July Motivation

Hello Wellness Tribe! Here is our July Motivational Blog for you to use during your month to keep you focused, happy, fully energized...and warm. This month brings us school holidays so we have included a yoga pose, a recipe and a quote to help you and your kids enjoy the time together.


 Each month we will offer you some wellness tips from our team to fill you with some Contagious Enthusiasm...


INSPIRE

YOGA POSE FOR THE MONTH  by Sophie Rouse

Down Ward Dog & Cat Pose
A great pose to do with your little ones

Begin on your hands and knees. Have your hands underneath your shoulders , fingers spread widely and knees hip width distance apart. Breathe in and look upward allowing the hips to rise upward also. Then exhale and allow your head to release so it hangs towards the floor. look towards your hips as your back rounds. Enjoy as many breaths as you need and enjoy stretching your spine.

On an exhale lift your knees off the ground and push your bottom up skyward, as you move into downward dog.  Check that your fingers are spread widely. Most of your weight will fall into your hands, so try to bring awareness to your fingers, without collapsing onto your wrists. Stay for one to 3 minutes exhaling slowly, and stretching your calves.

Finish in a child's pose. Wrap yourself up in a little ball on relax and breath before getting up.

This is a rejuvenating pose and both are great if your kids have been sitting looking at screens. Both will release tension from your neck and spine. Kids need this too! Both poses will improve digestion, back pain and fatigue. A fabulous way to stretch your body first thing in the morning or when sitting too long. Enjoy.

Always be mindful of any injury that won't like these poses. Sharp pain or dizziness is a great teacher to remind you to stop.  Listen to your body, it's your best teacher.

Click here for Yoga Timetable

TRANSFORM

RECIPE OF THE MONTH by Susan Slonim

Crispy Baked Quinoa Crusted Chicken Strips

Crusted chicken strips are always a hit with kids. Here is a fun recipe that you can make with the kids.

Serves: 4
Ingredients

4 boneless, and skinless chicken breasts sliced into 8cm long stripssalt and pepper to taste

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup quinoa
¼ cup flour
Optional seasonings:- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend, paprika and garlic powder
Oil

Instructions

1.      Preheat oven to 190 C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2.      Rinse quinoa well. Bring 2 cups of water to the boil, add the quinoa. Bring back to boil and gently simmer covered for 12 minutes. Turn off and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork when finished (1 cup dry quinoa yields 3 cups cooked)

3.      Transfer the quinoa to a flat dish, combine  with salt and pepper  (and other spices of your choice)

4.      Put flour into a flat dish.

5.      Beat egg in another dish.

6.      Dip chicken into the egg, flour, then coat well with the quinoa mixture (you may need to press the quinoa onto the chicken strips). Place chicken onto baking sheet.

7.      Lightly brush oil over both sides of each piece of chicken to help it brown.

8.      Bake for around 15 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.

9.      While the chicken is cooking you can turn the leftover quinoa into a healthy side dish by mixing it with your favourite vegetables and topping with a healthy pasta sauce.

Enjoy! To read more or to connect with Susan click here

AWAKEN

POSITIVE THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH by Cheryne Blom

"Imagine a world ruled not by fear but powered by love!"

To read more about Cheryne click here
You can also follow Cheryne's blog


We trust you enjoy our Blog and look forward to sharing some new tips next month.

Lots of love,

The Team @ Contagious Enthusiasm
http://www.contagiousenthusiasm.com.au/

The Benefits of Tai Chi Yoga

Do you want to combat your tiredness and feel energized all the time?

Do you find that most days you are simply exhausted? Most days you feel you lack the energy to get “everything” done?  Adrenal fatigue is one of the biggest causes of consistent exhaustion. In fact Adrenal fatigue is what Dr James Wilson defines as the 21^st Century Stress Syndrome. And it gets worse.

 

We live in a world which prioritizes speed. Everything in your life is designed to make you go faster, be more efficient and get more done!  Do you have any of these symptoms?

Finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning

Craving Salty/sugary foods

Lethargy

Lack of focus

Lack of concentration

Lack of sex drive

Mild Depression

Memory loss

Joint pain

Feelings of anxiety

Insomnia

 

If so, then these are some signs your body is giving you to stop, rest and rejuvenate. It is time to prioritize slowing down, prioritizing stillness and prioritizing time to re-energize yourself.

 

Cheryne Blom (Life Coach, Tai Chi Yoga Instructor and Co-Owner of Contagious Enthusiasm Self Development and Wellness Centre in Hampton) says, “Tai Chi Yoga and Meditation are a must in our crazy 21^st Century lives- we must make time to find the stillness amongst the chaos. We must prioritize time to stop and breathe and recreate our cells”

 

Tai Chi Yoga is a cutting edge fusion of classical Tai Chi, and Qi Gong (the science & practice of internal energy) yoga, stretching and meditation. This is a profound "meditation in motion", a place where you will dissolve layers of tension and reach ultimate levels of relaxation, awareness, focus and joy by creating a free flow of energy in the body.

 

Tai Chi Yoga has a number of medical and emotional benefits and most importantly gives

your adrenal system time to rest and digest. And when your adrenal system is calm you release less of Adrenalin cortisol (the stress hormone) and as you achieve deeper states of relaxation you begin to release endorphins(the feel great hormones).
Practicing Tai Chi Yoga on a regular basis offers you the following benefits:

Ease of arthritic pain, Arthritis prevention, help increase low bone density, and has been scientifically proven to help with heart disease, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and other ailments such as fatigue, stress, depression, anxiety, lack of focus and concentration, stiff joints, weight loss and fluid retention.

Try a class today and you will experience the benefits of this simple yet dynamic practice in your first visit. Click here for class times…

Lots of love,

Team Contagious

Read more about Contagious Enthusiasm Self Development, Wellness & Yoga Centre

June Motivation

Well here is some June Motivation for you to use during your month to keep you focused, happy, fully energized...and warm.  Each month we will offer you some wellness tips from our team to fill you with some Contagious Enthusiasm...


INSPIRE
YOGA POSE FOR THE MONTH  by Sophie Rouse

 

Uttanasana - Forward Bend.

Uttanasana is a great pose to release tension from the spine and clear your mind.

Begin by standing and bend forward with your knees slightly bent. Notice how your back feels. If it's sore stay with your kees bent, otherwise you can begin to straighten them. Listen to your body. Let it guide you. Focus on your breath and with each inhalation rise slightly and with each exhalation let your body relax. Stay for one minute allowing your head and neck to release.

It is more important to release the front of the body rather than stretch the legs.  Any time the head rests lower than the heart, it slows the heart beat, bringing you into a state of relaxation.

To come out of this pose bring your hands onto your hips, breath in and stand up slowly with a straight spine.This is a great pose to do when you get out of the shower in the morning, when you are drying your toes. Your body will be warm and appreciate this beautiful stretch.

A great pose to start the day or end your day.

Click here for Yoga Timetable

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TRANSFORM
RECIPE OF THE MONTH by Susan Slonim

This is a practical and easy recipe from Susan our Nutritionist. Great for these cooler autumn evenings.

Slow cooked chicken dinner

Crock pots are a great investment for warming winter meals. Put your meal on in the morning and come home to a delicious meal and the whole house will smell great.

4 skinned chicken thighs

1 brown onion roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped
2 sticks celery cut in 5cm
2 carrots in 1cm slices
1 zucchini cut in 4
4 medium potatoes quartered
½ cup quinoa
1 Cup white wine
2 tbsp spoons tomato past
1 tbsp Soy sauce
¼ tsp chilli powder
Water to cover
 

Put all the ingredients in the crock pot, pore in water till just covered, stir, turn to auto or medium and go to work.  Your dinner is ready when you come home. 

 Enjoy! To read more or to connect with Susan click here

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AWAKEN
POSITIVE THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH by Cheryne Blom

" When you focus on the problem the problem persists, when you

focus on the solution the solution exists". 

Very often we get caught up in the problems we are facing and cannot see past them. Begin to ask yourself what is the solution here and you will begin to see a new reality and new opportunities awaken. There is a solution to every problem... we simply need to focus and find it.

To read more about Cheryne click here
You can also follow Cheryne's blog


We trust you enjoy our Blog and look forward to sharing some new tips next month.

Lots of love,

The Team @ Contagious Enthusiasm
http://www.contagiousenthusiasm.com.au/