Busy Working Women workshop 2017

So whats the workshop all about?

Well it’s for YOU..…and all us likeminded women who just find themselves so busy, the workshop is going to give you all the tools you need to really kickstart yourself in 2017 and smash those goals.

Workshop will be Mon 9th Jan at 630pm – £20pp

30 min Fat Burning HIIT Workout – guaranteed to help you burn off all those Mince Pies and Prosecco
30min Easy Fitness Yoga Workout – guaranteed to de-stress you after the Christmas Period and leave you feeling detoxed.
45min talk on my TOP TIPS for smashing your Goals in 2017, fuelling you with all the tools you need to take charge
Handout of TOP TIPS, so that you can start to organise your Health and Fitness Schedule for 2017
Video Presentation (after the workshop) with all my TOP TIPS and lots of advice to really help you, plus you an always refer back to it at anytime if you need that kick
Q&A at the end, so that you can ask me any burning questions or concerns you have about starting this new journey

SPECIAL BONUS – 2 mini home workout videos sent to your email after the workshop

Are you ready to make 2017 the year you shine and smash everyone of your goals?

Then don’t delay, I would LOVE for you to be there and be part of this workshop…with only 10 places available BOOK NOW

Book your space now and know that you are already starting 2017 with your best self in mind.

www.bookwhen.com/jensbookings

Jen x

So following on from the recent survey one of the things requested that I write about was healthy eating choices whilst eating out. So I thought Id put together this short little article with some hints and tips on eating out and some places Ive personally visited and found healthy and yummy! I am sure there are plenty of other places…always new places cropping up isn’t there.

Anyways……People often say “I cant stay on track when I go out for food as its hard and no healthy choices…Im sorry but “bulls**t” – it just takes a little bit more patience and a little bit more time…and lucky for us, a lot of restaurant and eateries are getting a lot more savvy now…especially when it comes to allergies and specific nutritional requirements.

If you are wanting to stay on track, healthy and avoid the BAD stuff, but still wanna be able to eat out and enjoy yourself…here are some of my top tips!!

Be fussy – if you want substitute something on the menu for something else – ASK!! Seriously you will be surprised how easy it is, after all the restaurants want to make you happy and you want to enjoy your food – I always substitute chips for Sweet Potato or ask for some veggies – I mean its nothing too technical for the chef
I always opt for Fish or lean meat – or sometimes I quite often go for the veggie option….well as long as it isn’t pasta (vom)
Avoid the sauces and dressings….they are laden with sugar and salt
Dont think you always need to have a dessert…why? If your food is nutritious enough, you should be full and feeling good from your meal….if your food was sugar and bad fats laden…yes of course your body is going to crave a sweet dessert
Get some nice water with your meal – dont have an alcoholic drink!! If you need something sweeter than water…ask for sparkling water with a slice of lemon/lime or mint….they have all this  behind the bar – so no biggie
I love a plate of veggies and fish/meat – it fills me, is nutritious and doesn’t leave me feeing bloated and wanting more
I always ask for more veggies and more often than not….as a side dish Veggies is an option!

Most restaurants/cafes now have Gluten Free, Veggie, Dairy Free and Vegan options…but sometimes you will need to ASK!!! They normally have a serrate menu or will be able to tell you want meals meet your nutritional criteria. Just ASK…..after all if you dont ask you dont get!!

Places Ive personally eaten at (bearing in mind I am gluten free and dairy free)
Leaf – Bold Stree
GIVE Kitchen – Brunswick Dock
Bills Kitchen (L1 – under Bierkeller)
Pizza Express – they do a fab superfood salad and offer GF on most of their dishes
Marino Lounge – New Brighton Prom
Crust – Bold Street
Zizzi – L1
Las Iguanas – L1
Pret – Liverpool
Trattoria 51 – Old Hall St
Egg Cafe – off Renshaw St

So go along and try them out

There are so many more options now -a-days and people and companies are becoming a lot more savvy…so YES you can eat out and stay on track and be healthy, its just about being more aware, asking questions and looking at the menu!!!

If in doubt – go online and check the menus before you eat there or ring ahead….it may sound like a big fuss but for the price of your health – it really isn’t

Now go out and enjoy yourself!!

Jen x

Pre/Post workout…what should you eat? What should you avoid?

Its a question that comes up quite often, what type of food and how soon before and after a workout should you eat….well I hope this little article will help you out a bit.

PRE WORKOUT
The point of the pre workout is to give your body some energy from the right sources to be able to do your workout properly, but this should be 1-2hrs before training, to be able to allow the body to digest it. A Mix of complex carbs to ensure a slow release of energy, and also easily digestible.
Organic Peanut Butter (not sun pat) on Gluten Free Bread with Banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Seeds/Nuts (small amount as high in fat)
Fruit & Nut Style Trail Mix – handful
Smoothie
Oatmeal – slow release
Apple Wedges with Peanut Butter on
Helping to increase energy levels & avoid that sugar crash that you would get from sugary, crappy snacks

POST WORKOUT
The point of the post workout is to give the body nutrients to restore and rehydrate the body and aid with muscle recovery. The post workout food should be 30-45mins after.
Lean proteins – non bloating
Veggies
Salmon – inflammatory and helps regulate insulin levels
Sweet Potato – helps restore Glycogen levels
Spinach – lowers Blood Pressure, is an anti inflammatory and helps curb appetite
Eggs – aid muscle recovery
Avocado – Helps the body absorb minerals from veggies
Protein & Veggies rich juice/smoothie drink

I hope this has helped

Avoid any sugary snacks, that you think give you a high and also caffeine – its not doing the body any good and as much as you feel it is aiding a workout or recovery its just adding sugar to the body….also check out “protein bars & Shakes” if you are taking them – look at the sugar content, yes they may be full of protein BUT almost all of them are laden with sugar…so kind of cancels out the good stuff

Eat Right
Train Right
Recover Right

Jen x

OK so you may have seen recently I have been posting picture about my prepared food…annoying as it may be there is a reason I am doing this…it’s to hopefully inspire you all to prepare your meals ahead of time…to ensure you stay on track with your goals.

I see so many people saying “I haven’t got time to make my meals” but the same people will probably sit for over an hour watching TV….I don’t mean to sound harsh but it’s all about priorities.

I know it’s an old cliche saying but “failing to prepare is preparing to fail” – therefore if u don’t plan ur meals/workouts etc.,..you are more likely to miss them or end up eating some crappy processed stuff from the shop…. YES and I am even talking about this “healthy living” butties and micro meals you see….healthy? Really?

If you jump out of bed late or just cant be bothered making your meals for work…you will end up eating rubbish from the shop, going to a fast food type food place or picking on biccies in the office (as let’s be honest it’s always someone’s birthday and always sweet and stuff floating about) and if you have no food prepared you are more likely to be tempted to pick on these things to keep you going and keep your energy levels up.

Preparing food doesn’t have to be a boring, time consuming task! Quite often I make a big evening meal and use half of it for my lunch the next day or make a big batch of something in bulk and freeze in pots….easy to take out and cook. It doesn’t have to be stressful and thinking “OMG I can’t do this, I haven’t got time” …..you can throw food in the oven whilst u watch TV,bath kids, get yourself ready for next day (of course make sure u put a timer on it so u don’t burn ur food) – if you buy the right food, right ingredients and stuff to prepare meals then it is so much easier….having bad food or no food to prepare in the house is obviously going to make it so much harder.

Sometimes I am tired after long days, esp lately…but I always make time to prepare my meals the night before (or morning if I have time) – it doesn’t take long and I know in the long run it will be so much better for me.

What’s stopping you being prepared? Is it sheer laziness? Lack of motivation?

You have to ask yourself how much you want to be healthy/lose weight/stay on track….and your desire to succeed needs to be higher than ur excuses…..EXCUSE OR RESULT?

I know it sounds harsh and like I am having a go…but it’s the truth and you know it 😉 – it’s so easy to get home from work, throw ur tea in and then slob on the couch for the rest of the evening…an that’s ok,but try and think ahead….plan at the beginning of the week any meals you think you need to prepare/buy for and set yourself some time aside to do this…..yeh ok it’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but the benefits far outweigh the downside of it.

You don’t have to prepare big elaborate meals…but make sure they are nutritious, full of protein and green veggies and a variety…for example I will quite often make:
chicken, sweet pot and spinach
Tuna, rice and salad
Any meats, quinoa and spinach/kale
Any fish rice/sweet pot and raw broccoli

In society now we all have busy lifestyles and gone are the days of 9-5 working, people now work shifts, have families and work unsocial able hours….but next time you are sat on the couch for 2hrs- think about preparing some food for the next day/day ahead….especially if your goal is health/weight loss.

If your goal is weight loss/health etc then prep is KEY to achieving ur goals….temptation is everywhere and not being prepared not only leaves you stuck and open to getting some rubbish from the shop but also can stress you out big time… As u start worrying about not being prepared, then you beat yourself up and end up picking on crap to make ur self feel better but in turn it does the exact opposite and before u know it this vicious circle continues. When you are trying to stay on track…you need to be prepared, even if it means making a list of meals you can make and can be prepared in advance and doing this at the beginning of every week….yeh it takes time but surely it’s worth it?

Remember we all have the same 24hrs in the day, it’s just how we utilise and prioritise our time that counts.

Remind ur self how much You want to achieve your goals….

Take time to prepare

I promise you once you start you will see how easy it is

Now go prepare some food I’ve kept u long enough

Jen x

Courgette, Lime and Coconut Cake
Gluten and Dairy Free

225g Gluten Free Flour
½ tsp Bicarb of Soda
1 tsp Gluten Free Baking Powder
250g Courgettes
125g Dairy Free Soya Spread
125g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
100g Desiccated Coconut
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
8-9tsp of Lime Juice (icing)
200g Icing Sugar

Preheat oven to 18c/160c Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line a 22-23cm round shallow tin.
Sieve together the flour, bicarb and baking powder
Grate the courgettes into a dish lined with 4 layers of kitchen roll, cover with 4 more layers and press to squeeze out excess liquid
Beat Soya spread and sugar together until creamy
Add courgettes, eggs, coconut and flour mixture to the above craft mixture…along wide ¾ of the lime zest and then beat until evenly mixed.
Put cake into cake tin and level top. Bake for 45-55mins, or until the skewer comes out clean
Cool on a wire rack
Mix the icing sugar with the lime juice to make the icing.
Pour Icing mixture over the sponge cake, then sprinkle the remaining Lime Zest and some coconut on top