Yesterday's leg workout

Worked on legs and glutes yesterday and I'm defo feeling it today!! Here's how it went down:

For my warm-up, I use the 7min workout app which has 30 second intervals of each exercise.

4mile bike ride with my son (he was amazing as it was his first time riding on the main road, team fitfam!!)

40 x donkey kicks (20 each leg)

25 x 20 kg leg extensions

15 x 20kg squats 

40 x side leg lifts (20 each leg)

30 x calf raises holding 2.5kg weights in each hand

15 x 10 kg single leg dead lifts 

20 x Single leg bench squat holding 3kg medicine ball

REPEAT 4 TIMES

REST 1min 30 secs (I went for active rest: high knees and jump squats)

Enjoy!!

Upper body workout

But did you sweat?? Worked on my upper body today and got my sweat on in my lil gym!! I'm absolutely finished right now lol but it was so worth it!! This is what I got up to, try it!!

4 mile bike ride with 2.5 kg weight in bag

20 push-ups 

10-15 TRX rows 

15 Chest presses 15kg 

15 lat raises with resistance bands 

15 tricep kick backs 5kg weights

15 reps 20kg dead lift 

15 bicep curls

Rest 2mins after each circuit (I chose active rest so I was on the punching bag for the 2mins)

REPEAT 4 times!! Xxxx

Quick meal post

Hope everyone is having something yummy and healthy for dinner!! We are!! Wild rice, sautéed cabbage with yellow peppers, grilled salmon and cannellini beans!! 😋💪💪yummy!! 😘💪

Day 22: total body workout!!

Just got a quick minute to blog: here is today's workout. Try and get it done at some point in the day. You won't regret it!! Xxx

Pic from Instagram! My fav place for inspiration :)

Day 10,11 & 12 :DONE!!!

Today is day 12 and I'm so exhausted. I haven't even had a chance to blog properly, uuuuugh!! But, no pain no gain so here is a quick run down of what has happened thus far!!

DAY 10:

I was meant to have my personal trainer come through but I just had so much to do in the morning. I got a quick workout in on the TRX bands working on my abs. Then did the 100m sprints x 6 with my son. He beat me as I had severe DOMS (no lie or excuses lol)

DAY 11:

I had bootcamp on Thursday so we focused on the upper body: push-ups, shoulder press 10kg-20kg depending on strength,  tricep dips, rows on TRX, alternate punches, kettlebell lateral raises. Circuits started at 30 secs then 45 secs and then a 1 min.

DAY 12:

Today was meant to be rest day and I did rest but couldn't resist a little ab blast this evening lol.. So I did a little workout from my fellow blogger www.freshfitandfancy.blogspot.com (follow her on instagram too for inspirational pics and meal ideas: freshfitandfancy). I will be using her ab workouts throughout my holiday as they are amazing!! So I did the "Love your lower abs" challenge and it finished me haha!! Had me sweating loads too which is always a good thing ;)

Food wise I have been pretty much using my protein shakes as pre and post workout meals throughout the day and having less carbs than usual. For instance, I'll have a barbecued pork chop or chicken and have some sautéed spinach with it. Been loading up on fruit and drinking plenty water!! It's very important to stay hydrated especially in this beautiful weather. 

I will try and blog earlier tomorrow. Stay focused and don't give up xxx

SWEATY SCARF AND TOP!!

Day 8 and 9: DONE!!

I've been sprinting lately. Measured out 100m to get me all Usain Bolt ready. it's a private road, there isn't any traffic so it's perfect!! The sun is shining so I'm doing as much as I can outdoors. 

I've also got my son into it and he thinks it's great fun....until he loses lol. He absolutely LOVES my Nike freeruns!! So I told him he could have a pair if he beats me in the 100m race. He hasn't done it yet but he's pretty quick. He doesn't like losing (I don't think anyone does) so he gets a bit upset afterwards. 

Dre and ready to train. I want my freeruns back buddy!!!

I just want him to learn that nothing comes for free in this life. I only got those trainers because I did the Nike 10k run so it was a reward for trying. I also want him to get into his fitness and start thinking like a winner. I think it's important for children to have some sort of athletic ability and just be fit and healthy in general. He plays rugby, tennis, cricket, goes swimming and has just recently gotten into football. I've seen enough obese and unhealthy children suffer because their parents won't bother with healthy eating and fitness. I think that's a bit unfair on the kids really.

Don't get me wrong, my son doesn't do the whole protein shake, anabolic window thing!! But he has a home cooked meal everyday which I try and make as healthy as possible. He's still a growing child and I think he should still indulge a little. He personally prefers water or milk to hydrate so that makes it easier for me. Keep them healthy from the inside out.

DAY 8

So yesterday we did 100m sprints x 6 with about a minutes rest in between. I was looking to beat my time of 26sec. And I did!! My PB is now 19sec so I have to beat that now, oh dear!!!

DAY 9

Today was boot camp and we focused on Abs. Mine are still on fire!! Please see Sunday's workout (day 6) if you want to do abs too.

Stay focused xx

Day 7: DONE!!

Was meant to post from the beach but my phone battery decided to give up on me, what a loser!!

Anyway, I had a pretty chilled day today and worked on my abs. Nothing too crazy but I had to do something. I also had a bowl of Special K for brekkie, then just munched on fruit salad pretty much the whole day as I didn't want to look like a whale in my bikini!! It was my friends little girls' first birthday today (Happy birthday Amari xxx) so I indulged in some yummy cake too and had 2 pieces of barbecued chicken. Gorgeous day for sure!!

So here you go:

20 sit-ups 

20 leg lifts

30 Romanian twists

20 raised leg sit-ups 

20 slow roll ups

2min plank

You can do it in your bikini too if you want ;)

Stay focused!!xx

30 days of fitness: DAY 4,5 and 6 DONE!!

No I haven't given up, just didn't have time to post!! Here is a brief rundown of the past 3 days.

DAY 4:

I had boot camp on Thursday and we focused on the lower body. Leg day was hell and I damn near crawled out of the gym lol. Squats with 20kg weight, lunges with 20kg weight, bunny hops over steps, calf raises, box jumps, wall sits, stepups, sprints on spin bike and finally sprints. Mercy!! This picture pretty much sums up how I felt afterwards lol

DAY 5:

I had a business seminar to go to in London so decided to do a quick 30min yoga just to stretch out the muscles as I was very sore from head to toe.

DAY 6:

I was exhausted at this point but I still managed to do some sprints on the road. I've measured and marked out 100m so I just decided to do a few sprints to test it out. I won every race by the way :p

My eating has pretty much been protein shakes and grilled meats with sautéed or steamed veg. Plenty of water!! I will post some new recipes up this week.

Stay focused, stay strong and enjoy your journey xxx

30 days of fitness: DAY 3 DONE!!!

Uuuugh!! Today was a super tough day, I suffered lol. Tuesday, I had boot camp and the trainer focused on the upper body. Today my personal trainer came through and had me working my arms and entire body till I damn near passed out, I loved it though haha!! Here is what we did today and this is your workout too:

WARM UP

50 squats

50 alternate leg lunges

50 jump squats(your butt and legs will be on fire)

WORKOUT: LEGS (1 min/50sec/40 sec/30 sec/20sec/10sec sets)

1 min kettle bell swings (weight of your choice depending on fitness level, I used 12kg)

1 min jump squats 

Do the same exercises for 50 secs then 40,30,20 to 10 secs.  NO REST BETWEEN SETS!!

ARMS AND BACK (15-20 reps of each exercise, 4sets)

15-20 Lateral raises with resistance bands(if you don't have resistance bands, then use weights, no less than 2.5kg)

Move straight into 15-20 push-ups 

REPEAT 4 TIMES, NO REST!!

ABS/CORE (no rest between sets)

25 v-ups

25 raised leg sit-ups 

25 bicycle crunches 

25 leg raises

25 scissor kicks

25 single leg raises

1 min plank (jump legs in and out for extra intensity)

AND YOU'RE DONE!! :)

My meals were a little sporadic today. But here goes:

BREAKFAST:

Protein shake (no extras added as I had to rush out the door!!)

PRE-WORKOUT MEAL:

Bowl of oats with almond milk, pint of water

POST-WORKOUT:

Protein shake (no extras again as I had to rush out the door)

DINNER:

Poussin (grilled)

Wild rice (I'm not having any)

Butter beans

Cabbage with red Peppers

Enjoy!! Stay strong and hydrate yourselves boys an girls xx

30 days of fitness: Day 2

Today was the first day of bootcamp with a new trainer. My arms are no longer functional as today was all about the upper body!! We did everything from tricep dips, push-ups, rows on the TRX, we were on the rowing machine, 10kg clean and press...it was all kicking off lol!! I enjoyed it as usual and Thursday is all about legs and glutes, I CANNOT WAIT!! 

I don't have a particular workout to share as I had boot camp but you can try this for today or tomorrow. Repeat 2-3 times.

BREAKFAST

Oats with soya milk and a cup of herbal tea (any of your choice with 1 teaspoon of Manuka honey)

PREWORKOUT/LUNCH

Protein shake with spinach, tablespoon of peanut butter and banana

POSTWORKOUT/DINNER

Protein shake (nothing added)

Whole wheat pasta with pork strips in a tomato and onion sauce

Teaspoon of cottage cheese

Enjoy, stay strong and stay fit. Remember to keep yourself hydrated all day!! Water is essential to your fitness xxx

30 days of fitness: DAY 1

Oh boy!! Here goes nothing. I've been really enjoying bootcamp and making the most of my time there. It's really changed my way of thinking with regards to exercise and healthy eating. I'm having so much fun with everything, I never want it to end!! 

I also have a little summer holiday coming up so I really want to look top notch in my bikinis so I've decided to clean up my eating and turn up the workouts. I'll be doing a bit of everything really from calisthenics to cardio to plyometrics to everything else in-between.

I'll be sharing my daily workout routines (yes routines!!) and what I'm eating to fuel myself through the day. So here goes:

BREAKFAST:

Bowl of oats made with soya milk. Nectarine and pint of lemon water.

LUNCH:

2 scrambled eggs, sautéed spinach with garlic and 1 beef sausage

PRE-WORKOUT SHAKE:

Use your protein powder as instructed: I added 1 banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter

DINNER( POST-WORKOUT):

Small lamb shoulder steak (no oil added) pan fried

Protein shake made with soya milk

WORKOUT FOR THE DAY

Getbodiedbyj 10 min Ab workout (search for this on YouTube)

40 assisted pull-ups

40 push-ups 

40 jump squats 

40 leg lifts 

40 bicycle crunches

40 split lunges

1 min high knees

200m sprint

Day 1 done and don't forget to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day xx

MY HERO

Bootcamp madness!!

Bootcamp beat me up differently today, I'm sitting here feeling very sorry for myself I am!!...That 16kg kettlebell doesn't play games. Anyway, it's done and I'm enjoying a well deserved protein shake with blueberries, banana and a teaspoon of peanut butter. Brekkie was just oats with rice milk to get me going for the day. Yep, my top has an hour's worth of sweat on it, YUUUUUMMMY!!hahaha, dig it!! 

Circuit PB's:

6:58

5:57

6:14

5:53

The box jumps are getting a tad easier now, I'm not so scared anymore, wwwwhhhhooop!!

Do it right, no shortcuts!! :D

Right, soooooo basically the fitness journey is going well BUT I'm often asked what kind of diet I'm on aaaaalllll the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not super skinny or fit but the inches are coming off nicely since I started eating right. Everything I post on my Facebook page, blog (www.thelivingcherub.blogspot.co.uk) is practically what I eat on a daily basis. I have cut down my portions but have also changed how/what I cook. I'm not a nutritionist by any means but I follow loads of great trainers/fitness fanatics/fitness pages on Instagram and Facebook and literally just do as they do and eat what they eat. I've also learnt how to workout properly by watching what they do and trying any challenges that I see be it for 30 days or just a one day workout challenge. I've learnt that when it comes to fitness/weight loss, there are no shortcuts or miracles, just hard work and sacrifices!!  So no, there's no quick fix, super miracle diet or magic food. Just educate yourself about what to eat, hang out with fitness freaks looool and make a commitment to your fitness and body!! You'll be proud you did it!! ❤❤❤Xxxx

Be better at being YOU :)

This whole fitness journey has taught me so much!! I never once thought I'd be lifting weights and trying to lift heavier each time, challenging myself to run faster or do more reps, eat better etc etc...I thought that once I could lift weights as heavy as "that girl" in the gym I'd be satisfied. But I realised I didn't need to look at others or try and be like them, I had to look at myself and compete with me to see just how far I could push!! (I now lift heavier than "that girl"btw lol ). I'm not saying don't look at others for inspiration or motivation but learn to realise that YOU are your own best goal!! You're the one pushing so hard to get there so why even bother competing with someone else?? Challenge yourself everyday and be better than you were yesterday. It'll hurt but its so worth it. Have a great day and push harder, you're getting better and better!!

Xxxx

Body type matters

It's now been just under 3 months since I started my fitness journey and I'm learning soooo much through it. From healthy eating to new workouts to how to workout correctly. The list is endless and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

We all make comparisons to other men/women's bodies. We want a butt like Jennifer Lopez, we want hips like Beyonce, abs like Chris Hemsworth (Thor, mmmmm yummy) and biceps like "The Rock". That would be fantastic!!

I'm starting to see what my true body shape is like now that I've lost a couple of pounds and can see some definition. In today's society there seems to be a mould to follow when it comes to what a woman's body should look like. Perfect bust, tiny waist, toned bum and thighs, skinny ankles and tiny feet, all whilst having the prettiest most photogenic face there is on the planet!!! I'm exhausted just writing that!!

I've never had super large hips or a massive bum. I've always been classed as "petite", standing very tall at 5ft lol. So after carrying a child my body changed slightly. I suddenly had hips and a bum and thighs, oh gosh, what do you do with this new jiggle?? I truly wasn't sure what I had become but it was very different and I wasn't sure about it. Anyway, tried some fad diets and lost a couple of pounds then put them back on with a vengeance!! I wasn't working out either so that didn't help. I thought I just had to accept this new slightly chubbier version of myself even though I didn't really like it as I knew it wasn't "me" as such. Besides, African women are meant to look round and healthy right??*rolls eyes*

I was stuck. I started working out but kept the same body. I just looked a little lost to be honest. I dressed to hide this ridiculous kangaroo pouch/pot belly combo that just wouldn't shift!! I mean, I couldn't even put myself in the basic body type categories, you know: apple, pear, straight,hourglass. I was more watermelon/avocado/pomegranate shape lol.

But through my fitness I've discovered something that has changed the way I look at my body completely. It's like a eureka moment and I'm so glad I'm into research otherwise I never would've discovered this. Instagram is a great place to follow fellow fitness junkies, experts, beginners and the photos do help with regards to motivation. I came across a photo showing different body types. I had never heard of Somatotypes before so decided to look into it a little more. I went through blog after blog, Wikipedia pages, website after website and finally found something that I could share that was easier to understand.

I'm an Ectomorph/Mesomorph combination. I say this because I have curves and they are shaping up nicely with all the training I'm doing which is great!! I also put on weight easily and find it difficult to gain muscle definition. But then again my frame is quite small (can't win lol). Anyway here is the link to the blog that I found helpful. It explains each type in detail and also gives a little help on what exercises are most efficient for your body type. Have a read, hopefully it will inform you better and keep you on track with your journey and lifestyle as it has mine.

http://www.superskinnyme.com/body-type.html

Stay positive and keep going. You're doing great!! Xx

The questions will come....

When you start doing things differently, you automatically get questioned: why are you doing this? Who are you trying to impress? Why do you work so hard? You don't think you're fat do you? What's wrong with your body as it is? You're not trying to be skinny are you? When are you going to stop? Who do you think you are? You do realise you're overdoing it? Etc etc etc.... It's human nature. When I started this journey, I got tired of complaining of my Mum-tum. I got tired of being complacent. I didn't want to look at fit people's pictures and wish to look like them, I decided to become one of them. I refused to fail and give up. I changed my mindset and didn't listen to the negativity. I made a choice to start for ME and change what I didn't like (if I can change my hairstyle and outfits, why not change my body for the better!!). I really want to have the best bikini body that I can possibly have lol!! I'm willing to work hard. But most of all, I've accepted absolutely everything and stopped denying myself the opportunity to be and look my best. I've taken the positive and the negative and made it my motivation!! I've made a choice to be better, that's all. And you can too. It's never too late and it's time you treated your body to be the temple it's meant to be. Go out there and be your BEST!! xxxx

Sharing is caring :/

Well I've searched high and low for some April challenges and haven't had any luck. So I put my greedy twin to one side and thought I'd share my warm up session that I usually do with my personal trainer Paul (www.total-bodypt.co.uk)

It's pretty self explanatory. Brilliant if you're just starting your fitness journey as it will work your entire body. Try and repeat 2-3 times if you can. That's what I do if I don't have time to go to the gym.

Have fun and let me know if you try it out. Have a great and positive week xxx

Super juice part 2 + cleanse plans

I've been juicing again, I think I'm addicted. MANGO, RED GRAPES, RASPBERRIES, PINK LADY APPLES, PLUMS...went for red fruit this time round (I know, mango isn't red inside but it was red on the outside lol). Once again, full of vitamins and nutritious for the whole family. I've been thinking about going on a cleanse after my holiday and I think this combo and my green juice should do the trick. Might try 10 days, hopefully i'll be able to keep up with my workouts and stay energised. Try this combo and let me know what you think. Seeeeee, i recycled my bottles and put some labels on this time round. They're the same ones from the green juice production. Super juice!! Have a great week xx

Super Juice!!

SPINACH, WHITE GRAPES, KIWI FRUIT, GRANNY SMITH APPLES: Don't judge the bottles, I'm recycling and helping conserve our planet and I didn't drink all the wine beforehand loool ...I've fallen head over heels for my juicer, I've been juicing everything!!! My fruit intake is terrible and I can't eat apples as they make me sick so this is the easiest and tastiest way for me to get those important extra nutrients into my body. Also a great thirst quencher after a workout 💪💪 and I can take it with me on roadtrips as part of my snack. Try it out and let me know what you think

Squash and turkey mince pasta bake

Just cooked a yummy healthy pasta dish that I thought I should share with everyone as its sooooooo delish and easy to make. My recipe makes enough to feed 8 eeeeeeek! But just take as much as you need to eat and freeze the rest in portions.

1 medium squash
500g wholewheat fusilli pasta
400g turkey mince
1 pack mushrooms sliced in half
5 tomatoes chopped
2 courgettes
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel your squash. Chop in half and remove seeds with a spoon. Cut into cubes and boil till soft and mash. Set aside.

Cook the fusilli as instructed on pack and drain.

Brown the turkey mince then add garlic, courgettes, mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir everything gently together and place in an ovenproof dish. Mix the pasta into the mince sauce and layer mashed squash on top. You can add a little cottage cheese too if you want, I just decided not to.

Bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!

Xxxx

Portion control and target weight

Eating healthy is pretty easy if you know how to cook. I've always been interested in cooking, baking etc. The problem is knowing how much to cook, especially if you're used to cooking large meals for your family all the time, it must be an African thing, ha!! The weather doesn't help either to be honest. But, I've soldiered on and decided to cut down the portions for everyone and just cook healthy foods but make them yummy at the same time.

I've given myself a target weight as well just to have something to focus on and keep me motivated till my birthday which is in summer. So my new body will be a birthday gift to myself (though a pair Louboutins wouldn't hurt either 😜)

So here is a basic example of the types of meals I'll be eating from now onwards. I was going to start in April but I'm an impatient little bugger lol.

I also had liquids only for breakfast. To be honest, I just didn't feel like sitting there chewing. So protein shake + 1/2 avocado, herbal tea and homemade orange & mango juice it was. That kept me going through my morning workouts and a little past lunchtime. Then I had banana with the other 1/2 of the avocado topped with some strawberry yogurt for lunch.

Dinner was so simple but soooo yummy. This was also my post workout meal after kettlercise: Grilled pork, with asparagus and tomatoes + half a slice of wholemeal toast. Fancy water, featuring blood oranges, I'm a lil vampire lol 😂 Cutting down my portions even more. 125lbs/55kg is the target and I'm currently 131/59.6kg😩...summer is gonna loooove me though!!😜

Have a great week and stay positive xxx

Healthy dessert option

It's been about 7 weeks since I started eating and cooking healthier. I've posted up some meals etc and given loads of ideas on Instagram (lilcherub3...follow me 😊) showing what I eat for my pre and post workout meals or dinner. But, I was struggling to come up with dessert recipes that were healthy and to my taste.

I don't like strawberry or chocolate flavoured foods e.g. Ice cream, protein shakes etc. I just can't stand the idea of something begging to taste like the original thing. Like, if its strawberry, let's have some damn strawberries in there or something but don't con me with some fake flavour lol!!

Vanilla is the only flavour I will tolerate. I believe it's the original flavour, the basis of most flavours you know, GO VANILLA!!! So I decided to make some ice cream using my new Vanilla whey protein shake powder. It's pretty easy and tastes yummy, here you go:

1 large ripe avocado
2 ripe bananas
2 scoops vanilla whey protein
100ml Alpro vanilla milk

Blend everything till smooth and freeze in a suitable container.

Thank me later and enjoy!! Xx

Bootcamp is over :( but....

I started this blog when I started going to bootcamp 6 weeks ago. I'm definitely stronger, fitter, faster and best of all slimmer (woooohoooo!!). I thoroughly enjoyed the experience 100%. I've never wanted to succeed so badly, I was kind of racing against myself for those 6 weeks. Sounds crazy but that was exactly what was going through my mind the whole time and, I won lol!!

My whole perception of working out has changed. My mind is in beast mode and I constantly want to push just that little bit more to see what I can do. My weights have gone up at the gym too with regards to kettlercise (gone from 5kg-9kg) and I also do a mini weightlifting set that began at 5kg but I'm now using up to 20kg weights. It's progress all the way from here on out.

All you need is to make a decision, use your mind to control and strengthen your body. You can do it, you just need to take baby steps and keep going.

I've decided to sign up for another 6 weeks of bootcamp as I find it beneficial and wort the hard work.

Here are some pictures of the results I've seen so far and also some of the equipment I use in my workouts. More to come and hope everyone has a great week :)

Additional workouts + my daily routine

As you may well know, I've been going to bootcamp and doing some classes at the gym to tone up.  But I thought to myself, am I being lazy and complacent with what I am doing? The answer was a big fat YES!! Shame on me lol.  My mornings are or rather were occupied with school runs, grocery shopping, housekeeping and a little bit of retail therapy. I did most of my workouts in the evening and that was my day done. 

I just decided to switch things up recently with regards to my mornings because I just felt I wasn't working hard enough and quite frankly was just settling for less with regards to my workouts. The evening classes lasted about 45mins-1hr each and there were some days where I would do 2 classes back to back.  Because they ended so late and I didn't plan out my meals, I would come home, eat a rather large meal and just wait to go to bed.  The morning would come and the cycle would start again.  I was doing the same things, getting the same results and expecting change, that's just madness!!!

So I figured cut out the late workouts and do earlier ones right? Well, that was the plan and it failed as none of the classes were the ones I wanted to do. To be honest, I was stuck for weeks on what I wanted to do!! I had enough and decided to do my own thing during the day and just increase my weights in the classes I was doing already.



So here is my workout plan and it's working well for me thus far. I'm focused on toning my body at the moment and not so focused on weight loss. I have lost a few pounds since I started this routine but I guess this cant be avoided completely. I do this every morning.

If you decide to take on any of these exercises just remember to stretch for about 15 mins when you're done working out as it's very important.

Monday: kettlercise evening class 45 mins using 6kg kettlebell but I've bought 7.5kg & 9kg kettlebells to slowly wean myself off the 6kg. When the class is done, I get on the step machine for 20 mins and try and do at least 2000 steps minimum. Then leg press currently at 50kg 5 sets of 15reps totalling 75 leg presses. After that I either work on my abs or do some squats. This routine lasts about 40mins.

Tuesday: step machine routine, leg press and abs or squats. Bootcamp 1 hr.

Wednesday: step machine routine, shoulder press 30kg same reps as leg press, abs or squats. Personal training 1hr.

Thursday: spin class 45mins, kettlercise 45mins, bootcamp 1hr.

Friday: step machine routine, leg press, abs or squats, shoulder press. Yoga 30 mins.

Saturday: bootcamp 1hr

Sunday: REST (well not really, I do yoga lol)

I will be posting some progress pics in about 2 weeks when bootcamp is done. Have a great week !!xxx

No "Horsing" around

If you've been watching the news, reading the papers lately, you'll know that horses have been making the headlines left, right and centre.  I have no problems trying out different meats/bushmeats but to be honest, I only ate it because I knew what I was eating.  The way the horse meat has been included in some of the food products is quite disgusting and distressing when you read or watch how inhumanely the creatures were treated.  There really should be some ethical guidelines on the food that is imported or exported otherwise how do we really know what we are eating.

Having said that, I've always cooked everything from scratch (I'm just annoying that way lol) so I hope the beef I've been buying to make the lasagne's, meatballs, burgers etc have genuinely been beef only. I find it quite therapeutic to be in the kitchen like a little mad scientist creating something great.  It's also a great way to teach your kids (if you have any) how to cook, Gordon Ramsey watch out, hahaha!!

So here is a quick and healthy recipe to help you have some peace of mind and some idea of exactly what it is you're eating when you chomp on a burger.  Enjoy xx

Proper Beef Burgers
2 packs stir-fry beef or frying steaks (approximately 800g)
4 cloves garlic
1 medium red or white onion
salt and pepper to taste


Place all ingredients in a food processor and make sure everything is blended together.  Get a medium sized cookie cutter, place the meat on a chopping board and cut out the burgers.  This should make about 8 or so.  You can either cook them all or wrap them in cling film and freeze for next time.  Serve with sweet potato chips and a salad.

Snack and meal ideas

It's now been just under two weeks since I started bootcamp and I'm defo getting better at it.  Still a challenge with some of the workouts but I'm more than willing to push myself more than ever. The healthy eating has been going well too and the family are loving it!!  It's so amazing what you can achieve with just a few small changes to your diet. 

I really thought I'd miss most of my previous ways of cooking but nothing! Not even a little bit.  I've become a little obsessed with avocado and yogurt to be honest, they seem to go with everything i.e. salads, spreads, desserts etc...I've been trying to get creative with absolutely everything I prepare and so far so good.  I'm also learning that PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING!!  Once I have my menu and meals set for the day, I prep everything and make sure it's ready for cooking either in the evening or for my post-workout meal.  I try to use things that are quick to cook like sweet potato, pak choi though the long grain brown rice takes foreeeeeevver to soften lol.  I also use foods that can be eaten raw like peppers, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, garlic etc. The meals are also incredibly quick to cook or put together if no cooking requires, anything from 10-20 mins.

It's all fun and I'm definitely interested in learning how to cook more healthy meals.  Protein shakes and fruit are fast becoming my favorites for breakfast and the Soya milk is working wonders too.

I've also started a few challenges on Instagram by @fitspobook and @fitspobod.  If anyone is willing to give them a try then let me know how it's going.  I'll post the pictures up and you can give them a go.  Follow me on Instagram @lilcherub3 as I have tons of pictures showcasing my new healthy chef skills >.<

I'll leave you with some snack and meal ideas I've been munching on over the past week.  Enjoy and remember : "THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM TO DO AND BE BETTER" xxxxx

Just munched on these little goodies as I was blogging

Brown rice with carrots and beans (englishman's jollof rice lol), skinless chicken thighs with mixed peppers and pak choi with garlic

Great snack or post workout meal.  Have only one slice it you're going to have it as a snack.  Spread1: Tuna with raisins and yogurt.  Spread2: Salmon, avocado and yogurt

Omlette with smoked salmon and peppers + watercress and yogurt

Great for breakfast/pre-workout meal with a glass of water or juice

Perfect pre-workout munch!!



My fajitas are the best!! chicken breast, red cabbage, lettuce, red peppers, onions and yogurt



This salad is just the best ever!!  Slowly becoming my fav.  Boiled sweet potato, avocado, mackerel, carrot and yogurt

Grilled seabass and sweet potato chips (grilled also) with pack choi and garlic

The vampires made me do it!!! lol...Blood oranges freshly squeezed with a dash of lime.  I only used the lime because it looked quite lonely sitting in the fridge all by itself, haha!!