Breastfeeding & Calories In-take

Have you ever heard about the term eating for two? Well, most mothers feel they need to consume twice the amount of their daily recommended calories while breastfeeding. What if I told you that you don't have to double your calorie in-take just because you are breastfeeding. Aha!

Breast milk is the best for infant but you don't need to eat LOTS more to produce more breast milk.

You only need an extra litre of water per day. Yes! All you need for good breastmilk flow is more water.

However, you do need an extra 300-500cal more per day to replenish the calories lost through breastfeeding. This is  equivalent to  2-3 slices of bread, or 1/2- 1 cup of cooked rice or a 3 cups of egg white. See, it isn't a lot.

While breastfeeding is not the time to go on a calorie restrictive diet  it is certainly not an excuse to pile on unhealthy weight. Eat healthy and nutritiously and ensure that your meals are rich in  Calcium, Iron, Protein, and Whole grain carbs. 

Stay Healthy Mothers.

Protein Cookies

The weekend is when it all falls apart for most people. This is usually due to poor forward planning. 

Try and stay ahead of the WEAK-end by making your own treats. Give this simple protein cookies a go. Enjoy with a glass of warm milk. Hey! Do not eat it all at once!!

1 cup Oatmeal

2 ripe bananas 

1 whole Egg

1/4 cup Coconut shreds 

2 scoops Protein powder

2 tbsp Peanut butter

1 tsp Cinnamon 

A pinch Baking powder 

1 tsp Vanilla extract 

2 tbsp Buck wheat

Some dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp Brown sugar (optional- I left it out)

Mix all in a bowl and bake at 350 deg. for 12minutes. Allow to cool for 5 mins BOOM

Ten Top Tips To Help Lose Belly Fat

OMG! It's being a life-time since I blogged about anything! Life have gotten so busy and sometimes you just can't fit it all in! 

However, I am very active on other social media platforms i.e. Instagram, periscope and Facebook. If you aren't already following me on those platforms then please do so. My handle on all platforms is @julesfitnex. 

Talking about other social media platforms, I have recently opened another Instagram account called @healthforwomen. As you may or may not know, I am a midwife/nurse with 15+ years experience in the medical field; so this NEW Instagram account (@healthforwomen) is where I dump knowledge on you to help you be truly healthy. It is targeted mainly at women (although men can benefit from its content) because I am also an Advanced Women's Health Practitioner.

That said, today's post on @healthforwomen is-------->

Ten Top Tips To Help Loose Belly Fat

1. Include protein in every meal

2. Perform 30mins of #HIIT training 3-5days a week

3. Drink at least 2-3 litres of #water per day

4. Avoid processed food

5. Cut out added #sugar

6. Give your body at least a 10-12 hours break from food daily (btw dinner & breakfast

7. Portion control

8. Allow at least 8 hours #sleep per day

9. Use a tape measure rather than a scale to track progress

10. Be patient with yourself & enjoy where you are on the way to where you want to be.

If you like this information don't forget to share to your social media platforms.

Stay Healthy

Core Without Crunches

I just completed a free event on my facebook page on how to strengthen your core without ever getting down on your back to do boring sit ups and crunches! If you missed it, don't despair I am sharing the whole playlist right here now on my blog. However, to participate in future events follow me on facebook    <  https://www.facebook.com/Julesfitnex
Now, let's talk about the core.

What Is The Core

Anatomically, the core refers to the body minus the legs and the arms; in effect it is the whole of your mid rib. I like to call it the anatomical belt. 

Functional movement such as bending, standing, jumping reaching etc are highly dependent on the core, hence it is paramonut that the core is strong and stable. A lack of strength and stability at the core predisposes one to injury, bad posture, back and hip pain. 

Mind you, having a strong core has nothing to do with being slim, fat, or having a six pack. You can be slim and have a very weak core and having a six pack just shows that your body fat is very low not necessarily that your core is strong. 

However, if your core is strong it will help you prevent backache, maintain a better posture and you will find that you will be able to do most exercises more effectively.

It is a myth that to get strong and toned core you need to do lots of crunches. All you need to have a strong core is to do regular functional exercises effectively so they target your core. I have put together 6 exercises that if done regularly can help you strengthen your core.

Watch the video and add it to your regular exercise routine at least 3 times a week for 30 days and you will be amazed at your results.

However, while these exercises will help strengthen your core, they will not burn belly fat. If your goals is to burn belly fat then you should join my next event called SHAPE UP that start on the 24th of March. Follow the link to read more about Shape Up    <  http://www.shapeupplan.com/

How To Turn A Healthy Meal Into A Poison!

I do love okra soup or lady finger soup. I love it because it is a very simple soup to cook, it's a vegetable and it is relatively cheap to buy. It's health benefits are endless but one that really caught my attention is that okra increases sexual potency! I know, but hey don't blame me for spoting that one; it is the midwife in me! Got to ensure that those babies keep coming! LOL.

Anyway, I digress; while I was cooking my dinner today it occurred to me how the way I cook has changed over the years. The food I eat hasn't necessarily changed but how I cook it  has definitely changed.

So let me analyse my dinner and show you how you could be eating the same thing but be potentially slowly digging an early grave.

OKRA SOUP

Serves 10 people 

10 cups of okra

20 pieces of grilled chicken

1 whole roasted cat fish

10 cups of spinach

3 tsp of Palm oil

1 cup of cray fish

1tsp of salt

Yummy!

Typically most will do this

10 cups of okra

1 whole roasted fish

10 cups of spinach 

1000g of red meat

3 cooking spoon of Palm oil

1 cup of cray fish

3tsp of salt

5 cubes of Maggie cube (more salt)

Yummy!....... Until

Can you spot the difference?

Well, let me tell you what has been added and the implication

MORE SALT: The number one medical consequence of too much salt in your diet is hypertension. Too much salt in your diet can lead to fluid retention and promote abnormal incresae of fliud volume in the body. This increases blood volume and subsequently blood pressure. This increase can lead to cardiovascular emergencies such as stroke and heart attack. In addition, fluid retention leads to puffiness, bloating and weight gain. Other complications of too much salt (sodium) include osteoporosis, kidney disorders and dehydration.

MORE RED PALM OIL: Palm oil is actually healthier than originally thought, if used appropiately it can be beneficial in slowing down the aging process amongst other health benefits. However, palm oil is high in saturted fat and if used irresponsibly can lead to weight gain, heart problems, elevated cholesterol, which over time can lead to heart disease. 

RED MEAT: Too much red meat can upset the body's glucose balance. Studies have shown that people who eat too much red meat have a higher risk of diabetes.  

So you might not be eating junk food per say but the "healthy" meals you cook can potentially be poisons if cooked in the wrong way. 

This analysis can be applied to any food you eat not just Okra soup.

So before you eat; think!

Lunch idea: Red Quinoa & Brown Rice Combo

OMG! am I the last one to discover the joy of eating red quinoa and brown rice together!! This was so yummy my eyes popped! OK! Calm down Jules it's only food!

Ingredients

1 cup red quinoa 

1 cup brown rice

4 cups water

2 tsp of coconut oil

Pinch of salt

Fresh garlic 

Herbs and spices of choice

Throw everything into a rice cooker and cook for 40mins

That's it! DONE!

Enjoy with any healthy sauce of your choice. I finished it before I could think of a sauce to eat it with. Too yummy!!

Have you had this before? Why didn't you tell me about it LOL.

Do you like quiona? Do you have any amazing recipes? I would love to hear from you; leave me a comment.

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Overhead Exercise: Over Head Squats

The other day during bootcamp I discovered that all my clients struggled with doing most over head exercises; more so when asked  to do it simultanoeuly with a lower body exercsie, such as an over head squat.  

Over head exercises like the name suggest are exercises where you have to lift your hand and lock it out over the head. It is usually performed with weights.

So why is it challenging for some people

• It is a muti-muscle/joint exercise: Any routine that causes you to use several joint and muscles at the same time will be challenging simply because of the number of muscles and joints that needs to be mobilised
• Poor shoulder mobility: Most people do not complete the full range of movement when doing most upper body exercise, for example a jumping jack. Most people hardly allow their hands to touch over their head when doing it, they are therefore limiting the range of movement in their shoulder
• Poor flexibilty: Flexibilty is one third of fitness, however, few actually practise flexibility exercises such as yoga, pilates, massage and deep stretching regularly.
• Poor core strength: The core is the power house, it stablises and keeps  maintain a good posture. If it is weak, most exercise will be inmmensely challenging.

So against this background I will be writing a series on a few beginner overhead exercise, that can be incoprated into any exercise routine.  So; first up is the over head squats.

You may want to practise these without any weights just to get comfortable with doing them. 

As shown, you can either keep your eyes on the weight and lead with the opposite hand or hold your hand out for stability. 

Keep the core engaged and sit back into a squat as far down as you can manage with the feet remaining flat on the floor  while the hand is locked over head. Come back to standing position with the hand remaining over head. Repeat 12-15 times. 

However, for beginners, it may be challenging initially to keep the hand straight while squating as shown in the picture below, but over time as flexibilty increase with practice aim to straighten it out.

Muscles used  

Quadriceps

Gluteus

Calves

Hamstrings

Tibialis anterior

Deltoid

Trapezium

Benefits

Develops flexibility

Stability in the shoulders

Stengthening the shoulder thus preventing injury

If you have tried over head exercise or intend to, then leave me a comment.  I will be posting another over head exercise next week so watch this space.

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