12 Week Challenge Week 9- Breath

Hi All! Another week, another challenge.

Right now you may be thinking "What is she on about? I breath all the time!". However, if you stop and think about it, do you ever take the time to stop and take some deep, relaxing breaths?

I thought not.

Unless you have been living in a bubble, you will have heard that stress is just downright not good for you. And you may notice that when you are stressed, you tend to take shallower breaths and tense up, and then you just end up feeling more found up.

That is why this week, I want you to take a minute or two to just stop and take some big, deep breaths. I get that meditation isn't everyone's thing, but if you are in the mood, it is a great way to pause and focus on breathing. For everyone else, pick a time where you have spare minutes. Perhaps you sit in a bit of traffic going to work, or you could do it when you are watching TV.

Just take in a deep breath, right down into your belly, and then let it out slowly and feel yourself start to relax.

That is all the advice that i am going to give you, because frankly, you don't need my instruction to know how to breath.

Good Luck and remember.....

BREATH

12 Week Challenge Week 9- Cut the Sugar

Hi All. Another week, another challenge for you. Usually I am very much against cutting things out of your diet, as this kind of restriction is usually a sign of an unbalanced diet. This is why I why I won't tell you to completely cut refined sugars out of your diet. However, if there are two things that you should really try to eliinate as much as possible from your diet, it is overly processed foods and refined sugars (although both things tend to go hand in hand).

As noted before, cutting sugar completely from your diet just tends to lead to major sugar cravings and will probably get you nowhere in the end. There are programmes like the I Quit Sugar programme that do this, and if you can follow this and succeed, go for it! But I won't ask you to do this. Instead I prefer a more incremental approach.

Cut the sugar for one day per week.

Because sugar is addictive, the more you eat, the more you tend to crave. That is why occasionally I like to go a full day without refined sugars to help prevent this. However, doing this once a week would be even better, which is why I have included it in this challenge.

Here are some tips that I've come up with to help you out:

- Drink water. Linking back to the first week, make sure that you keep your water intake up. We tend to crave sugar around mid afternoon as we feel that energy slump, however, instead you may actually just be a bit dehydrated. Whenever you start to crave sugar, try drinking some water.

- Find some healthy alternatives. If you really must have a hit of sugar, find a natural alternative such as fruit. A find dates really great.

- Try to identify your sugar triggers. I know that I tend to want something sweet after lunch and dinner. I suppose that it is just a habit that I have developed. To help out I tend to grab a cup of tea. One good way to beat your sugar cravings is to know when they tend to happen and be prepared for  them.

- Watch your condiments. Chutneys, sauces and spreads can all have a lot of hidden refined sugars in them, so watch out for these.

These are just some of the ways that help me successfully cut sugar for a day. I will share some other tips on Facebook and Instagram over the week and please share any tips you have with me.

12-Week Get Healthy Challenge Week 7- Stretch it Out

Hi Everyone. Sorry that I have been a little bit absent on Facebook and Instagram this past week. Work has been pretty busy this week, but hopefullt this week I will be a little more on to it.

We have now reached Week 7 in the 12 Week Challenge! How quickly has that time gone. This week rather than food, I decided to focus  on an aspect of physcial wellbeing. More specifically, the focus this week is on the importance of stretching.

Quite often when you decide to start being more physically active, you jump into it with lots of enthusiasm the first week, but by a week in, you are feeling tired and sore, and the thought of doing even more exercise is more than you can bear.

It may not even be physical activity that is making you sore. After 6 weeks of working in front of a computer for 80% of my day, I can definitely feel it in my neck and shoulders by the end of the week. 

Both of these scenarios can be hugely improved with just a little bit of stretching. I definitely think that we brush it off too easily (myself included). You allow yourself thirty minutes for a run, but you are far too busy to fit in 3-5 minutes of stretching at the end. 

That is why this week my aim is to fit in at least 2 minutes of stretching a day.....

..... that's achievable right?

My goal for this is that it is a must after exercising! I also want to make time for a neck, back, or shoulder stretch everyday to counteract the strain my job puts on these areas.

Below I have provided some links to give you some ideas of stretches for particular areas or activities:

• Cool Running have some great stretches to do if you're a runner
• Mayo clinic have some good stretches if, like me, you work at a desk
• Here are some general leg stretches from abc fitness
• I always find yoga a fantastic way to stretch out. Here are some yoga poses to help stretch out your lower back.

So remember, just a few minutes of stretching every day and by the end of the week you should feel more comfortable and hopefully, without any tight muscles.

Good Luck

12 Week Get Healthy Challenge- Week 5 : Switch to Wholegrains

Hi Everyone. How did you go with the consolidation week of the 12-week challenge? At this stage I am still managing to follow the 3 challenges set so far, so it is time to move on to another for Week 5.

This week is about adding in wholegrains to your diet.

Eating lots of highly processed grains doesn't add much to your diet except pretty empty carbohydrates. I don't mind the occasional bit of white bread, or pasta, but some weeks I definitely think my diet looks a little bit too much on the white side. Wholegrain products tend to have more fibre and nutrients in them than their processed counterparts. However, just be sure to have a quick check of their labels to make sure that loads of franken-ingredients haven't been added (I practice this with most foods anyway).

Luckily, I tend to love the flavour of wholegrain foods, but I know that this isn't the case for everyone. That is why this week, I won't ask you to replace everything you eat for a wholegrain version, but instead just try to change 1-2 items.

Here are some examples....

If you eat white rice, try to swap in brown rice. Brown rice has a nuttier flavour than brown rice, but in a saucy meal, I don't actually notice the difference.  I also love brown rice sushi. Brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice, so if you think that this might be a problem for you, try the Quick Cook sachets or cups. To get some wholegrains into lunch, try making a brown rice salad.

Swap your white sandwich bread for a wholegrain loaf. I really love a loaf of Vogels or Burgen, but these are very dense wholegrain breads that are nothing like white bread. Look for an option that you think you can manage that has at least 5g of fibre per 100g.

Wholemeal pasta is much more readily available now and a great swap for standard white pasta. Wholemeal pasta is a little firmer than white and again it will take a little bit longer to cook.

And finally, if you like crackers, try to find a wholemeal option, or brown rice version of rice crackers.

If you can gradually swap the majority of processed foods for wholemeal alternatives, you will be doing something better for your body and hopefully notice that they help keep you feeling satisfied for longer.

Good Luck!

12 Week Get Healthy Challenge Week 4- Consolidation Week

Hi Everyone! Hungry Male and I are currently enjoying Auckland Anniversary weekend, so technically our weekend will still continue tomorrow, but for everyone not in Auckland tomorrow marks the start of a new working week, and therefore, the start of a new week of the 12 Week Get Healthy Challenge.

I don't know about you, but I have found that writing this has been great motivation for keeping the healthy habits that I set each week. With this heat drinking my 2.4L of water per day definitely hasn't been hard and I am very much a stone-fruit person, so you will find apricots and peaches in most of my breakfasts.

This week I am not going to give you any new challenges. Instead this week is about consolidation. This challenge is all about developing and maintaining healthy habits, so instead of making life difficult by continually throwing things at you, every 4 weeks there will be a consolidation week, to just focus on developing the healthy habits from the last few weeks.

So let's Recap:

Up Your Water Intake: I am still using my Plant Nanny app and still really love using it. Some days you definitely do get a bit sick of plain water, so I like adding different fruits like berries to keep it interesting. I don't expect everyone to drink 2.4L like I am trying to do, but I definitely recommend setting yourself a goal and trying to reach it.

Add Produce Into Breakfast: Reaching 5+ fruit and veg can be difficult, so I like kickstarting my day with some form of produce. If you are still having trouble with that one set a goal for a certain number of days per week i.e. 4 days per week you will add a fruit of vegetable to your breakfast. Think banana or peach with cereal, or spinach or tomato with eggs.

Get Moving by Adding A Walk: Exercise is so important for health, especially if like me you spend a lot of your working day in front of a computer.  I believe that walking is something that almost everyone can do, no matter how unfit. The goal is to walk at least once a week. Hungry Male and I actually got out for 2 walks along with a run this week, and I find it a really great way to unwind after work. If you have time on the weekend, places like the zoo are a great place to walk around and have fun, or choose and area of your city or town and have a walk around.

If you want to see more about each challenge, click the link in the titles.

Good Luck!

12-Week Get Healthy Challenge Week 3- Get Moving

Hi Everyone! How did you go adding in produce to your breakfasts for week 2 of the challenge? I didn't find it too hard as having fruit with breakfast is just something that I tend to do anyway. If you feel like you have the water tracking and having produce with your breakfast pretty on track, then it it time to add another step into your path to healthy living.

Get moving.

It seems so obvious, but making time to get out and be active can be really hard. I know that coming home from work, especially with the heat at the moment, finding the motivation to do something active can be a bit of a struggle.

This 12-week challenge is all about making small, achievable changes, so I'm not going to tell you that this week you have to get out for a run 5 times. Instead I'm asking you to add a walk to your weekly routine.



Yes, just a walk.

If you are already doing something active 4-5 times per week then congratulations, just keep doing what you're doing. For everyone else (myself included) add in a walk to whatever else it is that you do in your week.

Why a walk? Well if you are pretty unfit and the thought of getting fit seems pretty daunting, walking is a great way to ease you into it. Heading out for a 15-20 minute walk is also something that everyone can fit into their week, no excuses!

So here are some tips to help you fit that walk in this week:
1. Schedule time in. Making time for exercise is all about making time for yourself. When you are planning out what you have to do for the week, plan in a 20 minute slot to fit a walk in.
2. Use your lunch time wisely. If you have a reasonable block for lunch (say an hour), use half of it for exercise and the other half for eating.
3. Get yourself an exercise buddy. Planning to go out with someone makes it a lot harder to back out last minute, and I find walking really enjoyable when I have someone to chat with.
4. Download an audio book. I haven't tried this myself, but I have heard that this is a great way to motivate you to walk further as you can get lost in your book.

So get out there and get moving! I will keep you posted on when I get out and let me know how you go!

This will be the view that I will enjoy when I head out for my walk.

Get Healthy Challenge Week 2- Add produce in the morning

Hey Everyone. How did your first week of the challenge go. I found that tracking my water consumption was a great way to reach my target for the day. I tracked my water using Plant Nanny which also makes it quite fun.

As well as continuing with the good work this week with drinking water, we will also focus on increasing our fruit and vegetable intake. To do this, the aim is to add produce into breakfast. This can either be fruits or vegetables.

The benefits of eating lots of plant-based foods (fruits and vegetables) seems pretty evident. Fruits and vegetables provide us with lots of important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Although the recommended daily intake for fruits and vegetables is 5 per day, I generally aim for more than this, but some days it can definitely be difficult to get them in.

Like with water, starting your day of well puts you in good stead, therefore, why I have made it the goal this week to try and add some produce in the morning.

So how can you go about doing this?

If you are like me and tend to gravitate towards the sweeter side of breakfast then try to add some fruit in.

• Slice banana to have with peanut butter on toast.
• If you usually eat cereal, slice up some berries or try stone fruits such as apricots or peaches
• One of my favourite breakfasts is a chopped up apple with plain yoghurt and muesli
• Most fruits taste great mixed in with your oats. Try apples, apricots or berries.

If you tend to prefer a savoury breakfast then try adding in vegetables like avocado or tomatoes (technically they may not be vegetables, but let's just call them that for now).

• Mash an avocado with a drizzle of lemon juice to put on toast or an English muffin.
• If you usually eat eggs try adding some spinach or cherry tomatoes to your plate

And if you are feeling particularly brave, add some greens such as spinach or kale to your morning smoothie. Adding a handful of baby spinach ups the nutrients in your smoothie (I promise it doesn't affect the taste).

Get Healthy Challenge Week 1: Get Hydrated

Welcome to Week 1 of my 12-week challenge. Quite often when we set a goal, we charge in head-first in the first week or two and generally we stick to that goal. But often after this life will get in the way, or we will slip back into bad habits.

I don't want this to happen and remember that I am doing this challenge alongside you, so I am instead just easing into the healthy habits starting out with one that seems pretty simple and straightforward, but most of us probably don't do very well, including myself at the moment.

Water.

The human body is predominantly made up of water, therefore, drinking plenty of H2O is essential for good health. You can read more about this in my post here. However, with so many drinks available to us, juice, coffee, soft drinks etc. how much water are you actually drinking in a day? Yes all of those other drinks still provide you with hydration, but often they also provide lots of unwanted sugar and other additives.

So this weeks challenge is about increasing water intake in 3 simple steps.

1. Today start by tracking your water intake. This could be about mentally recording how many 500ml bottles you have drunk, writing it down in a notebook, or I really love using a water tracking app such as Waterlogged or Plant Nanny (drinking water helps keep your plant alive). Please don't cheat with this, only record water with no refined sugars or artificial sweeteners in it!

2. Eat day, try to add one more small glass to your amount. For example, if you consumed 500ml of water on Monday, you may try for 700ml on Tuesday, 900ml on Wednesday etc.

3. On Sunday, post in the comments below or on my Facebook page how much water you have got to.


Here are some tips to help

• If you don't like the taste of plain water, try adding some fruit and herbs to it, such as lemon slices, apple slices, berries, cucumber and mint. Play around and see which combination tastes best.
• If you really must buy flavoured water, look for one with stevia in it rather than using cane sugar or artificial sweeteners. 
• If you have a desk job, try taking a 10-second sip every hour. It is just what it sounds like, count to 10 while sipping from a glass or bottle.

Keep following me on my Instagram and Facebook pages and I will keep you posted with how I am going with my water consumption and I will give you some more tips to help you out.