Recipes

My Recommended Supplements | Stress-Free Health

There are often mixed responses when it comes to supplements but I truly think the right ones can support you against the natural stresses of our world.

Often, we are all so busy running around from meeting to meeting, client to client, work to the gym that we often miss out on vital nutrients and minerals. This is where I believe supplementation can support our modern lifestyles.

Here are my Recommended Supplements to give you that Vital Boost and Keep you Balanced!

VITL

VITL are a home delivery supplement service bringing to you all your vital vitamins and minerals in handy day packets which means no fussing with tonnes of pots of pills everywhere!

They have an app where you update your details, complete an assessment of your lifestyle and needs and then they recommend the correct vitamins and minerals for you.

Here’s How It Works…

1) In-App Consultation

Find out your wellbeing scores across five key pillars of health:

Digestion

Energy

Mood

Immune system

Detoxification status

This will pinpoint which area of your well-being to focus on to improve your health.

2) Bespoke Content & Reminders for You

Receive a free, fully personalised well-being plan with the latest advice and health tips relevant just to your scores.

3) Personalised Vitamin Packs

A nutrition pack will be formulated according to your unique nutritional needs. You can order your pack directly from within the app and you’ll be reminded to retake your consultation so your pack adapts as you progress.

4) Integrates with Your Apps

Connect the Apple Health App and your 23andMe profile to seamlessly integrate your sleep patterns, activity levels, and genetic markers to help our experts perfect their recommendations

All this for £10 for your first month with code: CYNCITY

You’ll get your first month supply of personalised vitamins on the monthly plan for just £10

VITL packaging is very easy to use and you can throw the daily packets in your handbag – I couldn’t be without mine!

Pukka

Pukka Herbs are an incredible brand who’s products, teas and supplements are organically created here in the UK. From Sleep to Stress they have a solution to support your daily needs. Due to Pukka’s phenomenal popularity, many people do not realise how committed they are to ayurvedic medicine and organically and naturally produced herbs. This is a company that cares.

Turmeric Lifekind

Is one of my favourite go-to’s to support my daily needs. It naturally supports my system with its anti-inflammatory properties. It comes in a handy little capsule that I pop in my bag to take just before breakfast and morning cup of Detox Tea.

The BBC did a report that found that increasing your intake of turmeric (curcumin) has shown to affect the cells responsible for depression, eczema, asthma and cancer.

“It was really exciting, to be honest. We found one particular gene which showed the biggest difference. And what’s interesting is that we know this particular gene is involved in three specific diseases: depression, asthma and eczema, and cancer. This is a really striking finding.”

There was evidence turmeric is lipophilic which means for it to be absorbed it is best taken with fat…roll on those coconut turmeric eggs!

Sönd Skincare

Have you heard about Sönd? Sönd is a new skincare system for sensitive skin, which harnesses the incredible natural power of silica. Their Energise + Activate supplements are incredible for dull skin and are formulated to replenish your skin with collagen forming silica, and to improve the overall health, function and appearance.

Their packaging is simple and chic and they pride themselves on looking after your body from the inside out as well as topically.

The tablets contain minerals which are also really good for promoting healthy sleep – which is also an added bonus for our skin.

I will keep you updated with my results but anything that will brighten my skin and help me sleep better is always a bonus.

(I showed the ingredients list to a biochemist who was impressed and said she would take these)

Conclusion

There are lots of brands out there pushing vitamins to us that are low quality or full of fillers. Do your research prior to taking supplements and make sure the brand you use know their ingredients.

I hope you find my recommendations useful and informative. I am open and honest with my suggestions and would only recommend products I have tested and used myself. I have run all ingredients past a qualified biochemist to investigate.

Balance/ Recipes

5 Tips To Fat Loss Without The Gym

If you are like me and have a full-time job it can be hard to get to the gym before work (in the pitch black) or after work (in the pitch black) or you may not have a gym membership.

Don’t stress yourself too much about this comparing yourself to others. A stress-free lifestyle is about balance.

Here are my 5 tips to fat loss that require No Gym – Little Time – Maximum Results

Start your day with a Protein Shake

Many people do not have time for breakfast in the morning.

It’s understandable – with all the other things going on and getting up in the pitch black the first thing most people want to reach for is a hot cup of the good stuff.

BUT

9 times out of 10 – when you skip breakfast you play tricks on your blood sugar which can lead you to reach for crappy choices later on

If you start your day with a high-quality protein shake: you have hit your protein goal for breakfast, will feel fuller till lunch and will be helping yourself keep those energy levels high to tackle the new year!

My Protein Recommendations are:

Vega Essentials

Packed with fruits and veg, and full of greens
High in 16 essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, B12 and calcium
High in Omega-3 fatty acids from ﬂaxseed
High in protein, made from a complete multisource plant-based blend of pea, ﬂaxseed and hemp

Clean and Lean

£49.95 – Body Brilliance – I have this with some of their Ultimate Clean Fibre with Coconut Milk in the morning when I need a protein boost and want to get my extra fibre. It is really filling and tastes great.

20 Minute Home HIIT workout

Get up 20 minutes early – whack on your favourite radio station or playlist and just thrash it out.

It’s 20 minutes!

I have spent longer checking my Instagram feed in the morning so I have no excuses and neither do you!

Try DailyOm for the workout that suits you or YouTube is the perfect solution.

Walk to Work

Getting your 10,000 steps a day has never been so important in a society where we spend most of the day sat on our behinds.

This leads to poor posture, big bellies, flat bottoms and a whole host of other health problems

By getting your 10,000 steps – the weight will drop off you. Being continually active throughout the day keeps your body being an efficient burning machine.

Download Pacer App

Water – Hydration – Water

Really – do you really need to be told – drink water

It will transform every aspect of your life from letting go of toxins held in your body, letting your skin glow and look glorious, helping with water retention and not to mention the calories you will burn from those extra trips to the loo!

Take the stairs – 2 at a time

Right now you are probably thinking I am mad. Quite Possibly!

But… hear me out. If you make small changes every day to your routine you will start to see the difference.

Steps are incredible for your glute muscles. Taking the stairs helps increase blood flow and engage those muscles in your backside. When you take two steps at a time you are bringing together two gym moves which are fantastic for shaping that behind of yours.

You don’t need to be negative, drastic or restrictive to achieve your goals!

Remember to smile and make the little changes to see those big results!

Lead that Stress-Free Lifestyle you deserve

For More Articles on Stress-Free Fitness Click Here: Stress-Free Workout

Balance/ Recipes

Healthy Homemade Hummus

Stress-Free Homemade Healthy Hummus

Delicious and stress-free healthy hummus recipes. These easy recipes are great go-to for lunches, snacks, dinner parties or just to have in the fridge when hunger strikes.

Beetroot Hummus

1can of chickpeas
4 beetroots – cooked and peeled
2 cloves of garlic
a squeeze of lemon
olive oil
1 tablespoon of 0% Fage yoghurt
cumin
salt and pepper

Put all in a pot and blend. Season to taste

Caramelised Red Onion hummus

1 can chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
a squeeze of lemon
olive oil
1 red onion
Paprika, salt and pepper
Tahini
Water

Caramelise the onions in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Leave to reduce and simmer down. Blend all other ingredients together – season to taste.

Place in fridge to cool and when onions have cooled – add onions and leave to cool again.

For More Stress-Free Recipes for healthy snacks:

Recipes

Review: Press London Juice Cleanse

Every now and again life can come a little unbalanced.

Late nights, too much coffee, client lunches and general burning the candle at both ends can often leave your body like it needs a reboot.

Following the Christmas Festivities, I was starting to feel a little unbalanced and therefore decided to try a juice cleanse to feel more alkalised.

I decided to do Press London 3 day Juice Cleanse and diary the ups and downs for y’all so you know what to expect before you begin!

Continue reading my detox diary…

Before you start:

Read the booklet about the Juice Cleanse
Come off coffee and other stimulants
Eat lightly – try to have no big heavy meals
Plan your week to avoid dinners out
Plan your work week to avoid breakfast/ lunch meetings
Practise yoga – no heavy exertion

Day One

The juices arrived in a cooler box ready to go! I would recommend getting the delivery when you’re at home or somewhere you can immediately store the juices to keep them fresh.

Clearly labelled with the order that you need to take the juices – it could not be easier to start!

There is a guide sent to you to get you prepared prior to the cleanse – I would highly recommend sticking to this as it really does help you set up ahead of the cleanse.

Pros

Enough juices that you do not feel hungry
Lots of flavour variation and incredible flavours to enjoy
Beautifully packaged and the colours are incredible

Cons

You need to forget about meal times which can be hard especially if you work in an office where there is lots of food around. Try and keep yourself distracted and go for a walk when you know there may be temptation
You feel cold – it’s an odd sensation but I felt really chilly
ATTENTION: Read the booklet prior to starting day one. Otherwise, the coffee withdrawal catches you out!

Day Two

Day two began and it felt calmer knowing what to expect. You know what the juices taste like and you can start to plan when best to have the different juices and mylks to suit your day.

Pros

You will start to feel less bloated
Leaves more time to focus on other things
A natural sense of feeling lighter
You feel sleepier in the evenings

Cons

Caffeine – this part really sucks – the caffeine withdrawal is bad and this is why I cannot stress enough to wean yourself off prior to the cleanse
Saying no to friends and events
No gymming

Day Three

By day three you will be really in the swing of things. Your stomach would have shrunk and the benefits of no bloating will be noticeable to you.

There is a sense of pride as well knowing you have stuck to the challenge.

This is the day I would say it would be wise to look at the post cleanse instructions which give you advice on how to re-introduce foods back into your diet to help maintain your new alkalised state.

Pros

No hunger pangs – your body really gets used to it quickly
There is a sense of achievement which makes you feel great about sticking to something

Cons

None by day three – you really do feel like you’re winning!

Top Tricks

Also discovering incredible ways to ‘juice’ up the cleanse…

Top tricks:

if you have a Nespresso milk frother or hand held gizmo… set it on the cold milk and froth up your nut mylks! Oh my game change
Add ice to the juices
Add some accessories… a little cocktail umbrella… why not!
If you can get to a sauna and steam – do it! Help cleanse yourself from the inside out – you will be positively glowing

Reflection

Also, there will be people who want to sabotage you… the people who make comments…

‘Oh you’re not eating’

‘Oh go on it’s only vodka’

‘Life is for living’

And all that jazz

Just remember you’re doing this for you. To reset. To re-alkalise. To re energise. Quite frankly what you do has nothing to do with anybody so keep calm and stay positive.

Juice Cleanse

This part is almost as important that sticking to it

Go veggie to start: light soups, salads and keep it easy. Your tummy has been hibernating to don’t scare it back into action

this is your time to start with new lifestyle changes – so maybe lay off sugars, alcohol, creams and fried food
Enjoy that post cleanse glow
Treat yourself / you’ve earnt it

Recipes

Review: Saffron Soul Healthy Indian Cuisine

Mira Manek

I am more than excited to announce the book launch of Mira Manek Saffron Soul: Healthy, vegetarian heritage recipes from India

Mira Manek is the Indian cuisine equivalent of Deliciously Ella. Her recipes are light, flavourful, exquisite and did I mention absolutely mouthwatering. She hosts yoga events, supper clubs and bespoke Indian feasts to show how tasty and healthy the world of Indian inspired cooking can be.

Her recipes change traditional views that Indian food is based on heavy curries and introduces a world of flavours that many of us have yet to explore.

I am excited to take this next voyage of discovery…!

Healthy Indian Cuisine

I met Mira two years ago after I attended a delicious feast which she hosted at Shoreditch House. The spread was incredible… if you don’t believe me read this!

The variety of flavours and ingredients filling the table were incredible. From chickpea flour pancakes with coriander chutney and chilli beet to Divine Mocha Cake with Nutmeg & Mocha Cashew Frosting, Raw Mocha Flapjacks with Nutmeg, and Almond Cocktails. Nutritious and delicious.

The main event for me though was the Saffron and Cardamon Cheesecake

Now can you see why I have been eagerly awaiting this launch!

Where to buy

If you are looking to buy this for yourself or to share with others then you can find it here!

Balance

Mid-Morning Snacks for the Office

It’s 11 o’clock and your stomach starts to grumble…what do you do?

Here is a list of healthy snacks which are my go-to to keeping hunger at bay and stress levels on point.

1. Water

Sometimes our minds do not know if our bodies are hungry or thirsty… before reaching for a snack – have a pint of water to quench your thirst. Easy Snacks for the Office!

2. Fruit

The super snack – fruit – tasty, easy to transport and satiate the smallest of grumbles. Easy Snacks for the Office!

3. Nuts

Don’t reach for crisps! Nuts are packed with good fats and protein, nuts are a sustainable alternative to crisps and other junk.

Always choose raw varieties and keep an eye on quantity because of their high-fat content. Easy Snacks for the Office!

4. Muesli, Natural Yoghurt and Berries

This combo is a great alternative to cereal bars which are often packed with sugar.

Berries provide a shot of antioxidants and are powerhouses of vitamins. I use Spoon Cereals to make my life more stress-free but you can also make your own muesli from oats, nuts, dried fruit and seeds which you can bake in large quantities so you always have to hand. Easy Snacks for the Office!

5. A Cup of Soup

When water is blended with food it stays in the stomach longer and keeps you feeling full.

To make your own soften a mix of veg in a little oil, add water, simmer until tender and blend.

I recommend asparagus soup! Easy Snacks for the Office!

Take the stress out of snacking with these little tips.

For more healthy snacks click here: Nourish

Recipes

Easy Cream of Asparagus Soup

Asparagus Soup

Asparagus is a treasure trove of vitamin k, which your body needs to bolster bone strength and regulate blood clotting. The carotenoids found in asparagus make for its pretty green hue and double as anti-inflammatory compounds. Asparagus can also claim high levels of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that guards against cell damage from intense exercise and everyday living.

To make this delicious and nutritious soup you will need:

Half an onion
Bunch of Asparagus
Pint of Vegetable Stock

This Asparagus Soup recipe is healthful and low calorie but filling all at the same time.

First, chop the onion and sizzle till soft.
Grill the asparagus to with a little salt a pepper to bring out that beautiful flavour.
When soft and slightly charred chop and add to onion
Add Stock, bring to boil, then simmer until all is tender
Whizz

There is no cream added as the asparagus soup does this all by itself

PER SERVING

• Calories: 74

• Protein: 6g

• Carbs: 7g

• Fat: 3g

• Fiber: 3g

For More Stress-Free Healthful Recipes Click Here: Nourish

Balance

How to become lean for life!

January

The time of year for new starts and new years resolutions. High hopes after the Christmas cheer of shifting those extra squidgy bits that came from the cheese platter…guilty!

Many of us start out with a plan to start eating better and to shift Christmas pounds but when we go to search for the plan that will suit our needs we are bombarded with so much information it can become very confusing.

“No Carbs”

“More Fat”

“Gluten Free”

There are many different plans to follow however most people will find that these plans may make us reach our goal but what next… you will never have a carb the rest of your life?

Lean is a Lifestyle

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of joining a talk hosted by Lauren Armes, Welltodo, with Louise Parker from the LPM to discuss her new book Lean for Life: The Cookbook. The Louise Parker Method is well known as being the fame and celebrity go to for all things ‘weight loss’ and lifestyle chance. This perked my interest and I went along to get the inside scoop of this method.

I loathe dieting and I’m on a mission to end it!

The opening line from her book was read aloud to the crowd – this really perked up my interest! Louise started to tell us about her journey through health and lifestyle and how the Louise Parker Method came about. Contrary to this ladies slim physique she explained she had battled with weight and yo-yo dieting for years and is well aware the different ‘diets’ that women put themselves through in order to look great.

Letting go of the all or nothing approach

Louise explained that to be lean for life you have to accept that some days you won’t get it right. If you indulge a little too much just get back on it with the next meal or snack. It is all about mindset and lifestyle. The odd glass of wine here, or steak and chips for dinner there won’t impact you, as long as the majority of your decisions are good for your body. Operating at a 70:30 ration means that it will give you the longevity mindset to continue.

The Louise Parker Method

Lauren and Louise continued to discuss how the Lean for Life: The Cookbook can support those who are following the LPM method and then introduced the four pillars that make up the Louise Parker Method.

Think Successfully

To achieve your goals and make the right choices to become the best you – you need to change your mindset! Once you get the method and the principles behind making the right choices, you have fundamentally taken one of the hardest steps in the right direction. With this new mindset and belief in success you will set yourself up for success on your goals!

Your brain is the most important muscle there is in your transformation, and you are going to train it consistently, as you would your body.

Eat Beautifully

No gimmicks, no ‘free froms’, no fads just filling your plate full of nourishing whole food that will give you all the right energy you need. The recipes in the book will provide you the tools to make excellent meals that will make life and living lean easy and part of your lifestyle

With a lower calorie diet you need to make sure you pack those calories full of nutrition

There will be days where you indulge and may be a little naughty – but that is fine as long as 70% of the time you are nourishing your body with simple, healthy and beautiful foods!

Work Out intelligently

Very simply, you’ll move more. You’ll also exercise in the most intelligent way, combining the maximum amount of fat-burning and toning, while boosting your metabolism and making you feel fabulous.

There is no point wasting your time with exercises that you will not keep up or enjoy. With any goal in sight you need to keep moving (even if it is just getting in those 10,000 steps a day)

Remember if you don’t enjoy it, find something you do. When you want to change your lifestyle and incorporate exercise in – it has to be something you enjoy otherwise you will not stick to it!

Live Well

The last foundation is about your Lifestyle. Making changes that apply to your wider health. Sleep, Digital Detox and starting to change those patterns that cause you to make bad choices.

When you get a bad night’s sleep it puts your hormones out of whack and this can impact everything from feeling low to how hungry you are.

We are surrounded by digital – even now writing this – my phone is buzzing, the screen is bright and I have my favourite episode on.

We can all take a leaf out of this one!

Become Lean for Life

Listening to Louise talk, it really struck a chord with how much information we are bombarded with, and how many do this, do that, eat this, stop that there are in the world… when actually it is all very simple.

By following simple principles of eating protein, fat, good carbs and balancing that with exercise you really have set the foundations for a life of ease.

We can all do with a bit of guidance, which is why I would recommend taking a look Louise’s new book, which offers recipes and meal guidelines to give you an idea of how you can live your life a simple way and achieve your lean goals.

Personal Rant!

From a female perspective, we are born into a World where how we look is discussed every day!

Magazine front covers are filled to the brim with crap to make us feel bad! The new fad to make you a size zero, drinking some tea that will ‘detox’ you (a.k.a a laxative), don’t eat a carb or you will look like a whale or gobbling keytones will be the be all and all!

All in all, generally confusing the f*** out of us – when all we really need are simple positive principles, regular ways to exercise, a confident and chilled mindset, which when followed the majority of the time will allow us to be free of the negativity and allow us to live lean and happy lives.

The above article was written with my own opinions and values

Balance

Tired! Why am I always tired?

What is going on?

Has the world got some kind of sleeping illness? I am tired. Really tired. No matter how much sleep I seem to get – and I mean I am on the full 8hours – I awake in the morning wondering how long it is till I next get into bed.

I do an overall check:

Have I eaten – check
Have I slept – check
Am I busy – check

So I thought to myself – I should probably dig a little deeper into what the cause could be.

Good quality sleep?

Most people think because they shut their eyes this is good quality sleep, but there are a number of factors that can improve on this.

Phone and Laptop

Kick your phone and any blue light operated equipment out of your room. Constantly being available online right up to the moment you sleep may be affecting you in a far more serious way. Have you heard of the circadian rhythm? Bit of a mouthful I know but the circadian rhythm is our own natural rhythm which governs our attention and alertness but also when we switch off and down time.

A Harvard Study has suggested that over exposure to this blue light (the light we originally only had in the day) can lead “to several types of cancer (breast, prostate), diabetes, heart disease, and obesity”. Time to put your phone away, put on a low yellow lit lamp and enjoy a nice book before bed (rather than the latest on #brangelexit)

If you are a Netflix fiend (aren’t we all) try downloading this app Flux it adjusts the colours of your mac book in order that you receive less blue light and warmer tones in the evening

Are you eating Seasonally?

Now before you roll your eyes at me thinking I am suggesting another fad diet; I’m not. Each country has beautiful vegetables that are grown locally and guess what are perfectly full of those vital vitamins that your body needs for that time of year.

In the UK some of the best available are; Aubergine, Beef, Beetroot, Blackberry, Broccoli, Sprouts, Cabbage, Cavelo Nero, Celeriac, Chicken, Garlic, Fig, Kale, Lamb, Leek and the list goes on.

Source Locally

If you can source these from a local farmers market even better but most supermarkets will have them and at lower prices due to the abundance of in-season!

If you are stuck for ideas on what to cook – take a look at Wendy Rowe’s book Eat Beautiful. Makeup artist to the stars and famous for her nude skin look – she knows a trick or two about how to keep you glowing and feeling alive during the seasons.

The alternative is to take a multi-vitamin for all your needs. My favourite is VITL. They come delivered to your door in daily strips to provide you with all your vitamins. Make sure you have them with food as most vitamins are fat soluble. Use my coupon for a discount: VTAMCYN

Exercise: Get moving!

This is a bit of a no-brainer. We all know it, however – do we all do it? There is a difference between exercising and moving. Going to the gym for 45-60mins is great but not if you spend the rest of said day sat on one’s bottom not moving.

While the sun is shining and it’s brisk enough to wrap up… grab those sunnies and start walking to work. Get out at lunch-time. Just move.

Vitamin D

The extra sunlight will help boost those well-needed vitamin D reserves and the movement will get you feeling naturally more tired toward the end of the day in order you can get those high-quality ZZZzzz’s

Be careful about exercising at night. Light exercise like yoga and pilates can be great but weights or high intensity can leave you pumping full of endorphins and ready to go.

So breathe deep, stretch and ease into the evening.

De-Clutter that diary

Are you like me and your answer to most things is “I’m busy”? Well this is the month to clear your diary down to the bare minimum. Put dates in your diary for your own MOT days. Buy a book and have a date with you time. Having a full event calendar may look like a status symbol but the only one losing out is you.

If you feel bad letting people down; just use your famous excuse of I’m busy and leave it there. Or as I said post diary invites for nights in so it really does leave you with no excuse.

Fed up for feeling tired?

Try and apply these tried and tested tricks. I am not supplying you with anything you aren’t already aware of. It’s like losing weight – we all know how it’s done – but whether we do it is a different story.

So here is my homework for you. Kick your phone outta bed, Get those vital vitamins in from seasonal food, Get moving and schedule some well earned YOU TIME!

Recipes

Spring Detox: Teami Teatox Diaries

Spring is here. It’s time to shake off that Winter baggage and get ready for the Summer months.

Spring is the perfect time to detox.

Dreaming of bikinis and beaches from my full time job – it’s become ever more clear that the tights and baggy jumpers which were acceptable in winter will now be replaced with skirts and short sleeves. Time to get Summer ready.

Over the Winter months we tend to pick heavier and richer foods to keep us nourished. The dark nights and cold weather keep us in doors and less active than we naturally are in the summer months.

This combination of heavy foods and less activity can often lead you to feel a little bit sluggish and bloated. Bloating is one of the worst afflictions you can have as it makes you feel unwell, rubbish and generally unattractive. Anything that can get rid of that feeling is a winner in my eyes.

In order to get the ball rolling I have taken on the 30 day teami detox!

I’m going to share with you my reviews and opinions throughout the detox. (Use my discount code: CYNTRA10)

Teami 30 day detox comes with two parts: The Teami Skinny and Teami Colon… (hate the names but give some clarity)

The Skinny Tea is a tea which you blend with hot water in a cute shaker you can buy from their site or in a tea infuser.

Its made up of a blend of Oolong, Yerba Mate, Lime leaf Extract, Lotus leaf, Ginger Root, Dandelion leaf, Rhubarb Root. I thought it may taste a little bit earthy when the bag arrived… something you may find the hippiest of folk drinking… however it has now taken the place of my morning espresso. (don’t worry I haven’t gone made I still have my morning hit of coffee around 10am)

The tea tastes good and you can sweeten it with honey or lemon but I haven’t felt the need to do this yet. Throughout the day you can top it up with hot water to re-use the leaves.

I have found it has reduced cravings and also is great after a meal mid afternoon to keep me relaxed. I am not sure if it is mind over matter but I don’t feel the need to snack in the afternoons since having this tea.

This is just the beginning of me using it – I will keep you updated through my detox.

The Colon Tea – what a pretty name. This tea is taken every other day of the detox. I am now going to put in a disclaimer. Careful with this one.

TeaMi describe the tea as “TeaMi Colon Cleanse Tea is used to purify the body from the inside out, cleansing the organs while simultaneously clearing the digestive tract of any toxins caused primarily by pollution, harsh chemicals and processed foods.” yes this means you will be taking a trip to the bathroom.

I endured terrible stomach cramps the first two times I tried this. I contacted Teami and they have assured me this is natural and this is my colon ridding itself of all the toxins. They said it should stop happening as I continue through the cleanse. I will let you know.

Bonus: Bloating has significantly diminished. It was great waking up and feeling fresh and ready to go.

Tea Detox have been making headlines in the bloggers world for a while now. I think that they can work as long as they are used as part of a healthy workout plan.

1 Food – number 1 priority

2 Wellbeing – meditation, teas, relaxation

3 Exercise – keeping it all long and lean

Teami have come up with great recipes to support you while on your detox: Healthy Eating Plan

Incorporate this with a great HIIT Workout (click link)

And you will feel the best you can be by the time the Sunshine fully comes out!

Try your Teami Detox with a discount using this: CYNTRA10

Have you tried a teatox before?

What did you think?

Would you recommend?

Balance/ Recipes

Q&A with Pollen + Grace

Making lunches can be so difficult when you are trying to eat healthy. Sometimes you open your lunch box and you have a bit of kale and quinoa looking up at you and you start to feel slightly depressed…

Well let me introduce you to Pollen + Grace this beautiful little company that serves gluten free, dairy free and free from refined sugar beautiful lunches to keep our stomachs happy and full of flavour.

I wanted to find out more about this wonderful company so I met with Steph the founder to have a Q&A

1) How was Pollen + Grace born – where did the idea come from?

Pollen + Grace came foremost from a love and passion for cooking healthy, delicious food but secondly from the frustration of never being able to find a healthy, free from lunch option when working in London and having to prepare lunch each night.

2) What makes you passionate about Pollen + Grace, did you start by eating that way and became a passion…?

Pollen + Grace was such a huge risk to take, but it was something I(Steph) had to do as I felt it was what I was meant to do. I started eating this way due to gluten and dairy intolerances, then learnt how exciting it was to make delicious options that actually made you feel good.

3) Who was your first customer?

Our first customer was the brand events office, but our first customer who found us without being a friend was Amanda Cauldwell – she would order 3 lunches a day from us, one for her lunch then two for dinner (one for her and one for her daughter)!

4) Where was your first pop up?

The Old Street pop up has actually been our first, but we definitely plan on doing more now!

5) Where are you based – how big is your team?

Our kitchen/office is based in clapham junction and we have a full time team of 6 now – 3 office and 3 kitchen!

6) What is your favourite product?

This one’s easy, definitely our paleo banana bread, it’s delicious!

7) If you could give people one piece of health advice – what would it be?

Focus on eating delicious wholesome food that makes you feel great, but learn that it’s also about balance – if you want the ice cream, eat the ice cream!

If you have a bit of time at lunchtime and you are near Old Street Station you must pop on down and meet the lovely Steph and try out her delicious food.

If not check out their beautiful website over at Pollen + Grace

Recipes

Delicious Spinach and Aubergine Parmigiana

DELICIOUS SPINACH AND AUBERGINE PARMIGIANA

This little dish fills me with so much warmth. It is the perfect winter warmer which just keeps getting better. The ingredients cost little but the flavour is insane.

You can have it hot and eat it straight away or you can package this little delicacy up into some tupperware and take into work for a healthy treat.

My recipe has been updated to have all the flavour but less calories, hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 x Aubergine
Glug of Mellow Yellow Rape Seed Oil
1x Red Onion
3 x clove Garlic
1 x 400g chopped Tomatoes
4x sprig of Basil
1/2 bag of Spinach
Splash of White Wine Vinegar
Grated Parmesan

Method:

Grab a griddle pan and heat up with a splash of Mellow Yellow Rape Seed Oil. Slice the aubergines and add to the pan to get a nice charred effect.

In another pan add another glug of Mellow Yellow Rape Seed Oil and chop the onions and garlic and add to the pan. Add some salt and pepper at this point and leave to soften. After 5-10 minutes add the spinach. Leave a few more minutes and add the tomatoes, basil and a splash of white wine vinegar and simmer to reduce.

Heat the oven to 190c and grab a over proof dish.

Take the charred aubergine and place a layer on the bottom. Add layers of tomato mix and aubergines until it is all used up. Sprinkle some parmesan on top of the mix for a nice crispy topping. This is up to you how much you add – but this is where the calories come from – so you can have too much of a good thing – however if you burn it off in the gym the next day – go nuts.

Crack some black pepper on top and place in the over for 30 minutes

Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving

A delicious meal to keep you warm this chilli winter. Perfect as a main with a side salad or to accompany some baked chicken.

In this recipe I have used Mellow Yellow Rapeseed Oil. Not many people know but using the right cooking oil has a big impact on health. Olive oil should be had cold and never heated. Coconut Oil can be heated but also leaves a subtle flavour. So I have been trying out this delicious cold pressed rapeseed oil. It has the lowest saturated fat content of any commonly available cooking oil – it contains less than half the saturated fat that is found in olive oil and is packed full of Omega 3. Mellow Yellow has a wonderful subtle nutty taste, it is ideal for salad dressings, while its high smoke point makes it perfect for high temperature roasting and stir-frying oil.

Enjoy xx

Balance

BOXING: Work Out like Gigi Hadid

GIGI HADID

Right…who hasn’t heard of Gigi Hadid? The beautiful blonde with legs up to the heavens who turns her middle finger up to those who fat shame!

This gorgeous goddess – daughter of Yolanda Foster – is the focus for this blog post.

One of the things that is inspiring about Gigi is that she is not your average model. She walks high end fashion runways and is a Victoria’s Secret Model yet she sports a curvy lean physique with strong thighs.

Hell Yes – a real woman!

This world is full of images that lead us to believe that our shape isn’t good enough. Unrealistic images are pumped into our day to day lives. It is refreshing to see someone strong bold and well relatively normal – storm the top runways.

So I dug a little deeper and looked into what this young lady is doing to look so gorgeous yet remain lean and strong

The answer: BOXING!!!

Boxing as a sport requires a high level of athletic prowess: strength, speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, endurance, nerve, and power, just to name several required attributes.

Gigi trains with a boxer to burn through calories, shed excess fat, and remain agile which all leads to her lean physique.

Boxing can be off-putting as it is deemed a male sport – but this empowering exercise really can attribute to some serious body changes!

Here are some reasons why you should try out boxing

Total-Body Strength

All that punching, kicking, and jumping requires a surprising amount of strength. Think about it – most professional heavy bags weigh at least 100 pounds. During a boxing workout, you may punch or kick a bag hundreds of times, requiring your upper body, lower body, and core to engage as you make contact with the bag.

Cardio

You hear it all the time: You need to do cardio to protect yourself from heart disease, burn calories, and lose or maintain your weight. But “doing cardio” doesn’t have to mean hopping on a treadmill to log your required minutes – how boring is that?

The whole point of cardio is to place a moderate amount of stress on your heart and lungs so that they’re challenged enough to make beneficial physiologic adaptations to support the higher level of physical activity. As long as you keep your heart rate up during your workout, there’s no reason you can’t punch, kick, and jump your way to a healthy heart at your local boxing gym.

Body Composition

Boxing is great for improving body composition – and some might say it’s great for weight loss. The technique means you are pushing your body burning up to 13 calories a minute!

Less Stress

Almost any form of moderate to intense physical activity can decrease stress. Exercise increases endorphins, boosts mood, works as a form of meditation, and improves sleep, all of which help reduce stress.

Boxing is a great outlet for stress! You can literally fight your way out of the stress zone!

It’s a win win situation!

Be inspired by the strong women in this world and learn from their tricks. If she can do it so can you.

Go and find your nearest boxing centre or get into the gym find those gloves and get practising!

Speaking of BOX – ing… I am very excited to open my new FITTY London box!

Packed to the brim with Healthy Goodies to start February the right way!

From Spiralizers, to coconut oil to delicious superfoods to sprinkle on my breakfast. This perfect little box never ceases to surprise me. So chic and beautiful – its really does give you that monthly buzz to keep on track!

Delivered to my door every month (along with my Vogue) its like my birthday happens every month!

Happy February!

Check out Fitty London here

Recipes

Top Tips to Slim for New Years Eve

Hands up who is still feeling full!

Christmas Day has finished and now we are looking forward to the next big event of 2015…

NEW YEARS EVE 2015

Some of you may be heading back to work this week, but getting stressed about NYE should not be on your to do list… I’ve created a list of my top tips to get the ball rolling ready for the big night!

Right first things first:

#1 Have a breakfast to tackle the hangover

The best way to deal with over indulgence is to get some Asparagus in your diet.
Research to be published in the Journal of Food Science, Korean researchers found that extracts taken from the leaves and shoots of asparagus boosted levels of key enzymes that break down alcohol after heavy drinking!
So I recommend Poached Egg and Asparagus for Boxing Day!

#2 Get those 10,000 steps in

Wake up, chuck on those sweats (and if you’re still feeling festive your Christmas Jumper) and go out for a walk! Nothing too excessive you do not want to punish yourself. Grab your dog, mum, partner or headphones and just get the blood running and the calories burning. I cannot explain enough how important it is to do your 10,000 steps a day. Keeping slim was never so easy if you just keep moving.

While you are at work – make sure you head out in those lunch breaks this week. Walk to work. Walk around the office. Just keep moving. Sitting down is a sure fire way to keep the Christmas bulge longer than usual!

#3 Cheat with a waist trainer

You can buy one of these off amazon and create the perfect silhouette for your little black dress. Wearing this on a day to day basis also helps your posture and helps curve your body in and out in all the right places.

Wear it under your snuggly wear while catching up with family or if you are in the office… under your workwear. Completely invisible to anyone but you… this is a must for getting ready for NYE

#4 Clean up your diet

You have approximately 6 days to nail this. If you need a little help get James Duigan book which contains a 14 day guide to a flat stomach. This should be able to guide you in the right direction in order to give you a head start into 2016

Sneak some left over turkey for some lean protein. It features a lot in this book and will save you pounds while losing pounds.

#5 Get some sexy high heels

Heels elevate you up, slim down your legs, make your butt perky and all over give you a slender and confident look. Black strap look heels are my favourite things to hit A/W15. Edgy, cool and stylish these are the perfect addition to your wardrobe for NYE!

On my radar are:

New Look:

Louboutin:

Kurt Geiger:

#6 Pre-order a box fitness goodies!

Want to find new healthy snacks, supplements, fitness trends to get fit for 2016 – head over to Fittyldn.com! They’ve created a monthly box that let’s you discover the hottest fitness foods and workout products! Expect all kinds of brands, from the big boys that grace the health shop shelves down to the small start-ups you haven’t heard of!

There is one for every need…from Cleanse box to Women’s Health box and an Everyday to cover all your needs.

So those are my top tips! I hope you enjoy them. I am now off to get my 10,000 steps – while keeping on my stretchy leggings to keep my post Christmas day tummy at bay!

Bring it on 2016! I am ready for you!

Recipes

Maximising your Metabolism

We all have those events when you are looking to drop a few pounds or get ready for a holiday. We go in with high hopes only to hit 11am and the morning stomach grumble is there.

I have recently trialled out Arbonne Evolution Set

Now for people who know me – will know that I am not a big supplement person. I have the mentality of “if you can grow it or kill it then you can eat it” but after having a long conversation with the consultants at Arbonne I agreed to try this product out as part of my prep towards my up-coming holiday.

So what is it:

The set is made up of a Tablet and a Powder.

The Tablet:

Ingredients include green tea extract and green coffee bean extract. These are both extracts that some of the Made in Chelsea crew have advocated for their slimming. Unlike other caffeine based tablets – this one did not leave me with the shakes. In fact I didn’t really notice much. However, my normal cravings around 11 and 3pm had diminished. With all other factors in my life being equal I have to hold my hands up and maybe say this could have been the reason.

The Powder:

The powder I would liken to Crystal Lite if you have tried it. You mix the Kiwi- Watermelon flavoured powder into water and neck really quickly half an hour before food. I had mine first thing in the morning as I made my morning green smoothie. The ingredients contain Glucomannan which is given to people with type 2 diabetes for blood sugar control. As it helps reduce spikes in your blood sugar this also helps reduce those intense cravings that low blood sugar can cause. What I would say here tho… reduce your sugar and have low gi foods and this will also reduce those pangs. As with the tablets with all factors remaining equal I noticed that I was only eating three meals a day. My need to snack had significantly reduced and when I was hungry I was not having those little voices in the head to go the naughty treats in life…it was general hunger for nourishing food.

As I have said before – I am usually not an advocate for these types of supplements but I am pleasantly surprised.

The consultants I worked with Maysoun (maysoun_wahbeh@yahoo.co.uk) and Victoria (victoriafan@live.co.uk) kept in contact with me throughout my trial. They offered advice and their own experience and sent me fact sheets when I questioned more about the products.

If you do need a little helping hand for keeping the cravings at bay when starting a new phase to become a healthier version of you… I would recommend speaking to Arbonne or these girls. My questions were answered, there was a face to the product and no worries that something nasty may be arriving at the door which can often happen when purchasing products off the internet.

A vegan and vegetarian friendly company

I was happy to trial this product.

With all supplements you must consult your doctor before taking anything. What might work for one person may not for an other. These are my opinions and my review. Please seek your own advice before taking a product.

Diet and Fitness will always be the ultimate in reaching your goal

Older Posts

diet

Here are my Recommended Supplements to give you that Vital Boost and Keep you Balanced!

VITL

1) In-App Consultation

2) Bespoke Content & Reminders for You

3) Personalised Vitamin Packs

4) Integrates with Your Apps

All this for £10 for your first month with code: CYNCITY

Pukka

Turmeric Lifekind

Sönd Skincare

Conclusion

Start your day with a Protein Shake

My Protein Recommendations are:

20 Minute Home HIIT workout

Walk to Work

Water – Hydration – Water

Take the stairs – 2 at a time

Stress-Free Homemade Healthy Hummus

Beetroot Hummus

Caramelised Red Onion hummus

Before you start:

Day One

Pros

Cons

Day Two

Pros

Cons

Day Three

Pros

Cons

Top Tricks

Top tricks:

Reflection

Juice Cleanse

Mira Manek

Healthy Indian Cuisine

Where to buy

It’s 11 o’clock and your stomach starts to grumble…what do you do?

1. Water

2. Fruit

3. Nuts

4. Muesli, Natural Yoghurt and Berries

5. A Cup of Soup

Asparagus Soup

To make this delicious and nutritious soup you will need:

January

Lean is a Lifestyle

The Louise Parker Method

Think Successfully

Eat Beautifully

Work Out intelligently

Live Well

Become Lean for Life

Personal Rant!

Related articles across the web

What is going on?

Good quality sleep?

Phone and Laptop

Are you eating Seasonally?

Source Locally

Exercise: Get moving!

Vitamin D

De-Clutter that diary

Fed up for feeling tired?