Getting Stretchy in the Park

Okay so I remember a time not too long ago when I was actually quite flexible, I mean I couldn’t exactly put my ankles behind my head or anything but I certainly could rest my head on my knees comfortably.

This is when I used to do more exercise at home, now I’m more of a gym-bunny and I guess no-one really likes getting all bendy and stretchy in front of everyone right? But more than that, I have spoken to quite a few of my gym buddies and a lack of flexibility exercises and stretching seems to be a trend. 

Now I tested my flexibility this morning and erm..could only just touch my toes! Eek! Flexibility is really important as it keeps us agile, improves our sporting performance as well as our posture and protects against strains and injuries. 

So according to Ultra FIT Your Own Personal Trainer author John Shepherd you should do 5-10mins of cardio prior to stretching to warm up your muscles and prepare them for stretching so I took myself off to the park to get started!

I had a 15min jog around the park to warm up. Once my muscles were all warmed I began with stretching my legs; calves and hamstrings in both sitting and standing poses, holding each for 10-15 seconds. I hadn’t realized how tight I’d allowed my muscles to get! If holding a pose was difficult (which sadly I must admit they were) I took two deep breaths and, as I exhaled was able to push the stretch a bit further.

I then went on to stretch my inner thighs, hips, arms, back, chest, oblique muscles and neck. This was a quite a long session of mainly static stretches. Of course depending on your work out goals you should opt for different types of stretches. For example pre-cardio you should only undertake dynamic stretches such as high knees and heel flicks. However if pushing your flexibility is the goal it is important to include proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretches (to you and me this basically means assisted stretching) you can use a band or a partner to help push your stretch that little bit further than you could unaided.

As you can imagine all this stretching takes up a bit of time so I have decided to choose a few key poses every day to practice and enhance my flexibility. I'm also going to try and get into yoga; I must admit I don't find it as appealing as say, kick boxing, but for the sake of my goals I will be putting in the effort!

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Summer Loving

The sun has finally come out! And what a difference it makes...

For me as with most people my mood completely lifts when the sun shines and I feel warm, everything seems a little bit more achievable, everybody seems to have a fresh vigour for life. Of course; it also reminds us that bikini season is almost upon us. 

So let's take advantage of this new energy we have for life, get outside and get in shape!

Here are my top 5 reasons to get outside:

1. It's a Mood Lifter! I guarantee that no matter how a bad a mood you may be in; if you take your workout outside it will put everything in perspective. Being out in nature makes me feel empowered.

2. An outdoor workout mixes it up. Often when we workout in a gym environment we can get stuck in a routine; when you take your workout outside it opens up a whole new playground which can change on a daily basis. Take a run off road for a stamina challenge, jump on and off of obstacles, do the monkey bars, climb some cliffs, swim in the sea. Not only will you challenge your body in new, different ways, it's enjoyable and time will fly!

3. Fresh air is good for you! Fresh air cleans our lungs; allowing us to breathe deeper and therefore take in more oxygen. Increased oxygen gives us more energy as well as reducing the build up of lactic acid and an increase in stamina. Our brains also use up 20% of the oxygen we take in so by increasing the amount of oxygen we take in allows our brains to function better and with greater clarity. So if you need to resolve a problem; get out for a walk or run!

4. The power of the Sun. For anyone who has ever suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) you will know just how important getting that dose of sunshine can be! Our body can also synthesize Vitamin D from cholesterol with adequate amounts of sunshine; Vitamin D is responsible for the intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate.

5. Get socialising :)  There are lots of exercises and activities that you take outside that can be super sociable such as team sports; boot camps, run clubs and climbing trips. Getting outside and socialising with like-minded, positive people can make you feel better about yourself on the inside and out. Remember health is not just physical; it's mental too!

Sweet Tooth

Hello world! Oh how I have missed you! As per my last post we have moved recently and are (still!?!?!!) without internet :( the date has now been set though...the engineer is coming on the 18th April which still feels like a millennia away! So I have hot footed it down to my local internet cafe to continue writing my blog posts.

My local internet cafe is a lovely little place call Muxima; a chilled out hidden nook in Bow, London that provides a sanctuary to the mind as well as nourishment in the form of their homemade food and of course internet! They are not just a cafe, but offer film nights, music evenings, knitting circles and on sat and sunday you can get some hand reflexology! I love it...check out their facebook page below if it catches your interest too;

https://en-gb.facebook.com/MuximaMuxima

One thing I love about cafe's is the sweet stuff you can nibble on. But as much as my taste-buds may thank me for 5 minutes of deliciousness my body would not be amused. Which in turn means I need to work a hell of a lot harder in the gym to make up for it! Remember exercise counts for 30% of your physique, the other 70% is diet and so many people (including admittedly myself on occasion) ruin so much hard work by not being strict about the fuel you are putting into your body.

Now don't think that means you can never have sugar again and anything sweet is off limits. No need to torture yourself; life should be enjoyable after all! But you need to learn which sweet things to eat and which foods are just not worth it.

Fruit is one of the best examples; it's delicious and has the right kinds of sugar. As well as being incredibly good for you! If you incorporate berries into your diet they are great antioxidants and a source of essential vitamins. I love blueberries and raspberries and have them with pretty much everything from my cereal to salads to dessert. Other versatile fruits I love to use in lots of dishes are pomegranates and mango; they are great as a mid afternoon snack but also add a fantastic sweetness to other dishes. These fruits work for you; fighting disease, full of fibre and a great source of energy whilst you are on the go.

If you are a chocolate lover (like moi) don't think this has to be off the menu either; limit yourself to small portions and stick to dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains anti oxidants and can help prevent heart disease and lower blood pressure. Just remember that it does still have a calorie count so emphasis on small quantities!

I don't usually eat dessert but was cooking dinner for my partner recently and decide to try out the below to make a healthy, tasty dessert that would be good for us too!

Frozen Fruit Salad & Chocolate Treat

Ingredients:
Half a bar of dark chocolate
Handful of peanuts and almonds
Greek yogurt
Strawberries
Blueberries
Grapes
Kiwi
Satsuma/mandarin
Honey

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl above a saucepan
2. Finely chop the nuts and add to the chocolate; mix
3. Pour a thin layer of the chocolate into a cupcake case and put into the fridge to cool
(the ones I created that are pictured were quite thick and I made three of them; I would recommend making them thinner  as the thick chocolate can be a little overwhelming!)

4. Chop the strawberries, grapes and kiwi and add all the fruit (quantities as per your own desire) to the greek yogurt and mix
5. Add a tablespoon of honey or to taste and mix thoroughly
6. Pour the mixture into freezable containers and smooth out the the top.
7. Put in the freezer for 20mins or so (until desserts are hard on the outside but not frozen through)
8. Turn containers upside down on a plate and serve with chocolate treats from the fridge

Enjoy!

Blame it on the Alcohol

Hello All! Long time no write, I know!

Sorry to have been away for a while, we have had a hectic month in my household! Lots of visitors coming to stay and now we have moved house, which has meant no internet :-( and I have really missed writing.

Having visitors, as lovely as it is, can really throw a spanner in the works when it comes to not only your workout but your diet. It can be so easy to give in, especially when you are eating out. But one thing that I find throws me completely off is drinking.

As mentioned I've had a couple of visitors; the first of which is a big beer/real ales drinker and the latter a big lover of red wine! 

Now strong ale can be a whopping 360cal per 500ml (average) in comparison to an already calorific lager at an average of 125cal per 500ml. So if your drinking this on top of your normal food intake; its safe to say your going to go over your calorie allowance.

As for wine; if you are going to go in for it try to drink red. There are studies that a small allowance of red one has health benefits such as combatting heart desease but it also only has an average 85cal/125ml in comparison to white which has an average of 93cals. If you are looking for a lower calorie option champagne is your best bet (don't mind if I do!) at 78cal per champagne glass.

If you tend to drink more spirits then try to stay away from mixers such as coke and lemonade; sugary options. Mix it up with fruit juices or even a mixture of fruit and soda water.

REMEMBER ALL ALCOHOLIC DRINKS ARE EMPTY CALORIES so if you are looking to lose weight; cut it out. Avoid drinking where possible as part of a healthy lifestyle but if you do choose to drink; doit responsibly!

The other issue that cones with drinking of course is the hangover. Alcohol can be a depressant and leaves you feeling like you cant be bothered the next day; as well as the possibility of a headache and/or nausea. This can ruin your diet and exercise plan; don't let it!

- Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the evening and then before you go to bed
- Always eat if you are drinking alcohol
- Exercise will get your blood pulping and help get rid of a hangover, don't stat in bed!
- Make sure you eat a light breakfast and are replacing any lost nutrients

:-)

Gym Bound

So this week marks the 15 week count down to my Tough Mudder challenge; which means that I cannot let my focus shift. I need to stick to my training plans; push myself harder and be accountable for my diet.

In regards to the latter I will be keeping a food diary this week which I will share with you next Sunday; it won't be perfect as I am not (at this point) a qualified nutritionist and do suffer from bouts of "I can't be bothered to make food so I will eat anything I can get my hands on!" But I am hoping that keeping the diary and sharing it with you guys afterwards will help me stay strong and be firm with myself!

Now, back to training. Ordinarily I like to train two days on, one day off but sometimes life gets in the way and you need to adjust this. One of my goals this year as part of my personal growth is to develop the will power to get up early in the morning, even in winter, to train. But as it is I am more reliable in the evenings.

This week I have to adjust my training schedule as my best friend is coming up to London from Cornwall for the weekend and I have a work event on Thursday. These sort of reasons are exactly why it is god to plan your workouts ahead; know exactly what you are going to do and on which days. Commit yourself. Once you have made the decision in your head about what you are going to do and committed yourself to it, you are less likely to back out or find an excuse.

So with that in mind please find my schedule for this week below;

Training Day

Morning All!

I know some of you ma be wondering where my favourite foods of Wednesday and Thursday went?? I am sorry about that, unfortunately I had a busier than expected week and I had to make a choice; go to the gym, train and then get a decent nights sleep or write the blog.

Training is a really important part of my life and at the moment I need to make the most of every session because I am training for Tough Mudder.

I have never taken part in anything like this challenge before, and would be lying if I didn't say I was a little bit apprehensive! Obviously overall fitness needs to be good to complete this course, but my main concern ins the upper body strength required to get over these obstacles as this is an area I have always struggled with. So this is now a massive focus in my training.

This challenge is going to require mental strength as well as physical strength; so this blog will help me to commit, stay positive and stay accountable. It would be great to hear from anyone else who is taking on Tough Mudder this year; let me know how you are getting on and training tips. Meanwhile I will be providing you regular updates of my training plans and progress.

Believe it. Visualise it. Breathe it. Be it.

Enter Tough Mudder on line here;  http://toughmudder.co.uk/