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♥ First up, briefly tell us a little bit about yourself!

I loved sports growing up and was into everything including netball, tennis, soccer, karate and even trampolining. Although sporty, my weight was a problem. After a decision not to leave my teens unhappy with my weight, I took control of my health and dropped 20kg to become the fit, strong and confident person I wanted to be.

Passionate and determined to share the benefits of health and fitness with others I started up She’s a Knockout, a mobile personal training company specialising in personal training for women!

It’s so rewarding helping women achieve their goals, transforming their lives and themselves along the way. Through Personal Training, Corporate Training, Bootycamp and Boxing classes, She’s a Knockout now brings health and wellness to women all over Perth… and we’re loving it!

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♥ Tell us about your daily beauty routine.

I spend a lot of time outdoors so my skin is constantly thirsty. A massage therapist gave me a great tip once to add oil to my usual moisturiser – it works wonders! I mix Nivea Body Firming Lotion with Bio Oil.

Confession: I may or may not have cleaned Strawberrynet out of Clinique products. The daily routine comprises Take the Day Off Makeup Remover (you’ll never have racoon eyes again I swear!), Clarifying Lotion, Dramatically Different Moisturiser and Superbalanced Makeup. They also have a great moisturizing lip colour balm that comes in loads of colours –just ignore the weird name – Chubby Stick?!

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♥ What’s the one beauty treatment you can’t live without? And your favourite place to have it done?

I haven’t had the chance in Perth, but on a recent trip to Vietnam I tried my first Traditional Thai Massage. Amazing!

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♥ Who do you trust with your hair in Perth, and why?

It took me a year to find her, and I’m not sure I want to let the secret out, but Victoria at Renos on St Quentin in Claremont is my hair guru.

♥ Favourite budget / at home beauty treatment?

A friend of mine gave me a product to try once called Baby Foot. You pop your feet in these indivdual moisturising bags and let them do their magic! After a couple of days avoiding strapless shoes (peeling!), lovely soft baby feet emerge.

♥ Your three, absolutely cannot live without, favourite products?

♥ Nivea Firming Body Lotion
♥ Nivea Chapstick
♥ Vaalia Probiotic Natural Yoghurt

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♥ Do you have any secret tips you use to keep looking / feeling great?

I believe feeling and looking great all starts in your mind. If you think ‘I am a fit, healthy person’, you will talk that way and you will act that way. The result: you will be that way! (Ed: check out our article on Positive Affirmations for more on this!)

For me it’s drinking lots of water, exercising regularly with purpose, eating natural non-processed foods and surrounding myself with positive people.

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♥ What beauty treatment/ wellbeing activity would you love to try but haven’t yet?

If the opportunity ever arose I’d love to give aerial acrobatics a go!

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♥ Describe a typical day of eating for you.

Although I can’t cook to save myself, I’m definitely a foodie. So the key for me is moderation. I try to stay away from packaged foods – I know I feel good when I eat clean, so a typical day goes like this:

Breakfast: wholegrain toast, banana and cinnamon
Snack: almonds, cottage cheese
Lunch: fresh spring rolls (these are so easy to make – herbs with chicken or salmon, baby spinach, mint, carrot & cucumber in rice paper rolls)
Snack: seasonal fruit, reduced fat cheese
Dinner: salmon steak with quinoa, baby spinach, balsamic vinegar and toasted sunflower & pumpkin seeds
Dessert: natural yoghurt, berries & honey

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♥ Describe your fitness routine.

Ooo my favourite bit! ☺

Fitness should be fun, so I mix things up with my exercise routine to keep my brain and body from getting bored.

Outdoor training is the best, so most of my training takes place in parks or at the beach. Each week I’ll do a combination of boxing, playing netball, weighted circuit training, running, interval training and hill sprints.

Relaxation and recovery is also important, so I do a few stretch/relaxation classes a week to stay loose and avoid injuries.

♥ Do you take part in any alternative therapies or take supplements? If so, discuss.

In addition to a nutritious diet I take a women’s multivitamin, vitamin c and fish oil daily.

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♥ How do you like to relax? What are your favourite ways to de-stress?

Cathcing up with girlfriends, smashing it out in a boxing session or going for a run in the sunshine are all top of my de-stress hit-list ☺

Thanks to Amanda for taking the time to share her routine with us! Check out the website if you’re interested in finding out more about She’s A Knockout.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below!

Be well,

xoxo

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As a devout once-a-week yogi for the past twelve months, I recently found myself looking for more class options that would mean I could increase my structured practice to twice a week and reap the rewards of increased practice. However, the financial commitment of two classes a week was a barrier for me given I currently exist in a saving-for-a-house black hole. Then, right on cue, I discovered lululemon athletica community classes at the Perth City store.

lululemon offer a variety of complimentary community classes – yoga classes in store, to anyone and everyone who would like to attend, and there is no catch. The underlying philosophy behind lululemon is producing yoga inspired athletic apparel that will encourage and help people to be active, stress-free and live their best & most fun lives, therefore making the world a better place.

Every week lululemon stores move their thoughtfully designed and brightly coloured apparel aside, unroll yoga mats and turn their stores into instant yoga studios. Classes are led by a variety of local instructors that reflect lululemon’s core values, ensuring the offering is spirited and varied. All this in an effort to spread yoga and fitness to their communities.

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This month lululemon athletica Perth City have been offering three community classes a week, and I was lucky enough to try out both the Saturday morning yoga for runners class with Donna Buchanan from The Yoga Vine, and the Wednesday evening upbeat vinyasa class with Laura Carroll from Rooftop Yoga.

My highlight from this month’s classes was definitely the dolphin pose/head stand pose sequence in Donna’s class. Never have I been more comfortable in the knowledge that I was likely to fall over in a room full of people whilst attempting my first full head stand.

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Both classes were completely different, yet sublime. One of my favourite things about the community classes is the exposure you gain to different types of yoga and teaching methods. This alone is working wonders for my overall understanding of yoga, not to mention working my body differently each time I practice.

Make sure you check out the community events calendar on lululemon Perth City’s website so you can fill up your diary with divine yoga dates!

lululemon Perth City is located at:

Shop H127, in the enex 100 building in Hay Street Mall – look for the giant purple Buddha!

Have you tried the complimentary classes at Lululemon? We’d love to hear from you so leave a comment below!

Review by Kimberley, a Kiwi migrant to Perth who is a lawyer by day, yoga convert and dog lover.

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If the thought of coming home from a day at the office and being whisked away on a Balinese yoga retreat appeals to you… then this is the next best thing! Filmed in the midst of a serene Balinese backdrop, Eoinn Finn’s 6 DVD Blissology Project contains a Vinyasa Flow yoga and meditation routine for each weekday and one for the weekend, and at just $30 from Amazon it’s a real bargain! Each day focuses on a different area of the body and mind to guide you through the week.

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Eoin is a well-known Canadian yogi and surfer who has studied and taught yoga and meditation for many years. He regularly teaches workshops and holds retreats as well as having a line of DVDs. Eoin was also one of Lululemon’s first ambassadors!

He describes Blissology on his website as “the art of consciously finding the balance between one’s personal desires and our impact on the web of life. It is not just a brand but a way of being. It is a path of interconnectedness and love.”

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Eoin approaches yoga holistically, encouraging us to adopt its philosophy into our everyday lives. There is no reason not to get some yoga practise in every day with this DVD set, with each weekday disc giving you the option of a ‘quickie’ (usually around 30-35 minutes)if you’re strapped for time, or a longer routine of around 45-55 minutes if you are after a more intense session. If you’re new to the world of yoga there are beginner’s options throughout, as well as a reference guide to help you perfect those postures.

If you are looking for more of a challenge, there are alternatives during each session to help you push yourself further. Every routine also finishes with a 10 minute meditation to keep you grounded, present and feeling like you don’t have a worry in the world.

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Practising yoga at home with the assistance of a DVD is a great complement to your usual yoga or fitness routine, and is an excellent option for those of us who don’t always have time for classes before or after work, or who may not be in a position to commit to a full membership or course.

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If you are a true beginner this is an enjoyable introduction to the yoga lifestyle, however I would recommend that you do combine your at-home practise with some guided sessions at your local yoga studio in order to truly understand and master the various postures and sequences, and of course to avoid injuring yourself.

You can even pop the DVD into your laptop, take it outdoors and practise in the park or at the beach… I can’t think of a better way to shut out the world and get some quality me-time in!

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The DVD can be purchased in-store at Lululemon, or online at Amazon. You can also find Eoin’s range of other videos on the Blissology website, which can all be downloaded straight to iTunes.

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried the Blissology DVD’s, or are keen to, and what your favourite yoga DVD’s are at the moment – so leave a comment below!

Review by Alice – yoga-lover who would really like to attend a retreat in Bali sometime soon!

Be well,

xoxo

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Firstly, let me just say that in no way am I suggesting that a plant-based diet needs to be supplemented with protein powder – it is now common knowledge in the health and wellness industry that we can get adequate protein from a wholesome and varied plant-based diet.

I personally choose to include protein powder in my diet because I’ve amped up my exercise load, I’m trying to increase my muscle mass and because I like to include it in smoothies to create more substantial and filling snacks and meals.

Whilst it is easy to get lost in the endless shelves of chemical laden protein powders and meal replacement shakes full of false promises, more and more natural alternatives are popping up in Australia. I definitely do not consider myself a protein powder connoisseur but in my search for a healthy AND palatable post workout drink (let’s face it, natural does not ALWAYS taste best – especially where protein powders are concerned) I’ve tried a few plant-based brands and would love to share my experiences with you. All of the below protein supplements are dairy, gluten, soy and refined sugar free.

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First up is vanilla flavoured Sunwarrior Rice Protein: Bio-Fermented, Raw, Sprouted Whole Grain Brown Rice Protein sweetened with stevia, 16.8 g of protein per serve.

This was my introduction to the brown rice protein brigade and I have to admit, I nearly spat the first sip back out. I then pondered on how I was going to get rid of it and considered pushing it on to a friend. A month later I gave it another shot and actually slowly began to enjoy it. I think the trick with protein powders that are sweetened with stevia is to not mix them with sweet fruits, unless you’re after a total sweet taste bud assault. I enjoyed Sunwarrior blended with almond/soy/rice milk and loads of ice or with frozen raspberries. Once I learned to enjoy the taste the only downside I found was the slightly chalky texture. Which lead me on to my next tub…

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Growing Naturals Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice Protein Isolate in Vanilla Blast, sweetened with brown rice syrup and stevia, 24 g of protein per serve.

I like the fact that this one is sweetened with brown rice syrup as I enjoy the taste more than stevia. This would also suit someone looking to include more carbohydrates in their diet as brown rice syrup contains both fast carbohydrates suitable for muscle recovery and complex carbohydrates for sustained energy. It has the same texture as other brown rice protein powders but I enjoyed the taste more. I also used it in a banana muffin recipe which turned out well.

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Ezy Protein: Organic, Sprouted, Bio-Fermented, Raw, Wholegrain Brown Rice Protein sweetened with stevia, 25.8 g protein of per serve.

This has the same texture as Sunwarrior but is a little sweeter and tastier. I quite like the tub that it comes in as your hand doesn’t get coated in protein powder as you try and scoop out the last few serves.

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Vega Sport Performance Protein in Chocolate and Vanilla: A complete multi-source, alkaline-forming, plant-based protein blend sweetened with stevia, 26 g of protein per serve.

This is a little different to the above proteins as it contains a mixture of yellow pea protein, SaviSeed protein, sprouted wholegrain brown rice protein, hemp protein and alfalfa protein as well as a branched chain amino acid complex, glutamine and a digestive enzyme blend.

I like the fact that this contains a variety of protein sources and includes other ingredients which assist recovery and improve digestion. I found the texture to be a lot smoother than plain brown rice protein powders and it blends far more easily. Chocolate is my flavour of choice, I’m not a big fan of Vega’s vanilla.

In the end none of these protein powders are delicious, but they do contain high quality healthy ingredients which can compliment your diet and exercise program, and possibly boost your results.

Overall Vega has been my favourite protein powder based on taste, texture and ingredients, but there are still other brands out there that I’m keen to try such as Garden of Life RAW Protein, Juice Plus Complete and David Wolfe’s Raw Sprouted Brown Rice Protein.

Have you tried any of these or ones I haven’t listed? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience.

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Bonus: My Choc Raspberry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

♥ 1 scoop of vanilla or chocolate plant-based protein powder
♥ milk of choice (almond, rice etc) I used around 100 mL in the one above but I like mine super thick
♥ 1 cup of frozen raspberries
♥ 1 tbsp of raw cacao powder (less if using chocolate flavoured protein)

Blend, serve and enjoy

Article by Emma Smyth, nutrition student & health coach who blogs over at This Sparkly Life!

Be well,

xoxo