Vanilla Black

Last night I went to the Michelin-recommended Vanilla Black restaurant near Chancery Lane and was bitterly disappointed.  This is a meat free restaurant although the courses may not be the most healthy.  I am struggling for something positive to say about this experience.  The food was mediocre, the service incredibly slow and the bill eye watering.  I suppose the presentation of the food deserves a mention and was the only positive.  We arrived before 7 and almost an hour later my main arrived.  I ordered Poached Organic Hen Egg and Ribblesdale Pudding for a main and then waited another 20 minutes before having to ask a waitress if I could see a dessert menu.  I wish I hadn't bothered.  I ordered Peanut Butter Cheesecake and Cracked Cocoa Beans.  This did not resemble any kind of cheese cake I've ever seen.  The 'cake' part also seemed to have some kind of bitter herb and was quite revolting.  The final sting was the bill which came to almost £100.

The 80/10/10 Diet and Raw Foodism

I've started to do a lot of  research into raw foodism.  This sparked my interest after I watched a documentary called 'Health Food Junkies'.  You can imagine from the title that the documentary was never going to portray the raw foodists in a fair light.

A raw food diet basically means that the 'followers' only eat foods that are completely raw such as fruits and vegetables and some foods that have been heated to no more than 40oC in a device known as a dehydrater.

For many people this type of diet is a lifestyle and while some 'turn 100% raw' over night, others make the transistion from vegetarian to vegan to raw vegan to low fat raw vegan.





I have signed up to go to a raw food workshop in a few weeks' time and will blog about that experience too.  I am genuinely intrigued and eager to learn but for now at least I don't think this diet/lifestyle is for me.

If you search 'raw foods' on google or you tube you will find hundreds of people that have adopted this lifestyle and have only positive things to say.  They claim that after a period of initial detox they have been left with an abundance of energy, no body odour, clear skin, a clear mind and some have even claimed that as a result of eating this way they have been released from the mundane rat race and found their 'true life purpose'.  Now -  this is the point that concerns me.  It's when people start talking about their daily diet in the same terms as a religion that I start to feel a little uncomfortable.

I personally do not believe that any diet (although this isn't really a 'diet') that encourages people to be so restrictive about what you can and can't eat is good for you in the long term.  I suspect that initial 'highs' people experience are more from the detox and the psychological aspects.  I will need to find out more about the health of those who have followed this way of eating for 20 years or more and see that they truly have no deficiencies or health problems for me to be as committed as this lifestyle requires. Some people have reported problems with their teeth (due to the high fructose in the fruit) and lacking in vitamins D and B12.  Once you start eating this way your body becomes more and more senstive to things like dairy and cooked foods and so trying to return to a 'normal' diet can be a struggle.

I have no doubt that incorporating much more raw fruit and veg into my daily meals will do me only good.  This book and research has made me come to think that the extra protein I've been searching for in the morning protein shakes and grilled chicken breasts is probably unnecessary.  I'm going to replace my morning protein shake with an extra glass of water and a couple of pieces of fruit.  Never say never but for now - this just isn't for me.
 

Exercise equipment for the home

These are my top five favourite tools for working out at home.

No. 1 A balance ball
This is great for doing ab exercises with.  I like to do sit ups on the ball and then do reverse crunches while keeping my feet stable against a wall.  I also use this when lifting hand weights rather than a bench.  It's a great tool and although it can take up a bit of space you could deflate it for storage.  We keep ours in the lounge and when it's not being used for exercise it gets used as a seat or foot rest! :-)

No. 2 Some hand weights
I have about four or five different sets of hand weights at home.  I like to use the lighter ones to add a bit of challenge to my aerobic routines and the heavier sets when I am focused on lifting for a particular muscle set.  You'll sometimes hear people say that you can make your own weights with things around the home like tinned goods or bags of flour but I would say that just one or two sets of proper hand weights with nice grips are a worthwhile investment.

No. 3 My stairs
I live in a house with stairs and I make the most of them.  I sometimes just walk up and down the stairs when I'm waiting for something else like the kettle to boil.  If you have stairs at your home or work then make the most of them.  People might think you're a bit odd walking up down but they will also notice what lovely legs and shapely bum you have!

No. 4 My rebounder
This is like a mini trampoline.  It's so much fun (but a little noisy).  I first bought this when the weather was rotten and I wanted an in-door work out that meant I wouldn't be jumping up and down on bare wooden floor boards at home.  I set it up in the lounge early one morning and starting jumping up and down and my flatmate thought something naughty was going on in the lounge.  I love this because it means you can stick the music channel on and just bounce around to your favourite tunes and get the heart rate up.  It's easy to put up as you just screw on the legs but we leave ours up all the time now.

No. 5 A skipping rope
One of my favourite comedians Eddie Izzard once did a sketch that compared super fit manly boxers and little school girls as they both really love skipping.  Skipping is a great exercise and much much harder than it looks.  You can find you tube videos that will offer whole exercise routines that just involve jumping rope.  You burn calories fast and I can't recommend it enough.  My rope also has light weights in the handles for an added work out but these can be removed.

Skinny Bitch

I've just finished reading this book and found some sections of it really inspiring.  The tone is very much no nonsense and the writers don't hold back with their opinions.  I think it's a good book to shake you out of your comfort zone.  The first chapter simply tells it to you straight - you can't eat junk food, smoke, binge drink, sit on your bum all day and then moan about your health and expect sympathy.

This book also recommends a vegan lifestyle.  If you're a meat eater then the chapters on what really happens in the slaughter house and what ends up in your food could be hard reading.

I bought the paperback version on Amazon for about £5.50 but the rrp is £7.99.  I'd definitely recommend this and have already lent my copy out to a friend.

Jing Tea

Jing tea supply really unusual types of tea at a reasonable price.  I ordered a set of flowering teas yesterday and was amazed to find the box arrive at my office at lunch time today.  In the past I bought a glass tea pot with a selection of different types of tea and was equally impressed with the quality of the tea and the exceptionally efficient service.











The pictures in this blog are of dragon eye tea.  It starts off as a small bulb that you pour boiling water over.  After a few minutes the bulb opens and reveals a beautiful flower and makes a refreshing healthy tea.  I bought this set for £30 from Jing Tea.  The set includes the glass Tea-iere and flowering jasmine peach, flowering dragon eye, flowering red amaranth, flowering osmanthus, flowering jasmine arch and flowering jasmine and lily teas.  I personally prefer the tea pot to the tea-iere as the lid on the glass mug is metal and gets very hot.  I also think the filter on the tea pots are better but I'm still very happy with my purchase.

Fitness4less gym floor routine

I've now fallen into a fairly consistent routine and thought I'd blog about my general week at the fitness4less gym.  I generally make it to the gym about 4 nights a week and have noticed that the gym floor just seems to be getting more busy every week.  I'm enjoying the Wednesday evening circuit class but think I might have missed out this week as you need to book quite early on a Thursday morning to stand a chance of getting in to the next Wednesday class.  Friday evenings are quite nice in the gym as I usually go a bit earlier straight from work and Monday and Tuesday evenings are the most hectic.

I always take my first 15 mins in the gym nice and slow to allow my body to warm up properly as I spend the rest of the day sat in an office or sat on a train for my commute.  I spend the first 5 mins just walking at fast pace on the treadmill with an incline of 1.5 and then I increase the speed to light jog and then spend the next 10 mins between a light jog, walking and running.

After the treadmill I like to try and just unwind my neck, ankles and wrists with some simple circular motions for just a couple of mins as I seem to hold a lot of tension.  After that it really is just a matter of looking at what equipment is available these days as the floor is so busy.  They have changed the layout a little more recently and created some more matt space which has helped.

On the busier days I tend to do more cardio so I might cycle for 20 minutes or so on a random programme in-between doing reps with the weight machines.  I really enjoy using the balance balls for crunches and have one at home also.  In my next posts I'll talk a little more about the equipment I have at home and my weekend routines.

bobble filter bottle

http://www.waterbobble.com/

I tend to buy a lot of bottled water.  I do this because I like to always have some water to hand to sip and I prefer the taste of bottled water.  However I do feel a bit guilty about the number of plastic bottles I accrue during the week and the impact this has on the environment.  Also - I won't go into a whole debate on here but there are many arguments that claim bottled water is healthier and just as many that state the opposite and that bottled water is bad for your health.

'bobble' is a re-usable plastic bottle with a filter at the top and as you drink the water passes through the filter.  The makers claim that the filter reduces odour, chlorine and organic contaminants from tap water.  The bottle itself is easy to store in the fridge and so far I'm loving this little gadget.

I bought my bobble bottle on amazon for £9.99 but they come in a range of sizes and colours.  The filters need to be replaced every 2 months on average and they cost £6.99.





Update 

Less than a week after this purchase and already I'm back to bottled water I'm afraid.  The plastic bottle itself is a bit thin and flimsy and it's a pain to clean it properly.  I don't think the bottle itself would hold up after 2 months wear and you'd probably want to buy a whole new one rather than just replace the filter.  I think I'm better off just sticking to either bottled water or buying a 'proper' filter jug for the fridge.

Ping Pong Dim Sum

Trying to be healthy and having a good social life don't always go hand in hand.  At the moment I am completely excluding alcohol from my diet but I haven't excluded any food groups and still enjoy the odd sweet treat.  It is hard though to stay healthy though when you are invited out for dinner and drinks and the weekends can be tough. 

Now friday night was a typical example where I wanted to go out for a bite to eat and not completely undo all the hard work I'd put into going to the gym all week.  In the end I opted for Ping Pong.  They offer a choice of set menus and the 'Ping Pong Collection' claims to be only 555kcal. They also have a lovely range of cocktails but an equally good selection of non-alcohol cocktails, juices and exotic teas.

In the end we decided to mix and match dishes rather than stick to the set menu and I have to admit that we ended up choosing more items from the 'fried' section rather than the healthier 'steamed dumplings'.  The food is quite tasty but so long as you keep a close eye on how much you are eating and avoid the sugary cocktails I think this is probably one of the safer options for a meal out.

Ping Pong have a number of branches but my favourite one is near Tower Hill at St Katherine's Dock.  An average meal with drinks here will vary depending on how many dishes you order but I usually end up spending no more than £20 per person.