Pomegranate

Pomegranate is amazing for your health, particularly for men, being a fully qualified man myself I thought I would blast through it's benefits!

Pomegranate has a good amount of vitamin C and K.

Good source of fibre.

Has some zinc and potassium.

Helps prevent and stop the spread of prostate cancer.

Good for your heart health, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, if you are taking anything for high cholesterol or high blood pressure then please check with you doctor if you decide to add pomegranate to your diet.


Pomegranate juice can help reduce dental plague, you still need to brush and floss though!

Can help give you strong, lustrous hair.

A strong anti inflammatory, from muscle soreness to arthritis!

Reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

May help with preventing Alzheimer's disease.

Can help with erectile dysfunction.

Preparing the fruit can be a bit of ball ache but going on from " Me man, You puny fruit"!
I got my biggest, most powerful knife and cut it into quarters then went feral and ripped it apart with my hands to release the seeds!

You can buy pomegranate pre prepared and get buy the juice to wash it all down!

Top Herd Snacks

I was trawling twitter and came across Top Herd Snacks and been the adventurous sort that I am I contacted to them see if where I get get my mitts on there meaty treats.

Sadly they are not in any stores near me at present, I hate having to wait deliveries!
 If I want something I want it now, not in 3-6 working days time and I am never desperate enough to splash out the extra money for next day delivery, unless Mother's Day has crept up on me!

I contacted Top Herd through their twitter and let them know I was looking to do a review and they very kindly offered me a 20% discount which I happily accepted.

I love the design of their website and found it easy to navigate, I had issues registering my account so ended up using a guest account in the end the fact that you can use paypal is always a big tick in my book.
Check out their website and blog and recipes by clicking here

I opted for the mixed flavour bundle for £15.52 which may sound a look for jerky but I got 8 packets of high quality jerky and salami working out under £2 a pouch which is slightly cheaper than Wild West Beef Jerky that is sold at my local Asda and in my opinion much taster as well!

It seems Top Herd source their beef and pork from Austria where animals are well looked after, with the cows being allowed to graze on grass which has been proven to yield more nutritious beef and due to the high consumption of pork the need for leaner meat has made it possible to produce meat that isn't as fatty.

Sadly I couldn't find out much about where the turkey is sourced, only that the turkeys are fully traceable and raised according to the EU's strictest guidelines.

Another great thing about Top Herd is that the entire range is gluten free, however be careful if you have a nut allergy as there my be traces of nuts.

Also if your teeth are not in great condition you may struggle, the packet even comes with a warning stating this snack is only suitable for people with strong teeth.

It's always nice to know where your food is coming from and exactly what you are eating, saying that I wouldn't mind trying some horse jerky.

On to the main event, the product range!

Beef Jerky:

I received three different flavours of the beef jerky, Sweet Pickle (14g of protein), Tangy Tomato ( 14g of protein) and Smokey BBQ (18g of protein).

Sweet Pickle was my favourite of the three and poor old Smoky BBQ was my least. The beef jerky is tougher than the turkey and pork so I hope your jaw is up for the chewy challenge!

Turkey Jerky:

I received two flavours of the turkey jerkies, by the way turkey jerky is my newest favourite thing to say! Give it a go and you might join me in my joy!

Out of the two I prefer the Chilli and Lime (17g of protein) over the Zesty Lemon ( 16g of protein), although there isn't much in it between them, I enjoyed them both and they were a lot less taxing on my old jaw than the beef.

Pork Jerky and Skinny Salami:

I received one pouch of Honey Mustard Jerky ( 13g of protein) and two packets of salami,Chilli Pepper flavour and Tomato and Paprika flavour, both with 17g of protein in each packet.

I really enjoyed all of the pork products, the Honey Mustard Jerky is my top pick for the entire product range, I wasn't quite emotionally prepared for finishing the packet and resorted to smelling the empty pouch!

The pork products take a lot less effort to eat and in my opinion the Honey and Mustard is the strongest flavour in the range.

I will be revisiting Top Herd in the future, not only because they offer a high quality product and a reasonable price but because I am desperate to try out their recipes on their website!

Up until the end of June if you use the promo code BONEIDOL on the Top Herd site you can get 20% off your order!

L'oreal Paris Sublime Bronze

Sun is allegedly on it's way, although I have my doubts since it's the end of April and it's being snowing, sunshine and rain for the last couple of days!

Regardless of my fears summer will never come I decided to dip my toe back into the world of tanning!

The last night I went for a tan it was using a mystic spray tan booth which cost me £10 for one session, I bought a 150ml bottle of Loreal Paris Sublime Bronze for £8.99 so I am already onto a saving!

I did pick up a washable tanning mitt at the same time to avoid getting patchy tan hands and would recommend you do the same.

The tan is easy enough to apply, I just pumped a blob onto my mitt and away I went. I didn't need a lot to cover a decent amount of my body and there is still plenty left if I decided I want a darker tan or simply want to tan again.

I did find it hard to see where I had tanned and where I hadn't because the tan is light in colour and absorbs quickly, which is great if you are tanning just before bed.

Not so great when you miss a big area of your calf, that being said I was a self tanning virgin so hopefully I will get the better the more I do it.

The tan does have a smell to it, I would say it is comparable to sun tan lotion and it does linger on your skin, two days later if I give my arms a good sniff I can still smell the tan faintly but how many people are going to be sticking there nose a millimetre away from your newly bronzed skin?

I don't like the bottle, it's nothing to do with the shape, design or colour but the that I really struggle to read the writing on the bottle!

When light shines on the bottle you can't make the the writing, the fact the text is pretty small doesn't improve matters either.

Despite my complaints I will probably use this tan again, I will certainly finish the bottle I have and might wait until we get a good bout of hot weather so I can try and convince people that it's all natural!

I got a good response from people I know, one person even asked if I had been on holiday, I just told them no, Asda!

The tan has survived five days, several gym sessions, runs and pretty heavy rain and has only just started to look tired!
 I may have to test out how it holds up to an event like Tough Mudder, the sheer amount of mud and water was just too much for the mystic spray tan I                                                                                   got last summer.

I would say give a go, the product delivers what it promises and is cheaper than going to a salon and much safer than a sun bed!

Chicken

Along with eggs, broccoli  and whey protein you won't see many self respecting gym goer fore going a breast or two of chicken.

Chicken is full of protein and low in fat, if you throw away the delicious chicken skin anyway!
 Turkey is leaner but chicken tends to be more available, easier to store, cheaper
and doesn't tend to be as dry.

Chicken gives you a big does of vitamin B3 and also has all the other B vitamins in different amounts, which help convert your food into energy.

A good amount of selenium which helps prevent cell damage from free radicals.

A good amount of phosphorous which helps build and repair bones and teeth, it also helps your nerve function and helps muscles contract.

Chicken also has zinc and magnesium which will help your testosterone levels to some degree.

If you are cooking chicken please ensure that it is cooked all the way through, no red/ pink meat and ensure the juices are running clear, you won't be getting the most of all that lovely protein if you are confined to the bathroom!

The importance of Leg Day!

We have all seen the memes littering the Internet but do an excellent job of increases awareness of muscle south of your pecs and abs!

You look more attractive :

First off balance in your body is more appealing to the eye and if that isn't enough to convince you all the polls and surveys I have seen on the body parts that people find the sexiest the booty is always on the top of the list!

Improves fat loss:

There are more muscles on the lower part of your body and that means when you work your lower body you are going to burn more calories! That and your body uses more calories to maintain muscle mass then fat when you start packing on some size you'll increase your resting metabolic rate.

Boosts Testosterone:

Working your muscles leads to a testosterone boost, the more muscles worked the bigger the boost!
If you are planning a full body workout always start with your lower body.

Reduce injury:

Working your lower body helps prevent injury by promoting stability, for example your glutes help prevent lower back injuries when hanging by stopping your body from twisting.

You will run fatter:

It makes sense, if you are using your legs to run developing them is not going to be a bad idea.
You might think it's your quads giving you all the power but a lot of it comes from your hamstrings, glutes and hips, pop some power moves into your work out like jump squats.

You will find day to day life easier:

Whether it's helping a friend move house or climbing a the stairs  strengthening your legs will make it easier and everyone can admire your buns of steel while you live the squat life!

Improved balance:

If you have shaky foundations then your whole house will be shaky!

So now you have read this post what are you waiting for?

Go forth and squat till you drop or you can just read about my 30 Day Squat Challenge or give this simple leg circuit a whirl!

Jogging in Burley Park

                   

I have been out jogging again, this time in Burley Park.

This park is all about fitness and fun with tennis courts, a basket ball court, bowling green, football goals, a cricket pitch and even resistance machines that use your own body weight plus it's a nice place just to sit and watch the world go by.

It's also great to go for a jog, there is good coverage from the trees and has a good incline to run up.
 You can mix up the route you take to an extent, making it shorter or longer or to opt out of the incline.

Burley Park is a lot quieter than Round Hay Parkwhich is a big plus in my books!

There are no public toilet facilities near by so make sure you plan any calls of nature you may need to answer!



As much as I love going to Kirkstall Abbey I find the jog there a bit too easy, the versatility and temptation of the other facilities on offer at  Burley Park makes me more inclined to strap on my trainers and head there than anywhere else in the Leeds area that I have come across.

My Progress Jan-Mar 2016

I have been putting off off writing this post mainly because my fitness goals this year have been a disaster!

 If  you read my 1st of Jan then you will know that I set out to do fortnightly and month long fitness challenges, I started off strong and completed the 30 Day Squat Challenge and did two weeks of the water challenge and went veggie for another two weeks.

Then once February begin I started a 30 press up challenge along side giving up gluten for 2 weeks but I was in a terrible head space and gave up after 3 days, stopped going to the gym as much and my blogging slowed downed.

I also attempted to bulk up, which sounds great after cutting ready for the summer but the sheer amount of calories I was putting away made me feel terrible, mainly because a lot of the calories I was getting were from high fat, high sugar and high salt sources.

Eating became a chore, at least when I am reducing my calories I actually look forward to eating because  I am hungry when it comes to meal time, bulking is all about fuel and not much else.

This coupled with dark weather made me feel down in the dumps.

 I wasn't getting anywhere near as much vitamin D as I get in the summer time.
 I imagine my meal choices will of lacked a great deal of vitamins and minerals that my body needs to function properly.

I was rarely hitting the gym by the time March rolled around, which made my mood even worse from not benefiting from the endorphins you get from exercise.

 I was feeling fat and, I am not fat but it doesn't mean you can't feel fat when you look in the mirror.

I did measure myself at the end of January, after I had but on half a stone and then again mid way through April

.
I gained no size on my arms or chest but I did lose 3 inches from my waist and gained 2 inches on my legs.

I do not push myself any where near hard enough when it comes to upper body training and this is where I feel I continually let myself down, that and my shaky attendance!
I am going to restart the 30 Day Press Challenge in May and see what impact that makes.

To make matters worse I had intentionally put on weight in order to pack on some much needed muscle but because the gym had turned into that facebook friend that you always say you'll arrange drinks with but never do it just felt like a pointless exercise.

But now that's that sun has decided to come out I am back on the fitness train with no signs of slowing down and I have completed my first event of the year, the Bubble Rush with more events planned for the rest of the year!

Yes it has taken me until mid April to get my mojo back but I am just thankful it came back at all.

Bubble Rush

I completed the 5k Bubble Rush at Harewood house, it was my first event of the year and I don't
think I could of chosen a better one!

The event it's self is a 5k fun run, so you can walk, jog, run, skip or dance your way to the finish line with 4 lots of colourful foam to run through and get covered in, there are worse things you could spend £22 on!

The weather was great and Harewood House looked amazing in the April sunshine, there were lots of stalls available ranging from food to bubble themed merchandise to a selfie booth with most of the money going to St Gemma's Hospice.

We were handed our white bubble run tee shirts and went through a fun warm up to the music of Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars designed with all ages and abilities in mind, in fact I am going to steal some of the moves for the next time I hit da club!

Off we went and straight away I my glasses were caked in pink foam!

Lucky for me it is quite light so fell away easily, not so lucky if you are wanting to white wash your friends because the foam just collapses in your hands and blows away.

Unlike the Santa Dash I completed for Saint Gemma's Hospice there was plenty of room to over take the slower runners, if we are all honest with our selves no body likes to get stuff in traffic no matter how cute the children are!

You get 4 lots of foam on the course and two fairly long hills Each lot of foam is a different colour, pink, blue, green and yellow, and it does dye your tee shirt and skin but washes out easily enough.

I did look like I had been given  good beaten with my pink and blue legs by the time I had finished!

Considering I had only gone out running once this year I surprised myself with how well I did, the only part I struggled on was the last hill and that was because my calves felt like they were going to explode, I am grateful to my ectomorphic build and genetics because they helped me run it like a boss!

All in all a great day out for all fitness levels and abilities and a lot of money was raised the St Gemma's, if you want to find out more about the events they put on and what they are all about then click here

The Whole Hog!

My friend Vikki has signed up to run the Whole Hog for RMHC which is a charity that provides housing near hospitals so families can stay together when their children are in hospital for a long duration.

The Whole  Hog is a 10km mud run and seems to of taken inspiration from Tough Mudder and it's sole purpose is to raise money for this important charity.

Vikki hasn't under taken a challenge and has given herself only 3 weeks to get ready for it!

She has not undertaken a challenge like this before and would love you to show the charity your support by helping her reach her target of £100 for RMHC.

Please click here to see her just giving page, the event is on the 8th of May but you can keep on donating after that date. Even £1 is very much appreciated!

Thank you to everyone who donates!

Boost your Testosterone!

Following on from my previous post on Testosterone I thought I best let you know about how you can boost your testosterone levels!

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D  deficiency has links to low testosterone levels, with low testosterone levels and low vitamin D levels both being linked to depression there is no wonder you feel like crap in the darker months! 

The best way to combat this is to take a supplement and getting out in the sun more.

If your are free spirited enough embark on some naked sunbathing! According to a study I came across exposing your meat and two veg to sunlight increases your vitamin D absorption by 200%! If I come across it again then I will post a link.

You can also chow down salmon, tuna, sardines, eggs, cow's milk and shrimp.

Zinc:

If you are deficient in zinc than you are probably low in testosterone as well.

Add beef, lamb, turkey, seeds, quinoa, beans and shrimp to your shopping lists!

Magnesium:

Grab some quinoa, spinach and pumpkin seeds! It seems that magnesium helps improve your testosterone levels by improving sleep quality and thus decreases your cortisol levels.

Resveratrol:

The stuff you get from red wine, other than a hangover!

Resveratrol has been shown to increase blood testosterone by 50%! If you can't handle some red wine opt for balsamic vinegar, raisins, blueberries, cranberries or dark chocolate!

Get enough fat:

Getting enough testosterone levels saturated and monounstautrated fats in your diet with help maintain healthy testosterone levels.

Bromelain:

Bromelain is an enzyme found in bananas and pineapples and will help increase your testosterone levels.

Garlic:

Garlic will increase your testosterone levels and speed up how fast your body synthesises protein, be careful though other than giving you smelly breath too much garlic will lower your testosterone levels!

Reduce stress:

Stress can reek havoc on your on your body, brain and testosterone levels!

The are tons of ways to lower your stress levels from exercise, giving up smoking, limit your alcohol and caffeine, sleep and eat healthy foods.

Vitamin C:

Appears to protect testosterone from harm and lowers stress levels!

You can stick to your oranges or opt for kale, broccoli, spinach or some berries!

Whey Protein:

Having a protein shake after exercise lowers your cortisol levels and encourages muscle growth and repair.

Train big muscle groups:

Training big muscle groups with give you a big testosterone boost, particularly when training your lower body, add some squats, dead lifts, pull ups and bench presses to your workout.

What to avoid:

Gluten can have a negative effect on your testosterone levels.

Foods high in estrogen like peas, soy, flax seed. tofu and sesame seeds.

Licorice can block testosterone production.

Polyunsaturated fats and trans fats lower testosterone levels.

Peppermint and Spearmint may hinder your testosterone levels.

If you would like to know more about testosterone boosting food then please click here to check the article written by Mass Gain Source.

How to reduce fat when frying

If you cook meat, particularly beef or pork then you will notice that a lot of fat comes out of it.

The best thing you can do with your meat is to drain it all away, not down the sink though because that will cause the drains to get blocked up with fat rather than your arteries.

I tend to go for turkey mince which has very little fat, but  you can still drain off a bit of fat, the less in your meat the less on your belly!

Reducing fat in your diet is one the fastest ways to shed extra pounds, one gram of fat is worth 9kcals where as a gram of protein or carbohydrates or only worth 4kcals.

Easy pasta sauce.

Since Dolmino is coming under fire for it's high sugar and fat content in some of it's sauces so I thought I would share my easy pasta sauce recipe!

Ingredients:

Passata.

Herbs of providence.

A teaspoon of Very Lazy Garlic.

Method:

Pour your passata into a pan, add your herbs and a tea spoon of garlic then heat.

That's it! 

Passata is 35p - £1 per carton/ jar, very lazy garlic is about £1.50 and the herbs of providence is about 87p and they last for weeks so if you are in need of a tomato based sauce for your meals several times a week then this is a really cheap way of doing it.

I don't usually heat the sauce in a separate pan, I just toss it all on what ever I am cooking at the time, give it a stir and simmer, the longer you simmer the sauce the thicker it will get.

If you are wanting more of a kick add some very lazy chili.

Jogging at Kirkstall Abbey

The suns out so I strapped on my trainers and heading out to Kirkstall Abbey in, yes you have guessed it, Kirkstall!

The abbey its self is a ruined monastery and there is still enough of if left standing for you to have a snoop about in when the museum is open, which also has free toilets, open until at least 3pm throughout the year.

The back drop of the river Aire, trees and the abbey make for a more enjoyable and relaxing run then just pounding the streets like some sort of jogging hooker.

The land is pretty much all flat so it's great for beginners and great for me since I have not ran outside all year and have a 5k coming up this Saturday, I guess I'll just turn up and boss it!

If you are nervous about people seeing you jogging then Kirkstall Abbey is ideal, there are not masses of people there in the morning although in the hotter months it is very popular spot midday onwards.

A side from Kirkstall Abbey being a great play to go for a run it's also a great play just sit down and take in some nature and there are often events held from movie screenings to the annual Kirkstall Festival.

If you are ever in Leeds pop down and have a look and why not? It's free after all!

Testosterone

How much do you know about testosterone? 

Well when it comes to building muscle it really separates the men from the boys!

Ladies do have testosterone but most of the time it is no where near the levels of a man.

 If you can block out the memory of all the giggles and red faces, then you will know that testosterone is the main hormone that goes wild in a young boys life to make bring about manhood but it doesn't just pack up and leave you after your consumption of Klinex has suddenly shot up!

Testosterone effects your sex drive, low levels will make you less amorous  and the reverse is true for when levels are higher, this is why after a good workout where your testosterone  has been nicely boosted you want to go all caveman on bae!

Testosterone increases bone density, lower levels in later life ( say that 3 times fast!) will affect your bone density, we are talking 65 plus if you are lucky!

Testosterone helps your body metabolise fat, lower levels will encourage fat to be stored in the abdominal area of your body, sorry ladies!

Testosterone increases growth hormone in your body, which makes sense due to the changes it helps make in your body during puberty, this also means it will help you increase muscle size to get hench as funk!

Testosterone also gets your bone marrow making more red blood cells, more of this red little doughnuts in your system the better your body will be at transporting oxygen round your body and delivering nutrients.

Your testosterone levels also impact your brain from mood swings, aggression to depression!

Please don't read this post and think that all your problems can be solved by getting some gear from that dodgy guy in the gym, high testosterone levels come with a range of problems from acne, developing breast tissue, testicles shutting down and problems with reproduction.

If you are worried about you testosterone levels then see your doctor, they should be able to check them with a blood test.

Check out my post on natural way to boost your testosterone

Broccoli

Body builders love broccoli and for good reason so without further ado here's some broccoli facts, yes fact not farts you little rascal!

Broccoli helps increase your testosterone levels! 

High in fibre.

Anti inflammatory.

May reduce your bodies allergic reactions.

Helps lower cholesterol.

Very high and in Vitamin C and K

Good levels of Vitamins E, A and potassium.

Has a touch of Omega 3, Zinc, Iron and Calcium.

Ignore what your mama says about boiling the funk out of your broccoli, the best way to retain the nutrients is to steam your broccoli in the microwave, toss some in a microwavable dish with some water and away you go!

While you are on the cruciferous vegetable train why not give kale, spinach and brussel sprouts a whirl?

Save Britain's Bees!

Ok, I know it's not nice to get stung my these fuzzy little fellows but bees do such an important job pollinating flowers, fruits and vegetables.

In England pesticides that kill bees are banned but sadly companies are putting plans together to get the ban lifted and this puts Britain's bee under threat!

If you live in the UK please sign this online petition here

Hopefully with your help you can help save ours bees!

Why should you go gluten free?

Everyone seems to be going gluten free at the minute and but fair there is a strong argument for it.

Gluten is found in wheat and can cause inflammation of the intestines, this is why you may feel really bloated and lethargic after eating wheat pasta or bread.

 Hopefully you just have a mild intolerance like I do and can get away with some slight discomfort, if I eat really crusty bread than I end up walking round like I'm 8 months into a pregnancy without the sore nipples!

Symptoms can include diarrhoea, stomach pain, tiredness, bloating and surprisingly depression.

To makes things clear I have self diagnosed myself with a gluten intolerance.

 After keeping one of many food dairies I recorded how I was feeling and my energy levels after I ate and did notice a difference when I either reduced or increased my gluten consumption.

If you are worried you should consult your doctor and ask to get tested.

Gluten is used in  loads of products ranging from the obvious like bread to the more surprising like ketchup! If you are considering going gluten free then you best out out your deer skin cap and magnifying glass to read practically every label you come across.

Try and stick to rice, corn, quinoa, flax and oats but be aware that they still may be contaminated by gluten so keep those eyes peeled!

Cutting out gluten won't cause you any harm but it is more effort when out shopping so if you don't feel gluten is causing you any harm then keep calm and carry on!

My year so far

A quarter of the year has already escaped me and I would like to say I have stuck to the goals I set myself at the start of 2016 but like my ability to stand after a few bottles of wine my commit to them has also faded.

In January I blasted through a shed load of blog posts, was a regular feature in the gym and was pretty much working my glutes off, now two things changed which had a big impact on my motivation and energy levels.

The first being the weather, I don't do well in the darker months, all I want to do is sleep and the more I sleep the more terrible I feel with a heavy sense of dissatisfaction with me wasting my life rotting in bed.

January was very mild, couple that with the New Year New Me glow everyone gets once you have recovered from your new years hangover and you get an incredibly productive month from, bring on the crappy British weather and a house with central heating in every room and you are going to see me transform into sloth.

The other thing that ruined me was my attempt at bulking, now I did gain size, both fat and muscle but the high calorie foods took their toll on me.

I felt sluggish all of the time, I stopped going to the gym as much and my blogging stalled, I wasn't happy with my abs disappearing, waist getting bigger and peoples comments on how skinny I am which started making me think I might have body dysmorphia!

Thankfully I do take regular pictures of myself so I can compare how my body is looking when I change up my diet or training so I could justify how I am feeling/ looking to myself.

I expect people were trying to be kind but when I are trying to bulk up and are feeling heavy and disgusting being told you are skinny makes me feel "why I am putting myself through this"?

Honestly I would rather diet than try and bulk, I find it tedious eating to fuel myself rather than for the enjoyment of what I am eating.

When  diet I put much more thought into what I am eating so every meal is something to look forward to, plus I am actually hungry and ready to get some food in my belly.

With the sun out I have booked myself into doing the Bubble Rush 5k for St Gemma's Hospice with Irene, the same charity that organised the Santa Dash I ran in December.

I would of liked to of done some sort of event before now but my heart just hasn't been in it, sadly I don't have a strong support system in my life to pick me up when I am feeling crappy so it's left up to me to pick myself up and get my act together!

If you are interested in taking part yourself here is a link to the Bubble Rush website, it's on the 23rd of April, sorry I have left this post far too late but hopefully some of you will sign up!

Hopefully I can stay positive and motivated for the rest of the year!