30 Day Shake Challenge Posts Are Now In One Place

Find future posts involving my shake challenge, health and nutrition tips, fitness tips and healthy recipes at:

30 Day Shake Challenge

Five blogs with the same post and changing of the tags and categories for each one is getting a bit time consuming.
So, Day 19 to 21 and all future posts will now be posted to just one of the blogs. The link will be posted on all blogs as a last post, just incase anyones following them.

Love & Light
Shiann
)O(

Healthy Eating: Can You Eat Too Much Healthy Food?

Healthy Eating: Can You Eat Too Much Healthy Food?

Day 18/30 - 30 day shake challenge

This is the eighteenth day of the 30 day shake challenge. 

Breakfast Shake:
Cranberry and Blueberry Juice
Frozen Raspberries and Strawberries
⅓ Banana
Strawberry F1

Lunchtime:  
Chicken and Tomato Pasta Salad
Slice Cheese and Tomato Flat Bread
Tortilla Chips (just a small handful)

Main Meal:    
Slept in, so wasn’t hungry at dinner time.  I think my calories at lunchtime has made up for the whole day!

Snacks:    
Protein Bar

Fluids:
Water x 3 300ml
Thermo Bev x 0 250ml  
Tea 1 x cup  
Coke Zero 2 x 330ml

Exercise:   
/

Notes:  
I was feeling a bit drained, hence the sleep in.  My Calves feel better now.  Still planning a workout tomorrow to replace Fridays missed session.  I think I slipped up today with what I ate.  I’ve not eaten chips or bread for 3 weeks and the other half comes in the door with my favourites of both – so I had a bit of each!  EEEK!  Wii Fit said my BMI was down more this morning so that’s probably been cancelled out now with todays binge lol.  We’ll see Tuesday, maybe I can turn it around by then!  Fingers crossed!  Wish me luck…

My video uploads are here: 
youtube.com/user/shiann82

Other blog sites are:
30shakechallenge.wordpress.com
30daysofshakes.blog.co.uk
shiann82.blogspot.com

Follow Me:
twitter.com/shiann82

Day 17/30 – 30 Day shake challenge

This is the seventeenth day of the 30 day shake challenge. 

Day 16/30 – 30 Day shake challenge

This is the sixteenth day of the 30 day shake challenge. 

Breakfast Shake:
Muller Light Toffee
60ml Water
⅓ Banana
Chocolate F1

Lunchtime Shake:  
60ml Cranberry and Blueberry Juice
Muller Light Summer Fruits
Frozen Blueberries
Strawberry F1

Main Meal:    
Good For You (Asda) Lasagne
Reduced Sugar and Salt Baked Beans

Snacks:    
/

Fluids:
Water x 5 300ml
Thermo Bev x 2 250ml  
Tea 1 x cup  

Exercise:   
Walking 2 x 30 min
Wii Fit 23 min 181 cal
Davina’s Super Fit section – half of which was the low impact moves – 25 min
Davina’s Super Sculpt section – focused on the weights/arms, didn’t do the floor/mat work – 20 min

Notes:  
Workouts mentioning Davina were taken from her “Super Body Workout” DVD.  I think it’s safe to say I ache a little today, my aim was to focus on just my back and arms for this afternoons workout, as I worked on my legs yesterday… BUT I wanted to try out one of three of my “Davina” workout DVD’s – which FYI I’ve had for like a year and I’d not used them!  At least they all have the helpful “low impact” moves available for the same workout, so I didn’t work my legs too much.  I can’t imagine how sore my knees and ankles would be if I had done the regular or “advanced” moves… ouchie! lol :-)

My video uploads are here: 
youtube.com/user/shiann82

Other blog sites are:
30shakechallenge.wordpress.com
30daysofshakes.blog.co.uk
shiann82.blogspot.com

Follow Me:
twitter.com/shiann82

Day 15/30 – 30 Day shake challenge

This is the fifteenth day of the 30 day shake challenge. 

Breakfast Shake:
Apple Juice
Frozen Kiwi, Mango, Pineapple
Apricot halves and ⅓ Banana
3tbsp Natural Yoghurt
Tropical F1

Lunchtime Shake:  
Rocket Fuel Porridge
250ml Soya Milk
75ml Water
50g Porridge Oats
1tbsp Honey
Chocolate F1

Main Meal:    
Grilled Pork Steak
Poached Egg
Baked Beans
Steak Cut Chips

Snacks:    
Muller Light Cherry, Muller Light Raspberry and Cranberry (used for 2 different workouts)

Fluids:
Water x 5 300ml
Thermo Bev x 1 250ml    
Tea x 1 Cup

Exercise:   
Biggest Loser – Wii – custom Warm Up (9 min) and custom Work Out (23 min) 
Line Dancing – 20 minutes

Notes:  
I’m happy with the fact I made time for two separate workouts, and I know I’m going to feel it tomorrow! :-) I’ll just have to work on another are, probably arms and posture.  It was also my other half’s birthday, of which he just lounged around for most of the day – but I wouldn’t stoop to that! :-p He got his workout in during the evening, he’s just joined a “work" football team, so that will keep him busy twice a week.

My video uploads are here: 
youtube.com/user/shiann82

Other blog sites are:
30shakechallenge.wordpress.com
30daysofshakes.blog.co.uk
shiann82.blogspot.com

Follow Me:
twitter.com/shiann82

Lucy Benjamin’s Dancercise - Workout DVD Review

I’ve had this DVD for about 3 years and it is one of my favourite workouts.  I love the dance moves, and it’s broken down into three sections, to make it easier for beginners to get a hold on the moves.  Obviously, at the end, all three sections are put together. The warm-up section has some good moves too. 

This DVD, in my opinion, doesn’t include advanced moves, so anyone could include it into their workout schedule.  The music flows well, it’s not in your face dance music of today or stuck in the 80’s.  The moves include the grapevine, kick-ball-change, the mamba, the V-step and the cha cha cha.

I, personally, usually go for dance aerobic workout DVDs as I’m very much into dancing.  People who don’t like to dance or find it hard to get a “rhythm” going, it may take some getting use to.  On the other hand, non-dancers may want to try something more to their liking.

My video uploads are here: 
youtube.com/user/shiann82

Other blog sites are:
30shakechallenge.wordpress.com
30daysofshakes.blog.co.uk
shiann82.blogspot.com

Follow Me:
twitter.com/shiann82

Day 14/30 – 30 Day shake challenge

This is the fourteenth day of the 30 day shake challenge. 

The outcome for this week is:
Weight -> – 2lbs
Waist -> – 2½cm
Hips -> – 3cm
Over Chest -> – 2½cm
Under Chest -> – 4cm
Thighs -> – 2cm
Arms -> – 1cm

Breakfast Shake:
Apple Juice
Apricot and Peach slices
⅓ Banana
Tropical F1

Lunchtime Shake:   
Soya Milk
Pinch Cocoa Powder
Chocolate F1 

Main Meal:    
Grilled Chicken Breast 
Rice
Vegetable Spring Roll (Baked not Fried) 

Snacks:   
Protein Bar Chocolate Peanut x 2 

Fluids:
Water x 5 300ml
Thermo Bev x 1 250ml   
Soya Decaf Caramel Macchiato x 1 

Exercise:   
Walk – 90min

Notes:  
Targets for this week are to take make sure I take my vitamin during main meal, drink more water and be more prepared with shakes.

My video uploads are here: 
youtube.com/user/shiann82

Other blog sites are:
30shakechallenge.wordpress.com
30daysofshakes.blog.co.uk
shiann82.blogspot.com

Follow Me:
twitter.com/shiann82

Plan Ahead and Be Prepared

One of the reasons people may slip up on their mission for healthy eating or weight loss is being caught away from home, with no healthy food options at hand, but lots of junk food and fast food places close by, willing to interrupt your success.

Here are a few things to think about to guarantee no slip-ups and to help you get organised:

1. Always plan meals a week or at least a few days in advance.  Make sure you have everything to make your meals on your shopping list. 
2. Put healthy snacks for the family into your shopping list.
3. Where possible, make your own sauces, marinades, pesto’s etc, so that you can control the amount of certain ingredients and leave out other unhealthy options.
4. Make sure you go food shopping after eating.  This will help prevent you buying items not on your list, unhealthy foods or eating as you go around the shop.
5. Making a shopping list before you leave the house will make it quicker all round, no need to remember everything off the top of your head or add any unnecessary items.  Stick to the list and if you add desserts or snack foods, make them the healthier substitute.
6. If you are going to be travelling during “meal times”, be organised and make your food before you leave the house.  This will prevent you buying unhealthy food or skipping meals completely.  Think protein based, slow-release carbohydrates, fruit, yoghurt, salad and vegetables.
7. If you have lunch at work, take it with you.  Work and shop canteens/restaurants will cost you extra money and most probably be less healthy with excess salt, sugars and fats.
8. You don’t need to buy water, you can bottle it yourself.  If you like, you can boil, let it cool, then filter it, before bottling it.
9. Always have a 2 litre bottle of water prepared for the day (or 4 500ml bottles if it’s easier for you).
10. If you don’t like the flavour of plain water, add a splash of no added sugar squash, a little unsweetened juice, or a slice of lemon/lime/orange, maybe even some ice cubes.

When I tell people to include lean protein and slow-release (or healthy) carbohydrates in their diet, they sometimes seem confused, as not everyone are told what these are exactly. So, here’s a list for each to give you some idea on where to look on your food shopping trip.  Fast-release carbohydrates are basically the unhealthy snack foods we shouldn’t be eating, like crisps, chocolate, chips, fries, bread, sweets, and other snacks.

Lean Protein:

Protein released energy slower than carbohydrates, it takes longer for the body to convert protein into fat than it does for carbohydrates.  Protein builds lean muscle mass and gives energy, along with aiding us to curb our snacking habits.

• Oily fish.  This will also increase your Omega-3 intake.  The recommended amount of fish we eat a week is 3 portions.  Obviously, spaced over over the course of a week.  Now not everybody can eat or get to 3 portions a week, so this is why we have fish oil/omega-3/cod liver oil tables/capsules available to us.  Omega-3 is brain food for us and is also good for joints.
• Chicken
• Pork
• Lean red meat
• Soya
• Quorn
• Egg whites (yolk holds majority of the calories)
• Milk – fat free/skimmed
• yoghurt – fat free

Slow-release Carbohydrates:

Slow-release carbohydrates work differently to fast-release carbohydrates.  Slow-release carbohydrates is the type we should be aiming for in our meals, they release energy slowly and are much healthier than the fast-release carbohydrates.  These are starchy products, not sugar-based or junk/fast food.

• Pasta
• Potatoes – baked, boiled, dry roasted, mashed
• Rice
• Oats – porridge
• Nuts – unsalted
• Bran – flakes
• Wheat – bix
• Cereals
• Grains
• Wholemeal

As I say in most of my posts, outside my daily diet dairy, always imagine your plate as a clock face:

• 12-3 – Lean protein
• 3-6 – Slow-release carbohydrates
• 6-12 – Salad/vegetables (or leave empty and have a piece of fruit or a low-fat yoghurt (preferably which include pieces of fruit) for dessert

This will help you to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet.  If you’re worried about portion sizes or consuming too many calories, eat from a smaller plate.

Try your hardest to cook from scratch, this way you will know what is going into your food and you can control ingredients like salt and fats.  Cooking isn’t hard, it just takes practice.  Do one thing at a time and follow a recipe if you need guiding in the right direction.  Always pre-heat your oven, have a timer at the ready and have your utensils, boards and pans available before you start cooking.

I will cover healthy snacking in another post.

Day 12/30 – 30 Day shake challenge

This is the twelfth day of the 30 day shake challenge. 

Breakfast Shake:
Formula 1 Meal Bar

Lunchtime:  
1/3 banana
1 pot blueberry Muller Rice Light
(waiting for delivery of shake mix) 

Main Meal:    
Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese
(Recipe to follow)

Snacks:   
Protein Bar Chocolate Peanut

Fluids:
Water x 4 300ml
Thermo Bev x 2 250ml    
Coke Zero x 1 cans

Exercise:   
Biggest Loser – Wii – had a mess around setting up my profile and creating workouts.  15 mins getting used to the exercises.

Notes:  
Silly me running out of juice for my shakes!  I think I bounced back ok for lunchtime but I’ve missed a couple of shakes this week so I don’t expect to have great results.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a loss, but it could be a maintain this week.

My video uploads are here: 
youtube.com/user/shiann82

Other blog sites are:
30shakechallenge.wordpress.com
30daysofshakes.blog.co.uk
shiann82.blogspot.com

Follow Me:
twitter.com/shiann82