Category Archives: News

Antenatal Yoga Starts September!

Having finally found a venue, these classes will start on Friday 25th September and will run from the new Studio 18 in Hope Road, Deal.

The classes are designed to help strengthen the body for pregnancy and labour, improve posture and relieve some of the discomforts that happen during pregnancy, as well as highlight some relaxation techniques that may help during labour.  All equipment is provided for the class and places are limited for the comfort of everyone in the class.

The classes are suitable for pregnant ladies in their second trimester onward.

The classes run between 7-8.30pm and cost £10.50 per session.   Classes can be booked in blocks of 4 weeks and will be filled on a first come first served basis.  Contact me by email for more information and booking details.

Picky Eaters New Year Special!

January can be a challenging time of year.  The excitement of Christmas seems long gone but the prospect of holidays and nice weather is still far away.  Perhaps the holidays brought with it a few too many ‘celebrations’ and now it feels like an up-hill struggle to get back to healthy eating?

So to help, I’ve put together a 15-day Picky Eater Challenge to help get you and your family back on track!  Follow the daily tasks and challenges that are designed to help encourage the more fussy and faddy ones in the family to eat healthily too.

For day by day details on the challenge follow me on facebook here

Pick Eaters 15-Day Challenge Grid

* For more details on these specific challenges see facebook posts on days 4, 6, 10 and 13!

Tips for success

  • If you don’t have unhealthy food in the house, you can’t eat it!
  • Children are more likely to participate in healthy meals if they’ve been included in the decision-making – give choice and encourage variety
  • Encourage your child to eat just 1 piece of vegetable or salad at each meal
  • Get together with the friends you spend most time with and make a pact to all try to eat better in 2015
  • Limit snacking 2 hours before main meals to encourage them to eat their veg
  • Encourage a bit of exercise before meals to help build up an appetite.

‘Core Strength and Stretch’ class is back!

Sally and I are very excited to announce our core strength and stretch class is re-starting on 18th September!!

As before, the class will take place at Walmer Parish Hall on the Dover Road (just next the petrol station) and starts at 6pm for 45 minutes (ish).

As a reminder, this class focusses on strengthening the core muscles (abdominals, obliques and the back) as well as stretching muscles that get tight from either exercise or just the daily routine!

The class is open to all and is suitable for all abilities, male or female and any age.  All exercises are demonstrated with options to increase or decrease the difficulty.

No special clothing is required, just comfy clothes that allow you to move freely.  You will need an exercise mat but we have one or two spare that we can lend out until you get your own.

If you have any questions please drop me an email at jo@vibrantpt.co.uk

Does your lunch pack a punch?

We know we should provide a healthy lunch for our children and ourselves.  Studies on school children have shown that a healthy, nutritious and balanced lunch has a positive effect on concentration and behaviour, so it really does make a difference!

What should a good lunch include?

  • Complex carbohydrates – wholemeal or wholegrain breads, pasta or rice
  • Lean protein – chicken, hummus, fish
  • Vegetables – salad counts!
  • A small amount of fat – usually found in protein or from seeds and nuts
  • Fruit – fresh, tinned or dried
  • Water or milk to drink

What should you avoid?

Simple sugars include foods like white bread or rice, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate and sugary drinks.  These will give only a quick sugar fix and may make you feel tired or low in energy in the afternoon.  Also try to avoid processed or fatty foods as these often contain a high amount of salt and/or additives and preservatives that the body is not designed to process easily.

Why is this important?

Eating complex carbohydrates and lean sources of protein will provide longer lasting energy to fuel you throughout the day and help keep you feeling fuller for longer.  This means choosing wholegrain breads, crackers, pasta or rice rather than the refined ‘white’ varieties.  Including vegetables at lunchtime will help you reach your ‘5-a-day’, provide the vitamins and minerals to help your body function more effectively and the fibre is vital for good digestion.

There are lots of great alternatives to boring white bread sandwiches so try to get creative!

Some healthy lunch ideas

  1. Grated cheese and carrot filled wholemeal roll, cherry tomatoes, carrot and cucumber sticks, a small pot of chopped apple and kiwi and some Greek yoghurt
  2. Wholemeal pitta slices with a pot of hummus dip, veggie medley of blanched broccoli, orange/red peppers, a handful natural popcorn sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and a small natural yoghurt with blueberries
  3. Seeded bagel with peanut butter and banana, mini salad box with shredded lettuce, halved grapes and raisins, chicken ‘fingers’ with yoghurt and paprika dip and a Satsuma

 Tips for making children’s lunches

  • Freeze different types of wholemeal/seeded breads, rolls, pitas, crackers, wraps or bagels individually so you have choice throughout the week
  • Vary what you offer and keep trying out new foods – sometimes children need to try things up to ten times before they get used to the taste
  • If your child is very fussy try a ‘give it as try’ day and offer a reward (not sweets!) for just trying something new
  • Invest in small screw/snap top pots to use for dips and seeds/nuts/dried fruit
  • Cut veggies and fruit into bite sized pieces to encourage little fingers to give them a try and don’t make too much fuss if things don’t get eaten
  • Avoid using sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cake, puddings etc as a reward – children will associate them with being ‘better’ than healthy food

Sandwich filler ideas and alternatives

  • Mashed sardines with a bit of ketchup
  • Egg mayonnaise with shredded lettuce and finely chopped spring onion
  • Grated cheese and carrot
  • Cream cheese and chopped peppers
  • Ham and tomato
  • Cream cheese and chives or chopped spring onion
  • Whole-wheat or tricolour pasta with a light salad dressing
  • Cous cous with roasted veggies and feta cubes
  • Pitta with dips (rather than filled)
  • Wholegrain rice salads with chopped veggies
  • Home-made sweetcorn and potato rostis or falafels (make ahead and freeze)
  • Try tinned salmon or mackerel instead of your usual tuna fish
  • Hearty soups are a great lunch time option in the winter with a chunk of wholegrain bread

One of the keys to success for getting a healthy and nutritious lunch each day is to plan ahead and do a little preparation.  This way you can have a variety of nutritious options through the week.  Even if you’re not that adventurous with your fillings, trying more healthy breads and sandwich alternatives should help you get through the day with a little more va-va-voom!

 

 

 

Recommend a Friend Reward

Recommend VibrantPT to a friend and, if they book a personal training session with me, you could win a 3-course meal for two at Quex Barn, Canterbury!  Feast your eyes on their tasty winter menu HERE.   

If you’re working hard, you deserve to enjoy some of the lovely, locally sourced produce Quex Barn have to choose from.  The offer includes a starter, main course and dessert as well as a glass of wine or a pint of guest ale at this lovely restaurant, awarded ‘Local Food Retailer of the Year’ at the Taste of Kent Awards last year.  Treat yourself and a loved one or maybe take your friend along with you!  

So, spread the word by sharing my posts on Facebook and Twitter or just get chatting and good luck!

Terms and Conditions
The winner will be the person who’s friend is first to book and pay for one or more personal training sessions with VibrantPT, following your recommendation.  The gift voucher is valid Tuesday-Saturday for dinner only and must be used by 16th April 2014.  

New Year Resolution Competition!

I’m sure you’re all well on your way with your new years resolutions?…….  Well, if you’re struggling with your fitness goals or would like a helping hand why not enter our competition and be in with the chance to win a 6-week exercise plan to help you on your way!

All you need to do is ‘Like’ the VibrantPT Facebook page HERE, go to the competition post and tell me both your fitness goals AND what changes you’re going to make to your lifestyle to make them happen this year.  The competition post is stuck to the top of the timeline so it’s nice and easy to find.

The winner will be the person who is prepared to make the most effective changes to enable them to reach their target and will be announced on Friday 17th January.

So, what have you got to lose – enter away and good luck!

Little Black Dress Christmas Package

Want to lose a few lbs for Christmas??   Why not try my “Little Black Dress” package for the month of December: weekly 1:1, targeted exercise plan to take home, dietary advice and monitoring.

All for just £50 one off payment  (new customers in Deal & surrounding villages only).

Christmas Goodies up for Grabs!

No doubt many of you have started the hunt for that something special for a loved one, so why not take up one of the Christmas offers from Vibrant Personal Training – get one now before they’re gone!!

5 x £100 gift vouchers* for just £50 each!!

PLUS, up for grabs are 5 x 50% Off’ vouchers* – that’s a potential saving of over £170 on a block of 12 PT sessions!!

Either voucher can be used towards/against individual personal training sessions or against a block of sessions but cannot be used with a personal training support package.

For more information or to order your gift voucher please contact me through the Contacts page.  Vouchers will be sold on a first come first served basis via email.

* The offers above are only available to new customers and must be redeemed within the first three months of 2014.  The ‘50% Off’ voucher may only be used once, against one transaction (i.e. one PT session, one block of 4 sessions, one block of 8 sessions or one block of 12 sessions – see the Prices page for cost of block and individual sessions).  Vouchers are only valid against the purchase of personal training sessions and have no residual cash value.

Beach Boot Camp is moving!

We’re moving Beach Boot Camp from Wednesday to Friday mornings from next week (22/11/13).

We’re also running a new discount to anyone who buys a block of sessions.  You can either ‘pay as you go’ for £5 a session or buy a block of 6 sessions that need to be used within 2 months for just £25!  So, come along and give it a go and remember your first 2 sessions are ‘buy one get one free’.