60,000+ page views!!!! THANK YOU!!!

What else can I say but THANK YOU!!!! 

I was so amazed to log in this morning to see the amount of pages that have been viewed by all you wonderful people. I am honoured, I am grateful and so happy that my journey can be of some value in your lives. YOU mean so much to me so once again, thank you.


Workout
Neck update, all okay. Nothing major thank goodness. Just a nerve pinching the main brain stem from a muscular condition (sounds bad when I write it?). So all this rest I have done, has been great. I just need to make sure I listen to my body especially if I am running with my stitch, not to tense my neck and shoulder region. Or perhaps just stop for now until I get better.

I modified my FYM exercises today from the Transformation Kit so I mainly worked my lower body. I also added some additional squats, against our wall outside with a SB (swiss ball) to ease any pressure. Never workout in discomfort, listen to your body and rest when needed.

Breakfast
Chocolate protein waffles with greek yogurt and raspberries

Ingredients
1 scoop of 180 Nutrition coconut protein powder
2 tsp cacao powder
1 cup of blended oats (until flour form)
handful of walnuts (blended with oats into flour form)
2 eggs
splash of milk
vanilla essence
sprinkle of cinnamon
apple concentrate (or use a banana for the sweet factor)

Method
Mix dry ingredients well, add wet ingredients until you get a smooth batter for waffles (just thicker than my typical crepes mixture)

Morning snack
Strawberry 180 Nutrition coconut protein drink

Lunch
Quinoa salad sandwich
6 cherry tomatoes
1 latte

Afternoon
French toast with feta

Ingredients
eggs
feta
ricotta cheese
wholegrain bread
olive oil

Method
Whisk all ingredients together, dip bread into mixture and gently pan fry in olive oil until golden brown

Dinner
Mini beef hamburgers with corn on the cob and roasted carrot fries

Sorry dinner is a bit boring tonight, I am keeping it low key with cooking in the kitchen and didn't do much shopping so just using what ingredients we have in the fridge.

Ingredients
mince meat
garlic
herbs
1 egg
corn on the cob
carrots (cut in half and into long sticks)
cumin
coriander
S&P
honey
olive oil

Method
Mix mince meat with S&P, garlic, preferred herbs, eggs and roll into balls (I squash them into mini burgers for a quicker cooking process!)
Meanwhile clean and wash corn on the cobs and carrots. Boil in salty water. Just before carrots are tender, drain and mix some honey with olive oil, cumin, coriander, S&P and roast in oven until golden brown.

Hope you all had a sensational Thursday and once again apologies for the quick post. Off to Melbourne tomorrow to pick up my beautiful Mother that we haven't seen in over 3 months.

See you next time!!!! 

Xx Dani

Rest and repair day!!! Get spoilt as well

What a sensational quote!!!

My belief has always been....BE what you have always wanted to BE!!!! Also surround yourself with less clutter especially around your home, that's where I fall short. I really need to get rid of things around the house that I clearly do not use and simply have hanging around for "some perfect day" I might just need this! Yeah, like whatever! Get rid of it Dani!!! 

HAVE LESS. DO MORE. BE MORE.

So I had a bit of a sleep in this morning before my CT scan so I whipped up:

Breakfast

3/4 cup oats/LSA mix

handful of walnuts

2 scoops of 180 Nutrition coconut protein powder

1/2 banana

3 strawberries

1/2tsp black chia seeds

250ml milk

And off I went to the hospital with my breaky on the go, in fact here I am (for those that don't follow me on Instagram or Facebook) all smiles just to mask the pain, even though I am 100% better than I was yesterday especially after the adjustment at the Chiropractor! Oh yes and of course my dearest Valium ;-)

Morning snack

180 Nutrition chocolate bar

A very filling protein bar jam packed with all the lovely chia & sesame seeds, almond & tahini paste etc....I knew if I was delayed at the hospital this would be a fab meal replacement and it filled the gap beautifully before my lunch feast at home!

Lunch

Zucchini (courgette) ribbons with vegetable bolognese sauce

It's always handy having dinner left overs especially when your husband is home and isn't quite sure what to prepare you for lunch! Once again, he did extremely well but then said we deserved a little afternoon tea "treat" outside of the house today! So we went to a cafe and ordered.....

Afternoon snack

latte

mars bar chocolate cake (x1 serve between 6 people)

One of course to share amongst the six of us! Now that's what I call a good UPI (unexpected personal indulgent) as I didn't have to smash it all on my own (I would've, no problem) however the help of my other 4 little mouths and my darling hubby, I only got 3 spoon fills. Which was just enough and hit the spot.

Here is a glimpse of the cafe/restaurant we were at today.

The Grapes Hotel

And then we were off!!!! Out for dinner so I can have another night off! 

Dinner
Pork spare ribs with a greek garden salad

Another night off? WOW! Dinner at The Steakhouse Restaurant, now. YUMMO ribs!!! Like, finger licking yummo!!!

I am extremely lucky although I know I would much rather be in the kitchen than resting in bed. HANG ON! Did I just say that? Well, rest is what I do need so I won't complain about that, it's just the circumstances that aren't too pleasant but all is well and I look forward to touching base with you all tomorrow. As my Mother would say "You mustn't be sick if you have time to go on the computer" in a Serbian accent of course!

LAKU NOĆ ~ Goodnight everyone
Xx Dani

180 Nutrition protein powder IS HERE!!!!

You have all been asking about what natural coconut and chocolate protein powder I am using.

Okay, I have tried and tested it and I would like to introduce you to.....drum roll please....

As you all know, I have been searching for an all organic, raw and vegan protein powder and I am proud to say these guys tick all the boxes. Feel free to peruse their site for more info and grab their sample packs to trial. As it is different to all the other protein powders, there are no synthetic fillers, sugar or preservatives. All ingredients are natural, organic and raw ingredients. You can taste them all in your mouth! It feels different in your mouth, it's quite unique which sets them apart from the rest!

Hence when I opened the pack and saw the ingredients in their true form! I fell in love instantly. As I could find half of their ingredients in my pantry. And you know me how I like to experiment with food and recipes etc....this is what I came up with:

No bake 180 Nutrition cookie

Ingredients
2 cups of rolled oats
1 tsp sesame seeds
1tsp black chia seeds
1 tsp cacoa (for that extra chocolate taste)
1tsp coconut
drizzle of honey
1 scoop chocolate 180 Nutrition
Splash of milk

Method
Mix all ingredients and add milk to combine until cookie dough consistency. Kids loved it!

My main driver when researching the protein powder, I wanted to make sure that their whey protein isolate was nothing but the highest of quality, nutrient dense, chemical free and of course home grown raw ingredients!!!

Anyhow, that's my view of the product. Click on their logo and read for yourself and let me know how you go!!! I am really happy with the 2 choices, as the chocolate gives me my sugar fix when I need it and the coconut one works beautifully with my green smoothies, as it's a neutral tasting powder.

Workout
Had to give it a miss today due to my neck. Went to see a GP and Chiropractor. I have a C1 pressing on my brain stem and need to get a CT scan in the morning. All good, drugged up so it's going to be a ok. Keep you posted with the results, I'm just tipping I have been a bit overloaded with some stuff going on here at home so it's just my body telling me to  s.l.o.w  i.t  d.o.w.n

Breakfast
Raspberry and strawberry porridge with black chia seeds and walnuts

Morning snack
Natural greek yogurt served with strawberries and cantaloupe

Lunch
Chicken cheese sandwiches

We were all over the place this afternoon so I was grateful Adrian was around to help me with the kids, make lunch and drop me off at the doctors....when I got back home I was still very hungry and this protein drink really filled my tummy up!

Afternoon snack
Chocolate 180 Nutrition smoothie
1 banana
chia seeds
walnuts
milk

Dinner
Vegetable bolognese with wholemeal pasta (I had it with zucchini juliennes)

Adrian took this photo however I took the one below as I set out all the ingredients for him and a list on how to cook a simple bolognese sauce.

Method
Heat olive oil and sautee onion, garlic, carrots, capsicum (red bell pepper) and zucchini (corgette). Once cooked, add mince meat, herbs and cook until brown. Pour tomato passata sauce and 1 tin of crushed tomatoes. Add more passata if required with tomato paste and water. He did a great job!!!

Okay another early night for me, it was chaotic today! I hope you are all fantastic and thanks for all your comments here, Facebook and Instagram! You truly make my day!!!

Xx Dani

Getting to Know...................................

This weeks getting to know is...........................................................Kellie Vereyken

For people that see Kellie around the gym you will read this and simply think how the hell does she do it. Kellie is one of those "can do" people and will not let anything get in her way. I hope the following get to know inspires some people, Kellie has come along way in her training and with the obstacles she faces her story is  truely a great one.

Kellie in training for one of her 2012 goals...Tough Mudder

How did you discover Hybrid?
I commenced PT sessions with Shaun in 2009 under Functional Habits and have just followed along with the transition to Hybrid. For me it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

What were your thoughts after your first class at Hybrid?
I want more!!!!

Favourite Hybrid Class?
Nothing beats my PT sessions but Fighting Fit is a close second.

Favourite Hybrid exercise?
Hindu Push ups

Exercise your not so fond of?
Thrusters

What changes in your health, physique and performance have you observed since starting at Hybrid?
My physical strength has improved immensely and I have gainedmore muscle. My mental strength and endurance has also increased.

Tell us something no one knows about you or people would be surprised to know about you?
I suffer from two Auto Immune diseases & the combination of the two is extremely rare; SLE (Lupus) and Myasthenia Gravis. The MG is a neuromuscular disease which affects the use of my muscles leaving them weak and fatigued.

What is your favourite music to workout too?
Anything that has a cool groove and helps to get my heart rate up.

Which Hybrid member inspires you most and why?
For me it's not just one. Each and every person who walks through the Hybrid doors is inspirational. Unfortunately, sometimes you can't choose what happens to your body but you have the choice to respect it and nuture it. If you are a Hybrid member, then you have made the choice and that's why i find you inspiring.

Proudest accomplishment thus far at Hybrid?
Learning how to do Olympic-style lifting. Heavy weights and muscle weakness....scary!!!

What are your goals for 2012?
Complete Tough Mudder and prove all my doctors wrong.

One word to describe you?
Proactive

One word to describe Hybrid?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!!

We can report that Kellie has achieved her goal of completing the Tough Mudder, conquering it on the weekend. Congratulations Kellie your training is with the attitude of no excuses and your performances demonstrate this attitude.

Fit Yummy Mummy WEEK 4 transformation challenge continues....

YAY!!! I can't believe we're nearly half way through the FYM challenge!!! Time to crank it up to the next level as I have been a bit complacent. I still haven't managed to buy heavier weights, so this is my mission this week. My 4.5kgs dumbbells are like lifting feathers (well, not really but you know what I mean). Just need to build my strength a bit more and looking at buying either heavier dumbbells, a 10kg plate or getting a kettle bell? Or maybe all of the above???

What weights do you prefer to use?

I'll keep you posted with my new purchase/s. My real hassle with all this equipment, is storage! I have no dedicated place to store these guys so that's why I have been a bit slack purchasing them!

Oh yes, forgot to mention I was featured on Fit Yummy Mummy's blog on Saturday if you'd like to check it out. I'm so glad that I can be a great ambassador of Clubfym and encourage those women who are wanting to regain their body back after having babies. 15 minutes per day is all it takes me to get the results I have got, so I do hope to see you there!!!!

Workouts

I completed my Transformation Kit workout yesterday and even managed to do my 12km run on Saturday. Pretty huge effort I think for someone that has only been able to run a bath!!! I am completely stepping out of my comfort zone and trying to embrace something I am not so good at!

Here is the scenery and running track I was running beside and loving every minute of it!

How divine is this running track ~ Lake Wendouree, Ballarat

Run Ballarat course

Breakfast

Bircher muesli with strawberries

Ingredients

Oats

pepita seeds

sunflower seeds

2 oranges (juices)

1 lemon (juice)

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

2 chopped dried apricots

Method

Soak above ingredients overnight and add milk and fresh fruit and enjoy!

Morning snack
Yogurt with fruit

Lunch
Smoked salmon and egg salad

Ingredients
2 slices of smoked salmon
1 tomato
1 handful of spinach
3 hard boiled eggs
drizzle of olive oil & vinegar

Afternoon snack

Coconut banana protein smoothie

Dinner
Broccolini with BBQ chicken skewers

The dressing
3 crushed garlics
1 tsp seeded mustard
1 tablespoon white rice vinegar
S&P
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Add all ingredients together (except olive oil) then add olive oil last to emulsify this delightful dressing!

This is the dressing I poured over the steamed broccolini which I prepare in 4 stages. I also toast pine nuts and generously sprinkle over the broccolini, we love the taste!

1. Wash broccolini thoroughly
2. Steam broccolini
3. Place in cold icy water (remains green and fresh looking)
4. Drain in colander with absorbent kitchen paper

With the chicken skewers I pretty much marinated them in lemon juice, seasoned with S&P, 2 crushed garlics and tarragon leaves. I also leave the bamboo skewers in the tub to soak up the lemon juice to avoid them burning!

Off to bed early tonight, had vertigo all day today, very dizzy and light headed. I think it's caused by my pinched nerve in my neck. Not cool. Will go to Chiropractor tomorrow to check it all out.

Look forward to touching base with you all again! Have a sensational week!!!

Xx Dani

Personal Trainers dangerous Nutrition advice

I read an intersting comment from a personal trainer on facebook the other day. He was giving fitness tips and advised that to loss weight the best way was to calorie constrict (take less calories in than what your daily expenditure is) and not worry to much about what you are eating. So basically his message was that you can eat processed crap and bad foods all day but still loose weight. This is bad, bad advice and wrong on so many levels.....for me its like which angle will I take on this first to correct this misguided information.

So this is the angle I have taken for this certain post..... Food should only have one purpose, too make you healthy. The food you eat either makes you more healthy or it makes you less healthy. It is simple as that, it is not about total calories in versus calories out. If we only took this approach then yes you may be a healthy weight but I can guarentee you are anything but healthy. You probably are suffering major hormonal imbalances, have lost all your muscle mass, have a high level of visceral fat (also known as organ fat), have systemic inflammation and generally feel unwell (oh and this is just the start).

What else is interesting is if you do eat crap all day then you probably need to count calories as your built in calorie regulatory mechanisms has gone haywire. See we don't need to count calories if we are eating good food, your body has a built in hormonal mechanism that knows how much you should be eating. If you are making good food choices your body will tell you how much you need. If you are not making good food choices, signals in your body have been put totally out of commission, your body will tell you to eat when you are full, that you're hungry when your actually not, send you cravings for foods that you know will not make you healthier.

Etc, etc, etc. really I could go on and on, take another angle. However I want this to be short and get a direct point across. That point is good food choices equals good health.

So whats healthy? a good start is vegetables, fruits, nuts and meats.

Mom of Four Melts Muffin Top…Again!

Mom of Four Melts Muffin Top…Again!

By Holly Rigsby on Sep 22, 2012

Muffin Topless ….Again!

I Got My Body Back After 3 Babies In A Row!

It’s true – I have managed to get my body back within 12 months of having a baby, each and every time without fail, that is once I discovered Fit Yummy Mummy and ClubFYM after having my second baby.

I get asked by many women “do you think I’ll ever get my body back” OR “maybe I should just give up and accept my post baby body is what it is!”.

After having 4 babies I have been able to demonstrate how successful the FYM system works. Fit Yummy Mummy is not a yo yo fad diet system. That discipline and consistency pays off. I am here to show them they do not need to give up. This works! But I too, had to start from square one.

This is me in 2006…. I thought I was content with my life and weighing over 90kgs AKA 200lbs with the unhealthy food choices with no exercise regime in my life whatsoever….

Until I wanted my sexy back or rather my post baby body back! That’s when I found the Fit Yummy Mummy system and it changed MY life and my families FOREVER. I have been a member of ClubFYM since the birth of my second son Oscar in 2007. I have 2+2 kids Noah turned 7 in August, Oscar will be 5 in November, Mietta will be 3 in October and my baby girl Zali just turned 1 in August. So I’ve been one busy Mum planning all these birthdays as well as staying on top of my own personal fitness. FYM has been a fantastic fitness regime in my life. Combined with clean eating I am feeling fabulous, full of energy and just feel fantastic in general. It’s amazing how body image plays with your confidence.

The Workouts

I have followed a combination of the Fit Yummy Mummy ebook, Transformation Kit and the 15 minute Workouts of the Month Follow Along Videos posted at ClubFYM.com

The workouts are sensational. They are quick and really challenged me!

My Fitness Goals

Eat clean 90% of the time
Do a 2 week no sugar challenge
Lose the fluffy look
To increase my weights
Improve core strength exercises and resurface my abs
Tone and Lift

My Results

(Photo 1 Pregnant with Baby #4 at 40 Weeks
Photo 2 Results August 2012)

Starting Stats 10 Days Post Baby #Four
Height 5’11″
Weight 78kgs – 170lbs
muffin top 94 cms – 37 inches
Body fat 28%

Current Results August 2012
Height 5’11″
Weight: 64KGS ~ 141lb
Waist: 77CM ~ 30″
Hips: 92CM ~ 36″
Muffin top: 84CM ~ 33″
Body Fat: 17%

Total Results:
Removed 29 pounds of baby fat and melted 4 Inches off Muffin Top

Bye Bye Muffin Top ~ Flat Abs Are Made In The Kitchen

Clean Eating is key to melting the muffin top and enjoying flat tummy results! I plan our meals and snacks as much as possible. We have all become examples of clean living to all our family and friends. I have also mastered a lot of my cooking due to FYM as I pride myself on presentation to appeal to our entire family. I have DARED myself and learnt to make things from scratch eg: yogurt, almond butter & milk, dips, GF bread etc...

I get inspired by my family’s faces and compliments as I present them with their meals every day, searching my left over ingredients to find a new recipe to cook every day and trying to perfect our “clean eating” habits.

We just cut up some kiwi & strawberry for the bottom layer, added yogurt, then frozen berries with walnuts, topped with yogurt. Kids had honey drizzled onto, I added a mint leaf. Experiencing this transformation has been a win win for our entire family!

It has definitely given me a new outlook on life, a greater purpose if you like. Now that I have conquered my biggest physical challenges and repeated the process after my fourth child, I feel that anything is possible. That’s the greatest gift that FYM can give any potential yummy mummy, a greater sense of accomplishment, self worth and an unquenchable desire to not only better your own life, but those around you as well.

"Thank you Holly for a wonderful program that is truly inspirational.”

~ Dani Stevens, Age 38, Mom of Four (ages 7-1) Australia, Victoria

The Ladies at ClubFYM and I are here to help YOU achieve your Best Body Yet!

Your Friend and Fit Yummy Mummy Coach,

 Are you doing this?

Supportive people will be such a blessing to you, and really can help you to maintain your motivation for lifestyle change. Spending time with like-minded friends can also give you the strength and confidence to deal with people who are spiteful of your success. And, it’s always good to have others around you who understand and can relate to what you’re going through.

Don’t forget ->  if you are ever in need of an uplifting and positive support system; the members of ClubFYM.com and myself are here to personally cheer you on.

Helping others be successful is one of the most rewarding aspects of our online community.

www.ClubFYM.com

The new monthly workout videos, meal planning tips, recipe forums and transformation challenges are just nice added perks ; ) We get that making changes to your lifestyle is difficult and that no one should have to do it alone.

Exercising with kids is so much fun!!!

Hello everyone and happy Friday to you all!! I hope you have an amazing weekend and I look forward to sharing my fun run experience in the morning. I really want to achieve the 12km distance, so I'll keep you posted with how I go.....or can you tell I am distracted with the footy??? GO PIES!!!!!

Workout 

Completed my FYM workout from the Transformation Kit and love the fact these exercises only take 15 minutes of my time and I can do them in the comfort of our own home. Especially now with school holidays, even the kids love to workout out with me....

What exercises do you like to do with kids??

Breakfast
Pineapple raspberry quinoa served with natural greek yogurt and walnuts

Morning snack
Coconut protein smoothie

Ingredients
1 banana
2 scoops of coconut protein powder
chia seeds
milk
chia seeds

Method
Place all ingredients in blender and let it whizz!!!

Lunch
Pumpkin salad with feta, mushrooms and ham

Afternoon snack
2 hard boiled eggs with vegetable sticks

Dinner
Chicken breast wrapped in bacon served with steamed broccoli and carrots

Always remember if you fail to plan, plan to fail. Ensure you spend at least half an hour over the weekend and plan your meals for next week. Stock up on supportive snacks and I look forward to sharing our meals with you all next week! 

Xx Dani

My Mum is back from Serbia!!! Woo hoo!!!

Hello everyone, how are you? We are all really well and keeping busy these school holidays. Noah finishes up tomorrow so we have a full 2 weeks of kids activities which I'll keep you posted with. Many catch ups and day trips along with the arrival of my Mother from Serbia, which the kids and I are really excited about. 

How quick 3 months have gone.... I really did miss my Mother, Mira. For those of you that don't know who my Mum is, this photo was taken when I just announced I was pregnant with baby no. 4 Zali "Mirjana" which my Mum was stoked about that we named her after her!

My Mum Mirjana and I Dec 2010

Workout

Day of rest however I did go out for that run I mentioned last night, so early to bed for an early to rise run which was great fun!!! 

I did a bit of a cross country running course this morning which was very challenging, I don't typically run big hills but this morning I had a limited window to run (only ran 4.6kms AKA 2.9mi) so I thought it may as well be a challenging course. Mind you majority of the hills I had to stop and walk it a bit but better than me laying in bed thinking about running, I just did it!!!

I'm looking forward to the practise run for Run Ballarat this Saturday morning and in my mind I'm thinking of trying out the complete 12kms (7.45mi) circuit. See how I go....



Breakfast
Pineapple quinoa with milk

I added the milk after I took this photo

Morning snack
Natural greek yogurt with strawberries, sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds

Lunch
Chickpea curry on 2 toasted (wholegrain) sandwiches with tomatoes

We went to meet with a girlfriend (impromptu) at our local park for lunch so I quickly packed this for our kids...

1. Chicken and parmesan on white rye bread
2. Laughing cow cheese
3. Apple and cinnamon with freshly squeezed lemon juice
3. Strawberries
4. Muesli bars
5. Fruit and vegetable puree's for baby Zali

Spent the late afternoon with Celeste and her gorgeous kids so when we got home I had to whip up a super quick dish.

Afternoon snack
Dip with vegetables and crackers

Celeste made a similar dish the other night and gave me her BIG bright idea!!! Meatball sausages!! Meaning, squeeze out the meat in small pieces and throw away the skin!!! I purposely bought gourmet red bell pepper and onion sausages (not a fan of the plain butchers sausages) so this dish was just that little bit tastier with the spiced up sausages!!!

Dinner

Meatball sausages and vegetable pasta

NB: I served mine on a bed of spinach while the rest of our family had wholemeal pasta 

Ingredients
1x packet of gourmet sausages
3 tomatoes or punnet of cherry tomatoes
2 mushrooms
bag of spinach
1 capsicum finely sliced
1 lemon
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 tbs yogurt or low reduced sour cream
S&P
olive oil
wholemeal pasta (optional)

Method

1. Cut ends off sausage and gently squeeze small amounts of meat and gently fry in olive oil. Add any spices and herbs at this time, I used a Moroccan based spice with cumin and coriander.

2. Add sliced capsicums, spinach, chopped mushrooms and tomatoes
3. While pasta is cooking, use pasta water as part of your sauce and squeeze entire lemon followed by all the drained pasta

4. Add a tablespoon of yogurt (or fat reduced sour cream) to make a lovely cream based sauce
5. Taste and add S&P if required, garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese


Here's me cooking in the kitchen with our kids!!!

Mietta pulling her famous wink smile for the camera, while Zali (mini me) poses for the camera!

It's always busy in our kitchen with one or all of our 4 kids in the kitchen, I love it! I hope one day they enjoy cooking in the kitchen as much as I do!!!

Goodnight my friends and I look forward to meeting with you all again tomorrow.

Xx Dani