IT'S ADVENTURE TIME AGAIN!

 I'm off on another adventure soon. It'll be my 3rd time working for Racing The Planet ... this time in the Sahara Desert where it's currently 37 degrees! People ask me if I'm running the race? Do I look mad? 150 miles self supported through the desert? No thanks! Volunteering is enough hard work for me & I'm really excited to be going to help, support & cheer the runners on. The photo is one of the checkpoints that will be home each day as I clock times, give out water & generally encourage some awesome people to get to the next camp each day!

Those of you who follow my blogs will probably recacll that as a volunteer you are also self suficient for 7 days. I'll be eating freeze dried food as hot water is provided for meals, but there is no water for washing - so we all hum nicely together! I'll be keeping my hat on till I can get in a shower to wash my hair, although strangely it's never too bad. Bed is a tent in camp each night with a sleeping bag & mat.

I consider myself very lucky to be chosen again to work on another desert race - it's a priviledge to watch people push themselves to their limits each day & achieve something truly amazing .

I'm looking forward to seeing the Valley of the Whales, & of course The Pyramids at the finish line.

So enjoy your healthy eating everyone while I'm away & think of me - I'll be craving fresh food like mad!

Bev :-)

FRESH OR DRIED FRUIT......?

We all know fruit is good for us, but which should you choose: fresh or dried? Good question. Fresh comes as nature intended, packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & phytochemicals - all of which are required for good health. Unfortunatley much of the vitamin C is lost in the drying process.... but, dried fruit is considerably higher in fibre, which is a great aid to weight loss!  Dried apricots contain around 20g of fibre per 100g, whereas fresh have less than 2g.  Another advantage of fresh fruit is that it holds a lot of water & is relatively low in calories... so you can eat a greater volume... eg. 100g of grapes has only around 60 calories, but the dried version - raisins - has about 275 per 100g. 

The water content of fresh fruit adds to your daily water requirement & helps keep you feeling full - a great plus again if you're trying to lose a few pounds. That's not to say dried fruit isn't good for you... the remaining nutrients are concentrated into smaller volumes so a little amount is perfect as a snack between meals & helps to regulate your blood sugar levels.

So include both in your daily diet, but my tip is to make sure you eat more portions of vegetables than fruit each day - that way you should be having the right amount!

Happy healthy eating!

Bev

SHINING AGAIN FOR ANOTHER MEDAL!

Ooh it's nearly time to walk the walk! Having a fitness goal goes hand in hand with weight loss, & of course maintaining it once you're where you want to be. Did you watch the Olympics & marvel at the effort put in by the competitors? Well I'm going to add another medal to my collection soon. I'm doing the night time SHINE walk (again) for Cancer Research on Sept 8th. It's a fabulous event & thousands of people take part, walking 13 or 26 miles through the streets of Manchester at night, all for a great cause. Around 4am got a little eerie last time - unusually quiet in the city - but we all made it back for a bacon sandwich!
So I've upped the training & just had a fabulous weekend in the Lake District with 3 friends. We did about 15 miles up hill & down dale one day & my toes were a little sore that night, & my knees complained too, but hey ho - you have to just deal with it!
The next couple of weeks will be road walks, & spin & body conditioning classes at the gym to keep in shape & ticking over, with plenty of feet pampering!
It's a great way to stay motivated & focused, so if you're feeling a little sluggish, why not sign up to a challenge? Then tidy up your eating, move more & watch the weight come off - you'll feel amazing!

Happy healthy eating!

Bev :-)

CARROT CAKE!

Are you like dear Bridget? Is it all or nothing with you? Dieting & exercising till you drop or totally falling off the wagon?
Fact - it takes time to lose weight - it will not come off overnight & may take years to lose. Daunting prospect? The answer is to change your thinking - get rid of the 'dieting' mentality, like saying 'I've failed' should you gain half a pound one week. You have to keep going! It's the long term changes you need to focus on, because once you've managed to lose a substantial amount of weight, the really hard work begins - staying there!
Take what happened to me last week. My daughter took me & her nan out for aternoon tea. I had a lovely jasmine tea & ordered carrot cake with it - I think I got the whole cake! The doorstop slice would have fed a family of 4! So I gave it my best shot (it is my favourite cake) & managed about 3/4 of it - educated guess - 1,000 calories - yes it really was that big!!
But my point is, I allowed myself to eat it & enjoyed it. Then I had a very light snack for dinner & upped my exercise the next day. It's life, it happens & you have to learn how to deal with it to keep your weight stable.

Happy healthy eating!
Bev :)

Sustainable weight loss Manchester

WHAT'S YOUR GOAL?

Okay so I need to write a new blog... can you get blogger's block? If so I think I've got it!
Anyway, I've just looked in my diary & seen that it's only 13 weeks till I'm jetting off on another adventure holiday. I'm privileged to be working as a volunteer for Racing The Planet - this time in the Sahara Desert. It'll be the 3rd endurance event I've worked on - last year was Nepal, the year before Chile & next year is Iceland!
So for the next 13 weeks I will be tweaking my healthy eating slightly & upping the exercise, in a bid to be as fit & healthy as possible, because it's tough work for the volunteers - in the heat with no showers & very little sleep for 7 days. The contestants on the other hand have a simple job - they cover 150 miles on foot (carrying their kit) in 7 days. I admire every single one of them - but that's another story.
I think the reason I'm telling you this is because if you have an immovable goal - be it a 5k run, a physical charity challenge or an ambitious marathon - you have to work towards it. So no excuses. Healthy eating makes you feel good from the inside. If your body is working well, you'll train better.
Check out my page & my website - I may be able to help you!

Happy healthy eating!
Bev

EVERYONE WANTS TO FEED ME!

According to recent statistics the average American eats nearly 600 calories more per day then they did in the 1970s,  and of course, us Brits will follow the trend. It's not easy to resist food when it seems the world wants to feed you. I've been shopping this morning & noticed confectionery at the checkout of a chemist, sports shop & even a stationers (who offered me 3 bars for the price of 2), as well as the usual suspects. Perhaps they thought I needed a chocolate bar with my purchases to soften the blow of their prices? Or maybe they think people need a burst of sugar for energy to walk back to their car? I also went into a well known coffee shop & ordered a coffee to be asked "Would you like a cake or pastry with that?" To which I very politely replied no thank you! (I'd ask for one if I did - I only had my breakfast an hour or so ago.) Followed by the kiosks selling ice creams, candy floss & "Would you like to try our cookies?" Just in case I couldn't make it through till lunch time! Politely refused. I'm fully aware many people will go out for coffee & a cake, or have something sweet occasionally, & consider it a treat - there's nothing wrong with that.

But what's worrying is the people who do this day in day out, & the fact that we are being offered food all the time! It's hardly suprising that there is an obesity problem.

Rant over!
Happy healthy eating,
Bev

ARE YOU STILL DIETING?

Do you jump on & off the scales every day? Are you obsessed with your weight? How many diets have you been on? Any bells ringing yet? It's time to change your thinking.....

• A diet should not be something you 'go on' as this gives you permission to 'come off' it! To lose weight & keep it off successfully you need to make sustainable life long changes to how you eat. This is really important so you can survive the birthdays, holidays, parties & other social events without piling on the pounds.
• Get good & bad foods out of your mind. Food may be salty, sugary or fatty - or it may be free from additives & preservatives & high in nutrients - or somewhere in between. You have the power to choose what you eat.
• Low fat does not necessarily mean healthy. Often low fat foods are packed with sugar for taste & that's not good for your health! These are generally foods aimed at dieters. Check labels.
• You have to move! You will not only lose weight quicker by exercising, but you will tone up, build muscle, feel fitter & be healthier for it. Exercise is also a key factor in keeping weight off.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Bev