Lagos So Far...

Boiled Plantain, Efo (minus palm oil) with chicken and meat. This was on my 2nd day here :)

Loved every mouthful of it... maybe I'll have it for lunch today ;)

I haven't found it hard to eat healthy... what I've found hard is eating consistently. I usually eat at least 5 times a day (snacking included) but here in Lagos, I realise I ate 2ce on Friday! Why? Unlike London, where I live and I'm in charge of everything I eat, here in Lagos - I kinda depend on others. For example, I was in my friend's house a couple of days ago and was HUNGRY. But she has two kids, had to take a shower, and so many things to do (I can't imagine what it's like to have 2 little kids). To assist her, I carried her cute baby boy for almost an hour while she showered and tended to her older child. Then I had to work on the flyer for Saturday's event  and before I knew it, it was dinner time!

After that day, I've decided I'll always have at least one snack bar in my handbag so I can eat something instead of going hungry for hours.

This had made me realise - it's even harder for stay at home mums to eat right and frequently. My friend gave her daughter some biscuits and she had half of one... no surprise there, if I had to feed someone and hadn't eaten anything at all, I'd eat anything! *watch this space*

I haven't been eating perfectly here in Lagos... I've had:

• Three scoops of vanilla ice cream from Ice-Cream factory
• A chicken shawarma
• Some FRIED (**Shock Horror**) Plantain at my friend's house. Only reason was I was HUNGRY and they'd fried all the plantain and I just couldn't wait anymore!

I love how fresh the food is here... I saw what I thought was a baby shark in the oven and was informed it was Tilapia! In London, Tilapia is like a quarter of that! And the sweet potato here... a million times better than sweet potato in grocery stores in London. I usually buy my sweet potatoes from my butcher's (Indian) and it's very similar to the one here. But it just tastes better here... Plantain - Yep, tastes better here :)

Happy Easter!

PS I ran a mini-workshop in my friend's house on Saturday - Adedayo got there 5 minutes after it was supposed to start and was worried she was late... Funto got there about 45 minutes after and thought she was late... WRONG, they were both very early compared to when everyone else showed up! Lesson learned - No one is ever on time because nothing ever starts on time :|
I think it went ok (but I've made a few changes to the content so I manage my time more) and most of the ladies liked the snack bars I brought :) Big thank you to the ladies that attended and hope to meet more of you this Saturday.

Lagos Workshops - Venues Confirmed

Introductory Nutrition, Fitness and Health Session with Fitter London Trainer Adura Odesanya.

* 1.5 hour workshop geared towards Nigerian women and our lifestyles.
* Nutrition advice on healthy cooking, portions, snacking and more
* Fitness Tips - Correct Technique, Home and Gym workout examples incl. a Taster session.
* Q&A

ONE
When: Saturday 23rd April, 2pm
Where: Lekki (email me for full address)
Places are limited (maximum of 20)

TWO
When: Saturday 30th April, 3pm
Where: Lifehouse V/I (email me for full address)
Places are limited (maximum of 30)

Fee: There will be no fee as this is an Introductory offer
*Please* RSVP: email@adura-odesanya.co.uk


Flyers for next week's workshop(s) will be posted soon :)

Updates...

Hello! Yes I'm gonna say it - Happy Monday, lol!

I cannot believe it's April already... this year is flying by at an amazing rate! I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday soon and I honestly can't wait for it :)

Anyway, enough about me... because trust me - I can go on for ages :p

I've had a couple of ideas these last few weeks. One of them came about after my friend Tosin told me he uses one of the home workouts I posted last year. I completely forgot about those and was glad that he found it useful. Also I've been training a friend via email for the last few weeks and although he says he hates me right after the workout, it's going really well for him.

My plans for future blog posts include regular posts on:

• 'Get Trimmer...' (sorry I've not updated in ages)
• Nigerian recipes (detailed)... focusing on keeping it healthy and enjoyable
• Home workouts - I'll also be posting Fitter London's Matt Whitmore's iVillage vlogs (see below), especially when I'm being too lazy :p
• Home-made natural skincare and haircare - Like I've not blogged enough about this yet ;)
  and
• Random posts as always including my food diary while I'm in Lagos* :)

*FYI: I plan to be in Lagos in a few weeks, I'm going to:

• run a workshop which will include a 30 minute presentation on nutrition, exercise tips and a 15 minute Q&A session.
  
•  be available for consultations (ideally one to one)
• Venue and Date To Be Confirmed 

If you're interested, please send me an email: email 'at' adura-odesanya.co.uk with subject 'FL LAGOS WORKSHOP'.

Have a nice week :)

Three Years On...

Always.
Forever..
Will I love, miss and cherish my BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING and CARING Mummy.

KMO (07/04/49 - 31/03/08)

May your Blessed Soul continue to Rest In Peace Mummy (Amen)

Fuller's Earth Face Mask

I know... I know... another "beauty" post. I promise, I'll get back on nutrition and exercise :)

I mentioned in THIS POST about changing my haircare, as well as skincare, regimen.

Thanks to my sister's radiant skin in December, I now don't use any soap on my face. I won't go into the not-so-good ingredients that some of my face soaps contained but one of them SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) is very drying as most of these sulphates not only clean, but strip the skin of its moisture. Not the best thing for someone with dry skin like myself....

Anyway back to the reason for this post, now I cleanse my face using oil once a week and use my sugar scrub once every week or two.

I clarify (deep clean) my skin (face) with Fuller's Earth Powder (an Indian earth powder named 'Multani Mati'), the pack says it:

• is a natural cleaning agent
• makes skin smooth and soft
• improves blood circulation and adds glow to skin

Some online research also resulted in "Fullers Earth powder makes a great skin treatment face mask. It replaces lost moisture and can be used to remove blackheads and spots, great for oily skin, blemishes and acne."

Of course I jumped on it and it's been really great for my skin so far...Please note this has no scent or smell :)

I mix about 4 tablespoons of the powder with 2 capsful (grammar?) of apple cider vinegar and a little water to give it a paste like consistency. Apple cider vinegar is used because one of its many benefits* is it helps to gently remove oil and dirt buildup.

I apply to my face and leave on for at least 15 minutes (until it dries).

I rinse off with warm water, do a final rinse with cold water to seal my pores. These pictures are before I moisturised, my skin doesn't feel tight or look ashy and dry.

My skin hasn't felt so clean but NOT stripped in forever.... I love it! I apply my moisturiser (grapeseed oil) and I'm good to go :)

*Apple cider vinegar is also great as a toner - mix one part ACV with at least 3 parts water, apply to cotton wool and clean your face - it really works :) There are more benefits!

ACV can be found in any grocery store and Fuller's Earth powder can be found in Indian shops and health shops. My sister buys *Bentonite Clay* in the States and it's exactly the same thing.

Living and Loving Life

The weeks are FLYING by! I can't believe it's Friday already!

I'm not updating as regularly as I'd like but I'm getting busier which is truly an amazing thing.

As some of you know, I left my full-time 9 to 5 job on September 30th and on Friday, October 1st (coincidentally Nigeria's Independence day), I started my new life.
I didn't just make the decision to leave my job... it was a process - In late 2008, I met Matt and Keris of Fitter London and honestly, the rest is history. I met them at the right time in my life... any earlier and I'd have been to busy with my responsibilities (including visiting my Mummy everyday at the Nursing Home)... thank you Vickii for dragging me to their classes :)

Who'd have thought a few years later, Fitter London would be a major part of my life? Definitely not me! It started with helping out in a couple of classes, then taking a Fitness Instructor course and everything else has gone by so quickly (including my Personal Training course).

It has been a truly amazing journey so far and I'm looking forward to what the future has in store for me.

I won't lie and say it's been easy - November and December 2010 were so physically demanding, when I finally went to the States to spend Xmas with my Big Sis, all I could do was eat and stay in bed watching TV. As I was trying to build a regular routine (ie permanent classes), I had to cover every spin class I was asked to because I needed to prove that I was reliable and good at what I did. I have been so lucky (my Mummy would say blessed) because I've had such amazing feedback from gym members, you'd think I paid them! Now things are finally falling into place and I'm ready to take things to the next level, especially with Fitter London.

It's all been worth it! On the days I drag myself out of bed, especially Friday mornings, I teach a class (my favourite is Fitter London in the City on Fridays) and I'm in such a great mood after. I love the feeling!

Next week Thursday (31st March) will mark 3 years since my beautiful Mummy passed away. It still hurts but is a constant reminder that life is too short. I always believed my Mummy was going to be around till I was old and grey...

So I'm trying, really really hard to just *enjoy life*.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!