Juice Cleanse| Fruveju

I've always been intrigued in cleanses. Whether they're worth the hype (what with them being super expensive) or whether its just worth trying to do it from home. I know I've tried to do it a few times on my own at home, but I've either got side tracked or didn't really know what ingredients to use.

So bit the bullet and am sharing my experience with you to maybe help you in your decision of whether to cleanse or not to cleanse.

I went on to the internet on Sunday evening and found this cleanse. I chose it as it was a more well know brand that wasn't too steep in pricing- I paid £52.50 with free shipping, it was meant to be £70 but I managed to find a discount code on the home page (perhaps for new cleansers?).

Monday I had an email asking me when I would like to start my cleanse- first day available was Thursday. This worked out well for me so I agreed and they confirmed it would arrive between 8.30am and 10.30am- it arrived Thursday morning at 09.50am.

I had to finish doing some errands so I didn't manage to have the first juice until 11am. This green juice did taste quite earthy and I was surprised as to how liquidy the drinks were. I thought there may be a bit of thickness to them like a tomato juice but no. Still though, as I have frequently drunk juices before, this was fine to drink.
As I was late and still feeling a little peckish I continued with the next juice and decided to have the shot to go with it. I'm not one to be afraid of how these juices taste, I'm quite easy when it comes to drinking juices, however the shot was absolutely foul! Honestly, I had to quickly drink the juice down afterwards because I was struggling to keep it down!
Once I had gotten over the shot, the juice itself was actually quite nice. Very easy drinking and pleasant- I could taste the orange which was comforting after a very strong taste of ginger from the shot.

I popped out to the shops and arrived back hungry- juice number three. Another green one. This one tasted a bit more refreshing than the first and was again easy to drink. This was about 14.00pm.

I had noticed that by obviously drinking more during the day I was making more frequent trips to the loo but I guess this help flush out toxins too!

I was looking forward to this one- 'Spicy Lemonade' sounds enticing to me. I really enjoyed this, this reminded me of a lemonade I had before- so easy to drink and honestly I could easily have this on a daily basis.  I would say that this could have been more spicy as I didn't really notice it at all, however I do tolerate spice very well. I had this one at about 15.50pm.

I had this drink just before going to my Crossfit session at around 18.00pm. This was yummy, tasted mostly of the pineapple with hints of the carrot and beets. I was feeling actually quite fresh at this point, not really hungry just, sort of satisfied.

The Cashew milk I had straight after Crossfit when I got home, around 20.30pm. I did really like this one, it was slightly thicker, and sweeter in taste. I did notice it was a little bitty (as you may see from the side of the bottle) but overall enjoyable.

At the end of the day I was feeling quite refreshed and energised, which is great seeing as I'm normally very into my food and I did do a workout as well. I knew I hadn't eaten but I wasn't having hunger pangs or feeling like I'd particularly missed out.

I would recommend doing this on a day where you won't be tempted by food- i.e going out with friends for food etc. I personally wouldn't do this for more than one day as I felt that one day was enough and would suggest that if you haven't done a cleanse before try one day first.
Overall I would do this again, however not on a regular basis- only when I feel I need a deep cleanse after not eating well (christmas/ birthdays/ holidays etc). I do think that just generally eating healthy and well will help wellbeing anyway, which is what I mostly do.

What are your thoughts on cleanses and will you be doing one?

Love C. xx

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Summer Ice Lolly| Healthy way to keep cool

Hello!

I've been really enjoying the weather we've been having in the UK recently, it's been absolutely gorgeous with longer, sunnier days. However when you're at home and trying to keep cool the thing that I know I'm always craving is an ice lolly! Now, personally I try to be healthy most of the time and will try and take the healthier option over the unhealthy option. To be honest though when I'm at home I rarely have shop bought ice cream or ice lollies. That's when I crave them!

So a month or so ago I was strolling through TK Maxx and saw a ice lolly mould, picked it up and thought I could make a variety of different lollies and potentially even make a cheeky alcoholic one for cheat days or for when I have friends over. So.. This this is an idea that I thought would be great to share with you guys and I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

Ice Lolly Moulds

200g Melon and Grapes (more or less if you like)

200mls Coconut Water

2 Table Spoons Honey (for a sweeter taste)

(Blender)

I found that I had a small amount left over so if you have more moulds you can probably fill another one more, butI ended up drinking mine! Whoops!

So once you have weighed and measured out what you need, pop them in a blender all together and blend. Check the consistency and taste if you want to to add more fruit/coconut water/honey otherwise pour them into the moulds and place them in the freezer. To add a bit of fun to the lollies I added a couple grapes into the moulds, which turned out the be a great idea, I love frozen grapes!

Mine took more than a couple of hours to freeze so I ended up having them the next day- I would recommend doing this especially if you are putting a bit of alcohol in!

Hope this inspires you a bit this summer, this is so easy to mix up with different fruits so you can have endless fun making different flavours. :)

These were so refreshing and really tasty!

Love C. xx

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A little close for comfort in this pic but hey! haha

Easy Drinking Green Smoothie| Melon, Apple and Lemon

Melon Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Apple

2 wedges Lemon (squeezed)

300g Melon chunks

1 Banana

4-5 cups/ handful Spinach (depends how green you'd like it)

I personally use a Nutri bullet as it is so easy to use and easy to clean. 

Place all the ingredients into the Nutri bullet and blend.

Top up with coconut water or just water to the consistency you like your smoothies to be.

This is very easy drinking and not too earthy in taste.

Hope you enjoy making this!

Love C. xx

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Counting Macros| My Fitness pal

Sooo, on the subject of healthy living; I have been really trying to keep on track with what is actually going into my body. Not so much that everything needs to be healthy, more just of being aware of how much I am eating and what exactly is in each food I eat.

I have been really loving an app call 'My Fitness Pal'. You may have heard about this app before, I have previously used this app before a few years ago, but have recently rediscovered it. Although I previously used it for counting calories (which I still do), I also use it for counting 'macros'.

'What are you talking about Claudia'?.. 'What are these macros you speak of?'

These were honestly questions I was asking myself nearly two weeks ago. I had never heard of this and was slightly confused on the idea.

Macros are basically carbohydrates, protein and fats.

I honestly am throughly enjoying counting my macros and seeing how much fat, carbs and protein is actually in my diet and what I need to improve on. I found lots of information on 'if it fits your macros' about what it can do for me and what the whole idea of macros is.

I found out what my macros were by typing in my details to the If it fits your macros (IIFYM) website on the calculator and it tells you what you should aim for, for healthy weight loss/muscle growth (depending on what your aim is).

Honestly I have noticed differences already, although I will be honest I have been slacking with exercise recently! So especially when I increase my workouts, the results will be even better! (I will actually be joining cross fit soon- I did a free trial and loved it! Although I was in a lot of muscle pain for about four days as I hadn't used certain muscles before it was a great experience!).

If you feel like you are coming to a bit of a brick wall with your diet, maybe this is something for you to try?! I would definitely give it a go!

Find out more information on the linked website above as I did and see if it interest you!

Happy Sunday!!


Love C. xx

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Banana Pancakes| Healthy way to start the day- QUICKLY!

Banana Pancakes!

Firstly these are pancakes! Sooooo yummy.
Secondly they have 2 ingredients! Sooooo easy.

These are so quick to make and are a super healthy alternative to normal pancakes and taste totally delicious!

I got this recipe from Blogilates but I honestly thought these were so good that I couldn't not share this with you guys!

All you need is:

2x eggs
1x banana

Blend these together..

In a pan on a medium heat pop in a dash of oil and pour the mixture in (either mini pancakes as above or slightly bigger).

Turn them over when golden brown and once cooked, stack with berries/banana/ honey/ syrup or whatever you'd like!

So easy, quick and yummy. Again this isn't my recipe but I think it is such an awesome dish!

Any awesome yet quick breakfast recipe's to share? Leave them down below, I'd love to try them!

Until next time my beauts!

Love C. xx

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xx

Breakfast of the week| I can't get enough of..

Hello all!

I just wanted to let you know my favourite breakfast of the week that I'm absolutely in love with at the moment! 

I never used to like avocado, especially as a kid and would always refuse it. I just used to think it was slimy and bland and would always give it to my brother because he liked it. 

Now - I can't get enough! If I could, I'd probably have it with every meal. Avocado is actually a superfood that is a fruit! Yes, a fruit! It has so many health benefits such as having more potassium than a banana, high in good fat which is better for your heart than normal fats and is high in fibre and could help lower your cholesterol. There has been some research to support that avocados can help promote weight loss. 

In the mornings I've been loving a ripe avocado, mashed on top of toast with thinly sliced tomato and a pinch of salt. It is delicious! I would definitely recommend this as a breakfast idea, snack or even a lunch idea too!

 Perhaps if I find another meal amazing I can share some recipes or meal ideas with you!

Ps sorry about the poor quality photo!

Love C. Xx

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Not Feeling Good Enough| Comparison

As I was saying in one of my previous blogs, I'm on my own confidence journey. Sometimes I feel super confident and feel great about myself. Other times I just feel like rubbish, constantly comparing myself to other people, whether it be friends, family or even people on the street.

It is a terrible feeling, feeling like this- I wouldn't ever make someone else feel like this, so why do I do it to myself? I guess it is all part of being a normal human being but the pressure of our culture, mainly from social media, to be the best version of ourself can be destructive. This is so difficult to keep up with. If we aren't married by the time we're a certain age, if we haven't got a large amount of friends, or don't earn as much as others, if you choose not to have children or don't want to buy a house even though all your friends have, you feel like somehow you haven't quite 'made it' even though all of these things are mainly our own choice or just circumstance.

Having all these pressures and not meeting these standard, makes my inner critic go mental. So many thoughts of 'why can't I be like (so and so)', or 'I wish my life was more like (insert name)', tearing apart my self-esteem until I don't like myself very much and then just want to eat crisps and things that are bad for me.. mm chocolate..

This has been playing on my heart recently, not on a daily basis but on and off. Sometimes it is to do with not looking as good as I want to, not reaching my potential in work or my social life. But maybe I'm comparing myself to a benchmark that isn't me? This day and age blogs about beauty are super popular, as are the fashion blogs. I do feel like this does encourage comparison sometimes, like at times it makes me think 'that product is so expensive, but I could never afford something like that'. This just ends up rolling into comparison of how much I'm earning or just generally consuming information about other people that is almost this fantasy land of wishing I could be more like them. I can't be them, I'm me. That is just the way it is. There are things I can change whether it be trying to improve my workouts to improve my body or trying to get training for work to be able to earn more.
I think I've just got to keep reminding myself that. Yes, I will keep comparing myself to other people, but I also need to keep strong in my believes of changing my life and lifestyle to keep improving the way I want to. Maybe even try and turn that comparison into motivation. Instead of thinking, 'I wish', think 'I can'.

Sure, this won't happen over night.. it will be a constant struggle, probably for the rest of my life, because I'm sure that even the people that I compare myself to, will be comparing themselves to others and potentially even me.

I know this blogpost is a bit random and not really that helpful, but some of you may feel like you're in the same boat and feel reassured that you're not the only one?

Love C. xx

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Too busy to workout| quick workouts

Although I'm trying to live my life in a healthier way, trying to exercise more can at times feel like there isn't enough time to do it.

Well, I'm going to share with you a couple little exercises I do when there is no time- whilst doing your everyday activities.

1) Waiting for a bath to run. I usually try and hold a squat for as long as possible or even put on my favourite tune and hold it for the entire song. That way I can try and distract myself by singing along and potentially even doing a little dance in the squat position- this is not only exercise but a happy hormone booster! 

2) Same principle, waiting for the kettle to boil for your tea- do some squats, one legged or two. You could even do arm exercises. While its boiling, put both arms out at a 90 degree angle and draw tiny circles with your arms. WARNING. This is a killer but so good!

3) Watching a kick-ass episode of vampire diaries or your favourite television show? During ad breaks I sometimes sit on the floor and do as many crunches or sit ups as possible. Have a break when the programme comes back on then the next break try holding a few planks for as long as possible.

4) Cooking prep can take usually between 10-20minutes. Why not multi-task and do some butt squeezes/clenches whilst doing it? Hold the squeeze/ clench for 5 seconds pulse for 10 and repeat. Have a minute break when necessary. 

5) At times, when I'm waiting for the toaster, for pasta to cook or if I just need to keep an eye on the meal then I will hold onto the counter and lift one leg at a time behind as high as possible pulsing the leg up for as long as possible and then swap legs over. Great butt,quad and lower back workout.

These are just five little exercises I try to do if I haven't been able to get to the gym or am feeling like I want to burn a few extra calories. I particularly love the squat whilst waiting for a bath- music makes the experience more enjoyable and then you have a relaxing bath afterwards. 

Do you have any quirky little exercises you do during the day when you have no time for the gym?

I know sometimes I feel a bit silly doing these things but it's just totally worth doing, especially if you're like me and you feel guilty for not going to the gym. 

Hope this helps some of you and maybe gives a little inspiration?!

P.S: Here's what the last blogpost's outfit looked like...

Love C. 

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Fitness| Top tips to keeping motivated

Hey ya'll!

I hope you are well?

I wanted to keep this brief and let you in on some of my tips that I do to stay on a 'healthy' lifestyle routine, and how I keep motivated for working out. These are just my thoughts that I think help me keep motivated.

I must stress the importance of having a convenient place to workout. Finding a gym or outdoor space that is easy to access, for example being close to where you live or work, easy parking and or walking distance (or running if you're super motivated). Or alternatively, try and make space for you to workout at home, put any obstacles to one side and push the coffee table to the corner of the room and suddenly you have a workout space- yes, it may not be a large space but some workouts don't need space.

Working out, doing the same thing over and over can get boring, that is why sometimes you're thinking- 'why am I doing this?'
Do what you enjoy doing, if you don't like running, don't run! Simple! Do the things you find fun and you'll find working out ...well..sometimes you won't think it's a workout.
An example would be dancing. If you like dance- even if you think you're rubbish, I can safely say that doing dance in my lounge, following a Youtube video is so fun and when I finish I don't even realise I've worked out- It's great!

In addition to this you can grab a friend and experiment with Yoga or similar. I find that if you're working out with a friend, it can draw the attention away from the dreaded exercise and can make it just fun!

Excuse my big butt, but this was so fun (I've wanted to headstand for ages and now I can thanks to Carly)

Have a reward meal once a week, you don't have to be healthy all the time, especially when you've been working hard. Reward yourself and keep positive by creating a fitness environment. I like to go on Instagram for inspiration. On there I can find clips of routines to do and even motivational body pictures.

Lastly, try to ease yourself into it. It can be quite terrifying thinking 'I've got to workout at least 4 days this week', try and start off with two days and build a routine. Once you've got a routine going you can up it from there. If you fail to go one day or have a bad day of eating and feel bad, DELETE that guilt! We all give in to a bit of temptation here and there- just get back on the band wagon and think about what you've already done for a healthy lifestyle.

Do you have any fitness tips to share with me?

Love Claudia xx

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Juicer recipe| Kiwi and Orange

I love a good juice, don't you?

I try and make it with as least one vegetable and the great thing about juicers is that you don't have to peel the fruit or veg you use, apart from things like oranges as they can make the juice bitter. So it's super super quick and easy.

I'm going to show you one recipe that I've been having recently, and if you like I can show more in the future?! Let me know in the comments.

Here are the things you will need!

A JUICER!

 2 Oranges, Handful of Kale, 2 Apples, A few bits of Broccoli, 2 Kiwis, Handful of Raspberries and 2 Celery Sticks.

 After Peeling the Orange, pop it all in!

and Juice!

The juice comes out in order of the fruit or veg you put through, hence the colours!

With this it means you'll need to give it a 'good ol' stir!

So it should look like this!

DON'T BE PUT OFF BY THE COLOUR BECAUSE IT TASTES AMAZING! Really yummy, as you can taste the fruit more than any of the veg.

I hope you enjoyed this and its inspired you in some way.

Love Claudia xx

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New Year, New You?| Welcoming 2015

Happy New Year!

I hope you have all rested well over the festive season and been surrounded by your loved ones.

As we all know its the time of the year where we all set goals for ourselves to stop bad habits, be healthier, be kinder, be more confident etc etc..... to basically try and better ourselves either in little ways or big.

The trouble is, is that most of us will be in the chocolate cupboard within a week and the gym membership will be cancelled by February. Is it really worth trying to go on a fad diet to just give up a few months down the line? The reality is that we are HUMAN! We can make mistakes. If you fall off the band wagon.. get up..brush yourself down- put two fingers up to the people who laugh at you and carry on where you set off.
What I'm trying to say is you're allowed a burger or chocolate bar every now and again! Just remember how far you've come and make it a lifestyle choice, not a 'diet'.
My resolution this year will be to a) put me first, because you can only make others happy if you are happy in yourself and b) to choose to have a healthier lifestyle, make it a routine instead of an 'effort' that lasts all of three months.
To me it will be about being realistic, if I want to do some baking- that's fine! I'll just make a 'better for you' version. I'll try and eat less but more often throughout the day and if I'm hungry try and fill up on protein rather than carbs. Little steps, but sometimes you need to walk before you run.

Which leads me to exercise- which is all part of a healthy lifestyle. I used to hate, hate, hate with a passion, exercising. Not because of the actual exercise, I actually enjoy sport, but because of the way it made me look. It isn't because I'm vein, it was to do with what other people thought of me. When I went for a run, I would be totally out of breath, bright red, sweaty and wanting to stop after 5 minutes. I would be constantly thinking about people looking at me, wondering if they were thinking how unfit I was, how disgusting I looked and I just felt so embarrassed.
BUT everyone has to start somewhere. I decided to start putting myself first, persevere, and I'm slowly starting to be able to run longer.. I still feel embarrassed and totally aware of myself when I workout but I just keep reminding myself that this is the whole reason I workout- and if I'm looking like this then it just shows I'm working hard.

So what I guess I'm saying is try and make a new years resolution that you will stick to and if you really want it to happen, you can make it happen.

Let me know what your realistic resolutions are? Are you going to put yourself first?

Love you all and lets hope this new year brings happiness to us all.
Love Claudia xx

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