Mark Wright, a UK tv personality has filmed a new tv series on fitness.
He reckons the key to getting fit is resisting ­peer pressure and he mentions his food plan and his going to Boot Camps. There simple points that are always worth being reminded of.

Pic is modified from promos for his tv series on fitness, as too below.

Mark Wright’s workout:
● I work out three or four times a week for 90 minutes – but do whatever ­
suits you.
● I start off with cardiovascular work e.g. a 20-minute run and then do
weights for 70 minutes, ­working on ­a different set of muscles each time.
● Make your fitness regime simple. There are so many different ways of ­
doing exercise in the gym and if you start listening to others, it can mess
up your head with too many ideas. My ­advice is to come up with a plan and
go for it.
● You don’t need a trainer to get ­motivated. Set yourself a goal ­and push
towards it– you’ll feel much better.
● If it helps, go to a boot camp. ­I went to one last July in Ibiza and
another last winter in Norfolk. ­On each occasion I went to lose weight. It
was really hard but at the end of the day, you just have to stick at it.

Mark Wright’s food plan:
● I stick to a strict eating plan ­ when I’m dieting. I always avoid ­carbs.
I may have the odd sweet potato or brown rice at lunch but ­I avoid
potatoes, pasta and bread and have low-fat meals with protein.
● I’m not a massive drinker. If I do drink, I have vodka with still water
and lime in it. Avoid calorific fizzy drinks.
● Don’t be afraid of blow outs! Of course I do have them and I put on
weight. But I just exercise more the next day.
Secret work-out tips
● Find the right time that suits you to go to the gym. It doesn’t matter if
you are a morning or evening bird, it is just important to go!
● If it’s easier and it motivates you more, train with a friend.
● Never give in to peer pressure – getting a good physique is something you
want to do, not what others want you to do.
● If you hate the thought of going to the gym, just keep telling yourself
that you will feel even better afterwards. It’s only an hour out of your
daily routine.
● Drink lots of fluids during exercise and the rest of the day.
● Find a healthy snack between meal times that you enjoy to avoid giving in
to crisps and chocolate.
● And finally, enjoy getting fit! Just think of the transformation in a few
months’ time!

It’s just about summer time, time for the jogging and cycling in the park. Cycling everywhere in fact. This is another food post/ juice post to add to the previous Make Shakes at Home post.

Time for going to the food shop and buying buckets of fruit + fruit. For me I tend to go for a more raw food diet over the summer. About the only cooked food for me between now and November will be boiled chicken/ beef, rice, pizza, quiche (potato + leek etc), homemade bread. Must do some posts on spinach smoothies, broccoli pizza and the like. In Darina Allen’s new cook book, she writes about kale. ‘Tis not a veg. I’d usually buy. GOOP has a cool post on kale + salad this week.

‘For Breakfast: Clean Shake:

• 1 cup Almond Milk
• a handful of blueberries (optional)
• A level scoop of Dr. Alejandro Junger’s “Move” powder
• A scoop of Dr. Alejandro Junger’s “Nourish” powder
• Or instead of the Dr. Alejandro’s powders, try a scoop each of quality casein and quality whey powder. (Go for vanilla. Or chocolate, the other flavors are acquired tastes.)

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Note: Breakfast is a good time to take your daily multivitamin.

Post morning workout: Kale Juice

Refreshing way to start your day. Kale is full of calcium and antioxidants and just about everything else, it’s one of the best things you can put into your system. When juiced with a bit of lemon and agave, kale turns into a sort-of grassy lemonade. No worries if you don’t have a juicer, a blender and a sieve do the trick.
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves washed
the juice of 2 smallish lemons
1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/2 cup cold water Combine everything in a blender and blitz until completely pureed. It might take a little bit of time and a shove to get it going. Strain the juice through a fine sieve into a bowl, pushing down on the solids with a kitchen spoon being sure to extract all the juice. Taste the juice and add a bit more lemon or agave if you think it needs it. Pour into a glass and drink up.

Chopped Veggie Salad
Chop the vegetables of your choice into small pieces and dress with a light vinaigrette. I recommend shallots which add an extra kick. Here’s a combination I particularly like:

• The lettuce of your choice
• Steamed beets
• Tomatoes
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Corn
• Basil

Note: Be sure to rotate recipes to keep the days interesting’.

Related articles

• Darina Allen’s ‘Forgotten Skills of Cooking’ review  on aindreas.com
• Make Shakes at Home on europaFitness.com

Originally posted on aindreas.com from GOOP.com.

One of Ireland’s greatest young kids was in a yacht race the weekend gone. He was one of a super crew, but got his jaw broken and knocked unconscious for a short while at sea. Fortunately it was a clean break from side to side so doesn’t need wiring up. Here’s some receipts that I recommend for shakes. Ideal for our wonderkid (one of three), or folk needing good protein intake.

Pic of Irish Rugby Star Tommy Bowe © Bord Bia Ireland

Note on shakes particularly protein rich shakes mindful of none water soluble vitamins and minerals; don’t go overboard on adding a million ingredients to your shake. Keep it light. Even though you are using quality ingredients, your body has to digest them. But unlike a meal, where you sit down and eat your food slowly, in a shake there can be a tendency to knock back a very rich meal in a drink form. Your tummy has to digest it, so pace yourself and keep the shakes fresh, shortish and lightish.

For more on supplements see Forums here.