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fat loss

Abbey’s Before and After Transformation

By Transformations

BEFORE

AFTER

Abbey Kent – Student

Before I met Charlie I was the biggest and unhappiest I had ever been. I had no motivation or drive to do anything, the number on the scales was going up and up and my clothes were getting tighter. Then one day I decided that enough was enough. I finally plucked up the courage to email her – I really wish I had done it sooner! Charlie is the most amazing girl I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, from day 1 she was just a complete joy to be around, she knew what she wanted to do with me but also knew what my personal end goals were. She took the time to explain that being healthy isn’t just about exercise, it’s more about the right nutrition too. I can hand on heart say that if you are debating whether to train with Charlie, debate no more. She gave me back so much confidence and happiness and I now love my body!

Why Eat a High Protein Diet!

By Nutrition

Everyone knows they need a high protein diet to get a banging body, but no one seems to understand why?

Protein is one of the most important macro nutrient for a person trying to maintain muscle while reducing body fat, or for a person trying to gain muscle.

It is also the macro nutrient which most people don’t eat enough of!

Here are some reasons why you should eat more protein:

Reduce Body Fat

Research has proven that consuming a high protein diet will reduce body fat significantly more than when eating a high carb diet. This is because carbs cause a insulin response which puts your body in fat storage mode. Increasing protein intake will increase lean body mass which in turn increases your metabolism. This means your body will burn more calories!! Yay for protein

Better Skin, Hair and Nails

Protein responsible for growth and repair. Not only for your muscles but for all the cells in the body. Your body is constantly replacing old cells using the protein you eat as building blocks. Protein is essential for healthy hair, nails and skin. If the body doesn’t get enough protein it won’t be able to replenish the cells leaving you with flabby legs, weak hair and a wrinkly face. gross…

Better Immune System

Protein helps to create antibodies which are responsible for getting rid of bad bacteria and viruses which enter the body. Having a enough protein in your diet ensures you make plenty of antibodies to fight off disease and infection.

Solid Muscle Tone

Protein is muscle sparing meaning it will help you maintain your muscle while you try to loose weight. This will prevent you from becoming a fat/skinny… (you know when your skinny but flabby with no muscle). Having a high protein diet will ensure your muscles recover from your training sessions, building you a beautiful toned bod!

Keep You Fuller For Longer

There is nothing worse, when trying to loose weight, than being hungry ALL the time. Research has proven that eating a high protein meal will keep you fuller for longer than having a high carbohydrate or fat meal! This means less hunger pains and more weight loss!

‘How Much?’ You Say

As a general rule, a good starting point is 1g per lb of body weight. Everyone is different so it will completly change from person to person

You can get more protein in your diet from meat, fish, eggs, and diary products like cottage cheese. Nuts and nut butters have protein in them, but to get enough protein you would end up consuming way too much fat! How ever much I would like to sit and eat tubs of cashew butter, it won’t get you a lean bod 🙁

Clean Eating Is Ruining Your Life

By Nutrition

Clean Eating. Another crazy diet in the fitness industry draining the joy out of life!

Clean eating… What the hell is clean eating? Nobody seems to know what foods are classed as clean and what foods are….. Dirty? I guess you can call it dirty? Clean eating pretty much means eating lots of veggies and whole foods, while cutting out refined sugar, starches, bread, red meat, salt, chocolate, cake and all things that make life worth living.

Clean eating is trying to make the normal people who eat normal food feel like they are dirty. ‘Look at you, you filthy animal, eating bread, your dirty’.

Healthy whole foods with no refined sugar or preservatives are obviously very good for you, A balanced diet is essential for life, for a healthy life. But honestly, I have been known to eat a krispy cream doughnut (or two). There is always a place in my heart and my belly for doughnuts. I also like salad, like real salad with ALL the veg! I eat oatmeal for breakfast and quinoa vegetarian bean chilli for lunch. Does this make me a good person. A ‘clean’ person? Do you think better of me for eating all this fantastic clean food?

No?..

Obsessive clean eating is an actual eating disorder. People who are obsessed with eating clean could be suffering from ‘Orthorexia Nervosa’ which literally means fixation on righteous eating. They become completely consumed by what they are eating, how much and how ‘clean’ the food is. Eating only ‘clean’ foods will eventually result in a massive break down where you will find yourself slumped on the floor, crying, covered in nutella and frosties.

I believe in balance. A little bit of everything is not going to kill you, nor will it make you unhealthy or fat. The beauty of flexible dieting is that you can fit most foods into your diet. As long as your micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and fiber intake is hit each day, then there is no harm in including some ‘dirty’ food in your diet. It is more than just calories in and calories out as your body also has a certain amount of protein, fats and carbs it requires to achieve your desired body composition. This macro nutrient intake is different for every person.

 

I do not advocate eating shit food. If you have MacDonald’s for lunch every day you need to fucking sort your life out because that is not okay. If you have MacDonald’s once a week. That is fine. It’s also okay to eat ice-cream and cake. Just not all day every day! It’s healthier to include these foods into your diet in small portions to keep you sane and prevent crazy junk food binges. Everyone says your body can’t gain fat from one cheat meal. You wouldn’t believe how much fat your body can store from just ONE massive binge.

Instead of draining the happiness out of your life by restricting fun foods like ice-cream and cookies, just keep small portions of all your fave foods in your diet, make those foods fit your macros. I PROMISE.. You can get lean when eating ice-cream and doughnuts and burgers and pizza. You will also be a much happier person for it.

 

p.s If there are any great doughnut companies out there I am open to sponcership offers

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 😀

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!

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

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

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 🙂

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.

Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie

By Nutrition

Vitamin D is seriously lacking in my system right now.. I miss the sun!! A lot of people often ask me about my supplementation with my training. When participating in intense exercise (weights or cardio).. The body is at risk of free radical damage. Antioxidants found in foods you eat will fight this free radical damage. A lot of people cannot physically pack enough superfood into their daily diets to get enough antioxidants in their systems. This is where supplements come in handy…

My Top 3

1. Spirulina

If your a veggie hater or purely need to up your intake of minerals and vitamins then spirulina is great! It will contain all the nutrients your regular multi vitamin will have along with very high iron and B-12 content (found in meats) so great for vegetarians. It also high in protein and contains essential amino acids which makes it a great addition to your diet when pregnant or when trying to increase immune system.

2. Wheatgrass powder

The powder form is great but if you can juice your own fresh thats the best!! It has twice the amount of vitamin A than carrots. Higher in vitamin C than oranges. It has all kinds of vitamin B, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus…. and the list goes on. Similar to spirulina it contains all essential amino acids. It helps detox the liver and cleanse.

3. Omega-3

Unless your eating fatty fish (salmon) every day then you need this in your life!!..Omega-3 can help improve cardiovascular health and control diseases which involve chronic inflammation such as atherosclerosis. It can help mental disorders like Alzheimer’s and depression. It improves brain function, improving intelligence and preventing memory loss. Some studies show it helps with fat loss in combination with exercise. I make sure I have 2g EPA and 1.5g DHA.. find this by looking at the back of your fish oil supplement.

 

Todays recipe is packed with superfoods and protein to aid muscle growth and increase metabolism to improve fat loss efficiency. Real easy to make and a great post workout meal!

Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie

Ingredients:

serves 1

  • 1 roasted beetroot
  • 1 scoop natural vanilla protein powder
  • 1/4 tsp xatham gum
  • 1 tsp maca powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp raw cacao powder
  • 1 tsp stevia (to taste)
  • 200ml almond milk (more or less depending how thick you like it)
  • 5-10 ice cubes

Direction:

Put all the ingredients into a high speed blender and wizz up. Add more or less almond milk depending how thick you like it.

Note: add grated dark chocolate curls for decoration