'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 :)

'Quick' Stew

This is another recipe that was borne out of laziness (like my Pancake recipe).

I'd had too many Thursday or Fridays evening where I got home and I'd run out of food. On one such evening, I got home and decided to throw whatever I had available into a pot - a can of chopped tomatoes, some chicken stock in the freezer and some chicken.
Again, it worked and this is now my go-to easy, quick stew :)

Ingredients
Turkey (I used one turkey thigh and chopped it up)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 red onion
2 tablespoons of Oil
Seasonings - Mixed Spice, Mixed Herbs and one Jumbo seasoning cube
Optional: 1 teaspoon of Ground, dried pepper

'Quick' Stew
1. Boil the turkey (or chicken) with half the onion (chopped), season with mixed spice, mixed herbs and jumbo cube (or whatever seasonings you like)
2. While the turkey's cooking, add oil to another pot, slice the other half of the onion and fry for a few minutes.
3. Right before the onions start to brown, add the chopped tomatoes to the pot on medium heat.
4. Allow to cook for 10 minutes. Add some of your turkey stock to the chopped tomatoes (I'd say roughly, 300ml)
5. Add the ground pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the turkey to the pot. Allow to cook on medium-low heat for another 5-10 minutes... and you're done! :)

Serving Suggestions:

• I peeled and chopped one butternut squash and cooked in my turkey stock for ~ 10-15minutes. Served my stew with it.
• You can have this with brown rice, boiled plantain, sweet potato... and a side of vegetables :) 

Alternatives:

• Chicken, meat etc can be used instead of Turkey. And honestly, the breast is leaner than the thigh ;)

New Series: Workout/Spin Track of The Week

FYI: I'm also a spin instructor and teach 3 classes a week, the main reason I enjoy teaching Spin is THE MUSIC!

So I've decided to start a new series: Workout/Spin Track of the Week

WEEK #1

I have always loved 'Galvanize' by The Chemical Brothers and re-discovered it last week!



I played it on Thursday, Friday and Tuesday, haha!  Everyone loved it as a sprint track and it will be making an appearance in my classes often :)

• It was the 1st single from "Push The Button", their 2005 album. 
• It won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in February 2006. 

If there's any track you absolutely LOVE and find very inspiring and motivating while working out, please share... :)

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

'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.