Bye bye excessive exercising!

We have all done it, spent one or two hours switching from cardio machine to cardio machine in the gym in an attempt to erase last night's pack of biscuits.

This past year has taught me a lot in terms of exercise, by no means am I an expert but after two years of religious one hour 30 minute gym sessions, five times a week with no change to my body, I began to feel a little fed up.

A combination of three things turned my plateau around. Weight training with my other half, extensive research and reading on my part, and a friend of mine gaining more and more qualifications as a personal trainer and using me as a guinea pig ahead of new classes such as GRIT.

One way to sum up what I learned this year is - longer doesn't always mean better. I got really fed up of not getting home until 8.30pm and not being able to sit down until I had washed, eaten, washed up and prepped the next day's lunch.

And so the shorter more intense bursts of exercise were born. I realised I didn't need to do cardio every day, in fact, I now only do cardio two to three times a week (two more often than three). And in this last year I have seen a bigger change in my body then I did in three years of mindless rowing and running.

Swimming, running or sprint intervals on the treadmill are my new go to cardio workouts. Swimming, as I have more than likely mentioned before, is very relaxing for me, even at a fast intense pace and running shorter distances has really helped my limbs recover from the damage I was doing constantly pounding the pavements - a marathon runner I am not. 20 minutes of intervals on the treadmill of 30 seconds sprint, 30 seconds jog, really makes me work hard and it has a better after burn affect than jogging for an hour.

I also do weight training a minimum of three times a week, targeting a different area of the body each time e.g. back and shoulders / legs and biceps (routine courtesy of the boyfriend). Sometimes I do a GRIT weight class which targets the whole body and incorporates body weight training too which is probably the most effective of them all.

Strength training is the key to building muscle which in turn burns more calories. But you must make sure your form is right and that you engage your core during every exercise to really feel the benefit and prevent damage. If that means a lighter weight, then that means a lighter weight! Don't let your self-confidence get the better of you, more reps with a lower weight done well will end in much better results than a strained rep with a heavy weight.

I now find myself at the gym for one hour three times a week and fit in two to three 30 minute cardio sessions. I get more time at home to relax, my clothes fit better and I don't have the constant fatigue five mile runs used to bring.

A healthy mind makes for a healthy body

About 18 months ago, I wrote a blog raving about a calorie counting app that I swore by.

This blog is actually going to contradict that a little bit as I am going to talk about why I will not use it, or any other cal counting app, anymore.

I absolutely agree with counting calories when you need to lose a significant amount of weight, I mean at least more than half a stone - which at one point, I did and the app helped. But once you're at a healthy weight I believe Kcal counting may be a little unhealthy, and I am talking from first hand experience here.

I inputted my food and drink intake as well as my exercise routine religiously every single day. This worked for me at first as this app in particular (I can't speak about any others) was great at showing me how many calories I was consuming. Not only that but it showed me my macro intake. With this app I could see the balance between carbohydrate intake, fat intake and protein intake and it helped me find a balance.

But, after a year or so, maybe even less, I had taught myself the basics to good nutrition and I had a rough idea of what foods were high in calories, as well as carbs, fat and protein, so I had a good idea of what I was eating and putting into my body.

I firmly believe that once you are at this point you have already achieved success, whether you are looking to lose weight or gain more energy. By then you should be in a habit that will keep fueling you with the right type and amount of food you need without having numbers staring you in the face.

There may come a point when your body needs more than 1,200 calories (based on my needs not everyone else's) because you have more lean mass, and you can up your intake using the right foods without gaining weight.

However, if at this stage you are still calorie counting, chances are you haven't revisited your ideal calorie and macro nutrient intake. This is where the problem lies.

I was feeling hungry a lot, so when I was updating my daily diary I was beginning to see I had gone over my "requirement" according to the app.

This led to a vicious circle of self loathing, punishment through starvation and then binging due to stress and angry feelings.

I was beginning to feel very negative about myself, believing I was greedy and out of control.

In the end I told myself to stop counting the calories because I didn't need to see those numbers every day they just made me feel bad. I knew roughly when to eat and how much to eat. I knew which foods worked for my body, would give me more energy and wouldn't make me pile on the pounds. So I just stuck with that.

More than six months down the line I feel better than ever (and that is including eating over the Christmas period). I eat well, and I eat when I am hungry. I occasionally eat bad food and binge but that is okay, because generally I eat good food and don't feel like i'm starving all the time. I enjoy my food now as I don't have any numbers staring at me and making me feel guilty.

I also believe that the more you think about the food, which you do a lot if you have to constantly update a diary, the more you want food. And often, you want to rebel against the numbers or get an attitude which says I don't care anymore, before reverting back to guilt.

I enjoy what I want when I want. The proof is in the pudding, I do not feel as low in myself anymore, I can look in a mirror and compliment myself, rather than grab a fat roll and tell myself it's because I had 150 calories more than my limit yesterday.

Like I said, calorie counting has its pros and cons. For me the pros were in the beginning and once I hit my healthy weight the cons came into play. If you are at a healthy body weight, then start taking care of your brain's health too. It will all fall into place then.

Deadlift or dreadlift!

Dreadlift! Or that's what it used to be. As someone who only really picked up a weight properly this time last year, I found there were certain exercises which I took to quite well and others that I erm.. let's say didn't like so much.

Often, I can be found having a little strop when my darling boyfriend makes me do certain weight exercises which I do not enjoy (flies) and once upon a time, deadlifts were my nemesis.

I think the problem is that the technique is important and that took me a while to master (meaning my impatience got the better of me). But once you have it, you realise how easy it really is.

The key is to keep you chest and bum sticking out. At first I thought I looked silly and then I realised, I looked like a pro who knew what she was doing. (That is the mentality you need in weightlifting - try it!).

Stand with your feet slightly further than shoulder width apart. Bend your knees whilst keeping your chest and bum stuck out and make sure your knees don't go over your toes.

Then use your back muscles to pull yourself and the barbel back up, keeping arms straight at all time.

It might be worth practicing the movement without weights to begin with. These photographs of myself and my lovely boyfriend Matthew, doing deadlifts might help.

Back straight

bum and chest pushed out at all times

still keeping back straight, bum and chest out, pull the barbel up using your back muscles.
Repeat

Stay in control of the barbel at all times. If you feel like it is pulling you down, lower your weight, try using hand weights instead.

Christmas left overs to revive you

Post-Christmas bloat is familiar to us all. Even for the nutrition and health conscious, the Christmas binge cannot be avoided. Some indulge more than others but never-the-less, pigs in blankets, tubs of chocolates and boards of cheese get the better of most of us.

I have to admit this past week I have barely touched any form of fruit.

So tonight I packed our dinner with a whole host of nutrient dense foods whilst using up left-over Christmas staples.

I had already made my own stock (known as bone broth these days) by boiling the left-over turkey carcass with some root vegetable for hours, I created my own, incredibly good for you stock. I do this with most left over meat bones, it really is worth it.There are more minerals and vitamins hiding in the bones than in the rest of the animal - so without the broth you would seriously be missing out on a fantastic nutritious hit.

"Bone broth"

Put it in a pan and cover with water, boil and then simmer for however many hours you have spare.

I used this stock to create a Christmas broth medley. Sprouts, herbs and pancetta were left over from the big day, so by adding chicken and some other vegetables that I always have in, I was able to make a delicious hearty tea.

Miscellaneous Veg

I added pearl barley, sage and thyme into the broth and let it cook away. While that cooked I chopped the pancetta, mushrooms and sprouts up and fried them in a little butter and olive oil until crispy. I added sage and thyme to the pan to cook and at the last minute added crushed garlic.

When I was about 4 minutes away from completion I added finely sliced chicken breast to the stock and pearl barley pot and finally, I threw in some spinach at the last minute.

Once everything was cooked and seasoned to taste I dished out the stock concoction and spooned the pancetta, mushroom and sprout medley on the top.

Finished dish

It was deep in flavour and full of goodness. I recommend it to anyone wanting to use up any left over foods from the festive season, or even for a quick evening tea.

Clothes Show Live

Me and mum

I am currently in the midst of the post Clothes Show blues.
Every year it is tradition that my mum and I, (yes monster mum as she has been previously referred to) go to the Clothes Show Live at the NEC.

We make a weekend of it, hotel, gorging on food, shopping literally until we drop and drooling over the models/dancers on the catwalk.

Skinting ourselves right before Christmas is something we treasure and it is something we look forward to all year. As we live in different counties, not only does it give us some real quality time together, just the two of us, but it gives us an excuse to do all the things girls love (as mentioned above.)

Bought a little more than we could carry

But now it is over and it goes way too fast if you ask me! So I am sad, all I am thinking about is the excellent weekend we had, the special mother daughter time and the excitement on Friday knowing we were heading to our favourite little pub The George and Dragon Coleshill  and to the best show of the year.

So here are a few photos and videos just to reminisce with, we think it is fair to say, this year's show was one of the best we have been to, mum - 6 shows, Kirsty - 10 shows.

Eggs for the win

I want to talk a little bit about eggs.

Eggs got a bad rep in 1988 when Edwina Currie, who was the health minister at the time, decided to make a statement to the nation that eggs were infected with salmonella.

I don't really know where that came from but I do know there were only 26 reported cases of salmonella that year and if you compare that to the amount of eggs eaten (we're talking tens of millions) it seems a little ridiculous.

Unfortunately that has left some people, even now, weary about eggs. However, they are an incredible source of nutrition and should be regularly eaten.

People also associate eggs with high levels of cholesterol however it isn't as bad as you may think. Yes one egg has roughly 62% of your recommended daily intake of cholesterol, however, the more of it you eat the amount you require changes. (Also to quickly note: the amount of saturated fat you eat has a higher influence on cholesterol build up).

To quickly summarise, your body needs cholesterol to survive and the liver creates it itself. But if you are ingesting cholesterol then your liver doesn't need to make as much so it balances the requirement out. So two eggs a day is perfectly okay.

Consider this, an egg has so much nutrition within it, it can form a living being (the chick). Just imagine how good it is for your body.

Not only is it a great source of protein but it is packed with a range of 18 different vitamins and minerals including the all important, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Folate and Iodine, which all play an essential part in keeping your body healthy.

I love to have omelette night on a Monday. It is quick, convenient and healthy (as long as it is filled with the right ingredients). Mine is often filled with spinach, sometimes chicken sausages and lots of other veg, topped off with a small sprinkling of cheese (Applewood smoked or Parmesan have such great flavour you barely need any).

Alternatively, I also make great baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce, now that is to die for. Watch out for the recipe soon!...

Hiit That!

I know I haven't been around again, I haven't been frequenting the gym too much either.

So what is the best way to get fitness levels up after a lazy stint? By punishing yourself with Hiit.

There are so many different ways and methods to do High Intensity Interval Training, like my 12 minute workout. So Matt and I decided to do some hill sprints. (Ouch).

We brutally sprinted up these very steep and long steps. By pushing ourselves for a short few seconds we were rewarded by getting our heart rate right up.

We would then walk down the steps to lower our heart rate before doing it all over again.

The main goal in Hiit is to make sure you push yourself to the maximum for 20-30 second (increase as you get stronger) and then recover for the same amount of time (decrease as you get stronger).

This is a very effective way to get your blood pumping and to burn fat.

Hiit is proven to keep your metabolism revving for between 24 and 48 hours after the exercise is finished.

That is because oxygen can't get to the muscles as easily during periods of intense exercise. So once the exercise is over your muscles work to make up for the loss.

Don't worry it sounds scary but it is all very safe - however if you start to feel dizzy then stop. It is the same as with all exercise, you must be careful not to push your body too far.

Combining this interval training with strength/weight/body weight training is highly effective at helping reduce your waist size.

Another bonus of Hiit, is the time it takes to complete. Unlike a long run where you have to go for an hour to burn 500-800 calories (depending on weight and speed) this is effective at burning hundreds of calories in half an hour and it continues to do so for hours after.

So rather than spending your evening at the gym, do a 30 minute intense work out - even less depending on the work out and the exercises incorporated.

Yes it is hard, yes I did moan, but yes, I felt great for it.

As mentioned before, this is only one example of Hiit. I have previously given another example and you can always do a minute of burpees, sprints, jumping jacks, etc, in between weight sessions.