The Elle Must Get Fit Project - Week One

Hey Lovli's

Time for this weeks update on the 'Elle Must Get Fit Project'.

So I have literally just got in from my Monday SW session (haha), and I am pleased to say that I have lost 3 pounds since last week (go me!!).

Although I'd like to keep how much I weigh to myself, I will say that at a size 14, I'd like to lose another stone (maybe a bit more) by Christmas, and get back to a nice size 12 :)

So getting back in to a routine can be hard sometimes, especially when you are a Freelance worker like me because you never have a set schedule. However, since getting back from Cyprus I have been working from home, so introducing exercise back in to my life hasn't been too hard this week!!

EXERCISE

Cardio is one of the best forms of exercise for me as it makes me feel like I'm actually doing something!! I get all hot and sweaty (sorry), and I feel completely worn out after I workout! Now, I am quite lucky as I have my own treadmill at home - and as I can't afford to go to the gym right now - it's perfect for me to use whenever I want. This week I went on it twice for 30 minutes each time. Usually I just start running and end up not completing the 30 minutes, but this week I followed a workout plan from a fitness blog I follow on Twitter and I must say, it was awesome!!

Notice how late I stay up sometimes (it's not healthy!!!)

It's an easy plan to follow, it's good for beginners or people getting back in to exercise like me, and it changes things up instead of running for the same speed and incline throughout your whole workout!!

If you go to the gym or have your own treadmill at home, try this workout plan out :)

I also walked a lot at the weekend which is just as good and effective as running is :)

Food

In terms of food, I will never be one of those healthy eating obsessors who refuse to put anything bad in to their body. There's too much temptation, and quite frankly, I enjoy eating certain foods that I know are bad for me, because they taste so damn good!!!

However, I do try to balance all my good and bad food out, and eat in moderation. If I know I have a birthday coming up where alcohol and cake will be in my face, then that week I will eat well and exercise a lot to keep it balanced.

This week in particular, I was visiting the theatre, and I knew I would be drinking fizzy and eating chocolate, so the rest of the week I ate pretty healthy foods, and I exercised quite a bit.

One of my typical healthy days this week looked like this.... 

Breakfast

Weetabix with Blueberries

Perfect breakfast for me. It fills me up until lunch time, and blueberries are a great fat burner ;)

Lunch

Jacket Potato with Tuna, Cheese and Salad.

Sorry for the no photo for this one (oops). I love Jacket Potatoes, and I prefer to have a big, heavy meal for lunch rather than dinner. This definitley fills you up :)

Dinner

Mushroom & Prawn Pasta

I like to experiment and this particular meal I got from one of the SW recipes (I was lucky enough to have my boyfriend cook it for me).

This was so tasty, and swapping normal cheese sauce for fat free fromage frais made it even better (and healthier).

You must try this if you like pasta dishes, the recipe will be at the end of this post :)

So that was just a glimpse at what I did last week to get that weight off for today!! This week I am going to step up the exercise and workout three days a week and go for my usual walk through London (if the weather is not too bad). I'm going to try another healthy recipe, and hopefully get some more good results next week :)

Do let me know if you try this recipe, and feel free to make any meal suggestions or exercise tips :)

LoveLove 

Elle P

Recipe of the Week - Creamy Mushroom & Prawn Pasta 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Low Calorie Cooking Spray (I used Fry light)

350g Mixed Mushrooms, halved, sliced or trimmed

2 Large Garlic Cloves, Crushed

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

250g Baby Spinach Leaves

225g Frozen Jumbo King Prawns, thawed

150g Fat Free Natural Fromage Frais

Pasta of your choice (I used Spaghetti, but Tagliatelle was recommended)

Instructions

Spray a large frying pan with low calorie cooking spray.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes.

Season to taste.

Stir in the spinach and prawns and cook until the spinach has wilted and the prawns have cooked through.

Add the fromage frais and couple of tablespoons of hot water, and stir until smooth.

Spoon the prawn mixture over your favourite pasta to serve.