SANDRA BULLOCK'S ARMS are TONED to PERFECTION with PILATES

At the photo call for Sandra Bullock's new film Gravity eyes should have been on her and George Clooney's chemistry. However, all eyes and cameras were memorised by Bullock's enviable physique and super toned arms. 

The stunning actress wore a pink, green and orange colour-block dress to the photo call that made her body look much younger than that of a 49 year-old woman (pictured above). Sandra's youthful physique once again ruled the red carpet hours later at the actual premiere of the film, as she wore a fashionable red dress that showed off her trim arms and toned décolletage. 

Bullock looks to not have aged at all in the last twenty years, due to daily workouts and a healthy, active lifestyle. The five-foot-seven actress insists that keeping in shape is not difficult for her as it is a requirement of her job to be fit and look good. "People always ask me how do actresses do it [stay in shape]? And I say um, they pay us to do this in order to look good on film." Sandra's personal trainer  Simone De La Rue can vouch for all the hard work Bullock puts in to get her rock-hard physique. “Sandra puts in an hour a day, six times a week", De La Rue informs. "She is extremely motivated and driven.”

What does the beautiful actress do to stay looking so good?  "I do a lot of Pilates, kick-boxing and weight training in L.A., and when I'm in Austin [Texas], I run or ride a bike," she recently told Vogue magazine. 

To be more specific, Sandra has recently incorporated Plyometrics (exercises based around having muscles exert maximum force in as short a time as possible) into an hour long workout that combines Pilates and yoga with dance. Bullock does this workout six times a week and has clearly been getting results, if her toned torso and muscly arms are anything to go by. 

Whilst the majority of actresses over 40 seem to stop getting job offers, Bullock is more in demand than ever as she approaches the business end of her 40's. Sandra has had incredible success over the last few years, winning an Oscar for her 2010 drama 'The Blind Side' and grossing over $200 million for her latest comedy 'The Heat'. In fact, Sandra's movies have grossed almost $2 billion worldwide to date! 

As a mum to her little adopted boy Louis, Sandra knows where her priorities lie. Whilst she enjoys her movie star success, becoming a mother has had a profound impact on her life. "Everything becomes richer or more important or more frightening or more challenging [after you're a mum]," she told E! "You feel like you were dead compared to the way you were emotionally before."

Want to get toned arms like Sandra for summer? Call Premium Pilates Studio today on 0402 680 724 or visit us online at premiumpilatesstudio.com to get working on your summer body now! 

x Emily 

SPROUT SALAD

This meal in a salad does involve a little pre-preparation- such as cooking the beetroot, cooking the lentils (or draining and washing canned ones if you prefer or are time-poor) and hard-boiling the eggs. Luckily I had all those ingredients in my fridge ready to go yesterday night as all I wanted to do was sit down with a big bag of salty, greasy chips. Yes I do get those cravings occasionally, especially when my body and mind feels very tired and overwhelmed. That is one of the main reasons why I try to prepare as much food as possible on Sunday- I hard-boil eggs, I roast beetroot, I cut green beans, carrot and celery, I made date balls to combat my weekly desire for sugar. It stops me from reaching for the chips…most days. Everything in moderation, including moderation, as a beautiful client of mine says. 

INGREDIENTS

• a generous handful of snow pea sprouts, roughly chopped
• 100g mung beans
• 100g brown lentils, cooked
• 1 beetroot, cooked & cut into thin wedges
• 1 large tomato, cut into small pieces
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped into wedges
• a handful of sunflower seeds 
• sea salt & garlic flakes 
• balsamic vinegar, to dress 

PREPARATION 

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium to large salad bowl and toss well. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, if desired. 

Serves / 2 
Total Preparation time / 5 minutes 

x Emily 

PUMPKIN, BROCCOLI & MISO SOUP

This recipe came to be after my inventive friend Tahnee told me that she paired soba noodles with pumpkin the other day. Soba, udon or ramen noodles work beautifully with this dish, as do rice vermicelli noodles that I have used here. I like using these noodles as they are gluten-free friendly, very inexpensive and light. The pumpkin and broccoli work nicely together and add texture and flavour to the miso broth. One piece of advice - go easy on the miso paste. Start dissolving 2 tablespoons of paste in 5 cups of water and taste. If it is too weak slowly add more miso paste but at a tablespoon at a time rate rate; different brands of miso paste can vary widely in their saltness. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil / coconut oil
• 3-4cm fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 green shallots, finely chopped, plus extra to serve 
• 400g pumpkin, skin cut off and cut into small even pieces
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped into even sized florets & stalk thinly sliced 
• 3-4 tablespoons miso paste 
• 100g rice vermicelli noodles 
• Optional - fresh coriander, to serve  

COOKING 

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the ginger and shallots to the pan and stir for 2 minutes, until the air is fragrant. Add the pumpkin to the pan and stir well to combine, reducing the heat to low. Leave to cook for 4 minutes. 

2. Whilst the pumpkin is cooking, place the miso paste in a large bowl and add 5 cups of boiling hot water. Stir well with a large spoon to combine the paste and the water and taste test. It is really up to you how much miso paste you use. As a general idea I use 3 tablespoons of miso paste and around 7-8 cups of water. 

3. When the paste has completely dissolved add the miso water to the pan and change the heat to a medium-high. Add the broccoli florets and stalks to the pan. Make sure that the water just covers the vegetables. Cover the saucepan and bring to the boil. 

4. When the water has boiled, add the noodles to the pan and stir, making sure the noodles do not stick together. The rice noodles should be tender 1-2 minutes after placing them in the pan. Make sure that the pumpkin and broccoli are just tender (they should be by this stage) and then remove the pan from the heat. 

Serve warm and sprinkled with extra shallots and coriander, if desired.  

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily 

ALESSANDRA AMBROSIO rocks PILATES in FUCHSIA

It's that time of year again...the Victoria Secret Fashion Show is almost upon us! It airs on December 10th in NYC and promises to deliver an entertaining and explosive show - as it does every year. I know some girls (and several guys) who look forward to this event every year with bated breath. It's nice to see that one major star of the show, Alessandra Ambrosio, is exercising up a storm in a Pilates class to get her already amazing body runaway ready! 

One may be excused in thinking that the Victoria Secret models do not need to work out to stay slender. However, the famous Brazilian model's exercise regime blows this myth out of the water. Ambrosio attends regular reformer Pilates classes, as well as working out with a PT and doing cardio, such as long walks on the beach or going for hikes. The stunning model insists that she isn't a fan of the gym and running on a treadmill. 

Clearly Alessandra's workout routine has been working for her, as she looks amazing after two kids! (Alessandra has a five-year-old girl Anya and a one-year-old boy Noah). The 32-year-old was spotted hanging out with her adorable kids before a particularly gruelling Pilates class in Santa Monica  last Thursday. Alessandra looked extremely toned and trim in tight fuchsia skull and crossbone leggings as she worked up quite a sweat in her reformer class (pictured above). The brunette beauty looked exhausted yet invigorated after her tough class as she grabbed a coffee and met up with the father of her two kids and fiancee of five years, businessman Jamie Mazur. The model went makeup free to her gruelling Pilates class and we think she looks just as stunning as she does on the catwalk. 

The five foot ten mother recently revealed that she did initially feel pressure in the modelling world to look thinner than she was. "In the beginning of my career I really felt the pressure to be thin - but one thing I always said was that if I had to stop eating to work then I would have to switch careers. Compromising my health to be a model was never an option for me." 

The gorgeous model admits that she loves savoury food and allows herself an occasional treat. "I love Cheetos, those hot, spicy kind,' she says. 'And chocolate. Every time I'm in the airport I'm buying Cheetos and eating them on the airplane". We love reading that models indulge in junk food sometimes too! 

Career wise Alessandra is very dedicated and approaches her work seriously and professionally. "Modelling is a real job...When I first started (modelling), it was a hobby, something fun to do. Before, models had that rock star life and it was all about going to the parties and having that glamorous life, and I think these days, models are more like businesswomen and the whole industry takes it really serious." 

If you want to see this Pilates advocate strut her stuff on the catwalk, tune into the Victoria Secret Fashion Show on Foxtel in December! It's bound to be an entertaining event, with other angel favourites such as Adriana Lima, Lily Aldridge and Candice Swanepoel gracing the stage as well! 

If you are interested in toning those difficult to shape areas, call Premium Pilates Studio today! Come try our reformer Pilates and see why premiumpilatesstudio.com it is the workout of choice for so many of the Victoria Secret angels! Call us today on 0402 680 724 or visit us online at premiumpilatesstudio.com

x Emily

DATE & ORANGE COOKIES

If you ever seen a professional cook or chef being interviewed they will frequently talk about ‘failures’ they have experienced in the kitchen. I’ve had many, which I will happily share; once I left rice boiling on the stove for not one but TWO hours (needless to say my pan was almost incinerated), another time I served hard as a rock spaghetti (how you screw pasta up I don’t even know) and on a few occasions I have made cookies for my fiancée only to burn them to an absolute crisp. All these failures have been imperative to my cooking journey, however, as I have learnt vital lessons, such as which ingredients never ever go together and that you should always watch the stove and not walk away and get absorbed in another task. All invaluable experiences and not always common sense to all.

 The reason why I bring up this topic is that these Date & Orange cookies were my third attempt at making gluten-free, dairy-free cookies from scratch. First I tried a chia & poppy seed combination which was basically tasteless (although my gorgeous fiancée ate them all). Secondly I baked a cacao orange dough which was extremely dry and inedible (again they were consumed in a few days by Chris). Lastly came the date & orange mixture. I hope you enjoy it. 

And most importantly; don't sweat the failures in the kitchen. My beautiful friend Dani assured me after my second failed cookie attempt that the next batch would be a hit and it was. Keep experimenting with recipes and flavours - you will constantly be rewarded with new knowledge if not always edible dishes;)

INGREDIENTS

•  2 cups almond meal (150g)
• 100g dried dates, processed finely
• 2 eggs, preferably free-range, lightly beaten 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, in liquid form
• 1 heaped teaspoon of finely grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 

BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine the almond meal and dates in a large bowl and mix well. Create a well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the remaining ingredients (the eggs, syrup, baking powder, oil, orange zest and juice) and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. 

3. With wet hands handle about 2 tablespoons of the cookie mixture and roll into a ball. Place the ball onto the tray and then gently press your palm into the ball so that the dough becomes a circle. Continue this until no dough remains, making sure to place the cookies a few centimetres apart on the tray. Place the tray in the oven for around 25 minutes or until the outsides of the cookies are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack before eating. 

Makes / around 15 

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

VEGETARIAN JUNGLE CURRY

Spring is well and truly in my neighbourhood and I am beyond happy about its reappearance. My daily walks with my energetic pups involve passing deep purple and bright yellow flowers blossoming and I can’t help but walk past them with a goofy smile on my face. Saying this, on my walk this morning all I could think of was curry and how I could not recall making one single curry dish this past winter. So I raced home and got cooking, throwing every bright vegetable into my large pot that I could find. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 5cm fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 900g sweet potato, peeled & cut into 4cm even pieces
• 400ml light coconut milk
• 3 cups (750ml) water 
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets and stalk roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, washed & chopped into small pieces
• 1 red capsicum, seeded removed and cut into small pieces
• 125g bean shoots
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves
• 3 cups cooked basmati rice 

COOKING 

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and swirl to coat the base. Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the curry powder, garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder and stir quickly to prevent sticking. Add the sweet potato and stir until the potato is well coated with the spices. 

2. Add the coconut milk and one cup of water to the pan and bring to the boil, covered. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes before adding the broccoli, carrot and capsicum to the pan. Add two cups of water, cover and bring to the boil again, then reduce to a simmer for 8 minutes, or until the broccoli and sweet potato are tender. Add the bean shoots and stir well to combine. 

Remove the curry from the stove and serve on top of rice with coriander leaves sprinkled on top. 

Serves / 4 - 6

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x Emily