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ENJOY SPRING
Spring is the perfect time to get outside and get dirt under your fingernails. The warmer soil, generous rainfall and sunshine mean you’ll have more success with a host of vegetables including tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and beans. The brighter environment may also inspire you to get colourful. Visit your local nursery, stock up on beautiful flowering plants and bestow renewed beauty to your garden beds.
Enjoy the warmer weather and make memories with your family. Visit your local park, garden or lake for a traditional picnic. Pack a kite or frisbee, watch the ducks, skim stones across the water, just lie on your picnic blanket watching the sky and listening to the birds sing. Ah the simple pleasures!
When was the last time you took a leisurely bike ride? Guided bike tours are a great way to meet new people, get some exercise, discover new places and just breathe in the crisp, clean air. We’re not asking you to don the Lycra; a number of country towns offer chilled-out bike tours, tempting you with beautiful scenery and plenty of fine food and wine along the way.
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ESCAPE
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HEALTHY KITCHEN
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HEALTHY KITCHEN
BAKED EGGS WITH SPINACH AND LABNEH Gluten free | Sugar free | Vegetarian
Serves 4 1 teaspoon coconut oil, plus extra for greasing 200g tinned (or fresh) Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved 50g baby spinach leaves 4 eggs 2 tablespoons labneh (goat’s cheese or feta cheese also work well) 4 small sprigs of dill, or other soft herb of choice Method Preheat the oven to 200°C. Warm a small frying pan over a medium heat and melt the coconut oil. Add all of the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Lightly grease four 250ml capacity ramekins with coconut oil. Divide the baby spinach and sautéed tomatoes evenly between the ramekins, then crack an egg into each nest of spinach and tomatoes. Place a dollop of labneh over each egg and top with a sprig of dill, then place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipes and images from Seasons to Share by Jacqueline Alwill (Murdoch Books) RRP $40. On sale now. 35
FIT FOR LIFE
Can you boost the results of your fitness routine without just doing more training? Sure! Try working on your mindset, says Performance Coach Sharon Disney. Being mentally prepared is every bit as important for performance as the training you do. Top athletes use pre-event mental preparation routines to get ready both before training sessions and also on the day of their events and this should be the same for anyone going into a workout. Here's how:
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If you're already coming up with excuses in the car on the way to training as to why you're not feeling great or why you won't be able to give it your best, there is no way the session is going to go well.
Leave the excuses at home and you might just turn it around and have a great training day - maybe even exceed expectations! Or you may just conquer your session and leave feeling reinvigorated, as if life and all its little problems are a little more manageable.
Rushing in late with an unfocused mind will take away from what time is left and corners will often be cut. You may miss out on a proper warm up for example. If you train in the morning, get up an extra 5 minutes earlier and ensure you're ready to go. If you train after work, allocate training times that allow you to stop, take a deep breath and forget about the day before you start training. Warm up properly and be 100 per cent focussed to tackle the task ahead.
High achievers work hard, are incredibly committed and take responsibility for their successes and failures. Success is never immediate and not always a given, failure is almost always an obstacle you will have to overcome.
Just as excellence can be a habit, so can quitting. When training starts, be determined to not give up until it's over. Train your will to fight no matter how tough it gets, if you allow yourself to quit today, it's only going to make it easier to quit tomorrow.
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Everything you think and feel is reflected in your body language for all to see, you can't hide it - frowning, dragging your feet, lack of eye contact, mumbling, slouching and not listening are all signs of a negative attitude.
Take charge and prepare yourself mentally to ensure you come to training with the best attitude and with positive body language. Walking into training slumped over and complaining about being tired or how you've had a bad day wont make you feel any better and will likely impart an "I don't care attitude" to your trainer/coach/team mates. It will also reflect in your efforts.
Your trainer/coach is there to motivate you and push you to do your best, but only you can put in the effort. There will be some days where you'll be low on energy (bad night's sleep, long work hours, kids) but it's how you carry yourself when tired that will influence your session. Just showing up isn't enough, especially if you're goal driven or an aspiring athlete. It might not be easy: weights may feel harder than normal, your legs may be heavy and your lungs burning out early, but it's during these times that real change can happen both physically and mentally. And just think how much better you'll feel once it's complete!
Be open-minded to try different things and tweak what you've always done. When given feedback or suggestions on ways to improve technique or performance, listen and talke it on board. A stubborn, closed mind will get you nowhere. Show interest in educating yourself on what and why you're doing the activities you're doing. A good understanding of how things benefit you will help you push yourself in tougher times. Building mental toughness is a practice. It's a process that requires you to continuously push beyond your comfort zone. It takes discipline to take something that's already difficult and make it even more challenging, but the reward of being mentally tough is endless. Push the boundaries of what you think you're capable of in the gym or on the field and you'll find you'll be more prepared to overcome other obstacles in your life as well.
ďż˝---------------Sharon Disney is a Performance Coach and owner of Be an Athlete. Email: sharon@beanathlete.com.au Website: beanathlete.com.au
HEADLINE
When you look your best, you feel your best – ready to strive towards your personal goals for an enhanced life. Author Alexandria Blaelock believes there is no time like spring to refresh yourself and welcome bright, new horizons. She provides some simple tips.
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