April 27, 2024

Brain Super Foods by Maggie Ayre

March 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Top Brain Super Foods and a Brain Boosting Recipe

Can you believe it’s nearly spring?  Before we know it the school summer term will be here and children throughout the northern hemisphere will be studying for exams.

Whilst study and revision time is important for securing good grades many experts now agree that what we eat and how much we move also play an important role.

Here are the top three areas of brain super foods:

1.    Healthy oils – foods such as oily fish, avocado, hemp, flax and fish oils contain the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA which have proven very beneficial to the workings of the brain.  Unfortunately the western diet tends to be very rich in omega 6 fatty acids which the brain makes use of in the absence of omega 3.  It tends to be a bit like a diesel car trying to run on unleaded petrol, OK in the short term but with long term problems developing.
2.    Water – our brains are 75% water.  We must keep them properly hydrated to enable them to work at their best.
3.    Blueberries – these little berries are little power houses of brain goodness.  They are full of healthy antioxidants and packed with vitamin C.  They have been proven to help with memory and cognitive function.

Here’s a Brain Super Food recipe to get you started:

Banana and Peanut Butter Flapjack
Makes about 12

3.5oz/100g organic butter
1.75oz/50g soft brown sugar
1.75oz/50g honey
1 banana – mashed
1.75oz/50g no added sugar crunchy peanut butter
8oz/225g porridge oats

Preheat the oven to 320F/160C.

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the sugar, honey and peanut butter and cook until softened.  Remove from the heat and stir in the banana and porridge oats.

Turn into a greased and lined cake tin.  Push into corners with a spoon.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Mark into rectangles and leave to cool before lifting out.

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls. As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon.

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

What NOT to say to your Teen! By Maggie Ayre

January 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

5 Things Never to Say to Your Teenager During their Sporting Event

Maggie is the UK leading Fitness Coach for Teens.  As a teenager she was a member of the British Sailing Team.
She is no stranger to competitive sport for teens and knows just how essential parental support is.

However, sometimes parents get it wrong and say the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Here Maggie shares her top 5 things never to say to your teenager during their sporting event.

1.    Don’t Mention What Happened Last Time
So your teen’s been here before she’s in pole position going into the final event, or he’s finally off the subs bench and the teams in the lead.  Last time it all went wrong in the closing stages.  Whatever you do don’t mention last time.  Your teen doesn’t need reminding.  Instead stick to positive comments only – no negative comments allowed.

2.    Don’t Change the Plan
If your teen never eats during a cycle race now is not the time to suggest a snack.  Changes to routine should always be introduced during training.

3.    Don’t  Criticize the Competition
The most successful sports men and women tend to be friends with everyone involved in the sport.  This season’s main competition may be next seasons training partner.  Avoid making personal comments.

4.    Let Them Focus
Now is not the time to mention the maths homework that needs to be done by tomorrow morning.

5.    Stay in the Moment
There’s time for celebration after the event is finished and a podium position or personal best secured.  Now is not the time to be talking about the future.  Don’t ask “what will you do when you’ve won” or “what’s the next step now it didn’t go so well” until another day.

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls. As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon.

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Year’s Healthy Living Prep by Maggie Ayre

December 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The New Year is a perfect time for trying something new. Unfortunately however, all too often our New Years Resolutions are set up to fail. The reason why is we tend to go over the top with our goals. For example:

 

  • Go to the gym EVERY day in January
  • ONLY eat fruit for breakfast
  • Eat 23 portions of fruit and vegetables EVERY day

You get the idea. Often our goals are simply unrealistic. Then as soon as we “fail” we go back to our old habits.

The good news is, there is a better way! Instead of focusing on what you’re going to do focus on what you want to achieve. For example:

  • Drop a dress size by February 1st
  • Be able to run a mile by 20th January
  • Get fit for skiing by half term

Each time you go to the gym or eat healthy, your actions will be a small step to achieving your goal.

Miss a single exercise session or eat an unhealthy snack? It doesn’t put you right back to square one all! It does mean however, that you’ll have to work a bit harder to keep on track.

The important thing is to choose the right goal!  It’s got to be something that means something to YOU. For example, as a teen I often joined my friends on a diet or exercise regime but I never stuck to it.  It was their goal, not mine. Here’s the bottom line:

Choose carefully.  What do you want to achieve in 2013?

Answer these questions:

  • If you could be the very best version of yourself what would you look like? What would you be capable of? What would you do?
  • What one step can you take in January 2013 to move towards becoming this person?

This single step should form the basis for your first goal.

When could you accomplish this by?  This should become your end date.  If your end date is further than 6 weeks into the New Year you need to set a mini-goal or mile stone along the way.

For example, my goal may be to be a size 10.  If I am currently a size 16 this will take longer than 6 weeks to achieve.  What could I achieve in 6 weeks?  If I work really hard I could drop 2 dress sizes but a more realistic goal would be to be a size 14 by 31st January and a size 12 by 28th February.

The next step is to decide how to achieve your goal.  In this example I might decide to snack only on fruit and only drink water whilst making sure I do 60 minutes activity everyday and 30 minutes of higher intensity activity 3 times a week.

What will your goals be for January 2013? Leave a comment and share your goal. Decide and commit!

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls.As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon. Maggie may be reached via www.maggieayre.com, www.nutritionplansforteens.com, www.femalefitnessrevolution.com

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Teenage Complaint Solutions! By Maggie Ayre

November 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

How Can Simple Dietary Changes Solve Many Teenage Complaints?

What do lethargy, spots, greasy hair, mood swings, a dull complexion, being under weight or over weight, difficulty concentrating, a lack of interest in things and problems sleeping have in common? They are all complaints made by teenagers at one point or another and they can all be easily solved by making small dietary changes diet.

Here are my 3 diet change recommendations for teens:

DRINK MORE WATER. The body is 80% water, the brain needs to be properly hydrated to work at its best. All of the above complaints can be rectified by drinking more water. Try adding lemon juice or ginger to make water more interesting or store it in the fridge to enjoy it ice cold.

CONSUME SNACKS THAT DON’T COME IN PACKETS. Packet = processed. And processed food will never be as good for us as real food. Try some of these delicious snacks instead:
Nuts and fruit
Fruit dippers and yoghurt
Rice cakes and crunchy apple
Vegetable dippers and humous
Popcorn and grapes

EAT YOUR GREENS. Teen diets tend to be low in both iron and magnesium which are found in abundance in green leafy vegetables. A regular intake of green leafy vegetables including broccoli, cabbage and kale will boost energy levels and help regulate sleep patterns.

Maggie Ayre is the UKs leading Fitness Coach for Teen Girls. As well as one-to-one and small group nutrition and fitness work with teens she has developed the 3G Program designed to be run at schools as part of the PE curriculum. She also offers mentoring for PE departments on how to re-engage teen girls with PE and has recently published her third book; “Nutrition for Exam Success – A Parent’s Guide” which is now available as a Kindle and paperback at Amazon. Sign up for the next 14 day nutrition plan for teens at www.nutritionplanforteens.com

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , ,