Apples

An apple a day will keep the doctor away, well it certainly will if you pelt him with them!

But seriously apples will help you prevent a wide range of illnesses.

A medium apple contains around 14% of you vitamin C.

Around 5% of your potassium

17% of your dietary fibre, which will help you feel fuller which 

5% of your vitamin B6.

There is also studies that suggest that apples have anti cancer, anti depression and anti inflammatory properties.

Apples also contain the same antioxidants as green tea ( catechin ) which has been shown to improve brain and muscle function, this means that apples will help help protect you from Alzheimer's disease in the same way green tea does.

They also have the same antioxidants found in coffee ( chlorgentic acid ) which has been shown to lower blood sugar and aid weight loss.

Lower cholesterol which reduces the risk of heart disease.

Apples help clean your teeth, this is not a replacement from frequent brushing/ flossing and you should also be aware that too many apples can weaken the enamel of your teeth.

Help with constipation.

Apples apparently give you as much energy as coffee in a morning, I am on the fence about this one but if anyone has had any experience of this let me know.

Remember to get the full benefit from your apples then you need to eat the skin.

As far as I can tell green apples have a more nutrients

than red but to be honest I would say eat which ever you prefer the taste of.

If you ever get chance to try a Jazz Apple then take it, they are possibly the most delicious apples in the world, I tried them at the Body Expo this year and wish I had signed up to monthly deliveries  of them!

Muscle Mousse Frozen Yogurt

Since my post on Muscle Mousse ice cream was so popular I thought I would try a lower calorie alternative and whipped up some frozen yogurt.

This recipe again was made using the Chocolate Muscle Mousse that Muscle Mousse kindly sent me to bake with.

If you want to check out the recipe I adapted it from then please click here

Ingredients:

2 scoops of chocolate muscle mousse.

200ml of light condensed milk.

500ml of 0% fat Greek yogurt.

Method:

Pour all your ingredients into a bowl and mix them all together with a whisk.

Line a freeze proof container with cling fling, the clingfilm with help you lift your finished frozen yogurt out of it's container as it is quite hard when ready.

 Pour in your yogurt mixture then pop it into the freezer overnight.

Let your frozen yogurt stand for 10 minutes or so to make it soft to enough to eat easily.

That's it, job done!

As with the Muscle Mousse Ice cream I made the frozen yogurt is quite hard when you take it out of the freezer, I cut mine with my sharpest knife then left it to stand before I dug in with my trusty spoon!

My frozen yogurt was very yogurty so in future I would either add more condensed milk or add some chocolate it, just so it appeals more to my own personal tastes.

If you want to check out my other Muscle Mousse bakes then please click the Muscle Mousse tag at the bottom of this post.

The Light House Store Speeding Friending Event

I was invited along to a speed friending event at the Lighthouse Store in Cookridge, Leeds to help raise awareness of Autistic Spectrum Disorder or ASD.

Before I get into this post I would like to say if I use any outdated or ignorant terms please educate me on the correct terms to use.

About one in a hundred people are affected by autism, although I don't personally have autism I do have friends and family who do so I have some prior awareness of some of the difficulties that a person living with autism may have.

Difficulties such as not being to easily read body language, understand certain social conventions or recognise sarcasm, which must be hell in a country full of sarcastic beasts like England!

Not everyone has autism to the same degree, that's where the spectrum comes in.

Some people will cope much better than others in social situations and girls don't tend to be diagnosed as easily due to them being better able to mimic social cues.

The Lighthouse Union Store is a project that stems from the Light House School, which is a school that was set up to other an alternative to special and main stream schools for children who have ASD.

The projects aim is to teach vocational skills and improve their future employability. At the moment only 7% of people with a learning disability are in employment.

Before the speed friending got under way there was a talk by one of the Light House School's trustees Katie Parlett on how the Light House School came to life, it's aim and it's journey.

 It was impressive, inspirational and if I am honest a little sad that Katie and the other families that set up the school had to fight and work so hard to set up a school that offers a tailored experience to their children to vastly improve their lives and give them a much brighter future.

To help me and my fellow bloggers understand what it may be like in their social interactions and potentially in an interview situation we wore face masks to find out facial expressions, we were also instructed to try not to move our hands as most of our communication is expressed non verbally.

The best way I can explain this concept to you is if you read text you can interrupt it in any number of ways depending on the readers perspective, this is why I have to tone down my sarcasm when I am sending sexy message late on a Friday night!

The speed friending it's self was quite slow to start, it was an odd sensation trying to talk to an unmoving, seemingly botoxed face.

The first three conversations where quite stunted, partially due to initial nerves, the surrounding noise from other  conversations and the masks stifling the voices of the person I was speaking to.

I got round the lack of body language by maintaining eye contact, so I didn't find the conversations that difficult.
  Chatting to bloggers did make the experience  easier, you just get them talking about themselves and away they go.
Let's face it, people who write blogs have something to say for themselves other wise they would struggle to write anything at all.

I thought the whole idea for the event was very clever and the only things I would change would be to have everyone wear sunglasses to avoid the use of eye contact.

 I would say change the venue to help ensure people can hear each other better but one of the purposes of the event was to highlight the Light House Union Store and how valuable it is to people with autism and their families.

The Lighthouse Union Store is both a cafe and a charity shop so next time you have a clear out of your wardrobe pop on in and grab a coffee and brownie while you are at it.

I would like to thank everyone at the Lighthouse Store, Search Laboratory who helped organise the event and all the companies that donated and supported the event and cause such as Bloom Bakers, Bakery 164, Dogburgs, Evolution Stores, Gravity UK, Jameson's Cafe and Rollette Cafe

I hope this post has conveyed what a great project this is and if you don't personally feel you connected to the cause the likelihood of you knowing someone is will be pretty high.

Thank you for having me and because many of you were interested in my banana cleanse click here to see how it went.

Banana Island Cleanse

I decided instead of trying a 2 week  challenge like going veggie or gluten free that I would give a one week cleanse a try.

Now I have seen a lot of water based cleanses and to be honest they do not interest me from a blogging prospective.

What? You lost 2 stone by drinking nothing but lemon water and not eating for 2 weeks?

Well who would of thought that starving yourself would do that to you!

This is one of the reasons Banana Island appealed to me.

Not only the supposed benefits like more energy, better digestion, better skin hair and nails, more alertness, natural weight loss, more balance mood and better sleep but you can have unlimited calories as long as they come from bananas.

The rules are you can eat as many bananas as you want and drink as much water as you want.

Day1:

I felt some of the benefits almost straight away, energy levels high, feeling focused and had the best poo I have had in months. I went to work, went to the gym and felt really energised all day.

I can't top weeing though, I am drinking a lot of water partly because my mind is focused on detoxifying my body that and bananas are around 75% water. Oh well better out than in!

 I only managed 18 bananas which is about 1900 which is quite a bit of a calories short fall from the recommended daily calories for a man at 2500kcal. If I keep this up I certainly will lose weight!

Day 2:

Struggled to get out of bed, to be fair it was 5am but I can't help but wonder if it was because of the increased melotonin from all those bananas. I didn't feel refreshed as if I had slept well and deep.

I made the decision to stray off the cleanse and eat something else.

I had started to dread meal times and this is only the second day..

I still had the benefits from the day before, increased energy and focus but the thought of gorging on more bananas actually had an effect on me emotionally so I ate a chicken sandwich.
I have had a bad relationship with food in the past and I don't want anything like that to start up again.

I am still going to continue as best as I can with the cleanse, however I am not doing this cleanse to punish myself, I am doing this cleanse to see if it lives up to it's promises.

If I feel the need to eat other foods I am going to be honest about, in case you were wondering I didn't even feel better for eating it, I just felt guilty.

I feel that I would done better with the cleanse if I had been vegetarian for a sustained period of time, but hey ho lets not dwell on my chicken sandwich eating shame and move on with our lives.

I ate 19 bananas, still not enough calories. I am finding that eating greener banana is easier for me as they are no where near sweet and have more bite to them.

Had loads of energy and went along to a Out Door Fitness UK session near Kirkstall Abbey but this will of just created an even bigger calorie deficit!

Day 3:

Slept really well last night but woke up full of energy but not wanting to eat anything, after being up 3 hours I decided I had to get something inside me so I smashed in 5 bananas.

Smashed another 5 bananas before heading to a speed friending event to help raise awareness for Autistic Spectrum Disorder, full of energy, feeling alert and positive and even received compliment on how fresh I looked, although that might just of been my newly loped off mullet.

 It's seems the bananas have given me massive diarrhoea, how embarrassing!

I am going to see how I am tomorrow, if I haven't improved by tomorrow then I will sadly have to stop the cleanse. So 10 banana in total today.

Day 4:

I have still have the trots so that is the end of my cleanse!

 I decided before I began that I would stop if I had any ill effects on my health and I feel being to scared to trump in case you pebble dash your Calvin Kleins as a ill effect

Even though I am I haven't eaten any bananas today I am still in am amazing mood, in spite of having to stay with 100 metres of a toilet I might add!

I find myself singing to myself, smiling at silly things and generally being an absolute delight to everyone I encounter.


So would I take a trip to banana island again?

To be honest probably not and the main reason is I either didn't need to ween myself off my addiction to high calorie fatty foods or break my emotional attachment to certain foods, cliches like eating chocolate when you are feel sad etc.

At no point in the cleanse did I feel like I was starving myself, I didn't feel hungry but I didn't feel satisfied either, like I am not hungry but I could eat as long as it didn't mean more bananas!

Will I eat bananas again?

Yes I will, for a start I have a shed load left over from this cleanse and my mother did not raise me to waste food, I just need to wait for my bowels to calm the funk the down!

My attitude towards food has shifted as well, I have had issues with seasonal effected disorder in the past and I think instead of sitting in the dark and listening to Dido I will see if grabbing some bananas will boost my mood and get me out of my funk.

I am not saying bananas are a cure for depression, I am no where near qualified to make a claim like that but for me my bouts of SAD have vastly improved since I started making positive changes in my lifestyle through diet, exercise and taking inspiration from the people in my life so banana may well help me get through the darker months.

My thoughts on the actual cleanse are if you love bananas give it go and see how you feel.

 I did terrible in comparison to other people who I have read about/

They had upwards of 25 bananas in their first day, admittedly they were making 10 banana smoothies for breakfast but the thought of that makes want to throw up a little.

The other people who I have read about doing the banana island cleanse were vegan which is probably why they didn't start pooing out for internal organs.

If you decide to undertake a cleanse such as this please consult your doctor first and do your research.

I had countless people telling me how bad bananas are for you and that I will have a heart attack from all of the potassium

 For starters I was probably quite deficient in potassium and from what I have read you would either have to eat over 300 bananas in 30 seconds or have serious issues with your liver/kidneys for that to happen.

There is about 1g of protein in a banana and almost no fat so if you are trying to build muscle this isn't going to do you any favours unless you can getting those bananas smashed in without throwing up.

Cleanses are no substitute for a healthy lifestyle, it is your choice whether or not you attempt a cleanse but they are not sustainable in the long term and any weight loss etc will soon disappear once you come off them if you return to your old eating habits and lifestyle.

So to finish this post I
would like you all to pray for me to have a solid poo!

Out Door Fitness UK

I have been meaning to check out Out Door Fitness Uk for a while and since they emailed me a free 7 day pass and the sun definitely had his hat on so I went down to Kirkstall Abbey.

I am not really a fan of group exercise so I took a friend along with me for moral support, what can I say? Flash backs from awful experiences in P.E at school.

We assumed the class was taking place at the actual Abbey but it was in the field over the road so we missed half of the boxercise class in our confusion.

We sat and watched the boxercise class as that ended and at one point retreated to the car because it was a bit windy, I had to convince myself to bite the bullet and get stuck in!

The instructor Paul was really friendly, welcoming and  made a point to remember our names which is always a nice touch.

The session it's self was supposed to ViPRS and Kettlebells but I think either everyone was having too much fun swinging the ViPRS around their heads, time just ran away with it's self or the plan for the session was changed on the fly.

Started with a good warm up then straight into a body weight circuit of jumping jacks, press ups, burpees and reverse crunches, regressions of the exercises and alternatives to suit the different ability levels.

Although on the third run through when I opted to do half press ups I was called out on it, it's good to motivate individuals in classes but it doesn't do anything for me and one of the reasons I am shy away from group exercise classes.

To be honest I was a being cocky, I had been to the gym the night before and completed 120 press ups as part of my 30 day press up challenge, fuelled on mainly water an bananas before of my cleanse and add that when I am nervous I tend to be even more extroverted and let my mouth run away with it's self to compensate so I was bound to be in trouble!

On to the ViPRs!

Lots of squat presses, spinning the ViPR around our heads, lunges, running and some core exercises thrown in for good measure as well.

The session ended with a cool down of stretches and giving more tailored stretches to those with specific complaints about tight muscles.

All in all I enjoyed the class as much as I can enjoy group exercise anyway.

I should get more into it particularly to make work muscle groups I tend to neglect, such as my core.
I hate core work out ever so much!

Th group of people that were there were all friendly with different fitness levels, including a very pregnant lady, so what excuse do you have not to go along?

Paul had a good rapport with the group and everyone seemed to really get a lot out of the session.

Out Door Fitness have classes all over Yorkshire and go out in all weathers so no cancelled classes because of a bit of snow or rain.

I did get a good workout from the session but feel I could of gotten a lot more out of it if I hadn't been to the gym the night before or been up since 5am!

My friend did tell me the next day for glutes were in pieces, but you don't need to know what she gets up to in private!

You can check them out on Facebook by clicking here, their twitter here

Get in touch with them and head to one of their many sessions a go, especially with the heat wave coming!

Fat Shaming

I keep coming across news articles where people are being fat shamed.

 Those in the articles either lose loads of weight because they have been fat shamed or overweight people are being applauded for standing up to bullies and maintaining their unhealthy lifestyle.

So what are your supposed to do?

Bullying people into what is perceived to be a healthy size when you are more likely to be causing self harm and eating disorders?

 Or leave them to their own devices and let them increase their likelihood of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnoea etc 

If I am honest if you don't know that person it is really any of your business, besides the increased resources it takes to fuel an over weight persons lifestyle but I feel that is too big of a picture for this post,

 you are not fat shaming out of kindness.

If you care for someone with a weight issue then you need to be supportive, ask if they will go to the gym with you, commit to healthier eating together, you could do some do something as simple of starting to go for evening walks.

Having a food addiction or a bad relationship with food is a very difficult thing to face, you can give up smoking or boozing, you don't need those to live but you are going to have to sooner or later eat something.

The next time you see an overweight person try to think about what they might be going through or where they have been.

Maybe they were twice the size last year and worked hard to get to where they are today?

 Maybe they just like cake?

You don't know and it's not down to you to go up to them and tell them they are too fat.

 It is down to their friends, family and health care professionals to air their concerns about their health not yours.

It takes a lot to get started on your fitness journey and hopefully by reading this blog you are taking a good first step.

If you are struggling with your weight please don't be ashamed to go to the gym or to clean up your diet, it's something you should want to do for yourself and be proud that you are making the decision to improve your health and hopefully extend your life.

As the famous quote goes "Take care of your body.It's the only place you have to live."

The Killer Armley Steps

Tucked away in the trees on the way up from the Leeds/Liverpool canal to Armley Park are the respected and feared Killer Armley Steps!

161 steps to conquer, it might not seem a lot reading it but when you are stood at the bottom unable to see the top of then you will probably change your mind!

Thanks to the excellent to the coverage of the trees keeping  you cooler can really push yourself and because the steps are off the beaten path the chances are you will have the steps all to yourself.

Because of the amount of flights of steps you have then you can create a multitude of workouts, adding body weight exercises at every landing, jumping the steps, interval training etc

You are only bound by your creativity.

As far as I know there is a free Sunday afternoon fitness class, check out their facebook page for more pictures, workouts and videos by clicking here

The Armley Steps are not a good place to go at night, it is not well lit so keep your visit to the day light hours.

If you are in the area and want a fitness challenge then give the Armley Steps a go, it's free so you can't really go wrong!

Bananas

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Running Music

I was was asked to write a review on a set of interval  running tracks for Running Music Download.

There are three interval tracks on offer, 3 minute, 4 minute and Pyramid Training.

Each track includes a warm up, the main session and a cool down.

Tracks would not be out of place in a night club so if you live for Saturday night then you should definitely give them a look.

The benefit of having these tracks is that you basically have a personal trainer in your ear, keeping you updated on how long your work and rest periods are.

Although the tracks are running tracks but you can also use them in kettlebell training or circuits.

With interval training you push yourself more and more the fitter you become.
It's one of the best ways to burn fat and get your body summer ready.

The tracks all last around 40 minutes so one track will give you your  entire cardio for the day if that's what you want or you could push yourself by playing the next track!

Check out the tracks for yourself on Spotify:

3 minute interval track.

4 minute interval track.

Pyramid Training

Check out my post on music and exercise.

If you are looking for some motivation to up your cardio game then these tracks will certainly do the job!

Jogging in Armley Park

Armley Park is one the best parks in Leeds that I have been to.

It's a little rough around the edges but don't let that discourage you, it's a great park to go for a run or just to enjoy with your family.
If you are driving there is a small car park at the entrance

 The park has a rugby/ football pitch, cricket pitch, tennis courts, skate park, bowling green, children's play area and even a ping pong table, pretty standard so far.

What makes Armley park stand out for me is the woodland trails that lead from the park right down to the Leeds/Liverpool canal.

Yes you can stick to the flat round route in the park proper but if you are looking to push yourself or training for an event like Tough Mudder then you should definitely go down to the woods today.

The routes take you up and down hill with sets of steps thrown in for good measure, the most gruelling and famous being the 161 killer Armley Steps.

We are due a heat wave so getting beneath all those trees is a great idea to keep you cooler and minimise sun burn.

Don't let the graffiti fool you, Armley Park is one of the cleanest parks I have been to and the wild flowers smelt amazing when I visited in the evening.

I wouldn't recommend going at night time, it's not well lit and sadly I have heard about incidents in the nearby area.

There were so many pictures that I took and wanted to put up but I feel it would over crowd the post so get up there for yourself and check it out!

Detomasa Watches

I was selected to review by Detomasa Watches and I am as always happy to write an honest review.

I was sent the Inchiostro watch, which came in it's own metal tin.

I love the style of the Inchiostro, you can easily get away with wearing it in the gym then head out for drinks without it looking out of place.

The display is clear, bright and tells you exactly what you need to know without all any clutter, this even means I can read the display even without wearing my glasses or contact lens.

There is also a LED light for when the sun goes down.

The  leather strap is very comfortable even though it's a little too big for me.

Having an ectomorphic body type means it is hard to find watches that will fit my wrist, due to this I avoid wearing it when running.

The watch is splash resistant but it won't handle a dip in the pool.

I would say this watch is more about style and simplicity then anything else.

 This is a man's watch not a boy's toy, it will tell you tell you the time and you will look good doing it.

I did have a slight issue with the strapping popping off when I was taking the watch off but it popped straight back in so not a major worry.
This may be a safety feature in the event the strap gets caught on something.

Detmomaso do make sports watches so if you would like to take a look then click here

If you are interested in the Inchiostro then check it out on Amazon here

You can also check Detomaso's instagram here

If you are not used to wearing watches then my top tip is to wear it on the arm you don't use to wipe your bum with!

Crystal One Day Contact Lens

I was selected to review Crystal One Day Contact Lens and I happily accepted the opportunity.

The main reason I was so eager to give these contact lens a go is because I have been burned by contact lens in the past, not literally but a contact slipping round to the back of your eye while on a run isn't going to be ideal!

The lens are a little thicker and bigger than the ones I normally get from my opticians so I was a little worried, in this case bigger doesn't always mean better.

I needn't of worried! 

I got the lens in easy enough and after some slight discomfort, which I have had with every contact I have used in the past to different degrees, I was off!

These lens are absolutely perfect for the gym, I actually forgot I had them in and unlike my glasses can't slip down my nose!

Running in heavy rain was no problem either, running in heavy rain with glasses on is out of the question for me, well until someone invents little lens wipers anyway.

Exercise and Crystal One Day contact lens are perfect together but please remember to stay hydrated.

Not only will your body thank you, your eyes will too.

Dry eyes equals dry contact lens and that is when you will remember you have them in.

I broke a cardinal rule of contact lens and fell asleep in them!

I forgot they were in and off I went to the land of Nod.

Other than thinking Jesus had come to heal me in my sleep they weren't any problems in the morning with taking them out.

Sleep in contacts is never a good idea as it can damage your eyes, if you do end do it then make sure you get hydrated first so the lens are easier to take out.

I the longest amount of time I wore the lens for was 12 hours on the day of the Body Power Expo and other than my eyes being tired I still barely noticed that I had lens in.

I highly recommend these lens to anyone who is sick of glasses holding you back in your fitness goals or just want to try clearer, more comfortable lens, just click the link here

I personally feel glasses do stop me enjoying aspects of my life to their fullest, there are only so many times you can rotate between Harry Potter and Wally for  Halloween.

Sunglasses and goggles are out of the question and I feel they do detract from my appearance, plus I am in the 2% of the population with green eyes and I let the people see them!

To order your contacts you will need an up to date prescription which you will have to go to your opticians for, you should have regular eye check ups anyone and this should give you one more reason to get checked.

2 Week Challenge: Gluten Free

Now that it's a new month I though I would start up my two challenges again, after completing the 2 week Water Challenge and Going Veggie way back in January I thought I'd see how easy it is to go gluten  free!
If you want to read about how gluten can effect your body click here to read my post on it.

Day 1

I failed on my first day!

I thought I was doing really well by dodging my oatso simple porridge which may contain gluten, even though I wanted it, I have chosen the gluten free life so I had some sausage and egg instead.

Later in the day was out and about and  looking for a snack to have, I was in a rush, I panicked!

I grabbed some Mattesson's Fridge raiders without reading the label I inhaled the packet then read that they are not gluten free, I also had fish and chips for my dinner.
 It completely slipped the mind that the fish is battered using flour!

Having been feasting on Top Herd's excellent gluten free jerky range last week I was surprised that Mattessons are not gluten free.

Day ruined.

Tomorrow is a new day so hopefully that will be my only slip up!

Day 2

I am thinking starting this challenge on a bank holiday was a mistake, my cupboards were simply not prepared the effort it takes to find gluten free foods, particularly food on the go.

There just seems to be nothing on offer but bread and pasta
I had to settle for fruit, I could of gone for sushi but my opinion on  sushi is that it would be much nicer if it were cooked!

For my dinner I ventured into my local Asda and had a skeg at there gluten free range.

I picked up some gluten free spaghetti and a pack of Belgium chocolate wafers.

Day 3

Same sort of foods today, fruits, eggs meat and I treated myself to ilumi snack pot, basically a gluten free pot noodle.

For my dinner I went for a nice Tikka Masala, read the post I have written to find out why made me so angry!

Day 4

I gave Perk!er Gluten Free Porridge a whirl today, I ate it because I had paid for it, not because I enjoyed it.

I treated myself to another gluten free scandal in the shape of gluten free chocolate buttons and tried gluten free wraps for my evening meal.


Day 5

I had a chicken wrap for breakfast from the night before and snacked on some Nakd bars along with fruit.
I  tried out Daura, gluten free beer, well it is a Friday after all, I also made use of my Muscle Mousse and made some Muscle Mousse Ice Cream with it!

Day 6

Lots of fruit, yoghurt, chicken and beef, I didn't try anything that was made specifically gluten free.

Day 7

Treated myself to a Magnum seen as the weather was so hot, I was tempted to order a takeaway but soon gave up thanks to the lack of gluten free options so I had Jacket Potatoes instead.

Day 8

Treated myself to some Flourless Pancakes and took myself out to eat which was surprisingly easy as the restaurant had a list of all the menu items that contain gluten.

Day 9

Nothing mind blowing today, I did have salmon, chilli, whole grain rice and peas for my evening meal.

Day 10

Again nothing mind blowing. I used the last of the gluten free spaghetti in my evening meal.

Day 11

Chili con carne for my evening meal with rice and spinach.

Day 12

I went out to eat at the Bridge Water Arms which was surprising easy as they kind showed me there allergen list to help me ensure my meal was gluten free, this information is also on their website, I highly recommend popping in if you are ever in Leeds.

Day 13

Pretty dull day food wise, had chicken, broccoli and sweet potato with far too much garlic for dinner.

Day 14

The day of the Body Power Expo!
Lots of fruit, salad and meats then a pizza at midnight!

I really feel that cutting out gluten made a real difference to how I feel day to day, although the increased energy may be a partially due to the brighter days but I definitely don't feel heavy and sluggish after eating and no horrendous bloating!

I found the hardest part of going gluten free the lack of on the go foods, when you are caught hungry and out in the wild you are very limited in what you can eat, sandwiches, wraps and pasta seem to be the main things on offer, you can get snack food but they are not very satisfying and you can only eat so much fruit.

I will continue to reduce my gluten in my diet, I feel much better without it apart but could do without the supermarket tricksters taking advantage of people leading a gluten free life.


I am taking a week off from a diet challenge because I am attempting a week long cleanse, you'll have to come back at the end of the month to see which kind and how well I do.

Body Power Expo 2016

I have been wanting to hit the Body Power Expo in Birmingham for a few years now and finally bit the bullet and made the 200 round trip journey and it didn't disappoint!

A ticket costs you around £30 for a standard day pass but you need to factor in travel, £12 for parking and the food there is quite expensive although you shop around to find something to meet your budget and dietary requirements.

The Body Power Expo is the biggest in Europe and attracts fitness professions and body builders from all over the world so don't worry about having to acquire a taste for the very regal sounding Brummie accent.

You can meet big names in the fitness industry like Steve Cook and even reality TV stars like Rogan O'Connor who is a body builder in his own right, and they were more than happy to have pictures taken.

 I was a bit too shy though so I didn't get any, but I will next time! 

I did find the Expo quite over whelming, not only am I seeing people who are my "fitspiration" in the flesh and seeing that they are genuinely nice people but also the sheer size of the event, the amount of things to look at, try and the amount of people there.

Customer service varied greatly from company to company with the guys at Quest Nutrition, Muscle Mousse and the many vegan and ethical retailers that were there, which I will revisit in the future.

I am not going to name and shame the companies that didn't really shine for me, it's a 3 day expo and I went on the Sunday so I will cut them some slack but when Rogan is out partying the night before and is still such a funking delight you can all sink some pre work out samples and rock this mother!

There are samples everywhere and surprisingly there were loads that were gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan so you are bound to be able to give something ago.

There are also competitions everywhere and a lot of companies give out free merchandise, hats, tee shirts, pre workout and protein. Maxi gave me a 2.5kg bag of whey protein to get my chops on!

My favourite purchase has to be my Jazz Apples, they are the crunchiest and most delicious apples I have ever tasted.

Body Power also hold there own physique competition and I managed to catch some of the ladies strutting their stuff, it was interesting to see to say the least.

Cap and Tee Shirt haul.

Being on my last day of going gluten free I was worried about what I would be able to eat, luckily I came to Heck, they said they stocked gluten free bread but they had sold out, disaster!

To make up for it they gave me more meat for my salad which I wasn't going to argue with.

There are loads of talks from experts, interviews with fitness models and athletes from across the globe, strength competitions, fights and demonstrations.

There is so much going on it's impossible to describe the magnitude of the experience.

To say the least I will be back again, hopefully in better condition so I don't feel so morbidly obese next to all of the super ripped guys and girls.

If you get the chance to go then take it, you won't regret it.

Matcha Watermelon Tea

I entered Matcha Tea's Summer of Matcha competition to see if I could come up with a drink recipe using the free sample of Matcha that I was sent in the post.

I had the choice between Matcha's original, mint or ginger tea.
I went for the original in the hopes it would broaden my flavour options.

The tea came in a resealable paper envelope along with instructions on how to prepare the tea and a tiny scoop.

The tea it's self was easy enough to prepare.

Fill one third of a your cup  with near boiling water, toss in 2 scoops of Matcha and use a frother to whisk then, I am not fancy enough to own a frother so I used a fork like a peasant!
 Add more water if you fancy it.

On to my recipe.

If you have read my other recipes you will know I like to keep things nice, simple and quick so don't expect anything flashy other wise you will likely be disappointed!

Ingredients:

Water melon chunks.

Matcha Tea.

1 chunk of cantaloupe to jazz up it up a bit.

Boiling water.

Ice.

Method:

Make you tea as per the instructions above, then leave the tea to cool, I put my tea in the fridge to hurry things along.

While your tea is cooling blend your water melon chunks, I bought pre cut water melon.

Strain both your tea and water melon into the glass of your choice.

Add ice and slip your chunk of cantaloupe onto the edge of the glass to make it look a bit more fancy, but only if you want to, I am not the boss of you.

That's it, that's my entry for the Summer of Matcha competition.

I don't think I will win but it is a really refreshing drink, it's quick, easy simple.

 I have also read that water melon juice is set to be very trendy this summer so this might be a good twist and a head start on the next big fruity fad.

Plus if your man is having trouble rising to the occasion, water melon is apparently nature Viagra!

The Matcha on it's own is a really nice tea so if you get the chance you should get some, if only to join the #eatcleantea army with your very own green stripes!

Click here to see their website.

Fats in foods

I have written a post on fats before but I thought I would write another.

We have two types of  Unsaturated fat, mono and polyunsaturated which are thought of as the good fats.

We also have Saturated fats, makes sense so far.

Then we have Trans Fats, think of them as that weird uncle who is a touch too creepy but insists on turning up to every family event.

Monounsaturated Fats:

The two best known sources of this fat is from avocado and olive oil.

Polyunsaturated Fats:

The most wide known polyunstaturated fat is Omega 3, which can be found in fish like sardines and salmon.

Saturated Fats:

They tend to be in the most delicious of foods such as dairy and meat.

Trans Fats:

These fats are man made and have no business being in your body.
Like that creepy Uncle at the Christmas gathering your body finds it incredibly hard to remove trans fats completely.

Heavily processed foods like microwavable meals tend to have these be on the look out, they may also go under the name hydrogenated fats the sneaky basts!

If you are trying to shed some extra timber from that long winter that reducing fat in your diet is one of the best ways to do it.

1g of fat is worth more than double the calories of 1g of carbohydrates or 1g of protein.

This is one of the reasons a vegan lifestyle can help keep you lean.

I hope this has been helpful.

What are Antioxidants?

Every faddy super food is apparently jammed packed full of them and you get told they are good for you but what are antioxidants?

You have cells in your body and sometimes they go wild and become free radicals.

Free radicals are bad news, they go around damaging other cells and can potentially lead to cancer.

But never fear antioxidants are here!
Hip hip hoorah!

Antioxidants destroy free radicals.

Vitamins like A, C and E are  antioxidants and vitamins but that doesn't mean that all vitamins qualify for this dual status.

You can get antioxidants from the food you eat with some the of best being most berries, dark leafy vegetables,  fish, potatoes and nuts.

Green and white tea are notorious for being full of antioxidants and partly why smoothies are so popular.

Check out Dundedin Tea and pick up a charming Manatea to defuse your leaves.

When out shopping think of a rainbow food, different colours give you different antioxidants, beige is not in the rainbow so chips, pasties and pies do not count you cheeky scamp.

Onion

They might make you cry but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be getting them in your belly.

Onions contain vitamins A, C, E and B6.

Lower blood pressure/ thin blood, more so in red onions.

Has Potassium, iron, sulphur calcium and fibre.

Has antiviral, antibacterial  and anticancer properties

Onions are best eaten raw.
Yes I know you were thinking of frying them up to slather your hot dogs in, sorry to disappoint!
I like to use red onion in salads.

To stop your tears when preparing you onions by either chilling them before hand.

You can also keep water nearby so the the sulphur with be attracted to the water in the glass next to you rather than head for the water in your eyes.

But which onion is better for you?

Brown onions have more fibre but if you are favour an onions anticancer properties rather than forming a decent poo then always pick the red ones.

A fun fact for you!

I once ate an entire raw onion, it burnt the inside of my mouth for 4 days but I did win a shot for my trouble!

Shockwaves Ultra Strong Power Hold Spray Gel.

My search for a product that will tame my head and survive the gym continues.

After giving L'oreal's fibre putty a go I thought I would change tactic and brand and give Shockwaves a try.

Other than the name of the name sounding like an attack in some sort of cheesy anime I was drawn towards Shockwaves because although it is technically a hair gel it comes in a spray form.

On dry or damp hair give your hair a good spritz with the gel and style it how ever you like then off you go into the wide world.

The spray does have a smell to it but it fades fast.

The best thing about using a spray is that you don't end up with excess product all over your paws.

I headed out to the gym and since it's a mile away I decided to run it in the drizzle and my hair pretty much survived.

Next was my workout.

I had a warm up, followed by a full body workout which included 70 press ups as part of my 30 day press up challenge and finished it off with tabata training on a rower.

My hair was pretty much the same as when I walked in, I used to find someone who can teach me how to style my hair properly.


Shockwaves have done a cracking job holding up to the abuse rain and sweat give hair products, I will definitely being buying some more when my current bottle runs out.

What I HATE about the gym.

There are loads of things that annoy me about the gym but I am only to try and limit this post to just 11 just because everyone sticks to just 10.

Personal Trainers:

There are some really amazing personal trainers out there but they are so hard to find.

I constantly see personal trainers being too busy texting on their phones, taking selfies,  and eating to notice dangerous technique or boost their clients effort. 

They are your employee if they are not giving you their full attention then don't give them their full hourly rate!

Hygiene:

If anyone didn't get the memo using deodorant, soap and washing your gym gear has been a pretty widely accepted practise for a while a now, so you know jump on that band waggon.

Loud Grunting:

I will admit grunting does help push yourself more but when you make such a noise I think a pig is being penetrated by an elephant then you should probably turn it down a notch.

Have a go personal trainers:

Stick to your own workout and leave me the funk alone. Yes it's great that you  friendly but if I wanted or needed your advise I would probably consult someone in the profession.

Broken Equipment:

Yes things break and you can't expect Harry Potter to stop all that Leviosa business to fix them in an instant.

However when the same bench has being broken week on week my understanding does fade.

A messy weights room: 

If you play with it them put it back! 

I am sure that has been drilled into most people in their childhood, please remember this important life lesson when you join the gym.

Bad customer service:

I am not asking staff members to bow down and worship the ground I walk on as I pass, although maybe they should, I mean I write a blog and that makes me a big deal ;)

A polite smile, some eye, contact a hello and to deal with complaints in a professional manner is all that I ask.

A dirty gym:

A clean gym is a happy gym, I don't think there is much worse then sitting on a bench then having to sit back up again, your back damp from some other person's sweat or doing a press up and bring your face within a cm of a stranger's spit!

Yes the members should be considerate of each other but news flash they are not.

Either police your members or hire some to one to give the gym floor some TLC.

Posers:

People that are just at the gym so they can up date their instagram, full make up, perfect hair and pristine gym gear that looks like it has never known the touch of sweat.

Group workouts:

Don't worry I am not going to say anything bad about you Zumba ladies or you Saturday morning spinners!

The group workouts I am on about are the 4 lads that read a Men's Health workout and are not going to spend the next hour monopolising equipment and leaving their stink everywhere.

Terrible Music:

I love Lana Del Rey as much as the next person but she doesn't exactly get me pumped!

We can't all remember our MP3s or Ipods every time but when you do you will regret it almost immediately.