EAT IT!

Many of you have been asking, where to shop for groceries without paying "city stupid" prices? Well to be honest, if you are going to follow a paleo diet - it means eating within 100 KM radius of where you live, it also means eating grass fed, organic, free range, sterilized... I'm kidding! Let's face it, we live in a time where more of our food is imported than we can rear locally due to the demand and over consumption as a human race. I understand that you still want to eat as clean as possible so here is a list of all my favourite places to buy meat and veg as local as possible.

Meat -

If you want to eat fresh after seeing the Wellcome Rat Video, I'd recommend you buy meat fresh from the wet markets, where meat is hanging fresh for you than pre packaged rat bitten meat at the super market. Honestly, it doesn't get any more fresh than buying a meat off the bone. I know, for most it's not the most pleasant experience and I think as long as you eat what you need, give thanks for your food, it shouldn't gross you out. Think about it, is it really more healthy and "fresh" to buy meat that's packaged in styrofom and cling wrap?

Hong Kong Football Club, Happy Valley

You need a member to get you in on ordering meats here. If you have an insider (me!) it's well worth the wait to pick up your grass fed meats.

I bought 3 chicken breasts, 1 massive turkey breast, 4 chicken thighs, 2 Cod for $460 HKD.

Three Butchers 

Get your 100% Grass Fed Beef. DELIVERED!

Chef's Express - Tung Chung/Lantau Island

They make their own, they are fresh and they are bringing the meat to this part of the island! Thanks to my Tung Chung Community friends for sharing this place with me! 

Veggies -

GRAHAM STREET MARKET, CENTRAL

This organic stall is closer to the bottom half, walking up from Queen's Road Central they have all your organic favourites and they stock lots of other clean foods like quinoa, MCT oil, coconut oil, chia seeds glutten free flours and all at reasonably cheaper prices to their super store counterparts.

I asked the ladies how they knew to stock all these awesome items and she told me that helpers would rock up with lists and she would go sourcing it for them. It's like a mini speciality stop without the specialty price tags! They were also kind enough to let me take photos and love seeing the dog. GET HERE PEOPLE!

  

Kee Wah Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Located at the end of GAGE STREET MARKET, CENTRAL is just before you hit Aberdeen Street.

I first encountered this place by accident, walking to hit up Gough Street for an Agnes b coffee and Kisses Cupcake (I do have cheat days you know!)

They are a bit pricier but worth the fresh imports of salad greens, brussel sprouts and giant peppers.

It's good to know that there are organic grocers in the wet markets!

Broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, romane lettuce, 2 zucchini $170

o2h - KALE! KALE! KALE! KALE! KALE!

This specialty store on STANLEY STREET, CENTRAL just beside Pottinger Street has a lot of over priced items except for fresh KALE (D. Poon - this is a shout out to you!)

Make your favourite Kale salad or season it with spices and bake them or dehydrate them to make kale chips. Thank you to new UP trainer Asha Hibbert for the share! A giant bunch for $60 HKD. Well worth the freshness and delicious snack this makes. 

YMCA Green Organic Farm 

Caribbean Coast, Tung Chung, Lantau Island

Find a little table and a couple of ladies selling fresh picked veggies every  

Where else do you shop? I'd love to know! 

I've also started a facebook page with all my teaching updates, articles and funny memes. So come hOM with me sometime!

Girl Crush - Diana Poon 

She is my undercover yogi! A corporate genius by day and a playful, skilled chef and yogini at happy hours. She is my girl crush this post because she always has the sun shining out of her face from all the activities she loves AND rocks at- wake boarding, snow boarding, diving, cooking, yoga and doing it all in fancy dress and I mean the coolest costumes you've ever seen and she somehow rocks it all with STYLE. 

 She's kindly shared her recipe for what we've deemed "Claudia's Glutten Free Birthday Cupcake!" ENJOY! 

* 0.8 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup rice flour
* 1/4 cup potato starch
* 2 Tablespoons tapioca flour
* 1/2 cup cocoa
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
* Seeds from quarter of a vanilla bean
* 1/2 cup warm water or coffee

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix dry ingredients (I whisk to break lumps, faster than sifting). Combine wet ingredients separately, fold into dry mix in 3 batches. Fill lined cupcake mold till 3/4 full. Bake for 20 min or till toothpick comes out clean. Cool thoroughly on wire rack before you frost them.

Yields a dozen

*Diana- any tips for your delicious frostings too? 

week five, six and NOT wrapping up til I'm at week nine!

I would like to start this post by re stating that this is my journey and I am sharing through this platform and if you don't want to take part, disagree with anything I am sharing, I'd like to hear your comments and do correct me if you're the expert because I am sharing what I read, hear and experience through this program. 

Please don't go playing a nasty joke by commenting on my progress through your friend's social media account. You are a “professional" personal trainer, athlete, have your own gym and yet you think it's funny to make a comment about someone else's training when they are working to get strong and heal their injuries?  I would not want to be your client if that's the attitude you are bringing to the health and fitness community. 

It has been an intense two weeks of training to failure at every session, teaching and spending time with my mamma while she was in town. I have set new personal bests (PB) at every session and I am making progress in stabilizing my shoulder. I've posted a pic of where I started and my pic after five weeks of training three times a week, cleaning up my diet and balancing with gentle yoga practices, spinning at TORQ Cycle and more recently, BJJ at EPIC MMA.

week 1 : week 5

I have two weeks to go and we are about to crush some goals in my workouts and I've finally been allowed to have some starchy carbs again!

Which brings me to the topic of a low carb diet – Is it really necessary?

For a lean body composition, it's good to detox the body first and teach it to burn fat as fuel and rid of any toxins and addictions (SUGAR) the body may crave before introducing carbs again and at the right time. You can follow the Paleo Diet or even the Coconut Diet, which is great for your gut health too. You break the cravings for that super sweet iced frappacino and blueberry scone in the morning. White carbs, oats, grains, wheat contain glutten and can cause digestive problems and cutting it out to start allows for your body to cleanse of any allergic reactions you might have to eating glutten. Ever feel tired or heavy after a carb heavy meal? That could be a sign of glutten intolerance. We all have different tolerance levels. “Besides raising insulin levels in the body and providing a large carbohydrate and caloric punch, the body releases cortisol in response to the stressor caused by the gluten allergy. Research shows that cortisol partially prevents the harmful effect of gluten in the body. The problem is that cortisol results in muscle degradation and elevated levels suppress immune response and lead to adrenal exhaustion manifesting in the form of fatigue, depression, insomnia, and illness—not good!” - Poliquin

Nick Mitchell visiting at UP HK

Once you've gone through your cleanse following a zero/low carb diet (usually 14 days to start) you'll be able to introduce carbs again into your diet only this time, you eat them at optimal times so your body can build muscle mass. Stop looking at the scale and look at how much lean mass you are because that's the number that counts. Re loading on carbs – depending on your body type, your trainer will know when you should add them in again and when to eat them. Low-fat complex, carbs like sweet potatos (YUM), rice and quinoa can help replenish glycogen, help thyroid function by increasing your metabolism to recover and you can feel a little more “normal” again! I went four weeks on my plan before introducing carbs again and I admit, at first I felt a little guilty when I sat down to eat my carby meals but now I am so thankful for them because I can go out and have a sociable get together.

At the end of the day if you can't give up rice, pad thai, sandwhiches, sugary drinks, fruit and bread for two weeks- don't bother wasting your money on a PT. You might as well stick to training at a commercial gym to maintain your fitness. If you really want to change your body composition, change your diet! It'll make the biggest difference in your transformation. I promise.

As I have just a few weeks to go and summer finally arriving in full humidity, I have already set my next goal to continue pushing myself to experience something new – October 2013 Sprint Distance Triathalon! This means, strength training will be reduced to two times a week, while I dive back into yoga and incorporate swim, spin and sprint two to three times a week combining two out of the three workouts. 

Massive thank you to everyone who has been supportive through this journey! Knowing that this blog is informing you, motivating you or keeping you up to speed on where I am is enough for me to keep writing. I've recently set up my own yoga page for people to stay connected on where I am teaching and you can come hOM with me on the mat sometime. 

Girl Crush- 

Nadine Bubner- She was a suit in a previous life and has hung up her suit for tri suits, yoga pants and yoga for the athlete! Look out as we collaborate to bring you something fun later this summer in the sun, sand and sea!

Her top 5 tips for tri- training for the first time!

1. Find like minded and reliable people (Everyone is questioning themselves once in  a while why the hell they get up at 5am to go cycling) or sign up for a Triathlon club. (Tritons Club)



2. Set goals, best is to sign up for a race (start with short distance and if you like it you will automatically reach for more and longer distances)

3. Train consistently and be patient, improvement will come.

4. Just do it, get out there an try and don't be afraid of failing.

5. Enjoy and have fun!

Triathlon is not just training it's a lifestyle change.

Nadine's Yoga for Core Strength, Stretch & Flexibility