Healthy with CassM

💡 Tips Tuesday 🧐

Let’s talk fruit. 🍎🍐🍇🍉🍍🍌

Now according to experts you should have two serves a day. 👍

I have salad which I count as one serve (tomato is a fruit). 😜These are my second serve.

I came across these kids packs a while ago at Woollies and have been buying them ever since.

So easy, cheap, the fruit is nice (made for picky kids, and adults 😏) and comes in a pack of 5. 👍

If fruit isn’t your thing (guilty 🙋🏻‍♀️) check these out to get you started. They’re small in size to get you going.

A little bit is better than nothing.

Stay well everyone ♥️

**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from medical/science professional sources for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes.**

💪 Muscle Monday 🧐

We’re back 😱🤣

Okay, so we’re going to talk protein. Yeah, yeah I know. 🙄(Try not to throw up my fellow women.)

So our muscles need protein. The amino acids that make up protein to be more exact.

These magic acids build and repair muscles and bones, amongst a myriad of other things. 🙌

Now before you go reaching for the dumb protein shake (yep, you heard me ) - listen up. 🗣

Consuming too much protein - above the RDI - does not provide any further benefit and it puts strain on your kidneys and liver. This can lead to health issues later, including osteoporosis.

As always, a good healthy balanced diet is the way to go. See eatforhealth.gov.au for your RDI.

PSA: Your body is a machine with many many working parts. Overloading one tiny bit throws it all out of whack and causes issues.

Stay well everyone ❤️

**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from medical/science professional sources for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes.**

💪 Muscle Monday 🧐

Welcome to another edition of Muscle Monday!!

So what nutrients do muscles need? Well let’s start with this one: muscle needs carbs.

Yep. Read that again 👆

Carbs are our energy source. In fact, our most efficient energy source.

We use less oxygen to break carbs into fuel than when we break fat into fuel. Simple.

Therefore to be a strong efficient machine, we need the right amount of good carbs per day.

And according to Better Health Victoria there are short and long term health impacts from not having enough carbs. Including high cholesterol and all the goodies that brings with it (not). 😬

And let’s not talk about lifting weights while your brain is foggy and energy is low from lack of carbs.

Dangerous. Dumb. 🤦🏻‍♀️

So for the love of all that is good, have some pasta people.

Just maybe not a huge bowl before you go to bed 🤣

**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from medical/science professional sources for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes.**

💦 Water Wednesday 💦

Welcome fellow Water Sapiens to another edition of We Are Water! 👏🥳

Today we’re talking about our shield, aka skin.

Brace yourself for some syllables…

Our shield = stratified squamous epithelium.

Um, what? 🤯

This is a tissue that is in our skin that protects us from the outside environment.

Captain America eat your heart out 😜

So us Water Beings (in an ultimate twist of irony) are waterproofed. 🤣

Whilst we are largely water on the inside, our skin stops water from being absorbed outside in.

Considering the amount of chlorine in public pools and the seaweed floating around the ocean, I’m kind of glad about that.

So sadly your daily shower doesn’t help with your hydration, although let’s keep having those 😜🤣

Guess we’ll just have to keep hydrating the ol’ fashioned way 🚰

Stay well everyone.



**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from medical/science professional sources for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes.**

💪 Muscle Monday 🥳

Welcome to another edition of Muscle Monday! 👏👏👏

Today we’re talking about stretching, specifically what is smart stretching.

Let’s compare dumb and smart stretching…

DUMB stretching: pull at the muscle hard, fast and too far; bouncing; not being in right position; remaining tense; not breathing; holding each stretch for 10-20 seconds but somehow stretching for altogether too long. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Result: No increased blood flow; more damage to muscle; higher risk of injury.

SMART stretching: allowing muscle to dictate range of movement; relaxing into the stretch; ensuring correct position; breathing; holding each stretch for 40-60 seconds; ensuring muscles are warm before stretching; using a roller or massage ball where needed; stretching for a short period of time altogether; staying hydrated.

Result: increased blood flow through muscle; better repair post-exercise; increased flexibility; more relaxed; decreased chance of injury.

In short:

Smart stretching = better recovery, better muscle health.

Ask your trainer for stretches that are tailored to you and your tight areas. Stretching, like exercise, should be tailored to you.

Stay well everyone 😊❤️



**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from medical/science professional sources for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes.**

Happy Friyay everyone!

Have a great weekend.

Don’t forget to eat your greens 🤣

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🤔 Thursday Thoughts 💡

Quality over quantity for resistance training.

No exceptions.

Everyone. Every time.

So many people overdo it, doing classes like they’re a free pass. 0-100 🏎

No. ✋

If you’re using weights, it’s a weights session. Your body doesn’t care how many others are in the room.

Here’s what happens when you overtrain:

Your muscle doesn’t recover and repair - WEAK MUSCLE

Your next session/s are less and/or crappy - CRAP SESSIONS

Your overload your immune system - RUN DOWN

You compensate for sore muscle by using other muscles in the wrong way to do the movement/exercise - HIGHER INJURY RISK

You’re sore and unable to function well in daily life - MISERABLE

Why would you do that? No, seriously 🤦🏻‍♀️

Start full body twice a week. Give a good 48 hours rest, focussing on mobility and good movement. (See GP before starting).

You can move to splits or three times a week later if you like. Or not. Your call.

Happy Thursday everyone 😊



**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from medical/science professional sources for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes.**

💦 Water Wednesday 💦

Welcome Water Sapiens to another episode of We Are Water (aka Water Wednesdays)! 🥳👏

So just how important is this whole hydration thing?

How much do we really need water?

Well, according to the learned people at The Heart Foundation US:

When dehydrated the amount of blood circulating in your body decreases. To compensate your heart beats faster, and increases your blood pressure 😳

On top of this when you’re dehydrated your blood is thicker and harder to circulate, making even more work for your heart.

I don’t know about you but I’m suddenly a bit parched 😉

Give your heart some love fellow Water Beings and grab a glass of water. 🚰 ♥️

**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from my own personal experiences and/or medical/science professional sources. It is for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical/professional advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes. **

🤔 Tuesday Tips 💡

Todays tip is travel packs. Get on ‘em 👍

Kids don’t get to have all the fun.

So if you’re like me and your day starts before the early chirpers 🦜 then by the time the work day starts you’re starving.

For me, it’s either as I walk the 1km from my car to work or as I arrive at work. So a travel pack yoghurt is 🙌

It’s good for you (see calcium, protein and healthy belly bacteria). And it’s a little treat for being a good adult and going to work.

(Also for not losing my s**t at the asshats on the 1 hr drive to said work 😁)

I like my salted caramel (sadly not a paid advertisement 🤣) but there’s a few flavours and I believe other brands available too.

Being healthy doesn’t have to be inconvenient.

Read that again. 👆

Happy Tuesday/Monday (whatever day it is)! 🤪



**Disclaimer: I’m not a medical or science professional. Information is shared from my own personal experiences and/or medical/science professional sources. It is for information sharing purposes only and does not constitute medical/professional advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any exercise or nutritional changes. **

💪 Muscle Monday! 👏

Welcome to the Easter Monday edition of Muscle Monday! 🥳

Okay, so last week we went over what happens to muscle when you put it under load - see micro tears - and that the body repairs these if you’re not a du***ss and do things the smart way.

But what can we do to help the body repair the micro tears (aka help our muscles get stronger) after we train them?

Couple of simple things really:

❤️ Good blood flow: smart stretching, light consistent movement and good hydration (see Water Wednesdays and blood being 50% water).

❤️ Good nutrients: it probably helps to have the good nutrients in the ol’ blood in the first place.

❤️ Good quality sleep and enough of it: our body does the majority of repair and regeneration in our sleep. So make sure you get a good night’s sleep.

❤️ And I’ll say this loudly for those in the back (you know who you are): REST. THE. MUSCLE!!

You have no idea how many times I have had clients (well pretty much every client) tell me that they’ve gone from no exercise, to a gym class (often weighted) every day. Yep. Then attribute their inability to move to “I just need to be fitter”.

No. Just, no. Stop it. ✋

So it begs the question now: what is “smart” stretching and “dumb” stretching? Hmm, stay tuned… 👀

Happy Mad Monday!

Don’t forget to highlight your special skills 🤪

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