Habits

“Don’t compare your week 1 to someone else’s week 100”.

Comparison certainly can be the thief of joy if we let it! And it can be so easily done especially when we train in groups or with a friend and you begin noticing them progressing faster than you, lifting weights that are heavier than yours or building that bit of muscle you’ve longed for. But consider if making these comparisons really benefits you in the long run. Ultimately, no, because the focus begins to shift to what we can’t do or what we haven’t yet achieved and it can be detrimental to your progress. And then negativity begins to consume your thoughts!

So, although you might not yet be where you want to be, you can always get there with patience, consistency and maintaining the focus on YOU!!! Because it’s no one else that is going to help you get there! There’s no issue with taking inspiration and guidance from others, as these are positive and encouraging aspects of your training/nutrition. But comparing where you’re at to someone else will never help you achieve your goals; everyone is on their own journey. So, no matter the setbacks, or the goals you haven’t achieved, there’s always a way to get there once you believe in yourself!

Nutrition fact of the week

The Mediterranean diet is a diet that follows a whole foods approach while minimising the intake of processed foods. And studies suggest that for people that follow this diet, the fewer medications they have to take! Here are some ways to aspire towards a more Mediterranean-styled diet. So for the week ahead why not try to aim for one or two of the following tips daily:

• Olive oil
• Up to 7 servings of fruit and vegetables
• 1 serving of nuts and seeds
• 1 serving of legumes
• 3 servings of dairy

Nutrition tip of the week

Shopping locally and in season is not only beneficial to the local economy and farmers but it can be beneficial to our health also. Using fresh and in-season fruit can contain a higher nutrient content than those fruits and vegetables that are sourced from afar and grown out of season. Have a look at what’s in season in Ireland in August and maybe consider adding them to your shopping list!

So, next time you see the local strawberries being sold on the side of the road why not stop and incorporate them into your weekly diet?

Performance

See last week’s blog post!

This week’s recipes

Salmon pasta

Time: 30 mins / Difficulty: Moderate / Serves 2 / Nutritional values – 570kcal / 69g carbs / 31g protein / 18g fat

Ingredients: 175 g pasta / 175 g salmon / 1 tbsp olive oil / 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped / 1 courgette, sliced / 1 garlic clove, crushed / 75 g cherry tomatoes / a handful of rocket lettuce

Recipe:

• Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, adding the salmon to the pan 6 minutes before the end of the cooking time
• Heat the oil in a pan, and cook the pepper, courgette, garlic and cherry tomatoes for 5 minutes until they start to soften
• When the pasta is cooked, remove the salmon, then drain the pasta
• Fork the salmon into large chunks and add to the vegetables along with the pasta and rocket
• Toss together, then serve

Breakfast muffins

Time: 20 mins / Difficulty: Moderate / Serves 8 / Nutritional values – 189kcal / 33g carbs / 5g protein / 5g fat

Ingredients: 125 g self-raising flour / 125 g oatmeal / 25 g butter or margarine / 40 g soft brown sugar / 1 egg / 150 ml milk / 50 g chopped dates or raisins

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C
• Mix the flour and oatmeal together in a bowl
• Add the butter, sugar, egg and milk and mix well
• Stir in the dried fruit
• Spoon into a non-stick muffin tray and bake for approx 15 minutes until golden brown
• Note: Can make your own variations adding different fruits