Fitness Friday| Daring to Detox

*Vitamins* *7 day Detox Plan* *Green Smoothie* *Fitspiration*

I have previously written about the subject of detoxing, and shared my opinions on the wild and wacky “detox” programmes that exist. For those of you who don’t know; I believe that such crazy detoxes like the Lemonade Detox are firstly crazy and secondly no good for your body or health. I actually have personal experience of the Lemonade Detox, and the Soup Diet and it was not pleasant; think migraines, dizziness, tiredness and passing out! I believe detoxing should involve getting rid of all the crap in your body by not eating any crap! You should eat clean everyday, all day, and try to include as many “super Foods” as possible to help aid the detox process.

A few months ago I was contacted by My Vitamins; who are people after my own heart, as we share the same beliefs on detox programmes and health. They suggested that I followed their specially devised 7 Day Detox Plan and report on my results. They told me the plan was designed to purposely target the 4 key areas that need to be cleansed regularly; liver, kidneys, skin and colon, leaving me refreshed, more energetic and with improved skin, hair and nails.

At the time, I was about to go on holiday so a detox gave me the chance to loose a couple of pounds and inches before the bikini came out. My Vitamins delivered the vitamins shown in the picture and advised me to follow the meal plan above. I admit that I did not follow the diet plan completely, as some of the ingredients are hard to get in my little town, or were expensive, so I followed it as closely as possible. Along with following the meal plan and taking the supplements, each day I ran for 45 minutes. The results of such a regime were about a 6 pound weight loss, and a 2 inch loss on my waist. More importantly I had AMAZING hair and skin, glowing!

After a couple of weeks of being very relaxed on my diet and fitness regime I have since embarked upon a detox again. This time I have not been following the above meal plan but have still took the supplied vitamins, and been running for 45 minutes each day. I instead spent Sunday night making a big batch of vegetable soup, for my lunches and a batch of green smoothie, for my breakfasts. My dinners are the only solid meal I have, which is chicken and veg, served with any spices or any tomato based sauce you fancy. Even though I have only been following this eating plan for 5 days I already feel a millions time better, my stomach looks flatter and my face looks less bloated.

The vitamins and supplements that were provided to me are described below.

• Ginseng- A natural stimulant, as opposed to caffeine. Improves circulation and oxygen absorption.
• Acai Berries- A supplement to help your PH balance and an aid fat loss. Widely regarded as one of the worlds leading Super Foods. A favourite with many stars such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
• Super Dophilus- Packed full of friendly bacteria. Great for digestion, it encourages the absorption of other nutrients within your diet
• Vitamin C- The best anti oxidant, and when mixed with L Carnitine, it posses a synergistic fat loss property by increasing the efficiency of the mitochondria to burn fat.

About My Vitamins themselves, I was hugely impressed. The rep from the company was lovely, extremely helpful and informative, and with his help I was given the vitamins and supplements most suited to my needs. My Vitamins aim to provide the same service to everyone. All their products are separated into categories based upon your goals such as “Detox and anti-aging” “Weight loss” and “Health and Wellbeing”. The vitamins are stored in resealable pouches, are reasonable priced and delivered to your door for free.

You can find visit the website here, and if anyone would like a copy of the Detox plan plus all the extra information then comment below and I can email you it.

What do you think of detox plans? Have you followed any and what were your results? What plan did you follow?

Fitness Fridays| Smoothie Love

Firstly apologies for not posting any Fitness Friday posts over the past couple of weeks, I hope you understand I was busy with my dissertation. But fear not they will be continuing, and are becoming a little bit more personal, as I am currently starting a health kick, to ensure I’m looking super fit for summer. It is the perfect time to start in my opinion (if you haven’t already) as the short bursts of sunshine are really motivating to remind you that bikini season is just around the corner, June is only 2 months away!

As the title suggests this post is not really fitness, but diet related. For those of you have been a loyal follower of mine from the beginning you will remember that I adore a good smoothie, and if it is homemade even better! So for my health kick I decided the first small step I am taking is to change my breakfast from carby bread and cereals, to homemade smoothies. If you have a blender there really is no excuse, as they don’t take long at all, especially if your fruit is already prepared. And if you don’t have a juicer, you can buy them relatively cheaply on ebay for around £20.

Smoothies themselves are a great start to the day, here are some of the benefits for you;

• They are full of fibre, which will help you feel fuller for longer.
• If you add natural protein such as spinach or whey powder then the smoothie will keep you even fuller!
• Smoothies can contain 2 or 3 portions of your fruit or veg for the day… so it gets you off to a great start for hitting the magic 5!
• They are perfect for summery and spring days, as they are cool and refreshing.
• The vitamins in your smoothie will significantly improve the appearance of your skin, hair, and nails… great for us beauty bloggers especially with those close up photos!
• The high water and nutrient content will help keep you hydrated throughout the day.
• Obviously they are a low caloried option. The recipe below contains only 200 calories…great for girls wanting to shape up.

Here is a really easy one I have been making and drinking most mornings this week. It has three ingredients, and takes 2 minutes to make. Your ingredients are a packet of frozen mixed berries, a carton of grape juice, and a pot of natural yoghurt. Throw in a bit of each (I don’t know measurements I just throw it all together) and blitz… there you go breakfast! I admit this is quite a sweet smoothie, so not great if you don’t like sweet things, put you can Google recipes, or try your own!

I hope I inspire someone to give it a try. Give it a week, and you will notice your skin becoming a lot clearer, and maybe your waistline reducing.

*Apologies for the blackberry photos..bad quality!

A Week in pictures

* My last Festive feast :D Yummy Krispy Kreme doughnut*

* My adopted cat, tuna*

* Christmas mug, its has its own cosy :D*

* University work, multiple assignment and dissertation writing and mass highlighting*

* Mini haul from Primark*

So I have unfortunately been super busy with university work this past week, so I feel like my posts aren't really interesting, and my lovely followers deserve more than that, so please accept my apologies.

The story behind the photos;

I am meant to be starting my health kick this week, so this doughnut was one of my last treats. I am back onto a diet of smoothies for breakfast, chicken wraps or soup for lunch, and a healthy low carb dinner. I also need to up my exercise again, as I am feeling really unfit. 

Tuna meet the world, everyone meet Tuna! This is a cat that occasionally pops into our flat, he is extremely friendly and loves tuna (hence the name). I assume he has a home, as he has a collar and is well fed and groomed, but he just likes to pop by and say hello and give me some cuddles. He's a very welcome visitor. 

This is my new favourite mug that I received for Christmas, it has it's own cosy! Wow! I am a massive tea lover!

As I said previously I am extremely snowed under with university assignments at the moment. In my final year, and still manage to leave it till last minute... argh! So as of Friday I will be more free, although still having  the dreaded dissertation. 

This is my little treat that I bought after work. Total sum of £26.. bargain! Love Primark for some little gems every now and again. 

I hope you all had a great previous week, and have a good week.

18 Days To look Fabulous| Tone Up Quickly

It is 18 days till the big night, New Years Eve! This means we all have 18 days to look and feel amazing for the big event (whatever your plans are.) Most people spend the occasion catching up with those we have not seen for a while, so what better occasion to turn up and make jaws drop. It is obviously very hard to maintain our weight throughout the holidays, never mind lose weight. However it is doable, especially during the week between Christmas and New Year, as the majority of parties and get togethers happen before Christmas day. 

So what I'm suggesting is that we do not punish ourselves with relentless calorie counting, but instead make healthier choices. Here are my top tips;

• Do you need an extra glass of wine after the 3 you've already had? Try swapping a large glass of wine (185cal)  for a vodka lime and Soda (76 cal), this will save you around 110 calories.

• Always have a healthy breakfast. You can at least start the day right. Have a healthy filling and nutritional breakfast, for example a smoothie, for your vitamins, then scrambled or poached egg on wholemeal toast. The protein will ensure you stay full untill lunchtime, and if you are hungover the eggs enzymes are good for your hangover (if you can stomach it.)

• Have a health lunch as well! If two out of 3 meals are healthy, it will make a difference. Plus if you have eaten well for most of the day, you will less likely want to ruin your good work, by indulging too much for dinner. Have some soup, hummus with carrot/ celery/ pitta bread, or warm Chicken and pasta salad (in a tomato sauce, not creamy!!)

• Have a 30 minute brisk walk 5 days out of 7. Try going for a walk after your dinner, this will help your digestion also, so you will feel less bloated. Wrap up nice and warm and take the family or dog with you. If you don't fancy walking at night, then try walking to work, or get off your bus or tram a stop early and walking the rest. It may only be 10 minutes extra, but it will help boost your metabolism meaning you will burn more calories when you are sat at your desk all day.

• Do some strength exercises, even if you are new to it. Did you know that for every pound of extra muscle you gain, you burn an extra 150 calories a day! Plus it will help your posture, and the dreaded cellulite! So if you plan on wearing a short dress you need to be doing some lunges! 
• All I am asking you to do is 50  bicycle crunches in the morning when you wake up, and 50 before you go to bed. Bicycle crunches work the whole abs area, so will help trim your waist quicker. 
• Plus 50 squats while you brush your teeth in the morning and again in the evening. It is better than just standing there, plus squats are a great calorie burner, but make a great difference to the toning of your legs and ass... We'll all be looking like Beyonce in no time.

Now I am absolutely certain that everyone of you reading this will be able to do these small but significant things every day over the next 18 days. It really will make a difference your body, your skin, your hair, and it will ensure you look fabulous on the biggest night of the year.

Lets go for it! Let me know what your plans are for the New Year?

The importance of Health! Which life are you designing?

This image popped up on my Dashboard on Tumblr, and it really struck a cord with me. I may not be the healthiest person in the world, but I have a great respect for it, and thankfully a knowledge of it.

I get really annoyed by people who assume that because they are slim or skinny, whatever, they believe that they are healthy. Because I can tell you many of them are not. Your weight is not a representation of your health, you can be slim yet still have unhealthy fat around your organs that can damage them. You can be skinny, yet be unfit, and not have strong bones and muscles to support you, that will quickly deteriorate with age. There are plenty of people out they who may be classed as overweight, due to their high BMI's yet, they are healthier than people who are deemed healthy because of a lower weight.

I am not consistent with my health and fitness, but I do try, and I know that although "overweight" I am a lot fitter and healthier than some of my friends. Nutrition has a lot to do with it, and since drinking smoothies everyday for breakfast, which include on average half a mango, quarter of a cucumber, handful of berries, one banana, and a handful of spinach, I can't believe the crap I used to start my day with. Even just walking for 30 minutes a day is better than nothing. I believe that everyone should be active at least once a day. There is no excuse for not working out these days, especially with the computer games and DVD's that mean you don't have to trek to a gym, they make working out work round your schedule (although exercise should always BE part of your schedule). Even if injured with a bad back, or leg etc, do some gentle exercise such as yoga (which is amazing!)

Overall you may be young now, but how you live your life now will effect how you live it when you are older. Your body has a very good knowledge of how you treat it, and it will treat you the same as you age. Treat your body well and it will look after you for years. Abuse your body and it will soon shy and retire from yourself, and will refuse to work properly.

Just take the picture for example, or look to Jane Fonda for inspiration. At 73 she has just release a new exercise DVD. She admits she can;t do everything she used to, but she tries. (And she still looks fabulous doing it.)

Please just think about how you treat your body. Even just aim for 4 days healthy, 3 days not, and try and build it up and up. Aim for healthy breakfast and lunches, every little bit will help, and the more you do it, the more it become a habit.

Abs Are Made In The Kitchen

I don't know about you, but I never seem to get the right balance with nutrition and exercise. I either find myself religiously working out, 5/6 days a week, feeling great, but not eating right as I am in the mentality that "oh I worked out already, so I can eat this chocolate." Or I eat great, really healthily, but don't exercise, as I think "I'm eating great and loosing weight, so I don't need to exercise."

At the moment I am eating great, but not exercising, I keep telling myself "Oh well, weight loss is 70 percent diet, and 30 per cent exercise." However if I don't work out I won't be toned, I need to kick myself up the bum. Think of it this way, you eat 3-5 times a day, everyday, however you only workout 1-2 times a day 5-6 times a week. The activity that you partake in the most, if obviously going to have a greater impact on your body. 

So starting this week, as in tomorrow! I am going to workout 4 days a week, and keep my soup/smoothie diet up.

I am also upping my soup/smoothie diet, to kick start my weight loss for December. So I will be having 3 smoothies a day, and 3 soups a day, it will almost be like a cleanse. Everything I eat will be green and I will be making sure the soups and smoothies are rammed full of protein so I do not loose muscle mass like you can do in some cleanses. 

Have you ever been on a cleanse, or liquid diet? Do you get the balance right between exercise and diet?

Food Intake Recently| The Benefits to Soup and Smoothies

Recently I have had this obsession on not becoming ill. I have a million assignments to do for uni my dissertation, I work 30+ hours a week in hospitality, plus it's party season... so basically I don't have time to be ill, and with loads of my colleagues being ill I had to take action.

I decided to up my vitamin intake and make loads of vegetable soup, and eat a bowl a day, hoping the vitamins would keep my immune system up. It seemed to work, plus my skin and hair looked amazing thanks to these vitamins. I have done well at sticking to eating soup, so decided to increase my vitamins more and added smoothies to my diet. So before I knew it I was having home made smoothies for breakfast, and home made soup for lunch. I feel great because of it, and because they are full of fibre and protein, I feel fuller for longer, so I don't feel the urge to snack. As a consequence in the past 2 weeks I have lost 6 pounds in weight, which is a great side effect.

For recipes I find them on tumblr, on recipe sights such as the BBC good food, or SparkRecipes. And as long as you have a blender it is easy to do. You can even make a few days worth in one go and leave them in glasses in the fridge, so you can just grab your smoothie in the morning.

I have really just accidently found myself on a replica of one of these silly meal replacement plans that people pay fortunes for, yet mine is completely natural, cheaper, and has the same effect.

So, so far, so good, as I have not fallen ill, I have tonnes of energy, my hair and skin will look amazing for party season, and my waistline is slimmer.

Have you ever tried a meal replacement diet? Or do you favour more green and natural diets?