Hello everybody out there!
My blog in this post will be all about health and nutrition.
I have made a pledge to myself that this year; I will be a
lot healthier than what I was in the past. Let me begin by sharing with you the
past relationship I had with food and fitness workouts, and how I came to
actually accept this relationship and take it to the next level. I will also
try to make this blog short and sweet, and to the point.
In the past – to keep this short and sweet – I ate foods
that were mostly high in sugar, and I did tend to eat processed foods at fast
food restaurants/take-away places. I was very bad with food. All I mostly wanted was
the sweet stuff and the fries from the take-away places, I didn’t even mind
having ice-cream or a chocolate bar first thing in the morning. At times
though, I would go completely off sugar foods which I know now you cannot do as
quickly as this process takes time. I also, at
times, went through what I would call a “health stage” where I would eat
healthier foods, but this lasted at most about 2 weeks.
When I was younger, I never liked to exercise. It was one
thing I didn’t enjoy doing, and I did groan and moan that I didn’t want to
exercise, yet I took part in my school’s sports day running and swimming galas. This was mainly to just participate on the sports days.
I did though for 1 month take an exercise programme titled “Adventure Boot Camp
for women” with my mother. I did notice a difference in my body shape taking
this challenge, but it was not what I wanted to achieve because my eating
wasn’t as healthy. (Tip: You must eat healthy as well as exercise to achieve your fitness goals).
To be fare though, I did eat fruit and vegetables as well,
and I did eat healthy foods, but very seldom.
This year however, it is all about healthy eating and all
about fitness.
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| What I look liked before starting my fitness journey. |
I started to get very serious about being fit in May last
year. One particular actor helped inspire me to get into fitness – I
will keep the name a secret for now. Every time I looked into the mirror, I
couldn’t stand that my stomach was not how I wanted it to be, and that I was
not happy with my body at all. If I went for a run or even running on my school’s
sports field, I would be out of breath, very tired, nauseated and
also low in energy. I didn’t eat the right foods, nor did I drink the right
liquids (turns out water is the healthiest drink to have). That is why I
decided to be a lot more healthier and incorporate eating healthy and exercising
into my everyday life, and make it a lifestyle.
I actually got more into health and fitness when my mother
spoke to me about it. She is the main reason why I wanted to be fit, healthy
and strong. My mother told me that one needs to stay as strong and healthy as
they can be throughout their life.(She really gives great advice about health).
If you are new to exercising and not sure where to start,
perhaps do workouts 3 days a week (You can search for a workout on YouTube or Google), up until you know you can do 6 days a week.
I workout 6 days a week as one does need to have a rest day to rest their body
before going back into working out again.
Here is an example of the type of exercises I do for 6 days
a week:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday – 5 Toning workouts, 3 sets - meaning I do the workout 3 times.
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – Cardio and/or HIIT
workouts. One of the easiest cardio workouts for beginners is running and
walking. Enjoy the outdoors!
Sometimes though, I do add some other workouts in the day. Why
do you ask? It is fun and I love the workouts I do!
One day in the week, I would go for a run/walk, or I would
do yoga instead. My aim is to workout 6 days of the week. On Sunday I would do a
quick morning workout, and then maybe some yoga and then that is it, nothing
that stresses my body out. On rest days you can either do a little workout if
you wish, or you can relax for the day as your body needs to recover and so that you feel refreshed the next day.
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| I feel a lot more confident with my body now than what I had felt at the beginning of last year. |
Here are some excuses people make to get out of exercising,
and the solutions:
·
“I have no time” – You can do a 4 minute HIIT
workout. You can even do squats for 4 minutes.
·
“My muscles are sore” – Stretch your muscles and
do a warm up before you exercise.
·
“I am too tired” – Are you getting at least 7-8
hours of sleep every night? Also exercising gives you more energy.
·
“I cannot afford to go to a gym” – You do not
need a gym to workout. You can work out in your own house, or go outdoors.
·
“I don’t want to work out” – Find exercises you
enjoy. If you don’t like doing squats or jumping, then go for a run or walk, or
even dance around.
·
“I have children” – As do millions of mothers
out there, yet they find time to exercise. Children can actually become your
motivation rather than your excuse by showing them what excises you do. You can
even tell them to do the workouts with you and make it fun for both you and your children.
There are a lot more excuses out there, but rather find a
solution instead of just making up excuses. Everyone in this world is busy with
their own lives, and yet they find time to exercise. Believe me; no one will
judge you with the exercises you choose. They will in fact compliment you with
your fitness journey. Also, find people who will help motivate you and have a
positive effect on you. You can even ask a friend or family member to do the
exercises with you.
Another thing you must know is you need to learn self-love.
You need to learn to love your body, accept how your body figure looks (Nobody's physique looks exactly the same as another person's body figure), and take care of your body. Your body is
your own, and you need to listen to what your body says. I know it’s hard. I
even find it hard, but I am learning to accept how my body looks and feels. I
also say listen to your body as your body does give you a message when it is
feeling tired, and sometimes when your tummy grumbles, your body could just be thirsty and
not hungry.
The best part of eating healthy is that you can experiment
with many foods and make up your own unique dishes you find fulfilling.
Here are 4 healthy recipe ideas you can make in your
free time:
1. Ideal for a on-the-go breakfast:
1/2 cup Woolworths rolled oats
1/2 Almond Breeze almond milk
1 tsp Clicks Smartbite chia seeds
1 tsp Clicks Smartbite almond butter
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a jar, mix all the ingredients, then place into the fridge and leave overnight. You can use more than 1/2 cup of almond milk if you want to. You just have to have enough to cover the rolled oats.
The next day, add fruit/nuts/dried fruit to this meal if you wish.
Pictured below on my Instagram page, is the meal dish I made for the no. 1 recipe.
2. Ideal for breakfast: Inspired by one of Caralishious recipes.
1 cup Woolworths rolled oats
1 cup Almond Breeze almond milk
A handful of blueberries
4 raspberries chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp Wazoogles Superfood Protein Shake vanilla sky flavour - Purchased from Wellness Warehouse
1 tsp Nature's Choice ground flaxseed
Top with Le Coquin coconut milk dairy-free yoghurt and dried cranberries the next morning - Purchased from Wellness Warehouse
Method:
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix altogether. If the coconut oil is too hard, you can warm it a bit - for ONLY a few seconds - in the microwave, and then add the coconut oil to your meal dish.
The next morning, you can add the coconut yoghurt and some dried cranberries, or fruit of your choice, to your meal dish.
Pictured below from my Instagram page, is the meal dish I made for the no. 2 recipe.
I warmed up my dish for a few seconds in the microwave the next morning.
3. Ideal for lunch or dinner:
1 tbsp coconut oil
Spinach + cauliflower noodles - As much as you want. I purchased these noodles from Woolworths.
6 Pick 'n Pay mushrooms chopped up
4 Pick 'n Pay brinjals (eggplant) cut in halves
A few sprinkles of Ina Paarman's veggie spice and Pick 'n Pay cayenne pepper
2 Pick 'n Pay kale
1/4 of cucumber chopped - You can add this if you want to.
Method:
In a pan, start by putting the coconut oil in the pan and once the oil has melted, you can get started. Stir-fry the mushrooms first, then add the chopped brinjal. Add the kale, and then sprinkle veggie spice and the cayenne pepper on the mushrooms and brinjal. Before the brinjal and mushrooms are cooked, add the spinach and cauliflower noodles. Once all is cooked, place on a plate and you can top the meal dish with cucumber, like I did.
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| Pictured above is the meal dish I made for no. 3 recipe. |
4. Ideal for on-the-go for anytime of the day:
175ml Le Coquin coconut milk dairy-free yoghurt - Purchased from Wellness Warehouse
1 tsp Clicks Smartbite chia seeds
1 - 4 nuts of choice (I used macadamia nuts) + dried cranberries
About 1 tsp of Wazoogles Superfood Protein Powder Chocolate Moondust flavour - Purchased from Wellness Warehouse
Method:
Add the chia seeds and Wazoogles superfood protein powder to the coconut yoghurt and then add nuts and dried cranberries for topping if you wish.
I was actually in a rush one morning, so I put all of the
ingredients into the coconut yoghurt cup.
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| Pictured above is my on-the-go meal for the No. 4 recipe |
It is not expensive to eat healthy. You can still eat fruit
every day, as well as vegetables. The best is roast vegetables; they are super
tasty and can go literally with any dish at dinner time. The main goal is to
eat clean and as healthy as you can. Another food substance you must try to
avoid is sugar. Sugar is really bad for you, and you should try to stay off it
as much as possible (if you can, try to stay off sugar at least 3 – 5 days a
week). If you want a sugary food, have it in moderation and do not get carried
away with eating a lot of sugary foods. In truth, I do have sugary foods, but
it is rarely and I have it in moderation and no, you will not pick up a lot of
weight by eating one slice of cake if you have been eating healthy for weeks.
On the rare occasion yes, you can treat yourself to something sweet, but it is
best to treat yourself to a spa day or something like that, as you won’t be
focusing on sweet treats. If you really want that sweet dessert, you can eat
it, but do not go overboard. Remember, you are taking care of your body.
For those who are looking for quick and easy workouts to do,
might I suggest this wonderful fitness lady: Lucy Wyndham-Read. On her YouTube
channel are 4 minute HIIT workouts. You read that right, just 4 minutes a day.
You can do more workouts if you wish, but if you are a busy bee then these 4
minute HIIT workouts are perfect for you.
To make your body shape to how you want it; you must add
nutritional foods, and foods that’ll keep you fuller for longer. I would highly
suggest looking at this lovely lady’s website, Caralishious. She has so many
recipes on her website that it is hard not to try any of her recipes. There are
recipes for on-the-go meals to breakfast meals to even healthy snacks you can
eat during the day. All of Caralishious’s recipes are mostly natural
ingredients, clean eating foods and organic foods as well. She is my go-to
if I need to look up healthy recipes or find inspiration for meal dishes.
Caralishious also has blogs about self-love – which you should go read – and
among other blogs that’ll help you with your healthy lifestyle and fitness journey.
For those of you interested in Lucy-Wyndham-Read’s videos,
you can click HERE to view her YouTube channel. Lucy Wyndham-Read has over 20
years of experience in the fitness industry and is ex-army, and also has great
nutrition tips and clean eating recipes to help you as well.
For those interested in viewing all of Caralishious
delicious and healthy recipes, you can click HERE to go to her official website.
Caralishious also has healthy vegan coconut ice-cream out in health stores such
as Wellness Warehouse, which you can purchase from R39.99, and it is well worth
the money.
Both Caralishious and Lucy Wyndham-Read are very inspiring women who are all about your own health and wellbeing. I highly recommend viewing their websites to see what advice, recipes and health tips they give you on their pages.
Both Caralishious and Lucy Wyndham-Read are very inspiring women who are all about your own health and wellbeing. I highly recommend viewing their websites to see what advice, recipes and health tips they give you on their pages.
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| Pictured above is the Caralishious Peanut Butter flavoured ice-cream. |
I am still learning more and more about health and fitness,
and what is great is I am still learning new things I never knew before. The
best part about any industry you want to pursue is learning new things each
day.
I will definitely be posting more blogs on health and
nutrition in the near future. I want to start blogging about health and fitness
because many people are really interested in this, and some people also want to
know about this specific industry. I will try and cover as much of this
industry as I can.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this blog, and that it’ll maybe
inspire you to go out there and start getting fit and healthy.
Thank YOU for taking the time to read this blog, it really
means so much to me!
Share with your friends and family!
Stay fit and healthy!
