Fitness and Nutrition

Please Note: Unfortunately this post was one of the blogs (pre.28th of July 2014) that suffered a 'Blogger' crash.. which saw all images vanishing! I have tried to replace the images from the crash in as many posts as I could as best as I can. However I may not have got to this post yet or images of me with products etc.. may be lost as a result and therefore the images you see below may not match the text(which is original and was not effected by the crash). My blog has therefore had to start fresh and all blogs starting from July 29th 2014 are correct with the appropriate, original and correct images but unfortunately the same can not be said for images lost in posts before this date. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Shahira xo

Helloooooo :)

Please Note: words which appear in red are links-you will be taken off this page if you click: not-to-worry videos appear at the end of this blog also ;)

Ok so I've decided to do a blog based around my fitness and nutrition as this is one question I get asked about all the time. It's a great compliment to be asked so I really hope that this blog will be of some help. 

Firstly:

No I don't take any diet pills, Steroids or ANYTHING like that! I don't take anything full-stop. For me it's not about just being slim or toned it's about being healthy. I said before that protein is the key to toning and I think some people thought that meant that I take some sort of protein supplement but no I just meant that it's important to include protein in your diet-I eat a lot of chicken :) 

I would strongly advise people to go the healthy route and not to take any diet pills etc... even if they are shown as organic, healthy and on sale in the local chemist they can do SO much damage-especially on the heart! I have an issue with my heart as it is so I would never be tempted but I hope that others would feel the same-it sickens me how this idea of a "quick-fix" weightloss solution is so strongly advertised on a daily basis. Click here to find out some more of the side effects-As there are LOTS. 

My Diet Tips:

• I have never dieted! Instead I try to eat healthy as a life-style. I don't buy any junk food-chocolate, crisps, sweets etc... simply because if I don't buy them... THEN I won't eat them :) If someone gives me chocolate etc...however I will eat it but I just make it my rule not to buy it myself. 
• I opt for brown bread instead of white and if possible I avoid bread altogether and eat wraps. I normally only eat bread as a side dish eg, scrambled eggs and toast. 
• I eat my weight in eggs-Starting quite a few of my mornings with an egg-scrambled, poached or boiled not fried. 
• If I don't have an egg for breakfast I'll normally have porridge, muesli or my favourite...Granola :)
• If I feel like something sweet I have a few alternatives and tricks to quench the crave: I'll drink a HighLights Hot Chocolate which only has 40kcal as a chocolate alternative. As a biscuit alternative, instead of perhaps cookies or richer biscuits I'll have a Breakfast biscuit and dip it in tea ;). I do the same with Choc.Ricecakes ;) These are all low kcal alternatives. 

• A healthy option for dessert is custard! I normally mix mine with chopped banana. I also love Rachel's Organic Greek Style Honey Yogurt I normally add a little extra honey of my own and again some chopped banana or fruit. 

• In my house we usually opt for whole meal rice and brown pasta. 
• I don't eat much meat-I do eat a lot of quorn alternatives: I'm not vegetarian as such but I try to avoid red meat and pork and opt for chicken or fish instead.
• Smoothie: I drink a lot of smoothie-innocent smoothies are a regular in our fridge (my fav is pineapples, bananas and coconut). If you're not a keen fruit eater than a smoothie is an ideal alternative way to get your 5 a day in. 
• Herbal Teas: I also drink A LOT of herbal teas, from green tea-to peppermint, chamomile and even nettle: They contain so many antioxidants and are great for detoxing and cleansing.

*To be honest I'm not too fussy when it comes to my diet-last night there was Ben & Jerry's 'Baked Alaska' in my house and I did eat it (and half a tub of it at that ;) ha). I try not to be awkward if something's given to me-a box of chocolates, dessert, or even regular dinners: I will eat almost anything but as a rule to myself I just "shop healthy" and our house is "stocked healthy"-so treats are rare rather than the norm. I also stay away from fast food-It's very rare that I will get any f.food: more so because I don't really like it rather than anything else... I only eat it maybe once every 6months or so. 

EXERCISE

It is so annoying when people say they "don't do any exercise" and that they're just "naturally like that", Ok maybe that might be the case if they are just skinny or slim but if they are toned then they are definitely exercising even if they don't let on that they are-more than likely they are getting out for walks, taking part in a sport or dance class or even doing sneaky sit-ups in their room ;) 

I do exercise and a hell of a lot: It's not because I want to loose weight because I am happy with my size but mostly because I want to stay in shape and keep it up. I work hard in the gym approx 5days a week-giving myself the weekends free. 

My Gym Routine:

• I always start with the treadmill-just because I hate it the most so I like to get it out of the way ;) -I do 20mins (10mins running & 10 walking) I run at 8km/hr on incline 5 and walk at 6km/hr on the highest incline (incline 15). I like to change this up from doing 10mins and 10mins to-Sometimes running for 5 then walking for 5 and then repeat: or other times I go for 2mins of each up until 20minutes. Switching between walking and running in a short period of time helps to speed up your metabolism and ultimately will give you better results.
• Sometimes the treadmill  is the only cardio I get in due to time restraints and I think it's more important to get a totally body workout in so I'll go and do my sit-ups and arms.
• When I have time I'll go on to do 10minutes on the cross trainer  at level 8-I do 5minutes going forward and then 5mins going backwards. 
• I'll also try to fit in the bike and do 10mins again on level 8. 
• Once I have as much cardio fitted in as I have time for I'll go on and do my sit-ups. I do a variety of different sit-ups nothing special just the regular sit-ups everyone knows. I like to use the bouncy ball- here is an exercise I do with the ball every time I do my sit-ups :) I also do this on the ball. As well as using the ball I  do regular sit-ups, the reverse curl, the bicycle and the plank. 
• After I've worked my stomach it's onto the arms-I tend to use the arm machines in the gym-with 11kg weight. I only spend a few minutes on this: 30reps per exercise.

• I spend 3minutes on the vibro plate-1minute of calf raises, 1minute of squats and 1 minute of forward squats. 

Exercise Classes:

When I don't have the motivation to hit the gym myself I'll try to take a exercise class-I find the trainer will give you motivation and push you to keep going and you get a whole body workout in in a shorter amount of time which is always good ;) 

• ZUMBA: I love dancing and for years I took hip-hop classes: It's very difficult to find a good hip-hop class for over 18s :( so sometimes I hit Zumba: Its a great exercise class that mixes a variety of different dance genres into one fun class-it's just a bit of fun and nothing serious so you don't have to have any dance skills to enjoy a zumba class ;)
• Ab Attack/Ultimate Stomach: This is a great class to work the stomach area and learn some new sit-up routines: With everything it's about variety as your body will get used to the same exercise routine and it will stop working. 
• Spinning: Spinning classes give a whole body workout however mostly concentrate on the legs-It is a great exercise class and you will definitely feel the burn afterwards (I felt like a newborn baby foal that couldn't walk after my 1st class, ha=you do get used to it though).

I hope my blog has been of some help

Happy Exercising!!!

If you have any questions on my workout or any other blog ideas email Shahira_@hotmail.co.uk or leave a comment below :)

Lots of Love 

Shahira X O