Consult with your doctor or general practitioner before commencing any new health, fitness or nutrition program. While we’re here around the clock to provide general advice, you should seek professional help where individual assistance is needed.

If you’re pregnant, diabetic, have a medical condition, an injury or a physical disability, I urge you to consult your doctor or professional healthcare provider before starting your Body by Finch journey. Breastfeeding? You’re more than welcome on Body by Finch! Just check with your doctor first, and make sure that you're adjusting the level of intensity or pace of the routines and workouts depending on your needs. We do not advise the Weight Loss menu for breastfeeding mothers so please first check with your doctor and follow their recommendation

While nutrient-dense eating and regular exercise are all part of a healthy lifestyle, it’s natural to experience headaches as your body adjusts to the new swing of things. Remember to keep your fluids up (2L a day), and sip on some soothing herbal tea to help. You should find they pass, but if not, best to make a trip to the doctor to have them attended to.

We all have bad days, that’s life! But if you’re having a lot of them regularly, or if you find you’re feeling uncharacteristically stressed, irritated or anxious, then don’t hesitate to ask for help. There are plenty of people you can reach out to. Speak to your family and friends about how you’re feeling, and see a doctor or a psychologist as soon as possible, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Body by Finch is a monthly online health and fitness program featuring signature body workouts, nutritionist-approved meal plans, meditation sessions and 24/7 support from me and our incredible online community. 

With our busy lives, it’s even more important to stop, nourish, and nurture our body and mind. Body by Finch is a place for women to reconnect with themselves, find fitness, a wholesome way of eating, and a holistic approach to everything health related. It’s about being your best you and not living life based around what you see on the scales.

It’s for any woman, at any level of fitness, who wants to become healthier and a better version of themselves. Whether you work long hours, you’re a busy mum, or a girl on the go, if you’ve lost your motivation to exercise and eat well, this program is designed for you. 

$24.95 per month – that’s less than a dollar a day! We think that’s a small price to pay for a healthy mind and body.

When you join, you will be subscribing to a monthly fee of $24.95 which is automatically deducted from your credit / debit card account. You can cancel at any time before the rollover date of your next month, and you will not be charged.
To do this, go to Settings and under Membership Details, click on 'cancel membership'

Body by Finch is about feeding your body and your mind. With less than 30 minutes a day, you can fill your life with energy, happiness and love. And get more time to do the things you love doing! Fresh, fast, fun and family friendly, we’ll give you loads of inspiration and health tips that you can turn into love habits. And I’ll be with you every step of the way ….

We have built an amazing community; fitness professionals, nutritionists, phycologists, and not to mention, the most loving and supportive community that motivate each other…and you get life hacks. Live hacks from me on everything from skin and beauty to motivation and how to balance your health with career and home.

You bet your booty you can! Body by Finch is the one party you’ll want in your house 24/7.  

You can start now! We’re waiting for you!

To access your program, simply log in using your e-mail and password. Make sure your email notifications are set to ‘ON’ in your settings. Let’s do this!  

Life is crazy busy, trust me I know. While Body by Finch runs for 4 weeks, you still have access to your planner 7 days after the end of every challenge, so you’re free to catch up on anything you’ve missed.

Congrats! Activities completed means that you have smashed a Body Workout! Any tasks you do from your planner go toward your overall activity count in your profile - just make sure you click the “complete” button before moving on. And don’t forget to rate the workout and share the love on social media using the hashtag #bodybyfinch to go into the draw to win your next month free!

Print out your recipes and a list of exercises for each day and you’ll be good to go! Otherwise substitute your workouts with long walks, bike rides – activities that can be done while your away.

The meal plans on the weight loss stream focus on reducing your refined carb intake, while increasing your protein/good fats intake. So...? Maintain lean muscle mass but say farewell to fat! My expert nutrition team have checked over every recipe and guess what...two thumbs up for ace results!

Already at your goal weight? Time to switch to maintenance! Basically, the maintenance stream is designed for weight management. You’ll notice a slight increase in carbs on the meal plan to allow for muscle repair and growth. Meanwhile the workouts remain the same - just make sure you’re shakin’ it like there’s no tomorrow!

Our signature Body Workouts include:

• BODY work: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) circuit classes. All in under 30 minutes. 
• BODY stretch: Yoga & pilates inspired sessions to tone the body.
• BODY move: Endurance based workouts to improve cardiovascular health. Options include run, jog, walk, swim, bike, dance, kick boxing and more. 

All of our workouts are designed to be completed in under 30 minutes. Designed to be highly effective and time efficient, so you can get on with doing the awesome things in life! 

BODY by Finch is designed for all fitness levels, whether you’re new to fitness or more experienced. We provide modifications for exercises to cater for where you’re at on your beautiful journey. 

Whenever and wherever it suits you lovely! At home, in a hotel-room, or at the park. Our workouts are designed to be equipment free so you won’t need a thing except a willing attitude and a smile! This program is designed to fit into your schedule.

Our nutritionist-approved meal plans feature seasonal ingredients that are ideal for the whole family, and toddler approved too! Did I mention they’re totally delish? My friend and nutritionist Jessica Cox has created an extensive list of meals and snacks that are cost-effective and will make you feel amazing. 

Leftovers are so often my saving grace, not gonna lie! Most dinners serve 2 on your Body by Finch meal plan, so when it comes to leftovers, you’re already sorted. If you are cooking for 2, don’t forget to cook (and shop) double!

A vegetarian lifestyle or vegan lifestyle can be super healthy (and mindful), provided you’re meeting all your nutritional requirements.  All it takes is a bit of planning, and lots of variety. Here are the things to look out for:

• High quality protein
  While plant foods can sometimes lack amino acids, I love boosting a meal’s heart-loving nutrients with a variety of legumes, tofu, soy milk, nuts/seeds, eggs and dairy. Vegan diets are a little more tricky and will take some extra careful meal and snack planning to make sure you’re not missing out on essential protein sources.
• Iron
  There’s actually a lot of iron found in plant foods! Only thing is, it can be difficult for the body to absorb on its own. Because of this, many vegetarians take iron supplements, especially if you avoid animal-based foods all together.
• Calcium
  I’ve never met a dancer who doesn’t need strong bones! Calcium plays a vital role in all diets, so if you don’t include any dairy products your lifestyle, please talk to your doctor about taking a calcium supplement. We need these bones for life!
• Omega-3 fatty acids
  Not a fish fan? Just keep in mind that you might not be getting enough omega-3 in you diet. Don’t worry, there’s no shortage of omega-3 supplements around. Even a little in flaxseed oil or algae oil can work wonders for happy heart and brain functioning.
• Vitamin B12
  A very important one for moods and managing stress in the body! Vitamin B12 is only found in animal products so vegans will need to take a Vitamin B12 supplement. For a more detailed review of your vegetarian diet and supplements, discuss with an accredited practising dietitian.

You’ve taken the first step in choosing to fill your fridge and pantry with the very best staples that you can use across so many of your Body by Finch meals. You’ll find the cost decreases even more as you head into you the later weeks of the challenge too.  I do have a few sneaky tips to help cut costs further:

• Swap for recipes that use cheaper ingredients, or ingredients you already have at home
• Bargain hunt! The best prices aren't necessarily at your bigger retailers.
• Make the most of specials; if there’s a Body by Finch-approved ingredient on the sale stand, stock up!
• Don’t fear the freezer! No ingredients ever have to go to waste this way.

Our nutritionist Jessica Cox together with our BODY BY FINCH recipe team create a beautiful menu each week that satisfies and caters to all tastes! Choose between Weight Loss or Maintenance, male or female, gluten free, vegetarian, paleo/ low carb or regular menus.

• Check your serving sizes on every recipe: the meal plan generally suits 1 person with leftovers or partners catered for. Breakfasts are usually single serves, lunches between 1-2 serves (make ahead for the week or share with a partner), and dinners are serves 2-4, to allow for leftovers or partners/friends!
• Remember your Leftovers 
• Our meals are fresh, simple, easy to cook and include as many wholefoods as possible.
• Includes family/toddler friendly meals.
• Easy to use shopping list

We don’t want you getting too hung up on calories but if you want to know approximate totals (including snack allowance), they are:

• Weight loss, female: 1400
• Weight loss, male: 2300
• Strength, female: 1900
• Strength, male: 3000

SNACKING GUIDE

If you're enjoying our meal plan as well as regularly working out with us then it's important you're fuelling yourself properly between meals. That's not to say you need to snack every day if you're satisfied by our gorgeous recipes, but it does mean you need to be mindful of what to eat and when! So, Jess has given us some easy guidelines on how many snacks to eat depending on which stream you've chosen to follow.

Before and after working out

Pre-Workout Snacks:

If you're doing exercise every day, then it's important to have carbohydrates for fuel, especially if you are working out first thing in the morning before breakfast.

Cardio only (BodyMove)

Small carb snack e.g. banana or a piece of fruit

Cardio & strength (BodyWork)

Small carb and protein snack e.g. banana and cottage cheese

Post-Workout Snacks:

It is essential to ‘refuel’ within 30 minutes of finishing your workout ideally. This needs to be a combination of carbs and protein, with more of a priority on protein with strength training.

Cardio only (BodyMove)

Medium carb snack e.g. wholegrain toast with peanut butter and banana

Cardio & strength (BodyWork)

Medium protein and carb snack e.g. protein shake with banana

WEIGHT LOSS – MEN & WOMEN

It is best to stick to 2 snacks per day for weight loss, one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon. Evening snacking can be an occasional option if someone wants to have, say, a square of dark chocolate or a healthy dessert, but generally eating less in the evenings when we are more sedentary is conducive to weight loss. This gives our body time from dinner through till breakfast with a break from food intake.

MAINTENANCE – MEN & WOMEN

Generally it is best to also stick to 2 snacks per day,

1 mid-morning and 1 mid-afternoon. Again, this gives our body (and our digestive system) a break from dinner through to breakfast, which is ideal. There is certainly a little more flexibility here, however, when you are maintaining your weight. If you want to include an evening option, and of course if you are hungry, then go for something with protein and some fats for satiety and minimal carbs. It's best to avoid carbs after dinner, as carbs can stimulate your blood sugar too much at night.

The BODY Snack List

Check out the Planner for your full list of tasty snacks, which we'll continue to add to with delicious new recipes every week of the program.

WHAT ABOUT TREATS?

Oh, treats! The 80/20 rule is a great one to apply for maintenance. For weight loss I’d apply it at 90/10.

Weight loss

1 treat meal plus 1 treat snack per week. If you are after results, sticking to great wholefood intake the majority of the time will pay off.

Maintenance

1 treat meal plus 2 treat snacks per week. E.g. a meal out with friends and family at your favourite restaurant or slice of cake with your girlfriends at your local café.

Do my own thing? 

Everything in our meal plan is designed to work in sync, giving you the best results...fast! Best to stick to it as closely as possible. Let’s boot those poor foodie habits and comfort zones right out the door!

Full fat or low fat?

Full! Don’t be fooled...foods in their closest to original form are less processed and fat actually keep you feeling fuller for longer. Same goes for yoghurt and cheese - just watch your portion sizes!

Coffee and tea?

Let’s be real here guys, not even I can resist a morning coffee to get me going! Limit yourself to 2 cups a day, and there’s no worries. But what does 2 cups really mean?

• 1 latte with whole milk or 2 black cups
• 1 white tea with whole milk or 2 black teas
• herbal tea: to your heart’s content!

Sweeteners? You’re sweet enough, so aim for zero! It’s way easier than you think. Try cutting your intake in half week by week, that way you’ll avoid headaches and fatigue from caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

Drink alcohol?

I’m not going to stop you from having that glass of bubbly at your bestie’s birthday (that would just be cruel!) but try to limit your alcohol intake to TWO standards a week on BODY BY FINCH The more alcohol, the more empty calories! So if you want optimum results, try cutting back and really make those drinks count.

Go out to eat?

Yes of course you can! Just a few things to keep in mind:

1. Go easy on the carby things like rice, bread, couscous or potatoes - very much in moderation!
2. Stick to protein and vegetables or salad, and/or soups.
3. Share a dessert!
4. Limit alcohol - a couple of drinks is ok, any more and you’re just adding empty calories
5. Remember tomorrow is another day and even if today’s food sitch was a little off beat, you can start again at breakfast. No guilt please!

Many people experience digestive system glitches when they start eating in a vegetarian style. One of the main reasons for this is the higher fibre intake - or more specifically, the increase in beans and legumes which increase gas production in your body. It’s important to introduce legumes slowly into your diet. This helps minimise these uncomfortable symptoms.

Start with a very small serve and gradually increase over a week or so. This will give your digestive system and gut bacteria time to adapt. Some legumes may be easier on your tummy than others, so see what works for you! Still can’t beat the bloat? You may have to switch to different vegetarian protein source e.g. tofu, dairy or eggs.

H2O, let’s bring this show! What other drink helps deliver oxygen to your muscles and gives you more energy? There’s a reason I call it ‘The Miracle Worker’. Make sure you're drinking 8 glasses a day (minimum!), and bumping up your intake in warmer weather, or with increased activity. Jazz up plain water with a slice of lemon, or a few blueberries for a splash of vibrant colour.

Mindfulness describes a state of being totally aware of your surroundings. I know how crazy busy life is, and how easy it is to lose touch with what’s really important. Sometimes we just need to make more of an effort to slow the pace, chill out, and give ourselves the quiet time we deserve. I’ve been meditating for years now, and it’s my secret to helping me feel calm and in control, no matter what life throws at me. I know it’ll work wonders for you too. Our weekly meditation sessions are designed to help you breathe deeper, sleep better and recharge a little, as well as expert tips from our mindfulness practitioner Nicole Betts. Once you make meditation part of your weekly routine, I guarantee you’ll start to see your life (and yourself) in a whole new light!

When was the last time you wiggled your toes through the sand? Felt the sun in your hair? Our mindfulness tasks are all about getting you to live in the moment. Through simple activities like looking, drawing and writing, you can reconnect with yourself and what’s really important in your life. It’s time to enjoy life’s simple pleasures again!

Yikes! Try updating your browser to the latest version, then clear your cache (instructions here) and restart your computer. While your internet connection may be speedy, your network can experience random cut outs, which will interfere with viewing some content and certain media players. You may want to try switching browsers (Chrome and Firefox are my team’s top picks). We hope this does the trick! If it is in fact a connection issue, there’s not much we can do to fix it. If I were in your shoes, I’d get on a call to my provider, pronto!

The first step is to quit your browser. Then try logging out and in again (an oldie but a goody). Next, update your browser to the latest version. Clearing your cache (instructions here) and restarting your computer can’t hurt either.

Still having trouble getting your Body by Finch into gear? Meet my tech legends over at hello@bodybyfinch.com. They’re like a sunbeam of support!

No sweat...as if I’d lock you out with a smile like that! Click the ‘I Forgot!’ button at login and we’ll email you a link to reset it, quick smart.

Make sure you’re checking the email address that you signed up with. Still no go? Send us an e-mail (hello@bodybyfinch.com) and we’ll give you a hand.

Make sure you are logged in first! If it’s a link to Facebook, you’ll need to be a member of our private Facebook community to view it. Simply request to join and we’ll have you added to the fam asap!

You already have a BODY BY FINCH account! Simply login (not register). If your password has bopped right out of your mind, just click that ‘I Forgot!’ button and check your inbox for a reset password link. Forgotten your email address? Sing out to my team by emailing them at hello@bodybyfinch.com

First, I’ll get you to try updating your browser to the latest version. Next, check that your cookies aren’t set to ‘blocked’, and clear your cache (instructions here). No luck? The second possibility is that you’ve done the double, and signed up twice - i.e. 2 different emails, maybe even 2 different passwords! Make sure you are using the correct email and password for the account you are signing into.

Make sure you have selected the correct week. Then, all you need to do is click ‘update’ to start fresh. Nothing like hitting that supermarket with all your meals planned out for you!

Three easy things to check:

1. Check your spam for any emails from Rachael Finch (that’s me!)
2. Have a look in your Settings, just to make sure your email is entered properly.
3. While you’re in your Settings, confirm that your emails are turned on. Look for “Receive updates and News (by email)” and click them on! All done!

Curious about going paleo? Simply head to your settings on your profile page and click edit to bring up the meal options. Selecting something here will flip your entire meal plan, but PLEASE NOTE - if you made any swaps before changing, they won't be saved.

Most definitely! Just click the little print icon in the top right hand corner of the recipes (you might need your specs though!). For anything without this icon, just use your browser’s print function (File:Print) or your print shortcut (CTRL+P for PC, Command+P for Mac).

First, check that your card details have been entered correctly. No luck? It could be your bank being overly cautious of a foreign payment system. Take a little break and come back in an hour for take two, and have a chat to your bank in regards to their security. Still no go? Send my team an email at hello@bodybyfinch.com and we’ll help with getting to the bottom of it.