Skincare and Sports Bras

Haha, I know those two things have nothing to do with each other but those are the subjects of my two new videos. Check them out, and please subscribe to my YouTube Channels :)

More videos and blog posts coming :)

Happy Sunday :)

It's a very sunny day here in London and I'm soaking up the sunshine..... from indoors ;)

My curtains are wide open and I'm still recovering from the painfully amazing Fitter London class yesterday.

I want to spend my (lazy) Sunday working on videos for my YouTube Channel so I need to get on that now before I get even lazier.

Enjoy your Sunday  and have a great week :)

Update: I uploaded two videos (yay!) and I finally dragged myself into the kitchen to make fish stew :)

Currently Loving... Honey & Fullers Earth Mask

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll already know about my love for Fuller's Earth Powder and this video: Natural Face Mask (Fuller's Earth)

I'd been meaning to try it out with honey as it is very moisturising and according to one of my favourite quotes, "Anything that's good enough to be eaten is great for your skin" :)

I added a tablespoon to my usual mix (see video link above) and one thing to note is: although it dries like the original mix does, it doesn't change in colour so don't wait over 15 minutes for this as it will most likely never happen ;)

Once I rinsed it off, my skin already felt softer and after moisturising, I wanted to kiss my cheeks... unfortunately that's not possible!

Please ignore the drunk look in the next picture - looks like I was mid-blink. Not too sure about the lips either... maybe I was actually trying to reach my cheek to kiss it? o_O

Pimple on my cheek aside, I think it's ok to say I love my skin!

Update: Watch This (Fullers Earth + Palm Oil Mask):

Quick Recipe: Efo

Daddy's Girl asked me to share the recipe of the Efo in this (http://www.adura-odesanya.co.uk/2012/02/currently-loving_14.html) post.

I posted a video (not a recording of me cooking) but I hope you find this useful :)

Pancakes

It's Pancake Day! So I'm reposting this recipe :)

So... my friend Keris (of Fitter London) got into making Bread with Ground Almond instead of flour (to cut the long story short, this is part of Paleo eating... I won't go into it but for more info, check out the Fitter London Blog).

One day, I was REALLY hungry and couldn't wait the 20 minutes for paleo bread to bake so I thought...
"If I add less ground almonds and some honey, surely I could make pancakes instead."
It worked and I loved them... they were a little dry though. I thought back to when I was a teenager and my Mummy taught me how to make pancakes... one of the ingredients was MILK... so next time I made the pancakes, I added coconut milk and.... my recipe was born!

Ingredients
2 eggs
5 heaped tablespoons of ground almonds
4-5 tablespoons of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of honey

Pancakes
1. Break eggs into a bowl. Add the ground almonds and whisk till smooth (consistency should be very thick, like cake mix).
2. Add the coconut milk and mix (should be of a creamy consistency, a little thinner than cake mix)
3. Add the honey and mix
4. Add a teaspoon of oil (I used extra virgin olive oil) to a frying pan and allow to heat up (1 minute should do)
5. Add a serving spoon amount to the pan and move around in pan till it forms a circular shape. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes... keep checking with a spatula till it gets dark brown and is firm.
6. Flip the pancake and allow the other side to cook - takes roughly the same time.
7. Flip onto a plate and repeat steps 5-6 till mix is used up

Serving suggestions: 

•   I used blueberries (I love them) and a little more honey (instead of maple syrup).
• @divafactor on twitter tried out my recipe and served it with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries

• CucinCeri has a recipe HERE. She served hers with: bananas, nuts and blueberries
• Whatever you like... just make sure it's something healthy ;)

Alternatives:

• CucinaCeri used ground flaxseed instead of ground almonds
• If you're in Nigeria, I've been told about wheat meal.. I'm not 100% sure what it is yet but hope to try it it out soon.
• Another option is coconut flour.

If you try out this recipe, please email me a picture and I'll post here :)

Quick & Easy Morning Stretch Routine

Happy Monday!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend, I can't get over how quickly this year is going by already!

I've found that I hit the snooze button on my alarm at least 3 times before I finally drag myself out of bed to start my day. Sometimes I stretch, the usual big stretch we do when we wake up. There are times when I don't remember, or have time, to even that!

Stretching is very important:

• Before exercise, it's good to do some mobility work to help warm up the joints and muscles in preparation for a session. This ensures you have a productive and injury free workout.
• Post exercise, to help with muscle recovery, release any tension caused by exercise and to avoid injury.
  And....
• First thing in the morning.

Why is Early Morning Stretching Important?

1. It's a way of waking up the body
2. It helps release any stiffness or tightness that might have been caused by awkward sleeping positions.
3. It helps mobilise the joints in preparation for the day ahead.
4. It increases blood flow to the muscles.
5. It's a great way to start the day.

I've decided to challenge myself to wake up 5-10mins earlier than usual, maybe only hit the snooze button once ;) I will stretch every morning and set myself up for even better days :)

Give it a try and let me know what you think. And, please, if you have any suggestions or requests for videos, let me know.

Saturday's Dinner :)

Hope you're enjoying your weekend :)

I had a long day - a few hours at Fitter London including taking part in the 2nd class - Kettlebells for Strength and a Sixpack. Then I went out into the rain looking for ingredients for body butters and hair oils.

I came back home freezing and after making my dinner in less than 20 minutes, I now feel warm, dry and content :)

• I boiled a sweet potato with parsley and salt.
• Once it cooked, I drained the water and added 4 tablespoons of coconut oil to the pot.
• Mashed it and served with my 'lazy' efo.

Lazy Efo (I will post the recipe for the less lazy version, which I blogged about earlier this week, on YouTube soon)
Why 'Lazy'? Because I didn't allow enough time for the spinach to cook (as is usual with efo), I chopped the spinach half-heartedly and many more things as seen in the lazy recipe below ;)

• Chopped a small bunch of spinach.
• Added a heaped tablespoon of coconut oil to a hot pot, and 1/4 of an onion (chopped)
• Two heaped tablespoons of tomato puree
• Added a pinch of salt and mixed herbs
• Allowed to cook for a minute then added the spinach.
• Reduced to medium heat and allowed to cook for 5 minutes.
• Added a drained tin of salmon and stirred the contents of the pot.
• Simmered for another 5 minutes.

Done.

Enjoy your weekend :)

Natural Deodorants video

I did go on a bit in this video ;) And be warned, there's a picture of my underarm in the video ;)



In addition to the video:

I wrote a review of Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal -->HERE<--

The Crystal deodorant is available in some branches of Boots, Superdrug and Whole Foods.

** GIVEAWAY **

Thanks to Nat Fresh Deo, I have some more things to giveaway... I'll post details on how you can participate.

Currently Loving...

Salmon!

It's high in omega-3 fatty acids, it's high in protein and it's yummy (if cooked well of course). I made pan fried salmon on Sunday (after a long day at Fitter London's Running Workshop) and a pot of 'Efo' on Monday.

Efo: Spinach, Tomato Sauce, Egusi and Salmon

Pan-fried salmon and peppers

Yum!

I'll be honest - an important reason I love salmon is it cooks in no time ;)

Guest Blog: ''Everything You Need to Know About Abs, Made Ridiculously Simple" by Uchenna Onyekwere

Happy Monday :)


Check out this guest post from Uchenna Onyekwere (@ucheonyekwere). He's a US based medical student, and a fitness & nutrition blogger (Uche's Blog).

I know for some, a flat tummy is more than enough, but this is great info if you're trying to take things to the next level and want to see that six pack within :)

It is very possible for 100% of people to have a six pack, because 100% of us already have one. Being able to see it is another thing. Though a visible six pack is not very useful for many working professionals, who wear clothes all day, being able to see it is a confidence booster for some ppl.  Heres some facts:

Typically, visibility of your six pack tends to begin once your body fat composition drops below 10% for men and 19% for women

-Here is a body Fat percentage calculator with tips: Click Here

Only a very small percentage of people can actually see their six pack despite what you may see on TV.

The presence or abscence of a six pack is no indication of cardiovascular health, which is more important.

            – The Visible Components of an excellent six pack

The Rectus Abdominis Muscles – Each pack in a your average 6 pack

The Linea Alba – The line  that vertically separates each set of 3 rectus abdominis muscles into left and right. It is a line of hard connective tissue beneath the skin.

Tendinous Intersections – Are the lines that cut horizontally across each set of two rectus abdominis muscles.

The External Obliques are the muscles that form the V-cut in many six packs

Serratus  Anterior – Not part of the six pack per se but these muscles can be seen on most people with

a six pack. They are close to yourarmpits and look like sharks teeth.

How to Get It

1. Bring down body fat percentage. This is the most important because this is beneficial for health in general. Also without this, the six pack will not be visible. Key ways to do this: increase lean muscle mass by lifting weights and extensive aerobics (dance, sports, run, Nintendo wii, P90X, etc.). Eat less carbs, replace with more protien, fruits and vegetables. Eat all things in moderation. Try to go as paleo as comfortably possible.

2. Increase muscle mass in abs. Do this by progressively adding more weight to your ab excercise. for instance hold a 10 lb plate while doing crunches. The week after or 2 weeks after, do 15 lbs. Track your progress.

3. Stay organized, write a schedule, find time, because it takes a lot of time. Ex. Schedule 1 hr for the gym: 45min workout, 15min shower. Work HARD.
The Difference between an Average and Above Average Six Pack:

The difference is in the amount of segmentation that can be seen by an onlooker.  The segmentation is due to muscle hypertrophy or muscle growth. If you were laying on your back and looking towards your feet, the top of each rectus abdominis muscle must be significantly higher than the level of the flat midline, the linea alba. They must also hypertrophy  above the level of each tendinous intersection.

vs.               

Many people have different life circumstances and various obligations to fulfill so while getting a six pack is very possible for all, fulfilling life’s obligations should be more of a priority than getting a six pack. However maintaining or improving general health by regular exercise should a prioritiy. If anything, schedule an hour block for that. Good luck.

My 3rd YouTube Video (My Food Diary: What I Eat)

Slowly getting there... I know by my 10th video, I'll be a pro ;)

Enjoy your weekend, more vids coming soon... including recipes.

Workout/Spin Track of The Week

WEEK #17

'Love Me' by Tiwa Savage

This is the 1st time I'm posting a song I haven't played in any of my classes yet.

My friend, Enimien, said it'd be a great spin track. Yes it has good beats but I'm not sure when/if I'll play it, maybe I'll have a Naija spin playlist sometime soon ;)



Happy Friday and Have a nice weekend!

My 2nd YouTube Video

I think I will get used to being in front of the camera after, maybe 10 videos (maximum). I have a lot of respect for people who are so comfortable in their videos.

This was supposed to be my Food Diary... but I had a couple of glitches which I explained in the video:

More videos coming! :)

What's Holding You Back...

... From reaching your weight loss or fitness goals?

1. Lack of Support?
   Then surround yourself with like minded people. If you don't have any friends or family involved, try to get at least one person involved. If that fails, the internet is a great place... join forums, read blogs or better yet, start your own blog.
   When your friends see your progress, they'll be more interested in your journey. People respond to what they can see not just words.
   So get on it!
   
   
2. Lack of Motivation? This might seem tough but what's worked for me is reading about people's progress online. Especially those who started at a similar starting point as mine. Also saying it out loud - to friends or online that you will begin a healthy living journey gives you more reason not to give up :)
   
   
3. Lack of Time?
   We always make time for things that are important to us... so once this is important enough, you'll slowly start to make the time and make it work for YOU!
   
   
4. Lack of Funds?
   
   
   
   You don't have to join a gym to lose weight. Yes, vegetables and healthy foods are more expensive than biscuits, doughnuts, meatpies, etc but you can still eat healthy on a budget. I lost over 20 pounds during my 1st 2 months on weight watchers on a student's budget!
   Eg Buy vegetables and fish/seafood frozen. They still contain nutrients and are frozen fresh :)
   
   

Please read this earlier (and similar) post (from 2010): "I Want To But I Can't"

If there's anything you'd like to see on my blog, I'd love your suggestions/requests :)

Photo Credit: Ramblerz, Google

Fuller's Earth Mask *VIDEO*

If anyone has Windows Movie Maker, stay VERY far away from it! I tried to narrate through the video and got.... nothing! And don't even get me started on the drama of trying to publish this video!!! I need to get another video editor asap!

Anyway, back to the reason for this post, I finally posted a video to go with -->THIS <-- blog post:



I have more videos lined up... I'm going to have to get better at planning and recording my videos so minimum editing is required.

Have a nice week and please let me know if you have any suggestions/requests for videos!

While It's Snowing...

Because, as you know, everything comes to a standstill in the UK after a couple of centimetres of snowfall ;)

I'm doing a few things including:

• Working on video content for my *new* YouTube Channel -->
  http://www.youtube.com/HealthyDury  (Please click on the link and subscribe :) Thanks!)
• Keeping very warm indoors because I'm still recovering from my cold.
  
• Looking through emails (you see, I do read them) to help with ideas for next few blog posts.
  
• Recycling... 

• So sorry *In The Midst of Her*, this is a copy and paste of my response to your comment today, I'm sorrrry!:
  " Omg! How useless of me... I'm so sorry. If it's not up before the end of tomorrow, please send me a virtual slap... that's if you haven't already! *covers face in shame* Just checking - your question was if it's ok to have ogi right? Because it is made from corn starch, it is high in starch and should be eaten in moderation. I'd say a mug (small) is a good portion. If you want to sweeten it, use honey or maple syrup. Frequency, I'd say - 2ce a week. I'll still post about this! "
• Indulging (ofcourse!):
  
  
  And...
• Maybe a recipe on Sunday :)

Hope you're enjoying your weekend and keeping warm!

Workout/Spin Track of The Week

WEEK #16

'U Can't Touch This' by MC Hammer

Loving this in my spin classes at the moment... nothing like a 90s track :) Have a nice weekend!

Currently Loving...

Hello!

I'm going to make this a regular occurence on my blog, and I intend to make this a video series. I would have started this week but I'm ill and sound like a man at the moment!

KALE

I'm ashamed to say this but, this time last year, I had no idea what kale was! Keris of Fitter London introduced me to kale and some other vegetables, this has helped add variety to my veggie based meals.

The only green, leafy veggies I was very familiar with were spinach and lettuce. And of course I loved my frozen mixed vegetables ;) And other ones in Nigeria including bitter leaf and those used in vegetable stews (I don't know their names).  After this confession, I hope someone else out there can relate to this... or else I'm just special :/

Nutritional benefits of kale include:

• One cup of kale = 36 calories + many benefits!
• High Fibre content - aids digestion (prevents constipation) and curbs over-eating (like most leafy vegetables)
• Antioxidant
• Anti-inflammatory 
• Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help fight and combat cancer and quoting a website (www.healthdiaries.com) " a healthy diet of kale also provides glucosinolates, which have been shown to prevent colon, breast, bladder, prostate, ovarian cancers, as well as gastric cancer. "
• Detoxification - Kale helps aid the body's detoxifying process
• Source of Vitamins A, C & K

I always try to spice up my veggies, so I added 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to a pan, stir fried the kale for a couple of minutes, added mushrooms and herbs, with a couple of pinches of salt. I allowed to cook for a furhter 3-4 minutes. Then added 1/3 of a cup of (home-made) chicken stock to add some more flavour - done! 

I've also pan fried prawns, then added the kale to the pan (the prawn stock adds the yummiest flavour) and squeezed half a lemon right at the end. Yum factor: Off the charts! Picture: It was too yummy, my camera was dead so... :p

As promised, here's the link: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/9-health-benefits-of-kale.html

Do you like kale? What leafy veggies are your faves?


Also, if there's any other thing you'd like to see in my (soon-to-come)videos, please let me know.