Lunch Box Friendly Banana & Strawberry Muffins

My daughter has recently discovered a love of cooking. She wants to help make dinner every night, it's very sweet. I generally don't have the patience by 5.00pm to encourage her to help, her Dad does though so I tend to leave the cooking to them. But during the day, we have been looking for quick, easy baking recipes that she can do pretty much on her own, are good for her and she wants to pack in her lunch box.

The original recipe for these muffins included strawberry but Frankie has decided she doesn't like them cooked so I have been substituting the strawberry with dark chocolate chips. Not the healthiest alternative but if it means she is happy to eat them then I'm all for balance in diet! I think you could also try blueberries, raisins, diced apple.

Ingredients
1 & 1/4 cup of wholemeal plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium mashed banana
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup of chopped strawberries {or 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips}

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 140* and lightly coat 8-10 muffin cups with olive oil spray
2. In a medium bow mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
3. In a separate bowl mix together the coconut oil, egg and vanilla
4. Stir in the mashed banana, honey and yogurt
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, mix thoroughly
6. Fold in the strawberries {or choc chips}
7. Evenly divide in to the muffin cups {amount as desired}
8. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until brown on top and a skewer comes out clean
9. Cool in tray for five minutes then turn out on to a cooling rack

These will keep for about three days in an air tight tupperware pot.

Pretty healthy, pretty tasty and definitely a healthier option for you and your little ones!!

Source: amyshealthybaking.com

12 Week Spring in to Summer Program - PERSONAL TRAINING SALE!!!

Hi everyone,

We have been pretty fortunate this winter to see a lot of blue skies and mild temperatures, which makes you think that this Summer is going to be an absolute scorcher!

Spring is so close you can almost smell it in the air!! And with that change, I hear a lot of people talking about getting back in to shape ready for the beach weather that's just around the corner.

Are you one of those people?

Have you thought that you wouldn't mind losing those few KGs you put on over Winter?

Maybe you did a really good job of maintaining your physique over the cooler months but now that it's getting warmer you would like to take things to the next level?

Perhaps you've spent the winter exercising consistently and are now bored and looking for a new challenge?

And lets not forget about the Mums out there...Have you just had a baby and don't know where to begin to regain your strength the safe and effective way? Or Mums that never give themselves any time and are wanting to change that and get back to feeling their best?

This 12 week Spring in to Summer Program could be exactly what you are looking for!!!!
  
** THREE 30 minute personal training sessions per week for the PRICE OF TWO - valued at $165 per week, now available for $110 per week

  

OR

  
** TWO 45 minute personal training sessions for 30% off the usual price - valued at $160, now available for $105 per week

  
All clients participating in the 12 week program receive the following for FREE...
 

* Initial goal setting session
* Complimentary movement assessment
* Complimentary 30 minute foam rolling and stretch tutorial
* Two six week, individualized training programs tailored to suit your goals AND your schedule
* Nutritional Guidance using macro-nutrient portions - no counting calories or weighing your food. I will teach you how to correctly nourish your body without you feeling any type of deprivation
* Supplementation Guidance
* Unlimited support by phone and email
* Bi-weekly progress check in to keep you on track towards your goals

There is no better time than to join Erin Eleini Fitness and enjoy results that other clients have achieved whilst working with me!

I am ready when you are!!

The Trapbar Deadlift

If you are looking for an exercise that's going to make you feel like a badass in the gym then look no further than The Deadlift!!

The Deadlift is a strength training exercise where a loaded barbell, or just the bar, is lifted off of the ground up to hip level and lowered back down to the ground. It works a multitude of muscles; quads, hamstring, glutes, abdominals, lower back, traps and the forearms and is therefore awesome for building total-body strength, size and athleticism.

The Deadlift can be a daunting exercise. There are many cues to ensure you correctly execute a Deadlift and many people are fearful of injuring their lower back. But the truth is, if done correctly, there is no better exercise than the Deadlift to keep your back in great health.

A great regression of a Barbell Deadlift is the Trapbar Deadlift. Here is a Trapbar, also known as a Hexbar given it's six sides.

About 20 years ago a Powerlifter from North Carolina named Al Gerald found that deadlifting was constantly niggling in his lower back. He found when he deadlifted with a straight bar that it put a lot of stress on his lumbar spine {lower back}. This is due to the weight being far away from the axis of rotation {the hip} where the work is being undertaken. The lower back acts like a crowbar to move the weight from the floor and it is for this reason that people can hurt their back if they do not perform the Deadlift with accuracy.

Since the Trapbar configuration allows you to step inside it rather than behind it, the long lever is shortened along a horizontal axis, therefore significantly decreasing the amount of sheer force on the spine.

As a general rule, I ensure all my clients can perfectly perform a Trapbar Deadlift before progressing them to a Barbell Deadlift. In saying that, the Trapbar Deadlift shouldn't only be seen as a regression to the more tradition Barbell Deadlift. A recent study undertaken by Swinton et al, found that not only was the Trapbar Deadlift a safer exercise it was also a more effective exercise for building maximum power.

Here is my step-by-step guide to correctly perform a Trapbar Deadlift....

1. Step inside the Trapbar making sure your feet are evenly positioned between the front and the back bars. I aim for a stance approximately hip width but this will differ slightly person to person

2. Grip the handles tightly so that your middle finger is horizontally aligned with the front of your shin

3. Squat your hips down, maintaining a neutral spin {think arch in your lower back}, keeping arms nice and long with no flexing at the elbows. I also like to think about drawing my triceps towards my latissimus dorsi, this will aid in keeping your back muscles engaged whilst protecting your shoulders at their capsules.

4. Inhale, a big belly breath, not just filling your lungs with air but aiming to fill your diaphragm. I like to think about bracing my abdominals like someone is about to punch me in the tummy.

5. Holding that big breath in to ensure a great amount of intra-abdominal pressure, stand up by driving your feet in to the ground and straightening your legs. At the top of the movement drive your hips forward into extension and squeeze your glutes.

6. Continue to maintain neutral spine and lower the bar back to the ground. Exhale at the bottom, reset your position and inhale another big breath, moving on to your next repetition

Chicken Soup

If you know me, you'll know that I'm not much of a cook. I like simple, easy meals that take only a little time to prepare. Even more so now I have children that I need to cater for and a baby that is still eating purees.

Here is a quick but delicious recipe for a chicken soup that takes about 20 minutes to prepare. The good thing about this is that it is kid friendly {to a degree, if you don't have fussy eaters} because you can switch out the vegetables to ones that your kids will eat. Or, when my step son turned his nose up at this soup, I just kept two tenderloins for him which I cooked separately with some noodles and he had carrot and celery on the side.

The Ingredients I use are:

600grams diced free range chicken tenderloins
400gram can of sweetcorn
400gram can of four bean mix
2 x 400gram of chopped tomatoes
3 x carrots diced
1 x celery heart diced
1 x chopped onion
2 x cloves of garlic
2 x tablespoons of olive oil

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft
3. Add the chicken tenderloins and cook until slightly brown
4. Throw in the cans of tomatoes, beans and sweetcorn
5. Cover and cook on low for 90 minutes, stirring regularly

It doesn't get much easier than that!!

Before I serve, I take two cups of the soup out of the saucepan and put aside to puree for the baby. Then I add in salt and pepper and you can also add some chilli flakes if you like things spicy. Cook for another few minutes and the soup is ready to serve.

Just on a side note, the only canned sweetcorn I use is Coles own brand. Be sure to check the nutritional label on the sweetcorn you usual buy as a lot of brands have quite a lot of sugar in the water. The Coles brand has no added sugar so is definitely the smartest choice for canned sweetcorn.

Client Story - Bunny

Client Story- Bunny

One of the many highlights of my job as a Personal Trainer is seeing not just the physical changes in my clients but the mental changes that you see as well.

Take my client Bunny for example. She came to me at the beginning of 2016 wanting to tone up and lose her baby tummy that she just couldn't seem to shift! She'd never stepped foot in a weights room, never undertaken any strength training and her visits to the gym saw her doing Body Pump classes and Yoga which, put simply, weren't getting her the results she wanted!

Fast forward six months to the middle of 2016 and she had achieved what she set out to achieve. Then I went on maternity leave and she trained with my stand in trainer and continued to get fitter and stronger. Bunny has now moved over to my new gym and is back training with me each week. She turns up, puts in the work and is rewarded a fit and healthy body and mind.

She is lifting weights she never thought were possible and completely understands how her body is designed to move and how good it is designed to feel.

Bunny wrote me a lovely testimonial which I would like to share with you below...

I first started strength training with Erin in February 2016 to improve my fitness and to get in shape. It was difficult for me to return to my normal pre-baby weight by going to the gym on my own. At the beginning Erin asked what my goals were and she then gave me a program and also nutrition advice to follow. Each week Erin provided me a record of exercises and weights that we used.

After six months of weekly strength training sessions I saw amazing results and I was back at my pre - children weight and my clothes fit me so much better.

Erin is a wonderful, engaging and professional Personal Trainer. During our sessions together she would explain what muscle groups we were working on and she really motivated me to exercise well.

I would highly recommend Erin as a Personal Trainer.

If you have been thinking that whatever you are doing exercise wise just isn't cutting it then maybe now is the time to try something different!

I know what works to get people looking and feeling their best, maybe now is the time to get in contact with me and give personal training a try!

Serious results are guaranteed if you are willing to put in the work!!

Erin

Client Story :: Laura

Meet Laura, a very good friend of mine and also a client. Laura and I have been working together for the last 18 months and to describe her transformation as AMAZING would be an understatement. When we began training together, Laura ate very little, drank a lot, pounded the pavement and overall wasn't in the best place. I pretty much bullied her in to coming and training with me, I am so glad I wouldn't take no for an answer.

Fast forward 18 months and Laura packed on 7kg of lean muscle, competed in her first bikini competition, trains with heavy weights five to six days a week, does very little cardio, eats more than most men and looks incredible. As a trainer, this is an amazing transformation to be a part of...

Laura also had some great things to say about training with me which makes me very happy...

"My name is Laura and I have been training with Erin Eleini for just over eighteen months now. Erin has been a good friend of mine for many years and I had always admired Erin's commitment to her training. When Erin was returning back to the fitness industry after having baby Frankie she asked me if I would be interested in signing up for a session per week, after a moment’s hesitation I agreed, after all I figured, What did I have to lose?

When I started training I was not in a good headspace, in fact I was treading water at rock bottom. I was 30 years old and trying to navigate my way through the devastation of my marriage ending to a man I adored. At 175cm tall I would have been lucky to weigh 55KG and my diet consisted of sugary snacks and take away foods if I even bothered to eat, on top of that I worked in a high stress job and would hit the party scene every weekend and drink most nights.  

From my first sessions with Erin I found myself learning so much about my body. Erin's approach to introducing me to fitness was to ease into a training program and continually show me new things. Erin would explain to me each exercise and what muscle it was training. Erin was nurturing every step of the way and would always ask me what I did and did not enjoy to ensure I was getting something out of each session.  It seemed like not long before I was hooked, and equipped with my personal training program put together by Erin I was hitting the gym each morning and seeing my body change in ways I could have never imagined. 

I have made this statement many times to Erin and I will stand by it that her personal training sessions saved my life! Eighteen months on and training is a daily habit that I look forward to. I see Erin twice per week and I am in preparation for my first  bikini completion. Erin also provided me with ongoing food education and I learnt that eating well not only supports a healthy body but also a healthy mind.

One if the unique qualities I found in Erin as my trainer is that she never tried to make me feel guilty about anything and constantly reminded me to be kind to myself. Her approach was one of nurture and guidance, not to make me feel bad that I ate that Chocolate bar or had a set back reaching my goal. 

While the training has been such a positive change in my life I would also recommend Erin to any person who is seeking total change in their life or who are striving for professional or emotional change. Training with the support of Erin changed my mindset and assisted me with battling my emotional sadness. Training has also given me the gift of being strong both mentally and physically and I know this contributed to my recent career successes. 

There have been highs and some lows during my fitness journey and I have been fortunate enough to have Erin by my side every step of the way and for that I will be always grateful."

If you are interested in learning more about how we achieved Laura's results please don't hesitate to get in contact. I would love to be able to help you with your transformation.

strong for Frankie...

I haven't come here and spoken about my post baby fitness journey.

To be honest I haven't come here a lot since Frankie was born.

There is always something else to do and with a very small window whilst Frankie sleeps there are a million other things that need to be done around my home or admin work for my business.

I have sat her for half an hour trying to work out what to write so I thought I would write about how I have gotten myself strong after having baby Frankie.

At this point in time, I am strong...

I am the strongest I have ever been. I see a lot of girls on Instagram and Facebook who are super strong. I am not strong like them, but for me I am strong. Strong is currently in fashion. It is a good trend to be a part of. There is a hashtag on social media #femaleliftingarmy I like this hashtag, it makes me smile and think of deadlifting.

For the first twelve months after having Frankie I worked on re-building my body. I was left with a five centimetre separation in abdominals. I also had lots of work to do on my pelvic floor following Frankie's birth. I was weak and had done nothing but swim for the last six weeks of my pregnancy so I really did feel like I was starting from the beginning.

It took me a good nine months to start to feel any resemblance of my former fit self. I made a decision to not rush getting back to where I had once been. My prioritise shifted from wanting to be lean to just wanting to be stronger. When you are used to being strong you take it for granted. When your strength is gone you miss it, all I wanted was to be strong.

Training around a baby is hard, finding the time, finding the child care when your husband works, training through lack of sleep is horrible.

But I did it. I trained consistently four times a week; sometimes three, sometimes five.

I walked everyday that I did not train. Walked for an hour pushing Frankie whilst she slept.

I ate nutritious food and I ate a lot of it as I was breastfeeding. And the days I trained I ate more food. I stopped constantly obsessing about what I was eating and just ate good, wholesome food that served me, my training and most importantly my breastfed baby.

And then I was back. My body was back. I had worked hard but it was the consistency in my training and nutrition that got it back.

I was lifting weight that I was lifting before I was pregnant.

And then I lifted heavier.

And I realised that I really liked getting stronger. And as I got stronger I realised I was not caring so much about how I looked. I wasn't caring about how lean I was or how ripped my stomach was.

And the less I cared about how I looked the more I started to really like what I saw in the mirror. I actually like my strong body now more than I liked my ripped, lean body from before I was pregnant.

I have focussed for the last eight months on the three main strength lifts; Deadlift, Squat and Bench press.

I have written my own programs for these lifts along with the accessory exercises needed to continually improve my strength on these lifts.

My deadlift has gone from a shaky post-pregnancy 20kg to a 1Rep Maximum of 95kg

My squat has gone from non-existent due to a hip impingement to a 1RM of 72.5kg

My bench press from a 5RM of 25kg to a 5RM of 40kg

**

And these increases in these lifts have transferred across to every other exercise I do. I am literally picking up weights that used to be super heavy and finding them easier. Very, very empowering and I am filled with self-pride at how I have focussed on something and every week I am getting better and better.

This has also carried over in to how I am training my clients. I have a number of girls that have also been bitten by the strength training bug and I am getting them strong as well. Having clients that now train for strength instead of purely focusing on training to lose weight/fat is truly wonderful to see. And they, like me, are changing their body composition whilst doing training that they love.

Training becomes less of a chore and hitting numbers you've never hit before is f*cking awesome.

So where to from here? Would I love to powerlift....yes! Will I get there....one day!

x

** please excuse the terrible music on the video, the very funny camera man added it, yep I love myself <3