Tag Archives: healthy eating

Getting my glow on with Madeleine Shaw

17 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Food, Health, Wellbeing

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Madeleine Shaw, Ready Steady Glow, eat clean, healthy living, book signing, planet organic

As I took my seat at the back of Planet Organic in Westbourne Grove, I couldn’t help but notice how radiant she looked. Madeleine Shaw really does glow! I’ll have what she’s having…

And now I can.

To celebrate the launch of her second book ‘Ready Steady Glow‘, Madeleine showed us just how simple, healthy and delicious its recipes are, before passing on some of her nutritional wisdom in a Q&A.

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Ready Steady Glow focuses on wholesome food for a busy lifestyle (so pretty much my ideal book). Split into 2 sections, it provides quick, easy recipes for the hectic weekdays and more involved recipes to take your time over at the weekend.

Because who has the time in the week to spend hours crafting an Instagram-ready superfood masterpiece? Just, no. She says we can all make a balanced, healthy meal in under 30 minutes. Faster than ordering a pizza.

Then, on the weekend, she reminds us to slow down and take some time to chill and unwind. Peruse your local market, select your ingredients and put together a nutritious dish at your leisure. Bliss.

Madeleine Shaw, Ready Steady Glow, eat clean, healthy living, book signing, planet organic

She demonstrated 3 recipes from the book – a spiced tomato soup, a mango and avocado salad and a key lime and avocado mousse. We sampled the first and the last. Scrumptious.

After the Q&A and meeting Madeleine afterwards, I learnt that I should:

  • Eat healthy protein in the morning for longer-lasting energy
  • Use the weekends to prep meals for the busy week ahead
  • Try turmeric (maybe in the form of turmeric milk), because it’s loaded with antioxidants
  • Take the time to chew food as it helps you feel fuller for longer and aids digestion
  • Snack on something healthy and easily digestible before working out, like carrot sticks dipped in hummus.

And that I should not:

  • Heat food in tupperware as the chemicals from the plastic can react with the food
  • Reuse water bottles – evil plastic again.

A truly inspirational evening for a budding health nerd like myself. Can’t wait to get stuck into the recipes from ‘Ready Steady Glow’…

Madeleine Shaw, Ready Steady Glow, eat clean, healthy living, book signing, planet organic

Waiting in line to get my copy signed

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❤

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Guilt-free treats from my Planet Organic goodie bag

Namaste!

Yoga Panther x

Welcome to Yoga Panther

10 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Wellbeing, Yoga

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1CC4665E-2DD3-4879-985F-81C39756DCCB.JPGHey guys,

It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with you and you may have noticed some changes around here.

So I just wanted to introduce my rebranded blog – Yoga Panther!

Why I changed my blog

My old blog title, ‘To make each day count’, had served it’s purpose. It was more of a mantra to get me to blog regularly, and to inspire you to do something different every day.

However, it’s a bit of a mouthful, a bit vague, and I thought it was time to hone in my focus.

How I chose the look

I think symbols are very powerful. A simple image can signify so much and at the same time be very memorable. That’s why I wanted to create a logo for my blog. Something that would sum up ‘Yoga Panther’.

I went for a lotus flower as it’s often linked to yoga and spirituality. Each chakra is shown as a different kind of lotus and there’s even a lotus pose.

In Eastern religions it symbolises enlightenment – the lotus flower grows from the depths of muddy ponds, rises above the water and becomes a beautiful bloom. This also links to self-improvement, which is what this blog is about. To achieve something, you must put in the effort and go through the hardship. No mud, no lotus!

On a personal level, my one and only tattoo is a lotus symbol, so I designed a perfect line logo based on this. I placed this on top of a photo I’d taken of a beach sunset near my hometown. It’s a pretty background to represent my background 🙂

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I created my lotus logo using Illustrator. It’s perfectly proportioned, unlike my tattoo!

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My Instagram snap of the stunning Hunstanton coastline, not far from my home town.

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Combination of the two, along with the name in Century Gothic – a simple, airy typeface.

How I chose the name

YOGA

If you hadn’t noticed already, I’m a massive yoga lover. I started practicing in 2013 and now I can’t imagine life without it.

And yoga doesn’t just mean throwing some shapes on the yoga mat. It encompasses healthy eating, mindfulness, self-improvement, meditation and generally looking after your wellbeing. The yoga lifestyle.

You can expect to see posts about these topics.

PANTHER

Not only is the panther fast acting, it is strong, stealthy and adventurous, while being able to adapt to different environments.

I think this sums up my writing style, as well as my yoga technique. Also, my name rhymes with Panther!

So there you have it.

Here’s to new beginnings!

Namaste!

Yoga Panther x

How to stick to your New Year’s resolutions

11 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by in Lifestyle, Mind, Wellbeing

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10685491_10152469227447321_2198173858578496033_nWhat’s your New Year’s resolution?

I asked someone this the other day and their response was, “I don’t need a new year to start changing my life”. Touché!

That got me thinking.

The end of the year usually involves reflecting on the past year’s achievements and setting some goals for the year ahead. But why should we wait a WHOLE YEAR to do this?

How about assessing your life every month? Every week? Or even better…every single day.

The idea of settling big goals can be quite daunting. Finding a new job, losing weight or going travelling doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes planning and requires doing something small every day to make something happen.

Make a new day’s resolution instead

First off, think about your long-term goals. Write a list and stick it somewhere obvious in your room, so these are always on your mind.

Then, every night before you go to sleep, think about your day. Acknowledge what you did towards your goals (even if it’s a small thing) and think about what you want to get done tomorrow.

That might go something like this.

Today I:

  • went to yoga;
  • managed to refuse a biscuit at work; and
  • put some money away to save up for that holiday to Japan.

Tomorrow I’ll:

  • get up early to go running;
  • finish off that blog post I didn’t get round to doing today; and
  • cook a healthy meal and save the leftovers for another day.

This mindful process will allow you to praise yourself for your daily achievements – a very positive thing in itself – as well as motivate yourself to get the most out of the next day…

…to make each day count.