Thursdays Thriller! 17/07/2014 Hot & bothered, faking it, indoor skiing and an awesome guest blog!

Times of India

Okay, so I usually post the blog in the morning but to be honest it's been sooooo wonderfully hot today I couldn't face being stuck over a hot laptop in my office. I decided it would be much better to do the finishing touches in the evening once it cooled down a little. Now I don't know about where you are but it's still really hot here even at this time! If you haven't been lucky enough to have the awesome temperatures that are going on down here, at least you can sleep comfortably at night!

Are you good at faking it?!!!!!!!
Cook your own weekend "Fake Away"!

Weekends are great for socializing and eating. Whats great is that you don't have to eat like an unhealthy couch potato to still enjoy yourself. In fact you can eat well, save money and cook for your friends and impress them! Its really tempting to pick up the menu form the local delivery fast "food" outlet, but you know by the time you have all attempted to decide what to order, made the call and waited for the food to arrive, you could be cooking up the best fake away ever! (Oh and it will cost under £5 to feed four people).

I love this recipe from the Canadian Living website. Its a real fave among friends and of course you can swap the veg around etc.It also comes in at an awesome 239 calories per serving! your average takeaway is going to be closer to a 1000!

Spicy Tofu with Green Beans

Ingredients

• 1 pkg extra-firm tofu, cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) corn flour or kuzu
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced (light and dark green parts separated)
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) minced fresh ginger
• 1/3 tsp (1 ml) hot chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) tomato paste
• 450 g green beans, trimmed (about 6 cups)
• 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) hoisin sauce
• 2 tsp (10 ml) sodium-reduced soy sauce

Method

Gently toss tofu with cornstarch to coat. In wok, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry tofu, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Drain all but 2 tsp oil from wok. Add garlic, light green parts of green onions, ginger and hot pepper flakes; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add tomato paste; stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add green beans, broth, 1/4 cup water, hoisin sauce and soy sauce; stir-fry until green beans are tender-crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tofu and green parts of green onions; stir-fry until coated and heated through, about 1 minute.

Notes: This is delicious served with fluffy brown basmati rice with just a dash, and I mean a couple of pin pricks, of sesame oil swirled through it.

Try swapping the green beans with aubergine or pak choi.

Weekend Wanders and move more chill a bit less - a great combo!

Carrying on with ideas to do at the weekend whilst improving fitness as a really nice bonus this I thought some of you might want to cool down form the heat! So lets go dry slope skiing!

So you think 'a crazy idea? Well read on a minute before you dismiss the idea completely.

There are indoor slopes all over the country which makes it a highly accessible activity. These centres are suitable for beginners and advanced skiers alike. Its miles cheaper to ski indoors than many activities and its great for your m ind and body! people who spend an average day skiing burn around 3000 calories off per day, your entire body will tone up as skiing is just the best all around work out, it boosts your immunity, can help to relieve depression and improve your cardio vascular health to boot! Oh talking about boots, if you are going to tell me you cant try this because you don't have any kit, that's fine - the centres all hire kit for really reasonable rates.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Life is for living not existing, so go out and try something new! If its not for you then hey, you dont have to go again.

Suggestion: why not get a bunch of friends together and book a day at the slopes?

To find out where your local centre is click here . This will take you to a comprehensive UK wide list.

This Week's Super Awesome Guest Blog - Yay!

I have known Claire's husband for more years than I can care to remember - we were friends at school! Claire shares my passion for healthy living and is what I would describe as a "real woman" i.e. she knows what it feels like to be a yo-yo dieter and not always having the will to get moving and exercising. Together Claire and her husband Graham, ( an Iron Man athlete these days , dontcha know!), have turned their lives around. I asked Claire what three key things she felt a woman could do to achieve a healthier life. Luckily for me she agreed to write for the blog!
Claire and Graham are 99% vegan, however because we know some people are still trying to switch over to vegetarian/vegan diets for their health she has talked about dairy foods.

So...................... without further ado, here is Claire's article, enjoy.

The Three Best Things a Woman Can Do For a Healthier Life.

by

Claire Smedley

(ok, Claire is a really beautiful woman but the blog refuses to show her photo - damned technology!)

I believe these three things are fundamental to achieving your personal wellness goals and the following is exactly what I discuss with every new client who comes to me with a goal of wanting to improve their diet, health & lifestyle in some way; whether it be more energy, to obtain & maintain a healthy weight or improving their sports performance.

So, firstly, why do we need better nutrition solutions?

On the whole, we have increasingly poor nutrition and diet and this combined with other modern lifestyle factors such as stress and pollution could increase the risks of a variety of health problems.

So how did this happen?

In a nutshell, modern life! The increase of technology and packaged foods, our dependence on motor transportation rather than walking, our sedentary lifestyles and our busy schedules that leave us little time for exercise and to prepare healthy meals has led to an increase in weight gain across populations, which in turn may lead to the development of problems in later years.

Today, many of us are not getting what experts consider essentials for optimal wellness in terms of diet, exercise or lifestyle habits. Poor nutrition choices can lead to increased health risks including:

• Weakened immune system, leading to more frequent infections

• Weak bones

• Weakened muscles and poor skin tone, leading to premature aging

• Becoming overweight can lead to serious health conditions

Ensuring your body gets good nutrition can help to keep many health risks at bay and the three main things you can do to improve your nutrition levels and health are:

1. Balance your diet

You need to get enough of the right foods including colourful fruits and vegetables, protein, good carbohydrates and just enough good fats for the taste you want. You may also wish to consider vitamins, minerals and fibre from dietary supplements to provide the nutrition that may be missing from your diet that your cells need to maintain good health.

2. Exercise regularly

Regular exercise helps you look and feel your best. Exercise conditions your heart, relieves stress and makes it easier to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

3. Drink plenty of water

Your body is about two-thirds water. In an average day, you lose at least one pint of water even without excessive sweating. To feel your best, you should drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, more if you are exercising.

1. Balance your diet

This really is the crucial element of the three – you cannot out-exercise a bad diet, so getting this correct will make the biggest difference to your future health & wellness.

• The power of protein:

Protein is important for helping to build and maintain lean muscle mass. . Limit high-fat protein foods such as full-fat cheeses, high fat cuts of red meats, sausages and full-fat dairy products. Protein should make up approximately 30% of your daily diet. It’s also important to ensure you eat an adequate amount of protein relative to your own body – roughly 0.7 grams per 1lb of body weight, which must be spread throughout the day in each meal & snack, as the body can only breakdown and utilise about 30g at a time.

• Good Grains:

Wherever possible choose whole grain, complex carbohydrates over sugary, starchy ones. Whole grains are made up of an outer shell of fibre, an inner portion rich in starch and a germ centre rich in protein. Try to consume up to 3 servings per day of whole grain products such as 100% whole grain breads and pasta, brown rice and cereals such as rolled oats and shredded wheat. These supply more vitamins, minerals and fibre than refined grain products. You should get 25 grams of fibre per day from a combination of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Getting enough fibre is crucial for bowel regularity and normal colonic function.

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

• Good fats:

Healthy fats that naturally occur in nuts, avocados and olive oil are some of the healthiest fats you can consume. Ocean-caught fish also provides healthy fats, (Omega 3) that may help to maintain a healthy heart when eaten three to four times per week as part of a healthy balanced diet. Good fats are also needed for the normal development and functioning of the brain. Deficiency of essential fatty acids can lead to an impaired ability to learn and recall information.

Butter, margarine, oils, mayonnaise and foods rich in fats such as salad dressings, sauces and gravies should be limited. Add just enough for taste, rather than completely covering food. A few nuts or some slices of avocado can add a lot of flavour to vegetables or salads with less fat than rich sauces or dressings.

• Dairy products:

Milk protein is a high-quality protein that can be helpful in balancing your diet for optimum wellness. If you are sensitive to the milk sugar lactose, you can find lactose-reduced dairy products. You can also substitute for soy products without losing any key nutrients. Look for low-fat and non-fat dairy products and stay away from full-fat dairy products. Dairy products also tend to be high in calcium and vitamin D.

Calcium is needed for muscular growth and contraction and for the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth.

Lack of vitamin D is associated with an increased risk of a number of common aliments of aging.

• Vitamins, Minerals & Phytonutrients:

Vitamins, minerals and trace elements (or micronutrients) play a vital role in cell function and are essential for our growth, development and overall health.

• Vitamins cannot be made by the body in sufficient amounts so must be obtained from a varied diet. There are 13 vitamins we must obtain from food to assist the growth and repair of skin, bone, muscle and many other body processes.
• Minerals and trace elements are essential for the maintenance and control of many body functions, including the production of enzymes and hormones. There are 16 minerals that we need in order to keep us healthy.
• Antioxidants are substances that can help protect our cells from the effects of free radicals. These are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, and also from environmental damage such as pollution, smoking and some chemicals. Free radicals can negatively affect our health.
• Phytonutrients are plant-based nutrients which give fruits and vegetables their colours. It’s important to consume a variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables each day to benefit from their nutritional properties. To get the most benefit out of your 5-a-day, your five portions should include a variety of fruit and vegetables because different fruits and vegetables contain different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Basically try to include fruits & vegetables daily from a mix of the colour groups, some examples of which are:

• Orange-yellow: Oranges, tangerines, peaches, papayas, nectarines
• Orange: Carrots, mangos, apricots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes
• Red: Tomatoes and tomato products, pink grapefruit, watermelon
• Green: Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, bok choy
• Red-purple: Red grapes, plums, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries
• Yellow-green: Spinach, avocado, honeydew melon,
• Yellow: corn, green peas
• White-green: Garlic, chives, onions, celery, leeks, asparagus

Getting the right nutrients:

There are many types of vitamins, minerals and other types of nutrients that can be used to achieve excellent personal nutrition. The chart can help you identify some of the key vitamins and minerals that you could benefit from or those that you may not be getting enough of in your diet.

Vitamin/Mineral	Contributes to:	Food Sources
Vitamin A/Beta-carotene	Normal vision, skin, immune function	Spinach, leafy green vegetables, carrots, broccoli, apricots, milk and breakfast cereals
Vitamin D	Bone health	Milk and breakfast cereals, salmon, sardines
Vitamin E	Protects cells from oxidative stress	Vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, cereals
Vitamin K	Contributes to normal blood clotting	Green vegetables, milk
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin)	Helps release energy from foods; healthy nervous system	Whole and enriched grain products, dried beans, meats
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin)	Helps release energy from foods	Milk, mushrooms, spinach, whole grains
Vitamin B-3 (Niacin)	Helps release energy from foods	Mushrooms, bran, fish, chicken, beef, peanuts, enriched grains
Vitamin B-6	Helps body to process proteins; healthy nervous system	Meats, fish, poultry, spinach, broccoli, bananas, sunflower seeds
Folic Acid	Normal blood formation and cell division	Green leafy vegetables, orange juice
Vitamin B-12	Healthy nervous system	Animal foods (not naturally in plants), cereals and other fortified foods
Vitamin C	Collagen formation for normal bones and cartilage	Citrus fruits, strawberries, green leafy vegetables, peppers, tomatoes, kiwi fruit
Potassium	Healthy nervous system	Spinach, squash, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, melons, dried beans, milk, whole grains
Calcium	Healthy nervous system; healthy bones and teeth	Milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, leafy vegetables and some fortified foods (such as orange juice)
Copper	Normal immune and nervous system	Beans, nuts, whole grains
Iron	Normal red blood cells and immune system	Meats, seafood, whole grains, broccoli, peas, bran
Magnesium	Normals muscle and nervous system function	Wheat bran, green vegetables, nuts, chocolate, beans
Selenium	Helps protect cells from oxidative stress	Meats, eggs, fish, whole grains
Zinc	Normal hair and nails	Seafood, meats, greens, whole grains

Given today’s busy schedules, unfortunately, it’s not always possible for us to get the right balance of all the nutrients we need from our daily diet. Supplements may help to ensure that you receive the essential vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients. Taking a good quality multivitamin daily is a great way to make sure you receive the minimum amounts of a variety of nutrients. It’s also an excellent foundation on which to build a personalised supplementation programme.

2. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise is vital for good health and wellness. Exercise has many health benefits including managing your weight, maintaining strong bones and muscles and helping to reduce stress. It can also help your digestive system function much better; therefore enabling your body to make the best use of the nutrition you are taking in.

Physical activity can be divided into two types:

• Aerobic exercise involves large muscle movements over a sustained period of time and includes activities such as:

• Running

• Fast walking

• Aerobic exercise classes

When you make aerobic activity a part of your regular routine, your heart and cardiovascular system become much healthier. In addition, your mood improves, because exercise relieves stress and tension.

• Anaerobic exercise builds new muscle and includes activities like:

• Lifting weights

• Resistance training

Only 20 minutes of anaerobic exercise per day can make a dramatic change in your body’s shape and condition. Muscle mass helps protect bone mass, which is especially important for women.

Powering your muscles:

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you can burn – even when you’re not exercising!

• Each pound of lean body mass burns about 14 calories a day

• Each pound of fat tissue burns about 2 calories a day

The rate at which you burn calories depends on your resting metabolic rate, or it is often referred to as your ‘metabolism’. Increasing your metabolism through exercise makes the process of maintaining weight easier.

Building lean muscle mass through exercise can help to reshape your body in the way you choose.

Consuming low-fat protein daily can help you build lean muscle mass. Without adequate protein intake, your body will take protein from existing muscle. Eating protein after each workout will help your muscles repair and recover.,

Examples of moderate amounts of physical activity to integrate into your daily life:

Common Chores	Sporting Activities
Washing and waxing a car for 45‑60 minutes	Playing volleyball for 45‑60 minutes
Washing windows or floors for 45‑60 minutes	Playing football leisurely for 45 minutes
Gardening for 30‑45 minutes	Walking 1.75 miles in 35 minutes (20 min/mile)
Raking leaves for 30 minutes	Bicycling 5 miles in 30 minutes
Walking 2 miles in 30 minutes (15 min/mile)	Dancing fast for 30 minutes
Shovelling snow or digging for 15 minutes	Swimming laps for 20 minutes
Stair walking for 15 minutes	Running 1.5 miles in 15 minutes

Less Vigorous,

Did you

Getting started:

If you haven’t exercised before, or have been out of shape for a while, the key is to start slowly, and work your way to longer, more active workouts. Over training or doing too much, too soon can lead to strains and injury. When you’re limited for time or not a fan of the gym:

• Try parking your car further away from your workplace and get a brisk walk in each day
• Take the stairs, not the lift
• You can count the exercise you get which is a normal part of your day e.g. gardening or chores around the home.
• Join a local sports team or group fitness class – exercising with others makes it more fun and you forget you’re doing it.

The key is to find the exercise that fits best into your lifestyle and make sure you have fun!

3. Drink Plenty of Water

Next to air, water is the element most necessary for survival. Your body is made up of approximately 60% water. Drinking plenty of water is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight and a nutritious diet. Water plays an essential role in helping your body process nutrients, maintain normal circulation and keep the proper balance of fluids.

Most of the chemical reactions that happen in our cells need water and we also need water to enable our blood to carry nutrients around the body.

You will lose at least 1.7 litres of water each day through the normal living functions of the body – eating/digestion, breathing, perspiring, going to the toilet etc.

Low water intake can result in the body being in a constant state of mild dehydration which can lead to:

• Migraines
• Constipation
• Muscular cramps
• Blood pressure increase
• Kidney problems
• Dry skin / dry mouth

So how Much Water is Enough?

As a general guideline, try to drink 2 litres of water a day and then when you exercise, you’ll need to drink more to replace water lost through sweat. Try keeping a sports bottle with you to help you stay hydrated while you exercise. If you are unable to sip a drink during exercise, drink at least 2 glasses after every 30 minutes of workout to replenish your fluids.

You can usually trust your sense of thirst to let you know when you need to drink. Your sense of thirst, combined with

simply paying attention to how many glasses of water you’ve had in a day can help you to keep your body hydrated.

Because of their calorie content, soft drinks and fruit juice are not good choices for replacing lost fluids if you are trying

to lose fat or manage your weight. Try adding just a splash of fruit juice or a slice of lemon or lime to a glass of water if

you don’t like the taste of plain water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what should you do now?

Steps you can take to achieve optimum health:

• Define your wellness goals – fat loss, increased energy, better fitness etc

• If possible have an evaluation of your current nutrition & lifestyle to identify key areas you need to change.

• Make a plan of action that you can commit to long term.

• Get on-going support to stay on track to a healthier future.

“The goal of having great nutrition and achieving optimum wellness is simple: to live healthier and feel better every day.”

Claire Smedley is a qualified Diet & Nutrition Advisor (SAC Dip Diet & Nutrition), Wellness Coach and Herbalife Independent Distributor. Previously overweight, unhealthy & a yo-yo dieter she was able to make the changes necessary to achieve her own healthy active lifestyle, and has spent the 12 years since that change helping others achieve their own wellness & nutrition goals through nutritional education, coaching and the Herbalife nutritional products. She works alongside her husband Graham, also previously overweight and unhealthy , now an ultra-endurance athlete.

More information can be found at: www.smedley-wellness.co.uk


Motivation Central

We all know how it feels, some days we bounce out of bed and some days we want to hide from the world. I have found that its the days when I don't feel so inclined to eat well and go down the gym that I actually do the best workouts and feel proud of myself. You know how it goes - you feel crap so you do nothing all day but sabotage your hard work - one thing is for certain you don't feel happier because you caved in! Someone once said to me that just because you drop your i-phone on the floor  and lightly scratch it doesn't mean you are going to stamp on it and break it, so why do that to yourself?
If you feel good 30% of the time you will only get 30% of the results you could have had.
No matter how you feel take my word for it getting yourself moving will lift your spirits no end and make you want to eat healthily too.
                                                                        YOU CAN DO IT! 

Coming on Monday

* Are you the blog comp winner? the winner is announced.
* H is for....
* Monday Munchies Recipe
* Myth Busting
* Plus loads more!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend wherever you are and whatever you are doing..............
As always, much love
Janie xxxxxx

Here to support your healthy lifestyle..