Addicted to weighing yourself?

I used to have an unhealthy relationship with my bathroom weighing scales. Every day I used to hop on the scales two or three times a day, and either jump off in disgust, or step off gracefully with my new lighter weight. It was a bad addiction, as it definitely did dictate my mood for a while after weighing  in. If I saw a number I liked looking back at me, I felt like a million dollars. If I saw a number that didn't reflect all the hard work with diet and exercise I was putting in, I felt fed up and disappointed. How could it be? I would have been super clean with my diet, exercised everyday, and still either stay the same or even be up a lb or two !!!
Thankfully, I have since seen sense and weigh myself only once a month now, and in the morning. For me, I do need  to keep the scales, even though others might say to throw it out altogether. I need to keep it as it does help me stay on track. If I depend on my jeans to tell me If I've gained weight, I might attribute the tight jeans to they just coming out of the wash .....

I now believe however that you should definitely not weigh yourself everyday like I used to. Here's why:

1. In a day your weight can fluctuate 5lbs or more !!! What you've eaten or drank, how your body has digested the food, your bowel movements, time of month for the ladies, even the time of day can dictate the weight on the scales.
2. Muscle weighs more than fat. If you have been doing a lot of training, you may have gained some muscle, therefore pushing up the number on the scales.
3. The number says nothing of your health. You have changed your eating habits, exercise regularly, and drink lots of water. Obviously you are feeling a lot more energetic, sleeping better at night, are less moody and have less cravings for sugar and processed food. Is all of this reflected on the scales? No. This leads me onto the last point...
4. You are working really hard with your nutrition and training. You feel fantastic and hop up on the scales assuming you are going to see a smaller number. You do not see the results you want, and in an instant you feel overweight, frumpy, and dejected. Not only do you now feel rubbish, it might make you rebel and undo some of your hard work. You might be tempted to say what's the point, and raid the fridge. This would be such a shame, wouldn't it! Isn't it amazing that in an instant, your mood can change as a result of a number on a scale.

You know in your head that you are doing all the right things, so don't let a piece of equipment dictate your mood! Instead, remember all that clean eating and exercise you are doing, and let that dictate your mood !
If you do have weight to lose,with a lot of hard work and determination, you will see that number move down in your monthly weigh ins. Just have patience and keep with it ! And keep happy :)

Foam Rolling

I have a confession to make .....in the past I really neglected one vital thing after working out... Stretching. Years of not properly stretching, along with sitting at a desk in an office, resulted in my hip flexors and other muscles becoming very tight. I would notice it in the gym, if I am squatting very low, especially squatting with weight, I would get to a point where I simply feel I cannot go any deeper, I just felt restricted in my movement. This was due to my hip flexors being tight and short. However, it was not too late to reverse, as I have found out. I use a foam roller now almost every day and find it fantastic. I feel it really is loosening out my muscles and I am getting more flexible every week.

What is foam rolling?

Foam rolling involves rolling the soft areas of the body on a foam roller to stretch and loosen out the muscles and tendons. It increases circulation and boosts metabolism. It helps reduce the risk of injury, releases tension, and increases flexibility, all of which can lead to improved performance.
Some areas which are rolled out are the gluteus to open hips and quads, also quads, iliotibial bands (the muscles on the outside of your thighs), and hamstrings.
Some experts recommend foam rolling at the start of a workout, I foam roll whenever I think of it, not necessarily before or after a workout.

If you are foam rolling follow these tips:

1. Stay on soft tissue and avoid rolling over bone or joints.
2. Aim to roll over each area at least ten times.
3. If you find it particularly painful, hold for a few seconds to allow the muscle to release.
4. Expect it to be sore, it actually can be quite sore, especially at the start. Over time, it will get easier, I promise ! Just keep with it.

If you look up YouTube you will see lots of clips showing you how to do it correctly .
You can buy foam rollers in most sports shops.

Workout to do at home on a wet, windy evening ....

Hey, I don't know about you, but I am looking out the window at a wet, windy evening... the thoughts of going out for a walk or run does not excite me at all ....
But never fear, I've a fab workout to do all in the comfort of my own home! This is a brilliant total body workout hitting all major muscles in your body.

Here goes:

25 Burpees
15 Press ups
20 Squats
30 second Mountain climbers
15 Tricep Dips
20 Lunges
20 Reverse Crunch
20 Reverse Lunge

Do this four times and you should have worked up a nice sweat !

Exercise of the week - Mountain Climbers

Hey! It's that time of week again ... my current favourite exercise... yippee :)

This week it's the mountain climber..  I love this exercise as not only does it get the heart rate up and burns calories, it also works the abs. Any exercise that works more than one muscle are called compound exercises and this is definitely up there with one of the better compound exercises!

Here's how to do it:

1. Start the exercise by going down on all fours on the floor. Make sure your hands are directly under your chest at a width that is slightly more than shoulder width apart.
2. Now bring your left foot forward and place it on the floor under your chest. Your knee and hip are bent and your thigh is in towards your chest. Lift your right knee off the gound, making your right leg straight and strong. Pull in your tummy and keep it tight all the way through this exercise.
3. Keeping your hands firmly on the gound, jump to switch leg positions. Both feet leave the ground as you drive your right knee forward and reach your left leg back. Drive your right knee forward as far as you can towards the chest.  Now your left leg is fully extended and your right knee and hip are bent with your right leg on the floor.

Aim to do three sets of 20 of these as fast as you can every second day. Really push them out fast and get your heart rate up.    

How to have a healthy relationship with food

There was a good article today in the Sindo about people's relationship  with food. The following is a synopsis :

1. Are you stressed ? One of the main reasons people overrated or undereat is due to stress. I can vouch for that ! If I am at home and the three kids are driving me a bit bonkers, and I can't get out for a run, I definitely do crave what's in the cookie jar ! When you are stressed you are not present, you just move from one thing to another in a sort of daze. You don't even realise what you are eating ! If this happens to you, once you know what pushes your buttons to make you stressed, you are in a better situation to manage it.

2. Processed Food. E.g. Cakes, biscuits, crisps, sweets.. These foods never satisfy your hunger. Once you start eating them, it is hard to stop. They have lots of sugar, salt, fat in them. Avoid these and substitute them for whole grains, lean proteins, veg and fruit.

3. Pack a Snack. Always have a healthy snack with you when out and about. E.g. Nuts, fruit, homemade flapjack, smoothie ... When you get a slump, typically mid afternoon, you will be prepared and won't munch on chocolate or crisps which as we know already, will definitely not fill you and only leave you wanting more.

4. Banish the bad stuff. Get rid of any temptation out of your house. Also watch your portions at dinner. Eat off a smaller plate. Have a palm sized piece of protein and a fist sized portion of starch, and as much veg as you like.

5. Be realistic. A lot of people have an all or nothing approach. Either you are on a diet and super healthy, or off a diet and super bad. Also, you are either training six days a week, or not at all. Do what's right for you but try and strike a balance !

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Little pickers wear big knickers!!

The kids are back to school next week. This can be a tricky time for the Mammies (and Daddies) who are left at home, like myself, and who are trying to watch their diet.

It starts first when we are making their lunches, they don't like crusts, sure Mammy or Daddy will eat them! Some cheese in their sandwiches, sure Mammy or Daddy must have a taste to make sure it tastes ok. Some yummy meatloaf from that great blog, sure we must have a taste of that, and it goes on and on... Once you have gotten them out the door to school it is now time for yourself, so what do you do? Have a cup of tea and maybe something nice to go with it. Throughout the day then, if you have some down time, you might be tempted to raid the fridge or the press. Then it comes to lunch time for yourself and whoever might be at home with you. More picking as you are making lunch...  dinner time, more picking....  This cannot happen. We must think of ways to avoid picking all day long, or else the lbs will creep on without us even realising it!

Here are some tips to keep us away from that silly disease called "pickitis" (I think I've watched too much Doc McStuffins!)

• Chew gum. As soon as you are finished your breakfast, chew gum whilst making lunches. 
• Once they are dropped to school, go for a walk, or some kind of exercise. Even a twenty minute walk, just get away from the house so you are not tempted. When you come back then you don't want to undo your good work!
• Start a blog! Writing keeps you very busy indeed :)
• When you are preparing food, imagine that it tastes horrible, even imagining something tastes off might turn you off it! The mind is a very powerful tool!
• Just be strict with yourself, tell yourself "No, you can't have that!". Even try saying it out loud!
• Put on your radio and dance around the kitchen!
• If you are tempted by something sugary, remind yourself that you will only get a temporary high from it, and that you will not be satisfied by one biscuit or one sweet, you will definitely want more, so what's the point!
• Imagine yourself feeling slim and healthy and wonderful. Picking all day long at junk will not help you achieve this.
• Put a photo of yourself that you don't like, or someone that you wish to look like, on your fridge and press door.      
• Every time you are tempted by food, distract yourself by doing squats ! 
• Or distract yourself by doing housework, declutter your house, sort out those jigsaws that are all mixed up ..
• Just find something to distract yourself!!

Before you know it then, the day will be over and you will be delighted with yourself that you didn't spend the day picking!

Hope some of these tips help!

Meatloaf - Try this recipe on some kids and see if they like it!

Here is a recipe I promised for Meatloaf. It is so simple to make and if you make it on Sunday you could have it in the kids lunches Monday. It is not Paleo friendly with the breadcrumbs and ketchup, but it is very appealing to the kids!

Ingredients.

1.5 lbs ground beef (or minced turkey or chicken if you want to watch calories)
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon crushed garlic (optional)
2 eggs, beaten
Salt / Pepper

Glaze:
1/2 cup Ketchup (or you could make a tomato sauce yourself with tin of tomatoes, onion, garlic and pinch of sugar)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Place all your meatloaf ingredients into a bowl, and using clean hands, combine the ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix your glaze ingredients.
Remove the meat mixture from the bowl and form a loaf on a pan or baking dish. Spread some of the glaze over the loaf. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Add more glaze after 45 minutes then cook for another 15 minutes. Once the loaf is done (not pink in the middle), remove from oven and add more glaze.

Slice up and enjoy :)

You can decide yourself how much glaze you like, if you are packing this for kids lunches, it might get messy with too much glaze so go easy on the last bit of glaze..

    

Paleo friendly Lamb and Sweet Potato Curry - Delicious !

Yippeee it's Saturday:)  People usually have a bit more time on their hands at the weekend so why not use it well and take time to research some nice recipes for the next weeks meals. If you are trying to shed a few lbs and tone up, the key is in the planning. You know what they say "Fail to plan and plan to fail". 

Try and do a good shop at the weekend and have your meal plans and ingredients list with you. By doing this you won't be tempted to buy junk and other food items that you don't need.

Here is a gorgeous recipe I found which we are going to have today, even the kids love it, which is a great added bonus when you have young children who might not be too adventurous!

Serves 2

Ingredients  

400 g of lamb, chopped into cubes.
1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
3/4 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 litre of chicken stock
Salt/Pepper
100 ml coconut milk (I use low fat)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into pieces.
1-2 tbsp coconut oil.

Method 

Preheat the oil in a medium heat in your saucepan.
Brown off the lamb and remove from pan.
Fry garlic and onion until softened.
Add the spices and fry off for 2 minutes.
Return the lamb and any juices to the pan.
Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
Transfer to a casserole dish and cook for an hour in the oven.
Add the sweet potato for the last 30 minutes.
Add the coconut milk for the last 10 minutes. You could also add some spinach here if you have it in your fridge.
Remove from the oven and enjoy!

I would serve this with cauliflower rice.

You could also have it with Naan bread if you feel like a special treat!



Cauliflower rice is so easy to make, just grate a cauliflower and fry for a few minutes in some coconut oil. It looks like normal rice but for a fraction of the calories.


Enjoy!!

One lb of fat

They say one lb of fat equals 3,500 calories. So if you want to lose one lb in a week you should try and create a calorie deficit of 500 for seven days. At the end of the day, weight management is about calories in versus calories out. If you eat more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight. Every bite of food we consume has calories, even the healthy food (which we sometimes forget!) It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking because it is healthy, we think it will not lead to weight gain. Sadly, that is not the case.

If the whole weight management thing is about cutting calories, then why not try these few swaps and see if it helps with the battle of the bulge.

1. Swop fizzy drinks for sparkling water.
2. Swop white bread, pasta, rice for the brown variety.
3. Swop crisps for wholegrain popcorn popped in coconut oil.
4. Swop milk chocolate for at least 85% dark chocolate.
5. Swop your sugary breakfast cereal for porridge made with water.
6. Swop your morning fry up for eggs and low fat bacon.
7. Swop your creamy take away curry for homemade curry with coconut milk as your thickener.
8. Swop chips for homemade sweet potato chips.
9. Swop biscuits for oatcakes and nut butter.
10. Swop pick n mix sweets for nuts.


They are just some ideas I can think of, feel free to add more ideas in the comments section.

Of course, if you want to lose weight and tone up, then daily exercise is a crucial part of the picture. If you have a healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise, this formula should help keep those pesky lbs away :)

Exercise of the week : Russian Twist

If you want a really strong midsection (abs and obliques), then this exercise is a must in your routine.

You will really feel the burn with this beauty !

1. Grab a weight (dumbbells, medicine ball, kettlebell,). If you have none of these just grab anything with a bit of weight, 2 litre carton of milk, heavy book, small child !

2. Sit on the floor with hips and knees at a 90 degree angle, so your body is in a v shape. If you want to make it more difficult lift your legs off the floor.

3. Now stretch your hands out in front of your body and keep them straight.

4. Keeping your back straight, engage your core and twist to the right, and then to the left. Don't forget to keep your core engaged by pulling your belly button in. Breathe out every time you twist to either side.

5. To make this easier drop the weight and keep your legs on the floor.

Aim to do three sets of 12 reps at the end of every workout. It is going to hurt but no pain no gain !!!


Any questions just comment on the post !!

New Facebook Page - Please like :)

I've just set up a new Facebook page to help promote my fitness classes and blog.

Feel free to like!

It's called "Cloyne Fitness"

Thanks!

You've done your workout and now you're home wondering what to eat...

So you've been super disciplined and have gotten up off the couch and got some exercise in. Well done!

You are home now and wondering will you have something sweet to reward yourself for all your hard work? You are looking in the fridge pondering ....

Here's the lowdown:

Sorry to be a spoilsport but you should give your body food for long term nourishment and not immediate satisfaction. So I guess that rules out rewarding yourself with treats like biscuits, cake, chocolate etc. These are just calorific treats that will give you a quick high due to high glucose levels, followed by a slump due to the sleep inducing hormone serotonin that your body will produce to counteract the high levels of glucose. (giving you a sugar crash). Bummer, eh?
Wouldn't it be such a pity to have this slump after you no doubt coming home on a high after exercising??

You have just burnt lots of calories and are one day closer to your goal, get your nutrition right now and you will be at your goal in no time. If you keep rewarding yourself with calorific treats after exercise you will be a long time trying to reach your goals. Remember you cannot out train a bad diet!!

You need to repair, replenish and recover soon after your workout. During exercise, your body uses the fuel stored in your muscles known as glycogen for energy. After your workout, your muscles are depleted of their glycogen stores and broken down. In order to refill your energy stores and build and repair your muscles you need:

• Complex Carbs
• Protein.     

You need to consume these ideally within 30 - 60 minutes of your workout as in this window your body is primed and ready to accept protein and carbs so it can immediately start putting these nutrients to good use. 

Some examples of good complex carbs would be sweet potato, butternut squash, parsnip, carrots, spinach, whole grain pasta, brown rice, beans, lentils. 

Some good examples of proteins would be lean turkey, fish, eggs, cheese, lean beef, nuts and seeds.

So go on, put away the sugary junk and reward your body with good nourishing food! Your body will thank you for it.

                                  What you eat in private you wear in public.

Recipe for flapjacks for your kids lunch (Or a snack for you !:))

Flapjacks


Ingredients


150 g ready to eat stoned dates
100g low fat spread
3 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
50g ready to eat dried apricots, finely chopped
50 g toasted hazelnuts chopped
3 tablespoons mixed seeds
50g raisins
150g porridge oats


Method:

Heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Line a square tin with parchment paper. Put the dates into a food processor or blitz with a hand blender until they are sticking together in clumps and finely chopped.
Put the low fat spread, agave syrup and dates into a saucepan and heat gently. Stir until spread has melted and dates blended in. Add all remaining ingredients to the pan and stir until well mixed. Spoon the mixture into the tin and spread level.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cut into 12 pieces. Leave in the tin until cold and then store in an airtight container.

Healthy lunches for kids

It's almost that time again when the kids return to school. We, as parents, are faced with the daily dilemma of what to put into the kids lunches that is healthy and filling and that they might actually eat!

Growing kids need plenty of starchy food to fill them up and give them energy. Meals should be packed with fibre, protein, carbohydrate and vitamins to help them grow and help boost their brain power.

It would be a good idea to get a lunchbox with different sections so that they could pick and mix themselves as they like. You can probably get them in Tesco. You could use some of the below suggestions to fill the different sections:

• Raw carrots, cucumber, broccoli, peppers, sugar snap peas, green beans etc. cut up into bite sized pieces, or sliced with a vegetable peeler.
• Cooked chicken, ham, beef etc in bite sized pieces. (you could use leftovers from Sunday dinner on Mondays) 
• Hard boiled eggs cut up.
• Bite sized cheese pieces.
• Dried fruit and nuts.
• Any type of fruit cut up e.g. melon, pineapple, mango, grapes, peaches, apples, pears, kiwi etc. 
• Cherry Tomatoes.
• Leftover roasted sweet potato or roasted butternut squash.
• Leftover meatloaf   *
• Homemade granola bars *
• Homemade coleslaw *
• Pasta Salad.
• Rice Salad.
• Cous Cous.
• Mini Quiche.
• Sandwiches made on brown bread, pitta bread, wholemeal wraps.
• Crackers and cheese.

Some of the suggestions you are probably thinking your child will never eat, but if you don't offer it to them you will never know! They are no doubt very hungry when it comes to lunch time in school so you might be pleasantly surprised when they come home with an empty lunch box! And don't forget to give them their water. Avoid fruit juice and diluted juice, these are full of sugar.  

I will put up some healthy recipes for granola bars, coleslaw and meatloaf in a blog in the coming days. What is a good idea is to make some things at the weekend and then freeze them so you have them to hand when you need them. Every little helps in the mornings when you are tied to time getting your little ones up and ready for school!

It gives you extra time then to get your workout in before school! Happy mammy, happy kids! That's the way it works in my house anyway :)

Time for reflection ...

Fear says .... "No, you can't"
Determination says .... "Yes, you can"
Results say .... "I told you so"

All my posts so far on this blog I have written with the regular exerciser in mind .... The person who has already learned to love exercise and healthy eating as much, or nearly as much as I do ! I guess it was silly of me to assume everyone is in the same camp as I am now. I do not think twice about putting on my trainers and going out for a run or going to the gym, or exercise class. I realise now that I am one of the lucky ones that I do go out and exercise with confidence.

However,  by talking to various people over the last few weeks, I have been reminded that for a lot of people, it takes a huge amount of  effort not only physically, but mentally, to start exercising. It can be very intimidating for someone to put on exercise clothes and head out into the public to exercise, be it to go for a run, gym or class. I had forgotten how daunting it can be.

I used to be one of those people. When I was a teenager and in my twenties, and even early thirties, after having three children, I carried extra weight. I actually didn't realise how much extra I carried until I saw a photograph and  that is when the truth hit me. I was overweight and unless I did something about it, I would keep piling it on. Something had to change. And so put on my trainers I did and I probably haven't taken them off since !! I knew I had extra weight that others didn't have but you know what, I was so determined to get rid of that weight I didn't have time to care about everyone else, I was so busy caring about myself !

We all have to start somewhere. Yes, it can be scary and intimidating exercising in public, especially if you feel you might be the most unfit person, or heaviest person in the gym or class.  Guess what ? The people around you are so worried about themselves, they don't even notice you ! No one is perfect and everyone has flaws. We are all so worried about our tummies, bums, arms etc, we don't have time to look at anyone else ! That goes for me too ! So don't worry about what anyone else thinks ! Everyone has to start somewhere. It would be such a shame to let your fear of what someone else might or might not think hamper your dreams coming true. And exercise and clean eating does lead to a lot of people's dreams coming true !

For a lot of people, especially women, it is a big deal to be able to go into a high street shop, try on a pair of jeans or dress, and it fit comfortably. It can make or break your mood, believe me I know. If you are not at this stage yet, you will be. All you have to do is want it bad enough to make it happen.

So go on,  decide NOW that you are going to get into the best shape of your life, and don't let anyone or anything get in your way, and remember "stop being jealous of her body and do something about yours !"

If anyone wants to contact me, please free to email siobhan.nally@hotmail.com and I will gladly help anyway I can to make your dreams come true ! (hee hee weight or fitness wise obviously, I can't predict the lotto numbers unfortunately !!;) )

Short of time so what is best, a quick run or weight training?

You have a very busy schedule so you want to get the most out of your workout, right? You are debating will you go for a fast walk/ run, or will you do some reistance training, using your own bodyweight, or weights/kettlebell/medicine ball etc.

The experts say that weight training would be more beneficial. You can only burn so many calories in a 30 minutes run/walk, but with weight training you are gaining muscle and therefore burning more calories even on rest days. For every additional pound of muscle you gain by lifting weights, your body burns around 50 calories extra every day, even while at rest.

Some women are afraid that they will bulk up if they lift weights but this will not happen. The growth of muscle tissue is very dependent on testosterone and women tend to produce 10 times less than men, so women would really have to work hard at building bulging muscles naturally.

I have dumbbells and a resistance band which I use frequently. There are so many exercises you can do with these, they are definitely a worthwhile investment ! Get dumbbells that challenge you. If you can do more than 15 reps easy of any exercise, I think you should really get a heavier weight.

Cardiovascular workouts are also vital however, and cannot be ignored. Cardiovascular exercise means that you are involved in an activity where your heart rate is elevated, but you can still talk.
Benefits include:

• Weight management
• Increases lung capacity
• Helps reduce risk of heart attack, high blood pressure and diabetes
• Helps reduce stress 

There are many, many more benefits so it is vital cardio is included in your program along with weight training.

However my message is don't ignore the weight training!

Exercise of the week - Split Squat, enjoy, and feel the burn :)

Every Wednesday I will be posting what my current favourite exercise to do is and this week it's the split squat. This exercise can be done anywhere that you have a bench, low chair, low couch, step etc.  You could do them this evening when drooling over the biscuits and cakes in "The Great British Bake Off", that's when I'll be doing mine !

The split squat is an exercise which is great for developing leg strength and it's a super quick way to tone our gluts! Here's how to do it:

• Start with the toes of one foot resting on a bench, step, low couch, or other, behind you and the other foot a long stride in front. Make sure your knee does not come over your toes on the front leg.
• Keeping your body upright, bend the front leg, lowering the rear leg toward the floor. I aim to bring the knee as close to the floor as possible without falling over! Return to the start position. Do this 12 times then swap legs.
• Look straight ahead at all times, pick a point ahead and keep looking at it. This helps keep your balance.  
• If you are feeling strong, hold a set of dumbbells in each hand for extra resistance. 

Try to do 3 sets on each leg. Remember to keep your bum and abs tight all the time. You will definitely feel the burn with this exercise, so think of that tight toned bum and that thought will get you through it!


A definite for my class in Cloyne :) (says she with an evil laugh ;)!! ) 

Bread ... unrequited love

I have an unhealthy relationship with bread, I love bread but unfortunately bread doesn't love me. There was nothing I loved more years ago than a slice of white toast. I lived in Germany for a year whilst in college and I still remember eating quite a lot of bread, rather than cooking dinners. I also remember being doubled over with stomach cramps but not knowing why. I since learned that my stomach cannot tolerate bread, especially white bread. I now avoid all bread as much as possible, as it leaves me bloated, feeling sluggish, and in pain.

All is not lost however, since being introduced to the Paleo diet last year by my Crossfit trainer, I am now a huge fan of Paleo breads, which are sugar free and grain free. One of my favourites is sweet potato bread which tastes and looks like cake as opposed to bread. Win, win!

Here is one recipe for you to try: 

• 1.5 cups cooked sweet potato. I cook mine in the oven, you could steam it also.
• 1/4 cup coconut flour (or if I'm out I use ground almonds, get them cheap in Aldi or Lidl)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup (I leave this out sometimes as it is sweet enough already)  

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Whisk wet ingredients together.
Add all ingredients together and mix.
Bake in a loaf pan for 25 minutes or until the middle is set. Make sure to line your tin with baking paper to avoid sticking.

Simple and delicious!


  

You never ever regret doing a workout !

I am one of those people who really get a kick out of doing exercise, I love the feeling when I am working out, and I love the feeling after exercising. That doesn't mean that every time before I workout, I am bouncing around with extra energy. Sometimes yes I am itching to get out for a run or go to the gym, but other times it is the last thing I want to do.

If you feel like you don't have any energy to exercise, just tell yourself you will go out for five minutes, and if you still do not have any interest or energy, go home again.

That's what I did this evening, I was tired after a hard day looking after my three little ones,  and I could have quite easily curled up with a book, but I forced myself to go out for a run. I told myself that I can go home after a few minutes if I am only dragging myself along. So out I went with a scowl on my face probably, but after two minutes I was delighted to be out, and carried on. I even had the energy for some resistance training when I came back. And now I can relax for the evening, knowing that I have gotten my daily exercise in. And I have a smile on my face :)

I know it is hard to get out and exercise sometimes, (or anytime!!) but you have to remind yourself why you should go out. You will guaranteed feel a lot better when you come home, knowing that you have  done something good for yourself.

Here are some more benefits of exercise:

• Exercise not only makes you feel good physically, it also makes you feel good mentally. It is a great way to think through any problems, or just generally de stress.
• It reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood circulation.
• Exercise helps manage your weight.
• Exercise gives you more confidence, it makes you feel better about yourself. If I ever go a few days without exercise, it does affect how I feel about myself. I begin to feel sluggish and lethargic and my confidence levels start to decline.
• Exercise helps you fall asleep quickly at night and you have a better quality of sleep.

If you are thinking of starting to exercise for the first time, or are returning to exercise, or are even a regular exerciser, remember, it is not ever going to be easy. Sometimes, it might not even be enjoyable. What you have to ask yourself is, why are you exercising? What is your goal? Use your goal to motivate yourself.

Remember, in order to change yourself, you have to  challenge yourself !

Six items of food which should be in your trolley ..

If you need some help in getting rid of extra tummy weight, make sure to add these to your shopping list this week:

Basil:  It is a fact that the stress hormone cortisol can cause extra tummy weight. Guess what? Basil reduces cortisol ! How about making a lovely tomatoe, basil and mozzarella salad during the week? Just go easy on the cheese.

Spinach:  Spinach has a lot of fibre which helps your body process fats more efficiently. It is also known to curb cravings. Try adding it to your morning smoothie to disguise the taste, that's what I do and it works !

Berries:  Berries are one of the low fructose fruits. A handful increases the body's production of the hormone adiponectin, which is great for fat burning. I buy my berries frozen in Aldi or Lidl.

Watermelon :    Watermelon is low in calories. Also, thirst is often mistaken for hunger so have some watermelon and satisfy both !

Houmous:  Houmous is a great source of omega 3 and high in fibre to keep you full. It is calorific however, so use sparingly.

Grapefruit:  A study was done by the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Centre at Scripps, and they found that by eating half a grapefruit at each normal meal, this can result in a person losing a minimum of 1.6kg over a 12 week period. It's worth a try isn't it !!

NEW! Circuit Training and Conditioning Classes - Starting September 16th.

I'm so excited to say that I am setting up fitness classes in Cloyne, Co. Cork! I am a qualified instructor and taught fitness classes before I started having kids. I am now ready to start teaching again. I want to share my passion of fitness with others, and hopefully help all my clients get to the goals they dream of, be it weight loss, fitness or other.

The class I will be teaching is Circuit Training and Conditioning.

What is Circuit Training?

Circuit training is a form of body conditioning or resistance training using high intensity aerobics, and muscular endurance. It is a form of interval training whereby you do a set of exercises with very little rest in between. These exercises are a mix of aerobic and resistance training. It is a fantastic way to get fit fast and tone up. Stations are set up around the room and you do a different exercise at each station for a set period of time. You might go around the same set of exercises 2 or 3 times, depending on time limits.

Here are some more benefits of circuit training:

• It challenges your whole body, because you are doing a variety of exercises, all your muscle groups are targeted.     
• You get to mix cardio and strength training. It beats the boredom factor, circuit training offers the best of both worlds by allowing you to combine intervals of high intensity cardio with resistance training.  
• It sends your metabolism soaring! When you are circuit training, you are working as hard as you can at each station for anything from 30 seconds upwards. This type of training (HIIT), has been proven to burn more calories even after you have stopped exercising, compared to exercises you are doing at a steady state.   
• Each station can be adapted to your abilities. Each exercise can be made easier or more difficult, depending on your abilities or your energy at the time of workout!

Not only will I be teaching circuit training, in the same class I will also be teaching toning exercises for all the main muscles, e.g. gluts, abs, thighs, lats etc. Also I will be doing some Tabata work, other types of HIIT workouts, and we will even play some games! 

There will be plenty of variety in my classes, with a different workout planned for every week.

So anyone in the East Cork area, come along and join my classses!

Every Tuesday from 7pm - 8pm in the new Cloyne GAA Gym, starting Sept 16th 2014.


  


   

The more time you spend exercising, the more fat you burn, right? Maybe not ...

It's actually not about the length of your workouts, it's more about the intensity of your workout. This is great news as it doesn't take long at all to get your daily fat burning session in! The experts say that if you want to burn fat, then long runs or endless sessions on the cross trainer are not the quickest way to do it. You will still burn fat of course when doing longer sessions, but you will see greater weight loss when you train at higher intensities for less time. This uses up your body's carbohydrate or glycogen stores, in turn boosting your metabolic rate so you burn more calories at rest for up to 24 hours!
Ideally you should workout at both intensities to encourage your body to supply energy from both your fat and carbohydrate sources.

You can do any exercise you want, walking, jogging, running, cycling, aerobics etc... just up the intensity for a minute then lower the intensity for 30 seconds.

Try this quick body weight workout.

Remember to warm up first! You have to really work hard at each exercise, do as many reps as you can possibly do in the minute, when you think you can't do any more, just do one more!

Remember, if you don't challenge yourself, your body will never change!

3 Sets of the following:

1 minute mountain climbers.
Rest 30 Secs.

1 minute squats.
Rest 30 Secs.

1 minute lunges
Rest 30 Secs.

1 minute russian twists.
Rest 30 Secs.


Cool down for 2 minutes. Done!



I am currently following the FIT magazine 100FITDays challenge. It's a plan that promises to get you into the best shape of your life, you should try it out!

Today's cardio with this challenge is 30 seconds high intensity running / 30 seconds rest. Do this ten times and you're done!

How to get back on track if your good intentions went out the window ...

It's almost over, the last bank holiday of the Summer of 2014. Some of you kept healthy I am sure and watched your food, drank water, and exercised over the last few days. Others might not have been so good ... but never mind, here are some tips that I have learned that will help get everyone back on track.

• The most important thing is don't beat yourself up over what you might have consumed in food and/or alcohol. Just draw a line in the sand and move on. Use it as motivation to work extra hard for the coming weeks. If you are fed up with your lack of willpower it could lead you to consume even more junk to cheer yourself up! So don't be fed up, everyone has slip ups every once in a while, we are all human afterall!  

•  Losing weight and getting fit is not a sprint, it's a marathon. It will not happen overnight, and there will be speed bumps along the way (e.g. bank holiday weekends!). But if you work at it, your body will reward you.

• Go for a short workout as soon as you can. Even if it's a twenty minute power walk, as soon as you start moving you will feel much better. It will take you away from the fridge if nothing else!

• As I've written about before, drink water, water and more water! This will help flush out any toxins out of your body.

• Start a food diary. When you eat junk on a regular basis, it can be very hard to stop and go back to healthy eating. By writing everything down, it makes you account for every bite. Even if you have a bite of something, write it down!  

• Go shopping for healthy food. Fill up your trolley with lots and lots of green vegetables, fruit (especially low sugar fruit like berries and green apples), good fats (advocados, oily fish, nut butters, coconut oil), lean meats, fish, oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice etc. Get rid of any junk out of your house after the weekend. If you don't have junk in your cupboards, you can't be tempted.

• Don't go hungry! Your metabolism is like a fire, you have to keep stoking it to keep it going. If you starve yourself trying to make up for any overindulgence, your body will think think it is going into starvation and will cling onto any calories it can and turn them to fat. So the secret is little and often. You should eat every 2-3 hours, keeping it all healthy of course!

Hope these tips help get you back on track. Now, go on and do some exercise !!


"The distance between your dreams and reality is called discipline"