Miss Haribo here,
I've been pretty inspired by the Olympics (thank you provider of men in tight shorts on TV). So I thought I'd high jump onto the band wagon and do some olympics related blogs.
Last week I had an amazing night. I went to a Q and A session with Paula Radcliffe and Carl Lewis as part of a tribute to Paula Radcliffe. The two of them were both pretty fabulous, incredibly intelligent and surprisingly witty. Paula was exceptionally lovely. Watching Carl Lewis clearly admire Paula's body and tell her about it as she came on was a hilarious highlight.
It was also amazing to see Carl Lewis give practical advice to an aspiring long jumper; Carl gave him some things to work on and I could just picture the poor guy trying to tell his coach that "Carl Lewis told him his training was wrong".
They talked a lot about what it was like to experience the Olympics both on the inside and the outside. But the big takeaway was when Paula was talking about cross country running. She said that after she 'only' came second in her first cross country race her father took her out running and up a hill and said thathe was going to teach her to run off hills. Her father said that everyone always likes to relax because they've made it to the top and think they can rest, but if you keep going off that hill then you can get ahead of the rest of that bunched up field.
Apart from the obvious life metaphor what interested me the most was that she said that she used that lesson several years later to win the junior cross country. It's just a little lesson, but it stayed with her forever and got her to the top. One of the great things about Emilie's approach to nutrition and health is that it's only small changes to make, they make a big difference and you can keep them for life.
Miss Haribo
ps. Paula was a total inspiration and such a good reminder of how important the mental aspect of training is. I'm dedicating my runs (such as they are to her as part of nike's #legendsrunforever campaign).
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Sunday, 12 August 2012
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Passing the baton
With three days to go on my food challenge I'm almost up to 80 foods so I think I'll make 100 easily.
I haven't eaten hugely differently to usual, I've just done less recycling - so not having dinner leftovers for lunch. It's required a bit more cooking, but not a lot, and has generally left me more satisfied with my meals as they've all been different. In particular I've had a different breakfast everyday which is pretty unusual for me, but definitely a habit I'll try and keep up.
I'm not sure I can be bothered to keep up the counting though, instead I'm going to set myself a new challenge of not buying the same food two shops in a row. By forcing myself to buy different foods my diet will naturally stay more varied and make me try some new recipes and expand my cooking repertoire.
Next week I'm passing the blogging baton to the very capable Ms Hairbo for some more Olympics inspired blogging and a welcome break from me! Enjoy!
Ps Today's food additions for those who are interested:
Raisins
Chopped dates
Apple
Cauliflower
Onion
Cabbage
Dark chocolate (yum!)
Rice crackers
Curry leaves
Organic chicken
Green chilli
Agave syrup
Organic eggs
Basil tofu
Garlic
------------------
I haven't eaten hugely differently to usual, I've just done less recycling - so not having dinner leftovers for lunch. It's required a bit more cooking, but not a lot, and has generally left me more satisfied with my meals as they've all been different. In particular I've had a different breakfast everyday which is pretty unusual for me, but definitely a habit I'll try and keep up.
I'm not sure I can be bothered to keep up the counting though, instead I'm going to set myself a new challenge of not buying the same food two shops in a row. By forcing myself to buy different foods my diet will naturally stay more varied and make me try some new recipes and expand my cooking repertoire.
Next week I'm passing the blogging baton to the very capable Ms Hairbo for some more Olympics inspired blogging and a welcome break from me! Enjoy!
Ps Today's food additions for those who are interested:
Raisins
Chopped dates
Apple
Cauliflower
Onion
Cabbage
Dark chocolate (yum!)
Rice crackers
Curry leaves
Organic chicken
Green chilli
Agave syrup
Organic eggs
Basil tofu
Garlic
------------------
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Olympic overdose
A lot of city jobs involve looking at a screen all day, something that most of us will attest is pretty tiring.
And it's not just tiring on the eyes - using or watching any lit screen is stimulating to the nervous system and therefore can induce a stress response. Therefore going home and unwinding in front of a tv or logging onto facebook is not a good antidote to a day staring at a computer screen.
I'm not someone who usually watches a lot of tv, especially during the day, but I have to admit I've become swept up in the Olympics and consequently have had the tv on most evenings and a fair amount of time on the weekend.
Obviously this is not the stuff of a double-blind placebo controlled study, but I've definitely noticed I've had less energy since watching more television.
We all need a screen free day every week as an antidote to our over stimulating lives, to recharge, de stress and also to break the screen habit.
As with all over indulgences I'm going to get myself back on the straight and narrow with a tv detox once the olympics are over. Instead I'll use the time for reading, going to the gym, catching up with friends and taking up some new outdoors habits, all of which will make me feel energised rather than drained.
ps today's additions to my food list for my 100 foods in a week challenge are:
Quinoa flakes
Ginger
Rice milk
Rice bran
Chopped brazil nuts
Vanilla essence
Blackstrap molasses
Banana
Sesame oil
Pak choi
Poppy seeds
Flagolet beans
New potatoes
Risotto rice
Cashews
------------------
And it's not just tiring on the eyes - using or watching any lit screen is stimulating to the nervous system and therefore can induce a stress response. Therefore going home and unwinding in front of a tv or logging onto facebook is not a good antidote to a day staring at a computer screen.
I'm not someone who usually watches a lot of tv, especially during the day, but I have to admit I've become swept up in the Olympics and consequently have had the tv on most evenings and a fair amount of time on the weekend.
Obviously this is not the stuff of a double-blind placebo controlled study, but I've definitely noticed I've had less energy since watching more television.
We all need a screen free day every week as an antidote to our over stimulating lives, to recharge, de stress and also to break the screen habit.
As with all over indulgences I'm going to get myself back on the straight and narrow with a tv detox once the olympics are over. Instead I'll use the time for reading, going to the gym, catching up with friends and taking up some new outdoors habits, all of which will make me feel energised rather than drained.
ps today's additions to my food list for my 100 foods in a week challenge are:
Quinoa flakes
Ginger
Rice milk
Rice bran
Chopped brazil nuts
Vanilla essence
Blackstrap molasses
Banana
Sesame oil
Pak choi
Poppy seeds
Flagolet beans
New potatoes
Risotto rice
Cashews
------------------
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Mixing it up
The first day of the 100 foods challenge means you obviously clock up lots of new ingredients. Therefore my list of new additions for today is relatively short, but still I made an effort to eat some different foods when I'd usually have eaten quite similar meals and I'm up to 49 different foods in two days.
Eating this way means buying more foods in smaller quantities which isn't usually the most economical way to shop.
This is where freezing can come in - instead of eating leftover dinner the next day, freeze your leftovers and eat them the next week to keep up the variety.
It also helps if you live with someone so you can share your dinner, as cooking and eating for one is more likely to lead to waste of fresh food.
For durable foods it's much easier - I have a big box in my cupboard containing a whole range of bags of different nuts, seeds and dried fruits. I add these to my breakfast each morning so it's easy to eat a different type every day of the week. I also use different spices on my brown rice porridge so will start rotating allspice, cinnamon, turmeric and ginger.
Herbs are another easy food to rotate. Although they go off quickly you can freeze them in small batches and then add them to your cooking - basil, coriander and parsley are all tasty options.
Rotating oils and fats in your cooking also helps vary the flavours and balance out the ratios of the different fats in your diet. I cook with olive oil or coconut fat, and pour cold walnut, flax or sesame oil on my salads.
Today's additions:
Raspberries
Almonds
Walnuts
Cucumber
Hummous
Plain doritos (don't tell anyone!)
Celery
Carrot
Coriander
Courgettes
Black pepper
Avocado
------------------
Eating this way means buying more foods in smaller quantities which isn't usually the most economical way to shop.
This is where freezing can come in - instead of eating leftover dinner the next day, freeze your leftovers and eat them the next week to keep up the variety.
It also helps if you live with someone so you can share your dinner, as cooking and eating for one is more likely to lead to waste of fresh food.
For durable foods it's much easier - I have a big box in my cupboard containing a whole range of bags of different nuts, seeds and dried fruits. I add these to my breakfast each morning so it's easy to eat a different type every day of the week. I also use different spices on my brown rice porridge so will start rotating allspice, cinnamon, turmeric and ginger.
Herbs are another easy food to rotate. Although they go off quickly you can freeze them in small batches and then add them to your cooking - basil, coriander and parsley are all tasty options.
Rotating oils and fats in your cooking also helps vary the flavours and balance out the ratios of the different fats in your diet. I cook with olive oil or coconut fat, and pour cold walnut, flax or sesame oil on my salads.
Today's additions:
Raspberries
Almonds
Walnuts
Cucumber
Hummous
Plain doritos (don't tell anyone!)
Celery
Carrot
Coriander
Courgettes
Black pepper
Avocado
------------------
Monday, 6 August 2012
Keeping things interesting
I'm really enjoying my 100 foods in a week challenge, even just after one day. Okay so I stopped counting after breakfast, but looking at my list below I'll easily make it. Plus it's already made me approach my food choices and food planning in a different way, making sure I don't eat the same foods tomorrow.
Not only does eating different foods everyday help increase the range of nutrients in your diet, it also helps keep food interesting. When eating healthily it's easy to find a few easy dishes you know are ok to eat and then eat these over and over again. However your taste buds will quickly get bored leaving you more likely to look for naughty treats or unhealthy foods to satisfy you.
Instead if you keep things varied you're more likely to feel satisfied with your food and stay on the straight and narrow.
For anyone who's interested here are the ingredients I can remember from today:
Breakfast:
Rice protein powder
Cherry juice
Juice of half a lime
Brown rice cooked in Kala coconut milk
Sunflower seeds
Flaked almonds
Frozen summer fruits (cherries, cranberries, strawberries)
Cinnamon
Lunch:
Gluten free pasta
Garlic
Tomatoes
Basil
Olives
Lemon
Oregano
Anchovies
Kidney beans
Pumpkin seeds
Baby salad leaves
Olive oil
Snack:
Mixed seeds:
Sunflower
pumpkin
linseeds
Soy sauce
Dinner (out):
Mixed seafood (calamari, mussels, prawns)
Tomato
Garlic
Onion
White wine
Courgette
Aubergines
Fresh mint tea
------------------
Not only does eating different foods everyday help increase the range of nutrients in your diet, it also helps keep food interesting. When eating healthily it's easy to find a few easy dishes you know are ok to eat and then eat these over and over again. However your taste buds will quickly get bored leaving you more likely to look for naughty treats or unhealthy foods to satisfy you.
Instead if you keep things varied you're more likely to feel satisfied with your food and stay on the straight and narrow.
For anyone who's interested here are the ingredients I can remember from today:
Breakfast:
Rice protein powder
Cherry juice
Juice of half a lime
Brown rice cooked in Kala coconut milk
Sunflower seeds
Flaked almonds
Frozen summer fruits (cherries, cranberries, strawberries)
Cinnamon
Lunch:
Gluten free pasta
Garlic
Tomatoes
Basil
Olives
Lemon
Oregano
Anchovies
Kidney beans
Pumpkin seeds
Baby salad leaves
Olive oil
Snack:
Mixed seeds:
Sunflower
pumpkin
linseeds
Soy sauce
Dinner (out):
Mixed seafood (calamari, mussels, prawns)
Tomato
Garlic
Onion
White wine
Courgette
Aubergines
Fresh mint tea
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Sunday, 5 August 2012
First one to 100 wins...
One goal of this blog is to bring you healthy ideas in easy to read bite size chunks.
However sometimes it's worth the time to read something a bit longer when it's really worthwhile. I'd apply that definition 100 percent to this article written about how to make decisions about nutrition and food in the face of endless fads and extreme news coverage. Many thanks to Ms Haribo for suggesting it.
http://www.parkourgenerations.com/article/meta-nutrition-key-principles-smooth-and-intelligent-decision-making
It's really worth a read but for those of you who can't be bothered here's one tip from the article that I liked and will be trying to put into practice myself:
'Rule for a balanced diet: try to eat a hundred different ingredients every week. That was her only philosophy. Carrots, cashews, cilantro, black pepper, goat cheese, salmon, Brussels sprouts, olive oil, flax seeds, brown rice – it's been ten already. Broccoli, eggs, millet, quinoa, mint, apples, raisins, sesame oil, black beans, red cabbage – another ten. If you open your mind and enjoy cooking, it actually goes faster than you think. The great thing about such a precept (or shall we say, lifestyle), is that it makes you try new types of food; as it turns out, you get to know a lot of different veggies; when you do try a new type of food, more often than not you'll be trying a new recipe, which means you'll actually be cooking, which means you'll be eating less preservatives and less processed foods; most importantly, whatever you eat, you won't overeat it; even the stuff which is considered nasty under some circumstances might end up bringing some benefits if used in reasonable amount.'
------------------
However sometimes it's worth the time to read something a bit longer when it's really worthwhile. I'd apply that definition 100 percent to this article written about how to make decisions about nutrition and food in the face of endless fads and extreme news coverage. Many thanks to Ms Haribo for suggesting it.
http://www.parkourgenerations.com/article/meta-nutrition-key-principles-smooth-and-intelligent-decision-making
It's really worth a read but for those of you who can't be bothered here's one tip from the article that I liked and will be trying to put into practice myself:
'Rule for a balanced diet: try to eat a hundred different ingredients every week. That was her only philosophy. Carrots, cashews, cilantro, black pepper, goat cheese, salmon, Brussels sprouts, olive oil, flax seeds, brown rice – it's been ten already. Broccoli, eggs, millet, quinoa, mint, apples, raisins, sesame oil, black beans, red cabbage – another ten. If you open your mind and enjoy cooking, it actually goes faster than you think. The great thing about such a precept (or shall we say, lifestyle), is that it makes you try new types of food; as it turns out, you get to know a lot of different veggies; when you do try a new type of food, more often than not you'll be trying a new recipe, which means you'll actually be cooking, which means you'll be eating less preservatives and less processed foods; most importantly, whatever you eat, you won't overeat it; even the stuff which is considered nasty under some circumstances might end up bringing some benefits if used in reasonable amount.'
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Thursday, 2 August 2012
Winding down
Something I omitted from my previous blog on sports performance was the benefits of a cool down.
Now most of us know we should cool down and stretch after exercise but tight schedules and probably not thinking it's that beneficial means that most of us skip the cool down.
It might seem easy relative to the rest of your workout, but just 5 minutes of low resistance cardio at the end of your workout can make a noticeable difference in your recovery reducing muscle soreness and speeding up the rate at which your muscles get stronger and fitter.
When you cool down you keep oxygen flow to the muscles and give them a chance to clear the built up lactic acid which can make them feel sore.
Your heart is also a muscle and cooling down let's it recover in a controlled way instead of going through the shock of going straight from a high heart rate down to a resting one.
But don't take my word for it - watch any Olympic swimming and you'll know that straight after a race the swimmers go straight into the cool down pool for a controlled cool down to make sure they're in the best condition for their next race.
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Now most of us know we should cool down and stretch after exercise but tight schedules and probably not thinking it's that beneficial means that most of us skip the cool down.
It might seem easy relative to the rest of your workout, but just 5 minutes of low resistance cardio at the end of your workout can make a noticeable difference in your recovery reducing muscle soreness and speeding up the rate at which your muscles get stronger and fitter.
When you cool down you keep oxygen flow to the muscles and give them a chance to clear the built up lactic acid which can make them feel sore.
Your heart is also a muscle and cooling down let's it recover in a controlled way instead of going through the shock of going straight from a high heart rate down to a resting one.
But don't take my word for it - watch any Olympic swimming and you'll know that straight after a race the swimmers go straight into the cool down pool for a controlled cool down to make sure they're in the best condition for their next race.
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