PADDLEBOARDING PILATES

We here at Premium Pilates live and breath Pilates and love the idea of different forms of Pilates other than equipment Pilates  - including on the mat, on the foam roller, on the barr and now...on a paddle board! 

The latest trend to hit the Pilates community is SUPilates- Stand-Up Paddle boarding Pilates. Basically, this water sport is a combination of stand-up paddle boarding and Pilates and is becoming very popular, very quickly. Combining these two exercises together challenges balance, strengthens the core in a functional standing position and achieves an all over body workout paddling on the water. And who wouldn't love being out in the water and chilling out whilst doing a workout? 

The proximity to nature may be another reason why this combination of sports has gotten such a keen following. As manager of Adrenaline Rush Sports recalls; "We were out one morning this week and the sun was rising; it's a great feeling just floating and feeling the slight wave movement underneath you. It's calming but you get a workout as well."

The benefits of SUP are numerous as almost every muscle is used in the body during this activity. Some benefits include improved balance from remaining upright as you paddle and propel yourself through the water, increased toning of the leg  arm, back, leg and shoulder muscles and increased strength of the core and all of the abdominal muscles as they need to be constantly switched on. 

SUP is also low impact, therefore there is no risk to the tendons and ligaments of your joints. Hence your likelihood of injury is very low with this type of exercise. But do not worry; you will still burn lots of calories trying to keep yourself upright! 

Unfortunately, Adrenaline Rush Sports is located in Mackay, however there are several SUP locations around the Gold Coast. We recommend Jamie Mitchell Stand Up Paddle Company, located at 1389 Gold Coast Highway,  Palm Beach QLD or visit online at http://www.jmsup.com. Go give SUP a try when you are next at the coast and remember to tighten your lower abs as you paddle!

x Emily 

NEW STUDIO IS ALMOST READY!!

Our brand new studio located at Shop 2, 414 Logan Rd Greenslopes is almost ready for you!!! Just five more days of renovating to go. Here is a little sneak peak of the reformer and mat work rooms!

Just incase anyone missed our email explaining when we are moving to this new location, the details are below for you. 

 Cheat sheet for Premium Pilates’ new studio

When:

Saturday the 22^nd of February. All clients that have booked to attend classes on this Saturday will need to come to the new location for class.

Where:

Shop 2 / 414 Logan Rd, Greenslopes. The studio is located in the Stones Corner Shopping Precinct and is a shop front. We are located next to Elizabeth De Varga Bridal Shop and directly across from Ray White real estate.

Car parking:

There is 2 hour free parking available on Logan Rd from 8am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday. These parking limitations appear to not apply on weekends. If you are not able to secure a car park on Logan Rd, there is ample street parking off Logan Rd as well as 2 hour parking in Stones Corner Village (where Aldi is located). To gain access to this car park you must enter from Cleveland Street and drive into the undercover car park called 'Stones Village Car Park’.

What if I cannot find the studio: Consult this cheat sheet! Or you can call or sms the studio phone on 0402 680 724 and Emily will help you.

We hope you like the new space!

 x Em & Chris 

BEEF MASSAMAN NOODLE BOWL

This dish may seem to hot to eat during summer, but it has gone down a treat the last few times I have made it for dinner. The second time I used very ripe zucchini and broccoli which gave the dish some vegetable power. I need to again thank Heidi Swanson, a Californian cook and blogger, for this delicious recipe (the combination of flavours in the broth is one of the tastiest fusions of ingredients I have ever had the pleasure of eating). This dish is a cross between a curry and a soup and is a delightfully filling meal. Heidi makes her noodle bowl with tofu, however my fella demanded some meat. Substitute the 500g beef mince for 350g extra-firm tofu, cut into small pieces.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 1/2 large brown or red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon massaman curry paste
• 270g dried udon noodles
• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into small cubes
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets and stalk cut up into small pieces 
• 1 x 400ml tin light coconut milk
• 2 cups gluten-free vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1 heaped tablespoon ground turmeric
• the juice of 1 large lime 
• 1/2 cup green shallots /green onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts

COOKING 

1. Heat the oil in a large deep pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and curry paste to the pan and mash the paste until it is evenly combined with the other ingredients. 

2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package instructions. (Usually this involves one boiling saucepan of water, placing the udon noodles in the pot and stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft but not mushy). Remove from heat and drain with a colander or large sieve. 

3. Once the paste has been mashed and the garlic and onion are fragrant add the beef mince.  Stir the mince with a large metal spoon, breaking up any lumps that may occur as the beef cooks. Once the beef is brown and is mixed in with the paste, add the zucchini and broccoli and stir for a few minutes to combine and soften the vegetables slightly. Pour the coconut milk, stock, soy sauce and turmeric into the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until the broccoli is cooked. 

4. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the beef 'soup' into a large serving bowl. Add the noodles and lime juice and stir well to combine. Serve each noodle bowl topped with green shallots and crushed peanuts. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 10-15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

x Emily

L.O.V.E

Today I don’t want to talk about red roses, flowers, chocolate and expensive dinners. I want to talk about SELF love. So often woman and men judge their whole worth by whether or not they have a significant other to share their life with. Whilst this is important, to me the journey of self-love and acceptance of who you are is much more meaningful.

So today if you are single, or are with someone who doesn’t celebrate this hallmark day or even if you were absolutely showered with gifts and affection, have a think about your relationship with yourself and why you are so special. Think of five positive adjectives that describe you and write them down or repeat them in your mind. Get high on the love that you have for yourself, for your body and for your mind. You can work and work and work on a relationship with someone else, but in my experience that relationship is never going to be stable and solid unless you start to see yourself in a positive light.

You may think that this has nothing to do with Premium Pilates, but we try to impart with you self-love every time you step into our studio. We strive to push you, to encourage you and to make you more confident in your own skin. At the end of the day we want to make you see your bodies as we do ; strong, adaptable and powerful.

Images by 365lifephotography.wordpress.com & happytoinspire.blogspot.com

BANANA ESPRESSO MUFFINS

A wonderful cook and friend once told me that it can take several attempts in the kitchen to construct a good sweet treat. Often when baking is concerned, it is trial and error and numerous muffins, cakes and slices get made before the right amount of each ingredient is found. This was exactly the case with this recipe. These Banana Espresso Muffins were adapted from a favourite cookbook of mine; 'Super Natural Living' by Heidi Swanson. Heidi is an all natural ingredient kind of gal and is the author of the very popular culinary websites 101 Cookbooks and Mighty Foods. I dug up her book out of my moving boxes and was eager to create something of hers. This is my gluten and dairy free take on her very wholesome banana espresso muffins (tried and tested several times).

INGREDIENTS

• coconut oil, to grease 
• 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup gluten-free self-raising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts & almonds (around 3/4 cup of each nut)
• 1 heaped tablespoon fine espresso coffee powder
• 6 tablespoons nutalex, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
• 3 large free-range eggs, beaten lightly 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/2 cup coconut yoghurt
• 1 1/2 cups mashed over-ripe banana (around 3 large bananas)

BAKING 

1. Heat a fan-force oven to 190 degrees celsius (375 degrees F). Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. Place the flours, salt, baking powder, 3/4 cup of the mixed nuts and espresso powder in a large bowl and stir well to combine. 

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk the nutalex until it takes on a fluffy consistency. Pour in the maple syrup and the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, yoghurt and mashed banana and stir well to combine. Gently stir in the dry ingredients slowly, trying not to over mix the ingredients (or you will find yourself with tough muffins). 

4. With a large spoon, spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tin holes. Note that this recipe makes quite a decent amount of batter so you can make oversize muffins if you want by filling the muffin holes to the brim. Top with the remaining 3/4 cup of mixed nuts and place the tin in the lower part of the oven. Bake for 50 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 5 minutes before placing the individual muffins on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Makes  / 12

Total Preparation / Baking time / 25 minutes / 50 minutes 

x Emily