Exam tips for stressed teens

Exam time is stressful for children any age whether they are doing their first SATS or A Levels but a healthy diet can help manage some of their anxieties and boost performance. This is not just important for those doing exams but children of all ages to make sure they reach their full potential at school. Here are my top tips for healthy and happy school children:

•          Make sure children get enough sleep. It helps improve their mood and concentration levels. Teenagers still need at least 9 hours sleep a night and younger children need more.
•        Give kids breakfast before they leave the house. Some fruit and a yoghurt is better than nothing at all. Don’t be fooled into buying sugary cereals that claim to be healthy.
•          Children need to drink plenty of water to make sure they stay hydrated. Poor hydration can lead to poor concentration and a lack of energy.
•          Try and give children their 5 a day. Fruit and vegetables contain lots of vitamins and minerals which will help them fight any bugs and germs going round as well as improve their general health and energy levels
•          Starchy carbohydrates such as wholemeal bread, pasta and rice as well as sweet potatoes are great for slow release energy and keeping energy levels up though the day.
•          Protein is also very important and will help keep children fuller for longer especially during afternoon exams. Try and include some at each meal.
•          Give children a small treat every now and again to keep them motivated and encourage them to take a break from revision and work.

For more information on healthy eating for exams, email info@wisechoicenutrition.co.uk to get the rest of my top tips. Hannah’s book 54 Ways to Keep Your Family Healthy is out now available from Amazon, Waterstones online and www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk

Exciting times

Next week sees the release of my first published book! I am very excited about this and the opportunities that will arise from it. The book is called "54 Ways to Keep Your Family Healthy" and will be available from Amazon and Waterstones online as well as my website www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk and some local bookshops too.

As the book title suggests, it is all about keeping your family healthy. With today's busy lifestyles, healthy eating is more important than ever to help our bodies cope with the demands but its frequently a long way down the priority list. Obesity is continuing to rise despite government health initiatives and education programs so something else needs to be done.

The book shows you how to eat healthily, build in exercise and lead a busy but healthy life without breaking the bank and needing more hours in the day. If you need some advice on getting your little ones to eat healthily or fitting in some exercise then this is the book for you. It's written with advice that suits the majority of people and isn't just for parents.

I wanted to write a book that gave people honest and simple advice without the need to spend a fortune on products and foods you may only eat once. Most of us don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen and need quick, simple but healthy meals to eat. We also need realistic advice on making changes to our diet and lifestyles. Clearly, government health messages are just not making people change their lifestyles. Is this because they don't explain how? Is it because people are fed up of being told what to do?

As well as the book, don't forget I also run food clubs in Chesterfield and soon Hallam FC in Sheffield.The Real Food Club is an alternative to traditional slimming clubs. It's not just for people wanting to lose weight but those who need to eat healthily. To book on a session or find out more email info@wisechoicenutriton.co.uk or call Hannah on 07912 556470.

Sheffield Half Marathon

On Sunday 12th May, 10,000 runners will pound the streets of Sheffield for 13 miles. I will be one of those 10,000 people.

I've never run 13 miles in my life. Until last Sunday I'd never run more than 7. I'd planned to be really well prepared and train hard but the weather and injuries made that impossible so I've done the best I can. This week has been a very easy week in terms of exercise. I shouldn't have done such a long run Sunday but needed to know I could run most of the distance. I will go for a walk tomorrow to stop my muscles tightening up and make sure I stay active afterwards on Sunday.

This week I've made sure that I have eaten really healthily partly because I feel like I'm getting a cough but also it will help my body on Sunday and post run recovery. There's been no junk, limited caffeine and lots of fresh food to help my body get in top shape. I also feel like I've lost some weight which is great as it's easier to run when you carry less weight. I've also given up drinking for 30 days which just happens to end on Sunday so I can have a celebratory drink after the run.

I'm running for Safe At Last which is a local charity help young run aways and those at risk f running away or being thrown out of their accommodation. They provide a full range of crisis management services to the most vulnerable people in the Sheffield area. If you can donate any spare cash at all, I would really appreciate it. You can donate here: www.justgiving.com/WiseChoiceNutrition or come down on the day and support me with lots of cheering and shouting.

Walking on fire

On Saturday evening, I took part in a firewalk at Godfrey's Garden Centre in aid of the Sheffield Children's Hospital Make It Better Campaign. I didn't volunteer to do the firewalk as such, I was more volunteered by someone but I'm so glad they did now!

It was a long day with much excitement in Molly's cafe at the garden centre. Jo and I were ridiculously excited all day much to the confusion of many other people who wondered why! We then had 2 hours of training before the walk. Being a bit of whimp about it, I hadn't looked up anything online to do with firewalking so had no idea what really happened.

I walked into the training very excited and a little nervous. The nerves instantly disappeared as the laughing began. There is no hypnosis or brainwashing. I wouldn't even go as far as saying it was mind over matter. That does come in to it to an extent and the exercises we did really helped. I think the excitement of the walk got us through it. The exercises I learnt will start being used with clients to show them how powerful your thoughts are on your actions.

We actually saw the fire being lit and paced out the walk. It's 20ft long which sounds a lot but was about 6-8 strides for most people. The key was to walk quickly over the embers which still glowed red at around 1200 Farenheit.

What did I learn from it? I learnt that actually you can do anything you want if you have the confidence. Since the firewalk my confidence has grown massively. Suddenly, everything comes down to "Of course I can do that, I walked on fire". If you're looking for a challenge to do, I would definitely recommend it but make sure you use a reputable company. Ours was organised with Blaze who have been established for years and do firewalks on an almost weekly basis.

If you would like to sponsor me as part of the Mistress Cutlers Challenge, it's not too late to sponsor the team http://www.justgiving.com/Mistresscutlerschallenge2013 Molly's tea room is at Junction 31 of the M1 in Godfrey's Garden Centre.

Why you shouldn't diet

The sun is finally shining! Cue the panic setting in of what you might look like on the beach or in a pair of shorts and the decision to go on a crash diet. STOP! Before you set off on whichever crash diet you decide to go for there is something you need to do:

Remove the word diet from your vocabulary and replace it with healthy eating. There's no need to go out and buy all the diet products in the world either. You can lose weight without tablets and eating low fat diet food.

How? Eat real food. Look at what you eat now and work out how much is processed or pre-packed food. Start by removing that from your diet and replacing it with home made fresh produce. For example, the sandwich, crisps and chocolate bar you have for lunch can be replaced by a grilled chicken salad with some nuts and a piece of fruit or full fat yoghurt. Make the salad whilst your cooking dinner the night before to save time and use leftovers as much as you can to save on time and money. When you make your own food, you know exactly what's gone in to it and it's so much cheaper than buying ready meals, take aways or prepared sandwiches and salads etc.

Why shouldn't you eat the diet foods? Food tastes good because it has fat or sugar in it. Both are addictive but sugar is more so than fat. When diet versions of foods are created, they take the fat out and replace it with sugar or artificial ingredients or both. This then creates the taste we expect of the food but leads us to consume more sugar than we anticipate and can start sweet cravings within the body. You start craving junk food and enter the vicious cycle of craving sugar. This cycle has to be broken for you to lose weight.

If you want to lose weight, you have to look at it as a long term lifestyle change and not a short term fix. Crash diets work because in the short term you lose weight but over a longer period of time, you'll put the weight back on and often more because your eating habits haven't changed. Ultimately it is your relationship with food which needs to change.

For more information you can buy my ebook from here or visit the website www.wisechoicenutrition.co.uk and find out more.

My 1st ever 10k race

Yesterday I ran my 1st 10k race. It snowed, blew a gale and rained the whole way round the course. At times, it felt like hell. I wanted to cry and give up but I can't do that when I'm running the half marathon for charity so I knew I needed to keep going. Yes, I did stop and walk about 3 times partly because I just could not breathe with the air being so cold and I hadn't taken an inhaler but I got round in a fairly respectable 1 hour and 3 minutes. I am really pleased with this as I hadn't run for 10 days because of injury. It was touch and go whether I would make it round the course even but I did and along the way I did have moments where I actually enjoyed it. The feeling of finishing and the endorphins going round your body after is the best bit!

So what now? Well, I need to train hard for the half marathon especially if I want to run a sub 2 hour time. Today has been a rest day but tomorrow I'm going to go out for a short run again. I also need to focus on my eating too. This is key in race preparation and the better you eat whilst you train, the better. Organisation is vital and whilst I'm great at planning everybody elses menus, I don't do the same for me so I must. I also have a wedding to go into in just under 3 weeks which is more motivation to eat well and look great.

I never thought I'd be able to run 10k but with determination and training, I did which means you can too. In fact, you can do anything you put your mind to so go out there and do it!

Hannah

Long time no post

It's a while since I last blogged and I'm determined to start blogging more regularly again. As some of you may know from my social media feeds I'm training for the Sheffield Half Marathon in aid of Safe At Last. This means I need to be in good shape and at the moment, I'm not. I've put weight on and not been motivated to lose it. Now, I have an injury which is stopping me from running but for the first time ever I actually miss it. I'm jealous of all those people I see out running and want to join them but I can't as my leg won't let me.

So, I'm going to start blogging my training and eating again as that really kept me on track last time. I have a 10k race on Sunday and am currently advised not to do it but we'll see how it goes. As I write this, I have an ice pack on my leg trying to help it heal. The half marathon is on the 12th May which is really not far away now. Time to cut out the rubbish and focus on eating better. But, I've been out for lunch today and had dessert however, that's not an excuse to write the whole day off. I have soup for dinner tonight after food club in an attempt to prevent the day being as bad as it could be. So one meal out doesn't have to lead to a disastrous day. Recognise that that meal was unhealthy and balance it out with something healthier.

Between now and May, I have some serious training to do to get me in good shape for a half marathon. I've been including other exercises into my training to help tone up and build muscles. I also want to look great on holiday this year! What are your goals for the summer?

Hannah