Planks challenge starts 1st-31st January 2013

Just a quick post to let you all know we are ready to rock and roll with our Planks January 2013 challenge!!! In fact, you can tag all your pics to #planksjan2013 to show us what types of planks you are doing and how long. On a serious note, I do not want us to take this challenge to the extreme of the plank rave that happened a couple of years ago. Seriously. This isn't a challenge where you plank outside the comfort of your home, gym or safe area eg: the park or the beach. I want to express that safety is key here and the aim of this challenge is to strengthen our core, move our body daily and of course tone our arms, abs and whatever other muscles want to join the party!!!

As you know this challenge is aligned to your existing exercise program (like the squats challenge we did in December) so please don't think you will have fab abs after 31 days by just planking!

No!

You need to incorporate a regular exercise program and eat 80-90% healthy. Easy right? Yes! Well no. Sometimes life gets hectic and you forget to prepare your meals in advance so you grab whatever is in reach. You skip a workout because you feel tired or you've had a hard day. These are just the challenges we face as human beings and you know what? It's okay. As long as we don't fall into a lazy pattern (and I can tell you, I have been there on the couch lazing away!) so that's why I am here to help you! If you need a bit of motivation and inspiration, I am here for you. In return your support and comments make it so much more enjoyable for me, to do what I am doing.

So! Back to the planks challenge!! You excited???? I AM!!!! Here is what I posted on Facebook and Instagram a couple of days ago....

Planks challenge 2013

Okay, here is the G. O straight from my challenges tab so you can make comments directly on that page if you don't find this one handy;



PLANKS CHALLENGE ~ 1st to 31st January 2013

Let me start off by saying we won't be doing any extravagant planking pics like the whole rave a few years ago. This is all about strengthening our core, overall fitness and most importantly safety. I take no responsibility for any injuries caused during this challenge. Please seek your Doctors okay before commencing any type of exercises.

I will post various planking styles per week for easy, medium and difficult levels. You choose what your preference is. These pictures may be of me, other friends, fitness professionals and random google peeps. Everyone can hashtag their pics or ideas to #planksjan2013 so we can all learn and get ideas.

WHAT ARE PLANKS?

The daily planks from the 1st to 31st January 2013, will be:

3 x 1 minute

Ties in beautifully with the 31 days in January right?

It's your choice whether you spread these 3 sets out throughout the day or do them in a row. 

Example: 

Left hand side plank 30 seconds
Right hand side plank 30 seconds

Side plank

That's one set completed out of 3 for the day. You have another two sets to do either back to back or throughout your day eg: as part of your normal fitness routine or first thing in the morning! Up to you.

Also feel free to plank longer, I may even increase the 30 secs planks to 40 secs in week 2 and so on. I'm not a huge fan of planking myself but 2013 is all about me getting out of my comfort zone. What about you???

Let me know your thoughts and I hope I have made it simple enough, as I don't like complicated things. I follow the KISS principle (keep it simple sweetie).

Planks very much everyone!!! XxDani

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Merry Christmas 2012 ~ squat challenge ends

Hello all, just a quick post to wish you all a wonderful Christmas, may you enjoy this day with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas from all of us

Here are the past few days of our squats challenge, which officially ends today. It has been sensational and I am so grateful for all those that participated even if you were not able to share your pictures. I really appreciate all your comments here, on Instagram and Facebook etc... YOU ROCK!!!

Squats challenge

NB: there are some poses where I have just made it on time for the camera to say SNAP! So please ignore my kneeling positions as THESE ARE NOT SQUATS. I have a wall squat pictured above showing you that your knees should not go past your toes and your butt just goes back in a seating position.

Be safe, be Merry and don't over indulge like me!!!! I am hopeless when it comes to food around this time of year. So I look forward to another challenge with you next month.

BTW what's a Christmas squat challenge without a squat with the big fella himself!!! YAY!! I did it, 25 squats per day for the last 25 days GRAND TOTAL of 625 squats!!! Can't forget the additional 200 I did, so I officially did 825 squats. WOO HOO!!!!

For my results come check them out on my Facebook or Instagram page, there you will also see the ab fab challenge coming soon in January. Do you like to plank??? If so, come follow me.

Again, Merry Christmas to you and your family. Have a beautiful day!!!

Xx Dani

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Fitness Food And Style 2012 HIghlights!!!

Hello all, I thought I would give you a quick snapshot of our year......

January Enjoying the summer holidays!!!

Summer Days 2012

Our 4 beautiful angels

And somehow we decided to buy a beach house in Lorne and build a pool at our place!!! Someone would think we had won the lotto!! What were we thinking!!!!!

Looking outside our window....

Pool renovations

Looking up towards our once upon a time courtyard!!!

Courtyard GONE!!!

February School started for Noah again this time in Grade 1 and Oscar is officially a Kinda boy! Both girls at home with me so it was great to have just the girls at home with me throughout the day.

March My big 38th birthday (my Dad turned 65!) and heaps of beach house renovations going on and excavation works for our pool at home. The house is a mess! But I am still smiling :-)

Happy 38th Birthday Daniela Stevens

April With an Easter long weekend this month, Adrian was busy down the beach house renovating whilst I was managing the 4 kids at home. Busy days, weeks and months ahead....

May My beautiful mother Mirjana turned 64th and went on her 3 month holiday to Serbia in June to visit our entire family and to be with her Mum AKA my Baba who is 86!!!

Mother and Daughter

June Hey! You should know what happens from here on in, it's all here on my blog :-) but this month is one of my biggest highlights as I officially launch Fitness Food And Style on blogspot....

Fitness Food And Style blogspot

I also created a Facebook page and my face goes out there in the world wide web as Daniela Stevens Creative Director of Fitness Food And Style

Dani Stevens

July I start a 6 week Transformation Challenge and document what I eat and the exercise program I follow.

Transformation Challenge

August Two birthday celebrations, our first born Noah turned 7

Skylanders birthday party

and baby Zali had her 1st birthday.

1st birthday party baby pink

Within the last week of the 6 week transformation challenge I too pick up the pace and do a mini ab challenge to see if I can motivate myself and YOU to eat healthy and eliminate sugar within 12 days.

I also start to train for my first ever fun run, I am not a runner so this has been very challenging for me.

Run Ballarat

Sept I reach 60,000 page views on my blog and my readers, followers on Facebook start growing. I got a bit excited!!! I am so grateful that you are all enjoying my blog and fitness, food and style journey xx

Fitness Food And Style reaches 60,000 page views

Oct Busy birthday month again with 2 parties and I officially completed my first ever fun run and take a picture with Olympic champion Steve Moneghetti

Steve Moneghetti and Dani Stevens

My sweet darling Mietta turns 3 and has a star party!!!

3 little tin can cakes 

and finally we celebrate my darling husbands birthday

Nov Our pool project is slowly coming to an end, I participate in a yoga challenge for the month and realise how much love and passion I have for this particular movement and we celebrate Oscar's 5th birthday and have a pirate party!!!

Pirate party

Dec Finally we wrap up the year with no more birthdays (except for the main man JC). Kids break up from school and kinda. I run a #xmas25squats challenge here, on Instagram and Facebook which is going off!!!!!

I also clock over 100,000 pages views and have 2,000 plus followers on Facebook and on Instagram. Life is beautiful xxx I love you all

Squats challenge #xmas25squats

Well I do hope you can share with me your highlights of 2012 and I soooo look forward to a great 2013 with you all!!!!

Merry Christmas and yes see you here on the big day as I will be sharing my final squat with you and some Chrissy photos. Stay tuned!!!

Xx Dani

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Santa pictures with some yoga poses

It was hilarious, yesterday we went to get Santa photos and of course the girls got a bit shy so I had to pose in the picture!

The funny thing was, the kids got talking and we got onto health and fitness so what did Santa and I do?

A yoga stretch pose of course to show the kids how flexible Santa is when he slides down the various chimneys across the globe!! It was freaking hilarious!!!! For any of my yoga readers, is this a yoga pose and if so what is it called? The closest I can think of is between the warrior combined with the bow??

Santa stretches

We have been busy baking, crafting and here are some of the kids art work over this festive season.

Reindeer foot and hand printing

Amazing what a few feet, hands and paint can do!!!! Here is little Mietta's Christmas tree creation.

Foot print Christmas tree

Baked these gorgeous banana choc chip (omit the chips and they are 100% clean, no added sugar) muffins the other day and they were so moist and super sweet as I used 2 fully ripe bananas.

Clean eating banana choc chip muffins

Please forgive me but my measurements are approximate only, so I hope you can work with me here.

500g wholemeal flour
2 smashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2tbs chia seeds
1/2 cup organic apple concentrate (found at health food store)
1 egg
1/4 cup macadamia nut oil
2tbs choc chips
Splash of milk for the right muffin consistency

I typically bake in a 180-200C degree oven for 20 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.

Breakfast this morning was a chocolate orange porridge mix

Jaffa porridge

This flavour reminded me of those candy covered orange chocolates! Yum! Well I much prefer this flavour these days. Simply cook porridge on stove top or microwave add, chopped oranges and 1/2 tbs of cacao powder and there you have it! Add more milk or water to your liking and honey/agave or whatever natural sweetener you prefer. I really enjoyed this, this morning.

Snacks today were a combo of yogurt with fruit, 180 Nutrition smoothie and we had some shortbread from our lovely next door neighbour this afternoon which was kinda our little treat! Well not really for me as I had a block of Cadburys creations chocolate AGAIN! last night (well 3/4, Adrian shared the love as well). Getting really bad over this time of year so I don't really know why I do it to myself.....self sabotage is a curse!


Dinner home made pizzas

Clean eating pizza

The pizza base is pretty much based on the same concept and pizza recipe here but this mix was wholemeal, baking powder, salt, dried herbs thyme, basil & oregano, chia seeds, olive oil and warm tepid water. Blitz the dry ingredients and then add the wet until you get a dough constancy.


#Xmas25Squats UPDATE

Okay so I have been a bit slack with my normal fitness regime however still kicking a double s with these 25 squats per day. In fact to get me moving I posted on Instagram 2 days ago:

BOY!!! I really didn't know what I was getting myself into! So on Instagram alone I clocked over 224 likes (it's now up to 280) so a lovely IG friend offered to do the 24 if I did the 200 at close of business that day. Sheesh were my thighs burning, my legs are definitely getting stronger and my booty is kinda lifting towards the sky above rather than gravity pushing it down below.....

Look at all these beautiful peeps doing the squats challenge on Instagram, they are truly inspirational!!!

Squats challenge #xmas25squats

It has been so brilliant and I can't believe we have only 5 more days until Santa arrives!!!! Have you got everything ready for Christmas and any of my blog readers enjoying the squats challenge? Here are mine for the past few days....

On Tuesday while I was at the hairdressers, I had so many to catch up on!!!

This is when my booty did a total of 200 from my Instagram post!!!

Baby Zali and I....

I need to finish off by thanking all you beautiful readers for coming to my blog everyday and reading my posts these past 6 months. I just realised the other day I have clocked over......

100,000 PAGE VIEWS Fitness Food And Style

It really means a lot to me that you come and read my posts as I love what I am doing and I look forward to catching up again real soon.

Xx Dani

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Have you done ALL your Christmas shopping?

WELL HELLO THERE!!! I can't believe how quick this week has flown!!!!

I wanted to touch base real quick to say hi, all is fabulous here and eating relatively well however really starting to indulge too many times!!! BAD right? Yeah yeah I  know it's Christmas and all that, but seriously why do I typically go so over the top when it is the silly season? Oh yes! That's right because I love a challenge to get me back on track. So I look forward to doing one with you all in the New Year.

Would you believe I just did our Christmas shopping today? Finalised the rest of the Christmas cards that I hope reach my beautiful friends and family this week!! Very slack this year, so much happening with all these projects and managing our peeps.

The squat challenge is going sensational and loving all the pictures being tagged to #xmas25squats.

Have a look at some them!!! Celeste is being cheeky with her mini skirt pose and such a great example, mother of 5 children!! Sarah is one lean and strong Mama and so inspirational, Anita is making it fun with her little man and Meg is in Sydney for a couple of days and managed to squat infront of the Opera House. Love you guys xxx

These 3 are my favourites a 40th dress up "popstars" party

Xmas family lunch get together....

And tick tock squats

You guys are truly inspirational!!! Thanks for keeping fitness fun and participating in this challenge!

Here's my squat for today as I was vacuuming all the pine needles off the floor!

Squats challenge 

Even though I have been indulging in crapola eg: chocolate, chips, over eating etc... I have been eating relatively clean.

This morning's brunch was spinach, feta scrambled eggs

Scrambled eggs

Followed by the delicious 180 Nutrition coconut "green" smoothie and some fruit and yogurt.

Green smoothie

Dinner was a quick one with a store bought roasted chicken served with sautéed garlic brocollini.

Okay, keep those squat pics coming!!! Here are my other ones for the past few days for those not on Instagram or Facebook.....

Squats challenge #xmas25squats

Until we meet again......

Xx Dani

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Todays Workout - What A Drag

Find yourself a hill and set out a course of approximately 20m. Perform 10 Sandbag Thrusters at the bottom of the hill, drag your sandbag to the top of the hill anyway that you can and perform 10 Sandbag Cleans at the top.

Aim to complete as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes.

Men should aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Record your score.

Train hard!

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Yes, we ♥ LOVE Christmas. Love the vibe, the festivities, the meaning behind the whole tradition and that special day when our Saviour was born. Without getting too religious on you, we teach our children that there is a Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. That you must love one another, be kind, honest, charitable, truthful, have self worth and respect, be obedient (especially to your parents, as the birds are watching and reporting back to Santa. So you don't want a sack of spuds under the tree this year, do you kids?) anyways, you know the drill. I hope and pray with these morals and standards, it builds a solid foundation for them to make the right choices each and every time they step out of our home.

So here are our 4 little darlings, our first ever Christmas last year as a family of 6......

Christmas 2011

WOW? Really? They're all mine? Sheesh! How lucky are we? Truly blessed with our 2+2 combo! Thanks to the man upstairs, really, I love you!!!

So we have been decorating and marking down the days until Christmas. Here is what you will find around our place....


1. The countdown Christmas tree

2. Christmas fairy

3. Christmas soldiers 

4. Christmas angels

We have been busy doing plenty of Christmas crafts, here's just a couple. Sparkly mini pegs and a garland in the making!

Christmas crafts sparkly mini pegs and garland

We just used last years Christmas cards and cut them into circles, stuck them together in between the coloured twine and whalla! Mini pegs, paste glue, sprinkle sparkles and you're done! It will bring some bling to your pressie tags!

Ohhh how can I forget about the magical Christmas tree Noah selected all by himself?!!!

Fresh Christmas trees

He did such a great job and so did the kids decorating it. Here is the before shot and I will make sure I take an after shot and post ASAP.....

Ok, so a short and sweet post. It's all happening so I look forward to filling you in with more later gator! Leave me a comment about what is going on around your place and all the fun stuff leading up to Christmas?

Xx Dani


PS: Day 10 & 11 #xmas25challenge. Did you do your squats today?

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