Sunday, December 30, 2012

NEW Fat Burning Routine

Every couple months or so I change my workouts. The reason I do this is because repetition - after a while - can strain your muscles, be less effective, and boring... Your muscles need to keep working in different ways because we use our muscles everyday for different things. We may execute, daily, similar movements which in turn require similar muscles, BUT we never use all of the same muscles. Did you know that there can be anywhere between 640-850 muscles in the human body? So, if you're only exercising  1,3,5, or even 10 of these muscles then you haven't even made a dent! Besides this, continuously working on the same muscles will wear your muscles down and will increase the risk of getting RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury). I could talk about RSI as a whole other topic and cannot stress the importance of proper technique while exercise enough. BUT keep in mind that correct technique only minimizes the risk of getting RSI, so if you're still using the same routine you've been using for the past 3 months, it's time to change it. To get or maintain a strong physique you need to change up and expand your exercise routines. SO, here is my new routine:

Fat Burning Routine



 Go to my Workouts page to see all of my exercise routines.


Banana, Strawberry, & Blackberry Smoothie

Hey guys,

I have a new recipe for you!
I call it my Banana, Strawberry, & Blackberry Smoothie, or my Purple Drink. This drink is great for those mornings when you're lacking energy. SO, have it for breakfast or morning tea! Here's how you make it... 

Banana, Strawberry, & Blackberry Smoothie

 Serves 2

Equipment:

  • Blender (with the lid on)
  • Tall glass/es
  • Measuring cup
  •  Dessert spoon

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana, diced
  • 4 strawberries, diced/quatred
  • 4 blackberries*
  • 2 heaped scoops of 98% fat free Vanilla Yoghurt
  • 1 or 2 cups of milk**
  • 1heaped tablespoon of Manuka honey***
  • 5 blueberries (optional)
  • a few ice cubes (optional)

Method:

  1.  Put banana, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, ice cubes and milk into the blender, and blend on low for 20 seconds then on high till it is smooth and consistent as possible.
  2. Turn off blender and add the yoghurt and honey, then blend on low for another 20 seconds.
  3. Turn off blender, take off the lid, and pour your smoothie into your glasses.
  4. Enjoy!

 Notes:

Feel free to add a scoop of vanilla protein powder. Just remember to halve the amount of yoghurt (you don't want your smoothie too thick).
* If you don't like your smoothies to have little crunchy bits in it, then I suggest using mulberries instead.
** The number of cups you use will affect the thickness, amount, and strength of the smoothie.
*** Manuka honey has a rather mature flavour compared to other honeys and is my favourite honey to use. However, if you wish to make a sweet smoothie, use honey other than Manuka.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Diet Diary: Entry #3

Okay, so it is now day 11 of my 30 day diet and I'm feeling okay. I've tried to go 'full out' healthy and have failed [almost] miserably. BUT on the plus side I have been eating more health foods. I'm eating more fruits and veggies. I'm having smaller portions at lunch and dinner. And I'm not returning to the kitchen for seconds. I only allow myself a sugary meal for breakfast (because I just simply don't function without it) and allow myself some 'cheat foods.' I call them cheat foods because although they may possess healthy qualities they are still not healthy enough to be classed as a 'health food.' (I'll give you a list of cheat foods at the bottom of this post).

As a mum (no matter how young) I need as much energy as I can get (i.e. from sleep and food) so I need more carbs in my diet. Carbs are not bad and neither is fat. God specifically designed our bodies in a way that needs carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in order to function. The problem is not with consuming these, but is in eating more than what is necessary (for your individual bodies) and where they come from.

Example 1:
A steak for dinner is far healthier than a meat pie. The reason being, even though it has fat, steak has far less fat than a meat pie and is a natural fat - not a trans-fat. In an average meat pie there is about 38g of trans-fat - that's already half the amount of fat we should consume in an entire day (and that's not even including the fat we consumed earlier in the day).

Example 2:
Have a bowl of fruit if your hungry and low on energy. As opposed to the sometimes more preferred snack (a packet of chips) fruit has nutritional benefits and gives you energy which lasts longer.

As it is important to chose a health-beneficial meal, it is also important that we eat enough of each type of food (carbs, proteins, and fats) and that they are properly balanced. According to the food pyramid, our diets should consist of 59% carbohydrates, 29% proteins, and %12 fats.So you can still have your carbs and fats, just keep to the recommended percentage of daily intake of these and one of the easiest ways to do this is to always choose the healthier option. The healthier option will always have a little less fat and a little less kilojoules.

SO keeping that in mind, here is a couple of cheat foods Ive been eating to keep my energy up 'without totally destroying my diet.
  1. Oat bars (although the sugar and fat content can be quite high in an oat bar, oats are good for you, provide energy, and make a yummy snack).
  2. Gluten and fat free (or low fat) products (almost everyday I ruin my healthy eating streak because of my sweet-tooth, so I decided that eating  'healthier' versions of the sweet things I like would be better than actually consuming the higher fat and sugar sweets). Some gluten free products include breads and biscuits.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

New Ab Workout

Please visit my Workouts page to try out my new Ab Cruncher Workout. It's designed to focus on all of your abdominal muscles individually as well as simultaneously to help you get a fit and toned stomach. The advantages of a strong core include:

  • better balance
  • less back aches and strains
  • and, of course, a more appealing look for summer (when the bathing suits come out).

Diet Diary: Entry #2

So today I had...

The Good:

  • 1 large Strawberry
  •  1 cup of juice (Boost "Skinny")
  • Handful of organic chips and dip
  • 3 Milk teas
  • 1&1/2 Activia Vanilla yogurt
  • 1 celery stick
  • Water
The Bad:
  • 3 sandwiches made with wholemeal bread and veggie curry (the meal itself wasn't bad - except for maybe too much oil in the curry - I just put it under bad because I had 3 sandwiches!!)
  • 2 mini cookies (my son fed them to me to get me out of bed)
My problem:
The problem is I'm hungry all the time. Well, I'm not really hungry. I just eat out of boredom or I eat just because I want to taste something yummy. I'm also not drinking enough water :( All up though, I think I did a lot better today than I did yesterday. Part of it I think is simply because there's no junk to eat in my house. So, some advice to those who have incredibly poor self-control when it comes to food (like me) no worries, just don't buy junk again, because then if you're really "starving" you'll eat what's in your fridge - the veggies and the fruit.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Diet Diary: Entry #1

Today I ate...

The Good:
  • 1 Raisin toast with margarine
  • 1 Nectarine
  • 1/2 Avocado
  • 1 Handful of salted cashews
  • 3 Milk teas
  • 1 Lemon-ginger tea
  • 1 Peppermint tea
  • 1 Apricot
  • 1/2 a Large Strawberry
  • 2 small Celery sticks
  • 1/2 Apple
  • Water
  • 1 handful of Organic chips (1/2 chicken, 1/2 beetroot)
  • 2 Paninis
and...

The Bad:
  • 1 Soft Centre chocolate cookie
  • 1 Milo (10 tsps of it :s)
  • 2 small Sausages with tomato sauce (Argh! Already broke one of my main rules...)
  • 1 small bag of mini cookies
My body's response to the good:
  • The fruit was refreshing on a hot day and made me feel light
  • I overate when it came to the Panini (but the meal it self was fulfilling and yummy!)
  • The Organic chips were a bit too oily for my liking
  • I don't like my cashews salted... I will instead buy unsalted cashews and some other nuts too (like almonds)
  • I've noticed that the more water I drink in a day, the less heavy food I eat.
My body's response to the bad:
  • I felt nauseous after having so much Milo - not that Milo is a bad thing, just 10tsps of it is not healthy...  Oh! Here's a fun fact. My boyfriend's great grandfather, Thomas Mayne, invented Milo. They get a free supply of Milo every month!
  • The more sweet things I eat, the more hungry I get.

Monday, December 10, 2012

My New Diet!

SO, I'm about to start my new diet (I say start because I was supposed to start today and already ruined it). I don't really have a name for it as yet, but here's a quick description. It's plain and simple...

DO:
Eat healthy

DON'T:
Eat junk

Haha, so I was joking when I said it would be simple. No diet as extreme as this is easy. The reason I call it extreme is not because it's actually extreme (really, we should only be eating healthy anyway), but because I am almost going from one extreme to the next. Me, who indulges in sweets whenever I feel like it, is going to have to not just cut down the sweets, but ultimately cut them out altogether. NOW, this does not include the sugar I put in my tea or on my Weet-Bix in the morning. This also does not include the natural sugar in fruits and honey and all that other yummy stuff. Basically, I'm just not going to eat the man-made junk. I'm going all natural baby - well, almost...

So here's how I am going to select the food I eat:


  • Is this food nude? Does it look as if it's come straight out of nature, the way God made it (e.g. as it's picked off a tree, dug out of the ground)? Sausages - not a nude food.
  • If it's not nude, what's in it? Only eat it if all or most of the ingredients healthy (e.g. tuna bake: tuna, cheese, potatoes, and onion are healthy. BUT, even though apple pies have apples in it, the sugar content is way too high - so you wouldn't eat that).
  • If it has the word 'pie' in the name, don't eat it... Whether it's called shepherds pie, pepper and steak pie, pizza pie, apple pie, curry pie, cream pie, or anything pie don't eat it. Even if  it's a veggie pie - I don't care. Most pies, contain processed meat (which is NOT good for you) and it has too much pastry in it (or, more accurately, around it it), which brings me to...
  • If it's a pastry, don't eat it. This includes pies, sausage rolls, lasagna, pasta, AND baklava (any any other sweet or savory pastry). WAY too many kilojoules...
For now, I'm allowing any drinks because it's not like I drink anything besides water, tea, and juice. My short-term goals are to increase the amount of protein in my diet, and decrease the amount of carbs, and learn to enjoy and appreciate food the way God originally made them. God has blessed us with the wonderful gift of creativity, which means we can play experiment with how we make this food. BUT, let's keep it healthy. After all, god gave us food to keep us healthy and alive - not to rot and kill us. My long-term goals are to lose 'unhealthy' weight and to gain good health.

From now on, I plan to use this blog as if it were my food and exercise diary. I will keep you up-to-date with  new and healthy recipes I try or create, and with any new exercise routines to keep you fit! I will also continue to update this diet (and eventually give it a name) as it progresses and as I modify in hopes of meeting specific needs.

Please pray that this diet will come to fruition and pray for my self-control during this time. 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Food and Fitness Diary

Okay, so I tried out doing writing up a food and fitness diary for a couple of weeks and found that it helped me a bit.

 Here's how to do it:

1. Record
2. Evaluate
3. Note
4. Set Goals
5. Implement

I recorded everything I'd eaten that day and all exercise I'd done.
Example:
- Did 60 crunches today
- Did 10 push-ups
- Ate pasta
- Had wheetbix for breakfast with 2tsps sugar

I would then evaluate my diet and activity for that day. I put a tick next to the good and a cross next to the bad.
Example:
- Ate 2 fruits (tick)
- Ate 5 veggies (tick)
- Ate 6 chocolate biscuits (cross)
- Ate 2 lollies (tick, because 2 is enough for a treat)
- Did 60 crunches (tick)
- Did 10 push-ups (cross, because that's not enough)

After evaluating I would then write some notes.
Example:
- Didn't drink enough water today
- Need to walk more
- Ate plenty of fruits and veggies


The next step is to then set myself some goals for the next week/month.
Example:
- Tone up arms
- Start butt exercises
- Drink more water

The final step is to implement your goals or to put them into action. The next time you look at your diary (which should be the following night) or when you decide to check if you've achieved your goals, tick them off and start on some new goals.