Homemade Muesli Bars
Dry ingredients:
2C Nuts (Almonds Cashews, Walnuts, Brazil nuts)*
½ C Sunflower Seeds
½ C Pepitas
½ Sesame seeds
1C Rolled Oats
½ C Quick Oats
½ Wheat Germ
Wet ingredients:
1/3 Molassas
1/3 C Honey
1/3 C Olive oil
1/3 C milk
1 egg white beaten
Preheat oven to 160 and grease a 20x8cm baking dish. Mix together dry ingredients. In a saucepan on low heat combine wet ingredients and stir melted and mixed. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Press into a baking dish. Bake for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and let them cool before cutting into desired portions, should make approx 12 bars.

You could also add ½ cup of dried fruit.
*To make it even simplier I used a seed and nut mix from “Aldi Supermarket” with all the nuts listed and Pepitas and Sunflower seeds

A great vegetarian snack. …..

Chickpea Lentil and Zucchini Patties
1x tin or 1 ½ Cups of Dried Chickpeas
1xtin or 1 Cup Dried Brown Lentials
1 Grated Zuchinni
1 Cup grated Pumpkin
1 Cup Wheat Germ
1 egg
If using dried chickpeas and lentils, cook in boiling water till soft. If using canned drain and rinse. Combine all ingredients. Roll into 7cm balls and squeeze off excess moisture. Spray a non stick frying pan with oil and put it on a high heat. Place each ball in frying pan and squash down with spatula. Cook for 4 mins on each side then put on a plate to cool. Dont worry if they fall apart a little…it wont effect the taste.

I like to have mine with a little bit of wasabi!!

Happy cooking
Sam

Wow, she looks beautiful, and I love it that she still has a beer in her hand!- she looks THAT great and she's STILL having fun !

Robyn says

                 “Hi Bianca, Here is my before photo, so very embarrassed, will NEVER let myself get like that again, thanks to what you have shared and taught me.  
I am extremely grateful to you and Pete and the team at Sculptlife. I have always found it a bit corny to hear people say “you changed my life” but now I find myself saying it to you.

                I feel good about myself for the first time EVER, I even let someone take a photo of me the other day. I have loads of energy and feel like i could do anything. You would have been very proud
of me over the break, I got the girls in the street and we did our own bootcamp sessions 6 days a week, rain or shine. I am so motivated to continue this lifestlye that you shared with me. I
sincerely thank you and my family thanks you and heres to hoping that one day us country bootcampers will all be together again !

A picture in this case really does say a thousand words !

Robyn, you have been an absolute pleasure to train, and I am so so proud of you.

Hey so if you want what she’s got – hit me up, I’m more than happy to sit down with you and have a chat, there’s no pressure ( i’m so not into that ! ) , just drop me a line at bianca@sculptlife.com.au

Oh and I did promise you my before and after photos too …..

I struggled in the past, but I had to find the answer myself - you've got it easier I'll show you all the tricks I know !

 So remember the door’s always open, come down and check us out in my private studio in Warana  – just click the “Get Your Free No Obligation Consultation Today”  below and your request comes straight to my email address!

Unfortunately, there can be an unpleasant side to peoples’ comments when embarking on your own health and fitness regime. I’ve often had to tell my clients to be wary of the people around them and how these people respond to their health and fitness regime.

Hopefully most of them will be like your personal cheer squad – the type of people who support you no matter what. They are there praising and encouraging you when things are going well and pick up your spirits and help you back on track when things get tougher. ( Being a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer means I’m  a 1 person cheer squad too!)

Then there are the people who appear supportive and believe they are being supportive but they may say things or behave in ways that lead you off your track or discourage you.
These people are the unconscious saboteurs of your weight loss journey and are more than likely people close to you, such as your family, friends and colleagues. They don’t intentionally go out of their way to sabotage you but act out of habit or what they think is right.

This happened to me once when I lost quite a bit of weight. I went to a party where there were people I hadn’t seen in a while, I bought a new outfit and I was looking forward to seeing their reactions to the changes I’d made.
The funny thing was I could tell they had noticed I was leaner – they’d look me up and down or out of the corner of their eyes – but no one made a comment what-so ever! It was confusing and a bit discouraging.
It happened again with the same group of people a few times over several months as I kept slimming down. I finally figured out that my success was confronting to them in some way. Instead of letting it get to me, I decided that if these people made no comment about my trimmer figure – I knew that I was looking good!

The people in your life may not be so subtle. Perhaps you know people who are conscious saboteurs – people who intentionally try to stop you from achieving your goals by behaving in certain ways or putting obstacles in your way. They might appear to be supportive but are actually thinking of ways to foil your success. Keep your eye out for these people as they are often those close to you, friends, family, colleagues or acquaintances and can be difficult to spot.

So while you are on your way to a slimmer, healthier, happier you – be aware of the people around you. How many are genuinely happy for you and your progress and how many are confronted or threatened by your success?
At the end of the day, remember that you are your own person and you are working towards your own betterment and personal development.  Don’t let someone else’s issues affect your own journey.

Live the life you want & love the body you’re in!

Yours In Health & Fitness,

Sascha Aiono

Sculptlife Personal Training

“Strong mind” are the words I use for myself and my clients,  the looks of discomfort and strain on their faces instantly replaced with an expression of steely resolve and determination to finish the set. It’s a really cool thing to see. It’s the ‘mind over matter’ mentality that pushes you through those last 30 seconds you were so sure you couldn’t finish – but then before you know it, it’s over and you did it! It’s a great feeling.

A lot of people don’t realise that mentally they are ready to give up long before their body is, as soon as it starts to feel uncomfortable or as soon as that burn just starts to set in, already they’re thinking ‘ok that’s enough’ or ‘ouch that hurts’ and they give up. A word of advice  - unfortunately exercise is not supposed to be comfortable! Not if you’re looking for great results! And I don’t mean that you need to flog yourself within an inch of your life to get results, what I do mean is that you need to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. That’s what achieving results is all about –  in any area of life.

Before I was a trainer, some years ago, I was participating in a bootcamp where we given 100 squat jumps to complete at the end of a gruelling hour session dragging tyres, hauling logs, carrying sand bags, backwards tiger crawling and many, many sprints up a hill that was literally at a 60 degree angle from the ground. If the squat jumps weren’t low enough or we didn’t keep in time the count went back to zero.
The second time we got to 50 only to be told the count was back at zero I was feeling like I’d never be able to finish it, the more I focused on the numbers the more I felt aggravated, discouraged and tired and just wanted to give up.
It was at these sessions that I developed the trick of focusing my mind outside of the physical discomfort and diverted my thoughts elsewhere. I’d think about what else I had to do that day, take in the scenery around me or think about how much stronger I’d be the next time we had to do squat jumps. Since I am still able to walk today its clear that my trick worked and I got to the end of those never-ending squat jumps!
( However, I was very sore over the next few days! Click here to find out more about injuries, strains and sore muscles)

It’s great to share with other like-minded people the mental toughness that has inspired you to keep going even when you were sure you couldn’t. So I’d love to hear about the times you’ve thought you couldn’t finish the set or make it to the end. What were you doing? What were you thinking? And what got you through it?

Yours In Health & Fitness
Sascha Aiono
SculptLife Personal Trainer

PS –  For our clients I promise that the above session wont appear in our group training sessions!! Way too hard just for the sake of being hard! Here at Sculptlife we’re about getting results that are achievable and maintainable without being flogged within an inch of your life!
If you’re not already a client, why not give us a try to see how we can help you achieve your ultimate health, fitness and figure goals. Click here to arrange your free fitness consultation – we’d love to help!

I lay there thinking about how much I loved bed, so cosy and comfy, and how nice would it be to stay there all morning, get up at 7.30 and just skip training altogether.
Almost immediately images from the night before popped into my head, I had been to a BodyBuilding contest and seen lots of lean, buffed bods in bikinis and high heels strutting around on stage. It was then that the Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer in me piped up and said “Unfortunately for you being warm and cosy in bed isnt going to get you to your health, figure and fitness goals! Get up!”
(See! Even us trainers are vicitims of our own trainer-to-client encouragement!)

And so reluctantly I got up, reached for some training clothes, devised a way to get dressed that would expose the least amount of bare skin to the cold air outside the bed covers (ie: getting dressed under the covers!!) This took a while, considering I was getting dressed in bed and when it’s cold outside, I usually layer up my workout gear so I’m warm until my heart rate is up, then I can start taking off the layers as I get warmer. Finally I was ready and went for my run.

Forty-five minutes later I was pumped, on an endorphin high and feeling great and I thought about how my day would have started if I hadnt gotten up and trained; it seemed like a sluggish and lethargic way to start the day and I was glad that I hadnt stayed in bed.

Even some of our clients have encountered and overcome this same early morning, inner-monologue debate. One such client bounds up to me in the mornings at 5.30am in the dark, and cheerily says “good morning!” while i’m still mentally waking up! (Even though my body is up and awake – my brain is often half and hour behind my body!) It takes a bit of mental toughness to get up and get going when the rest of the population stays inside in their beds where its warm.

I’d like to know about the times you’ve had to talk yourself out of bed to get to training or the tips and tricks you’ve come up with to make sure you get out there and get working towards your goals. One of our Sunshine Coast Personal Trainers – Sammy, her trick is to set 3 different alarms, while our office administrator Tiani asks her boyfriend to help her out of bed – this ‘help’ he interprets as pulling the covers off her, refusing to give them back then literally kicking her out of bed!   Harsh, but effective none-the-less!

If you’re having a little more trouble than getting out of a warm bed when trying to stay motivated on your fitness journey make sure you check out our article on “refocusing on fitness.”

So lets hear it then! Post your comment below!

Yours In Health & Fitness

Sascha Aiono
Sculptlife Personal Trainer

60grams of oats  (¾ cup )

30grams of frozen Blueberries

3 Tablespoons of Vanilla Protein Powder

¾ cup of water

Chuck all ingredients except the powder in together and zap in the microwave for 1 minute

 Stir through protein powder and add a dash of milk or any additional water as required.

 Enjoy!

Ros and Kerry Smerdon, Avocado & Custard Apple Farmers in the Glass House Mountains have been training with us for almost six months now and the have been making some amazing lifestyle changes ! I am really impressed with how much their fitness levels have improved, as well as their tone and shape. They are an absolute pleasure to train but you gotta watch out for these guys competitive streak -  and I think Ros’s interpretations of the rules on our “Games Day” are always… hmmm a little “lateral” but Kerry puts up a good fight too !

Ros was named Rural Business Woman of the Year ’08, hear what she has to say : “While we had a physically active lifestyle through our work, Bianca and her team have showed us to eat well and exercise for strength and our health.  Their encouragement and interest in our health and wellbeing is not just as trainers but as friends also. Choosing healthy meals, not simply quick meals well has now become a positive habit for us. We have a lot more energy as well as losing weight and toning up.”

Kerry and Ros training at home with panoramic Glasshouse views

Ros & Sash laughing at Kerry's boxing jig drills

Kerry shows he's multi talented and displays his highland jig skills

Kerry & Ros Training

Way To Go Simon !

Daddy is a star

“Hey Bianca, you will be very proud – Simon did his first ever triathalon this morning with Dave and Jules!! Just want to say thanks to you and your brillant, fantastic awesome team of professionals. You guys are the best trainers in the world! Yep! We are with you for life! thanks so so much for all of your good work. without meeting you guys this just would not have been on our agenda. Shen x” Shennan Thomas, Mountain Creek

Caloundra Triathlon

When it comes to weight loss endeavours, we usually use excuses to justify why we failed when we didn’t see the results we wanted. So, instead of convincing ourselves something else was to blame for our less-than-satisfied results, why not take on a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude for success?

Now, we all have different circumstances in life that can make exercise regimes difficult to follow compared to the next person. So what is the big secret that the successful ones know that the others don’t?
Well, those that succeed look for ways to make exercise and their lifestyles work; instead of looking for excuses.

Have you heard yourself use any of these excuses?

I’m too busy, I don’t have time.

Ever heard the saying ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’? We all have the same 24 hours in a day and yet some people seem to get a lot more done than the rest of us. It’s usually these people that have a regular exercise routine in place and have made their health and fitness a priority. Additionally, the energy you earn from exercising regularily and eating clean means you can power through so much more than someone who doesnt. Don’t cheat yourself of the body you want because you haven’t made health and fitness a priority in your life.

I dont like exercising

I’m guessing you dont enjoy it because you’re out of shape and it feels difficult. Well, like I said before, if were easy every one would do it. If you perservere your fitness will increase, you’ll feel lighter and leaner and you’ll begin to love the feeling that comes with being fit.

I went for a walk last week and I drink low fat latte, thats good enough

Telling yourself that minimal effort is enough to budge that stubborn body fat is only cheating yourself of the results you want. Think to yourself, ‘am I really giving my honest 100% effort here?’
You’re the person who will care the most if you don’t reach your figure and fitness goals. We all know feeling disappointed when you know you could have done better really bites, so don’t let that happen, give it all you’ve got!

I’m trying really hard

There is a difference between trying and doing and unfortunatley your body only cares about what your are doing, not what you are trying to do. As much as we would love it, your body isn’t going to say ‘well, they are really trying hard to not eat junk food, let’s cut them some slack and shed a few kilos’.
It’s about what you do, not what you try to do.

So, how did you fare? Are you using these Exercise Excuses to convince yourself you can’t acheive the body you really want? It’s important to get used to the idea that obtaining your ideal body will take some hard work and sacrifice.
Make sure you understand and accept that from the start and just get on with the work that has to be done. You’ll find that you CAN lose weight and i’m sure you’ll be pleased with your results!

PS – If you need some help getting serious about your training and healthy eating regime, give me a call at 0433 147 833 or visit www.sculptlife.com.au to book a free fitness consultation valued at $80. We’ll help you bust some of these excuses to get your to your ideal body!

One quote I would like to share with you, which I find helps me focus when I have my
eye on a finish line is:

If it was easy, everybody would do it

I suppose it’s my own form of saying, “Get some Tuff’n Up Juice inta ya !” Anything
worthwhile doing is going to take some hard work and some sacrifice. So to help
you through these last couple of weeks I wanted to let you know some tips so that
you can work smarter not harder.

The 6 Most Common and Critical Dieting Mistakes

1. Skipping Meals or Snacks.
Don’t think that you’ll lose more fat by skipping meals, actually the opposite will
happen and your body will go into starvation mode, hanging on to fat for dear
life.

2. Overcompensating with portion sizes
You should finish each meal just before you feel sated, and not eat more in one
meal just because you skipped the one before. Or undereat because you gorged
the night before, just get back on the bandwagon and eat the normal meal you
originally planned.

3. Relying only on the scales for your progress
You should be aiming for a half a kilo to a kilo of pure fat loss a week. Weekly losses
above that mean you’ve also lost fluid and sacrificed some fat burning muscle. It also
means that you are more likely to gain that weight back again.

4. Severly restricting calories
Lowering your calories excessively makes your body say :
“Am I in the desert? Am I walking on the kokoda traill in enemy territory? Well I better
hold on to this energy dense fat as stubbornly as possible, and burn some of this
energy expensive muscle because I don’t know when I’m going get my next sqare meal”

5. Being impatient & unrealistic
I could almost say The Biggest Loser has been the bane of my existence! I get super
motivated clients at the first weeks of programs, and then when they don’t lose 10 kilos in
the first week they are disapointed! Remember, if it was easy everybody would do it, and
that weight didn’t come on in a week, so set yourself realistic weight loss goals with a
routine that fits into your lifestyle and you will achieve safe and permanent weight loss!

6. Relying on the scales as your only feedback.
Many people make educated and well informed opinions on events everyday. Not so when
it comes to their weight and body image! You can’t compare apples to oranges, so why
only use weight as your measure of success when weight takes into account muscle
glycogen (energy) storage, the amount and density of lean muscle, hydration levels ASWELL as
fat. Use measurements, how your clothes feel, how you look in the mirror and compliments
from friends and family to really gauge how you are going.

So, now you know the Top 6 Most Critical Dieting Mistakes….. Don’t Make ‘Em!!!
I urge you to go through the Your Best Body Guide again this week, mark your Week 6
Self Assessment and plan out your sessions and meal ideas for the next two weeks.

That is the most powerful advice I could give you right now, if you have any questions
please don’t hesitate to send me an email at info@sculptlife.com.au or call the office
at 5438 7609.

Bye for now !
Bianca

PS. We’ll be doing our Christmas Break Up Games & YBB Awards Breakfast on Dec 12th 7am – 10am at Point Cartwright. Stay tuned for more details !