FREELETICS //

At the end of January 2015 I quit the gym. After several years of doing the same thing, it was time for a change. It was a challenge deciding what to do next; I knew I personally would get the best results using a program of some sort, whether it be a personalised group plan or something made up myself. In the end, these guys won me over with their New Year discounted app. In the first week of February 2015, I started a journey to become a free athlete. I bought the digital Freeletics coach.

In a nutshell, Freeletics is a fitness program founded in Munich by Andrej Matijczak, Joshua Cornelius and Mehmet Yilmaz in 2013.

High Intensity Workouts
Short and intense, each workout takes between 15-45 minutes and exercises should be completed as fast as possible. It has been likened to CrossFit. Movements such as as sprinting, stretching and many body weight exercises are combined and mixed in numerous combinations. These include Burpees, Climbers, Pushups, Pullups, Situps, Leglever, Handstand pushups, Jackknives, Squats, Deep Squats, Burpee Frogs, Jumps, High jumps.

Personalised
If you buy the coach, it works with the information you give and bases your next week of training around feedback. This makes it available for everyone, even if you have limitations.

Accessible
You exercise with your body weight only. No need for any equipment, meaning you can workout anywhere at any time.

Social vs. Independent
There is also a community to be found online, where you can follow, share results and compete with other free athletes around the world. You can participate as little or as much as you want. The community and the base app, including a few workouts, are free to use.

So what is their selling point? Why are people drawn to Freeletics over other workout plans?

They have a strong social media presence with regular blog posts advising on nutrition (of which they offer a personalised plan). They post #fitspiration photos and quotes on their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts. But I would say their number one selling point are their YouTube transformation videos, featuring guys like Levant here:

This much change in just 15 weeks. Seriously, you can't get much more motivating than that. Regular people who are not paid to transform with Freeletics post new videos every day; it is a fast growing phenomenon.

I wanted in; and for under £1 a week, who needs the gym? ;-)

So 4 weeks ago I took some before photos and got started. Stay tuned for updates about my progress so far, including how I am cleaning up my diet and my ideas for starting a Freeletics group in Newcastle.

21 DAY PRIMAL CHALLENGE - REVIEW

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE PRIMAL CHALLENGE

What kept me going throughout the 21 days was the fact that the daily challenges went beyond diet and exercise. My favourites included reminders to be present (basically, put the phone DOWN), listen more, relax and play more.


THE PRIMAL DIET

While I have indulged a little since my three weeks finished (see below), many of the habits I developed I would like to stick with. Why? Because they worked. Here are several examples:

1. No legumes: I avoided beans, peas, pulses and peanuts and there was definitely umm less gas #tmi? Now when I eat beans, I notice more bloating. I'm not going to be really strict with this one, because sometimes peas are the healthiest thing on a plate, but it is good to know that I can reduce gas by avoiding legumes.
2. Eating local organic food: This is because I felt better about supporting local farmers and it tastes better. Sure, it may be more expensive but I felt like it is worth it.
3. Cutting down on sugar: Resulted in fewer cravings, feeling more balanced mood-wise, and less headaches. It is very very hard though and I definitely wasn't perfect.
4. Homemade everything: I really enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, and to keep this going I have invested in some really pretty tupperware which I can't wait to arrive.

As I said before, I have indulged a little by making ice cream, cocktails and drinking beer.

The ice cream was a traditional recipe using egg yolks, double cream and honey toasted almonds.

Bramble cocktail made with blackberries and tequila

My favourite gluten free pizza in Pizza Express

THE WORKOUTS

I particularly enjoyed how much energy I had all the time, and how much better I slept. The workouts were never longer than half an hour, which was perfect as it meant more leisure time in the evenings and not feeling so 'burned out' from exercising for too long.

The PEM workouts (pull ups, squats, push ups and plank) I found to be really effective, and there's nothing more motivating than improving on these moves. I've gone from not being able to do a pull up, do managing 10 in a row!

I didn't manage as much sprinting however, mainly because I felt like a tit.

RESULTS

Overall I would say that I am satisfied with the results, both in body and mind, although I wouldn't necessary call it a complete transformation. As I mentioned at the end of my previous post, I believe that a transformation would require a lot longer.

I didn't lose any weight, but then I wasn't planning to, however I did notice an improvement in my skin which is so apparent now that I have been eating and drinking rather badly and it's all gone wrong! I suffer from rosacea and it pretty much disappeared in the first week which was bloody marvelous. I came across this article about how the primal diet and using coconut oil banished rosacea for one woman, and I did find this to be true. Since reintroducing sugar (albeit less than before), beer and milk my skin looks worse than ever*. I am really really hoping that my next challenges will clear it up again....

*Not: I'm not completely certain that it's not hormones and/or just bad luck. But I can hope there's a cure!

SO...NOW WHAT?!

I intend to continue tweaking my diet, keeping it mainly primal and working on reducing my alcohol consumption. More on that another time..!

It may be my age, but as I'm approaching 30 I have been thinking of who I want to be when I get there. I think self-improvement is essential to our enjoyment of the journey through life; it not only benefits ourselves but also others around us. With that in mind I am setting some goals for the next few years which I will discuss in the next post.

BEYOND GRAINLESS: PART 3 - LIVING AS A CAVEWOMEN (IN NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE)

Read: Part 1, Part 2

On 28 July 2014 I will start my 21 day sponsored challenge to live as a modern cave-woman. My aim is to raise £150 for Crohn's and Colitis UK - please visit my JustGiving page for more information.

I will follow 'The Primal Blueprint' guidelines as outlined here. However, as the rules were written by a resident of Malibu in California, I feel that they need adapting ever so slightly to work in Newcastle, England ;-)

Remember the 'Eat Well Plate' a.k.a the current governmental guidance on what should make up a healthy diet? Well this the pyramid I'll be following from 28 July.

Just a wee bit different eh?

Here are the rules plus my adaptations:

1. Eat real food. a.k.a no ready meals, takeaways etc.
2. Avoid sugar, grains, unhealthy fats, beans/legumes.
3. Align your carbohydrate intake with your weight goals and activity levels. Around 100g a day.
4. Move frequently at a slow pace: Get between 2-5 hours per week of moderate aerobic exercise. I'm going to aim for 10,000 steps a day.
5. Lift heavy things: Conduct 1-3 brief, intense sessions of full-body functional movements.
6. Sprint: Go “all out” once a week.
7. Get 8 hours of sleep every night.
8. Get 15 minutes of direct sun exposure each day. Have to laugh here. Where possible!
9. Play! Find time to let go, disconnect, unwind and have fun each day. Frisbee anyone?!

I will also:

- aim to eat only seasonal vegetables and fruit, preferably from market stalls;
- only eat locally sourced meat and eggs;
- not drink beer (normally my tipple of choice!), spirits, cocktails, white wine or soft drinks;
- only use natural cosmetics, soaps and deodorant.

Here is what I will not eat:


I think that's about it! Some people think I'm mad, but I'm feeling positive. The biggest challenges will be:

1. resisting my favourite beer in the pub;
2. eating out;
3. not having my usual after dinner sweet treat;
4. not driving my boyfriend, friends and family completely mad.

The creator of the challenge suggests keeping a journal. I will write blog posts outlining my progress running up to the event and during, particularly where I shop and what I eat out.

Stay tuned..!

BEYOND GRAINLESS: PART 1 - CHALLENGING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM

I apologise in advance for my rant below. Actually, no I don't because I feel this is important.

Where to start?

I first started to question 'conventional wisdom' (CW) regarding diet and exercise (that is: guidance from the government and old wives tales) when I was about halfway through my online Nutrition and Health course, which I started in April this year. I started the course as my interests in nutrition kept growing after I learned so much about digestion, food, diseases and related immune responses since having to change my diet; I wanted to learn more. I was looking forward to the course confirming what I knew about food - the functions of macro- and micro-nutrients, the implications of eating too much sugar and the benefits of keeping active - but also teaching me about the relationship between diet and disease. However, the deeper I delved into the course, the more I found myself disagreeing with many of the statements being made about what to eat and why.

The course's content is based on current guidance from the Food Standards Agency and the NHS. This guidance, including the 'Eat Well Plate' as shown above, is taught and practiced in schools, hospitals and displayed on manufactured food labels. It is what many refer to as 'conventional wisdom' as it is generally accepted to be true by most of the western world. Here are some of the 'nuggets' of guidance I disagree with in grey, and why I disagree in orange:

Fat & Dairy

• Fat should make up less than 4% of our diet;
• Fat is the body's preferred and most reliable form of energy, therefore it should make up at least 50% of our daily intake;
• Saturated fats should be avoided;
• Saturated fats are essential to the human body. They allow calcium to be absorbed and support the immune system;
• Children can consume full fat dairy, but once they become adults they should only have low fat varieties. According to the CW food pyramid this group should make up 15% of our diets;
• We are not supposed to drink the milk from other animals. Most people are lactose intolerant to a certain degree, and dairy is growth promoting. As human adults are no longer growing, this can cause undesirables such as acne. However, this isn't the case for grass-fed butter. 

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates should make up 1/3 of our diet in the form of bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta, beans and lentils. That's 6-11 portions a day;
• We have only been eating grains since the beginning of agriculture 10,000 years ago. Our genes were programmed 2 million years ago, therefore our digestive systems have not yet adapted to process grains. Consuming them is asking for trouble, both short term and long term;
• Children should be fed fortified cereals (artificially added iron, calcium and vitamin D) for breakfast so they get extra vitamins and minerals;
• If children are provided with a healthy diet full of meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and fruit they won't need 'extra' vitamins and minerals;
• Wholegrains are essential for adequate fibre intake;
• Eating adequate vegetables will provide your body with enough fibre. Basically, grains are meant for birds who have digestive systems that can cope.

Exercise

• The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate cardio and 75 minutes of intense cardio a week;
• You should only do moderate/intense cardiovascular exercise if you enjoy it or need to improve cardiovascular health. I personally find it boring. Body weight exercises and lifting heavy things are much better for you;
• People should exercise to keep weight at a healthy level;
• Managing weight levels is around 80% dietary effort, and chronic cardio will work against you making you crave sugar carbohydrates.

It is apparent to me and many others that current government guidance is outdated - most of it was enforced in the 1970s. Why are we getting fatter? Why is there so much heart disease and diabetes?

It's not fat that makes us fat, it's sugar.

Yes you read that right! When digested, refined carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and rice create an excess of glucose - more than our bodies can absorb. Insulin is therefore produced to get rid of it, and it does this by storing it as fat. If this occurs regularly, as the CW "Eat Well Plate" suggests it should, the body could develop an insulin intolerance. This known as diabetes type 2. What's more, fat cannot be burned whilst there is insulin in the system so it just stays put. This explains why so many people find that although they exercise to the point of fatigue and burnout, they still cannot burn off that stubborn fat.

I've only scratched the surface, but I'll stop here for now ;-) For further reading I suggest starting with the sources below and subscribe to my blog.

NB: I have mainly linked to articles which use science and case studies to prove their statistical statements. I am merely expressing my agreement with them. Please leave me comments - I'd love to hear your take!

Further reading

An open letter to conventional wisdom
Paleo Leap 
Primal Blueprint 101
Why grains are unhealthy

Read Part 2