Category Archives: Simple Exercise

6&6 Simple Eating & Exercise Plan – Day 3

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It’s Day 3 today of the Minimize Yo Butt Challenge (only another 39 days left to go! – don’t worry I wont be posting daily for that period of time!)

Yesterday’s post was rather rushed so I thought to do it a little earlier whilst the kids are out may be better, particularly as I have a great idea for a lunch to share with you all.

I’m home alone until dinner tonight so I’ll be offering no Kiddie lunch alternative and the Hubby is still away for work so is probably enjoying a very fattening lunch somewhere.

Meal 1 (7am)

Guess what? Scottish Rolled Oats (Porridge) and Honey with Hot Semi-Skimmed Milk.

Meal 2 (10am)

Frozen Summer Fruits with Strawberry Flavoured Whey Protein Blended with Skimmed Milk

Meal 3 (12.30pm)

2 Slices of wholemeal toast spread with double concentrate tomato puree topped with tinned mackarel in tomato sauce and grilled halved cherry tomatoes sprinkled with mixed herbs. A very balanced and healthy meal. Protein, Carbs and a Vegetable. 7 cherry toms provide 1 of your 5 a day. Really tasty and contains the hugely beneficial Omega 3.

Meal 4 (3pm – not yet eaten)

Myoplex Diet Meal Replacement Bar (on the run – the school run!)

*not an affiliate link – the product may be called ‘Lite’ in the US?

Meal 5 (5pm – not yet eaten)

All the family – Slow-cooked Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Rice

Meal 6 (9pm)

Chocolate Flavoured Whey Protein blended with Skimmed Milk

Exercise

An all over body workout with kettlebells is on the cards. I’m only just getting into kettlebells and have purchased a DVD to assist whilst I get the hang of it. As such no advice or tips on this as I am a novice! However the rumour is they produce fantastic results. So very simple and minimal therefore I love the idea of it, let’s hope the execution and results is as pleasing long-term.

How’s the challenge going for you?

6&6 Simple Eating & Exercise Plan – Day 2

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It’s day 2 of the Minimize Yo Butt Challenge and as promised I am posting daily my plan between Mon-Fri.

Just a brief post today… really want to go and watch Undercover Boss…

Meal 1 (7am)

  • Me – Scottish Rolled Oats and Honey with Hot Semi-Skimmed milk
  • Family – Cereal
Meal 2 (11am – straight after 4.5 mile run)
  • Me – Frozen Summer Fruits and Strawberry flavoured whey protein blended with Skimmed Milk (This was DIVINE!)
  • The Kids – Snack at School/Playgroup – Toast and Milk
Meal 3 (1pm – out and about today so lunch on the go)
  • Me – Myoplex Diet Meal Replacement Bar
  • The Kids – Packed Lunch
Meal 4 (2.30pm)
  • Me – Apple and Yogurt
  • The Kids – Fruit
Meal 5 (5pm)
  • All of the family – Turkey Mince Spaghetti Bolognese
Meal 6 (9pm)
  • Me – Chocolate flavoured Whey Protein blended with Skimmed Milk
  • The Kids had their milk at 7pm before bed
Busy day today out and about, so I had a meal replacement bar as I ate at a friend’s house where Dan had a play-date. No Hubby today as he’s away overnight with work.
Hope the challenge is going well for you?

6&6 Simple Eating & Exercise Plan – Day 1

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Today is launch day over at Minimalist At Home and the 6 week Minimize Yo Butt challenge.

I posted yesterday how I will be participating with the ultimate aim of dropping a jean size from UK 12 to 10 in 6 weeks.

So how do we achieve that over here at Chez Wright?

Simply of course!

I call it my 6&6 - 6 simple meals a day for 6 days and 6 days of exercise. A free day each week (coincides with No Waste Tastes Great as Friday Night is Date Night at Chez Wright).

I’m no expert and none of this is scientific. It’s based on common sense and was initially inspired over 10 years ago when I discovered Body For Life, although now it has evolved to an almost unrecognisable version of the 12 week program. It’s how I do it, not necessarily how I think others should…

Monday to Friday this week I’ll be sharing how I follow this plan whilst feeding a family of four. When I am following this plan I want it to impact on my family as little as possible, and not be anything unusual or regimented. I don’t want the Kids growing up being aware of ‘diets or plans’. My aim is that they grow up eating as healthily as possible (with some treats of course), and it is a way of life, not something they do for a few weeks and then eat unhealthily. I simply ‘try a little harder’ and ‘watch what I eat’ a little more when I feel it’s time to shape up. It’s a gradual process…

EATING TODAY

Meal 1 (7am)

  • Me – Scottish Rolled Oats and Honey with Hot Semi Skimmed Milk
  • The family – Cereal and Orange Juice
Meal 2 (10am)
  • Me – Frozen Banana and Chocolate Flavoured Whey Protein blended with Skimmed Milk and Ice Cubes added
  • The Kids – Milk and a Banana
Meal 3 (12pm)
  • Me – Jacket Potato with Cottage Cheese and Salad
  • The Kids – Packed Lunch for School and Jacket Potato with Cheese and Beans
Meal 4 (2.30pm)
  • Me – Frozen Summer Fruits with Stawberry Flavoured Whey Protein blended with Skimmed Milk and Ice Cubes added
  • The Kids – Apple or Raisins, Breadsticks and Juice
Meal 5 (5pm)
  • Me – Cold Wholewheat Pasta with Tuna, Cucumber, seasoned with black pepper, mixed herbs and balsamic vinegar.
  • The Kids (& Hubby) – Cold Wholewheat Pasta with Tuna, Cheese, Cucumber and Garlic Bread, seasoned to taste (nb tonight the kids requested Ham instead, normally we don’t do meat on Mondays but they saw the nice lean ham they like…)
Meal 6 (9pm)
  • Me – Chocolate Whey Protein Blended with Skimmed Milk (No fruit as I reduce Carbs after 5pm ps I know there are carbs in milk)
  • Hubby – Hot Chocolate
  • The Kids – In bed! (They’ll have had their milk about 7pm)
In addition I drink about 2 litres of room temperature tap water, and about 6 cups of hot green tea with lemon. I’ll have 1 or 2 cups of coffee, but I have to limit this as I take sugar in coffee – I know shocking!
The Kids and Hubby will have a pudding after dinner (Meal 5) and they’ll have an after school treat, a treatsize chocolate bar or something like that. (I also may have a treat if I am feeling deprived :-) up to 100 calories)
EXERCISE TODAY
Today is weights for me. I’ve used dumbells for years and have a set routine that I work to exercising 5 muscles groups in the upper body.
Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps, Back and Chest. It’ll take approx. 30 minutes. This I’ll do tonight once the kids are in bed and I’ve had time for dinner to digest.
How are you doing today? Are you taking part in the challenge?

Does My Bum Look Big In This?

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Tomorrow is the launch of Minimize Yo Butt over at Minimalist at Home. Faith is setting herself (and others who want to participate) a 6 week challenge to get in shape.

I love the idea of a communal challenge, and as such have decided to participate.

I’m no stranger to exercise or healthy eating, it’s always been a part of my adult life. However we all slip into bad habits from time to time.

This challenge launches as my half marathon training begins in earnest so I think this may just be the additional motivation I need.

My challenge to myself is not specifically weight loss, I am average weight, average BMI etc..by all accounts and purposes spot on for my height and age. There won’t be a weekly weigh in.

However bearing two children takes its toll, it’s not my weight that’s the problem (I’m back to pre-baby weight), rather it’s the distribution!

Therefore my challenge is to drop a jeans size, as this is where the stubborn fat is currently residing – round my middle… I have MumTum!

Fortunately the exact same pair of jeans I have in a UK size 12 is currently on sale in a UK size 10… So I’m already 10 pounds (£) lighter…

So how am I going to participate, and what will I be blogging about?

Monday to Friday this week, to celebrate the launch, I will post daily my simple eating and exercise plan.

I call it my 6&6.

  • 6 simple meals a day for 6 days and 1 free day (Friday).
  • 6 days of exercise alternating running and weights with 1 free day (Friday).

Don’t fret this isn’t some extreme diet or fitness regime, it’s just how over the years I have adapted my 6&6 to fit with family life, and very importantly family meals. I’m no fitness expert, it’s just years of habit-forming that I’ll be sharing, and a few ideas along the way…

At the end of the 6 weeks I hope to have some great before and after photos… fingers crossed eh? 

If you fancy Minimizing Yo Butt, Check Out

The Nitty Gritty Details of the Minimize Yo Butt Challenge

Mid March Update As Promised/Threatened!

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For those of you with ultra long memories (or those who give a rats ass actually care what I am up to – haha!) I promised a Mid-March Update.

This was initially an update on My Simple Exercise and Eating Plan to shift the Mum Tum.

Well guess what? I have failed. I have a lovely long list of all the reasons I did not succeed in reducing my waistline, but all it is a great big dose of ‘Excusitus’! So no bikini snaps of moi!

I think the lack of motivation actually stemmed from a visit to a Osteopath who commented that after having two kids I stand a cat’s in hell chance of a flat stomach ever again (okay so I am paraphrasing) – but the prognosis wasn’t great. Apparently my abdominal muscles are ‘dragging’ – what does that mean? – it sounds sinister!

So no heavier than I was and no lighter – here I am Mum of Two with a bit of a Tum. Still exactly the same – average Jo as always!

Continue reading →

My Simple Eating and Exercise Plan 2011

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I haven’t made any New Years resolutions, as I am happy just chipping away at what I am doing at the moment.
I also don’t diet. Not anymore anyway.

However this year I was very tempted to try out the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, but after pre-ordering the book I discovered it wasn’t being dispatched until February. Hmmmm slight problem – I am wearing a bikini on 18th March! I will however be checking in on Eric LaForest at Elevated Simplicity who has already started it! Go Eric!
Unfortunately I still have Mummy Tummy (6 years on from being stretched past recognition)…after having two kids things aren’t quite how they used to be and I’d love to feel good in a bikini once more.

When I really thought about it, I concluded that actually I probably couldn’t commit to a structured plan/regime. I have a family to cook for, and also we have a houseguest for a few weeks at Chez Wright. I just couldn’t see it working out.

I’ll come clean straight away. I’m not overweight and also not a couch potato, so this really isn’t a particularly newsworthy post – you may want to skip it entirely! In fact I am average Joe. I’m almost 5’8″ and weigh 145lbs – My BMI is 22, and I have no health issues.

I won’t be calorie counting, or weighing myself or offering any advice. All I am going to do is the following 8 simple steps for the next 10 weeks. I will then do a post which will include before and after bikini photos (if my nerve holds) and talk about how I feel… which ultimately is the most important thing. Not how much I weigh, or what body-fat % I have… but how I feel. A woman who feels beautiful looks beautiful regardless of anything else, including her dress size.

The 8 Simple Steps:

1. Drink at least 2 litres of water (tap) a day
2. Get at least 8 hours sleep a night
3. Eat breakfast every morning
4. Eat 2 other balanced family meals plus 2 healthy snacks – 6 days a week (I get a day off of course!)
5. Have a protein milkshake before bed instead of my usual hot chocolate!
6. Get at least 30 minutes exercise 6 days a week
7. Generally walk more and use the car less
8. Have 1 treat a day – a girl needs her chocolate (treat size of course!)

That’s pretty much it. I will of course be keeping an eye out for tips from other great blogs to help me on my way. I’m a flexible gal!

There’s a couple of things to add. Firstly as we have a houseguest who will be joining us for meals I will be continuing to meal plan as I always do and these will be simple family meals.
Also I am not a stranger to exercise. I don’t always do as much as I should, but I do know what to do and am relatively fit (having completed a half-marathon for Charity in March 2010).

I may do an impromptu post on how things are going, but it’s more likely I will put an update on twitter, and apart from that it’s probable that’s the last you’ll hear on the subject until Mid March…

Good luck to everyone who is looking to get healthy and fit this year!
Have fun Guys!

PS – If anyone knows how to get rid of the snow on my blog please can you e-mail me – simplybeingmum@gmail.com

It’s driving me nuts!