Do we help or hinder our childrens nutrition?

I took my youngest daughter to our local softplay this afternoon (An inside play area with ball pit, padded climbing area, etc for toddlers).

The first thing that hits you when you go in is the smell of grease and fried food! I cannot believe the amount of cr*p food available to buy there! Sweets, crisps, chocolates, pizza, fizzy drink. The healthiest thing was a box of raisins! No wonder kids get hyper and obese if these sort of foods are on offer.

And how ironic is it that this sort of rubbish is sold at a place for kids to burn off energy, and get some exercise?!! A bit ironic really!

I feel like doing a Jamie Oliver, going in, giving them an overhaul and trying to get some healthy options in there!

At the weekend I went supermarket shopping - I love trolley watching when at the supermarket!

Especially when you see someone who is clearly overweight, and then at their trolley contents and you can see how they got like this!

Multiple bags of crisps, bottles of 2litre coke, frozen meals and pizzas, biscuits, cakes, sweets, white breads and pasta. Nothing natural, just loads of additives, stimulants, artificial food, which does nothing for the body, and just piles on the calories.

It shocks me even further when you see their children with them, who may well be overweight, and you just feel sorry for them, they have no chance really.

It is just laziness when it comes to this type of shopping. OK, not everyone has the money to buy organic, but it only takes a few cook books, a browse of the internet to see how to make a dish with some chicken, mince and vegetables etc.

I've seen TV programs where the parents have said, "But they don't like that stuff, I'm not gonna waste my money on stuff they won't eat!"More cr*p! They don't like it because they don't eat it enough! They are used to high salt, high sugar foods, and their taste buds are ruined!

As my Dad used to say when we were at home, "It's not a cafe!, Eat it or go hungry!"

Come on, give your kids a chance, even if you don't give a cra*p about yourself!

Don't Fear the Fat!

Do you think eating fat makes you fat?

I was scanning some posts on a "weight loss" forum the other day and this one post was all about cutting out fat from your diet, or eating low-fat this and that, as THE way to lose weight.
Suffice to say this thread had several pages, and not many people with results!

If I told you that eating fat DOES NOT make you fat, would you believe me?!

Well, the simple fact is, excess calories, above the amount your need to maintain your current bodyweight, is what makes you overweight.
Not carbohydrates, not fat, not protein, not, not eating after 6pm in the evening, not missing a few workouts in a week.

Sure, saturated fat is not good for you in large amounts, but monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats have some great health and fitness benefits for you, and will certainly not make you overweight! In fact they could actually help you lose weight!
Our body needs fat to function properly. Besides being an energy source, fat is a nutrient used in the production of cell membranes, as well as in several hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids. These compounds help regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system.

Worry more about excess calories and packaged, man made foods - these could make you fat!

Home made protein snack bar

We all look for healthy snacks to eat between meals, and it can often be hard to find one with a good balance of carbs / fats / protein.
Well here you go! Some of my own home made protein bars! They take about 5 mins to make, and 12 mins in the oven, so no excuses!

150g Oats
2-3 tablespoons of Whole Earth Organic Peanut Butter
3 Handfulls raisins
140g Chocolate Protein Powder (great with a chocolate and banana mix!)
2 Bananas mashed
50g Golden Caster Sugar
400 ml Milk (goats, rice lacto free for those that are lactose intolerant!)
5 tablespoons of ground almonds and brazil nuts

Pre heat the oven to 160degs.
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, then spoon into a buttered/greased cake tin or tray. Aim to keep it no more than 1" high.
Place into the oven and cook for 12mins.

Once you remove them, I cut them into good 6" by 3" slices, leave for 5 mins then remove to cool. I have found they keep fresher by cling film wrapping them individually once cooled.

Eat these as a snack, or pre workout and you won't go wrong! Enjoy!
Let me know if you have any additional ingredients you have tried.

Stretching for results

Having flown home for 13 hours yesterday with 2 young daughters, I had a touch of jetlag to say the least!
Not just that, but my body felt it had been squashed into a tiny box for most of the journey, and my notoriously tight calves felt like concrete for the next 24hours! Suffice to say my plantar fasciatis reared it's head again for a few hours afterwards.

If you have tight muscles, not only will you be affecting your posture, but you could also be hampering your results.

Ladies - are you continuously trying to firm up your bottom, and give it a better shape, but the only things that seem to change are your legs? This could well be down to the fact you may have tight hip flexors, located at the top of your thigh, connecting to your hip. When tight, these muscles will inhibit your glutes from working correctly, and will therefore limit your potential for results.

Men - Struggling to get a decent shape to your back? Well, if you bench press too much, and have tight pectorals, your shoulders will round forward giving you a stooped look, and inhibiting your back muscles from firing correctly.

If you stretch occasionally when you go to the gym, you really are cheating yourself from results! Ideally, look to stretch any tight muscle groups, 3-4 times a days for around 30seconds each stretch. If you're working out, stretch the tight Opposing muscle between sets. Ie if you're performing Deadlifts, and extension exercise, and you have tight hip flexors, stretch them between sets.

NOTE: It has been found that stretching a muscle, prior to using it in an exercise can actually have a detrimental effect on the exercise, and the power output will be decreased. An example would be stretching the pecs before performing a pressup.

In summary;

Perform dynamic, movement based stretches prior to working out.

Perform static stretches on any tight muscles before working the opposing muscle.

Perform static stretches, 3-4 times a day for 30secs each on tight muscles during the day

Perform static stretches on all tight muscles after a workout.

Sorry Skippy!

Earlier this week, our last week in Perth, we went to a restaurant for lunch, and I had.......some kangaroo! Yep, sorry skip, I ordered some.....and it tasted great. If you've not had it before, it tastes like a great fillet steak, very tender, meaty, and a great flavour!

The best sources of protein, will be from those animals which are active. They will be leaner, more tender, and a better flavour, than from those animals which move less. Other protein sources, like fish, has little fat.
Why? Well, do you ever see a fat fish that doesn't move much?! Exactly!

Do yourself and your body a favour, eat less manufactured carbs, more leaner protein, workout 2-4 times a week, and you could look leaner, and trimmer, and maybe good enough to eat?!!

Are you having your life and efforts sucked away?!

While in Malaysia we all managed to get bitten by Mosquito's except my eldest daughter who didn't get bitten once! Not sure what we did wrong?!

Mosquito's are literally sucking your life force (blood) to feed themselves - thankfully though, with a mozzie bite you're left with nothing more than a few marks for a few days.

However, if you have people around you that will 'suck your life force' or positive energy you could well find your efforts and targets slowly fade away.

I'm talking about people who knock your attempts at fitness, who always question why "you're eating healthily or rabbit food", people who are always looking at the negative aspects of life. People who always seek out the negative in the things that you do to improve your health, your fitness, your life.

Everyone knows somebody like this, be it a family member, work colleague, even a friend?! These people could endanger your chances of success, if you let them.

It's not always possible to "reason" with these people and their views, so where possible you will need to either limit your time with them when you are at a crucial stage of your success, or associate yourself with more like-minded people who are attempting to achieve similar goals, and feed off each others positive views and efforts.

An example of this is Weightwatchers and similar clubs. Although I don't really agree with some of their rules (counting calories all the time) it works for most people, because they go for weekly weigh-ins, and will be around like-minded people who are after the same goals, and can talk the same language. They are also help responsible for their own actions and success at these "weigh-ins" and so they are more likely to be strict with the food during the week. Health and fitness forums are also great areas for people to talk, discuss, and find people who are working towards the same goals.

If you want to succeed, find like minded-people, be positive, be responsible for your actions, plan your goals, and keep your focus. You should then be much further towards success than the "negative people" around you.

If you want to join like-minded people, come and join our community forum, Fat Loss and Fitness Solutions, and you too will be on your way to achieving what you are after!

I've found the Fat Loss Secret!

YES! I've finally found the secret formula for Fat Loss and Fitness whilst holidaying in Malaysia!!


Seriously though, whilst walking through the shops in Langkawi, I came across the above in the tea section. Maybe this is why there are no gyms here on Langkawi?!!


As posted previously, the diet here comprises of fresh foods and fruit, nothing processed, hardly anything packaged. This must say something?


There are NO secret potions, pills or powders that will give sustainable fat loss or fitness benefits. It will just be hard work on the fitness front, and sensible, fresh, natural eating to give you maintainable weight loss, sustained energy and vitality, and a healthy life.


Oh, and a touch of sunshine always helps!
One more day and then off to Oz for the next update!
A quick pic of our beach! ;-)