Some wine advice leading up to the bank holiday weekend..

It's almost the bank holiday weekend, and a lot of us will be having a glass of wine or two. I am not going to be a party pooper and tell you to stay clear, but here are some tips for damage limitation I have researched, when it comes to drinking wine.

• Seemingly you drink more wine when it is white, according to research from Iowa State University. They think it is because the white grape doesn't offer a strong visual contrast in a clear glass, so you're brain does not register it as a serving. Try having your white wine in a dark glass and leave your glass on the table as you pour rather than picking it up. Or have a glass of red instead, if research is correct, you will drink less. 
• Try drinking your wine out of a smaller glass, seemingly the smaller the glass the smaller the quantity you will consume. I will have mine from a shot glass I think !
• Try having a pint of water after each drink.
• Make yours a spritzer, mix your wine with sparkling water, avoid the fizzy drinks if you can.
• Before you go out, or before you have a drink at home, drink a pint of water. If you start drinking and are thirsty, chances are your first drink will be a thirst quencher, so why not use water to quench your thirst !

Finally, for those of you who enjoy a glass of Sangria, here are the maths: an average glass of Sangria has 130 cals. The red wine is antioxidant rich. Just make your own mixer, mix the juice of  four lemons and 1/2 tsp stevia with 1 litre water and add ice and mint. Yummy !

Just some weight loss tips ..

Here are some tips I found helped me when I was trying to lose excess lbs..

• Cut out the following foods and it should help towards losing extra weight you might be carrying: You must cut them out 100%, even a little nibble of these foods every so often will hamper your efforts!! I think sometimes it is hard to just have a little nibble and leave it at that. Remember, every time you eat something, no matter how small, you are consuming calories!

Little pickers wear big knickers!


So, cut out 100% the following, even on treat day !!

• White pasta
• Fried food
• Pizza
• Sweets
• White Rice
• White bread
• Cakes and biscuits.
• Also, watch your alcohol intake, alcohol is full of sugar and therefore empty calories. When you drink alcohol also, it tends to weaken your willpower and the snack press starts calling!
• Every time you feel like snacking, drink a pint of water, or have a herbal tea. Green tea with lemon, or peppermint tea are my favourites.
• Have healthy snacks out where they are easily accessible, and hide the junk. I like to have raw broccoli, carrots, celery, radishes etc out on the work top during the day. If I feel like snacking, I have some of these. Even my two year old eats raw broccoli !
• Remember, once you give into your cravings, you are left with nothing but the empty wrapper and a dose of guilt maybe. Is it really worth it after all ? It takes no time at all to eat a biscuit or chocolate, and then it's gone. Just think before you eat, cravings will pass. Think of how you would feel if you got to your ideal weight, isn't that feeling much better than a few minutes/seconds of eating something calorific? 
•  Have a treat once a week. Decide what day you are going to have that treat, and enjoy it. If you deprive yourself totally it is very likely you will binge at some stage and undo some of your good work ! But remember, even on treat day avoid the above list !!
• Keep a food diary. This definitely works. Once you see everything you have eaten during the day in writing, you might just put that cookie back in the jar.! It is very easy to forget what we have eaten during the day, or we might trick ourselves into thinking we have eaten less than what we actually have.. Once it is written down, it cannot be denied !
• Decide why exactly you want to lose weight and keep that in your head at all times. When you are looking in the presses for something to eat just stop and think of how much you actually want to lose some lbs. It is hard to deprive yourself, believe me I know,  you just have to have willpower ! If you have willpower you are well on your way to getting to your target weight. Just finding it is the tricky bit. :( 
• Stay away from "feeders". You know those people who try to get you to have just one slice of cake, or just one scone.. At the end of the day you are your own person and you decide if you want to indulge or not !

Hope some of these tips help ! Best of luck and remember, willpower !! 

Coconut Oil, some interesting facts.

 

First, an interesting fact. You are 10 times more likely to be hit on the head by a falling coconut than being attacked by a shark!



Ok, lets talk about coconuts.

You have probably seen a lot of hype recently about coconuts, and especially coconut oil, and how good it is for you. Experts tell us we should use coconut oil to fry our food, that it has a lot of health benefits.

I, like a lot of people I am sure, would like to know a bit more about this so called miracle food... Here are some interesting things to note about coconut oil:

• Coconut oil contains a huge 92% of saturated fat, however it is a natural fat, which is metabolised more efficiently by the body. The fats are immediately transported to the liver for use as fuel, therefore are not stored as fat deposits. However, it is still a fat, so have it in moderation. Overindulgence, like everything, will result in weight gain if not burned off.       
• High levels of lauric acid in coconut oil can held boost HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and contribute to heart health as part of a healthy diet.
• Coconut oil is a non dairy fat which is suitable for vegans and vegetarians and those who require a dairy free diet.

Some coconut oil kitchen tips:

• Avoid hydrogentated coconut oil as this contains harmful trans fats. Look for virgin coconut oil.
• Try some in your coffee for a quick energy boost.
• Add a spoonful to hot tea or water if you feel a cold or flu coming on.
• Swap butter for coconut oil when cooking and baking.

(Source: Tesco Health & Wellbeing)

I always use coconut oil if I am frying any meat, the taste might take a bit of getting used to but I think it's definitely worth trying if you haven't already tried it. !

  

Squat, squat, squat !!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to squat! It has been proven that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest.

Imagine that, you are sitting watching tv, and are still burning fat! Result !

Therefore, your aim should be getting as much lean muscle as possible.

It makes sense to me to try to target the areas of your body that have a lot of muscle waiting to be trained, that is bum, hips, and thighs.

The exercise that will target this is the squat. The beauty is you can do squats anytime, anywhere. You only need your own body.

Here is how to do a proper squat:

• Warm up (Jog on the spot for a minute) 
• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart
• Keep your back neutral and don't allow your knees to travel over your toes.
• Stick your bum back as if you are about to sit down and lower down slowly until you reach a 90 degree angle
• Slowly return to normal. Breathe in as you go down, breath out as you return to start.

Some tips also are to dig your heels into the ground on the way up and down, and also keep your bum and abs tight all the time.
It is quite difficult to get a perfect technique so be aware of your body and where your knees are. A common mistake is for the knees to travel over the toes, or for the chest to drop when you get tired.
Pick a spot on the wall in front and focus on this all the time, this helps keep your posture right.

Try to do 15-20 of these three times a week to begin with and build it up to as many as you can do every second day.
If you feel strong, you can squat with dumbbells or a kettlebell in your hands for extra resistance.



  

Pizza Time!

Do you ever crave pizza but deny yourself ? Well, you do not have to deny yourself anymore, you can now have a tasty pizza for a fraction of the calories.

I am a big fan of the Paleo diet, following it about 85% of the time. Paleo allows you eat anything that cavemen would have eaten, e.g. nuts, seeds, meat, vegetables, fruit, fish etc..
Grains, processed food, sugar, alcohol etc are forbidden. So you're thinking that must be very bland and boring, right? No, you would be amazed at what tasty recipes you can make with paleo friendly food. I have a cupboard of spices and herbs, and am always experimenting with different combinations of these!
Here is a recipe for a gorgeous base of a pizza, the main ingredient being cauliflower. Once made, you can top with your choice of toppings, e.g. tomatoes, meat, onions, mushrooms etc... Delicious !

Ingredients:

One small cauliflower
Two eggs
Coconut Flour / Almond Flour (about two tablespoons)
Teaspoon dried Basil
Teaspoon dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Method:

Grate the cauliflower and pop into the microwave for 6 or 7 minutes until soft. (I use a normal hand held grater and it takes just two minutes to grate.) Once the cauliflower is soft, pour into a mixing bowl and add in the remaining ingredients. You can add in extra flour if you feel the need, it should resemble a soft dough. You can also use plain flour if you wish, I try to keep mine paleo friendly by using coconut flour. Once mixed, flatten onto a floured tray, and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees celsius until brown.     
Then, take it out, add your desired toppings, and pop into the oven for another 8 minutes or so.

I made one yesterday and just topped with tomatoe, tiny bit of cheese, and lots of kale!  

See below, yummy !

   

Critical thing to do in order to lose weight ...

Drink water !

Here are my favourite facts that keep me drinking water:

Did you know that the process of burning calories requires an adequate supply of water in order to function effectively ? If you are dehydrated, the process of burning fat actually slows down.! How unfair is that ! You would think that if you watch your diet and exercise regularly you should lose weight. Well, sometimes not.
 I remember this from the days when I was in Weightwatchers. People used to get so frustrated when they were super mindful of their diet, did loads of exercise and still failed to lose weight. The first question the leader asked was if they had drunk two litres of water every day and more often than not the answer was no. Sure enough, the next week they would be down weight after a week of drinking lots of water every day.

Did you also know that burning calories creates toxins, you need to drink water to flush these toxins out.

Some people, like myself, are emotional eaters. I especially tend to have poor willpower when stressed or bored. The next time you find yourself reaching for an unhealthy snack, first ask yourself are you actually hungry? If you are not, have a glass of water and step away from the kitchen.!
If you are hungry then have a healthy snack, munch on a raw carrot, or have a small portion of nuts or seeds. Then have some water.!!

It helps to have a glass of water out in front of you all day and keep sipping throughout the day. You would be surprised at how much water you can actually drink in a day. Other people prefer to drink a pint at a time so maybe have a pint after each meal.

Sugar, sugar everywhere !

Like a lot of people, I love sweets, chocolate, buns, cakes etc.  If it's got sugar in it, I want it. I used to crave it all the time and once I gave into my cravings, it was hard to stop. The thing about sugar, more often than not, the more you have, the more you want. You are never satisfied. So I figure, why bother having any at all..But we have to enjoy life don't we!! We can't deprive ourselves all the time.
Every so often I set myself a challenge to go sugar free. What I find helpful is to set yourself a target date, e.g. Go sugar free for two weeks. You would be surprised at how you get used to not having sugar every day in your diet. Admittedly it is very difficult initially. Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms like headaches, crankiness, tiredness. However, after the initial few days, you will begin to feel great. I find my tummy starts to loose it's bloated look, I actually get more energy, and even sleep even more soundly at night. And you do have a lovely smug feeling knowing that you are winning the "me versus sugar" battle, which is a damn hard battle to win !

You all probably know by now that it is sugar that causes that extra weight we all want to loose. Especially that weight around our middles that a lot of Irish people seem to struggle with, myself included. It seems to be the first place extra weight goes to and the last place it leaves when you are dropping the lbs!

So, go on, try it, give up sugar for 14 days initially, and see how you feel !
Try to limit fruit to two pieces a day also as fruit contains a lot of natural sugars which unfortunately can cause weight gain if over indulged in. Also stay away from dried fruit as this contains a lot of sugar.

About me

I am a stay at home mum turned qualified fitness instructor (NCEF Certified) with a huge passion for health and fitness. I love all types of exercise including running, Crossfit, spinning, Tabata training, HIIT, Bootcamp, to name but a few.
I also have a huge interest in clean and healthy eating, and strive to be the healthiest I can possibly be.

I am currently studying online a Sports and Exercise Nutritional Advisor Course from The Health Sciences Academy. This course is CPD certified.