Thrilling Thursday - thoughts, love and support for YOU!

Helloooooooooooooooooo!

"Today.........
World cup Munch
Getting ready for Wimbledon
Weekend out and about
Workout tip
Motivation Central"

How has your week been so far?
Have you you been enjoying the odd spots of sunshine that have managed to peek through the clouds?
It has at least been dry ,weather wise, which makes it far easier to run errands on foot rather than spending a fortune on diesel for the car. Extra calories get used up, your heart and other muscles are exercised so its a win win situation oh, and the bank manager will love you! Yay!

Here in my home of Wimbledon it is really evident that the tennis starts on Monday. Yep, the pavements just outside the courts are looking shiny and the park that we aren't supposed to even cycle through is about to be turned in to a car park! So here for the next fortnight it's going to be all about strawberries, people out playing tennis, lots of happy tourists enjoying our beautiful area and double decker busses ferrying excited people to the tournament.  Its a great time here and we are really happy to welcome everyone to our wonderful borough. Let's hope they bring fab weather and lots of support for Andy Murray. Pic below is my local park where much of my walking takes place!

Happy Campers at Wimbledon Park

Will you be watching tennis?
Do you play tennis? Ever hit anyone accidentally with your racquet?!

In next weeks blog we will be looking at how to get started with tennis and find some super strawberry recipes for after your game!

It's a really busy sporty time right time. The world cup is in full swing (and Eastenders keeps coming on at unusual times), and its a time when the supermarkets start pushing all their non-food junk at us to encourage us to munch and drink as we slump on our sofas to cheer the teams on! I've got a great traditional Brazilian healthy alternative to munch your way through that will make the match a real event but give you plenty of protein and fibre to boot! (do you like my pun there?!)

Janie's Brazilian World Cup Rice and Beans (serves 6)

Shopping List
1 chopped onion
1tbsp minced garlic
1 and 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
2 tins of red kidney beans or black beans
200 -230 mls of vegetable stock
450 grammes of cooked brown rice. (I find brown basmati is gorj) 
coriander fresh and chopped

Optional shopping list
Finely sliced iceberg lettuce
avocado diced
6 tomatoes diced
6 corn tortilla wraps

Method
* heat a heavy based pan and keeping it on a low flame add your diced onions and dry fry until soft. (This will sometimes appear to mark your pan at the bottom but it wipes clean so don't worry!)
* once your onion is soft add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes to soften.
* now add your cumin along with a tbsp of water to prevent your spice burning. Add more water if required.  cook the spice out for two minutes.
* now add your drained beans and coat them in the spicy mix
* add your veg stock and bring to to a simmer.
* add your cold cooked brown rice.
* heat until  piping hot
* sprinkle with coriander
Serve.

Tip! this also makes a delicious tortilla or burrito filling along with a bit of salad, avocado and tomatoes.

Weekend Walkabout Ideas
Last weekend Rob and I went to Alfriston to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Alfriston is a stunning medieval village along the South Downs and the Pilgrims Way. There is a gorgeous riverside walk there and so much to just wander around and see.There are some great old pubs to eat too. I can highly recommend The Star. If you watched the film "The Holiday" Alfriston is where Kate Winsletts Rose Cottage is.

The Star

Alfriston Church

Stunning views along the way

We have nearly completed the South Downs Way now so joined them just outside Alfriston and took the cliff top route to Burling Gap and back - around 8 miles with a total ascent of around 1200 feet. Now that might sound strenuous but remember the terrain is up and down so you don't just do 1200 feet in one go and of course you can turn around at any time! Once you go walking in the Seven Sisters Country Park you will def revisit.
The views are stunning all the way - glistening sea one side and rolling green hills and church spires the other side. Rob and I were really struck by the amount of laughter you could here echoing on the slopes - people were out having fun with family and friends!! The other very obvious things was the wide range of age groups out walking - very young to very old.
Why not get out this weekend to your local country park or walking path and reap the rewards for your body and mind? you have got nothing to lose (apart from shaping up of course!). Click here to go to Walking Britain and discover walks where you live.


Weekend Workout Tip!
Red Grapes make the perfect mid exercise snack. 

A study reported in the American Journal of Cardiology has discovered that reservatrol found in grapes can increase your endurance by 21%. (btw it doesn't work by drinking red wine!)








Motivation central
Your mantra for this weekend is:
"If I hate starting over I need to stop quitting"

www.todaysfitnesstrainer.com

Every time you feel you might be about to slip away from the health highway repeat the mantra in your head until the feeling passes.
Sounds a bit left-field? Well don't worry, no one can hear you and it does work!


I hope that you have a brilliant weekend and keep active and healthy.

Coming on Mondays blog
Super blog by Health Guru Marlene Watson Tara
Recipe for the week
D is for ..............
Move more and chill a little bit less
Myth Buster - Janie investigates
and much much more!

Send in your photos, recipes, stories, ideas here. I cant wait to hear from you! (I am nosy!)

Loads of love and support
Janie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps flags in top pic www.fancydress.com 

Monday Madness 09/06/2014 - Another week dawns!

Monday Madness 09/06/2014

In this Mondays blog:

* free legal high (I mean endorphins!)

* Wimbledon strawberries

* parents arrested over obese child

* B is for.......

* your weekly recipe

* rumour busting

* move more chill a bit less

* dear diary, the countdown begins

Wow! Where has the week gone?. Is it really a week ago I was bouncing off the walls with excitement at the official first blog entry being published? At this rate it will be Christmas again soon!!(aghhhhh!)

Okay, so how has your week been?

Did you make time to move more?

Did you try out the MM recipe?

BTW if you want some inspiration for getting moving ladies you must check out Jessie Pavelka. I'm pretty certain he could get most of you interested in fitness! Just go and check him out (jus sayin')

My free legal high!

So this week I have been crazy in the gym. It might sound sad but the feeling of happiness when I've had a damned good sweaty workout at the gym is incredible. Of course its also scientifically proven as we release endorphins which give us a free and legal high! I'm really chuffed that my “standing up” cycling on the spinning cycle, (no not the washing machine!), is getting longer and longer. Its going to help my legs, bum and waist! Yay! Its lovely to come out of the gym and feel happier and more energetic than when I went in. You have to give exercise a go, you’ve got nothing to lose. Note: if you are new to exercise etc. do consult your GP first.

Wimbledon Strawberries

As some of you may know I live in Wimbledon. We aren’t far form the tennis and the town is def gearing up for Wimbledon fortnight which begins on the last week of June. Strawberries will be everywhere oh, and Cliff Richard look alikes singing down at Wimbledon train station! 

Pic courtesy of velojoy

I love strawberries but you know the Lawn Tennis Association thinks they can only be eaten with cream. For the Wimbledon fortnight blog I would love to publish your recipes and ideas of how you use strawberries. Feel free to send pics and ant anecdotes too to mrsjesmith@outlook.com.

In the news this week I spotted a report about a mother and father who are being investigated by the police for child cruelty. Their son who is eleven years old, 5'1” and weighs 15 stone has a BMI of 48. I’m not really sure what to make of this. I would love to know what you think and am really interested to hear your viewpoint. Please comment below at the end of this blog. Thank you.

To read more on this story go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-27730696     

Is for

berries ( a gazillion varieties!)beetroot

butternut Squash

brussels

bamboo

banana

broccoli

burdock

beans galore

balsam apples

balsam pears

broad beans (in season! right now)

As broad beans are in season and because they are yummy and under rated this weeks' recipe features them. This a recipe I have made oodles of times because quite simply its delicious! The original comes from Angela Hartnet but I've modified it a little. It is a warm salad but is delicious cold too.

I love this courgette photo. It is here courtesy of jandlseeds.com

Broad Bean and Courgette Salad. (serves 4)

Ingredients

4 large courgettes

200 g broad beans out of the pods. (tbh you can use frozen!)

1 tbsp olive oil

10 walnut halves, chopped

The dressing ingredients

half tbsp white wine vinegar

25 ml olive oil

salt/pepper

Method

*Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.

*Slice the courgette in to half cm slices

*Heat oil in saute pan and add courgettes to cook for around five minutes (no more, you want them with some bite and not soggy)

*Put your broad beans in boiling water and cook for three minutes. Drain and peel if you are using fresh. Add to the pan with the courgettes.

*Add walnuts and stir dressing through whilst the salad is still warm.

Eat and marvel at how delish this is!

Myth Buster!

This weeks myth is one I heard sooooo many times when I was a weight loss leader so I thought it would be a good one to address!

The Rumour: My body is in starvation mode so I can't lose weight.

The facts: if I had a pound for every time I was told this at the scales I'd be super rich by now.

The fact is it's a myth. If you are not losing weight or are gaining weight its not because you haven’t eaten enough, it's because you've eaten more calories than you've burned. It is so rare that there is any other cause I'm afraid. Simple. This is usually caused by miscalculating your energy intake so you need to be careful and honest with yourself when adding up your energy in and energy out.

So you've heard that low calorie diets slow down your metabolism so that must be why you aren't losing weight. Okay, it may slow down a little but not enough to prevent you losing weight.

I'm not trying to be funny but you only have to look at the devastating effect of people unfortunate to live in countries where they really are starving. Have any of them kept their original body weight on? No!

So, sorry everyone but this one is a myth! Just be really careful to make your sums balance if you are trying to reduce body weight.

Move More Chill a bit less!

How are you feeling after a week of marching? Revitalised and raring to try something new I hope?

So this week how about getting yourself outside and take a walk around the park or even around the block? Try doing it every day and you will soon be walking further and who knows you may start running in the future. Maybe you could walk to collect the children/grandchildren from school? You could stop at the park on your way home and play with the kids. Walking is great for our lady bones. It helps to keep them strong which is of course essential for us girls. It will also help to tone your body. A toned body had more muscle and more muscle means that your body burns calories more effectively.

So, healthy bones, heart, toned body, the ability to burn energy more effectively – how can that not be motivation enough to get moving more and chilling a bit less? YOU can do it, I believe in you!

Illustration : www.letswalkmore.com

Dear Diary - The Countdown Begins!

Dear Diary will begin in on the 25^th of June and feature every fortnight. I've got a great diarist lined up for you whose them is going to be about how to have a healthy family on a budget and boy does she know exactly what she's talking about. I know you’re going to enjoy it and naturally there will be plenty of humour involved!

I have loved working on this Mondays blog and I really hope that you have enjoyed reading it too. My dream is that you have been inspired to go and make some small changes towards getting a healthier life that you want! cant wait for next week!

Janie xxxx

Weekend woes or wonderful weekends?

SMILE!
It's almost the weekend!

Yipee! Its Thursday, hump day has passed and the weekend is ever closer.
Weekends can be wonderful - a time to recharge, catch up, spend time with your loved ones or see a film at the local cinema.
Weekends can also be a little worrying for most of us as somehow or other we find ourselves more likely to fall off the wagon (I'm not just talking drinkypoos here!). Somehow we just lose it and sabotage our great weekday efforts.
I've had a think and also spoken to friends who manage to avoid the weekend woes. here are some of their ideas.

Avoiding Weekend Woes
* What is it that makes you fall off the wagon? make a list and see if you can find alternative ways of doing things.
* Create family time. get outside and play footie (yes women are better at football than men)n, chase the kids around the park, visit a museum, the list is endless and much of it is FREE!
* If you adore cooking like my friend who spends all day Saturday cooking why not try out some super duper new healthy recipes. You wont be disappointed and nor will your family. ( have you tried the great recipe from Mondays blog post yet?!)
* If you like to workout but find it more difficult at the weekends, get down the gym early on Saturday morning, shower and change after and your ready for the rest of the weekend.
* Be active, wash and wax the car yourself. it will save money and work those arms!
* Dine out just the once.
* If you blow it by mistake then do some extra movement to compensate.

I hope these ideas will inspire you!
What do you do to prevent the sabotage? id love to hear what you do so we can share your success and pass it on to others.

Thought for the weekend
"Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness" (Edward Smith-Stanley)
(Did you know that this guy was British Prime Minister three times? I am a geek, be warned!)
So, I hope you have a brilliant and healthy weekend and don't forget to thoroughly enjoy it!
Janie xxxx

Monday Madness! June 2nd 2014

Are you ready?
No, I cant hear you! Are you ready?!
Yes? Well let,s go!




Monday will be the biggest blog of the week so what can you expect?
Every week
A-Z of fruit and veg
Diet Myth buster
Move more!
Nutrition made easy
Recipe of the week

Fortnightly
Dear Diary

Monthly
Seasonal eating Chart
Expert in the spotlight

Soooooooooooooo lets get going!

is for
apple
amaranth
artichoke
achoccha
anise
arrowroot
arrugula (rocket)
asparagus
atemoya
apricot
and my absolute fave, AVOCADO

So why do I love the avocado so much?
They are awesomely versatile and incredibly yummy but not only that they really are a gift from nature.
It has its own creamy flavour and texture and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes.
Its mostly eaten raw but I also love it warm as a veggie burger topping and in pasta.Only gently warm it though because it will become inedible!
It is super rich in monounsaturated fat, around 9.8 g per 100 g and a reasonable source of protein at  2  mg per 100 g. Mother nature has packed it full of vitamins and minerals
Studies have shown that the Hass avocado is brilliant at reducing harmful cholesterol levels and that can only be good!
So how can we introduce this awesome fruit in to our diets?
salads and salsas
smoothies
in pancakes - yum!
tostadas
as a sandwich filling
in sushi
with pasta
cupcakes
brownies
dips
and the list goes on!
I'd love your recipes please!

An unusual but scrumptious recipe for you to try!
Key Lime Pie (Serves 6)(240 kc per serving)

Filling
2 ripe avocado
2 tbsp raw honey (any will do if you don't have raw)
2 tablespoons of lime juice (yum)
1/2 cup coconut oil
* Blitz all the ingredients together for your filling and set aside.



Base
1/2 cup of finely ground almonds
1/2 cup dates (do not soak)
pinch of sea salt (please don't use table salt)
a few dried chilli seeds if you like a light kick
* Blitz the base ingredients together and press in to your tin (line it)

Spoon the filling over the base and place in your freezer for an hour or so.
remove and eat!!!!!

Top Tip
You can make these as individual portions using muffin cake cases. Freeze to avoid too much temptation
This is not meant for everyday eating but its a great one to wheel out when you want to impress your friends!


This weeks diet myth busted just for you!
Is fat our enemy?

The rumours:
*fat is bad
*fat makes you fat
*very low fat diets are healthy
*there's no such thing as a healthy fat

I set to work to find out the truth because quite frankly I'm sick of all the scare mongering that goes on and I want to know the truth so that I can make informed decisions about my own health.

So fats can be simplistically put in to four main groups:
*saturated
*cholesterol
*Monounsaturated
*Polyunsaturated

The first thing to note is that we have to have fats in our diet - we cant live without it.But it is also fair to note that all fats are not equal!

So, research suggests that some fats are good for us - they can help reduce incidence of cardiovascular disease, help nerve and brain function, assist the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins vitamins A,D and E, create subcutaneous fat to regulate our body temperature and are crucial for fetal development.
The fats identified as good fats are mono and polyunsaturated. we can find these in veg oils, fish oils, nuts, seeds, whole grain wheat for example. (Oh and not forgetting this weeks featured fruit , the good old avocado). These fats provide Omega 3 and 6 which we must have to live.
Saturated fats are those we need to be wary of. Excess consumption is linked to serious diseases such as cancers and cardiovascular disease and who the heck wants to encourage that?! saturated fats are dirt cheap and that's why they get thrown in processed foods! a diet high in convenience foods will be high in killer saturated fats.
Cholesterol is found in animal products.
A healthy amount of healthy oils per day is 1-2 teaspoons.

So, concentrate on your healthy fats, cut down or eliminate processed "foods" and bobs your uncle!
Verdict! fat is our enemy       (not if you don't abuse it!)

Move more chill a bit less!
I keep hearing people tell me that they hate exercise and they don't do any. Well bad news buster, you better start liking it or its gonna make you ill with all that lounging about. As the saying goes "if you cant make time to exercise , you better make time to be ill". Not a good thought eh?
Now, I looooove exercise it makes my body lean, strong and lets me live my life properly. I also appreciate that it can be a hard habit to get in to. But one thing I'm sure of is that if I promised you a night of passion with Johnny Depp, (or whoever your crush is),if you just walked around the block for ten minutes, you could do it!! So that tells me this is largely due to motivation!
People tell me they are too fat to exercise, ( bet you aren't), too embarrassed, (why? you are as entitled to want to improve your life as anybody else), too expensive ,( well I think some of the best ways to exercise are free), they feel intimated ( hell no! you are as good if not better than anyone else out there).
Frankly, and I am going to be brutal these are excuse we invent for not doing something. We all do it in one or other walks in our life so you're not evil or bad or anything, we just need to get past it and find ways to deal with them.
I love being outside, being in the gym or whatever but that didn't happen overnight. I took small steps but pretty quickly I became fitter and more confident. This isn't about body size its about you feeling great.

So what can you do this week to have the life you want?
How about exercising indoors by getting up and marching gently each time the adverts come on the TV? (or if you watching BBC get up every 15 minutes and march for 3 minutes?) Before you know it you will want to jog gently  on the spot or even run or skip. I know that you can do this and you can build your new well oiled machine so that life is fabulous! PS do consult your GP before starting any new exercise programme.

Taken form the Wolfson museum blog

photo taken from web md

So this week I am looking forward to hearing what you have done to move more and if you are a seasoned exerciser I would love to hear what your routine was this week. Come on girls, lets share our successes and motivate ourselves and others who might be struggling a bit right now!



Your next blog is on Thursday so keep your eyes peeled!
Really looking forward to hearing from you all, and enjoy the wonderful body you have been blessed with!
Janie xxxx