YOUR 7 BEST FAT SOURCES

Fats.... lovely fats. Including good fats in your diet is so important for your body to function properly. It also helps your body get rid of bad fats. I made a simple list of my favourite sources of good fats -- make sure to include some in your everyday diet.

 

  1. Oily fish (salmon, mackerel... great for your brain)
  2. Extra virgin olive oil
  3. Nuts (not peanuts, nuts like walnuts, cashews, pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts)
  4. Seeds
  5. AVOCADO (the best possible types of fats found in nature... Eat your guacamole)
  6. Nut butters
  7. Eggs (the yolk is super nutritious and the egg white provides loads of protein)

 

There you have it! Do you think there's anything missing from this list? Just comment below. You can also add yourself to my team's Facebook group for all fat loss nutrition and exercise related support xx

5 SIMPLE NUTRITION RULES (for better health and fat loss)

I'll make it as simple as possible, because it's not supposed to be complicated. Nutrition is a topic which often gets people confused - there's so much contradicting information out there, and advertisers are shoving all sorts of bullshit (on top of the good information) your way constantly. No, you don't need the latest fat loss pills, superfoods, supplements or bullshit shakes they make you believe are good for you (often quite the opposite, actually). So how are you supposed to know how to eat to be healthier and to aid fat loss as well as you can? I want to make things clear and straightforward, so here's a list of the things that'll guarantee you'll get better fat loss results from training, as well as nourish your body optimally. No starvation, no restrictions, no fad dieting. Ever.

  1. Minimum 2.5 litres of water daily (plus tea/coffee on top if you like)
  2. Protein with every meal
  3. Vegetables (or fruit/berries) with every meal
  4. Healthy fats every day (avocado/oily fish/nuts/extra virgin olive oil...)
  5. REAL food 80% of the time (you'll recognise real food by checking out the ingredient label in the supermarket. If there's a single ingredient in it, it's real food.)

Dedicate the next 2 weeks to following these principles. You'll notice just how easy it is to lead a healthier lifestyle. Note, that I'm saying REAL food 'just' 80% of the time?! That's right, you can have #naughtyfood freely, as long as it's not the basis for your diet. It means being able to eat chocolate and drink beer, guilt free, WHILST losing body fat.

[[More about the Freedom Diet here]]

 

/Erika

5 tips for a healthier life

Hiya,

I just sat down to wait for dinner to cook and decided to write this

I totally live by 'the 10 minute body' stuff as I can't be bothered to waste my time in the kitchen (despite the fact that I love cooking) or doing 2-hour-long workouts

So I've just done a 10 minute prep, it's my first time ever making MAKARONILAATIKKO in the oven, which is a Finnish dish that nearly everyone loves.

Directly translated it's macaroni casserole, and I filmed making it so you can see how to make it yourself on my YouTube channel later (you'll get a notification when I've uploaded it if you've subscribed... Unless I have majestically fucked it up and it turns out shit :D)

Today I wanted to remind you of 5 things that I know majorly helps you be healthier... Check 'em out and make sure to incorporate them into your lifestyle before this summer.

[Make sure to also start the summer challenge {if you haven't yet} to give you a bit more structure with food and at-home exercise]

 

1. Drink a lot of water. 2 litres a day is your absolute minimum.
2. Increase your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). This is ANY activity throughout the day that's not classed as exercise. What can you do to be a little bit more active tomorrow? Make sure to at least feel your core muscles activate when you're sitting down and standing up.
3. Focus on positive things, and stop negative self-talk. I hate fad dieting with a passion, because they destroy people's self esteems and just make most fatter in the long run. Stop punishing yourself and denying the foods you love eating. Doing it the freedom diet way makes eating anything possible, you just have to be within your personal calorie limits. Listen to this inspiring TED talk I also shared on Facebook.
4. Eat many different (natural) colours. Mixing different coloured veg in your diet makes your body get more vitamins and minerals. Ditch the vitamin tablets, get your nutrition from real food.
5. Make sure you know what it feels like to be hungry. I've spoken to so many overweight people who don't remember the last time they were hungry. Just plan your meals ahead of time so you know what you're having when you get hungry to avoid resorting to junk you don't need. Listening to your body is a key factor in learning what makes you feel good. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're satisfied. There's an increasing amount of scientific evidence to suggest that letting yourself get hungry results in improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and also in better insulin sensitivity.

My food's nearly ready..... I'm excited to see if it's anything like the stuff I used to love at school!

Take action to be healthier TODAY.

Talk soon,
Erika

Lose weight easily with these swaps

Here's my quick list of simple food swaps that you can easily take advantage of, starting now.

What's crossed over is your TREATS - they should not be your everyday diet staples.

(There's nothing wrong with having them, but remember moderation. If you go for the crossed over options habitually, you've got some work to do.)

 

SO:

ONLY AS A TREAT - HAVE THIS INSTEAD

 

Cereal - nutty muesli (less sugar than fruit muesli), porridge with fruit, low sugar cereal (e.g. Weetabix), or go for a cooked breakfast of eggs, beans and brown toast.

Chocolate - have a glass of water, then eat a piece of fruit. You get natural sugars from fruit, which is far better than refined sugar from sweets and chocolate. If you still find yourself craving sweet, distract yourself by going out for a walk or doing housework.

Creamy sauces - tomato or vegetable based sauces

Fatty red meat like bacon and sausages, chicken thighs and wings - chicken breast, turkey breast, lean red meat. At least trim the fat off your bacon. Fatty fish like salmon and mackerel you should still have!

Flavoured yoghurt - plain yoghurt (natural probiotic yoghurt/Greek yoghurt)  with fresh berries/fruit if you want sweetness in it

Main meal at a restaurant - go for a starter or a soup, or ask for a doggy bag if you're going for a main meal. Portion sizes in most restaurants are mahoosive, rarely under 1,000 kcal, so save half of it until later.

Dried fruit - fresh fruit. With dried fruit, you'll quickly have way too much sugar. It's still better than sweets, but the fresh stuff is the real thing.

Juice - water. If you really want a bit of sweetness in your water, infuse it with berries or lime/lemon

100% fruit juice - fresh fruit. Not only does it satisfy you more, you'll end up consuming fewer calories and getting much more fibre from the real thing.

Fizzy pop - sparkling water (infused with fruit, berries, cucumber, fresh mint leaves etc. if you like)

Latte/hot chocolate etc coffee shop high calorie drinks - swap for an espresso or an americano, and add a bit of milk yourself.

 

You can also consider whether you need to use oil in cooking. If you have a good teflon pan, chances are you don't. Or grill your meats, no added fats needed!

Note! Do not go for advertised diet products. Low fat items are often higher in sugar, low calorie meals won't keep you satisfied and will make you more likely to crave naughties, and just generally bear in mind that the flavour has to come from somewhere. Food manufacturers want to add as much (addictive) flavour to foods as possible so they can make more money when you buy their products again. Also, Artificial sweeteners are added to tons of processed foods, and some research suggests they're even worse for you than pure sugar, so do your best to steer away. Science has also shown that people who consume more artificial sweeteners and 'diet foods' are heavier than people who don't, so

focus on eating real, unprocessed food.

 

The best and worst breakfasts

People who have breakfast are slimmer on average: FACT

You need to have breakfast if you want to be fit and healthy: UNTRUE

Breakfast is just as important as any other meal during the day. You don'd need 5 meals a day, just have as many as suits your lifestyle. Just log your foods to make sure you're not overeating, i.e. putting on weight.

The most important thing to have in the morning: A pint of water.

The worst breakfast options:

  • Most cereals (too much sugar. Have a look at the ingredient list!)
  • Granola (packed with sugar)

Best breakfast options:

  • Eggs
  • High protein dairy (plain yoghurt/fromage frais/cottage cheese)
  • Porridge (if it keeps your hunger at bay... Also make sure your portion isn't too big)
  • Nutty muesli

My best tips to go by:

  • Always include a source of protein
  • Minimise sugar
  • Keep fat content in check

So

A full English wouldn't necessarily be a terrible option, but the super high fat content easily makes it exceed 1,000 kcals. So only have it if you're not intending to eat much else during the day to keep your waistline in control.

If you really don't feel hungry in the morning, you don't need to have breakfast. Just grab a pint of water and go, and eat when you get hungry.

High sugar breakfasts like most cereals do the most havoc to your diet. They're more likely to get you derailed with nutrition from the start and won't make you feel satisfied.

/Erika

P.s. In case you were wondering which cereals are nutritionally slightly better... My faves are Weetabix, Shredded Wheat and Shreddies. Purely because there's less added sugar. But I'd still personally rarely have cereal because the high carb and relatively low protein content makes my belly scream with hunger within an hour, and that's not great for insulin levels and makes silly snacking more likely.

Emma S. testimonial (personal training with Erika Helsinki)

Name: 

Emma S.

 

Your specific weight/fitness/lifestyle related goals when you started: 

When I started PT with Erika last year I was pretty sick of going to the gym 4 or 5 times a week and getting no results. All I did was cardio with very little resistance training, and although my diet was pretty clean I was eating a bit too much and getting nowhere (if anything I was putting weight on). I really wanted to tone up and improve my fitness but also improve the relationship with myself. I was bulimic when I was younger and so loving my body is something that I have never been particularly good at, I felt that I was at a time in my life that I needed to move past this and make some positive changes, both physically and mentally.

 

What have you achieved since starting your sessions with Erika? 

Since I started with Erika I have seen a lot of physical changes, I've lost just over a stone, I'm stronger than I've ever been and I feel a lot more toned. But better than any physical change are the mental ones, I'm more positive about life in general, have a better relationship with food and am even learning to love my body, slowly but surely.  The strength I have gained from Erika's training has also allowed me to progress in yoga, something which I love but have never had the strength, or confidence to improve in.

 

Your PT session experiences summarised: 

Over the time I've been training with Erika I've learned so much!! Sessions are always varied and fun, pushing you beyond limits that you didn't even know you had! Erika's enthusiasm is also unreal, I feel completely supported and motivated not only during the sessions but also in-between times. Her advice goes beyond exercise and nutrition, even giving me fantastic advice on how to deal the writers block I had during my masters dissertation!!

 

Are you happy with your results? 

YES!!

 

How has Erika helped achieve your goals?

Through constant encouragement, motivation, and support. Varying classes, and keeping exercise fun at all times. Her love of fitness and life is contagious, I'm pretty sure that with Erika as your PT it would be pretty impossible not to reach your goals!

 

What do you still want to achieve regarding your weight/fitness/lifestyle?

I still want to tone up and gain strength- right now, more than anything else I'd love to be able to just one pull up! (That and hold a headstand for more than two seconds in yoga!).

 

Would you recommend Erika Helsinki as a PT to others? Why?

No doubt about it, she is the best PT I could have hoped for!!!

 

Any other comments?

Erika would do anything for her clients, a truly amazing PT. I could stop there but its more than that, she is also a wonderful person who genuinely cares about each and every one of her clients. There is no way I would ever have reached my goals without her and there are no words which express how grateful I am for her help and support!

Foodswaps 3: Turkey-avocado burger

I have discovered the wonderful world of burgers, which are neither fast-food junk or gourmet, but dripping of grease!

This low-fat turkey burger is a great weekend dinner: 498 kcal and 34.5g protein (but a lot depends on the ingredients you choose).

Ingredients:

  • 100g turkey steak
  • 1/4 of an avocado
  • 1 gem lettuce
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 tsp houmous
  • herbs and spices of your taste
  • 1 ciabatta roll

Preparation

  • Dry rub the turkey steak with your chosen herbs and spices (I like garlic salt, pepper, oregano and some chilli)
  • Grill it (I usually use a griddle pan)
  • Wash the gem lettuce and separate to leaves and slice the tomato
  • Toast your bun, spread with houmous
  • Assemble your burger: bun, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, turkey, avocado, bun
  • Make a Chef's salad from the lettuce and tomatoes (adding some spring onions and cucumber?) you could not fit into the burger
  • Always feel free to add more vegetables (maybe some cheeky mozzarella too ;))

Enjoy :)

 

Turkey-avocado burger
Turkey-avocado burger

 

EH&EH

Foodswaps 2: A different meatball soup!

I like soups unless they are thick, heavy and creamy - in my opinion, those are sauces!

This quick and easy meatball soup recipe will blow your mind: it's simple, healthy and unbelievably filling.

Only 245 kcal per portion packed with 28g of protein.

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • 200g lean beef mince
  • 1 egg
  • 20g of flour of your choice
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 200g frozen vegetable mix (cauliflowers, carrots and peas)
  • 1 whole onion with the skin on
  • 2 celery sticks, whole
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 l water

Preparation:

  • Put the water in a saucepan on the hob to boil it
  • Mix the mince, egg, flour, garlic and some salt thoroughly, and form walnut-sized balls - the mixture will be enough for about 16 meatballs
  • Put the meatballs in boiling water. They are cooked when they float to the top.
  • Once the meatballs are cooked, add all the vegetables, spices and the stock cubes
  • Bring it to the boil, reduce the heat, cover it, and cook for 30 minutes
  • Serve it hot, maybe with some thin noodles

Tips:

  • Do not chop the onion - it is only needed for its taste, and it is easier to remove as a whole
  • When the meatballs cook there might be some foam floating on top of the water. It is only some cooked meat-juice. You can remove it with a very small strainer if you wish.
  • You can add other vegetables too. The variety of vegetables will make your soup taste even better!
  • This amount will make 2 very generous, or 3 normal portions.
  • It becomes even more tasty if you warm the leftover up the next day, however, it is not suitable for freezing.

Enjoy!

Meatball soup
Meatball soup

EH&EH

Juicing diets will make you lose… your hair!

Fit as Hel would like to raise awareness of the dangers of the very popular juicing diets. This post series will make you think twice before starting a juicing fast - and will also make you to avoid them for good!

Juicing diets claim to be healthy, because you include more fruit and veg in your diet and thus you increase your vitamin intake as well.

This is a big fat lie.

Consuming nothing else but fruit and veg juices will cause over-consumption of certain vitamins and completely missing out others, such vitamin D, which is important for healthy skin, nails and hair.

Faded and broken hair.

But this is not the end:

If you do not get the nutrition your body needs, it will stop processes which are not essential for life, like hair production!

Could this get any worse?

Yes.

This will not happen straight away. It will take you weeks, maybe months to notice it.

You will not even think about blaming your juice diet, because you will have long forgotten about it.

Love your hair - give it the vitamins it needs from natural resources, such as: fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), egg yolks, liver etc. and most importantly: sunshine!

The only 3 cereals you should really be eating

image

Weetabix, Shreddies and Shredded wheat. If it's anything else, make sure to check the product's sugar content. There are brands that are closer to 50% sugar FFS!! Kids should never be allowed to eat anything like that for breakfast unless their parents want to give them a shortcut to obesity.....