From when I was young until 2014 when I did my first Whole30. I was a vegetarian/pescatarian. The only meat I ate was tinned tuna. This slowly faded out after I ride a TIME article explaining how the fish was going to be extinct within the next 50 years. The no-meat-thing stemmed from me being a picky eater rather that a righteous drive. I was opposed to swordfish for over-fishing reasons and veal for animal welfare perspective, but seemed to be in the minority for both.
Typical Whole30 breakfast
When I started eating meat three times a day, it was a big change. I had no idea how to cook it or how to season it. My husband has been flexitarian since we lived in USA so it caused a few problems at meal time when we wanted different things. Although I no longer follow the Whole30, I work with a nutritionist, Shannon who has me eating 100+g protein/day. As much as I love protein shakes and bars, they tend to be expensive when you have multiple servings a day and seem to be full of chemicals and/or sugar. They are handy to satisfy my sweet tooth though because of this.
Sweet tooth, say what?
My husband and I still disagree about how much meat I eat and what kind. Normally I have chicken for lunch, which I season and grill. However, this gets old quickly. I will mix it up with sustainable wild salmon, Heck sausages, and the occasional ground beef or lamb. If we eat out, I will usually get a cheeseburger (with bacon, avocado, and sweet potato fries if possible). In a recent article, the environmental impact of eating meat is highlighted. There are movements for Meat Free Monday and generally eating less meat. I no longer have meat at every meal, but I do need to hit my protein targets.
The one source of protein we agree on is chocolate milk (one of the many reasons I think we knew we were suited for each other).
When I saw a tweet offering a new protein-packed chocolate for review I immediately responded for the following reasons:
I love chocolate
I need more protein
I like to support female entrepreneurs and small businesses
I treated myself to a hot chocolate after being timekeeper at parkrun not too long ago and it was delicious. I added two scoops of the pistols to 160ml of slowly microwaved semi-skimmed milk and stirred for a while to get it to melt (I don’t think the milk was hot enough and I was being too lazy to heat properly on the stove top). I have also tried Apple Pie and Funky Monkey. My usual preference is for dark chocolate and they were all yummy. On average, 100g of dark chocolate offers 4.9 grams protein but, as shared above, 80 Noir Ultra offers more. When you add this to milk (3.6g protein per 100ml), it is a pretty powerful punch.
Simply put, I loved each and every sample I was given of 80 Ultra Noir. I haven’t been able to use it for a proper recovery drink as I have been injured for eight weeks but I will be happy to give it a go as soon as possible.
So it looks like, I need to be supplementing my protein intake with hot chocolate, dark chocolate, and chocolate milk instead of mass produced farm animals. That is one diet I can get on board with!
Thanks to Carole Armitage for the complimentary samples. All opinions are honest and my own.
We are quite lucky living in London that there are hundreds of gym and fitness studios to choose from. It is always a bit tricky though, deciding which one to commit to. Class Pass gives people with a fear of monogamy a chance to try out lots of different studios and classes, but I think it also limits how often you can visit some studios (please correct me if I am wrong. I have never tried it). There are also a few apps out there of a similar nature, and the Move GB membership. But for me, I don’t have time to travel all over London and book a different class each day.
My preference is to streamline my efforts and spend my time efficiently. Until I was training for the Ultra X Co Jordan Ultra, I didn’t have a need to join a gym. If I was teaching group exercise classes, I would get a free workout. Plus, most gyms I worked at would allow me to use the facilities for free.
But now I need to focus on my strength training, especially if I want to maintain some fitness while being injured. Here are a few of the things I considered when I was choosing a gym to join.
Location and hours– Julie Creffield, blogger and owner of Fat Girls’ Guide to Running, goes to a local Crossfit Gym because it is literally across the road from her flat. She can also bring her daughter, who will sit and read or color, which makes it a win-win for Creffield. I knew location would be important to me too as I am always pressed for time. If the gym wasn’t somewhere between work and home, I wasn’t going to be able to get there.
Price– This will probably be the most important factor for many people. I know it was for me, but mostly because I have been lucky so far in London and not had this as a regular expense. Be mindful that you will get what you pay for. In my experience, large budget chains are not very tidy, have staff that are not engaged, and equipment that needs repair. On the flip side, boutique studios tend to give you more 1-2-1 attention, have lush toiletries and little perks, such as free towels. For example, 360 Athletic (near Victoria station in London) offers tailored personal training for their members by incorporating physiotherapy into training plans. If you train for a specific sport or have strength imbalance, this will help you train more effectively.
Amenities– Do you want a pool, a variety of group exercise classes, or access to a personal trainer? Ask to look at class timetables before you sign on the dotted line in case you were planning on going to yoga class and later find out that the classes are at 6am (which is when you are normally sleeping). I didn’t check the fitness schedule too closely before joining my gym and am not able to attend many classes.
Equipment– Does the equipment look new and taken care of? Or is it laying about and rusty? Do they have the free weights you want or the right kind of indoor rower? This aspect will be more important if you are training for something specific, such as a mountainous trail ultra or Trans-Atlantic rowing expedition.
Staff– When you ask a member of staff a question, what is the response that you get? Are they friendly? Helpful? Dismissive? Do they go the extra mile? Or is there no staff in the middle of the night because it is a 24 hour facility? You will need to decide how important the presence of staff and their attitude is to you. Being American, I like prompt and effective customer service and struggle to find it in the UK.
The one other thing you may want o consider before you join a gym is if any of your friends or co-workers are members too. The accountability of meeting someone will help ensure you turn up at the gym when you agree on it. If the gym still seems expensive, ask if they have an introductory deal. Many gyms and studios (such as 360 Athletic and Fierce Grace Yoga’s City Studio) will offer a 30 day trial at a reduced rate.
How did you choose your gym? Did I miss anything important in my criteria? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Big things are happening over at PT Mollie HQ this year. I started off with publishing a book, now I am launching a new online program, and I am working on obtaining sponsorship for my next challenge (more on that later). Being injured has allowed me to focus time I would have normally spent training on developing something that everyone can benefit from. I would love for you to join me.
My new program is called ’30 Days To Happy’ and will be held over email and Facebook from 29 April – 28 May 2019. Over four weeks, we will touch upon attributes of fitness, food, fun and fortitude, learning healthy ways to incorporate each into our daily lives. You’ll get a introductory webinar to learn more about the program and meet others in the group; a weekly challenge video and worksheet to complete via email; and community support in a private Facebook group. You can also join me on Sunday nights for #happyhour over on Twitter.
Everyone deserves to be happy. As a personal trainer and health coach, I have the tools to guide you through small changes that can add up to make a big difference. I will be there to hold your hand, cheer you on, and guide you through some of your roadblocks.
Are you in? As this is a pilot program, I am offering 30 days of my coaching for only £30. That is only £1/day to learn skills that will last a lifetime.
The price will go up for the next round, so why not give it a try? Registration closes 24 April 2019. Sign up via the button below. Limited to 30 people so don’t wait. 🙂
Did you know that one in eight women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer? It is something that touches the lives of so many people, I felt it was important to write a blog post about my experience with the screening process. You can also perform breast self-exams on a monthly basis to become familiar with your breast tissue. That way, if anything changes you will recognize the difference (Follow me on Twitter to see my monthly reminders to preform your self-exam on the first of every month.).
This year I turned 40. In the USA, this is the age where you can start receiving annual mamograms (I would imagine this depends on your private health insurance policy). However, in the UK, the procedure is not provided until you reach the age of 50 (every three years and up to age of 71) if treatment is provided on the NHS (they are looking to extending this from 47-73). If you have a family history of breast cancer, screening may be provided earlier.
Warnings on the door where I had my mamogram
One of my best friend’s from university was born four days after me. Her mom is a breast cancer survivor. Because of this, I decided to get a mamogram this year. It is available on private health insurance for £122 (and my friend’s mom even offered to pay for it). So I contacted Simplyhealth UK to see if the mamogram would qualify under the diagnostic scans benefit, for which I am allowed a maximum of £500 on my plan. And yes it is! I spoke to my mom about what to expect during the procedure (of course) and she said there can be some discomfort during the process. A mamogram is an x-ray of the breast tissue, which means that the breast is squeezed between two plates. My breasts are not huge but they did get a really good squeeze for about 15 seconds while the nurse set up the proper angle and moved behind the lead screen and take the x-ray. The receptionist I booked with appointment with said it would take 15 minutes but mine took about eight.
The x-ray machine which takes the mamogram.
My mom told me that she has dense breast tissue and needs to have an ultrasound after her mamogram as part of her annual appointment. I was worried this would be the case for me but the nurse who performed my mamogram didn’t think this would be the case based on my images. My friend who’s mom had breast cancer informed me that in the US, patients are often called back for another mamogram after their initial one as there is no baseline to compare the x-ray to. I haven’t heard of this happening in the UK though.
The only picture of my boobs on the internet to date.
My nurse told me my results would be sent via the post within two weeks. One week later, I received a letter saying my results were considered to be normal. I didn’t expect to have a scare, but it was still a relief to read that letter.
I received my reimbursement from Simpyhealth UK within 24 hours of submitting my claim. I will continue to invest in my health by continuing a yearly private mamogram until the NHS will provide me year. It might be surprising that I am worried about breast cancer at the age of 40 and without a family history of the disease. Touch wood, I have been blessed not to have devastating cancer diagnoses within my immediate family. And I would like to keep it that way. Preventative medicine is something I 100% believe in.
Have you ever had a mamogram? What was your experience?
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