What I Ate Wednesday #6

Happy Wednesday! Hope you are having a great day. What did you eat today? 

Throughout the day I consumed water and tea!

***Breakfast*** 

 5 medium oat pancakes drizzled with agave nectar.

***Snack*** 

Green smoothie. (recipe)

***Lunch***

Chicken and Veg soup. (store bought) 

***Dinner***

Roast potatoes with stuffed turkey, brussel sprouts, parsnips drizzled with gravy.

"No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop eating after one peanut." -Channing Pollock

When is the Best Time to Workout?

Honestly, it depends when your able to give it your all. After school/ work might be your best time, but it's not mine. I prefer to train in the morning because;

1. It wakes me up better than any coffee. 
2. It releases endorphins that make you happy, thus lifting your mood.
3. Sets my day to aim to eat healthy because of the earlier workout. 
4. It gives me a burst of energy that I can use to travel the world on a carpet, Aladdin style.

It's not to shame afternoon/evening workouts but it's proven that those who train in the morning are more likely to stick to that routine. One of my clients said "I love going to your bootcamp in the morning because when I come home I've got my workout done before 10am." 

How do I find time to workout in the morning? 

Go to sleep earlier, having sleeping problems? I reviewed an all natural night time tea. Sleep is where all the magic happens. It's when your muscles rebuild and restore itself. I recommend 8-9 hours daily. If you make time to train harder, your body will find time to feel and look great.

When do you workout best? 

"Just finished my morning workout, feels good to start the day off right" 

What I Ate Wednesday #4

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday, I really hope you enjoy these posts. What did you eat today?

I drank water and tea throughout the day!

***Breakfast***

Oatmeal with banana, chia seeds and peanut butter.

***Lunch***

Strawberry Smoothie.

***Pre-workout snack***

Two slices of brown soda bread with peanut butter and raisins.

***Post workout (dinner)***

Mash potatoes with stuffed turkey and carrots and parsnips.

***Workout of the day***

Gym work (leg day)

"Shipping is a terrible thing to do to veg, they probably get jet-lagged just like people" -Elizabeth Berry

Smoothie Sunday recipe #2

This is the time of year where the most road accidents occur, the days are shorter and it gets dark quite quickly. My sister is a great driver but her night time vision isn't great. I thought it would be a great idea to share this recipe with road drivers in particular. Carrots are high in beta carotene, our bodies process this into vitamin A which is good for eyesight especially night time vision.

 A lot of people consume carrots with their dinner in but in small quantities. This recipe will help to increase your carrot intake, improve your night time vision and possibly save lives! 

I shredded 2 carrots with a julienne peeler and I chopped up 2 apples.Add water, ice and honey to sweeten. 

Don't forget to thoroughly wash your fruit and veg especially if they aren't organic!

Carrots also prevent heart disease and help cleanse the body. Vitamin A assists the liver in flushing out the toxins from the body. It reduces the bile and fat in the liver. The fibres present in carrots help clean out the colon and hasten waste movement. This is why they are so popular in juice cleanses!


Go ahead and share this with a road driver! 

                      "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" - Michael Pollan

How to Stay Healthy During the Winter

A lot of people associate being fit and healthy around Summer time. Taking care of your body during winter ensures you get a head-start on the best body ever! 

1. Set mini goals. "We don't get what we want because we don't know what we want" It's the little goals that make a big difference. Write down what you want, when you want it and why you want it. Always refer back to this!
2. Don't depend on the weather. There are plenty of effective free indoor workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home. It's only a YouTube search away. 
3. Try something new. Whether it be a new recipe or an additional workout eg. skipping. It's going to spice up the routine and get you pumped up. 
4. Don't settle. During winter it's cold and a lot of comfort foods are processed eg packaged soups. Try make things from scratch so you know what you're putting into your body. 
5. Increase your fibre. It increases your anti-inflammatory proteins. It helps fight off sickness as well as aids your digestive and immune system. For example whole grains, oats & chia seeds click here for the benefits.

"Summer bodies are made in Winter"

Healthy & Easy Lunch Recipes

Lunch is that time where I load up on all of the good carbs to keep me going for the rest of the day. It makes sense to more carbohydrates earlier on in the day rather than at dinner time right? 

Recipe #1 Courgette/Zucchini Pizza boats

  

• Preheat your oven to gas mark 5, get 1 washed courgette split in half, cut the ends off & scoop out a bit of the centre.
• Toppings: 1/4 cup of tomato puree,

1. Small handful of cooked chopped turkey
2. Chopped green beans
3. 1/4 of a sliced red bell pepper
4. 3 chopped cherry tomatoes
5. Small handful of chopped feta 
6. Light grated cheese.

• Spread on the puree, use the toppings and pinch of salt & pepper, don't forget the mixed herbs
• Place in oven for about 15-20 mins & TA DAH! 

This recipe was inspired by Nichola. She's a UK Dietitian who offers amazing health & fitness advice on Youtube and her website. 

Recipe #2 Scrambled Stuffed Sweet Potatoe

• Boil a washed sweet potato for 15 minutes on gas mark 5 (quickens the oven time)
• Place in oven on gas mark 5 for a further 15-20 mins.

Don't forget to flip half way!

2 eggs, washed handful of kale, small handful of purple diced onions, clove of  garlic, 4 chopped cherry tomatoes

Fry onions & garlic, followed by egg then SCRAMBLE for 5-6 mins (Gas mark 4)

• When sweet potatoe is soft on the inside, cut open with knife.
• Place scrambled eggs in the centre and add chopped cherry tomatoes. 

Courgette/Zucchini contains vitamins C and A, and folate which acts as powerful oxidative stress that can lead to many types of cancer.

Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin B6 which helps reduce the chemical homosysteine in our bodies. It has been linked with diseases ie. heart attacks. They are also a great source of magnesium which is the anti-stress and relaxation mineral.

"Man does not live by bread alone" -Moses

                                                                           -

What I Ate Wednesday

What I eat in a day varies whether I've got school or if I'm training etc. On this particular day I stayed at home. 

Breakfast;

Every morning I drink water before eating, it's important to hydrate your body after sleep. It also can boost your metabolism by 24%! Click here for a review on my favourite water bottle tracker. Today I had oatmeal with sliced bananas, desiccated coconut, chia seeds and almonds. 

Pre-workout;

Three multigrain rice cakes with peanut butter and chia seeds.

Post-workout;

Chocolate protein powder, banana and almond milk smoothie.

Lunch;

Chicken and ham salad (lemon & honey as dressing) sprinkled with chia seeds.

Dinner;

Brown rice with soy sauce, salmon and vegetables.

Drinks;

Throughout the day I consumed water and green tea.

What did you eat today? Did you enjoy this post? 

"I like food. I like eating. And I don't want to deprive myself of good food."
- Sarah Michelle Gellar

Run in the Dark

On the 12th of November me along with 7,100+ Dublin folks ran either a 5k or 10k run for Mark Pollock. Unbroken by blindness at 22, he competed in ultra endurance races across deserts, mountains, and the polar ice caps including an epic 2 month expedition race to the South Pole. He won silver and bronze rowing in the Commonwealth Games. In July 2010 the challenge chose Mark. A tragic fall left him paralysed. Now Mark is living his own lessons, a pioneer exploring the frontiers of spinal cord injury recovery. 

I did the 5k!

Last year he spoke at my school and was incredibly inspiring. I participated in the run last year and decided to do it again. I ran with my school over 400+ students and teachers. The best part about the Run in the Dark is the atmosphere. People from all different ages and abilities taking part in the same event. The run takes place in a lot of cities eg. Austin, San Diego, London, Paris, Los Angeles, Kong, Capetown, Dubai etc. Click here for Mark's appreciation. 

I strongly urge you to participate in any race near you. Doing independent exercise is quite hard to stay motivated but when you participate in events like this, you feel like you can conquer the world! The goody bag was great at the end too. I'm definitely looking into the Darkness into Light and The Colour Run. 

Mark also has a film called "Unbreakable". 

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett