2 for 1 Veggie Soup

With a winter detox on the cards next week for the Yummy Mummies and I, I thought I would give you this great soup recipe, where virtually any veggie goes.
Its easy to make a big batch and have it to hand whenever the munchies strike or you need a hug in a mug!

I don't really think to much about what i put in this soup, its usually whats in the fridge, or whats on 2 for 1 offer in the supermarket!



But it goes something a bit like this.......

1 large Onion
3 Carrots
1 head broccoli
3 sticks celery
1 courgette
1 clove garlic - keep the vampires away!
4 fresh tomatoes - skins removed (or a tin of chopped)
1 large dollop of green pesto
1 spoon of mixed herbs
Salt & pepper
Pint of water

then whatever else is about

put it all in a pan and boil - it smells delicious when its cooking
then blend to desired consistency

If I want to make it more hearty then I add some red lentils and have for lunch, the kids really like it too so its a great way of getting the veggies in them!

Personal Trainer Leatherhead Simple Warm up Tutorial

Stop trying to lose weight!!!!!!!!!

I am sitting waiting against my better judgement for some scales I have just purchased for my fit campers to be delivered. I feel like Marjorie Dawes!

Why, because I want to try and stop them jumping on the scales everyday (sometimes twice) so my thinking is that by me having the scales I can ration the weigh ins to once a week. But personally having been a slave to them in the past I HATE the things – they are highly addictive!

Here is the thing; you want to be thin right so you want to lose weight right? Wrong, you want to be thin so you need to lose fat – not weight. Yes if you are overweight then weighing less is going to be a side effect of losing fat, but losing weight alone will not give you’re the body shape or faster metabolism you desire.

As this picture shows muscle weighs more than fat, you can see 5lbs of fat takes up more space (volume) than 5lbs of muscle.

Someone weighing 68kgs with a body fat of 21% will look much leaner and be a lot smaller than someone who weighs the same 68kgs but has 32% body fat. So even though they weigh the same their body composition will be totally different. The person with more muscle and less fat will be smaller as muscle is a lot smaller and leaner per lb than fat.

Another thing about our 21% body fat person is their metabolism will be considerably higher than that of our 35% person as muscle is metabolically active, ie, it needs energy, even at rest and therefore burns calories – fat doesn’t! Studies have shown that a for every lb of muscle you gain your body can burn an extra 50 calories a day– that’s 350 a week which over a year could amount to a weight loss of 5lbs – without you lifting a finger.

Standing on the scales and not seeing the results you were hoping for can be gutting, how often have you got up, planned your wardrobe, looked in the mirror felt great, then weighed yourself, been disappointed at the result and felt totally deflated, fat and horrible, despite having liked your reflection 2 minutes previously (maybe you were half a kilo heavier than yesterday??)

Taking measurements or using a pair of jeans or item of clothing that you really want to get into is a much better indicator of how you’re doing than the scales. Watching and feeling your body shrink is a so rewarding and will inspire you to stick to your healthy lifestyle, eating plan and workouts more than ever.

For instructions on how to take measurements check out the video here

So now you know, scales do not give you the full picture, in fact they can be totally misleading. If you are doing the right exercise, resistance training and short intense cardio sessions your body will be changing, even if the scales aren’t.

Liberate yourself, out them away somewhere and get them out weekly if you really must, monthly even, or better still ditch them!

Deminishing Returns???

What were your goals when you first joined the gym or set out on your exercise plan? Have you achieved them? If not it could be because you are one of the many exercisers who are stuck in the rut of doing the same exercise routine over and over again and seeing no results or even worse gaining weight, losing strength and getting injuries.

When you first start exercising you will see results fast. As the body goes from doing nothing to something it is shocked into action and responding to the exercise stimulus as your heart rate rises, the blood flow increases, and you begin to breathe faster increasing your oxygen consumption.

Now the body has to adapt to the new workload, rebuilding and repairing the muscles. This all takes extra energy – hence the initial weight loss you will experience along with the increased energy levels, higher self esteem, greater strength and stamina, along with an endless list of other benefits. In short you will feel fantastic!

But at some point your body will stop adapting to the new work load and it will settle at a point where you will no longer burn the extra calories because as you become more effective at performing the exercises the energy expenditure for each movement is less. Like everything the better you become at doing something the easier it is to do. A fitter person will generally burn less calories performing the same moves as an unfit person.

Now in the same way as your body got used to NOT exercising it will adapt to exercising and try to balance the energy in with the energy out

This is where you will hit your plateau and stop losing weight or gaining strength. Research has proven that it takes about 4 weeks for the body to adapt to a new workout or exercise plan. Simply doing more of the same workouts will not bring back those initial results and could lead to injuries from the repetitive movements and strains on your joints.

Now you need to shock your body! Shaking up your routine will kick start your results again!

So here are some pointers on how to keep your workouts fresh and the results coming!

1. Keep your body on its toes – if the exercise is getting too easy then crank it up to the next level
2. Move your body in different ways, ie, swap squats for lunges, running for rowing, weight machines for dumbbells – keep it guessing
3. Try to renew your workout every few weeks
4. Beware of overtraining as this can also cause your body to conserve extra energy leading to diminishing returns and injury! Take time to allow the body to recover
5. Alter the intensity, frequency and duration of your workouts

NEVER LET IT GET EASY!!!!!!!!!

Check out the Babes on the Run website for more fat loss tips and info