Healthy Cocktails?

Summer is here - well that is when it isn't raining!  But regardless, the good weather makes most of us want to head for the nearest patio and knock back a few cold beers or maybe cocktails.  And I found this great recipe for a yummy cocktail, bursting with anti-oxidants and flavour -  to show you that drinking can actually be healthy(ish).

Berry Batida by Paul Abercrombie 
Makes: 1 serving
What To Buy:
1 ounce Cuca Fresca Premium Cachaca
1/4 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce simply syrup
8 organic raspberries
4 organic blackberries
2 healthy dashes Urban Moonshine Orange Bitters

How To Make It:

Muddle the berries in the shaker, then add all the other ingredients and shake well with ice. Fine strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with berries and a straw for stirring.

Check out the website for more great ideas.

Fat British Kids

Would you let your kids eat 850 Mars Bars each year?  Its a pretty disgusting thought isn't it? But apparently that is what is happening in the UK.  On average kids there are spending £372 ($150) on sweets, crisps and cakes (translated for my North American friends thats candy and chips).

More than one in three British children aged five to 13 are already overweight or obese. 

I blame lazy parents for this, there is just no need for this to happen. Come on parents, cut out the ready meals, stop feeding your kids crap food every day - cook them a decent meal, buy them some fruit, educate them - guess what?  the kids will thank you for it.

 Here is the full article.

I also found this article about helping children understand the importance of healthy eating without nagging them or making them diet. Giving opportunities to kids to exercise and make good choices.

BOO!! I'm back.

Did you miss me?
Yes I took a week off from blogging and thoroughly enjoyed myself - spending it trying out some new recipes, cooking up some old favourites from the Motherland (that are not particularly healthy, but very tasty), also trying out some great workouts, check out the blog thoroughout the week for details.

TOAD IN THE HOLE!!

A big bang(ers) favourite meal in my home.  My Mam would make this for me as a kid and I loved it, so the other day I whipped up a batch for the family and it was an instant hit.


Basically it is just breakfast sausages baked in the oven with yorkshire pudding mix.  Then served up with gravy and a huge heap of veggies.

Here is the recipe I used from Jamie Oliver.

Low Cholesterol Rocks!!

So I am not one to blow my own trumpet (ever!) and I am certainly not modest, but I am feeling pretty smug with myself at the moment and thought I would boast a little on my blog.


I had my annual physical at the docs this week and had the results of my cholesterol back. The doc claimed he had never seen such low numbers and said to continue doing whatever it is I am doing, because I pretty much couldn't get much better.


Phew!!! - now that I have exhausted my shameless praising of myself, I thought that I would do a little research and find out exactly what it is that I am doing that works!


Some enlightenment:


exercise: can raise the HDL and lower the LDL - which is the direction you need both to move in.
diet: the 2 main things that can effect your cholesterol levels are saturated fats and cholesterol from food (ie from animals).  One of the main causes of heart attacks in the USA are from over consumption of these two elements.  I know that I only eat a little meat, chicken and occasionally pork, and the only saturated fats I think I consume come from butter (I refuse to give that up). I also eat lots of good fats, omega 3, which are known to raise the HDL (good cholesterol) and reduce triglycerides.
stress levels: Stress over the long term has been shown in several studies to raise blood cholesterol levels. One way that stress may do this is by affecting your habits. For example, when some people are under stress, they console themselves by eating fatty foods.
genes:  it seems there is a form of genetic high cholesterol out there, but even if this doesn't exist in you, your genes can still influence your LDL (bad) levels. 
other influences: alcohol level, age and sex.


to summarise: eating well + exercising + staying relaxed = longevity and lower cholesterol!!

Singing Sue's Cancer Battle

“I take nothing for granted. I now have only good days or great days.” Lance Armstrong


I think all of us at some stage in our lives have been affected by cancer, being a survivor or having lost loved ones. I know my family has experienced tragedy at the hands of this disease and I was recently reunited with an 'old friend' (hee hee - we are both heading for the naughty 40's) via facebook, who I discovered had been battling with breast cancer.

Sue and I were firstly next door neighbours and best friends, then by marriage she became my cousin-in-law (I probably made that up) then over the years we lost touch and have recently caught up via the social media network.  It was great to reconnect with her, to find out she now has twin boys and newly married to boot - and also to find out her hard struggle with the disease.

Anybody who knows Sue, instantly loves her, she is just so bloody funny and has an amazing zest for life. She is now thankfully on the other side of the battle and definitely enjoys life to the fullest.

To raise awareness, Sue was interviewed by the local paper in the UK, and has given me the thumbs up to post her story here. She is truly inspiration and I am very proud to know her. Click here to read the full interview.

For more information on Breast Cancer in the UK visit breakthrough.org.uk, in Canada www.cbcf.org and in the USA www.nationalbreastcancer.org

Free Fabulous Food!!

Do you live in the downtown core of Toronto?
Do you like free food? 
Do you need some help getting the nutritional balance in your diet?

Well Ta-Dah!! here is the solution. Kyle Byron Nutrition has partnered up with a Red Seal chef to provide deliveries to your home.

If you would like to have 2 meals delivered to your home for 2 days - so yes 4 meals in total (I can see your mouth watering already) then simply leave me a comment telling me why you think you should win this prize.

Kyle will pick the winner from the comments on Sunday 20th June.

To view the menu and for more information about Kyles meal delivery service, click after the break.

image www.laughingdogfarm.com

Hierarchy Of Fat Loss

I am posting this link because I think that everybody who exercises or is interesting in starting an exercise program MUST READ IT.

Alwyn Cosgrove is a sort Demigod to me and many others who incorporate resistance and metabolic training into their workouts.  After many years of experience training the average Joe Bloggs to top athletes, Alwyn has seen proven results in fat loss exercise programs and has detailed this in his brilliant article.

For those of you who are new to exercise and want to get started, please DO NOT start a running program and think this is how you are going to see quick results.  Instead of getting injured and seeing no improvement in your fat loss - read this article and then adopt the following hierarchy as the way you must always workout. Then and only then will you see the results you want in your body.

Alywns 5 Factors For Fat Loss Training:

1. Metabolic Resistance Training:  3 of my favourite words and my favourite way to exercise. I love it. And so does everybody else who I introduce this to.  This is how AC describes this type of workout:

"Our goal is to work every muscle group hard, frequently, and with an intensity that creates a massive “metabolic disturbance” or “afterburn” that leaves the metabolism elevated for several hours post-workout."

2. High Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training: Otherwise known to many of us as Hiits (High Intensity Interval Training)  why go for a 1 hour low intensity run, when  you can do a Hiit workout in 20 mins!   AC  "It burns more calories than steady state and elevates metabolism significantly more than other forms of cardio. The downside is that it flat-out sucks to do it!"

3. High Intensity Aerobic Interval Training: "essentially a lower intensity interval method where we use aerobic intervals."

4. Steady State High Intensity Aerobic Training: "Tool number four is just hard cardio work. This time we’re burning calories — we aren’t working hard enough to increase EPOC significantly or to do anything beyond the session itself. But calories do count. Burning another 300 or so calories per day will add up."

5. Steady State Low Intensity Aerobic Training: "There isn’t very much research showing that low intensity aerobic training actually results in very much additional fat loss, but you’re going to have to really work to convince me that moving more is going to hurt you when you’re in fat attack mode."

He then goes on to detail how to make this work within your time frame so that you get the BEST RESULTS for fat loss.

Enjoy this read, you won't regret it!

(image from www.cartoonstock.com/ directory/d/dusted.asp)