by Melissa Woodward | Feb 22, 2016 | Healthy Lifestyle, Motivation, Nutrition, Pregnancy, Weight Loss
I often hear clients and potential clients share with me how they want to change their weight, their eating habits or their level of physical activity. They want to be fitter and eat healthier but struggle to keep motivation. They know what they should do, but fail to find a way to make it work for their busy lifestyle. They know the How but have you ever considered Why? Why do you want to change your lifestyle? One of our lovely clients who has been through our 12 Week Challenge twice before shared this story with me about why she wants to change. It really hit me how important it is to understand your reason for wanting change and when you discover this, you will maintain your focus on how you will achieve it. “On 1st February I start my third 12 Week Challenge with Evolution Health Services. I am looking forward to joining in the group of people ready to take on the challenge this time round. My journey through the first two challenges has been an interesting one.Through the first challenge I achieved so much. I was so proud of myself, and my confidence peaked. Then the second challenge started, and it was like I was just going through the motions. I was not motivated, I missed sessions, and I ate whatever I wanted. Looking back at it now, I know why this happened. I was not connected to my WHY. That’s why I love the new goal setting sheet Melissa has designed for this 12 week challenge. The first question is what is your Why. My Why is deeply personal. I have Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – which causes my ovaries to produce more than enough testosterone in my body, and this means I often have cysts growing on my ovaries. The condition is so much more than that with a range of side effects. It causes me to have acne even in my thirties, unwanted hair, trouble losing weight, and potential infertility. Hence my WHY is to be fit, strong, and fertile so I can conceive children one day. I also hope one day I can be a role model to my children, but for the moment hope I can inspire others around me. The Outdoor Training is my favourite part of the 12 Week Challenge, and I love that the kids of others get involved. It gives me hope that I can achieve my goal of being a mother, and being a role model for them one day. The kids inspire me in more ways than one, often they are little trainers themselves, especially with JJ yelling ‘jump’ when I do squat jumps. I can’t wait to start this 12 Week Challenge. I have my goals sheet completed and pinned on my board where I can see it every day. I hope to achieve a few small goals during the challenge including running consistency for 2kms. Let’s do this!” Amy Woodley. Amy’s story really pulls at my heart strings as a mother. I know that it’s not something that comes easily for everyone and if there is a way I can make a difference to her life and help her fulfil a dream bigger than losing weight, I will do everything I can think of to help. I would ask you to dig deep and think about Why you want to make a change to your lifestyle. Think about how your current lifestyle is holding you back from what you want in life. When you hit that pain point, you discover what is important and there you have your Why. Is it for the kids? Is it so your hubby can’t keep his hands off you? Is it so you feel confident to speak to new people or make new friends. Whatever it may be, remember your Why whenever you plan to give up. Your Why becomes a greater motivator than any motivational quote we can post on Facebook. Once you have your Why, we can help you with the How. Our 12 Week Healthy Lifestyle Challenge is about educating you to make positive changes to create a healthy lifestyle that suits you and your family. It’s not a quick fix and we will not do the work for you but you have two Personal Trainers here ready to help any time you need it. Contact us Today to get started on creating your own Healthy Lifestyle.
by Melissa Woodward | Jan 10, 2016 | Fitness, Healthy Lifestyle, Massage, Nutrition, Role Model
You work hard all week to provide for your family. You work long hours, you commute hours to work and put up with a tough boss all in the effort of being able to give your children the best start in life. You put your children first as you know the importance of a good start in life. You make sure they are in sport, eat a good dinner and go to bed at a reasonable hour. You are so tired after all the running around you prepare yourself a quick meal, complain about that niggling ache you have had for weeks, fall onto the lounge and may even fall asleep there. You have done an amazing job of caring for your children, but what about you? What would like to teach your children about caring for their own health? As a mum I have learnt from my own mum that you put yourself last for your children. While I appreciate everything that my mum did for us, I would have loved to see her healthy and happy too. I wonder if there a better way we can all get what we need. Blake is watching everything that we do from such a young age and I want to be able to teach him that it’s ok to care for himself. From 6 months old, Blake has watched us start our Outdoor Training Classes in Hurley Park. He came along to the Saturday sessions in Winter, snuggled up in his pram with my Nephew JJ, as our first members kickstarted their fitness program. Our first clients were my family. My mum, two sisters and 11 year old neice. As the boys grew, they started to mimic our moves. They would squat, do arm circles to warm up and tried little push ups. Today they run, jump and do burpees. All without ever been shown technique as I do with adults. They learnt through watching us move and had a go too. Through Fitness we were able to set a positive example and show how moving your body makes you feel. When it comes to nutrition in our household, we believe in balance and moderation. We are not perfect and work to make better choices each day. We like to indulge at times but are learning to reduce the options on the Christmas dessert table and invite more people to birthdays to share the cake. We try to make sure Blake has fresh fruit and vegetables for him every day but what about us? We make sure that we also eat the fruit and veggies. We know that making one nutritious meal for the whole family means we are all taken care of. Blake makes such amazing choices sometimes that it blows us away. He prefers water over any juice, loves bananas, peaches and yoghurt, and sultanas. We have never forced him to eat this but with what was available to him, these are the choices he made. When I eat something I probably shouldn’t, I see him curious to try. When I say no, I realise that by not wanting him to have it, should I even be having it. I need to model the food behaviours that I would like Blake to have too. This week I was giving my Nan a Remedial Massage. She needs some assistance getting onto my massage table and travelling. My mum was minding Blake while I worked and brought my Nan down for her appointment. He wanted to stay in the room so I allowed it. This was the first time he had ever seen my work in my clinic rooms. He looked and listened as I spoke. He watched as I started to treat my Nan. She made a noise as I hit a painful point. He then began asking “you alright Nan?”. He understood that something was happening and mummy was helping. The following day he walked up to my husband and said “Daddy, sore?” pointing to his arm. He then began to massage his arm. I realised then that we have been teachinghim the importance of touch and caring for one another. Over time we have realised the importance of self care. As parents we plan our time to allow each of us to have regular massage to treat issues impacting on our health. We want to be able to spend quality time with Blake without pain or stress. Tristan is part of Wimp2Warrior to follow his own passion for MMA Training, teaching Blake to follow your dreams. I am working on making it to more training sessions or making time to train myself. There are plenty of things we can do each week to care for ourselves outside of these. Something as simple as a walk, window shopping, read a blog post (wink wink), or spending 10 minutes in the sunshine. This week, pick one thing you can do for yourself. Looking after yourself this week will give you more energy to be able to care for your children. If I can support you in creating time for yourself Contact me here or would like to book a Massage, Book online now.
by Melissa Woodward | Jan 4, 2016 | Nutrition, Water
So it’s a new year and you have made the resolutions to improve your health in 2016. You have probaby come up with so many things to quit and you are looking at a tough road ahead as you go cold turkey. What about trying these 5 quick nutrition tips to kickstart 2016. Forget Cold Turkey Many people say you won’t break a habit until your mind is ready. Well instead of stressing about how crap you will feel when you give up your dependence on sugar or caffeine, try cutting down. Limit yourself to one soft drink per day. Or only have chocolate every second day until you can live without it. Make the process gradual and you will find one day, you may not need it any more. Banish the Extras Coffee gets a bad wrap as one thing to give up. Remember it’s not the coffee that’s trouble to your wasitline, it’s the milk and sugars that are added. Do you think skim milk is any better? Nope, it’s not. They may cut the fat out but the sugar is still there. What about the extra vanilla syrup added to mask the disgusting flavour of coffee? (yep I’m not a coffee drinker but trying to sympathise). All of these things are sabotaging your love of coffee. Pass the Bread How many meals per day do you consume containing bread? I have seen some food diaries that have toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and garlic bread for dinner. I think of bread as a filler. It fills you up but doesn’t offer all of the nutrition that fruit, vegetables or meat can offer. Try a Salad without wrapping it in bread or just scrambled eggs, bacon and avocado in the morning without the toast. Cut it from 1 meal per day and see the changes. You may think you are hungry but fill yourself with a piece of fruit. Make life more Fruity Try adding 1 piece of fruit to your diet per day. It’s simple to prepare, sometimes you can eat the skin, sometimes it needs a little peeling but it offers some great vitamins and minerals that the body needs daily. Try adding into a smoothie or slice it on top of your morning oats. Water Weight Do you ever wonder how much extra water weight you are carrying around? As an experiment at home, I jumped on the scales and it looked like I had put on 3 kgs over Christmas. I knew that couldn’t be right as we really didn’t eat too poorly and I was still doing some light exercise. During the day I drank more water, ate all of my meals and before I went to bed I jumped back on the scales out of curiousity. I had dropped over 1kg during the day. Usually it works the other way around as our weight increases as we eat and drink throughout the day. The only thing that I change was drinking water. Many people are stuck on the idea of 2L of water required per day but a more accurate formula is 3% of body weight. Therefore if you are a big guy, you need more than 2L and small ladies will need less. Increase your intake by 1 extra glass every couple of days until you reach your required intake. Try one of these tips each week this month and see if you can notice the positive changes. Remember to keep it simple and not overwhelm yourself with trying to be perfect. We are human and sometimes we just want something. For more nutrition advice, Contact us to schedule a Nutritional Coaching Session or Check out our improved 12 Week Healthly Lifestyle Challenge for Weekly Nutrition Lessons.
by Melissa Woodward | Sep 6, 2015 | Nutrition, Remedial Massage
This week is Massage Therapy Awareness Week so what better way to start, than to get to know me. So here’s your opportunityto meet your Remedial Massage Therapist – Melissa Woodward. Let’s start the fun with 10 Things About Me: 1. I have been a Remedial Massage Therapist for almost 13 years. I know what you are thinking, I look so young, how could I have been qualified for so long? I went straight from high school into 2 years at TAFE to learn to be a Remedial Massage Therapist. 2. I thought I wanted to be a Physiotherapist At the end of High School I decided to study massage after graduation. I thought I needed to go to uni and become a Physiotherapist to be able to help people. I fast realised that it was way too late to get a UAI of 99. (I have no idea what the kids are calling it these days but the number you need to get into a Uni Course). I have since discovered I can help people in many ways, sometimes just differently than a Physiotherapist. I was once told by a Physio that I treated like a Physio so that was quite flattering. 3. I was motivated by the idea of Massaging Footy Players Once again an idea in High School, I thought it would be so cool to get to work with hot footy players. Well my “dream” came true in my second year of study and I volunteered with a local Rugby League Club. It was not cool. I chalked it all up to a great experience and moved onto a new dream. 4. I did Massage the Sydney Kings and Shane Heal Yep probably started to show my age but as part of our experience with TAFE, we were given the opportunity to work on Athletes including the Sydney Kings. They were so tall that at times they could have up to 5 students working on them at once. I wish I had photos to share of this. 5. I took a break from Remedial Massage to be a Case Manager You may be asking WHY? Don’t worry, I ask myself the same thing. I had the idea that I understood workers compensation clients as I had treated them. I thought I would be able to help more people get back to work if I was in the insurance company giving them the treatment they needed. It was a very stressful job. Sometimes rewarding, sometimes I was abused but I also made some wonderful friends who probably went in with the same rose coloured glasses to help people. 6. Having a baby got me back into Massage Yep it was after the birth of my gorgeous boy Blake that I decided I wasn’t going back to Case Management and I was going to do what I loved. With plenty of family Guinea Pigs willing to have a massage to brush up on my skills I knew I still had it. I started working with an Osteopath when Blake was 5 months old and eventually we started Evolution Health Services to include Personal Training. 7. I’m also a Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutritional Coach I saw the benefits of exercise early while working with Physiotherapists so I figured that I should learn about that too. I first studied Fitness in 2003 but finally finished my Certificate 4 in Fitness during my 3rd attempt while pregnant with Blake. At 15 weeks pregnant, completing my practical exam, I knew I better hurry up and finish. Circumstances always got in my way but I am so glad to have persevered and finished. The same week of going back to Massage, looking after my 5 month old and 8 month old nephew, I thought hey why not study nutrition too. 8. “Your hands must get so sore” I hear this statement all of the time but really my hands are the last place that hurts. Usually it is my legs from being on my feet for hours or my back from leaning over a massage table. I have booked myself in for regular massage now too so I take care of my body so it doesn’t hurt. 9. No I don’t really like putting you through pain Many people ask if I like inflicting pain but I really don’t. I really try to balance the hurt with the nice techniques that I know will relax and feel good. Sometimes I need to inflict a little pain where I may look like I am smiling but I am cringing and asking for your forgiveness with my smile. 10. I absolutely love my job I am so passionate about Remedial Massage and regularly get on my high horse about certain topics relating to it but I am so glad that I decided to return to Massage. I am proud of the business we are building and the wonderful people I have been able to help so far. I know that there are plenty more out there that I am yet to help and I cannot wait to meet them too. If you would like to know more, please feel free to send me an email with your questions: [email protected]
by Melissa Woodward | Aug 3, 2015 | Fitness, Nutrition, Remedial Massage
You may have seen this statement on the back of our singlets or on our website. But what does is mean? How can we help you look better, feel better, move better? At Evolution Health Services, we are passionate about making fitness more than just weight loss. We want you to see all the benefits that fitness and Remedial Massage can bring to your life. We care about you and we know we have a solution for your problem. If we can’t help, we will find someone who specialises to help. Look Better This one seems obvious as when you lose weight from our Group Training or Personal Training sessions you will look better. Weight loss to us is more than just what the scales read. We have watched the transformation of our clients and the best thing to see is the muscle tone they now have. It’s not bulging man muscles, it’s sexy curves and a strong body. Another part of looking better comes from Remedial Massage. When you are pain free you would be amazed at how much better you look. I am passionate about making sure that your muscles are healthy and that you leave your massage pain free. Good nutrition plays an important role in how you look. Many symptoms of poor nutrition present in your body through nutritional deficiencies. These include dark circles around your eyes, dry skin, wrinkles, dandruff and brittle nails to name a few. Through adopting better nutrition practices you can reduce these symptoms within your body. Speak to me about any concerns you have with your nutrition. Feel Better Exercise provides endorphins and makes you feel better after most sessions. You probably feel worn out at first but you have to admit that you do feel great. Many of the women in our 12 Week Challenge noticed in the early weeks that they now have more energy. They noticed they felt less bloated and the centimetres lost backed up that feeling. Massage also provides that great feeling. While Remedial Massage focuses on an injury or area of muscles tightness or pain, relaxation massage also provides a reduction in stress that we all feel in our busy lives. Sometimes it’s just being quiet for an hour, listening to the soft background music and smelling the beautiful Wick’d Candle burning in my rooms that sets that atmosphere to relax. Feeling better really comes back to taking care of yourself through movement, nutrition and relaxation. Move Better We take before and after photos for weight loss clients but sometimes I wish I took them of our Remedial Massage clients. I remember one client coming in. I knew of her through facebook and a friend but had never met her before. I thought she was just coming in for some maintenance as she was training pretty hard. She stood up and walked over like an old lady. I was blown away at this fit, strong woman moving this way. After going through all of her aches and pains, I got started with treatment. After an hour she got up from the table and got dressed. When I returned to the room she was jumping around. We laughed at the changes, then she strutted herself out the door saying “Check me out”. She wanted to go back to training now (which I don’t recommend after a massage). It was powerful to see the change that I was able to make in her movement and posture. Exercise also helps people move better. Tristan and I are regularly surprised at how quickly people go from not being able to do a push up or squat, even a burpee, to be able to complete all of these movements with ease. They are so confident with their movements that they one day just decide it’s time to try a push up on their toes. This makes us so proud. We love helping people look better, feel better and move better through fitness, massage and nutrition. If you want help, Contact us now and join us at Evolution Health Services.
by Melissa Woodward | Jul 12, 2015 | Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition, Recipe
I have a healthy fried rice recipe for you this week from my special box of cheat meals. I call them cheat meals as I have found something to replace the long process sometimes involved. I love brown rice but cooking it can take more time that I have available after finishing our Outdoor Training Sessions at 7pm. So I came across the SunRice 90 Second packet rices which of course Woolworths and Coles also stock their own brands these days. In the spirit of all of my recipes, I just add a whole lot of ingredients and fill the pot.
Healthy Fried Rice
- Onion
- Capsicum
- Bacon
- Eggs
- Carrot
- 3 x 250g Brown Rice Packets
- Soy Sauce
Other possible ingredients: Mushrooms (I hate them), Peas, Zucchini, Chicken or Beef for some more protein or to make into a full meal. Why not add mince? Try some turkey.. whatever your tastes desire.
Method:
- Fry up onion, capsicum and bacon in a pot.
- In a frying pan I scrambled 2 large eggs and added to pot.
- Grated 1 large carrot and added to pot with 3 packets of 90sec brown rice.
- Splash on some soy sauce for moisture and thats it.
Can be served as a side dish or throw the meat into it the bowl to make a healthy, hearty meal. The kids loved this meal. No added salt, sugar or MSG. It can be reheated for later and I think we ate this pot of rice for a couple of day. It became a time saver for us after work. Have you got other great healthy recipe ideas? Send us an email with your recipes and you can be featured on our Website and in our Newsletter too.
