The Femme Files

No Need for Yoga – Just Breathe

Every woman and their (downward) dog seems to be enjoying yoga – Hatha, Ashtanga, Bikram – they all sound exotic and inspiring, but I can’t seem to get into it. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve contorted myself into all sorts of pretzel shapes but just can’t seem to find that inner peace that Jen Aniston swears by because I’m too busy hyperventilating trying to get my breathing right.

So to all those who love yoga – good for you, in theory it sounds amazing. To those who aren’t yoga fans, here’s another option I’ve been trialing: just sit still. For five minutes, fifty minutes or as long as time permits, just practice being quiet. Go to your favourite room, take off your shoes, turn off the phone, TV, radio or computer. Sit down, lie down, stand or squat – whatever feels good. This is one aspect of the yoga practice that actually works, the “being in the moment” premise that encourages you to stop thinking about everything else in your mind and just….sit….still….every time a thought comes in, acknowledge it and send it on it’s way. Five minutes helps, fifteen makes you feel brand new and I’ve taken to practicing my anti-yoga in the middle of the work day. Give it a go!

A complete life change: Jodi’s weight loss journey

I had been up and down with my weight for over two years and despite working out with my personal trainer twice a week I still felt like I was getting bigger and bigger. People would ask “Are you a swimmer?” but I felt more like a weight lifter with my big thighs and butt.  Meeting a friend I hadn’t seen for a while, I was shocked to see how amazing Shamiran looked and immediately asked her what she’d been doing to get in such fantastic shape. As if she was about to reveal the location of the holy grail, she leant in and whispered the word “H-y-p-o-x-x-i”. As we headed off for some retail therapy, Shamiran described her Hypoxi treatments to me and insisted I give it a try. 

It was time for a change both physically and mentally and after trying Hypoxi and completing half my treatments before flying to Hawaii for holidays I knew it was going to change my life. My Hawaiian getaway was fabulous, I felt fantastic as my body had noticeable changes and my mind was free of hate for myself and my inability to lose weight.  The moment I returned I signed up for more treatments. I became addicted because it was quick and easy and yet somehow all the stubborn kilos that just refused to budge seemed to be falling off for the first time in my life. I am a firm believer that exercise is critical to weight loss and the beauty of Hypoxi was that it forced me to work out while it applied the compression therapy.

I was so thrilled with my results and was inspired to change my life so in 2009  I opened my own Hypoxi studio. I did this for both myself and my mother who had recently divorced after 30 years of marriage and also needed some motivation!

All in all, I lost a massive total of 93.9cm from my body and even had my results published in a feature article in the local paper! I’ve maintained a size 10 figure, and now eat a healthy diet and lead an active lifestyle. I hope through my business I can continue to motivate others to begin their own lifestyle change.

For more information or to find your closest HYPOXI studio visit us at www.hypoxi.com.au

Bad food = Bad mood

Is there any proof that inhaling a packet of chips and a container of double choc fudge ice cream makes a break up seem any easier? It might make the crying stop in the short term but how good do you really feel afterwards? We’ve all been there, and the answer is CRAP. You feel sluggish, sick and miserable at the thought of how much you’ve eaten and why.

There is proof, however, that poor nutritional habits can actually cause a woman to feel depressed. Researchers from the University of Melbourne studied the dietary patterns of over a thousand women across ten years and found that mood disorders were more common among those that consumed a mainly processed, high fat diet. A typical ‘Western’ diet including hamburgers, chips, pizza, flavoured milk, beer, white bread and sugary foods were associated with a 50 per cent greater chance of developing a depressive disorder. On the other hand, depression and anxiety were 30 per cent less common among those women who ate a diet high in vegetables, fruit, lean meats, fish and wholegrains.