Empowerment Tribe is an inspiring group of women who came together to help feed members of our community. We're excited to be working with them by donating meals to feed families in need throughout September. We recently caught up with Hope Douglas to find out a little bit more about them and what they're doing.
]]>Hi Hope, thanks for taking some time out to catch up with us!
A few months ago one of our supporters and friend of Pwrmeals, Romina, suggested we take a look at what the Empowerment Tribe were doing. We were super impressed – you've built something really inspiring here. How long has the Empowerment Tribe been around for and what inspired you to start it in the first place?
We are a group of friends (9 women) - we consider ourselves a tribe of women that empower one another.
About 4 weeks ago, we came together with our time and resources to try to help feed families that we knew were in need; particularly in Sydney's Western Suburbs.
It started out small - just the 9 of us gathering food to feed families in need, but we decided to take to social media to see if anyone wanted to donate, and also to reach out to find more families that are struggling under the present situation.
As soon as we posted our intentions on IG, we received loads of donations and support, and also had many people reaching out to us, telling us their stories and asking for help.
What does a normal week look like for you?
We've been busy - we delivered groceries to over 80 families within our first two weeks, and we have been working consistently to gather food and donations and to deliver groceries to doors.
What are the biggest challenges the Empowerment Tribe faces?
The community has been amazing - we have been receiving donations and have been able to put food on the table for many families.
Restrictions have been challenging for us at times as they do limit the amount of personal deliveries that we can make. A great donation option to navigate this has been online vouchers so that we can order groceries and have them delivered directly to families that are too far for us to personally deliver to.
How has COVID affected you and the people you work with?
Government restrictions have greatly affected us all. I have personally been out of work since the start of this lockdown, which is obviously very difficult financially and in other ways too.
I know several of the women in the Empowerment tribe have also lost work or had their partners lose jobs too. It's a very difficult time.
However, we do have resources enough in this country to feed the community. With a little effort and networking, we can still ensure that everyone eats, regardless of their financial situation.
We're excited to be working with you in September. How will our involvement help the people you work with?
Your involvement will greatly help our initiative - you've put food on the table for 3 families for an entire month! You have also organised delivery directly to their door, which is amazingly helpful for us as well!
We are so grateful for your help, as I know are the families receiving your meals!
Thanks Hope. If people want to get in touch with the Empowerment Tribe, how can they find out more?
To stay up to date with what we're up to you can check out our IG page: @empowermenttribe_
We've also got a Linktree with info on how to get involved or request assistance: https://linktr.ee/grocerydrivesydney
And you can always reach us at our email: grocerydrivesydney@outlook.com
]]>For many people, when starting a workout routine for the first time, it isn’t the exercise at all that’s the issue, but rather, the thought of getting started. If you’re serious about starting a new workout regime and healthy lifestyle but aren’t sure where to begin first, here are several tips to help get you started.
]]>They say "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step…" and sure, maybe it's a little cliché – but it's the perfect analogy for people looking to begin a workout and fitness regime.
Starting a healthy workout regime is tough, and it can be daunting, especially if you’re new to exercise and fitness, but once you commit to a routine and get started you’ll soon be reaping the rewards.
For many people, when starting a workout routine for the first time, it isn’t the exercise at all that’s the issue, but rather, the thought of getting started.
If you’re serious about starting a new workout regime and healthy lifestyle but aren’t sure where to begin first, here are several tips to help get you started.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when starting a new workout routine or regime, is adopting an ‘all or nothing’ attitude.
If you’re new to exercise, it is essential that you take the time to ease yourself in and familiarise yourself with the exercises and movements that you’ll be performing.
If you’re new to working out for example, you wouldn’t be expected to train as if you were in training for a half marathon. Instead, you should begin slowly and gradually ease your way in and progress slowly as you learn more, become fitter, and become more confident with what you’re doing.
Despite what you see on social media the truth is that some people don't particularly enjoy exercising regularly, and many will lack motivation when starting out, there’s no denying that.
If you’re looking to get started with a new workout regime, it’s important to find your ‘why’.
Don’t just begin training because it’s considered healthy, actually consider the health benefits it will provide, and consider what your main goals and objectives are.
Are you looking to lose some fat, increase your energy levels, look better in your favourite clothes, or to simply improve your fitness in general?
Whatever your goals are, remind yourself of them the next time you’re lacking the motivation to get started.
The great thing about exercise is the fact that there are so many different activities for you to follow.
When working out, it’s important that you enjoy what you’re doing, otherwise you run the risk of losing interest, resenting your training regime, and even making yourself unhappy in the process.
Look for activity that brings you pleasure, that you will actually look forward to doing and you’ll find it much easier to get started, and much easier for you to stick with it.
Finally, if you’re serious about starting a new workout routine, it’s important for you to give yourself a series of set days for training, and to stick to them.
Don’t just exercise whenever you feel like it because this doesn’t provide you with any structure, and it means that you’re not held accountable.
If you have set days for working out, i.e. Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you know that those 3 days of the week are reserved for training. You can then plan your week around those days, and you will also be held accountable if you decide you want to skip a session.
There will never be a better time to start your first-of-a-thousand steps than right now. Grab your phone and jot down answers to the following questions:
Using health supplements instead of eating real foods can be bad for your health. Here’s 4 reasons you should fuel your body with real, whole foods.
]]>When used in conjunction with a healthy and balanced diet, supplements are indeed extremely beneficial and good for you. The thing to remember, though, is that they don’t work miracles. If you’re using health and/or fitness supplements without eating healthy foods, or worse still, if you’re using them instead of eating real foods, your health will suffer.
Far too many people are relying more on supplements than they are on real foods, and that has to stop.
Real foods are more than a trend and to prove it, here’s a look at several reasons to eat whole foods.
One of the main benefits of eating real, whole, healthy foods is the fact that they’re low in sugar.
Many supplements contain sugars, or artificial sweeteners which are both bad for your health and can lead to a number of health issues.
High sugar intakes can increase your risk of obesity and contracting diseases such as type-2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and certain forms of cancer.
Processed foods are often enriched with added sugar, or ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, for added sweetness, which can damage your health.
Fruit, despite containing natural fructose sugars, is much lower in sugar than a lot of processed foods. It also contains fibre which is very good for you and makes you feel fuller for longer, which may lead to lower sugar intake overall.
Real foods, ie. real whole foods full of natural goodness, are packed full of dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that have been found to promote better digestive health.
Supplements, despite being rich in vitamins and nutrients, don't contain the fibre you need to keep your digestive system healthy and functional.
Not only that, but because of the fibre and other macronutrients found in whole real foods, they’re digested and absorbed slower, rather than supplements which are designed to be digested and absorbed rapidly.
Close to 500 million people worldwide suffer with diabetes, and that number is rising every single year.
Supplements containing sugars, even naturally occurring ones, could spike insulin levels faster than real foods, which in turn could lead to unstable blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and even potentially complete shutdown of insulin production.
Whole foods are digested and absorbed much slower than powders, liquids, tablets, and capsules, making them much better for blood sugar management.
Furthermore, eating foods with a low glycemic index could help to reduce blood sugar levels and keep them stable.
Finally, the last benefit of real foods over supplements and meal replacements is the fact that consuming them gives you so much variety.
Having a variety of different ingredients to choose from means that you can mix things up and try something different every day. This prevents things from becoming stale and monotonous, so you look forward to your meals, rather than dreading them.
After all, food should be enjoyed – not endured!
]]>Despite the fact that, as a race, we have seemingly advanced such a huge amount over the decades, there still appears to be a taboo associated with mental health, and that simply has to stop.
Mental health disorders can affect us all, at any time, for a whole variety of different reasons yet there are numerous things we can do to treat and prevent them.
It is believed that 1 in 4 people are currently affected by a mental health disorder, though in truth, experts are worried that that number is much higher, and that some people are suffering in silence and hiding their issues for fear of judgement or ridicule.
As far as treatment and prevention goes, doctors, therapists, and everyday individuals alike all agree on the fact that exercise provides numerous benefits when it comes to our mental health, which is what we’re going to be looking at today.
Here are a few key mental health benefits associated with exercise.
Stress is sometimes known as the ‘silent killer’ due to the fact it can lead to numerous health issues such as hypertension, which could potentially be fatal.
Stress is all around us, and it can be difficult to avoid it on certain days, yet some people find themselves dealing with more stress than others.
Stress in itself is bad enough, yet it can also lead to further mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. This is where exercise proves to be so beneficial.
Exercise is a very effective stress buster as it helps to promote the production of endorphins and neurotransmitters such as serotonin and melatonin, which help us to relax and unwind. Furthermore, providing you don’t exercise too intensely, for too long, it can actually buffer the production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone.
Finally, exercise boosts the production of a neurotransmitter known as norepinephrine, which is a chemical that helps to moderate the way in which the brain responds to stress.
When it comes to sleep and mental health, the entire process is often a vicious circle as a lack of sleep can lead to mental health issues, yet mental health issues can cause a lack of sleep due to insomnia.
When we’re lacking sleep, we produce more cortisol which leaves us feeling stressed, plus we feel irritable and our hormones are out of sync and become unbalanced.
When you exercise regularly however, your chances of getting a good night’s sleep improve exponentially.
Exercise is physically demanding so as you expend more energy you’ll feel more tired to begin with, plus there’s the fact that it promotes the production of melatonin, which is the hormone responsible for us feeling tired and sleepy, especially once it gets dark.
The better your sleep pattern is, the more your mental health will likely improve, as long as you aren’t sleeping too much.
Finally, when it comes to exercise and mental health, exercise is great for lifting your mood.
After you exercise, you’ll get a natural endorphin “high” as exercise promotes the production of endorphins. Endorphins are known as ‘happy chemicals’ as they help to make you feel happy, confident, and content with life in general.
These endorphins not only help you to feel happier, they can also help to alleviate the symptoms associated with mental health issues such as chronic stress and even depression.
Exercise is considered a natural anti-depressant, with the added bonus of being very good for you and with no harmful side effects like those associated with prescription drugs.
]]>Working from home can be challenging, not only when it comes to your productivity and motivation, but also with regards to staying fit and healthy as well. Here are several tips on staying healthy while working from home.
]]>Thanks to the global pandemic sweeping from country to country, more and more of us are being forced to work from home wherever possible, and while things are looking promising, we're not quite out of the woods yet.
As a result of this, it’ll be a while before we can return to normality in the workplace and go back to crowded offices and work spaces, so we need to make do with what we have at home.
Working from home can be challenging, not only when it comes to your productivity and motivation, but also with regards to staying fit and healthy as well.
If you’re spending more time sitting at your desk at home, your health and fitness may suffer and you may be susceptible to weight gain.
To help you out, here are several tips on staying healthy while working from home.
Obviously when you’re working from home, the goal is still to get plenty of work done, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a break to exercise.
Physical activity is essential, not only for your physical health, but also your mental health as well.
If you don’t have access to a gym, or have the time to hit the gym, schedule exercise breaks at home around your workload.
Every hour or so, try to take a 15-minute break to exercise. This could be a walk around the garden or the block, or a bodyweight circuit workout in your front room.
When you’re exercising, you’re burning calories and working your muscles, which can only be seen as a good thing.
Exercise is only part of the story when it comes to health and wellbeing.
If you’re serious about being healthier when working from home, be sure to stock up on healthy ingredients, look up healthy meal prep ideas, and prep your meals for the working week in advance.
Find a weight loss meal plan that works for you and go ahead and cook healthy meals, as that way when the time comes for your lunch you already have a healthy meal ready to eat.
This will save you time while working, plus it means that you have no excuses!
We understand that life at home can be hectic and if you don’t have the time to prep your meals, or if you simply don’t want to, how about investing in a healthy meal prep service instead?
Here, you can select a series of healthy and delicious portion controlled meals, and have them delivered directly to your door.
Now you simply heat them accordingly and you have yourself a tasty, healthy, delicious weight loss meal plan with minimum effort.
Using these services is great because not only do you get to enjoy healthy meals, you also get healthy meal prep ideas, you save time, and you don’t have to worry about the washing up afterwards.
One downside to working from home is the fact that you have access to your own kitchen and can therefore indulge in any unhealthy treats you shouldn’t have.
To avoid the temptation to raid the cookie jar when you’re supposed to be working and get peckish, or even bored for that matter, don’t buy junk in the first place!
Instead of unhealthy snacks, stock up on healthy and nutritious snacks that will help beat hunger and help keep your healthy regime on track.
]]>Most of us intuitively know that fresh-is-best – you probably wouldn't be reading this blog post if you didn't! But what about fresh vs frozen? Are they just as good as each other, or do we loose something when we freeze our food? There's a lot of misinformation out there, so let's explore this one is some more detail…
Fresh food has more nutritional value than frozen food.
If you think about it, this makes sense: freezing can't add any nutrients to fresh food, so frozen food can only have the same amount of nutrients as fresh food or less.
The discussion then is all about how much nutritional value (if any) is lost when food gets frozen.
(No – not that kind of frozen food!) 😛
The biggest point of confusion we see on this topic around the web is that people don't differentiate between freezing food for yourself, and the reasons large meal prep companies freeze food.
Freezing food yourself, say after a meal delivery of grocery shop, is for the most part fine. If it makes your food last longer and means less frequent trips to the shops, that's a win in our books!
The reasons large meal prep companies freeze their food are a bit different. They usually want to cook in bulk and then freeze meals for delivery weeks later, or they want to buy their ingredients in bulk and freeze them for later use. To do this at a commercial level, food manufactures need to blanch their food.
The National Centre for Home Food Preservation says:
"Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavour, colour and texture.
Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the colour and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.
Blanching time is crucial and varies with the vegetable and size. Under–blanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Over–blanching causes loss of flavour, colour, vitamins and minerals."
To be clear, blanching is much preferred to adding artificial preservatives and has benefits when you need to store food for a long time.
However, whenever you move food further away from its natural state there are always trade offs. With blanching these trade offs are:
Even when you put aside the nutritional changes in frozen and fresh food, customers generally prefer fresh food over frozen because of the noticeable difference in flavour and taste.
The texture of food is not something we usually think about a lot, but it has huge impact on how you perceive what you're eating. Texture is the difference between a fresh, crisp chilled lettuce leaf from the fridge, and the old wilted one that's left in the salad bowl at the end of the night. Similar taste and nutritional value, but one of those leaves will probably get tossed in the bin…
Freezing food causes the water molecules inside it to expand and bust their cell walls, significantly changing the texture of your food and leaving you with soggy veggies.
To put it simply: taste and nutrition, in that order.
Here's a little secret: the most common feedback we hear from customers is how much more flavour our meals have compared to other meal delivery services they've tried. Most of this difference comes down to one thing – fresh food will always taste better than frozen food.
If you're committed to fresh–not–frozen & have built your business model to deliver meals just hours after cooking, it's easy to deliver the best tasting, most nutritious meals to your customers. You'd have to go out of your way not to!
Our meal delivery service is based on the principle of providing our customers with the best service and healthiest food. This is why we choose to go the extra mile and put a little more effort into making sure that our customers get to eat fresh meals, just like you would if you made them at home.
]]>While it's impossible to eliminate processed food from our diet, we should try to minimise our intake as much as possible to reduce the risks. In this article we look at the differences between fresh food & processed food.
]]>
Fresh food is best consumed in its most natural state. At Pwrmeals we believe in making full use of all the benefits provided by natural and organic food. Our meals are freshly cooked each time you order, and we don't use any processed or frozen food. We even go so far as to make our sauces and marinades from scratch!
It would be unrealistic to eliminate processed food from our diets as we're surrounded by it, however we should try to minimise our intake as much possible to reduce the risks associated with it.
Processed food with artificial preservatives might be harmful to your health, and you can avoid their unnecessary use if you prioritise fresh food.
Let’s take a quick look at a comparison between fresh food, and processed food…
Processed foods are everywhere around us and they are frequently used by large meal delivery services to minimise spoilage and increase their meal storage time by up to several weeks.
Processing food in this way removes a lot of the essential nutrients required by our bodies. Instead of nutrients, we consume preservatives and additives that can be harmful to our bodies.
In addition to this, processed foods are also a leading contributor to unhealthy weight gain as they are frequently high in calories, sugar, and sodium. Combined with the fact that they often contain meagre quantities of fibre, you end up in a situation where you still have the urge to eat more even after consuming a large number of empty calories. We've all been there! 🙋🏽♀️😩
Even though both processed and frozen foods should be avoided if you can eat fresh, frozen foods are a lot better than processed foods.
If no preservatives were added to the frozen food, the fibre should have remained intact and you'd still have most of the nutrients left in. It's the chemicals used in processed food to make them last longer that should be avoided.
Freezing food yourself is fine. The downside of frozen food comes when it's done by large manufacturers who need to blanch it before freezing. Check out our post on fresh vs frozen food to learn more about blanching.
In comparison to processed food, unprocessed and freshly cooked food contains all the essential nutrients and vitamins, and are free of additives and preservatives that can cause things like:
Fresh food is a rich source of antioxidants and healthy fats that promotes a healthy heart. Fresh food contains a higher quantity of fibre, which is beneficial for metabolic health and digestive function (…and surprisingly hard to reach the recommended daily intake for, unless you're having All Bran for breakfast every day 😛).
Fresh food like blackberries, avocados, flaxseeds, beans, and legumes have many health benefits. The antioxidants contained in fresh food help fight against free radicals, reduce oxidative stress and decrease the chance of different maladaptive conditions.
But most importantly – they just taste better! 💕😋💕
Pwrmeals offers healthy and fresh pre-cooked meals to our customers in Sydney. Your meals get cooked just hours before delivery so that they are as fresh and filled with nutrition as they they can be.
The artificial flavours, sugars, and preservatives in processed food are filled with chemicals that increase the shelf life and benefit large meal prep companies, but disadvantage you in many ways. We don't want to be that company…
And since we're passionate believers that fresh-is-best, we don’t need to use the techniques employed by large meal manufacturers.
Pwrmeals help you focus on your weight loss regime by providing fresh and diet-friendly meals on a budget.
Simply pick a meal plan based on your goals and we'll deliver it to your doorstep, allowing you to focus on your gym routine rather than worrying about cooking your weight-friendly meal.
Whether you are a vegetarian or you have started a keto diet and looking for low carb meals, we have everything you need.
Our expert approved weight loss plans will help you reduce weight in no time! Check out our meal plans for more details on all the portion controlled plans we have.
]]>We're fixing a common source of confusion for our Pwrmeals customers – our delivery times.
Our current delivery times were initially designed to accommodate orders right up until the last minute before our cook, but this resulted in cut off times (ie. 7pm) that made sense to us internally, but were artificial and confusing to customers who didn't know – or care! – about our internal processes.
As mentioned above, removing the 7pm cutoff times makes things much clearer for customers. Also, as the number of orders placed has continued to grow, so our cook times have gotten longer and longer.
Rather than moving the 7pm cutoff earlier (say to midday), and then 6 months later moving it earlier still as the cook size increased again, we decided to simply move it to the day before.
Doing so also allows us to...
Other businesses like ours have addressed this issue by cooking their individual meals in bulk days or weeks in advance, and then storing them in a freezer until delivery day.
While this would certainly make our lives easier, at Pwrmeals we're committed to delivering the freshest meals possible, and we believe that pre–freezing our meals compromises their nutritional value and taste, particularly that of the vegetables.
These new delivery windows allow us to continue our commitment to cooking just hours before we deliver our meals to you.
Our new delivery times help us:
If you have any questions let us know via our contact us page, or check out the delivery details page for more info.
Thanks for your continued support over 2019! Without each of you we wouldn't be lucky enough to be tackling challenges related to growth :)
Happy new year 🎉
The team at Pwrmeals.
Tess Hering is a CrossFit athlete, trainer and nutrition student. In part one of this interview we caught up with her to learn more about her recent involvement in the 2019 Torian Pro (held in Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena), as well her life as a CrossFit athlete and coach. In part two (coming soon) we’ll discuss her hectic training schedule, the importance of heroes and how Pwrmeals fits into her life.
It’s clear to anyone who follows you on Instagram that you’re very active in the CrossFit world. Tell us more about that and how you got started.
Tess Hering: Haha, yeah! So I’m 19 now and have been doing CrossFit for about five years. I originally got into it because of my Mum and sisters – it was a little family thing.
I used to be a swimmer and started CrossFit after school between swimming sessions. I did it on top of my swimming for strength and conditioning, but after a while I guess I kinda became hooked ...but you wouldn’t have known it at the start!
I’d often call Mum after school and be like “I’ve got heaps of assignments to do and I just want to chill out and not go to CrossFit because it hurts!” But once I started doing it a bit more frequently – and decided that I didn’t want to stare at a black line in a pool for the rest of my life – I decided I should give CrossFit a go.
It’s very addictive because it’s so different to what you’re used to seeing. You look at some people and you’re like, “Oh, I want to be able to do that! I want to be able to do a handstand push up!”
You get to meet so many new people, and so many good athletes, and I’ve been lucky enough to become really good friends with some and develop some close bonds – so that’s all pretty cool.
As someone who knows a little bit about CrossFit but has never done it myself, it looks like a sport with a really cool community.
Yeah, it’s definitely community based. That’s the biggest thing that drives people to keep on coming to CrossFit.
You make these amazing friends through, well, through suffering together I guess! You all have the same goal in the end, it’s just a little bit different for some. You have the people that want to be athletes, and there are others who just want to get fitter and stronger and be healthier in their lifestyle.
It involves every kind of person. Especially in a gym. It’s amazing to see so many different people come in and out of the same gym, and they’re all getting the same results. They’re all pushing themselves to the limit and they’re all feeling absolutely stuffed after every workout!
And it’s all based around community. Really! It’s not about times, it’s not about what weight you can lift, it’s not about how well you do in certain things. It’s more about getting behind each other and supporting each other and, you know, cheering each other on once you finish your workout.
If there’s like, five people to go you’re not just going to lie there after your workout and then walk out. You’re going to go and cheer them on! And especially as a coach, to see that kind of thing happening in your gym is really special.
It’s even like that in events and competitions. I mean, yeah we’re competitors, but we’re also going to cheer them on because we want them to do well. And I think that’s what separates CrossFit from a lot of other sports. I found that when I was doing swimming it wasn’t that community based. It was very focused on yourself, and you had to do well, and yeah I had a couple of friends but it wasn’t like CrossFit is where you have a wide circle of friends.
I heard you’ve just returned to Sydney from a few days of competition. How did that go?
Yeah, I just got back from the Torian Pro. It used to be a little local competition up in Brisbane run out of a gym. This year they got some really big names and it’s moved to the Pat Rafter Arena, so yeah, not so little any more!
I competed in a team, but it was cool meeting all the athletes competing in pairs, and all the Masters athletes as well. It was such a well run event with an amazing vibe. It was awesome to have the fittest woman on earth, Tia-Clair Toomey, there. And to also have Rich Froning, Royce Dunne, Tasia and Chyna Cho all there from America was amazing.
It was great to not only be there as an athlete, but also as a spectator. The teams were on before the individuals, so we were there screaming and losing our voices for everybody, which was fun!
Some of the workouts were so cool just to be a part of, you know like being able to use the worm…
…the worm? What’s that?
It’s like a massive sandbag but it’s about four people long – so if you were in a team of four you’d be using a four person worm. We were doing these weird movements with it, like thrusters and push presses and everything like that… it was pretty great.
It must be pretty inspiring to see the big names there and to see what they do, and then to bring that back home with you and have that inspire what you do.
Definitely. Seeing people like Tia and Jess Coughlan and Maddie Sturt and other top names from overseas supporting this event was great, and to see how they handled themselves outside of the competition was pretty cool too.
You take some things back with you, and you’re like, “Okay, so we all go through the same kind of thing.” Whereas normally you’d think, “Oh they’re these one-percenters – these people that can do everything well all the time.”
But then once you see the amount of effort and detail that goes into each event, and that sometimes it doesn’t work out for them, and then you see how they process that and react to it, you think “Oh, I’m not the only one who can get all sad when an event didn't go well or something like that.”
You get to have a shared experience and see people going through the emotional rollercoaster, you know, the tears laughs and everything like that. But yeah, you mentioned the community aspect of CrossFit before, and it’s great because we’re always there for each other. You’re there supporting them along the way, and they’re supporting you.