Tag: fitness

Nutrition

Don’t starve yourself!

Emily Short

So… You want to lose weight? Fat? The bits of skin near your armpits which are so inconvenient, yes I know the struggle! Well, if this is the goal, the first thing everyone thinks is ‘I need to stop eating’. That might not mean stop EVERYTHING but just a few naughty things, the enjoyable things, the tasty treats that keep you sane! Well…

Yes, Timon is telling you! You can continue eating those ‘Sins’ that Slimming World claim to be the devil’s work. It drives me insane! Just a quick reminder, I am a personal trainer and a nutritional adviser, I’m not a nutritionist doctor or any of the sort BUT I do know how to give healthy, realistic and sustainable diet advice for anybody who wants the extra tips!

Okay, let’s continue… YES, you can eat and drink treats… unbelievable!? Let me explain: Your body needs food to survive right? RIGHT. This means you can’t starve it which also means you’re not going to gain any fat because you’re body is using the calories (energy) to survive. This said, that doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want and blame it on the survival of your body, although, that would be magical! There is a calculation, I know, if you hate maths you’re already going to be turned off, so let’s use a friendlier word… There is a trick (ooo, lovely) to tell you how many calories you can consume without gaining any extra poundage AND no exercise is required, the trick is = Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

As you can see, the diagram is kindly explaining how the body’s organs put the steak meal, carrot and cheeseburger to good use. You burn calories when you breathe, replenish your cells and keep your heart beating. AMAZING. It’s like exercising without doing anything, the laziest, most effective type of exercise. So lets have a look at how much food I can actually eat if I wanted to lie in bed all day and not gain any weight…

An example using my own measurements:

I am a Woman. This is important, the genders have different equations:

(4.536 x 143lbs) + (15.88 x 70in) – (5 x 23) – 161 =

648.6 + 1111.6 -115 – 161 =

BMR = 1484.2

I can eat 1484 Calories without putting on any weight and the calories can come from any food I want, so let’s see my food options! Okay this is what a day could look like for me if I wanted to eat and drink without any restrictions part from knowing my BMR.

There you go! I was able to eat yummy meals, have a little sneaky ice cream and a glass of wine… I even had 10 calories to spare!

This is just an example to show you that I don’t have to starve myself to make sure I don’t put on any weight, I can also continue eating enjoyable meals and snacks throughout the day, and if I want to lose weight and TONE which is really the goal of this blog, I would reduce my calories to be below my BMR (- Exercise Kcals) depending on the speed I want to drop the weight and the amount of energy expenditure BUT that will be included within the next post! This post is purely if you don’t exercise. I will be posting about becoming toned when your lifestyle does include exercise! Stay up-to-date! Some juicy tips and knowledge is coming your way!

The Lesson: Find out your BMR, if you don’t go over your BMR you definitely won’t be putting on any weight. If you stay under your BMR, you’re most likely to lose weight at a rate you’ve never seen before whilst still having the scrummy snacks!

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Day 20 in China during the Coronavirus

Emily Short

Okay so! First and foremost, Zac made brownies!!! Bit of a back story… Last night Zac said he was going to make me the best brownies in the morning to make it up to me. I was thinking thank god since he forced me to get out of bed by stealing the duvet, making me freezing cold, just to get his phone as he left it in the bathroom (Yes, brownies was the price he had to pay)… Anyway, I was over my anger quickly because of his promise.

This morning came around, I was so excited buuut Zac wakes up and says “I can’t do it, I need more sleep, I’m getting old” I was thinking, okay he is very old, he’s probably only talking about another hour in bed. Fine, I’ll wait, who has brownies at 9am anyway… 4.5 hours later!!!! Ohh okay I see how it is. He emerges out of the bedroom and says “okay, I’m making you some brownies now.” My face was like…

I was in disbelief. OMG. Firstly, I was so patient! and secondly, HALF THE DAY WAS GONE. What happened to brownies in the morning?? It doesn’t matter, he was finally making me brownies and I’m appreciative of that. BUT THEN, he starts getting the ingredients out that he’s going to use to make them, things like oats and peanut butter, and I’m thinking oh my days, I have waited nearly 5 hours for flapjacks!?! He’s saying “Emily trust me, they’re brownies” I wasn’t convinced, so much so that I may have even got a little bit salty about it, I wanted brownies and now I’m expecting flapjacks… my hopes were destroyed. 30 minutes later after sitting in silence because I was so distraught thinking that I’m not getting real brownies, Zac walks out with steaming hot, gooey brownies… I tasted them… OMG they were scrummy yummy lumptious!! Of course, I’m not saying it out loud (that means that he won) but in my head, ‘I’m sorry I ever doubted you, you are the bestest brownie cook ever and I love them’, out loud it went more like ‘Yeah, they’re real nice. Thanks babe’… I’m smooth. He obviously knew I loved them though since every time he turned around I was stood in the kitchen picking at the brownie tray, hehehe! So yes, I can confirm Zac is a very trustworthy and competent chef, lucky me!!

Next! After eating these brownies…and the left over cheesy, god-like creation… and the other side meal of bolognese (Zac also made) I was feeling a little bloated and realised I needed to work on controlling my appetite. BUT as I said before, I eat like an athlete who has ran 5 triathlons! Anyhoo, due to this feeling I didn’t want to do anything but I got pushed out the door to go for a run with Lola, yes, I went on my second run! It’s going well! Missed the handstands again… I don’t think I can complete the handstand challenge, I’m too scared of the poo landmine field on every patch of grass near our apartment, also, there are so many random shrubs and trees, they’re in my way and are a little inconvenient, though they really enhance the aesthetic appreciation of the grounds since China is a concrete jungle. Then, after the run, I came back in and did an upper & core workout which is fab because obviously, I deserved another brownie! Yeah yeah yeah yeah!!! People workout for many reasons… I workout to eat more brownies, YUMMAY! Gawd I sound like such a fatty. It is under-control I swear!

That was my day, riveting isn’t it! So thinking about tomorrow, it is going to be the 3 week mark in isolation and we have survived! We haven’t gone completely nuts, we haven’t caught the virus (although Zac had a close call), we’re still engaged, so no real fall-outs, and we’re finding more activities to do to make this experience more enjoyable! In this case, I think so far we have been quite successful! Also, it’s Valentine’s day tomorrow! Wow, I never thought I’d spend a Valentine’s day in isolation, and my birthday is close so could also have a birthday in isolation, SAY WHAT!?! That would be very lame but as cheesy as it sounds, at least I’m with Zac and that’s all I really need. I’m so cute!

Tomorrow, we’re having a pizza party and I cannot wait because I haven’t had pizza in sooooo long! Yes, all of my main points are about food because currently, food is the way to keep me distracted from this ridiculous situation of just being inside of our house most of the time! Pizza, YAY, How exciting!

I hope you all enjoy and love your food as much as I do, I’m so happy for you!

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Day 18 in China during the Coronavirus

Emily Short

No more Ikea! No more Decathlon! Last week they were open, hence why I assumed they’d be open today but nope. Surely this means the situation here is worsening because everyone knows, once Ikea shuts it’s got bad, Ikea NEVER shuts. Sadly, we couldn’t get our new pan. BUT we did one of the biggest food shops I have ever been involved in as we were stocking up for the month! Well, as much as the month as possible as we are like the hungry caterpillar on steroids x 2! It seems like we eat everything in our cupboards as fast as possible due to having the same appetites as someone who has ran 5 triathlons back to back… It really is hard work. Anyhoo, from this extremely large shop, Zac became an inspired chef and cooked up a new meal and Man O’ Mano! It was yummer-yummers! Steak and eggs with chimichurri sauce, laaavely! I definitely could not live with someone who couldn’t cook! Apologies to all the non-chefs, maybe next time. I am so excited for his next creation but I swear if I get fluffy, we’re going to have a problem.

Luckily, another constant activity of my day is going for leisurely walks with Lola, Bella and Zac. Hmm are they leisurely though? Not really. Zac’s company is fab, a lot better than my own BUT Lola might as well be a snow dog because I swear she thinks I’m a sled, running as fast as she can, making my legs move faster than they’re actually programmed to. I am NOT a runner. You may be thinking, you are a sporty person though. NO, no I’m a fake sporty person. I wear sports clothing because it’s comfortable and I workout in the gym for aesthetic purposes only… “But you play basketball”. Correction, I did play basketball and in basketball it’s different. I run after a ball with a lot of stops and slides and no consistent running, which is perfect because I am NOT a runner. Anyway, the walks keep me active and if they weren’t around the same circle, they’d be quite therapeutic.

Another important mention is that I had a very inspiring moment myself involving a conversation on the phone this evening with one of my beloved former team-mates as she recommended taking up knitting… not so inspiring. Try again… then she said learn to juggle or do handstands. She had a point, I’ve never really been able to do handstands and I think now is the perfect time to do it as I’ve got no excuse… People! In one month, I will be able to walk on my hands. Challenge accepted!

Nothing else really happened today, it was nice being out the house all day though. Although, last night was quite entertaining as I watched Bad Boys 2 for the first time and OMG it’s hilarious! When Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) are at the door intimidating Reggie (Marcus’s Daughter’s date) I could have died.

Marcus Burnett: You a virgin?
Reggie: Yes, sir.
Marcus Burnett: Good. Keep it that way. Ain’t gonna be no ****ing tonight.
Mike Lowery: You ever made love to a man?
Reggie: No.
Mike Lowery: You want to?

It’s just so accurate of how my Dad wanted to be if I ever had a boyfriend turn up at my door but his reaction was the complete opposite. He ended up bonding with them, well… Zac, by inviting him to go canoeing down the River Avon. As thug as you can get.

There aren’t many changes with the Coronavirus apart from the difference of 1 to 1000 people dead in only one month! Absolute craziness.

Sooo just to end on a happier note with all the challenges I accepted for myself today! First, I will walk on my hands, second, Lola will be able to do Britain’s Got Talent tricks – I haven’t mentioned this as there was only brief training today, it will be mentioned throughout the days. Finally, go on at least one voluntary run a day with Lola. This should keep me busy!

I’m still getting paid remember, hehehe.