GEORGIE - Detoxing!! Here I go!

Hey all - hope you all had good weekends - bit nervous this Sunday night - because tomorrow I got on a week long 'cleanse' that starts and ends with a colonic irrigation, and consists of vegetable juice, fruit juice, vitamins and minerals and er - water in between. And that's it. ( I can already see Zar and Rosie raising a disapproving eyebrow)

No kidding, it is time to just give my poor old body a bit of a break.

Firstly let me say this is NOT a form of crash dieting. I am not doing this for the pounds/kilos. Of course I always think I could do with some weight loss but this is a conscious decision by me to just cut my poor body a bit of slack. London life is fast, crazy and fun. When I am at work I eat like an angel, and only really OD on tea. When I don't work, I socialise or sleep. That consists of late night, late food, drinking and bouncing around a lot. It's not exactly very peaceful!

Nearly 2 months ago I hurt my neck and with the exception of the odd 20 minute 'cruise' on the stationary bike or elliptical, I have been made to stay off all forms of exercise. It's been yuk! I have lost about half a stone in weight but am wobbly and feel huge. I finally started back at the gym last week and felt so much better after just one workout but I still feel like my poor old body needs a little help.

I'm also really interested to find out what it's like to actually detox. I eat a diet that is really high in fruit and veggies and protein. I am not a massive dairy or wheat freak so giving these up just for a short time shouldn't be too hard (I guess my afternoon half bar of chocolate might be tough but it's only for a week!) I could do with a week off caffeine, booze and fags. I am also, dear readers, being my own kind of guinea pig. I am doing this to experience what detox is like, and find out what the after effects of a week like this is on my body, my weight and my wellbeing.

Wish me luck and please don't come near me with anything fattening!! I shall report back on Wednesday as to how I am going!

ZAR - Recipe for the weekend! Chicken with Capsicum, Fennel and Olives

This is a great dish to prepare in advance if you're having people over or to freeze some for a later date. Not difficult at all. Delicious served with some green veg and potatoes if you must. Capsicum are also called peppers in England!

Serves 4

4 chicken thigh fillets
2 chicken breasts, cut in half
2 red capsicums (peppers), seeded, cut into 1.5cm strips
1 red onion, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup water
75g green olives

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy based saucepan over a medium high heat and brown chicken pieces in 2 batches if you need to. Set to one side and turn the heat down to low. Cook the capsicum with 1 tsp salt with the lid on, stirring from time to time until softened. Add the onion and continue to cook, uncovered until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook for another minute. Add the wine and bring to the boil. Add the chicken, water and olives. Cover and bring to a simmer and cook for 40 mins.

ROSIE - Love and Support

Looking back on my personal training days, one of the things I think some of my clients found hardest about sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle (once they'd made the commitment to it), was fitting it in with their family life. Men notoriously can do a lot more damage to their bodies and, certainly in the short term, get away with it... so that when my ladies (as most of my clients were ladies) tried to give their husbands and children a healthy meal, a lot of them turned their noses up at it and wanted their normal fare!


Women, particularly working mothers, also have notoriously little time for themselves, to go the gym or whatever it is exercise-wise that they do. This is the thing that tends to be sacrificed as it's not a "necessity", certainly children are their number one priority.


So, man or woman, husband or wife, son or daughter - whoever - I beg of you. If one of your loved ones is making a commitment to get healthy, be it by eating better, exercising more or whatever it is they are doing - please support them! It's hard enough to make a decision to do this, let alone START doing it, and sticking to it is even worse, particularly when you are being led astray by "loved ones". Think about how much you love them and how important your support is for them. Just little things can make all the difference and let them know that you are behind them all the way - and can be the difference between them falling off the wagon and not.

GEORGIE - Bridget Jones's shopping basket!!

In my last blog I got stuck into the idea that frugal supermarket spending can be aided by paying by cash, not card. Researchers say it makes you more frugal and careful about what you eat. So I went and did it. It was fun actually - I worked out how much I was going to be eating at home this week, what I would need to eat, and what to buy as a result. I reckon I spent £20 less then I would on average if I just wandered round and threw stuff into the basket.

Thing is - for me - thinking about what I am spending is not about staying away from the cakes and biscuits - it's an exercise that works in a totally different sense for me - and that is to ensure that I don't fritter money away on food I am not going to eat. I am not used to being only me - I cooked for Eduardo and I for 3 years and loved it - and I still buy enough food for 2 - which is such a bloody waste!!

Thing is - I am NEVER HOME. I work a lot of evenings, and I socialise the others. I spend my days working, visiting friends on maternity leave, playing golf or in the gym before work, I mostly eat two meals a day at work. (I keep stuff in the fridge to add to whatever is on the salad or fresh bar that day)

So, I have identified my '20'. Food I eat all the time and actually need to have. This doesn't include the salad dressings, mayonnaise, salt peppers, tobasco etc. but is my basic diet.

Eggs for omlettes
Ryvita or oatcakes instead of bread
Tinned tuna and tinned sweetcorn for said Ryvita
Fresh soup ( I don't have a freezer so I buy it fresh)
Plain yoghurt, blueberries, raspberries, sunflower seeds (my regular breakfast apart from omlettes and beans)
Rocket, tomatoes, celery, ( a salad a day stops Georgie from being obese)
Chicken Breasts to have on salad
Hummus or smoked mackeral pate to have with celery at work when I start to get peckish
Milk for tea
Baked Beans (my favourite and only processed food - what a treat!)
White and Red wine (of course!!)

That's it! I really do live on a diet of soup, salad, fruit salad and ryvita. I eat nice food when I eat out - and that tends to be the big eats. I don't keep chocolate, crisps or bread in the house as its just a 'no-stop button' problem I've identified. When I want to have fish and veggies, or a chilli - I go out and get the ingredients - and eat them that day. Otherwise, it's still in the fridge and past it's best by date a week later.

Because I am such a creature of habit, online shopping should be what I like - but actually I love the supermarket. I am an avid people watcher and I'm not a big impulse buyer of crappy food so I won't be using Tesco direct.com anytime soon.

I realise this blog is limited to lucky people like me who aren't feeding lots of mouths and planning family meals on a budget every week - but even if you've got 3 kids - try and identify food being regularly thrown out because it rots in your fridge. It's a bloody good way to save money - and hey - Mummies have Ocado and Tescodirect these days - which means no dragging the little monsters around the supermarket if you don't want to!

ZAR - Back basics

One thing that so many people have in common in this day and age is that they spend all day sitting at a desk.   Being so sedentary is one of the reasons that the population's waistlines are getting bigger.
 
Another impact that this can have is on the health of an individual's back.  It really is so important to have a decent chair in the correct position at your desk.   Your employer is obliged to provide one and would save time and money in the long run by doing so.    Employees taking time off for pain or sickness, or suing for injury at work is more costly than spending money getting it right in the first place.   Mostly, employers are more focused on treating their employees right in this day and age.  
 
I have some friends who have bad backs at the moment and it is making them miserable.   Daddy Bingham has always suffered too and for him it's definitely been sitting at a desk which has caused it.
 
Make sure that your shoulders are relaxed and that your desktop is lower than your elbows.    The computer and mouse should be close to you so that your arms are not outstretched.  Your feet should be flat on the floor, or on a foot rest, with your upper legs at 90 degrees.  The chair must swivel and the backrest be upright.
 
Another option is an adjustable desk which could allow you to stand and work.   A key to avoiding back pain is exercise and movement.    Take frequent breaks from your desk if you can.
 
At your desk, have items that you use frequently near to you so you don't have to reach out all the time.   Your eyes should be level with just below the top of the screen.   This will reduce neck and eye strain.   Use a document holder attached to the side of your screen or between the keyboard and the screen to reduce the frequency of looking from your desk to the screen.   Also find the right design of mouse for you - there are many different types.
 
Really, really take care of yourself at work.   You don't want to be in a position of being in pain everyday.

ROSIE - Boobies and Bras

This is a real one for the ladies, and one that I beg you to take note of. Regardless of age or size, take care of your boobies! Of course this blog mainly applies to exercise bras, but really it is important for ANY bra that you were. I have a reputation with my beloved sisters of being TERRIBLE with sports bras, going for the cheaper option which really are no good for exercising. I found myself, the other morning, pulling on THREE bras, one on top of another, to go running in. 

My husband (probably quite aside from wondering where the romance has gone in our relationship), looked aghast and asked me what on earth I was doing. And of course, I had never really given it much thought, my boobies are bigger at the moment. So really, what I should have done, is go to a sports shop and got the correct size and support for them. No, I took the "easier and cheaper" option and just added bras. 

Result? Saggy, stretched marked boobies. When will I learn? I shall take my own advice and go and buy some proper ones. Please do the same ladies, no matter what size you are and what kind of exercise you do, get some good bras!

GEORGIE - Supermarket Stinge!!

Researchers at two US universities are recommending shoppers use cash instead of credit cards in Supermarkets - to ensure they end up with the right type of food in their trolley. It's an idea I am not completely alien to - that parting with actual paper cash as opposed to signing the credit card slip makes you more aware what you are spending and according to researchers at Cornell and the University of Buffalo you are more thrifty if you actually see the cash leave your wallet.

Totally, totally agree with the money thing. Cards have always seemed like free money to me (that's how I got into debt in the first place) and now I no longer have credit cards I also no longer have debt. It works for me. I know that on the very rare occasion I have had to pay for an item of clothing or some shoes in cash I have been shocked at how hard it is to hand over notes instead of just signing that paper strip.

What confuses me though, is the idea that you become more responsible with your eating habits if you pay by cash. The cheap stuff at the supermarket is the crap stuff!! ESPECIALLY in America - it's expensive to eat fresh there - (my weekly supermarket bill for me and Eduardo used to be about $300 of all fresh food as a minimum - and that was before you added wine.) So - doesn't it follow that if you are looking at the colour of you money as you part with it I am surprised it doesn't equal getting the best bargain whatever you eat? Apparently not - it works the other way - if you ARE looking at the amount of money you are spending then you need to make it worthwhile - i.e. choosing the healthy stuff and knowing you will be eating healthily makes it easier to part with your hard earned cash. The researchers say that actually - buying junk food in the supermarket is an impulsive act - and shoppers don't feel the pain of parting with cash for crap food when they pay by card.

The article I read (linked below) reminded me of when Rosie and I lived in Norwich and were the poorest we have ever been. We used to literally walk around the supermarket with a calculator, working out what to buy for a week without going a penny over our budget. I laugh now at the days when we used to sit down on the 2nd of the month and work out out finances and realise we had £34.65 for the whole month as beer money! It did make us brilliantly frugal though - we planned our meals, ate packed lunches and relied on each other to make sure we ate well and spent well. It's a good test - and something I could do with a little more now.

So - maybe I will try the cash thing. Or of course, there is another alternative... just a thought - buy your food online - then you certainly don't get tempted by the spoils of naughty food the supermarket has to offer as you walk around!

Daily Mail Article - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1321776/How-stay-Pay-cash-avoid-using-cards.html

ZAR - Recipe - Baked Chicken, sweet potato and chickpeas

Sweet potato is a really good carb. Lower GI than others but with the texture of potato and will give you that satisfying feeling of having eaten carbs.

This is a good midweek dish, quick and the fact it is cooked in the oven means you can get everything else done that a household requires at the end of the day.

If you want a lower fat option then use chicken breast instead of thighs.

Serves 4

2 red onions, cut into 8 wedges
600g sweet potato (kumara) cut into 3cm cubes
4 roma tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 (about 600g) chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Few sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary if you have them

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Mix the onion, tomato, kumara and garlic in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking tray, if you have any sprigs of herbs, pop them on top now and bake for 20 mins.

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and over a medium heat brown the chicken on both sides.

Add the chicken pieces to the oven tray and cook for a further 15 mins. Remove from the oven and stir through the chickpeas.

Serve with a salad or some green veggies.

ROSIE - Illness...and how to get over it quick smart

I am now 31. How did that happen? And more to the point, aren't I now officially "GROWN-UP"? Anything over the age of 20 is ancient when your young, so yes, I suppose I am meant to be older and wiser. So you would think I would know a think or two about staying healthy, especially given my career choice.

Last week I was hit by a particularly nasty illness - no, not flu, bronchitus, an infection or even a virus. It's called "don't-you-know-a-damn-thing-about-looking-after-yourself" coupled with "particularly-when-you're-pregnant". Nasty. I feel for you if you've ever had either of them. Basically run down to the point of your body saying "I am going to make you feel SO rubbish you have no choice but to stay in bed for 4 days". Yes, temperature, hot/cold sweats, no appetite (that's the worst one), thumping head, achey joints and general yuckiness.

So... the moral of this story? Look after yourself. Summer is over and the cold is setting in, even if you're resisiting it like mad and still going out in t-shirts...

Eat well and healthily - but SUITABLY for the autumn/winter, stay hydrated, stay exercising and wrap up warm. Get plenty of rest and sleep. This goes for everyone, pregnant or not - and you should avoid those horrid bugs. I'll learn from myself one of these days!!!

ZAR - Body Banter

I did the Pink Triathlon today. It's the same one that I did last year, the one that set me on the 'slippery slope'!! Just a mini - 300m swim, 9km cycle and 3km run. It's a really great event, raising money and awareness for breast cancer and giving women the opportunity to challenge themselves and have fun participating in 3 different length mini-tri's. There was also a kids event and plenty of families supporting the entrants.

What always strikes me about events like this is that there are no two women's bodies that are alike. Aged from 16 to 60, 5ft to 6ft, experienced or not, one lady with a prosthetic leg, cancer survivors and we can only guess how many other stories. It is great to see so many people getting out, breaking a sweat and challenging themselves.

There are of course bodies that I look at and think that I'd love less fat on my stomach like that girl. Or I'd love my thighs to be smaller like that lady so they weren't bulging out of the bottom of my tri-suit. And then I turn it on it's head and catch sight of myself in the bathroom mirror and think, there might be some people here who would like their body to be more like mine. Maybe they'd like my height, my arms/shoulders, my flatter (than it used to be) stomach.
That makes me feel really good. I remember that noone looks at and judges our bodies like we ourselves do. And I really remember how happy I am with the balance that I have achieved in the last year or two.

There is always something that we don't like about our body. Even Rosie who has the most enviable body, has spoken about the fact that she judges herself to be larger than she really is. It's about accepting ourselves as much as we can, being as healthy as we can to feel as good as we can. Remember also that there are talents that we all have which others are jealous of, it's not just about the body.

Just a note on being healthy in terms of body shape. Excess fat around the abdomen and organs is not good for your health in the long run as it can mean you're more at risk of heart disease. Most women particularily can lose the fat around the middle if they put their minds to it. Staying active and eating more fresh and less processed food is a great start.

GEORGIE - A MEGA PIG OUT!!

I know how much you girls love a good over indulgence from me and it's taken a while but I feel truly madly deeply off the high board this weekend - this was a pig out gigantica - and when I woke up this morning I had what can only be described as a 'food hangover'. I totally over indulged in everything that upsets my stomach, makes me bloated and makes me knackered. I went on a Hen weekend - arrived late Friday night and started well enough, but it all went downhill from then on in...

Come, walk with me through this weekend's over indulgences...

Firstly - wine. Champagne, Kir, Fruit wine, Sloe Gin... eugh.... we did a fair amount of drinking and although I had a few glasses on Friday and stopped drinking Saturday night at about 1am (we went on til 4) I certainly didn't help myself.

The problem was foods that I haven't seen or eaten in a LONG time... The crips (that's chips' for you Americans) bowls and bowls of Whatsits, cheesy balls, cheese and onion squares, prawn cocktail melts AND I ate so many salt and vinegar 'chip sticks' I kind of burnt the inside of my mouth off (it still feels funny today.)
One of the girls bought bags and bags of Almond M and M's from the States which I carelessly pigged at throughout the weekend - I ate croissants AND pain au chocolat... Bacon butties and sausages. I ate lasagne, biscuits, chocolate bars, bread, cereal, cheese, god - the list was endless. I ate loads and loads of high sugar, high yeast foods that make my poor stomach scream with mercy and I have no doubt given myself a big fat dose of candida that will take weeks to get over!! The funny thing is that I probably didn't eat THAT much. If I laid out my weekend calories in, say, pizza form, I would easily wolf it down - but the way it made me feel BLEUGHHHH. I went to bed on Saturday night with such bad indigestion I couldn't lie flat on my back.

I have spend the last 5 weeks with a bad neck and back so the gym thing has been a big problem. I've been incredibly careful to cut down my calorie intake to compensate for a lack of activity and have been meticulous about what I have put into my body. I was a picture of rude health before the Hen weekend and now I am a little dry skinned, puffy, bloated PUG. Hilarious!! 34, will never learn. Should have that tattoed on my big lardy ass.

Hope that makes you laugh - I only do it for research purposes you know...

ZAR - Recipe - Butter Chicken

I know I put quite a lot of spicy recipes up on the blog, but it really is such a good way of getting flavour into food without the calories. This does have cream in it but a minimal amount considering.

Also, this is a bit harder work than usual but is SO BLOODY GOOD!! You'll never buy a takeaway butter chicken again!! The recipe recommends naan bread but I used Lebanese bread which is much less bready.

If you're not too keen on too hot, leave out the chilli. It's flavoursome enough without.

Serves 4

400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 long green chilli, deseeded (optional)
2.5cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
25g unsalted butter
2 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp paprika
100ml thickened cream (longlife is fine)
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp toasted cumin seeds (toast in a dry pan)

Tandoori chicken
800g chicken thigh fillets, in 4cm cubes
1/4 cup lemon juice
120g Greek yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp good quality tandoori paste

Raita, to serve
280g Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 Lebanese cucumber, finely chopped

Lebanese bread or naan bread to serve

This uses a base of tandoori chicken.

Toss the chicken with the lemon juice and 1 tsp of salt. Stand for 30 mins.
Stir in the yoghurt, garlic and tandoori paste, cover and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the chicken on a wire rack over a baking tray filled with about 3 cm of water. Bake for 20 mins.

Place the tinned tomatoes, chilli and ginger in a liquidiser and whiz to a smooth paste. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium low heat. Add the ground cumin and paprika and cook for a couple of mins, stirring. Add the liquidised tomato paste and cook for 10 mins, until thickened, stirring every once in a while. Add the cream and the chicken, garam masala, cumin seeds and a little salt.

To make the raita, mix all the ingredients together.

Serve with the raita and bread, tearing off pieces and topping with a little chicken and raita.

GEORGIE - Darker mornings, colder weather - look after your skin!!

Following Rosie’s blog on darker mornings and colder weather (and yes, she is mad, I have been running with her in the winter and it was hell on earth) I thought it would be good to cover the cheats that help us to look our best at all times.

I will cover make-up cheats in my next blog, but wanted to start with well cleansed skin. When winter comes around I find my skin gets sorer and dryer in the cold, so I tend to use less face wash and scrub and MORE cream based cleansers to take off my make-up and clean my skin.

I am lucky enough in my line of work to be surrounded by the latest products and information in our make-up department – plus our make-up girls tend to give great advice about make-up and skin care and in the years I have been working in TV I have got much better about looking after my skin. Fundamentally I found a skin care brand I love and I stick to (Dermalogica) but I use different products for different reasons and conditions.

Here are a few recommendations for skin care ahead of the big chill. (sorry so depressing!!)

Do NOT use baby wipes. These suckers are full of alcohol and dry your skin out. I am talking about the actual baby wipes we use to wipe babies bottoms with here... I am not personally a fan of the medicated wipes brought out for skin care but I do realise they are convenient. Fundamentally for ALL facial wipes, only use them when you have to. Nothing replaces cleansing properly.

Find a good oil based cleanser for night time make up removal. A foaming face wash is all very well but getting oily stuff out of your pores needs to be done properly. If you are very dry skinner, then a pure oil cleanser will do, MAC do a fantastic one that you only need a tiny amount of and it really gets you clean. I have combination skin so use a mid weight cleanser called Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution but the cheaper alternative to this is good old fashioned Ponds Cold Cleansing Cream which is available in all good chemists and is cheap as chips (Kylie Minogue swears by it)!! If your skin is very oily then still use an oil based cleanser, just find one that is lighter. Rosie is a big fan of Simple and so am I, their stuff is hypo allergenic, un perfumed and not too heavy. If you like a foaming cleanser – fine! Just use it in the morning to wash away any grease that has accumulated on your face in the night. After a long day, your face needs care and a cleansing cream is just the ticket.

Don’t use DRY cotton pads to remove your make up/cleanser. Dragging a dry cotton pad across your face dries out your skin and doesn’t do it any good at all. My dermatologist in the US also said ‘dragging’ anything across your skin doesn’t help with the ageing process. I took the warning. Start using flannels, natural sponges, or simply use cotton pads under warm water. Run a hot tap, apply cleanser properly to your face and neck then use a warm flannel, facecloth, sponge or wet pad to remove it. If make up or dirt is still coming off your skin and its drying out, apply MORE cleanser and go again with it. If you are oily skinned, and feel too greasy after cleansing then rinse well and use a good toner and ‘pat’ your skin with a cotton pad (no dragging!!). Again, be very aware of the amount of alcohol in products, it dries your skin out and ages you!! I don’t use a toner but there are plenty on the market.

Don’t be scared to use skin boosters and serums. Boots – a chain store pharmacist in the UK bought out a range of skin care serums that caused a stampede to the shops when they came out because when tested – they actually worked!! I use their Protect and Perfect serum and swear by it. It evens my skin tone and makes it look really clear. (And hey US peeps, its available in Target too!!) I also use a hydrating booster from Dermalogica when I am feeling extra dry too.

Finally night cream. I have 3 different brands!! Fundamentally dependent on whether my hair needs a wash, I’ve been drinking, exercising or taking too many late night, it varies from day to day what I need for my skin. I have a mega moisturising cream for ‘post hair wash’ or a ‘few too many beers’ skin and a lighter one for anti ageing when my skin is indifferent. When I am sleeping with an oil treatment on my hair I tend to use a really light moisturiser to avoid getting spots.

Hope this helps!!

ROSIE - Hello again cold dark mornings

Unless you live the life of luxury and can get up after the sun gets up, the inevitable has happened... it's cold, dark and probably miserable first thing now. Boo, this is when I get full of doom and winter has set in for me. It doesn't matter that actually it's been beautiful weather in the day, getting outside when it's dark in the morning is D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-N-G.

I tend to work out at 6 am in the morning as it's the only time Richard can be in to take care of Jack (I can't get motivated when he gets back from work). Either I go running or go to the gym at school (free). Running is fine as I take Jessie and a head torch and by the time I get going I haven't even thought about the weather, I quite like running in the rain actually. And Jessie is there to protect me from the dark. It's the gym that's the problem... as it's a school gym there aren't many other nutters who go at ridiculous-o'clock so I have to walk down a series of paths behind buildings to unlock a pitch black gym attached to the sports hall. SPOOKY. I'm a bit of a wimp about the dark and my heart rate is usually in the high 140s before I even start.

So, whatever is stopping you from working out at the moment: try and stay motivated. KNOW your excuses before you can make them. For me - a bright headtorch, lots of cheery thoughts and some loud singing to scare away the boogeyman who's lurking around dark corners.

For more normal people, lack of time, tiredness, hunger, forgot my trainers - all those things that stop you going for your work out - plan around those excuses.

* Book some time in the diary which is YOUR workout time. Treat it like a doctors appointment and don't miss it!
* Prepare yourself a snack for an hour or two before your work out, then you can't say you're too hungry.
* Too tired - remember how good you'll feel AFTER your work out, it's guaranteed to put a spring back in to my step, no matter how tired I was before.
* Take your gym stuff in the car to work and go STRAIGHT AFTER WORK. Getting home is a killer as there's always things you'd rather do.

We're all grown up enough to know that we can excuse ourselves out of anything we don't really want to do... let's all grow up together and lose that attitude!!!

ZAR - Only human!!

I like to pride myself on the fact that I eat a pretty good diet and exercise very regularly. I'd say I'm better than the average person. However, this week - two pizza's and a chicken burger and chips later...... I'm not that proud. I skyped G yesterday evening and felt so fat after eating my pizza and falling asleep on the sofa. Yuck.

I really had to put it all in perspective.

I asked one of my customers this week, a doctor, what people could do to live a healthier life. The first thing he said was "exercise". Then he said, not smoke, if they drink, do so in moderation, eat a healthy diet and get enough sleep.

I think, considering what I've put my body through in the last 20 years, I'm making up for it now. I can't be too hard on myself for what people do much more regularly than that. I live as healthy life as I can. And that's really all I can ask of myself.

Have a look at your life. Are you too tough on yourself? Considering your life, are one or two slip-ups worth punishing yourself over. Be realistic about how strict you can be. It is about achieving a balance and enjoying it too. That's not to say that using everything as an excuse not to live a healthy life is being good to yourself. I know it, I've been there. I know that I've changed enough to know that this is not a slip-up, just me being human.

By the way, I really feel that because I didn't gorge on sugar like I would have done not so long ago, it's a much better feeling in my body. It deals with food much better and I really don't crave sugar at all anymore. Much more of a balance for me.

In this age of amazing technology, it seems silly not to embrace ways to help us work out - we've come a long way - I remember trying desperately to jog with a CD walkman - can you imagine anything more stupid then running with a music player that had to be kept flat and couldn't really be moved in order for it to work? Those runs were not the greatest - although the CD Walkman did serve as a good excuse not to do much which is always a way I get out of running.

So - in this day of technology I cannot recommend an ipod nano or shuffle - guys, ask for one for Christmas or birthday and if you don't have lots of music that you can work out to then get some!! You don't have to spend lots of money - I always find that if you have a good dig on itunes then you can find compilation albums dirt cheap - you just have to shop around on the internet. In terms of shops, well HMV had a £2 and £3 sale last week - and a dig around the bargain bins would certainly help you find something that can give you a spring in your step.

The key here is finding something that works for you. I used to just throw a load of dance tunes onto Shuffle but I have more recently found that making playlists for different activities really works! This was at the suggestion of my trainer - and he was right - hip hop for cross trainer, heavy beats for running and belters for weights. Helps me concentrate the mind and means I can be in a zone in the gym. And hey, if you like someone else's music - ask to borrow it - it can't hurt!

On a more impressive note one of my trainers in the gym showed my a Nike Ipod collaboration that tracks your running and your work outs. For me, a slow runner with little desire to run, it is at least good to know how far I am attempting to run and how slowly I am doing it...

Hey it's Christmas soon and if you feel your workouts need a bit of a boost or a bit more fun injected then either of these will make an excellent suggestion to a loved one!!!

Happy Monday everyone!!

ROSIE - Shoes!

Just a short one today to remind you all of the importance of decent training shoes. I went out for a run with a friend the other week who was complaining like mad about her back, sciatica and knee. I'm running mega slow at the moment as I'm pregnant and she's just trying to get over all these injuries so we are about the same speed.

At the end of our run, I looked down at her feet and was mortified. On them were these little old thin gym shoes that really looked like she'd had them from school. She would have got little more support from them than if she was wearing flip flops.

I made her swear on her and her loved ones lives that she would go the VERY NEXT DAY (yes, I'm very bossy) to a proper running shop and get her gait analysed and measured for some proper running shoes. Her excuse - "Oh, I've been meaning to, I just haven't had time". Yes, she really had been meaning to get some proper work out shoes for FOUR YEARS.

Anyway, the result? This was two weeks ago. Her sciatica? Gone. Her bad back? Gone. Her dodgy knee? GONE. In two weeks. Just because of proper running shoes.

Don't try and spare money on shoes. It's better to spend £30 more than on some crappy old shoes and get some decent ones that FIT and are suitable for your activity. Don't put your body through any more than it needs to - and that applies to any exercise.

ZAR - Recipe - Pork with peas, ginger and soy

Writing the blog makes me experiment with new recipes so that I can bring them to you. I loved this so much I've had it twice this week!! Really easy, not expensive and mostly store cupboard ingredients.

Serves 2

300g pork fillet, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 onion, cut into wedges
3cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
100g sugar snap peas, topped and tailed
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
100ml chicken stock or water
2 tbsp soy sauce
Half cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp sesame oil

Heat 1 tbsp olive or peanut oil over a high heat in a heavy bottomed pan or wok and stir-fry the pork for about 1 minute. Remove from the pan. Heat another tbsp oil and stir-fry the onion, ginger and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add both types of peas and cook for another couple of minutes before adding the pork, stock/water and soy sauce. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring well and remove from heat. Stir in the sesame oil, coriander and some pepper.

Serve with rice if desired but I enjoyed it just as it is.

GEORGIE - Yee Haa curvy girls!!

Just a little newsflash with some good news for you curvy girls... as I was lamenting over the size of my ass in a photograph taken at a friends wedding a few weeks ago I came across some new research that made the day a little more passable.... A big bottom and thighs is in fact a good thing!! There is reason for my curvyness (besides looking like I am capable of serious breeding) and that is that it's apparently healthier to carry your weight in saddlbag form. Research out today says while abdominal fat is not a good thing because excess fat around your vital organs isn't healthy, having a little extra reserve around your rump is!

Feel free to have a read and happy days curvy girls!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1317773/Being-pear-shaped-big-secret-long-life.html

ZAR - H20

Blah, blah, blah...... OK, OK, I know we're a bit like a broken record sometimes but we really only talk about everything from our perspective and experience. Drinking water is one of things which has improved my health immeasurably. I find very often when I'm hungry, I'm really only thirsty. I try to drink at least 1.5l per day, 2l if I can.

I read of the first randomised controlled trial studying the link between water consumption and weight loss. The trial was conducted using a group of inactive Americans aged 55-75. Half of those involved were intsructed to drink half a litre of water before each of 3 daily meals and the remaining people were given no instructions. All of the the participants calorie intake was reduced to weight loss levels.

After 3 months, the group drinking water had lost an average of 7kg each while the other group had lost an average of 5kg. A follow-up 12 months later found that the water drinking group had continued with the habit and continued to lose weight or maintained the weight loss. The other group had put the weight back on again.

This tells me two things. That if you drink water before you eat, you'll feel full and be less likely to over stuff yourself with food. Also that drinking water makes you feel so much better. Weight loss and healthy living is so much about the general feeling that you have. If you feel good, you are more likely to continue to motivate yourself to do more (or as much) and feel even more great.

ROSIE - The 'fat burning' zone

My goodness, I think the "fat burning" zone myth is the bane of every single fitness professional's life. I can't tell you the amount of times someone has said to me "but surely I need to work at a 60-70% of my maximum heart rate (MHR), as at that intensity I burn more fat?". Grrr. Grrr. GRRRR. It makes me so mad. So I see people walking, yes WALKING on the treadmill trying in vain to keep their heart rate below 70% to maximise their fat burning.

Sure, walking is a great day-to-day activity and a really good way for incredibly unfit and/or overweight people to start their weight loss journey, but as a form of fat burning exercise it certainly is not the way to go.

Here's the story behind the "fat burning zone" myth: at very low exercise intensities (60-70% MHR), a large proportion of the energy required to fuel the activity is taken from fat. However, as exercise gets more intense more energy is supplied by carbs and the proportion supplied by fat declines. At very high intensities (90%+ MHR), nearly all the energy comes from carb breakdown and almost none from fat.

But it's important to realise that actually it's the overall calorie burn that matters. At 60-70% MHR working out for an hour you will probably burn only 300 cals (depending on weight/fitness and lots of other factors). At 80-90% MHR you will burn over 700 cals per hour. It's that 700 calorie deficit you want if you want to lose weight. Also the higher the intensity you work out at, the more lean muscle mass you will tend to have. That will also maximise your fat burning potential both whilst exercising but more importantly at rest.

Also remember that the "fat max" varies enormously from person to person; there are so many variables that to put it into a 10% heart rate zone is just ridiculous.

The key to remember, the higher the intensity you can work out at the better, both for fat loss, fitness and generally to feel good!

ROSIE - Getting fit doesn't have to cost a fortune!!

If you're not on a budget then this is not for you... I think 99% of us are watching our budget to some extent and gyms are SO expensive. I'm not a member of a gym at the moment, I'm trying to do it the old fashioned way... below are some ideas to keep you working out without oveworking your wallet!


1) Get walking!
Try to incorporate some brisk walking into your every day routine. Take the stairs rather than the lift, get off the bus a stop early or take a walk during your lunch hour. On your days off explore the countryside; even if you live in a town, get out and appreciate the beauty of the country. But remember, no dawdling now, walk fast and swing those arms!
2) Cycle to work

Swap your tube or train ticket for your bicycle and cycle to and from work. If you’re not quite ready to do this every day, start with one trip a week and work your way up as your fitness levels increase. Sure, you'll have to organise yourself a bit better, i.e. clothes at work etc, but make a pledge to yourself to do it come rain or shine, it's way too easy to make excuses due to the weather!



3) Man's best friend

I am really lucky to have a dog, I know people who would love one but their lifestyle just does not allow it. But taking a dog out and about is likely to make your walks more fun, and more energetic! If you don’t have a dog of your own, see if you can borrow one from a friend or neighbour.



4) Contact your inner child

If you have kids, do they spend too much time in front of the TV or computer? Get them playing some games outdoors - and join in. If you’re not a natural footballer, try a gentler activity like Frisbee or kite flying.



5) Home and garden

I don't know about you but I'm always exhausted when I've done the cleaning; both gardening and hoovering are both excellent ways to keep fit. Even washing up or cleaning the windows will burn a good few calories! Research suggests that doing regular weekly housework could burn off over 50,000 calories a year.



6) Volunteer outdoors

There are plenty of charities who need volunteers to work in the great outdoors. For example, the Wildlife Trust always need people to help with conservation work - everything from pond and woodland maintenance to acting as a wildlife guide. You’ll get fitter, meet new people and do some good at the same time!



7) Get standing

Try to stand, rather than sit, when you’re traveling on public transport. This will burn more calories and help tone your leg muscles. If you balance on your own (rather than holding on to anything) you’ll be working your core stability muscles, too.



8) Don't slouch!

Many of us are guilty of poor posture, especially when sitting at a desk or at the dinner table. One way to improve posture (and avoid damage to the lower back) is to sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair. Your core muscles will have to work harder to keep you balanced, so it will be much more difficult to slouch.



9) Swap fitness DVDs

I don't know one person who doesn't have a fitness DVD they don't use anymore,, mostly because they get pretty dull once you've done them over and over. Gear up some of your friends for a swap, everyone will benefit and you'll give your fitness a boost by doing something different!



10) And if you really can't live without the gym...

Get hold of free one day passes... most chains offer these and are keen to attract new members so give them out fairly freely.



So... every little helps, surely there's something in the list above that attracts you!