…The Tough Get Going! Are you singing that Billy Ocean classic in your head?
We were warned in September that a 2 week ‘fire break’ was a possibility, but I had hoped that we had escaped it, and certainly wasn’t prepared for 4 weeks of strict restrictions. I had a moment of ‘oh heck’ and then as I always do, I got my ‘get things done’ head on and I got things done.
What I am certain about is…
- We must support each other! Shop local, use the products and services of local small businesses, family and friends.
- Be there for each other. We will all have times when we feel fed up, down, scared and so on. Let’s be there to listen and support each other and reach out when we need support too!
- Be patient and kind. We have no idea what others are coping with and how the pandemic is affecting them. Try to be tolerant when others are a not behaving as we would like.
- Look after yourself properly; ‘comfort food’ that has little nutritional benefit and will negatively affect our energy, mood, body weight and immune systems should be avoided. Sugary, starchy food plus alcohol will make us more vulnerable to mental and physical health problems, just when we need to be at the top of our game. Eat lots of colourful veggies, drink lots of water and avoid highly processed foods and ready meals including most packet cereals.
- Exercise daily, and perform activities that make us puff and sweat a bit, condition our muscles, mobilise our joints and release muscle tension and restrictions plus lift our mood, mental function and immunity. A mix of all of these types of exercise across the week is important for all round health and fitness. Avoid overtraining by doing too much high intensity work which will raise stress hormones, exhaust our adrenals and lower our immunity. The reason we offer a range of classes is to provide all you need for your health and fitness without over training .For our Zoom classes I have created content to accommodate working out in your homes, ie the space, flooring type and ceiling height plus appropriate intensity.
- Get some fresh air every day, even 20 minutes of outdoor walking will help, and I recommend some meditation and breathing practice to keep stress levels in check.
- I strongly recommend you supplement your diet during these darker months. Vitamin D3 in particular will boost immunity, bone health, hair, teeth, organs ( at least 20% of our population are deficient in vitamin D during the winter). Did you know that Vit D It is being used in the treatment of Covid-19? Vitamin C is a key anti-oxidant (assisting cellular health and repair) and boosts our immune system. Magnesium is an important mineral, playing a role in over 300 enzyme reactions in the human body. Its many functions include helping with muscle and nerve function, regulating blood pressure, and supporting the immune system. Zinc is found in cells throughout the body. It helps the immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses. The body also needs zinc to make proteins and DNA, the genetic material in all cells. During pregnancy, infancy, and childhood the body needs zinc to grow and develop properly.
- Be kind to yourself. We will be surrounded by folks ’smashing It’ in lockdown, decorating, up skilling, up cycling, growing things and cooking from scratch, whereas others will be in their PJ’s all day and don’t get round to brushing their hair. Create the days you want to live based on what you want. I have muted the noisy over-achievers and the miserable moaners from my newsfeed in order to preserve my mental health – I suggest you do the same. Surround yourself in person and on the social platforms with folks who help you feel good about yourself and support you achieve what you want to achieve.
Zooming Fabulous
As from Thursday, due to the lockdown restrictions for Gyms and studios, I’m afraid that I’m unable to invite you in to the studio for classes or one to one sessions, but hey, we are really experienced at offering all of our services effectively on Zoom so they can be enjoyed in the comfort and convenience of your own home.
One to one appointments will take place on Zoom (including guided self-massage) and we can help you get stronger, firmer, leaner, improve your cardiovascular fitness, mobility, flexibility, balance, co- ordination, dance and fitness skills and boost your mental health too.
Daisy is also joining the one to one and small group instructor line up during this time and is available for barre fitness, ballet fitness, tap fit, dance and yoga sessions for one to one and small group.
Get in touch and we can organise your session including the Zoom links etc
Class Zoom details are further down this message.
Memberships
Our classes are always amazing quality and value – memberships in particular. Our monthly membership ( valid first to the lsat day of the month paid on the 1st) includes 11 bespoke classes per week, plus On Demand access to our Vimeo video class library for you to access whenever its convenient for you, and a members discount on one to one sessions.
Free Weekend Fitness and Dance Event
FitCamps World Event Online, November 6th-8th
Please support me next Sunday 11am on Zoom as I present on the Fit Camps World event.
It’s free so a wonderful addition to our classes during the week.
If you have the energy and time why not check out some of the other sessions and maybe make a day/weekend of it?
Please join me in my Sunday morning (8 November at 11am) session via Zoom (Room 1)
I would love your support as I’m a bit nervous ‘cos its been a long while since I presented at a Fit Camps event (distance and timing meant that I couldn’t fit it in to my schedule but that’s not problem with that these days as I can stream live from my studio !!!)
Details and how to register are here!
Emma’s Beauty Services here at DYBO HQ
Obviously we have had to cancel the November session but we can still take advantage of this fab offer…
DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:
Monday
6.30pm Boogie Fit (Beginners/Returners)
7.15pm The Middle Bit – Complimentary when attending BF or CD or £3.50
7.45pm Cardio Dance (Intermediate)
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.
‘One Pot’ Yellow Thai Pumpkin Curry (Gut Friendly too!)
Found on minimalist baker .com
Ingredients
Curry
- 1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium shallot (minced)
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 small red chili or serrano pepper (stem + seeds removed // thinly sliced)
- 1 large red bell pepper (thinly sliced lengthwise)
- 3 Tbsp yellow (or red) Thai curry paste
- 3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed pumpkin or butternut squash
- 2 14-ounce cans light coconut milk (sub full-fat for extra creamy texture
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 healthy pinch sea salt (~1/4 tsp)
- 1 Tbsp coconut amino (or sub tamari or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2/3 cup roasted cashews* (lightly salted or unsalted are best)
For serving (optional)
- Fresh basil or coriander
- Lemon juice
- Brown rice, cauliflower rice, low carb rice, quinoa
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add coconut oil, shallot, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add bell pepper and curry paste and stir. Cook for 2 minutes more. Then add pumpkin and stir. Cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add coconut milk, maple syrup or coconut sugar, turmeric, sea salt, and coconut aminos and stir. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Once simmering, slightly reduce heat to low and cover. You want a simmer, not a boil, which should be around low to medium-low heat.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften the pumpkin and infuse it with curry flavor.
- At this time, also taste and adjust the flavor of the sauce/broth as needed. I added more maple syrup for sweetness, sea salt for saltiness, and a bit more curry paste for a more intense curry flavor. Don’t be shy with seasonings – this curry should be very flavorful.
- Once the broth is well seasoned and the pumpkin is tender, add broccoli, lemon juice, and cashews and cover. Simmer for 3-4 minutes more over low to medium-low heat.
- Optional: Scoop out half of the broth/sauce and half of the pumpkin (try to exclude the broccoli) and blend until creamy and smooth in a blender for a thicker, creamier curry. Return to pot and warm for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve as is or over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. This dish gets elevated with the addition of fresh lemon juice and Thai or regular basil or cilantro for serving.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot.
Keep safe, keep moving, keep in touch
Love ya,
Helen x
