Benefits of a juicer

Every once in a while I feel the need to cleanse my body. Sometimes it is with products such as Bootea other times it is with a juice cleanse.
I have been feeling a little bit too exhausted this week to do a full juice cleanse so I just incorporated a couple of juices into my week.
They served as my snacks and pre-workout drinks.
The best one has definitely got to be my fruity beetroot juice. Whether you like beetroot or not you should try this one. It is a delicious recipe and the apples make it sweet and yummy.

Lovely beetroot juice

Beetroot

The benefits beetroot have to offer are endless. The purple plants are packed with betalains, plant pigments that give the beets their distinct colour. Not only do they give these root veggies their vibrant colour but they have great anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. 

The purple jewels also contain potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B6 and C, folic acid, carbs, protein and soluble fibre. They are great pre-work out and experts suggest they can increase stamina, manage blood pressure and delay dementia. 

It might sound a bit extreme but what have you got to lose? Whether that is true or not it will still do more good than harm packing in some beet juice with your lunch. 

Juice

I cannot shout about my juicer enough and anyone who wants to incorporate more of the vitamins and minerals raw fruit and veg has to offer, should invest. 

I am not stupid, I know whole fruit and veg has even more in the way of nutrition and a lot of fibre is in the skins and peels. But when you're pushed for time or just not motivated enough to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables one day, this is a quick and easy way to get some of the best benefits of the healthiest foods into your system. 

So try a juice and see if you feel energized and refreshed. Also if you have beetroot don't be alarmed by your pink urine. That is normal. 

Chocolate

While laid here struggling to sleep due to an incredibly guilty conscience after having an evening of mindlessly binging I realised I haven't yet blogged about my successful attempt at lent.
Being a self-confessed chocoholic I knew the ultimate challenge for me would be to go the whole six weeks without any form of chocolate. 
It isn't until you give up something like chocolate that you realise just how many food products have chocolate included. Biscuits, cereal bars, granola's, ice-cream cones. It is a constant battle trying to avoid the stuff. 
While I didn't go without the occasional craving I found it surprisingly easy to do. There came a point where I really didn't miss chocolate (although the bourbons at my sisters were a true test to my willpower). 
So when Easter weekend came something in my mind told me I had to be excited about eating the luxurious milky egg I had waiting for me. I also decided I would eat a number of things I had craved over lent. 

Courtesy of Lee McCoy

Now, I am not ashamed to say I ate the whole egg including the bars it came with as well as some extra bits. But one thing I really have to admit is, deep down I was not looking forward to it and when I was stuffing my face I really did not enjoy it. The one thing that has been a constant comfort in my life did not satisfy me and really did not taste that great. It has not stopped me having the odd few pieces this week but it has certainly opened my eyes.
I definitely feel much better after a big fruit salad then I do after a bar of chocolate. I can only hope the mental craving doesn't cloud my clear vision again. There really was a point in my life very recently where I couldn't get through the day without some chocolate but I know that is all in my head. The problem is I am very weak mentally. 
Hopefully I can keep in mind the disappointment I feel every time I have eaten chocolate this week and it will become a rare occurrence in my diet. 

Protein and fat meal plans

After a week of feasting and not thinking about the food I ate, (including take-aways and chocolate bars) I felt it was time to seriously get back on track.
My healthy life style has taken a back seat and I twisted my ankle so I could not even run to rectify the bad behavior in the kitchen.
I have blogged before about having a high fat/protein and low carb diet. I am going to use the next two weeks to take this more seriously.
Here is an example eating plan.
Monday:
Breakfast - Yogurt, berries and nuts.
Lunch - Grilled chicken salad.
Dinner - Salmon and a variety of vegetables.

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Almonds and protein shake made with milk.
Lunch - Homemade soup.
Tea - Tomato coated chicken with variety of vegetables and sweet potato wedges.

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Poached egg on flat mushroom.
Lunch - Soup.
Dinner - Chicken salad.

Thursday:
Breakfast - Yogurt, berries and nuts.
Lunch - Chicken salad.
Dinner - Omelette with tinned mackerel.

Friday:
Breakfast - Scrambled egg and tinned mackerel.
Lunch - Soup
Dinner - Fish or chicken with a variety of green vegetables.

Snacks - Seeds, nuts, protein shake and small amounts of fruit.

This is the plan I followed the first week I changed my diet to be more protein and fat based. That week I instantly felt better in myself and like my body was tightening up. I have some left over Thai curry that will be a dinner in place of Wednesday's chicken salad but this is an example of a focused week.
The main foods that I eat for a protein and healthy fat enriched diet are there, including a lot of eggs, vegetables and fish. Fresh food is the way forward and this diet is the best way to incorporate it in my opinion. 

Metafit

This week I took the week off work and went back to my home county, the glorious Yorkshire.
I have spoken before about the temptations that present themselves at home. The dreaded "goody cupboard" as expected has not been avoided and I haven't been able to resist my mums delicious home baking (lemon and coconut cakes) my hips worst enemy.
So this means I have to make sure I keep my exercise regime tip top. Luckily the beautiful Yorkshire countryside makes this easy. I love running the old rail tracks at the back of my house and the weather at the moment is perfect for running, sun shining with a slight breeze and not too hot. Ohh how I enjoy myself.
However, I can't run every day and shouldn't really be running at all right now as I have hurt my ankle. I don't know what I have done but after a run it swells up and I am in agony. I have limped and squealed all day today.
So to break it up I tagged along with my step mum to her metafit class. For those who don't know, metafit is a new type of interval training that uses body weight and short bursts of intense activity to target the largest muscle groups. The classes vary from 16 minutes to 30 minutes and participants are expected to put in maximum effort but for shorter periods of time.
It is proven to raise your heart rate much faster then a standard cardio workout, raises the metabolism and keeps you burning calories for much longer.
Now don't be mistaken, 16 minutes does not sound like much, and trust me I am quite fit so I thought, yeah I can do this. I did do it and it didn't kill me but my god I could really feel it working. It felt like I was getting more toned and fit as I was doing it.
In the class I went to, we did four exercises for 30 seconds with a 10 second rest between each one. Then did all four one after another, no rest. We then moved on to four different exercises and followed the same pattern. And finally the third round, we did the same again with four new exercises. Then to finish just for good measure, we did all 12 exercises one after another, no rest.
Needless to say my step mum and I stood up at the end, looked at each other, no words were needed, we just gasped.
Red faced and sweaty we walked out feeling like we had done a good hour in the gym. That was last night, today I have felt a little tender and stiff. I have a funny feeling tomorrow I am really going to feel it and my long walk is going to be torture.
But whatever the weather, I could not recommend trying this class enough. It takes no time out of your day at all and really works. What more do you want?

Great work outs

In the last couple of months I have really upped my game when it comes to working out.
Don't get me wrong, before I was exercising five/six times a week but I guess I wasn't pushing myself properly.
Ever since I got my backside into gear I have really started to feel good. I would almost say I am fit now.
One work out I try to incorporate every week is the Fat-Blasting Treadmill Workout. I tell you what, when I first started this I thought I was going to die while doing it. At first glance it looks easy but I promise you it isn't. It uses muscles I didn't use before. On the treadmill I would either just run flat or do a bit of a steep hill climb.
I would call this interval training but I don't know completely what I am talking about so correct me if I am wrong. But here is what I follow.

This 30 minute workout really works!

Whether I am adding it into my workout or only have time for 30 minutes this always makes me feel like I have worked hard. I can always feel it the next day too which I always see as a good sign. I cannot recommend it enough, and I promise, it does get easier, I can manage it now without feeling like I am about to shoot off the treadmill. It is just a great way to break my workouts up so it isn't the same monotonous routine. The rise and decline in incline and speed really keeps your body guessing, so give it a go.

Weights

I have also started doing a lot more weight training. I used to do a little bit after an hour of cardio. When I started putting in a decent effort with cardio I noticed a difference and felt great but after a while I became a little bored and stopped noticing any more change in my body.

After a lot of research I learned that building muscle burns even more calories as the more muscle you have the more calories your body continues to burn. So I got on the internet and spoke to the instructors at the gym and now I try to do a good 40 minute weight session three times a week. Weight wise I haven't seen a drop but when I look at myself in a mirror I cannot believe the difference. I have always had big hips and a tiny waist and hated how uneven I looked. Now the proportions look great, I can see a positive change in my shape and have noticed more tone and definition everywhere, especially my shoulders. Now I am addicted and love building up the weights. Don't be fooled, women don't get muscly like men because they are not designed to, so your body will treat you right and start to look the way you want if you treat it right. 

Get on the weights, I am glad I did. 

Terrible two's

So, while I totally believe that the only way to have the best body you could have is to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, I also believe that we need to indulge once in a while.
Unfortunately for me, it is more often then once in a while.
Well not anymore. I have no excuse for it because I genuinely enjoy healthy food, I look forward to having fruit and yogurt for breakfast and I usually don't enjoy myself when I binge, but I do it anyway.
So I recently decided to swap my high carb/low fat diet to high fat/low carb. In one respect it has done wonders for me. I have barely felt shaky, I have low blood sugar levels so I can come over all funny very quickly and need sugary shots fast. This seems to be under control now and it makes sense to me that the less sugar I eat the less shaky I will be. So this is one positive. But then I weighed myself on Friday and had put two pounds on. Anyone who has ever weighed themselves knows how disheartening that is.
I will admit, I haven't been totally strict and have eaten what I wanted when I wanted in the last week but I have not been too bad.
So, seeing this I realized, if I want to drop what was half a stone, now is three-quarters of a stone I need to commit fully for a while.
I allowed myself this weekend to eat what I wanted but I went a little bit overboard. I refuse to weigh myself for the next few days it will just depress me.
First thing in the morning I will wake up with a positive attitude and get back on track. I will be going home next week so that will be a challenge as I won't have full control over dinners and what is in the fridge but it will be a test to my will power (that is non-existent but I am working on it).
I loved the way I felt when I was eating healthy all the time so I need to channel that.
I will blog more, to keep me motivated and keep that beach body image in mind.
This confession that I have overeaten was my first step, hopefully it will send me off in the right direction.
Wish me luck.

The importance of a healthy fridge

I know I am not alone in this, there are a few of us out there who appreciate a full fridge.
So I thought I would share with you all, the contents of my fridge after a "big shop" and a night doing prep work in the kitchen.

My Fridge

From top left; Watermelon, homemade lemon and mustard salad dressing and half a butternut squash.
Second shelf down from left; Cottage cheese, Muller Rice (my naughty treats), Greek yogurt, homemade pesto, eggs and the superfruit - strawberries.
Bottom from left; A variety of mushrooms, frozen blackberries defrosting for breakfast, haddock (always have some kind of fish in). The containers, stacked from the bottom; homemade chicken soup, cooked quinoa ready to go as a quick salad or carb and roasted butternut squash (supposedly to add to salads but often used as a snack). Also hidden in the back is a salad prepared for lunch tomorrow.
Drawer; loads of fresh veggies like rocket, spinach, broccoli, spring onions, peppers etc... a lot of greens.

As you can see with a fridge stocked so well with delicious goodies it is hard to miss the foods and snacks like crisps, chocolate and pizza. I have full, healthy meals ready to go when I want and great things to pick at.
I find it so satisfying to know that I made healthy alternatives to foods. By making things like, my own salad dressing and pesto, I know exactly what the ingredients are and it is good to go whenever I am.

I hope my fridge inspires one or two of you to pre-prepare just on thing whether it be soup or even cooking up some brown rice.

Eat smart guys.