Lean Challenge Day 1

Hi guys! My birthday is in 2 weeks time and I decided to put myself on a challenge (I call it the Lean Challenge) during this period. I want to see how much my body will change, how lean I can get with 2 weeks of clean eating and intense workout (cardio +  weight training).

I eat relatively healthy anyway so I'm not making any major changes to my diet but I do have quite a lot of white carbs. I want to cut out white carbs totally for 2 weeks and replace that with whole grain like quinoa, bulgar wheat, wild rice, etc.  Also, increase the amount of green vegetables to my meals. I think I will make a green smoothie everyday.

I usually workout about 3-4 times a week (spinning once a week and weight training twice a week), I want to increase that to at least 6 times a week. I'm going to do the squat challenge; add 20 reps each day. Basically my goal is to be proper lean; nice ripped abs, sculpt arms and legs, smaller waist and a perkier bum. I want to be like the lady in the picture below. I got that photo from a Facebook group called Fitness Divas, their pictures motivate me.

Lean Challenge Day 1- Monday

For breakfast I made a light breakfast but packed with energy. A glass of warm lemon water, pre-workout shake (1 banana, 1 tspn maca powder, 1 tspn baobab powder, 1 tbsp of chia seeds, 1 tbsp of peanut butter and 1 1/2 cup of soya milk), a fried egg with some grated cheese on top.

I have a flat stomach but no abs. I tell you when I have abs. In the morning when I haven't eaten anything. My arms are getting there but need to be more defined. Anyways this is day 1, lets see how much I will change after 2 weeks. 

Today's workout routine. Initially I wanted to do 60 rep of squats with the bar but when I got to 15 I was struggling. lol. I forgot to mention, I was holding a 3kg medicine ball while doing the walking lunges. Lat pull down I lifted 19kg.

Here's me after the intense workout. My abs were sweating, can you see the sweat marks on my top?

As I said earlier, I will have a green smoothie daily. So here it is; a handful spinach, 1 small green apple, 2 tbsp of aloe vera juice, 1 tsp of baobab powder, about  6 almond nuts, 1/4 of cucumber and 1/2 cup of water.

Here's my lunch/ post workout meal. Quinoa, 2 boiled egg, half pomegranate, lettuce, cherry tomatoes. I squeezed a bit of lemon juice and a tsp of cider vinegar for the dressing. 

I will let you know what I had for dinner tomorrow. :) Thanks for reading!!

What kind of challenge have you put yourself? What is your workout regime like?

WIAW-Warm Oat Pudding

Hi people. I haven't written a WIAW post in a while mainly because I tend to only take photos of  my breakfast and forget about the other meals. But here are they anyways. : D

The weather in the UK is up and down, one day its cold and one day its hot. Typical English weather. To suit this cold weather, I've had less of cold breakfasts and have been making lovely warm oat pudding almost every morning. I haven't had enough of it yet, I'm sure I will by the end of the week. I'm not sure why I call it pudding when really its just porridge. Maybe because it reminds me of rice pudding. lol.

Tuesday Breakfast

I have so much time for breakfast that I make sure the presentation is top notch lol. Below is oat pudding made with chocolate soya milk, topped with figs, almond nuts, pomegranate, sunflower seeds and banana.

I topped it with some much fruits that that the pudding is totally covered, below is a closer view. 

Monday Breakfast

I love the crunchy texture pomegranate's seeds has and the sunflower seeds makes it extra crunchy. The rest (below) are made with almond milk. 

Sunday Breakfast

Do you like the colour contrast? Red and navy blue. lol. Goji berries and blueberries.

Saturday Breakfast

This is one is topped with blackberries, sunflower seeds and chia seeds.

I usually make my porridge by boiling the milk and oat together, stirring occasionally until creamy and sometimes I will add an egg to it for extra protein. This takes me less than 10 minutes. But this oat pudding is cooked slightly differently and takes longer, about 15-20 minutes.

The recipe is derived from Chocolate Covered Katie's Blog

What you need:

• 3 cups milk of choice (720g)
• 1 cup steel-cut oats (160g)
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt (I think oatmeal tastes much better with a little salt, but you can use less if you normally make–and enjoy–oatmeal without salt.)
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (level)
• 1/2 to 1 cup raisins (70-140g)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (4g) ( I didn't use this)
• sweetener and toppings of choice

Method: 

If you have a slow cooker: Lightly grease the bottom of the crock pot, then add first 5 ingredients and stir. Cook on low for 3 1/2 hours. Turn off heat, then add the vanilla, sweetener of choice, and any other toppings or mix-ins you wish. (If you don’t have a crock pot, bring the milk to a boil and then add the next four ingredients. Lower to a simmer, and simmer 20-25 minutes or until thick.  Then stir in the vanilla, sweetener, and other toppings of choice.) You can store leftovers in the fridge – it’s a good idea to add a little extra liquid (milk or water) when reheating. 

Simmering 

What do you have for breakfast when its cold? How do you make your oatmeal? Please share your recipe :)

Friday Home Workout and Pancakes

Happy Friday Lovelies! I've never really been excited about Fridays like everyone else because I don't work during the week but weekends instead. But I'm still a happy bunny whether its Friday or not. The UK weather seems to be better, more sunshine and a bit warmer. Feels more like autumn now.

Today, I didn't go gym in the morning but did a home workout instead. Since I don't have weights at home I tried to make my workout as hard as possible. I didn't eat, I just had a glass of warm lemon water prior the workout

Home workout

• 2 sets of 20 jumping jacks as a warm up. 
• 20 minutes of ab work out. 2 sets of 20 reps of each of the following exercise; sit ups, hip thrusts, pendulums, reverse crunches, full vertical crunches. (Oh sugar! I just remembered I forgot to do my favourite leg raises lol)
• Another 10 jumping jacks
• 10 burpees with push-ups
• 10 kneeling push-ups
• 10 jumping squats and 70 regular squats- all in one go.

After the workout I was starving so I made myself some protein pancakes! Yes, I love pancakes and I always experiment with different ingredients. So today I made "Silken Tofu and Banana Pancakes", it was so yummy!

What you need:

• 1 cup of silken tofu
• 1 cup of spelt four (or whatever flour you prefer)
• 1/2 cup of soya milk
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 tsp of sugar or other types of sweetener (I didn't use any sweetener because the soya milk I used was sweetened already)
• 1 tbsp rolled out oat (optional)

Method:
Blend everything together apart from the oats, add them to the batter later; this will give the pancakes some texture. I also added sunflower seeds to mine for extra crunchiness, add them after when you've poured the batter into the pan.

Once the pancake starts to bubble, it means its ready to be flipped over. I'll say cook each side for about 2 minutes on low heat. The first pancake is always the ugly one.

Have you seen any of those vegetables? I found them in Morrisons, how cool are they? White aubergine, Sicilian aubergine and yellow courgettes. I didn't buy any of them, not sure why but I will next time. I'm curious about the taste. It seems like supermarkets are selling more exotic vegetables now to differentiate themselves.

Have you made pancakes with Tofu before? What exotic vegetables do you usually eat?

Let a Slimey Snail Help You With Anti-Ageing

Hello friends! What's the quirkiest anti-ageing method that you've heard of or done? Have you heard about the slime from snails is extremely good for your skin and anti-ageing? I only heard about it a couple of weeks ago and I'm rather late with that because a Korean cosmetic brand Missha have already launched a cream that contains snail extracts back in 2010. I also found an article by Daily Mail written in 2011 about snail slime, click here. The article indicates that many European creams have been using the slime for years and Ancient Greeks have been using them too. Wow!

The photo above shows a women having a snail put on her face....I don't think I would ever go for that sort of treatment. I'd rather go for a painful waxing treatment than having a snail crawling on my face. *Shrugs* Just plain disgusting lol. I absolutely hate slimey creatures; I scream when I see worms, slugs, snails, frogs and other slimey creatures. lol.

Nevertheless, if Missha have launched a cream containing snail extract of course there would be other brands that have something similar. I recently bought Dr.Organic's organic snail gel from Holland & Barratt for £19.99, 50ml. They are currently on offer, buy 1 get 2nd half price. It can be used on face and body but I'm just using it on my face right now.

The product doesn't contain 100% snail gel, it also contains other natural ingredients which are all beneficial to the skin; aloe vera leaf juice, lime oil, lemongrass oil and litsea cubeba oil. The lime and lemon grass oil gives the gel a citrusy aroma. The gel is clear like water but thicker. I've read some positive reviews about it like smoother skin and reduced wrinkles. Some have said they are using it as a primer and in fact it does look like primer. 

More about the snail slime

The scientific word for the snail slime is Helix Aspera Muller; a mixture of protein, glycolic acids, elastin collagen, allantoin, vitamins and minerals; this substance helps the snail to quickly regenerate its own shell and skin when damaged. It also protects snail skin from UV rays.

How to use it?

You can use on your face and body, day and night. Use it after cleansing and use in conjunction with a moisturiser after the gel has been absorbed.

Results on myself

I've only used it for a week during day time in conjuction with coconut oil (my day moisturiser). This definitely works 10 times better than those expensive skin care products which I tend to react to most of them. I haven't reacted to snail gel so that's good. I can tell you that you can feel instant result. I say feel because my skin feels a lot smoother and more hydrated on day 1. Not "see" because I don't have wrinkles yet (Thank God), well not major lines anyways. If snail gel is an effective anti-ageing substance than I expect no wrinkles until I reach 40 or later lol.

Thinking about it, snail gel isn't that weird because most Oriental people eats birds' saliva. That is apparently really good for the skin too. I also remember going on holiday to some island in mainland of China and they sold beauty products that apparently contains diamond dust. However weird it is, its better to be using natural ingredients than products that contains harmful chemicals and unnatural of course.

What do you think of the idea of putting slime on your face? Do you use any other weird ingredients for anti-ageing?

A Good Start to the Week

Hi hi my lovelies! I started this week with a hardcore morning workout. It always feels extra great to be sweating on a Monday morning, it feels like a fresh start as if you're sweating out all the bad stuff you had during week. Do you feel like that?

I did 1.15 hour of weight training concentrating on my core muscles and upper body and then 45 minutes of spinning straight after. To ensure I can last throughout the whole intense workout I made a super protein milkshake; silken tofu, soya milk, hemp protein powder (the green stuff), manuka honey and banana.

Weight Training:
Upper Body

• Started off with 50 reps of lat pull down- all in one go
• 2 sets of 30 power cleans
• 2 sets of 30 curls with dumbbells in each hand
• 2 sets of 30 shoulder exercise- I don't know what you call this, but you hold the bar with both hands in the middle and pull up to your chest. 
• 2 sets of 10 pull ups- weight assisted, still not able to lift my own body weight. Arghh!!

Core Muscles

• 50 reps of leg raises-all in one go (it felt good that I was working my lower abs. It's so hard for me to get my lower abs in shape)
• 50 reps of bicycle crunches
• 50 reps of Russian twists with 3kg medicine ball
• 2x 1 minute planks

Cardio- Spinning

I wanted to challenge myself by doing an intense cardio session straight after weight training. To save myself some energy for this I didn't do any leg workout prior to spinning as you've probably noticed.

I didn't think I could do it but I did. I managed to keep up with the resistance, the jumps and standing. However, I couldn't sprint like I normally do. In fact, half the class wasn't doing very well either today. I think its to do with the music, it does play a big role in workout like this. I just wasn't feeling the music today. To push all of us, the instructor had to get off her bike, stood in the middle and shouted at the top of her lungs saying, "COME ON!! FASTER FASTER. YOU CAN DO IT!!" That did work a bit.

After the workout, I was exhausted but felt good!

How did you start your week? Did you workout today? Any suggestions for other intense workout?

GlossyBox the London Edition

Hi my lovely readers! I came back from my little Paris trip on Thursday and found Glossybox waiting for me. =D. This month's is called the London edition, I really like the box. One thing with Glossybox that I hate & love is that I have a collection of boxes in my room, they are too nice to be thrown away and they are taking up spaces!!

HD Brows Blusher

HD Brows specialises in brow products but they started to do others now like blusher. I love how this comes with a mirror and a sponge. Full size £17.95 available at www.hdbrows.com

Eylure Pre-glued lashes

I don't really wear falsies but I still love them. This is pre-glued meaning no need to apply the glue and no mess...hmm I wonder how long it will last then. One Set £5.06, available at www.eylure.com

Toni & Guy HairMeet Wardrobe Classic Shine & Gloss Serum

I've tried it the next day and it seems like it has made my hair really smooth and its non greasy. Full Size £7.19 for 30 ml available at www.boots.com

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Onyx Eye Liner

Ok, I don't know about you but whenever I see the word "Onyx" I think of......the rock snake pokemon. Lol. Yes, I used to love it when I was younger. This eyeliner is in a felt tip which makes it easier to apply. If you're a beginner to liquid eyeliner, start off with felt tip ones. Full Size $14 for 3g, available at www.beabombshell.com

Elizabeth Arden Untold.

Another perfume sample, smells good but I wonder when I will get round to using it. Glossybox PLEASE STOP giving me perfume samples. Full size £48 for 50ml, £69 for 100ml, available at Debenhams

That's it for now, thanks for reading!
What did you get this month? Are you tired of perfume samples like me?

Essential Oils for Anti-ageing.

Hi lovelies! I am going to be 25 next month and I don't feel anything near 25 years old. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, I've started doing some SIMPLE and NATURAL anti-ageing treatments. I will be telling you about that in today's post; it involves some essential oils. Very natural, simple and inexpensive. See below; coconut oil, castor oil, vitamin E oil and Tea Tree oil.

Coconut Oil as a day cream

I started using coconut oil about a month ago as an alternative to day cream. Coconut oil is an effective moisturiser for any skin type and prevents flaky skin and dryness- perfect for me! It delays wrinkles and sagging but if you already have wrinkles, have no fear! Because its never too late to treat them. Just rub some coconut oil on those wrinkles, lines and creases to soften them away. Not only is it a good moisturiser for the face, it is an all round moisturiser. I'm talking about from hair to toe. It is a multi-functional oil.

Hair-Coconut oil can help tame frizz, condition, strengthen and repair hair.
Body-  it is a good massaging oil. Use it after shower. 

Lip- apply coconut oil on your lips as a lip balm.

Other usages on the body
Make-up- it can be used as a make up remover. I've tried it a couple of times and it is quite effective. It is as good as DHC cleansing oil but coconut oil is cheaper, multi-functional, gentler and natural (no chemical).

Sun care- coconut oil has a natural SPF 4.

That's the external uses and now the internal uses. Coconut oil can be used as a cooking oil and cooking with it will help the body in many ways. It can help improve the digestive system, prevent various stomach and digestion-related problems. It can strengthen the immune system as the oil helps fighting harmful bacteria. Coconut oil help your body absorb other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids. For those looking to loose some weight, coconut oil can also help you with that. The oil contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that can help in taking off excessive weight, furthermore it increases the metabolism and thus burns more fat. 

How has it improved my skin?

I thought it would be very greasy and sticky but in fact it's extremely light, not sticky and not too greasy. It's bearable. I like it, it has prevented flaky skin and dryness and it makes me feel so natural. lol. So far so good. 

About the greasiness, I guess it depends on how much you use. A little goes a long way, I only use about the size of a 5p coin. Keep massaging into your skin and it will help absorb the oil making it less greasy. A jar of coconut oil will last you a year, that's a lot of money saved especially when it's multi-functional; no need to buy make-up remover, cooking oil, expensive face cream, etc.

Where can I buy coconut oil and how much does it cost? 

You can get coconut oil in health shops like Holland & Barratt, Planet Organic and independent pharmacies/health shop. Look for cold pressed and organic ones. They cost about £10-16 depending on the size and brand. 

Castor Oil

I mentioned a while ago that I use castor oil as an alternative to night cream and I still do. I've been using it for over a year now and I recently bought my second bottle. Again a little goes a long way. This however is very thick so I will only recommend you using it a night. I've been applying the oil all over my face including under eye area, that really helps in reducing bags and dark circles.

Benefits
Skin- the reason I apply castor oil over night because I have dry skin and the oil softens and soothes dry and irritated skin- I had some red patchy skin and after applying castor oil over night the redness were gone the next morning. It also helps to kill pathogens that can cause skin problems. The oil locks in moisture and has numerous minerals, vitamins and fatty acids that are essential for great skin health. In terms of anti-ageing, castor oil reduces the appearances of wrinkles and tones the skin. If you want to use castor oil for skin care, make sure it is COLD-PRESSED from castor bean, the label on the bottle will indicate whether it's cold pressed or not.

Hair- Castor oil is well known for stimulating hair growth. By massaging the oil onto scalp it will help blood circulation and moisturising dry, flaky and itchy scalp. It helps treat split ends, provides essential minerals for growing strong hair, supplies omega-6 essential fatty acids for healthy hair.

Applying castor oil on eyelashes can lengthen and thicken them. If you're eyebrows have stopped growing and you want them back, put some castor oil. I put castor oil on my eyebrows every night and they grow back pretty fast- I know that means that I have to get them threaded very often which can be quite annoying.


Other benefits: Internally.
Castor oil can help induce labour; mix 2-4 fl oz of castor oil with orange juice, taken once every 12 hours. You do not use the oil before you have reached 39-40 weeks of pregnancy. But there are possible side effects; diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, muscle cramps, decreased urination and dehydration.
Further more, castor oil can help liver and gall bladder function, boost immune system, remove intestinal blockages, improve gastrointestinal health and ease painful arthritic joints.

How has it improved my skin?
I love it because it works instantly. My skin looks more toned the next morning and my bags are reduced. But the only bad thing is, if you're not used to applying it at night you might not be able to sleep well. When I first used it, I was so concerned about the oil being wiped off if I move to my sides but I got used to it after a few weeks. Although, castor oil soothes dry skin but once washed off in the morning you will still need to apply your day cream, in my case the coconut oil.

Where to get it and how much does it cost?
You can buy this in any health shops and independent pharmacies. The bottle I got cost £12.99 from Holland & Barratt.. For those who are intending to buy a small bottle to try, you will not be able to find a small bottle. The only way to find a small one is asking someone who already has castor oil to pour you some to try.

Vitamin E oil

When it comes to anti- ageing, hands are also crucial. Must not forget about them as they show your true age and same with you neck. I have recently started to do hand mask every other night when I'm sleeping using vitamin E oil. It's extremely thick, thicker than castor oil and is quite greasy.

Benefits

Vitamin E is known to be a strong antioxidant that prevents premature ageing. The list of wonderful skin benefits that vitamin E oil is as long as castor and coconut oil. Vitamin E oil speeds up cell regeneration and so can be used to treat scars, acne and wrinkles. Treating wrinkles mean it is anti-ageing and makes the skin look younger. Vitamin E can also be used to treat sunburn or protecting you from the sun, according to Forbes(2013) combining with vitamin C can act as a natural form of sun protection. Vitamin E oil also helps the skin retain its natural moisture content.

Other than skin benefits, vitamin E oil is also good for boosting immune system, reduces cholesterol and the risk of developing cancer. High levels of vitamin E can reduce the risk of sunstroke and coronary artery disorder or heart disease.

The generic name for Vitamin E is "tocopherol".

How has it improved my skin?
I've only been using it on my hands for about 3 weeks and I've seen good results. One example is when my cuticles were peeling and they were so sore. I rubbed the vitamin E oil into the cuticles for two nights. The first morning they were almost gone and were completely treated the second morning. Second example is when my skin got a bit rough from not wearing gloves when washing the dishes- I got a bit lazy. After a couple of nights of using vitamin E oil on my hands, the skin definitely have gone a lot softer.

Where can I get this and how much is it?
You can find this in a bottle of capsule form in any health shops, The Body Shop, online stores and independent pharmacies. I don't think you can get this in Boots, I haven't seen it. Vitamin E oil are affordable, they are usually between £5-10 depending on the brand.

Tea Tree Oil

Last but not least, Tea tree oil. I only use this when I have spots or I can see a spot is forming, its really good for those purposes. I once had a spot each side of my forehead and I did a mini experiment using the tea tree oil on one spot and spot cream on the other. Lol. The next morning I woke up, the spot that was treated with the spot cream was still there and still looked red. The spot treated with tea tree oil was gone.

Benefits

It's not only good for treating spots and acne its also good to treat insect bites bites which is what I do. Tea tree oil also has many benefits and uses, internally and externally.

It helps heal and soothe sunburns, heals skin infections naturally, relieves itchiness from rashes as well as helps reduce rashes, treat acne, helps to prevent lice naturally; just add a few drops to your shampoo, cures toenail fungus and athlete's foot and naturally cures bad breath.

Tea tree oil can also be used around the house; helps freshen carpets, freshen laundry, keeps bathroom fresh, homemade kitchen cleaners and homemade natural deodorant.

How has it improved my skin?
As I mentioned earlier, I only use it for treating spots and sometimes insect bites and not for anti-ageing purposes.

Where to get it and how much does it cost?
You can get tea tree oil in many places, health shops, pharmacies and even £1 shop- that's where I got mine from lol. but it works fine.

That's the end of a length blog post. I hope you enjoyed it, if you did please share :) 

What sort of anti-ageing treatment do you do? Do you use any essential oils?