healthy food porn #1

Baked Japanese Talapia with a squeeze of lemon
Sweet chili & coriander low fat sauce
Sweet potato mash (no milk)
Corn on the cob

Yum.

Cornish Beauty.

tough...

It's Bank Holiday Monday. I was up at 5.20am whist Chris & many other British citizens snooze blissfully in their beds. Urggggggh. But I was up and getting fit! 

This mornings bootcamp started of like every other, the dreaded run. And I was still as bloody useless as ever. Petra decided to give us a 50:10 today. OUCH! And it was brutal! 50 seconds hard exercise with only 10 seconds to recover. I use the word 'recover' in the loosest way possible. Today was very run-heavy, shuttle runs and running on the spot. The first round of shuttle runs was okay (ish) but the second I really struggled with. I was so out of breath, sporting the most delightful red/purple complexion and pretty much ready to die when Petra said 'Your fitness levels are improving'

This made my day!

I didn't feel good at the time and I certainly haven't noticed any improvement in myself in any way shape or form but that meant such a lot.

I really find that the endorphins kick in when I finish Bootcamp in the morning. I feel so good and ready to take on anything my day ahead brings. I usually get home and have a bit of a clean up around the house then have a shower and get ready for the day. Admittedly, at the moment whilst my body is still getting used to the amount of exercise I'm doing plus the time I'm awake, I'm completely knackered by about 11am. But it's a nice kind of tired. And the kind of tired that I don't mind feeling as I've actually been up, got of my (large) ass and done something thats going to benefit my health. 

I'm absolutely starving right now as we've nothing in the house, nothing I can eat within my ED diet anyway so off to Tesco I go later.

Cornish Beauty.

it's official.....

Yep, that's right, I am now an official Bootcamper! I'm signed up, got the diet plan. Ready to get fit & make some changes!

I've now been doing Bootcamp with Petra for nearly two weeks and i am loving it! (never thought I'd say that about exercise!). It just suits me: quick and over and done with soon, you can feel it working every muscle in your body and I've genuinely met some new friends. Inspirational Fitness have got it down to a T and I think (hope) that they can help me make huge changes to my body!

The workouts are great; 6.10am-7am. Sounds brutal, doesn't it?! and most of my friends gasp in horror when I tell them I do that. And above anything they are shocked; anyone that knows me, knows that I am NOT an early bird. Okay, I'm not quite as bad as I was as a teenager but I bloody love my lie-ins! At the moment though I am really enjoying getting up at 5.20am to get ready for Bootcamp. I roll out of bed, brush my teeth, wash my face, slap on some concealer (the bags need it, ok?), shove my work-out gear on and go. Its's about a 5-10 minute drive for me to the Bootcamp location but I really enjoy it. The roads are dead quiet and it's quite special being the only one around for miles. Having said this, I think I may feel rather different when the horrible drizzly, dark winter mornings come! But lets not get bogged down on that right now.

I'm getting used to Petra's way of training now and definitely think it's for me. She pushes you and encourages you whilst being totally supportive at the same time. The work-out varies every time so there is no chance to get bored! The only thing I'm still struggling with is the running! I don't know what it is about running but it instantly has me unable to breathe. Hopefully this will get better in time as I do more of it. I'm also suffering with pretty painful shin splints at the moment (down the front of both shins) and any blunt force (ie jumping up & down or running) is pretty uncomfortable. But again, as my body gets used to doing more exercise and with some sports massage from Petra, I'm sure it will only get better.

The Body Transformation Programme I am taking part in involves:

• Bootcamp 
• Daily at home work-outs
• Diet plan
• Support from Petra & other clients
• Fitness tests once a week

I'm also embarking on the recommended diet soon. It's called an Elimination Diet (ED) and quite simply, eliminates certain things from your diet. These are generally things containing toxins, which the body finds hard to process. So basically, it's eating CLEAN. Think fresh veggies, fruit, salad and meats. Can't go wrong huh? I'm going to cut out all the crap from my diet and see what happens. I have certain food groups that I can and cannot eat. I'm not going to lie-it's not going to be easy as I'm a fussy eater as it is but I think it will really benefit me long term. And after all. weight-loss is about a lifestyle change and education yourself on whats necessary for the body, and what isn't. I'll keep you updated on this when I start, probably in a day or so once I've been shopping and done some research on what I can eat. And I'm also expecting to feel pretty rubbish for a few weeks, due to my body not getting the crap/toxins I usually feed it and eating CLEAN. But this is only short term whilst my body gets rid of all those toxins and on the other side, I should feel great. I'm looking forward to feeling more energetic/less bloated and nauseous and generally feeling GOOD. 

My aims for this week are:

• Monday/Wednesday Bootcamp (can't do Friday this week due to work)
• Home work-outs every day
• Start ED diet
• Be organised with planning & making meals

I'm now going to take my 'Before' photos (eeeeeeeek) and measure myself and will log these on here when I can.

Cornish Beauty.

bootcamp | day 1

Well, as expected all the worrying and drama was for nothing. It's now 8am (24/4/13) and I've been to Bootcamp, got home and had a shower. And I am ALIVE. That is all.

Not really, but being alive is a relief I have to say. I was an eager beaver (or nervous beaver) and up at 5.10am, waiting at the bootcamp venue at 6am. I met my lovely friend, Haley and met all the lovely guys and gals doing bootcamp and what a lovely bunch they are. I met Petra, my trainer, who is super lovely and instantly put me at ease. Anyway, onto the juicy (sweaty) stuff........

We started off with a run around the school, if you remember my last post, this was the part I was dreading. And to be honest, i was PATHETIC! But, I did my best and it doesn't really matter because once I'd stopped running, I power-walked until I got my breath back. After a five minute warm-up, the hard work begun. Bootcamp is all about interval training, bringing your heart rate right up, then resting for a small amount of time before bringing heart rate right back up again. Apparently this is rather scientific and the best way to burn fat and lose weight. And the best things is? It's only about a 1/2 hour workout. Ideal! Today was, apparently, an 'easy' day. HA! Well that scares me as I was instantly purple in the face and breathing like I still smoked. We worked out to a ratio of 30/30. 30 seconds hard work with 30 seconds rest. Does't sound much does it? but when you're going all-out and think that you're going to die, it's a long time! We did things like running on the spot, lunges, boxing moves, tricep dips and loads more but I'm not a fitness bunny (yet) and don't know the names! But trust me, it was more than enough to get my heart rate up and my muscles screaming. Half an hour of that, a walk and a warm-down later, we were done.Workout 1 = complete. 

I have to say, I really enjoyed it! It was a fun  atmosphere, Petra is brilliant and supportive and was lovely to see my bootcamp-buddy Haley. I had good fun! I'm going again on Friday morning, and I'm expecting not to be able to walk tomorrow but I know these first few weeks are going to be the hardest until I get into some kind of routine and get my body used to this early morning hardcore workout. 

Will keep updating & let you know what kind of package I go for with Petra. Hoping this really is going to be a huge change to my life and help.

Cornish Beauty.

calm before the storm?

Right now, I am freaking out. I'm not sure why I'm so worried, but I am. Tomorrow morning (or shall we say, the crack of dawn) I'm doing my first Bootcamp. I AM PETRIFIED. I've done brutal exercise before but this just scares the living daylights out of me as I know it's going to be bad. But bad, in a good way of course ;)

The thing thats worrying me the most is the fact that the Bootcamp starts with a 'running warm-up'. A run around the location. And this is just the warm-up?! Christ, I'm in trouble! I cannot run to save my life. Like, quite literally, If my life depended on it, I would just die as I'm so bloody useless at running. I hate it! I can feel all my bits wobbling up and down and I get so out of breath so fast, and my calves burn instantly. What am I going to do?! I spoke to my trainer yesterday who reassured me that the whole of Bootcamp is individual and there are ways around the run (I could power walk it and cut corners) which does reassure me to a certain point but i know I'll just be the fat girl that comes last, like I always have been. But I suppose I've got to grow some balls and accept that I've got to start somewhere and every time I go it will get better. This is just the scariest thing I've ever done and I've made it worse by putting so much pressure on myself to do this because, historically, i quit. I quit at everything; university, diets, gym, exercise, jobs, the list goes on. But there comes a point where I've just got to stuck with it, whether I like it or not because in the long run, it will be for the better. 

As an anxious person, tomorrow is quite frankly scaring the shit out of me but I know I'm just getting worked up and being a drama queen. It's not going to be pleasant, it's a Bootcamp for Christ' sake. But this could be the first day of the rest of my life and the big step to the huge and life changing new start. :)

Cornish Beauty.

reasons to get fit.

This document is key. A reference to use as often as needed to keep myself on the straight and narrow. It's the driving forces behind my weight-loss dream. It's why.

Why do I want to get fit & loose weight?

To be healthier

To look better

To be able to shop in 'normal' shops & buy anything

To wear clothes that don't dig in

To buy sexy underwear

To be confident in my body

To be proud

To get pregnant with a healthy pregnancy

Enjoy the outdoors more

To live longer

To respect my body

To boost my energy levels

TO CHANGE MY LIFE

Ir really is as simple as that; I want to change the way I live my life and what I do with it. I don't want to continue abusing my body with what I eat and what I do. Because, it won't stand for it much longer. As is stands, I'm in reasonable health but the risk of heart disease and diabetes is not funny. All for the sake of that Mars bar? I don't think so. I'm going to make a change and love myself again, and by golly, it's been a long time since I've done that.

Cornish Beauty.

lentil & chickpea curry.

I found this recipe online after seeing a friend that had made it and it sounds delish! All the gorgeous flavours of a curry but with healthy chickpeas and super healthy lentils! With a bit of brown rice this will be lovely and filling too.

I've not made it yet but will show you when I do, for the mean time here is the simple recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 439g cans chickpeas, drained
2 x 440g cans chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup red lentils
1 tsp garam masala

Method

• Pop the oil in a pan to warm up and add the garlic and onion. Sauté until translucent and soft.
• Add the chili, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric and coriander and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and lentils, cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
• Add the garam masala and simmer for further 10 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with brown rice.

The Result

Not my photo, but it should look a little like this when it's done!

Cornish Beauty.