Pure Gym | Pure Loser Weight Loss Course

Today I'm coming at you with a rather special 'what to expect post' as you guys will probably know in the past I have covered a wide range of things from pure gym including kettlebells and spin most recently and I'd like to share my most recent gym going endeavour with you which is a little different to the usual half hour class and you're outta there that I'm used to, and that ladies and gentleman is the Pure Loser 6 week course.

It was the New Year (figures!) when I saw Pure Gym advertising their weight loss programme, I was always quite put off of trying it before now because the programme was very restricted and focused solely on what you can't eat rather than easing you in with a balanced diet, but since their course restructure the options feel a bit more open and therefore I was far more willing to give it a bash. The course itself lasts for 6 weeks and costs £20 in it's entirety, and includes a binder full of foodie and fitness info, a food diary, nutritionals as well as a weekly weigh in to keep you in check.

The first week the course was explained to us and we had our first ever weigh in and body fat measurements taken, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that in week one I had lost 3lbs which was fantastic as my weight plateaued months ago! Our trainer and holy spiritual weight loss guide, Andrew, is great he is full of tips for the week and recently introduced us to my new favourite snack psyllium husk with mixed seeds (don't worry domestic goddess post pending!)

I'm not going to lie the toughest part has been keeping myself in check during the evenings, I went vegetarian for a week and a bit but hubby wasn't all too pleased with the amount of quorn I was serving up nightly, he eventually had enough and succumbed to a McDonalds (and a Dominos, and a Burger King etc...) Since I work a 9am to 5pm job and attend the gym until around 7.30pm most evenings, I'm shattered by the time I get home and need to get myself into more of a routine of Sunday batch cooking - maybe you guys could act as my Sunday alarm and reminders? (please!)

To date I have lost 4.5lbs and ideally I'd love to lose 3 more before the formerly fat lady sings, I have upped my game in the gym, cleared my cupboards of smackery and asked my husband to hide everything else (though I reckon he has just hidden things in high places!) so as Shia says, JUST DO IT!

Have you guys ever joined a weight loss programme or had personal training sessions at the gym? I'd love to hear how you got on and how you managed your work / home / gym balance! Be sure to leave all thoughts and kindly comments in the box below, come share your experiences with my on Twitter or if you would just like to keep up with how I am getting on be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, JUST DOIN' IT!

H.Elizabeth x

Have a healthy pancake day | Super Speedy Protein Pancakes

These guys have been everywhere right now, you can't turn a corner without someone shouting PROTEIN in your face, and given for some time now I have been looking to replace my trusty breakfast consisting of a hearty bowl of coco pops (if it ain't broke right?) I thought I would give these a go. Now upon hearing what to ingredients you're just going to combine to whip these up they don't sound altogether very appetising and if I'm totally honest in the future I will be adding another accompanying fruit and may even invest in some protein powder but for something super quick and easy to throw together in a rush these have your back.

Ingredients

1 Mashed Banana

1 Egg

Equipment

Mixing Bowl

Fork

Frying Pan

Fish Slice

Method

1. Whisk together your mashed banana and egg in a bowl then add the mixture to a preheated, non stick frying pan (and then laugh as you attempt to keep it in a 'pancake like' shape)

2. Give it a couple of flips (keep all swearing to yourselves though) and make sure it is properly cooked on both sides, and voila you are sorted.

As you can see I had mine with a piece of toast which was lovely, however I do think these pancakes on their own are a little bland and they could be doing with some cinnamon, a sprinkle of sugar or just something to give it a bit more depth. Check me going all Gordon Ramsay! 

Hopefully you health nuts and fitness freaks appreciated this super healthy, speedy version of protein pancakes, I'll be enjoying these instead of my coco pops as soon as I have found the perfect flavour combos, what would you recommend if you've had them before? Leave your suggestions in the comments below, come share your links with me on Twitter, or if you'd like to keep up to date with my weight losses and woes along the way be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, PROTEIN!

H.Elizabeth x 

Domestic Goddess | Home made Chilli Wedges

This post has been quite a long time coming, as you'll have noticed we haven't had a 'domestic goddess' post on the blog for a good while now, but don't worry that doesn't mean our household has been surviving solely on McDonalds and takeaways, that just means we've been busy bees experimenting in the kitchen to come up with some more lovelies that are easy to make, taste fantastic and bonus points, they aren't going to give you that spare tyre some of my older recipes would, Creme Egg Brownie I'm looking at you!

Given my recent health kick and my general obsession for all things food, I thought I would combine the two and share my favourite dinner accompaniment, or rather my favourite thing to stuff my face with after a long ass day, home made chilli wedges.

Equipment
Baking Tray
Chopping Board
Colander
Sharp Knife
Fish Slice  

Ingredients
4 Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil (I use garlic infused)
1 Cal Oil Spray
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Paprika
Chilli Flakes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C 

2. Wash your tatties thoroughly and chop them in half lengthwise and then another couple of times lengthwise (obviously it will depend on the size of your potatoes) then cut them in half. 

3. Add them to your plastic bowl with a few teaspoonfuls of your olive oil and give them a good coat (use your hands but remember to wash em first!)

4. Add a dash of salt and pepper and some paprika to the potatoes, you can use as much or as little as you like depending on how spicy you like your food. Then finally sprinkle with a good dousing of chilli flakes (can you tell I like my food spicy?)

5. Spritz your baking tray with a few of your 1 cal spray and spread your potatoes evenly across the tray. Add them to the oven and keep an eye on them for about half an hour.

6. Serve with sweet chilli or garlic sauce (my all time favourite!)

These have been my favourite thing to throw together and chuck in the oven recently, and the beauty is you can have them any way you like. With cheese, with garlic or any spice or herb you choose, the sky is the limit, just don't go crazy with wedgie power!

Hopefully you have enjoyed this little 'domestic goddess' comeback, I just wanted to give you something easy oozy for beginners who maybe work late, go to the gym or just straight up can't be bothered! If you'd like to see more recipes and easy foodie ideas on Granite City Girl be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below, I really love hearing from you guys, you can also catch up with me on Twitter or more from Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks.

H.Elizabeth x

Yoga in the Deen | What to expect from your first yoga class

Lady my body simply wasn't meant to bend that way!

Hello everyone, today I am back with yet another exciting Granite City Girl what to expect post and today I'm going to be tackling what to expect from your first yoga class. A few weeks ago one of  my friends and I decided that it would be good for our fitness, health, minds and general well being to take on a yoga class and get some much needed zen in our lives. As you guys know I recently moved house and as well as all of the lovely little moments life throws at you in the mix I was stressed, and I don't do well with stress, and my solution? Yoga! A little piece of advice guys....yoga is NOT the answer!

Unfortunately my local fitness haven Pure Gym does not host yoga classes (guys sort it out!) at the moment so we went to an independent city centre yoga studio which had been given the thumbs up by various yogis and reviewists of the inerwebs and decided to go with a class which noted it was ideal for all experience levels and even beginners. At the beginning of the class we were told to take our yoga mats and some foam blocks (which I had NO idea what they were used for) and find a space. Now this is where we ran into our first hurdle, these classes are in such high demand that you're seriously at risk of a yogi smashing you in the face with their foot, hands, face and all manner of orifice, you're genuinely that close to your neighbour at all times which obviously makes it quite difficult to relax.

We moved through the different positions but it soon became quite clear we were the dunces of the class as we were consistently corrected by the class leader and then advised to literally sit and watch our fellow class mates (rude, hey lady I paid £8 for this class!) I continued to join in and try my best, which as a beginner in a class full of yoga genii that's all you really can do, but at this point either I was acing it or the instructor just straight up gave up on me! I was beginning to enjoy myself a little more, I felt like around halfway through I found my flow and stopped worrying a bit about what everyone else was thinking about me and my abilities, hey everyone's got to start somewhere right? 

The part of the class I found the most difficult and that I wasn't very prepared for was the amount of breathing techniques that would be involved, that is definitely something I have got to work on if I want to keep this class up (if any of you have any yoga tips be sure to leave them below) The class in its entirety lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes with a 5 minute savasana at the end (the sleepy sleepy relaxy bit) and leaving I certainly did feel more refreshed and ready to take on my bed, let's be honest guys yoga makes you sleepy!

The next day however, was an entirely different story. I hurt more than I did after spin class. My legs, my thighs, my abs, my arms even! Everything ached and I found my regular walk to work far tougher than I really should have, so mix that in with having to shift boxes from one end of Aberdeen to another for the next week I was not relaxed, de-stressed or ZEN at all! 

I'm definitely going to continue my You Tube yoga with Adrienne (she always tells me how brilliant I am) I feel like the videos are so much easier as it's just you by yourself and you can pause, rewind and generally take it at your own pace rather than attempting to keep up with a class of 30 seasoned yoga students. Perhaps in a few months time when I'm feeling a bit more confident in my techniques I'll go back but for now I'll stick with spin!

Have you ever attended a yoga class in your area? How did you find the experience? I'd love to hear all of your tips, tricks, and experiences in the comments below, come have a laugh about my experience with me on Twitter or of course if you'd just like to see more of my humiliations be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, I'm just going to skip to savasana.

H.Elizabeth x