Lean mean fitness machine

When I first started University I was so excited to start being more independent! Had absolutely everything planned out! Until I got there and had to do my first food shop.

But, what should I buy?!

If you’re the same, or if you just want some advice on what your fridge should be stocked with to ensure you stay away from the notorious ready meal then read ahead! I’ve tried to keep it as clean/healthy as possible but it’s totally adaptable to whatever you want/need :)

Fruit and veggies:

Bananas 

Berries (frozen berries are cheaper than fresh!)

Apples

Lemons (great as condiments or sliced up in hot water, too)

Mangos

Pineapple

Grapes (Try freezing them as a summer snack, too!)

Avocado

Onions (I always have onions in my cupboard!)

Tomatoes

Spinach

Broccoli

Lettuce

Carrots

Mushrooms

Basically any fruit or veg you like that’s in season! Click here for a great info sheet about when food is in what season!

Protein

Chicken/turkey

Eggs

Salmon

Tuna

Cottage Cheese

Veggie/vegan protein

Tempeh

Tofu

Nuts and nut butters

Seeds

Beans

Quinoa

Lentils

Almond Milk

Grains and ‘good carbs’

Porridge/oats

Quinoa

Brown rice

Buckwheat

Brown rice

Wild rice

Sweet potato

Any bread you want, make sure it’s brown/wholemeal at least. Ezekiel bread is also great

Fats and oils

Almonds

Sunflower seeds

All natural nut butters (no sugar and no added salt)

Coconut oil

Extra virgin olive oil

Flax seeds

Chia seeds

Dairy and non-dairy alternatives

(If you eat dairy, obviously)

Greek yoghurt

Semi-skimmed/skimmed milk

Cottage cheese

Organic yoghurt

Almond milk

Soy milk

Oat milk

Rice milk

Legumes

Edamame

Black beans

Chick peas

Lentils

Peanuts/peanut butter (yep, peanuts are technically a legume!)

Condiments and seasonings

Salsa

Tabasco sauce

Low salt soy sauce

Hummus

Raw honey

Stevia

Apple cider vinegar

Mixed dried herbs

Freeze-dried basil

Lazy garlic

Paprika

Other necessities

Tea/coffee

Flour (any type you like)

Butter/spread

Ketchup

Canned beans

Canned tomatoes

Oxo cubes

Canned sweetcorn

Other general tips about shopping

Keep an extra loaf of bread in the freezer just in case

Keep a spare pint of milk in the freezer just in case

Start a weekly food planner to make sure you’re eating healthily and saving money on your food shop

If you’re having leftovers, it’s best not to re-heat pork, bacon or shellfish

If you’re not vegan/veggie, buy a whole chicken and cook it. You can use the meat for several meals such as sandwiches, curries, risottos, baked potatoes, salads etc.

Click here for a bunch of posts dedicated to help you with your shopping lists!

Part of my Student Survival Guide

Raw Apple Pie Bites from The Healthy Maven:

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup dried apple rings, chopped

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup cashews

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

Add dates and apple rings to a food processor and process until pea-sized.

Add in cashews and process until dates, apple rings and cashews come together in a sticky ball.

Break up the ball with your hands and add in the oats, spices and salt.

Continue processing until all ingredients are well combined and have a sticky consistency.

Roll into 20 or so balls.

Shin splints occur when you overstress the muscles in your lower legs, causing small tears in the tissue. If you start to experience this pain, it’s not a serious injury, but it is also nothing to be ignored. To heal the tears, it’s best to lower the intensity of your run by walking instead, or add incline to the treadmill. If the pain is really bad, take a break from running and do some lower leg stretches and ice the area.

Since shin splints can happen when your calf muscles become stronger than the shin muscles, one way to prevent shin splints in the first place is to do some strengthening exercises. Heel walks are beneficial, but here’s a simple move you can do while at your desk.

Sit on a chair that’s tall enough to allow your toes to point without touching the floor.

Place a two- to six-pound dumbbell vertically in between your feet, squeezing the weight gently to keep it in place.

Begin by pointing your toes toward the floor. Then flex your feet and lift your toes as high as you can. This is one repetition.

People typically fall into three categories: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. Ectomorphs are skinny, wiry people with fast metabolisms who build lean muscle (think track runners or gymnasts). Mesomorphs are of the archetypal athletic body type that builds muscle while burning fat; they become bodybuilders and hunky actors.

Endomorphs, the third category, are always dismissed as unhealthy for the bullshit reasons I will detail: While they gain body fat easily, they gain muscle just as easily. But since it develops under a layer of fat you can’t see it. This doesn’t mean it’s not there. An endomorph could be a bear-wrestling Appalachian trail-hiking badass and people would still look at them and think “wow look at that fatass I bet they never move”. Bitch have you ever seen a linebacker they’re fat and they run just as much as the other guys on the team. Which is another point: endomorphs can do cardio and still be fat. Their bodies don’t let go of fat without a fight and the lengths they’d have to go to in order to lose most or all of their body fat (too much exercise, too little food) could in fact be detrimental to their health. Hell, I know a cross-country hiker with a beer belly who runs six miles a day without breaking a sweat.

How to make your groceries last longer 1. Chop up your chives and keep them in an old water bottle for extended freshness. 2. Rinse your berries in vinegar (both white and apple cider will work). 3. One rotten apple can spoil an entire batch of fruit, so the second you see something looking a little old be sure to toss it. 4. Add a dab of butter to the cut side of cheese to prevent it from drying out. Also, be sure to wrap it in wax paper (not plastic) and then place it into a reusable baggie and store it in the warmest area of your fridge (i.e., not your chiller drawer). 5. Store asparagus like fresh cut flowers. 6. Wrap the top of bananas with plastic wrap and they should keep 3 to 5 days longer. 7. Wrap greens such as broccoli, lettuce, and celery in foil before popping them into your refrigerator. 8. Tomatoes do not belong in your fridge—rather they should be stored outside of it at room temperature. 9. Leftover guacamole tends to oxidize and turn brown quickly. To prevent this, put plastic wrap over the top but make sure the plastic wrap is touching the entire exposed surface of the dip. 10. Mushrooms should never be stored in plastic. Instead, place them into a brown paper bag or a cardboard box. [Read More Here]

A good chart to show hold long your vegetables, fruit and… other stuff would stay fresh for. Brought to you by visual.ly, a place with a TON of infographics, maybe the biggest on the web. 

Push-ups, many people’s first real exercise - other than jumping jackets it seems - and still the king of zero-equipment exercises in my opinion. Here are 8 variations showing which muscles each variation targets the most. To increase range of motion you could use a set of push-up bar

guys!! UNICEF is donating a days worth of clean water for every minute you don’t touch your phone

If you leave it on while you sleep, you could help someone for over a year. 

pleASE DO THIS