The Dreaded Diet

Lets face it, dieting is hell! I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys dieting or, who doesn’t find it a real struggle (me included). So instead of being on & off a ridiculous regime, I have discovered a more attainable way to eat healthily, get great changes from your body, without going through the pain of a diet!

My first point, everyone responds differently to foods so my opinion in this blog is a generalisation however, you will get plenty of mileage from this advice.

So lets get started with the basics. You must first of all recognise what foods are causing you great damage. High sugars, high saturated fats and the biggest criminal of them all are trans or hydrogenated fats!

Look carefully on the back of the packet at what you’re eating and if the sugar content is high then remove it. If the saturated fat is high then also remove it, unless, its olive oil, coconut oil or butter. Some of these oils will clearly say no trans or hydrogenated fats. If they don’t, then find one. Unfortunately, with fats, there is no legal obligation for companies to display their use of trans or hydrogenation however, some companies take pride to advertise the fact they don’t, thus, these fats are safe to use.

 

Remaining vigilant on what high concentrations of sugars and fats are in your existing diet allows you to make better choices of the same things with fewer repercussions. So if you want chocolate, look for chocolate that is primarily made from cacao and cacao butter, The Naked cacao bars are a great substitute (don’t worry I’m not on commission) so give them a try.

If you want sugar in cooking or coffee then use Agave nectar, its completely natural, its 25% less sugar than normal sugar and its 50% sweeter so you don’t need as much. And it doesn’t contain any of the nasty industrial cleaning ingredients like aspartame, which, is found in most sweeteners.

Get rid of cooking sauces and start blending your own herbs and spices mixed with olive oil. You will be amazed at how great your own homemade blends can taste, even better than off-the-shelf pastes and sauces. A little experimentation is needed her but, trust me, by going on to you tube and looking how to make your own healthy pastes and sauces you will have gorgeous meals every day, and, you will be eating meals that are healthy for you.

If you want snacks then simply have a couple of pieces of your favourite fruit every day or a couple of rice cakes with peanut butter or almond butter and a tiny speck of Agave nectar, a delicious way to keep you going between meals.

  

Once you put this into practise you will notice a dramatic difference in your body regardless of your goals. Not to mention all the amazing health benefits for eating this way. You will no longer have to endure a diet again for the rest of your life but enjoy the great results some diets can produce.

So, if this has inspired you then go and get started today! And, also share this with all your friends and family. Pass on the good message of healthy eating the delicious way!

Keep healthy

Lewis

Running in winter

It’s nearly winter time guys! Which means for the runners it’s nearly time for the final races of the year.

When racing and working out at this time of year, the temperature is a concern for runners all over the country. Not only do many runners think running in the cold is bad for you, but it’s not an appealing thought to be standing on the starting line shivering in your spandex.

So I thought I’d give a brief run through of the effects of cold weather on your performance. 

1. You rely on carbohydrates more than fat and protein. Which means this will drain your energy quicker, this could mean trouble on a winter run.
2. Your lactate production is higher for a given intensity.
3. Your muscle contractions are less powerful. 

Higher lactate production, and less efficient muscle contractions are also problematic for shorter races. However these points can be controlled by wearing warm clothes and moderate activate like jogging. This means it is best to use a continuous workout rather than short bouts of exercise as once you cool down you will struggle to warm back up during a race or workout!

So our final conclusion about running in the cold is:

Running in the cold can impact your performance. However for those that still want to run we do have some helpful tips. 

1. It is important to stay warm before and during a workout or a race in the cold. Because it is much harder to bring it back up once it has dropped
2. Maintaining your carbohydrate and fluid intake levels are also important, as you’re more likely to “hit the wall” in training or in a long race during cold weather. 
3. Layering is always a good idea in the cold; it is easier to calibrate your optimal clothing level when you have several thinner layers versus one thick one.
4. For the cold and rainy runs, buy Latex gloves because its water proof. You can wear the latex gloves under or over your mittens. This will keep your hands dry.

• Wear tight clothing. Loose clothes will sag more and weight you down, plus you will feel more comfortable.
• Put Vaseline on exposed parts of your skin. Vaseline is water-resistant and it will help keep you warm if it’s windy.

So if you love to run and the cold weather isn’t going to stop you, then try these useful tips!

Sweat through the Stress

Hands up how many people get home after a stressful day at work and think; I just want to sit down with my chocolates and cuppa/wine and chill out?

You’re not likely going to think, I've had a very stressful day I know lets go do a workout to release this stress. Am I RIGHT?

WELL IT’S SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN THAT’S THE WAY YOU SHOULD THINK…

See your body wasn't made to sit down all day, it was made to exercise. So when you don’t exercise, your body is not working to its full potential.  Meaning the hormones and chemicals that need to be released in to your body are not being released... so therefore your stress levels are high and will stay high.

Whereas if you work out then your hormones and chemicals are being released so then your stress will start to disappear!

So don’t go to the Sugar and sweets or the cheeky drink, go to your gym or do your workout at home!

SWEAT YOUR STRESS OUT :)