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What have you given up for lent?

2/19/2015

Did you have a pancake on Tuesday??

Was it a healthy one or a big fat full of sugar one??

I have to say I didn't have one this year, healthy or otherwise but I came home from classes on Tuesday to find Jamie and Jessica had devoured four each so they made up for me!

So now we find ourselves into Lent, giving something up for 40 days.

Does that appeal to you? Have you given something up this year?

In our house we had the conversation and Jamie has given up sweets, Jessica categorically said she does not want to give anything up and I am struggling this year to find something too give up!

I know that makes me sound like a saint and I am far from that I promise, but as you all know I gave up sugar and chocolate etc some time ago now, which was my usual thing to pick for lent.

These days I allow myself a treat once a week in line with my diet plan and to be honest if I gave that up I think I would be pretty miserable as I look forward to it so much.

Someone suggested wine but again I only have a drink once a week now and you have to have something to look forward to, am I right?

I don't eat bread anymore which is another favourite that people give up, so I was a bit stuck!

Then on Facebook one of my clients said she was going to give up complaining and so I thought, theres an idea, it doesn't have to be food related, I could give up something else.

Now my husband and daughter would probably like me to give up my phone and Facebook but I could never do that!!!!!

So I am going to give up stressing about little unimportant things, I am terrible at worrying about small things that really don't matter in the big scheme of things, so that is my decision, for the next 40 days and lets hope it carries on, I am not going to worry about all the little things in life.

I have decided that when I find myself going off down a train of thought about something silly (the kind of things I stress about are the dishwasher not being emptied or the bed not being made within an hour of getting up) I will count to 10, tell myself it really doesn't matter and think of all the positive things I have achieved that day.

I will let you know how I get on!

So please hit reply and share with me what you have given up for Lent?

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What have you given up for lent?

2/19/2015

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Happy Heart Month

2/6/2015

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So February is known for Valentine’s Day but it is also National Heart Month.

Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer causing around 82,000 deaths a year and around one in five men and one in eight women die from the disease.

So how can we combine the romance of valentines with improving the health of our heart this month?

Well one of the ways is to look at exercise and a healthy diet together.

When couples work out together they can achieve more, being a great support to each other along the way.

Quite often when you are trying to adapt a healthier lifestyle, perhaps exercising more or adopting a healthy eating plan, if your partner is doing it as well it becomes a lot easier.

You are there to support each other, and also to be accountable to each other, if you are both cutting out biscuits for example, then you will think twice before sitting down in front of each other with a pack of biscuits....am I right??

I have come up with my 5 Top Tips to improve the health of your heart.....

Eating a Mediterranean diet

“A 2013 study showed the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 30% and prevents weight gain which puts pressure on your heart, the diet also helps to prevent further worsening of existing heart disease and it’s NEVER too late to start eating healthily.”

Reduce salt

“Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. Check the salt content of any pre-packaged food you buy.”

No processed foods

“There are lots of hidden saturated fats, sugars and salts in processed food, fast food, and ready meals. I would strongly advise people to check the content of the ingredients of any food they buy and start cooking from scratch together.”

Quit smoking

“Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to have heart disease, with all the health issues it causes it is the most important thing you can do for your heart.”

Joining a Class Together

“The heart is the most important muscle and just a small amount of intense exercise will keep it functioning properly. Workouts as little as ten minutes a day can make a huge difference. Next week in the week leading up to Valentines I invite you to bring your partner along with you to a class forFREE.....let them come along and see what you do in class each week.

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Do you let your kids eat sugar??

2/3/2015

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Have any of you been watching Celebrity Big Brother??

I have to confess to being a massive fan.....guilty secret!

But last week there was a really interesting conversation between Alicia and some of the other housemates and it was around the diet she feeds her 3 year old daughter.

Now Alicia is obviously into her heathy eating in a big way and she quite rightly wants to give her daughter healthy food and limit her treats, however she said that she would not allow her daughter to go to a kids party if there was going to be unhealthy sugary food there, and if her daughter really wanted to go she would speak to the parents and give them food that her daughter was allowed to eat.

Now that got me thinking, is that right???

As much as we all know sugary treats are bad for us and we want to set our kids up with healthy eating habits is that a step too far?

If we ban our kids from treats completey are we at risk of them getting older and rebelling completely and becoming sugar addicts as they were never allowed it ever.

Is there some truth in the thought that if you take something away completely it just becomes really attractive to our kids, the forbidden fruit.

Are we better to let them have some in moderation and not make it a compete ban?

Never mind the isolation the child may feel as the only one in the room eating different food?

That got me then to thinking about how I feed my daughter. I have said before that I have reared a little sugar addict as Jessica has a terrible sweet tooth and I do feel responsible for that.

How am I dealing with it?

Well I am trying to reduce the sugar she has, I am trying to teach her that sugar is bad for her health and teeth, whilst not mentioning weight, as she is only 8 and I do my upmost to make all food choices about health and never weight. As a mother of a girl especially I am really conscious that she is never aware of dieting etc.

I however am allowing sugar in moderation and certainly at parties etc I would never dream of not allowing her to have the same as the other kids.

That is my opinion on it however and I appreciate some may see it differently and see a ban as a good thing for their kids.

I would be really interested in your thoughts?

If you have young kids how do you address treats?

Would you consider a complete ban even at parties?

If your kids have grown up how was it when they were young and do they eat a lot of sugar now?

Please hit reply and share your thoughts with me, I would love to know!

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What have you given up for lent?

What have you given up for lent?

Happy Heart Month

Do you let your kids eat sugar??

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