What's in my Graze Box #2

This week in my Graze Box I got.....

Healthy Popping Corn
Salty popping corn in a bag that you can pop (no pun intended) into the microwave for a minute or so and come out with lovely warm, perfect popcorn. So easy to make! I've tried these microwaveable popcorn bags before but what's good about this one is it's just the right portion size for one person for a little snack.
Guilt Free High Tea: perfect pumpkin & ginger cake with an afternoon tea infusion
This snack is SUCH a good idea. There is a small slice of cake that comes with a tea bag so you can enjoy your cake with a cuppa. The little square of cake tasted just like the Jamaica Ginger Cake which I used to love as a child. It's labeled as "extra light" at only 76 calories which sounds promising but to be honest with you the slice is literally only 2 bites. The tea was very light and reminiscent of Earl Grey. Can't wait to sample the other 3 cakes they have to offer!
Copacabana: dark chocolate buttons, milk chocolate buttons & brazil nuts
Ok, so I can't give a fair comment on this snack as unfortunately being allergic to Brazil nuts (and Cashews) I couldn't eat this one. Which was such a shame as I could only eat 3 of the 4 snacks that came in the box. On the Graze website you can browse and rate all of the snacks they provide but as far as I can see there is nowhere on the website to say that you are a nut allergy sufferer. Obviously if you have a severe nut allergy then I wouldn't recommend the Graze Box as they have a lot of nut products and I'm sure there would be no guarantee that any of their products wouldn't contain nut traces. But what about someone like me who is just allergic to some nuts? I'm not going to scroll through over 100 products and individually "bin" nut filled items! I have to say I am a bit disappointed with this aspect of Graze.
Pina Colada: pineapple, coconut and mango
This one does as it says on the tin really. It is dried pineapple, coconut and mango pieces. It's marketed as super healthy, 1 of your 5 a day, vitamins & minerals etc...but to me it was just darn tasty!

Isobel x

Isobel's Diet - Update #1

As you might be aware, from a previous blog post I did two weeks ago, I have embarked on the 5:2 diet (intermittent fasting/ alternate day fasting). 

Getty Images

The premise of the diet is that you fast (eat only 500 calories) for two days a week and the rest of the week you eat completely normally. So I have been on the diet for two weeks now and would love to update you on how it's going. Well, it's going really well! I'm not going to sit here and lie and say that the fast days have been easy (I have done 5 fast days in all) because they aren't but the truth is that they are bearable to get through because I know in the back of my mind if I want to eat something "I can always have it tomorrow". 

And boy do I! I feel like I pig out on my 'feast' days but actually, because my stomach has undoubtedly shrunk, I am probably being more reserved and making wiser, healthier choices with what I do eat. Apart from the obvious benefits (4lb weight loss!!) I am feeling much better in myself. I feel like my digestion is a lot better. I also feel like I have a better awareness of what my body needs and when. On my "feast" days, if I feel hungry, I will eat, but if I don't, I definitely won't just have something for the sake of it!

On my "fast" days I pretty much eat the same things. Dinner is normally a poached egg on wholemeal toast with spinach. I tend not to stray too far away from this as I hate counting calories and it's just easier for me to eat the same things and know I am not going over the 500 calorie limit. On "feast" days I just eat as usual. Dinner for me is normally something like a big bowl of pasta with salad.

A little heads up for other intermittent fasters out there - Miracle Noodles. 

As the website states 'Imagine a world where noodles are calorie free!' Miracle noodles are very low calorie pasta & rice products. Soy, wheat & gluten-free their main ingredient is water! I first read about them in a fantastic article by Anita Chaudhuri in last weekend's Sunday Times Style. I can't wait to try these, they could potentially be a perfect 'fast day' meal!

Let me know if you have tried the 5:2 diet (& how you are doing if your still going!) or Miracle Noodles, would love to hear your thoughts!

Isobel x



Healthy Tip, Eating Out

I am a big believer in the 80/20 diet. That is to say I don't believe that you should ever deprive yourself of anything.

So you have a big sweet tooth? Then allow yourself a little bit of what you fancy, just offset it with exercise and a balanced diet.

It sounds simple enough but in a time of quick fixes & crash diets it can be far more tempting to embark on something like a 'Drop 7lbs in 7 Days' juice diet which offers immediate  results. The truth is this will do absolutely nothing for getting you your dream body. It will place your body in starvation mode, meaning when you start eating again your body will cling on to everything that crosses your lips assuming that you might suddenly starve it again. This means that you body fat % will go up, even if you are slim, you will most likely end up with the 'skinny fat' syndrome so many women complain of. The thing I hear most often when talking to women about their fitness/health goals, is the request to 'tone up'! The worst thing you can do in terms of getting that toned firm body is to crash diet & starve yourself. Your body is like a furnace & needs fuel to work at its maximum, burn calories & turn into a fat torching machine!

So in the spirit of 80/20 I don't feel that you have to avoid eating out by any means. You just have to be clever about it.

If you are absolutely longing for a 'bad' rich, creamy pasta dish. Then order it. (Even better if your dinner partner will share it with you, then you can each order a side salad to have with it). By allowing your body to have what it is craving, your craving will go away, and you won't find yourself trying to satisfy it with other foods that probably add up to the calories of the original dish anyway.

This isn't to say you should eat whatever you want, whenever you want. But by exercising control over your diet 80% of the time, a weekly treat of something delicious won't affect your ability to pull on your skinny jeans the next morning. The other benefit you get from limiting your intake of 'bad' foods, is that when you do indulge you will enjoy them SO much more!

All this said, let me get on to my top tips for dining out whilst staying on track with your diet & fitness.

1. Order just 2 things off the menu! 

This means 2 things out of the combination of 'alcoholic drink, starter, main course, dessert'

This is my most self-practiced rule! I normally order a small glass of wine & a main course, or a main course & a light dessert. Skip ordering all four elements unless its a big blowout meal and you will be able dine out far more often & avoid the groggy feeling the next day.

2. Pick your restaurant wisely!

Try to go for a non-chain restaurant, the ingredients have a much higher chance of being better quality, less processed and freshly cooked!

3. Check the menu ahead of time!

When picking a location for a meal out have a browse through the restaurant's websites, most will have menus online. This will allow you to pick the restaurant with the cleanest sounding food. 

4. Don't feel guilty!

If you do find yourself going all out and having a bottle of wine, a plate of creamy pasta & a tiramisu don't beat yourself up about it. Enjoy it. Recognise that you are eating something that is a TREAT (not a regular) & make the most of it. One bad day won't instantly make you gain weight. Start the next day with lots of water, a big mug of green tea, put your trainers on & go for a long walk. It won't be long before you're feeling back on track!

all images courtesy of weheartit.com

Harriet x

Isobel's Diet

So, in a bid to keep up with my all time, ultimate, number one New Years resolution I am starting a diet and have decided to write about it here on this blog. With any luck, I am hoping that this might actually motivate me to some sort of success this year!

I'm starting the oh so on trend diet, Intermittent Fasting. Also named by some as Alternate day fasting or 5:2. Call it what you will, essentially the principles are this: you eat 500 calories on two non-consecutive days (600 calories for men) and the other 5 days you can eat as you normally do. The idea behind it is that the fasting days lower certain hormone levels in our body that help you live longer and of course with the restricted calories you lose weight along the way too. This is not a quick fix diet but more of a way of life.

I have to say, my blogging pal Harriet is not entirely enamoured with the idea of fasting and, believe me, her opinion comes from a very knowledgeable place!

Anyway, I decided today would be my first "fast" day. So far, so good! I mean, I haven't been strict with the calorie count (I'm too busy to be counting calories to the decimal!). So I feel the easiest way for me is to have 3 meals of about 150-200 calories. For breakfast I had a small bowl of porridge made with water and a dash of unsweetened soy milk, lunch was a bowl of vegetable soup and dinner was a piece of granary bread, a poached egg and a bit of spinach. And give or take a black coffee or two that was literally it! I have been feeling hungry, but knowing that I know I can eat whatever I want tomorrow, it hasn't actually been that hard.

Well I plan to update now and again on how it's going, it is still VERY early days I know. Let me know if any of you are planning on starting intermittent fasting, or if you're a pro, let me know how it's going.

All images courtesy of weheartit.com

Workout of the Day 01. 01. 13

I finally got back to the gym today after about 2.5 weeks of rest from proper training! I've still maintained an active lifestyle (lots of dog walking) and some bodyweight exercises at home. But with December packed full of Birthday celebrations, my boyfriend returning to London and the lead up to Christmas I just hadn't had the time or inclination to hit the gym for a full workout.
I really let myself relax over Christmas and enjoy the festivities with family & friends, this meant my diet and alcohol consumption was slightly all over the place. I haven't gained any weight as such, but I  definitely feel softer and less defined especially in my upper body and midsection. So I set off to the gym today keen to get my pre-Christmas abs back and get back on track.

Today 

Not wanting to give my muscles a massive shock I decided to do a light full body workout & some cardio.

Warm up 

10mins brisk uphill walk, maximum incline
Dynamic stretches

     Strength     

Squats
warmed up with empty bar (20kg) 15reps squats, 5reps squat thrusts x 5 sets
after the 5 set warm up my body was fully warm and feeling loose so I loaded up the bar to 50kg 10reps x 5 sets
Deadlift 
using the same bar (50kg) 10reps x 5 sets
Lat Pulldown superset with Pushups 
(started the lat pulldown on 15kg increased by 5kg each set)
10reps lats superset with 10 pushups x 5 sets

Bodyweight

Incline Pushups superset with Tricep Dips 

10 reps each x 5 sets

Walking lunges 

1min x 3 sets

Plank 

1min x 5 sets

Cardio

20 mins sparring with my boyfriend (really got my sweat on here!)

A good little workout for New Years Day, in and out of the gym in an hour & a half. I haven't lost any strength during my training break, however endurance and fitness I struggled with. Boxing completely kicked my arse but I'm feeling very virtuous now as I kick back on the sofa watching The Wizard of Oz.

I hope your having a lovely New Years Day. If your having any trouble getting back into your fitness routine after a Christmas break, just remember that you never regret going to the gym once its done. You just need to get that first session in and from there its easy! Hx

(I'll update progress pics as I get back onboard with my diet & training)