BIRCHER MUESLI BREAKFAST RECIPE

WHAT IS BIRCHER MUESLI?

Put simply, Bircher Muesli is oats soaked overnight with milk or yoghurt. It was created by a Swiss Physician in the early 1900s as a nutritious morning food with the aim to aid therapy. I was introduced to this breakfast by my friend Lucy and have been in love with it ever since. The best thing about Bircher Muesli is that it’s so quick and simple to make and you can pretty much add whatever you like into it, using whatever you have in the cupboards to make it as yummy and as healthy as you like.

I add seeds, nuts, frozen berries and dried fruit into mine, however you can adapt the ingredients to fit your preferences. I also use almond milk instead of dairy milk, however; again this is just a preference.

Lucy’s Bircher Muesli Recipe

40g Oats

5tbsp Almond Milk (enough to cover oats)

2tsp Chai Seeds

Handful mixed frozen berries

1tbsp chopped dried fruit (I like cranberries)

½ tbsp coconut flakes

1tbsp nuts and seeds of preference

Make this the night before and enjoy in the morning or even as a mid day snack. You can also sprinkle over more berries and seeds before eating to add some extra nutrients.

Happy eating!

THE BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR TRAINING

With the weather we get in England, it is sometimes difficult to motivate yourself to get outside at all in the week. However, venturing outdoors is extremely beneficial for the body, and exercising outside has benefits that go beyond the fresh air. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should put on your outdoor trainers and get down to the park for a spot of outdoor exercise:

1. Brain Stimulation

Interacting with nature gives your brain a break from everyday overstimulation, which can have a restorative effect on your attention levels. By looking at nature rather than the four walls you see when you workout inside, your mind will switch off more effectively and will get a much deserved break from the constant stimulation it has in everyday life.

2. Mental Positivity

Studies have shown that simply looking at photos of nature can lower your blood pressure and stress levels, therefore working out in the nature enhances these effects; it is known to reduce stress and anxiety and even helps with depression. Whether a hot sunny evening or a cold winters morning, getting your heart racing in the fresh air makes you feel more active and helps to give you that positive boost that you sometimes lack.

3. Quicker Results

Without realising it, your body tends to work itself harder when exercising outside. The terrain is varied which means that all sorts of muscles that you don’t necessarily train on a daily basis have to work overtime to remain balanced. Working out on concrete, grass, mud and earth helps to keep your muscles constantly stimulated. Weather conditions also work your body in different ways, adapting to sun, rain, wind or snow.

4. A Better Workout

Having the view of trees and greenery rather than the four walls at the gym helps to relax your mind and therefore stops you focusing all of your attention on how tired your body is. This, in turn, allows you to push your body a lot harder than you usually would without even realising.

5. Health Kick

Exercising outdoors is also known to boost your immune system. Recent research from Tokyo Nippon Medical School has shown that people who spend more time outside have an increased white blood cell count (white blood cells fight sickness and disease in our body). Therefore, moving our workouts to the outdoors could help improve our health and stop us getting as ill when those viruses start to circulate in the colder months.

So next time when the allure of the gym starts to beckon, think about the above and remember that the fresh air, tree surroundings and muddy terrain could be all you need to give you the health and positivity boost you need.

Love my workouts in @didsburypark

Interested in more fitness facts? Follow me on Twitter @GeorgieDonk

HIIT WORKOUT IN THE PARK

Exercising in the fresh air always gives me a massive wake up boost. To me, there's no better feeling than finishing an outdoor workout in the morning to set you up for the day ahead.

This morning I ventured out to Didsbury Park to complete 2 mini workouts that I have written below. These workouts are ones that I would recommend anyone to try - you won't need any equipment as every exercise uses your own body as a weight and while you can take a mat if you want to, this isn't essential:

1. The Pyramid Workout
50 x Air Squats
40 x Spider-Man Twists (hold the plank position and bring your knee to your elbow - 20 per side)
30 x Tricep Dips
20 x Froggers (hold the plank position and jump both feet to the outside of your hands)
10 x Bicycles

2.The Countdown Workout
30 x Burpees
5 x Sit-ups
25 x Burpees
10 x Sit-Ups
20 x Burpees
15 x Sit-Ups
15 x Burpees
20 x Sit-Ups
10 x Burpees
25 x Sit-Ups
5 x Burpees
30 x Sit- Ups

Do these workouts for time. 
Together these shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes but you'll feel like you've done a full hour workout by the end of it. 

Goodluck and happy workout!

5 SIMPLE TIPS TO A FASTER METABOLISM

Do you actually know what your metabolism is and what it does? The word is always used when discussing food and weight, however the actual role of what it does is less well known.

In a nutshell, your metabolism is the process that your body goes through when converting food and drink into energy. Metabolic speeds vary from person to person and is also dependant on people’s age, sex and body weight. The metabolism is kick started when you eat and drink, therefore, if you do not eat breakfast, or if you are on a very strict ‘no food’ diet, your metabolism will tend to slow down, meaning that when you do eat properly again, your body will naturally gain weight as it will not be able to break down the food into energy as quickly as it did before you went on the diet.

The good news is that there are certain foods and drinks that help to speed your metabolism up, which can help you to lose weight healthily without having to starve yourself. These five foods are great staple products that you should always have handy in your house:

1. Fish

Protein as a whole works to speed up the metabolism compared to other foods and nutrients; fish has a very low protein:calorie  ratio, making it a top choice if you are looking to lose weight as well as speed up the metabolism.

2. Green Tea

Green tea has many benefits that make it a worthwhile household product. While being full of anti-oxidants, it also contains catechins, which work to speed up the metabolic rate, aswell as breaking down fat molecules in the body. I would recommend between 3-5 cups of green tea per day.

3. Spices

The compound in chillies that makes them spicey has been found to turn up your metabolism a notch while also reducing hunger. And it is not just chilli that boosts your metabolism; ginger, cloves, coriander, bay leaves and cinnamon do the same job too. Try to incorporate these spices into your daily cooking and you will see some positive results.

4. Eggs

Eating eggs for breakfast gives your body a metabolic boost for the start of the day. Eggs tend to keep you more full for longer and they are a great food to kick start your metabolism for the day ahead.

5. Water

It is extremely important to keep hydrated as this keeps your metabolism functioning throughout the day. Study's have shown that people who drink the recommended daily water intake have a higher metabolic rate than those who drink less water throughout the day.  Also, when you do not drink enough, your body often confuses its dehydration with hunger, which results in you eating more than you actually need.

Even if you are not looking to lose weight, try to incorporate the above foods and drinks into your daily diet rather than skipping meals and see if it makes a difference to you.

Interested in more exercise and weight loss tips? Follow me on Twitter @GeorgieDonk

HOLIDAY WORKOUT

I love an early morning workout on holiday before the sun comes up and gets too hot. I try to keep these short and sweet so that I can be done in time for a delicious Mediterranean breakfast before heading to the pool.

If you want to try out a mini workout on holiday, here's a great plan that won't take too long but will be sure to make you sweat:

20 x Tuck Jumps
20 x Sit Ups
20 x Burpees
20 x Tricep Dips
20 x Air Squats
20 x Push Ups
20 x High Knees
20 x Lunges (10 each leg)
20 x Plank Jacks
20 x Squat Thrusts

Do this as quickly as possible but be sure to keep your technique. If you want to repeat this workout a few times on holiday then I would suggest timing yourself and trying to beat your previous time; this will keep things fun and will also motivate you to push yourself.

Happy workout!