& Other Stories

H&M’s brand new label & Other Stories opened last month on Regent Street. It took three years in the making so what is it all about? & Other Stories is a store for the girl who wants to be Acne and Isabel Marant with a Topshop price tag – and that is exactly what it delivers. Somewhat resembling COS, the collection is minimalistic, offering masculine tailoring to feminine chic with a raw, unfinished edge. The price tag doesn't exactly resemble the cheap and cheerful H&M prices, some things are a little pricier while others are almost on par with H&M, all with a purpose though, to bring in a wider audience.

Here below are some of my favourite pieces from the collection, I’ve got a feeling shopping at & Other Stories is going to get quite addictive…  

 

What do you think of & Other Stories?

 

Workout

 

 

 

Following my previous post The Not So Faddy Diet I thought I’d post a couple of my favourite YouTube workout videos. Making the effort to go to the gym or get up and go running or even just thinking about it can be a chore in itself. Having the time to drive to the gym, find a car parking space, workout then the drive home eats away at the little spare time many of us may have and then some days you just simply can’t be bothered to get up and go all together.

Here are two of my favourite workout videos that vary from 20-30 minutes to complete; I usually like to combine one of these videos after I’ve been on a 30 minute run or combine two of them together. How ever many you wish to do is entirely up to you. But one thing’s for sure, there is absolutely no excuses because you don’t even have to leave the house!

 Jillian Michaels 6 Week Abs

I have tried a couple of Jillian Michaels workout videos; such as the 30 Day Shred which I didn’t like very much as I got bored very quickly. However the 6 Weeks Abs is a lot more varied and is a combination of stomach toning exercises and a mix of cardio. It only takes 30 minutes so it’s great if you’ve got a busy day or if you simply don’t feel like you have the energy.

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8Zdj0OPMI

Fitness Blender

 

Fitness Blender has a great amount of videos on Youtube that have range from cardio, HIIT training, yoga workouts to videos aimed at stomach toning, butt toning and thighs. They even tailor their videos for example to people who want to tone bum and thighs without doing squats and lunges. All of their videos incorporate a vast range of exercises that work muscles you wouldn’t have even thought of working. Fitness Blender Flat Belly Workout is one of my favourites.

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqKVlBesypc 

 

 

 

The Parisian: Three Ways

The Not So Faddy Diet: The Starting Point

Bikini season is fast approaching and it will be here sooner than you can say “I’m on a diet”.

Anything weight, diet and exercise related are often hot topics for discussion between my friends and I, as we prepare our bodies for more revealing attire for the summer months.

In a bid to say goodbye to bingo wings and welcome toned tummies we can often get twisted and caught up in a whirlwind of crazy diets and vigorous exercise regimes that leave us feeling exhausted, bored, undernourished and craving comfort foods leaving us in a vicious cycle.

Diets are temporary so what we really need to do is make lifelong nutritional changes, for a healthier diet and way of eating that won’t make you feel deprived so that you can stick to it for life.

So here's my list of diet Dos and Don'ts to help kick start the process to a healthy way to manage your weight.

DON’T Skip Breakfast

 

They don’t say breakfast is the most important meal of the day for no reason and skipping it isn’t going to help you lose the weight either. Twenty five percent of your daily calorie intake should be from your breakfast and an astonishing five million of us don’t bother eating it at all. Avoiding breakfast can cause poor concentration, irritability and low blood sugar levels, the reason for the majority of your food cravings throughout the day and the reason you may have trouble losing weight. So skipping breakfast or not having a substantial amount for breakfast is a massive DON’T.

In the famous words of Michael Van Straten my dad has always said to me ‘Breakfast like a King, lunch like a prince and dine like Pauper’. I make breakfast my biggest meal of the day packed with slow energy releasing carbs.

A typical breakfast is a slice of gluten free brown bread with marmalade and a bowl of gluten free oats plain with a mix of semi-skimmed and skimmed milk. I realise some people just don’t have big appetites in the morning so skip the toast and make yourself a manageable bowl of oats for breakfast. On the move? there's still no excuse, the supermarkets are filled with alternatives for those with busy lifestyles with Just Add Hot Water porridge oats pots or better yet, keep a stash at work.

Eating Oats can help you lose weight in two ways, it’s packed with fibre, keeping you feeling fuller for longer and secondly, a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition reported that eating a breakfast made with slow-release carbohydrates 3 hours before you exercise may help you burn more fat. Slow energy releasing carbs also won’t spike blood sugar like the refined kind (such as: white bread) and In turn, insulin levels don’t spike as high. Insulin plays a role in signalling your body to store fat, so having lower blood sugar levels will aid in helping you burn fat!

DON’T cut out carbs but DO cut down on the starchy kind

Many people think that in order to achieve weight loss results carbohydrates should be the first thing to go. But eliminating an entire food group is never a good idea especially one that is crucial for our bodies to function properly.

People often take to the Atkins diet in order to shed the pounds by removing a vast amount of food from their diets by eating large quantities of proteins and very little amounts of carbohydrates as the ingredient for weight loss – as though losing weight were all about avoiding carbs. Not only is this unhealthy for our bodies, as our bodies need carbohydrates. We convert carbs into glucose and we need it for energy. But we are also teaching ourselves unnecessary disciplines creating a negative relationship with food.

And a little tip, since cutting out carbs from your diet forever is virtually impossible the moment you start eating them again you will just watch the weight pile back on. So switching from starchy, simple carbs such as white breads, pasta and rice and switch to complex carbs in the form of brown breads, brown pasta and brown rice is the best way forward if you want to see results that will last. The reason simple carbs are ‘bad’ for you? Because we process them too easily into stored fat. Also, try to get your last carb sitting in before 3pm in order to give your body enough time to burn them off before your body prepares itself for rest, when your metabolism is at it's slowest.

DON'T be fooled

  

Don’t be fooled in to thinking you will lose weight solely from taking the stairs or getting off the bus a stop early and a common favourite to ‘just drink lots of water’.

Because advice like drinking water isn’t going to do it alone. Water is essential for a healthy balanced diet and important for your body and brain to function properly and of course aiding in weight loss. Certainly if you’re drinking calorie infused drinks daily, then no doubt you are going to lose a little weight simply from switching from sugary drinks to plain water. I often read advice that drinking ‘ice cold water’ can also help you lose weight because it speeds up your metabolism. While all of this may be true, don’t be fooled into thinking that this is all you need to do to manage your weight. Losing weight healthily is a combination of a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise. 

Remember: consistency is key. start as you mean to go on if you drink 3 litres of water one day and only drink half a litre the next isn't going to get you anywhere as what will happen, is your body will begin to retain every little bit of water it receives. Resulting in you feeling and looking bloated and won't have any effects to weight management whatsoever.

 

 DO get moving 

Yes, unfortunately we do need to get up and get exercising as part of managing our weight. But you’ll be glad to know that the key rule to weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise, but don’t put those trainers down just yet ladies! It is important to remember that exercise isn’t just for weight loss and that all important toning, it is essential for health and wellbeing. Exercise is great for preventing heart disease, high blood pressure and is also a great way of relieving stress. So this is in essence is great news. You can now stop worrying that you have to put in hours at the gym 7 days a week if you eat properly. For example; if you train 7 days a week, but when you come home you fill up on sugary carbs, snacks and drinks you would have completely undone all of the work you have just put into that gruelling exercise regime. That’s why the 80/20 rule is imperative.

DO allow yourself a treat

Depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy is one the reasons people pack in healthy eating in feeling they have become slaves to their own diets.

When I first started out with making permanent changes to my diet, I decided I would eat ‘clean’ during the week then when it came to the weekend I would allow myself to have that Chinese I’d been craving all week. Just remember ‘everything in moderation’ and not go over board and OVER-indulge.  Or maybe try swapping for healthier alternatives, if you are a chocolate addict try switching from milk to dark; you never know you might even end up liking it. However, just because you’re going for the ‘healthier’ version doesn’t mean you can eat double the quantity, these things are still high in sugar and fat!

And finally,

DO keep going

Unfortunately, looking like a Victoria’s Seceret Model won’t happen over night and sometimes you may feel like giving up at the first hurdle. If you do find yourself struggling remind yourself why you are doing this, go shopping , look at bikinis or whatever it is that’s inspiring you. As the weeks go by and the days draw in closer to your summer holiday things will get easier, you will find yourself adjusting into a new routine you will soon have forgotten about the one that was fuelled with sugary snacks and channel surfing. So do keep going, you haven’t done all of that hard work for nothing!

Don’t stress too much, food is essential and for enjoying. Leave the faddy diets at the door and I promise you, making these key little changes to your diet and changing your relationship with food will go a long way. I lost the half a stone in two months last year before my holiday just by changing my diet and the way I thought of food. What’s even better is that I have kept those extra lbs off and stuck to a healthier eating pattern. Just follow these easy rules, stay committed and enjoy it, go on you can do it! 

Pictures are courtesy of

WeHeartIt

www.powerwalkersworld.com 

health.yahoo.net 

www.texasbariatricspecialists.com

 

 

 

 

Product Review 2: Mediceuticals Scalp Therapy

 The second review of the Mediceuticals Scalp Therapy kit is now due, where I will look at hair growth, loss and overall condition. if you haven’t read my previous post you can read it here but in a nutshell it is a daily hair treatment to help rejuvenate my hair and get it growing, properly.

I have being using the mediceuticals products religiously for about 8 weeks now and I can honestly say I am seeing a difference in my hair, nothing big yet, but small changes are good changes. In my first post I mentioned that the Follicle Stimulator was leaving my hair feeling and looking greasy so I decided to cut down on the usage to about 3/4 times a week. I still only need to use a small amount of the shampoo and conditioner and despite the bottles exploding somewhat on my flight to Paris I still have over half of the bottle left!

When I very first started using the products I had my hair trimmed the day before so 8 weeks later have I noticed a difference in hair growth?

I have noticed my hair has actually grown a lot quicker than it usually does. I don’t have a particular hairstyle, but how I tend to measure my hair growth by my side fringe I had cut in about 5 years ago which I have left to sort of grow out. My hair normally grows quite quickly (after a trim) to the length it was prior to having a trim and then growth slows down once the hair has reached my jaw line and doesn’t grow much further. Since using Mediceuticals, the hair where my side parting/fringe falls grew to a faster rate and considerably further past my jaw line. So I am very pleased with this.

Have I noticed a changed in hair loss?

From using the scalp therapy pack I have also noticed when washing my hair there is a significantly less amount of hair falling out when shampooing and conditioning. Now, I don’t have a lot of hair on my head, before I would see strand after strand falling out into my hands and down the drain now I am losing a lot less – sorry I don’t have exact numbers here guys! But all in all it’s pretty amazing, so I definitely think Mediceuticals is working and is having some sort of impact on hair loss.

What about the condition of my hair?

Overall the condition of my hair is O.K. my hair is prone to breakages and I still experiencing a lot of breakages still so I don’t think the Scalp Therapy pack is aiding in the overall condition of my hair, so I haven’t seen a great improvement there. I have decided to use a conditioning treatment by Macadamia twice week to help improve the condition. However, Mediceutals cater to all kinds of problems with hair. They have ‘Healthy Hair Solutions’ pack which is specifically formulated for dry, damaged, fine fragile and thinning hair so I think I’m going to put that on my next ‘To Try’ list.

I am going to write another post in another couple of months to review any further progress, so fingers crossed I will continue to see even better results! I hope you’ve found this review update just as helpful.

Let me know your thoughts

 

Ever So Sweet

 

 

 

 

A Spring in the Air

Ok, so despite my post yesterday complaining about the slacking spring temperatures, today has been such lovely weather compared to the bank holiday weekend and it was the perfect weather to get up and go on a run. I prefer to get outside and go running to keep fit and aim to go 3 times a week. Some people are really good at getting up, getting their trainers on and heading out on a run at the crack of dawn. Unfortunately, I’m not that type of person. I have to get some food in tummy before I even contemplate doing any form of exercise. So after fuelling my body with some nutritious oatmeal with toppings of banana, raspberries, almonds and peanut butter and a couple of hours of work later I headed out on a late morning run. When the weather brightens up it makes me that bit more motivated to get in shape for summer and its always nice not to have to battle wintery ice cold choking winds.

 

 

 

By the time I had been on my run and done various other things time had just ran away with me and it was already 3’oclock! I thought it was a little bit late for lunch so I decided to fill up little snacks instead otherwise I wont want dinner!

I’m a really big fan of eggs at the minute, especially the boiled kind so I had boiled eggs on rice cakes.

 

 

 

Eggs are a great source of protein, relatively low fat and are great for muscle gain – not that I want to be a body builder or anything! But most of all they are actually really filling. I’m not following a stupidly strict diet plan so I did eat the egg yolks and that’s where the majority of the nutrients comes from – anyway,  what I did here was boiled two eggs (for 12-15 minutes) peeled the shell and allowed to cool for a couple of minutes, removed the egg yolks and mixed a little mayonnaise and added a little black pepper placed the egg yolks back inside the whites and placed on top of rice cakes.

 

I'll be back posting more later!

 

 

 

Wrapped in Bows

I'm sitting here and I can't believe it's spring, it is almost 8pm and there is still a little bit of daylight left. It's just a shame the weather isn't quite reflecting the change in season as it still doesn't feel like spring so we're just going to have to keep pulling out the knits for a little bit longer. I bought this really cute bow jumper a couple of weeks ago it is so warm and incredibly soft. So until the weather decides to perk up a bit I will be wearing this jumper for a while longer...

 

 

 

Eat Right without Going on a Diet in Your Life: Salmon fillet in breadcrumbs (Gluten free recipe)

What you will need

1 X salmon Fillet

1 slice of brown bread/1-2 slices of gluten free brown bread

Small Tea spoon of whole grain mustard

Tea spoon of honey

Butter

Vegetables of your choice

I’m all for living a healthy balanced diet but as someone who suffers with being a Coelic, having a gluten intolerance can be a little frustrating at the best of times. After years of putting up with cardboard like substitutes, I often forget the now wide and excellent variety of gluten free foods and recipes that are available for those of us with sensitive stomachs to foods containing gluten. With this simple, quick and easy recipe I hope I can inspire some of you in making tasty homemade foods for a fresher, healthier lifestyle and not to be put off when it comes to making alternatives to dishes containing gluten ingredients. 

  

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees 
 
Depending on the brand of gluten free bread you buy, gluten free breads tend to be smaller in size than ‘regular’ bread. For this recipe I would recommend using two slices of bread for making breadcrumbs. If you are using ‘normal’ bread one slice should be enough for one salmon fillet.
 

  2. Using your fingers crumble the bread into bread crumbs into a dish, add a little butter and mix together until the butter has been absorbed. 

-         Now add half a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and a generous teaspoon of honey to the dish and mix together.

 

3. Take your (defrosted) salmon fillet and place on a foil lined dish. (Add a little oil to the foil to avoid the salmon sticking) Coat the salmon with the breadcrumb mixture, cover with the remaining foil to lock in the moisture and leave to cook for 12-15 minutes.

 

 

4. Once the salmon is almost cooked, prepare the veg of your choice using whichever cooking method you prefer.

And there you go a simple, quick and easy gluten free recipe that won’t break the bank or the waistline.

 

 

 

If you’ve tried and tested this recipe, I’d love to know your thoughts…

 

Poolside Cocktails: Mothers Day Treat

We’ve made it into March and as there isn’t any sign of the weather warming up anytime soon, my sister and I decided to take my mum to The Sheraton Hotel Skyline Bar for Mothers Day so we could escape the freezing cold weather even just for a little bit.

Situated right next to Heathrow Airport, The Sheraton Skyline Bar is open to the public Monday – Friday. However, the Skyline Bar is closed over the weekend for hotel guests unfortunately (for us). So we couldn’t take mum there Sunday, so we took her Monday instead. When you arrive you walk into a ‘room’ of warm temperatures (we were in jumpers but it was bliss compared the temperatures outside) with a swimming pool and cocktail bar filled with exotic plants and the calming sound of jazz playing in the background as we sipped on cocktails. It was very empty but we didn’t mind, it made the experience that bit more relaxing. It does somewhat feel like you’re on holiday and the atmosphere is extremely calming. If you’re looking for something different to do with your family, friends, boyfriend I would strongly recommend visiting the Skyline Bar for an evening of delight whilst dreaming you were sipping cocktails poolside in the Caribbean. 

 

Mum Obeyed the 'No Diving' rule