my routine

I go to University in London three times a week (a 2 hour journey) and spend my weekends with my boyfriend. This means I am not at home a lot and I don't always have time for exercise or to have properly home-cooked meals (I come home at 21:00 most days). So I have to plan my time carefully in regards to exercise. My current workout plan is:

Monday : 35minute run/cardio 45 minutes strength training

Tuesday: Fitness DVD

Wednesday: 45 minutes cardio 45 minutes strength training

Thursday: day off

Friday: 45 minutes run/cardio 45 minutes strength training

Saturday: day off/ fitness DVD

Sunday: 45 minute run / long walk

i heart toast

http://www.toast.co.uk/

Winter Pre-tox

Winter is a tough time: cold weather and icy winds, dry central heating, indulgent holidays. So I am going to make an extra effort to stay fit and healthy. I have made a quite ambitious fitness plan (post to come later) and  will make a few changes to my diet and make more time to long baths and skincare routines (spa days). Many  magazines are writing about "pre-tox" which is a series of things you can do to prepare for winter and especially the Christmas holidays.

• regular exercise
• body- brushing to remove toxins 
• drinking a lot of water and non-caffeinated drinks
• eating a lot of green vegetables
• reducing the intake of red meat (pork, beef, bacon) as well as processed meats ( sausages, ham) 
• eating wholegrains and proteins
• taking supplements especially B vitamin
• drink fresh fruit juices
• eat healthy snacks such as crudities and soup
• regular moisturisation with essential oils

Oatcakes: whole oats to support digestion and the liver, plus they are packaged in packs of four so I will use them as an alternative to crisps and biscuits when I am at University.

Oolong tea to promote fat and cholesterol burn, Green tea to aid digestion and reduce blood pressure and boost immunity, Rosehip tea to protect against infections and for clear skin. Generally, I hope these will proves good alternatives to caffeinated drinks (which I drink too much of)

Essential oils: Inspired by this wonderful blog to make my own oil mixtures. I bought a base oil of Grapeseed, Jojoba, Peach Kernel and Wheatgerm oils and Patchouli Oil (not sure if I like it though- I might change it) to mix with it.

My favourite innocent cranberry, blueberry and cherry smoothie (note the handknitted hat- 25p goes to an old-age charity) Berries are an excellent alternative to acidy or very sugary fruits and are full of vitamins and antioxidants. 

for more info. on pre-tox see the December issue of Health&Fitness

I read about this adidas convertible jacket in the new issue of Health and Fitness. It costs £65 but can be worn as a cropped top, a vest or a full jacket as shown. This will definitely go on my wish-list I think the colour and cinched  waist are nice details too. 

http://shop.adidas.co.uk/product/GM060/P93309/Sports/Women's-adiSTAR-Convertible-Wind-Jacket/detail.jsf?selectedProductViewIndex=0&selectedQuantity=1

feminine workout wear by anni gily featuring a jersey tank

review: REN facial masks

I have tried these two facial masks from REN which is an organic bio-active skincare range this information from their website:

REN is skincare as it should be. Skincare that uses the latest hi-tech bio actives, is free from skin-unfriendly synthetic ingredients and is gorgeously pleasurable to use.

We believe it's good to have principles, on principle as it were, so we summarised REN in 5 Key Principles:

These were both great products especially the Glycolactive Skin Renewal Mask which really rejuvenated my skin they are both quite pricey but work well and are carefully composed and organic. 

surfer girl

Ever wished you looked like a surfer girl from an Australian soap? With this exercise plan you can. Blonde shaggy hair and wooden beads are optional :)

moleskine passions

I am very tempted by this wellness moleskine notebook. The recipe and film ones look good too :)

hknb

Heidi Klum has designed a range of fashionable fitness wear with New Balance that is available to buy only on amazon. I think the designs are pretty exciting, here are my favourites.

motivation

I generally do not have problems motivating myself to exercise- it makes me happy and makes me feel good about myself and gives me energy. However if I have not exercised in a while it is difficult to get back into a routine. Healthy eating or diets are what I really struggle with. Although I do not eat badly at all and mostly prefer healthy foods to fast-food I could never go on a diet for a long time. I do not like restricting myself and the thing I struggle with most is sweet things (current favourite is kitkat senses). I suppose it is a psychological block as exercise is fun and diet is not. I think it would be good for me to compromise and try to go for more healthy options as I can achieve much better results when combining exercise and a better diet.

If you struggle with motivation here are some tips:

Set yourself small achievable goals with events like birthdays or concerts as deadlines (but be careful to be consistent and not just stop after the deadline)

Treat yourself - order something online and then work hard until it arrives 

Remind yourself that you will feel so much better after exercising

Commit to something like a charity run so that you have to do it- plus completing a run will increase your self-esteem


Get a nice workout kit- this doesn't need to be expensive but pretty and practical clothes will make working out more enjoyable 


Keep a workout journal- this can just be one paper where you note down what you do and when, then you have proof you have worked hard or it is more apparent if you haven't 

plenty

I was really excited to find this new cook book, that has had a lot of newspaper reviews lately, at the library (yes- I am a try before you buy girl!) 

It is an all vegetarian book (I am not vegetarian but looove nicely cooked vegetarian food) Have not had time to try any recipes yet but will update when I do.

Recipes I want to try: quesadillas, sweet winter slaw, roast vegetable tart ,multi-vegetable paella, crusted pumpkin wedges with soured cream....the list goes on

Neal's Yard Power Berry facial mask

What: A Facial mask designed for young skin with Antioxidant ingredients including bilberry, cranberry and grape

Price: £24 for 50g 

Best for: Regular use for when you need a little deeper cleanse. Vegans or people that are conscious of ingredient lists and Fairtrade 

I found this mask at the Neal's Yard shop in St Pancras station and was intrigued- afterall I love berries!and the shop assistant was kind enough to offer me a small sample. The mask has an entirely different texture than I am used to - usually I like thick creamy masks but this one is a clear gel with tiny berry bits- more like a peel  mask. The smell was nice if a little odd- I decided it smelt like "nutri-grain" bars. It felt very nice when applied to my skin and when washing off it turns to a milky white liquid. An added extra is that the berry particles exfoliate your skin when you wash the mask off. Although an exciting (berries!) product I don't think it dramatically transformed my skin (no "instant radiance boost" as promised) however I am very impressed by it's fairtrade and vegan credentials. 

more info here:

http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/power-berry-facial-mask

Update: I have used this product more times since this review and it has really made a difference to my skin making it more radiant (as promised) I would definitely recommend this product.

I really covet the work-out clothes from sweaty betty.They are stylish and practical, unfortunately that level of quality comes at a price and I will need to either save up or wait for a sale (or both) to buy some cute gear. In the meantime there are lots of great lower-budget brands too such as karrimor, H&M and nike (my favourites)

Another great thing about sweaty betty is that they offer free in-store fitness clubs. Check out videos here: 

http://www.sweatybetty.com/sweatyClub/sweatyClub.asp?page=sBfashionshoot&title=videos

Yesterday I made these meatball wraps for myself and my boyfriend and it worked out really well! I altered some of the recipe for example: I used lamb instead of beef, fresh mint in the yoghurt instead of coriander on top and I put the wraps in the oven instead of frying...oh and I didn't use kidney beans...! Gosh! and I also added half of the onion (finely chopped) into the meatball mixture. 2 wraps are more than enough and so we both had one leftover for lunch today!

If you can't get the Mexican paste or live in a country which doesn't have Sainsbury's supermarkets it is just a paste of tomato, cumin and chilli. 

The recipe is from the Sainsbury's website which is a good resource when you have ran out of dinner ideas :)

Mexican-style meatball wraps

Spicy meaty bites served in a wheat tortilla with chilli bean sauce.... delicious!

5/5starsAv. customer rating

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 Minutes

Cooking time: 20 Minutes

Nutrition per serving: 450 cals, 12.9g fat, of which 5g saturated fat, 12.8g added sugar, 1.8g salt

Skip to recipe information

You will need

• 2 tablespoons Mexican style paste
• 500g lean steak mince
• 50g white breadcrumbs
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 1 x 400g tin Sainsbury’s red kidney beans in chilli sauce
• 1 x 198g tin sweetcorn, drained

• 1 x 6-pack be good to yourself flour tortilla wraps
• Olive oil, for brushing
• 6 tablespoons natural yogurt
• 1⁄2 x 28g pack fresh coriander,leaves only
• Paprika and lime wedges, to serve

Try the conversion calculator

Method

1. In a bowl, mix together the Mexican style paste, mince and breadcrumbs and season well. Roll the mixture into 18 meatballs and chill for 5 minutes.
2. Heat a large frying pan until hot, add the meatballs and fry over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until browned all over, rotating every 1–2 minutes. Add the onion and pepper and fry for a further 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans and sweetcorn and continue to cook until the meatballs are cooked through.
4. Heat another frying pan until hot, brush each tortilla wrap with a little olive oil and fry. Top each wrap with three meatballs and some pepper and bean mixture, then top with yogurt and coriander leaves.
5. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

David Kirsch Ultimate Fitness Boot Camp

What: An intense 45 minute workout with a lot of squats, lunges, push-ups and upper body exercises

What you will need: A pair of 2-3 pound dumbbells and some room to jump and kick about

Best for: Quick-fix for when you need to get into shape quickly 

After 2 weeks of doing this regime at least 4 times a week I have seen differences with my arms, stomach and legs more toned. I think it is a bit too intense to do regularly every week but I would maybe do it once a week or when I feel I need to exercise a bit more than usual. I think a down-side is that there is not enough stretching (especially the back) I would recommend doing your own stretches before the DVD begins (I did it during the introduction with Heidi Klum. I started off at a (I think) pretty good level of fitness and struggled at first to get through the whole thing. At the end of the two weeks I definitely can complete the 45 minutes more easily but it is still a challenge which I think is great. You can vary the intensity with different weights and maybe ankle weights. The shadow boxing and abs exercises are definitely my favourite parts.

In summary: this DVD is not for the faint-hearted but will definitely show results for all the hard work you put in.

sleep

                                             

I think my sleep patterns aren't bad and mostly I wake up with energy but often it takes me up to an hour to fall asleep and I wake up in the night. Soon I will be started my final year at university which means a lot of travelling and being busy from 8 (or 5)am until 10:30 pm so I want to establish a good night-time routine so that I can cope. 


I have looked up tips for improving the quality of sleep and the most frequently mentioned ones are:


Taking a hot bath before going to bed (90 mins before)
Don't exercise at least  4 hours before bedtime
Don't drink caffeine or alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime
Have a milky beverage before going to bed (e.g. hot milk or horlicks)
Put on relaxing music 
Try not to have any naps
Try to eat dinner earlier
Try to establish a regular routine and sleep for 8 hours


I am going to try these out and see if it improves my sleep :)


Some nice products that might improve sleep

kiehl's midnight recovery concentrate

origins night health spray

silkskin eyemask (asos)

radox lavender bubble bath

Hush

I have just found this lovely website which sells cotton and cashmere loungewear, sleepwear, socks etc. Lovely!

http://www.hush-uk.com/