Did Yoga Help Me Sleep?

Hope you had a nice weekend.

I'd been having trouble sleeping for over a week and was getting very frustrated! It wasn't insomnia, I was stressed and just couldn't relax. Last night, I finally had a good night's sleep and woke up full of energy today - what did I do? The only different thing I did on Sunday was a yoga session, I followed an intermediate Vinyasa flow yoga routine on YouTube.

If that really is what helped me finally relax, I'm definitely going to continue with my new routine (#YogaEverySunday) and add a mid week session too. 

I decided to start yoga again to help with my flexibility, stretching and strength. I've always been skeptical about the other benefits of yoga, this skepticism hasn't gone away overnight but I'm a little curious now. It's been said that yoga also reduces stress, increases calmness, improves mood and concentration. I want it all!

Ideally, I'd be attending classes but honestly, I'm rich, in Jesus' Name (My Mummy used to say that, lol!).

If you're interested in adding yoga to your routine and are new to it, please don't learn on your own. Look for a beginner's class in your area, for many reasons including:

• You'll have a qualified instructor to assist or correct you when needed. 
• There'll be a reduced risk of injury or aggravation of an existent injury.
• The instructor will help provide modifications to suit you.

DVDs and YouTube videos might be detailed but having an experienced instructor, to watch and help you, is safer and better. If you've attended enough classes to understand a few things, then you can get a DVD.

I've seen (but not tried) a few yoga DVDs on on Amazon. Remember: buy DVDs when you're comfortable with yoga. A couple are (click images for more info):

Here's to more sleep, less stress, more concentration and improved moods for us all! 

Have a great week!

Do you practice yoga regularly? Do you want to, and need any tips/recommendations?

Sunday Stretching Pledge: Week 2

Another Sunday, another yoga session today :) I did a 30 minute intermediate yoga routine from YouTube. I followed that with some back-bending, as seen in the wheel pose below.

Only try this if:
1. You're comfortable with the wheel/bridge pose
2. You've warmed up your back and arms (downward/upward dogs, child pose, etc)
3. Ideally, it's best to do it in the presence of a yoga instructor

So don't be too hasty too try this, as my friend Teemz says, "Be kiafu", like she's joking! Interpretation: Be careful ;)

Read more about the wheel pose here: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/473

If you want to keep up with My Stretching Pledge, follow me on Instagram (@Adura_O) and look for the #YogaEverySunday hashtag. If you want to join me on this pledge, post pictures and tag accordingly :)

I posted the below (inspired by the picture above) on Facebook and decided to share here too:

Just a little motivation/encouragement here :)

Years ago, the most I could run was 200m (I was a sprinter (100 + 200m) in secondary school but after I moved to the UK, I gained weight. I eventually lost all the weight but still couldn't run for more than 2 minutes).
In 2004 (or '05), I signed up for a 5km race, trained for that and ended up running a few 5KMs, 10KMs and 2 half marathons over a few years. All thanks to training and hard work :) 

 Same goes for my flexibility - I could barely touch my toes a couple of years ago but again, through hard work and practice, my flexibility has improved ten-fold.
It still tickles to hear people refer to me as 'flexible'!

 So keep working hard, focus on your goals and you'll reach and exceed them!

 Have a great week ahead!

Three Push-Up Variations

I posted this picture on IG and decided to post it here too, why leave you out? :)
(My Instagram: http://instagram.com/adura_o / @Adura_O)

It was captioned:
"Pushup progression. Try this when you're comfortable with regular pushups.
 I LOVE strength training :) :)
#bodyweight #homeworkout #pushup #strongisthenewskinny #strength #workout #igfitness #instafitness #instafit #igfit #personaltrainer #London #fitness"

So, as I stated above, only try this if you're comfortable with pushups, which I've explained below:

Always warm up (5 minutes) before doing any exercise, especially the muscles (and joints) that will be used in the exercise.

Try this (for e.g. after a 30 minute interval training session (running, cycling):

5 pressups

Rest (15 seconds)

10 pressups

Rest (30 seconds)

Repeat 3 times.

Would you like to see more workout posts? Please let me know.

Recipe: Nigerian Twist on Cauliflower Rice - Fried 'Rice'

My first Nigerian recipe, using cauliflower rice is here --> Cauliflower Jollof Rice. If you're wondering why I'm posting these Nigerian style cauliflower rice recipes, read THIS post about the Fitter Food book (Buy it here: store.fitterlondon.co.uk/fitter-food-book-a-lifelong-recipe-for-success-price-includes-delivery-to-uk-only/).

This was just as easy to make as the Jollof 'Rice'

Ingredients
Half a cauliflower
2 cups of mixed vegetables
4 sausages (Ideally I'd have used liver but I didn't have any at home, same excuse from the previous recipe!)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/2 an onion, diced (optional)
Seasoning (Curry, Mixed Herbs and Ginger)
Salt

1. Wash the cauliflower and remove the leaves and stalk.
2. Grate with a grater with large holes (this helps give it a better rice like texture).

3. Wash and steam the mixed vegetables (add some salt to taste). Dice the liver (sausages).

4. Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add the diced meat and pan fry till it's brown on the outside, and almost cooked on the inside.

5. Add the mixed vegetables and seasoning and stir fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the cauliflower and stir fry for 5 minutes.
7. It's ready!

This can serve 1 person with a large appetite (*cough* ME) or 2 people with smaller appetites. Your choice :)

Have you tried any cauliflower rice recipes? Tell me!

My Sunday Stretching Pledge

Earlier last month, I shared my Workout Routine (Read Here) and I obviously spend too much time working my body hard and too little time working on my flexibility and stretching.

Stretching is so important, amongst other things, it helps with muscle recovery and injury prevention, I should know! I wasn't stretching enough a couple of years back and one day, I leaned over to pick up a kettlebell after teaching a class... and I felt this HORRIBLE spasm in my lower back! I couldn't do anything for almost an entire week. I had to see an osteopath and I found out it was because my mid back was too tight (yep, not enough stretching!!!).

I decided to dedicate an hour every Sunday to stretching... well, I kinda fell off the wagon after a couple of weeks. Good thing is - I'm back on it :)

Today...

The above is called a 'Bridge', trust me, I'm no yoga expert so this isn't a perfect bridge.
This has many benefits but I notice it helps stretch my hip flexors, my back, shoulders and chest. I aim to stay in this pose for at least 30s and relax into it, instead of forcing it.

Be careful with this, if you haven't tried it before or have shoulder or neck injuries or problems with your lower back, there are a couple of regressions, check out www.yogajournal.com/basics/2322

Every Sunday will be a freestyle mix of stretching, amateur yoga (things I remember from yoga classes I've attended) and yoga videos. Ideally, I'd like to attend one yoga class a week but I can't commit to that right now with my current schedule. Once I can afford to drop a spin class, I'll immediately replace that with a yoga session - FOR SURE!

I hope I remember to post a picture here and on Instagram every Sunday, this way I'll not forget to stick to this very important addition to my routine.

Do you stretch? Do you attend yoga classes?

Have a nice Sunday and a great week!

Recipe: Nigerian Twist on Cauliflower Rice - Jollof 'Rice'

I'd heard about cauliflower rice but never tried making it until I saw it in the Fitter Food book (Buy it here: store.fitterlondon.co.uk/fitter-food-book-a-lifelong-recipe-for-success-price-includes-delivery-to-uk-only/). I liked that it was cooked in a pan instead of being steamed, before being grated or put in a food processor. This is because I felt the latter would be mushy, which I cannot stand.

I initially intended to post a rice, stew and 'dodo' recipe but I didn't have any meat or chicken in the fridge! I had to eat this with venison sausages, so the stew was out of the question. I improvised and made Jollof 'Rice' instead.

- 1/2 cauliflower
- 230g chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1/4 onion
- 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes
- Seasoning - mixed herbs, mixed spices and salt

1. Wash the cauliflower and remove the leaves and stalk. 
2. Grate with a grater with large holes (this helps give it a better rice like texture).
3. In a pan, heat the oil and add the sliced onions. Allow to brown for 2 minutes. 
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, bring heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. (If you're using blended fresh tomatoes & onions, cook for at least 10 minutes).
5. Add seasoning and chilli. Stir. Cook for a further 5 minutes, until the water starts to dry out from the chopped tomatoes.
6. Add the grated cauliflower and stir thoroughly with the chopped tomatoes.
7. Stir fry on high heat for 5 minutes.

I served mine with pan fried plantain (in one tablespoon of coconut oil) and sausages. Just like our beloved 'Jollof Rice and Dodo'. Trust me, this was very tasty - seasoning plays a big part in taste so make sure you don't skip that step. 

Eating cauliflower rice instead of rice greatly reduces the carb content of this meal, which the plantain provides most of here. You could even use a whole cauliflower, which has ~16g of carbohydrates.

Try it and let me know what you think :)

PS If you're in Lagos (Nigeria), I've been told cauliflower is sold in Spar and Shoprite. Do you buy cauliflower anywhere else? Please share :)

Fitter Food - A Lifelong Recipe For Health & Fat Loss

"Nutrition explained so so simply and scrumptious, healthy meals" <-- My words!

I've told Keris & Matt of Fitter Food about my plans to upload videos of my Nigerian adaptations of the recipes in their debut book.

Problem is I told them over a month ago and still haven't put the video together so expect a blog post (hint: rice, plantain and stew with a Fitter Food twist) tomorrow and the video will be up at a later date.

This book has had so many positive reviews! Nutrition and fitness experts recommend it, everyday people love it.

This book is half valuable nutrition info and half scrumptious, healthy recipes and it's worth way more than it's being sold for. It answers so many questions I often get asked, in the simplest manner possible. And the recipes have been tried and tested by many, with amazing feedback posted on the Fitter Food Facebook page.

A lot of my nutrition knowledge has come from Keris (our sauna chats are usually about her new discoveries about nutrition. How lucky am I?) and Matt is a complete natural in the kitchen (I had dinner at theirs last month and - yummmm!).

The vegetable spaghetti is a favourite of mine, here is a picture posted a few weeks ago:

The above is my long-winded way of saying, get the book here now: http://store.fitterlondon.co.uk/fitter-food-book-a-lifelong-recipe-for-success-price-includes-delivery-to-uk-only/

Thank me later ;)

Quick Catch-Up: Meetup, Sweet Smoothie & Requests

Happy Monday!

Hope you had a good weekend?

Mine started off great - I met a reader of this blog, Ibukun on Friday morning. I'll admit I was a little nervous (Yep, I can be shy sometimes!) but once we met, I felt like I'd known her for ages. I guess it helps that we've chatted a couple of times on Facebook and she's taken part in the 'Get Trimmer Challenge' (She's signing up for the next one too) :) Thanks for the feedback, inspiration, ideas and suggestions Ibukun!

I got back home in the afternoon to do some work and I also made this yummy, simple green smoothie as I was craving something a little sweet.

100g spinach + 1 cucumber + 1 large mango + 2 cups* of water = 3 servings of sweet smoothie :)

*measuring cups

I was at Fitter London on Saturday and took part in an intense and heavy kettlebell strength session. I think I'm getting a little stronger, I love it! Strength training is so so important and will play a significant part in the next Get Trimmer Challenge so get ready ladies! I'm really trying to make the time to record strength workout videos but I might just start with blog posts and stop delaying it!

My Saturday night and Sunday were a blur because I had to take out my braids. Thank God for my friend who paid me a surprise visit on Sunday, she helped speed up the process A LOT!

Now that I have my beloved hair back after three months in braids, it's time to record hair videos.

Have a great week!

PS Spaces are limited in the challenge, which starts in exactly one week. If you want to be a part of it, click on the link below now:

Protein Green Smoothie with Hemp ;)

I hope the title got you interested!

My trusted Nutritionist friend (Keris of Fitter Food/Fitter London) prescribed me UltraClear Plus pH and I've been having it for breakfast for the last week with a small serving of protein eg 2 sunny side up eggs. I got bored mixing it with water so I decided to be adventurous with my green smoothie today.

I got a sample of Nutiva's Hemp Seed at a press event (oops, I still haven't blogged about the goody bag!) and today seemed like a perfect time to try it out. No I'm not talking about drugs here so don't get too excited! Although it comes from a variety of Cannabis, it contains a low amount of THC (the reason for the drug effect). So it does not have the same effect as cannabis!

Hemp seeds are rich in protein, omega 3 fatty acids and GLA (an essential fatty acid) which made them a great addition to my smoothie.

I'll be honest, I had no idea how this was going to taste - I was going to drink it either way (I don't waste food!).

I used a serving of UltraClear, 2 cups of spinach, 1/2 a cucumber and a sample size of the hemp seeds with 1 cup of water. Mixed it all in a blender and...

Verdict: Yummy and Filling!

You can try this with any protein powder of your choice (just make sure it's not full of cr*p). Other high protein seeds are flax, sunflower, chia, sesame and pumpkin. I haven't tried any in a smoothie yet, have you?

Are you a green smoothie novice? Check out this post with simple green smoothies. I will be uploading a video soon.

Are you a green smoothie pro, then please share your recipes :)

------
The Get Trimmer Challenge starts in just over a week, sign up as *spaces are limited*.
Click on the image below for more info.

Natural Skincare Products I Use

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a nice weekend, over here the British weather decided to give us some sunshine. Of course, a high percentage of people were half naked, over 14 years here and that still amazes me!

I was recently asked what products I use on my face and body, and was reminded again that I didn't have that information documented anywhere.

I was in a chatty mood (when am I not?) so I decided to record a video sharing and explaining this information :)

Products Listed In This Video
Fullers Earth Powder: http://amzn.to/14sxICj & http://amzn.to/YFGntU
Face Oil: Contact Me
Nature's Gate Body Wash: http://amzn.to/16fcYMk & http://tgt.biz/14syAab
Dr Bronners Castille Soap: http://amzn.to/ZqGjRj
Body Butter: Contact Me
Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal: http://amzn.to/ZqGWKK

Do you use any of the products mentioned above?
What products do you use?
Have a great week ahead and there'll be more natural skincare/haircare posts in the future :)

Subscribe On Youtube for more natural beauty videos.

A Guest Post & The Get Trimmer Challenge (Sign Up!)

I'm really not sure what's going on with the weather in this country and I'm TIRED of complaining about the freezing temperatures. I refuse to bore you with my feelings about this weather... so I'm going to stop right there before I start again!

Just wanted to quickly share a guest post I wrote on Super Working Mum, click on the image below to read it and FYI: there's a giveaway (Hint: The Get Trimmer Challenge!).

Speaking of the challenge, spaces are limited so register asap.

Please contact me if PayPal isn't working for you and I'll send you alternative details. Remember - this is an online challenge so it's not limited to UK residents.

Click on the image below to sign up :)

If you have any questions about the challenge, don't hesitate to ask.

Have a nice weekend :)



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Slow Cooker Recipe with Sausages, Sweet Potatoes, Peppers, Tomatoes and Onions

I can't get over how cold it is here in THIS COUNTRY! It was 1degC today! ONE! In April!!!

Anyway... here's a quick recipe which I'll be using on Friday for a nice warming dinner, I can't wait!

Preparation time is less than 10 minutes and you leave the slow cooker to do the rest of the work. It's best to leave the lid on the entire time to keep the heat in.

Let me know if you try this and I really hope it's warm where you are!

Nominated for a Leibster Award

Daisy from 'Living in Lagos' nominated me for The Liebster award, which is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

I remember when I used to blog years ago (as 'LondonBuki'), I used to love stuff like this - they made blogging more fun!

Here goes...

The Rules

1. Thank and link back to the giver.
   Thanks Daisy :)
2. Answer the giver's questions 
   a.  What is your favorite book of all time and why?
   I can't pick just one book! A few of my favourites are:
   Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
   His Dark Materials (a trilogy) by Phillip Pullman
   Harry Potter (Great series but my two favourites were the 3rd (Prisoner of Azkaban) and 4th (Goblet of Fire) books)
   Ake by Wole Soyinka
   ... and quite a few more!
   
   b What are you most passionate about and why?
   As you can see from my blog, clean & healthy living inside and out. Outside of this, I'm passionate about taking care of my loved ones and ensuring their happiness - I've learned this about myself over the last 10 years. Don't you dare say a bad word about anyone I care about or do anything to hurt them, you'll have ME to answer to... seriously!
   
   c. What are you up to at the moment?
   Apart from writing this, working on a few important things that I hope will make a huge impact in my career (wish me luck!)
   
   d. What would you say to your 10 year old self?
   Show your Mummy how much you love her, every single day. Enjoy every single call she makes and never get annoyed by her constant calls - she loves you :)
   
   e. Where and what would you like to be & do in 5 years?
   In the USA, but honestly - where I'm meant to be. To have advanced greatly in my career (I prefer not to share my future plans online, sorry!).
   
3. Nominate 5 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers I nominate any blogger who reads this and has less than 200 followers ;)
   
   
4. Ask five questions for nominees to answer
   1. Why do you blog?
   2. If you could pick any country, where would you live? What city/town?
   3. What are your top 3 all time movies?
   4. What are your top 3 meals/dishes?
   5. What do you think about healthy eating/living? Do you eat whatever you like, when you like because "life is too short"? Or do you know the benefits but struggle to et/live healthy? I'm curious to know :)
5. Post it on your blogYou're reading it, so it's obviously on my blog ;)

My March Favourites (2013)

Happy New Month :) I can't believe it's April already! 

I decided to keep this short and sweet, leaving the image below to do most of the talking :)

Green smoothies: http://www.adura-o.com/2013/03/green-smoothies-im-loving-em.html

Palm Oil Mask: http://www.adura-o.com/2013/03/palm-oil-face-mask.html 

Organic tampons: http://amzn.to/10sIYsM

I've used these for a while but finally got my hands on the ones with applicators (halleluyah!). And before you say anything about, "They're probably expensive", they're not! We focus on what we eat and put on our bodies, how about what we leave in our bodies for hours on end? Using a sanitary pad/towel is obviously better (Read: Toxic Shock Syndrome) but, in my opinion, messier. So I'm embracing these chemical free tampons :)
Do they work: Yes they do!

Have you tried any of the above?

Have a wonderful April!