Spicy Thai Soup

Ok so I love cooking, mine tends to be more of a throw everything in and hope for the best style of cooking! Recently though one of my Boot Camp members passed me this recipe and I gave it a go, its (as the boot camper put if) blinking gorgeous!!

Why not give it a try and let me know what you think! Guaranteed to warm youup on these chilly winter days - especially if you have a cold!

In a saucepan, put raw thinly sliced chicken, about 4 coriander stalks, 3 thick slices of ginger, 1 squashed green chilli, 1/2 chopped red chilli (without seeds if you don't like it too hot) and 2 stalks of squashed lemongrass.

Cover with cold chicken stock or water and boil until the chicken is cooked.

Take off the heat and add 3 tbsp fish sauce, juice of 1 lime and some chopped coriander and basil leaves.

Thats it, simple but easy to make.

Do you hate your big thighs?

Do you hate your big thighs?


I have a lot of people ask me how to lose the weight around their thighs and bum, most of the time these people are advised by the ‘fitness know it all’ to do lots of walking/slow jogging as its the best for fat burning.

Whilst studies do show that long cardio sessions are the best for fat burning its not necessarily the best for fat loss.

Carrying weight around the hips is over production of Estrogen, if you suffer from this then you want to avoid long cardio sessions, these will also increase your Cortisol levels making you put weight on around your belly too. Instead you must to be doing vigorous exercise (sprints) and weight training (resistance).

Choose organic produce where you can and be sure to wash all fruit and vegetables to stop any pesticide/toxin intake. Decrease alcohol, yes this is a must – everyone who is trying to lose weight wants to be cutting the alcohol out! For occasions red wine may be drunk but no more than two units per day.

Increase intake of cruciferous vegetables such as watercress, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale – if digested properly they will help rectify the imbalance, plus the fibre, vitamins and minerals are great for your overall health and well being.

There are supplements that may also help – remember supplements should only be used to supplement what is already a good diet, these include:

A good quality fish oil – these have a multitude of benefits and should be included in everyone’s diet
A good quality multivitamin – everyone should be taking a good multivitamin
A diindolylmethane (DIM) supplement may be beneficial
Organic flax seed hulls may also help

An example of a daily diet for people with excess estrogen may include:


Breakfast: omelette made with spinach and mushrooms (garlic Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Lunch:chicken salad made with a chicken breast, watercress, cherry tomatoes, spinach leaves, radishes and flax seed hulls sprinkled over.
Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Dinner: roast turkey with sprouts, broccoli, parsnips, carrots

Its best to steam vegetables and be sure to chew your food thoroughly.
Switch over to green tea and water

If your reading this and you know a man that suffers from moobs (man boobs) then the info contained here may also be of benefit to them!

Remember, If you do suffer from big thighs, do yourself a favour and ditch the cross trainers and long slow jogs!

Tips To Stay In Shape for the Party Season!

We all know the party season is coming up and we all want to look and feel great don't we.... here's a few tips to help you keep in shape

* When you have a party to go to make sure that you eat a good healthy meal beforehand – that way you’ll be less tempted to eat the fattening party foods.

* If you’ve Christmas meals to go to, drink a pint of water half an hour before your meal to fill you up a bit, then eat a little of everything on your plate so that you don’t feel like your depriving yourself of the foods you love, take time over your meal (it takes 20 minutes for our brain to register when we’re full), enjoy every mouth full then when you are satisfied stop eating, don’t eat it all ‘because its too good to leave’ you’ll only kick yourself when your having to work twice as hard to work it off.

* Eat, drink and be merry can sometimes be taken too literally! If you are going to drink do it in moderation, you can still have fun without getting so drunk you can’t remember anything! Remember alcohol is a toxin and should be avoided by people who are trying to lose weight, especially around your stomach, how many teenage girls do we see now with the overhang? Oh and for the gents – be careful alcohol messes with your hormones and can give you man boobs (moobs!), why not give up alcohol for a few weeks, after all the party season is coming up - its not here yet!

* Enjoy the wonderful crisp winter weather and get out walking, go holly picking in the fields, walking the dogs, whatever it is get out and keep active, getting some sunlight everyday can improve our mood and overall well being.

* Don't try and start a new diet during the holidays: That just screams binge! You will only be setting yourself up for disappointment, resentment, and depression, stay healthy, but don't be too restrictive, if you live by the 80/20 rule then you can’t go wrong, 80% of your week if you eat clean healthy nutritious foods you can allow for 20% of the time a ‘treat’ (clean foods mean its preferably not packaged, its organic, fresh and has no more than 8 ingredients – green leafy vegetables, lean organic animal protein and fruits that are dark in colour such as berries)

* If you go shopping, leave a good distance from the shops and walk home with the bags, this is great for improving your core muscles, though be careful not to have your bags too heavy, balance them out and look after your posture.

* Why not set a goal to reach for Christmas, whether its to drop a dress size for the 24th December or fit into that special outfit, set it, write it down and work hard to achieve that goal.

* Don’t get caught up with the majority of people who ‘wait until the new year’ to start an exercise routine (who usually drop off by the middle of January!!), start now, get some support – join a fitness group, get a training partner, personal trainer or join a boot camp.

which one would you rather be -
the one in the baggy clothes bitching about the 'skinny cow' looking fantastic in their outfit
or
the woman/man everyones jealous of because you've worked hard to get into shape and look great for the parties???

hhmmmmm I know which one I'd rather be!!

If you have some tips for staying in shape for the party season please add them below (healthy tips only please!!!)