper Park, Sydney 10 times. Resting at the top for 30 seconds before I would run down to enjoy it all over again (ok so I may be exaggerating when I say enjoy – it’s a love hate thing). Each time I ran back up the stairs I made a promise that I would go as hard as I could to the top, sprinting 2 steps at a time so that I would get a better Glute workout as opposed to just my Quads doing most of the work.

How To:

Begin with a quick warm up. Using Dynamic stretches like deep squats and psoas lunges. Also, complete a quick jog up the steps – taking one step at a time with a nice and gentle spring in your step.

When you feel warm go ahead and sprint as fast as you can up the steps, taking 2 steps at a time, drive through the heel of your top foot so that you are engaging, not just the quad, but the gluteus as well. Make sure that your knee is tracking directly over your ankle as you run up the steps. (Watch out for knees dropping inward – this could mean that you are not stable enough through the glute and need to slow down. Instead of sprinting, try walking up two steps at a time, consciously driving through the heel of your foot, watching the tracking of the knee and concentrating on squeezing your butt muscles to get you up).

Repeat this 10 times. Resting for anywhere between 30 – 50 seconds. If you’re new to this or you feel under conditioned take a longer rest.

Write down your results – how long it took you to get up the steps, how long you rested for and how many sets you did. Then beat it next week.

Obviously you shouldn’t be doing this sort of explosive training if you have any injuries – anywhere in your body. I say that very seriously – I know it may sound a little overprotective, however this workout is intense and extremely taxing on the body. Why put it under unnecessary stress when it is trying to heal? Injuries require slow stabilising workouts and massage – so be honest with yourself and your current physical state before attempting this workout.

If you can do the workout – Then try the post exercise stretch sequence below.

Watch the video first and then copy the sequence I have written for you below. It’s very quick and simple. DONT SKIP YOUR STRETCHES PEEPS!

1. Cresent lunge:

Begin with feet together and step back the left leg into a crescent lunge. Make sure your hips are square, your lower stomach is drawn in and pelvic floft edited (the kind of squeeze you would doif you were busting to go to the toilet).

Bring your palms together at your heart and reach up to stretch out your psoas and hip flexor muscles, twist your body to the right and hook your left elbow on the outside of the right leg (twisting crescent lunge).

2. Ardha Hanuman

Come back to centre and bring your finger tips to the floor. On an exhale press your hips backwards so that you come into Ardha Hanumanasana / Half Splits. Let your head completely relax down so that you get the full fascial stretch from the sole of your foot through the back of your leg right up to the back or your neck (yes! it’s that connected!)

Move in between these two postures, the lunge and Ardha Hanumanasana, by inhaling to brand the front knee and exhaling back in the the half split (Ardha Hanuman pose). Take as many rounds of this as you like going that little bit deeper each time (if your body allows for it).

2. Skandasana:

From Ardha Hanumanasana come back into the lunge by bending your front knee. Take both hand into the inside of your front leg. Begin to shift your weight all onto the front leg and you twist your body to the left. Place both hands on the outside of your left leg and fold forward.

Transition to take it all on the left side by bending the left knee into a lunge and repeat from the Crescent Lunge.

Happy Stretching.

x

Miss Vertue. (info@shonavertue.com)

#respectyourtemple #movementpillar