The festivities are over, the countdown to midnight seems long gone and the talk of resolutions is on everyones lips.
I read today that only 8% of people follow through with their new years resolutions - an unsurprising figure considering the cocktail drinking photos uploaded by some friends today who vowed to take part in 'Dry January'. Its the 2nd of December...I didn't think they would crack that early.
But why do people fail? Often it is not to do with will power or forgetfulness, it is to do with the nature of the resolution. Goal setting in itself can be a challenge. Studying marketing, objective setting is discussed regularly and the mnemonic 'SMART' is often used to set the criteria of the goal.
Take the common example of "I'm going to get in better shape this year"
Does it meet the SMART criteria?
Specific - A resolution should be based on a specific change that you wish to make. Nothing too big or too small but in stead of a whole life overhaul where you hope to find your soul mate, lose weight and change your career, focus on one area that you want to improve.
Measurable - You should be able to quantify your progress - what does getting in better shape mean and how will you measure it? Setting a goal body fat percentage is a great way to analyse the progress you make.
Attainable - There is no point saying you're going to 'go to the gym every day' if you are not prepared to dramatically change your lifestyle. Setting a realistic or smaller goal will dramatically improve your chances of achieving it and that positivity can then be used to set the next one.
Relevant - Will achieving your goal make you happy? Does it fit into the bigger picture?
Timebound - Set a goal within a time frame. "By March I will..." Then, once you reach the end of the time frame you can revaluate the goal, measure how far you have come, create a new goal and new time frame in order to continue the progress. 8-10 weeks plans are a great way to get into good routines and keep things fresh.
So break it down into smaller, measurable and achievable goals. Progress is motivating and you are much more likely to achieve your overall goal if you have little boxes to tick off on the way.
There are 363 days left of 2014.
That is 363 opportunities.
"Leave no opportunity behind."
Don't waste another day talking about what you want to achieve, just go and start achieving it.
And if motivation is still escaping you, this might help...
This delicious dish works as a meal on its own or as a great side if you're feeling hungry!
Serves 2
2 Peppers
8 Cherry tomatoes
1 Garlic clove
1/2 courgette
1 Leek
1 Onion
1/4 cup of cooked quinoa
1/4 cup of cooked lentils
* Cut the top off the peppers and remove the seeds
* Slice the tomatoes in half and put inside the two peppers
* Using a knife, press on the garlic glove to crush it slightly. Cut it into about 6 pieces and put half into each pepper
* Cook at 180° until they start to soften
Christmas is one of the strangest times of year. Everyone spends weeks 'getting ready' for the event, stressing over present buying, cooking and family politics. Then before you know it, Christmas morning has passed, the presents have been opened and piled away, enormous quantities of food and drink have been consumed and you're sitting on the sofa feeling sick!
If the guilt of Christmas calories is getting too much, here are some handy hints to get you feeling positive again!
1) Give away anything you know you shouldn't eat. I've managed to almost single handedly demolish a tube of smarties... this was the final straw - the rest are being removed from the house so there is no temptation to continue the Christmas binge.
2) Exercise. This one seems fairly obvious but with many gyms closed over Christmas it isn't as easy as it should be. Go for a run, walk the dog, do a workout at home or even just do some stretching or yoga to get yourself off the sofa.
3) Do a food shop. If your kitchen is anything like mine, there are leftovers spilling out of every cupboard. While we all know that "waste not, want not", it isn't going to help you feel better living off leftovers for the next week. Write a list and go to the supermarket! Although cold turkey can be a great addition to salads for a bit of protein.
4) Rehydrate! Drink lots and lots of water. Not only will this help restore your alcohol induced dehydration but it will also help you to feel full if you have stretched your stomach a little over the past few days!
5) Don't be too hard on yourself. Christmas happens once a year and as long as you don't drag it out for weeks on end, you really wont set yourself back too much. Indulge but don't loose all self-control and work hard to keep yourself on track!
In September I set about to reach 20% body fat. At my last reading I reached 20.3% from a starting point of 24.4%. While the accuracy is questionable, I make sure I measure in the same way and same state each time so this is great progress none-the-less! Although I try to stay away from the scales, I had weight to loose. Now, 5.3kg/11.7lbs lighter, I am ready to adjust my goal and step into the new stage of training.
I am out for two weeks with tooth extractions which is highly frustrating, but it giving me time to plan and reminding me of my appreciation for my usual lifestyle - trying to sit still, not exercise and be restricted to eating foods that are edible with a swollen face is not getting any easier and I can't wait to get back into my usual routine.
My next aim is 18% body fat. I imagine that this will be as low as I want to go (although I will need another goal once that is reached!). It would put me well into the 'athlete' range and I should notice some muscle definition without losing my shape too much.
I will be focusing on building my bum - an area I have always struggled with - while also targeting the toning in my upper body. I will continue to concentrate on strength training for the majority of my workouts and increase the protein in my diet to allow for it.
I will post my plan once I have finished putting it together.
Well this one sort of does what it says on the tin!
I love kale crisps but buying them is not cheap at all so I have decided to make my own....
All you need is kale, seasoning and a little bit of oil.
Preheat the over to 180°C Cut the kale leaves off the stalks
Lay in a baking tray and add salt and pepper
Drizzle in oil and use your hands to get an even covering Cook for 10-15 minutes until slightly crispy They even went down well with my mum who has put in an advanced order for her next dinner party....
These are so delicious and only takes 10 minutes to make! They are packed with protein so they make the perfect post-gym snack and they're lovely and sweet making them a great, healthy, sugar craving cure!
Ingredients (makes 6)
1/2 banana
2 large tbsp of peanut butter
6 brazil nuts
2 tsp Agarve syrup
1 tbsp honey (double syrup and remove honey for vegan)
1 tbsp (gluten free) oats
1 heaped tbsp raw cocao powder
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
Start by crushing the brazil nuts in to small pieces. I used a pestle & mortar but a rolling pin would work too!
Add the raw cocao and syrup and start to fold everything together. Add the peanut butter gradually. Crush the banana and add it to the mixture with the honey which will help bind it all together. If you want to add some protein powder (I use pea protein) then add desired amount for extra nutritional goodness!
Once everything is mixed in evenly, separate it into 4 sections and roll into your palms until they are perfectly round.
Shake the coconut onto a chopping board and roll each ball in until it is nicely coated.
Put in the fridge to set (if you can wait longer than I could!)
I've toyed with vegetarianism, I've gone gluten and dairy free but going the whole hog (or not as the case may be) is not something that ever appealed. I don't know where I stand regarding animal rights but I do occasionally get a bit 'grossed out' by the concept of meat - probably just a part of my squeamish nature.
As my interest in nutrition and leading a healthy lifestyle has grown over recent years, I've heard more and more praise over vegan diets. While I have no intention of becoming the next Jodie Marsh, I do workout using weights and need to maintain a certain level of protein in my diet in order to make this worthwhile.
As a brief background, I was a picky child and was generally happy living off cheesy pasta and satsumas - much to my dentist's dismay. I had stopped eating beef at 8-years-old following an incident where Mad Cow Disease was discussed while I looked at the enormous steak in front of me. I went 'veggie' at about 13 years old. However, looking back this was the first time I tried to take control over my eating habits. My mum forced me to eat fish (which I had never touched before) as her negotiation on the situation for fear I wouldn't grow. This phase lasted for 2-3 years before I decided to reintroduce chicken and pork (for roast dinners, not for bacon as you might assume). I then descended into a vicious spiral of exercise addiction and starvation. I learned so much about nutrition and yet I refused to eat which meant eventually I was just a skinnier version of my untoned, teenage self. I luckily snapped out of this before it got anymore serious thanks to the gym threatening to terminate my membership and recommending medical advice. Being so sure that I knew enough myself, I managed to develop a more healthy attitude to both exercise and food as a way to prove I didn't need help! Either way, it worked and by 19 I was certainly showing the results of a heavy gap year. Not so brief but now you know...
So back to now:
My routine consists of controlled gym workouts and a sensible diet which is generally gluten and dairy free and low in refined sugar. I make a conscious effort to get enough protein, specifically following gym sessions. In an attempt to ensure my fitness addict side doesn't get the better of me, I don't take it too seriously and am happy to let the routine slip temporarily for the right occasion.
Last night I saw a video of Frank Medrano and was totally in awe (see the full video below). Not only is this guy in incredible physical condition but he has managed to achieve it on a vegan diet. This really surprised me, so much so that I have decided to give it a go myself (the diet not the bodybuilding). I am going to set about on an experiment of sorts as a 'Casual Vegan' - non an official term but one I think is fairly self-explanatory. In case it isn't, I will elaborate: I am going to adopt a vegan diet in my everyday life. However, this weekend for example, I will be celebrating my sister's 21st birthday in a restaurant and, for such an occasion, I will eat as I usually would. The same applies for dinner parties - no one likes fussy eaters and I would rather I still got the invite. Essentially I don't want my choice to impact my friends and family (they weren't impressed by the vegetarian stage, nor when I developed my gluten/lactose intolerances).
So thats the casual vegan - (not appropriate for those choosing the lifestyle for animal rights reasons, this is purely for health reasons).
I have made a list of reasons that I have read that suggest that even being 'part-time vegan' (I prefer my own term) can be beneficial to your health:
Vegans tend to weigh up to 20lbs less than meat eaters so its a great way to slim down or stay slim.
Protein is good but research suggests that too much is bad. Against common belief (including my own until recently) you can get a sufficient amount of protein from plants. A woman weighting 140 pounds needs 50g of protein per day. To visualise this, a cup of cooked lentils is 18g, a cup of oats is 6g and a cup of cooked spinach is 5g. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is about 8g.
It might boost your energy - studies show that people on plant-based diets have more energy than meat eaters
Its cheaper - meat is certainly the most expensive part of most diets. Cutting it out can be friendly on the wallet!
High intakes of animal-based protein can be linked to heart disease and are related to high blood pressure and many other conditions
Animal products often contain hormones and antibiotics so cutting them out cuts out theses nasties too
It supports animal rights against the suffering of animals - I wont pretend that I will change the world with my 'casual veganism' but it does show some support
The list goes on but I would imagine it will start to get boring (if it isn't already)...
I have written a sort of diary of my first day. It wasn't that different to my regular diet, perhaps I would have had fish for dinner or a hard boiled egg after the gym, but there was no temptation for anything naughty - I always find going cold turkey is easier than having the odd treat here and there.
Day 1
Breakfast: was green tea and smoothie with banana, berries, gluten-free oats, kale, spinach and chia seeds. No change there.
Snack: green tea and a 'cashew cookie' nakd bar (nothing but cashews and dates)
Lunch: I was out of the house so I picked up a carrot based juice from Planet Organic
Snack: pistachio nuts and a satsuma
Dinner: lentils with roasted vegetables - sweet potato, courgettes, carrots, leeks, red peppers, chilli, garlic
Snack: I wouldn't normally snack now but I ate early and was still hungry so I had a gluten-free oatcake with peanut butter, a drop of honey and a few slices of banana
Because of all the fruit, my sugar intake was quite high and calorie intake a little too low! However, the question is did I get enough of everything else?
So how did I do?
To maintain a healthy vegan diet you must get enough of the following:
Starchy foods - the oats in my smoothie helped me cover that base, and the oatcake too!
Fruit and veg - definitely didn't fall short there
Protein - I've always liked lentils but never included them regularly into my diet so that was a specific effort to make sure I had some protein at dinner, nuts are also good. I think I was maybe slightly short but this is probably because of my juice for lunch. By adding quinoa to my lunch menu, for example, I would have covered this.
A small amount of fatty and sugary food - I had a little honey, fat from nuts and maybe a little too much sugar
Calcium - Kale is great for calcium as are pulses (well done lentils) and dried fruit (prunes did good too)
Vitamin D - there was no sun and I didn't take any supplements or anything fortified with vitamin D so I could work on thisIron - Spinach in the breakfast smoothie covered me for this, as did the lentils and prunes (I should really have eaten more lentils in my life)
Vitamin B12 - again may have to look at supplements for this one
Omega 3 - apparently linseed/flaxseed is great for this so I'll start adding this to my smoothie/salads etc
So there is certainly room for improvement if I am going to make it as a vegan and remain healthy but I didn't get off to a bad start. Most importantly, I really enjoyed it - especially dinner. I feel great this evening; loads of energy and no tummy ache (not often the case as I usually give in to either gluten or dairy at some point throughout the day) so I would call that a success.
I wont get ahead of myself - it is only day 1 and I know that at the weekend I will be breaking from the routine to indulge in some sort of glutinous delight. But at the same time I'm pretty chuffed with how much I enjoyed it and I would like to think I will stick it out for the foreseeable future. Watch this space!
Here's the video - I dare you to watch it and not consider the way you eat...
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