Mediskin

Monday, 20 October 2014

The countdown is on..

My Friend's wedding is on this Friday.

I had been trying to eat as clean as possible and get five workouts in per week in the build up to the wedding!

Last Saturday night we had a pre-wedding get together after the church rehearsal, it ended up a late one and let's just say I spent all day Sunday eating and 'recovering'.

I had no energy to do anything and found myself eating the wrong food all day.

Needless to say I woke up feeling like crap.

So, I made a plan.

45 mins of HIIT to get myself back into routine followed by a strict clean diet for the day.

Breakfast:

Two poached eggs with avocado and homemade paleo bread.

Lunch:

Homemade Butternut squash soup with pumpkin seeds and peppered salami

Dinner:

Poached Salmon with cous-cous served with tomato, broccoli and asparagus.

I also made a soy and ginger sauce from my SaBa cook book.

Tomorrow's workout is an Upper Body weights session.

Early to bed tonight to catch up and a bad sleep last night.

Saturday, 11 October 2014

Flour free pancakes = bloat free belly :)

These pancakes are YUM!

My sister's friend Catriona gave her the recipe.

I love it.

There's no flour and no milk which for me, means no bloating :)

When I make my paleo bread I have 4 egg yolks left over so I use these to make these pancakes.

Beat up the eggs

Add in three mashed bananas.

You can add some honey or agave syrup if you want them sweet as a treat.

Make them small as they are difficult to keep together turning them if they are too big.

Serve with some fresh fruit or with a salad for a savory lunch.

Enjoy!

Monday, 6 October 2014

Making Changes...!

It's been a busy few weeks as I am in the process of making some HUGE changes in my life and I have had less and less time to workout.

I made it my mission to ensure when I did, it counted.

My sister lives in London and has recently started HIIT and is beginning to see great results.

To help keep her motivated I have been sending her over my exercise routines to follow along to. I learn most of my routines from different blogs and fitness pages I follow.

I have also recently joined a gym near my home which has given me more variety to add to my workouts.

I have had a couple of naughty weekends out with my friends and boyfriend too where I found my diet slipped a bit.

Oktoberfest and my anniversary dinner to name a few.

I have just completed my shopping for the week;

Fresh fruit and Veg, Chicken, Eggs, Avocado.

I ALWAYS find when I have planned ahead my diet is perfect.

I am currently doing 45 minutes of HIIT three times a week and trying to get at least two days in the gym lifting heavier weights.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

'NO Potato' Potato Salad :)

Eating clean is not the easiest BUT it is definitely worth it when you see your results.

All it takes is will power and good planning.

I never ate potato much but since having it removed from my diet completely I seem to be craving it.

I have been trying to come up with alternatives to trick my mind into thinking I am still consuming the odd potato.

Funny, we always want what we can't have.

So here is a little recipe I came up with to try mimic a potato salad type dish.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets

2 stalks spring onion

1 Tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 eggs, hard boiled, shelled, and diced

2 Tbs mayonnaise

1 Tbs dijon mustard

½ tsp sea salt (optional)

Instructions:

Add 1" of water to the bottom of a medium pot (with lid). Insert steamer basket and fill with chopped cauliflower. Cover.

Steam cauliflower on the stove top over medium-high heat until slightly tender, about 10 minutes after water begins to simmer.

I prefer the cauliflower raw, with a bite.

Place diced raw cauliflower in a large bowl.

Add spring onion, parsley, and egg.

Stir in mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and sea salt (if desired).

Serve immediately or store in refrigerator.

Another really nice addition to this is some thickly grated carrot or red onion.

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Apologies x

Apologies for the lack of posts recently.

Some very exciting things are happening in my life at the moment and I will share this with you all very soon.

I have some posts to release in the next week or so

Ger

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Tuesday, 9 September 2014

Working out on holidays!

When I first mentioned working out while in Lourdes with my sister and Dad my sister thought I was mad!

Working out while on holidays?!!?

But to me it was extremely important that I got some form of exercise in everyday to keep myself same and help maintain some kind of routine.

My sister joined in with me and was delighted after we had completed each workout. It can be hard to find the motivation to make yourself get up off your bum and do it but when you do it's totally worth it.

You get a sense of achievement and you don't feel as guilty about eating out three times a day!!!

When choosing our accommodation in Greece one of the most important factors to me was that I had access to a gym.

I brought my skipping rope, resistance bands and interval timer with me.

I made it my mission to get a 30-45 min HIIT workout in everyday and at least two weight sessions.

The gym was small but had everything I needed to complete my workouts, I also seemed to be the only person using it every morning so I had the whole place to myself.

I normally workout at home so having a gym to work in was great and I got to lift some heavier weights than usually which I was really happy with.

I allowed myself one day of eating a bold dinner I knew would probably upset my system but I felt I deserved it after being so strict on myself for the two weeks.

It was AMAZING!

My boyfriend and I shared Salt and Pepper Calimari on a beetroot, lentil, orange, walnut, feta and rocket salad.

A local dish of spicy meatballs in a sundried tomato and feta bake.

A selection of fresh dips and some local freshly baked flat bread.

I was instantly bloated and suffered considerably afterwards but the flavors still remain in my mouth.

I'm home now and back to work and a regular routine. I normally feel terrible returning home from holidays but I still feel motivated and I dont feel like I have undone too much of my hard work!!

It was also my first foreign holiday where I didn't have any vomiting or major stomach issues which is very unusual for me.

My next focus is on my friends wedding in Oct as I am bridesmaid.

I really want to focus on my arms and upper body as this is the only area exposed in my dress and an area I feel I need to work harder on.

Sunday, 31 August 2014

Holiday Food Diary!

Everytime I go away on holidays I have trouble with my stomach and maintaining a healthy functioning digestive system.

The most part of this boils down to my IBS and I guess being out of routine. I am very much a regimented kind of person so when away my body seems to get thrown out of sorts.

Knowing I was going to be away from home for over two weeks I was extra organised, I baked my paleo bread to take away with me, I rang ahead to both hotels I was staying with to ensure they could cater for my dietary requirements and that I would have a fridge in my suite to store my milk.

Exercise is very important to me to and

I was determined to keep exercising while away and managed to get a workout in everyday since leaving home with some rest days incorporating some light exercise.

I couldn't be more prepared.

In France it was very difficult to find meals served without gluten and dairy and everything was served with French fries, rice or spagetti. My meals for that reason were bland and pretty unadventurous. BUT for this reason I had no major problems with bloating or uncomfortable cramping.

After France I stayed in London with my sister for a few days. This allowed me time to prepare more fresh bread for my trip to Santorini.

I don't usually eat a lot of bread but when eating out I am quite limited, especially for breakfast and lunch and having my own Paleo bread with me makes life much easier.

Since arriving in Santorini I have been having some trouble with bloating and I feel very sluggish. I have managed to exercise but I am not feeling as food as I usually would. The good seems quite rich and even though I have been requesting meals without dairy it definitely feels as though something is sneaking into my system.

Last night I had a local dish of Lamb in lemon sauce, doesn't look very appetising but it tasted great.

We also sampled some Greek desserts. My boyfriend opted for frozen Greek yoghurt, I went for watermelon sorbet.

It tasted amazing and there were lots of toppings to choose from, self service too so you could pick and choose to your hearts content.

We have six more days left and I am going to try stick to raw salads and vegetables to give my stomach a break from trying to digest heavy meats as it seems to be causing me some trouble.

#paleo

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

Eating before a workout, yay or nay?

One of the greatest arguments in fitness and nutrition is whether or not to do cardio on an empty stomach.

I used to wake up and jump straight into exercising without eating thinking that this will burn more stored fat with nothing in my system.
After some research, I learned this is not the case and I now have a banana and some nut butter.

Some studies suggest that working out on an empty stomach means fat is burned to provide energy, the downside to that, it may reduce your workout time and intensity, causing muscle loss, and lowering your metabolism.

There are reports that your body burns roughly the same amount of fat regardless of whether you eat before a workout, but you’re likely to lose strength-building muscles by exercising on an empty stomach. Not only that, without food to fuel your workout, exercise intensity and overall calorie burn are reduced.

Below are some questions I am often asked by my clients.

Why eat a pre-workout meal?

During a workout, the body burns energy. If it doesn’t have enough energy, it starts to burn body fat or breaks down muscle tissue to fuel the workout. Eating the right meal before a workout can increase energy levels and preserve muscle tissue.

When to eat a pre-workout meal?

To benefit from a pre-workout meal, the body needs to digest it prior to exercising. There is no point in having a steak with vegetables 10-15 even 30 minutes prior to the workout. The food needs to be broken down first and to get the nutrients on their way into the blood stream.

Different types of food require different times for digesting.

What to eat as a pre-workout meal?

A good pre-workout meal should prepare and enable the body to complete the session. It should contain enough energy and protein to meet the demands of the workout.

Slow-releasing carbohydrate foods will make sure the body gets a steady supply of calories during a workout. They are a more sustained energy source and keep the blood sugar levels stable.