A Healthy Balanced Lifestyle

First of all apologies for the lack of posts recently, life has once again taken over but it’s all good.

Today I wanted to talk about a healthy lifestyle. I am always trying to be healthy and make sensible choices when it comes to food and the majority of times I am successful. However there are obviously times when things slip, I’m only human after all and for me usually the slip happens at a weekend. Whether it’s going out for a few drinks with the girls, date night with my boyfriend or just general laziness, my hard work for the week has usually been undone by Sunday night when I’m feeling horribly sluggish and stupidly sorry for myself. Then the whole cycle re starts Monday morning. I’m hoping some of you can relate to this.

Anyway to help keep me on track I have decided to create a health Instagram account to try and keep me motivated throughout the weekend and not ruin everything by eating a bag of chips that I don’t event really want. Of course I’m not going to give up all treats or stop socialising but I just want to try and make as many heathy choices as possible meaning that if I do go out for a curry Saturday night I won’t have that horrible feeling of guilt after.

The above picture is some of the yummy creations that I have been posted on my Instagram, you can find me over at Charliesprogress if you fancy a peak. I have found since starting this account that not only  has kept me more motivated but also a made bit more adventurous with what I eat so I’m not just posting the same old salad every day. I like to make my food as colourful as possible so that means as much veggies as I can pack in.

I’ve also started experimenting more with breakfasts at the weekend, hello flourless pancakes! I also have been posting my cheat meals so you can see the pizza I ate when we went for an Italian and the incredible steak from last Fridays date night.

I’m not sure if this post has been of any interest to anyone but it’s something that I have been enjoying doing lately and hopefully it might inspire some people to be a bit more creative with cooking.

Do you try to stay healthy? Is there any Instagram accounts you would recommend for motivation?

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Healthy Snack: Kale Chips

I love being healthy but like everyone I still like a cheat and to be honest most of my snacking occurs in the evening when I'm all cuddled on the sofa in my pyjamas. This is probably the easiest snack you could ever make and even better, its guilt free.

What you will need:

Kale

1 tbsp. olive oil

Seasoning of your choice. This can be anything from salt and pepper to chilli and garlic. On this occasion we used Seaweed infused sea salt flakes which my house mate got in her Flavourly box.

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the Kale on a baking tray.

Cover the kale in your oil and seasoning and gently mix until the kale is evenly covered. I like to add the oil in stages to make sure I don’t add too much, you don’t want them soaked.

Pop the tray in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven, put the chips in your prettiest heart shaped bowl and enjoy!

I absolutely love these because they are a great evening snack which is light yet still super tasty.

Will you be having a go at these? let me know what you think!

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The Holiday Body

I’m not quite sure exactly when my new love of workout gear started, but it has and it’s started to take over a little bit. I think Instagram is a little bit to blame, all of the photographs of super toned ladies in there bright sports bras and toned abs makes me very jealous.

Weight has always been an issue for me and while I am not overweight I have never really been comfortable in my own skin, there’s always a couple of extra pounds I need to lose but hey, I like food!

Anyway with my holiday to Cancun on the horizon I have well and truly upped my game and I feel great. I know people always say it but ‘healthy’ really is a lifestyle choice. For me exercise has really helped to change my moods and relieve stress, obviously I still love chocolate and pizza but eating these in moderation makes me enjoy them a lot more. Eating healthy the majority of the time has been great for my skin, energy levels and just helps me to feel better overall.

With all this healthy life style business I still want to look good so I invested in these fabulous pink trainers by Nike from SportsDirect. I say invested but to be fair they were only £37 which I think is a real bargain! I want purple ones next, obviously.

 I’ve also introduced protein shakes into my routine, it’s like having a chocolate milkshake after a workout and I find it such a treat! I got this Maxitone shaker from Holland and Barrett simply because I liked the pink.

Last of all its important to have a good workout playlist. I have a very varied music taste and some of the cheese I have on there would probably worry a few people, but it’s about what you enjoy listening to and what keeps you motivated.

Have you got a holiday booked this year? What keeps you motivated to keep healthy?

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Overnight Oats!

I am such an Instagram stalker these days, it has possibly become my favourite social networking site and I particularly love looking at food, yep that's the fatty in my trying to rear her ugly head. Lucky for me there are lots of accounts that are all about health and clean eating and something that regularly pops up are ‘Overnight Oats’. Probably the easiest thing to make ever it maybe shouldn't be called a recipe but i thought i would give you an insight in to my new favourite breakfast anyway.

You will need:

125ml Milk, I use unsweetend almond milk

2 large tbsp Greek Yoghurt

40g Oats

The Topping of your choice

Step one:

Add all the ingredients apart from your topping into a bowl.

Step 2:

Mix

Step 3:

Pour into an air tight Container and pop into the fridge.

Step 4:

Sleep

Step 5:

Wake up and add your desired topping to your oats (today I opted for banana and chocolate protein powder) and EAT.

            

It couldn't be any easier! And you have no excuse to miss breakfast.

I love to add blueberries to mine, and sometimes some sugar free jam or peanut butter or a bit of chocolate protein powder the options are endless.

So there we go quick, healthy, tasty breakfast. What did you have for breakfast today?

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Fitness Haul!

A little fitness haul for you today.  I really believe that if you have new things that you feel comfortable in and make you look pretty good then you are more likely to get up and do some exercise, it’s amazing how some new trainers or a sports bra can give you that extra bit of motivation! So after a little trip to Sports Direct I am ready to work out.

The trousers are by USA Pro Sport, they are so comfy and not restricting at all, I actually think they make my legs look pretty good! There are perfect all different kind of sport and i know i will get a lot of wear out of them.

I was in desperate need of a new sports bra and this Lonsdale one was exactly what  was looking for, and it has pink on it so event better!

The Nike trainers have to be my fave purchase, they are so springy they made me feel a bit like tigger haha running on the treadmill didn't feel as much as a chore today.

Lastly I nipped in to Primark and picked up these colourful vest tops, they are stretchy but not clingy and cost about £2 each you really can’t go wrong.

What do you wear to work out?

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Putting Bread Back On The Table!

Dr Zak's Protein Bread*

I love bread. I love sandwiches, toast, garlic bread...I could go on, but as I am trying my hardest to get in shape unfortunately for me I have had to limit my bread intake and it hasn’t been easy. My healthy eating has included lots of protein, veg and fewer carbs, obviously I haven’t cut carbs completely but I’m avoiding 

white processed products and to be honest it makes me feel a heck of a lot better by doing so.

Any way I’m sure you can imagine the happy dance I did when I was offered to try Dr Zak’s Protein bread, the words protein and bread aren’t usually 2 things you would associate with each other so I was intrigued to say the least!

Dr Zak’s Protein Bread is made from all-natural ingredients and formulated to deliver the perfect balance of protein and carbohydrates in every slice.

In 2 slices there is over a whopping 30 grams of protein, when a normal slice of bread usually has around 2 grams! This is great for people trying to lose weight as it keeps you fuller for longer, I know a lots of products claim to keep you fuller for longer but honestly this does.

The best thing about Dr Zaks Protein bread is that it tastes exactly like normal bread. I usually do the ‘healthy’taste test on my boyfriend , if I swap an everyday product and he can’t tell the difference then I know I’m on to a winner, in this case there was not a scrap of his scrambled eggs on toast left on the plate!

Toast with peanut butter for breakfast for me is such a treat and so indulgent and just tastes that much better knowing its guilt free and that I am actually upping my protein for the day. Today’s lunch was a ham salad sandwich, I can’t remember the last time I took a sandwich to work but it kept me full all the way up until dinner time, result!

What do you think? Have you tried Dr Zak’s Protein Pread?

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Pitta Bread Pizza's!

Today I wanted to show you this ridiculously easy recipe that will calm your pizza cravings. Granted it’s no Dominos, but it’s super tasty, healthy and perfect for jazzing up lunch time.

What You Will Need:

♥Pitta Bread

♥Tomato salsa

♥Red Onion

♥Chicken

♥Jalapeños

♥Light Cheese 

These are the toppings I love, the spicier the better for me but you pretty much can add any topping you prefer. Obviously if you use fattier meats the unhealthier it will be so I tend to stick with chicken or turkey or just have more veggies.

Preheat the oven to 200c

Spread the Salsa over your pitta bread.

Top with onions chicken, jalapenos and cheese. 

Pop in the oven for 10 minutes or until your cheese is melted and golden.  

Serve with a nice side salad.

Voila!

These are perfect to take to work, I reheated mine in the microwave for about a minute or so and it was delicious. Needless to say there were some very jealous people in the office!

What do you think? Will you be giving these healthier pizza’s a go?

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MyProtein Chocolate Chip Muffins

MyProtein Chocolate Chip Muffins*

Over the last month or so I have found my inner gym freak, I've even started going to the gym at 6.30 in the morning! Crazy I know but I'm actually really enjoying it.

I’ve changed my session’s form mainly cardio to more resistance and weight training and my trainer recommended that I increase my protein levels throughout the day to help my muscles recover faster.

When I was asked by The Hut if I wanted to sample some protein muffins I about fell of my seat, protein muffins! I can tell you it is not going to be hard for me to squeeze these bad boys into my diet.

The Myprotein Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins contain a massive 19grams of protein so that ups my protein intake dramatically! They taste absolutely delicious, if you didn't know they were from Myprotein you would never be able to tell, they don’t have a ‘healthy’ taste if that makes sense, they are well and truly packed with chocolate chips. I caught my boyfriend scoffing one the other day and he just thought he was getting a great chocolaty treat!

I have either been eating the muffins for breakfast with fruit after my work out or as an afternoon snack. I wouldn't just eat one at night because I wanted pudding.

They are quite high in calories at 387 per muffin so if you’re a calorie counter I imagine you are screaming at the screen right now. But my trainer has reassured me that for the amount of resistance training I'm doing these are perfectly fine as long as the rest of your diet is balanced, you don’t gorge on more than one and I try not to have one every day.

You can find these and lots more MyProtein products over on The Hut Website.

What do you think? Have you tried any products from Myprotein? Will you be trying these?

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Total 0% Greek Yoghurt

When it comes to food snacking has always been one of my biggest problems, it’s so easy to just reach for a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar to then find that after half an hour I'm hungry again and I'm eating again. Enter TOTAL Greek Yoghurt*.

Total aim their products at people who are interested in health and wellbeing, it’s 100% natural, there is no added sugar, sweeteners or thickeners and it contains more protein than other yoghurt too. In fact there are only 2 ingredients, milk and live yoghurt cultures so you know exactly what you are eating.

I was lucky enough to be sent a HUGE selection of yoghurt to sample (I know, it’s a tough job) from the 0% range including the Plain yoghurt, split pots and Fruyo which is ready mixed with fruit.

 I'm just going to just jump straight in and tell you that these yoghurts are delicious! They are so thick and creamy and they curb my afternoon snack pains a treat with no guilt what so ever as they are fat free!

The split pots have to be my favourite, greek yoghurt with a side of honey or fruit compote. I can’t tell you how tasty the honey one is, it’s so thick and takes a lot of mixing to incorporate it in with the yoghurt but the taste is just amazing and definitely feels like an indulgent snack. I even caught my dad pinching one of these!

The Total 0% yoghurt is great because it is so versatile. I like to mix in some sugar free jam or a little bit of peanut butter and its lovely served with fresh fruit. It is also perfect for using in cooking in place of cream or mayo. My house mate and I made a mushroom stroganoff using this and I even added a little bit to my tuna sandwich the other day in place of mayo, and I never thought this would happen as I’m a big mayo fan.

The Fruyo are again are gorgeous, the pineapple flavour is particularly refreshing and will be the perfect summer snack when you’re sitting outside in the sun.

Today for breakfast I had the original Total 0% with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, a great way to start the day.

If you can’t already tell I am really, really loving these yoghurts and if you are on a health kick at the minute these are especially perfect for you. Or if you are just in the market for a tasty new snack then I (and my dad) highly recommend looking these up.

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Healthy Breakfast: Egg Muffins

Hi Guys! So you may or may not know that I have jumped on the health wagon, increasing resistance training, cardio and eating as ‘clean’ as possible. I've spent hours googling food ideas to make healthy eating a bit more exciting and this and also super easy recipe is one of my favourites.

What you will need:

♥Eggs

♥Spinach

♥Spring Onion

♥Low fat cheese

♥Chilli Flakes

♥Black pepper

To be honest all of the ingredients except the eggs are optional, you can pick and choose which veggies you want to add in, you can also add meat or if your being really healthy you can even just use whites instead of whole eggs.

Pre heat the oven to 190c/Gas mark 5.

First of all prep your muffin tin with a little oil in each hole; I used fry lights 1 cal spray. Then layer the veggies and cheese at the bottom of each tin.

Crack your eggs in to a bowl and lightly whisk. In this case I used 5 (because that was how many I had) and this made 6 muffins, I could have actually made a couple more but I don’t have another tin so 4 eggs will be enough for me next time. Add your seasoning to the eggs.

Pour the egg mixture over your veg so the tin is ¾ full and then place in the oven and leave for 25-30 minutes and you’re done! Easy peasy.

They are a bit like a cross between an omelette and a Yorkshire pudding.

One of the best things about these egg muffins is that you can keep them in an air tight container or bag and they can last up to a week so you can prepare them in advance and have them on the go. I brought mine to work with me this morning and microwaved them for about a minute and then served them with some more spinach and a cheeky bit of smoked salmon. Healthy, light and delicious.

Will you be trying these out? Do you have any healthy recipes? I would love to hear.

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Optibac: For a Flat Stomach

Optibac: For a Flat Stomach*

When I was offered the chance to try out Optibac I literally jumped at the chance, For a Flat Stomach? Yes please! I am prone to stomach bloating (glamorous, I know) so if a product can claim to help me reduce this then send it my way.

I’d never used a product like this before so I spent ages reading about the product and reading customer reviews on their website just to make sure I knew exactly what I was putting into my body.

Optibac: For a Flat Stomach is a probiotic supplement which helps your digestion and aid transit to help leaving you with a comfortably flatter stomach.

Each box contains 7 sachets of the probiotic supplement, which you take once a day for 7 days straight. You mix the powder in with water and drink it with your breakfast.

It doesn't taste of anything, which I think is a bit of a bonus because I hate it when you take something and it tastes disgusting.

There are full instructions included which answered any questions I had. It also explains the ingredients, and I love the fact it's suitable for vegetarians and gluten free so is suitable for the majority of people.

I had my first sachet on a Monday, no problems but by the end of Tuesday, I’ll be honest I did feel a bit more bloated than usual, but apparently this can be because my body is adapting to the probiotics as it's something I'm not used to. It was Friday morning when I woke up and thought ‘Wow! It’s actually worked’, I couldn’t believe I felt as good as I did.

I finished my For a Flat Stomach course 7 days ago now and I am happy to report I am still feeling the benefits from it. I haven’t had that uncomfortable feeling all week and my stomach is noticeably flatter, and believe me, I don’t say that often! Bring on next months course.

For me Optibac’s For a Flat stomach has worked a treat so if you are prone to bloating then I definitely suggest you check this out.

For a Flat Stomach retails for £8.69 on the Optibac Website.

You can also pick up some extra bloating tips here!

Have you ever tried any products from Optibac? How do you beat the bloat!?

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