It's 2015 - and it's going to be your year!

It’s 2015!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!

We are here again, bringing in a new year and I for one can’t wait to sample all that 2015 has to offer! Do you make resolutions? I don’t but that’s just my choice. I’ve realised that I can’t keep a resolution because I don’t take them seriously – I expect to break them and guess what I do? Yep, you got it! I don’t need any of that “new year new you” stuff from weight loss groups either, after all I don’t want to be a new me, I quite like being me! More recently I have worked out some plans for the coming year. Last year I planned to improve my fitness and strength so that I could really enjoy my grandchildren – I did it and intend to keep doing it. This year I have many plans but those to do with me directly include;

·         Blogging regularly

·         Buying a Bodyblade to use on my active rest days

·         To try out new macro and plant based recipes

·         Go to the gym three times a week

·         Complete the South Downs Way path

 

As I am planning to do these things I find myself working out the whens and hows – and that is what stops me breaking them – I will have invested time in planning what I want to do!

So maybe resolutions work for you or maybe like me you’d be more successful if you plan ahead. What plans do you have for 2015?

Don’t forget to make your plans SMART!

Here’s an example; “I will make an appointment to visit the local gym with a view to joining by the end of the second week in January 2015 because I want to improve my fitness.”

If you want a printable sheet to complete with your SMART goals for 2015 email me and I'll send a simple pdf to you. xxxx

 

Don’t get your knickers in a knot about I but do get on and get ready to achieve all that you wish for! The quicker we get on with it the quicker we see the changes we want.

............................... it makes it difficult to walk!

 

Who cares about past “failures”? They aren’t failures by the way they are part of life’s steep learning curve. Look forward with positivity and you sure as heck will make it!

 

A FEW IDEAS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS………………………without spending tons of cash!

Okay so getting fit and eating well is expensive yes? Well actually no it isn’t! Gym kit, warm walking clothes for the winter can be dirt cheap and last as well if not better than a lot of the branded gear out there.

My gym kit cost £30 for my Nike trainers, £8 for my leggings, £4 for my breathable top and £2.50 for 5 pairs of trainer socks!!!!! All from Primani or Sainsburys.

My walking kit includes a long sleeve top (thermal and very pretty) from £10 from Uni Qlo, thermal leggings for £6 courtesy of Primani.

In terms of food go to the website of Marlene Watson-Taras website where she shows you how to make a gazillion deliciously healthy burgers for 99p.

 

I’ve always found that tracking what I am up to in terms of exercise and food consumption is thy key to success for me. Have you tried it? There are sooooo many expensive gadgets out there to do this for you however I always look for a FREE alternative! I loooove Endomondo for tracking my exercise and My Fitness Pal for food. The two apps link together so that all the calories you use in exercise are transferred across to MFP so you know what calories you have for the day in your daily diary. Well worth a look and your bank manager will love you for it! Oh and before I forget MFP has a fantastic library of foods and restaurant food values, a scanner for bar codes and will save your recipes and meals for you.

 

If you aren’t a techie lover grab yourself an inexpensive notebook and track in there each day!

 

There are two books that inspire me and I hope will inspire you too:

Til The Fat Lady Sings by Debbie Flint  A great easy to read book available on Kindle and as a paperback that looks at the true problem of overeating – our brains!

Macrobiotics for all Seasons by Marlene Watson Tara  A fantastic to try something new written by a true expert in the field based around the seasons and will guarantee you a healthier happier life. (and I’m not joking!)

 

MY FAVE CHEAP AND CHEERFUL WINTER WARMING SOUP!

I just love the silky texture of butternut squash soup. It's creamy and soft and fills me up and makes me feel all cosy! It’s wonderfully inexpensive to make and takes no time at all – there’s no faffing with pre roasting or any of that hoopla either – yay! So here is the recipe;

 

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (yes, the shape of them still makes me giggle!)

2 carrots

Dried thyme to taste

Veggie stock cube

Soy sauce

Pepper

 Method

·         Peel squash with your speed peeler, cut in half and remove seeds, cut in to small chunks

·         Chop carrots into small pieces

·         Chuck squash and carrots in your big pan with the crumbled stock cube and the dried thyme and about 1000mls of water or max level on soup maker

·         If using a soup maker follow the instructions to start cooking  and making a smooth soup

·         If using a pan bring to boil and then turn to simmer until squash and carrots are cooked through – about 15 minutes, using your and blender or blender whizz until smooth.

·         Add soy sauce and pepper carefully to season to your personal taste

Delish served with a slice of sourdough bread – yummmmmmmy!

 

DID YOU KNOW?
That the pub chain Wetherspoon have published a great chart about what’s in their food? It shows everything they serve with full nutritional and allergen info. It’s a good step forward in helping you make the right choices when eating out. It’s available in all their pubs to pick up.

If you visit the JDWetherspoon website there is a really helpful page where you can indicate your dietary requirements (very detailed) and it will build a menu for you.

BTW I’m not affiliated to this pub group but I had a rather nice emergency 5 bean chilli there today and spotted how much effort they are putting in to their menus and making sure that the consumer can make choices knowing the facts.

I just had to show you this article! It’s about the colour of your plate affects what you eat. Apparently if you are served your food on a blue plate you will also eat less! 
 

Soooooo next week we're going to get savvy about alternatives to sugar and fall in love with beautiful beans (not the Jack in the Beanstalk story!), as well as usual updates on what’s going on in the media re food and fitness.

If you fancy sharing your 2015 plans for fitness and health get in touch here as I’d love to know how you are getting on xxxxxxxx

See you next week xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxjaniexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERY "BODY"!

Wishing every single "body" out there a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!

After a haitus through the autumn Janies Apple A Day will be back at the beginning of January 2015 with a new format! As usual there will be lots of up to date info to help you become a healthier happier you - yay!

In the mean time with the most wonderful time of the year being so close now it's probably a forgone conclusion that within the next 72 hours many of you will be feeling bloated and uncomfortable as the second helping of Christmas pud gurgles around the old guts! It's also pretty certain that within the next 72 hours you will feel like you want control of your eating back and to eat some healthy detox food to feel better! (is the same every year ,will we ever learn?!). If this is you then I can highly recommend two great books to help you on your way back to taking control of your body. The links are at the end of this paragraph. I love these helpful books and the fact that I can flick back through time after time to remind myself of something I read or to find a wholesome recipe is sooooo useful. I have cooked with Marlene and can gaurantee you that she is a font of all knowledge when it comes to healing the body with food. Her recipes are super tasty and will give your tastebuds a damned good wake up call. Also I recommend Debbie Flints' book. There are no recipes but by goodness it's a life changer. This is an incredibly inexpensive kindle/paper back book that helps you to adopt the mindset of a slim healthy eater. One thing's for certain is that the psychological side of why we eat too much is so important to address. Personally I do believe it to be the difference between success or the the dreaded F word. Debbie runs a facebook group which is absolutley chocka with stories of success.

Links to Amazon and more book details; Marlene Watson Tara and Debbie Flint

Awesome recipes, BMI busted, Move More - supporting YOUR healthy lifestyle!

LIVE LIFE ,LOVE LIFE ,LAUGH IN LIFE

Hello there!
How are you all on this fine and sunny day? Granted it feels pretty autumnal but hey it's a new day and a chance to make great discoveries or have a lovely hug from someone we love.
I just watched a short discussion on obesity and its effect on our own personal health. At the end of the item the programme went to an ad break - ad number 1 was for sweets, ad number 2 for Oreo and ad number 3 for uber cheap pizza and cheesecake! Am I missing something here?! What do you think? I don't want to live in a world where we are all controlled but hey, surely at some point the food industry need to rethink the muck the sell people and so cynically aim at children?
There was also a chat about BMI. In this weeks myth buster we are going to look at whether BMI is a useful tool to help us understand where we are at with our weight and health.
So, let's get going..........................

This week
* L is for....
* Giant Lima Beans in stewed tomatoes with oregano pesto ( Gigantes)
* The miracle of magnesium
* Myth Busters - BMI
* Move more and chill less at Aira Force, Cumbria

L is for...
Lima Beans, Lettuce
Lemon, Lovage
Lime, Loganberry
Lychee, Lentils
Leek


This week's scrummy recipe!

Giant Lima Beans in Stewed Tomatoes with Oregano Pesto (also called Gigantes Plaki for the Grecophiles like me!)
This recipes is enough for 8 - make it all and freeze it for up to 3 months.
if you are in a rush then buy 2 cans of butter beans to use instead of dried beans.

LIMA BEANS

1.  2 tins of butter beans or 3 cups dried giant lima beans or gigantes, rinsed and picked over, then soaked for 4 hours and drained
2. Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
3. 2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. 1 medium white onion, finely diced
5. 2 garlic cloves, minced
6. 2 tins of good quality plum tomatoes
7. 2 tablespoons chopped oregano 
8. 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast
9. 2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (wholemeal or sourdough are always better)

PESTO

1. 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2. 2 tablespoons chopped oregano
3. 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
4. 1 small garlic clove, minced
5. Sea salt

1. In a large saucepan, cover the lima beans with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the limas are just tender but still al dente, about 2 1/2 hours; add water as needed to keep the limas covered by 2 inches. Season the limas with salt and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Drain the limas, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano and the reserved bean cooking liquid and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 1 hour. Season the tomato sauce with salt.
3. In a mini food processor, combine the olive oil with the oregano, parsley and garlic and pulse to a coarse puree. Season the oregano pesto with salt.
4. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, mix the limas with the tomato sauce.. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 40 minutes, until the beans are bubbling . Remove the baking dish from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.
6. Top the beans with the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast and dollop with the oregano pesto and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The cooked limas, tomato sauce and pesto can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Our favourite taverna in Kouloura. We had our wedding reception here!

I adore this dish. It takes me back to a little Corfiot village where the dog sleeps in the middle of the road in the village square and the locals are delighted to cook for you. Bliss!

MYTH BUSTER!

This week I investigate whether BMI is a load of old rubbish or a useful tool......

Okay, so lets have a look at what BMI actually is before we start writing it off!

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a calculation designed to identify whether someone is underweight, healthy weight or overweight and to what degree. It is calculated by taking your weight in kilos by  your height in metres squared. Luckily the NHS have a an easy to use BMI calculator HERE that you can use. Ideally you want a BMI of 18.5 to 24.99 .

BMI may not be the most sophisticated way to measure ourselves but it's the best we have right now and ie pretty accurate. Now, you may have read that BMI is pointless. This has often arisen when you take a muscled athlete for example, and they appear according to their  BMI, to be obese when they are clearly not. That doesn't make BMI useless it just means that as with everything there are exceptions to the rule. Let's be honest, common sense kicks in doesn't it?! The majority of the population isn't muscle bound so its going to work for us!

Last week I mentioned how we have become used to seeing people who are bigger and so we normalise it. I thought that as we do this it would be a great idea to put BMI into pictures to make it really clear. By having all this info we know what we are aiming for to be healthier.

So, is BMI a load of tosh? Well it may not be perfect but it is incredibly useful and it's a great way to check how we are . Monitor yours regular and keep yourself in tip top condition!

Move More chill A Bit Less!

Aira Falls, Cumbria

How did you get on last week with the HIT training video I posted? I still love it - a quick but rewarding workout. If you haven't tried it yet CLICK HERE TO FIND THE VIDEO. It's a sweaty one but boy it works! BTW have a look at the lady in the pic below. How old do you think she is?

Still think that a great body is the preserve of the young?

Anyway, with those stunning autumn days on their way it's a perfect time to enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors. The air is nice and fresh, the sun still has warmth in it and the leaves are glowing on the trees. Last weekend I was lucky enough to be in the Lake District visiting the parents in law. (And before you ask, nope it's not a duty they are great). On Saturday we visited Aira Force, a wonderful fast flowing waterfall that you can walk to the the top of. There is a large car park that costs £5 to park but there were 4 of us in the car so I thought £1.25 each for the spectacle of the waterfall was well worth it. The National Trust run it and there is a small cabin selling snacks. There are also loos onsite. The walk itself is along a path which climbs gently until you get higher up when you will climb over stones. The rushing sound of the water is so relaxing and you can practically feel the feel good ions in the air. You will also get gorj views of my favourite lake, Ullswater. It's so beautiful here you wont even realise you are getting a good workout! When you walk around the falls you will come across a couple of oddities - huge tree trunks that have been felled and are covered in coins left by walkers. Don't bother taking a bag to help yourself as they are all hammered in!

A Coin Trunk!

 On the way up!

Have you been to Aira Force? I'd love to know what you thought of it there? Mail me here with your story and photos! xxx

From  next week we are going to be upping our game with the exercise! You've had plenty of inspiration over the last few months and now you're ready to get super fit! GET YOUR FIT ON!

The Miracle of Magnesium

Magnesium is one of those minerals the body needs for so many functions yet we are probably unaware of just what it does for us. The average UK woman is, according to the UK National Diet and Nutrition Centre, around 15% short of this marvelous mineral. To be honest we aren't likely to suffer from serious deficiencies but being even 15% below is enough to possibly increase your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and of special note to women, osteoporosis.

Magnesium is involved in so many of the body's processes - regulating blood pressure, muscle function, energy production and the regulation of blood sugar.

Before you rush out to the local health store to purchase Mg supplements, it is cheaper and far healthier to get your fill from your diet. Beans, whole grains such as brown basmati rice, yummy green leafy veggies and potatoes with their skins on.

Is it worth worrying about my Mg intake?

Well yes!

According to a study by Harvard medical School of 14 000 people those with the highest levels of the mineral were 38% less likely to suffer heart diseas.

* A Harvard study over 18 years showed that those with the highest levels of Mg had a 34% less risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

* Low Mg affects bone density but studies have shown that if you increase your uptake of Mg bone density increases again.

* Low Mg is linked to depression as research in Norway on 6,000 participants  shows that those with higher levels have much healthier levels of serotonin which helps regulate our moods. It can also be useful to help with PMS.

* German studies have suggested that as Mg helps blood flow in the brain having a healthy level of it can help to reduce migraine. The study showed that people who had 3 - 4 attacks per month found that their migraine reduced by 41%. They also had more days per month when they were migraine free.

* The maximum daily amount to take is 400mg however, the reality is that women need 270 mg and men 300 mg per day. If you live in an area of the UK where the water is hard you are probably not deficient if you are a tap water drinker, your water may provide up to 100mg per 1000mls of tap water. If you arent sure what Mg levels are in your water then  hit this link to the governments water info website. Don't forget when you are cooking some Mg will be absorbed into the food too.

What is not to love about this amazing mineral?

In the next blog.....

* M is for............

* Recipe of the week

* Stressed? a new series on the causes and managing stress so you can enjoy life again

* Myth Buster  - I investigate popular health myths so you have the truth!

* Move More, Chill Less - we are upping our game!

Until then, live life to the full because every minute we have been blessed with is precious xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxJaniexxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The media and health - what can we do? K is for, weekly recipe,HIT, kale crisps...........

MY PURPOSE IS NOT TO TELL YOU TO CHANGE BUT TO BE HERE TO HELP YOU CHANGE

Helllooooooooo
And apologies again for the delay in blogging. Big news has hit Smith Towers but I can't reveal what it is yet! (but it does not include babies before anyone asks!)

So the weather hasn't been quite so fab of  late, in fact this morning our roof shed had white stuff on it - that's okay in the Autumn but not August surely? Brrrrrr!
This week I spent 6 hours in one session in the gym with Pete a personal trainer. I was shadowing him as I intend to train other people as soon as possible. IT WAS GREAT, he was kind with his time, I learned lots about form and met some lovely people - a big shout out especially to Maria!

The media have been busy lately with stories about our body weight and its link to disease and illness. There has been much about cancers and diabetes. I'm really pleased to see this is finally making news as it s about time we all had the facts so we can make informed choices about our diet and health. The choices I guess are ultimately straightforward - we choose to live well and have a fab time or risk premature death. Yep, that sounds scary but it is the truth. As a result of all the media attention I thought i would concentrate on diet/weight/health this week and precis what is being said.I hope it will give you enough ammo to support your friends and family to greater well-being.

So... this week;

* Hello!
* K is for.....
* Weekly Recipe
* Media Focus
* Move More, Chill a Bit Less

Are YOU ready for change?
Let's get at it!

is for....
Kale (my fave)
Kiwi
Kohlrabi
Kumquat (mmm Kumquat liquor in Corfu!)
Kuka

Kale... what is it good for?
Absolutely everything!
Say it again..........
KALE IS GOOD FOR ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!!!!

she'd never tried kale crisps!

I love this stuff so much whether it's a base for my fruit or green smoothies,lightly steamed as a veg with the tiniest dash of sesame, in a fab Californian stylee Kale salad or as crisps. Yes I did say crisps! If you haven't tried them you haven't lived!(check out the recipe below).
Most illnesses and chronic disease are caused by cell inflammation. We need to eat far more anti inflammatory foods - kale is superb for reducing cell inflammation. To boot, it is rich in anti oxidants which fight off those free radicals from your body, (and free radicals cause incredible damage that can lead to cancers among other diseases,) they are low calorie and low in carbs. What is not to love about this wonder food?

A bit of science to show how anti oxidants mop up free radicals in your body.

Crispy Kale Crisps ( or if you are reading in USA Kale Chips)

What do I need?

* 1/2 tsp of olive or coconut oil per tray of kale

* 3/4 - 1 tsp garlic powder

* 1/2 tsp chilli powder (adjust to your heat tolerance but don't go to hot, keep it subtle)

* 1/2 tsp onion powder

* 1/4 tsp sea salt (give it a little going over in your salt grinder to make it fine)

* 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

* 1 and 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast (but only if you like it as many people don't!)

How do I make these scrummy morsels?

* Turn oven on low (about 300 F)

* Remove stems from the leaves and tear into largish pieces

* Spray or mix with your oil making sure you massage the oil in well and every bot of the leaf is coated

* Lay out in a single layer on your baking sheet

* After 10 minutes mess them up a bit but keep in a single layer

* Cook for approx 15 minutes further - don't let them them burn!

* Remove form the oven and leave them in the tray to cool. This is when they crisp up (You know how cookies do?)

* Whilst they are cooling make the dry dressing:

* Combine all the spices etc together thoroughly and once your crisps are cool coat with dressing evenly.

Media Focus - what can we learn from recent media?! (apart from the fact that KP had a daughter and David Beckham went to the gym!!!!)

In 1975 a size 10 waist was classed as 24 inches, today it is 28 inches - our clothes have become roomier than ever! This is often referred to as "vanity sizing" so that we believe that the extra pounds we are carrying are normal. It is a really scary concept as it is estimated that by 2050 over 50% of the population in the UK will be obese as a minimum. (National Obesity Forum). Presently over 30% of children in the UK are obese and it seems that parents are not seeing it - which means they are unwittingly leading their most precious children to a life of serious disease as they become adults. No one does this on purpose but if we don't address it and wake up to the stark reality of what is happening then we are in serious trouble. With an NHS already overburdened with patients suffering from obesity related illnesses, will there be an NHS left to support us and our children?

In England 64% of the population is overweight or obese! In Scotland the figure is 61.9%! That is absurd! When are we going to wake up and stop harming ourselves? When will we stop being offended if the GP tells us that if we lost weight we would feel much better? How can that be offensive? Isn't it the golden ticket to a great life?

According to the Social Progress Index 2014 out of 132 countries surveyed re their health the UK is 37, that's the lowest ranking for comparable western nations. Do you know why we have that ranking? It's because of our weight problems. 

But hang about! It's not our fault is it?

Well actually we are responsible for what goes into our shopping trolleys, cupboards and guts BUT..........it is also very possible that our ideas of what a "normal healthy weight" is has been skewed as we frequently see photos and pictures of overweight people and because we see so many we believe that to be okay. Of course being overweight may seem to be the norm but it isn't a normal healthy weight. Doctors have also reported that they often find it very difficult to overcome the difficulties of talking to patients about weight. We know that there is a social stigma about the "F" word and Doctors understandably don't want to offend anyone. Unfortunately this means they often fail to give us the best wake up call they could give us.

Life has become more sedentary too. We pop clothes in the washing machine instead of working up a sweat washing heavy things by hand. This means we burn a lot less calories than our predecessors who were rarely overweight. 

Social changes have also helped to increase our waist lines. People now eat in the street on the go and snacking when not hungry is seen as perfectly acceptable. I'ts as though we have forgotten the purpose of eating. Our plates are 20% bigger than they were in the 1980s, so are mugs, cups, serving spoons etc. It's very easy for portion distortion to happen. When this is combined with the fact that so many people eat calorie dense, salt and sugar laden foods it's no wonder we have an out of control weight problem in the UK.

The good news of course is that you have just read this and can see whats going on around us! That means you know the pitfalls and can  move forward to avoid them. We have to change our perceptions of body weight. We must accept that fat isn't okay, not from an aesthetic point of view but from your personal health well being point of view. This country is seeing increased rates of all forms of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancers. Furthermore this is costing the NHS an extra £5,000,000,000 (£5 billion) per annum. by getting healthy we could probably save the NHS single handedly!

To read more about how weight affects your risk of developing certain cancers click here and go to the bbc website

So what we can do to help ourselves? LETS TAKE BACK CONTROL OF OUR HEALTH!

so true - and we can do it

* Admit this country has a problem with food and weight
* Support our friends and families kindly and with dignity to adopt a happier healthier way of living so that we can share a wonderful life with them
* Reduce our portion sizes - try using a smaller plate, cup.spoon...
* Only snack if you are truly hungry - a few almonds can really fill you up and do untold goodness to your body
* Adopt a plant based lifestyle. It is the only way forward and doesn't mean you cant drink or eat cake!
* Move more - your body wants to move so give it a treat and you will be rewarded!
* The more we do in the kitchen for ourselves the healthier our diets and the more weight will drop off us
* Try out the weekly recipes on this blog.

What have you done to achieve a healthier fabulous life? Id love to know! click here to mail me or add a comment at the bottom of the blog.

Move More!

Age or size is not a barrier

I am totally in Love with HIT training. HIT = High Intensity Training. It's brilliant because you don't need to exercise for long at all - yep its true you don't need 2 hours in the gym to get incredibly fit and toned. In 8 minutes - you can do a full work out! Be prepared to dig deep and use mind over matter to complete your HIT training because it's well worth it. At the moment I have a fave routine which you will find the video link below for. It takes 8 minutes, involves 40 seconds of HIT and 20 seconds rest over 8 cycles. No equipment needed (except a sturdy bra!), the calorie burn during exercise is high and you will be burning calories at a rate of knots for hours after as well a shaving fun and creating a gorj bod! I'm not pretending it's easy but then easy doesn't reap rewards does it?

Remember: Most of us give in too easily! Dig deep like your life depends on it, you will be so proud of yourself for doing your true best instead of what your mind keeps telling!!! BTW - always check with your GP that it's okay before you embark on a physical exercise programme.

So here is the link HIT Training Free video

Enjoy and let me know what you think?!

For the next couple of months I will be blogging on a weekly basis rather than twice a week. Don't worry though I am still here to take your emails etc and support your path to a healthier lifestyle.

Have a great Bank Holiday and see you next week if not before!
Lots of love and peace
Janie xxxxx