I wrote in my post earlier last week about Christmas treats. I love(d) to take a break from my Christmas shopping and pop into a coffee shop for a “red cup” drink and a piece of cake. However, despite being delicious and festive, there are so many things wrong with these drinks, it’s hard to know where to start.
Christmas always seems to be a difficult time for anyone trying to maintain a modicum of a healthy approach to their lifestyle. My life seems to have followed a depressingly familiar cycle over the past few years:
Given that things have turned colder this week, Paul and I decided it was about time we book a holiday. This may seem early, but as all parents will know, particularly those with school age children, spontaneity is a thing of the past – the days taking a week off on a whim, meeting at Thomas Cook during your lunch hour and forking out £184 for a week in Majorca are long gone (which is quite possibly a good thing).
It got me to thinking about all the other things which have changed when it comes to holidays. Holidays these days are a bit like being at home in a more confined space and with less washing (at least during the holiday itself).
I’ve started writing this post a few times, but it ends up being really long, so I’ve decided to write a short summary of my approach to my diet, and I’ll expand on each section over the coming few weeks.
I’ve had a complex relationship with food (and my body) over the years, but I feel like I’ve started to figure out what works for me. And that’s a key point – this is what works for me. One of the first things we learn as trainee Nutritional Therapists as that we’re all individuals – our bodies are all different and there are a number of factors which influence how we can best support our health and wellbeing. Continue reading “My Food Philosophy (The Edited Highlights!)”
When we were growing up, I often remember Mum cooking up a big batch of soup on a Saturday for lunch. There was always some sort of activity on a Saturday morning – swimming, music etc, and it was always lovely to come home to a warming bowl of soup. We used to have a bakery at the end of our road and often we’d walk down to get fresh bread. I don’t think their baguettes were exactly authentic, they always used to bend in the middle and were really doughy, but they did the job in terms of having something to dip in your bowl!
I think the most important thing about exercise is to choose something you enjoy (to a point – I’m sure no one loves squats, but they are good for your butt!). There’s no point in dragging yourself onto the Stair Master or slogging your way round a half marathon if you hate it. I’m lucky (or perhaps weird) in that I enjoy most forms of exercise, but there are definitely some that are more fun than others.
I particularly love classes at the gym, but it is easy to get stuck in a rut, going to the same old sessions and not trying anything new. So I thought that if I tried to review one class a month, it would at least make me try 12 different classes over the course of the year! Continue reading “Fitness Review – Body Combat”
We all have our bad habits and personal foibles which make us who we are. Just to clear things up, I actually was born in a barn and I have lots of shoes because let’s face it, our feet don’t have fat days.
Since becoming a parent, I’ve noticed a few Mum related habits which are pretty common. I should caveat this with the fact that I have done all of the below. I’m not judging (that’s something I reserve for parents who put their children in Crocs. I don’t care if they’re practical). Continue reading “Parenting Bad Habits”
I love porridge for breakfast. Particularly at this time of year, when the mornings are chilly, a hot breakfast is really warming and comforting!
Oats are pretty good for you as they are, being a good source of soluble fibre which is important for gut health. However, I like to pimp my porridge a bit – my aim with breakfast is always to get at least one portion of fruit and/or veg and also some protein, which ups the satiety value and keeps you full for longer. One way of increasing the protein value would be to add a scoop of protein powder, but as I’m trying to eat an unprocessed diet as far as possible, that’s not preferred option. Instead I’ve started adding an egg, which sounds a bit weird, but is actually delicious and gives a really creamy, almost custardy texture. You need to be careful you don’t end up with scrambled egg though! Here’s how I do it. This recipe also forms a great basis for getting creative with your porridge! Continue reading “Best Basic Porridge”
Now, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t describe my average weekday morning as my most relaxing time (or my weekends actually, given the fact that the first hour of being awake is mostly spent trying to hide under the duvet and telling my children to go and play). What with getting ready for work, getting the children ready for school/nursery, packing up my food for the day and sometimes working out, that hour between 6.30 – 7.30am is usually pretty fraught. Continue reading “Habit of the Month – November”
For our wedding anniversary in July, Paul bought us a running analysis session and entry into the Marlow 7 (for me) and the Marlow half marathon (for him – see, he does love me really!). I know some people find that an odd present, but it was a lovely idea, a chance for us to get our running styles analysed and then the opportunity to work on what we’ve learned for a race. I haven’t done a lot of racing this year for one reason or another, so it was nice to have something to work towards over the last few months.
Then I looked at the course profile. Ouch! Hills aren’t my favourite and as most of my running is done along the Thames towpath, I haven’t done all that much hill training lately. Still, I’m game for pain a laugh, so off we trotted into the fog on Sunday morning.
