Griffen Fitness - Newsletter

March newsletter

Greetings healthy people,

Tickets are selling like hot (rice)cakes for the Griffen Fitness and Real Foods Healthy Eating Evening on Wednesday March 31st. It’s going to be featured in a couple of magazines, so be sure to get your tickets early. Just drop me a line and I can hand deliver to central Edinburgh in working hours.

Here’s the full info:
Want to eat healthily in 2010? Don’t know where to start? Come to a Healthy Eating Evening at Broughton Street Real Foods on Wednesday March 31st 7pm – 9pm. Tickets are only £5 and you will get a guided tour of my favourite health food shop with lots of tasters, recipe ideas and a goody bag at the end. You can get your £5 back if you spend over £30 on groceries on the night…There will also be some organic wines on tasting, which I know may sway a few of you to come along!

Other news is that the Griffen Fitness studio is chugging along nicely. If you fancy a PT session, whether a new or returning client, please also let me know. Here's a photo... As you can see, there's loads of space and natural light, which are two of the most important things for exercising. You can even bring your own iPod to sessions and I'll plug it through the sound system.

What’s in Season for March
It’s good to eat seasonal fruit and vegetables, so here's a list of what's in season locally:
Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, chicory, forced rhubarb, leeks, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, parsnip, purple sprouting broccoli, shallots, squash.

Easy Recipe: Tabbouleh
Here’s a recipe for Tabbouleh that I created for Thursday lunch at boot camp. It was served with felafel, low fat hommous in a wholemeal pita bread. Bulghur wheat is a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine, and is made of a blend of wheats. It has a lower GI and higher nutritional content that cous cous (that’s pretty good), and can also be used for stuffing or pilaf as well as the traditional salad below.

serves 4
75g bulghur wheat
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ cucumber, peeled and chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
Big handful parsley, finely chopped
Small handful mint leaves, finely chopped
½ lemon, juiced
1 Tab olive oil

- Place bulgur in bowl and cover with 225ml boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes; drain and squeeze out excess water.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, parsley, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Toss again prior to serving.

Resisting Temptation: Have Healthy Food Ready
It’s good to have a hearty lunch. As the old saying goes, breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper… or something like that. It’s easy to eat big meals early in the day, key to boosting your metabolism, if you prepare them the night before. Measuring oats and water into a bowl for your porridge means that it gets to soak overnight and also all you need to do in the morning is move the bowl from the fridge to the microwave.

Use time when preparing your evening meal to pack a lovely morning snack to take to work. Into the lunch bag goes oatcakes, banana, small bag of assorted nuts and dried fruits, apple and maybe even a wee square of dark chocolate as a treat. Make double your dinner (especially if it’s soup, pasta or anything reheatable) and have half for lunch.

By planning your food for the next day, you make it easier to fuel yourself adequately… Even if you’re distracted by that pesky work nonsense.

Fad or Fab: Dumbbells
Dumbbells are what I refer to as ‘old school’ kit. They’re usually held one in each hand as various exercises are undertaken. The advantage of dumbbells over weights machines is that you control the movement as you lift, so more muscles are engaged. They are also fabulous for co-ordination and developing even strength through both sides. With machine weights and even with barbells (a long bar with weights on each end), it’s easiest to favour the dominant side so your non-dominant side has an easy ride. No so with dumbbells.

The disadvantage of dumbbells is (obviously) that they are heavy to move around, but they do make a good door jam should you require it. JJB Sports and Argos have a selection of dumbbells of a good weight (the ‘baby’ weights under 2kg won’t do much for you unless you do loads of reps). You won’t bulk up from doing dumbbells alone, but you might find yourself the proud owner of a toned upper body. Absolutely fabulous!

Scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter to learn where the term dumbbell originated.

Article: Run For Your Life

The days are getting longer, the weather warmer, and there’s a whole lot of folk emerging from hibernation, blinking, out onto the streets of Edinburgh. Why? Well, it’s nearly race season, and our fine city makes a brilliant backdrop to some inspiring group events. Here are some of the most popular:

Chris Hoy Half Marathon
www.edinburgh-half.co.uk
Sunday 18th April
It’s getting close, and this is a favourite race of mine. Running from Meadowbank stadium down along the coast to Portobello for a grandstand finish at Musselburgh Racecourse. It’s a flat route, and if the wind is blowing from the west (which is usually does) you will have a tailwind for 80% of the race.

Edinburgh Marathon
www.edinburgh-marathon.com
Sunday 23rd May
Entries for the Edinburgh marathon have now closed, however you still have time (at time of printing) to enter on behalf of a charity. If 26.2 miles seems a bit far, enter the relay with a team of four.

Race for Life
www.raceforlife.org
Sunday 13th June
This is always a popular event, with women of all fitness levels walking, jogging and running a loop of Arthur’s Seat for Cancer Research. If you prefer a longer distance, they also run a 10km on the day. A great entry point if you’ve never done an organised race, the 6,000 strong crowd is frustrating if you’re a seasoned runner and don’t belong to a running club (they get to go at the front). Cancer Research also do a September mixed 10km run at Hopetoun House, a lovely scenic route and most of it off road.

Moonwalk
www.walkthewalk.org
Saturday 19th June
Ladies, don decorated bras and walk a marathon through Edinburgh’s streets in the still of the night to raise money for breast cancer. A great sense of achievement, and if you follow the (very good) training plan on the website, you will get in fab shape. You must be prepared to put in the training and buy the right kit, or you might find yourself with nasty blisters or injuries.

The Big Fun Run
www.bigfunrun.com/?edinburgh
Sunday 25th July
One of series of 21 different 5km fun runs across UK. The Edinburgh course starts at Holyrood Park and goes around Arthur’s Seat.

Pedal for Scotland

www.pedalforscotland.org
Sunday 12th September
Prefer travelling on wheels? Enjoy a virtually traffic free 51 mile route from Glasgow to Edinburgh with a picnic lunch at Linlithgow Palace. You can either do the route as fast as possible or enjoy the family aspect to this massed bike ride.

And Finally…. Where did the term Dumbbells come from?
To quote Wikipedia:
"Dumbbells" as a word originated in Tudor England – athletes used hand-held church bells to develop the upper body and arms. These bells ranged in weight from a few ounces to many pounds. The bells were flourished in various ways. This would have made a great deal of noise, so the athletes would take out the clappers so they could practice quietly; hence the name "dumb", as in "no sound", and "bell" – dumbbell. When strongmen started to make their own equipment, they kept the name, even though the shape changed. The etymology of the word "kettlebell" is similar.”

Not long now until the clocks change, enjoy!

:)
Tracy

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March newsletter