Get Trimmer... Naija Style (Week Four)

How are you all doing? Didn't get much feedback from you ladies last week.  I was so busy last week - I didn't have the post up till mid week. So let's interact more this week.... deal? :)

I'm very proud to say, I wasn't as lazy as usual last week - I walked from the station home instead of taking the bus and I walked as much as I could instead of taking the bus in other situations :) Are you being a little less lazy?


This week we'll address home workouts, more snack ideas and a few recipes.

Recipes/Meal Ideas

Last week I cooked chicken with steamed baby carrots (explains what looks like an excessive amount of carrots as I just steamed the carrots in the chicken stock and added to the chicken in the tupperware), turkey chunks cooked with broccoli...

Nothing too long winded with these - Both the carrots and broccoli were steamed in the chicken and turkey stock respectively.


Speaking of carrots, Suzanne of Eight and Weights, recommended peeled carrots as a snack option - I love carrots :) Try them!

This week, I cooked three different things on Sunday night. Efo (with goat meat), Chicken with peas and Minced meat with carrots and broccoli. Yes there is a mix of Nigerian staple food and just... food :)

EFO
Ingredients: Spinach, goat meat, tomatoes (I used tinned chopped tomatoes but ideally you should use fresh tomatoes), peppers, onions


1. Chop one onion. Clean the goat meat, add to a pot with the onions, a couple of maggi cubes, curry, thyme (or whatever seasonings you like) and a cup of water
2. While the meat's cooking, rinse and seperate the spinach leaves from the stalks. Chop the leaves, make sure not too fine or too chunky. Blend the tomatoes, peppers and onions.
3. After 20/25 minutes, (the meat will be a little more than half cooked)
This is where it's different to how you'd normally cook Efo.
4. Add the blended tomatoes/peppers to the meat (you should have very little stock, if it's a lot, drain some out) and leave to cook for at least 10 minutes.
5. Add the spinach and leave to simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

It tastes just as good :) If you have melon seeds (egusi), definitely include - I would have but I didn't have any at home.

Home Workout Ideas

I know, I know... I promised videos but as always, I have a valid excuse ;) I've been so busy (which I'm pleased about) that the only thing I did at home last week & weekend was sleep, relax and watch some TV. This is still on my to-do list - PROMISE!

Ayo asked me if jogging on the spot would be enough to replace running outside or on a treadmill, the answer's no (sorry, lol)

Here's an idea of a home workout:

To make your workout fun, play some up tempo music - works for me all the time.

• Warm Up for at least 5 minutes - 1 minute of jogging on the spot, 1 minute of jumping jacks, 1 minute of jogging on the spot (picking up your pace), 30 seconds of squats, 30 seconds of lunges (alternating legs each time) and another minute of jumping jacks. When you're done, swing your arms, do some shoulder rolls back and forth and shake your legs and arms.
  If you own free weights e.g. dumbells, that's good. If not, you can replace with something heavy at home e.g. 2L *plastic* bottles of water
• Perform 1 minute of bicep curls (keep your elbows stuck to your sides the whole time, starting with your arms straight, bend your elbows completely and return to your starting position - arms straight, that's one repitition. Do this continuously for 1 minute)
• Next minute (to give your arms a break), let them hang straight by your sides with your weights still in your hands. Perform one minute of squats (your shoulders should not be slumped forward, keep them back... best way to do this is to almost stick your chest out but not too exagerrated. Always look straight ahead. Starting from standing position, push your bum back a little and mimick how you'd sit back on a chair, when you get to a point where you can't go any lower, slowly come back to standing position and contract (squeeze) your glutes (bum) as you get to standing position. Continue for a minute.
• 1 minute of shoulder presses (See picture below for starting position. Straighten out your arms, your arms will be overhead. Slowly bring back to the start.). Continue for a minute.

•  1 minute of lunges. (I'll get a picture to illustrate soon).
• 1 minute of side (lateral) raises. (Start with arms by your sides, and slowly raise them till there's a 90 degree angle between your arm and your body. Think of the crucifix stance. Return your arms to your side.
• 1 minute of tempo squats (drop your weights and squat as fast as you can)

Repeat the above. Total of 12 minutes.

Grab a chair (dining table one is perfect) for this next bit

• 1 minute of tricep dips
• 1 minute of step ups (hopefully your chair's not too high), if it is use a staircase - use 2 steps. Step up and stap back down, leading with your right foot for 30 seconds and switching to the left foot for the next 30s
• 1 minute of step ups with your hands (starting on the floor in pressup/plank position in front of the stairs. Walk up one step with your hands *only* and walk back down.)
• Another minute of step ups

Repeat the above. Total of 8 minutes.

I haven't included any ab exercises as I'd prefer to include videos for those... sorry :)

• Stretch (yes I owe you vids)

I'll update this later in the week... promise!

Keep the updates coming ladies...