Race For Life

This year I'm taking part in race for life. I haven't personally lost anyone  as a result of cancer but I have friends that have, so I've decided to take part to help raise money for cancer research.

On Saturday 22 June 2013 me and some of my girls will be running 10k at Finsbury park.

I'm not a long distance runner, or a runner in general. I'd rather squat or do push ups to be honest, but running 10k will push me out of my comfort zone and take my fitness to new heights.

This is definitely going to be difficult, but with hard work and training I know me and my girls will be able to kill it.

I'm gonna start switching up my training from this weekend. For example, tomorrow me and my girls have aimed to run from Stratford to Oxford Circus. I worked it out to be just under 7 miles and it would take about 2 hours and 10 minutes if walked, so it should take us less than that.

Just thinking about it right now it sounds so long and ambitious... BUT this year is all about breaking boundaries so were going for the kill.

Please show support and sponsor me by clicking here.

Hopefully some of you will also come and show support on the day and watch us run.

Wish us luck and see you at the finish line.

G

Happy Holiday

Whilst everyone has been suffering from freezing temperatures and snow flakes, I've been away on holiday. 

The majority of the time a holiday is used as an excuse to go wild and throw away good habits. The restaurant dining, lazing about, lounging, fast food meals, late night snacks, excessive alcohol consumption and messed up sleeping patterns can sometimes leave you feeling more tired than before you left for your holiday.

But not me, I decided to take my healthy lifestyle with me.

To some extent I've still managed to "eat clean and train dirty'' as Get Bodied By J would say. I say to some extent because if I told you I didn't have the occasional cocktail I would be lying lol.

I wasn't away for long so I could have waited and continued when I got back. Not working out for 5 days probably would not have made much of a difference but every little helps. The little I done would help to balance any excess fat I would gain whilst out there and would also help me from getting physically stale. I mean theres nothing worse than returning home after a holiday and feeling like your starting from scratch. 

I didnt have access to a gym so body weight training was my best friend. As most of you would have realised by now, I literally workout anywhere! My fitness has no boundaries...from public transport, to beaches, you name it... I'll do it.

Whilst in Portugal my routine consisted of runs across the beach and circuit training wherever I found space. Obviously a couple of people stopped and looked at me weird in the process of my circuits on the beach but that's nothing I'm not used to. I also practiced a couple yoga moves with my friend. 

I done the 300 circuit I got from my Spartanfam trainer Chaka Bars.

The circuit consists of:

-30 tricep dips

-15 chin ups & 15 pull ups

-30 sit ups

-30 Russian twist sit ups

-30 squats

-30 lunges

-30 burpees

-30 wide pulls with feet on the floor

-30 push ups

-30 box jumps

I won't lie...when I got to 30 burpees I was so tired I didn't know what to do with myself.

If you don't know what some of these exercises are YouTube is your friend. (I will start uploading videos very soon I promise)

Im glad I took this frame of mind with me on holiday though. I exercised, ate smart and still managed to enjoy my holiday.

So people, when your away, find ways to stay as active as you can and eat as clean as you can to avoid unnecessary weight gain and to make the transition back to real life a little easier.

G

MudNMadness

So over the weekend me and SpartanFam put our training to the test by taking on a 7.5k mud race. Two words frikkin amazing!!!!

Words can't begin to describe how exhilarating the whole experience was.

The race consisted of army style challenges, canoeing, an obstacle course, river crossing, archery, mud alleys, river dips and a beasting session.

Me and my two team mates completed the race in an hour and 28 minutes. Considering the team was suffering from knee and ankle injuries we still managed to make it to the finish line.

The time we finished in was not even what we cared about. We just wanted to finish it together. We didn't see it as a race in the literal sense but rather a challenge. We did not whine or moan and our main goal was exercising our teamwork rather than completing the course in the fastest time.

To be honest the actual race wasn't even that hard besides the canoeing bit. That’s probably where we lost a lot of time because we were scared as hell. Gospel, Bashment, RnB, HipHop I mean we sang them all just to get through that river.

Also, the freezing cold water didn’t help. You'd think your body would get used to it after a while but nope! I lost all feeling in my legs, toes and fingers for the majority of the race.

However, I would definitely do it all over again. It felt so good to actually put my fitness and training to the test. Sure I got mud in my hair, dirty water all over my body and almost lost my trainers but it was all worth it in the end.

Now I know my mental and physical strength has no boundaries I'm going to push myself till I can't push myself no more and you should do the same.

Bring on the next mud race!

G

Motorway Madness

So me and my two buddies decided to conquer our fear of heights and get our blood pumping by doing a flyover session over the A13.

Flyover sprints: we started off at the base of 1 side of the flyover (1), sprinted up three flights (2) and then back down again. We repeated this twice and this made up one set. We took a two minute rest in between each set and repeated it three times.

The average times were:

BigBoat 1.07min average

Nana 1.13min average

Gina 1.21min average

Flyover endurance: we started off at the base of 1 side of the flyover (1), ran up the three flights (2), across the bridge (3), down the three flights on the other side (2) and then all the way back (3) to finish at the base (1). We took a five minute rest in between each set and repeated it three times.

The average times were:

BigBoat 1.54mins average

Nana 2.1mins average

Gina 2.30mins average

I will be totally honest and say this session killed me. After the first set of the flyover endurance, I was ready to call a cab and go home.

So for those of you who want to have a go GOOD LUCK because you will definitely need it.

G

Food For Thought

This post is somewhat controversial because we all know or should know that heels are not really good for us.

Not only do they hurt, but they can cause damage to your knees and can increase the chances of arthritis.

HOWEVER lets be honest...even though its bad for us, females are not going to stop wearing 5inches anytime soon the same way males won’t stop cheating (I joke I Joke , I kid I Kid lol)

Anywhoooo, I decided to do my research and it wasn't all bad. 

I found these to be the healthy benefits to wearing heels:

Good Body Posture

Apparently, by wearing heels you walk tall with your shoulders back and your head up. This is supposed to help you reduce any neck and back pain cause by slouching. Good body posture can also boost your confidence- this I know a lot of females including myself can relate to because I know when I wear my 5inches I feel like I can conquer the world.

Also, having good posture is meant to give you optimal muscle and organ function and tone your core muscles-and we all know everyone wants a toned core. 

Toned legs

They say that by wearing heels you’re activating the muscles in your legs and pelvic area which not only strengthens but also tones your legs. Your calf muscles in particular are deeply engaged which probably explains why after a night out your legs are feeling like you’ve done loads of calf raises.

So there it is ladies…just a little food for thought.

G   



Just Geen's Kitchen

Right... so I know it's extremely hard to stay fit and maintain a 'healthy' food regime. Quite frankly it can become extremely boring... but it doesn't always have to be. Below are a few things I eat on a day to day basis which I'm going to share with you.

Remember these are only examples and i'm not a nutritionist so please don't shoot if you get side effects such as a double chin, back tyres or a kangaroo pouch!

You don't have to eat all of these foods you can even mix and match!

Breakfast:

Porridge (with banana)

Smoked Salmon & Egg Whites Wheat Bagel

Omelette

Bran Flakes (with banana)

Oat & Protein Pancakes (with Banana & Strawberries)

Fruit Salad & Natural Yoghurt

Cornmeal Porridge

Wholemeal Toast, Scrambled Eggs & Grilled Mushrooms

 

Oat Protein Pancakes topped with Banana's, Strawberries, Nuts & Natural Yoghurt

Lunch

Chicken/fish , Sweet Potato & Avocado Salad

Chicken/fish, Boiled Plantain & Salad

Chicken Breast Wrap

Chicken Caesar Salad

Tuna & Sweet Corn Brown Pasta

Homemade Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Prawn & Vegetable Cous Cous

Mixed Salad 

Avocado, Olive & Feta Cheese Salad  

Chicken Breast Wrap

Dinner

Lamb Chops, Plantain (boiled) & Salad

Salmon, Grilled Vegetables & Rice Noodles

Beef Lasagne (with brown sheets) & Avocado Salad

Roast Chicken, Baked Sweet Potato Fries & Salad

Grilled Chicken Breast & Mixed Veg

Chicken/ Fish, Sweet Potato Mash & Salad

Chicken, Bulgar Wheat & Salad

Prawn Coconut Curry, Sweet Potato & Salad

Prawn Coconut Curry, Sweet Potato & Salad 

Chicken, Bulgar Wheat & Salad

Fish, Sweet Potato Mash & Salad

Grilled Chicken Breast & Mixed Veg

I drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day,  home made smoothies, green tea & juices (not from concentrate).

I eat every 3 hours (the fat greedy Gina is still in me) and I get hungry quite often so I snack a lot. My snacks are just different kinds of fruits or green tea. My food portions are not that big and I prefer to eat smaller portions more regularly.

Remember this is just an example of my diet so I'm not saying eat every 3 hours or to eat what I eat because that might not work for you. Its about trial and error and finding out what works for you. Some people could eat every 3 hours and become a big engine which isn't what were trying to achieve. I eat every 3 hours and my workout regime is pretty intense so it works in my favour.

But for more information on nutrition and consultations email: bookings.bigboatstrainingroom@hotmail.co.uk  and follow his Instagram @bigboatstrainingroom- he taught me everything I know.

Also, check out #famfoods on Instagram for healthy meal ideas.

G

Weather Worries

So many people use the weather as an excuse not to work out, but as the weather’s always rubbish in England, using the weather as an excuse means you probably won't ever work out.

So today it's snowing and it's that cold that I'm even lacking the motivation to go to the gym (yes I'm actually not going to the gym today and no the world isn't going to end lol). However, that does not mean I can't do a little home workout. 

Why not try today’s ab workout which consisted of: 

Russian twist- Sit on the floor with your knees bent like a "sit-up" position. Your upper body should be straight off the ground at a 45 degree angle. In a twisting motion, swing your arms from side to side touching the floor on each side. To make it harder lift your feet off the floor using your core for balance.

Side crunch- Lay on the side of your body, placing your hands behind your head so your fingertips just touch each other as they rest behind your head. Bring your torso up and your side will bend as your shoulder lifts into the crunch. To make this harder lift your leg up as you lift your torso up. Repeat on other side.

Leg raises-Lie on the floor on your back and place your hands to the side, behind your ears or under your lower back for support. Make sure your back stays flat on floor and yours abs are tight. Keep your legs close together and your knees straight. Slowly raise your legs until they are pointed straight up in the air then slowly lower them back to the starting position.

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Toe reach- Lie on the floor on your back and lift your legs up so they are pointing to the ceiling. Reach as far as you can with your hands towards your toes.
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Plank- Rest your body on your forearms and toes and hold this position. Keep your body in a straight line with no sagging and make sure your bum is not in the air. To make it harder lift one leg 5-8 inches off the floor.

Try and complete as many reps as you can in 30 seconds for the side crunch and russian twist and 60 seconds for the leg raises plank and toe reach. All 5 exercises make up 1 set so aim to do between 4-6 sets.

Good luck

G

Gym Is My Drug

So today was my rest day but I found myself in the gym doing stretches. I could have stretched at home, but hey who was I kidding!








It was either go to the gym and stretch, or stay at home and get tempted by the smell of fresh Jollof Rice, Fried Plantain and Chofi (damn being Ghanaian and healthy is hard) *sigh* . But I closed my nose and ran to the gym in record time, Usain Bolt would have been proud of me . I knew I would not have stretched at home plus just being in the gym for me is my ecstasy- I'm such an addict its unreal. 









During Uni times I never used to understand why some of my friends used to say they could only study at home, but now I'm exactly the same with fitness. 











Stretches are just as important as your workouts. Stretching loosens up your muscles, prevents muscle fatigue, maintains flexibility and mobility and prevents you walking up and down the stairs like your broken. 











Please see example below: 











So guys, always remember to stretch otherwise you'll end up walking like my friend who will remain anonymous.  







G 

Recycled Resolutions

Wow! A New Year already and I guess it’s that time where we all make resolutions that we hope to keep right? I made a few this year and here they are:

• Stop smoking – Considering I don’t smoke and have never been a smoker it was pretty easy to do! I can happily check that off my list!
• Start my blog – As you can tell I’ve started
• Tone up – Well this is the journey I am still on…

Fitness, exercise, eating healthy, sweating I mean is there anything here that actually sounds appealing?

Exercise, sweat and most importantly healthy eating works! Eating healthily does not have to be boring or bland and does not only consist of ‘rabbit food’ (check out my nutrition page for some of my tasty recipes and pictures).

My fitness journey didn't start as a resolution but as a change in lifestyle with the intention of it lasting a lifetime. I say this because fitness isn't a destination but rather a journey. It’s much harder to maintain your achievement once you've reached your goal. This ongoing motion is why it's a journey and not a destination.

I can be your testimony people because when I was younger I was always the ‘fat kid’. I was a dumpling! Not soft and tasty but fat, round and stumpy!! I was a myth, but now I can happily say those days are behind me *phew*

 All jokes aside, the annoying thing about New Year’s resolutions is that they get recycled from previous years (we all do it!). But let’s make this year different and say  NO to #RecycledResolutions.

Set yourself realistic goals that way you’re more likely to stick to it.

Don’t be the 'guest appearance gymer' or the person that recycles this year’s resolution next year. 

Join my journey and let’s see how it goes! If it works then we don’t have to recycle this resolution, if it doesn’t work then hey.. We’ll keep trying until it does!

G