*TOP 5 TIPS* to get rid of your Bikini Bloat

Ok so Easter is over, I have eaten my weight in chocolate and my body isn't thanking me for it. I don't know about you guys, but when the holidays come round all my friends return home, everyone is off on holidays and I am flat out catching up with everyone and a lot of food is consumed. Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with friends and going out for dinner is my favourite past time. But 5 times in the one week seems slightly excessive to me, not including the large amount of easter eggs that where consumed. 

For me it's time to get back on the health band wagon, summer is just around the corner and apart from looking fit, I want to feel healthy again. When I eat well I have more energy, I feel motivated and I have more confidence in myself.  So this blog post is designed to give you guys a few tips which will leave your body feeling fit and fabulous. Not only will these tips help you slim down and perfect your body for the summer, but they will make your insides happy and remove that bikini bloat :)

1. Drink more water- The first and most important tip may seem the most obvious, and I know you guys hear it all the time, but it really works. Drinking water before a meal will prevent you from overeating  while also aiding in digestion and removing toxins from the body, what more could you want?!

2 Eat the right fruits - Certain fruits improve digestion- for example pineapples and papayas both contain enzymes which help in protein digestion, making you feel less bloated.  So instead of raiding the sweetie cupboard after your dinner, try some pineapple- not only is it better for you, it will reduce that bloated feeling. Blueberries are also a fat fighting fruit, with research showing that they reduce abdominal fat in rats- promising research in this area.

3. Make your work out an overall body boot camp- having an exercise routine with lots of cardio components is important, but don't forget to include some basic weight aspects. Building muscle burns more calories than just doing cardio alone, so include some basic weights exercises. Things such as press ups, squats,  tricep dips or lunges will not only help you lose weight but also help tone and sculpt your body.

4. Don't forget your fibre and whole grains-Making sure your diet is full of whole grains and high in fibre will ensure that your digestion is working regularly and will prevent bloating. Try quiona as a healthy wholegrain it is also high in potassium which is excellent in preventing bloating. These foods will also help to keep you satiated and you'll feel fuller for longer. So definitely do not cut those carbs!

5. Keep it natural with yogurt- If you are looking for a flat washboard stomach, then natural yogurt will be your new best friend. Filled with good bacteria, it also aids in digestion and removes that uncomfortable feeling of being bloated.  You can makes this an even better treat by adding in blueberries to sweeten and add in important antioxidants.

Now you know these handy tips there is no excuse for not feeling fit and fabulous this summer!

Let me know if you guys want to know anything else on health and nutrition, I would love to help!

Lou <3 

TOP 5 | Lipsticks

Ok so I'm just going to come out and say it.....I am totally obsessed with lipsticks. I can't go into boots or Superdrug without leaving with a little lipstick present for myself. Great for my makeup collection, not so great for my bank balance.

 I can't exactly pinpoint when this obsession began all I know is I now own a hell of a lot of lipsticks. Which in turn can take up a lot of time when it comes to picking one as I am awful for decision making. To the point where I have to 'eenie meanie miney mo' most of my decisions throughout the day...yes I know, it's very mature of me. However  the  task of choosing a lipstick is made easier because I always return to the same ones. So I decided to share with you my top 5 lipsticks.

My first favourite is a nudey pinky shade called Julianne's Nude by L'OREAL from their Color Riche range. This colour suits me really well, the consistency is really creamy and smooth and is probably my most used lipstick, mainly because I wear it most days. A really good daytime nude lipstick.

Rimmel  620 coral queen- Last summer I am 100% certain that this was the only lipstick I wore when heading for a night out. I loved this bright orangey coral colour and it seemed to match with any outfit I wanted to wear, so it was constantly in my handbag.  Super beaut and perfect for the summer!

Revlon lip butter in lollipop- I have so many of the Revlon lip butters and I love them all, but this is the one I use most frequently.  Such a gorgeous glossy colour, I can't get enough of it!

MAC Lady Danger is my ultimate red colour and I love wearing red lipstick. The only issue I find with this is that bleeds slightly so I have to wear a red lip liner with it, a small price to pay for such an amazing lipstick.

My last colour is totally out of my comfort zone, but MAC Rebel is such an beautiful,  during the winter I loved wearing it, but coming up to the summer I probably won't wear it as much. The colour will literally stay on your lips all day,  to the point that I find my lips are slightly stained the next day. But that's hardly that much of an issue.

Have you guys tried any of these lipsticks? 

What are your top lipsticks? I am always looking for a new one to try.

Lou <3

The Alkaline Diet

So with winter well and truly behind us (finally!) and summer 2014 looming, everyone wants to get healthy and fit. Recently I have been asked my opinion on a Alkaline diet and I have come across it quite a bit, so decided to research a little bit on it and explain it to you guys.

Some of you may have heard about this diet, others may not. It first became public knowledge in 2013 when Victoria Beckham tweeted about an Alkaline Diet cookbook, and since then has received many celebrity fans. And obviously if all the celebs are doing it then it is going to be the next big craze. I have noticed there are a tonne of recipe books for alkaline meals and diets but there is less public information out there for those who want to find out some more about it.

So why is it supposedly so good? To understand it fully we need to go back to basics. Here’s a quick chemistry lesson to explain:

A pH level of something measures how alkaline or acidic it is on a range of 0-14, with 0 being completely acidic and 14 being completely alkaline, 7 is neutral. These pH levels vary throughout the body – your stomach is highly acidic (<3.5) to help with the breakdown of your food whereas your blood is slightly alkaline (7.35 - 7.45). Your kidneys are responsible for maintaining pH balance therefore pH of urine varies depending on what you have eaten.

Those in favour of the Alkaline Diet claim that eating naturally alkaline foods help your body maintain its pH balance, but nothing you eat will substantially alter the pH of your body long-term, your body is able to do this perfectly well on its own (way to go, kidneys!).

They also believe that shifting your pH balance to even slightly acidic often over a long-term basis can have detrimental effects on health and also cause prolonged acidity. This however has yet to be proven scientifically so we cannot say one way or another whether this is true. On a positive note, whether or not you want to follow the diet for the alkaline benefits- the foods which are prescribed are all naturally healthy.

Alkaline foods – fruit, vegetables, soybeans, some nuts and seeds

Acidic foods – Carbonated drinks, white bread, alcohol, sugar, processed meats, processed foods, dairy

So even if you had no knowledge of the Alkaline Diet and just wanted to eat healthy then you would naturally avoid fizzy drinks, sugar and refined carbs as we all know these aren't good for our bodies.

However it would be very difficult to achieve our recommended daily intake of protein and some other minerals.

One massive claim from the Alkaline diet is its role in preventing cancer. There is a big relationship between diet and cancer as I'm sure you already know. However there is limited information and research to confirm or deny whether a long-term, a diet high in acidic food is a direct cause of cancer.

To conclude, from what I have read in both lay articles and research papers, there is no evidence as of yet to say that alkaline diets outright prevent cancer and other diseases (this is a very BIG claim to make), however neither have I read anything to suggest the alkaline diet might have negative effects. So by all means give it a go, but please don’t think that it will make your body invincible against all conditions and diseases!

If there has been anything in this post which you disagree with or have any questions on (or if you’ve tried this diet yourself!), please leave a comment or drop us an email, always great to hear from you guys!

Lydia x

Abs Mania

Hey Guys!

So when I'm working out at home by myself, I always need loads of motivation. I am pretty competitive so if I am exercising in a group I always want to be the fastest and strongest,  but working out by myself I don't have the same contest. I can also be super bad with time management, I will always try and set aside an hour to work out, but of course I will run out of time and I always have other things to do.

This is exactly how my 20 minute workout came about.

Its quick and simple and gets your heart racing! This workout is based on the High intensity Interval Training principal (HIIT), where doing short bursts of intense exercise are thought to be more efficient and effective than prolonged steady exercise.  Absolutely perfect for me, I love working out, I just need some help with my time management.

Generally I pick 4 or 5 songs which get me pumped and keep me going the whole time. Before starting I always have an idea of the areas of my body I want to work and a list of exercises. I always combine some cardio with toning exercises to get a good overall body work out.

Today I decided to share with you the workout I love doing to Calvin Harris -Summer (My absolute favourite song of the moment....Roll on summer 2014!!). Because the song is about summer and I am trying my hardest to get some resemblance of abs before I go away on holiday;  an abs  work out is an obvious choice. It's quick paced and hopefully it gets your abs burning. I do each exercise for approximately 30 seconds and save the power skipping for when the beat drops shortly after the chorus (Such a good feeling makes me feel so pumped!).

Check it out and let me know what you guys think, this is just what I enjoy doing from time to time. But I always mix it up and try a few different combinations.

I have included a description of each exercise in case you have never heard of them before. Sorry in advance but my descriptive skills are rubbish, so if you don't understand what I am talking about I would suggest googling them to make sure you are doing them right :)

Lou <3

Crunches- Similar to sit ups but you raise and lower yourself slightly off the floor. Shorter and sharper than a sit up.

Reverse Crunch -Still lying down with your legs raised off the ground, bring your legs back towards your chest and reach  them up to the sky and then back to the original start position.

Press up into side plank- Do a basic press up, then rotate so your body is facing either left or right and you are balancing on one hand. Stretch your other hand up to the sky and hold for a few seconds before returning to your press up position, then repeat on the other side.

Plank- standard plank, balance on elbows and toes. Keep your core engaged and ensure your bum isn't dropping down too low or up too high.

Punch sit up- perform a normal sit up with a couple of punches at the top of the sit up before lowering yourself back down onto your mat.

Twist and shout- Sitting down with your knees slightly bent, lift your feet up off the floor and balance yourself in this position. Reach your hands straight up in the air and then lower both hands down to one side of your body repeat continuously.

Power Skipping - I always think of this as something similar to the running man. Start with your hands in the air  bring both of your arms down together and  simultaneously raise one knee. Repeat again swapping legs- this is meant to be performed quick and with a lot of power.

OOTD

So very random blog post today, but the weather was so beaut over the weekend so I decided to do a little outfit of the day. I am totally in love my my Nike trainers, they are never off my feet, so I am always trying to find an outfit which can incorporate them - hence my outfit this weekend.

Shoes - Nike Air Peagusus 83

Trousers- H&M 

T-Shirt - Zara (the necklace is attached to it, with two cute  ribbons which tie at the back)

Denim Jacket - Topshop

Sunglasses- RayBan  

 Let me know what you think of my outfit.

Lou <3

Answering those Carbohydrate Queries

Worldwide we have become a group of impatient individuals. With the development of technology we receive fast results all the time, and particularly with our diets we expect the same. We look at a picture of a super model and want the same tiny toned body as them instantly, but it is never that simple.

Today I just wanted to look at how effective cutting carbohydrates from our diets is. For this we need to examine a  few different areas. The first and most basic question we all want to know is...

Does cutting carbohydrates help us lose weight?

 The simple answer is Yes.

By following a very low carbohydrate diet you will lose weight quickly.  The reason for this weight loss is debated; some consider it to be the body losing a source of energy (carbohydrate) so it turns to the stored fat and protein for energy; while others say it's to do with the reduced calorie intake. Whatever the actual mechanism it does provide results in a short period of time.

Brilliant if you want to lose a few pounds quick, but not an effective long term weight loss strategy.

WHY?

Firstly this diet is not sustainable.

Carbohydrates are needed as our main energy source, we need them to keep going throughout the day. While we can cut out carbs for a couple of weeks, as a long term weight loss strategy it is not advisable. Once you reintroduce carbs back into your diet then the weight will pile on back again, long term weight loss is most successful following a healthy diet and lifestyle plan.

It is however recommended we avoid too many refinded carbs, this would be white bread, pasta and rice. We can then introduce wholemeal versions, which have a slower release of energy and keep you fuller for longer- really important if we are trying to lose weight and get more active!

So the big question is whether the low carb diet allows for greater weight loss than a high carb diet? 

Research has found that both the low carb diet and a high carb diets provided similar weight loss over the 6 week trial period - So over a longer period of time the differences even out.

Further to this research it was noted that those on the low carb diet reported having a lower energy level than those on the high carb diet. This suggests that carbohydrate may affect mood, emotion and the desire to be physically active. Not good if we are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly.

So we lose our desire to be active when we follow a low carb diet, but at least when we replace the lost carbohydrates with protein we will be building muscle....right?

Unfortunately not.

Research has shown that following a low carb diet increases the amount of fat free mass (muscle,  skin and other tissues etc) lost compared to those following a high fat diet. This is thought to be because of the decreased insulin level in the body.  I'm sure you have all heard it mentioned before that having a high level of insulin in the body is bad- it is associated with building fat mass.  HOWEVER... insulin is necessary for building muscle. So all those body builders and athletes looking to lose weight by cutting out the carbs, it might not be the best way forward.

We have seen that

1.       It's not a sustainable weight loss regime.

2.       Doesn't give a greater weight loss over time.

3.       It cause an effect in mood, emotion and activity levels.

4.       It depletes our fat free mass.

So what is the best way forward?

One thing that many of these studies never considered was the effect of protein on our bodies. One piece of research looked at this and found that following a diet with moderate carbohydrate and high protein intake to be successful. Body weight management was found to be dependent on the protein intake rather than the low carbohydrate component.

I would definitely recommend following a healthy well balanced diet which includes carbohydrates, apart from being essential for our everyday lives, they are so important for allowing us to stay fit and active. Being able to lose weight is one thing but being fit along with it is another thing entirely, so keep those carbs! 

If you have any more questions on  carbs or other areas of nutrition let us know, we will be happy to answer them :)

Lou <3