The Abdominal Roll Down is a great exercise that will tone your abdominals, strengthen your core as well as mobilise your spine. I find this exercise quite calming and relaxing as it makes you focus on the movements and your breathing. It is almost like a moving meditation. Try to do this workout somewhere outside in your back yard or in a park if you can – it feels fantastic hearing the birds singing and feeling the warmth of the sun and a slight breeze

 
Does your back feel tense some time? – If so, then try the following 3 back exercises. They are great for mobilising and strengthening your spine. You can do them daily. It only takes a few minutes out of your day but will make a huge difference.
Cat Pose
The Cat Pose is a great exercise for limbering the spine. It feels fantastic after you have been sitting for long periods of time.
How to do it:

Begin with limbering your wrists – rotating your hands around your wrists.
Then

 
Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana is one of the most easily recognised yoga poses and is great for stretching and strengthening the whole body by placing emphasis on strengthening the wrists, arms and shoulders as well as stretching the whole back of the body including the back of the legs (hamstrings), calves and ankles. It improves digestion, respiration and circulation. This pose also oxygenates the blood and therefore revitalises body and mind, and is fantastic for building endurance and stamina.
 
How to do it:
Step

 
The Tree Pose is one of my favourite balancing yoga poses. It is great for strengthening the muscles in the legs, the knees as well as the ankles and the spine. This exercise is a fantastic hip opening exercise which stretches the groin and inner thigh area. What I love about this pose is that it improves balance as well as increases focus, memory and concentration. The Tree Pose can be a bit challenging to start with, but once you master it, you will love

 
Knee Folds are one of the fundamental Pilates exercises – often used to help relieve back pain. It is great for developing pelvic stability which plays an important role in keeping the spine and pelvis in optimal alignment, and ensuring that the muscles and joints of the lower limbs are functioning properly.
 
How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees and feet placed on the floor hip-width apart (Figure 1). You can have your arms beside your body with your palms facing down, or

Avoid artificial stress reducers (i.e. alcohol or drugs) – they seem to provide immediate help but will cause more problems later on as they tend to mask the symptoms of stress which makes it more difficult to deal with the causes.
 
Avoid consuming excessive amounts of caffeine which can be found in coffee, black tea, chocolate, energy drinks and some soft drinks.
 
Exercise regularly – Yoga, Pilates as well as cardio exercises (i.e. running, swimming and cycling) have been proven to reduce stress. They produce feel-good endorphins

 
Serves 2
 
1 cup almonds, blanched
500ml (or 17 oz.) warm organic un-homogenised milk
4 fresh dates, pitted
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
Small pinch of ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon (extra), to serve
 
Put almonds, milk, dates, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla in a blender. Blend for 3 minutes or until thick and creamy. Serve sprinkled with a little ground cinnamon (extra).
 

 
Great breakfast recipe!
 
Serves 4
 
2 cups whole rolled oats
Pinch of salt
1 litre (or 34 oz.) rice milk
100g (or 3.5 oz.) hazelnut meal (or roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped)
1 vanilla bean, halved
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Brown sugar (or maple syrup), to serve
½ cup rice milk (extra), to serve
Banana (extra), to serve
 
Put oats, salt, milk and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Cook by stirring over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until oats are soft and creamy. Add hazelnut meal, vanilla bean and banana and cook for a

 
Serves 4
 
5 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
750g butternut pumpkin, cut into half moons or 2cm-cubes
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 cups spinach leaves
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
 
Preheat oven to 200°C. Combine garlic with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and toss with pumpkin in baking dish. Cook until tender, approximately 30 – 40 minutes. Mix lemon juice with remaining olive oil and toss with spinach. Top spinach with pumpkin and sprinkle with almonds.
 

 
Serves 4
 
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 sweet potato, cut into 2cm-cubes
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tbsp slivered almonds
1 bunch braised kale or other greens
 
Preheat oven to 200°C. Whisk together lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, cumin and turmeric and set aside. Toss remaining olive oil with sweet potato. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender. Combine sweet potato with quinoa, slivered almonds and dressing. To serve, arrange equal portions of greens on 4