Bootea: The Teatox

I've used the Bootea teatox teas a few times now. I always get asked if they actually work etc, so thought I'd write a quick post about them.

You can go for a 14 day teatox with Bootea, or a 28 day one if you fancy a real challenge. You get two teas in the pack, the daytime detox and bedtime cleanse. You drink the daytime one every morning (or whenever you can in the day) and the bedtime cleanse every other night. The bedtime cleanse can have a laxative effect as it is detoxing, after all.

The taste of both teas is quite nice. I really enjoy the daytime one which consists of Chinese Oolong Tea, Mate leaves, Ginger root, Fennel seeds, Lemongrass, Dandelion leaf, Ginseng root, Gotu Kola leaves and Nettle leaves. Overall, it's quite a herbal/green tea kinda taste. The bedtime one isn't horrid, but I prefer the daytime tea. It tastes quite pepperminty, which I'm not really a fan of anyway! It includes Senna leaves, Peppermint leaves, Fenugreek seeds, Liquorice root, Burdock root, Hawthorn leaves, Valerian root and Psyllium seeds.

The website advises not eating meat through the duration of the teatox, which was hard for me the first time round, but I learned to substitute it and it wasn't bad at all. Now, I find it quite easy to go for the quorn and vegetarian options (I went to tortilla today and had a vegetarian burrito - what?!) - But seriously, I think it does help, the teatox is supposed to flush you of the toxins found in meat. You can find a meal plan to follow on their website as well. Healthy eating and regular exercise is encouraged for best results.

I'm currently in the middle of a teatox at the moment, I'm doing the 14 day one, it's probably about the 4th time I've tried it. The last two times I ended up giving up or forgetting before work, or slipping up on the exercise/diet side of things. It's pretty pointless if you're not going to follow that side of it, as I learned!

The first time I did it, I saw an improvement in the way I felt, I lost a few pounds and I genuinely felt like I'd detoxed. I've read reviews where this wasn't the case for other people, but it did something for me. At the moment I'm into the second week and have lost 3lbs. I've also done lots of exercise and have been eating quite well.

The thing I like about Bootea, for me personally, is that it does motivate me and keep me on track. It makes me think about what I'm eating and how much exercise I'm doing. I would definitely recommend trying the teas at least once if you're curious to see how they work for you. I will probably post about my end results this time, and I may even keep going with it for another fortnight. We shall see.

There are other Bootea products available, which I have also tried. I loved the shakes but did find them expensive for the amount of sachets you get, so I haven't tried them since sadly. I am currently also trying their 'Little Oats' porridge, I've only had two sachets so can't really comment just yet, but they have been filling me up and taste lovely.

If you're reading this and have any questions, feel free to ask me. You can go to http://www.bootea.com to purchase the teas, they also sell it in Boots and Holland and Barrett now as well.

xx

Zumba! Ay!

Did a Zumba class this morning. Woke up feeling so sore and not wanting to leave the comfort and warmth of my duvet - but I fought the urge and got up and at it!

I bought a fancy glass water bottle I found in Tesco the other day at an attempt to drink more water - I prefer drinking from glass rather than plastic so thought it should work. It's also quite huge so lots of space for adding fruit (which I've been doing quite a lot lately). Today I added blueberries, lemon and lime. Tasted amazing. The brand is 'Voss' and I've added a photo below. 

I hadn't been to the Monday morning Zumba classes before so there was a different instructor. Still had a great time and burned 699 calories. She also did a couple of the same songs my other gym Zumba used to do, so enjoyed the familiar tunes! 

Food wise, had a yogurt for breakfast, the other half of the tortellini pack from yesterday for lunch and cooked dinner from scratch. As I'm currently using bootea detox tea and they advise against eating meat during the detox, I made a vegetarian meal. I made quorn chilli, accompanied with frozen veg and a small sweet potato. Was really filling and enjoyable. 

Had another muscle soak bath also accompanied by Lush's 'The Comforter' bubble bar to make some pretty bubbles and pink water! I'm so so sore at the moment (in a good gym kinda way) but I find bathing for around 30mins really eases the aches. 

I also jumped on the scales today and seem to have lost 3lb since Friday. Happy days! X

Gym Classes/Today's Workout!

One of the things that has kept me on track most with getting my ass to the gym, is the classes. I find it much easier to stay motivated and the time just flies by. they're also a lot more fun that jumping on a treadmill or cross-trainer! 

The classes I tend to go to most are: Boxfit, Bums, Tums and Thighs, Zumba and Aerobics. I try and introduce myself to new ones when I can. 

Today I did two classes; Boxfit and Dance Aerobics. I do Boxfit quite regularly, but today with a different instructor. It was still as good and pushed me quite hard as they usually do! Although today, the person I paired up with missed her kick and ended up kicking me straight in the stomach - (I have a graze and a bruise-ouch!). 

I'd never done the Dance Aerobics class before and it was crazy. I was exhausted enough as it was after Boxfit, but I wasn't expecting the sequences to be so fast! I kept moving throughout but was severely shown up by the regulars that know the sequences perfectly to each song. I'll definitely be going again though, it was fun and I'm quite good at picking stuff up when it comes to dance/rhythm.

Overall I burned 1651 calories. My heart rate averages at around 180 for a lot of my workouts and peaks at 200 sometimes. I invested in a Polar FT7 watch, which comes with a strap that goes around you just under your bra and monitors your heart rate. I find it really useful/helpful and quite motivating as well. 

I came home to a lunch of spinach and ricotta tortellini mixed with a little sweetcorn/chilli/onion pot I got from Crussh yesterday. Bit of a random lunch but worked well! I then indulged in a bath and face mask (courtesy of Lush Cosmetics) - I feel and smell amazing. 

xx

Hello :)

Here's a little introduction to myself and my new blog!

My name is Mikaela (or Kaela), I'm 22 years old and live in London. I'm half Maltese and was born in Malta. I've been trying to lose weight for years and have been up and down with my journey due to life just getting in the way and stopping me in my tracks.

I've recently started getting back on the exercise and healthy eating train again, so wanted to create something online that would help me document my weight loss/fitness stuff a bit better than my instagram and twitter etc. 

I used to have a tumblr like it but that was a while ago and my goals and attitudes have changed since then. Fresh start time! I'll probably post some other stuff every now and again like health and beauty products or whatever, but we shall see. 

For now, I will be documenting my gym visits, classes and my preparation for a 10k run I am participating in this July. (I'll do a post about it!).

You can get in touch with me on instagram and twitter if you wish, username is the same for both: @mikaelaxmk 

xx