Cholesterol Busting Chicken Curry Recipe

Caz cooked this dish from Dale Pinnock's Medicinal Chef Healthy Every Day recipe book last night and it tasted amazing!

This dish is good for: colds & flu, high cholesterol, constipation & healthy gut flora.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Olive oil, for cooking

2 large onions, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, finely choppped

400g red lentils

800ml vegetable stock

6 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2-3 tablespoons madras curry paste (or use a milder one)

300g baby spinach leaves

Sea salt and black pepper

Thick live probiotic yoghurt, to serve (optional)

Method

Heat a little olive oil in a pan, add the onions and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened.

Add the lentils and a little of the stock and simmer. Keep adding small amounts of stock bit by bit as the lentils cook and soften, as if you were cooking a risotto.

Once the lentils are starting to soften and break down, add the chicken and curry paste and stir well. Continue simmering and adding the stock until the chicken has cooked through.

Add the baby spinach at the last minute, season with salt and pepper and stir until the spinach has wilted.

Serve immediately with basmati rice, and add a dollop of yoghurt on top if you like.

Star Ingredient: Have you noticed that red lentils break down when cooked? That's because they are rich in soluble fibre, which is great for lowering cholesterol. It does this by binding to cholesterol in the bowel and carrying it away before it gets absorbed.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Enjoy

Love Sian and Caz xx

Tempted to give up on your goals? Don't!

February is a funny month really.  At the start of the year, we tend to set ourselves goals e.g. lose weight, get fit etc. and in January enthusiasm is high.  If you read my last post you may have set yourself a SMART goal.  How are you doing with it?  Are you still as motivated to keep going, or are you starting to find yourself more tempted to revert to old habits?  Perhaps you aren't getting the results you wanted by this point, so you start questioning and asking yourself 'what is the point?'  This is NORMAL and happens to everyone when making a change.  

If this is happening to you trust me, this is exactly the time to NOT GIVE UP.  

I have spoken about this before but our minds are the biggest barrier to achieving whatever we want in our lives.  We all have that little voice in our heads that tempt us back to our old ways, telling us we can't do it, shouldn't do it, it won't work etc.  We forget that we also have another voice telling us we can, we should and we will get there!  It seems to be more natural for us to listen to the more unhelpful voice.  

I have set myself a goal; I am going to run a 10k military style assault course with my brother at the end of March.  It is going to challenge me physically and mentally no doubt about it.  I know what I need to do training wise in order to feel fit and ready to take it on but have I been sticking to my original plan rigidly?  The honest answer is no.  Am I going to give up, not train for it and then rock up feeling unprepared and struggle around the course? No!  

On the days that I find myself struggling emotionally and am tempted not to do the training this is what I try to do:

1. Stop and remind myself WHY I am doing this
2. Ask myself 'if I don't do it today, will I then beat myself and ruin my day feeling guilty?'  The answer is always yes
3. Look at what I had planned for the session that day
4. Tell myself it won't take long and I will feel great at the end
5. Put my trainers and headphones on and leave the house
6. Sometimes, rope Caz in to train with me - buddying up is lots of fun!
7. Start the planned session

How do I feel after I have done it?  I can honestly say I feel amazing and that isn't just down to the pumping endorphins, it is because I am pleased that I listened to my kind voice and not the unhelpful one.  That is what makes me feel even better for doing it.

Of course another factor that can work against our plans and goals is life itself!  Sometimes what you plan just doesn't happen.  Family emergencies come up, you feel unwell, work goes mental and you end up working overtime, etc.  

I am no different; I am one of the carers for our Dad who has Alzheimer's Disease and lives at home alone.  Our Mum recently went into a nursing home for the same disease.  It has a huge impact on my life emotionally and takes up a lot of physical time.  My work schedule changes throughout the week so I do have days where I had a long outdoor running and resistance session planned but then I find myself without enough time to do it.

On the days when life and time become a barrier I do the following:

1. Accept that today my plan has to change
2. Either change the session to a much shorter one or swap my training days around over the next few days
3. Tell myself that it is ok I couldn't do what I had planned today

You are going to experience days where time becomes an issue and that's ok.   The one thing I will say is that there can be a danger of using not having enough time as a regular reason to procrastinate/delay doing what you want to do for you!  Promise yourself that you will get back on track tomorrow and make the effort to try again.  The harsh reality is that nobody else can achieve your goal for you and you must commit to sometimes putting yourself first!  No bad thing.

There is one thing I can assure you of; you will never regret putting the effort in and listening more to your kind voice.  If you can do this, and accept that it will take time, you will find that you start to see results and this automatically motivates you plus (and this is the best bit) you will feel fantastic and proud of yourself.  

Stick with it, be patient and go for it!  You will be amazed with the results.

Love Sian xx

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

Set goals, not resolutions!!

Happy New Year!  

January is the month where lots of people join a gym, pledge to get fit, eat healthily, give up smoking etc. etc.  Do you find that by the end of the month you are struggling to stick to your resolution?  It may be that you have overwhelmed yourself by setting unrealistic targets.  Goals are the best way to keep you on track.  Read on to find out how to set a goal/goals that you can stick to.....

I bet you know what you want to achieve e.g. lose weight, but you may feel as though you don't know where to start.  Try this SMART goal setting exercise using the example below:

Overall goal: Lose weight

Specific - I want to lose 1 stone (not just 'lose some weight')

Measurable - I will take measurements at the start and re-measure myself half way through my plan.  I will keep a daily food diary throughout.

Achieveable - I will plan to exercise 3 times a week combining high intensity cardio and resistance training.  I will reduce saturated fat intake and portion sizes in my diet.

Realistic - I will make sure I fit this in to my current lifestyle and accept that there may be times when my routine can be affected e.g. illness.  I will also build up the intensity of my workouts so I don't find it too hard at the start.

Time - I will aim to lose 1-2lb per week so 7 weeks is my target.

Now you have  your plan you can get started!

Remember to take it one day at a time, especially if you are exercising for the first time.  Your plan may have to be altered slightly if once you start you find it isn't working but that's cool; better to make adjustments than give up altogether.

You can use the SMART goal principle for any goal that you have - what do you want to achieve in your own life?  Why not try the exercise above and see how you get on?

Until next time.....

Love Sian xx

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

Health Tips for Christmas!

Some of my clients have been asking me what they can do to keep themselves on track with their weight and fitness over Christmas and New Year - let's face it, we all overindulge at this time of year - so I thought I would share my tips.....

1. Alcohol - white spirits are less calorific than beer or wine.  Vodka/gin and slimline tonic are good options for example.  If you like fizzy drinks as your mixer then go for the diet version.
2. Water - alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of water - it will stop you drinking as much and will help the hangover the next day!
3. The Christmas dinner - load up on the veggies (good carbs) and the turkey (protein) and go easy on the potatoes, pigs in blankets and stuffing which are more fatty.  I am not saying don't have them (that would be mean) but reduce the amount you would normally have.
4. Cook with healthier oil - Rapeseed oil is a great choice as it is low in saturated fat.
   
5. Pudding - have less than you would normally and say no to extra cream!
6. Chocolates and sweets - these are so easy to consume over the festive period as no doubt you either have them in the house for the kids or are surrounded by them in the office.  If you can't avoid them altogether then be disciplined with how many you allow yourself to have!  It's so easy to sit and eat half a box of chocolates in one go, without realising it, but just think how many extra calories that is! 
7. Know your body - if your body isn't hungry, DON'T FEED IT!  We are all guilty of eating for the sake of it but if you are trying to lose or maintain weight then this is not a good idea.  
8. Move your body - try and keep relatively active over Christmas.  Go for a walk with the family after your Christmas dinner, take the kids to the park, walk the dog or just pop your iPod on and have a family dance off (my first choice :-)).

There is no doubt that it is harder to keep yourself motivated and disciplined during this time so don't be hard on yourself if you put on a couple of pounds over the holidays as it is probably going to happen to most people! 

Try some or all of the tips above to save as many calories as you can but the most important thing is to remember that you can always get yourself back on track after Christmas.

Most importantly - relax and enjoy yourself with your family!

I wish you a magical Christmas and a healthy New Year.  See you in 2015!

Love Sian xx

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

Music - Keep on moving!

At the moment I am training for a 10 mile run.  This morning I was out pounding the streets with my favourite songs playing in my ears.  To be honest I was struggling to keep my legs going but without the tunes I would not have run as far or as fast as I did!

I absolutely love music.  I danced from the age of four so I guess you could say it is in my blood.  I love that music can make you feel all sorts of emotions, depending on what you are listening to!  Not only does music have the power to emote, it also has the power to motivate and keep you going during your workouts or household chores (which count as exercise by the way ;-))

One of my clients trains to music (we have built up our own playlists, 90's dance anyone?) and it makes the session so much more fun for him.  In fact, I think it's what gets him through the tough training sessions I plan for him!

I could find you a statistic about how music positively affects performance but I don't need to as I can speak from experience.  Sometimes I struggle to motivate myself to keep up my own training but as soon as I pop my exercise playlist on and turn up the volume, I find I can keep going for longer as it takes my mind off the workout.  

Give it a try yourself.  Pick a CD or create a playlist on your iPod of upbeat songs that you love.  Each time you exercise or do your housework put it on, crank up the volume (not too high if you are using headphones!!) and away you go!

I bet it makes the exercise/activity more fun.

Love Sian xx


Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

Misconceptions of Personal Trainers

When I meet a potential client for the first time, they are generally a little anxious about meeting me which I understand because there are some misconceptions about us personal trainers.  I thought I would write a post to hopefully set the record straight - we aren't all that scary, promise!

We will make you do things you can't do and push you too hard
In our experience, this is the most common belief new clients have about trainers.  The truth is if you have a decent trainer you will not be pushed to the point of not being able to do something, leaving you feeling bad about yourself for not being able to complete the workout set for you. Yes we must encourage you to get to the end of the set that we have given you but if we see that you really are unable to carry on, we stop.  The whole point of personal training is to work as a team with your client and help them to their goal, not see how much you can make them hurt and struggle!  

We are here to plan a progressive programme that builds up your strength and endurance, as well as helping you believe that you can do it!  A lot of my clients admit that they wouldn't do as many reps of exercises if they were on their own (if any at all) even though they know they would be able to do so.  That is where the encouragement from us comes in to get you to work just that little bit harder than you would on your own.  

We will shout at you 'boot camp' style 
Ok, there are some trainers out there that adopt a boot camp style and that is great because different styles suit different people BUT not all of us are like this.

Caz and I work our clients hard and motivate them to keep going by making the session fun, joining in with them if necessary and ALWAYS giving positive encouragement. I cannot remember a time where I have shouted at a client (unless specifically requested by them!)

Don't be scared to try us out!

We are judging you
We really aren't!  I feel very strongly about this misconception.

The whole reason Caz and I are personal trainers is to help people feel better about themselves and the majority of our clients come to us for weight loss.  If we were to sit and judge them we would be in the wrong job!  Personally, I hate being judged by people so I don't do it to others. 

It really doesn't matter to us how you got to the position you are in, what's important to us is how we can help you to hit the goal and what we can do to encourage you to think more positively about yourself.  In fact, we think it is cool that you want to make a change and get some help!  So many people are scared of making changes or getting help as they see it as a sign of being weak but that's a load of rubbish.

We have perfect bodies and have no feelings
Lots of clients have said to me in the past 'I bet you never eat a chocolate bar' or 'I bet you are always in a positive mood.'  I always smile and let them know that oh yes, I definitely do eat chocolate and some days my mood is dreadful!  

We find exercising and eating healthily easy as we enjoy it but we aren't perfect - nobody is! We practise what we preach to our clients, otherwise we would not be setting a good example, BUT we are human too and like to eat naughty treats and have days when we don't exercise.  Caz and I are lifestyle trainers who don't put clients on restrictive diets for quick and short term results.  We help our clients to change their lifestyle through eating better and exercising more.  This is how we live.  

We do have off days where we don't feel that positive about ourselves - we are human too!  You may be thinking 'yes but you aren't overweight/unfit so you don't know how it feels' but we have our own insecurities so we can totally relate.

So, if you have been thinking about having a personal trainer but are nervous about it, don't be! There are lots of us trainers out there, we all have our own styles of working and the one thing we all have in common is our passion for health and fitness, so it's a case of finding the person that suits your personality.  Go for it!

Love Sian xx

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

Weight Loss - it's a mind game!

We all know the theory behind losing weight; eat well (and less) and move more. The theory is very simple BUT it is not so easy in practice. This is because, like with pretty much everything we do, our mind is crucial to success.

Lots of people are emotionally attached to eating and lets face it, we all love to eat the things we know aren't good for us!

As with my first post, in order to successfully lose weight the goal needs to be broken down into bite sized chunks (no pun intended!).  Here are some tips to shifting those extra pounds you don't want (warning: patience and a positive mind are required)

Decide how much you want to lose 

Be realistic!  Is it a dress size?  Half a stone?  Know what you want to do from the start as it will help you to focus your mind.

Find your motivating photo or outfit
Dig out a photo of you that reflects your desired look and pin it up somewhere you will see it daily.  If you don't have a photo, choose an item of clothing in your wardrobe that is a bit snug and aim to get back into it comfortably.

Go steady
Aim to lose 1-2lbs per week - this is a steady, healthy and sustainable amount.  You may not start to notice any changes to your body for a few weeks but do not let this put you off or stop you.  Be patient because when the results start to show you won't regret the tough start!

Write it down!
Keep a food diary - write down everything including portion size and don't forget to track what you drink! DON'T JUDGE YOURSELF, the purpose is so you can analyse it at the end of the week to spot easy ways to cut calories/make healthier choices.  Myfitnesspal app, free to download, is good for tracking what you eat.

Also, by writing it down, when you are in the swing of eating better you are able to look back and see how far you have come - a great motivator to continue!

Cut down the treats
Aim to reduce the amount of treats you eat - cut this down to one a week or at least reduce by 50% per week.  Note: one treat a week is a chocolate bar or a slice of cake, not a day of eating whatever you want!

If you deprive yourself from the beginning you will find it much harder to stay on track. Deprivation is not good for the mind.

Don't stock the bad stuff
Try not to keep unhealthier foods in your cupboards at  home - if you don't have it to hand, you can't eat it - this is difficult when you have children so try not to eat their treats!

Drink drink drink! 
Up your water intake to 2 litres per day.  I carry a 500ml water bottle around with me and try to drink two in the morning and two in the afternoon.  Sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst!

One day at a time
Take each day as it comes. Some days you will find it easier to stick to your new eating habits but other days will be harder. On the hard days, remind yourself why you are losing weight and then distract yourself with doing something else instead of eating. This will take some practice at first but if you keep doing it you will find it easier each time.  

Do not rely on scales
DO NOT BECOME OBSESSED WITH SCALES - your body isn't 100% fat is it?  When you stand on the scales you are getting a total body mass reading including bones, water and muscle. How many times have you stood on the scales one day and then got on the next day to find your weight is up and you don't know why because you ate really well?  How did that make you feel?  Like giving up?  Unmotivated?  Upset?  None of these feelings are helpful to you.  

Personally I discourage my clients from using the scales and ask them to measure their weight loss by how their clothes feel.  It can be demotivating to constantly stand on the scales waiting for the numbers to change.  Also, remember that if you are increasing your activity levels you are building stronger muscles which will affect the scales as muscle is more dense than fat. Trust me on this, it is true!  The feeling you will get when you put on a dress or trousers that were a bit tight but now fit comfortably is amazing, I promise.

Keep smiling and be kind to yourself
Stay positive and do not give up.  Remember that you are making a lifestyle change and this will take time to adjust to.  If you have a difficult day and you reach for the chocolate don't worry or beat yourself up about this.  Accept that you are having a bad day and start again tomorrow.

Each day, before you go to bed, have a think about what positive choices you made and give yourself a high five.  This will take some getting used to as our negative voice is often louder than our compassionate one.  You are also training your mind as well as your body so make the time to recognise and acknowledge your achievements.  Write your achievements down!

Move your body, exercise your mind
Becoming more active will not only increase your metabolism but will help you feel more positive and therefore more likely to stick to your weight loss plan.  Endorphins are powerful chemicals that pump around your body during and after exercise and give you that buzz.  It doesn't matter what you choose to do e.g. walking, jogging, dancing, playing sports, running after the kids in the park, etc. the effect will be the same.

Exercise is the best natural high you can get!  

I hope my tips are helpful; why not try some of them out?  The most important thing is to remember that losing weight takes time, but the long term benefits of being patient are so worth it.  It's better to try than not start in the first place!

Start believing in yourself and go make a start on a healthier and slimmer you!

Until next time.....

Love Sian xx

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

PT on a Tea Tour - Part 1!

I may be a PT but I am typically British in the sense that I love a cup of tea (and tea gets a bad rap!)  I spend a lot of time in coffee shops between client sessions so thought I would start a tea tour and spread the local coffee shop love!

The first stop on my tour was The Fallow Deer in Teddington (on the high street, opposite Starbucks.)  I was joined by a friend who was only too happy to share a pot of tea with me.

The vibe in The Fallow Deer is chilled and friendly.  The decor is vintage and we managed to bag the best seat (actually sofa) in the house which is in the window and is extremely comfy.  The place was heaving as it was lunchtime, a good sign in my book.

We ordered tea for two (£3) and it was served to us promptly, in a teapot with cute china tea cups and saucers!  A very nice touch and rare to see.

We both thought the tea tasted fresh and light and there was more than enough for three cups each.  I am a lover of the milk being served separately as I am very particular about how much (or how little in my case) milk I have, so this suited me. 

They also serve food; the menu isn't too extensive but there is enough choice and my friend ordered the scrambled eggs on toast.  She enjoyed it and it is a nice healthy option for lunch which I know can be difficult to find in some of the larger chains of coffee shops.

So overall I would definitely recommend The Fallow Deer for a different kind of coffee shop experience - it's quite small so not ideal for buggies - but you had better hurry as they are relocating to a few doors down in Teddington and changing their look and feel from 10 May - I hope it is as nice but I will be making a visit to the new style venue on my tour so will let you know!

Enjoy!

Sian xx

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

Don't do it alone - phone a friend!

I love my job and one of the main reasons why I do is that I get to meet and work with lots of lovely people who want to improve their health one way or another. 

The thing they all have in common is the need for that little push and that’s where I come in.

Having someone with you to cheer you on makes a huge difference to how you perform and feel; it’s a team effort so this post is about buddying up!

Now that the days are longer (and warmer) it’s a brilliant time to begin that new exercise habit.  In my opinion, if you are not always disciplined or you find exercising on your own daunting or boring, then the best way to stick to your new habit is to enlist the help of a friend.

Exercising with a friend is not only more fun but it’s also a lovely way to socialise at the same time.  You can motivate each other to stick to a regular routine and even make new friends along the way.  Years ago when I belonged to a gym, I went with a good friend of mine and we took three exercise classes a week.  We chose the classes we wanted to do and started going together.  We always had a really good laugh and agreed that we were a real help to each other.  The classes became part of our weekly routine and guaranteed that we would see each other at least three times a week which made us even closer as friends.  Through the classes we met a couple of other girls and are all friends to this day.

So you see you don’t have to go it alone!

Try exercising with a mate and see if it improves your motivation.

Love Sian xx

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk

Scared of making a change? Start small!

I will admit that I can feel overwhelmed when I want to make a change in my life or try something new; human nature is to resist change and protect ourselves.  What is really happening is I am scared of the unknown and doubt myself.  Fear is the biggest reason we do not make a change in our lives.  The good news is we can face the fear and kick it to the kerb!  We just need to take our time, be patient and not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed (easier said than done, I know!)

In my own life and my experience of personal training many clients, I have some tips on how to make a change and stick to it.  My main message is this:

Small steps lead to big changes! 

How good does that sound?  It is true as well.

A good example is this blog.

You see, I am a perfectionist and can also be pretty mean to myself.  If you know me, you will know that I LOVE talking and am very good at it, but when it comes to writing anything down, I freeze and that negative voice in my head tells me that I can’t do it!

I have wanted to start blogging for ages but have been stuck in the web of fear about doing it.  It is always the item left un-ticked on my weekly to do list.  It’s always in the back of my mind that I haven’t done it which makes me feel worse!

So, I decided to take the same advice that I give to my clients when they feel overwhelmed or doubtful about their ability to achieve their health goal.  Here is what I did:

• I wrote a list of topics I could blog about
• I picked one from the list
• I planned to tackle one paragraph a day until it was finished (if I had set myself the target of writing the whole blog in one go I would have felt overwhelmed which = procrastination and beating myself up for not doing it!  NOT an option!)
• I read and proof checked it
• I sent it to my sister and a trusted friend for feedback
• I made a few tweaks
• I published it

The process from start to finish took 2 weeks.  How do I feel now it is done?  I feel relieved, happy that I have published a blog and slightly nervous about how it will be received.  The important thing is that I did it!  It may not be perfect, it may have bored you to tears but the point is, I actually did it and guess what?  Although it wasn’t easy, it was NOWHERE near as difficult as I had anticipated and I know that writing the next blog will be easier.

The same applies to your goals, whatever they might be.  It could be that you want to drop a dress size or be able to jog a mile without stopping.  Perhaps you want to start exercising as you want to get fit but the thought of doing it fills you with fear and dread as you don’t know where to start or what to do.  Don’t panic!  Break it down, do one thing each day towards the goal and you will start to notice that little by little, you are getting closer to what you want to achieve. 

What do you want to change/introduce into your life but you are feeling overwhelmed or scared about? 

Remember, it’s better to try and see how it goes, rather than not do anything and regret it!

I should also point out that if you try and it doesn’t go as planned, DO NOT GIVE UP!  There is always tomorrow and trust me, if you persist, you will feel amazing.

If you have got this far, thank you for reading!

Until next time…….. (because now I know I can write one blog, I know I can write another!)

Love Sian x

Sian is a mobile personal trainer and runs Enrich Fitness with her sister Carrie.  They are based in Twickenham, Middlesex and cover a wide area of South West London and Surrey.  www.enrichfitness.co.uk