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

2-5% Body Fat... Byeeeee

If you've been following my blogs for the past 4 weeks and sticking to each weeks tip... You're probably down about 2-5% bodyfat by now, so well done :) If you haven't... Read todays and click through tip one to four (I promise they're not long).... 

So last Beach Body Tip for summer 2015!

Focus on Food Quality & Up Your Protein

There is no special or secret formula to having a good body composition: A high-quality, high-protein intake, a lot of vegetables, beneficial/good fats, and other nutrient dense REAL foods.

Why is this way of eating so effective for reducing body fat?

First, whole foods require more energy for the body to digest and utilize than processed foods... hence why processed foods are a no go! They are also more filling and haven’t been scientifically engineered to stimulate food intake, so you eat fewer calories without even trying.

Second, eating a high-protein diet and lower-glycemic carbs leads people to eat fewer calories, and it maintains lean muscle mass for a higher metabolic rate. Proteins make you feel fuller faster... You wouldn't sit down and have four steaks in one sitting, but you could easily have four slices of cake... This makes a huge difference when you are trying to lose bodyfat!

If you make the mistake of cutting your calories without upping protein, you will lose muscle along with the fat, so the amount of calories your body burns at rest plummets. This will cause you to gain the fat back very rapidly once your diet is over and you increase your calories. This is why yoyo starvation diets DO NOT WORK!

How To Do It: 

Eat high-quality protein and fat at every meal, focusing on getting 10 grams of essential aminos acids. This is most easily done by eating meat, fish, or eggs because animal products are more amino acid dense than plant proteins.

De-emphasize carbohydrates, getting the vast majority of carbs from veggies and fruit.  If you go very low in carbs (below 50 grams a day, for example) consider cycling whole food carbs, such as starchy veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes) or boiled grains every 5-7 days. NOTE: THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED LONG TERM! This will only work in short term, and I am in no way telling you to go this low carb all year round, but in short term goals, it works. I would recommend majority of your carbs post workout, when you are more insulin sensitive!

So that's it!!

Erica xx

Protein Pancakes

Good Morning Y'all,

OK, so it's not pancake Tuesday yet, but everyday can be pancake day.... Protein Pancake Day :) So my fantastic work colleague Tom, came in with this last Tuesday with this delicious looking breakfast!

Tom's Pancakes:

Now, I have tried many protein pancake recipes, but never would they stick properly on the pan... but these ones do!!! So Tom gave me permission to share he's awesome recipe with you all :)


Ingredients:

Teaspoon of coconut oil
30g Porridge Oats (organic if possible please)
30g Aminotein Vanilla Protein (as it is gluten free)
2x Eggs
1x Mashed Banana
Dash of almond milk
Almond Butter for serving (again, organic, glass jar if possible)


Method:
1. Put your oats, protein shake, eggs and banana in a bowl and mix together.

2. Add in enough milk to get the "pancake" consistency.
3. Heat the pan and melt the coconut oil.

4. Pour in the your pancake batter and make pancakes

5. Serve with delicious almond butter and green tea and BOOM healthy fun breakfast!

Happy Pancaking :)

Erica xx

Order your gluten free protein here http://bit.ly/MobKti

NO EXCUSES!

Hi girlies,

OK if getting fit is your plan for 2014, you NEED to try the Anti-Gravity Treadmill!!! You can burn over 1000 calories in 60 minutes and this is no joke! It is a great machine and if you haven't tried it, you need to!

Also, I really do reccommend gym programs and I am going to start designing fat loss gym programs for all you gym bunnies! But for extra home workouts and anyone who doesn't have access to a gym I will be uploading daily short workouts!! So stick to them!!

Lastly, make sure that you have you're 2014 progress report printed off and filled out!! I've mine done!

Download your progress report now!

Happy Sunday,
Erica xx

Luscious Lips

How can we get these:

If we have these:

I'm even noticing now waking up with REALLY dry lips... lovely, I know. So cracked/chapped lips, ulcers and cold-sores are on the horizon ESPECIALLY at this time of year. And I promise after todays blog there are going to be no more GORGEOUS pictures...

So I met my Mother yesterday and as we were having a bowl of soup, she told me that she had an ulcer in her mouth that was driving her mad... So she went to the chemist and bought some ulcer-iee cream. Now what's the problem with that? The problem is, is that it's going to go away and come back again in a couple of weeks and she'll think it's just another one. 

So obviously that's not solving the solution. Your skin is the last stop for things to appear on. So when something does appear on your skin, you need to hit it from the inside first. Makes sense doesn't it? Stress is one of the big factors for these little beauties, so sort your stress levels out and give you immune system a good boost. 

If you get cold-sores, dry/chapped lips, cracked lips or ulcers you need to treat yourself to this:

It's an little aloe stick which is sooooo soothing for your lips. It'll last you months and it is anti-viral (so you can apply when you have an ulcer and apply when you don't have one), anti-septic and anti-pyritic. It's a mighty midget that you can put on anything (even like insect bites, because it takes the itch away). It is a multi-purpose product BUT it's a must have in your pockets for Winter. 

I also use this toothgel (it contain's no flouride and it has propolis - remember that bee stuff - see this blog to know what propolis does :)) It's brill and it got voted BEST whitening toothgel in the states by Readers Digest - which is pretty cool. 

But it's just brilliant for any thingies that appear in your mouth. 

Have a Super Dooper Sunday :)

ps. Next week - our new healthy cook book!

Shop :)

Our main man this Winter!

OK so I mentioned there on Sunday that throughout this week, I was going to chat about some of the supplements that I think are going to really help battle the temperature drop in relation to our immune system.

OK, so first of all, the problems we all run into in Autumn/Winter revert from respiratory problems!

Aloe Vera Gel = keeps the immune system in good shape :)

This beautiful yellow bottle works wonders in helping many things but I would be here all night talking about all of it's properties so I'm just going to give you pointers on how it's going to help you throughout the cold seasons.

It is bio-available (this means that your body recognises it and all of this amazing properties. This is a big MAJOR point. If you go out and buy some really expensive supplements and it's not bio-available, you are just going to excrete it. What a waste of money, so the fact that this gel is recognised by our bodies is a BIG help!

Aloe vera is a long chain sugar (polysaccharide) this basically effects our cytokine system (which are the chemical messengers of the immune system). This then acts in a way that balances our system = aloe vera gel is a immunomodulator.

Some of the main minerals & vitamins NATURALLY found in aloe are;
- Calcium
- Sodium
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Copper
- Zinc
- B12
- Vitamin A
- B group vitamins
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Folic Acid
- 19 out of 20 amino acids
- 7 out of 8 essential amino acids (our body cannot make these ones!)

How much to drink?

Adults 100 mls minimun per day (older adults and children need less)
(one shot in the morning - before you eat anything & one shot around 4pm OR at night before bed)

Tomorrow... More on the respiratory system helping supplements!! :)

Remember if you want to order your bottles, have a root in my Shop :)


(ps. remember I am not a doctor, facts from this blog are ref. from Dr. Peter Atherton, but all tips are what I do and since they work for me and my immune systems over the past few winters, hopefully they'll help you. #preventionratherthancure)

Change your thinking, change your life

Good morning girls, 

Cold Autumn Sunday morning - love them :) 

So throughout the week, i'm going to be posting up all the best defences now for coming into the Winter months. We have a lots of different problems in Winter compared to Summer like;

1. Our immune system is what we need to hit to stay healthy.

2. Our skin, because it's going to react with the cold windy air. 

3. The Winter Blues can be a problem for some people (Seasonal Affected Disorder = SAD)

So i'm going to post my favourite supplements and little tips up throughout the week on that :)

For this morning though, I want to share with you this little clip. I just LOVE it. Like I want to cry every time I watch it because I feel so motivated and ambitious afterwards. I've actually started to watch it every night (for the past two weeks I have). I like going to bed feeling positive, feeling excited, feeling happy about my life and my future; this clip ticks all the boxes. 

In the past two weeks I've received LOTS of exciting news… Which i'm going to be announcing very soon. News in relation our gym #tfa The Fitness Agency. So watch this space because it IS very exciting!!!

Happy Sunday! 

And remember, the only person who is stopping you achieving ANYTHING that you want in life. Is you… So move out of your own way! 

Love Erica xx

It's what's inside that counts!

"Don't worry pet, it's what's on the inside that counts" proclaims mother

"PEOPLE CAN'T SEEEEE MY INSIDES!!!!" yells angry teenager

This saying, of course makes sense, but let's be honest; at some point in your life... it's not what you want to hear. But, the thing is... it IS what's on the inside that counts... because the outside of your body (your skin, the body's largest organ) is a reflection of what's going on inside of you (your gut health).

You have to view your face and body as a screen, a screen that reflects your insides. If you have something that bothers you, you need to start from the inside!

Checklist:
Q:  Is your immune system good? (A: Yes, I never get sick and rarely get stressed)
Q:  Is your digestive system in good condition? (A: Super, my tummy is in good nick)
Q:  Are you absorbing your nutrients? (A: Yes, my digestive tract is clean)
Q:  Are you lacking any vitamins or minerals? (A: Nope, if I lack anything, I supplement)
Q:  Are you happy? (A: Apart from when life throws you curve balls, yes :))

These are all vital questions that if are not in order, your external features will suffer.

If you want to help some area ( I know mine is always my skin ) Please look at how to address the situation on the inside first.

Happy Sunday Girls, Bella sends her love :)

CLEAN 9

Ok, so as I mentioned last week, I've started the Clean 9 detox....(feel free to scroll to the end to see my results! In between is my food diary for the week!)

Day 1 & Day 2

120 ml aloe gel (2 shots) x 4 times per day
2 Garcina Supplements x 3 times per day
2 Bee Pollen Supplements x 2 times per day
1 Aminotein Protein Shake

Day 3 to Day 9


120 ml aloe gel (2 shots) x 4 times per day
2 Garcina Supplements x 3 times per day (before your meals)
2 Bee Pollen Supplements x 2 times per day
2 Aminotein Protein Shakes (breaki & lunch)
1 600kcal meal

Clean 9 Diary

Day 1 = Friday: OK, on a mission, I can do this!!!! 

Woke up and feeling in good form!
9.00am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps that i take: freedom, probiotics and vitamin a & c).
10.30am : Pilates class
1.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen
(still in work)
6.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina, bee pollen and shake (made with almond milk)

Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!


Day 2 = Saturday: Kinda hungry, but feeling motivated

Missing my eggs, but i've gotten over it!
8.00am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps that i take: freedom, probiotics and vitamin a & c).
1.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen
(at a course all day)
6.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina, bee pollen and shake (made with almond milk)
- Saturday night was hard, not going to lie, but I stuck it out!
Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!


Day 3 = Sunday: Very excited to eat my meal today!

Feeling energetic, no junk in the slightest in my system for whole 2 days
10.00am : Weight training hard sessions
11.30am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps that i take: freedom, probiotics and vitamin a & c) AND my shake (almond milk)
4.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen & meal = 3 prawns, cod and carrots & slither of sponge cake (now, obviously I wouldn't recommend cake, but I was at a very important communion :) )
8.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina, bee pollen and shake (made with almond milk)
Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!

Day 4 = Monday: Home sailing!

9.30am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps that i take: freedom, probiotics and vitamin a & c and shake (made with almond milk)
1.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen and shake (made with almond milk)
5.00pm : 1 yoghurt rice cake
7.30pm : Had my aloe, garcina, bee pollen, had salmon 3 egg omelette with mushrooms and onion
8.00pm : Sliced fresh mango
Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!


Day 5 = Tuesday: Easy Peasy

8.00am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps that i take: freedom, probiotics and vitamin a & c) & shake.
12.00pm: Pilates Class & 30 minute alter G run
1.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen & shake
(at a course all day)
6.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina, bee pollen and 3 egg omelette with organic chicken, mushrooms & onion.
Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!


Day 6 = Wednesday: N for Normal

8.30am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps... you know them at this stage)
3.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen (bit too long of a stretch) & shake
5.30pm: Had a handful of almonds and a green tea
7.30pm : Had my aloe & garcina, bee pollen, organic salmon fillet with mushrooms and yummy broccoli (nice and crunchy)
Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!

Day 7 = Thursday: Long Day

8.30am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps)
3.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen (bit too long of a stretch)
5.00pm: Had my aloe Fab (amazing boost drink - had a busy product night ahead in Carlow)
7.30pm : Had my aloe & garcina, bee pollen
10.30pm: 4 chicken pieces with 1 slice of cheese (very late getting in, was starving, made the best out of a bad situation)
Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!


Day 8 = Thank God it's Friday9
8.30am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps) & shake
1.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen & shake
4.30pm: Had my aloe Fab then did 60 minute weight training
6.30pm : Sparkling water and some nuts
9.00pm: Aloe & Garcina, bee pollen, then, 2 beef burgers with slice of cheese and green beans
Drank 2 litres of water throughout the day!

Day 9 = No comment - VERY BAD EATING DAY
8.30am : Had my aloe, garcina and bee pollen (also my other supps) 2 eggs & 2 pieces of bacon.
3.00pm : Had my aloe, garcina & bee pollen & shake
6.30pm : Aloe & Garcina, bee pollen Sparkling water, thai green curry and 1 piece of chocolate biscuit cake and a couple of strawberry jellies!!!!
9.00pm: Green tea
Not nearly enough water!


Ok, so my final day was not great!! And this week if you may have noticed, my training regime wasn't as good as usual... However, I have lost 4 kg in the 9 days! For me, thats a lot!!! I'm actually the lightest i have been in 4 years at this exact moment!

What I adore about the clean 9 detox is that you often continue to lose after you finish, so i'll update you during the week :)

If you're interested in trying the Clean 9, PLEASE message me on facebook so I can chat to you about it :)

Snacking Smartly

Snacks are incredibly hard to find. Sorry... I said that wrong... HEALTHY snacks are incredibly hard to find!

Snacking on healthy nibbles are important if you're trying to keep your metabolism nice and fast (so you're burning calories & hanging on to your lean mass).

Some of the snacks I like are;

- The Nakd Bars (the orange & choc one's are the nicest)
- Nuts (obviously unsalted), Almonds are my fav.
- Nut butters (in glass jars and organic is best - yes, just eat them with a spoon)
- Bunalun rice cakes (now, these are high carbs, but one or two are alright, the yogurt/orange ones are yummy)
- Quest protein bars are good too :)
- Homemade protein cakes (those recipes are coming soon)

**** IF I AM CRAVING SUGAR... I drink aloe... NO JOKE, it really helps!***

(If i'm craving something really bold... I give myself 20 minutes and if I haven't convinced myself not to eat it by then, then i deserve it... 9/10 I have stopped myself)

Another little trick is, I never keep any junk food in the house, so if i really want something, I actually have to drive to the shop to get it! (I've already swigged my aloe and waited 20 minutes, so its rare that I make it to the shops!)

Hope these tricks help you :)

I LOVE ALOE

Why I drink the peach aloe!!

1. Because it's deeee-licious!!
2. I don't get that bloating or over-full grumpy feeling
3. My gut is healthier which means i absorb nutrients better from my food
4. My skin is clearer, because your skin is a reflection of your gut
5. I have all my vitamins and minerals consumed for the day (and i haven't eaten anything yet)
6. I have my b12 fix which is VERY important for women 
7. It clears any IBS symptoms!

(there are lots of more reasons, but these are just my top reasons )

ps. Good morning all, Elton says hi 

Purchase your aloe peach CLICK HERE & ENTER STORE