A HEALTHY MORNING WITH ME.

         A healthy Morning Routine in the life of  Grace.

Every morning after waking up from the sound of my annoying alarm, I drink a cup of water and try my best to be grateful and thankful always, through prayers and connecting with my creator by listening and reading his word (THE BIBLE).
This is a great way to start the day, to be relaxed and thankful and clear my mind, a time to motivate myself and prepare for the world.

Then I go to the kitchen, boil water and make a detox drink; sometimes lemon and honey or just lemon. Detox drinks help aids weight loss, reduce inflammation, promote healthy skin, boost energy, detoxify and cleanse the body.

Recently I started morning meditation and it has been amazing. I just sit in bed, close my eyes and breath deeply in and out, connecting with my body for about 10 minutes, listening to a meditation audio. This is an amazing way to calm the body, giving it the chance to think more positively, feeling more relaxed.

I go through my to-do list and also set a target for the day: but I don't do this often.

It's time to appreciate myself and embrace me and my body, time to get some self -love in, so I just look into the mirror and look more careful like I am looking at someone else and I compliment myself. If you think of it, we are always quick to complimenting and judging other people but don't seem to do that to yourself, so taking a minute to do that in the morning will change your day. You wouldn't know until you try. I have realised I don't get upset easily these days and most times I take my time to think about the situation before reacting.

Then I play music to awaken my soul and I try to move around and get my workout done, for about 30 mins - 40 mins, just this holiday.

I then make breakfast and cook for the family. Today, I had a smoothie for breakfast and made pounded yam and gbegiri for the family as they love their solid, so I decided to make it for them during the day or morning time when they more active, even though its heavy but it's not bad for breakfast, compare to dinner and then going to sleep: not too healthy.

I then freshen up, brush my teeth and moisturise my skin. It's holiday and today I just took some time to chill and catch up with TV program, errands and other necessary things.

It is healthy to live a healthy life because you get the benefit after all; long life, lower risk of diseases, weight loss, maintaining weight, glowing skin and a lot more benefit.

Happy Holiday and Merry Christmas fitbae.

Brownie

Raw Brownie 

 

This brownie is suitable for everyone, including vegan. It is healthy and requires no baking. This recipe was a practical and I didn't take note of the measurement but trust me, you don't even need to measure it to get it right, that is how easy it is, you just need to follow step by step to achieve the right texture. This brownie is in three layers and below are the ingredients you'll be needing for each layers. For my recipe, I used about 1/4 of 250 g of cocoa powder and 30 dates and in total made about 7 portion. Probably could have made eight but the mixture was to yum, I keep dipping in.

The process is simple but I have written a lot so you get the right texture, because I don't have an exact measurement yet.

Ingredients

Layer 1 (Thick Cocoa Mixture) 
Cocoa dough
-Mixing Bowl and wooden spoon
-Cocoa Powder
-Honey( to sweeten)
-Oat( about 2 tbsp)
-Crushed Almond (add crunchy texture)
-Dried grape (Sultanas); to sweeten and more gooey texture.

Layer 2 (Gooey dates and Sultanas Mixture)
Sweet & gooey 
-Food processor
-Dates
-Almonds
-Dried grape(Sultanas)
-Milk to blend)

Layer 3 (Runny Cocoa Mixture)

Chocolate glaze
-Mixing bowl and wooden spoon
-Cocoa powder
-Honey
-Semi skimmed milk


HOW TO
Layer 1
Step 1:In a mixing bowl firstly pour in about 4 tablespoon of cocoa powder and  a 1 teaspoon or 1/2 tablespoon of milk(try to use milk with less fat)  and mix well with the wooden spoon till smooth, then add honey to taste (you can gradually add the honey and taste the mixture) as cocoa powder is not sweet on its own. (be carefully not to add to many honey and milk). The cocoa mixture should be a little thick, enough for you to hold in your hand.

Step 2:Then in a blender, blend about 1 tablespoon of oat, about 10 almonds and 1 teaspoon of sultanas. If you don't have a blender just chop the sultanas and almond with knife and use the oat like that or use ready blended oat.

Step 3: Add the dry blended mixture from step 2 into step 1 mixture and mix. Don't work if its too thick, you can gradually add tiny bit of milk to loosen the texture. The final texture should be like a dough texture( it shouldn't be sticky, but gooey and soft, that u can mold it in your hand and press into it), You can't go wrong with it,but be sure not to add too much liquid as this will require you using a lot of cocoa to get it back to the thick texture we want.

Step 4: In  cupcake paper, divide the cocoa dough into them (about 1 tablespoon full is on for each cupcakes) or you can spread the mixture on a tray lined with silver foil or cling film. (but i used cupcakes paper). Now the next step.

Layer 2
Step 1: Put enough dates, sultanas and almond into a food processor and blend. Gradually add a little bit of milk to bring the mixture together. (Just a little) and food processor work best for this process.You can use blender but it takes awhile. I tried using blender but switch to food processor and was easier and required less liquid.
Step 2: The mixture should be gooey and stuck together and press able too. Take about tablespoon of the mixture and put on layer 1 in the cupcake paper and press it down to cover the first layer or just pour the mixture on the first layer on your tray and spread it out with a spatula or your hand.(you might need to wet you palm a bit so they don't stick to the mixture as you press down on it)

Layer 3
Step 1: In a bowl add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and mix with about 2 tablespoon of milk till smooth and then add more milk to give it more of a liquid texture.( It should be runny as it is a glaze to pour over the second layer.

Final step: After pouring the glaze on the layer and spreading it evenly on the surface, its ready. You can have your no bake brownie like that or put it in the oven (with no heat) overnight, before storage. This is to dry it out so it have a more better texture and last longer. (see the different yourself)

Storage: Store in a container and put inside the cupboard. If you made yours on the try, cut it into smaller portion and put in container and store.

Note: Tablespoon is (tbsp) and Teaspoon is (tsp); the smaller one.

Weightloss and Exercise.

WHAT IS THE BEST EXERCISE FOR YOUR BODY TYPE. 

 To loose weight you need to know your body type so as to know what exercise to focus on and what to eat. Reading this will help you figure out your body type and exercise for you. 

There are three different body type which are Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.

ECTOMORPH

-Not muscular but can be skinny or fat(however this might be having high body fat and still have small size)

-Can overeat and yet gain a bit of weight( don't gain weight really fast) 

-Hard to put on muscle mass: you would have noticed this if you weight train. But the best exercise will be resistance training to build strength.( lift weights way heavy for you and do less cardio). Rest longer during exercise and can have up to 3 resting days in between sessions.

- Work different muscle group at the same time.

-Eat healthy quality fat such as avocado rather than butter and moderate protein intake, with carbohydrate .

-Snack less and eat light dinner.

MESOMORPH:  genetically blessed 🙂

-Can gain muscle mass really quickly and lose weight really fast.

-Strong and mostly athletics

-Best workout will be endurance and HIIT(high-intensity interval training). Adding in yoga or Pilates will help you lengthen with strength. Benefits of this HIIT workout is that you don't get to pay for GYM. You can workout at home. Check out HIIT WORKOUT on YouTube.

-Eat moderate carbohydrate, pre-dinner snack is fine, eat healthy quality fat...

ENDOMORPH

-Store fat easily; naturally curvy, short and will gain weight easily, due to slow metabolism.

-Exercise daily and move more but a day a week should be allowed for resting.

-Best exercise will be HIIT workout, Crossfit workout, weight training, and moderate endurance training(cardio). 

- Focus on completing your workout in short period and have only a little resting time. Always keep an elevated heart rate all through so as to burn fat. Do more repetition of lower sets with low sets. E.g 3sets of 8 reps push up. 

-Limit carbs intake but get more from vegetables and eat healthy quality fat  and protein to gain muscle and lose body fat.

- Best to eat healthy and low-fat breakfast after 45 mins or an hour of  waking up in the morning. 

-Skip snacking before workout and after.

-Can snack noon time.

-It is important for this group to be aware of their calorie intake.

You can also go to the link below to take a test to figure out your body type.

Click here.

Breakfast For Weight Loss

Top Breakfast for Weight loss

- Green and protein Smoothies: Make smoothies with green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, and add in few fruits, milk and peanut for protein or even seeds and nuts. You can have the smoothie alone or top with more nuts and oat granola.

-Oat porridge and boiled egg : Always try and get proteins filled meal and fibre in the morning. Oats will help you stay full for longer which will help reduce the amount of food you eat.

-Branflakes cereals and milk: Easy and quick. Add seeds and nuts for more nutrients and fibre.

-Greek Yogurt with seeds or nuts: if you are the busy type and have no time at all, you night as well take yoghurt with you in the morning rather than having nothing.

-Chia pudding: This is really high in fibre and protein. You can make this overnight and grab in the morning. Put chia seed in a container and pour in any milk of your choice(just till it about to cover it), stir together and put in the fridge. You can top with berries or more seeds and nuts.

-Oat pudding: This is the same process as chia pudding but you can add in more ingredients from the start and then put in the fridge overnight ready for the next day. You can use yoghurt or milk or both together just be sure of portion size. This oat pudding can be topped with any fruit of your choice, dark chocolate, nuts and seeds and many other healthy options.

-Toasts and egg or with peanut spread: If you are a toast lover, always have it with something proteinous and low or healthy fat such as avocado, or peanut not Nutella. 1 slice with 1/2  avocado and 1 egg will be a great breakfast. 

- Fruits only: This is easy breakfast but it will be good to have a protein snack later during the day or more protein as part of lunch and dinner as this is essential for weight loss.

Tips:Always drink water when you wake up

Drink 30 minutes before meals if you can and 30 minutes after, this will help you stay full for longer.

If you can't do without chocolate, have it after breakfast or during the day rather than evening or at night when normally most of us become less active. 

Banana Ice cream

Banana Ice cream

Ingredients

Frozen Banana 11/2 banana

Milk 2tsp 

Honey 1/2 tsp

 

How to;

- Cut the banana into two or three pieces and freeze overnight. 

-Bring out the frozen banana and let it sit for few minutes before putting into the blender( this will make it easier to blend) 

-Put the banana inside the blender or food processor and blend. Gradually blend this; blend and stop and then blend and stop(always use a spoon to scrap the side to make sure the blend is covered)

-Blend till it's a bit creamy, add the honey and 1 tsp of milk and then blend.

-Then add the remaining milk and blend again till creamy. 

-Serve with dried fruit or seeds or nuts or even peanut butter or a bit of chocolate chips. Anything you want.

This is the perfect alternative if you craving ice cream and still trying to be healthy or on a weight loss journey. Enjoy. 

OAT ROLLS

Oat Snack Recipe

This is a  simple, good, no-bake snack that will keep you full in between meals as it is high in fiber and protein. It contains healthy fat from the coconut oil and peanut and low in sugar as honey is use to sweeten. This recipe doesn't require baking, and its more better than protein bars because this contains more natural ingredients. You can add protein shake to this recipe if you need to increase the protein intake, which will be suitable has snack during the day or even  before/after workouts.

Ingredients

6 tbsp Peanut Butter(no added sugar)
1 tsp Coconut oil
2 tsp Honey
2 tsp Milk
11/2 cup of oat

How to;
-Place the peanut butter inside a bowl, you can use smooth or crunchy but I prefer smooth.

-Add 1 tsp coconut oil, 2 tsp honey and microwave to melt the coconut oil (this should take about 10-15 secs).

-Bring it out and stir together to make a smooth mixture and the measure out the oat and pour it in a little and stir and then pour in the remaining. It is better to gradually pour the oat in so you don't put to much, as too much will dry out the mixture.

-To bind this mixture all together, add 2 tsp of milk and mix well.

-Take out small portion using a spoon or your hand and roll it into a ball. You can put a bit of dark chocolate, dried fruit or coconut flakes in the middle before rolling or just roll it plain.

-This snack is dense in calorie and fiber which will help you stay full. However you should make small balls has this recipe is high in calorie due to the peanut butter, which is healthy and proteinous but high in calorie

-You can put this in a dry cupboard for up to 2- 3 weeks or keep in the fridge.

Weight Loss Success 

           Top 10 things YOU need to do to achieve your weight loss goals.

1.Drink water: Water will help you feel full, detox your body and also stop your body from retaining too body fluid which can make you feel or look bloated.

2.Eat with small plate: This will help you control your food portion size.

3.Always have breakfast

4.Always have fruit and vegetables: They are essential for normal body function cause of there high nutrients which will help your body react to weight loss.

5.Cooking from fresh ingredients as much as possible: No processed food!

6.Snacking on low calories Have snack with calorie of no more than 200 calorie per its portion.

7.Stop eating 3 hours before bed time.

8.Moving More: Always try and move, especially if you have slow metabolism(your body use up energy really slowly). If you're not moving or exercising and eating more then your energy input and output isn't balanced and you will gain weight or not loose weight. To loose weight, energy output needs to be higher and you can achieve this by being more active or eating very small food, which isn't too healthy; as you won't be getting all the nutrients your body needs from very small food. For example; someone eating 1100 calorie or lower per day might not get enough nutrients from their meals.

9.Fiber: Eat more fiber food, it helps you stay full for longer. However, always drink enough water to avoid constipation. Fiber will help move waste from your digestive system and if there is not enough water, movement will be difficult. Eat your apple with the skin on, so as potatoes, and have more grains(brown rice, pasta..)

10.Cut down on saturated fat(bad and will increase cholesterol level) and sugar: Eat more healthy fats such as avocado, oils, nuts and if at all you need to sweeten your food, use honey or fruits. Add fruits into Greek yogurt and it will add a nice flavor.

Be sure to stay healthy. Its not a competition, no starvation, take your time and make healthy option alternatives and see the different yourself.

SMOOTHIES

                 Best Smoothies For Weight Loss: 2 Recipes.

Smoothies are one of the easiest breakfast you can have, using both fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. It is the best way to incorporate greens into your diet if you don't like eating them. Anyone can blend up fruits and vegetables and make it into smoothie using any preferred fruits and vegetables of their choice, including liquid such as milk, yogurt, ice coffee or even fruit juice. However when it comes to weight loss, it is better to put in ingredients that your body will benefit from and that which can help increase your metabolism and speed up your weigh loss process.
The following ingredients below all have their own benefit and it will be nice if you use them in making your smoothies if you want to loose weight. You can also have this if you're not loosing weight but if you prefer using fruit juice and want to loose weight it wouldn't be a good idea as you'll be having too much calories and sugar.

Best Smoothies Ingredients

-Fruits and vegetables in general: you can use any fruit and vegetables but mostly green vegetables as they are high in micro nutrients and low in calories. Greens such as kale, spinach, avocado, cucumber will help speed up weight loss. 

-Berries: such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries. This berries are high in nutrient and low in sugar but yet will add sweet taste to your smoothie most especially when making green smoothie. They are also known as part of the best food that burn fat. 

-Cinnamon: Cinnamon helps control the insulin level and decrease blood sugar, as the blood sugar level needs to be maintain for weight loss to happen. It helps speed up the metabolism too; the rate at which your body uses up energy is increased which means if all energy is used up, none will be stored as fat. Therefore,be sure to add cinnamon to your smoothie,as it also helps suppresses appetite making you full for longer. It burns fat too!

-Ginger/Garlic: Garlic reduce body weight and fat and can lower the risk of heart diseases. However, it smells all over you after eating it, so try and use this for dinner or whenever you don't really have to talk to people. Ginger helps suppress appetite, so you can use this if you don't have cinnamon. Both fresh and powder will do but fresh have more nutrients.

-Honey: Use honey instead of sugar or sweetener as it does not contain sugar and is high in minerals. Although honey have higher calories than sugar but because it contains beneficial nutrients needed to dissolve fat and cholesterol, it is much better than sugar, You will gain weight eating sugar as it lacks the nutrients to helps dissolve this fat and cholesterol not majorly because of the calories. You can also add honey to warm water to drink to use as a body detox, which helps with weight loss.

-Semi,Skimmed or Whole milk : This are lower in saturated fat, which too much can lead to fat storage. However, you can still have whole milk but in small quantities as they are higher in fat but fat is't bad for us but too much is, so its all about moderation. Skimmed milk don't have enough nutrients and less fat so its not the best for a healthy weight loss journey.

-Greek yogurt: High in protein and low in saturated fat and sugar.

-Fiber: Adding fiber your smoothie will help you feel full which will stop you from eating too much or snacking too much in between meals. Fiber such as seeds and nuts which are also high in protein and healthy fat, that will help lower your cholesterol level. (Always have them in small portion as they are high in calories.) peanuts, cashew, peanut butter, almond, flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin, hazel and many more. Oats are also high in fiber and will help you feel full, so you can blend a bit with you smoothie or add on top. 

-Olive oil: This are good fats (HDL) which carries bad cholesterol away from your bloodstream. 1 teaspoon of olive oil in your morning smoothie is will  help with your weight loss journey.

2 Smoothies Recipes

Recipe 1
What you need:
-Blender
-Water (the viscosity depends on the amount of water you add)
-Greek yogurt 2 tbsp
-Olive oil 1tsp
-Spinach ; hand full
-Kale; hand full
-Blueberries
-Honey 1 tsp
-Cinnamon  2 tsp
-Strawberries.

Preparation: Add all of the ingredients above into the blender and blend. You can use frozen berries depending on the season or just add ice to give it a more cooling taste.

Recipes 2
What you need:
-Blender
-Water (the viscosity depends on the amount of water you add)
-Semi skimmed milk 100 ml - 200 ml
-Peanut butter or peanut (plain)
-Kale; hand full
-Spinach ; hand full
-Mango 1/4
-Oat; just a little or 2 tbsp
-Raspberries and grapes.

Preparation:  Add all of the ingredients above into the blender and blend.

Enjoy.

BROWN BEANS.

BEANS RECIPE; FULL OF PROTEIN AND VEGETABLES.

Ingredients List
1 cup of Beans
1/2 Chicken cube
Pinch of Salt
Spices: ginger powder, black pepper, chilies (all this help boost metabolic rate, which helps with weight loss.)
1 Onion
Stir fries Frozen vegetables; carrot, green beans, sweet corn.
Spinach: any amount.
1 tbsp of Palm oil

Procedures
(Step by Step)
-Boil water in the kettle, while the water is boiling get the next step done.
-Measure the beans and take out all the dirt particles in it. Always do this as dry beans always contains stones and the cloves.
-Pour the water from the kettle into the pot, rinse your beans with tap water and pour inside the pot. Bring to boil for few minutes.
-Reduce the heat to cook on medium, this will help the beans to soften quickly without using up too much water.
-Always check on the beans to add more water.
-Taste the beans to see if soft or press one with your finger tip. (The beans should take about an hour  to soften). It best to cook this in big portion and with other meals, so when waiting you can do other stuff). You can the go ahead and add the spices.
-Add the stir fries vegetables too and leave to cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes
-Add palm oil and Chicken cube. Adding it at the end is better as you can use a little bit to give it a great flavor.(since it contains less water )
-Add the spinach and sliced onions, reduce the heat for it to simmer for about a minute.
-Stir together, let it cool or serve it hot.
-Put the remaining in a container and store in the refrigerator.
You can serve this with chicken to add more protein or plantain or bread to add carbohydrate.

       Miraculous: Loose weight fast!   

To increase and speed up weight loss, add this food to your daily meals and see your body change. They will help boost your metabolism and aid digestion, which will help your body excrete waste quickly. Drink enough water as well, this will stop your body from retaining excess water which can make you feel or look bloated. Be sure to add them to your shopping list.

Why are this food Miraculous?

Most of this food are low in calories, high in nutrients, high in protein and high in fiber which helps you feel full for longer.

Proteins
-Eggs
-Fish(Salmon, Tilapia and Haddock)
-Beans: High in fiber too.

Carbohydrate
-Oats
-Sweet Corn

Dairy
-Cheese: but really in small portion
-Milk

Green leafy Vegetables
-Spinach
-Kale
-Cucumber

Fruits : This fruit helps the body with detoxification.
-Grapefruit
-Lemon or lime

Nuts
-Almond nuts
-Peanuts

Thanks for visiting. Don't forget to make healthy choices.

DINNER

Not sure what to have for DINNER? Why not have something healthy and wake up feeling energised.

Make sure your dinner includes vegetables, protein and low carbohydrate or small portion of carbohydrate.

Food containing protein are egg, chicken,turkey, pulses(beans, peas) I personally eat more poultry but you can get lean meat as well when shopping or take out the fat(the white stripe) before cooking. (this helps reduce the fat content). We need more protein and less fat. Be sure to have more pulses if you are vegetarian or vegan.

-Carbohydrates: potatoes, rice, pasta (plain), yam(small portion), couscous and more.

Try and go for green leafy vegetables such as spinach and you canals have tomatoes and cucumbers. If at all you don't have access to any fresh vegetables, get frozen or canned version.

My simple dinner for today

-Rice with steamed spinach and chicken stew or sauce.
 Side dish: cucumber and sweet cherry tomato.

Let me know if you want to try my recipe and i'll make a blog on it.

Your Daily Action To Fit Life.

Fitness Tips

Make it a habit

Don't restrict yourself or stop eating certain food; have chocolate but probably twice a week.

Stay hydrated all through the day.