Muffin Topless Challenge Update

I might have possibly maybe definitely gone a bit mental this weekend with the food intake and eaten half my weight in pies, biscuits, rocky road slices and chocolate covered ginger bites AND not gone to the gym for my leg day buuuut on the plus side I walked/Geocached 12 miles of the lovely Sussex countryside which almost makes up for it, right?! RIGHT?!

So apart from this two day long slip up I've had a really good week of food and exercise which included the following:

Monday - Body Pump class
Tuesday - 4 mile run with the girls from work
Wednesday - MTL Fall Challenge (scissor jumps, burpees and wall sits - ouch!)
Thursday - Mini cardio session and Body Balance class
Friday - Mini cardio session and chest workout

The challenge has been going really well and I'm still loving it but I'm a tad worried that it'll get little more tricky next week once my choco-sugar-crap-food-aholic boyfriend gets back from his American travels with SWEETS (secretly looking forward to the treats as much as seeing him again)!  Oh God this is going to be interesting!

If you fancy being nosey, feel free to keep up with how we are doing on our Instagram page!

CP x

MTL Fall Challenge

Since our last post I have fallen off/been off the wagon and nowhere near the wagon for a while. It was nice to enjoy some (lots) of naughty things and not go to the gym after work so I could go home and watch several episodes of Breaking Bad but now I'm back with a vengeance! Savannah from Muffin Topless has created a FREE Fall Challenge which I was so excited to start last week.

What is great about this challenge is that for those of us who are new to eating healthy AND working out/lifting, there isn't a strict meal plan which means one less thing to have to work on. The main thing she says to focus on food-wise is to eat in moderation (ie not eating an entire tub of Ben & Jerrys in one go which is very hard to do) and also have some sort of protein with every meal. Alsooo there is a cute calendar she has created which gives you a task/challenge for every day in the month of October as well as an exercise plan which doesn't seem too overwhelming. I think the reason I am enjoying it so much is that it gives you something different to focus on every day which means you don't get bored.

So far I'm one week in have been charting my progress via our HealthAndLurking instagram page using the hashtag #MTLFallChallenge which is also great because I can have a cheeky stalk of everyone else's progress too so I don't feel like a total loner!

I'll be doing a blog post at the end of every week on how the Fall Challenge is going. It's never too late to join me!

CP xxx

Time to get back on the wagon!

After being on holiday and not having a day to day routine I have found it so hard to stay on top of eating healthily and doing exercise. My meal prep has gone to pot as I am away a lot at the weekends and find it hard to come back late and meal prep. This has meant that instead of eating my prepared snacks I will skip them, wait for lunch and then eat the world because I am hungry and have nothing ready! Once I get into a bad routine I find it so difficult to get back into a good one and swear I get really addicted to anything containing sugar and crave it forever! Other people are satisfied with just 1 or 2 bites of chocolate.... with me, if a packet is open, it WILL be finished all in one go and then I will crave more for the rest of the day, so it is actually easier not to have it at all! (I think I have a problem.)

Back from my mini holiday holiday of eating anything and everything: 3 course meals, mountains of bread, hot chocolates galore, crispy kreme' s, Rocky roads and basically anything that is even slightly chocolatey, I have decided enough is enough! I feel a lot more wobbly especially in the thigh arena which is not the look I'm going for and my skin is terrible and feels like all the sugar is exploding out of my face. So I am going on a sugar detox and not eating any processed food, so chocolate and a lot of other food is out! As I have an actual chocolate addiction this is going to be very hard! I've done it once before and managed to not eat ANY chocolate for over a month and after the initial cravings for the first week or so it was surprisingly easy and the more I didn't have it, the less I wanted it!

This is where the boyfriend comes in handy where I force him to shout at me and make me feel guilty if he sees me with any sugar related items! However, this will ultimately end in an argument with me saying things like 'leave me alone', 'stop interferring', 'why do you think I'm fat?' and 'I just need a little bit today, goddd, why don't you understand me!' It's going to be fun for him...

So as of today, its back  to the gym and running and the aim is to get back in the jeans as they are a tad on the tight side! Once I get into a routine I start to feel good again and it gets a lot easier. These things will help me get back on track:

1) Don't skip breakfast
2) Meal prep
3) Gym
4) Cut out the artificial sugar
5) Don't forget to drink water and green tea
6) Have a goal

So these are out.....













and these are in.....










Although I have massively fallen off the wagon, I don't necessarily think it is completely a bad thing as it makes me more motivated when I get back on it and it is also nice to relax a little and enjoy all the naughty foods you know you are not supposed to have. Also, as my life basically revolves around going out to eat and food related activities, I and my friends would find me extremely boring if I refused to do these things or only ate a plate of salad every time we went out. I would like to have a six pack and no wobble on my legs but my social life is also very important and I am not willing to sacrifice the fun to get these things, so I'll settle with eating well when I'm at home and exercising, but also enjoying myself and not worrying about things when I'm out with my friends. If this means I will never get a 6 pack, then so be it, I'll settle with feeling healthy the majority of the time and not being obese!

CW

Our Top 10 Favourite Yummy-And-Good-For-You Snacks!

We both have loads of yummy snacks we love, so we thought we would compile them into a list!

Our top 10 tried and tested, which we have usually between breakfast and lunch and then lunch and dinner.


1. Fruity Protein Bars. 
The absolute fave. Try not to eat them all at once. 
1/2 cup almond butter, 1/2 cup of honey, 2 scoops protein powder (I use choc). 1 1/4 ish cups of oats, half cup of dried apricots, cranberries and sliced almonds. Mix altogether, sprinkle a few mixed seeds in and put in a baking tray and squish down with a fork, put in fridge until a bit set. Wrap them up individually in foil and keep in fridge. Usually makes about 12.

2. Apple Slices with Almond Butter. 
Easy to prepare and tastes sooo good: 
Yum yum.

3. Protein Powder Peanut Butter Balls. 
Very Moreish!
Makes about 12. 2 cups almond butter, 2 scoops of protein powder (again I use choc,) 2 ripe bananas mashed, 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds. Makes walnut sized balls, place in container, put in fridge, wrap individually once a bit set.

4. Graze Box
This is a bit cheating but you don't have to prepare them and they are delicious. Order a graze box,  it's relatively cheap and you have 4 snacks prepared for you straight away! Our favourites are flapjack, chocolate pudding, and chocolate brownie.

5. Turkey Muffins

Don’t forget, like I did, that they are meat based and not just muffins and leave them out of the fridge for days.... Go to eat one and find it’s extremely sweaty and nearly makes you sick... Results in a lot of wasted muffins. Woopps.

I left out chipotle pepper spice (I had no clue what it was)

Celery (I didn’t have any and don’t like it)

Added 1 tsp of mustard for extra flavour.

Also will get you boyfriend points (if you don’t give them gone off ones...)

6. Tone It Up Protein Bars
So yummy and a good way to use protein powder other than having a shake.
(see post on top 5 ways to use protein powder)

7. Greek Yoghurt Pancakes

Make lots, eat cold.

Add honey/almond butter/fruit/nutella for extra yuminess.

8. Greek Yoghurt with Honey and Fruit
(I like strawberries best) - so simple but very delicious.

9. Frozen Nutty Banana Nibblers
These are AMAZING. Such a good snack and one serving allows 7 which is actually really generous and you feel very satisfied afterwards. However I didn't put the 2 halves on top of each other, I kept them separate and topped them all with the mixture.

10. Cottage Cheese with Pepper and Cucumber or Reduced Fat Hummus with Cucumber and Grapes. 
I've tried a couple of different cottage cheeses and found that the plain one is definitely the best, but there are a few to try out there if you don't like one, don't be put off!

If all else fails and you don’t like any of those, then these really-not-good-for-you-but-so-good-and-ok-for-a-treat cookies are THE best cookies in the world. Loads of people have said so. Got the recipe from Tanya Burr (beauty you tuber/blogger/lots of other things. Check her out). She got it from Anna's cookie blog post and Anna got the recipe from here (I def can’t get sued.)  Just don’t eat them all at once.... you may be sick and will definitely get fat. Makes 12...

• 200g unsalted butter.

• 300g caster sugar

• 1 large egg (protein... they must be quite good for you then.....!)

• 275g self raising flour

• 75g cocoa powder

• 2 big bars of chocolate (one milk, one white, or whatever you like best)

• Splash of milk if mixture too dry.

Put the butter in a bowl and mix to make soft. Mix in the sugar until creamy.Crack the egg and mix that in. Throw in the dry ingredients. If dry add few drops of milk. Line 2 baking trays. Scoop mix into 12ish balls (about a handful). Place far apart on tray 200 degrees centigrade in the oven for only 10 mins.... they will look super sloppy but after half an hour will be at the perfect consistency to eat! I suggest inviting some friends round as soon as you get them out of the oven, or there is a massive chance you may devour them all in one go.

CW. CP. x

Meal prep and delicious food

After preparing my meals last night for today, I was so excited to get out of bed so the fun could begin! Knowing that it is all goodness I would be putting in my body makes me even more excited!!!

Meal1: 2 hard boiled eggs with soya and Lin seed toast. M2: low fat Greek yoghurt with flax seed and mixed nuts. M3: Cous Cous, broccoli and cottage cheese (not yet on it!) M4: apple and almond butter. I am then planning on going for a run and not sure what tea is as going to the boyfriends parents! But if it is carb heavy ill just have a small portion and won't feel bad as I know I've done my exercise today.

So not only was I prepared, I was excited about getting out of bed this morning due to the yuminess and that hardly ever happens so a double whammy! Fail to prepare and you're preparing to fail! (I think that's how it goes...)

Cw x 

My experience of the introductory session at the gym & a yummy summer salad recipe

After pretending to know what I'm doing when it comes to free weights for a while now, I finally decided to do an Intro session at my gym! This was offered free of charge when I first joined but I felt like I didn't need it / couldn't be bothered to book it. The trainer I spoke to was really nice and I didn't feel nearly as embarrassed as I thought I would! Plus I really needed to go to the gym after creating what we thought was a healthy smoothie for breakfast but ended up being over 800 CALORIES!!!!!!!

Goals
The first thing he asked was what were my goals and I said 'to tone up my arms and stomach' (classic girls response). Of course he said I have to have a good diet and do cardio for the second of those areas and never to do a crunch again! YAY to the crunch ban! 

Arms

• Tricep extensions - 3 sets of 10 reps
• Bicel curl - 3 sets of 10 reps
• Arm press - 3 sets of 10 reps
• Kickbacks - 3 sets of 10 reps
• Hammer curls - 3 sets of 10 reps

Resting for about 45 seconds between sets

Abs

• Leg raises - 3 sets of 12 reps - I HATE these!! They burn so bad and you look a bit of a nutter doing them.
• Spidermans - 4 sest of 10 on each leg - imagine climbing up a wall like spiderman.. but on the floor... with less grace
• Russian twists - 4 sets of 45 seconds - I did like these before doing them for 45 seconds non-stop. Now they are not my friend.

Again resting for about 45 seconds between sets

Cardio
Since I am so lazy when it comes to the gym (I'm talking 15mins on a bike and that's it), he suggested classes which suits me! I like to go to classes because once you are in there, it's hard to sneak out without looking like a quitter or a lazy fart!!

• Tuesday - Body Attack
• Thursday - Spin

I also play stoolball every Monday and Wednesday AND he knew what it was. No one knows what stoolball is!!

Diet
He was impressed with the use of almond milk but said I should stop eating so much M&S Guilt Free Sweet and Salt Popcorn. That stuff is so flipping good I usually have more than one bag a day and then end up defeating the object of them being in low calorie bags! He said that I need fat in my diet to lose weight (what?!) and suggested snacking on almonds instead. 

Overall I'm really glad I went to the session and now feel like I know what I should be doing when I go to the gym rather than wondering round aimlessly half the time!

To reward myself I had one of my favourite dinners:

Italian Mozerella Salad
Be Good To Yourself Mozerella
Baby leaf spinach
Organic tomato
Cucumber
Green pesto

For pudding we had home grown strawberries from our garden with a cheeky bit of sugar (my boyfriend put this on before I could stop him)!

---

CP x

Crave Graze!

I love a good graze box!

Who wouldn't want 4 different yummy snacks, pop excitingly through your door for a much better price than you could get at a shop and not feel bad about eating them?!

The website is exciting and you can set your account so you get weekly boxes/fortnightly/whenever you want them boxes! It allows you to tick the snacks that you liked, loved, want to bin and want to try and there are a whole range of food types to choose from, including choosing dietary requirements for the more sensitive among us!

It also comes with a little booklet that tells you the nutritional values of all of your snacks and gives advice on the website for the healthiest snacks to choose! ---->

Even better, when you receive a box, you usually get 4 'feed your friends free graze box' to give to your friends (surprisingly) and you get £1 off your box, and considering the box was only £3.89 (including delivery) in the first place, it is not bad at all! You can also send these boxes to your friend (who wouldn't like food for a present?) Or set it up so you can buy someone 10, or however many boxes you want, pre paid, so they just choose what they want and when they want it, for free! Perfect for your health concious friends!

Best of all, all the snacks are relatively healthy and extremely yummy and because they are quite small you can eat it all but feel satisfied you have had your sweet/chocolate/whatever you crave fix that day!

Basically, go and check out their website (or be sneaky and try and get a free voucher from your friend!) Whichever way, it's delicious and definitely worth the money! Go go go! (I definitely just ate a punnet... or two, whilst typing this.)

In my box - sticky chocolate pudding (just devoured), marvellous macaroon, copacabana and brilliant black forest.

You can even use this code to receive your first box free plus you can cancel this yummy subscription at any time!

http://www.graze.com/uk/p/K311ZRQ

Yoghurt pancakes please!

I forgot how yummy these were. Felt like an afternoon snack. Only 4 ingredients, really easy and very delicious. Found these on pinterest http://pinterest.com/source/everydaybelle.com/ I had honey on mine and was amazing, I would have had banana too, but had already had one today. I would suggest making half of the mixture if it is only for one person, but I have made the remainder and will eat it cold as a snack:

• 1 egg
• 6oz fat free greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cup of plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Mix egg and yoghurt, (will be a bit lumpy), add dry ingredients, now it will be really thick. Put some in a frying pan with some spray, heat on medium/high. Cook like a pancake.

CW. x

Hangover hell or as fresh as.... fennel (?!)

So... the ‘minimise hangover’ techniques have been tried and tested at a fancy dress party last night... I did almost all of the things I said, however I didn't have toast when I got back in, as I had had a massive hog roast not long before and wasn't hungry/didn't want to add more calories to the already millions I had consumed through liquid and pig.

This morning, I had to wake up at 8 to let the dog out and feed the hens (house sitting for the parentals) and didn't go to sleep until 3, therefore only had 5 hours sleep.  I think the main factor that contributes to a hangover is lack of sleep and because I have not had a lot I still feel realllly tired/a bit hungover. But I do think all the things I tried helped me not to feel as bad this morning and I can still function which is always a plus, as it means I can now go and enjoy a delicious beanie burger at Nandos. Yum. I also had a delicious breakfast of eggs on toast and PB and banana smoothie which def soaked up some excess alcohol.

In conclusion: The tips and tricks did help to lessen the hangover, but unless you get a really good night’s sleep you are always going to feel a bit rubbish the next day. So make sure you get those extra zzzzz’s.

CW. x

Refreshing green smoothie and a bit of meal prep

After have a little (massive) slip up food-wise at the weekend, I think both CW and I dropped the ball a bit with our food planning, prepping and eating. Normally we would plan our food for the week on a Sunday but that defo did not happen since we were both hungover messes!
It's been a bit more of a struggle without everything ready to eat with work during the week but I caught up this evening and somehow created a yummy green smoothie that is really refreshing and filling too! Although I may have drunk a bit too much and now I feel sick...

Berry Nice Green Smoothie (see what I did there?)
I didn't use any measuring apparatus since I am a lazy fart so everything is approximated:


1 big handful of spinach
6 inch piece of cucumber
3 satsumas
1 large glug of almond milk
4 small strawberries
1 small handful of blueberries
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds

You could probably add some kale into this smoothie to make it even greener. I decided not to since I've one off kale following a bad smoothie that tasted like cumin when I didn't clean my blender out properly (whoops)!

Here are a couple of shots of the meal prep I managed to do this evening too

Chicken | cucumber and bell pepper / spinach and red pepper | baked sweet potato

Greek yogurt, strawberry, blueberry, cinnamon and flaxseeds | Berry nice green smoothie

I love the feeling of finishing off my meal prep for the week and that I don't need to think about cooking for a few days! Yay! I have been watching meal prep videos on YouTube and for some reason they are mesmerizing! I ended up watching about 5 of them back to back in bed last night at 11pm... I need a life! You can get some really good tips from them on shortening the amount of time you have to spend fannying around in the kitchen which is always a bonus!

----

CP

Amazing peanut butter protein powder bar!

As we are always on the hunt for new, yummy things, I have just discovered this absolutely amazing protein bar! It was from pinterest http://pinterest.com/pin/514325219915290144/ I think it has rivalled the tone it up protein bar!
It is so nice I'm not sure I can control myself and may end up eating the whole thing in one go, which would not be clever! I changed it slightly from the recipe I found and added in some protein powder:

mix together...

• 1/2 cup of  almond butter/peanut butter

  

  There was a bit more than that but I got excited and ate some!

• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1 1/4 cups of oats
• 2 scoops of protein powder (I used chocolate)
• Half a cup (ish) of chopped up dried apricots, dried cranberries and sliced almonds
• sprinkle until it looks enough - mixed seeds (I used sunflower, pumpkin and pine in a mixed packet I had lurking around.)

Line a tin with baking paper, it doesn't really matter what size tin as the mixture is stiff and won't run. Push it down with a fork or whatever, and put in fridge until you can't wait any longer! OHM. 

CW x

Breakfast Bonanza!

Sometimes it’s hard to begin the day eating well because you just can’t think of different things to have, so you end up having the same sugary cereals every day. CP and I have put together some breakfast options that we often have. We try to change what we have most days so we still get excited about getting out of bed (the only reason to get out of bed...food!)

Breakfast

• 2 boiled eggs on soya and linseed toast (or poached or scrambled, hard boiled is the best though). I also like to have marmite on my toast underneath the egg that I squish on... try it, it’s amaze.
• Overnight porridge (www.laurenconrad.com ) I like to add sliced almonds and dried cranberries on mine. Also sometimes if I’m feeling a bit crazy, almond butter mixed in too.
• Overnight chocolate porridge www.greatist.com (similar but with chocolate protein powder mixed in.)
• Granola, low fat greek yoghurt, fruit and flax seeds.
• Smoothie (see top 5 smoothies post...... http://healthandlurking.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/top-5-super-scrumptious-sexy-sometimes.html )
• Quinoa breakfast (I can’t remember where I got it from so sorry internet person that will be angry I stole their recipe):
• ½ a cup of cooked quinoa
• 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds
•  ¼ cup of raisins
• ½ banana mashed
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 cup almond  milk
•  1 table spoon maple syrup

• Almond butter on soya and linseed toast.
• Omelette, spinach, ham, mushroom, anything you can find.
• Yoghurt pancakes (from pinterest.) Makes 4 big/8small. Mix altogether, fry like pancake (surprisingly..)
• 6oz greek yoghurt (low fat)
• 1 egg
•   ½ cup of flour
•  1 tsp baking powder

• Chocolate peanut butter protein shake and hard boiled egg (separately...)  from www.muffintopless.com           
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 table spoon almond butter
• 1-2 stevia packets... (Think this is weird American uncalorifc sugar... That’s what I decided anyway so randomly added a bit of truvia (sounds the same so....)
•  4 ice cubes.

Also, my minimising hangover strategies did not take place this weekend for many reasons, so I’ll definitely do it this weekend on my next fancy dress outing... and hope it helps... watch this space.

Lunch and dinner options coming soon.....

CW. x

Websites and apps that will make you feel healthier before you even get off the sofa!

CW and I like to think of ourselves as professional browsers of the Internet. I would say we normally spend 2 hours a night during the week and most of our weekends perusing for anything healthy/funny/nice looking on various sites and apps. I find that even looking at healthy recipes and workouts make me feel better before I even try them out which is probably why I spend a little too much time on the Internet in my PJs! Here is a couple of the wonderful places that we have found:

Muffin Topless
This girl is truly inspiring and positive and has a wealth of info on workouts and recipes that CW and I base our meals plans on! Just look at her body for goodness sake!!!

Lauren Conrad
If you are a girl (or sneaky man) in her twenties, you have more than likely seen Laguna Beach/The Hills you will know who Lauren is/want her life/want to look like/be her. This website is great for lots of different topics including many a creative healthy recipe and workout.

BodyBuilding.com
If you need to know how to perform a move at the gym before getting there and looking like a bit of an idiot like some of us have done/continue to do, then this is the website to go to. They have a video for every move you could want to do at the gym with men AND women showing you how it's done! There is also a motivation/transformation section which I love and who doesn't love a good transformation picture?!

Fit Sugar
More recipe and workout ideas than you will know what to do with! I think this is where I got my very first circuit set from and I always see this website pop up on Pinterest which is where I originally discovered it.

Tone It Up
CW and I have used this website for smoothie, protein shake and protein pancake ideas. There is an option to pay for the full plan but if you are Scrooges with your money like us, you can sign up using just your email address and get the free bits! Winner!

The Gracious Pantry
If you are trying to eat clean then this website is great for recipe ideas! I LOVE her 4 bean chili which is quick to make and is sooo yum! She has a whole section on getting started with eating clean if you are a total newbie too!

The JEFIT app
Don't be scared by all the mention of body building (unless that is the look you are going for then yay!). There is a free version (hurrah!) of this which I am using at the moment to do my non-cardio workout stuff. It has preset plans you can download and use, it tells you when your rest time is up, stores stats on your progress and so much more!


With most of these websites, you can plug your email address in and then you will receive the latest posts straight to your inbox which is great for the lazy among us! 

I'm sure this list will continue to grow and I've probably forgotten a bunch of stuff but at least this is a start! Let us know if you have any other sites or apps that you enjoy using so we can share the love and give each other even more excuses to browse the web!

---

CP x

Never get another horrific hangover ever again.... hopefully!

Lately, I have not been going out drinking much, this is because I have been really busy, but also because I actually cannot take the hangovers any more. Since I turned the grand old age of 25, I swear they have got a thousand times worse and I literally cannot move or function the next day, whether I have one drink or ten. 

This does not amuse me, as I do love a drunken night out. (I know to be really healthy you are supposed to cut alcohol out completely, but that is nearly impossible and also quite boring, as your non health concious friends will tell you.) I also have the problem where I can’t dance sober, (I can’t dance drunk either, but I think I can at the time and don’t care if people think I look like a deranged monkey) so I actually have to get drunk if I know we are ending up in a club.

So, I have put together all the things CP and I have heard about minimising hangovers and am on a mission to be able to get out of bed the day after a night out and not spend it in bed feeling so ill we never want to drink again. We are going to try EVERYTHING on this list and see what happens... it HAS to make us feel better than the state we seem to be finding ourselves in the next morning! If not, then all these people/ things we heard these tips from are big liars and obviously are just lucky and don’t get hangovers.

Before the night out:

• Drink loads of water that day so you are not dehydrated before the night even starts.
• Eat a good meal. Some people have said to eat greasy food before going out, but I have also heard a different approach would be to eat some healthy foods, like protein rich oily fish with veg such as broccoli, as that is liver detoxifying apparently.  As eating greasy food has clearly never worked for me, I might as well try and take the healthy route.
• Take vitamin tablets as drinking depletes vitamins and nutrients. Fight back.
• This is one we think will help just because we love it and it feels so good and surely can’t do any damage: have a green smoothie (see post on smoothies... http://healthandlurking.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/top-5-super-scrumptious-sexy-sometimes.html )
• Have a glass of milk as it lines the stomach.

During night out:

• Drink:  clear alcohol, like vodka, which is also low (ish) in calories. Don’t mix your drinks, (especially not red wine with WKD because that was the only thing available... it does NOT end well!) Drink with soda water to minimise calorie consumption too. (Or if that is too gross, diet coke).
• Every single drink you have, drink a glass of water before the next alcoholic one. I think as well as helping you not get so horrifically drunk, it might also trick you into feeling too full to drink any more  and thus preventing vomiting and more mental dancing.
• Stop when you are satisfactorily drunk. (May need to designate a helper to tell you when to stop... Boyfriends are good for this, as you can scream at them ‘I’m not drunkkkk, you’re trying to ruin my fun, you’re way more drunk than me anyway. Shut up. I hate you!’ rants.) Don’t keep drinking because you think the effects (affects?!) are wearing off and you don’t want to become ‘sober’ before the night ends and have to dance.

Straight after night out:

• Apparently drinking lucozade as well as drinking more water when you get in is good as it replaces all the electrolytes you have lost... not really sure what this means, but it sounds good.
• Eat something a bit stodge but not greasy and bad for you, like toast and marmite or toast and honey. (Replaces the sugar.)
• Sleep loads!!! Sometimes when I haven’t even been drinking but am really tired, I feel hungover so that definitely adds to the horrific feeling.

Morning after:

• I, like most people (I hope) crave stodgy carbs allll day and stuff my face because I’m hungover and feel gross anyway so I might as well get fat. But apparently eating greasy stodgy food is not the answer and you should eat toast again with either marmite/honey or an egg (probably poached or scrambled so it’s not fatty) and a banana as it is full of potassium: another thing alcohol has stolen from you.
• Also eat Fruit and veg to replace minerals.
• Drink more water to rehydrate.

Soooooo, these are ALL of the things we are going to try before, during and after our night out this Saturday and we will update with how bad our hangovers were/hopefully were not. 

CW. x 

30 day challenge!

CP and I are always on the look out for new things to try and we have heard about both of these: 30 day plank challenge and 30 day squat challenge, so thought why not kill 2 birds with one stone and get amazing abs and toned thighs all at the same time! Or try and probably fail as it does look quite hard and at the moment I practically die after 50 squats which is only day1.... Hmmm this could be interesting.

Why not give it a go with us and we can all not be able to walk or move in 30 days time! But who cares, because we will all look amazing!

CW. x

Top 5 Super Scrumptious Sexy (sometimes smelly) Smoothies

I LOVE a smoothie.  Especially in the morning as it is easy to take with you, which means more time in bed.  I always get 10 minutes extra on a smoothie morning, which is definitely worth it.... They are always packed with loads of fruit and/or veg which means you don't have to worry as much about getting your 5 a day as most of them are probably in your smoothie.

CP and I have tried a few and find that the recipe often makes 2 and then because it’s so yummy we often drink all of it, which I don’t think you’re supposed to do... So I halve the recipes so I can’t drink the world in smoothie. Also, depending on how thick/sloppy etc you like it, I always make it how it says then work out what I can do next time to make it nicer, eg add a few more oats for a more oaty/thicker texture. (Don’t forget to write it down otherwise you will probably forget, if you have a fish brain like me).

1. Almond Butter Smoothie (This is for 1glass)

Half a banana

3 ice cubes

74 mls (my stupid measuring jug is in US fluid ounces.... bought by my mum... I bet it was the cheapest. If it is, 2.5 US fluid ounces)

2 desert spoons of low fat greek yoghurt

About ½ cup of oats (I just pour it out of the packet until it looks right... not sure how accurate that is..)

Squirt of honey for sweetness

Half a table spoon of almond butter (myrotein.com)

Shove it all in and blend. Yum. It is also quite filling which is pleasing.

2. Kale and Spinach Smoothie.

It sounds disgusting but it is sooooo delicious! You can literally hardly even taste the veg, but it looks good because it’s green and is reallllly refreshing. If you are going out that night, have one. It’s so good for you it will practically counteract the alcohol...

Again this is for 1 glass:

1 cup of spinach

1 and a half cups of kale

½ cup strawberries (I use frozen ones so you can keep them for ages in the freezer)

½ cup of orange juice (I use Tropicana... maybe use an actual orange if you want to be super healthy)

½ cup of low fat greek yog.

I cup of ice.

I cut the stalks off the kale as you don’t want gross stalky bits floating around in your mouth.

3. Apple and Cinnamon Smoothie

(from pinterest, see post below...)

This is really delicious, think it may be CP’s fave.

4. Get Well Smoothie (www.toneitup.com)

Another one of CP’s favourite.

4 clementines

1 banana

1 cup of spinach

1 cup of kale (think CP leaves the kale out)

1/3 cup almond milk.

Similar to the other one (which I prefer).

5. Banana and Strawberry (Bawberry... Strawbana...) Smoothie

This one is from laurenconrad.com

Quite sweet and very fruity.

Half cup of ice (I use 3 ice cubes...)

½ cup of frozen strawberries

½ cup low fat greek yog

1 banana

½ cup oats

1 table spoon honey.

NB If there is a p missed out in any words it is because my silly computer has decided to not like the p key today...

Go and try a different one every day!

CW.

Trying out things we have liked on Pinterest

Pinterest is a great way to waste an hour or five but I've found that I just end up pinning things and not actually doing anything with them. Yesterday I decided to try a few of these out! 

Kelsey Byers Workouts

I cannot stop staring at this girls face. It is amazing. This obviously made me want to copy her in any way I could so I tried out her shoulders and abs workout yesterday. The shoulder exercises went OK but I think I should have used a heavier weight than 2kg (hey, it was a Saturday morning!). The abs bit however was horrific (in a good way) and I really felt a burn.

Apple and cinammon smoothie

This was SO nice! I added some of my True Diet chocolate flavour protein powder to this which went really well. The almonds in this recipe basically remained whole at the bottom of my blender because it is so rubbish! The recipe makes a pretty big portion so I split it into two and finished it off later.

Protein Pancakes

This was a really easy recipe and only took 5 minutes to make. I ended up making one huge brown pancake since the only protein powder I had was chocolate flavour. I topped it with some honey and blueberries which was really nice. 

This makes for a great weekend breakfast but next time I will make a couple of smaller pancakes rather than one monster one! 

Both CW and I like to stick to what we know, especially when it comes to food, but I would say that testing out these new recipes and the workout was a success! 

Get out of your comfort zone and try something new today!

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CP

Top 5 ways to use up protein- powder- you –thought- you –liked- but -were -tricked -into -buying –and- actually -don’t- like -and –have- a- 1.8kg- tub - to -get-rid –of- somehow. / Other ways of using it than having a shake.

1. Protein powder peanut butter balls. (I used almond butter).

Omg these are the best things I’ve ever had which is why they have pushed their way to the no. 1 spot. I had to try so hard not to eat them all whilst I was making them and then whilst I was wrapping them up! They took about 10 mins to make, no cooking, then I just put them in the fridge to set a bit otherwise they r a bit sloppy. They don’t look very appetising (see picture..), but I promise you they are soooo moreish! Just try not to eat them all at once; otherwise I fear it defeats the object. I also made the balls smaller than what the recipe had said (and then you don’t feel bad if you accidently eat most of them, because as they are so small you tell yourself ‘it’s definately ok’)!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=866243

2. Tone it up protein bars.

These were number 1 until peanut butter balls came along. They are so delicious and full of sliced almonds and dried apricots. I always look forward to this snack! I make a batch and then wrap them up in foil and they last about 2 weeks.

www.toneitup.com

3. Overnight choco porridge

I usually have normal overnight porridge (www.laurenconrad.com ) but I fancied a bit of chocolate so found this recipe instead: www.greatist.com . It’s great for a morning chocolate fix and I added dried cranberries and sliced almonds, mainly because I felt like I was making it really healthy, but also because it added a bit more yuminess to it. You will have to experiment with the ratio of oats/milk depending on how sloppy you like it. I like anything that resembles baby food so use a little bit less milk.

4. Greek yoghurt and fruit

Add 1 or 2 scoops to greek yog, add your fruit and nuts (and granola if you like) and there you have it. Easy, quick and yummy and again feels like you are being a bit naughty by having chocolate yoghurt.

5. No bake peanut butter protein powder cookies.

These are another delicious recipe from livestrong. They don’t take long and are perfect for a quick snack and if you are feeling like you want something that feels a bit like junk food, but really they aren’t even bad for you. Yum. Try them.

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/556857-20-delicious-protein-powder-recipes-that-are-not-shakes/#slide-12

CW.

Gym Clothing Haul - H&M and Primark

After wearing the same tired old gym leggings for the last couple of years and probably not washing them as often as I should, I decided to treat myself to some new gym gear. The phrase 'All the gear. No idea' comes to mind here!

I like a good bargain and probably get 80% of my clothing from Primark (don't judge me!) so that was my first port of call. I actually found that quite a lot of their active range was sold out/only had the massive and tiny sizes left so only got a pair of black plain gym leggings I managed to find in my size. I COULD NOT resist these ridiculous blue leggings and I not sure if I'm brave enough to let my butt jiggle in them at the gym yet! I will just enjoy looking stupid in them at home and will ignore my boyfriend when he inevitably tells me to take them off.

Trippy blue oil affect leggings - Primark - £6

Black full length leggings with blue highlight
Primark - £9

I couldn't find any gym-type tops so just got some basic T-Shirts in black and grey and a polka dot vest. You can't leave Primark with just one or two (or several) items anyway! As long as I'm sort of comfortable at the gym and I don't look like an over stuffed sausage I'm happy so these tops are pretty good for that!

Grey Speckled and Black Pocket T-Shirts
Primark - £4 and £2.50

I then wondered into H&M which is where I got my last pair of gym leggings from so I had high hopes for another win. I got one top from their active section which fits really well and another couple of basic vests to pad my gym top selection out a bit.

Polka dot vest - Primark - £3.50
Black and turquoise vests - H&M - £1.99
Green vest - H&M Active - £7.99 

H&M had a good selection of different types of gym bottoms but I stuck to what I knew and got another pair of leggings from the same brand as my existing pair. 

The H&M pair feel slightly more comfortable than the Primark ones and I think look more professional with the different paneling and zips at the back of the ankle but I guess you get what you pay for. As long as you can't see my pants when I'm bending over I'll be alright!

Black full length leggings with reflective
orange highlight - H&M Active - £24.99

I haven't been shopping in quite a while so this was a nice treat and also gives me more incentive to go to the gym!

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CP

Diets, Diets and MORE DIETS!

I think I have spent most of my life from my late teens up until now consciously thinking about my weight and how I look as most girls/women do! CW and I spent many a time at university trying out new things at the gym, doing Davina workouts in the living room to hilarious effect and attempting to be healthy food-wise but nothing ever really stuck. Although spending most weekday evenings out at the union bar doing shots and living opposite a corner shop in our final year probably wasn't the biggest help! At one point we were having a chocolate bar a day which I would like to blame on one of our friends for starting as she is one of those lucky people who doesn't seem to gain weight! Anyway, we seemed to be constantly trying new things including some rather scary diets that, looking back on them, were mental! One of them had me only eating 500 calories a day and taking a herbal spray (what was I thinking...). They all seemed to work at the time but none were something I could stick to in the long run and the weight slowly sneaked back on. My love of food was too great to deny eating a whole bag of chocolate raisins!

The latest tipping point was when I met up with CW and some of our other uni housemates a few months ago and we all decided it would be a good idea to weigh ourselves. OH GOOD LORD. I nearly cried! CW had been trying out this snazzy new diet called the 5:2 diet which is basically 2 fasting/500 cal days a week and then 5 days of normal eating. This went well for a while until I thought it would be a good idea to have a bunch of chocolate on my fast day and then be really hungry the next day because my body hadn't got the goods it wanted. I would end up demolishing even more food than I normally would.

Then a few weeks ago, CW spotted a girl on Instagram who had an amazing body AND got to eat loads of food every day. We were sold at 'food'! Since then we have been eating whole/'clean' foods (raw foods, as they are or put into a meal) and trying to include weights into our exercise routine. I have to admit I live with a guy whose whole family run off this WOL (way of life) (minus the exercise) and not a single one is fat! I don't know why I didn't start doing this earlier?! Since starting this, CW and I have constantly been messaging each other with recipes and a LOT of photo's of our food/meals which I think has really helped us stay on track. 

Dinner tonight - Tomato and Red Pepper Omelette with Courgette

In summary, fad diets do not work as a long term lifestyle. All you need to do is eat the foods your body loves (no your body does not want a whole family sized bag of Malteasers) and get moving!

Some of the good points I have noticed since starting are:
- Increased energy levels
- Rarely hungry
- The bloated/food baby/stomach pooch has gone down
- We have lost weight without really thinking about it
- My skin is looking better (I think this might be the reduced amount of sugar in my diet)
- I look forward to going to the gym - WHAT?

I think the only downside is that you will end up buying more fresh produce which is more expensive than canned/processed stuff and the time you have to put into the meal prep but I think we secretly enjoy that, right CW? Sunday = Meal Prep Day = Yay! PLUS, once you have done all your meal prep you don't have to think about it for the rest of the week!

If you have any questions on how/what we are doing, feel free to comment below!

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CP