Tasty little mini quiches made so quick and easily – no pastry and no crust means no mess! Perfect snack to have at any time of the day that actually fill you up. Give them a go and tell us what you think!

INGREDIENTS 

24 servings

• 3 Eggs, whisked
• 4 Rashes of bacon, diced
• 1 Small onion, grated
• 1/4 Cup of tasty cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Dash of thickened cream

METHOD 

Prep time: 10 min – Cook: 15 min – Ready in: 25 min

1. Pre- heat your oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease 2 patty cake pans with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, mix the eggs, bacon, onion, cheese, salt, pepper. and cream with a fork until all mixed together well. Pour mixture into the trays. You can add spinach or tomatoes to this also.
3. Bake in the oven for 15- 20 min or until golden brown.

For all those wanting an extra kick up the butt especially during boot-camp – here is a challenging total body workout you can do at home with no equipment needed, that will take only 15 minutes of your day. If you see some exercises that you are unable to do and need an alternative due to an injury – contact a RIM PT and we will scale the program according to your needs. If you are feeling extra motivated and wanting to go for a longer session – add in some short runs in between the rounds. Have fun and remember technique over speed ALWAYS, if anything if causing you bad pain stop immediately and listen to your body.

Round #1 

30 sec. Burpees (just do it)

60 sec. Plank Hold.

Round #2 

30 sec. High Knees

60 sec. Lunges

Round #3 

30 sec. Mountain Climbers

60 sec. Leg Raises

Round #4 

30. sec Lunges

60 sec. Wall Sit

Round #5 

30 sec. Ski Jumps

60 sec. Tricep Dips

Aim for a 1-3km walk/ run

X 30 Step Ups 

X 15 Push Ups 

X 20 Sumo Squats 

45 second Plank Hold

Complete 1, 2 or 3 sets depending on your ability. You could try for 200 – 300 skips with a rope between each set, or if you don’t have a rope try jogging on the spot for 2 minutes between each set. If you do complete this at a park, you may want to do a 200 – 400m run/ walk between each round.

Always perform all exercises with correct technique. Listen to your body and remember you will feel your muscles working but you shouldn’t feel any pain. If so – stop immediately. 

It really does happen to the best of us. We get injured and we get down about the fact that all of your training and hard work has now gone to waste, now that you’ve got to take care of your injury. But one thing is for sure – that it IS OK to train while nursing an injury. Here are a few suggestions to keep you training while at the same time allowing you to take care of what ails you.

1. WATCH YOUR DIET. Nutrition is often underrated and overlooked. Healing from an injury can take weeks or even months (depending on the person), but you can dramatically accelerate the healing process by getting adequate nutrition and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Healing is largely dependent on blood supply and the stronger the blood supply, the faster you can heal because blood supplies the injured area with important oxygen and nutrients which help the injury heal. Certain foods can promote inflammation within the body, while others have an anti- inflammatory effect. Avoid foods such as fried foods, processed white flour, eggplant, hot peppers and eat more foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Be sure to drink fresh, organic juices made from raw veggies because raw veggies are high in important enzymes and vitamins that can speed up the healing process.

2. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REAL INJURY AND PAIN. Small nagging aches and pains are all part of training and you should definitely tough it out but if you have a legitimate injury, it is always best to stop and evaluate. The most obvious symptom of an injury is pain. So if you experience severe pain, stop or take a break until the pain is manageable enough to continue. If the pain refuses to go away, just stop and see a doctor.

3. R.I.C.E. If you have an acute injury you will probably experience mild to severe swelling around the site of the injury due to the fact that damage tissue usually swells. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation is a great way to treat injury, reduce swelling alleviate pain, protect the injured area and accelerate the healing process. Ice – reduces swelling and provides temporary short- term pain relief by reducing blood flow to the area. 15 min on and 15 min off is recommended. Compression – Just like ice, compression reduced swelling. Use a bandage wrap plus ice to make the treatment more effective and heal the injured area faster. Elevation – This works best when raised above your heart. E.g if you have a sprained ankle, pop it up on a few pillows while you lie down. Most injured can be effectively treated using RICE, but if you have a more serious injury you may need to see a doctor.

4. STAY POSITIVE. Injures can be a real bummer, but research suggests that maintaining a positive and upbeat attitude when injured or rehabbing can help speed up the healing process. So instead of looking at your injury as bad luck or an obstacle, think of it as an opportunity to work on and improve a weaker body part while the injured parts heal up. It always pays to look on the bright side, even if you are injured stay positive and you can still make progress whilst injured.

This simple poached egg and avocado recipe is so simple and too delicious not to make if you’ve got a 6 minutes to spare in the morning. Do yourself a favour and get that protein into you!

Ingredients: 

• 2 Eggs
• 2 Slices Whole grain bread
• 1/3 avocado
• 2 Tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper for topping
• Fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, or basil) for topping
• Quartered cherry tomatoes for serving

Method: 

1. Cook the eggs how you like (poached, boiled, scrambled are best)
2. While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread and smash the avocado on each piece of toast. When the eggs are done place them on top of the toast
3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and fresh herbs; serve with quartered heirloom tomatoes.

Everyone loves a chicken salad! This recipe serves 4 so you can store them in your fridge for the week and have them ready to go for when you’re on the go.

Ingredients: 

• (For the dressing) 1/3 Cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp minced shallot
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• (For the Salad) 1/2 head romaine lettuce
• 1/2 head frisee lettuce
• 1 small rotisserie chicken, cut into chunks removing skin is optional
• 2 heirloom tomatoes cut in chunks or sliced
• 1 large avocado sliced
• 1 oz prosciutto, shredded
• 2 boiled eggs quartered
• 4 oz Roquefort, Gorgonzola or blue cheese, cut in chunks

Method: 

1. Whisk together olive oil, shallots, vinegar and Dijon until combined. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper
2. Tear romaine lettuce and frisee into large pieces.
3. Arrange lettuces on a platter, toss with a little dressing then arrange chicken, tomato, avocado prosciutto, egg and blue cheese in rows. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad.

 

This healthy beef and broccoli recipe is not only is this absolutely delicious, but it’s also super fast to prepare and healthy, too. It is also very easy to switch out the soy sauce for a gluten- free soy sauce to make the meal gluten- free. This is also really nice with some simple steamed rice. This only takes 20 minutes to make and tasty, easy and healthy and serves 4.

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil divided
• 1 lb flank steak thinly sliced across the grain
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 4 green onions thinly sliced
• 4 cup broccoli florets about 2 small crowns
•  2 tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup low- sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Method: 

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium- high heat. Add the beef and cook until well- browned, about 6-8 minutes. Once well- browned, remove from pan and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add garlic shallot and green onions to the beef drippings. Cook one minute, stirring frequently. Add broccoli and cover for 5 minutes.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine water and cornstarch and mix until no longer lumpy. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Add cornstarch mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.
4. Remove cover from pan and add sauce. Cook until sauce starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes. Add beef and stir to combine, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve over brown rice, if desired.

You may be wondering “What does a smart watch actually do?” At the most basic level, smart watches are an extension of a smart phone. They receive notifications, answer phone calls from your wrist, allow you to use apps and tell time. By wearing this device on your wrist (which you actually sometimes forget that you’re wearing the monitor throughout most of the day) can greatly affect your life in a positive way by keeping track of your day to day behaviour. This can help users obtain critical information about their lifestyle in order to make better choices and changes.

1. Resting Heart Rate 

One of the greatest advantages of wearing a smartwatch is being able to keep track of your resting heart rate. Having this information all throughout the day can tell you a lot about your health. Your watch will need to have a built-in heart monitor feature to measure your RHR. While the monitor will increase the price of your watch – it is definitely worth the extra $$$. The average adult should aim to have a RHR of between 80 to 100 BPM (beats per minute). If you are an athlete or an extremely fit individual your RHR could be as low as 60 BPM. A lack of physical exercise will cause your RHR to be higher forcing your heart to work harder than necessary. Your watch will use your RHR statistics and contrast them to your maximum heart rate in order to determine your recommended fitness training heart rate zones and making your workouts more effective. Measuring your RHR will also give you a more accurate daily calorie burn count.

2. Nutrition

Smart watches have mobile apps which in order to calculate calorie burning rates effectively, you must take careful and honest note of your calorie intake manually. Apps go as far as to help users log their food by providing easy bar code readers, calorie information by brand, and geographic location. Apps by brands like FitBit can detect your individual log history and help to pick up on patterns and make food entry easier. Depending on your nutritional goals, identifying  daily calorie deficit goal and adding this information to your smartwatch profile will help create effective alerts, warnings and ultimately help you stay on track.

3. Exercise 

The best smartwatches will measure your physical activity depending on the type of exercise you are carrying out. It is not the same to run for 30 minutes than to lift weights or do the elliptical for half an hour. Keep a more accurate track of how many calories you burn, your exercise intensity and your progress throughout the year.

4. Sleep

Yes your smartwatch can even help you reach the recommendation of 7-9 hours sleep a night. A watch has the capability of automatically keeping track of when you are sleeping simply by monitoring your movements. This information can be stored in your watch and help you understand more about your weekly sleep patterns in order to make conscious health choices that could improve your lifestyle. Taking control of the amount of hours you snooze will improve your mood, help you remember more, increase your life expectancy, lower stress and control your weight.

5. Water 

Women are recommended to have 1.6L of fluid per day for women (about x8 200ml glasses) and 2L of fluid per day for men (about x10 200ml glasses). This may seem like a simple task but majority of adults aren’t getting enough water. It is highly recommended that you ensure that your brand of smartwatch you’re going for has a water log feature. With a couple of clicks you can keep track of how much water you are drinking. Keeping track of your water intake with your watch can help increase energy, relieve fatigue, eliminate toxins, improve skin complexion and could even decrease your headaches.

A smartwatch can help promote self- awareness and develop healthy habits you may not have even known needed some improving. For may people a dedicated tracker like the FitBit is the way to go, but by forking out a little extra coin, you can get may more health features with a smartwatch.

Aside from bodily harm, alcohol has been linked to depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, violent behaviour, motor vehicle accidents, suicide, domestic violence and even drowning. As if that’s not enough, alcohol does unbelievable damage to the brain and liver. Pretty much every part of the body is affected negatively from excessive drinking.

From the first sip when alcohol is consumed around 33% of it get absorbed immediately into the blood, through the stomach lining. The remaining alcohol is absorbed more slowly into the blood, through the small intestine. Once in the bloodstream, alcohol diffuses into almost every biological tissue in the body because cell membranes are highly permeable. Right from that first sip alcohol affects the body, starting with the brain, what follows is an explanation of the effects alcohol has on various parts of the body….. 

The Brain

The moments you don’t remember from the wild night before – that is temporary amnesia. Keep it up and you can develop Wernicke- Korsakoff Syndrome (WKS), a memory- impairing, vision and speech affecting seizure disorder. This may mean you won’t be able to form new memories, involuntary mumbling and constant twitching eyes. Drinking also releases two naturally occurring neurotransmitters dopamine (responsible for pleasure) and GABA (responsible for calming the brain down). Too much of these neurotransmitters can lead to shortness of breath, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, delusions, hallucinations, spasms and increased levels of both aggression and depression.

The Liver

The liver turns alcohol into something called acetaldehyde, which is toxic and can cause cancer. Excess drinking causes the liver to accumulate fat which can lead to fatty liver disease. A liver that has become clogged with fat cannot perform at an efficient level which affects the rest of the body. Cirrhosis of the liver can also occur when the liver cells become to damaged that they cannot regenerate. Once this has occurred if a person does not stop drinking, they will experience liver failure which is extremely fatal.

Breasts 

Alcohol consumption raises the risk for breast cancer. Research suggests that even so much as one drink a day may increase a persons risk for breast cancer. Estrogen levels are raised when alcohol is consumed, and an increased estrogen level is a risk factor for developing breast cancer.

Stomach

Alcohol consumption makes the stomach produce more acid than usual which can cause gastritis and also alcohol created irritation and inflammation in the stomach lining which can lead to ulcers and bleeding of the stomach. If and when the stomach lining becomes torn, it can lead to anaemia.

Heart

Heavy drinking can be very hard on the heart. It causes cardiomyopathy which is the stretching and drooping of heart muscle. It causes myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle and it also causes arrhythmia which is an irregular heartbeat. When alcohol is consumed, it raises blood pressure and blood lipids. This increases the risk of heart attack, hypertension, raised cholesterol and stroke.

Bones 

Excessive drinking can accelerate the rate of bone deterioration and increase the risk for bone fracture and osteoporosis. Calcium is important for strong, dense bones and when alcohol is consumed it acts as a diuretic and flushes calcium from bones making them weaker and more susceptible to fracture.

CNS

Alcohol affects the central nervous system causing short- term effects like slurred speech, blurred vision, weakened muscles, decreased reaction time and impaired memory. When alcohol is consumed excessively, it can cause cell damage in the central nervous system creating a condition known as neuropathy. This causes alternating feelings of weakness, burning pain and numbness in the feet and hands.

In conclusion, alcohol is not friendly to the body. While your mind may find its effects fun, your body does not. So try not to over do it and if the habit grows or your find yourself having a hard time stopping after just one glass, the cumulative effects can seriously add up.

BMI is a calculation that divides people into 1 of 4 categories:

1. People who are underweight (with a score of less than 18.5 and 24.9 – normal weight)
2. People who are over weight (with a score of 25 to 25.9)
3. People who are obese (with a score of 30 or greater)

Basing this calculation on height and weight ALONE however does not take into account a persons bone, muscle or fat proportions. E.G – A person with great muscle tone and low fat is more likely to have a higher BMI compared to someone with higher fat and lower muscle tone. This happens because muscle is 4X as dense as fat tissue. Many professional athletes like AFL players BMIs would place them in the obese category when they’re actually in better shape than the average person. 

Studies by researchers have revealed how ineffective BMI is, as well as the number of people who may be inaccurately deemed overweight or obese. Doctors and patients may have to turn to alternative methods to accurately assess healthy weight ranges. There are many methods to measure body composition ranging from simple, at- home techniques to complex procedures. If you’re thinking of opting out of relying on the not so accurate BMI scale, here are some alternative modes of measurement to see what works for you.

• Skin Calipers – This tool can be used to clamp sections of fat off of the body and measure body composition accurately and within a few minutes. A skin- fold assessment can be done using 3,4 or 7 different parts of the body such as the abdominals, arms, thighs and back.
• Tape Measure – To measure stand straight and place the tape measure around your mid section just above your hip bones alone the belly button. Relax, do not suck in your gut and do not compress the tape tightly around the waist.
• DEXA (Dual- Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) – Think X – rays only detect broken bones? A DEXA scan exposes patients to X- Ray beams of differing intensities. Experts use it to measure bone mineral density alongside body composition. Participants lie still on a table while a machine arm passes over their entire body. This arms a high and a low energy X-ray beam. By Measuring the absorption of each beam into the parts of the body, technicians can get readings for bone mineral density, lean body mass and fat mass. Also because the machine scans body parts individually the test can also break down body composition per limb, so you could confirm suspicious that your right leg is indeed just a bit stronger than your left.
• 3-D Body Scan – You’ll see this more readily available and accessible this year. Many can scan your body, take circumference measurements of different body parts and then track your body fat via a corresponding app, they can also tell your muscle mass. The mPort which is $5 a month for the app subscription creates a 3-D image of your body using infrared light and circumference measurements. You can find these machines at shopping centres.

Regardless of which metric you go with, resist the urge to test on a weekly basis. Wait at least 6-8 weeks before re-measuring your BF%. Remember body comp should be just one metric on the road to health and fitness. Sleep quality, energy levels and happiness should also take priority – so don’t make body fat the entire focus of your training.

Most of the time, we are right – about complaining and blaming our exhaustion from living a too busy lifestyle. If this sounds like you and you do find yourself asking “Why am I so tired?” – don’t put it off. Get to it straight away and try to make some lifestyle changes. Get more sleep, trim you social calendar, eat more wholesome foods, drink more water, take a multivitamin and cut back on caffeine and alcohol. If you are still feeling the symptoms of fatigue after those changes – seek some professional help.

1. ANEMIA – The fatigue caused by anemia is the result of a lack of red blood cells, which brings oxygen from your lungs to your tissues and cells. You may feel weak and short of breath. Anemia may be caused by an iron or vitamin deficiency, blood loss, internal bleeding, or a chronic disease such a rheumatoid artiritis, cancer or kidney failure.

The Symptoms: Feeling tired all the time is a major one. Others include extreme weakness, difficulty sleeping, lack of concentration, rapid heartbeat, chest pains and headaches. Simple exercise, such as climbing the stairs or walking short distances, can cause fatigue.

2. THYROID DISEASE – When your thyroid hormones are out of whack, even everyday activities will wipe you out. The thyroid gland, about the size of the knot on a man’s tie, is found in the front of the neck and produces hormones that control your metabolism. Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) and metabolism speeds up. Too little (hypothyroidism) and metabolism slows down.

The Symptoms: Hyperthyroidism causes muscle fatigue and weakness, which you may notice first in the thighs. Other symptoms include unexplained weight loss, feeling warm all the time, increased heart rate, shorter and less frequent menstrual flows and increased thirst. Hyperthyroidism is most commonly diagnosed in women in their 20s and 30s, but it can occur in older women and men too. It can cause fatigue, an inability to concentrate, muscle soreness (even with minor activity). Other symptoms include weight gain due to water retention, feeling cold all the time (even in warm weather), heavier and more frequent menstrual flows and constipation.

3. DIABETES – More people may not know they even have diabetes. Sugar, also called glucose, is the fuel that keeps your body going. That means trouble for people with type 2 diabetes who can’t use glucose properly, causing it to build up in the blood. Without enough energy to keep the body running smoothly, people with diabetes often notice fatigue as one of the first warning signs.

The Symptoms: Aside from feeling tired all the time, other signs include excessive thirst, frequent urination, hunger, weight loss, irritability, yeast infections and blurred vision.

4. DEPRESSION – Depression is a major illness that affects the way we sleep, eat and feel about ourselves and others.  Without treatment the symptoms can last for weeks, months or even years.

The Symptoms: We don’t all experience depression in the same way. But commonly depression can cause decreased energy, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, problems with memory and concentration and feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and negativity.

5. CHRONIC FATIGUE – People who suffer from CFS feel too tired to carry on with their normal activities and are easily exhausted with little exertion.

The Symptoms: Other signs include headache, muscle and joint pain, weakness, tender lymph nodes and an inability to concentrate. Chronic fatigue syndrome remains puzzling because it has no known cause.

6. SLEEP APNEA – If you wake up feeling tired no mater how much rest you think you got then you may have this sleep disrupting problem. Sleep apnea is a disorder characterised by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. In the most common type, obstructive sleep apnea, your upper airway actually closes or collapses for a few seconds which alerts your brain to wake you up to begin breathing again. Someone with obstructive sleep apnea may stop breathing again or may stop breathing dozens or even hundreds of times a night.

The Symptoms: Sleep apnea is often signalled by snoring and is generally followed by tiredness the next day. Because sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke – it’s important to be tested.

 

Beat the burnout – and make more time for the activities and people that matter most to you! If you’re finding it more challenging than ever to juggle the demands of your job and the rest of your life, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Many people are putting in extra hours or using their smart phones to be on call when they’re not physically at work. Even if you don’t have much control over the hours you have to work, you can ask yourself – “In what other ways am I bringing greater enjoyment into my life?” Focus your time and attention on things you can control.

Read these tips for maintaining a successful balance between your professional and personal lives and get ready to enjoy the holidays – without obsessing over the work you left behind!

1. Plan Ahead. Effective prior planning can really help to remove some stress from your plate. The more you achieve now, the less you’ll need to worry about when the holiday season is actually here. Prioritise all the tasks/ projects/ assignments you have in the next couple of months based on their deadlines and priority. On a Friday night once you’ve finished work for the week and aren’t sure what else you can do – use that spare time to chip away at the things on your list.
2. Schedule Everything. For some reason we still let work take way more priority which is hardly balance. Yes, you need to pay the bills and uphold our professional reputation but you also need time to recharge, relax and decompress. Instead of using your calendar to pencil in work meetings, also mark your personal and social engagements. Things like a family movie, catching up with an old friend that you still haven’t gotten around to or cleaning your room  – you should mark them in your calendar too, on the date and the time you plan to do them. The key is just to stick to it!
3. Say “No”. Sometimes we do end up working too much, simply because we have too much to do. If your manager approaches you with a new project idea, instead of enthusiastically agreeing immediately, take some time to look at your current commitments and workload. If you have the slightest bit of hesitation, you might want to think twice before agreeing to take that extra work on.
4. Be Intentional. You might think scrolling through your emails and checking your phone in the middle of family dinner as effective multi- tasking. But you’re actually just working constantly. Even worse, these frequent work distractions are causing you to miss out o valuable quality time with your loved ones. If you want to achieve successful work/ life balance especially around the holidays – then you need to make an effort to be intentional with your time. You don’t take personal phone calld or online shop while you’re at work, so apply this same rule to your home life. Don’t allow yourself to check emails or make work- related phone calls when you should be enjoying a relaxing holiday.

Truth be told – most of you will still need to work during the holidays. Perhaps you get a few days out of the office, but it will never compare to that relaxing break you got when you were in school. Maintaining an adequate balance between your personal and professional lives is always a challenge. It can become extra difficult during holiday season, when you feel an increased desire for more personal and family time. Try out these tips to stick to all of your work deadlines, while still being able to enjoy the holidays.