Comments and followers are welcome




Sunday 30 January 2011

Shake away baby!

Well a few weeks ago i disscussed protein shakes, their pros their cons and the fact that i would not normally endorse their use certainly not as a means to loose weight! i will always say that the best way to stay trim and healthy is to ensure that you get plenty of fresh fruit veg and grains and try to steer away from anything too processed or white (unless its coconut).
However a few weeks ago i found myself wth a couple of extra pounds on from the christmas festivities... not only this but dispite the regular excercise i was doing ... these particular couple of pounds were of the stubbourn sort and refused to move.....why you ask? well as i said before 5 out of 7 days a week i do not get home before 8.30pm (earliest), im often on the run from one job to the next which means i miss the normal tea time and get home at 9/10pm feeling ravinous.... this led to the inner Fat me craving carbs/pasta/bread/cheese etc etc.... all the bulk foods to try to fill me up.. and this really is not good eating for that time of night.
So dispite my concerns i decided that pure protein shakes may be able to give me that early evening fuel and stave off the hungry mairi in the evening .........

so how is it going you may ask...... well actually it is helping, ive shed those stubourn pounds, i feel i have more energy teaching my classes in the evening, and im not ravenous when i get home so all in all things are going quite well. The only problem i have found is if i have a shake (just with water) too close to a very heavy cardio session it can make me feel a little unwell but other than that its ok.

Im still on the NRG shake my friend gave me, and trying to have a look at other shakes more specific to women and when i move on to my next batch i will let you know what i choose.

Again Protein shakes are not a meal replacement and should not be used as such, but they are handy for giving you easy fuel whilst on the hop....... Plus add some fruit and youve got a great replenishing smoothie.

Sunday 23 January 2011

wheelie wheelie fun....

just a short one today.... but again following along the lines that you dont have to go to the gym to get some excercise.
Last year for xmas i bought my best mate shaun a segway rally day for two.... i thought it was a good idea at the time :-)

so off we headed to staffordshire, where we met Dan and DanO.... who begain to run us through segway.... and got us to sign our lives away so that if we damage the machines or ourselves we are liable!
Next we were kitted out in an exoskeleton...... at least we were well protected, and handed helmets... everyone else gets handed a nice black normal helmet... what do i get???? a bright pink on which was slightly too small so sat right on the top of my head... DanO said it was fine though as long as it took away the impact ..Great i thought... i look like an idiot but im protected from brain damage.

once kitted head to toe we were then taken through the basics of how to get on and off a segway by Dan and DanO.... simple you would think but actually far more challenging then first thought.... essentially segways work by feeling where you put your weight... in your toes and you go forward, in your heels and you head backwards, i slight pressure on the handle bars to go left right and pirouet!

so on we get and after a slightly wobbly start we very quickly (and suprisingly for me as lack balance or coordination skills) got used to the movement and soon we headed off to the woods to have a ralley round...this is where shaun decided he was going to massacre a few cones despite Dan and DanO's warnings that we were to avoid them as they signelled hazards....  shauns killing spree held no bounds.... through fits of giggles me and shaun are soon razzing up and down and thoroughly enjoying ourselfs.... it was all over far too quickly we were out for an hour and you could feel it a little in your legs but it was great fun.

so far so good 2011.... keeping active and fit is not all about pounding the treadmill or the tarmac but just as much about getting out off the sofa and having fun xxx






Sunday 16 January 2011

Shake it up baby!

So im sure many of you out there are now well into your post christmas detox, maybe its your first attempt taking on the war against the flab (if so go you :-) !!!), or maybe your a regular excerciser just trying to shed the christmas excess (weve all done it). which ever you are we all know the january blitz comes with its own challenges, from that inability to convince your body to get up on the dark dismal mornings, to getting back into a gym routine when all you want to do is snuggle up inside with a coffee and whats left of the christmas chocolates.
Many of us are now back at work and for some that will bring its own challenges, long hours, relentless sales, battling with budgets etc etc.
Some of the best advice i can give is to have a routine set in your head, know what you will be doing each day of the week and make sure you do it. Believe me the endorphins released from excersise will more than make up for those winter blues.

My main problem is finding time to eat, now i always have a healthy breakfast, this is a must and i never miss it, however lunch and dinner can be very late due to long hours. I pack all sorts of healthy things for my lunch and snacks at work. but when i get home either after working late or a late gym session (basically every day its one of those) i get home and im starving, the cold weather makes me reach for the carbs, and all beit there are only good carbs in my cuboards large amounts of them at 9/10pm are not good.

so as much as i hate to say it, im experimenting wth the world of protein and recovery shakes. My general rule of thumb is to get all the nutrients you need from fresh food, not packages or prossesed gunk, however as a previously seriously obese woman, my health comes first. if a couple of well placed protein shakes can stave off hunger and prevent fat mairi rearing her head and leading me into having a late night carb binge then im up for giving it a go.

My first challenge is finding a shake that works for me, the information out there is overwhelming, sites filled with "BUILD MUSCLE FAST/ LOSE WEIGHT/ TONE UP/ LEAN AND TONED/LOW CARB/ISOLUTE/GLUTAMINE/WHEY,SOY OR EGG/MICROFILTERED/CROSSINFUSED" blah blah blah

 but as a simple guide im looking for pure cold pressed natural protein, low in sugar fats and carbs that can be mixed just with water and tastes ok. As a women i also don't want the proteinper serving to be too high (im not looking to be arnie, or one of those women built like a brick .... well you get the idea).
currently im using NRG pure whey protein powder (purely as a friend gave me it for free to try) but i will be looking for a more tailored one for me later.
all i will say is dont focus on brand names as that is all you will be paying for, have a look around, check out the labels for the ingrediants and well give it a whirl.... or a shake as the case may be.

I have been using the shakes for a week now, just 1 or two a day either as a post excercise fuel, a early evening snack (when working late) or a late night meal replacer. and so far its working :-). im craving less, shedding a couple of those winter pounds and generally feeling a bit better about getting the fuel i need without compromising my health.

but hey protein shakes arent for everyone, and i wouldnt suggest them as a total meal replacer, or for those who do not excercise regularily. Good fresh food will always be better than a powder but i guess sometimes they do have their place.

Sunday 9 January 2011

Take a hike into 2011

Ok so i know its been a little while since i have been on here, but it is one of my new years resolutions to ensure i post at least once a week...... dont say i didnt warn you :-)
As with many of us i have decided that this year there are a few things i want to improve....

1. post every week to my blog - why? well i hope it will inspire and help others
2. Eat better.... you can always eat better :-) (and lets face it even the most angelic of us need a little detox after xmas)
3. work less..... lets face it having a full time job of 50+ hrs a week and a part time job of 10-15 hrs a week can take its toll.... even though i dont intend to drop either job i do intend to find more time for me
4. socialize more.....never let the fact your tired stop you getting out there
5. do something for me every sunday (this is my one quarenteed day off)
6. Train more.... yes i know im a PT but fitting training in when you work a 60-70 hr wk can be a little hit and miss

so with these i started this week to really make some of these happen.... i have been out every day, trained 5 times, met friends, and generaly enjoyed myself.

One of the best outcomes of this was a day hiking in the peaks with a good friend of my lightning (dont ask why). we headed out early in the morning to kinderlowemin the peaks, a fair hill, with a massive plateau on the top and some great views or so i was told.
bags packed, jackets on, and compus at the ready we began our climb. At first it was farly sedate and i was lulled into thinking we were going to have a nice gentle hill walk..... when round the corner the path began to be less of a path and more of a bolderous, craggy, muddy and icy scramble and i began to wonder what id let myself in for.

However not far up i was rewarded with the spectacular view of some massive icycles. after taking a few shots we continued the scramble, a few times i thought about the fact that not so long ago i would never have been able to climb this crag let alone the little hill walk at the start, yet here i was doing it with relative ease..... well when i wasnt trying to figure out how not to fall in the river over a particularily icy boulder.

soon we reached the top and i was met with an alien landscape.... we were up in the clouds, and believe me without a map and compas there was no way you would find your way along the peat plateau with its crazy boulders scattered everywhere like some giant had spilt his box of nerds :-)

i must admit i was glad to have Lightning as my map reading isnt up to scratch, but we had great fun clambering our way across the top, slipping over frozen rivers, attempting to get pictures of black grouse, and climbing boulders...

all too soon we were heading back down, however the route down was just as treacherous as the one up, and we had many giggles as either myself or lightnings arms were suddenly flung into the air, our mouths gasping random eeks as we desperatly tried to regain balance after the latest slip.

we managed to get down of the hill just before dark having spent about 5 hours climbing, walking, and generaly trekking.... it was an awesome day, and i tell you what i missed training that day but my legs didnt realise that i had :-)



so heres to a new year full of spontaneous days, treking adventures and generally living life to the max ...