Wednesday 19 June 2013

Super Healthy Low Fat & Low Carb Dinner - Macros / Calories Included

50g Spinach, 200g Eat Water Slim Noodles, 1 Boiled Egg White


230g River Cobbler Fillets grilled


 Place fish on foil in the oven & grill for 20 mins on 200 degrees (add herbs & lemon)

94g Aubergine & 100g Asparagus grilled in George Foreman grill




Yum Yum 298 calories dinner, the noodles & fish makes it filling, yet a very fresh dinner to have.
The macros counted for this dinner are as follows:
47g Protein
8g Carbs
6g Fat






All the ingredients used and calories they contain (Taken from My Fitness Pal)


I hope you enjoyed this post - if you ever want to ask me anything please feel free to email me on stinas1choice@gmail.com x

Sunday 16 June 2013

My Weight Lifting Routine & Common Weight Lifting Myths Busted.

I've decided to share my personal journey into lifting heavy iron.. And no I am not talking about the elusive Breville thing that lives in my cupboard for about 363 days of the year, I am talking about the big bad boy irons in the gym.


Guns!

As many, many other women out there, I had been living in an exclusive cardio world for a decade, by that I mean; turning up at the gym, plonking myself on a bike / treadmill and slaving away, bored out of my mind for a good 45 minute, followed by some very half hearted machine assisted weight training, which I never actually performed heavily enough to feel any real gain/pain, and that was probably mostly due to the fact that I was knackered from the cardio workout beforehand. I had never even considered venturing in to the free weights area, this area belonged to the big scary men, who would surely laugh and stare and point at me, for daring to enter their territory.

So I worked out. I did. And I enjoyed the feeling it gave me, mostly psychological, the feeling of knowing I had "been good"- and by being good, I then "rewarded" myself (everyday) with lovely foods.  Really what happened to my body & appearance was nothing - I never saw any changes, my arms, belly, legs just stayed the same. I didn't think of what my goal was or what I wanted to achieve  I guess I was on auto pilot, and just exercised out of a fear of turning fat..


My health took a huge turn (for the worse) a year or so ago, and a lot of things changed and ultimately these events led me to desire becoming the fittest and personal best shape and health I'd ever been in, so started looking to the internet for inspiration. 

To cut a long short, I began (slightly reluctantly, at first) a weights ONLY routine on 1st march 2013, 14 weeks ago & have lost 15 lb since then.


My routine is an All Body Workout with free weights and I perform this workout 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays. 

The first benefit to using full body workout programs is that there is a much lower time requirement to perform them. If you're someone like myself who has something on the go every day of the week, it can be hard to fit in a four- five day-a-week gym program.
Since full body workouts can be performed over the course of just two or three days a week, this allows more time for other obligations life. (kids, work, house work etc)
Depending on how you structure the full body workout program, you may find they do take slightly longer in the gym to complete, but when you consider the overall weekly time commitment they require, you'll still end up much further ahead than with other programs such as the upper/lower body split routines.

This routine suits me perfectly, gym is now fun & challenging, I have aims and goals and since week one I have seen results and believe me, doing weights for 14 weeks have seen me lose 15lb of fat, gain a sixpack stomach and a sculpted body, something that 10 years of doing cardio never even came close to achieving.

10 weeks into the program

I will post & share my full workout routine at the end of this post.


But Let's Bust Some Common Weight Lifting Myths 


  • Myth #1 Women don't want to be big & muscly like men.. Wellll, due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (The main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as men do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely touching some weights. Unfortunately, the idea that may come to your mind is that of professional female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that high degree of muscularity. In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly, when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. Believe me when I say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who weight train without the use of steroids, get that firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days. 

Hi, I'm Steve..


  • Myth #2 Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light. First of all, if you only did cardio then muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. You need to do weights in order to get the muscle building machine going and therefore prevent any loss of muscle tissue. Women who only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the look that they want, and will probably never get that body they dream of (Believe me, I speak from a lot of experience) As far as the lifting of very light weights goes, this is just more nonsense (Sorry 2kg dumbbell fans)  Muscle responds to (heavy) resistance and if the resistance is too light, then there will be no reason for the body to change. Lots of repetitions of low weights will not change your arms.. Trust me on that one..



  • Myth #3 I am afraid of the weights area, I am worried all the men will stare at me. Ok strictly speaking this isn't a myth! Because this does happen, but my fellow females, please don't let that be the reason you don't set foot near the squat rack! If a man stared at you in the bakery section of Waitrose, would you be afraid to pick up a bun? I bet you'd just stare back, do what you had to do, and get on with your day. Apply the same rule to the gym. These men don't own it, and BELIEVE ME I was scared & worried the first day I set foot in the weights area, but I was determined not to allow myself to be so foolish, so set upon following my program (that I had printed out and taken along with me). I kept my headphones in and my head down, and yes they looked, but once they had seen what they wanted, they got on with their own stuff. And from that day it just got easier & easier, and now all "The Guys" know me, and even though I don't actually engage in conversation with any of them, they all nod, and some even save the squat rack for me, as they know that's my favorite place. So ladies, persevere, it's honestly not that scary.


I may be little, but you don't scare me!

  • Myth #4 I need to lose the excess weight, before I start lifting weights.  But.. Why? No, no this is not true and yet I hear this literally everyday from women..There is absolutely no logical reason why women think this, and I wish we could kill this myth, ban it, lock it up, stamp all over it. Think about this logically, if weight training and muscle building increases your metabolism, and helps your body to burn fat faster (all the time, even at rest) then W H Y would you chose to do it a different way? It will help speed up your weight loss and there is no reason whatsoever for your to wait till you have reached your desired weight on the scales, before you hit those weights. 
*To lose weight you need to mostly address your diet, but that's another blog post..

Top Left Before picture!


There are some major health benefits to weight / resistance training, not only do you see that fat that you've been fighting for so long suddenly come off, but also the more muscle you gain, the faster your metabolism works, so the more fat you burn, so you will see you get leaner & leaner, the more you lift.

You decrease your chances of getting osteoporosis

You feel a major increase in self confidence

Mental strength improves as physical strength improves
Your risk of diabetes, stroke and heart attack decreases
You'll be better at, well everything. Cleaning your house, climbing stairs, picking your kids up.
Your mood will improve and you'll handle stress a lot better.
You will finally see your body take shape, that gorgeous sculpted look that cardio will never achieve
You'll have a sharper focus, and find lots of tasks a lot easier to perform.
You'll sleep better
You'll stand taller, have better posture & carry yourself better. 

Me & my fellow lifting girlfriend, mummy & superwoman :)


Here's my program (alternate A and B workout) 

Now..

I hope you found this helpful, and that all of this made sense to you. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at stinas1choice@gmail.com or contact me on Twitter Here


I'll do a full blog post on my daily diet, calorie intake and macros this week :)

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Josie Gibson DVD Give Away :)

Hello Lovelies,

Long time no see :)

Well I have had a pretty awful 12 months health wise and keep thinking I am now on the mend, only to find that -- I wasn't.

I have a lot of fitness related posts I would like to post, so keep an eye out on here for those..

In the mean time I am doing a little give away on Twitter today- where you can win the much talked about Josie Gibson DVD called 30 second slim (Josie also posts her meals on a section on the DVD)

All you have to do is follow me on Twitter 


And RT my tweet about the giveaway and I shall chose a winner tonight around 11pm.


Speak to you all very soon x


Friday 19 October 2012

Friday Dinner, Grilled chicken with wild rice & vegetables

Spinach, Asparagus, Wild Rice, Chicken breast, Baby Courgettes

Some of the ingredients for my dinner tonight, which I have to say was delicious but way too big, the dinner picture I have posted here, I didn't even manage to eat half of that and I was completely full to the brim.

Baby Courgettes (Yum!)

Wild Rice 

(Note: Wild rice needs to cook for up to an hour, so I decided to mix it with ordinary rice and it was done in 25 minutes)

The Finished Dinner


What I used:
2 chicken breast fillets (of which I could only eat one..) - I coated this lightly in soy sauce & teriyaki and grilled them for 4-5 minutes in my George Foreman grill.
1/4 cup of dry rice - boiled in 2 cups of water, boiled 25 mins.
A bowl of 1 handful spinach, broccoli stems, asparagus and baby courgettes, all steamed in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes in very little water.
4-5 plum tomatoes with pepper on.

And voila- healthy and extremely filling, no additives, just fresh loveliness :)

Like I said, I could only manage half of that plate full, all those vegetables filled me up a lot.




I might do a little post on what my boys had for dinner as that was really yummy too and both polished it off in no time.
Thanks for looking and if you have any questions - pop them below or find me on Twitter @chicbeauty_


Thursday 18 October 2012

Eat Clean- Get Lean- What's for dinner?

My Dinner Tonight


Hi all, I haven't been here for a very long time, ironically mostly because all my free time I spend at the gym, so not much time to update this and my other blog.
Having been toying with the idea for a while to change my blog up a bit, I thought what better way to start than to post a little bit about what I eat to stay healthy.

I have to admit that gone are my days of counting calories and worrying about that, instead I focus on eating good, non-processed foods and I try to practice a lot of positive thoughts, some of which are to do with being healthy, and my mindset has changed for the better.

If you are interested I shall keep a food diary here, as often as I can, it inspires myself, and in turn if it can inspire one or two other people, then that's a major bonus.

Tonights dinner consisted of:

Thai Green Spice Mix tossed with brown rice
King prawns
Pak Choi & chopped baby cabbage
Orange & Santini tomato salad
Steamed asparagus

It was totally delicious and I am full now..
If I fancy anything later I shall have an orange and a herbal tea.





See you again soon for the next food update :)

Until then, be well x

Friday 17 February 2012

Gym update, measurements revisited 2 weeks on.

Morning 

I hope you're all keeping well?
 I thought I'd update you a bit since posting two weeks ago; I went full steam ahead at the gym and with my diet, I went to the gym every other day or in fact I had a pretty good week where I actually went 5 times and then last weekend -BAM- hit with the worst bout of illness I've had in years.

You know one of those where every muscle and every joint hurts, your skin hurts and light hurts- yes that! You feel as if you've done a round with Tyson and lost bitterly! Not great and I had to put gym on hold as I couldn't even physically drag myself off the sofa!
Went to the Doctor, got told I had a chest infection and am now on antibiotics.

Anyway my lovelies, I digress..

Today, trying on gym gear but actually there is no way I can go. 
No strength at all for it sadly so I shall sulk with daytime TV and wishing for the day I feel well enough again.

I decided to re-visit my measurements today as it's been two weeks since I did my first lot, and despite not having been able to go I am still dedicated to eating the right food and sticking to 1200 calories per day which I track on my fitness pal which is a fantastic online weight loss and exercise diary- check it out it really is most delightful to use.

This morning the old fashioned measuring tape came out and I have to say I was rather delighted with the results and I shall show you why below:

Measurements on the left are from 2/2/2012
Measurements on the right are taken today 17/2/2012

Right bicep: 27.5cm - Now 27cm = loss 0.5cm
Chest at nipple line: 90cm- Now 89cm = loss 1cm
Waist at belly button: 77cm- Now 74cm = loss 3cm
Hips at bone: 90cm - Now 88cm = loss 2cm
Right thigh: 58cm - Now 54cm = loss 4cm
Right calf: 37cm - now 35cm = loss 2cm

Total loss in cm 12.5 - or 5 inches

Weight: 148lb - Now 144lb = loss 4lb 

The gym appears to be paying off and I am loving it and can't wait to get back there and work up a sweat :)

Monday 6 February 2012

I've joined a gym - here're my measurements & program.

Hey all,


Long time no see. Well that is because I have been a bit of a lazy one of late, but when it got to a point of me not liking to look at myself in the mirror naked, I had to take action and by pure fluke and chance I found a gym that has a creche- so I can put my smallest son in there whilst exercising. Lack of childcare had been my No 1 and only reason for not joining a gym in the last 2 years.
So here we are- I joined 9 days ago and so far have managed to go 5 times, today included.
It does take some organisation skill to organize and remember to book the creche in advance but I want this to work out so much that I have alarms in my phone to remind me to phone up and book slots for little man.


So really my aim is to lose 1 stone, but more importantly than that I just want to look and feel leaner and fitter.


My aim is to go every other day and mainly focus on all round body workouts each time, with the majority of the time and efforts spent on doing weights, with bursts of cadio.
Obviously I am only going to achieve my goal with a healthy diet so this is also changing.


I'll show you what I did today.


I  have got myself a notebook, a measuring tape and a good dose of willpower and have worked so hard in the last week I have really felt every muscle work.


To give you an idea - I have decided to post all my measurements here, and use this is a journal, and feel free to take ideas if you want.. Obviously just make sure you're fit to do so beforehand.


Me right now.
Height: 5"6
Weight: 10st 6
Right bicep: 10.5 inch
Chest at nipple line: 35 inch
Waist at belly button: 30 inch
Hips at bone: 35 inch
Right thigh: 22.8 inch
Right calf: 14.5 inch




My exercise routine for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays is as follow: ( Rep = repetitions)


*Leg press 40kg - 12 repetitions X 3 times

*Shoulder press 7.5 kg 12 rep x 3 (This is very HARD)


*Leg curls 15kg 12 rep x 3


*Upper back 10kg 12 rep x 3


*Low row back 15kg 12 rep x 3


*Chest press 10kg 12 rep x 3 (very hard on last repetition)


*Tricep pull down on cable 20kg 12 rep x 2 (Can't physically do anymore as arms were BURNING)


*Lat pull down 20kg 12 x 3 (hard on 12th rep)


*Back extension 15 kg 12 rep x 3


*Pectoral press 10kg 12 rep x 3 (Very hard in last set could barely do the last 2 reps)


*Dumbbell 3kg lateral raises all done whilst lunging 12rep x 3


*Biceps 3kg dumbbell 12 rep x 3 all done whilst doing squats 


20 minutes on cross trainer -hard- out of breath / sweating. 


On floor ab crunches 12 x 2 



After that I stretch out and leave the gym.


I plan to go every Saturday or Sunday too and mainly on this day have a long stint of cardio, as I can't really do weights on the weekend as that will mean I am doing it straight after a day of weights or the day before weights- so weekend will be cardio, I like using a machine called The Wave, which really gets my heart pumping and sweat pouring.

I can't wait to feel and see the results and more than anything else I am LOVING being back in the gym again - I have missed it way more than I'd realized, it gives me such satisfaction and pleasure setting foot in a gym (saddo, I know)

So YAY- really exited for this new journey- anyone else joined  gym recently?