Peanut Butter Punch

So I'm going through a nutty phase and for breakfast I made a delicious Peanut Butter Punch *licks lips*

Although peanut butter is high in fat, it contains good fats  which can help lower cholesterol and it is also a good source of vitamin D. It just has to be eaten in moderation.

To make this sexy drink, all you need is:

-a cup of milk of your choice (I used almond milk)

-1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter

-half a cup of crushed ice

-teaspoon of honey

To make it more filling, you can add a banana, half a cup of granola or oats.

When blending the ingredients together, add the peanut butter last so it doesn't settle at the bottom of the blender.

Try it and let me know what you think.

G

Triple P: Patience Persistence Progression

Let me be honest, unless you appreciate these 3 p's, your fitness journey will be short lived. Like the saying goes "Rome wasn't built in a day" and neither was the perfect body. Put it this way, if it was that simple then I'm pretty sure everyone would have the body they desired and PT's and instructors wouldn't exist.-but it's not that simple.

Patience

I've been on this journey for over a year and it's not only till recently that I'm actually starting to see results. GetbodiedByJ says she’s been training for over 10 years and her body’s improved after having her two children.

@getbodiedbyj

It's all about exercising patience and riding out the storm because the results will be worth it in the end.

Persistence

If at first u don’t succeed dust yourself off and try again #NoAaliyah. The saying goes if it isn't broke don't fix it…If you’re doing something and it's working for u then keep doing it ! However, if you've been doing something for a while and it’s not making the changes you want then you have to switch things up. Try increasing or decreasing your resistance, doing more reps, alternative exercises or work out with different people. Whatever you do, just switch it up!

Progress

If you exercise patience and persistence, this should lead to progression.

My cousin @lucioustv is living proof that squats do work people!!!
Pictures are the best way to track your progress. The good thing about before and after pictures is that they allow you to see the results of your hard work and it's also a good way to keep you motivated. 

Sometimes I do get discouraged but my pictures keep me motivated and show me how far I've come and how hard I've worked.

So guys whenever you feel like giving up just keep calm and remember the 3 p's.

G

Nike & Elle -We Own The Night

 

On Saturday 18th May, me and 3385 women took part in Nike & Elle's 'We Own the Night' women's 10k run in Victoria Park.

 

This was my first ever race and I had never ran 10k before or even trained for the event. Minor I thought- this will be a walk in the park…NOT!!! My knee injury had been holding me back for a while so when I first heard about the race I decided I wasn't going to do it. However, two days before the race I changed my mind.

 

I went to Nike Town to pick up my kit with my good friend Christabel Rose and we took our event photo- it was confirmed- we were running the race.

 

I’ve decided to make this post a little different. You’re probably bored of hearing what I have to say so I’ve asked Christabel to give her version of events and tell you about why she decided to get involved in the race.

 

“Right - so a few months ago the thought of running on concrete was a big NO! Until one day I looked in the mirror and caught a glimpse of myself and thought "Wait! What's that? Where did this come from?" #BingoWings&Tyres. I just thought as time passed it would disappear but denial isn't only a river in Egypt! Gina who goes spartanfam told me to come along but I'm not a fan of circuits, so I made excuses and didn't go.

Then she told me about Run Dem Crew! (RDC), who run around the great city of London exploring hidden places and great bridges. I quickly got on my running gear and joined in April. I did my first run with Food & Lycra (Super Steep Sundays) and nearly passed out but the girls encouraged me throughout - shout out to Laura!

 

18th May Race Day - was close to bottling it because I was so nervous and my anxiety started kicking in but once I saw all the RDC ladies and Gina I was like "ok I can do this - I got this". By 7k I'm sure my mind had shut down and I was just cursing myself but the ladies from RDC kept pushing me to the finish line!

It was a great experience and with the emotional tears I would probably do it again! I'm not a fitness freak nor am I very healthy but I feel so much better than I did in January mentally and physically. Now it’s not even about the running, it's knowing I'm getting away from things that do my head in daily and just meeting the RDC family.

I would like to thank Food & Lyrca, Gina and Run Dem Crew for the constant encouragement!”

I would just like to add that 7k was also the mental mark of where it got tough for me- I literally wanted to slit my wrists!!! But I just kept thinking #NoExcuses #JustKeepOnRunning. At least now I know what to expect when running Race for Life (RFL) in June. I will definitely be training for that event as I can’t deal with the shock again.

 

But anywho…that’s it from me and Christabel for now.

G

Traded In My Heart For Muscle

So what's this ‘traded in my heart for muscle’ jazz all about then? Well as you know, I found my love for fitness during a state of depression after breaking up with my ex boyfriend. I've always been a 'guest appearance gymer' and had issues with my weight, so I guess my story’s much deeper than my ex-boyfriend- but that’s another blog post (soon come). Anyway, I got really slim and lost 1.5 stone in one month...I know some of you are thinking that's amazing-but nah, it wasn't cool.



Look at my collar bone -_____-



I started looking ill, my hair fell out, I skipped periods – I was a hot mess. Eventually, I started eating again and with being a food lover; I went a bit overboard lol. As my body had been longing for the food I had been depriving it of, the weight came back on FAST!

One day I was feeling really upset and I needed to get out of my house so I went for a run. I found it so soothing and therapeutic and soon it became a way of channelling any negativity I was feeling. 

Anyone that knows me personally can confirm that I'm a moody cow *makes cow noise*. I used to have serious mood swings, well I still kinda do but I'm working on it lol. But working out has made this a lot better. Whenever I felt upset, annoyed, in a mood - anything negative, I would just go to the gym and work it off.

Soon it became my addiction - an addiction that only I understood. It was from then on I decided to trade in all my emotions in relation to my break up and anything negative for a long term relationship with my health and fitness.

The amazing thing about breakups is they change you. Some let the break up break them but I chose to build myself up and focus on being and becoming a better me. By the way I still think love is amazing *gag* (I'm not bitter).

Just to be clear, traded in my heart for muscle doesn't represent being anti-men or love, even though that's the vibe I sometimes give off-trust me it's all banter. It's about turning negative energy into positive results. 

The aim of the movement is to empower others especially females, yes you had a bad day, yes your boyfriend cheated on you, yes you didn’t get the job, yes your heartbroken, yes you've gained weight and have rolls that seem to have appeared from no where. I know you can't fit into that dress you bought last summer and yes yes yes - I know you want to wear that backless dress but you know things ain't looking how they used to be, but it can change.

Just focus on channelling that negative energy into something positive to build a better you. Get your mind right and your body will follow. So whenever you’ve had one of them days, just focus on YOU. Eat right, go for a run or go to the gym - I don't want to hear excuses just do it #NoNike…work that negativity to the ground!

G



Eat Clean & Get Lean

So from 1st April until 31st May, I’ve decided to experiment with my body and food with the aim of targeting my stomach. I know some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking “oh please there’s nothing wrong with your stomach”. Well… I beg to differ! I have premature packs that want to come through and my stomach is not firm…I’m so sure it’s confused. Please don’t let the images fool you because my stomach still folds when I sit down looool.

But anyway… This is the 5^th week of switching up my diet, and I’m feeling great! A typical day for me food-wise looks like this:

Breakfast 8:00am	Fruit & Veg Smoothie
Snack 11:00am	Fruit Salad
Lunch 1:00pm	Prepared Meal (Salmon, Sweet Potato & Veg)
Snack 3:00pm	Fruits & Nuts
Pre-dinner 5:00pm (usually before gym)	Salmon Sandwich (brown bread)
Dinner  8:00pm	Prepared Meal (Chicken Breast, Quinoa & Veg)

 

Yup! It's pretty simple and I'm starting to see the benefits.

What I think has made such a difference is the little things. For example, I’ve avoided saturated fats, oils, dairy and processed sugars etc. I've not had any sweets, junk food (Ok, I’m lying … :( There was that one trip to TGI lol), additional salt or dressing on my meals. If I've needed more flavour I've opted for lemon juice.

Any fats I've consumed have been natural - from nuts and protein and any sugars have come from my fruits.

Exercise wise I haven't done much because of my knee injury. So I've been taking it easy and I've still seen a difference, so just imagine how much change will occur if I went hard on the cardio.

Remember this is just an example of what I’ve done and what has worked for ME. I know loads of people don’t like eating carbs after 7 and that’s fine… But I’ve been eating carbs after 7 and I haven’t seen any negative results. I guess it’s all about knowing what works for YOUR body.

So why not experiment for 30 days and see what results you come out with.

G

Sunday Funday

The weather wasn’t too bad on Sunday, so after church I decided to have a little workout in the park with my cousins. It was a short session which consisted of bodyweight exercises.

Bodyweight exercises are so convenient. You don’t need equipment, you can workout literally anywhere and all you need is your body! 

What I like about these types of exercises, is that they require more flexibility and balance in order to perform reps, in comparison to weight training. Because you have to use your bodyweight to adjust the difficulty of exercises, you learn how to make use of your entire body in any given movements.  

It's all about becoming one with your body because you’re literally working with what you've got and your body HAS to tone itself because it’s naturally being conditioned to the same weight all the time. Not only that but, you can workout towards your own strengths and weaknesses, as through doing certain exercises you'll be able to learn what muscles are stronger/weaker.

There is an ongoing discussion about Bodyweight Training vs Weight Training but that’s a different blog post. Personally, I like them both and think when combined together you get good results, but that’s just my opinion. J

But yh ...since the weathers getting better now, I plan to do a lot more training in the park on weekends…so anyone interested let me know and lets do this!

G

You're More Beautiful Than You Think

I was inspired to write this blog post by the recent Dove Real Beauty advert. For the few that haven't seen the advert yet (click here) , a FBI forensic artist is behind a curtain and draws the individuals portrait by their own self description. The artist then draws a second portrait of the same individual but this time the drawing is based on a strangers description of them. 

When the two portraits are compared, the portrait based on the individuals own self description was very unflattering and miserable. However, the portrait based on the strangers description of the individual was more softer, more realistic and somewhat - happier.

It highlighted that these women had self distorted images of themselves and did not realise how beautiful they were. Whilst watching the advert I got quite emotional because I know for a fact I can relate and a lot of people I know can relate too. It just goes to show that we are all too consumed with a perception of what we think we should look like, when really we should just embrace the way we are.

Not too long ago my friend who works in a school, asked me to come and workout with some of the year 11s, so I did. When I met them we discussed their goals and why they wanted to start working out. Sadly, their responses were "I want a body like Beyonce and Kim Kardashian".

It made me realise that the majority of us, and when I say us, I'm referring mainly to those in the black community, are obsessed with the image that the perfect body is a slim waist, thick thighs and a big bum. These girls were only 15/16 and already they were worried about getting big hips and a big bum. I had to remind them that they were only young so there bodies had not even fully developed yet.

But lets be honest, a lot of females decide to start working out because they are trying to achieve that same "perfect" body. My opinion is, if that's your only motivation to work out, then your doing it for all the wrong reasons and your motivation to workout probably won't last that long.

Personally, i'm working out to improve my fitness and although looking good does come into it, it isn't my main goal. Some of you are probably rolling your eyes because I'm talking about not being obsessed with having wide hips and a small waist but these are features I possess so I can say this, but through working out my bum and hips have got smaller,  but these are sacrifices I'm willing to make in the hopes of becoming fitter.

But yh... the advert got me thinking and made me realise that what most people see as negative features and flaws - they blow it out of proportion, when really they are actually positive and beautiful qualities. The moment we stop pressurising ourselves to look like others and conform to an idealised beauty and the sooner we start being happy within ourselves,  we will start enjoying life a lot more.

Next time you find yourself having a stand off with your mirror don't focus on the new flaw you've discovered, focus on that flawless beauty that it yet to be re-discovered again!

Stay beautiful.

G