Friday motivation.

My motivational moodboard of the week:

 

 

Hi peeps.

I'm going through some serious sh*t in my personal life, but you know what? I'm strong, I'll get through it. I'm more motivated than ever to work out like crazy and to get shredded by August. Heck, I'll be in top shape in July.

No excuses, just get it done.

/Coach U

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Diet tip of the day: drink more water

75 % of your body is water - in fact, 70-80 % of your brain tissue consists of water. If you're dehydrated, your body and mind are stressed.
Every chemical reaction that takes place in the body needs water - basically, your cells need water to function properly. By drinking water I mean drinking pure water; not coffee, beer, coke, juice or other sugary fluids.

If you wait until you're thirsty, your body is already a little dehydrated. Symptoms of dehydration may include dry skin, loss of skin elasticity, increased wrinkles, dry eyes, thrist, tiredness, dry mouth, headache, constipation, dizziness or lightheadedness. Severe dehydration may result in low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, confusion and fever.

Water affects your health extensively. Your body needs water to recover from injuries and diseases, to detox (cleanse the body of contaminants), and to improve digestion. Decent hydration will boost your energy levels, increase your mental sharpness and help boost your immune system. Drinking water helps you build muscle tone (helps muscles to contract better), decreases muscle cramps and lubricates joints. Best of all, water may help you lose those extra pounds you've been trying to shed.

According to a study (Davy et al. 2010) drinking water before a meal has been proved to aid weight loss. The study states that drinking two (2,5 dl) glasses of water before every meal affected the participants' eating habits - in fact, the participants ate in average between 75 and 90 fever calories during the meal. The participants were successful in keeping the weight loss even 12 months after the study. Basically, water makes people feel satisfied and keep hunger off, at least in the older population.

How much water is enough? That's a tough question, since a person's need of water depends on age, body size, physical activity and weather. An average adult needs at least two litres of water a day. You'll need a lot more water if you're physically active, spend a lot of time in a dry environment (for instance, if your home or office has an effective airconditioning system) or if your environment is very warm and you sweat a lot. Keep a glass of water or a bottle nearby to remind you to stay hydrated. When in doubt, drink a little more. ;)
Drinking much water won't give you a bloated body - water retention is caused by eating too much salt, not by drinking much water. In fact, drinking water helps you get rid of feeling bloated, since it flushes the body.

I'm not saying that water is a magic potion, but it can aid you in losing weight. Water makes you feel fuller and revs up your metabolism. Acccording to some sources drinking ice cold water makes you burn even more calories, since your body has to warm it up - but seriously, you'd have to drink a lot of icy water to lose weight solely on that method. A study showed that drinking approximately 5 dl of near-freezing water only burned approximately 4 kcal. Your diet makes a bigger difference to shedding fat.

Remember, that there's also a possibility to drinking too much water (water intoxication). Water intoxication is not easy to achieve, trust me. Obsessive-compulsive water drinking or an extended athletic activity, where the athlete drinks a lot of water, may cause water intoxication. This means that electrolytes (especially sodium and potassium) in the blood are diluted to the point that it interferes with brain, heart and muscle function. Athletes tackle theproblem by using sports drinks with minerals to keep their body in balance. 

Here's a link to an online water calculator, check it out!

A few tips to drinking water:

• As I said earlier, keep a glass or bottle of water close by at all times, to make sure you remember to hydrate. One tip is to fill a 2l jug of water in the morning and making sure you empty it during the day. I usually fill a 650 ml glass bottle with water three times at work - and I drink a big glass of water with every meal. Think of places you can stash your water bottle (your purse, the car, on your desk at work..)
• Create your own vitamin drink. For example, try one of my smoothies!
• Drink a glass of water with every meal. By sipping water during your meals you'll enjoy your food more and slow your eating. 
• Drink herbal teas. Try different infusions and enjoy them after meals - you'll aid your digestion by drinking a warm tea after a heavy meal.
• Try berry- or veggie flavoured waters (see picture below). For example, you could stuff a mason jar with ice cubes, citrus slices and some mint leaves - add water and enjoy.

Cheers!

/Ulrika

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References:
Brown, CM; Dulloo, AG; Montani, JP. Water-induced thermogenesis reconsidered: the effects of osmolality and water temperature on energy expenditure after drinking. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Sep;91(9):3598-602
Dennis, EA; Dengo, AL; Comber DL; Flack, KD; Savla, J; Davy KP; Davy, BM. "Water Consumption Increases Weight Loss During a Hypocaloric Diet Intervention in Middle-aged and Older Adults", Obesity 18 (2): 300–307
Popkin, BM; Barclay, DV; Nielsen, SJ.Water and food consumption patterns of U.S. adults from 1999 to 2001. Obesity 13 (12): 2146–2152

Clean eating smoothie: part 7

Good morning, fit people!

Today's clean eating recipe is a pineapple and berry smoothie. It's simple, it's packed with vitamins and other antioxidants and it tastes wonderful.

Now, before I reveal the simple recipe, I want to share the health benefits of the basic ingredients of my smoothie.

Health benefits of pineapple
Pineapples are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A and B-complex group of vitamins like folates, thiamin, pyridoxine, riboflavin and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese. Potassium (K) is an important component of cell and body fluids, helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Copper (Cu) is a helpful cofactor for red blood cell synthesis. Manganese (Mn) is a trace mineral your body needs to build bones and connective tissues, and it also is a co-factor for an enzyme which battles free radicals.
Since pineapples have these anti-inflammatory qualities, eating pineapples can greatly ease the pain of arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and gout.
Pineapples are also the source of bromelain (a mixture of protein-digesting enzymes). Bromelain helps regulate the secretions in the pancreas to aid in digestion, and it neutralizes acidic fluids in the gastrointestinal tract.
Pineapples are 94% carbohydrates, so if you're on a carbohydrate-restricted diet, keep your pineapple intake at one cup per day.
Always go for fresh pineapple when you have the chance. Here's a great seven-step wikihow article on how to tell if a pineapple is ripe.


Health benefits of lingonberry
Lingonberries are supposedly one of the richest sources of polyphenols. The little red berries are an excellent source of vitamin A, B and C and are packed with minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, sodium and potassium, and also flavonoids, especially quercetin. Quercetin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but it also has antihistamine properties that help alleviate allergy symptoms.
Lingonberries contain tannins that help boost the walls of blood vessels, resolve mineral metabolism and neutralize toxins. Like other dark red and blue berries, lingonberries boost the levels of good cholesterol and improve blood pressure. Also, lingonberries contain a berry biocomplex that reduces hardening of blood vessels. Lingonberries are and excellent addition to a diverse diet, since it improves heart and circulatory health. Apart from being rich in essential nutrients, lingonberries are also a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Health benefits of blueberry
The nutrients in blueberries include selenium, iron, potassium, copper, zinc, manganese, anthocyanin, vitamins A, C, E and B complex. Several studies show that blueberries can improve brain function and prevent (or slow) the progress of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Blueberries also improve glucose and insulin levels, and reduce abdominal fat. Like lingonberries, blueberries are a heart-healthy superberry. They also boost your immunity, since they are packed with enzymes with antibacterial and antiviral properties. The blue shade of blueberries provides anthocyanin, which is rich in bioflavenoid and antioxidants.
Both lingon- and blueberries are excellent to use both fresh or frozen.

Now that you know why I like my berries so much, here's the recipe to my antioxidant-packed supersmoothie:

Clean eating: Pineapple and berry supersmoothie
1 dl fresh pineapple chunks
1 dl lingonberries
1 dl blueberries
1-2 dl water, coconut water or any clean eating liquid you prefer to use

Place all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Pour in a tall glass or protein shaker and enjoy :)

Tip #1: I use this as an addition to my breakfast omelette. In case you plan on having just a smoothie for breakfast, make sure you get enough proteins. The protein count of this smoothie is really low, so feel free to add a protein powder or quark to the mix.
Tip #2: Since pineapples are diuretic (drive water out of the body), make sure you drink plenty of water with your smoothie.
Tip #3: For an added "superfood effect", add a tablespoon of maca, a teaspoon of Opti-MSM and a teaspoon of lucuma to the smoothie.

Now, I'm a regular multitasker in the mornings. I brush my hair while I let my dog out, I get dressed while my omelette is cooking and I enjoy half of my breakfast in the car on my way to work. Today I poured my smoothie in a protein shaker and drank it whilst commuting. It ain't pretty, but I got to get my natural vitamins in the morning!

Cheers!

/U

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15 tips to stay motivated

Hi gorgeous people,

My personal training clients have asked for this post for sooooooooo long. Sorry chicas - better late then never, right? ;)

Here are my top 15 tips to stay motivated.

• Set a specific goal, not just ‘I want to be healthy’ or ‘I want to be stronger’. Pick a date and work hard to reach your goal on that specific date. 
• Write down your goals. When you remember where you're going, you'll get there much faster. The more precise you are, the better. And once you reach your goal, set another one! Click here for my post about setting goals.
• Know it’s going to be hard You’re going to have good days and bad days. This isn't going to be easy, in fact it's going to be very frustrating, but believe in yourself and you will go far.
• Be willing to do whatever it takes Do everything you possibly can to succeed and be where you want to be and make it a priority. If you don't have time to go to the gym, make time.
• Stop focusing so much on the negatives. Bring out the positives and be proud of every achievement made no matter how small. Staying away from the cheesecake, or dragging yourself to go for a run - it all pays off in the end. If you took all that energy you put towards hating your body into changing it, you would be amazed with the results!
• To be truly successful you need to be passionate about it Think about it all of the time. Some call it obsession, I call it dedication.
• Remember that you are in control Nobody else can make the decisions for you. You can have all of the knowledge in the world, the best trainer, the experience, but if you’re not mentally and physically ready to do it then it’s not going to happen. You are the one who decides whether you’re going to indulge in social situations or stay on track. Remember that there's always going to be people who won't support you. Some people will try to convince you to share a pizza or go drinking with them and tell you to stop being so "boring", but you have the will power to say no. You should have a social life and enjoy yourself, but shouldn't feel forced into anything you don't want to do.
• Think ahead This takes practice. Think about how you will feel if you do indulge. Will you regret it? If so, avoid the situation.
• If you keep failing, maybe you’ve set your expectations too high. Set goals that are realistic, not ridiculous. Don’t set goals that are so far out of reach that every time you try, you fail and beat yourself up about it. 
• There's always going to be times when you feel progress is going nowhere.  Don't give up! Just because you're hitting a hard point doesn't mean you can't break through it. Sit back, evaluate, change. If it's in your heart then it's worth it.
• Stop worrying about being perfect NOBODY IS PERFECT. We all strive to be perfect but knowing that you’re going to make mistakes and not living in the past is very important. Even if you have a piece of cake and fall off the diet, there is nothing you can do about it. It is in the past, so move forwards. Learn from your mistakes and you know how you’ll feel next time you’re put in that same situation. Compare yourself against yourself, and no one else.
• Don’t do what you hate If you hate running, then go swimming. If you hate avocado, eat almonds. If you hate every choice, you won’t last very long and you’ll get unmotivated. Remember you chose to set this goal. If you’re having trouble staying on track, think back to why you started it in the first place.Whatever reason you have is great enough for you to keep going. Don't forget that.
• Have fun Look at what you're doing and enjoy it! There's endless ways to make exercise and clean eating fun, it doesn't have to be as grim as some people make out. Work out with a friend, have a clean eating cook-off with your family or promise your dog to take it for three super-long walks every week.
• Make a vision board Cut out pictures of bodies that you aspire to be like and quotes that keep you motivated. My motivational diary works the same way - I regularly "post" my favourite inspirational pictures and quotes in my little pink book and on my blog.
• Surround yourself with positive people not with people who question why you go to the gym so much or eat in a certain way. Find people who are like-minded and you can help push each other when things get tough. And remember, be proud of yourself.

Any other motivational tips you'd like to share with the crowd?
/Ulrika

Monday motivation (part III)

Happy Monday, people!

I hope you had a great weekend. I sure did.

Reasons to stay motivated - part 1.

Picture this: Sunday night (around 9 p.m.), I realized that we (my hubby and I) haven't done our workout for the day. My mister was really tired and didn't want to work out - although he loves his TRX routine. I told him I'd work out as well - I needed to get a few (hundred) crunches in, plus a few planks of course. He did his routine, I did my "core crunch" right beside him, our dog playing around us. I <3 family-time. Working out together is the bomb! Motivating each other to push a little further... We need to do this a lot more often.

We worked out for 20 minutes or so, but guess what? A 20-minute workout is better than a 0-minute workout. He was really happy that I gently pushed him, since he wouldn't have done his routine if it wasn't for me.

The lesson of the story: By staying motivated you'll help yourself, and others too. Spread the spark! Partner yourself with a friend, co-worker or a loved one - someone who'll support you and your goals without sabotaging them.

Have a great week,

/Ulrika

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How should I start running?

Hey,

Hope you've had a great Halloween! I don't know about you guys, but we had a really quiet Halloween with just two trick-or-treaters. We didn't stock up on sweets, because we didn't want to eat all the leftovers ourselves. My plan worked perfectly, no excess candy to munch on the weekend.

I promised myself last week that I'd go jogging on Saturdays. I promised myself to keep my promises too, ha ha. Since I woke up an hour earlier than I should and I had a tremendous amount of energy, I decided to go for a 45-minute run before work. I felt awesome!

If you haven't been exercising regularly for years, start off with brisk walks. When your walks feel light in intensity, you can add a few jogs into your regular routine (read a bit further, running for beginners-routine coming up!).


How should I get started?
 
Make sure you're exercising properly. Don't be greedy, your fitness level won't improve massively on the first jog.

Here are a few pitfalls you should avoid when beginning your new hobby:

• You're running too fast. Make sure your pace is mild and you feel good during your workout (and afterwards!). Running at a high velocity requires a few week's training, so be patient.
• You're runs are too long in duration. Keep in mind that your career as a runner should start with walking and progress into jogging. Running won't become a habit if you start with high-intensity workouts and feel like sh*t afterwards.
• You're running because you "should be running". If you have no interest in running, why do it? There are a million different cardio exercises that are just as good. If you don't like what you're doing, it's hard to stay motivated.

Set goals.
Set your own goals based on your own fitness level. Read here about setting goals, if you're insecure. An example could be to run for 45 minutes without feeling like dying.


Exercise routines -interval training

Beginner
If you've never run before, start off with 2-3 brisk walks per week. Each workout should last for 20-30 minutes and you should feel energized afterwards.
When your walks feel really easy and light in intensity, add a few minutes jogs into the routine. Your walks could look like this:

Warm-up for 10 minutes (brisk walking)

Light jogging 1 minute

Walking 4 minutes

Repeat the jogging/walking-interval twice for a 20-minute workout.

After completing this routine for 2-3 weeks (and still feeling good), add a little bit of length to your runs. Keep in mind that the workout should still feel easy and you add a maximum of five minutes to each workout per week.

Intermediate
Your fitness level is "intermediate", you work out 2-3 times a week and have done the beginner phase already, or you've been walking/running 20-45-minute runs for 3-4 weeks.

When your fitness level is improving, you can easily crank up the volume:

Warm-up: walk 10 minutes

Jog 2 minutes

Walk 3 minutes

You can slowly move onto a more jogging, less walking type of routine: jog 3 minutes, walk 2 minutes or jog 4 minutes, walk 1 minute. As soon as this routine feels easy, start doing your workouts jogging.

Advanced
In case you've been running straight for 45 minutes and it still feels easy, add a little more intensity to your workouts.

Warm-up: light jogging 10 minutes

Run 1 minute

Jog 4 minutes

Repeat the run/jog-routine 2-6 times.

Run a maximum of three times per week, keeping at least one rest day in between workouts. Remember to stretch your quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes and hip adductors after every workout!

Have a nice run ;)
/Ulrika

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Clean eating: Keeping a dietary log

Hi guys,

I wanted to share my dietary log of one day with you guys - just to show you what a day of clean eating can look like.
My doctor told me that I'm supposed to eat at least one serving of dairy per day, plus one serving of wheat, oats, barley or rye for three weeks before undergoing lab tests. Normally I'd stay off grains, except for the occasional oatmeal.

Monday 29.10.2012
I woke up at 6.30, stayed in bed for an additional hour reading a cr*ppy Stephen King book. Drank 2 huge glasses of water before getting up.
I was at work from 13 to 22: a few personal training clients plus a few hours of customer service. Not bad at all.

8.00-8.30 Brisk walking with my dog
9.00 2 cups of coffee (with milk), 2 glasses of water, 1 glass freshly pressed apple juice. An omelette: 2 eggs, 160 g tomato, 1 dl chopped spinach, 50 grams Greek cheese.
+ multivitamins, Omega-3's and liquid vitamin D
11-12 lower body strength & plyo workout + 7 dl water (similar workout here!)
12.30 Recovery smoothie: 30 g whey, 2 dl semi-skimmed milk, 150 g strawberries
16.00 Chicken salad with pomegrenade, some yellow bell pepper, tomatoes and rocket. 7 dl water
18.30 1 pink grapefruit, 10 almonds. 7 dl water + a few cups of herbal tea with my friends
19.30 Tuna salad with bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, rocket and lettuce. 7 dl water.
21.00 Evening smoothie: 30 g whey, 15 g oatmeal, 1 tbsp coconut flakes, 150 g blueberries and 3 dl milk.
22.45 Omega-3's, magnesium, zinc, B-vitamins. 2dl water.

Nutritional info:
1830 kcal
97g carbs (22%)
76g fats (38%)
177g proteins (40%)

Workout info (according to my heart beat monitor)
Brisk walking 30 mins 172 kcal
Gym workout 60 mins 516 kcal
 

One simple picture to explain what clean eating actually is:

I don't really want to think of stuff as "allowed" or "not allowed", since that makes clean eating sound like a fad diet. I'd rather say "more fresh fruits and veggies, less white flour".

We (as in my hubby and I) eat organic meat and dairy. We buy our beef from an organic farm close to our villa - we know the meat is organic, grass and grain-fed. The final product looks (and tastes!) a lot different than non-organic beef. Especially ground beef is a lot thicker, it feels almost solid compared to the spaghetti-like non-organic ground beef.

Now, just to be clear, this isn't a diet plan. It's just my diet plan at the moment. If I didn't work out, I'd skip the recovery smoothie (~270 kcals). 

So, tell me - what does your dietary log look like? :)

/Ulrika

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Vitamin D - sunshine in a bottle?

Good morning, people!

I'm challenging myself to achieve a healthier body - besides working out and maintaining a balanced diet I've focused on supplementation and de-stressing.

Clean eating is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle, but since modern food doesn't provide all the micronutrients we need, I take supplements. I'll write a "Top 10 superfoods and supplements" post in the future to satisfy my readers. Keep sending me emails (and feel free to comment on my posts) in the future, I love your suggestions!

I'm trying something completely new: liquid vitamin D3.

The product I'm using is Solgar Natural Liquid Vitamin D3, 2500 IU. It's recommended to take 0,5 ml every day or every other day, preferably with meals. One dropper (0,5 ml) provides: sunflower seed oil, flavour: natural orange, vitamin D3 62.5ug (2500iu, as cholecalciferol), mixed tocopherols.

Liquid vitamin D - sunshine in a bottle?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which is unique because it can be ingested as Vitamin D3 or D2 and because the body can also synthesize it when sun exposure is adequate. Vitamin D can be synthesized in the skin when exposed to sunlight. Sunscreen, cloud cover and pollution (smog) can filter out some UVB rays, so less of them are able to reach your skin every day. People with dark skin have more melanin in their skin compared to fair-skinned people. Melanin filters even more of the sunrays, so people with dark skin should make sure to get their vitamins. Supplementation and a proper diet is key.

Every cell in your body needs vitamin D. The vitamin is very important, because it plays a big part in maintaining your calcium, phosphorus and magnesium balance, insulin secretion and it regulates blood pressure among many other benefits. You want your brain to work properly when you're older, don't you?
Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with increased mortality, and giving supplementary vitamin D3 to elderly women seems to decrease the risk of death. Vitamin D deficiency causes osteomalacia, falls and low bone mineral density and is associated with multiple sclerosis and some cancers. Moderate to high doses of Vitamin D may reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

Vitamin D manufactors and retailers claim it to have an effect on common colds. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 322 healthy adults concluded that a monthly intake of 100,00 IU of vitamin D did not reduce the incidence or severity of common colds in healthy adults (source). However, it seems that vitamin D has an effect on influenza infections.

Now, the good part: Vitamin D seems to have an effect on your metabolism. There has been found a link between vitamin D deficiency and high body weight. Special receptors for vitamin D signal whether you should burn fat or simply store it; when vitamin D plugs into these receptors, it starts a fatburning process. Meanwhile, receptors in your brain need vitamin D to keep hunger and cravings in check, as well as to pump up levels of serotonin, a mood-lifting chemical. I like the sound of that, since a low-calorie diet makes me cranky ;)
As I said earlier, vitamin D maintains your electrolyte levels by optimizing your body's ability to absorb calcium, an important weight-loss nutrient. When your body lacks calcium, it can experience up to a fivefold increase in the fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts consumed kilocalories into fat. In a 2009 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, obese women who were put on a 15-week diet and took 1200 milligrams of calcium a day lost six times more weight than women who followed the diet alone. Conclusion: By fueling your body with the D-rich nutrients it needs to get out of a fat-storage state and into a fat-burning one, you could potentially speed weight loss by up to 70 percent.


Dietary sources of vitamin D are for example fatty fish species (salmon, sardines, tuna, mackerel), different mushrooms (portobello mushrooms are the highest in vitamin D), egg, fish liver oils and beef liver. Vitamin D is added to staple foods (such as milk) to avoid disease due to deficiency (osteomalacia).

The recommended daily amount of vitamin D in the European Union is 5 µg. One dropper (0,5 ml) of my Solgar liquid vitamin D has 12500% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D. I can feel it!

I've taken liquid vitamin D for two weeks now, and I can feel the difference! Waking up at 5.15 a.m. doesn't seem that bad, when I know I'll get my vitamin kick in a few minutes.... Love it.

/Ulrika


//P.S. Check my Facebook page for more motivational pictures, healthy recipes and articles!

October and November workouts

Hi guys,

I'm so pumped up on this workout schedule!

I decided to go with this for two months, since I really need to focus on my ring work. I've heard that it takes several years to get good at ring gymnastics, which sucks for me :) Well, anyway. I'm really hoping that I get good at something before I ditch it.

(I'm really impatient, just in case you haven't noticed)

I've been doing this set for three weeks now. I'm really seeing a difference in my ring work, and especially on my handstand push-ups. This week I was able to complete four sets of two push-ups, yeah! I just couldn't stop smiling afterwards. You know the feeling, right?

So, here is my weekly workout routine:

Monday
Leg plyo workout. Alternating (supersetting) heavy lifts with plyometric exercises. (workout routine coming up!)

Tuesday
Upper body crosstraining-inspired workout. As I said before, I'm working on ring workouts, plus trying to master handstand push-ups. It's hard, I tell you. (workout routine coming up!)

Wednesday
Leg plyo workout, same as Monday.


Thursday
Upper body crosstraining-inspired workout, same as Tuesday.


Friday
Core training and HIIT (running, cycling, stairclimbing)

Saturday
Yoga


Sunday
Rest


Each workout is 45-65 minutes long, except for the Friday ab workout, which consists of 7 exercises plus a 30-minute cardio and a four-minute Tabata. Oh, how I love and hate Dr. Tabata.

So, how's your weekly workout schedule? Something new and exciting for fall?

/Ulrika

Clean eating: Lemon chicken

 

I plan most my meals on Sundays and prepare most of them on Sunday nights or on a Monday morning before work. This is one of my favourite lunches, because it's super-easy to cook in bulk! You could easily cook 6 chicken legs at once, because they stay perfectly well in the fridge for 5-7 days. Freezing the cooked chicken is always an option.

This meal takes about 5 minutes to prepare, plus the 50-60 minutes it bakes in the oven. 

Quick and easy - what's not to love?

Clean eating: Lemon chicken

(serves 3)

Ingredients

3 chicken legs, lightly salted

1 lemon

1 tbsp sage

1 tsp rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Cut the lemon in thin slices (appr. 1 cm thick).

3. Place the chicken legs in a large oven-proof bowl. Spice the legs with sage, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. (I, personally, don't need any extra salt or pepper)

4. Place the lemon slices between and around the chicken legs and drizzle some olive oil on top.

5. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the chicken legs are golden brown and the meat comes easily off the bones.

6. Enjoy with clean eating sweet potato chips, quinoa or fresh salad.

Tip #1: Use different citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons and limes are great with chicken!

Tip #2: Bake a few potatoes, carrots or sweet potatoes with the chicken - lemon and potato is a great combo.

Tip #3: Use duck, goose or different forms of poultry for new flavors.

Let me know what you think!

/Ulrika

Clean eating: Sweet potato chips

Thursday treat: sweet potato chips!
 
Do you love chips or french fries, but can't stand the excess calories? Do you want to keep your meals clean, yet exciting? If you answered yes, here's a recipe you should definitely try.
 
This is one of the easiest cheat meals ever. If I can do it, you can. I really love the simplicity of the recipe. Few ingredients plus a really simple preparation is always a plus when it comes to eating clean!

The chips take about five minutes to prepare plus the 15-30 minutes in the oven. You could easily cut up the slices in advance to cut a few corners. I usually keep cubed and sliced veggies in the fridge to save time.

Ingredients (makes 2-4 servings)
1 sweet potato
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, herbs and pepper to taste


  
1. Preheat the oven to 200C. 
2. Peel the sweet potato and cut it in thin slices (approx 5mm each). 
3. Spread the slices evenly on a oven-proof pan, drizzle on some evoo and the spices of your choice. 
4. Bake in the oven for 15-30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the slices) and enjoy as a snack or with some chicken.

Tip #1: Mix it up by using different veggies. Sweet potato, yams, potato, zucchini and aubergine are perfect for this, and they work splendidly together.
Tip #2: Use different spice mixes. Try cinnamon, different herbs (rosemary potato is one of my personal favourites) or a low-sodium & sugarfree spice mix (e.g. bbq or pumpkin spice mix)
Tip #3: In the summer, use the grill. A smokey flavour is perfect with the sweet potato.

Enjoy!

/Ulrika

Need to lose a few pounds?

Are you trying to lose weight? I probably meet people just like you every day at work. The reasons for being overweight are always different; just like we are different from each other. The main goal is nearly always the same "to lose weight".

Whether it comes to shedding just a few pounds, toning your body a bit or losing a lot of weight you should still have a game plan. In my previous post I wrote about setting goals. I strongly recommend reading it before getting started.

After you've written down a list of goals and things you need to do, this is the next step. I recommend a dietary journal for at least two weeks to get you started. After keeping the log for a fortnight, analyze it. Check for possible pitfalls, your eating rhythm (did you eat 4-6 smaller meals or 2-3 bigger meals?), and the balance of your diet: protein/carbohydrate/fat - ratio. In case you have no idea what I just said, take your diet log to a personal trainer or nutritionist and you'll get started.

Keep a journal of everything that goes into your mouth (drinks too!) for two weeks, and let's see what happens.. Here are the things that you should write down:

- Time e.g. 8 a.m.
- What you ate and drank The amount should be as precise as possible. You don't need to have a cooking scale though; it could be something like this: two eggs, boiled hard; one tomato; two cups of coffee with milk and sugar.
- Who prepared it? Did you make your breakfast yourself or did you eat take-out?
- How hungry were you before eating? Use a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being "not hungry at all" and 5 being "starving". Trust me, this one is important.
- What were you doing while eating? Did you watch TV, read the newspaper or fiddle around with your iPhone while eating, did you have breakfast by yourself in silence or with your family?

These points are important and really helpful when it comes to analyzing a person's eating patterns. You'll see your eating habits in a different light after keeping a journal - and you'll know what to change. Every single one of you readers probably know what a healthy diet should consist of, now you just need to make it happen.If you feel lost in the jungle of "healthy eating", send me a message to ulrika(dot)lillsunde(at)gmail(dot)com and we'll work something out.

Try this - you'll thank me later.

/Ulrika

//Translation//Käännös
Aikaisemmassa tekstissäni kerroin, kuinka määrittelet itsellesi tavoitteet. Viimeisenä pisteenä tavoitteiden laatimisessa oli ruoka- ja treenipäiväkirjan pito. Tämän tekstin tarkoitus on tuoda sinulle ohjeet oikean ruokapäiväkirjan pitämiseen, jotta varmasti onnistut. 
Pidä ruokapäiväkirjaa kaksi viikkoa ja varmista, että syöt sinulle normaalisti kahden viikon aikana. Älä huijaa itseäsi, sillä analysointi on silloin huomattavasti vaikeampaa! Kahden viikon kirjoittelun jälkeen ruokapäiväkirja analysoidaan. Tarkkaile siis ateriarytmiäsi (söitkö 4-6 pientä ateriaa vai 2-3 suurta?) sekä ruokavaliosi monipuolisuutta ja tasapainoa (proteiinit/hiilihydraatit/rasvat-suhde). Jos et tiedä yhtään mistä puhun, vie ruokapäiväkirjasi Personal Trainerille niin pääset alkuun.

Tässä muutama asia, jotka olisi hyvä näkyä ruokapäiväkirjassasi:
- Kellonaika
- Mitä söit ja joit (esim. kaksi kananmunaa, yksi tomaatti, kaksi kuppia kahvia maidolla ja sokerilla)
- Kuka valmisti ruokasi? Söitkö itse tehdyn aamiaisen vai haitko sen kulmakuppilasta?
- Kuinka nälkäinen olit ennen ruokailua? Käytä asteikkoa 1-5, jossa 1 on "ei ollenkaan nälkäinen" ja 5 "pahin mahdollinen nälkä". Pyri havainnoimaan tätä numeroa, sillä se on tärkeä!
- Mitä teit ruokailun aikana? Katsoitko televisiota, luitko lehteä, näppäilitkö kännykkääsi, söitkö yksin hiljaisuudessa vai yhdessä perheesi kanssa?

Niin kuin aiemmin sanoin, kokeile tätä kahden viikon ajan. Näet ruokailutottumuksesi uudessa valossa ruokapäiväkirjan pitämisen jälkeen - tiedät varmasti mitä muuttaa. Uskoisin, että jokainen lukijani tietää miltä terveellinen ruokavalio näyttää, nyt ei muuta kuin toteuttamaan sitä! Jos koet olevasi eksyksissä itsellesi sopivan ruokavalion suhteen, lähetä minulle sähköpostia osoitteeseen ulrika(piste)lillsunde(at)gmail(piste)com niin katsotaan mitä voin tehdä.

Testaa tätä - kiität minua myöhemmin.

/Ulrika