Category: Fitness

Why I am changing my lifestyle

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I suppose every person has a reason as to why they turn their life around, eat better, exercise more and similar.  I have never really been open about my reasons.  I have a wonderful life, a loving husband and great family and friends.  The one thing missing in my life is children.

I have been struggling with infertility for five years now.  Now in my early 30’s its starting to become my main focus of losing weight and getting fit.  Its time to really push now to get down to my target weight and focus my energy on getting  the doctors to do more.  I have not received a diagnosis of any medical issue but from my research I know that weight and related health are one of the big factors.

Being open and truthful I feel guilty with every negative test that I can’t give me husband a “mini me” as I know that he will be the most amazing dad.   Its not fair that something so natural can be so tough for some.

Picking myself up and ensuring that I can keep going to reach the end goal will be the biggest reward of all and make this hard work worthwhile.

I want to blog about my lifestyle change not infertility – I won’t be beaten.  I want to share what I am a learning along the way 🙂

The best is yet to come, Gilly x

First Assignment – Blogging 101

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cropped-seal_v2-04I am taking part in Blogging 101.  This specially designed course helps bloggers improve their writing and blogs.  Each day I will have an email with day’s task and try to blog, and today marks the first one!

Day One: Introduce Yourself to the World

So this one is a bit more difficult for me as I have been blogging on and off for a while now, but no harm in trying!

I am Gilly, a 30 something wannabe blogger from Aberdeen, Scotland.

WholeLottaGilly first came about when the realisation hit me that I had put on so much blooming weight!  I decided that it wasn’t time for a diet but a total lifestyle change.  Changing what I eat and actually starting to exercise has had such an impact to my life (not only physically).  I decided that I needed to share and document my progress with the aim of keeping me motivated as well as supporting others.

Outside of my work I am also very passionate about events, charity work and my family.  I went with WholeLottaGilly as a title to try and keep my blog open ended to what I could write about from recipes to holidays 🙂

I am looking forward to being introduced to new blogs and meeting likeminded and passionate bloggers through Blogging 101.

Gilly x

Spinach Cakes

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Image From eatingwell.com

Image From eatingwell.com

I always love a look around www.eatingwell.com for inspiration daily.  The website provides you with many recipe ideas especially handy when trying to come up with ways to use all the fruit and veg in my fridge!

One of my favourite ways to eat more spinach is the amazing spinach and parmesan cakes. They are so tasty!

Makes: 4 servings, 2 spinach cakes each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Equipment: Muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 ounces fresh spinach, (see Note)
  • 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
  3. Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).
  4. Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 141 calories; 8 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 123 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 13 g protein; 2 g fiber; 456 mg sodium; 560 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (170% daily value), Folate (46% dv), Vitamin C (40% dv), Calcium (30% dv), Potassium (16% dv).

Recipe and information from Eating Well http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/parmesan_spinach_cakes.html

Gilly x

Holiday in planning

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I am a big believer that you do not need to travel for miles and miles to have an amazing holiday.  I have lived in Scotland my entire life and yet have not seen the whole beautiful country yet.  With the hubby and I on our lifestyle change (or challenge!) I wanted to find a nice break where we can still have an amazing time as well as being adventurous.

10968310_895444280495109_399135819355396107_nThe solution – the North Coast 500!  Scotlands answer to Route 66.  The route way runs to and from Inverness, venturing round the capital of the Highlands, up the West Coast and back via the rugged north coast covering Black Isle, Caithness, Easter Ross, Inverness-shire, Sutherland and Wester Ross.  Looking at the North Coast 500’s website (here) I can’t believe how stunning the North of Scotland is.

The website provides different itineraries to suit different tastes – bikers, adventure seekers, luxury travel.  This is making the planning of this trip even easier.  As I am on a mission to be more “outdoor’sy” we are looking at the Campers itinerary.  This 5 day route plan involves things to see along the way along with recommendations for accommodation & eating.

Thank you North Coast 500 for your beautiful informative website, I am looking forward to planning my trip and blogging along the way.  Also love following all the pins on Pinterest.

http://www.northcoast500.com/ 

Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/
Images from pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/northcoast500/

Juicing Fav’s

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Finding the right combination for juicing is all part of the fun.  Initially I found it quite difficult to increase my green’s and tended to stick to the fruity ingredients.  Then I found The Skinny NutriBullet Recipe Book by CookNation.

Here’s a couple of recipes that helped me introduce more goodness to my juices.

Ginger Apple Juice

Ingredients

2 Apples | 4m/2 inch piece of fresh Ginger | 1/2 Lemon | Water

Method
  1. Rinse the ingredients
  2. Core the apples (leaving the skin on).  Peel the lemon and no need to worry about the pipes.
  3. Add all the fruit & ginger to your blender holder (tall cup for NutriBullet) ensuring the ingredients don’t go past the max line on your machine.
  4. Add water & blend until smooth.

Gentle Detox

Ingredients

2 handfuls of Spinach | 1 handful of Kale | 2 Apples | 1/2 Lemon | Water | Sesame seeds optional

Method
  1. Core the apples, leaving on the skin.  Peel the lemon.
  2. Add the ingredients to your blender (tall cup for NutriBullet) making sure you don’t pass the max line.
  3. Add water and blend until smooth.

Enjoy, Gilly x

 

It’s Been A While!!

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New Year, New Start!

I haven’t blogged in a while.  Started a new job which has taken a lot of my time!  But its time for a new start, and new blog!

At the tailend of 2013 I celebrated my 30th birthday 3 stone lighter!  Still a long way to go, and my determination had slipped a lot over the festive period but starting afresh and looking forward to a healthier and slimmer 2014.  Especially now as I have booked a beach holiday and determined to be body confident!  (so that gives me until May).

The weather has been absolutely awful, with winds up to 60mph so I haven’t been out on two wheels as much as I would have liked, hoping we get a change in climate and I can enjoy my daily cycles again!

Now away to catch up on all the blogs I love and follow, and think up some blog posts 🙂

Love Gilly x

Cycle to Work Day – 12th September 2013

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#challengeyourself and take to two wheels on Thursday 12th September 2013!

WHAT IS CYCLE TO WORK DAY?

Cycle to Work Day is a national event, championed by multi gold medal winning Paralympic cyclist, Dame Sarah Storey, which aims to encourage everyone to take to two wheels and cycle to work for just one day on Thursday 12th September 2013.

In order to help make the day a success, they need lots of people like you to get on board and support the day. According to census data, 760,000 people in the UK cycle to work regularly – this number keeps growing steadily, but we want to see those numbers skyrocket this year and beyond! By 2021, they hope to see 1 million people regularly commuting to work by bike.

Cycle to Work Day is a symbol of our desire to be a fit and happy nation and our ability to challenge ourselves in order to see what we can achieve.

PLEDGE TO RIDE

If you want to join us, Dame Sarah Storey and thousands of others across the UK let us know – all you have to do is visit the homepage and hit the ‘pledge’ button. By pledging to ride you’ll also be entered into a prize draw to win a huge array of prizes including a Raleigh Revenio 2 – it’s a win-win!

St Cyrus to Montrose cycle route

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I thought I would share my daily cycle route with my blog readers 🙂

As a cycle newbie I love the fact that this route is off-road and allows me to enjoy my ride with the peace of mind that I am safely tucked away from the busy traffic.

The route stretches round the coast from Montrose to the North-water Viaduct at St Cyrus and is designed to create an off-road path for both cyclists and pedestrians.  Very popular with fellow cyclists and dog walkers!

From the St Cyrus end (my direction) I begin down at the St Cyrus beach reserve car park, and cycle the short 1 mile quiet road to the start of the cycle track just at the viaduct.  The gravel track takes you over the viaduct with spectacular views and down through the flourishing fields (runs parallel to the road but fence separates in-between path and road).

The course is mainly flat but with some deceiving uphill slopes :).  You are then off through a gorgeous wood path – my favourite part, through Kinnaber before hitting the long stretch at the old Montrose Aerodrome finishing at the former airfield at Broomfield, Montrose.  From this point you can continue on a cycle path down to Montrose beach where quite conveniently there is an ice cream shop, or continue to the South side of Montrose at the harbour.

The route for me, St Cyrus to Montrose beach is approximately a 11 mile round trip, and makes the perfect evening cycle – even better as the route doesn’t not involve any busy roads my dog Rupert can come along for the trip.

Starting point - St Cyrus beach nature reserve

Starting point – St Cyrus beach nature reserve

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Crossing the viaduct

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View from viaduct

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Kinnaber

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Through the woods

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Heading onto aerodrome

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Montrose Beach

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Great track surface for my bike

Review: Runtastic Road Bike Pro App

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I have spent a couple of weeks researching cycling computers for my bike.  So many on the market to choose from and I couldn’t decide!  Then it hit me – I own an iPhone!!  Surely there is an app that can track my cycles for me.  Yes… Many…

So I tried some free apps, to get an idea of which one works for me.  I initially installed the free Road Bike app from Runtastic, loved it almost instantly and upgraded without a second thought to the Pro edition (£2.99).

Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 21.28.43The app allows you to track your cycles and is packed with features analysing your ride, progress and route.

From the main session window the app tracks the important measures of your rides including duration, distance, elevation, route and calories burned.  The route map is a fantastic way of keeping a record of your routes, and ultimately analysing your progress on repeat workouts on the same path.  You can also personalise the app to display the features that you want to see.

One of my favourite features is the voice alerts (coach) to distance and times allowing me to concentrate on the road, keeping upright and pushing my legs 🙂 !

From Runtastic’s Website:

In addition to data analyzing and tracking, this app offers a lot of extra features. Download and save maps to your smartphone ahead of time so you don’t need an internet connection while biking. Now trips abroad or to areas where you don’t have mobile access are no longer a problem. To gauge your performance during your rides, the Runtastic Road Bike PRO app lets you measure your exact cadence, speed, and heart rate. Thanks to these accurate measurements, you can track your performance and aim to improve it.  Find out more at www.runtastic.com/en/apps/roadbike

As well as these features another nice touch is the session conclusion giving you a breakdown of stats, and a share to Facebook, Twitter and email option to show off your hard work and workout.

Overall I absolutely love this app from Runtastic.  The features are ideal for me to keep a log of my rides, and help me set goals in improving my fitness.

Road Bike Pro is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

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Help knockout Cancer this Summer!

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I am an avid fundraiser for local cancer charity Friends of ANCHOR.

Friends of ANCHOR is a Scottish registered charity that was formed in 1997 to raise funds on behalf of the ANCHOR unit in Aberdeen, and has a support area extending throughout the north east of Scotland including Orkney and Shetland. The Aberdeen and North Centre for Haematology, Oncology and Radiography (ANCHOR) unit is a fully funded NHS department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill that brings together experts and specialist nursing support to coordinate the care of patients with all forms of cancer, leukaemia and benign blood disorders such as haemophilia.

Friends of ANCHOR funds the purchase of non-NHS provided equipment for the ANCHOR unit and aims to provide additional care, comfort and support for ANCHOR patients. The charity also funds vital groundbreaking cancer research projects at the University of Aberdeen Institute of Medical Science, Foresterhill.

So the latest fundraising effort comes in the form of ANCHOR Wipeout!

goldshow02_thumb1The event will see over 350 participants battle it out at Hazlehead Park, Aberdeen on Saturday, 24th August 2013 as they take on challenges to raise money for Friends of ANCHOR in a bid to help knockout cancer. The games consist of 12 individual stations using a combination of inflatables, wet/dry games, team-together and relay games, suitable for all levels of ability.

Teams of up to 10 people cost £200 and we’re asking each team to collectively raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship for Friends of ANCHOR. For every additional £100 raised by the team a bonus point will be awarded up to the maximum of 10.

There are sponsorship opportunities available for the event. For £500 an organisation will be given sole branding exposure at one of the 12 games areas. As a sponsor you get the exclusive and sole branding of one of the 12 game stations in Hazlehead Park as well as your logo on all the communications material for the event and social media activity in the lead up to 24th August, as well as 50% off team entry fee.

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Spectators and supporters will be welcome to watch ANCHOR Wipeout and there will be children’s entertainment, stalls, a raffle and face painting on the day to make it a memorable day out for everyone involved.

Importantly, every penny raised from the event will go directly to the ANCHOR Unit as all of our running and administration costs are covered by Balmoral Group.

So what you waiting for? Request your entry form today by emailing info@anchorwipeout.co.uk

ANCHOR Wipeout Poster

Find Friends of ANCHOR on Facebook or visit their website by clicking here.

ANCHOR Wipeout activity course is being supplied by It’s A Knockout – Knockout Challenge