“To achieve the highest accomplishments within the scope of our capabilities in all walks of life, we must constantly strive to acquire strong, healthy bodies and develop our minds to the limit of our ability”

- Joseph Pilates - Return to life through Contrology

Saturday, 25 October 2014

Day 5,6,7 of leg challenge

So I have slacked with posting what the other days are because I lost track of time with having lectures and classes and tonight I went to a good concert but I have stuck to actually doing the challenge :)

Tomorrow is the last day which I'm sad about because I have enjoyed doing the challenge.

Here are the missing days...

Day 5:

50 Prisoner Squats

Rest 10 seconds

20 Jumping Jacks (Cardio!!)

Rest 10 seconds

30 Inner thigh leg lifts (15 each leg)   

Rest 10 seconds

30 Forward Skaters (15 each leg)

Rest 10 seconds

25 Jumping Squats

Rest 10 seconds

20 Walking lunges (10 each leg)

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat this circuit 4 times

Day 6:

20 Straight Leg Deadlifts
Rest 10 seconds

20 Side Lunges (10 each leg)

Rest 10 seconds

30 Jumping Jacks

Rest 10 seconds

20 Step ups (10 each leg)

Rest 10 seconds

25 Prisoner Squats

Rest 10 seconds

12 Walking lunges (6 each leg)

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat circuit 4 times

Day 7:

30 Spartan Bows
Rest 10 seconds

30 Side Lunges (15 on each side)

Rest 10 seconds

20 Power Jumping Jacks

Rest 10 seconds

20 Straight leg deadlifts

Rest 10 seconds

15 Gengis Khan 

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat this circuit 4 times

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Day 2 of leg challenge done

Just finished day two of the leg challenge... A little late in the evening but I must say it has given me energy of note!!

So here is day 3 and 4:

Day 3:

50 Prisoner Squats (Squeeze your butt nice and tight at the bottom of the squat and flex your quads once your legs are straight)

Rest 10 seconds

20 Jumping Jacks (Cardio!!)

Rest 10 seconds

30 Inner thigh leg lifts (15 each leg)   

Rest 10 seconds

30 Forward Skaters (15 each leg)

Rest 10 seconds

25 Jumping Squats

Rest 10 seconds

20 Walking lunges (10 each leg)

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat this circuit 4 times

Day 4:

20 Straight Leg Deadlifts

Rest 10 seconds

20 Side Lunges (10 each leg)

Rest 10 seconds

30 Jumping Jacks

Rest 10 seconds

20 Step ups (10 each leg)

Rest 10 seconds

25 Prisoner Squats

Rest 10 seconds

12 Walking lunges (6 each leg)

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat circuit 4 times

Sunday, 19 October 2014

7 Day Leg Challenge

I decided to change my training program around a bit and do a 7 day leg challenge for a change. Change in a training program is very good. It also motivates you to keep going and not get bored of what you are doing.

So here is what I did today:

20 Straight leg dead lifts

Rest 10 seconds

20 Side lunges (10 on each side)

Rest 10 seconds

25 Prisoner Squats  (Remember to squeeze your gluteus at the bottom of the squat and flex your quads once your legs are straight)

Rest 10 seconds

20 Step ups (10 each leg)

Rest 10 seconds

40 Jumping Jacks (cardio is always a good idea)

Rest 10 seconds

12 Walking lunges (6 each leg)

Rest 30 seconds

Do 3 rounds of this circuit and then you are sorted.  You can add weights to everything you do to make it more of a challenge if it is too easy.



The List for tomorrow exercises are:

30 Spartan Bows (15 on each leg. You can hold onto a chair or foam roller if you cant balance. Stand on one leg and bent to touch the ground with 1 hand and come back up to standing...basically like a single leg bent leg deadlift)

Rest 10 seconds

30 Side Lunges (15 on each side)

Rest 10 seconds

20 Power Jumping Jacks (Like a normal jumping jack but you keep your legs bent the whole time)

Rest 10 seconds

20 Straight leg deadlifts

Rest 10 seconds

15 Gengis Khan (Start in a squat position and lower yourself into a plank and from the plank back into the squat position)

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat this circuit 4 times

Saturday, 6 September 2014

Energy Boosting coffee!!

This morning I was in need of one huge big energy boost so I decided to finally try some coconut oil in my coffee... DELICIOUS!!!

I made coffee like I normally do and put it into the blender and added a tablespoon of coconut oil. It was amazing...it went a bit lighter than usual, a bit thicker and had amazing froth on top.
It was so good that I made extra for my clients to taste before their kettle bells class.

Having coconut oil in your coffee instead of a meal before your workout is a good source of energy and it doesn't have to be before a workout... you can have it in the mornings to boost your energy and keep you feeling full for a little longer than usual.

Coconut oil has many other benefits other than giving you a nice big energy boost. Here are a few other benefits of coconut oil that is being unfolded at the moment:

  • Kills viruses
  • Kills bacteria
  • Kills fungus and yeast
  • Boosts energy and endurance
  • Improves insulin secretion
  • Kills tapeworms, lice and other parasites
  • Reduces cavities
  • Prevents obesity
  • Softens skin
  • Protects skin from the sun
  • Controls dandruff
  • Prevents wrinkles
  • Wednesday, 22 January 2014

    Grain Free 1 Cup Cake

    I Looooove grain free recipes but what I love more is when they are simple and easy to make!!
    I'm a huge fan of the 1 cup recipes because you put all the ingredients into a cup, mix it well and stick it into the microwave.

    I usually make a nice chocolate one but I don't always have bananas so today I tried a vanilla one. It spelt amazing...I'm not sure if it is the coconut flour that smells so good or the vanilla essence but I can for sure do with the kitchen smelling like that everyday!!

    They came out perfect and aren't a hassle to make at all!!

    The Recipe is:

    1 Tbs Coconut Flour
    1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
    a pinch of salt
    1 Tbs Honey
    1 Egg
    1 Tbs Butter
    1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

    Mix it all together in the cup...really mix nice and hard until it is smooth and creamy and pop into the microwave for 1min 45 seconds.

    I kept mine in the cup but it sits nice and loose in the cup so you can pop it out into a plate and decorate or you can decorate it inside the cup.

    I drizzled some cream over mine just for some extra taste and it was HEAVEN!!! It tasted like it was made in some Masterchef episode!! It isn't dry at all and you would never tell that there is no wheat flour inside!!

    You for sure need to try this out!!


    Sunday, 18 August 2013

    Cool Website

    I was on Pinterest looking at all the yummy recipes (food porn ;) ) and fitness pins and saw this cool site.

    You put in your details and it gives an idea of what you look like and then you place your goals in and it shows what you should look like after reaching your goals and you can also personalise it a bit by adding your hair colour and outfits and a few more other goodies!

    Here's the link:

    http://modelmydiet.com/women.html

    Monday, 15 July 2013

    Diet? No Diet? How about just eating healthy?

    The word diet is like saying Voldemorts name in Harry Potter... none of us want to hear the word but who says we have to follow a diet to lose weight and be healthy?? I say we just eat healthy and in my opinion that isn't very hard at all but maybe that is because I'm wheat and gluten intolerant but then again I do crave for yummy and delicious looking things like everyone else.

    Anyways... My new way of eating healthy is following a few of the Paleo diets guidelines... so I have cut out grains but I haven't gone full blown Paleo so I still have sugar, dairy and peanut butter but just by cutting out grains I have a ton more energy and I feel a lot healthier because I have far more energy. I would like to go complete Paleo but I believe in easing into things and not just jumping into the deep end.

    So if you would like to know a bit more about Paleo to try out and see what benefits it has for you here are some of the basic guidelines:

    Basically avoid grains, legumes, dairy, preservatives and refined sugars. Oh and processed food...if it has a nice long shelf life it is for sure a big no!
    You can have all kinds of meat, fish and seafood's, eggs, loads of veggies and fruit and then some nuts and seeds.

    So the Paleo diet I don't see as a diet, I see it as healthy eating and even though I don't do it properly I am feeling the benefits without a doubt.

    A yummy breakfast recipe to try is pancakes...actually they are more like flapjack goodies.

    Your ingredients are:
    1 Banana
    1 egg
    Pinch of salt

    If you want to make double the recipe then it is obviously 2 bananas, 2 eggs and pinch of salt.

    How to make it:
    Beat the egg and mash the banana and then add the salt and mix it well. You could actually even add some cinnamon.
    Use coconut oil for your frying and scoop out spoons into the pan and fry.

    These are super quick to make and they actually taste very good!!

    A definite MUST TRY!!

    Tuesday, 4 September 2012

    Banana Coconut Smoothie

    I have been sooooo addicted to coconut goodies lately and now I found this yummy coconut and banana smoothie recipe. It isn't on the healthy side the because it contains alcohol but it is pretty yummy and can be used for a dessert after a good lunch with friends.

    Ingredients:

    2 Ripe bananas, mashed
    4 oz coconut cream
    6oz rum
    4oz banana liqueur
    3 cups crushed ice

    Makes 4 servings

    To make it:

    Combine the bananas, coconut cream, rum, banana liqueur and ice in a blender.
    Blend until smooth and pour into glasses to serve.

    Sunday, 2 September 2012

    Pelvic curls


    Pelvic curls are one of the very basic pilates exercises and is very beneficial. To most people it does seem like a very simple exercise but if you look at the image below you will see that so many muscles get used performing a pelvic and it relaxes your spine and stretches it out for you.

    I like to use pelvic curls in all my classes because it is a nice spine and abs warming up but more because it stretches your hip flexors which is super important because if your hip flexors are tight you will have a tight lumbar spine. The other reason why I like it so much is because it is a good exercise to teach the right breathing and how to work into your deep abdominals to control your spinal movement.

    If you have a tight back give these a try....

    Lie onto the mat with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart. Imprint your spine onto the mat and place your pelvis into a neutral position and making sure there is no space between your back and the mat.Walk your hands down to your heels to ensure your shoulders are relaxed onto the ground.

    Keep your abs nice and tight.

    Inhale: To prepare
    Exhale: lower your ribs into your abs making one strong connection and squashing any gap between your back and the mat and roll your pelvis up until you form a nice straight line with your body. Remember you want to lift one vertebrae at a time so you are using your abs to roll up.
    Inhale: Pause
    Exhale: Roll all the way back onto the mat one vertebrae at a time with a nice tight tummy to control the movement down. You want your ribs to roll down first, then the middle of your back then your lower back all the way to a neutral pelvis.

    A neutral pelvis is when your hip bones arent higher than your pubic bone and arent lower than your pubic bone. 






    Friday, 17 August 2012

    Raw Chocolate pudding!!

    I have just finished making a Raw chocolate pudding!!! It is gluten free,dairy free tasty and all healthy...ok wait... there is quite a bit of honey in it BUT it is still healthier than what you would get out of an instant pudding mix box. 

    It is called a raw pudding because it's all natural ingredients and nothing from animals and that has been processed. It also does not get heated above certain temperatures because once food gets heated it loses all the good nutrients.

    My first raw pudding is in the fridge for 30 min and I'm dying for the 30 minutes to pass so I can eat it :):)

    Want to try it out?

    Here is the recipe...


    Raw Chocolate Pudding
    2 avocados, peeled 
    1 ripe banana, peeled
    1/4 cup raw honey
    3 tablespoons coconut oil in liquid form or filtered water
    1/3 cup raw cocoa powder
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/4 teaspoon sea salt


    Combine all the ingredients in a blender until it is well mixed and then put it all into a sealed container and straight into the fridge for 30 minutes. 

    After 30 minutes.... Enjoy the goodness of a healthy chocolate pudding!!!!


    Tuesday, 24 July 2012

    Weight,fat percentage,body water percentage..such a complicated thing!!

    I have been looking at scales and the one says you weigh this much and the other says you weigh this much but I never know which one is actually the accurate one. So now I have one of those really cool scales that you put your age and your height in and then it measures your weight, body fat percentage and your body water and out of all the things in my opinon I have found that measuring your body fat is actually the most accurate way to monitor your body. I have gone by the bmi calculations and even those aren't that accurate because they always say I'm under weight which is wrong because I'm on a normal weight and when i do the body fat calculations it is always accurate to what it should be. To test your body fat there is a few different ways but the two most used ones are with callipers which is hard because you have to keep going in to have it done and then the scale that I have. So now I'm going according to my fat percentage and my body water percentage.

    If you have one of these cool scales you should know that men should have between 15 - 18 percent body fat and a women between 20-25 percent and for body water men should have 55 percent and women 51 percent. Right now my body fat is slightly high but still in the range it should be in so now instead of working on weight loss I'll be working on fat loss.

    Oh just before you go out to buy one of these scales I just want to add that if you do have a pacemaker or any other implanted device you shouldn't use this scale at all. The reason for this is because in order for it to measure your body fat and water it sends an electric current through your body and does its calculations depending on the speed the currents pass through your body

    Monday, 23 July 2012

    Cravings!!!

    Did you know that when you are craving something it means your body is lacking something on the inside?? Ok I must agree that sometimes its just plain boredom and getting cold now that it is winter but usually it does mean your body needs something.

    So here is a list of things and what healthy option you can have instead of the unhealthy option.

    If you crave:          What your body needs:          Healthy Option:

    Sweets                      Chronium                          Broccoli,grapes,cheese,chicken,beef
                                     Carbon                             eggs,liver,fish,dairy,nuts,cranberries,turkey,
                                     Phosphorus                       cabbage,sweet potato and spinach


    Bread                        Nitrogen                           Anything high in protein so fish,meat, nuts 
                                                                              and beans

    Fatty snacks              Calcium                            Cheese,mustard,broccoli and sesame
    like chips 

    Coffee                        Phosphorus                      Chicken,beef,liver,fish,eggs,dairy,nuts,
                                       Sulphur                            legumes,red peppers,onions,garlic,meat,
                                       Salt                                  veggies,salt,apple cider vinegar,seaweed.
                                       Iron


    Alcohol                        Protein                             Meat,seafood,nuts,granola,oatmeal,
                                        Avenin                             mustard,broccoli,cheese,sesame,kale,
                                        Calcium                           raw cabbage juice,black olives,

                                        Glutamin                          potato peel broth,seaweed,bitter greens
                                        Potassium


    Carbonated Drinks       Calcium                            Mustard,turnip greens,broccoli,kale,
                                                                                 legumes,cheese,sesame


    Salty foods                   Chloride                            Fish,unrefined sea salt and goats milk


    Tobacco                        Silicon                              Nuts,seeds,orange,green and red fruits
                                          Tyrosine                           and veg



    Home Remedies for Mosquito bites

    Summer is something like 2 months away!!! Yipppeeee! Only down side is that mosquito's come out to play and if you are unlucky like me you get eaten away by them so I found a few home remedies to relieve the itch of the bites. I haven't tried them yet but i hope it works.

    • Lemon Juice
    • Baking Soda paste
    • Banana peel
    • Apple cider vinegar
    • Lavender and tea tree oil
    • Asprin

    Hope they work :)

    Saturday, 21 July 2012

    Egg Plant

    I found this nice nutrition page on facebook that adds these cool information pictures with just about everything you would like to know about fruits and veg so I'll be sharing them with you each time they pop up :)

    Tuesday, 19 June 2012

    Moods?????

    So.... We all have our good days and our bad days and on the bad days you usually feel Stressed, Sluggish,Cranky,Anxious,Angry,Sad and PMS (yes said it). On those yukky bad days there is a way to fix it...without a pill...can you guess what it is?? The answer is ....... FOOD!!

    BUT

    Just remember... quantity...That great saying you always hear you need to keep in mind- all things are good in moderation. 

    So here is the list:

    Feeling stressed? Chocolate is your answer!! Dark chocolate to be exact! Experts say that dark chocolate can actually reduce your stress hormones and known as cortisol and catecholamines which then reduces your anxiety giving you the chance to relax a bit. Even as little as 1 small square can do this so keep a slab around and have a square or even two every time you feel stressed or under pressure.

    Sluggish- You know that terrible feeling where you are so tired you cant keep your eyes open or you just cant get yourself to focus on something? Spinach salad is what you need and not coffee like we think. Before i let you in on why spinach helps you must know the interesting reason to why we feel sluggish.... Impaired blood flow and nutrients to your brain does and this happens when you have high levels of homocysteine in your blood which damages your blood vessels which causes the impaired blood flow that then leaves you feeling sluggish. The reason why spinach makes you feel better is because it contains folic acid which lowers homocysteine levels. You actually don't have to stick to spinach because its not the only food that contains folic acid... any green leafy vegetables, potatoes, cereals and beans also contain folic acid.

    The next one really like....

    Apple with peanut butter :) yuuuuum! This is where I have to keep moderation in mind!!

    So this is for when you feel cranky which usually comes with feeling tired and you actually don't have energy to do anything! All you need is to increase your energy levels and you can do so with carbohydrates but carbohydrates burn quick giving you a boost of energy and dropping you down. So... what you do is add a fat or a protein because fats and proteins take longer to digest which keep you going for a longer period of time so your apple is your carbohydrate and your peanut butter is your fat but its your HEALTHY fat because its also a protein. Try it - You wont be sorry!!

    Anxious - Salmon burger or Salmon sushi

    Salmon s a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which keeps your anxiety levels nice and low and even nicer it also reduces anger and irritability.

    Green Tea for anger!!

    So green tea contains caffeine and caffeine actually makes you get that angry feeling but because its such a small quantity in green tea you don't have to worry.Green tea contains theanine which helps calm you down and help you focus so I would say its good to sip on some green tea before a meeting.

    Sad is next on the list...

    We have a hormone which is called serotonin which you probably know all about but know it as the "happy Hormone" that calms you down, makes you feel happy or even relaxed. Vitamin D is the key to keeping this hormone level so low fat milk or mushrooms.

    Last on the list is.... wait .... PMS....

    Pms is a combination of two of the above... you want to combine carbohydrates and vitamin D. So an egg salad would be good to start with egg mayo salad. The egg provides protein and your mayo the serotnin making you feel satisfied and happy :)

    Hope this helps for one of those bad days... Really try the apple and peanut butter :)

    Monday, 18 June 2012

    HeartBURN

    Heartburn is a killer especially in winter because we are eating all the yummy foods to keep us warm but then it creeps up and then burns like fire keeping you up at night or just making your day unpleasant. I must say i suffer from heartburn from time to time because i like eating sweets and sugar adds to heartburn. Its not the only thing though so I found a chart that shows all the foods that are acid building and the ones that aren't.

    Before I add the chart I just want to explain a teeny tiny bit about acid...

    Basically you want a more Alkaline body as you are meant to feel healthier and of course you suffer from heartburn far less. Acid foods make you feel sluggish,tired, you can catch a cold or flu much easier, tummy cramps and what is worse is I have read that cancerous tissues are acidic so you do really want to avoid too much acid.

    So here is the list of foods to munch and avoid:

    ...ALKALINE FOODS...

    ...ACIDIC FOODS...
    ALKALIZING VEGETABLES
    Alfalfa
    Barley Grass
    Beet Greens
    Beets
    Broccoli
    Cabbage
    Carrot
    Cauliflower
    Celery
    Chard Greens
    Chlorella
    Collard Greens
    Cucumber
    Dandelions
    Dulce
    Edible Flowers
    Eggplant
    Fermented Veggies
    Garlic
    Green Beans
    Green Peas
    Kale
    Kohlrabi
    Lettuce
    Mushrooms
    Mustard Greens
    Nightshade Veggies
    Onions
    Parsnips (high glycemic)
    Peas
    Peppers
    Pumpkin
    Radishes
    Rutabaga
    Sea Veggies
    Spinach, green
    Spirulina
    Sprouts
    Sweet Potatoes
    Tomatoes
    Watercress
    Wheat Grass
    Wild Greens

    ALKALIZING ORIENTAL VEGETABLES
    Daikon
    Dandelion Root
    Kombu
    Maitake
    Nori
    Reishi
    Shitake
    Umeboshi
    Wakame

    ALKALIZING FRUITS
    Apple
    Apricot
    Avocado
    Banana (high glycemic)
    Berries
    Blackberries
    Cantaloupe
    Cherries, sour
    Coconut, fresh
    Currants
    Dates, dried
    Figs, dried
    Grapes
    Grapefruit
    Honeydew Melon
    Lemon
    Lime
    Muskmelons
    Nectarine
    Orange
    Peach
    Pear
    Pineapple
    Raisins
    Raspberries
    Rhubarb
    Strawberries
    Tangerine
    Tomato
    Tropical Fruits
    Umeboshi Plums
    Watermelon

    ALKALIZING PROTEIN
    Almonds
    Chestnuts
    Millet
    Tempeh (fermented)
    Tofu (fermented)
    Whey Protein Powder

    ALKALIZING SWEETENERS
    Stevia

    ALKALIZING SPICES & SEASONINGS
    Chili Pepper
    Cinnamon
    Curry
    Ginger
    Herbs (all)
    Miso
    Mustard
    Sea Salt
    Tamari

    ALKALIZING OTHER
    Alkaline Antioxidant Water
    Apple Cider Vinegar
    Bee Pollen
    Fresh Fruit Juice
    Green Juices
    Lecithin Granules
    Mineral Water
    Molasses, blackstrap
    Probiotic Cultures
    Soured Dairy Products
    Veggie Juices

    ALKALIZING MINERALS
    Calcium: pH 12
    Cesium: pH 14
    Magnesium: pH 9
    Potassium: pH 14
    Sodium: pH

    ACIDIFYING VEGETABLES
    Corn
    Lentils
    Olives
    Winter Squash

    ACIDIFYING FRUITS
    Blueberries
    Canned or Glazed Fruits
    Cranberries
    Currants
    Plums**
    Prunes**

    ACIDIFYING GRAINS, GRAIN PRODUCTS
    Amaranth
    Barley
    Bran, oat
    Bran, wheat
    Bread
    Corn
    Cornstarch
    Crackers, soda
    Flour, wheat
    Flour, white
    Hemp Seed Flour
    Kamut
    Macaroni
    Noodles
    Oatmeal
    Oats (rolled)
    Quinoa
    Rice (all)
    Rice Cakes
    Rye
    Spaghetti
    Spelt
    Wheat Germ
    Wheat

    ACIDIFYING BEANS & LEGUMES
    Almond Milk
    Black Beans
    Chick Peas
    Green Peas
    Kidney Beans
    Lentils
    Pinto Beans
    Red Beans
    Rice Milk
    Soy Beans
    Soy Milk
    White Beans

    ACIDIFYING DAIRY
    Butter
    Cheese
    Cheese, Processed
    Ice Cream
    Ice Milk

    ACIDIFYING NUTS & BUTTERS
    Cashews
    Legumes
    Peanut Butter
    Peanuts
    Pecans
    Tahini
    Walnuts

    ACIDIFYING ANIMAL PROTEIN
    Bacon
    Beef
    Carp
    Clams
    Cod
    Corned Beef
    Fish
    Haddock
    Lamb
    Lobster
    Mussels
    Organ Meats
    Oyster
    Pike
    Pork
    Rabbit
    Salmon
    Sardines
    Sausage
    Scallops
    Shellfish
    Shrimp
    Tuna
    Turkey
    Veal
    Venison

    ACIDIFYING FATS & OILS
    Avacado Oil
    Butter
    Canola Oil
    Corn Oil
    Flax Oil
    Hemp Seed Oil
    Lard
    Olive Oil
    Safflower Oil
    Sesame Oil
    Sunflower Oil

    ACIDIFYING SWEETENERS
    Carob
    Corn Syrup
    Sugar

    ACIDIFYING ALCOHOL
    Beer
    Hard Liquor
    Spirits
    Wine

    ACIDIFYING OTHER FOODS
    Tomato sauce
    Cocoa
    Coffee
    Mustard
    Pepper
    Soft Drinks
    Vinegar

    ACIDIFYING DRUGS & CHEMICALS
    Aspirin
    Chemicals
    Drugs, Medicinal
    Drugs, Psychedelic
    Herbicides
    Pesticides

    Thursday, 14 June 2012

    Looking for a great aerobic exercise to do at home?

    This type of exercise is just too nice...it's aerobic, improves your balance,agility, coordination and your speed as well as improves your core strength and helps develop nice sexy back muscles.

    Whats even better is that you can do it anywhere...at home, on holiday, in doors, outdoors or where you want to and all you need is one piece of equipment....a skipping rope!!!

    Before you can start skipping you need to make sure your rope is the correct length for you. To do this you stand on the rope and lift it up, the skipping rope handles should come up to your arm pits.  When they do, you know you’ve got the right length.

    Like any other form of exercise you need to start off slow...you don't want to go overboard and then not try again so ideally you want to skip at a nice moderate pace or a pace you are comfortable with for 30 seconds and then rest for 15seconds and repeat as many times as you can. If that is too relaxed for you go ahead and skip for 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds. It all just depends on what you feel comfortable with and how fit you are.

    Take time and build it up...if you can only skip for 10 min today keep it at that and then try for 20 min next week...just keep on listening to your body. Then when you start getting used to that try different skipping styles. Different styles will again start using different muscles.

    I will post a few pictures of the different styles for you to try out.


    Alternating: as if you are running on the same spot.

    Combination: do 8 basic and 8 alternating

    High jump: same as alternating just that you lift your knee high towards your chest

    Endurance: Any of the jumps and you try go for as long as you can with 1min breaks in between


    Sunday, 20 May 2012

    Water Retention...sigh

    Wow... Water retention sucks...It makes you feel like a big puffy cheese curl and you end up gaining 1.5kg over night and you cant squeeze into your jeans or your shoes!

    Water retention and I are big friends...I happen to suffer from it a lot so now I have done some homework and found a few ways to get rid of it when it does happen to again so if you suffer from being turned into a sponge often here are a few tricks to try.


    Drink More Water...Yes you did just read that! Apparently this actually helps relieve the bloating and if you don't actually drink water your body will just grab onto its fluid and keep it there.

    Drop the salt - If your body is sensitive to sodium you will retain more after eating salt.

    Drink/eat diuretics - Diuretics increase your rate of urination which is what you want... you want to get rid of that water. So here are your options; cranberry juice,
                                                      teas like green tea, rooibos tea and chamomile tea
                                                      asparagus
                                                      horseradish
                                                      watermelon and celery

    Have less Carbs - Carbs are stored in your body as glycogen which has a higher water content which then adds to retaining more water. Protein on the other hand is a way better option because your body fluids are used in the breaking down process of protein.
    BUT do note that i did say less carbs and not cut carbs out.

    Limit your alcohol intake - We all know alcohol as something that dehydrates you but after consuming quite a bit it actually causes your body to retain water and causing you to bloat. An interesting fact about alcohol and why it causes you to bloat is that alcohol causes the secretion of an acid known as hydrochloric acid that erodes your stomach lining which causes the bloating because it makes your stomach vulnerable to digestive juices.

    Eat warm foods - Cooked foods are easier to digest where cold foods aren't too easy.

    Exercise - What exercise does is increases your circulation and moving the fluid around to your kidneys which then turns it into urine

    Then there is always going for a good massage and acupuncture if you have time to.

    I will be trying these out next time!!
                                                    
    Trying to eat fat free and light? Try some fish...it is a great form of low fat protein and omega 3, a fatty acid that is essential for brain and for eye development. It is recommended we have 1-2 serves of fish a week.