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and healthy recipes from Equation Training

Aug 15
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White Chocolate Protein Coconut Bars

By News

I don’t like chocolate. I LOVE IT! It is the hardest food for me to stay clear of in my diet. I’m obsessed!

If you look on an ingredients list of your average chocolate bar, there are tones of ingredients which are pure chemical shit and are so awful for your body. Chemically produced and unnatural ingredients are alien to your body and cause inflammation and stress to the system while putting your body in an acidic state. That’s why for general internal and external health, it is so important for us to fuel our bodies with healthy, natural foods.

Raw cacao is one of the best beauty foods. It is packed with anti oxidants and has contains powerful phytochemicals which prevent winkle formation. Raw cacao helps to prevent the skin for UV damage, while boosting skin hydration and reducing redness. It helps with circulation to increase blood flow, nutrients and oxygen supply to the skin. Raw cacao is one of the best natural magnesium containing foods to add to your diet to help calm the central nervous system and regulate heart rate which helps with recovery after a hard training session :D. Raw cacao contains the beauty mineral sulfur which is essential for strong hair and nails and beautiful skin. It is also a feel-good food which raises serotonin and endorphins in the brain which increases happiness and libido.

So if you want healthy hair, beautiful skin, strong nails and good sex then get on the raw cacao 😀

White Chocolate Protein Coconut Bars

serves 12

Ingredients:

For the white chocolate coconut center:

  • 100g raw cacao butter
  • 80g un-sweetned desiccated coconut
  • 50g vanilla casein
  • 10 drops of coconut extract

For the dark chocolate coating:

  • 100g raw cacao butter
  • 50g raw cacao powder
  • 30g vanilla or chocolate casein

Directions:

Melt the raw cacao butter in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water over heat. While you wait for the cacao butter to melt, combine the coconut, coconut extract, and casein in a big bowl. When the raw cacao butter is melted, add to the other ingredients and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour the mixture into bar shaped silicon molds (or if you don’t have the molds use a shallow, square/rectangle glass dish) and place into the freezer to harden.

Melt the raw cacao cutter in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water over heat. While you wait for the cacao butter to melt, combine the raw cacao powder and the casein in a bowl. When the raw cacao butter has melted, mix it into the raw cacao powder and casein mix. Keep stirring until you reach a smooth consistency. Once the coconut white chocolate has hardened, remove from the silicon molds or the glass dish and cut to the size you want each bar. Place each bar individually into the dark chocolate coating making sure it is completely covered then place on a tray covered with baking paper or tin foil. Once each bar is completely coated with chocolate, place back into the freezer until the chocolate layer has hardened. Once the outer chocolate has hardened. Remove the bars from the freezer and do a second coat of chocolate around each bar with the remaining dark chocolate mixture (if you need to reheat the chocolate mix, put it in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water until it has melted again). Place the bars back into the freezer until the final coat has hardened. Any left over chocolate can be drizzled over the top for decoration. Best kept in the freezer in a container.

Notes:

While the outer layer of chocolate is still soft, try adding other super foods for decoration. Try bee pollen, gojji berries or pumpkin seeds 😀

 

Jul 28
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Gluten Free, Protein, Chai Seed Flat Bread

By Nutrition

So I thought it was July but apparently its Winter again. I’m sat drinking a hot mug of tea wrapped up in a hoodie. Its fucking July. I should be tanning on the roof with a iced coffee!

There is always a bit of a anti climax for the English Summer. The adverts all over the TV saying ‘Get Beach Body Ready‘. Deals in the gym to get your smoking bikini body and your ripped 6 pack. Its too fucking cold for any part of my body to be exposed right now, let alone wear a bikini on the beach. I have seen so many people grinding away in the gym for months, working so hard, achieving so much progress.. to wear a hoodie…..

Someone remind me why I live in this country again?

Through this pre summer fitness hype, there is so much more achieved than the beach body though. Some people forget that progress comes in so many different forms. Progress isn’t always just about getting ripped abs, or loosing weight on the scales. Sometimes progress is about doing 5 pull ups, its about upping your squat PB by 10kgs, or running a 5k 1 minute faster. Its about gaining a healthier relationship with food and lifting heavy shit in the gym so you can eat loads of carbs 😀 😀 Its about feeling more confident with your self and coming to the gym to train for the love of training. Progress is stronger legs, stronger shoulders and growing a bubble butt.

Progress is not always something visible but sometimes something mental. No scales or progress pictures can tell you how you have changed mentally though your fitness journey. Every journey will have its ups and downs. You will have weeks where maybe your eating habits go up the wall but through the extra calories you manage to dead lift more than you ever have! You have weeks where you feel like utter shit and feel like quitting but you always keep going. You always find the motivation to push through. You always remember your goals and look for the progress. Always learning through the highs and lows. Growing stronger as a person physically and mentally. Learning to love your self and not pointing out every fault. Slow progress is better than no progress.

‘I’m a slow walker, but I never walk back‘ Abraham Lincoln

 

 

 

Gluten Free, Protein, Chai Seed Flat Bread

Ingredients:

serves 1

  • 15g gluten free flour
  • 15g un-flavoured whey
  • 1/8 tsp xantham gum
  • 1 tsp chai seeds
  • 3-4 tbsp of water

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the water a little at a time and stir into a thick paste like consistency (you may need more of less than 3/4 tbsp of water). Take a non stick pan and spread the mixture to the bottom of the COLD pan making sure the mixture is the same thickness the whole way across (it takes a while because its real sticky). Place the pan on the hob and heat on a low/medium temperature for about 2 minutes, When the sides begin to lift, flip an cook for around 2 minutes on the other side.

Notes:

This flat bread can be used as a wrap or a pizza base also. Try topping with a pizza sauce and cheese and putting under the grill. Or making a breakfast wrap by filling with bacon and scrambled egg.

 

May 12
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Hannah Before and After Transformation

By Transformations

BEFORE

AFTER

Hannah – Student looking to get fit

When I first came to Charlie I was the biggest I had ever been. I was a classic “yo yo” dieter with my weight fluctuating about 10 pounds between dieting and binging phases. I constantly felt bloated and tired and had decided that I couldn’t bear to wear a bikini ever again.

Charlie is supportive and extremely patient. I started off as a bit of a nightmare client – forgetful, ditzy and pretty clueless. Her level of knowledge in fitness and nutrition are second to none. I felt like I could ask her anything and I trusted her every word. I was never made to feel like an idiot (even when, week after week, I couldn’t remember the difference between my glutes and my hamstrings!!)

Charlie’s focus, combined with her encouraging and friendly attitude is incredible and perfect for a PT. Whether you’re feeling tired or unmotivated, have slipped up on your diet or even want some life advice(!), Charlie is kind, understanding and full of encouragement.

Charlie is also a flexible and hands-on trainer; if my diet required a shake up, I wanted to change a training date; needed a recipe or advice on what to order on a menu, Charlie was always there to help.

Since training with Charlie I have learnt to listen to my body. Charlie has taught me the importance of superfoods, good nutrition and that calorie counting isn’t everything. I now know what food I am less tolerant to, and equally what gives me energy, shiny hair and glowing skin. I feel stronger and healthier than I ever have before.

In the last 5 months I have lost over a stone and gained a tonne of confidence (and muscle!) I have a new attitude towards my body, a new mindset towards weight lifting and nutrition, and a new found love for bikinis!

Whatever you do, book with Charlie, you won’t regret it!

May 03
Love0

Sugar Free Protein Cinnamon Rolls

By Nutrition

Carbohydrates for Fat Loss

Lots of people cut out carbs to loose weight. The media hypes up these keto diets and hammers societies brains with how bad carbs are for you. You NEED carbs for successful, maintainable fat loss!

Firstly let me highlight the importance of muscle. The more muscle the body has, the higher the metabolism. The higher the metabolic rate, the more food you can eat because the body burns more calories.. Sounds good right?! Not only this. Muscle is essential for healthy bones and joints. If you don’t have enough muscle mass you might just slip off the curb and break your bloody leg because there is not enough muscle to support your joints.

Do you want to loose fat while keeping muscle?

Well..Carbohydrates are the most muscle sparing macro nutrient in our diets. If you reduce your carbohydrates too much when trying to lose fat, you will loose weight for sure… but some of it will most likely be from muscle. When the body doesn’t have enough energy it will begin to break down your own muscle tissue to fuel your system!! A decrease in muscle mass means a lower metabolic rate, plus your lovely toned muscles which you have slaved away for in the gym, will slowly be eaten to fuel your own body! Not Cool!

So you want to loose fat but not become a tired sleepy mess during day to day life?

Your brain runs off glucose. Glucose comes from carbs.. Super low carb diets can cause extreme fatigue, decreased performance in the gym, and a reduction in general motivation for life due to a lack of energy!

Where does the fat loss come into this?

Insulin is released into the blood when carbohydrates are eaten. Insulin levels in the blood must be low in order for the body to utilize fat from the adipose tissue for fuel. This is where a reduction is body fat occurs. It is important to fuel your body with carbohydrates in the correct portion sizes, at the right time of day, to give your body just enough energy for muscle sparing and recovery. but to still allow fat loss to occur.

No.. I’m not going to tell you when, or what, or how much to eat because it is different for everyone. Depending on an individuals metabolic rate, lifestyle and age, Different amounts of carbohydrates will be required for every individual. This can be calculated by metabolic and lifestyle analysis through a nutrition coach.

Was that a sneaky little sales pitch for nutrition coaching plans?!

Maybe…

Basically don’t cut carbs!! Find something which works for you. Find something which is not a diet! Make a lifestyle change which is healthy and maintainable while keeping all macro nutrients in your daily food intake. Restriction diets where whole food groups or macro nutrients are cut out are not maintainable. If your diet is not maintainable, neither is your fat loss!

Here is a delish little recipe for you which sure as hell does contain carbs. These are a great post workout snack and really curb sugar cravings 🙂

Sugar Free Protein Cinnamon Rolls

makes 10

Macros:

  • 98 calories
  • 5g fat
  • 4.5g carbs
  • 6.4g protein

Ingredients – Roll:

  • 60g Gluten Free Flour
  • 60g Vanilla (stevia sweetned) Protein Powder 
  • 30g Ghee
  • 1/2 tsp Xantham Gum
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 Egg

Ingredients – Filling:

  • 25g Almond Butter
  • 40g Vitafiber
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Combine all the dry ‘roll’ ingredients in a blender. Add the egg and ghee and wizz up until a dough is formed. Put a little flour on the work top, remove the dough from the blender and begin to roll into a squarish shape, about 1cm thick. In a bowl, combine all the ‘filling’ ingredients and stir until a thick paste is formed. spread this paste over the rolled out dough. Now really carefully roll the dough up with the filling on the inside. Cut the large cinnamon roll into 10 small rolls and place on a baking tray. Put in the oven for 8 minutes then remove and allow to cool and harden a little 🙂

Notes:

Try adding different fillings for different flavors 😀

Apr 23
Love0

Protein Cashew Milky Way Bar

By Nutrition

Its always overwhelming seeing all these amazing recipes online and not owning any of the bloody ingredients to make them. I have done a quick list of where I order my ingredients from where I have found good prices and good quality supplements and superfoods! If anyone has any other great websites they use, please let me know 😀 I get extremely happy when I find new online ordering sites!!!

I have also added some recipes from my blog where you can use the ingredients.

 

The Protein Works…

80 Naked Whey in Vanilla, sweetened with stevia

Also good to keep Casein Protein which is thicker and good to make protein bars with, like recipe bellow 😀

If you use my referral code you get extra free whey protein CF108303

 

Muscle Food..

If you use the code HF50600 you get free meat on your order

Chicken, 5kgs for £25

1KG tubs of nut butters.. Cashew is the bomb!!

Vitafiber to make protein bars with.. Try these Peanut Butter Quest Bars or the Protein Cashew Milky Way Bars (bellow)

Omega 3 tablets

Quest bars.. Great to keep for emergency meals

Low fat peanut flour (good for pancakes)

You can even get kangaroo, crocodile and emu if you fancy??!

 

Buy Whole Foods Online

Spirulina

Wheatgrass powder

Maca Powder

Cinnamon

Coconut flour

Try these Coconut Protein Pancakes

Coconut oil

Nori sheets (to make sushi)

Bee pollen

Raw cacao

Ghee

Chai seeds

Flax seed

Xantham Gum (good thickener for shakes)

Try my super thick shakes with xantham gum Mint Chocolate Protein Smoothie or Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie

 

Now for a recipe containing a number of the ingredients above. It wasn’t my intention to recreate a Milky Way Bar although A number of people have told me these taste like Milky Way Bars.

They are super easy and fast to make. You can do them with or without the chocolate coating.

With out the coating they are only 61 calories per ball!!!

Protein Cashew Milky Way Bars

Ingredients:

Inside

60g vanilla casein protein powder

100g vita fiber syrup

60g cashew butter

Chocolate coating (optional)

4 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp raw cacao powder

Directions:

In a high speed blender (yes it has to be a good one or it will have a melt down) add the inside ingredients and blend untill a dough like consistency is formed. Remove from the bender and roll into 20 small balls. For the coating, melt the coconut oil and add the cacao powder. Stir until combined. Coat each ball with the chocolate mixture and place on a trap in the fridge to set.

Notes:

Try rolling the balls in crushed nuts, seeds or super-foods to add a crunch

 

Apr 17
Love0

Coconut Protein Pancakes

By Nutrition

When I was real young, me and my family went on a holiday to Marius. I don’t really remember that much about the trip. On our first day, my sister (who was about 4 at the time) managed to swim out of depth in the resort pool. My poor mum had to dive in, fully clothed to rescue her. A few days later we went to play (maybe not play) with the giant tortois which were on the beach. While feeding the a tortois coconut, Hannah managed to stick her finger in its mouth, clearly the tortuous didn’t know the difference between finger and coconut and munched down on poor Han’s hand. I have never heard a scream quite so loud in my life.

Despite Hannah’s traumatic experience with coconut. She is now a coconut lover, and managed to create this fantastic coconut protein pancake recipe which I am absolutely obsessed with!

LOVE YOU HAN!

Coconut is a definite ‘superfood‘.. The word superfood is kind of thrown around with no meaning now. But if your going to have any superfoods in your life. Make it coconut

Coconut oil is a saturated fat. It is made of medium chain fatty acids, which are digested and go straight to the liver to be used as energy

Eating medium chain fatty acids can help increase the metabolism, causing the body to burn more calories throughout the day, resulting in weight loss!

People who have coconut oil in their diet, have been said to have a smaller appetite. This could be due to the fact that it is an awesome supply of fuel for the body which reduces hunger.

Coconut oil is high in good cholesterol (HDL), which helps to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body. This means means a healthier heart and reduced chance of heart disease.

Coconut oil can help fight obesity. The fat which builds up around the belly is the worst kind of fat. It clogs the organs and significantly increases chances of ill health and disease. A number of studies have been done to prove adding coconut oil to the diet can help to reduce fat which builds up around the abdomen. 1 2

So Its the weekend. Make these amazing pancakes and feel brilliant while you melt away that belly fat!

Coconut Protein Pancakes

Pancake Ingredients:

30g coconut flour

25g vanilla whey protein powder (I use sweetened with stevia, natural)

1/4tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp baking powder

50g coconut yogurt (can sub with greek yogurt)

2x egg whites

50ml coconut milk (can sub with water)

(1 tbsp stevia optional)

ghee or coconut oil for the pan 🙂

Topping Ingredients:

25g vanilla whey protein powder (I use sweetened with stevia, natural)

50g coconut yogurt

10g desiccated coconut

Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine all pancake ingredients other than the coconut milk. Mix until combined and slowly add the coconut milk until a REALLY thick paste (you might not need all of it). Heat a good quality, non stick pan on the hob and add a little coconut oil or ghee for frying the pancakes. Turn the heat to super low. Using a 1/4 cup size scoop, add the pancake mix to the pan in small blobs (yes they should be really thick little blobs). Allow the pancakes to cook on for a few minutes checking regularly so they don’t burn. Flip the pancakes and cook for a few minutes on the other side.

For the topping mix the protein and the yogurt together and pour over the pancakes. Top with the desiccated coconut and enjoy

Notes:

I LOVE cashew butter so also added melted cashew butter here which was AMAZING!

Apr 12
Love0

Mint Chocolate Protein Smoothie

By Nutrition

A lot of people don’t understand the importance of protein in the diet, or understand the health benefits of having a high protein diet to supplement training. Protein is an ESSENTIAL nutrient for the body, made up of branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s), responsible for growth and repair of muscle.

Protein is super filling so having a high protein diet will allow you to reduce calories without constantly feeling hungry

Protein has a high thermic effect which means it takes a lot of energy to digest in the stomach. This means you burn more calories actually digesting the protein you eat, than you do carbs or fat 🙂

Research has proven that a high protein diet can increase bone density and prevent bone diseases.

Not only is protein responsible for growth and development, it also prevents muscle breakdown when on a reduced calorie diet. BCAA’s prevent the muscle breakdown for fuel allowing the body to burn body fat. This results in fat loss from FAT instead of just weight loss from MUSCLE AND FAT!

Many of my clients first starting out really struggle with their protein intake. They struggle to actually include the amount of protein they need in their diets to gain some lean muscle mass while dropping body fat. Chomping down chicken breasts all day can become a little boring, which is why I love using protein powder to make super food shakes. They are so yummy and filling and a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Bellow is a super high protein recipe which is gluten free, virtually fat free, and can be made dairy free. It contains a number of health benefits from the added raw cacao and sprulina, which are both powerful antioxidants and supply the body with essential nutrients.

Mint Chocolate Protein Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 50g fat free Greek OR coconut yogurt
  • 30g natural vanilla protein powder
  • 150ml water
  • 1/4 tsp xantham gum
  • 10 ice cubes
  • 1 tbsp  raw cacao
  • 2 tbsp stevia (more or less to taste)
  • 5 drops peppermint extract
  • 1/2 tsp spirulina

Directions:

Add the yogurt, protein powder, water, xantham gum and the ice to a high speed blender and blend into a thick shake consistency. Remove half the mixture from the blender and add 1 tbsp stevia, peppermint extract and spirulina to the blender. Re blend this half of the mixture until all smoothly mixed. Pour this half of the mixture into a glass and put the other half of the mixture back into the blender. Now add cacao and stevia to this half of the mix and blend until combined. Carefully spoon the chocolate mixture over the mint layer of smoothie into the glass…. Tadddddahhh!! Beautiful high protein minty chocolate goodness.

Notes:

I can recommend the protein from The Protein Works called Naked Whey Protein 80. It is sweetened with stevia meaning its not full of artificial RUBBISH…. http://www.theproteinworks.com/referral-program/MTgwMzAzajJ0/

Top with nuts, seeds, bee pollen or which ever super foods you wish for added vital minerals and vitamins

Apr 07
Love0

Carrot Cake Batter Protein Oatmeal

By Nutrition

When In India I was introduced to Ghee. I swear ghee is like the cure to every problem in life in India. Its like super-food butter. I was a lover of butter when I was younger, although we all know that spreading big chucks of the dairy goodness on your toast is not the key to optimum health! Ghee is clarified butter which has been heated to remove the dairy. This removes the lactose and casein meaning people who are usually suffer with negative effects from dairy, can eat ghee!

Ghee is a pure fat made up of medium chain fatty acids. These are absorbed directly to the liver to be burnt as energy instead of going into the adipose tissue to be stored! It contains significant levels of antioxidants, vitamin A E and D which reduce free radicals in the body and boost the immune system.

Ghee is rich in Butyric acid and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which together are essential for a healthy digestion system, and also help improve the immune system. They increase the metabolism supporting fat loss goals, and are said to enhance muscle growth! Ghee also contains Omega 3 helps reduce the bad cholesterol level in the body.

Basically eat GHEE..

It can be added to foods where butter or other oils would be used. In cooking or on bread. Even as a salad dressing. Here is a recipe which is a super yummy way to add ghee into your diet

 Carrot Cake Batter Protein Oatmeal

Ingredients:

Serves 1

  • 1 cup water
  • 100g grated carrot
  • 50g oats
  • 1tsp ghee
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4tsp ginger
  • 1tsp stevia
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 scoop natural vanilla whey (I use My Protein)
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 tsp xantham gum (optional, makes the egg whites thicker)

Toppings:

  • Bee Pollen
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Cashew Butter
  • Walnuts
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Desiccated Coconut

Directions:

Add the 1 cup of water and the grated carrot to a saucepan and heat until the carrot is soft (approx 3 minutes).. Add the oats, ghee, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and stevia and continue to heat stirring regularly. While the oatmeal thickens, in a separate bowl, mix the protein powder with 3tbsp of water so it makes a thin paste. In another separate bowl, with an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites (and the xantham gum if using) until stiff peaks form. Once the oatmeal looks nice and thick, add the protein paste mix and stir until combined. Now add the whipped egg whites to the oatmeal and stir quickly until no lumps are left. Turn off the heat and allow the oats to stand for around 2 minutes.

 Notes:

Try subbing the Carrot for other vegetables like beetroot or courgette

Mar 31
Love0

The Importance of Yoga for Gym Junkies!

By News

I have to admit. Yoga use to be a purely physical activity for me to increase flexibility and core strength. I didn’t understand any of the other stuff. During the Pranayama breathing I would usually be looking around the room checking out other girls gym gear, while in Savasana I was asleep or thinking about food. And god! The chanting!!!! I had no time for that crap. I just wanted to get bendy.

I thought the yogic lifestyle was some crazy religion! I didn’t understand the mental benefits of yoga and had zero appreciation for any of it. However, I was totally noticing a change in my head space. Even though I wasn’t actually concentrating through the majority of the classes. I was becoming much less stressed with work, and finding myself feeling more content with life in general! Not only that I was getting stronger in the gym. My range of movement was increasing massively and I wasn’t getting so sore post workout.

I wanted to learn more about yoga. I wanted to find appreciation for the other elements of yoga not just the physical postures, and learn how it can benefit my life!

When arriving in India I was in for a shock. On my first day a fire ceremony was organised to welcome the new students to the course. This consisted of a lot of chanting, prayers and singing around a fire. Coconuts were burnt to represent heads to release negative energy and we were called up one by one to throw rice and ghee on the fire. I sat in shock thinking ‘what the hell is this crazy cult I have come into…’.

After a few days I totally settled in and learnt to embrace this new lifestyle. Meditation was always a struggle though. It was scheduled just before breakfast every morning. By this time you have been up since 6am, done 2 hours of yoga and 30 minutes of pranayama. I was fucking starving. Meditation for me consisted of day dreams about crazy breakfast. Bacon pancake stacks and PROATS!!  This did improve over time and I think I actually managed to have no thoughts (even if it was for about 30 seconds at a time)

After about 6 weeks I started noticing a real difference in myself. I was so calm. And not only that I was getting super bendy. Totally seeing a real improvement in body internally and externally. My core strength was insane!! My muscle definition was great (even though I was only doing resistance band and sand bag weight training) I was totally shocked with my progress.

From 9 weeks of yoga training in Patnem my whole outlook of health, fitness and training has changed. I have learnt the absolute importance of flexibility and range of movement for optimum health and function of the body. Not only that I have learnt that everyone needs to concur their mind before any real changes can happen in the body. If you HATE your body and drag yourself to the gym to train like it’s a punishment. This will not work! If you have zero confidence and worry too much about what other people think of you. You will spend your whole life trying to look how everyone else wants you to look.

We must learn that everything is impermanent and we should not find happiness externally in numbers or achievements because the same thing which causes you happiness one day will cause you sadness the next. I used to be the worst for it.. ‘When I can squat 80kg I will be happy’…. Then when I squatted 80kg it was still not good enough. I was looking for the next best thing. ‘When I lose 3kgs I will be happy’. Then I when I lost 3kg I was still not happy. This was still not good enough… ‘when I have those Nike’s I will be happy’.. Got those Nike’s, appreciated them for about 3 days and now they are muddy. The key point to remember is you can’t be happy with anything in the WORLD until you’re happy with yourself 🙂

So why should gym junkies practice yoga, on a regular basis to supplement their training??

  1. It improves range of movement meaning you can go deeper in your squats and lower in your deadlifts.
  2. Yoga increases core strength which supports big lifting exercises and gives you killer abs!
  3. It calms and balances the nervous system which is often put under stress or damaged with heavy lifting.
  4. It improves circulation helping your muscles to be fueled correctly for recovery and GROWTH.
  5. Yoga improves body awareness and mind/body connection, boosting self-esteem.
  6. Yoga increases the ability to be in the present moment and concentrate, which gives you insane focus during workouts in the gym as well as on the mat!
  7. Through practicing yoga you can achieve a calm mind and reduced stress. This can help with optimum body function, resulting in muscle gains and fat loss, due to a reduction of the hormone called cortisol in our bodies.
  8. Yoga decreases body fat.
  9. It teaches you funky arm balances and inversions which are always fun.
  10. It puts you in a much happier and content state of mind allowing you to enjoy life to the fullest!!!

Happy Bending 🙂

Jan 11
Love0

Peanut Butter ‘QUEST’ Bar Recipe

By Nutrition

After the Christmas and New Years antics are over,  the cold weather seems to really kick in. The Christmas decorations are pulled down and the left over alcohol stashed away.. ‘Dry January’ They all say.. It’s like the fun police came in and really fucked shit up. No more parties, no more naughty food, and defiantly no more fun…

This however, should not be the case. A new year is really time for new fun, new goals, new ambitions.. blah blah blah, sounds so cheesy but life really is what you make of it. If you allow life to become boring it will. There is this thing we all have. It’s like our safety bubble. I believe life gets fun and exciting when we push outside this safety bubble. This could be by trying new things, pushing yourself to achieve your new goals or purely doing something which scares you. If you plod along doing the same thing your whole life, guess what?… You will get bored. It’s inevitable. And what stories will you have to tell your kids…. grandkids… I wrote a super detailed post on my blog a few weeks back about goal setting for the new year. Please take a peak for some help on setting those new year’s goals, to push yourself to your limits and achieve great things!!!

In saying this, while you’re making your new goals, please take time to remember the things in life which are great. Every day I like to think of a few things I am grateful of. Today.. Right now.. I am grateful for bacon. MMMMMM bacon..  I am currently on a plane to India and just got served what looked like vomit in a bowl. To be fair, it didn’t taste…. toooo bad. But I want bacon. Today I am also grateful for my fabulous family I have who support me in everything I do. And finally I am grateful for cuddles. Because cuddles are great!!!! 😀

For many people weight loss is a goal this new year. Don’t hate the body you have now.. I hear so many people say ‘I hate my body. I will be happy when I’m slim’. Okay, your body may need some TLC and you may be a little over weight. But love your body, love the fact you have damn legs to go to the gym and train, and that you are capable of losing weight. Love that you can afford to buy healthy food to fuel your power house body, and love the game. Weight loss is just a silly game we play in life. If you live life a little less seriously you WILL be healthier and happier and you will lose weight quicker too!!

So remember to push your boundaries. Do crazy shit but don’t forget all the wonderful things you already have in life.

I am heading to Goa, India, to complete a 500hr yoga instructor course. Follow my time on Instagram @charliefrancisfitness

And for now… WHO LOVES QUEST BARS. Here is my super easy peasy protein bar recipe which is low in carbs, super high in protein, and is peanut butter flavour!! It don’t get much better than that.

Peanut Butter ‘Quest’ Bars

Ingredients:

Makes 9

3 scoops of vanilla casein

8tsp/120g(ish) vita fiber (order from musclefood.com)

12g/1tbsp PPB (powdered peanut butter)

40g 100% peanut butter

1tsp melted coconut oil

Directions:

Firstly, combine casein and PPB in a small blender/nutribullet. Add the peanut butter and the coconut oil and blend until combined. You should kind of have a slightly lumpy powdery consistency at this stage. Now the tricky bit. Add around half the vita fiber to the mix and blend until combined. From this point you must only add very small amounts of viter fiber at a time, blending imbetween. When the mixture reaches a stage where you can just form it into little balls that stay together. Stop adding vita fiber. Too much will cause the bars to flop into a blob after forming them into shape. Add a little PPB to your work top to act as flour and roll the stiff mixture out, as if making cookies. Roll to approximately 2cm thick then cut into bars. Store in a container in the fridge to help maintain the shape of the bars and try not to eat them all at once.

Notes: Try adding a tsp of peanut butter on top of one. DEVINE!!

Peace, Happy New Year.

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