Pass me the Malteasers

We have hit that delightful time of the year - given up on our 'New Year Health Kick' goal and haven't entered the gym for a while....and salads for lunch are a distant memory - ah the beloved cycle...

Sometimes though, it is a little more than what some people would call 'laziness' or 'failing'.

Sometime there are reasons we fall off the wagon that we can't, or don't want, to control.

Ever reached for the chocolate when you're feeling down? Or a bag of crisps when you can't get any other food? Or how about treating yourself to a tub of ice cream and a few glasses of wine to reward yourself for a job well done?

A high percentage of readers will have answered yes to at least one of the above, and it really isn't that uncommon.

What the above refers to is Emotional Eating - a very real subject that I am not ashamed to admit, I have fallen victim to.

The capture below gives a brief description of the difference between Emotional and Physical Hunger;

Sound familiar? I have had plenty of clients that can identify with the above - and I too in the not so distant past.

What can you do?

Find distraction techniques to stop you from satisfying an unwarranted craving - does your body really need the sugar rush or do you feel it's the only way to comfort or reward yourself?



So Very True!

So, these distraction techniques..

Ok so they may take more time than reaching for food, but I have found these to work best;

 

Take a minute before the red mist descends - Emotional Eating is usually mindless and automatic and before you know it, the whole share bag of crisps is gone in one sitting. If you consciously decide to stop yourself, your body (and mind) will thank you later.

 

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Rather than eating for stress, take the time to do a little relaxation - I don't mean full on meditation, but take yourself out of the situation, calm down and even use that to your advantage - look up a new recipe to try for dinner. Never feel guilty for taking time for yourself.

 

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Similar to the above, why not get out of the house / office for a moment; take a walk, go for a swim or even get to the gym

 

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Sleep! Make sure you are sleeping enough - bad / broken sleep or even being deprived of it causes ghrelin levels to increase which stimulates your appetite and also your leptin (responsible for signalling to your brain) levels to decrease which means you don't get that 'full' feeling. See, I can be Science-y.

 

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The last one I have found to be the most effective - Talking. Never underestimate the art of communication. Especially to those close to you. You may also discover that someone is trying to deal with it too - and you can both use this as a way to help each other break the cycle.

 

 

 



No, it's not an easy thing to overcome, even though you can have extreme feelings of guilt or dissatisfaction after consumption. But simply addressing the fact this may be happening to you is the start -  and you will be able to overcome it, be patient and kind to yourself.

Have you fallen victim to this? How do you manage your emotional connection to food? Do you think the pointers above would help you?

On a side note, I am planning another blog focusing on eating and training habits - from men / women, complete newbies to competitive athletes - if you would like to be involved, please contact me!

Franki xx

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Doing My Bit For Charity

A few months back, I told you I was planning on doing a Charity Fundraiser....and I still plan to!

In fact, I have booked a date for it;  on November 22nd 2014, I will be holding Franki's Mad Pants Tea Party!

Who For? Endometriosis UK http://endometriosis-uk.org/

Why? I have suffered with this disease for over 4 years.

Endometriosis UK is a Charity that works with sufferers on the management of the disease, offering support and guidance, as well as campaigning for sufferers to receive better treatment and care - and hopefully, as with all causes like this, find a cure.

It is something that effects roughly 1.5 million Women in the UK alone and can be truly awful. There have been days were it has been a struggle for me to walk.

Or the pain comes on so suddenly it stops me in my tracks (can you imagine this happening to you whilst you're driving?! Scary to say the least!)

For some, it can be so debilitating, getting off the sofa is about as much movement as you'll get in a day.

It can even lead to Female Infertility due to the slow process in which diagnosis can take place. I was told several times my symptoms were ''Irritable Bowel Syndrome'' ''A Pulled Muscle'' and even, insultingly, ''It's All In Your Head'' ..... all the while, I was suffering with what turned out to be ''A Pretty Severe Case'' - a diagnosis I eventually got after seeking a third opinion from a walk in clinic who immediately referred me for scans....and so my Endo Journey began....

Unfortunately, like several other diseases, there is no known cure, only quick fixes which usually result in a trip to the hospital for surgery - and this has happened three times to me.

Luckily for me, although the pain I suffer can be at times unbearable, I am able to still carry on day to day life, and even train - I think I have only not trained a handful of times due to it... I don't let anything stop me...! ;-)

You already know how passionate I am about Health and Wellbeing, and I feel it is so important to support this from all angles. Raising awareness about Women's Health, for me, is as equally important as it is to raise awareness for Eating Disorders - Two areas that don't get enough recognition for the serious diseases it encompasses. When it does, it's usually a negative story - this should change. This is why I want to raise awareness and money for a cause that closely effects me.


So what's a Mad Pants Tea Party?!

Well, it's pretty much just that -  a Tea Party, except you wear a token - a pair of Pink Pants :-)

Venue is still to be confirmed, hoping to get this sorted next week - in the meantime, if anyone can recommend one, it would be most appreciated!

The theme for the Tea Party will be Pink Pants, but as long as something you wear is Pink, you'll fit right in :)

I plan on running a few little competitions such as;

 ''Guess the Weight of the Cake'' - Winner gets the cake,

A Cake ''Auction'' - a special Pink Pants Cake that will be sold to the highest bidder

Along with a Lucky Dip, Good Old Cake Sale and of course a Raffle with some great prizes to be won!

A £2 Entry fee will also be asked for, and you will get a free cup of Tea or Coffee on entry :)

I hope to raise a bit of cash for a great cause and would be most grateful if anyone else is willing to get involved, either by volunteering to bake some yummy cupcakes to sell, can donate any prizes for the raffle or to simply help me set up and tidy away on the day. Ooh and take plenty of photos!

I will be doing promotions for this through the Gym, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so you have no excuses to forget the date ;-)

Oh, and the Event won't be exclusive to just the ladies, guys are most welcome too! But you HAVE TO wear pink pants ;-)


I hope that you are able to support me in this venture! Over the next year I am hoping to do a few more fundraisers for them....their next one is Tough Mudder - https://toughmudder.co.uk/   but I don't think I am quite up to it yet...!

Do you do any fundraising? If so, what inspired you to do so?

Franki xx


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I'm Back!

 

 

Wow, the Blog has been up for 1 whole year now, and is doing so much better than I ever thought it would be! Thanks to all those that continuously follow and support..it means a lot! xx

Back to business though, the holiday has been and gone. I had a beautiful week in Torrevieja, Alicante with James - Sun, Downtime, Great Food and More Sun :-)

Throughout the week, I wasn't too far away from work however. Not only did I bear the EBW colours almost everyday through some Bikini Variation, but we also found a great little gym to train at (obviously, I didn't think we could go a whole week without some sort of training!) and I kept a daily log of food / observations and even a newspaper clipping that I wanted to share with you all.

You went to a Commercial Gym?!

We did indeed! for 6 Euros a session, we couldn't pass it up. Although the cardio section dominated most of the space, the free weights had their own separate room, and it was pretty well equipped! It even included the typical ''you missed leg day'' guy who, both times we went, was there doing some sort of shoulder and arm workout in front of the mirror grunting ;-)

Although I was the only Female, it didn't feel half as intimidating as other Commercial Gyms I have trained in. That was until I did a 100kg Strapless Deadlift and weighted Chin Ups....that caused a few looks...! I was chuffed though - despite the heat and the sweat, that was the heaviest I have managed to lift without straps!

How did you eat? Were you 'good'?

A few people have asked me this question, and did so before I went, hence the reason I kept track.

In essence, yes we did eat well, but we weren't short of a few indulgences. This may sound odd, but we just didn't want to scoff unnecessary food and gorge on treats because we didn't need them.

Not to say there weren't Ice Creams, Desserts, Chips, Bread, even Pizza - and of course Cider, Amoretto and Whiskey, but all in moderation (or once in some cases!) and this was due to how I felt after consumption. Yes, I was on holiday, but didn't want to spend my week in pain or uncomfortable because of the food I had eaten - I have worked hard enough to get to where I am, why would I spoil it and nearly ruin my chill time?!

We Love Red Wine...!

On the first day we visited a supermarket to buy some supplies for the week -  our intention was to cook our own breakfasts each day and then eat out for the other meals. We purchased lots of fresh meat and veg, eggs, water, cheese and nuts - and this lasted us the week. We had Pork Chops fried with Almonds, Courgettes and Aubergines one morning, Salmon and Eggs another and a Spicy Chorizo and Aubergine omelette - so we did pretty well on the breakfast front- until the last day - we went out for Gourmet Ice Cream and Coffee..!

We ate at some amazing restaurants too, some of which were recommended by Sanjay and Ruby, who we rented our Villa from, (Thank You both so much!) some just by exploring and recommendations by locals.

CHE Argentinian Grill

One of our favourite places - an Argentinian Buffet Grill with a difference. Rather than queuing up, plate in hand, everything is brought round to your table - every few minutes, a server will come round with a variety of cooked meats, vegetables and side dishes, you simply say yes or no to what is being offered! Everything from Beef Steak to Herbed White Fish, Sizzling Chorizo Sausages and the Best Black Pudding I have ever had (Yes, Really!) and grilled Veg. Both times we went for dinner, we were both too full to even contemplate dessert! In fact I only had a dessert on the last day...

Panache

A short walk from where we staying, we went here on our first night. James opted for an Escargot starter - not that bad actually, just like garlic-y, chewy mussels! We then both shared a giant, fresh Seafood Paella - it was beautiful! You could taste the freshness of the King Prawns, Mussels and other Shellfish included - Amazing!



Mmmm....Snails!



 

Huge!!

















Chapter 1

Probably our Favourite of all the places we ate. Simply amazing food! This was a small Fine Dining establishment that James was told about on one of his Golf Days, and I'm glad we checked this place out!

First, we went for dinner, Opting to share starters of Baby Squid stuffed with Feta and Chorizo and White Chocolate and Scallop Arrencini, accompanied by Irish Soda Bread and Garlic Alioli. This was followed by the largest and most filling Fish dish I have ever had - Teriyaki Cod on Peanut and Coconut Rice - Heavenly!

Again, too full for a Dessert, but we said we would go back on our last day as they did Roast Dinner ;-)

Wow! The Best Roast Dinner from a restaurant EVER!! The Food was just so fresh and flavoursome, we were so impressed - the portions were generous and they had the creamiest, smoothest Mash! Delightful!

Even though I was full to burst, I had to have a dessert - I went for a Blueberry Cheesecake - Winner!!

Gorgeous Fish Dish

Cheesecake makes me Happy :)



 

 

 

 

 

So I mentioned James went to Golf? There are some truly beautiful courses across Spain, so I could hardly deny him an opportunity to play at one of the Top 100 Courses in Europe - Las Colinas. The Landscape and Views were incredible and he even got to play with a Pro....Meanwhile, I caught some much needed Sun :)

 

 

Beautiful Course

Pool to myself!

 

 

 

I just wanted to share some insights into our time away, reiterate the fact that we all need rest and time away from everyday stresses and that just because you are away from routine, it doesn't have to mean all your hard work and discipline should go to waste :)

 

 

 I had a lot of time to myself to reflect and observe everything around me. One of the biggest things I noticed was Body Confidence. This I will cover in a separate post next week as I have quite a lot to say about it...including an interesting article I read in a newspaper whilst away.

I hope everyone has had a lovely summer and still striving for better and well on your way to reaching your goals!

 







Franki xx

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