I thought it would be good to do a blog on this as I know when we embark on a health journey it can be a challenging time during the festive period especially when you are on a health, weight loss or transformation journey. Society has encouraged alot of us that binge eating during this time is the norm but just because society encourages us it doesn't mean we should, it is all about doing what feels right for you.
For me it has always made total and complete sense over the christmas and new year period! Here is why & my top tips and advice along the way.... Why its still good to train between Christmas and New year time For me when it comes to this sort of time it can be so easy to lose motivation! I've found in my experience speaking with clients between Christmas and New Year tends to be when their motivation will dip the most. Therefore I would encourage anyone including my clients and myself that are on a journey to train during the festive period! Christmas has come and gone but with the new year about to begin there is nothing like setting yourself up with a couple of workouts so you feel good and can get your 2023 kickstarted! I also like to squeeze in a few workouts in the lead up to Xmas too as it really helps me mentally & physically! How I stay motivated over Christmas ..... For me whether it's a holiday, birthday or even Christmas I really find that making a schedule really helps. Being consistent with a schedule and routine is what makes you stick at something not motivation. I do not change my schedule during this time and by doing so I regularly workout which keeps me focused and feeling good during the holidays, because let's be honest there may be a few days where you eat just that little bit more than normal. Which is completely fine btw ;) Why you shouldn't aim to diet or restrict yourself over Christmas... Where people always seem to go wrong is they try to stupidly diet for a whole month and then on Christmas day then end up going totally overboard. A way to prevent going overboard can be just simply do every day as a normal eating day even on Christmas day. Even if you had a little more on Christmas day that doesn't mean you should go back to a restrictive diet or starve yourself by not eating for the next day or days. Do everything as you normally would, enjoy a little extra but keep your structure the same. Why you should steer clear from the scales... Yes it's best to stay away from the scale as this can set you back and make you feel guilty especially if you are a few pounds up. Don't worry if you are a few pounds up, it'll drop back off once you resume your normal eating and training routine. It's no secret that when we indulge a little we sometimes feel guilty.. Don't worry this is a normal feeling but something that can help you is by telling yourself & normalising how one day isn't going to be the source of your weight gain. Therefore having some extra foods, drink and calories is not going to damage all your progress that you've been working hard on during this year! How to enjoy your Christmas and New Year as a balanced lifestyle... Remember training is a part of your lifestyle that keeps you healthy mentally and physically. Putting healthy nutritious foods into your body also plays a role in how you feel mentally and physically. With this in mind try to keep a balanced approach when it comes to those healthy food choices along with the ones that may not have as many nutrient benefits but are always gonna be OK from time to time. Alcohol can also cause us to chase the buzz, reduce endorphin release and can cause mental health issues when consumed in high quantities. With this in mind, go easy and don't go crazy, having a few is a much more sensible way to keep an enjoyable balance! Why Christmas day & New Years won't ruin your progress... As I said before it's important you rationalise and normalise that one day such as Christmas Day and New Years Eve or New Years Day isn't going to detrimentally affect your progress made. Whether you've been training for 3 months, 6 months or a year + all the progress you have made can't simply be undone in one day, always remember this! Don't get caught up in overindulgence for 2-3 weeks as this will begin to make an unhealthy impact in not only how you feel but also your willingness to get back to training. At this point it will start to catch up with you because as we know weight gain does always happen over time within our lifestyle habits and behaviours. All in all when it comes to special times and events it really is everything in moderation. We work hard all year round to enjoy these special moments just like holidays and birthdays etc. Please dont feel guilt at this time of year and go enjoy yourself! I do not believe in restriction or dieting methods around this period because its very unnecessary!!! If I don't do it then I certainly don't want client's doing it or anyone who is trying to create a healthy balanced lifestyle for themselves! A healthy lifestyle really is all about balance & moderation that doesn't leave you restricted, starved or suffering. So if you are eating some chocolate, having some cake, enjoying a few drinks, and having those few extra calories enjoy it! This isn't going to be detrimental to the progress you've already made! I hope anyone reading this blog has found it useful and you all enjoy your Christmas break & New Year!! Love Zo x x
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1/12/2022 0 Comments My homemade Lasagna!Growing up Lasagna was also another one of my favourites! In my opinion there is nothing better than a homemade Lasagna! Let's be honest restaurant ones do suck!!!
Since I moved into my house I have been able to explore much more with cooking and put my own little twist on things! After attempting this 3 or 4 times, only now am I ready to share how I do it, as it can take a few goes to get it just right! One thing that used to bug me was the lasagna sheets on top they would either be too hard, too crispy and just not taste right! I even tried soaking them before cooking but in the end I gave up with this! Top tip: What I do now is layer the mince right on top and top it off with cheese instead! I highly recommend doing it this way for better results and taste! You will need: Fry light cooking spray Seasoning; I used Salt, Pepper, Italian Herbs, Paprika, Chilli powder and Garlic. Lasagna Sheets x1 Dolmio Jar Tomato Bolognese/Onion/Garlic or you can make your own sauce x1 Dolmio Jar Cream Sauce or you can make your own x1 Red Onion chopped 500g-1kg 5% fat beef mince or you can use vegan/vegetarian mince (season the day before if you can) 2 handfuls of frozen veg (be generous) Mozzarella 1-2 slices of garlic bread or you can make a flatbread and cut yourself a little 1/4 for serving 1 rectangle glass baking dish 1 cooking dish 1 tbsp Mr.Naga Few dashes of Worcester Sauce 1 beef stock cube 1-5 tsp tomato puree For serving: Spinach or your favourite salad/veggies covering 1/2 plate 1/4 serving of garlic bread or 1 slice Portion up a square serving of the lasagna you may need a knife to make a precision cut and then use a flat utensil to dig it out and plate it up & enjoy! Method: Step 1- Add your frozen veggies to the dish and spray with fry light do this for about 5-7 mins. From here add your mince and cook until brown. From here add in the chopped red onion and cook for another 5-7 mins on a medium heat. Try to cover the dish with a lid if you can as it locks in the heat better! Step 2- Once this is done lay out your glass baking dish and open the tomato jar sauce. Using a spoon use a small spoonful and spread this onto the bottom of the dish, from here you are then going to cover that sauce with 3 lasagna sheets. (Refer to diagram below picture 4) Step 3- Next open the Dolmio cream jar and you are going to layer a little bit over the top of the lasagna sheets. (Refer to diagram below picture 5) Step 4- Going back to the mince mixture make sure you now add the rest of all the tomato sauce, the stock cube, tomato puree, Worcester sauce, mr naga and a dash seasoning of Italian herbs. Stir and leave to simmer for 5-7 mins. Then remove the lid and allow the mixture to absorb some air for 5-10 mins. Step 5- Going back to your glass baking dish you are now going to add some of the mince mixture on top of the cream coated lasagna sheets. From this stage you are going to start creating the layers. It goes mince, lasagna sheets, cream, mince, lasagna sheets, cream and keep going until you reach the top; the last layer should be the mince. (Refer to diagram below picture 8) Step 6- Once the final layer is the mince, grab out your mozzarella and you are going to coat this all over the mince layer for the top of the lasagna. You can use other cheese if you prefer but mozzarella is my fave which is why I use it! (see diagram below picture 9) Step 7- Pop your lasagna in the oven and set the temp to 180 for 10 mins. After 15 mins turn it back down to 160 and leave for 20 mins. (This will prevent the cheese from burning too much!) 10-15 mins before your lasagna is done you will need to pop the garlic bread in too (follow instructions for garlic bread on the back of the packaging). Step 8- Once your lasagna is done take it out the oven and let it sit for 5 mins or so. Get your veggies and fave salad ready and pop this onto your plate. From here cut a 1/4 portion the size of your fist from the dish and plate up! Add a mini slice of garlic bread and enjoy!!!! This one is super tasty and trust me when I say it is something I make on a weekly basis!!!! By batch cooking this you can get a good 3-4 meals out of this!!! You're welcome!!! :) |
AuthorZLR Fitness Archives
March 2023
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