Easter Feaster!

So Easter has been and gone and at last we may see some respite from shopping centre holiday feastivities! Between Christmas and Easter we seem to face a never ending onslaught of puddings, pies, buns and bunnies! We are excused for thinking we must have our fill before the holiday season ends, however, catch ourselves 3 months deep in a holiday food bender as the holidays never really ended, but rather transcended the space in between Christmas, New Year's and Easter and became one ongoing season. With that being said, Winter is now mere months away and the incentive to get back on track with working out and eating well is superseded by the desire to rug up on the couch with that second serve of shepherds pie. Despite the fact that we drape ourselves in layers of baggy, oversized knits and sweats, there is no reason to think winter is an appropriate time to drop the healthy diet and ditch the workout regime as you descend into a chocolate induced junk food coma. Winter is the perfect time to get a head start on your best body yet! Healthy lifestyles shouldn't be a seasonal choice but instead a consistent and ongoing commitment. When it comes to seeing positive changes and results in ourselves we often "wait for a special occasion" and then expect fast results from unhealthy and unsustainable extreme diet and exercise plans. Many people find themselves trapped in a cycle of special occasion dieting and special occasion feasting. Constantly sliding along the continuum of these two extreme leaves the body confused, imbalanced and depleted, contributing to poor energy conversion and weight gain. Gentle consistency with a maintainable healthy, balanced diet and a regular, enjoyable fitness regime reaps sincere, real results. You will see them, you will feel them and you will be thankful that you were kind enough to yourself to not torture your body with feast or famine. If you overdid it this Easter long weekend then give yourself a pat on the back, well done for being normal. If you plan to punish yourself for overindulging by spending the week surviving on lemon water and broccoli then pat yourself again....harder.....more like a punch....in the face. Fighting one extreme with another will do nothing positive for your body or your mind. Definitely have a lemon water. Follow it with a walk and some delicious eggs on rye. Enjoy some broccoli! Mix it into your light evening stir fry before Barre class. Balance is key to keeping your body balanced and ready for special occasions all year round. In the interim, here are two special occasion cheat treats to help keep you on track between indulgent occasions: Hot Cross Bun Protein Balls Ingredients: 1/2 cup almonds 1/2 cup oats 1/2 cup sultanas 2 scoops vanilla protein 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp natvia 1 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp ginger 2 Tbs coconut water Dessicated coconut Method: 1. Blend almonds and oats to a meal 2. Add remaining dry ingredients and blend well 3. Add coconut water and blend to a dough 4. Roll into balls and roll balls over a line of coconut to create crosses.

Sarah Wilson's Pumpkin Pie Fudge Ingredients: 1/3 cup pumkin puree 1/3 cup almond butter 1/3 cup coconut oil 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp nutmeg Tbs rice malt syrup Pinch sea salt 1/2 chopped pecans Method: 1. Melt all ingredients except pecans over a low heat until slightly thickened 2. Remove from heat and stir through pecans 3. Pour into lined tin and sprinkle with extra pecans 4. Freeze for 2 hours then slice into squares for serving.