VIDEO SPECIAL - Get to Know the Team!

Here's a short video compilation we have put together showing a little of each of our member's lives. We had some fun filming just how passionate we are about the interests we write about on this blog.

Summer Snacks!

This coming summer, the heat is meant to set in. Keeping cool is definitely one of the struggles, particularly living in the north-western suburbs of Sydney. I am going to create a list of foods that will assist you in keeping cool and staying healthy (for the most part.)

Fruit:

Mangoes – These fabulous fruits are surprisingly coming into season nice and early. They have been available at Woolworths and Coles for weeks already and its only spring! They are in season, fresh and are guaranteed to keep you nice and cool while maintaining a healthy diet. They are available for approximately $2.90 each.

Nectarines & Peaches – These are both summer fruits that are taking a little longer to ripen and be more available and accessible on local supermarket shelves. However, when these fruits are in season they are a perfect addition to your summer diet. 

Some other options of fruit that have a high water content which are guaranteed  to keep you cool include: Watermelon, Cucumber, Apples, Grapefruits and strawberries - all of which contain a 90% water content. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/stay-hydrated-this-summer-by-eating-these-foods/

To further the fruit theme, smoothies can be made from fresh fruit by adding either:

Milk, water and/or ice. It is a great, healthy way to cool down.

Ice blocks: 

Whether they be homemade or store bought, ice blocks are a perfect way to cool down in the hot summer heat. I would recommend water based ice blocks like ‘Super dupers” that take 24hrs to freeze but are a quick and easy snack. They can be bought at Coles for $5.79 for a pack of 24.

Salads:

Fresh salads are a great meal accompaniment that can keep you cool and maintain a healthy diet. You can be premade salads from Coles with options such as;

- Caesar Salad

- Asian Salad

- Garden Salad

Alternatively you can collect fresh ingredients to create your own.

There are many other options to keep cool, however these are just a few suggestions.

General Saving Tips For Your Closet

In a world where binging is the new black (Netflix, I'm looking at you), it's easy to go a little crazy when everything is so accessible and doesn't even necessarily require you to get out of your bed. I'm guilty of it myself sometimes, but one of the easiest ways to save money in regards to your wardrobe, and in general, is definitely to avoid impulsive buys, particularly when it comes to online shopping. Hide your credit/debit card if you have to! 
It can be hard to resist, but you're bank account/long term savings plan will thank you for it later. 

When you're physically shopping and see something you love, there's often a thought process that if you don't get it now, then you'll never get it and then you'll regret not making the purchase. To this I would recommend that if you at least make sure you try whatever it is on first! Think about whether you'll realistically wear something in reality, and what else you will wear it with. Think about the quality of the product to - whether it will last. 

If you insist on buying something that's designer, it's a good idea to opt for small things like accessories instead of spending (even more of) a fortune on that brand. 

Finally, don't be afraid to rent or hire outfits for special occasions like a university formal or ball. There are some great ones on Instagram like @rentadressau or @hiringwardrobe. That way, you can wear what may be your dream dress or brand without spending a fortune on something you might only wear once!

Healthy Morning Habits: Nourish Yourself

The amount of time, effort and money you spend on this post’s topic is completely up to you. By planning your meals in advance and researching ingredients and recipes, you can create affordable and healthy meals that help you be at your best. In any case, eating healthier now will certainly save you money on healthcare down the line. Read my post “Why We Shouldn’t Cut Corners On Health”.

Benefits of eating well balanced breakfast: 

• Studies suggest eating a nutritious breakfast helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic syndromes.
• Having a well balanced breakfast also makes you less likely to snack on unhealthy, high-calorie food midmorning. 
• Eating at home in the morning means you have more control over what goes into your meal, so you can put as much effort as you like into making breakfast healthy.

Top left, clockwise: Oatmeal with chia seeds and maple syrup; vegan cheese and tomato on high-protein toast; quinoa flakes, banana and chia seeds; multi-seed mix, coconut yoghurt and mango.

What makes a nourishing breakfast: Complex carbs, protein and good fats. It is also important to get enough fibre in your diet, high fibre breakfast foods are a great way to start. All of these components (macronutrients) keep you fuller for longer and help your energy levels stay solid until lunchtime. Aim for a well-balanced meal that is roughly 50% complex carbs, 30% good fats and 20% lean protein. 

Some examples of well-balanced meals can be found here, here and here.

Steering clear of processed foods and going for “whole foods” (whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes) is crucial for optimal health. Why not take care of part of your daily food and nutrient requirements — add some banana to your oatmeal, have some baby spinach with your eggs or sprinkle some chia seeds onto your toast?

Not too much sugar in morning: Junky breakfast products such as pastries and sugary spreads are an obvious no-no. Also, watch out for sneaky sugar in popular cereals that are often marketed as “healthy”. Too much sugar causes your blood glucose levels to spike which can lead to feeling tired, moody, anxious, confused, weak, hungry and craving more sugar (idiopathic postprandial syndrome or reactive hypoglycaemia).

Don’t eat what you can’t stomach: Although for many people breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, some (adult) bodies do not need to “break the fast” first thing in the morning. Some function better when they do not eat until midmorning or even lunchtime. It is all about listening to your body’s needs because it knows better than anyone what is going to make it healthy. 

If you are someone who feels better eating later in the day it can be tempting to go for processed snacks (pastries, “healthy” sugar-loaded muesli bars etc) because they are easily available at work or uni. I suggest using the time in the morning that others would spend making and eating breakfast to prepare a nutritious meal to take with you. 

Save time, prep beforehand: For people short on time in the morning, look for recipes that you can prepare or make completely the night before such as overnight oats or chia pudding.

How to do a squat

Squats are a type of exercise that can be done at home without any sort of equipment. Squats work out the body and core muscles, they also help to shape the thighs and buttocks.  Squats also improves the blood circulation, posture and also digestion. 

This exercise focuses on the lower part of the body and works out quadriceps, calf, abdominals, spine and many more. 

Steps
1. Stand tall with your feet apart and your arms down beside
2. Start to lower your back as far as you are pushing your hips and bending your knees and pushing your body weight into your heels
3. Make sure you lower into the squat and your arms will start to raise out in front of you for balance
4. Keep a neutral spine at all times and never let your knees go over your toes
5. The lower body should be parallel with the floor and your chest should be lifted at all times.
6. Pause then lift back up in a controlled movement to the starting position
7. Repeat steps 1-6 at least 10 times


 

Chromecast – Turn Any TV into a Smart TV!

Chromecast is Google’s cheap streaming stick helping you cut cords with cable providers, and make the most of your Netflix subscription.

The Chromecast will allow you to “cast” content such as Netflix or YouTube directly to your TV.  There are a range of apps that can be downloaded to your phone that will work with the Chromecast, including a variety of games.  This means that any TV can become a “smart” internet connected TV.

The Chromecast is a very small dongle to fit into the back of a TV.

Chromecast also has the option of streaming content in a web browser.  This means that any video that can be watched in Google Chrome on the computer can be seamlessly streamed, whether or not the specific webpage supports it or not (such as Echo360).  This also works for pages in full screen.

The Chromecast can plug into the back of any TV with an HDMI port.  You then control it with your Android phone or tablet, iPhone/iPad, or PC/Mac. 

The Chromecast's main screen dynamically scrolls through spectacular photos from the internet or from your personal collection.

The Chromecast retails for $50 which I believe to be an absolute bargain considering how useful it is and how well it works.

The Chromecast’s ease of use, its simplicity in setting up, its reliability and its cheap asking price makes it a great little gadget to have.  Because it is relatively cheap, it also makes a great gift.

Article by James Dimarco.

U Bar

Cost: Aprox $10 - $30 per person 
Where: Macquarie University
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 8:00 Monday to Wednesday, 12:00 - 2:00am Thursday and 12:00 - 9:00 Friday
Website: http://www.mq.edu.au/on_campus/food_and_shopping/food_and_drink/ubar/

Sitting on top of The Hub at Macquarie University lies the crowd favourite U Bar. With plenty of indoor and outdoor space to spread out it is the perfect spot to hang out with friends. It's open all throughout the week, so you can pop in for a drink between lectures, celebrate after the exam period  or even start your next group 'study' project here.

Drinks here are extremely affordable with wine, spirits and beer all under $8 a glass but you can't go past the cocktail jugs at only $18.  If you are feeling a bit peckish U Bar has a great pizza menu so you can grab a slice in between pool shots.

Each weekday has a different activity including Trivia, bingo and lawn bowls not to mention happy hour on Friday afternoons. The U Bar themed dress up nights add to the fun atmosphere with togas, ugly sweaters and Halloween costumes everywhere.

So pop in between class or if you are coming home on the northern line jump off a few stops earlier and stop off for a drink on your way home.

Tips to make exercise enjoyable

Staying fit can be challenging for all athletes of varying abilities. For a lot of us, its safe enough to agree that its hard enough to get off the couch. There are certain secrets that fit people possess to maintain and manage their fitness regime. Other than having serious health benefits, it is essential to make exercise enjoyable rather than a routine. Here are some valuable tips:

- Think about the physical activities that you enjoyed doing as a child and possibly try it out. It would take time to decide what kind of fitness is suitable. 
- Always change your fitness activity by walking, hiking or bike riding
- Workout for a good cause such as breast cancer
- Do yoga which relaxes the mind
- Could listen to your MP3 player while working out
- Increase the level of activity time and intensity by building your endurance level little by little. Balancing against a wall.
- Eat more protein
- Stand on your head to gain balance and control. 
- Review your progress with regular focus on what you have achieved

Recipe: Honey Joys!

Prepare: 10 mins 

Cook: 10 mins

Makes: 20 approx.

Although eating healthy should be the main focus of most young adults. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle however can be difficult, particularly with a busy schedule. Everyone deserves to have something sweet to create a balance in a diet. Here is an easy recipe that will take you back to your childhood. 

Ingredients:

• 4 and a 1/2 cups of cornflakes

• 1 Tablespoon of Honey (some extra can be added depending on sweetness preference)

• 1/3 of a cup of Castor Sugar

• 90g of Butter/Margarine

• Cupcake patties

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (fan forced).

2. Combine the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan on medium until combined, melted and frothy.

3. Add the cornflakes and reduce heat slightly

4. Using a wooden spoon stir the cornflakes with the butter mixture until the cornflakes are covered. Remove saucepan from stove immediately after combined. 

5. Place the patty cakes in a cupcake tray. Fill these patty cakes with the cornflake mixture so it is evenly spread among all patty cakes.

6. Place in the oven (middle shelf) for 10 minutes.

7. Put on cooling tray for 10 minutes. Once cooled, Serve.

Enjoy!

A Guide to do Sit ups

The motion of sit ups allows to be beneficial for an athlete’s whole body. It doesn’t only work on your abdominals it also works the hips by building a strong core. This type of exercise requires no equipment apart from a yoga mat or any sort of mat to create a stable and comfortable surface to lay down on. Sit ups can also be performed on a gym ball enabling spinal comfort. 

Steps

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. 

2. Place your hands on opposing shoulders, so that your arms are crossed over your chest, or behind your head. This allows you to have a central rising point. 

3. Keep your heels on the ground and your toes flat to the ground, slowly and gently lift your head first, followed by your shoulder blades. Pull up from the floor until you’re at a ninety-degree angle.

4. Head always looking straight, and no chin on chest and do not pull the head forward.
5. Roll back down to the starting position. 

6. Repeats steps 3-5 at least 20 times.

Markets

Markets have to be one of the best ways to get products at bargain prices, no matter what it is you’re looking for. Although some markets can be very up-market (no pun intended) price-wise, you can often get cheap clothes at them all over the world, and Sydney is no exception. If you’re a student looking for bargains that still look great, or even if you’re not on a tight budget, don’t be afraid to seek out clothes markets. Glebe, Rozelle and Kirribilli are just a few ones that have great stuff at bargain rates. Markets are an accessible way to pick up some vintage pieces without spending a fortune. They are definitely a gateway to mixing and matching, and you can find great accessories at them too. If you’re the type of person who wants their wardrobe to be more original than the typical ‘high street fashion’, you may have just found your very own outlet. Importantly, markets like these are not only a fantastic way to get cheap, original pieces but also a great way to make money for yourself. Why not get a group of friends together and organise a stall one weekend? After all, someone may love your neglected clothes, and you can get some extra cash on the side.

Healthy Morning Habits: Get Up & Get Moving

This post’s healthy habit suggestions are a little more challenging than drinking a glass of water. If you can push yourself to try even one of these you will undoubtedly see an improvement in the amount of energy you have in the morning and throughout the rest of the day. 

Get up as soon as you wake. Hitting the snooze button can wreak havoc on your body. Each time you hit that button and lie back down your brain thinks it’s not actually time to get up yet and restarts your sleep cycle. This increases the effect and duration of that groggy, “I-hate-mornings” feeling known as sleep inertia. 

By getting up at the same time every day (and going to bed at the same time) we also help to regulate our body clocks. After a while our body’s rhythms change so we wake up naturally at that time with less trouble, and get a better night’s sleep overall.

Get moving and stretch. One of the first things you can do after getting out of bed is to spend at least a few minutes stretching. This really helps to wake you up by getting the blood and oxygen circulating, loosening up any stiffness, aching in your joints and muscles, straightening your spine and helping your mind focus on waking up for the day. 

Tough to stay motivated? It's better with friends.

Get moving some more. If you have time in the morning, try getting in a little bit of exercise before breakfast. Going for a 15 minute walk can help your brain wake up even more by further improving your circulation. The time you spend walking can allow you to relax in preparation for your day, or you may use the time to plan the day’s goals.

If you are interested in doing a higher intensity workout like a run, it is a good idea to have a small piece of fruit or other light breakfast item beforehand so exercising doesn't leave you feeling drained.

5 Chrome Browser extensions that will change the way you surf the web.

If you’re still using the default browser that came with your computer, such as Internet Explorer, Safari, or Edge, you may want to seriously consider a faster and more feature-rich browser such as Google Chrome.  One aspect that makes Chrome so great is the ability to add apps and extensions to it to make it even better.  Here are 5 extensions that will improve your experience on the web.

Without AdBlock.

1.      AdBlock

Does what it says on the tin – blocks ads on the web.  Ad blocking is not a new concept, but it is transforming.  Many people find it unethical to block the way that content providers make money whilst viewers freely enjoy their pages at the provider’s expense.  There is a good case for this, though ad blocking has now changed.  The AdBlock extension now has an “acceptable advertising” program that allows ads that meet a certain criteria and blocks ads that don’t.  This is a good compromise for people wanting to improve their online experience whilst supporting the great people making it all possible.  Of course, you can still block all ads should you wish if you change the setting.

With AdBlock.

2.  AutoPagerize

AutoPagerize is a neat little extension that takes the effort out of having to press the “next page” links at the bottom of each page, creating an seamless page that can be constantly scrolled.  It works on most pages that incorporate this kind of design and makes browsing through several pages quick and easy.

3.      Lazarus

Lazarus is an extension that records what you type into form pages so that if you were to have a browser or computer crash, or anything happens where you lose your page, you have an easy backup to restore from.  Can be a real life saver.

Search in Windows.

4.      Bing2Google

This one is just for the Windows users.  Bing2Google is for people who simply prefer Google to Bing.  When you use the Windows Search (including the one on the new taskbar in Windows 10) to search the web, it takes the search query on its way to Bing and redirects it as a Google search.  Works perfectly every time.

5.      LastPass

LastPass is a free password manager that keeps all your passwords in one vault.  You can have unique passwords for every online account without having to remember them.  Just have one complex password for LastPass and all the other passwords can live in the vault.  LastPass can auto-login to pages should you set it to.  Your passwords are safe with LastPass.

Get results in Google on Chrome.

Benefits of exercise

Exercise is a very essential pathway to improving physical abilities and ultimately gaining appropriate fitness. You might think exercise needs a lot of motivation. Getting fit and staying fit is a great achievement, yet a hard task for some. Becoming fit helps an individual feel happy, healthy and full of energy. Exercising also helps keep the immune system stabile by improving the overall health by reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Regular exercise also helps reduce the risk of stroke, cancer and arthritis which helps from getting depression.

Exercise controls weight, by just going to walks which helps burn calories and help control your weight. It also increases the level of energy and endurance by physical activity which improves strength muscle and boosts endurance. This is beneficial by higher concentration in the red blood cells. This helps the oxygen and nutrients deliver to the tissue affect throughout the body and your muscles becomes more stronger and more elastic. For people who struggle to sleep helps you sleep better because the physical activity is generally retiring which makes it easier to sleep. Exercise is a one of the best methods to reduces stress. Exercise makes your muscles relax and the endorphins released in your brain reduce the stress levels dramatically.