Saturday 28 June 2014

2 drinks that helped me lose 22 pounds in 3 months


Green tea:

                        


 It's one of the world's most powerful weight loss drinks. You can lose up to 4 pounds a week by drinking it.

How did it work for me?

  1. It helped to boost my metabolism= faster weight loss. 
  2. It helped my body to burn more fat and calories effectively because it's high in antioxidants which are the body's main defence of free radicals.
  3. Made me feel full. All the antioxidants going to work made my stomach feel like I wasn't hungry. 
  4. The fact that it's packed with great antioxidants it helped to boost my energy a little. 
  5. It's also a great detox, it helped clear out all the junk food stored up in my system.
I I recommend this to tea/coffee lovers. I don't think it taste bad at all, I'm pretty use to it. My favourite is Jasmine Green Tea. I don't bother with sweeteners but I'd recommend a tsp of honey. I also like to put a lemon wedge in it because lemon helps to detox.

Water:


The naturally calorie free/ fat free beverage. I use to hate drinking water but when I started working out it was the only drink that didn't dehydrate me. I later learned how important it is in a healthy lifestyle. So I got a re-usable 1litre water bottle that I take everywhere. All I had to do was re-fill it at least twice daily to drink 2 litres which is recommended. I'm obsessed with fruit infused water! The benefits are similar to green tea so here are a few additionals.

How did it work for me?

  1. Our bones and muscles contain water so when I drank more it helped my workouts become more effective and I didn't get tired as quickly. 
  2. I drink a glass of water before breakfast because this helps kick start our metabolism= faster weight loss. 

"If we defend our habits, we have no intentions of quitting them."

                                      
                                                     -Jen'shealth

Sunday 22 June 2014

What I ate to lose 22 pounds in 3 months

"Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise".



 True! With weight loss I learned it's eating more of the right food and less of the bad. You don't need to cut out any food group, I didn't. 

Here is what my daily meals looked like on average. I had about 3-5 small ones instead of 3 large meals to keep my metabolism active meaning faster weight loss! I also ate carb based meals earlier on in the day so I would use up the energy it gave rather than at 8pm when I'm just chilling at home doing nothing. Carbs get stored as fat if you don't use up the energy.

Breakfast: Chocolate & orange oat pancakes
Lunch:  Boiled sweet potatoes with turkey & veg


















Dinner: Fresh mackerel salad with greek yogurt as dressing
Snack: Green smoothie and walnuts

What to eat?

  • Complex Carbohydrates (Carbs in wholegrain form, they take longer to be broken down resulting in more energy) Eg. brown rice, pasta, bread, sweet potatoes and beans.)
  • Lean Protein, chicken, fish, egg, greek yogurt. These worked so well with exercise because they helped my muscles to grow and repair! 
  • Vegetables, I ate kale, spinach, carrots, beetroot, lettuce, asparagus etc. They're high in protein and fibre which will help a lot when working out. The darker the vegetable the better! I ate steamed or boiled veg. 
  • Fresh/frozen fruits, they made the perfect snack. Dried fruits don't have as much nutrition though. I ate oranges, apples, berries, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes etc. Fruits have low energy-dense levels meaning high nutritional value with low calories!
  • I drank a lot of water & green tea. I haven't had a fizzy drink since March. 

What to eat less of?

  • White carbs/ processed carbs, they strip away beneficial fibre.
  • Crisps, chocolate, cakes, sweets and fried foods they have little/no nutritional value.
  • Packaged foods eg ready meals. They have a lot of unnecessary additives and preservatives that probably do more harm than good. 


"What we eat in private we wear in public" 
                                                                            - Jen's health



Tuesday 17 June 2014

What exercises I did to lose 22 pounds in 3 months

Background

On the 3rd of April I was overweight I weighed 176 pounds (80.9 kgs) and it is now the 17th of June and I weigh 154.4 pounds (70 kg). So I lost 22 pounds/10 kg in 3 months. I'm 5'11. I wanted to tone up and get rid of unnecessary flab so I came across "Insanity" which is a maximum intensity interval training programme for 2 months. In other words, you either go hard or go home. I did it for 6 days and lost 6 pounds, it was tough and unrealistic for me to do it every day for 30 minutes so I quit. I'd recommend it if you don't mind doing push ups in a pool of your own sweat!




So what kind of exercising did you do?

Cardio all day every day.

  1. Jogging: at one point I did it every day for about 30- 50 mins.
  2. Soccer: I went to training and played matches every week for about a month.
  3. Gyming: For about 15-30 mins per machine Treadmill (jogging), Bicycle, Cross-trainer/Elliptical, Stair Master, Arm pedal exerciser.
  4. Interval running: sprinting then walking and repeating. Much more effective than jogging, you use more energy= burn more fat! 
  5. Dance workouts: I did these at least once a week. Scola Dondo's afrobeat ones are the best! 
  6. Strength training: (exercises that help your muscles become more stronger and powerful) eg, squats, russian twists, crunches, push ups, tricep dips and planks.
  7. Weight training: I did a little, I want to be toned not skinny. I do bicep curls with dumbbells and use ankle weights for russian twists, bicycle crunches etc.
On average I did these about 5-6 times a week.I think it's important to change up your workout, your brain gets use to you doing the same thing therefore you'll get the same results. I have a pretty active lifestyle, I take the bus weekly, take the stairs when I can and go for strolls. 

"Cardio is fun said no one ever" -Anonymous.


Wednesday 11 June 2014

The simple secret to Happiness?!

Is it...

  • How much you earn?
  • Your appearance?
  • Your intelligence?
Nope. It's knowing that you don't have it all and accepting that. 


No matter what your story is, if you focus on what you have, you'll have more. If you concentrate on what you don't have you'll never have enough. Two words that are scientifically proven to make you happier are THANK YOU. When we show gratitude it redirects our brain to positive thoughts and actions. 


The Gratitude Experiment?

  1. Get yourself an empty journal, diary or notebook. You have to physically write it down because there is power in the words.
  2. Divide it into 3 categories. People, Places & Things.
  3. Write down what you are thankful for daily.
  4. Recommended: Contact the people you wrote down to appreciate them even more! 

Does it work?

I've been doing it for 6 months and I'm much more positive and happier. Oprah Winfrey has been doing it for 18 years and says acknowledging these things made her more receptive to the goodness in her life. She believes keeping this journal was the single most important thing she's ever done. Give it a try! you've got nothing to lose.        
                                                                     Thanks for reading, 
                                                                                           Jen'shealth.


                                                                     

Sunday 8 June 2014

How do you get clearer, flawless skin?

Healthy skin is a reflection of overall wellness. True or false?




  • Do you ever breakout when you eat junk food?
  • Do you ever look pale when your not feeling great?
  • Does your skin ever clear up when you drink a lot of water?
  • Do you ever look a certain way when you don't get enough sleep?
If you answered true to at least two questions then yes, healthy skin is a reflection your overall wellness!


My bare face!

Acne?

I had acne believe it or not. After spending so much time and money on my skin I saw a dermatologist and got prescribed "minocin SA" (oral medication). I had to take it every day at a certain time this helped dry out my spots and cleared my skin. It took about 9 months to see changes but it was worth it! During the period I didn't apply makeup in order to reap the entire benefits. Thankfully I didn't encounter any side effects.

So how can I get clearer, flawless skin?

  1. Eat better. Try more veg, fruit, lean meat (chicken,turkey),complex carbs (brown rice,pasta,sweet potatoes). Try reduce amount of sugary, greasy foods (sweets, ice-cream, butter,chips).
  2. Get more sleep. This is our body's time to make new skin cells, if we don't allow it 7-8 hours daily it won't finish the new cells and won't look too good. Unfinished things never look as good as they ought to.
  3. Get in vitamin C! That's right they help maintain and repair healthy skin. Vitamin C is in tons of fruits especially in kiwis, oranges, pineapples and berries.
  4. Water. Drink at least 2 litres daily. It helps keep the skin hydrated. When you water a plant it grows and looks great. When you don't it starts to wither and eventually dies. As deep as this may sound the human body can survive up to 3 days without water. It must be pretty important huh? 
  5. Treatments. You can exfoliate which helps get rid of the top layer of dead skin, face masks help the dead skin come out of hiding. My personal favourite has to be steaming this allows heat from hot water to open up your pores and get a deep cleanse! 

But what products can I use? 

 Well what type of skin do you have? Dry, Sensitive, Normal, Oily, Combination? You should then research accordingly. My best advice for you is to use natural products if your able. Why? It' hasn't got artificial chemicals that are probably doing more harm than good. It is also inexpensive and works way better than high-end skin care products most of the time. Here are my products. It took me a while to find what works, but better late than never! 




Cleanse

I use Dudu-Osun also known as African black soap by the brand "Tropical Naturals". It makes my skin feel clean and refreshed without leaving it dry. I use this for my body also and it does wonders! I purchase mine in Nigeria, but you can definitely find it online.

Tone

I use Rosewater by the brand "Atlantic Aromatics". It makes my skin feel extra clean yet soft. I spray it lightly on my face and then get a cotton pad and dab. It's a great all natural toner for those with dry/sensitive skin. It's also a great setting spray for makeup! I get mine from a health food store named "Nourish". 

Moisturise

This is a step that you shouldn't be skipping, even if your skin ain't dry! For my face I use coconut oil. Hold up Jen... an oil? Yeah, as strange as it may seem the oil particles are small enough to penetrate my skin not leaving it greasy. It's non comedogenic meaning it won't clog my pores! It works great for those with oily skin too! Try it out :) I get mine from Nourish. For my body I use shea butter. It's a great thick moisturiser for those with dry patches etc.. It makes my skin feel soft and smooth. I made my own mix infused with wonderful ingredients! Contact me if your interested, my sister sells them and ships internationally. 

"Years wrinkle the skin but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul" -Douglas MacArthur

 -Jen'shealth

Saturday 7 June 2014

Feel Good Friday!

So, we have all heard the famous quote "Health is your greatest wealth!" It makes sense I mean if you are extremely rich it doesn't do much good if you can't enjoy the money. With all the sicknesses in our day and age, I don't want to end up in the hospital. I don't think anyone does. 



My sudden interest in health and well-being stemmed from being exposed to hospital life. In Transition Year I did a Work Experience course titled "Introduction to Hospital Life" There I saw hundreds of patients of all ages looking for ways to make themselves better. That's when I realised that I didn't want have to be in their position, I didn't want to wait until my sickness came. I wanted to take as many preventative measures to ensure I'd be healthy and happy for the rest of my life. I come across so many negative and miserable people in my life and I don't want to live that way. We weren't created to just merely survive, but to thrive. 

So, where to start? Here are my top 5 tips to help you feel happier and healthier. I can do a follow-up post on each technique if your interested? 


  1. Your mindset. You need to say "I am going to live a happy, healthy positive life" as cheesy as it may sound positive declarations do work! Don't forget to constantly remind yourself of this affirmation. 
  2. Your environment. The people you surround yourself with are incredibly important when it comes to living a HHPL (Happy, healthy, positive life!) They have such a big influence on our thoughts and actions. 
  3. Be grateful. I found out the secret to happiness, appreciation for what you have, whether it's a little or a lot. I have a gratitude journal and I have never felt more at peace.
  4. Exercise and meditation. When we do exercise it releases endorphin's, the happy hormone! Meditation is great for calming the mind and muscles also!
  5. You are what you eat! Try to eat everything in moderation, a balanced diet is key! Don't forget about drinking a ton of water. 
Guys, I have been incorporating these tips into my lifestyle the past few years and I can honestly say I feel much better about myself and much more confident. I do have bad days, but not as much as I use to! 


So, is health really your greatest wealth? 
                                                                              -Jen'shealth