Fitmas Gift Guide

If you, like me are not terribly organised then you are in the right place!

With all the "New Year, New Me" Facebook updates and tweets that swamp us shortly after Chrimbo it's not a bad idea giving your nearest and dearest a Fitmas gift alongside  the mountain of selection boxes and rivers of booze that we will be gifted over the festive period.

Some of the gift ideas I am going list I have written reviews on and others I haven't yet gotten my hands on but I will include links to any reviews I have written or the website for the gift.

Promixx

Promix is to put it simply a shaker bottle/ blender hybrid but there is a bit more to it than that. Promixx uses blunt blades that are designed to emulate a vortex to help mix your supplement without damaging it's micro nutrients whilst also creating a smooth drink with no lumps and here I am mixing my shakes by hand like a chump!

The Promixx is powered by two triple A batteries with a more expensive rechargeable option available.

I have not yet got  my mitts on a Promixx but I am looking to get one in the New Year to write a review on in the mean time feel free to check out their website by clicking here or follow them on twitter where they often run competitions, I am yet to win one and I promise you I am not bitter....click here for their twitter account.

U Fit or Twist Protein Coffee

Yes, I have given two options to chose from here with both being really great brands that make delicious protein coffees. Now I have giving both as a suggestion because I feel that U Fit is more of a coffee lovers drink with a much stronger flavour than Twist, however Twist is much sweeter. It's a bit like Coffee Nero and Starbucks, both great but marketed more towards a certain kind of coffee lover!

I have reviewed both so click here for U Fit and here for Twist.

Muscle Moose and Muscle Juice  

I am a massive fan of Muscle Moose and Muscle Juice, in fact Muscle Moose was one of the first companies to reach out to me to write a review, I couldn't believe my luck getting to work with a brand I love fairly fast after starting to work on my blog properly.

Muscle Moose  is a high protein dessert which can be made easily if you have access to water and a fridge, not only that it is a versatile baking ingredient, if you check out my recipe section you can have a gander at my experiments with it.

Muscle Juice is BCAA pre workout drink that tastes great, has zero sugar and available in two flavours, Berry and Blue Raspberry.

I have reviewed both so click here for the moose and here for the juice and of course have a peak at my recipe section or go to the Mousse Kitchen by clicking here

If you are in Leeds then pop down to Hi Def Supplements and pick some up for the best price in town. They were caught up in the floods on Kirkstall Road last Boxing Day and are back on their feet and I am sure they will appreciate all the support.

Meggings by Kapow

Why settle for some socks for Christmas when you can grab some super funky Meggings?

Yes, you probably guessed it, Meggings are leggings for men!

With bold, eye catching designs and excellent mobility in them you can boss your workout then hop on a train to the nearest festival and boss that too! 

You can check out my own review by clicking here or head straight to their website to see all of Kapow's designs in all their glory on much more attractive models than myself by clicking here

Anything from Fresh Naturals!

Muscles need to recover from the brutal workout I am sure you treat yourself to so stock up on the vegan and vegetarian bath products  and aromas from Fresh Naturals.

They are a start ups based in Leeds with Fresh Naturals being based online so you don't need to leave your house to buy a touch of luxury.

Fresh Naturals have everything that Lush would without the price tag and without compromising on quality.

I have experienced amazing customer service from them and highly recommend them to anyone click here for my review on Fresh Naturals Vegan Soaps or here to check out their website.

I have bought their products and used them myself and heard nothing but great things so treat yo self but don't forget your friends and family too!

Muscle Crate

There are loads of subscriptions available nowadays and are not just limited to just magazines.

If you so desire you can get make up, fragrances, cheese, meat or pretty much anything you can imagine delivered straight to your door.

 Muscle Crate is of interest because you can get a selection of supplements delivered to you so you can discover new products without throwing £60 plus on something you are not sure you will like or if it will deliver on it's lofty promises.

I used the discount code FIRSTBOX02 and got my first box order for just £5 with it only going up to £15 after that, both prices an absolute bargain in my book so click here to order your first box with the choice to cancel at any time with no contract.

I will hopefully being making a video of my reaction to the products that come in my first crates so keep your eyes out for that, I am sure it will be a delight for everyone involved.

I could go on and on, there are so many great products and brands out there but I will have to stick with this lot!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

Sherbet Salon Opening Night

I was kindly invited to the opening for of Sherbet unisex hair salon in Roundhay, on Lidgett View  and brought my blogger friend Hannah for the ride as well since she has much nicer hair than me, check her out on twitter by clicking here

This is Sherbet's second salon with the first being on Roman View, also in Roundhay and has the same fresh interior and decor with an enviable couch and a window full of pictures of happy customers.

All the staff were incredibly friendly and easily built a rapport with all the guests on the night.

Generally I hate making small talk with when having my hair cut, partly because I don't have a clue of what I want my hair to look like, sadly I am not the confident, trend setting style icon that I make myself out to be.

This was not an issue at all with the subject of conversation varying greatly over the course of the evening with plenty of laughs and jokes along with being able to answer any of my burning questions about hair care and styling.

I had actually been on the process of reviewing a Babyliss hair and body trimmer so I did rock up with a home hatchet job, luckily I hadn't done any damage that couldn't be fixed by the experts at Sherbet.

Not only did I leave with a brand new do but I was also given a very generous goody bag which included:

Mythic Oil shampoo and nourishing hair masque, Bed Head shampoo and conditioner,

Matrix Oil Wonders oil shampoo and oil conditioner, Bed Head massive volume shampoo and voluminous conditioning jelly, Bed Head Joy Ride texturing powder balm, Matrix Biolage hydra source aloe shampoo and conditioner,S-factor TIGI stunning volume shampoo and stunning volume conditioner and even

a Sherbet Dip Dab!

Unfortunately I had my phone stolen so I lost all the photos that I took on and don't even have a before and after picture of my hair don't and hair do but I was kindly given access to the photos taken by the Sherbet team.

I also received vouchers for the salon as well that my mum may very well find in her Christmas presents so she can have a lovely new barnet ready for the new year!

I have actually given most of the samples to a friend to review as they are all available from the salon and so far I have heard great things so stayed tuned for that if you are interested in hair care.

I myself will be reviewing the Bed Head texturing powder balm as part of my gym hair product series of blog posts I started to write to see how well it holds up be an intense workout.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Sherbet and the team there so if you are ever in Roundhay and need your hair taming drop by and say hello, you won't regret it!

Volunteering at the Leeds Dental Hospital

For about 10 years I had not been to see a dentists, partly because of waiting lists, the actual cost and the fact that I don't really have any problems with my teeth.

When I moved to the city and found out I could volunteer at the dental hospital and not only get free treatment but also help the students master their chosen profession, win win in my eyes!

I signed up and then forgot all about it!

About a year and a half later I got a letter through my door saying I had an appointment to be assessed to see if I fit the needs of the students.

I was seen by a fully qualified dentist and then went home to play the waiting game again, not for as long this time and had my first appointment a couple of months later.

Not exactly a Hollywood smile!

Basically my teeth are over crowded, part of the reason I try not smile much, as a result I also struggle to brush/ floss the more over crowed area so I had a build up of calculus on my teeth.

Calculus is the build up you can get on your teeth from not brushing properly and it can start to form within 24 hours so make sure you are brushing twice a day kids.

Other than that I mouth health was really good, a bit of bleeding in the over crowed areas but no cavities, abscesses, rotten teeth or bad breath!

I had my teeth scaled and polished and given general advice on how to look after my teeth better with some being more obvious than others such as avoiding sugary and carbonated drinks or only having more acid drinks like orange juice with meals as the extra saliva helps protect your teeth.

Other tips given were not rinsing your mouth after brushing, not using mouth wash straight away after brushing, to floss before brushing, not to use Corsodyl daily everyday and to brush my teeth for at least two minutes.

If you are gums are bleed then it's an early sign that something is a miss and you should go to your dentist and to diagnose the issue before you lose your pearly whites.

However if you are a smoker then your gums may not bleed because nicotine constricts the blood vessels.

This means your gum health could be in the gutter without you knowing it so if you haven't been to the dentist in the last six months it might be worth booking an appointment even if it's just remind them of what you look like.

With smoking and gum disease having strong links to heart disease you should make looking after your mouth health a priority, that and quitting smoking of course!

I have had a really positive experience volunteering with the Leeds Dental Hospital and would recommend anyone to sign up as a volunteer, not only are you doing something good for yourself but also for the students.

Meggings

What are Meggings you say? 

Well they are they a rather devilish play on words with half being Men and the other being Leggings and so Meggings were born!

I was kindly sent a pair of by the Kapow to review.

If you are stuck for a Halloween costume idea then their Mr Bone Jangles or Beetle Juice Meggings  might be exactly what you need!

Aside from the two designs I have already mentioned they their Interstellar and Supernova designs that are truly out of this world.
Check out  Kapow's site and see their entire range by clicking here

I was sent the Merman Megging and after slipping them on I did feel like Aquaman.

Well maybe Aquaman after a few kababs, but Aquaman none the less.

As you would expect the Meggings offer great range of movement while having a workout and offer something a bit different than traditional leggings worn by guys in the gym.

Out in the street I did feel a bit self conscious, I didn't get any negative attention but I did feel like a lot of eyes were on me, just how I felt when I first started going to the gym.

The fact is the chances that people were eye balling me are fairly slim and if they were, who I am I to blame them for wanting to check all of dis out?

Now a more intimate issue that I should go over. 

Visible Penis Line.
All I can say is patterns and colour are your friends and maybe invest some time in some strategic positioning!

The only negative I have for Meggings is that mine have some very slight damage on them were the material seems to of frayed, the damage is so minor that it's really hard for me to get a clear picture of it but I still felt like I had to mention it for the purpose of this review.

 I don't know if I have just caught them on something or if they were damaged to start with, sadly it will be another mystery for the ages.
The material feels strong and damage resistant so I am puzzled as to what has happen.

Other than that I have nothing but positive things to say about say about Meggings, as long as you have the confidence to pull them off and a jacket with a suitable amount of pockets I'd say get some added to your Christmas list!

My Progress Jul-Sep 2016

The title of this post is misleading I'm afraid.

I have barely made any progress at all in the last three months, due to constant illness everything has pretty much gone a bit poo, I haven't completed any events with Tough Mudder and Primal Stampede both having to be cancelled, plus the very mention of the gym gives guilt pangs not to mention I have not updated my blog in almost two months.

Crikey, I really need to get my finger out of my bottom and finish this year on a good note!

But it isn't hasn't been a total flop, I started my youtube channel and have been gathering products and ideas for new blog posts in the coming months.

My health has improved to the point I can start putting in the hours again on my blog and properly get into the youtube world. 

With the nature of my blog I do have to do a certain amount of research for most of the posts that I write, as much as I would like to market myself as an encyclopedia of all things health and fitness related it simply isn't the case.

A typical post will take at the very least a couple of hours, at the end of the day I don't want to look like a tart my posting information that isn't correct at the time of writing, so when I get ill the blog does go onto the back burner.

The last thing I want to be doing well I am praying for a solid turd or fighting a migraine is to be sat staring at a computer screen researching the wonders of avocado, that being said I do enjoy writing my blog but since I don't make an income from it I can pick it up and drop it if needed. 

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who reads my posts and all the brands that I have worked with and the brands that I am currently writing reviews for.

With all that out of the way I suppose I should unveil my dad bod  picture, try not to vom on your screen!

My diet has been an absolute mess, while I have been ill have been cycling between barely eating anything to eating everything I can get my paws on, I have stayed fairly active as I still need to get out and earn some dollar to carry on paying for my lemonade lifestyle.

Well that's about it, hopefully the wait between now and my next post won't be so long.

U Fit, Protein Coffee

I was kindly sent some U Fit iced latte protein coffee by The Protein Drinks Company to review.

U Fit has no added sugar which helps give it an authentic coffee taste, which you would expect from a drink made from Arabica beans which are used by big companies like Starbucks, Kenco and even Mc Donalds.

 Packing 22 grams of protein in each 310ml bottle which is like eating four eggs.
There is also added vitamins D, E, C and Fibre.

You also get about the same amount of caffeine as you would expect from an actual cup of coffee.

I am not a coffee drinker and personally prefer Twist Protein Coffee due their sweetness but my housemates who do enjoy coffee really enjoyed U Fit and said they would buy them over  traditional protein shakes.

It's not to say I didn't like U Fit I would just personally prefer my protein coffee to be sweeter which kind of defeats the No Added Sugar tag on the U Fit bottle.

My serving suggestion would be the colder the better, especially over ice.

If you love coffee then you will love U Fit, in fact if you check out their on line store you can pick up a pack of 8 for £10 at the time of writing this post, click here to check it out.

If you are in Leeds then you can pop into Hi Definition Supplements and pick some as well as some Moose Juice.

Moose Juice

When I saw that Muscle Mousse had released their own pre-work out BCAAS, Branched Chained Amino Acids, I had to run out and get some and check out if it lives up to their line of high protein desserts.

Luckily Hi Definition  Supplements already had a shipment so I could literally try some on the day that I discovered it's existence and for only £1.99.

I have tried products like this before and they have never really dazzled me, but I did enjoy Muscle Moose's venture into the pre workout arena.

Taste wise, if you have ever tried Refreshers then it's basically those in liquid form with  two coffees worth of coffee, some added B vitamins to help your body utilise fuel into energy and taurine to boost mood, concentration, memory and reduce the anxiety you some times get with caffeinated products.

The most interesting thing I found about Muscle Juice is that although it is zero sugar and doesn't even have aspartame in it, Muscle Juice does not have that artificial taste that many sugar free products tend to have.

Give a go for yourself, if you are a big fan of energy drinks but want to get an amino acid boost then you should definitely give Muscle Juice a blast.

 You can buy some online by clicking here or if you are in Leeds then pop into Hi Def and pick some up today.

Fresh Natural's Vegan Soap

I won a competition on Twitter and got some amazing vegan soaps.

Not only am excited to give them a try but also because the only thing I have ever one before now is a goldfish at the local fayre, the goldfish died.

I was sent two soaps and a "buffer bag" which is a bag that you place your soap in and use to exfoliate yourself as well be able to use the entire bar of soap when it comes towards the end of it's life.

The first was made with avocado oil with cocoa butter, cold pressed avocado, olive and coconut oil and fragranced with coriander and lime.

The second was made from hemp oil, hemp seeds, cold pressed hemp oil and fragranced with lavender and rosemary essential oils.

They both smell amazing, I left them in my living room for a day by mistake and I could smell them from across the room and my sink felt equally amazing after using them.

Price wise on the whole Fresh Naturals appears to be cheaper than Lush and offer many vegan products delivered to your door.

Fresh Naturals don't only sell soaps, they also sell bath bombs, shaving bars, solid shampoo, lip balms, body scrubs, moisturisers, face masks, bath salts and accessories.

I am really surprised that these luxury products are so cheap and to the fact that they are completely vegan makes me even more surprised!

Not only are vegan products better for the animals they are also better for our bodies and the environment so when I find any products that are a high quality and just happen to be vegan I just have to spread the word.

Please check out Fresh Naturals product lines by clicking here

If you a friend or family member then you won't have to think to hard about what I will be getting you for Christmas and maybe a treat or two for myself!

The cost of the Nutribuddy meal plan

If you have already seen my My First Impressions of Nutribuddy post then you will know that that I am reviewing the Nurtribuddy weight loss kit for two weeks.

In the kit came a five day meal plan and because I did feel that the meal plan looked quite expensive I have used mySupermarket to find out where the cheapest main stream super market can make the menu for the least amount of money.

I will be listing the ingredients, not the recipes as I don't want to give Nutribuddy's meal plan away for free.

Please bear in mind that I have inserted every item on the menu, as if you have a completely empty kitchen.

If the menu calls for salt then that is going on the list.

Because some items are in more than one meal if it has been "purchased"  already then I will not add that to cost of the meals that day.

Hopefully that made sense!

Day 1 Shopping List:                Day 2 Shopping List:         Day 3 Shopping List:

Oats                                         Natural Yogurt                 Whole Meal Plain Flower
Semi Skimmed Milk                  Agave Syrup                   Egg
Agave Syrup                           Mixed Berries                  Skimmed Milk
Berries                                     Mixed Nuts                      Coconut Oil
Quinoa                                     Steak                                Mixed Berries
3 Garlic Cloves                         2 Garlic Cloves                 Natural Yogurt
Organic Chicken Breast            Grated Ginger                   Sea Bream Fillet
Coconut Oil                              Onion                               4 Garlic Cloves
Vine Tomatoes                          Pepper                              Dried Chili
Olives                                       Tabasco                             Rosemary
Red Onion                                Soy Sauce                          Sea Salt
Feta Cheese                             Sesame Oil                         Soy Sauce
Mint Leaves                              Clear Honey                       Coconut Oil
Lemon                                      Cocoa Powder                   Cranberry Juice          
Coconut Milk                            Banana                               Raspberries
Coconut Yogurt                          Sea Salt                             Agave Syrup
Banana                                      Aubergine                           Baby Potatoes
Mango                                      Coconut Oil                         Organic Chicken Breast
Flax Seed                                  Balsamic Vinegar                  Onion
Coriander                                  Sultanas                                 Chicken Stock
Fresh Ginger                              Rocket                                 Tarragon
Sea Salt                                      Cherry Tomatoes                 Asparagus
Red Chili                                                                               Creme Fraiche
2 Limes
Fish Sauce
Salmon Fillet

Day 4 Shopping List:               Day 5 Shopping List:

Oats                                       Eggs
All Bran                                  Semi Skimmed Milk
Wheatgerm                             Smoked Salmon                    
Raisins                                     Pepper
Apricots                                 Lemon Juice
Golden Linseed                       Quail's Eggs
Sweet Chili Sauce                   Green Beans
Lime                                       New Potatoes
Salmon Fillet                            Anchovy
Coconut Oil                            Parsley
Semi Skimmed Milk                Chives
Dark Chocolate                       Natural Yogurt
Agave Syrup                           Frozen Raspberries
Coconut Cream                       Dark Chocolate
Cocoa Powder                        Onion
Pasta                                        Red Pepper
Cherry Tomatoes                       Coconut Oil
Anchovy Fillet                            Chili Powder
Sultanas                                     Beef Mince
Garlic                                        Kidney Beans
Capers                                     Beef Stock
Almonds                                   Tomato Puree
Coconut Oil                               Agave Syrup
Basil                                         Sea Salt
                                                Coriander, rice and yogurt


The day one  would set you back £39.71 from Morrisons, which was the cheapest result on mySupermarket.

Day two would set you back £18.87 from Asda, which was the cheapest on mySupermarket.
This figure was made on the assumption that you would have items left over from the day before like coconut oil and agave syrup.

The third menu would set you back £35.56 from Asda, which again was the cheapest, this was again after exclude items such as the organic chicken breast which I bought in a pack of two on day one.

On the fourth day you would have to fork out another £18.50, again from Asda. Wheatgerm is not available at Asda so you would have to go to Morrisons to pick some up for £1.41, which I have included in the total.

The final day costs £18.19 from Asda but you would have to go to Tesco for the cheapest Quails Eggs which cost £2.69 and I have included the cost in the total.

So five days worth of food would set you back £130.83, more shocking than that the recommended serving size for each of the meals if for one person.

I would struggle to spend that amount of money on food for an entire month let alone in five days.


 In fact I am sure my mum used to feed our family of six on a food budget of around £100 for an entire week.

I do think meal plans like this put people off eating more healthily because people just look at it and think

 "it's too expensive to eat healthy foods"

Honestly, with meal plans like this I can't really blame them but it can be done if you plan ahead.

First Impressions of Nutribuddy

I was sent a weight loss kit by Nutribuddy to review so here are my first of impressions, if you hadn't already guessed from the post title what this was going to be all about.

The kit is comprised of a bag of body sculpting whey protein, multi vitamins, hunger fix tablets, a recipe book, the little book of weight loss and a shaker bottle.

I will be using the kit for twos so here is my " before" picture and when the two weeks are up I will post a it again with my "after" picture.

My very first impression is that this kit is marketed towards women but being the modern man that I am I paid it no heed and powered through.

Body Sculpting Whey

I was impressed with the Sculpting Whey, with it's all natural ingredients, no GMOs, added green tea, chromium and guarana to help promote weight loss and all at just 115ckal a serving.

The Whey Protein is vegetarian  which I was a bit disappointed at because there are vegan protein powders available.



Multi Vitamins

Again the multi vitamins impressed just from the sheer amount of different vitamins that are in one tiny pill, are you ready for a long list? Ok! Let's GO!

Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Selenium, Copper, Boron, Folic Acid, Iodine, Chromium, Molybdenum, Biotin

Now for the vitamins.

Vitamin C, Vitamins B1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 12, Vitamin D3, Vitamin A and Vitamin E

I will hopefully be working my way through each of those and writing a post on what they do for your body because there are a few I have never heard of and I am sure most people reading this will not know either.

The multi vitamins are vegan.

Hunger Fix Tablets

The hunger fix tablets left me on the fence because although I am intrigued by them as I have not used a product like them before but also I don't like the idea of taking a pill instead of eating.

This was an incorrect assumption, the hunger fix tablets are used to fill you before a meal so in theory you don't consume as many calories.

The Hunger Fix tablets are vegan.


The Little Book of Weight Loss

The little book of weight loss gives you a brief run through of the other elements of the kit, a dos and don'ts list to help you stay the course, a 5 day meal plan and an FAQ.

My impression of the Little Weight Loss book was great until I saw the 5 day meal plan.

There is nothing wrong with per say, I just don't know how compatible it would be for most people's lifestyles.

I myself like the vast majority of the recipes in the book but since I am surrounded by people drowning drowning their food in ketchup not I not sure how they would take to aubergine salad.

The only other thing I had to say about the meal plan is that it looks quite expensive, I will be doing a break down of each day and see which super market can provide the ingredients at the cheapest price.

The meals themselves look easy enough to prepare.

The Recipe Book

The recipes all look amazing, with smoothies to main meals and desserts.

I can't wait to try them out!


The Shaker Bottle

What would you like me to say about it?
It's a shaker bottle not some exotic item from an unknown country.


It is not recommended to use these products when breast feeding or pregnant, don't worry I got myself a test just in case!

On the bright side none of the products effect the contraceptive pill and alcohol will not impact the products but it is adding needless calories to your diet.

I have made a short YouTube video about my first impressions of the Nutribuddy weight loss kit, if you would like to check it then click the link here.

If you like the video then please subscribe.
I am hopefully going to be posting videos regularly and even more hopefully the quality of the videos I make will improve as well.

Bell Peppers

I am sure you have seen orange, yellow, green and red peppers but going into detail about all four would be fair too much work for to do so I am going to focus on red peppers.

Red peppers are more mature than the others and destroy the others nutrient wise.

These bad boys aren't just there to give some added colour to your dish.


Peppers have anti cancer properties thanks to all of those antioxidants

Massive amounts of vitamin C with 92g giving you 157% of you RDA which is about 1.5x the amount you would get from a green pepper.

Full of Beta Carotene which your body uses to make into Vitamin A.

" But why can't I just get more vitamin A into my diet?" I hear you whine.

Well you could however vitamin A in high quantities is toxic.
 If your body goes to the trouble of converting beta carotene it will only take as much as it needs, unlike my gold fish that I accidentally over fed who had no self control and ate it's self to death!

Peppers do have 16% of your daily vitamin if you are in the least bit worried anyway.

16% of your vitamin B6 which, among other things, will help convert glucose into energy.

11% of your daily B12 which helps with making DNA.

10% of your vitamin E which helps stop free radicals running rampant in your body and helps you look younger.
Peppers also have a high water content which will also help make you look younger.

Smaller amounts of vitamins B1, 2 and 3.

7% of your daily fibre.

To protect the more delicate antioxidants I eat them raw, either in a salad or toss them into a chili con carne.

Mushrooms

You might not have mush room on your plate for them but you should clear some space on your  for this fungi!

If you enjoyed that you have good taste and we can be friends.

 Now on to why you should be chomping on mushrooms.

Mushrooms exposed to UV light is a source of vitamin D, which isn't destroyed when you cook them.
Interestingly enough it seems that mushrooms are the only plant based source of naturally occurring vitamin D with about 5% of you daily amount in 100g of mushroom.

Boost you immune system.

May prevent cancer.

100g of mushroom have about 13% selenium which helps boost your immune system, reduces asthma treatment, helps maintain thyroid function, helps prevent heart disease, helps fight ageing.

As none meat sources of selenium go mushrooms are pretty high on the list, although 100g of brazil nuts contain almost 3500% of your RDA.

100 grams of mushrooms is almost a quarter of you vitamin B2 and almost 20% of your vitamin B3 with some B6 and B12 thrown in to boot.

Aids weight loss.
Due to the B vitamins in mushrooms they help your metabolism because B vitamins help you turn sugar into energy rather then turning it into a spare tyre.

Apparently there is a mushroom based diet called the M plan where you replace one meal a day with mushrooms to reduce fat in woman from their thighs, waist, bums and upper arms while keeping their bust size.

I imagine eating a meal consisting of nothing but mushrooms you would be eating fewer calories than your normal  meal choice.
 Mushrooms sate your appetite quite well so you would probably snack less as well.

The M plan would be a quick fix and I don't think many people would be able to stay on it for life in order to maintain their weight loss, but possibly a future 2 week challenge I can undertake.

Perspirex, antiperspirant

I was kindly sent some Perspirex antiperspirant to review.
 Being a fitness blog finding a product that promises to get rid of embarrassing sweat patches is a God send!

It is available in  three varieties, original, comfort and strong.

I was given the choice between original and comfort, since my skin has been known to be sensitive in the past I chose comfort.

Perspirex promises to alleviate sweating and odour for 3-5 days.

Perspirex neutralises odour but it isn't fragranced it's self

I used Perspirex on the first day, applying it the night before as instructed and lived my life.

I only tested it out on my arm pits.

If you suffer with a incredibly sweaty interguteal cleft, bum crack for those of you that didn't know, then you will have to get some and test it for yourself, unless you want to pay me to risk the sanctity of my own.

I avoided any exercise more than normal activities such as going to work or food shopping and I was as dry as a bone in the Sahara.

On day 2 I downloaded Pokemon Go and went off on a long Pokemon hunting walk  and I thought I was going to be washed away in a flood of my own sweat!

Admittedly the temperature had increased a great deal compared to the day before and even though I was only walking it was too much for Perspirex to hold back the tide.

I gave Perspirex another go and went to gym but ended up sweating again, not as much as I normally would but sweat none the less.

I wore vests when testing out Perspirex so I can't currently up load a picture of my sweaty pits but I will

endeaver to wear a tee shirt and get hot and sweaty.

Saying that my pits did develop any body odour, on that front it succeeded and I had no adverse effects from the antiperspirant.

Perspirex did out preform my normal antiperspirant so if you feel you have an issue with either wetness or odour then you should give Perspirex a try.

Check out their website by clicking here and taking their quiz to see which one is right for you.

Caulirice

A bit of a novelty review here!

Caulirice is cauliflower trying to masquerade as rice and comes in original and pilau varieties.
I tried the original version.

It tastes exactly like a cauliflower flour head and has the same texture it's just not as fixed together as an actual cauliflower.

If you are trying to trick yourself into thinking you are you eating rice then this isn't the product to go for, although if you are wanting a low calorie plate filler then this might be right up your street.

Caulirice has almost 100 fewer calories than all the varieties of rice that I could think and almost 150 calories less than pasta.

Just like rice, caulirice is gluten free.

A 200g pouch of cauliflower cost me £1.99 where as an actual cauliflower

would of cost me 95p, I am no master chef but I think I could manage to make caulirice but you are paying for the convenience.

Caulirice will last a year where as cauliflower probably won't last a week.

If you are a thoughtful cook who picks up food with the intention of making a delicious meal but end up on JustEat instead then this is a better alternative.

If you like the taste of cauliflower then give Caulirice a go, just don't try and trick your kids with it.

Forza Raspberry K2

I was kindly sent a tub of Raspberry K2 by Forza to review so let's get into it!

Raspberry Ketones are found in, yes you've guessed it, raspberries!

These ketones are supposed to help you use fat for energy, your go to source is normally carbohydrates, then protein then when it really has to decides to crave away at your fat stores. 

Raspberry K2 is essentially Raspberry Ketones with a few added extras to help them work more efficiently at using fat for energy rather than fat being stored on your love handles. 

The extras are lots of caffeine, vitamin K2 and choline.

I am sure most of you are familiar with caffeine and weight loss but if you are not basically from a weight loss perspective it increases your metabolism and in some people it helps suppress appetite.

 Unfortunately for me if food is put in front of me I am going to eat it because I am a pure beast!

Vitamin K2 helps increase skeletal metabolism helping you get stronger bones but also helps your blood clot, helps protect against heart disease and may reduce your chance of prostate cancer by as much as 35%.

Choline helps with liver function, nerve function, helps with energy levels and helps maintain your metabolism.

But does Raspberry K2 work?

Well yes and no in my opinion.

The recommended dose is a hell of a lot of caffeine if you are not used to it with 600mg a day which is slightly more than 6 cups of coffee.

You should be aware of this before taking it and of course consult your doctor is you are at all worried or at the very least do you research.

I adapted to the caffeine pretty quickly, I would say this is because I started taking Raspberry K2 straight off the back of reviewing Muscletronic.

The capsules were easy you take,  you just need to have them with a glass of water so no need to worry about eating anything with them.

I do feel they helped my fat loss.
 My diet has been diabolical for about a month and a half, partly because my mood has been terrible so instead of hitting the gym and addressing the issue I decide it was best to eat like a beast.

I don't think the Raspberry K2 was the reason my mood was so crappy, I believe I was a bit deficient in vitamin due the tradition British summer this year, I started supplementing and my mood improved and the sun came out.

By this time my birthday had rolled round so I thought funk it, I am having a break from blogging,realign my chakras and binge on Iceland buffets and Echo Falls.

I feel the Raspberry K2 minimised the fat gain and I actually lost an inch on my waist despite my bad behaviour.

This does not mean you should rely on supplements to get to you fat loss goals and to demonstrate this here is a picture of me this time last year and me now.

This was done through exercise and diet, no supplements other than the occasional Caffeine Pro tablet and protein shakes which I had as a pre workout and post workout respectively.

My final thoughts on Raspberry K2 are that if you are already living a healthy lifestyle and just want a final little flourish then give them a go.
If you are out of breath from reading this post you should probably have a look at your lifestyle before pinning all of your hopes on a supplement.

If you would like to try Forza Raspberry K2 for yourself then click the link here and use the promo code FZ2 for 10% off.

If you are a bit shy about buying on line Forza Raspberry K2 is available at Boots but no discount for the shy guys!

Eggs as bad as cigarettes?

Body builders can't get enough of eggs, just ask Gaston of Beauty and the Beast fame.

 Chicken periods, technically that's  what eggs are before you gasp in horror, are revered for their muscle building potential but are they all that they are cracked up to be?

Eggs are a complete protein, which means they contain all the proteins our bodies need, which makes sense since if the egg had been fertilised it would of grown into a chicken.

They also contain vitamins B12, B5, B6, A, selenium and trace amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamin E and folate, keep in mind these are all found in the yolk, the white is just protein.

Now that sounds too good to be true doesn't it?

Well it might be because  there was a study in 2012 that suggests that eating whole eggs could be as bad for you as smoking.

Now this study wasn't perfect, for starters they relied on participants to recall the amount of eggs they have eaten, easy if you have an egg religiously every day and not so easy if you are like me and infrequently eat eggs.

The way the eggs were cooked was also not taken into consideration, frying an egg isn't going to as healthy as boiling or poaching an egg.

The sample size was small and the average age of the participants was 62, you are going to need an excellent memory to estimate how many eggs you have eaten in 60 years!

This study, even with as many flaws as it worth noting having a high cholesterol diet can damage your arteries.

You can always just eat the egg whites as many people choose to do as most of the cholesterol is in the yolk.

 You can even try some Quinoa Porridge, with 100g containing a little less protein at 4g compared to 6g of protein in one large egg but is also packed full of other benefits.

 You can also get back that 2g of protein back depending on What kind of milk you use with Soy being your best bet if you want to avoid cruelty to animals and to get almost as much protein as cow's milk.

Check out my post on Quinoa and my post on Soy as it also has a bad reputation for being bad for you.

Click here to check out NHS websites page on eggs being as bad for you as cigarettes.

The egg industry, just like the dairy industry is incredibly cruel to chickens.

 I have mentioned before I am not a vegan but if you are interested in how the eggs get from the hen to your plate then check out the link here to and watch some of the Bite Sized Vegan's videos, don't worry the one I am linking isn't mega graphic.

Mar - Jun 2016 Progress

This is going to echo my last progress post  but hey ho, what are you going to do about it?

Well I suppose I could knuckle down and start achieving the goals I have set for myself but we shall see about that.

I have been putting off writing this post for as long as I felt I could but I guess I need to bite the bullet and get on with it.

April was the month of my first event of the year, a 5K Bubble Rush.

Nothing major but something to panic a bit over when you realise the furthest you have jogged this year is the perilous journey from your bed to the bathroom at 4:30am.

The Bubble Rush did me a lot of good physically and mentally, it gave me the idea to start reviewing parks in the Leeds area, with Kirkstall Abbey and Roundhay Park being the best known and generally give me a kick up the rump!

May mirrored January in most ways.

My fire for exercise, eating and blogging was well and truly lit, in fact I  churned out the most blog posts in one month than I ever have.
 Hopefully the quality of the posts are fairly consistent and to add to that,I hope the quality is high to start with because my posts are poo then I hope the consistently isn't quite there!

And if you manged to get your head around that last paragraph then you deserve a congratulatory pat on the head!

You will of course have to go ask someone nearby to administer it because I am far too busy trying to lead the life of one of those instabitches who spend their lives on beaches sipping their detox teas and looking incredibly basic.

I went to my first bloggers event of year at The Lighthouse Store which was put on to help increase awareness of people living with Autism and their employability.

I also attended the The Body Power Expo in Birmingham, sadly I wasn't invited and had to pay but maybe one day guys!
 The ticket price was worth it just to see some Ex on the beach stars in the flesh because I am a sucker for trashy tv!

I continued with my park tour which included the Leeds/Liverpool Canal and the Killer Armley Steps.

I made some ice cream with the Muscle Mousse  I was sent.

 The main reason I am mentioning this as a point of worth is because Muscle Mousse liked it enough to post it on their instagram!

I would say the main talking point of May was the 2 week Banana Cleanse and also went Gluten Free for 2 weeks.

June was a real let down after my mammoth May, I really let myself down.

I went Dairy Free for 2 weeks, explored some Milk Alternatives and made a Cricket Cake, that was about it.

 I guess it's time for the progress picture!

How have Calvin Klein not snapped me up yet?

Not a massive change but I have lost fat, terrible results for 3 months!

 If you check my Forza Raspberry K2  then you can see a comparison of my condition this time last year and now.

 In the mean time I need to concentrate on getting into the gym regularly to get hench as funk!

Pokemon Go the fitness app.

Pokemon Go hasn't launched in the UK yet but I managed to download a version onto my android phone and have a bit of a play with it.

Load times were horrendous, constant screen freezes as I was about to seal the deal with the Clafairy that lives in the next street over and Pokemon not generating on my 4 mile walk, this is the problem with not being patient enough to wait for the official release!

But I am skipping over the point here, Pokemon Go is an amazing fitness app!

It encourages people to get up and go outside in search of Pokemon, yes some people have been lucky enough for a Pidgey to fly into their living room or find a Psyduck chilling out on the toilet but sticking to your house is not going to cut if you want to catch them all.

I have been literally running through the streets of Leeds trying to get to Pokemon, I don't even run for the bus but give me the chance to catch a Staryu and I transform into Usain Bolt.

Pokemon will get people outside while the buzz is alive and well, hopefully the Pokemon Company will come up with a way to increase longvity to the app.

 There are safety concerns to be aware of with people using the app while driving, crossing roads or generally not being aware of your surroundings.

 Pokemon do seem to know that we are a race are prone to causing our own doom and have a warning pop up as the app connects to the over pressed servers.

With any prolonged use of mobiles, whether it be using an app or just texting there is a chance you could grow yourself a hunch back, with the constant curving of your spine giving you kythosis.

If you are desperate to give the game a go then click here to download the game for android, you may have to disable a feature on your phone that prevents you downloading apps from anywhere other than from the Play Store.

Just be aware it isn't the finished product so if you have problems with it you will have to wait for the yet to be announced official release date.

The best thing about Pokemon Go is that it's so accessible to everyone of all ages, shapes and sizes as long as you have a decent phone and a good battery life, people in there early 30s can bask in nostalgia and kids can play a fun game.

If you know anyone that loves Pokemon and wants to start getting more active then this game is a great why to ease them into it and maybe bag a Charizard while you are at it.

Fit Shaming

No you didn't misread the title, since I wrote a post on Fat Shaming I thought it would only be fair to write about Fit Shaming.

I am sure I am not the only one who has encountered this.

 Basically the negative reaction people give you when you want to do something "fit" and no I am not talking about that fine little thing at the other end the bar!

The other day me and a friend went off for a run but before we set off one of my neighbours asked what we were up to and once we had said we were off for a run her face turned to that of almost disgust!

When I was trying to get people get people to join me on my first Tough Mudder people would give me negative reactions like " why would you want to do that"?

Not  said with a tone of curiosity but with an air of bewilderment and again almost disgust.

Well Shannon why do you want to snort a line of coke off a bouncer's cock every Saturday night? 

I don't actually ask her, that would be rude and if that's how she wants to get her trills that's up to her.

This seems to be acceptable than if anyone says they are going to spend their Saturday night in the gym, you get looked at like you are possessed by the devil.

A Devil with rock hard abs and glutes you could crack an egg on!

The fact is that 67% of men and 57% of women in England are classed as obese, people should be exercising more.

Not only will you be more likely to live longer, healthier lives but you won't be left wondering if this is the cream cake that will cost you your vision from your self induced diabetes.

If the #Fitfam isn't for you doesn't mean that you should discourage anyone who is trying to make positive changes in their life style, consciously or subconsciously.

OK so it's not so much shaming, when you are rocking your summer body while poor flabby Shannon sits in her over sized tee shirt you are fairly going to feel ashamed.

But this negativity toward people who want to be healthier isn't helping anyone, I know loads of people that like the idea of getting fitter but lack the confidence and need a boost.

They do not need to hear "why would you want to go for a run"? 

Yes you can justify yourself by saying I want to get fitter, I want to lose my belly, I want to look like a goddess when I am naked but some people just do not have the fight or the drive and will give up.

Next time you hear someone say I am off for a run, remember coke head Shannon and wish them a good time.