Exercise Classes

Shape up, Lose Weight, Have Fun, Feel Great!

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring and you don’t have to go it alone! Trying to lose a few pounds can seem like an uphill struggle but when you join a class of likeminded ladies your chances of success are greatly improved. Let me motivate you at any of the classes below.

MONDAY 10-11am	Mums 'n' buggies Workout	Meet at Tarka Tennis Centre, Barnstaple
TUESDAY 6.30-7.30pm	Shapeshifter HIIT	Kingsacre School Hall
WEDNESDAY 9.30 – 10.30am	Shapeshifter Circuits	St Brannock’sRooms Braunton
THURSDAY 6.30 – 7.15pm	Shapeshifter HIIT	Kingsacre School Hall
FRIDAY 9.30-10.30am	Shapeshifter outdoors	Meet at Braunton Parish Hall

Mum's n Buggies
Fun, safe and functional fitness with a post-natal qualified instructor. No childcare needed, baby sleeps or enjoys the ride!

Shape Shifter H.I.I.T 
Fitness & strength training workout designed to burn maximum amount of fat in minimum amount of time. No complicated choreography, just simple effective exercises with rest and recovery periods.

Shape Shifter Circuits
Total body workout using a variety of equipment and exercises to blast stubborn body fat. Shape up, slim down to look fit and toned.

Shape Shifter Outdoors. 
Hop, skip, run and jump your way to fitness and fat loss with a fun mix of exercises and drills performed in the great outdoors.

Prices
Unlimited classes 6 week membership £45.00
Block 6 sessions £24.00
Pay As You Go £4.50/£5.00

Spicy Green Chicken Curry

Ingredients                                                                                           

1 onion, finely chopped                                                                      600g    diced chicken           4 cloves garlic, chopped                                                                    14fl oz chicken stock              Piece of root ginger, chopped                                                          1 sliced yellow pepper

2 deseeded green chillies                                                                  1 sliced yellow pepper

Large handful of chopped coriander

Fresh/dried mint (approx 2 tbsp dried, more if fresh)

2 tbsp  mild/medium curry powder

7oz coconut milk                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Method

Soften onion in a large pan or wok.  Meanwhile process all the ingredients in the first column in a blender until fairly smooth.

Add chicken to pan and stir fry for approx 5 minutes before adding the sliced vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes.  Then stir in the stock and coconut mixture, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer for approx 20 minutes.

You can use any vegetables that you have to hand, baby sweetcorn works well!

  Lentil and Black Bean Soup

A great vegetarian soup which is really filling and full of fibre rich carbs and protein and so perfect for keeping those blood sugar levels steady.  I really love this, it's so easy to make and feels really comforting after a workout in the cold!

1 large onion

2 crushed garlic cloves                           

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon tomato puree

4oz red lentils

2oz dried black turtle beans (need soaking overnight)

Cook turtle beans according to directions on packet. Saute onion, garlic and spices and then add 500ml of vegetable stock with tomato puree.  Bring to the boil and add red lentils and cook for approx 30 minutes. Roughly mash the cooked and rinsed turtle beans and add to the soup with pepper  and juice of a lime.  Simmer for approx 5 minutes and serve garnished with coriander.

Seasonal squash and blue cheese risotto

Squash and blue cheese risotto

Ideal for a quick dinner and to make use of all the seasonal anti oxidant packed squashes around at the moment.  

Serves 4

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges

12 cherry tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil
1 litre vegetable stock

12oz pearl barley

2tbs dried sage

100g Gorgonzola, cubed

2oz chopped almonds

Toss the butternut squash and onion in the olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.  Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes.  Meanwhile cook the garlic in a frying pan over a low heat and then add the barley, stirring until all the grains are coated.  Slowly add half of the stock, stir and when most of the liquid has been absorbed add the remainder and the dried sage and cook until barley is tender  (approx 35/40 minutes.

Stir in the squash, onions and tomatoes and top with the cheese and sprinkle with almonds.

Blackberry compote

So many blackberries picked this weekend, this was delicious on pancakes!

Simmer 8oz blackberries in a pan with 3floz apple juice and a good pinch of cinnamon in a pan for a couple of minutes.  Enjoy with porridge/ muesli for a healthy start to the day.

Berry frozen yoghurt

It's blackberry time again, yippee!

I love crumbles but sometimes a change is as good as a rest. This super simple recipe keeps the kids happy, firstly picking the berries, then mixing and freezing before enjoying the "fruits" of their efforts!

Ingredients

500g natural yoghurt
50g chopped toasted almonds
50g chopped nuts of your choice
50g  chopped strawberries/raspberries
50g chopped blackberries
50g dessicated coconut

Firstly mix everything together in a bowl
Pour into  freezer proof containers and pop in overnight or until solid.
Before serving, remove container for about 20 minutes and then enjoy!!

Fats - the good, the bad and the ugly!!

So fat is not so bad after all!  I just wish it was known by another name as we instantly assosiate it with the wobbly stuff around our hips, bums and tums that we work so hard at to shift!

The thing is, just as we have seen with carbohydrates, not all fats are created equal. Good fats  help keep you slim, keep your skin healthy, fill you up and carry the essential fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K into your body.  These types of fat are known as the  unsaturated fats and contain a group, essential fatty acids, which as their name suggests, the body cannot do without!

You've probably heard of omega 3 and omega 6 and these are essential  for practically every  system in your body, amongst other things they help

• control blood cholesterol and fat levels
• improve immune function
• Reduce inflammation
• Maintain water balance
• Good eye health
• Proper brain and nerve function

They are found in  nuts, seeds, oils, meat, fish, seafood and avocados, many of the foods which have traditionally been avoided when trying to drop a few pounds.

Next we have the saturated fat, usually solid at room temperature and from animal source - apart from coconut and palm oil. Coconut oil is now seen as a health food due to the make up of the fatty acids but more about that next time!

Our bodies have no real need for saturated fat and it is too much of this that is linked with a higher risk of heart disease, a rise in bad cholesterol levels and obesity.  Found in biscuits, cake, ice cream, full fat dairy, meat, meat products, cheese etc. It's a case of moderation and choosing the good natural stuff, lean cuts of meat, no skin on poultry etc etc.

By far the worst kind of fat is the dreaded Trans Fat or hydrogenated oils.  This is a cheap oil which has hydrogen pumped through it to produce a firmer end product. Often found in margarines,  ready meals, biscuits, cakes , in fact most processed foods that have a long shelf life. If you see anything that has hydrogenated vegetable/partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or fat as a listed ingredient, best to leave it on the shelf.

So remember good fats do not make us fat, its the high sugar or highly processed trans fats that do that.  Eat Simple natural, unrefined foods for all round good health.