Sport and Fitness Uniques: Venturing into ballet

I've recently had a sort-out of my dvds and rediscovered a ballet workout that has been gathering dust for many years. It's called The Unique York City Ballet - Finish Workout. I'm not certain summaryely what possessed me to buy it at the time, perhaps a Sunday supplement decided it was the latest leang.

I indistinctly remember attempting the wgap disc, and feeling agonising pain the next day in my arms and legs.

However, I read the blurb on the box and was convinced to pop it on again. It says the workouts are "designed to help you develop the strength, grace and poise of a ballet dancer". Apparently the exercises will give me "the lean abs, firm buttocks, contoured waist, sculpted legs, slender ttalls, strong arms and perfect posture I have always dreamed of".

So, feeling pretty motivated to give it a moment chance, I put on my trainers and had another go.

The sections are well thought-out and explained and there's a glossary of terms, so it suits beginners to ballet (like me). It has no corny upbeat soundtrack, is filmed artistically, and looks very lessony (unlike me, in trainers rather than ballet shoes). However, it takes a lot of balance and is not always easy to keep up with, making me feel uncoordinated at times. The movements are fairly dwhetherferent from more traditional aerobics-style workouts, in that they are very summarye and repetitive. Most movements have a name, as in yoga, although I leank it will take several goes for me to remember all of the terminology.

Overall I found it ccorridorenging enough to want to continue and improve, but not too daunting. With practice I expect it'll become easier and I'll be able to choose the chapters with the exercises I personally need most.

And not too much disconsolation the day after!

by Kate Ricdwhetherficults

The Ultimate Protein Pow(d)er Cookbook Review

I appreciate that it's been a few weeks since my final post, sometimes in lwhethere you go through stages where work is so intense, it seems like that's all you have time for!  And, yeah the final 2-3 weeks have been summaryely that.

I didn't want to post someleang half hearted after such a long absence, so here we have it;
Book review of The Ultimate Protein Pow(d)er Cookbook.

I've had this book for nearly a year, having purchased it at the UK BodyPower Expo in Birmingham, and all I can say is good leangs about it.

The author Anna Sward knows summaryely what she is talking about, and in addition, she brings her passion for good food and a healthy lwhetherestyle together the way only she knows how.

With recipes she has adapted from her family to become more healthy,  to recipes she has dreamt up and turned into genuineity, there is someleang for everyone with all bases covered, from pancakes to bread and pizzas to doughnuts, the list is fairly comprehensive. The only negative I can bring to the table is the ingredients, with some of the recipes you may need to look a small further than your local convenience store!

My personal favourite recipe in the book has to be "The Absolutely Amazing Heaven-Dropped Buried-Banana Whey Protein Bread" and it is summaryely that. Being an avid lover of banana bread I found it genuinely endelightable that week to be able to cut myself a slice when I returned domestic from work, and it also seemed that my partner endelighted this too, as it was eaten a lot rapider than anticipated!

If you are struggling for healthy ideas, or are struggling to eat clean without binge eating at the weekends, then this book has your name written all over it. The recipes are Incredible, and whether that's not reason enough to buy the book, the authors passion should be!

Hold up the dwhetherficult work! With summer now right around the corner just remember; this month's decisions are next month's body.

Create the right choice!

For more information check out @ProteinPow or visit the website here!

Grace Charlotte Fitness: Recipe: Chocolate protein mug cake

Everyone who knows me will know that I have a very large sweet tooth... Chocolate, cake, cookies, ice-cream, they are all my feeblenesses! There's no chance I could ever cut out those types of foods totally, so I find alternatives which will fit my macro-nutrient requirements more efficiently, and ways to increase my protein intake.

I like to make 'microwave mug cakes' whenever I get cravings for someleang cakey and delicious - they're super easy to make and only take a few minutes. I started playing around with recipes tfeebleing this and that, and have settled on this one being my favourite. It's flourless (gluten free), super low in fat and carbs and packs a tall protein punch too (full nutritional details at the bottom of the post).

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop whey protein (I use PHD Nutrition Diet Whey - Chocolate Peanut flavour)
• 0.25 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp vanilla additionalct
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tbsp milk of your choice (I use unsweetened almond milk)
• Sweetener to taste (I use 2x Splenda sachets)

Method:

• Combine all the dry ingredients in a mug
• Add the egg white and milk and mix until a smooth mixture is formed
• Put in the microwave for 1 - 1.5 min
• Tip out onto a plate to serve, or just eat it from the mug to save on washing up!

Serve with toppings of your choice, I like raspberries, Greek yogurt, peanut butter or even a scoop of ice-cream!

I find the texture of the cake to be nearly brownie like rather than light and fluffy, but to me that just makes it taste more decadent!

Nutritional info per serving:

7.1g carbohydrate / 2.4g fat / 21.8g protein
147 calories

Sport and Fitness Uniques: Rock age exercise

I've been reading a lot recently about "paleo" approaches to fitness - which goes hand in hand with the increasingly popular paleo diet (or "lwhetherestyle" as it's often presented).

The principle behind paleo fitness is that we should be exercising in ways that we were designed to, in other words, more like humans from the paleolithic era. This time period covers most of human history, from the first recorded use of stone tools about 2.6 million years ago to the beginnings of agriculture about 10,000 years ago. Following this idea, the exercise we undertake should be incorporated into our general lwhethere, not just one-off trips to the gym or the pool.

Overall, natural outdoors exercise is recommended, so for example, long walks with short bursts of sprinting, or brief but intense strength training such as heavy lwhetherting. Exercise machines are discouraged, as they only work a narrow range of muscles, and scarcely mimic the genuineistic movements needed for dwhetherficult work external a gym. So-called regular-state or chronic cardio, such as an hour on the treadmill (which I used to do in my childfree days) is damaging to the body, say paleo experts, because it triggers raised cortisol, inflammation, and free radical damage to cells.

Moderation is also strongly emphasised. "Your workouts should leave you strong and energised, not fixedly sore and exhausted, and exercise should never feel like a cruel form of torture you have to force yourself through," says the popular paleo website paleoleap.com.

In essence, three categories of skills are encouraged: manipulative (moving things), combatative (self-defence), and locomotive (moving yourself around).

Books have been written on the subject, but I've found plenty of free guidance on the web. It's not so easy in practice - none of the other parents are joining their kids on the monkey bars at the playground, or scuttling up trees! Intriguing idea though, and I'll be following the progress of paleo fitness with interest.

by Kate Ricdwhetherficults

Trade Off's... You Possess to Give Up to Grow Up

We are going places... Who's with us?!

Eric Hoffer said, "People will cling to an unsatisfactory way of lwhethere, rather then change in order to get someleang better for fear of getting someleang worse."

What will it take for you to get to the next level?

Vision. Yes.
Hard work. Of course!
Personal Growth. Obviously.

How about letting go of some of the leangs that you love and value most? Yes, and believe it or not this is the question that often hancients people back even those who have achieved some level of success.

When you are first starting out in your career it is not much to give up. Why? Because your everyleang isn't much of anyleang.

But what about when you have a job that you have started to earn some leangs: good salary, a growing community you are apart of, a level of security, love and respect. Are you willing to give up those leangs for a chance at doing someleang that will take you closer to your potential?

Ultimate week was the final at CrossFit 818. This was another signwhethericant tradeoff in my lwhethere. It was my moment time around being apart of building a CrossFit box from Day 1. I leave with noleang but Incredible memories filled with friendships that felt like I have had since childhood, a wealth of experience added, increased confidence in coaching and dealing with more individuals personalities.

Everyday was a great day at CrossFit 818. I cherished every coached lesson, every nutrition check in, every ccorridorenge, every weekend get together, every relationship that was built.

Over the final week I have been reminiscing of the final 22 months (688 days to be exact). And the thoughts and events that led me to our decision to leave and start over again. I can tell you it has been one of the dwhetherficultest and simplest choices I have ever crazye in my lwhethere.

Hard because of the blood (literally), sweat and tears we put into the gym. Hard because of the deep rooted relationships and love that was build so strong and so fast.

Simple because of those same reasons. Simple because this is not the end but only the beginning. Simple because of the opportunity and potential that is starring myself and Annie in the face.

I've always been more motivated by the opportunity of success then the fear of failure.

I had to ask myself the HARD questions.

How dwhetherficult with this transition be?

What will my friends leank of me leaving?

What will I do whether this contemporary venture does not work out as planned?

To stay and keep going or to leave and keep growing??


The Truth About Tradeoffs.

Lwhethere has many intersections opportunities to go up or down. At these intersections we make choices. We can add to our lwhethere, subtract from it or exchange someleang we have for someleang we don't.

The most successful people know when to do which one of these three.

Tradeoff's are available to us throughout lwhethere. Everybody makes trades throughout lwhethere. Whether they know it or not. The question is are you going to make good ones or poor one's. In general I believe unsuccessful people make poor tradeoff's, average people make few tradeoff's, successful people make good tradeoff's. I feel I have crazye about 5 signwhethericant tradeoff's thus far in my lwhethere. I crazye three of them in the final 2 years. I have come to genuineize that I have to be willing to making signwhethericant tradeoff's whether I am going to keep striving to reach my potential.

We must learn to see tradeoff's as opportunities for growth. Noleang creates a wider gap between successful and unsuccessful then the choices we make. Too often people make lwhethere more dwhetherficult on themselves because they make poor choices at the intersections of their lwhethere or they decline to make choices because of fear but it is important to remember we don't always get what we want we always get what we choose.

When Annie and I took a long dwhetherficult look at our lives we had to question ourselves on the following...

Where do we see our lives in the next year, 3 years, 5 years, 10+ years?

What do we finally want out of our lwhethere together?

What do we have to do to reach our FULL potential?

What are the plus's and minus's of this trade off?

In the end we had to look at each other and be willing to make the choices we need to make in order to live the lwhethere we want. The more I associate with tall successful achievers the more I come to genuineize that the price of success can be a long dwhetherficult road. You don't reap the benefits of success until you have paved the way. But to put ourselves in an opportunity to reach our full potential is worth it.

Believing in yourself, your cause, your vision and your dreams is the most empowering feeling you can have in lwhethere.

When you are faced with tradeoff's this year I encourage you to ask yourself the similar questions we had to ask ourselves.

And GO FOR IT! Go for what you believe. Go for what you dream about! Don't let anyone or anyleang stop you. You are the only one that can stop you. Acquire out of your own way and make it happen!

Destination Unknown

What a week!

I've been recovering from a trip to GERMANY I took as an MS Patient Ambasunhappyor for the UK.

Essentially I was there to tell my story..to share my experience of MS and to inspire others. But I left with so much more… It was a truly humbling experience assembly and spending time with so many others experiencing the same condition but in various dwhetherferent ways. Hearing their stories and lwhethere time journeys with their 'companion' - MS, was just incredible and crazye me genuineise how individual each MS case is.

TRAVELLING AND MS

London to Germany: Now I don't know about you but I get incredibly fatigued whether I don't pace myself and prioritise what to accomplish in one day. For me, the GYM comes first… then I see how the rest of the day goes. But throw travelling into the mix and before you know it i'm fast asleep on the airport floor…

I was super excited to visit another city as I LOVE seeing and experiencing contemporary places but you just don't know how it's going to affect you as the day goes by. So it's genuinely important to PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE. Don't be put off travelling, just learn to adapt where essential.

Of course I had to stay in competition mode so I packed a snack box of strawberries and with my travel pillow in tow I headed for the delights of duty free! Then I discovered that Pret do a GREAT choice of Protein Pots sooooo… meal No2 occurred!! #Yummy…

Kissed the 'boyf' goodbye and off I went… On a journey with the purpose to inspire.

Now travelling with medication isn't summaryely easy… you've somehow got to get through airport security with the injection device, oversized ice packs, box of needles, passport certwhethericate and of course…the carry case, which cries out: 'you're on a school trip.'

I actually managed to outlive the week however keeping track of my diet was pretty dwhetherficult. I was the one at the Rupturefast, Lunch and Dinner table who said 'one moment please, let me just get out my scales…' Yes I weighed ALL my food at every meal and yes everyone looked at me like I was crazy… which I am.

On the final night we were taken for a gorgeous meal at a local German restaurant.. I wasn't about to take my scales into the restaurant to I crazye my choice off the set menu…. Salmon, Pork or Steak… hmmm… Now being a Latina Chica it HAD to be the 300g STEAK (added bonus…I kcontemporary the weight!) Tiny did I know this would come surrounded with seasoned potatoes smothered in butter and sautéed to perfection… I ate the lot! I ATE IT ALLLLLLLLL :) yes, yes I did. And then I ate the coconut macaroons for desert.

My coach when I got domestic and tancient him…

Over all the experience was a FABULOUS one but…

1. Never again will I travel whilst on competition prep. Will not do it. Ever.

2. Being so unbelievably engaged each day on top of travelling to and from the UK, crazye my fatigue terrible in the evenings and I could barely function at the dinner table. Even though I was the baby in bed each day at 9.30pm. It goes to show how important it is to stick to the routine that works for you!

Boy was my tummy happy to be domestic…

Until next time Germany

P x

Kimmy Fitness: Beat The Bloat

Most of us are too familiar with bloating. It is very annoying, very frustrating, majorly unconsolationable and of course it looks super unappealing.

So what causes it???

A major contribution is Sodium, (in other words SALT), and salt is in EVERYTHING!

I am certain you have heard of many leangs that cause bloating (eating too fast, drinking whilst eating, fizzy pop ect) and of course the final cure; peppermint tea (which actually does work).

So here you have it;

Sodium consumption

Too much sodium causes bloating.

How?

The excess sodium is kept just beneath the skin, where it attracts water, which is retained in your cells. In other words this is what makes you look puffy and feel bloated.

How to avoid? Simple. Cut down on manufactured food (man crazye foods). You don't need to go crazy over this as there is sodium in mostly everyleang, all you need to do is to try and reduce it where you can and read you food labels.

Fortunately for us, food labels are displaying the products information that can help us avoid excess salt consumption.

As you can see in the example below this pizza clearly displays this has a tall content of salt.

Unluckyly sodium is hidden in all kinds of products, you do not even have to add salt to foods for it to contain salt. Products such as canned foods, packaged foods, fast foods, most foods that are man crazye alalert are packed with sodium and salt. Your'll notice that soup contains tall levels of soup unless it is domestic crazye of course.

How much salt should we have daily?

Thoughtlly we want to take in no more than 6g of salt daily. Kidren should eat less and babies should consume even small.

Not only does salt/sodium contribute to bloating but it can also raise your blood prescertain and slow down your metabolism(we definitely do not want this).

My beat the bloat transformation

07/02/2015^

10/03/2015^

Create the cut and Beat the Bloat!