The #HHHChallenge with Be:Fit

Be:Fit London's Hot, Healthy and Happy Challenge

Do you need a little motivation to keep fit and healthy this winter?

Be:Fit Hot, Healthy, Happy Challenge #HHHChallenge

The Be:Fit London #HHHChallenge is a community based idea, to help people to eat clean, exercise, and improve general happiness in the 9 weeks leading up to Christmas.

This can be a particularly hard time of the year for keeping motivated- it's easy to slip into comfort food eating, staying in because it's cold and dark, and generally feeling lethargic and dull.

Having some guidance from Nutrionists and Personal Trainers who are on-board with the challenge, and an enthusiastic Facebook group full of lovely ladies is a great way to keep engaged!

Food

The challenge advocates following a #PaleoPlan, something which I've tried before, the idea being to eat food in it's most natural form- real, whole, and unprocessed.

What is Paleo?

"The “contemporary” Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils."

Different ways of eating can be a controversial topic, and I'm not going to say what's right or wrong - I'm not a Registered Dietician, and ultimately whatever works for you, and is sustainable long term is the best option. People talk about the "different levels of Paleo", and I've always said I'm a supporter of the 80/20 rule!

Some of the meals I ate the last time I tried Paleo

I think this quote from NomNomPaleo sums it up quite nicely:

"Some Paleo eaters choose to go super-low-carb, while others of us (me included!) are happy to munch on a baked potato or a bowl of white rice every now and then. There are Paleo eaters who can’t imagine life without dairy, and more orthodox folks who refuse to touch even a pat of butter with a ten-foot pole. The Paleo tent is big enough to fit a host of different approaches, but the core tenets of ancestral eating remain the same:

Eat whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense, nourishing foods.Prioritize grass fed and pastured meats and eggs, wild-caught seafood, and vegetables. Enjoy fruit, nuts, and seeds in moderation.

Avoid foods that will harm us by causing systemic inflammation, wrecking our guts, or derailing our natural metabolic processes. Abstain from toxic, pro-inflammatory foods like gluten-containing grains, legumes, sugar, and the laboratory-concocted Frankenfoods found in the middle aisles of your neighborhood supermarket."

In terms of following the Paleo Plan for the HHHChallenge, I will be trying cut out grains and processed food, in order to slim down and feel healthier.

If I'm honest, having my full body assessment done as part of my trial at Speedflex spurred me on to this, as the results were quite disheartening- my Body Fat percentage was pretty high, and my levels of Visceral Fat (that which is stored around your organs/stomach area, which is where I mostly put on weight) were particularly bad.

When I'm having a busy week or feeling lazy about cooking, I definitely fall back on some bad habits and have been known to demolish a packet of shortbread in a weekend when I'm stressed- probably because of the comforting association it has in my head, as my Mum used to make shortbread all the time when I was little 🙂 There was also this association that because I was training for a half marathon I could eat what I wanted, which is definitely not the case!

I need to regain my willpower, and I think that giving myself strict guidelines will make it easier to start with, and once this becomes a more natural way of eating, I can relax and allow the odd treat back in- I've got too many fun occasions coming up before Christmas to miss out on completely, but I will be trying to apply the mantra of "everything in moderation" during those times!

I'm not going to measure changes by weight, as I don't have a scale and don't believe in it as a productive measure of fitness and health- everyone knows you can weigh the same over a time period, but significantly change your body shape with increased muscle and fat loss. Instead I've taken measurements (hips, waist etc) and photos this past weekend, and will repeat the week before Christmas to hopefully see an improvement.

I don't want this to become a weight loss blog, that's not what I'm about - I'm interested in becoming fitter and healthier so I can continue to pursue the activities that I love for a long time to come!

Be:Fit #HHHChallenge Paleo meal planning

Any change to your diet does require forward planning so last weekend I did some cooking to ensure I had healthy options available- this makes it much easier to grab something good, rather than falling back on pizza or pasta! I also created a meal plan for breakfasts, lunches and dinners- this may get switched around slightly but it helps me to stay on track and not waste food.

Swirly crustless quiche from Practical Paleo

This is something I knocked up really quickly on Sunday- it's a recipe from Practical Paleo, but you could adapt it to include any vegetables of your choice or size down/up depending on how many people you needed to serve.

Be:Fit #HHHChallenge Paleo meals- paleo carrot and courgette frittata

Ingredients:
2 carrots - grated
1 courgette - grated
12 eggs beaten

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a greased baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until the top is golden brown.

I then cut mine into 6 slices, and put them in the freezer- minus the one I may have tested- well, you've got to check it tastes ok!

If you're interested in joining the Be:Fit #HHHChallenge, then just email [email protected] or join the Facebook group.

I will be writing about the other two aspects of the challenge, fitness and happiness, and how I'm hoping to boost them in the lead up to Christmas, over the next few weeks.

Beki