Fitness with Tracy Griffen

January newsletter

"Santa does press ups"

Hello healthy people,

A quick newsletter for December as it's a busy time of year…

There's no excuse to laze about over the Festive season, as I am offering client sessions on:

Thursday 27th & Friday 28th December
Thursday 3rd (booked out!) & Friday 4th January

Everything returns to normal on Monday 7th January for three weeks, then I'll be on holiday visiting family in Australia from 26th January – 16th February.

DIY Fitness returning in February 2008
Want to be trim and fit in 2008? You need DIY Fitness…

You will have already read about DIY Fitness in previous newsletters. If you'd like more information, or to book in, please see the booking form attached. Please also feel free to forward this to anyone whom you think may be interested. But act soon as spaces are already filling up!

What's in Season for December / January

It's good to eat seasonal fruit and vegetables, so here's a list of what's in season locally:
Vegetables: Beetroot, all cabbages: red, white and green, carrots, celeriac, chard, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, potatoes, parsnip, spinach, turnip.
Fruit: Apples and pears, chestnuts

Easy Recipe – Fabulous Flapjacks
This is a variation of a recipe given to me by Lorraine Gaffney. Make a tray of these at the beginning of the week and you will have morning snacks for the rest of the week. I usually wrap them up once cooled and hide them so I don't eat them all at once!

I like to think these are healthier than shop bought snacks, as despite having sugar (brown) and fat (butter) in, they are all natural. And it's EASY!

50g butter, melted
100g soft brown sugar, I prefer less
1 free range organic egg (as happy hens lay better eggs)
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g porridge oats
50g plain flour
100g raisins / dried cranberries / sunflower / pumpkin seeds / mixed nuts
1 dessertspoon of golden syrup (optional)

1. In a bowl, mix butter and soft brown sugar. Add the egg and mix
2.Weigh the plain flour straight into the bowl, add baking powder and mixed spice and mix.
3. Now add porridge oats and seeds / dried fruit, (I like sunflower seeds and dried cranberries). Mix well together. If you have any syrup, a dessertspoon here will ensure they stay soft and chewy, but it's not vital.
4. They are now ready to cook. You can use 12 paper cupcake cases, however I prefer to simply spoon the mixture straight into a lightly greased muffin tray. Alternatively, you can use a baking tray, but wait until the flapjacks are completely cold before cutting them up.
5. Bake at 150 degrees for around 15 minutes. They are nicer underdone rather than too crunchy.
6. Cool and wrap individually to take to work / school.

Spotlight on Aloe: Aloe Lips (£2.47 per lip balm)

Some people like lip balm, some don't. I have given some of this lip balm to friends, and they love it. It's fabulous for protecting lips from the cold weather and also conditioning lips in the heat. What a winner! It can also double up as a portable source of aloe. You can put a dab on any dry skin patches you might have

Article of the Month – Top Tips on Healthy Eating over Christmas

Here's some good advice adapted from the Food Standard Authority's website. www.eatwell.gov.uk is an interesting website with lots of healthy eating ideas.

• Always eat breakfast on Christmas day as this will fill you up and you will be less likely to snack on Christmas fayre!

• Serve Christmas dinner with heaps of vegetables for a balanced meal that helps toward your five servings of fruit or veg a day.

• Steam or roast vegetables to preserve more vitamins. Serve without salt, using other flavourings like lemon, pepper or fresh herbs instead

• Cut potatoes for roasting into larger chunks – they'll absorb less fat. Roast in a small amount of vegetable-based oil for a healthier choice

• Turkey meat is a lower fat choice for Christmas dinner; traditionally goose was eaten but is much higher in fat

• Try making your own gravy instead of using cubes or granules which tend to be high in salt

• If you have leftovers - try for turkey sandwiches, made with thickly cut bread and filled with spinach and watercress

• Try serving the traditional Christmas pudding with try some natural yoghurt or even some fresh fruit

• Position yourself away from tempting nibbles, or replace them with healthy nuts (not peanuts) and dried fruit. Pretzels are an OK low fat nibble.

• Avoid sugary fizzy drinks and opt for water or fruit juice with a slice of lemon or lime

• Avoid feeling uncomfortably full by eating more slowly

• Get active rather than slump on the sofa - take a brisk walk, play an indoor game or maybe just crank up the music and dance away those calories!

And Finally… Great Scottish Walk

I'm pleased to be involved with promoting the Great Scottish Walks in June next year, offering a choice of three distances (1, 6 or 12 miles). Already a popular fixture in the Edinburgh social calendar these multi-distance all ability walks last year saw in excess of 6,000 walkers taking part and raising over £1 million in charity for over 200 charities across Scotland and the rest of the UK.

See www.greatscottishwalk.com/ for more information and expect to hear more news in future newsletters.

Have a happy and healthy festive season!

:)
Tracy

Tracy

to top

January newsletter

What's in Season for December / January

Contents