Ultimate Guide to Autumn Wellbeing

What to wear

How to train

What to eat

Darker mornings and dropping temperatures signal that it's almost time to put away our fluro crop tops and tiny butt flashing running shorts. With a heavy heart we have to admit that Summer is winding up.

Autumn is when we dance that fine line in between getting up for our morning run in the dark and snuggling in for more doona time. We have to make the tough call between green juice or hot chocolate. The tiniest sign of rain or icy Autumn breeze can tip us over the edge.

There is hope though; It comes in the form of sports luxe fashion, tasty food options, trending season colours and invigorating workout ideas. Here's a guide to keep you inspired and energised for Autumn.

Season Love

Workouts
If rain and crisp air is your excuse not to run then try swapping your morning run for a yoga or barre class.
Fitness classes are the best way to stay motivated and ensure you stick to your routine even when it's cold. Grab a buddy and find a boutique studio. My favourites in Sydney are Body, Mind Life Yoga & Pilates and Barre Body and in Melbourne I love Core Candy on Chapel st and Body Flow Yoga in Windsor! You get a fantastic targeted workout, perfect for any mood, fitness level and weather conditions! No more excuses!

Love Movement
This site is your new inspiration for seasonal fit fashion. All the latest styles and ranges to take you from yoga class to brunch date and beyond. You'll find lots of great motivation on their Instagram @lovemovementactivewear. Nothing like new threads to keep you moving! Easter is just around the corner, treat yourself to some nice leggings or post workout sweater instead of all that chocolate! (But still take the chocolate if it's pana or carob! haha)


Colours and trends
I can't get enough of navy blue at the moment! I especially love it as a nail colour. Neutralised colours are slowly creeping in to replace the brights of summer, think ash gray instead of white, navy instead of aqua and burnt orange in place of fluro yellow. I'm also loving checks this year, a flannie over your workout gear or a checked scarf will complete your Autumn look.

Outdoor Training
Darker mornings means our outside workouts are starting later. Want to train but can't miss your morning meeting or school drop off? Cut your workout time in half with clever HIIT! For more information, workouts and reasons to try HIIT, check out my previous post.


Autumn Food
Feel like hot chips for dinner? Try my fav healthy option of kale, sweet potato and zucchini chips! Easy comfort food without compromising your diet. Some of my favourite fruit and veg are in season at the moment. I love potato and leek soup and sugar free rhubarb desserts!  Heres a full list of other tasty fresh produce for Autumn. Another great swap instead of that tempting hot chocolate is a ginger tea, it will fill you up, help your immune system and support digestion.




Getting homely
 In Autumn we tend to start spending more time indoors, so why not give your space a little makeover? A new cozy doona cover or some chic candle holders? Try @madebycara for inspiration and ideas. Reenergizing you space will make you feel more energetic too!

Mindset
Don't fight the cooler weather, embrace it and treat it as a challenge to stay on track. Review your New Years health resolutions and write them down again to remind you why you chose them. It's a great time to check in with your progress and be proud of everything you have achieved so far in 2015. Even if you didn't make it to the gym 4 times a week like you promised yourself, maybe you're doing 2 sessions and a long walk or yoga class every other day, which is FANTASTIC! Your body will go through changes with the season too, so tune in to its needs and treat yourself well.

Happy Healthy Autumn!

Love Jade

xx

HIIT- What's all the fuss about

High Intensity Interval Training

This type of training is short, intense bursts of activity followed by a less intense recovery and repeated several times. Sprinting, skipping and burpees are popular exercises for HIIT. HIIT will increase your athletic capacity, get your metabolism going and increase fat burning. Studies have shown that these high intensity bursts wit recovery can be up to 50% more efficient than continual low intensity exercises.

Tabata is a form of HIIT that lasts only four minutes. But it's a tough four minutes! You work hard for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and repeat eight times! Some popular Tabata exercises are pushups, sit ups, mountain climbers or squats.

Does it work?

It works for me. I use a treadmill at the gym three times a week to do 30 second sprint and 30 seconds rest. My favorite trainer Juliette Vagg first introduced me to this routine and I consistently see results when I train like this. I feel leaner and stronger. It's easy for me to stay motivated because I say to myself "It's ONLY a few minutes."

My tip is to start at 5 minutes twice a week on a low setting and work your way up as your fitness improves, adding a minute each week and adjusting the speeds as you get more comfortable. Usually 4-12 minutes is the recommended time for each HIIT session. For me, this is much more effective than spending 20 or 30 minutes on a cross trainer or other cardio machine- Because slogging away on a treadmill can be downright boring, unless you're chatting with a girlfriend, which means you aren't working hard enough anyway!

Some of my favourite interval training workouts are: 

45 seconds skipping, 45 seconds plank.

45 seconds high knees, 45 seconds slow squats

30 seconds sprint, 30 seconds rest.

With friends

Beach sprints- race to the water and walk back several times

Boxing-  Continual fast punches while the other holds the pads for you. Switch every minute for 8 minutes.

Skipping/yoga- One partner does 50 skips while the other moves through cat/cow pose. Switch.

**Remember to see results it has to be HIGH intensity. No slow jogging- really put everything into it!

Happy Training!!!


Love Jade

xxx

Repair your body with tasty treats!

Yummy protein treats!

Protein is such an important part of your diet when you are training, and especially for those of us that are vegetarian or vegan.

I try and get enough plant and seed based proteins in my diet but the extra boost of a powder helps to repair muscles and maintain your metabolism.

There are so many delicious ways to get that extra serve of protein when you're using a decent powder- I use protein snacks and smoothies instead of treats and desserts!

Here are some of my fav ideas. Please note that I'm hopeless with following recipes and using correct amounts so just use this as a guide and your common sense can hopefully fill in the gaps!

Blueberry and coconut protein shake

1/4 cup blueberries
1 scoop protein powder
coconut water to max line
ice

Blend and enjoy!


Banana and Kale Smoothie

1 banana,
1 cup raw kale
1 scoop protein
ts chia seeds
ts honey
Almond milk to max line
ice

Blend and enjoy cold

Peppermint Crisp Protein Bars
(This one is thanks to thehealthymaven.com)

1 cup of dates
1 cup of raw nuts (almonds or cashews or a mix)
3/4 cup protein powder
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/2 ts peppermint extract
2T Almond milk
1/2 ts table salt
1/2 cup puffed brown rice or millet etc.

Put nuts into a food processor until ground. Add dates and combine until a paste like consistency has formed.

Add protein powder, cacao powder, peppermint, almond milk and salt. Process until a well blended sticky ball is formed.

Place into a bowl and add puffed rice and mix well with your hands (time to get dirty)


Use a reasonable sized baking dish
 (I never have the right sizes they suggest in the recipe, so just find something that is rectangle and looks like it suits)

Line with glad wrap and press the mixture in, flattening it to make sure the top is even.

Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes, then cut into bars or squares. Bloody delicious- in fact it's my boyfriends favourite, his exact words were "I can't believe YOU made it!" Thanks CJ.

Keep in the fridge or freezer. (The slice I mean, not your cheeky boyfriend)



I use a vanilla protein for these recipes, so you don't get conflicting flavours or added sugars. My favourite is Sun Warrior Classic Protein. I'd love to hear what you guys are doing at home too! If you have any other recipes for bliss balls or ways to create protein based desserts and snacks I'd love to hear them!

Email, tweet or comment!

Love Jade

xx

Wake Up Flawless

Busy girls guide to looking glam without makeup!

Are you a gym bunny, busy mum or  career woman on the go? Some superwomen are all three! Regardless of what your days are filled with, life is too short to spend time in front of the mirror worrying about makeup!

Avoid next day awkwardness if you 'play sleepovers' unexpectedly! No panda eyes or foundation left on the pillow.

2014 was the year of the #nomakeupselfie and 2015 is the year to put this into practice everyday!

If you're particularly attached to your bronzer or can't leave the house without mascara then here are some great beauty ideas for bare faced confidence.


Gradual Tan- Using a gradual tanner will help even out your skin tone without applying foundation. Great for all over the body and face, it's the easy, natural looking way to be ready for any occasion. My favourite is Mine Tan three-in-one gradual tan. It's gentle enough to use all over; even on sensitive skin. No tan lines or orange cake face, just your own gorgeous features with an added glow.

Teeth Whitening- The most effective way to enhance your smile is to brighten up your pearly whites. Having your teeth whitened will give you more confidence and another reason to smile! It's no secret that I love an occasional glass of red wine! (I know that my friends reading this will be rolling their eyes at this point or smiling remembering one of many great nights on the red!) However red wine, along with coffee and foods with strong pigment (think deep colours like spinach and beetroot!) can dim your smile over time. I visited Pure Smile in Sydney recently and was thrilled with the results. There are plenty of at home treatments to top up the treatment as well, so you can keep enjoying your favourite pinot guilt free!

Eyelash extensions- I'm not talking about huge stripper eyelashes! When I worked at Luella in Prahran years ago I was amazed to see how natural and lovely eyelash extensions can look! Particularly useful if you don't have time for mascara, have sensitive eyes or if you exercise a lot. I had them done when I was doing lots of Bikram Yoga, because mascara is ALWAYS a bad idea if you plan to get sweaty after work!

Arnica Cream- This little beauty secret is the best tool to improve dark circles under the eyes. It is an anti inflammatory cream that is often used to treat skin bruising, but a little dab under the eyes will help lighten any signs of a big night out.


After working in the beauty industry for years as a therapist, laser technician and manager it's nice to be able to share some tricks of the trade!


Have I missed anything? Let me know your other makeup free beauty tips!