A New Tattoo

Hello everyone happy hump day! 

Look what I had done yesterday, another addition to my ever growing collection of tattoos. I love my new message in a bottle so cute. My good friend Ben did this for me you can check out some more of his work here. 

After having this done yesterday afternoon I trained some clients. I was more then ready to have dinner when the time came too,having tattoos takes it out of you! 

Dinner was the perfect protein packed plate of food I needed, chicken with salad and steamed sweet pots yum!

I had the WORST nights sleep last night which has had me feeling off all day, I couldn't even muster the energy to exercise and thats saying something! I trained a client at 6am then came home and had a big bowl of green smoothie goodness this had water, chocolate whey protein, spinach, 1/2 avocado and 1 small banana whizzed up and topped with almonds and coconut : )

I met an old friend and my sister for coffee in a local cafe, wow it was steaming hot today wasn't it!? I can only hope there is some nice weather shared across next weekend for Glastonbury! We had a good chat then looked round the charity shops before heading back home.

I had lots of clients papers and bits to organise which is a much bigger job then I first thought so this will need to be continued it kept me busy until my next clients anyway! I also enjoyed this yummy juice this afternoon it was a jumble of stuff that tasted like heaven in a glass, love me some fresh juice! 

I am just waiting for Dale to get back then its dinner time, yay! Have a lovely evening guys and I may well see you tomorrow x x

Question:

How did you spend the hottest day of the year so far?

I love Mondays

I never thought I would say it but I love Mondays! 

Mondays for lots of people is the worst day, its the beginning of another work week another week wishing for Friday to come again. Not for me I love them but that is purely because I have the best job in the world right now. Training clients has been a dream of mine that came true so getting up for work is a joy! I'm loving all my clients right now, they work so hard and the results are amazing I'm so proud of them and proud of myself to be the one that is helping them achieve their goals : )

My Monday started with a kiss from my Gangster cat 

(my sister nicknamed him tony soprano!) 

I made a pre workout green juice then got my sweat on. I did an upper body workout mixed with some cardio and by the end I was drenched so all good! 

After freshening up I made a post workout green smoothie, yes it looks like pond water but I can assure you it didn't taste like it : )

I had clients in the morning till early afternoon my smoothie was super filling so I snacked on some chicken around lunch time.

Then early evening I was back in my workout gear to do some skype training with a client. Another very sweaty session which was fuelled by the above juice.

I definitely needed a protein packed dinner today so more chicken was eaten with some avocado and raw mushrooms plus I had some blueberries mixed with yogurt for afters.

I have a very exciting day tomorrow in between clients I will be getting anew tattoo! Ha yes another one to add to the collection I'll reveal all soon. Have afab Tuesday peeps, I plan too!

Question:

Do you love Mondays, if yes why, if no why?

Juice And A Discount Code Just For You!

Hello readers I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend? Mine has been busy but before I talk about that let me share this amazing discount offer I have for you! The lovely people over at Nutribox have given me a special code so that 10 of you lucky people can get 35% off your first box!!!!!

The code you need to enter is SEQUINS35 into the discount box here. This is only for the first 10 people so get ya skates on!!!!!!! One other thing I would like to mention is a big thank you to Nutribox for adding me to their "blogs we love" page : )

Before you go and grab yourself a Nutribox I'll tell you about my weekend. Saturday started with some clients first thing followed by a yummy juice and a day of work in the tattoo shop.

After work me and Dale went to his sisters for dinner, she is due to have her bubba in 5 weeks so its all very exciting round hers!
I also got to hang out with my favourite doggy : )

This morning I started my day with another juice, I forget how much I love fresh juice so yummy!

I had a client then finally got my roots done, they were in serious need of being sorted! All blonde again now though in time for Glastonbury : )

In the afternoon I went to see my dad and we booked our tickets to Ireland in September for my little sisters wedding, so excited!! Now I am getting things ready for a very busy week of clients all starting tomorrow morning with my 6.15am fitness class! 

Question:

What was the best thing about your weekend?

Seeing my favourite pup was mine : )

June Reviews: ilumi, Cocofina and Dormeo Octaspring!!!!!

Hey everyone, I have some time to drop in at last! Because I have a little time today I am getting my June review post in now as who knows when I will get time again this month what with Glastonbury looming and masses to get sorted before hand! I have had a few new clients starting this month which I mentioned before, this has been so great I love getting new clients and starting new journeys with people but my time is getting taken up thats for sure. Which means I need to get this post up and out there! 

As always I want to say how grateful I am to all those companies that offer me products for review it is a real bonus of writing a blog. I have said this before but I will remind you all anyway I have lots of offers to review stuff but I only say yes to things I am intrigued by and I think will be of interest to you. My reviews are honest, I say exactly what I think and if I don't get on with something I will tell you about it. Luckily for me the following products I have been sent are pretty awesome, let me share.........

ilumi

ilumi are a new range of convenience foods that are nut, milk and gluten free! ilumi is a company based in County Durham, the meals are thought up by a team of nutritionists and chefs with a knowledge of food allergies plus are cooked and packaged on site. They use British suppliers and know exactly where their ingredients come from to give you piece of mind when eating their products. The range also comes packaged in convenient sized packs and pouches to make it easy to pop in your bag to take to work or store in the cupboard or fridge.

They were very kind and sent me a good range of products to try which included:

Thai Red Chicken Curry

Ragu Bolognese

Slow-Cooked Beef Casserole

Vegetable Chickpea Jalfrezi

Tom Kha Gai (thai chicken soup)

Shallot Peppercorn Sauce

Sweet Chili Stir Fry Sauce

and 

Yellow Basmati Rice

Lucky me right? I have not as yet used all of the above as I usually cook my meals from scratch but these are so useful to have when you are limited on time.

So far I have tried the sweet chili stir fry sauce which we drizzled over some meatballs YUM! This was a big thumbs up, lovely flavour, not overly sweet either like some sauces. Dale needed some food to take fishing with him so I thought he could be my official taster for a couple of the other meals. He took the chickpea jalfrezi which he teamed with some chicken and brown rice. His words were "bloody lovely!". He also tried the beef casserole and had it with brown rice too, he loved this meal as well, he said these were perfect to take with him fishing and gave him a filling meal to look forward to in the evening! I was so happy he liked them as usually he takes foods that aren't as wholesome so these are perfect for him. 

To round up I really like ilumi meals, if you are pushed for time and need something quick that is tasty but not filled with the usual nasties then these are a great option. They taste like real food because they contain real food! If you are someone that needs healthy convenient food then you should give these a try plus if you spend over £20 across the range you will get £10 off till the end of June!!!

Cocofina

The next product I want to talk about is my beloved coconut water! If you follow my blog or my instagram account you will know I love coconut water so when asked if I would like to review some cocofina I said a big yes! Coconut water I find is refreshing, a great sports drink as it is naturally isotonic (hydrating), low in calories and tastes delicious, an all round winner! Cocofina was a new to me coconut water brand even though they have been around since 2005! 

This brand certainly doesn't disappoint, their coconut water is really yummy and the cartons are perfect for popping in your bag to take out with you for the day. The name cocofina stands for 'Fine coconut water' and that it is. I will definitely be buying this when I see it in the shops and am in need of a refreshing hit of coconut water! 

Last but not least......

Dormeo Octaspring

When people talk about health and fitness sleep isn't always the first thing to come to mind but it should be! If you have a comfortable 7+ hours sleep it helps to keep you slim, in a good mood and ready for the day ahead. Everybody needs sleep to function properly and a goodnights sleep is definitely important to me, I know if I have less then 6/7 hours sleep I feel more hungry and restless. Thats why I said yes to trying out an Octaspring memory foam pillow. I had a back pillow but it was so old I'm sure it was doing more harm then good so this offer couldn't have come at a better time! 

The pillow I chose to review is the Octaspring Evolution a unique pillow which has a centre made of soft memory foam octapillow springs that support the head. These middle softer springs are surrounded by firmer ones to support the neck. This pillow helps to align the spine and give a restful nights sleep. 

After hurting my back a few years ago I like my pillow to be firm and this is perfect, it is really firm but soft at the same time and gives masses of support. It made it obvious the pillow I had was definitely no good! Even Dale who likes his pillows to be really squashy loves my new pillow so before long I think we will have to invest in another one for him : ) 

These kind of pillows at first may seem expensive but when we are talking a good nights sleep I think spending a little extra is totally worth it. As I said we will be getting one for Dale as he is so jealous of mine and if you like a firm supportive pillow I would say go take a look at the Octaspring site. They have 4 pillows to choose from depending on your needs as well as mattress toppers, mattresses and beds if you need the full kit! Go take a look!!

Ok there we have it my June review post is complete, I want to say a MASSIVE thank you to ilumi, Cocofina and Dormeo Octaspring for being kind enough to send me products to review it has been a real pleasure and your products are fabulous! 

Question:

Have you tried any of the above, what did you think?

Chicken 3 Ways

Well I am in a total rush as always but thought I would pop in and share with you my chicken addiction! I will hopefully be back tomorrow with more time to sit back and have a good old chat with you guys I also have lots of things to share with you but thats for another day........

Chicken 3 Ways

Basically I roast a pan of chicken then eat it over the next few days with Dale it makes for quick and easy meals that are protein rich! For this batch I marinated the chicken in garlic, turmeric, herbs and olive oil for a few hours then roasted for about 35/40 minutes job done!

Breakfast: straight up on its own delicious and filling

Lunch: served with salad and sweet pots with a little coconut oil

Dinner: served with more salad and a dollop of black olive pate yummers!

Question:

How do you like your kitchen?

Chobani Yogurt Dressed Broccoli Salad

Don't worry your eyes are not deceiving you I am back postings for a second day in row! I have a delicious recipe to share with you, I had a meal for dinner last night which was glorious for the taste buds simple but so so good. Before I get to that I'll tell you a little bit about my Monday......

I started the day taking my fitness group for a seafront and cliff run. Total killer but a great way to start the day plus we were all finished by 7am!

I had more clients in the morning and early afternoon, I squeezed in a yummy lunch between clients. The perfect mix of protein and fat, I love avocado and eggs! 

I trained another client on skype (workout no.2) then had another couple of clients before making dinner! A very busy Monday but I love it that way especially when I am training clients they brighten up my day : )

Now its time to talk about my fabulous dinner from last night which I would happily eat any time of the day, breakfast, lunch or dinner this would slip down very easily!

My recipe was inspired by the guys at Chobani they are running a competition to make a brunch recipe and this yumminess is what I came up with. This meal is really refreshing and perfect for the summer months (if we could get some!) it could be made lighter by having a smaller piece of chicken or maybe having some boiled eggs with it anyway lets get to how I made it and what went in it!

The Chicken 

  I oven baked the chicken breasts in a little olive oil, dried garlic, turmeric and mixed herbs. 

I baked a big batch for about 40 minutes but if you were cooking 1 or 2 they would take 30 minutes depending on size.

Yogurt Dressed Broccoli Salad

You need: 1 head of broccoli, 1 cup plain chobani, 1 small red onion, good handful of fresh basil, half a small lemon and freshly ground black pepper, pine nuts

To make: cut the broccoli head into florets and lightly steam for 2 minutes (it should still be firm) before putting it in cold water to cool it and keep its bright green colour. In a bowl mix 1 cup of plain Chobani, diced red onion and basil. Squeeze half a small lemon over the mix and add some black pepper, as much as you like then mix again. Put broccoli in a large mixing bowl then pour the yogurt mix over the top and coat the florets. Toast some pine nuts in a dry frying pan and sprinkle on top.

This was just so good, I can't recommend you try it enough. The yogurt made the broccoli salad so fresh not like heavy mayo. It went really well with the chicken too an all round hit! Dale had nothing but praise for this meal which means it must have been good! 

I hope you get a chance to make this and enjoy it! I have got to get ready for my next client, see you soon readers x x

Question:

Do you like using yogurt in cooking?

Activate Nutrition

Hello, today I am going to talk protein and not the usual protein that you all see here most days there is no chicken in sight! To be honest I prefer to get my protein from whole foods like chicken, eggs and tuna but when I was asked by the kind folk over at Activate Nutrition if I would like to try out some whey protein powder I thought I would take up the offer as I am experimenting with dairy as you know. 

I was sent a pot of chocolate Diet Protein Plus to try out which was very generous, thank you!

This particular protein is aimed at those wanting to build lean muscle whilst reducing body fat. It has lots of ingredients to help control weight, you can get a full product run through if you go to the link above. To be honest the weight loss isn't the thing I am most interested in its the taste! 

I've been having lots of fun trying out the protein powder in my smoothies. Straight up in a glass with added banana, raw cocoa, avocado and ice, in a bowl topped with coconut, mixed with tahini, wheatgrass and frozen blueberries or my personal favourite with banana, tahini, ice and spinach with a topping and eaten from a bowl of course! I really like the taste of this protein it doesn't taste artificial like many powders do plus it gives me no tummy problems at all, bonus! I only use water when making smoothies with it too and it tastes fine even with water on its own it tastes ok which is saying something. I would say if you are somebody that likes to have daily or weekly protein shake this is definitely worth a try I'm pretty sure you wont be disappointed! 

And with the above stats its a great shake to have after ya workout! 

I am now going to hand over to one of the guys at Activate Nutrition so he can tell you about another one of there products enjoy.........

ZMA

Many of us will know the benefits of supplementing the usual multivitamins; cod liver oil, vitamin C but what about ZMA?

ZMA is a health supplement consisting of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. Essential minerals such as zinc and magnesium are easily overlooked in their importance and benefits to our overall health.

Unfortunately with today’s modern diets, the majority of people are not getting their RDI (recommended daily intake) of both magnesium and zinc. In fact, it is believed as much as 70% of people in the UK do not even come close. This is why it is so important to know the benefits of supplementing these minerals for our health.

Fight Fatigue

Magnesium in particular has been shown to help with our recovery and sleep patterns. This is done by helping control the adrenaline glands, which are two very small glands that are found on the top of our kidneys.The best way to think of these glands is like a car engine. When you are pushing an engine to its limits to go faster, eventually you must slow down and let it cool off. This is the equivalent of our none-stop hectic lifestyles. We are do not stop from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed at night. This causes a great deal of stress and can lead to these glands being over worked, draining them of their energy. In order to keep these glands fit and healthy, they require adequate amounts of magnesium, which will allow them to recover faster and keep up with our lifestyles.

Fight Common Illnesses 

In order to fight common illnesses such as the flue and colds, a healthy immune system is needed. When we become unwell with flu, zinc in particular is a much-needed mineral. This is because our bodies use high levels of zinc to produce the immune cells we need to combat the flue germs.

Increased Protein Synthesis

Whether you’re a cross fitter, runner or general gym-goer the process of protein synthesis is key to better recovery. Do you know that feeling when you wake up sore the next day after exercise? This is because when we push ourselves during a workout, we breakdown the muscle fibres which results in that sore feeling. In order for your muscles to recover, they perform a process called protein synthesis. This is the process in where your body takes amino acids from the protein we have eaten and utilises them to rebuild the muscle fibres. This process has shown to be improved when the RDI of both Zinc and Magnesium are achieved consistently.

Why is there Vitamin B6?

Vitamin B6 may sound like a strange addition to this supplement mix but it actually plays a key role. This is because vitamin B6 has been shown to increase the amount of magnesium and zinc that can be absorbed by the body. This helps to ensure that the maximum zinc and magnesium is absorbed. This is also why it is best to use a ZMA supplement rather than taking both magnesium and zinc separately.

ZMA is a supplement that has been seen as something used by gym-goers and sports people but as you can see this supplement has many benefits for everyday life. As with all vitamins and minerals, it is always a good idea to get these naturally from food sources. However, to help ensure you hit your RDI everyday, it is always good practice to reinforce your diet with a supplement such as Activate Nutrition ZMA.

Question:

Do you use a protein powder, if so which one and why?