Working away and keeping up with your routine

I am away with work this week which means no gym, eating out, late nights, early mornings and very long days! It is easy to let your healthy lifestyle slip and this is where the sneaky pounds creep in! 

Sure it is only a week, but a week of drinking, lack of sleep and no exercise can leave you feeling sluggish and burnt out. 

So I am making sure that I am keeping up with at least some of the aspects to make sure that doesn't happen! 

With no gym you have to be inventive - outside workouts are key! A brisk walk in the morning can really help wake you up and make you ready for the day! Spending time with work colleagues is different to spending time with family or friends when you are away and this 15-30 mins of alone time can really help focus you and get your head together! 
Steer clear of excessive drinking - a glass of wine can often turn into a few and this is were the sneaky calories are hidden because they are liquid you are not as concious that you are consuming them! 
Stick to one glass if you really want, or stick to water. I always order water for the table anyway, so having this there can making less tempting to chug the wine. 
If you are eating out opt for healthier options and steer clear of desert! I know the chocolate brownies might be tempting but every night? Not needed! Keep it healthy all week then on your last night go for the brownies! 
Drink water! I have a 2 litre bottle at my desk that I drink all day, sometimes when your out and about it is easy to let it slip, make sure you have the bottle near you and that your keeping up the water intake, it will keep your hydrated, refreshed and vitalised.
Snacking! So I am at a trade show this week and we have lots of little snacks on the stand for clients throughout the day, sweets, mini chocolates, crisps etc... yes it is tempting! Stand clear of the snacks and if your tempted walk away! 
I distract myself by fixing something on the stand going for a walk or drinking some water! The snacks are the calories you forget to count! 

Enjoy your time away and don't make the gym your only thing in life, but as it is a work trip and not a holiday I don't take a break because it is my normal routine! 

Sweet Potato Wedges

I am obsessed with sweet potato fries at the moment, when I go out to eat if I am feeling like chips I opt for sweet potato fries if I can, so I decided to experiment and see if I could make my own version. 

Ingredients:

1x sweet potato - a large on cut into small chunks got me about 20 little wedges 
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Prep:

Wash the sweet potato and cut into small chunks 
Lay them out on a pan lined with tin foil 
Put the olive oil into a bowl along with the salt and pepper, then mix together
Coat each wedge in the mixture making sure it is covered all over
Put into a pre heated oven and leave to cook until dark brown

They were very tasty and a nice low calorie, good carb afternoon snack! 

They work well with several different types of meals especially home made burgers, chicken - in fact all meats! Just replace the potato or chips and add in these! 

I just can't get enough...

Food! 

Upping my training meant I was working alot harder and obviously I was going to be tired, but after week 3 I started to feel exhausted, like really exhausted and was finding it hard to function normally - but why? I was sleeping enough so that couldn't be it, so I turned to the foods I was eating. 
Now I briefly touched upon this last week but eating is SO important!! Sounds obvious right? But really it's not. I thought I was eating enough, but when I tracked for a day I was around 1000 cals under my eating, my carbs were too low and I was not getting the right amount of energy in for the energy I was putting out. 

So I logged into good old My Fitness Pal and reassessed my goals, my training hours and weight, hit save and up comes my calorie allowance of 2750... wow! I don't think I have ever eaten that much in one day unless it has been Dominos cheat meal!!
So I began logging my food for the day making sure I was eating enough carbs - still working on this, enough fats again still working on this, hitting my calorie goal or at least near it to make sure I have the energy and nutrients I need to function. 

Eating this amount of food is harder than you think, sure I could stuff my face with high calorie foods for 3 meals a day and hit it, but that it is not effective and will not benefit me in anyway! One of my fellow gym goers said it doesn't matter what form it goes in you just have to eat... even if it means takeaways and Burger King... no just no. If you are looking to get fat and basically undo the hard work you are putting in when in the gym then sure go for it, but I don't recommend following this advice at all! 

I want to be lean, muscular and have low body fat, so eating clean is a high priority to me, my boyfriend eats 3000 cals a day of healthy clean food, carbs and fats included, he is working on bulking so experimenting with food to see what works best for him - I can assure you it is not Burger King! 

So if you are looking to track your calories and see how much you are eating or not eating I highly recommend My Fitness Pal, it has a great online community as well!

How to get the best results from your training

You train everyday, eat healthy, do everything you are supposed to do and yet you are not seeing results... does this sound familiar? You are not alone, we have all been there where we are doing everything we have been told to do and yet nothing! Frustrating isn't it! 

So lets have a look at what factors could be effecting your training and what you can do to make sure you can achieve your maximum potential. 

Eating 
If your goal is to lose weight then a calorie deficit needs to be made, but make the calories to low and your body will begin to hold on to the little food that your are putting into it. 
Your body needs energy and the energy comes from the food you are putting in, you can't expect a car to run on empty so why would your body?
I have recently upped my training routine, starting Crossfit and Olympic lifting, and for the first 2 weeks I was feeling so run down by the end of the week, so using My Fitness Pal I changed my stats to reflect the training I was doing now and the hours I am putting in and it turns out I was eating under than what I needed by about 1000 calories... no wonder I was feeling run down! So now I am enjoying eating more, feeling energetic and training harder!
Carbs are also key! They help with the healing process after exercise and also with your energy levels, don't fear carbs, embrace them! 

Training 
How long have you been doing your routine, is it the same old same old, used to it routine, doesn't really excite you? 
Then change it! I change my routine every 8-10 weeks to keep it fresh and make sure I don't hit an exercise slump. 
Even if you have the same routine change the days you do it to make sure that your body is kept active, it doesn't get used to what your doing and basically surprise it! 
If you are a cardio lover who doesn't enter the weight section then change this up and add in some resistant training to the routine, it won't make you bulky and will help tone and tighten your body and also continue to burn calories after your routine. 
The heavier you go the more effective the training is, but start and exercise safely to avoid injury! 
Equally if you spend all your time in the weights section and never do any cardio you might want to change this! We all need exercises to get our heart rate going and the blood pumping, 20 mins of HIIT 3 times a week will keep your heart in shape and also your body in shape! 

Sleeping 
Sleep is vital to getting the best out you, you cannot perform to your full potential when your run down and exhausted, trust me! 
I always make sure I go to bed about 9 on a week day as I get up at 5 so I try to make sure I get at least 8 hours sleep a night to make sure I am well rested for the day ahead,I am rubbish without sleep so early nights are a must! 
Weekend bedtimes are obviously a bit later... sometimes, but always making sure I get in 8-9 hours sleep. 
Rest days are also important to make sure your body recovers from the training you are doing. 
I am not a fan of rest days... but I am getting used to them, I use them to write my blog and study for my PT exam. 
I also use rest day as my cheat day - 1 cheat meal a week to reset my metabolism and also to make sure I dont deny myself of anything completely.  
You are more likely to stay on track with clean eating and training if you allow yourself a treat every now and again! 

So have a look at your programme and see the tweaks you can make to ensure your training to your best potential!

Currently

Happy Sunday! It is lovely weather here so obviously a BBQ will be happening this afternoon and we may be able to actually sit outside! 

So here we are with 5 weeks exactly to go until holiday, infact this time in 4 weeks I will be last minute packing ready to set off the airport :) 

But with 28 days to go there are still 27 workouts to be had, I have already trained today, and plently of time for last minute touch ups! 

I have achieved alot in the past 4 weeks and I am excited to see where the next 4 weeks can take me. 

Body wise I am actually feeling pretty good, I am leaning out nicely but keeping the muscle and achieving more definition now, for the next 4 weeks I am cutting carbs to be very low with high protein, no cheat meals and good quality workouts and meals.

I am also trying this cleanse... one of the girls at work says it is great for clearing all the bad stuff out your body, this is one is particularly good for heart health and clearing the arteries, I am 2 shots in and oh god it is gross! The mixture is garlic, lemon and ginger, I will post about it if it is successful but at the moment I am not so sure! 

I am also switching up all cardio to be fast paced, HIIT interval training, with an endurance session on a Saturday, I am using the treadmill for up hill sprints, skipping rope and kettlebell swings to get the heart rate up and the body really working. 

Have a lovely, content Sunday and wonderful week ahead!

 

Eating out - to cheat or not to cheat!

Going out for dinner is one of my favourite things, good food is also one of my favourite things so when I go out for dinner I like to make the most of it! 

I used to use it as an excuse to eat loads of food, feel stuffed and basically crappy. 

Now I use it to eat good food, enjoy what I am eating - maybe have a small treat but know my limits. I am on a no cheat meal at the moment because of holiday so when I go out I choose the healthier options when I am eating out such as salads, a starter or a dessert - not both - and go from there.

Usually I would make this my cheat meal of the week so I would choose a burger with a bun or have a sweet instead of a starter. 

I have been out for dinner a lot lately with birthdays, evenings out etc I have tried to stay on track and opting for meals with side salads, no chips, and no desserts.

When I went out for my boyfriends birthday I chose the vegetarian option of a spring roll with sundried tomato, ratatouille and side salad and it was amazing! With a started of bread and houmas it was one of the most delicious meals I had eaten in ages, drinking water and a small amount of alchol I left the restaurant feel full, satisfied and did not touch a chip! 

I like opting for healthy foods not because I have to but because I want to! I don't like feeling overly stuffed and like I cant move for a few hours - I save those for my once every six months epic pizza cheat, when I am at home in my pjs - it was nice to enjoy my meal and still feel like I am on track to my goal! 

It is true that you don't have to be strict all the time and that once meal won't mess up your hard work but there are certain sacrifices you have to make to ensure you stay on track and meet your goal - if I have to give up chips and chocolate etc everyday then so be it because I have been working hard for so many years to get into shape and honestly I want abs god dammit!! 

Spicy Salsa Chicken

Sometimes you need a little spice in your life and food is a good way to do it! 

This spicy salsa chicken is a perfect light summers meal that can be made as mild or as spicy as you like! 

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

• chicken breasts x4 
• Red pepper x2
• Spring Onion x5
• Mushrooms
• Chorizo
• Salsa sauce 
• Chopped tomatoes x1 tin 
• Nandos mild sauce 

Prep time - 10 minutes, cooking time - 30 minutes

• Chopped all veg into chunks and put into a pan with some cooking oil 
• Whilst the vegetables are cooking dice the chicken into chucks 
• Add the chicken to the mixture and cook through
• Once the chicken has cook through add in the chorizo and continue to stir until everything is cooked
• Add in the chopped tomatoes and salsa, stir the sauce into the meat and vegetables 
• Add in a few drops of Nandos sauce and stir into the mixture 
• Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavours to soak into the chicken 
• Serve with either pasta or rice 

It is a really simple recipe but so tasty and ideal for lunches or dinner. 

I have started cooking in bulk to this actually served as dinner and 2 lunches for me last week! 

The beauty of this meal is that it is versatile so you can add in different spices and favours depending on how hot or mild you like it! 

 

Homemade Pizza

So I am a massive pizza fan - huge - we all saw the Dominos picture I am sure, but I was intregued to try making my own pizza, trying to opt for a healthier (sort of) version of my favourite food!

So here is the recipe for homemade pizza - it was so good I actually forgot to take a picture until I had eaten it...

Ingreadiants

• Pizza base - I bought a gluten and wheat free base from sainsburys 
• Cheese
• Tomato puree
• Toppings of your choice - I had chicken, chorizo and peppers

Prep time 10 mins cooking time 15-20mins

• spread tomato puree onto the base of the pizza evenly
• grate the cheese and put on to the base 
• place your toppings on
• put into a pre heated oven and make sure it is cooked through 
• enjoy! 

Like I said it isn't super healthy or calorie free but it is tasty and if your looking for a less fatty, calorie intense experience with pizza this is what I would recommend!

Chicken Kebabs

Summer is round the corner, and my appetite is changing, less of the Sunday roasts and winter comfort food and more of the light, fresh foods.

So this weeks recipe is homemade chicken kebabs - really easy and So tasty! 

Ingredients:

• Chicken - ready diced x 2 packs 
• 4 peppers

For the marinade

• Honey
• Garlic salt
• Soy sauce 

Prep time 30 mins

• Mix the honey, soy sauce and garlic salt into a tupperware box, make a good amount of marinade sauce to ensure you cover the chicken
• Put the diced chicken into the marinade, put the lid on the tub and shake well
• Leave for 30 mins in the fridge
• Cut the peppers into chunks 
• Once the chicken has been left in the marinade for 30mins or more take out of the fridge
• Put the chicken and peppers on the skewers
• Place under a grill and turn them over every 10 mins to ensure the kebabs cook through 
• Serve on a plate with coleslaw, potato salad and some fresh veg - we chose cucumber and carrots, along with greek dips

It is the perfect summer evening meal - it can be cooked on the grill or on a BBQ, and it is healthy and clean as well! 

To mix it up a bit you can add on prawns, chorizo or onions for some variety!

Looking for exercise tips, advice or have your questions answered? 

Email us at sweatstretchlift@gmail.com 

Why cheat meals should be less of a taboo!

So last night I totally cheated on my diet and I regret nothing. 

I don't really like the word 'cheat' meal as it implies that you are doing something wrong when you really aren't!

I prefer the term 'treat' as this seems alot nicer, and less like you are doing something wrong and naughty! 

Now i havent been on a strict clean eating diet before so the concept of waiting and basically planning a treat day was new to me! 

I have been doing it in 6 week periods - I train hard, eat clean, admittedly with a few carbs and chocolates thrown in... hey I am human after all!

So my last two cheat or treat meals were pizza. I LOVE pizza, it is my favourite food and if I had to pick a last meal it would be 2 pizzas - one from Dominos the other from a kebab house. 

Once I have had the pizza and knocked the craving on the head I feel satisfied and content - knowing that I will be back in the gym the after but also that I have let my body have what it wanted rather than denying myself the food and making myself quite miserable.

So why is a cheat meal every once and while ideal for you?

Well like I said mentally you feel better for not denying yourself of anything 

Planning the meal will make it less likely to turn into a binge

It will boost the metabolism running whilst on the diet 

Choose wisely - I would pick a meal over a snack because you are more likely to be satified by the meal rather than just a snack

Some people recommend once a week for a cheat like your rest day, others say 2-3 times a week, I would say its up to you. 

My next cheat meal will probably be holiday! I am on full ab mission now so wont be eating that pizza for a while now!!

Let me know what your cheat meal, might give me a few ideas!

Egg Muffins

The love affair with eggs continues - today I am all about the egg muffins.

This one is basically an omelette in the shape of a muffin and it is delicious! It is also one of those recipes where you can pretty much use any ingredient and it will taste good... well within reason! 
But if you ever have veg left over or pieces of meat this is a good chance to use them up! 

So grab the left over veg and lets begin! 

Prep time - 10 mins 

• cut up the veg into smaller pieces 
• depending on how many you want to make depends on how many eggs you use - for the sake of the recipe we are using 6 
• crack the eggs into a bowl and scramble them then pour in the vegetable mix and stir
• once everything is mixed together pour the mixture into the muffin tray much like you would baking a cake
• place into a pre heated oven - gas mark 6 for 20 mins 
• checked they are cooked through and enjoy!

I tend to have these as a lunch so have only eaten these on their own or with toast. If you are looking to have these with dinner I would suggest salad, potato - sweet, jacket or new!

Another variety is lining the muffin tray with bacon, pre cooking for 5 mins and then adding the mixture! Yum! 

Looking for exercise tips, advice or have your questions answered? 

Email us at sweatstretchlift@gmail.com  

Veggie Egg Mess

There isn't really anything else to call this meal - originally it was going to be an omelette but in my true style when I flipped the omelette it went slightly wrong and well it became the veggie egg mess!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• grated cheese - 1 small handful
• 1 pepper
• 6 spring onions 
• diced chorizo

Prep time 10 mins 

• cut the pepper and the spring onions up
• put them in a pre heated pan with some oil 
• fry the veg until it is brown 
• add the chorizo and cook until brown
• scramble 2 eggs with the grated cheese 
• pour the eggs and cheese into the frying pan and stir into the veg and chorizo until the eggs are fully cooked
• serve with some bread or salad 

I find this meal to be a perfect post workout meal or a light dinner.

Looking for exercise tips, advice or have your questions answered? 

Email us at sweatstretchlift@gmail.com

Burgers

Home made Burgers – makes 6 burgers

Ingredients

·      Minced Beef – large packet

·      Half an onion

·      1 clove of garlic

·      1 egg

Prep time 1hr - 1hr 15mins

Cook time: 20mins

·      Cut the onion in to small pieces along with the clove of garlic.

·      Add them to a large dish along with the minced beef.

·      Mixed up the onion and the garlic into the beef

·      Crack an egg onto the mixture and massage the egg in.

·      Once everything is mix together, take a handful to make the burgers

·      Out of this mixture you should be able to make 6 depending on how big you make them, for more burgers, just add more meat!

·      Once you have made your burgers, put them in the fridge and leave to set for 45 mins to an hour

·      Once they are ready place under the grill to cook

Serve with grated cheese on top (melt for extra tastiness!) buns and gherkins!

These are just my personal tastes though, I would love to know how you serve yours!

 

 

Looking for exercise tips, advice or have your questions answered? 

Email us at sweatstretchlift@gmail.com

Spicy tuna with vegetables

Ingredients – serves 3

·      Tinned tuna x 2

·      Red peppers x2

·      Red or white onion x1

·      Tin of chopped tomatoes x1

·      Diced pancetta or chorizo

·      Nandos sauce – few drops for some extra flavour

·      Risotto

Prep time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 15 minutes

·      Cut the peppers and onions and put into a pan with a small amount of oil in.

·      Whilst the vegetables are cooking, prepare the water to boil for the risotto

·      Once the vegetables are browned, add in the two tins of tuna along with either the chorizo or pancetta for some variation of flavour

·      Let the meat and fish brown

·      Add the chopped tomatoes in along with some Nandos sauce – spice level depending on how hot you like it

·      Allow the meal to simmer whilst the risotto is cooking

·      Keep stirring to allow it to cook through.

·      Once the risotto is ready, drain the water and pour the risotto into the pan with the tuna and vegetables

·      Stir in the risotto, letting it soak in the flavours

·      Once ready dish up and serve with salad or some cheese melted on top!