NEW Body Sculpt Class - Starting Wednesday

Starting TOMORROW (Wednesday) at 11.30am

 Want a toned booty, hot thighs and strong core? Don’t we all?! 

The newest way to tone up is here at DHP. 50 minutes with our Master Trainer Ms Elly promises to have you feeling and looking amazing. 

Fitness Journals

By keeping a fitness journal, you create a plan for yourself. This plan can focus strictly on the workouts themselves, or you can expand and include diet, personal motivations, energy levels, amount of sleep, and anything else that may seem relevant to your success. You also then have a log of your progress. You can look back through your fitness journal and truly see how much you have pushed yourself, and how your diet and sleep patterns have impacted your weight, energy levels, and workouts.

Read more about keeping a fitness journal here.

Tuna, Broad Bean and Risoni Salad

Photography by Andrew Young

A quick and easy recipe that is delicious and healthy too.

Serves: 4 people

Time to prep: 15 minutes

Time to cook: 8 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen broad beans
• 1 1/2 cups dried risoni
• 425g can Greenseas tuna chunks in springwater
• 250g fresh ricotta, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, to serve

Method

• Place broad beans in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 5 minutes. Peel and discard skins.
• Cook risoni in a saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender, adding broad beans in the last minute of cooking. Drain well. Transfer to a heatproof bowl.
• Add drained tuna, ricotta, lemon rind, juice, oil and mint to pasta. Season. Toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with mint leaves.

(Source.)

Remembering the ANZAC's

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

we will remember them.

Lest we forget.

Adult Swim Correction Classes at DHP

Dolphins Health Precinct are pleased to introduce Adult Swim Correction Classes.

The class with assist with stroke correction, swimming events, triathlons, conditioning, even just making the transition through the water easier than ever before... so why not get trained by DHP’s best Lisa Maclean!

The Adult Swim Correction Class will commence on the 23rd April (Tuesday Night) at 6.30pm. Cost is $15 a session.

For more information or to book your spot please contact DHP Reception. 

NEW Pilates Style Class - Body Sculpt

Starting first Wednesday in May at 11.30am

 Want a toned booty, hot thighs and strong core? Don’t we all?! 

The newest way to tone up is here at DHP. 50 minutes with our Master Trainer Ms Elly promises to have you feeling and looking amazing. 

Tough Mudder - Expressions of Interest

Register your interest NOW with Dolphins Health Precinct Reception to be part of the DHP Tough Mudder Team.

17th & 18th August 2013 - Sunshine Coast.

Tough Mudder events are hardcore 20 km-long obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses and 700,000 inspiring participants worldwide to date, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.

Click for more information.

Lentil, Sweet Potato & Pancetta Soup

Photography by Jeremy Simons

One of the healthiest foods around, lentils are low in fat and very versatile - perfect for salads, soups and sides. Packed with vegies, this hearty lentil soup wins for taste and budget.

Serves: 4 people

Time to prep: 15 minutes

Tim to cook: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 750ml (3 cups) boiling water
• 1 tsp Massel Salt Reduced Chicken Stock Powder
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, trimmed, finely chopped
• 50g pancetta, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g sweet potato (kumara), peeled, cut into 1cm pieces
• 400g can no-added-salt lentils, rinsed, drained
• 400g can no-added-salt diced tomatoes
• 250g broccoli, cut into small florets
• Chopped fresh continental parsley, to serve

Method

• Combine the water and stock powder in a large heatproof jug.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion, celery, pancetta and garlic, stirring, for 6 minutes or until soft. Add the sweet potato. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until combined.
• Add the stock mixture, lentils and tomato. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potato is tender. Add broccoli. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until broccoli is tender crisp.
• Divide the soup among serving bowls and top with parsley.

(Source.)

Need Some Motivation? How About a Nike+ FuelBand?

Make life a sport with the Nike+ FuelBand. Track daily activity and turn it into NikeFuel. Visualise your performance, compete with friends and get moving.

HOW IT WORKS:

WHAT IT TRACKS

Through a sports-tested accelerometer, Nike+ FuelBand tracks your daily activity including running, walking, basketball, dancing and dozens of everyday activities. It tracks each step taken and calorie burned. It also tells the time of day.

SET A GOAL

Decide how active you want to be by setting a daily NikeFuel goal. The band's LED display lights up from red to green showing your progress throughout the day.

SEE YOUR PROGRESS

Visualise your daily activity to see when you're most active - and when you're not. Nike+ helps you understand your activity patterns to help you do more.

STAY MOTIVATED

Receive achievements and rewards as you do more. Get on a streak, exceed your goal, and hit milestones along the way.

TELL THE WORLD

Share your activity and achievements through Facebook, Twitter and Path.

Click here for more information. 

The Ultimate Pre-choreographed Program

Radical Power is the ultimate pre-choreographed program using weights that combines different muscle groups to produce workouts that are always unique. A real weights workout, POWER cleverly utilises progressive loading and has been intelligently designed to STRENGTHEN, BUILD and TONE your body AND increase your FITNESS as well. The simple structure means that you take away the complexity and increase the intensity ensuring the most effective and POWER-FULL barbell workout every time.

Duration: 45 minutes

Click here to view the latest timetable.

A Star at Aqua... William McInnes

DHP were excited to have a celebrity at a recent Aqua Fitness Class! William McInnes participated in the class and was kind enough to pose for a photo with Aquatic Supervisor Angela Holland.

William McInnes (born in Redcliffe, Queensland) is an Australian film and television actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Max Connors of SeaChange.

William released his first book A Man's Got to Have a Hobby on 1 August 2005. His second book Cricket Kings was released in 2006 and his third, That'd Be Right, in August 2008. His fourth book, The Making of Modern Australia, was released in 2010; it was accompanied by a television documentary series of the same name on the ABC that McInnes narrated. In 2011 William released his fifth book, Worse Things Happen at Sea - co-written by his wife Sarah Watt. He wrote a regular column called 'William Tells' for the Australian Women's Weekly.

Click to read more about William McInnes.

Well Done to the 10 Week Challenge Participants!

We wanted to acknowledge the fantastic effort by the 10 Week Challenge participants as their over half way through their challenge. Good luck to you all, finish strong!

Gluten-free Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cookies (refined sugar, dairy, and soy free)

Today's recipe comes from Mother-Daughter Natural Beauty Team Laurie and Tiffany from Natures Knockout. You can check out their blog here.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Yield: 12-15 servings

Ingredients

• pure cocoa bar (70% or higher) - 4 oz.
• coconut oil - 1/4 cup
• stevia powder - 1 teaspoon
• egg, hormone free - 1
• pure vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
• almond meal or almond flour - 1/2 cup
• unsweetened cocoa - 4 Tablespoons
• baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup
• coconut flakes (optional) - 1/4 cup
• coconut sugar - 1/4 cup

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• These gluten free chocolate cookies are beyond good and super easy to make too! I placed the cocoa bar into a zipper bag and crunched it into small chunks. Then to slightly melt them, I set them in a glass cup and set it in another glass bowl of hot tap water. I let that set while I placed all of the other ingredients into a large glass bowl. I mixed them all together with a wooden spoon.
• Next, I threw the walnuts into that zipper bag and crushed them. Then I added them, and the the semi-melted chips to the mixture and stirred them in.
• I used a tablespoon and dropped them onto a cookie sheet. Makes 1 dozen. Then I cooked them about 15 minutes.
• That's it - they are super easy, delicious and you can forget about the guilt. This recipe contains no gluten, refined sugar, dairy or soy and they are YUMMY!

(Source.)

Want to Find Out What a Triathlon is All About?

Some of the members of the Triathlon Training Team

Would you like to experience what a Triathlon is all about? Why not come down to the Dolphins Health Precinct pool at 6pm tonight and join the training?

Personal Training Special Offer

EXTENDED

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND

10% off Group Personal Training

(2 people - half hour)

Only $45 for both (usually $50 - Special Offer is 10% off.)

Valid until close of business Tuesday 30th April 2013.

Selected trainers available.

Limited time offer! See reception to book or for more details.

Terms & Conditions

For each PT Easter Special purchased, you have 1 month to use it.

Dolphins Health Precinct reserves the right to allocate which personal trainer. 

RADKIDZ Special Offer

SPECIAL OFFER: Only $8 per class!

RADKIDZ is the best fun ever! The program offers noncompetitive exercise, fun activities along with education and development skills for ages 4—12 years. Two separate classes are held each week, one for ages 4-7 and the other for ages 8-12.

Monday 4.00pm: Ages 4-7

Wednesday 4.00pm: Ages 8-12

Duration: 45 minutes.

Aqua for Fitness

Dolphins Health Precinct Aqua Fitness Programs have many intensity levels for participants to choose from.

Our water based excerise programs are designed to work the whole body including every major muscle group. Challenging your mind and your body by utilising the natural resistance of water. Music, motivation but most of all fun is the focus of the Dolphins Health Precinct Aqua Fitness Classes delivered by our experienced and dedicated team. Included among the range of classes are; Aqua Mix, Aqua Circuit, Aqua Deep, Aqua Splash and Aqua Zumba.

Why not come and try Aqua Circuit tonight at 6.30pm! Or click here to view the Aqua Fitness class timetable.

Baked Lemon Chicken with Ricotta and Spring Vegetable Puree

Photography by Ben Dearnley

Baked chicken breasts is given a gourmet twist with the addition of a ricotta and herb side.

Serves: 6 people

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breast fillets with skin (wing bone attached - optional)
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
• 1 bunch oregano, leaves picked
• 200g sugar snap peas
• 450g fresh peas, podded
• 2 bunches thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 250g thin green beans, trimmed
• 1 cup (240g) low-fat fresh ricotta
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Potato wafers, to serve (see related recipe)

Method

• Place chicken, oil, and lemon in a large bowl. Tear half the mint leaves and add to the chicken with half the oregano. Season and toss to coat the chicken, then cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cook the sugar snaps and peas in a large pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Add asparagus and beans and cook for a further 2 minutes, then drain. Place in a bowl of iced water to stop cooking.
• Roughly chop half the vegetables, then blend in a food processor with the ricotta, garlic, and remaining herbs (reserving a few mint leaves to garnish) until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, season, then set aside.
• Heat an ovenproof frypan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade (reserving lemon slices) and cook skin- side down, in batches, for 2-3 minutes until golden. Turn and cook for 1 minute, then turn skin-side up and add reserve lemon to pan. Transfer to the oven for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
• Meanwhile, place the ricotta sauce over very low heat for 1 minute just to heat through. Reheat the remaining blanched vegetables in a pan of boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then drain.
• Divide the sauce among serving plates and top with chicken. Place some of the green vegetables, and the parsley and potato wafers on the plates, then drizzle everything with a little olive oil and scatter with the reserved mint leaves.

(Source.)

7 Reasons You Don’t Meditate, Even Though You Know You Should

This interesting Meditation article is from Jessica Ainscough (aka; The Wellness Warrior).

Meditation is one of those things that once you’ve carved out a daily practice, you can’t imagine not having it in your life. But before that, when your desire to catch some OMs is born of reading books like Eat Pray Love or anything by Louise Hay, and looking at calming images of people sitting poised against a lush green forestry backdrop, meditation can often be something that brings up an inner battle of excuses.

Here are some common ones, along with explanations about why they don’t really exist:

1. “I don’t have the time”

This is ironic. You may feel like you’re wasting time by just sitting around and doing nothing, but it’s quite the opposite. Regular meditation creates space in your mind, heightens your concentration levels, and helps you cope with stress. Meditation actually helps you get more done in the time you have. We all have the same time. It’s just that we all have different priorities, which is why some people are happy to allocate hours each day to meditation and others only commit to half an hour, 20 minutes, or even 10 minutes. If you really can’t justify an extended period of time, just sit in meditation for the longest amount that you do have. Even if this is just 10 minutes, five minutes, or even 60 seconds – your body and mind will love you for it.

2. “I don’t know how”

We place far too much pressure on what meditation should look and feel like. If you can sit or lie down, close your eyes, and breathe in and out, you know how to meditate! That is basically all it is. Sure, you can get fancy with mantras and what not, but basic (brilliant) mindfulness meditation has no goal other than sitting still and being comfortable with having nothing to distract you from your own presence. This can be tough at first, because we’re not used to having so little to do, but it’s really that simple. If you really don’t know where to start, download a guided meditation or go to a class.

3. “I can’t sit still”

The fact that your mind wants you to check the clock, scratch your arm, or get up and check that the hair straightener / stove / iron is switched off just means that your ego is challenging you. Meditation is all about silencing the ego (the internal chatter that keeps you playing small), so therefore the quieter you are, the louder the ego will be. The more you practice meditation, the more you breathe past your ego, the easier it will be to sit still. If you can’t sit still because it hurts your back or your legs, try lying down or invest in a meditation stool (this purchase changed my life).

4. “I can’t switch my mind off”

This is exactly why you should meditate. It doesn’t matter if you can’t clear your mind of all thoughts. It doesn’t even matter if your mind continues to race the whole time you’re sitting there. It’s called a meditation “practice” for a reason; we are not supposed to be perfect. Just keep at it. Whenever you notice that your mind is getting carried away with thoughts and stories, just keep bringing your attention back to your breath, to the sounds you hear around you, and to the sensations within your body.

5. “I find it boring”

Of course you do. When you’re so used to watching TV, while you’re working on your laptop, and sending text messages from your phone all at the same time, of course meditation is going to be boring. That is until you surrender to the activity. Realise that there is so much beauty in silence and stillness, and allow yourself to feel the subtle power creep up from within you.

6. “It scares me”

If you’ve never tried meditation, this may sound like a strange excuse. However, many people don’t go back for seconds after they’ve tried and felt the internal fear that can creep up on you when meditating. This fear is often felt because we’re not used to sitting with our feelings and emotions without employing an external force (like food, TV, alcohol, drugs etc.) to numb them.

This feeling can be incredibly overwhelming at first, and you may want to flip your eyes open because it makes you feel so uneasy, but just stick with it. Don’t try to control anything. Feel the fear in your body, breathe into it and allow it to move through you. Then bask in the fuzzy warmth that will follow.

7. “I keep wondering when the time is up”

Set an alarm. I put my phone on airplane mode so that I won’t be interrupted and then set the timer for however long I want to sit for.

So there you have it. You see; there’s nothing in the world that can truly stop you from meditating. If you really want to do it, you can and you will. Don’t wait for the right time or the right environment. Regular meditation will allow you to tap into your intuition, develop a deep trust in yourself, live in the present moment, and have clarity and peace in your every day life. What is happening in your outside world is a direct reflection of your internal environment. Meditation is a powerful tool for creating the life you want to be living.

(Source.)

Get Fighting Fit!

Why not attend our awesome Bootcamp sessions to get fighting fit or to train for extreme events that are coming up this year (Tough Mudder anyone!?).

Monday and/or Wednesday at 5.30am - only $15 per session.

Easter Parade Fun!

Dinky Dolphins Crèche staff with their creative hats 

Parade time!

Rose wins the easter egg guessing competition

What a pretty pair with their Easter hats!

The littles ones and Dinky Dolphins Crèche staff had a fantastic time at the Easter Hat Parade last Thursday. Thank you to all who attended and were involved, it seems the kids had a great time!