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September 27, 2019

Interview on TV3’s The Cafe

Rachel was interviewed on TV3’s The Cafe about her book Balance.

September 18, 2019

Interview on Seven Sharp

Rachel was interviewed on Seven Sharp about her charity work.

Fitness junkie mum forms tight bond with blind man running marathons

Fitness junkie mum forms tight bond with blind man running marathonsRachel and Tamati formed a unique bond over the years through the joy of running.

Posted by Seven Sharp on Friday, September 13, 2019
July 10, 2019

Interview on One Breakfast

Rachel was interviewed on One Breakfast about her new book ‘Balance’.

Need to beat the Monday blues?

Need to beat the Monday blues?Meet the journalist-turned-wellness coach who’s interviewed experts around the world getting the best tips on living your best life.

Posted by Breakfast on Sunday, July 7, 2019
May 16, 2019

Interview on Radio Southland

Rachel was interviewed on Radio Southland about her new book ‘Balance’.

May 16, 2019

Interview on Magic FM

Rachel was interviewed on Magic FM about her new book ‘Balance’.

May 16, 2019

Interview on Newstalk ZB

Rachel was on Newstalk ZB to talk about her new book and answer questions around cooking habits for everyday New Zealanders.

Listen to the full interview here

April 18, 2019

Beetroot Energiser Juice

You’re guaranteed to feel virtuous after drinking this vibrant, refreshing juice

There are so many benefits to beetroot juice. Beets have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, contain brain function-boosting vitamin B3 – and I also love how they taste in this drink.

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April 18, 2019

Choc Bomb Indulgence

This nutrient-dense dessert jar will make you smile

This chocolate treat isn’t only divinely decadent, but boasts a host of superfood ingredients such as honey from The True Honey Co., who make a high-quality manuka honey that has wonderful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It’s also New Zealand-made and ethically harvested. Chia seeds are a hero ingredient, as well as being on-trend right now. These little powerhouses are a great source of protein, fibre and omega 3, just to name some benefits. However, the ultimate hero will be you, if you whip this recipe up for a loved one.

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April 18, 2019

Blackberry Whip

Refreshing and delicious, treat yourself to our sin-free, all-natural iced dessert.

With summer is in sight, there’s nothing quite like a refreshing bowl of Blackberry Whip. This super quick and easy recipe, packed full of natural ingredients, is perfect for a mid-afternoon snack.

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April 13, 2018

The 20 minute workout that changes your body

New Zealand Herald Newspaper Logo

Rachel Grunwell learns about the X-Force workout from Peter Rana, Body Tech’s founder and director.

Working hard gets results — at anything in life, right? It’s true in your gym sweat sessions too.

I tried lifting weights recently at a fancy gym with fancy new equipment. But actually you can apply this technique broadly at any gym and get some great results.

Negative strength training is a big buzz right now. How it works is you push your muscles to their capacity on lifting AND lowering weights.

So you slow down the downward (or eccentric) muscle lengthening phase of lifting weights. For example, with a pull up, you’d not just lift up into this quickly, you’d slow that sucker down on the downward phase too. So you’d work hard on this movement 100 per cent of the time, and not just 50 per cent of the time.

Look around your gym the next time. You’ll see almost everyone cheat the downward phase of lifting weights. For example, people tend to put all their effort into one phase of a bench press.

At Body Tech gym in Auckland, this is called an X-Force workout. They are the first gym in NZ to get the equipment. Here they have fancy machines that lighten the loads automatically to perform positive lifting work and then add it back on to challenge muscles while doing the negative (lowering) phase of the workout.

“We’re 40 per cent stronger when it comes to lowering a weight as opposed to lifting it.

The negative stroke, with 40 per cent more resistance, more thoroughly fatigues strength trained muscles than conventional strength training does. This deeper fatigue stimulates the production of key hormones linked to building muscle and burning fat-cell content,” says Peter Rana, Body Tech’s founder and director.

“So every time you do a rep you recruit more muscle fibres and dormant muscle fibres that you don’t get to use normally.”

The good news about negative strength training? You do fewer reps, fewer exercises and you are out of the gym quick (20-minutes at Body Tech). You also only need this workout twice weekly, says Peter.

So, that’s only eight sessions a month.

The bad news? It’s haaaaard work. You want to give up after three reps on each machine.

But you have to curse and sweat (and possibly swear like me) your way through five reps on each machine.

It’s not an easy workout. You may even want to cry for your mum only minutes into the session — or was that only me?

The bottom line is you have to be prepared to work hard even though it’s for a shorter time. But time-poor people could dig this … I like how Peter sums up the workout: “You’re not going to like it, but you are going to like the results.”

Article originally published in The New Zealand Herald

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  • Peanut Butter & Honey Choc Slice
  • Interview on TV3’s The Cafe
  • Workplace Wellness Works
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