6 Diet And Exercise Aids You Shouldn't Be Without

1. My Fitness Pal

This is a 'free calorie-counter, diet and exercise tracker'. And it is precisely that. Even for those of you who don't like to count calories, this is a fantastic tool for keeping you accountable. It is so easy to discount those three chips you ate off your child's plate, or that handful of nuts you grabbed on your way out of the door, or that teaspoon (or 7) of dessert you devoured tasted when hubby was having his post-dinner treat but those little things add up! More than just calorie counting, it also helps you understand your exercise in relation to your eating and see how and where to make improvements. 

Pros: I have tried a number of diet trackers over the years and this is definitely one of the best. Firstly it's FREE (we like free things), has a humongous food database (they even have local foods like mukimo etc and can help you customise and track your macronutrient content; basically, for those of us on high protein diets, this works wonders. You can use it online via their website or download it as an app on your phone and input as you go.

Cons: The exercise database can be a little hard to work with when you do weights or circuits but I use a heart rate monitor which eliminates this problem.

Leading me nicely into my second favourite tool.

Day 8: Meal Plan and Exercise

MY MEAL PLAN*:

Wednesday 8th October 2014
Breakfast	Omelet:   1 Egg Yolk 3 Egg Whites  ½ Red & Green Pepper 1 Babybel Cheese 1 tsp coconut oil	330 Calories
Snack	100g Yoghurt 1/2 scoop Whey	151 Calories
Lunch	Cheese & Bean Quesadillas 1 wholemeal Tortilla 1/2 cup black or kidney beans (cooked) 20 g cheese	304 Calories
Snack	I Green Apple I tablespoon No added Sugar/Salt Peanut Butter	148 Calories
Dinner	Fish Curry: 170g Red Snapper 50g Courgettes 80ml coconut milk 1/2 can chopped tomatoes Curry Powder	325 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 50ml Milk 1 small Banana 2 cups spinach	247 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1505 Calories Protein 124g

EXAMPLE WORKOUT: Ab-athon

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Day 7: Meal Plan and Exercise

MY MEAL PLAN*:

Monday 6th October 2014
Breakfast	Oats: 50g Porridge Oats 50ml Low Fat Milk Cinnamon 1 tsp Honey 1 Scoop Whey	373 Calories
Snack	30g Chicken Pate 2 Crispbreads	173 Calories
Lunch	Chicken Salad 150g Grilled Chicken 20g Avocado 20g Feta Cheese 100g Salad Leaves Balsamic or Apple Cider Vinegar	309 Calories
Snack	50g Cottage Cheese 50g Pineapple 1 Crisp Bread	113 Calories
Dinner	150g Baked Red Snapper Steamed Veg	200 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 50ml Milk 1 small Banana 2 cups spinach	247 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1550 Calories Protein 154g

EXAMPLE WORKOUT: Killer Fat Burn

Get Ready To ROCKTOBEEEEEEERRRRR!!!! Day 1 Meal Plan And Exercises!

Challenge starts TOMORROW, 1st October 2014! Not entered yet? Enter now!. What you need to do for tomorrow:

1. Take your 'Before' and 'After' pics

2. Take your measurements*: 

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- weight (best done first thing in the morning before you eat - remember the time and what you're wearing so you do not have too many variations when you next measure),
- bust
- natural waist
- hips
- left and right arms (around the bicep)
- left and right thigh (at the widest part at the top)








*I have created a closed group on Facebook, Rocktober Challenge 2014, for anyone who is doing the challenge who wishes to share their photos, journey and any tips and hints. If you join, participation is mandatory, no oglers or lurkers allowed.

3. Make sure your gear is clean and ready:
If you need DVDs, buy them. If you need equipment, get it out from under the bed where they are no doubt gathering dust.

4. Do all your food shopping. Do not get caught out tomorrow!

5. Plan (and prepare if necessary) your meals and snacks for tomorrow. 

MY MEAL PLAN*:

Finger Detangling Challenge

The finger detangling challenge enters its fourth week.  Woop Woop!

Doesn't seem like much but honestly, I almost crumbled on Day 1; it just didn't feel like my hair was ..smooth.  Again with that word.  I admit, I love the way my hair felt after working through it with my assorted combs and brushes.  

If you are squeamish about using a comb, look away now.

From left to right: Wide Tooth Comb, Denman D31 Detangling Brush, Denman D3 Styling Brush

Body Rock-tober Challenge! Cleaning up our diets

If you've been following my personal challenge progress, you'll see that I've stayed on course for the first two weeks with my exercising and I am getting good results.

But now it is time to take it up a notch and clean up my diet too. I love food. Like love love. Would leave my husband for good pizza love. So this part won't be easy, which is why I'll need your support. 

The way I see it, there is no point in paying so much attention to our outside, be it hair challenges or weight loss challenges, without working on what's on the inside too. 

Which is why I'd like to set up a challenge for the entire month of October. We will call it the Body Rocktober challenge, because healthy bodies ROCK! (Plus it's catchy :D). The challenge is a pretty simple two tier plan.