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B Fit and HealthySelf Love Way |
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Nico - our resident fitness and health guru shares exercise and A-Z nutrition tips along with special features to suit our lifestyles.
This month:
Health - Apricots - Find out below why incorporating apricots into your daily diet can increase energy levels and support a healthy, active lifestyle.
Fitness - Functional Strength Training - strengthening the muscles we use daily to effectively perform everyday activities. The more trained these muscles are, the more efficiently they can be used.
Food - A chocolate cake recipe for Mother's Day - treat mum to this delicious indulgent chocolate cake. It’s so quick and easy you’ll even have time to nip out to buy some flowers.
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Apricots
Imagine a fruit that is plump and juicy, that radiates sunshine through its tender skin and when bitten into, unleashes a tart yet subtle sweetness second to none. Now take this image, digest it and visualise its goodness releasing from within. You’ve just virtually eaten a ripe and tender apricot.
Apricots, fresh or dried are extremely underrated.
Benefits:
•Very low in fat with only about 50 calories per three apricots
•Fabulous source of beta carotene found in vitamins A which can protect against aging
•Superb source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps to heal the body
•Excellent source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that has been known to reduce premenstrual symptoms
•Protects against cancers and heart disease
•Contains potassium needed for optimum kidney function
•Releases high levels of iron - fantastic for increasing energy levels, relieving period pain and improving concentration
Eat apricots either dried or fresh for optimum health benefits. Dried apricots tend to provide even more nutrients than the fresh ones, giving you one fifth of an adult's daily potassium needs and between 10 and 20 percent of an adult's iron needs.
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Functional Strength Training
Functional strength training simply means strengthening the muscles we use daily to effectively perform everyday activities. The more trained these muscles are, the more efficiently they can be used.
Here’s a list of everyday activities that might be a part of your life right now:
• Lifting bags, boxes, children, laundry
• Reaching for objects on the top shelf
• Bending down to pick up objects from the floor
• Standing up from a chair
• Stepping on and off buses
• Getting in and out of cars
• Climbing stairs
• Walking. This alone is a balancing act especially with an awkward or oversized object.
Functional Exercises
If executing any of the above are a challenge then maybe it’s time to give your body the support it needs by focusing on the muscles that perform these activities.
Here are four extremely functional activities that will enable you to feel strong within your body and increase your daily confidence. They can be performed anywhere, anytime.
Push-ups: Start with wall push-ups and progress to placing your hands on a counter or secure ledge - hands wider than your shoulders. Work your way up to 10 repetitions and do them daily whenever you can. These strengthen your chest, arms, abs and back.
Squats or Lunges: We use our legs for most reaching, lifting or bending activities and so squatting or lunging is a great way to ensure you perform these tasks well. On the squats, remember to push your bottom backwards and avoid your knees bending forward of your toes. Use a chair or wall for support if needed. You’ll strengthen your knees, quads and hips.
Grocery Bag Lift: Take two carrier bags and put some tins or bags of sugar in them. With one bag in each hand, lift the bags up and down, bending and straightening at the elbows as if performing a bicep curl. Then lift the bags in front of you and then to the side of you keeping the elbows soft at all times. Repeat 10 times and at every opportunity. You can also do this when you go shopping. Ensure that your shoulders are back and down, abs tight throughout. You’ll strengthen your biceps and shoulders.
Heavy Lifting: Pick-up that heavy box or full laundry basket by squaring your feet shoulder width apart, squatting down, bodyweight backwards, back straight and upright. Securely hold your object and push up through your heels with your legs. Repeat 10 times. If this is a challenge, place your object on a chair, squat, pick up and put down 10 times. Perform this until you feel stronger. You’ll strengthen your butt, legs and hips.
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 Simple Chocolate Cake
Thank goodness Mother’s Day is on a Sunday. This means every opportunity to treat mum to this delicious indulgent chocolate cake.
100g (4oz) butter, melted
6 eggs, at room temperature
200g (7oz) caster sugar
75g (3oz) plain flour
¾ tsp baking powder
50g (2oz) cocoa powder
1/2tsp vanilla essence
• Grease a 9in (23 cm) cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. Preheat oven to 220°C/350°F/gas 4
• Put the sugar and eggs into a large bowl and beat until thick enough to leave a trail on the surface when the whisk is lifted (With an electric mixer, about 5 - 7 mins)
• Sift the flour. Add baking powder. Gently fold half the flour into the egg mixture. When it is well combined, fold in the other half. Add the vanilla essence and fold into the mixture
• Place 1 cup of the batter into a bowl with the butter and, using a hand whisk, whisk the mixture to lighten the butter. Fold the butter mixture into the batter, then turn the mixture into the prepared tin.
• Bake for about 40 mins or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Turn out onto a wire rack and remove the grease proof paper.
• Turn the cake upside down so the top becomes the bottom. Slice it horizontally and fill with whipped cream and fruit - raspberries or strawberries work well. You can decorate the top with more fruit, or, for diehard chocoholics, use the icing recipe below.
Quick chocolate icing
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1tsp vanilla
Mix all the ingredients except the vanilla. Put into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and boil for 1 min. Add the vanilla. Cool partially, then beat with a mixer for 3 mins or until it's spreadable
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