5 REASONS why PILATES MAKES LIFE BETTER

1. Stress Reliever 

Life is stressful and can be challenging at the best of times. We all need to take time out from our day and breathe. It warms my heart when clients come to me and tell me that they love Pilates as it 'is their time' and 'helps with stress'. Pilates focuses on combining movement with breath and correct technique, therefore your brain is captivated and shut off from thinking about your work day or your to-do list. Pilates for me personally is like an escapism of sorts; my mind is solely present on my practice and what exercise I am doing. 

2. Tones like no other 

I've tried my hand at almost every sport and nothing has toned me or made me feel stronger than Pilates. The isolation of muscles each exercise achieves is mind-blowing and can result in very toned abs, butts and thighs. Whilst weight-loss is important to many, I found that whilst I did not physically lose weight when I started regular Pilates, the toning of my muscles made my physique look much slimmer and feel much healthier. 

3. Low impact 

Pilates is very low impact on the body's joints, which is imperative for anyone who has an injury (or injuries). Load bearing exercises are performed safely by the support of the floor or the reformer (or by any type of Pilates equipment you are using to stabilise you). There is no running or jumping involved or any type of movement that puts the joints at risk. 

4. Adaptable 

What I particularly love about Pilates is how anyone can do this type of exercise. We have clients at the studio ranging from 14 years of age up to clients in their 70's. The oldest client so far has been 78 and they did brilliantly! We regularly instruct pre and post-natal women, athletes, students, retirees and people with mild, chronic and debilitating injuries. Almost all Pilates exercises can be adapted to be low level, intermediate and advanced by simple adjustments. Pilates is truly for anyone or everyone (who wants to give it a go). 

5. FUN!

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly to some people, Pilates is a very fun form of exercise. At our studio your Pilates class can be as social as you want, whilst still providing you with a good workout. We know that if exercise isn't enjoyable, clients will not make a commitment to continue coming so we always love to have a laugh and a joke in class. 

Interested in seeing if Pilates makes your life better? Call Premium Pilates Studio today on 0402 680 724 or visit us online at premiumpilatesstudio.com!

x Emily 

MATWORK CLASSES HAVE ARRIVED

Starting Monday March 10th, Premium Pilates Studio will be introducing Matwork Pilates classes into their timetable!

Class times:

Monday to Friday Morning - 5:30am and 6:30am

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Afternoon - 5:30pm and 6:30pm

and more class times will be added in the near future!

Prices:

Casual - $20 per class

Introductory 3 Pack - $15 per Class ($45)*

5 Pack - $18 per class ($90)

10 Pack - $16 per class ($160)

Places will be limited to 15 per class so prior booking is recommended, however, walk ins will be accepted until we reach capacity. 

How to book: If you are already a client of our studio or if you create a login on our website (premiumpilatesstudio.com) you can go online right now to book in advance into our mat work classes! Once you have logged in, go to the date and class time you would like and enter your name to reserve a spot.

If you are not already a client of the the studio it is super easy to become one:
1. Go to premiumpilatesstudio.com,
2. Click Login in the top right hand corner,
3. Click Join Today,
4. Click Begin Application,
5. Fill out your medical form (which will save you doing it on the day you come in for class)
6. Receive your confirmation email and then login to the website with your login details to book.

OR

Please contact Emily or Chris by emailing inquiries@premiumpilatesstudio.com or calling or texting 0402 680 724 for any further enquiries.

Hope you have a wonderful day and can't wait to see you all for our Matwork classes!

*Introductory package is only for first time Matwork clients and cannot be purchased as an ongoing package.

SILVERBEET, PUMPKIN & BLACK BEAN STEW

This recipe was inspired from a recipe on Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s online website, found in the ‘Dark Leafy Greens’ post. I have been wanting to try using silverbeet for a long time as I have never cooked it myself before. I will freely admit that I watched a 20 second video on how to prepare it (gosh I love the internet, there's just everything out there that you need or have ever wondered about). It was a bit of a rainy day in Brisbane on Monday, hence the warmer meal. As regular readers of this blog and of Soulful Sandwiches may know, I have been trying and trying to get my fiancé to eat hearty meals without any meat in them. Now I’m not a vegetarian myself but sometimes my body just does not feel like meat or does not need it. This meal was one of the most filling vegetarian meals I have had in a while and I’d definitely recommend this recipe (or Gwyneth’s; she uses sweet potato, white beans and kale).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
• 700g pumpkin, seeds & peel removed and chopped into even cubes
• 1 x tin of 400g diced tomatoes 
• 500ml (2 cups) vegetable stock 
• 1/3 - 1/2 bunch of silver beet (2 cups tightly packed), stem removed, chopped & washed 
• 1 x 400 tin of black beans, washed & drained

COOKING 

1. Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Next add the onion and garlic and stir until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant. Add the lemon pepper and pumpkin and stir well until all ingredients are combined. Pour in the tomatoes and stir frequently for 5 minutes, until the pumpkin starts to soften. 

2. Add the stock, silver beet and black beans to the pan and stir to combine. Place the lid on the pan and reduce the heat to a low simmer for around 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft and tender but not mushy (to make sure mushiness does not happen, check on the stew around the 10-12 minute mark and spear a fork through the biggest cube of pumpkin you can find - if the fork goes in easier the stew is done, if there is some resistance give the stew a few more minutes on the stove). 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25-30 minutes 

x Emily 

HAMISH & ANDY FACEOFF AT PILATES

We love seeing men trying out Pilates and who better to jump on the bandwagon yesterday than the comedic duo Hamish & Andy! Apparently their dual interest in Pilates was spurred on by Hamish's mum joking with him that he couldn't handle Pilates! Hence Hamish's fearless leopard print leotard and Andy's very earthy yoga pants were on board to help them tackle this very challenging form of exercise...

The 32 year-old's have known each other since age 19 and have been in competition ever since, so why would exercise be any different? We cannot seem to pick a clear winner in this photos, as both boys were put into some very tough positions! Both boys seem to rise to the challenge, with Hamish climbing onto the top of the cadillac at one point. Good on Hamish's mum for getting the boys to a class! (Click on the link below to see more of the Pilates action from Hamish & Andy's website;

http://www.hamishandandy.com/2014/hamish-vs-pilates/). 

Men; are you now convinced yet that Pilates is tough and a great workout for the body? If not, come try one of Premium Pilates challenging reformer and wunda chair workouts! Call 0402 680 724 or visit premiumpilatesstudio.com to enquire today. And we promise that you do not have to wear Hamish & Andy's workout attire to class (unless you want to that is). 

BERRY TOFU SMOOTHIE

This recipe happened by mistake, as I was planning to make a smoothie I had made several times before from a recipe I found on yourdailyshake on instagram (check out this account its amazing! So many mouth-watering smoothies). As I got my blender out and thawed my blueberries I realised that I had no bananas and no avocado, which were key ingredients in the smoothie recipe. Hence the tofu, which you actually cannot taste blended in with the other ingredients. Try it if you can get over the tofu in it! 

INGREDIENTS

• a large handful of baby spinach, washed
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or thawed if frozen
• 5 tablespoons silken tofu (or around 75 grams)
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• 1 teaspoon mesquite powder
• 1 cup coconut water or organic apple juice or a combination of both 
• ice cubes 

PREPARATION

1. Blend all the ingredients in a blender until combined and serve topped with extra blueberries, if desired. Serve immediately in a large glass. 

Serves / 1-2

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes maximum

x Emily 

THE NEW & IMPROVED STUDIO IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

  

And we are open! After a crazy Friday of moving and cleaning and two weeks of renovating, we are now located at Shop 2 / 414 Logan Rd, Greenslopes. We are very impressed that all of our clients found their way to the new digs with no issues! We look forward to welcoming the rest of our clients to the bigger space this coming week. And just incase you were wondering, the reformer rooms are past the two white doors-watch this space as there will be soon be two reformer rooms consisting of 4 reformers and matwork classes. Lots of room for everyone to enjoy Pilates:)

x Emily 

MILLET, ORANGE & LEMON MUFFINS

Whilst this photo is crystal clear (no filter on instagram required) I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to import the original photo onto my computer. So I have to be satisfied with an instagram one. 

Moving on...these muffins are adapted from another Heidi Swanson specialty and are incredible for a gluten and dairy free treat. They are fluffy, bright and the zest of the orange and lemon is very prominent in the flavour. You almost feel as if you are eating a fruity cornbread when treating yourself to one of these muffins. It’s also a great way to consume some millet, which is an ancient seed (often mistaken for a grain) that can be cooked similarly to how quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal and farro is cooked. Millet’s popularity has risen in recent years due to the fact that it is gluten free and due to its nutritional benefits. This little seed contains ample amounts of magnesium (which assists in lowering blood pressure, decreases the risk of heart disease and eases muscle cramps and tightness), is full of fibre which slows down digestion and leaves you feeling fuller for longer, is high in alkaline (which helps our body pH to stay balanced) and is easy to digest.

INGREDIENTS

• coconut oil, to grease muffin tin 
• 1 heaped cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1 heaped cup gluten-free self raising flour
• 1/3 cup raw millet
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda / bi-carb of soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup lactose-free yoghurt
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup almost melted nutalex 
• 1/2 cup organic honey
• the grated zest of 1 medium lemon and 1/2 a large orange
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice 

BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to just above 200 degrees celsius and place a rack in the top third of the oven. Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tin with coconut oil (using baking paper to grease creates the least amount of mess). 

2. Stir together the flours, millet, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. 

3. In another large bowl, whisk the yoghurt, eggs, nutalex, honey and lemon & orange zest and juice until well combined. 

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl and stir gently until the flours are just stirred through. 

5. Divide the batter into the 12 prepared muffin holes, filling the batter to the rim or just below. To ensure that the muffins rise evenly, wet a tablespoon with water and run the spoon along the tops of the batter in each hole to even the muffin tops. 

6. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the muffin tops are golden and you can just start to see cracks forming on the top of the muffins. Leave in the tin for five minutes, then transfer the muffins onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. 

Makes  / 12

Total Preparation time / 15 - 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 20 - 22 minutes 

x Emily 

Image by brisbanegovindas.com.au