Every so often someone introduces a new cookery book to us and very soon it becomes our new favourite. The latest is by Anna Jones and it is called a modern way to cook. It has loads of vegetarian and vegan recipes that are delicious and easy to cook. This is now a regular on our menu rota!
Serves 4 Prep time: 30 minutes You will need 4 medium courgettes salt and pepper olive oil 1 red onion ½ a bunch of fresh thyme 1 x 230g jar of roasted red peppers 550g cherry tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, or 250g home-cooked chickpeas 1 unwaxed lemon Method Preheat your grill to high and get all your ingredients and equipment together. For this recipe it really speeds things up to have a food processor with a grating attachment. If not, a box grater will do. Grate the courgettes then scatter evenly on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little oil and place under the grill to cook and char for about 20 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. Meanwhile, put a frying pan on a medium heat. Thinly slice the red onion and add it to the pan with a splash of olive oil and the thyme leaves. Cook for 5 minutes, until soft and sweet. Finely chop the red peppers and tomatoes, and finely slice the garlic. Once the onions are browned, add them to the tray of courgettes with the peppers, tomatoes and garlic, and continue to cook and brown, turning every 5 minutes, for a further 10-15 minutes. Put the frying pan back on a high heat and add a little more olive oil. Add the chickpeas, a good pinch of salt and pepper and the zest of the lemon and cook until the chickpeas are crisped around the edges. This will take about 10 minutes, and you'll need to keep tossing the chickpeas in the pan. Once the courgette mixture is softened and sweet, and charred in places, scatter over the chickpeas. Serve with some lemon-dressed green leaves. In January 2017 I made a deal with myself to find a way to exercise that I enjoyed and which I could maintain. I was struggling to drag myself around Nailsworth’s hills to walk the dogs, and any enthusiasm I mustered to get fitter on my own just dwindled after getting disheartened with my lack of progress. The prospect of joining a class where I would inevitably be the one hiding at the back battling to keep up was far too daunting, so I tentatively made contact with Personal Best about 1:1 personal training sessions. With Carl’s encouragement and a programme pitched just at the right level, I found myself able to exercise in a way that felt right for, me for the first time in far too long! After a while I was brave enough to join the stretch class, and then after starting working with Tom I discovered how fun boxing is! Around the summer last year, I asked whether he thought I might be able to manage a circuits class. It took some weeks for him to convince me that I could, but eventually I went along and although it was hard, I got through it in one piece. It wasn’t long before I dropped the PT sessions as I was able to manage two circuits classes a week! Coming to the circuits classes and the support I’ve been given has helped me discover how far I can push myself physically and the determination I have to succeed.
Just before last Christmas, I made the mistake of mentioning to Tom that I felt I needed a new challenge and was vaguely considering whether I could do a 10k. He didn’t let me forget I had said this and ‘gently’ (and persistently!) persuaded me to sign up every time I saw him! So, at less than half the weight I was when I started this journey just over a year ago, and considerably fitter, on Sunday 13th May 2018 I will be running the Sketchers 10k trail run in the Forest of Dean. To hold me accountable (and to make sure I don’t chicken out of it!) I am doing it to raise money for the charity I work for part time, Inclusion Gloucestershire. Inclusion Gloucestershire are a disabled people’s charity who work in many innovative ways to challenge discrimination of disabled people and to champion their rights. I would be so grateful if you would join me in celebrating what I have achieved by helping out a local charity and sponsoring me here . Thank you so much. If you need a little bit of help and motivation to get you moving, then perhaps personal training is for you!
Not sure if Personal Training is right for you? How many times have you knelt on the floor today? How much have you moved today – did you get out of breath? Answer this question, in the last 24 hours, how many times have you raised your hands above your head? Chances are the number is very small and for some possibly zero, which will in turn create movement issues for your shoulder further down the line. We are designed to move, but as our lives have evolved, the movement repertoire our body performs daily has reduced significantly, which can contribute to pain and discomfort! Let us change your perception of Personal training – exercise and fitness. Did you know that over 60% of our clients are over 50? We train numerous clients who are in their 70’s & 80’S 40% of our clients train with a partner or friends! We place more emphasis on balance, moving more and moving well rather than lifting and how much you can lift! If you are a little unsure, why not come in for a complimentary, no obligation personal training session. If you are shy and not wanting to train on your own, bring your partner or a friend along! Experience the benefits of working with a Personal Best personal trainer today. Please contact us for more information or to book your session. We'd love to help you. Alternatively try our Stretch – Mobility – Strength class! In these classes, we emphasise the move more, move better philosophy as we encourage participants to take each of their joints through as many movement ranges as they can. Why not try one of our Stretch – Mobility – Strength classes for free and see how well your body responds! Spaces available Monday @ 12, & 7pm Tuesday @ 12 Wednesday @ 12 Thursday @ 6.30pm But just as your garden has experienced months of neglect and now deserves some due care and attention, so too does your body!
Several months of relative inactivity over the winter period is not the ideal preparation for an extended weekend of gardening. Our clinic is often inundated with calls from patients who have overdone the gardening and consequently are suffering from back pain. Chiropractor Dr Kristine Hagen says that "When they go into the garden they, perhaps rightly, don't see themselves as athletes but the same principle applies - they shouldn't go from doing nothing to a strenuous activity” adding “that their bodies need, like the gardens, to be coaxed in gently and limbered up over a period of time." Our aim, is for you to be fit and healthy enough to enjoy sitting in your garden come summer time and enjoy the fruits of your labours! So, to help you achieve this goal, here are 7 useful tips from the Personal Best Chiropractic Clinic to help prevent back pain when you are gardening. Chiropractic Gardening Tips 1) Kneel on one leg rather than bending down repeatedly from the hips. 2) Try and keep your back hollow when digging, with the legs well-spaced apart. Use your legs rather than your back. 3) Try and vary the tasks of the day into short bursts of different activities rather than slogging away all at one thing. 4) When mowing lawns with a hover mower try to resist the temptation to swing the mower from side to side in an arc. Instead mow forwards and backwards as you would with a conventional cylinder mower. 5) If you suffer from a knee problem and tend to stoop rather than kneel, then use a cushion to kneel on or gardening stool to sit on, try keeping the back as hollow as possible. 6) Keep yourself warm and covered, i.e. keep shirts tucked in; this prevents the muscle from becoming chilled. 7) If you ache the next day, rest, and seek the advice of your chiropractor who will advise you whether you should apply heat, or ice packs to the area, or if you require further treatment. If any of these exercises causes pain, contact one of our team for further advice and treatment. Do not leave it to go away on its own, the earlier the treatment is carried out the better. You should exercise and keep fit so that you can enjoy your gardening and other leisure activities, rather than using your gardening as an exercise to keep fit. For more information about Chiropractic and other services available at Personal Best call 01453 873811 or visit www.personalbeststudio.co.uk Click hereThis month’s newsletter is a little bit late, but still full of great advice, a fantastic recipe and an inspiring client testimonial. We hope you enjoy reading our news, implementing the advice, trying the recipe, feel inspired and possibly make a charitable donation!
With the longer days and warmer spring weather arriving many of us turn our thoughts to the garden and being outside a little bit more! But this is also the perfect time to give your exercise plan a bit of a push, by doing a little more activity on a daily basis. Finding time for exercise in your overloaded day is never going to be easy, instead look for opportunities to move more and move quicker! Taking the stairs instead of lifts, parking as far from the supermarket door as possible, generally going about your day with vim and vigour! Did you know that if you burn an extra 500 calories a day you will drop a pound in a week? And when it comes to burning calories gardening will certainly help. Just spending half an hour digging and shovelling can burn 250 calories, whilst mowing the lawn, (as long as you are not sitting down), can burn 195 calories Try and take every opportunity to exert more calories by increasing your physical activity, now that the nights are drawing out, walk briskly for 30 mins instead of watching TV, you could burn an extra 150 calories! By burning an extra 3500 calories per week than normal, you can lose one pound a week. Remember that’s only 500 calories per day It's not just your body that will benefit from time in the garden, the psychological benefits of being outdoors, working in the sunshine and fresh air, have a positive effect on your mood and energy levels. Studies have even shown that just looking at trees and plants reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and relieves tension in muscles. to edit. |
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