Tuesday, 25 December 2012

Sunday, 16 December 2012

Fitness Christmas Gift Guide

I recorded this video a few weeks ago on some Christmas gift ideas:



I apologise for it being such a rush job then but thanks to my
 friends over at Fitter London just releasing their first book (which is a great Christmas present idea), I’m making up for it with two blog posts ☺ 

I’ll start off with the more affordable options: 

  1. Fitness/Health Magazine Subscription
    I’m reading the latest issue of Red magazine and saw a subscription flyer for Red and a few other magazines including Women’s Health and/or Women’s Fitness. As it’s Christmas season, they’re offering a year’s subscription at heavily discounted rates – perfect time to get yourself and a friend one ;)
    Why this gift? Fitness/Nutrition news & articles, workout ideas, fitness deals & offers, workout gear, exercise class reviews, weight loss stories and more!
    - Women’s Health
    - Women’s Fitness
    - Zest
  2. Gift Vouchers
    If you’re not sure exactly what to get – shoes, tops, leggings, sports bras, accessories, the list goes on – this is the gift for you. Take advantage of the Christmas sales, a £20 voucher will go much further than it usually would. I personally go for stores that sell various brands as I like to mix and match my gym wear. I like c9 by Champion tops, Nike or Idealogy (and when I can finally afford them – Lulu Lemon) leggings, Asics shoes… you get the idea.
    Why this gift? It's easy! The only thought you have to put into this is how much you’re ready to spend ;)
    - Sports Direct/Lillywhites (UK)
    - Nike (UK & USA)
    - Target *for the c9 by Champion range* (USA)
    - Sweaty Betty (UK)
    - Lulu Lemon (UK & USA)
    - Macys (USA)
    - Dick’s Sporting Goods (USA)
    - Modells (USA)
  3. Exercise Classes
    Someone recently bought his friend a block of 10 Fitter London classes as a birthday gift. I think this is such a good gift idea. So many people need that motivation to get back in shape in the New Year and most companies have offers at this time of year to make them more appealing.
    I love classes as the atmosphere always keeps me motivated and I don't have to think about my workout plan, someone else does the work. All I have to do is wake up, show up and sweat!

    Look out for offers on flash deal sites eg Groupon, Living Social, etc but before that check out the Fitter London options: £60 for a month of unlimited classes, £85 for 10 classes.
    I’ll let you know if there’s a Fitter London offer in January ☺
    - Fitter London
    - Yoga eg Bikram, Hot, Vinyasa,, etc
    - Dance classes eg Zumba
  4. Workout DVD
    This is a great idea for someone you know WILL use this. I remember buying myself a Tae Bo DVD and using it for a couple of months before giving up. The poor DVD gathered dust until a few years later when I used it again for more than a couple of months.
    This is a great gift idea for:
    a. someone who is dedicated and motivated enough to workout on their own.
    b. Or someone you plan to do this with so you can motivate each other.
    c. And also someone who cannot afford the money or the time to train at a gym or exercise class.

    With this, you need to put some thought into what DVD you get. How fit is your friend? Does he/she exercise often? Have any injuries? Health conditions that they need medical go-ahead?
    - Jillian Michaels (Read more for the options available)
     
    - Cardio Kickboxing (Jeanette Jenkins)
    More Advanced
    - P90x
    - Insanity Workout
  5. Recipe Book
    There are quite a few healthy recipe books out there which show that healthy eating can be easy and tasty. Some of them are a bit pricy but very worth it. This is a good gift for someone who wants to make healthy eating more interesting and also enjoys, or is interested in, cooking.

    Everyday Paleo
    I got this as a birthday gift last year and I love it. Not only did it give me a whole new set of meals to try out, it also gave me some ideas on how to tweak Nigerian meals to make them healthier.


    Fitter Food (A Lifelong Recipe for Health & Fat Loss)
    After months of hard work, Keris and Matt of Fitter London are now done with their book and it's available for pre-order (click on the image below). I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. I highly recommend it :)

The next post will be on the more pricy options so stay tuned.
I'll also share any other gift ideas I come across leading up to Christmas day.

Friday, 14 December 2012

Shock Absorbers on SALE!

Have you watched this video on my favourite brand of sports bras?


Shock Absorber bras are amazing and I highly recommend them, especially the B4490 which runs in large cup sizes!




I just got an email from Less Bounce titled, "Shock Absorbers from just £10 at LessBounce.com" so I had to share it with you of course --> http://www.lessbounce.com/shock-absorber/prodlist_apbd194.htm

Happy Shopping :)

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

How To Stay Healthy Over The Festive Period (Pt II)

Happy New Week!

Two weeks to Christmas, whoop!

So, I did well enough at the Fitter London Christmas party on Saturday. Like I mentioned in the previous post, I ordered the yummiest cake ever from Vickii. Well, I had a couple of generous slices. What saved me wasn't my self control, it was the yumminess of the cake! Almost everyone came back for seconds so it was gone with in 2 hours.


I didn't get the chance to eat before the party so I ate more cake than I should have (because I hadn't eaten before leaving home, so I was hungry). Which leads me to today's tip that should help you eat responsibly at one of the many parties you're going to attend this month:

Tip #3 Eat In Advance.

I've found that when I eat a big, healthy meal before going out, I do so much better at sticking to my healthy goals. Imagine going out on an empty stomach, and having to wait a while before your food is served (if it's one where food will be served). You'll most likely keep picking at anything that's available, healthy or not. And by the time your meal arrives, eating everything on your plate and having a second helping would be the natural thing to do.

Even if it's a party that serves 'nibbles', that's more of a reason to eat a meal beforehand so you don't end up picking at the usual unhealthy sweets and treats that would be lying around.

Tip #4 Water Down Your Alcoholic/Sugary Drinks

Alcoholic and sugary drinks contain empty calories - a high sugar content. And these are usually available in abundance at parties!

FYI
An 8oz glass of red wine, which is the least sugary alcohol option, contains 2-4g of sugar, depending on the type of red wine. (It helps to check the bottle.)
A 330ml can of coke contains ~40g (10 cubes) of sugar.

The best thing to do is to control your portions of alcohol and drink a lot of water too. This is important, not only to control your sugar intake, but to help keep you hydrated as high alcohol consumption can lead to dehydration.

Another thing you should take note of is - alcohol causes a sharp spike, then dip in blood sugar levels and you're more likely to want to snack with a high consumption of it. If you eat in advance, I expect you'd drink less and snack less too!

Christmas Parties in 2011 and 2012. I always seem to find myself hovering around the cake ;)
Yes, it's the festive season and it is okay to relax on your eating of course, I'm not going to pretend I don't! BUT try not to overdo it. You don't want to start the next year feeling like you've set your progress back by months just for a few weeks of celebration. 

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

How To Stay Healthy Over The Festive Period

... is HARD but possible. With a couple of smal treats here and there ;)

The problem is the long period over which we celebrate Christmas. It usually starts during the 2nd week of December and lasts all month!

Work parties, client parties, family parties, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. 

And most of these parties have the usual overkill of chocolate, desserts and anything else you'd want to have only on treat days. There's hardly any 'Healthy' section in these parties. So, what to do?!?

Over the next couple of weeks I'll share tips which usually help me out during these (very!) testing times.
(And, um, this will serve as motivation and a reminder for myself because the Fitter London Christmas party is only a few days away and I've just ordered a SINFUL and YUMMY cake from Vickii.)

Tip #1: Fill your plate up with protein.

There's usually a buffet at parties, with a variety of food. As tempting as it may be, avoid trying every single thing. I know that's going to be challenging but pick one (maximum two) small portions of the rice, potatoes, pasta, pastries, etc so you do not feel like you're depriving yourself.
Load up the rest of your plate with protein, there's usually a tasty selection of turkey, chicken, sausages, meat, etc. Avoid the deep fried, breaded options of course. Don't forget your veggies!

For set menus, you're usually provided the option to choose meals in advance - apply the tips mentioned above.

Tip #2: Avoid 'seconds' or 'thirds'.

Fortunately, you don't usually have this option with set meals.
With buffets, it's very easy to go back for a second, third or even fourth round. If you plan it well enough, you can pick the right foods and not go feel the need to go back for no more than a second helping.

*ahem* Although I did go for seconds a couple of weeks ago.
I was at a friend's dinner and what helped was adding chicken, fish and sausages (those were the protein options available) and a small serving of beans (Nigerian style) to my plate for my 1st serving. By the time I was done with it, I was satisfied enough but went ahead (because my middle name is 'Greedy') and had small samples of two of the high carb options (see Tip #1 above) and a little more protein. My greed aside, I could have stopped after the first plate because of all the very filling protein I had.
Then I had some dessert, let's just agree that I was good ;)

I'm going to follow these points above and will share more next week including alcohol intake, eating in advance, and more.

Monday, 3 December 2012

Christmas Gift Guide for Fitness

Happy Monday and New Month! :)

The countdown to Christmas has officially started :) I'm still amazed by how quick 2012 has gone by!

Apologies for the (obviously) rushed video below, I promise to post a more detailed health/fitness Christmas gift guide within a week.



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Gym Classes
Gift Cards/Vouchers
  • SportsDirect.com (UK - Multiple brands)
  • Dick's Sporting Goods (USA - Multiple brands)
  • Target (USA - c9 by Champion range)
  • Sweaty Betty (UK - Pricey and worth it)
  • Lulu Lemon (UK & USA - Pricey and worth it)
  • Runner's World (UK - Running gear)
Exercise DVDs