How to deal with muscle soreness and pain!

So week 3 of Tuesday's Change, Exercise! 20 minutes a day, 5 times a week.

How are you all getting on? Let me know if you are struggling, feeling fantastic, or hating me right now!

I imagine your muscles are really aching now, especially if you have gone from zero to hero with your exercise. Typically the 2nd day is worse and this is due to the dreaded 2 Day DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

But don't be discouraged. This is natural. And means you are working hard, Reward yourself with a pat on the back...unless you are really stiff from the gym and can't reach!

I've put together a list of things to help you deal with the muscle pain.

Budget:

1) Have a bath. Even better have a bath with some Epsom Salts. These can be bought so cheaply from most chemists and contain Magnesium Sulphates which soak into your muscles via your skin, relaxing them and easing the pain.

2) Stretch. Whichever muscle is the most sore, slowly stretch that muscle, holing for at least 2-3 minutes, deepening as time goes on. Make sure you are warm doing this!

3) Give yourself a massage! Obviously we would all love to have a personal masseur but failing that you can help yourself. If it's your quads are sore (front of the thigh) take the heel of your hand and applying pressure sweep from the top of the thigh near the hip down to the knee. Try and all parts of the thigh. The bit that hurts the most, spend most time there. Remember to always rub in the direction of the muscle ensuring you are lengthening it.

4) Go to a yoga class. Not only can this be your daily exercise it will also help relieve muscle soreness and help you de-stress. If you are fortunate to be based in Cork I can't not recommend Himalaya Yoga Valley Cork enough. You can book on line and trust me you will NOT regret going! They have classes for all levels, times and budgets!

5) Hit the Steam Room or Sauna. Anything that warms the muscles. If you are brave enough do some stretches in the heat!

6) Always warm up before exercise and do static stretching after exercise. Hold for at least a minute. Use a stop watch or your phone!

7) Use a foam roller. I got mine here and I'm not going to lie, the pink colour won me over! If you're not sure how to use it ask your friendly trainer in the gym (they are usually only dying to help you, don't be shy or embarrassed!) or have a look on YouTube there are some great tutorial videos.


Budget Blown (but worth it):

1) Go for a full body sports massage or deep tissue massage

2) Hire a persona Masseur

3) Buy a massage chair!



I hope those top tips help you all! If you have any specific worries or pains let me know. If I can't help I'll send you to someone who can!

Keep moving Jeanies. Work those muscles!

Tuesday's Change Week 2 - Eat your '5 a day'

So how did everyone get on for week one? Do you feel better? Sleep better? Look better? Let me know any benefits you felt. I'd love to hear from you. Week one's post here. Now try and keep it up while tackling Week 2.

This week's change is another one that sounds simple, we all have heard of it but how many of us actually do it? Eat your 5 a day! It's a common slogan bandied around in the media and you often see it on food labels. I'll discuss this in a bit but first let me outline the challenge.

See if you can eat 5 portions of Vegetables everyday for 7 days. 

Notice I have said veg and not fruit. Feel free to eat portions of fruit on top of your 5 Vegetable portions. Just ensure you are getting 5 portions of vegetable as well!

Here is some more information on the specifics:

1) A portion is roughly 1 hand full. 

2) Try as much as possible to eat organic vegetables only.

3) Raw is preferable to cooked but if you are cooking make sure not to over cook. Steaming or baking is good! Keeping the skin on where possible is also added benefit!

3) At least 2 or 3 of your 5 portions should be of green, leafy vegetables like Spinach, Kale,  Brocolli, Rocket, Salad greens, Pok Choi, Cabbage etc. The rest should be a variety of brightly coloured options e.g. Red Cabbage, red and yellow Peppers, Beetroot etc.

3) You can eat them raw or cooked but never from a packet (i.e. you can not include processed or tinned fruit and veg) and try and cook the veg yourself if having it cooked.

4) If a label on a packet says "this is one of your 5 a day portions" ignore this. If something is in a packet (besides whole fruits and vegetables that come in trays or packaged for the supermarket) then it has been processed and so lots of the benefits and nutrients are lost on processing. You are more than likely just getting the sugars left over. And we all have enough of those in our diet.

5) Plan your day in advance the night before. Where am I going to be? Will I have access to fresh food? Do I need to bring food with me? And plan accordingly so you are prepared.

Ok now you have all the information here are some tips on how you can easily add in the portions to your everyday diet.

1) Add vegetables to your breakfast. This way you start the day right and have half your portions done before you leave the house! Make an omelette with some spinach, peppers and onions. Recipe here.

2) Make a smoothie for breakfast! Adding vegetables to a smoothie is a great way of having a portion of vegetables without realising. Making a berry smoothie with some natural yoghurt, blueberries, cinnamon and honey tastes great. Adding a handful of spinach and blending will not alter the flavour too much and tastes just as good! This is a nice sweet treat on a Saturday morning!

3) Eating a large salad for lunch or dinner and get your 5 portions into you in one go! I like to use mixed salad greens with spinach rocket and baby lamb's leaf then add some spring onion, peppers, grated carrot and courgette. You can add some left over meat from the night before or cook some fresh and you have an entire meal. If you want to bulk it up a bit cook some sweet potato wedges as a side. Drizzle the with extra virgin olive oil if you find it too dry.

4) Snack on celery, cucumber and carrot sticks between meals if you are hungry. Have them chopped and ready in the fridge, sealed in a container to keep them fresh. Reach for these instead of biscuits or bread when you are famished and waiting for your dinner to cook.

5) Hide vegetables in food! Take what you might consider a regular dinner. Shepard's pie, Pasta Sauce etc. Try chopping vegetables into the sauce or if you have very picky eaters in the house you can even blend the vegetables into the sauce to thicken it. They won't even know!

6) If you are finding the vegetables bland then season them. Freshly grated black pepper is delicious on salads or cooked veg, try a small sprinkling of organic rock salt (link here), Simplee do an amazing range of salt free seasoning like paprika and lemon or chilli. Mix it up and try new spices! Link here.

7) Cook your least favourite veg with your favourite food! Brussels Sprouts taste amazing when stir fried in a small bit of bacon! A green, leafy salad is delicious when sprinkled with some olive oil and parmean cheese! All in moderation of course!

So here is a comprehensive list of veggies you should aim for that are available in most large supermarkets. Alternatively places like Quay Co-Op in Cork, Ballincollig and Carrigaline for the Cork followers (link http://www.quaycoop.com/) or organic vegetable shops will have a great range!

Spinach
Kale
Cabbage
Rocket
Lettuce
Pok Choi
Brocolli
Asparagus
Celery
Beetroot
Peppers
Red Cabbage
Carrots
Courgette/Zucchini
Onions

P.S. 'Vegetables' that are good for you but don't count as 5 a day and are more connected to the carbohydrate family are:

Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Parsnips
Peas

FYI: Lentils, beans and peanuts are not vegetables. They are legumes!

Vegetables to avoid: 

Sweetcorn. This is not a vegetable it is a grain and a GMO one at that! More on this is a future post.

So that is it Jeanies! Do you think you are up for the challenge? I have no doubt. Planning is key and let me know if you need any more information on anything!

#EatClean

Week 1. Tuesday's Change. Drink more water!

It's the first week of my 'Tuesday's Change' series and for most people this week will be based around returning to normality, routine and work. For that reason I have kept this week's change simple!

All you have to do this week is drink more water. That's it! Sound easy? Well it's all about detox this week and helping the body slowly get back into ridding all the toxins and bad food consumed over the last few weeks. 

Check out my post here entitled 'Are you taking the Piss?' where I outline the benefits of proper hydration for not only detoxifying the body but also to allow proper daily function of all your systems. 

We all need different amounts of water depending on how our body operates, what physical activity we do, how well our body is functioning and how good old genetics have decided to make us. So I can not sit here and tell you the exact amount you should drink everyday. 

The guideline of 8 glasses a day is a good one but like I always say we are all different so there is no one rule for us all.

A good marker to check your hydration is your urine. Yes it's true, you have got to start looking at your pee!

So here are 4 easy steps to help you drink more water!

Step 1: Monday - measure how much water you ordinarily consume naturally in a day. You can do this by filling a water bottle of known volume and seeing how much you drink. Note down the volume. Do not include teas or coffees or milk and juices. Just water!

Step 2: Tuesday - Make the change! Decide to slowly increase your consumption of water. Make it an extra 500ml a day (or more) to begin with until by Friday/Saturday you should be up to at least 3 litres or as much as you need so your urine is comparable to levels 1-3 on the above chart! You'll eventually begin to get really thirsty as the body starts to realise it is now being adequately hydrated and it will begin to look for more. Yes, you will have to go to the toilet more but eventually your bladder will adapt. And remember every time you go to the toilet you are ridding the body of more waste! Winning!

Step 3: Begin carrying  a reusable water bottle with you. Everywhere I go I bring one. This is a handy way to ensure you can always have water and you aren't wasting money or damaging the environment with bottled water. I got my bottle here and it was worth every penny. Try and get BPA free plastic or a glass bottle if you are concerned about chemicals leeching into the water.

Step 4: If you are finding it hard to drink just plain water then feel free to add fruit slices or herbs to the water. Just nothing with sugar! My favourite (and best for detox, health and flat belly - winning!) is pictured bellow. Make it up the night before and bring it with you for the day.

Super Valu have trays of fresh ginger at the moment for 89c. You can't get cheaper than that!

So that's it guys. More water. Simple. Stick it out for the week and I promise you'll be feeling amazing in no time. 

Running a body dehydrated is like trying to run a car with low oil. Yes it works but things start to break, creak and just don't work as well. 

I know with the current water charges in Ireland this might be the last thing you wanted me to say but remember it's your health and body. Look after it. It's worth every penny!

Keep drinking and keep looking at your pee pee!

I'm so glad I used to be fat!

There is still a fat girl trapped inside of me. Sometimes I think there always will be. But I'm working on loving myself more!

I was skinny as a child. I remember my mother recounting stories of her safety pinning me into my skirts as they would fall down as I walked. I began to gain some puppy fat around puberty and my penchant for sweet treats and sugary snacks was my greatest downfall. We weren't allowed fizzy drinks or chocolate in the house and looking back now my mother was so forward thinking in ensuring we got the best food and nutrition.

From L-R: with my sister Kate, Cousin Laura, Myself and Cousin Anthony

However, I have memories of her heading out to the shop and me climbing up on the counter top to reach the few treats at the back of the cupboard that were kept for guests, the 'Good Biscuits'. I would scoff them quickly and indulgently, not knowing when to stop, always thinking when will I get my next treat? I better eat as much as I can now before my mum comes home and catches me!

I continued to gain weight through school and adolescence. To be honest I didn't notice it.  It suddenly became an issue as soon as boys were introduced into the equation! I was the fat girl amongst my slim group of friends. Looking back I had plenty of attention from boys and I actually wasn't that big but I was bigger than them and that made me feel huge. It then became a deep rooted seed, lodged in my brain growing roots, trunk and leaves. It was part of me. It became a factor in almost all my decisions. I would try and dress like my friends and suck in my belly or just push guys away so they wouldn't get close and I wouldn't have to show them the real me.

With my Dad

I will never forget the moment I realised I was in control of my feelings and my weight. I was slovenly laying on the couch, watching MTV. I saw all these bikini clad girls dancing and bouncing around a Rapper. I just suddenly thought to myself 'I don't want to be fat any more, I am going to lose weight'! Just like that! I felt so empowered. 

I began by making small and consistent changes. Maybe one a week/month. Things like cutting out biscuits, chocolate, snacks, eating more vegetables etc. Once I had made a change and stuck to it for a few days it soon became a habit and just part of my routine. It wasn't a chore any more. Slow and steady wins the race as they say. I started eating better and exercising more. I felt amazing. I loved the rush of adrenaline from exercise and was rewarded by seeing my weight drop. I also enjoyed being in control. Being the one who decided how I felt and how I looked. All it takes is slow and consistent changes. Dramatic weight losses never stick and they are unhealthy.

Sometimes I lost weight the healthy way, other times not so healthy but all the time I was learning. I was initially focused on how I looked. How my body appeared and the shape and tone of it. Pure vanity. I thought being thin would solve all my problems, make all my troubles go away. But guess what? Thin people have problems too.

My mum and I on our respective Graduation Days from UCC

I slowly began shifting my focus to just trying to being healthy. Looking after my body, my vessel, and ensuring it worked to its optimum potential. It became about performance and function rather than aesthetics. 

Now my motivation is to feel strong and healthy. Yes, we all want to look good but this comes as a bonus side effect! I am striving for a body that serves me. A body that allows me to do practically any physical activity without pain and with ease. A body that enhances my overall life. A body that doesn't hurt in the morning or become a hindering factor in making decisions. A body that makes me feel good!

On my journey to health and weight loss I learned so much about myself and still am. I am learning every day. I hope I never stop learning. And this is why I'm glad I used to be fat! Because without that as my motivation I might not be as healthy as I am today.  And that is why I started this blog. To help and encourage other people to look at their lifestyle and see if they need or want to make some changes. I encourage you to do lots of research, test and trial things yourself. You have a wealth of information at your finger tips. Knowledge becomes wisdom when shared.

Myself and my mum on my Christening Day

I still have a lot to work on. No one is perfect. But I am content where I am right now. I am fortune to have been raised by a kind and caring mother who from a young age instilled kindness, compassion, empathy and love in me. She always encouraged me to read more, learn more and ask questions. She gave me the tools and inspiration to go on this journey of self discovery and for that I am forever grateful.

On today, her birthday, she would have been 58 years old and so I dedicate this post to her. My inspiration.

Ann Noonan 1956-2008 R.I.P

"Men that had seen her,
Drank deep and were silent,
The women were speaking,
Wherever she went -
As a bell that is rung,
Or a wonder told shyly,
And O she was the Sunday,
In every week."

The Planter's Daughter by Austin Clarke