The Lack of Healthy Food Establishments in our Malls!

I went out with the girls to the mall the other day and we ended up being there around lunch time so I was so glad that Tank Juice Bar was there as they offer a range of great salads,wraps,juices and have recently introduced acai bowls! What's even better is they also cater for kids so you can take the whole family there. >> Tank Juice Menu

I loved my salad but upon looking around Tank seemed to be the one of the few establishments in the food court with proper healthy clean foods - and even then Tank is just out from the main food court and Pita Pit is outside the main food court doors (Westfield Westcity). I mean they also have the Cafe Bergerac which offer a healthier menu, and then Matsu Sushi would be your next best bet. Mozaic offers kebabs which is semi healthy but their pastas and sandwiches and other cooked goods are massive in proportion size. Other than that all there is McDonald's, Burger King, Shamiana - Indian and the other various smorgasbord/buffet style food places. Bet you know where the most queues were - you guessed it McDonald's and Burger King and whats even more of a shame that as I looked around it seemed that was all the children were eating. I don't think I saw one child around me that didn't have an unhealthy meal in front of them.

Its such a shame because the mall is inundated with youths and even more so now that we are coming up to school holidays. The options provided are all geared towards takeaways, combos and processed foods and we as a country are trying to encourage healthier living to help tackle our rising obesity rate - the options available there are not helping! I really think in order for society and our youth to begin making healthier decisions there needs to be more education about the options available. Creating bad habits in our youth now will only lead to problems later - I'm not saying they should never eat it just that they need to be more informed about the decisions they are making. While it may taste great what its doing to your body isn't so great - so if you got littlies start now :)

So my question is what healthy establishments do you have in your local mall? Are there more and where are the most queues?

Chia Seeds + Recipe

Chia seeds have an ancient history and were an important part of the Aztec and Mayan diet back in the day as they prized them for their ability to provide sustainable energy ⚡️ 💜

Chia seeds are amongst the healthiest foods on the planet and are loaded with nutrients that are beneficial for your body and brain 💡

Chia seeds have very few calories, are packed with antioxidants, very low in carbs, are high in quality protein and high in nutrients essential for bone health 💪

Chia seeds can easily be incorporated into your diet as they can be eaten raw, do not need grinding, can be added to puddings, sprinkled on your cereal etc. the options are endless - but here's a quick recipe for you below to get started 💛

Milly's Morning Munch ☀️

Serves: 4

➡️ 1 cup of old fashioned oats 🌾

➡️ 2 tablespoons of chia seeds 

➡️ 1 cup of almond milk

➡️ 1 cup plain Greek yoghurt

➡️ 2 peeled apples - organic is better 🍏

➡️ 1 cup of goji berries - blueberries, strawberries or any kind of berries 🍓

➡️ 2 tablespoons of maple syrup

➡️ 4 tablespoons of slivered almonds 🌰

➡️ 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 🍋

1⃣ Combine oats, chia seeds and almond milk - mix

2⃣ In a separate bowl grate apples, add lemon juice and maple syrup - mix well

3⃣ Add apple mix and Greek yoghurt to the oat mixture. Mix together and refrigerate overnight

4⃣ Remove from fridge and serve. Top with goji berries (or berries of your choice) and slivered almonds.

This makes 4 serves - so you can eat it over the next 4 days or share it. Enjoy 💚

Healthy Snacks - Milly's Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

One of my go to snacks 🔽🔽

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds 🎃

I keep these in a container as my go to snack at work and it saves me from snacking on things I shouldn't be eating ☺️

Milly's Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

➡️ Pumpkin Seeds

➡️ Soy Sauce - Tamari is better

➡️ Oil - Coconut is healthier

➡️ Large Roasting Pan

1. Mix 1/4 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of soy sauce together.

2. Spread pumpkin seeds in large roasting pan

3. Pour mixture over the pumpkin seeds mixing it throughout

4. Place in oven on bake at 180 degrees.

5. Leave for 15 minutes - check and mix to turn the seeds. Keep checking in 10 minute intervals afterwards. Seeds should be a darker green than previous but not burnt. Roughly 30 mins max is how long they should be in there.

Enjoy <3

Transformation Tuesday! YOU CAN DO IT!

Transformation Tuesday

I hope everyone had an amazing long weekend! Did you manage to fit in any fitness? 

My first picture that I always show was from my 21st birthday and was the trigger for my initial weightloss journey. Looking back at old dancing pics and a few others I realised that I was actually at my biggest before my birthday. 

I was working a 7-6 job, eating whatever and whenever I felt like it, I was still however quite active (dancing, Kempo and workouts etc). My day consisted of eating, working, eating, working, followed by more eating and working then sleeping and then I would repeat. My ability to chose healthier meals and nutritional options turned to the quick and easy options such as BK and McD's and when your working with kids all this food is 'normal'. 

I was feeding my body fat not fuel and in return it was giving me back just that - FAT!

Once I kicked my bad habits to the kerb, I definitely noticed a difference.  The weight started to drop a lot easier, I has a lot more energy, I was getting a full nights sleep , my skin was clearer and on top of all that my PCOS symptoms started to decrease. (It is generally a lot harder for women with PCOS to lose weight. For more information on PCOS please check out the website: - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycystic_ovary_syndrome)

You have no idea the wealth of knowledge you start to acquire once you've made the conscious commitment to the happier, healthier and fitter lifestyle. For example you become more aware of food in general - but more so in the areas of what is really in our food, is that really 'healthy' or just processed, portion sizes, healthier options and you become a whizz in the kitchen!

My goal is to also encourage others to begin their journey whether it be a weightloss journey or even a fitness journey. Any journey to better yourself and your health is a great journey to begin. Remember for anyone needing a helping hand or someone to talk to I'm here - I know the road to weightloss can be hard and unforgiving sometimes but with the right motivation and enough support you can do it!

Remember happier, healthier, fitter 😄🍏💪

Love,

Milly x

Kale - The Queen of Greens 👑

Kale - the queen of greens 👑🌳

An amazing little superfood packed full of powerful antioxidants. Kale is low in calories, high in iron, has high vitamin K levels and is a great detox food.

Kale has many health benefits and can be incorporated into your daily diet without much change. 

Try out my Kale-fornia Smoothie ☀️

➡️ 2 cups of chopped kale

➡️ 1/2 cup of coconut water

➡️ 1 1/2 cups of chopped pineapple

➡️ 1 ripe chopped banana

➡️ 3 ice cubes

Combine kale, coconut water, pineapple, banana and ice in a blender and purée till smooth. Enjoy <3

Milly's 4 Ingredient, No Bake, Healthy Snack

Here's one for you peanut butter and chocolate lovers!

As promised the recipe is below for my healthy clusters:

> 8 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter - organic, or natural is better.

> 8 Tablespoons of low fat milk

> 1 cup of dark chocolate chips - dark chocolate is much better for you

> 3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats

1. Mix peanut butter, low fat milk and chocolate chips together on a low heat in a saucepan until melted.

2. Add in the oats and mix well - take off the heat

3. Drop 16 clusters into muffin cases or baking paper (I prefer muffin cases as it's less messy later)

4. Place in refrigerator - eat as necessary 💛

Each cluster is roughly 130 calories but still taste great - I even have my flat mates fighting for them 👊

Happier, healthier, fitter

Milly x

5 Tips to Improve your Weightloss Journey - Tip Two: Cut Out Counting Calories

As I look back at my journey now I can see the fundamental points which lead me to my initial weight gain, but then I also saw the small changes I made in my life which made a huge difference on the scales for me. So below I'm going to share with you 5 tips to improve your weightloss journey - and they were all tried and tested by ME - they are probably ones you may have heard before but these are the things that really stood out and worked for me!

I hope these might help you get past your current plateau, begin your own weightloss journey, adapt the journey your on or simply provide a few tips to help you out along the way.

I am going to be releasing tips over the next few days

First Tip: Change your Surroundings - Click Here to read

Tip Two: Cut out Counting Calories

Counting calories can be a long and sometimes depressing side of the fit lifestyle - however it doesn't have to be that bad.

For anyone starting their weightloss journey it is important to understand the nutritional value and calories for food in general - it will also give you an understanding of the work needed to counteract the calories you have consumed. This can actually be quite informative and may surprise you - but that's what were here to do. I found when I viewed the exercise equivalent of the food I was eating it really made me change as I knew I had not done nearly enough exercise if any to cover the bad food choices I had made.

I like to use this site as an all round guide to understand the exercise equivalent to a specific food or item: http://www.athleteinme.com/caloriecounter.aspx

Its is quite helpful as it has a drop down box with the menu's of most fast food joints so you can pick from the menu. I do this as a fun experiment sometimes to show family and friends.

Did you know? That to work off eating only ONE McDonald's cheeseburger you would either need to cycle for 44 mins, jog for 27.9 mins, swim for 38.7 mins or walk for 69.1 mins. That means you would need to walk for more than an hour to work of just ONE cheeseburger.

When I first began my weightloss journey I became obsessed with counting calories and making sure I met my requirement for the day but it became more of a job than a lifestyle change so I stopped counting the calories of every single little thing I ate but became aware of the foods I was eating and the affect it would have on me.

Also by downloading the MyFitnessPal app it took all the hardwork out of counting the calories for me as it completely takes into account everything including exercise, water intake etc. At the beginning you add in your weight, height etc and how much weight you would like to lose - this then sets your daily calorie limit. Once food and exercise is added in the calorie counter on the side will increase and decrease depending on what you ate or the exercise you have added. I found this app really helpful as it charted out my weightloss and gave me a rough indication of how much I could lose each week if I stuck close to my calorie intake for each day. It is also great because you can add friends on MyFitnessPal and see the progress they're making - and lets be honest your more likely to complete your diary for each day if your motivated by others on a similar journey.

I'm not telling you to forget about calories all together and just go for it - but make it less of a job and stop focusing on the calories. At the beginning of your journey it is essential that you understand the calories and have a rough idea of the exercise equivalent as it does help you to make better choices. However as you are progressing through your journey you will find it becomes less about counting the calories and more about the progress you are making.

Plus remember everyone is allowed a treat every now and then but it doesn't mean to make it a treat week, turned treat month, turned treat year - A treat is a one off, every now and then. Maybe to reward yourself for something you have achieved - but all things in moderation.

Hope these tips are helping you all to achieve your goals!

Milly x