The Online Fitness Revolution

There's no doubt that technology makes us lazy. In the first instance, there's no need to forage for food now that shopping can be conveniently accomplished from the comfort of your sofa without moving a muscle. On-demand films, online entertainment and social networking, to name just a few, have meant than we can socialize and amuse ourselves with minimum exertion required. Although perhaps I should mention that according to the Telegraph, smart-phone induced thumb injuries are on the rise!

That said, technology has a flipside. The wealth of health and fitness apps and videos has meant there's an abundance of accessible and free resources, albeit some with more dubious credentials than others. This lyrca-overloaded sample of workout videos bares testimony to that.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE3KWhUCros. 

In the absence of a gym membership, I've been seeking out other ways to keep fit to complement running and I stumbled across a particularly handy resource. http://www.fitnessblender.com



Fitness Blender is run by a husband and wife team of personal trainers who create an enormous range of workout videos for every fitness level, completely free of charge and using very little extra fitness equipment. The website allows you to search for a workout based on length, difficultly, training type etc. Many of the workouts follow a simple formula of High intensity interval training (HIIT)or "Tabata" which allow you to focus on shorter exercises sets in order to increase strength and stamina. Filmed against a white background with clear and motivating instructions, Fitness Blender has avoided the amateur-ish looking workout videos awash on YouTube with tinny background music and confusing information. Excellent news when you need a gentle prod in the back to do some exercise.

I gave the 33 mins HIIT training a go this morning. http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/workout-detail/HIIT-the-Ground-Running-33-Min-High-Intensity-Interval-Training-for-Endurance-Total-Body-Toning/e3/   What felt like several hundreds of burpees and press-ups later, I pushed myself hard. But I'm not feeling guilty about technology making my life more sedentary for the rest of day.

Post exercise treat: Courgette, Orange and Carrot Cake

Until recently I was very sceptical about vegetable-based cakes. I like courgettes, carrots, beetroot and the like as much as the next person but that's not to say I want to find them baked in a cake.

That said, we are inundated with home-grown courgettes and having been vigilantly picking them, they have formed a staple part of our diet in the last few weeks. So fritters, roasted baked and stir-fried courgettes exhausted, I went on the hunt for a recipe to use them up.

After heading out for a steady 6 mile run this morning, this treat definitely hit the spot as well as stopping some of those courgettes in their tracks from becoming marrows. The courgette is very subtle but definitely adds texture to the tangy crumbliness of a traditional carrot cake.

I suppose the important part is not over-compensating and remembering that I haven't run an ultra-marathon by any stretch of the imagination!

Ingredients:

250g butter
200g Demerera sugar
250g self-raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 grated nutmeg
1 tsp mixed spice
Zest of an orange
100g carrot, grated (about 2 medium carrots)
100g courgette, grated
4tbsp sultanas
Icing:
250g Marscapone
2tbsp icing sugar
Juice of 1 orange, plus extra juice for taste

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark5 /190 Centrigade and grease two 20cm diameter tins.
2. Place the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, nutmeg , spice and orange zest in a large mixing bowl, and using an electric mixer, combine all the ingredients. If the mixture is still a bit heavy and doesn't fall off a spoon when tapped aginst the side of the bowl, add a dash of milk to loosen it up.
3. Stir in the sultanas, grated carrot and courgette.
4.Split between two tins and cook for approximatley 30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean 6. Whilst the cake is cooking, combine the marscapone with the icing sugar, orange zest and juice. You can add more icing sugar or juice to taste. Mix until the mixture is smooth and leave in the fridge to cool for half an hour.
7. The cakes come out crumbly so leave them in their tins to cool then they are ready to ice!