For those of you that aren’t familiar with Funky Raw, they are a UK based company that supports people eating a raw diet.  The website has a great shop that includes a really big range of raw products, superfoods, books, magazines, eco friendly products and natural skin care products.

Whilst I don’t follow an all raw food diet (and don’t think I would want to), I do include lots of raw foods in my every day diet.

The magazine was a really great read and I read it from cover to cover.  There is an amazing raw recipe section including a raw recipe for Millionaire’s Shortbread – oh my!  I really have to try that one!  When I get chance, I’ll type it up for you guys.

The magazine also includes a list of workshops, talks and events that may interest raw enthusiasts based all over the UK.  Though this magazine is out of date now (it’s from April) the events included a Raw Food Dinner Party in London, Raw Magic – an overview of the Raw Magic philosphy – in Brighton, An Introduction to Living Foods in Bristol and Food for Consciousness Workshop in Devon.

There is a lot of reader input to the magazine which I really liked and the stories by readers included Rebecca the Raw Runner, Theresa’s Journey to Raw Foods and a fantastic piece by Jessica Fenton about weaning her baby the raw vegan way!

Even though I don’t eat a raw or vegan diet, the magazine was a totally brilliant read- so much so, I ordered the current issue which includes how to make raw bagels!

You can download a free copy of issue 10 by clicking here.

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

My day was going well until my surrogate Nan was taken to hospital this afternoon :-(  She isn’t my real Nan but she is very dear to me and I call her Nan.

I’m really hoping she pulls through – any positive vibes are welcome.

I finally got around to uploading the pictures I took of our house on the day we moved in.  However, they looked pretty plain and boring without our furniture in so I took some more this evening to show the difference.  The quality isn’t brilliant as they were taken on my phone and the light isn’t the best as it’s getting dark so we had our lamps on.

This is our teeny tiny entrance hall, which is lovely and bright…

Our living room also has a dining room knocked through but that space is still a bit of a shambles at the moment.  We want to get a nice dining table and chairs next month so once that is in place, I’ll post a picture of it.  The living room itself is pretty large and so light.  There is wood panelling on the one wall which I’m not keen on really but the landlord doesn’t want us removing it which is a shame.  We’re going to ask him if we can sand it down and stain it a light maple colour instead as it’s just a tad too orangey for our taste.

Here it is on the day we moved in…

And now…

The kitchen…

Our garden is so much bigger and neater than our last garden too.  It has 3 awesome raised beds and a small one on the lawn…

And a little patio area…

And a detached garage that the husband is going to use as a gym…

The garden path, flower beds and patio were absolutely filthy when we moved in…

But the husband jet washed them to get them all sparkly clean – I *heart* him!

I’m going to use the beds to plant herbs, salad leaves and maybe some veggies too – I’m not very green fingered though so I have some reading to do.  I did plant some herbs about a week after we moved in – flowering oregano, purple basil and chives – and they are growing very nicely!

Taking bets on how long I can keep them alive for ;-)

Food has been good today though I’ve had the worst “fat day” I’ve had in a long time – I felt like a whale all day!

Breakfast was mocha porridge topped with Greek yoghurt, blueberries, strawberries & pecans…

Mid morning I had a skimmed latte.

Lunch was going to be an omelette, then I changed my mind and planned scrambled eggs & toast and then I changed my mind back and made the original omelette and served it between 2 slices of bread – dilemma solved!

Mid afternoon I had an apple with almond butter and a delicious earl grey…

Dinner was prawn jambalaya which was yummy as always…

When I got home this afternoon, I sat and blubbed my way through last night’s episode of The Biggest Loser.  Afterwards, I hopped onto my Air Climber and completed my 10 minutes as per my challenge.  It was a great ten minutes and the time passes so quickly when I crank up my music.  As my legs are a problem area for me, I’m hoping the air climber will help!

And now I’m off for a shower and bed – g’night blog friends!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Some weeks ago, before life was turned upside down by our house move, I was contacted by James from WeightWorld who asked if I would take part in an air climber challenge.  As part of the deal they would send me an air climber and I would use it for 10 minutes per day for a few months and see what results I get.  I will be blogging, tweeting and posting to my Facebook Group about the challenge and will take before and after measurements and photos.

This is the air climber that I have received:

I was really excited to get it all unpacked…

It comes with these fab goodies…

I’m really excited to get started on this – 10 minutes stepping will probably half kill me to start with as it’s not something I tend to do – I NEVER use the stepper at the gym, so it will be good to add it to my regime.

The challenge will start today, with my first 10 minutes being as soon as I have finished this blog entry – no time like the present huh?

Wish me luck!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I recently received the Sony Wireless Walkman W250 after agreeing to test and review it here on the blog.  I was excited to try this out as I normally use my iPod Nano when I’m exercising which is great, but the wires get in the way somewhat. I don’t like using one of those armbands when I exercise as I find them a bit restrictive so I was forever trying to work around wires, threading wires down my vest and cursing myself for not wearing workout trousers that had a pocket, which meant my ipod was shoved into my sweaty cleavage – not good!

Something else that appealed to me about this new Sony Walkman is that it is water resistant.  Not to the extent that you could wear it whilst swimming but it means when I’m out running, I don’t have to worry about my walkman getting wet if it rains (or gets showered with my sweat as I’m a real sweaty betty when I train!)

Setting up the walkman was simple though I felt it wasn’t as easy as setting up and synchronizing a play list on iTunes. However, once I had got the hang of it I managed to get on with it and it didn’t seem so bad.  I guess with anything new, it takes time to get used to things and each time I’ve used it since and come to add music to it, it’s been a much quicker process.  What I do like about it is that you can drag and drop single files or even playlists from iTunes, Windows Media Player or from your computer to the Walkman which is something that I’ve not been able to do with my Ipod.

As I’ve not been doing much running since my half marathon I tested out my Sony Wireless Walkman W250 in the gym and just whilst out walking.  It’s such a relief not having wires trailing whilst working out and as the switch controls are all on the ear pieces, it means that I don’t have to constantly dig into my pockets (or cleavage!) every time I want to change track – there is a simple lever on the right ear piece that allows me to skip forward to the next song.  There is also a function called Zappin which scans through all your music and plays a short clip so that you can select which song is perfect for the moment – ideal if I want to change from cardio and Britney to pumping iron and Metallica!

The thing that appeals most to me about this fabulous gadget is the charge time – just 3 minutes charging gives a whopping 90 minutes playing time!  My iPod would need at least half an hour to charge up from dead to give me a significant amount of playing time.  If the battery is fully charged you get 11 hours of playing time.  The USB docking station is both a stand and the charger which means you can keep it on your desk ready to use whenever you need it.

As you will see from the pictures, the Sony Wireless Walkman W250 is also discreet so if you have your hair loose nobody will even know you are wearing it…

But even with hair back or tied up, it’s still discreet…

The ear buds of the Sony Wireless Walkman W250 are so comfortable and have not yet fallen out once whilst training, which is a novelty for me as my IPod Nano earphones were constantly slipping out, especially when I ran.

So, the big question is would I recommend this product?

ABSOLUTELY!

It really is a fantastic, simple to use MP3 player and it has replaced my iPod as far as exercising is concerned.  Not having to thread wires through my clothing and shove the player into a pocket (or cleavage!) really swings it for me and from now on, my MP3 player of choice will be the awesome Sony Wireless Walkman W250!

I would like to offer my sincere apologies to Gemma and the guys at Sony for taking so long to post up this product review – life has been crazy mental in the last few weeks  so it’s taken a while to finish off the review.

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Apart from the long day, it’s actually been a good one.  I’m having a mad obsession on cook books at the moment and the book people came to deliver my order of 4 brand new cook books – hurrah!  They are:  A healthy Italian cook book by Gino D’ACampo, The Chilli Lovers Cookbook, Cook Express containing 700 recipes and a Comfort Food Recipe book.  I’ve already book marked several dishes that I want to make over the coming week.

I also picked up at the shop a Men’s Health Special entitled “Fuel” all about nutrition.  As you know, I’m not a big fan of Men’s Health but this actually didn’t look too bad.  No doubt it won’t really tell me anything I don’t already know but there are some pretty cool recipes inside.

Speaking of new recipes, I made the most delicious chicken risotto last night in an attempt to get mini JAG eating more vegetables.  He adores fruit but it’s such a struggle to get him to eat veggies and we sat and had a family discussion about it the other night and he promised to try and eat more vegetables.  In the risotto, I added 2 very finely chopped red onions, a finely chopped sweet red pepper and some frozen peas.  Result?

He loved it!  Hurrah!

I got the recipe from CookUK and though it was quite calorific, I will definitely make it again.

Chicken Risotto

350g risotto rice
2 medium onions
450g chicken breast
100g peas (fresh or frozen)
40g fresh grated parmesan
1 sweet red pepper
1.5 pints chicken stock
1 glass white wine
25g butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon saffron
2 garlic cloves
Salt & Pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Slice the chicken thinly
Finely chop the onion
Finely chop or crush the garlic
Finely grate the parmesan cheese
Wash the risotto rice in cold water
Cut red pepper in half, remove seeds and pith then chop

Method

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat, Fry the chicken on a medium heat for 3 minutes until cooked, turn the chicken as it’s cooking until the chicken is cooked through.  This should take about 5 minutes.

Stir the chicken whilst cooking to ensure it’s evenly cooked. When done, place the chicken to one side. Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and turn the heat to low. Add the onions, garlic and sweet peppers.Fry at a low heat for 10 minutes stirring the ingredients frequently. The idea is to soften the onions and peppers. When the ingredients are softened, add the cooked chicken and fry for a further two minutes.Now add the risotto rice and fry for another two minutes stirring constantly. make sure the rice is coated with the olive oil. Add the saffron. Add the wine and stir. When the wine has been absorbed by the rice add a ladleful of the chicken stock. Each time the stock is absorbed, add another ladleful. When all the stock has been added and absorbed, the rice should be moist but will “stack up” as shown in the picture.This process will take about 25 minutes. Add the frozen peas and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Now add the butter, parmesan cheese and peas. Add slat and pepper to taste and stir well for 30 seconds. Remove the risotto from the heat and leave it to stand (covered with a lid or plate).

I was so excited to receive a fabulous new gadget in the post today…

A new, wireless MP3 player by Sony that I will be testing out over the course of the next few weeks.  I can’t wait to get my tunes on it and try it out on my run on Sunday.  And they sent me a pink version – hurrah!

It’s also come at a perfect time as I am embarking on a new challenge starting on Monday which has been set up by three lovely dudes on WLR.  It’s running for 7 weeks which will finish just in time for my holiday on 31st August and there are no set rules as such, you have to devise your own but you also have to stick to them over the next 7 weeks.  For this reason, they have to be achievable goals – no point setting yourself up to fail!

Here are my goals:

(*) Set my calories to lose 0.5lb per week
(*) To weight train 3 times per week WITHOUT FAIL!
(*) One body attack class, one HIIT session and one run per week
(*) No alcohol whatsoever
(*) Minimum of 30% protein

I know all of the above goals are attainable and I also know that by sticking to them, I will lose the extra lbs that I gained whilst training for my half marathon.  I will also of course be doing my daily 10 minutes of the air climber challenge :-D

So, I shall be drinking my last bottle of Koppaberg this evening and making the most of it!

Food has been lovely today.  I started off with porridge made with semi skimmed milk, apple, cinnamon, Greek yoghurt, blackberries & pecans…

Mid morning was a skimmed latte and 2 satsumas…

Lunch was supposed to be an omelette but I wanted scrambled eggs and toast instead…

Mid afternoon, I snacked on a Virtue Bar but I forgot to snap it in my boredom at work.

Dinner was a home made lamb burger, made with lean minced lamb, red onions & fresh rosemary.  I served it on a ciabatta bun with olives…

Can you see the fresh herbs in a little water?  My lovely colleague Debbie picked them from her herb garden for me.  Note for Loony – they have replaced the dead cactus!

I’m going to get my cider now and watch The Biggest Loser.  I’m at work in the morning but only until 11am and then I shall be walking to the gym for my workout.  I’m thinking of giving body pump a try as I’ve not done a class in AGES!

Have an awesome evening folks!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

My Protein were kind enough to send me a sample of their new range of MP Max Elle Virtue Bars to try and review here on the blog.  Now it’s no secret my heart belongs to My Protein as far as my supplements go, I’ve been a loyal customer to them for the last 2 years and have no desire to order from another supplement company.

However, my review of their products will not be biased because of this and I will remain objective about whatever product I am reviewing.

What are Virtue Bars?

They are yoghurt drenched cereal bars that make up part of the new MP Max Elle range of products designed especially for females, hence the pretty pink box they come in.

They contain only 95 calories and are high in protein and fibre.  Here is the nutritional breakdown in full (per bar):

Calories: 93 calories
Protein: 5.3g
Carbs: 12.7g
Of which sugars: 2.6g
Fat:  2.8g
Of which saturates: 1.1
Fibre: 6.3g

The bars come in 3 different flavours: Maple & Pecan, Double Chocolate and Fruit Burst. I sampled the Maple & Pecan and Double Chocolate bars.

How do they taste?

In a word – sinful!  It really is like indulging in something really calorie dense and naughty.  The double chocolate flavour are by far my favourite, which is most unusual considering I absolutely adore both maple and pecan.  However, I did find the maple & pecan flavour had a bit of an artificial flavour to them and I wasn’t keen on the after taste they left.  They are really chewy which I find helps my hunger as it takes longer to eat.

The main thing that bothered me about these bars is their ingredients list – it’s so long!  You know I’m pretty strict about checking labels and try to eat foods as close to their natural state as possible.  Unfortunately, there are E-numbers and ingredients that I don’t really understand which would put me off buying them.

The protein content IMO is not that high for a “protein bar” – there are other bars on the market that pack a bigger protein punch than these and contain all natural ingredients, such as Trek bars or 9bar.  However, these do contain a lot more calories than the Virtue Bars so I guess you have to decide what is more important to you and your nutritional requirements.  Compared to most other cereal bars or yoghurt coated bars on the market, Virtue Bars are by far a better option – they’re tastier, nutritionally better and better value for money.

The great thing about Virtue bars that sets them apart from their competitors is the price – just £7.95 for 12 bars, which in my opinion is fantastic value for money and that is what My Protein are all about!

Edited to add:

I really should do all my research before hitting publish!

I did a comparison with the 9bar and virtue bar on a gram for gram basis and these are the results:

9bar (50g):
calories – 281
protein – 9.3g
carbs – 19.2
fat – 19.2g
fibre – 2.4g

virtue bar (50g):
calories – 154
protein – 8.8g
carbs – 21.2
fat – 4.7
fibre – 10.6g

Protein wise, there actually isn’t a great deal of difference and the Virtue Bar comes in at a lot less calories and fat and a whopping 8.5g more of fibre!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.