Last run before the race

So I completed my last long run before the half marathon on Sunday. To be honest to start with I felt pretty terrible, heavy legs and very lethargic. But after a few hill sprints I came in to my stride and really enjoyed the run. I managed just under 10miles running at a 9min mile. So pretty chuffed. 

Post run still smiling!

I have started using the Nike+ running app and so far absolutely love it, I may do a review after a few more uses. However today when changing my music I managed to pause my run so It says I have done a mile less than I did but oh well.

Took a few progress shots today. I am really starting to notice real muscle definition in my stomach and its much flatter bellow my tummy button. It gets bigger during the day but definately less than it has previously since the Gluten Free era. I still want to work on my obliques the dreaded muffin top but that  whole band around my torso is a real problem area.

Please excuse the poor quality, I wanted to quickly take a picture before my run on my phone!

On another note, my beloved Asics are coming to the end of their life, I feel a lot more discomfort down the sides of my feet post run and pressure under the ball of my foot, a sure sign they need replacing. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am loving the look of new Nike Free 5.0 just because they look so funky, and my dad always says if you look and feel good, you will perform good! 

Anyway let me know, Iv also noticed I am getting lots of new visitors to my blog everyday so feel free to follow me or post any comments :)

xx

beer pong and a late night curry...

The past two days have been really hectic for me. Friday involved a 2.5 hour commute to London for an internship interview before coming home and having a huge group of my friends come to visit me for one of their birthdays. This meant lots of drinks, dancing, beer pong, singing, greasy food and hangovers. 

I did pretty well eating during the day, I tried a new recipe for refrigerator oats as my breakfast and it was delicious... definitely will be eating it again and it kept me full until my train journey home. I then had a delicious moroccan chicken cous cous salad for lunch and risotto for dinner. But going for a full blown curry at 2am was an unexpected regret of the night. I have truly felt ghastly all day today, naan overload. 

Two of my best friends that came down!

My dress is £35 from Mango, I think its going to be really versatile because its a lightweight material and a good length. The ruched waist meant I could tuck it up a bit to shorten it for the night but during the day it is a bit longer, it will look lush on holiday with a tan.

Today I have not wanted to move from the sofa, so have stayed in doing uni work and napping. A real duvet day. I then had pizza for dinner and sweets. I'm not going to beat myself up for completely letting go and eating whatever I wanted because, 

• firstly I don't agree with never allowing yourself treats occasionally. I know personally that if I stop myself having something then i just crave it more and end up gorging on rubbish, so letting yourself have that little treat just in a smaller quantity keeps me sane. 
• Secondly I believe that life would be extremely boring without a little bit of luxury occasionally and you would miss out on so much. 
• And thirdly, all the wheat and rubbish food has made me feel sick and pretty yuk all day which has given me huge motivation to jump back of the health train tomorrow. Sometimes you need a reminder that the treats aren't always treats, you need to remember why you gve them up in the first place.

So anyway here is the recipe for the oats, a super duper easy breakfast that you can make the night before to grab and go in the morning. There are so many different possibilities for flavour combinations that it will take a while for me to get bored. I found the original recipe at The Yummy Life blog, its such an amazing blog with hundreds of recipes which I am sure I will be trying very soon. I made the maple and blueberry variety but i made it with frozen blueberries and I used almond milk, I also sprinkled some mixed seeds on top for extra goodness.

http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal

Remember tomorrow is another day so get up and get healthy.

feel the difference...

So I have pretty much been gluten free for 2 weeks now and wow do I feel better. I have noticed how much flatter my tummy is from not bloating after every meal, I have loads more energy and the biggest thing i have noticed, is that I am not craving the carbs that make me ill.

I'm not craving bread, cereal, potatoes or any of the processed wheat products, even my biscuit addiction has subsided. Hopefully this will continue. I had my first night out in around a month and felt really confident about going out and not feeling bloated and I managed to skip the chip shop on my way home (always a mission for me).

I often wear skirts or dresses that skim my tummy for the bloating reason but hopefully soon this wont be an issue. My outfit was pretty much all from Topshop with New Look shoes. I really like the pink of the skirt but it definately needed the black belt to make more of a focus of the skirt.

Tonight for my dinner, Steak with loads of spring greens. I don't always feel the need for typical carbs like potatoes or rice with my dinner as there are carbs within vegetables and especially rich greens.

food glorious food...

I believe that in order to work out and live to your healthiest and happiest potential, it all begins with food. What you put inside you affects your outside. 

Recently I have been slightly intolerant to Gluten, especially bread, biscuits and pastry which ultimately means I am trying to find ways to avoid and replace these food items. I find this so hard because I am a complete Carboholic. This first truly healthy week has been pretty hard so far. I am craving carbs, sweets and just food in general and a lettuce leaf does not replace a whopping great big cookie. 

However I have been coming up with some tasty meals. On Monday night my boyfriend and I attempted a cauliflower crust pizza. The flour was made from cauliflower... I know I couldn't believe it either. Aside from a minor mishap with the pizza sticking to the baking parchment, it was delicious. I will do a step by step guide soon actually as it was so easy.

Tuesday was a minor set back as we went away for the night and had a brilliant meal out, but I tried to stay healthy opting for duck and veg with a small side of potatoes. But it needed to be done as we don't get to go away very often. And then tonight, we made quinoa burgers. My first experience of quinoa and again really delicious and extremely filling. It probably helps that I'm not a massive meat eater but even my Meat loving boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed it. So all in all a big thumbs up.

Not too much in the way of exercise this week so far but being away for two days made it difficult but lots of walking and sightseeing helped on the stay fit quest.

Quinoa Burgers

Cauliflower Pizza

I actually am really loving trying new recipes and ingredients. Im even making my own granola which is in the oven as I type! Crazy.

If you make one change this week... try a new ingredient or recipe to inspire you.