Super Foods

A good friend of mine works at a shop called Neals Yard, it's an 'everything organic,' skincare, health, beauty, kind of place; and I love it. Recently they've started selling health foods and super foods. Food is appealing enough to me... imagine how I feel about SUPER FOOD. 

I bought some Baobab Powder and some Mulberries... Here's the DL on what they do:

'Baobab Powder has as many antioxidants as goji berries, and more calcium than milk. It has more iron than red meat, more potassium than a banana and more magnesium than spinach.' (Information found on the Baobab website). So now we know why it's called a super food, anything that gives me energy and doesn't make me fat, is my new best friend. You can have it in smoothies, in your porridge, sprinkled on your fruit, anything, anywhere, just have it. 

Now onto Mulberries, they look more wild than your average dried fruit, put it this way, if someone offered me one i'd say no. They look like something you'd find on the floor of the local park in Autumn. For a weird dried flower like object they have an array of health benefits, 'A power house of nutrients, essential fatty acids and antioxidants, rich in vitamins and minerals' (Info' from the Neals Yard Website). Oh and did I mention.... THEY TASTE LIKE CHOCOLATE, a Super Fruit with only 43 calories in 100g, that tastes like chocolate... God is real. 

If your fitness quest needs a boost then go out and get yourself some super foods. If you don't believe me then visit this website: Nutrition and You and read all the health benefits yourself. (Thats if the chocolate fact hasn't already swayed you- and if it hasn't then you aren't a real person). 

Aim Big

Last year I set myself an array of fitness goals, and I ended up completing just one of them:

The Race for Life 10KM - After accidentally sprinting the first kilometre (I wanted to be at the front) and very nearly suffering a cardiac arrest which resulted in a  jog-crawl for the last 9KM - I actually did it. 

All in all, the whole escapade has taught me a lesson :-

NO- Not that I should start a 10km race at a reasonable pace; I just can't, the cheers of the crowd alter my brain making me sprint past them like a female Mo Farah.

But what I have learnt, is that the best fitness goals are the ones that you can't escape, e.g. The Race For Life. I had no choice but to train in advance for the race. I purposely chose the 10km over the 5km race as it was a challenge for me and that's exactly what I needed in order to become fitter. 

As of current, i'm mentally preparing myself to choose a new challenge. Will I sign up for a marathon? Maybe a Tough Mudder? A triathlon? World's Strongest Woman (lol)? WHO KNOWS- I'm scared.

Sushi DIY

I have this little problem with healthy eating... I don't like it. 

Vegetables just don't appeal to me- Should I be saying this on a fitness blog!? 

As one of my fitness goals is to eat healthy, I'm going to have to find a way around this minor issue... For my lunch today I made some sushi. I'm obsessed with YoSushi but I'm not about to break the bank just to have a healthy lunch everyday. 

I've never made sushi before and I was convinced that it was going to turn out like a pile of mush and seaweed.... Well Well Well...

I KNOW right!?!! Gordon Ramsey eat your heart out. 

So after making this healthy lunch I then went on to research sushi stats, you know work out just how healthy my lunch actually was - And I found an array of results:

- "Rice is the staple of the Japanese diet. It is a good source of energy and provides a supply of protein."

- "Sushi rice is heavily processed, causing it to lose vitamins, minerals and fibre. Sushi rice isn’t just boiled in water, it also has considerable amounts of sugar, plus sugary rice vinegar added to it as flavouring." 

The first statement is from an article called 'Why Sushi Is Good For You,' the second article is called 'Why Sushi Can Make You Fat.' HOW are we supposed to live a healthy lifestyle when we are battling with an array of reviews; some telling us that certain foods are healthy and the others telling us to stay away.

WHO ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE???

OH and can someone please explain to me how BOTH of the above articles are from the same newspaper - The Daily Mail. I am ashamed to have even clicked on this paper for nutritional advice but how could I resist when they are both on the first page of google, with opposing articles??? 

*Cries on keyboard*

(Fortunately the majority of the negative articles are regarding restaurant sushi which is filled with extra salt, mayonnaise and very little fish- home made sushi is healthy so DIY!)

Practice What You Preach

This was never meant to be a 'Do what I say or you will be forever fat-blog.' 

It's a, 'Lets all try and be fit together and in turn burn calories by crying over the perils of fitness' 

...'Mr Motivator goal setting day' is over and now as a team, WE are on the FITNESS QUEST. You've set your goals and you know what you are going to do, you are a woman on a mission (lol). 

In order to stop myself writing like a moron, i'm going to skip straight to my goals; i've already lost 2 stone (see my first ever post for my before and after) therefore i'm not doing this for the weight loss, i'm striving for a healthier life:

• Continue to attend Ashtanga Yoga every week (I started a class two weeks ago and I already feel like a new woman- i'll do a post on Ashtanga soon.)
• Eat Healthy > Eat breakfast every single morning (*sobs* - I hate breakfast.)
• Join a netball team.
• BE RIPPED. 

Okay focusing on my last point - I've been struggling for a couple of months now regarding which path I want to go down, I couldn't decide between 1. Size 0 catwalk model thin or 2. Female body builder...  It's been a hard decision but i've decided...FEMALE BODY BUILDER e.g I want abs. 

Before and After

Okay so you have 'THE' picture that you look at and cry over, wondering why it is that you look nothing like the tanned Goddess with the rippling twelve pac and the Beyonce booty.

Stop crying.

Think of the Fitness Quest; we already have 3 goals: Shop, Join gym, Eat healthy - Now make these goals specific to you,  P.S 'LOSE A STONE IN A WEEK' - Won't happen. 

Everyone on the Fitness Quest should take a photo of their body on their first day and every week/month after; watching your body change is the best motivation.

↑↑↑↑↑GURRRRRRRRRRL ↑↑↑↑↑

TIP: My Fitness Pal - Get it Get it Get it. 

This app is perfect for those of you who want to keep track of what you're eating, plus you can use it to follow weight loss goals. All you need to do is input exactly what you're eating and it will tell you how long it will take you to achieve your goal, you can also keep track of your sugars/carbs/EVERYTHING. Just get it - Plus if you don't have smart phone then you can use it online instead, no excuses.

I literally couldn't have put it better myself. 

Nobody Likes Going To The Gym

My Title is a fact.

I'm yet to meet a (normal) person who professes how much they LOVE going to the gym (all the people that express their love are lying).

There is nothing thrilling about THE GYM, it is DIRE and SWEATY and UNATTRACTIVE. I'm going to speak on behalf of all women and say that we definitely prefer shopping than going to the gym... This fact has lead me to an idea, what if our Fitness Quest began with shopping?

(Fitness Quest = 1. Join Gym 2. Healthy Eating (To be continued once I have worked out the next steps of the pathway)).

(NEW) FITNESS QUEST = 1. GO SHOPPING 2. JOIN GYM 3. HEALTHY EATING

And there you have it ladies. Once you've bought some new clothes - you want to wear them. So why not go out and treat yourself to a new gym wardrobe? In turn you have to test them out (in the gym).

Gym wear 1 by eviejack featuring a leather gym bag

Woven top

lasenza.com

NIKE activewear pants

kohls.com

Nike activewear

$46 - nikestore.com.au

Pieces leather gym bag

$120 - pieces.com

Nike Roshe Run W chaussures beige rose

$120 - stylefile.fr

...2 Months Later

*Browses through photos of myself with a six pac and a 30 day squat challenge ass*

....... I wish.

Something happened... well actually nothing happened. I stopped Paleo dieting on the fourth day... I just couldn't do it, a Paleo lifestyle was too physically and mentally challenging. I'm not that girl, I can't prep every meal of the day. I'm 21 and I'm still struggling to work out my hair washing pattern, let alone a strict meal pattern. 

NOTE - This is not the end, this blog is now a 'fitness/health/diet' blog (if I could insert clapping here then I would.) 

From now on I shall be posting women's diet plans (and reviewing them), food ideas, exercise ETC, ETC, blahblah, bye for now XX