Cabin Fever

Hellooo! So I have been bed bound for the last few days with flu (proper influenza not some misdiagnosed hypochondrial man flu!) and as a result Ive not had the strength to do any cooking or exercising to tell you of.

Gutted because tonight is usually muay thai night and I am missing out! It was going to be the subject for this weeks blog but hopefully I'll feel well enough by sunday to take the morning session.

So when Im sick I tend to lose my appetite; in the past that has meant surving of lemongrass tea. But this time with the help of the love of my life (my juicer) Ive been able to get a little more in the way of vitamins :-)

A great juice for when your feeling poorly is orange, carrot, lemon and ginger. Don't go easy with the lemon an ginger either whack a thick slice of each in; double what you normally would so you give your body the kick it requires.

I can also be a little aneamic so its especially important for me to get my iron when Im under the weather. My answer? Go green! Apple, kiwi and celery through the juicer then blended with a big handful of spinach, hey if it works for popeye right?

Anyway today I finally managed to eat something solid and I was craving a fresh, juicy tomato salad. I just love big fat beef tomatos marinated in olive oil and lashings of balsamic - mmmmm! Then top with some mozarella and pesto with a sprinkling of cashews ahhhh love :-):-):-)

Due to my illness I missed out on making my man his valentines dinner of delicious homemade canneloni so I'm going to make that over the weekend and will post the recipe.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy the weekend, looks like the sun is coming out!

Hump Day

Oh Wednesdays...they are the hardest day of the week right? I woke up this morning groggy and hoping it was Saturday, there's nothing worse. So, I made a decision to banish every sleepy thought from my mind; get up, smile, shake it out and begin my day with earnest!

The best recipe for a bright good morning is my Sunshine Fruit Juice of orange, pineapple, carrot and ginger. The orange and pineapple are a great wake up call and the ginger gives it an extra kick! Try it the next time your having trouble starting the day and I guarantee it will get you movin' and a groovin' :)




Mid-week Workout

For me, a mid-week workout is a must. It provides me with the time I need to de-stress and shift the focus from work to "Me" as well as motivating me to kick butt for the rest of the week!

So my favourite workout for a Wednesday is Body Pump. Body Pump is class run by most gyms and involves high level reps of different movements with free weights. The class utilises exercises that benefit each body part; shoulders, chest, back, arms, legs, glutes and abs. It focuses on form and repetition so is great for toning and building stamina.

It's a great change for me as when I work out with weights by myself I like to focus on lifting heavy but I also don't always have the self discipline to do high reps when it starts to hurt! But in a class environment the peer pressure and instructor keep you going :)

I would also really recommend this class for anybody who is new to working with weights and isn't sure which exercises to do and whether they are completing the movements correctly. Remember - start with light weights and focus on form; once you have got this right the rest will follow!

Body Pump leaves you feeling great; strong, confident and buzzing with endorphins. The best way to face the rest of the week!

What's your favourite Wednesday Workout?

Getting Started!

Hello there! Welcome to my first blog :)

So I guess I'm a bit late of the mark beginning a health and fitness blog on the last day of January rather than the 1st... but hey, I like to keep 'em guessing!

Health and fitness have been major interests of mine for years; I love being outside and enjoy running and climbing as well as doing a good old fashioned weights sesh in the gym! All my life I have been a pescetarian however my fella is a complete vegetarian so even fish is now a rarity...I enjoy playing with recipe and food ideas that are vegan and recently invested in a juicer - the best thing ever! We are now completely obsessed with juicing anything and everything!

I'm originally from Cornwall so living in London now has taken a lot of getting used to and adjusting to exercising in the city involves coming up with fun and adventurous ways to get fit...from kickboxing, indoor climbing, parkour, capoeira and all sorts of dance classes :)

So to keep things extra specially interesting I thought; why not tell you guys all about these various extra-curricular activities; what works best, a fun ranking as well as a fitness ranking and all the little things that make a good exercising experience a great one.

My partner is into weight lifting in a BIG way so nutrition is massive part of our lives as I am always researching and experimenting with high protein, low fat, vegetarian and vegan recipes. So far we have come across some amazingly tasty dishes and I absolutely love to share them!

Well that's my introduction, watch this space for postings health, fitness and inspiring recipes!