Emma's Healthy Habits

20/10/2021

Anyone here get mum guilt? This was me last night going out for a date with my college besties!

I left the house at 7pm when it's bedtime for both my kids. They are very attached to me and their crying tears for me makes it hard to leave.
My heart was feeling I needed to be there for them at home, but my head was saying get out of the house!!

And I had the most lovely time catching up with these friends that I don't get to see as often as I'd like to.

If you are anything like me having mum guilt, then we need to always remind ourselves to not feel like s**t taking time for ourselves!

WE ARE NOT JUST MUMS, WE ARE PEOPLE WITH OTHER LIVES AND PASSIONS! SO DON'T LET GO OF THESE THINGS.

Whether it's meeting friends, doing a workout, walking, going for a coffee, or just curling up to watch your favourite TV programme. Do whatever makes you feel like you've recharged and what makes you happy. You'll be in a better headspace for your kids and everyone around you.

Do you take time out for yourself? What do you do to take time out? Comment below 😊👇

12/10/2021

Who loves that smell when you walk into a coffee shop! Especially as we approach winter and get the seasonal drinks like pumpkin spiced lattes! 😋

HOWEVER....
....coffee has caffeine which interferes with sleep, meaning you physically can't get the quality REM (rapid eye movement) deep sleep you need to rejuvenate, leaving you tired in the day. So then you reach for more coffee and you are now in a vicious cycle.

Caffeine has a half life of around 5-8 hours, which means 5-8 hours after drinking your coffee you still have half the active caffeine circulating inside your body. It will take another 5-8 hours to drain half of the remaining caffeine and so it goes on. Because of this long term effect, it can take several days for the aftermath to wear off.

SET A NON NEGOTIABLE CAFFEINE CURFEW TO MAKE SURE YOUR BODY HAS TIME TO REMOVE THE MAJORITY OF IT FROM YOUR SYSTEM BEFORE BEDTIME.
Mine is 2pm. But if you are really sensitive to caffeine maybe make the curfew earlier. 🕑

Let me know in the comments below what time you will be setting your non-negotiable caffeine curfew. 👇

01/10/2021

Anyone else got out of their exercise routine? Usually if I don't exercise it feels like I haven’t brushed my teeth! But life happens and we get out of routine! But I adapt and make a new routine that works for me.

My new routine is walking everyday and continue to eat well and nourish my body so I can continue to fuel my brain for study time in becoming a Health Coach.
I have to also priorise my sleep so waking up earlier for weight lifting is not really an option.

As I write this, what I will vow to do, is in the day set an alarm every 45 minutes and do some form of exercise to work the large muscles doing either lunges, squats, burpees. You don't have to carve out an hour out of your day to exercise. It can be woven into daily routine.

This brings me to my second point of the power of journaling. It keeps me accountable.

Hopefully tonight in my journal I will write yay I did! I did my squats, lunges, burpees!

If you cannot get your exercise done for the day what other means do you have to look after your body and mind? I'd love to know in the comments below 😊

07/09/2021

Power packed smoothie! 🍓🫐🥬🍌

1/2 cup cold water or ice
2 handfuls spinach
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup pomegranate
1/2 banana
1 tbsp non-fat plain Greek yoghurt
1/2 tbsp chia seeds.

Blend and enjoy in the early part of your day 🙂
Fuel your body with nutrients that your body is screaming for!

Due to our fast paced life alot of us reach for low quality food or 'faux foods' the are pre-packaged, convenient and have an increased shelf life. But this comes without consequences on the digestive system.

Alot of faux foods lack nutrients which leaves the body unsatisfied and wanting more even if the body is getting enough calories. Therefore the body can continue to be hungry for real nutrients and instead we continue to eat faux foods leading to overeating.

This can cause a whole host of problems to the gut!

Try the smoothie above, it takes 5 minutes 😋

04/08/2021

When I feel the pain, I gain the pleasure. Do you feel there are times when you just can’t be bothered?! That’s the time I look in the mirror and say to myself ‘Emma you can do this, and I’m going to show up for myself everyday so that I can give myself the pleasures in life.’❤️️

When I have a strong body, I have a stronger mind and the determination to aspire to my dreams… (This is my inner dialogue). I didn’t quit my career as an Optometrist for nothing… it’s because I want to help others transform themselves in their health and wellness journey.🥑

At the moment I feel like my kids wake up earlier and earlier every day and I have to beat their wake up time which means I am now trying to join the 5am club to get the extra hours in and get my strength training done before the day begins. Is it easy? No but I will keep trying, and there are times I have to lie in because my 2 year old son can quite often be awake for an hour at night. But once I have done my exercise I feel amazing! But when I haven’t, I don’t beat myself up about it.🦸‍♀️

The first step is always the hardest, and the rest will follow. So just start by putting your exercise gear on and see what happens next. MAGIC DOESN’T HAPPEN BY CHANCE, IT’S BY THE THINGS YOU ROUTINELY DO ALMOST EVERYDAY.✨
And that's with anything in life. You never start out perfect but it's a journey.

In the mornings think about how you want your day to have gone by the end of it? What one thing would make you think wow I did it?!💪
Let me know in the comments below 👇😊

30/04/2020

Chocolate Infinity Pie. Made with dates, tofu and chocolate!♥️🍰

I absolutely love this pie...I feel like I would pile on pounds after this cake but it's only 140 calories per serving.... it has healthy ingredients in it! 😋🤗

This is not my recipe and I wish I could have invented this dish but the brains behind this is Chocolate Covered Katie. I think she is a legend as she has enabled me to make cakes and desserts and eat it without the guilt!

My husband said it is restaurant worthy!

Check her book out.... called you guessed it Chocolate Covered Katie. Her website has plenty of amazing recipes. I also made her 5 ingredient cauliflower pizza🍕 base the other day with my own tomato pasta🍝 sauce with cauliflower within the sauce... (still yet to post it up on insta.... always have kids in the background).

Feeling happy after having a small sneaky slice (I'm on a meal plan and I was a bit naughty eating it but was worth it).

The cookie pie crust is made with dates, nuts and cacao powder and the inside 'cheese' part is made with tofu and dark chocolate as the main ingredients.

I would love to know if you make any desserts that has secret healthy ingredients and where can I find the recipe?! 🤗

27/04/2020

22/04/2020

Like mother, like daughter! 😄
Mia is already starting to have exercise habits engrained into her from the little age of 3.
I love how she is using her cups as weights 🏋️‍♀️😂
I would love to know what habits your children are catching onto?

20/04/2020

When we eat sugary foods it makes us feel . Our brain releases a surge of feel good hormones after eating that cake or chocolate. 🎂🍫🧁😣🤮
This positive reward system trains our brain to seek more of that enjoyable food. This feel good effect later wears off.
Think about the effects of your actions before reaching for that bar of chocolate.
It's ok to have a treat every so often but are you doing it for the right reasons?? Plan (what, when and how much) your treats for the day and be in control of your food choices 😁

16/04/2020

Healthy balance of Protein, veg and carbs. ❤
I have been eating this meal plan for lunch almost everyday since January and so no decision fatigue. So easy to make and strangely not bored of it yet!

My mains:
Cooked cubed potato and courgette. Seasoned and cooked with garlic, salt, chilli powder and lime. Amazing combination of flavours! 😋 On the side I have steamed spinach seasoned with garlic powder, salt and lime.

My dessert:🤗
High protein greek yogurt mixed with chocolate salted caramel protein powder and 1 diced piece of 70% dark Lindt chocolate. Tastes like ice cream! I can eat this all day... it tastes sooo good that it feels like it should be bad for you! It's super healthy and satiating.

My tastebuds are now more in tune with these real wholesome foods rather than processed foods. 🍲🥗🥘 And I feel better for it! 😁

12/04/2020

Delish vegan pancakes with hidden veggies (for children and grown ups 🤗).

It's so easy to give fats and carbs to children but i'm always trying to find inventive ways of getting veggies and protein into my kids🥒🥕🥦. (Oats actually have a good amount of protein).
These pancakes went down a treat this sunny morning! 😎

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1 cup oats
1/2 cup milk alternative (I used oat milk)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder
4 tsp maple syrup
Medium sized grated carrot
Medium sized grated courgette

Method:
1.Put all the first 6 ingredients into a blender and blitz into a smooth batter.
2.Transfer the batter into a bowl and mix in the grated veggies.
3. Heat up a large frying pan with a little oil and dollop pancake batter onto the pan. The pancakes will be small (approx 11-12cm in diameter pancakes) Smooth and flatten out the batter onto the pan.
4. When you see small air pockets popping out of the pancakes they should be ready to flip over and golden brown on the cooked side. Let the other side of pancake cook until golden brown and place on a plate with kitchen towel.
5. They are ready to eat and add whatever toppings you like... my children had them with some berries on the side.

Enjoy! ❤

My son has egg and milk allergies so this recipe is great for him. I would love it if he could have eggs so if you want crack an egg into the blender with the rest of the ingredients and omit the baking powder. Eggs are such a great source of protein.

28/03/2020

Fancy a healthy tea time treat?? 😋🍪☕
Isolation can be fun! My daughter and I whipped up these healthy 4 ingredient cookies in no time.

Great recipe to use up your over ripe bananas. 🍌
I'm such a fan of baking with few ingredients especially with kids.

Ingredients:
-2 cups rolled oats.
-3 very ripe bananas mashed well.
-1/2 cup peanut butter.
-1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate chips.
-1/4- 1/2 tsp salt (optional) I love sweet and salty flavour.

Recipe:
1. Preheat over to 180C.
2. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper.
3. Mix all the ingredients above in a bowl.
4. Roll balls with the mixture and flatten in hand to cookie shape. Place on baking tray and bake in the over for 10-12 mins until slightly golden at edges.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 mins before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy baking this yourself or with the kids! ❤



@ South Ruislip