The Real Super Stars: Micro-Nutrients

You may have heard of the saying: "If it ran, swam or grew out of the ground - eat it". Since studying nutrition, I have learnt an enormous amount on the importance of micro-nutrients; vitamins and minerals that ultimately keep our bodies functioning. 

You might already be familiar with macro-nutrients - the three main food groups of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. For the past year, all I've read and seen on social media and even on some health websites is the importance of eating and hitting our macros; mainly protein, to help us achieve the lean body we admire. Protein can help build muscle tissue and is known to keep you fuller for longer but it isn't the only food group we should be consuming. 

After seeing image after image on Instagram and other blogs of muscular men and women who look so lean and healthy, I got roped into buying protein powder. Let me tell you here and now - do not buy these as they are a waste of time! I've already spent so much on huge bags of protein powder believing that they were helping me to gain muscle and shred excess fat. Yes they are full of protein (usually averaging about 24g of protein per scoop), but our bodies can only use about 30g of protein a day so anything more than this and we just excrete it. Don't forget that eating eggs, meat and even quinoa all contribute to our daily intake of protein anyway, so we all usually hit this just through our main meals.  

Our real stars of the show though are our micro-nutrients. Our bodies need vital vitamins and minerals to be able to function properly. Even if you focus on taking loads of one vitamin, you risk becoming deficient in another. This can lead to all sorts of problems from insomnia and bloating, to weak bones and dry skin. To reach optimum nutrition and health, our bodies need a combination of vitamins and minerals to ensure that each and every part of our bodies works to the best of it's ability. 

Sound impossible? It's really not! We can start by taking in a healthy variety of fresh, organic produce and get creative by mixing different foods together for our bodies to feel revitalised and full of energy. I'll be posting plenty of recipes that I use to help you get started, alongside some extra knowledge throughout this website so all you need to know is in one place. Nothing but clear, science-based knowledge that will give you the tools to reach the healthiest, strongest and happiest you. 

Travel Makes You Richer

"Travel is the only thing that you buy that makes you richer"

Anonymous

When was the last time you truly enjoyed life? When did you last spend the day not mindful of the time, living off of tasks to do or the same old boring 9-5 routine? As my Mum has always told us; you don't live to work, you work to live. 

I remind myself of this saying every now and then just to refocus and gain a little perspective. Life is full of surprises both good and bad. It's one big roller-coaster of ups and downs and we need to push through the bad times and embrace the highs. 

Ever since I was little I have always been fascinated by other cultures; their food, history, weather and the people. Our world is a beautiful and astonishing thing and we should take the time out to enjoy it. There is so much we have not yet even discovered! My own personal goal is to explore the deep oceans, swim around tropical fish and manta rays and play with wild dolphins. I want to learn more and more about wildlife and how we can help save them from a world of ever growing pollution and damage. I know that realistically we cannot all afford to go jet-setting off around the world, but we can take active steps to pave the way for us to make it a realistic goal. 

Next time you are feeling down, lost or fed-up, take the time out to re-think what you want to do with your life. What are you goals and aspirations? Spend more time doing the things you love and your life will be full of richer experiences. Your mindset will change and you will feel so much happier for it. 

Believe In Yourself

Take the time to invest in you; invest in your health by eating foods that will provide you with energy. Take time out to move your body and relax your mind. And most of all - believe in yourself. 

You can achieve all that you want to achieve. It all starts with your own thoughts. Even if you struggle to believe this at first, keep telling yourself that you are worth it because you are! Invest in a little self love each and every day and your thoughts will directly impact your actions. 

I saw the following quote recently and it couldn't be more true. Don't let your life be full of regret. Take that leap over any barriers...you never know you might actually enjoy it ;) 

"Our headspace dictates our perspective...our perspective dictates our experience...our experience is nothing short of life itself."

Andy Puddicombe

Surround Yourself With People Who Encourage And Motivate You

I am a firm believer that no matter how hard you strive to achieve your dreams and goals, it can be incredibly hard, even hinder your success if you have to go through the journey alone.

 

If you surround yourself with people who encourage you to do well, support you to achieve your dreams no matter how big or small and motivate you when it feels like there is a mountain to climb, you will honestly feel a lot more invincible knowing there's an army behind you.



Luckily for me, I have a boyfriend and family who have always encouraged me to follow my aspirations. They just want me to be happy no matter which path I choose to follow and I am so grateful for that. I can only imagine how difficult and heart-breaking it must be when the people closest to you don't encourage you to reach for what you truly want.

 

If you are embarking on a healthier lifestyle like me, please feel free to comment or send me an email; whether you are going through a rough time, need some motivation or just want to chat, I am always here :)

 

The online fitness community can be very encouraging, but it's important to take the right advice and not go down the wrong path. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fitness and health expert (just yet!) but I am in the process of studying Fitness Nutrition and will only ever post advice that is real, scientifically proven and that I follow myself. I sought to gain a qualification so I could eliminate all the rubbish out there and to know once and for all not only for my own journey, but for all of you lovely readers who may want everything you need to know in one place.

 

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments, and I will endeavour to answer them to support you and your own journey. 

Strive For Results, Not Perfection

Too many times we compare our progress to someone else's. It's good to look to others for inspiration, but don't forget to focus on you. Listen to your body. Eat when you are hungry and make sure you let your body rest. Pamper yourself and protect your mind by taking time out each day to just be. After all, it's far kinder to our souls to focus on achieving our own personal goals rather than the unachievable image of perfection.

Good Things Come To Those Who Sweat

If you had told me a year ago that I would enjoy exercising, that I would enjoy that feeling of finishing a workout that I never believed I would be able to complete, I would have laughed in your face. 

When I exercise now though, I love the feeling of accomplishing something that is making me stronger, more powerful and most importantly, improving my health and fitness. Each time we sweat through exercise, we are getting our hearts pumping, getting the blood flow circulating and testing our mindsets. We are building up our muscles and improving our strength. 

I have found personally over these last few weeks that by doing the BBG workouts, my strength is already improving. If you're not familiar with the workouts, there are three a week that consist of four sets of movements with reps. These are circuits and you repeat both to make up the four sets. The weeks alternate so you repeat the moves from Week 1 in Week 3, Week 2 in Week 4 and so on. This is brilliant though especially when you repeat the circuits because you notice how much your body and muscles already adapt to complete the movements! 

Everybody's progress is different however, and sometimes you may need to adapt a movement if you are struggling to complete it. After all, any move is improving your form and fitness and you don't want to injure yourself if you are finding something a little difficult. Plus, imagine that satisfying feeling once you can complete it further down the line! 

So if you're doubting your progress, aim to get moving every day. No matter how big or small, every little bit of walking, running, cycling or jump lunges are all counting towards improving your fitness. 

Learn To Love Yourself

We've all been there. You've eaten more than you can stomach and you're feeling pretty guilty. You've worked SO hard to keep on track and now you've gone and blown it on a takeaway. 

It's not the end of the world. Don't beat yourself up about it! As I said above; we've ALL been there and you're not alone. 

This time of the year is particularly difficult. We've just spent the previous month indulging in our own body weight chocolate, mince pies and turkey, and now we're all on a health-kick to start off the new year. The problem is, at first you may be motivated and determined, but once you're a few weeks in your body will naturally start to crave all the junk food you've been recently used to.

Many nutritionists claim it takes us about 5 weeks to drive our sugar cravings away. 5 whole weeks to get rid of any sugar cravings?! Just how addictive is sugar?! But by making small, achievable goals, you will feel far less overwhelmed and a lot more likely to stay on track. I've found that sometimes I set myself huge challenges and then when I don't quite hit all of them, I feel disappointed and annoyed with myself! It seems ridiculous to be so hard on ourselves when we should really be focusing on the positives. By choosing to do a workout when I was tempted to chill out and watch TV. By cooking a healthy meal from scratch when I really fancied fast food. These healthier decisions are what I am ultimately working towards; a healthier lifestyle. Therefore in some respects I have already achieved this by making these changes which can only be a good thing! 

In time, these choices will become healthy habits and will only get easier to make as the cravings wear off. Exercise will become part of my daily routine, and I actually already enjoy cooking dishes from scratch knowing that every ingredient is fresh, clean and nutritious! 

I hope I can encourage you to learn to love yourself, be proud of your achievements and to not be so hard on yourself when you don't quite hit your goals. We are only human at the end of the day, and any progress is good progress. So eat healthily, move your body and remember to treat yourself ;) 

Doubt Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will

Surround yourself with like-minded people who will encourage you to achieve the goals you strive for. Don't let anyone tell you you're not good enough or that you won't ever reach your dreams. You can achieve your dreams and so much more. 

Sometimes the doubt that people plant in our minds can already hold us back before we've even had a chance to move forward. Everyone has a right to have a dream and to work towards making this a reality. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If anyone does hold you back, then you can agree to disagree, and prove them wrong by focusing on your own mind, your own opinions and your own goal. 

Take A Step Back In Order To Move Forward

For years I had a plan. I was goal-driven, working incredibly hard to get the best results not only in education but in my jobs too. Like most young people, I had my life mapped out, at least for the next ten years or so. 

However, it doesn't always work like that. Life throws curve balls at you and time seems to pass so quickly. It's how we deal with these curve balls and stop stressing or panicking if things don't always go according to plan. 

If you feel overwhelmed by work or money or just in general at the frantic world we find ourselves in, take a minute out of your day to step back. Find somewhere quiet to sit or lay down. Why do you feel so overwhelmed? What is it that you can do to actively change this? Can you talk to a friend or family member to help you? 

Communication is key to friendships and relationships. After all, most problems seem a lot less daunting once they are shared. A heavy burden weighing down on your shoulders can seem unbearable. It can build and build and effect your everyday life. Share the problem. Find ways of overcoming them so that you can get on with your life. That way you are not controlled by it, but you have taken control of the situation. 

"It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it."

John Steinbeck

A New Year, A New Start

Sometimes we forget to take time out to just be. To sit and relax and take the time to stop worrying about everything. I feel like personally, I have not been myself for a long time. The once cheerful, happy and outgoing Amy has got buried under a tonne of work and stress which when you take a step back and look at from the outside, was pointless to even be fretting about. 

It's taken me about 8 long months to realise that I am far from the outgoing girl I used to be. I think personally, I had swept my feelings to the back of my mind and pretended that everything was the same. It was only when my sister came to visit that my feelings came flooding to the surface and I poured out my heart to her. She made me put things in perspective. She made me reassess my life and get back on the right track. She is my inspiration. My best friend. 

If I can learn anything from 2015, it's to communicate more with people. Yes, social media makes it easier to talk to people all over the world, but it also prevents us from speaking to people close to us. Take time to actually have a chat and you never know you may not feel as lonely when you can have a conversation face to face. 

Through this blog I hope to inspire even just one person to re-establish their relationship with themselves; to feed your body with the nutritional foods it really deserves, to enjoy exercise and to achieve happiness.