21 Day Challenges

So as you may be aware, I have recently done two 21 Day Challenges.
I had to do 21 days of exercise and thought I would do 21 days without chocolate alongside.
I did it and I couldn't be more pleased.
The exercise didn't phase me, I am pretty active already. However, I must say it has really made me appreciate rest days.
Those days when I sit around feeling guilty for not fitting a work out in are behind me.
I made the mistake of starting the challenge on a Wednesday having already done two days worth of exercise. I also finished on a Wednesday, I have spin class on Thursdays and will not miss the chance to go to the gym when I finish work early on a Friday. It is often empty so I love it. Meaning, technically I did 26 days of exercise. Tomorrow is my first day off and on one hand I can't wait on the other I can already sense that I will be having withdrawal symptoms. It will help that I will be hungover as it is my birthday night out tonight.

Birthday breakfast

I was really not looking forward to 21 days without chocolate. However, it really was not that hard. There were two days in the second week where I really struggled but that had a lot to do with colleagues buying chocolate digestives.
One thing it taught me is I do not need chocolate and on top of that I don't actually like it that much. I love biscuits including chocolate biscuits, that will never change. But as for chocolate bars and solid chocolaty things I could live without. It doesn't taste as good as I remember. It really does only take 21 days to stop cravings because that is why I ate chocolate. I craved it because it is addictive. Having eaten chocolate since, even though I was not craving it, made me see it isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Birthday lunch

Unfortunately, everyone who knows me seems to think i'm a choccy monster. So for my birthday I got a LOT of chocolate. I decided to let myself off eating well this week because I just wanted to enjoy myself without worrying about food. So I have eaten A LOT of chocolate. To the point where I am sick of it.
I need to get rid of it though, I am giving it up again for lent.
I'll miss you choccy biscuits. Wish me luck!
The main thing I learnt about myself is I can do it if I put my mind to something. Setting myself challenges works for me because I like to prove a point, I guess being stubborn is handy in this instance.

Loving the attention

Davina 15 minute fit: review

I just bought Davina's new workout DVD. At home workouts are not something I am used to but I noticed there was a vast selection these days. It also seemed like a great way to squeeze in a workout when pushed for time.
I love Davina and the fact that you could choose between doing a quick 15 minute workout up to an hour meant it seemed like the ideal choice.
Tonight I had to work late so it was the perfect opportunity to try it out rather than dragging myself to the gym at 8pm.
I must say when I first started I was worried that it would be a completely negative review. Luckily my opinion changed.
I'll get my negative comments out of the way first.
There is a selection of 15 minutes workouts; cardio, abs, arms, legs and chilled. Cardio was my first choice and I have to say it will not be next time. Maybe it is because I am already fit but I found it almost too easy, not a challenge at all. What irritated me was the way Davina seemingly pretended to be knackered after each set. I find it hard to believe it was difficult for someone of her fitness level and her exhaustion felt forced.
By the time it was over I did not feel like I had done a good workout and would probably have to repeat it three times to get something out of it.
But then I moved onto the abs section. That was great. I could really feel it working my core and the exercises were great. I felt hot and sweaty just like you should from a good routine. But still I felt I could do more so I moved on to legs.
This was led by the male instructor. One thing I have to say is this felt more like a good cardio workout than the section for cardio. It was high intensity and didn't waste any time. I finished a couple of hours ago and I can already feel a burn and I am sure it was from this section.
Once again, I must say I wanted to do the arms section but didn't have the necessary equipment and had way too much to do. I only had time for 30 minutes but managed to squeeze in 45.
Each section as it says in the name, is just 15 minutes so between each rep, as a fitness lover, I did not want to waste any time but move on to the next. However sometimes it felt as though we were lingering between moves.
Overall, I felt like I was in the room having fun with the instructors and it went fast. The workouts were over before I knew it, I enjoyed it and will be reusing the DVD when I can't fit the gym in. A very handy thing to have around.

Sometimes, it's ok

So there is no escaping it. It is my birthday on Wednesday.
As I live away from home I have come to spend the weekend jumping between family homes.
It is my birthday weekend with my family and childhood friends.
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, there is no avoiding birthday food.
The parents know I am not eating chocolate (although my mums house is filled with chocolate in the "goody cupboard") so no chocolate cake has appeared. However, chocolate cake is my least favourite so they have found a way around that.

My stomach was faster than my camera.

My dad bought be six cupcakes instead of a birthday cake. They are delicious and I am supposed to eat them within a couple of days. So I am replacing meals with them. My parents are divorced so I get two birthdays. My mum has baked banana bread as a birthday cake. A bit of a healthier alternative but combined with cupcakes, a very sugary weekend is in store.
It also means I went out for "birthday dinner" with my dad last night. I made some healthy swaps with my sides but ultimately a pulled pork wrap with sweet potato chips is still twice as bad as my own homemade dinner would have been.
I wouldn't usually beat myself up for eating these things on my birthday but tonight I will be going out with my friends drinking. I only brought two dresses to choose from, both tight fitting. And I promise you, my stomach is showing last nights indulgences. Crap!
To top it off mum is making my favourite naughty dinner tomorrow, Gammon, Egg and Chips. I can't wait as with a hangover it will be incredible, but coupled with cupcakes it is safe to say I am having a fat weekend.
But one thing I must remember is it is my birthday, I only have one a year (even if I extend mine over four weekends) so I should enjoy it and let lose a little bit.
So why not, I have the rest of my life to eat well every day.

Pounds are lost in the kitchen

I am an avid cook. I love trying new things and attempting to recreate my favourite dishes at home.
I have recently found a love of making soup. I just cannot find fault with something that comes in hundreds of flavours and varieties, can be tweaked to suit what you like, is cheap, easy, nutritious and warming for the winter. I have also become more savvy with cooking. I take every opportunity to pack in fruits and vegetables wherever possible in a meal. So I thought I would share with you my healthy, tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner from yesterday.
Breakfast: Smoothie 

Apologies for this photo, I had almost finished before I remembered. But I had to show you the lovely, lavender hue.

So, due to the 21 Day Challenge I am undertaking, it was an early start. I had to get up and going swimming before a 9am start. So this was the best excuse to make a quick and portable breakfast I could enjoy on my way to work.
I blended up a concoction of nutrients that would help after a work out and keep me going until lunch. Banana and blueberries provided the carbs, flax seed helped out with the healthy fats, Greek Yoghurt gave me a protein boost and bound the ingredients together and I added a scoop of banana protein powder for an extra kick of banana flavour and muscle building goodness. Yum.
Calories: 324

Lunch: Homemade sushi 

I devoured these beauties.

Now, it makes me so sad when people turn their nose up at sushi and think it is all raw fish. It has made a name for itself as that which is great but sushi is a category of food just the same as a Chinese for example. However sushi is great because portion sizes are small and on the most part it is fresh vegetables and protein. That isn't to say there are a few sushi dishes your waistline should watch out for!
I love it so much I bought a do it yourself kit. Couldn't be easier. Cook the rice, add a splash of sweetener and rice wine vinegar, lay seaweed on the rolling mat, layer with rice and your choice of filling. Here I chose ham, spinach and cucumber. It was delicious and it felt a little bit naughtier than my usual, soup.

Calories: 411 for six rolls

Dinner: My veggie eggy mess 

There is no other way to describe this than veggie eggy mess but it is one of my favourite quick teas.

This is one of my fast, go to dinners. It is so fast and easy, ideal for when I get in at 8pm after spin class starving. (I would tidy it up a bit if someone else was coming for tea but when it is just me, I don't think it matters). You cannot go far wrong with a dinner involving eggs and vegetables and nothing else, bar a little black pepper. Eggs are one of the biggest sources of protein out there and I don't have to explain why vegetables are good. This was a particularly good one because it had broccoli and kale, two superfoods, in. This dish is great for using up any veg you have in though. I steamed a selection of green veg, threw it in a pan, poured over two whisked eggs and an egg white and stirred until it was cooked through. I chucked in some tomatoes for freshness and finished with black pepper. It was delicious, nutritious and filled me up!
Calories: 239

The point of this post was to show how fast and easy healthy meals can be. This is just one day of food and I felt fantastic when I woke up this morning knowing I had eaten so well, (and the sushi really did feel like a treat). The total calories in all three meals were 974 so I threw in some fruit and nuts to up my intake.
Try it yourself and check out the recipe page for ideas.

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The resistance

Well, today I was put to the real test. In my last post I mentioned my two 21 Day Challenges.
The first challenge is 21 Days of exercise which I didn't think would be too hard as I work out on average six times a week anyway. It turns out it is, that one rest day makes a world of difference and I'm pretty sure i'm over exerting myself.
So today I did 30 minutes cardio in the gym and that was it. I felt like i'd really treated myself and it felt great having a nice long evening to relax.
But where I was most pleased was when a colleague of mine bought a box of brownies in. My other challenge, the one that really is a challenge, is 21 Days without chocolate!

Delicious, delectable brownies

These chewy treats were also within arms length of my desk. Unfortunately my desk is the one right next to the "goody table" as it is known, every office has one. 
The worst part is knowing they are still there tomorrow but I will persevere. 

I knew I had to get my sweet tooth under control and like many before me, saying no to sugary delights only led to me eating twice as much. So instead I just cut out chocolate, anything with chocolate as an ingredient. What has kept me going this week (which surprisingly has been the worst week, all I want is a Twix, bourbon biscuits and chocolate digestives, not much really) is knowing how well I have done now. It has also shown me I can do it! 

My 21 Days is up on 26th February, coincidentally, my birthday. So I can indulge without guilt in cake (which I can technically eat any way given that it isn't chocolate cake) and my lovely little chocolate heart a colleague bought me for Valentines Day. 

Thanks Charlotte can't wait to eat this! White chocolate and raspberry heart, lush.

I am going up North to my home town this weekend. That will be a challenge. When visiting my mums all I seem to do is dive into a dream of chocolate. She has both a "goody draw" in the fridge and a "goody cupboard" I hear it's a mum thing. So I will be doing my best to avoid those.

I will try to harness the strength I have felt today.

Wish me luck.

Fresh start

I have been neglecting this blog for months now. But recently I realised how much I missed it.
I have done really well in the last few months and lost eight pounds. I feel great for it and everyone is noticing and commenting.
It all comes from a few simple changes. I swapped out certain foods and started bulking out my meals with vegetables. I don't eat after tea and have managed to control the greed.
I am still a sugar fiend but it is much more controllable now.
All I did was educate myself. By no means am I an expert on fitness and nutrition but I know a lot more than I did.
It is easy to figure out what is good for you, bad for you, a better choice once you are a bit more aware of the ingredients in certain foods.
Almost every body will have heard of this now but eating clean really is the way forward. Don't get me wrong I don't eat clean constantly but most of my meals consist of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins. It is easy to stick to because it is all delicious, who doesn't love a fruit salad, especially topped off with Greek yoghurt?
So it dawned on me when my work colleagues were once again grilling me for being "obsessed" and friends were coming to me for tips on how to cook things. This is what I should do for a living.
Obviously I am a million miles away from making a career out of fitness and nutrition. But I am already in the media industry which is where I want to be but now I have a passion and the two can come together.
I have always loved cooking and have been a gym addict for a good year now but I know enough to do both the safe, healthy way.
I hope one day I can work for one of my favourite magazines that focus on these topics. Where best to start then blogging about what I am doing for myself.
So keep following for updates on great recipes, workouts and more.
In the next blog I will tell you all about my 21 Day Challenges.