Why this PT says, 'You don't need a PT!'

Before I began my health and fitness journey in 2011, like a great number of people, I believed that I too could have the perfect figure if only I had a Personal Trainer, like all the film stars have.  Of course I could eat healthy and exercise if someone were telling me to!  It'd be easy!

But is it that simple?  

Now that I'm a Personal Trainer, I can tell my clients how to exercise and what to eat.  I can push them hard for the sessions they spend with me each week.

But is that enough?

Just saying you have a Personal Trainer is not enough.  You can't just talk the talk and expect to get ripped through osmosis.  You have to walk the walk.  You have to turn up.  You have to turn up and you have to work hard.  And you can't rely on one session a week to get you the 'toning' results everyone seems to be after - you need to put in some out of hours effort too.

You need to eat right - abs are, after all, made in the kitchen.  There simply aren't enough hours in the day to work off some of the meals and snacks you can eat in one sitting!

And if I have to nag you to turn up, then you aren't committed.  And if you aren't committed, then your health and fitness won't be sustained.

As a Personal Trainer, I make very good use of the skills I learnt when I was a teacher.

I am a facilitator - my aim as a teacher and now a PT, is to foster independent learning - in other words, my job as a Personal Trainer is to get you to believe in yourself.  To get you to love exercise and healthy eating so much that you are able to sustain it without my constant attention.  My job as a Personal Trainer is to get you to be amazed by the things you can do that you never imagined you were capable of and to get such a buzz from this that you keep on wanting to improve.  

When this happens, you see impromptu days off, that mean you can come to an extra class a week, as super-lucky!

When this happens you see unscheduled appointments, that you can't get out of and mean you have to miss a session, as genuinely frustrating!

When this happens, I don't need to nag you to turn up because you are committed!

You don't need a PT to get fit and healthy, you just need walk your talk!

NB: obviously I realise I'm talking myself out of a job here - so I'll just add the caveat that a PT has the knowledge and experience to help focus and personalise your exercises and the ability to push you hard so that you get much more out of each session than were you to work out on your own  = )

Phew.

Paleo Celebration Cake

How do I top the paleo celebration cake I made for my daughter, Liv's birthday this year?  That was the problem I faced for Zack's birthday today - I'm not the world's greatest cook and I'm a bit slapdash but the paleo rainbow cake I made for Liv I think was the best cake I've ever made!

I'm not sure I topped it with Zack's paleo celebration cake but it's not bad and tastes yummy!

Paleo Chocolate and Raspberry Checkerboard Cake

Ingredients:

For the raspberry sponge:

400g creamed coconut (aka coconut manna or coconut butter)
6-7 eggs
1 cups of honey
2 tsp baking powder
300g raspberries
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Chocolate sponge:

400g creamed coconut (aka coconut manna or coconut butter)
6-7 eggs
1 cups of honey
2 tsp baking powder
200g dark chocolate, melted
1/2 cup cocoa powder

For both cakes, melt the coconut in hot water in the packet or in a bain marie if it comes in a jar.
Add the baking powder and one egg at a time, whisking each one in - it will seize to begin with but will loosen up eventually.  
Add the honey and mix in well.
Add the other ingredients.

Split mixture between two lined sandwich tins and bake at 170 degrees until the sponge bounces back and a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.  Allow to cool completely before cutting.

While the cakes are cooling, make the ganaches.

White chocolate ganache: (not strictly paleo but...)

200g white chocolate
25g butter or coconut oil
50ml coconut cream
50g creamed coconut

Melt chocolate with the coconut and butter or oil in a bain marie, add the coconut cream once melted, this should stiffen the mixture.

If the mixture separates, the addition of one egg yolk has enough lecithin in it to bring it back together.

Dark chocolate ganache:

400g dark chocolate
50 butter or coconut oil
130ml coconut cream
50g creamed coconut

Follow same process as for the white chocolate ganache.

Using cake rings or cutters, cut the cakes into concentric circles, 3 or 4 will do.

Use the white chocolate ganache to coat the inside one of the largest chocolate cake rings.
Place one of the second largest raspberry sponge rings inside the chocolate ring.
Coat the inside of this ring with white chocolate ganache.
Place one of the second smallest chocolate cake rings inside this one and coat the inside with white chocolate ganache.
Place one of the smallest raspberry sponge circles in the centre.
Coat the top of the cake you have constructed so far with white chocolate ganache.

Starting this time with one of the largest raspberry sponge rings, repeat the process.

Continue until you have used up all the cake rings.

Cover the entire cake with the dark chocolate ganache and smooth with a palette knife.

Top with fresh raspberries and add a ring of them at the base.

Paleo Celebration Cake

And that's this year's paleo celebration cake!

Paleo birthday breakfast

My big boy's birthday today. 
12 years old. 
Oh my God, where did the time go?







Anyway, what does a 12 year-old paleo boy want for his birhtday breakfast?  Why, wild boar of course!




I think this may be more what he had in mind...

But this is what he got, wild boar and kangaroo from 

The meat on the left is kangaroo steak and on the right is wild boar steak.

Both were delicious!  The kangaroo doesn't taste like anything I've tasted before but was delicious and the wild boar was similar to pork but with a sweeter flavour.

I think he liked it!

He's a bit of an Asterix nut so wild boar for breakfast made him very happy!

 

Love my paleo family!

Happy 12th birthday, Zackary!