Strong is the new skinny!!!

One step closer to the weekend people!  Hope you have all had a good Thursday.

Thursday is Gym day again for me, my muscles were a lil' bit achey from yesterdays swim first thing, but had eased up by midday and were ready for whatever I threw at them.

That's because I had fed them well....

~BREAKFAST~

One of my fave's this morning, my healthy version of eggy bread ... or french toast!

Simply take an egg and break into a bowl, whip it up and add a dash of skimmed milk and some cinnamon.  Take 2 slices of Nimble wholemeal and soak both slices in the egg mix.

Spray a frying pan with fry light and heat up, add the two slices and cook until browned both sides.  I then have it topped with fresh raspberries and fat free yogurt..... ooooo its lush!!!!!!!

Fruit, carbs, fibre, protein and calcium... what a great start!

 

 

~MID MORNING SNACK~

I had used all my yogurt up on my breakfast this morning, so no little pot of loveliness today!

But anything you can make a smiley face out of is bound to be good for you!

Two fresh apricots and a banana .... just the job!

~LUNCH~

I really wasn't sure about this lunch, I made it last night as am always in such a rush in the mornings and thought if I got one step ahead it would make it easier ... wrong, I was still running late!

Anyhow, it consisted of quinoa, beetroot, light feta cheese, cucumber, prawns and a sprinkle of chia seeds.  I made a dressing of a teaspoon of rapeseed oil (high in Omega 3) and white wine vinegar and then packed a wedge of lemon to squeeze over when I was ready to eat it.

For some reason it didn't excite me to look at,  but ooooooo looks can be deceiving .... it was FAB!!  Totally fresh and vibrant tasting, loved it.

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

On the way home from the gym I ate one of my Magical Energy Bars, very much needed, followed by another banana when I got home.
 

~DINNER~

Got some pork loin chops out of the freezer last night for tonight's dinner, I love pork.  Its a lovely lean meat ... if you ignore the crackling.

One of my favourite things to do with these chops is Pesto Crumb Topped Chops!

First of all, in a handheld food processor, I whizz up a slice of Nimble wholemeal with about 5 natural almonds and a small chunk of smoked cheddar (Matt's fave cheese!).  I then add a teaspoon of pesto (I used Sacla wild garlic pesto) and give another quick whizz till mixed.

I then dry fry the chops on both sides until nicely coloured.  I always cook with the fat on so that the meat doesn't dry out, just remove it when I eat it!  I then put the chops in a small baking try sprayed with fry light, and spread another half teaspoon of pesto on top of each one.  Then I spread the crumb mixture over each one and bung the tray in a preheated oven, about 180oc for about 25-30 minutes.

Whilst that was cooking I chopped up a large baking potato and a sweet potato into chunks and chucked into the actifry, sprayed with fry light and let them cook for 30 minutes.  I then prepared some runner beans (another donation from my colleague Ian's garden), some tenderstem broccoli and some french beans and put in a large saucepan on to simmer away whilst everything else was cooking.  I made a quick gravy with the vegetable water and a tablespoon of reduced salt gravy granules.

And here is the result......

~EXERCISE~

As I have already said, gym day today, brilliant.  My foot wasn't so painful today, so I started off with 15 minutes on the bike, on intensity level 4.  I then moved onto the best bit, the corded weight resistance machines.  I kept the loads at the same weights I used on Tuesday, again they were hard and I could feel it by the end of each rep, I definitely achieved overload and achieved a fatigue response!!

But what really excited me, is one of the machines I always use.  The chest fly machine, with your forearms on pads you squeeze your arms together in front of you, and obviously it works your chest, but also your arms and shoulders.  Anyway, when first using it, because I have such mahoosive chesticles, I always felt like it was going to trap them!!!  Today I noticed I no longer have that feeling, they have obviously shrunk a little!!!!!  RESULT!

I am learning an awful lot from 'A woman's guide to muscle and strength, it really fascinates me.  For a start we are all guilty of seeing someone we see as naturally skinny and feeling jealous of them, it's natural.  But the saying 'Beauty comes from within' couldn't be more true, because what you see is not the true story!

The difference between being thin and being healthy lies in body composition. A woman might 'appear' thin on the outside, but if she does not exercise, regularly, and actively maintain her lean muscle mass then she more than likely has lots of internal body fat, visceral fat, the fat that clings to your organs!

Regardless of your clothing size, having more lean mass than fat is important to good health.  Lean mass is simply your muscles, bones, connectivity tissue and organs - anything in your body that is not fat.  Anything that is not lean falls into the fat category.

Women who are skinny or thin, often carry the same amount of visceral fat on their frame as obese women.  They may be a size 10, but they can still be carrying a 40% body fat rating!

Also, the ladies in lycra at the gym who we all secretly grimace at, 9 times out of 10 only do the cardio machines, maybe 5 times a week, but that's all they do, nothing else.  Great for burning calories, they probably aren't overweight, but neither will they be as toned as they could be as they are doing no resistance training to increase their lean musculature.

Resistance training benefits include increased muscle strength and endurance, stronger bones, definition and leaner bodies.  Being strong and having more fat-free mass is important for health as well as aesthetics.

Cardio may burn calories quicker than resistance training, but resistance training burns calories longer after the exercise has ended.  The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns all day long.  One lb of muscle burns 30-50 calories a day, one lb of fat burns 2-4 calories a day!!

Strong is the new skinny!!!!

Thanks again for reading,
Jo
xx