Loads of Christmas Parties? No pounds to gain!

Hiiii,

Open your diary... How many nights out have you got over the next 5 weeks...? I would imagine, loads. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year and lets be fair, you've worked hard training and eating clean this year, so it's ok to let your hair down!

There are loads of tips to be shared around Christmas, but here are three for this morning!


1. Eat. 

Continue to eat well, everyday, keep eating clean. Eat before you go out (unless you're going out for food, then go hungry), but if you eat before you go out for drinks, it'll stop you nibbling or ordering junk food. I know most women like going out hungry, because they feel leaner.... If you're hungry, your willpower will need to be stronger and with 5 vodka's in you... your judgement may be tainted.

Throughout the festive season, I'll post up on instagram great dinners to eat before you go out. One's that'll fill you, but not make you bloated.

2. Water.

I feel like a broken record when it come's to the water topic, but seriously, we don't drink enough of it. Water is key! When we drink alcohol, we get massively dehydrated, so it's vital that you're
drinking loads of water everyday throughout the holidays. Drink a glass of water in between each drink too. You'll be amazed at how much it helps!

3. Make a commitment. 

Before you go out, have decided that no matter what happens that night, you will not binge eat the next day. We all know that the biggest problem with night's out is the next day, where we want nothing else apart from a Pizza or Chinese take away and coke. DON'T DO IT!!!!!

Have food in your house and MAKE yourself eat well! I'm not saying that you'll always stay committed to your commitment, but it you make one with yourself, there's more of a chance.

Hope these three help! I'll post up more over the festive season :)

Erica xx

Ps.

(Go to the gym, even if you're dying.... go! 10 minutes on a bike will make you feel better.)

Hangover Protocol:
- Water
- Heap load of supplements
- Water
- Shower
- Water
- Eat - eggs
- Herbal Tea
- Water - healthy snack
- Gym - do anything
- Water
- Lunch - healthy, but filling
- Water - herbal tea - supplements - healthy snack
- Dinner
- Water
- Herbal Tea
- Water
- Bed - early.

Make Up

Hiiiiiiii,

Okay, here's a short and sweet one for this Winters morning :)

Have you sensitive skin?? Is wearing make up is the biggest pain because it makes your skin break out with spots or it makes your skin itchy and all you want to do is rub your eyes all the time??

I'm always looking out for chemical free, organic, ANIMAL FRIENDLY products :) On Friday I ordered lots of goodies for myself, and I thought I would share them with you today because so many girls do find it extremely tough in terms of cosmetics - you want to wear make up, but eh the  consequences aren't worth it!

 My top three favourite cosmetics:

1. Sonya Lipstick - one word, AMAZING. I have dry lips all year round and I hate having nothing on my lips, it drives me bananas. You'll never change lipstick brand when you start using these. My fav colour is "Almond".

2. Sonya Mineral Make Up - Awh, just fab! I put this on over my creme de foundation, and it makes your make up sit so well on your face, all day! Really good, pop some blusher over this = bob's your uncle! A light yet steady coverage that'll last all day! My colour "Natural"

3. Sonya Creme de foundation - An amazing alternative to thick gloupy foundation. I used to always wear MAC or bobby brown, but they're just too thick and they irritate the hell out of me. I love this foundation, it's fool proof to apply and again it'll sit so well on your face. My colour "Rose Beige"

The big point about all of the above is that they ARE chemical free and that they can be used on sensitive skin. They contain an amazing property called "lignin", which is natures carrier. This means that the over 200 compounds and all the vitamins and minerals (yes) that are in the makeup are carried down to your deepest layers of skin. It means that the make up isn't just sitting on your top layer of skin, it's actually penetrating down to give a finished look :) I also love the fact that they're REALLY good value! You could get an entire new make up collection for a VERY reasonable price!!!


I love them! There's a massive range, so if you want to have a browse, check them out: ericabrennan.flp.com

Have a great Sunday and enjoy the season finale of #lovehate

Choc - Coconut Protein Balls

Good morning girlies,

Hope you're all happy and healthy :)

I know, a lot people want to start baking protein healthy treats, but are a bit unsure and don't have many of the ingredients that a lot of recipes need you to have. So today, I made a very simple yet delicious cacao treat :)

Yum yum yum!!

So, what you'll need:

- 60g Chocolate protein (I like this one...)
- 1 tsp Honey (I like this one...)
- 1 tbs Designated Coconut (keep more for later)
- 1 tbs Ground Almond
- 1 tbs Coconut Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla Essence
- 1 tbs Chocolate Chips (only a few...)

What you'll have to do for 5 minutes to make these treats:

- Mix all the dry ingredients together
- Melt the coconut oil and throw in the wet ingredients
- Roll into little balls and cover in designated coconut
- Place in the fridge and enjoy with some herbal tea

 DELISH!!

Enjoy them and have a lovely bank holiday weekend :)

Erica xx

Are you healthy???

Hi girls,

Okay, so we're in Autumn. I love Autumn, scarves, boots, tights, jumpers... layers... they all come back :) Wahoo!!

So, today, i'm going to talk about "health". What is health??

Health is the ability to adapt to our environment and maintain optimal function. 

So, being very healthy, means that our bodies can adapt and handle any situation. So like, let's take the example of food poisoning. If someone who is not very healthy gets food poisoning, the result is... you're in bed vomiting for two weeks. If you are very healthy, you have a bit of a dodgy tummy for two days. Same thing with a cold, not very healthy... you're in bed, full on man flue, runny nose, sore ears, sore throat, can't eat, can't move and in bed for two weeks. If you're a healthy bunny... 1-2 days feeling weak... then you're back to your bubbly self.

How healthy are you? What has your year, sickness, been like?

Did you know that the average women in the UK, pops 60 Paracetamol/ Ibuprofen, per year... How mental is that!! Overdosing in pills like this is a road to High Blood Pressure.

Digestion, circulation and absorption are just some of the jobs that your body has to do every second of the day. Your body is a network that needs to communicate together - you are the guardian of your body. Treat it well.

Your immune system is the doctor within you. Your immune system identifies the body's enemy and destroys it. Strength of our immune system is based on optimal vitamins and minerals, another reason why we need to supplement. Our food, environment and lifestyle depletes our vitamins and minerals in our body. For example, one cigarette, depletes 25mg of Vitamin C or the fact that B Vitamins are depleted by alcohol, stress or a dirty digestive system. Please remember, 80% of the average person's diet is sugar... Sugar causes an imbalance, it does many things, but it uses up chromium in our body. Our bodies NEED chromium to build muscle (exercise depletes chromium too, so we need to supplement it!). If we have low chromium levels, our B vitamins get depleted and if we are deficient in B vitamins, we feel low.... :(

There was a study done - an orange was picked and it contained 180 mg of Vitamin C. By the time it arrived in the store it had 60mg of Vit C!!! All the goodness lost in the travels!

For you to get the correct amount of Vitamin A, you need to eat 10 organic carrots a day, how many do you eat per day? And to get recommended amount of Vitamin E, you need to eat 10g of Wheatgerm... Anyone?

So, are you healthy???

If you want some advice on what to do to get healthy, click here and send me your email, so I can get in touch with you via email.

Link to healthiness!

Have a great Sunday,
Erica xx

Ps. Something's coming......

My Forever Story + Holiday Guidelines

Hi girls,

Want to change things up a little... so my blog today is on video :)

No equipment workout:

a1: Step Ups x20
a2: Push Ups x20
a3: Burpies x20
a4: Wall sit x30sec
3-6 sets

b1: Full Sit Ups x20
b2: Leg Raises x20
4 sets

For details on how you can start your Forever business, pop your email in the link below and I'll get back to you as fast as humanly possible :)

http://bit.ly/YYde3w

Byeeeeee
Erica xx

Eating in hotels...

Good morning.... or is it morning in Ireland? Hello either way :)

At the moment, I'm in the USA, the company I work with give each and every person in the company a chance to travel all expenses paid twice a year - and if it's available - I will avail of it :) I will post my blog next week on the whole amazing experience that I am having! However, today, I want to chat about surviving in hotels...

I am always chatting with people who spend a lot of time in hotels, whether working or on holidays. Hotels are amazing, but it can be hard to eat well in them... all those pastries are just eyeing you up all the time!!!!

So, firstly, when you're in hotels, make sure you:

1. Are always fully hydrated; a lot of the time, we eat when we are actually thirsty, so if you make sure that you have a full bottle of water before you leave your room in the morning, it'll help your cravings.

2. Take some supplements; it's well known, that if we lack certain nutrients, we crave more things. So stay healthy. If you don't supplement, the first supplements that I would recommend would be Aloe Vera Gel, Artic Sea Fish Oils and Bee Pollen (see my store for more info on all of these: www.ericabrennan.flp.com)

3. Eat eggs; there are always eggs in hotels, so eggs are defo on the menu. Stay away from the pastries, toast and jam and go for the eggs, bacon, oats route...!

4. Pop two Garcina Plus twenty minutes before you eat: Garcina is a fat loss supplement that basically makes you feel fuller! If you're at a buffet, I know that all I want to do is to keep going back up and grabbing more little mini croissants - here's a brief clip of me talking about my top three fat loss supplements!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUm1It7gNOM&list=UUf4-nCt3dfyQ2KHEiGPQAWA

5. Buy nuts in your nearest shop and snack on them throughout the day! Do not go hungry... if you go hungry you're much more likely to binge! No binging in hotels!

Travelling is fun and when you're on holidays have fun, don't be too hard on yourself but if you follow these 5 simple tips, you'll not be punishing yourself but you won't come home feeling shit!

Happy Sunday,
Erica xx

Spotify for training

Good morninggggggg...!

Okay, so as we all know, music makes such a massive difference to our workouts, so my question is;

Do you use Spotify?

If you don't... you NEED to! Spotify has awesome playlists, so many, no matter what mood you're in, spotify will have a playlist to suit what type of workout you're going for! Whether it's feel good, fast for cardio or motivation for weights, Spotify will really help keep you going!

I know this sounds pretty obvious, but also having good powerful earphones are a must too! There's nothing worse than low quality music in your ears!

I feel that sometimes if I'm not in the form to train (which is normal), if I force myself into The Gym and just put in my earphones with a great playlist, I find that after 2 minutes, my heart rate is going, I'm warming up and boom - off we go!

Here are three cool Spotify playlists that I have on the go at the moment :) One is Dancey, one is a general pop mix and the last one is a punk rock throwback with some classics!!

http://open.spotify.com/user/blancoynegromusic/playlist/089GyNArqFs9lvrSkp7XVm

http://open.spotify.com/user/12123631385/playlist/1C1yZ3aDDBG5YLRNQrrzwT

http://open.spotify.com/user/11121811457/playlist/6k0Iz4Ge2SNzWHnKvcHhGy

Enjoy!

Erica xx

Chocolate Almond Banana Bread

Morning :)

Okay, so it's been a while since I've experimented in the kitchen! So here's what I made for my Saturday night #cheatclean treat :) :) It is DELISH!!!


Chocolate Almond Banana Bread :)

What you'll need:
- 1 Chocolate Chunk Quest Bar (chopped into small chunks)
- 6 eggs (6 whites, 2 yolks)
- 4 tbs of filtered water
- 100g of vanilla protein
- 1 tbs Cacao powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 medium bananas (mashed)
- 5 tbs flaked almonds

What you need to do:

  


1. Preheat your oven (Gas 3) + line your bread tin with paper
2. Sort your eggs out + add your water
3. Mix your egg mix with your protein + cacao + cinnamon + baking powder (if it's too thick add some more water, but this mix was good for me!)
4. Fold in your bananas, almonds + quest bar :)

5. Pour into your tin and in the oven for 40 mins
6. Let it cool, pop in fridge and enjoy :)

It's delicious with goo in the middle.....



Enjoy your Sunday,

Erica xx

Cheat Clean Snacks

Feeling adventurous today?? Today, I'm going to do a big shop and prep loads of food for the week!!! I'm also, going to make some healthy snacks! For anyone that's on my facebook private group, you've probably noticed that my meal prep has been pretty brutal of late! So organisation is on!!


Baking is so much more fun than cooking so here are some treat's i'm going to make: *the links to all the recipes are on the names :)

1. Granola Bars

2. Health Krispy Squares

3. Nutty Protein Bars

4. Chocolate + Coconut Balls

 5. Flapjacks

6. Protein Balls

Happy Baking :)

Erica xx

How to survive when you have PMS

1. 
   PMS means premenstrual syndrome and is something that three out of every four girls will experience just before or during their periods. The symptoms can include feeling tired, headaches, finding it hard to concentrate, being sad for no reason, or just generally feeling depressed and being miserable about everything. 

   
   

   That is the definition of PMS... My definition of it is as below...

   
   

   

   
   

   The Urban dictionary defines it well "PMS stands for pre menstrual syndrome or pass me the shotgun".

   
   

   So, how do we actually not go completely bananas and dive into the ocean and destroy everything we have worked hard on for all the other weeks of the year?

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

   1. KNOW YOUR DATES - (download an app) you need to prepare (organisation is superb for eating clean so it is vital that you know your dates so you can be on the ball!)

   
   

   2. BE ORGANISED - you need to make sure that you have a fridge full of good healthy foods. 

   
   

   3. DRINK LOADS OF WATER - you will retain fluid now, make sure that you're staying well hydrated, water helps combat cravings. 

   
   

   4. MAKE SURE YOU'RE HEALTHY - by this, I mean, make sure you're fuelled up with good quality supplements, so that you're not lacking any nutrients. Good example of these would be Fields of Green (wheatgrass, alfalfa, greenies), Bee Pollen (b complex, multi vit and multi mineral), Vitamin C (self explanatory), Fish Oils (superb for brain function and helps us women stay calm and see clearer). 
   
   5. TRAIN - I know sometimes you'd prefer to chop off your own foot than to train when on PMS, but just do it! Even if it's not an amazing workout - any workout is better than none!!
   
   6. EAT - Follow all your healthy eating. Make sure that you're eating, don't go hungry, it'll only enhance your chances of eating crap. Start making some #cleancheats (check out my blog and other instagram bloggers for some ideas - they're are loads of great ideas out there!)
   
   7. HERBAL TEAS - They are so handy, esp at night when all you want is sugar... drink your herbal tea!!! You can have a piece of dark chocolate too along with your herbal tea :)
   
   8. DON'T USE IT AS AN EXCUSE - You need to stay strong!!!! This is your willpower test. Don't let your cookoo-ness destroy all your weeks of training and clean eating. Be strong and you certainly don't need to eat 10 dairy milks!!!
   
   
   

   

   
   Erica xx

Do you cheat?

Olaaaa,

Right, so I'm not trying to invent some diet, I don't believe in diets - they're stupid and unrealistic. I believe that we should all want to eat and live healthily and that's how I like being - fit and healthy.

Obviously, my aim is to live a healthy lifestyle, now as a lot of people know, I'm no angel and I break the rules now and again - but I believe that that's okay as long as 90% of my time is eating clean and training properly.

So, to try and lead a healthy life, I think that every week IF you've eaten very well and trained then you can have a "cheat meal". Now, it's important that you read that properly... "cheat meal" meal, NOT DAY. Meal.

My "Diet"?

Scrap "diet", focus on changing your meals and tastes to choose healthier options and become cleaner! So my advice to people who want to lean up in a healthy and successful way;

1. Eat
2. Choose food that goes off (if it lives in a box, it's not food - things must go off!!)
3. Eat meat, chicken, fish, veg, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds, oils
4. Have a cheat meal once per week if you've been good
5. No fizzy drinks, avoid Aspartame & gluten as much as you can
6. Very little alcohol - like a couple of times a year
7. Train like a freak
8. Drink lots of water - like minimum of 2litres per day
9. Take supplements
10. Sleep 8 hours every night

What are cheat meals?

Cheat meals examples are:
- Take Out
- Sweets
- Chocolate
- Desserts
- Alcohol
- Pizza
- Pasta
- Rolls
- Anything bold basically....



How to live with cheating!

It's really important not to feel guilty. This can be actually very difficult. Like I often feel guilty, so it's really important that you know that you deserve to have your cheat meal! If you have been really good all week then waheyyy you can have some food fun!

I think by eating great all week, then going out or getting take out means that you're not missing out on going out with friends or going out for a birthday party. You don't have to become a bore because you want to eat well and have healthy insides....

Also, make sure that you savour your cheat meals, don't feel guilty and most importantly DO NOT LET YOUR CHEAT MEAL THROW YOU ON A DOWNWARD SPIRAL TO EATING CRAP DAILY!

Feel free to instagram your cheat meals to me @ericabrennan.pt  or post them up on my Food Club (to get into my food club, please just add me on facebook and I'll add you to it)

Have a great Sunday!
Erica xx

"Work Bitch"

I'm quoting Britney today... Although she is a long away from the pigtails and mini skirts, she has a lot of serious points! Like she is amazing, her story is incredible... my blog today isn't about me loving Britney, but it is about her song "Work Bitch". This song is vital for your workout playlist!!

We all have wonderful intentions but the people who actually reach their goals all have a few important things in common:

- They all set goals
- They all perfected visualisation skills
- They are all self motivated
- And they all SERIOUSLY GET OFF THEIR ASSES AND WORKED!

The process of reaching fitness and health goals seems to be very similar to succeeding in business. You will fail, whether it's eating those biscuits when you promised you were off them or when a business idea fell flat on its face. We have to fail at things, it makes us learn. It makes us grow. Failing is a major part of succeeding.

No athlete has just strolled into the Olympics, they sacrificed drinking at parties, eating McDonalds, late nights due to early morning training and a lot more. They were not lucky. They worked bloody hard.

That phrase is one of my serious pet hates.... "Oh they were lucky..."... No they were not lucky. They trained their ass off, they worked 100 hours a week, the went out of their way to get to where they are now. Successful people, it doesn't matter what department of success they're in, they all have one major factor in common - they will do what it takes to get where they want to be. No objection is going to stand in their way.

It's very easy to say "oh I want to be fit" or "I'd love to just fit into my clothes comfortably..." but how much would you love to fit into your clothes properly? Like how much? The reason, why people quit is because they'd kinda like to fit into their clothes comfortably, but you know, not as much as going out every weekend, and not as much as lying on the couch watching tv, instead of going to the gym. They want to be fit, but every excuse is better than actually getting up off their ass and doing it.

I'm not trying to dampen your efforts, everyone will fall off the bandwagon but it's vital that you stand back up and go again! This is the difference between where you want to be and where you are now. You need to not let a hiccup stand in your way. Get up and go!!! (and if your friends are giving you stick about you trying to become fitter or healthier or successful in business, if they give you grief - they're not your mates.)

Switch on and surround yourself with like minded people!!

So my point of all of this is, whatever you want to do, whether it's to succeed in whatever you do or to lose body fat or gain healthy weight, whatever it is - you have to work, bitch. You need to believe in what you want, you need to eat, sleep, drink it and you need to put 100% into your workouts (hence why you need it on your gym playlist)!

You need be 100% sure of what your outcome is, you cannot be fickle, you have to accept that there are going to be challenges, but overcoming these challenges will make it worth it.

Here's a million dollar question? Lets set the scene, you're at a BBQ and there's load of meat and salad, so you can be perfectly good, but all the desserts come out, you're dying for one.... Ask yourself this; " If someone was to give me a million dollars today for me NOT to eat any dessert would I eat it?"

Your answer is decision!

Nutty Protein Bars

Hiiiiiiii,

So it's been ages since I've actually baked something fun, so yesterday morning I decided to experiment :)

Simple recipe and no joke, it only took like 5 minutes prep and 30 minutes in the freezer!

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops Forever Ultra Lite Protein Shake
• 60g of organic oats
• 100g of flaked almonds
• 60g of flaxseed mix with cranberries
• 30g of sunflower and almond mix (I had them toasted from previous, but I'm sure they're as nice as if not toasted)
• 60g of almond butter (peanut would do too, I'm sure)
• 1tbsp of Organic Bee Honey
• 20ml of almond milk (just a drop...)
• A little dark chocolate for topping (although, I put it on first time and you actually don't really need it!)

Method:

1. Mix all the of the dry ingredients together
2. Chuck in all the wet ingredients
3. Give it a good mix with a wooden spoon
4. Pop it into a bread loaf tin, pop dark chocolate on top
5. In the freeze for 30 minutes 
6. Boom - out and in mouth

Easy peasy lemon squeezy....

Enjoy :)

Erica xx

Holiday Tips to not throw you completely off

Morning girls J

Holidays are great, the sun in shining (hopefully), which encourages us to eat lighter and drink more water. We’re resting and sleeping better (which is very important when leading a healthy lifestyle) and we’re re-energizing our bodies, which is so important of our mental and physical functioning. 

Before I go through my ten tips that I think make an awesome difference to going on holiday, I want to make sure you understand – you are on your holidays – it IS important that you enjoy some more of life’s pleasures for your short time away. However, you are not a dog, you should not be rewarding yourself with food. 

This is a holiday –NOT a binge trip :) 

So here are ten tips to hang on the healthy living boat while on holiday;

1.      Drink plenty of water – this is not hard to do. It’s hot. You’re thirsty. Choose water over coke.

2.     Meditate every morning on your deck chair.

3.     Pick a time of day to enjoy your alcohol - either lunch or dinner. Do you really need to drink at both meals?

4.     Bring your supplements (see below for the three I brought). Supplements are vital for keeping your body functioning, decant them, they’re easy to bring and will help you feel good when you eat crap.

5.     Watch the carbs at dinner, there are so many wonderful restaurants abroad; try to avoid pasta and pizza every night…

6.    Choose nuts over crisps. A lot of people may have a nightcap or a pre dinner drink, have nuts as your snack instead of crisps.

7.     Get a minimum of 8 hours sleep per night. 

8.    Make sure you eat lots of fibrous foods (leaves, veggies + lentils) so you don’t get bloated and clogged… 

9.    Walk or cycle when you’re going out… Twenty minute walk to your restaurant and back is still a little bit of exercise – something is better than nothing.

10.  Let your skin see the sun (even if you’re very pale, just for a few minutes) –Vitamin D is a very good mood booster J

My Top Three supplements:

1.      Aloe Vera Gel: Well, you know how much I swear by this stuff (full blog on it here) I need this every day – it is amazing! It makes my feel so much cleaner inside; it’s full of nutrients, vitamins, minerals etc. It is amazing for your digestive tract and that means you don’t get bloated J so this is the most important thing that I bring with me. I try to always travel with hand luggage (my wardrobe is flip-flops, bikini, shorts, top #casualchick) So I decant it into little bottles. 

2.     Garcina Plus: A well-known appetite suppressor supplement (I always say to make sure that you’re drinking the gel, when you’re taking these – they can be prone to clogging….) these basically make you feel fuller… So that’s good for eh well you know… not overindulging in the magnums. 

3.     ForeverLean: This is a supplement blend of fiber (super for a healthy gut) and chromium. Chromium is a well-known tool for stopping you craving sugar. Truthfully = I LOVE sugar, I would dive into a bag of sweets if I had the opportunity to. I am not joking you – I do not have a sugar craving when on these bad boys!

If you guys want to grab some of these, you can on my online store: www.ericabrennan.flp.com (and please feel free to send me an email if you’re unsure)

Hope these tips help you with your holiday pounds, but remember, have fun, laughter and don’t come back being disgusted with yourself – it’s not worth it!!!

Erica xx