Brrrrrrrr…
Brrrr ight !
Brrrrr ave !
Brrrr illinat !
Go on, say it every time you are cold and see if that makes you feel better!
It’s been a tough year for almost all of us and we can all do with a bit of a mood and energy boost as we slide up to Christmas festivities. Remember, it’s the little things in accumulation that can make a big difference for good and bad.
I’ve been hearing from a few folks who have slipped in terms of what they are eating/drinking and the amount of exercise they have been doing and of course we all know that doing a little (or a lot) less activity and eating a little (or a lot) more of the wrong things will negatively affect our health and fitness (immune system, cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency, joints, muscles etc.) and our well-being (our self-esteem and self-confidence is often linked with our figure, our mood, our energy, patience and pain, arising from lack of movement etc).
I say it every year but Christmas is still only a couple of days and so if we stick to just that we will manage the health, fitness and figure effects without nasty repercussions.
Join me in the run up to Christmas with daily exercise and a gut and waistline-friendly menu and we will feel and function fabulously up to and through the festive season.
On a serous note our immune systems will not be ‘tip top’ at present our Microbiome will be affected by the damage caused by excessive sanitizing, hand washing, stress and of course not being exposed to the microbes that usually strengthen our immune system.
The lack of daylight and fresh local veggies and fruit with affect nutrient levels too.
The government has said that three households can get together at Christmas and those of us in Tiers 1 and 2 can head back to the shops – all of which will challenge our weakened immunity. Please do all you can to boost your immune system and that of loved ones.
A recent study (reported in MedRXIV) of 327,720 UK participants and the use of supplements lowering the risk of CoV-2:
Conclusion (copied from the study)
‘We observed a modest but significant association between use of probiotics, omega-3 fatty acid, multivitamin or vitamin D supplements and lower risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in women.’
Vitamin D is being used in the treatment of Covid as is Vit C and Zinc (which are commonly used to fight cold bugs). Nitric Oxide is anti-viral (we produce it in the largest amounts in our nasal sinus) as we get older, we produce and store it in lesser amounts, this is also the case for Vit D.
Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish and the algae they eat) can help decrease the amount of inflammatory chemicals produced by the body, and this can help reduce lung inflammation and improve your ability to breathe, Covid-19 affects the lungs and ‘long Covid’ symptoms include lung damage.
Read this brief article on the link between Vit D and our Gut
I stock (take myself and give my loved ones) the very best supplements (SYNERGY) please do reach out if you want information and to order.
The weeks ahead..
To help keep you focused and fit in the build up to Christmas we will have all our classes up to and including the 23rd December.
Class videos are available on our Vimeo page for Members to use in the week between Christmas and the New Year and I will offer One to One training on 29th,30th and the morning of 31st December, returning to One to One training on the 2nd December and Classes on the 4th January.
Zoom – all classes will remain on Zoom as I have yet to hear from All Hallows regarding our return in January. Of course we are all waiting to see if another lockdown may occur- fingers crossed everyone says sensible and safe.
I hope that you will continue to enjoy our class content and delivery, not to mention the convenience or working out and dancing at home (and members can choose when they participate and repeat classes they enjoy by logging on to our vimeo account).
DYBO Family Services!
Equipment Do you need any Fitness or Dance equipment for yourself or as Gifts , let me know and I can either source for you or pint you in the right direction . I need to place an order for stability balls so feel free to ask ,
Vouchers, you can purchase, for a loved one, a voucher for classes, membership, one to one or massage session. Or you can ask for a voucher as a gift for you?
Some beauty treatment slots available on Saturday afternoon!
New Timetable!
Please keep and share…
DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:
Monday
6.30pm Boogie Fit (Beginners/Returners)
7.30pm Total Tone (All)
Tuesday
6.30pm HIIT (Simple & effective fitness training)
7.15pm Core Power – Complimentary when attending HIIT or DF or £3.50
7.45pm Dance Fit (Intermediate)
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool Step (All levels)
7.15pm Barre Fit (All levels)
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch (All levels)
7.30pm Dance & Perspiration (Fitness with a Dance focus, more experienced)
Friday
6.30pm Freestyle Fitness Yoga (Relax, Restore and Reboot)
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your environment
- You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
- Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
- I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
- Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
- Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
- Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
- Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.
Fees, you have THREE options!
£6.50 per class. Paid in advance please.
10 Class Voucher £55
Membership, unlimited classes, £50 plus a lockdown bonus of free access to all videos of the classes!
(Valid first to last day of calendar month, paid on the first day of the month)
If things get so tight that you can’t afford it then please reach out to me, I want to keep you healthy and happy and help you through this tough time and trust that no-one will take advantage of me.
Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.
Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324
Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference.
eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher. As reference, I do have a Paypal account but it costs money to receive and move money.
Sweet Potato, Chick Pea and Peanut Stew (By Dreena Burton)
Packed with protein and gut healthy nutrition
1 tbsp water
5 1⁄2 – 6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (see note)
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 – 4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cumin seeds (not ground cumin)
3 – 31⁄2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1⁄4 – 1⁄2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
2 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
2 1/2 – 4 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp natural peanut butter (can substitute almond or cashew butter)
2 cups cooked chickpeas
3–4 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
lime wedges (for serving)
fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, for serving)
In a large pot on medium heat, add water, sweet potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, salt, cumin seeds, ground coriander, paprika, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add stock, water, and 1 tbsp ginger (reserve remaining 1-2 tbsp). Stir to combine and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes or longer, until sweet potatoes have completely softened. Stir in remaining ginger (adjusting to taste) and peanut butter. With a hand blender, puree soup until just smooth. Stir in chickpeas and lime juice, and serve with additional lime wedges and fresh cilantro. Makes 7-8 servings.
Take care of yourself because you are BRRRRILLIANT!
And I love ya,
Helen xx
