Get Trimmer (2012): WEEK ONE

Happy Monday :)

Hopefully you've recorded your measurements, even if you haven't shared them here yet... *HINT*.

Could you please, also, take your waist and hip measurements? Also please take a look at the previous post to confirm your name's on the list.

-----------------------------
FEEDBACK ON FOOD DIARIES SHARED IN THE PREVIOUS POST
Thank you for being honest and posting both good and bad! That gives us more to work with :)

Breakfast:

• Try to avoid the breakfast cereals along the lines of Crunchy Nut, Frosties, etc. As I told someone today, you might as well have a glass of water with a few spoons of sugar. And usually with these, you find that you have to eat more to get that full feeling.
  If you must have cereal in the morning, have half a cup of porridge oats with milk and a handful of nuts or berries. Other options include: 2 x Weetabix, 1 cup of Shreddies.
• No pastries or bakery products eg brioche, doughnuts, cakes.
• Don't have time to sit down and eat breakfast?
  - Eat something even if it's a piece of chicken or meat.
  - If you have access to health food stores, buy  protein snack bars eg 'Trek', '9', 'Bounce Balls', 'Nak'd', 'Cliff', 'Lara Bar'.
  -Boil eggs the night before and have one or 2.

Snacks:

• Don't snack on pasteries or baked goods.
• Fruit or Nut - great choice
• Protein Bar (especially if you don't have much for breakfast)
• Again, even a piece of fish, chicken or meat would do.

Lunch/Dinner:

• Keep the takeaways (Chinese, etc) to a minimum. You'll save money and you'll know exactly what's going into your meals.
• Order veggies with your Nandos chicken instead of the fries.
• Cut down the rice and pasta portions
• If you have salads, make sure they come with some protein (eggs, fish, chicken, etc) and always ask for dressing on the side. 

Don't starve yourself: Eating little to nothing doesn't necessarily mean you'll burn fat and lose weight. Fuel your body with the right foods and it will burn fat and calories, efficiently. Try to incorporate some protein in every meal. Breakfast: Eggs, Sausages, etc. Lunch/Dinner: Chicken, Fish, Meat. Snacks: Nuts as they'll keep you fuller for longer and help supress your appetite.

-----------------------------

The last 2-3 weeks have been a bit odd for me - I was ill, I travelled, I was ill and now I'm WELL :) So I've decided to take part in this challenge with you too.

And before anyone says anything, I know I'm not overweight, we all know our bodies and when we need to get back on track :)

What's my plan of action?

1. I'm cutting out chocolate for the entire month of May. Although I only eat 70% (or more) chocolate, I usually finish a big bar over 2 days(weekend, when I do have it).
2. I'll have 2 strength based sessions per week:
   - Fitter London's Kettlebells for Strength and Bodyweight Conditioning on Tuesdays @ 7am
   and
   - Fitter London's Kettlebells for Strength, Size and a Sixpack on Saturdays @ 11.30am.
   (All Fitter London classes can be found here: www.fitterlondon.co.uk/classes/)
   You should know how passionate I am about strength training so please read this post: I Love Strength Training.
3. I teach 3 spin classes a week so those will be my cardio/endurance workouts.
4. I'm cutting out plantain chips for the entire month of May. Trust me, they're a real weakness of mine. Especially when I'm in a hurry, I just grab a pack and inhale it in 2 minutes flat!
5. As always, I'm going to eat a lot of protein (More of fish, seafood. And chicken, eggs too) and vegetables. I'm also limiting mhy carbohydrates to sweet potatoes, beans and plantain. I'm not a fan of brown rice, I'd have added that to the list.
6. No ice-cream, absolutely NO ice-cream. This is a major weakness of mine. 

Okay enough about me ;)

Set your goals for May (tomorrow's the 1st).

• Exercise: I'll post some workouts for home and gym workouts. Aim for at least 2 days per week.
• Diet: My advice would be to cut out all pastries, cakes, pizzas, deep fried foods, high-sugar foods and drinks, etc. Also reduce your carbohydrate portions and replace with vegetables (they are carbs too) and protein. It's only one month in your long life and will fly by.
• Frequency of meals: Eat at least three times a day and make sure you never get to a point where you're ravenous. If you don't like breakfast, no need to force yourself to eat an actual meal. Try something as little as a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit.
• Snacking: Do this only when you feel peckish, sometimes I snack for the sake of it and it's unneccessary. Snack on fruit (1 portion eg 1 apple, a handful of berries, 1 slice of pineapple, etc).

Please post your goals, it helps to write things down and share on a forum (here) because you feel more motivated to stick to these goals. I'm in Starbucks and I just had a banana with my Green Tea. I ignored the dark chocolate by the checkout, GO ME!

Sidenote: After going on an on on Twitter yesterday, I shared a few pointers. Which I've decided to share here because I know you don't all have Twitter accounts:

Any questions, please ask and I will answer asap.

Good Luck and have a nice week!

Get Trimmer (2012): Official Sign Up POST

This 2012 challenge is over.

Sign up for the next one, which starts on April 22nd, HERE: http://www.adura-o.com/2013/03/get-trimmer-for-summer.html

-----
I know a few of you (listed below) commented on the YouTube video and under THIS post. I'll also add names as they're added to this post.

Deadline for sign up is 11pm (UK time) on Monday 30th April.

1. Okeoghene 
2. Lam Lam 
3. Daddy's Girl 
4. Iwalewa 
5. Beautiful 
6. Anon4Now 
7. Gbemification 
8. TheMsbeemo 
9. Suliat
10. Mayonne
11. B
12. BeeA
13. BeePink
14. Ceri
15. FitDama
16. NN
17. Zioner
18. And a couple of Anonymouses (please post a name)

Please comment under this post with your info:

- Weight AND/OR measurements (waist, hips, bust)

- Goal (realistic please, 15-20lbs is the highest you should aim for in 4-5 weeks. So that losing any more would be a pleasant surprise.

- And your entire food diary for a day.

Thank you!

As promised, I'll be posting workout videos during, and after, this challenge.

'Get Trimmer' (The 2012 Edition)

The challenge is back, sign up!

If you have no idea what this challenge is about, READ THIS.

To sign up, please leave a comment here or on YouTube.

Start date: Friday 27th April.

See ya.

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK EIGHT

Hi Ladies,

The challenge is over :)

But the journey continues... and, as it's been for me, it never ends.

My journey was (and still is) a learning curve:

• I started with Weight Watchers, learned a lot about eating healthy to lose weight
  But 
• I didn't stay on long enough to learn how to keep my weight stable ==>I kept losing weight
• I go too skinny and then started eating a little more ==> Gained a little weight (which was necessary) and maintained a healthier weight for a year
• Started going to the gym/running regularly and started eating even more ==> Weight Gain
• Revisited my diet/nutrition and made some changes (permanent and not temporary for weight loss) ==> Went back down to a healthier weight and stayed there... Still here after a couple of years so I think I have it right now ;)

So... although this challenge was for 8 weeks and to help with weight loss, a lot of the positive changes you've made should be permanent.

• This doesn't mean - no more rice, no more yam, no more 'swallows'/'okele', etc. 
• It just means - smaller portions of these very heavy carbs and less frequency of their intake, 
• Eating more vegetables and fish/chicken/meat. 
• More nuts
• Less sugary fruit
• Eating smaller meals but more often (every 3 hours is a good guideline)

Both last year's and this year's 'Get Trimmer...' posts can be viewed --> HERE <-- 

Well done ladies and keep up the good work... and of course - healthy (nutrition, fitness and beauty) blog posts will always be a frequent occurrence here :)

PS I need volunteers for a survey re: my new website (in development), please let me know if you're interested in taking part. Thank you :)

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK SEVEN : Guest Post

“Who hoo my starting weight was 65kgs I weigh 60kgs now!! In the beginning, my waist was 33cm now itss 29.5 cm! Progress. I'm so excited.”

When I started this it was purely for fun. I’ve always been small and suddenly my size 8 clothes didn’t fit so well again plus little comments from people like “Ah Funto u better start going to the gym o! Looks like your work is not stressing you well enough” another person said “I see you have a lot more peace of mind at your job”. I got the nice and subtle hint and then I knew I had to take the GT challenge seriously.

I love cooking so I just followed the examples of the meal plans Adura gave:

• I ate more veggies, more sweet potatoes, less rice, plenty chicken (without skin) and I cooked with little or no oils ( I never believed Adura until I tried cooking without oil and I hate to admit Oil does not improve or reduce the taste and yumminess of your food).
  
• I also reduced my consumption of fried stuff and ate more fruits like watermelon, pineapple, grapes and apples.

An example of typical day was:

• Oatmeal for breakfast,
• fruit salad for lunch
  and
• 1 boiled plantain, 2 huge pieces of chicken and plenty efo riro (yummy efo riro with very little palm oil)

and that filled me.
Sometimes I swapped the oatmeal for a super yummy 9Bar (The Nutritious, carob topped mixed seed bar….. with hemp) for breakfast.

Now to the part most people (including me) hate EXERCISE!!!!!!
Well my major concern was my bulging tummy (it looks horrible and the fact that I have a small body doesn’t help) so I did lots of abdominal exercises (planks) and I found this website really useful www.fitnessmagazine.com. I also did squats, lunges, press ups and some resistance tube exercises (thanks to Adura for my lovely resistance tube).
When I started my body hurt like crazy but that was an indication that the exercises were working (I hope). I work out for about an hour everyday most times in the evening when I get back from work. I stopped taking the elevator (running to the 5th floor every morning is not funny oo!). So many times when im working out my Mom goes “you’ll soon disappear” but I shrug it off and keep working.

There are sometimes when I just cannot avoid a little helping of Rice and Ofada stew with some fried plantain sha (but I don’t eat much of that I guess moderation is key)

So enough of my stories!!! I’m not there yet, I wanna be a size 0 ( I really wish). I guess its all about making little life style changes and when u see the results and improvements, it makes you want to keep pushing.


Adura:
Well done Funto!
I've met Funto and she is quite small so although 65kg sounds perfect to most of us, she was carrying a little extra weight around her midsection (sorry Funto! lol)
I think she's doing really well and the only thing I'd say is to have less of the sugary fruit (pineapples, fruit salads, etc) and more nuts and veggies. And slowly work on reducing the frequesncy of oatmeal for breakfast (which she seems to be doing by having the 9bars sometimes :) )
And I'm working on more fitness posts so watch this space.
I'm so proud of you Funto :) And honestly, you don't need to be a size 0.

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK SEVEN

Hi!

The challenge is almost over but remember the main goal of this challenge is to start living a healthier lifestyle. So... although I'll stop putting up 'GT' posts, I'll still put up healthy eating and exercise tips so this is ongoing :)

How are you all doing? I'm waiting for a blog post from Funto, she sent me this DM last weekend and I'm so proud of her!

"Who hoo my starting weight was 65kgs I weigh 60kgs now!! My waist is 29.5 cm! Progress. I'm so exited. Who hoo my starting weight was 65kgs I weigh 60kgs now!! My waist is 29.5 cm! Progress. I'm so excited. "

I know 65kg as a starting weight seems small but I've met Funto and she has a small frame. She sent me her pictures during week 1 of the challenge and her problem area was her tummy. It is tough but try not to compare your progress/weight with others. I weigh about 68kg and if I ever weigh 60kg (Funto's weight), I think I'll be flesh and bones, no muscle even O_O

So Funto... HINT! Send your post :)

Check out Funto's Post HERE.

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK SIX

Hi Ladies,

How are you doing? Weekend?

Where are you? Have you deserted me in my time of need? :'(
LOL!

After a week of indulging (Mine and a friend's birthdays, my God-daughter's christening), lets's just say I should be taking part in this challenge this week ;)

I had cake, jollof rice and fried rice. Everything else was kinda ok - moin-moin (easiest translation for non-Nigerian readers- bean cake), stewed chicken and fish. Only problem was - there was EXCESS oil (chicken and fish). It tasted really good but at one point I felt I had a coating of oil on my tongue and I knew it was unhealthy but I kept saying, "Birthday Week, Greedy Week" <-- Haha!

Please tell me you did better than me...!

--> This week's NUTRITION post <--

'Get Trimmer...' Week Six: Nutrition Post

This week we'll talk about 'Staple Foods' and will also be revisiting Snacking (again, I know) but this is a very important part of healthy eating.

It's easy to give excuses especially when faced with change...

I have this friend, let's call her N. She's been frustrated because she can't lose the extra 15 pounds which seemed to appear overnight about a year ago. We've had the same discussion countless times:

N: I know what I'm going to do, I'll skip breakfast, have a salad for lunch and eat little or nothing for dinner.

A: You shouldn't do that, you need to eat little and often to keep your blood sugar levels constant and to keep cravings at bay.

N: But this *always* works for me so I'm going to do it.

A few weeks go by:

N: I've tried my usual way of losing weight and it's not working, this is so frustrating! What do you suggest I do?

A: Eat little and often. Load up all your meals with protein, eat less processed carbs & sugar, eat more vegetables...

N: But eating once a day works for me!

A: o_O Nope.

As N is my friend, I can get frustrated with her and speak my mind. I am able to say - "This will most likely work for you, it's worked for a huge load of people, there is absolutely no harm in trying! Worst case scenario, it won't work and it'll be back to the drawing board for us. Stop giving excuses!"
Most times, I'm not that lucky... I have to be professional and neutral with my responses but it's hard. Lol!

Also... 'Staples'. I'm Nigerian, I get it - we grew up eating generous portions of fried/jollof/white rice, yam pounded, boiled, fried), eba, amala, etc. <-- This isn't a reason to eat large portions. Make some changes and you will see some changes... definitely :)

Try new things:
- Halve your portion of rice and double, even triple, your portion of veggies.
- Eat more protein (it makes you feel fuller for longer and most times we eat, it's cos we're hungry).
- Boil your yam, plantain. Use less palm oil. Try brown rice (cook it in home made stock) or basmati rice.
- The list is endless, take a look at previous GT posts.

So remember:

• Snacking is essential. Some ideas in this post: http://www.adura-odesanya.co.uk/2011/06/get-trimmer-week-three-nutrition-tips.html
• You can form new habits ie you can have new 'staples' <-- I loved Miss T's comment in last week's post about this :)
• Drink more water as sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger as you sometimes can feel peckish when thirsty.
• More protein, more vegetables and less carbs <-- Simple ;)

As usual, post any questions here and I'll respond as soon as I can.

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK FIVE

Hello :)

Hope you enjoyed your weekend – again I spent most of mine in bed or on the sofa trying to get a 100% better and I think I’m almost there :D  Just in time for my 30th birthday tomorrow – unbelievable how time flies, I remember my 1st day in primary school at the age of SIX.

As stated last week, the second half of the challenge will be a little more focused than the 1st half. I understand a lot of you are busy so won’t have time to check in everyday… but at least 2 comments from you per week would be great – one at the beginning of the week and one at the end. I’m feeling much better now so I’ll answer questions within 24 hours :)
Sooo…  what did you eat this weekend?

--> This Week's Nutrition Post <--
--> This Week's Fitness Post <--

'Get Trimmer...' Week Five: Nutrition Post

Oops, I'm in birthday mode this week... This year I'm not just havng a birthDAY, I'm having a birthday week :)

I'm going to try to eat healthy today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday because Tuesday's my birthday (anything goes) and I'm going out for dinner on Friday.

Inspired by my unhealthy eating during my birthday week, this week's post is going to be about Treats and Indulging :)

Tips on indulging:

• Do not completely cut out your most favourite treats because there will come a day when you'll binge. It happens, trust me.
• Choose your top 3 treats and rotate them every week... one of these treats a week.
• Eat healthy at least 5 times a week and have a day or 2 where you relax and treat yourself to a couple of indulgent foods e.g. ice-cream, cake, brownies.... don't get me started ;)
• When you do treat yourself, don't binge-eat i.e. have a slice of cake (just one), one brownie, one (maximum 2 cupcakes depending on size), 3 biscuits.
• Eat your treats slowly, savour the taste... a mistake I used to make was stuffing a whole biscuit into my mouth, chewing and swallowing it within seconds. Before I knew it, I'd inhaled 10 biscuits. Now, when eating my favourite treat (rich and creamy ice-cream), I take my time and use a teaspoon so it lasts longer ;)

What are your top 3 favourite treats?

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK FOUR

Hi Ladies :)

Hope you enjoyed your weekend. I spent mine in bed from 3pm on Saturday trying to fight being ill. I can't say I was 100% successful but my body definitely needed all that rest (and more).

Enough about me... how (and what) did you eat this weekend?

For those ladies who sent in their measurements at the start of the challenge, can you take your current measurements and post in the comments section or email to me?

We have 4 weeks to go and the plan is to take things up a notch... everyone *has* has to exercise at least 2ce a week. And also share your food diary everyday... pretty please ;)

--> This Week's Nutrition Post <--
--> This Week's Fitness Post <--
:)

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK THREE

Hi!

How are you? How was your weekend? Did you indulge less than you did last week? I definitely did much better this week, not that this post is about me :)

I was asked to post an example 1-2  full day meal plan and I will later today when the Nutrition post is up. It will be a guideline, you don't have to eat what I've listed but I understand it'd be helpful to have it...

Next week will be the first measurement check in (for those of you who sent/posted your stats at the beginning of the challenge).

As was done last week, please post what you ate over the weekend - I'm sure you all ate a little better too :)

--> This week's Nutrition Post <--
--> This week's (temporary) Fitness Post <--

Fitness post will be up later (Tuesday hopefully) :)

I totally understand that making changes to habits you've had for a long time is difficult but this quote (I heard from Keris of Fitter London) totally sums it up:

"Keep doing what you've always done and you'll get what you've always got "

Make small changes each week and it'll be much easier than you expect :)

Good Luck, you *definitely* can do it :)

'Get Trimmer...' Week Three: Nutrition Tips

As requested, here's an example food plan for a day:

BREAKFAST
A. Small cup of 0% yoghurt and a handful of berries or half a banana
OR
B. Egg, vegetables and fish e.g.
- an omelette
or
- fish, scrambled eggs and tomatoes (or your choice of vegetables)
OR
C. Fruit e.g.
- A banana and an apple
or
- A handful of berries and a handful of nuts (cashew, brazil, almond, etc)

SNACK
A. A portion of fruit e.g. an Apple, a handful of berries, A banana (this is a good option if you didn't have fruit for breakfast.
OR
B. A handful of nuts (again, if you didn't have these for/with breakfast)

LUNCH
A. Chicken Salad (little or no dressing)
OR
B. A portion of rice (preferably brown) | beans | sweet potato | plantain (roasted or boiled) with a generous portion of vegetables (spinach, mixed veg, etc <--- your preference) and a portion (or more) of fish, chicken, etc. EG Brown Rice, Efo (spinach) + Chicken

SNACK
A. If you have left over lunch have it. I'm actually doing that today :)
OR
B. Snack options above

DINNER
A. My favourite - fish and vegetables. e.g. (the efo in THIS recipe) or fish with steamed vegetables

There's a wide range of food you can eat but I hope this is enough of a guideline. Please post your food diaries in the comment section this week :)

'Get Trimmer...' Week Three: Fitness Tips

I am so so sorry - I will update this tomorrow (Wednesday).

Until then, check out Fitter London's Matt Whitmore's video logs -->HERE<--

If you watch the videos, please leave a comment there (iVillage) :)

Matt's Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/Matt-Whitmore

Fitter London on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FitterLondon

PS I'm in a few of them ;)

Most recent is:

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK TWO

Hi!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend... I did - Fitter London and Cooking, loved it!

It's the 1st full week of the challenge and it's really good to see a lot of you are taking part and sharing a lot :)

So... how much did you over-indulge this weekend. Don't be shy - confess your sins ;)

I'll start - this weekend I had ice-cream. I had some chocolate (I know it was 85% cocoa so it's healthier than most but I had a whole bar of Green & Blacks Chocolate!) I had a pack (or maybe 2) of plantain chips and... I had some asaro (yam pottage) at my friend's mum's house ;)

So... please share - it'd be great to know what your weekend eating habits are like.

--> This week's Nutrition Post <--
--> This week's Fitness Post <--

'Get Trimmer...' Week Two: Nutrition Tips

Someone asked me how often she should eat beans, yam, plantain, etc per week which inspired this week's Nutrition post.

Suggestions on when to eat and portion size (**It's not possible to change your eating habits overnight so the advice I'm giving here should be used as guidelines.** ):

• Plantain: Preferably boiled or roasted. No more than 2ce a week.
  One large plantain, or 1.5 medium = 1 portion
• Yam: Preferably boiled or roasted. 1ce in 2 weeks
  One thick (1 inch) slice or 2 medium slices = 1 portion
  Same goes for pounded yam (a fist size = 1 portion) and asaro (but cut down on the oil)
• Eba: Once in 1.5 - 2 weeks
  A fist size = 1 portion
  Apply the same to amala and fufu.
• Beans: Preferably cooked with very very little to no palm oil*. 1ce - 2ce in a week
  2 serving spoons = 1 portion
  * I will post a recipe in the next couple of weeks where I use no oil and it still tastes yummy!
  If cooked with palm oil or eaten with fried 'ata' - 1ce in 2 weeks (e.g. on your 'day off' eating healthy)
  This also includes moin-moin. As for akara, as it's deep fried so... not often at all ;)
• White Rice: 1ce a week (MAX), if possible replace with brown rice and have white rice 1ce in 2-3 weeks
• Brown Rice: To add some flavour (taste) to it, cook in chicken stock - always works for me! 1-2ce in a week
  1.5 x a serving spoon = 1 portion

Please Note: This doesn't meant you should every single thing on the above list in a week... ;)

This week's meal ideas include:

• 'Quick' Stew: See recipe HERE

• Efo (Spinach): See recipe HERE

They can be eaten with sweet potato, plantain, butternut squash, brown rice, etc

Please continue to post your meals here and I'll give as much feedback as I can. Keep Up The Good Work and have a nice week :)

'Get Trimmer...' Week Two: Fitness Tips

Just read this comment from Waffarian, "But I would love to jog more often cos the only time I lost a lot of weight (do you remember? it was also on a challenge with you! ah, it was wonderful!"

It took me back to  me of my other blog from years ago... it was one of my 2 main blogs when I blogged as LondonBuki. And I called it, "I Will Be F-I-T".

Anyway, enough about me... this challenge is all about you ;)

I'll try to include at least one running or cycling session to each week's fitness post.

This week... TRY your hardest to exercise at least 2ce this week. 3-4 times a week if you can...
Some options include:

• A 30 minute run (or power walk) at a steady pace. If you have light dumbells, hold them in your arms while power walking to challenge yourself. Run/Walk on the treadmill or outdoors (make sure you're wearing good running trainers).
  Intensity: On a scale of 1-10 (10 is the hardest possible), you should be running/walking at 7.
  Alternatives: Cross Trainer or Bike.
  At the end of your run, finish up your session with planks. 4 sets of 30s planks.
  
  PLANK
  - Start by lying face down on a mat (preferably) or grass, resting on your forearms with your palms flat on the floor.
  - Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows (make sure they are bekow your chest).
  - Keep flat and straight like a plank of wood. Flat back, straight line from head to heels
  - Tilt your pelvis and focus on squeezing (contracting) your abdominals - this will help prevent your bum from sticking up in the air or the opposite - your hips dropping low towards the floor.
  - Also squeeze your bum and your whole body.
  - Hold for 30s, rest. Repeat 4 times.

Advanced

Beginner

• Workout detailed in week one... Read HERE.
• If you have access to gym classes: 1-2 spin classes
• If you have access to gym classes: 1-2 body conditioning classes
• A dance class (eg Zumba, I read on Bella Naija that they are now running in Lagos)
• A yoga or pilates class... again if you have access to them

As for any workout session, make sure you warm up & mobilise your joints before *and* cool down & stretch after.

Strength Training sessions coming up next week :)

'Get Trimmer...' WEEK ONE

Hi Ladies!

GOAL: To kickstart a change in lifestyle - healthier eating and regular exercise.... and ofcourse to lose a few inches ;)


STRUCTURE:

• It's going to run for exactly 2 months from Wednesday 1st June until Sunday 31st July
• To confirm your participation - you all *have* to comment with your name and your goal.
  e.g. My name is Adura, my waist measurement is xx inches and my 2 month goal is to lose 4 inches. My long term goal is to lose yy kg and zz inches.
  
• There will be weekly Nutrition tips/info
• And weekly Exercise tips/info (home workout and gym classes)
• It would be great to make this as interactive as possible - treat this as a forum to ask any questions, share recipes and useful information.
• If you're interested in being featured during the 2 month period, please let me know.
• I'm hoping, but not promising (yet!), there may be a prize involved :)

--> This week's Nutrition Post <--

--> This week's Fitness Post <--

** By taking part in this challenge, you are confirming:
- You are in good health. If neccessary, please consult your Dr especially if you feel unwell.
- If any of the recipes or meal suggestions contain any ingredients you've never ingested, have a small amount to confirm you are not allergic. If you have access to an allergy test, please have one done.
- If you are completely new to exercise, please consult a fitness professional to help you with technique.

I will provide alternatives to exercises to make them suitable for beginners, intermediates and advanced :) If you have any injuries, please let me know what they are before you try out any exercises**

'Get Trimmer...' Week One: Nutrition Tips

We are going to take a step by step approach to this, you're not expected to start eating 100% healthy today (*ahem* I don't even eat 100% healthy). It's Wednesday today and it's only a couple of days to the weekend so this week:

1. Please post today's breakfast in the comments section. If you usually don't eat breakfast, post that too.
   
   
2. On Thursday and Friday, try any of these for breakfast:
   - an omelette (add tuna, vegetables, etc - I like salmon and eggs with tomatoes for breakfast once in a while)
   - A couple of boiled eggs and some vegetables
   - A handful of nuts (e.g cashews, almonds, walnuts) and some fruit (e.g. berries, an apple)
   - A piece (or two) of chicken, turkey <-- Actually the easiest for most people that cook ahead for the week.
   
   I remember the 1st time my Nutritionist friend (Keris of Fitter London) suggested protein for breakfast, my immediate reaction was - I NEED MY CARBS!
   Without going into too much boring detail, eating a protein rich breakfast means
   - you feel fuller for longer so you feel less peckish,
   - you don't get a sharp increase in your blood sugar which usually leads to a dip => you're peckish
   and
   - if you add vegetables which are a source of energy, you're good :)
   
   
3. As this is a short week on the challenge, you have to *aim* to eat healthy on either Saturday or Sunday. Have one of those days off as your treat day.
   
4. Eat every 2-3 hours: Breakfast, Snack (e.g. fruit or nuts), Lunch, Snack (e.g. 2nd half of your lunch, Dinner, Snack

This week's meal ideas include:

• An Omelette: Recipe can be found here - http://www.adura-odesanya.co.uk/2011/05/my-sunday-breakfast.html

• Meatballs in Tomato Sauce - I cooked this last night and it's yummy! I'll post the recipe later today.
  You could eat this with: Sweet Potatoes or Brown Rice. And Vegetables

• Work in an office and have no choice but to eat at the cafeteria? Make things a little healthier by:
  - Eating (drinking?) Peppersoup - Chunks of meat/chicken with vegetables in soup. Perfect
  - Halving your usual portion of rice, pounded yam, etc and have an extra piece of chicken
  - If you're lucky enough to have a salad option, have your dressing on the side and use a teaspoon (max tablespoon) of dressing
  
  

Coming up in the next few weeks:

• Snacking
• 'Empty' Calories
• Eating small but often
• Recipes
• Healthy Eating Out
  and more.

'Get Trimmer...' Week One: Exercise Tip

Exercise is very important, its many benefits include:

- a healthier heart
- reduced risk of some types of cancer
- reduced risk of Type II Diabetes
- increased life expectancy
- and more

During this challenge, there will be posts on both home workouts and gym classes... Make sure you ask any questions you have in the comments section.
This is a repost:
If you like walking or running outdoors, interval training should be your friend. Walking or running at a constant pace isn't very challenging and can become boring. 30 minutes of interval training is by far more effective than an hour of constant pace.:

• Pick a destination about 50m ahead. Pick up the pace (power walk or run, fully involving the arms) until that destination's reached. Slow down for no more than a minute and repeat as many times as possible
• If you train indoors on a treadmill or bicycle, the above approach will work perfectly for you :) Pick up your pace and slow down at set intervals, cardio machines have an added advantage of showing you your speed and your distance.
• At different intervals, stopping at a kerb and performing step ups (stepping up and down) for one minute as fast as possible. Continue walking and repeat after a few minutes of rest. Repeat as many times as possible.

If you like walking and are just not ready to start jogging/running yet, try this:

• Warm Up for at least 5 minutes, start at a slow pace and slowly pick up your pace. At the 4 minute mark, she should be power walking - taking long strides at a quick pace and using your arms to propel you forward
• Intervals: Power walk (or take it to a light jog) for 30seconds, slow down for 1 minute. Repeat 10 times.
• Walk at a gentle pace for 3 mins.
• Step ups -  1 minute (if you can jog up and down the kerb), rest for 30seconds. Repeat at least 5 times.
• Walk for 3 minutes.
•  Stop. Perform 15 squats, see illustration below:

Start standing upright, with your hands behind your ears

Slowly sink downwards like you would on a chair. 

Main points for squats:
- Keep your shoulders back and your chest open. and your heels should stay on the floor the entire time.
- Return to starting position by pushing your heels into the floor and standing up. Squeeze your bum. <-- 1 squat.
Squats are great for strengthening your glutes (bum).

• Rest for 15 seconds and repeat the squats for 3-4 sets.
• Walk for 5 minutes at a slower pace.
• Stretch (I'll include stretching pictures to this post soon).

Try the above and please let me know how it goes.

If you can't do the step ups and the squats, do either of them... and slowly build up to doing both.

REMEMBER: If you're new to exercise, consult a professional to help you with technique. If you have any health issues, always confirm with your Doctor before doing any exercise.