The Breakfast Diaries Pt.1...

Breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day, yet I speak to so many people that are completely at a loss as to what constitutes a good breakfast. Some, even skip breakfast all together which is a massive no-no!

Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast - that's where breakfast gets it's name, breaking the fast!  Without breakfast you are effectively running on empty, like trying to start the car with no petrol!

Apart from providing us with energy, breakfast foods are good sources of important nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein and fibre.  The body needs these essential nutrients and research shows that if these are missed at breakfast, they are less likely to be compensated for later in the day.  Fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals so it is important that these are included in your breakfast no differently from your lunch and dinner.

Breakfast also restores glucose levels, an essential carbohydrate that is needed for the brain to function.  Many studies have shown how eating breakfast can improve memory and concentration levels and it can also make us happier as it can improve mood and lower stress levels.  In studies amongst children, breakfast can improve attainment, behaviour and has been linked to improved grades.  Just like any other organ in the body, the brain needs energy to work at it's best!

If you skip breakfast, you're more likely to reach for high sugar and fatty snacks mid-morning. Not good if your goal is fat loss and not good for your health!

So I have decided to post some awesome breakfast ideas over the coming weeks. Breakfast ideas that are quick and easy to prep in advance for those that are time poor in the mornings.

So The Breakfast Diary Part 1.... Salmon & Potato Fritters with Poached Eggs

Fritter Ingredients
1 egg
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tin of red salmon {approx. 200grams} skinned and de-boned
3 small chat potatoes peeled and grated
Half a brown onion grated or finely chopped
2 tbsp. of wholemeal flour

Fritter Instructions
1. Combine the grated potato and onion in a bowl
2. Heat 1/2 tbsp. of coconut oil in a frying pan, cook the potato and onion until soft. Set aside to cool
3. Combine the salmon, egg and flour and when cooled stir through the potato and onion
4. Shape mixture in to desired size. I made nine small fritters and three was a good amount for one breakfast
5. Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp. of coconut oil and place the fritters in the frying pan and cook until golden brown on the outside
6. Place cooked fritters on a plate

Poached Eggs Instructions
1. Bring a pot of water and one tsp of white wine vinegar to the boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and allow water to simmer
2. Crack two eggs slowly in to the water. Cook for three minutes then remove with a slotted spoon and place onto kitchen paper. Allow to drain
3. Place on top of cooked fritters on a plate

Next time I make these I am going to wilt some baby spinach making it even more healthy and even more delicious!

Naughty parabens...

I am a big believer in making small changes. Small changes that, in turn, improve your health in a huge way. Imagine if you made 10 small, positive changes to your lifestyle how much improvement you would see in your overall wellbeing

I have been making a few small changes in our home. One of them is switching all our skin care products to Paraben Free. I think having a baby in the house has made me a lot more aware of not just what I put on her skin but also on mine, Simons and my step-children's skin. It has been surprisingly easy to find Paraben Free products. Yes they are a little more expensive than your mainstream brands of skin products but I believe it is money well spent and here is for why...

A Paraben is a chemical that is used to prevent the growth of microbes {bacteria causing disease or fermentation} in cosmetic products and can be absorbed through the skin, blood and digestive system. They can be found in shampoos, lotions, deodorants, scrubs, eye make-up remover.

Parabens are several distinct chemicals with a similar molecular structure. Four of these are used frequently in cosmetics: ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben so if you see these on the ingredients label of your skin care products then it might be worth checking out a switch to something Paraben Free.

Parabens are known to disrupt hormone function, an effect linked to increased risk of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity. Parabens mimic estrogen by binding to estrogen receptors on cells. They also increase the expression of genes usually regulated by estradiol {a natural form of estrogen}; studies undertaken on cells show that these genes cause human breast cancer cells to grow and multiply. Parabens are also linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and skin irritation. If you think about it, parabens are used to kill bacteria in water-based solutions so they must have a good level of toxicity to be able to do this.

Next time you are shopping for skin products make sure you read the ingredients label and avoid those that use Parabens. There are more and more skin care companies that now offer "Paraben-Free" and "Preservative-Free" products. All good health stores will stock a great range of Paraben and Presevative Free products and I have found that Chemist Warehouse carry quite a few ranges that won't break the bank. You could go one step further and look at using Organic products {I'll save Organic for another blog post}.

Here are some of the products we are now using in our home...

Gaia :: For Baby Frankie

 

Sukin :: smells amazing

Cetaphil & Redwin {& Dermaveen} :: all available from the supermarket

 

And I also switched all my cleaning products to non-toxic products when I fell pregnant. These are great products that you can get from the supermarket; Earth Choice and Earthwise. Both are plant based, contain no chlorine or solvents and come in recycled packaging.



 

This is definitely a small change worth making!

Tough Mudder...

I'm pretty tough, well I like to think I am. I love a challenge! And when my client Chelsea mentioned to me that she had "enlisted" to go in Tough Mudder next month I couldn't help but jump at the chance to have a go! I am not a runner so the thought of running 20 kilometres fills me with dread but like I said I like a challenge and I know I am capable of doing anything when I put my mind to it.

Chelsea definitely knows how to sell Tough Mudder...here is the email she sent around looking for recruits...

Hello,

Do you: (tick all that apply)

1. Feel slowand lethargic after winter

2. Want to do something challenging/crazy

3. Need to prove a point to yourself (or someone else) 

Then this is for you! 

I have just enrolled myself in Tough Mudder, which is on in the Southern Highlands on Saturday 15 November.  It's a 20km obstacle course.  You run 1km, then there is an obstacle!   I am looking for a bunch of crazies to do this with (plus a bigger team will be an advantage in the log carrying, tyre flipping and climbing challenges). 

 

If I wasn't convinced before, reading this email made me a dead certainty for taking on this challenge.

 

Are you up for the challenge? Do you tick one or all of Chelsea's points? Then join us at Tough Mudder!!

 

I will be offering a free six week running program to everyone in our team and for existing clients your sessions and programming for the next six weeks will be designed to get you in tip top shape for next month's Tough Mudder!

 

If you are interested in getting super fit and super muddy, come along for the ride! To register to be apart of our team please email me and I will send you all of the registration details!

 

 

GBC...

German Body Composition {GBC}...the program I follow when I need to shake things up a bit and really walk out of the gym feeling like I truly smashed myself!

GBC is a training method devised by well regarded international trainer Charles Poliquin. He has based this training method on research done by the Romanian exercise scientist Hala Rambie. The goal of the GBC program is to produce as much lactic acid as possible. This is achieved by using multi-joint exercises with short rest intervals and super-setting a lower body exercise with an upper body one.

Rambie discovered that the lactic acid pathway* is far better for fat loss than the commonly accepted aerobic pathway and that high blood lactic levels decrease blood pH levels, which in turn sends a message to the brain to accelerate its production of growth hormone. Higher growth hormone levels increase fat loss!**

Here is my work-out from this morning for you to have a go at...

* Lactic acid plays a critical role in generating energy during your work-out. It is a by-product of the muscles using carbohydrates to create energy for exercise. Lactic acid then breaks down into hydrogen ions and lactate, and it's the hydrogen ions that cause the pain you feel in your muscles during a working set. During this process your cells make ATP {adenosine triphosphate} which provides energy for most of the chemical reactions in the body.

** The increase of lactate acid and hydrogen ions results in improved growth hormone secretion; the hormone needed to stimulate growth, cell reproduction and re-generation which results in our body using a greater deal of energy {calories} post work-out.